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tightened her grip on the briefcase. The deep satisfaction of
his lovemaking filled her with renewed confidence. He was the summation of her
ten-year career, but her reputation as the best sex-replacement designer was a
two-edged sword. The expectation bar was constantly being raised and this time
she’d worried it had been placed too high for anyone on the planet to meet. She
stared inside the building and took a deep breath.
    As long as this model didn’t deteriorate
like her previous attempts, then—she couldn’t allow herself to believe it was a
success. Not until she was certain there were no cursor markers indicative of
delayed degradation. If there were no markers… Her mind raced with the
implications.
    “Are you going in or what?” came a crisp
feminine voice behind her.
    She glanced over her shoulder at the perky
brunette, dressed in a flared business suit. Behind the woman was a growing
line of women, all dressed in the latest fashion attire of flared skirts and
tunic hemlines, waiting to enter the building. Her new co-workers. Her cheeks
flushed warm.
    “Sorry,” she murmured and entered the
lobby. She stepped to the side and allowed the women behind her to pass while
she tried to calm her first-day-on-the-job jitters. The briefcase handle
slipped against her sweaty palm and she tightened her fingers around it. The
difficult part was about to begin.
    “Randi!”
    She looked up to see Ellen Forte, a tall
willowy blonde, step from the marble console. Ellen nodded to the female
security guards who sat behind the large desk, watching the monitors as the
employees swiped the chip imbedded in their wrists that activated the double
doors leading to the employee section.
    “Good morning, Ellen.” Randi cleared her
throat and outstretched a trembling hand to receive the company president’s
handshake.
    “Don’t let it all overwhelm you,” Ellen
smiled. “Come on, I want to introduce you to the staff before I show you to
your new office. I had it redecorated just for you. I hope you like blue.”
    “I love it,” Randi said, taking in the blue
marble floor and various hues of blue splashed along walls, paintings and
fabrics.
    “When Sexed Up was just an idea, we
discussed which color to use for the company trademark. At first we thought of
red, but decided it was just too cliché. Everyone relates sex with red, and
marketing decided sky blue conveyed a breath of fresh air. Separates us from
the mass of imitations out there. It’s rather symbolic of the twenty-fourth
century and today’s announcement.”
    “Excuse me?”
    “The World Congress’ announcement this
morning?”
    “I didn’t listen to the news.” Heat flashed
over Randi’s cheeks.
    “Recovery is officially over! There’s going
to be a world holiday marking the end to Reconstruction. Marketing is
frantically working on a campaign so Sexed Up can capitalize on it.” Ellen’s
eyes widened with excitement.
    “That’s incredible news.”
    “The Great Cataclysm destroyed more than
half the world and even though it took two hundred and fifty years to fully
recover our technology, we’re making new advances every day. Our industry’s
future looks bright. Women in 2383 are invigorated about exploring their
sexuality. Regardless of the past twenty years of a right-wing controlled World
Congress, there’s still a large population of women who want our products. Our
male models still far outsell our female ones.”
    “As long as Congress doesn’t outlaw
manufacturing male sexbots, women will still know the joy of male sex.” After
this morning, Randi now understood the sexual joy her ancestors knew. It far
exceeded a genetic mandate to sire children.
    “Oh, and speaking of that, did you hear the
President’s Inaugural Address last month?”
    “I did. She’s very brave.” She glanced
around the busy lobby filled with women dressed in suits, most carrying
briefcases similar to hers. She tapped the holograph button to “off” and