by Chanta Rand
********
If you enjoyed this book, please don’t forget to post your online review. Fellow readers often rely on reviews from readers like you to help them make their buying decisions.
Other books available by Chanta Rand
DIRTY LAUNDRY
THE HIGHEST BIDDER
PHARAOH’S DESIRE
SIGNS OF LOVE
YOU’VE GOT MALE!
Keep reading for a sneak peek of You’ve Got Male!
In the year 2084, romance has been simplified. A woman can have her ideal mate custom-made and delivered in less than a week. Known as the e-Male, this life-like mate is guaranteed to provide the ultimate satisfaction both in and out of the bedroom.
Calix Sims wonders what kind of pathetic woman would pay for the love of an e-Male. With his career as a reporter for an online journal in jeopardy, he has one last chance to deliver a story. When his boss gives him an ultimatum to write an exclusive worthy of a Pulitzer or end up jobless in the streets, Calix agrees to go undercover as an e-Male. He’s determined to produce an exposé that will make him world-famous.
Fed up with irresponsible men who don’t measure up, Rayne Matthews special-orders her dream man right down to his size 12 shoes and mystic green eyes. She wants a man who’s smart, sexy, sensitive, and doesn’t come with a boatload of emotional baggage.
But from the moment her fantasy man, Calix arrives, nothing goes according to plan. To Rayne’s annoyance, he acts just like any other man – cocky, opinionated, and downright bossy. But he’s also drop-dead gorgeous and sexy enough to make her heart stop. Then, one day Calix disappears. Heartbroken, she believes she’ll never see him again. Then, she reads about herself in an online blog, and she learns the truth about her e-Male.
To complicate matters, Calix finds himself falling hard for Rayne. He pulls out all the stops to win her heart. Rayne doesn’t know whether to forgive him or break his neck. She realizes she’ll never have the perfect man, but can she have the perfect love?
Rayne stared at the life-size metal capsule dwarfing the space of her spacious living room. At least seven feet tall, the curious object looked more like a rocket than a shipping crate. The smooth metal surface was cool to the touch. Sleek lines and a matted silver color reminiscent of mist surrounding a full moon held her undivided attention. Beneath all the buttons, dials, and lights, her perfect companion was waiting. But now that the moment of truth had arrived, all she could do was stare in utter fascination at the metal shell. She wondered if this was how Howard Carter felt when he unearthed Tut’s sarcophagus.
She pulled her terrycloth robe tightly around her to ward off the ominous chill that crept into her bones. She still couldn’t believe she was doing this. To the average voyeur this would appear either sick or salacious. But she was no Calypso. She was looking for a solution to her problem. After she’d left Lark standing in the middle of her office a few days ago, she had a hard time focusing on anything else. All she could think of was how she’d put her foot in her mouth once again trying to impress her sister. Lark was expecting her to bring a man to dinner. And it couldn’t be just any man. It had to be someone impervious to Lark’s manipulations. Unmoved by her larger-than-life personality. Immune to her shapely curves and flawless skin. Lord, a man would have to be blind, deaf and dumb not to notice Lark. Unless…he wasn’t really a man at all.
Then during the Sales meeting, she had an epiphany. Every day she was bombarded with that damn e-Male ad. Suddenly, it seemed like Genesys held the answer to all of her problems. What did she really have to lose? In the middle of the meeting, she excused herself and practically ran to her office with Gerald hot on her heels. Amazingly, he agreed with her zany plan, especially when she explained that she just needed to keep the e-Male around until the wedding. After that, she planned to send him back. She didn’t know if Genesys had a return policy, but she would worry about crossing that bridge when she came to it.
Hours later, after completing a virtual chat with an online representative who asked more questions than an FBI interrogator, she was officially a new client of Genesys. Once her payment was processed, she was promised delivery within seventy-two hours. And on cue, her customized e-male was delivered this morning. Gerald had insisted on being present for the unveiling, but Rayne quickly vetoed that request. This was something she had to do alone. Besides, it was embarrassing enough that Gerald knew about her desperate plan. Even Gerald had a boyfriend. Rayne swore that if he so much as whispered one syllable of this–even in his sleep–she’d find him a permanent spot in the unemployment line. She knew she must look so pathetic to him. But it just couldn’t be helped. Desperate times called for desperate measures.
She knew she should just tell Lark to “f” off, but her pride wouldn’t allow her. Just once, she wanted to share the same space with her sister and not have others treat her like she was some experiment gone wrong. She was a human being, worthy of respect. And it was time she started demanding it. Purchasing her very own custom-designed e-Male was the first step.
C’mon Rayne. Be fearless, not spineless.
With trembling fingers, she entered her PIN on the digital combination’s key pad. Her heart ping-ponged inside her chest as she heard a musical series of beeps and clicks. She watched with baited breath as the metal locks popped open. One by one, the titanium bands embracing the container slid away, retreating into dark corners before finally snapping into place. Flashing red lights on the surface turned a solid green, signaling the process was complete. Finally, the container’s exterior panel slid down like a car window, revealing the specimen inside.
She heard her own sharp intake of breath. Genesys promised the perfect companion. A pure e-Male designed to her specifications, free of disease, ready to please. She was the artist and her e-Male was the blank canvas. Initially, she’d had reservations about being so detailed – meticulously mapping out each desired feature and characteristic. But then the virtual chat assistant had asked, “Can you really put a price on happiness?” The woman sounded like one of those vintage MasterCard commercials.
Rayne had prepared herself for a companion she could build a relationship with. But despite her detailed instructions, she still had not expected him to be this perfect. She marveled at the Spartan-like prototype standing stoically against the red velvet folds of the capsule’s interior. E-Males were machines made to resemble humans. Their skin was supposed to look, feel, and taste just like human skin. Genesys had made good on their promises of excellence. This creature was worth every bit of her three months’ salary. His cinnamon colored skin was without fault.
Wait.
She’d asked for light-skin with green eyes. His eyes were closed. She couldn’t see the color.
She scanned each one of his features. A long, nose with slightly flared nostrils and a set of full lips dominated his clean-shaven face. He was ruggedly handsome with thick, dark eyebrows and a slight cleft in his chin. Closer inspection revealed a tiny mole on his left cheek. She shook her head in awe. The level of detail was incredible. She knew robotics had come far since the early ‘90s, but she had no idea the technology had progressed so significantly. This e-Male made the robots in Blade Runner and Westworld look crude by comparison.
Tentatively, she reached out and touched the chiseled muscles of his chest. So lifelike! Even his flesh felt warm to the touch. A knot of desire slowly uncoiled in her abdomen as her eyes traveled the length of his body. It had been years since she’d had any intimate contact with a man. And certainly no man she’d ever met could rival the body of this e-Male. From the flat nipples on his chiseled chest, to his washboard abs, to what looked like rock-hard thigh muscles, he was a sculptor’s dream. Once she reached his perfectly formed toes, her eyes traveled in reverse, sweeping upward and resting briefly on his manhood, covered by black briefs. She flushed with heat wondering about the functionality of that instrument.
Driven by sheer curiosity, she allowed her fingers to roam his torso, stroking h
is skin from the tops of his well-defined shoulders to the carved muscles of his strong biceps. When her fingertips brushed across a keloid scar, she paused. E-Males were supposed to be devoid of all imperfections. Was this a defect?
“Are you at least going to buy me dinner before you have your way with me?”
Rayne jumped back, startled by the deep baritone that enveloped her. She’d lived alone for most of her adult life. She was used to only the sound of VARS–the Voice Activated Response System in her apartment.
She looked up to see piercing black eyes staring into hers. Wrong color. But at least the height was right. He had to be every bit of six-foot-three. “I didn’t…expect…” Rayne’s voice trailed off. She didn’t know what she expected. E-Males were supposed to be practically indiscernible from humans. The only indicator was the bar code on the soles of their feet. Of course he would know how to speak. What was she thinking?
Calix stared into what had to be the most beautiful pair of golden-brown eyes on the planet. Right now, those mysterious orbs were examining him with a mixture of excitement and alarm. He returned the favor by boldly gazing back. The woman in front of him was a classic beauty with high cheekbones and black shoulder-length hair that narrowed into a widow’s peak on her forehead. Her pert lips were slightly parted as if waiting to be kissed. She was damn sexy.
“You didn’t expect what?” he asked. He stepped from the confines of the pod, feeling incredibly agile for a man who’d been locked in a steel capsule for the past twelve hours. Just as Ethan predicted, he felt good with no side-affects, other than a dry mouth. His lips were parched from being denied fluids for so long. His voice came out deep and raspy as a result. He noticed the woman’s big eyes got even wider when he spoke.
“I didn’t expect you to be so…complete. No one at Genesys prepared me for this,” she murmured.
Calix immediately stiffened. Hearing the name of the online pimp brought him back to reality. So this was the client. The succubus who wanted to use him for a sex-bot. Funny, she didn’t look like a sex-starved hag. But people with dysfunctions came in all shapes and sizes. Years living on the streets had taught him that much. Look after numero uno, and trust no one. He would employ the same thought process with this woman. To trust was to be weak. He had a mission to accomplish and he didn’t need emotions to get in the way.
new concubine.”
If you enjoyed this sample, please give yourself the full experience of reading YOU’VE GOT MALE! in its entirety. Available on all eReaders.