Josephine has questions

Josephine looks to me. "Okay. So, that was weird. I... suddenly felt as though I wanted to take off my bra, and I couldn't even stop myself. Is that what it's like?"

I shrug. "I guess so. I mean, I've never been on the receiving end."

Josephine looks to me, and her bra. "Jacob, I'm, um... I'm a bit self-conscious sitting here without a bra. Or rather, having my bra sitting on the seat next to me. But... I can't bring myself to try to put it back on. Or ... even to go to the ladies and put it back on. This... this really is 'for the rest of the day', isn't it?"

"Seems like it," I reply evenly.

"Okay," Josephine says, her eyes darting be around the table anxiously. "... The waitress didn't seem to care, even though she caught me doing it," she reflected. "So... maybe it is all okay." Josephine looks to me intently. "How sure are you that no-one else will care? That we haven't just lucked out on one of the more, let's say 'easy-going' servers?"

I shrug. "I've been led to believe that everyone will just take it in their stride, so long as we keep the awareness settings off."

Josephine pales.

"I'm not going to touch those with you, without your consent," I hasten to add. "I want to share this app with you. For us to have fun with it, together."

Josephine pauses, and stares at me a long time.

"Okay," she says, finally, very slightly reassured. "I'd like to look at the rest of these settings. For me, and any other girls you've played with. I want to understand this app better, now that I have some idea of what it can do."

That seems only fair. "Go ahead," I tell her.

Josephine takes my phone and examines it with newfound purpose. "Okay, so all of these have settings where I'm aware of the effects and no-one else is. Except you, I'm guessing," she looks to me. I nod.

She returns to my phone. I'm struck with the impression that she's reading it like a contract.

"You've already had me take off my bra for the rest of the day.... and you can make me do that with my panties as well. You've also made it so that I accept any sexual attention from you..." she looks to me. "I guess that might come on handy while you have me traipsing around at home without a bra or panties. But... You're not looking at me in a sexual way now, are you?"

I reflect. "Well... I am excited about the possibilities doing things with you. But right now is a bit of a tense situation. I, uh ... I didn't think of how this might feel from your perspective. You're understandably anxious. I'm hoping that there's some way that I can put you at ease."

Josephine nods. "Don't get me wrong, I have no problems with you getting excited seeing me half-naked. I mean, I know I'm supposed to care about that, but I can't work up any feelings about it. Though I guess this app has something to do with that."

I decide to take a gamble. "It's not like we've never flirted with each other, either."

Josephine's lips twitched up at the corners. "Sure. And obviously I've noticed you looking at me from time to time, and maybe I've done the same. But... Let's just say this is not the same thing. You have to know that, right?"

I nod. "Yeah. Basically, this app is mostly about sex. I wanted someone I could trust to confide in, but I also wanted the dynamic to be sexy at the same time. I hoped I could nudge things in that direction."

"Nudge, hm?" She raises an eyebrow at me, Josephine then shrugs. "Okay. I'd have to think a while about how I would have felt about that before, but it doesn't really matter, as I don't mind you having sexual interest in me. Just... bear in mind that though I'm fine with you lusting after me, doesn't mean that we're going to get physical yet. Deal?"

"That's fair," I say.

Josephine nods. "Just so we're clear," she says. "Oh, here's a tricky one: Indifferent to the consequences of using the app. How meta."

"... What do you think of that?" I ask after a pause.

"I can't bring myself to care," she says, deadpan.

After a moment, she smiles. "Okay, I'm joking. On the one hand, I feel like it's something think it's potentially worrisome, because I feel like I should care more about the ways in which you could **** this power, or how that's even possible. But I can't really make myself care." Josephine shrugs. "I guess I'm just living in your world now, or something."

I must admit that I feel a bit shocked. "No, Josephine, that's not how it is."

Josephine looks to me, non-chalant. "Isn't it? You've made me accept any sexual attention you give me, to not care about how you did it, and then got me to take off my bra in public for kicks. Seems like what you want, you get."

I slump. This is not how I wanted things to go.

"Don't get me wrong," Josephine shrugs. "I don't really mind. I mean, I'm still jumpy from that surprise you gave me with my bra, but in the end it got me to take this seriously. There's not much keeping you from turning me into a sex **** if you wanted, though."

I stammer. "B-but that's the point. I don't want you to be a sex ****. I want you to be... like, like a conspirator."

Josephine raises an eyebrow and smiles wryly. "A conspirator who you can make take off her clothes, and who's cool with you ogling her."

"A conspirator and sexy playmate," I concede.

Josephine nods. "Sure. I mean, I guess you get to decide what it means for me to be your 'sexy playmate'... but seeing that aside, I'm cool with you thinking of me that way." She looks seriously to me. "You know we're going to have to talk about you using the app on me, right? So long as it's just our inside joke, I'm fine with the stuff you can make me do now, but I want to have some rules."

I'm not sure what that conversation is going to be like, but it's an easy concession to make to get Josephine onside. "That's perfectly fair."

Josephine nods purposefully. "Good." She smiles nervously. "I'll be honest, Jacob. This app is freaking me out just a little bit. But I can see why you used it on me... and I'm glad you were upfront with me about it. It's that what you meant when you said you wanted a 'conspirator'?"

"The point is that the app will also allow you to do stuff," I say. "That's the final thing I have activated for you: that 'Copilot status'."

"Hmm," Josephine hums, looking at the phone again. "I can get this app as well, and use it, with your supervision," she says. "You're in control, again."

I shrug. "That's what they offered to me, as a way to allow me to show you the app. I don't know everything that it means. Maybe it even allows you to use the customisations that I got for you."

Josephine's eyes widen. "Oh, right." She looks around, checking the mood of the restaurant. "So..." she says, tentatively. "Because I have 'Open Shirt' on this App, that means I can completely unbutton it and no-one will mind?" She begins to unbutton her shirt.