Page 35 of The Money Shot
“Oops! Let me turn that down,” Laura said with a smirk, lowering the volume but continuing to watch the clip.
I grabbed my pint and gulped down half of it in one go. The beer landed in my gut like a lead balloon, but at least it gave me something to do other than die of embarrassment.
Laura said nothing as she scrolled through my work, her expression unreadable. The silence stretched so long that I started to sweat. Finally, she handed the phone back to me and leaned against the bar, sipping her drink like we’d just been discussing the weather.
“So,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “What do I have to do to take this to the next level?”
Laura tilted her head, her eyes narrowing as she studied me. “You’re very easy on the eyes, Liam, I’ll give you that. But your content?” She waggled her hand in the universal meh gesture. “Boring.”
I frowned, feeling a mix of irritation and embarrassment. “Boring? How?”
“It’s vanilla,” she said bluntly. “And vanilla will only get you so far. If you really want to make the big bucks, you need to broaden your horizons.” She leaned in like she was sharing a trade secret. “You need someone to make videos with.”
I recoiled, nearly knocking over my pint. “You mean… have sex with someone? On camera?”
Laura shrugged, utterly unfazed. “Yes. There’s only so many times people will watch you, alone, doing your thing. They want something new, something different. Bring in another guy, let your subscribers see you in action, and I guarantee your business will take off.”
I shook my head, my face burning. “You don’t have sex with anyone in your videos.”
“That’s because I don’t need to,” she shot back, lifting her glass for a triumphant sip. “Plus, I always have someone to punish or humiliate. You? You’ve positioned yourself as the naked toy boy. If you didn’t want to get naked with someone else, you should’ve branded yourself as a Dom. But you didn’t.”
I dropped my face into my hands and groaned. “How am I supposed to find a guy to make videos with? It’s not like I can put up a help-wanted ad in the Times.”
Laura giggled, the sound bright and irritatingly smug. “Have you read the personals in the Times? Plenty of freaks out there, Liam. Pay them enough, and they’ll do whatever you want.”
I peeked at her through my fingers, wishing the floor would just open up and swallow me.
Before I could say anything, she snatched my phone out of my hands again. “Hey!”
“Shh.” She waved me off, her fingers flying over the screen.
I watched her warily as she opened X (Twitter) and started scrolling, her brow furrowed in concentration. “What are you doing?”
“Looking for solutions.”
Her focus was unnerving. I gulped the rest of my pint, trying to ignore the tight knot forming in my stomach. Finally, she smirked and turned the screen toward me.
The profile she’d pulled up featured a grinning, shirtless guy flexing in front of a mirror. His username read BIGSTEVEXXX, and his bio was even worse: Hungry, submissive otter, professional slut. Looking for men to make videos with. DM me.
I stared at the screen, horrified. “Laura, are you serious?”
“Dead serious.” She grinned and tapped the screen. “See? He’s local, and there are plenty of others like him around here.Just scroll through X, or check out the FantasyFans subreddit on Reddit. That’s where I find most of my co-stars.”
I slumped in my seat, my pint glass dangling from limp fingers. Laura might have been amused, but I felt like I’d wandered into an alternate dimension.
Laura scrolled some more, her fingers gliding over the screen. She paused, her face lighting up. “You live on Long Island, right?”
I nodded cautiously. “Yeah, why?”
“Look at this.” She shoved the phone toward me, her grin widening. “Here’s a cute guy named @Monster69. He’s got that whole innocent vibe going on, like you, and he says he lives on Long Island too. Hit him up, and I bet that’ll solve your problem.”
I hesitated, but took the phone. The profile she’d pulled up showed a guy with a preppy look: clean-cut, muscular, and wearing a fitted polo shirt that hinted at a gym routine I could only dream of keeping up with. He had dark blonde hair, perfectly styled, and sea-green eyes that practically glowed through the screen. His bio read: Looking for someone nearby to make content with. Let’s collaborate.
I stared at his picture longer than I probably should have, trying to imagine what it would even be like to message someone like him, let alone… work with him.
“See?” Laura nudged me with her elbow, pulling me out of my thoughts. “He’s hot, and he’s local. What more could you ask for?”
I was about to argue when Laura’s eyes suddenly widened, and her grin turned mischievous. “You know…” She leaned in, her voice dropping like she was about to reveal a juicy secret. “He kind of looks like Jack.”