Always Belle

SIX MONTHS LATER

On a Friday in Seelby's cafeteria, Devin took a seat across from me at a table, carrying a gourmet burger and fries on his lunch tray.

"Ken, dude, why do I always find you eating alone? You remind me of my cousin who went on antidepressants, no offense."

I shrugged my shoulders, not caring to entertain a response.

Devin mindlessly bit into his food, mouth full. "Anyway, got any weekend plans?" he asked.

As I chewed on my bland homemade sandwich, it abruptly hit like a truck, that the momentous day was almost here. "Yeah. Going to my uncle's wedding tomorrow."

"Oh nice, the one whose mansion you stayed at, right?"

Devin's words made me lament my brief residency at Uncle Artie and Belle's house, a short period of months that felt like a lifetime ago. After my whole spy camera scheme had gone awry, I hastily moved out, consumed by a whirlwind of emotions that had driven my decision to leave.

I swerved the conversation. "Dev, what time are you gonna be back at the apartment tonight?"

"Not sure, my team likes to go pretty late at these social hours. I would've folded you in, but Leon's pretty strict about keeping it internal. He's worried about leaks."

"It's cool, man," I said, trying to bury not only feelings of exclusion, but also disappointment, that I hadn't been assigned to the same VR team as Devin when we had started working at Seelby.

"If it makes you feel any better," he said, "we don't do or go anywhere special. Just beers on the office rooftop."

I realized Devin was downplaying his team's hangout, kindly for my benefit.

"Hey guys, happy Friday!" Our co-worker, George, who was a part of Devin's VR group, sat down at our table to join us. "Ken, I just got out of a meeting with Leon. He said he wants to see you in his office."

"Right now?" I checked my phone, seeing no such email or notification from our boss. "Shit, am I in trouble?"

"It's probably your six-month performance evaluation," Devin said. "He gave me one this morning. Passed with flying colors!"

George high-fived him. "Sweet! Mine was yesterday. High marks across the board."

"Did Leon let you try out the new prototype after?" Devin asked.

"Bro!" George shouted. "We're not supposed to talk about that!"

"It's chill, dude," Devin said. "Ken's no spy."

As always, I appreciated Devin's impulse to include me. But his specific word choice—

Ken's no spy

—struck a chord. It made me shudder inside, a heavy wave of guilt washing over.

"In that case, Dev," George said, "On a scale of 1 to 10, how much did you—"

"An 11!" Devin replied with fervor.

"An 11 for what?" I asked, still feeling left out.

George mysteriously grinned my way. "If you're lucky, maybe you'll find out, Ken... when you see Leon..."

***

I finished my boring sandwich on the long walk across the Seelby campus, hoping that whatever reason Leon wanted to see me was a favorable one.

When I finally reached his glass-encased corner office, his assistant told me to wait until he finished his call. However, when I peered at Leon through the transparent walls, he waved for me to come on in, a phone still to his ear.

As I entered, Leon was leaning back in his chair. He continued talking, yet gestured for me to take a seat opposite him, holding up one finger to let me know he'd be done soon.

"Okay yup, you're all set. All the best. Congrats again." Leon finally hung up the call, switching gears to address me. "Ken, good to see you."

"Hey Leon. George said you wanted to chat?"

"So, are you excited for tomorrow's ceremony?"

"Sure... Um, are you going to be there too?"

"Sadly, I didn't make the cut. Packed guest list I hear. But glad I've at least played my part. I pulled some strings for Belle, got the venue's manager to squeeze in her wedding date."

"Oh, okay," I said, apathetic.

"Believe it or not, the resort is part of Seelby's commercial real estate portfolio. I gave Belle a tour of it months ago. We actually spent the weekend there together... mostly in the honeymoon suite."

I got the memo, not entirely shocked that my boss and pending aunt-in-law were still occasionally seeing each other.

Leon swiveled in his chair to directly face me. "Anyway Ken, let's take care of some housekeeping—your six month eval. You've demonstrated that you're smart, sharp, meeting every deadline. I knew I'd made a great choice hiring you. Just keep chugging along on our Maps app, you're doing great."

"Thanks. I wanted to ask you though, if it was possible... Can I be re-assigned to the VR team?"

"Are you unhappy working on Maps?" he asked.

"No, not necessarily. It's just, I see the awesome potential of our VR. I think it'll be the closest thing to teleportation."

"Using it to be in the same room as your girlfriend would be nice, wouldn't it? Didn't you mention she's in Argentina?"

"Brazil." I corrected him, sensing his inquiry was one that questioned my motives. "Leon, I don't want to work on VR purely for personal reasons. I genuinely think our tech can change society for the better. Reduce our global carbon footprint, provide access to key services."

Leon stared a me for a long while, seemingly contemplating my reassignment request.

"Follow me, Ken," he said. "I want to show you something."

He walked me to a door within his office, using a fingerprint reader to unlock it. I was led inside a windowless room lined with soundproof material.

An opaque, monolithic chamber of sorts stood in the center, measuring about 4x5 feet, 7 feet high.

"What is this thing?" I asked.

"Teleportation," he simply replied.

Leon then opened its door, revealing a black leather recliner, a virtual reality goggle headset resting on it. "Go for it Ken," he said.

I went ahead and took a seat, excited that I'd get to test out the tech I had desperately wanted to work on, and finally belong to the "cool club" with my colleagues.

Before I put on the headset, Leon handed me a clipboard attached with paper and a pen. "First things first, sign here. Confidentiality agreement. As you know, this stuff is top secret. Not many have even tried out

this

version yet."

I hurriedly read the fine print and lent my signature to the page.

Leon continued, "Normally, anyone not on the VR team wouldn't come close to this thing. But you know what, it's Friday and I'm feeling generous. Plus, your friend Devin, he's done great work in short time to help develop this sim. Since you were the one that had recruited him to Seelby, maybe it's only fair you got to sample the goods. So buckle up, enjoy."

"What exactly am I in for?"

Leon simply smiled, then closed the door to the chamber.

***

I donned the goggles over my head, tightened the foam-cushioned lining of the lens over my eyes.

"Hello. Name please." A voice rang through my headset's dynamic speakers, getting me to flinch at just how clear and full it sounded to my ears.

"Uh... I'm Ken?"

"Okay Ken, state your preference: snowy or tropical?"

"Tropical, I guess?"

A first-person view suddenly filled the glass lens of my headset. I was transported to the inside of a small, straw-built beach hut, where I was apparently sitting on a bed.

I looked to my left and right, taking in the immersive scene of this beachy bedroom. In front of me, fifteen feet away, was a wide doorless entry, where sunshine and crystal clear waters stretched beyond my hut's narrow boardwalk path.

A man then walked into view, stopping at the edge of my open doorway, not facing my direction.

Wait, hold on!

Was that... Devin? What an odd, random visual. He was in clothes that he'd normally wear to work, which looked so out of place in this breezy island setting.

Belle then appeared next to him, sporting a two-tone bikini, the pair unaware of my presence.

"Thanks for walking me back." Belle smiled at him, her hand caressing my friend's arm as gratitude. "You're quite the handful."

Devin's focus roamed over her bikini body, eating her up with his eyes. He returned her smile, then departed looking like a satisfied man.

Belle then took a moment, staring at the cerulean ocean, stroking her blonde hair back, exuding a sense of relaxation, contentment. She then turned to enter my hut.

"Oh!" she said, finally noticing me, a new layer of stress coloring her face.

I remained silent, unsure how to interact with this virtual version of my uncle's soon-to-be wife.

"You have the wrong room," she said. "This one's mine."

I subtly shook my head, wondering if the gesture would register.

"No? You don't believe me?" she replied, which answered my question.

Belle then walked toward a wooden dresser, opening it to withdraw a handful of underwear and bikinis. "Well, unless you also happen to wear thongs and bras... See? This is clearly

my

stuff.

My

room." She tossed the articles onto the mattress, which landed in front of me.

I instinctively reached out to touch them, even though I knew there'd be nothing there.

"Hey pervert! Have some respect!" she said, getting me to pull my arm back.

Belle then inched up to the foot of the bed, staring me straight in my eyes. "Did you lose your voice or something? Why aren't you talking to me?"

I shrugged my shoulders, realizing that real-world circumstances started mirroring this imaginary one. I hadn't spoken to the real Belle in earnest since I'd moved out of her mansion.

Her posture shifted, leaning her weight on one leg, hands on her hips. "So you're just going to ignore me then. Fine. You're lucky I don't like talking much anyway. Much prefer to be doing something... else."

She then slowly brought her arms behind her back, seductively undoing the knot of her blue and white bikini top, leaving its cups in place over her breasts. "I bet you can last longer than Devin..."

I froze up, realizing where this simulation was quickly leading.

Belle then took her top off entirely, adding it to the rest of the underwear pile. Her perky breasts looked flawless, exactly as I'd remembered them, all the times I'd seen her topless before.

"I can't lie," she said with a sultry tone. "I saw you earlier, lying on the beach. I asked around for your name... Ken."

I raised my eyebrows.

She continued, "I know you've seen me on the beach too. Why didn't you just talk to me?"

Belle slowly unknotted her bikini bottom on both sides of her waist, teasingly holding the hem up with two fingertips, before letting it fall to the floor. Her pussy looked immaculate, as mouthwatering as the real thing.

I held my breath, watching a naked Belle climb onto my bed, slowly crawling toward me.

"Ken... Look at you... You're so hard for me, baby."

A thick, veiny python of a virtual cock then appeared below my waist.

She pointed to a box of tissues and a pump-bottle of lotion that had magically appeared next to me atop the bed. "I don't want you making a mess. Use these."

I reached my arm out, surprised that I was actually touching the said items.

Belle settled in front of me, sitting with bent knees. "I want you to touch yourself," she said.

I remained still, my head suddenly starting to hurt, my emotions feeling weirdly conflicted. I couldn't bring my real hand to my actual penis.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "You're not stroking it for me."

-Ken you idiot! Wake the fuck up! How many years have we fantasized about this?

-Shit... I don't think I can do it...

-Why the fuck not!

"You want my mouth instead, don't you?" she asked. Belle had repositioned herself onto her stomach, elbows propping her up between my legs. Her mouth slowly inched forward, creeping ever closer to my virtual erection.

-Something's not right! I gotta abort this shit!

-Don't you fucking dare! You can't do this to me—to us!

I quickly slid off the headset, right before Belle's supple lips reached its target.

My grip on reality suddenly felt unhinged, now realizing my dark claustrophobic confines. I shoved open the chamber's door, gasping for air, yearning for my senses to adjust.

I marked Leon leaning on the wall, eating a bag of potato chips, looking surprised. "Done already? That was quick. I don't see a sticky paper trail."

I glanced back at the recliner, where a compartment under its armrest had opened up to reveal a small box of tissues and lotion.

I turned back to my boss. "...Leon, I don't even know what to say. What was that?"

"Too jarring? Maybe I should've given you a warning." He chuckled.

"How was that all even possible?"

"Pretty cool, right? The VR team has successfully coded and rendered AI avatars, ones that are completely responsive to user voices and expressions."

"Jesus, are we really going to release this one of Belle to the public?"

"Nope. This Belle simulation you saw is staying in-house. Also, Ken, you should know that she'd signed off on all of this. She's lent her voice and body image rights for this project. It's a part of the deal she and I struck in Swantree Lake."

"Who else has seen

this

version though?" I asked, thinking of Devin and George.

"Only me. The VR team has tested it, but I'd made sure they were shown a fake composite face—still mapped onto Belle's beautiful body, of course. I only showed

you

her real face because I thought you'd appreciate it. But... apparently... not?"

I chose not to acknowledge his supposed act of kindness, still feeling conflicted about it all. "What are you planning to do with Belle's avatar?"

"Mostly use it for personal pleasure, code it to my liking. But I do have modest ambitions, once our VR headset does go public. For attendees at Castle Slate, the ones that won't have the actual opportunity to fuck Belle whenever she's there, well, now they'll be able to have the next best thing."

"Are you serious? She signed off on that too?"

"Again, she'll be masked in the simulation, don't you worry. You should be happy for her. She's a shrewd entrepreneur. Gonna rake in an endless stream of residual payments, each time someone runs her sim."

I brought my hand to my head, trying to process this all. "Why did I see Devin in there?"

"I coded that bit this morning, thought it'd be a fun little easter egg for you. If you're curious, Devin was also the last person that tested the sim. Unlike you though, he had quite the eruption." Leon heartily laughed. "I had to have custodial come over to clean the chamber before you used it."

Good god, gross!

So that's what Devin had meant by "an 11."

I stared at the headset on the recliner, then mustered the courage to ask my boss once more, despite fearing I already knew the answer. "Leon, so can I work on VR?"

"Sorry Ken. You know you can't."

"Because of Belle? Was she the reason why I wasn't assigned to VR in the first place?"

"Conflict of interest. Could I have trusted that you wouldn't have gone rogue and created your own Belle sim? Dilly-dallying away work hours to your heart's—or cock's—desire."

"But that's

exactly

what you did!" I replied brashly, to my superior of all people.

"Yeah, one difference though: I'm the fucking boss here." Leon cackled to himself, leaving me at a loss for words.

"In all seriousness, Ken," he continued, "you haven't seen the blood, sweat, and tears that I've put into our VR program over the years. Belle aside, you're absolutely right, that our VR tech

will

be a game changer. For the more important things: healthcare, transportation, commerce."

"For the record, I wouldn't have gone rogue with my own Belle sim. It's not even like that anymore..."

"Not like

what

anymore?" he curiously asked.

"I haven't spoken to her in months."

Leon absorbed my words. "Sounds personal."

I stood silent, deliberately not delving any deeper.

He placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Hey listen, I know you want to work on VR. But take it from me, your current assignment is also important. The Seelby Maps app is a big thing the company's investing in. If we get it right, I think we can have the number one maps app in 5 to 7 years."

I politely half-smiled and gave a single nod, trying not to come off as a whiny employee any longer.

"Alright Ken, here's what I want you to do: download the latest Maps beta on your phone. I just pushed an update that I want you to test tomorrow."

"But tomorrow's Saturday. I'll be at Belle's wedding."

"You won't have to do any work. The other way around, actually. Don't say I wasn't ever a generous boss." He smiled.

***

The next morning, I woke up in the room of my apartment, a sense of dread bubbling inside me. It should've been pure positivity and excitement for the wedding later. But the reality was, I was riddled with anxiety, knowing that I'd probably have to interact with Belle tonight, after having avoided her all these months since I'd moved out.

What was the big deal you might ask? Well, do you know the saying, that criminals never feel bad about their crimes until they're caught? I related now—wholeheartedly. In the months since I'd moved out, I struggled with my growing sense of guilt, shame, and self-hate for my decision to plant a spy camera in Belle's bedroom.

She'd discovered the evidence, knew I'd planted it too. But strangely, what killed me the most was that she'd chosen to never condemn me for it, much less ever bring it up. I had seemingly gotten away scot-free. But why? What made me special? Why was I immune from confrontation and punishment?

I gathered Belle hadn't disclosed my misdeed to Uncle Artie. I hadn't felt banished by him in the least. Quite the opposite, in fact. He had invited me over multiple times to their mansion, and perhaps, most notably, to Belle's birthday dinner. But I'd purposely skipped every gathering, citing my job as the reason.

When it came to Belle herself, she had texted me several times early on after I'd moved into my apartment, asking me how I was doing, offering to take me out for ice cream or coffee. I'd replied curtly every time, often many hours or days later (or sometimes, I straight up ghosted her). When I did text back, I'd doled out boilerplate cliches, saying I was fine, then trotted out "my busy workload" as my excuse to avoid.

My pattern of responses had probably dissuaded Belle from texting me any more. Or maybe she was just too busy, planning a whole wedding and all. A coward to my core, the truth was I just didn't have the courage to face her in person, despite the ironic fact that she'd treat me no worse for wear.

Deep down, I just knew that after she'd found my spy cam, I could never be the same person to her ever again. And that was a harsh truth for me to grapple with, one that I let slowly eat away at me, every day that I thought about it. Maybe my conscience had a point back then, that I deserved to walk the plank, deserved to be sentenced for my sins.

The vibration of my phone suddenly made me flinch.

I checked to see that Eva was video-calling me. I sprouted a smile, happy to chat with my girlfriend to escape my heavy morning thoughts.

Over the past six months, Eva was my rock. We'd grown closer by the day, even as I found myself drifting further from my own family (Colin and Uncle Frank included). With Eva, I felt safe and assured in our relationship, especially as it evolved in one, particularly

interesting

way...

"Hi cute guy." She smiled through my device. "You're still in bed?"

"Yeah, just doing some thinking. How's Rio de Janeiro today?"

"Beautiful, as always! Nina and I are staying near the beach now!"

"Wow, still can't believe you're there for 'work.' Be honest, E, are you still convinced Enzo chose Rio for music reasons?"