The Experiment

An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication

www.ellorascave.com

The Experiment

ISBN # 1-4199-0612-7

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

The Experiment Copyright© 2006 Elliot Mabeuse

Edited by Shannon Combs.

Cover art by Syneca.

Electronic book Publication: April 2006

This book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502.

This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

Warning:

The following material contains graphic sexual content meant for mature readers. This book has been rated E–rotic by a minimum of three independent reviewers.

Ellora’s Cave Publishing offers three levels of Romantica™ reading entertainment: S (S-ensuous), E (E-rotic), and X (X-treme).

S-
ensuous
love scenes are explicit and leave nothing to the imagination.

E-
rotic
love scenes are explicit, leave nothing to the imagination, and are high in volume per the overall word count. In addition, some E-rated titles might contain fantasy material that some readers find objectionable, such as bondage, submission, same sex encounters, forced seductions, and so forth. E-rated titles are the most graphic titles we carry; it is common, for instance, for an author to use words such as “fucking”, “cock”, “pussy”, and such within their work of literature.

X-
treme
titles differ from E-rated titles only in plot premise and storyline execution. Unlike E-rated titles, stories designated with the letter X tend to contain controversial subject matter not for the faint of heart.

T
HE
E
XPERIMENT

Elliot Mabeuse

Trademarks Acknowledgement

The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

Plexiglas: Rohm and Haas Company

Chapter One

The room she stood in was quiet and dim, and the windows running from floor to ceiling on two sides gave her a magnificent view of the city spread out before her, insulating her from the din of the streets below. From here on the fortieth floor she thought she could even make out her own building, not far, but for all the connection she felt with it now it had might as well be on the moon.

This is what the world looks like when you’re rich
, she thought.
Like a big, shiny toy, wound up and running just for you.

As large as it was, the room gave off a muted sense of wealth and refinement that enclosed her like a cocoon in air-conditioned serenity. It tastefully exuded wealth—old, established money—comfortable with itself. The colors and fabrics were expensive but unobtrusive. The furniture seemed too good to use and the art on the walls complemented the mood perfectly, evoking just the right level of interest and appreciation from her as she strolled about, trying to appear at home, as if this kind of wealth were nothing new to her. The signatures on the paintings were all recognizable to her and she was no expert. Whoever lived here had impeccable taste and the wealth to indulge it.

“Ms. Alexander?”

The voice, as soft and pleasing as the room itself, belonged to a stunning Asian girl who entered from a large door at the far end, mid- to late-twenties perhaps, with the form and the grace of a professional model yet without the studied artificiality. Her dark hair was done up in a businesslike way and she wore an exquisitely cut suit of a subtle yet striking sapphire blue. In her hand she carried a leather folder.

She maintained her expression of polite but professional geniality as she silently crossed the vast expanse of thick-pile carpet to Zoe’s side, her hand extended.

“How do you do,” she said, taking Zoe’s hand. “I’m Ms. Liu, the Doctor’s personal assistant. It’s so good of you to come.”

“Thank you, Ms. Liu,” Zoe said. “I couldn’t very well stay away.”

Ms. Liu gave her a sly smile of understanding and guided her to a leather sofa. “Please, sit. Can I get you anything? Tea, a soft drink, alcohol, anything at all?”

“Thank you, no, I’m fine.”

“As you wish, but if you change your mind at any time, please feel free.”

Ms. Liu sat down on a matching sofa to Zoe’s right, her folder on her lap.

“Now why don’t we dispense with first things first. You have the money fragments and the invitation?”

“Yes,” Zoe said. “Right here.” She reached into her purse and withdrew the cream-colored envelope and handed it to Ms. Liu, who bowed slightly in acknowledgement. Zoe had received the envelope two days before.

Ms. Liu opened the envelope and glanced at the invitation, then reached inside and withdrew the seven fifty-dollar bills. Or rather, the seven fragments of fifty-dollar bills, for each bill had been cut neatly in two so as to be worthless without its missing half.

She now produced these missing portions from the leather folder, spreading them out on the table and arranged them so that each half met its match.

“There,” she said. “Three hundred and fifty dollars. Would you like to check the serial numbers?”

Zoe looked at her warily and then shook her head. She could tell the halves matched.

The girl gave a subtle bow of acknowledgement. “Just be certain that you join each with its proper half when you tape them back together and they’ll be as good as new, I assure you.”

Zoe collected the bills without a word and put them back into the envelope. Ms. Liu watched her as she returned the envelope to her purse.

“Now,” Ms. Liu said, “I imagine you would like to know what this is all about, and why someone has paid you three hundred and fifty dollars just for stopping by.”

“Yes,” Zoe said. “Very much.”

Ms. Liu allowed herself a small laugh of delight.

“Forgive me,” she said. “I am not laughing at you. This is part of my job, telling people why they have been invited here and it is always so interesting. People are always so different in their reactions.”

Zoe nodded and smiled uneasily in return.

“Really, it is very simple and very complex. My employer, whom I shall refer to only as ‘The Doctor’, is a very wealthy man, as you have perhaps observed.” Ms. Liu made a gesture with her hand indicating their immediate surroundings and Zoe nodded.

“He is also a serious and dedicated student of psychology and human nature and having made his fortune many times over, he now spends much of his time on research in these areas. More specifically, he is interested in motivation, in why people do what they do, and in sexuality, why they desire what they desire. His wealth has allowed him to do much original research in these areas, yet it is a never-ending task, an inexhaustible field of study.”

Zoe’s ears pricked up when she heard the word “sexuality” and she felt the stirring of those familiar suspicions that had nagged her since she had first received the strange invitation.

“Quite briefly, the Doctor would be interesting in using you as a subject for a study he is doing on sexual values.”

Here she stopped and looked at Zoe, obviously waiting for a reaction.

“Yes?” Zoe asked politely. “What sort of study?”

“The Doctor would have to explain that,” Ms. Liu said. “I’m not a party to that information. My role is simply to secure your willing cooperation.”

“Would I be answering questions or taking tests? Things like that?” Zoe asked.

Ms. Liu gave a sad little shrug. “I’m sorry, Ms. Alexander, but I really have no idea. But I can tell you this, you would not be required to do anything you didn’t want to do. And you may quit the study whenever you like, at any time. Your participation will be kept in the strictest confidence at all times, during and after the experiment. In fact, the results of the study will never be published. They are for the Doctor’s eyes only.

“I can also tell you that a number of subjects have already been recruited and that the study has been underway for some time. Furthermore, you will be compensated for your time on a per session basis and paid quite handsomely. What you have received so far is merely a token of good faith, a very small token compared to what you stand to earn for a few evenings of your time.”

Three hundred and fifty dollars was not a token as far as Zoe was concerned. It was an appreciable amount of cash, especially for something as trivial as coming up to one of the best addresses in town and hearing Ms. Liu’s pitch. The Doctor must be truly loaded to toss around cash like that.

But still, Zoe was no fool. Money like that does not come free. She had no doubt that she would be required to earn it in some way and it appeared that Ms. Liu was not going to tell her how.

“Tell me, Ms. Liu,” she said, deciding on a different approach. “Just why was I chosen to participate in this study? How did you come by my name?”

Ms. Liu nodded. “I cannot say for certain. As I said, I’m not a party to the protocols of this experiment. But the Doctor chooses his subjects himself.”

“I see. But I don’t know him, I’m sure.” Zoe was going to add that she didn’t know anyone who could throw this kind of money around, but she held her tongue.

“No, I’m sure you don’t,” Ms. Liu said. “The Doctor’s friends and acquaintances are strictly ineligible to participate in the study, so if you did know him, you would not be here now. All participants must be strangers.”

Seeing that this didn’t quite satisfy Zoe, she added, “It is most likely that the Doctor noticed you someplace, perhaps where you work, perhaps as a friend of a friend of a friend. You would certainly not be the first to have been selected in such a way. What’s important is that you be a stranger to him and to the other participants. No identities are ever revealed, I can assure you.”

Zoe sat back in the wonderfully comfortable sofa and looked at Ms. Liu with a level gaze. “Do you mean he’d find out who I was? Where I lived? Things like that?”

Ms. Liu tipped her head in sympathy. “Nothing that isn’t a matter of public record. The Doctor is not a stalker and he’s nothing if not absolutely discreet and confidential.”

Zoe considered this and Ms. Liu added, “In any case, that’s the way the Doctor has always recruited for his experiments. If he hadn’t, you wouldn’t have your money now.”

The mention of the money brought Zoe’s attention back to the three hundred and fifty dollars in her purse. She could hardly complain about being given an opportunity to be that much richer.

The two women sat together and Zoe opened her mouth as if she were about to speak several times before saying, “I’m sorry, Ms. Liu. I really don’t understand what’s going on here, but I can’t help but wonder how much of this ‘experiment’ is concerned with
sex
and I’d really have to know more of what’s expected of me before I could give you any sort of answer on participating.”

She looked at Ms. Liu for reaction. There was none.

“Forgive my frankness,” Zoe said. “But where I live, no one pays another person money without getting something in return, no matter how rich that person is. So you’ll pardon me for being a bit suspicious.”

Ms. Liu smiled gently. “Of course,” she said. “I understand that this is a very remarkable offer.”

“At the same time,” Zoe said, “I won’t pretend I couldn’t use the money.”

Ms. Liu watched her calmly. Her look told Zoe nothing, but Zoe noticed that Ms. Liu was not as old as she had originally thought. The girl appeared to be in her early twenties. She wore her perfectly applied makeup a bit diffidently, like a mask. She really didn’t need it.

“Of course you understand, Ms. Alexander, that this meeting is just a preliminary screening to assess your interest in participating. You would still have to be screened by the Doctor himself. So all I need from you is a statement of interest in continuing.”

“And I could quit the experiment at any time?” Zoe asked.

“Anytime,” Ms. Liu confirmed. “If you ever decide you want to stop, you’re free to just walk out. Or you may call us and say you won’t be back. There is no penalty for terminating, but it will be final. Once you quit, there’s no going back. Of course, you get to keep whatever you’ve been paid up until that time.”

Zoe wished now she had taken Ms. Liu up on the offer of tea. It would have given her something to do while she tried to think this out.

“Have many people quit?” Zoe asked.

“I’m afraid that’s confidential as well,” Ms. Liu replied. “But I would say no. Not to my knowledge.”

The entire thing sounded preposterous, yet here she was, sitting in this luxurious penthouse with three hundred and fifty dollars in her purse.

“May I think it over?” Zoe asked.

“For twenty-four hours,” Ms. Liu said. “No more, I’m afraid. If you’re unable to participate, there are other subjects to interview.”

Zoe nodded.

Ms. Liu waited an appropriate time, then, sensing that Zoe had nothing more to ask, she stood up and Zoe did likewise.

“You have the number on your invitation,” Ms. Liu said with a warm smile. “You may call us with your answer, anytime between now and tomorrow night. If we don’t
hear from you by this time tomorrow night, we’ll presume you’re not interested and the offer will be withdrawn.”

As she said this she subtly guided Zoe to the enormous foyer.

Zoe stopped and turned to her. “If I do accept, what happens next? Can you tell me?”

“Yes, certainly. That’s something I do know. The Doctor will schedule an initial interview with you himself where I assume he will tell you about the nature of the experiment and your role in it.”

“There are no contracts or legal agreements?”

Ms. Liu smiled. “There is a nondisclosure agreement to assure confidentiality and a liability agreement, but that’s all. The Doctor is a very honorable man and prefers to keep lawyers and legality out of it. He likes things as simple as possible.”

Zoe nodded thoughtfully.

“Any last questions?” Ms. Liu asked as they stood by the open door. “I’m afraid we won’t be able to take any questions over the phone, only a yes or a no.”

Zoe thought for a moment. She had thousands of questions but she knew that the chances of getting Ms. Liu to answer them to her satisfaction were remote.

She shrugged. “No. Not that I can think of right now.”

Ms. Liu took her hand and shook it politely. “Then thank you again for your time, Ms. Alexander, and have a very pleasant evening. We’ll look forward to hearing from you.”

* * * * *

The interview room, as Ms. Liu had called it, was not as large as the living room, but seemed vast and very dark and strangely empty. Ms. Liu, dressed in a cream-colored suit tonight, led her across the deep-pile carpet to a chair of chrome and white leather sitting under a single overhead spotlight, very simple and like everything else in
the penthouse, expensive and elegant. “The Doctor will be with you shortly,” she said, and she left.

Zoe heard the door whisper closed behind her.

It was very quiet. The noise from the evening traffic below was soft and muted, almost drowned out by the soft hum of the ventilation. Next to her chair was a matching table and on the table was a pitcher of water and a glass, a box of tissues and an ashtray, unused. Some distance away from Zoe, perhaps twenty feet or so, was a simple teak desk, deep in shadow. She assumed that would be where the Doctor sat and she realized that the light, what there was of it, was arranged so that she shouldn’t be able to see him very clearly.