Page 44 of Shameful Addictions

Thenextday,Charlottegot in her car and drove to the Champion Media building, exactly as she used to all those months ago. She smiled a little while driving, unable to help her good mood. So, she would be filming terrible things, but she was going to be where she belonged. Maybe, at some point in the future, things would change again. After all, she couldn’t do this forever, right? She couldn’t be 50 filming pornographic content. No one would want to view that, not even in this crazy world.

Maybe she could move on to being an editor someday.

Determination flowed through her. Things were awful, but that didn’t mean they always would be. She just had to try hard and do her best and show Mamba exactly what she was capable of.

Charlotte parked and then went inside. A security guard sat behind the front desk, the same one from so long before, right when Mamba took ownership of the company. She recalled how the man had spoken to her and her absolute confusion, though now it all made sense.

The guard looked up from his magazine, which was a porn magazine with pictures of women in high heels and little else. His eyes went huge as he saw Charlotte.

She waited for him to recognize her and speak down to her.

Instead, he flashed a woozy grin, seeming almost dumbstruck by her. “Hey, hot stuff.”

After having been called so many terrible things up until now, the catcall was almost flattering.

“What can I do to help you, lady?” the guard asked.

“I know where I’m going,” Charlotte said. She turned away from him, though in the process she accidentally caught another look at the women in the magazine. They all really seemed to be enjoying themselves despite being exploited and contorted into odd and uncomfortable positions.

“That wasn’t what I was asking,” the guard said.

Charlotte shuddered. At least Mamba barely touched her. She couldn’t imagine this pig getting his meaty hands on her. “I know. No thanks.”

“If you change your mind, bitch, I’ll be here.”

Charlotte ignored him and took the elevator to go see Damian. She went to his office and knocked on his door.

“Come in,” he called.

She did as he asked.

Damian hadn’t seen her since before she went through all these changes for Mamba. He looked up from his paperwork and then gawked at her, his jaw hanging open. “Who are you and what can I do to help you out, miss?”

His change in demeanor amused her. “Damian, it’s Charlotte. I’m back for work.”

“Charlotte?”

“Yes.”

“Holy shit.” Damian got up from behind his desk and went to her, staring at her as if he couldn’t believe it. He probably couldn’t, what with the type of content she used to make and what she had done. He approached her, looking her body up and down with curiosity. “No offense, but I really thought you were going to go to prison. This is the arrangement you made?”

“This is it,” she agreed softly.

Damian rubbed his eyes and looked around. “Right. See, Mamba gave away your studio space to a new influencer. We don’t really have anywhere that’s ready for you.”

“Oh.”

So she had come out all this way for nothing.

“I tried to tell him that, but he wanted me to tellyou.”

“So what am I supposed to do now?”

“He told me to send you to his place so you can film in his studio.”

Charlotte licked her lips, her mouth going dry. “Really?”

“Really.”

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