We had barely stopped arguing from the moment we'd arrived at the transfer station. I'd packed too many bags to carry; we were having the wrong lunch; no I hadn't packed a hairbrush for him because it's his goddamned hair not mine; bicker, bicker, snip, snap, squabble. He looked at me with an expression of, what was it, hate? No, not quite. It was worst than that. Contempt.
"We haven't even got to Fantasy Park and I'm hating this already, " he grumped. "Christ, so much for the holiday of a lifetime that would mend our relationship."
"Let's not forget whose idea this was. 'Let's go live out our wildest dreams. We could be medieval outlaws living wild in the forest! Decadent Romans in the bathhouse and the Coliseum; adventurers on the Wild West Frontier.' Be honest, the only fantasy you ever had was fucking your way through a parade of strippers."
"Oh yes. And there it is, the actual issue. You're jealous. Bitter and jealous. You're jealous just because I said I might want to experience the full range of opportunities the park has to offer."
I let out a curt, humorless bark of a laugh. "Ha. You make it sound so noble. Be honest You just want a brainless sex doll who will suck your cock on demand and then smile and ask for more."
"Well, can you blame me? I can't remember the last time you so much as touched me there. Yes. I'll say it, if that's what you want. I'm really looking forward to picking up the first dolly I see with nothing but a circuit board between her ears, a perfect pair of big soft tits beneath her corset and one of those patented self-lubricating latex pussies that will squeeze and shape itself around my hard cock & suck every drop of cum out of my balls and I'll be saying ooh yeah baby this is what I want, you're so much better at this than my human girlfriend, because yes, in all honesty that is exactly what I'm paying forty fucking thousand dollars to enjoy. Happy now? Is that what you wanted to hear?"
I folded my arms across my chest and scowled.
***
Eight hours later I sat alone in our room in the accommodation block. Eight hours of skulking, sulking silence had passed. I hadn't said a word, not even to the stewards who greeted us warmly and gave us the obligatory health, safety and hygiene rundown. Had they been robots too, or just improbably young, fit, attractive humans? It was impossible to tell. I had to admit, those androids -- or 'dolls' as the park modestly insisted on calling them, were amazingly lifelike. Perhaps their only flaw was that they were just too perfect. As beautifully sculpted as Michelangelo's David, and with embedded AI that adjusted to your own level. Want to spend your day grunting like a barbarian berserker? They'll join you. Want to debate the flaws in Einstein's theory of special relativity? No problem. Every single one of them, from the ancient Egyptian slave to the Wild West hooker can adjust to your level. These things might not be human but, as the advertising insisted, they are so, so much better than that.
I did a quick sum in my head and worked out that the bastard had already paid about $2,000 just for me to sit sulking in my room. That brought a hint of a smile to my face. I glanced at the time. Still a full evening ahead, might as well try to make something of this shitshow. I was draped only in a complimentary bathrobe, having discarded my travel clothes, showered, and then decided there was nothing I wanted to wear, nowhere I wanted to go.
I took the official Fantasy Park tablet off its wall fixing and idly began to browse through. So many different zones, scenarios, adventures to consider. I had a play with the guided search options.
You are: FEMALE
You are: IN A COUPL... no, backspace
You are: SINGLE
You enjoy: DRESSING UP
You want an adventure that is: VIOLEN... no, backspace, fuck him.
You want an adventure that is: EROTIC
You are feeling [1]: ADVENTUROUS
You are feeling [2]: ANGRY
You are feeling [3]: SUBMISSIVE
You are attracted to: MEN... no, backspace
You are attracted to: BOTH
BEST SUGGESTION: Medieval Zone 'Rescue of Princess Alexia' (6-10 hour adventure). You will begin your adventure getting into role as Princess Alexia in the dressing room of our Royal Castle, where you will be bathed, dressed and prepared by two beautiful ladies in waiting. Don't enjoy yourself too much, because the evil Count Bolderman's soldiers will soon arrive to take you off to the dungeons. You will be held there to be used as bait to lure the heroic Sir Robin -- will he rescue you before the dastardly Count has his wicked way with you?
Hmm. I couldn't deny it sounded interesting, to say the least. But not quite right for my mood today. I tried changing some of the settings, moving the sliders around, seeing what else came up. I could be the all-powerful sorceress conducting demonic sex magick rituals and bathing in the blood of virgins?
As one hand swiped through the erotic scenarios on the tablet, I noticed that my left, almost despite myself, had slipped inside my robe, a finger idly circling my nipple, slipping down my belly, absent-mindedly cupping my mound.
But human sacrifice sounded a bit messy for my tastes. I changed a few more settings, and I could be a stripper in a 1930s Berlin cabaret, degrading myself for a roomful of Nazi officers who would gaze at my naked body, lust after me, cheer my every step, demand all kinds of obscene acts of me... safe in the knowledge they have their electronic memories wiped blank moments later, living on in no memory but my own. OK I love that fantasy but I fucking hate Nazis. Or hello. I could even conduct my own revenge fantasy, hunting down a gang of bandits in turn and make them pay for their crimes in increasingly ugly punishments. I could do to them what I'm not allowed to do to my shithead of a boyfriend. Tempting, I must admit, but not for me.
I sighed. None of it was quite right. I would get something to eat and see how I felt later.
* * *
I didn't fancy any of the exotic banquets and weird menus on offer in the fantasy zones, so I got dressed in my favourite black cocktail dress -- the one he never liked because it was shoulderless & so I can't wear a bra with it, 'slutty' he calls it. Well fuck him. -- and caught the park monorail to the Casino Monte Carlo. Once through the huge gold and crystal doors, I glanced into the cavernous main room, full of slot machines, roulette wheels and card tables. I've never been one for gambling, even when work had taken me to Vegas I'd never caught the bug. I wondered if this casino might be the one for me -- the only one in the world where, if you want, you could guarantee to begin your night with $20 in your pocket & end it a millionaire, book yourself into a suite with as many bottles of champagne & escorts as you've ever dreamed of and literally roll in your winnings. Of course it is all a fantasy, you can't take your prize out of the park at the end of your stay, but you can take the memories, and judging from the throng of people inside, that was good enough for a lot of guests.
But I was really only here to get something to eat. In the foyer of the restaurant the handsome young Maitre D' greeted me with a smile. "Eating alone, ce soir, madame?" The French accent was convincing.
"Yes, thank you. Just me."
"I could arrange some company if you prefer?"
"No, thank you, I'm fine for now. Perhaps later."
"Of course, mademoiselle." He showed me to a table for two, swiftly and elegantly removing the other place setting.
One duck liver parfait and a salmon in dill sauce later and I was contemplating dessert. Fuck calories, I'm on holiday. The shadow of a figure appeared at my shoulder. I began to ask for a menu when I glanced up and realized this was not my waiter. The man standing there was tall, at least 6'3", and a firm, strong physique was filling out the shape of an impeccable tuxedo. He had neat short black hair and dazzling blue eyes which caught my own gaze and twinkled unmistakably as I let out a short impromptu gasp at his sheer beauty. He gave just the slightest smile of acknowledgement.
"I've always believed it is nothing short of a crime for a beautiful woman to be dining alone. May I join you?"
It would have been a cheesy line from a drunk in a bar, but in this setting, in these circumstances, in his deep, resonant, refined English voice, I felt something inside me melt. I began to stammer and blush and could only gesture towards the chair opposite me.
"The name is Blond. John Blond," he disclosed. I smiled.
"Oh. Of course it is. And let me guess, you work for Her Majesty's Secret Service?"
He leaned forward, conspiratorially. "Shhhh, Sindy, you've been expecting me?"
I was momentarily taken aback when he used my name. Of course, I remembered, all the dolls have our data logged and stored. He didn't just know my name, but all those questionnaires I'd answered, the preferences I'd listed, all my fantasies, desires, turn-ons, turn-offs, phobias and wishes. He knew me better than any man from the real world had ever known me, even -- no, especially -- my own boyfriend.