I, Porn Star (I #1) by Zara Cox Read Free Book Online Page B

murmur.
    “Nothing.”
    “ Who are
you thinking about, Lucky?”
    Focus returns to
her eyes. She blinks rapidly and shakes her head. “Nobody. I don’t feel
comfortable just slapping a name on you when we haven’t even met.”
    “A number then.
Or a letter.” I derive detached amusement in herding her where I want her to
go.
    Predictably, her
nose wrinkles. “It’ll be weird for me to call you by a number.”
    I remain silent.
    She sends the
camera another direct stare. “ J ?”
    “I’m not a bird,”
I drawl.
    Her sumptuous
lips purse. “ M . ”
    “Too British spy
movie. Tell me who you were thinking about a minute ago.”
    She shakes her
head again. “I’d rather not.”
    “If you insist.
Do you have any more questions?”
    “The…umm, money.
How will you pay it to me?”
    “However you
want. When the time comes you can furnish me with your wiring details.”
    Her brow creases.
“Can I be paid in cash?”
    “Of course.” I
press the intercom on the table next to me.
    The knock sounds
on her door a minute later. She jumps up immediately, her stance firmly in
fight or flight mode. “That is Fionnella. She works for me. Let her in.”
    The fight drains
out of her, but her approach remains wary.
    Fionnella enters
and smiles at her. “Hello. I’m head of the team hired to prep you. May I call
you Lucky?”
    She eyes the
woman cautiously, then nods.
    “Great. Would you
like to come with me?”
    “Umm, I’m not
sure if we’re finished here.” She clears her throat and glances over her
shoulder at the camera. “Are you still there?”
    “Yes.”
    “I have some more
questions.”
    “They can wait.”
    She hesitates,
flicks a glance at Fionnella. “Where are you taking me?”
    Fionnella smiles.
“To another room, to answer a few questions to start off with.”
    Lucky tenses.
“What sorts of questions?”
    Fionnella
indicates the clipboard in her hand. “Routine questions about your health, your
diet, boring stuff like that. Then we get to the exciting part.” Her smile
isn’t reciprocated.
    Lucky slides her
hands into her pockets in a feigned gesture of calm. But still she hesitates.
    “Go with her if
you want the job, Lucky. Or leave.”
    She won’t leave.
I already know that. Fear and desperation hang over her like dark clouds. She
casts one last glance over her shoulder before she nods. “Okay.”
    I watch her
leave, track her via the monitors until she reaches the studio set up to begin
her transition. I find myself wondering how far I can push her. How fast her
resistance will hold. Whether I can exploit her fear, take this game to another
level or satisfy myself with finding out what her secrets are.
    It’s clear she’ll
do just about anything for the money, despite her feeble attempt to set
boundaries. I also get the feeling her boundaries have already been tested.
    But I can’t
imagine they’ve been stretched as far as I intend to stretch them.
    And fuck if that
doesn’t make my black soul twitch.

6

 
    LIGHTS, CAMERA…

 
    Lucky

 
    I follow the
plump lady with the clipboard and giddy smile down a dark grey hallway. The
rooms we pass are all empty, but just from the expensive wallpaper and light
fittings alone, I can tell a lot of money has been spent on this apartment.
    Clayton threw a
ton of money for a major revamp of The Villa a few years ago in a bid to
attract clients from as far as LA and Frisco, but it was nowhere near this
classy. This is solid gold compared to Clay’s nickel-plated efforts. The
hardwood floors gleam beneath my feet and inside the rooms, the curtains I
catch glimpses of are heavy and expensive looking.
    “Would you like
something to eat while we complete the forms?”
    Fionnella’s
question jerks me back to the present. Her hand rests on the handle of a wide
door at the far end of the hallway, and she stares up at me from a diminutive
height.
    For a second, I
wonder what a woman who seems to vibrate motherliness is doing in a place