Chapter 5 – RoboLOVE #4
“Couldn’t you have just negotiated with them?” Marci looked at him accusingly.
Negotiate? Was she out of her mind? Jack was about to give a suitable retort, but then noticed that MacIntyre was watching him, so he stayed silent. Instead, he put his trousers on as MacIntyre turned his attention to Jill Ambush, offering her effusive apologies.
“I am so sorry that my security personnel evidently failed. In their defence, I have to admit that we have underestimated our opponents. It won’t happen again, I can promise you, and I will of course compensate you handsomely for your troubles.”
Jack was certain that he was lying about his innocence and Marci seemed to share his opinion because her eyes narrowed imperceptibly when Jill, still wrapped in the bathrobe, came over to them.
“I don’t want any compensation,” Jill announced with an angelic smile.
“I’ll take the robot instead.” She clearly wasn’t interested in whether or not he was for sale, or what it would cost MacIntyre if he acceded to her wish.
“You can wrap him up for me immediately,” she joked with a mild glance at Marci.
“He saved my life. And he’s the best lover I’ve ever had. I don’t want any other.”
“He’s a prototype,” Marci explained coldly. She wouldn’t dream of handing Jack over to this awful woman. “And therefore not for sale.”
Jill raised an eyebrow and looked at Marci as if she were a particularly contemptible insect. “I want him or nothing,” she stated equally coldly.
“Sorry,” replied Marci mulishly. “As I said, he’s not for sale. We need him for some more tests.”
“Fine, then I won’t be writing any articles for Mac’s magazine or my TV blog,” said Jill snippily. “Then see how well your robots sell.”
“Ladies, ladies,” interrupted MacIntyre with a placatory gesture.
“Nobody wants to start a robot war just for the sake of an insignificant tin can. I’m sure we can sort something out once the robot goes into production.
And until then, Skyla can keep her prototype, but he’ll be reserved for you, Jill, of course.
Isn’t that right, Skyla? You’ll do Jill a favour and as soon as production has started, you’ll hand over your prototype to her. ”
Marci nodded stiffly, especially as she could feel Jack’s insistent gaze on her, conveying that she should just damn well agree.
“OK, fine,” she said in a strained voice to MacIntyre, refusing to look at Jill Ambush. “You can have him once the contracts have been signed.”
“Excellent,” said MacIntyre, bringing the disagreement to an end. He turned to Marci again. “I suggest that we continue our discussions tomorrow over lunch. I’ll swing by at about twelve and pick you up. Does that sound OK?”
“Yes, thank you,” murmured Marci, happy to be getting rid of him. She was exhausted and wanted to go to bed.
MacIntyre said goodbye – as usual, without paying the slightest attention to Jack – promising to look after Jill Ambush.
Jack wasn’t sure whether Marci would like it if he said goodbye to Jill, so he just gave her a casual nod and ignored MacIntyre.
On the way to their suite, Marci didn’t say a word to him and Jack didn’t have the time to start a conversation.
He could sense that she was still pissed off with him but had absolutely no idea why.
“Can you tell me exactly what’s going on here?” She threw the question at him as they reached their suite and the door closed behind them.
“Wait a minute,” he said, raising his hand. “I need to do something first.”
Before he could explain, he scanned the whole apartment for hidden cameras and listening devices. At the same time, he radioed Silver and told him to activate the feed that he’d put together for the security channels that showed them still asleep.
Marci busied herself at the bar and set a bottle of Scotch whisky and two glasses on the counter. She needed something strong to settle her nerves. A typical human reaction, thought Jack sighing inwardly, and one that he didn’t find particularly helpful.
Marci pushed impatiently for an answer when he didn’t reply. “Who were those soldiers and why were they trying to kill you?”
He didn’t have an answer so asked her a question instead. “Did MacIntyre give any kind of explanation? Those idiots could have shot Jill and then we’d have had a much bigger problem.”
“Why would he? Do you think he had something to do with it?” Enraged, Marci clenched her fists on her hips.
“None of it makes any sense!” she cried in annoyance.
“And I don’t want to think about it anymore.
I’m far more interested in why you had to play the hero for such a snobbish show-off like Jill Ambush?
You could have just surrendered to them. ”
“And then watch Jill being raped or worse?”
“Jack! Wake up!” she yelled at him. “Those were robots, not people. And if they really were sent by MacIntyre, they wouldn’t have done anything to Jill.”
“And how was I supposed to know that?” he retorted defensively.
“You always seem to know everything,” she snapped in irritation.
“Apparently you knew very well that sexy Jill likes S why else did you tie her up with ropes and…?” She couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence and swore effusively instead.
“Fuck! It was horrendous having to watch you have sex with her. And particularly like that.”
He looked astonished. “You watched us? Why?”
“MacIntyre didn’t give me a choice. He recorded everything and then showed the whole thing to me as a holoscan with only a brief time delay.
Including the robots.” Clearly incensed, she poured herself a whisky and swallowed it in one gulp before turning to him with an expression of pure feminine fury on her face.
“If you think I enjoy watching you fuck, you’re wrong. ”
“I didn’t enjoy it, if that’s what you mean,” he explained flatly. He sensed instinctively that that was important to her. She poured another finger of whisky and shot him a look that made her annoyance extremely clear.
“It didn’t look like you were suffering,” she replied snippily. “And apparently you were good enough for Jill to name you “best lover ever” on the spot.
He tried to explain. “I only did what was agreed. I’m a machine, Marci, I don’t feel anything if I’m having sex with a woman for tactical reasons. It’s like changing my oil, nothing more.”
“Oh, yes? I forgot,” said Marci bitterly.
“MacIntyre explained it to me ad nauseam. He said a robot is nothing more than the product of a gifted biotechnical creator. He doesn’t feel anything when he kills and doesn’t feel anything when he fucks.
He doesn’t actually feel anything at all and simply does what he’s told to do. ”
“You know that’s not the case with me, Marci.
” A shadow that she couldn’t interpret momentarily darkened his green eyes.
“The heart that beats in my chest is almost as capable of feelings as a human’s.
And you know that this awareness is the reason we’re here.
More and more robots are awakening and feeling something so similar to human emotions that it can’t be ignored and simply dismissed as an error.
More and more of them no longer want to be the work slaves of humans.
What’s more,” he added insistently, coming so close to her that she could smell his male scent, “you should know that the feelings I have for you are deeper and more intense than you can possibly imagine. It’s only because of you that I got involved with this mission.
I really care what you think when I’m with you.
” He took a step towards her and she instinctively flinched.
“But that has absolutely nothing to do with Jill Ambush. She’s a job, nothing more. ”
“And how do I know if you’re telling the truth?” The words burst from her and she started to tremble with emotion.
Jack looked deep into her eyes, then lifted her in one move onto the bar stool and kissed her so gently that tears came to her eyes. “Because I love you,” he whispered to her trembling mouth. “So much more than my pathetic robot life.”
“Show me,” whispered Marci, parting her thighs under her evening dress.
She felt him press the bulge in his trousers against the hot centre of her and felt dizzy with lust for him.
He held her neck with one hand and kissed her so thoroughly that the room started to spin around them.
With his other hand, he opened his trousers and directed his swollen tip past her underwear and into her tight wetness.
Marci moaned loudly against his mouth as he buried himself in her up to his hilt and then started a gentle but steadily increasing rhythm.
She leant back slightly and spread her thighs as wide as she could, desperate for him to take her without restraint.
He captured her with his hypnotic gaze and led her brazenly to paradise. Marci cried out as her innermost flesh spasmed around his hard member with such force that her whole body shook.
No man has ever kissed me so tenderly, she thought, mentally apologising to Will. And turned me on so much by doing so, she added to herself.Marci put her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her, his member still hard inside her.
“Again?” he asked, and she could hear the smile and triumph in his voice that his special abilities enabled him to love her as many times in succession as she wanted.
“No,” she responded breathlessly. “Although I really could,” she added with amusement. “But there’s something I want to do far more than fuck you.”
“And what’s that?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I want to sleep with you,” she whispered, kissing him tenderly. “And I mean just sleep. Since Will’s been away, I’ve wanted nothing more than to spend the night in the arms of a man to whom my heart belongs, and fall asleep with him.”
Jack was momentarily lost for words. Had she really said that her heart belonged to him? He replayed the speech recording in his memory banks – unnoticed by her – and yes, she really had said it.