“Um, if you go through there, Ron will take you through the warehouse and explain the process of how we film and get a scene ready. We have several sets and even do a lot of work outside the studio. Carl, he’s one of our cameramen, is a retired marine, and we use his cabin for some of the shoots. Janice, she does costumes, we use her apartment, and Ron’s boyfriend has a gorgeous house with a bathroom the size of Atlanta. A lot of people request bathroom scenes.”
She was impressed. He wasn’t rattled when she’d mentioned Ron’s boyfriend. Had Ron already told Sean he was gay?
“Okay.”
Abigail stepped closer. The scent of something woodsy and spicy wafted over her, making her knees weaken. “I thought you’d be taller.”
He blessed her with a wicked smile. “Yeah? Am I too short for the job?”
She rose up on her tiptoes. He was still taller than her. But then again, everybody was. “Not at all. I guess those fighters on that TV show aren’t very tall either.”
The smile on his face melted. Had she said something wrong?
“By those fighters I assume you mean the mixed martial arts fighters?”
Her tiptoes deflated. “Um, yeah, I guessed that’s what you meant by illegal fighting. Wasn’t that type of fighting illegal at one time? My brother’s obsessed with those pay-per-views. I think he said it was banned in some countries or something.”
“Some forms of it still are.” His stern tone made her feel off balance; everything about the guy was sending her senses into overdrive. She was surprised she didn’t fall right over. She stepped back.
“Is…is that the type of fighting you did?” Justin’s fighting was illegal too. No one but her knew about it, but he fought with her constantly. He’d pick fights about the new drapes she’d ordered or what she’d made for dinner, any excuse to lay a hand on her.
Sean folded his thick arms over his even thicker chest. “Yes.”
Illegal fighting, drop subject. Bury it, under a rock, under a pyramid. Got it. She spun around. “Ron’s right through there.”
Ron stepped through the open door. “Hey, man, you ready to see how this circus works?”
Her belly did a funny flip-flop when Sean stopped at the doorway and looked back at her. “I think so.”
She watched Sean follow Ron into the main studio, telling herself it wasn’t because his ass looked tight and high in those black slacks. And he did fit the profile perfectly. The order specifically stated, “Guy like in Marky Mark underwear ad only with big tattoo all over arm.” Sean fit that bill and more. His handsome face was blessed with a dangerously sexy smile. Not that he’d let her see it all that much. It was a plus that he didn’t act like an ass. Usually, men who looked like he did were conceited jerks. Anyway, he’d get a physical and lab work done. Then after all the formalities, she could hire the sexy fighter.
The final test would be the real deciding factor. Please, dear God, be able to pass the final test. I can’t wait to see him try. Abigail went to grab a cup of coffee and wait impatiently in the blue room.
SEAN SAT ON the loveseat across from Abigail and Ron. Every instinct he had told him to run. The way the two of them were eyeballing him made him want to jump out of his skin. “It seems like you run a pretty tight ship here.”
Abigail took a sip from the oversize mug in her hand. “We try.” She readjusted for the third time in the chair while Ron sat as still as a statue.
He wasn’t sure what the last part of the interview was going to consist of, but he was pretty sure she needed to see what was under the hood before she decided to buy the car. By the look of the cozy room, they meant for him to get comfortable—real fast.
Abigail looked over at Ron, and then focused those pretty blues on him. “Mr. Drennan, in this line of work you’ll be asked to…perform in front of others. There are usually three extras on any given set. They are the cameraman, director, and helper. Then, of course, the performers will be there. It may be one other person, it may be three or four, or it could even be a solo. But one thing that stays the same is that you have to be comfortable with your body and touching it.”
Ah, he knew where this was going. He looked over at Ron, who had a steady stare focused on the picture on the wall above his head. Abigail’s voice pulled him back. “With that being the case, it’s imperative I know you’re able to… Well, that you can—”
“We need you to jack off for us,” Ron blatantly added.
Abigail dug an elbow into Ron’s side. The dude didn’t even flinch. “I was getting to that!”