Dr Veranda had her regularly scheduled meeting with her senior, Dr Harper. He was the one who recruited Dr Veranda from her position at a pharmaceutical company where she was woefully underutilised and paid. He had been light on the details of the job but his reputation precedes him. At the veritable top of the food chain when it came to bio-engineering. He and his teams were at the bleeding edge of bio-tech. He had dropped off the radar a couple of years ago, presumed to have finally been scooped up by some uber-rich, private company. This wasn't far from the truth.
The facility in which Dr Veranda worked was underground, she could tell that much from the natural exposed rock of the long corridors that formed a maze. Everything else was on much of a need to know basis. Her flight via helicopter was done in a blacked out cabin. They'd land on a pad within the facility so she never saw the light of day, except for the nature rooms situated throughout to keep people sane.
A mag-lev shuttle was the main transport, it serviced a huge circular route on an outer ring. There was an inner-ring, but Dr Veranda was never privy to what it was for or how to get there. Sat on her own, watching the lights of the tunnel flash by, she fidgeted with her tablet as she thought about presenting more failed results to Dr Harper. He was kind, but that would only go so far, when he undoubtedly had his superiors bearing down in him.
There wasn't much else the doctor knew about the entity she worked for, whether it was governmental or private, publicly or privately funded. All she was given was just enough for her to be able to do her job, and do it well.
The shuttle glided effortlessly to a halt. Platform 8. This was her stop. The corridors here were bare, grey and utilitarian. Her heels clicked and echoed down the long straight, leading to a reception where she had to scan her ID badge. Then followed an optical scan before she was allowed into yet another corridor that had four rooms as offshoots.
"Morning Lydia." Dr Harper was standing with the door open, checking through something on his phone.
"Morning." This office space was his, but lacked any real sustenance or personality. It seemed more like a spare go-to for when he had to speak with herself and other researchers.
Lydia sat herself down across from Ethan, tapping the tablet on her lap.
"Drink?" He asked, looking back at her as he lifted the coffee pot from the machine?
"I'm good, thank you." With the formalities out of the way, Lydia was eager to get this over with.
"So," Dr Harper sat himself down and took a tepid sip of the fresh coffee, "how's Subject 004?"
His silver hair and steely gaze made Lydia warm in all of the right places. He was suave, well-spoken and highly intelligent. All the characteristics of someone she wouldn't mind being handled by.
"It is still copulating but I have detected a dip in activity of late." Lydia could feel she was starting to ramble, it was so unlike her to fall apart and become unprofessional.
"I mean have any of the experiments been a success?" Ethan set his coffee down, leant forward and inter-laced his fingers on the desk.
"Well no, but I think given -,"
Dr Harper cut her off, "it's been six months now Lydia. Expectations were set and they haven't been met."
Dr Veranda had started to sweat, growing anxious at where this conversation was going. "Look, I know that we had expected some kind of result but there's still so much we don't know and -"
He interrupted again, "let me clarify, you aren't about to lose your funding and job," Lydia's shoulders relaxed and some of the tension diminished, "but I do need to see some change in the next month otherwise the decision will be out of my hands."
Dr Harper was trying to be kind, which Lydia appreciated, this was just as difficult a conversation for him. They'd spoken at length when she was invited to have lunch with him. He'd wanted to know everything about her, including some things that weren't even related to the role. She didn't mind playing that game, flirting and giving up some herself as long as he was willing to do the same.
"I promise I'll have results this time next week," Lydia was eager to get started, eager to please, "I was hoping, if you wouldn't mind of course, if I could - run - some of those ideas by you?"
Dr Veranda looked at Ethan through her brown hand drifting up to the buttons of her tight white shirt. It was pulled taut against her heavy chest, transparent enough for Dr Harper to see the black bra she had worn. It was all on purpose of course, Lydia had prepped in every way for this meeting.
The first button popped open and Lydia let the top of her shirt open up, exposing her collar and just a hint of cleavage. Unfolding her legs, she teased at the rim of her pencil skirt, letting Dr Harper see more and more of her supple thighs. He devoured Dr Veranda with his eyes as she put more of herself on show. The heat and tension in the room rose until it was a palpable substance that could be touched and tasted.
Lydia stood herself up and sauntered around to Ethans side of the desk, where she propped herself up on the edge. There, looking down into his steely blue eyes, she continued to slowly unbutton her shirt until the navel of her stomach led Dr Harper up to her heavy chest. His strong hands took a hold of her waist as he leaned in and planted the first, delicate kiss onto her bronze skin. Lydia bit back a moan, pushing her fingers through his gorgeous silver hair as the anticipation stoked the fire in her body. She squeezed together her legs. Her sex aching to be touched.