tmp2

Teaching
Him (The Droid Who Loved Me, Part 1)

By
Delilah Fawkes

“Sir, I think you
have the wrong girl for this mission.” Alex pushed her blonde
hair out of her eyes, wishing for once it would stay braided back.
The Commander gave her his “no nonsense” glare, and she
knew he’d never let her out of this one.

“If not you, then
who, Lieutenant? This has been your project from the start! You know
this man… this
creature
, better than any officer here.
We need you to make sure it works.”

Alex sighed and tried
not to roll her eyes. He had her, and he knew it. “I’ll
do what it takes, Sir. But I don’t have to like it.”

“I don’t
need you to like it, Lieutenant. It’s your duty, and I know
you’ll do it well. You’re an outstanding scientist and a
damn fine woman. If anyone can teach this bucket of bolts what it
means to be human, it’s you.”

She ran a hand over her
face. “He’s not a bucket of bolts, Sir. He’s an
android. Our android. I wish you’d use his name.”

The Commander cocked a
bushy eyebrow, his lips drawing into a tight line. “Just get
the job done, Lieutenant.”

***

It was the first time
it had ever been done. The space corps needed a spy who could
complete the missions others found unthinkable, so instead of hiring
the usual scumbags they created one they could trust. The best and
brightest scientific minds on Ganymede Station took the memories of
various dead soldiers and fused them together into the perfect
man—able to get his hands on enemy secrets through charm and
seduction, but undoubtedly loyal to their cause. He needed to be
utterly relaxed in any situation, completely trustworthy. Cool,
collected, and above all, sexy as hell.

The only problem? Their
perfect android spy was still a virgin, and someone had to teach him
the ropes. Alex’s team discovered early on that just because
you programmed a brain to be sexual didn’t mean the android had
clue one about how to seduce a woman or what to do with her once he
did.

“David?”
Alex entered the dark lab. He usually slept in the back room after
the science staff left for the evening. A beam of light fell across
the far door. It was propped open, and she could just make out his
silhouette resting on his cot.

“David, are you
awake?” She pushed into the room, feeling self conscious. Did
androids need privacy? Was she intruding?

David rolled over, his
shimmering green eyes meeting hers in the darkness. “Miss Alex.
How nice to see you.” His voice was deep and even. He sat up
and the thin sheet slid off his body, revealing his nakedness. Alex
felt her cheeks turning red and looked away too quickly.

“Uh. Wow. Okay…
Nice to see you, too.”

Against her will, her
eyes wandered downward, over his strong shoulders and sculpted chest,
down the light dusting of hair leading down his stomach and straight
to-... “I need to speak with you, David. Would you mind
putting some clothes on?”

The android’s
lips twisted into a smirk. “Of course. I wasn’t expecting
anyone so late. You’ll have to forgive me.”

I’ll have to
do more than that
. Alex swallowed hard.

She never thought she’d
accept a mission like this, even for the sake of science. Hell, even
for the sake of her entire planet. They needed a James Bond who could
infiltrate the enemy—any enemy—through charm alone, and
they needed him fast. The peace talks with the Tamerians were coming
up, and they weren’t exactly known for their charming
personalities. The decades long war proved that. They needed intel on
whether or not a trap was in the works before sitting down with them.
There had been bombings in the past, and they couldn’t take
unnecessary risks.

She turned away as
David stood and pulled on some clothing. “What would you like
to speak with me about?”

Alex swallowed hard, at
a sudden loss for words. She was a good girl, a scientist, for God’s
sake! And now she was the one volunteering to teach a man how to make
love.

Not a man, Alex.
He’s a machine. You helped build him, after all.
Maybe it
wouldn’t be any different than a life-size vibrator. She
pressed her lips together. Of course it would be.
Just look at
him.

Alex opened her mouth,
but snapped it shut as she turned back to him. He was smiling at her,
those green eyes sparkling. He ran a hand through his dark hair,
smoothing it out of his face. She realized she was staring, but
couldn’t help herself. He’d changed into a soft grey
pullover and black slacks. The way the material hugged his chest was
nothing short of mouth-watering.

“I don’t
quite know how to say this. Why don’t we head to my quarters
where we can talk privately? I have an assignment. Well,
we
have an assignment to get you ready for the field. Command wants to
utilize your, um, your skills against the Tamerians before the
talks.”

“I see.”
David cocked his head to one side, studying her. “You’re
nervous. It must be important.”

“It’s rude
to point out when someone’s nervous, David.”

“My apologies.
I’ll remember that.”

They walked side by
side out of the lab, heading through the corridors to her personal
quarters. Ganymede Station wasn’t large by any means, but it
treated its scientists well. Her quarters had a wall of windows
facing the nebula: a rare luxury. She ushered David in and pointed
him toward the couch.

“Would you like a
drink?” Alex was fumbling with a bottle of wine before he could
answer.

“Yes, if that
helps you relax.”

She glanced over and
was caught up again in the android’s gaze.
How can he seem
so human, when I know every ounce of material that went into his
creation?

After filling two
glasses with white wine, she managed to sit beside him. As she handed
him the glass, their fingers touched. A jolt of attraction shot
through her, making her blush. She cleared her throat.

“Do you know why
you were created, David?” She licked her lips, and his eyes
focused on her mouth.

“You and the
other science officers were very clear. I was created to retrieve
secrets from our enemies by any means necessary.” He sipped his
wine and glanced up in surprise. “I’ve never tried this
before. It’s delightful.”

Alex’s brow
furrowed. “Your mind is a compilation of several soldiers’
memories. Didn’t any of them try wine? Don’t you recall
how it tastes?”

David smiled and looked
down at his glass. “I do possess certain memories of wine from
the others. But I think you misunderstand me.
I
have never
tried it. I find that I like it quite a bit.”

Alex touched his hand.
“I forget sometimes that you are your own man. How could I
not?”

“I don’t
take offense, Alex.”

David’s gaze was
so intense it made her uncomfortable, but she forced herself to meet
it.

“Now. Why did you
wake me in the middle of the night?”

Alex smoothed her hands
back over her face.
How do you say “Wanna sleep with me?”
to an android?

“The Commander
has asked that I teach you… well, that I instruct you…
give you
practice
in the art of, well…”

“Sex?”
David offered.

Her mouth dropped open.
“Yes, that’s exactly it. Secrets are most easily obtained
in the bedroom, but our soldiers have wives, children. Or worse,
they’re mercenaries who can’t be trusted. We created you
to be the man who could infiltrate an enemy camp and seduce whoever
could give you the information we need.”

“I completely
understand,” David said, smiling from ear to ear.

“You do?”

“Absolutely. I
may have been programmed with the memories of some of your more, how
should I put it,
experienced
soldiers, but I have yet to
experience it on my own.” His eyes wandered down to where her
lab coat fell open, revealing her button up shirt. He bit his lip,
and Alex’s heart sped up. “I would love for you to teach
me, Alex. I can’t think of anyone better.”

Her thoughts raced.
Why
would he want me? He’s practically a god, and I’m just a
geeky scientist who hasn’t had a date since I came to this
station.
She frowned.

“I have to warn
you. I… Well… I haven’t been with that many men.
The Commander picked me because I took lead on creating you, but I
feel like I’m grossly underqualifi—“

“Shh, Alex.”
David cut her off and leaned in, brushing the hair out of her face.
“It doesn’t matter. Whatever you know is more than I do.
I’m lucky to have you as a teacher, and, I hope, as a friend.”
He leaned in, and she could smell the spicy musk of his cologne.

Machines don’t
wear cologne
, she thought.
Men do.

David moved closer on
the sofa until his thigh touched hers. She wanted to lean into him,
to smell him and melt into him, but part of her worried she would
hear the whirring of his processors and the illusion would be ruined.

“Alex,” he
whispered, his face just inches from hers. “I’ve wanted
you since I woke in your lab.”

She gasped, but didn’t
pull away.

“You are
absolutely beautiful.” He moved forward suddenly, pressing his
lips to hers, and all she could do was whimper. His lips were hot,
urgent. His tongue darted into her mouth, searching, probing. Against
her will, she moaned into him, her tongue joining his. When they
finally pulled away, she was breathless.

“My first kiss.”
David broke into a perfect, white grin, and touched her cheek with
his fingertips. “Thank you for that.”

Alex sat back, stunned.
Since when did machines kiss like
that? Heat pooled between
her legs, and she put her wine glass to her lips and drank deeply.

“When can our
lessons begin?”

She almost spit out the
remaining wine. This was all happening too fast.

“Technically, the
sooner the better,” she blurted. “The peace talks are in
a month, and we need you ready for fieldwork in two weeks for the
arrival of the emissaries.”

David touched her chin,
lifting her gaze to his. “Where do we begin?”

Oh, God. He’s
going to kiss me again.
The wine was starting to affect her, but
the scientist in her wasn’t ready. Hell, the woman in her
wasn’t ready. She’d never been one to jump into bed, and
after all, they did have to do things right if he was going to
succeed.

She cleared her throat.
“You’ll need to learn to seduce me, David. Before I can
teach you about making love, you must start at the beginning. Learn
what you can about me, and find a way to make me want you.” She
pulled her gaze from his.

I’m not
chickening out. It’s the proper way to do things.
She bit
her lip, wondering who she was kidding. She was freaking out, and
judging by the android’s gaze, he knew it, too.

His hand slid over hers
and squeezed gently. He brought her fingers to his mouth and kissed
the tips. His lips were hot on her skin. “It will be my
pleasure.”

She shivered and stood
up, yanking her hand away. “I should probably be going.”

“Please,”
he stood, running a hand through his hair. “Let me make you
dinner tomorrow.”

He smiled again, and
Alex sighed.
Why did I have to give him dimples?

“I didn’t
know you cooked.”

“For you, I’ll
learn.”

Alex cocked an eyebrow
and smiled despite herself. “You’re learning fast
already.”

“Meet me in my
quarters. Is 20:00 alright?” David never used his quarters,
preferring to sleep near the science equipment. Alex supposed the lab
was the closest thing to “home” the android had.

“Wouldn’t
miss it.”

***

“Shit.”

Alex stood in front of
the mirror in her quarters, staring bullets at the fourth dress she’d
tried on. No matter what she chose, everything seemed too stiff, too
formal. Frumpy. After all, she only brought dresses for military
dinners and presentations, not dates with someone tall, dark, and
gorgeous. She pulled on her woolen hemline.

I shouldn’t
care. This is just a stupid mission, not a real date.
She bit her
lip and pushed her hair back.

“Double shit.”

She needed a new dress,
and she needed it now.

***

There was only one
clothing shop on the entire station, owned by her friend and
confidante, Elsbeta. She’d run into Elsy her first day on the
station, arguing with her senior officer about which cufflinks would
go with his formal blues.

Alex smiled at the
memory. Elsy had jabbed the Commander in the chest with an elegant
blue finger and shouted “If you want to look like a dockside
whore, then by all means wear the diamonds. But don’t come
crawling back to me when you get laughed out of the dinner party.
They aren’t a status symbol—they’re a nightmare!”
The look on the Commander’s face had been priceless. They’d
been friends ever since.

“Elsy.”
Alex entered the small shop off the main corridor. The tall woman was
bent over her display, her long, white hair flowing in waves down her
back, contrasting her smooth azure skin. She turned in one graceful
motion. Her eyes lit up.

“Alex! What a
surprise. I never see you anymore, since you insist on wearing
nothing but those hideous lab coats they give you.” She
embraced her friend, laughing. “What can I do for you? Did you
spill acid on another set of slacks?”

Alex blushed.
“Actually, Elsy, I need a favor. I, um, well… I have a
date tonight.” Elsy’s eyebrows shot up, her silver eyes
sparkling.

“Shut up! Don’t
say another word to me. This is a new event in the life of Alex
Daniels, and I need a moment to take it all in.” She
dramatically covered her brow with her arm in a fake swoon.