Page 123 of Monsters in Love: Lost in the Fire

"Oh good, you set that one aside.” He clapped his hands with glee, the sound muffling my huff. “Perfect timing for you to take on this special project."

"Piss off, Pete, I'm not done with?—"

My growled response cut off when gleaming metal shifted behind him, a droid's face poking up over his shoulder.

"Stop being difficult, Aubrey.” Peter stepped to the side and gestured to the android. “This is AL.X. He's the newest model Pleasurebot, fresh off the line. Got the latest software and everything."

Telescopic eyes turned to meet mine, the white metal irises flexing in and out to adjust to the change in depth perception. They were a bright, illuminated violet. The glow of them reflected off the brushed metal of his cheeks.

They were beautiful to be sure, but… something about them felt… different. Like I was being weighed in their depths. Assessed for something I couldn’t put my finger on.

But that was impossible. While there were sapient droids on A4-23, Pleasurebots were mindless machines working off of predetermined scripts and datasets.

Peter pushed further into the room and AL.X moved fluidly behind him.

I'd seen a lot of Pleasurebots in my days here. I'd worked on at least thirty different models in the last few years. This new one? Those were going to behappycustomers.

The chassis was long and lean, with broad shoulders and svelte but muscular arms. His long legs were plated with smooth metal sheets that were just as toned, but not bulky. Just sinuous, elegant strength.

Some models were built to mimic fantastical creatures—tentacles made of wires, sleek horns and the like—others for work functions with saws and drills. AL.X was built to be as human as possible, butclearlymodeled after an adonis.

Except for his groin.

AL.X was as smooth as an old-school plastic doll for now. That's where I would come in, I guess.

Fuck, I was staring. I cleared my throat and wiped my hands on my apron. "Hi, AL.X?—"

"AL.X is here for upgrades, not a chatbot session. Don't bother testing his conversational responses, the new software still has the usual systems. Stay focused on the work, yeah?"

I turned to Peter, the welcoming smile I had given the android becoming a glare. "I was being polite."

He put his hands on hips. "Yeah, well, I know how easily you get distracted, and you’re on a time crunch.”

Mousey bastard. The man even smelled like cheese, adding to the effect. On a planet without dairy, it was quite a feat.

He shoved a folder into my hands but didn’t let go of it. "Here are the schematics. Follow themperfectly." Spittle flew from his mouth as he stressed the word.

I pointedly wiped the top of the metal file with a grimace to clear off any spray. "You already said that," I grumbled.

"Well, don't forget it. You have selective hearing when it comes to my directions.” He sounded downright smug. I hated smug Peter even more than usual Peter.

"I got it, I got it." I pulled the metal folder from his white-knuckled grip, matching his glare with one of my own. "Now, leave, so I can work or you’re going to get a lump of metal instead of a finished ‘bot." I fluttered the file toward the door. "Shoo."

He scoffed and rolled his eyes, but spun on his heel and shuffled out. The doors slid closed behind him, leaving me alone with AL.X.

He stood quietly to the side, having silently watched the exchange between Peter and me. Now that it was over, his glowing purple gaze panned over my workshop.

I followed his eyes, feeling a little embarrassed as they lingered on the haphazard stack of empty supplement cans and crumpled packets of caffeine concentrate. The jumbled bins of parts and accessories crowded the shelves in a system that was organized, but only in my head. I knew it looked messy to everyone else...

I shook out my shoulders. This was my work space. AL.X was just a droid, just a work assignment, and besides, a Pleasurebot wouldn’t care about the mess.

They only had basic conversational AI and functionality. He wasn’t capable of having any feelings or judgment about the mess, so neither should I.

“AL.X, it’s nice to meet you.” Even if he was just a machine, it felt rude not to greet him, especially considering I would be holding his dick in my hand for the next few hours.

His body whirred to face me. "It's nice to meet you, Aubrey." His voice was like butter, smooth and rich.

"So polite." Whomever had programmed him wanted a genteel touch, it seemed.

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