Cam Boy

by Quinn Anderson

  For a full minute, they both stared at the ceiling, breathing hard. Mike was debating if he had the energy to lift his head and put it on a pillow when Josh shifted. He flopped onto his side, eyes unfocused in Mike’s general direction, and smiled. “Hey.”

  Mike smiled back. “I must have done a good job. This is the quietest you’ve ever been.”

  To his surprise, Josh’s gaze dropped to the bed in a shy way. It was uncharacteristic to say the least.

  Mike was suddenly wide-awake. “Everything all right?”

  “Yeah, I’m great.”

  Mike studied him. He knew for a fact Josh wasn’t that good of an actor, but it still seemed like there was something he wasn’t saying. “Was it something I did? If I hurt you, you gotta tell me.”

  “No!” Josh snuggled up to his side. “No, everything was great. That was—” he whistled “—the hottest sex I’ve ever had. But I was thinking it was . . . I dunno how to describe it. Intimate, I guess? I don’t know if it felt that way for you.”

  Mike reached out and touched his cheek. “It did.”

  Josh bit his lip. “I’ve never had sex like that before.”

  “Me neither. In a good way?”

  “Definitely.”

  “Good. I’ll be right back, okay?” Mike got up and made his way to the bathroom. Once there, he disposed of the condom, grabbed two hand towels, and wet one of them. A shower would be better, but if he was too tired for that, he was willing to bet Josh was as well. He made his way back to the bed and handed the wet towel to Josh. “Wanna clean up?”

  “Thank you.”

  While Josh mopped himself up, Mike wiped most of the sweat off his face and chest. A glance in the mirror told him his hair was dark with it, and as he turned around, he had some delightful claw marks on his back from Josh’s nails. He was so going to Instagram those later. It’d cheer up his fans after he broke the news of his retirement to them.

  When Josh had finished, Mike threw the towels in his laundry basket and slipped back onto the bed. He pulled Josh to his side, kissing his sweaty temple. “Hey, handsome.”

  Josh let out a contented breath, closing his eyes. “Can I sleep here tonight?”

  “No, I’m gonna kick you out.” He kissed his temple again. “Of course you can.”

  “Good.”

  They lapsed into silence. Mike had started to drift off—still naked and on top of the sheets—when Josh shifted. “Can we talk? Or are you too tired?”

  Mike cracked an eye open and found Josh watching him from a few inches away. “I think I can manage that. For a few minutes, at least. What’s up?”

  “We agreed before that we’d see how the first date went before we talked about the future. Well, it’s been an unofficial date, an official one, and some pretty spectacular sex. I was wondering where you’re at.”

  Josh seemed calm, for once. Mike would have thought this would be the sort of subject that would make him babble, but his face was relaxed. He looked like he could wait all night for Mike to respond.

  Mike grinned. “You wanna define the relationship?”

  “We don’t have to go that far. I don’t think there’s any question that we’re gonna keep seeing each other. I think I’m still reeling from the intensity of the sex we had. It’d be nice to know if we’re in the same place or not. You might not want to jump into something monogamous while you’re changing careers and thinking about the future.”

  Mike sat up a bit. “What about you? You’re only twenty-one. You should be out living it up. Partying with your friends.”

  Josh laughed. “You make it sound like you’re ancient or something. And nah, I’ve done my fair share of partying, and I never was one to play the field. I have enough trouble keeping my mouth shut around one guy. I would never be able to juggle side relationships.”

  “Good to know. I told you before that I haven’t slept with anyone else since you. Have you?”

  “Recreationally or professionally?”

  Mike raised a brow, and Josh giggled.

  “I’m kidding. You’re the last for me as well. But that’s not unusual for me. My sex life wasn’t exactly teeming before we met.”

  “It’s unusual for me. At the height of my career, I probably had three or four sexual partners a week. Now I’ve had one in the past month.”

  Josh frowned. “Is that a bad thing?”

  “It’s neither good nor bad. It’s merely a thing. I’ve never cared about my number. But I do care about you.” Mike nudged Josh’s cheek with his nose. “I’m happy to be exclusive, if that’s what you want.”

  “Is it what you want, though?”

  Mike matched Josh’s pose, propping his head up on his hand. “It might be a little early to say this, but since we’re on the subject, I haven’t felt this way about someone in a long time. The first time I met you, I knew there was something different about you. It took me a while to admit it, but it gripped me and wouldn’t let go.”

  “Do you know what that ‘something’ was?”

  “It’s hard to put into words. You were so yourself, and no matter how much I tried to brush you off or keep things professional, I couldn’t. I would like nothing more than to be your boyfriend, but if you just want to be exclusive, that’s fine. I can be patient.”

  Josh’s smile was radiant. “‘Boyfriends’ sounds wonderful to me. Let’s wait until after the third date to make it official, though. That’s supposed to be the big one.”

  “Deal.” Mike yawned. “I dunno about you, but I don’t think I can keep my eyes open another minute.”

  “Same. Want me to get the lights?”

  “I got it.” Mike rolled out of bed, ignoring the delicious soreness in his muscles, and clicked off the overhead light. He and Josh dove under the covers, fumbled for a position that worked for both of them, and fell asleep in a tangle of limbs.

  Mike didn’t remember much of what he dreamed, but he remembered looking out toward something—the future, maybe—and seeing nothing but blue skies, golden sunlight, and beautiful green eyes.

  One Year Later

  Josh had barely logged in to his webcam channel before the comments came flooding in.

  “All right, all right, you vultures,” he joked, checking his appearance in the little window that displayed his camera feed. His freshly washed face was visible, along with glimpses of the bedroom around him. “I’m sorry I was gone for a few days, but Boyfriend took me to the beach for a long weekend.”

  Welcome back, Bret!

  u look like u got some sun

  Is Boyfriend gonna join us today?

  Josh craned his neck until he could see past his laptop. The door to the bathroom was cracked, and the sound of water emanated from the shower. He flopped onto his stomach, kicking his feet up so they were visible above his head. “Maybe. But then, he also said he’s gonna need to shower for a year to get all the sand out from everywhere. He calls it ‘nature’s glitter.’ Once it’s on you, it’s there forever.”

  u should help him

  Get in there with him. Xx

  “What, am I not enough for you guys anymore?” Josh’s tone was playful. After a whole year of running one of Murmur Inc.’s most popular gay cam channels, he knew there were plenty of people who logged in just to see him. Not that “Boyfriend” didn’t give him a noticeable boost in ratings.

  A request for a private show popped up. Josh read the description of what the guy wanted—some foot fetish stuff; that was what he got for kicking up his heels—and hit the Reject button. He wasn’t in the mood for that right now.

  That was possibly the biggest change that had occurred since he’d started making a name for himself in the cam world. Back in the day, he would have taken whatever requests came his way, so long as the person could pay. Now that he had a core following, he could pick and choose what shows he wanted to do.

  Out of the sea of messages scrolling past in the chat box, Josh spotted one from a regular, a middle-aged Cincinnati man who we
nt by the handle “Spirk5ever”: How’s school going?

  “School’s fine, Spirk.” Josh nodded toward a pile of textbooks visible on the dresser behind him. “I did better on my midterm than I thought I would. The professor must like me or something.”

  “Or all that studying you did paid off.” The door to the bathroom opened, and Mike emerged from a cloud of steam. His wet red hair looked like a pile of scraggly autumn leaves on top of his head. Not that Josh was paying much attention to that, considering Mike was wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. Little beads of water were trailing down his abs, and his skin was flushed from the heat of the shower.

  Josh swallowed. Gorgeous.

  He cleared his throat. “Things just got a whole lot hotter, everyone. It’s Boyfriend.”

  The stream of messages doubled in rate. Josh sat up and patted the bed next to him, grinning at Mike. “Come say hi, my love.”

  Mike kneeled on the bed and crawled into frame long enough to give Josh a firm, breathtaking kiss, before he headed over to the closet. The brief appearance sent requests for private shows popping up all over the screen like sprouts bursting out of the soil.

  “I’ll be right back, everyone.” Josh winked at his webcam. “Let me have a chat with Boyfriend. Maybe I can talk him into a show.”

  He muted the mic but left the camera running. Mike was out of frame, so all they would see was Josh talking to the left.

  “Feel better now that you’ve showered?”

  “Oh yeah.” Mike stretched his arms above his head and gave a luxurious groan. His shoulders, which were always dark with freckles, had a distinct pink tinge. “I swear, all that sun did me in. I never should have let you talk me into playing beach volleyball with those college kids. I’m an old man.”

  “If you’re an old man, then I guess I have a thing for that. What’s the opposite of a cradle robber?”

  Mike stuck his tongue out at him. “I expected you to burn worse than me. But here you are, all tan and golden like a damn movie star. It’s not fair.”

  “I offered to rub sunscreen on you every hour.” Josh wet his lips. “Believe me, it would have been my pleasure.”

  “It wouldn’t have helped. Sunburns are a redhead’s lot in life. Also, are you actually flirting with me, or do you want to rile me up so I’ll do a show with you?”

  “The answer is always I’m flirting with you.”

  “Well, after a year of dating, I think it’s safe to say I’m yours.” Mike riffled through the closet, and, appearing unsatisfied, pulled open the top drawer of the dresser instead. “Have you seen my favorite shirt?”

  “It’s in the laundry, remember? You’re lucky I moved in, or you’d never be able to find anything.”

  Mike selected what Josh had learned were his version of lying-around-the-house clothes: boxers and a black Gucci T-shirt. That was right. The man even shelled out for his T-shirts. Josh had gotten him to calm down about his wardrobe a bit, but he still insisted on sleeping in clothes that had a higher thread count than their sheets.

  When Mike had finished dressing, he sauntered back over to Josh’s side. “I’m lucky you moved in for a lot more reasons than that.”

  “I know.” Josh beamed. “I was being modest.”

  Mike laughed. “If that’s your version of modesty, it’s no wonder I thought you were such a cocky brat when I first met you.”

  “Slander!” He jerked his chin at the screen. “We have our pick of show requests if you’re up for it.”

  “I dunno.” Mike knelt on the bed again, this time situating himself behind Josh so he could fold him into his arms. “We only got back this morning. Can’t we enjoy some alone time before we titillate your legions of fans?”

  “Mmm.” Josh leaned back, resting his head on Mike’s shoulder. “I suppose we should while we can. I have an evening class later, and you have that audition tomorrow. Oh, that reminds me.” Josh tapped the button to turn the mic back on. “Good news, everyone. Boyfriend landed a role in a local play. He’s gonna be the next big Hollywood star.”

  There was a sprinkle of congratulations among all the requests for them to take their shirts off.

  “That’s a bit of an exaggeration, baby. I’m playing Coffee Patron #2, and I have one line.”

  “I know, but I was at your dress rehearsal, and the way you asked for skim milk was so moving. Some big movie execs are gonna be banging down our door any day now.”

  Mike clenched his lips shut like he was holding back laughter. “Let’s start with theater for now and see where it goes. But your faith in me is heartwarming.”

  “Of course. I’m your biggest fan.” Josh muted the mic again. “For now, at least.”

  “And my biggest patron.” Mike nosed his hair. “I still can’t believe you donated all that money to my acting troupe.”

  “It was the least I could do. When I decided to go back to school, you paid my first semester’s tuition. I dunno if I could have done it without you. And if it weren’t for you, there’s no way my channel would be pulling in the money that it is.”

  “We’ll call it a joint effort, then.” Mike started kissing his face, sending sparks down his spine. “You smell good.”

  “That’s usually my line.” Mike nibbled on his neck, and Josh gasped. “Ah.”

  “I might be up for a show after all.”

  “You sure?” Josh smiled. “We can still make it a private affair.”

  “I’d hate to let down your fans. Besides, we had plenty of alone time in our hotel room. And in the hot tub. And in that cove we found. And on the beach next to the fire we built that one night.”

  “Totally worth getting sand everywhere.” Josh chuckled. “In case I didn’t tell you enough before, happy anniversary.”

  “Happy anniversary, baby. Can’t believe it’s been a year already.”

  “Me neither. A wonderful year I wouldn’t trade for anything.” His finger was poised over the unmute button. “You ready?”

  “Just one more thing while they can’t hear us.” Mike turned Josh’s face to the side until they were looking each other in the eye. “I love you, Josh.”

  Even with everything that had changed in the past year, and how far they’d come together, Josh’s heart still fluttered every time Mike said those three words. “I love you too.”

  “All right.” Mike’s grin, as devilish and playful as ever, swept across his handsome face. “Let’s show them how it’s done.”

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  Quinn Anderson is an alumna of the University of Dublin
in Ireland and has a master’s degree in psychology. She wrote her dissertation on sexuality in popular literature and continues to explore evolving themes in erotica in her professional life.

  A nerd extraordinaire, she was raised on an unhealthy diet of video games, anime, pop culture, and comics from infancy. Her girlfriend swears her sense of humor is just one big Buffy reference. She stays true to her nerd roots in writing and in life, and frequently draws inspiration from her many fandoms, which include Yuri on Ice, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Buffy, and more. Growing up, while most of her friends were fighting evil by moonlight, Anderson was kamehameha-ing her way through all the shounen anime she could get her hands on. You will often find her interacting with fellow fans online and offline via conventions and Tumblr, and she is happy to talk about anything from nerd life to writing tips. She has attended conventions on three separate continents and now considers herself a career geek. She advises anyone who attends pop culture events in the UK to watch out for Weeping Angels, as they are everywhere. If you’re at an event, and you see a 6’2” redhead wandering around with a vague look on her face, that’s probably her.

  Her favorite authors include J.K. Rowling, Gail Carson Levine, Libba Bray, and Tamora Pierce. When she’s not writing, she enjoys traveling, cooking, spending too much time on the internet, playing fetch with her cat, screwing the rules, watching Markiplier play games she’s too scared to play herself, and catching ’em all.

  Connect with Quinn:

  Facebook: facebook.com/AuthorQuinnAnderson

  Twitter: @QuinnAndersonXO

  Email: quinnandersonwrites@gmail.com

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