Would You Ever?

"I kinda like her too," Daniel agreed as he came over to hug Julie from behind.

"Aww, look at you two," Priya gushed. "So Julie, what brought you up to Toronto? You're in, like, the film industry, right?" Daniel felt an almost imperceptible tensing of Julie's shoulders. Had they not become more in tune with each other over the last two weeks, he wouldn't even have noticed it.

"Hey, maybe hold off on the interrogation until after a few more drinks?" he asked Priya.

"No worries sweetie," Julie chided Daniel gently. "Yeah, you're right Priya, I'm in entertainment and a friend of mine has a film editing company here he wanted me to look into, so here I am!" Julie informed as she took a sip of the cider. "But I'm taking a day off with Dan tomorrow to visit the office and see where he works, and then maybe just drive around and see the city."

"Sounds like a plan!" Ravi agreed from the grill. "But first, the lamb's ready, so let's eat!"

DANIEL PULLED UP to the near empty parking structure of their office building. It was a pretty anonymous building, and when they got into the office, it would be a pretty typical office floor, but Daniel took pride in it nonetheless. That was why he wanted so much to show Julie where he worked, to share as much about his life with her as possible. It was like a little boy showing the little girl that liked his favourite toy truck.

Daniel and Julie held hands as they walked into the building, stopping only to mask up. As they walked into the lobby, Daniel noticed that there wasn't a live security station in the lobby, which surprised him that he had never noticed it before. He shrugged and led Julie to the bank of elevators that would take them to his company's floor.

"Ta dah!" Daniel exclaimed as he and Julie got off the elevator. Daniel fumbled with the keys to the glass doors of the office but was surprised that they were already unlocked. "Oh well, I guess someone else is here... So, ta dah again! Welcome to Real World Vision Consulting!" Julie giggled at his silliness.

"So, where's your office?" Julie asked. "Maybe we can play Hunky Boss and Sexy Secretary..." she intimated. Daniel chuckled as he led her to his office and unlocked the door.

"Sure! Maybe I can finally get some use from the couch in my office," he laughed again. "But I think someone's here in the office. Let me give you the nickel tour while I see who's here." As they wandered around, Daniel pointed out all the different conference rooms, the other practice areas of the consultancy, and the breakrooms. As they reached the accounting and billing area of the office, Julie and Daniel heard some odd groans and squeals coming from the billing terminals. As they wandered around, they found Kevin watching some online porn on his laptop at the billing workstation.

"Kevin, what the hell are you doing here?" Daniel demanded. Kevin just gaped at the couple for a moment, frozen in shock, then scrambled to shut the laptop closed. Julie was standing behind Daniel and for a moment felt a sense of dread at being found out, but then a sudden relief at seeing that the video wasn't one of hers.

"Dude, I was doing some paperwork and I got bored man!" he exclaimed as he reached out to shut down the billing terminal as well. "Anyway, what are you doing here? And who's your friend?" Kevin asked as he leered at Julie.

"Just a friend, dude," Daniel replied, loathe to give Kevin any information about Julie. "What are you doing on the billing terminal anyway? Don't you have an office that you can use?"

"Nah man, I'm done for the day," Kevin replied as he started packing up. As he was doing so, he gave Julie querying look. "Hey, have we met before somewhere? I swear I don't forget a face!" he asked Julie.

"No, no. I don't think we met. Hey, maybe you saw me when I ran into Daniel in Vegas?" she offered up, hoping to throw him off track.

"Nah, that's not it... No worries dude! It'll come to me!" Kevin assured them as he tapped his finger to his temple. "Gotta go! All work and no play...," he waved as he walked away.

"No work and all play is more like it...," Daniel grumbled. "If his dad wasn't the Managing Partner, he wouldn't have a job here." Daniel paused for a moment, wondering why Kevin wasn't in his office at all, then filed it away in his mind to ruminate another time. "Anyways, where were we?"

"HEY BABE, WHAT are you thinking so hard about?" Julie asked Daniel later that night as she rubbed the furrow in his brow.

"Just trying to figure out what Kevin's up to...," he replied absentmindedly. "I think I know, but now we have to prove it."

"What do you think he's doing?" she pressed.

"You know that thing me and Ravi are working on on the side? The thing with the mistakes on the billings?" Julie nodded. "Well, it's all coming from that terminal. When we were all in the office, we couldn't pinpoint it because it was a common login for the finance department, but it's been continuing and we weren't sure how." Julie's eyes widened in understanding. "So seeing Kevin there today was a surprise, especially since he shouldn't have the login for that terminal."

"So what are you going to do?"

"Don't know yet. I'll have to run it by Ravi," Daniel said, deep in thought, his hand petting Bruno's head slowly. Then he closed his eyes and shook the thought out of his head and looked at Julie. "Sho what would you like for dinner?"

IN THE END Daniel and Ravi didn't have any records to backtrack the discrepancies but, as luck would have it, the billing terminal was part of a bulk order for the office and was equipped with a webcam. Why it needed one no one could really explain, but they all came cheap so no questions were asked. Getting IT to have it turn on every time there was a login from that terminal was as easy as a phone call. Tracking back the older discrepancies would be difficult and circumstantial at best, but that may be enough to have Kevin terminated.

With the plan for the terminal in motion Daniel went back to the office building to see if he could get some surveillance video for either the entrances or the elevators. Since it was a privacy issue, he could only get the video for the foyer of their floor, but that would have to do, and unfortunately with the skeleton staff, they were also not logging visitors.

Plan in place, all there was to do was wait and sift through the evidence. In the meantime, other things were brewing.

* * * * *

October, 2020 - Toronto

AS MORE WEEKS together passed, Julie and Daniel were settling into domesticity. They had spoken briefly about what happens next with the both of them, but no concrete plans were in place, the pandemic forcing a solitude and intimacy that mimicked monogamy. The investigation into the financial issues at RWV stalled as well as. Kevin, spooked by Julie and Daniel's visit, held off for a week or two. Unfortunately for him, he started up again, not able to resist financially padding himself. And the pandemic rolled on.

"GOOD MORNING SWEETIE," Daniel whispered to Julie as his alarm roused him on a crisp, sunny October Saturday. "I'm gonna get a quick run in before we head out," he informed her as he gave her a brief kiss.

"I thought I gave you a good workout last night," Julie hummed as she stretched. Daniel chuckled as he thought back to the vigorous efforts they both put in three times last night. He kissed her again and got out of bed.

"Want me to pick up some coffee before we leave or do you want to pick it up on the way?" he asked as he got into his running gear.

"Maybe on the way hon," Julie replied. "I can't wait until we get on the road! There's not a lot of opportunities to see the leaves changing in LA. Hurry back, OK?" She reached out for one more kiss before he set off.

KEVIN SAT IN his expensive sportscar down the street from Daniel's townhome that morning. He knew that Daniel ran every Saturday morning and was counting on him being out when he confronted Julie. At least that was what she called herself. He knew her as Candi Kaine.

It had bothered him for weeks now, after seeing her a second time, that he couldn't pinpoint why he recognized her. Finally, his hours of falling down the rabbit hole of online porn paid off. Yesterday, instead of working on client proposals, Kevin had been surfing for schoolgirl porn. Clicking on a stepdad and friend threesome he lucked out on a cute brunette cheerleader being spit-roasted by a pair of "older" gentlemen in the role of "step-father and friend". As he got more into the video, he suddenly recognized the face of the actress and he blew his load all over the keyboard of his laptop as he sat in front of the billing terminal at the office. It was the girl that Daniel was seeing! He also remembered that he had gotten pictures with her at the porno conference in February!

He was hoping to parlay that knowledge into maybe getting a roll in the sack with her. While he was hoping he would get to fuck her, he was also probably fucked as well since he didn't notice the blinking light on the billing terminal's webcam while he was watching porn on his work laptop.

Today, however, he was hoping to lay the groundwork to saying he got to fuck a porn star for real, instead of having to pay for it in Vegas. The icing on the cake was he could pull one over on Daniel, whom he saw as a rival at the firm and a rival for his father's respect. He had always thought of Daniel, with his "principles" and his "commercial acumen" as a stick in the mud pussy, and he was jealous that his father would praise him instead of his own son. It would serve him right to have a girl stolen out from under him!

Dwelling on his fantasies, Kevin almost missed Daniel leaving the house for his run. Now was his chance! He got out of his car and jogged over to the front door of Daniel's townhouse and rang the doorbell.

JULIE STRETCHED AS she got out of bed, putting on Daniel's robe and bending down to scratch Bruno behind the ear. The terrier thumped his leg on the floor, enjoying the sensation. As he was enjoying his scritches, his head swung sharply towards the front of the house. When the doorbell rang, Bruno started barking as he ran down the stairs to the front door.

"Hey buddy! Who do you think that is?" Julie asked as she followed Bruno down the stairs. "Coming!" she called out as the doorbell rang again and Bruno went nuts barking at the door. "Hey sweetie, did you forget...," she stopped speaking abruptly as she saw it wasn't Daniel on the doorstep.

"Hey 'sweetie'," Kevin said sarcastically as he leaned on the wall of the entryway into the home. "Why don't you call off your dog, 'sweetie', or should I say Candi?" A predatory smile cut across Kevin's face as he saw Julie's face blanch.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Julie replied while looking around for Daniel. "Anyway, I don't think you should be here without Daniel," she said as she tried to close the door. Kevin put his hand out to stop the door from closing and stuck his smartphone in her face, showing her a screenshot of a scene in one of her movies.

"So, you're saying this isn't you, Candi Kaine?" he said silkily, thinking he had the upper hand.

"SHIT!" DANIEL EXCLAIMED as his earbuds crapped out. While he did run on a regular basis, he really hated it and without the podcasts and music, there really was no incentive. Luckily, he was only around the corner so he turned around and ran back home to grab another pair of earbuds. As he approached his home he was surprised to see Kevin at his front door, seemingly in a confrontation with his new, now teary-eyed girlfriend. What he heard as he got closer had him seeing red.

"So, if you don't want your wimpy little boyfriend to find out about you, you should be ready to service me, and maybe some of my friends, any time I want. Let's call it my personal, on-call porn star. What do ya say?" Kevin offered smarmily as he reached out to caress Julie's face.

"Fuck you! I would never...," Julie denied his request, shrinking back in revulsion, when her eyes went wide. Kevin had probably not picked up on her reaction because he was caught completely unaware when he was yanked back from the porch and thrown down the steps, flipping over twice before landing on his ass. Kevin scrambled to his feet, his face red, jumping into an awkward fighter's stance that he probably saw in some cheap kung fu film. By now, some of Daniel's neighbours had come outside to see what all the commotion was about, some of them filming with their smartphones.

"Buddy, I wouldn't if I were you," Daniel cautioned in a deceptively calm voice. With a bellow, Kevin charged at Daniel. With a sidestep, Daniel palmed the larger man's head and deflected the force away harmlessly, an additional foot stuck out, tripping him and sending him to ground again. "Stay down!" Daniel commanded more forcefully, yet entirely calmly.

Kevin leapt up again, smarting with humiliation. "What the fuck are you doing defending that whore!? I just want a piece just like you and everyone else got!" Kevin yelled, causing Julie to wince when he referred to her as a whore.

"You better apologize to my girlfriend and get the fuck off my property," Daniel instructed, just before Kevin threw a sucker punch at Daniel's head. Kevin was not very good at this fighting thing because he telegraphed his punch from so far that Daniel was able to back into his midsection, under his punching arm and hip throw the younger man onto the ground. "You better stay down this time," Daniel growled just as a police cruiser pulled up to the curb, lights ablaze. All of Daniel's neighbours immediately pointed to the man on the ground as the aggressor, which only meant that both him and Daniel were cuffed and sitting on the curb until statements were taken and Daniel was uncuffed.

Daniel declined to press charges at Julie's urging, convincing the constables that it was just a misunderstanding. As the police officers walked Kevin away, he growled at Daniel under his breath "Ask the whore who Candi Kaine is!"

"Hey buddy, shut your mouth or we WILL take you to the division and book your ass!" one of the constables warned as he grabbed Kevin's elbow and marched him to his car with one more warning.

"All right folks, thanks for all your help! Apologies for the disturbance, but I'm hoping no more excitement for today!" Daniel waved to all his neighbours. Daniel felt a hand tug at his elbow and he looked down at Julie, her face stricken and eyes shining with unshed tears.

"Danny, can we go in and talk?" she asked in a tiny voice. She looked away as Daniel nodded, his lips pressed tightly in a line.

JULIE AND DANIEL went into the den and sat at opposite ends of the couch. For a long while neither spoke, and then both spoke at the same time.

"So, who is Candi..."

"Danny, let me explain..."

"You go first Jules," Daniel conceded. Julie nodded and began.

"You've got to understand Danny, I stopped making films before I even reached out to you again," Julie began, "I didn't plan for us to get romantic. It really was just to have you mentor me. But I became attracted to you, and then I fell in love with you, long before we became intimate," she explained. "I haven't been with another man since you and I started communicating, and I stopped camming once we became intimate." The whole story of Candi Kaine came out.

Julie was a typical, middle class, middle American teenager. She had rebelled against what her parents represented, just like those around her and those before her. Her mother had so wanted her to go to college and get a good degree, get a good job, and find a good man, and have kids - rinse and repeat. Instead, the day she turned eighteen Julie started camming and making money. Once her parents found out, they kicked her out and stopped communicating with her. While she was still angry with them, she did still try and send them birthday and Christmas cards, in the hopes of one day connecting with them again. What hurt most was being cut off from her little sister, whom her parents didn't want influenced by Julie.

Fortunately, Julie had saved enough that she flew out to Los Angeles and met with her now agent Greg, who had reached out to her through one of his other girls. From then on, the adult industry was her family. In her three years she was able to make a great living through her subscription site and camming, enough to buy a condo and put enough away. Luckily, through her agent, she was able to stay away from some of the pitfalls and ensure she did what she was comfortable with - nothing degrading or abusive - but she was still quite comfortable with things that were a stretch for most people.

Ironically, it was reaching the age where her career could have hit a lull where she would have had to push the boundaries of her comfort zone that revealed the importance of education that her mother had impressed on her. Again, through luck and shrewdness she had the means to prepare for her next chapter.

"Dan, you have to know this. I am not ashamed about my life and career," she said as she reached for his hand. While he didn't flinch or look at her in disgust, he also didn't reciprocate the hold she had on him. She looked at him with sadness and tears and let go of his hand. "I'm not ashamed Dan, but I want to give it up so we can have a chance to be together."

"Jules, just...," Dan started, his voice flat and exhausted, his head in his hands now. "Can I just have some time to process? This is just..., just from out of left field, you know?" he asked, as he looked up at her. She could see the confusion, the hurt, and the sadness in his eyes.

Julie nodded and got up from the couch, walking to the kitchen, Bruno on her heels. After a few hours Julie decided that she needed to give Daniel more space to think.

"Dan, I've booked myself into a hotel for a little while to give you a bit of space," Julie quietly announced. Daniel was shocked out of his funk by Julie's declaration. He sat up gave her a sharp look, then sighed as he sank back onto the sofa cushions, defeated. "I can see you're struggling with this and I think it'll be easier for you figure out how you feel about this, about us, if I'm not here," Julie reasoned, hoping that he would ask her not to leave. Daniel stayed silent. "Honey..., Dan, I know I don't have a right to ask you but..., could you not watch any of my videos, please? I don't want you to see me like that, to think of me like that." Julie's phone pinged. "My Uber's here. I gotta go."

Juile leaned in to press a soft kiss on the corner of Daniel's mouth. Out of reflex his own lips twitched, but he couldn't bring himself to return her kiss. Julie pulled back and looked at him one more time. Daniel couldn't return her gaze.

"I love you Daniel and I'm really sorry I kept this from you," Julie said softly as she turned to walk out of the house, tears running freely down her cheeks.

JULIE SETTLED INTO the midtown hotel a short ride away from Daniel's townhome and immediately hooked up her wifi. Her first call was to Charles to whom she poured her heart out, fully releasing her sorrow and tears.

"Charlie, I think I lost him!" Julie sobbed at the screen of her laptop.

"Shush girl. Tell me what happened," Charles softy prodded her.

"It all went to shit Charlie!" Julie recounted the situation with Daniel finding out about her recent past from the jerk from his office. "I was so stupid! I should have just been honest with him from the beginning."

"And what would that have done for you?" Charles asked. Julie thought for a moment.

"At least I wouldn't be feeling like this right now! Or if he knew, then he wouldn't have gotten involved with me so I wouldn't be here," Julie had suggested.

"But do you love him?" Chales asked gently. Julie nodded tearfully. "And do you think he loves you?" he prodded again.