by B. B. Hamel
Emma
I finally feel free to actually give myself to this man the way I’ve been wanting to so badly ever since this all started. Everything’s out in the open and there’s nothing standing in the way of what we want.
Except I don’t know what he wants, not really. All I know is how good it feels when he touches me. I pull him closer, tightening my legs around his waist, my hands in his hair as he kisses me deep and slow.
This is so familiar, and yet it’s all new. We’ve been doing this in his office for a while now, except this is the first time I feel like it means something more than just sex. I feel like I’m admitting to him what I really feel, even if I’m not saying it.
He slowly unbuttons my blouse, careful with the delicate buttons. When it’s open, he reaches around to unhook my bra, teasing my breasts with his practiced hands. My nipples are hard and I’m ringing with desire. His lips find my neck and a small moan escapes his lips.
“It feels different this time,” he whispers as he pushes me back onto my elbows.
“How?” I ask.
He unbuttons my slacks and slowly slides them off my ass. I push my hips forward as he gets them off.
“I can’t explain it,” he says. “But it’s like this is the first time.”
I sit up straight up and pull him against me, kissing him harder, passion flowing through me. I know exactly what he means. I feel it too. It’s like we’ve never done this before, or at least we never did it properly and now we’re finally going to be able to explore each other in the way I’ve always wanted and needed.
I gasp into his kiss as I feel his hands find my wet pussy. I groan a little, grinding into his fingers, and I kiss him harder. I want to taste him so badly it almost hurts as I move my hips along with his skilled fingers.
He pushes my panties aside as he teases my clit before sliding his fingers inside me. I groan and pull back from the kiss finally, dipping my head back as he kisses my throat and neck. I groan as he kisses my breasts and fucks my pussy with his fingers. I writhe against him, pleasure overwhelming any good sense as my moans get louder.
He smirks as he kisses me one more time before stepping back. He unbuckles his belt and pulls down his slacks. I stand up and lean against him, kissing his neck, before he turns and pushes me up against his filing cabinet.
I take his cock in both hands and stroke him as he kisses me. He grunts his pleasure and I feel his fingers working my clit, rubbing in intense circles as I move my hips along with him. I don’t know how much longer I can take this teasing but he doesn’t seem to be in a rush.
He grabs my hips and turns me around suddenly. I gasp as he spreads my legs, hands on my hips. He leans over me and I can feel his hot breath against my ear.
“This is how we should’ve done it from the start,” he says, fingers teasing my pussy, his other hand wrapping through my hair.
“How?” I groan.
“Everything in the open, completely honest.”
“We couldn’t,” I say, and I realize it’s true. “There was too much.”
“Not anymore.” His grip in my hair tightens and I feel him move back slightly.
“Not anymore,” I echo and look over my shoulder as he presses his cock deep inside of me.
I groan, head tipped back, and he plunges himself deeper. His size makes me gasp, surprising me all over again how easily he can split me apart. I wiggle my hips as he slides in and out slowly, fucking me deep and sensually. I look over my shoulder again but he pulls my hair, forcing me to turn away as he thrusts all of himself inside of me. I don’t know how I can take him, but it feels incredible, that perfect mix of pleasure and pain that sets every nerve in my skin tingling.
He starts to fuck me faster. His free hand slaps my ass nice and hard as he grips my hair. I move my hips back and forth with him, riding him, taking him deep inside of me. I want to feel him come so badly it almost hurts, but not yet. First, I need to feel him take me.
He groans and leans forward again. “Your pussy is fucking perfect,” he whispers. “Dripping wet and tight. This is why I can’t stop thinking about you.”
“Should’ve fucked me more,” I say in response, and he smirks at me.
“I know that’s what you wanted.” He thrusts hard and slaps my ass. “But you don’t always get what you want.”
I groan. “I’m getting it right now.”
He just smirks again and pulls my hair, fucking me with a new intensity. I gasp and arch my back, forcing his cock deeper and deeper inside of me until I feel like I’m going to break from it all, but I love it. I can’t stop myself. My moans are coming out faster and louder and I know we’ll get caught, but nothing’s going to stop me.
He pulls himself back and drags me back to the desk. He puts me up on my ass and spreads my legs wide. I prop myself back on my elbows and watch as his enormous cock slides deep inside my pussy.
I groan, dipping my head back, as he fucks me again, hands on my hips. He pulls me tight against him as he slams his cock deep into my pussy. I gasp and put one hand on my breast, feeling myself as he fucks me deeper and harder. He puts his hand on my other breast, teasing my pussy, eyes filled with steaming passion.
I move my hips with him and finally I slide all the way onto my back. He pulls me tighter, legs up in the air, and he thrusts harder and harder, making my breasts bounce, making gasping moans escape my lips.
I suddenly feel his thumb start to tease my clit as he fucks me, and I know it’s over for me. I know I can’t take it anymore. I gasp and my fingers find the edge of the desk, pulling myself tighter against him, his cock sliding deeper.
I come as I grip the desk and he fucks me rough and deep. My whole body shakes and quivers with pleasure as it rolls through my skin. It’s intense and incredible, and his groans only make it even better. I feel him come inside of me only moments later, our orgasms mingling and mixing in the moment, peaking and cresting and slowly subsiding.
He pulls me tight against him, cock sliding out as I stand again. My knees are a little weak and he holds me up, pressing me tight against him.
We don’t speak for a while. I feel him breathing, our bodies intertwined in a tight hug. My heart’s beating so fast and I feel so at peace that I don’t want this moment to end. The sex is incredible with him, but it’s these seconds afterwards that really seem to stretch on into forever. I think it’s because we’re just together, the only two people in our world, alone and floating with pleasure and contentment. It’s too much to bear sometimes, but I love it anyway.
“I’ve been wanting to tell you the truth for a while now,” he says softly. “It’s been killing me, hiding that from you.”
“I know,” I say. “I feel the same way.”
“Where do we go from here?”
I pull back and look up at him. I shrug a little and smile. “Who knows. You tell me. You’re the boss.”
His grin seems genuine and warm. “I know what we have to do.”
“Anything,” I say.
He laughs softly and kisses me.
One Month Later
The warehouse is more or less how I remembered it, except completely empty.
It’s almost strange, seeing this huge white space with almost nothing inside of it except for some chairs lined up and a large screen dangling from the middle like a jumbotron. There are maybe sixty people here, mostly important higher-ups from Envoy, plus a few of the necessary engineers. I recognize Dirk standing near the control console that’s directly underneath the screens. Olivia’s wandering around, shaking hands and smiling, as I wander around the crowd with a glass of champagne in my hand.
“Beautiful, no?”
I’m startled and look over to spot Sven grinning at me. He’s wearing his usual tracksuit, although this one looks a little cleaner than normal, and his sneakers are a perfect pearly white.
“It’s strange,” I say to him. “So empty.”
“Not exactly,” he says, gesturing. “People here. Lots of
fat cats.”
I raise an eyebrow. Everyone’s dressed in formal attire, except for Sven of course. “Does that make you a fat cat also?”
He grins. “No. Makes me lucky man.” He brings a flask out of the jacket pocket of his track suit and takes a long slug before putting it back.
“How’s the team doing?” I ask him.
He shrugs. “Good enough. We didn’t need you.”
I wince. I only missed one week of work but it still hurts to imagine that I wasn’t needed on my own project.
Sven notices and grins again. “Lighten up, little Emma. You do good work. Very proud.”
I blink, surprised. “Really?”
“Really. Very good work. We finish in three, four weeks max, and cars get update. Boom, all ethical robots, no more killing people for them. Save the world, yes?”
I shake my head, smiling. “Not exactly saving the world.”
He gives me a stern look. “Exactly saving world. That is what we do here.”
I’m surprised by his sudden sincerity. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Sven sincere about anything. He’s always wry, or annoyed, or angry, but never sincere. I actually sort of like it.
He takes another slug from his flask, not bothering to try and hide it. “Anyway, I go mingle with fat cats. Can’t hurt, no?”
“Guess not,” I say, smiling a little.
“See you tomorrow, bright and fucking early.” Another slug and he wanders off into the crowd.
I watch him go and laugh a little to myself. Sven’s insane, but locked deep inside of him is a decent guy. Plus, he’s a genius. I can see why David likes him so much and basically lets him do whatever he wants.
I pull my phone out of my purse and check the time before scurrying off to grab another champagne. I start to head toward my seat as the lights dim, indicating that it’s almost time to start the show. As I move into the crowd, I glance up and spot David coming toward me.
I get that heart-skipping feeling that I always get when he comes near me lately. Ever since we came clean to each other, our relationship has changed. And for the better.
“There you are,” he says. “Come on, you’re with me.”
“Wait, where are we going?”
He just smiles and takes my hand. “You’re getting a better view.”
“Better view?” I ask. “We’re just watching the command console come online as the Mark 2 fleet connects with the mainframe. There’s really nothing to see.”
He just grins again and tugs me along. “Hurry up, we might miss it.”
I sigh and hurry to walk alongside him. We’re moving away from the crowd of people waiting to watch the little show on the big screens. Dirk looks annoyed and I wonder if he lost another bet.
We head toward the other side of the warehouse. The screens in the middle suddenly start playing a promo video featuring David talking through the salient technical details of the Mark 2 while stock actors pretend to be driving.
“That’s so bad,” I say to him.
“Wasn’t my idea,” he grumbles. “You can thank Olivia for that. Fortunately, it’s only for this internal event. Anyway, come on, we’re almost there.”
We reach the far end of the warehouse. He pushes open a. door and we move through a short series of hallways before we finally step outside. He checks his watch and sighs. “Right on time,” he says.
I blink and stare at a small fleet of Mark 2 cars all parked up in a line right outside of the warehouse. They’re almost a little eerie, just sitting there without anyone around to drive them. Their doors are all standing open, waiting for passengers.
“What’s this?” I ask him.
“Local taxi company bought a bunch, so I thought you might like to see them going into action.”
I laugh a little. “Really?”
“Really. When the mainframe activates, these babies will all be on duty.”
“No kidding.” I shake my head. “That’s incredible.”
“They’re just dumb machines right now,” he says. “But once they’re connected to the hive mind and processing all that data, they’ll be perfect smart little robots.”
“Terrifying,” I say with a smile.
“Beautiful,” he corrects softly. “We’re going to save so many lives with the Mark 2. Even more than with the Mark 1.”
“You’re right,” I say.
“And part of it is because of your algo. I know it’s not done, but when it is, we’ll have the most advanced and ethically conscious fleet in the world.”
I feel a surge of pride, listening to David praise me. I never in a million years though I’d find myself here, with this man. He squeezes my hand and pulls me closer, and I’m flooded with a warmth that I didn’t know I could feel. I look up at him and he smiles down at me, and we kiss briefly before he turns back to the cars, watch raised.
“Ten seconds,” he says.
“I’m nervous.”
“Don’t be.” He kisses me one more time. “It’s going to be perfect.”
I nod and turn back to the cars.
“Five, four, three, two…”
I take a deep breath.
“One,” he says.
The cars in front of us suddenly thrum to life as their electric motors fire up. They don’t sound like traditional gasoline cars. They’re much quieter, but there’s a power to them. Their doors suddenly all close in unison, and which is pretty amazing to see. One by one, starting with the front car, they pull out and head into traffic, seamlessly melding into the nighttime flow of cars, and we watch as they disappear. It takes about five minutes, but slowly they’re all gone from sight.
“That’s it,” he says, laughing. “What did you think?”
“Amazing,” I whisper. “Seriously.”
“Beats all that.” He waves back toward the warehouse. “Dirk put together this silly simulation, all flash and pomp and bullshit. That right there was the real thing.”
“How many are activated now?”
“The whole fleet,” he says. “Half a million cars at the moment, although maybe a quarter of those are actually in operation. I’d estimate fifty thousand are on the roads right now, and more are going to appear every day.”
“And how long until regular cars are gone?”
“The sooner, the better.” He shrugs and turns to me. He pulls me against him and kisses me softly on the lips. “That’s it. The Mark 2 is launched.”
“So what now?” I ask him.
He shrugs. “Now you finish your algo. And then we build the Mark 3. I have some ideas already.”
I laugh, shaking my head. “Of course you do. It’s never finished, is it?”
“Not until it’s perfected, and I don’t think that’ll ever happen.”
“Good. Perfection isn’t any fun.” I kiss him one more time, getting up on my toes.
He pulls me close, leaning into the kiss, but he doesn’t let me go when the kiss ends.
“I love you, Emma,” he says. “You know that, right?”
“I love you too,” I say back to him, surprised. We haven’t said the words yet, but we both know.
“I just needed to say that out loud. After everything that happened…” He shakes his head, letting me go. “You changed my life. And I love you for it.”
“You changed mine too.” I cock my head, a little smile on my lips. “What do you say we go home and check on the baby?”
“Sounds good to me.” He pulls out his phone and types something into it.
“What’s that?” I ask.
He grins at me as a Mark 2 pulls around the corner, coming right for us.
I laugh and he pulls me along toward it. We get inside and the doors shut automatically. He types the address he wants into his phone and we’re off, the car doing all the heavy lifting.
We drive back to his apartment where Julie and Maudette are waiting for us. A lot of things change in life, and sometimes they change fast. I’m living with David now, although we haven’t told
Julie exactly who David is to her yet. I want to take that as slowly as possible, get her used to the idea of David being around before we finally tell her. But things are going great. He takes care of us, and he spends a lot of time with Julie, more time than I thought he would.
It happened fast, but it felt right. We’re building something together, something more important than the Mark 2. Sure, that’s going to change the world, but what we’re doing is going to change our lives.
We’re making a family. And in the end, no matter what, family is what matters. Family matters more than anything in the world.
David’s my family. Julie’s my family. I love him more than I ever thought I would. He’s going to be such a father to our perfect little miracle baby. I just can’t wait to see how it all turns out.
22
Emma
Three Years Later
“Here I come!” David uncovers his eyes and grins at me.
“Don’t look at me,” I say to him, shaking my head. “You know I have a very strict hide and seek policy.”
He frowns a little. “C’mon, Emma. Just this once. Bend the rules!”
“That way lies ruin,” I say to him. “I’m the ethical one, remember.”
He laughs and turns back toward the house. “Here I come!” he shouts, and stomps off through the living room.
I smile to myself and finish cooking as the squeals of delight and laughter from Julie fill the house. I can hear David stomping around and roaring as Julie runs away from him, and eventually the pair of them come spilling back into the living room.
“Enough of that,” I scold them, smiling. “Dinnertime.” I put the last dish on the table.
“Aw, mom,” David says, pouting. “Can’t we just play some more?”
“One kid’s enough,” I say to David, and he laughs.
Julie grins and comes scampering over. I give her a little hug then guide her over toward the dinner table. She sits in her spot as David and I join her.
We have family dinner every single night, without exceptions. No phones, no TV, no tablets, no work talk. We just sit at the table and enjoy each other’s company. Mostly that means Julie and David make jokes and faces at each other while I sigh and roll my eyes at them, trying not to laugh.