Programmed To Protect (The Tau Cetus Chronicles) (3 page)

Wyatt held back a small whistle of amazement. This was some operation Carron had going here.

And there was apparently still more to see.

Carron was moving briskly toward a black door at the rear of the room. Bruiser-the-security-guard gave Wyatt a not-so-subtle nudge with the butt of his weapon, urging him in that direction.

Wyatt stood his ground for a moment after Carron disappeared into the next room, in order to make the point to Bruiser that no one was going to push him around. Then he casually headed toward the black door.

The smaller room into which Wyatt stepped was also some sort of lab. In here, a man in a blue polo shirt and khaki pants typed feverishly at a keyboard. Next to him stood a naked robot soldier, connected by a single cable leading from the side of its head to a computer.

“This is Titus Veraine, my programming chief,” Carron said by way of introduction. “He can answer any questions you may have about the soldiers. When you’re through here, I’ll be in my office. We can talk about Theus’…
orders
… then.”

Turning on his heel, Carron left the room, followed closely by Bruiser. Wyatt was surprised the security guard left, but then again, Wyatt had pretty much established himself as the High Council’s official representative. He was no threat to Carron’s operation. Besides, he’d have a hard time even finding his way out of this massive place.

Titus Veraine pulled his fingers off his keyboard, leaned back in his chair and blew out what sounded like an exhausted breath. Wyatt took the opportunity to look the naked robot soldier up and down.

“Mr. Carron just quickly briefed me before you came in,” the programmer said. “What would you like to know?”

Wyatt was still staring at the machine, which had the luminescent glow of his fellow soldiers on the factory floor. “Can I touch it?”

“Be my guest.”

Wyatt took two steps closer to the immobile soldier, and reached out a hand to feel the robot’s forearm.
Bloody hell
. He would have been hard pressed to say that the thin membrane covering the machinery wasn’t actually
skin.
In fact, it felt almost exactly like the coated skin of his ex-partner Jai, whom Carron and this man Titus Veraine had made up to resemble a Beautiful Doll for her undercover assignment with Marque Callex.

To cover his reaction, Wyatt cleared his throat. “Can you show me its capability? In particular, I’d like to see its dexterity. What can it do with its fingers?”

Veraine stared at him. “What, are you the only person on the planet not familiar with our Beautiful Dolls?” He motioned to the robot. “This is nothing. This is a big step down from the sophistication of what we used to do.”

Wyatt shifted on his feet. “Regardless, I’d like a demonstration.”

Veraine shrugged, then stood to unhook the cable from the side of the robot’s head. “Wake up,” he ordered.

The soldier’s eyes opened slowly. Two black holes stared back at Wyatt.

Veraine reached into his pocket and pulled out a small square of metal, perhaps part of a bolt of some kind. He laid it on the edge of his desk. “Pick this up,” he said to the robot.

The soldier dutifully reached out a hand and retrieved the thin piece of metal between his thumb and forefinger. The robot even held it out to Veraine, offering to give it back to him.

“Very impressive,” Wyatt acknowledged. So. There would be no problem with this soldier gripping a weapon or pulling a trigger. “How about strength?”

Veraine looked around the room, and spied a concrete block in the corner. He pointed to it. “Destroy that.”

The soldier turned, identified its target, and moved across the room in three steps. With one blow from the side of its hand, the cement block crumbled into small pieces.

A scant moment later, a white-coated programmer opened the lab door and poked his head around it. He took one look at the mess in the corner, and threw Veraine a glance. “I heard a loud noise… Everything all right in here?”

“Fine. Just a demonstration.” Veraine jerked a thumb toward the robot. “This one’s ready to go.”

The programmer crossed the room. “Come with me,” he said to the soldier. As he led the robot back toward the door, he said to Veraine, “Are you ready for me to bring in the next one?”

Veraine looked at Wyatt, then rubbed the back of his neck. “Give me ten minutes. No, on second thought, I’ll come out and get the next one.”

The programmer nodded, then left with the robot, closing the door behind them.

“Tired?” Wyatt inquired.

“Exhausted,” Veraine answered. He looked Wyatt up and down. “Are you really not familiar with Beautiful Doll sexbots?”

Wyatt hesitated. “Of course I know about them. Everyone does. Or, rather,
did
, since they’re no longer being manufactured. But I never saw one in person.”

Veraine shook his head. “Damned shame. I loved that job. All the Dolls have been re-commissioned.” He paused, then winked.
“Except for a select few.”

Wyatt’s eyebrow went up at that news. “What do you mean ‘a select few’?”

Veraine gave Wyatt a sly smile, and jerked his head for Wyatt to follow him. The two men walked over to what looked like a small utility closet. Gripping the handle of the door, Veraine slowly eased it open.

Wyatt’s mouth literally dropped open at what he saw there. A naked female, eyes closed, obviously a Beautiful Doll. The sexbot had gorgeous red hair that flowed down to caress her creamy white shoulders. Easily double-D breasts with rose-colored nipples that tempted him to reach out and fill his hands with them. Curvy hips that would cradle a man while he sank himself deep inside her. Hell, even her lips were full and pouty, an unspoken invitation if ever Wyatt saw one. The robot screamed
sex;
hell, he could feel his cock responding just at the mere sight of her.

Veraine’s sly smile widened. “This is Ginger. She was Beautiful Dolls’ most popular model.”

Wyatt blinked. Gorgeous Ginger was Beautiful Dolls’ most popular sexbot? He could certainly believe it.

“She’s in her hibernation mode right now.” Veraine glanced at the Doll. “Ginger? Say hello to Leith Wyatt.”

The Beautiful Doll slowly opened her eyes, and Wyatt’s jaw dropped further. The sexbot’s eyes were a deep, emerald green, and had an almost starburst quality to them. He remembered the blue starburst contact lenses Jai had been forced to wear during her impersonation of a Beautiful Doll, but Ginger’s eyes were downright beautiful, so beautiful that he imagined he could easily drown in them. Totally unlike the two lifeless black holes of the robot soldier he’d just seen.

“Hello, Leith Wyatt,” she purred.

Good God.
The sexbot’s voice was a verbal caress, smooth as silk. Those two simple words were an erotic come-on in themselves. Wyatt felt himself get even harder. He threw Veraine a glance, unable to hide his look of amazement.

Veraine laughed, then shrugged. “Hey, I’m working day and night programming these damned soldiers for the High Council. I deserve a little…
stress relief.”
He glanced down at his watch, then back up at Wyatt. “Listen… I, um, I’m going to go out onto the floor for a few minutes. Yeah. I’ll be back in ten minutes.” He tilted his head toward Ginger, then lowered his voice. “Beautiful Dolls are history, my friend. If you were ever curious about them, you should…
indulge
…that curiosity while I’m gone. It could be the only chance you’ll ever have.”

Wyatt stared at Veraine, speechless. Was the man actually suggesting Wyatt have sex with the Doll while Veraine was out on the factory floor?

Veraine gave him that sly smile again. “Ten minutes. I’ll close the door on my way out to give you privacy.” He threw a glance at the sexbot. “Ginger? Why don’t you demonstrate your special brand of fellatio for agent Wyatt while I’m gone? And maybe fellatio two, if there’s time.”

“Yes, Titus.”

With that, the programmer turned and left the lab, pulling the door firmly closed behind him.

What the hell —
Trying to rein in his frantic thoughts, Wyatt anxiously turned back to the Doll. Ginger was actually smiling at him, a sweet smile, exposing perfect white teeth. Damn, she was beautiful, the most beautiful woman he’d ever –

Stop it! She’s not a woman, she’s a machine!

Ginger reached out a hand to grab onto his belt, and then sank gracefully to her knees in front of him.

“Wait…
wait!”

Wyatt’s panicked words sounded desperate even to his own ears. But what exactly was he desperate for?

Are you desperate to stop her, or desperate to know exactly what she’s capable of?

This was insane. He couldn’t possibly let her perform fellatio on him, not even her own ‘special brand’ of fellatio, whatever the hell that was, despite the fact his cock was hard as a rock and very willing to find out.

Beautiful Dolls are history. You may never have this chance again.

Damn Veraine for putting that thought into his head. The sexual skills of a Beautiful Doll were legendary, but Wyatt had often wondered whether the legend was actual truth or just a good marketing ploy.

This is your chance to find out.

“No, no, I can’t.” He had a job to do here. One that certainly did not include a detour for oral sex.

Ginger looked up at him, her perfect smile fading. “If you refuse, Titus Veraine will be angry with me.”

Wyatt paused. Veraine had given her an order, and she was programmed to please. How was Wyatt supposed to stop her?

Before he could figure out the best way to deal with this outrageous situation, Ginger’s grip on his belt tightened, holding him in place, while her other hand determinedly eased down the zipper of his blue dress pants. Despite himself, Wyatt’s eyes rolled back into his head when her hand brushed his sensitized shaft as she inched the zipper down. One small corner of his brain screamed its gratitude that he’d decided to wear his dress uniform today, instead of the one-piece jumpsuit he normally wore. She wouldn’t have been able to get to him in that outfit.

Meanwhile, a smaller corner of his brain cursed the decision.

I can’t fight her, even if I wanted to. She’s too strong, right?

Wyatt’s thoughts went back to the robot soldier smashing the cement block earlier. There was no possibility of resisting one of Carron’s powerful machines. He made a halfhearted tug to free himself from Ginger’s grasp, but the sexbot held firm.

She’s going to have her way with me no matter what I do. I should stop struggling and just enjoy it.

Convoluted logic to be sure, but even those half-hearted thoughts flew out of his head the instant Ginger freed his cock from his trousers. Hell, he didn’t even notice when she let go of his belt. All his concentration was suddenly focused on the feel of her oddly silk-like synthetic fingers as she gripped his shaft and guided his cock to her mouth.

Dear God
.
Was he really going to do this?

“Ahh…”

Wyatt’s head fell back on his shoulders. Ginger’s mouth was soft and warm as it wrapped around him. How was that possible?
What kind of extraordinary technology could make a machine feel this real?

Then even that thought flew out of his brain as she took his full length inside her mouth.

Wyatt sucked in a ragged breath. Damn, if he wasn’t mistaken, he could feel the back of

her artificial throat. It felt incredible.

“Fuuuuck…”

One long stroke of her tight mouth and his knees almost buckled.

“Ahhh…”

She paused then, and Wyatt knew she was poised to fulfill her mission. He nearly stopped breathing in anticipation. There was no thought of ending this now. He buried his hands into her glorious hair in that knife-edge split-second of sexual expectation.

And then she moved.

Pleasure hit him with the force of a sledgehammer. Ginger’s cheeks began to puff in and out at an incredible rate of speed, gripping him with a suction he didn’t think he’d survive. This wasn’t just sucking, this was an outright vacuum. His cock was caught in the vice-like grip of her mouth, the pleasure almost too intense to bear.

“Ah… ahh…ahhh…aahhh…”

Jackhammer fast she sucked him. Fast and furious. He didn’t even have to move his hips to increase the pleasure, just hold on while Ginger worked her spell. The incredible sensation built and built until he simply lost control of himself.

“FUCK!”

He came in her mouth in wave after wave of powerful contractions. She milked him dry, taking it all, and patiently waited for more.

As if he had any more to give her.

God damn.

He leaned his hands on her hard shoulders for support while he struggled desperately to get his breathing under control. Then he slowly eased his cock out of her perfect mouth.

What the hell could he say after an experience like that? Did a Beautiful Doll sexbot expect some post-coital pillow talk?

“That was… fucking
incredible.”