Tethered (14 page)

“Well, that’s not really what I had in mind, but thank you for trusting me with that
. It’s just that, and I really don’t know how to say this, but I’ve met someone else also. It happened a few days after the fight, and it’s nothing major, but it’s there. She’s a nice girl, in one of my classes, and she seems to genuinely like me.”

“Oh, that’s nice,” I said as I put my head down, almost giving off a defeated tone.

“Don’t get me wrong, I like you, a lot, and I’d rather get to know you more, but I’m scared. I’m scared you have other secrets, or that Kurt will come back into your life and you’ll be like putty in his hands. I’m not sure I could take another heartbreak like that, Chloe.”

“Kurt is…nothing to me
. He was a fun flirt and yeah, we had a good time together, but it was just fun. He isn’t the kind of guy you settle down with. He’s dangerous, exciting, and sexy…but he’s not stable. I don’t think he’s the type of guy I could bring home to my parents…but you are.”

“I’m just not sure
. So, you’re sure you have no other secrets? If you do, now is the time to tell me.”

Do I tell him about the webcam
? Do I say I stripped for money? I might as well be a stripper or hooker. Hell, I’d probably get paid more. It gnawed at me, but maybe I didn’t have to tell him. Could I give it all up for a man? I mean, it wasn’t like this was some great and wholesome behavior anyway. I didn’t think I could give it up today, with all of my bills and spring tuition not that far away, but maybe soon. If I gave it up, Tom never had to know. It wouldn’t hurt him, and it wouldn’t hurt me. We could live happily ever after, and since none of my viewers knew my name or where I lived, we would be safe. It all seemed farfetched, but it was all I had to go with.

“I’m positive, Tom,” I said as I looked into his eyes.

He looked around, clearly in deep thought, while butterflies tickled my tummy and gave me a glimmer of hope. He must be thinking good things. He wouldn’t  give this much thought if he didn’t at least want to try and repair things. Tom looked back over at me, smiled, and took me by surprise.

“How about we go out on Saturday
? I’m not sure what we’ll do yet, but I’ll think of something. It can be a light date if you want. Something serious, but not serious, if that makes any sense.”

“I’d…I’d love that,” I said with a smile.

“Then it’s a date,” he said before standing up.

“Leaving already?” I asked sadly.

“Yeah, we’ve already been here longer than I thought. I have to get to my meeting,” he said with a sad look on his face.

“Well, let me know about Saturday then
. I’m excited,” I said as I stood up and hugged him, smelling the tingling musk of his cologne as it brought me back to my previous intimacy with him.

“I will,” he said before kissing my cheek and letting go of me, walking away and only turning back once to smile as he continued down the sidewalk.

I put my hand up to my cheek, smiling, and tried to keep it pressed against my skin, trying to keep it there forever. I looked like an idiot standing there smiling profusely, but nobody seemed to look at me or care. As Tom wandered into the distance, I turned around, put one foot in front of the other, and headed back to my apartment. I still had a good hour and a half before my next class, and I wasn’t going to spend it out in the cold. Besides, if Morgan was home, I’d have to tell her about all of this.

I got home, walking confidently inside the apartment, as Morgan came out into the living room, drying her dark hair with a towel.

“Where have you been?” she asked.

“I saw someone,” I said with a smile.

“Tom?” she asked.

“How did you know?” I asked in amazement.

“Well, I sure as hell know you wouldn’t be meeting Kurt on campus.” She sat down on the couch.

“True
. We’re going out on Saturday.”

“Are you excited?”

“Very. I can’t believe he is giving me another chance.”

“Me neither.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing bad
, Chloe. It’s just that Tom seems like a more sensitive and caring guy than Kurt. After what transpired, I didn’t think he’d forgive you so quickly or easily. I don’t blame you for messing around with Kurt. Hell, I would’ve done it in a heartbeat.”

“Do you think I should go out with him?”

“With Tom? Definitely. He’s more your type, and you two are like two peas in a pod. Sure, he’s not as exciting and definitely not as rich as Kurt, but you seem to have a good time with him. Just be careful not to screw up again,” she said as she got up from the couch, her towel soaking up all the moisture in her hair.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be good,” I retorted as she walked into the bathroom.

I went to the couch, slipping off my shoes and plopping myself down as a few particles of dust were thrust upwards into the stale air. A few random beams of light shined through our slightly broken blinds, illuminating the particles as they floated around in space, with nowhere of importance to go. It was amazing they floated around like that, not just falling down to the ground, the way I thought they should.

I pulled out my phone and unlocked it, seeing I had no new messages
. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but I was hoping I had something from Tom. Maybe the time, place, or what we were doing on Saturday. I guess it was too early though. I just saw him fifteen minutes ago, so I shouldn’t expect too much. I locked my phone and shoved it back into my pocket, before looking up at the ticking clock, the red skinny hand coasting through the white and empty space as each second passed.

I
was going to make sure that Saturday went off without a hitch. Nothing would ruin this.

Chapter Fourteen

Tom and I had talked sparingly through the week
. These past few days had been great, and although we didn’t talk a lot, at least not like we used to, we did have great conversations and never fought once. Kurt, much to my surprise, still hadn’t contacted me. I guess I was just sort of sitting here and expecting it; thinking it would happen any day now. I was almost rolling my eyes at how I knew he would contact me, want to see me, hook up, and then avoid me until our next meeting. I was bound, though, to make sure that didn’t happen again. He was hot, but he wasn’t immortal, and I wasn’t going to let him kill my spirit any longer.

Tom and I were going to meet later tonight, he was going to pick me up, and I was already spending my entire day sitting here and trying to pick out what to wear
. I didn’t want to wear something too spicy or hot, for fear of looking too needy. As much as I wanted to kiss and be intimate with Tom, I didn’t want him to think I was just looking for that. My panties peeking out of the bottom of a short dress would certainly convey that thought. I also didn’t want to wear something too homely, though. Nothing was worse than saying you were like a brother to me and I was happy to be out having a nice afternoon with you. I needed the mix between sexy and reserved, but I couldn’t decide at all.

Part of the problem in it all was that rent was coming up, and it was coming up fast
. Even with the coins I made the past week on MingleCam, I wasn’t sure that it was enough to cover my rent, groceries, cell phone, and everything else I had to pay. Being an adult really sucked. I relish the time as a kid where getting ten dollars from your grandma in the mail meant you were rich. Kids envied you and you didn’t realize that ten bucks couldn’t even buy you a fast food meal. Prices have gone up, but it felt like we were still making the same amount.

I could always do a cam show…before I
went out with Tom. I didn’t have to make it all sexy and naughty like the other night. The toys could stay locked away in my closet, and maybe I could do like a strip tease or something. The guys watching might even be able to give me some ideas on what to wear out. The show wouldn’t garner a lot of coins, for it wasn’t going to be
that
hot, but even if I could make forty or fifty bucks I’d be ecstatic. That might be just enough to let me get by, especially if I knocked down my grocery budget by ten bucks a week. Besides, I’ve been looking for an excuse to lose a few pounds.

•••

Tom texted me and said he’d be here at six, which seemed early, but I made it work. I started getting ready at four, showered and made sure to condition and exfoliate every inch of my body. I had never given this much of myself to a guy, but I needed to pull out the heavy artillery. If I were advancing the castle of his heart, I needed to make sure I had more than big sticks in my hand. I needed automatic weapons, and I needed a cache of them.

I made myself up fully before even thinking of getting on cam
. Makeup, hair, nails, and every bit of lotion and perfume I had. I wrapped a towel around me as I left the bathroom, more so of keeping Morgan not suspicious, even though she was watching cartoons and eating a bag of popcorn that we had kept since we moved in. I closed my door and dropped my towel, a pink bra and lace booty shorts being exposed. I picked my laptop up off my desk, where I always kept it, and set it on my bed before opening it up and logging onto MingleCam. I smiled as I saw my account balance, and realized I only needed thirty-eight dollars before having enough for my bills this month. It was less than I suspected, and I guess a few rogue coin donations had gotten through last time. It just made this all the much easier.

I hit the little red button to broadcast myself,
and the new page loaded up and the little circle kept spinning before I saw myself on the screen. I looked hot—all made up and sexy. My smoky eyes looked lit up, my hair was perfectly set, draping down my shoulders, and my new push-up bra made the girls look like they were bought for ten grand. A few viewers began to spill in, as the night was very young and most of the regulars hadn’t even gotten online yet. I figured this would help me, and as the viewers kept pouring in, I knew I was right. No donations came in, instead just a bunch of guys chatting with me. I was happy to chat back, hoping that even if they didn’t donate now, they would come back in the future when things were spicier.

I grabbed the bottom sides of my bra, pushing my breasts together even f
arther and shaking them around, my nipples almost sliding out the top. A couple tips, just a few coins, came in, and I knew I was already getting off to a roll.
Just keep this up, Chloe. You can do it.

A few guys made some comments, mostly asking me to take my boobs out
. One problem with this site was the beggars. When I knew a guy or he donated coins, I was happy to do things for them. After all, most of them had donated so much that I almost feel obligated in a way. When
these
guys wanted everything for nothing, it was like going into a store and demanding all of these items for free, even though you should pay for them. It wasn’t quite theft, but I was giving it all away for free.

Just as I had gotten annoyed, still keeping a smile on my face, one of my regulars came in
. Within ten seconds, he donated fifty coins. That was only five dollars for me, but it was a great start. There was something about one guy donating a good sum that made the others go in and donate. It was like they felt safer for some stupid reason.

“You look so beautiful!”
He wrote.
“I’d love to see those beautiful tits though.”

I bit my lower lip, and pushed my breasts together again, almost teasing him
. A few seconds passed, and I put my hands behind my back, hoping not to strain a muscle as I unclasped my bra. It unhooked quickly, and the bra began to fall toward my bed, the straps sliding down my arms as my breasts, which had lost a lot of the fake round shape from the bra, were now out and exposed. Guys were hitting enter on their keyboards as quickly as they could, telling me how beautiful they were and how they wanted to shoot their loads all over them. It was a little disgusting, but I kept a smile on my face to make sure the coins kept rolling in.

Donations, as well as viewers, began to flow in
. There were five coins here, ten coins there, and even a twenty-five-coin donation. It was like the plug was pulled out, and now these guys were more than happy to donate for a glimpse of my girls. I rubbed them, pushed them around, and did everything except rubbing baby oil on them to make sure I could maximize this situation. I passed a hundred coins, then two, and finally three. I was so close to my goal I could almost taste it. I put my bra back on as it began to wind down, and pulled some clothes from my dresser. It was five forty-five, and Tom was supposed to be here any minute. I needed to make sure I was dressed before he arrived and I was sitting here almost naked. I stood beside my bed, tilting the laptop and showing myself standing there, as I shook my ass and bent over, hearing the lovely dinging alert from the donations. I quickly turned my volume on mute, hoping that the loud dings wouldn’t alert Morgan and make her wonder if I was playing a slot game in here. I stepped inside a black skirt, one that wasn’t tight, and slowly slid it up my smooth legs as it eclipsed my bubble butt and took away their beautiful view. I wore a sheer pink shirt, and tucked the inside into my skirt, as the outside fabric was free to move throughout the air. I noticed my laptop was starting to get hot, so I turned the screen brightness down. The last thing I needed was my sheets lighting on fire.

Most of the guys wanted me to get naked again, but I knew I didn’t even have the time to do it if I wanted to
. I danced around a little, shaking my booty and jiggling it in my skirt before Morgan yelled for me that Tom was here. Shit, time had already passed, and I had to get out there. I picked up my laptop and set it on my desk before running out of my room and seeing Tom standing there.

“We really have to get going
, Chloe. I had a reservation, but they changed it to fifteen minutes earlier.”

“Oh, well, I just have to take care of something,” I said, thinking about my laptop.

“You guys just go. What do you need done? I’ll do it for you,” Morgan said.

“My laptop
. Can you just go in later and make sure it’s closed? I don’t remember if I did it,” I said as I hurriedly slipped on my shoes.

“Yeah, just go!” Morgan said as she pushed us out the door.

•••

Tom rented a cab because of the reservation, and it wasn’t exactly the fanciest place, but it was popular, and the line was already out the door for
the walk-ins.

The hostess sat us, the noise of the restaurant drowning out my own thoughts, and she handed us our menus, as a busboy promptly came and set down glasses of water and chips on the tiled tabletop
.

“Have you ever been here before?” Tom asked as he opened his menu.

“Yeah, but never on a Saturday night,” I said as I looked around.

“Yeah, I didn’t know it would be this busy
. I’m sorry,” he said.

“Don’t be
. I’m happy just to be spending time with you,” I said with a smile.

“Same here,” he replied as he flashed his bright white smile.

The food was all the same, Tex-Mex. They had other things also, but it seemed like everyone in here had a taco, burrito, or fajitas. I usually didn’t mind this type of food, but there was one problem: it gave me gas. The last thing I needed was a big pile of beans to work their way through my system and make me gas Tom out all night long.

Our waitress, Maggie, came over not too long after and took our drink orders, which were just sodas
. We munched on chips as she was gone, kind of just looking around the noisy restaurant instead of talking to one another, like we should’ve. I felt as though this place wasn’t the best restaurant to go to if you wanted to have a long and meaningful relationship with someone. I guess this was what I got for screwing Kurt behind Tom’s back.

When Maggie came back, we both ordered chicken fajitas, which I felt were a safe choice
. Nothing in there would cause me problems later, and I loved build-your-own-food. That way I could control my portions and not put too much fattening cheese and sour cream inside, mostly because I didn’t want my waistband to get too tight.

“So, classes are going well?” I asked as a few minutes went by and we were waiting on our food.

“Yeah, but my French professor is really going hard on us lately. He is giving us a bunch of in class speaking and small play roles, which are rough,” Tom said before taking a sip of his drink.

“I’ve never been big on language
. Sometimes I feel like I can barely get through the English language, let alone a new one,” I said.

“Me
, too,” Tom said with a hearty laugh, as if I had found that funny bone.

“I mean, how can we be expected to learn something new like this
? Maybe if we were four or something, but we’re fully grown! It’s just too much,” I said.

“How about the really active professors
? Now, I’m all for a professor who takes an interest in the subject and students, but some of it is just too much. If I want to participate or if I know the answer, I’ll raise my damn hand. I don’t need you to call on me randomly and make me look like an idiot,” Tom professed.

Tom and I continued
to talk, swapping joke, and feeling like old times. We didn’t seem like two awkward people trying to rekindle a romance in the slightest. It felt as though we’d never had a problem. Maggie brought over our meals within fifteen minutes, and Tom and I continued to talk, even at times with our mouths somewhat full as we ate. It was a dream, and I had been waiting for something this great to happen for a while. I never thought we’d end up like this.

We ate for forty minutes, taking our time and laughing as the conversation only stopped when we took a bite of food
. The waitress seemed to want to get us out quickly as we were done, for the line was still wrapping outside and this table meant money for her. We took the hint and Tom paid the bill, leaving a twenty-five percent tip. I thought it was a little much, considering she wasn’t around that often, but I guess being in a good mood rubbed off on her, and she should feel lucky.

We walked outside, the music bumping out of the door behind us as the kids in line were all looking at the glowing screens of their smartphones,
and I looked at Tom, who I hoped had more planned for this night. I loved dinner and spending the time with him, but to say I’d be disappointed with just this would be an understatement.

“I was thinking we could do something fun tonight
. I like getting to know you more, and this night has been nothing but fun, so how do you feel about bowling?” he asked.

I hadn’t been bowling in at least six years
. I think my highest score was seventy, and I wasn’t really that great at it, even if it was a simple game and concept. That being said, Tom seemed to want to do it, and who knew, it could be fun. Being open to new ideas and concepts is great when you were dating and trying to get to know someone better.

“That sounds fun,” I said.