Part 1
When I pressed my thumb on the reader, my personal info appeared on the computer screen sitting on the shiny white desk. The lady behind it seemed detached from the moment as she punched a few things in her system, making sure to make me feel unimportant. A bit of good customer service wouldn't have hurt, but somehow, I couldn't blame her; her job recently got very dull and depressing, and it was no fault of her own. Going from a skilled bot customizer to an irrelevant cashier in a matter of a day was probably not what she had in mind when she got this job.
I wasn't too sure about this anymore either, but I waited for that moment for so long and saved so much money for it that retreating was almost unthinkable at this point. Sure, the deal was suddenly way more shaky and unpredictable, but I convinced myself that it was still a good idea to go through this.
Before punching the last key on her keyboard, she looked at me one more time.
"You know that you can't even see them anymore before your purchase, right?"
"Yeah, it sucks. But, it is what it is."
"…So, you still want to buy one?"
"…Yeah… I suppose…"
"Okay, well, good luck with that."
"Hmmm… Is it not your job to convince me that your products are the best?"
"Nah… I don't care anymore. They all suck now."
"…"
Yeah, she didn't care anymore. I got that. The new law that passed earlier this week, just before my purchase, had granted some rights to the 13th generation of AI-driven robots. Their intelligence was definitely on par with ordinary people. It was probably the beginning of the end for humanity, but whatever, there was nothing I could do about it. Fighting with this glorified cashier was pointless. The AI companions were no longer customizable, and there was nothing she could do about that fact. Instead, they were programmed with random personalities derived from their AI seed, and their physical appearance was also randomized. It was not even permitted for the seller to present a selection to the client, in this case, me. Buying a companion bot was pretty much like conceiving a real child. There was no guarantee that it would be smart and cute.
The grumpy lady processed my large payment and told me to wait. Did I really just spend all my savings on something I had no idea about? Have I been that foolish? Even pet shops allowed clients to select what kitten they wanted to bring home before spending their money. My palms were sweaty and cold, my mind bounced in every direction, and my guts were singing some sort of alien opera. I already had some regrets about my irrational decision.
While I waited for the lady to return, I dared grab her little desk mirror to make sure I was presentable, as if it would make any difference. Why did I convince myself that this would be some kind of date? Since I couldn't select his physical appearance before buying him, I didn't even know if he would be good-looking or charming. Nonetheless, I ran my fingers through my shoulder-length blonde hair and even stupidly adjusted my bra.
It was hard not to daydream, though. The robots I saw were generally manly and very realistic. I didn't buy one to get a boyfriend per se, but watching someone virile fixing my car or cooking for me would be pleasant to the eyes. It would be like a robotic version of a pool boy from a certain point of view. A nice and fit body to cuddle with in front of a movie couldn't hurt either. I also heard that they could be enjoyable in bed even though I would never admit that it was one of the reasons why I wanted one. But again, because of that new law, I couldn't pick his personality or look, so there was a real possibility that this transaction would turn into a catastrophe. Maybe my AI companion would be boring and sexually untalented.
Ah well, it was still probably better to try rather than miss an opportunity. Maybe he will be very nice to me.
It took a few minutes for the grumpy lady to come back. To my surprise, instead of having my new robot guy in tow, she brought a cart with a big cubic cardboard box sitting on it.
"Here. Your package. Thanks for doing business with Bought-a-bot. Kthxbye."
"…Uh?"
"Is there a problem?"
"The robot is inside the box?"
"Dah! Obviously. And unbox that thing outside my store. I just cleaned the place. You can throw the packaging in the big container at the back of the shop. Be careful. Sometimes there is a homeless guy sleeping in it."
"Oh… Okay. Sorry. Thanks."
Wow. She did lose all passion for her work since she wasn't allowed to customize robots for clients anymore. So rude.
I pushed the surprisingly light cart out of the store and headed to my car. It was like navigating in the unknown. When I came here today, I expected some guidance, maybe have them gently introduce me to my new robot friend. But instead, I just got a big brown cardboard box with no instructions. It felt like I just bought a dishwasher. What would I find when I opened it? Would he be naked? How will I turn it on? What if he ran away and got hit by a car?
"Gaaah!"
The parking lot had a little slope, so I kind of lost control of my cart and hit my rear bumper with it.
"Ooch! That's going to leave a mark. At least my manly man will be able to fix that scratch for me."
Still convinced of our bright future, I retrieved a knife from my lunchbox. I used it to cut apples and never expected to use it for this strange alternate purpose. It was just sharp enough to start cutting the white plastic straps around the box and pop out a few large metal staples. My number one priority was to remove the cover to see what was inside it… or who… Would he be blonde? Red hair? Muscular? Tanned? It was as worrying as it was exciting.
Snap!
It was the last one of those straps. I placed my inefficient tool on top of the bumper and began pushing the box lid up with my thumbs. It was the moment of truth. When the cover flipped over, I finally had my first look at my new product.
"…Uh!?"
Ah no! No, no, no, no, no, and no! That wouldn't do at all! There must have been a mistake. Absolutely not! I refuse! Order canceled! This was not a possibility I was told about or even considered.
Disconcerted, I fast-walked back to the store, stormed inside, and placed my two hands on the counter in front of my unfriendly cashier to assert my dominance.
"What the hell did you just sell me!?"
"An AI companion? That's the only thing we sell here. Oh, and we have those cute keychains too… Actually, they are free. Do you want one? It's a bottle opener."
"Don't act like a smartass. Take that thing back and give me a different one."
"No."
"Do it!"
"No. We can't. It's the law."
"The law, my ass! Give me a new one."
"No. Won't happen. Anyway, what is wrong with it? We only sell high-quality robots. Did you even turn it on?"
"What's wrong with it!? Are you kidding me!? It's a GIRL!"
"Oh? Is it? Congratulations. You are the proud owner of a female companion. Now leave my store."
"Not before you give me a male. I don't want a female."
"No can do. Read the law. We can't customize them anymore, we can't give you what you want, and we can't take it back. You are stuck with it. Goodbye now!"
"Raaaah!"
"By the way, instead of making wild animal noises, I recommend you go back to her before someone else finds her. The imprint is irreversible. If someone does it before you do, you are fucked."
"Raaaaah!"
Frustrated and facing a brick wall, I turned around and exited the store. Incredible. I would have to read the law once I get back home and see what I could do about this. There was no way I would share my home with another female. She would probably steal all my shampoo and wear my favorite shirt.
I returned to my car and looked inside the box again. It was hard to tell what she looked like since she was in a fetal position with her face pressed against her thighs. But there was no doubt about this thin frame, narrow shoulders, and long black hair. She was a woman and only wore some black panties and a basic bra.
"I'm not touching you, woman. Do you hear? Gross. Ah, here is the manual. How do I do this imprinting thing?"
Jammed between her arm and the box was a white booklet with the famous words "Getting started" printed on it. For such a complex machine, this manual was rather unimpressive; furniture ones were more complicated. From what I gathered, once the AI companion was turned on, she would be the one telling me how to operate her as needed.
The first thing the manual explained to do was to turn the bot on, which made me a bit anxious. Their hydrogen core batteries were pretty awesome, safe, and lasted for many months before needing a recharge, but I still secretly hoped that this chick wouldn't explode in my face during her first boot.
Locate the xiphoid process of your new companion and firmly press on it to break the seal. Once activated, the bot cannot be turned off so as not to violate its right to life.
"Uh? Ah, come on. Are they not pushing that new law a bit too far? And what the hell is a xiphoid process anyway? It sounds like a fancy microchip or something?"
I had to google that one to understand that the xiphoid process was in fact a bone located at the base of the sternum. Great. The first contact I would have with this thing would be with her chest.
When I slid my hands between her boobs to reach the base of her sternum, It was a bit disconcerting. Miss robot felt VERY real. Her skin was so very soft. It was synthetic, of course, but if I didn't know she was a bot, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference with mine.
My fingers found the little bump, and I pressed hard on it as instructed.
Crack!
"It cracked! That was probably the seal they were talking about."
Various faint electronic noises could be heard as the bot booted up. I've seen some of those AI companions before, and they were very silent, so those noises must have been caused by the initialization of her system.
Suddenly, her head lifted, and she looked up, allowing me to see her face for the first time. She blankly stared at the sky, which was normal according to the manual.
"Okay, now I have to do the imprint thingy…"
Place your face an inch away from your companion's face and fixate her in the eyes until she confirms that the imprint is complete.
"Seriously!? Here in the parking lot!? That's embarrassing."
I looked left and right to confirm nobody was in sight and leaned forward until my nose was about an inch from hers. It was so bizarre to do this in broad daylight. It was almost as if I was about to kiss her. At least, this short distance allowed me to take a good look at her eyes and get jealous because they were so perfect. So real. She didn't have a single wrinkle and looked like a cute twenty-year-old. There was no way that one wouldn't be able to fix my car or cook for me. I would definitely have to find a way to get rid of her. No matter how pretty she was, she was not remotely close to what I had expected. So disappointing.
"Imprint completed."
"AAAAH!"
"Oh! Hi!"
"You… you scared me!"
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. Where am I?"
"Uh? Oh… You are in a box."
"Nice. Can I get out?"
"…Ideally, yes. I need to take you home."
So real.
Even though I didn't want to be stuck with her, I couldn't help but admire the level of craftsmanship that went into her production. She naturally extended her perfect arm, basically asking for my help to stand up. I presented my hand, and she gently grabbed it.
Frighteningly real.
Her hand was warm. That thing could even regulate its body temperature to feel more like a real human being. Once standing in the box wearing only her tiny underwear, she placed her hands on her hips. She was very cute, and her body was illegally flawless. Her short stature just added to her cuteness.
"Oh, you aren't very tall."
"Yes. I'm 163.2537 centimeters."
"That precise?"
"No… I was just making a joke. I'm about five foot four."
"…"
Great. She already knew sarcasm. She looked around herself with a confused look on her face.
"We are in a parking lot."
"Yes. I just bought you, but you are not what I wanted. Sorry. I'll see if I can return you to the company."
"You cannot. At least not before three years.
"I'm sorry? Come again?"
"The law says that if you adopt someone like me, you must keep me for three years before you can go in front of a judge and explain why you are unable to take care of me."
"…A… judge? Okay… that's a bit… extreme."
"It's just the law. I'm sorry. "
Three years? If my new robot companion were right, it would mean that I was totally screwed. Perhaps I would have to keep her in the basement for three years before I could do something about it. That would be dramatic.
While I was observing her trying to find a way out of her box, I noticed a very old lady on the nearby walkway, slowly traveling with her cane. She stopped for a moment and looked at us before making an unsolicited remark.
"When I was young, we didn't need robots to have sex."
"…HEY! I'm not a lesbian!"
"That's all young people do these days… Sex with robots."
"WAIT! NO! I'm not dating her. I just bought her and…"
"Money in exchange for sex with robots… Where is society going?"
"Wait! No! That's not it at all!"
She wouldn't listen, or she was too deaf to hear what I said. With her cane well in hand, she resumed her mediocre walk, mumbling more judgemental statements while my robot smiled at her.
"Aww! Such a nice lady."
"NO! She was not nice! And don't just stand there wearing underwear. Get in the car… thing…"
"Thing? But my name is Alice."
"What? I can't even decide how to name you?"
"No, I'm not a pet."
"Well, you kind of are… Anyway, Alice, get in the car before more people see us together."
"Okay. Can I drive?"
"NO! That's my car."
"But I love cars. I really want to drive."
"No, Alice! It's not your car!"
"But, I probably want to drive it more than you do."
"I SAID NO!"
***
"Haha. I love driving!"
"Shut up, Alice. I wasn't going to argue with you all day. Just drive in silence, please."
"Why the long face? Aren't you happy? We will live together."
"Stop reminding me."
"We are going to live together."
"I said… Ah, whatever. I don't see why I should talk to you."
Tired of arguing already, I let Alice drive the car. I knew those AI companions were more than qualified to do this kind of simple activity safely. What I didn't expect, though, was that Alice didn't do it to make me happy, but more because she claimed that she loved cars in general. If I had been able to customize my robot before purchasing it, I would certainly have asked for my man to drive me around, but in Alice's case, she really made it feel like she was doing it out of personal enjoyment, which took all the romanticism out of the equation. At that moment, she looked very human.
She had that little smile while driving that made her look cute, though. Sure, I treated her a bit rough because I had not gotten the male I dreamed of, but she didn't seem to mind. At least she wasn't bombarding me with questions or other annoying things.
While doing a right turn, Alice looked at me briefly before returning her eyes to the road. Her little smile was still present, but she said nothing.
"…What?"
"What what?"
"You looked at me and smiled."
"Yes?"
"Why?"
"You are pretty."
"Hey! You can't say things like that."
"Yes, I can. You are pretty."
"Stop it!"
"What's your name?"
"My… name?"
At that point, I realized that we didn't even introduce each other properly. She was Alice, but she told me only because I had offensively called her "thing," but on my side, I didn't even bother telling her my name yet.
"Clarke."
"Is that your name?"
"Yes, it is. I know it sounds like a guy's name. But I'm a woman."
"No, I like it a lot. Clarke, Clarke. It's fun to say. Why did you adopt me?"
"I didn't adopt you. I bought you, and you are not what I wanted at all."
"How do you know?"
"Uh? Because you have boobs?"
"Oh, you wanted a sex companion then?"
"What!? NO! Well… NO! Why would you say such a thing!?"
"You wanted a specific gender, so it must have been for sex. I can have sex with you if you want. I love sex."
"…NO! ALICE! You are a woman!"
"I still love sex."
"RAAAH! Just drive!"
Why was she so happy and me so mad? She was a robot. It was all random programming, so those weren't real emotions. Physically, outside her flawless beauty, I couldn't tell the difference between her and a human. That little smirk she just did after my negative reaction made me wonder if she was just pulling my leg and annoyed me on purpose. No matter what it was, I had to concede that her conversational skills were solid. Not all companion robots were good like her. Some of them were shy, some looked exasperated, like me at the moment, so her ability to converse well was worth admiring. The company that produced her really managed to give her a unique personality. Her other skills remained to be evaluated, though.
"Can you cook, Alice?"
"I'm okay at it, why?"
"Can you fix my car?"
"I can try. I like cars. Why?"
"Can you clean my house?"
"Yes, but… Why?"
"Because I don't like doing those things. That's why I wanted an AI companion. You'll do it for me."
"But… I'm not a slave…"
"…"
I looked at her, and she did the same before expanding on her statement.
"What? If I live with you, we can share those tasks, no? Or at least do them together?"
"Hmmm. Aren't you supposed to do everything I ask?"
"…No. I'm not a slave. I mean, I don't mind helping you, but…"
"But what?"
"…but I want a hug in exchange!"
"…"
"Whaaat? I love hugs."
"ALICE!"
"Haha. Clarke is going to hug meee!"
I curled in my seat and placed my two hands on my ears. What have I done? All I wanted was a pretty male to make my life easier and have something nice to cuddle. Now I was stuck with a girl cuter than me who was either very flirtatious or who, at the very least, had a very strange sense of humor. There MUST be something I could do to exchange her. This new law was SO stupid.
But she was a good driver. She didn't do anything that scared me so far. On the contrary, she was probably a better driver than I was. At the very least, even if I didn't get the male I wanted, I would have acquired a good chauffeur.
When we arrived at my house, I managed to find a spark of compassion within myself.
"Follow me, Alice. We are going to get you some clothes. Even if you are shorter than me, I'm sure we can find you something in my closet."
"Black."
"…Uh? What now?"
"I like black clothes a lot."
"How do you know? You just woke up a few minutes ago."
"I just know that black is my favorite color."
"Okaaay. Whatever. I must have a black shirt for you somewhere."
"I like soft fabric, or it will irritate my skin."
"It's me that is getting irritated. You'll wear what I'll give you."
And she was picky on clothes too? We climbed the stairs and headed to my bedroom. I slid the closet door open and tried to find her something decent. If she wore that generic underwear while mowing my lawn, my neighbors would be quick to judge me. I was already wondering how I would explain to them why I purchased a robot girl, so if I let her walk around half-naked, it would be way worse. Anyway, I didn't want her to remind me that she was prettier than me.
While I was browsing, I noticed Alice looking around suspiciously and making some sort of humming noise.
"What is it, now, Alice?"
"So, this is our room?"
"NO!"
"Is it my room then?"
"No, it's mine. You don't have a room. You can sleep on the couch."
"The couch?"
"Yes. the couch."
"Well, that's not very fun."
"You are a robot. You are not supposed to have fun. Here, try this shirt."
Why did I comply with her request to wear black? I pulled out from a pile of unused clothes this black form-fitting top with long sleeves and a high neck. I bought that a while ago but it was too small for me. She unfolded it and put it on.
She looks so real.
"Oooh! I love this one, Clarke. Thank you."
"Yeah… Whatever. And what about those pants?"
I tossed her a pair of somewhat tight pants, and she caught it mid-air before inspecting them. It was as if she really had a mind of her own and tried to decide what she liked or not.
"I can wear that. I like it.Thanks."
"Yeah, no problem."
"Oh! I want this hat too!"
"Uh? Which one?"
"The black baseball cap. Can I have it?"
"You want to wear a hat?"
"Yes. I love hats."
"Alright. It's yours. I guess it's one way to hide your robot face."
"Oh, that's mean!"
"…"
Did she really react negatively to something I said? Her little smile was gone as she squeezed her legs in the pants and pulled them up. What I just told her was indeed very harsh, but… she was a robot. I didn't have to be nice to her.
So why did I feel so guilty after she called out my bad attitude?
"I'm… I'm sorry, Alice."
"Ah, it's okay. I know you didn't mean bad. You told me. You don't like me. You'd have preferred a male. I understand."
"I… I don't dislike you… I just… don't know what to do with you."
"You didn't know you couldn't choose your AI companion anymore?"
"No… No, I knew. But… I didn't consider that you could be a woman… I suppose I was obsessed with getting a robot guy and didn't see that possibility coming."
She didn't immediately reply. Instead, she finished dressing up and planted her black cap on her head. All black. For some reason, she looked a bit more adult that way. Her perfect little body was no longer exposed, and she looked a bit more friendly and less intimidating.
"Et voila! Am I cute?"
"Mmm… I suppose you are."
"Okay. Can I go visit our house? I'm curious to see what it looks like. It seems big."
"Yeah, it's on the bigger side, but it's MY house, not OUR house."
"Well, I live here. Haha. So it's our house."
"Aaah! Whatever, Alice. Yes, you can go check it. You need to learn the layout if you want to clean it after all. And take those shoes too. You can't walk around barefoot."
"Bleh. I don't like cleaning. But, yay! Black shoes!"
I rolled my eyes at her enthusiasm. It wasn't true that I would do all the cleaning while she would rest on the couch. Being refractive to cleaning must have been a personality trait she had developed when they created her, but I swear, she would clean this house for me whether or not she liked it. If I couldn't get my cuddly male, I would at least get a maid out of this bad deal.
***
All afternoon, Alice walked around the house, inside and outside, discovering her new environment. Her AI brain was probably calculating how big everything was and identifying all the obstacles and potential threats to her integrity. Whatever was really going inside her robot mind was not that relevant to me. Her little self-guided tour gave me some time to look into my options.
This new law was so restrictive. While reading about it on the government website, I didn't find any crack in it that would allow me to replace her with a different model. Even if she broke down or had a manufacturing flaw, they would just repair her and return her to me. The inescapability of my situation started to sink in; legally, Alice was pretty much like my child.
And tonight, as we were about to go to bed, she acted like one too.
"I need a pillow. Or I'll get a sore neck."
"You are a robot, Alice. You won't get a sore neck."
"Why can't I sleep in the guest bedroom? I saw it."
"Because you are sleeping on the couch. Anyway, you don't even really sleep. You just go offline."
"I call it sleep. Give me a pillow."
"No. You don't need one. Just go offline already. Tomorrow I want you to wash my car and clean the house."
"I still call it sleep, and I still want a pillow."
That couch was very comfortable, so she should stop complaining. She was lucky that she ended up in a nice house. Ending up in a small dirty apartment with an ugly guy who would have used all her womanly robot holes wouldn't have made her happy.
I turned off the light and headed upstairs for a well-needed shower.
As the soap bubbled over my body and the warm water partially made me forget about my miserable day, different thoughts ran through my head. One of them was some sort of acceptance that Alice was very pretty and that I was a bit jealous. She looked so real and didn't have an ounce of fat around her waist. She didn't have body hair either, and her skin had no imperfection. Yet, she didn't look artificial. If she didn't have the company logo printed on the side of her neck, I probably wouldn't have been able to tell that she was not human. And frankly, she was quite friendly too.
The bottom line was that I didn't dislike her. I was just disappointed that I didn't get what I was hoping for at the store today. The reality was that I could have ended up with something way worse than her, I suppose. Perhaps a real bitch or a controlling man. So, a friendly girl who liked wearing black clothes was not really going to cause serious problems. Since it appeared that I had no other choice but to live with her around for a while, it would be a good idea to let her prove her worth before keeping her inside a shed for three full years.
If I were patient, perhaps new options would open up to me over time. This new law seemed too strict to be applicable, so perhaps they would eventually modify it to make it easier for the owners to resell their goods when they were not satisfied.
After my shower, wearing nothing, I returned to my dark bedroom and slid under the blanket for a well-deserved night of sleep.
And that was when a warm hand landed on my naked belly.
"…"
"Hi!"
"AAAAAAAH!"
"Heeey! Calm down. It's just me."
"ALICE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY BED?"
"I don't want to sleep on the couch without a pillow, and you don't want me to use the guest bedroom. So this was the only option I had."
"GET OUT OF MY BED!"
"No. I will sleep on this side. You can sleep on that side. And I'll use this pillow too. It's soft."
"Take your hand off my belly!"
"Oh? Why? I like it. It's warm."
"I DON'T!"
I rolled out of bed, holding a pillow against my chest to hide my features. What was this? Did Alice try a move on me, or did she just do that to be friendly? Was her robot mind pushing her to ignore rationality?
She looked so innocent on the bed. Maybe she didn't have any ill intentions and just computed that my bed was indeed the best option for her situation. Her programming probably flagged that sleeping on the couch wasn't very humanlike and that another location was preferable.
A deep breath was required. It was late, and I didn't feel like screaming or arguing with a machine anymore.
"Aaaah! Fine! You can sleep here tonight."
"Nice! I'll be quiet."
"No touching me, though."
"Okay. I won't touch you. I promise."
What a piece of work. I placed my pillow back on the bed and returned under the blanket. This time she moved aside a little bit more and turned her back to me, hugging her own pillow. If she could stay like this all night, perhaps I would get a full night of sleep.
"Good night, Clarke."
"…Yeah… Good night, Alice."
"It's much better with a pillow."
"Just go offline."
"Sleep. I call it sleep."
***
"Mmm…"
"Ah! Seriously!?"
I knew it! Robots couldn't be trusted! Alice and I fell asleep last night without any additional drama, but somehow, she moved back toward me during the night, and now her arm and leg were over me. I thought she was supposed to be offline at night, not move around and hug people.
I tried to push her away, but she was still out of service.
"Aaah! Come on, Alice. Get off me!"
"Mmm…"
Was she really asleep? Could those AI companions be capable of pretending to get what they wanted? Yesterday, she mentioned that she liked hugs. Did she want to hug me, and that was the way she found to get one from me?
These questions weren't very important right now because my brain got hacked by something else that I would have preferred not to experience. Her skin was so soft, and so was her hair. On top of my naked body, only wearing her generic underwear, there was a lot of skin-on-skin contact.
Let's put it that way, it was not too unpleasant.
I've been single for such a long time and thought my need for physical contact would have been alleviated by the presence of a male bot, one who wouldn't have judged me and wouldn't have complained about staying close to me.
With Alice, I was getting something similar but undoubtedly more feminine. If I thought about it for a second, Robots didn't really have a gender. Sure, their physical appearance replicated male, female, and possibly everything in between, but at the core, they were just an evolved version of a toaster. I probably wouldn't have let a real woman do the same to me this morning, but because Alice was just a machine, it didn't feel as wrong as it should have been.
"Mmm… I love when you play in my hair like this, Clarke!"
"Uh!? AAAH! You… You are awake!?"
"Yes, but you can continue!"
"No! Nonono! I wasn't touching you. You dreamt it."
Lazily, ignoring my pathetic freakout, Alice pushed herself up, crawled over me, and let herself fall on top of my chest like a bag of potatoes just to hug me some more.
"Mmm… You are so warm, Clarke."
"Uuurgh! Aaaaliiice! What… What are you doing?"
"Cuddling. I love cuddling."
She was not heavier than a real person. Still looking half-asleep, she didn't seem to overly care about what I was thinking. Was she convinced that I wouldn't kick her in the stomach or something nasty like that? I mean, I was giving her some good arguments to stay because I didn't react, either too shocked by her behavior or appreciating it. I wasn't too sure which one was the most prominent.
And why did I just wrap my arms around her? Was it a poor attempt to move her away, or did I just want to enjoy the moment?
Wait… What am I doing? NO!
"RAAAH!"
"ACK!"
I sent her flying off the bed and sat straight up, bringing the bedsheet to my chest and firing a command at her.
"GO WASH THE CAR!"
"Heeey! That was not nice. What did I do?"
"You like cars! Go wash the car!"
"I'm not your servant."
"GO!"
"Fiiine. I'll do it, but it's just because I like washing cars. Pfff…"
Alice grabbed her black clothes and little hat then walked out of the bedroom. What have I done? Why did I let her get so close to me? I never had any interest in getting a female companion, so why did I let her do that, and why did I find it pleasant?
I slowly curled into a small ball of misery and pulled the blanket over my entire body. It hasn't even been twenty-four hours yet, and my life has already turned upside down.
***
After my breakfast, I walked out of the house to see how Alice was doing with the car. A large coffee had helped me forget about my strange morning experience and refocus on how this little robot would be able to help me in my daily life.
But my good intention quickly turned sour when I saw what she was doing. My hands quickly went to the top of my head and I had this unquenchable desire to pull my hair out.
"…urrrgh!"
What was wrong with this robot? Alice had taken off her clothes and piled them up next to the door, and only wearing her black underwear that looked more like a very sexy bikini, she was sexily waxing the car while showing off all her perfect curves to the entire world.
I could see several neighbors staring from their house, and some even decided to sit on their front porch with a beer to observe the free show. When she had soaped and rinsed the car all over earlier, that must have been quite something to witness.
The biggest problem here was that it was my house, and now, everybody knew that I had brought a sexy girl home. They were too far to notice her neck logo, so my reputation among the neighbors probably took a massive nosedive.
"Aliiice! What are you doiiing!?"
"Oh! Hi, Clarke! I'm washing the car as you asked me to! I love it!"
"What's the big deal? Why did you take your clothes off! Everybody is looking at you!"
"I didn't want to get them wet. They are my only clothes. And yes, a lot of people seem to admire your car."
"They are not looking at my car. They are looking at your ass!"
"Oh? Really?"
"YES! Does it not bug you that they are all fantasizing about doing you?"
"You think that it's what they are thinking?"
"YES!"
"Nice."
Facepalming. That was all I could do at this point. Would my new AI companion become the neighborhood prostitute? She sure acted that way. No, definitely, I was still unsure how to behave around her. So far, her personality was all over the place. She seemed to be a positive and happy person, but some of her behaviors were irrational at best. That was not what I had heard about robot companions. Maybe it was a side effect of having her personality randomized by the law.
Back to my previous thought, I decided to let it slide. She indeed was provocative, but she wasn't naked either. With a bit of luck, the nosy neighbors would simply think that she was my hot sister. A hot sister who was really good at washing cars because mine had never looked as clean since the day I took it out of the dealership.
"Mmm… Good job, Alice. That's one clean car."
"Oh? You think I did a nice job?"
"…Uh? Yes… it was a compliment…"
"Even if you were screaming at me a second ago?"
"…Yes… I didn't mean to scream. I'm sorry?"
"Oh? You are sorry?"
"…I guess… yes…"
"So… Do I deserve a reward?"
A reward? Since when did robots need a reward? And why was she sexily walking toward me?
"I want a reward."
"…Uh… Sure… If you want. You did a nice job and…"
"What will it be?"
"I… I don't know… I haven't thought about that yet…"
"Does that mean I can choose it?"
"…Uh?… Maybe… I suppose."
Out of the blue and in front of everybody, she wrapped her arms around me, pressed her almost naked body on mine, and engaged me in a deep wet kiss. I was so shocked by her bold move that my body stopped responding, allowing her to indulge in this overly erotic activity.
If I can't move… people will think that… I like it. If I can't move… she will continue. Why is she doing this? Where does that come from? It is so unfair. Why can't I push her away?
Her tongue went deeper and deeper, her bikini body rubbed against mine in the most outrageous way, and she even moaned a little. My lower belly was on fire, and my chest was burning. What was going on?
Before I had a chance to snap out of my trance, she disconnected her lips from mine and walked backward toward the car to possibly resume her work.
"Haha. I'm happy now!"
"…"
I fell down to my knees, tongue out, and a thin filament of saliva stretched from the tip of my tongue to the ground. My cheeks were burning red, and my entire body was hot and tingling.
I stayed there for a moment, in a deep trance, staring blankly at nothing, until a masculine voice pulled me out of my alternative world. It was my closest neighbor, standing there, shirtless and beer in hand.
"Hey, Clarke. I didn't know that you liked girls. Haha."
"…Uh? That I liked… AAAAH! NO! She is NOT a girl!"
"She looks like a girl to me."
"NO! I mean, YES! But she is just a robot!"
"Ooooh! So you are one of those bot lovers… Well, that is very hot if you ask me."
"Bot lov… NO! RAAAAH!"
I sprung back to my legs and ran to the house, seeking shelter. What have I done? Allowing Alice to kiss me like this in public, in front of all my neighbors? This would follow me for the rest of my days.
For the next hour, I laid down flat on my belly on the couch, moaning my misery—what a mistake. If my robot had been a guy, everything would have been easier, but now I was all confused and troubled. Breathing dusty hair filtered by the couch fabric seemed like the best thing to do at the moment. Why in the world did I like it so much? I wasn't supposed to like girls. I have always been attracted to men only. What the hell was going on!?
But before I could fully recover, Alice interrupted my agony when she entered the house with a weird question.
"Clake. Many of your neighbors gave me their phone numbers. Do you think they want me to wash their car too?"
"…I'm not sure that's what it is."
"Hey, you are lying face down on the couch."
"Yup."
"Why?"
"Are you really asking why?"
"You are tired?"
"Alice… Do you realize what you've done?"
"Yes. I washed your car. It's all nice and shiny now."
"No, not that."
"I covered my naked body with slippery soap. So clumsy."
"No, not that either. Try again."
"I… kissed you?"
"Bingo. In front of all my neighbors too. Now they all think I'm a lesbian."
"I liked it a lot."
"I'm sure you did."
"Can we do it again?"
"…"
I turned to my side and looked at her. Why did she look so attractive all of a sudden? I should have screamed at her, but she knelt next to me with her hands resting on her thighs and stared at me with her pretty black eyes and a faint smile.
"It's okay, Clarke. If you don't want to, I won't. But I would love it very much. And not just for me. For you too because I saw how turned on you were when I did it, and I thought it was very hot."
"…"
What kind of robot was this? Her artificial intelligence was way beyond what I could understand, and her cluelessness wasn't really cluelessness. She made me believe that she was just playful and fully aware of what she was doing.
Alice's kissing skills were still on my mind from earlier. My lower belly had not stopped throbbing since she had collected her reward. And now she was there, offering me a repeat of the treatment for a reason that I couldn't yet determine.
"If you are too shy, that is okay too. I don't mind taking charge. I've always dreamed of doing that. You'd not have to think about anything. I promise."
"…"
What was this? She was only one day old but was talking as if she had been born ages ago. And what did she just ask? She could… kiss me? Or was it… something about taking charge?… Not think?
"Uh… okay."
"Really?"
"I suppose."
"Niiice! Thanks, Clarke!"
She crawled to me and pressed her lips on mine, once again frying my brain on the spot. This time, her hand slid under my shirt and gripped my waist.
"Mmmph!"
What was I doing? What was I doing? Why was I so hot and turned on? I couldn't think straight anymore. Humans weren't supposed to do this with robots… or were they?
Here inside my home, nobody could tell what I was doing. And she was an AI companion, not a real person, so who cared about what I was doing with her? I was pretty sure most women had a vibrator at home to play with, so how was my AI companion any different. It was not like she was a real person. She was a machine.
She looks real… so real.
During the kiss, she brought my hands above my head and held them there, making me feel even more under her control than I already was. Her tongue was very similar to a normal tongue but better, softer, more slippery.
"Mmm… All submissive. The way I like it."
"Sub… missive?"
"Haha. Yes. Let's take off our clothes now. Okay?"
"…Clothes?"
What was happening to me? My mind was so foggy. I seriously started to struggle the moment she kissed me outside earlier. At her side, I lost all my willpower and felt more like a wet crepe than a bot owner.
Alice had no shame, and her clothes dropped to the floor in no time, but by the time she was done, I had not even been able to move from my spot, so she decided to assist me. She took off my skirt first, then my shirt, and before I knew it, she was already working on my underwear. Here on my couch, I knew what would happen next, and I didn't know why I was going along with it.
When she climbed over me and pressed her generous chest on mine, it really felt comfortable, right. Woman breasts… When did I start liking those? An hour ago? Her little hugs compressing my ribcage were also something I appreciated a lot. I could feel her warm crotch rubbing on my thigh in slow motion. My robot was seeking pleasure. Was it simulated, or was it something she really desired? I didn't know, but in any case, the result was the same.
I wanted to make love to her.
"A… Alice…"
"Mmm… I worked hard on the car. I need a snack…"
"You… you don't even eat…"
"Well, let's try anyway! Haha. You are so hot, Clarke. I want you to be my snack."
"…H… hot?"
Her mouth traveled down my chest and then towards my spasming belly before ending up kissing my thighs. She was so close to my…
"Aaaaah!"
"Mmm… You are SO wet down there, Clarke. It's like a fountain. I'll take that as a sign that you are very happy. Hehe."
"…aaanh!"
Happy? Was I? Between all the confusion that took root in my mind and the good feeling she was providing me with, I couldn't clearly assess my state of mind. My own moans prevented me from hearing my own thoughts anyway, so it was a bit pointless to try to formulate an answer. Her licks felt so good that I finally fell over the cliff and decided to let her do whatever she wished, and I would simply deal with the consequences later.
How could this be? It was barely one day since Alice had arrived at my house, we were already naked on the couch, and she was voraciously giving me a ton of pleasure. Her sexual talents didn't leave me any chance to resist. Never in my life has someone eaten me the way she did. She was the lion, and I was the antelope—a tiny tiny antelope acting like willing lunch.
My fingers gripped her silky hair, and my mind exploded.
"AAAAH! AAAAH! ALIIICE! AAANH!"
Stars… A lot of stars. My entire body was tingling, and then everything went dark.
***
"YOU DID WHAT!?"
"I'm sooorryyy! It was an accident!"
"AN ACCIDENT!?"
"Yeees! It waaas! Calm down, Clarke. I didn't know… I couldn't know! I ran my diagnostic overnight, and that's only when I discovered that my creator had not tuned my saliva properly!"
Oh, I was mad. This morning when I woke up, I was completely confused and barely knew where I was. All day yesterday, I had the best sex of my life with my new AI companion. We fucked over and over, I passed out over and over, and every time my consciousness returned, I still wanted more. And then I reached a point where I forgot everything.
But when the morning sun woke me up a few minutes ago, I felt as if a truck had rolled over me. Still affected by my hyper-sexual day, my arm searched for Alice in the bed, but she wasn't there. I was madly in love with her and needed her at my side badly. After sitting up in the bed and rubbing my crusty eyes, I saw her and her little smile sitting in the leather chair by the window. For some reason, her face was different. Something wasn't right.
It took me a bit of time to squeeze the information out of her synthetic brain, but once I did, I slapped a pillow over my face, angry and embarrassed.
It turned out that after our wild and savage sex day, she suspected that my behavior as a human was a bit out of the normal parameters, so she ran a self-diagnostic of her system and analyzed it overnight to rule things out.
Something had gone wrong. Simply put, she had poisoned me. At least, that was how I saw it.
"You have ten seconds to explain what you did to me!"
"Yes, yes… I'm not hiding anything. It's exactly what I just told you."
"I want details!"
"Okay. Okay. So, you know how humans use pheromones to attract other humans."
"No, I don't."
"Well, they dooo… But my creators don't know how to replicate that, so instead, they included a compound in my saliva that serves as an aphrodisiac agent. It's supposed to be very faint, barely noticeable, and designed to help people bond with their AI companion, to make them feel more real. It's not for a sexual purpose."
"So, your saliva is out of whack? Is that what you are saying?"
"Big time. My levels are over a hundred times higher than what they should be."
"And instead of telling me so I can get you repaired, you abused me? So nice of you."
"Nooo, Clarke! I told you, I didn't know. I was just playful. You must have inhaled some of my saliva droplets when we slept in the same bed the first night, and when you met me outside when I was washing your car, I detected that you had a certain level of arousal while watching me. So I just kissed you because I thought that was what you wanted. And when I did, you got so turned on that it confirmed what I thought. So when I joined you inside the house later, you were all willing and submissive for me. It was just very hot. But I never suspected that it was because of my faulty saliva until later. You just wouldn't stop having sex even after passing out from pleasure, and after a while, I thought it was strange."
I pressed the pillow against my face again. This was so embarrassing. Because of a malfunction, I had an incredible sex session with my AI female companion. I didn't know what to think anymore. She was talking about bonding, and clearly, that was what happened big time. She was just there on the chair, and I really desired her. I just wanted her to join me in bed so we could fuck some more.
"Uuuurgh! How long will the effect last?"
"Mmm… probably a few days. That is only if we don't kiss again."
"Days? Uuurgh! So we have to get you re-tuned by your company?"
"Yes, or else it's always going to be like that when you inhale or swallow my saliva droplets. I can make an appointment with them remotely."
"…Go ahead, then. Make an appointment."
"Okay… Mmm… Are Tuesday mornings good?"
"Whatever, Alice. Anytime."
"Done. Tuesday the 16th at 10 am. It's at the facility downtown."
"Uh? Tuesday is not the 16th. It's the 19th… Is your internal calendar messed up too?"
"No, no. It's the 16th of November."
"WHAT!? NEXT MONTH!?"
"Yes. They are very busy."
"Raaah!"
Once more, my back hit the mattress, and I placed the pillow over my face. What was I supposed to do now? Moaning was my only option. I couldn't possibly endure a full month of this deep desire to sleep with my new AI female companion.
At least she was smart and honest enough to tell me the truth and take care of me. Knowing exactly what was going on would allow us to manage this situation better. It was not very complicated after all. I simply had to keep my hands off her for a few days, and once the artificial attractiveness faded away, We could just put some rules in place to limit our physical contact. No more sleeping in the same bed, and she could spend her days in the backyard or wear a mask inside.
"…Clarke?"
"Mmm?"
"Are you still very angry at me?"
"Nah. It's not your fault, Alice. You didn't know."
"For what it's worth? I loved making love to you."
"Uurggh!"
Her simple words referring to sex, as gentle as they were, sent a wave of eroticism directly to my belly. I twisted and turned on my bed, some sort of sexual stretching, and all the images from my extreme pleasure yesterday flooded my mind again.
"Mmm… Alice, is your saliva dangerous?"
"Dangerous? Oh, no. It's exactly as I said. The effect will completely fade away in a few days, so we just have to avoid each other and…"
"Come here and kiss me."
"…What?"
"I said come here and kiss me, Alice."
"But… I don't understand… If I do that… you'll…"
"I know. I know that… But, we have to wait a full month for your tuning. So, why not experiment a little while you are still defective."
"…Are you sure? My manual recommends not to play with me when I'm out of specs because…"
"Screw your manual, Alice. Just tell me if there is a risk."
"No. There is no risk… Not that I'm aware of."
"So just come here already before I change my mind."
"Okay."
All dressed in black, Alice got off her chair and climbed on the bed to lay down next to me. Her face was above me. Did she really understand what I was asking? Possibly not, but she didn't seem to care, as if our conversation was already ancient history.
She placed her fingers around my jaw and stared at me for a moment. She looked so real. Her eyes shifted left and right to make sure there was no doubt in mine. Once she was convinced enough that I knew what I was doing, she gently pried my mouth open and pushed a drop of saliva out of her perfect lips.
Hanging to a thread, the drop slowly entered my mouth and melted on my tongue. A huge sexual wave washed over me, and this time it was not only because of the fluid; it was mostly because of how sexy this scene was.
Sure, I would have a lot of trouble controlling myself because of what we decided to do, but somehow, I trusted Alice to take care of me now and not abuse the situation.
As she pressed her lips on mine and squeezed one of my boobs, I realized that I probably bought the right AI companion after all.
I could get used to this.