I’m suddenly shy, which is strange. Because I’ve been naked with Logan O’Toole, and yet I’ve never felt as undressed as I do when he looks me over now. My outfit is casual—tan short shorts and a cream halter-top. I spent forever choosing it, but I glance down at my appearance, trying to see myself with different eyes, imagining what he sees, and I can’t figure it out. The girl I see is curvy and lush with dark exotic features and piercing eyes. She’s beautiful—I’ve never doubted my allure—but compared to the women he spends his time with on a daily basis, I’m same old, same old.
So why is he gazing at me as though he’s never seen anything like me before? Why am I certain no one will ever see me this wholly again?
In an effort to break the delicious tension, I ask, “Am I late?”
“Nope. I’m early,” and he’s still looking at me like he could devour me, and the air in the shop is stifling, and my clothes feel heavy and tight, and I’m not sure how I’ll make it through a minute with him let alone a whole afternoon, and then it’s our turn at the register, and he finally breaks his gaze and I can breathe again.
He orders first then gestures to me. I order my usual black Americano and give the barista my name. Logan pays then we step aside in unison to wait while our drinks are prepared.
Logan stuffs his hands in his pockets and gives me a curious glance. “So you go by Devi all the time?”
“Well, it’s my name.”
“For real? You changed it legally or…?”
“It’s what my parents named me. They’re sort of hippies.” That’s an understatement, but I don’t want to scare him away on the first date.
Then again, maybe it’s best to be upfront. “Okay, they’re actual hippies. No sort of about it. They believe in self-fulfilling prophecy—they name things what they want them to be.”
“They wanted you to be a porn star?”
“They wanted me to be a goddess.”
“So, yes.” He waits for me to laugh before saying, “But Dare can’t be your last name.”
I shake my head. “It’s not. It’s short for Daryani. My full name is Devi Arezu Daryani.” I’ve gone through periods of both pride and shame at having such a Middle Eastern name. I love that it’s unique and exotic, but the stereotyping that comes with it, notsomuch. I’ve had racial slurs slung at me on more than one occasion—everything from camel jockey to mosquito to nightclub bomber. Airport security is always a pain in the ass. I swear I’m on a permanent watch list, pulled aside for additional searching every damn time.
But when I deliver my whole name to Logan, I say it with dignity. It’s impossible not to feel self-respect with him. Even when his eyes wander to other parts of my body, he seems to be intently interested in what I have to say.
“What does Arezu mean?” He pronounces it pretty well for having heard it so quickly—ah-REH-Zaw—and the sound of him saying a part of my name that no one typically even attempts gives me goosebumps. I wish he’d say it again and again. Wish he’d say it in a more intimate setting. Wish I could hear him growl it and groan it and make it his own.
“It means ‘longed for.’”
“How appropriate,” he says quietly, and since he has no idea the struggle my parents went through to have me, the series of miscarriages and fertility rituals, I have to assume he’s flirting, and I look away, suddenly warm.
“You know why I picked O’Toole for my name?”
I turn back to him. “Why?”
“Because I have plenty of O’Toole.”
“How appropriate,” I say, because it’s funny and because I want him to know I hadn’t missed it when he’d said it.
The smile he gives me makes me ache in places I shouldn’t be thinking about in public.
So I don’t think about them. “Is Logan your birth name?”
“Nope.”
“Then what is it?”
He stretches past me to grab the two coffee cups from the barista. “I’ll never tell.”
I realize he’s serious about not telling when he immediately dives into another subject as he leads me to a sitting area in the back corner of the shop. “Hippies, huh? Then they’re cool with your line of work?”
I take a seat in a wicker chair. “They’re cooler than cool. They support me in everything I do as ‘long as I’m happy and fulfilled.’ Which is nice.” I recognize how contrary my tone is, and I’m compelled to expand. “Just, I sometimes think it would be nicer if they would be more parent-y and told me what to do instead.”
Logan’s brow rises as he sits across from me and sets our drinks down on the table between us. “What to do about what?”
“I don’t know. Anything. Everything. My career. School. My life.” Listening to myself, I realize how young I am or how much older Logan is, and suddenly I feel awkward and immature. “Maybe I’m just not very good at adulting.”
“Oh, adulting is terrible. I recommend only doing it when absolutely necessary. Like when you’re out of clean clothes or when you’re trying to decide whether or not to put on a condom. Beyond that, leave the adulting to adults.”
I grin as I tilt my head to study him. “Strange that someone with that philosophy would choose to go into the adult film business.”
“But that’s a misnomer. Porn is the least adult-y line of work there is, except for maybe, say, clowning.”
“Such respect for your job,” I laugh. “Do you even like what you do?”
“Are you kidding me? I fucking love it. Pun intended.”
I take a sip of my coffee, enjoying how easy the conversation is. I’ve watched pretty much every Logan O’Toole video out there—interviews and candid conversations as well as his porns. And while I’d realized he was charming, it’s a lot different having his charm directed at me. It feels strangely intimate, more intimate than having his lips on my privates, and I want to explore this intimacy as long as he’ll let me. “What do you love about it? Besides the fucking, I mean.”
His brow creases as though he’s thinking, but his answer comes fairly quickly. “The hours are good. The money’s decent. The after-parties are the best time there is, and there’s little-to-no stigma for sleeping with your coworkers.”
My heart flips at the wink he gives me and any response I had escapes me.
Fortunately, he’s still capable of conversation. “What about you? I’ve only ever seen you in lesbian porn, except for the film we did together.” He avoids eye contact as he mentions our scene, and I wonder if he thinks that’s polite or if it’s because he’s thinking of Raven. It hasn’t been long since they’ve broken up, and I have a strong suspicion that she is to blame for his strange behavior at Vida’s party.
I don’t want Raven in his thoughts, so I decide to sidestep the reference to that scene, and the minute I do I realize he said he’s seen my work. Which shouldn’t be a shock since a lot of people have seen my work, and he is very in tune with what’s going on in the industry.
But, oh my God. He’s watched my work. How had that possibility never crossed my mind, and why do I find that so goddamned hot?
He grins, knowing he’s thrown me off-balance. “So you mentioned maybe doing some more mainstream stuff. Have you decided? Will you go wider?” he asks, a devilish spark in his eyes. “Again, pun intended.”
“Maybe. If I got the right offer.” Innuendo intended.
He leans in and rests his elbows on the table between us. “What would the right offer look like? I’m curious.”
It would look just like you. We’re flirting, and if I were really brave, that’s what I’d say. Or, if I wanted to be a touch more demure, I could say, Make your bid and I’ll tell you if you’re close. It’s not a case of not having the snappy comebacks, because I do.
But even with the teasing banter, I haven’t got a sense of what’s going on between us, or what he intends to happen, or why he’s asked me out, and the uncertainty prompts me to be cautious. “I still haven’t decided what I’m looking for in a P in V shoot. You were r
ight about one thing—even aside from anal, I’d want to feel safe. That’s important to me. I have no problem taking my clothes off and fucking a stranger, but I’ve got to have complete say in what happens with my body both on and off set.”
“Of course.”
I relax muscles I didn’t know were tense when Logan doesn’t automatically get defensive about my insinuation that the there are sets in the business that are not safe, especially for women. Too many times consent gets blurred when the camera turns off and an aroused male doesn’t behave any differently than he did when the record light was on. It’s not a pretty side of the industry, but it’s also nothing new, and, actually, there are many professionals taking strides to change it.
“Other than that…” I consider. “I guess I’d want to feel like I’m doing something important or innovative. The girl-on-girl work that I do is important because the producers I’ve chosen to shoot with are all very pro-feminist and ethnically diverse. They’re bold. They’re progressive.”
He nods. “That’s not always as easy to find in the het environment.”
"No, definitely not.” I cringe inwardly as I realize that venturing into politics on a first date is not the sexiest of moves. I won’t pander or downplay my convictions to impress a guy, but I need to be sensitive to the fact that I’m talking about his world. “I mean, it’s getting better. I think. I hope.”
“I think it is. There’s still work to do,” he says, and I’m relieved that he seems sincere. “There’s always work to do, but I’d like to say I’ve seen a change even in the decade I’ve worked in the industry. I’d like to say I’ve been part of the change, and I want to help move it even further forward. Not just in terms of diversity and safety, but also in terms of artistic quality.”
Artistic quality is not a buzzword I’ve heard from many of the producers I’ve worked with, and it hits me that even though Logan’s films are always on trend, they also have a deeper level to them and tons of visual appeal. “Are you one of those people that misses old-school feature films?”
“Yes. And no. It’s frustrating that anyone with a handheld can make a porno now. There are so many shitty homemade sex tapes, how can a regular Joe Schmo find anything with quality?
“But gonzo isn’t completely terrible,” he says, referring to the style of filming that puts the cinematographer in the production. “There are so many good things about it. The camera angles, the intimacy, the spontaneity—all of those are qualities that have advanced the industry and made it more accessible to the average Internet subscriber. So, what’s missing from today’s porn that should be brought back? Not the production costs. Or the bad acting. Storylines? John Stagliano insists that his films, even though they’re gonzo style, have a story. And they do, but they’re like the movies from the past. The plots are weak and unbelievable, and yes, I know they’re supposed to be fantasies, but tell me, do you know anyone whose fantasy is Debbie Does Dallas?”
He pauses just long enough for me to shake my head. “Exactly. So we need to keep the camera techniques, the intimate filming quality, and the tight budget, and then get better actors and plots.”
I’m transfixed as he talks about this thing he’s obviously so passionate about, and while I’m hanging on every word, I’m also somewhere outside of myself, watching this man who is so nerdy and sexy and nothing at all like the “typical” porn star. He doesn’t even have the look of the traditional film leads. He’s toned but slim, not at all beefy like Rocco Siffredi or Bruce Venture, or hyper-masculine like Manuel Ferrara. Logan’s clean-cut, tattoo-free, and baby-faced, and maybe that’s why he’s such a force right now—because he’s fresh and different and real.
Well, that, and also, he’s a giver.
It strikes me that of everything there is to be attracted to about Logan, this is his sexiest part—this part of him I’m seeing now. This part of him that cares about his work beyond the sex. This part of him that isn’t just physicality, but also emotion and heart.
“Then would you rather that more of the work you do is scripted?” I ask. The movies Logan produces already walk the line between improvised and plotted out. While the scenes themselves seem to be organic, they always begin with a monologue that he writes himself. It’s another original aspect of his work.
“Hiring a good scriptwriter costs too much, so that’s not the way to go. But reality TV has proven stories can be interesting when not scripted.”
“But those situations aren’t really ‘real.’” I wonder if this is strange first date conversation. I’ve never gone out with someone else in the business, so my experience is narrow. “Those reality shows are all staged. Encouraged.”
He sits forward, eager. “Right! The producers put together characters with whatever chemistry they’re going after because they know that, based simply on psychology and human behavior, the ‘actors’ will react to each other in a way that’s entertaining to watch.”
He leans back in his chair again. “I mean, look at The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. People go crazy over watching men and women ‘fall for each other’ in real time.” He uses air quotes as he says fall for each other suggesting he believes, as I do, that very little that happens on reality shows is genuine. “Imagine if we could capture that essence.”
I squint my eyes as I follow his line of thought. “Then you’re suggesting porn do The Bachelor?”
“Not a game show. But, yeah. A camera following a man and a woman over a series of dates. The sexual activity would be encouraged to progress at a natural pace and would be completely open door. Explicit. Hot. But it all happens organically, and if feelings develop between them, even better.”
“That’s actually a brilliant idea.” I’ve never spent much time thinking about where porn could or should go, but hearing Logan talk about it is really inspiring. “It’s cutting edge and yet right in line with where the trends are heading.”
“That’s what I think.” He meets my eyes, and I have to concentrate to not squirm in my chair. His gaze is so hot and intense and demanding. It’s as if he wants something from me, and if I knew what it was, I have a feeling I’d hand it over without a second thought.
“So what do you say?” he asks after a beat.
“What do I say about—wait.” Everything starts to click into place. “Are you actually proposing this project?”
“Yeah.”
“To me?”
“Yes. I am.”
Then this isn’t a date.
And the conversation wasn’t candid and real; it was the preamble to this proposal.
I’m stunned. And speechless. Mostly because I’m disappointed.
But then he says, “I’m asking you if you’d like to be part of a revolution that takes the industry by storm,” and I can’t be quite as disappointed as I was because, even though this isn’t a date, it’s an opportunity. An opportunity to move into the het world. To make more money. To do more work with Logan.
To have more sex with Logan.
Take the industry by storm. Is it fate that he’s used the same words that LaRue Hagen used?
I’m flattered and flustered. The whole thing is surreal, and I don’t know what to say.
“Devi? What are you thinking?”
Before I can answer, I have to know, “Why wouldn’t you ask someone with more experience? I haven’t even done any het porn since the scene we did. Why me?”
I expect it’s because of my inexperience. A project like this is best with a newbie that could be groomed along the way. My ethnicity probably helps too. If he’s trying to be forward-thinking, an ethnically diverse cast is the way to go. And if LaRue Hagen is right, my career is poised to “break out.” Naturally other directors would notice.
But he doesn’t give any of those answers as his reasons. Instead his features grow somber and his eyes serious, and he says, “I want it to feel authentic.”
“What?” I’m so surprised that the word falls out, breathy and astounded.
�
�I want it to be real,” he says sheepishly. “As real as possible. So.”
I don’t know what to say. I don’t want to say anything and ruin this incredible, awesome, strange, surreal moment. I mean, I’m in. How can I not be? But I’m still so flabbergasted that I can’t answer right away.
Then he grins that charming crooked grin of his, the one that makes my knees shake, even when I’m sitting down. “Come on, Devi Dare,” he says, and it’s like he’s purring. “Make porn with me.”
And that’s how I go from a stable career of girl-on-girl to making an arty, dirty reality show with a porn star.
8
One Week Later
Devi lives in El Segundo, in a stamp-sized bungalow that’s been awkwardly chopped into two apartments. And despite the tidy landscaping and fresh paint, I notice that she locks no less than four locks before she skips down the driveway to my car. I knew the kind of porn she did paid less, but I guess I never realized how much less, and I immediately feel a wave of weirdness about my massive house up in Laurel Canyon and even the car I’m in right now. It’s a Shelby Mustang Super Snake, and while it didn’t cost as much as most the other cars I see in the Hills, it would still be a few years’ worth of rent in a place like this.
But there’s no weirdness at all on Devi’s face as she opens the door and slides inside. “Nice car,” she says with genuine admiration, running her fingertips along the sleek dash. Her hair is in long beachy waves, tumbling over her shoulders and down to her waist, and she wears the shortest denim shorts I’ve ever seen, exposing long expanses of tanned and toned leg. I follow those legs up from her flat leather sandals, over the elegant curve of her calf, and up to her thighs, those firm slopes of muscle leading up to her juicy ass—which is only barely covered by the shorts.
I see the slightest hint of pink in her cheeks when she realizes I’m staring at her body, but I don’t stop. Instead, I move my gaze up to her chest, where a thin orange tank top drapes low over her chest. She’s wearing a light blue bra, the kind of bra that says first date, the kind of bra that doesn’t anticipate sex but wouldn’t shy away from it either.