And offered release

Mark found himself… actually having quite a bit of fun. Lacey was quite a gas to be around, if still a little hyperactive to keep up with. He now very much believed her earlier statement that she didn’t get many guests. It seemed like she was just dying to talk to someone about all her various collections, outside of a computer screen. The girl’s knowledge of hyper-erotic plastic models and obscure Japanese horror films put even Peter’s specific lines of nerdity into perspective. It would seem having a quite formidable weekly income and a lot of spare time during the day for someone of the amazon-ordering age was a diabolical combination. She kept talking about how she wanted to save up enough money to buy a better set up, but Mark could already see her computer and recording equipment in the corner far out-stripped his own. He had some idea of how… saturated the particular market she was in had grown. It made you realise just how thoroughly one might have to throw themself at the job, in order to stand out.

They ate the food when it arrived, and watched a movie side by side on Lacey’s massive bed. It slowly dawned on Mark how prominently this item of furniture sat in the centre of the room, and how many lighting rigs and beady-eyed cameras were aimed at it from every angle. He wondered what it must actually be like: to spend the majority of your day subtly splaying yourself out upon this soft surface, then go to sleep with those same electric lenses still looming in on all sides. No wonder the girl appreciated a bit of actual, human company… she must feel like she’s surrounded by faceless, robotic crowds 90% of her life.

Once the food was eaten, and the credits had rolled… the mood in the room began to turn. Lacey seemed to have got over most of her nervous excitement at having someone over who wasn't horrified by the sea of silicon objects she had to wade through day to day. Instead, a new and playful glint had come into her eyes… much like that first time Mark had met her. The nerdy but relatable girl, slightly _over_excited to show off her limited-edition collectibles, began transforming before his eyes into the altogether more sexualised avatar her worldwide fans must know and fall for. Whose every movement seemed a calculated tease of lurid possibilities. The boy wondered if that meant this other persona was all faked… or if they were both as real as each other? Just different sides to the same coin and aspects of herself she only let loose when she was feeling comfortable and confident.

"I've gotta start streaming in a bit… do you wanna stick around and help?" She asked, placing a hand upon his knee and more than a little emphasis on the last word in that sentence.

“You mean like… behind the camera?” Mark replied, distinctly hopeful, but already pretty sure that was not what she meant.

“Orrrr… in front of it…” The alluring creature suggested, purring out that ‘r’ as she walked brightly painted fingernails up his inner thigh. The target of such attentions felt a lump growing both in his throat and much nearer to hand. “You wouldn’t have to show your face or anything… we could just angle the cameras down. Make it a nice, close and cozy show.”

The young man was stuck searching for excuses out of this unlooked-for situation. Stuck working out why he would want to avoid the idea at all. Every red blood cell in his body was demanding he let this girl unzip his fly like she was threatening to… But, at the same time, having his ‘junk’ broadcast out to a waiting world at large? Every insecurity he’d ever owned balked at the very possibility.

“But, won’t that upset a lot of your fans… To see you with someone else?”

Lacey’s smile was dark and full of terrors…

“No… I think it’ll probably drive them mad… I’ll get donations coming in for weeks, trying to find out who you are. I bet my numbers will go through the roof!”