“Yeah?”
“One of the producers—he was the reason I got out. He wanted” —colour fills her cheeks— “to sleep with me but I said no. He told me I’d lose my job. I wasn’t going to let myself be blackmailed into sleeping with him.”
I shake my head and scuff my hand over my jaw. “Jesus. Fuck, I’m glad you got out of there. Do you think he would hold a grudge?”
She nods. “Yes, actually, I think he would. Lucas was very controlling. He expected all the girls to do as he asked.”
Lucas. I crunch a fist as his name repeats in my head. “I think we need to pay this Lucas a visit, Jess.”
Chapter Seven
Hunter
I turn off the car and face Jess. She’s been silent the entire journey. I can only imagine what’s going through her mind. I don’t want to face her past, not really, so how does she feel?
“You okay?”
She offers me a quavery smile. “Yeah.” Her hand curls over the top of mine. “This world… the porn world… my world—”
“Not anymore.”
“It’s not pleasant. It looks glamorous from the outside—the awards and the famous stars—but it’s not. For the rich, well known ones, it might be.” She shrugs. “I don’t know, but for me and for the other girls, it wasn’t. We were a commodity. Another body in a long line.”
“You don’t have to tell me this.”
“You might see things…” She draws in a breath. “I doubt I’ll ever forget it as hard as I try. I used to take strong painkillers, you know? So it wouldn’t hurt and to help me get through it. We all did.”
Jealousy and bitter rage curdles my stomach. How could anyone put an eighteen year old through that? I’m no angel. I’ve watched porn but the women always looked so hot and eager for it. It never occurred to me the woman might be desperate for cash and willing to put herself through anything.
“Maybe you should wait in the car.”
The anger must have shown in my expression. I shake my head. “No way. For one, the guy who’s been stalking you might be in there and two, I’m not letting you do this alone.”
Jess stuffs the end of her thumb between her teeth and nibbles. “I’m scared, Hunter.”
“I know you are.”
“Not of this guy… well, yes, of this guy, but I’m scared you’ll change your mind about me after you see this side of things.”
“Nothing could make me change my mind about you. I know it won’t be easy, I know I’ll probably hate everything I see, but I won’t hate you. It makes me sick to my stomach that you went through that, that you felt you have no other choice, but it doesn’t make me feel any different about you.”
Her shoulders soften. “Okay. Let’s get this over and done with.”
We climb out the car and, hand in hand, enter the studio. The reception is bright and airy—professional really. Nothing like the seedy setting I’d imagined. An attractive woman with bright pink hair in a retro style sits behind the elongated white reception desk.
“Hi, how can I help?”
“Is Lucas Delgado here?”
“Did you have an appointment?”
Jess’s cheeks colour and I squeeze her hand. “No. I… uh… used to work with him.”
“I’m sorry, Lucas doesn’t work here anymore.” The woman grins, the first genuine one I’ve seen from her.
I release Jess’s hand and step forward. “Do you know where he works now?”
“Nuh-uh.” The woman cracks the gum in her mouth.
“An address for him then? Anything?”
The receptionist shakes her head. “Sorry, babes, I can’t give that out.”
“Does Marcus Ranulph still work here?” Jess asks.
“Marky? Yeah, sure does.”
“Can we see him?” Exasperation tinges Jess’s voice.
“He’s probably filming now.” She swings her gaze between me and Jess before sighing. “Let me call through. What’s your name?”
“Jess Callahan…” I see Jess’s throat work. “He… he might remember me as Trinity Sparks.”
I put a hand to the base of her back and feel the tension in her spine. I wish we didn’t have to go through this. The need to bundle her up and take her away from it all is so strong that I have to concentrate on keeping my feet glued to this one spot while the receptionist makes a call. She keeps her voice low, mutters Jess’s name and finally nods toward us.
“You can go on through. Do you remember you way around?”
Jess nods. We step through the door partially hidden behind a large fern and Jess puts a hand to my arm. “Hunter…”
“It will be okay.”