“Come, sit.” Victor’s tone was authoritative but not demanding. So Chris did as he was told.
“Coffee?” Victor asked. Chris nodded enthusiastically and took the cup Victor handed him. The sweet, rich aroma tickled his nose as he inhaled before taking a sip. It was probably the best coffee he’d ever tasted.
“So, you contacted us through one of our flyers. That is telling me you already know the core of our business here at All Cocks.” Victor held his gaze, waiting, sipping his coffee. Chris quickly nodded.
“Good, good. The reason we are having you fill out all paperwork in beginning is so we can get a feel for what you are being willing to do when you start. Most of our models continue to negotiate terms over first few months of working, getting their feet in water and understanding more what they are being comfortable with, sexually, so to speak.” Victor sat back and crossed his legs, taking a healthy drink of his coffee, eyeing Chris over his cup. At a loss for words, Chris nodded again, which seemed to be enough of an acknowledgment for Victor.
“This interview is meaning to be informal, getting-to-know-each-other is being the purpose of the more relaxed environment you are feeling here. So, I am asking you a few questions based on what I am seeing on paper and you letting me know if what I am assuming is being correct, okay?” A brief rush of fear washed over Chris—the reality of the choice he was making, the possible consequences. But then, it wasn’t like there was anyone waiting at home for him that would mind. Or a family to take into consideration.
“Are you having the second thought already?” Victor asked, eyeing Chris cautiously for the first time since they met.
“Oh, no…no, no, sorry. This is just…well, it’s all very surreal and I’m not sure where my head is right now. But no, I’m not walking out, yet. Please, continue.” Chris was babbling; he set his cup down and wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans.
“I am understanding your being hesitant, Christopher.” Victor’s open and honest personality and broken English actually helped Chris relax. The man was very enthralling.
“Just Chris,” he said.
“Okay, Just Chris.” Victor smirked, his black eyes gleaming. What was that called again? Oh yes, glamour; the vampire was using his mental powers to loosen him up. The thought made Chris chuckle and Victor squinted, looking at Chris as though he could read his mind. No way the big guy could know exactly what he was smiling about. It took everything he had not to bust out laughing right then. This is hands-down the strangest job interview I’ve had, ever.
“You write in your application that you are straight, so my first suggesting to you would be allowing me to introduce you to one of our more experienced straight models. While we are liking to hire gay or bisexual men here, we do take on models that are gay for pay, for lack of better term. So, let me ask you, Just Chris, have you ever been with other man in any way?”
“Umm…no.” Chris choked out his response, his jovial mood from just moments before having vanished with Victor’s question. Victor laughed for the first time and it was so loud and vibrant, Chris couldn’t help but smile. Goddamn, the man was charming.
“Is okay, Just Chris, I already knowing who I want to mentor you. We have a guy, Jordan. He has been with us for years now. He is straight as an arrow, is that the right term?” Victor asked Chris, he nodded. “Yes, an arrow, but he shoots the best scenes for us. I am thinking you could learn a lot from him and he is friendly guy. I call him when we finish here, are you available this weekend to meet with him?” Chris nodded again; he wasn’t sure where his voice had run off to—he’d been reduced to simple head nods.
“You are being Rest assured, Just Chris, your being comfortable is vital to your performance. We will never make you do anything you are not being comfortable with. Never be fear of saying no. What I would like to do first is introduce you to some of our models, and then we will set up a time later in the week for you to come out to the house and see some of our shoots. Maybe do an online introduction for…wait, we need to decide what name you will use on the site.” Victor sat up and pulled a pen from the pocket of his blazer.
“What do you mean the name I’ll use? I won’t use my own name?” Chris asked and immediately flushed, feeling like a prize idiot. Of course no one used their real names with what he’d seen online. Bravo Delta and Blaze Law—no parent could have tagged their kid with such names. “Sorry, I see what you are saying, anonymity. Right. Honestly, there is no one in my life who cares that doesn’t already know I’m considering this, so Chris is as good a name as any for me.”
Victor sat back, smiling sadly; he clearly understood what Chris was, or actually wasn’t, saying.
“How about we use Kris, with a K, for the site?” he asked. Chris thought for a moment and agreed. At least it would allow him that one degree of separation from all this craziness he was fixing to dive headfirst into.
“Excellent.” Victor stood and walked toward the door. “Come, I will give you a penny to tour.”
Chris chuckled. “You mean the five-cent tour.”
“What scent?” Victor stopped, lifting one arm and sniffing. “Am I smelling?”
“No, never mind. You were saying?” Chris had gotten very good at schooling his expressions, having been on the football team in high school. His coach was a drill sergeant that didn’t play around.
Victor explained that the office was mainly where they handled the business side of things. There was the one room he’d seen earlier that was, in fact, set up to look like a bedroom. There were a few boring pictures on the walls, a camera and some lights standing in the corner. Victor explained this was where most models shot their introductory scenes. It was also used for the occasional shoot when they brought models in that weren’t comfortable driving out to the house.
Apparently most of All Cocks’s business was conducted from the home Victor shared with his partners on the outskirts of the city. “Porn is uncomfortable business from the start, Just Chris, so my partners and I make conscious decision from beginning to create a comfortable environment for our models. That way we making sure we get the most honest response from our endeavors.” They were back at the lobby where this crazy journey began—how many hours ago?
“Let me ask you this, Just Chris, why is it you are wanting to come to work for me? What has brought you here?” Victor stopped him, laying a hand on his shoulder, his grip firm, those captivating onyx eyes staring right through him. Dammit! I was so close to a clean getaway, Chris cursed internally. He didn’t know how forthcoming he should be, but then he thought about how honest Victor had been with him in the little time they’d spent together and decided to be just as open in return. What could it hurt, right?
“You already know from reading my ‘application,’ ” Chris said the word while making finger quotes in the air, “that I have a record—involuntary manslaughter—it’s a lovely story that I’ll share with you, should we spend more time together. In all honesty, I’m broke and I have no other options, Victor. I’m tired of being a drain on my best friend and his boyfriend. I’m tired of feeling worthless and depressed, having to drag my ass out of bed in the mornings. I just want to have something to do, somewhere to go, I want to matter to…well, to anyone, actually.” Chris was so close to crying, and he couldn’t even figure out why. There was something about Victor that made Chris want to tell him all his deep, dark secrets. Definitely a vampire with those brainwashing powers he had seen on the TV show, True Blood.