really disgusting,” he pledged, “I’m your man.”
It wasn’t a promise I ever thought I’d want to hear, but I was grateful to him for his enthusiasm.
Mason couldn’t have been more uncomfortable. Somewhere inside of him, I believed, was a human being who actually experienced feelings like empathy. Either that, or it was just common sense that led him to say, “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”
I never heard a less convincing expression of sympathy. It was further eroded by his subsequent conversation with Pierce.
“So,” he asked his assistant, “what do you think?”
Pierce didn’t bother to pretend to care. “It looks terrible on screen,” he said. “A real turn-off.”
“You think we could hide it with makeup?” Mason asked.
I tried not to laugh at the irony.
“Maybe,” Pierce replied thoughtfully. “I’d imagine we could cover it up and tone down the redness. You’d still see the ridge, though. It might not be a deal-breaker.”
Mason rubbed his chin. “It’s really too bad. He’s got a great body. If only that scar wasn’t so prominent…” The way he talked about me as if I wasn’t in the room was so charming and considerate I regretted not bringing a handgun.
It was true I kept in shape. When I worked as an escort, my body was my fortune. I went to the gym nearly daily to maintain my trim but muscular gymnast’s form. Since giving up that work, I’d slacked off a bit, but I still tried to maintain what I’d had.
“You know, it could work. Maybe, if we can tone it down a little, some of our viewers will find the scar endearing,” Mason offered. “An appealing vulnerability on an otherwise perfect torso.”
Pierce snorted.
Mason ignored him. “Let’s keep going and see how the rest of it goes. Kevin, could you stand and let us get a look at you from behind? And, in character, please.”
These audition videos always followed the same pattern. First, the model took off his shirt. Then he turned around and showed off his back. At this point, Mason usually directed them to flex and show off their muscles.
Then it was time to lose the pants. This also started from the front, with the camera zooming into the cloth- covered crotch. Building suspense. Another pivot as the model removed his underwear, showing off his butt first. Then, the big reveal, when he turned one last time to display his cock, which, through the magic of editing, was always standing at attention and raring to go, as if the very act of disrobing for the viewer was so exciting that it’d brought him to full erection.
I was counting on my video following the same progression. I had my own reveals planned.
First, though, some more negotiation.
“Your turn,” I said. “You got my shirt off. I get another question.”
Mason stood and looked more closely at the monitor. He spoke to my image there. “Scar aside, Kevin, you look fantastic. You looked like such a kid in that shirt-who’d have known you’d be so ripped when you took it off?” He ran a finger down the screen as if tracing my body with his hand. I felt a chill on my chest as if he was really touching me.
“And I was right. Your skin photographs like silk. So inviting.
“You could be a star, Kevin. I’ll even pay for the plastic surgery if there’s a way it will diminish that scarring. I’d make that kind of investment in you, Kevin, because I believe in you. You can even act. You may be the total package.
“So, how about we stop this cat-and-mouse inquiry of yours and just shoot the damn video?”
Mason was getting irritated, and I didn’t think he was the kind of man who put up with being put off. The scar had dampened his enthusiasm, as had my questioning. His tone told me I was about to lose him. I had to pull him back.
“If I did work with you,” I said, feigning interest, “what kind of money are we talking about?”
“For a full feature?” Mason asked.
“Sure.”
“Twenty-five K,” he said. “To start.”
“I make more than that now,” I told him.
“I’m sure you do,” he said condescendingly. “But we’re talking a week’s work.
“We wouldn’t want to overexpose you, so figure ten films your first year. You do the math.”
Multiplication was my Kryptonite, but even I could figure out that came to $250,000.
“Then, of course, there’d be personal appearances and product endorsements. You should be able to pull in another fifty thousand doing those. Maybe some magazine shoots. Some of my models do escort work, too. You’d be amazed what people will pay to… date… an adult film star.
“Depending on how ambitious you were, and how hard you were willing to work, I’d say you could come close to making half a million dollars your first year with us.
“Not to mention the free plastic surgery,” he threw in with a salesman’s flourish.
Well, now I understood why someone like Brent was doing adult films. That was an awful lot of money. And while I expect Mason was exaggerating, I didn’t think he was out-and-out lying.
Of course, most guys in the industry weren’t making that much. But Mason was clearly positioning me as one of SwordFight’s tentpole performers.
He’d said as much on the phone. I’d be the new Brent Havens.
Which brought me back to the question of what happened to the current one.
22
“We had a deal,” I said.
Mason redirected his attention from the image of me on the screen to the real one sitting right there. I think he was surprised I wasn’t jumping on the money right away.
“You said that if I agreed to this audition, you’d answer my questions. I’m doing my part. Now, it’s your turn again.”
Mason looked flabbergasted that I was persisting with this. Hadn’t he just offered me half a million dollars? Just what kind of idiot was I?
“Look,” I said. “I can’t say I’m not interested. That’s a lot of money. A lot. I didn’t think I’d ever even consider something like this, but, I have to say, I never expected it could be so… rewarding. And, now that I think about it, the guys who came to the taping that day, Brock, Brent, the others-they didn’t seem too unhappy or anything. You’ve got my attention.”
Mason grinned hungrily. Like a shark.
“But if I went into business with SwordFight, I’d have to be able to trust you. Which is why I say: We had a deal. If you don’t keep this one, how can I believe you’ll keep the others?”
Mason sat back down. “I have to say, you surprise me, Kevin. You’re a smart kid. I could see you going places.
“You know, Pierce started here like you. You kind of remind me of him.”
Pierce made a strangled noise that sounded like a cross between a gag and a snort. I was also offended by the comparison but hid my feelings better.
“He began his career with SwordFight as a performer but has become much more. He’s my right arm. He handles the talent, he knows the business side of things, and he’s even directed.”
So why do you have him answering the phones? I wondered.
“You have a lot of potential, Kevin. So, I’ll answer your questions. Because you’re right-we did have a deal. I have a better one for you, mind you, but I’ll keep the one we have.
“You can say a lot of things about me, Kevin, but you’ll find that I’m quite honest in my business dealings. I don’t screw my partners-in any way. You’ll always be treated like a professional here. So, ask away.”
