Chapter 17

133

After that weekend had been so dense with activity, Kaitlin’s last week on Dusk went by in peace. The kind of peace that felt long and relaxingly dragging at the time, but seemed like a blur when she looked back on it.

Sunday came. She woke up in her hotel, and let herself take her sluggish time with it. Borrowing Carla’s EC had been fun for that one day — and a couple of hours scattered throughout the rest of that week — but there was something cosy about a slow, comfortable awakening. Besides, though she had until evening, it wasn’t just the hotel that she had to check out of.

It felt good to just lie there. She wouldn’t get to stay in bed that long when Monday came, so she milked it for all she could.

While she lazed, she looked over her messages. Nita had sent part 5 of that video, with a tease that there was still plenty more to go. Cheeky. Kaitlin filed that away to watch later. Jackie sent some pictures to show off new outfits. Ooh, Kaitlin would need to get a corset like that. Tony and Ai shared pictures from a walk and picnic in a forest.

Including how Ai had dressed – or undressed – once they were away from prying eyes. God, she looked so pretty and ghostly. The Lunar Beauty cream had worked wonders, all over. Kaitlin wondered if she should send a picture of her own.

What would become of that flirting, once she was home? She hadn’t thought about it too much. She just enjoyed the thrill of Tony and Ai appreciating her body – and she enjoyed the sights they gave her.

While she drank in those pictures, another notification came in. She had visitors. With a laugh, she invited them in. When they reached the door, she was right there and greeted them both with a hug. “What are you guys doing here?”

Ophelia cuddled in from her left, squeezing close. “This is your last day on Dusk. Of course we’re going to come visit.”

Carla leaned in from the right, patting Kaitlin on the back. “Yes, I told her. I’m not going to let you just sneak off like that.”

Kaitlin sank in against them. They’d become such sweet friends. Then she kissed them both, warmly on the mouth, because they’d become sweet friends with benefits. “Come on in! Join me for breakfast? I was just about to call room service.” Then she caught herself and gave Carla an apologetic smile. “Oh, sorry. I could get some water for you, too?”

Carla waved off the faux pas. “You go ahead. I’ll find a way to occupy myself.”

So while Kaitlin and Ophelia ate, Carla knelt and buried her face and vibrating tongue between Kaitlin’s thighs.

As soon as she finished eating, Ophelia joined in, massaging Kaitlin’s neck and shoulders. The two blended in interesting ways: Ophelia’s work kept her tension low, even while Carla set heat and pleasure warming within her. It let things grow at a steady pace, like warming herself by a campfire rather than walking into an active fireplace. The pleasure they gave her was much more ... developed.

And when it did reach the point of breaking tension, it was so much more intense.

After her second orgasm, Kaitlin slumped back against Ophelia. “You two are going to spoil me.”

“That’s the idea,” Ophelia whispered, just before she nibbled that special spot on the back of Kaitlin’s neck.

That set the tone for the morning. They indulged her, and not just with sex. They worked together on a full-service massage that made her melt into the bed; they showed her music that she hadn’t heard before, something she could relax to; Ophelia ordered snacks from a wonderful hole-in-the-wall place that Kaitlin had never noticed. Oh yeah, and they did also have a lot of sex both with and in front of her.

Friends with benefits were awesome. An experience like that almost tempted her to try it back home in real life. But as soon as the thought occurred to her, she saw a flash of her mother’s disapproving face. She was almost tempted; only almost.

The pressure of fingers on her back pulled her back to the present. Carla pushed down on the muscle connecting her neck to her right shoulder blade. “I swear,” Carla said, “These biological bodies just love to pick up tension for no reason. So much discomfort, even on a vacation planet like this.”

Ophelia hmphed. She was farther along, spreading oil over Kaitlin’s thighs. “Discomfort is a virtue. There’s nothing more satisfying than alleviating discomfort. A massage when you’re not tense is just ... being rubbed. Still fun, but not nearly as much.”

Carla scoffed. “Spoken like a true victim of bodily Stockholm syndrome.”

“That’s not a thing,” Kaitlin murmured. “And I’m not giving up my body any time soon. No substitute for the classics.”

Ophelia smiled. “Told you so.” Her voice was a soft, musical sing-song.

Kaitlin held up a finger. “But, synthiness is a nice place to visit.” And she had some ulterior motives. “What does it take to get an EC like that?”

“That depends on how much ‘like this’ you mean,” Carla said. “This is a premium model. One second.” After some searching, Carla sent Kaitlin a link to the full set of options.

The price of even the basic model made Kaitlin choke. And they were all made to order, taking months to construct. Well, so much for that idea. “Y-Yeah, too rich for my blood.”

Carla nodded. “So you’ll stick to having blood.”

Kaitlin laughed ... but then it turned into a morose sigh. “You guys are great. I’ll miss this, you know.”

Ophelia smiled down at her, delicate fingers running along her calf. “I’ll still be right here, next time you’re in the neighbourhood. Playing with that body is always fun ... and you’re the best one yet.”

“Not to mention...” Carla’s hands focused on the back of her neck. “We could run into each other on Earth, too.” Carla had plans to work closely with Tony and wring out every drop of Relive’s potential.

Kaitlin ducked her head, hiding her face in her folded arms. “I don’t know. Maybe next time I go on vacation. I don’t usually do ... things like this.” She was very careful not to say she ‘wasn’t that kind of girl’, careful not to demean the others. But as she took that last month, and compared it with the standards she usually held herself to in real life, she couldn’t help a pang of guilt.

“Ah. Of course.” Carla’s tone and smile seemed more amused than disappointed. “Poor, self-shaming slut.”

Kaitlin grumbled at that, but couldn’t dispute it. And couldn’t do much more than shake her head, with how relaxed her body felt.

They had a few hours left yet. Carla and Ophelia were happy to move on, to focus on spoiling Kaitlin rotten. Her body turned practically liquid on the bed, between the continuous massage and the onslaught of orgasms.

Oh, Kaitlin wished she could get that treatment at home.

134

Tony put the finishing touches on Ai’s full-body massage. They’d found that was one of their favourite things. It relaxed her down to her essence; she enjoyed his touch; and now that he admitted his desires to himself, it was a nice excuse to get his hands all over her.

It was one of their favourite things to do, but this massage was bittersweet. The spectre of the future hung over it, and neither could forget that this massage would be the last.

He squeezed her shoulders once more, then laid down beside her, his chest against her naked, oil-glossy side. He craved as much closeness as he could get, and not just in a sexual sense. “What do you want to do now?”

She turned and bumped her head against his chest. While they lay together, she fell silent, looking through the list they’d made.

They’d already done so much. Visits to the beach, the park, the woods. They’d tried skydiving, though Ai didn’t like that: she didn’t get the same exhilaration from risk. They’d gone out to dinner almost every night, out dancing so many times, and to a movie once. So many things could only be once.

She sighed, her breath tickling his skin. “I don’t know.” So restless. She wanted to do something, but she didn’t know what or how.

So he just held her. His arms drew about her shoulders, more tightly than he’d intended. His throat felt right, and wet heat burned behind his eyes, but he tried not to show it. She needed him to be strong, to give her the room to open up and be weak.

She still felt his shaking. She leaned into him, offering her warmth, her softness, her support. He’d meant to comfort her, but he needed her just as much as she needed him. Almost by reflex, she kissed him.

Yes. That kiss felt like what they needed, or at least, it felt like a good start.

They sank into it, following their cravings. They needed closeness; sex wasn’t the end of it, but it was a big part. Tony soon found himself on his back, Ai on top of him, her mouth locked tightly to his.

It only took her a moment to get rid of his shorts, and a moment more to mount him. He was in her, as close as physics could allow, and it felt right.

She came at him with unrelenting force, until he could barely keep up. Their kiss turned breathless, as she refused to depart from his mouth even while their bodies heated with pleasure. Desperation filled every movement, like she was trying to squeeze a lifetime of passion into those few moments.

There was no artifice. No toys, no tricks, no special techniques. Just his body and hers, and how badly they wanted each other. In that moment, it was enough. They pushed each other higher and higher, until they reached a shuddering, screaming peak. As bliss tore through them, as they joined in that most intimate way, for one blissful moment, all was right with the world.

But it passed all too soon. Ai’s cries of passion turned into just plain crying. She sank down onto him, her tears soaking his shoulder, and clutched at his back. “It’s not sufficient. It’s not.”

He clung to her just as tightly. “It’s okay,” he whispered, as much to himself as to her. “It’s okay. We’ll always have Relive. That’s why I made it.”

She heaved a sigh, which turned into a yawn. She had been up far too late, getting as much Saturday as she could. “I should get ready.”

He nodded. But before he left, he cupped her cheek and kissed her, slow and soft. “I love you. We’ll figure this out, somehow.”

He fetched her a glass of water. By the time he returned with it, she was ready. Her face was clean, with no makeup or sign of tears. Her skin still shone with massage oil, but she’d put clothes on — shorts and a plain blue t-shirt. More colour than Ai would usually wear.

She drank her water, then tugged his arm. Without a word, she invited him to cuddle with her just one more time. Eventually, her clutch relaxed, and her breathing slowed.

Tony stayed with Ai until she fell asleep, but he left before Kaitlin woke up.

135

Kaitlin left Dusk behind, for real this time. She skipped over the farcast lobby; her body was already available and waiting for her, so she sleeved right in. Tony’s guest bed felt cosy around her. Her skin shone with oil from a recent massage — so much better than the goop that would coat her at a sleeve bank. She felt a little bit sleepy, but otherwise, everything was perfect. Not hungry, not aching. Satisfied. She found her body in better condition than she’d left it.

(Welcome home, Kaitlin.) Ai — or at least, an AR avatar of her — stood near the bed, hands folded in front of her. Her stance was so stiff, so formal; she didn’t reflect any of the joy that Kaitlin felt.

“It’s good to be home.” Kaitlin sat up with a long stretch and yawn. “You guys took great care of me.” Giddy excitement crackled through her. Finally back home, herself, and with Ai right there. Only ... not quite ‘right there’.

Ai bowed her head, her expression flat and calm. (My pleasure. Except what you are wearing now, all your clothing has—)

“Hold up.” Kaitlin held up a hand. “We’ve spent long enough with VR and AR. Get over here.”

Ai blinked. (I don’t understand. Please define.)

Kaitlin tapped her temple. “Head-share. I have a Caliburn, Ai.”

A Caliburn. A high-end kybernet with enough room for two minds. Kaitlin had already installed all the software she needed, and now there it was, with ports open and inviting. As the meaning sank in, Ai stared at her, eyes wide with shock. Her face radiated a ‘this is too good to be true’ kind of disbelief. When a few seconds passed and Kaitlin didn’t suddenly change her mind, Ai’s avatar vanished.

As soon as she was sleeved in, she hugged Kaitlin hard enough to knock her onto her back. “Thank you thank you thank you thank you...”

Kaitlin had to laugh, bewildered by the experience. Physically, it was just her own arms wrapping around her body ... but it felt like a hug. She could feel Ai’s affection, her overwhelming gratitude, and it warmed her heart in ways only a real hug could.

Ai didn’t let go, squeezing as hard as she could. “Thank you. I thought it was over. I didn’t know if I’d ever have a body again. I never thought you might share.”

Kaitlin moved a hand, brushing it over her own shoulder, sending warm thoughts with it. “I told you. Our body.” She still couldn’t kiss Ai, but she could touch her. She slid those fingers from her shoulder up to her face, slowly stroking. She giggled.

And Ai joined in, or took over, the voice passing to her. “How ... how does this work, exactly?”

“I don’t know.” Kaitlin grinned. “Let’s figure it out.”

They got slowly to their feet, and started with the basics: walking. At first they stumbled. Kaitlin tried to step forward at the same time Ai did, so their right leg shot forward and they almost fell over. After recovering from both that and a fit of giggles, they worked something out. Ai relaxed, leaving Kaitlin in the forefront of control, and so Kaitlin walked them across the room.

Ai looked back at her in the mirror, her expression thoughtful. “It’s strange. It feels so involuntary. Almost like tickling.”

Their expression shifted, Kaitlin giving an eager smile. “Show me.”

Ai took her turn at front, and Kaitlin got to see exactly what she meant. Her legs moved in that graceful glide of Ai’s, and Kaitlin was just a spectator in her own body. She was just along for the ride. That felt ... interesting.

And while Ai walked, Kaitlin noticed something. A gooey sensation deep in her body. When they stopped, she squeezed her thighs together to feel it more clearly. That was even more interesting. (Is... ) She couldn’t bring herself to ask aloud. (Is that... )

(Yes, ) Ai answered, her tone shaky. A message within her own kybernet, the most intimate possible whisper. (Yes.)

Tony’s seed. Well-earned and fresh inside her. No wonder she felt so good; sex must have been the last thing she did before sleep. Kaitlin felt her cheeks grow hot, her heart pound faster, her skin tingle with desire. That was Ai’s excitement and Kaitlin’s embarrassment, right? Such a strange, blended feeling.

Kaitlin took deep breaths. She had nothing to be ashamed of. She hadn’t earned that load. She hadn’t even been on the planet at the time. She just got to feel the reward. No shame in that, right?

She turned their gaze to the door. (We should go say hi, shouldn’t we?)

136

They found him on the living room couch. When the door opened, he looked at them with a bittersweet smile. Loving and warm, but undeniably missing something. “Hey, Kaitlin. It’s good to see you.” He met them halfway and greeted them with a hug — only gently affectionate, but still enough to make her heart skip a beat.

To make Ai’s heart skip a beat, Kaitlin reminded herself.

Still. Heart fluttering or not, she hugged him back with all the pressure she always did. God, it felt good to hug him again, to have him warm and solid and there, and she had to let out a joyful sigh. “Yeah, it’s me.” She grinned, mischievous. “And a little more.”

He just peered at them, confused. So she let someone else answer.

Their face relaxed, their expression calming while their gaze held his steadily, almost coolly. “Hello, Tony. I’m here.”

His eyes had begun to widen when their expression shifted. The moment he heard that Transatlantic accent, he gasped. “Ai?” He didn’t need to wait for an answer. He just gathered them tighter to him, hugging like he meant to crush them. The kind of hug that could take Kaitlin’s breath away in more ways than one. “How did—” He cut himself off with laughter. “That Caliburn. That damn Caliburn.”

“Correct.” Ai shifted their embrace, pushing their body closer to Tony’s, but not by much; there just wasn’t that much closer she could get. “Kaitlin offered.” Even in those two simple words, her gratitude rang out clearly. “We’re sharing, though it can’t be all the time.”

Kaitlin winced. She hadn’t wanted to bring it up, but Ai was right. She gently drew back, laying their hands on Tony’s shoulders. “Yeah. I’ll need my body sometimes. Like, I need to go into the office tomorrow.” As little as she was looking forward to that.

Tony took a second to process the shift in their demeanour, before it clicked that Kaitlin was at the forefront — and that she’d still been there the whole time anyway. With a warm blush, his hands lowered, releasing her from that tight affection. “R-Right. Of course.”

Ai smiled. To Kaitlin, that soft expression felt so strange to experience from the inside. “While I’ll need to be here, cooking and cleaning. But even a little bit is more than I thought we’d ever have. Thank you.”

Kaitlin blushed. Because of all the thankfulness, not because she was still thinking about how Tony’s embrace had felt. “But let’s try not to make it too little. Like ... I could come by for dinner tomorrow night. Okay, Tony?”

“Absolutely. I’ll look forward to it.” The way he smiled at them was still odd. Like he wasn’t sure whether to smile with familial affection at Kaitlin, or smile with outright love at Ai. He looked into their eyes for a long moment, his gaze flickering back and forth — she guessed he was kybing with Ai, where she couldn’t hear. “And we understand there are limits, even while you are sharing. Some ground rules for us to follow.”

Kaitlin found herself breathing faster. Being looked at so intently by those bright blue eyes, and thinking about what he meant, sent her trembling. “Well ... the same rules as before work. You guys did a great job. I-I haven’t felt this good in years.” That wasn’t just because of massage. She took a slow breath, steadying herself for answering the real question. “I-I’m sure we can figure out some way for you guys to have some ... alone time.”

Sex. She was talking about sex between her brother and her own body. About facilitating it. She could feel the edge of Ai’s shock, while Tony stared at them with surprise, rooted in place. The thought of it sent a flutter of anticipation through Ai, and from there, through their shared body.

But right then wasn’t the time for it. Ai broke the silence. “Kaitlin, the next train is leaving soon.”

She had to get going. She sighed, nodding, as she shuffled a half-step towards the door. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow.” As much to convince herself to leave as to reassure them; she liked being back with Tony, she liked feeling Ai so closely with her. Damn life, getting in the way.

And, looking at Tony, she felt a pang of something. A heat in her lips. A desire that Ai had, but wouldn’t voice; as if the whole arrangement were uncertain, and could fall apart from one request. Ai wanted a goodnight kiss — and from the way Tony looked back at them, Kaitlin knew he wanted it just the same.

It was one thing to make soft plans to give Tony and Ai some ‘alone time’, but another to deal with an urge like that for real. She’d had fun piggybacking, feeling how Ai walked, how she laughed, how she smiled. But to feel the way she kissed Tony...

Kaitlin settled on another option. “We have a little time. I’m going to, um ... look the other way for a minute.”

Before she could think too hard about what she was doing, she went into full dive. And just ... sat there, in a virtual office, to wait that minute out. She hadn’t thought ahead about how to occupy herself, and so her mind just raced in circles about what was probably happening in the physical world.

With Kaitlin fully in VR, she wouldn’t see or feel anything, but Ai would have full run of the body. So she could have that kiss. A goodbye kiss — not a permanent goodbye like they’d expected before, but the kind of goodbye kiss that could still promise more.

Just like Kaitlin was promising so much more, enough to make her head spin. Was it slutty to share her body like that? They didn’t seem to mind...

The minute passed, and Kaitlin came back to the surface. Despite her worries, she didn’t find their mouth still mid-kiss; Ai had finished that and walked them to the door. As Kaitlin came in, Ai stepped out. It was a weird feeling; now that she was alone in her body again, her kybernet felt ... empty, the way a house could be empty while a person still lived there.

The apartment’s speakers talked in Ai’s voice. “That was a wonderful gift. I’ll look forward to tomorrow. For now ... goodnight, Kaitlin. Be safe.”

Reality was starting to catch up with Kaitlin, and with it, a rush of red spread over her cheeks. She mutely nodded as she hurried out the door to get to the train station. The whole way home, she tried to ignore the taste of another’s lips, lingering on her own. And she tried to ignore that her heart was still fluttering and racing, even now that she was alone in her body.

137

When Kaitlin got home, she had trouble sleeping; she just tossed and turned in her bed. She told herself it was just because of how well-rested Ai had left her body, or maybe because she’d grown used to sharing her bed. It had nothing at all to do with the images racing through her mind.

Like that intense look at Tony’s blue eyes when he’d looked at them. At her. How would t hose eyes look if she sent him a picture to look at? It wouldn’t be anything he hadn’t seen before.

As soon as the thought passed through her head, she shook herself, trying to dislodge it. No. The videos and pictures she’d sent them of her beach body, that was different. That wasn’t her on such a visceral level. Now she was home, back in her own body. She didn’t have that buffering layer.

She rolled onto her back, eyes closed. The time for those teases was past; she’d already sent Tony all the pictures she was going to.

138

The next night, Tony had a lot of messages to get through. The judges had finished analysing the silver hand, enough to send it back, but they still all had questions. He was on the third draft of a message for Carl when something interrupted him: a buzz from the lobby.

He smiled even before he opened the video window. Yes, there she was: Kaitlin, dressed in that crisp skirt suit. She looked like she’d come almost straight from the office.

Just one detour, in fact. She held up her hand, and a plastic Golden Dragon bag hung from her V-signing fingers. “Hi guys! Hope you’re hungry!”

With just a thought, he invited her up. She smiled brightly and blew the camera a kiss before hurrying to the elevator.

That kiss, even as ethereal as it was, sent a glimmer through him. He recognised the excitement this time: the eager anticipation of a date. He had a date, and this time he knew it ahead of time.

A date with Ai, he reminded himself. And time spent with Kaitlin, who was ... somehow the opposite of a third wheel. He wasn’t dating Kaitlin. Shaking his head, he left his draft saved and left his desk. “Ai, help me get the table ready?” Her extensions were sufficient for that.

Moments later, Kaitlin came to the door. She delayed for just long enough to set her bags on the table, then wrapped her arms around Tony. That hug stood out as a difference between her and Ai. Kaitlin had a more casual, relaxed way of draping on him. Before, that would have made him squirm, made him withdraw. But Kaitlin just felt so nice. He hooked his arms around her and scooped her more firmly against him.

And that smile. Kaitlin’s smile was so much wider and more open than Ai’s. Her eyes had a different kind of brightness, though with the same steady gaze, the same dilation that he’d seen in Ai’s just before they kissed—

No. That had to be his imagination.

Then she closed her eyes. She took a soft, sharp breath ... then Ai straightened up in his arms. When her eyes opened, she had Ai’s small, soft smile on her face. “Hello, Tony.” Her eyes shone with affection.

That was definitely the look Ai gave him before they kissed. She was right there, her mouth so temptingly close ... but she wasn’t just Ai. If he kissed her, he really would be kissing Kaitlin.

That sent a blush pounding through his face, and he finally released her — released them from the hug. He pulled a chair out for Kaitlin — for Ai — for both of them. He shook his head, trying to clear it. “I need something to call you — uh, that’s ‘you’ plural — when you’re like this.”

They took their seat. “I had an idea about that, actually,” Kaitlin said. Her grin warned him that a goofy joke was incoming. “K... Ai ... tlin.” With each sound, she gestured, and the letters popped up in AR.

Ai sighed along with Tony. So eerie, watching a woman’s face flatten in response to her own joke. “That slightly works in writing.” While she spoke, she used their hands and her roller to set the food out on the table. “Spoken aloud, the pronunciation is more like ‘Kytelin’.”

“Kytelin...” Tony felt the name in his mouth, giving it a try. “That works. Kytelin it is.”

Yet, he still tried to track and guess who was at the front of each action. Complicating matters, they didn’t swap the whole body at once. Ai sat up straight while Kaitlin scooped food onto their plate; Kaitlin smiled down at their hand while Ai lifted a piece of bright red sweet-and-sour pork. “Well, you’re better with chopsticks than I’ve ever been.” She stretched her neck close to take the bite.

The response was pure Ai. Her eyes rolled back and she moaned, long and loud, as the flavour hit her senses. Tony had learned to enjoy the sound, but it made Kaitlin jump and drop her chopsticks. And Ai kept moaning, on every chew, while Kaitlin’s eyes grew wider and more dumbstruck. Eventually, they swallowed, and Ai let out a satisfied sigh.

Just before red-faced Kaitlin shot a glare at Tony. “She makes sounds like that just while she’s eating ... and it still took you three weeks to fuck her? Why? How?”

That was not the complaint he’d ever expected to hear from Kaitlin. The implication, the invitation choked him up. He couldn’t answer that, so he changed the subject. “Um, you. You have a little...” He gestured vaguely.

It was enough. Kytelin looked down, and found a smear of red where the meat had bounced off their chest. “Oh, shoot,” Kaitlin said. “I’d better—” As she spoke, Ai already had them lifting from the chair, and Kaitlin laughed as they headed into the bathroom.

139

Kaitlin’s head spun as they hurried into the bathroom. The way Tony held her, the sounds that came out of Ai ... dinner with the family should not make her so horny. Damn it, she and her body had both had sex less than a day ago; why was she acting like a horny teenager?

Ai splashed water over their chest, using their fingers to scrub the sauce away before it could stain. But that only took a fraction of her attention. (What’s on your mind?)

(It’s nothing.)

Ai used the mirror to give her a hard, disbelieving stare.

Kaitlin looked away, off to the side, while her cheeks burned. She’d been caught, and by the one person who could answer the question burning in her mind. (Tony.) She tried to whisper, even when they were already kybing. (Is he good in bed?)

(Yes.) No hesitation. Just the thought made Ai smile. (I couldn’t imagine anyone better.)

Kaitlin believed her. She could feel the heat and desire humming through their body. But at the same time ... that was Ai’s imagination. She didn’t have the experience to picture many lovers in the first place. Was Tony really that good in an absolute sense? Fuck. Hooking up with Simon hadn’t got it out of her system at all. Part of her — maybe the same part that had loved every second at Get Hooked — still needed to know.

And maybe she could. (You have Relive files, right?)

(Of all the time we’ve spent together, since Relive existed at all.)

Deep breaths. It was just curiosity, Kaitlin told herself. And just a recording. Not the real thing, no matter how intense it would feel. But she still had to push herself through kybing each individual word. (Could ... I ... see ... them...?) She wasn’t even sure if ‘see’ was the right word.