Suddenly, it felt real. Her harmless little fantasy now became a frightening, heart-pounding seven digit direct number.
Her finger hovered over it and she thought,Am I really going to do this?
But then, she knew that if she second-guessed herself too much, Eve would never do it. She would once again allow fear to get in her way. She would once again be a coward.
So, without another thought entering her mind, Eve tapped on the direct number and the screen of her Nu tablet immediately went black, beaming light upwards as a hologram call readied. Her stomach dropped when she heard the faint beeping sound of a direct number being connected.
A hologram of a pretty girl, no older than Eve, appeared in the beams of blue light. She looked at Eve with a pleasant polite smile and said, “Good evening, Miss. How can I assist you?”
Eve swallowed and her voice came out like a whisper. “Is this…is this Madame Allegria’s line?”
The girl’s face never changed. “Yes. Are you interested in booking a visit?”
“Yes. With a…Krave.”
The girl nodded, as if it was obvious. “Did an existing client refer you?”
Caught off guard, Eve blurted out, “Yes, Mrs. Langley did.”
The girl nodded again, still wearing that serene smile. “We have an opening next Monday evening due to a cancellation. Does this suit your schedule? Our next opening would be two weeks from now, on Thursday evening.”
“Monday is fine,” Eve found herself saying. Her voice sounded strange to her own ears and she worried that if she waited too long, she would back out. “I’ll take that opening.”
“Excellent,” the girl said. “We require an immediate deposit to hold the booking for you. If you cancel and we cannot fill the opening, then it is non-refundable…though, in all honesty, we’ve never had trouble filling a cancellation,” the girl said with a small wink. “The deposit is half of the visit price at 450 credits. The rest of the visit price will be withdrawn from your credit line the evening of the booking. I’ll open the payment line now.”
Eve tapped on the payment icon that appeared on the screen and entered her credit number.
It went through immediately and the girl said, “Thank you, Miss Tesler. Please also be assured that privacy is one of Madame Allegria’s strictest policies. Your details are completely safe within our booking system and will never be shared.”
“Thank you,” Eve said, because she didn’t know what else to say.
The girl nodded, “We will send a complimentary driverless car for you on Monday evening at six and it will take you home after your visit as well, unless you would like to make your own transportation arrangements.”
Eve realized that married women visiting the Krave might not want their husbands seeing a driverless car picking them up and dropping them off, but it wasn’t something Eve had to worry about.
“No, the car will be fine,” she replied.
“Excellent. I can confirm that you have been booked for Monday evening and that a car will be sent to your address at six. Do you have any questions?”
Too many, Eve thought, heart racing.
But she said, “No, I don’t.”
The girl nodded. “If you do, you may call this direct number any time and I can assist you.” When Eve nodded, the girl finished by saying, “Thank you, Miss Tesler. We will see you on Monday evening. Enjoy the rest of your night.”
“Thank you,” Eve said, her finger already fumbling for the disconnect icon. “Goodbye.”
She disconnected the call, slumping back in her chair and taking a deep, ragged breath.
She’d just booked a visit with a Krave.
A hysterical laugh bubbled from Eve’s throat and she realized it was the first time she’d laughed all week.
What in the universe had she just done?
Chapter Three
The night of her ‘appointment’ at Madame Allegria’s, she dressed in a silk dress that Eve thought flattered her body. Unlike the slim, willowy figures of Everton beauties, she had an hourglass shape, with large hips, a small waist, and larger breasts. The dress hugged her figure, but the capped sleeves gave her a bit of needed comfort, adding a modest touch to the sensual silk.
