chapter 4

Chapter 4

"That is not what happened." Joe Rogan says to the man sitting before him while laughing.

Only for said man to nod and say, "It is; that is exactly what happened."

"Ted, are you honestly telling me the first site that was ever visited on the Starlight Network was a porn site?" Joe says, barely able to stop laughing at how ridiculous it all sounded.

"Oh, forgive me, just so I am clear, it was a lesbian porn site. Let's not get that mixed up otherwise, Isabel will be pissed at me when she sees this." Ted Bundy, the now CPO of Ezekiel Inc., says.

Which only makes Joe laugh all the harder. "Oh my god, please stop this. It's too much."

"We got video evidence too, by the way. Doug tried to have it trashed, but the tape went missing." Ted holds up his fingers in air quotes. "Only for copies to show up the next day at everyone's house the next day."

Unable to calm down, Joe says, "Wow, I can just imagine Doug's face when that happened. The picture in my mind is so clear."

"Oh, he was pissed. Very upset, but not because Isabel's sexuality was revealed that day. No, he was pissed because for the sole reason that in this moment of triumph. The moment we all knew where we were going to be huge, two women popped up on screen fucking. No matter what you do, say, or tell yourself, you will never forget that moment." Ted says with a smile.

Joe just smiled as he got that. A great moment in time, and the first thing you see on screen is porn. It was funny to him, but it wouldn't have been amusing for a serious guy like Doug.

"Speaking of Isabel, did you know about her sexually? I mean, it is no big deal today, but in the 90s, people were still not that accepting just yet." Joe says.

Ted takes a moment to think this over before answering, then says, "Well, I think I knew but didn't quite know till that day. What I mean is, here is the thing: the woman you see on TV, Isabel, is precisely what she seems. She has never hidden who she is. I quickly noticed her looking at other women in that way early on, but things didn't click till that moment."

"How did you feel when it did finally click?" Joe asks.

Shaking his head, Ted says, "At that point, I couldn't care less. We had something no one had ever seen before. A product that we honestly had no clue how to sell. Her sexuality at that point was unimportant."

"That is right. I forgot about that. Starlight didn't sell right away, did it?" Joe says.

"Not at all." Ted answers.

"Why was that? I mean, something so revolutionary for the time, you think it would have sold right away, no problems." Joe says.

"You would think, Joe, but honestly, like I said, we were all kids. Even Doug didn't have a clue how to sell it. The market was filled with internet packages at the time. So, we were one of many out there. How do you stand out in a world like that? We were walking blind." Ted says, remembering those times with fond memories. All of their horrible attempts to get people to buy Starlight. It was a fun, good time.

-1997-

I love Miami; no, I really did love Miami. I love the beaches, the ocean, the weather, the heat, the humidity, and, of course, the lack of clothes women wore around town because of it. There is so much eye candy to look at, especially here at the gym. Not that I only came to the gym to look at the woman, but it was a nice bonus. After all, I felt I earned a small peek with all the work I put in at the gym. So long as I wasn't a total creep about it, that is.

Thanks to my mother, who was and still is a total babe. I had that naturally curvaceous hourglass figure that my people were known for. With wide hips, a curvy butt and large c cup tits I was a vision of Latina beauty. Think a mix of Salma Hayek and that actress Jennifer Lopez. Only taller due to my father's side of the family, who gave birth to taller-than-average people for my race. My brothers, for example, were both around 6'6", while I stood 6'1". Unsurprisingly, I played volleyball in high school, even though I didn't enjoy playing sports. 

Anyways, naturally gifted in terms of looks or not, I kept to a strict diet and workout schedule. Having learned long ago by watching my mother that people will treat you better if you are attractive and well, there is a reason why when people think of computer nerds, they think of fat, overweight people. It was a classic example of a stereotype not being a stereotype if it was true. The amount of damage someone's body could face from sitting in front of a computer screen all day was staggering if you were not careful. So, for every 8 hours I spent in front of my computer, I spent at least three or four at the gym or on long runs. All in order to keep a trim and fit figure that would make others either love me or hate me. I can use both to my advantage. For another example, I have never had to pay for my own ice cream at specific stands around the city.

Today, however, I didn't come to the gym to perv on the woman or for my regular workout routine. No, today, I came for one reason and one reason only: to work off my frustrations at work. Yes, frustrated was a good word for it because I wasn't angry. Things were simply not going the way I had hoped they would, a fact of life many people have to deal with.

The thing is, once Starlight came online, I imagined an instant success. Everyone who had access to the internet would jump on board, choosing Starlight over any other internet provider out there because why wouldn't they? It was superior to dial-up in every way—faster, cheaper, and, most importantly, unlimited—but the signs were there that we wouldn't be as successful as we had hoped. We….I had ignored them, however.

Starlight was superior to the dial-up, but I had forgotten that we were an unknown company. Starlight wasn't like Buzzsaw, who saw great success through word of mouth on college campuses. I couldn't just send out samples and see people start using it as soon as they realized how great it was. Starlight's service range was very limited. The tower we built on top of the roof of the building couldn't even cover all of Miami, let alone the whole of the US. In comparison, Buzzsaw could be used on any system anywhere on the planet.

We had overestimated ourselves and paid for it. Not badly, mind you, as we were still doing well enough, but over the last quarter of the year, we only had 1025 people using Starlight out of the 50,000 we could with our server. At 15 dollars a month for the last 3 months, that was only 46,375 dollars. That is if you discount that the number of users was significantly lower than 1025 in both the first and second months. Next, consider the operating expenses, which were, admittedly, minimal. The company's total profits for the quarter was less than 10,000.

Again, it was disappointing, but there was some good news to go with the bad. Despite Starlight's overall failure to meet expectations, the fact remained that it was growing. Slowly but surely, it was growing, and of the 1025 people who had signed up so far, no one had dropped it. It was just that good, and the word of mouth slowly spread. At its current growth rate, we should reach at least 5000 users by the end of the year. Doug was actually hopeful for once and was already working on the permits to build our 2nd and 3rd tower.

There was also Buzzsaw to consider. Doug's prediction of a sharp decline in sales had proven to be not entirely accurate. Despite a decline in the growth rate, 175 thousand copies were sold in the third quarter, generating 3.5 million dollars for the company. This was further helped along by the fact that word had gotten out to several companies around the US looking for the protection Buzzsaw could offer.

People don't realize this, but not all cybercrimes are reported in the United States. It's like with a bank. If a bank is robbed and no one is caught or a shootout doesn't occur, the banks don't advertise that they were the victims of a crime. It could negatively impact business if clients perceived that their funds were not secure and that the security measures were easily compromised. So when a bank was robbed in this way, they just let the police and the insurance company know and kept it out of the media.

It was the same with other companies, such as insurance, finance, real estate, etc. They didn't want their investors to know they had been hacked and that a potential money loss could have occurred. Like the banks, they kept their mouths shut and tried to handle it internally. You can imagine their relief when a small company released a proven unbreakable anti-viral software system. Of course, they would jump at the chance to have it, or they will after they watch how it performs for a bit longer.

Right now, only a few minor banks and cooperatives are approaching us with offers to either buy us out or update their systems. We, of course, ignored the buyouts outright, but as for the others, we were very interested. One such company, whose name I will not mention, offered us 5.2 million dollars to update the headquarters network here in Florida. An offer we, of course, took but didn't immediately jump at completing. That would be too convenient, according to Doug. If companies knew, we already had a vision of Buzzsaw that was designed to protect business, they would most likely be less inclined to offer more. It was best to make it appear like we had to build their new network from scratch. In this way, we could justify asking for more money.

Although I was disappointed that Starlight did not achieve the anticipated success, Ezekiel Inc. was far from going out of business. In fact, Doug was already thinking of moving to a more significant building as we were growing quickly, and soon, this small one wouldn't be able to fit all the people we would soon have to hire.

"Hey, Isabel. Sup?" I heard a voice call out to me.

Looking over at where the voice is coming from, I smile at the woman I see walking towards me. And not just because of the blue and orange leotard she was wearing but because the woman walking towards me was a friend—one of the few I currently had. Her name was Stephanie Asa Hall, and she was a cheerleader for the Miami Dolphins who just happened to go to the same gym as me. Where we met and quickly developed a friendship in our shared passion for fitness. Friendship was the key word here, seeing as while I was very open about being gay, she was in no way, shape, or form gay herself. Didn't even have an interest in experimenting. Having already done so in college, according to her own words. That made her older than me, and I was so into older women. Poor me, I guess.

"Hey, Steph, how are you?" I ask her.

"Oh, you know I am fly. How about you?" She says in a ditsy voice, despite not being stupid. After watching Clueless one too many times, she was just way into today's pop culture. She was actually very smart, having earned a bachelor's degree in accounting. However, much to her parents' disapproval, she majored in dance and cheerleading. They wanted her to major in what, according to her, was a real career. It was another thing we could bond over—our shared disapproval of our parents.

Now, personally, I never really got pop culture. Sure, I used some of today's slang when talking to others, but that was more because of those around me than a conscious effort. I just never got the point, which often left me as the odd man out, so to speak, when speaking with anyone around my age.

"I am doing well enough. Just getting some work in before heading home." I tell her flatly. Having this strange feeling, she was not here to work out.

Stephanie was what one would call a good time girl. She liked to have fun, go to parties, and do pretty much anything else that involved being in a group, including going to the gym. If she was here to work out, she would be here with a friend or have called me beforehand. The fact that she did not call me in advance indicates that she was seeking me out, likely for a specific purpose.

"Cool, cool, so listen, some of the girls from the team and I are going to a club tonight. Want to join?" She asks.

"And there it was." I thought to myself with a slight smirk. One thing I learned about NFL cheerleaders is that they got paid absolute shit. Nearly to a T, all the girls on the cheer squad had to have 2nd and even 3rd jobs to continue doing what they loved. Leaving most of them flat broke after paying bills. Now, Stephanie didn't know what I did for a living, but she knew I had money to spare, and while I would hesitate to call her a leech, she had no problem inviting me out with her and the other girls despite my age so long as I could pay for gas and drinks. I only ever had to do the first, as they had no problem finding guys to pay for their drinks at the club. It was getting to the club that was always the problem.

"I don't know. I have work in the morning, and Doug doesn't like it when I come in late." I tell her with a smirk when her face looks downcast. Seeing as she didn't know I was, in fact, the boss, she assumed this hardass I was always talking about was, in fact, my boss and not the other way around.

"Oh, come on, don't be a Buzzkill. I promise we'll have you home early tonight, so your boss doesn't get on your case." Stephanie says.

Typically, after I told her I had work the following day, she would drop it, but clearly, she and the others were very, very broke right now.

"You said that last time, remember?" I say to her with a smile.

I don't really care if I am late tomorrow or not. Sure, Doug would be upset with me, but when wasn't he? No, I just liked seeing Steph beg. She practically starts to do so while I work on my triceps. I was going to say yes in the end. I nearly always do. After all, I have always found it hard to say no to a pretty face, and I do like to party. I may not understand people all that well, but that doesn't mean I don't like being around them.

After about 10 more minutes, I agreed to go, much to her joy, but only after I made her buy me dinner on her admitting limited income. Call it a sick delight, but I loved seeing her squirm as she paid for an overpriced dinner.

Another thing I loved about Miami was the clubs. Yes, I know that other cities have clubs, too, but Miami was a party town. You couldn't go anywhere without finding a club to go to, and nearly all of them didn't card me. Why? Simply because I was a hot girl in a group of other hot girls, most of whom were Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders. No club in their right mind would turn us away, and once inside, it was time to have fun.

Now, just to be clear, I don't really drink that much. I do enjoy a few here and there, but getting blackout drunk is not my thing. With my knowledge of what alcohol does to the human body, I make sure I don't overindulge myself. As for drugs, which were everywhere in places like this, I didn't do them at all. What did I do, you may ask? Well, I danced. I like to dance, not unlike Stephanie and her teammates, but not to the level where I wanted it to be part of my whole life. I especially like dancing at clubs because where else could I go where I could walk up to a woman I didn't know and start dancing with her no questions asked?

The answer is nowhere. Oh, sure, you had your gay bars and clubs, but they were a bit more strict on letting me in. Here, however, no one cared if I was a guy or not. Most guys loved it when I walked up to their girlfriend or date and started to grind on her. As for the women, they were either too drunk or just didn't care in the first place. Most likely, both, seeing as women were not nearly as uncomfortable about their sexuality as men were. For most individuals, dancing with another woman was simply that—dancing. Sure, there could be something sexual about it but just because it was sexual didn't mean they wanted to fuck.

Like right now, as I danced with this beautiful African American girl. With her box braid hairstyle, camouflage pants that matched the thong that sticking out from them, black crop top and matching white trainers, every movement we made was purely sexual in nature. The way we pressed our bodies against each other. Tits pressed against each other, hands on each other's hips, stomachs, shoulders or asses. The way we playfully teased each other's clothes. Pulling on the strips of our tops, or the way she lifted my skirt just a bit, or how I played with the strap of her thong. All very sexual, to the point that it could be said we were having sex on the dance floor. Yet no one seemed to mind, not even the guy she was here with. Everyone just watched, thinking it was all innocent fun. Which it was to this point and most likely would stay that way.

To him and the other guys in the club, I was a non-treat in their eyes. If anything, what I was doing only heightened their libido. After all, there were few things more sexually stimulating than watching two girls dancing with each other like this. Sadly, all things have to come to an end, or at least it seems that way to most when the song ends, but before the woman can walk off, I ask, "Wow, I am hot. What, to go get a drink real fast?"

"Sure," the woman answers, and we walk towards the bar, where we order ourselves some drinks. I paid for them, of course.

"That was fun. Thanks for dancing with me. My name is Isabel." I say.

"Ayah, it's nice to meet you, Isabel, and I have to say, you know how to move, girl." The now-named Ayah said to me.

"Thank you, but it was only because I had a good partner," I say, and we laugh.

"What brings you here tonight, Isabel?" Ayah asks.

"Just out with some friends who seem to have wandered off. What about you?" I ask.

"On a date." She answered me.

"Oh, you sure he doesn't mind me stealing you away from him for a bit?" I ask her.

"Please girl, don't' pretend like you didn't see him eye humping us as we danced." We both laugh again till she adds. "Like you were as we danced." She says, giving me a teasing smirk.

This doesn't catch me off guard. I didn't hide who I was, and even if I did, women just had a way of knowing that I was gay. Perhaps my eye wandered a bit too much or something about me screamed gay, but they always knew. Therefore, I respond with a smile, "You didn't seem to mind all that much."

She, in turn, laughs and says, "No, I guess I didn't."

"Does that mean I can convince you to ditch your date for the night?" This time, I look her up and down a bit more lustfully.

Again, she laughs and says, "Not even. Thanks for the drink, Ayah. See you around."

"Bye," I say as she walks away. Watching as her hips swayed from side to side a bit more. For my befit maybe? I don't know, but after a moment, I shake my head and wander off to find someone new to dance with.

"Strike one for the night." I think as I spot a blonde girl not that far away. "Let's see how my next swing goes."

"Bang" is the sound that rings out on the front door of what was once my papa's house but is now mine.

What caused that sound, some may ask? Well, that was easy. It was me slamming into it courtesy of Ayah, who pushed me hard into it while shoving her tongue down my throat and grabbed my ass. Surprising? Slightly, but it is not unwelcome. After all, she wasn't the first one to change her mind about spending the night with me. I was hot, and a lot of girls liked to experiment with me for one reason or another.

I am unsure what led to her changing her mind, but around midnight, I saw her outside the club alone. Looking not too happy and more than a bit drunk. Being the good person I was, I went to check on her. Only for her to ask me point blank if I was still interested in fucking. Now, maybe a better person would have said no or taken her home to sleep it off. I wasn't one of those people, so I agreed, and here we were. Back at my place with her pinning me to my door. If you ask me, it wasn't a bad way to end the night.

When I finally free myself and open my front door, we walk inside, stripping each other of our clothes as we make our way up to my bedroom. Yes, tonight was definitely a good night.