CHAPTER 11 – AN UNEXPECTED PROPOSITION #2
Finally, Eliza lifts her head, and her eyes are pure devastation.
“It was my mom,” she says. “She found it.”
A cold chill runs up my spine. “Found what?”
She presses her lips together, furious at herself. “The lingerie. I bought this new set, you know, for… for you. I was so stupid! I hid it in my closet, but she was looking for my old swim gear and found the bag. She opened it and saw everything. She went ballistic.”
I pause for a moment, nodding at a pink plastic bag she’s retrieved from her duffel.
“Is lingerie really that terrible though?”
Eliza’s shoulders slump.
“It’s sexy lingerie, Jack, that I bought to wear for you. It’s bad because I usually wear plain cotton stuff. You know I do. But I wanted to spice things up so I went to a fancy boutique and picked up stuff that’s definitely risqué.”
Despite the severity of the situation, I harden a bit in my pants.
“Show me.”
With slow fingers, Eliza opens the bag and pulls out a red bra that’s made of sheer lace.
It’s strappy and delicate, offering no support whatsoever.
Not only that, but it’s obvious her nipples would show through the lace.
This isn’t a bra made for coverage - it’s made the eyes of a man, and I love it.
But I need to stay serious given my girl’s despair.
“Okay, what else?”
“I bought the matching panties too,” Eliza whispers in an agonized voice.
She pulls out a scrap of red lace before holding it up, and immediately, I see why her mom was floored.
The thong isn’t much more than a postage-stamp sized square of fabric with string attached to it.
It’s a clit patch at most, and there’s no way Eliza would wear the item for comfort or coverage.
Of course, I love it, and can’t wait to see my girl prancing around with nothing but a clit patch on, boobies bouncing, but this isn’t the time to be sketchy.
I process the purchases. “Did Nancy say anything?”
Eliza nods. “She screamed. It was bad. She asked me if I was ‘on drugs,’ if I was seeing some gross old man.” She laughs harshly, the sound like broken glass.
“She said, ‘Who’s this for? No one buys underwear like this unless it’s for a man.
’ I tried to tell her it was for a friend’s bachelorette party but she didn’t believe me.
She said I was lying. Said she was disappointed in me and then actually threatened to throw me out. ”
I put an arm around her shoulders and pull her close. Eliza lets herself be folded in, shivering. Her hair is soft and smells like coconut shampoo, and the makeup smeared on her cheeks gives her a haunted look.
“She said I’m not allowed to go out this weekend. Said if I try to leave she’ll call the cops.”
I blink. “Jesus.”
Eliza nods, wiping her nose. “So I left. I grabbed some stuff and just came here.”
We sit for a while. She keeps her head on my shoulder, squeezing my hand with a death grip. I listen to her breathing slow. Out the window, the world is black and still.
After a bit, I say, “Maybe we need to tell them about us.”
She jerks upright, eyes wide. “No. No way, Jack. You can’t.
If you do, it’ll ruin everything! My dad—he’ll never speak to you again.
You’ll never find a civilian job, and I know you’ve been looking recently.
But you’ll be branded a “creep” who takes advantage of young girls. ” Her voice breaks. “Please don’t.”
I shake my head, but I’m not sure if I mean yes or no. I tuck a lock of her hair behind her ear. “Sweetheart, I’m not going anywhere, and I don’t care what happens to me. I just don’t want you to get hurt.”
She smiles, faint, like a ghost. “I’m not the one in danger, Jack. It’s you.”
I almost laugh at that. “Not the first time, probably not the last.”
The curvy blonde curls into me, the blanket slipping from her shoulders. “I don’t care if they find out about us,” she says, voice small. “I just care that you don’t leave me.”
I hug her tight, her body trembling against mine. “Never,” I promise in a rough voice, and for the first time in a long time, I actually mean it.
A while later, after Eliza’s cried herself out, she goes to the bathroom to clean up.
I hear the tap run, the medicine cabinet shut, the muffled sound of her cursing the waterproof mascara that apparently isn’t.
When she comes back, her face is scrubbed clean and her hair’s up in a messy bun.
She’s beautiful like this, even wan and pale, and my heart swoops mightily.
I want to protect her. She’s mine, and even her parents finding out about us doesn’t really matter anymore - to me, at least.
I heat up some vittles—leftover from the poker night, but edible—and we eat at the kitchen counter, hunched over our plates.
She tells me about work, about how her boss tried to hit on her during lunch, about how she nearly cussed out an attorney for sending five “urgent” emails in a row.
I’m glad she’s able to talk about something other than Gerald and Nancy, and listen with patience.
“Sometimes I wish I could just quit and run away,” she mutters, brandishing her fork. “Go off the grid. Start over somewhere where nobody knows me.”
I nod. “There’s a lot to be said for anonymity.”
She sets her spoon down, and I can see that she’s thinking carefully. “Jack, can I ask you something?”
“Anything.”
She looks up, eyes shining in the dim light. “Do you want me to stop doing the cam stuff? Is that something that would make you happy?”
I set my spoon down. “Eliza, I want you. Just you, and what you choose to do is up to you. I adore that you’re an independent young woman, and I’m not going to judge you for holding down this specific job. It’s work, just like any other job, and it’s not easy.”
She nods slowly.
“But would you prefer if I stopped?”
I pause for a moment, her words hanging in the air.
“I don’t know,” I admit in a low growl. “You belong to me, Eliza, and I’ll say that I don’t feel great about other men seeing your curves.
I don’t love that other men get to ogle your big breasts and watch you come online, beautiful and gasping.
But again, you’re a thing of beauty, and after the ugliness I’ve seen in combat, the world needs more beauty. Who am I to keep you to myself?”
She pauses for a moment.
“I’ve never thought of it that way,” she says in a soft voice.
I nod.
“War changes a man, sweetheart. I’ve seen ugliness, and witnessed the worst sides of humanity. Meanwhile, you’re bringing beauty and pleasure to others, so who am I to judge you? I won’t condemn any woman for camming online.”
Eliza nods, biting her lip. Then she looks up at me swiftly.
“Have you ever thought about camming yourself, Jack?”
I’m so surprised that I blink, unable to answer for a moment.
“No. Definitely not. Who would pay to see a forty-five year old dude with battle scars?”
Eliza shrugs.
“I think a lot of gay men would love to see you, Jack. You’re a very handsome man.”
My mental door slams closed.
“Absolutely not. I’m not a gay man, and definitely no gay men will be ogling me.”
My girlfriend giggles, her laughter the first bit of lightness for a while.
“Okay, no gay scenes then. But would you consider camming with a female partner? Me, I mean?”
I stare at her, mouth agog.
“Are you serious?”
Eliza shrugs.
“Yes, maybe. There’s a lot, and I mean a lot, of money in camming, Jack. I think I could make even more if I had a male partner, and I know you’ve been looking for a new job. Not that you need the money given your Air Force pension, but it could be an option.”
“Absolutely not,” I grind out. “You’re gorgeous and men will pay to see you in any way, shape, or form, sweetheart. But bringing me into the picture? I think not.”
Eliza merely smiles again before putting her hand on my arm.
“Of course not, Jack. I just wanted to see what you thought, that’s all.”
I shake my head again before growling, “Absolutely not.”
Still, when we’re lying in bed, Eliza breathing deep and even beside me, I ponder her words again.
Me, in a porn film? Hell no. I know that Eliza blurs her face, and sometimes even wears masks to shield her identity, but she’s a gorgeous young girl with big breasts, a tight snatch, and a dirty way about her.
I’m none of that. No one would pay to see me.
Or would they?
I turn over because shit, the seed’s been planted in my mind … and the truth is, I’m not so sure that I’m a hard no to Eliza’s proposed venture.