Page 44 of The Money Shot

“I’ll, uh, grab my phone, the stand, and the clamp,” I mumbled, already edging toward the door. Jack just nodded, not looking at me.

I slipped out and hurried to my room, shutting the door behind me. My hands shook as I rummaged through my stuff, grabbing what I needed. Then I sat down on my bed, let out along, shaky breath, and pressed my palms against my knees to steady myself.

Could I really do this? Get naked in front of Jack and... well, do extremely personal things with him watching? And not just watching. He was going to be part of it. My stomach twisted, and I realized my breathing was coming faster and faster.

“Oh, hell,” I muttered, trying to calm myself down. This wasn’t just about putting on a performance. This was Jack. My best friend. The person I trusted more than anyone else in the world. And now I was about to cross a line I’d never even let myself think about crossing before.

I leaned forward, elbows on my knees, and buried my face in my hands. The truth was, I’d always thought Jack was attractive. Anyone with eyes could see that. But I’d never acted on it because… well, because we were friends. And that friendship meant everything to me. What if this destroyed it?

But then another thought slipped in, uninvited. What if this didn’t ruin us? What if it actually brought us closer? I mean, how could you bare yourself completely—physically and emotionally—and not deepen the bond you already had? I clung to that thought like a lifeline. God, I hoped it was true.

With another deep breath, I grabbed my stuff and forced myself to walk back to Bradley’s room. My heart felt like it was lodged in my throat, but I wasn’t backing out now. Not after everything we’d already said.

When I walked back in, Jack’s eyes immediately dropped lower, and I didn’t need to look to know exactly what he was staring at. My stupid, Viagra-induced erection had no sense of timing. I cleared my throat and pointed at my face.

“Hey, dude, my eyes are up here,” I joked.

Jack’s head snapped up, and he laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. The sound eased some of the tension in my chest. At least we could still laugh about this.

I set the equipment down on the dresser, then turned to him. “Okay,” I said, trying to sound confident even though my voice still wavered a little. “Here’s what I’m thinking. Let’s make this as easy as possible for you, so you can get used to the idea of being, you know… naked on camera.”

Jack snorted, crossing his arms over his chest. “Are you used to being naked in front of the world yet?” he shot back.

I felt my face heat up and looked down, scratching the back of my neck. “Not really,” I admitted. “But at least I’ve had a couple of weeks to get used to it.” I glanced back at him, trying to gauge his reaction. “Why don’t we shoot a scene where you just… watch me, you know…” I made a vague hand motion, not trusting myself to say the words out loud.

Jack’s ears turned bright red, and he stammered something that sounded like “Uh, sure.” His gaze darted anywhere but at me.

“You need to act turned on,” I added quickly. “Even if you’re not.”

Jack blushed even harder, which I didn’t think was possible, and bit his lower lip. The sight sent a shiver down my spine, but I shoved the thought away. This was about making him comfortable, about taking the pressure off.

“Okay,” he said finally, his voice quiet. “Let’s… let’s do this.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Jack

My head was spinning, a storm of nerves and excitement building before I’d even taken off a sock. I tried to rein in the growing flush in my cheeks, the telltale sign I wasn’t just nervous—I was anticipating. But then I realized, with a flicker of amusement, that I didn’t need to hide it. For this to work, I had to look like I was into it. Extra into it.

If Liam could do this, so could I.

He set up the camera on the stand in front of the bed. Then Liam stood in the middle of the room, walking me through the scene. “Okay,” he started, gesturing toward the bed. “I’ll already be here. Naked. On the bed.”

I swallowed hard. Naked Liam. Right. This was definitely happening.

“And then,” he continued, his voice dipping into what I assumed was supposed to be a seductive tone, “you walk in, see me, and say something like, ‘What are you doing, Lucien?’”

Lucien. Right. Our characters needed names. My brain snagged on the thought, giving me something to latch onto other than the mental image of Liam naked on the bed.

“Wait,” I interrupted, holding up a hand. “We can’t use my real name.”

Liam shrugged like it didn’t matter. “Then pick something.”

I stalled, my mind flipping through names like I was flipping through a filing cabinet. Not too boring. Not too weird. Sexy, but not pretentious. Then it hit me—Drake. Drake was sexy. Solid. And for some reason, I tacked on Ashton. Drake Ashton. Yeah, that could work.

“Drake,” I blurted out, then added, “Um, Ashton. My name’s Drake Ashton.”

Liam raised an eyebrow but didn’t question it. “Cool. Lucien and Drake it is.”