Maureen tried to occupy her mind while she sat and waited. While she was
waiting, the receptionist had lit up three more times. She seemed to be chain
smoking, which was unusual, Maureen thought, in a work environment, even
though A.T.C. seemed to be some sort of tobacco company. While the
receptionist smoked, her attention seemed intently fixed on her work, which
consisted of filing papers and typing on her computer. Maureen fidgeted,
bored, and looked again at her watch, wondering what she had gotten herself
into. She vaguely wished that she had brought something interesting to read.
She was tempted to light up a cigarette, but resisted the urge. Further
inside the office, a door opened, and an attractive blond woman in her early
thirties emerged and smiled warmly at her. She was wearing a white lab coat
that imperfectly concealed a buxom figure. “Hi Miss Connolley, would you like
to step into my office to start our interview?”
As Maureen sat down in the chair opposite Dr. Monroe, she felt momentarily
awkward, and cleared her throat nervously.
Dr. Monroe spoke first. “I suppose you’re curious about what our study
entails, and why it pays so well. A.T.C. is a small tobacco company that is
doing research to develop cigarettes that are both safer and more satisfying.
We are currently looking for committed smokers to help us as we refine and
perfect a new product that we have been developing. Does this sound like
something that might interest you?”
Maureen didn’t quite know what to think. She asked the first question that
came to mind- “How long is the study, and what do I have to do?”
“Well, you have to commit to coming in to our office each day for about an
hour. You’ll be paid $1000 each week. How many weeks or months you remain a
part of the study is up to you. While you’re here, we’ll give you various
cigarettes to try, and ask you questions about your experience of them. We’ll
also give you free samples to take home and try at your leisure. For
liability purposes, we’re also prepared to offer free medical exams and
weekly physicals, since, of course, smoking is a health risk.”
Dr. Monroe paused for a second. “Would you like to try one of our newest
cigarettes to see how you like them?”
Maureen was curious what sort of smoke could be worth paying $1000 a week to
try, and she felt like having a cigarette anyway. “Sure,” she said, smiling.
“Cigarettes are so expensive I never pass up a freebie.”
Dr. Monroe opened up her desk drawer and selected a pack of cigarettes from
inside. The box was entirely white, without any markings on it. She withdrew
two cigarettes, and handed one of them to Maureen. She kept the other one for
herself. She also offered a lighter, which Maureen waved off.
“No thanks, I got my own,” she said, taking her lucky lighter out of her
purse. Dr. Monroe lit up first, an expression of obvious pleasure crossing
her face as she inhaled. Even more curious than before, Maureen held the
cigarette to her lips with one hand while her other worked her lighter. Her
cigarette now lit, Maureen inhaled sharply, mentally attentive to the taste
and feeling of a new cigarette brand.
Maureen could only smile as the smoke made its way through her body. She
experienced an instant nicotine rush, much like when she first started
smoking, but none of the nausea or other uncomfortable effects of her initial
experimentation with cigarettes. The sensation of the smoke in her lungs was
very pleasant, like the smoke simply belonged there. She looked down at the
cigarette burning between her fingers, smiled, tilted her head back, and
rather than blow the smoke out, merely let it escape through her nostrils and
slightly parted lips.
Dr. Monroe broke the silence as she took another puff of her own. “They’re
nice, aren’t they?”
Maureen nodded as she took a long drag and inhaled. She felt nicely dizzy,
remarkably alert, and yet very relaxed. “This is easily the best cigarette
I’ve ever had!” she said, smoke escaping her lips as they formed the words.
“It gives a nice nic kick, but it’s also really smooth, and it tastes really
good too.” She paused only to take in more of the smoke. “When can I start?”
“You can start today, if you’d like. There’s just a few forms you’ll need to
fill out first,” said Dr. Monroe, as she indulged in another luxuriously long
puff. “You’ll find that this is the best job you could ever imagine.” Dr.
Monroe smiled expansively. “We take very good care of our employees.”
Maureen’s heart was thumping rapidly in excitement as she tapped her ash and
then continued to enjoy her cigarette. She wasn’t sure if her excitement was
from the cigarette itself, or from the prospect of being able to smoke more
of these delightful cigs in the future. As the two women smoked in silence,
questions came to Maureen’s mind, but remained unasked; she was sure that she
would find out the answers later. Although she had just met the mysterious
Dr. Monroe, Maureen had an overall good impression of her. She felt as though
the two of them had bonded over the past few minutes.
The two women finished their cigarettes at about the same time, and Maureen
felt a thrill of anticipation as Dr. Monroe withdrew two more cigarettes and
handed her one, not even bothering to ask if she’d like another. The two of
them lit up again, and Dr. Monroe opened her top desk drawer, and took out
some papers.
“Here are some forms for you to sign,” said Dr. Monroe, pushing the papers
and a pen across the desk. “They are basically some waivers so that you won’t
sue us, and a confidentiality clause. You must agree not to disclose the
nature of your involvement with us to any third party.” She took another huge
puff before continuing. “Also, you may not share any of our product with any
other third party for any reason, since it is still in development. For our
part, we agree to pay you $1000 per week, and provide free medical exams and
health screenings for the duration of your association with us. Feel free to
look over everything before signing, and let me know if you have any
questions.”
Maureen glanced at the contract as she smoked, and found everything to be
straightforward. She put her cigarette in the middle of her mouth and held it
there as she eagerly signed and initialed in all of the appropriate places,
so that she could quickly get back to puffing. She gave the papers back to
the older woman, who exchanged the papers for a fresh pack of cigarettes and
handed them to Maureen.
“Very good. Can you come in tomorrow afternoon at 3:00?” Maureen nodded. “In
the meantime, enjoy these.”
“By the way,” said Maureen, taking the pack and examining it, “What do you
call them?”
“We haven’t started marketing them yet, but for now we’re calling them
`Allure 100’s.'”
“Nice name, very appropriate,” Maureen said as she put the pack into her
purse, smiling broadly. Dr. Monroe rose from her chair, and shook Maureen’s
left hand, since each of their right hands were occupied with their
cigarettes. “Thank you for everything.”
“You’re very welcome. I look forward to working with you.”
Maureen left Dr. Monroe, and made her way towards the exit. As she left, she
inhaled more smoke, smiled and waved goodbye to Emily, who was still puffing
away as she worked.
As she drove home, Maureen resisted the urge to light up another Allure, but
barely. She didn’t feel like she was experiencing a physical craving. Quite
the contrary, chain smoking the two Allures back in the office left her
feeling quite satisfied, and the pleasant buzz she had experienced stayed
with her for well-over the 10 minutes or so that it took her to drive home.
Yet, the physical sensation of smoking the new cigarette had a definite,
well, allure to it. It felt fantastic in her lungs, and she could almost feel
the nicotine hitting her brain after every puff.
As she walked in the door, she could no longer resist, so Maureen took her
purse, and made a beeline to her favorite chair, where an ashtray was
waiting. Trying her best to be casual, she unwrapped the pack and took out
one of the Allures. Within moments, it was lit, and Maureen once again felt
the pleasure wash over her as she hungrily smoked.
She smoked freely throughout the night, smoking while studying for a while.
She made remarkable progress in her school work; it seemed that smoking the
new cigarettes sharpened her mind, and she grasped the material with little
effort. When she finally rose from her chair, she was surprised both by the
lateness of the hour, and by the unpleasant realization that she only had a
few Allures left. Before bed, she smoked one of her normal brand, but found
it much less satisfying than the Allure, so she finished it and then chained
into her new favorite cigarette. That night, she slept soundly, with vivid
dreams that she remembered quite clearly when she awoke the next morning.
Waking up, this time before her alarm clock went off, she immediately
thought, as she always did, of smoking. But this morning, it seemed that she
couldn’t get her cigarette lit fast enough. Her first few puffs, she smoked
like a fiend, and was rewarded once again with the amazingly nice buzz that
the Allures provided. Because she only had two left, she resisted smoking a
second Allure, but instead substituted two of her regular brand, which
combined to provide her needed fix. Maureen decided to save her remaining
Allures to smoke after each of her morning classes, but didn’t quite make it,
instead chaining them in the car on the way to school.
It seemed that the day dragged on and on. She found herself chain smoking
her regular brand whenever she wasn’t in class, but they weren’t as
satisfying, and they left a scratchy feeling in her throat and lungs that she
didn’t get at all from her Allures. Nevertheless, she continued to smoke
quite heavily through the day until around 2:30, when Maureen decided to go
in early to her new job. As she entered the building, all she could think
about was getting more of that alluring smoke inside her, and she rushed to
room 20.
“Hi, Emily,” she said, nervously, as she greeted the petite receptionist. “I
wasn’t supposed to come in for another half-hour, but I didn’t have anything
better to do.”
“Hi, Maureen,” said Emily, exhaling smoke from the half-smoked cigarette she
was enjoying. “Dr. Monroe won’t be in until 3:00, but you’re free to wait if
you’d like, or you can come back.”
“I’ll wait,” Maureen said, trying not to sound exasperated. She sat down, but
as an idea occurred to her she stood back up. “Hey, do you suppose I could
bum a smoke off of you? I ran out.”
Sympathetic concern was evident on Emily’s young and pretty face. “That’s
horrible. Of course you can.”
Maureen had her lighter in her hand and ready to go even before Emily handed
her another Allure. She clicked her lighter as she took it between her
trembling index and middle fingers. She lit it immediately, and took a series
of short and powerful drags, inhaling the last as deeply as she could. As the
smoke once more filled her body, Maureen felt her anxiety melt swiftly away,
replaced by the now familiar tingle of warmth within her chest. She closed
her eyes, and said, softly, “That’s much better. Thank you.” After a few more
drags, Maureen felt completely wonderful once again.
Emily continued to regard Maureen sympathetically. “I hate when I run out or
can’t smoke, which is part of why I enjoy my work so much,” she said, taking
a deep drag of her own. “I can pretty much smoke all day long, except when
I’m eating or sleeping.”
Maureen thought that she didn’t have to be a rocket scientist to realize that
what she was smoking was incredibly addictive, much more so than the
cigarettes that she had already grown so accustomed to. “What have you people
done to me?” she asked between drags. “I’m like a heroin addict.” She added,
almost as an afterthought, “Not that I mind though.”
“I know what you mean. I just really, really like these Allures,” replied
Emily, taking an exceptionally big puff and smiling. “I’ve loved them since
my first one.” Maureen nodded her head in agreement as they each
simultaneously took another drag. Emily continued, “I don’t have to tell you
how enjoyable they are. And you’ll find that there are other aspects of this
program that are even more pleasurable, if you can believe it.”
Maureen felt reassured by Emily’s words, and even more curious about what she
meant by the more pleasurable components of the study. She was about to ask
for details, when Dr. Monroe walked in, smoke streaming from her own Allure,
and from her lips and nostrils.
“Hi Maureen! Good to see you. How are you liking our product?”
“It’s wonderful, thanks, but I have some questions.”
“That’s understandable. I’ll be completely candid with you and hopefully
answer all of your questions to your satisfaction. Would you like to step
into my office?”
“Thanks, Emily,” said Maureen, winking at the receptionist. She went into Dr.
Monroe’s office, followed by the older woman, who closed the door behind her.
“Today I’ll tell you a bit more about our study, and then I’ll show you one
of our new projects that we’re working on. If you have any further questions,
you can feel free to ask them, but hopefully I’ll answer most of them for you
during the tour.
“First, I’ll be very candid with you. Allures are very addictive, because
they contain a very potent and unique form of nicotine that we’ve developed.”
Dr. Monroe pumped on her cigarette before she continued, “In the past,
tobacco companies experimented with different additives in their cigarettes,
hoping to develop a more enjoyable product. Rather than using additives, we
have experimented with genetic modification in our tobacco plants. We have
several goals in mind: to create a cigarette that is much safer, and also
much more pleasurable. Allures represent a breakthrough towards both of those
ends, although they are only one step forward, and we expect to make further
progress.”
“So you mean to tell me that there are no health risks with Allures?”
“I wouldn’t say `no health risks,’ but they’re a significant improvement over
other brands. Part of the reason is that we have successfully engineered
tobacco plants that produce less carcinogenic byproducts when burned. Another
part of the reason is that the smoke of Allures is absorbed much more quickly
into the blood stream, with less dangerous residues left in the smoker’s
lungs. We’ve done significant animal testing, and while the animals are not
as healthy as the control group, they are much better off than those exposed
to regular tobacco smoke.
“A second benefit to Allures, as I have mentioned, is that they provide a
highly rewarding smoking experience.” As if to accentuate this point, Dr.
Monroe lit up again, and Maureen followed suit.
“Conventional tobacco affects smokers less as the brain adjusts and adapts to
the nicotine in them. Our product works differently, and provides lasting
enjoyment, because the brain never grows desensitized to it. Every time is
like your first time.
“Finally, our product utilizes a form of nicotine that is non-poisonous, and
so it is possible to have a higher concentration of nicotine in each
cigarette. Conventional cigarettes actually contain several forms of
nicotine, the most potent of which is commonly called `freebase nicotine’ and
is highly toxic. Allures also contain several forms of nicotine, each of
which produces a different pleasurable effect in the smoker’s brain. Our goal
in this study is to further perfect Allures, and to make, in short, the
perfect cigarette.”
Maureen found all of this information very interesting, and said very little,
taking in every word as she also took in more of the allure smoke. As she
took a final puff off of the last one she had lit, Dr. Monroe suddenly
changed her demeanor, and smiled a mischievous grin at her. “You’ve been
smoking our regular 100’s. Would you like to try one of our newest
pleasures?”
“Um, ok.”
Dr. Monroe led Maureen out of her office and ushered her into an elevator.
The two of them went up to the 4th floor, and got out of the elevator. They
walked around a corner to a room with a little sign above it. “Room 414.”
The inside of the room resembled a dentist’s office, with a reclining chair,
and a machine with a tube coming out of one end. There was also a sort of
cap, and a computer monitor. She sat back in the chair, while Dr. Monroe
fastened the cap to her head. “This is to monitor how your brain responds to
what you’ll be smoking.” Dr. Monroe turned on the screen, which showed a
picture of Maureen’s brain, colored red and yellow and orange and blue in
various places.
“Right now, your brain is showing heightened activity in the pleasure
centers, as indicated by the places where you see light blue, here,” she
pointed with her lit cigarette, “and here.
“Now I want you to take this tube, and, when you’re ready, press the little
button at the end of it and breathe in. I think you’ll really like it.”
Maureen’s head was already spinning with pleasure, but nonetheless, she put
the tube in her mouth and pressed the little button. A smoky substance
immediately jetted out, and filled her lungs.
As the smoke made its way rapidly through her lungs and into her brain,
Maureen felt an intense thrill of pleasure fill her entire body. She felt as
if it was too much, and she almost passed out for a second. Her body twitched
with the deepest and most powerfully amazing experience she had ever had. It
was as if time stopped for a moment, and there was only the smoke within her
lungs and the smoke tube in her hands begging for her to take another, longer
inhale. Glancing at the computer monitor, she noticed the areas of her brain
that had been a light shade of blue instantly turn dark purple and begin to
glow brightly. She exhaled forcefully, eager to take in more. She put the
tube again in her mouth, this time unabashedly taking in as much smoke as she
could directly into her lungs. She held the smoke in, her face beaming. As
she exhaled, she was speechless, and could only smile dreamily as she fixed
her lips once again around the tube and took in more of this delightful and
exhilarating smoke. Tears of ecstasy filled her eyes, and her whole body
shook with orgasmic intensity.
The voice of reason told Maureen that what she was smoking must be some
variety of tobacco that was incredibly addictive, much more than anything she
had ever tried before. But this reasonable voice was drowned out by the deep
and intense experience of pleasure that commanded her to keep pumping this
new smoke into her most willing body. Finally, Maureen spoke, in a whisper,
between pumps, smoke spewing from her lips and nostrils as the words came
forth.
“Oh, yes. Yes. I love it. Yes. More.”
She breathed more in, repeatedly, franticly, until the bliss was too much,
and she lost consciousness.
Upon waking, Maureen found herself lying on a bed in an unfamiliar room. She
looked up, and saw Dr. Monroe sitting across from her in a chair, smiling,
and offering her another Allure, which she eagerly took. Her hands shook
violently as she struggled to get it lit. As she inhaled, her hands
immediately regained their dexterity. She took another puff as Dr. Monroe lit
up. “How long-”
“About 2 hours,” Dr. Monroe answered her question before Maureen finished it.
She smiled again, and added in a sensuous voice as she exhaled, “How did you
like it?”
“It was like heaven,” said Maureen, between puffs. “When can do it again?”
“Soon. Very soon. But not yet. There’s something we need you to help us with
first.”
“Anything. I’ll do anything.”