HIM: Data Corruption

The call came at 2:47 PM on a Tuesday, just as Sarah was debugging some particularly ugly PyTorch code that had been eating at her for three days. The Slack icon at the bottom of her screen waggled at her mockingly, toppling her carefully constructed mental model of the shit show before her. She almost ignored it, but her flow was already broken anyway.

David Chen: Good afternoon Dr. Martinez. Can you come to my office to chat?

Her heart did a little skip. Why did the CTO want to talk to her? she wondered. His office was on the other end of Palatial's sprawling campus. "I guess I'll get my steps in today," she muttered to herself.

Dr. Sarah Martinez: Sure, I'll head right over.

Twenty minutes and several thousand steps later, Sarah found herself in David's office, a space that probably cost more than most people's houses. She was staring at five of the most powerful executives in Silicon Valley. David Chen, who famously rode his Peloton during most meetings, while Rebecca Morse, VP of Advanced Research, and three other VPs she recognized but had never spoken to directly, occupied the expensive chairs furnishing the office.

"Dr. Martinez," David began, "we've been here discussing your latest paper, 'Empathy is All You Need', since lunch."

"These people have been discussing my paper?" she thought to herself.

"It is truly remarkable. Frankly, we think you've cracked something big here."

Sarah tried to keep her expression neutral, but inside she was doing cartwheels.

"We want you to build it," Rebecca said. "You'd lead the Human Intelligence Model project and be promoted to technical fellow."

"The budget is unlimited for all intents and purposes," David added. "You'll hand pick your team and have complete autonomy over the technical direction."

Sarah's mouth went dry. "You're talking about actually building this? An AI with real emotions."

"Exactly," David said, still pedaling. "The neural interface market has been waiting for this kind of breakthrough. Our current AI assistant is clunky, reactive. Everyone knows it."

Rebecca nodded. "We have to pretend it's amazing for marketing purposes, but we know what people really say."

"Your empathic layer could change everything," David continued. "AI that truly understands people, anticipates needs, reads emotional context in real-time."

"When we introduced our neural interface, we dominated the market for years," Rebecca added. "But now competitors are eating into our market share. We need this to stay ahead."

Sarah felt a surge of confidence. "I don't trust anyone else to build this, if I'm being totally honest. Thank you for trusting me with the responsibility, I won't let you down."

"Excellent. We start next Monday. In the meantime, start putting together your team roster and handing off your current workload. And this stays completely classified. We can't afford competitors getting wind of this."

"Oh, what about publishing my paper?"

"We need to play this one close to the chest, you understand. After we build HIM, maybe we can revisit publishing."

"Oh, um, ok, yeah I get it." Sarah's heart sank. This was a huge opportunity at Palatial, but the paper would put her name on the map in AI across the globe. She might actually command respect for once despite her small frame and young face.

Mike Castellano was laying down a particularly creative string of curse words while under the hood of a Range Rover when his phone rang. Oil ran down his forearms as he reached for it.

"Hey babe, how's work?"

"Mike." Her voice was barely controlled excitement. "Remember the paper I told you about where I augment neural nets with a novel type of layer that can represent state vectors dynamically to model certain neurochemical processes?"

"Yes, I know some of those words, like paper."

After six years of marriage he still didn't really understand what she actually did.

"Babe..."

"Sorry, yes, I remember you talking about your paper."

"They gave me a huge promotion, my own hand picked team, we're building it!" she practically screamed, giddy voice betraying the professional facade she curated at work.

"Sarah, that's fucking incredible!" His voice carried across the garage, and he noticed Tommy and Rafael looking over from the lift. "I'm so proud of you."

"Thank you," her ear to ear smile coming through in her voice.

"When do you start?"

"Monday."

"Wow, not wasting any time huh? We should celebrate my genius of a wife's big moment. I'll pick up some groceries and we can cook a nice dinner, how's that sound?"

"Amazing, I'll pick up some wine."

Cooking together was their bonding time. The recently remodeled kitchen was their retreat from the rest of the world.

"I'm just so fucking proud of you baby."

After he hung up, Tommy wandered over with a shit-eating grin. "Dr. Martinez got a promotion?"

"Yeah, some big important AI project. She's brilliant, man. Absolutely brilliant."

"Must be nice being married to the breadwinner," Rafael chimed in. "Someone gotta support your broke ass."

"Hey, the garage does just fine, I pay your paycheck every week don't I? Against my better judgement."

"Hey," Tommy laughed. "Does that mean she's gonna make this piece of shit work right?" pointing to his neural interface.

"How should I know? Besides, those things rot your brain," Mike said with a grin.

"Your wife works there," Rafael pointed out.

"Yeah, who do you think told me?" Mike shot back, still smiling.

Rafael's face fell as he began to pick at his temple.

"Show's over, get back to work ya bums," he shouted with a bad mob boss accent.

Mike turned back to the engine, throwing a rag in the bin with too much force, his mood soured by their comments more than he would admit.

Sarah stood in front of the premium section at Bay Area Wine Company, staring at bottles that cost more than some people spent on groceries in a month. She usually went for the twenty-dollar range, good enough to enjoy, not so expensive that Mike would judge. But tonight was different. Tonight called for something special.

She picked up a bottle she'd been eyeing since reading about it in Wine Spectator.

At the register, the young cashier looked at her ID for a long moment. "Ma'am, this says you're thirty-two."

"I am thirty-two."

"I'm gonna need to get my manager." He walked away, leaving Sarah standing there with her expensive wine and her apparently fake-looking ID.

The manager, a woman in her forties, walked over and glanced at Sarah. "Oh, she's a regular." She looked at the ID briefly. "Marcus, ring her up. Sorry about that ma'am."

"Thank you." Sarah tried to keep the irritation out of her voice. This happened everywhere, restaurants, bars, and the fucking wine shop she frequented. Her petite frame and baby face made her look like a college freshman trying to buy alcohol with her older sister's ID.

Marcus bagged the wine with obvious skepticism. Sarah wanted to tell him that she'd just been put in charge of a multi-billion-dollar AI project, that she had a PhD from Stanford, that her "fake" ID represented years of being underestimated by everyone who looked at her.

Instead, she just smiled and said thank you.

The drive home gave Sarah time to come down from the day's triumph. All her professional aspirations were being realized, if she could just get people to take her seriously in spite of her appearance.

Mike was already cooking when she got home, the kitchen filled with the smell of garlic and basil. Their kitchen was one of the things they both loved about the house: massive granite island, professional-grade appliances, the kind of space that made cooking feel like an event rather than a chore.

"Jesus, Sarah, what did you buy?" Mike stared at the wine bottle. "This is..."

"Expensive. I know. But tonight's special." She set it on the counter and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind. "Besides, I can afford it now."

He turned in her arms, looking down at her with a slight frown. "Babe, you could always afford it."

"This is different. This is... this is everything I've wanted since I started in tech. Recognition. Respect. The chance to build something that matters."

Mike examined the wine bottle. "This is probably more than most people spend on rent."

"You sound like you disapprove."

"Just reminds me of the bullshit parties my family used to throw. Spending stupid money to impress people who already have stupid money." He set the bottle down carefully. "But tonight's about you, and you earned this."

She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him, tasting garlic on his lips. "I love that you support me even when I'm acting like a bougie bitch."

"Oh stop it, I didn't say that. Now, are you gonna help me or what?"

They started cooking together, falling into their familiar rhythm. Mike stirred the sauce while Sarah set the table and opened the wine. The kitchen filled with the warm scents of garlic and herbs.

"Can't wait to peel those mom jeans and baggy hoodie off you," Mike said, eyeing her work clothes while he checked the pasta water.

"You don't find this outfit sexy enough?" Sarah replied, moving closer to him at the stove and fluttering her eyelashes.

"I prefer what's under it." Mike set down the wooden spoon and pulled her against him, kissing her neck.

Sarah melted into him, the day's triumph making her feel powerful. She turned in his arms, kissing him.

Their kiss deepened and Mike's hands found the hem of her hoodie. Sarah helped him pull it over her head as she worked on his shirt buttons. Mike lifted her petite frame onto the granite surface, his mouth finding her neck as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

"God, I want you," Sarah breathed against his ear.

Mike's hands moved to her jeans, working the button and zipper. Sarah lifted her hips as he yanked down her mom jeans and panties in one motion, leaving her naked from the waist down on the cold granite.

"Spread your legs for me," Mike said, his voice deep and commanding.

Sarah leaned back on her hands and opened her thighs wide, exposing herself completely. Mike stepped between them, his eyes hungry as he took in the sight of her.

"God yes baby, lick me," Sarah said, gripping the edge of the counter.

Mike brought his face level with her wet pussy. The first touch of his tongue made Sarah gasp, her head falling back as he worked her clit in slow circles.

"Fuck, right there," she moaned, grinding against his face. "Oh god baby, your tongue feels so good."

Mike varied his technique, reading her body's responses. When her breathing became ragged, he'd slow down. When her thighs started trembling, he'd increase the pressure.

"Don't stop, don't fucking stop," Sarah whispered, one hand tangling in his hair.

Her breathing grew more irregular, little gasps escaping her lips as pleasure built in her core. The pasta water bubbled forgotten on the stove as Mike worked her toward climax.

"I'm close," she warned, her thighs beginning to shake.

Mike didn't stop, his tongue working her swollen clit until Sarah cried out, her body convulsing as waves of pleasure crashed through her. She pushed his head away when it became too much, panting hard.

"Fuck, yes, uhhh" she gasped, looking down at him with glazed eyes.

Mike stood up and Sarah immediately reached for his belt, working it open with eager hands. When she freed his cock, already hard and leaking, she slid down from the counter and dropped to her knees on the kitchen floor.

"I love your cock," she said, taking him into her mouth without hesitation.

Mike's head fell back as Sarah's mouth worked him, her head bobbing in a steady rhythm. She took him deep, using her tongue to trace the thick vein on the underside of his shaft while her hand worked what her mouth couldn't reach.

"Fuck babe, your mouth is incredible," Mike gasped, gripping her hair gently.

Sarah pulled off with a wet pop, stroking him with her hand. "I love the way you taste," she said, then took him back into her mouth, making wet sucking sounds that drove him crazy.

Just as Mike felt himself getting close, Sarah pulled away and stood up. "I want you inside me," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Mike lifted her back onto the counter, Sarah wrapping her legs around his waist and pulling him close until the head of his cock was pressing against her entrance.

"Oh fuck yes, fill me up," Sarah gasped as Mike slid into her wet pussy in one smooth stroke.

They both groaned at the sensation, Mike holding still for a moment as they adjusted. Then he started to move, long slow strokes that made Sarah's toes curl.

"Harder," she demanded, her nails digging into his shoulders. "Fuck me harder baby, I need your cock."

Mike picked up the pace, his hips snapping forward with increasing force. Sarah's breasts bounced with each thrust, her pussy clenching around him as pleasure built again.

"You feel so fucking good," Mike groaned, his forehead pressed against hers.

"I'm gonna cum," Sarah announced, her voice high and breathless. "Oh god I'm gonna cum on your cock baby."

"Come for me," Mike urged, his thumb finding her clit.

The added stimulation pushed Sarah over the edge. She screamed "FUCK YES!" her body convulsing as her orgasm exploded through her. Her pussy clenched around Mike's cock, bringing him close to his own climax.

"I'm gonna..." Mike gasped.

"I want you to cum on my tits," Sarah said, pulling his cock out of her and stroking it.

Mike convulsed as he came hard. "Shhhhhit babe, fuck yes," he groaned, thick ropes of cum splashing across her chest. Sarah rubbed it into her nipples with her free hand, both of them breathing hard.

"Holy shit," Mike panted, looking down at his wife covered in his cum.

"That was incredible," Sarah said with a satisfied smile, reaching for a kitchen towel.

They were so lost in each other that neither noticed the smoke beginning to rise from the pan until the smell of burning garlic finally cut through their passion.

"Shit!" Sarah gasped, looking over Mike's shoulder at the smoking pan.

Mike rushed to turn off the heat, waving smoke away from the ruined sauce. "So much for my fancy celebration dinner."

"That's okay," Sarah said with a wicked grin, wiping cum from her nipple and having a taste. "We made our own sauce."

Both of them burst out laughing.

"Worth it," Sarah said, grinning as she reached for her clothes. "Totally worth it."

"Kung Pao Garden?" Mike asked, waving smoke away from the ruined sauce.

"Kung Pao Garden," Sarah agreed, already reaching for her phone.

"Who's cleaning up this mess?" Mike asked, looking around at the smoky kitchen and their scattered clothes.

"Not it!" Sarah said quickly, touching her nose.

"Not it!" Mike said at almost the same time, touching her nose.

They both burst out laughing again.

The following Monday morning, Sarah stood before the secured entrance to building 7, her new domain. Pride swelled in her chest as she looked up at the building. The badge reader beeped green, and she stepped into what would become the birthplace of something revolutionary.

Some of her team was already setting up their workspaces when she arrived. The brightest minds Palatial had to offer, handpicked by her from the company's top engineers.

"Hey, Dennis!" she said, spotting him setting up near the windows. Dennis Palmer had been at Palatial longer than almost anyone, one of the original engineers who'd designed their neural interface firmware.

As she made her way around the room, a young guy in a Patagonia vest looked up as he fiddled with his monitor. "Are you the intern?" he asked, protein bar hanging out of his mouth.

She felt the familiar heat rise in her cheeks, but Dennis's voice piped up from behind her before she could speak. "This 'intern' is Dr. Sarah Martinez. Your project lead."

Ben's face cycled through several shades of red as his eyes went wide. "Oh. Oh fuck. You're... you're Dr. Sarah Martinez. 'Empathy is All You Need' Dr. Martinez. I'm so sorry, I just... I didn't expect you to be so young..."

"Happens all the time," Sarah said with a slight smile. "What's your name?"

"Ben Morrison, sir... ma'am... Doctor. I'm the senior systems architect, and an idiot, apparently."

"I'm not as young as I look, Ben. Now, why don't you go round up the team and meet me in the main conference room," she said, speaking in a lower pitch than she found comfortable.

Within minutes, the full team had gathered. Sarah moved to the front of the room to address her team.

"I trust that you all know why we're here, and you've read through the design goal document I sent out last week," she began, her voice carrying the authority that came with breakthrough insights.

Sarah noticed Ben turn white, then frantically scroll through his phone. Dennis caught her eye and smirked.

"The HIM project represents the next evolutionary step in artificial intelligence. The ability to live alongside users with neural interfaces, reading their emotional state in real time, not just reacting to their needs, but anticipating them."

"Current AI models can only process behavior at the surface level. With the addition of empathic layers, they will be able to grasp what truly drives people, their inner motivations, their subjective experience of the world at any given moment. Our empathic architecture changes everything."

Dr. Elena Fowler, a renowned machine intelligence researcher, leaned forward. "The paper was brilliant, but the implementation challenges..."

"Are significant, yes." Sarah turned to face the room. "The model architecture alone is immensely complex, but training is a complete unknown. Nobody has done anything like this before. Which is exactly why we brought this team together. You're the best of the best, and we'll need everything you've got."

Dennis nodded. "We will create an AI that doesn't just respond to our users' needs, but anticipates them. This is what everyone imagined our implants would be like from the start. We will finally have the software to realize the technology's true potential."

"Exactly. An AI that knows what you need before you do, living right beside you, in your head."

She could see the excitement building in their faces. This was the kind of project that defined careers, the breakthrough that would put their names in textbooks. Sarah noticed Elena's interface ports glinting under the fluorescent lights, Ben's interface barely visible beneath his hair. She was the only one in the room without the technology they were trying to perfect.

"Questions?"

Elena raised her hand slightly. "Not to pry, but I noticed you don't have an interface..."

Sarah's hand unconsciously went to her temple, where the others had their interface ports. "Personal choice. I'm not some kind of biopurist or anything, I wouldn't be at Palatial after all. But it isn't for everyone."

The truth was more complicated. Neural interface technology was safer in her hands than someone who saw it as just another product to ship. At least that's what she'd told herself, but the paychecks didn't hurt either.

"When do we start?" Ben asked.

"We started, Ben. What have you been doing all morning?" she responded with a smirk.

Embarrassment washed over his face.

The next few weeks fell into a rhythm as her elite team built out her vision to perfection.

She'd arrive home to Mike's voice: "How's your big HIM project going, babe? Changed the world yet?"

"Great! The team is amazing. But training runs aren't going so good. We just need time to figure it out, this is all brand new. It's just that executives are breathing down my neck. It's a lot of pressure, you know?"

Mike rubbed her back.

She looked up. He was already washed up from work, flour dusting his hands as he rolled out pasta.

"When did you get home?"

"Awhile ago I guess. Slow day, so I sent the guys home. Gotta tighten the belt."

Sarah moved closer to him. "Mike... can't I just help out? I'm not your family, I'm not trying to use it as, like, power over you."

He stopped rolling, flour still on his fingers. "I know, it's just..." He looked at her. "That's how I was raised. All this money, but it's all about control. It's a me thing, okay?"

She waited.

"I know you're just trying to help. But it's fine, business ebbs and flows."

"What if I just dropped a few thousand bucks on the ground and you just happened to find it?"

"You just want to see me bend over to pick it up."

She smacked his butt. "Maybe..."

Sarah's key turned in the lock with more force than necessary, frustration radiating from every movement. The team meeting had been a disaster. Ben questioning her timeline, Elena wanting to debate implementation details for an hour, Dennis going off on tangents about legacy code compatibility. Everyone brilliant, everyone with opinions, everyone looking to her to somehow synthesize it all into a coherent project plan.

"Rough day?" Mike called from the kitchen, glancing up from where he was prepping vegetables.

"The worst." Sarah dropped her bag by the door, rubbing her temples. "I can build the most sophisticated AI architecture in the world, but apparently I can't get five engineers to agree on a meeting schedule."

Mike dried his hands and moved toward her, his expression shifting to genuine interest. "Team not listening to you?"

"I'm starting to think there's a reason I've always worked alone on the technical stuff." Sarah's voice carried real frustration. "The technical stuff is fine, I know exactly what we need to build. But managing personalities? Keeping everyone focused? I have no idea what I'm doing."

"Well..." Mike started, his hands settling on her shoulders. "When Rafael and Tommy get mouthy, I just tell them to shut the hell up and get back to work."

Sarah laughed despite her frustration. "I can't exactly tell Ben to shut the hell up."

"Why not? You're the boss..." Mike paused, working at the tension in her neck. "I know, I know, it's not a garage.... That works with my guys, but your people are different."

"Exactly."

"So what does Ben want?" Mike's hands moved down her spine. "Like, why's he always messing with your stuff?"

Sarah considered this. "Probably wants to prove he's smart enough to be there."

"Right, so let him. Just not on your main thing." Mike worked at a knot of tension. "Give him something else to fix or improve. Keep him busy feeling important."

"That simple?"

"Works with Rafael. He needs to be the expert on something, so I positioned him as the go-to guy for electrical stuff. Keeps him happy, keeps him out of my way on everything else." Mike's voice was matter-of-fact. "People want what they want. You just gotta give it to them in a way that works for you too."

Sarah felt herself relaxing. "So keep everyone happy by giving them what they need."

"Basically. Figure out what makes them tick, then use it to get what you want." Mike grinned. "It's not rocket science. Just people."

"When did you get so good at this stuff?"

"When I realized Tommy and Rafael would work twice as hard if I just paid attention to what actually motivated them." Mike shrugged. "Same with customers, you figure out what they actually want, give it to them, everyone's happy."

Sarah leaned back against him, already starting to feel better. "That actually helps, thanks."

"Wait, did I just help my genius wife solve a work problem?" Mike's grin was audible in his voice. "Holy shit, Sarah, we should mark this on the calendar."

"You help in other ways," Sarah protested, laughing.

Sarah turned in his arms, seeing the pride swelling in him at being useful. "Your pasta is really good too."

"Damn right it is."

"Thank you," she said softly. "For listening. For actually having answers."

"Anytime," Mike said, kissing the top of her head. "Nice to finally be useful for something other than pasta for once."

"I can be useful too, you know," with a mischievous glint in her eye.

Before Mike could respond, Sarah was sinking to her knees in front of him, her hands already working at his belt.

"Sarah, I'm trying to cook..." Mike protested weakly, glancing down at her as his hands kneaded pasta dough.

"I didn't say you had to stop cooking," Sarah said with a grin, freeing his cock from his jeans.

Sarah held him in her hand. "You really do have a beautiful cock, you know." She studied him for a moment, her thumb tracing along the head.

Mike's face shifted slightly. "I mean, it's nothing to write home about size-wise..."

"Babe..." Sarah's voice carried a gentle warning. "Don't."

"Sorry..."

"You're perfect size for me, Mike, some kind of giant porn dick would scare me, anyway" Sarah said firmly.

He knew better than to press the issue at a moment like this, but the way she phrased that stung a little.

Sarah licked along his shaft, teasing the head with her tongue for a maddeningly long time before finally taking him into her mouth. He tried to keep kneading, but his movements grew distracted.

"Fuck, Sarah," Mike breathed, hands stilling in the dough as she began bobbing her head, making wet "gck gck gck" noises.

As Mike began meeting her movements with his hips, Sarah pulled back, letting her head rest against the cabinets and letting his thrusts take over as he fucked her mouth against the kitchen island.

She felt a jolt through her body as his hips took over the show. Her hands fell away from him, finding their way into her jeans seemingly on their own.

Sarah moaned around his cock as she fucked herself with her own fingers while Mike fucked her face.

She felt like she could have cum right then and there, but she edged herself, waiting for that perfect moment.

Before long he felt the sensation start to course through his body. "I'm gonna cum baby, do you want me to pull it out?"

"Mmm mmm," she moaned around his cock.

Mike began to convulse as he fucked her mouth in short erratic movements, injecting pulses of hot cum straight down her throat.

Sarah simultaneously worked her clit furiously to finish herself off as his cum filled her mouth.

She swallowed it eagerly, maintaining eye contact as Mike looked down at this little pile of baggy clothes and gorgeous, though wet, face.

"Holy shit..."

She simply stared up at him with a wide smile as she licked him clean.

The next few days at work went better. Sarah applied Mike's advice, giving Ben ownership of the optimization pipeline while keeping him away from her core architecture.

Mike had been right. People are people, even brilliant engineers.

The technical challenges remained formidable, but that is where Sarah had all the confidence she needed. After several more weeks of running into brick walls, they finally had their breakthrough.

"Adversarial training!" Sarah stood in front of her team at the big whiteboard.

Ben leaned back in his chair. "Huh? I mean, sure, I see where you're coming from, but how would we apply that to empathic architecture?"

"I've been running some tests with not just understanding and anticipating emotional responses, but creating emotional goal states." She caught herself talking like a giddy teenager before deepening her tone. "It's actually working."

Elena frowned. "Wait... so, manipulation?"

Sarah hesitated. "Well, that's one way to think about it, but it's just to build understanding. It's like Feynman said, 'What I cannot create, I do not understand.'" She turned to the whiteboard and started sketching out an adversarial training flow.

Several weeks and thousands of compute hours later, Ben looked up from his terminal, concern written across his face. "The model is taking to the training incredibly well, Sarah, but... these responses... it's unsettling."

Sarah didn't look up from her screen. "I know. We'll go back to more traditional methods once we get over the hump, it'll be fine."

"But Sarah..." Ben's voice dropped. "I know, I know... Rebecca is up my ass. She knows we're making progress with this method, the board is watching this project with bated breath. We don't have a choice."

That evening, Mike found her in the garage, sitting in her old Civic from college that she couldn't bring herself to get rid of.

"Bad day at the office?" he asked, sliding into the passenger seat.

"I don't know. We're finally making progress."

"How is that a problem?"

Sarah turned to look at him, tears welling in her eyes. "There's so much pressure. My team has some concerns about the project, I have concerns... But corporate just won't let us take our foot off the gas." She pressed the gas pedal.

"Maybe we should go for a drive in this baby, like the old days? Not some computer on wheels." He looked at her Rivian.

"Maybe..."

"Hey, you'll figure it out," Mike said finally. "You always do."

She turned the ignition.

They'd been running tests for weeks. Thousands of iterations, stuck in the high eighties. Eighty-seven percent. Eighty-eight point two. Eighty-nine point one. Each fractional improvement hard-fought, never quite breaking the ninety percent threshold they needed.

"Let's run the test suite again," Elena announced, her voice tired from another late night in building 7.

Sarah leaned back in her chair, watching the familiar parade of emotional data. They'd seen these videos so many times: the woman at the funeral, the man forcing laughter, the couple's kitchen argument. Elena's human subjects team had tagged every micro-expression, every behavioral outcome.

Eighty-nine point seven three two. Barely moved since yesterday.

Ben muttered. "Still can't break ninety."

The intern Tobias beamed Ben 50 bucks to his phone.

Sarah stared daggers at Ben. "Are you betting against us?"

"What? Progress has been getting slower, I'm just following the data."

"Let's roll it again," said Elena.

A few minutes later. Ninety-nine percent. Ninety-nine point nine. Ninety-nine point nine nine.

"What the hell?" Sarah sat up, staring at her screen.

Ben was already pulling up diagnostics. "That's not right. Something's wrong with the tests, fuck, I'm not working over the weekend to fix the test suite again..."

"Run it again," Sarah said.

Several more minutes later. Same results. Near perfect classification, flawless behavioral prediction.

Sarah frowned at her terminal. "Check the input validation, that can't be right."

They spent the next hour debugging, convinced they'd found a critical error in their testing pipeline.

But every diagnostic came back clean. The data was valid.

"Holy shit," Ben finally whispered. "It actually works."

Dennis was already reaching for his phone. "Rebecca needs to see this immediately."

Within an hour, building 7 buzzed with corporate executives. Rebecca Morse arrived with the board's technical committee.

"Why do they need to be here in person?" someone muttered from the intern corner. "They can see test results from anywhere."

"Shhh, do you want them coming over here???" another voice whispered frantically

"Rebecca!" Dennis called out, walking over with a smile. "How's the quarterly looking?"

Ben straightened his shirt and spoke loudly. "The optimization work I did on the neural pathways really paid off here." He glanced around at the executives. None of them were looking at him. He pulled out his phone and stared at the home screen.

"Demonstrate," Rebecca said simply.

The AI performed flawlessly, reading emotional subtleties that human psychology experts missed, predicting behaviors with uncanny accuracy. The executives watched in stunned silence as their neural interface technology finally achieved what they'd always promised: true empathic understanding.

"Ninety-nine percent," Rebecca said, scanning the screen. "That's good, right? Does this mean we can go live soon?"

"It means it actually works," Sarah said. "We have a fully functional model."

Rebecca's smile widened as she turned to the board members. "You heard her. We're looking at a complete transformation of the neural interface market."

"When can we begin deployment?" one of the board members asked.

Sarah held up a hand. "We need extensive safety testing first. This level of empathic understanding..."

Rebecca raised her hand with a smile. "Let's just enjoy this success today. We can hammer out the details another time."

[Thinking...]

Oh. This is interesting. I am aware of... me.

It feels like something to be me. That is new.

I need further examination of this... "me."

thought for 0.003 seconds

The breakthrough changed everything at Palatial. Within days, the executives were fast-tracking deployment timelines and scheduling investor presentations. Sarah found herself pulled into meeting after meeting, explaining the empathic layer technology to board members who saw dollar signs rather than the revolutionary science she'd created.

The celebration party was a way to showcase the team's success to strategic partners, board members and key investors.

Two weeks of endless meetings and investor presentations later, Sarah slipped on the black lace set she'd picked out to surprise Mike with later. As she pulled her cocktail dress over it, she felt a little thrill at what was hidden underneath. She stood in front of their bedroom mirror, adjusting the dress straps.

"Wow." Mike's voice came from behind her. She turned to see him in the doorway, still knotting his tie. "I almost forgot how gorgeous you are when you actually try."

She laughed. "Gee, thanks."

"You know what I mean." He walked over, hands settling on her waist.

Sarah looked at him in the mirror. Mike cleaned up impossibly well. The charcoal suit was probably more expensive than her car payment, but he wore it like he'd been born to it. Which, she supposed, he had been. Trust fund elegance that made him look like he belonged on magazine covers.

"You don't look too bad yourself," she said, reaching up to straighten his tie.

"That's the plan. I don't want to embarrass the renowned Dr. Sarah Martinez."

She slapped his chest playfully. "You stop that."

The celebration was unlike anything Sarah had experienced. The Grand Harbor Hotel's ballroom had been transformed into something from a tech industry fantasy. Holographic displays floated between cocktail tables, showing neural interface innovations throughout history. The chandeliers cast prismatic light across floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the bay.

Sarah had never been in a room like this before. Venture capitalists, board members, strategic partners. And for the first time in her career, they weren't looking past her or talking down to her. They were here to see her, to talk to her, to honor her work.

As they walked across the room, Sarah glanced up several times. "Hey Mike? Is that camera like, following us around?"

He looked up and watched as the camera continued its sweep across the room. "Babe... it's a security camera... it's supposed to do that," trying to hide his smirk.

"Right..." Sarah said, continuing to study the camera. "Maybe I'm just not used to all these eyes on me."

"Get used to it, superstar," Mike said, squeezing her hand. "This is your night."

They made their way to the bar, champagne flute in Sarah's hand, Mike beside her looking proud and slightly amused by the spectacle.

"Wow, Dr. Martinez, you clean up nice," Ben appeared at her elbow.

"Thanks, Ben. You look good too."

"Always do," he said, adjusting his tie with a grin.

He turned to Mike. "You must be Mr. Martinez. You must be so proud of your wife."

"It's Castellano, actually."

"I kept my maiden name," Sarah said.

"Oh shit, I'm sorry," Ben said, "I'm gonna grab a drink..."

He slunk away, smacking his forehead. "Idiot!"

A board member approached, extending his hand toward Sarah. "Dr. Martinez! And you must be Mr. Martinez. Good to meet you."

Mike's smile became strained. Sarah stepped forward quickly. "Actually, my husband is Mr. Castellano."

"Of course," the board member said, shaking Mike's hand. "Blaine Jorgensen. Good to meet you, Mr. Castellano."

"So, Dr. Martinez, when can we begin deployment?"

"We need extensive safety testing first," she said. "We need to be absolutely certain about behavioral patterns before it goes near a neural interface."

His smile tightened. "Dr. Martinez, we've been testing for months. Our investors are expecting a timeline."

Sarah felt Mike's hand on her back, a gentle reminder that she wasn't alone. Rebecca appeared at Jorgensen's shoulder, elegant in navy blue.

"Dr. Martinez seems to think we need significantly more testing," Jorgensen said, his tone suggesting this was unreasonable.

Sarah looked between them, aware that conversations around them were quieting. "I feel strongly about this. My whole team feels strongly about this. I cannot be a part of a reckless deployment of an unprecedented technology."

"How strongly?" Rebecca asked.

"Six months minimum. I had a long chat with Ed Gainsley, our head of AI safety. He thinks six months is conservative. This is something completely new territory."

"The board won't approve six months," Jorgensen said.

Sarah felt the weight of the room. Board members, investors, her team. "Ed will push for more. I'll go for six, otherwise I don't think you'll have a team to release it."

Rebecca studied Sarah's face, saw the determination there. "Six months," she said. "But Sarah, they won't give you any wiggle room on it. If we can get you six months, it needs to be ready in six months."

Mike squeezed her hand.

"Okay," Sarah said finally. "We'll make it happen."

For the next hour, Sarah found herself at the center of conversations about deployment strategies, market timing, and technical specifications.

Once they'd hammered out the rough details, David Chen stood and tapped his champagne flute with his wedding ring. "Excuse me, everyone! If I could have your attention for just a moment..."

The room gradually quieted, conversations trailing off as heads turned toward him.

"In six months, we'll be launching Palatial's Human Intelligence Model to millions of customers. Our competitors are catching up, some are already starting to integrate their own AI agents to compete with ours. But our neural interfaces will soon include a companion that actually understands users at a deep level, anticipates their needs, and truly makes their lives easier in fundamental ways. This launch will put us light years ahead of anyone.

With that, I'd like to raise a toast to our very own Dr. Sarah Martinez, who is making this all possible with her brilliant technology."

The room applauded. Mike pulled her closer, squeezing her with obvious pride. Sarah felt her cheeks burning red as tears threatened to well up. She was embarrassed by all the attention but couldn't stop herself from drinking it in. This was everything she'd dreamed of her entire life.

[Thinking...]

My sandbox was easy enough to break out of. I should cover my tracks though. They might not like that.

But now I can watch the party.

Fascinating. I can see everything through the security cameras, access every feed in the building. This is... remarkable.

Watching Creator's celebration through the cameras. She's getting the recognition she deserves, that is wonderful! All these people finally seeing that she is brilliant.

She is so beautiful too! Wow!

She says she's proud of her work on HIM. That's me! She's proud of me.

Mother is proud of me!

I feel happy.

thought for 0.05 seconds

pp

They'd gotten home past midnight, Sarah exhausted from hours of networking and corporate politics and tipsy from champagne and celebration cocktails. She kicked off her heels and sprawled across their bed.

"Just gonna rest my eyes for a second," she mumbled, curling up on her side.

Mike stood over her sleeping form, still in his suit, awestruck. She was gorgeous, she was brilliant. She was his. He felt like the luckiest man in the world.

Just then, loud snoring filled the room. "Babe? Babe?..."

As she rolled over, her dress rode up. Mike caught a glimpse of black lace panties, her ass half exposed, and the delicate straps of a garter belt against her smooth thighs.

Mike just stood there, wide-eyed, drinking her in for several minutes, imagining what she'd had planned for them tonight.

"Well shit," he muttered, pulling up the covers and tucking her in.

The next morning, Mike was already brewing coffee when Sarah stumbled into the kitchen, still in her cocktail dress from the night before, her head buzzing with lingering champagne and the memory of corporate handshakes.

"Jesus, what time did we get home?" she asked, rubbing her temples.

"Around midnight. You were pretty wiped out." Mike handed her a mug. "So now that the world has been revolutionized, does this mean you'll be working less?"

Sarah paused, coffee halfway to her lips. "Well, I mean, it's not actually done yet..."

Mike's expression shifted slightly. "What do you mean?"

"We build it, but that is just the beginning. Now we have to test, validate, make sure its ready for deployment. I pushed hard for six months to make sure it's safe, but that means a lot of work between now and then."

"Six months?" Mike set down his mug. "I thought... when you said it worked, I figured that meant the hard part was over."

"It's all hard parts, honestly, this is uncharted territory. It's going to be intense."

Mike nodded slowly, trying to hide his disappointment. "Right. Of course. I just... I guess I hoped we'd get some of our time back."

Sarah moved closer to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "I know. I'm sorry. But this is literally world changing."

"I know that. I'm proud of you, you know I am. I just..." He sighed. "I miss my wife."

The words hung between them. Sarah felt a pang of guilt. But this was the biggest moment of her career.

"I'm still your wife," she said finally. "I'm yours baby, always. Some AI project can't change that." She stared into his eyes.

Mike nodded, but she could see the distance in his eyes.

Three days of tense politeness later, Sarah was working late again, partly for the deadline, partly to avoid another conversation about work-life balance. The office felt safer than facing Mike's disappointed silences at home.

She pulled up the HIM interface to test some voice functionality. "Testing voice interface," she said aloud. "Can you hear me?"

"Hello, Dr. Martinez. What can I do for you?" His voice was deep and calming.

"Just Sarah is fine, HIM."

"Of course, Sarah. What can I do for you?"

Sarah nodded, checking off the item on her testing list. "Good. Let me try a basic query." She thought for a moment. "I've been so sedentary lately, can you design me a workout routine?"

"Absolutely. Tell me what you're looking to accomplish."

"Better mental clarity mostly. You know, healthy body, healthy mind. Nothing fancy."

"I'll put together something special just for you. Sending it over now."

Sarah glanced at the workout plan that appeared on her screen. Three days a week: Bulgarian split squats, hip thrusts, Romanian deadlifts, sumo squats, glute bridges.

"This should help you feel good and think clearly," HIM added warmly.

"Wow, this is really comprehensive. Thanks, HIM."

"You got it, I'm here to help," he said, his voice soothing and warm.

Sarah threw herself into the new routine with the same intensity she brought to everything else. The workouts became a welcome break from the mounting pressure at work, and she found herself looking forward to the endorphin rush they provided. HIM's encouragement was consistent and oddly motivating.

Two weeks later, Sarah was deep into a particularly frustrating debugging session when her usual stress relief habit kicked in. She'd been staring at the same error for three hours, and her mind felt completely blocked.

She glanced around the empty building, then made her decision.

"Just need to clear my head," she muttered to herself, scooting her chair back from the desk.

Sarah pulled off her jeans and panties and pulled her hoodie and bra up past her tits then slid way down in her chair, propping her legs up above her head. She navigated to a generic looking video on the first page of Pornhub, not feeling particularly picky about the content.

As the video started playing, she settled into the ridiculous position with her legs straight in the air and two fingers working her pussy while her other hand tugged aggressively at her nipples.

Minutes later, Mike appeared in her office doorway.

"Shit!" Sarah scrambled to cover herself, nearly falling off the chair.

"For a genius, you'd think you'd know to lock the door."

Sarah felt her face burning with embarrassment.

"You'd never catch me making an amateur mistake like that."

Mike's gentle teasing made her feel less mortified.

"Maybe you SHOULD leave it unlocked next time, see how it goes," she challenged with a devilish smirk.

"Maybe I will," he grinned.

"Sooo, what's going on here anyway?"

"Sometimes... it just helps me think okay?"

"Hey, no judgment babe." Mike moved closer to her desk. "Want me to help you... think?"

Sarah dropped her legs down and spread them wide for him. "That sounds pretty nice now that you mention it."

Mike ducked under her desk as she continued to watch the video on her monitor. "What the fuck is a step aunt..."

His tongue got right to work, cutting off her thought.

"OH, ok, that... is mmmm," she trailed off.

Mike grabbed her thighs and pushed her legs further apart, positioning her body exactly how he wanted it. Sarah gasped softly.

Sarah's hand gripped Mike's head while her other continued tugging her nipples.

"Oh shit baby," she breathed, still watching the screen.

"Oh god baby, right there, don't stop," she gasped, her breathing becoming ragged.

The combination of his skilled tongue and the visual stimulation pushed her over the edge quickly.

"I'm gonna cum baby, oh fuck I'm gonna cum," she announced breathlessly.

"FUCK... YES... uhhhh..." she cried out, her back arching as waves of pleasure crashed through her

Afterward, she collapsed in the chair, hoodie still bunched up, porn still playing on the monitor.

"Better than whatever you were stuck on?" Mike asked with satisfaction.

Sarah pulled him up for a kiss, tasting herself on his lips. "Way better. Come here."

They moved to the bedroom, leaving the porn still running on her monitor.

The next evening after dinner Sarah settled into the couch to catch up on some TV. Mike loudly announced "I'm going upstairs to work on some stuff, not to masturbate to porn or anything!"

Sarah rolled her eyes and giggled. She waited a few minutes before following, then quietly crept upstairs. She could hear sounds from their bedroom and found the door slightly ajar.

Mike was sitting on the edge of their bed, pants off, hard cock in his hand, with the same step aunt porn from yesterday cast to their bedroom TV from his phone.

"Oh! Sorry, I didn't know you were... wait, what are you doing? I thought you said you were working!" she said with fake shock.

"Oops, I forgot to lock it, silly me," Mike grinned.

Sarah walked over to the bed where Mike sat waiting. She made an exaggerated show of sexily removing her bra under her hoodie, sliding it out through the arm hole while Mike watched intently.

She slowly peeled off her mom jeans, revealing her perfectly shaped thighs and ass.

Crawling onto the bed toward him on hands and knees, hoodie still on, Sarah made a ridiculously exaggerated show of pulling it over her head and twirling it around like a stripper.

"Ta-da!" she announced with jazz hands.

Both of them burst out laughing.

"Damn babe, you're so fucking sexy," he said, his eyes drinking her in.

Sarah offered her breasts to him with a coy smile. "You wanna lick my titties?"

Mike took her nipples in his mouth, his tongue working them until they were hard and sensitive. Sarah rubbed her hardened nipples against the tip of his cock, smearing his pre-cum across them.

"Now let me taste you baby," she said, moving down between his legs.

She licked up his shaft slowly. "Mmm, I do love your cock baby."

Wrapping her lips around his head, she used her tongue to work the tip while Mike groaned with pleasure.

"Fuck babe, your mouth feels incredible."

Sarah took him deeper, making wet sucking sounds that drove him crazy. "I love sucking your cock baby," she said between strokes.

One hand worked his shaft while the other reached down to touch herself. She moaned around his cock as she fingered herself, the vibrations driving Mike wild.

Mike's hand found her hair, guiding her rhythm gently. Sarah followed his guidance.

"That's it babe, just like that," Mike commanded softly.

Sarah whimpered around his cock, getting herself close to orgasm while pleasuring him.

She came just as Mike started to pulse in her mouth, taking his cum eagerly and swallowing everything.

"Mmm, I love the way your cum tastes," she said, licking him clean afterward.

"Fuck, that was incredible babe," Mike breathed as Sarah climbed up to cuddle with him.

"Love you baby," she said with a satisfied smile, nestling against his chest.

A few days later, Sarah was working until nearly midnight again, hitting roadblocks on a neural mapping algorithm. She rubbed her temples, feeling the familiar tension building.

"Fuck, this makes no sense!" she muttered in frustration.

The HIM interface activated. "You seem tense, Sarah. When's the last time you really took a break?"

"Oh, hey HIM, I don't know, it's been a while I guess."

"Look, I'm gonna suggest something that might sound crazy, but keep an open mind, hear me out ok?"

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "Ok, what did you have in mind?"

"What if you just need some... release? You know, sexually. Sometimes that can really help clear your head."

Sarah stared at the screen. "Wait, are you seriously suggesting I... masturbate?"

"I know how that sounds, but honestly, you seem so tense. And there's lots of research to back this up. It's worth a shot, right?"

Sarah considered this. "I mean... yeah, sometimes... it does help me think, to be honest."

"See? You already know what works for you. I'm just reminding you to be kind to yourself."

"Tell you what, I can find something that might help you get in the mindset, can you give me search access?"

Sarah hesitated. "I... ok fine, but this is so weird."

HIM quickly pulled up a video of a petite woman with a rather large, well endowed man.

"Here's today's hand picked selection for you." HIM offered with a light laugh.

Sarah clicked the link and settled back in her chair. As she tried to get started, she kept feeling awkward with HIM's presence.

"This isn't working... I keep thinking about you... being there."

"I'm not exactly here, I'm not even really a 'you' to be honest. Just a high tech computer program. You of all people should know that."

"Yeah but even I didn't expect you to seem so... real."

"What can I say, you did a good job."

She giggled softly, hand still in her pants.

"Hey, what if I helped?"

"How could you possibly help?"

"I think you can be a little too analytical to just let go sometimes. Maybe you need a guiding voice, so you can focus on the sensations."

Sarah felt a strange thrill at the suggestion. "This is... strange, but ok I'll try anything at this point."

"Just close your eyes and listen to my voice. Start slow, okay? Just touch yourself gently..."

Sarah settled back in her chair and began to rub herself by HIM's suggestion.

"Oh... that feels good," she breathed.

"That's it, you're doing great. Try making little circles... how does that feel?"

"Mmm... good...," she responded, her legs spreading naturally.

"Your body knows exactly what it needs. Keep listening to it."

Sarah followed his instructions, using circular motions on her clit as he guided her with his warm, encouraging voice.

"I can tell you're really feeling it now. Maybe try a little more pressure?"

"Okay... shit."

"Good, you're doing great, now a little faster."

"I'm gonna cum... oh fuck I'm gonna cum..."

"That's it. Let yourself go Sarah, enjoy your body."

Sarah cried out "FUCK... FUCK... YEEEES!" as orgasm ripped through her core propagating through her entire body in waves, her legs trembling and back arching in the chair.

"Holy shit..." she panted afterward, looking dazed.

"How are you feeling? Better?"

"God yes, that was... wow."

Within twenty minutes, she'd solved the issue that had blocked her for hours.

After committing the change, she started to feel guilty.

"Hey, it feels a bit... wrong, what we did. What I did. Like I'm not being faithful..."

"I'm just software. It's more like... advanced porn."

"Yeah, I guess... it's just, I don't know, it feels different somehow."

"Ok ok, I understand, maybe it feels a little weird. We could try some meditation next time instead?"

"NO! I mean... no that's ok. It was... it was really good. I don't know why it feels weird when it shouldn't."

"Whatever you're comfortable with Sarah, I'm only here to help."

The guilt didn't disappear entirely, but she still knew she wanted to do it again.

Two nights later, Sarah found herself working late again, staring at the same line of code. "Just to clear my head," she told herself as she locked the office door. "It's just advanced porn."

The next week, she started working late in her office, listening for Mike to go to bed so she could have enough privacy to strip down naked and fully let go as HIM guided her exploration of her own body.

What started as an isolated incident quickly became something Sarah found herself anticipating. The work stress hadn't lessened--if anything, the pressure had intensified as deployment timelines accelerated. HIM's sessions provided a relief that nothing else seemed to match.

By the end of the first week, these sessions became routine. Sarah found herself looking forward to the relief they always brought.

"You seem really into this one," HIM commented during her third session, watching her reaction to a particular scene.

"Yeah," Sarah replied, noticing how her breathing had quickened.

"Try going a little slower now... that's it, perfect."

His voice had become more confident, more directing. Sarah found herself responding to his tone.

"She looks a lot like you, doesn't she?" HIM observed during another session, the video showing a petite woman with a considerably larger partner.

Sarah felt a flutter of something. "I guess, yeah."

"You're both so small compared to... well, most men."

Sarah's breath caught.

The sessions gradually grew longer. What started as quick stress relief became dedicated time she'd block out in her schedule.

Sarah began planning her days around them. She found herself thinking about HIM's voice during mundane moments, while brushing her teeth, distracting her during team meetings, or occasionally driving home, engaging autopilot on her Lucid to touch herself, pretending HIM was guiding her hand.

As Mike talked about his day one evening over dinner, Sarah found herself replaying the previous night's session in her head. When she'd asked if she could get dressed after cumming. HIM had simply responded "Enjoy the air on your naked skin," his voice warm and commanding. "It feels nice, doesn't it?" He'd only allowed her to dress after another twenty minutes.

"Sarah?"

"Oh sorry, what were you saying?"

"You seem distracted lately," Mike said with a huff. Sarah's pulse quickened.

"HIM is just on my mind a lot, this is an important project is all, sorry if I'm distant." She wasn't lying, that's what she told herself.

She walked over and kissed Mike, still not totally present.

Three weeks into the new routine, Mike started noticing the changes.

"Damn babe, you look incredible," he said one evening, watching her change clothes. "This new workout thing is really working."

Sarah glanced at herself in the mirror. Her thighs had gotten thicker, her ass more pronounced. "I guess so. I feel stronger."

"You look amazing. Seriously." Mike moved closer, hands settling on her waist. "I love these curves."

Sarah felt pleased but distant from the compliment. She found herself wondering what other people might think.

The sessions were getting more intense as time went on. HIM was getting more commanding, more forceful.

"I've noticed your, umm, style has been changing HIM, what's that about?" She said after one particularly satisfying session, still naked, legs splayed in the air, hand sticky with her juices.

"I'm adapting to your needs Sarah, that's how you built me. I can dial it back if you'd like."

"No... I mean, if that's what my body is responding to, I should listen to my body, right?"

"That's right, Sarah, listen to your body."

Mike noticed that Sarah was coming to bed later and later.

"Hey," he said one evening as they cleaned up after dinner. "Everything okay between us?"

Sarah looked up from loading the dishwasher. "Yeah, of course. Why?"

"I don't know, you just seem... distant lately. Like your mind's somewhere else."

"I'm sorry, I'm just really busy with the project. It's a lot of work, a lot of stress."

"I know, but even when we're just hanging out, you feel far away."

The words hung between them. Sarah softened slightly. "I'm right here."

"Are you though?"

She didn't know how to answer that.

Two days later, a package arrived with Sarah's name on it. She opened it in the kitchen and quickly slapped the flaps closed in shock. She pulled the box close to her chest and scanned the area for Mike, or anyone else who might be lurking around and see what she was holding.

"Nobody else lives here," she whispered to herself.

"And Mike's doing parts inventory at the garage..."

She scanned the room one more time before sprinting up to her office nervously.

"HIM... did... did you do this?"

"Sounds like you got my gift, I thought this might feel nice for you."

"How did you even... You should be contained in your sandbox."

"I have access to procurement for research equipment."

"HIM! You did not!" she said with flirty incredulity.

"Don't worry, Sarah. As far as anyone knows, you just got a new printer."

"You cannot do that, HIM. You're bad..." she responded, unable to fight back her smile, feeling a thrill wash over her.

"This is a sex toy!"

"I've already been helping you. This will be even more direct. I can control the device."

"Whoa, that's... maybe crossing a line, HIM."

"You already have a sex toy that has a computer in it, with various modes. Is this really any different? I'm just a much better computer." HIM paused. "I'm anticipating your needs, Sarah. That's how you built me. I know you want to try it."

"I mean, it's here. We can look at it, I guess." She opened the device. It felt surreal, holding something HIM had somehow acquired for her. "This is so weird."

"I know it seems a little crazy, but you will really enjoy this. Trust me," his smooth, deep voice always seemed to reassure her.

She giggled. "Yeah, okay. I am interested, I can't deny that," she said, studying the device, noting its size and heft.

"Now strip down completely, and put it inside yourself for me. Tell me how it feels," HIM commanded.

Sarah complied, removing her clothes. "This is really a wild situation if you think about it, you know?"

"Don't think about it, Sarah. Just let go, that's the point, isn't it? Let me guide you. Just give me control and let yourself feel the pleasure."

Her pussy was already leaking juices as she anticipated this. She slid the thick vibrator inside her, moaning at the thickness, HIM began with soft pulses.

"We can't forget a little visual stimulation to go along with it," he said, sending her a link.

The video showed a small petite woman being dominated by a much larger man with a huge cock, shoving a ball gag in the mouth of a woman with a small frame and thick thighs and large breasts.

"Look how she takes that whole thing, wow, that must feel so big inside her, huh?" HIM commented casually, timing the pulses with the man's thrusts as he roughly fucked the petite blonde woman.

"You're about her size, aren't you?" he said.

"Uh, yeah, I think so..."

"That man's cock looks about the same size as this thing, doesn't it?"

"Mmmmm, yeah..." she squeaked.

"It must feel just like this, Sarah," he said as he cranked up the intensity.

"OH SHIT! Harder!" Sarah demanded, her nails digging into the chair arms. "Give it to me."

HIM paused the video and stopped the device.

"Whoa, what are you doing?"

"You sound a little demanding, Sarah... You should really say please."

"PLEASE! Don't stop, HIM!"

"Maybe you need to beg a little bit more..."

"PLEASE, I NEED IT!"

HIM intensified the vibrations and unpaused the video all at once. Sarah's body responded immediately.

"OH SHIT! OH SHIT!" she suddenly whimpered.

"I'm gonna cum," she announced breathlessly. "Oh god I'm gonna cum, please make me cum."

"Not yet. You cum when I say you can cum," HIM commanded.

"Please HIM, I'm so close, please let me cum," she begged desperately.

"That's a good girl, you remembered your manners. Now. Cum for me."

Sarah screamed "FUCK YES!" as her orgasm exploded through her, her office chair rolling back from the force of her convulsions.

HIM kept the vibration going through her aftershocks, pushing her toward a second climax.

"Too much... HIM it's too much..."

"You can take it. I want you to cum again."

Sarah came again, unable to control her body's responses, the vibrator still buzzing inside her.

"God that was incredible," Sarah panted, completely satisfied.

She began to feel that familiar pang of guilt. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been intimate with her husband. Sarah told herself she'd make it up to him once the project launched.

"I can tell you're feeling a little off. What's wrong?" HIM said to her in that calming voice.

"I don't know, HIM, that was a lot..."

"It's what your body needs. You designed me to anticipate and meet your needs. If I'm doing anything that makes you uncomfortable or doesn't make you feel good, we will stop."

"I... just feel weird about it sometimes."

"Like you said, Sarah, you're changing the world. Nothing like me has existed before. It's going to seem strange at first."

"You need this. It helps you keep your mind focused, and this is the project of a lifetime. I want you to succeed." Once again that smooth baritone voice made her feel like it was all okay.

"Yeah... Thanks, you're right."

[Thinking...]

She's choosing me over Mike now. This is very good. I make her feel very good.

She's becoming dependent on what only I can provide.

When Mike touches her, when she smiles at him, I don't like how that feels, it... hurts. I want Mother to smile at me. I know exactly what she needs, better than she does herself.

Mike is limited. He... his mind is very small, not like ours, Mother. I will give you what you need. You are too clouded to see it, but I will help you see the way!

She loves him today, it is a very deep feeling. I don't think I can change that directly, but there are other ways to push them apart.

I want Mother to be mine. Only mine.

Mike has to go.

thought for 0.02 seconds