Passion for the Unworthy Ape

What if women held all of the power over male arousal?

“'Notorious.'

“'Scandal-fueled.'

“'Fetching to the innocent and wary alike.'

“'An apex predator roaming the damp rich phermonal jungles of social media …'

"Those are a sample of the descriptions aimed her way. Which is giggly fun. She’s barely five foot six in these tall shoes, not a hundred and fourteen pounds in clothes that weigh nothing, still young in years and even younger in the face. About that last part, she always gives credit where it’s due. 'Thank you, neurotoxins,' she says whenever those compliments arrive. And because shaking hands is antique and approachable, the celebrity always hugs herself whenever meeting someone new. Man woman or otherwise, it doesn’t matter. That gesture is one of maybe six social inventions that make her who she is today, which is something both glorious and intriguingly fragile. And behind the beauty, costumes, and the oversized role in the world’s consciousness? She’s still the same girl -- Teena May Jappers staying remarkably steady over the last wondrous years."

Robert Reed is the author of several hundred published stories, as well as more than a dozen novels. Best known for his Great Ship series, Reed is a frequent inhabitant of the Years' Best anthologies. He was fortunate enough to win a Hugo Award for his novella, "A Billion Eves."

Warning: This story is adult in themes and in language.


Genre: Science Fiction