Fucking for Science
by Deirdre Bonneval
Copyright 2012 Deirdre Bonneval
Smashwords Edition
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
***
Nicole entered the building through the revolving doors and approached the front desk, for the second time in a week. The secretary smiled at her.
“Hello, how can I help you?”
“Hi, I have an appointment with Dr. Davis. I'm one of the volunteers.”
“Ah yes,” the secretary said. “Please take a seat. I'll let you know when he's ready. Shouldn't be more than a few minutes.”
Nicole nodded, smiling politely, and made her way to the waiting room. She sat down and briefly leafed through the magazine pile that sat on the table. They were all the recent editions, surprisingly. She picked one up: “10 Tips for a Healthy Sex Life”, it said on the cover. She couldn't bring herself to check the article itself. Her nerves didn't allow it. She found herself slightly trembling, her heart pulsating with expectation. It was a familiar feeling; memories of her first stage play; her first clarinet solo; her first time having sex, all came back. The spotlight – on her, and her alone. The potential for embarrassment. She'd been there before and survived, though. Came out stronger, too. More confident. Self-assured. She could do it again – easily. Right? It's only skin; only human nature. Only sex. Isn't it...? She didn't know. She didn't know what to expect. Her nerves returned.
A week earlier she had spotted an advertisement on the university campus calling for test volunteers. A company was looking for people to help test a new product line. “Open-minded, confident, adventurous people” it said. That was Nicole. Certainly she was not shy, nor was she lacking in confidence. Always had good grades; always had many friends. She was never afraid to speak her mind, never afraid to try new things. She was determined. Always knew she would be a journalist some day and she'd been working to achieve that goal for some time – ever since high school, in fact. Money, of course, was a problem. For everyone. Most of her friends were working part-time, some waiting tables, some serving drinks at a bar. She could test new products. The money was good – much better than you'd get working eight-hour shifts at a café. “Open-minded, confident and adventurous”, it said. That was Nicole.
When she entered the company building for the first time later that day – she had two more classes to attend first – she was not nervous. Curious, though, yes. The advertisement didn't specify what sort of products the company was making, and having taken the bus downtown straight from class she hadn't had a chance to look it up. When she entered the building it became clear. The posters on the walls gave it away before the signs did. The company was making sex-related products. Dildos and vibrators. Sleeves. Bondage gear. Even films – classy ones, no doubt. But Nicole was not nervous. Sex was not unfamiliar territory. Sex toys as well; she had a couple stashed in a drawer at home.
The building itself seemed to her rather large, from the inside as well as the outside. Busy, too. Quite a few people walking about purposefully, exchanging documents, answering calls. First impression – it seemed like a successful company. Nicole approached the front desk, where the secretary, a woman of about forty years, was hammering away at her keyboard. She lifted her head and smiled at Nicole.
“Good afternoon. Can I help you?”
“Hi. I'm here about the advertisement for volunteers.”
“Oh, great!” The secretary pulled a stack of papers out of a drawer and handed it to Nicole, along with a pen. “We'll need you to fill these out. You can do that in the waiting room, it's just over there.” She pointed to Nicole's left, where three large leather sofas sat around a coffee table, several feet away from the desk.
“Okay. But may I ask what kind of testing exactly you'd be doing? The advertisement was a bit vague.”
“All the information is in the papers. If you change your mind please return the empty forms to me.” The secretary smiled again.
“Okay, thank you.”
Forty minutes later Nicole was back on the bus, on the way home. The forms had been filled, signed and handed over to the secretary, who happily informed her that she would receive a call later that week to coordinate when her first session would take place. They could work around her schedule, she said. The majority of their volunteers were like Nicole: young students from the various colleges and universities in the city. They understood that their lives were often busy, erratic and difficult to manage. During exams, for instance. Nicole now also knew what sort of testing and research the company wanted volunteers for. The testing – a new product line of sex toys and accessories. The research – into human sexuality. How the body responds to different stimuli. She knew what the research entailed – more or less. That she might have to be naked in front of strangers. That she might have to pleasure herself in front of strangers, with and without accessories. That her physical reactions would be recorded, analyzed and compared with those of others. They wanted many volunteers, of course, as big a study group as they could get. The secretary had given her a number of leaflets to hand out to her friends, in case they might also be interested. Nicole took them out of politeness but she didn't think they would be. She was, though. Her signature was on those forms.
“They're ready for you. Fifth floor, then down the hall. It's the fourth door on the right.” The secretary had come out to fetch her. Nicole collected her things – bag, coat and scarf – and followed. The secretary held open a door for her. “Research”, the sign said.
“Good luck.”
Nicole smiled uncomfortably. “Thanks.”
It was a long elevator ride and a longer hallway still. Or it seemed to be. The door was cracked slightly open when Nicole arrived, and she gently nudged it further. The first sight – a bed. A large one. Silk sheets. On either side of it stood two tall camera lights, pointed directly at it. Straight out of a porn set, she thought. Below the bed stood a long desk. On it were two computers, turned on, and a host of assorted office supplies: printer, scanner, papers. Scattered pens and pencils. Pictures of loved ones. Cables everywhere – running from one side of the room to the other. Bookshelves along the walls – carrying a variety of books and research papers. The large print of the title “Human Sexuality” caught her eye. Generic name for a book. Next to it was a large folder, bursting with paper – “Vibrator Research 2009”. Behind the desk stood two empty office chairs; and behind them, a large window overlooked the city.