“That might be nice.”
She looks at me like I’ve offered her a frog to eat.
“It would give us more places to hide from Agan and his friends.”
She groans. “Sometimes, I think you’re too optimistic… but this time, you’d be right.”
CHAPTER 2
Even if Ihadwanted to go to the Bowl opening, I couldn’t.
I mean… I could.
Phantom doesn’t penalize us for altering our schedule last minute. But I don’t want to.
Stepping in the booth means the potential for turning my brain off andthatis something I amverymuch looking forward to after even such a brief interaction.
The women who greet me all make me smile and the longer I’m in the club, the more relaxed I am.
Poppy stops me for an impromptu dance—she just paid off her student loans—and Zelda tells me she just became an aunt.
Everyone is in a celebratory mood today.
I honestly love it here.
The path to my locker room is littered with joy.
It follows me into the quiet space, and when the door closes, I don’t stop smiling.
The bot beeps at me before I get the chance to start undressing.
“There is a message for you.”
My smile falters. Usually, messages come from Phantom or Dr. Love and there areinstructionsincluded.
But when the information appears on the screen, it’s not from either.
It’s fromhim.
An inquiry from the app.
Peach and a few of the others have told me they like the app.
It makes working from Earth possible and that it keeps their regulars happy, tipping, and coming back more frequently. But I hadn’t even considered…
Becausetheyall live on Earth.
I could be texting him while we’re in the same corridor and not even know it.
I don’t know why that feels so much riskier than the booth.
Phantom and their bots monitor all of the chats.
They won’t let anything happen.
Whatcouldhappen? They’re just words on a screen.
Two days ago, I didn’t know his name. Now, I’m considering a conversation that could reveal far more than I planned to… possibly without meaning to do it.
