I skim the “intimacy” section:
Both parties agree and acknowledge that solicitation and paying for sexual acts is illegal in the State of Pennsylvania, and is in no way expressly or implied to be part of Josie Greene’s employment at SynthoTech.
Okay, cool. No sex. Nice and clear. I keep reading.
SynthoTech is a technological company developing an AI system designed to sexually satisfy its end user. Both parties acknowledge that this may involve discussing graphic sexual acts and the use of haptic skins. Both parties waive any sexual harassment claims related to these discussions or tech usage and testing…
Wait, what? I read it again. I get the sexy talk—that was expected. You can’t create an AI girlfriend without some phone sex or sexting.
But a haptic skin?
WTF is a haptic skin?I text Axe. After I hit send, it occurs to me that I didn’t have to reach out. I could have googled it. Before I can even open Safari, though, Axe has written back.
I see you’re reading the fine print. Good lass
Thegood lassirks me, but I like how fast he wrote back. If I’d texted Bryan, it would’ve taken him three hours to respond with some nonsense likewhassssup.
I’m still reeling from the fact that I wasted four years of my life on that garbage human. Just the other day, I got a fraud alert on my credit card because Bryan tried to party at a strip club on my dime. He also bombarded Grace & Honor with one-star reviews, spinning stories of me being rude to customers.
It would be laughable if it wasn’t so fucking sad. I’ll never understand why it took me so long to see Bryan for what he really is when the truth was staring me in the face the whole time.
WTF is a haptic skin?I text again.
A skin suit that has biometric sensors with feedback systems in place so as to simulate physical touch in the user. Some use electrical muscle stimulation or transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and can be used for various purposes
Ugh. Total tech nerd.
In English please, I write.Make that American English, I add.
It’s a skintight suit—almost like a wet suit—that, for SynthoTech purposes, can be used with a VR headset to simulate sex
Umm. Is it like the VR headsets you can use in the mall so it tricks your mind into feeling like something is happening, like falling or whatever?
The headsets are similar but more advanced than anything you’d have experienced in a mall. And the suits work simultaneously to stimulate the body with skin sensors, vibrations, and massage etc etc
Huh.I pause and try to imagine it.
I am not a prude. I work at Grace & Honor, which on the surface looks like a typical home goods store but actually has an entire section devoted to state-of-the-art sex toys. I have definitely spent some of my paychecks there. In just a few weeks, I’m going to be helming a booth for the store at Toygasm in Philly, a convention devoted to erotic play.
Why does this feel different? Also, what doesetc etcactually mean?
So like a full body sex toy?I ask.
Yes and no. It will stimulate in the same way as, say, a dildo, but it will have two distinct advantages. 1. It will involve VR so you will feel fully immersed in the sexual experience and 2. The device will be controlled by either the AI or another consenting partner to create stimulation
I gulp. Axe is keeping it clinical and businesslike, but the words still make me shiver.Stimulate. Dildo. My brain is scrambling to keep up with the idea that my new boss looks like Axe (not a big sister, like Honor) and is casually talking about dildos and, um…stimulation. We could be talking about anything else—cooking, decorating.
Literally anything but fucking.
I feel a rush of heat between my legs. Is this how Axe is in bed? All nerdy dirty talk? LikeJosie, does this immersive experience of my tongue in your pussy stimulate you?Somehow, I doubt it. Axe radiates this confident, adventurous vibe, like he’d be up for anything. And that Scottish accent…the way his eyes flashed when he stormed through SynthoTech’s doors like a Scottish king in badass motorcycle gear—okay, Josie, time to shut down Imagination Central.
But now I’m too turned on to turn off. Is this the breakup talking? Sex with Bryan was a chore—like packing a lunch or scrubbing the toilet. Borderline unpleasant but necessary.
Maybe now that my life is free, my libido’s finally free, too.
I think about my first (and favorite) little toy from Grace & Honor: the Buzzlet. It’s stashed safely in my epinephrine kit, a tiny two-inch wonder, pink as a rose, with eight different settings. I’ve got thirty minutes before work, so I lock myself in the bathroom, grab it, and sit with my back against the tub, legs spread. I set it to my favorite pulse: a long, slow throb. I close my eyes, and immediately, something much bigger than two inches pops into my mind.
Good lass…
