We’d gotten something on paper and I agreed to set up everything he needed in real time. I went down to his in-house studio and made sure all the equipment he used to make music couldn’t be fucked with from the outside. Then, he and I backed up his laptop together and I refreshed his spyware and gave him my personal card to get in contact if he needed me.
Afterwards I had a slow cruise home where I ate a quick dinner by myself, took a shower, then climbed into bed and watched the video footage from Jiselle and Stone hanging out together after I’d already left. I waited patiently for my time slot with her to come.
The second she called, I had the phone in my hand but waited two more rings before I picked up, my camera already off.
Her phone was propped on something while she sat on the floor in her living room in front of the camera. She’d taken her hair down and brushed it and wore a soft, little, pink robe tied shut.
“Hey there, Ghost.” She referred to me by my online screenname, DataGhost.
“Hey there, Jezzy,” I said.
She leaned back on her hands and my eyes raked over her body.
“How are you today?”
“Better now that I’m talking to you.”
“You flatter me.” She smiled. “Was there something in particular you wanted to talk about?”
“Not really,” I confessed. “I just wanted to check on you.”
“That’s sweet, Ghost. I’m good honestly. I’ve just been working and doing my best to enjoy life.”
“I feel that. Hopefully we’ll be doing a lot of that in the near future.”
“Let’s hope so.” She reached over for her bong and lit up, taking a long drag. “So, how’s work going?”
“It’s good. I’ve been a little busier than usual but I actually like that. It makes the time go by faster.”
“Don’t rush your life away,” she warned.
“I’m not. For real. I’m just counting down till this weekend.” I cleared my throat. “Can I ask you something personal?”
“Maybe.” She lifted an eyebrow, hit her bong again, then blinked at the screen. “Let’s hear it.”
“Are you dating anyone? In real life?”
I was asking more to see her reaction to the question than to hear her answer. I also wanted to hear how she actually felt about dating when she was just answering a question to someone she didn’t care about or plan on ever seeing in real life. She thought we didn’t know each other. That was usually when people were the most open, speaking to strangers they were confident they’d never interact with again.
“Nope.” She laughed. “That was the question?”
“That was the question,” I confirmed. “Can I ask why?”
“Well…” She took her hand and gestured down her body.
“What does that mean?”
“That a lot of men don’t want to date women who do cam work.”
“But if someone did, would you give them a chance?”
“I’m not against it but I’m not looking, settling, or changing.”
“I respect that.” I exhaled. “So, what’s your type?”
“Why? Are you offering to date me?”
“Maybe.”