Because smart people didn’t involve themselves with anything that went against the Brumal.
“Gan didn’t come with you?” Rex asked Bridger, noting his absence.
“He wasn’t by the car when I left,” Bridger said. Both he and Gannon attended Vail University, while the rest of them were Guest students. “Maybe his class ran late.”
“You didn’t bother to check?” Kage let out a low whistle. “Cold, man.”
“Practical,” he corrected.
“Anyway,” Kage leaped up onto the table, dangling his legs absently, “you guys headed to the house?”
The Shepards used a residential home that had once belonged to a sweet older lady. Since taking over, Aneski had tried to return it to her grandson, but he’d turned the offer down and told him to keep it. Too many bad vibes attached or something like that. Since he didn’t exactly have a replacement home base on hand, Aneski had gratefully accepted.
Instead of dorming on campus, he and his friends shared rooms at the house, with the basement converted to hold official Shepard meetings. He’d weeded out the bad seeds from the start, so now the open-door policy for the rest of the members didn’t give him the ick like it had when his predecessor Haroon had been in charge.
“I’ve got somewhere else to be,” Aneski said, ignoring the knowing look Kage sent his way.
“Ah, that time already?”
Russ had left him enough coin to get by for the first year, but after that…Ani had needed to get creative. Becoming a porn star, even with a concealed identity, had seemed like a good idea at the time. The Bind movies were some of the most popular films watched on the entire planet, and the mask he always worewhile filming allowed him the anonymity Aneski needed to feel comfortable releasing them.
But of course, a mask could only hide so much, and those closest to him had easily picked up on his identity.
“Shut up.” He regretted admitting that he was the one in the films when his friend had approached him, but it wasn’t like he would have gotten away with the lie.
Kage came off like the type of person lost in his own little world, but in reality, he was insanely perceptive. He’d only gotten fifteen minutes through the first Bind film before he’d called Aneski—while in the theater—and asked point blank if he was the redhead.
“What?” Kage grinned. “You know I love your work.”
Bridger cleared his throat and glared at Kage. “You will not be watching this one.”
“Why not?”
Rexton rolled his eyes and turned to Aneski. “When do you have to leave?”
“Filming starts in an hour.” He had enough time to finish his sculpture before he had to head—His multi-slate dinged.
Yuze:Sorry, something came up with Saint. I won’t be able to make it tonight, Red.
Ani read the message twice and groaned. Why was everything going to shit for him lately?
The first film had been a desperate money grab so he could afford all his supplies for school, but Bind had been incredibly popular, placing number one at the Seaside Cinema for over a month.
He’d taken the second film a bit more seriously, screening potential partners this time around. They both wore masks in the films, and their real names were never mentioned in the credits, which helped protect their identities. That also meantmore people who might not have been open to being a part of a pornographic film submitted interviews.
Aneski wasn’t a big fan of random hookups, but he didn’t have the time for a relationship, and his tastes were…specific. Yuze Quint, Kage’s cousin, had been the best fit out of all of them, which was how he’d ended up partnering with Aneski for the last two.
He’d rented out the space already, which wasn’t cheap, and had already discussed a release date with Seaside. They couldn’t miss this deadline…
His original partner was no longer around, and he hadn’t kept the contact info of any of the other people who’d interviewed last year when he’d been looking. Since they only got together and filmed a video once every six months, Aneski hadn’t thought to bother.
Fuck.
There weren’t any blonds he personally knew who he’d be comfortable—
He paused, already knowing the idea formulating in his mind was a bad one.
Like, really, really bad.
