I could tell he wanted to argue, but then he gave in. “Fine. I’ll be back tomorrow.” He picked up the air filters, but instead of leaving, he stood in the doorway. Hesitating.
“Is that all?” I asked impatiently.
He gave me an uncomfortable look. “I heard a rumor…”
My heart stopped.Oh no. Had I been careless with my identity? Had someone recognized an item in my bedroom on the stream, or maybe the texture on the walls, and he had discovered what I was doing? Nothing was illegal about it, but the last thing I wanted was for Mr. Fedener or anyone else to learn that I ran an OnlyFans account from my unit…
“I heard a rumor that rents are going up next month,” he said.
At first I was relieved, but then I groaned. “You’re kidding me.”
He nodded. “Mrs. Trout don’t always warn the tenants. It’s not right. Woman like her, squeezing everything she can out of those of us who live in a place like this. Just thought I’d say something so you know it’s coming.” He gave a curt nod. “You have a nice night.”
I closed and deadbolted the door, then shook my head. More rent raises. That was the problem with being on three-month leases in an apartment complex that was just barely a step above the slums. People like us could be taken advantage of because we had no other options. And by a woman like Sandra Trout, who owned most of the real estate in this town and had enough money to last a thousand lifetimes.
I was grateful for Mr. Fedener’s warning, but he had ulterior motives. He was on to me. I was certain of it. I didn’t think he knewexactlywhat I did, but he was suspicious. He could tell something unusual was going on in my apartment.
All the more reason to get out of this place.
A few more months on OnlyFans and I would be free. I was saving up for a down payment on a house. A place that I would own myself and never be beholden to any sleazy landlord. After shopping around, I had determined that I needed about $50,000 for a down payment on the size of house I wanted. That number was unthinkable a few months ago. An impossible amount of money for someone like me to save up. But thanks to my sexy side-hustle, it was within reach. I just had to hold out a little longer and I would be out of this dump.
And not just me…
I peeked through the peep-hole to make sure Mr. Fedener had gone down the hall, then I rushed back to my bedroom. I disrobed, tossed aside my baseball cap, and put my wig back on. After checking myself in the standing mirror, I laid out on the bed and used the remote to reenable the video stream.
“Sorry about that, my lovelies,” I said. “Now, where were we? Ah, yes. Mr. Spencer Gilroy…”
It’s only temporary, I thought as I hefted the dildo.Just until I can get out of this place.
2
Michael
I need to get out of this place, I thought while gazing out the window of the penthouse condo. This unit was at the top of the Omni Building, the tallest skyscraper in Fort Perth, New Mexico. The condo was two stories with lots of open air, and a gaudy spiral staircase leading up to a loft. It was at least four thousand square feet, far too large for any one person to live in, but tonight it was filled with nearly a hundred people. The lights were turned down low and music thumped from the speakers by the DJ stand. I could barely hear myself think.
I hated these sorts of things, even in the best of circumstances. I would rather relax with a small group of friends. I had gotten all of my partying out in college.
“Sir, can I get you something?” the bartender to my left asked. He smiled cheerfully from behind a very stocked bar. “The drink of the evening is a whiskey soda, but I can make anything you would like.”
“Sure, whiskey soda,” I replied.
While he made my drink, I turned my view from the windows to the giant projector on the wall that was showing college football. Baylor versus Texas A&M. Neither team was good this year, but it was better than trying to socialize.
“Mikey! What are you doing over here by yourself?”
I turned to my buddy August Cunningham. He looked sharp in a lean-fitting suit that was different from what I had seen him wear at work today. “I’m getting a drink.”
“You’ve been over heregetting a drinksince we got here,” he replied. “You look like you’re at a funeral.”
“I’d rather be at a funeral,” I replied. “There’s like a hundred people here.”
“Yeah,” he said in a confused tone. “It’s a party. They usually have people.”
“Bachelor parties are usually smaller. I don’t even know the groom very well. Neither do you.”
He put an arm around me and took my drink from the bartender. “Who cares? Relax, have a drink, and enjoy yourself.” He shoved the drink at my chest.
“I’ve reached the upper limit on my fun levels.”