CHAPTER 9
Her gaze snapped tohim, and he saw surprise and a flash of something he couldn’t name. He hoped she understood his concern. Contraception was not normally a problem in their time. In fact, the opposite was true. Since most people were having relations with parbots, there was no possibility of procreation. But they both knew better than to engage in sex with another human without the proper measures.
“Don’t worry. There’s emergency contraception in the first aid kit. I’ll take it.”
Relieved, he rolled onto his back. Propping his head on his crossed arms, he studied her from under half-closed eyes. She waddled her way to the still warm water of the tub and rinsed herself as best she could while keeping her back to him. He smiled, amused at her show of modesty, when she had been so brazen before.
He was in trouble. That had been the most satisfying sexual encounter of his life. It had not been the most sophisticated. In fact, he had downright lacked finesse and had eschewed flair in favor of urgency. The whole thing had lasted only a few minutes.
He gave a soft, self-deprecating snort. That had not been his best performance by far. Most men of their generation didn’t worry about their sexual prowess. There was no incentive in pleasuring a robot, so he knew many of his acquaintances used their parbots as little more than sex toys.
He wasn’t like that.
The basic act had bored him within a month of becoming sexually active. So he’d started seeking thrills. Maybe it was an odd quirk, but he was deeply interested in sexuality and the erotic arts, from ancient texts to the most modern studies about sexual expression. He liked to play sexual games.
He had programmed Elena’s AI with the best of every sexual manual ever written, from the Kama Sutra to the latest sexual kinks. She could learn his preferences and always adjust and challenge him a bit more. He liked to think he had become something of a connoisseur in matters of sex. Yet he had rutted Kalli as if he were an animal.
It had been her flavor, the noises she had made. Her response. It had been so real. Now he only wanted to do it again. And again. As many times as possible. He wanted to improve on their performance. Make it last longer. Discover what sort of exquisite delights they could extract from their bodies.
Had it been equally good for Kalli? She had said yes, but maybe it had been a lie to spare his male pride. Maybe she had, in fact, been less than impressed. What if she was not interested in repeating the experience? Kalli was one of the preeminent neuroscientists of their time. One who engaged in the study of emotions and hormones. She must know all about desire and arousal.
At that moment, Kalli emerged from behind the screen, wearing her robe. She had tied her fiery hair back in a tight ponytail. Her eyes looked a little skittish, darting all around the room but never meeting his gaze. Damn, this is exactly what he didn’t want. Any awkwardness between them would be unbearable.
“Hey, you,” he said, extending his hand towards her. “Why don’t you come over here?”
She gave him a shy smile but came willingly enough. She lay on the bed, facing him. An errant lock of her hair fell over her face. He extended his hand to brush it back, but the texture was so silky it enthralled him, so he kept playing with it. Weaving it between his fingers.
“Next time will be better. I promise.”
She looked at him with confusion in her eyes. “Better? What will be better?”
“This. Us. The sex.”
“Oh! You mean it wasn’t good for you?” Her stricken face was a punch to his solar plexus.
Was she serious right now? Could she really be that innocent? This woman with her talk of love and her studies about sex and desire? Maybe she was mocking him. But no... There was no mockery in her emerald eyes. She was earnest.
“Well, of course it was good. It was superb. But there are ways of making it last longer. Be more satisfying to both partners. We can try different things...”
“Oh! You mean like unique positions? Yes, of course, that would be interesting. But why would we want to make it last longer?” Her brow furrowed in confusion. “Isn’t faster better? More efficient—”
A bark of laughter escaped him, and she glowered at him. “Are you laughing at me?”
“No. Sorry, no. I’m not laughing at you. It is just what you said. That fast was more efficient. As if it were a task to perform. As if we were measuring productivity.”
She chuckled at that. “Well, I know it is not a job task. But doesn’t the fact that both partners achieved the climax promptly and without issue mean they were sufficiently aroused, and therefore, the mating was successful?”
“Sometimes fast is good. But other times it is better to take time and savor it. Like a fine meal.”
“Oh, I see.” Her brow furrowed again. “I don’t know if it is a good analogy, though. When I take longer to climax, it means I’m not that much into it. It feels better when I reach the peak swiftly and with little effort.”
It was obvious that, for all her studies, the good doctor was lacking hands-on practice, so to speak. Some things could only be learned through experience. He smiled. It was going to be fun to expand her education. But not tonight. All the ordeals of the day, coupled with the intense climax he had just experienced, were making him sleepy. And he needed to plan his next move.
“Some other time, I’ll show you what I mean when I say slower is better.”
Her dubious but intrigued expression followed him into carnal dreams.