On Monday morning, at the agreed time, Eliza met Luke in the building's parking lot. He was wearing a suit — yet another breathtaking sight that would now become part of Eliza's growing collection of fantasies.
When she saw him leaning against the car, she couldn't help but remember the dream she'd had the night before — a threesome between her, Luke, and Tiffany, happening in Tiffany's office. As the memory of the dream passed through her mind, her cheeks turned crimson.
— "Good morning, Aunt Eliza," he greeted her, opening the car door for her to get in.
The car smelled like his cologne. Eliza got so distracted by the scent that she didn't even notice Luke had already circled the car and was now seated beside her.
— "Aunt Eliza?" he called, pulling her out of her little trance.
— "Oh, yes, dear?" she replied, a bit embarrassed — her voice had come out sounding strange.
— "I didn't exactly tell my mom what we do during dinner because... well, I didn't want her to know," he started to explain.
— "I figured you were holding something back, so don't worry," she replied casually.
— "Well, I think it's better if I explain everything now — I don't want to waste your time," he continued. She simply nodded, signaling him to go on.
— "Can you promise to keep a secret? I know it's unfair to ask you to promise before you even know what it is," he said.
— "Don't worry. I wouldn't betray your privacy, even considering my friendship with your mother. But what's with all the mystery? Is your work illegal?" she teased, her curiosity growing, without really thinking about the consequences of promising to keep a secret.
— "Have you ever heard of VRMMOs?" he asked.
Virtual reality games were a relatively new thing — they didn't exist during her youth — but she had played many MMOs back in the day, so she understood the general idea. Still, this was the big mystery? He was just embarrassed to admit he worked playing video games? Eliza felt a little disappointed — but that wouldn't last long.
— "I've never played VR myself, but I do know what VRMMOs are," she said.
— "Right. Modern VRMMOs have basically become an escape for millions of people around the world," Luke continued. "You know, these games let people do in a virtual world what they can't do in real life."
Eliza started to catch on to the implications but kept listening quietly.
— "For example, traveling to a beautiful tropical beach is expensive. Plus, most people can't just take several days off work. But with VRMMOs, you can relax on a virtual beach every day after work, without spending a fortune or needing unpaid leave."
Eliza was beginning to understand what kind of work they might be doing, but she still didn't grasp why Luke was so desperate to keep it secret from his mother.
— "But here's the thing: to make the experience truly immersive, people don't want to just interact with AI-controlled NPCs. They want real human interaction. And that opened a whole new market — a whole range of services offered within these virtual worlds."
—"Ah, so when Tiffany said you were a startup offering online services, she was talking about providing services to other players inside a VRMMO?" Eliza asked, starting to piece it together.
— "Yeah. She wasn't lying — but she didn't tell the full story either," he admitted. Eliza's curiosity reignited. What exactly were these services?
— "Well... the truth is, Tiffany owns one of the most prestigious brothels in the largest city of the most popular VRMMO right now," Luke dropped the bomb.
— "Let me get this straight. When Tiffany said I was perfect for the job... she meant as a companion? In a virtual brothel?" Eliza asked, then burst into laughter.
Luke gave her a look that was equal parts guilty and stunned. Of all the possibilities she had imagined, reality turned out to be even crazier.
— "I'm sorry, Auntie. Tiffany can be a little wild sometimes, but she's a good person. I'm sure she didn't mean to offend you," Luke said, worried she might be upset.
— "You don't have to worry. I'm not offended," Eliza reassured him. He was even more adorable when flustered.
— "So Tiffany runs a brothel, and you work for her as a... what, a pimp?" she teased him.
— "No… I'm more like security," he mumbled, blushing even harder.
— "So, shall we go then?" Eliza asked.
— "Wait — you're actually considering it?" he asked, shocked.
— "Why not?" she replied, teasing him more. "Of course not. I'm way too old to suddenly become a virtual escort. I have nothing against people who do it, but it's not for me," she clarified.
— "Then why go to the interview?" he asked, confused.
Eliza was bored, obviously. And this was the most interesting thing that had happened to her in years. Not that she would ever admit that to Luke.
— "I think Tiffany invited me, knowing you'd warn me, and that I wouldn't accept. I think her real intention was to make friends, not to hire me," she said, trying to hide just how intrigued she actually was by the idea of a virtual brothel.
— "Ah… right… sure! Then let's go," Luke said, a little awkwardly.
During the drive to the office, they kept chatting. Eliza avoided asking more about his work — he seemed too embarrassed — and instead asked more personal questions, without realizing she was behaving like it was a first date.
The office was only about a ten-minute drive — they probably could have walked. The place itself wasn't strange at all, except for the VR machines, which were becoming increasingly common in offices for their various business applications.
Tiffany's office was a corner suite, with a stunning view of the city — a sign of how successful her business really was. When Eliza arrived with Luke, Tiffany greeted them with a wide smile and quickly ushered them in.
— "Hey, you actually came! Luke, you can go do your thing now — I'll take it from here," Tiffany said, leading Eliza to her office.
— "You have a beautiful view! I've never seen the city from this perspective," Eliza commented.
— "Well, business has been good, so we can afford a few luxuries. Would you like something to drink? Tea, coffee, whiskey?" Tiffany asked with a teasing tone.
— "Just coffee, let's save the whiskey for later," Eliza replied, trying to match the playfulness but realizing maybe she was poking a sleeping bear.
— "I'll take that as a promise. And people always keep their promises to me," Tiffany said with a sly grin.
Once she finished serving the coffee, they sat down on a couch to continue the conversation.
— "Did Luke tell you exactly what we do here?" Tiffany asked.
— "Yes, he did," Eliza replied.
— "And you came anyway?" Tiffany asked, her gaze loaded with unspoken meanings.
— "Well, when you said I'd be perfect for the job, you didn't actually mean it, right? You were just teasing," Eliza said.
She was struggling to keep up with the game of flirtation — Tiffany was clearly better at it.
— "No, I really meant it," Tiffany's answer hit Eliza harder than she expected.
She hadn't felt offended by the offer to become a virtual escort because she thought it was just a joke. She hadn't seriously considered it — until now.
Now, sitting across from Tiffany, Eliza realized the offer might have been genuine all along. And for the first time, she actually considered it.
Seeing Eliza caught off-guard, Tiffany hurried to explain.
— "I talked with you a lot that night, and I also watched you. What I saw was a woman who's clearly bored out of her mind," Tiffany said, cutting straight through Eliza's defenses.
— "The way you looked at Luke — sure, he's hot, but that's not the real attraction. Or at least, not just that," Tiffany continued, nailing something Eliza hadn't fully admitted even to herself.
— "No. He's the son of one of your best friends, your neighbor. A boy you watched grow up. A relationship with him would be completely inappropriate," Tiffany said, hitting the nail on the head.
— "So I flirted with you instead. You're not a lesbian or bi — that's easy enough to tell. But even so, you responded to my flirting," Tiffany said, her eyes gleaming with insight.
— "And I realized: it's not really about Luke or me. What excites you is that we're the antidote to the crushing boredom your life has become."
Eliza had to admit it — Tiffany had put into words something she had only vaguely understood about herself.
— "I offered you this job because I know that once you taste it, you'll never want to go back," Tiffany concluded.
Was she right? Was this the solution? For the first time, Eliza truly considered it. She wasn't going to say yes, obviously... but the idea had never seemed so tempting.
Seeing she had planted a seed of doubt, Tiffany made a final offer.
— "Here's what we'll do: you don't have to give me an answer today. Just try the game with me," Tiffany proposed.
— "Is this an invitation for us to have virtual sex?" Eliza asked, caught off guard again.
— "No — unless you want to, of course," Tiffany teased. "I was thinking more of a relaxing day at a spa. We'll keep talking, and I'll explain how everything works and why I think you'd love it."
Eliza was full of doubts — but curiosity was stronger.
— "Sure. I guess just trying it wouldn't hurt anyone," she finally agreed.