Gone Viral
description: After revealing on Call Her Daddy that Rafe Cameron once DMed you, the internet explodes, throwing his reputation into chaos.
includes: nothing other than mentions of reader being a p!star
wc: 1,296
now playing - paper soldier by brent faiyaz (instrumental)
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The cameras were rolling. You'd done this before. Sitting across from Alex on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast, already an hour into the interview. Everything was going well until a question you didn’t quite think too much about would eventually blow up the internet the next day. "So, I’m going to shift our topic a bit." Alex began. "The internet has theories. A whole separate fanbase dedicated to your relationships. You've been linked to NBA players with championship rings, rappers with platinum records, A list actors. My question is, which celebs have slid into your DMs? And more importantly, who shocked you the most?"
You smiled, leaning back, crossing your legs. "Oh, Alex, you know I can't just start naming names. My publicist would kill me. I'm pretty sure that's in like twelve different NDA’S I’ve signed." you said playfully, smiling at the camera. Alex smiled, leaning in closer. "Come on, you can give us something. The people want to know. I'll make it easy for you. You don't have to give me A listers. How about… someone from your hometown? Or a public figure, someone we wouldn't necessarily expect? Give me a name that surprised you."
You paused, tapping a manicured nail against the plush chair. The truth was, one name immediately jumped to the forefront of your mind. It was so unexpected, so out of left field, that you still sometimes wondered if it was on purpose. It wasn't an actor or a musician. It was someone from your old home, the Outer Banks.
"Okay," you said slowly, drawing out the moment. "Okay, I'll give you one." You leaned backed, smiling. "Rafe Cameron." The name hung in the air for a second, Alex laughed. "Rafe Cameron? The guy who’s on Forbes right?” “Yeah.” you smiled, laughing softly. “As in the real estate tycoon.” “Mhm,” you replied.
Alex shook her head, smiling, "Alright, not bad. When was this… and did you respond?" “Omg, that’s the irony," you said, shaking your head with a laugh. "I didn't even see it until six months later." you said humorously. "Wow," Alex breathed, moving her hair back. "So let me ask you this… if you had seen it back then, when it was fresh? Would you have responded?" You looked directly into the camera lens, a hint of something in your eyes. You didn't need to say a word, the slow, deliberate smile that spread across your face was all the answer the world needed.
The clip went viral overnight. It was the perfect mix, your status, his reputation, and the tantalizing "what if" you'd left hanging in the air. By 7 AM the next morning, the segment had been clipped, reposted on TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, and every gossip site from TMZ to Page Six. The headlines were relentless, impossible to ignore:
"Porn Star Reveals Millionaire Playboy Rafe Cameron Slid Into Her DMs!"
"Rafe Cameron's Secret DM to [Your Name] Exposed: Her Response Will Shock You!"
"From the Outer Banks to Hollywood: The DM That Connects Two Different Worlds."
Rafe Cameron woke up not to his usual 6 AM alarm, but to the relentless, piercing vibration of his phone on the marble nightstand. It was an unending buzz. He groaned, rolling over and grabbing it. The screen was a disaster, over 1000s of notifications. Twitter mentions, Instagram tags, texts from numbers he hadn't saved in years, and a dozen missed calls, all from his publicist, Eleanor.
He squinted, his head pounding from a late night deal closing in Dubai. The first text he managed to focus on was from his business partner, Barry.
Barry: Dude. What the FUCK did you do? Check Twitter. NOW.
With a growing sense of dread, Rafe opened Twitter. His own feed was usually of market analysis, luxury real estate listings, and the occasional charity gala photo. Now, it was all your face. Your smile from the interview clip, mixed with his own headshots from Forbes articles. The clip was everywhere. He pressed play, your voice playing through his phone's speaker.
He watched, his blood running cold. He had watched your content ever since you gained a name. Hell, he’d watched you three days ago. He remembered the exact night he DM'd you. He was a bit drunk, a bit sleepy, and had just finished watching… you. He had pulled out his phone without thinking, going to your instagram. He remembers scrolling through your photos, being surprised to see you were in the Outer Banks for the summer. He scrolled and scrolled until he settled for the “message” button at the top. He opened it, typing the usual line that worked with everyone, “Hey, thought you were hot. Dinner?”
And now, here it was, being broadcast to the entire world. His phone buzzed again, this time with Eleanor's name flashing on the screen. He took a deep breath and answered, his voice rough. "Eleanor." "Don't 'Eleanor' me, Rafe," she snapped, her voice frantic and sharp. "Do you have any idea what you've done? My phone has been ringing off the hook since 5 AM. The Cameron family name is being dragged through the mud alongside… alongside an adult film star!”
"It was a DM, Eleanor. A private message," he said, swinging his legs out of bed and pacing across the expansive suite. "It was a year ago." "Private? There's nothing private anymore, and you know it!" she shot back. "The board is in an absolute panic. The shareholders are calling. This isn't just about your reputation. This is about stock prices. About the Cameron brand. I actually can't believe you DM’d a literal pornstar!” She shouted into the phone, “We need to get ahead of this. Now."
Rafe pinched the bridge of his nose, the hangover intensifying. "What do you want me to do? Issue a denial? They'll just find the screenshot." "No, we don't deny," Eleanor said, her tone shifting. "Denial makes you look guilty. We’ll control the narrative. We're going to spin this. You were young, it was a long time ago. We'll frame it as a momentary lapse, a dumb decision. It makes you look human, relatable even."
"Relatable?" Rafe scoffed, stopping to stare out the floor to ceiling window at the Dubai skyline. "I'm a real estate figure, Eleanor. I’m on Forbes magazine. I don't need to be relatable. I need to be taken serious. And young? Are you kidding me? It was a year ago."
"You need both right now," she insisted. "I'm drafting a statement. It will be dignified, it will be brief, and it will put this to bed. It will not mention her by name. It will not acknowledge the 'would you have responded' part. We are pretending that last question was never asked, okay? Do you understand me?" she said, voice sharp. “You love to claim your pro active, so show me some damn pro active behavior Rafe. I’ll send it over soon.”
Rafe was silent for a long moment, his mind racing. He wasn't thinking about shareholders or board meetings. He was thinking about you. He was thinking about the teasing, playful smile you gave the camera. He was thinking about your answer. Yes. If you'd seen it, you would have responded, and for some inexplicable reason, that one worded response excited him.
"Rafe? Are you listening to me?" Eleanor's voice cut through his thoughts. "I'm listening," he said, his voice flat. "Send me the statement. I'll look it over." He hung up the phone and tossed it onto the king sized bed, where it continued to vibrate non stop. He walked over to the bar and poured himself a glass of water, his mind a million miles away from business. He was back to thinking about the interview, of the girl who would have responded.
a/n: new au im trying out! this is pretty short and I lwk wrote it in an hour, but I thought it was funny.
