Page 34 of The Money Shot

I stared as the two of them made their way down the front steps. Laura spotted me first and waved, her grin a little too amused for my liking. The nun, on the other hand, was all calm and grace, as if this were the most normal thing in the world.

When they reached me, Laura pulled me into a quick hug. “You made it! Liam, this is my sister, Sister Mary Grace.”

“Sister Mary Grace?” I repeated dumbly, turning to the nun.

She smiled and extended a hand, which I shook automatically. “Laura’s told me so much about you,” she said warmly.

I blinked, utterly lost. Her sister is a nun? That piece of information felt impossible to reconcile with the woman who dominated and humiliated men for a living.

“Uh, nice to meet you,” I managed, my voice embarrassingly high-pitched.

Sister Mary Grace chuckled, a sound that would probably lull babies to sleep. “I’m glad Laura has such good friends.” She turned back to Laura. “Anyway, I’ll see you at Mom and Dad’s next month. Don’t forget to bring that back by then.” She gestured to the garment bag.

Laura nodded, looking suspiciously innocent. “Of course. Thanks again, Mary.”

The nun gave me one last smile before heading back inside the penguin house.

I turned to Laura, who was already smirking. “What the hell just happened?” I hissed.

She shrugged, looping an arm through mine and steering me toward the corner. “Relax, it’s no big deal. She’s my sister. She knows what I do, and no, she doesn’t care.”

I couldn’t decide if I was more scandalized or impressed. “Wait. She knows?”

Laura grinned wickedly. “Obviously, she doesn’t want details. Mary just knows I’m resourceful.” She patted the garment bag for emphasis. “Speaking of which, this is going to kill in my next shoot.”

My brain screeched to a halt as the implication hit me. “That’s a nun’s habit, isn’t it?” I asked, my voice a strangled whisper.

“Technically, her habit,” Laura confirmed, utterly unbothered.

My face burned. I couldn’t even process what that meant. Before I could embarrass myself further, she yanked me into an Irish pub a few doors down. The familiar scent of beer, wood polish, and fried food hit me like a warm blanket, and I exhaled for the first time in what felt like hours.

“This is better,” I muttered, sliding onto a barstool. The place looked almost identical to my parent’s pub in Boston.

Laura laughed, flagging down the bartender. “You’re such a boy scout. Two IPAs, please.”

I gave her a sidelong glance as she plopped the garment bag onto the stool beside her. She caught my look and raised an eyebrow.

“What? You said you wanted advice, didn’t you?”

I sighed, shaking my head. “I’m questioning my life choices.”

“Good. That means you’re on the right track.” She winked as the bartender set down our beers. Laura took a sip of hers and set the glass down, her sharp eyes fixed on me. “So, business. How’s it going?”

I sighed, pulled out my phone, and opened the FantasyFans dashboard. Turning the screen toward her, I muttered, “This is where I’m at.”

She leaned in, her lips twitching into a grin. “Well, well. That’s exactly where I was when I first started.” She sat back and folded her arms, clearly impressed. “You’ve got what it takes, Liam, but if you want this to grow, you need to broaden your appeal.”

I groaned, scrubbing a hand down my face. “What else do I have to do? I’m posting consistently, and I’m trying to… you know, be creative.”

Laura plucked the phone right out of my hand. “Let’s take a look.”

My stomach flipped. “Wait—”

Too late. She was scrolling through my content, her thumb moving at an infuriatingly slow pace. My face turned beet red as I realized what she was seeing: picture after picture of me in various states of undress, plus the videos that left very little to the imagination.

“You’ve got to get used to the fact that people see you naked,” Laura mumbled, not even glancing up.

I opened my mouth to argue, but the words died in my throat when she tapped on a video. Suddenly, the unmistakable sound of my voice groaning filled the air.

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