Instar Meditations

By Rebekah Jordan

Young women around the country are going missing and the only one who seems to care is unlucky FBI agent Nora Hammond. Not even her partner, ladies’ man Jason Carter, thinks it’s worth looking into.

Meanwhile, the TruLove Corporation has a new line of luxury sex dolls that will truly love you back – for a price. When the dolls start attacking their owners, the FBI is called in to investigate and things with Nora and Jason get a little sticky...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Sep 15, 2023
• ISBN: 9798886931235

Rebekah Jordan

Rebekah Jordan is a wife and mother living in the woods in New Jersey. She has been writing since the age of ten and has published more than eight hundred short stories on her popular fandom blog. She enjoys crime dramas, supernatural stories, and frequents fan conventions in her spare time.

Book preview

1

Cecilia Adams wasn’t much to look at, a fact she had mostly grown accustomed to over the last twenty-two years. She was a little too big in all the wrong places; her lips were pale and too thin, her hair, no matter how much she dyed it, was always a dull echo of the blonde she dreamt of. The only thing she truly liked about herself were her eyes. They were as blue as a pure summer sky, but sadly, often hidden behind coke-bottle glasses. She had gotten used to the fact that she would always be the token fat friend, the funny sidekick, never finding love or adventure herself. She hadn’t even been touched in over a year, which was exactly why she had stopped at the drugstore on her way home from work. She needed batteries.

Cece huffed up the forty steps to her apartment and saw stars as she unlocked the door. Shoulda taken the apartment on the first floor, she wheezed, kicking off her work pumps and leaning back against the door for support as it shut.

That one smelled like french fries, said her roommate; her raspy voice coming from the middle of the tiny living room.

Cece pushed herself off of the door and craned her neck to look around the battered red sofa to see Jessica lying on her back on the floor, earbuds shoved in her ears, jack tucked into her phone.

Nothing wrong with french fries, Cece admitted as she peeled her purse off of her shoulders and walked around to have a seat. The sofa creaked beneath her as she shifted around to get comfortable.

Jessica didn’t reply. She took a deep breath in through her nose and smiled as she exhaled slowly, her pretty lips parting gently as she did.

Jess?

Rich brown eyes opened wide. Hmm?

Why are you on the floor?

Jessica pulled the earbuds from her ears as she sat up. She cocked her knees and wrapped an arm around them as she looked at Cece. I’m meditating.

Meditating? Cece almost laughed. Since when is that a thing you do?

Jessica laughed softly and shrugged. I don’t know. I downloaded this App and…it’s really nice. Very relaxing.

Cece watched in secretive admiration as Jessica took a deep breath, the hollow of her collarbone deepening beneath the spaghetti straps of her purple tank top while she inhaled. Cece wondered what they felt like; to have, to touch, to kiss. She shook her head and pried her eyes away from her roommate’s flawless tawny skin.

I’m not all into that stuff, she said finally, leaning back in the seat, but whatever works, right? Her smile turned into a tiny gasp as Jessica reached for her leg. A delicate hand landed on her knee and Cece held her breath, excited and terrified all at once. It wasn’t easy being so painfully dull when you lived with a girl whose very smile lit up an entire room. It was even harder knowing that something deep down inside of you wanted to reach out and kiss her perfectly big, juicy lips.

You gotta try it. Jessica used Cece’s knee as leverage and hoisted herself up gracefully before plopping heavily down onto the couch. Her unbound tits bounced and Cece caught herself staring. It’s great. I promise.

A warmth crept across Cece’s face as Jessica spoke. The woman leaned close, holding her phone out so Cece could see the app. The simple touch of Jessica’s arm against hers made the world burst into color.

I’m really…This isn’t really my thing, Jess. Cece said, her mouth going dry as Jessica leaned closer. I can’t sit still that long anyway.

You will, Jessica insisted with a smile. Trust me. You’re going to love it. See? She held up the App and her screen was filled with pale pink bubbles that seemed to float right off of the phone and into the real world. You just click and listen. It’s really awesome.

Cece sighed. The bubbles looked like fun, but unless it was a game and you could pop the bubbles for prizes, she wasn’t really interested. It looks fun but…

Jessica’s lip folded inward and she bit down on the corner, pouting. Thick black lashes fluttered, innocent and inviting. Please?

Unconsciously, Cece’s eyes drifted to Jessica’s lips and she licked her own slowly, imagining what she tasted like, how it would feel to snag her own teeth on that plump bottom lip.

Yeah, she whispered dreamily, OK…

It took mere seconds to download and Jessica helped her set up a log in, choosing ThirdFloorCutie as Cece’s screen name. Cece scoffed but secretly felt butterflies in her gut when Jessica had suggested the pseudonym.

Now what? The screen was loading and Cece was too impatient to care. Still, Jessica was practically sitting in her lap, so she held on when otherwise she would have given up already.

Now it’ll ask you a buncha questions and you just…click the answer you want. I told you it’s easy!

Skeptically, Cece read the first question aloud as it popped up. Age? Twenty-two. OK, that’s pretty easy… The app beeped happily when Cece hit enter.

Keep going.

Relationship status? Her heart jumped in her chest and she peeked over at Jessica.

Single. Very, very single.

Jessica smiled and leaned back against the sofa, letting her head roll back. The ringlets in her hair clung to the red fabric and looked like pencil scribbles on a notebook cover. Same, girl. She laughed. Same.

Do you enjoy masturbation? Cece’s cheeks burned, her pale skin flooding bright pink.

Um…

Of course you do. Jessica laughed.

Cece swallowed hard and tried to feign innocence. What!

Jessica grabbed the pharmacy bag from the arm of the sofa and swung it on her index finger. Forget your batteries?

OK, shut up. Cece snit, answering ‘yes’ to the app.

She cleared her throat. Would you describe yourself as sexually adventurous?

She laughed. No.

Not even that time in the break room with—

Cece scowled and held up a hand. Don’t even mention his name. She gave an exaggerated shudder and went back to the quiz as Jessica stuck her earbuds back in.

Keep going, she said, pressing play on her own app and letting her eyes fall closed.

The questions were seemingly random, ranging from her favorite smell to which hand she used to fuck herself. Cece sank back into the sofa and answered each as honestly as she could, eventually easing into the rhythm of it. Each time the app beeped; Cece relaxed a little more. No matter how insane she found the next question, she couldn’t stop answering. There was a gentle pleasure in hearing the beep and she knew she wanted to hear it again and again.

After the last question, the app came to life. Instead of pink bubbles, Cece’s screen flashed to a soft, pale blue with fluffy clouds and gently coaxing words in her favorite font.

Hello, Cecilia. Welcome to InStar Meditation.

The words faded in and out on their own. Cece simply sat back and watched them flash gently over her screen. The clouds behind moved as if caught in a cool breeze, never lingering too long, but not moving too quickly. Her eyes followed them to and fro across the sky in her hand.

Based on your answers, we have calibrated the app to suit your specific needs. For best results, please find a comfortable place to sit and relax. Use of headphones is mandatory.

Luckily, the room was cluttered, and it didn’t take long for Cece to spot her silver earbuds on the end table.

Once you are settled, press play and we shall begin.

A rush of nervousness flowed through her system, but one look at the peaceful smile on Jessica’s face was enough to convince her. Cece took a deep breath, plugged the speakers into her ears, and hit play.

When she awoke, it was only because the cushions next to her had shifted. Cece rolled toward the middle of the couch and found an empty space where Jessica had been. Headphones still in place, ears buzzing with white noise and something that she couldn’t quite grab hold of, Cece stumbled to her feet and checked the clock on the stove. It was half past three in the morning.

Jess?

There was no answer, no sign of her roommate.

In a daze, she noticed that the front door was open, and she walked to it, curiously stepping out into the hallway. She heard footsteps and followed them, seeing a blur on the stairs that resembled Jessica.

The app played on, static flowing continuously through her headphones. Cece swayed as she walked, feet carrying her down the stairs, toward Jessica, toward the open air. She knew she had to follow, knew that she needed to get outside as soon as she could.

Cold air rushed against her face as she stepped outside and Cece sucked in a deep breath. The smell of baking bread from the bakery down the street struck her senses. She sighed happily, moving to stand next to Jessica on the curb.

Neither spoke or acknowledged each other, lulled into a passive wakefulness by the app. They stood in a dream, arms at their sides, phones in their hands, ears stuffed with noise and suggestions.

A few moments later a large black passenger van pulled up to the front of their apartment building, big wheels passing through an oil slicked puddle before coming to a stop. The side door opened and Jessica stepped forward, her eyes dull and wide, pretty lips slightly parted. She slipped into the darkness of the van and Cece followed, never thinking to question the strangeness of her actions, never sensing any danger. She simply followed the voice inside her head.

The door closed behind her and Cece settled into the seat next to Jessica, her chubby face a mask of pure obedience and peace.

2

The bullpen was somewhat calm for a Tuesday afternoon. Mundane sounds of keyboards clicking and papers being rustled about added a layer of dull humming to the strangely quiet office space, but otherwise the air was still.

Agent Nora Hammond sat behind her desk, a stack of newspapers from around the country splayed out in a seemingly random fan across her workspace. She held up a paper in one hand and clutched a large iced coffee with a thick orange straw and a black permanent marker in the other. Oblivious to the world around her as she read through the news, Nora had, more than once, stabbed herself with the pen while reaching blindly for the straw.

She slurped loudly as the straw hit empty air. Damn.

What’s that, coffee number four?

Nora looked up to see her partner, Jason Carter, saunter to his chair. He winked at a passing secretary, flashing the woman a toothy grin that made Nora roll her eyes.

So? she snit, shaking the ice at the bottom of her giant plastic cup to try and reach the last few drops.

Jason pulled his chair out and sat down, kicking his beloved, chestnut brown cowboy boots up onto the desk. The leather was freshly polished and gleamed beneath the hem of his charcoal slacks.

I’m worried. All that caffeine is gonna kill ya, he explained, pulling an e-cigarette from his pocket and taking a puff.

Nora sighed and shook her head, Yeah, and what does smoking do?

Green eyes dug into her as he exhaled slowly and deliberately, a barely visible cloud of vapor floating away into the air. This isn’t smoking. It’s different. Way better.

She sneered. Is it?

Jason’s handsome face contorted into an annoyed scowl and he looked to quickly change the subject. What’s with the newspapers? he asked, grabbing the closest one and eyeing the hastily circled articles. Looking for a new job?

Nora laughed sarcastically and snatched the paper back, laying it on the desk in a manner that suggested there was any sort of order to