Man of the Year (11 page)

She moves to stand next to me and we both look at ourselves in the mirror. I’ve got my hair pulled back and I’m wearing my new, gunmetal gray suit, but I don’t think I’m going to wear the jacket, since it feels too fancy for me. Instead, I’m just rocking the pants and the vest over my black, knit shirt and I think it looks cooler that way, more relaxed and more my style.

Lola’s wearing a gray dress that matches what I have on. It’s one of the three that she brought—because she can be such a fuckin’ girl sometimes—and it’s hot as hell. It’s strapless and tight all down her body, but it’s classy because it’s got this lacey part that comes out from the waist and goes down past her knees. You can still see the short, tight dress underneath, but this makes it look all delicate and elegant. I know she picked it because it’ll be different from what everybody else is wearing. She was all paranoid about looking like a porn star, since she’s got that sexy, rocking bod, but she looks like she could be on the red carpet at the Oscars or the Golden Globes—in other words, totally not pornish.

Damn!
We look like a fuckin’ hot couple, like Hollywood-style hot. I’m a hundred percent sure that I’ll have the hottest girl in the building with me tonight. It’s literally impossible for anyone to be prettier than Lola right now.

“Goddamn, Lo,” I sigh as I glance at her.

“What?” she laughs.

“You look like a fuckin’ hybrid of Salma Hayek and Mila Kunis right now. You’re making me want to skip the show and just stay up here banging you all night,” I smile.

She giggles and rolls her eyes, but she’s flattered. She has to know she’s a knockout in that dress. Hopefully she finally feels as beautiful as she is.

“You, sir, are a total charmer,” she laughs.

“I speak the truth, dude,” I reply. “Guys are gonna be like, ‘Who the fuck is that chick? She’s the hottest girl here,’ and I’m just gonna say, ‘That’s right, I’m tappin’ that. Hands off.’”

She laughs really loud at that and she leans into me, which gives me a chance to run my fingers over the part of her back that’s exposed.
So smooth
. My girl’s the sexiest.

She takes a deep breath and gives me a smile.

“You ready?” I grin at her.

“I hope so,” she laughs.

This is Lola’s first red carpet, and that red carpet happens to be at the fuckin’ porn awards, so I know she’s freaking out on the inside. This whole time, she’s been pretending that it’s not a little bit scary to dive right into this world, but I can tell that it’s been kind of a big adjustment for her. I don’t want to put her on the spot by saying it, but I appreciate it so much. It can’t be easy to go public with somebody whose previous job was so … unconventional.

I take her hand, lift it to my lips and kiss her shiny new ring—the ring that shows her how much I love her—and we’re out the door and on our way to the carpet.

Every red carpet has handlers, usually women dressed in black whose job is to usher you along between interviews and keep the flow going. Sometimes the stars will have their own publicists too, and those people will follow along and make sure you keep things short at each stop. The people doing the interviewing can really start going for it and asking you tons of questions, so the publicists and handlers are the ones who politely cut them off when it’s time to go. I didn’t want to hire a publicist, even though people said I should since I’m up for such a huge award, so we get two handlers and a special AVA publicist who’s been assigned to make sure I stop at all the biggest press outlets.

“This is Jennifer and this is Elizabeth,” Special Super Publicist says as she points to the short blonde one and the even sorter brunette, “and I’m Michelle,” she nods. Michelle is also short and blonde, but she looks like she’s in her early 40s, so she’s probably about 10 years older than the other two.

“James,” I say, shaking their hands, “and this is my fiancée, Lola.”

They all smile at her and then pause for a second as they look her over. She’s hot. I know it. They know it. Soon everybody here and all the people watching the coverage on YouTube and the premium cable channel that airs the awards in their “after dark” programming block will know it too.

“Ok, so here’s the rundown. First five stops are internet only, so let’s keep those to about 30 seconds,” Michelle explains. “After that, we have a couple print media, trades mostly, then there’s video. We want to make sure we leave a lot of time at the end because the network wants a full two minutes with you.”

I nod. “Sounds good.”

“Are you comfortable with people asking about your date?” she asks, looking from Lola to me and back again.

“I am,” I nod. “How about you, Lo?”

“Yeah, I mean, we’re here together,” she shrugs.

It makes me smile.
We’re here together
. Lately, Lola and I have been everywhere together and I never want to leave her side.

“Do you have any no-go areas? I just want to be sure to have my team step in if they start throwing things at you that you don’t want to answer,” Michelle continues. “I’m sure you’ll be asked about your retirement. Are you comfortable with that?”

“Yes,” I nod. “I know that’s gonna be on everybody’s mind tonight, especially with the big nomination, so I know I have to address it.”

Lola swallows hard and the girls don’t notice it, but I do. I put my hand on the small of her back to let her know I’ve got her and it’ll be ok.

“The only thing I don’t want to talk about is the Eva stuff,” I say, reluctantly volunteering that info. Most people in the biz know I got roped into some shit with her and that I’ve filed an injunction from ever letting those videos see the light of day, but they don’t know the full extent of the hell that awful bitch put me through. “I know those videos were never released, but some people know I did them and I don’t want to get into all that shit, you know?” I explain.

“Completely understandable,” Michelle nods and the other two do the same.

“But that’s it, really,” I smile. “Other than that, I’m down for whatever.”

“Perfect,” Michelle nods. “Then let’s get on out there.”

Lola takes a deep breath and gives me an excited smile as we hit the carpet. I take her hand and weave my fingers into hers, holding her tight so she’ll feel how much I’m right here with her through everything tonight.

The first place we stop is in front of a big step-and-repeat banner with the logos for the awards, the hotel, various distributors and the liquor sponsor. Flashes go off around us and I put my arm around Lola and pull her into me.

“James alone!” the mass of photographers yell, attempting to get a solo pic of me.

I shake my head and give them a grin.
I’m with my girl tonight, dudes. No solos.

“Look at me, Lo,” I say to her as quiet as I can over the buzz of the press line.

She glances up into my eyes and I can see that she’s a little nervous, but she’s trying not to show it.

“You’re doing great, kid,” I say.

She giggles and gives me a shy, appreciative smile.

I look from her eyes to her lips and I can’t hold back. I lean down and give her a sweet, innocent kiss.

That really sets the flashbulbs into high gear and it’s like a strobe light at our end of the carpet as photographers go crazy snapping pics.

I didn’t kiss her for the attention, I kissed her because she’s beautiful, I love her and I wanted to kiss her. Still, I’m glad all these people are taking pictures. I want everybody to know I’m with her and that this is the real deal for me. I’m even more psyched when she puts her left hand on my chest and I know everybody’s going to see my ring on her finger.
That’s right, ladies and gentlemen, this hottie next to me is going to be my wife.

We make it to the first internet interview and I know we’ve got to keep it short, so I plan to go with the most concise answers.

The guy is from a very popular porn blog that rates almost every movie. They’ve given all my stuff good reviews, so I’m feeling pretty good about it. The dude is kind of nerdy looking, but he’s got hipster glasses and you can tell that he’s trying to look cool for the awards. He checks out Lola big time and I can tell from the way he kind of squints that he’s trying to figure out if she’s a star or just my date. I’m not surprised at the assumption, since Lola’s got a body that would make every girl here totally jealous—and it’s natural, too.

“Now, your scenes are up for 12 performance awards, including the big one, Man of the Year. You’re the man of the hour, all eyes on you,” the dude begins. “Is there a lot of pressure on you tonight?”

“Not too much,” I smile. “It’s cool to be recognized to this level and to have everybody dig my work so much, but I’ve always loved the AVAs, so I’m just psyched to be here. Winning would basically be a bonus at this point.”

“You recently announced your retirement,” he says. “You’re at the top of your game. Why leave now?”

“I’m growing up, dude,” I chuckle. “No, but really, I think my priorities have just shifted. I’m in a really good place, I’ve got a really great girl,” I smile at Lola, “and I’m just sort of moving forward with my life in a way that doesn’t include on-camera stuff anymore.”

“And this is the lovely lady that snagged James Langdon,” he grins at Lola. “What’s your name, sweetheart?”

“Lola,” she says cordially.

“And is this your first AVAs?”

“First award show period,” she giggles. “It’s really exciting.”

“Well, you’re one lucky girl,” he smiles. “You’ve got the very best in the business.”

“Believe me, I’m the lucky one,” I chuckle and put my arm around her waist.

“What’s it like to be with the star of the show tonight?” he asks her.

“It’s an honor,” she giggles and winks at me. “I’m really happy for him and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that he wins Man of the Year.”

“You can be his good luck charm,” the dude smiles at her.

Elizabeth, the short, brunette publicist, nods to the guy and he acknowledges her, knowing it’s time to wrap up.

“Well, you two have a great time tonight,” he says, “and good luck to you!”

“Thanks so much,” I smile.

Lola looks up at me as we move forward to the next stop. She’s a little flushed, but I can tell she’s happy to have made it through her first red carpet interview.

“You’re doing great, baby,” I say to her, kissing the side of her head.

“Was I really ok?” she adorably worries. “I don’t want to sound like a total ditz but I feel like I get stupid the second they put a mic in my face.”

“No way. You were perfect, Lo,” I smile.

The next few interviews are pretty much the same. They ask me about all the nominations that Collared has, about retiring, about my girl, same old stuff.

By the time we get to the video interviews, I think Lola’s feeling a little more comfortable. Even though she’s loosening up, I still want to show her that there's nothing to worry about, so I keep holding her hand and giving her little kisses when we’re between interviews.

As I look around at the fake boobs and bleached blonde hair, I can’t help but appreciate Lola even more than I already do. First off, she’s pretty—way prettier than every other girl here. She looks classy and elegant, like she could fit in at a White House event or something. Her dress isn’t so short that it almost shows her panties and her tits don’t look like two cantaloupes stuck to her chest. Even her skin stands out because it’s naturally a warm, olive shade and not the semi-orange spray tan of the rest of the girls on the carpet. I always used to think these chicks were sexy, but now I’ve seen what true beauty is and they all start to look bland to me. A sea of spandex and silicone. Kind of funny how my whole perspective has changed. Last year, I would have gladly taken two or three of them back up to my room at the end of the night, but now I only want Lola.

We get to the last interview, the long one with the cable channel, and I hold Lola’s hand from the second we step onto the raised platform that overlooks the carpet. There are two cameras set up, one for the wide shot and one for the closeups of what we’re wearing. Even at the porn awards, people like to debate who’s best dressed.

I look down at Lola and kiss her forehead. “You ok?” I whisper to her before we begin.

She nods and gives me a sweet smile, squeezing my hand a little tighter.

“Last one, baby,” I softly respond.

Our final interview is being conducted by Jade Ling and Kylie Banks, two girls I’ve worked with a lot. Jade is tiny and Asian with really long hair and kind of small boobs. We did a super hot scene together a few years back that scored her a Best Anal award. Kylie usually does girl/girl stuff, but she and I did this really sexy scene where she was handcuffed to the bed and I was doing everything all slow and sensual. That one was up for Best Boy/Girl, but we lost to one of Ethan Dane’s movies.

Ethan fuckin’ Dane!
That dude’s my professional rival, the guy who’s always right on my heel trying to steal my title. He’s the Wes Mantooth to my Ron Burgundy, the Joker to my Batman. He’s up for Man of the Year tonight too, but everybody says it’s a long shot and that I’m a lock for it. If he wins it, I’m going to be so pissed!

I shake off my annoyance at the thought of Ethan and smile at Jade and Kylie. They both hug me and give me air kisses on the cheek, making sure they don’t smear their lipstick.

“James Langdon, the man of the hour!” Kylie starts in her high, baby voice. She’s 22, but she’s always playing schoolgirls or babysitters or curious 18-year-olds who want to experiment. “You are the biggest fuckin’ superstar of the night! How does it feel?”

“Great!” I chuckle. “I mean, I don’t know if I’m actually the biggest star of the night, but it’s rad to be here and to have so many nominations for my scenes.”

“Now, Man of the Year,” Jade starts, “that’s the big one. Do you already have a speech prepared or are you gonna wing it?”

“Well, if I win, I think I’ll just wing it, you know, say something from the heart,” I reply. “But I don’t want to get too psyched up in case I lose.”

“You won’t, darling!” Jade grins. “Everybody in here knows you’re walking away with that trophy.”