In the near future, there is a machine that can jack into your imagination, and provide on-demand virtual experiences which are indistinguishable from real life. 

Jeff Stone has a nine to five office job in sales. When his company gets such a machine for staff to use, he's hooked. Rather than just having a virtual Grand Canyon tour or G-rated holiday, he hacks the machine to explore his most erotic fantasies.

But then the virtual world and the real world start to collide, and Jeff has to deal with the consequences...

It was a Friday night. And I was stressed. Working late in the downtown office, trying to finish the fifteen sales reports I had to have done by Monday. I called it quits around 7pm. I'd made some progress, but was just too tired. I'll get the reports done over the weekend, maybe. I packed up and headed to the office canteen for a snack from a vending machine.

I slumped into a canteen chair and worked my way through a packet of nuts. It was a desolate room. No windows, beige and lit by too many neons.

Then I heard something. A trolley, its squeaking wheels coming from behind me. I turned and saw two guys in overalls pulling a trolley. And on it was a cardboard box, maybe six feet tall and two wide.

They nodded in my direction as they stopped the trolley near a wall and used boxcutters to strip away the cardboard. I'd heard that my employer was thinking about some sort of entertainment system for the canteen, but I didn't think they'd ever get one of these. They didn't have the money. But here it was.

'Yep, it's an Immersion. The Blue. Too bad you didn't get the Ruby. That would really knock your socks off. Then again, this one ain't too bad' said the taller man, his shaved head gleaming.

With the cardboard gone, what stood before me was the frosted glass oval tower friends had told me about. There was a small control panel high at one end, but other than that it was completely smooth and seamless. The men lifted the heavy Blue off the trolley with suction handles and placed it against the wall. 

'No power point there.' I said.

'Doesn't need one' said the shorter man. 'Makes it's own, remember. All by itself. It can run itself for ten years, maybe more.'

The tower was beautifully designed, like all Immersion products. They were even better looking up close than the advertisements made out. I walked over and tried to glimpse through the frosted casing to see the bio-gel inside, it's 'brains'. Nothing.

'Hang on cowboy!' said the bald guy, pulling a small card from his pocket and waving it in my direction. He punched numbers from the card into the control panel keypad. A green light flashed. He nodded to his buddy, grabbed a small handle protruding from the console and pulled it towards him. Out came a slender flat steel sheet, about the size and width of a postcard. The tower started to glow, the two bio-gels now combining, activating the machine. Bright blue and pink light danced randomly through the bio-gel, like Northern lights.

The workmen packed their tools, cut up up the box leftovers, and bundled them on to the trolley. The tall one smiled as he turned to leave. 'All good. Give it a test drive. Have a good weekend. Enjoy!' They pushed the trolley out of the canteen, down the corridor to the elevator. I stared at the Immersion Blue. It was maybe their second best bio-imagination engine, after the Ruby. It was silent, the flickering light show hypnotic.

I was torn. Give the Blue a try, or head home for a few beers, Chinese takeout and sleep? It actually wasn't a hard decision, given everything I'd heard from those who could afford what it had to offer. And hey - now it was mine to try, for free, thanks to my employer. If everything I'd heard was true, this could possibly be one of the best and most erotic Friday nights of my life.

Because someone had told me a hack for these machines. Hold your hands on the glass in a certain way, certain fingers splayed, and you'd go automatically into 'adult mode,' no questions asked. It was known as the golden handshake. Most folks just wanted to experience G-rated flying, or roller coasters, dolphin shows. Not me. Like most men, I wanted more. Much more. 

I grabbed a chair, and pulled it over beside the glowing monolith. I stretched my hands out and placed them in the golden handshake position on just the right area of frosted glass. The dancing colours morphed to now become intense rainbow silhouettes around my fingertips. A tingling sensation crawled slowly through my hands and up my arms. Stress slipped away. It was figuring me out, analysing my DNA, my desires ... everything. Who cares about sales reports.

And then I felt light-headed. A soothing calmness washed over me. I lost the sense that I'd ever had a body. My sight dimmed, and then faded to black; even though my eyes were open. It had jacked into my optical nerves. Good. In this peaceful darkness all I could hear were the distant hum of the canteen neons. I closed my eyes. Everything was just as it should be. I had reached the half-way point between my world and theirs. 'Magic neutral' in Immersion speak.

And then I was aware of being somewhere different. Completely different. It was vivid, real and exactly what I expected. Maybe even more. I knew Candy was not far away. And I was dying to meet her.

I found myself waist deep in bright clear water, soft white sand under my feet. I was wearing swim trunks. It was warm, sunny and tropical. About midday.

Fifty yards away a sandy beach stretched for several miles either side of me. Waves gently lapped the shore. Behind this beachfront rows of palm trees swayed in the breeze surrounded by lush tropical rainforest. It was an idyllic island, travel brochure stuff. Better than I could have imagined. Small cottages with thatched roofs nestled among the vegetation.

I waited. The anticipation of what was to come made my heart race. I couldn't see her. Well, not yet. I was in no hurry. And then ...

'Hey...'

The voice was behind me ... husky, inviting, friendly. I turned, savouring the moment. And there she was. She was crouched in the water maybe twenty feet away, just her head visible above the waterline. She was sensual, beautiful and alluring. Long black hair, maybe mid 30s, sensual lips, piercing blue eyes, skin a golden honey. Her smile was infectious, welcoming and eager.

'Hi. I'm Candy,' she said warmly.

'Jeff.' My voice sounding shaky. My legs were turning to jelly,  my trunks swelling.  

Candy was about to stand up. I'd been looking forward to this moment. All guys did. Then, seemingly in slow motion, her  slender neck and athletic shoulders emerged from the water, followed by breasts to die for. Full, perfect, barely contained in her white bikini top, water running over them. Then came her slender torso, toned and flawless. She then waded towards me seductively with a look of inviting playfulness. I drank in  every moment, intoxicated. Time seemed to stand still. Candy's intense yet friendly eyes firmly locked on mine as she drew closer.

She paused briefly about ten feet away. She'd noticed something. She glanced at my trunks, then back up at me, a playful smirk across her face. 

She came closer, then ran her warm wet hands around me and pulled me in to her. Her hands glided up over my chest and settled one on either side of my head. She pulled my face down to meet hers, then latched her succulent lips onto mine me - tenderly at first, then with more urgency. I responded in kind, our tongues intertwining, probing. As we were kissing, she slid one hand down into my trunks, where her confident fingers caressed and teased my aching cock. I closed my eyes, shivering with pleasure.  

She pulled her head back, withdrew her hand, looked at me with intense desire and smiled. 'C'mon, let's play,' she whispered huskily.

Candy led me by the hand in to one of the beachside cottages. It was tastefully furnished, an overhead fan beat the air. On a side table I noticed bottles of coloured liquids. Candy closed the door, came over and held me close, her wet body felt like a furnace of sexual heat. 

Looking at me and smiling, she reached behind her back and unclasped her bikini top. I pulled it off slowly. Her breasts tumbled out in all their glory: full and rounded; pink nipples erect, a huge turn-on. I could barely stand up. So I moved and sat on the edge of the bed, then drew her down to me.

My hands explored her, winding their way around her taut midriff then worked their way upwards, to cup and caress her breasts. Breathing heavily, she closed her eyes and tilted her head back in ecstacy. I leaned in, my tongue doing several slow wet circles around an erect nipple, tenderly biting it, then sucking and massaging. She gasped.I clasped my lips around it more forcefully and upped the intensity. My other hand moved from caressing her other breast, down over her tummy, and pushed her bikini bottom down on to her thighs. My fingers moved up, stroking her inner thigh, teasing closer, closer. 

She gently pushed me me away from her. 'Later,' she whispered. 

She slid her hands down either side of my torso, stopping at the top edge of my trunks. Once there, she paused, glanced at me - mischievous, erotic. With one quick motion Candy yanked my trunks to my knees, my erect cock springing free, aching and craving relief. I lay back on the edge of the bed. She knelt on the floor then brought her lips slowly down to taste my cock. She teased her tongue around its tip. The pleasure was unbearable, I was gasping.

Inch-by-tantalising-inch, she then took me into her mouth, her cool wetness was exhilarating. Her tongue explored and teased ... licking, caressing, probing, drawing me inevitably closer and closer to climax. 

Once she'd taken in all of me, she moved in and out, unbearably slow at first. Then she subtly upped the tempo. I wanted to hold on to this feeling, this intensity as long as I could. But it was a losing battle. She moved back and forth faster, her teeth lightly scraping my shaft, just enough to amp things up even more. Her full scarlet lips moved rhythmically across my cock, tongue wildly gyrating inside. In and out, in and out ... faster and faster. 

And then I exploded. My head ignited in overwhelming pleasure and ecstasy. Waves of absolute relief rippled through my body as my cock continued pumping furiously, Candy swallowing, sucking, in and out, urgently taking more, taking all of me.

When it was over, I lay there, smashed out of my mind, panting. 

I reached up and pulled Candy down on me, then rolled over on top of her. We kissed intensely, as I caressed her breasts, moving one hand lower. She spread her legs in anticipation. I moved away and knelt , putting my head was between them. I then tongued a sensual trail to her clit.

Once there, I licked and teased, slowly at first. Candy moaned in approval. As I ramped it up her whole body responded, twitching and shivering, her heavy breathing punctuated by desperate gasps. Clenching the bed, her breaths became shorter and faster, my tongue and fingers working overtime.

Then my tongue tipped her over the edge. She cried out as she orgasmed, her whole body quivering with intense pleasure. I kept going, and slowly wound down. Candy lay there, breathing heavily, sweaty and utterly finished.

A woman with spiky blonde hair wearing a dressing gown was standing in the cottage doorway. She'd been watching, enjoying the show. She held her hand between her legs. She was the tall, svelte, the figure of dancer or gymnast. Her gown open to the waist, revealing a chiselled torso and magnificent  breasts. 

I looked at Candy, who had propped herself up on her elbows. She looked over at the blonde. 

'Hi Kris,' she mumbled wearily. Kris smiled back, then looked playfully over at me, biting her bottom lip.

I looked at Kris, and then back to Candy. Candy gave a warm smile, and read my mind.

'I think she wants ...' she said.

But before she'd finished, Kris had walked over and dropped her gown to the floor. 'I want you,' she whispered, grabbing my hand and leading me to the cottage's other bedroom.