Page 12

Chapter Twelve

Dominic

I’m not sure how long I should give him before I storm over to his house and demand he talk to me. It’s been nearly a week, and though, yes, part of my problem is that we have a legal obligation and what’s fair is fair, I’m actually worried about him. I hit a nerve. It wasn’t my intention, which is what I said in the beginning. I just wanted to give him a little insight into himself so he can understand how to make his life better.

I mean, I’m not perfect. But once I started figuring myself out and giving in to what I wanted and needed, I’ve been happier. Or in his opinion, dumb.

I used to be a miserable prick. I was lost, feeling like I didn’t belong anywhere. But I’ve got my life in order and I’m doing all kinds of stuff that makes me happy. I’m a free man who takes life by the reins and enjoys every second of it. I don’t let things bring me down. Life is too short to waste being sad or mad .

This whole situation is another reminder that it’s a good thing I decided to not be a psychologist. My bedside manner is shit, I know that.

I get up from my spot on the couch and shut the TV off. I need to change so I can go out and meet my buddies at the bar. Changing doesn’t take long, I just throw on a fitted pair of jeans, a button up, making sure to roll the sleeves up, and slip into some boots.

Shoving my wallet into my back pocket, grabbing my phone and my keys, I yank open my door, only to stop short.

“Neighbor,” I say, shaking out of my shock.

He’s staring at me wide-eyed, finger pointed toward the bell like he was about to ring it. He clears his throat, dropping his hand.

“Can we—” He stops, his eyes looking at me from head to toe. “Oh, you’re leaving. Sorry, I’ll come back another time.”

Now, this isn’t like him. This meek, almost scared man? This isn’t Mikah.

“No,” I say, grabbing his arm. He looks at where I’m grabbing him, then looks back up at me. I swear he’s more confused than anything, but I drop my hand because I don’t want to piss him off. “Sorry, I just meant I have time now. It’s not important.”

“Are you sure?” He scratches the back of his neck, turning to face me fully. A sliver of his skin shows off below his shirt, and I have to drag my eyes away. Honestly, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the way he came for me when I told him to—twice.

I’ve worked with a lot of men—and women—over the years and not many of them come on command like that. Yes, it’s something we should have some control over as it makes making videos and content much easier, but some people take more concentration than others. Some are really good at faking it. But Mikah? That wasn’t just about control for him. In fact, it was the opposite. He had no control. I could tell by the way he responded. He wanted to come, and when I told him to, he did… because I said to. He needs someone else to take control for him, to take care of him. And that? Fuck, that’s like a dream come true.

So I should probably stop doing things to scare him away. I wouldn’t be mad if he stuck around even after this video is made. He’s my neighbor and all, but he swears he still hates me. I’m not sure he actually does. I think I just annoy him, and he needs somewhere to put all of his anger and bottled up resentment. I’m fine with him taking it out on me, because I’ll give it right back to him and then he’ll feel better. But that’s not what I should be thinking about right now.

“Yeah, of course. This is business.” I move aside for him to come in.

Hesitating for just a second, he finally steps inside, letting out a long breath. He turns to me. “I’m sorry about the other day…”

“Don’t be sorry. I’m the one who should be sorry. That was completely out of line.”

“It was horrifying,” he admits. “But only because you were right. ”

I don’t know what to say to that, so I snap my mouth shut and just stare at him. Not that it’s any better, but at least my mouth won’t get me into trouble again.

He forces a smile, and says, “So, can we sit to discuss this?”

“Oh, yeah. Of course. You want a beer? Wine?”

“Vodka?” he asks, walking toward the dining table.

“You got it,” I say, pulling the bottle of Grey Goose from the cabinet and pouring us each two fingers.

I give him his glass, put the bottle in the middle of the table because we may need it, and then take the seat across from him. I’m not sure why I’m nervous. Maybe because I feel guilty for scaring him, and I don’t want to do that again. Usually I enjoy watching people squirm. I know I make people uncomfortable with my bluntness, but something about the look in his eyes before he ran off? No one has ever looked at me like that before and it was a lot.

“I realize I haven’t given you access to my account yet, which I’ll do as soon as we’re done here,” he begins, his voice low and emotionless. “I also realize that I forgot to mention something that wasn’t in the contract or on the limits list, so we need to discuss it.”

“Go on,” I say, bringing the glass to my lips. Vodka isn’t my favorite, but I’ll drink it. Hell, I’ll drink anything.

“In all of my content, I don’t show my face.”

I blink a few times, shifting in my seat. “None of them? ”

“None of them,” he says with a firm nod. “And it’s not that I’m opposed to it, I just know my life is easier when people don’t recognize me. I’m not sure how you want to handle this.”

“Well, that’s up to you, really. You allowed me to stick to my persona in the videos for you, and I’ll give you that same courtesy.”

“I want your honest opinion, though.”

His words are genuine, and I think if I were standing, I’d be knocked on my ass. He’s being weird. Different. Normally he’s arguing with me, giving me a hard time, and now he’s… asking for advice?

“Are you okay?” I ask carefully, holding my hands up. “Again, I’m not trying to offend you, but you’re not acting yourself.”

He nods again. “I’m okay. Just spent a lot of time thinking, and I guess I’m not in the best mood.”

He’s never in a great mood. He’s grumpier than that damn cat all the time. RIP Tardar Sauce. I loved that damn cat. But this mood is different. Somber. He seems almost sad.

“We can wait on this.”

He shakes his head. “No, I’d rather get it over with.”

“Okay then. If you want my honest opinion… If I were you, I’d make sure this video was behind a paywall and explicitly state that it’s a face reveal. Moving forward, keep any content that has your face in it as bonus videos to make more off them. This gives people the option to see you if they want to, and it gives you more money. Especially because I’m sure plenty of my subs will move over to yours and they’ll want to see those videos. It’s ty pically the trend after I do a video with someone. We both see an increase in subs.”

He nods in acknowledgment, running his tongue along his bottom lip.

“That makes sense. I think I’ll take your advice.” He sighs, looking as if he’s thinking something over in his head. “I want you to…” He pauses, gritting his teeth. “I want you to take full control in this video. Tell me what you want me to do, and I’ll do it. Even if it puts me out of my comfort zone, I think it’ll be good for me. And keeping it behind another paywall helps me feel better about it.”

I stare at him, my dick hard as a rock at his words. Tell me what you want me to do, and I’ll do it.

I don’t know why I have such a control kink, and why it’s so fucking hot when people listen to me, especially in the bedroom, but I’ve long decided I don’t care why. I just do it and enjoy it. And when someone like Mikah comes into my life, someone who actually needs it and doesn’t just want it for the fame, fuck, it’s the best.

Most of the guys I make videos with enjoy me taking charge. It turns them on. They do it because it’s part of their persona and because it’s fun. But Mikah? This is trauma related, and that’s so fucked up, but I love a good sad brat who needs to be put in his place to heal.

“Are you sure?” I ask carefully.

“Absolutely.”

“All right then. When do you want to do this? ”

“Tomorrow.”

He isn’t asking, and that’s fine with me.

“Be here at seven?” I say.

“Sure.” He finishes his vodka, then gets up. I get up too.

“Hey, I’m going out if you wanna come with me. Meeting some friends at the bar.”

“Thanks, but I’m just going to go home. CP has been acting weird.”

“Like he needs to go to the vet?”

“I don’t know. Probably. Because of course, now would be the time when I’d get an astronomical bill.” He heads for the door, muttering a “good night,” as he leaves. I stand in place, wondering what he’s into that he doesn’t have any goddamn money.

I haven’t seen his page yet, so I don’t know how many subs he has. But BTL isn’t a small company and if he’s one of their top creators, he’s making bank. So where is all his money going? He lives alone. Has lived there for years. His house is paid off, so is his car, according to one of the neighbors who likes to gossip about everyone on the block.

Looks like my curiosity around my neighbor has just grown.

I’m on my way to the bar when I get an email notification that I’ve received a promo code to get access to Mikah’s BTL page. My fingers are itching to grab it, but I focus on driving. The bar is only a few minutes away. When I get to it, I grab a spot, put the car in park, and snatch up my phone.

Yep, I was right about him using a pseudonym. Michael Preston.

I guess it’s possible his name is Michael, but I’ve accidentally gotten his mail more than once and it’s always addressed to Mikah Reed. Even the stuff that looks legal. I’ll have to ask him about that one day. For now, I want to see about this no-face nonsense.

How does he have so many subs—because he does have a lot—and none of them have seen his face?

After setting up my account and putting in the promo code that gives me lifetime access, I browse the most recent videos and click on the one titled Watching My Neighbor Get Head.

This naughty boy monetized that? I guess I can’t blame him. It’s smart.

I click on it, and it takes way too long to load. I’m so impatient, it’s not even funny.

Finally it loads and plays. Mikah walks into the frame that’s pointed at the sliding glass door. You can’t see out of it, just darkness and some flickering light from the fire. Mikah leans against the glass door and gets his dick out. He’s so hard as he starts to stroke himself. I love getting this angle of things after getting a full frontal when it happened. I watch until he comes. Then he walks away, face hidden, and then the camera zooms in on the mess he made on the glass before cutting off .

That was for me. He came for me, all over his fucking glass door.

I move on to another video. He’s in the shower. You can see him only from the neck down. His body is covered in soap, his chest hair full of tiny bubbles. His large hands move across his body quickly enough that it looks normal, but also slow enough that it looks almost teasing and purposeful. This man knows what he’s doing. He’s made a fortune off being a tease. As time goes, his dick starts to thicken and grow stiff. He ignores it for a little while, until he’s groaning in frustration, his dick bobbing. He jerks off, coming with a deep sigh, then turns the shower off and gets out. His back is to the camera now, and he’s still in the frame, so you can see him drying off. See that perfect ass. He gets dressed, then walks off.

He’s set this up like secret cameras throughout his house, marketing his videos right at voyeurs. So, he likes to be watched, hm? I wonder how much.

I go back to some of his older videos, and they’re all the same. Him doing basic things, getting horny, jerking off. There are a few where all he’s doing is cooking or cleaning—naked. He isn’t your typical content creator, but maybe that’s what’s made him so popular. You don’t get a bunch of the same from him and there are plenty of people out there who want something different. I see why he’s worried about doing this video with me, but I don’t think he should be. The comments under the videos, along with the likes, tells me he has plenty of fans who like all his stuff. They’re going to eat up this new content .

I scroll back up to where I saw a poll about a “secret project” and type a comment. Hopefully this isn’t going too far, and he doesn’t get angry about it. I probably should ask before putting it out there, but he’s got to let them know somehow.

Me: Can’t wait for everyone to see the masterpiece we made.

I could have left the “we made” part off the end, but nah. I like to push boundaries, and Mikah has a lot of boundaries that need pushing. He’ll thank me for it one day.