“This doesn’t prove anything.” Dawn pointed at the sheet of paper. “All this proves is that he was clean.”

“I believe what he said, Dawn. He lied about what he did, but everything else, that wasn’t lies.” She walked to her door, waiting for Dawn to follow behind her.

“Are you coming?”

“Yes.”

She waited for Dawn to leave her home before locking the door. Hugging her sister, she didn’t wait around for pleasantries, and walked the distance to the shop. She needed to clear her mind, and the only way to do that was with walking.

He’s a porn star.

He lied about who he was.

Did he really lie?

Everything he said apart from being a PA could have been the truth.

Her thoughts and questions went on and on. Her feelings, they were all real to her. She had fallen in love with Jason, and knew given the chance, she’d fall in love with him again and again.

Ben was arriving at the shop as she was.

“Hello,” he said.

“Hi, Ben.”

“How are you feeling today?”

“I’m good. You?”

Tricia was already in the back, taking a delivery from the local farmer.

“I’m great. I was wondering if you’d like to go out to dinner with me tonight.”

She was going to give him the same kind of brush off she’d been given him the past couple of weeks. Instead, she turned to look at him. “Ben, you’re a great guy, and any other time I might have jumped at the chance to have dinner with you.”

“Another time, maybe?”

Sydney hated being mean, but she refused to let him think he had a shot with her. There wasn’t a chance with her. She didn’t intend to stick around to be with him for long.

“No, not another time. It’s time you started trying to find someone else. I’m in love with another man.”

“I thought you’d broken up with him.”

“We’re taking a break. I love Jason, and we’re getting through some problems. I can’t walk away from him.” The words were not complete lies. They hadn’t broken up, not really. She’d kicked him out of her home, and they’d not spoken in the last week.

He’s a porn star.

Who fucking cares?

Staring at the dimming hope in Ben’s eyes, she smiled at him.

“Don’t wait for me, Ben. I’m already taken.”

And that was the truth. She had slowly come to terms with the fact that Jason was a porn star. Could she accept him as a porn star, or give him up?

The past week had been a nightmare without him. She missed him all the time. Not a moment went by when she didn’t think about it. It was the strangest thing in the world. When she baked a new cake, she wanted to send him a picture to show what she’d done that day. So his pictures would contain his dick inside another woman.

She closed her eyes.

Couples in porn movies had successful relationships, or at least she’d read that some stars were married. If they could have a go at it, why couldn’t she accept Jason for what had earned him a living? They were all good at something. She was good at baking, Dawn was hot at taxes, and Jason was good at turning people on for a living.

She had to make it work, as otherwise she was going to be more miserable without him.

Getting into work, she resolved herself to finally go and talk to him. She had to. This misery had to come to an end.

Chapter Ten

Jason had finished the business call to invest in a new, up and coming company that wanted to change the way the adult business was seen. They were going to take porn by storm in the hope of bringing in more of a female market. Erotica was really storming the world, and more women were hoping to find romance with a steamy edge, that wasn’t all about the blessed cum shot, and more about the couples in general.

He still played the stock markets, and got a lovely profit every year to keep him comfortable. Once Jason sat down and really started to assess his financial situation, he’d seen that he’d not needed to spend the last ten years in front of a camera. He’d not spent his time blowing each of his paychecks on expensive clothes or wine. Jason had always been planning for a rainy day.

His website was still earning money. However, he’d posted that Bone Harder had decided to leave the industry behind to pursue other avenues.

Everything was coming together in his life. The only thing that remained was Sydney. He’d gone to the shop several times, and he’d looked through the window to see her working. Not once had he gotten the courage to actually enter. Rejection had never been a problem to him until now. He feared her screaming at him to leave.

Running a hand down his face, he made his way into the kitchen and put the kettle on. He was reaching for a cup when someone knocked at his door.

Leaving the kitchen, he went to answer, and was shocked to find Dawn waiting for him.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“I come in peace.” She held her hand up in surrender and winced. “And really bad alien film slogans as well.”

“You’re not an alien life force.” He leaned against the door.

“I don’t know. But sisters going crazy doesn’t seem to be a theme. I checked.”

“Then you’re just one of a kind.”

He moved away, giving her a chance to enter his space.

She stepped inside and turned to him. “I’m really sorry.”

“I don’t know why you’ve come he—”

“I saw the post you made a couple of days ago. I’ve been around Sydney, and I saw that post, and I talked to Richard. You’re both miserable.”

“So?”

“So, I think it’s time I came to have a talk with you,” she said. “Sydney loves you.”

“I love her as well.”

“You left the industry behind. Why?”

“I love her a hell of a lot more than I ever loved my job.” He moved toward the kitchen. “Do you want a drink?”

“I’m hotheaded, and a bitch,” Dawn said, following him. “Syd, she’s my little sister, and I love her. She’s the world to me, and her crazy ass baking.” She chuckled. “I was worried about her, and I thought you were playing her.”

“I wouldn’t do that to any woman.”

“I know that now. I’m not a great judge of character it would seem.”

“Why are you here?” he asked.

“Go to her, please. Go and talk to her, see her. Do whatever it is that you do to make her happy again. I can’t stand to see my sister sad anymore. She’s a wonderful woman, and I hate the fact I did that to her.”

“You’d accept me in her life?” Jason lowered the spoon that he’d been using to put sugar into the cup.

“Yes. Don’t get me wrong. I was a little freaked out that I’d seen your dick, and you fucking a lot of different woman, and I’d even experienced an orgasm while watching you.” Dawn went bright red as she looked at him. “There you go. I can handle that if you can.”

“I love Sydney. I’m changing who I am for her, and I’m going to love her for the rest of my life, I promise you.”

Dawn crossed the distance and hugged him. “Thank you for making her so happy. I know with you she’s happy.”

“I hope she’ll take me back.”

“Sydney will take you back. She loves you so much.”

Jason nodded then finished off his tea, and handed her a cup.

“I guess this is to the future.”

“I can’t believe I’m going to have an ex-porn star in the family.” She giggled, taking a sip of her tea. Dawn winced. “I can’t drink tea though. I prefer coffee. I’ve got to go now and get to work before my boss fires me. I always push my luck with him.” She chuckled, leaving his apartment.

It was the strangest encounter he’d ever had with a woman.

****

“How are you?” Richard asked later that day when he stopped by after work. He looked exhausted, and Jason phoned for a pizza for the two of them.

“I purchased this,” Jason said, handing him the velvet box.

“You’re going to ask her to marry you?”