14. Chapter 14
14
Sophie
“You were supposed to wait for me.” I sound more annoyed than I actually am.
Natalie is in the living room doing morning yoga when I emerge from my bedroom for breakfast. Standing on one leg, using one foot to prop the other leg up on her knee, Natalie ignores me. Her hands are together, palms facing each other, in front of her chest and I assume her eyes are closed, but she’s facing away from me.
“You snooze, you lose,” she says after a minute or so.
I turn away to start making a bowl of oatmeal. While it cooks in the microwave, I pour my coffee and then lean against the counter to wait.
“So, when are you seeing Brody again?”
Natalie doesn’t turn to face me. I chew the inside of my cheek, trying to decide how much to tell her. She’d call me an idiot for giving Brody another chance. Her bullshit threshold with men is rather low, given how her last relationship ended. One could say the threshold is below sea level.
“Tuesday,” I finally admit.
“Gonna tell him?”
“Not sure yet.”
“Tell him soon. The longer you wait, the more likely he is to run away screaming.”
Not screaming , I think bitterly.
All I do is hum just as the microwave stops .
“Busy day?” I ask as I stir the oatmeal and then restart the microwave. I return to my spot, leaning on the counter and holding my very hot mug of coffee.
“Yeah, I’m working with someone new over in Van Nuys.” She turns to face me and sits on the mat, indicating that she’s near the end of her exercise. “She’s a cute little sub. Can’t wait to get my hands on her.”
The mischief dancing in those eyes makes me smile. I’ve enjoyed watching Natalie grow as a creator, even before we lived together. We were mutuals on social media for over a year before we met in person.
The microwave stops again, but I ignore the loud beeping. I blow on the coffee and bring it to my lips, keeping my eyes on my roommate. The microwave beeps again. She closes her eyes to breathe slowly, in and out as a third round of insistent beeping fills the air.
“Please open the microwave. I can’t handle verbally abusive kitchen appliances today.”
After breakfast, I set to work. I angle the tripod ring lights toward the bed in the studio, one at each corner. I attach my webcam to one and plug it into my laptop. The rolling desk that we keep in the corner of the room goes beside the bed with my laptop sitting on it, facing toward the bed so I can read the chat.
I quickly change into a red lingerie set, then slip on a floral, silk robe. I lay out a waterproof blanket, not wanting to dirty the sheets for this activity, and set a few toys on it, off to the side. I’ve chosen a clit sucking toy, three dildos of varying sizes, and a vibrating wand.
Connecting my phone to the Bluetooth speaker on the bedside table, I search through the playlists I use for my cam sessions. Some of the lists are more playful while others sound more like what the internet lovingly refers to as baby-making music . I choose playful, then get settled on the bed and drape the robe over my breasts, just barely covering them. My belly button is visible through the opening.
I cross my legs and prepare to start the broadcast. First, however, I grab one of the dildos and suck the tip into my mouth, taking a selfie to share on the social media platforms and let my followers and fans know that I’m about to go live.
After a deep breath, I tap the button to begin and plaster a smile on my face .
I raise my hands over my head and stretch, wiggling my torso so that my breasts and belly jiggle. This movement causes the robe to fall open further. I hear the chime indicating that someone has sent a message in the chat and I glance at the computer, humming in disappointment.
“No tip, no response, babes,” I chirp.
I smirk and slip the robe from my shoulders. The material glides down my tawny skin, revealing my hodgepodge of tattoos as it moves. I lick my lips and then catch my bottom one between my teeth, attempting a seductive look. I’m sure I succeed, but I always feel a bit like a moron when I do that sort of thing.
“What can I do next?” I moan.
I require at least one token for a response, but a single token is only worth ten cents. Still, it’s better than nothing. I fight the urge to roll my eyes and respond that I live in LA.
I bring my hands up and play with my nipples, ignoring the message about meeting up. I moan as my fingers tug and pinch, but I can’t do this forever. I hope to see something else pop up soon.
I continue playing, but I’m getting bored. Most cam sessions start this way, so I’m not worried. The longer I’m online, the more viewers I’ll get. The higher the viewer count, the further up the main page I’ll be listed.
Now, I roll my eyes. There will always be people like him who want something for nothing, but the chat begins to fill up with comments. Most don’t accompany tips, so I just watch. One viewer tips enough for me to begin playing with my clit over my panties and I oblige, leaning back on the pillows and moving my legs to give the camera the right view. My fingers rub and circle while I moan, despite it being only vaguely pleasurable.
Another tip comes through for the menu item requesting that I shake my ass for the camera. I roll over and raise onto my hands and knees before shaking my backside. This only lasts a few seconds before I roll over to lie back down.
Each tip escalates after that. Once my clothes are on the floor, the broadcast is a whirl of toys being requested for use in all of my holes. I follow along, attempting to give each tipper several seconds of fun, if not more. The direct messages begin to light up, but I don’t check. While the main chat is being filled with tips, there’s no reason for me to break off into a solo cam session.
After a couple of hours, I find myself lying on my side. The vibrating wand is tucked between my legs, focused on my clit, but without so much pressure that an orgasm is anywhere nearby. I have a small dildo in my mouth and a slightly larger one in my asshole, gently fucking myself as the tips continue to roll in.
I pull the dildo from my mouth momentarily and grin at the message.
“You got it,” I purr, speeding up the movement behind me and closing my eyes. I return to sucking on the toy in my mouth.
I let my head fall back and, as pleasure builds, drop the dildo from my mouth to focus on what’s happening below my waist. Putting more pressure on my clit with the vibrator is what sends me over the edge as I shove the toy all the way inside me. Knees bent, my toes curl and I cry out as the orgasm races through me. I milk it for all it’s worth, moaning and whimpering to put on a show.
When the waves subside, I slide the dildo from my ass, suppressing a shiver as the length leaves me, and hold it up for the viewers. I simultaneously turn off the vibrator to keep it from overstimulating me.
“Who wants to clean this up for me?” I ask with a smile. Several messages come in from volunteers and I laugh. “Oh, you boys are so wonderful to me. But I think I have to end this broadcast for now. I’ll see you all next week. Bye!”
I wave and use my clean hand to stop the broadcast.
“I can’t get up,” I mutter, lying back on the waterproof blanket and dropping the toys, eyes fluttering closed. There’s a knock on the door. “Come in,” I sigh.
Natalie opens the door and I can feel her eyes on me as a chuckle escapes her throat.
“Good show?”
“Pretty damn.” I nod. “Give me a couple minutes and I’ll get all this cleaned up.”
“You’re fine, just wanted to let you know I’m home. I was thinking about going for a hike if you want to join me.”
“How do you have the energy for that after filming?”
“It’s nature. I always have time for nature. Come on. Clean up and let’s get moving!”
With a groan, I sit up and scoot to the edge of the blanket, careful not to get any excess lube or bodily fluids on the sheet beneath. Cleanup doesn’t take long. Once finished, I join Natalie in the living room. She tosses a water bottle to me before heading down the stairs and I barely catch the damn thing before it can hit me in the face.
The drive to Griffith Park is peaceful, despite the traffic. No outbursts from my roommate. I’m still not overly familiar with all the trails in the area, but Natalie has her favorites. She leads the way from the parking lot and we begin the slow climb.
I’m out of breath before we’ve gone fifty feet.
“I’m taking you on hikes more often,” Natalie chuckles when she realizes how difficult this is for me. “Just let me know when you need a break.”
“How about a break where we go home?” I ask, my voice annoyingly breathy and weak.
“Nope. Gotta make it to the top, fat ass.”
I roll my eyes. I have no problem with my weight and she knows it. The words don’t hurt, just the fact that she’s going to make me walk this whole stupid trail. We pass a couple walking a golden retriever who looks very happy to see us.
“Oh, can I pet her?” Natalie asks.
The man nods and grins, tight-lipped. He’s tall and skinny with circular glasses and ginger stubble on his chin. The young woman’s dirty blonde hair blows in the breeze as she holds tight to the dog’s leash.
“This is Oakley,” she says with a smile as Natalie kneels. I join her.
“Aw, such a good girl,” Natalie coos to the dog whose entire back half is wiggling as her tail wags.
We both love on the pup for a minute or two before letting the couple continue on their way with a wave. Then it’s back up the mountain we go.
“I have,” I pant, “a confession to make.”
“Uh oh,” Natalie laughs without looking at me. She’s a couple of steps ahead of me on the trail.
“Before you get mad,” more panting, “just know I’m going with my gut here. ”
“Yeah, yeah. Just make sure it’s actually that intuition of yours. It’s on point, but sometimes you follow a different… instinct.” She glances back at me with a knowing smile, but I just shake my head.
“Brody,” I continue, still huffing, “he sort of ran off on me the other night.” Natalie stops and turns to face me.
“He what now?”
“I asked you not to get mad.”
“No, you said ‘before you get mad’, which is totally different.”
I ignore the fact that she’s right.
“I already told him about my work and I thought he was ok with it for a sec, but then, boom . He just ran.”
“Like, knocking over tables, ran?”
“No.” Laughter comes out through my nose in a huff. “But he got out of there as fast as he possibly could.”
“So what’s the confession?”
“He wants to apologize.” I bite my lip and look down at my shoes, unable to meet Natalie’s eyes. “So I said I’d see him on Tuesday.” When I look up again, she’s scowling. That's understandable. “He’s got my painting from the other night!”
“You and I could do the same thing at home for cheaper and we could drink more because we’d already be home.” She turns and continues the hike.
“Remember when I said I’m following my gut?” I ask, trying to keep up.
“You’re following something,” I hear her mutter. “But I think it’s a little lower.”
“Sigh, Nat.”
“Did you just say the word sigh?” She laughs. Either her annoyance at my forgiving a man I just met is forgotten or I’m just that funny. I choose both.
“Yes, I did. I didn’t think an actual sigh would be enough.” Were I standing still, I’d cross my arms. Instead, I continue swinging them as we walk, trying to give myself some momentum. “Your prejudice against men isn’t enough to influence me.”
“Oh fine, but at least let me do another emergency call. Just in case.”
“Deal.”
My phone rings on the way home.
“It’s Lance,” I say with a hint of surprise.
“What is it with you and these disrespectful men?” Natalie grumbles as she spins the steering wheel, turning just as the light changes to red.
I ignore her and press the button to answer the call, lifting the phone to my ear.
“Hello?”
“Hey Honey, hope it’s ok that I called,” says Lance. I can hear the worry in his voice. He clearly knows he screwed up the other day.
“Sure, what’s up?”
“I wanted to apologize for Tuesday,” he says quickly as if the words need to be said before he loses his nerve. “I shouldn’t have kissed you like that after the scene. I took advantage.”
“It’s ok,” I hear myself saying. Mostly because I’m not sure how else to respond. I’m not mad about it, not remotely. That’s Natalie’s department.
“It wasn’t professional,” he continues. “I’d love to work with you again, but only if you’re comfortable with it.”
“Lance, it’s ok. We’re good. I appreciate you apologizing.” I lick my lips, knowing Natalie is listening to every word. “I’ve got some free time Sunday, if that works for you.”
“Sunday afternoon ok?” He’s perked up.
“Yeah, that’ll work. Your place or mine?”
“I’m happy to come over again if it makes you more comfortable.”
I bite my lip. Yes, of course I’m more comfortable in my own space.
“Let’s do mine then. Let me know if you have any thoughts on a scene. I’ll try to come up with something.”
“You got it. See you Sunday. Thanks for giving me another chance.”
After hanging up, I look over at my roommate. She’s not meeting my gaze, but that’s probably good since she’s driving.
“So judgey today.” A faint smile plays on my lips.
“I love you,” she sighs. “But you don’t have the best track record.”
My smile falls. It’s a low blow, but she’s right. It’s less about my experience with male co-stars and more about the men I date. She's the only person who knows everything that happened with Caleb.