꒰ 5 ꒱

2.9K 194 12
                                    

After hours at the photo studio, the drive to the safe house was blessedly short. You rested your head against the window and dozed a little on the ride there, only to be shaken awake by Giovanna when you neared your destination.

"The Convent is coming up on your side," she said. "It's the Gothic high-rise. I bought the building around the same time I did The Midnight Rectory and had it renovated into luxury apartments."

It was an architectural masterpiece: all long pointed arches and ribbed vaults, with countless windows. "It's magnificent."

"Not only that. It's as safe as houses. No one gets in or out without my knowledge." Meaning you wouldn't be kidnapped on her watch. That was a comfort.

The SUV parallel-parked in a spot by the apartment building's entrance, and the two of you climbed out.

"How much is rent?" You asked as the two of you walked through the lobby. It was hard to keep up with her, given how long her strides were, but you managed.

You passed a number of guards. They must have recognized Giovanna, though, seeing as no one tried to stop you on your way to the elevator. It was a good thing that security was so tight.

You still didn't know how you could afford to live in such a nice place, though.

"Rent, food, utilities, and protection are provided to our e-darlings free of charge," she answered, pressing the button for the ninth floor. "Hell, we even give you a very generous starter pack. One example is that you get to keep all the clothes you just modeled. You'll see the rest once we get to your apartment."

Now, that sounded too good to be true. "What's the catch?"

"You only get to keep twenty-five percent of the revenue you bring in. And considering how green you are, it's going to be a while before you see more than a hundred dollars a week. We'll help you out as much as we can, but you need to put in the work."

Dear God... You made more than that at your crappy part-time job. You didn't dare voice your discontent, though.

Giovanna continued, "There are ways to get around this pay cut, of course. A lot of our girls keep Amazon wishlists, along with other gift registries. Rather than spending their own cash, they ask their fans to buy things for them and do unboxing videos." The elevator let out a cheerful little ding, announcing your arrival. "Do you have any questions?"

You couldn't think of the right thing to say. "To be honest, I don't know where to begin," you laughed awkwardly.

She didn't press, just nodded. "I understand. It's a lot to take in." Stopping in front of apartment nine-oh-one, she fished a little key out of her pocket and unlocked the door and swung it open.

Your jaw dropped.

You'd seen kawaii bedrooms before but never an entire apartment committed to the aesthetic. It was so cute it made you want to barf.

Whoever decorated the place clearly never heard the term, "Less is more." It was maximalism at its finest. Every square foot of the walls and floors... Every inch of the shelves and tables... They all had something to look at. It was cluttered but cozy at the same time. And honestly? A little overwhelming.

"Welcome to your new home," Giovanna said. "Do you like it?"

You hadn't decided yet. Instead, you answered her question with a question of your own. "Is all this for me?" Your tone was incredulous but could also be interpreted as full of wonder.

"It's vital that you feel comfortable here, since you won't be leaving this apartment." She sounded completely nonchalant for someone who just dropped a bomb on you.

You turned to her slowly, looked at her with an expression full of shock and horror. "What do you mean? I'm not allowed to leave?"

She shook her head. "Not for the foreseeable future. There are certain exceptions, but they are few and far inbetween."

You didn't like the sound of that. No, you didn't like the sound of that at all. But what could you do? You didn't have much of a choice. It was either stay here and follow Giovanna's rules or risk getting kidnapped and spending the rest of your days in a dark, dank basement.

While you were still reeling from that discovery, something new caught your eye. There were several glass-encased domes attached to the ceiling. Were they strobe lights or...? "Are those cameras?"

She looked up, smirked and waved at the camera in the living room. "Yes. Multi-sensor dome cameras, to be specific. They're in every room of the apartment."

It felt like your stomach dropped. A sense of dread washed over you. "Even-- Even the bathroom?" You asked.

"Yes." Your intentions must have been written on your face, plain as day, because she followed that up with a hiss, "Do not tamper with them."

"Fine!" You yelped, holding your hands up in surrender. "I won't!"

"Good..." Then Giovanna strode over to one of the closed doors, opening it and motioning you inside. "I had the second bedroom converted into a study." Then she gestured to the desk. It was teeming with electronics, all in white and various pastels, the same color palette the rest of the apartment followed. "Here is your set-up. Best microphone and webcam money can buy. You'll be spending a lot of time at this desk. Take a seat."

She sounded a little impatient, so you quickly plopped down into the pink and white gaming chair. Like everything else in the apartment, it was adorable, with attached bunny ears and a cotton tail.

Then she leaned over your shoulder, so close you could pick up on her clean and fresh perfume, and tapped one of the keys on the keyboard. The desk's three monitors immediately lit up. There was a website open on the middle one.

It sported a clean and minimal design in simple black and white with a splash of blue. There was a logo in the upper left hand corner: a white cloud with a black number nine inside it. The menu bar features seven buttons, which read Home, Darlings, Categories, Videos, Livestreams, Photos & Gifs, and Community.

"Here is our website: Cloud Nine. This is where you'll be posting all your videos and audios as well as streaming. Here. Nowhere else. You're already logged in. Your username and password are saved by the browser, in case you ever get logged out.

"You can post and stream almost anything, but our bread and butter are darling ASMR and roleplay videos. They can be as chaste as a love confession or as spicy as masturbation. You'll be expected to upload one at least every week. If you need ideas, the home page shows what's most popular."

Here, Giovanna paused, obviously looking for a nod or some other indication you were listening. Honestly, you were too busy processing what she said to notice. It was a wonder your brain wasn't making the dial-up internet sound effect.

"I'm feeling a little overwhelmed," you admitted at last, drooping like a withered flower.

She let out a put-upon sigh, reached up to massage her temples. "It's a lot simpler than you're making it out to be... But I'll tell you what. Why don't I have a few of my established girls visit you? They'll be happy to get out of their apartments for a change, and you get some help with your first few uploads. Okay? Okay."

Electronic Darling || Yandere!Mobster X F!ReaderWhere stories live. Discover now