Page 10 of Shameful Addictions

She knew what she was about to do was a good idea.

There was no point in wasting more time thinking about it.

Charlotte went over to the corner of the room where she kept her filming supplies and set up her camera. Going through the practiced motions she knew so well helped her to feel better. Not much, but enough to steady her hands and harden her resolve. This was what had to be done and she would do it.

With the camera set up and recording, Charlotte went and sat down in her usual spot on the bed. Rather than lounge back or cross her legs like she normally would, she found herself folding her hands in her lap and leaning forward.

“Hi everyone,” she said softly, softer than she normally would. “And welcome back to Living, Loving, Lifestyling, the most positive and encouraging channel you’ll ever come across. I’m your host, Charlotte. Here at Triple L, we’re all about making dreams come true. Whether it’s learning a new skill or asking out that boy you’re interested in, I’m here to give you advice on it. You know I’m always honest with you and I always act with the best of intentions.”

Charlotte swallowed hard. This was difficult. Fortunately, with the intro out of the way, she could get on to what she really wanted to talk about.

“I tell you what I think, what I like, what I don’t like. I give you recommendations, and I tell you things I think you should avoid. Unfortunately, that’s what we’re here to talk about today. I went somewhere today under the assumption I was going to have a positive experience and instead, I ended up feeling sick and betrayed. I cannot, in all good conscience, be silent about what I saw and what I went through.”

Though I will be silent about my involvement. That’s my burden alone.

“I went to a place called Club Lollipop tonight. I was told I’d learn something there about a different kind of work, one I’ve always said I disapprove of. That’s right, I’m talking about sex work. Club Lollipop is a strip club. The young women who work there are just a little older than most of you who will watch this, but they all dress up like children. Cute dresses, animal ears, and tails. I didn’t understand it and I didn’t want to go, but I know I can be wrong sometimes. I know because you always call me out in the comments.” She forced a dry chuckle. “I wanted to see if I really could learn something from my visit to the club. And I did learn. I learned a very terrible truth that I have to share with all of you so you’ll be safe.

“Club Lollipop is nothing more than a front. It’s evil wearing a cute mask. The girls who work there are selected before they’re even old enough, chosen by the club’s owner, a man I know only as Mamba.”

Her voice trembled on his name.

“Mamba chooses these girls because they’re pretty and he wants to use them. He manipulates them, implants them with suggestions and ideas to get them to work for him. He guides them to his club so he can take advantage of them. It’s brainwashing. By the time they’ve graduated high school, these girls don’t know anything else except what Mamba has put in their heads. Those young women I saw could be at college or moving up in the world, making names for themselves. Instead, they’re put in cute costumes and treated like toys. Nameless toys. It’s awful.

“And I know what you’re asking. Where’s my proof? I talked to several people who worked there and they all told me what I just told you. I’m sure if I had taken pictures or video, I would have been thrown out. I couldn’t risk it. I had to be sure for myself. And I am sure. Club Lollipop is not a good place. It isn’t sweet or nice or a good work opportunity. It’s a gateway to degeneracy and a life of destitution. Club Lollipop is bad. Mamba is bad. I wish I could say otherwise, but there’s just no way around it.”

She ran out of breath and stopped, her lungs quivering inside her. “I’m sorry this video is short and serious, but you needed to know. I love all of you and I wanted to protect you. I’ll see you next time on Triple L. Until then, please, stay safe, and stay away from people who make promises that are too good to be true. Because they are.”

The words ran out and she sat there afterward for a moment, trying to think of anything else she could add. Eventually, she shook her head and got up, and turned off the camera. She pulled out the memory card and stuck it into her pocket.

Charlotte walked up to the door to leave. She stood in front of the soundproof foam cubes and wondered if she really was brave enough to go through with this. It would be going against Damian. Against her boss. It was a direct attack. She’d lose her job.

“So be it,” she whispered, and stepped out into the hall. What Mamba was doing was a direct attack on women everywhere. She had to retaliate. If that made her a martyr, then so be it.

Back in the elevator, she went up another two floors to reach the Cutting Room, where dozens of editors slaved for hours to put videos together from raw footage. This part of CM resembled a real office more than any other area, set up like a typical cubicle land, though with two and three high-tech monitors instead of one. Even now, at such a late hour, there were a few editors hard at work, watching the same fragments of footage for the hundredth time.

“There’s coffee,” someone muttered, barely taking the time to register her presence.

“Thanks.”

No response.

Charlotte sat down at one of the terminals and booted it up, and typed in her username and password. No one had a permanent seat out here in the Cutting Room, though some people did tend to sit in the same spots. The thin walls and desk in her terminal were clean, white, boring. The absence of color and distractions had always been soothing to her. Now, already uneasy, the blankness put her on edge.

Stuck out here to perform at the hands of our superiors. Is there a difference between CM and Lollipop?

Charlotte fed the memory card into the computer and pulled the footage into an editing program. Yes, she decided, there was a difference. Talented and willing adults worked at CM. Lollipop targeted those who were just starting out in the world, ensnaring them from their first steps from shelter.

In the editing program, Charlotte clipped out the beginnings and endings of her footage, considering it unprofessional to be seen turning the camera on and off. Otherwise, her videos never had jump cuts or special effects, nothing of the kind. The simplicity meant she could do it herself in ten minutes and then send it off to Damian for approval. Once he approved, he’d post it.

He hadn’t ever disapproved before.

She’d just cut out the middle man this time and do it herself.

Having saved her video, she went over and logged into her video channel’s account. She loaded up the video and since it was so short, barely a few minutes long, it was ready right away. Charlotte added a title, “What You Need to Know About Club Lollipop,” and added in a short, vague description asking viewers to watch right to the end. After that, there was nothing to do. The video was too short to monetize or insert ads. She wouldn’t have done so anyway. She didn’t want CM making money off of a warning, an alarm.

Charlotte hovered the mouse cursor over the upload button and closed her eyes. She searched deep inside herself to figure out if this was truly what she wanted. She had no doubts though, not a single one. Nodding to herself, she opened her eyes and clicked to upload.

Charlotte sat back in her chair, breathing out a sigh of... resignation? Relief? She didn’t know. But it was done. She couldn’t take it back. As she sat there, a notification popped into her account’s inbox. Someone in her large audience had been awake at this hour and already clicked the video, already finished watching. She went to look at the notification and in the time it took her screen to refresh, one had turned into five. Likes, shares, and comments.

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