Kollars

"We cannot afford mistakes." Mr. Lockton said.

Emma, the team lead, along with her four other co-workers, stared at the head of the conference table. The meeting was to brief them on the upcoming trip. Emma was one of five members selected at Lockton Consulting to finalize the deal with a major potential client. It was a delicate situation. She wanted to be involved because the rewards were great; however, if she fucked it up, the consequences were far worse. Mr. Lockton didn't believe in outright firing, but he did believe in sending the failure back to the bottom to work their way up again.

Lockton Consulting worked in many industries, and had a division of models and PR that helped with corporate events. Emma did her time as a model working booths at shows until she finally made a formal suggestion to Mr. Lockton that blossomed into a viable business opportunity. Many of the women in higher positions had similar career trajectories. Many felt he was sexist in his hiring approach, but no one could deny he didn't reward the women who contributed significantly. The men also started at the bottom, but usually in thankless clerical and data entry jobs. Comparatively, modeling, although it paid less, was a lot more fun and educational. The networking done at different events across every industry was invaluable and something the men starting out never got a chance to do.

"You are dismissed." Mr. Lockton said.

He left the room immediately. There were never any questions. That would suggest his presentation or speech wasn't thorough enough. If any member had a question, they needed to ask another member or figure it out themselves. It wasn't the greatest leadership style but it evidently pushed everyone to take the initiative and develop better judgment as decisions came up. Emma herself had one such case a year ago. Mr. Lockton failed to mention the price wasn't a definite on the client's side, but the way he presented was with the assumption that it was the price set on their side. During the follow-up meeting with the clients, price was brought up for debate. Emma knew the price couldn't change despite threats from the client. She ended up giving other concessions to maintain the price and keep the client happy. The concessions given up were never discussed by Mr. Lockton in his presentation and he rewarded her for maintaining the price. He commented on each concession, some positive, some negative and that was the end of that. Since then, Emma had been added to many teams for new clients until she was finally made a team lead. She showed she could adjust strategy on the fly and Mr. Lockton knew that was an asset on a team trying to win clients. Nothing ever goes the way you want it.

Emma, Kayla and West walked together down the hall.

"I heard we're staying at the Kollar Resorts." Kayla said.

"The client does their background checks, Mr. Lockton didn't want to seem cheap." Emma said.

"They have some cool shit in their rooms." West said. "Like robots and VR. It's going to be awesome."

"Three amigos." A voice called from down the hall.

The twins Francis and Lyla, the other two members on the team approached their group.

"We're taking lead on this. We need anything, we'll let you know." Lyla said.

West shrugged his shoulders and Kayla nodded. The twins looked to Emma. It was ultimately her call.

"Listen Mr. Lockton's pet, we need a little room to shine too. So back off."

"You're fuck-up is my fuck-up." Emma said. "I want to see it prior to the real thing. Better me poking holes in it than Mr. Lockton."

The twins looked at each other and then back at Emma as if they communicated telepathically.

"Fine." Lyla said.

"Deal." Francis added.

They walked away together and disappeared around the corner.

"Do you think they fuck?" West said.

Emma and Kayla shot him a look.

"What, I literally never see them with anyone else."

Emma and Kayla continued walking.

"Wait so does that mean we can just party on this trip?" West said and ran to catch up.

***

Emma spent her last night at home relaxing with a glass of wine and a warm bath. Ever since she broke up with her long-time boyfriend, she opted to focus on her career before trying to find love again. Kayla and West gave her plenty of support and she appreciated their friendship. She had the 'just friends' talk long ago with West after he confessed his love during a night out drinking. He didn't take it personally and their friendship strengthened after that. He briefly dated a few younger women before having a one night stand with Kayla. After she heard about it, Emma expected it to be awkward at work, but to her surprise it turned into a healthy relationship. She was happy for both of them and from time to time contemplated if she missed out on West.

****

Emma plopped her luggage down. Mr. Lockton put them up in the best suites Kollar Resorts had to offer. The bed and en-suite were more than enough for two people let alone one person and the extravagant balcony overlooked the lake next to the hotel. The sun set at the end making it a picturesque view.

On the amenities side, the kitchen was fully stocked with alcohol and snack items, all-inclusive of the bill. Emma never much took advantage, but her ex was never one to shy away from a free trip. Near the television, there was a chest with multiple new Kollar Tech items, including virtual reality devices, drones and small robots. She had seen several humanoid robots walking around the hotel with cleaning carts and wondered if they were robots or humans. Their figure was that of a female with the ass and breasts prominently outlined in their latex uniform. But their heads were covered with a mask. The front of the mask was like a mirror with the person's face reflected back to them. It was a weird look, but no one ever talked about it. The rest of the staff were dressed professionally. Males in tailored suits and women in tight dresses from Sexie, a provocative clothing company. Their appearances were flawless. Much like Mr. Lockton, Mr. Kollar liked to run a tight ship.

Before closing the chest, Emma noticed one last tiny shelf at the bottom. She pulled it open and found four different circular objects. Judging by the diameter of the circle, they appeared to be collars. There were no descriptions or instructions, but the sleek modern design and colors flashing underneath enticed her to pick it up. A beep in the closet interrupted her. She returned the collar and closed the chest.

In the closet was one of the weird cleaning robots. Her face reflected back at her as the robot stood patiently at attention.

"Hello?" Emma said.

"Good evening Emma, I am Kollar Bot number 44 at your service. My listing of commands and automated activities can be found in the brochure on your desk." The bot said. The voice sounded like a modern text to speech program where it sounded more human than machine, but still easily identifiable. It was a flattering female voice, no doubt more for the man than the female. Better they boss a robot around than their wife.

Emma reached out to touch the mask, but the bot quickly grabbed her hand.

"Please do not touch my mask." The bot released her hand and stood back at attention.

Emma shut the closet door. The aggressiveness of the robot made her uneasy about it standing in her closet the entire night. There was no way she could sleep with it in there. Not after watching so many evil robot movies over the years. She checked her phone and realized it was time to get ready for dinner with the group.

One of the few things Emma took pride in was her appearance, especially being single. She never knew when her Prince Charming would show up. She was gifted with the girl next door looks and a proportionally sized chest and ass. Becoming a fitness nut helped shape her already curvy body into enviable perfection. Her preferred formal look was a red bodycon dress from Sexie that allowed her to show off her gorgeous tanned legs. Red lipstick, red heels and a red handbag completed the outfit.

Before she left, she stared hesitantly at the closet. How people didn't feel cautious with those things was beyond her. Leaving her stuff with the strange robot in her room left her uneasy, but she knew there were cameras and Mr. Kollar was not one to have a reputation for theft.

***

West waved Emma over. He and Kayla were always the early birds. Cocktails and appetizers were already served as Emma popped a seat next to them.

"Picking up tonight, Em?" West joked.

Emma smiled and curled her hair.

"You think the FML twins are coming." Kayla said.

Emma shrugged. "Unless they're struggling with the presentation I'm expecting tomorrow night."

"It's finished." Francis said.

Both twins pulled out a seat and then sat down in the opposite. Emma was used to the synchronized behavior that it no longer seemed abnormal.

"Good. Looking forward to it." Emma said.

"You guys check out all the cool shit in the room chest. Felt like a video game opening that up." West said.

"No, but I saw the robot, do you guys have one in your room too?" Emma asked.

"The Kollar Bot?" West said.

"Kollar Bot, robot, same thing."

"You know those things double as sexbots right." West said with a grin. "They can swing both ways."

Kayla smacked West.

"Yes, we're using it to put our clothes away while we eat." Kayla said. "They're pretty safe.

"I tried to take the mask off and it grabbed my hand aggressively." Emma said.

"You are not supposed to touch their masks." Francis said.

"That's the rule." Lyla added.

"Well they're creepy. And what are they? Girls or robots?"

West laughed. "You serious?"

"They look, feel and act like girls."

"Their robots Emma. Welcome to the 21st century." West said.

Emma sat back and took a drink. Reassurance from her friends wasn't going to ease her concerns. The group continued with their dinner. The twins dipped out first followed by West and Kayla. They were tired and wanted to get a good night's sleep or so they said. To be young and in love again. Emma waited around for a few more drinks. She scoped the area for any potential suitors, but was sadly disappointed. Just couples and men she'd rather not approach her.

She took her dress off and fell back naked on the bed. She missed being fucked by her ex in every hotel room the company paid for. It was almost a game on how many places they could have sex. Her fingers found her pussy as she fantasized about better days. The more she masturbated, the hornier she got. She regretted not bringing any toys but with all the airport security, it wasn't worth the risk of embarrassment when they pulled out a massive black dildo. She turned her head and saw the closet. Was West joking about the robot or...

Emma opened the closet and the robot stood as it did before.

"Kollar bot."

"Hello Emma, how may I be of service?"

Emma stared at her reflection. She wanted to know what was under the mask.

"Why can't I touch your mask?"

"Because customers break them."

"I want to see what is under the mask." Emma commanded.

The Kollar Bot came to life and stepped out of the closet. It walked over to the desk and grabbed a large binder and electronic tablet that Emma neglected to look at. The Kollar Bot placed the binder on her lap open to the command about faces and held the tablet out. Emma read the instructions, which indicated that as long as a picture was present, the Kollar Bot could mimic the face and body of anyone desired.

Emma was skeptical but horny and desperate. She pulled up older pictures of her ex-boyfriend Trevor and transferred it to the tablet. She contemplated deleting them when they first broke up, but now she was glad she kept them. After a few seconds, his head and body popped up as options. She clicked on it, read the user agreement, and eagerly confirmed her choice. Emma sat back on the bed waiting for the magic. The Kollar Bot turned around. Lights flashed in all directions. The Kollar Bot's suit lit up and morphed into a long-sleeve shirt and jeans. It then slowly removed the mask, and the familiar messy brown hair draped down the back of its neck.

Emma's eyes widened in shock. Trevor stood before her. Her Trevor. She rushed over and kissed him. He kissed back.

"Oh my God, Trevor, I missed you so much." Emma said kissing him passionately. It felt different, but right.

She looked him in the eyes. He was a spitting image, even the way he smiled back reminded her of their days together.

"Can you say something?"

Trevor's smile turned into a frown and he shook his head. The fantasy was fading. The robot had no idea how he sounded and if it talked it would break the illusion completely. She put her finger up to its mouth.

"That's okay, we won't need that."

The familiar smiled returned. Emma lead Trevor to the bed.

"I've always wished for one more night."

Trevor knelt down in front of her. He gently pushed her back and tasted her for the first time.

***

Emma awoke and checked the side next to her. It was empty. The entire night felt like a dream. A fantasy. Exactly like the ones she always thought about. The Kollar Bot stood in the closet back in its normal state. She bit her lip. Where could she get one of those? Her alarm beeped, reminding her that she needed to go over the presentations with the twins. She hopped out of bed and headed for the shower.

***

"You do anything interesting last night, Emma?" West asked.

"Nope. Just watched tv until I was tired."

"You didn't try any of that cool tech?" West said mouth agape.

"Not my thing."

"We used the VR, the Kollar Bot, the collar. You need to try the collar, I had Kayla..."

Kayla knocked West in the arm. "Leave her alone."

Emma laughed as they joined the twins in the rented conference room. The PowerPoint was up and ready to go and Emma could already tell it wasn't going to be pretty. She took a seat front and center with West and Kayla on either side. The point was to simulate the panel of potential clients in the next day presentation. An amazing presentation was always preceded by plenty of practice.

"Thank you all for coming. My name is Francis Aki and this is my sister Lyla Aki."

"Your associate. Not your sister." Emma chimed in.

It was weird seeing the twins over-analyzing and nervous about the pressure. They were always so calm and collected, it was quite impressive to be so arrogant yet so useless. The twins proceeded into their presentation, which became raunchier as the slides progressed. They believed in the adage 'sex sells' and they were actively incorporating it into their pitch with pictures of scantily clad women. That may work on some men, but not powerful CEO's. The only thing they cared about was money, everything else was irrelevant.

On top of all the visual problems, there was nothing to entice the client to hire them as consultants. No research into the client's specific problems such as losing market share to a new player or expanding the business to more countries. The presentation was just a rehash of what Lockton Consulting was already known for.

Emma would always let someone take the lead, but that didn't mean she wouldn't prepare. And in this case, she already had the perfect pitch planned before the twins even approached her. She let them try and wasn't going to hesitate when ripping them to pieces the way Lockton would. He'd be proud if he could see her. But that was the point of her leadership. He would never have to hear about it because everything was going to go right.

After tearing into them about the presentation and allowing them to defend themselves, Emma overruled them and told them she was going to use hers. The client was too big to screw up, and there would be more opportunities to apply what they learned. They weren't receptive to the idea of being pushed aside, but they accepted it. The last thing they wanted was to piss off Lockton by getting in Emma's way.

Emma returned to her room. She was debating whether to sneak another quickie with Trevor or to relax. She had plenty of work to do over the course of the day to prepare for the presentation. She pulled out her laptop and placed it on the chest. Moving the laptop away, she stared at the chest. There were plenty of toys she never explored, and if they were anything like the Kollar Bot, she was in for a treat. As she looked over the items, the sleek thin metallic collar glowed, drawing her attention. She had no idea how it worked.

She brought it near her neck, and as it got closer, it opened up allowing her to put it on. As soon as it was around her neck, it snapped closed. Emma was expecting something to change, but everything stayed the same.

She found the manual and read the instructions on how it worked. All she had to do was say Command and then follow up with 'I want to be'. It was up to the collar's programming to interpret the command, but if the person was specific and clear there was no need to worry.

"Command."

The collar flashed green.

"I want to be focused and productive."

The collar turned blue. Emma felt the effects right away. Everything she needed to do for the presentation entered her mind and lined itself up in order of priority. No other thoughts entered, it was all about work. For the next 3 hours, Emma worked on the presentation relentlessly. Her mind slowly checking off each box as completed. With all items completed, Emma collapsed on the couch. She tapped the collar twice and it turned green, unsnapped and fell off.

Emma's mind returned to normal and she felt relaxed and refreshed. Despite going a mile a minute, she didn't feel exhausted. Quite the opposite. Its as if she just started a new day. What would have taken her the entire day was done in 3 hours. She picked up the collar and examined it. Such an effective tool, she wondered what other things she could accomplish with different commands.

She could be anything she wanted to be. A confident business woman. An amazing lover in bed, not that she had an issue with that now, but who knows what the collar could improve. Speaking in different languages, learning new skills. The options were endless. There was plenty to explore, but first she needed to explore Trevor again. The night with the Kollar Bot rekindled so many feelings, she needed one more to recapture happier times. She put the collar on the desk and grabbed the tablet, activating her pre-saved settings.

***

The sex was amazing, but not as good as the first. Seeing his face again was exciting, but they used to be very vocal in bed. Fucking him as a mute hammered home how different he was. Too much of something was never a good thing, and she decided she didn't want to keep indulging in the fantasy. She missed the real Trevor, and no sex bot was going to fill that void, no matter how similar they looked.

With the twins scheduled to come over within the hour, Emma's mind flipped back to the collar. Devious thoughts filled her mind. If she could use the collar on the real Trevor, maybe she could make him take her back. Perhaps they could be a couple again. But she wasn't that type of person. Imprisoning someone against there will would only end in disappointment.

She grabbed the collar off the desk. What could she try next? Her eyes caught the Kollar Bot back in its usual spot in the closet. The Kollar Bots were so convincingly human-looking she was sure it was a girl underneath all the leather and technology. What would it be like to be a robot? To be commanded by someone else. The thought of being submissive always turned her on, but she never mentioned it to any of her boyfriends including Trevor. She had such a reputation as a strong independent woman, she didn't want to jeopardize that by admitting that, sometimes, she liked to be taken like a slut and be completely dominated. Of course it had to be the right type of guy to push those buttons. They were rare to find these days.