Tentacle on 34th Street (Tinsel and Tentacles 2.0)

Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

I t was another early morning when Alex climbed off his bike outside of the warehouse. He’d slept little the night before, his mind spinning. When he had slept, his dreams had been full of Cryss, the man’s hands all over him. Mortified, he’d awoken to wet, sticky sheets, the first time since he’d been an awkward teen. It wasn’t going to be easy looking Cryss in the eyes remembering he’d had wet dreams about the man.

He hooked his helmet over one arm and lifted his bike over his shoulder and was poised to climb the few steps to the door when Thor burst out of it before he reached it, arms laden with files. The photographer paused, glaring.

Alex didn’t move any closer. Panic settled in his belly. Bile rose in his throat remembering how weak and helpless Thor had made him feel the day before. He didn’t say a word. Didn’t move a muscle. He didn’t want to spark another incident. He just needed to get through the last day of shooting and never see Thor again.

Thor didn’t speak, either. He glowered silently, rage in his eyes—but a sudden look of terror came, and he scrambled down the steps and nearly ran down the sidewalk in the opposite direction.

Sensing a presence behind him, Alex looked over a shoulder. Cryss and Qylar both watched Thor’s back, stern looks on their faces. Cryss flipped his gaze to Alex’s before marching up and taking the bike from him. He carried it over his shoulder, climbed the steps, and opened the door, urging Alex through without another word.

As Alex passed, Cryss murmured, “Good morning,” and the deep timbre of the man’s voice rose up his spine like a caress. He paused in the doorway a second, their nearness sending the tingling sensation into full gear. “You’re early.”

Cryss tilted his head to fully face Alex. “I needed to ensure he wasn’t a problem for you. Are you okay?”

“I am now.” He didn’t want someone else fighting his battles. He needed to stand up for himself, yet the protection Cryss offered helped settle his nerves in being there in Thor’s space. Instead of being indignant or putting up a front of toxic masculinity, he chose to appreciate the security Cryss provided. His own personal knight in shining armor. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Alex forced himself forward and mounted the steps as quickly as he could. Temperature rising as he felt Cryss’s gaze on him, he did his best to appear unbothered. Whether or not he managed it, he didn’t know.

Cryss placed his bike in the same spot it had been the day before. Alex draped the helmet off the end of the handlebar.

“I hope you rested well last night,” Alex said, avoiding Cryss’s gaze. “It’s going to be another long day, but at least it’s the last of our studio time.”

“Sleep didn’t come easy. I had someone on my mind,” Cryss replied, his voice low.

Alex lifted his gaze for a peek and nearly gasped at the hunger in Cryss’s eyes. “Well. Hopefully you’ll have a better time of it tonight.”

Cryss snorted. “Doubtful.”

“Well, best get over to the staging area so we can get started as soon as possible.” Alex pulled his bag over his head and opened it. “It’s going to be a busy day for all of us.”

“We’re early, remember?”

“Right… right… then have a seat and relax until they’re ready for you,” Alex said, dropping his bag in the director’s chair he’d used the day before. “I need to see who’s here.”

Wandering through the set, he found Jonas talking with Mickey and Scott and sidled up to the trio. “Morning.”

“Morning,” they said in unison.

“We were just running through what was left for the day, Boss,” Jonas said. “Did you have any notes or anything we need to add into the list?”

“I mentioned yesterday that we neglected to consider an appropriate set up for the loungewear and then completely forgot after…” Alex sighed, dropping what happened after. He was pissed that it had slipped from his rattled mind. “Maybe we can have our Santa seated in the sleigh with one of the elves in his lap?”

“Should it be an elf?” Mickey asked. “Santa has Mrs. Claus.” He shook his head. “Well, for you guys it would be the other Mr. Claus, wouldn’t it?”

“We don’t have another model for that,” Jonas said. “We’ll have to go with an elf.”

“Exactly,” Alex said. “We’ll make it work. Also, Mickey, we need more video options for reels and commercials. We didn’t get much yesterday. What you sent me last night was mostly still shots.”

“Videography isn’t my strongest suit. That was something Thor was better at.”

“Well, do what you can. What you did send was good,” Alex said.

“Okay,” Mickey said. “If that’s all, I’ll go set up the cameras and lighting.”

“Qylar’s already here. He might be willing to help, if you need it,” Alex said.

Mickey looked relieved. “Great. He was a big help yesterday. That dude’s got serious muscle.”

“Anything else I need to know?” Scott asked. “I asked the models to come in a little earlier today, and I want to check to see if hair and makeup is ready to go.”

“I don’t have any more notes,” Jonas said. “Do you, Alex?”

“Not at this point. You guys did great yesterday. I appreciate how you both stepped up,” Alex said.

“Thanks, Alex,” Scott said with a smile.

“Thanks, Boss,” Jonas added before moving a few steps to Hector’s table to share a few instructions.

“You doing okay today?” Scott asked him.

Alex crossed his arms over his chest, heat filling his face. “Yeah, yeah.”

“I’ve been in your shoes before,” Scott murmured, his voice low. “If you’re still feeling embarrassed, I just want to tell you not to be. You have no reason to be embarrassed.”

“I should’ve listened to Jonas and hired a different photographer a long time ago. It was my fault it happened.”

“No,” Scott said. “It was his fault for crossing the line. Full stop.”

Alex heard that but struggled not to blame himself.

“I better go check on the team,” Scott said before handing over a walkie. “Call us if you need anything.”

Jonas reappeared as Scott left. “Anything for me?”

Alex shook his head. “Nope. I ran through the shots last night, and everything looked great under your direction. You did really well, Jonas.”

“Does that mean you might consider letting me take the wheel again today?” Jonas asked brightly, a wide grin on their face.

“I do have a pile of emails to go through and need to check in with the graphics team.” Alex thought about Cryss. He was almost afraid to get too close and make an ass of himself. “You know what? Have at it.”

“Yay!” Jonas said, dancing from foot to foot. “You can take up your spot from yesterday and supervise. Yell if you need me. I’ve got my walkie.”

“You’ve got it.” Alex wandered through hair and makeup, waving and thanking the team for being there, and then stopped by to check on Hector and his support before grabbing his laptop from his bag and setting up shop. By the time he’d gone through a staggering number of emails that he’d been too shot to handle the night before, all of the models had arrived, and he pulled up the shots from the day before to give them all another deeper look.

He lingered on the ones with Cryss a little longer than he should, but it was hard not to. The camera indeed loved him. As he checked each image a little closer, he made notes on the ones he liked and where they might work best.

The heavy studio lights came on not long before the models wandered on set. Alex searched the monitor, checking for lighting and positioning. He used the walkie to help Jonas refine the setup for the camera’s point of view. Cryss came into the scene, and Alex’s pulse quickened.

He was dressed almost exactly the same as the day before. The only change was a red boxer-brief instead of a brief—which fit better—but the rest was the same. Not that there was much else, other than the boots and hat. Something Jonas told Cryss made the man laugh. His smile—and dimple just above his beard—caused Alex’s chest to tighten even more.

There had been few shots of Cryss smiling. While there had been plenty of smirks and humor in his eyes, most of the shots had been smoldering and sinful, which had been the plan. Naughty, playful elves being watched closely by Santa had been the tone they were going after. He was almost jealous that it was Jonas who’d gotten that smile and the joy behind it instead of him.

A vision of him lying in bed with Cryss and seeing that smile wafted through his mind. He forced it from his mind and focused on the shoot as a whole, not the one part of it he wanted all for himself.

Mickey and Jonas worked well together, and what he saw captured on screen was exactly what Alex wanted. The day sped past at the speed of light, his team doing a phenomenal job to bring his idea to life. He couldn’t wait to see the finished product and get the public’s reaction. Lifting his phone from his pocket, he snapped some photos from the monitor— purposely blurry — and shot them off to his social media guys with the note to work up some teaser spots ahead of the official holiday ad premiere.

Over lunch break, Alex took Scott and Jonas aside and reviewed what was left as they all ate, away from the models and team. They’d caught up and were slightly ahead according to the schedule, but Alex didn’t want to miss something they might need. Once they called it a wrap, they wouldn’t get any other chances.

Around five, they sent all models but Cryss and one elf home, as well as anyone non-essential. One member of hair and makeup and Hector sans helpers were the only ones there besides Alex, Jonas, and Scott—and of course, Mickey and his assistant, Qylar. Alex wanted an intimate, spicier tone for the loungewear pictures, and that was easier to do when the studio wasn’t buzzing with people and activity.

The remaining elf would sit on Cryss’s lap as they fabricated intimacy—their lips close and their bodies closer. As the moment neared, the more Alex hated the idea of another man being in that spot, playacting or not.

Cryss climbed onto the sleigh wearing a pair of red silk boxers, the look on his face hinting he wasn’t looking forward to the last of the shoot, which made sense. It was his first modeling gig—one he’d not wanted to do—and they were asking him to do something even more outside his comfort zone. Hopefully he could rise to the challenge and give them something to work with.

The elf model had been given a minor makeover with a different hairstyle and makeup to differentiate his character as the other Mr. Claus. He was wearing their ivory silk tank, boxers, and half-robe. Cryss offered a tight smile before the man sat in his lap, and it was clear there was little chemistry between them.

Alex climbed from his chair and walked to where Jonas stood. “Did we test the chemistry between Cryss and all of the elves before we decided on this one?”

Jonas winced. “I didn’t think about doing that. Cryss has been getting along so well with everyone, it didn’t occur to me. They’ve all been so at ease.”

“I should’ve asked before the others were sent home.”

“Should I try to call them back?” Jonas asked.

“Yeah, see if you can get ahold of them and ask. We can’t force them back, though. We can offer them some free underwear to sweeten the pot, if you need to.”

“They’re all walking away with what they wore the last two days. I doubt more will help much.”

“You never know. People like free things. I’ll go talk to Cryss and Freddie while you do that and see if I can’t give them some direction and guidance,” Alex said.

“On it,” Jonas said, already searching their phone.

Alex ambled up to the sleigh, Cryss’s gaze heavy on him. “Hey, folks. Last set-up of the day and after this, we can all go home. I know it’s getting late and you’re both tired, but we wanted to keep this one to the end so we could close the set and have fewer eyes on you. We’re not shooting porn here. You don’t have to kiss, but we need those moments before the kiss. When you want it so bad you can taste it. Hunger. Faking intimacy isn’t easy, but just pretend you’re with someone you care about or someone you want. Imagine them holding you and bring that to this scene.”

“Can do,” Freddie said.

Alex was less worried about Freddie. He’d been in that same spot before in past campaigns and was a total pro—which is why Jonas had likely picked him. Cryss? Not so much. The look on his face screamed discomfort, and Alex hated he was the one causing it.

“It’s just pretend,” Alex said to Cryss. “It’s not real.”

Freddie smiled at Cryss. “We got this, right?”

“Yeah, sure,” Cryss muttered.

“Just follow my lead,” Freddie said, wrapping his arms around Cryss’s neck. “I’ll help you through.”

“Thanks, Freddie,” Alex said.

Freddie grinned.

Alex tried to capture Cryss’s gaze, but the man wouldn’t meet his eye. “Are you okay, Cryss?”

Cryss’s gaze flipped up. “Yeah.”

It was clear he wasn’t. Hopefully with Freddie’s guidance, they could get enough decent shots in to work. Alex stepped back behind the camera and stood facing a second monitor closer to set. Mickey scanned around them. “Where’s Jonas?”

“He’s making some calls for me,” Alex said. “I’ll do direction until he gets back.”

“Okay. I’m ready whenever you are.”

Alex eyed the monitor again and reached for his walkie. “Scott… can you lower the lighting a little more?”

“Ten-four,” Scott replied.

A few seconds later, it went down. “Better,” Alex said into the walkie. “Can you angle the can to the right and have it hit the front of the sleigh instead of Freddie’s back?”

“Yep,” Scott said and adjusted seconds later.

“Perfect.” Alex turned to Mickey. “Video and static shots. I plan on this being a commercial for the holidays and on its own up until Valentine’s, so take plenty of video.”

“Got it,” Mickey replied.

Alex eyed the pair in the sleigh. “We’re rolling.”

Freddie caressed the side of Cryss’s cheek, leaning closer, nose-to-nose. Alex clenched his jaw, a little swell of jealousy washing over him. That should be me.

Cryss’s gaze flicked to Alex’s.

“Look at Freddie,” Alex instructed Cryss. “In this moment, he’s your whole world. You love Mr. Claus with your whole heart.”

Cryss turned back and caressed Freddie’s upper arm.

“Loosen your jaw, Cryss,” Alex said, watching the monitor. “Lots of eye contact.”

The seconds passed, and it was clear the chemistry between them wasn’t there. Cryss was uncomfortable, and Freddie grew frustrated. Finally, Freddie turned to Alex. “Can we take a minute?”

“Yeah, sure,” Alex said.

Freddie whispered something to Cryss, who nodded in response. He wondered what Freddie was saying.

Jonas appeared at Alex’s side. “No luck. None of them even answered the phone. I left messages, so maybe we can hope one gets it and calls back.” They glanced at the sleigh. “What’s going on here?”

“Freddie called for a break. I think he’s trying to help Cryss loosen up.”

Jonas eyed the screen. “Mickey, can you pull up what you have already shot on the monitor?”

“Sure,” Mickey said. Image after image appeared, none of them usable.

“Oof,” Jonas said. “This isn’t good. I’m so sorry, Alex. This is where your experience would’ve come in handy. I screwed up.”

“Let’s hope Freddie can help Cryss through this. The direction I’ve been giving hasn’t seemed to,” Alex said.

“We’re ready to try again,” Freddie called from the sleigh.

Alex saw the look on Cryss’s face and was fairly sure they weren’t. He drew in a breath and held it, terrified they wouldn’t get what they needed.

“Want me to try my hand at directing?” Jonas asked. “And maybe you go away?”

Alex’s gaze whipped to Jonas’s. “Why should I go away?”

“It’s clear Cryss is into you. Maybe it’s harder for him to do this with you watching him.”

An argument that Cryss wasn’t into him was on the tip of his tongue, but he realized Jonas might have a point. “Yeah, I’m going to go out to the hall and make some calls. You’ve got this, Jonas,” Alex said, his voice a bit higher than normal so Cryss might hear. He walked back to the other monitor in the corner instead, hidden from Cryss’s view.

Jonas went to work on the pair, and more shots appeared on screen. They were awful, each one worse than the last. Alex pulled out his walkie. “Jonas, has anyone called? I think we’re just wasting time right now.”

There was a pause before Jonas replied, “No callbacks.” He then heard Jonas tell Cryss and Freddie to take five before they marched around the corner to the other monitor. “Do I shut it down?”

“I had plans for this part of the shoot. Separate from the rest of it. If we edited out the sleigh, we could run this all winter.” Alex sighed. “But this isn’t working.”

“There is someone who could replace Freddie that Cryss would have better chemistry with.”

Alex frowned. “Who?”

“You.”

“No,” Alex snapped. “Not happening.”

“How badly do you want these shots?”

Alex shook his head. “I’m not a model. I have absolutely no business inserting myself in a campaign.”

“You’re a handsome guy. Cryss is a dreamboat. The chemistry’s off the charts between you when the camera’s not there, so it might work. Plus you’re not one of our elves, so you’d be a fresher face as the other Mr. Claus than any of our models.”

He scoffed. A fresher face? Hardly. “I can’t imagine walking into work after everyone in the building saw me on Santa’s lap. They’d laugh.”

“Loosen up, Alex,” Jonas said. “As long as you have a sense of humor about it, it’ll be fine. We can tell everyone we had a model emergency, and I convinced you to fill in—which is the truth. It might show Trevor that you’re willing to do whatever you need to in order to get the job done.”

Alex sighed.

“Although, after yesterday, I get your hesitancy.”

“It’s not that,” Alex said, sensing he’d be safe as a kitten with Cryss. His control was more the concern. If he replaced Freddie, it wouldn’t be an act. Not on his side, at least. He didn’t want to cross a line and have it recorded for posterity. “I just don’t want to appear unprofessional.”

Jonas scoffed. “This is work. You’re jumping in to finish the job.”

Alex weighed just how much he wanted the footage against his qualms. He’d already bought a few ad spots where he wanted to promote their loungewear, and he couldn’t use Christmas footage past New Years. There was a chance he could rebook another shoot with Cryss and another model, but there wasn’t much left in his budget for that, and he doubted the fiscally conservative Trevor would give him another red cent.

“Fine. I’ll do it.”

Jonas clapped, bouncing excitedly. “You should head over and prep.”

“Let me talk to Cryss a moment and make sure he’ll be on board before I do that,” Alex said. He returned to set and approached Freddie. “You can go ahead and get out of here. Thanks for all your hard work.”

“We’re not going to finish?”

“It’s not working,” Alex said.

Freddie’s face fell. “I hope this doesn’t impact you asking me to work on a future shoot. I did my best to make that work.”

“You’re a pro, and I appreciate all your hard work over the last two days. We’ll definitely call you back for a future project.”

“Good to hear.” Freddie grinned. “Thanks, Alex.”

As Freddie headed off-set, Alex approached the sleigh where Cryss still sat, a dour look on his face as he chatted quickly with Qylar standing at the side of it. “Cryss? Can I have a moment?”

Qylar nodded to Alex before walking away.

Cryss leaned forward, bracing his arms over the front edge of the sleigh. “I’m sorry about that. I guess I’m a worse actor than model. I’m going to try to give you what you need. I don’t want to let you down.”

“I just sent Freddie home,” Alex said.

“Did you get what you needed?”

“No. There was no chemistry between you two at all, so there was no point continuing to churn our wheels. We’ve already sent everyone else home, so Jonas suggested that…” Alex sighed. “That I replace Freddie.”

Cryss didn’t speak. Didn’t move. But his head lowered some and the look in his eyes turned hungry.

“There wasn’t anyone else, and Jonas suspected we might do a better job together. I know I’m going to regret this later, but… I need these shots.”

“Are you going to be okay doing this?” Cryss asked. “After yesterday?”

Alex nodded. “Yeah.”

“You know I will never hurt you, right? You’re completely safe with me.”

Alex’s gaze caught in Cryss’s. “I think I do sense that.”

The corners of Cryss’s lips curled up a little before he turned serious again. “If you start to feel uncomfortable, you say the word and we stop. Period.”

“Okay,” Alex murmured. He lingered there a moment, frozen in Cryss’s stare. “I-I need to go change and… whatever else I need to do. I’ve got less experience than you do at this.”

“I think we’ll do okay.”

Alex sensed they’d be more than okay.

Way more than okay.