The next day

You awoke the next morning to an empty bed and for long moment you thought that perhaps the events of the previous night had just been another dream.

When you came downstairs, freshly showered and dressed, things seemed no different than any other day. The kids were sitting at the table, chatting away happily and eating a breakfast of bacon and eggs. There was harmony, until you saw what Lana was wearing.

The maid uniform looked like a lurid parody, barely concealing her luscious curves, and yet she wore it as if it was the most natural thing in the world. You glanced over to the children, but mercifully they paid it no mind, too busy enjoying their meal and caught up in their own worlds.

Lana turned and smiled at you, though unlike the typical bland expression, there was a subtle smirk in place. A gleam of lust within those optic receptors. One look at Lana and you knew that last night was no dream. You had fucked your android housemaid, and she liked it.

“Good morning, Mr Taylor. Did you have a nice sleep?” Though her tone was polite, you could see a hint of mischief in her eyes. “You seem refreshed.”

You took a step forward, lowered your voice. “What are you wearing?”

“It reflects my duties as a house maid.”

“It’s inappropriate.”

Lana tilted her head, studied you for a moment. “You seem to like it. Your pulse has quickened, your pupils have dilated and I am detecting increased blood flow to your genitals. Your body is in a clear state of excitement.”

“That doesn’t mean-” you were cut off by a vibration from your phone. A text from work, you were needed urgently.“Fuck. We’ll continue this discussion later.”

You kissed the kids goodbye and drove into the city. The whole time your mind whirled and wheeled with last nights events. 14 years of marriage and you had never seriously thought of cheating on Lauren. Sure you had looked at other women, but never pursued. And an android on top of that? She might have looked and felt like a human, but she wasn’t, she was a machine. You felt ashamed, and more than a little disgusted with yourself for having sunk so low.

When you got into the office it was predictably a mad house. Your coworker Tim spotted you as soon as you walked out of the elevator and waved you over furiously.

“They want a presentation,” he said, breathlessly, “for the love of all that is holy, please tell me you got your half done.”

“I did, though it nearly killed me.”

“Well, it’ll be certain **** here if we fuck up,” he exhaled sharply and then looked you in the eye. “Let’s get this done, Boss Lady is waiting.”

Miss Anne was waiting for the two of you in the meeting room. Though she was in her mid fifties, your boss was still a very beautiful woman. There were wrinkles here and there, but less than one in her stressful position would have. Her blonde hair was vibrant like pale gold and though she often hid it behind business attire, you knew she was still very curvaceous.

She gave you both a controlled smile. “Brad, Tim,” she greeted, “I trust you’ve come prepared?”

Not waiting for an answer, she leant back in her chair and gestured for you to begin. What followed was a forty minute presentation of explaining the growth potential that this new project would bring to the company, the investments it would reel in, and all the usual jargon. At the end of the presentation your boss nodded and said that she would give the matter ‘great consideration’, and that you were dismissed.

“Oh, Brad,” she called, halting your steps. “How are things at home?” her icy blue eyes softened a touch. “Any update on Lauren’s condition?”

The mention of your wife brought a stab of guilt. “She has her good days and bad days,” you admitted. “But it’s…it’s not great.”

There was sympathy in her eyes, but also something else. She studied you in silence for a few heartbeats and then smiled. “Well, my door is always open if you ever need anything.”

Taking that as the dismissal it was, you left the meeting room and returned to your shared office, where you promptly collapsed into your chair. The stress from the past week, from the last few months, it was all you could do not to pass out at your desk.

“Hey, man,” Tim started, approaching from his own desk, “I know things have been pretty crazy here with the job…seriously, how have you been? I was really sorry to hear about Lauren.”

“It’s been a lot,” you admitted. “The doctors seem to give me a different answer every day about Lauren’s condition. The kids miss her, the house has been a mess….honestly between all that shit and the job, it’s been pretty overwhelming. I’d be lost without Lana.”

“Lana?”

You sighed. “I got one of those android helpers to take up some of the slack. She’s been great with the kids, and keeping the house in shape.”

Tim cringed a little. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” His mouth twisted uncomfortably. “Those androids, they’re still pretty new. My cousin hired one to help with my Great Aunt. Damned thing glitched out pretty bad.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“The robot was programmed to look after my aunt, right? She was 98 and needed help , but this thing, it got like…” Tim searched for the right word, “overprotective, I guess. Wouldn’t let certain people come around to the house it seemed a risk. Started to control everything my Aunt would eat. You know, like really became a pain in the ass. My cousin ended up having it taken back to the company.”

You felt an ugly swell of warmth run up your neck. “That’s crazy.”

“But look, what I mean is…this is really new technology. In most places it isn’t even legal yet. Like any piece of software, there are going to be bugs that they haven’t worked out.” Tim gave you a look. “Just…be careful, ok?”

You brooded on that for some time, your thoughts creeping back to how Lana had spoken to you during the night. Her fixation went beyond basic programming. What it would lead to, scared you. But worse, it also excited you.