I. Introduction
My voice echoed down the entry hall of the sparsely furnished house. "Hello?" The car in the driveway and the unlocked front door told me that Carl must be home. I called out again as I walked into his house and closed the door behind me. It was a bright sunny Saturday. "What a waste," I mumbled to myself, knowing he was probably hard at work on some project in his basement. Carl works as a lead research scientist at a large pharmaceutical company in the city. We were college roommates and have remained buddies over the last ten years since graduating. Even in college, it became my job to get him out of his studies to enjoy life more. He built a small lab in his basement that allowed him to bring his work home. Some patterns are hard to break.
"Carl?" I called out again, knowing he would be downstairs in his lab.
"Down here."
"Hey, there is a pick-up game at the club," I reminded as I made my way down the basement stairs.
"I can't," he said faking disappointment. "We are under the gun to meet this deadline. We have to submit it to the FDA Monday morning if we have any hope of rolling a product out by next February. Timing is everything with these things."
"What are you working on?" I asked knowing it was always top secret. Pharmaceutical research is one of the most competitive industries and under the constant threat of corporate espionage.
"You know I can't talk about it," he answered routinely. "If I did, I would have to kill you."
"Cancer research?" I pushed back out of curiosity. "AIDS?"
"Sorry Phil. Can't go there."
I knew I could wear him down by continuing to prod. He loved his work. The hardest part about it for him was not being able to talk about it. "Why next February?" I asked.
"Valenti..." he started to answer unthinking and caught himself before finishing the word.
"Valentines?" I said finishing the obvious word. "Something for Valentine's Day?"
"Phil, I can't talk about it." His voice exposed excitement he felt for what he was working on. "I could lose my job."
"Carl, it's you and me here in your basement. You know I won't say anything."
"I know," he said, still unable to hide his personal excitement.
"Hey, I shared with you the big 'knock her socks off' marketing campaign I put together before it went public and hit gold, right?"
"Yes," he answered sheepishly.
"Come on then," I pushed. "I can tell you are excited about this. We are best buddies. You can trust me. I won't say a word, but let me share your excitement."
"You have to promise..." he said beginning to give in.
"Have I ever let you down? I give you my word."
Carl exploded with the excitement of a eight-year-old telling his friends about his first trip to Disneyland. "Phil, this is unlike any project I have ever worked on. It is going to revolutionize sex for women."
"What?" I asked.
"ED drugs have changed the sexual world for men, right? Men have the drive, but sometimes the equipment doesn't work."
"OK, that's true. And, if your erection should last for more than four hours ... find more women."
"Funny. Women are different and are missing out. Unlike the men, many have the equipment that work but struggle with having an orgasm. They want orgasms, they ache for them, but get frustrated and give up."
"That's what you are working on?"
"Yep," he said with continued excitement. "I've discovered the answer that will make women satisfied and insatiable. Those who have struggled will unleash orgasms to their heart's content. Even better, it will take the orgasmic experience of those who have not had problems to a whole new level."
"It's an aphrodisiac."
"On steroids," Carl continued. "but better."
"How does it work?" I asked out of curiosity.
"It is dual functioning," he answered excitedly. "Without getting technical, the first component works with the brain to put the mind in a hyper-orgasmic state. The second component works simultaneously to activate a physiological response in the body. Their nipples get hard, their vagina gets soaked, and their body is taken to the edge of orgasmic ecstasy."
"That's amazing. Women around the world will want to thank you!"
Carl smiled. "It's about time. Researchers have been underappreciated and under-compensated for too long."
"So, a rollout date of February will take Valentines Days to a new level for women."
"It won't be bad for men either," Carl added. "We are still working to get the dosages of the two components right." He pointed to a line of large bags filled with power. "The ones over here were too light on either one or both of the components. The ones over here on the right were too high. The combination in the last bag was so potent that the slightest trigger, like a suggestive whisper yielded immediate orgasmic responses in 91% of our trials. The other 9% weren't far behind. Their single-focused insatiable response continued for several hours, making the dosage over-the-top."
"That must have been fun," I said. "Who said research was tedious or boring?
"Like I said, it is unlike any work I have ever done. We even have women employees volunteering to participate in our research. It does have its rewarding side."
"What happens to all these bags?" I asked out of curiosity.
"I have taken samples to show our progress. I have to discard those for security purposes."
"That makes sense," I said. "Want a hand?"
"Sure," Carl said. "I have the toxic material dumpster upstairs."
"Why don't you finish what you are doing here while I dump these so we can get to that pick-up game."
"You don't mind?"
"Anything to help get my friend out of this basement and outside."
"Thanks man."
