Page 1

Xander

The Studio Black building was quiet and unassuming from the outside, the parking lot half full when I pulled up and killed the engine of my battered old car.

It looked like an ordinary gallery type space, without any identifying features on the outside other than the number of the building.

Understandable.

It was a porn studio, after all.

I imagined that there would be plenty of people willing to vandalize the outside if they knew what this place really was.

Nerves fluttered inside of me, and I glanced at my reflection in the rear view mirror one more time.

I'd waffled on what I wanted to wear - what did you wear to a meeting with the head of a porn studio about a job fucking people on camera? - but had eventually settled on a light blue button down that matched my eyes, and a pair of dark gray slacks and dress shoes to go with.

I was probably overdressed, but...well, there was nothing to be done for it now.

I was here.

And I was fucking nervous.

I let out one more shaky breath before I climbed out of the car, glancing at my phone as I walked to the swinging front door of the building.

There was a text from Ethan, my twin brother.

Ethan: Good luck on the interview, man! You'll do great. Promise.

I smiled, and tucked the phone away in my pocket as I yanked the front door of the building open a little more aggressively than probably wholly necessary.

I hadn't told Ethan exactly what this interview was for, so his platitudes were sweet...but probably a little inappropriate, in context.

There wasn't anybody in the little front lobby when I made my way inside, though, and for a moment, I was at a loss.

I shoved my hands in my pockets - if only so they didn't flutter uselessly at my sides - and glanced around as I waited, unsure what to do.

The walls were white and clean, and there was a little front desk where someone probably should have been waiting to greet me...or maybe that was me being naive.

Did a porn studio need a front desk receptionist?

God, I was a mess.

I rocked back and forth on my heels for a moment, and I was ready to turn on my heel and walk right back out the front door when there was a soft sound to my left, and I turned to see a tall, well-built man with dark hair and scruff covering his chin walking through the open doorway.

"Hi, Xander?" He stretched out his hand as he approached me, his expression cool but friendly.

"I'm Emmett.

I'm the photographer here at Studio Black.

Nice to meet you."

I shook his hand, looking him up and down discreetly.

He wore a dark pair of jeans and a graphic t-shirt that hugged his shoulders and chest nicely, and a gold wedding ring decorated his left ring finger.

That pulled me up short a little, my brow furrowed.

Not at the concept of someone being married, of course, but...someone who worked for a porn studio was married? Happily, clearly, if he was still wearing his ring while he was at work?

"Nice to meet you," I finally stuttered out, after realizing that we'd been shaking hands and I'd been silent for far longer than was socially appropriate.

A flicker of amusement lit in his dark eyes, and he released me, taking a step back.

"Follow me.

I'll lead you to Cole and Dorian, and we'll all have a little conversation, yeah?"

Nerves flared to life in my stomach again as I trailed after him, and the cynical voice in the back of my head said that his words sounded a little bit too much like a threat.

A little bit too much like I owed money to the mob, and this was a "friendly" meeting where they made clear that I had one week to come up with their money, otherwise they were going to send their guys to shake me down.

You've been watching too many episodes of The Sopranos.

I shook my head, snorting at my own thought, and Emmett glanced over his shoulder at me, arching an eyebrow in question before he pushed open the door at the end of the hallway, which was already partially opened.

"Come in."

He held the door open for me, and I swallowed down my nerves as I brushed past him and entered the room, which turned out to be a simple meeting room.

A large table in the middle with chairs scattered around it, a little stand in the corner that had a coffee pot bubbling happily.

At the table sat two men.

One tall, blonde, and good looking, who looked at me with interest in his blue eyes.

A wedding band gleamed on his left hand as well, and when Emmett walked around the table and put his hand on the man's shoulder, it clicked in my head.

I'm sure it's easier to be happily married when you work at a porn studio if your husband...also works at the porn studio.

"Hi, Xander." The blonde's voice was warm, a lot warmer than his husband's, and the smile that he offered me as he stood up and stretched out his hand was genuine.

"I'm Dorian, the videographer."

I nodded, shaking his hand.

"Nice to meet you."

The last man stood up, pulling my attention as he, too, offered his hand for me to shake.

"And I'm Cole Black." He smiled at me, all white teeth and sharp angles and gray eyes that looked at me with a great deal of interest.

"I'm the owner of Studio Black.

We've been emailing?"

I nodded, a little too vigorously, feeling like a bobble head.

"Right.

Hi, Cole.

Um.

Mr. Black? Which...do you prefer?"

"Cole is fine," he said easily.

"Mr.

Black is my father." He winked at me, and the casual gesture made some of the tension wracking my shoulders drain out of me.

"Alright, Cole," I said, still a little hesitantly.

I sat in the chair that he gestured to, and then linked my hands together in my lap as I looked at the three men.

They were all watching me carefully, so carefully that it was almost unnerving, but I had already used up all the courage I had showing up to this meeting in the first place, so I certainly wasn't going to be the first to break the tension.

It took almost a full minute before Dorian and Emmett looked at each other, and then at Cole with matching smirks.

"I like him," Dorian declared.

He linked hands with Emmett, and Cole smiled, turning his attention to me.

"So, Xander.

You said that you have a little bit of experience in the industry? Tell me about it," he instructed.

I relaxed a little more, the knowledge that Dorian outwardly liked me helping to kill some of my remaining nerves.

That had to be a good sign, right? "I've done cam work on and off for the past five years.

Just when I need some extra cash.

I have a few loyal fans who have been subscribed to my page since the beginning, and they're always pretty happy to see me when I pop back on the site." I licked my lips, clenching my hands together on my lap before continuing.

"I've never done anything with a partner, but...well, there's a first time for everything," I finished, a little lamely.

But God, what else did he expect me to say?

Cole nodded, tilting his head to the side.

His hair was dark and brushed back neatly, and I could see the beginnings of grays at his temples.

I would have ventured that he was probably in his mid-thirties, based on the lack of lines on his face, but the grays suggested that he was at least a decade older than that.

"And why are you interested in working here?"

I arched an eyebrow.

"Am I supposed to say something other than, 'Because I need money'?"

Emmett snickered, and Dorian looked at him fondly.

Cole didn't seem put off by my snark, though.

Instead, his smile widened.

"We like them honest, here," he said, nodding reassuringly.

"Is that truly all? No judgment if it is.

There's no shame in needing a job in this economy, no matter what the job is."

I nodded, the rest of the tension draining out of my body.

"That's a lot of it," I admitted honestly.

"I've also heard good things about the way that you run things here.

Your ethics are far better than most adult film companies, and I know that you have a rock solid NDA and protection agreement for your performers.

I appreciate that you care about your people enough not to exploit them. If I'm going to sell my body, I'd rather do it on my terms."

[Fluff out]

"We don't engage in prostitution or anything illegal here, Xander, so I might suggest you put that thought out of your head," Cole said dryly.

But then he nodded, and reached for the folder that was sitting beside him on the table, which I hadn't noticed before.

He pushed it my way, and nodded when I looked down at it questioningly.

"Look it over."

I swallowed, and flipped open the folder.

Inside was a small stack of paper, and despite how unnerving it was to have three steady pairs of eyes on me, I took my time reading it over.

It was a temporary contract for salaried performance work, four weeks agreed upon.

Up to thirty hours a week for a base salary, and then anything beyond that would be considered overtime for hourly work.

The NDA was just as solid as I had been hoping, and the protection agreement almost better.

TL;DR? The company would protect me, as long as I behaved in a way that was worthy of being protected.

I almost snorted at that little clause.

What sort of behavior would be considered too much for a porn company?

Just as quickly as I had the thought, though, I knew exactly what they were referring to.

Stalking, violence, physical or sexual.

Anything that would end up in the newspapers, and paint a bad picture of adult film stars.

I didn't have to think twice before I held out my hand, and looked up at Cole expectantly.

"Do you have a pen?"

His smile was bright and genuine, and he reached into his pocket to dig out a pen that he handed me.

I signed the paperwork with a flourish, then looked at Dorian and Emmett who were both looking at me with smugly satisfied grins.

"Finding good people is hard," Dorian offered in explanation when I arched an eyebrow.

His eyes flicked down my body, and the gleam of interest there couldn't be denied.

"Especially when they look like you."

My face flushed a little at the compliment, and Cole waved one hand at his videographer.

"Don't scare him off," Cole instructed, making Dorian snicker.

Then he turned his attention back to me, his genuine smile back there.

"We have a particular partner in mind for you to work with.

His stage name on the website is Lance Stone. I would suggest you watch a few of his videos before your first scheduled shoot on Friday. I’ll send you a month membership to your email so that you won’t be charged to do some research."

My eyebrows shot up into my hairline; Friday was only two days away.

"So soon?"

Cole chuckled.

"Sooner rather than later, right?" He winked.

"You'll be great." He stood up, offering me his hand to shake when I followed suit.

"Welcome to Studio Black."