Page 98 of CHOICE Lover
She grips his side, but not to push him away. “That was intense.”
“I’m sorry—”
“Perfect. I meant to say perfect. It’s never been like that before.”
He pushes away any notion of jealousy toward whoeverbeforemight refer to, in favor of the chest-expanding pride he feels at the monumental thing that just occurred between them. At least something is going right. “Me either,” he admits. If only there were a way to freeze this moment in time. Capture it and preserve it so he could relive it. But he doesn’t need a simulation or a memory. She’s here with him and not going anywhere. Perhaps they’ll find themselves in this exact position again in a few hours. He grins against her lips and repeats, “Me either.”
32 – Lies and Lockpicks
Electra
December 22, 2390.
Electra stirs. The sleepy haze from the delicious dream she was having slowly dissipates as she rolls over, reaching for Res6’s warm body. The bed is empty. She sits up, glancing at the bathroom. She was really hoping for a lazy, sex-filled morning, but Res6 isn’t in the room. Perhaps he’s in the kitchen.
She slides out of bed and throws on his T-shirt, thinking of the words he uttered to her on her first day in the future.How is that so unbelievably sexy?The aesthetic should signal what she wants. She swishes some mouthwash and glances in the mirror. Her hair is wild from sleep and Res6’s fingers, and her neck is still blotchy from where he ravished her thenight before. Thrice.
The first two times were intense, like they couldn’t get enough of each other. The third time was exploratory. Slower, each learning what made each other gasp. Clever fingers and capable tongues eliciting moans and making fists clench in sheets.
Forget Chryl. Electra is the one who looks SexcitableTMnow.
She steps into the living room, glancing around. No Res6. Footsteps coming from the spare room draw her attention. “Res6?” she calls, glancing at the probably locked door. Her stomach tightens. After the intimacy they shared last night, she’s even more invested in this man still clinging to his secrets.
She’s sitting at her desk trying to focus on her column when the door to the spare room finally opens, and he slips out. Lines of worry etch his face, as if the moments they shared the night before weren’t enough to lift the burden he carries. But when his eyes land on her, his face transforms. Instantly the worry evaporates, something far warmer replacing it as he stares at her.
“Good morning, Electra,” he says. The low, hungry tone of his voice makes heat bloom low in her belly. To know she can capture his attention and transform his mood so effectively is such a turn-on.
“Hi,” she says, grinning. She stands and walks over to him, showing off her body clad in only his T-shirt.
“I was going to go to the office, but you’ve given me other ideas.”
Dear Reader,
Please sit down.
Okay, now that you’re not in danger of falling over, I have a confession.
I THINK I’M IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH A SEX GOD.
The things that man can do with his tongue.I’ve had casual flings. Some lovers who even knew their way around a woman’s body, but this man—I know this is going to sound bad AND super hypocritical, but it would be like keeping a football player in basic training for a hundred years, then when he finally shows up to the big leagues, he’s an all-star. Or something like that. You understand my meaning. The guy’s a pro.
And that’s not to mention the emotional connection. When his golden eyes locked with mine, at that moment (you know the one) . . . I think my soul left my body. I might even be in love with him. Believe me, I know. Nothing could be crazier than that! But I swear he feels it too. But just in case I’m imagining things or getting ahead of myself, I’ll probably wait until he says it first. Unless we have sex again and it explodes out of me. I’ll keep you posted.
That’s all. Just wanted to share that I’m reveling in the afterglow. Basking in its blissful warmth like it’s the summer sun and I have on SPF 100. The girl horrified by Res6 for inventing manupartners—she doesn’t exist anymore. In her place is a grown woman making the choice to be happy. The end. Thank you for coming to my talk.
Choosing bliss,
Electra
Now that she’s word-vomited all over the virtual page that no one is EVER going to read, she feels considerably better. Time to check her messages. She scrolls, deleting the nonsense queries and responding to a few fans. The next message automatically pops up, making her gasp. The subject reads:You’ve been monetized!
She quickly scans the body of the message, then sits there blinking at her screen, dumbfounded. Of MSP’s 120 million residents, one million of them have honored her with a subscription to her column in a few weeks. Tears well in her eyes. That’s basically the definition of an overnight success. And it’s happening to her. People want herwork. They love her voice and message enough that a million of them stopped to pay attention. This kind of success twice in a lifetime must mean she’s meant to be here. It’s unreal.
She sits back in her chair, letting waves of emotion wash over her. The overwhelming feelings bring her back to the day an email from a major publisher showed up in her inbox. They were interested in adding her indie-published books, which were just gaining traction, to their catalogue. It took her a week to find an agent, and together they negotiated a stellar six-figure deal. She jumped up and down squealing like a maniac the day they signed. Even though keeping quiet felt nearly impossible, she kept her big news to herself for an entire week, waiting until her monthly girl’s night to share. Her friends had been ecstatic for her, and she even splurged by buying them all dinner.
A sudden pang of loneliness hits her. A distinct melancholy that she never felt in her previous life threatens to overshadow this win. Res6 disapproves completely, so she can’t tell him. Other than that, she only has a few online acquaintances and Sister Xelna. Matter of fact, she should message her and see if she’s available for lunch. They bonded over Electra’s good advice, after all. Sister Xelna will probably be thrilled to celebrate with her.
She shoots her a quick message, then clicks the link in the email. It takes her to the FrogBlog dashboard, where a new tab opens showing a video explaining how monetization works. Apparently, the app will keep her unicoin in a temporary account connected to her profile until she connects her Worldbank account. Another reason she needs to find the courage to meet with the IdenTECH company.
