No Limits (3 page)
Alison smiled. “Exactly so. What sets Illustra apart is the packaging. We abolished the skeeve associated with prostitution, the old-style whorehouse concept, while still offering a taste of the forbidden. We were the first to make our database women-friendly by acquiring male therapists who then agreed to give out free samples, keeping quality control of our roster. Our commitment to excellence is what sets us apart.”
Gen squirmed in her seat. “Yeah, about that. Gia ordered up one of your nighttime escorts for me, and something was missing.”
Alison shook a finger in her face. “Well, for starters, you should never let someone else pick out a pleasure companion for you. Women like different things when it comes to sex, different builds on their partners, different physical stimulation. Even the best pleasure professional isn’t a one-size-fits-all. But setting that aside, what else didn’t please you?”
Gen winced, not wanting to admit her own dumb mistake. “I faked an orgasm.”
Alison threw her hands up in exasperation. “Gen, for the love of God, why would you do that?”
“I don’t know. It seemed like a good idea at the time. He was doing everything right, technically speaking—”
“No, no, he wasn’t if you felt the need to fake it.” Alison rose out of her chair and began to pace. “Why women do that is beyond me. It’s only teaching men to do all the
wrong
things. We put the men through a rigorous training program to perfect their technique, but if women don’t step up and own their own pleasure—” Alison stopped moving and talking simultaneously. Slowly, she turned to face Gen. “I have a proposal for you. Hear me out before you say anything.”
wrong
things. We put the men through a rigorous training program to perfect their technique, but if women don’t step up and own their own pleasure—” Alison stopped moving and talking simultaneously. Slowly, she turned to face Gen. “I have a proposal for you. Hear me out before you say anything.”
Gen nodded and waited.
“Between you, me, and the wall, we’ve had several complaints from women just like you, ordinary women looking for a quickie. The men are too rough, or not forceful enough, too slow on the uptake, and even”—she rolled her eyes—“on enhancement supplements. We don’t own these men, and when they know they are being surveyed, they perform beautifully. What we need to do is catch them with their pants down, so to speak.”
“And this has what to do with me?”
Alison flashed her beautiful teeth in a brilliant smile. “I want you to be my secret shopper.”
“What?” Gen exploded out of the chair. “You want me to be like a crash-test dummy for your men?”
“It’s perfect! We’ll set you up like a wealthy customer and send some of the guys we’ve had complaints about to take care of your needs. You’ll take them for a spin and report back to me.”
“Um, Alison, one itsy-bitsy problem. I have no idea how to be a prostitute.” Wait, was she actually
considering
this?
considering
this?
“Which is why you’ll be perfect. They won’t expect you to do anything fancy. Just lie there and let them work you into a lather.”
“Yeah, but why should I do this?” She hadn’t seen Alison in over a decade, and this was one hell of a favor.
“You just told me you lost your job. So I’m offering you another one. Genevieve Luzon, corporate spy.” Extracting her personal comm unit, she typed in something, then angled it to sync up with Gen’s. The connection went through, and Gen gaped at the huge credit number flashing on her display. Her gaze flew to Alison’s, wondering if the other woman was serious.
Alison nodded once, confirming her astronomical offer. “Half up front and half after the job is complete. Listen, think it over and then let me know one way or the other. You might find out things about yourself that you never even knew existed.”
3
N
ana and Gramps were waiting for Gen when she returned to her apartment. Cora bustled around the galley kitchen, fixing tea from her own hydroponic blend of leaves and herbs that she grew in her greenhouse. She smiled at Gen and waved her to the table.
ana and Gramps were waiting for Gen when she returned to her apartment. Cora bustled around the galley kitchen, fixing tea from her own hydroponic blend of leaves and herbs that she grew in her greenhouse. She smiled at Gen and waved her to the table.
“How did you know?” Gen cupped her hands around the steaming mug, allowing the heat and aromatic fragrance to seep into the cold places inside of her.
Cora tapped a purple polished fingernail to her temple. “World’s most powerful telepath, remember?”
“And so modest too.” Gramps kissed the top of Nana’s head.
Cora waved him off. “Modesty never once benefited me. I was the shock-and-awe girl, the government’s secret weapon.” She batted her eyelashes at her husband, and Gen could tell they were communicating mind to mind.
Jack grunted and squared his still-impressive shoulders with military precision. “I’m going to take a walk.”
“It’s thirty degrees out,” Gen remarked.
“Then I won’t need a coat.” Jack gave her a one-armed hug. “Stand tall, punkin head.”
Cora sighed as Jack ambled out. “They just don’t make ’em like that anymore.”
Gen agreed. No need to say anything out loud, since Cora skimmed her thoughts to pick up on the juicy tidbits. “I see you’ve taken my advice.”
“Yeah, and it landed me a job offer.” Somehow she couldn’t get excited over the prospect, no matter how ridiculously tempting the salary might be.
Cora tilted her head to the side as if doing so could grant her better reception into Gen’s mind. Gen hissed out a breath. “Nana, for God’s sake—”
“Shhh,” Cora cut her off, concentrating on something only her powerful mind could pick up. Narrowing her eyes, she looked more like a petulant young girl than a 104-year-old telepath. “I’m listening to your subconscious mind, something you ought to do more often.”
“Unless it has a way to help me find Tanny or get a real job—”
Again, Cora interrupted her with a quick slashing motion. Gen heaved a great sigh and sipped her drink. The strong woodsy aroma was more like a rich blend of coffee than an herbal tea. Gardening had long been Cora’s outlet for her frenetic backlog of energy. How pathetic that Gen wished she had half of her grandmother’s zest for life.
Pretty damn sad.
“Actually, it’s not,” Cora answered her unspoken thought.
“You know I hate it when you do that. Can we have a normal verbal conversation, please?”
Cora shrugged her slim shoulders. “If you would prefer. Now, do you want to talk, or do you want to know what you need to do?”
Gen pushed her chair back and took her empty mug to the sink. “I know what I need to do. I need to find a new job and wait here for Tanny.”
Cora made a rude noise. “Oh, fuck that. You are not your sister’s keeper, Genevieve. Your own life is passing you by at an astronomical rate. Honey, you need to get laid.”
The spoon Gen had been washing clattered into the sink. “This conversation is disturbing on so many levels!”
“Forget that you’re talking with good old Nana for a second and talk to me, woman to woman. You’re alone and you’re lonely. Believe me, I remember what that feels like. But closing yourself off from the world doesn’t keep it at bay. You still have to do the drudgery, the mundane things. Honey, you’re taking on all of the challenges and ignoring the rewards that are just waiting out there for you to grab them. Touch, comfort, self-confidence. Look me in the eye and tell me you don’t crave more of all three.”
Gen squared her shoulders. “So what if I do? What do you suggest?”
“Take Alison up on her offer. Do the secret-shopper gig, find your bliss. All of your problems will still be waiting for you when you come back, I promise. And who knows, maybe you will be in a better place to tackle them?”
Gen bit her lip.
Cora took a step closer and gripped Gen’s hand. “Do you remember when you wanted to take antigrav dance lessons? Your mother thought it was indecent, improper. What did I say to her?”
Gen grinned at the memory, one of her favorites from childhood. “‘Take that stick out of your ass, Lorna, or I’ll beat you over the head with it.’”
“I’ve always been your advocate, Genevieve, and I will continue to be, even if I have to advocate
against
you. For your own good, lovey.”
against
you. For your own good, lovey.”
Gen blew out a breath. “There’s so much to do. I need to pack, call Alison. And what if Tanny calls or comes back here looking for me?” Gen cringed, thinking of her sister showing up at the upstate cabin to find her entertaining a bunch of problematic man whores.
Cora walked into the living room and held up a packed suitcase. “Gramps and I will stay here until you get back. Call Alison from the car. Go on, scoot and get yourself shagged silly.”
Rhys let his conscious mind drift so as not to dwell on the discomfort. Even though his body was trapped light-years away, twinges from his physical self produced a phantom pain that resounded in his empathic essence.
How long had it been? With no way to mark the passage of time, he couldn’t even begin to guess. He missed the vivid colors of fresh green and growing things, the salty taste of the stew his brothers had eaten nightly, the coarse textures of the robes they wore while in training. Other sensations seemed even dimmer, barely within his grasp. The feel of a woman’s soft body beneath him, her sighs of pleasure in his ears, the wetness between her legs.
He thought about the magnificent beauty he had last seen. What he would give to explore her generous curves, to run his hands through her dark hair, to siphon off the pleasure he needed to give her.
The fantasy unfolded in his mind, and he saw her on the bed, face flushed with arousal, lips parted on a gasping breath. He couldn’t decide where to touch her, where to taste her first. Her lush pink lips, or the stiffened nipples of a deep wine color? No, first he’d lick her to orgasm, his tongue dragging through the folds of her sex.
That’s
what he wanted, what she needed. Her pleasure building as he flicked her clit again and again. He’d help her climb the slope, poise her on the ledge, then use his fingers to fill her sheath and send her flying.
That’s
what he wanted, what she needed. Her pleasure building as he flicked her clit again and again. He’d help her climb the slope, poise her on the ledge, then use his fingers to fill her sheath and send her flying.
Her colors would explode in a magnificent rainbow, feeding him until he glutted on her emotions. She’d beg him to fill her then, to slide his cock into her wet, silky depths. Her legs would wrap around his waist as he pumped in and out of her body. He’d kiss her, use his tongue to possess her mouth the same way she possessed his mind.
He’d come in a rush, thrusting into her and she’d cry out, milking every bit of jism his body had to offer. Then replete, he’d rest his head on the full mounds of her breasts and breathe in her contentment, listen to the pounding of her heart.
Rhys sighed as the dream evaporated from his mind like mist. She wasn’t coming to him, hadn’t gotten the message. Otherwise she would be here by now.
His time would be better served if he just forgot about her, formed a new plan of escape. But he couldn’t seem to keep himself from clinging to her image, to all the ways he wanted to touch her, kiss her, use his body to pleasure hers.
“Can you replicate these in a size nine, please?” Gen smiled at the shoe store clerk as he scurried off, eager to make his commission. Gen stared at the new leather spike-heeled boots she’d purchased to give herself the confidence to take this leap. It was either footwear or cheesecake, and since she was scheduled to spend the rest of the weekend naked, the boots won out.
The clerk handed her the newly replicated boots, and she sighed in bliss as she slid her foot home. “Perfect fit.”
He held the credit scanner in one hand. “Anything else you would like me to show you today?”
Her gaze slid to the leather duster that matched the boots. Maybe after Alison paid her the second half for a job well done. “I’d better stop there.” Pressing her thumb to the plate, she was instantly three hundred credits lighter. No turning back now.
Striding out of the store, she made her way across the street to the Central Park replica. The chill winter wind at New New York’s obscenely high altitude made the park less than desirable, unless you wanted complete privacy in the middle of the city.
“Thank you for calling Illustra. This is Staci speaking. How may I direct your pleasure?”
Here goes everything.
“This is Genevieve Luzon. I spoke with Alison earlier about arranging for some company this weekend.”
“This is Genevieve Luzon. I spoke with Alison earlier about arranging for some company this weekend.”
“Hold one moment, please, and I will transfer you.”
A few soft pings indicated Staci was busy pulling up her phony file. Alison had created an entire fictional backstory for her. Her profile would indicate she was recently widowed and looking for a pick-me-up in the form of a few men who desired her company. She was to use them in whatever way she saw fit.
“This is Alison Cartwright.” Her tone was brisk and no-nonsense.
“It’s me. Are you sure I need to take them all at once?” Gen couldn’t believe those words had just come out of her mouth.
In the tiny viewer, Alison nodded definitively. “If they think you are distracted with one of the others, they are more likely to say or do something to give themselves away.”
Gen paced, bent away from a particularly harsh gust of wind. “What exactly am I looking for?”
“Satisfaction. I want you to make note of any conduct unbecoming a professional pleasure companion. Not enough attention to your needs or too much focus on their own. You will have them record your sessions, and then play them back for me so I can judge for myself.”
“Isn’t that entrapment?”
Alison shook her head. “I’m not going to prosecute them, just fire them if they are taking a walk on the wild side on the corporate dime. Times are tough, and we can’t afford to have any excess baggage sponging off the company.”
Gen didn’t know how she felt about Alison watching her homemade porn, and she really didn’t like the idea of getting a decent guy like Franco fired just because they were sexually incompatible. But Alison was right; times
were
tough, and what Illustra was offering her was a lot better than any job she’d ever found on her own.
were
tough, and what Illustra was offering her was a lot better than any job she’d ever found on her own.
“I’ll send GPS coordinates to the cabin upstate to your comm. Reception can be spotty up there, especially if bad weather rolls in, so if I don’t call you back right away, don’t freak out.”
Alison’s smile was pure cat-in-the-cream. “Believe me, Gen. You won’t regret this.”
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