Page 101 of CHOICE Lover
He shrugs. “My programming. I can do almost everything except be real.” His tone is so beleaguered that Electra can’t help but momentarily feel pity for him.
She shakes her head as if she can shake away the horrible revelation that Res6, the man she’s inconveniently developing feelings for, has a god complex and is trying to resurrect his dead twin. He lied. He’s been lying. Oh God, it wasn’t their Saturday Sirens outfits in the closet glitching. It was this thing. Or another earlier experiment. But the repairman came—Trent seemed clueless at first. Has everything been a lie?
The hovering manupartner looks so distressed that she feels compelled to say, “Don’t worry. It’s not your fault.”
It sits down next to her, and she does her best to ignore its presence so she can think. This is the other shoe dropping. The horrible thing she was waiting for that will steal her happiness away.
“If you need to talk, you can talk to me. He does that sometimes.”
Tears prick her eyes. Res6 has been having late-night chats with a manupartner he calls Jerme? It’s so insane, she isn’t sure if she should laugh or cry. No wonder her column is becoming so popular. Humanity has lost track of what it means to be human.
She gets up, giving in to the call of her bed with its massive pile of blankets she can hide beneath. Last night, the same blankets cocooned her and Res6 as they drifted to sleep tangled in each other’s arms. She forces one foot in front of the other, doing her best to block out the memory. Still, dread nearly paralyzes her.You can collapse into a heap of spiraling doom once you get to the bed.
Footsteps sound behind her. Is the Jerme clone following her? “Electra, do you need to talk? You never answered. What about my protein packs?”
She groans and forces herself to fish out a prepared meal from the refrigerator for the manupartner so the thing doesn’t starve. As he sits on the couch content with his “fuel,” she retreats to the bedroom and collapses face-first onto the bed. Res6’s woodsy citrus scent envelopes her. “I’m in hell.”
33 – Sexting and Double Standards
Res6
The last thing Res6 wants to do is review quarterly sales figures when there’s a beautiful human woman waiting for him at his unit. A stunningly delicious woman who’s been sending him scandalous messages all afternoon. Little narratives of the things he did to her last night and this morning. Some detail the things she wants to do to him.
He thinks the command: Message Electra.No more interesting messages to get me through the day?
After fifteen minutes, she still hasn’t responded. She’s probably napping. Her sleep schedule is a bit erratic. He did some research and read that having odd sleep habits is common with creatives like her. While he waits for her reply, he rereads his favorite scenario she sent him:Scene idea. After a hard day’s work, MMC falls asleep on the couch. Wakes up to FMC swirling her tongue around the crown of hisgrowing erection. Licking up the pre-cum already beaded there. She grins, because they both know how eager she is for more.
Every time he reads her little narratives, his cock takes notice. He shoves the feeling away. Having a hard-on while Tommy is sitting across the desk from him would be incredibly inappropriate.
Think about the sales figures.
He refocuses on the numbers on his screen. While they’re good, they weren’t as good as he hoped based on dragging Electra and Chryl out in public at every opportunity. At first there was a spike, aligning with what he expected, but then they evened out, showing a slight increase overall compared to the prior five years. He runs a hand over his face, massaging his temples. “This is because of the GROW reincarnate scare, isn’t it?”
Tommy looks up from his tablet. He stares at Res6 across the desk, blinking.
“GROW reincarnates—Tommy. Are you listening?”
Tommy shakes his head. “Yes, sir. The reincarnate scare is likely affecting public trust. Would you like to put out a statement?”
“I should report them. I have some information I could give Inspector Wanda that might demonstrate to the public how we’re working with the authorities to rebuild—”
Tommy’s eyes glaze over. Is he paler than normal? A few seconds pass before his attention clears. “Perhaps reporting GROW isn’t such a wise choice, considering . . .”
Res6’s brows shoot up. “Considering what?”
“If someone were to find out about Electra’s nature.” Tommy emphasizes the wordnature.
Why is he being vague? Is he worried about getting fired like Lextr? Perhaps he should reassure him at some point. Of everyone he knows, Tommy is the least likely to do something suspicious. He sighs, taking pity on the man—Electra must be rubbing off on him. “Youmean that she’s a reincarnate? Yes, I’m quite aware of the risks, but that isn’t something you need to worry about. I have her identity under control.”
Tommy frowns, looking away as a message pops up on Res6’s screen.
“Tommy, why are you messaging me when I’m sitting right here?” Curious—because when is he ever not curious—he opens it. It’s a forwarded NewNewsletter. “What’s this?”
“Scroll down.”
Res6 does, freezing when he reaches an avatar that looks an awful lot like Electra. Beneath it is a headline: “What does MSP’s new advice influencer know that you don’t?”
Heat crawls up his neck as he scans the article.
