Creepy asshole in the front turns to the driver, and the two begin arguing back and forth. In the backseat, another window rolls down, with yet another man sticking his head out. I immediately dread whatever it is he’s going to say. I’ve always believed that the company you keep says a lot about a person. These guys are making me second guess who Simon is.
“Hey, don’t listen to him. He’s an asshole.” The guy hanging out of the window gives me an apologetic look, and I start to relax, relieved that maybe Simon’s friends aren’t all bad. The guy is the perfect caricature of a hipster, complete with thick black glasses, beanie cap, and goatee. “Listen we’re—”
“There is no way that asshole was a virgin.” The guy from the front seat raises his voice, overpowering everyone else. “Don’t get me wrong, he’s a fucking Einstein for pretending to be so he could get paid ten grand to bang someone even half as hot as this girl. I wish I had thought of it first.”
Everyone in the SUV starts talking at once, actually yelling at once. But I don't hear any of it. Could he have been lying? If these are the guys they interviewed to cooperate his claim of never having sex, I have no doubt they would have happily lied for him.
The confusion and embarrassment rumbles through my heart and mind, making everything else go fuzzy. I’m an idiot for thinking I could meet a guy on the set of a porn and trust anything he said. Maybe he was even working with Liza to make sure they got the best performance out of me. That would explain why she wanted to see him alone. How could I believe trusting this stranger, allowing myself to fall in love with him, was a good idea? I couldn’t even trust my own mother.
My lungs burn, and chest tightens to the point I’m afraid I’m going to black out. I need to get away from these assholes still yelling at each other in the car. I turn, rounding my own car as quickly as I can. Just as I get the old rust bucket turned over and start to pull out, the doors to the building housing Fresh Films open, and Simon steps out.
His eyes shift from the black SUV full of arguing men to me speeding away in my car, and then they widen. I’m not sure if that expression is panic or confusion, but I’m not going to stick around to find out. I’ve already been screwed over by one person I was supposed to love and trust. I’m not going to let it happen again.
