I turned the dildo over in my gloved hand and peered at it through my Perspex visor. Another toy for a woman who was social distancing from her man, I mused. In fact, I doubted that any woman using the phallus in my hand needed a man.

Ever since the Corona Pandemic had struck, the demand for sex toys had gone through the roof. As the market exploded, Sasaki Industries had taken on more staff to cope with the influx of orders. The working conditions had changed completely for every member of staff, especially for us, the frontline workers. So, we had to cope with a wider range of products and longer working hours.

The dildo I was holding was one of the most expensive and had to be inspected and packed by hand. Moving from the production line to quality control had eased my dissatisfaction with the working conditions, but even the more intricate work in Q.C. was getting me down.

I found that handling so many dildos soured the idea of having sex with a real man, unless he was the 'right one'. I recently went out with a nice lad. When he found out I was handling fake cocks all day, he went off me and didn't show his face again. I understood his inadequacy problem and feared I'd have to leave Sasaki Industries if I wanted to have a normal relationship with another man again.

I dipped my fingers in the tub of salve and began rubbing it on the realistically shaped dildo. The 'Monster Deluxe' was 12" long and so fat, my fingers couldn't reach around it. I rubbed the oil onto the shaft by simulating masturbation, to ensure all the raised veins were glistening and smooth. The last thing the company wanted was a complaint that the dildo had rough edges and ripped open some poor woman's vagina.

"Tina, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

I glanced sideways to see that my friend was holding the same model and licking the helmet shaped end. She had lowered her mask to fool around. "Debbie, for fuck's sake..." Beyond her, on the curved desk, sat Fran, who was barely recognizable in her mask and visor.

She pulled her mask down. "Did you get tested this morning, Deb?"

Debbie nodded. "I went to the drive through. What about you, Tina?"

I sent my test in the post. "My results came back negative this morning," I replied.

"I'm waiting for mine," Fran said, then pulled her mask up.

We turned our attention to our work. Having coated the dildo with scented lubricant and confirmed it was a perfectly smooth specimen, I wiped the substance off, then slipped it into a slim plastic bag. After sealing the bag, I placed it in a moulded cellophane tray that would be slid into a box, further down the production line.

The 'Monster Deluxe' model had lots of features that could be controlled remotely. The electronic side of the toys were tested before they arrived in our section of Q.C. When Fran, Debbie and I started oiling and packing the new model, Debbie couldn't resist taking the little black controller out of one tray and fooling around with it.

She sat holding a black version of the dildo at its base, while we watched the end pump up and down at different speeds. It vibrated and even ejaculated a fluid that looked like real jiz. Amazingly, it had different temperature settings for anyone who wanted a 'hot' fuck. At $120 a go, I would have wanted it to, first satisfy me, then make me a cup of coffee in the morning.

Debbie said she wanted one to add to her collection, having claimed she possessed dozens of items from the firm's trade catalogue. Sasaki Industries was a global company and the UK market was just a tiny part of their business. I bought one of the basic static models a couple of months earlier, before the pandemic, and was perfectly happy with its modest length and girth.

Daydreaming about such matters nearly caused me to be late for my lunch break. Looking over my shoulder, I saw the time was 11:59. I finished the dildo I was holding, stood up and removed my visor and gloves.

"Don't be late back, kid," Debbie said cheerfully, holding up a 'Monster Deluxe'. "I'm getting so horny I'm wetting my panties."

I gave her a wave, picked up my bag, then hurried out into the corridor. After checking there was no one approaching, I walked to the lift at the end. While I waited for it to come down from the admin floors, a small queue built up in the corridor. Everyone was standing six feet apart, so it stretched someway.

Sally, a girl I worked with when I first joined the company, stood behind me. I identified her by her smiling blue eyes. We were all wearing white, thigh length lab coats, black rimmed glasses and N95V white masks, while our hair was covered with a cap that bore a striking resemblance to the one I occasionally wore in the shower. I looked and felt stupid, but everyone else was in the same boat.

The lift door opened, revealing it was empty. I entered and stood in one corner, Sally stood in another and two more girls occupied the last two corners. Red semicircles were painted on the floor in each corner to remind us about social distancing.

"Hi Sally. Is your department busy?"

"Very. We're two short today. Hayley and Maggie had positive tests. Won't be seeing them for ten days."

"Fuck. I know Maggie. I hope she's asymptomatic..." My eyes were drawn to a printed flier on the notice board, beneath the words, 'OBSERVE SOCIAL DISTANCING'. There were several other A4 sized notices pinned to the cork board, but this one stood out because of the bold red lettering.

* * *

Fulltime Research Assistant Required.

All female members of staff may apply.

Interviews start on Friday.

Contact Miss Evans at the Personnel Department.

* * *

Sally saw my attention switch to the notice board and took a look herself. "Huh, those kind of jobs don't go to worker ants like us."

"It says 'All female members of staff may apply', why not males?"

"Those pervy scientist probably need a guinea pig to test their toys on."

"Men buy our products as well," I pointed out.

"True..." She fell silent just as the lift arrived on the third floor.

I had to wait while the other three slowly filed out. To the right, as I left the lift car, stood a table with hand sanitizer. I took a squirt, rubbed it into my hands and followed the others into the 'Food Plaza', a nickname we had given the vast room when it opened.

An entire floor had been turned over to the staff so we could get a healthy meal during our shifts in isolation. I picked up a sterilized tray and joined the queue, which wasn't very long. It still stretched halfway around the Plaza though. There were over 400 single person booths with partition screens in the Plaza, half of which appeared to be occupied.

Once I had been given my pre-ordered selection, I found an empty booth, placed the tray on the 30" wide table and sat down, facing into the booth. A pair of latex gloves lay on the shrink-wrapped plate of food, which I donned before unwrapping the meal. The company had tried to take every precaution, but people were still catching the virus.

As I consumed the well-prepared meal, my thoughts drifted away from the virus and turned to the poster on the lift's noticeboard. Sally was right. Management hardly took any notice of shop floor workers when it came to filling senior posts. However, they had specifically written that 'All female members of staff may apply'. I mulled over the idea of working in the research department.

I had three good 'A' levels and had done two years studying marketing at college, so I had a good CV. I was only 21 so there were so many career paths open to me. I was treading water while I looked for a good job. Sasaki Industries paid a good hourly rate, but I didn't fancy a career working for a company that made expensive sex toys.

Then again, much of what the parent Japanese company produced was shrouded in secrecy. We, the shopfloor staff, speculated constantly on what went on in the Japanese factories. After thinking it over, I decided that the only way to find out if I was eligible to apply for the post was to go and see Miss Evans in Personnel.

So, cutting my break short, I picked up the tray and headed for the exit. The remnants of my meal went down one shoot, the tray on a stack and the gloves in a 'Used PPE items' bin.

I returned to the 'UP' lift and waited for it to arrive and the 4 occupants to file out. I then went up to the admin floor. Once again, I hand sanitized before approaching the red line marked on the plush light blue carpet. I had entered a different world where money was no object.

"Hello, can I help you?" the girl behind the Perspex screen asked, via a tinny intercom. Her name, Jenny, was stuck to the protective screen.

The reception secretary had a more relaxed virus dress code. Smart cream blouses and navy-blue skirts were the standard uniform for female admin staff. She was able to work without any PPE because she was fully protected by the screens. However, there was a stack of items on the table beside her, waiting for when she left the building.

"I'd like to see Miss Evans please, Jenny."

"Is it about the research assistant vacancy?"

"Yes, it is."

"You could have called...um...?"

"Tina Smith from Q.C. I'm on my lunch break. I thought I'd see if Miss Evans was available for ten minutes."

She scribbled something on a pad and then looked up. "No, I'm afraid she's not available. Miss Evans isn't doing face to face meetings except under controlled circumstances. I'll tell her that you came up though; and I'll ask her to put your name on the list."

"Oh, thank you, Jenny. Are there many names on that list?"

She smiled. "I'm afraid there are, but don't be disheartened. You will be contacted within a day or two."

I took the 'Down' lift to the shop floor and returned to my desk. By the time I had sorted my PPE out and picked up the first Dildo, the job vacancy in the research department had completely slipped my mind.