We’re back on the road, heading across the top of Louisiana.
JR got a cheeseburger and fries, Scout got a super-sized cup of ice for his cheek, and I got an Egg McMuffin and small coffee. I hope I can drive for several hours now that I’m in the seat.
I switched the radio station, and it’s back to the 60s on 6. “My dad loved this station.”
I’m halfway through my egg sandwich, taking a sip of my coffee when Scout blurts, “I’m a gay porn star.”
Blazing hot liquid sucks into my mouth, and I cough, swerving on the highway.
“Jesus!” he shouts. “Don’t wreck the car!”
Blinking hard, I cough again. “What did you just say?”
“Rammin’ Rod. Dreamboys.” He looks at his lap, and I hear a chuckle from the backseat.
I’m not sure if I should laugh. “You’re a gay porn star?”
“Print media only.” He says it like that somehow changes things.
“So like… you’re in magazines? For gay guys?” I glance at him.
“Just one. And alone. I mean, it was just me alone. One time.”
“How…” I don’t even know where to begin to start asking questions.
“I guess I should’ve known when I went to Ultimate Sensations Photography Studio something was up.”
“The studio was called Ultimate Sensations? That sounds like a brand of condoms.”
More chuckles from the backseat.
“Shut up, JR.” Scout casts a glare at his brother. “I had just arrived in LA. I didn’t know anybody, I didn’t have any fucking money, and every audition required a headshot.”
“Let me get this straight. You went in for headshots and came out a gay porn star?” My eyes narrow. “How does that happen? Don’t you have to sign a release or something? Get paid?”
“Apparently it was part of the paperwork I signed. The headshots were so cheap because I agreed to let him use my image.”
“But… you said you went for a headshot. Why were you naked?”
Scout pushes his feet against the floor, squirming in his seat. “He had this whole spiel… ten professional poses, including headshots.”
“Including nudes?”
“He said I should do a few nudes in case the casting directors wanted to see me naked. Like for R-rated movies like Fifty Shades of Grey or something. History of Violence. Hell, even Bruce Willis has his dick out in 12 Monkeys.”
Squinting at him, I’m trying to understand. “You fell for that?”
“He was a really nice guy. He had me hold a football. Apparently, I have an appealing cock. He said I should do art photos for magazines.”
“So you’re a natural blond.”
JR laughs more, and Scout cuts his eyes at me. “Alcohol.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “He got you drunk?”
“I want alcohol. I’m not having this conversation without whiskey.”
“We’re not stopping.” JR snaps from the backseat. “Keep driving, Hope.”
Scout turns in his seat. “Look, I know you’ve been in the joint for two years, so you’ve forgotten what it’s like, but if I’m describing my biggest fuckup in Hollywood, I want whiskey.”
I look at the green sign approaching. “Hold that thought. We’re twenty-four miles to Vicksburg.”
We pull off at a Pack n Save and gas up. Scout grabs a bottle of Jack Daniels and two paper cups. Back on the road, we’re both in the backseat, paper cups in hand with JR at the wheel. So much for me driving.
“It was six months before I knew what had happened.” Scout leans his head back.
My feet are up on the seat in front of us. “What happened?”
“I went for a callback on this TV show, Mighty Thunder. It was about stock car racers who fight crimes. I was going to get to race cars.”
“Never heard of it.”
“Yeah, it didn’t make it through pilot season.” He 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.