Page 40 of Taken Off Camera
My stomach drops at the question. How much should I tell him? How vulnerable do I want to be? But after everything we’ve shared, hiding the truth feels wrong.
“There was one,” I admit, the words muffled by his sweater. “The first night you bought me dinner during our private stream. It was sent to my PO Box.”
His arms tighten around me. “What was in it?”
I shudder within the circle of his arms. “A pair of used boxers with… with dried semen on them.”
Sebastian’s sharp intake of breath is the only indication of his disgust. He strokes my hair, the gesture soothing despite the tension radiating from his body.
“Did you report it?”
I shake my head. “What would I say? I’m a cam boy. The police would laugh at me or say I invited it.”
“Was that the only one?” He remains calm, but his heart races beneath my cheek.
“The most recent one. Saint always deals with the creeps, but this one got a little too close to home. Saint and I tracked down the guy who sent it. His name is Travis Thornhill. He worked at the shippingcenter that processes my packages. But he disappeared before we could confront him.”
Sebastian’s body grows more rigid. “This one came straight to your door.”
“Probably because I changed my PO Box.” Not sure I want the answer, I ask, “What was in it?”
Sebastian hesitates. “Photos. Of you. Taken through your apartment window.”
The air leaves my lungs in a rush, and my knees threaten to buckle. “Through my window? But I’m on the sixth floor.”
Sebastian’s arms tighten around me, supporting my weight. “They were taken with a telephoto lens. From the building across the street, based on the angle. The photos were… intimate. From your streams.”
Nausea churns my stomach. “How recent?”
“Recent enough. There was a note, too.” Sebastian’s hesitation tells me how bad it is before he continues. “It said ‘I see you when you don’t see me. Soon we’ll be together, my pretty Omega.’”
A violent shudder racks my body. The words echo in my head, each syllable dripping with threat. Someone has been watching me. In my home. In my private space. Not just in my streams, but during my everyday life.
“I put it in my car for now, and I’ll burn it once I’m home,” Sebastian continues. “But, Micah, this is serious. This person knows where you live.”
“Saint warned me.” The words sound far away to my own ears. “He said Travis disappearing meant he was planning something worse.”
Sebastian’s hands cup my face. “You’re sure it’s this Travis person sending these?”
I nod, then hesitate. “Almost sure. The timing fits. He had access to my real PO Box number through his job. He could have gotten my real address that way, too.”
Sebastian’s thumb strokes my cheek. “We need to call the police.”
A harsh laugh escapes me. “An Omega cam boy reporting harassment? They’ll tell me to find a different job. I can’t— I won’t let them strip my work away.”
“Then we handle this ourselves.” The steel in Sebastian’s voice should frighten me, but instead, it sends a wave of relief through my body. “I’ll sleep here tonight, and in the morning, we’ll cover your windows and set up better security.”
The fear eases. “Okay.”
He cups my face. “Do you want to call Saint to come over, too? Would you feel safer?”
I think of the fight we had, how he’d react to finding Sebastian in my apartment again, and shake my head. “I just need you to hold me tonight. Is that okay?”
“Of course.” He wraps me back into his arms. “Whatever you need.” Then his fingers touch the band of the blindfold. “And maybe we take this off.”
My breath catches. “Are you sure?”
He hesitates for only a heartbeat. “Yes. My insecurity isn’t worth your safety. And I really want to look into your eyes right now.”
