Man or Machine: 2 (Body Electric) (9 page)

She wondered if his work annoyed his parents.

Dallas worked on the other side of the room. He’d greeted her cheerfully when she’d come in, but then he seemed to sense her mood and kept to himself. From the sounds of it, he was learning how to whistle and he was quite good at it. A gamut of friendly tunes accompanied her typing.

Other than that, she wasn’t sure what he was working on, though it appeared to involve hardware as well as software, and at one point he disappeared for a couple hours.

She felt bad about that too. Robots shouldn’t have to put up with moodiness. She should be spending time with him, developing his personality and skills, introducing him to the world. It was her responsibility as his creator and besides, she would enjoy it. He was shaping up into a nice guy.

Nice enough to spend the rest of your life with?
asked a little voice in her head.

She put it aside. Unfortunately, it wasn’t replaced by any more useful thoughts about protocols or algorithms. Instead, she couldn’t stop herself from wondering what Hal was doing right now.

He’d be lying on the king-sized guest-room bed, his shoes off, his legs crossed at the ankle, reading a book. Or he’d be eating the lunch Red would have left for him, absently wiping his lips with the back of his hand. Or maybe he’d be taking advantage of the rare opportunity of free time without any electronic distraction to have a long soak in the sunken bath. The hot water lapping at his skin, steam rising up and caressing his face. His hair damp and curly, his long, sculpted arms and hands lying on either side of the tub. His eyes would be closed, his face relaxed—high cheekbones, straight nose. His mobile mouth would be still.

She pictured a single drop of water rolling from the hollow under his jaw, down his neck and slowly down his chest. Joining the rest of that lucky, lucky bathwater that was surrounding him, supporting him, touching every inch of his naked body.

He’d towel himself off with one of the soft bath sheets afterward. Maybe he’d stay naked—the house was warm and Hal had always been unselfconscious about his body. Unlike Ilsa, who favored baggy clothes that obscured her shape. She was very aware she was narrow-hipped and small-breasted, too skinny and unathletic. A poor specimen of womanhood next to her curvy, sensual sister Cally.

Except when she’d been naked with Hal. In those moments, she’d never felt her body was inadequate. If she had any confidence in her own sexuality, that was a gift he’d given her.

Ilsa shook her head and tried to focus on the screen. Her relationship with Hal was over. So what if the guy was having a bath? It was a normal thing, not a…fetish.

And besides, he might have decided to take a shower. Then the water would be coursing down his body, making a silver sheen on his skin. Running down his shoulders and back, skimming off the curve of his ass. Channeling through his wet pubic hair and around the back of his balls. Dripping off the end of his cock. Maybe he would touch himself, as he had when she was watching. Tilting his head back with pleasure. Thinking of…

“Ilsa?”

She started and opened her eyes. Dallas was standing beside her, a friendly smile on his face. Blue had given him a pair of jeans, which he wore without a shirt. It made him look a little like a barefoot cowboy.

“Oh, hi, Dallas,” she said. “How’s it going?”

“Great, baby. Never better.”

“I like the whistling.”

“Oh well, you know, I’m only a beginner.” He whistled a strain of Mendelssohn. Every note, as far as Ilsa could tell, faultless.

“Some beginner.” She surveyed him. She’d never have expected the whistling. Or the style sense, which quite suited his muscular-looking physique and his warm, drawling voice. Cally was right; these new, improved robots were far from predictable.

“I can’t help noticing,” said Dallas, “that you’re turned-on.”

Her body was suddenly very warm. “Is it that obvious?”

“It is to me. And I was thinking, I can help you with that.” He put his hand on hers and stroked the back of it with his thumb.

Ilsa had to admit it, his touch felt good. It was meant to feel good. And she was, after all, hugely sexually frustrated after seeing Dallas and Hal in action yesterday. Not to mention all the visual fantasies of Hal in the bath and/or shower.

And to be totally honest, she was also turned-on from having dinner with Hal. Sitting across from him, watching him. Arguing with him.

But was it right to have sex with someone when you were turned-on because of someone else?

Dallas ran his hand up her bare forearm. Her skin goose-bumped.

“Did you like what you watched us doing yesterday, baby?” he murmured. “Did you like watching me and Hal touching each other? Naked on the bed, blowing each other?”

“I did,” she said. She could never admit that to Hal but Dallas was safer.

“I really liked it. It taught me a lot.” He stepped behind her and began massaging her shoulders, which were stiff from slouching over her keyboard all day. “It makes me think, though, that I have so much more to learn.”

She closed her eyes. His hands were skillful and felt wonderful, exactly the right balance between gentleness and firmness.

She had built Dallas as a companion. It was unfair if she didn’t give him a chance. And he was a wonderful lover…well, at least the twenty-six percent of him she knew about firsthand.

She owed it to him to teach him as much as she could.

“What would you like to know?” she asked, her voice a bit rough.

“I’d like to expand my data set on sexual pleasure and orgasms.” He kept massaging.

“You’d like to know what it’s like for a woman?” She took a deep breath. “Sure. I’ll wear electrodes on my head for you, Dallas, if you think it would help.”

“Thank you, baby. I appreciate it. Actually, I was thinking it would expand my data set even more if I could share the experiences of a woman and a man simultaneously.”

Ilsa opened her eyes. She twisted her head to look up at Dallas’ softly glowing eyes. “You want to be connected to two people making love to each other?”

“Our last experiment taught me that it was most fulfilling when I was part of the experience myself.”

“You want to have a
threesome
?”

“You got it, baby.”

“With—with me and—”

“You and Hal are the only candidates. Blue is a robot like me; although he has much to teach me, he can’t give me unmoderated experiences that are uniquely human. And from what I’ve gathered from his and Cally’s relationship, they’re happy balling each other and don’t want an extra dick in the mix to kill their buzz.”

“But—but Hal and I—we don’t do that.”

“You used to.”

“How do you know that?”

“You remember, don’t you, Ilsa? Do you remember what this feels like?” Dallas’ voice was a near-perfect imitation of Hal’s pitch, tone and English accent. Ilsa gasped.

“And our cocks are, as Hal also said, remarkably similar. It isn’t difficult to extrapolate the facts.”

“Um, Dallas. The thing is. I mean, I think you sort of have to learn that for humans, it isn’t always easy to resurrect past relationships once they’ve been finished. Hal and I broke up for very good reasons and—”

“But you’re still hot for him, aren’t you? I saw you watching him. You had to bring yourself off.”

There didn’t seem to be much point denying it.

“And Hal wants you too. You’ve already fucked each other, via me. This would merely be a step further.”

“I’m not so certain about this, Dallas.”

“Hal is a man of science. You’re a woman of science. And I’m a thing of science. There’s no reason we shouldn’t work together to further science.”

“If that were all it was, then of course. Fine. But there are other motivations here, Dallas. A lot of water under the bridge. There are things that are probably too subtle for you to know about yet.”

“And how else am I supposed to learn?” Dallas squeezed her shoulders, gentle and reassuring. “I know you want him, Ilsa. If, as you say, there’s a lot of water under the bridge, this is a way you can have him without things getting too complicated. It’s an experiment. And I’ll always be right there.”

Sort of like a robot chaperone. Or a safety catch.

Ilsa bit her lip. Could she really touch Hal again, in the flesh? One last time? Without it being dangerous to her emotions?

She wanted to, so much. Too much. And in Ilsa Morgenstern’s experience, wanting something too much—caring too much—led to heartbreak.

It was much, much safer to keep distant and logical.

“I don’t think Hal will agree,” she said.

“He already has.”

She spun her chair around to face him. “What? When?”

“I went to see him this afternoon. I needed some help on some hardware I was developing.”

“Dallas! He’s under lock and key so he won’t steal our designs and sell them.”

“This was my design, baby. And he wasn’t doing much of anything else.”

“I didn’t give permission for you to visit him.”

“Do I need your permission to act of my own will?”

She stared into his calm, maple-pecan-colored face. His eyes glowed, unblinking.

“Of course you don’t,” she said. “I’m sorry.”

“Apology accepted, baby. Now since you’re all hot and bothered already, why don’t we go down to Hal’s room and make it happen for all three of us?”

Why would Hal have agreed to this? He’d made it vastly clear to her last night that while he was still attracted to her body, the only emotion he felt for her was contempt. In her mind, she could still hear his voice dripping with it.

Was I some sort of experiment?
he’d asked.
Or do you just not like people very much?

His ego might have been bruised by her leaving him but his heart wasn’t. He didn’t even bother to find out where she’d gone.

Which meant that for Hal, as for Ilsa, a sexual encounter could only be about sex. Not love. If he’d ever loved her, he’d stopped long ago.

Ilsa stood up and set her shoulders.

“Let’s do it,” she said.

When they opened the door to the guest room, Hal was sitting in a chair by the locked window, gazing out at the grounds and drumming his fingers on the sill. He looked up when they entered but he didn’t stand.

“She agreed, then,” he said to Dallas. There was no inflection in his voice to indicate whether he was pleased or angry.

“Oh yeah,” said Dallas cheerfully. “We’re going to have a good time.”

“I’m surprised you want to have anything to do with me,” Hal said to her. “Human beings are so messy.”

“Dallas asked,” she said. “I owe it to him to make sure he gets all the experiences he needs.”

“Of course. And I’m here anyway. Might as well put me to good use, right?” He stood up. Like Dallas, he was barefoot. He strolled over to them, his hands in his pockets, half a smile on his face. Ilsa couldn’t quite meet his eyes.

“Let’s begin,” said Dallas, suddenly all business. “First, the electrodes.” He put the small case he’d been carrying on the bed and opened it.

“With two of us attached to you, we’re going to have to be careful not to get tangled up,” said Ilsa. It was easier to focus on the technical aspects of this situation than the human aspect standing close to her.

“Not a problem,” said Hal, and Dallas took out two circular objects, vaguely metallic, sort of a cross between suction cups and toy flying saucers. “They’re totally wireless. As long as you’re not wearing lead lingerie, we should be fine.”

Ilsa touched one. “Did you invent these?”

“Yes, this afternoon,” said Dallas. “I was thinking that wires would get in the way. So I asked Hal for assistance.”

“You’ve been working all day on new electrodes so that we can have a threesome.” She didn’t know why she was even remotely surprised. Now that she thought about it, it was exactly what Dallas would do. And Hal was never one to say no to a mental challenge.

Or a physical one, it seemed. She shot him a glance. He still had that half a smile on his face. It was as if he were concentrating to keep it there.

“I need to attach them to slightly different areas than I did with the other kind,” said Dallas. “Hold still.”

She stood while Dallas gently applied the electrodes to her forehead and scalp under her short red hair. They sucked at her skin but otherwise they weren’t intrusive.

“I need to unbutton your shirt,” Dallas said to her and unfastened the top four buttons and pushed her shirt open to expose the tops of her bra cups. He applied another electrode just above her left breast.

“My heart?” she said.

“And respiration,” Dallas said and turned to Hal. “Same for you, stud.”

Ilsa watched the new electrodes being attached to his head and then Hal pulled his shirt up and off so that Dallas could attach the last one to his chest above his heart, like hers. She looked at it there, silver against his warm, smooth skin, like a jewel.