Page 10

Chapter Ten

Aspen

Seven in the fucking morning. That’s what time Zeland woke me today. Does he not realize that I’m a night owl?! After years of working night shifts, I don’t like to be up before nine unless I have a class. But let’s face it, without a job, I can’t afford to continue attending. I’m not sure how many mental health days one student can take, but I’m sure I’m maxed out at this point. On the plus side, I snuck in a visit with my grandmother today, though it sucks that she doesn’t remember me. Today she thought I was my mother, but it was nice to see her somewhat alert.

“Hey,” comes from my headphones. I was wondering when he would come online .

“Hey yourself. I thought I would have to take on everyone by myself tonight.”

He chuckles. “Nah, I was out with my mom celebrating. I got the job at Ridgeland. Can you believe it?! My dream job.”

A twinge of guilt sits low in my chest and squeezes. What if Ridge fires him? It will be my fault that he had his dream job handed to him and then got it ripped out from under him.

“Congratulations, that’s amazing!”

“Oh shit, was that insensitive because you don’t have a job?”

I laugh. “No, of course not. I bet you’ve worked hard to get a job at a place like that. I don’t imagine they hire just anyone.”

“It’s Ridgeland, and while their game development isn’t the biggest, it’s always been my dream. Did you know that one half of Ridgeland owns the View4U app, and the other Ridez? Some of the technology they use is out of this world. I can’t wait to see what new games they plan to release.”

“I guess that means our late-night gaming sessions are going to end,” I say, feeling deflated at the thought. I enjoy our late-night chats—he’s so easy to talk to.

“Fuck no, chatting with you is the highlight of my day. If you didn’t catch on, I don’t exactly have friends lining up at my door. I’m a bit of an awkward loser.”

“Hey,” I snap, a little harsher than I intend. “You are not a loser. If you are, then so am I, as I have a grand total of two friends—you and the cocky douche I live with. Well, I guess he really isn’t a douche.”

Arlo chuckles. “Well then, friend, I guess you are stuck with me now. Can I ask you something personal?”

I freeze, even though he can’t see me—can I answer a personal question? I know I can’t if it’s to do with Ridge or Zeland, as they take their privacy seriously, hence the million pieces of paper I had to sign today.

“Of course,” I answer, even though I shouldn’t.

“What’s your favorite type of cheese?”

I snort. “I don’t really like cheese, unless the answer is ‘on pizza.’”

Arlo gasps. “I might have to revoke the friendship card. What weirdo doesn’t like cheese?”

“Well, it gives me gas, and there is nothing worse than that feeling. I’m a girl and get enough of that from getting my period every month.”

“Fair point. Man, I would be a little bitch if I had to bleed every month. You deserve an award.”

I chuckle. “I don’t know about the award, but chocolate seems to do the trick.”

It’s so easy to get lost in conversation with Arlo, and we spend forever talking without even playing the game. Our conversation goes full circle back to his new job.

“What do you think I should wear? I was told casual, but to me casual is a pair of jeans, a Rick and Morty T-shirt, and my overworn chucks.”

“Hmm, do you have any button-up shirts, even just a casual one? ”

“Um, let me look. I think my mom got me one for Christmas two years ago.”

I hear him move around, ruffling something. “Ah ha,” he says proudly. “I do.”

“Okay, and do you have a plain white or black shirt to wear under it? That way, if the dress code is super casual, you can unbutton it, but if not, you can leave it done up.”

“You are a genius. What would I do without you?”

I chuckle and lie back in the massive bean bag I dragged out of the corner of the room, opting to be comfortable over sitting on the recliners. “Clearly you’d wear a Rick and Morty shirt on your first day of your dream job.”

That makes him laugh and his phone chimes once, then a second time. “Do you need to go?”

“No,” he says and coughs. “It’s an alert for the View4U app. Someone recommended a new creator.”

“Oh yeah?” I say, pulling out my own phone. “I downloaded the app after you mentioned it. I must admit some of the material is amazing for the spank bank. What’s the creator’s name?”

“HideNSeekHottie,” he says with a chuckle.

Fucking Zeland , I curse silently as I pull up the account and see that it’s mine. I thought we settled on MaskedMenace for me and ChaseMeMaybe for him.

“I think our phones have been listening to our conversations,” I say with a laugh. “Isn’t this one of your kinks?”

“Yes, and I’m eternally grateful I have a job now because I just subscribed. A sexy woman in a mask? Yes, please. Holy fuck, did you click the video clip?! ”

“No, but I will now.” I click the video and it’s a thirty-second clip of me, dragging the bat along the ground saying, “If I catch you, you’ll get on your knees for me.” The clip ends with me spreading my legs, but the camera view is from behind, so you don’t see anything naughty.

“How hot is that clip!” he blurts out, and I agree.

I want to ask Zeland for the full clip. I have never wanted to watch myself be fucked before, but somehow Zeland has changed my mind.

“Maybe I should let you go and get acquainted with your hand, then get some sleep and be ready for your big day. I actually need to shower and attempt to sleep as well.”

Arlo laughs. “Are you ditching me to go flick the bean?”

“Busted. Good luck tomorrow. I can’t wait to hear how it went.”

I’m not lying either; I can’t wait. Also, I can’t wait to tell Zeland that I am coming to work with him tomorrow—I want to see what Arlo looks like in person.

“Goodnight.”

“Night,” I reply.

I remove the headset and place it back on the holder and go on a mission. First to find Ridge and threaten him that he can’t ever fire Arlo, then to get Zeland to send the clip to me so I can watch it all the way through.

Weaving through the house, I search all the areas Ridge might be before I venture up to his room. I wonder if he is as anal about people in his space as he is about everything else. When I knock on his door, it’s Zeland’s voice that responds.

“Come in, Pocket Rocket.”

Twisting the handle, I push open the door and see both men in bed. “Shit, you could have told me to fuck off.”

Zeland laughs.

“I told him that, stray, but he just had to invite you in,” Ridge says with a scowl.

“You can join us if you like,” Zeland offers, ignoring the brooding man beside him. “We are watching some boring-ass show about... I don’t even know what it’s about. I’ve been playing with his cock.”

I chuckle at his openness.

“Is there something you want?” Ridge deadpans.

Right, I came up here on a mission.

“Yes, you can’t fire Arlo,” I say matter-of-factly, trying to use the tone he does when he is on the phone.

“And why would I do that if he does his job?”

“Well, I didn’t think of that, did I? Honestly, I thought you only gave him the job to be a controlling asshole.”

Zeland chuckles, and Ridge puts him in a headlock since he was lying on Ridge’s arm. My mouth falls open at the bulge of his biceps—fuck, he has gorgeous arms.

“I might have looked into him to know more about the guy the stray Zeland brought home was talking to, but his skills are impressive. Were there any other demands?”

“Yes. Zeland, you’re an asshole! I just saw the username HideNSeekHottie. Really?! ”

Zeland laughs. “I’m not sorry. Have you seen how many subscribers you’ve already gotten?”

“That’s beside the point, and can you send me the full video?”

His eyes light up, and he pushes up onto his elbows with a shit-eating grin. “You wanna see us fuck, Pocket Rocket? I can confirm it’s hot.”

“Just send it to me, asshole. And I hope Ridge shoves his cock so far up your ass you walk with a limp tomorrow.”

“You and me both.”

“Will you two please stop?”

“Yes, daddy,” we both say in unison and Ridge gags. I laugh at him and look at Zeland. “Just send me the video.”

I turn and walk back out before I get any bright ideas about actually joining them to watch whatever boring-ass show is on the television. I have come to really enjoy their company, even the verbal sparring with Ridge, and it has become something I look forward to every day.

“I will send it now,” Zeland calls after me. “And clear your schedule—we have more content to film tomorrow.”

I don’t bother telling him I have classes because I’ve already decided I’m ditching them to spy on Arlo. I know it’s wrong—eventually I will have to tell him who I am.

By the time I’m back in my room and showered, my phone alerts me to a new email. When I open the app on my phone, I find there are two emails waiting from Zeland. One I must have missed earlier has my new email address for the View4U app and explains that I don’t want anything related to the app sent to my private email, since it is easily hacked. He set it all up for me and has given me the login details for that and my creator account with instructions. The second email is the video I requested.

I avoid the video I desperately want to watch and quickly set up the email on my phone, and as soon as I do, the notifications go crazy with comments on my video. I log into the app and scroll to the video and read through them.

KinkStalker:

I will get on my knees for you baby

ShadowPeeker:

New kink unlocked

DarkSoul_Gamer:

I swear this was made just for me

My heart races as I wonder if I should reply and then think fuck it .

HideNSeekHottie replies to DarkSoul_Gamer:

Maybe it was ; )

I respond to a few others as well, and I almost die when I see I already have a few thousand followers and eight hundred subscribers in a few hours. I click into the privacy tab and navigate to the payment section. Zeland didn’t explain exactly how you get paid. They broke it down that we get eighty percent of our subscriber payments, and any private videos we get one hundred percent. Then we also get bonuses based on views.

Well, shit, my interest is piqued right now. Especially after seeing the payment tiers Zeland has set up. Viewers pay to see certain content, but he has added a few others that have a locked symbol. I’m presuming he wants to run them past me first since the highest tier mentions nudity, and I don’t know how I feel about porn being on my resume.

I spend way too long flicking through other creators’ accounts. Most of the women flaunt their assets, which I’m down for if you have tits; however, I’ll need a push-up bra with extra padding to give the illusion I have bigger boobs. The male creators get a little more inventive, some simply get their cocks out and stroke them, some do a striptease, and other content like mine seems to just be shirtless men in all types of masks. I can understand how this app can get addictive.

After mindlessly scrolling for over an hour, I open the email from Zeland, and I skip ahead to when he spreads my legs. Then I watch it all the way through from where he fucked me against the fridge, making me hot and bothered. Sliding my hand down beneath the waistband of my pajama shorts, I tease myself, starting the video again until it ends for a second time. Then I ditch my phone and use my imagination; Zeland’s on his knees for Ridge, who has his hand tangled in Zeland’s hair, and Arlo is being forced to watch while I sit behind him and stroke his cock. My entire body tingles at the thought and I work myself to orgasm, thinking about the three men in my life. They’re ones I didn’t ask for but don’t seem to be going anywhere.

I never get attached to anyone. If my own mother didn’t want to be around me, why would anyone else? Getting closer to them will no doubt end in heartache, and yet I can’t force myself to leave. I want to be around them until they no longer want me, no matter how badly it’s going to hurt in the end.