Naughty November

Chapter 4

FOUR

KIERAN

“And that’s a wrap, guys. That was beautiful, as usual.” I turned away from Matthew and Dane, who were still lying on the bed after a convincing performance for the camera. They were a real couple in every sense of the word, but more importantly, their chemistry leaped through the lens. Every performance was fire, even their audition tape when they’d been shy and hesitant.

They’d come to our company because they were struggling financially. At first, I’d been skeptical about how many viewers they’d draw, but I hadn’t wanted to turn them down, seeing how much they were drowning in debt. They’d quickly appealed to a more conservative fan base that enjoyed the consistency and monogamous nature of their relationship. I’d never thought to retain those viewers, but thousands tuned in just for them.

“Hey, you look thirsty.”

A bottle of water was thrust into my hands. What was Iggy doing here? He was supposed to be waiting for me on campus. After working on the spreadsheets, he’d wrung a promise out of me to take him out for dinner. I wasn’t late, was I ?

I glanced at my watch. Nope. I wasn’t due to pick him up for a couple more hours.

“What are you doing here, Iggy?”

“I think you meant ‘thank you, Iggy’ or ‘you’re so thoughtful, Iggy.’”

“You know what I mean.” I uncapped the bottle and guzzled down the liquid. Damn. That felt good. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. “But thanks for the water.”

“You’re welcome. My final class got canceled, and a friend was going in this direction, so I thought it would be more convenient for me to come here and wait for you.”

“We’re still filming. How long have you been here?”

“Long enough to watch that couple. They were amazing.”

I groaned. “You know the studio is off-limits when we’re shooting.”

“That’s before I became involved in your work.”

“By working on the books. You don’t have to be here for that.”

He tilted his head and put his hands on his hips. “Well, maybe I want to watch.”

I gave Iggy a stern look. I dug my car keys out of my pocket and jiggled them in front of his face. “Go home.”

“You’re letting me drive your car?”

Anything to get him out of the studio.

“Yes. I have to shoot another video before I call it a day. It’s better if you wait at home.”

“You won’t change your mind and let me stay?”

“Nope.”

He rolled his eyes, and I itched to put him over my knees.

“Fine. I guess I’ll see you later.”

“Let me walk you out.”

“You don’t have to.”

I ignored his protest and made sure he got into my car and left. As he pulled away from the curb, a sense of unease sank in the pit of my stomach. For how much longer could I shelter him? Was I being selfish? I couldn’t touch him because of our parents’ marriage. The logical step was to get out of his way and let him figure out his love life.

Too bad I couldn’t be logical when it came to Iggy. I couldn’t stop him from offering himself to the first man to break his virginity. Eventually, he would realize he didn’t need to listen to me.

I walked back into the studio, forcing a smile. I still had a video to record.

“Hey, Kieran.” Milo, who was next up for a threesome video, approached me with the list I’d taped to the wall for the actors to add their names beside the kink of their choice for the Naughty November challenge. “I think I was the last person to add my name. Here you go.”

“Thanks, Milo.” I rolled up the paper and slipped it into my back pocket. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, looking as if he had something else on his mind.

“What is it?”

“The guys were wondering who you’re going to pair with Iggy for his first time.”

Huh?

“I can’t believe you let him sign up. There’s a running joke you’re saving him for yourself, but now everyone wants to be the one to deflower your stepbrother.” He snickered. “Do people still say deflower?”

“Fuck if I know, but ain’t nobody’s deflowering Iggy on my watch.” I yanked the paper out of my pocket and scanned the list. Shit. Iggy’s name was printed beside “first time” and “photo/video.” Had one of the guys written his name down to get a rise out of me?

Nope. The handwriting was definitely Iggy’s. His scrawl was barely legible, like that of a doctor filling out a prescription.

“Son of a bitch.”

“Does that mean he’s not on the list?”

“Of course not. Iggy’s not an entertainer. He’s studying to become an actuary.”

I winced at the harshness of my voice. A chill ran down my spine. For a second, I heard my father when he’d kicked me out of his house and cut me out of his life. My throat tightened, making it hard to swallow. I didn’t want to chase Iggy away, but neither could I record him having sex with any of my actors.

If he insisted, only one man could ensure he enjoyed every second of his experience. After all, he only had one first time, and it needed to be perfect.

“Man, that sucks. The guys are going to be disappointed.” He walked away, typing furiously on his phone.

My phone vibrated with an incoming message, followed rapidly by more alerts. I dug the device from my pocket. Milo had sent the message in the group chat.

False alarm. The Virgin’s not up on offer.

The three little dots were dancing, and the messages poured in.

Booooo.

Dammit, I thought for sure one of us would finally get to tap that ass.

He has a nice-looking ass, doesn’t he?

He has a nice everything.

Think Kieran will mind if I ask him out?

I muted my phone and slipped it back into my pocket. I had to put a stop to their desire to touch Iggy. If Iggy insisted on his challenge, I’d have no choice but to step in because hell if one of my employees would ask him out. They were good guys—mostly—but no one was good enough for Iggy.