Husk Read Free

proper fake and landing strips were instyle, is even more impressive. I know he wants to back them up on my system and start watching them in 3D.
    ‘Go nuts,’ I reply. ‘I’ve got to get ready anyway. Just encode your stuff before you re-link. I don’t need anyone tracing your pirated shit back to me.’
    Craig nods. ‘What you getting ready for?’
    ‘Las Vegas. I’ll be gone for a couple days on business.’
    ‘Vegas?’ Craig’s distaste can’tbe disguised. ‘You’re Husking again, aren’t you?’
    I shake my head, saying nothing, avoiding eye contact. I pretend something on my Liaison screen is suddenly important and needs my full attention. The tension in the living room rises until Craig grows enough balls to start busting mine.
    ‘Goddamn it, Rhodes. Why the hell –’
    ‘Don’t ask if you don’t want to know, Craig. It’s really none of yourbusiness.’
    ‘It’s illegal, man.’
    ‘How can it be illegal if virtually nobody knows it exists?’
    ‘You’re gonna get yourself killed, you know that?’
    ‘Really?’ I say, pointing at the HG. ‘Because from what I can see, I’ve gone and gotten us the very best money can buy.’
    ‘Is it worth it?’
    I’m not sure how to answer. Craig turns and actually looks me in the face for the first time since he’s beenback in our apartment. He points to his own cheek, where the scratch on mine would be.
    ‘What happened there?’
    I look at the HG and sigh. ‘I guess I paid for that in other ways.’
    ‘You gotta be more careful, man. You know top-tier clients don’t want anything rough around the edges.’
    He’s right. Any scar, blemish, unsightly aspect to your appearance can work against you in this business. Toptier pays for perfection, plain and simple. But perfection gets harder to provide with increased demand. Sometimes clients have to roll with the punches, or go without. And none of them like going without.
    ‘Look, I don’t want to have to put an ad out for another roommate or anything,’ Craig says. ‘Pretty happy with the one I have.’
    I give him a grin. ‘I’ll be careful.’
    Returning to the bathroom,I strip and inspect myself in the mirror until I’m satisfied with my damage assessment. There are several things I always do before going to see a client. The first is to take a thorough mist. I step into the glass partition with a complete lack of enthusiasm. It’s during these lukewarm mists before a session that I wishmost for a hot shower or bath. I remember them vaguely from when I was akid, before the global drought. Global is ironic: most of the globe had suffered water shortages long before they reached the West. Only when America was hit did it become a crisis worthy of campaign platforms and societal change. There are so many new deserts down south now. Utility costs are through the roof. More and more lower- and middle-class residences are being equipped with money-saving fixtures.Fully flowing faucets are rare, bathtubs even more so. The motion-activated nozzles installed in the sinks of modern units pour a trickle of water for only seconds at a time.
    I dry off and apply lotions to skin, ointments to injuries. A third of my room consists of a walk-in closet with every outfit I own on display. I take time to consider what clothes might impress the client who will be rentingmy services. I decide to dress up for the occasion, suit and tie, adorn myself with subtle silver and gold, spray myself with cologne so expensive it acts more like a pheromone. The shoes alone are worth over a grand.
    ‘Oh, I think one of your co-workers called here while you were away,’ Craig calls from the living room. ‘Guy named Miller, said he was looking for you.’
    Scrolling through my messages,I find two from the man that frequented my most recent dreams. They are both from a couple days ago and aren’t marked urgent. Anything not urgent can wait in my world, but still I’m curious. I play the first video back on my Liaison