Chapter 14
Volt
Volt was doing the bookkeeping again. It used to be a routine task, just making sure that all of the expenses and income were recorded on the right lines at the end of the month. Now he found himself returning to it every few days.
There had to be somewhere to get more money from.
This week—with no warning that he could foresee—he’d had two sexbots malfunction.
The first was one of their older bots, which had locked up mid-coitus, its limbs suddenly going stiff before it powered down. He was exceptionally lucky that the client had been with them for a long time, and handled it with remarkably good humor—at least she’d been on top. Angel had still given her a dozen free visits to make up for it.
When Volt had taken the bot to the mechanic, they’d discovered dozens of corroded wires and chips throughout the system, which should have been impossible given the frequent maintenance schedule. The cost of replacement wouldn’t quite equal the cost of a new bot, but it would be extensive.
Reluctantly, he’d brought the damaged bot back to Prism and placed it in storage.
Then yesterday, just after Volt had gotten an adorable picture of Wallace’s breakfast, he’d started getting error messages from another bot. The blasted thing had been in a charging cycle so at least none of the clients had seen it, but now it wouldn’t turn back on.
Like, at all.
He’d never had that happen before. There were supposed to be dozens of failsafes. Different systems could be accessed independently of each other. Bots were designed to last for decades, to withstand heat, cold, and in the case of sexbots, water immersion and mild shocks.
His guess was a virus, but how would that have happened? The bot was only connected to the local network, and he’d swept the intranet for viruses three times.
So now he had two defunct bots in the basement. He needed to get the second one inspected, but what would be the point if they couldn’t get it fixed?
Daddy? Are you around right now?
Volt smiled as Wallace’s text interrupted his dismal thoughts. I’m here, baby , he replied right away. What do you need?
He knew he’d been pushing a little too hard with the request for the photo, so he’d tried not to be disappointed when Wallace hadn’t sent one.
It wasn’t like he couldn’t pull up a thousand images of Wallace from the automatic storage. All of the rooms had cameras rolling constantly, automatically screened by a program to ensure the safety of the guests and the merchandise, and uploaded to a cloud server where they stayed for two weeks before deletion.
Not to mention that Volt had already claimed a few stills from the constant input of the rotating cameras in his eye sockets and moved them to his permanent memory.
But asking for a selfie was different, and Volt knew it.
He could see his boundaries starting to crumble, which was dangerous for both of them.
He’d set all of this up to give him an outlet for his own kinky desires without the pressure of a real relationship.
But he hadn’t expected Wallace.
He hadn’t expected to find himself rushing down to the lobby every time Wallace appeared at the door. He hadn’t expected his circuits to tingle every time he got a text.
Somehow, this rich kid had just walked in off the street, with all of his naivete and confusion, and swept Volt off his feet.
What he really hadn’t expected was Wallace’s devotion. The way that Wallace was turning to him, now, for guidance and support.
It seemed like much more than just sexual attraction. It felt like Wallace saw him. Like he wasn’t just there for sex and kink, but because he was excited to spend time with Volt as a person.
Of course, that was just wishful thinking. They barely knew each other at all. Except for the one evening when Wallace had watched Volt dance, they hadn’t spent any time together that wasn’t a scene. And Volt knew all too well how the very real vulnerability of kink could give the false sense of connection beyond it.
Volt gazed at the sculpture Wallace had given him, trying to sort through his thoughts. His eyes followed the smooth lines and brilliant colors that all swirled together, vibrant and joyful. Did it mean that Wallace really knew him well, or just that they liked the same piece of art?
Either way, he’d found himself lugging it around to the point that it was getting ridiculous. He brought it to his room each night, looking to it for inspiration as he danced or gazing at it dreamily as he listened to audiobooks. He always meant to leave it in his room, but more often than not he found himself bringing it with him to his office in the morning.
He told himself he was just enjoying it in different light conditions and trying to find the best place for it, but he was pretty sure that Angel saw through him.
He checked for another message from Wallace—even though he couldn’t possibly have missed it coming in—but there was nothing yet. Just the bubbling updates that Wallace was typing.
Was that good or bad?
He’d been excited at first that Wallace was reaching out, but it was driving him mad not to know what it was about,
Finally, he got three messages in a rush.
I was wondering if I could come over this evening.
I mean, if I could book an appointment.
If you’re available.
Volt could feel the smile growing on his face, thinking about his nervous little hamster. I’m available , he sent back. It sounded like things weren’t going too badly.
What time? Wallace asked.
He almost responded with “How about now?” or at least “When do you want to come over?” but those were boyfriend things to say. They weren’t dating, and he needed to remind himself of that.
Wallace was testing out a kinky relationship. Volt was his guide. I’m available after seven , he finally replied. The truth was, he was available all day. But that was when Wallace had booked his last appointment, so it seemed reasonable.
He got the little set of pings telling him that Wallace was typing and erasing, typing and erasing.
I’d like to book an appointment for 7, then.
Volt hissed. Should he have said an earlier time? Well, it was good for them both to have a reminder, right? These were just appointments.
He just couldn’t stand the idea that Wallace might be hurting. That he might be turning to his Daddy for help, only to be put off until a respectable appointment time.
He could imagine the little furrows on Wallace’s brow. The way that his shoulders caved in on themselves. The way that he didn’t want to take up more space than necessary, ready to disappear into the walls.
The world didn’t know the treasure that he was, so passionate and brave behind closed doors. Which is why he needed a Daddy.
A real Daddy, not a part-time paid Dominant.
Which is what Volt was to him. And needed to remember.
He was just practice until Wallace was ready to move on to someone else.
Still, he couldn’t just end their conversation without sneaking something in. I’ll see you then, creampuff. And I’m still waiting for my picture.
This time, he got a faster response. I’m sorry, Daddy. I wanted to, but I can’t send you a picture today.
Well, that was… mysterious. At least Volt was Daddy again. He decided to push his luck. And maybe remind Wallace one more time that he was desirable. Can I get a picture tomorrow, then?
Maybe tonight? Wallace wrote back. I mean, if you want to take one .
I do. Volt confirmed. Can I dress you up? He already had so many ideas in mind.
Is that one of your wishes? Wallace wrote back. Was he nervous? Excited? Trying to flirt? Or self-conscious again about his body?
Either way, Volt’s answer was the same. Yes. Daddy wants to dress you up.
Okay, Daddy .
Volt was grinning as he sent the last text. See you at seven, little hamster. Don’t work too hard. Daddy’s got treats for you tonight.
And maybe some plans for a spanking, depending upon how his boy was doing.
He got a heart emoji in return, and brought up a visual just to look at it.
Was it the most overused emoji in existence? Yes. Did people use it all the time to show basic agreement? Also yes.
But could he allow himself a few minutes of imagining that it meant something more?
He didn’t have the willpower to stop himself.
And Wallace never had to know.
He finally returned to his bookkeeping, his vigor renewed now that he had plans with Wallace.
In fact, maybe he had the energy now to take the bot down to the repair place and find out how much it was going to cost. Or he could even buy a few mods on android repair and try to fix it himself.
Wallace made him feel invincible.