Would You Ever?

"Alright Johnny," Julie smiled her dazzling smile at him. "Have a nice day!" she said to him sweetly as she winked at him, letting him know that she knew the grump was mostly an act.

* * * * *

Early-March, 2020 - Toronto

DANIEL WAS ON the phone with Priya early one Wednesday evening as he sat on the couch with the television on and Bruno, his five-year-old cairn terrier, at his feet. "Hey Priya, anything about this COVID thing that I have to be worried about?" he asked the only doctor he had a direct line to. "Ravi and I have to head out to Vancouver to see a client next week and I don't know if it's safe."

"I just told Ravi that I'd rather he didn't go, Dan," she replied worriedly. "I'd rather if you didn't either. I heard rumblings that we're going into lockdown soon anyway."

"Alright, I guess I'll get my admin to cancel our trip out there then," he sighed. "Thanks very much Priya. Can you please put Ravi on?"

"Sure, Dan, you take care! And make sure you go stock up on stuff before anything happens. Some crazies are buying up all the toilet paper!" she laughed. "Love you sweetie! Here's Ravi, OK?"

"Buddy, we've got some shit to figure out over the next few weeks and put a plan together for the old man," Daniel sighed again thinking about all the additional work that they'll have to do if lockdown happens, and how they'll explain it all to Colton Blake, the managing partner, who was a bit of a pen and paper man himself, and Kevin's father. Daniel hoped that this would blow over soon.

* * * * *

March 4, 2020 - Los Angeles

"TODAY, THE GOVERNOR declared a state of emergency for the state California...," Julie and Charles heard the news anchor as they watched TV that day.

"I hope that doesn't mean they cancel any weddings or anything," Charles remarked, worry crossing his face as the thought of losing an income stream disturbed him.

"Don't worry Charlie, if anything happens, you don't have to worry about rent or anything. Now, get dressed. Let's go stock up on some necessities, just in case," Julie said as she patted his thigh.

* * * * *

March 12, 2020 - Los Angeles

"THE GOVERNOR HAS announced today that he is banning public gatherings of more than 250 people and social gathering of more than 10 people until the end of March," the newscaster announced as Julie and Charles watched.

"There goes my performances!" Charles wailed as he threw his hands in the air. On the weekends, Charles was Charlé, a regular performer at a popular drag bar in Hollywood. While he looked like a rip-your-head-off angry linebacker, which he was for a few years in college before coming out, he was an even better drag performer now. The contrast being the main attraction and, at 35, he could still pass as someone ten years younger.

"Don't worry Charlie, I got you," Julie reassured him, worrying herself if productions would shut down, but thanking Greg in her mind for the financial discipline he drummed into his performers.

* * * * *

March 17, 2020 - Toronto

"THE PREMIER DECLARED a state of emergency today in Ontario, banning the gathering of more than 50 people and closing all schools, bars, restaurants, and..." Daniel switched off the radio in the car and glanced at Ravi in the passenger seat of the car they were driving back from a client they had just met.

"Dude, so does that mean that the strip clubs are closing?" they heard coming from Kevin in the back seat.

"Really, DUDE? That's what you got from that? There are more important things to think about ya know," Ravi admonished him as both he and Daniel rolled their eyes, then turned to Daniel. "Let's get back in the office and see what plan we can put together with Colton to make sure we can still continue to work if we have to stay at home."

* * * * *

First Week of April, 2020 - Los Angeles

THE REMOTE-CONTROLLED vibrator buzzed deep inside her pussy as Julie had her bent legs spread wide on her gaming chair. She had her left hand holding her one leg up under her knee while the fingers of her right hand were rapidly strumming her clit, engorged and hyper-sensitive after four straight hours on camera. The ball of tension in her gut began building as the muscles on the surface of her abdomen fluttered. The squelching sounds coming from her pussy getting louder and wetter, and the moans and squeaks coming from her mouth becoming more frequent. All of a sudden, she threw her head back in a silent scream, cumming violently, her pussy ejaculating. Deep shudders racked her body as the liquid squirting from her pussy wet the towel she was sitting on, strong enough to almost reach her webcam.

Julie took the knuckles on her left hand and jammed them between her front teeth as her climax found its voice and she started to vocalize her pleasure. Convulsions continued for a few moments more, fading to a final shiver. Julie opened her glistening eyes with a tired smile as she looked into the camera, her eyes beginning to focus as she came down from her third small orgasm of the night, a little mascara running from the sweat. As her breathing returned to normal, her smile widened as she pushed the tip of her tongue between her front teeth. With a satisfied sigh, she began to speak.

"Thank you, guys! I really appreciate you all hangin' out with me tonight!" she enthused as the pings of tips coming through continued to send pulses through her vibrator. She reached down to pull it out of her, then took a pull out of the water bottle on the table beside her laptop. "Wow, you guys tired me out! Thank you for all your donations and don't forget that you can continue to tip for another fifteen minutes after I log off. Remember, Candi loves you all! Good night everyone!" Julie waved as she shut down her camera, the pinging continuing.

Julie gathered her soiled towel, wiped the sweat and messed up makeup from her face with some tissues, and pulled on an oversized t-shirt. She opened the door of her guestroom cum cam room and padded barefoot into the living room, en route to the washer dryer set by the kitchen. She spotted Charles on the couch with a football jersey on, watching highlights from the day as he sipped on a glass of rosé. As she caught his eye, one corner of her mouth pulled up into a tired, lopsided smile as she walked by.

"Girl, I appreciate your hustle, but if you're goina' to be camming every night then we need a bigger washer!" Charles sassed at her as she stuffed the laundry into the machine, sounding just like his Auntie Phee. He then turned back to the TV and grunted in disappointment as a running back on the screen blew past a pair of linebackers, making them look foolish. "Caught 'em napping on their feet. I coulda' done better in my day!" he muttered in a more aggressively masculine tone.

"Oh Charles, you're such a guy sometimes!" Julie giggled as she sat down and snuggled up to Charles on the couch.

"You shut yo' mouth girl!" Charles scoffed. "I am woman, hear me roar, bitch!" he exclaimed as he gestured up and down his body, switching back to a more feminine lilt. The exchange pulled peals of laughter from Julie. Charles chuckled along with her. "So what's up for the rest of the night?" he asked her.

"I don't know. These sessions really do tire me out, but cumming so much has me so wired too," she replied. "But since production shut down, I figure the camming should help out, and the subscription site is picking up," she added. She then pursed her lips in thought for a moment. "Maybe I'll do a bit of reviewing from today's classes. That should tire me out," she decided with a nod. "Good night Charles. Don't stay up too late," she urged as she kissed him on the cheek and headed to her room.

JULIE CRACKED OPEN the textbook to the Entrepreneurship 103 class she was taking. The Adult Continuing Education extension at one of the local colleges pivoted to fill the lockdown void by offering early starts to classes the week after lockdown. She started reviewing the chapter the instructor had covered the last class, jotting down notes on some of the areas which confused her. After a while she realized that there was quite a bit of material that just didn't make sense to her, and the video conference format wasn't very conducive to interaction.

Juile sighed as she ran her hand over her face. She paused for a moment to let her mind go blank, then thought about calling one of her classmates to see if they were still up to talk through some of the material. Looking down at the clock on the screen of her personal laptop, she realized that it was way too late to call anyone. She growled in frustration when a thought struck her. She remembered that she had met the perfect guy who could give her a real-world perspective on what she was trying to learn. She went over to her carry-on from her trip and dug out his card and sat down to write out an email.

From: julie.douglas.2019@sfv-college.edu

To: daniel@rw_viz.ca

Subject: Still Open to Mentoring?

Hi Daniel,

I hope you're doing well! How's COVID treating you guys up there in Canada? We're in lockdown here in LA. Figure you are too.

It's Julie. We met in Vegas during your conference. I was the girl that had lunch with you on the Monday.

I guess you thought you'd never hear from me again. I'm sorry it took so long to reach out. I wasn't quite sure if I'd be imposing by taking up your offer. If you're still open to it, I would love to pick your brain on some things in my Entrepreneurship class.

I really hope you'd still like to connect. Please let me know either way. Thanks very much in advance, and I would completely understand if you'd rather not.

Take care!

Julie

Julie hit send then shut off her desk lamp, took a quick shower and went to bed. Her last thought as she was falling asleep was a hope that Daniel would be happy to hear from her.

* * * * *

First Week of April, 2020 - Toronto

DANIEL WOKE UP that Tuesday a half hour before his alarm would have gone off. He had a thought that it was one of life's most annoying things, not getting the sleep you were hoping for. Bruno, his cairn terrier, raised his head at the foot of the bed, huffed at Daniel as if in agreement, and went back to sleep.

Daniel figured that as long as he was up, he may as well get a start on the day. He struggled with his guilt until he decided to take a quick jog around the block. He didn't often get to excercise but the pandemic allowed him some time to get healthy. It was either that or sit on the couch, eat cookies, and drink beer.

As he geared up for the still chilly weather, he pulled his work phone off the recharger and checked his emails. His face broke out into a wide grin as he saw that he had received an email from Julie. He caught his expression in his closet mirror and thought he looked pretty goofy, like some kid who got a note from his crush. He shrugged and figured that Bruno would be the only who saw him anyway. He wondered why she hadn't reached out to him in so long, the shrugged again, figuring he wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.

He quickly peeled off his workout clothes, his guilt twinging him a bit for not working off last night's tortellini in cream sauce and tiramisu. He quickly went to the kitchen and filled Bruno's food bowl, prompting the sounds of the fur missile scrambling down for breakfast. That done, he went to his office to power up his work laptop to craft a quick reply.

From: daniel@rw_viz.ca

To: julie.douglas.2019@sfv-college.edu

Cc: daniel.bell.86@zipmail.ca

Subject: RE: Still Open to Mentoring?

Hi Julie,

I'm so glad to hear from you! Of course, I would be happy for you to reach out! I'm usually free in the evenings from 6PM onwards, not that there's much to do these days with the stay-at-home orders. I've copied my personal email above so you'll be able to get to me easier. You can voice call me at that email. I usually shut down my work phone in the evenings. Let me know when is good for you. Looking forward to talking to you soon! Take care of yourself too,

Daniel

Daniel Bell - Partner

Real World Vision Consulting

Toronto, Ontario

He was hoping she would get back to him soon. The last few weeks of lockdown really played into his introverted side but he was starting to get a little loopy without some real human contact. While he was an introvert by nature, he was an extrovert by choice, his work dictating the circumstances. Sure, he video conferenced with colleagues and clients, and he sent and got the occasional text from his parents, but that was the extent of it. At least he was able to talk to Ravi and his boys a few times a week and texted some with Priya as she stayed at the hotel, away from her family while she helped with emergency protocols at the hospital. They were his surrogate family here in Toronto.

Since his laptop was already running, he shuffled off to shower and make coffee and start his work day early, thoughts of everything else being pushed to back of his mind.

* * * * *

First Week of April, 2020 - Los Angeles, That Same Tuesday

JULIE HEARD THE ping of the email landing in her inbox through the haze of sleep sometime around three in the morning but thought nothing of it. When she woke a few hours later the first thing she did was check her phone, as many of us are in the habit to do. She saw Daniel's reply after sifting through her college emails from her classmates, groupmates, and teaching assistants. Opening the message up, she was happy to see that he was willing to connect with her. Unconsciously the corners of her mouth pulled back for a stupid grin that matched Daniel's a few hours earlier.

She quickly showered and got dressed for her classes that morning, taking advantage of the production shutdown to take a full course load during the days. Accounting 101 was on deck for the morning, and she would usually dread anything to do with math but somehow the message from Daniel that morning put her in a good mood. As she headed for the kitchen towards the smell of the coffee, she was humming along to a tuneless soundtrack in her head. Charles noticed her bouncy, cheery mood this morning and commented on her happier than usual morning persona.

"Girl, what is goin' on all up in here?" he gestured as he put down his coffee cup. "You're all, like, miss sunshine or sumpthin'!"

"What do mean? No, I'm not," she scoffed, pouring her coffee, not able to meet his gaze. "I mean, I guess I got a good reply to an email I sent last night," she smiled shyly as her face turned a delicate shade of pink.

"From who?" Charles asked, drawing out the question with a sly smile.

Julie sighed as she stirred cream and sugar into her coffee, and turned to place a few slices of bread into the toaster. "You remember I told you about that really smart guy I had lunch with in Vegas? I emailed him last night to see if he could help me with school."

Charles looked puzzled a bit as he tried to remember what she was talking about. His face cleared up as he recalled the conversation. "You mean Mr. Nerdy McHottie!" he practically squealed with an excited smile. "Didn't you say you weren't gonna get in touch with him? Something about you not wanting to tell him what you do?"

"Number one, he's not nerdy, just smart. And number two, this is just going to be a platonic, mentor - mentee sort of thing, so I don't think he needs to know," she said as she waited for her toast to pop up, still not willing to look Charles in the eye. "It's not like we're going to be involved or anything. I'm just taking him up on his offer to help me be a better business student!" she explained as her toast popped up.

"Mmm hmm... you keep tellin' yo'self that lookin' all like you floatin'! Now go get your butt some education now!" Charles shooed Julie as he turned back to his tablet and coffee. Julie bopped away to a tune in her head.

JULIE PULLED UP to her laptop and pulled up her email client for a quick reply before classes began in earnest.

From: julie.douglas.2019@sfv-college.edu

To: daniel.bell.86@zipmail.ca

Subject: Re: RE: Still Open to Mentoring?

That's great Daniel! I hate to be in such a rush but how about tonight? Say 7, your time? Classes shut down here around then. I can give you a call then. Looking forward to it, and thanks again!

Julie

She hit send, turned on her video conferencing app and readied herself for her first class of the day.

* * * * *

First Week of April, 2020 - Toronto, That Same Tuesday Still

DANIEL BURIED HIMSELF that morning in a set of snap growth projections for a petcare client that was looking to rapidly convert to an online platform. He was so engrossed that he almost missed the reply from Julie that went to his personal email. He quickly responded as he went to grab a protein bar for lunch with a simple "Looking forward to talking!" and went back to work.

* * * * *

First Week of April, 2020 - Toronto & Los Angeles, That Tuesday Evening

DANIEL CAME IN from his and Bruno's walk and had just poured kibble into the hungry dog's bowl when his phone's messenger app rang. He tapped the speaker and answered. "Hi, this is Dan."

"Hi Dan, this is Julie. I hope it's not too early. Classes just ended here about 10 minutes early so I thought I'd take a chance."

"No worries. Early is on time, on time is late," he reassured her as he washed up from his walk. "Let me just grab my earbuds and go into my office. Even better, do you video conference?" he asked. When she indicated that she did, Dan suggested that they connect in a minute on their computers.

"Hi Dan!" Julie smiled brightly as she waved at the webcam when they connected a few minutes later. Dan was struck dumb for a moment as he thought that this girl, this woman, was the most adorable creature that he had ever laid eyes on. Her off the shoulder sweatshirt, oversized glasses, hair in a ponytail, and her face devoid of any makeup had her looking like someone fresh out of high school rather than the college student he knew she was. "Hi. Dan," she said again, looking straight into the webcam with a giggle and waved a bit slower. This was a reaction she was used to when she was all "porned out" but never when she was in grubby, college girl mode.

"Uh, oh yeah, hi Julie!" Daniel replied with a goofy grin. "Glad you could call," he recovered as he shuffled papers around his table absentmindedly. "Actually, I was beginning to think that you would never call."

"Sorry Dan, things kind of got busy here you know... after taking a week off and all," she explained appearing chastened, knowing she was feeling bad about lying to him again. "And well, with COVID and all, rearranging things took up time, but now that we're connected, I'm really happy to see you," smiling her brilliant smile again. Even through the webcam, her smile hit him right in the chest, the separation and yearning amplifying the sensation.

"So, how's school?" Daniel asked.

"School's been good, but there are some things that I was hoping you could shed some light on in my...," she started to reply when a loud thud came from behind Daniel as a tan and black terror of a terrier head butted the door open and jumped up on his lap. "Oh my God! Who's that cutie?!" Julie squealed as she brought her fingertips to her mouth and bounced and wiggled in her chair.

Sometimes the beauty of a video chat is that a pretty girl didn't exactly know where you were looking, so when she was all excited about the dog, Daniel was excited to learn that she wasn't wearing a bra underneath that sweatshirt. His excitement made itself known to him in the tightness of his jeans. He quickly tried to tamp it down by thinking of profit and loss statements and trade investment rates. He again recovered to respond to Julie.

"Well, this little cairn terrorist's name is Bruno. Say 'HI' Bruno!" Daniel commanded as the little dog barked. Meanwhile Julie was on the other end making goo-goo faces and baby talk to the excited ball of fur on Daniel's lap. After a while, Daniel put Brun down on the ground and the pair began to talk over their video connection.