"Hi Michael! How was your weekend?"
"Morning, Lisa. it was OK, largely just caught up on sleep. Haven't really come round yet."
"You say that every Monday!"
"I like sleep. How was yours? Tell me about your adventures."
And so for a few minutes she did, because with Lisa there's always a story, something funny to tell or some gossip to pass on. As she talked I listened to her soft, sing-song voice and smiled at my reflection in the computer screen as I drank my first coffee of the day.
Lisa's been my main co-worker for almost three years, though we've never met in person. We work for a small software company and our role is to provide support for users. I split my time between our office and working from home; she's based in Australia though where we have some customers, so covers the hours when I and the rest of the UK team are asleep. A couple of times a week she logs on for an hour or two in her evening to catch up with me or other colleagues, and so she usually catches me at my very worst. I'm not good at the start of the day.
I'd actually helped to interview her before she joined. We had several good candidates, but Lisa easily stood out with her intelligence, energy and easy manner. Afterwards the panel had been discussing her suitability, and one of our developers had added "Plus, she's really hot!" which had earned him an instant rebuke from our chair, the only other female in the company.
He was right though, if a little blunt. I'd prefer to describe her as 'gorgeous'. Lisa's 26, has long brunette hair, olive skin tanned by the Australian sunshine, beautiful large deep brown eyes and slim shoulders. And that's all I get to see of her each time we talk, all framed by the now familiar sea paintings and bookshelves in the bedroom where her desk is. She doesn't use social media, so there's no clues as to the rest of her appearance there either.
When Lisa started with us we'd planned to fly her over as part of her induction, but then Covid happened, and so she simply learnt the job as she went, which didn't take her long. So now our regular meetings are conspiratorial affairs, partly based around keeping each other up to date with work issues, and partly just chatting nonsense or bitching about difficult customers and colleagues.
She knows a lot about me; I'm not chatty by nature, especially in the morning, but Lisa teases things out, so she knows I'm a decade older than her, divorced and live on my own. I should probably know more about her, she has told me plenty but often I'm content to simply listen to the inflections of her giggling Australian twang and look at her face as she talks; the words barely go in. I didn't think it was possible to fall for someone via a computer screen, but probably have to admit that that's what's happened. I know she's also single, and there's some occasional light flirtation between us, but the small matter of 10,000 miles makes that a non-starter.
"What do you think?"
"Sorry Lisa, I was miles away. Say that again?"
"Ah, it doesn't matter. You need another coffee to wake yourself up and I need to go log off, as soon as I've sent a couple of quick emails. Take it easy Mikey boy."
"Bye Loosa."
She winked and the screen went black. This is how we usually end our chats now. She playfully calls me 'Mikey boy' because I once told her that I disliked it, and she's become Loosa as a play on 'loser' after I once rescued her from a rare work mistake before anyone found out, and then teased her about it.
A few seconds later my chat software pinged:
Lisa: Sorry, forgot to say, Andy's going to join our meeting next Monday, we need to bring him up to speed on... well everything. Because he's Andy.
Michael: So I'll be with 2 Loosa's next week then?
Lisa: :-p
I went to make another coffee.
*
The week that followed was difficult, one problem after another to be dealt with, which included doing overtime, and while Lisa and I pinged each other a few times it was all strictly work-related. It also meant I had to miss a catchup we'd pencilled in so we didn't speak again before the weekend rolled around.
Weekends aren't always the treat that others view them as when you're a mid-30s divorcee. By now most of my friends have married off and had children, so they're too busy to meet or go for a drink. My ex-wife and I had never had kids, so there were no responsibilities there either.
On the Friday night, sick of spending too long staring at a screen, I headed out to a local bar where single women could sometimes be found. Drinking in public on your own always feels a little tragic to me, but I'm not ready for the speed dating world just yet, and apps like Tinder feel a little too forward for my liking. For a while I found myself chatting to an attractive blonde woman, but then some girlfriends of hers arrived and she disappeared with them.
Saturday was also pretty drab. There were chores to do, shopping to fetch, and I put in an hour on my bike as my token weekly exercise. But even with the late morning start to my day - I really did like to sleep - I still found myself stretched out on the sofa by early evening, aimlessly flicking through a magazine and drinking another beer. In the end I simply went to bed early - I can always manage 12 hours of shuteye in the right circumstances.
On Sunday the rain was hammering down so I was confined indoors. By early afternoon I was bored, so hooked my personal laptop up to my large work monitor and settled into my comfy desk chair. One advantage of living on your own is that when you feel the need, you can masturbate when, where and how you like without needing to explain yourself. And like many men, I had a collection of favourite online sites where I could go for release. If I wasn't especially aroused, it would at least pass some time before work again the following morning.
*
I have a love-hate relationship with cam sites. There's no denying that very attractive women way out of my league can be found there, and I've had some very erotic experiences while using them. A good cam model can truly make you believe that while your private chat is taking place your pleasure is the most important thing to her, and she'll do anything to help you get there. There's also the advantage that your show is happening in the anonymity of your own home, and not some dodgy strip joint. When you're topping up your tokens balance it's that feeling that you're chasing again - a one-on-one tailored show just for you.
That's the upside, but I have reservations too, and I accept they may be mine alone. Scrolling through the preview thumbnail feeds can be overwhelming at times; several hundred women available, and you're looking for the perfect one, mentally marking those that look promising but continuing to work through the whole list for fear you're missing something better. Some of the models you see are already naked and posing provocatively, but I usually skip those; for me the illusion of the chase is important, I could watch videos of women doing that on porn sites for free. Of course the cam girls know why men like me are here, but the slow reveal of the body is half the pleasure. And so you scroll and scroll, then use some filters and scroll again, and before you've noticed half an hour has passed and you've still not clicked on any of the available models.
When I logged in on Sunday it quickly felt like it might be one of those days. The site I'd chosen alerts you to which of your favourite girls are online, but today there were literally none. For a minute or so I glanced through some of the profiles but nothing really stood out for me. I became aware of the rain thudding on the window; maybe I just wasn't horny enough?
I chose the filter to show me the 'New' models, those who were recent additions to the site. Even that left me with over 100 women; I hovered my mouse over a couple of those that I thought might have potential, which gave me a feed from their cam as they waited for a visitor, but again nothing was catching my attention. Perhaps it was time to try another site or write the whole thing off as a bad idea?
And that's when I saw it.
A couple of rows under the feeds I've been watching was a thumbnail marked 'Leesa xxx'. There wasn't actually anyone in it - that often happens when a cam girl disappears for a short while but stays online - but it immediately stood out from the other feeds surrounding it. Most models present themselves in a seductive setting, stretched out on a bed with the lights dimmed or posing next to a mirror; this one simply showed the top of an office chair, and behind that some bookshelves and artistic seascapes that I'd seen many times before.
It was Lisa's room. I was sure of it.
I peered again. The lighting was a little dimmer than I was used to, but not so dark that I couldn't make out the main details of the paintings. As I hovered my mouse over the image for the live feed, there was still no sign of anyone in the room. Perhaps I could quickly visit then leave again before anyone appeared. I was convinced this was Lisa's room but needed to confirm my suspicion. What were the chances of stumbling across a co-worker in a space like this? For that matter I needed proof that she didn't do something like rent it out at weekends - I know very little about what equipment cam girls use but Lisa's rig, like mine, would be pretty hi-tech.
After I clicked on the thumbnail there was a pause for a second while a loading circle appeared on my screen, then the connection was made and the still empty room filled my screen. There was no margin for error now, I was staring at a place I'd seen hundreds of times through this very monitor. I even recognised a small ornament that stood at the end of one of the bookshelves. Holy shit!
As I watched the door to the room swung open, and in stepped a woman. Believe it or not, I didn't immediately recognise her; Lisa usually wore strappy dresses or high neck jumpers, casual wear for when you don't have to visit a workplace. This figure was dressed in what would pass for an office outfit; a smart white blouse with the top couple of buttons undone, a black pencil skirt, nylon tights and black strappy shoes. Her hair was tied back and she also wore business-like glasses, something I'd never seen Lisa do. She also looked to be two or three inches taller than I'd always imagined her to be, but as she approached her desk and smiled any remaining doubts disappeared. My beautiful, sexy co-worker was a cam model.
*
Leesa xxx: Hi, welcome to my room. How are you?
mikeyb: good today, you?
