Lord, no. Tommy didn’t believe what he was hearing.
“You’ve gotta be kiddin’.” Tommy shook his head. “I amnotgonna watch you in a?—”
Mike stilled instantly, his mouth open, eyes widened. “Oh, God, no!No, Tommy. That is not why we’re here.” He took a deep breath. “I’ve arranged for you—for us—to watch a shoot.”
“Why?”
Mike stared at him. “I told you porn wasn’t real. I wanted you to see that for yourself.”
Tommy didn’t know what to think. The very idea of watching porn sent alternating rushes of ice cold and heat racing through him. It was… wicked. Sinful. Just plain… wrong. But beneath the shock, aside from his pounding heart and shortness of breath, there was the lure of the illicit. The curiosity that tugged him, just tosee.
“You okay with this?” Mike was gazing at him, sitting so still beside him.
Tommy gulped in air. “No, but I asked you how I was s’posed to tell the difference, an’ I guess you’re tryin’ to show me that.” He looked out at the innocuous building before them. “So maybe I should just trust you an’ go see what you’ve been talkin’ about.”
Mike nodded. “And I’ll be right there with you.” He held out a hand, and Tommy took it gratefully, squeezing it tight. “Shall we?”
Tommy shrugged. “Now or never, I s’pose.” He tried to smile, but damn, his stomach was in knots.
Mike released his hand, got out of the truck, and came around to Tommy’s side to open his door. “Any time you wanna leave? You just say the word, and we’re outta there.”
“’Kay.” Tommy clambered out and waited while Mike locked up. Then he sighed with relief when Mike took his hand and intertwined their fingers. Tommy glanced down at their joined hands.
Mike nodded. “I’ll be introducing you as my boyfriend, just so you know.” He smiled. “That okay with you?”
Tommy breathed easier. “Yeah.” He really liked that. It made him feel… safe.
Mike led him to the main door and held it open for him to enter. Once inside the cool interior, they crossed the floor to the glass desks of reception, where a young man smiled broadly when he saw Mike.
“Hey, Scott. Tony said you were coming in today.” He gazed inquiringly at Tommy. “This is your guest?”
Mike nodded. “Hey, Paul. This is Tommy, my boyfriend. You got a visitor’s badge for him?”
“Sure.” Paul reached into a drawer and handed over a white plastic badge on a red lanyard. He smiled at Tommy. “Can you sign in, please?”
Tommy gave a nod and stepped forward. His hand shook slightly when he signed his name, and he had to wipe the pen on his jacket before he passed it back to Paul. His palms were clammy with sweat. Mike passed the lanyard over his head and then kissed him on the cheek.
“Ready?”
“No, but we’re here now, so let’s do this thing.” Tommy took several deep breaths. “Lead the way.”
Mike stunned him by pulling him into his arms and kissing him on the mouth. He brought his lips to Tommy’s ear. “Just remember that I love you.”
Tommy was aware of the small noise of approval Paul made behind him. “Love you too,” he whispered. Mike released him, grasped his hand, and led him through the wide doors beyond the reception area. Tommy held on tight as they passed through a long corridor and out into a wide space.
“This is the main floor of the studio,” Mike told him. “There are different sets here, but they tend only to shoot one scene at a time, to cut down on noise interference.”
Tommy just nodded, gazing around him, trying to take it all in. He could hear noise coming from off to the left. Mike steered them in that direction, and Tommy saw they were in what looked like a hotel bedroom. There were lights set up around the bed, and reflective panels at various angles. A man was walking around the set with a light meter in his hand, while two men in bathrobes were sitting on plastic chairs, chatting about….
“Football? They’re talkin’ aboutfootball?” he said incredulously.
Mike took one look at his face and laughed. “Why not? Hell, I’ve sat waiting to be filmed and discussed the elections, the previous night’s TV, just about any topic you can think of.” He grinned. “Why? What did you imagine they’d be doing?”
Tommy gave a nervous laugh. “I thought they’d be, you know… kissin’? Makin’ out? Stuff like that?” He’d imagined the actors getting in the mood, certainly not participating in a boisterous argument about a recent game.
“Hey, Scott!” A young man with a camera walked over to them. “I thought I heard you were coming in.” He gave a polite nod to Tommy. “Hi, I’m Wayne. I take the publicity shots. And you must be the boyfriend.”
Mike guffawed. “Word sure gets around here fast. This is Tommy.”
