Sure.
I bite my lip as I wait for the request to come through and as soon as it does I approve it and head for Phantom’s.
I don’t even look at the terms until I’ve made it to my locker room.
And then, I stare at my locker, wondering what the hell I’m supposed to wear to a ring view room.
CHAPTER 4
“Welcome to Ring-View Room Number One, Cherry.”
I step inside and am glad I didn’t wear shoes. The carpet is nice. I’d hate to mess it up.
I’m so used to the booth, the ring view bot’s voice is strange, but I ignore that.“Please have a seat while we run through the preliminary information, prior to your client’s arrival.”
It’s like a hotel suite. Bed, bathroom, cuck chair…
The bed feels too presumptuous after this morning, so I sit on the curved chair, watching the door nervously.
There are no windows…
Maybe it wouldn’t be presumptuous. Maybe I should get undressed now.
I flinch when the bot says,“As always, your safety is a priority, here at Phantoms. Use any of your pre-approved safe words at any time, and the interaction will cease. If the client does not respect the rules, we will make him.”
“Pretty sure you’re not going to have to enforce anything.”
If the bot hears me, it doesn’t acknowledge the words.
“Please confirm your identity by placing your hand on the table beside you.”
When I do, the surface lights up like the walls of the booth.
“Thank you Cherry.”Whirring sounds rush overhead, and then,“Please vocalize your consent to participate in this interaction. Know that if anyone has coerced you into this private setting, we will cancel the appointment and Phantom will deal with the perpetrator by any means necessary. You arealwayssafe at Phantom’s.”
I wonder what he would do to Sirin.
I wonder what hecoulddo to the station administrator.
“I consent to participating in this interaction.”
“Consent confirmed. Do you wish to change any of your preset limits or change your opt-out status on any activities?”
“I do not.”
“Thank you and enjoy your time in the ring room.”
The bot goes quiet and the room starts to rotate. I grip the cushion beneath me as I watch the walls move, revealing the enormous window with its view of the planet's rings. The opening for the door I came through slides to a different one that seems identical to the first… but the pattern might be different.
When it opens, Sirin comes in and stops, pulling all of himself in so the door will shut behind him.
“Hi,” I say, not sure if I should stand or stay seated.
He doesn’t move either. “Hello again.”
He’s still wearing the gray uniform jacket he’d been wearing this morning. It’s fitted to him so that the lack of arms doesn’t look odd, but I want to pop open all those prim buttons. I want him naked.
I want him.
