Woman is Cipher is Woman
Synopsis:
Book Excerpt:
It is after.
He sits on the edge of the rumpled bed, facing away from her, his back rigid. His
hands fumble with his shirt buttons, twitching with every lilting syllable she speaks.
"Darling, havenít you been listening to me?" comes her pleasant purr.
He shivers, and speaks without turning.
"Of course Iíve been listening."
She laughs softly. He hears the sheets rustle and feels them tug underneath him as
she sits up.
"So what did I say?" she asks in a playful tone.
His shoulders slump. He still doesn't turn around to look at her.
"Don't be stupid," he says. "You were asking when weíd meet again. You always
ask afterwards. That's what youíre supposed to ask. Youíre supposed to try to get me to
come back."
He turns and looks her in the eye. "Do you want me to come back, Desirée?" he
asks. In response, her perfect eyebrows knit themselves into a questioning look.
Here it comes. Not: what's wrong? Or: are you mad at me? There's no argument
or tears ahead of them. Just this:
"Of course I want you to come back, darling," she says. "Set a date, and don't be
late!"
She giggles, and there are silver chimes in her voice.
He fixes his eyes upon her, drinking her in. She is beautiful, no doubt. Raven-black
hair flows over her bare milky white shoulders. Her eyes are wide and green, somehow
innocent and seductive all at once. Her lips are red, redder than a woman's should be.
She holds the bed sheet tucked up under her chin as she sits there, waiting for his
answer. His eyes travel back to her hair again. A lump rises in his throat as he suddenly
chokes out unbidden words.
"You know, I'd really prefer you to be blonde next time."
Her hair briefly shimmers as its colour shifts.
"And a little shorter. With blue eyes."
The sheets fall a little as her height changes. The emerald in her eyes is replaced
by bright sapphire. Those eyes, different, and yet somehow the same, still look at him,
waiting.
He stands up, his back to her again, and says, "Next Wednesday. After I get my
pay check."
He reaches out for the handle of the large yellow door with the blinking "Exit" sign
above and pulls. The door opens--
And then he was on the street. Released from the clutches of the Pleasure Booth,
minus expenses, of course. He was himself again. His name came back to him with only
a small gasp of effort: Gerrold Dunn. He looked around, disoriented for a moment. The
alley he was in seemed unfamiliar. He shook his head to bring his own dreary reality
back into focus. At the same moment, he realized that the beeping sound he was
hearing wasn't a leftover auditory ghostwave from the Pleasure Booth implant under his
scalp. It was his corporate aug, reminding him that he was late for work. He tapped the
electronics laced under his flesh next to his right eye, then swore softly under his breath.
His boss was trying to reach him, leaving a text to the effect that he could kiss his job
goodbye if he wasn't in the office in 10 minutes. Beyond the alleyway, he heard the low
whine of a transport pulling up to a stop. He began to run.
Topics/Categories:
Detective Story, Jealousy, Murder, Obsession, Prostitution, Sex, Virtual Reality
Genre:
Type of Work:
Original Published Source:
Semaphore Magazine
Purchase From:
Original Publish Date:
2007-12-01
Formats:
online PDF
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