"Mike Resnick - Velvet Comet 1 - Eros Ascending" - читать интересную книгу автора (Resnick Mike)

Finally he put the book aside, picked up his computerized room card, and decided to see what it could
do besides unlock the door. He placed his thumb on a colored square, and an elegant fireplace, aglow
with a roaring though heatless fire, suddenly materialized. He pressed a second square and found his
chair tingling pleasantly, then touched a third and set the entire room to rocking gently. He got to his
feet and checked out the other squares which, alone or in combination, started water flowing in the
whirlpool, activated the sauna, dimmed the lights, filled the suite with a pleasantly musky odor, piped
in a strikingly erotic symphony, dilated the door to a closet he had not previously noticed, and slid
back a section of the wall to reveal a fully-stocked wet bar.

When he had finally seen all the features that the suite had to offer, he went over the card again,
restored the rooms to their original condition, sat down, and tried once more to focus his attention on
his book. He was more successful this time, and wasn't even aware that he was no longer alone until he
heard the door slide back into the wall.

Startled, he looked up and found himself staring at a striking brunette. Her hair was piled high in the
haute couture fashion of the day, and she wore a diaphanous purple gown that had never been intended
to hide the exquisite body that lay beneath it. Her cheekbones were high, her nose small, her lips full,
her pale blue eyes slightly tilted and oddly catlike.
Redwine estimated her age at eighteen or nineteen. He also guessed that she had packed one hell of a
lot of living into those years. She looked like the suite: elegant and expensive, and just a bit
overwhelming. He suddenly found himself wondering if the two went together.

"I didn't know anyone carried books around anymore," she said at last, and he noticed as she
approached him that she possessed a supple feline grace that went with her eyes.

"I'm old-fashioned," replied Redwine.

"It's so much easier to read a screen."

"It's easier to read this screen, that's for sure," he said ironically. "By the way, I'm Harry Redwine."

"My name is Suma."

"Do you come with the room?"

"Occasionally."

He had the feeling she was laughing at him. "But not today?" he asked.

"I thought you came here to work, Mr. Redwine," said Suma, arching a perfect eyebrow

"That's what I thought too, but I'm having a little difficulty gaining access to the material I need."

"I know."

"Everybody knows," said Redwine wryly. "But nobody seems to want to do anything about it."

"You mustn't feel persecuted, Mr. Redwine," said Suma. "I'm here to help."