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“Exactly. It’s a game for old people. I rest my case.”
From somewhere deep in the cushions, a phone beeped. Josh and Clara both stuck their hands down the seam of the sofa and their arms brushed. Goose bumps broke out across her skin and she prayed he didn’t notice.
“It’s mine.” Josh’s mouth twisted like he’d sucked on a lemon as he looked at the message on the screen.
“What’s it say?”
Josh tossed the phone behind him. “Nothing.” Then he shoved a bunch of popcorn in his mouth.
“It’s obviously not nothing. Come on. Who’s texting you?”
“H. D. Pruitt.”
“Why does that name sound familiar?”
Josh bent to pick up the dispersed kernels. “Because he’s the CEO of Black Hat.”
Clara gasped. “The one Toni wrote about?”
“Yeah. I took a meeting with him this morning and he offered me this insane deal. Six figures to headline his hardcore division.”
What the hell did they do in the hardcore division?
“Before you freak out, I turned him down. He, uh, may have threatened to blacklist me.”
“He what? Josh, that’s terrible. Not to mention illegal.”
“Pretty standard for Black Hat as far as I can tell. I figured he might try something similar when I agreed to the meeting. It’s not a big deal. I’ve got a year left on my contract with them, but I’ve fulfilled my film quota. I’ll take a hiatus. They can’t sue me or anything.”
“But what are you going to do for a year? What about your talent?”
Josh raised his eyebrows. “I guess I’ll have to go back to using my talent recreationally.”
Clara’s heartbeat skidded to a halt.
“The only rights not locked down in my stock agreement are for voice-over.”
Putting a pin in why she cared so much about Josh’s “recreational activities,” Clara narrowed her eyes. “Wait, so you’re saying you could narrate something?”
Josh cocked his head to the side. “Yeah, I guess, in theory. People aren’t usually looking for a narrator in their pornos. That kinda thing probably goes from zero to wildlife special real quick.”
Clara sat up straighter. “But what if you didn’t make porn?”
“Then I wouldn’t have a job?”
An idea ran like a charge down her spine. “Okay, remember that thing you helped me with?”
He raised a shoulder and frowned.
“That thing.” She looked down at her lap.
“Sorry, no.”
“Ugh. Remember that time you gave me an orgasm?”
“Ha. Yeah. I knew what you meant. I wanted to hear you say it.”
Clara rolled her eyes. Jerk. “Well, a lot of women have problems like that. I looked it up.”
