18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Christian

“Are we in trouble?” I ask Emil the moment we’re alone.

He winces. “I don’t know. I doubt it. But, uh…we kind of checked out at the end there.”

Understatement . I completely forgot about the cameras until Emil was clamping down on my cock and I remembered I couldn’t come inside his body. But then we were kissing again, and…

“Shit,” I mutter, holding the door to the locker room open.

Emil, clad in a robe, walks in ahead of me. “He won’t be upset about the two of us,” he says. “Dixon and Niko are dating.”

“But they’re not messing up lives.”

“Not yet,” he says with a shrug. “But live recording is always going to come with risk. It’s not like anything bad happened. We just…”

“Got a little caught up in one another?”

“Yeah,” he says softly, shooting me an almost shy smile. Admittedly, the fact that Emil isn’t freaking out over what happened makes me feel better. “We should get cleaned up.”

I nod, and Emil and I head for separate showers, not wanting to keep Jerome waiting.

When we get to our boss’s office, the man himself is inside, looking at something on his computer. He waves us in, gesturing toward the seats in front of his desk. He doesn’t keep us in suspense for long.

“I’m fairly certain,” Jerome says dryly, “that I just watched two of my employees making love during a live broadcast. Somewhat filthy, kinda rough love, mind you. But love nonetheless. Is there anything I should know?”

I glance at Emil, whose eyes are wide.

Jerome sighs, leaning forward. “We don’t have stipulations against fraternization in this studio, but I expect when you’re here to work, you do your job. Which means paying attention to cues, not getting lost in each other’s eyes for twenty goddamn minutes, got it?”

There’s no heat in Jerome’s words, despite the swearing.

I nod quickly. “Understood. Won’t happen again.”

Emil mirrors the sentiment next to me.

“Good,” Jerome says, sitting back in his chair. “Now, if any adjustments need to be made to your partnering or scene preferences, that’s information I should know.”

When Emil and I share another glance, Jerome sighs.

“If you require monogamy,” he says drolly. “Or…I don’t know…if receiving facials from anyone but your beloved is now a limit.”

Emil chokes next to me. “Um…no,” he says hoarsely. “I’m good. No changes.”

“Vixen?” Jerome asks.

I shake my head. “All good.”

“Okay, then,” our boss says, letting out a mighty breath. “In that case, get out of here. Let me know if anything changes. And I expect professionalism the next time you’re on that set.”

We both nod and scoot hastily out of our seats.

“And congratulations,” Jerome calls as we reach the door. “I’ll send you the tape for the wedding.”

As the door clicks shut behind us, Emil bends over and grabs his knees. “Oh my God. Holy crap. That was so much worse than I expected.”

I huff a laugh as Emil blows out a breath. I didn’t think it was too bad.

“He said beloved ,” he mutters. “ Jerome .”

Not only that, he said making love . Did we really look that smitten?

“His concern was kind of sweet,” I note.

“Sweet?” Emil says incredulously, standing upright.

“I mean, he didn’t even yell,” I point out as the two of us head back down the hall. “It seemed like he just wanted to make sure we were both comfortable with our current work arrangements now that we’re in a relationship. That’s pretty respectful, actually.”

“Yeah, I guess,” he mumbles. “Still felt like a weird sort of sex talk with a parent.”

I snort, not disagreeing.

Emil pushes the door to the locker room open, and we head inside. Teddy is standing near the lockers, and a shower is running.

“We’ll need to be more careful,” I say quietly.

Emil nods. “Yeah. Do you think we can find a way to keep emotions out of it while we’re here?”

I hum, stopping with Emil near his locker. “Honestly, I don’t know. It’s been different with you from the start, Specs. I’m not sure I can turn that off.”

He blushes, a sight that has my chest warming.

“We’ll need to stay more focused then,” Emil says, grabbing his bookbag from his locker. “No more slip-ups.”

“Agreed,” I say, watching Emil’s profile as he swings his bag onto his shoulder.

He closes his locker door, pausing when he sees me staring. “What?”

“I don’t know,” I admit, not sure how to explain the pressure in my chest. “Guess I just like watching you.”

Emil snorts, nudging his glasses up. “Creeper.”

“ Your creeper,” I say happily. “You have class?”

“Yeah. Are you coming over later?”

“You bet.” I hesitate for only a moment before adding, “I still want to kiss you when we’re here at the studio. Can I do that?”

His lips twitch. “You better.”

Grinning, I tug Emil in. He comes willingly, his bag knocking into my hip as our lips meet. He smells like eucalyptus from his soap, and I inhale deeply, wondering why I can’t seem to get enough of this man. Now that I can kiss him anytime I want, I never want to stop. I want our mouths planted together, his lips mine to devour. I want to feel his body against me and hear the soft sounds that pour out of his throat every time I skate my fingers along his skin. I want to curl myself around him late at night after the sun has gone down and earn those smiles he gives me when I do something right.

I never wanted a boyfriend, not before. But with Emil, everything feels right.

I pull back before I’m tempted to drag Emil somewhere private and show him how I feel. He looks a little flushed, and it’s reassuring to know I’m not the only one affected. I give his shirt a tug, straightening it. “Have a good class, Specs.”

“Um, yeah.”

He walks out of the room in a bit of a daze, and I smile to myself.

Teddy catches my eye, raising an amused brow. “Guess Kipp was right,” he says, shutting his locker.

“About what?”

His lips twitch. “He bet me the two of you were an item.”

“And you took that bet?”

The twinkle in his eye only grows. “Sure did. The prize was well worth it.”

I cock my head. “Yeah? What did Kipp want for winning?”

Teddy’s smile turns smug. “Let’s just say…it’ll be a toss-up whether his ass or my hand is more sore in the end.”

A laugh jumps out of my mouth, and Teddy winks. Damn , I guess Emil isn’t the only kinky one around here. Although, frankly, I don’t think anyone can compete with Specs.

My dirty little exhibitionist. My boyfriend.

Mine .

“Noel, hey.”

“Hey, Christian,” my friend says, dropping into a seat across from me at the coffee shop we agreed to meet at. He looks rough, his clothes a little rumpled and eyes tired. I frown.

“Everything okay?”

“Long night,” he answers, which only has my concern growing. It’s midafternoon.

“When’s the last time you slept?”

He stops to think about it, which tells me enough. “The night before last? I spent the morning at a hospital.”

I jolt. “Shit. Noel, what happened?”

He groans, scrubbing over his eyes before slumping against the edge of the table. “Max got fired.”

“What?” I ask in alarm. “What does that have to do with being at the hospital?”

“He broke up a fight and ended up with stitches,” Noel answers. Seeing my face, he adds, “He’s fine . It was two stitches right here.” He taps his temple. “No other injuries, and he already got discharged. But shit , Christian, our boss didn’t even care.”

“No, I don’t suppose he did,” I say, my voice hard. Fuck .

“It wasn’t even Max’s fault,” Noel says, almost as if he’s pleading with me to understand. “The customer started it. Max just stepped in to break up the fight. It wasn’t his fault.”

He sounds so dejected, and I reach across the table to squeeze his arm. “You should get out of there, Noel. A club like that should have hired security, but there’s none. The owner doesn’t care about the safety of his employees, only about profits.”

Noel nods. “I know you’re right. And it’s only going to get worse now that you and Max are gone. But what else am I supposed to do?”

“Anything you want.”

“You know the world doesn’t work like that, Christian. I have no skills other than serving drinks.”

“Noel, there are so many other bars or clubs you could work at. Better ones. Or, hey, what about a coffee shop?”

He huffs a laugh, looking around. “It would be kinda nice to work during the day.”

“See?” I say, giving his arm a prod. “You have choices. Just…please consider them.”

He nods again before sighing. “I’m gonna grab a muffin or something. I’m kind of hungry.”

“Of course,” I say. “I’ll be here.”

Noel slides off his chair and heads to the counter while I sip my tea, gut churning. I knew Knee Highs was bad news from the moment I started working there, but Noel and I got close fast, and I didn’t want to leave him behind. Plus, I figured I could hold my own, so what would be the harm?

But when you have someone running the place who doesn’t care about what happens to his employees, people are bound to get hurt. Like Max.

I don’t want the same to happen to Noel.

When Noel returns, he has a large blueberry muffin on a plate. He slides into the seat across from me and starts removing the wrapper. “ Soo , how’s the whole porn star thing going? You haven’t said much about it.”

I huff a laugh. “I’m far from a star.”

“You know what I mean,” he says, rolling his eyes. “Tanner said you seem to be settling in fine.”

“Yeah, it’s been great,” I say truthfully. “I, uh… I’m seeing someone.”

Noel perks up, looking energized for the first time since coming into the coffee shop. “You are? What’s he like?”

“Smart,” I say instantly, a little smile taking over my face. “Cute. Sexy. He’s gentle but can be pushy, too. He’s shy and bold, sweet and fucking filthy. He hates taking compliments but dishes them out in the most sincere way. And being around him is like…like the sun after a storm, you know? He’s bright. Good .”

Noel looks at me curiously.

“What?” I ask.

“It’s just…you really like him, don’t you? I’ve never heard you talk about anyone like that.”

I twist my cup of tea between my palms. “Yeah, I really do.”

“He doesn’t mind the porn?” Noel asks, picking off a piece of his muffin and popping it into his mouth.

It’s a valid question. But… “Considering he’s my scene partner, no, I don’t think he minds.”

Noel coughs, his hand stopping the spray of crumbs. “Holy crap. That’s—” He clears his throat, thumping his chest once. “It’s like some sort of modern-day fairy tale.”

I huff a laugh. “Ah, yes. The classic porn stars falling madly in love story.”

He shakes his head. “Shush, it’s romantic. Who is he?”

“Would you know if I told you his name?” I ask. When Noel looks down at his plate sheepishly, I realize… yes , he would. “Noel, do you have a subscription? Have you watched me ?”

His cheeks redden, and he mumbles, “My cousin works there. I’m supportive .”

I snort, not minding in the least if he’s seen my videos. “It’s Felix.”

He nods, expression thoughtful as he chews the last of his muffin. “Huh, yeah. I can see that. He’s hot, but not in, like, a bench you over his head sort of way.”

“Yeah,” I say softly, lips twitching as I imagine Emil hulked up like a gym bro. “Speaking of buff men… Are you ever going to tell Max you like him?”

Noel coughs again.

I reach across the table, giving his arm a squeeze. “He has no clue, Noel. He thinks he makes you nervous.”

“He does ,” Noel says. “Have you seen the guy?”

“Yeah, but it’s a good sort of nervous, and we both know it. You should tell him,” I encourage. “You spent the morning at the hospital with him, right? He would have sent you away if he didn’t want you around.”

“You really think so?” he asks, voice quiet.

“I do.”

“I’ll think about it,” he murmurs. But then he yawns, loudly.

I give his arm another squeeze before letting go. “We should get out of here. You look beat.”

“Yeah. Probably not a bad idea.”

Noel and I return our dishes to the counter before heading for the door. He promises to keep me updated about Max and the club, and I promise the same of Emil and the studio. On my walk home, my thoughts flit to my boyfriend. He’ll be back from class soon, and I’m pretty sure we’ve got a date lined up that involves him, me, the couch, and our favorite nature documentarian. I wonder what Arthur and his new friend would like to eat for dinner tonight. Maybe some strawberries?

It hits me, as I’m a block from my apartment, that I’m making plans that involve someone other than just me for once. A few someones, if you count tiny, adorable hermit crabs, which I do.

I don’t hate it.

I don’t hate it one bit.