Read Online The Virtual Man [The Virtual Reality 1] (Siren Publishing Classic) by Nikki Sinclaire - Free Book Online

ladies?” Rita’s holographic personal attendant interrupted presenting them with a tray of the mouth watering treats.
    As she snagged a truffle off the tray, Tiana wondered why Rita’s suite still used the old-style holographic Personal Attendant. She hadn’t given it much thought, but such upgrades were typically systemwide across all the holographic suites. Strange, though for some inexplicable reason, she was glad at the thought that perhaps she was the only passenger with ‘Derek Erecticus’ in her suite.
    Great, now she was feeling possessiveness and jealousy over the stupid program. Ah, damn good program.
    “Tiana, I don’t know about this business of giving up men, though. There’s at least one man that I just know you are going to want to have a repeat performance from,” Rita teased with a wicked grin.
    Tiana stared back at her with caution in her eyes. Rita was a bit wilder than she was, and there was no telling where the conversation was headed.
    “And just who exactly is this paragon, Ms. Andrews? After that last debacle, you better not be thinking about fixing me up.” Tiana clearly remembered Rita’s attempts to take her mind off her troubles by fixing her up with a couple of her guy friends. All she had wanted to do at the time was hide from her mean, disappointing life and meeting new people did not meet this criteria. Besides, she was not planning on ever trusting another man with herself. Relationships of the heart only brought pain and new opportunities to be abused. It was a testament to the fairer sex’s incredibly stupid tendency to forgive and forget that any woman was still married.
    “Though I still maintain that you should allow me to find you a good man, or at least an above-average one, no, that is not what I am doing, at least not this time. The one man I know you’ll let back into your body is none other than the smooth, hard and wet Jack Daniels.”
    Having said so, she whipped out a bottle of the old Earth liquor she had brewed in her lab.
    “This is one man that you don’t have to handle on your own. What do you say we share him later on tonight? Ya feelin’ kinky?”
    “How much of that stuff did you bring?”
    “Honey, I brought enough of this to last us the next two years if it has to. It gets lonely out here in space and a girl’s gotta have her a man to keep her warm at night.”
    Tiana chuckled. “Rita, you’re developing a sexual attraction for an ancient Earth drink.”
    “No, no, no,” she said with a sigh, putting on a sexy red dress that clung to her curves like a glove. “I just happen to think that every so often, it’s nice to kill a few excess brain cells and forget how sorry reality can actually be.”
    A deep, heartfelt sadness shone through the blonde’s cool blue eyes. This was a side of Rita Tiana had never seen before. For the first time since knowing Rita, Tiana wondered why the other woman had never married, even though Rita was ten years her senior.
    The two women headed out of Rita’s suite and soon found themselves walking down the ship’s Promenade Deck. On their left they had the best the luxury starship could offer in the way of restaurants, shops and nightclubs. To their right, however, was the stark opposite. On that side, the clear glass wall gave them a breathtaking view of space and the natural beauty that the Milky Way held in store for those who simply took the time to look.
    As they leisurely strolled down the Promenade’s walkway past a gaming arcade, Tiana noticed Marcus Long, along with his kids, waiting in line with several other fighter pilot wannabes of various ages to use one of the holographic chambers that appeared to be running the popular Terrilian Assault Battle Simulation game.
    Seeing her, Marcus waved. As Tiana waved back, Rita noticed the interplay.
    “You know, darlin’, he’s available.”
    “You never give up, do you? He’s got two kids, what makes you think he’s not married?”
Why couldn’t Rita