01 The doll grabs my wrist

Gemma's POV.

New York. It's sunny today.

I'm on a call with my Bluetooth headset while driving.

"Are you sure that sex culture festival is interesting?"

"Absolutely," my best friend Charlotte replies on the other end of the line. "I'm already here, waiting for you."

I'm a car salesperson, and I just sold a car this morning.

I'm off work this afternoon to hang out with my good friend-because of my job, I don't need to clock in as long as I hit my monthly sales targets.

And I just happen to be the top 1 salesperson at our dealership.

The traffic starts to build up. I glance at the dense flow of cars ahead and tap my finger lightly on the steering wheel. "But seriously, there are only two reproductive systems in humans. What's the point of a festival about them?"

"You'll understand when you get here," Charlotte says. "Today's the opening ceremony, and there's a fashion show. The organizers even invited some famous porn film stars-"

My phone vibrates.

"Hold on a second."

"What?"

I glance at the screen. "It's a call from a client."

I take a deep breath and switch lines, making my voice a bit sweeter. "Good afternoon, Mr. Smith."

He's the most difficult client I've ever dealt with.

Despite being wealthy and dressed head-to-toe in designer brands, getting him to part with his money is harder than sending someone to the moon.

And is he here to buy a car or to flirt? Every time he comes to the dealership, he insists that I serve him because he thinks the other employees aren't attractive enough.

But who is he? A overweight man, not even 40, and already bald.

I've been going back and forth with him for two months, and it was only this morning that I finally managed to sell him a Mercedes SUV.

"Gemma, are you free right now?"

I roll my eyes but keep my voice sweet. "Mr. Smith, is there something wrong with the car you purchased?"

The traffic finally eases up, and I continue driving.

"Ah, no, the car is fine," Mr. Smith pauses. "I just want to invite you to dinner to thank you for your help. Where are you now?"

I press my lips together, tapping my finger on the steering wheel.

"Good afternoon passengers. This is the pre-boarding announcement for flight 89B to Boston."

After thinking for two seconds, I begin to mimic an airline announcement: "We are now inviting those passengers with small children, and any passengers requiring special assistance, to begin boarding at this time. Please have your boarding pass and..."

I hang up the phone, then stop at the intersection ahead and send him a text: "Sorry, Mr. Smith, I'm about to board a flight. Let's have dinner some other time."

Then I toss my phone aside and press the accelerator, driving forward.

Why am I the top salesperson at the dealership? It's not just because of my good looks.

When a huge banner with "New York City Sex Culture Festival" comes into view, I park the car by the roadside and head to the square.

Charlotte is waiting for me by the entrance under the banner.

"Hey! Over here!" She waves excitedly.

I run over and we walk inside together.

The exhibition center is huge, and there are a lot of people. By the time we arrive, the opening ceremony has already started. A group of lingerie models is walking the runway, with spectators gathered on either side of the catwalk.

Most of the male spectators' eyes are on the female models' chests and buttocks, while many of the female spectators are fixated on the male models' eight-pack abs.

"Hey," I glance down, scanning the crotch of a male model, and quietly ask Charlotte, "If one of them suddenly gets hard on the catwalk, would that count as a accident performance?"

"What accident?" Charlotte chuckles. "That would be a bonus for the audience."

We laugh as we walk further into the exhibition area.

It's actually more interesting than I imagined. There are lectures on health and hygiene, kidney supplement ads, and of course, the largest section is dedicated to adult toys.

Nowadays, adult toys are becoming increasingly bizarre.

For example, Charlotte points to a octopus tentacle with suction cup for hands and turns to ask me, "Why does it glow in the dark?"

"Yeah, why would it glow?"

I'm stumped.

After a few seconds of silence, I offer the only explanation that comes to mind.

"Maybe... to make up for the regret that humans cannot turn into fireflies?"

Charlotte rolls her eyes at me.

Even the male masturbators here are something else.

Normally, a masturbator looks like a thermos with a artificial vagina inside.

But here, they have ones covered in fur. The fur feels just like real animal fur, and they come in white, yellow, and brown.

I can understand that some men might fantasize about having sex with a sheep or a monkey.

But as I stare at the black-and-white stripes in front of me, I can't help but wonder-who fantasizes about having sex with a zebra???

"Gemma!"

Charlotte is already far ahead, calling out to me loudly from around the corner.

I walk over and see a row of lifelike dolls.

Covering the price tag, Charlotte points to one of the dolls and asks, "Guess how much this doll costs?"

"How much?"

"Thirty thousand dollars! Thirty thousand!"

I notice a sign that says "You can touch," so I reach out and touch the doll's chest.

"Oh my god. Her skin feels exactly like a real person's. Oh my god."

Charlotte scoffs, "What's wrong with these designers? The people who want this can't afford it, and the people who can afford it don't want it."

I give Charlotte a thumbs up. "That's pretty philosophical."

"But why are there only dolls designed for men? Where are the ones for women?"

The philosopher starts looking around.

I join her in scanning the area.

Then, we both spot it at the same time-a lifelike male doll not far from the female ones.

We walk over.

The male doll is sitting in a chair, with tanned skin, wearing a white shirt and black trousers. You can tell from his outline that he has a great build, with well-defined muscles. He's slightly bowing his head, not blinking, as if deep in thought.

"He's so hot, so realistic," I can't help but marvel.

Charlotte is equally impressed. "But thirty thousand! Thirty thousand!!"

"I never said I wanted to take him home," I raise an eyebrow and smirk. "How about we touch him?"

Charlotte is clearly tempted but hesitates, looking around nervously. "Isn't that kind of inappropriate?"

"Aren't you curious what the doll's private parts are like? Could it be so advanced that it gets hard and soft as your wish like a real one?"

I've been curious about this since I saw this it.

If it's really that lifelike, I might actually be tempted to spend thirty thousand to take him home.

Charlotte smiles and gives me a gentle push. "You go first."

I smile too, and reach my hand toward the doll's crotch.

I'm just ten centimeters away from my target when-

"What are you doing?" A deep, magnetic male voice rings out above me.

I pause and turn to smile at Charlotte. "This is so advanced, it even comes with a voice pack."

Charlotte's eyes widen as she points at me and then at the doll. "Gemma, you-he-"

She's too shocked to speak.

I turn back, my hand continuing toward its destination.

Then, the doll's hand suddenly moves, grabbing my wrist.

My heart stops beating.

The hand is warm and strong, just like a real person's.

I look up and see the doll glaring at me, blinking in anger.