Kathryn swallowed roughly as she and Cassie pulled up to an unassuming metal industrial building on the outskirts of Charming. She got out of the car with Cassie following. It was getting late in the afternoon and Kathryn was hoping she could catch the owner as she wound down for the day.
"I guess this is it," she murmured, looking back at Cassie, who was smiling sadly at her.
"Guess so." Cassie rounded the car and pulled her into a tight hug. "Be safe and if you need anything let me know and I'll do everything I can. Just remember that."
Kathryn nodded with a tight smile. She felt as if she could cry and she didn't want to do that. "I will."
"Would of been great having you in the family."
Kathryn sighed. "Some things aren't meant to be. Thank you for everything, Cassie."
"Be good," Cassie said, stepping back towards her car. "I'll see you around."
"Bye." Kathryn waved and entered the building with a deep breath. There was a recognizable buzz in the air. It was the hustle and bustle of a functioning porn studio and it was the most familiar and comfortable Kathryn had felt the entire time she had been in Charming.
"Are you lost sweetie?" A bombshell of a bottle blonde stood in front of Kathryn in an itty bitty outfit. She put her hands on her hips and looked down her pointed nose at Kathryn.
Kathryn squared her shoulders. She wasn't going to be intimidated by a green piece of ass. "Yeah. I'm looking for Luanne Delaney."
The blonde sniggered. "She's busy."
Kathryn wasn't deterred. "Tell her Kitten Moore's here."
The blonde's expression promptly changed.
"Are you stupid," Kathryn snapped, knowing politeness would get her nowhere here. "Do I need to use smaller words? Go get her. I'm waiting."
The blonde took a breath as if trying to compose herself and gain her intimidation back. She turned on her platform heels and teetered off.
Kathryn crossed her arms and waited. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She never wanted to be back in this situation but at least she knew what her strengths were.
"Kitten Moore," a voice purred. Luanne Delaney came out with a smirk on her face. "Wondered when you were going to come find me."
Keeping her face neutral, Kathryn met her halfway. "Got time for a chat?"
With a nod, Luanne led her towards her office. Kathryn took a seat in the basic metal chair with burgundy cushion. Porn studios were not known for their luxury.
"What brings you here, Kitten?" Luanne leaned back in her chair. Her high, blonde ponytail cascaded over her overly tanned shoulder.
"Need a few gigs to get some cash," Kathryn told her bluntly. "Figured you'd be more interested in my talents than most."
Luanne chuckled and eyed her carefully. "Thought you were out of the game."
"I thought I was too," she replied honestly. "But, things change sometimes. I know I still have a name out there. Figured you wouldn't mind an extra boost online."
The office fell quiet as Luanne appraised the woman in front of her. The door opened and a brunette with a headset poked her head in.
"Luanne, Donte wants,"
"Get out," Luanne snapped, not breaking eye contact with Kathryn. The door shut.
"Okay, Kitten," Luanne began finally. "If you're serious I have an idea for a series of movies based on fairytales and I need a fairy princess. We'll start production Monday. Crank them out. You can get your cash and do what you need to do. Unless you'd want to stay, of course."
"I'm not looking to make a career again," Kathryn replied. "I just need to make enough to get out of this town. I'm in a crappy motel with no money and I'm not going to have anywhere to stay after tomorrow."
Luanne gave her a pitying look. "I'm not going to ask about your situation. We all got shit in the closet. Where are you staying?"
"Charming Inn out on the highway."
She nodded. "I know the owner. I'll call and make arrangements for you."
"Thank you."
"But," Luanne continued, "this could be a huge opportunity for you. The marketing attached to a project like this is amazing. Videos, appearances, dolls, a fleshlight deal," she said with the raise of her eyebrow.
Kat squirmed in her chair. While deals like that could be very lucrative and Kat wasn't in a position to turn down a single dime.
"Look, we're having a little party tonight," Luanne told her, leaning on the desk. "Just cast, crew, friends and such. I'd want to announce our new partnership and the launch our our fairy tale project. Why don't you come? We can work out the finer details later."
"Oh," Kathryn stammered. "I'd love to but I'm not exactly dressed for a party and that's a really long walk back to the motel."
Luanne waved her concerns off. "We have clothes and everything here. Go get dressed and dolled up. I want to show you off tonight."
With a knot forming in her stomach, Kathryn nodded with a smile. "Sounds good."
The bass buzzed the floor as Kathryn carefully applied the dark burgundy lipstick. Her makeup was heavy, but it gave her skin that perfect, ethereal look with perfectly done up eyes and pouty lips. Her hair was curled and voluptuous. Kathryn Moore was hidden from view. Kat didn't mind. The forced conservative, prim and proper lady she pretended to be was never a good look on her.
This was what she was familiar with.
Gone were the collarbone hiding blouses and appropriate shoes.
The tan, almost flesh tone latex dress fit her like a glove. It had a deep v that showed off her ample cleavage in the most tantalizing way. Kitten had come out to play.
With a deep breath, she smoothed out any flyaway strands of her hair and headed out into the party. It seemed pretty run of the mill. Girls were perched in feather covered chairs with plastic martini glasses filled with multicolored cocktails while men preened and strutted like roosters.
She needed a drink. She took one of the complimentary plastic martini glasses. Her drink was bright pink with a cherry at the bottom of the glass. It was sweet with a deadly bite.
She leaned against the makeshift bar and observed the party. She didn't feel attached to it even though she was getting looks from every passing male.
"Kitten, you look amazing!" Luanne came up to her and gave her an encouraging once over. "Come over here. I want you to meet Marco. He'll be your costar on Monday for the Cinderella movie. So, you could say he's your Prince Charming."
Luanne led her over to a tall, muscular man with tousled blond hair and a kiss of a natural tan. He was gorgeous to look at with piercing blue eyes staring back at her.
"Hi," she greeted somewhat shyly as Marco took her hand and kissed the back of it.
"Kitten," he murmured in his deep, velvety voice. "Nice to meet you. Can't wait to work with you on Monday."
Kat blushed and grinned flirtatiously. "Me too. What else have you,"
She didn't finish her sentence. She was whipped around and came face to face with Juice, who had a murderous look on his face. "What the,"
"What the fuck are you doing here," he hissed.
Kat jerked her arm out of his grasped. Seeing his stupid, pretty face made her blood boil. There was only one person in this town that she had confessed to making porn movies to. Him.
"It's none of your damn business," she hissed darkly. "You're 'done,' remember? Now, if you'll excuse me, I was in the middle of a very important conversation." She tried to turn back to Marco, but Juice turned her back around.
"Hey, we were just talking," Marco stepped up. Juice jerked his head to him with narrowed eyes.
"Beat it."
Marco hesitated with his eyes flickering to the Sons of Anarchy kutte on Juice before hurrying away.
"What is wrong with you," Kat hissed, not wanting to draw too much attention to them. "You have no claim over me and have no right interrupting my conversations with my coworkers."
Juice blanched. "Coworkers? What the fuck are you talking about? What are doing here?"
"What do you mean what am I doing here? This is because of you. This was your grand master plan. Get me alone and desperate so I'd come crawling back to you. Well, guess what, Juice? I'm a goddamn survivor and I don't need anyone to take care of me."
His eyebrows furrowed as confusion washed over him. "What? You're insane. I don't know what you're talking about. You said you were getting married tomorrow."
"Yeah, well that got cancelled," Kat snarled. "Instead, I'll be spending my wedding day raw-dogging Marco for internet pervs. Happy?"
Juice's face darkened. Aggressively, he pulled her into an empty hallway. "Okay, Kat. Drop the shit. What is going on? What did I do to you? I did what you wanted. I left you alone. Wide open for your happy ending. If you couldn't close the deal, that's not my fucking problem and acting like a bitch isn't going to get you anywhere."
"You told him or sent him one of my movies," Kat said, her temper tempering. Tears of frustration were welling in her eyes. "I never thought you would do that to me."
Juice paused. He could see her becoming visibly upset from their conversation and it made him feel lower than dirt.
"Don't cry. I didn't," he insisted softly, his hands rubbing up and down her arms gently in an attempt to diffuse the situation. "I swear, Kat, I would never do that to you. But, I take it Daniel did find out?"
Kat nodded, using her fingers as a damn under her eyes to keep the tears from spilling and wrecking her makeup. "He dumped me at this shithole motel with no money and no way out. I just want to go home and I can't get up with my mom and I don't know what I'm going to do." She sucked in a deep breath to compose herself. "All I know is that I've learned when my back's against the wall my best bet is to get on my knees and it's not to pray."
Juice brushed her hair out of her face. "Kat," he started before pursing his lips. "Why didn't you call me?"
"I don't need you to fix my problems, Juice. I just need to make some cash so I can leave forever and pretend this whole thing never happened."
"Just like that," Juice muttered. "Like nothing happened?"
Regret and sadness fell on Kat's face. "I wish it didn't have to be like this, Juice. I really did like you."
"Did or do?"
Kat shrugged. "It doesn't matter. I made my bed and now I have to lie in it and do what needs to be done."
"You don't have to," Juice insisted, stepping closer to her. Kat stepped back so she was against the wall. They were toe to toe, face to face now. She could smell the familiar clean, yet spicy, scent of his aftershave. "Let me change your mind."
"Juice," she sighed, putting her hands on his chest. Her finger traced over the Redwood Original patch sewn on his chest. "Why? What does it matter? I'm never going to be good enough for anyone. You deserve a girl that hasn't done the things I've done."
"What makes you think I'm so great," he countered gently. "People do shit. Doesn't mean one's better than the other. What's so bad that you can't be with me? I've had shitty moments and bad choices too."
Kat sniffed as a tear fell down her cheek. "I'm so sorry, Juice. I'm so, so sorry for doing this to you."
Instinctively, Juice pulled her into an embrace. He kissed her temple before whispering into her ear. "It's gonna be okay, baby. I'm gonna help you. Whatever you want to do, I got you. You wanna get out of here?"
Kat stepped back and carefully wiped at her eyes. "Yeah," she said shakily. "Can you take me back?"
He nodded and gently kissed her forehead. "Come on." Taking her hand, he led her out of the studio to where his bike was parked. He straddled the machine and pulled it upright. He looked over his shoulder at her.
"Coming?"
Kat blushed. "Um. This dress is tight and short and I don't have any, you know, panties on."
Juice's eyebrows shot up. "Really," he purred, letting his eyes roam her body.
"Eyes up here," Kat remarked lightly, pointing to her eyes. "Turn around." Juice followed her bidding but watched in the mirror as Kat hiked her skirt up around her waist. She was indeed not wearing any type of underwear. She straddled the bike behind Juice and pulled her dress down just enough so it covered her behind.
"Okay," she said. "I'm ready."
"That's what she said," Juice remarked, deliberately backing himself up so he was closer to her. Kat playfully slapped his shoulder. "All right. Let's go, baby."
With the roar of the engine, the couple sped away. Kat leaned into Juice's body and rested her cheek against his back as they rode towards her current home.
"This place is a dump," Juice commented as he parked his bike in front of her room. "You know this place is basically a crack den, right?"
"Kinda figured it," Kat commented as she dug the key out of her purse, "but didn't know it. Um," she turned and faced him. He had followed her up to the door and now she wasn't sure what to do next. "Do, um, you want to come in?"
"Do you want me to?"
Kat paused and looked into his warm brown eyes. Eyes that crinkled slightly when he smirked or grinned and then squeezed into squints whenever he graced her with his full, megawatt smile. Not once had he lied to her or judged her for what she had done or was currently doing.
"I do," she finally replied. "I just don't want to be alone anymore."
She took his hand and led him inside. "Um, I don't want to do anything, you know. I just want some company. Is that okay?"
Juice grinned and nodded. "That's fine, Kat. Haven't exactly been able to spend that much quality time with you anyway. I missed you."
"I missed you too. Can, um, you help me get out of this dress? I barely got it on and I think it's suctioned to my body now."
Juice chuckled. "How can I leave a lady in distress?" It took a few tugs and several laughs at the ridiculousness of Kat getting the dress stuck over her head, but they got it off and she quickly changed into a silky slip to sleep in. Juice swallowed as she pulled the slip out while bending over stark naked.
Kat laid on top of the covers and patted the spot next to her. Juice toed his boots off and laid next to her.
"Can I ask you something?" His voice cut through the silence like a knife.
"What?"
"What's your story? Your full story. What brought you here?"
Kat looked down and nervously played with a hair tie on her wrist. Her false eyelashes created shadows on her cheeks.
"You really want to know?"
"Wouldn't ask if I didn't."
Kat sighed and got under the covers. She pulled the sheet all the way over her chest and sighed. "Well, I mean, you know the basics. Grew up in Seattle. I'm an only child and I've never met my father. My mom is . . . was . . . she has had her problems over the years. In and out of jail and rehab and shit. She'd try to do good every once in awhile. Never stuck.
"When I was 14 I started doing whatever I could to make my own money. I'd bag groceries, deliver papers, babysit, whatever it took. Then, when I was sixteen I landed this awesome babysitting gig for the rich record producer and his interior decorating wife. They had two kids. A boy and girl and they were the sweetest things. They lived on the nice side of town and the lights were always on and their heat was never on the fritz. I'd stay on weekends when they were away and they took me on vacations and stuff with them so I could watch the kids if the parents wanted to go out or whatever."
"Sounds nice," Juice commented.
"It was," Kat agreed, resting her cheek against his bare chest. "They showed me life could be more than what I was used to. And they were nice to me. The mom would give me some of her old clothes and stuff. Started when she saw I didn't really have a good winter coat. So, she gave me one of hers. It was cashmere and buttery soft and so beautiful. I had never had anything that nice. She was a good person. A genuine good person. Then,"
Kat trailed and bit her lip with a sigh. Juice's fingers began gently running through her hair.
"It just happened," she whispered. "I didn't mean for it to. Boys never paid attention to me. I lost my virginity the Summer before in the back of a chevy with a senior just so I could say I did it. Didn't see what the big deal was about it. But, one night they were out late and I had put the kids to bed. I was doing my homework in the kitchen and he came home. He poured himself a drink and one more for me too even though I was only seventeen. He saw right next to me and started talking to me. Nothing weird, just school and how the kids were and stuff. Then, he leaned in and kissed me. I didn't stop him.
"I slept with him and I didn't regret it. And we didn't stop. It was my first taste of real sexual power or even just confidence in general. Naturally we hid it from his wife. When I graduated they helped me get a scholarship so I could go to beauty school. And they paid for my boob job. I think it was more for him than it was for me. I didn't complain. I did always want some."
"What happened next?"
Kat shook her head and reached across Juice to grab his pack of cigarettes off the bedside table. She lit one and took a deep drag. Juice grabbed the motel's complimentary chipped glass ashtray and brought it towards her. The smoke curled around them.
"I'm not a smoker, but this isn't exactly the easiest to tell you," she muttered.
"Why?"
Kat shrugged and flicked the butt agains the glass. "Because when you look at me you see a real person. Not a good person or a bad person or even a toy, but a person. I don't get those looks much. Anyways. She found out. Didn't want me around or near the kids, which I get. Then they got divorced. I ruined their marriage. He went off to L.A. and she took the kids back to Connecticut where she was from."
"And where'd that leave you?"
"Alone again. I was living with some girls from school. Mom was off on another bender. One of the girls' boyfriends was a 'photographer,'" she said with air quotes. "Wanted to take photos of me. Bikini and lingerie stuff. Said he'd pay me $300. I was broke and without a job so I agreed. Then it became topless and then nude and then a director saw my photos and liked them. Called me up. My first film was with another girl named Cameron at a hotel in Seattle. I was still in school and would do it on the weekends. Then, when I graduated I told myself that was it. I did what I needed to do to get through school and now I was done. Well, you don't exactly get to start off with your own chair fresh out of beauty school. I was washing hair and not making shit. So, I crawled back. Got a couple of offers for 'girlfriend experience dates.' A couple of grand for a few hours. I did it. I'm not going to lie and say I didn't like or enjoy it. Those men worshiped me. I was the one calling the shots and in control."
She fell quiet and Juice's fingers had begun skimming her shoulder and arm gently. The only sound in the room were their quiet breaths and the faint thumping from the room above them.
"Thank you for staying," Kat murmured, resting her cheek on his chest.
"I got you, Kat."