Playing With Dolls

----

The restaurant was more than Dr. Angela Havel could ever afford to eat at, even on her salary. The lights were dim, the floor carpeted with rich black fibers. Tables were dressed in square black candles and white tablecloths. Chandeliers of jagged glassy angles hung from above, casting their dull ember lights about the room. All the diners were dressed in designer clothing.

Angela felt out of place. She wore a white conservative dress. Her hair was pulled up into a bun, and she wore a necklace of pearls and small diamond earrings. Her lips were dark with red lipstick.

She hugged her small pocketbook tight to her abdomen as she followed the hostess. Rounding the corner, she saw Johnny waiting for her at a high-walled booth off to the side.

"Angela," Johnny held up a glass of wine. He wore a similar black suit as he did before, now a fuchsia handkerchief in his jacket pocket.

"Hi," Angela said. She was already feeling like an idiot. She took a seat at the other end of the booth.

"I went ahead and ordered us the best wine here. Try it, I think you'll like it."

And she did. The blood-red wine went down with a bittersweet smoothness. Her mind went to how much it must've cost to buy it. No doubt, Johnny probably didn't ask for the price.

"Thank you for joining me, Angela. I hope the ride here was easy."

"It was, thank you. I appreciate you bringing a vehicle for me."

Johnny smiled and moved on, "I hope work has been going well. I hope you aren't too exhausted by it; I was hoping to talk about it."

So, he was serious, Angela thought. A waiter, a tall blonde man, approached their table to take their orders. They gave their orders and the waiter marched off to the kitchen.

"And what about it exactly do you want to talk about?"

"I was hoping to learn a little more about what all is going on inside the head of the dolls."

"Well, I can only talk in generalities. Company policy."

"I remember."

Angela took her wine glass and downed another sip. She knew she would want to refill her glass, it served as a great way to pause the conversation, to buy her time to think.

Johnny spoke up before Angela could finish her sip: "Doll 0304 has been doing very well. I thought you might like that to know that."

Angela sat her wine glass down. She never had cared to know, but her curiosity was piqued. Theoretically, she knew how the dolls would adapt, but it was all from research notes and R&D memos.

Johnny said, his smile growing, "I am all she cares about. I would say she sees me as something like a God. Something of an idol, I suppose. Everything to do with me and with sex is her only form of pleasure in her world. Her brain is now wired that way, all thanks to the great scientists like you."

Johnny raised his wine glass in a toast. Neither said a word. Angela's mind raced. It has been years since any follow-up studies had been conducted on the dolls following their trade-off to their new owners. She wondered what their adaptations really looked like. With their brains muted and subdued, was classical conditioning all that was needed?

"You said it--"

"She," Johnny interrupted, "She is a doll, but she is female." He had a sly smile.

Angela nodded. "Right. You mentioned that she now worships you? Sees you as an idol?"

"That's right."

"How do you know?"

A single eyebrow shot up on Johnny's face, his grin crooked with amusement. "Is that a rhetorical question? At first, I would use the remote to control her emotions, her sensations. But now I let her brain do the work for me. She has been conditioned and feels it all naturally."

"I don't understand. Are you saying you used the remote in conjunction with stimuli?"

Johnny nodded.

"And she quickly found you to be her primary source of pleasure?"

"As I said."

Johnny took another sip of his wine. Angela could tell he was letting his words sink in. If he was letting her brain off the confines of the remote, then how was she not deriving pleasure, pain, joy, and sadness over other, much more common, things?

Johnny sensed Angela's quizzical thinking and spoke up, "Fascinating, isn't it?"

"Well, it's just that we have no real data on how dolls behave outside the lab. I'm having trouble understanding how she is infatuated with you after you allowed her brain to work on its own."

"Angela," Johnny said with a low, humming voice, "Can you remember your best orgasm?"

Heat flared around Angela's cheeks; she became acutely aware of it and shifted awkwardly in her seat. "What? N-no, that's an inappropriate question."

Johnny huffed, smiled devilishly, and said, "Then I think that's why you don't understand."

The waiter arrived with their food. They ate in silence. Johnny was too amused at Angela's self-conscious anxiety, and Angela was not sure what to say next. She thought about questions to pose him. Questions that would get her closer to the answers she sought after. She could feel Johnny's eyes on her. She hated how he smirked, taking glee out of making her feel stupid with such an inappropriate question.

"How does a scientist like yourself end up so squeamish about sex when their job has them make sex dolls?"

Angela's eyes flicked up towards Johnny. "This is different. It's personal."

"I suppose so. But without really answering and understanding my question, I don't believe you'll fully understand what I mean."

Angela studied Johnny's; she tried to pry back the twisted grin on the designer's face, tried to peer behind his eyes and see just what he meant by that. Why would she not understand, she thought. She began checking her credentials, all the time and effort she put into studying and researching just to land her prestigious job. Angela's confusion was turning to frustration, as she suspected that Johnny was doubting her knowledge.

"Johnny, can't you just tell me what you mean?"

"I think it's best that I show you."

Angela's eyes went wide. "Show me?"

"Oh yes. You can observe. Take field notes. That's what you all do, right?"

The bad joke went right over Angela's head as she considered the opportunity. "When?"

"Tonight."

Angela swallowed a lump in her throat. Follow a famous fashion designer to God knows where to find out more about the conditioning of his sex doll. If all went according to her imagination, she would be found dead in a ditch the next morning. But to her scientific curiosity, it sounded too good to pass up. If she did get an observation in, whether recorded or not, she could at least satisfy her academic negging.

Angela nodded; she picked up her glass of wine and took a sip. "Ok."

----

The skyscraper towered high into the sky as if trying to reach for heaven. From the glass elevator, the city below looked like diamonds on black velvet. Angela couldn't dream of living in a building like this -- living high above the rest of humanity, looming over them like gods. Quite literally looking down upon everyone else.

The elevator doors opened with a ding. Johnny led the way. The two stepped into a short hallway of red velvet carpet and black and white walls. They were expressionless, relying on colors alone to convey their majesty. The hallway led to a single black door.

"Here we are," Johnny said.

Knots had been growing in Angela's stomach the moment she sat down for dinner. Now, those knots were bouncing around in her stomach. Her heart was beating in her throat, her hands finding comfort in grasping the pocketbook.

Johnny unlocked the door with the swipe of a keycard, opening to a penthouse ripped straight from the silver screen. Colors of every kind jumped to the eye. It was an open design: the kitchen, living room, and fashion studio all shared a large open space. Furniture of various colors was positioned throughout, and at the far end a giant full wall window gave a perfect view of the city and its skyline. Sculptures and wall art screamed for attention with striking lines, sharp values, and bold colors, all complimenting the penthouse's post-modern art deco style.

"Welcome to my humble abode."

Johnny shut the door behind Angela. She took the sight in, stunned at the almost ludicrous design. But, before she could get adjusted, she heard the unmistakable sound of clicking heels. Turning her head to the right, she saw emerging from the living room area the figure of a woman silhouetted by a pitch-black gleam.

Doll 0304 stepped towards them; her walk exaggerated with a showgirl's strut. Her green eyes cross-haired on Johnny. She still wore the same latex outfit she wore from before. The black latex looked like a second skin on her beautiful figure, every curve complemented by its eye-catching gloss.

"And there she is," Johnny mused.

The doll stepped up to Johnny and wrapped her arms around his neck, the two embraced in a long kiss. Angela turned away out of embarrassment.

Johnny broke the kiss for a second. "We've been talking all about you."

The doll said nothing in return, rather she went back to lovingly kissing Johnny as if they were alone.

Johnny broke the kiss and the doll got the signal. She unlocked herself from the artist and stood by his side. The two turned to Angela, who felt distinctly out of place.

"So," Angela spoke up, "It-- I mean, she, is far more human-like than I would have expected."

"Oh, yes. Please, I'll explain more on that over some wine. Do you like it bitter? I have a new bottle, not strong, but its bitterness has a delightful punch to it." Johnny motioned for Angela to follow him to the living room area, and so she did.

She sat across from him on a beautiful lime green leather couch of Poltrona Frau design, and he sat on an identical navy blue one. In the center between the two couches sat a glass coffee table. Far behind them in the kitchen, Angela made out the faint sound of glasses clicking together and heels going every which way.

"Now, about your question. I actually didn't do anything to her."

Angela shook her head. "What do you mean? She naturally evolved that way?"

"That's right. It was a behavior I suppose she learned or developed over time. Likely to amuse me. Isn't it... interesting?"

Angela watched Johnny's gaze move to somewhere behind her, and she followed his eyes to see Doll 0304 walking towards them, two wine glasses in one hand, a wine bottle in the other. She walked with the finesse of a jaguar, hips swaying, shoulders moving with her legs. Her confidence was a far cry from the robotic obedience most dolls have.

Doll 0304 sat the two glasses down on the coffee table and poured wine into each. Then, she placed the wine bottle down and took her place next to Johnny, snuggling up to him, running her hands through his hair and across his chest. She grinned all the while, something Angela never witnessed a doll do before.

"I'm sorry," Johnny said referring to Doll 0304 "I got distracted. As I was saying, pure natural."

"Is her collar turned off?" Angela asked.

"Yes. I only turn it on during special occasions."

"Like when?"

"Like when I want to spice things up."

Angela didn't press any further. Doll 0304 seemed almost mesmerized by Johnny. Her eyes were filled with a loving wonder that twinkled like stars. Every motion of her body was deliberate, every touch of her latex-covered hand across her lover's body, even though clothed, seemed to excite her.

Angela awkwardly adjusted herself, trying to refocus her attention from the intimacy across from her. "It seems as though you were right. Even with the collar off, she seems to derive immense satisfaction and pleasure from just being around you."

"Stating the obvious, doctor," Johnny mused; his focus trained on doll's thighs, how the latex perfectly squeezed around them with a black mirror's sheen.

Johnny flickered his eyes at the doctor, his gaze now one of arousal. Angela shifted in her seat and fidgeted with her hair all the while Doll 0304 and Johnny explored one another. The doll brought back her master's attention with a tender kiss to his neck that trailed up to his ear. He chuckled and pulled her closer to him so that his hand could slide under her thigh and to her plump bottom.

"Have you ever wondered what it would be like to wear the collar, Angela?" Johnny asked; his eyes devouring the erotic form of his doll.

"S-sometimes," Angela's cheeks turned hot, embarrassed at her both her answer and her stutter, "But its effects can only enhance or dampen current emotions, not choose which one feels. That requires neural splicing and formatting." She felt more confident now, her statement masking the awkwardness of her answer.

"But you can wear it?"

It was less of a question, but a statement, permission almost. Angela gulped and nodded to a distracted Johnny.

She watched as he and his doll held each other even closer as if trying to become one. Their bodies interwind, their hands exploring and roaming each other as if it were their first time. Johnny cupped his hand around Doll 0304's chin and leveled it to his so that their lips could embrace in a quiet, sensual kiss. Their eyes closed, and together they became lost in their passionate, carnal embrace.

The world around her had disappeared, and only the sight before her existed, as Angela became acutely aware of the emotions stirring within her. A heat was swelling between her legs, a tiny flame licked at her stomach. Her fingers wanted to pull and clasp, and her eyes refused to avert themselves from the master and his doll despite the mind's protest. An excited anxiousness bounced against her sternum; her heart began to race.

A small, pleasured moan broke the tense silence. Angela's heart dashed, and her fingers dug into the skirt of her dress with a white-knuckle grip. Doll 0304 threw her head back the moment Johnny's mouth clamped around a latex-clad breast. And for a moment, when Doll 0304 opened her eyes, she met the gaze of the aroused doctor.

Angela held her breath. Clarity and doubt came at her with a red-hot vengeance. Her entire body became warm with embarrassment as she realized what she was doing and where she was. In that split second, she wanted to leave, to turn invisible, and to never be seen again.

When the doll's eyes closed, replaced with parted lips that sighed with pleasure, Angela hesitated. The heat between her legs was too hot to ignore. She could feel herself becoming needy, wanting the tiny inferno between her inner thighs to be touched. Her right hand began to absently slide into the tucked fabric of her skirt, tending to the fire beneath it.

Johnny lurched back; a wicked smile stretched across his face. He reclined back and spread his legs like a king on a throne. As if on cue, the doll went for the belt of his pants, unlatching it and pulling it away to the side. Then she unbuttoned his pants, reached into the opening, pulled the fabric aside, and retrieved Johnny's hardened member.

Angela bit her bottom lip with a sharp inhale betraying her innocence. The two lovers paid no attention to her. Their eyes were locked on each other. Angela's eyes were trained on Johnny's large cock and the black latex hand that stroked it.

The doll leaned down, placing her head next to her master's cock. She rubbed it against her lips, against her cheeks and face. She placed gentle kisses atop its tip and along the shaft, before slowly engulfing it into her mouth.

The gasp couldn't be silenced. The greedy need couldn't be ignored. Without thought, Angela had hiked her skirt up and was already mindlessly rubbing circles against her clitoris through her damp panties.

Her eyes were transfixed upon the doll's ruby lips that wrapped around the large cock. The doll's head bobbed up and down, taking the length of the member with ease. Johnny closed his eyes, riding the feeling to the sky.

Doll 0304 purred as she pleasured her master with her mouth, tongue, and lips. To Angela, it seemed as though she was enjoying it more than Johnny. For a brief second, Angela thought about what Johnny had told her -- how the doll's brain was wired to find pleasure only in sex. How powerful were the effects? How powerful were the sensations?

"Do you want to try?" Johnny's voice hummed.

Angela snapped out of her aroused hypnotic stare to meet Johnny's lustful gaze.

"Go on, put the collar on. Feel what true bliss is like."

The words stunned Angela. She knew she shouldn't. The pleasure would be immense if the theory held up. She knew what could happen if the pleasure center of the brain was abused.

But she hesitated to answer, her sex-rattled mind screamed for more. Her body begged for it; begged for more with greedy lust. She let her fingers press harder, let them rub faster. God! How good it felt, and how much better it could be.

Johnny patted his doll's head, and she slowly withdrew his cock from her mouth. "Give the good doctor your collar."

Doll 0304 turned to look at the feverishly aroused Angela. The doll's eyes were unfocused and dreamy as if lost in a high. The sight sent a shiver down Angela's spine making her pause. She didn't protest as the doll rose to her feet, undid the collar from its neck, and stepped toward her.

Johnny rose, too. Fixing himself, he stuffed his member back into his pants. Then he walked several steps away to a small glass table and retrieved the collar's remote.

The doll handed the collar to Angela. She took it with trembling hands. This collar helped change so many lives. Helped reduce people to mere dolls, playthings for the rich -- for people like Johnny Fuchsia.

The dangers were more than clear to her, and yet she felt the nagging pangs of desire yap at her heels like a dog. She couldn't get her breathing under control. Fear was beginning to mix with her fatalistic arousal. The tightness in her sternum had rounded up to near pain, and her heart threatened to burst out. She gulped, and with slow, timid hesitation she put the collar on.

It fit around her neck with ease. It was lighter than it looked. There was a tiny metal plate where the signals from the collar are transferred through the skin and to the nervous system. It was warm from the doll's usage.

Johnny loomed over a sitting Angela. "Are you ready?"

Angela didn't feel ready. Her doubts were getting to her. A voice in her head was crying for her to stop while she could, but her body's yearning was drowning out such logic.

"Yes," she whispered, her voice shaking.

Johnny raised his right hand and thumbed the remote.

The metal plate jolted; an electric tingle shot through every nerve. From the tips of her fingers to the base of her skull, her whole body hummed. The effect dissipated, and as it did it was replaced with a blissfulness that wrapped around her like a warm blanket draping over her head and across her skin, she couldn't help but sigh at how good it felt. The heat between her legs began to grow in a way she never felt before. She looked up at Johnny, a confused, glazed look in her eyes.

"It feels good, doesn't it? Having your senses enhanced with the push of a button."

Angela said nothing. Rather, she explored her body, letting her hands discover new and heightened sensations. She squeezed her large, ample breasts through her dress, gasping at how hot it was to knead and grasp at them, to pull at her nipples.

She then turned her attention to between her legs. She was so wet; the smell of sex permeated the air. She pressed against her damp panties and massaged her needy clitoris, cursing and moaning with surprise at the erotic sensation.

"I knew you would enjoy it," Johnny chuckled, "but we haven't even gotten started."

Johnny took a step back and ordered the doll to sand by his side. "I think you may be beginning to see what I was saying at the restaurant. With that collar and this remote, I can condition anyone to do anything. I can mold them. And with dolls, I'm provided with a blank canvas. But you? Well, sometimes it's fun to experiment with other's work."