First Year

Part 3 -- First Year

Chapter 1 -- Has It Been That Long?

As the days turned into weeks and the weeks into months, it should come as no surprise when the months turned into a full year. But it did.

There was no new scene today, but Mike was behind on his editing so he had plenty to do. He nodded to Harry as he entered the building. The old man sat in his office, his door open. He'd put his feet up on his desk and was looking at some papers, a headset on his head. Harry lifted a hand in greeting, then pointed to his ear, indicating he was busy. Mike grinned. Harry didn't really trust any tech after VHS, but he'd embraced the headset Mike had gotten him.

He sat down at his desk and booted up the computer. He had three films to edit, and he wanted to get them done today. The first was almost finished, with only some final tweaks and the credits left. The second was a solo scene, usually pretty straightforward. He figured those would be done by lunch, the third by the end of the day. He locked in.

As he popped the second thumb drive out of the USB slot, he reminded himself to have another go at convincing Harry to go fully digital. While Harry in principle understood that their films were viewed on computers, downloaded or streamed from various online services, he didn't feel the product was finished until he could hold it in his hand. He had accepted, if not enjoyed, the transition from VHS to DVD, but the next step, to an intangible stream of bits and bytes, was beyond him.

He'd finished editing the first two films, and--Harry being Harry--that meant two thumb drives.

Mike sighed as he rose. For now, their system worked. Harry got a thumb drive, popped it into the laptop in his office and did a final review before sending it to their 'publishing guy'. Mike had never actually met the guy, but supposed he was someone like himself, someone who accepted the quirks of people who were a bit set in their ways without making a big deal about it.

When he opened his office door and headed over to Harry's office, he was surprised to find Liza there, sitting on the small couch. "Oh, hi, Liza. Didn't expect to see you here today."

"Yeah, I know. No film, no Liza." She smiled. "Just dropping off some props for next week. And, well, given the occasion, how could I not?"

"Occasion?" he asked as he placed the two thumb drives in Harry's inbox.

Harry chuckled. "I wasn't aware either. Trust Liza to be the one to notice." He sighed. "It's a guy thing, I suppose. We're not very attentive."

Mike looked from Liza to Harry and back, more curious than ever.

"I'm still in the dark. What's up, Liza?"

She grinned at him and reached down, pulling something out of her purse. It was a small, gift-wrapped box, seven or eight inches long, but no more than two inches wide. She handed it to him. "Congratulations on your first year at Starlight Studios," she said.

Mike looked at her in surprise. He paused. Had it really been that long? He smiled. "Thanks, Liza. Uh, you sure? I just got here!"

She laughed, clearly pleased. "Open it."

He tore off the wrapping paper, opened the box, and pulled out a small plastic Oscar statuette. He examined it, looking at the plaque on its base. The inscription read "Best Cameraman".

He looked back at Liza. "Wow, Liza. You're the best." He leaned in to give her a hug and she hugged him back.

"No," she said. "You're the best, and now you have the Oscar to prove it."

He laughed. "Yeah, guess so." He looked at the statuette, then back to Liza. "Thank you, Liza. I really appreciate it."

Harry rose and offered Mike a hand. "Congratulations, Mike. If I'd known, I would have gotten you a bottle of wine." He paused, then smiled. "But it's Friday, two o'clock. How about leaving work three hours early? Is that an acceptable one-year anniversary gift?"

"I've got one more film to edit. You sure that can wait till Monday?"

Harry gave him a magnanimous smile, a benign king bestowing a boon on one of his favorite subjects. "When I say you can leave, you can leave."

Mike grinned back. "Okay, have a good weekend, both of you." He turned and headed for the door.

Chapter 2 -- Challenge Accepted

Mike put his beer can down and slouched back on the couch. He'd finished the pizza he'd gotten from the place down the street and was watching TV. Well, watching wasn't exactly the right description. He was starting to watch TV, repeatedly. He'd find something on Netflix, watch ten or fifteen minutes of it before changing his mind. Then he'd try HBO, but the same thing happened there. He chuckled. He was turning into his dad, who did the exact same thing, driving his mom out of her mind.

He turned the TV off and looked over at his bookshelf. He had some books he hadn't read yet. Maybe he'd do that. As he looked over, on the top shelf, he saw the Oscar statuette he'd gotten from Liza. He smiled. One year, who'd have thought.

Suddenly, his phone buzzed. He checked the notification. Snap from KKnoxx.

He'd started following Katie's Snapchat profile five or six months earlier, during a break between scenes. They were sitting on the couch in the lounge area, talking about Nicky Knockers' latest Instagram post. Katie told him she wasn't really into social media, apart from her public Snapchat profile where she mainly posted goofy filter selfies. She was amazed that with no adult content, not even cleavage shots, she still had close to a million followers. He ceremoniously started following her, saying he'd help her reach that million if it killed him. She solemnly thanked him for his contribution, and they both laughed. They had time to kill, that was all.

And now she'd sent him a snap.

Until now, he'd only seen what her nearly one million followers saw. Goofy selfies. But this was a snap sent directly to him. He opened it, curious. It was a selfie of Katie, grinning and pointing. Next to her he saw what she was pointing at, a bronze statue of some old dude, probably a dead mayor or something. Some prankster with too much time and duct tape had attached a stick to the statue's crotch. It pointed proudly upward. She had added a caption.

Saw this, thought of you :-)

Mike laughed as he typed a response.

Oh man, don't remind me. Worst day ever!

The three dots on his phone started bouncing. She was typing a response.

if i remember correctly you enjoyed the view ;)

He grunted. Yeah, he had enjoyed the view, but he hadn't enjoyed the way his body had reacted to it. And he really hadn't enjoyed having four near-strangers staring at his erection. Well, they hadn't, but it felt like they did. If he ever went to therapy, that day alone would cover the first four sessions.

I did :-) But it still gives me nightmares :-o

i get it. but youre getting better. havent seen a bulge in ages :-D

He smiled. Yeah, he'd gotten better. He wasn't a machine. He still felt things, but not as intensely and, more importantly, not as noticeably.

I'm pro now. A lean, mean porn filming machine. Nothing gets to me :-)

He grinned. A bit too much? Nah, it sounded cool. He hit send.

It took only a few seconds before her reply popped up.

challenge accepted

He laughed. Game on.

He opened his calendar app and checked the upcoming schedule. Next week, there were three scenes planned, but none with Katie. Oh, Nicky on Wednesday. He groaned, then scrolled on. Two more shoots the week after, still no Katie. Nothing scheduled beyond that.

He grinned. He was safe for at least two weeks.

Bring it, girl. Got plenty of time to prepare, I'll be ready :-)

He laughed. Suck it.

He watched the phone for a while, but the dots didn't start bouncing. He put the phone down and looked over at the Oscar statuette on his bookshelf.

"We'll count that as a win, Oscar."

He grinned, feeling a bit stupid. He picked up the remote and turned the TV back on. There must be something worth watching.

His phone buzzed. Snap from KKnoxx.

He opened it and stared. She'd sent him a selfie. No dead mayors, no sticks or tape, just her face. But no goofy filter. She smiled, but it was the seductive smile that had made her one of the biggest stars in the business, her lips pouty and slightly parted. She looked straight into the camera. The caption was short.

why wait?

Oh man. What was going on? He put the phone down, trying to come up with something funny. Something cool. His phone buzzed again.

New selfie, but the camera further from her face, showing more of her body. She wore one of her regular hoodies, unzipped enough to show a fair bit of cleavage. Her smile was the same, but she was winking at him.

His heart started beating faster. He didn't get it, he'd seen her boobs plenty of times. But this was only for him. That's what made it different.

A new snap, only seconds after the previous one. She'd pulled the zipper even further down, now showing considerably more than she could get away with in a café. Her breasts were full and perfect, and he imagined he saw just a hint of her areola.

He forced himself to look away. Oh man, he was losing this game.

Then the next snap, even worse. Eyes closed, she held her closed hand up to her mouth, her tongue stuck into her cheek. An unmistakable imitation of a blowjob, so vivid he could almost feel it. She'd added a caption.

youre going down

He felt his cock harden and pulse. And, even worse, he felt himself flushing. He'd filmed her giving plenty of blowjobs. He'd handled that just fine. Wll, eventually. But now, only her face and her tongue? What the hell was happening?

He typed a response.

Girl, nothing. I'm invincible.

He regretted it as soon as he hit send. He was cheating. She wasn't just winning, she was crushing him.

Several minutes went by without a response from Katie. He felt like an idiot. He and Katie had talked for hours at Starlight, before and after takes, but this was their first interaction outside that world. And he'd blown it.

He turned the TV off. Again. He went over to his computer. Netflix and HBO had let him down, but YouTube had never failed him. He grabbed the mouse, his phone on the coffee table, taunting him.

Then it buzzed.

He looked over at it. Could it be? It was. New snap from Katie.

He opened it and knew he'd lost. He'd already lost, of course, but like a boxer losing on points. This was a knockout.

Katie was in a fitting room or something, in front of a full-length mirror. Her hoodie was opened all the way down. In one hand, she held her phone, camera pointed at the mirror, the other cupped one of her amazing breasts, her thumb and little finger pinching a nipple. She looked straight at him, one eyebrow arched. At hip height, a caption. Two words.

oh really?

Oh my god. He looked over at Oscar. Now what, buddy? He typed a response.

All right, all right. You win. I'm defeated.

The dots started their dance immediately.

knew id get ya :)

He smiled. She'd won, no question about that. His thumbs hovered over the screen, his heart racing. He had to come up with something funny or cool. Something smooth.

Nothing came. Finally, he tapped the thumbs-up emoji and sent it. He stared at the phone, willing the dots to start bouncing. Nothing.

He glanced over at Oscar, then back at the silent phone. He tossed it onto the couch. Lame. So fucking lame. He leaned back with a groan. "Nice one, Mike."

Chapter 3 -- My Friends Call me Kate

Mike was looking forward to going back to work on Monday. After his lame reply to Katie yesterday, he'd been in a foul mood. He'd tried reading, but couldn't focus. He'd gone to bed early.

Today wasn't all that much better. He'd called his parents, but it had been the usual small talk. They were fine, he was fine. They'd just eaten dinner, he'd just eaten some leftover pizza. He should eat less junk. He promised, knowing he probably wouldn't. Would they see him for Christmas? Yeah, he guessed so, but that wasn't for months. Yes, dear, but we just wanted to check.

He looked over at Oscar. "Netflix again? You've got it."

Netflix hadn't really delivered, but he'd read a few chapters of his book, and it was starting to get interesting. His coffee was getting cold, forgotten as he lost himself in the book. He was interrupted by a buzz from his phone. He marked his place with a finger and checked the notification. Snap from KKnoxx. He sat up straight and opened the snap.

It wasn't a selfie. It was just a picture of what he assumed was her living room, with a dark TV screen in the center.

whats up? any wild saturday night plans?

His heart jumped. She'd reached out again. His mind raced, scrambling for something witty or smooth. But then he paused. He'd done smooth yesterday. Where had that gotten him? He chuckled at himself and took a picture of his TV.

You're looking at them.

The dancing dots made him smile. He'd kicked himself for being lame, but apparently Katie hadn't cared.

me too. guess were both too cool for saturdays :)

He smiled. He didn't know about 'too cool'. She might be, he wasn't. His thumbs tapped out a response.

Looks like it :) Actually, I'm really bored :-/

if youre bored youre boring : P

He laughed.

I've got ten bucks that says you're just as bored as me right now.

The dots bounced.

no bet. yeah im bored. wanna grab a beer or something?

He stared at the screen. Yesterday, Katie was this girl he knew from work. Funny, cool, gorgeous, but strictly work. Now they were chatting, and she wanted to grab a beer with him. What the fuck was happening? He wanted to, of course. Desperately. But he felt a little nervous, too. He typed.

Sounds great. Where?

He saw Katie at a small table near the back of the bar, a beer in front of her, looking at her phone. Gray hoodie and jeans, no makeup, hair in a plain ponytail. Just a perfectly normal young woman.

Except she wasn't perfectly normal. She was stunning. He'd always thought so, and her plain clothes and makeup-free face didn't change anything. He headed over.

She glanced up when he was halfway there, her face breaking into a broad smile. "Hi, Mike."

"Hi, Katie. Good to see you." He smiled back and sat down. "You look great."

"Thanks." She smiled. "Liza didn't take my call, so you'll have to take the plain version."

He laughed. "And here I show up in my Sunday best?" He gestured to himself. Jeans and a pullover, not that different from what she was wearing. "Really, Katie, I was expecting some effort."

She smiled. "Next time."

A waiter approached and Mike ordered a beer.

"Actually," she continued, "outside work, I keep it light. Less chance someone spots Katie Knoxx."

"Does that happen a lot?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"Not too often. When I'm in full porn makeup, sure. Guys asking for pics with me, you know? I usually say yes. But like this"--she gestured to her hoodie--"I can usually walk around in peace."

The waiter came back and put a beer in front of Mike. He glanced at Katie's half-full glass, but she shook her head.

"I like my privacy. But some of the others? They want to be recognized. Take Nicky Knockers. She's all over social media. Insta, Snap, TikTok. The works."

He nodded. "I haven't really gotten to know her. I've shot a couple of scenes with her, but during breaks, she's on her phone."

"Yeah, I know. I've done several scenes with her too, both girl-on-girl and group, but we've never gotten close. Some of the girls in the business are really sweet, but me and Nicky just don't click."

He took a sip of his beer. "I'm doing a scene with her next week."

"Don't tell her I said hi."

He laughed. "Deal. So, where did you find that mayor?"

"Mayor?"

"The guy with the stick cock taped to his crotch."

She laughed. "Ah, right. I don't know if it was a mayor. Just some old dude, probably long dead. Just spotted him on my way to the mall. Made me giggle."

"Weird nobody had removed the stick."

"It was gone when I passed him on my way home. Just lucky timing, I guess."

"How did you get into this, anyway?" Mike asked.

"Into what? Spotting cocks on statues?"

He snorted. "No. Porn. How did you get into the business?"

"Right." She giggled. "That question makes more sense. Well, you know, kinda like you. It just happened. I dreamed of being an actress when I was a kid. Grew up and moved to LA, hoping to break in. Started doing auditions, but no luck." She took a sip of her beer. "Started modeling, and it just snowballed from there. First topless, then nude, then hardcore." She snorted. "I remember my first porn flick. Showed up at noon, and an hour later I was on all fours, John pounding me from behind like a steam hammer, Harry shouting directions."

Mike laughed. "Really? You started at Starlight?"

"Yeah, I lucked out. Harry's a great guy."

"He is. When was this?"

"Oh, seven years ago? Yeah, seven. Worked all over the place, but Starlight's still my favorite. John's one of my best friends now," Katie continued, her smile softening as she set her glass down. "Weird, right? No romance, no dating or anything, just a friend, but I must've sucked him off, what, thirty times? Lost count after the first year."

Mike chuckled. "It is a weird business."

Mike drained the rest of his glass and put it down. He glanced at Katie's, also empty.

"Another beer, Katie?"

"Sure."

He caught the waiter's eye and raised two fingers.

"Call me Kate. My friends call me Kate," she said, leaning in, elbows resting on the table.

He looked at her, then nodded. "Okay. Good meeting you, Kate."

She smiled. "You too. My full name is Deborah Kate Davis. Never liked Deborah, though." She made a face. "Makes me sound old, you know. But Kate? I can live with that."

He smiled. "Kate's a beautiful name."

"Had to come up with a porn name. Brainstormed with Harry for two minutes, ended up with Katie Knoxx." She grinned. "It's not the worst name in the business."

"Not even close. Need I remind you of Nicky Knockers?"

She burst out laughing. "Yeah, way worse. But damn she can suck a cock." It was his turn to laugh.

A few moments passed in comfortable silence. He let his eyes wander over the pub, just enjoying the atmosphere. When he looked back at her, he saw she was looking at him.

"This is nice," she said. "I'm glad we did this."

He nodded. "Yeah, me too."

She smiled, then grew a little more serious. "I'm moving," she said.

"What?"

"Yeah." She sighed. "That last film we did was my final film. Saved up enough to retire. I'm moving to New Hampshire."

His heart sank. "New Hampshire? That's like the other side of the country."

"Could be worse. Could've picked Maine," she quipped.

"What, you some kinda geography whiz now?" he asked, forcing a smile.

"More like Miss Globe," she said, lifting one of her breasts a little. "Get it?"

half-hearted chuckle. "Yeah, I get it. But it still bums me out, you know? You're one of my favorite people in this city."

She smiled. "Really? That's so sweet. But, it's time. Been doing this for a while. It's been fun, but I need a change. And some friends who don't know about Katie would be nice." She looked at him. "You understand, right?"

He nodded, but didn't say anything for a moment. Just looked at her. "Yeah, I get it. I'll miss you."

She smiled at him. "I'll miss you, too."

They drank in silence again, lost in thought.

Chapter 4 -- Last Call

A waiter came over to their table and picked up the empty glasses. "Can I get you anything else?"

Kate looked at Mike, then back at the waiter. "Can you give us a minute, please?" she said. The waiter nodded and left.

"Hey, who killed the mood?"

Mike glanced at her, then gave her a grin. "You did."

"Yeah. I'm sorry. What can I do to fix it?"

"Well, you did kill the mood, but I'm not a petty man. Buy me a beer and we're good."

She grinned. "I'll do you one better." She waved the waiter over. "What's your most expensive drink?"

"Uh, I'll have to check, but probably the Macallan 18. Single malt Scotch."

"Bring us two of those, please," she said with a smile.

"Certainly." The waiter headed over to the bar.

"You drink whiskey?" Mike asked.

"Sometimes. But right now, I just wanted to treat my friend to an expensive drink since I was a party pooper."

He smiled. "All right. Thanks, Kate. And I do like whiskey, so I'm gonna enjoy it."

She smiled. "You better. And I don't want any gloomy talk, okay?"

"Okay. I'll try not to."

"We can make fun of Nicky some more. Or I could tell you 'bout that time I did a gangbang scene, but three of the four guys couldn't get it up. Sound good?"

He laughed. "Yeah, Kate. That sounds good."

It didn't stop at the Macallan. Kate seemed determined to work her way through the expensive end of the drink menu. At one point, Mike felt he had to say something.

"Really, Kate. You don't need to cheer me up anymore." He gave her an exaggerated grin. "See? Not gloomy at all. I think the third drink took care of that."

"I know, but I'm having a good time. I don't want it to end."

"Okay, but let me buy a round. I know you make five times what I do, but still."

She snorted. "Try twenty. That's how I can afford to retire at 28." She groaned. "Oh, that sounded awful, didn't it?"

He smiled. "Yeah, it did."

She giggled. "Sorry. Let me buy you a drink to make up for it."

He burst out laughing, loud enough to make people turn and look at them.

She was just about to raise her hand to call the waiter when the lights came on. Closing time.

Mike blinked and looked around. Most of the tables were empty. "Wow. Is it two already?"

Kate checked her phone. "Apparently."

"Aw, man. We were just getting started."

She grinned. "Said the guy that didn't pay for a single drink."

He laughed. "I offered."

They got up and headed out the door. Outside, Mike glanced up and down the street, wondering where to find a cab.

"I live a few blocks that way," Kate said, pointing down the street. "Think I'll walk." She turned back to him. "Keep me company?"

He smiled. "Sure."

They walked slowly, neither of them in any hurry for the night to end. Every now and then, their shoulders bumped.

"Seriously, Kate. I feel bad. How much was the bill?"

She giggled. "Not gonna tell you."

"You're evil."

"No, I'm rich."

He laughed. "Right."

She smiled and bumped her shoulder against his again. "Don't worry about it. Money well spent, that's what matters."

They walked another block before Kate stopped outside an apartment building. "Well, this is me."

"Nice place," Mike said, looking up at it.

"You've only seen the outside."

"I've seen your TV."

She laughed. "There's more. Wanna see the inside?"

"Love to."

They took the stairs to the second floor. She unlocked the door and let him in. The apartment was bigger than his, and newer, but not overly fancy.

He looked around. "Yeah, I was right. Nice place." He turned toward the door.

She laughed. "Mike, you're not fooling anyone."

"I'm not?"

She stepped closer. "No." She wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him closer, then tilted her head up and kissed him. She let him go and smiled at him. "Or did I misread you?"

He didn't try to be smooth. He just pulled her back. "You didn't."

He lay on his back, looking at the ceiling. Her head was on his chest, her breathing slow. He was beginning to think she'd dozed off when she spoke.

"I'm glad we did this."

"Me too."

They were silent for a while before he spoke again. "You know, I've had a crush on you since that first day."

She lifted her head and looked at him. She grinned. "I know."

He chuckled. "That obvious, huh?"

"Pretty obvious." She paused. "But in a good way. Not like some creepy fan, you know."

He looked back at the ceiling. "Yeah, you probably have some of those."

"Yeah. One of the things I won't miss." She put her head back on his chest. "But there's plenty of stuff I'll miss. I'll miss you."

He swallowed. "Yeah." He put his arm around her, and they lay like that for a while. Eventually, he glanced at the clock.

"I should probably get going." He didn't want to, but it would only get harder if he waited.

A few minutes later, he was dressed and standing by the door.

He gave her a hug. "Take care, Kate."

"You too, Mike. I'm gonna miss you."

"You already said that."

"Well, I meant it both times."

He laughed, then turned and left.

Epilogue -- Fade Out

Mike woke Sunday morning. He stared at his own ceiling, not quite sure how he felt. A little sad, yes, but also... relieved? He'd spent a year looking forward to the next time Katie came through the studio door. Now she wasn't coming back.

He got out of bed and got dressed. He made himself a cup of coffee and drank it by the window. Maybe he'd take a walk? Yeah.

In the hallway, he heard a clatter. A woman in her mid-twenties was carrying two stacked moving boxes, the top one threatening to slide off.

"Hey," Mike said, stepping over to grab the top box. "Need a hand?"

She looked up, smiling. "Great, thanks."

She indicated a door that stood slightly ajar. "In there." They carried the boxes into the apartment.

He put his box down. "Hi, I'm Mike. You moving in?"

"Yeah, just got here. I'm Sarah."

"Welcome to the building, Sarah. Hope you'll like it here." He headed for the door.

"Thanks, Mike," she said. "Catch you around, maybe--I owe you one."

"Anytime," he replied.

As he stepped out of the building, he stopped. He hadn't planned his walk, but there was a place a few blocks north that sold pastries. He started walking. Pastries would be just the thing.