Virginia leans forward over powerful thighs to check one manicured and painted toenail. She’s gone for the muscly look, especially in arms and legs, although her lats show a lot of rowing and her abdominals a lot of sit-ups. It’s a nicely balanced look, refreshing after some of the other women’s extremism: Rose, for instance, who has left her upper body childlike while her bottom and legs are immensely strong, or Gabriela, who has bench presser’s pecs and campily big breasts over boyish hips and long slim legs … both just going with their original forms, both bizarrely attractive in their own ways; but there’s something to be said for moderation, the standard proportions taken to their perfect end point.

Virginia gets back in the water, she and Jim are pressed together flank to flank. Bubbles cover the scene below. Passing an eyedropper their fingers touch and it seems to complete a circuit of some sort. Slick bodies are everywhere, sliding together like a pod of dolphins. Across from them Angela, who has an angelic body, hormonic aid making it lusher than standard but who’s complaining, stands, legs apart, arms overhead to hold the eyedropper to upturned face: a vision. The image.…

A breast shoves into his arm. “I live in SCP north,” Virginia says suddenly, under the crowd noise. “Want to come over?”

Jim, master of wit as always, says “Twist my arm.”

Chapter 6

6

Their wet hair cools in the breeze blowing scrap paper around the parking garage. A two-minute drive to the north side of South Coast Plaza, where there is a set of condos that match the aps Sandy and Angela live in. Up to Virginia’s place, inside, a laughing race to the bedroom.

Virginia flips on the lights, turns on the video system. Eight little cameras mounted high on the walls track them with IR sensors, and two big sets of screens on the side walls show Virginia undressing, from both front and back. Jim finds the images arousing indeed, and by the time he gets his pants off half the screens show him with a hard-on waving about wandlike; Virginia cracks up and pulls him by it onto the bed. They maneuver into positions where they can both see a wall of screens. Images of Virginia—

Smooth curve of thigh; it’s spent a lot of time on the bike machines.

Blond wash of hair above.

Black pubic hair below, shaved to an arrow pointing down and in.

Blink! Blink!

Swinging breasts (the Image).

Lats, standing out from rib cage—