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  “Rule 34 of the internet,” Aiko said, setting the glasses on a nearby table and filling them. “If it exists, there is porn of it, no exceptions.” She lifted one glass and drained it. “Never a truer thing has been spoken.”

  “Basically,” said Katie, as Tessa helped her down from the chair, “anything that exists in the world, in a non-porn form, the internet has definitely corrupted it and guaranteed there’s porn.”

  “So say, waffles,” Aiko said, handing them each a glass. “You like waffles?”

  Tessa took a sip from her glass and nodded.

  “Well,” said Aiko. “Guaranteed there’s some guy out there that really really really likes waffles. And thanks to the internet, he’s found other people that enjoy waffle fucking too. And you better believe they made porn of it.”

  “Holy shit.” Tessa chuckled. “People are so fucking weird.”

  “Definitely,” Aiko said. “It’s awesome.”

  “Well it’s not always awesome,” said Katie. “I mean it’s the internet, there’s some dark shit out there. But that’s what’s so great about virtual reality. I’m not condoning anything evil of course. But if someone with a waffle fetish wants to explore that, in VR they can, privately, without shame, or fear of social repercussions.”

  “And,” said Aiko raising a finger. “Without any actual waffles getting hurt in the process.”

  “Ew.” Tessa wrinkled her nose. “I may never eat a waffle again. Quick, change the subject before I barf.”

  “Well you did a damn fine job polishing Katie up,” said Aiko. “If she’s Cinderella, I’m thinking you and I are the ugly stepsisters tonight.”

  “Oh please! As if! ” Katie laughed, set her glass on the table and headed down Aiko’s short hallway to the bedroom, where she knew she’d find a full length mirror. “I’m sure it’s just the magic of Tessa’s dress,” she called over her shoulder. “It’s doing all the work. I’m just…” she stopped talking when she caught sight of herself. “Damn.”

  “Yeah, damn,” said Aiko coming up behind her. “You look amazing.”

  “I was thinking your hair up,” said Tessa, crossing to the mirror. “A smoky eye and a deep red lip. It’ll be dark in the club, so you can get away with more make-up. I’ve got a matching red clutch for you too, so you can stash some lipgloss and your cell phone–”

  “I don’t want my hair up” said Katie, shaking her head. “When it’s down, it covers my scars.”

  “Scars?” said Tessa.

  “This.” Katie ran her palm over the dark scar that marred the skin of her one shoulder. “In fact I should probably wear a wrap, so I don’t mess up the look of your beautiful dress.”

  “Nonsense!” Tessa said, frowning at her. “You look fabulous, and the scar is part of you. I didn’t even notice it until you pointed it out.”

  “Wabi-sabi,” said Aiko, nodding in agreement.

  “What’s that?” Katie asked.

  “Shit! We gotta hurry. You two get dressed, we gotta get downstairs!”

  “But what’s wabi-sabi?” Katie whined as Aiko pushed her into the bathroom where Tessa was waiting with make-up.

  “Later!”

  Chapter Two

  The only way to predict the future is to invent it.

  Aaron Eldridge believed in those words whole-heartedly, so much so that they were the first line of the speech he would be giving in about twenty minutes.

  Here, in the cold white marble bathroom of his brand new penthouse on the top floor of Calvert Tower, Aaron chewed antacid tablets like they were Skittles and practiced his speech in the mirror.

  Below him, on the ground floor of the building, staffers were putting the last-minute finishing touches on tonight’s presentation to be held at the city’s newest hot spot, Lux.

  Aaron and his company, Eldridge Innovations were about to change the internet, forever, and hopefully, the whole world along with it.

  So this speech? Probably the most important speech of his life.

  No pressure.

  He hunched over the sink and tried not to puke.

  There was no way he could believe this upset stomach was due to nerves. He was worth multiple billions of dollars for chrissakes, a little speech shouldn’t be fazing him. E.I. dominated every tech field they were a part of. Their gaming division alone owned eighty-two percent of the market, and their crown jewel, HyperLyfe™, was the most popular virtual reality simulation in the world.

  When E.I. held a presentation, everyone paid attention. Aaron had stepped out onto dozens of stages in his career to this point, and he’d never felt sick prior.

  There was a rapid knock on the bathroom door, and before he could protest, it opened.

  “Welcome to the building, neighbor!” His friend, Wyatt Calvert, former Navy SEAL and current head of security for Lux, clapped Aaron on the back and pulled him into a bear hug.

  “Jesus, you look like shit,” said Wyatt when Aaron pulled away from him. “And what’s with the undies? Why aren’t you dressed yet?”

  “Ugh.” Aaron shook his head, groaned, ran the tap and splashed cool water on his face.

  “Are you sick?” asked Wyatt. “Or is it just nerves?”

  “No idea.” Aaron shrugged. “I’ve had butterflies before, but never this bad.”

  “Well you’ve been waiting a long time for this announcement so maybe–”

  Aaron’s stomach gurgled loudly. He grimaced and rubbed it, as if that would settle things down. Then he remembered. “I think I know what it is. I went for a run late last night, stopped by a little burrito stand and–”

  “You ate street meat?!”

  “Don’t say it like that, most street vendors are totally legit–”

  “Yeah but the night before a big speech is not the time to go sampling exotic fare that was heretofore entirely unknown to your digestive system, man.”

  “A burrito is hardly exotic. Honestly–”

  “Wyatt?” A voice sounded from beyond the bathroom door, and there was a light knock. “You in there?”

  Aaron caught Wyatt’s eye and pleaded soundlessly. “Don’t let her in here,” he mouthed.

  Wyatt nodded but opened the door anyway, letting in his wife, Jinx, co-owner of Lux and Aiko’s identical twin.

  “Thanks, asshole” Aaron grumbled. “There goes my last shred of dignity.”

  “You look like hell,” said Jinx. “What’s the matter?”

  “Bad burrito.” Wyatt answered for Aaron.

  “Poor thing.” Jinx scooted around Wyatt and felt Aaron’s forehead. “No fever, yeah, probably a touch of food poisoning.”

  “I love it when she gets all motherly,” Wyatt said, grinning widely. “Super hot.”

  “That reminds me,” Jinx said, thumbing over her shoulder. “If I’m being maternal. I’d like to point out that you’ve got literally no furniture out there. Just a mattress, and a half-empty jar of mayonnaise in your refrigerator.”

  “Ew,” Wyatt grimaced. “That’s nasty.”

  “You’ve already snooped around my apartment?” Aaron said, pushing past Wyatt and Jinx into the bedroom.

  “Snooping! Pshhh!” Jinx scoffed, as she and Wyatt followed behind Aaron, “Call it friendly curiosity. Besides if I’m going to get you a housewarming gift I needed to know what color schemes I’m working with.” She raised an eyebrow as she appraised the room. “So far it’s uh, very beige.”

  “I know,” Aaron said. Plopping onto the bed with a sigh he followed her gaze around the room. “I’ve been way too busy with the launch to bother with decorating or buying new furniture.”

  “Yeah but dude.” Wyatt scrubbed one hand over the back of his neck. “Where’s all your old furniture?”

  “Gave it all to Carly in the break up.” Aaron picked up the white dress shirt that was lying on the bed and slipped it on. “She liked it, she could have it. Was mostly her taste anyway.”

  Wyatt winced. “That’s rough man. Thank God you two never got a dog.”


  Jinx, sighed in sympathy, sat on the bed next to Aaron, took his hand in hers, and began massaging the inside of his wrist.

  “That like an acupressure thing?” he asked.

  “Yep, it’ll help settle your stomach. I’ll make you some ginger tea too, when we get downstairs.”

  “Thank you. You’re a gem.”

  “Well, we love you,” Jinx said, pushing up his shirtsleeve to massage his forearm. “And it’s because we love you I’m gonna lay down a little bit of truth. You’re better off without her,” she said. “Carly was a narcissist.”

  “Aren’t all models?” asked Wyatt. “Isn’t that like the job description or something?”

  Jinx grabbed one of Aaron’s pillows and threw it at her husband. “No, not all models are. But Carly was. Only interested in her own stuff. And I hate to say it but also rude. All-around super-unlikeable. You were thinking with your dick on that one, my friend. I never imagined you with her long term, Aaron.”

  “She was pretty self-centered, I’ll give you that.” Aaron took back his hand and began buttoning his shirt. “But it takes two to make or break it, and I can be selfish too. I’m a workaholic. I know it. And to be frank, I didn’t like spending time in her world anymore than she liked spending time in mine.”

  “Carly not a big virtual reality enthusiast?” Wyatt said, snickering.

  “Not really,” Aaron said, ignoring the laughter. “I tried to get her interested a few times. Get her excited about the sheer breadth of creative imagination and effort that is just all over HyperLyfe.”

  “It is pretty impressive,” Jinx said. Crossing to a box on the floor that was overflowing with expensive ties, she rifled through the contents until she found something suitable. “I’m amazed at what people dream up.”

  “She didn’t even like Celestia,” Aaron said. Jinx handed him the tie and he walked back into the bathroom to stand in front of the mirror. “That planet is hands down my favorite place in world. It’s massive, and so diverse, and there’s new content every time I go there. And the storylines! These sweeping epic adventures that you can improvise off of, it’s amazi–”

  Wyatt caught Aaron’s eye and tapped the watch on his wrist. “Save it for the speech buddy. Time to go.”

  Jinx waltzed into the bathroom holding up a suit jacket and a pair of trousers. “How can you be such a clothes horse, Aaron, and treat your stuff like total shit? I literally found this balled up in the bottom of another box.”

  “Oh, the Tom Ford tartan, great choice,” Aaron said. Taking the suit from Jinx, he slipped into it, smoothing the fabric aggressively as he turned back to the mirror.

  Jinx stood behind him and frowned.

  “What?” he said. “It’s wrinkle resistant.”

  Standing on tip-toe, Jinx reached for his head.

  “You’re too damn tall,” she said, slapping at his shoulder. Wyatt came up behind her, grabbed his wife around the waist and lifted her up.

  “Thank’s baby,” Jinx said sweetly as she went to work on Aaron’s hair.

  “Is it fixable?” Aaron asked watching their reflection.

  “Messy is in,” she said, finger combing Aaron’s overlong brown waves back from his face. “There, that’s better. Your baby blues are little bloodshot but that should clear up on its own. How’s the tummy?”

  “Still hurts a little, Mom.” Aaron pouted at her in the mirror.

  “Stop it,” Jinx said, her tone stern but her nose crinkling with amusement. “Let’s get you downstairs and get some tea into you. Then you’ll be ready to change the world.”

  Lux was bustling with activity. Eldridge Innovations’ PR and Marketing teams were huddled up in the lounge at the front of the club, going over last-minute strategies and press packets. The tech crew was in the virtual reality bays at the back of the club, upgrading Lux’s current sexy VR simulation with the brand new, mind-blowing, totally immersive experience that was the topic of tonight’s unveiling.

  Aaron strode quickly through the lounge to a door marked staff that led to the maintenance corridors in the walls of the club. It was a shortcut to Lux’s performance auditorium, and where they’d be holding tonight’s presentation.

  He entered backstage, behind the dressing rooms, and was glad to see that Aiko was already there, loitering by the catering table, a teacup in her hand. She was not alone. The woman she was standing with was petite and wore a slim fitting dress the color of hot red peppers. Her back was to him, and despite the lingering upset stomach and the distraction of his speech looming, Aaron immediately noted the woman’s backside. Pleasingly round and pert, the dress hugged her form, and created delightful little stress pleats under each cheek. He mentally shook himself and crossed the room to join them, taking the teacup from Aiko when she offered it.

  “Jinx said you need to chug that down Mister. It’s her special ginger blend, if it doesn’t help your stomach at least it’ll help your breath.”

  Aaron lifted the teacup to his lips and gulped, rolling his eyes at Aiko’s remarks just as the woman in the red dress stepped forward and offered her hand.

  “Mr. Eldridge, it’s such a pleasure to meet you. I’m Katie Martinez.”

  He spit tea all over her dress.

  It got worse from there.

  Trying to save face he immediately pretended that the tea was too hot (it wasn’t) and that he’d only spit it out in an effort to protect his tongue from burning off. Then realizing what he’d just done to her beautiful dress, he grabbed a handful of napkins off the catering table and began mauling the poor woman.

  Her breasts actually. What he was trying to do was to sop up the tea, but since the location of the stain was in the chest area, he was in fact repeatedly assaulting her with every dab. Worse yet, he couldn’t seem to stop.

  Katie Martinez’s hand closed over his wrist and firmly pushed it away from her person.

  “I think you should let me do that,” she said.

  “I’m so sorry,” Aaron said. “I’m so so–”

  “Good God Man!” Aiko crossed her arms over her chest and gave Aaron a long hard look. “Well then,” she said, gesturing to the other woman. “Aaron meet Katie, your deaf interpreter for tonight. I’ll have her ready for you as soon as I wring her out. Unless you’ve got a firehose in your back pocket you’d like to use on her next?”

  Katie looked down at her dress, back up at Aaron, and to her immense credit she smiled.

  “Oh it’s not that bad.” She flipped her long brown hair over her shoulder, pinched the dress fabric, pulled it away from her body, pursed her lips and blew. “I don’t think it’ll stain,” she said, looking back up at him with an expression that seemed intended to ease his discomfort.

  Big brown eyes, a great smile, tiny dimples at the corners. And that look in her eyes, so sweet and earnest, but also lively, intelligent.

  Aaron pressed a fist to his mouth and shook his head.

  “Again, I’m so so sorry,” he said. He didn’t trust himself to say much more, since apparently his stars had aligned in the constellation of Fuckwit today.

  He cleared his throat, and scrubbed a hand over his jaw, trying not to stare at the damaged dress and a few rogue droplets of tea that were trickling down her cleavage.

  “I have just made the worst first impression of my entire life,” he said, choosing his words carefully. “And I hope that does not bode ill for how tonight’s presentation will go.”

  Katie’s smile grew a little and her eyebrows knit into the sexiest pity-look he’d ever received.

  Oh, man. It wasn’t the tea that was too hot, it was Katie Martinez.

  “Oh no, stop that.” Katie held her hands up. “I think this was good luck. You got your blunders out of the way behind the scenes, and you’ll be just fine when you go on stage. Promise.”

  “Man’s got eleventy-billion dollars in the bank and he needs reassuring,” Aiko muttered under her breath. “You literally do not deserve my bestie Eldridge. Saint Katie is way too f
lipping good for you.”

  “Oh you’re friends? I didn’t realize.”

  “We met in HyperLyfe actually,” said Katie, nodding. “A few years ago. My mom is deaf, so I sign, and Aiko figured that with my knowledge of the world, and VR…well I was the best fit on short notice.”

  “No, you’re the best fit period,” Aiko said, scrunching up her nose. “Our other interpreter is great, but she doesn’t get HyperLyfe the way you do.”

  “You’re a VR enthusiast?” said Aaron.

  “Definitely.” Katie nodded and her eyes sparkled. “HyperLyfe changed my life.”

  “That’s wonderful,” said Aaron. “I’d love to hear more, I–”

  “Not now egghead, I gotta get Tessa on this tea-splosion before it sets. And I’m sure you’ve got shit to do, too. Jinx’ll blow a gasket if this thing starts late.”

  Tessa was able to save the dress. A few dabs with some club soda, a minute spent with a hair dryer in a dressing room, and Katie could no longer see the spot where one of her idols had poured hot tea on her breasts.

  Aaron Eldridge. He was just a few years older than her, so as an adolescent interested in technology, she’d followed his career on the news. From his first arrest as a coding wunderkind, (for hacking into a federal database) to his time spent as a government consultant (part of the terms of his stay out of jail deal with the Feds), to when he entered the private sector and started Eldridge Innovations.

  The man was a genius.

  He also happened to be very good-looking. And she’d noticed, as she watched him pacing backstage, that he also had a very fine ass.

  Things moved quickly once the press arrived. Aiko led Katie to an X taped downstage from Aaron’s spot, and wished her luck. The press filed in, the lights came up and Katie did all she could to keep up with the presentation, to deliver not only the content of Aaron’s speech to the non-hearing journalists, but to accurately re-create the tone and attitude of his words.

  Aaron paced the stage behind her, animated and charming. He was so at ease and comfortable, so clearly in his element, she had to take care not to get lost in his spell. She wasn’t just an observer here, she was part of the show.