Page 121 of Her Sloth

“L.A.P.D.,” says an officer. “Stay where you are, and hands where I can see them.”

“I’m so sorry, Sir,” I call with a weak voice. “We mean no harm. It’s just—“ I break off intentionally. I am an actor after all.

The torchlight hits me full in the face.

“Names?” he asks.

“Addy Morgan,” I say, because that’s the artist name I am known for.

“What are you doing up here?” he asks, rather friendlier; he probably knows my name.

“I—I’m so sorry for trespassing. My best friend died and she—“ I sob loudly, shedding more tears. “She loved this place so much and I—we—we needed to⁠—“

“You trespassed on city property,” he says, looking with the torchlight from me to Cass and back.

“I’m really sorry,” I say, breaking out in tears. “Her name was Hailey, you might have heard it in the news when it happened; she was⁠—“

“Hailey Monroe,” he says.

“Yes,” I breathe out, playing the performance of my life. “I asked my friend here to take me here because I recently had an accident. I just needed to be here—with her—it was Hailey’s favorite spot.“

“I am aware,” says the officer. “Arrested her twice here after multiple citations. Horrible story.”

He eyes me for a moment, fumbles on his bodycam.

“Leave, and I’ll let it rest this time,” he says and tilts his head to the gate.

I suck in my lips just to keep the performance running, as I get up and pretend to be in more pain than I am. “Ouch,” I say to underline the whole thing. Cass is with me immediately, helping me to get up entirely.

“Thank you, Sir,” I tell him silently as we walk past.

Cass and I walk back to the truck in silence. When we’re sitting in it, we look at each other and crack into laughter.

“That was one hell of a performance,” she says. “No wonder you’re as famous as you are.”

“Had some practice,” I say as Cass turns on the motor and drives the truck back to where we came from.

Her taste still lingers on me, wrapping me in a bedazzling scent of lust and desire.

“I won’t go back,” I say as we drive through Studio City. “To the industry. I’m done. Done with it all.”

“Okay,” she says and pauses for a moment. “What do you wanna do instead?”

“I don’t know,” I say, glancing at the passing Universal Studios where I have spent countless hours of my life. “Living, I suppose.”

“Sounds like a plan,” she says.

“I might annoy you for a while.”

“You can annoy me for the rest of my life,” she says, sucks in her lips, and rolls back her shoulders.

I just laugh, because her heart just lives on her tongue, no thinking in between.

“I can do that,” I say and add cheerfully, “As long as you let me eat your pussy here and there.”

“Wherever and whenever you want,” she says, a wide grin on her face.

I tilt my head, grinning just as much.