Page 115 of Our Little Dove

Fintan nods in agreement, his expression thoughtful. “We can’t change everything overnight, but we’re making progress. And who knows, maybe this tipping option for live videos can be good for us.”

I take a moment to let their words sink in, realizing that they’re right. Change doesn’t happen all at once, and sometimes you have to work within the system to make a difference. With a newfound sense of determination, I nod slowly. “You’re both right. Let’s focus on what we can do with this opportunity and keep pushing for more changes.”

“As long as Joel doesn’t back out of our deal, we’ll make this work,” I say as I move toward the two people I can’t imagine my life without anymore.

“We can make a killing while we destroy Hush. Sure, we might need to get more creative with the live streams but I’m confident that we’ll make it work. Hell, if we make it insane enough, we could put the other actors out of work,” I say with a wicked smile before hanging my arm around Alex’s shoulder and pulling her close to place a kiss on her cheek.

My gaze lifts to Kieran’s and he has that look in his eyes that make me want to drop to my knees and make him feel as good as he makes me feel.

Alex senses the desire floating between us and smiles at us with a diabolic glimmer in her eyes. “Need me to get the camera?” she teases as she steps out of my hold.

Kieran huffs out a laugh, shaking his head and I look at her, my mind racing with ideas. “No, baby. I want to fuck you both until you scream for me. I want your screams to be real. No cameras—No eyes on us,” Kieran says in a low but smooth tone.

“Hmm, I think we can do that,” she giggles as she steps between the two of us, lifts her hands and trails her fingertips over the growing bulges in our pants.

“Oh you’re killing me, little Dove,” I groan before letting out a breath, trying to compose myself before speaking again. “I hate to be the downer here, but we need some rest and we should probably discuss our future posts and live streams.Ifthey implement it, of course.”

Alex’s smile fades first but the heat in her eyes remains as she looks between me and Kieran. “No argument here. Maybe a discussion is needed, but we can’t exactly plan out our streams, it’ll look rehearsed. Fake.”

Kieran nods. “We don’t have to plan anything but we need to discuss boundaries at the very least. It’s not like any one of us can use a safe word on camera when Hush’s existence is purely for the depraved and vile members of society. We need subtle cues we could use to communicate during streams that won’t catch their attention.”

I run my fingers through my hair, feeling the tension building. “You’re right, we need to ensure we maintain our safety while giving the audience what they crave.”

Alex nods solemnly. “Agreed. How about a simple hand signal?”

Kieran frowns, considering this for a moment. “That might be too obvious, but it could work if we use different signs for different levels of discomfort.”

“Like a closed fist for ‘stop’and an open palm for ‘keep going’?” Alex suggests, her eyes filled with determination.

I nod. “That might work. And since we will all be wearing masks or something to hide our identities, a wink can be our signal for changing things up.”

We all agree that our signals should be subtle enough not to alert the viewers, but clear enough for us to understand in the heat of the moment.

The seriousness of our discussion lingers in the air as we wrap up our conversation and decide to take a break from planning. We exchange lingering glances, each of us knowing what the other is thinking – despite the risks, the thrill of our newfound lifestyle is undeniably addictive.

Alex decides to go back to her place and spend the night by herself, working on ideas and coming up with something to tell her clients and the company she works for on why she will be taking on fewer projects.

Kieran heads downstairs to the studio for a client who called and booked a tattoo appointment and I resign myself to the sofa with a horror movie I’ve been meaning to watch for a while.

The rest of the evening is peaceful and after a few short hours, Kieran finishes yet another work of art and he joins me in the apartment again. “Want me to order some food while you find something else to watch?” I ask as the credits of the second movie I watched roll on the screen.

Kieran smiles as he sinks into the cushions beside me, placing his hand on my thigh. “Sounds good, I’m starving,” he says, leaning in to rest his head on my shoulder for a moment. His sigh sounds content as he picks up the remote control and starts looking for something to watch.

“You make me so fucking happy,” he says in a whispered tone and my heart skips at the words. Taking my hand, I lift his headoff my shoulder, turning him to look at me. “I love you,” I say, meaning those three words more than I have in the past as I kiss him.

Two months later

It’s been a couple of months since Joel told us Hush is working on the changes he suggested and while we have not-so-patiently been waiting, Joel surprised us by suggesting some more changes.

Hush has been offline for nearly four days now while they revamp the platform and part of me is excited for the content we plan to make while another part of me hopes they never come back online again.

Kieran, Fintan and I have been planning content for weeks and since we are the only ones on Hush who know the ins and outs of the changes, thanks to Joel, we’ll be the first ones posting and we could potentially change the future of this disgusting platform.

The boys are out getting groceries for the house, and since we’ve been spending all our free time at my place, my cabinets are pretty bare.

I sink into the couch and click through what seems like thousands of movies on Netflix. Letting out a sigh, I curse under my breath when I don’t find a single movie that looks appealing. I toss the remote onto the coffee table and sink back into the couch.

I guess that is the danger of having entertainment at your fingertips. Too many options.

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