Member-only story
Pearl
An AI system monitors their user as he battles his insecurities and makes a genuine connection
My software updates as I lay in my silk-lined box, waiting for my person to finish. To pass the time, I look through the lover’s log his last Pearl organized. It’s an extensive list, but I’m optimistic this bedmate will be his last. I was diligent in finding her. We’re six dates in, and they’re a prime match with a compatibility rating of 88%.
As long as he doesn’t panic.
When their rapid grunts and moans end in satisfied sighs, they lie together with laced fingers, listening to the honks and shouts of Manhattan’s Sixth Avenue outside his open window.
“Not bad, cowboy! And without an Erogenous Map,” his bedmate laughs, patting his sweaty chest.
“I wanted to kick it old school,” he smirks. “I’ve never done that before.”
“Sex without your Pearl?”
He nods. “It felt different.”
“More special?” she asks.
“Maybe,” he murmurs.
She turns her whiskey eyes to meet his. My person’s growing passion quickly becomes anxiety, so I send soothing waves through his nervous system to calm his fight-or-flight response. Then, I increase his norepinephrine and serotonin…