Mike put the phone on speaker and folded his arms under his head, the pillows piled high. “It’s been a helluva few days, babe.”
He heard another voice in the background. “Yeah, some tea would be nice, with honey. Thanks, baby.” The soft rustle of sheets. “Okay, you have my attention. What’s up?”
“Am I disturbing you?” Mike had visions of interrupting his ex in the middle of something intimate.
Jack chuckled. “Nah, Luca and I were having an early night. We’re sitting in bed, watching TV.” He laughed. “I must be getting old. An early night used to mean something entirely different. So, wanna tell me what’s wrong? Because I’m sure this isn’t a social call.”
Mike pushed out a sigh. “Tommy found out about the porn.”
“What do you mean, found out? That implies you didn’t tell him.” Jack’s tone was sharp. “I thought you were going?—”
“Someone beat me to it, okay?” Mike let out a low growl. “And now everything’s changed.” He relayed the conversation,holding nothing back. Jack remained silent at the other end until he’d finished.
“Ouch.”
“Yeah, tell me about it.”
“So have you come up with anything?”
It had been over twelve hours since he’d spoken with Tommy, and so far Mike had come up with zilch. “How, Jack? How can I prove to him that what he sees isn’t real?”
“Lemme think for a sec.” Mike caught the rustle of sheets. “Oh, thanks, babe.”
A pause when Mike heard the distinctive sound of kisses being exchanged. He smiled to himself, happy for Jack.
“No, you can stay, honey. This is Mike. Remember, I told you about him?” More soft murmurings. “Yeah, snuggle up and keep me company while we talk.”
It made for a pleasant image in Mike’s head. “D’you want me to call back another time?”
Jack laughed. “No, you’re okay, honest. And I may have a suggestion.”
“Oh?”
“Why don’t you show him what reality looks like?”
For a moment Mike was stumped. “Huh?”
Jack chuckled. “I think you need some sleep. But what I meant was, show him the reality of porn. We both know what happens on a shoot is a completely different animal to what appears on screen. So why not show him that? D’you think the guys at ManFactory would object if you turned up with Tommy and asked if he could watch while they shot a scene? If you asked them ahead of time, of course. You’d be there to watch it with him, explain what was going on, what he was seeing….”
Mike liked that idea. Liked it a lot. “You might just have something there.”
“Can you picture Tommy’s face if he got to see some gay for pay guys filming? Now there’s a heavy dose of reality for ya right there.” Jack snorted. “’Course, you don’t tell him that often there’s a spark between actors, ’cause he doesnotneed to knowthatshit. But he can see what it’s really like on set.” He chuckled. “You’ll probably blow his mind, from the sound of it.”
“Jack, you’re a genius.”
Soft laughter came out of the phone. “Hey, guess what, hon? Mike says I’m a genius.” A pause and the rustle of sheets. “Glad to have been of service. Let me know how things go.” His voice lowered. “So I guess you’re really serious about this guy?”
“As serious as it gets.”
“Oh, Mike, that’s great. Maybe one day you can bring him out west so I can meet him? Because he has to be pretty special, babe, to haveyouall in knots.”
Mike wasn’t sure how Tommy would feel about that. “We’ll see. Right now I’m just flying by the seat of my pants.”And praying it all works out for the best.“I’ll call ManFactory in the morning, see if I can arrange a visit soon.” A thought occurred to him. “Hell, I’m supposed to be filming there on Monday.” The silence that fell at Jack’s end was sudden. “Jack?”
“I was just wondering what Tommy would make of that. I mean, okay, so now he knows you do porn. Knowing is one thing, Mike. Accepting the situation is something entirely different.”
In spite of his newfound optimism, a shiver of apprehension rippled down Mike’s spine.
“Let’s just see what happens at ManFactory, all right?” He couldn’t think about that now. Especially when he had the sinking feeling that Jack might have a point. Tommy might not have said as much, but the chances were pretty high that he wouldn’t want his boyfriend continuing in the porn industry.
