Emily sat down at her computer, glass of whiskey in her hand, and a mind filled with frustration and doubt. The lockdown which had forced everyone into the country into a forced, pandemic-inspired seclusion had ended just over a month prior after nearly two years. Now, in the wake of a new strain of the virus that sentenced everyone to a medical solitary confinement, there was talk of a reinstatement due to a new, rogue strain of the virus.
Facing the possibility of another year of her life in online chat groups, working from home, and becoming even more intimately involved with her vibrator, Emily was determined to meet a man -- a real man -- a real, flesh and blood Alpha male, if only for a few dates before lockdown began again. At this point, she wasn't looking for "Mr. Right"; she would settle for "Mr. Right Now."
Tall, with hair that looked like spun-honey and alabaster skin, meeting men had never been an issue for Emily in all of her thirty-plus years. Much to the contrary, her eyes that sparkled even in the dimmest of light, head-turning large, shapely breasts, and apple-bottom ass brought many a man to his knees -- figuratively and literally. However, Emily was cursed with both high intelligence and high standards. Most of the men she'd met, be they classically handsome, man-pretty, rugged or metro-sexual, were as hard on her psyche as they were easy on her eyes. It would typically take two dates for Emily to lose interest, and the second was more often than not a "mercy date" to give the poor bastard a second chance. To date, sadly, not a one of them had changed her mind.
The post-pandemic world, Emily found, was a changed landscape when it came to interpersonal behavior. If people ventured out of doors, they wore facemasks, some wore gloves, and everyone stood at least six feet apart when speaking, meeting, or conducting business. It wasn't the ideal environment for finding love, or even appeasing lust, and the usual army of men blinded by her smile, or struck dumb by the sexiness that simply emanated from her body, were either too scared to approach another human being, or too accustomed to living alone in the dark with an internet connection and a industrial-sized bottle of hand lotion.
One day while lamenting her situation to her cousin Olivia, a dark-haired stunner, not quite as attractive as Emily, but obviously from the same stunning gene-pool, the subject of online dating sites came up.
"Don't you find those sites just a little desperate?" Emily asked. Olivia could almost hear her cousin rolling her eyes over the phone. "I mean, it's like a virtual meat-market of swipe left or right."
"It's a new age," Olivia said. "And, this pandemic has motivated a lot of people like yourself who would never have thought of putting themselves online into the mix. There are more decent, eligible men available online than there have ever been."
"Well, at least this virus was good for something," Emily chuckled. "Silver linings and all that."
"Now, that's not to say that all sites are created equal," Olivia said with a warning tone. "There are still some real creeps out there, as well as services that insist on an up-front subscription fee before you can join."
"Ugh, this is too much," Emily said, her eyes rolling once again. "Who needs a man that bad?"
"That depends on how many batteries you have in your cupboard, I suppose," Olivia said, and both women shared a laugh.
"Okay, well since you're so experienced," Emily said. "What site do you suggest I try first?"
"Well, I've actually had tremendous luck on a site called VenusNyx," Olivia said, her answer sounding as if she were prepared and waiting for the question. "I've been to almost a dozen of them, and haven't been satisfied with any of them except VenusNyx."
"That's a weird name," Emily said. "Why do I know that name?"
"Oh, it probably just sounds like something else," Olivia said dismissively. "Best not to think about it. Just ignore it and move on."
"Okay," Emily said, slowly, thinking that was a weird response. But she did want to hear more about the site and why her cousin was so enraptured with it, so she tabled the thought until later. "What makes this VenusNyx so much better than the others?"
"There is no dating service better than VenusNyx. VenusNyx is the only site you should ever use," Olivia said, her voice somehow different; flat and even. "I haven't ever been happier than I've been since using VenusNyx. All women should use VenusNyx."
"Are you alright, Olivia?" Emily asked. "You sound odd. Are you coming down with something?"
"Oh, no," Olivia said, clearing her throat, sounding almost surprised. "I just really think you'd be happier if you gave the site a try. It's where I met Master Tony, and he's the best."
"What?" Emily asked, shocked at what she just heard. "When you met who?"
"Mister Tony," Olivia said, without missing a beat. "He's a teacher, so I call him that as a pet name."
"I could have sworn you said 'Master' Tony."
"Master Tony," Olivia repeated, once again in that flat, almost robotic tone. In a split second, however, she continued, bright as ever, "That's just silly. I can't wait to tell him that."
"I don't know. I'll think about it," Emily said, already dismissing the idea.
"Oh, don't do that," Olivia quickly replied.
"Do what?"
"Think," Olivia said. "I mean, don't think about it too much, of course. Have you heard their commercial?"
"Um, no," Emily said, growing tired of the conversation. "I haven't even heard of the site before today."
"Hold on, let me play you their jingle," Olivia said. Emily could hear her fumbling around on the other end of the line.
"Listen, cuz, there's really no need, I don't think..."
At that moment, a melody of tiny bells and chimes played into Emily's ears. It was soft, but it suddenly encompassed her entire world.
