Corey nods, and the assistant hurries away. I hold on to Corey’s elbow and lean closer to him. “Do you have your speech ready?”
He shakes his head. Just as before, he seems calm and collected. “I’m just going to wing it, I guess.”
“Do you know who’s introducing you?”
A slight frown crosses his face. “I’m not sure.”
The assistant stands at the side of the stage and holds up a sign, signaling the end of the commercial break.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Corey groans as he looks at the stage.
Striding to the center of the stage is a bleach blonde woman, tall, but made taller by a pair of Louboutin heels. She’s wearing a shimmery nude, nearly see-through bodysuit with a lace train dragging along behind her.If you were to look up porn star in the dictionary, her image would be there.
Internally, I flinch as she speaks, because I know who she is. And I know why Corey groaned at the sight of her.
“Ladies and gentlemen, settle down now!” She giggles and holds a hand to her chest, where her cleavage is making a desperate bid to escape the confines of her bodysuit. “It’s time we, as an industry, gather to celebrate one of the pioneers in our space. I’d love for the man, the myth, the legend, to join me on stage to receive his lifetime achievement award. Frank Moro, get your sexy ass up here, baby!”
I have no choice but to let go of Corey’s hand and let him walk up to the stage, where his ex, Sabrina Ryder, waits with his award.
Chapter 27
Corey
As I stand, mentally creating a list of people who need to be punished for the decision to put me on stagewith her, I pause. Turning back to where Bex is sitting, a mix of shock and pride on her face, I lean in and passionately claim her lips with mine. The audience whoops and claps, but I’m focused only on Bex.
When I pull back, I turn quickly toward the stage. If I stare at Bex any longer, I might just take her by the hand and walk out of here, awardbe damned.
A few steps up to the stage, I stride over to where Rina stands, dressed and decorated like she’s needed on set in five minutes. I repress a shudder as I reach for the award outstretched in her arm. She pulls it back, teasing me.
“Ah ah, big daddy,” she laughs, using her old nickname for me from when we were dating. “Come here and get it.” She crooks her finger at me, and for a moment, it’s like all the sound is drained from the building.
I don’t know what game Rina wants to play, and quite frankly, I don’t give a fuck. Every day on set with her last week was pure torture. We treated each other poorly, and she wasted no opportunity to say loud and clear in front of the cast and crew that I was old and washed up. I’m surprised she didn’t mention that in my introduction.
I step forward, still reaching for the award, and she steps back again, laughing. The audience laughs as well, as if this is a playful joke. It’s no secret Rina and I were together for years, but not everyone knows how or why things ended.
“Fuck this,” I mumble, as I step to the microphone and turn to face the audience. “You can hold on to that for me, Rina. Might be the only time you get to touch an award tonight,” I joke, and the crowd eats it up.
Rina glares at me, although it’s difficult to read the full expression of her anger because her Botox has her face all frozen. Ah, that’s right. Rina was my nickname for her, the one she hated. Calling her that in front of everyone in the industry just set her up for a new public nickname. Enjoy that, sweetheart.
“Lifetime achievement award, damn. No better indicator that you’re old as fuck, huh?” I say, shrugging. The audience titters playfully at my words. If there’s one thing I love about events like these, we have zero filters and no censors. “It’s crazy, standing up here, looking out at all ofyou… I’ve been inside of more than half of you by now, including the guys.”
Everyone laughs, and it’s a fact. Twenty years in a business like this, I’ve done everything, including guys. Honestly, those shoots could be better than the ones with the women because there was never any drama.
I fold my hands in front of me and take a deep breath. I wasn’t lying when I told Bex I didn’t have a speech prepared, but there is something I need to say. Scanning the audience, counting back the rows from the stage, I find Bex. Drew must have swooped in to be my seat-filler, because he’s sitting next to her.
God, she’s fucking beautiful. In this sea of adult film stars, where it seems like everyone is trying so hard to age in reverse, Bex is a beacon of beauty. Almost everyone in this audience is pumped so full of Botox, fillers, and some sort of stimulant. And then there’s Bex. The reality of the insecurities she confessed hits me, plain as day, as I stare at her in this crowd of acquaintances.
And I know what I’m going to say.
“Ah, it’s been a wild ride. There are truly no words to express how thankful I am to this industry. For taking me in when I had nowhere else to go… for a long time, this industry was home for me.”
I take a deep breath and see Bex lean forward, hovering on the edge of her seat. She rests her face in her hands, her nails dangerously close to being chewed off by her anxiety. I smile and wink at her, watching as she slides back in her seat and puts her hands in her lap instead. Good girl.
Steeling myself, I say the words that have been weaving their way through my thoughts over the last few weeks. “My career has been great because of you all.” I pause, giving Rina a sideways glance. “Well, most of you.” Rina glares at me while the audience laughs. “But all good things must come to an end.”
The audience falls silent, and I search for Bex’s eyes again, because in her warm, emerald eyes is where I’m going to find strength to say the next words. Tears shine in her eyes, not sad tears, but ones of happiness and excitement… For me.
“Now is as good a time as ever to officially announce my retirement from acting—I get cut off by the audience—some are cheering, some are booing, but it’s all in good fun. “Come on, I get the opportunity to go out on top—”
