Aftermarket Lover (SDS Robots) Read Free Page B

been. No cock. No balls. Just an expanse of skin all the way to the asshole.
    A perfect robot to use for sex. All Lin could do was service, not be serviced.
    Or loved.
    Ash stared at the flatlands. He’d never heard of an SDS robot with no genitalia. What would be the point of it? He thought they were equipped with, well—everything—so the experience of sex with a partner, one who could feel everything you could feel, would be more satisfying.
    He wasn’t sure how robots felt things. Maybe they had sensors that mimicked human senses like touch and smell and taste ?
    And their emotions? He knew even less. Did they even have real emotions?
    Ash turned his head to see Lin standing on the path, his blue eyes staring at him.
    The evening winds blew across the plateau.
    Ash looked at the robot. He didn’t know what to say, but didn’t feel like carrying on a fight anymore. He sighed. “You can sit here, if you want,” he said, indicating the area next to him on the rock.
    He couldn’t see Lin’s expression in the twilight, but the robot slowly walked over and sat down several feet from him.
    The y sat in silence for a time, the wind providing the only sound as it whistled between the rocks.
    Ash knew he would have to break the ice. It wasn’t the robot’s place to do it. “Sorry,” he began. “I guess you can’t help being… like that.”
    “It’s all right.”
    More silence. Ash stared at the flatlands below. Why did something always go wrong when he tried to get together with someone? Even a freaking robot couldn’t be a match for him.
    “I hope that I have provided good service to you in my short time here.”
    Ash turned his head. Lin was gazing at him with a gentle expression, the wind rippling through his hair. His silver hair reflected the light of the two moons rising in the sky, and his smooth synthetic skin looked like pale-colored paint. “I am sorry that I can’t stay. I would have liked to have stayed with you.”
    Ash started. “What?”
    The robot blinked. “ I thought—” His face froze for a moment as he processed Ash’s reaction. “Are you not returning me to Jake?”
    Ash hadn’t thought about what came next. Did he want to get rid of Lin? Give him back to Jake like a defective good?
    It wasn’t like Lin had done anything wrong. The station was sparkling clean, his cooking was wonderful and the blow jobs made Ash feel like a teenager again. The robot wasn’t the greatest conversationalist but then neither was he.
    Taking Lin on wouldn’t mean more responsibility. If anything, Lin’s work relieved him of maintaining the station and preparing meals, which meant Ash could spend more time out looking for gold. He might be able to leave this barren rock sooner.
    He looked at Lin. “I want you to stay. If you want to.”
    Lin stared at him, his mouth hanging open. Then he recovered himself. “Are you sure?”
    “Yes.” Ash held out his arm and beckoned Lin closer, and Lin scooted over until Ash could put his arm around him.
    A bounding ball of fur landed in Ash’s lap. Tiny barked, tail wagging as he looked up at Ash.
    Well, Ash thought, that’s settled.
     
    ****
     
    The next few days were calm and pleasant. Lin cleaned the station and cooked meals while Ash went out to work.
    Ash messaged Jake and told him he would keep Lin. At the end of the week, Jake showed up for his usual delivery.
    The two men stood outside Jake’s ship and hunched over their U-tabs as Ash transferred the money. He’d been shocked at the price, which was the equivalent of just three weeks of his salary.
    After the transfer was confirmed, Ash looked at Jake. “Okay, now you can tell me everything. What bugs has he got?”
    “What do you mean?” Jake demurred.
    “For one thing, it’s a ridiculously small amount of money for purchasing a robot. For another thing he’s missing a few… parts.”
    “Yeah,” Jake said. “I kind of thought you’d notice that eventually.”
    He drew Ash closer to the