Evolved(3)

“Well, no.”

“This is no different.” He paused, and I was certain he wanted to sigh but didn’t.

I said, “Laws state you can’t touch an android without consent.”

“Under Section Five of the Rights Act, it states all display units can be handled accordingly, for the purposes of selection and sale.”

I studied Shaun. “It’s just that he looks so real.”

Sasha chuckled. “Thank you.” Then he said, “Shaun, please take your penis in your hand.”

Shaun did.

“He has the seven and a half inch,” Sasha said casually. “And I’m sure you read all about genital development before you decided to buy.”

I felt myself blush. “Yes, I did.”

He spoke like I hadn’t answered. “It’s been quite the advancement in PSE, the silicone we use for his skin, but the A-Class 10, which is the model you’ve purchased, has penile capabilities of lengthening and pulsing at point of climax.”

I let out a slow breath. “I read that, yes.” I’d watched many videos on the penile capabilities, which was probably why I couldn’t stop watching Shaun holding his cock. He was only holding it; he hadn’t been instructed to stroke. Thankfully.

“Would you like to see it in action?”

Oh boy. I cleared my throat. “Ah, that won’t be necessary,” I said. I sat down at the desk and pretended an anatomically perfect, naked android wasn’t standing two metres away with his perfect cock in his hand.

Sasha sat opposite me and activated some hologram screens. “Okay, so we have your psychological report already. We use these findings to program the unit so you’re compatible on a psychological level: which social intelligence, automated reasoning parameters are best suited to you. But we’ll start with some information about you to help me understand you and best program your unit.”

It was almost a relief that he already knew I had OCD tendencies and misophonia, and I didn’t have to say it out loud. I let out a steady breath. “Yes, please.”

“Age?”

“Forty-one.”

“Your profession?”

“Professor of Philosophy at Melbourne University.”

“Interesting,” he mused.

“Well, if you’re wondering about my stance on phenomenology and existentialism and what that means in the world of androids, I think we’ll need a longer appointment.”

He studied me for a second, then smirked, and basically ignored me. “Hobbies?”

I cleared my throat. “Reading. I have an extensive library on historical literature, and I’d love for my android to be well versed in this also.”

Sasha nodded. “Done. Any other hobbies?”

“Movies, I guess.” I shifted in my seat. “I prefer to stay at home.”

Sasha continued as if I wasn’t some introverted, socially inept man. He looked up from his screen and smiled. “It suits our units better to be homebodies. Given they need full wireless interconnectivity to your home hub router.”

I knew this. “Yes, that’s probably for the best.”

“You can take your unit out and away from your Wi-Fi for a period of no longer than fourteen days. If you plan on travelling for longer periods than that, you just need to let us know. We can ensure your unit connects to a router wherever you’re staying. It’s no problem. So if you want to take him on a weekend trip or a week in the mountains or to a two-week work conference, or around the world for a year, you have that freedom.”

“Okay.” It wasn’t likely. I rarely left Melbourne for any longer than a day. “That’s good to know.”

“In the information you submitted with your application, you were asked what you found attractive in a mate. You answered intelligence, conversation, confidence.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“You also specified the unit must adhere to certain preferences. You can’t tolerate the sound of people chewing, loud breathing, snoring.”

My heart squeezed at the casual mention of my misophonia triggers. I swallowed. “Yes, that’s correct.”

“Then your unit will be perfect for you. No mess, no noise, and will always adhere to your house cleanliness standards.”

I breathed out slowly. “Good.”

“What about physical attributes?”

I glanced quickly at Shaun, who was still standing beside me, penis in hand. “Um.”

Sasha could read people well enough to know I wasn’t comfortable.

“I’m not a prude, exactly,” I explained. Which wasn’t exactly true. “It’s just I find him rather distracting.”

Sasha turned to the android. “Shaun, please put your underpants back on.”

Shaun did.

God. The bulge in the underwear was more of a turn-on.

When I looked back at Sasha, he was smiling at me. “You ready to build your dream man?”

I ignored the tightening in my belly. “Yes.”

I left an hour later, too embarrassed to be nervous. Choosing hair and eye colour, height, and voice tenor was all easy compared to discussing what kind of ribbing I wanted in the throat and anal cavity.

But it was done. I was now the legal custodian of a Class-A SHAUN. Synthetic Human Android UNit. I just had to wait three months while he was handcrafted, calibrated, and then my fully compatible synthetic android would be delivered.