This Much is True - Tia Louise Page 0,26
slugs the rest of his whiskey and pours us both more, even though I’ve barely taken a sip. “We were standing around, and this one guy kept checking me out. I get that a lot, so I just ignored it.”
I take a sip of the burning amber liquid and squint. “Was he a gay porn star too?”
“No.” Scout gives me an annoyed glare.
“Sorry!” I hold up a hand and bury my nose in my cup. “Jeez…”
“After my take, he asked if I was the guy from Howard’s Other End.” I can’t help snorting, and Scout shakes his head. “It’s funny. I know. I told him I’d never heard of it. The day went on, and this other guy, one of his friends apparently had been Googling me all day. He made some comment about how he questioned the integrity of the production. When people asked why, he said they hired porn stars to be in it.”
“Oh, no.” My voice is quiet.
“The casting director asked why I hadn’t disclosed I was Rammin’ Rod from the December issue of Dreamboys.” He exhales heavily. “I tried to explain I didn’t authorize it, I didn’t even know about it, but it didn’t matter. Apparently having a porn star in the cast kills your ratings. I was asked to leave.”
“I’m sorry.” I put my hand on his shoulder.
“It took three years for that shit to go away. I’m not sure it’s completely gone. It probably still keeps me from getting called for things. But six months ago, this new casting director gave me a shot in that Christopher Nolan film. Then everything shut down.”
JR isn’t laughing anymore, and I feel bad. I also feel fuzzy and warm from the whiskey.
“I bet when we get back, it’ll be even more ancient history than it was before. You’ll see.”
I’m not sure I’m making sense, but Scout doesn’t seem to mind. He leans back and gives me that disarming, dimpled grin. “Hope Eternal, thank you.”
He’s a bit wobbly when he holds up the half-empty bottle, but I shake my head. “No more for me.”
He drops it on the floorboard and sits up, pressing his fingertips lightly on his cheek. “My face stopped hurting.”
Leaning closer, I inspect the damage. A red line is at the top of his cheekbone, but the skin isn’t broken. “I don’t think you’ll have a black eye.”
Catching my neck, he pulls me in for a rough kiss to the top of my forehead. “You’re the best.” Then leans against the door and goes to sleep.
I sit back and look at the half-empty cup in my hand.
JR’s eyes meet mine in the mirror. “It’s lucky he’s so good at football.”
I check the bottle he dropped on the floorboard. The top is sealed tight, so I climb over the seat into the front.
“Hollywood is hard.” I pull my knee up and set my chin on the top, facing him. “We always heard stories from people who went and came back.”
“Yeah, that porn thing’s just a setback. He’ll be fine. People love working with him.”
Tilting my head to the side, I study his square jaw and striking profile. “It’s not that way for you?”
Ice blue eyes flicker to me, sliding down my neck and back. “No.”
It’s probably the whiskey, but that brief, hot look gets the blood simmering in my veins.
I shift in my seat, lowering my knee and tracing my finger along the back of the seat towards him. “You’ve got qualities.”
His eyebrow arches, and he glances at me. “Qualities? Like what?”
“Like back there, the way you stood up for your brother.” I want to say it was sexy as fuck, but I might need another shot of whiskey.
JR exhales a laugh. “He didn’t give me much of a choice.”
“What would you do if you had a choice?” My insides are all sizzling, and I scoot a little closer.
The muscle in his jaw moves, and I want to touch it. “I thought I’d work with my dad.”
“Running a gym?” My eyes are on his full lips.
“I thought I’d take over when he was ready to retire… Maybe open a second location closer to the coast.”
“You don’t want to do that now?”
His brow lowers, and that anger is back. “Now I want to know what he knew about San Francisco.”
Chewing my bottom lip, I think about this. “You think your dad set you up?”
“He made the deal. He sent me to do the pickup.”
“Was that different?”
“I was married with a little kid. My dad is a widower