Page 41 of The Money Shot

The memory of that guy—the stranger—on top of Liam flashed through my mind again, and my chest tightened withanger. My fingers drummed against the armrest, and I clenched my jaw, trying to shake it off. Liam wasn’t my boyfriend. He could do whatever he wanted with whoever he wanted.

So why the hell did it make my skin crawl?

I rubbed the back of my neck, staring out at the city skyline, but my thoughts kept circling. Why was that woman filming them? Was this some weird kink Liam had never told me about? And how had I not known? We’d been best friends for years.

Holy hell, do I even really know Liam? Was this going to turn into another Bradley situation?

The sound of the sliding glass door opening broke into my thoughts, and I turned to see Liam stepping out. He was wearing gray sweatpants and an old t-shirt, his hands awkwardly positioned in front of his crotch. His face was red, and he avoided looking at me.

“Sit,” I sighed, gesturing to the chair next to me.

Liam hesitated, but finally shuffled over and sat down. For a long moment, the air was thick with awkward tension. I stared straight ahead, trying to gather my thoughts, but the anger bubbling up in me refused to stay bottled.

Finally, I turned to him, my voice sharp. “What the hell are you doing, Liam?”

He flinched, his shoulders hunching like he was trying to make himself smaller. “Jack—”

“No.” I cut him off, my voice rising. “What the hell was that? Some strange guy on top of you with some woman filming it? Who are these people? What is going on with you?!”

Liam raised a hand, his voice trembling but firm. “Stop. Let me explain.”

I crossed my arms and leaned back, fuming as he stood up and started pacing the balcony. My eyes trailed after him, but then I noticed something that made me blink in disbelief.

Liam still had an erection, and his choice of gray sweats was showing it in a very obvious way. Despite everything that had just happened—despite how embarrassed he looked—he was walking around the balcony with a hard-on.

I clamped a hand over my mouth, trying not to laugh. This wasn’t funny. None of this was funny. But holy hell, how was I supposed to take him seriously when—

“I lost my job,” Liam said, dragging my attention back to him. “I’ve been trying to find something else, but nothings come through yet.”

I stayed silent, letting him continue.

“Laura gave me the idea for FantasyFans,” he admitted, his voice quieter now. “She said I could make good money if I…” He trailed off, his face turning red. “If I started a page. It was supposed to be temporary, just until I got back on my feet.”

He stopped pacing and pulled his phone out of his pocket. As he did, he glanced down, noticed his situation, and groaned. “Goddamn it,” he muttered, collapsing into the chair next to me. He handed me the phone without meeting my eyes.

I glanced at the screen. His FantasyFans page was open, complete with a profile picture of him shirtless and looking seductive as hell.

“Oh shit, I forgot. I’m naked,” Liam blurted out, reaching for the phone.

I handed it back. “Relax. I’ve already seen everything there is to see, thanks to that little show back there.” I glared at him, my voice icy. “And why the hell do you still have a boner? Jesus, Liam. I thought I knew you.”

Liam groaned and covered his face with his hands. “Bobbi Mae gave me Viagra,” he admitted sheepishly. “And my stupid dick won’t stop misbehaving.”

I stared at him; the words hanging in the air between us. For a second, I didn’t know what to do. Then our eyes met.

Liam’s lips twitched.

I tried to hold it together, biting the inside of my cheek, but it was no use. The absurdity of it all—the awkwardness, the tension, the sheer insanity of the situation—hit me like a freight train.

Liam giggled.

And then I lost it.

We were laughing so hard we couldn’t breathe, clutching our sides as the ridiculousness of everything spilled out. For a few moments, all the anger, confusion, and frustration melted away, replaced by shared, helpless laughter.

Laughter still bubbled in my chest, but the absurdity of the moment faded, leaving a strange mix of emotions behind. I rubbed my palms over my face and let out a deep sigh. What the hell were we even doing here? The whole situation felt surreal—like we were the punchline to a joke I wasn’t sure I wanted to understand.

I reached out, instinctively taking Liam’s hand. He froze, his body going stiff as a board, but I gave his hand a reassuring squeeze before letting it drop.