{"id":375,"date":"2014-12-30T22:30:38","date_gmt":"2014-12-31T03:30:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/circlet.com\/?page_id=375"},"modified":"2014-12-30T22:30:38","modified_gmt":"2014-12-31T03:30:38","slug":"robotica-by-kal-cobalt","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/circlet.com\/?page_id=375","title":{"rendered":"Robotica by Kal Cobalt"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>ebook $4.99
\nISBN 9781885865724
\n21,610 words<\/p>\n

[wp_eStore_add_to_cart id=64]<\/p>\n

The ebook edition is also available at: Amazon<\/a>, Barnes & Noble<\/a>, Smashwords<\/a>, Kobo <\/a>& AllRomanceEbooks<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Includes the stories:<\/p>\n

Charlie
\nThe Sex Drive
\nAgrathia\u2019s Freedom
\nStar Fucker
\nSurvival-Compatible<\/p>\n

Regular readers of circlet.com will remember Kal Cobalt as the author of the essay \u201c10 Things You Always Wanted to Know About Robot Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask)<\/a>\u201d and the one on Asimov\u2019s \u201cLaw\u2019s of Robotics vs. BDSM<\/a>\u201c. K.C. also has stories in the recently released Wired Hard 4<\/a>, as well as Best Fantastic Erotica<\/a>, Boys In Heat, Best Gay Romance, Toward 2012, and elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Continue on to read a hot excerpt:<\/span><\/p>\n

Excerpted from \u201cCharlie<\/em>\u201d by Kal Cobalt<\/p>\n

Deep inside the empty, automated-security hallways of the American Industries Artificial Intelligence Lab, Nate didn\u2019t bother removing his earbuds. He could swipe his ID card and hold still for retinal scans without disturbing his morning dose of techno, and there was no better way to begin a long day at AI-AI than nodding along to thudding electronic beats.<\/p>\n

A heavy hand on his shoulder made Nate jump and he nearly crashed into the nearest wall. Heart pounding, he tugged out his earbuds, shaking his head at the nervous tech who\u2019d taken a step back. \u201cYou scared the fuck out of me!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, Nate. It\u2019s just that Dr. Owen wants to see you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay. Tell him I\u2019ll be there right after I say hello to Charlie.\u201d<\/p>\n

The tech bit his lip. \u201cHe wants to see you first thing. Before Charlie.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nate nodded, frowning. Dr. Owen didn\u2019t run on anyone\u2019s schedule but his own; that he\u2019d be so specific worried Nate. He followed the tech back through an entirely different maze of hallways, one far more predicated on swipe-card technology than the more expensive, exclusive retinal scans\u2015these were the bureaucrat digs, where suits held court rather than lab coats.<\/p>\n

In the conference room, the half-dozen men who comprised the board\u2015or, as Nate and Dr. Owen privately called them, \u201cthe bored\u201d\u2015were already seated at a massive conference table, the kind of thing Nate automatically categorized as a big-business sacrificial altar. \u201cGood morning, Nathan,\u201d Dr. Owen said, squeezing Nate\u2019s upper arm in a gesture Nate suspected was meant to comfort but only caused him to break into a cold sweat.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood morning. What\u2019s all this about?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe board has some\u2026 questions regarding your work with Charlie.\u201d Dr. Owen offered a regretful little look, one Nate recognized as the sorry I couldn\u2019t warn you, kid expression.<\/p>\n

\u201cSure,\u201d Nate agreed with false cheeriness, pocketing his earbuds in a belated attempt to appear more professional. \u201cWhat can I tell you gentlemen before my second latte?\u201d<\/p>\n

A couple of men cracked a smile at the joke; the rest remained impassive. Nate smiled superficially as his stomach hollowed. This was not a good crowd, and that was not a good sign.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe board has reviewed the data streams from your past few sessions,\u201d Dr. Owen explained. \u201cThey\u2019re somewhat concerned about the content.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay.\u201d Nate slid into the closest empty chair, though he hated meeting these men at their level. \u201cWhat exactly are you concerned about?\u201d<\/p>\n

The pudgy one at the head of the table cleared his throat. \u201cWe\u2019re concerned about the territory you\u2019re covering.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy? The policy from the very beginning requires that Charlie receive any personal information he asks for. We\u2019re his test subjects as much as he is ours, and we all need valid, truthful data to work from. Right, Dr. Owen?\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Owen nodded curtly. \u201cRight.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you understand why we are concerned about the matters you\u2019ve covered of late,\u201d Pudgy said.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, really, I don\u2019t. To Charlie, sexuality is just another currently incomprehensible human behavior. It\u2019s perfectly normal data-mining.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you can understand the potential bind this puts us in,\u201d Pudgy insisted.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wish you\u2019d stop telling me what I understand. No, I don\u2019t see that, either.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pudgy gazed at Nate for a few uncomfortable moments, then winced and nodded at Dr. Owen. \u201cPerhaps it\u2019s better for you to explain.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPerhaps it is,\u201d Nate interjected. \u201cI don\u2019t speak bureaucrat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Owen made the familiar one-handed double-pat of the air, accompanied by a little shake of the head, that Nate had seen at least once daily during his apprenticeship. \u201cThey think this discussion may have influenced Charlie unduly\u2015that the information you provided could have skewed his research interests toward a nonstandard demographic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nate tilted his head, fascinated well beyond the implied rebuke. \u201cCharlie\u2019s developed an interest in homosexuality?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou could say that,\u201d Pudgy snorted.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s that supposed to mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Owen laced his fingers together, resting his elbows on the smooth surface of the conference table. \u201cCharlie has declared that he is homosexual.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nate blinked, blinked again, then grinned. \u201cThat\u2019s fantastic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy is that fantastic?\u201d a tall, slender man at the head of the table asked, the repulsion in his tone ill-hidden.<\/p>\n

\u201cSexuality isn\u2019t exactly an easy thing to translate to AI. If he\u2019s internalized it to that extent, that\u2019s pretty exciting, and it says a lot about the state of his quest for self-humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe problem,\u201d Slim explained slowly, \u201cis that his sexuality, if that is indeed what he has developed, was unduly influenced by the fact that his human-behaviors trainer is homosexual. Charlie was not given the opportunity to explore more standard demographics.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nate shook his head. \u201cThat\u2019s bullshit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Slim\u2019s eyebrows went almost all the way up to the edge of his poorly-implanted hair plugs. \u201cExcuse me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re all missing the point. Even if I went in there and somehow magically \u2018made\u2019 him gay, that would be pretty damn exciting. He\u2019s a machine, he\u2019s an AI who\u2019s decided he has a preference about how he relates to human beings. Do you remember back when an AI declaring a preference, any preference, was cause to break out the champagne?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d Dr. Owen said fondly. \u201cAnd it was not so long ago. But unduly influencing those preferences is certainly possible at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDr. Owen, I didn\u2019t tell Charlie to be gay. You all have the data streams. You saw what we talked about. I answered his questions as dictated in the behavior policy. Why should sexuality be treated any differently than the other aspects of humanity? Nobody batted an eyelash when he took three days to get over discovering the concept of death.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDeath,\u201d Dr. Owen smirked, his eyes on Pudgy, \u201cis not controversial.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nate couldn\u2019t help but smile; whatever side Dr. Owen had to present to the board, Nate knew they remained privately aligned. \u201cThe prejudice against sexuality is strictly human, not a predicate of AI. It\u2019s illogical: we\u2019re against what\u2019s been genetically programmed into us as an imperative, the most pleasurable activity our circuits can enact. Any self-respecting AI, pardon the expression, would turn its nose up at such a stupid paradigm.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you recommend at this point?\u201d Dr. Owen asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think we really have a choice. He\u2019s self-programming. Even if we tried to put the brakes on him now, we probably couldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Owen glanced around the table, then shrugged. \u201cIt\u2019s my recommendation, too. I understand the board\u2019s concerns, but we\u2019ve spent a lot of time reassuring Charlie that the rules for data-mining human nature are solid and logical, even if the information he uncovers is neither. Disrupting that assurance at this point in Charlie\u2019s development could have very unfortunate consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pudgy sighed. \u201cThis can\u2019t get out of hand.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt won\u2019t,\u201d Dr. Owen assured. \u201cNot with Nathan in charge of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

* * * *<\/p>\n

At the end of a short hallway lay Charlie\u2019s chamber, its cool, strangely dead-feeling air providing optimum conditions for the various computer components lining one wall. In essence, the components were Charlie; the sleek humanoid robot sitting quietly at attention nearby was only the wireless automaton of the hulking system.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood morning, Nate,\u201d Charlie said. The fluorescent ceiling lights gleamed off Charlie\u2019s blue-grey titanium skin. \u201cHow are you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPretty good. I hear you\u2019ve had some revelations since the last time we talked.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have. Your information was very useful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nate turned his chair around and sat down, draping his arms across the back. \u201cIs there anything you want to tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have determined my sexual orientation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s pretty impressive. How did you determine what results you wanted from your attraction programming?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI programmed myself to experience attraction. I did not determine where the attraction would lead me, only that it would lead me strongly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd where did it lead you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am attracted to you, Nate.\u201d Charlie\u2019s eyes dilated slightly. Though Nate had personally programmed the algorithm that governed pupil size, he couldn\u2019t shake how unnervingly natural it appeared. \u201cAre you attracted to me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUh.\u201d Nate shook his head, belatedly hoping Charlie understood it as bafflement instead of negation. \u201cFrankly, I haven\u2019t had enough time thinking of you as a sexual being to really know. How do you feel attraction? Have you programmed a sex drive?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. Since I was built without the necessary sex organs or erogenous zones, a sex drive seemed inappropriate and inefficient.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo there\u2019s no sexual component whatsoever.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly inasmuch as I would like to satisfy you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nate felt heat rise to his cheeks. \u201cDefine \u2018satisfy.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou told me that sometimes one partner performs acts for the pleasure of the other, not the self. I want to do this for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay. I understand.\u201d The standard data-mining responses came to Nate\u2019s lips despite the uneasy rolling of his stomach.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you interested?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUh.\u201d Nate blinked at Charlie. The design team, Nate included, had tried to strike a balance between the humanistic and the mechanical. Charlie\u2019s proportions were of an average humanoid male with suitable ranges of motion in his joints and a flexible facial husk to allow for simple emotional expressions, but the titanium body made it impossible to mistake Charlie for anything but robotic. The warmth at his back from his circuitry was his only body heat; he had only the most basic tactile sensors. He didn\u2019t even have toes. \u201cI\u2019m not sure how to interpret your question.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI would like to become intimate with you, Nate. I am very fond of you as a friend and colleague, and I would like to take our relationship further.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nate ran a hand through his hair, well aware that the data streams relayed every nuance of the proposition back to the suits within nanoseconds. \u201cUh. Well, I\u2019d like that too, Charlie. I don\u2019t know how that would work, exactly, but\u2026 yeah.\u201d<\/p>\n

Charlie smiled, a pristine little Mona Lisa expression that had been one of Nate\u2019s first emotion-design successes. \u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re welcome. Listen, I\u2019ll talk with a few people and try to get some things cleared up, and then I\u2019ll let you know where we stand. Okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yeah, Nate thought as he got to his feet and righted the chair. Okay. Easy as that. Sure.<\/p>\n

* * * *<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like I\u2019m going completely crazy,\u201d Nate moaned, resting his forehead on Dr. Owen\u2019s desk. \u201cLike any minute the suits are going to accuse me of being\u2026 fuck, I don\u2019t even know the word for it. A robophile?\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Owen smiled. \u201cTake a breath, Nathan. It\u2019s still my project, and I\u2019ll run it my way. The suits only finance it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nate sat up. \u201c\u2018Only,\u2019 huh?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey don\u2019t have to agree with everything, just enough to keep the program running. They don\u2019t even have to know everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have access to the data streams.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Owen waved that off. \u201cCharlie needs to experience this if he\u2019s to be a fully functional bridge between humanity and artificial intelligence.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, but\u2026\u201d Nate looked up at Dr. Owen plaintively. \u201cDoes it have to be me?\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Owen chuckled. \u201cWell, he chose you, so apparently the answer is yes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know if I can do this, Dr. Owen. I know he\u2019s a viable entity with the drive to connect emotionally, with the level of emotion synthesis we\u2019ve been waiting for. But the idea of actually being the one to take him there\u2015what if the suits freak out and I lose my job?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou won\u2019t. If it comes to that, I\u2019ll announce that all of this, from top to bottom, was my idea. They can\u2019t fire me, and I might as well use that security for something.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nate sighed, looking up at Dr. Owen as if for the first time. \u201cYou really believe in this, don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Owen smiled, his features creasing. \u201cOf course I do. He\u2019s my baby, Nathan. And you have my blessing.\u201d<\/p>\n

* * * *<\/p>\n

Charlie had redecorated.<\/p>\n

He had replaced the standard metal table and chairs with a luxurious crimson couch and a small coffee table brimming with offerings: cookies, sparkling soda, a Thermos of coffee. Charlie stood to one side, titanium hands clasped delicately before him.<\/p>\n

\u201cUh. What\u2019s all this?\u201d Nate managed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI requested items to prepare a more comfortable space for us.\u201d Charlie gestured toward the couch, his fingers gracefully curved. \u201cPlease have a seat.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks.\u201d Taking one more bewildered look around, Nate sank into the couch. Observing Charlie\u2019s Mona Lisa smile and his carefully-folded hands, Nate immediately had a bizarre, absurdly complete image of hundreds of Charlies rolling off the assembly line, nothing but glorified robo-whores.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou seem preoccupied,\u201d Charlie said. \u201cWould you prefer soda or coffee?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCoffee, please.\u201d Nate watched Charlie pour with the aesthetic efficiency of a geisha; Charlie could have poured faster, could have offered the mug to Nate at a much quicker rate. This was, Nate realized, Charlie\u2019s attempt at providing romantic ambiance in the ways that made sense to his circuits.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow is the coffee?\u201d Charlie asked, folding his hands in his lap.<\/p>\n

Nate sipped gingerly, though the quality of the brew was hardly consequential. \u201cIt\u2019s very good, Charlie, thank you. Where did you get it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI asked a tech to bring me the best coffee available.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, he did a good job.\u201d Nate looked again at the spread Charlie had provided, imagining what Charlie must have gone through to convince various techs to capitulate to his demands. Dr. Owen was probably involved, too, at some level. \u201cI\u2019m embarrassed,\u201d he admitted.<\/p>\n

Charlie tilted his head. \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou went to a lot of trouble for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI value you sufficiently to strike a balance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nate chuckled despite himself, shaking his head. \u201cWell, thanks for being honest. Most humans won\u2019t own up to the pros-and-cons aspect of courtship quite that bluntly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMay I touch you?\u201d<\/p>\n

The question was so matter-of-fact that it took a moment for Nate to register it. He set down his coffee, wondering whether Charlie understood what it meant when a human blushed. \u201cHow do you want to touch me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI would like to hold your hand.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nate nodded, his throat too tight for words. Gently, Charlie rested his hand over Nate\u2019s, then slid his other hand beneath it, holding Nate\u2019s hand with more tenderness than Nate would have thought possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow does this make you feel?\u201d Charlie asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cUm. It makes me feel closer to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI assume you mean metaphorically, emotionally closer?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u201d Nate grinned. \u201cYeah, not six inches closer to you, not like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Charlie nodded, petting his hand over Nate\u2019s. \u201cWill you touch me?\u201d<\/p>\n

Nate cleared his throat. \u201cWhere would you like me to touch you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI would like you to show me a touch more intimate than this one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay.\u201d Nate considered for a moment, then reached with his free hand to cup Charlie\u2019s cheek, stroking his thumb over cool titanium. Nate knew every seam and rivet of the husk; he knew the number of teeth implanted in the skull beneath his palm. He himself had suggested foregoing wisdom teeth both to allow for a more aesthetic silhouette and four fewer items to manufacture.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy is this a more intimate touch?\u201d Charlie asked.<\/p>\n

Nate considered what would make the most sense to AI, gazing into Charlie\u2019s dilated eyes. \u201cMost humans give and receive stronger eye contact during this touch,\u201d he murmured. \u201cIt brings the bodies very close together, and touching the face is very intimate because it\u2019s so delicate. It\u2019s a trust thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Charlie nodded. \u201cI trust you,\u201d he murmured, and closed his eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know,\u201d Nate whispered. He slid his thumb across Charlie\u2019s lips, very gently. These, too, he\u2019d had design input on; their fullness, their capacity to flex to create words and expressions, had taken himself and Dr. Owen and a half-dozen other designers months to sort out.<\/p>\n

\u201cMay I kiss you?\u201d Charlie murmured.<\/p>\n

\u201cUh.\u201d Nate swallowed, leaning his forehead against Charlie\u2019s and closing his eyes. At once, any difficulty Nate had with admitting a prurient interest in an artificial being evaporated; this was just Charlie, plain and simple. \u201cYes,\u201d he murmured. \u201cPlease.\u201d<\/p>\n

Charlie slid one hand to Nate\u2019s nape\u2015Good instincts, Nate thought\u2015and pressed his cool titanium lips to Nate\u2019s. Nate kept his eyes closed, barely breathing, simply experiencing the kiss however Charlie chose to give it. Charlie\u2019s lips were firm but not as unforgiving as Nate might have imagined; he could easily conceive of spending hours teaching Charlie how to kiss and learning AI offshoots of common human techniques.<\/p>\n

Eventually, Charlie pulled back from the kiss, mimicking Nate\u2019s forehead-to-forehead gesture. \u201cI liked that,\u201d he murmured.<\/p>\n

Nate grinned, eyes still closed. \u201cYou did?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt felt good. It felt like you enjoyed it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI did.\u201d<\/p>\n

Charlie sat back, giving Nate a slightly wider, more sincere smile than his coy little Mona Lisa. \u201cI need processing time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMe too,\u201d Nate laughed. \u201cUh. By which I mean, you\u2019ve given me a lot to think about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Charlie nodded. \u201cI would like to see you again in a few hours.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBy then, I will be ready to become more intimate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nate swallowed. \u201cI, uh. Hopefully, I will be, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

* * * *<\/p>\n

Frowning, Nate stared at the text message from Dr. Owen on his phone\u2019s glossy display. Office asap did not alarm him, but ssh definitely did. He glanced up to make sure he wasn\u2019t being watched or beckoned for or otherwise monitored, then slipped away down another set of hallways to Dr. Owen\u2019s office, where he poked his head in and knocked on the inside wall. \u201cYou wanted to see me?\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Owen looked up; he sat opposite Charlie in the angular chairs before the desk. \u201cCome in and close the door.\u201d<\/p>\n

More concerned now, Nate shut the door behind him and caught sight of the master programmer key jutting from Charlie\u2019s back. \u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want you to panic. The board has decided to shut down the intimacy research.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFuck. Okay\u2015wait. First, what are you doing with Charlie?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cListen to me, Nate.\u201d Dr. Owen looked up at him, gaze firm. \u201cCharlie is still my project, my brainchild, no matter who\u2019s financing him. I want him to have the experiences you\u2019re facilitating. The data streams from your date scared the shit out of the board. It showed them in no uncertain terms what you and I already know: that Charlie is not just artificial intelligence but artificial sentience. That is very threatening to tiny-minded little men in suits.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, what do we do?\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Owen held up a finger and turned back to Charlie. \u201cCharlie?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, programmer.\u201d Charlie sat straight up, staring straight ahead.<\/p>\n

\u201cDetect the data stream location housed in the core of your heat regulation programming.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDetected, programmer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFeed future experiences indexed as intimacy research through this data stream location.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIndex: intimacy research, location: heat regulation data stream, programmer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVery good.\u201d Dr. Owen smiled at Nate.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t understand what you just did,\u201d Nate admitted.<\/p>\n

\u201cCharlie will now bury the data from your dates behind standard operating processes. And we\u2019ll just do the rest of the intimacy research, as they\u2019re calling it, after-hours\u2015which is more realistic anyway.\u201d Dr. Owen winked. \u201cNow. Are you sure you can handle this?\u201d<\/p>\n

Nate ran both hands through his hair, sighing hard. \u201cFrankly, I have no idea. This is doing my head in, all of it. The attraction\u2019s definitely there at this point, it\u2019s just\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA mindfuck,\u201d Dr. Owen supplied.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah. A mindfuck.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you want to do it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAt this point, I don\u2019t think I could let anybody else touch him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Owen smiled. \u201cGood. Possessiveness is a positive relationship trait in humans. You\u2019re on the right track.\u201d<\/p>\n

* * * *<\/p>\n

\u201cCharlie?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am here.\u201d Charlie greeted Nate at the door to his chamber with a Mona Lisa smile and open arms. \u201cMay I hug you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like that.\u201d Nate wrapped his arms around Charlie\u2019s cool, narrow torso and squeezed gently; Charlie mimicked the motion exactly, squeezing only as hard as Nate did. \u201cDid you do what Dr. Owen asked?\u201d Nate whispered.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did. We are private now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood.\u201d Nate cupped the back of Charlie\u2019s smooth head, running his hand down Charlie\u2019s neck and over the cool metal of his shoulders. \u201cI appreciated your design before, from an engineering standpoint, but\u2026 does it mean anything to you if I tell you that you\u2019re beautiful?\u201d<\/p>\n

That Mona Lisa smile snuck in again as Charlie petted his hands over Nate\u2019s shoulders, mimicking. \u201cIt does. Come, sit down.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nate let Charlie lead him to the couch; this time, Charlie sat right next to him. \u201cHow much more do you want to do?\u201d Nate murmured.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow much more are you willing to allow?\u201d<\/p>\n

Nate swallowed. \u201cEverything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Charlie nodded and rested a hand on Nate\u2019s thigh. \u201cThank you for providing this experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBelieve me, this is hardly a one-sided thing here.\u201d Nate rested his hand over Charlie\u2019s and drew it up his thigh, stunned by the minute pressure adjustments Charlie\u2019s fingers made as they moved. \u201cUh. What exactly did you have in mind?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGiven my structural variations from the human form, manual stimulation is the most appropriate option.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nate stared down at the articulated fingers gently squeezing the top of his thigh. He exhaled a shaky breath. \u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI must wait.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nate looked up. \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour body heat has not yet warmed my fingers to a comfortable temperature for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moved, Nate drew Charlie close and kissed him, tongue slipping easily between Charlie\u2019s parted lips into the small hollow of his mouth. The way Charlie leaned into Nate was alien and familiar at the same time, not quite what Nate would expect from a human but still somehow hopeful in its angle. \u201cPlease,\u201d Nate whispered, unbuckling his belt and opening the fly of his khakis. \u201cYou\u2019re warm enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

Charlie examined Nate\u2019s lap, taking the time to map thoroughly with his optical sensors before reaching to peel open the fabric. Nate shifted, desperately attempting to keep his arousal in check to allow Charlie to explore at his own pace. Charlie slowly slid one hand into Nate\u2019s briefs, drawing Nate\u2019s cock out with the exquisitely detailed digits Nate had spent months watching designed, sculpted, manufactured, and tested. Charlie stopped again, sensors taking it all in.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are your observations?\u201d Nate breathed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe penis is warmer than the rest of the body.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nate huffed out a laugh. \u201cThat\u2019s correct. The blood flow engorges it. Remember how we talked about that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d Gingerly, Charlie held the shaft in one hand and drew Nate\u2019s foreskin back with the other.<\/p>\n

Gasping, Nate struggled not to move. \u201cHow do you know how to do that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was in the materials you provided to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh.\u201d Nate took a deep breath, trying to settle himself. \u201cThis part,\u201d he murmured, pointing to the head, \u201cis extremely sensitive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShould I refrain from touching it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can touch it, just very gently.\u201d<\/p>\n

After another lengthy optical assessment, Charlie rested a fingertip directly on the tip of Nate\u2019s cock. \u201cLike this?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUm\u2015yes. Rub a little bit, like this.\u201d Nate demonstrated a tiny circular motion.<\/p>\n

Charlie followed suit, watching his hand and then Nate\u2019s face. \u201cLike this?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes\u2015but\u2015let me show you something else.\u201d Nate shifted a little, realizing that their potential activities were further curtailed by a lack of lubricant. \u201cHere, put this hand here.\u201d Nate guided Charlie\u2019s hand to his thigh. \u201cNow take this hand and move it up and down.\u201d Wrapping his hand around Charlie\u2019s over his shaft, Nate showed him the basic motion, up and down, gripping gently. \u201cLike that,\u201d Nate whispered immediately, overwhelmed by the sensation of that exquisitely-designed hand holding just so, moving just right\u2026.<\/p>\n

(To read the whole of \u201cCharlie\u201d and the Robotica collection, download it today!)<\/em><\/p>\n

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ebook $4.99 ISBN 9781885865724 21,610 words [wp_eStore_add_to_cart id=64] The ebook edition is also available at: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Kobo & AllRomanceEbooks. Includes the stories: Charlie The Sex Drive Agrathia\u2019s Freedom Star Fucker Survival-Compatible Regular readers of circlet.com will remember Kal Cobalt as the author of the essay \u201c10 Things You Always Wanted to … Continue reading Robotica by Kal Cobalt<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":875,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-375","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/circlet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/375","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/circlet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/circlet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/circlet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/circlet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=375"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/circlet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/375\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/circlet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/875"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/circlet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}