I didn’t even care that she was playing with a sex toy. It was the way she grinded and gyrated on the bed that had me mesmerized. The rocking of her body in time with the soft music. Even though her face was blurred out with some sort of filter, I was completely, totally transfixed by her. There was something captivating about this girl. Even though I was in a room with a hundred other dudes, and even though she was streaming this to who-knows how many other people on the internet, for a few moments it felt like she was doing it just for me.
For a few precious moments, I forgot all about my ex.
“Atta boy,” August said when he returned.
“What?”
He narrowed his eyes at me. “I see the way you’re watching her. You’re into it.”
“She’s hot,” I said casually. “And it’s up on the projector. It’s tough not to watch.”
“Whatever you say.” August glanced at the screen. “I didn’t have you pegged as an ass man.”
“I’m a full-package man,” I replied. “Body, brains, personality.”
August rolled his eyes. “Yeah, sure you are. Me? I’m all about that ass. Can’t get enough. My dream is to die with a girl sitting on my face. Just totally smothering me until all the life goes out.” He sighed happily. “Way better than old age.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re such a romantic.”
“Aren’t I?”
The woman on the projector screen glanced over her shoulder. It seemed like she was looking at the art above her bed, an unframed print of pink splotches that looked like modern art, but then turned to face the camera. “Back real soon, lovelies. Don’t go anywhere. I promise we’ll have somerealfun when I return.” And then the screen went black.
Half the guys in the room groaned. “What the actual fuck?” the party host loudly complained. He bent over the laptop and tapped the keys. “Did this bitch really just cut the feed?”
“Hey, relax,” Spencer said. “She’s probably changing into different lingerie or something.”
“I paid big bucks for this show,” the host argued. “She can’t just take a break in the middle of it. This isn’t the fucking DMV.”
“Gotta love technology,” August said. “You wouldn’t have this problem with an in-person stripper.”
“Yeah, yeah, we get it,” I said. “You hate technology and don’t even own a cell phone.”
“I don’t want to be a slave to my devices.”
“Were people a hundred years ago slaves to books just because that was the only entertainment they had?”
He glared at me. “You’re just trying to rile me up.”
“Only because it’s so easy!” I teased.
“I’m just saying, there’s a lot of cases of data privacy issues. Facebook got busted for using cell phone mics to listen in on people’s conversations and then target ads to them. Not to mention GPS tracking data. Conspiracy nuts think vaccines have tracking chips in them, but why bother when everyone carries around a smartphone that transmits all that data to Big Tech?”
“You’re the one who sounds like a conspiracy theorist,” I said, knowing it would get a rise out of him. “Next you’ll tell me you think birds aren’t real.”
August clenched his jaw. “Birds aren’t realis a joke conspiracy. It exists to make fun of all the other stupid conspiracy theories. I don’tactuallythink birds aren’t real, except as a joke.”
“Right,” I said doubtfully.
The projector screen flickered, and the video stream returned. “Sorry about that, my lovelies,” she said. “Now, where were we? Ah, yes. Mr. Spencer Gilroy…” She hefted the big green dildo with his name on it.
“What the fuck was that!” the party host shouted. He seemed to realize that she couldn’t hear him, so he bent over the laptop and angrily banged on the keys. “We’re not paying you to take piss breaks. Stupid cunt.”
It may have been my imagination, but the woman seemed to flinch. Like she was reading the comments as she went and saw what he had typed.
“We can’t let her get away with this bullshit,” the host announced. “Everyone, login to the feed with these credentials and give her a piece of your mind in the chat. That’ll make her think twice about ditching us in the middle of a show. Stupid cunt.”
Before I knew what was happening, I was striding toward him. “Hey, man. Chill the fuck out.”