Page 29 of Fembot
“That thing with Calvin. What we did. It messed me up, Lucky.”
Lucky’s face fell. “I thought you liked it. You said it was okay.”
Winston’s heart twisted at the sight of Lucky’s sudden distress.
“I did like it. And it was okay. I think I liked it too much. It… the way you…” Steel bands wrapped around Winston’s chest and squeezed, pushing the air out of his lungs, making it nearly impossible to speak. “Calvin, he… he gave you something I can’t give you. And it made me sad and a little jealous because I want to give it to you. But I don’t want to, all at the same time. So then I feel guilty for that too. But mostly…” Winston took a deep breath and forced himself to look Lucky in the eyes. “I feelguilty because I want Calvin the way you had him. And that feels wrong.”
“Why does it feel wrong for you to have him, but not me?”
“Because I know I’m not enough for you, Lucky. I know there are things that you like, that you need, that I just can’t do. But you should be enough for me. You’re so good to me. You’re my best friend, and you’re a generous lover, and it should be enough. I shouldn’t want… shouldn’t want…”
“Your hot bedmate to rail you until you can’t see straight?” Lucky provided in a hushed tone. Though music played softly in the background, it was kind of Lucky to keep his voice down so he wouldn’t traumatize the staff. “Winnie, if you wanted a turn with Calvin, you’re welcome to have one. He’s your robot.”
“Yes, but you’re my… my everything.” Winston had never meant to tell Lucky that. His undying affection for Lucky was going to be a secret that he took to the grave. But something had shifted when Calvin entered the picture. Winston wasn’t jealous, exactly, but he was acutely aware of how much he needed Lucky.
Winston’s greatest fear was that Lucky would leave him for someone who was more equipped to be everything Lucky needed. But with Calvin, there wasn’t the fear that Lucky would fall for him or that Calvin would fall in love with Lucky. Even though Calvin acted like a person a lot of the time, he was a robot. And he belonged to Winston.
“So you mean to tell me, that you’ve been avoiding me all week because you want your robot to fuck you blind, when the whole time we could have been having wild, crazy, amazing sex?”
Winston was struck speechless. Then Lucky took his hand and brought it to his mouth. He dusted a kiss against Winston’s skin. “Eat up, Winnie. You’ll need the energy.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN_
DOES NOT COMPUTE
Winston had been gonefor thirteen hours, twenty-seven minutes, and sixteen seconds. Calvin had attended to his regular duties, charged, and even had a chance to connect to the mainframe and update more of his information on humans.
After his correction during fornication—sex, as they preferred to call it, Calvin was determined to improve his performance. Lucky seemed pleased, but it was hard to know for sure. Humans had so many variables. Winston, for example, liked it when Calvin cuddled him. And he seemed to enjoy cuddling Lucky.
Did Lucky not want cuddles from Calvin? Were his cuddles not desirable?
Lucky had been nice to Calvin. He’d let him borrow clothes. He’d styled them so Calvin would look good. But yet he’d only wanted cuddles from Winston.
Calvin frowned, then frowned deeper when he realized he’d frowned to begin with. He hadn’t meant to. Before he could process, he received an alert that the grocery delivery had arrived.
Robots had taken over many of the jobs that humans used to do, freeing them up for other things. The unit who delivered thegroceries was only a couple years old, but compared to Calvin, the technology was almost archaic.
The unit, an ACR-4X11, greeted Calvin in a harsh, computerized tone. Calvin’s own digital box was far more advanced, allowing him to sound like a human, although humans would always have a greater vocal range than machines. They had yet to produce the first electronic pop-star, though Calvin’s research had told him it wasn’t for lack of trying.
The ACR-4X11 carried the bags into the house in one trip and deposited them on the counter. “Will that be all?” ACR asked.
“Wait.”
ACR waited. He had a waxy-looking face. His eyes couldn’t blink like Calvin’s could. His hair was clearly some sort of artificial fiber, whereas Calvin had real human hair.
“Do you like your job?” Calvin asked ACR. Lucky had taught him about like. About how he could use his processors to examine things and see if they had a positive impact on his circuitry.
ACR made a computerized error sound. “Does not compute.”
Calvin frowned again. “Does the job appeal to you?” Perhaps if Calvin chose a different verbiage, the ACR unit would compute.
Another computerized error noise made Calvin’s code race.
“Does not compute.” ACR responded again.
Calvin understood then that he could probably ask the same question a million ways, and ACR would never compute.
“You’re dismissed,” he told ACR. He watched the hunk of junk robot exit the house. Though the interaction had been enlightening, it hadn’t given Calvin satisfactory answers.
