The Proposal Ch. 08

Immersion Playground

Book #1: The Proposal

Chapter 8

Over the next two months, Immersion Playground slowly takes shape. While Rick focuses on getting the immersion interface finalized, Giselle drafts incorporation papers and files them to create the company. Todd is as good as his word and begins creating the branding that will eventually be used, seeming to revel in the freedom that Rick and Giselle give him to produce the company image as he sees fit with minimal guidance from them.

Rick and Giselle are the primary shareholders in the new company, though Charlie and Todd wheedle them until they too are allowed to invest in Immersion Playground. Rick is reluctant to accept their money at first, not wanting to put their friend's finances at risk, but Todd insists he isn't investing to help them launch the company, he's investing in the hopes of making a lot of money. In the end, the extra capital proves to be helpful, and Rick relents, selling them a twenty-five percent stake in the company.

Rick also contracts for server space to hold and stream the immersion, a backend processor to accept payment, and finally purchases software to key the immersions to a chip. Setting up the infrastructure to host and deliver the immersion experience is by far the most expensive part of creating Immersion Playground, and leaves the fledgling company teetering on the edge of insolvency before the first immersion is sold.

Finally, all is ready, and the Immersion Playground storefront goes online with a resounding thud. For the first three months the only two experiences streamed are for Teri Shorr and Kate Thompson, each given a complimentary copy in exchange for their help early on, and their feedback on the Immersion Playground storefront.

By the end of the third month, traffic to the site begins to pick up as window shoppers stop by to marvel at the audacity of the pricing and to enter snide comments in the feedback section, but no immersion experiences are sold. Rick frets that while the Ferrari model of pricing high and taking only the cream of the crop sounds good in theory, it isn't going to work in practice. Todd and Rick have several heart-to-heart discussions over Rick's concerns, but in the end, Rick decides to trust Todd and leaves the plan in place as originally conceived.

***

Tuesday afternoon Rick is sitting in his office, trying to stay focused and busy on his latest idea to improve the immersion interface—the ability to move forward and backward through an immersion—but mostly he's stewing over what a colossal waste of time and money Immersion Playground appears to be, when a ping from Todd arrives.

"Hey Todd. I was just thinking about you."

"Really? That's sweet of you," Todd says sarcastically. "I have something that I think is going to make your day."

A link arrives in Rick's inbox. "What's this?" he asks opening, the link.

"Just read it and ping me back. I'll talk to you when you're done," he says before dropping the connection.

Rick follows the link to a review of The Proposal. Before downloading the article, he checks the store and is surprised to see that yes, in fact, they actually sold another immersion early Sunday night. He'd forced himself to stop obsessively checking the store every couple of hours weeks ago. It was a waste of time and the lack of sales was depressing him but seeing the sale thrills him. It was only one, but that was one they hadn't had before.

Todd seems upbeat about the review, so it must not be horrible. He downloads the review, instantly assimilating it, rather than taking the time to reading it. In less than a second, it was as if he'd finished reading the review, and he pondered what it said.

I have a confession. I fully admit that I talked my editor into letting me review The Proposal, from startup company Immersion Playground, in order to make fun of the ridiculous pricing model they'd conceived. Priced at $250, The Proposal is currently the only title in the Immersion Playground catalog. The company is offering customers no teasers, is apparently doing no marketing, and is offering no complimentary copies of the immersion to reviewers and journalists. I was prepared to savage them for their arrogance. After experiencing The Proposal, I have a different attitude.

Immersion Playground is taking a different approach to adult immersions. In fact, nowhere in their store do the words porn, sex, adult, or similar terms generally related to adult entertainment appear. They have coined a new term, "hedonistic," for their immersion, and they are clearly targeting couples. The purchase price gives you access to two streams, one for the woman, Giselle, and one for the man, Rick. The purchaser selects their stream and, using a unique interface, can invite a member of the opposite sex to join them in the immersion. This is a new and very exciting development in immersion technology, one put to good use by this immersion.

While this immersion does feature a heterosexual couple engaged in sex, that isn't even mentioned in the description of the immersion, a description which focuses on the emotional connection between the two. The immersion claims to be of a normal, loving couple, captured in a real-life situation. Unlike so many amateur vids, I actually believe is probably the case for this immersion.

Normally I give away the plots to adult immersions and vids because, as we all know, they are so clichéd they have become a parody of themselves. But in this case, I will refrain. Let me just say that I experienced this immersion with my current lover, and afterward, we had the best sex of our relationship. It also caused both of us to reexamine what we want from our relationship, and that alone is enough to make this immersion unique and special.

I started this review with a chip on my shoulder, and I am now writing it a changed woman. Such is the power of this immersion. I began this review asking, "How can any immersion be worth $250?" Now I'm asking, "Why are they charging so little?"

Immersion Playground has truly created something new and unique. It goes beyond the shallow pleasures of sex and delves into the deeper and more meaningful act of making love. Is this an adult immersion? Yes, it very much is, but not in the commonly-accepted meaning of the word.

I give this immersion five stars, but I would give it ten were it within my power.

A review by Lady J

Rick pings Todd after going over the review several times. "I'm dumbfounded," is all Rick can say when Todd answers.

"I told you it would make your day. Be aware this is from Adult Industry News, a site that reviews pornography vids and reports news related to the industry, but it is the first review, and I think it is the trickle before the flood. As people read this, it's going to spark a tremendous curiosity in our product. I don't know who Lady J is, but she's given us a significant boost. You need to be prepared to handle a flood of pings, and soon."

"You think this is going to cause that big of a response?"

"I think this review is going to get the attention of some mainstream players, and that is going to cause a big response. You might consider putting in for a few days' leave in the next week or so. I think you're going to need it to handle the buzz."

"You're kidding!"

"I'm not kidding. If this gets picked up by a major publisher, and they give it a positive review as well, you aren't going to have time to do your normal job, at least not for a while, if you want to take advantage of all this free publicity." Todd pauses before continuing. "Rick, you need to think about what you want to do with Immersion Playground. Do you want to be a one hit wonder or not? I suggest you think about that, and do it quickly."

"Todd, this is all moving so fast," Rick says, a hint of fear in his voice.

"Welcome to the modern world, buddy. If you're lucky enough to capture lightning in a bottle, you need to be ready to handle it, or else get burned by it. I don't envy you right now," Todd says without a hint of remorse.

"Okay. Thanks for the advice. Will you be available to talk later this evening?"

"Of course. Anything I can do to help."

"Thanks, Todd. I mean it," Rick says before closing the link.

Afterward he checks the store again. Just in the time it took to absorb the review and talk to Todd, another one hundred and fifty-four immersions have been sold, with two more sales ringing in while he watches. He closes the link to the storefront and contemplates the sudden change in his life. While he's ecstatic that perhaps Immersion Playground isn't going to be the total flop he was beginning to fear, he's also experiencing the first pangs of fear that perhaps this could explode beyond his control and ability to manage. He retrieves his copy of the statement he and Todd prepared for just such an eventuality, reviewing it once more to make sure he knows what he wants to say should anyone contact him.

***

On his way home from work he receives a ping from Jocelyn Lindsey with Adult Industry News. Rick idly wonders if Jocelyn Lindsey is Lady J, but steels himself and accepts the ping. "Richard Chamfer," he says, all business.

"Mr. Chamfer, my name is Jocelyn Lindsey. I'm with AIN, and I am wondering if we could schedule a time to do a brief vid interview? I'd like to talk to you about Immersion Playground and your new immersion, The Proposal."

"Of course, Ms. Lindsey. Would you like to do this in person or via the net?"

"If possible, I'd like to do it in person with a vid crew, if that is acceptable. And please, call me Jocelyn."

"That will be fine, Jocelyn, but Immersion Playground isn't my only concern, so we'll have to work around my other obligations."

"I completely understand, Mr. Chamfer, but please understand that I'd like to interview you as soon as possible, while this is hot news. Could we possibly do it tonight, or tomorrow at the latest?"

"Tonight? My, you are in a hurry," he responds with a chuckle.

Jocelyn laughs lightly. "Old new is no news, Mr. Chamfer."

"Okay, tonight, say about eight? Where would you like to meet?"

"Would your office be acceptable?"

"I would normally say that would be ideal, but as you said, we are very much a new company and our office is... in disarray. To be honest, that isn't the image I want to present. You surely must have meeting facilities at your office. Would that be acceptable?"

It's only a little white lie... as Immersion Playground didn't have any offices.

"That actually makes it a bit easier on us, as we are already set up there. It loses some of the interest of getting your office in the background, but it works. Eight o'clock, you said? Do you know where our offices are?"

"No, but I'll find them."

"Mr. Chamfer, thank you very much for agreeing to meet with me. I want to do about a ten-minute spot, so we should be done in less than two hours."

"I'm looking forward to meeting you," he lies.

"As I am you. Thank you again for your time, Mr. Chamfer," Jocelyn says before dropping the link.

Rick blows out a breath of air though pursed lips and puffed cheeks, to relieve some of the tension, before pinging Todd.

"Hey Rick. I didn't expect to hear from you so soon," Todd says, opening the link.

"I have a problem," Rick blurts out. "I have an interview in less than three hours with a Jocelyn Lindsey of Adult Industry News, and I have no idea what I am doing."

"Is that Lady J?"

"I have no idea. Does it matter?"

"No, not really. If it's her, though, you know you're going into a friendly interview."

"I think you should go do this. You're used to doing stuff like this."

"Rick, we talked about this," Todd says firmly. "You own the company, so you need to be the face of the company. People respect it when the head guy is willing to stand up there and speak for his company without hiding behind the slimy PR types."

"You know I'm going to screw this up," Rick says bitterly, taking control of the car to exit the main road.

"You'll be fine. Just talk from the heart and don't BS them. They'll respect that," Todd says with confidence. "Just let me know how it goes afterwards. If you think you totally screwed the pooch, I'll try to clean it up in the morning, but I think you'll be fine."

"I hope you're right," Rick says, his flat delivery clearly communicating his dread for the task ahead.

"Hey, it's me," Todd says brightly. "Trust me."

"How did I ever let you talk me into doing this?"

"It's what I do, convince people to buy things they don't want or need. That's why it so refreshing to work for Immersion Playground. I'm finally trying to sell something people do want, even if they don't know it yet."

"Yeah, okay, thanks for that."

"Anytime pal, anytime," Todd says, snickering as he closes the link.

After Todd is gone, Rick locates the address for Adult Industry News. He's just checking the drive time as he pulls into the garage. He has about ninety minutes to get ready and leave in order to be at the AIN offices by eight.

As he enters the kitchen Giselle greets him brightly, but then sees the look of apprehension written clearly on his face. "Rick, what's wrong?"

"I have an interview in a couple of hours about Immersion Playground."

"That's great news!"

He nods slowly. "Yeah, but I'm not too thrilled about doing the interview. I've never done this before. What if I completely screw it up?"

"What if you do? How many copies have been sold?"

He zones out and checks the storefront. "Holy shit!" he exclaims when he comes back. "6,492! We had only sold a couple of hundred at lunch!"

She does some quick math. "That means we are almost at break even. Even if we didn't sell another copy, it won't matter, so what are you worried about?"

He stands in stunned silence. Immersion Playground has gone from money pit to money tree in an afternoon. "Nothing, I guess," he finally admits.

"Stop worrying, then. Go hop in the shower and get yourself cleaned up. I'll have dinner ready by the time you get out."

"You want to join me?"

She makes a purring sound. "I would, but then you'd be late to your interview, and we wouldn't want that, now would we?" She steps into his arms and pulls him down for a lusty kiss. "There's something to hold you until you get back," she breathes as she slowly pulls back from the kiss. She spins him around, points him in the direction of their bedroom, and gives him a shove to start him moving. "Hurry. You don't have a lot of time."

"Okay, I'm going," he says playfully before forwarding her the link Todd has sent him. "Here's the review of The Proposal. You should read it. It's a very positive review," he says before walking down the hall to get cleaned up.

Twenty minutes later he is clean and dressed in a set of tan slacks and a dark blue knit pullover. He and Giselle enjoy a light dinner of salmon, discussing the upcoming interview, the review and what it'll mean to Immersion Playground, and by extension, their lives. After helping her tidy up from dinner he kisses her once more as he leaves. He considers taking the Aston, or even the Audi, but decides that the Ford will do just fine. Who does he have to impress, after all?

***

At seven-fifty Rick pulls up in front of suite six in a small but well-kept strip mall. He rechecks the address to make sure he is at the right place. He isn't sure what he expected, but a suite between a marriage counselor on one side and a veterinarian clinic on the other isn't it. He walks up to the door for suite six. AIN certainly wasn't pushing their business. The only signage he could see was AIN, Inc. printed on the glass door in letters barely two-inches high. Rick tries the door but, as expected, it's locked. He raps on the glass with his wedding band to produce a sharp knock.

After a moment a trim man of about fifty appears at the door. "Mr. Chamfer?" the man asks, opening the door.

"Call me Rick, please," he says offering his hand.

The man stares at Rick for a moment before opening the door wide. "Tim Lindsey," the man replies, taking his hand. "Thanks for coming by, Rick. Please come in." Rick steps into a small but tastefully-decorated reception area. "This way, please," Tim says, gesturing with a hand before escorting him down a hall into a small room.

The room was as pleasantly decorated as the lobby, with a comfortable sitting area and inoffensive prints on the walls, but only in half the room. The other half of the room is completely barren of decoration, save for some thick linens hanging on the wall. Unless you count lights and recording equipment.

"Make yourself comfortable. The makeup girl will be out as soon as she finishes with Jocelyn. Can I get you anything?" Tim asks.

"I'm fine, thank you," Rick says, sitting down and surveying the room.

Tim busies himself setting up the equipment. "Sorry about the door," Tim says, striking up the conversion again, trying to put Rick as ease. "The last person I expected at the door tonight is the star of the immersion. I recognize your voice. Jocelyn will be very pleased."

"Jocelyn Lindsey... is she your wife, or sister?"

"Wife. We've been married about twenty years. She and I, along with my brother, and a girl we hire to handle the pings, we make up AIN. Not what you expected, huh?" Tim asks with a chuckle.

"So, she is Lady J?" Rick asks.

"She is," Tim nods. "Along with Perky, and Limkins, her maiden name. I'm T-Bo, Ron, my middle name, Hangers, a nickname from high school, have no idea how I got that one, and Boddy. Harry, that's my brother, he's Harry and Tech." Tim pauses while he frowns over one of the cameras before starting up again. "It's not really a secret, but it's not common knowledge that all the people that write for us are really just us three, so if you could keep that close to your vest, I'd appreciate it," Tim says, brightening as he adjusts something on the camera.

Rick laughs. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I was expecting some big media empire."

Tim smiles at him warmly. "Then everything is working as planned. The net... it's a great equalizer."

Before Rick can answer, two women walk into the room. He instantly picks out Jocelyn, an attractive older woman, and a young girl with spiky hair carrying a case that, to his eye, looks like a large fishing tackle box. Jocelyn stops abruptly just inside the doorway, causing the girl following her to dance around her to avoid running into her back.

"Mr. Chamfer," Jocelyn says, recovering. She walks forward and extends her hand.

"Nice to meet you Lady J," Rick says, standing and shaking her hand. "Thank you for your very kind review. Please, call me Rick."

"As you wish, Rick," Jocelyn agrees. "Please, sit down. Paulie here is going to bother you for a few minutes as she applies your makeup. You don't need much, just a bit to keep you from looking washed out under the lights. Just ignore her if you can. I'd like to talk to you, off the record so to speak, for a few minutes, to let you know what's going to happen here tonight. Until I tell you we are going on the record, anything you tell me will be kept in strict confidence, okay?"

"Understood," Rick says, trying to ignore Paulie as she fusses about his face.

"First, let me thank you again for meeting with us on such short notice. I appreciate it, I really do. Let me tell you what is going to happen. We are going to have a nice chat. I am going to ask you a lot of question which, I hope, you'll answer. If there are any questions you won't answer just tell me so and we'll move on. The interview will last anywhere from sixty to ninety minutes, depending on how talkative you are." Jocelyn smiles to put him at ease. "We will then edit it all down to ten or fifteen minutes of the best stuff. After we have our edited version ready for posting, we will contact you and let you preview the interview before we release it. If you want to suggest any additions or clarifications, or if you wish to make a statement about the interview, you may. Hopefully this will go well, and will be mutually beneficial, but we reserve the right to run the interview as we see fit. Clear so far?"