“I don’t know. You’re just—”

We fell quiet.

“You’re a good actor, Ash. Who knew? I was … surprised is all. Fooled me.”

“I did okay?”

Um, did you forget about the boner already?

“Yeah. Good job. Two thumbs up. I’ll make sure to nominate you for an Academy Award.”

“I don’t want my discomfort to be the reason you don’t get this. I don’t want to fail you, Atti. I pushed boundaries. For you.”

I stared at my brother’s profile. He worried his lip, his focus intent on the road ahead.

“You’ve never failed me. If we fuck up tomorrow, oh well. I’ll find another way.”

“Like hell you will. We aren’t going to fuck this up.”

He was still hung up on the whole selling my ass on the street thing. I sighed.

“We’ll do awesome. You’re the next Brad Pitt, and I’m … your struggling co-star.”

He chuckled. “I’ll hold you up. We’ll knock Lewis’s socks off.”

“But no more than that, okay? He’s kinda ewwy. Jay, on the other hand. I wouldn’t cry if you knocked his pants—”

“Shut up. Stay away from him. He’s old.”

“He’s in his thirties.”

“He’s married.”

I sighed. “There is that. Maybe he and the hubby are into threesomes.”

“Atticus!”

“I’m kidding.”

Asher parked in front of the funny farm and idled. “I’ll pick you up at three thirty, okay?”

“Okay.”

Before I could get out, Asher knocked my shoulder. “Don’t fret. We’ll get this gig, and you’ll be able to finish school. Hell, we’ll get you out of this house too.”

“Thanks, Ash.”

“Later.”

Chapter Six

“YOU WILL BEHAVE. You are not the one doing the acting. Capeesh? The only part I want you to play is the dead victim. Lie still and don’t fucking move, or I’ll beat you, and not in a good way.”

Asher’s Jag pulled to the curb beside where I was standing, having a heart to heart with my traitorous male appendage.

I yanked the door open and fell onto the seat.

“Were you standing beside the curb, talking to your dick?”

I gasped then, resigned, I shrugged. “Yes. I was threatening it and reminding it that you were my brother, and we didn’t need a repeat of yesterday while we had an audience.”

“And did you get a response?” Asher’s lip quirked.

“Yes. He told me, ‘Fuck you, buddy, we haven’t seen action in months, and if all you’re giving me is incestuous action, I’ll take it.’”

“Your dick’s kinda an asshole.”

“I agree.”

“You ready to do this?”

My heart fluttered, and new beads of sweat erupted over my skin. “I guess. Ready as I’ll ever be.”

“We have to get it right. Lewis won’t give us a second chance.”

“I know.”