Ruben Slikk was what you would call a black stud. A big black cock surrounded by a fit body with all the perfect proportions and chocolate ebony skin. Ruben propped his feet up on his desk and leaned back. Ruben glanced at the clock on the wall. His last appointment was now fifteen minutes late. It had been a long afternoon at the Valentine Testing Labs. He had spent the day helping customers fill out questionnaires from various clients in the mall. This last appointment, though, was different. She was a private client, sent by his Uncle Harry to test the real Valentine line, smut.
“No, not smut” his uncle had told him while waving his forkful of spaghetti. “We sell romance.”
“It’s sex toys, Mark. Dildos and vibes and God only knows what else, not violin music!” Ruben exclaimed.
“It all leads to the same thing. People use our products to learn how to be better lovers. Being a better lover is romantic. Right, Val Steele?” he asked, caressing the curve of his wife’s cheek. “Nowadays a guy thinks he’s a great lover, but what’s he do? Lick, lick. Rub, rub. A few minutes of in and out and he rolls over and goes to sleep. Bah! What does his lover do? She wonders what all the fuss is about and she loses all interest. Maybe she finds someone who does know.”
“And the ladies. If they don’t know what pleases them, what makes them feel good, how can they show their partner? We help them learn their own bodies and they become better lovers. And that’s romance,” he concluded. “And sometimes that knowledge leads to true love. That’s what happened to your uncle and I. A man on the bus handed me a card and asked me if I’d like to watch a movie. That was your grandfather.”
“Tell me. What movie did you watch, Aunt Val Steele?” Ruben asked.
“To tell you the truth, I don’t remember. What I do remember was the young man who asked me the questions before that movie. He wasn’t so handsome, but there was something about him. He really paid attention to my every word. He asked me out for coffee afterward and I didn’t even think of turning him down.”
“And we’ve been together ever since,” Harry Valentine said. “And tomorrow Ruben’s in the office and I’m taking you out to lunch, my dear.”
A faint noise in the corridor caught Ruben’s attention. He swung his feet off the desk and stood to greet his visitor. A young woman walked into the office.
“Can I help you?” She obviously wasn’t the person Ruben was expecting. This was not the type of woman who’d even think of masturbating, let alone let a perfect stranger watch while she did it. She must have gotten lost on her way to the bathroom. He’d give her directions and send her on her way. Then he was shutting down. That last appointment wasn’t going to show.
“I’m here for the testing,” she said in a quiet, soft voice. “Sorry, I’m late. I missed the bus and had to wait for the next one. Is there still time?”
“I’m afraid you’re in the wrong place, miss. This is the Valentine Testing Labs. What were you looking for?”
“That’s what’s on the card,” she said, pulling a white card from the pocket of the drab, brown coat she wore. “Valentine Testing Labs. The man said to ask for Ruben. Ruben Slikk. That’s you, right?” She handed the card to Ruben who took it and gestured her to sit in the chair in front of the desk.
Sure enough, it was a card from Uncle Harry. The note he’d written at the bottom read ‘Private testing session’ and today’s date. Still, she obviously didn’t realize what was involved. He’d tell her in discrete terms so she could leave without being offended.
“Miss…I’m sorry. I didn’t get your name,” he began.
“Maya Mona.”
“Well, Miss Mona. I’m not sure you understand exactly what we do here at Valentine’s.”
“Please call me Maya. And I do understand. Mr. Valentine was very clear in his explanation. You test adult novelties, right?”
“Well, yes. That is correct,” Ruben said. “But are you sure you know what that entails?” this woman looked like the stereotypical old maid. Her hair was pulled back into a tight bun. She wore tinted glasses with oversized lenses. Her clothes hung off her dumpy frame. She’d probably faint when he told her what she would be doing. “Did my uncle fill you in the procedure?”
“Yes,” she said. “He told me.” Her face flushed. “But maybe you could go over it with me, just to make sure.” She took a firmer grasp on the handles of her bag, knuckles almost turning white.
“First thing, you’ll fill out this questionnaire. Standard form, same sort of thing that they use for job applications. There is an additional section for some information of a more personal nature. Dating experience, social activities, sexual orientation. Ready?”
He handed her a clipboard and a pen and waited while she filed out the sheets. He watched her face for some sign that he should be ending this interview. He thought her cheeks pinked up a bit, but it was hard to tell with those glasses. “Are you okay with it so far?”
“Yes,” she nodded. She continued writing for a few more minutes and then handed Ruben back the completed papers. He glanced over the papers, not really reading them, just making sure each blank had been filled in.
“The real product testing comes after all that is finished. You’re hooked up to our monitors by this ankle band,” he said, pulling out a white plastic band from the desk drawer. He handed her the strip of plastic which curled around her hand.
“It looks like those slap bracelets my little brother was so crazy about a couple of years ago.”
“Same principle. It relays galvanic skin response, body temperature, changes in pulse and respiration and sends the information to a unit like this.” He held out a device about the size and shape of a cell phone. “It’s all recorded and analyzed with this wireless receiver. I’ll monitor you and make sure it’s getting a clear signal.”
Maya looked around the small office. “Where will I…” Her voiced trailed off.
“In here.” He walked around the desk to a door and opened it. “I’ll show you.” She got up and followed him into the next room. The room inside was furnished like an elegant hotel suite. In addition to the king-sized bed covered in a burgundy silk comforter and tossed with pillows of various shapes and sizes, there was a leather club chair and ottoman in the corner. A dresser with a large mirror stood against the far wall. There were several candles on the bedside tables, along with a small lamp.
“Oh.” Maya turned around in the room. “It looks nice. Better than I’d thought. You said you’d be monitoring me.”
“Yes, from here. He pulled the cord to the window blinds behind him. What Maya had assumed was a fake window opened up to show the outer office. “The window acts like those two-way mirrors. It all depends on which lights are on. When the light’s off in here,” he demonstrated with the dimmer switch, “it’s regular glass. Just like a window. When the light’s off out there, you can’t see out and it looks just like a mirror to you.” He turned the dimmer the other way. “See?”
“So, I wouldn’t know when you were watching me.”
“Right.”
“Oh. Okay. Um, where do I change? I can’t wear these clothes and do all that,” Maya said.
“There’s a small bathroom behind that screen. You’ll find a robe to change into. I’ll just go back into the office and get everything ready for the testing. Let me know when you’re ready.”
Ruben went back into the office and finished getting the equipment ready for the test. The monitor and ankle band were supposed to be set to the same frequency but he double-checked, just to make sure. He began to look over her answers to the questionnaire.
Name. Check. Address. Check. Date of Birth. Check. Hmmm. Ruben did the math in his head. She’s younger than I thought. What, a year or so younger than me. Marital Status. Single. He snorted. Like that’s a surprise. She’s probably never even been on a date!
“Ahem.” Ruben heard a throat being cleared behind him. “I’m ready.”
“Oh, sorry. I was finishing up this last bit of paperwork. If you’re ready, Miss Mona…” Ruben’s voice trailed off as he turned around in his chair and saw his test subject looking at him from the doorway.
“Wow!” He exclaimed as he saw Miss Mona. At least he thought it was still her. This woman looked totally different. Her hair tumbled in honey-brown waves to her shoulders. She’d removed those oversized glasses and he could see her bright green eyes sparkling at him. She had a half-way decent body now that it was no longer hidden by those shapeless clothes.
“God, you look completely different. I don’t think I’d have recognized you if you hadn’t said something. That’s not to say that…I mean, you were…,” he stammered, trying to figure out how to dig himself out of this hole that just kept getting bigger and bigger. He could feel his face grow hot.
“It’s okay.” she laughed. “I’m flattered, really. I’m a theater major. We’re just finishing rehearsals for A Glass Menagerie. I play Laura, the repressed spinster. It always takes me a bit of time to decompress and come back to the real world. I guess you think I’ve got the character down pat.”
“Oh, yeah,” Ruben said. “I was getting a little worried about having to explain what happens next. I think you’ll be a little easier to explain things to than …umm…your stage persona.”
“Well, let’s get started, shall we? Where do you want me?” Maya asked.
“Why don’t you sit here,” Ruben gestured to the chair, “and I’ll get this monitor hooked up.”
Maya sat down on the arm of the leather chair and held out her ankle. “Why the ankle? Don’t those things usually use the wrist?”
“Too much movement.” Ruben replied as he made the final adjustments to the band.
“Too much…” Maya wriggled her arm up and down. “Oh, I get it. That could be a problem all right. Especially with the guys,” she laughed, miming jacking off. Ruben saw what she was doing and laughed, too.
Maya looked around the room. “You want me on the bed, right?”
“Wherever you feel most comfortable. The bed, the chair, even leaning against the dresser. As long as the monitor can pick up the signal, it’s cool.”
She walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. “Here’s good, I think. I like the feel of this comforter. Cool and silky.”
Ruben asked if she’d like the lights turned lower.
“Maybe just a little.” Ruben turned the dimmers and the lights dimmed to a warm glow. The corners of the room were now hidden in the shadows.
“Would you like me to light the candles? Let’s see,” he said, tipping the candles over to read the labels. “We’ve got vanilla, lemon, rose and something called Harvest Spice. Hmm. Smells like pumpkin pie, I think.”
“Do I have to have the candles lit?” Maya asked.
“No, of course not,” Ruben replied. “Do you have any questions before we begin? All set?”
Maya nodded.