; ; Just about everyone who wants one has a radar ; detector, and Bearfinder, Inc. hired me to come up with a ; new "after market" device, a new little box you can stick ; on the dash. We decided on a "popularly priced" GPS ; receiver. It picks up the Global Positioning System ; satellite signals and tells you where you are, to within ; about five feet. Of course, GPS tells you position in ; latitude and longitude, and most drivers couldn't tell you ; what hemisphere you are in, but we integrated a little ; computer with the GPS receiver. When you are at ; Charlie's bar, just type in the name. On the way home, ; when it's time to turn right, type it in. When you are ; home, type in, "my driveway." Thereafter, whenever you ; are someplace you have programmed in, it tells you so. ; If you are sober enough to read, you can drive home from ; Charlie's at night, in a fog, with the streetlights out. ; Well, you might need our collision avoidance radar, too, ; but that's another story.
; ; Another growing market for the things, repackaged, is ; for monitoring criminals on parole or probation. They ; are required to wear one of our units, and it records every ; place they have been. To report in to their parole officer, ; all they do is dump the data into a modem, and a central ; computer checks to see if they have violated the terms of ; their parole, like consorting with former criminal ; associates, or if they were at the scene of a crime. ; Anyway, between the automobile market and the justice ; industry, we're selling a whole lot.
; ; Of course, winning 96 per cent of the market ; depended on getting the price way down, significantly ; less than it would cost our competition to make them. ; That meant a low-cost custom integrated circuit, and that ; meant a trip to Silicon Valley.
; ; Guf Haas was the VP for Marketing for "Ess See ; Squared," Santa Clara Specialty Circuits, a gallium ; arsenide house, in Sunnyvale. (They started down the ; block, in Santa Clara) He was waiting for me when my ; flight got in, about noon, at the San Jose airport, and it ; had been hard sell all afternoon. I was resisting. I didn't ; like his not being able to guarantee a -15 dB noise figure, ; and I didn't like his wanting money up front for the masks ; and other nonrecurring costs. If it worked, we stood to ; buy half a million chips a year, at least, and if it didn't ; work, that's their fault.
; ; So Guf was getting around to inviting me out to ; dinner, and I was saying that maybe I should just go to ; my motel. "I won't hear of it," he said. "You must be ; starving, with your stomach still on Eastern Time, and I ; know a great place." I demurred. I said I didn't need a ; real meal, just somethjing light. Maybe I'ld go for a long ; walk; I could use the exercise. I had been having trouble ; seeing my belt buckle. "Exercise, eh? I know just the ; thing. Light refreshments, wine and cheese, and the ; greatest of exercise. A party, one where you can get as ; little or as much action as you like." Guf didn't want to ; lose this order. "How about it? OK? Come on, as a ; favor to me. Your wife will never find out. This way, I ; can charge my fun to the company. Just let me make a ; couple phone calls. Mona!"
; ; Mona, his secretary, dutifully popped in with a fresh ; cup of coffee and entertained me for the ninety seconds it ; took Guf to set things up.
; ; It's a longish drive up the Bay to SF and over the ; bridge to Sausalito. Guf drove, with Liz in front. She ; was fortyish, with dark hair and big breasts. In real ; estate, she said. I sat in back with Fiona. Fiona could ; have been Liz's daughter. She said she worked for an ; office equipment leasing firm. She was firm, lean, with a ; braid of hair she could almost sit on. No make-up, ; except for a smile and a tan. She was the sort of girl who ; would be tanned all over. Guf kept looking in the ; rearview mirror to see how Fiona and I were getting ; along.
; ; "They have these parties every Monday night," he ; explained. "They're hot tub parties, clothing optional. ; You have to bring a date, but you are not expected to stay ; with her. Circulate, you know?" I said that if I didn't ; know, I could learn. Fiona put her hand on my knee and ; flashed a smile.
; ; We wound down to the water, parked, and started out ; along a rickety old wooden pier. Everywhere, six deep ; around the pier and anchored in the bay, there were ; houseboats, from surplus lifeboats roofed with tar paper ; to a ninety foot converted minesweeper. As we crossed ; some narrow planks, from boat to boat, Fiona clinging to ; my arm, Guf went on: "The host and hostess are Lex and ; Kathy. I've known them a long time. There's ; refreshments; help yourself. As I said, it's clothing ; optional, but if you take off all yours, I'll throw in free air ; freight when we sign the contract." Big deal.
; ; The houseboat looked like a regular ranch house, but ; built on a barge. The living room was crowded, twenty ; or thirty people, and nothing much was going on, yet. ; My stomach was telling me it was way past dinner time, ; and I headed straight for the wine and cheese. I guess I ; overdid it with the wine.
; ; Anyway, rationalizing that I might save my company ; some freight charges, I peeled down to nothing. It ; seemed the right thing to do. I was right about Fiona's ; tan. Liz kept on a little push-up bra and a garter belt, ; which accentuated her lush, dark, curly hair. Guf stood ; there with it all hanging out.
; ; He complained that the hot tub was broken. The ; heater had failed, and it was too cool out on deck to soak ; in cold water. "Couldn't we put down a plastic sheet," he ; suggested, "put lard or salad oil on it, and we could all ; roll around in it?"
; ; Kathy turned white at the thought of cleaning up after ; that. Liz said she wouldn't do any such thing. No one ; else liked the idea, either. It seems Guf was the only one ; into oleaginous sex.
; ; Kathy, diligent hostess that she was, came up with ; something to do. She rolled out a narrow, padded table ; and brought out a cart with half a dozen industrial-size ; jugs of lotion. She hopped onto the table and said, ; "Come on, Guf and friend, make me feel good." Then ; she added, "The lotion should be warmed in the hands ; before applying it."
; ; I was assigned the left leg, toes to navel, and Guf got ; the right leg. A guy and a girl got the top quarters. I ; started on the toes, massaging each one with meticulous ; care, thinking to maximize the time I had to figure out ; what to do when I got, as I knew I must, up by the hip. ; Kathy lay there with her head on a little plastic pillow, ; smiling and watching the four of us. She said I had a ; marvellous technique and was welcome at her parties any ; time.
; ; "Hey, if we're doing business together, you'll have lots ; of occasions to visit our plant. We could go to a lot of ; parties," said Guf. I just smiled. "I've got a contract right ; there in my coat pocket. We could just fill in some ; numbers and sign it."
; ; I smiled and said I figured I ought to talk to Avantek ; and Varian before I committed my company to several ; years of production. Ultimately, I got to the navel, and it ; was time to let somebody else give Kathy a rub.
; ; Fiona was out of sight, in one of the bedrooms, I ; guess, with someone younger and sturdier than I. Lex ; handed me a fresh glass of wine, and I found a place to ; sit (not easy) on a couch next to a bearded fellow who ; looked like Santa Claus, except that he was wearing a ; loose, striped robe, like a night shirt. An Iraqi, Lex said, ; not fluent in English, but a certified sex fiend.
; ; Across from the Iraqi sat a beautiful blonde -- she ; might have been a model or an airline cabin attendant -- ; who looked a bit shy; she was still wearing a silky pink ; teddy. She looked great in it. I couldn't keep my eyes off ; her, and she noticed. She took out a little pouch and ; papers and rolled one of those funny cigarettes. "Want ; one?" she asked, "It's special stuff."
; ; "Oh, no thanks, maybe later." As she smoked, I ; couldn't help breathing some of her smoke. It didn't ; smell like any grass I'd ever smoked.
; ; Suddenly, I found myself grabbing the Iraqi, kissing ; him full on the mouth. He grabbed me and kissed back. ; God, I thought, fighting free, I'm not gay. What came ; over me? I struggled to my feet and almost ended up in ; the blonde's lap. She smiled and blew smoke in my face. ; Instantly, I was really turned on, sexually, and it was ; really embarrassing, standing there a foot from her face, ; standing tall. She just sat there, fingering the lace along ; the leghole of her teddy, looking like a centerfold or a ; movie star, and staring at my genitals. This is insane, I ; thought. I wasn't myself.
; ; Now, I haven't read science fiction all these years ; without learning something. Something strange was ; going on, and the cause of it wasn't anything I learned ; about in engineering school, or business school, either. ; Something spooky! Do-do-do- do...do-do-do-do, ; Twilight Zone! The blonde put her fist between her ; thighs, and I felt the strangest sensations. It felt as if my ; guts were churning, as if someone was pushing on my ; belly button, and everything between it and my prostate ; wanted to sizzle. As she rubbed herself, I feared I would ; explode in her face.
; ; I sprinted for the bathroom and got a hold of myself. ; Then I took a cold shower. When I went back to the ; blonde, still dripping wet, but no longer tumescent, I felt ; I could control myself.
; ; "You're funny," she said, "Square, nerdly, up-tight, ; aren't you?"
; ; "Yes, Ma'm," I replied, "and you are a witch. You've ; been playing games with my mind." She blew a puff of ; smoke at me, and I had a terrible urge to giggle. I tried to ; control myself by concentrating on other things, like the ; taut, damp crotch of her teddy, and her perky breasts, ; tenting the silky fabric, her perfect teeth, exposed in a ; playful grin. "It's your cigarette, isn't it," I said. "Can I ; have one now? Does it work for everyone?"
; ; "Yes," she said, handing me the pouch, "and no. It ; works better for some people than for others. Only a few ; people have a real talent."
; ; I rolled a joint, not forgetting the skills of my college ; days, and I drew deeply, exhaling in her face. I ; concentrated on her breasts, and she reached out and ; rubbed my chest. I tried to imagine that the back of my ; knee was itching madly. She slid a hand down her thigh ; and, probably not realizing she was doing it, began to ; scratch the back of her knee. I handed her the pouch. ; "We could make beautiful music together," I said, and ; immediately felt revulsion.
; ; "No," she said, "not in this condition. It would be like ; masturbation."
; ; "You're right. Besides, I really turn you off, remind ; you of your father."
; ; No.
; ; "You can't lie to me when I can read your mind."
; ; Yes.
; ; "You like the Iraqi."
; ; I thought I might. I was feeling, at that instant, as if I ; had thought I might. This is dangerous.
; ; "This is dangerous," I said.
; ; "Just what I was thinking," she said.
; ; "Well, thanks. Bye." I felt a twinge of remorse, ; contrition, hers. I got as far from her as I could.
; ; I still had the cigarette. I took a toke and ; experimentally breathed some smoke at a sweet young ; thing who was nibbling on a carrot. I had a strong ; sensation of being in bed with a young stud whom I ; recognized from across the room. I was performing an ; "unnatural act." When I backed away, the thought faded. ; Of course, the signal should fade with distance. I got ; close again, blew smoke, and concentrated on the ; memory of what she had been thinking, except that I ; visualized the face I see in my shaving mirror, in place of ; the young stud's.
; ; The sweet young thing looked confused for a moment, ; then turned toward me, her lips open expectantly, and ; placed her hand where my fly would have been. I tried ; hard to stay in the "transmit" mode, and, as she bent ; down toward me, her tongue thrashing in anticipation, I ; imagined myself in my dentist's office, with the drill ; whining. Instantly, the sweet young thing made a face, ; let go, and turned away. Hot damn! It worked. I had the ; talent.
; ; Power is a terrible thing, addictive, so easy to abuse. ; How could Lamont Cranston, The Shadow, with the ; power to cloud men's minds, have handled it? I knew I ; must. I knew I mustn't waste my new-found power, ; merely seducing beautiful women. It takes a wise man, ; with a strong will, to make good use of a new discovery.
; ; Cupping the cigarette in my hand, I stepped out on the ; cold deck and, as they say, gathered my wits. The cold ; air off the water gave me gooseflesh, and I imagined two ; women suddenly shivering. No, I knew they must be out ; of range.
; ; Carefully, I worked out my strategy, then my tactics. ; In my mind, I rehearsed what I would do. I imagined ; myself going to Guf's coat, which I could see hanging ; near the door. "Tell you what," I imagined to myself, "I ; think your GPS gizmo is going to be a hit. It'll put SCSC ; on the map, so I'm going to give you a special price on ; those chips, and no up-front money is necessary. This ; deal is going to earn me a seat on the Board of ; Directors." I imagined reaching into the coat pocket, ; taking out the contract and a pen, and handing them to a ; naked man with my face. "Go ahead, fill in your own ; terms, and I'll sign it." I rehearsed the whole thing in my ; mind, over and over.
; ; Chilled through, I went back into the crowded living ; room, got the cigarette lit again, and made my way to ; where Guf was standing, his hand on Liz's ass. I took a ; long drag on the funny cigarette and blew the smoke in ; Guf's face.
; ; For long seconds, Guf just stood there, while I ; desperately tried to keep my mind on my planned ; transmission. I could see he was confused. I blew some ; more smoke, tried harder to imagine his handing me the ; contract.
; ; With a soft slap on her rump, Guf sent Liz away and ; reached for his coat. "I think your GPS gizmo is going to ; be a hit," he said.
; ; I've been visiting Silicon Valley a lot, lately, going to ; a lot of parties, smoking a lot of funny cigarettes with my ; friends from SCSC. Last week, the directors of Santa ; Clara Specialty Circuits agreed to sell us the whole ; company, at a very attractive price.
; ; [END] ; ;