In hindsight I shoulda finished chapter 3 with this, oh well. Sorry to have kept everyone waiting.
*****
The two waltzed through the illusion of an elegant ball; a tuxedo projected over Colin's street clothes and a tight, 'real' dress emphasising Alecia's slender form.
Hearing her innuendo, the events leading up to the two face to face at this moment flashed before Colin's eyes.
The many moments he watched her from afar, convinced she never noticed him, ignorant even of her real name.
The first time he peeped into her daydreams and saw what she imagined doing to him; it scared him shitless yet intrigued him too much to keep away for long.
Their first actual conversation; convinced she knew what he had done, out of fear his resolution to avoid her socially and psychically- until she got his attention back by masturbating him to orgasm in a crowded classroom by pure thought.
Suddenly the classical music underscoring the simulated ball shifted to something raunchier; jolting the two out of the moment. Both Colin and Alecia stopped and looked in the direction of the musicians. Between them and the players the other guests of the ball began tearing off their expensive gowns and suits in anticipation of the orgy about to occur.
"Oh, that's right," Alecia recalled, "This program is called Dr. Ooooh Yeah, but the guy who booked the session said rather than take part we could go somewhere else- this dancing was so nice I kind of got lost in the moment."
Colin looked back at the simulated fuckfest; coming to the conclusion that an orgy composed mostly of holograms seemed kind of hollow he looked back to Alecia and answered, "Somewhere else sounds good."
Alecia led Colin to one of the elevators of the 'hotel' where the gala/orgy was supposed to be taking place. The ballroom scrolled behind them, though they only moved a few feet the festivities looked farther away than the actual dimensions of the room in which the program was running.
Stepping into the elevator Colin found himself in front of the buttons, "Okay- what floor?"
Alecia looked sideways at him, "Why not the penthouse?"
"Oh right- I guess it's not like we have to worry about it being booked," Colin hit the button and the doors pinged shut. Though the counter displayed the rising floor number marking their alleged ascent, it occurred to Colin it didn't feel like the elevator car was going anywhere- a more subtle example of the limitations of Immersive technology.
The lift doors slid aside announcing a short corridor leading to the two wide, ornate doors of the penthouse suite. Colin and Alecia reached them and entered a room that claimed more space than all of the Steam Tunnels.
Colin walked in with awe. To his left lay an open bathroom with a tub sunken into the marble floor. To his right a low table supported a tray of oysters near an ice bucket from which a bottle of champagne protruded, two crystal glasses in front. The detail was impressive, even if the champagne and oysters would have proven just as tasteless as that glass of bubbly in the ballroom below.
Stopping right in front of the bed he pushed down on the mattress, at least that felt real. He heard something drop to the floor behind him; turning around Colin froze. About three feet before him Alecia stood naked, her dress crumpled into a circle around her feet.