“What did you have in mind? Exactly?” Aaron asked.

In actual reality, he was laying on the cold marble counter top on the island in his barren kitchen. In virtual reality, he was lying under the stars with his arms full of an impossibly sexy woman who was determined to slowly torture him to death. She hadn’t released his cock yet. No, instead she was stroking him, feathery touches with just her fingertips, not enough to set him off, but just enough to keep him hard. It was driving him crazy.

“Well,” said Katie, a note of mischief in her voice. “I’ve played around in here before. Role-played and sexted, that sort of thing. But it’s never been like this. This is a whole different level. And I think I want to explore that.”

Aaron felt her shiver, so he drew the blankets up around her shoulders. “You mean the S-suit,” he said. “The fact that we can actually feel each other, that changes things.”

“It’s not just that,” she said, looking up to catch his gaze. “I’m not shivering because I’m cold, Aaron. I’d like to explore this with you. I showed you around Celestia today, maybe you can–”

“Be your guide in the seedy underworld of virtual sex?” He held her closer, let his hands roam over her waist, squeezing gently when her heard her sigh, stroking the soft skin on her arms as she sunk into him. “I’d love nothing more,” he said. “But we should figure out a few things out first. Have a frank conversation. You okay with that, seeing as we just met yesterday?”

“I think so,” she said, but there was a beat of hesitation there, just enough that Aaron resolved to go first. If she didn’t like anything he told her, she could make an excuse, then log off and pretend this never happened.

“The first thing you should know,” he said. “Is that I’m kind of kinky.”

She looked confused. “Okay, what do you mean exactly?”

“It’s nothing major, nothing that’s a deal-breaker for me if you aren’t into it, but it’s definitely something I enjoy. I find it’s particularly fun to play with those kinks in here–”

“Wait,” Katie interrupted. “How do you roleplay kinky sex in here and not have it end up in the tabloids?”

“Katie, I own the company. I can change our user names to anything we want. No one will know it’s us.” He shrugged. “I’ll just change them back when we’re done.”

“Damn. God mode. Must be nice.”

“It’s good to be the King.” Aaron chuckled and tapped her on the nose. He knew she couldn’t feel it, but the gesture still meant something. “Where were we?” He said, smiling down at her. “Sorry, I’m trying to find the words, and you’re just so damn sexy, it’s very distracting.”

“Oh jeez.” Katie moved her hand away from his straining erection, and sat up, folding her hands in her lap primly. “I’ll behave. Tell me more.”

‘I’ll behave.’ God, she had no idea how much that turned him on. Aaron sat up too.

“Tell me…” she said again, biting her lip. “If you’re my guide, tell me what would you want to show me, what would you want to…do with me?”

“Sky’s the limit?” He asked, smirking.

She covered her face with her hands and laughed nervously, but when he leaned over and took her hands in his, she caught his gaze and nodded.

“Absolutely,” she said. “You’re the guide, so you’re the boss.”

‘You’re the boss.’ Sweet Jesus he was going to die.

“I’d want to dress you up and show you off,” Aaron said, as he met her gaze steadily. “I’d take you shopping and buy you a scandalous dress. Then…well there’s this club I like to go to. Lord Chamberlain’s Gentlemen’s Club, which is just a poncey name for a place where men go to ogle woman.” He paused for a beat, this was the part where he was maybe gonna lose her. “Its theme is CMNF.”

“CMNF?” said Katie raising an eyebrow. “I don’t know that acronym. BDSM, that one I know, but CM–”

“Clothed male, nude female.”

“So all the women are naked, and all the men are clothed?”

“Not exactly,” Aaron said, relieved at her tone. She didn’t sound turned off at all. Just curious. “The woman arrive beautifully dressed, and the men try to persuade them to take it all off.”

“Rule 34.” Katie pressed her hands to her mouth and giggled. “There really is something for everyone isn’t there?” She kept laughing. “There’s literally a kink for guys who like to be dressed while their women aren’t?”

“Yep.” Aaron laughed too, caught up in her mood, and so grateful that she wasn’t running over the moors away from him right now. He grabbed her around the waist and lifted her up. Her legs flailed, and she gasped, wrapping her arms around his shoulders for balance.

“But that’s not all I’m into.” He growled and bent his head to her neck, nipping gently along her collarbone.

“Shit,” Katie squealed with laughter, and squirmed against him. “Please don’t tell me you’re into vampire role play!”

Aaron lifted his head and raised an eyebrow. “Nope, don’t want to pretend to drink your blood.”

“Thank God!”

He dropped his lips to her ear and whispered. “But if you let me, I’ll tie you up and give that hot ass a damn good spanking.”

* * *

Aaron had excellent taste in clothes.

Since Katie was really looking forward to the part of their evening that involved the promised tying-up and spanking, she ignored her initial reluctance to let him take her clothes shopping and tried to indulge the man’s fetish.

She was very glad she did.

He’d gone through a dozen different dresses, had her try on each one and parade down the virtual boutique’s catwalk for him, so he could see her from every angle.

In reality she was still wearing the S-suit, and her catwalk was just a narrow strip of hallway between her apartment’s kitchenette and the bedroom.

But in HL, she felt like a goddess.

Aaron finally settled on a dress, and was free with his praise, pulling her into his arms, his hands sliding over the bare skin of her back to cup her ass as he whispered in her ear.

“You look good enough to eat.” The words sent a thrill up her spine.

The dress was amazing. A shimmery gold, pleated around her waist, it had one shoulder and sheer lacy accents that showed off her curves. Slit to her hip, it was far more daring than anything she would’ve worn in real life. She fucking loved it.

Lord Chamberlain’s Gentlemen’s Club was ridiculous, in an adorable way. Lord Chamberlain himself was there. Obviously American, he affected the most absurd English accent and welcomed them each to his ‘most humble of erotic establishments’.

It wasn’t crowded, maybe thirty avatars at most sat in various small social groups at tables and leather sofas scattered around the club. She might have preferred it more crowded, since their entrance drew attention. Heads swiveled and conversations paused. Katie caught a glimpse of herself and Aaron in a tall mirror that decorated a nearby column. They were quite a sight. Aaron had changed into a deep blue suit, and the color contrasted with her gold dress beautifully. They looked like royalty.

“What now?” Katie whispered. Clutching Aaron’s arm, she peered up at him as he led her through the club toward the back. He glanced down at her, arched one eyebrow and smirked. The look was deadly, and Katie’s pulsed raced along with her imagination.

“Oh my God,” she whispered. “What are we doing?” Nervous laughter bubbled in her chest and she bounced on her heels when they stopped walking, holding onto Aaron so tightly he had to pry her fingers from his arm.

“We’re just going to sit,” he said, his eyes glinting with mischief. “We’re going to sit and talk, and some of the men here might come by and pay their compliments.” He sat down, and tugged her hand gently, urging her to join him. She did, and Aaron shifted his body so he was facing her, his long arms draped over the side and back of the sofa.

“If I’m really lucky,” he drawled. “You’ll let me talk you out of that dress.”

“Okay so let me get this straight.” Katie stiffened her spine and folded her hands in her lap, forcing a professional detachment in her tone. He was staring at her like a hungry predator, and while she really liked it, it was intimidating as hell. The only thing giving her courage at the moment was to pretend she was completely immune to his gaze.

“You’re just gonna talk?” she said. “You’re just gonna chat away and hope I decide to rip off this dress and prance around here naked for everybody to see.”

Aaron nodded solemnly. “Yes. I mean, I don’t plan to talk about baseball. I’m definitely trying to seduce you.”

“Your game is that good?”

“It is.”

“You can just talk, and I’ll get all turned on and decide to jump you?”

“It’s been working so far.”

Katie narrowed her eyes. “Careful now, don’t get cocky.”

Aaron smirked and nodded once, acknowledging the reprimand. “Seriously though, that’s what I like the most about playing in HyperLyfe,” he said. “The brain is the largest sex organ. I love a good mindfuck, and in here, that’s what matters most. You said it yourself, in virtual reality, people can choose their appearance. Look around—all the men and women in here are beautiful. So then, what sets them apart? What do they have to offer a lover that’s more valuable than their bodies?”

“Their intellects,” said Katie, her gaze flitting around the room. “Their wit, their imagination.”

Suddenly, Aaron was beside her, his thigh pressed up against hers, his arm draped possessively over her shoulders. He pulled her closer and pressed his lips to her ear.

“You’ve got the sexiest mind. Katie Martinez.”

She couldn’t feel his lips moving, since the S-suit didn’t cover her head, but damn if his words didn’t tickle her skin anyway. Little frissons of excitement rippled up her spine, and she tried to bite back her smile, but it was pointless, the guy was charming as hell, and she was pretty sure a few more minutes of this and she was gonna go ahead and get naked.

But, she didn’t really want all these people to see her naked, did she? The idea was titillating, but scary too.

Wait a minute.

She turned to Aaron and squinted.

“What?”

“Well…” Katie tilted her head and tried to reason it out. Nope it didn’t make sense, she was gonna have to ask him. “If I get naked,” she whispered. “It’s not real. I mean this is an avatar, and I’m in the skin that got created for me yesterday at Lux. This is my face, but this isn’t my actual body. It looks nothing like me.”

Aaron met her gaze and nodded. “I know,” he whispered back.

“So then what’s the point?” she asked.

He leaned back and threw his arms up over the back of the sofa again.

“It’s the mindfuck,” he said. “I’ve gotta tell you. I’ve seen you naked, or at least the skin you’re wearing. It’s a standard body texture we keep on file. Seeing Nude female body 1.0 again isn’t really what I’m after here.”

“Okay…”

“It’s ironic,” he said, drumming his fingers on the back of the sofa. “I built all this sensory equipment so that users in VR could feel each other when they touched. And yet, for me, when it comes to sex…”

“The mindfuck,” Katie said, smirking at him.

Aaron smirked back and shrugged. “Don’t get me wrong, I do want to touch you. But what I really want, right now, is for you to stand up and let that pretty dress fall to the floor. And I want you to do that solely because you want to. Because you want to please me. Because pleasing me will turn you on.” Aaron leaned forward again, he took her hand in his and lifted it to his lips. Fluttering soft kisses across her knuckles, he pinned her in his gaze. “What I want, is to get you off.”

“The S-suit,” she said, staring at his lips. “It doesn’t cover our mouths but when you kiss my hand, I feel it.”

“There’s sensors in the visor you’re wearing,” he said. “It reads our head position and our mouths, that’s how it makes our avatar’s lips move when we speak.” He kissed her hand again. “And that’s why you can feel it when I kiss your hand, and when I kiss other parts of you.” He paused and winked at her. “I’d really like to kiss other parts of you.”

“Yeah?” Katie said, leaning away from him. “Since I can’t feel it on my lips…” She took her hand back, and trailed her fingers over her collarbone, down to her cleavage. “Where would you kiss me?”

“Anywhere I can get to beauty.” Aaron settled back into the couch and rested his hands on his thighs. “Anywhere I can see.” He raised an eyebrow in challenge.

Katie’s eyes narrowed, and she flashed him a toothy smile. Okay that was it, she decided. She was gonna do it.

She stood slowly, making sure her feet were steady, and pretended to smooth her skirt as she turned her head slightly to quickly survey the rest of the club. There were still people there, fewer now, but plenty of men were milling around, and a few were looking in her direction.

No big deal, she thought. This wasn’t reality, it was a video game. The naked skin she was revealing wouldn’t look anything like her own, so who cared who saw it?

Aaron stuck out one long leg, pushed the coffee table away, and gestured for Katie to stand in front of him, filling the empty space. He smiled, lifted his hands, tugged the cuffs of his suit sharply, and folded his arms behind his head.

Katie bit back a smile and raised an eyebrow. Smug bastard was going to revel in his victory.

She reached for the knot at the nape of her neck, pulled the ribbon loose, and caught the front of her dress before it fell down.

Aaron raked his gaze over her body, and then back up to meet her eyes. His expression was stern and unreadable now, but goddamn he was hot.

She heard some movement behind her, and sensed some other avatars were approaching, attracted to the spectacle. Aaron shot her an inquiring look, and she knew he was checking to see if she was okay, to see if she wanted to stop.

She answered his query with a look of her own.

Oh hell no, it said. Let ‘em watch.

Katie let the front of her dress fall to her waist. The movement of the fabric was enough that a current of air wafted over her breasts and the S-suit translated the sensation to her nipples with traitorous accuracy. Goosebumps erupted on her skin at the chill, and in the S-suit, her nipples hardened almost painfully. That wasn’t because she was cold.

It was the audience.

It was the mindfuck.

It was Aaron.

Aaron’s dark gaze pinned her, and when he licked his lips subtly, her sex clenched. His gaze traveled over her body, and settled on her naked breasts, a smile dancing at the corner of his mouth.

Katie flushed and dropped her gaze, curious to see what he saw. Her avatar’s skin was flushed too, her chest heaving in time to Katie’s labored breaths, the nipples erect and obviously aroused. This flesh wasn’t hers but it didn’t matter, everything she was feeling, every lustful thought, was plainly visible.

“What a beautiful…mind,” said Aaron.

His words emboldened her. It didn’t matter that this skin wasn’t hers, she still felt exposed, vulnerable, and utterly desired.

She wanted more.

Katie hooked her fingers in the waist of the dress and turned her back to Aaron, giving the men now loitering around their sofa a good look at her breasts, and Aaron a great view of her ass. She wiggled slowly out of the dress, taking her time, sliding the silky gold fabric down her legs and stepping out of it as it puddled on the floor.

She felt heat behind her, and smiled. When she turned around, Aaron was right there, close enough to touch. The hard set of his jaw said he’d liked her little show a lot.

Katie wet her lips and started to speak, but before she could tease him, Aaron cut her off.

“Command,” he said. “Scene Change. Castle Eldridge. The Master’s chamber.”

Katie blinked and the club was gone.

Holy fuck.

She was standing in a bedroom.