Page 6

Chapter Five

Bradley

I stood there like a deer in headlights, staring at the camera set up across the room like it was a loaded weapon. My palms were already sweaty, my heart was doing its best impression of a jackhammer, and to top it all off, Laura’s voice rang out, clear and merciless:

“Alright, Bradley. Strip down. Everything but your underwear.”

I blinked. “Wait. Like… right now?”

Laura gave me a look like she wanted to throw something at me. “No, next Christmas. Yes, right now.”

I swallowed so hard I thought my Adam’s apple was going to stage a rebellion.

My hands started shaking as I grabbed the hem of my t-shirt.

I glanced sideways at Nico, still perched on the couch, looking like every bad decision I ever wanted to make.

Tan skin, sharp jaw, dark hair that curled just enough at the ends to seem unfair.

And he was sitting there in nothing but a pair of black briefs like he wasn’t moments away from doing something completely insane with a stranger.

Silver lining? If I had to humiliate myself, at least I got to do it… with him.

My shirt came off first, followed by my jeans. I tried not to flinch as I kicked them aside. I crossed my arms over my chest like that would somehow hide the fact that I was shaking like a leaf in a hurricane.

I went to law school, for Christ’s sake!

As if that degree was going to swoop in and save me from poor life choices now.

“Okay, both of you, on the couch,” Laura barked, gesturing like she was directing traffic.

I shuffled over and sat awkwardly next to Nico, still trying to figure out how to keep my legs from sticking out at weird angles. The fake leather squeaked under me, betraying every nervous shift of my body.

“Hold up!” The woman named Moira’s voice echoed from the hallway as she burst into the room. “You’re not filming him yet without me putting a little life into his face!”

I froze mid-sit. “Wait… what?”

Moira shot me a look that could’ve curdled milk. “Relax, princess. It’s just a little powder and bronzer. You’re sweating like a hooker in church.”

Laura let out an annoyed sigh. “Fine. But hurry. Time is money.”

Moira disappeared in a blur of leopard-print leggings and bright pink ribbons.

Nico turned toward me, holding out a hand like we were about to sign a business contract instead of… whatever the hell this was. “Hey. I’m Nico.”

I stared at his hand for a beat, then shook it. His palm was warm, his grip easy. Not too tight, not too soft. Like he’d done this intro a thousand times.

“Bradley,” I said. My voice cracked like I was back in middle school.

Nico smiled, cocking his head. “So… what’s your stage name gonna be?”

I blinked at him. “My what?”

“Stage name,” he said, like it was obvious. “You know, your porn persona. Your alter ego. Your slutty Clark Kent.”

“I… I hadn’t thought that far ahead.”

He grinned, wiggling his eyebrows. “Oh, bro… huge mistake. This is the best part.”

Then, without missing a beat, he launched into a rapid-fire list like he’d been waiting for this exact moment his entire career.

“Okay… how about Brock Steele? No? Too eighties? Fine… Derek Magnum. Chad Thunderstroke. Lance Poundwell. No? Okay, okay… something classier… maybe Roman Hartfield? Or if you wanna go full camp… Fabio Bigsby.”

Despite the fact that I was two seconds away from passing out from sheer anxiety, I laughed.

Like… actually laughed.

Nico’s smile grew wider, like that was exactly the reaction he’d been fishing for.

“Okay,” I said, still chuckling under my breath. “How about… Blake Monroe?”

Nico’s eyes lit up. “Oh damn. Sexy but respectable. Like… you could do porn and file your taxes.”

Before I could respond, Moira barreled back into the room like she’d been shot out of a cannon. She dropped her makeup bag on the floor with a dramatic thud and wedged herself between us on the couch like she was claiming squatter’s rights.

“Alright, let’s fix this,” she muttered, already patting powder onto my forehead and cheeks. “Turn your head… no, the other way. Jesus, relax your mouth. You look like you’re about to cry.”

“I feel like I’m about to cry,” I mumbled.

“Too bad,” she said sweetly, swiping a brush across my face like she was painting a barn.

When Moira was satisfied, she stood, grabbed her kit, and strolled to the back of the room, where she stationed herself behind the camera. Now she was just… standing there. Watching. Like it was a spectator sport.

And then it hit me.

They were all going to watch.

Laura.

Moira.

Watch me.

Doing things I usually reserved for the dark. Alone. But now I’m doing it with a stranger I just met.

I cleared my throat and glanced toward Laura. “I don’t… I don’t think I can do this in front of people. Like… I know you, Laura. We’ve been to, like, frat parties together and…”

Laura cut me off with a single raised hand. “And you’d better get over your shyness right now.”

I froze.

Nico leaned in just enough to mutter, “Trust me, man… you really should do what she says.”

I shot him a look. “Why?”

Laura licked her lips slowly, the way a lioness might before eating someone’s face off. “Because I’m Raven Stone, darling. Professional dominatrix. And I beat terrible actors for fun.”

My mouth dropped open.

Of course, Laura was a dominatrix.

Laura walked toward the camera, flicked a switch, and let out a deep breath like she was about to direct Citizen Kane: The Porn Parody.

“Okay, Bradley, here’s how this is gonna go,” she said. “When I say action, Nico’s going to start a sexy conversation with you. Using your new stage name. You’re gonna flirt back. Look at him. Touch him if you’re brave enough. Let’s see what kind of chemistry you two have.”

I swallowed so hard I was surprised my tonsils didn’t file a complaint.

Nico leaned back casually against the couch, already slipping into some cocky, bedroom-eyed persona like he was born for this.

And me?

I sat there in my drawers… sweaty… nervous…

Laura clapped her hands. “Alright, boys. Places.”

Nico shot me a sly grin and stretched his arm across the back of the couch like this was the most casual thing in the world. Meanwhile, I sat there practically vibrating with panic.

“Action!” Laura barked.

Nico didn’t hesitate. His large, warm hand slid onto my thigh like it belonged there.

I flinched. Not because I didn’t like it. Hell, I definitely liked it, but because… well… holy shit. This was happening. On camera. In front of people.

“Hey there…” Nico’s voice dropped low, warm and teasing. His thumb started making lazy little circles on my skin. “You’re Blake, right?”

For a second, I forgot my own fake name. “Uh… yeah. Blake.”

Smooth. Real smooth.

Nico grinned wider, completely unfazed, and leaned in a little closer. “Mmm. Been hoping they’d pair me with someone like you. Sexy. Nervous. New.”

His fingers drifted higher up my thigh and my brain fully short-circuited.

I cleared my throat and tried to flirt back. “W-well… you’re… um… not bad yourself.”

Not bad, yourself? Jesus Christ, Bradley. Who flirts like a middle schooler at summer camp?

Nico let out a soft, amused laugh, then reached up and brushed his fingers against my cheek. The touch was gentler than I expected. Deliberate. His thumb grazed just under my eye, then down along my jaw.

“You’re the sexiest guy I’ve ever been on camera with,” he murmured, voice low enough to rattle my spine.

And the worst part? For one fleeting second, I actually believed him.

I met his gaze, and there was something there… something that didn’t feel like acting. Heat pooled low in my stomach, curling tighter with every slow stroke of his thumb against my skin.

From behind the camera, Laura muttered, “Okay, enough stalling, boys. Get to the good stuff.”

Nico let out a breath like this wasn’t exactly his ideal first date, either. Then, without another word, he leaned in and kissed me.

And holy hell.

It wasn’t just a kiss. It was… a Kiss.

Capital K. Italicized. Full sensory overload.

His lips were soft but insistent, moving over mine with slow, sinful precision. His hand slid behind my neck, tilting my head just right.

For a moment, the entire room vanished. The camera. The bright lights. Moira and Laura watching like bored judges on RuPaul’s Drag Race.

All I could think about was the taste of him. The feel of him. The way his chest pressed against mine as the kiss deepened.

I kissed him back, hungry and eager and way too into it for a guy who was supposed to be “auditioning.” My hands slid over his shoulders, then lower, finding the hard lines of muscle beneath his skin.

And that’s when I realized…

Oh. God.

I was hard.

Like… really hard.

And now? Now I was under him.

Nico had shifted, pushing me back onto the couch, settling between my thighs as he ground against me in a way that left absolutely nothing to the imagination.

Our hips moved in sync, his cock hard against mine, grinding slow and filthy as we kissed like we’d been doing this for years.

“Cut!” Laura’s voice snapped through the air like a gunshot.

We froze.

Nico pulled back, breathing hard, his forehead practically resting against mine for a beat too long before he pushed off and sat back like none of it had affected him.

I was left sprawled out, dazed, lips swollen, heart racing, and… still painfully hard.

Laura turned to Moira. “Well? Thoughts?”

Moira was fanning herself with both hands like she was seconds from passing out. “That was one of the hottest things I’ve ever witnessed. Jesus Christ. They’re like… porn soulmates.”

Laura smirked and crossed her arms. “Our work here is done. Jack and Liam can review the footage over the weekend and make the call.” She turned toward the door and left.

Moira hustled over to me, digging her phone out of her pocket. “Blake, baby, you’re gonna be a star,” she gushed. “But first, you’ve gotta pay a visit to Lola.”

I blinked. “Lola?”

Moira nodded dramatically. “Hair removal. Facials. Not the fun kind. Other assorted tortures in the name of beauty.”

Before I could process that horror, she was already gone.

Which left… me.

And Nico.

Alone.

The air between us suddenly felt ten degrees warmer.

Nico stood, grabbing his clothes and tugging on his jeans with casual ease. “Sorry, dude.”

Panic bloomed in my chest. “Wait… did I do something wrong?”

Nico paused, giving me a curious look before shaking his head. “Nah. You did everything right. Like… everything.”

I sat there, still in my underwear and fully confused, as he pulled on his shirt.

“I’m just sorry you have to go see our resident sadist.”

“Sadist?”

Nico laughed, low and throaty. “Lola. Queen of Wax. Ripper of souls, destroyer of hopes, dreams, and body hair.”

I winced. “That bad?”

“You’ll survive,” Nico said with a wink, heading toward the door. “Probably.”

He paused before leaving, turning back with that signature grin. “For what it’s worth? You nailed your audition. Can’t wait to work with you for real.”

Then he was gone.

I sat there… heart pounding, skin flushed, still half-hard… and very aware that my entire life had just taken a left turn into what the actual hell was happening.