“Forty?” “Fifty three thousand eight hundred." Paul spoke up.

“Huh?" Malcolm looked at him.

"That's a random number."

“It's what's what we owe on my tuition. I get that I'm covered until I graduate." He smiled at me, “We could keep the house and," He was stopped by my placing my finger to his Lips.

Keeping it there, I pulled open the dressing room door, switched my hand from his face to his hair and yanked it hard enough to make him cry out as he staggered out of the room.

"Go home!" I snapped as I slammed the door behind him and turned to Malcolm.

“You put all this shit in his head."

“No, he came to me! He wrote a letter I loved and I met him and yeah I said a few things about what I believe, but he was already gung ho."

That was true and I knew it, Paul wanted me before he met this idiot.

“Mary, think about it, that's a lot of money and it will never leave my hands. And you do want him! I get you can't admit it, but he saw what I saw in that movie! I.

“You shut the hell up." I snarled at him.

"You stay away from me and you stay away from my son, I find out you tried to contact him, I swear I will press charges and tell the cops you were trying to get me to fuck my son for money. That story gets out you're finished, understand?"

Malcolm's shoulders slumped in defeat, “Understood, I won't reach out to you, but mark my words, Mary, you want that boy and he is madly in love with you, It's not lust, he wants to be good to you and you certainly look like you need someone to be good to you."

I reached for the door, but he his hand on it, holding it closed.

“One minute and you can go, promise." He said softly, “Paul told me how alone you've been since your husband passed. You came back to this not just for money, but for sex. You forget I started as an actor as well."

"I'd been disowned by my family and was lost and lonely and the industry gave me sex, attention and despite a lot of assholes some friends and a twisted little family of sorts. That's what you got out of it your first time and part of why you came back. It's what you know and it fills a void, but that young man wants to give you so much more, Mary. He wants to give you his heart, let him."

“Get help, Malcolm." I yanked my hand from his hand from the door.

“And stay away from me and my son."

I turned and stormed out of the room, slamming the door in his face as he tried to say something. I walked quickly through the studio, keeping my head down. I heard Rick calling my name and asking if I was okay, but I kept moving. I made it out of the studio, got into my car and peeling out of the lot, drove a few blocks before I pulled over into a Walgreen's parking lot and let it go, sitting with my head on the wheel sobbing.

My son had tried to trick me and in doing so admitted it in front of a freak who thought it was just great. If there was any bright side it was that things couldn't get any worse, could they? +e I sat in the car outside the house and for the tenth time in the last half hour told myself to go inside and get this over with. After I'd had my drama queen cry in the parking lot, I'd gone to Vincent's and had a few drinks. I didn't get drunk like last time, but had enough to relax and dull my senses a bit, hopefully enough I wouldn't explode on Paul when I did get home.

It was crowded and the way I was dressed led to three different guys trying to pick me up. The last one I actually considered. He was about my age, good looking and had a great smile. He was interested, but laid back, not pushing, taking the approach of letting it be my move. As we had our third drink together I thought about it.

Maybe it's what I needed. Go back to his place, have some fun, maybe spend the afternoon and possibly the night there. I'd call Paul and tell him I'd talk to him tomorrow then lay back and let someone take care of me for once. I'd be both Mary and Molly, let him take the reins the first time, then go wildcat on him.

In the end I decided I couldn't do it. Not now, with everything going on, but I did give him my number and asked him to call in a couple days when I wasn't so busy. Maybe Dan was right, this is what I needed and if I had a lover it would show Paul he was seeing shadows.

My fucking porn stars didn't deter him, hell, he was turned on. But there was no emotion there. If I showed interest in a man that would be different.

Then I was hit with the inevitable; what if this guy, or any guy found one of my movies, then what? Molly was the gift that would just keep on giving at this point. I'd driven home and been sitting in the driveway trying to envision a scenario where this didn't get ugly.