Page 20 of The Money Shot
Liam escorted them to the door, and once they were gone, he returned with a weary expression. “We’d better get back to work,” he said, surveying the surrounding wreckage. I nodded, already feeling the ache in my arms from everything we’d cleaned so far.
But as we sorted through the mess, a question kept tugging at the back of my mind, stubbornly refusing to go away:
Just how far were we willing to go to keep this place?
Chapter Twelve
Liam
The subway car jolted as it swayed around a curve, slamming me into Jack’s shoulder for what felt like the hundredth time that morning. Neither of us had slept much; I could tell by the dark shadows under his eyes, and I could feel it in the way my own eyelids dragged.
Cleaning up the place after the cops trashed it wasn’t exactly how I’d imagined spending our weekend, but here we were. In the crush of bodies on the packed train, Jack pressed so close to me I could feel the warmth of his arm, the slight shift of his shoulder, even the weight of his breath.
It was…distracting. Way too distracting.
Every inch of me was aware of him. And not just because I’d spent half the night tossing and turning, unable to get that damned sexy dream about Jack out of my head. I’d been able to brush it off as a fluke, random nonsense that slips into your brain when you’re exhausted and emotionally wrecked. But when I woke up this morning, still hot and bothered and way too aware of Jack in the next room, I realized this was becoming a serious problem.
I shouldn’t have been thinking about him like this. He was my best friend, for God’s sake. The fact that he was attractiveshouldn’t have even registered with me. But it was starting to register. And I was noticing it…a lot.
The train screeched to a stop at Canal Street, and the crowd jostled, bodies pressing even closer. Jack’s shoulder bumped mine again, and I focused on a poster plastered on the door in front of us, trying to ignore the sharp spark of heat running up my spine. But I couldn’t ignore the fact that I liked the feel of his body against mine, or the way his eyes caught the light when he looked over, giving me a small, tired smile.
“You doing okay?”
I nodded, giving him a half-smile. “Yeah. Just…thinking.”
“About?” He cocked his head, curious, his eyes a little too focused.
“Just, you know…everything. This weekend, the cops, money.” The last word came out tight, the lie pressing hard against my chest. I wasn’t working today, at least not in the usual sense. I was meeting someone—someone who might give me the answers I desperately needed, though I wasn’t sure I would like them.
We got off at Fulton Street, and the morning rush swept us up in its wake, the flood of commuters and tourists pushing us along. We said our goodbyes, and I turned down a side street toward the stock exchange, trying to shake off the guilt gnawing at my gut. Jack had been there for me every step of the way, and now I was sneaking around behind his back, looking into things I knew he wouldn’t understand. I could only imagine what he’d say if he found out what I was considering.
Pickles Deli was a block away, and I spotted Laura as soon as I stepped inside. She was perched on a stool at the lunch counter, scrolling on her phone. She looked…well, not like someone who’d gotten into the adult film industry. With her thick glasses and brown hair in a simple ponytail, she looked more like the TA from one of my coding classes than someonewho filmed herself in, well, compromising positions. If anything, she reminded me of a librarian. Or maybe a kindergarten teacher.
She looked up and waved, her eyes lighting up with recognition. I felt a little jolt of nerves as I approached, the reality of what I was here to talk about settling over me. Laura grinned as I slid onto the stool next to her.
“Hey, Liam,” she said, her voice warm and familiar. “Did you guys get the trouble with the cops sorted out?”
“Yeah.” I managed a smile, but I felt like I was walking a tightrope. I had no idea how to approach this conversation, no idea what I was even supposed to say. So, I went with the truth—or at least, as close to the truth as I could get without feeling like a total idiot.
“Thanks for meeting me,” I said, trying to keep my voice casual. “I, uh… I wanted to ask you about what you mentioned at the party.”
Her expression softened, and she gave me a knowing nod. “Ah. So, you’re curious?”
“Curious…and kind of desperate,” I admitted, running a hand over the back of my neck. “I didn’t want to bring it up there, but…yeah. Things have been rough. I really need to make money. Oh, and Jack doesn’t know about this, so if you see him, say nada.”
She set down her mug, leaning in. “You’d be surprised how many people are in the same boat, Liam. It’s not easy out there, especially with the way rent keeps climbing. And the pay for creating content, if you’re good, can be…well, better than anything you’ll find at some desk job.”
She studied me for a moment, as if trying to gauge how serious I was. And for the first time, I let myself really think about it, about what I was actually considering. It was crazy andrisky, and if Jack ever found out…I didn’t even want to think about what he’d say.
But then again, he didn’t need to know.
“I need to make a ton of cash, fast.”
Laura nodded like she understood, her expression softening a little. “Well, then, let’s get you started with the basics.” She looked me up and down, all business. “What kind of phone do you have?”
I held up my iPhone Pro, and she gave a pleased nod.
“Perfect. That’ll do just fine for filming to start.” She tapped her chin, thinking. “Do you have a ring light?”