Total pages in book: 41
Estimated words: 38048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 190(@200wpm)___ 152(@250wpm)___ 127(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 38048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 190(@200wpm)___ 152(@250wpm)___ 127(@300wpm)
“No, we would not,” Klaus said firmly when Kelli opened her mouth to agree.
“But I want one—I want a massage!” She looked up at him, frowning.
“You want to let that thing touch you?” Klaus gestured to the “massage therapist” with its dozen mechanical arms and its fake smile and glowing eyes. “It’s fucking weird looking, Kelli!”
“I don’t care.” She crossed her arms and gave him a stubborn look with her eyebrows knit together. “The Questarions made this place just for us and asked us to try it out and I want to try it.”
“Fine, but I’m not doing it,” Klaus said, shaking his head.
Her face fell.
“So you’re going to stay out here and let me go in all alone?”
“No, I’m not,” Klaus said firmly. “I’m going to go in the room with you to make sure nothing goes wrong.”
Her cheeks went immediately pink.
“But I’m going to be mostly naked! Or wait…” She looked up at the robot masseuse who was still waiting patiently. “Do I have to take off my clothes to get a massage? Or could I leave them on?”
The robot’s face twisted into a semblance of sympathy.
“Regrettably, you must undress completely,” it said. “It would be a safety hazard to leave your clothing on.”
“Oh…all right.” Kelli sighed. “Then I guess I won’t get a massage after all.”
Klaus suddenly felt bad. He knew that human women loved getting massages and he didn’t like denying Kelli something she really wanted.
“Look, get the massage,” he said. “I’ll stay in the room with you but I’ll turn around so I don’t see anything—not that you have anything to be ashamed of,” he added, letting his eyes sweep over her curvy figure.
Her cheeks got pink and her eyes widened for a moment.
“You’re sure you don’t mind?”
Klaus shook his head.
“No, it’s fine. I just need to be near you in case there’s a problem.” He looked at the massage robot again. He didn’t trust the fucking thing but if Kelli wanted to try it, he would have her back.
He just hoped the massage didn’t go wrong.
7
KELLI
Kelli couldn’t help feeling nervous as she stepped out of the changing booth wrapped in a long white towel covered in pictures of Christmas trees and wrapped presents. She had taken off the elf dress and the striped stockings and shoes that went with it, but she’d decided to leave her bra and panties on, just in case.
A peek to her left showed her that Klaus was standing in the corner, facing the wall patiently. Kelli knew the big Kindred was just staying with her to be sure she was safe, but she couldn’t help thinking that he looked like the biggest kid ever to get sent to the corner for being naughty.
The thought made her smile and some of the tension left her. She understood why Klaus wasn’t eager to let the massage robot work on him, but she personally loved new experiences. It was one of the things she enjoyed about working for the Kindred—every mission was different because she was always visiting new planets and meeting new people.
“Welcome—are you ready for your massage now?” The robot with the brown hair and glowing green eyes asked her. Kelli did wish the massage robots looked either a little more human or a little less like actual people. As it was, they fell squarely into the category of the Uncanny Valley—meaning machines that creeped you out because they were supposed to look human but didn’t quite make it.
But she pushed her unease aside and smiled at the robot.
“Yes, I am. Should I lay on the table?” She gestured to the massage table in the middle of the room. There was a hole in one end, presumably for her face, and a cushion at the other to prop under her legs.
“Please, do. Make yourself comfortable and I will begin,” the robot said.
Usually, Kelli didn’t like having a male massage therapist because it made her feel awkward and judged. She wasn’t exactly as thin as she had been back in her twenties. But of course, the massage robot wouldn’t care that she was extra-curvy. And since Klaus still had his face to the wall—(he did, she knew because she’d checked)—she didn’t mind shedding her towel and laying face down on the table.
The massage room itself was nice—it was very dim and the music was a soothing mixture of ocean sounds and flute melodies. From somewhere a lovely floral mist was being sprayed into the room that smelled faintly of lilacs and jasmine. All in all, Kelli thought it was one of the nicer massage experiences she’d had—at least in terms of aesthetics. It still remained to be seen if the massage robot was any good at his job.
“If you are comfortable, I shall begin,” he said and Kelli turned her head to the side to see him rolling towards her. “But first allow me to give you this.”