Chapter 21

David needed some time away from game. He had flexibility with his job, but he had pushed that to the limit.

Also, he needed time to take stock of where he was. The past day had been a whirlwind of activity. One real-world day ago, Ariel had started to work with real clients in the training brothel. Now, she was an initiate of the Whores Guild soon to be an apprentice.

Even the David of three weeks ago would not recognize his life. The idea that it would feel natural to take a break from lunch to give someone a quick hand job ... no, David of three-weeks-past wouldn’t understand that at all. Of course that David had never met Hulda. His dreams and fantasies of sexual liberation were just that: dreams, mixed with shame, to be dragged out under cover of dark.

He needed to take some time to appreciate how different things were. Was he sure this was what he wanted?

If he continued to steer the current course, Ariel would become his life. Rather than working a normal job, he would fuck people in a virtual world. That ... didn’t bother him as much as it seemed like it should.

Perhaps there would be more: helping other people realize their dreams was something he could get behind. Some of the fan chat comments had hinted at how Ariel’s boldness had helped people in the real world. What job would that be? A kind of sex educator? He didn’t know if there was a word for that aspect of Ariel’s effect on the real world. If he were honest, he didn’t even know if she would succeed in doing much of that work. Sure, there were the comments, but how much could a game affect things in people’s real-world lives?

If his life became playing Ariel, what of David? In game it didn’t matter. Out here though ... he didn’t want to be eclipsed by his virtual persona. And yet if he valued his privacy—valued protecting his real-world identity—Ariel might well eclipse him.

That wasn’t right. What he was doing was hard too. Or perhaps, his perspective added additional dimensions to why the work he was doing as Ariel was hard work. He wanted recognition for that work. But he saw no way to get that recognition while protecting himself in the real world.

Speaking of protecting himself, he wasn’t sure what to think of a note he had received on that front: Celebrex Security had written detailing their success at protecting the biggest stars in Phoenix Rising, . The note had been forwarded by the company to preserve his identity. He’d asked to hear about it, or at least as his confidant, Hulda had suggested he look into real-world security. He gave her permission to send a discreet inquery. David felt a knot of panic as he thought about his identity becoming public. Even so, it felt unreal to be thinking of hiring security because of something he did in a game.

If he did need security, Celebrex might be a good option. They focused on protecting their clients with minimal disruption. They started with small steps like making sure residential security systems were up to date and rapidly filing privacy letters with anyone who attempted to leak the locations of their clients. When necessary, they provided more intrusive services like package screening, security drones, and even guards. But as much as possible they tried to let their clients continue without disruption to their life.

The cost structure was also interesting. They did have a time and materials option. But they had a deal with Phoenix Rising called the assurance option. You paid a percentage of your game income and any external sponsorships. To get service, your income needed to be high enough, at least initially. After you bought in, though, you were given protection even if your income fell. Current stars ended up paying to keep past stars safe.

David laughed at one part of the note: