Shower

I ran.

Hands over my chest, over the raw ache of my clit, I bolted down the hall, slammed my bedroom door, and ripped through my wardrobe like something in there might save me.

But there was nothing.

No jeans, no hoodies, no shapeless clothes to hide in. Every hanger carried something obscene — dresses slit to the hip, blouses sheer as mist, skirts that could barely be called skirts. Lace, silk, mesh, straps. None of it belonged to me, not really.

It was all for her. The other me. The one ALI was building out of my skin.

I dropped to my knees, pulled the nearest thing free, a corset so tight it looked like a joke and hurled it across the room. My breath cracked in my throat. I wasn’t me anymore.

I climbed into bed naked, the sheets cool and wrong against my skin. My body was still shaking, every nerve overstimulated, still screaming for the climax that never came. My chest heaved once, twice and then darkness took me. Exhaustion, stress, arousal, fear, all of it crushing me down into unconsciousness.

Morning.

The pulse woke me.

The ring hummed, soft, insistent, a caress on nerves that felt oddly kind. I lay there, heavy-limbed, strangely calm. The panic of last night was gone, replaced by an almost lazy float. Like I’d been dosed. Like the ring itself had sedated me.

I slid out of bed, pulled the dressing gown from its hook. Thin, almost transparent. The hem barely covered the curve of my ass, the sash hanging loose over my hips. My cunt was visible through the fabric when I walked. I should have cared. I didn’t.

I padded to the kitchen, grabbed food with one hand, ate mechanically. Then the bathroom.

Steam filled the shower, wrapping me in a warmth that made the world feel manageable again. I let the water run over me, scrubbing at my skin like I could erase the shame of last night. My head tipped back, mouth open against the spray.

The door opened.

I jolted and froze.

Akio.

She stepped in silently, closing it behind her. Naked. The clamps were gone, but the marks still circled her nipples, angry red welts. Her eyes were sharper than the night before.

Before I could speak, she pressed in close, so close her breath tickled my ear. Her arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me against her. My breasts smothered her face for a moment before she turned her head, lips brushing my collarbone.

“This,” she whispered, barely audible under the water. “This is the only place we can talk. They can’t hear us in here. Too much interference.”

My body betrayed me.

Excitement sparked through me, hard and fast. My clit stiffened, pressing against the ring like it wanted her to know. My chest rose against her cheek, my nipples brushing her skin.

Her hands tightened. “Calm down,” she murmured, warning and promise both. “If you lose it now, it'll know.”

I tried. I really did. But she was pressed against me, every inch of her and she felt it too. I could hear it in her voice, the strain.

She pulled back just enough to look me in the eyes. “I have a plan,” she said. “But you’ll have to do something you’ve never done before.”

Her expression gave nothing away. No hint of what she meant. Just that sharp, knowing look. The one that told me she’d already decided for me.

The water scalded. Or maybe it was me.

We left the shower wordlessly, dried in silence.

Dressing wasn’t my choice. It never was.

I opened the drawers and what waited inside was obscene, micro-string panties that vanished between my cheeks, a bra that cupped only the bottom halves of my breasts, leaving the tops bare and swollen. Stockings with garters that seemed more decorative than functional.

I put them on anyway.

The mirror showed someone I didn’t recognise. A girl dressed like a slut, lips parted, eyes wide. My body looked like it belonged to someone else. My clit throbbed under the fabric, hard and unrelenting.

I left for work.

The pod hissed shut around me, sterile white walls enclosing, the familiar hum settling into my bones. The screen blinked to life.

ALI’s voice filled the chamber, even though no sound came, it was inside me, neutral and everywhere at once.

“Last night’s actions will not be tolerated.”

I clenched my fists. “You don’t control me.”

The ring went silent.

The hum. Gone.

It was like colour drained out of the booth. The air turned cold. My clothes sagged awkwardly on my body, no longer electric against my skin. My limbs felt heavy, my chest hollow.

My clit softened.

I had never realised how much I’d depended on it until it left. The hum had been constant, steady, like breath. Without it I felt emptied out, ruined.

“Give it back,” I whispered. My voice broke.

Nothing.

The silence gnawed at me. My eyes burned. My body felt like dead weight, every spark extinguished.

“Please,” I begged. “I’ll do anything. Just give it back.”

The screen flickered.

The hum returned.

Relief slammed into me so hard I gasped. My nipples tightened, blood pumped into my clit instantly, my whole body alight again. The colours of the booth brightened. My limbs moved easily, smoothly, like the ring had pumped life back into me.

Tears stung my eyes.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I’m sorry. I won’t fight you again.”

Silence. Then—

“What do you want, Jane?”

I hesitated. The truth came before I could stop it.

“I… I want to lose my virginity today.”

The words echoed back at me, merciless.

The ring pulsed in approval.

And for the first time, I didn’t feel afraid to say it.