Petronella Courcheval, manager of the PainCafe's Gift Shop, looked enthusiastically at F.X. Copeland's newest creation. "It's an android?" she said. "God, it looks just like me."
And it was—black hair in a Cleopatra cut, full lips like purple berries, intense hazel eyes, cantaloupe breasts encased in a purple halter...and long, fishnet legs. It was Petti to a tee.
"Yes'm." Cope grinned. "I had to have a model, a muse, like...you're so cute, y'know."
Petti smiled. Cope was so guileless. He would sooner "cut m' foot off" than cheat on his Muriel of 37 years...but he did appreciate a looker, and this robot thing was a direct tribute to Petti herself.
"Pardon me, are you the manager?" a frosted blonde interrupted. "I'm looking for a good bullwhip. And, that lovely man I tried the cane out on last month...having his buttocks show the weals was marvelous."
Petti smiled. "You want my brother. Sniffen, come here!" A moment later, a middle aged man with gray hair, and an unfortunate pot belly, dressed in a cardigan striped shirt and khakis—"Slave to J.Crew" was how Petti described Sniff—came up, holding a bit of register tape.
"I'm just-just going over the numbers, Petti." Sniffen Courcheval said in a shaking voice. "You said I couldn't go to my Stamp Club meeting early tonight until I worked out the snarl—"
Petti waved her hand. "Forget that. Or no—you have to work it out before you go, but I need you to test bullwhips with this nice lady. Go behind the screen and drop your pants, please."
Sniffen gulped, staring at his beautiful sister as the blonde customer giggled. "B-but you said I wouldn't have to do that anymore—please Petti—"
Petti gritted her teeth. "That's it. You can't go to the Stamp Club OR your photography group, or even Dungeons and Dragons for a month. Get behind that screen!"
Sniffen began weeping softly. "P-please—"
"Do you want me to make it two months?"
And Sniffen bawling, ran behind the screen and there was a sound of a sigh, and the zipper of his pants being pulled down.
Petti smiled at the customer. "Isadora will bring you the whip selections. Do your best to wipe out my brother's sorry attitude, please." The frosted blonde grinned conspiratorially, "You bet." Isadora went past, carrying a bundle of frightening looking implements.
"I would recommend the split hide Spanish cat o nine tails, or the sjambok. It's not shaped like a traditional whip, it's more like a long crop but carved from genuine hippopotamus hide." Petti smiled again
The frosted blonde laughed and went behind the screen. "Grab your ankles, asshole!" In a moment, Sniffen's screams began, but Petti was completely distracted by her bionic doppelganger.
"So what is this?" Petti said, running a scarlet tipped forefinger down the metal arm.
"Well, y'know that there's allus more submissive slave-type guys then dominant women what wants 'em." Cope explained laboriously. "Lotta fellas spend beaucoup bucks on the per-fessional ladies, but that ain't no satisfaction. What about a week-long rental? Mistress Android here, or Miss Andi, as I call her, kin give a guy the ideer he gots a dominant wife, see?"
"It looks a bit expensive. It's a real robot? Or android?" Petti put a crooked finger to her chin.
"Yeah, I got the go-ahead from the PainCafe big boss to borry money from the Vault, an' I promised him you'd be satisfied...my inventions seem t'have worked out so far." Cope said modestly, and Petti smiled. For a non-submissive man, she liked F.X. Copeland very much.
"Well, let's see Miss Andi at work." Petti stood back, and Cope pressed something on his remote control.
The android's lovely eyes began to blink. Such long lashes, Petti thought. Secretly, she wondered if Cope's creation was more beautiful than Petronella herself.
"Well it's about time, Cope." Miss Andi said, startling the hell out of Petti. But Cope only smiled.
"Miss Andi, meet the manager of the Dungeonopolis Gift Shop, Petronella." Cope said smoothly, and the android turned and smiled charmingly.
"Well, I can see we're sisters of a sort." Miss Andi said, taking Petti's startled hand. "Though I'm a little svelter, I think."