Page 4 of Fembot
Winston stepped closer, running his hands over the smooth surface. “Did you open it up yet?”
“Nah, man. The delivery guys just left.” Lucky pulled out a card and handed it to Winston. “It’s the number for the company if there’re any issues.”
Winston had to admit that, in this case, the sleek lines of the box were sexy as hell, given that he knew what was inside. Running his fingers down an edge, he found the button that opened it. He glanced at Lucky, who bounced on the balls of hisfeet with excitement. Novak looked on from his usual spot on the sectional. A man of few words, he arched an eyebrow at Winston.
Yeah, so he might be stalling a bit.
Sucking in a deep breath, Winston opened the box. He let out a low whistle at the contents. Tentatively, he reached out, caressing the robot’s face.
“He feels almost real,” Winston whispered, stroking his fingers down the robot’s cheek. Robots from the factory came fully dressed, this one in a smart navy blue business suit and a silver tie. He stood motionless, and Winston took the opportunity to brush his hands down the chest and over the shoulders. “How do you turn him on?”
As Winston spoke, the eyes on the robot opened. Pools of endless blue stared at him. It unnerved Winston, and he took a step back. “Holy shit.”
Lucky came over to gawk at the robot. Unaffected for the most part but mildly curious, Novak looked on from his spot on the couch.
“What do we do?” Lucky whispered to Winston as he draped an arm over his shoulders.
“I don’t know.” Winston hated that he hadn’t been alone to receive the gift. He wanted to take his time to get to know all about it before he jumped in with both feet, the way his friends often did. If he’d been able to take his time getting to know what model it was and what tasks it performed, he’d have felt better about the whole thing. Besides, he might have been able to send it back, but it was clear by Lucky’s interest that there was no way he was going to let that happen.
“Let me call my dad first.” Winston pulled his phone out. “Call Dad,” he told the phone. It responded by autodialing his father’s number. Something Winston rarely did. If his father wanted to speak to him, he would reach out. Any other time, Winston knew better to leave well enough alone.
“Winston,” his father’s deep baritone rumbled over the line. “You got my gift.”
“I did. Thank you, sir. Um, I was just wondering… what’s it for?”
“What do you mean what’s it for? It’s a gift. It’s for you.”
“No, uh, I meant… what does it do?”
His father let out a deep, ugly-sounding chuckle. “It’s for whatever you tell it it’s for. It’s the newest model. Cost a fortune. It’ll keep your house clean. It’ll help you with your studies. Hell, it’ll even wash your ass if you tell it to.”
Winston wrinkled his nose. He wasn’t a prude, but he hated it when his father got crass. It meant that he’d been drinking and when his father was drinking, he could be abrasive and thoughtless. Winston should’ve been used to it by now. His father had often wanted him to toughen up, and he thought being an asshole was the way to do it.
“Well, thank you for the gift, sir. It was very thoughtful of you.”
“We’ll talk soon, Winston.”
They probably wouldn’t but Winston didn’t have it in him to mind at this point.
The call ended and Winston shoved his phone back in his pocket. “How do you activate this thing?”
The robot closed its eyes, then they opened again and a slow, somewhat eerie smile spread on the robot’s face. “Hello, I am 85295-C, at your service. What tasks do you wish me to perform?”
“Fuck me,” Winston whispered, stunned and amazed at how lifelike the robot was. Then, it stepped toward him. The robot reached for his waist. Startled, Winston stepped backward. “What are you doing?”
“You requested sex. I am fulfilling your directive.”
“It was an expression.Jesus. You need your language drivers updated.” Winston hoped like hell that Lucky and Novak hadn’t noticed the way his dick had hardened at the thought of having sex with the robot. “And while you’re at it, what should we call you? What’s your name?”
“My name is 85295-C.”
“No, you need a name. Not a serial number. While you’re updating your language drivers, pick a name.”
“Cal, short for Calvin,” he shot back with a moment later, then extended his hand toward me. “Pleased to meet you.”
“Winston, Winston Lowe. This is my best friend, Lucien Townsend.”
Lucien shook his hand next. “You can call me Lucky. And that lump on the couch over there is Novak.”
