[interesting]

The other apartment was on the other side of the corridor, one floor up. It was almost identical, though mirrored, to Justine's own place. The two bedrooms were the only distinction, and only in the sense that Pinky had assigned them to different purposes. One of them was for sleeping. The other also contained a bed, but it seemed to also contain some additional mood lighting, a computer and a camera, aimed at the bed. It did not take much imagination for Justine to figure out what it was for.

"Sure," Pinky had replied, "I do camshows."
"Camshows?"
"Yeah... I have a website where I strip, masturbate to the camera, chat with the people, you know..."
"And does it pay well?"
"Well, it's hard to say..."

Justine didn't understand what could be hard about the answer, but Pinky explained.

"Essentially, the chat is free. People pay me to do things... if they give enough coins, I perform tasks for them..."
"Coins?"
"The online currency for the site... we don't deal in real money."
"Oh! But you still get paid?"
"I do."
"So... how much?"

Pinky had to consider the numbers.

"A good week, I can make... five hundred?"
"Really?"
"Yeah. But I don't cam often, to be honest."

It was obvious to Pinky that Justine was doing the math in her mind.

"Are you considering it?"
"I don't know..."
"Well," Pinky argued, "the good thing about it is that you're safe, in your home, and you have control over it."
"But... everyone can see you?"
"Some girls wear a mask. People are into that..."

It was the strangest notion to Justine and yet, given all that she had done recently, it didn't seem so far-fetched. Her eyes kept glancing back to that room.

"How much got stolen?" Pinky asked again.
"Four hundred."
"Well... if you'd like, I could give it to you..."

The offer did not fall on deaf ears, and Justine's eyes betrayed her hopefulness. Pinky quickly adjusted her attitude.

"But... not for free."
"Ok..."
"You could... work it off."
"Work it off how?"

Pinky pointed to the room.

"On cam?" Justine replied, almost shocked.
"Well... yes... I mean, I have a mask, if you'd like."
"But... I... uh..."

She needed the money. Plain and simple.

"What... would I have to do?" Justine asked.
"Well... to be honest, I have had people request that I go on cam with... someone else."
"Someone else?"
"And... you know... do stuff with that person."

Justine froze. Her mind shifted back to the bathroom, only yesterday, with Tina; the nudity, the rubbing, the proximity...

"Tina," Justine murmured.
"Hmm?" Pinky replied.
"Nothing... so... if I go on cam, with you, you would... pay me four hundred."
"Well, I'd pay you half of what we get."
"But I need... ok, no... it's fair, I suppose."
"I mean, I could always give you the four hundred, and you could owe me..."

A question suddenly popped into Justine's head.

"If you have that kind of money... why are you still here?"

Pinky smiled.

"Because... I like it here. And I'm not yet back on my feet. So..."
"Ok."

The other question still lingered in Justine's consciousness: could she do it? Could she go in front of the camera, expose herself, perhaps do a few things with Pinky, in order to get the money she needed? But as with all her hesitations of the past week, it seemed to fade in the light of the newfound attachment for Tina she was still developing into. Any doubts disappeared when her daughter's smile illuminated her thoughts.

Besides, it might be fun, she thought to herself.