Take your pick.
The comments started flying in instantly, with the people arguing over the costumes and which one would look best on Liam. Just like always. Nothing seemed out of place.
His favorite one won in the poll, and Liam put on the pink thong, short, pleated skirt with a lacy trim, and cropped jacket, pink and lavender lace and satin feeling decadent on his nakedskin. He had the lights dimmed almost completely, a scent diffuser set to make his room smell like chocolate, and his black satin sheet draped across the bed.
The camera was pointed toward the bed and the frame was set just the way Liam liked it best, so his face was slightly in the shadows and the more interesting parts of him caught the soft light just so. Liam knew his angles. He knew how to do his job and do it well. If this were any other day, he’d have felt a tiny little thrill just before the stream started.
He knew people usually thought all sex workers did it because they were desperate. Liam disagreed. He actually liked being on camera. He liked performing. Liked the reactions from people and the rush that came with knowing how he was affecting people.
But this wasn’t just any stream. This was the first time Liam was going to be acutely aware of every person tuning in to watch him. Wondering. Guessing. Suspecting. Fix had said he couldn’t be certain of anything without more evidence. It might not be related to his job at all…
But it could be.
That was the gut-churning thing. He’d been living with curses for years knowing someone hated him enough to keep casting them. He’d gotten used to compartmentalizing. It wasn’t new.
The flowers were.
As he sat on his bed, his stomach turned. Not from the usual pre-performance jitters, but because now the misery of his life had a real shape. It was looming, threatening and possibly dangerous.
And Liam could be baring himself in front of it.
He had no idea who this person was, or why they were doing this to him. He could have simply passed them in the street. He could have slept with them recently or years ago. He could have dated them for months. Maybe they’d found out about himthe same way Cane had. Maybe Cane hadn’t just given Fix his information.
Maybe all of this could be completely unrelated, and he could be working himself into a tangled mess for nothing.
There was no way to know, and it was driving him insane.
He tried to push it aside. He needed to work and couldn’t let this stop him, but the discomfort was like an unwanted guest in the room with him.
For a split second his mind made him think that maybe Fix had lied to him. Maybe he would look him up and see this stream. Maybe he was waiting for it to start just like everyone else. An unknown username among so many others.
It sent a shiver down his spine. He hoped Fix hadn’t been lying, but he…he wanted Fix to see. Maybe if he hadn’t been a coward he could have invited Fix to watch in person.
The thought made him squirm.
He got himself up on his knees in the middle of the bed and sat back on his heels. He looked down his body, hair loose and wavy around his shoulders. People liked when he wore it down. They liked it long and flowing around his head while he touched himself.
He wondered if Fix would. If he’d wrap it around his fingers when he kissed him. He wondered if he’d pull and position Liam’s head where he wanted it. He wondered if he’d know how to give Liam everything the others didn’t.
The thing was, Liam was mostly desire underneath all the barriers he erected. A dirty mind and a pretty body. He liked ideas. Liked the pretty pictures he created in his head and bringing them to life in the safety of his solitude. Bringing someone else into it had proven to be a bad move in the past. It never ended well for him. People took more than he offered. More than he was willingly giving.
And yet, his cock was straining the lacy thong he was in, and for the first time his own fingers on his nipples felt too soft. Too gentle. He pinched harder but it didn’t feel right. He didn’t really know what ‘right’ would feel like since Fix had never touched him, but he couldn’t help convincing himself it wouldn’t be what he was used to.
He ran his hands down his torso and plunged the tips of his fingers under the waistband of the short, pleated skirt he was wearing, teasing himself to keep his cock hard for the start of the stream. He didn’t want to drag it out tonight. He was too distracted.
He glanced at the clock and realized he was only seconds away from starting, so he took a deep breath and forced himself to sink into his head.
Fix’s shadow was still lingering. The rumble of his voice echoing in his head. The warmth of those eyes making him feel safe. Liam realized he wouldn’t be able to get him out no matter what he tried, so he watched the seconds on his timer run out and allowed the cursebreaker to stay.
The screen lit up, his chat filled with people instantly, and Liam turned into someone he probably wouldn’t recognize if he met him on the street.
His online persona was bold, seductive, a fatale. He was desired by people and he reveled in it. He could play them the way he wanted to and make them pay to see more.
“Welcome,” he whispered when the influx of people joining his stream slowed down and evened out.
Usernames flashed by his eyes, and he tried not to get fixated on committing them all to memory. Fix would figure it out. He needed to trust that.
“Like I said today in the announcement, today is your choice so I won’t be doing anything until you tell me what you’d like tosee,” he said, watching as the comments went wild with people suggesting things.
