There's Something About Melanie

This is a standalone story. However, one of the main characters, Melanie was briefly introduced in Swapping for a Good Cause and the main characters from How We Became a Webcam Couple, Holly and Keith and Swapping for a Good Cause are supporting characters in this story.

When Paul got home to his Chapel Hill condo on a Tuesday evening in October he was feeling good. He had finally convinced Melanie to grab a coffee with him on Thursday. Melanie worked at the local supermarket as a cashier and Paul had been struck by how gorgeous she was since first seeing her several months ago while grocery shopping. He never been the type to flirt with strangers but there was something about Melanie that made Paul crazy. Perhaps it was the combination of being so beautiful yet so unassuming. Melanie was partially Asian, with dark hair, brown eyes and a thin but curvy figure.

Since first setting eyes on Melanie, Paul had likely done more grocery shopping than a single 24 year old male has ever done. Paul is a likable guy who can get along with anyone. He slowly developed a connection with Melanie. She was a quiet, sweet girl who kept to herself. She was so different than the typical college girl. Based on her personality Paul would have pegged her for an early education major, but it turned out that she was a senior business administration major.

*****

Meanwhile a couple of miles away, Melanie returned to her apartment after getting off work at the supermarket, took a quick shower, put on some sexy lingerie and got out several toys before starting her other job. She had a busy evening with four clients.

Melanie logged onto skype and called Ronald. Her clients only know her as Nina and know little else about her. Ronald asked how she had been and she said fine. Ronald has been a regular client for about two years. He had told Melanie that his wife was no longer interested in having sex and had granted him permission to have video sex with cam girls. When Ronald had first became Melanie's client he had asked a lot of personal questions and she had to keep reminding him that she could not answer his questions. He eventually got it. Still Ronald treated their mutual masturbation sessions like they were old friends. She took off the lingerie she had just put on and started to use a small vibrator on her clit while discussing the latest episode of the TV show, Survivor.

After fifteen minutes the session was over and Melanie took a quick shower before her appointment with Mr. Big420. He had been a client for about six months and liked to talk rough and have Melanie do very explicit things. Melanie had been doing this long enough that whether the client was friendly like Ronald or aggressive like Mr. Big420 it did not make a difference to her. Tonight Melanie zoomed the camera in while she stuck a dildo in her anus.

The last two clients were newer and unremarkable. When Melanie was done she had made $400 for about an hours work. Melanie went to sleep shortly afterward and was up early the next day to do schoolwork.

*****

Paul was from a well to do family of lawyers. In fact three of his grandparents, both parents and his two older siblings were lawyers. However, Paul had always been different. He did not have an aggressive personality and was also more sensitive than the rest of his family. Paul was planning to become a Historical Archivist. He was currently working on his Ph D while working as a TA. Paul had never fit in with his families upper crust friends. His friends were more of the geeky, intellectual type.

Paul had two serious girlfriends the last few years..The fun girl wanted to go out drinking and partying several times a week. The serious girl wanted to have a philosophical debate about everything. They were both exhausting in their own way. Paul wanted a girlfriend who was more like him.

On Thursday at 10 AM he met Melanie at Cafe Driade on Franklin St. She was dressed simply in jeans and a blue sweater but looked terrific. At first she seemed a little nervous. They ordered drinks and a light breakfast. Melanie was surprised that Paul ordered orange juice and not coffee.

"Actually I am not a coffee drinker."

"We could have gone somewhere else?"

"I think that there is a rule these days that first dates have to be at coffee shops."

"That sucks if you don't like coffee"

"But it is a safe and comfortable environment."

The remainder of the date was spent discussing school and classes. At the end Paul asked if she would like to go out for dinner and a movie next week. However their schedule did not work out so they ended up planning to go to brunch and a movie on Sunday. They went to Crooks Corner for brunch. They both had the shrimp and grits which were amazing. Melanie seemed more relaxed and Paul was pleased to find that she had a good sense of humor. They saw a romantic movie based on a Nicholas Sparks book. At the end they had an amusing conversation making fun of some of the plot twists and unrealistic characters.

Paul really liked Melanie. He got the impression she was old fashioned and wondered if Melanie was a virgin because she seemed so innocent. Therefore, he was shocked when after their third date she invited him to her apartment, pulled down his pants and gave him the best blow job he ever had. Paul never would have guessed there was this side to Melanie. .He was so surprised that he did not even have a condom with him so they did not have sex.

Melanie was very private about her background and there was something mysterious about it. In her apartment there is a photo of Melanie when she was a little girl sitting with a mother that looked Filipino. Melanie lived in a nice apartment without a roommate and drove a fairly new car despite only working part time at the supermarket. However, Melanie had not provided any details about her background. Paul figured like him she got money from her family.

The following Saturday, Melanie came over after work. After getting chinese carryout and starting to watch a movie, they began making out and taking off each other's clothes. Paul could not believe how beautiful Melanie looked naked. She had large dark nipples and a round rump with no fat anywhere else on her body. Her pussy was shaved and she was not shy about spreading her legs. The first time they had sex was on his couch. There was the typical awkwardness of first time lovers and they just did the missionary position. They both came pretty quickly. This next time was a couple hours later in Paul's bedroom. The sex was much better and they both came with Melanie on top. In the morning they had sex once more. Melanie told Paul that she wanted him to stick his big cock deep in her. This time they did a couple different positions finishing while doing it doggie style. The third time was even better and they were both very loud when they came.

Afterward they just hanging out when Paul saw that his sister had e-mailed pictures she got from the photographer from her wedding a few weeks before. Paul briefly showed Melanie the pictures and identified his family members. It had been a big fancy wedding in a Charlotte country club.

Melanie called Paul the following day and told him that she did not think that they should see each other anymore.

Paul was shocked, "Did I do something wrong?

Melanie said "No. I just realized that we are too different."

"I thought things were going good. I think you are great."

Melanie seemed to be crying and it took her awhile to respond. "Your a nice guy and you will make somebody happy. Good luck."

She then hung up.

*****

"It is not a good idea for me to get involved with someone. I don't need the complication."

"You can't live like a hermit forever. You have nothing to be embarrassed about. Having human relationships is healthy. Don't be a fucking coward." Said Katie

"Maybe after I finish with college."

"You like this guy and didn't give him a chance."

"He comes from a different world than me." said Melanie.

"All you needed to do is tell him this is what I do. This is why I do it. Can you deal with it? If he can great, if not you are in the same position that you are in now."

"It is easier this way."

"Your impossible. Wasn't sex with another person better than a toy." asked Katie

"I don't need to explain myself to a toy."

"Sometimes I hate you."

*****

Paul was very disappointed but he respected Melanie's wishes. He started food shopping at a different store and did not contact Melanie. He had gone on a few dates with other women but nothing that amounted to anything.

One evening about six weeks later around 10 PM, Paul got on the elevator at his condominium to go to the gym. There were a loud group of four girls in the elevator that had obviously been drinking and were going out to the bars on Franklin St. One of the girls who Paul had seen before said,

I know you, you are the TA for Professor Havens class."

Paul said yes and smiled. The elevator then stopped at the third floor and Paul was shocked when Melanie got on. She had her book bag with her and had obviously been studying. They exchanged hellos as the elevator reached the ground floor.

The drunk girl from Professor Havens class said bye and Paul said he would see her in class. As the four girls walked away one of the girls said loudly that Chrissie's TA is cute.

"The girl I am doing my project with for one of my classes lives in your building and we were working on it."

Paul nodded and asked how she has been.

"I have been all right. You?

Paul smiled and said good.

After a moment of silence Melanie said she need to get home and they said goodbye.

As they were walking away, Melanie stopped and said "Paul?"

Paul stopped and said "Yes."

"Take care."

"You too."

*****

"Do you remember Paul?"

"Of course I remember Paul. He is the only guy you have gone out with in the last four years."

"I ran into him last night."

"Does he have a new girlfriend?"

"No. Not that I know of."

"Did you tell him you fucked up?"

"No."

"You know you would not have brought this up if you were not thinking about it."

"I almost asked him if we could talk, but I lost my nerve."

"The worst he is going to do is say no. Call him now."

"I'll think about it."

"Twenty four hours. If you haven't tried to contact him by this time tomorrow, I am driving to Chapel Hill to make you call him."

Melanie laughed "I love you."

Call Paul now!"

*****

Paul was writing a paper when his phone rang.

"Hello"

"Hi Paul. This is Melanie."

"Hi." Paul said hesitantly.

"It was good to see you yesterday. I wanted to see if we could talk and I could explain why I got scared and broke things off."

Paul was thinking that maybe there was a chance to fix things and was thrilled "OK. When?"

"When are you available?"

"How about I come over in a half an hour."

"That sounds good. That way I won't get cold feet. I will see you soon."

*****

Paul arrived at Melanie's apartment and she asked him to come in. He could tell that she was very nervous. She asked him if he wanted anything to drink. Paul declined but when Melanie said she was going to get a water, Paul asked for one as well. Paul sat in the one chair and Melanie took the sofa.

"I am going to start from the beginning and tell you my life story and you will see how different my world is from yours. I am trusting you with some very personal stuff and I hope that no matter what happens between us that you will be discrete with this information."

"Of course."

"That is good. I will trust you."

"I grew up in Portland, Oregon. I never knew my father. My mother was a very strong independent woman. We did not have much money, but she was a great mother and I had a happy childhood until she was diagnosed with a brain tumor when I was ten. I don't know how long she knew, but she did not tell me until two weeks before she died. Ten years old is an especially difficult age to deal with death to a loved one because I was just old enough to understand what it meant. It was so sudden. My mother was my only parent and it was always just the two of us."

Melanie had tears in her eyes and Paul said he was sorry she had to go through that and came over and sat beside her on the sofa. He looked at the picture on the wall of the innocent little girl and happy mother.

"I was eight when that picture was taken. It is the last picture I have of us."

"I went to live with my grandmother, my mother's mother. She had been kind to me when I was younger. However, when I came to live with her it was obvious that there was a problem, although I had no idea what was wrong. My grandmother was very irritable and did not always make sense. By the time I was twelve, I was taking care of her more than she was taking of me. One day when I was thirteen I came home from school and she was not home. The next morning I called the police and they eventually found her lost on the other side of Portland. My grandmother was diagnosed with alzheimer's and I was put in foster care. I lived with an older couple for about four years. They had several other foster kids. It was a safe place to live but it was not like having a family."

Paul interrupted and asked if she got therapy from social services?

"Yes. I got plenty of therapy after my mother died. I continued to do well in school and everyone thought that I was handling it as best as I could."

"When I was fourteen I met this boy in the neighborhood named Dwight who was eight years older than me. For a couple years we were just friends but we started dating when I was sixteen."

"Which made him twenty four?"

"Yes. "

"I am about that age now and can't imagine going out with someone so young."

"Dwight was not a monster. I was at the age of consent when we first had sex and he never abused me. However, he definitely took advantage of how vulnerable and in need of love I was. We ended up getting married when I was seventeen while I was still in high school which was obviously a bad idea. I was completely dependent on him financially and he could be immature and brutish. After I finished high school I got a job as a cashier and took a couple of classes at a community college. Despite everything, I always did well in school and enjoyed it. Dwight felt the classes were a waste of time and money so I did not continue after one semester,

Dwight was big on get rich quick schemes and after being married for about a year and a half, his friend told him how he and his girlfriend made a lot of money webcamming and that we could do it too. We spent several hundred dollars on equipment which was a lot of money for us and we joined a website for webcamming. We tried it twice and actually had a decent number of people paying to watch us have sex on the webcam. However both times Dwight could not do it in front of the audience with the camera on and it was a disaster with angry customers. The second time we had a moderator that his friend had used and recommended. The moderator made several suggestions about starting off slowly which Dwight ignored.

After the second time, Dwight got angry and stormed out while the camera was still on leaving the moderator and I to deal with the angry mob. The moderator was very helpful and we got to talking afterward. I was surprised to find that the moderator was a women. She said that she was a successful webcammer with her husband, but was taking a break because she was pregnant. She had a lot of free time of her hands and that if webcamming was something I wanted to do, she could help make it profitable for me. She said that she was not looking to get anything out of it other than having something to do while she was pregnant. I figured I had nothing to lose so I started to work with her and that is how I met Katie."

Paul had a lot of questions but decided to remain silent and let Melanie continue. They exchanged a look, he said he will wait to the end to ask questions and she started talking again.

"Katie was extremely knowledgeable and helpful. She studied camming like it was science and was very detailed oriented. When I first started, Katie and I would watch a lot of webcams and she would point out what performers were doing good and what they were doing bad. I started webcamming as a solo performer and she would be my moderator. With Katie's advice I started to get a lot of followers and was making some money. Dwight was just happy that we had some extra money coming in. However, when I realized that I was not as dependent on him as I was, I started to think about my future.

For the six months that I webcammed while still in Oregon, Katie and I had gradually became very close. Katie and her husband Rob are very happily married. and successful. They did not need the money but webcammed for the fun of it. They live at a beach house in North Carolina and live a fairy tale kind of life. I confided in her about my life. Katie never came out and said it, but I could tell that she thought I should leave Dwight.

When I eventually did leave Dwight, he did not take it well. He threatened me and stalked me. I was scared and called the only person I could think of. Katie had her daughter, Jessie the previous month but she said I needed to get out of town so she bought me a plane ticket and I went to stay at their house with them.

I lived with them for about four months. I helped take care of the baby and helped do things around the house. I continued to webcam and started to make a lot of money. Katie refused to accept anything from me.

Meeting Katie and Rob was the luckiest thing that ever happened to me. Katie says I am the younger sister that she never had, but I consider them almost like parents. They treat me like family and have never asked anything in return.

I moved nearby and went to community college for a couple of years. I kept to myself, focused on school and after two years got into UNC.

That is pretty much my story. After finally getting away from Dwight the last thing I want is to be dependent on somebody else. You were different than the other guys who flirted with me. You kind of reminded me of Rob and I enjoyed our conversations at the Supermarket and before I knew it I had fallen for you.

However, life was much simpler before we got involved. I kept to myself and had few friends. I did not have to explain myself to anyone. When we started going out, I knew we had to have this conversation and I was not looking forward to it. When I saw the pictures from your sister's wedding and how big and perfect your family was, I realized how different our backgrounds are and freaked out and called things off."

Paul gave Melanie a hug.

"I am sorry that you have had to go through all that. You are a survivor. Not many people in your position would be where you are now."

"Besides Katie and Rob I have never told anyone what I told you. I am sure you have questions."

"I know you are a private person. Do you mind me asking you personal questions?"

"It actually felt surprisingly good opening up to you. Ask me anything?" Melanie smiled at Paul.

"Are you still married to Dwight?"

"No. Rob took care of working with an Oregon lawyer he hired back when I first moved to North Carolina and I was granted a quick divorce. I also got a restraining order. I have not heard from Dwight in four years and have absolutely no idea what he up to."

"Do you still webcam?"

"Yes. Camming has allowed me to have opportunities that I never would have had without it. I continue to do it and there is a part of me that is proud of how well I have done with it. At this point, it is easy money and I have no intention of stopping. I have put myself through school with only minimal student loans. It allows me to be independent."