My finger trembling, I decide to click on a cam girl named Willow, and a cute girl with a blonde pixie cut pops up on the screen. She isn’t gorgeous by any means, but she has some sass that makes her appealing. She’s dressed in cut off jean shorts over fishnet stockings and a very tight button-down top that makes me uncomfortably aware that she’s not wearing a bra. Hmm. I thought all cam girls were butt naked, but then again, what do I know?
Willow appears to be in a bedroom with dark bedding and candles and she is seductively sucking on a lollipop. She must have just started her show because she is welcoming viewers with names like Mike123 and Tha_Stud. She begins by answering some questions they post. One guy asks what kind of lollipop she has.
“A blow pop, of course,” Willow answers with a wink.
After that answer, I hear a few little jingles, like when you earn a coin in a video game. Willow squeals and pops the lollipop out of her mouth.
“Thank you Tha_Stud!” she giggles. “Your ten dollar contribution is much appreciated!”
What? Tha_Stud has given Willow ten dollars? Ten bucks for sucking on a lollipop? That’s interesting, and my eyes narrow as I study the screen. Willow asks what the viewers think of her outfit and she gets more money as she lays on her back on her bed, head dangling upside down off the edge, with her fishnet clad legs crossed in the air above her.
More viewers are logging on and more “coins” are going in her bank. The slot machine bell is sounding constantly, and it’s quite distracting actually. I glance at the counter in the corner, and my jaw drops because Willow has made $100 in 10 minutes! Many of her viewers must be regulars because she welcomes them with phrases like, “Good to see you again, Monster345” and “How’s the weather in Toronto, MagicMike?” Willow makes some small talk for a few minutes about the coronavirus and then eases right into some sexy flirting about how lonely she is and how she wishes she had one or more of her viewers to keep her company. She gets a lot of volunteers and even more money.
Willow gives shout outs to the guys making the biggest donations and switches to a sitting position on her bed, leaning forward between spread legs to show off her cleavage. It’s a weird position, but her breasts are practically spilling out of the vee of her top now, and at this point, the coin sounds are going crazy. One guy who evidently just made a big donation asks if she’s going to give him a reward.
“I think you’ve earned two buttons,” she says coyly and proceeds to release the top two buttons on her top.
The video game coin sounds start to get even more frenetic. Willow giggles and tells her men, “Since you are all so generous, I’ll keep going.”
Willow is a moderately attractive girl but she knows how to turn on the sex appeal. The seductive way she stares into the camera as she takes off her top has her total up to $750 in twenty minutes. I stare as I look at the counter in the upper right corner of the screen. Holy shit, that’s a lot! But then, I realize I’ve been entranced by this girl too and I’ve spent a good chunk of time watching her flirt and show her perky breasts. I shut my laptop, feeling like Alice going down the rabbit hole.
I take a few breaths to calm my beating heart. That was definitely eye-opening. Willow, a so-so looking woman, probably just made four figures in less than a half hour of work. She’s not a supermodel, but she’s flirty, sassy, and knows how to play her audience. Would I be able to do something like that?
I’m not sure. Heart racing, I try to think, but it’s hard to fully absorb what I just saw. Instead, the city is giving out free bag lunches so I put on my mask and head down to grab one. I need to take advantage of all that’s available to me right now. As I walk the few blocks to the temporary sandwich distribution center, I wonder if I could work up the courage to do what Willow does. Could it be possible?
Back at my apartment, I take my charity meal out of the bag. Eew. I know I should be appreciative, but it’s hard to muster any enthusiasm for the food. There’s soggy white sandwich bread with some sort of mystery meat and processed yellow ‘cheese product’, as they call those individually wrapped slices. There’s also an apple and a kid-sized box of milk. I’m a food snob, by my own admission. I am a pastry chef after all. Plus, I’m genuinely grateful for the free food, but I’m also disappointed that I’ve been reduced to this. I ate better while I was a student than I do as a business owner.