Chapter 29
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Mike pushed open the glass door and walked across the tiled floor to where Paul sat at the desk, engaged in a phone conversation.
Mike took the opportunity to gaze up at the banners on the wall behind him.
There were ManFactory’s finest models, and there he was, still among them.
He couldn’t help frowning when he saw the newest addition.
Chad stared down at him, wearing only a pair of scruffy jeans and that cocky grin.
Like I didn’t see that one coming.
“You okay, Scott?” Paul covered the mouthpiece of the phone, regarding him with concern.
“Yeah, I wanted to—”
“Sorry, here’s your paperwork. Can we talk later?” Paul thrust the clipboard into his hands and then spoke into the phone. “Yeah, sorry, you were saying?” He gave Mike an apologetic shrug and carried on talking.
Mike shook his head. One of these days, Paul needed to ask for another receptionist to work with him.
He passed through the wide doors that led to the studio and went straight into the admin room.
From the sets came the clear sound of several guys fucking, at least three or four.
Mike was in no mood to see. He flopped into one of the plastic chairs and stared at the paperwork attached to the clipboard. His last scene….
He glanced around at the room where he’d sat so many times, chatting with his scene partners.
Talk about the end of an era. A weekend of introspection had brought him to the conclusion that his friends were right.
It was time to call it a day. Once he’d made the decision, he was amazed at how he felt.
Had it been that much of a weight on his shoulders, to account for the lightness in both body and spirit that felt so wonderful?
Maybe I should’ve done this years ago. It was a sobering thought. His life might have been so different. Yeah, but would I have met Tommy? The thought of life without him was even more sobering.
Through the open door, he heard Alexa calling an end to the scene and voices raised as the actors went off to shower, all laughing and chatting. He would miss the camaraderie, his colleagues. Then he recalled a few of his scene partners through the years.
Maybe he wouldn’t miss all of them.
Mike sat quietly, recalling some of the great guys he’d filmed with, some of them still close friends.
“Hey, Scott, I’m glad you’re early.” Tony entered the room and pushed the door shut behind him before sitting at the table with Mike. He glanced at the sheets in front of him. “Oh, good, you got your paperwork,” he said absently.
First the door, now the distracted air. “Are you okay?” Mike asked him. “Because you don’t seem yourself today.”
Tony took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I wanted to catch you before the shoot to have a talk with you.”
“Yeah, about that. I—”
“Sorry, but this is important.” Tony leaned on the table, toying with the arm of his glasses.
“The parent company who owns ManFactory made an announcement last night, which was then sent to their three studios in an e-mail. There’ll be a press release later this week when they’ve had the chance to talk to all the models.
Soon as I heard, I knew we needed to talk. ”
All the hair stood up on the back of Mike’s neck. “Go on,” he said slowly. He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms.
Tony fidgeted, now rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s been decided that ManFactory will become a bareback only studio.” He swallowed and then fell silent, his gaze flickering up to catch Mike’s, his breathing quickening.
Mike stared at him, lost for words for a moment. Then he began to laugh, softly at first but growing louder and heartier, until he was wiping the tears from his eyes. Tony gaped at him, bewildered. When Mike finally regained his composure, he nodded, smiling.
“Thank you. Seriously, thank you.”
“What… I don’t….” Tony sat back, speechless.
“I walked in here this morning, ready to tell you this was it—I was retiring. I was gonna do this last shoot, because I didn’t want to leave you in the lurch.
” Mike pushed the clipboard toward Tony.
“But you know what? In the light of what you’ve just told me, I have no qualms about telling you to find someone else. After all, you just fired me.”
Tony sat bolt upright. “What the fuck are you talking about? I didn’t fire you!”
“No?” Mike folded his arms and regarded Tony steadily.
“You know how I feel about bareback. Hell, everyone here knows that, because I’m not exactly quiet on the subject.
So you knew damn well that if this studio goes down that route, there was no way in hell I would follow.
” He lifted his eyebrows. “Oh, come on, Tony, be honest. Look how nervous you were, telling me. You knew how I was gonna react. Well, you did me a favor. You just confirmed that I’ve made the right decision.
” He gave the director a sweet smile. “Okay, so maybe you didn’t fire me exactly, but the end result is the same—I quit. ”
Tony sagged into the chair. “Honest, Scott, that wasn’t my intention. It was the owner’s decision. I—”
Mike straightened. “Yeah, and we both know why ManFactory has done this, don’t we? It’s good business. Bareback sells better than condom porn these days. Isn’t that right?”
Tony nodded, his gaze locked on Mike’s face.
Mike clenched his fists. “I can understand a company deciding to make a move that brings in more money. That’s the nature of business. What I can’t stand, frankly, is the hypocrisy.”
“What do you mean?”
“Why do studios make condom porn in the first place? Most of them started out just taking care of their stars, which is fair enough. But that’s not what ManFactory—and a few others I could name—said, was it?
I remember, Tony. I remember the line about the studio ‘setting a good example.’ But now we have the situation where they’re editing out the rubber, which does seem to negate everything they’ve been saying for more than a decade, doesn’t it?
” Mike rose to his feet. “I guess that’s just the way this business is going.
And you know what? I actually feel relieved to be out of it. ”
“You’re quitting?”
Mike turned toward the door at the sound of a familiar voice. Four men stood in the open doorway, staring at him, Dino among them, looking shocked. Mike gave them a relaxed smile.
“Hey, fellas, good to see ya.” He stepped away from the table to hug his friend. “You just missed my retirement speech.”
“I caught enough of it,” Dino said with a chuckle, and Mike could feel him smiling against his cheek. “You never were one to hold back, were ya, Scott?” He released Mike and moved aside as the others stepped forward, hands extended.
“Aw, sorry to hear that, buddy.”
“Glad we got to film together.”
“I can’t believe it! Scott Masters, retiring!”
Mike accepted the handshakes and hugs from his now former colleagues, guys he’d filmed with on more than one occasion.
Then he remembered Tony, who was still sitting at the table, looking like a train had run him over.
Mike held out his hand. “It was good knowing you, Tony. You were always great to work with, y’know that?
And I’ll send my resignation in an e-mail once I get home. ” He had a few of those to compose.
Tony stood up and shook his hand firmly.
“For the record, I’m sorry to see you go.
Professionals like you are few and far between these days.
” He gave a brief nod. “You take care, Scott, and good luck for the future.” He picked up the clipboard and sighed.
“And now I need to find me a porn star. I’ve got a role that needs filling.
” With one last smile, he exited the room.
“Hey, you wanna go for a drink to celebrate your retirement?” Dino asked him with a grin. “I’m thinking champagne.” The others murmured in agreement.
Mike laughed. “It’s a bit early in the day, even for me. Thanks for the thought, but right now there’s a young man I gotta see. I have some important news to share with him.” He winked.
Dino broke into a huge smile. “Aw, Scott, that’s terrific!” He seized Mike in a fierce hug. “So pleased for ya,” he whispered.
Mike patted his friend on the back. “Thanks, Dino. I’ll be in touch, okay?”
Dino stared at him as he stepped away. “You’d better.” He grabbed Mike, spun him around, and then smacked him on the ass. “Now go find your man.”
Mike laughed. He said his good-byes and hurried out of the studio, giving Paul a friendly wave as he went through reception. Right then, all he wanted was to see Tommy’s face when he broke the news.
Mike read through the e-mail one last time and smiled to himself. It was polite but to the point. He picked up his phone and hit speed dial. A couple of rings and there was that familiar voice in his ear.
“Hey. I was just thinkin’ ’bout you.”
Tommy’s words filled him with warmth. “I haven’t stopped thinking about you since I saw you last. You doing anything right now?”
“Just lyin’ on the couch, readin’.”
“Come to my house? Please? I need to see you.” Mike fought hard to keep his tone even. He wanted Tommy in his arms so badly, he ached for it. The last few days had brought home to Mike just how much he loved having Tommy in his life.
The line went quiet. Mike could only guess at what was running through Tommy’s head. He awaited Tommy’s decision, his heart beating that little bit faster.
“Sure. Gimme twenty minutes an’ I’ll be there.”