Page 64 of Reason to Believe (White Lace 2)

Cory’s eyebrows shot up in surprise as if he hadn’t been expecting Rod to comply.

/> “Amie?” Cory peeked around the camera to the porn star, who was chewing her gum a little too fiercely. “You ready?”

Amie had gone all out, covering her face and arms in green body paint to play the alien love interest. The funny thing was, despite the paint, she looked ridiculously attractive.

“And…action,” Cory yelled.

Rod and Amie ran their lines. I had to suppress a giggle a few times because their natural delivery of dialogue had a tendency toward the sarcastic.

Finally we got to the sex and Rod and Amie humped with their clothes on. Cory was right in there, getting the close-ups, maneuvering exactly where I would have gone.

“Cut!” Cory bellowed.

The actors pried themselves apart. Most of the makeup on Amie’s face had been rubbed off.

“That was so great.” Cory’s face lit up. I had to admit, it made me feel really good that I was able to make that smile happen. That I had helped him move forward even an inch toward realizing his dream.

“Are you sure we can’t do the real thing?” Amie sidled up to Cory, her index finger working across his shoulder and down his arm. “I haven’t worked in three days and I’m jonesing.”

“You’re jonesing for…” Cory’s mouth was practically on the floor.

“For sex, silly.” She leaned in, whispering in his ear. “We can be really quick.”

“I doubt you have a problem finding someone to have sex with you.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he cringed, then backpedaled. “I didn’t mean to say that out loud. I’m sorry. It’s just that you’re…” He blew out a shaky breath as Amie inched closer.

“You’re cute. Why don’t we—”

“I think that’s enough for today.” I had no problem interrupting. Cory wasn’t getting laid on my watch. “Thanks for coming out today, guys. I really appreciate it.”

“It was fun,” Amie said. “Maybe we should do an alien theme for the website.”

Sci-fi porn. It was a genre we hadn’t dabbled in, but it could work. Although I had no interest in starting anything new when Hirsh had zero interest in what we already had going on.

“Hey, Ben…” Rod said from the doorway. “Congrats on the nod in Adult Lifestyle.”

“What are you talking about?” I hadn’t given any interviews lately, especially not to the number one online adult-entertainment-industry magazine.

“There’s also an article on the future of porn,” Amie said. “I read it, too.”

“You must have screwed that journalist real good, dude.” With a wide grin, Rod loped out of my office, Amie hot on his tail.

Of course the first thought Rod had when it came to me getting any kind of praise was that I’d screwed my way into it. It was inconceivable that it could be about my work ethic or my creative direction.

“Check it out,” Cory said. He had already found the article on his phone. “He’s right.”

I grabbed his phone and scrolled through it. There was a section referencing romance novels, and there I was, my name in print. I read a small section out loud, “?‘Ben Lockwood’s youth and unique vision has the potential to take White Lace in a new direction. His intent on capturing the passion behind sex could carve a new niche in the industry, targeting the female appetite for romance and sex fueled by dirty-talking alpha men.’?”

I couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across my face. A couple of weeks ago, I would have shrugged this off. I would have believed Rod. But maybe I was doing something right. Or at least I had the potential to do something right. This nod had come at the perfect time, just when I felt like Hirsh had completely given up on me.

“That’s a big deal,” Cory said, his eyebrows almost at his hairline.

Spending time with Grace had forced me to realize that I could do more than I gave myself credit for. And apparently other people thought so, too. I looked down, checking the byline. With a smile, I handed Cory his phone.

I didn’t recognize the name.

“You ready for next week?” Cory asked.

Monday was the second session of my talk to the students. And unlike last time, and despite the humiliation, I wasn’t as nervous.

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