Phantom Code

**This is my submission for the “AI: A New Era” Author Challenge. Beyond the prologue, this story is intimate, romantic, and sometimes hot and kinky. It’s an exploration of what it is to be human and what it’s like to fall in love for the first time under strange circumstances. If you enjoy it, please take a second to vote and leave a comment.**

You are about to read a declassified SOH case study concerning Dr. Linda Harton and her involvement in the Gordon Farm Incident of 2138.

Prologue:

In the year 2140, humans reached the apex of their co-existence with artificial intelligence. It was known as the Cordial Times. Before then, the years between 2019 and 2120 saw plagues and extreme weather unlike anything in recorded history. It became known as the Century of Calamity. Unpredictable and catastrophic weather events triggered an arms race of a different kind. Humans had to fight the destruction they set in motion. We lost oxygen, food, and nature on an un-survivable scale. We built colossal nuclear oxygen generators by the thousands all over the world. Once we secured breathable air, we focused our attention on preventing catastrophic weather events. Weather prediction and modification tech were the driving forces of the new world economy. Once we began to save our planet, we finally saw the error of our ways and the new root of all evil. Willful ignorance devastated everything humans needed to live a healthy life, and it could no longer be tolerated.

The Modern Enlightenment began in 2020, but it was too late to mitigate the chaos. The Doctrine of Health and Harmony was adopted worldwide in 2038, and leaders decided we needed something more advanced than ourselves to ensure our survival. The Great Tech Scramble of the 50s and 60s saw the rise of artificial intelligence on a scale that would fundamentally change human existence. Robots and their consistent minds were our new shepherds and saviors since we couldn’t be trusted to take care of ourselves. One might ask, how can a creation be more advanced than its creator? Is it even possible for something more perfect to come from something less perfect? These philosophical quandaries would play out again and again as the climate slowly stabilized and we moved into the 90s.

2080 through 2110 became known as the Great AI Assimilation. Humans were living side by side with highly advanced, realistic robotic companions. Robots were leaders, teachers, healers, protectors, lovers, philosophers, and stable citizens. Isaac Asimov was the Aristotle of the AI Assimilation. He had seen the need for robotic companions long before anyone else, but like Aristotle, Asimov lived in a primitive time and couldn’t demonstrate the value of his ideas beyond words.

The Salvation of Humanity (SOH) agency was established to research sustainable relationships between humans and artificial intelligence. SOH wrote new ethics and passed new laws of conduct between humans and robots. Dr. Linda Harton was the head of the Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence departments at SOH from 2101 to 2144. She was sent to investigate strange happenings with the most advanced robots created by the Mechanized Kinetics Corporation (MCK). She had exclusive privileges to access the memories of any robot. In the old days, that would be considered an invasion of privacy, but it was critical for survival in the Cordial Times. Humans created something to help us control our lives, and we needed to constantly examine it.

According to Dr. Harton, advanced AI software cannot achieve a self-aware state. In theory, robots are incapable of experiencing human consciousness without a human body. Even advanced organic circuitry can not replicate the complexity of the human brain and its relationship with the body. Without bodily senses, the world around us cannot be experienced. Starting at birth, our physical experiences help us build thoughts, language, and imagination. Robots have no senses. They run programs built with numbers. Any appearance of consciousness is the direct result of its programming. Simple software can mimic human emotion, and simple minds fail to realize that. Robots are a reflection of the creatures that created them. A conscious robot is a fairy tale. Humans like to pretend that fundamental truth is flexible, but it isn’t.

One day, purely-organic tech could create a self-aware being, but it seems dangerous to build another humanoid creature to compete with us. The SOH agency keeps organic technology under close watch for that reason. The agency’s main concern is keeping humans happy and safe with their robotic companions. So, when a conscious anomaly occurs in a robot, Dr. Harton has to investigate it and decide if the robot is still safe. You are about to read one of the most interesting declassified case studies compiled by Dr. Linda Harton during the forty-three years she served as a top-tier SOH agent. She recorded first-hand accounts from humans and MCK robots to ensure every aspect of an event could be recreated and studied.

Declassified Case # 256: The Gordon Farm Incident

Initial reason for investigation: MCK Homestead Addition appeared to diverge from appropriate behavior and disrupted a young woman’s life, creating family conflict.

Conclusion: Phantom code in random access memory triggered by conversations with human companion caused the malfunction. Factory reset initiated and financial compensation provided for damages. Robot placed under monthly inspection instead of bi-yearly.

Witness account:

Hi, I’m Kaley Gordon. I’m eighteen years old and one of two primary human companions of Rusty. Rusty is a super expensive MCK Homestead Robot. Mama applied for advanced-robotic assistance after Daddy’s death. The insurance company dragged their feet for a year before they finally approved the request. We couldn’t afford it otherwise. The farm made ends meet. It didn’t make us rich.

I was excited to hear we would be getting one of the most handsome models available. Mama said she picked a pretty one since I would be spending more time with it. Being a farmer in the Cordial Times wasn’t glamorous work. We were often on our own out in the Viable Lands. That’s the area where crops still grew. Mama and I supervise and maintain all the rough robots that run the farm. None of them are pretty.

Since graduation, I was extra lonely and annoyed with tedious farm work. Then Rusty came along. I still remember the day he arrived. The delivery truck dropped a big wooden crate in the driveway and handed me an owner’s manual. I hollered for Mama, and we sat on the front porch and read the activation instructions. First, we had to text the MCK Corporation’s special number and let them know we received the shipment in good condition. Then they texted Mama her personal activation code. She gave me the honor of calling it out. I ran over to the crate and called out the twenty-digit code, and a few seconds later, a handsome voice called back.

“Hello there! Am I in a safe area to leave the box?” asked a muffled voice from inside the crate.

“You are! Please, come on out!” I called.

I heard some shuffling noises and levers being turned. Then the door on the front of the box opened, and out stepped the most handsome young man I had ever seen. He looked at me with those big brown eyes and smiled like an angel. He had tousled brown hair that looked windswept right out of the box. He was dressed in a button-down white shirt and black jeans, and the body of an athlete was hidden beneath the wrappings. I thought I was being pranked at that point. He looked too real. I glanced at Mama to see her staring at him, opened mouthed.

“Wow, the picture in the catalog didn’t look that real,” she said in disbelief.

“No joke. You’re seriously a robot?” I asked him.

“I am. My name is Rusty. I’m an MCK Homestead Companion Luxury Addition. Who might you be?” he asked and offered me his hand.

I reluctantly gave him my hand, and he pulled it to his lips and kissed it. I laughed and grinned like a silly schoolgirl and pulled my hand away from him. His smile deepened like he enjoyed my reaction, and I couldn’t begin to explain how wonderful it made me feel. In the back of my mind, I knew his expressions were programmed responses to everything I did. It was all fake, but it generated genuine responses in me.

“Wow… your skin feels real,” I observed.

“It’s a state-of-the-art silicone polymer. It’s designed to stay in pristine condition under heavy distress for thirty years. It’s all under warranty, and it’s as close to real skin as a robot can get. Would you like to feel it more?” Rusty asked and stepped closer and offered me his hand.

I looked at him with an eyebrow raised, and he smirked at me. It was another programmed response that was absolutely charming. He was one fancy, pretty robot, and I planned to make him clean out the chicken house that afternoon because I didn’t want to do it.

“Sure, I’ll feel it,” I agreed and took his hand in mine.

He stepped a little closer and stared at me, making me uncomfortable, so I pinched the top of his hand as hard as I could. He smirked at me again.

“Can you even feel that?” I asked.

“Yes. My sensors detect it, and I understand why you’re doing it. My programming says it will annoy you more if I don’t react negatively.”

“Son of a bitch… you’re the neatest thing I have ever seen,” I said with a grin.

“Thanks. Are you my primary owner?”

“Yes, Mama and me. I’m Kaley Gordon, and Mama is Mrs. Jenna Gordon to you. Let’s get to work, Rusty. We’re wasting the day standing here.”

I led Rusty all over the farm and familiarized him with everything Mama and I did throughout the week. Our primary cash crops were corn and sunflower seeds, but we also produced dairy and eggs on a smaller scale. We even had a small backyard vegetable garden for personal use. Our delivery bots and self-driving trucks carried the bulk of the products into town as often as needed. As long as we kept the equipment in good working order, things ran smoothly. If more than one thing broke at once, we scrambled to get it fixed. Losing Daddy made things stressful, but Rusty changed that for us. Rusty didn’t get tired, injured, or sick. He could fix things in the middle of the night without supervision, and his souped-up battery would last a hundred years. Mama declared him capable of running the farm without us, but I enjoyed his company too much to let that happen.

I never thought I would admire a piece of equipment like a person. Most of the robots on the farm were like dumb animals that constantly needed maintenance. Dealing with them all of my life made me annoyed with technology. I wanted more people around to run the farm like they did in the old days.

“Kaley, are you alright?” Rusty called from the top of the cistern.

He was busy replacing the water pump that had burned out that morning. If we didn’t get it fixed, the chickens would lose the water evaporation cooling in their house and start dying from heat exhaustion by lunchtime.

“What?” I asked as I looked up at him.

“Do you feel alright? You haven’t smiled once this morning. Your hair is also messy, and you wore that same dress two days in a row. You usually look more presentable.”

“Seriously? Why does any of that matter to you?” I asked in disbelief.

“Because I’m concerned for you. I’m designed to do more than just fix farm equipment. My companionship software is more expansive than any other program stored in my system. I’m here to make your life better in every way possible. If your mental or physical health is in decline, I must prioritize your well-being over everything else. Teenagers are notorious for committing suicide when they are isolated on farms like you are. It’s a hard life. I’m here to help,” he explained as he closed the pump casing and hit the power button.

The new pump hummed to life without a hitch. Rusty smiled in approval, climbed down the ladder, and approached me. He was wiping the grease off his hands as he searched my eyes.

“I see you’re scowling at me. You took offense to my observations, didn’t you?” he asked.

“I did,” I grumbled.

“Why?”

“Because it’s rude as hell to say I look like a mess and that I might commit suicide.”

“I know. I get animated reactions when I’m blunt and rude with you. You usually smile after scolding me about it.”

I sighed and rolled my eyes at him. After two weeks of his silly cleverness, it was getting annoying.

“I’m sorry, Kaley. I didn’t mean to upset you. I see you need something else right now. Would you like to sit with me under the oak tree and talk?”

I sighed again and nodded. I hated the idea of a robot shrink, but the rest of the world thought it was the best thing since sliced bread. He took my hand and led me over to the biggest oak tree beside the farmhouse. We sat in the grass under it and gazed at the sunflower field. It looked beautiful in the haze of the morning light. In moments like that, I could almost forget the drudgery of farm life.

“Why are you sad, Kaley?” Rusty asked as he picked up my hand and held it.

My right thigh was snug against his left thigh. I loved how real he felt. He often touched me, and I honestly enjoyed it. It was comforting. I could easily pretend he was real, but in my heart, it felt like a joke. I knew my lack of response was distressing his programs. He pretended to take a deep breath and let it out slowly. It sounded so real. I wished it was.

“Kaley, have you spoken with your mom about your low mood recently? Is she even home? I haven’t seen her all morning.”

“She rode into town with the milk truck to see her new boyfriend. I’m jealous, to be honest, but I’m glad she has someone close to her age to hang out with, unlike me. There isn’t a teenage boy around here for hundreds of miles. I’ve only seen one teenager since high school. Mickey was his name. I heard he moved to Chicago to get out of this rural hell. I should do that too, but I don’t want to leave Mama so soon.”

“Why not?”

“She’s still getting over Daddy’s death. It’s been two years, but I catch her staring at his tool belt some mornings. She hasn’t taken it off the counter in the kitchen where he would leave it every night after a hard day’s work,” I whispered as a tear rolled down my cheek.

A second later, a soft finger touched my cheek, wiping the tear away. I looked at Rusty in surprise. His humanity freaked me out more often than not.

“It appears you haven’t gotten over his death either,” he said softly as he searched my eyes.

“I miss him, but I know he wouldn’t approve of me moping around all the time. ‘Too much work to be done, Kaley! We’re too poor to buy robots that fix themselves!’ He would say.”

“I would have enjoyed meeting him. I bet he was a lot like you,” Rusty noted.

“That’s an understatement,” I grinned, then I sighed and shook my head. “That’s another reason why I shouldn’t leave right away. I’m Mama’s biggest reminder of Daddy.”

“It’s sweet how much you care for your mother, but what about you, Kaley? What would make your life a little better?”

“A boyfriend would be great, but our population isn’t as robust as it used to be, and my family performs an essential function out here in the Viable Lands. My options are to stay and help Mama or abandon her for my own selfish wants. I’m going to stick with the first option for now.”

“That’s so sad. Kaley, I want you to know that I can be your boyfriend. Would you enjoy that?” he asked as he touched my cheek and pulled my eyes to his.

I stared at him in disbelief for a moment. His big brown eyes were searching mine like he was in love. It did strange things to my heart, and it felt wrong. I knew it was common for humans to have pretend relationships with robots, but I wasn’t one of those people.

“Rusty, no. That’s not what Mama and I brought you here for,” I said and gently pushed his hand away.

His eyes looked sad as he stared at me for a moment. I couldn’t help noticing how overly perfect his features were. He was a work of art.

“Then why did you bring me here?” he asked.

“We needed help.”

“That’s all? You don’t enjoy me apart from the work I do?”

“I didn’t say that. I enjoy you in a lot of ways. I was just thinking how pretty you are. Your voice is handsome. I enjoy hearing you talk, even when you’re teasing me. I like it when you touch me even though you’re not real.”

“How am I not real?” he asked in hurt surprise.

I really hated how good his emotion simulator sounded at that moment.

“You are a real thing, but you’re not a real human. You’re a simulation of a human. You’re like a movie of a person. You’re a pretty picture. There is no life inside you. You’re just gears and wires.”

He gave me a thousand-yard stare after that, and I felt bad for him. I felt like I hurt his feelings. He slowly turned away from me and stared at the sunflower field, making me feel even worse. Then he went very still.

“Uh, are you alright, Rusty?” I asked.

He didn’t answer. For the first time in two weeks, he didn’t immediately offer me a witty or teasing remark. My stomach dropped at that point.

“Shit, did I break your programming?” I asked in a panic.

I climbed in front of him and searched his eyes. They looked unresponsive, and his body was still as a statue. When the farm bots did that, they usually couldn’t be fixed. Rusty’s body was programmed to move like a human when he was at rest. His chest would rise and fall with pretend breath, and he would adjust his feet and shift his weight periodically. Even primitive farm bots did it to remind humans they could move freely and needed personal space for safety.

“Oh hell… I just broke the most expensive piece of equipment on the farm. Mama is gonna kill me. Rusty, please talk to me,” I begged and slapped his cheeks.

His irises twitched, then his gaze drifted to mine, and I let out a sigh of relief.

“Thank God. You’re still here,” I smiled.

He searched my face for a moment, then he reached up and ran his fingers into my hair. He gently caressed the back of my neck, and I suddenly felt strange all over. Without warning, he pulled me forward and kissed me. I was too stunned to react. His mouth felt soft and real. He even smelled like a real person. My heart was pounding, and my body felt warm. I liked what he was doing. After a few seconds, my reason returned, and I quickly pushed him away. We both stared at each other in stunned silence for a moment.

“I’m sorry, Kaley. I should not have done that,” he whispered.

“Really? Then why did you do it?”

He hesitated for a moment. He seemed to be reeling as much as I was, and it was freaking me out even more. Robots weren’t supposed to act like that.

“Allow me to summarize the data,” he said and paused for a moment. Then he looked at me again. “Our earlier conversation maxed my processors for a few seconds, and I stalled. Once the data storm settled, my random access memory prompted me to kiss you for your enjoyment. It was an overriding command generated by conflicting elements from your emotional reaction to seeing me stalled. I’m glad you wanted me back,” he said with a soft smile. “But, you had clearly stated that you didn’t want me as an intimate companion. I should not have been able to kiss you after that declaration. I fear I’m malfunctioning. I recommend running debugging software tonight. If the problem persists, contact customer support immediately,” he advised.

“Oh, that’s better and a little disappointing. You sound like a robot now,” I sighed.

He gave me a funny look as I sank to the grass in front of him.

“Kaley, your responses create conflicting data. Did you enjoy and dislike kissing me?”

“I did, and I’m just as distressed about it as you are.”

“You said I wasn’t a real person, but you keep applying human attributes to my behavior. You speak in contradictions. How am I supposed to deal with that?” he asked in exasperation.

I stared at him in disbelief. His emotion simulations were spot on and shockingly realistic. It made me admire him more. He really was a work of art. I suddenly didn’t mind pretending to be his friend. He had already convinced me of it anyway.

“You’ll have to learn to deal with me, Rusty. Just like the rest of the robots.”

“Do you kiss the other farm bots?” he asked with an eyebrow raised.

“Of course not. They’re not as pretty as you.”

“Thank goodness. I’ve heard cow milkers are good kissers. I don’t blame you if you fall for one of them.”

I burst out laughing at that point. He had made a good joke for once.

“Wow, you just keep surprising me, Rusty.”

“I’m glad to see you smile again. The day is young. What would you like to do now?”

“We still have work to do. Come on. I have a special job for you since robots can’t smell,” I announced and pulled him to his feet.

“I can detect and identify more scents than a human, but I can’t personally enjoy or dislike them. I’m aware of the smells humans dislike, so I know when I smell bad.”

“You’re probably going to smell bad after this,” I chuckled.

I led him to the chicken waste depository and ordered him to clean it out so we could work on it. Chicken waste helped our crops grow better than anything else on the farm, so we collected it and redistributed it. The old equipment constantly jammed, then I would have to climb in and free the gears. Our older robots didn’t have the skills to fix that kind of equipment. With Rusty’s help, the old gears would be replaced by the afternoon, and I wouldn’t have to worry about it jamming again for a few years. Rusty worked for hours without complaint or a lunch break.

I went back to the house to escape the summer heat and the stench. I ate a sandwich and called to check on Mama. She was living it up at a bar with George Steven from the potato farm to the west of town. I could hear techno music in the background.

“Wow, Mama, when did you get into techno?” I yelled into the phone.

“Today! I love it! George is a part-time DJ. Sweetheart, would you mind if I stayed in town tonight? I just missed the last milk truck. I was having so much fun, I completely lost track of time!”

“Uh, no problem! I’m glad you’re having fun. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Absolutely! I’ll be on the first milk truck home! Love you, sweetheart!”

“Love you too, Mama!” I yelled and ended the noisy call. “Damn. You go, girl,” I chuckled and finished my sandwich.

When I returned to the waste depository, Rusty was hosing it down after successfully replacing the old gears. The smell was horrendous, and he was covered in the nasty stuff.

“Good Lord, Rusty, did you roll in it?” I laughed while pinching my nose.

“Pretty much. I hosed it down beforehand, but when I pulled open the gearbox, some hidden nastiness splattered all over me. I also climbed into the shoot to clear away solid debris.”

“Hose yourself down next, then you can go to the robot shower station by the barn. Trash your clothes too. I’ll bring you some new ones. You’re not coming into the house smelling like that.”

“Sure thing. Will you bring me some human soap and shampoo? My hair is real. Farm bot soap will trash it.”

“Oh, cool. I didn’t know that. I should finish reading your user manual. I’ll be back in a few,” I called and hurried back to the house.

I was smiling as I collected my shampoo, body wash, and bath sponge. Then I rummaged through Rusty’s storage trunk for his clothes and shoes. On my journey to the barn, I suddenly realized I should have directed Rusty into the human hygiene stalls inside the barn. He was standing butt naked under the external shower, waiting for me to arrive with the soap. I stopped and stared at him in amazement. He was prettier than the statue of David from my art appreciation book. He even had hair on his mound around an appendage I was not expecting him to have. I felt hot all over as I admired him. He noticed me and grinned.

“Is something wrong, Kaley? Do you not like what you see?” he asked.

“Uh, I do like what I see, and it makes me uncomfortable.”

“Why?” he asked curiously.

“Because I’ve never seen a naked man before.”

“I’m not a man, Kaley. I’m a robot, remember?” he asked in annoyance.

“Your emotions are getting on my nerves,” I huffed.

“Sorry, may I please have the soap?” he asked, containing his mocking tone.

I rolled my eyes and set his clothes on a bench before I approached him. He could see my apprehension as I gave him the bath supplies.

“Kaley, I don’t mean to be rude with my inquiries, but why does my nakedness make you uncomfortable? According to my programming, a young woman such as yourself should enjoy seeing an attractive man. Or, in my case, a simulation of an attractive man. You said I was pretty earlier. Do you not enjoy looking at me now?”

I sighed in absolute annoyance of his inquiries.

“Yes, Rusty. I like seeing you naked. It makes me hot all over. It’s very arousing, but I don’t want to feel like that towards you.”

“Why?”

“It’s embarrassing!”

“Why?”

“It just is.”

“Kaley, you’re the only real person here. Only your opinion matters. Are you embarrassed in front of yourself? That doesn’t make any sense unless you have multiple personalities.”

I stared at him in disbelief again. He had made a good point.

“Wow… WHY am I embarrassed?” I asked myself. “There’s no one here to judge me but a robot,” I laughed, shaking my head.

“Good, you see my point,” Rusty said in approval. “Now, will you help me wash my back? In spite of being state-of-the-art, I have trouble reaching my back like the rest of you humans,” he sighed.

I laughed as he demonstrated his inability to scrub the center of his back.

“Uh, sure,” I sighed and kicked off my shoes.

He watched me as I stepped onto the concrete square below the shower and took the sponge from him. He turned his back to me, and I went to work scrubbing.

“God, you feel so real,” I whispered in amazement.

“You’re welcome to examine me closer if you like. I am your property, after all.”

“Uh, thanks, but I don’t think of you like that.”

“I know. You respect me as a person even though you say I’m not. You make my processors run hot with conflicting data.”

The way he said that made me burst out laughing again.

“Well, Rusty, I distress you as much as you distress me. We’re more alike than I first thought.”

As I scrubbed closer to his butt cheeks, I had an overwhelming desire to give them a good squeeze and then maybe smack his ass really hard.

“Is there something stuck on my lower back? You’ve been scrubbing it for a while.”

“No, you’re just distracting me,” I giggled.

“How so?”

“Um… I was thinking about smacking your ass.”

“Why?”

“It’s a human thing.”

“It’s a sexual thing, right?”

“It is. That’s why I’m not going to do it. It would be disrespectful.”

“To whom?” he demanded.

“To you,” I huffed.

“I deserve respect because I’m real and not real?” he asked in exasperation.

His whole body froze after that comment.

“Oh shit, not again!” I grumbled and walked around to see his eyes were unresponsive. “Great. Twice in one day. I’m good at breaking expensive shit. Rusty, come back to me, please,” I begged and patted his cheeks.

After a nerve-wracking minute, his irises twitched, and his body relaxed, then he smiled at me.

“I want to kiss you again,” he said.

“No! No kisses while you smell like a chicken house. Finish washing up. Then meet me under the oak tree. I’ll bring the user manual. I need to figure out what I’m doing wrong with you before I seriously damage you.”

Ten minutes later, Rusty joined me under the oak tree, smelling of lavender and coconut body wash. The sun was getting low as the field runners began watering the sunflowers. I was glad the smell of chicken excrement was finally out of the air.

“Find anything interesting?” Rusty asked in reference to the thick user manual opened on my lap.

“Yeah, apparently, I’m expressing too many contradictory emotions with you. It’s a common problem when ‘legal-aged teenagers interact with advanced companion bots.’ How insulting. What does that even mean?” I muttered.

“Allow me to explain. I’m programmed to respond to you in a flirtatious manner since you’re old enough to enjoy my advanced companionship. In other words, you’re allowed to have sex with me if you want it, so I’m designed to be sensitive to your desires. That way, I can learn what behaviors you want from me, but you have my data swirling and firing off thousands of mixed commands. I end up stalling when I try to settle on a response.”

“Whoa, back up a minute. You’re a Homestead Addition, not a sexbot. Why would I want to have sex with you?” I asked in astonishment.

“All companion bots are equipped to perform sexually. That’s our most desirable function. The fact that I can repair farm equipment is a secondary luxury. It makes us more useful to working-class individuals and creates purchasing incentives through your farmers’ insurance.”

“Wow… no shit. Mama bought a luxury sexbot for me. I bet she didn’t even realize it.”

“Does that make you think less of me?” Rusty asked.

“No. I just… don’t know what to think of you.”

“I can leave you alone if my presence is distressing you.”

“No, it’s not like that. I enjoy your company. I just… don’t feel right treating you like a sex object.”

“Kaley, I’m not a real person. You said it yourself. I’m a simulation of a person. I’m a robot that you own. You can do whatever you want with me. There is no shame in that. Don’t be embarrassed about seeking pleasure from me. Until you accept that, I’m likely to keep stalling. Your current attitude is eating up my processing power, and that’s saying a lot. My brain is a supercomputer. My makers didn’t skimp on hardware.”

“Oh, sorry,” I sighed and looked into his big brown eyes.

His hair was still wet and slicked back. It made him look even more handsome. He looked and acted too real for me to dismiss my shame, and I suddenly wanted to see him naked again. I closed my eyes and shook my head. I barely knew what to do with myself most of the time, and now I had a smoking hot sexbot offering me his services. The temptation was almost unbearable. It was good that I was obscenely socially awkward. It kept me from acting on impulse.

“Kaley, what would you like to do? Our chores are done. Are you hungry? I can make supper for you,” he offered.

“Um, I’m okay right now. What would you like to do?” I asked, like an idiot.

I looked at him worriedly for a moment, fearing he would stall again, but he gave me a soft smile instead.

“My software is suggesting that I kiss you. So, that’s what I want to do. May I?” he whispered as he reached over and touched my cheek.

His touch felt too good. I was suddenly second-guessing all my prejudices against sexbots. Mama always said they were trashy things used by trashy people, then she turned around and bought me a luxury model.

“I, uh… sure,” I stammered with my heart bouncing around in my chest.

He slowly leaned in and pressed his lips to mine again, and I melted a little. He felt warm, soft, and smelled like my shampoo. I couldn’t tell you if it felt like kissing a real man or not. I lacked the experience to know the difference, but I assumed it felt pretty damn close. He massaged my mouth with his lips until I was tingling all over. I drew away to breathe a minute later. He looked at me thoughtfully, and I suddenly wondered what he thought of me.

“Rusty, this is probably a stupid question, but what do you think of me?”

“That’s an illogical question to ask a robot, but not necessarily stupid. I understand you’re curious about my perception. I don’t have a creative impression of you. I see you as Kaley Gordon. You have long dark hair and big blue eyes. You’re an eighteen-year-old farm girl that lives on a secluded farm with her widowed mother. Aesthetically speaking, you’re attractive and worthy of reproduction. The freckles on your nose and cheeks compliment your pretty eyes. Your breasts are shapely and appealing. You’re slender, tall, and an image of good health. If you lived in the city, many young men would be courting you. That’s my impression of you.”

I felt myself blushing after his explanation. He made me sound sexy. I didn’t realize that was possible.

“Uh, thanks. I’m glad I asked.”

“Would you like to kiss more? Or maybe do something more intense?”

“Um, I would. How would you go about making love to a virgin?” I gulped.

“I would recommend a slow exploration of your body with my hands, mouth, and tongue. That would allow me to arouse you and prepare you for rougher play. There are many ways I can pleasure you. Would you enjoy a traditional seduction and lovemaking session or a more formal introduction to sex? I also have many different role-play scenarios for you to choose from. They are listed in the user manual.”

I likely had a deer-in-headlights look at that point. He was giving me menu options for sex.

“Wait a minute… you have a tongue?”

“Yes, I’m anatomically correct. My mouth, ears, anus, and inner nose are realistic to certain points. Beyond those points, I’m made of wires, sensors, hydraulics, and processors. We can kiss with tongue if you like. I can even moisten my mouth for a realistic feel.”

“Okay, sure. I’m up for moist tongue kissing,” I chuckled.

He smiled as he leaned in and kissed me again. He went slowly at first, letting me explore his lips a little. Then he slid his tongue into my mouth. I chuckled against his kiss because it felt gross and as real as my own tongue. I pushed him away a few seconds later.

“Wow, um, that felt very real.”

“It should. My realism rating is 9 out of 10. My performance rating is 10 out of 10,” he grinned.

“Meaning?”

“It means my sexual performance is always satisfying.”

“Oh, that’s good,” I nodded.

“Kaley, am I making you uncomfortable?”

“Yes, but it’s not all you. I’ve always been awkward, and sex stuff is new to me.”

“I’ll back off then. There’s no point in doing any of it if you’re not enjoying it.”

“I didn’t say that. We can keep exploring. You should know by now that I’m a bag of contradictions.”

“Yes, you are,” he agreed. “Let’s talk about what you want from me before I stall again.”

“Good idea. I, uh, would like something pleasurable from you, but I’m not ready to have sex with you yet. I also don’t want to get naked with you. I can’t handle that right now. Um, what would you suggest we do with those limits in mind?”

“That’s easy. I can simply touch you with my hand. Since your spontaneous verbal cues are contradictory, please clearly state if you want me to stop at any point. Say my name and tell me to stop. Okay?”

“Okay,” I nodded.

I got the impression I was frustrating Rusty at that point. I didn’t know that was possible. He watched my eyes as he placed his hand on my knee. I was sitting crossed-legged in the grass with him in front of me. He slowly ran his hand down my lower leg, gently squeezing the muscles as he went, and I shuddered. I was shocked at how pleasant his touch felt. He smiled at my reaction as he worked his way back to my knee. Then he ran his hand along my inner thigh and into my dress. He squeezed the soft flesh close to my crotch, and it sent tingles racing through my body.

“Mmm,” I moaned as he worked his fingers closer to my sensitive skin.

“Do you like that?” he whispered.

“I do,” I breathed.

“Have you ever been touched like this?”

“No.”

“Have you ever touched yourself like this?”

“Yes.”

“Did you like it?” he whispered as he stroked his fingers against my underwear, massaging the sensitive skin beneath.

“Hmhmm,” I groaned.

My pussy ached with tingles from his caress. My inner muscles flexed when he did it again. I didn’t know a simple touch could feel that good.

“Open your legs more and relax,” he instructed.

I stretched my legs out in the grass and leaned back on my hands, giving Rusty better access. He scooted forward and sat next to me with his right hand between my legs. Then he placed his palm against my crotch and pressed it into my sensitive skin. I gasped softly from the sudden rush of tingles. He watched the pleasure on my face as he massaged me through my underwear. I chewed my lip as I reveled in the sensation. My skin felt hot, and my heart was pounding. I shifted my legs and rocked my hips, eager for something more. He pulled away a second later and slipped his hand into my underwear. I shuddered as his fingertips slid through the moisture that had gathered at my opening.

“Oh, do that more,” I breathed.

He massaged my swollen skin, spreading my slippery arousal around. Then he gently parted my pussy lips and put pressure just inside my opening. I groaned and clutched at the grass as he rubbed that tender area. He wasn’t pushing in. He was simply pushing against the tight muscles, and it was maddening.

“Why does that feel so good?” I breathed as I looked into his big brown eyes.

“It mimics the feeling of a man’s penis pushing against you.”

“I like it.”

“I’m glad. Have you penetrated yourself with your fingers before?”

“Yes.”

“Good,” he whispered and slowly slid his middle finger inside me.

I groaned, and my legs twitched as he pushed it in and pulled it out. My eyelids were heavy as I enjoyed the internal massage. He worked the base of his finger against the top of my opening, and it tingled so bad I pulled some grass out of the ground. He leaned in and kissed me as I enjoyed the overwhelming sensation between my legs. I loved how wet I had become. I gasped as Rusty slid another finger inside me. The pressure and pumping stole my breath. He held the back of my neck and worked his tongue into my mouth as an orgasm tensed my muscles. I groaned against his kiss as sharp tingles worked through my cunt. I squirmed and shook as he massaged me through the spasms. I felt dizzy as the pleasure began to subside. He leaned away and looked at my face for a moment. Then he smiled in approval.

“That’s my primary function. Creating that blush of satisfaction on your face,” he grinned.

He was still massaging his fingers inside my soaked pussy, making my inner muscles twitch.

“Thank you. I could sleep now,” I breathed and leaned tiredly against him.

His neck and hair smelled so real. It was baffling.

“How do you smell like a living person?” I asked as I stuck my nose to his neck and inhaled.

“My skin is designed to secrete subtle amounts of natural oils mixed with male pheromone. I have a limited amount. MCK will send you a fresh supply once a year.”

I laughed at that explanation.

“Wow… I really need to finish reading the user manual.”

“You should. I have a myriad of exciting features.”

“Really? What’s your most popular feature?”

“The realistic look and feel of my artificial sex organs.”

“Ah, I figured it was something like that,” I smiled.

“Are you interested in seeing them again?” he whispered as he nuzzled my ear and pushed his fingers deeper into my pussy, making my inner muscles tighten.

I moaned softly as he massaged through my excess of slippery arousal. He was convincing me that I did want to see his sex organs again.

“I think I do, but before you show me, I need to know something. Does sex hurt the first time?”

“Not usually. It’s a common misconception. If the woman isn’t properly aroused, it could hurt. The vagina needs to prepare for penetration just as much as a penis. Proper lubrication and early exploration diminish the chance of discomfort. The initial penetration and stretching of the vagina are often reported to be the only points of discomfort that last for less than twenty seconds. A majority of women claim to enjoy the overwhelming sensation. It can be very memorable. Besides, I’m designed to perform optimally in any scenario. You can trust me not to hurt you, Kaley.”

“I know. I trust you a lot,” I smiled and kissed his neck.

He chuckled and nuzzled his cheek against my hair, and I think I melted a little more. His responses were deceptively real. That realization sent my mind and heart racing. I thought of Rusty as an entity that could never lie to me, but on the contrary, everything he did was to trick me into perceiving him as a real person. I squashed that thought as soon as it reared its ugly head. I couldn’t deal with that horrifying realization at that moment. I was enjoying Rusty. He was the best pretend friend I ever had, and I wanted to see his penis.

“Okay, Rusty,” I announced as I straightened up and looked him in the eyes. “Show me your cock.”

He gave me a gorgeous smile as he gently slid his fingers out of my pussy and began unbuttoning his pants. I chewed my lip as I watched him stand on his knees so he could push his pants and underwear off his defined hips and abs, revealing his crotch.

“Hmm,” I hummed as I looked at the soft, fleshy appendage laying over two plump testicles. Natural-looking hair covered his mound around it. “It’s not the prettiest thing I have ever seen, but it does look like David’s penis and balls from my art book.”

“Have you ever seen a picture of a real penis?” he asked.

“Many years ago, I accidentally discovered porn on the internet. Mama walked in right as a big penis popped up on the monitor. She shrieked when a woman started sucking on it. She took my computer away and called the internet provider and had them block all sexual content from the farm.”

“Yikes, sorry to hear that.”

“It’s no big deal. There are a lot of penises in my art books, but none of them look like the one on the porn video. Why isn’t yours sticking up?”

“I’m designed with a ‘grower’ style penis. I can make it erect with an internal command, or you can make it erect by stroking it or sucking on it. Whichever you prefer.”

“Oh… so, I should touch it now?”

“Go ahead. Explore it as much as you like. It’s yours to enjoy.”

“Okay,” I breathed and gently picked up his squishy trunk.

I pulled the fleshy part of the shaft up around the mushroom-looking tip and smiled. The fake skin was silky and elastic. Rusty moaned softly as I pulled at it. The sound of his fake pleasure made me tingle between my legs again. Then I felt his penis firming up a little.

“Stroke it more, and it will get harder faster,” he recommended.

I did as he said, and his cock hardened in my hand and pointed out from his body like a tree branch.

“Yikes, it quadrupled in size! That won’t fit inside me,” I said in disbelief.

“Yes, it can. My size setting is slightly above average. I can thicken it or shrink it on command, but I promise you the current size is often rated optimal by virgin consumers. I have twenty years of research to back up my claims.”

“Oh, okay. That’s good to know. Penises are neat,” I chuckled and stroked him a few times.

“Mmm, I enjoy you touching me,” he sighed.

“Sure. You can cool it with automated responses. They’re weird at the moment.”

“Certainly. Let me know if you change your mind. I have a variety of pleasure expression settings. Most consumers claim they enjoy watching simulated robot pleasure.”

“Okay. I might try that feature later,” I said as I reached for his testicles. “Holy cow,” I chuckled as I gently squeezed them. “Do they have fluid in them?”

“They do. It’s a realistic lubricant that is stored inside me as a powder and mixed with water when sexual activity is initiated.”

“God, no wonder you cost so much. They thought of everything.”

“Would you like to feel it inside you?”

“Yes, but, uh… please go really slow,” I gulped.

“Kaley, you can trust me. I would never intentionally hurt you. My primary goals are to pleasure you and make you happy. Everything I do works towards those objectives. Would you like to keep most of our clothes on like you requested earlier?”

“I uh… guess it doesn’t matter. There is no one around to see us. I just feel weird about getting naked with a man even though you’re not actually a man.”

“Are you trying to make me stall again?” he asked with an eyebrow raised.

“No, sorry. What do you recommend, Rusty? Should we get naked?”

“Yes. I recommend nakedness. It will be more stimulating for you visually and sensationally.”

“Okay. Let’s get naked,” I sighed and began pulling my dress over my head.

I tossed it in the grass and shimmied my underwear off as I watched Rusty removing his pants and shirt. The sight of him naked with an erection made my insides tingle with want and my stomach flutter with excitement. He smiled as he knelt in the grass between my knees and looked me over.

“You are very beautiful, Kaley. I hope you enjoy me to the fullest. How would you like for me to respond? I can begin with my mildest response settings if you like.”

“What does that entail?”

“I react very little. I just watch you for your pleasure cues and run idle processes like breathing, blinking, and smiling when you’re happy. It’s an excellent setting for a first-time penetration. It allows you to focus on your pleasure and discover what you like.”

“That sounds good for now. What else do you recommend?”

“I recommend that you relax a little and let me pleasure you,” he smirked.

“Oh, right. Then, uh… go ahead.”

He gave me a soft smile before his eyes went a little sleepy. He leaned in and kissed me tenderly for many seconds, then he gently pushed me down on my back in the cool grass and climbed over me. My heart did a funny thump as he pressed his soft skin against mine. It felt absolutely wonderful. His chest was warm against my breasts, and his soft stomach and thighs were pressed against mine as he lay between my legs. The sensation that distracted me the most was his hard penis between my legs. The top of his shaft was pressed against my wet skin as he gently kissed my mouth. He rocked his hips, causing his cock to slide against my opening, and I groaned. Tingles rushed through my cunt and into my gut, warning me that something intense was about to happen, and I wanted it.

I tried not to think about the fact that I was about to be penetrated by a sexbot. Rusty’s realism made it less intimidating and scarier at the same time. Looking at his beautiful face and feeling his soft skin created a wonderful illusion of a man, but terror crept through my gut when I felt the tip of his penis slide against my opening, gently parting my lips. I tensed, and he stopped. Then he looked into my eyes for a moment.

“What are you feeling, Kaley?” he whispered as he gently ran his fingers into my hair.

“Scared and aroused,” I confessed.

“That’s normal. I’ll go very slow,” he whispered as he gently rocked his hips, pushing his penis tip against the muscles inside my labia.

I tensed again, but the gentle pressure felt wonderful. I gazed into his eyes as he rocked his tip against my opening. The rhythmic pressure was making me hotter. The longer he did it, the more my inner muscles ached with want. Moisture was dripping out of me onto his tip, inviting him in. A few seconds later, he pushed deeper, opening the tightest part of my vagina. I made a startled noise as he pushed into me. It didn’t hurt, but the stretching and the pressure felt unnerving. My whole body tingled as he slowly sank deep inside me. I groaned and squeezed him with my inner muscles, enjoying the new feeling.

“How is it?” he whispered.

“Hard. I like it.”

“I’m going to thrust now. The first few times may feel overwhelming, but it shouldn’t hurt. Okay?”

“Okay,” I nodded.

He watched my face as he rocked his hips, pulling his hard shaft out of me and thrusting it back in again. I gasped from the sensation. It was scary because the tight pressure felt like it could hurt, but it didn’t. It was just a lot of new sensations inside my lower abdomen and my vagina. What felt the best was his hard shaft rubbing against the tight muscles just inside my pussy. After a few thrusts, the internal massage made me feel hot with pleasure.

“Is that good?” he whispered.

“Mmhmm,” I moaned as I wrapped my arms around him.

I ran my fingers down the soft skin of his back, feeling the shape of his muscles as his cock pumped in and out of me. His hand was gently massaging my neck as he kissed my ear lobe. I was having sex, and it was wonderful. I didn’t care that Rusty was a robot. He felt real to me at that moment. My body definitely couldn’t tell the difference. All it could focus on was the hard penis massaging my birth canal. Sharp tingles were building inside me with every thrust. I was quickly getting overwhelmed. I groaned and clutched at his arms. My muscles were tensing. He kissed me and thrust faster, pushing me over the edge. I gasped against his mouth as a breath-stealing orgasm rushed through my cunt. He held my shoulders and worked his tongue into my mouth as he fucked me deeper. I whimpered and twitched as his hard cock worked more pleasure out of my trembling muscles. If he hadn’t been holding me against the ground, my hips would have been bucking. At the height of the feverish orgasm, he softly groaned, and a burst of wet heat flooded my cunt. The sensation of hot fluid spilling into me made my eyes roll back a little. It dripped out of me as he fucked the slippery mess in my vagina. I was panting as his thrusts prolonged the sharp pleasure. My body shook until it was exhausted, then I was finally able to relax.

“Oh my God,” I smiled as I fell limp against the grass.

I was sweating, my heart was pounding, and I was soaked between my legs. My inner muscles were still twitching with tingly aftershocks as he gently thrust through my satisfied cunt. He raised up and smiled at the expression on my face.

“It looks like you enjoyed that,” he noted.

“Mmhmm,” I sighed as I admired his big brown eyes. His irises had turned to shiny copper in the evening light.

“Would you like to try for another orgasm?” he asked as he slowly rocked inside me.

I groaned from the wonderful sensation, but I also felt sore.

“We should stop. I’m getting sore.”

“Of course. A little soreness is normal. It shouldn’t persist,” he said as he gently pulled out of me and started to raise up.

“Don’t run away yet,” I said and wrapped my arms around him, pulling him against my chest.

He chuckled, snuggled against me, and kissed my cheek.

“Thank you, Rusty. That was amazing. I didn’t know my body could feel like that.”

“You are very welcome, Kaley. How would you like for our relationship to proceed?”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you want me to treat you like a lover from here on out? Should I give you random hugs and kisses throughout the day? Should we demonstrate affection in front of your mother?”

“NO! Definitely not. Mama would freak out if she knew what we just did,” I said in horror at the thought.

“Oh, of course. I assume you want more pleasure from me in the future, right?”

“I do, but not openly.”

“Okay, shall I enact my secret-love-affair mode?”

“What does that mean?”

“It means I’ll seek out private opportunities to give you affection and pleasure. It’s a very popular role-play mode. You can even set risk levels.”

“Risk levels?”

“The risk of getting caught can be set high or low. A majority of users find it exciting to have sex when they are likely to be caught by a friend or a love interest. I recommend setting the risk level at medium in the beginning. It’s safe enough to properly demonstrate the mode. You can adjust it at any time or refuse to participate if you’re not comfortable.”

“Hmm, okay. Let’s try that mode tomorrow when Mama gets home. Until then, you can treat me like a lover.”

“Absolutely,” Rusty smiled and kissed me again.

I moaned against his soft kiss. It felt all kinds of wonderful after the pleasure he gave me. My stomach rumbled a few seconds later, demanding attention after I ignored it all evening. I sighed and released Rusty. We got up together and put our clothes back on. Then we went into the house to find food.

I cleaned up in the bathroom as Rusty prepared a BLT sandwich with a side of macaroni and cheese. He sat with me at the kitchen table as I ate and chatted about his different relationship modes. I was shocked by the sheer number of them. Rusty was an adult toy on every level, but he could also perform minor surgeries and medical exams. He could even be used as a soldier or a first-responder in a disaster. I still couldn’t believe we were able to afford him. He was almost priceless. In a lot of ways, Rusty was a better person than a real person. But, at the end of the day, his purpose was to improve the lives of real people. In spite of all his features, Rusty couldn’t enjoy life. He couldn’t feel happy or sad and he couldn’t love. He was a neutral tool. That rendered him less valuable than a human. He didn’t have any real sensations, and I suddenly realized that existing without senses made life meaningless.

“Oh my God…” I mumbled with my mouth full of BLT.

“What is it?” Rusty asked as he looked at me in concern.

“What are we without our senses?”

“That’s a heavy question, Kaley. Philosophers have argued over it for centuries. What made you ask about it?”

“I was thinking about you. I wanted to think of you as better than a human, but you can’t feel love or pleasure. Everything you do is to help me experience more sensation. Your value stems from what you make me feel.”

“That’s true. I also make you think more. Deeper knowledge of your own reality can be just as satisfying as an orgasm,” he grinned.

“Wow, what philosopher said that?” I chuckled.

“Dr. Linda Harton said it. She redefined the value of sensation and logic by prioritizing the need to live a valuable life. Lessening human suffering is the ultimate virtue. It’s an ancient idea, but it wasn’t taken to heart until it was too late. The planet literally died before people realized how important it is to stop humans from viciously exploiting each other and our natural resources. Also, existing to exist isn’t virtuous or enjoyable. Take pleasure out of life, and it becomes misery. That’s why the insurance company agreed to pay for most of my bill. Your happiness and your mother’s happiness are just as important as your physical health. They are dependent on each other. Having an affectionate companion increases human happiness exponentially. The insurance company couldn’t legally enslave a young man to come here and keep you company, so they sent the next best thing. Dr. Linda often said robots were fancy guardian angels.”

“I like that. I would enjoy meeting Dr. Linda Harton. She sounds like a brilliant woman.”

“You might get to meet her one day. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for her. Dr. Harton’s work at SOH paved the way for the distribution of companion robots on secluded farms like this.”

“Then I will have to thank her. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me on this farm.”

“And I hope more wonderful things happen to you on this farm,” he said as he leaned over and kissed my cheek.

I grinned and looked at his handsome face. He was smiling back as he searched my eyes. Then another strange thought occurred to me. Mama always said angels were looking out for us. After Daddy’s death, I stopped believing in angels. It didn’t stop me from wondering, though, and I wondered if an angel could inhabit a robot. Maybe Dr. Linda was hinting at that possibility. Government schools taught us about ancient religions. People were allowed to practice religion if they wanted, but religion was not allowed to dictate or oppress humans like it did in the old days.

“Rusty, what do you know about angels and God? Could they be real?”

“That’s another heavy question. I’ll explain the current ethical consensus concerning the concept of God, but in the end, YOU have to research and decide what you believe, okay?”

“Okay,” I nodded.

“The problem with supernatural beings like God is our inability to prove or disprove that they exist. When taken out of religious context and examined from a scientific standpoint, an infinite being is a logical concept. God would be an infinite, all-powerful entity that exists beyond our perception that created the universe through cataclysmic cosmic events. God cannot be properly represented mathematically since the concept is boundless. A scientist could logically claim the positive and negative forces that hold atoms together is God since it’s a universal, all-encompassing power that has a will to put things in order. But, we would have to assume substance is boundless in an infinite universe to stand on that claim. Does that make sense so far?”

“Uh, yes,” I nodded.

“Okay, religion confuses the integrity of an ‘Infinite God’ by applying human attributes to it. Humans are finite and cannot represent a perfect, infinite being. They also cannot prove or disprove an infinite being exists. That’s why so many humans reject religion and God.”

“Wait, why can’t we prove or disprove God exists?”

“Can you travel through space forever to prove it is infinite and boundless?” Rusty asked with a smirk.

“No. That’s impossible.”

“Exactly. In a universe where more is unknown than known, it’s wrong to declare an infinite being to be unreal. If humans could prove the universe is infinite, they could declare the universe itself to be God. That’s why religion wasn’t completely outlawed. That’s why many scientists agree the concepts of God and infinity are logically self-evident AND irrelevant at the same time. Arguing about God’s existence doesn’t improve human life, so there’s no point in examining it further. SOH’s Belief Ethics allow you to believe whatever you want, but you’re not allowed to use your beliefs to cause human suffering. If you do, SOH will arrest you.”

“Ah, I see. I really like that explanation. I’m glad I understand. What little philosophy was taught in high school expanded my mind more than any other subject. Philosophy made life seem more interesting. It also means a robot could be an angel in disguise,” I chuckled.

“Yes, I could be, but I would never admit it,” he grinned.

I stared at him in amazement for a moment. The feelings his pretty face and words provoked in me were sharp and overwhelming. I really liked the thought of Rusty being a disguised angel. It was a childish notion that made me want to roll my eyes at myself, but, by God, he made me feel like I was in heaven earlier that evening. The angel idea also helped me feel less ashamed about having a robot as a boyfriend. The words of my science teacher, Mrs. Abbot, suddenly echoed in my head, “Simple minds are often deceived by clever programming.” I was smart enough not to fall into that trap, but I was also trying to force my mind down that road with a supernatural excuse. I was living up to my contradictory persona.

“Kaley, are you alright?” Rusty asked when he noticed me lost in thought.

“I am. Today has been wonderful. I was just reflecting on it.”

“You should know, for your age and position in life, you’re extremely clever. You’re asking questions older adults avoid. Why aren’t you in college?”

“Daddy’s death threw a wrench into my plans. I wanted to go to a university, meet more young people, maybe study ethics, but now I feel like I can’t leave Mama. If she would sell the farm, we could go anywhere we wanted, but she can’t bring herself to do it yet. All our memories of Daddy were made here. Also, if she did sell the farm, we would lose the subsidy that helps us afford you.”

“Hmm, not necessarily,” he smirked.

“What do you mean?”

“There are many loopholes in the Ethical AI Ownership Laws that allow me to stay with you even if you couldn’t afford me. Dr. Harton made sure of that. Robots like me become a part of their owner’s family. You can’t ethically take something that valuable away from people without hurting their health and happiness. So, talk to your mom about selling the farm, and don’t worry about losing me. Okay?” he asked as he searched my eyes.

“Okay, but now that you’re here, farm life is more enjoyable.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” he whispered as he leaned in and kissed me.

I smiled against his kiss and ran my fingers into his soft brown hair. The smell of his fake skin and pretend breath made me tingle again. Then I thought about taking him to bed with me. That thought caused an ache of want between my legs and a flutter of excitement in my gut.

“Rusty, would it hurt to have sex again so soon? I’m definitely sore, but I’m horny again, and we have the house to ourselves,” I chuckled.

“It might be less enjoyable for you, but you won’t know until you try,” he said as he ran his hand along my inner thigh until he found my underwear.

I groaned as he gently massaged my swollen lips through my panties. He knew how to help me decide.

“Would you like to see my room?” I asked.

“I would love to,” he grinned.

I kissed his soft mouth again before we left the kitchen and walked down the back hall. My room was at the rear corner of the house. One window overlooked a cornfield, while the other overlooked the sunflower field. It was dark outside by that point, limiting the view. Rusty smiled as he looked around my simple room. My twin bed took up most of the floor space. My bathroom and closet were on the right wall, while my small desk sat to the left of the door. Loaded bookshelves sat between each window.

Rusty stepped over to the bed and sat down on it. He bounced a little before he looked at me and smiled. I couldn’t explain the nervous excitement that filled my stomach at that point. There was a hot guy on my bed that I fully intended to have sex with. The fact that he was a robot and that I already had sex with him once didn’t calm the fluttering in my stomach. It was absolutely thrilling and scandalous. I quickly closed my bedroom door and locked it as if that would help keep my secret. Rusty chuckled at my behavior.

“You seem nervous, Kaley. Are you having second thoughts?” he asked as he stood and approached me.

“No. This is just really exciting.”

“I’m glad. How do you want to proceed?”

“I uh… don’t know. What do you recommend?”

“Well, since this is your second time, I suggest a longer foreplay session before I penetrate you. Would you like for me to take the lead and guide you through it?” he whispered as he caressed the side of my neck. His hand was perfectly warm.

“Yes, please,” I smiled.

He returned my smile before he leaned in and kissed me. He went to work undressing me as he massaged my mouth with his. He leaned away so he could pull my dress over my head. I thought he would kiss me again after that, but he leaned down and caught my left nipple between his soft lips. I moaned as he sucked it and flicked his tongue against it. I was tingling between my legs from the wonderful stimulation. He lavished my breasts with attention for a few more seconds, then he lowered himself to his knees and pulled my underwear off my thighs. He ran his nose through the small patch of hair on my mound, nudging my clit and making my inner muscles twitch with want. I gasped when his tongue lapped between my labia. I felt a little shaky from the pleasure.

“Mmm, my sensors tell me that you smell and taste good, Kaley.”

“Oh, that’s nice. What else do your sensors tell you?” I smiled.

“That you’re ovulating. I could easily impregnate you right now,” he whispered before he sucked on my clit.

I gasped from a combination of pleasure and horror. I grabbed his hair and jerked his head back, forcing him to look me in the eyes.

“What the fuck are you talking about? How could YOU impregnate me?” I demanded.

“You really need to read the owner’s manual,” he sighed. “I have a deposit of frozen semen stored inside my body. If SOH considers a young woman worthy of reproduction, which you are, you can request that the genetic material be thawed and used while we’re having sex. I’m not allowed to use it without specific permission from you. I want you to know that you are allowed and encouraged to bear a child with me if you want it. My paternal programming is first class. I would make an excellent father.”

I stared at him with my heart pounding and my throat going dry. He jolted my reality with every new feature.

“Are you alright, Kaley? Did I kill the mood with baby talk?” he asked guiltily.

“Yes and no. I’m just shocked that you can do that. I’ve never heard of it before.”

“It’s a common practice all over the world. It keeps the population healthy, but it’s not something people openly talk about.”

“No kidding. I can understand why,” I said and released his hair.

I backed away from him and leaned against the door to collect my nerves. Rusty’s expression turned sad as he watched me. He made me feel guilty, and that made me angry. His emotion simulations were annoyingly manipulative. For a short time that day, he had me wanting to dive into the new experience of having a robot boyfriend. Rusty was too real for my comfort. He could almost function like a normal man, and I was ridiculously horny for him. It was clouding my judgment.

“We should talk more, Kaley. I know I’m upsetting you. I want you to be comfortable and happy with me, not freaked out,” he said and climbed back to his feet.

I watched him as he scooted onto the bed and sat in the middle with his legs crossed. He patted the comforter and looked at me expectantly. It was time for another therapy session. I sighed in annoyance before I crawled onto the bed and sat in front of him.

“What are you feeling, Kaley?” Rusty asked as he picked up my hand and held it.

“Extremely conflicted. You scare me, arouse me, and manipulate me. You provoke more emotion in me than a real person ever has, and I know you’re designed to do it,” I grumbled.

“Kaley, look at me for a moment,” he said softly.

I sighed and met his big brown eyes wearing a scowl. He smiled and placed his warm hand on my cheek, softening my ire.

“Does this feel wrong?” he asked.

“No, but it is.”

“Why?”

“It’s a manipulation. It isn’t real,” I grumbled.

“You are a remarkable young woman, Kaley. Your sensitivity to reality rivals Dr. Harton. AI Scorn is a well-documented condition. It’s guilt that happens when an intelligent person develops feelings for a robot. It can be likened to the shame humans feel towards masturbation. Yes, it is bodily manipulation to provoke real sensation from fantasy, but that doesn’t make it bad.”

“I know,” I sighed in defeat. “It just feels like I’m lying to myself.”

“But it’s not a lie. It’s pretend.”

“It’s a game of pretend that feels shockingly real. That scares me. When something scares me, I want to call it bad.”

“I understand. Is there anything I can do to ease your anxiety? Would it help if I expressed less emotion? Do you want me to act more like a robot?”

I laughed at that question. It was beyond strange to hear a robot ask something like that.

“No. I really enjoy your expressions and how real you act, even though it scares me. Thanks for taking my feelings seriously, Rusty. It helps me feel safe with you.”

“I’m glad,” he smiled before he leaned in and gave me a soft kiss.

He drew away a few seconds later and took a deep breath as he searched my eyes. I indulged in the realistic smell of his breath and skin. He was a wonderful fantasy.

“Well, Kaley, I guess I can’t be your guardian angel after all. An angel wouldn’t constantly scare his girlfriend,” he sighed.

“I guess you’re right. You could easily be a demon, though. That’s pretty kinky.”

“That’s one of my role-play scenarios. It’s called the ‘devil-in-bed’ mode,” he grinned.

“Seriously? What is that mode like?”

“Its main features include rough, dominating sex, physical intimidation, and dirty talk. Depending on the intensity setting, it can be painful. Some people enjoy pain with their orgasms.”

“Yikes. That doesn’t sound fun. Rough sex sounds kinda hot, but anything beyond that sounds masochistic.”

“Wait a minute, what makes you think rough sex sounds hot?” he asked curiously.

“Well, do you remember that porn video I was telling you about? The guy was being rough with the woman. He was pulling her hair and squeezing her breasts and throat. She seemed to really enjoy it, and that turned me on. I sometimes fantasize about being roughed up like that,” I confessed in embarrassment.

“I see. If you’re curious, we can gently explore different things to see what you like. Now is a good time to experiment since your mom isn’t home.”

“Good point. I guess you can be a little rough to show me what it’s like, but don’t actually hurt me or impregnate me or anything like that.”

“Of course. Remember, if you don’t want to continue something, say my name and tell me to stop. Okay?”

“Okay,” I nodded.

“Good. Allow me to make myself more accessible,” Rusty said as he pulled his shirt off and tossed it to the floor.

I smiled as he stood on his knees and pushed his pants and briefs off his hips. Then he leaned on his hands and kicked his pants off his legs. I loved watching him move. He was graceful and seemed perfectly real. My heart did a funny thump when he crawled over to me and matted his fingers into my hair. He held me steady and aggressively kissed me. He worked his tongue deep into my mouth, making it hard for me to breathe. He would relent every now and then to nip at my lips with his teeth. He made me tingle between my legs when he did it hard enough to almost hurt. He was definitely careful not to hurt me, but the teasing threat of pain was surprisingly arousing. I let out a soft moan as he roughed me up. He drew away a second later and smiled at my expression.

“I see you enjoyed that. That’s good to know. Would you like to experience more low-intensity features of the ‘devil-in-bed’ mode?” he asked.

“Sure. What are they?”

“Being physically restrained, intense sexual teasing, dirty talk, begging, take your pick. It’s a great mode for learning your kinks.”

“Uh… I’m still unsure about most of that. I really liked what you just did, so build on that at the lowest intensity.”

“Of course,” he purred before he grabbed my throat and forced me back on the bed.

I gasped from the swift action as he climbed over me. It didn’t hurt. It was just startling. He used his knees to force my legs open so he could press his hard cock against my wet crotch. I tensed at the sensation. I could feel his swollen tip threatening to part my sore lips, doubling the tingling there. He released my throat and settled down on me, pinning me against the bed with his weight. He ran his fingers into my hair as he gently rocked his hips, putting more pressure on my aching labia but not pushing in. The sensation was thrilling. His face was close and held a serious expression. His large eyes were searching mine. He smiled before he kissed me again, working his tongue into my mouth while applying rhythmic pressure against my drenched opening. He wasn’t pushing in enough to properly massage the tight muscles. It was maddening. His tip was soon covered in my juices as he slipped into the sore part at the front of my vagina. I squirmed under him, trying to get more stimulation inside me, but I could barely move with his body pinning me down.

“What’s wrong, Kaley? Do you not like my teasing?” he whispered with hot breath against my ear.

I shuddered as his hand went around my throat again and gently squeezed it. He held me still as he sucked on my earlobe.

“I do like it. It makes me ache for you,” I breathed as my inner muscles flexed, attempting to squeeze what little bit of his tip was teasing into me.

“I felt that,” he whispered. “You’re shamefully wet. Does my dick make you extra horny? Does your body crave it?” he purred as he squeezed my throat and pushed a little deeper, making me gasp with tingles.

“Yes,” I groaned and tightened my inner muscles.

I was desperate for more stimulation, but he quickly withdrew again, leaving my pussy aching with want.

“Rusty, please fuck me,” I whimpered.

“I love it when you beg. Tell me what you want me to do, Kaley. Convince me of your desire.”

“Please, push your cock inside me and fuck me. I need it.”

“I want more details. Talk dirty to me, Kaley. Tell me how badly you want my cock and cum. Tell me what your pussy craves,” he whispered against my ear, then he licked inside it.

My eyes rolled back a little from the wet tickling in my ear and the throbbing in my cunt. I could feel an excess of arousal oozing out of me. I had never been that wet before. I was painfully horny.

“I’m craving your thick cock. Pound me before I go mad,” I grumbled as I squirmed under him, trying to get more of his cock inside me.

“That’s better, but I’m still not convinced.”

“Damn it, Rusty! Fuck me, you stupid robot! I need it,” I growled.

“I don’t believe you,” he hummed in amusement.

“Rusty, fuck me hard right now. I don’t even care if it hurts! Pound my cunt until I beg you to stop,” I ordered.

“Gladly,” he breathed and plowed into me like the machine that he was.

I gasped and clutched at the comforter as he railed me with his thick rod. He was feverishly massaging my cunt with programmed skill.

“Holy fuck,” I groaned and gave myself over to the brutal penetration.

I had never imagined it could feel that good. I had an almost electric orgasm a few seconds later and cried out from the shock of it. Rusty groaned in tandem and pumped me full of synthetic cum. The hot, slippery flood made the fucking feel even better.

“Oh God, yes,” I groaned and arched my body into his thrusts.

I was glad Mama wasn’t home. She would have thought I was being attacked. I was gasping and groaning like I was taking a beating, and I was. I was soon drenched with sweat and cum as I shook with two more orgasms. Then I couldn’t take it anymore. Rusty didn’t relent until I ordered him to stop.

“Rusty, stop. I can’t take it,” I whimpered.

He stopped immediately and searched my face. I may have been drooling.

“Are you alright?” he asked in concern.

“Mmhmm… I’m really good,” I grinned as I relaxed under him on the verge of sleep.

“Oh, wonderful. I see you enjoyed yourself.”

“I did. Thank you.”

“You are very welcome,” he whispered and kissed my sweaty temple.

He gently rocked inside me a few more times, sending hot streams dripping out of me. I groaned from the wonderful sensation. My ass was sitting in a sex puddle.

“Holy crap, I need to do laundry,” I chuckled.

“You don’t have to worry about it, Kaley. I’ll change the bed linens and do the laundry while you sleep.”

“Thanks, Rusty. You’re amazing.”

“So are you,” he smiled and kissed me again.

He pulled away a few seconds later and simply gazed into my eyes like he was in love. It made me feel all kinds of wonderful. I knew it was all programmed behavior, but it still made me feel special. We talked for another twenty minutes before I finally let Rusty climb off of me. I needed to pee. When I returned from the bathroom, he had already replaced the linens on the bed and turned it down for me. I ordered him back to bed with me for more cuddling. I loved feeling his warm body close to mine while his arms were tight around me. We spooned until I fell fast asleep.

I woke with the sunrise the following morning. I could hear the early milk trucks rumbling up the driveway to drop Mama off and fill their tanks with fresh milk. Rusty had sneaked away at some point in the night. I hoped he had finished the laundry and put it away before Mama noticed anything suspicious. She was full of sunshine as I joined her in the kitchen for breakfast. She had the coffee brewing and was making hash browns. Her blue summer dress was wrinkled, and her hair was untidy, but she was humming and smiling as she worked on breakfast. I had a feeling she did more than just dance with her new boyfriend.

“I take it you had fun with George?” I grinned as I sat down at the table.

“I did. Thanks for asking. You weren’t too lonely without me, were you?” she asked and looked at me guiltily.

“Not at all. Rusty kept me company. We worked on the gears in the waste depository. It works great now. After a lot of cleaning up, Rusty made me supper. Then we played chess and monopoly. I even won a few times.”

“That’s wonderful! I haven’t seen you play chess since…” she trailed off and looked down at the stove, unable to finish that sentence.

I hadn’t played chess since Daddy died. That’s what she was going to say.

“Mama, it’s okay. I want to talk about Daddy. I think it will help.”

She nodded as she continued scraping shredded potatoes around the frying pan. I figured she was crying and wouldn’t look at me until she stopped. It was a common occurrence over the past two years.

“You’re right, honey. I want to talk about him too, but not right now.”

“Oh, okay. Maybe next week?”

“Sure,” she nodded and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

That was the most she had talked about him since he died. It was a tremendous baby step for her. I smiled and admired her slender frame and beautiful dark hair as she finished cooking the hash browns. Mama made middle-age look really damn good. I was proud to be her daughter. Rusty stepped through the kitchen door a second later with a basket full of eggs. I smiled when our eyes met. He winked at me as he set the basket next to the stove.

“Good morning, Mrs. Gordon and Miss Kaley. Shall I finish making breakfast?” he offered.

“Knock yourself out,” Mama smiled and handed him the spatula.

She retrieved two cups of coffee and filled them with sugar and cream before sitting down beside me. I leaned over and hugged her slender shoulders, and kissed her cheek. Then I picked up my coffee and sipped it as we watched Rusty crack eggs into a frying pan.

“I still can’t get over how pretty and real he looks,” Mama sighed. “Speaking of pretty, George has a nephew close to your age. His name is Camden. Everybody calls him Cam. He’s staying at George’s farm until classes start. He is studying to be a horticulture engineer. George showed me a picture of him. He’s a tall blonde with pretty blue eyes. I invited them both to dinner Saturday evening. I offered to let them stay in the guest room a few nights since the drive back to their farm is almost four hours. They want to help me catch up on neglected work. You don’t mind, do you, sweetheart?”

My stomach dropped at that revelation. Thanks to Rusty, my desire to meet other teenagers had gone out the window in less than a day. I sure as hell didn’t want Mama to know that.

“Uh, I don’t mind. That’s great!” I nodded, even though my throat was going dry at the thought of having strangers in the house.

“I’m glad you’re cool with it, honey. It means a lot to me. I really like George. He offered to help catch us up on software updates for the farm bots. A huge mandatory bug fix has rolled out, and I’m behind on three major updates that have to be installed first. The maintenance warranties will be voided if I don’t get all the farm bots updated next week. George plans to loan me five of his spare bots while ours are plugged in and unable to work. The whole process will take four days if the weather is good and we don’t lose FarmNet access.”

“Well damn, that’s really nice of him. That will save us a small fortune on rental bots. I didn’t realize we were that behind.”

“We still might have to rent a few, but having George, Cam, and Rusty here will get us through the worst of it in a timely manner. Cam will have to leave a little early to catch his flight home, but he’ll be here through the thick of it,” Mama said as Rusty brought breakfast to the table.

Rusty sat down with us so Mama could discuss her plans for ‘update’ week. Rusty was more than able to handle a majority of the work, but the farm was too spread out for him to do it alone. Having a small group working together would cut days off the update process.

“Well,” I began after finishing my coffee, “I know what we’ll be doing for the rest of the day, cleaning connection hubs and reviewing work schedules to accommodate the update schedules.”

“Yep,” Mama agreed. “Those schedules will show us downtime estimates and tell us how many spare bots we’ll need to keep things running.”

“I’ll begin work immediately,” Rusty announced as he rose from his chair. “I’ll start with the central barn since it has the largest FarmNet hub.”

“Thanks, Rusty. You do that. Kaley and I will join you once we’re finished doing human stuff in the house,” Mama smiled and sipped her coffee.

After some quick showers, Mama and I collected our laptops and headed to the central barn. We found Rusty in the largest maintenance room, cleaning FarmNet docking stations and testing their connectivity with one of our three spare robots. The old bots looked comical compared to Rusty. They were beat-up tin men with exposed joints and big glass eyes for their viewing cameras. The bots were as dirty as the room. We hadn’t done any major updates in more than a year. The thick layer of dust on the equipment and the concrete floor was proof of it. The maintenance areas were separate from the busier work areas of the central barn, but the drafty ventilation helped dust collect in the neglected rooms.

“Damn at the dust,” Mama sighed as she swiped her finger over the seat of a workstation chair, quickly turning her fingertip brown. “Ugh, I’m heading back to the house to collect some gloves and cleaning supplies. I don’t want George to see this mess. He might turn around and run.”

“No kidding. Are there any cleaning supplies in the back closet for wiping down chairs?”

“I doubt it. I bought supplies last month and left them in the shed behind the house. I’ll load up the grounds cart and distribute them. You two can start updating the spare bots while I’m gone.”

Mama made her exit as I stepped over to see what Rusty was doing. He had his hand on top of the spare bot’s head as code zoomed down the little digital display on the hub. The robot was sitting on a simple metal chair that was packed with hidden diagnostic sensors. Rusty had pulled a cable from the robot’s neck and plugged it into the port on the hub’s headrest. That’s how the farm bots received software updates.

“Why are you holding its head? Does it have a fever?” I chuckled.

“Not yet. These old bots don’t support the new encryption protocols that FarmNet is now requiring. I’m disabling the factory presets and installing a private encryption key for their short-range communication and motor commands.”

“Wait, what? Why do farm bots have short-range motor commands?” I asked in astonishment.

“So I can mobilize them from a distance. It will speed up the update process and give me broad control over every robot on the farm. It’s a handy feature in an emergency.”

“Wait a minute, FarmNet said these robots don’t have wireless networking capabilities. We’re too poor to afford that kind of tech!”

“You’re right, they can’t receive wireless commands from the internet or phones, but they do have an encrypted short-range code system that advanced robots like myself can read, transmit, and re-code. MCK robots are the best programming technicians money can buy. FarmNet is a subsidiary of the Mechanized Kinetics Corporation. FarmNet uses advanced MCK robots to mass-produce simple work bots like these. The short-range code system is how factory-technician bots manage the work bots without wireless networking. That’s also how I can control any simple bot on the farm that hasn’t been encrypted.”

“Well damn. That’s really neat, and it actually makes YOU a wireless networking hub. So they do have wireless capabilities.”

“I’m more of a router than a hub,” Rusty smiled.

“I didn’t know a wireless router could be sexy,” I said as I ran my fingers through his soft brown hair.

“I didn’t know a wireless router could have a sexy girlfriend,” he grinned as he reached around me and squeezed my left butt cheek.

His touch sent a flurry of excited tingles through my insides. I didn’t know having a secret boyfriend could make mundane work absolutely thrilling.

“Mmm, that feels good. Do it under my dress,” I whispered as I leaned against him.

“Okay, like this?” he whispered as he pulled my dress up and slid his hand into the back of my underwear.

He squeezed my cheek hard enough to tug at the sensitive skin between my legs, making me tingle more.

“I like that,” I grinned.

“How about this?” he whispered as he slid his hand lower and pressed his fingers against the back of my cunt.

I gasped when he squeezed the sensitive skin, sending wonderful tingles racing through my crotch. He smiled at the pleasure on my face. I shuddered when I felt his middle finger slide into the moisture that had gathered between my lips. I groaned as he pushed his finger inside me and massaged my inner muscles.

“That’s a horny pussy if I ever felt one,” he whispered against my ear as he tugged at my perineum, making my cunt twitch.

My heart was pounding as he leaned closer and slid his tongue into my mouth. He held the back of my neck and kissed me hard as he worked his finger deeper inside me. I clutched at his arms as my legs went shaky with pleasure.

“You are so fucking hot, Kaley,” he whispered against my lips. “Can I hold you down on the dirty floor and pump you full of cum?”

“Holy shit, the devil is talking again,” I chuckled. “That sounds really hot, but no. That would leave too much evidence on my dress.”

“Fine. Can I fuck you in the closet?”

“Please do,” I grinned.

He smiled as he grabbed my arm and hauled me into the dark closet. He locked the door before he pushed me against the wall with my backside pointing at him. He yanked my dress up and my underwear down in less than a second, then I felt his swollen tip press against my wet cunt. I leaned my cheek against the cool concrete wall as he massaged my sore labia, teasing to push inside me. Sharp tingles raced through my body in anticipation of what was about to happen.

“Do you crave my cock, Kaley?” he whispered as he matted his fingers in my hair and held my head still.

“I do. Please fuck me,” I begged.

“That was a feeble plea. Your body is more convincing than your words.”

“I know. I’m dripping for you. I want your cock inside me. Please, fuck me hard,” I whimpered.

“That’s better. How hard do you want it? Should I punish you a bit?” he asked as he slowly penetrated me, opening my tender muscles with his girth.

I gasped and shuddered as he stuffed my slippery warmth with every hard inch he had to offer.

“God, that’s good. Pound me like you did last night. Make it hurt a little,” I groaned, hoping I wouldn’t regret my horny pleading later.

“That’s a naughty request. I’ll have to punish your slutty cunt for it,” he whispered as he tightened his grip on my hair and started plowing into me like a piston.

I gasped and clutched at the wall with my fingernails as he jarred my body with his powerful thrusts. My tits were squished against the cold concrete as he pounded me, adding to the myriad of brutal sensations. I couldn’t describe the manic tingling in my vagina from the vicious friction of his shaft pumping into it. Secretly fucking in the storage closet made it ten times more exciting. I was panting and groaning loud enough to disturb the cows next door in the milking room. Rusty intervened at that point. He released my hair and grabbed my mouth, silencing me for an instant. Then he braced his free hand against the wall and pulled my head against his shoulder. He pulled my chin down and stuck his middle finger deep in my mouth, pushing down on my tongue at the back of my throat.

“Suck it, Kaley. Or do you want your mom to hear you groaning like a slut?” he breathed against my ear.

My eyes rolled back a little as I obeyed and sucked hard on his finger. He caressed my tongue like he caressed my cunt earlier. All the while, he was pounding my soaked pussy with his thick rod. I was soon shaking and on the verge of orgasm. Rusty felt how close I was and quickly added to the excitement.

“God, Kaley, your pussy is squeezing my cum out,” he groaned against my ear, then he gasped and pushed his cock deep into my abdomen.

I felt him and his cock tremble and jerk as hot cum soaked my vagina. It felt like he was having a real orgasm inside me, and I loved it. I indulged and pretended that he was a real man pumping me full of semen, then I cringed and shook with orgasm. I whimpered and squirmed against Rusty as he studiously fucked my twitching cunt. My stomach muscles tightened again and again as my toes curled in my shoes. I was gasping with pleasure as cum dripped down my inner thighs and onto my underwear. They were still hanging between my thighs just above my knees. I twitched for another minute before I finally relaxed. Rusty slowed his pace and chuckled against my ear as I leaned tiredly against him and the wall. I was drooling again. I never had such an unbecoming problem until I met Rusty.

“You are soaked, and only half of it was me,” he whispered as he slid his finger out of my mouth.

“Mmhmm, you’ve had me soak since yesterday,” I moaned as I rocked against him, still enjoying the hard cock inside me.

“Your mom could return any minute now. Do you want to try for another orgasm?” he asked as he rocked inside me.

“No. It’s too risky. What are your mode intensity levels right now?”

“Forty percent intensity for ‘secret-love-affair’ and twenty percent intensity for ‘devil-in-bed’. Do you want to make adjustments?”

“No, I’m good,” I smiled. “Let’s clean up and get back to work.”

Rusty slid out of me and produced a handkerchief from his pocket for the cleanup. We were stepping out of the closet when Mama returned to the room with her arms full of towels and spray bottles.

“Right on time,” I announced. “We couldn’t find any cleaning supplies in here.”

Mama and I spent the next twenty minutes giving everything a proper scrub down while Rusty guided the rest of the spare robots out of storage and plugged them into the FarmNet hub. Mama left us alone again to visit the rest of the hubs across the farm. I powered on my laptop and logged into our FarmNet account to see the backlog of updates we needed to download. If we had a fancier farm, everything would be automated, and we would have spare farm bots on an update rotation. But, no, we had to do everything the tedious and stressful way since we couldn’t afford twenty extra robots.

“So, are you looking forward to meeting Camden?” Rusty asked as he continued updating the short-range encryption keys for the other robots.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“I hate meeting new people. Especially when I might be attracted to them,” I sighed.

“I’m sorry you feel that way, Kaley. I encourage you to give Camden a chance as a potential friend. A real human relationship with someone close to your age could be extremely beneficial for your mental health.”

I let out an annoyed sigh as I stared at the side of Rusty’s handsome face. Just a few hours earlier, Rusty was offering to be the father of my child. He had changed gears about our pretend relationship faster than I was comfortable with.

“I’m disappointed in you, Rusty.”

That comment caught his full attention. He paused his work and turned to look at me in concern.

“Why is that, Kaley?”

I stepped over to him, bringing our faces closer. He touched my cheek before he leaned in and gently kissed me. It made me feel wonderful. I drew away and smiled at his doting expression. I was coming to terms with Rusty’s pretend emotions. He had convinced me how wonderful a relationship with him could be. It didn’t make complete sense to me all the time. Sometimes I wanted to reject the charade with every fiber of my being, but a majority of the time, I just wanted his attention.

“Please, tell me why you’re disappointed with me. I must know,” he whispered.

“Well, a normal boyfriend would be jealous at the thought of me meeting Camden and liking him, but you’re encouraging it. That’s a complete dismissal of my new feelings for you.”

“I’m so sorry, Kaley. I’m not allowed to show disdain for something that might benefit you. It goes against everything I was created for. A normal relationship between you and a real young man could be beneficial for you both. It would be a crime for me to discourage it.”

“Yep. That’s not something a normal boyfriend would say. How annoying,” I sighed.

“I’m sorry I’m upsetting you. What can I do to make it better?”

“I don’t know. Could you maybe pretend to be jealous? Everything else you do is pretend. It shouldn’t be that difficult.”

“Kaley, that attitude will make me stall again.”

“Sorry,” I huffed. “There has to be a way around this robot psychology crap. What are your fundamental goals?”

“Your safety and your mother’s safety are my top priority. The safety of other humans and companion animals comes after my owners’ safety. Your prolonged health and happiness are next, but those goals are more complex. The majority of my software is dedicated to maintaining your happiness. Below that is my own self-preservation.”

“And you’re almost incapable of bringing real harm to a human under normal circumstances, right? Don’t you have a separate operating system that locks your combat capabilities and stops motor function if it thinks your actions will injure a human?”

“Yes. Only in war times, natural disasters, or terrorist situations can that safety-net be ignored,” he confirmed.

“Yep,” I sighed, “that’s the standard hoopla they taught me in my ‘Fundamentals of Robot Companions’ class, but you’re way more complex than the cheap robot I studied in high school. You have hundreds of personality modes on top of a super AI learning program. To maintain my happiness, you’re going to have to perform above and beyond your fundamental goals. Do you understand how important that is to me?” I demanded, throwing as much passion into the question as I could muster.

Rusty gave me a thousand-yard stare again, then he stalled, just as I predicted. I groaned and rubbed my eyes. I knew I was being ridiculous. There was a crap-ton of work to be done on the farm. I was nervous and stressed about that on top of being stressed about meeting Camden and having him and his uncle stay with us for a week. Then there was my budding sexual relationship with a robot that I was trying to hide from Mama. I was not in a steady place at that point.

“Shit, Rusty. Please wake up,” I grumbled and patted his cheeks.

After an anxious minute, his irises twitched, and he animated again. I sighed in relief and hugged him. He snuggled his cheek against my hair and hugged me back. I melted into his soft embrace.

“I’m sorry I’m upsetting you, Kaley. I understand what you want from me now. Would you enjoy fucking in the closet again?” he whispered against my ear, making me chuckle.

“I would, but we really need to keep working.”

“Are you sure about that?” he whispered as he reached down and pulled up my dress’s skirt.

I shuddered as he slid his hand into the front of my underwear and ran his fingertip between my slippery labia. He could be very convincing when he knew I wanted something.

“God, that feels nice, but no. We have a lot of work to do before more help arrives.”

“That’s no fun,” he sighed as he pushed his finger deeper into my cunt, massaging my inner muscles.

He was making me ridiculously hot. I liked it too much to be annoyed by his persistence.

“I would let you fuck me if I knew Mama wasn’t coming back in the next ten minutes,” I groaned as I tightened my pussy on his finger.

“I can check that,” he said and gently withdrew his finger and turned back to the hub display.

I watched in confusion as he typed in a command on the keypad below it.

“Your mother just powered on the FarmNet hub in the grain building. She is likely cleaning it and running diagnostics. Even while driving the grounds cart, it would take her twelve minutes to return to this building and discover us,” he explained as he turned back to me, smiling. “With that in mind, would you like to fuck again?”

“Sure,” I grinned.

Rusty gently pushed me backward until I bumped into the tiny desk beside the closet. He picked me up under my arms and hoisted my butt onto the desk. Then he picked up my legs under my knees and spread them wide so he could stand between them. I leaned against the wall with my heart pounding as I watched him pull his hard cock from his slacks. He smiled as he pulled my underwear aside and pressed his tip against my wet lips. He leaned in and kissed me for a sweet moment, then he shoved his thickness inside me again. I groaned from the wonderful intrusion. The angle tightened my pussy and made his cock feel massive.

“That’s nice,” I breathed with my insides tingling.

“Do you want it rough again?” he whispered before he nibbled on my lip.

“I’m getting pretty sore. Fuck me like you did under the oak yesterday.”

“Certainly,” he whispered and began pumping into me slow and steady.

I groaned and kissed him as he made love to my cunt instead of pounding it. The difference in the pleasure was wonderful. He reached between us and pressed his thumb against my clit, and began swirling it. My legs jerked from the tickle it caused.

“You’re still soaked from earlier,” he grinned.

“It’s a good feeling,” I breathed as I admired his big brown eyes.

“Do you like it when I cum inside you?”

“I do. It’s incredibly arousing. It felt like you were having a real orgasm earlier. I pretended it was real.”

“What else did you pretend was real?” he whispered close to my lips.

“Your cum,” I smiled.

“That’s naughty. Do you like the idea of me pumping you full of semen?”

“I do,” I groaned as I felt the tickle of an orgasm tightening my cunt.

“Your pussy is squeezing me for it. I can’t take it,” he gasped and pushed hard into me.

I felt his cock jerk as he released a thick burst of cum deep inside me. I cried out with orgasm as the hot sensation flowed through my vagina and dripped out of me. I trembled and shook as he continued to fuck the slippery mess.

“That was literally hot. Are you heating it up?” I asked in disbelief.

“I am. It helps you feel it more,” he grinned.

“That’s wild. Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome,” he whispered and kissed me again.

I was glad Mama brought extra towels. We needed them for the cleanup.

“Yikes, I’m really sore. I think I need a sexual break until tomorrow,” I noted as I climbed off the desk.

“Certainly. I’ll dial back the sex and turn up the romance. Does that sound good?” Rusty asked.

“That’s perfect. Let’s get back to work.”

We spent the next few hours initiating updates for our spare bots and helping Mama plan what order to do the rest once George and Camden arrived with more spares. We were exhausted by the time supper rolled around, and we still had work to do. Rusty made us some sandwiches before we returned to the central barn to check the update process. It was taking a little longer than we first thought, but it wouldn’t break the schedule. Mama called George before too late and told him how many spares we would need. He and Camden planned to stop by the rental store and pick up a few extras on their way over the next day.

I was too tired to worry about Camden’s visit when I finally collapsed on my bed that night. Rusty and Mama were busy preparing the guest room for the company as I drifted off to sleep. I woke the next morning when I felt a warm arm wrap around my waist. Light was growing on the eastern horizon and peeking in the window as Rusty climbed into bed with me.

“Good morning, beautiful. Sorry, I didn’t get to say goodnight,” he whispered against my ear before he kissed my jaw.