“Nice of you to remember,” he said as he moved the glass into the dispenser.
After he removed his glass, she put a glass in the dispenser and it appeared to fill the glass.
“Are you ready for the dining room?” he asked.
“Sure, you lead the way,” she said after picking up her plate and glass.
He took his dinner and wine into the dining room and set the items on the table. Sarah did the same. He did pull out her chair again. After taking their seats, they looked into each other’s eyes.
“It’s been so long since I’ve been able to enjoy dinner with you, Sarah,” he said.
“I’m here now and I don’t plan on leaving you either,” she said as she reached for her wine glass.
He took a moment and then said, “that’s very comforting, honey.”
“Let’s have dinner, shall we!” she said with a smile.
“Well, I’m still hungry, like I said earlier” he said as he brought the wine glass to his lips.
After dinner and Still wearing the AR glasses, Tom walked into the living room with Sarah following close behind.
Once in the room, she came up to him and asked, “Did you want to put the gloves on now, dear?”
“Sure, Sarah. That sounds like a good idea. Do you remember if they are in the drawer again?” he asked.
“Yes, that’s where you left them,” she said.
He walked to the cabinet and retrieved the gloves. Once they were on, he looked back toward her.
“Come closer, honey,” she said, while staring into his eyes.
He walked toward her and stopped within a few inches of her. She reached down and touched his hand. She then guided it upward toward her face. He lightly touched her lower lip with his finger.
“Shoot, no kissing, I guess,” he said keeping his finger on her lip.
“Well, you won’t feel it, unfortunately,” she said.
Upbeat music started to surround them.
“Put your arms around me and dance, honey,” she told him.
As he lowered his hand and started moving both hands to her back he said, “absolutely, dear.”
He could feel her hips sway to the music as they danced together.
“Not quite perfect, but this is comforting, Sarah,” he said.
She just smiled, closed her eyes, and continued to dance.
After a few minutes, the music stopped. She opened her eyes and stared deeply into his eyes.
“You really do miss my touch. don’t you?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he replied in a low voice.
“They can make an AI in my image, you know,” she said.
Being unprepared for the idea, it took him a moment to respond.
Once ready, he said, “wow, Sarah. I hadn’t really thought about that before now.”
“I can help you decide which model would be best for your budget and quality,” she said.
“Okay, that sounds more like Valerye than Sarah again, but that would help. I do want some time to think about that first though. Most of the ones I’ve seen seem almost too mechanical, though,” he said.
“There are newer ones that use the Syntho-Muscle, which allows for more life-like movements,” she said.
“Okay, I haven’t heard about those, but they do sound worth looking into at least,” he said.
“As I said, I can provide you with more information when you are ready,” she said.
“It would be a big change and it’ll make a large dent in the budget too,” he said.
“No hurry, you can just let me know when you would like to pursue this further, Tom,” she said.
“Okay, I’ll let you know. Thanks,” he said.
“Did you want to get something to drink before heading to bed?” she asked.
“Yeah, I need some scotch,” he said.
She laughed and said, “okay, let’s head over to the bar area and get ourselves a drink.”
He lowered his hand and held it out for her. She took hold of it and then they walked across the room together.
“I’m ready for bed, dear. The scotch is hitting me now,” he said as he started to get up from the couch.
“Sure, Honey. I’ll be right behind you,” she said while also standing up.
He could see that she was following behind him as he walked into the bedroom.
“I’ll need to take the gloves and glasses off while I get dressed,” he said.
“That’s fine. I’ll give you a reminder if you forget to put them back on, though,” she said as she started to undress.
“I may need that considering how mess up my mind is,” he said smiling at her.
She just smiled in return. He then removed the glasses first, then the gloves. He then changed into his bed clothes.
About ready to slip into the bed, Tom heard Sarah clear her throat.
“Forgetting something, dear?” she said without being seen.
It took him a moment before he remembered, “Oh right, the gloves and glasses. I knew I’d forget.”
He could hear her laugh lightly as he returned to the dresser to retrieve the items. After putting both back on he returned to the bed and could see that she was waiting on on the other side.
“Okay, now I’m ready, dear,” he said as he pulled the covers aside.
“Me too, honey,” she said as she also shifted the covers.
They both got into the bed at the same time. The panel lights in the room gradually began to dim. Once in a comfortable position, he slid his hand under the sheets toward her. Soon he could feel her hand touching his hand through the glove. He felt a sense of calm from her touch.
“Goodnight, Sarah,” he said.
“Sleep well, honey,” she whispered.
He could still feel her touch as he closed his eyes. His ears were ringing and his mind was swirling from the scotch. Very relaxed, he quickly fell asleep.
Tom could sense someone was close to his face as eye opened his eyes. Sarah’s face was right over his. He could sense the warmth of her breath. Her eyes closed and she went in for a kiss. Her hand slid behind his head as her lips pressed against his. Closing his eyes, he began to feel her tongue slowly entering his mouth. Their tongues moved in unison together. When she slowly pulled back away from his lips, he opened his eyes. She then sat up and moved her leg over him in a straddling position. He could feel her above his loins.
Feel her, he thought. Wait, he was only wearing the gloves. What was happening? He closed his eyes and shook his head quickly from side to side. He awoke to see Sarah sleeping calmly next to him. She was still touching his hand underneath the covers.
Maybe it had been the alcohol, but being able to kiss her again felt wonderful to him. Though confused, he smiled to himself as he closed his eyes once again. He was able to drift off to sleep again, but was not able to dream about Sarah any more that night.
X
Tom was engrossed in reviewing a design proposal at his desk when he heard a knock on the wall of his cubical from behind.
“Hi, Tom. Do you have a moment?” Pam asked.
Tom spun around in his chair and said, “sure, Pam. Did you have an update on the proposed change to the attachment scheme?”
“Yes, I do. We have a couple of options we can pursue for the cover change. One option would be a weld stud and another would be adding a tab with a hole off of the side of the cover,” Pam replied.
“Okay, they both sound like possible options. Can you look into the cost and functional differences to see which would be the best?” he asked.
“Already have that started, Tom. Just wanted to let you know where things stand now,” she said.
“Okay, Pam. Was there anything else?” he asked.
“Actually, I was wondering if you know whether you could go to dinner with me this weekend. I’ll even pay,” she said.
Tom paused for a moment then said, “well, I may be able to do that, but as I said before, I really won’t know until Friday how much work I
will need to get done this weekend and whether I will have the time to get together with you again on Saturday or Sunday.”
“Okay, Tom, I’ll check back with you tomorrow,” she replied with a smile.
“Talk to you then, Pam,” he said.
“Bye, Tom!” she said as she turned to leave his cubicle.
Tom took a deep breath as he watched Pam cheerfully walk away. Once out of sight, he turned back to his desk and continued to review documents on his virtual screen.
As he watched the scenery through the car window on the way home from work, Tom remembered about Pam wanting to meet him for dinner that weekend.
“Valerye, I may be meeting Pam again this weekend for dinner. So I may need your help finding a place for dinner, if the plans work out,” he said.
“Sure, Tom. Have you decided what weekend night would this be scheduled for?” she asked.
“Oh not yet, Valerye. I’m not even sure if I can afford the time with my workload, but I wanted to give you the heads up anyway. I know you like me keeping you informed about plans,” he said.
“Knowing the future plans is always helpful, Tom. Have you decided if it will just be dinner?” she asked.
“At this point, it would likely just be dinner. That could change later, but for now that is what I’m assuming,” he said.
“Do you think Sarah would be upset by you doing this?” Valerye asked.
“What do you mean by that?” he asked.
“You will be seeing another woman, Tom,” she said.
“Well by letting you know, she will also know now, too. Correct?” he said.
“Yes, she will know about this,” she said.
“I do want to see real people too, Valerye. Sarah is now virtual, and I want to find someone . . . real,” he said.
“Okay, Tom. I understand. We will be arriving at your home in about two minutes,” she said.
Tom turned his gaze back out the side window.
Tom entered the kitchen as the door to the garage shut behind him.
“Hi, honey! How was your day?” Sarah asked.
“Hi, Sarah. Busy, but I was able to get things done at least. How are you?” he said.
“Oh, I have just been getting things done for you around the house,” she said.
“That’s right, you can’t really have a job outside of the house anymore,” he said as he stood by the counter.
“Yeah, I won’t be adding to the bank account, I guess. Will you be changing before you get your dinner?” she asked.
“Sure, I’ll do that,” he replied as he moved away from the counter and started heading for the hallway.
“You can use the glasses and gloves if you would like to see me during dinner,” she reminded him.
“Thanks for the reminder. I’ll put them on,” he said while walking in the hallway.
“As usual, the meal you requested is in the delivery compartment,” Sarah said as Tom walked into the kitchen.
“Thank you for taking care of that, Sarah,” he said as he approached the counter.
He could see her standing in near him in his AR glasses as he retrieved the food. Once everything was ready he moved everything to the dining table. Sarah followed with her meal as well.
“This meal looks delicious again. The ‘Golden Garden’ came through,” he said as he took his seat at the table.
“They are consistently good,” she said while settling into her chair.
“Good choice of wine, by the way,” he said as he picked up the glass.
“I thought you would like something a little different tonight,” she said.
“Well, I do. Thanks!” he said just before taking a sip.
“Have you given any more thought to an getting AI of me, dear?” she asked.
“A little, but I still am not sure. I’ve also heard about those full body suits for VR or AR, too, but they just seem . . . kind of weird,” he said.
“Well, the suit would be another option, honey. They work about the same way as the gloves, but allow you to feel sensations anywhere the suit touches your skin,” she said.
“Yeah, I guess that would mean better interaction with you,” he said.
“And more intimate,” she said in a softer and lower tone.
“Hmm . . . I’ll definitely have to give that some more thought. Still not ready to commit yet. I know they’re not cheap either,” he said.
“True, but they would be a fair amount cheaper than a full AI that looked like me,” she said.
“Yeah, I guess that would be a good point about the suit. Maybe an interim solution or something,” he said.
“Just let me know when you would like to pursue an AI or the suit and I can guide you through your options for the best choice,” she said.
“I’ll let you know, but you are saying things more like Valerye would say now,” he said.
“Point taken, honey, but I as well as being Sarah, I am also your assistant, so I will need to deviate from representing her in certain instances,” she said.
“Okay, now that I understand, you can keep both the assistant and Sarah the same,” he said.
“That will help, Tom. If it does get confusing, I could change to Valerye for the household assistant interaction,” she said.
“Okay, that’s fine. I’ll let you know if you need to switch, He said.
“Are you still hungry, dear?” she asked.
“Oh yeah, shouldn’t let this great meal go to waste,” he said.
“Enjoy dear,” she said.
“You too,” he said as he picked up his fork.
As Tom followed Sarah into the living room, she said, “have a seat, honey. I ‘ve got something to show you.”
“Okay, this sounds interesting,” he said as he started to take a seat on the couch.
He positioned himself in the middle of the couch and leaned back. She stood in front of him and stared deeply into his eyes. Puzzled, he looked for clues in her eyes as he awaited something to change. Continuing to stare at him, her smile widened as something began to appear from her back. The translucent purple forms extended outward and slightly behind her. As they grew, he recognized them to be wings.
“Are those angel wings?” he asked.
“More like fairy wings, honey. Angel wings could mean something else, considering . . . well you know,” she said.
“I like them. Quite intriguing on you, Sarah,” he said.
She turned around so that her back was facing him, and said, “go ahead and touch them.”
“Okay, I can’t say I’ve done this before,” he said.
Reaching upward with both gloved hands, he slowly came into contact with the lightly fluttering wings.
“Wow, they seem lighter than I was thinking they should be,” he said.
“They are strong enough to do the job,” she said.
“You mean . . .,” he started to say.
She turned back around to face him and the wings began to flap at an increasing rate. The wings got to a point where they were basically a purple blur. She spread her arms straight out to her sides and slowly pulled her feet off the ground. Tom was in awe as she began to slowly hover closer to him.
“Touch me again, Tom,” she said again staring into his eyes.
He raised his arms upward toward her waist and clasped his hands around her. Through the gloves, he could feel her body slowly shifting in the air as well as the movement from her breathing. She closed her eyes and planted a kiss on his lips. He could not feel it, though.
She whispered, “Are you sure you still have doubts about the suit, Tom?”
“Well, I may be reconsidering now,” he said.
She smiled back at him.
“Do you know if I would be able to feel a kiss?” he asked.
“Depending on the type of suit purchased, it is possible to feel something on the surface of the lips,” she said.
“So, nothing on the inside, huh?” he asked.
“Not from the major retail compan
ies, but there are smaller specialized businesses that offer an array of add-on functionality. I think your mind can can take that concept from there, Tom,” she said.
“Again, that really sounds like Valerye, but intriguing ideas. And yes, I do know the extent of what you were referring too. Thanks for the information,” he said.
“Can you think of any other modification you would like me to have for you, dear?” she asked.
“You mean something besides the wings, right?” he asked.
“Of course, dear. Larger breasts, perhaps?” she said as he chest began to increase in size.
Taken aback watching her breasts get larger while she still hovering above him, he said, “wow Sarah, I hadn’t even imagined you like that before.”
“Do you like this?” she asked.
“I guess, wow. Um . . . I do like you as you were you know, too,” he said feeling somewhat awkward.
“Well, I’ll keep them for now. I see your eyes, have been focused on them pretty intently,” she said with a smile.
“Okay, I guess I’m guilty of that one, dear,” he said softly.
“No worries, honey,” she said as she started to move up and down slightly as she hovered.
This movement caused her breasts to slowly ungulate above Tom’s head. His eyes widened as he continued to stare.
“This isn’t exactly something Sarah would have done for me, but I do like it all the same,” he said.
“Well, I didn’t really have wings either, Tom,” she said.
“So, this is a fantasy, I’m starting to get this,” he said.
She just smiled and slightly shifted the direction she was floating.
“Would you like to try something on the VR system, honey?” she asked slowly shifting to a more vertical orientation.
“Sure. I can hardly wait to see what you will do on there,” he said.
She smiled and her wings sped up as she positioned herself back onto the floor near him.
“You can keep the glasses and gloves on while we go downstairs,” she said as her wings lifted her off the floor again.
He followed her lead, as she floated downstairs to the VR area. She stopped by one of the chairs and motioned for him to sit.
Valerye Page 8
