Page 45 of Fembot
“You’ll graduate with your peers, like you should. And then you’ll come work for me. I didn’t put you through school so you could fail out in the last semester. You’ll have your degree, and I’ll make sure you have a job that even you can’t fuck up.”
“Dad, I?—”
The line went dead. Lucky was slow to pull the phone away from his ear. When he did, he stared at the screen for a few minutes. His body was still trying to fight off the influx of anxiety that talking to his father had given him.
Lucky knew he was a bitter disappointment of a son. His father had wanted someone who was the opposite of Lucky. He’d wanted a son who was smart and broad, like him, and a force to be reckoned with. He’d wanted a younger version of himself, Lucky realized some time ago, and no matter how much he tried, he could never be like his father. For better or for worse.
Lucky was still failing. Only now he was a failure who would graduate anyway. A failure who would have to go work for his dad. He saw no other alternative. If he refused, he knew his dad would make him suffer for it. His dad was vindictive and controlling, and he wouldn’t take well to the insult of Lucky working somewhere else now that he was beholden to his dad.
The diploma his father had secured for him wasn’t a ticket to freedom, but a noose around his neck.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE_
PESKY ROBOT PROBLEMS
Yarek Danvers gotto keep his head after all. He still couldn’t believe it. He hadn’t, however, got to leave Henry’s home. Castle. Whatever. He wasn’t a prisoner, per se, but Henry had an impressive computer set-up that was linked to the mainframe, and he wanted Yarek away from the office while they worked together to see just what exactly happened, how many units were affected, and how to fix it.
Yarek would’ve liked to say that Home Henry was different from Office Henry, but that would’ve been a lie. He was still the same domineering man who knew what he wanted and how to get it. The only real difference was that Office Henry wore suits and Home Henry existed solely in gray sweatpants and sleeveless undershirts.
Home Henry also brought Yarek coffee and snacks to keep him going and demanded he stretch and rest every so often. It was sweet but distracting as fuck. Yarek couldn’t help but swoon whenever Henry was near. He’d always had a bit of a crush on the man. Henry was older by about fifteen years, but… well, he was gorgeous. Tall, broad shoulders, narrow waist, a body that benefitted from regular gym visits.
He was also smart as fuck. Henry had already speculated on what exactly happened with the robots’ programming and how widespread it was. Now it was up to Yarek to try and retrieve the lost data so he could locate the units affected.
“You’re sure that’s what happened?” Yarek reached into the bowl of fruit Henry had brought and grabbed a small bunch of grapes. He plucked one off the stem and popped it in his mouth.
“It’s the only thing that makes sense. The new units are laden with artificial intelligence, but there are protocols in place. Safeguards to prevent things from happening. Like total autonomy. We want them smart, but we don’t want them self-aware. We want them to anticipate our needs, not to be aware enough to develop needs of their own. And I think during the programming process, when the power was interrupted, some of the safeguard protocols were compromised. It’s the only thing that makes sense.” Henry raked a hand through his thick, salt and pepper hair.
Yarek mulled this over while he devoured the grapes. “It makes sense, then. The data going missing. Whatever unit is responsible for that is self-aware enough to know that if discovered, it’ll be shut down.”
“The only saving grace so far has been that no one knows about this.”
“Yet. What if the robot decides to override other safety protocols? Like the ones put in place to prevent them from harming people?”
Henry leaned back in his chair and kicked his feet out in front of him. He crossed his legs at the ankles and folded his hands on his stomach. Anyone else might think he was relaxed and unbothered, but Yarek knew the truth. Henry was wound tight and ready to snap. Yarek had to find this bot. And fast.
“I don’t see that happening. But to be fair, I didn’t see this happening either.” Henry sighed and, in that moment, Yareksaw him for what he was. He didn’t look like the all-powerful businessman or the ultra-confident, take-no-shit boss. Henry was just a tired man who was scared and worried.
“It’s going to be okay, Henry,” Yarek said. And when Henry looked at him with skepticism and hope, Yarek said two more words that he meant down to his soul. “I promise.”
Henry exhaled and slowly nodded. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth but didn’t form. “Thanks, Yarek. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Henry brought his hand to his face and pinched the bridge of his nose. “All I see when I close my eyes is code. Lines and lines of code.”
“I know the feeling. I’ve been dreaming about getting stuck in the computer. I find the problem, and the computer doesn’t want me to fix it, so it sucks me into the mainframe. Every time I wake up, I pinch myself to make sure I’m real and not a computer simulation.”
“When this is over, I’ll send you on a vacation. Any destination of your choice.”
Yarek knew Henry meant for him to choose some place tropical with sandy beaches and cabana boys, but if Yarek could choose anywhere he wanted, he’d choose Henry’s bed with him in it.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Yarek promised as he pushed himself to his feet. “I should get back to work.”
When Yarek walked past Henry, though, a hand shot out and grabbed his wrist. Yarek looked down at the place where Henry touched him, vowing never to wash it again so he could remember the warmth of Henry’s skin. The almost unnatural softness.
“Thank you, Yarek. I can’t tell you what your dedication means to me.”
Yarek swallowed a bundle of lusty nerves, resisted the urge to sit in Henry’s lap and kiss him until they forgot all about their pesky robot problems, and smiled instead.
“You’re welcome.”
