Page 14 of Masked Encounter

“Instead of parading your relationship with your partner around for the world to see, you’re relationship has been made public through a sex tape. This is an incredibly embarrassing situation for your partner—and you as well, I’m sure— and it makes it difficult for her to trust you when you keep your relationship a secret.”

"Holy shit." I said.

The pastor looked mortified.

"I apologize for my language, Father. Your words have truly inspired me and filled me with a newfound appreciation. I am truly grateful for your guidance. Thank you, really.”

He smiled. "I don't know what I did but you're welcome sir."

I knew there was no guarantee, but I had to take a chance and try to fix things.

Chapter 20

Madison

I woke up and stared at the ceiling for a moment, feeling a sense of freedom that I had never felt before. I had just quit my job, and while the lack of a paycheck was a bit nerve-wracking, I was excited at the prospect of what I could do with my newfound free time. I had even started a porn career, though I had no intention of pursuing it seriously. It was a joke I liked to make with my friends, a way of self-medicating through self-deprecation. Even if it sometimes led to tears at the end of the day.

I forced myself out of bed and made my breakfast. After quitting my job, I felt like I was stuck in a rut each morning. The bed was so inviting, and I didn't have to worry about anything at all. No thoughts of sex tapes or Randy entered my mind while I was comfortable and relaxed. But I knew I had to be productive and figure out how to pay my bills. I decided to get out of bed and start my day, even though I wanted to stay in the warm, cozy bed.

I made my way out of bed, feeling the chill of the floorboards beneath my feet. Taking a deep breath, I stretched my limbs and allowed my hunger to set in. I knew that breakfast was the perfect way to start the day with a sense of comfort, and I wasn't going to let my worries get in the way of that. Bacon and eggs were my go-to; the warmth of the food helped to ease my mind, even though my world felt like it was consumed by flames.

As I descended the stairs to my kitchen, I reminded myself that I wasn't the first woman to have a sex tape leaked. In fact, many women had gone on to have successful careers despite it. Life was unpredictable, and I couldn't be sure what the outcome would be. Taking out the eggs and bacon, I switched on the kitchen TV.

The kitchen TV was a habit I picked up from my mom's generation. Back then, having a TV in the kitchen was commonplace. Even though I never adopted the gaudy decor of that era, the TV remained. It made me feel at home, like the warmth of eggs and bacon. When everything went downhill, I wished I had called my mom. She would have been a comforting ear, unlike my friends who were supportive but couldn't provide the motherly love I was looking for.

In any case, I flipped on the TV and got my breakfast ready.

"We interrupt this program for a special announcement from the Mayor."

I stopped to watch whatever had been interrupted on the television. Mayor Gotch appeared on the screen, standing at a podium in the city hall. I noticed the fancy banners hung in the back and wondered if we were about to go into some sort of nuclear Cold War. With all the strange turns my life had been taking lately, I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case. Anything seemed possible at that point. I had learned to expect the unexpected.

"Good morning everyone, I have a very unorthodox meeting today. I called this press conference for a friend of a very long time. Mutual friends with billionaire James Camry,” he spoke carefully. “I understand that I should not be doing this as mayor, but I owe the man a favor, and I am one to keep my word. With that said, I'm going to turn this podium over to Randy Maven."

I dropped my spatula on the floor, sending little specks of scrambled eggs everywhere; I barely noticed the mess.

"Ladies, gentlemen,” he greeted everyone. “As Mayor Gotch here has introduced me, I'm Randy Maven. And I’m here today to speak about the love of my life.” He cleared his throat. “I know that if I send a text, I will receive no response. A call, same result. Knocking on her door? I’d be met with no answer.” He rubbed his forehead. “And this is because I did something very bad: I betrayed her trust. I kept a secret from her. Keeping that secret, as it turned out, was indeed worse than the secret itself. I mean, the actual secret was pretty bad too but—” his voice trailed off. “This woman has turned my life around in the most miraculous of ways. She challenged me to grow and pushed me outside of my comfort zone. I was scared of her because I knew she wouldn't stand for anything less than my best, but in hindsight, I'm so grateful she held me to such a high standard. I never wanted to disappoint her, so when I made a mistake, I kept it a secret. But today, it’s time to throw off the mask and shout it out: I love you! Your unwavering strength and resilience has been an inspiration to me, and I will forever be grateful for the impact you've had on my life."

By the time I had processed it all, my bacon was cold.

Chapter 21

Randy

My brave feat had been broadcast across town, and it quickly went viral. Everywhere I looked, women of all ages were talking about me. But I didn't do it to become an overnight sensation, I did it for one person—Madison. I had to get her back. Nothing else mattered.

The hardest part about that whole experience wasn't standing up and humbling myself in front of the world, it was the fact that she didn't respond afterwards. The one person I wanted to reach, I couldn't seem to get through to. I don't know if she saw it or if it had any effect on her, but all my efforts seemed to be in vain.

My heart sank as I sat at my desk the day after the press conference. I had hoped to hear from her, even just a thank you, but the lack of communication only deepened my disappointment, frustration, and sadness.

I couldn't concentrate on anything that day. My mind was filled with a sense of anxiety and self-doubt that I hadn't felt since I was a teenager asking a girl out for the first time. I was struggling to string together a complete sentence in meetings and my emails were a mess. It was so overwhelming that I just wanted to escape my body and run away.

There was a knock on my office door and Bradley from Human Resources had arrived. Based on our past experiences together, I knew this meeting was not going to bring any good news. I wasn't particularly fond of Bradley, but I had to maintain professionalism in the workplace. This time, however, I was in no position to be a mediator or to side with anyone. Instead, I just wanted to tell him to leave and not bother me with any more of his trivial human resource issues.

"Hey boss, just wanted to let you know you have a guest here. Former employee."

I felt my stomach churn as I heard the door opening, signaling that visitors had arrived. I groaned inwardly, recognizing that it was likely one of the former employees who had left the company years ago and had returned, hoping for a handout from me. "Who is it?" I asked Bradley, my assistant, before allowing them in. "Let me see if I can remember them first."

Bradley smiled. "I don't think you'll have a problem recognizing her,” he said.

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