Chapter 2

Martin nodded and shrugged. “You’d be good at it. If you ever get tired of cock and pussy, I think it’d be a good career for you.”

“Does that mean you’ll write my letter of recommendation?”

“What? You think I’d let you go? Shit. I can barely wrap my head around you being gone for a week. You better wait until I either retire or expire, ‘cause I don’t want to have to find your replacement. You’ve spoiled me, kid.”

“Call it ‘job security,’” Blake said with a wink. “Make yourself too difficult to replace and they’ll never fire you.”

Martin laughed. “See, this is why I like you. You’re alright, Blake.”

Randy and Aaron were starting to get a bit carried away with their scene prep, hands down each other’s pants and panting heavily into each other’s shoulders. Martin told them to break it up and save it for when the cameras were rolling. Blake put aside his personal grievances and went back to work. He would rather watch two guys fuck each other raw all afternoon than spend five minutes with his classmates anyway. He sighed, settled into his seat, and told himself it would all be fine.

* * * *

Blake’s sister, Amy, met him at the airport the following Wednesday. After the usual long-time-no-see greetings, it was all business. They were both part of the wedding party, and, as Travis’s best man, Blake needed to be up-to-date on all things wedding related. The ceremony itself was Saturday morning, but the rehearsal dinner was Thursday and Travis’s bachelor party was the day after that. Then on Sunday, Blake would have to make an appearance at his class reunion.

“Don’t think about that right now,” Amy said. “Right now, think about your best man speech and helping me finalize all the stuff for the reception.”

A surprise was waiting in the car after Blake and Amy dragged all of his luggage out to the parking lot. At first, the echoing high-pitched bark was hard to place, but then Blake saw the fuzzball bouncing around the windows of Amy’s car.

“Shelby!” Blake exclaimed. He rushed to the car as fast as his rolling luggage could go. He hadn’t seen their sheltie-beagle mix in person for several years. She clearly remembered him though. When he opened the door he had to scramble to grab her leash while she jumped about his legs. She didn’t look much like a sheltie or a beagle, but she had the floppy ears and long soft fur Blake remembered, albeit with more white around her muzzle.

“I thought you’d be glad to see her,” Amy said with a smile. “I’ve been out of the house so much, what with work and helping with all the wedding planning, I figured the least I could do was bring her with me.”

Blake gave Shelby a hug. He had adopted her during college, when he thought his asexuality meant he wasn’t cut out for real relationships and that a dog would be the only companion he could ever have. However, then he decided to move to California for better job opportunities and had to leave Shelby with Amy. Now it was like he had never left her. Shelby nudged at his hand, eyes bright and tongue flopping out as she panted with excitement. Blake scratched her behind the ears then picked her up and put her back in the car.

Amy put the last of the luggage into the backseat. “Ready?”

Blake exhaled with a slump of his shoulders. “As ready as I’m going to be. I never thought this day would come, but it’s time to help Travvy get married.”

Travis had been like a brother to Blake and Amy. His parents divorced when he was little and his dad all but vanished from the face of the Earth afterward. Travis’s mother, Blake’s and Amy’s paternal aunt, was trying to go back to school then and barely had time for work, let alone raising a child. Fortunately, Travis had other family to take care of him, but his home life left him disenchanted with relationships, convinced that he would end up like his dad. Both he and Blake went their entire adolescence without dating, albeit for different reasons. However, when Travis met Julie, Blake knew the two would be inseparable. He was happy that his cousin had finally found someone who brought out the best in him, even though he was a tad jealous.

“I knew Travis would soften up and find a girl someday,” Amy said, craning her neck as she backed out of the parking spot. “Now if I ever have to plan your wedding, I’ll keep an eye out for flying pigs.”

“What makes you think I’d let you plan my wedding?” Blake teased. “You’ve called me every three hours about this one, I would end up planning my own anyway.”

That got them arguing over who had done more to prepare for the wedding as they made the hour-long drive to Amy’s house. Shelby occasionally interrupted by trying to climb over the armrest and sit in Blake’s lap, but otherwise the happy pooch spent the whole time with her head out the window, ears and tongue flapping in the wind. Blake and Amy nearly tripped over her as they carried Blake’s luggage up Amy’s driveway and she continued to run around their feet, bouncing with delight

Travis was in the living room tapping a pen on a sheet of paper. He got up to hug his cousin when Blake walked in the door. “Hey! Long time no see! Glad we could pry you away from staring at naked guys all day long enough to make an appearance!”

Blake thumped his cousin on the back. “Like I would miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Amy and I were just talking about how we never thought this day would come.” He jokingly sniffled and pretended to fan away tears. “Our little Travvy is growing up!”

“Yeah, well, Julie might change her mind if I can’t come up with decent vows. It’s not like we grew up going to weddings; I don’t know what to say that doesn’t come off as cheesy or cliché.”

“Don’t worry, cos’. Your best man is here to assist any way he can. Sit back, relax, and worry about whether you remembered to confirm your tux rental.”

Travis panicked. “Wait, did I?!”

Blake laughed. “I did. You’re fine.”

“Oh, God. Don’t do that! I’m nervous enough as it is!”

“You’ll be fine.”

Amy cleared her throat. “Hate to break up your groom-party party, but someone needs to help me haul his crap to the guest room.”

“Good grief, Amy. Patience is a virtue.”

“You know what else is a virtue? Helping. You watch out or I’m not going to be your getaway driver on Sunday.”

Blake scowled at her for a moment and wrinkled his nose. Travis shook his head. “Don’t listen to her. If you need a wingman, Julie and I aren’t leaving until that afternoon anyway. I could swing by and get you if things go south early.”

“No freakin’ way,” Blake said sternly. “I am not delaying your honeymoon in the likely event that my classmates still consider me a dickish loser.”

“Don’t worry about them,” Travis said. “If they ignore you because they can’t deal with how much better you turned out, just…I dunno, go for a walk or something. Either they won’t notice and you can go about your day, or they’ll chase you down and parade you back so they can hear more about your awesome life.”

Blake smiled incredulously. “It’s not that awesome. Sure, a lot of people want to work in porn, but…once they find out I’m asexual…”

“Nope,” Travis interrupted. “What they think of your sexuality doesn’t matter. Some of them might be disappointed that means you won’t sleep with them, but it’s your decision and they just have to deal with it. Now go help your sister before that frown on her face becomes permanent.”

Amy turned up her nose and dragged Blake’s luggage down the hall. Blake sighed and shouldered his own bag. Part of him wished Travis could be at the reunion. He was going to need all the support he could get.