Once he was gone, I handed Lorenzo a muffin and got one for myself as I said, “Normally, I’d ask you to come to the set and watch me work, but today is going to be so awkward.”
“I’d still like to come with you. I’ll just hang out in your trailer while you’re filming.”
“You can if you want to, but you’ll be there for hours.”
He shrugged and said, “If I bring a book along, I’ll be fine.”
“Wouldn’t you be more comfortable here?”
“I want to be there just in case you need me. You’ll be under a lot of pressure today, and maybe I can help.”
I put my arms around him and whispered, “Thank you.”
* * *
Lorenzo and Phoenix accompanied me to get my makeup done when we arrived on set. Five crew members were hanging out in the makeup trailer, because as everyone knew, that was always gossip central on any movie set. The topic that morning was Trent Chambers. There’d already been a lot of speculation about why he’d been replaced at the last minute, and the details of the accident were sketchy, so everyone was trying to fill in the blanks.
Instead of participating in the gossip, Riley just concentrated on turning me into Alex. When he finished, I asked, “Do you want me to change, so you can do my body makeup?”
“Actually, that’s someone else’s job. She should be here soon,” he said.
While the hair stylist went to work transforming my curls from a shapeless mess to an artfully tousled arrangement, I asked, “Has anyone seen Harper Royce this morning? We were supposed to run lines before we’re expected on set.”
“He’s always late,” one of the crew members told me.
I glanced at Phoenix, who muttered, “He’s a hot mess. The only time he had his shit together was when I worked for him.” He put his phone away and shifted my cat, who’d made herself comfortable on his lap, before asking, “Would you like me to run your lines with you?”
“No thanks. I just wanted the opportunity to practice with Harper.”
A few minutes later, the lead makeup artist arrived with two other people. She inspected Riley’s work and instructed him to make slight adjustments to the shadows around my eyes, since the filming was going to take place in low light and my normal makeup wouldn’t read well. Then she turned to the crew and said, “Everybody out, aside from essential personnel. Give Mr. Kandinsky some privacy, so he can change.”
One of the people who’d accompanied her was from wardrobe. She handed over a worn-looking white T-shirt and plaid flannel pajama pants. Then she gave me a little beige garment and asked, “Do you need help putting this on?”
When I realized what I was holding, my face heated up and I mumbled, “No thanks. I’ll figure it out.”
The other person was there to apply my body makeup, and while she set up her supplies, the lead artist turned to Lorenzo and asked, “Who are you?”
He held up the visitor pass around his neck and said, “I’m Will’s boyfriend. I can clear out if you need me to.”
Even though I was sure he called himself that just for her benefit, it made me smile. “I’d like him to stay,” I said.
Phoenix told me, “Your robe and flip flops are right behind you. I’ll see you in a few minutes.” Then he and Riley headed for the door, along with the person from wardrobe and the rest of the crew.
There was a folding screen set up at one end of the trailer, and I stepped behind it and took off my track suit, then put on the beige garment and my robe. When I stepped out from behind the screen, Lorenzo came over to me and whispered, “Are you sure you want me to stay? It’s really no problem to wait in your trailer.”
“Don’t go. This’ll be better if I have a friend with me.”
The woman in charge of doing my body makeup was all business. She asked me to stand in front of a bank of lights and remove my robe, and as soon as I did that, Lorenzo fought back a laugh and asked, “What are you wearing?”
He was referring to the little beige pouch that covered my cock and balls. It was tied with a bow, which made it look even more ridiculous. “It’s called a modesty pouch, but most people refer to them as cock socks. Harper Royce will be wearing one too, so we aren’t completely naked during our sex scene.”
After a beat, he started howling with laughter, which made me laugh, too. It took a while for him to get it under control, and then he wiped the tears from his eyes and said, “I’m sorry, but that’s hilarious. I especially love the fact that it’s tied with a bow. You know what’s good about it, though? It really drives the point home that there’s nothing sexual about any of this.”