“I don’t care about that,” Bex says, waving. “You still lied about the movie in the first place. Tell me about Sabrina.”
Fuck, I love her sass right now. I love how she’s clearly still upset, but she’s handing my ass to me. Like I deserve. “We first met on the set of a movie about ten years ago. She was starting out in her career and mine was elevating beyond ‘well-known’ status. Rina was just… she was so innocent and normal. I just wanted to help her get comfortable in her own skin and on the set.”
Bex’s brows raise. “Comfortable?”
I shrug. “We hooked up off set. A lot. And it became a habitual thing. Especially that first year, when she was in high demand for a rookie. We found each other on set more and more and then one day…” I reach for my drink and take a significant gulp. It burns on the way down, but it makes it easier to revisit the memories. “She suggested she move in with me, and I… I didn’t say no.”
Bex narrows her gaze at me. “You make it sound like you settled for her.”
“Baby, I did. I settled for her because it was easy. It was easy being with someone in the industry. It was easy working with her because we were sexually compat—”
Bex holds up her hand and I cut myself off. “I think I get the point,” she says, wincing.
“We were married for six years. We never defined ourselves either, because I just assumed we didn’t need to. I thought I was going to marry her at some point.” I down the rest of my drink and slam the glass down on the table harder than necessary. “One morning, when I was onlocation for another movie, she texted me and said we were done. No explanation, no opportunity to understand why. When I got home two days later, she was gone.”
“Oh, Corey,” Bex whispers. There are tears in her eyes again, this time for me.
“Don’t do that, Bex. Don’t cry for me. Yeah, it hurt like a bitch, but that was years ago. I’m a different man than I was then.” I watch a few tears slip down her cheeks, and there’s an uncontrollable urge to get in my car and drive the five hours to Vegas, just so I can scoop her up in my arms and hold her. “I can’t imagine how you felt, not only learning about this stupid movie, but who was starring in it with me. It’s paramount that you understand, Bex… There is nothing between me and Rina. Absolutely fucking nothing.”
Bex nods through her tears. “I sort of figured, but I’m terrible at assuming things. Imagining feelings and emotions that aren’t there—”
“Shh, shh, shh.” I hold the phone closer to my face so she can see the truth in my eyes. “Part of why this week has been such a fucking mess is that I can’t…” I sigh, accepting that the brutal truth is necessary here. “I can’t even get hard enough to perform. I’ve been taking Viagra, and that shit is messing with my moods. Again, not trying to give you any excuses, but—”
“She doesn’t turn you on?” Bex glances toward her desk, where I can make out a fuzzy glow from her laptop screen. “She’s really pretty, Corey.”
“Don’t do that, Bex. Physically, she’s manufactured, and any of the beauty she may have had when we met is distorted to the point where she’s a goddamn stranger to me. That’s saying nothing about her cheap attitude.”
Bex breathes a sigh, hopefully of relief. “You really are from a different world.”
“Bex, ‘Edgelord’ is my last movie.” I say it, out loud, for the first time, for her. And I mean every fucking word. She looks at me in disbelief. “Seriously. It’s one of the biggest adult films ever made, and my production company is behind it, and… it made sense for me to be in it, too. But I’ve been considering where my career is going, when it’s gone this far, for this long…”
“You’re incredibly successful, Corey. I don’t want you to like, retire or anything just because of me. Because of my insecurities,” Bex says quietly.
“The seed was planted in my mind long before I met you, Bex. And can I tell you a secret?”
Bex nods and whispers, “Yes, sir.”
Fuuuuuuck.When she says “sir” like that—fuck, whenever and however she says it—it’s like a jolt of arousal shoots down my spine, leaving my cock twitching with need.
“Even if I wasn’t already considering this being the end of my acting career… Meeting you changed me, Bex. I would walk away from the industry entirely, if that would make you feel comfortable with me. With us.”
Leaving the industry was honestly never a thought that crossed my mind, but as I say it to Bex right now and feel the spark of hope in my chest as her eyes brighten at the thought… maybe this is the right thing. The right thing for us both to move forward. Together.
“Are you… I mean, do you still want to come to the awards show with me next weekend?”
“Corey, honestly? I don’t know.” The admission snuffs out the spark of hope, and I try not to look disappointed. “Just give me some time with this. Okay? It’s a lot.”
I nod. “Of course.”
“I’ll call you when I’m ready, okay?”
Before I can respond, she ends the call. I burrow back into the couch and allow myself a few minutes of wallowing before making my way back to the kitchen. I pour myself another glass of bourbon and tap out a message to Aaron.
I need to know what’s been going on with my friend, of course. But the real reason for my text tonight? I need help getting the girl.
Chapter 24
Bex
