I was just thinking about you.
I miss you.
Send me a picture. I want to see your face.
I miss you so much.
His phone buzzed, prompting him to scroll back down to the most recent messages.
Absolutely. What should I bring? Myself, tied up with a bow?
Pete spent a solid minute lingering over that mental image before he replied. I guess whatever movies you still have on VHS. It’s 90s themed.
He got ready for bed while he waited for Evan to text him back. He didn’t have to wait long.
A themed party? You continue to surprise me.
Pete smiled at his phone. Wasn’t my idea, but you’ll get to meet the mastermind there.
One of your friends, I take it? Please don’t say Joshua.
God no.
Good. Will your other friends be there?
Yup. All both of them. And my mom.
Sounds great. I’ll be sure to wear something that’ll leave an impression. Like bondage gear.
Pete laughed and set his phone on the nightstand. He climbed into bed and fell asleep so quickly he barely remembered lying down.
He woke up early the next morning to an email saying his class had been canceled. He spent another hour in bed, drifting in and out of consciousness. In his more lucid moments, he replayed his last encounter with Evan in his head, which prompted a morning masturbation session that left him with a burning need to see the subject of his fantasy. He had work that afternoon, but maybe they could hang out beforehand.
Grabbing his phone, he texted Evan. Morning. When’s the next time you’re free? I want to see you.
Evan had said his days were mostly filled with marketing and building his brand. Surely that meant he’d be free for a coffee date. Maybe even brunch or something else hideously domestic.
Pete trundled downstairs and made himself a cup of coffee so black it seemed to absorb the morning sunlight, which draped itself lazily over the counters. He listened to the house around him but heard nothing but the distant drone of traffic. Obviously his mom had been up at some point—who else could have made the coffee?—but she’d probably gone back to sleep.
He took his mug and tiptoed back upstairs as quietly as he could, nudging his door open with an elbow. He stood in front of the bookshelf by his desk. On the off chance that Evan couldn’t hang out, he’d spend his morning reading. He scanned the worn titles on his shelves before selecting an old favorite: The Castle of Otranto. What it lacked in strong female characters it made up for in unintentional hilarity. Any book that started out with someone being crushed by a giant helmet was a winner in Pete’s eyes.
He was just about to hop back into bed when he saw the notification light on his phone blink. He snatched it up. Evan had texted him back. Would that ever stop thrilling him? Undoubtedly not.
You’re in luck. It seems we’re going to see each other soon.
Pete frowned at his phone. Before he could put much thought into the message, another text appeared, this time from Colette. He almost smacked himself. Of course. She probably wanted to film this weekend. He’d almost forgotten about Heat Wave in the wake of his burgeoning relationship with Evan. They still had at least one more scene to film.
He tapped on Colette’s message and scanned it. Are you free today?
That was a bit odd. Surely she wouldn’t want to film during the week. They’d been filming predominantly on Fridays and Saturdays. Pete had expected that pattern to continue.
Depends. Why?
A rare location opportunity presented itself. Sorry for the short notice, but it’s too good to pass up. Can you be ready in an hour? Say yes.
It was an order, not a question. Hmm. The text didn’t say where the location was, but it must have been a big deal. Colette had made it clear from the start that this project was her baby, and thus far she hadn’t rushed a single aspect of it. For her to do so now suggested they’d struck milieu gold.
Pete’s immediate response was to say yes, anything to see Evan again, but he had work that afternoon. He couldn’t very well ask for another day off so soon. Even Sana wouldn’t be cool with that.
I have work at two. Will we be finished by then?
It took less than a minute for Colette to reply. I can’t make any promises, but with the way you and Darko have been knocking this out of the park, it’s likely. But keep in mind, it’s the final scene. We’re going to keep filming until we get it right.
Pete glanced at the clock next to his bed and debated with himself. It was nine now, which meant he had roughly four hours to get there and film the scene, and then another hour to get home, shower, and head to the Globe. If everything went smoothly, that was plenty of time. If it didn’t, he would be late to work for the first time in his life. He had no idea how Sana would react, but if it was anything like how she reacted to customers who pissed her off, he’d rather not witness that.
But then, this was a chance to see Evan. It had only been a few days since he’d woken up next to him, and yet something inside of him—his bones, or maybe his soul—ached for him.
On a professional note, if the location was as noteworthy as Colette made it seem, people would notice it. They could be up for set design awards. That could mean huge exposure for Evan. It’d be great for his career.
Or your career, a voice in his head reminded him. Remember, you’re a porn star too. Or is Evan all you can think about now that you’re in love?
He shut the voice out and texted Colette back: I’ll be there. He didn’t wait for a response. He got ready as quickly as he could: showering, brushing his teeth, and throwing on whatever clean clothing he could find.
When he checked his phone again, Colette had texted him an address. His eyes nearly popped out of his skull. The filming location she’d given him was an LA landmark that Pete knew well: Griffith Park.
Holy shit. The park was home to all sorts of things. The zoo. The observatory. And perhaps most notably, the renowned Hollywood sign. Pete had a sudden, vivid vision of himself having sex with Evan in front of the giant letters. Talk about a big O.
He shook his head to dispel the image. There was no way in hell they’d get permission to film there. They were probably filming somewhere in the park itself.
A fire kindled in Pete’s lower belly. Outdoor sex was a guilty pleasure of his. Not because he was especially into exhibitionism, but because it felt like doing something wrong. Breaking the rules. And the idea of having sex with Evan was exciting in any form. He was in for one hell of an afternoon.
As he made the short drive to the park, he reflected on what just about everyone who knew him had told him recently: Evan was having a marked influence on him. He was going to clubs and throwing parties and getting out of his comfort zone. An entire year of sex work hadn’t managed to break him out of his shell, and Evan had done it in a couple of weeks.
Then again, he was also ignoring lectures and risking getting in trouble at work. The idea was a little unsettling, and yet he just couldn’t convince himself to be concerned. He’d been good his whole life. It couldn’t hurt to let loose a little.
Speaking of which, he wondered what would happen when he saw Evan again, now that he knew he loved him. God, he hoped he didn’t just blurt it out or something.
This whole love thing was bewildering.
Before he knew it, he pulled up into a gravel parking lot on the south side of the park. He spotted Colette’s red Mustang and parked next to it. Just as he’d suspected, they were nowhere near the Hollywood sign. He couldn’t tell if he was relieved or disappointed.
He stepped out of the car and hugged himself for warmth. It was a clear, sunny day, but this early in the year it didn’t start to warm up until the afternoon. He hoped they wouldn’t have to completely strip down, though he wouldn’t put it past Colette. He could already hear her in his head: It’s for authenticity. This is a summer production. If it were warm outside, you wouldn’t have your clothes on.
“Jaden, are y
ou even listening to me?”
Colette’s real voice invaded the imitation playing in his head. He startled; he hadn’t even noticed her walk up. “Hey, sorry. I was just . . . um . . .”
“From the moony look on your face, I take it you haven’t heard a word I said.” She was standing with her hands on her hips at the edge of the parking lot. Yolanda was next to her, silent like a sentinel as always. “At least you’re on time. We just finished setting up.”
“Is Kyle here?”
“How did I know that would be the first question out of your mouth?” Colette about-faced and strode toward a nearby picnic area. “Yes, he’s here. Follow me.”
There were a handful of couples wandering around and a woman playing with her dog, so this definitely wasn’t their filming location. Not unless Colette had ramped up Heat Wave’s kink level without telling him.
Curiosity kindled in Pete as they turned toward a footpath slicing through the grass. The trees lining it were still green and loaded with leaves, thankfully, or they’d never be able to claim it was summer. A light frost from last night’s chill coated the grass, but it was patchy and would melt within an hour.
They walked at a brisk pace for about ten minutes, heading straight into the trees. The path tapered off after a while, yet Colette seemed to know precisely where she was going. Eventually, Pete could no longer hear signs of life nearby, just the crunch of their shoes on the grass.
“You know,” Pete said, “if you needed a good place to hide my body, there are plenty of dumpsters in town.”
“Harr harr,” Colette said over her shoulder. “We’re almost there.”
A few minutes later, they broke through a copse and came upon what would have been a clearing if it weren’t for one beautiful, old tree in the center. It wasn’t huge, but by LA standards, it was like something out of a high fantasy novel.
What really grabbed Pete’s attention, however, was the fact that Kyle was standing beneath it.
He had a picnic basket on one arm, and there was a red, checkered blanket spread out beneath his bare feet. He turned at the sound of their approach, his dark hair ruffling in the breeze. He smiled at Pete, and his eyes crinkled at the corners. He looked like a full-page spread in a fashion magazine.
Pete thought his heart might stop. Had it not been for the recording equipment dispersed nearby, he could have pretended they were meeting up for their second date.
“Hey, gorgeous,” Evan greeted him when he was close enough, his smile stretching broadly across his handsome face.
“Hi,” Pete said, beaming. He wanted to reach out and touch him, kiss him, but he remembered Colette at the last second. He shoved his hands into his pockets to keep them from acting of their own volition. “Been waiting long?”
“Long enough. Wanna warm me up?”
“Please save it for the camera,” Colette interrupted. “I feel like I’ve had to tell you guys that at least once per scene.” She went to stand next to the main camera. “Jaden, you can probably guess what today’s theme is.”
“Yeah, the props were a dead giveaway. A picnic in the park. Why did we have to rush out here, though? You made it sound like it was now or never.”
“That’s because it is. We were given an extremely small window of opportunity to film. I know you don’t care much for the business side of the industry, but for the record, you have no idea how hard it is to get a permit to film outdoors. Normally, the Entertainment Industry Development Corporation couldn’t care less what we’re filming, but since this is a public location, there are all sorts of obscenity laws we have to skate around. Basically, to get this permit, we had to jump through a hoop that was wrapped up tight in red tape and then set on fire.”
“Well, that’s visual,” Pete said. “How’d you swing it?”
“I have my ways. The point is, filming had to happen today, and for a location like this—” she made a broad, sweeping gesture toward the picturesque tree nestled in the center of the sun-drenched clearing “—I was willing to make some concessions.”
“Is this area ours for the afternoon, then?”
“We alerted park authorities that we’re filming, and they’ve been instructed to keep people away from here. It’s not a high-traffic area regardless. But if any tourists wander this way, they’re going to get a hell of a show.” She waved at the blanket. “We need to get started. Take your place at Darko’s side while Yolanda and I check the mics. Hopefully the wind is feeling cooperative.”
Pete did as he was told, approaching the blanket. He toed his shoes off, keeping his eyes down. Just being close to Evan flooded his mind with images: Evan behind him, dark eyes meeting his in the mirror, Evan’s large hand pressed hard against his mouth . . .
He shivered and stepped onto the blanket. He hoped his thoughts weren’t written all over his—
“You’re thinking about the coffee shop, aren’t you?” Evan asked.
Fuck. Denying it would have beggared belief. “How do you do that?”
“It’s no skill on my part. Your face is like an instruction manual.” He kept his voice low so only Pete could hear. “What part were you thinking about?”
He smiled sheepishly and reached out to brush his fingers against Evan’s. “Your hand.”
“I’ve replayed that memory in my head a few times myself.” He stepped closer and brought his lips to Pete’s ear. “Guess what I’m thinking right now.”
Pete’s heart thumped hard against his ribs. “Something lascivious, obviously.”
“Oh, lascivious. Breaking out the SAT words this early in the morning, huh?”
Pete laughed and smoothed out a crease in the blanket with his socked toe. He had a feeling that if he looked Evan in the eye, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from telling him how he felt. He imagined swallowing the words, but they kept climbing back up.
“Hey, what’s going on?” Evan asked, touching his arm.
“What do you mean?”
“You’re acting all shy. It’s adorable. Something up?”
“I’m just a little nervous about the shoot.”
Get it together, Griflow. Romantic location or not, they were here to work. Now was not the time to make a love confession. And Colette might not be able to remove him from the project at this juncture, but if he professed his love for his costar in front of her, she would have something to say about it.
“Gentlemen.”
Speak of the devil. Colette was standing near the perimeter of the blanket with an open laptop balanced on one arm. She was typing with her free hand. After a pause, she said, “Could you both please state your names at a normal volume?”
“Jaden Prime,” Pete answered automatically.
“Kyle Darko,” Evan echoed.
“Good,” she said. “Now could one of you whisper something to the other?”
Evan craned his neck up to Pete’s ear and murmured, “I dreamed about you last night. Your eyes and how you feel under me.”
Pete sucked in a breath. Don’t tell him. Please don’t tell him.
“No good,” Colette announced. “We couldn’t hear that.”
Evan’s breath tickled his ear again. “Is it bad that I’m okay with that?”
“Now that we heard,” Colette scolded. “Make your whispers more of a dull roar, and we should be fine. If you’re too quiet, we’ll be here all day.”
“I have it on good authority that Jaden has no trouble being loud,” Evan said with a suspiciously straight face.
Pete would have laughed, but he was hung up on “We’ll be here all day.” He turned to Evan. “I have work later today.”
“Call out.”
“I can’t. My manager will eviscerate me.”
Evan’s wicked grin was back. “We’ll just have to get it right the first time, then. Which begs the question,” he called over to Colette, “what are we doing about your script? This location obviously wasn’t planned on, so a lot of the dialogue won’t work.”
“I’m
aware. You’ll have to improvise a bit. Pretend this is a real date and just say what you’d normally say to each other.”
If only she knew how easy that would be for them.
Colette charged on obliviously. “The good news is there isn’t going to be a lot of dialogue regardless. This is more of an action scene, so to speak.”
Pete swallowed. “What are we doing?”
She answered without looking up from her laptop. “Anal.”
Pete’s jeans were suddenly a size too small. He’d figured as much, but hearing it said so definitively was a special kind of turn-on.
“Darko is going to top, obviously,” Colette continued. “Jaden, as the one with more experience, I expect you to be an active bottom.”
“I think I can manage that.” He was already salivating.
Evan was tense next to him. Pete nudged him with his elbow. “You okay?”
“Fuck yeah.” His voice was deep and rough. “I just can’t believe how much that turned me on. I’m a little light-headed.”
Pete chuckled. “I know the feeling. You’ve been doing that to me for weeks now.”
“Feel free to get revenge anytime you like.”
“Would you both have a seat please?” Colette directed. “This scene is self-explanatory: you’re on an afternoon date. You start flirting with each other, and things get heated. Keep the overall storyline in mind. This is an exciting time for your characters, right at the budding of a relationship. You shouldn’t be able to keep your hands off each other.”
Evan threw an arm over Pete’s shoulder. “I don’t know how Jaden and I will ever pull that off. We clearly can’t stand each other.” He gave her with a saucy wink.
Colette rolled her eyes. “It’s tragic, really. You’re so handsome when you’re not speaking. Get into position, please.”
They sat cross-legged in the center of the quilt. Pete started to arrange himself a respectable distance away, but then Evan wrapped an arm around him and guided him back until he was leaning against his chest.
“Can’t resist a chance to make me the little spoon, huh?” Pete teased.
“Just playing my role as the top.” He planted a kiss in Pete’s hair. “Though there was a part of me that was hoping Colette would pull a twist ending and ask me to bottom.”
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