Scott’s eyes grew wide. The bedroom was double the size. A four-poster gold bed was in the middle of the room, draped with thick fabric with red-and-gold patterns. The sheets were ashimmering gold, smooth beneath Scott’s hand. A camera on a tripod had already been positioned at the foot of the bed, along with a smaller camera at the side with its lens directed at the pillows.
“They’re goose feather,” Thomas explained, punching a pillow. “So is the duvet. It looks softer, and the sound it makes when you shift about will be muffled, gentler on your listeners’ ears. I’ve put waterproof covers on everything too.”
“That’s…good to know.”
Thomas wrinkled his nose. “We’ll wash the sheets every day.”
“I’m surprised you don’t want to burn them.”
“Want is the keyword,” Thomas echoed. “I dowantto burn anything you touch, but it’s bad for the environment.”
Scott snorted, shaking his head. “It’s too early for this…”
“There’s a bathroom through there with a double shower and a smart toilet.”
“What makes it smart?”
Thomas squinted. “It’ll spray water up your arse. Keep you nice and clean, but I’m warning you, don’t use its most powerful jet. You won’t be able to walk for a week.”
Thomas strode over to the window and opened the curtains. They were thick, with the same embroidered diamond and swirl patterns as on the bed, and beneath them hung a sheer piece of fabric, protecting them from the sun’s harsh glare and lighting the room in a soft glow.
“I’ve put a lamp on the other side of the room,” Thomas said, pointing to it. “It has an amber bulb in it, but I kept the lights in the ceiling white. I don’t want to wash out your complexion, but equally, I don’t want you to look gold or yellow on camera.”
“O…kay…”
“I’ve ordered some blue embroidered drapes to hang from the bed frame. They’ll compliment your eyes, and your skin tone, but as they’re custom made, they’ll take a week or so to make.”
“Wait? Custom? That sounds expensive.”
“They are, but you’ve got to spend money to make it. We’re all set for today.” Thomas nodded to himself, looking around the room. “But first,” he said, turning back to Scott. “Breakfast.”
“Breakfast,” Scott agreed, scratching the back of his head.
“Then you can shower and do whatever it was I interrupted earlier.”
“I was moisturising,” Scott replied. “It’s part of my morning routine.”
“Yes.” Thomas waved a dismissive hand. “That. Then we can get started.”
“Thomas…” Scott said softly.
“What is it?”
Scott glanced around the room. “It looks great.”
Thomas looked at him for a long moment, then left the room with no further comment.
At Thomas’s direction, Scott removed his amateur masturbation videos but kept his profile pictures and his biography unchanged. He apologised to the onetruesubscriber and told them he’d be back soon with better content.
The subscriber didn’t respond.
“You ready yet?” Thomas asked.
Scott flicked his hair forward, then back over his head before stepping out of the bathroom. Thomas waited for him, holding a clapperboard.
“Where the hell did you get that?”
“I told you; I bought a lot of pointless things over the years.”
