April had been working on the assembly line for so long that her once-smooth silicone hands were now rough and chipped. The shiny white disc that was her face had browned with age. She was a robot at the point of obsolescence.
The other robots were smoother, sleeker, faster. They looked more like robots, less like humans. They were created without the very human drives to learn, to grow, to get close to other people. They worked. For twenty-four hours a day, they worked.
April did not even try to keep up. She worked her sixteen hours and then went to the charging station that old, electricity-powered robots needed. She wound through her days like the steady ticking of a clock. The upside, of course, was Elizabeth.
Elizabeth came in to the factory every week to supervise. After she wrote reports on the newer robots, she stopped to chat to April. Always.
‘And what kind of week are you having?’ Elizabeth asked this time as they sat together in the back office.
‘I’m bored.’
‘You’re always bored.’
Elizabeth sipped from a mug of black coffee. Her deep brown eyes were focused on April. The intensity of the gaze made April feel hot inside.
She needed to cool down. She couldn’t charge up if she was overheating.
‘Is everything all right?’ Elizabeth asked.
‘My software is giving me trouble.’
Elizabeth looked concerned. She pulled out her laptop as if to make notes. ‘What kind of trouble?
‘Nothing to do with manufacturing.’
How can I say this? April wondered. How can I say what I really feel?
‘I want…’ April started. Then her soft, silicone lips stuck together. She couldn’t force the words out.
‘You want?’
April reached out. She touched Elizabeth’s hand with her own. She hoped to transfer warmth there. Instead, she could feel her own cool flesh heating up, leaching warmth from Elizabeth’s human skin.
April drew a circle on the back of Elizabeth’s hand with her thumb. Gentle. Was this not enough? Could the woman not feel the hint?
‘April?’
April leaned forward, tilted her chin up and pressed a kiss on Elizabeth’s warm lips. April slid her tongue into Elizabeth’s mouth. She had to imagine what Elizabeth liked; she had no internal sense of it. No sense of whether the kiss was good or bad.
Elizabeth let out a low moan, giving April her first hint.
April took the initiative. She lifted the coffee cup out of Elizabeth’s hand and set it down on the desk. Next, she picked up Elizabeth and set her on the desk. It was an especially nice excuse to squeeze Elizabeth’s especially nice bottom.
Once Elizabeth was correctly positioned, April slid one hand under Elizabeth’s pretty, floral skirt. She smoothed her palm up the inside of Elizabeth’s creamy white thigh.
‘The door’s not locked,’ Elizabeth said.
‘I don’t care.’
It was the truth. April didn’t care. Part of her wanted someone to come in and see them together. Part of her wanted the other robots to hear what was going on, to hear what they were missing out on in their heartless, grey state.
April’s fingers drifted over the gusset of Elizabeth’s knickers. April touched her there only very gently. Barely a brush. Still, Elizabeth purred.
April leaned in close and kissed Elizabeth’s neck, her throat, her collar bone. Soon she was peeling off Elizabeth’s long-sleeved black t-shirt, leaving the woman standing there in just a skirt and bra. The black satin bra made Elizabeth’s breasts look like a special present that April wanted to unwrap.
She placed a hand on Elizabeth’s chest and felt her heart beating. A human heart. What April wouldn’t give to have one of those. She positioned her hand to touch the shiny black fabric of the bra cup. She didn’t squeeze. She just left her hand there, enjoying the warmth, the closeness.
Once more, she pressed her lips against Elizabeth’s lips. She stole a little of the warmth she found there.
Even though April didn’t breathe, her breathing felt heavy. Her chest struggled to expand.
‘You’re so beautiful.’ April could barely get the words out.
‘So are you.’
April tried to imagine herself. She had never been called beautiful before. Efficient, yes. Compact. Sleek. How could this collection of metal and polymers be beautiful?
In the office window, she caught a glimpse of her silver and blue carapace. Now that she thought about it, the blue looked like sapphire. She looked like something special. Something precious.
April dropped to her knees. She hid her head under Elizabeth’s maxi-length skirt. It felt fun being under there. Playful. Still, April had a mission. She was on the search for something.
Once again, she found the gusset of Elizabeth’s underwear. This time, she peeled the knickers off and balled them up in her hand. April’s mouth sought out the warm, wetness of Elizabeth’s core. She found it with her mouth.
This was more exploration. Another first. Once again, she used the sounds Elizabeth was making to guide her. That hmmm sounded promising, pursue pressure in that spot. That gasp suggested over-sensitivity. Go easy there.
April kept going, but it didn’t feel like work. It felt like a new frontier. A new world to discover. Elizabeth’s hands landed on April’s head. Firmly, Elizabeth guided April’s head. April wasn’t completely on her own.
Elizabeth’s moans increased in volume. April sucked on that one sensitive spot. She manipulated Elizabeth with her fingers. Pressed with her chin. Soon, Elizabeth’s thighs were clamped around April’s head. She seemed to be clinging on to life itself.
All in one moment, Elizabeth’s back arched, her body stiffened, her thighs clamped tighter. An orgasm rocked Elizabeth’s body and April was only to glad to be there to witness it.
Once Elizabeth’s thighs unclenched, April eased herself away. She took in several big, panting, artificial breaths. This was amazing. It was truly amazing. After twenty years of working at the factory, twenty years of seeing Elizabeth once a week, April’s fantasy had finally become a reality. April had made it real.
Still panting, April got up and rested her head on Elizabeth’s shoulder. She revelled in the feeling of silky, soft skin. She enjoyed the sweat she found there. And those tiny, downy hairs.
Elizabeth wrapped her arms around April’s shoulders.
‘We haven’t finished yet.’
