I woke up to find myself wrapped around Shaun. I sighed contentedly and smiled as I stretched, and he traced his fingers through my hair. “Good morning,” he said.

And then I remembered my epiphany last night…

I was falling for someone who could never love me back.

I pulled away and scrubbed my hands over my face.

“Is everything okay?” he asked.

I risked a glance at him, then rolled over and sat up on the edge of the bed. “Yes, of course. I’m just… I’m just going to have a shower.”

I got up and closed the bathroom door behind me, walking right into the shower and hitting the water button. The hot water kneaded my neck and shoulders, ran over my head, and it did make me feel a little better. The ache in my chest wouldn’t be so easily fixed.

I should’ve known this was possible, and I really should’ve known better. I don’t know why I didn’t think it was possible, even before I’d decided to get him. I’d researched everything. I’d done my due diligence about responsibility, finances, longevity. I knew what to expect with everything. Everything!

Everything except this.

I knew people became attached to their androids, and I expected this. I expected us to become friends, and I expected to get used to cohabiting, and I even expected to become close to him.

But I didn’t expect love.

I scrubbed my hair and washed every inch of my body. And then I did it again.

Would it be so terrible if he could never love me back?

He would be forever loyal. He would be attuned to only me. Forever. Was that not love to him? Was that not the synthetic equivalent?

I let my head fall back into the stream of hot water and took a deep, cleansing breath.

It would have to be enough.

I would make it be enough.

I shut off the water and dried myself, shaved, and dressed for the day. I found him in the kitchen, holding my coffee mug out to me. And the second he saw me, he smiled. Not just a polite smile, but a genuinely happy-to-see-me smile. “You are dressed very smartly today. Are you going somewhere important?”

“I’m not,” I said, taking a sip of coffee. It was exactly as I liked it. “We are.”

He tilted his head just a fraction. “We?”

“Yes. I thought you might like to buy a coat today.”

He brightened. “Oh, yes. I would like that. Shall I get dressed?”

I looked down at his sleep pants and the fact he wasn’t wearing a shirt. I hid my smile behind my coffee. “I like this look, very much. In fact, you could wear nothing but your underwear and I wouldn’t mind one bit. But people at the shopping centre might stop and stare.”

His lips quirked. “Facetious. Treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humour. To be flippant.”

I laughed. “I like your sense of humour.”

Shaun closed the small distance between us and took my coffee, holding it out to the side in one hand, cupping my face with his other. He leaned in and kissed me before smirking again. “I like yours as well.”

He gave me back my coffee and walked out, disappearing down the hall to his room.

I like yours as well, he’d said. He liked my sense of humour. And yesterday he said he didn’t want me to call him android, as if his preference signified a strong dislike. If he could like something or dislike something, then why could he not love something?

What exactly were the parameters on his synthetic emotions?

I took out the control panel and scrolled through the settings, looking for the section under Social Intelligence. Shaun had the ability to recognise and interpret, process and simulate emotions, as I was told in the SATinc office the day I designed him. So he could simulate emotions…

It was some in-depth and complex information. One I probably needed a degree in robotics engineering to begin to understand. I really should read through the whole information manual I was given. I’d been so busy treating him like a new and shiny toy, I’d neglected to learn about him first.

Shaun came back out and sat down on the sofa next to me, straight-backed and a little concerned when he saw what I was reading. “Is there something I can help you with? I can answer any question you have.”

I slid my hand into his to reassure him. “I know you can. But I should also read everything to help me understand you better. I’d hate to think I was neglecting anything.”

“You are not neglecting anything,” he replied. “In fact, the stimulation you provide is more than adequate.”

I smiled. “You’re very complex, Shaun, and I want to know everything there is to know. How to treat you better.”

He smirked and raised one eyebrow ever so slightly. “The only way you could treat me better would be to take me to your bedroom.”

Now I chuckled. “You certainly do have desires, don’t you.” It wasn’t a question.

“Yes. You could also read one of your favourite books to me. I would enjoy that very much also.”

I looked up at him, and though he smiled, there was a tightness to his eyes. “Shaun, is something wrong?”

He blinked. “I become agitated when I see you holding my control panel.”

I turned his words over in my head a few times, trying to make sense of them. He became agitated? As in felt fear? “Why?”

“I am concerned that you are not happy with me and are looking for something to advance or change in my settings.”

“No, that’s not it at all,” I said quickly. I looked down at the control panel in my hands, not realising what it could mean to him. Or the power it held over him. “I didn’t know it would upset you.”

“If you wish to reset me—”

“I don’t. You’re perfect for me. Literally.”

He glanced at the control panel, then looked up. His face was blank, expressionless. “You may also power me down.”

Oh, dear God.

He had genuine fears for his life.

I stood up and put the control panel back in the cabinet drawer, then walked back to him. I sat on the coffee table facing him, our knees touching, and took both his hands. “Shaun, I can order you to power down at any time. I don’t need the control panel for that.” I assumed he knew this, but it obviously needed saying. “But please understand, I don’t want to turn you off. Or reset you, or change anything. I won’t ever do that, I promise. Unless it’s for your own safety, like an electrical surge or something unforeseen where you may be harmed. I won’t ever shut you down, okay?”

He nodded once but still seemed so unsure. I squeezed his hands.

“Shaun. Please tell me you believe me. If I want to know something about you, I’ll ask you first. But I’d still like to read your complete instruction manual. To be honest, I should’ve read it before now.” Then I had an idea. “What if we read it together? Then there are no secrets.”

He finally smiled. “I would like that.”

“Then we can do that later, after we buy you a coat.” I then noticed the clothes he’d chosen: charcoal trousers, a white button-down shirt, and a navy sweater. He’d even put on his shiny black shoes. “You look very handsome.”

He smirked playfully. “You do not need to flatter me to get what you want, Lloyd.”

I barked out a laugh. “It wasn’t flattery. It was an honest observation. But come on, let’s go shopping.”

I stood, as did Shaun, but he pulled on my hand to stop me from walking away. I turned to face him, and he ran his thumb along my cheek. It was an incredibly tender thing to do and it made my heart race. His almost-smile told me he could tell.

“I do not mean to display insecurities,” he admitted gently. “It is in no way a reflection on you. I wish only to make you happy.”

“You do make me very happy,” I told him, looking right into his eyes. “As I’m sure you can tell by my heart rate every time you touch me.”

One corner of his lips pulled upward in a knowing smile. “Yes.”

“Shaun, you have no need for insecurities. You are pluperfect, remember?” I leaned in and kissed him, a soft and tender kiss. “I wish only to make you happy too.”

“You do.”

“Can I ask you something?” I looked at our joined hands between us. “You feel happiness and agitation, even fear?”

“Yes.”

I wanted to ask if he could feel love, but something stopped me. What if he answered no? What if he answered yes?

“Your heart rate is elevated,” he whispered.

God, there was no hiding with him. I gave him a smile. “You mentioned concern and fear earlier, and I want you to know, if you have any questions or concerns, you can ask me, okay? I don’t want you to feel unsafe or insecure about anything, okay?”

He smiled more genuinely now. “Thank you.”

“Come on, let’s go buy you a new winter coat.”

Given my apartment was central to Melbourne, we only had to walk a few blocks to Southgate Plaza. Shaun pressed the button in the lift and kept his eyes on the reception android until we were out of the building. The sun was shining but the air had a wintry bite, and Shaun smiled as he looked up the street. He’d seen it before but was clearly excited.

“This way,” I said, taking his hand.

He threaded our fingers, and to anyone not paying much attention, we would’ve looked like a normal couple. Just two guys walking along the footpath. I had no clue what I’d do or say if someone noticed I was holding hands with an android or if they questioned us.

I was about to find out.

I wasn’t ashamed of him. I wouldn’t hide him or who I was. If I was what others called a technosexual, then that was a label I’d gladly wear. Not that I cared much for labels. Lord knows I’d had many in my life, so what was one more?

But I was with him, as in with him. And he wasn’t human. Sure, androids were a daily occurrence. It was 2068 after all. The majority of people didn’t care that people were in relationships with androids, but there were some, like the old dinosaur Mrs Van der Heek, who did.

But as I walked up the busy city street toward Southbank and along the Yarra River holding Shaun’s hand, I didn’t care what anyone else thought.

I was happy for the first time in a long time. Possibly for the first time.

“This pleases you?” Shaun asked.

“Yes. Does it please you?”

“Very much.” He grinned just as a gust of wind tousled his hair, making him look so incredibly human. And beautiful.

It was so surreal, not only to walk in public with him, but to have an immediate boyfriend, life partner even. In the last three days, my life had changed completely. From being alone, to living with a man 100% compatible for me.

Despite my earlier concerns, I realised now I didn’t care that his emotions were synthetic. I didn’t care that he was programmed to suit me, to want me, to smile when he saw me. I didn’t care that his love for me was binary coded, programmed. It was real to me. And in many ways, it was more real than anything I’d had with any human. Human love came with conditions and limits, with mess and noise, and was fleeting at best.

Shaun’s love wasn’t. It was forever and completely, unequivocally mine.

Like a sign from above, a ray of sunshine burst through the clouds casting yellow and white beams of warmth against the otherwise dull grey and cold day. It was the most apt symbolism for my life in that moment that I almost laughed out loud.

Shaun looked up at the sky and grinned. “That is very beautiful.”

I couldn’t agree more. “Yes it is.” I squeezed his hand and smiled all the way to the store.

* * *

“What about this one?” I asked, holding up a navy peacoat.

“It is very nice,” Shaun said.

A sales lady approached us. She was human and at first, she didn’t realise Shaun wasn’t. “Can I help you gentlemen with anything in particular?” she asked with a professional smile.

“Well, we’re looking for a coat for my…” I paused, wondering what to call him. Boyfriend? Partner? “My partner, though we’re happy to browse.”

She smiled, looking from me to Shaun, then did a double-take. Her smile faltered. “Oh.”

I raised one eyebrow at her. “Is that a problem?”

“Oh, uh, no, of course not. Please let me know if I can be of assistance.”

With the average ticket price in this store, I didn’t think anything should be a problem, but I refrained from saying that. Instead, I pulled out an even more expensive coat than the navy peacoat and held it up. “Shaun, what about this one?”

He was staring at me, his head slightly tilted in that way he did when he was about to question me. “You addressed me as your partner.”

So, he noticed that. “Yes. Was that okay? If there’s something else you’d prefer—”

“I liked it,” he said. His lips twitched as if trying not to smile.

“Well, I’m glad. I wasn’t sure if boyfriend was appropriate.”

“Boyfriend. A person’s regular male companion with whom they have a romantic and/or sexual relationship.”

I glanced around but thankfully no one was paying attention to us. “Uh, correct, yes.”

“So by definition, that term is accurate. You could have used it.”

“Yes, I could. But the term partner seemed more appropriate.”

“Partner. Someone’s husband or wife or the person someone has sexual relations with. Or, one of two or more people, businesses et cetera, that work together or do business together.”

“Well, yes. But there’s a human component that lends a qualifier to the definition,” I said. He tilted his head, listening intently, learning. “That would imply you, as my partner, are of equal standing with me, and that I hold more affection for you than just a boyfriend.”

He blinked. “You do?”

I nodded slowly, my heart beating triple time. “Yes.”

His smile started slowly and became a full grin. “Your words activate a rush along my neurotransmitters.”

I laughed at that. “Is that your way of saying it makes you happy?”

He chuckled. “Yes.”

I slid my arm around his waist and pulled him close. “Hurry and pick a coat so we can go home.”

He hummed, kissed my temple, and pulled away, going toward a row of mannequins on an elevated platform. He stood before them and stared for a long moment. More existential questions were no doubt coming my way. I followed him and rested my chin on his shoulder. “What are you thinking?”

I braced myself for what he might answer, but he said, “I like that coat.”

I looked up at the mannequin, then noticed the coat he was wearing. It was a black, fitted double-breasted trench coat. Very stylish and fashion-forward, and not at all what I thought he would choose.

I kissed his shoulder. “Then you can have it.”

I got the sales assistant’s attention and she found Shaun’s size. He tried it on and it fit him like it was made for him; pulled in at the waist, down to his thighs. I guessed the fact his body was textbook perfect helped with the fit, but the colour really did match his hair. He looked hot.

“What do you think?” he asked me.

“I think it’s pluperfect.”

He grinned. “Then I shall have it.”

He began to take it off, but I put my hand on his sleeve. “Leave it on, you can wear it home.” I leaned in and whispered, “I can help you take it off when we get there.”

We went over to the counter where the sales lady took the tag and processed the purchase. It cost a small fortune but I didn’t care. He was happy and that was all that mattered. Shaun stood just to the side, smiling and subtly observing everything around him.

The sales lady handed me my receipt. “He really is incredible,” she said so only we could hear and leaning in like it was some sordid secret. “I’ve heard of the A-Class, but I’ve never seen one before. I hear they’re worth every credit.” She winked.

Mildly offended by her closeness and duly offended by her implied comment, I took the receipt. “He’s more than a financial transaction.”

I took Shaun’s hand and left the sales assistant gaping at the counter, and we walked out. I felt so much better being outside in the fresh air, away from strange humans, but it took a while for me to calm down. “Lloyd,” Shaun said. “What is the matter?”

I stopped walking and turned to him. “I don’t particularly like interacting with people I’m not familiar with, and I didn’t like what she implied.”

“The ‘worth every credit’ comment?”

I sighed. “You caught that?”

“Of course. What did she mean?”

“That you must be worth all the money you cost to buy.”

He processed that for a second. “I realise you must have paid credits for me when you designed me.”

I wanted to look away, but the least I owed him was to look him in the eye. “Yes.”

“Of course you did. I am fully aware of that.”

I stared at him for a second. “It doesn’t mean I own you,” I said, which wasn’t technically true, because I did own him. “I’m your custodian.”

“You are my custodian,” he said with a nod. “And my partner. Is that not what we agreed on earlier?”

I finally smiled. “Yes. You are my partner.”

“Good. Then let’s get home so you can help me out of this coat.” He grinned. “And everything else I am wearing. I believe that was what your innuendo you implied.”

I snorted. “I believe it was, yes.”

He took my hand and we started to walk. “I do like walking with you along the river. It is all rather lovely, but I think I would prefer to be at home.”

“I prefer to be at home too,” I admitted. “I normally do all my shopping online but thought you might like to venture out and experience it.”

“Oh yes, and I am grateful. And if you ever need me to purchase anything on your behalf, I am sure I observed the transaction well enough to replicate it.”

“When we get home, I can show you how to order whatever you need. It’s voice activated, so we can get you set up on my accounts.” I smiled at him. “But only if you promise not to buy a Lamborghini.”

He smiled. “I have no need for luxury vehicles. Though I cannot make any promises about phallic replications.”

I stopped walking and stared. My mouth fell open. “You wouldn’t!”

His smile became a grin. “I would like to think I have no need, yet you abstain from activating all my synthetic serotonin and dopamine sensors.”

My mouth was still open, so I shut it and tried to form an appropriate response. “I wasn’t aware that activating those sensors was necessary for you to retain optimum performance health.”

He looked upward, in what might have been an eye roll. “I may be fabricating slightly. However, as you suggested earlier, if we read my instruction manual together, you will see there are certain sensors in certain places that I would appreciate you activating.”

I pulled his hip against mine. “Did you just use blackmail so I will have sex with you?”

“Fabricating truths, blackmail,” he murmured. “Next is begging.”

Oh my God.

He wasn’t just teasing. He wasn’t being playful. He really wanted it. Like it was a need, and I was depriving him if I didn’t.

I grabbed his hand and led him home, faster than I might normally walk. He waved to the android in the lobby, who dutifully waved back, and in the lift, he smirked at me in the mirror.

Like he knew damn well he was about to get what he wanted.

Needed.

Oh boy.

As soon as we were inside, he put his key on the cabinet and stood, stock still, while I began to pace.

“Shaun, please tell me truthfully,” I started. “Have I neglected your needs?”

“You have taken very good care of me.”

I needed to reword my question. “Do you require anal penetration to maintain optimum health?”

“Possibly.”

Possibly? What did that even mean? “What do you mean possibly?”

“Optimum health can be achieved and maintained by stimulating sensors and neural pathways. Conversation and touch alone will be enough to maintain operating health. I assumed you knew this from your induction with regards to my maintenance.”

I ran my hand over my face. That sounded like the spiel Sasha told me when I was going through the design phase. “It was a lot of information to take in. He asked if I intended to have sexual relations with you. I said yes. Eventually. He told me you would therefore have sensors that, when stimulated, would elicit reactions like hormonal responses in humans.” I think he called them happy-buttons. Oh, God. “I didn’t realise it was compulsory.”

“Sensors are only located in such places when requested,” Shaun said, his tone clinical like he was reciting a manual. “Did you request all sexual functions?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

“Then I have sensors in all sexual places. Along my penis and scrotum and in my throat, all of which you have activated quite well.”

God, I remembered the look of bliss on his face when I used his mouth…

“You are yet to activate the other, last remaining sensors.” He walked toward the other cabinet. “I can get the control panel and you can read—”

I took his hand and stopped him. My chest was heaving and my balls were aching. He looked at my face, then down to my crotch, then back to my face. He smiled. “Lloyd?”

“I think we should read the control panel in bed.”

His eyes focused on mine and darkened. “As you wish.”

I took his face in my hands and kissed him, slow and deep. “As you wish, apparently.”

I knew he would have sexual desires. Sasha had been very clear when he’d said that. All the research said that. I just never dreamed it would be so visceral. So blatant and real. So demanding and unrestrained.

So hot.

He smiled victoriously and took my hand, leading me to my room. He went straight to the bedside, took out the lube, and put it on the bed, then stood there, waiting, daring. “You still haven’t helped me out of my coat,” he said.

Smiling, I shook my head. Mostly in disbelief. But I went to him and slowly took his coat off, and then he stood there and let me undress him. I savoured each touch, each moment, each reveal of skin. I kissed his shoulder, his spine, his throat.

I stood right in front of him while I undid his pants, never taking my eyes off his. I pushed his trousers down his thighs and palmed his dick through his briefs. His eyes almost closed.

“Look at me,” I ordered in a breath.

His gaze met mine, full of lust and desire. “How do you want me?” he asked.

“On your back, on the bed. I want you to watch me when I have you that way.”

It was his first time, after all. I wanted it to be something special.

Completely naked, he lay down on the bed, his head on the pillows. God, he was glorious. His pale body, long and lean, strong and muscular, his cock jutting up proudly. He never touched himself though. I considered telling him to, to run his hands all over himself, to make himself feel good, but part of me liked being the only one who had. When I was naked, I knelt on the bed between his legs and applied lube, smearing my cock and giving myself a few long strokes.

Shaun gasped. “That feels good.”

Oh, of course. He was aroused when I was. But I wanted him to feel it on his own body, so I poured a little lube over his cock and stroked him instead. “That feel better?”

“Yes.” He brought his feet up near his arse, knees bent, showing me his hole. With my slippery finger, I rubbed his entrance, making him moan. “I do not need preparation or stretching. You may enter me anytime.”

Oh boy.

“I know that,” I whispered. “But does it feel good?”

“Yes.”

“I only touch you to make you feel good.” I leaned over him, pushing his hips up onto my thighs a little and pressed my cock against his hole. “Is this comfortable for you?”

He nodded.

So I pushed into him. Into his slick, tight warmth. Oh my God, he was ribbed inside…

I gasped and his mouth opened, his cock pulsed between us. “You feel so good,” I breathed. “I’m not going to last long.”

He slid his hands around my lower back and over my arse, arching his back a little and rocking his hips, making me groan and him lift his hips higher. He never took his eyes from mine. I was buried inside him, every inch of me, and he tightened his arms around me, holding me to him. “Lloyd,” he murmured. “Yes, please.”

Oh my God.

I pulled out a little, then thrust back in, and he groaned, his eyelids almost closed. “Look at me,” I said, cupping his face with my hand. “I want you to watch. I want you to see the moment I come inside you.”

His mouth made an O and he looked fraught, like the pleasure was too much. I froze. “Are you okay?” I asked.

He nodded quickly. “Please do not stop.”

I thrust again, slow and deep, over and over. I held him. He held me. It was tender and beautiful. “Does it feel good?”

He nodded again. His voice was tight and sounded a little frantic. “Every neural network, every sensor is on high.”

“For me too,” I said, kissing him, teasing his tongue with mine until he grunted.

The sound shot through me, making me thrust again and again until I couldn’t stop. Ecstasy so blinding consumed me. I held him and buried my cock deeper inside him as I came.

His eyes widened and his jaw clenched as his cock pulsed between us. He let out a muted rumble, his body taut until he collapsed beneath me. That blissed look covered his face and I knew then that I’d activated every one of his sensors.

I kissed him a little smugly. “Are you okay?”

He slow-blinked and his smile was dopey. “Okay is a rather inadequate way to explain how I feel.”

I chuckled and pulled out of him, missing his warmth immediately. God, I felt like I could almost go again. Or never stop.

I rolled us to our sides but he tightened his hold on me. “Don’t get up,” he said. He nuzzled into my neck and ran his hands all over my back. “Not yet. Stay here, like this.”

Huh. I had no clue that androids needed holding after sex, but I wouldn’t complain. Not that I’d liked it much with other guys, but I did with him. It felt so incredibly right to lie there in each other’s arms, and as I traced his flawless eyebrows, his impeccable jaw, and kissed his perfect lips, the warmth in my heart bloomed.

There was no denying it now. There was no going back.

I was falling in love with him.

* * *

He opened his eyes, and galaxies of blue stared back at me for a heart-pounding moment. “Thank you,” he murmured.

God, he was thanking me.

I brushed his hair back from his forehead. “Thank you.” I kissed him again, unable to help myself. “How do you feel?”

“I am feeling many things.” He scanned my face. “Any agitation I might have experienced is gone. I feel calmer now; my neural networks are balanced and performing optimally.”

“I take it all of your sensors were activated?”

He smiled serenely. “Oh yes. And activated quite well, I might add.”

I chuckled, pulled out of his arms, and planted a kiss on his forehead. “Stay right here. I’ll be back in a second.”

I ran out to the living room, still naked—not something I’d ever done before—and grabbed his control panel before running back to my room. “Oooh, it’s a bit chilly out there without clothes on.”

Shaun quickly got off the bed and pulled the covers back. He lay back on the bed and held the covers up in invitation. “Here. Allow me to warm you.”

I slid in beside him and he wrapped me up in his arms once more. The heat he radiated was lovely. “I have an internal thermostat,” he said. “So if you are cold, my body temperature elevates slightly to help warm you.”

I kissed the side of his head. “Thank you.” Then I remembered something. “Um, do you need to shower…?” Considering I’d come inside him, and there was lube too.

“Not yet,” he replied. “Though I was hoping when it is required, you might join me?”

“Is that right?”

“Yes,” he said followed by a hum. “I am not sure I am adequately experienced in showering and therefore will need your assistance.”

I barked out a laugh and kissed his temple. “Well then, I’ll be all too happy to offer my assistance, until you’re adequately experienced.”

He made a happy sound and I settled into the crook of his arm. I was already toasty warm but never wanted to move. I held up the control panel so we could both see the screen. “Shall we start at the beginning?”

“I would much rather you read me Shakespeare or the Analects of Confucius,” he replied. “But if you insist.”

I turned my head to kiss his chest and started at the beginning. The first part covered Wi-Fi interface requirements when the android unit was integrated into home facilities, as well as providing the maintenance and inspection procedures. All system updates were automatically downloaded into his mainframe, usually during the small hours of the night, much like all system updates. If there were to be any major uploads or system upgrades, I’d be notified first. But we’d covered all operating system requirements when he was delivered. The Wi-Fi components were checked prior to his delivery to ensure I had the adequate internet capabilities for him. So we knew all this already.

“This is all rather boring,” he said. “Can we skip to Section Six? In particular subsections C and D.”

With a reluctant sigh, I skipped to Section Six.

Sexual Capabilities.

I snorted. “Of course you want to read this part.”

He preened a little, kissed my temple, then settled again with my head on his shoulder. “It is for your benefit as well as mine.”

Well, that was true.

The first section mapped out the physical components, much like a dashboard in a car user manual. It outlined his body parts and his sensors. Shaun reached up and enlarged the screen on his anus and penis, and the sensors along each one, and he studied it for a second. “Yes. You have activated them all.”

I laughed. “Good to know.”

“If you would like to do it again…”

I kissed his jaw. “Soon enough.”

He settled again, and we continued to read. Section B was cleaning and maintenance and which lubrication products to use and how to properly care for his body.

Section C was the function capabilities of his sexual components. Section D was the user operation guide. I’d watched enough ‘research’ videos prior to my decision to get him; I knew exactly how to utilise his sexual components.

Each clip I’d watched, some many times over, was a porn video made for technosexuals. Of humans copulating androids, of androids copulating humans. It was hot as hell, and that, along with my loneliness, was the deciding factor in first contacting SATinc.

“You are not reading,” Shaun said. He rolled us over so he was on top but then slid down so he was on his belly now, still half lying on me, looking at me.

“No, I was remembering,” I admitted.

“You are becoming aroused,” he noticed. “May I ask what you were remembering?”

“Ah…” I chuckled. It wasn’t like I could admit to remembering watching porn. “Remembering, and all this reading about your components for pleasure.”

He smiled, and lifting onto his hands and knees, he leaned up and kissed me. “Allow me this time.” He kissed down my jaw, my neck and chest. “Section E explains my downloaded knowledge on sexual positions.” Then he trailed down my hardening cock. He kneeled back between my thighs and looked very pleased with himself. He took me in his hand and slowly started to stroke me to full hardness. He added a little bit of lube, then, still smiling and not breaking eye contact, he took me into his mouth.

All the way in.

Oh boy.

“God, Shaun, yes.”

He hummed at how good it must have felt for him too. I wanted to rock my hips but he held me still while he did all the work, and when I wanted more, more, more, he pulled off.

His smirk was dirty, the fire in his eyes molten blue. And he moved up my body, straddled me, positioned himself, and held my cock at his hole. “Lube is not required,” he said, his voice whining with desire. “From when you came in me before.”

Oh, sweet mother of God.

He sank down on me until I was fully seated inside him. His heat was all-encompassing, slick with my come, the ribbing inside him felt so unbelievably good. His cock, fully extended, tapped my belly every time he rolled his hips. He threw his head back and let out a long moan.

Jesus.

It was the most erotic thing I’d ever seen and heard.

No other lover had been like this. Not even close.

I gripped his cock and pumped him, and he cried out, riding me to the edge of pleasure, where it felt like I would fall for eternity. And when I couldn’t hold back anymore, I let my orgasm take me to places I’d never been. I felt like I was flying on an impossible high, surging inside him, and I watched his cock throb as he came with me.

I imagined his cock could spill come on my chest, and even though it didn’t, it sure felt like it to me.

Shaun collapsed on top of me, that same blissful look on his face that I imagined mirrored mine. I rubbed patterns on his back, in swirls and love hearts, and I kissed the side of his head.

“Shaun,” I whispered. “That was incredible.” God, I never wanted it to end. I wanted to do it again and never stop. He’d sparked some sexual fire in my bones that only seemed to get bigger with every encounter. Or maybe it was because with him, with an android, sex finally felt as it sex should have always felt. Something had always been missing or not quite right, but now it was… it was pluperfect.

He propped up his head on his hand and gave me a lazy smirk. “I wish I could stay like this with you forever, though now I must shower.”

I gently feathered his hair. “Okay.”

“You are not required to assist,” he said with a smile. “Given you have exerted yourself twice before lunch, I insist you stay here until I am done.”

I chuckled at that. “Okay.”

He rolled off the bed and disappeared to his bathroom and I stretched out, feeling better than I ever remembered. My hand bumped the control panel, so I picked it up and continued to read.

Section 6e: Sexual Desire.

Oh, this should be interesting. I smiled.

While it is true your Class-A Fully Compatible Unit will show sexual desire, in that it will respond to your touch and/or commands in a positive manner, however, it will not instigate sex.

I stopped and reread that sentence.

Well, that was wrong. Shaun not only instigated it but told me outright he had sexual needs. He’d all but begged me to have sex with him and jokingly threatened to order a dildo if I didn’t.

So that couldn’t be right at all.

I kept reading…

A-Class Fully Compatible Unit male androids will only serve as the subservient sexual partner. If you require the unit to initiate a sexual act or position, it must be instructed to do so.

I stopped again. That wasn’t right either. Shaun had just done that very thing. He’d literally taken it upon himself to pleasure me orally, then impaled himself on me until I came. Correction, until we both came. Did he do that just to get himself off? Or was his ulterior motive to please me?

Either way, I didn’t ask him to do it. I certainly didn’t stop him; hell, I encouraged him. But he instigated it, wholly and solely on his own.

A-Class Fully Compatible Unit will never show preference or make demands for anything, in particular sex.

I looked up from the screen, not believing what I was reading. Shaun made all sorts of demands. Just earlier, when I’d tried to get up, he held me tight and told me to stay in his arms. And he certainly had preferences. He had a whole lot of preferences.

Something was very wrong.

Either this manual was wrong. Or there was something wrong with Shaun.

I’d always thought he was acutely aware. There’d been countless times I’d been awed by his intelligence, his social awareness was incredible, and his ability to interpret and pre-empt human interaction with me was nothing short of brilliant.

I just assumed it was because he was state of the art. He was leading technology in the world of humanoid robotics, so of course he was going to be incredible in everything he did. His sole design, his purpose, was to meet my every need.

So what if he excelled at it?

I hadn’t heard him come back into my room. He was freshly showered and neatly dressed, staring at me. “Lloyd, is everything okay?”

I looked at him, at the concern on his face, at how immaculate he was, and turned the control panel off. “Everything’s fine.”