Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Mike Scott switched off the engine and grabbed his bag from the passenger seat beside him.
The parking lot of ManFactory’s studios was virtually empty, but it was only nine in the morning.
Mike always preferred to arrive early; he hated being last minute.
He got out of the car, locked it, and headed for the main door.
The last few days of September were warm, temperatures maybe in the eighties, so he’d gone without a jacket, wearing only his worn jeans, boots, and a black cotton shirt.
Bag slung over his shoulder, Mike pushed open the glass door and entered the reception area.
“Morning, Scott,” Paul called out in greeting from behind the glass desk.
On the walls were long vertical banners of some of the ManFactory models, all staring into the camera, thumbs hooked in the waistband of torn jeans, leather pants, or a skimpy pair of Speedos.
Mike tried not to look at his own image, taken when he was in his late thirties.
He’d filled out since then, most of it muscle, the result of many hours in the gym and keeping an obsessive eye on his carbs intake.
Scott Masters, adult entertainer, six years with ManFactory, nearly twenty years in the porn industry, and he still had a following.
Of course these days, most requests came from companies who produced scenes that were more bears and daddies than anything else.
Mike supposed he had to expect that at his age.
But being forty-three didn’t mean he was on his way out, even if lately he was beginning to get a little tired of it all.
He only worked three or four nights a week at Woofs, but he was now in a position to be able to seriously consider cutting down the number of scenes he filmed.
He’d put enough by so he didn’t have to worry about money.
But the requests kept pouring in, and he wasn’t about to turn down good money.
Except, of course, it wasn’t as good as it had been when he’d first started out.
The times, they were certainly a-changin’….
“Hi, Paul,” Mike said with a cheery wave.
“Has Dino arrived yet?” His gaze drifted to the young man slouched on one of the couches next to the desk.
Dressed in jeans and a black wifebeater, he looked bored out of his skull, barely acknowledging Mike beyond a quick shift of the eyes in his direction.
“Nah, but he shouldn’t be long.” Paul handed him the usual clipboard with its attached documentation. He grinned. “Early as usual, I see.”
Mike returned his grin. “You know me.” He walked through reception to the main area of the studio and into the little room with its table and plastic chairs.
After slinging his bag onto a chair, he sat down and filled out the boring but necessary details that were required prior to a shoot.
The studio had already received his latest test results electronically several days before.
“Scott, can you do me a favor?”
Mike glanced up. Paul stood in the doorway looking anxious, the bored young man at his side. “What’s up?”
Paul inclined his head in the young man’s direction.
“Chad here has an interview with Rod, but he isn’t here yet, and there’s a call I gotta take first. Seeing as Dino hasn’t arrived yet either, any chance you could maybe give him a little guided tour of the studio?
” His eyes pleaded with Mike. “Pretty please? I know it’s unusual, but with you having been with us for so long, I’m sure Rod and Tony wouldn’t mind.
I mean, they trust you, right? You’re one of the family, yeah? ”
Mike guffawed. “Quit digging and batting those eyelashes at me, okay? Sure, I’ll show him around.” He rose to his feet. “C’mon… Chad? Let me give you the fifty cent tour.” He winked.
Paul heaved an overly dramatic sigh of relief. “Oh, thanks. I won’t be long. I swear.” He dashed off in the direction of reception, leaving Chad standing there looking amused.
“What a flamer,” he commented under his breath.
Mike arched his eyebrows, back stiffening.
“Oh my, apparently here’s someone who hasn’t read How to Win Friends and Influence People.
That guy is your first port of call for the studio, and yet you feel it’s okay to make disparaging remarks about him?
” He shook his head. “Never heard anyone say first impressions count, kid?”
Chad scowled. “I’m not a kid.”
Mike tilted his head. “Where you from, kid?” Like he didn’t already have a pretty good idea, judging by that accent.
“Idaho.” Chad stuck his chin out. “You got a problem with that? And who are you, anyway? That guy makes it sound like I’m supposed to know you.”
Mike bit back his sigh. Another porn wannabe with fifty tons of attitude. He ignored the last comment and marched past Chad, out of the room, and onto the main floor, beckoning him to follow.
“This section contains all the different sets the studio uses.” He pointed over at the empty sets.
It wouldn’t be too long before Seb, the cameraman, and Tony, the director, would arrive.
“Over there is your standard doctor’s office, and beyond that is the business office setup.
Then we have a couple different bedrooms, hotel room, classroom, apartment, the usual…
.” He came to a halt and turned to peer at Chad.
“You have seen some of the ManFactory scenes before, right?”
Chad shrugged. “Couple. To be honest, I don’t watch gay porn, ’cause I’m straight.”
Christ, gimme strength. Yet another gay for pay. “But you think you have what it takes to be a gay porn actor?” He folded his arms across his chest.
There was that chin jutting out again.
“Sticking my dick in a guy’s ass can’t be that much different from sticking it in my girlfriend’s, right?” Chad grinned. “Think I’ll do just fine.”
That cocky expression on his face made Mike want to smack it.
“Okay, Chad, you can come with me now.” Paul appeared behind them, slightly out of breath. He gave Mike a grateful smile. “Thanks, Scott. I’ll take it from here.”
Mike waited until Chad was out of sight and then shook his head once more.
“Christ Almighty.” He watched the departing Chad, taking in the lean, slim body.
With your slight looks, boy, it’s not your dick that’s gonna be seeing much use.
He went back into the small admin room to find Dino Spears already there, filling in his forms. Mike gave him a warm smile.
He and Dino went way back, from when Mike had first started out.
“Hey, you got here, then.”
Dino snorted. “Still the early bird, I see. How you doing, Scott?” He got up and gave Mike a brief but firm hug, those thick arms enveloping him. “I heard about you and Dirk breaking up. Sorry. I always thought you two would go the distance.”
Mike’s chest tightened at the mention of his ex.
He’d had the same thoughts too. Unfortunately, Dirk hadn’t.
“Let’s not go there, okay?” He was in no mood to discuss his breakup.
It might have been over a year since Dirk had declared he couldn’t take being the partner of a porn star anymore, but the hurt was still there. Three years they’d been together….
“Who was that with Paul?” Dino cocked his head toward the door.
Mike scowled. “That was Chad, an aspiring porn star.”
“Is it too much to hope that he’s gay?” When Mike let out a derisory chuckle, Dino’s face fell. “Oh hell, another straight boy.” Then he smirked. “Hey, you might end up with him as a scene partner if he gets the job.”
“Christ, I hope not.” Mike got really frustrated every time he had to work with one of the gay-for-pay guys.
There were some really sweet guys, very professional, but when it came down to it, filming with them was a nightmare.
They could only film for about two minutes before they had to stop and watch titty porn for five minutes to regain their hard-on.
And meanwhile there he was, his dick getting limper by the second. “Besides, he’s not my type.”
Dino opened his eyes wide in mock surprise, hand pressed over his heart. “You have a type? And here I was thinking if it had a pulse and a hole, you were in there.” He snickered.
“Bitch. And yes, I do have a type, so fuck off.” For a moment there flashed across his mind the young guy who’d appeared at the bar on Saturday night.
Tall, maybe six feet, possibly more, muscles, burly—just how Mike liked them.
The face was pretty too. Too bad he wasn’t cooked enough yet.
That blush was a dead giveaway, not that Mike couldn’t spot a newbie after all this time.
But in comparison with Chad? Yeah, give him a shy, fresh-faced gay guy over a cocky know-it-all straight guy every time.
Mike sighed and gestured toward the door.
“You know what really galls the hell outta me? That little shit could end up being the next America’s gay-boy-next-door darling.
And what’d you wanna bet are the chances that he’s a homophobic little prick on set, completely unprofessional, but who gets away with it ’cause he makes the company a fortune?
” He frowned. “Yeah, Chad there will be laughing all the way to the bank, with our fag dollars in his pockets.” He crooked his fingers into quotation marks.
Dino stared at him. “Whoa… cynical much?”
Mike snorted. “Why, d’you think I’m bitching too much about his skinny furless ass?”
“How d’you know it’s furless?” Dino was trying not to laugh.
“Oh, please. Gimme some credit. I’d bet my next paycheck that he’s a bare little twink.” He sighed. “One who’ll be paid more than we are, that’s for sure.”
Dino patted Mike’s arm. “You don’t even know if they’ll give him a job yet. How ’bout you and me concentrate on doing a fucking hot scene, and show Mr. Wannabe there how it’s done?” He sat down.
Mike grinned. “Now you’re talkin’.” He sat down next to Dino and pulled out the scene notes from his clipboard. Dino did the same, scanning the sheet.