1 Chapter 1

1

“I have got to stop looking at naked men,” Mal Donnelly muttered, bringing the camera to his face once again.

There were eight naked men, to be precise, and they were all posing like the professionals they were. They represented different heights, colors, and even lengths, but they all stood in front of the camera with an easy sexuality that made Mal feel awkward and clumsy. And when they were done taking the promotional shots, they would go back to the set. Mal didn’t know the name of the movie they were working on. But judging from the props surrounding them, it definitely involved bondage, prison, and slaves.

It might have also involved leprechauns and pots of gold. Mal wasn’t sure. The shoot definitely did. And a rainbow backdrop, too. Mal wished he had been in charge of designing the set. He could have thought of something that fit a St. Patrick’s Day theme without looking quite so cheesy.

But he had to admit, the green body paint had been an excellent idea. Their director told the eight men to have fun with it, and they had taken the words to heart. Mal liked taking candid photos—or photos that appeared to be candid—and he knew these shots would be a special treat for everybody who got the chance to view them.

“Just a few more shots in the group,” he managed to say.

Talking had been difficult since the shoot began. He thought he would be able to handle photographing the finest gay male porn stars in Los Angeles—and for the price, he was determined to be professional and easy to work with. But nobody had mentioned that one of his subjects would be Alejandro Marroquin. When it came to Alejandro, Mal didn’t know how to be professional. And somehow, the green paint only increased his desire for the other man. It might have been the playful glint in his eye—which Mal strived to capture—or the easygoing smile.

Alejandro Marroquin was the stuff dreams were made of. Literally. And Mal wanted to drag him into the shower and scrub off every bit of the paint. Maybe even with his tongue. The stuff wasn’t toxic, after all.

“We’ll take a lunch after this and everybody can shower,” the director, Bo, said from behind Mal. “Then I’m going to need Johnny and Lex in makeup.”

Mal lowered the camera and smiled. “Well, you can all go to lunch now. We’re done here.”

The eight naked men broke away from the group and casually reached for towels to wipe the thick paint away. What hadn’t already dried came off easily. Mal pointedly did not watch them dress. He found it was easiest to pretend these gigs were just like any other if he ignored the men as soon as the shoot was finished. Sometimes he toyed with not taking any more of these types of assignments, but freelance photography wasn’t easy, and Bo always paid well.

Mal stole a glance at Alejandro from the corner of his eye. And the perks weren’t bad either. His lips twitched a little—Alejandro still had a drop of green beneath his eye.

Alejandro was six feet and a hundred sixty pounds of bronzed perfection. Broad shoulders, rippled abs, slim hips with one of the tightest asses in the industry. With wavy dark hair that skimmed his shoulders and black eyes that burned through film, he commanded a presence that drove a lot of gay men to their knees. But that was the kicker. Alejandro Marroquin wasn’t interested in any of that. He was the hottest bottom currently filming gay porn. Mal had seen him practically bend in half to get the cock he wanted up his ass. He’d seen him swallow eight inches without blinking, then held the lucky actor there while he gazed up at him through his deadly, thick eyelashes.

Mal had jerked off more than once imagining he was buried inside Alejandro, one way or another. And it didn’t help at all being in the same room with him now.

The actors dissipated, their voices growing fainter as they ambled off to craft services to eat. Mal relaxed slightly as he packed away his gear, but his tension returned almost immediately when a familiar form appeared in front of him.

“I’m looking forward to seeing how these turn out.” Mal glanced up to see Alejandro smiling at him. “I put the photos from the last shoot we did together at the front of my portfolio. Everybody raves about them.”

Mal smiled, both pleased and embarrassed. “I think these are going to be good. Everybody looked great today.”

“Are you done then? Or are you sticking around for lunch?”

It took a few seconds to process Alejandro’s question. They had exchanged small pleasantries before, but their conversations never went beyond the initial politeness expected of occasional colleagues.