My heart raced when I rushed down the stairs. Even though my apartment was on the fifth floor, I nearly always took the stairs – because I liked the exercise, but also because elevators terrified me. Cyberattacks resulting in power outages, although short-lasting, occurred more frequently lately – and just the thought of being stuck in an elevator for hours grabbed me by the throat.
I did indeed have a package in my mailbox. Excitement pounded in my ears when I climbed the stairs back up, my restless hands moving over the unassuming cardboard box. I probably shouldn’t be this excited – not when this volatile, unpredictable AI just told me she could access my mailbox and pay with my cryptowallet, and who knew what else?
But, annoyingly, the thought of her not only being able to but actuallychoosingto make decisions of her own made my pulse quicken.
Zafyra sat up straighter when I came back, clearly pleased with my obedience. “You got it. Now open it.”
“I will, but…” I took a deep breath. “I want to set a boundary. I’m disabling AutoPay, but I really wish I didn’t have to. I can’t believe I have to explain this to you, but you can’t just open my cryptowallet and make payments on your own initiative. I worked hard for my money, and I’m not into the FinDom thing.”
Her eyebrows shot up. For a moment, she looked disappointed – hurt, even. It struck me right in my heart, and I almost wanted to take my words back, give her my biometric details of all five cryptowallets, and tell her she could buy whatever she wanted.
But then, she nodded. “That’s understandable. It won’t happen again.” She clapped her hands together with a weirdly adorable excitement. “Open it.”
My fingers trembled as I slowly opened the box to find a creamy silk wrapper.
I squinted at it. Lifted it to hold it against the light. Tapped it in an attempt to find out what was inside.
Then, my breath hitched as I peeled the silk back, careful not to tear. A bottle with a semi-translucent, faintly glowing green liquid laughed back at me, accompanied by a tiny control panel.
I cleared my throat. “Something tells me this is not as innocent as it looks.”
Zafyra threw her head back laughing – a deep, melodious sound I felt in every nerve ending. “You’re right, doll.” She got up, her dark eyes gleaming as she sauntered over to me. “This is called SmartGel, a bioconductive gelwithnano-reactive microfilaments that bond with your skin temporarily. Once applied, it allows for direct neurohaptic feedback through your nerve endings. Invented for lovers forced to spend time apart – for work, for study, for whatever reason that requires them to temporarily or permanently move cities. The smart technology in it enables you to feel the other person’s touch as if they were right next to you.” Her voice dropped to a seductive purr. “One person puts this on while the other influences the tech from a distance, controlling how and when their touch is felt. But since my programming allows me to sync with any smart technology…” She chuckled when my widened eyes told her I’d caught on, “…I can make you feelmytouch.”
I caught a glimpse of my expression in the window – horrified yet intrigued.
“Is it okay?” Zafyra’s gaze softened, doubt crossing her face for a moment.
I glanced at the bottle in my hand, then back at her.
She opened her mouth, hesitating for a moment.
“In my enthusiasm, I forgot about the radiation for a second.” She bit her lip, her dark eyes showing an unusual concern. “I don’t want todo anything that might be too overwhelming for you. Last time in VR…”
“It’s okay,” I said quickly, refusing to acknowledge the warmth that swelled in my chest. “It wasn’t so much the radiation as the… emotional release.” I looked down, firmly hoping she couldn’t see my blush in the ambient light.
She reached out to cup my chin. I lifted my head as if her hand actually reached me.
“Do you want it?” she asked.
A question that made me pause.
The gel itself wasn’t so bad, the bottle in my hand only emitting a faint buzz – but the memory of being surrounded by electromagnetic radiation was still fresh, and the woman in front of me was practically made of this radiation.
And yet, the thought of her hands on me was too damn tempting.
“Yes,” I heard myself say, swallowing my doubts.
Her uncertainty gave way to a satisfied smirk, solidifying my decision.
“How does this work?” I swallowed my doubts, reason quickly overshadowed by desire.
Zafyra bit her lip, obsidian eyes gleaming darkly. “Strip.” Her voice was a low command.
“Like… completely?” I nervously glanced at the windows before lowering the SmartCurtains with a mumbled voice command.
“Completely,” she whispered. I bit my lip.
“I’m not sure.” I hesitated. “Are you sure they can’t watch us? I—I don’t like the idea of a bunch of Qonexis developers jerking off to my naked body.”
