Page 60 of Sapphire Storm

“Okay, but this is my studio and so I’m going to do what Iwant. And this guy isn’t my priority, you are. So are we cool if I shoot this?’Cause I won’t lie, with his following it could be huge for us. If he’sserious. But if you’ve got even the slightest issue with it—”

“I don’t. Go ahead.”

Donnie nodded slowly, like he didn’t believe him. “Allright, well I haven’t given him the talk yet, and you know forty percent ofthem bail when I do so…we’ll see.”

Ethan was familiar withthe talk. He’d overheardsome version of it for years. Donnie, a former performer, always went out ofhis way to make sure new models knew what they were getting into—all the thingsno one had told him when he’d first started in the biz fifteen years before.Porn wasn’t sex, it was theperformanceof sex, and that meant shootswere uncomfortable and long and required you to fake arousal under a variety ofchallenging circumstances. Also, the pay was lousy unless you supplemented itwith some other form of sex work. Once, it had been escorting. Now it was OnlyFans,a demanding content beast most guys weren’t up to satisfying in a way thatmight earn them a living. And then, of course, the most important part—in theInternet age, porn never went away, and you shouldn’t do it unless you wereprepared for your grandmother to find out.

“It’s fine,” Ethan said. “You and I are fine. Don’t worry.I’m not letting this little…gameruin my visit.”

“So this is a game, huh?”

“Yes,” Ethan said, “and I’m getting tired of it. But I’ll giveyou the whole story later. Let’s not let this kid get into our heads.”

Holding the edge of the open door, Donnie made no move toleave. “Kid, huh? You sure as hell don’t look at him like he’s a kid.”

“Please. Everyone looks at Roman Walker like they want himto take his clothes off.”

“Maybe. But that’s not howyoulook at him, Blake.”

With a lift of both eyebrows, Donnie was gone before Ethancould ask him what he meant.

Then he was alone with a bank of security monitors off toone side of the desk that showed views of the entrance and the office hallway.Was there a camera inside the studio? His hand started reaching for the mousebefore he forced it to the arm of Donnie’s desk chair.

For the next few minutes he readThe New York Timeson his phone as if his life depended on it, but he was only absorbing every fewlines as his pulse raced. Every creak in the walls, every rush of a caroutside, made him sit up. After about twenty minutes, there was a light knockon the door, and Donnie poked his head in again.

“Total bust,” he said quietly. “His wood left with you,apparently. I finally called it.”

In an effort to hide his relief, Ethan nodded at the desk.

“He’s kinda nerved out. You want to go talk to him?”

The relief that washed over Ethan was so total, he had onlya moment to enjoy it before he was ashamed of its depth. “He’s upset becausehis little mind game didn’t work. I’m perfectly content to stay right hereuntil he leaves. Tell him we can talk when I’m home.”

“Okay, Daddy.” Grinning, Donnie sat down on the sofa acrossfrom the desk. “Guess it was a bad idea for me to invite him to have dinnerwith us on the boat then.”

“Why am I friends with you?” Ethan growled.

“What? You wouldn’t tell me what’s going on. This was theonly way to find out. Hey. It’s cool if I hook up with him, though, right?Since you’re being Mr. Gruff Daddy about all his sexy naked mind games orwhatever.”

Grinning like a jack-o’-lantern, Donnie was taunting him, hewas sure, but when Ethan tried to swallow, it turned into a cough.

“There you go.Nowyou’re telling me what’s goingon. You’re just doing it with your angry eyes like you always do.”

“It’s your visit and your thank you dinner. If you’d likehim to join, that’s absolutely fine.”

Donnie stood and slapped his thighs. “Not only do I want himalong, I want you guys to talk through whatever the hell this is first.Remember. TheGolden Boy’s a stress-free zone.”

“Well, you’ve made a terrible mistake then. Because RomanWalker is nothing but stress.”

“Just the way you like ’em.”

Fighting the desire to give voice to every word of profanityhe’d ever heard, Ethan got to his feet and gave his best friend a polite smile.“Tell him to meet me in the marina parking lot by your slip in an hour.”

“He’s showering. You sure you don’t want to—”

“One hour.”

And then Ethan was out the door.

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