Chapter 19

I walked home through the park; once I was home, I put some music on and made a coffee. I was angry. Angry at myself for not telling Louise before we had met for our date, angry at Andy, Toni, Pat, and Mick for getting pissed and blurting out the fact I was a porn star in the middle of a wine bar. I was also angry with Louise for not letting me explain.

I woke the next morning, still on the sofa. I got into my running gear, did my normal warmups, and did a double circuit of the park. When I got home, I was sweating cobs.

I took a shower and made coffee. I knew that I had to do something about the Lousie situation.

I walked into town and headed to the estate agency where Louise worked; I could not see her car around. I went and asked for her but was told that she had called in sick that morning.

I walked back to the house, I didn’t have her address or her phone number, so I had no way of contacting her.

When I got home, my answering machine flashed. It was a message from Toni saying she was so sorry and asking me to call the studio.

What did I do? I made coffee and moped about. Later, Mandy called, but I left it for the answering machine to answer. She left a message saying she was worried about me, but I ignored the message. I just didn’t want to talk to anyone;

I lay on the sofa for a couple of hours, wallowing in my own misery. Then I got showered and dressed and made some cheese on toast. I sat on the sofa and watched daytime TV.

I must have drifted off when the doorbell rang, waking me up. I glanced at the clock; it was six thirty.

I went to the door; there stood Mandy, Sally, and Toni; Toni was looking very sheepish.

I let them in, and we all sat in the living room.

“We have come to make sure you are okay!” Mandy said.

“And I want to apologise, “Toni said, blushing, “we were well out of order!”

“Are you okay, love?” Sally asked.

“Yes, I just got pissed off; it’s my choice if I want to tell anyone I am a porn star and if I want to, I will do it where and when I want, not in the middle of fucking wine bar!” I growled.

“To be fair, most guys would love to be recognised as a porn star”, Mandy said and smiled at me. I returned the smile.

“I guess I am still coming to terms with how much my life has changed, and I am struggling a bit!” I replied.

“And that’s why we have come around to see what we can do to help, Sally said.

“We are here for you, and we will do whatever we can to help,” Mandy chipped in

I never had a family when I was a kid. The army was the first family I knew, and now I realise that these guys were also like a family to me. A strange family, it is, to be fair, but still a family.

I looked around at them and smiled. The army was the first family I knew, and now I realised these guys were my second family.

“Right, I am fine, and there is no need to apologise. I should have told Louise what I did for a living,” I said.

I stood up and exchanged hugs with all three ladies. At the end of the day, my relationship with Louise had never got started, and porn was my job. It paid well, and I got to shag lots of fit birds.

“I am starving!” Sally said. “Do you fancy a Chinese takeaway?”

We all agreed that a Chinese would be nice. I got a menu from the kitchen and, at the same time, opened a bottle of wine and got four glasses.

Mandy made a list of what everyone wanted, and I phoned it in for a delivery. I walked to the local shop with Toni, and we bought a shed load of booze: wine for Mandy and Sally, lager for Toni and bitter for me.

By the time we got back, Sally had put some music on. Pink Floyd’s The Wall album was blaring out, and the second bottle of wine was nearly empty.

The food arrived, and we all tucked in. The booze flowed, and the chat was loud and random. My music collection was critiqued, and we took the piss out of each other.

I don’t know what time the party ended, but I woke up on the living room floor at ten o’clock the next day. Toni was on the sofa. I had no idea where Sally and Mandy were. I went to the toilet to empty my bladder.

As I walked past my bedroom, I saw the ladies tucked up in my bed.

I went downstairs and drank a pint of water. Then I put the kettle on and got a black bin bag out of the drawer. I started to clear up the debris. Then I filled the sink with hot, soapy water and started to wash up the glasses and plates we had used.

Once all the washing up was done, I made coffee, and Toni came in and poured herself a glass of water. I made her a coffee and opened the back door. The place stunk of booze and food. It was a nice sunny day. By the time I had made the second coffee, Sally and Mandy were up and about. I heard the toilet flushing, and they both came down looking a little hung over.

I made more coffee and toast. We sat and chatted. It was midday before they left.

I got the vacuum out and tidied up the living room, then changed my bed. The sheets smelt of booze and perfume, and there were makeup smears.

By the time the house was ship shape and Bristol fashion, it was after four o’clock.

I had a shave and shower and walked into town. I had fish and chips and then went to an old-school pub with live music. I had three beers before heading home. I was tucked up in bed by nine o’clock.

The following morning, I did my warm-ups and went and did a double circuit of the park. The sky was clear, and it was going to be a nice day.

When I got home, the answering machine flashed; it was a message from Mandy. I called her back, and she invited me around for Sunday lunch. She told me to be there at four o’clock.

I was happy, I was worried she might put the brakes on our sex sessions, and to be fair, I was as horny as hell.

I spent the morning doing housework and ironing, then I had a shower and shaved. I decided to walk around to Mandys. On the way, I got a bottle of red and a bottle of white.

When I got there, I knocked on the door. Sally answered, which was a surprise. When I went into the living room, the rest of the team was there; Mandy had invited the whole company. Toni, Andy, and Carl were drinking wine and chatting. We all shook hands or hugged.

It was a great meal. Mandy had laid out the food so we could help ourselves. She had two roasts, chicken and beef, plus roast spuds, mashed spuds, Yorkshire pudding stuffing balls, and every kind of vegetable you can think of. It was a real feast.

I have to say my diet had been shit recently; the lack of vegetables was something I needed to work on. I had seconds.

After the main meal, Mandy served up apple pie and custard. After the meal Andy, carl and I did the washing and drying. Then Mandy made coffee, and we sat around for an hour chatting about holidays and work.

Andy and Carl left first, sharing a taxi. I got the feeling I was not going to get a shag or even the offer to stay over. So, I made my excuses to leave. Mandy showed me to the door.

She kissed me gently.

“So, when are you going to the clinic?” she asked with a glint in her eye.

“I went last week, so I should get my results soon,” I replied.

“Good, as soon as you have let me know, I have needs!” she giggled.

I walked home and thought about my life; things were not bad. I had good mates and a good job. My bank account was looking really healthy. Things were on the up.

I woke late the following morning with no time for a run. I shaved, showered, and left to get the bus. I got a takeaway coffee on the way. The bus was just pulling into the stop, and there was no sign of Mandy.

I got to the studio just as Andy and Carl were arriving. Sally had opened the place up. I made a brew.

Sally came into the canteen and told us that Mandy had taken some films to London and Toni was out shopping.

She was going home at lunchtime and told us we could knock off once we had done our jobs.

My job for the day was to take the van to the electrical supplier in the next town and get some Lamps to replace the ones we had taken down. Then, I had to get to the supermarket and stock up on the consumables. She gave me a long list: tea, coffee, biscuits, toilet rolls, a cleaning kit, you get the gist.

So, after my brew, I set off to do my jobs; by the time I got back, Sally had gone home, and the lads were in the canteen drinking tea. They helped me unload the van and pack the shopping away. Once that was done, we locked up and buggered off.

When I got home, the postman had been, my sexual health certificate had arrived, and I was as clean as a whistle. There was also a bank statement. It was looking good, and I knew that if I kept up the rate of work, I would soon have a tidy sum.

I walked into town and stood outside the estate agency that Louise worked out of. She was in there. I wondered about going in but didn’t think it was the right idea.

I found a florist that delivered. I picked the best bunch of flowers that they had and wrote out an apologetic note. The girl in the shop told me they would deliver them immediately. It cost me a fair chunk of cash, but I could afford it. I watched the girl deliver the flowers, and then I walked back to my house via the park.

By the time I got home, Louise had left a message on my answering machine, telling me in no uncertain terms that she did not want to see or hear from me ever again.

Oh well, I had tried...

That night, I feasted on cheese on toast, washed down with a mug of tea. I went to bed early and wondered what the rest of the week would bring.

I woke early the next day, put on my running gear, and, after a series of warm-ups, ran around the park, using the trim track to get a better workout.

Once I was home, I shaved and showered, had a cup of coffee, and then headed over to the bus stop. Mandy was there, and she exchanged hugs.

She must have seen the manila envelope I was carrying.

“Is that what I think it is?” she asked as we took our seats.

“It is indeed, and it’s 100% clear!” I said with a smile.

“Sounds like you’re coming to mine for dinner tonight,” she said, and her hand stroked my leg.

“That sounds like a good plan!” I replied.

We were the first ones to the studio; I opened the studio and made a brew, and Mandy checked the mail and the answering machine.

Andy arrived next, and then Toni, Carl, and Sally arrived simultaneously.

I made another round of drinks as Toni and Mandy went to the café for our butties.

Once we had eaten, Sally called the room to attention.

“Okay, guys and gals, we have two days of filming this week!” she said.

“Who do we have coming in?” Toni asked.

“Tomorrow, we have Ang and Gail!” Sally said, “Sorry, Zak, they are girl-on-girl only.”