The Perfect Man

[intriguess]

At first glance it looked like junk mail, a you have been specially selected to blah blah blah. A few days later before throwing it in the trash Mackenzie looked for the catch and was stunned to find none, so she called the number and a sultry voice squeeled in delight as Mack had been the first winner to call. The woman spoke very fast and before Mack knew what was what she was agreeing to test out their latest item.

It was called The Perfect Man, and it would arrive at her house within a week with everything needed to take care of itself for the trial period. As long as Mack kept a journal about her thoughts on improvements she could keep him and update him for as long as she wanted.

It seemed all too good to be true as she drifted off to sleep...

Meanwhile at The Perfect Man warehouse, creator Marc was furious, they expected a working model in less than a week, something about some lame trial run. Well he wasn't going to do it, after all he built the damn thing to be whatever a woman wanted and that was going to take a month. When they threatened to fire him and promote one of his braindead collegues he made a decision. He would go in the place of TPM, after all TPM was built to replicate human activity as TPM was to be extremely manlike and not robotic. It would give him the opportunity to collect some data.

It would be simple, he had been stupid enough to make his model look like him, as the research said TPM should be athletic, attractive, but not sickening gorgeous or overly muscular. It had been an odd time, after his fiancee dumped him at the altar he had sunk pretty low and after drinking for a long time finally threw himself in this project and never looked back.

Marc was a little nervous as he carried the briefcase of items and took a deep breath before ringing the doorbell. He had searched for info about her on the internet but other than a telephone listing and her school records nothing came up.

Mackie had just stepped into a hot shower when the doorbell rang. She wasn't expecting anything and ruefully turned the shower off, smoothed her long dark brown hair back and wrapped a purple towel around her curvy figure. She glanced at her calender as she headed to door and realized that The Perfect Man test model was to arrive any day now.

The last thing she expected was to see the robot standing at her door, she expected him to be packed in a box or something.

"May I come in?" TPM's were programmed to be polite, chivalrous, and great listeners Marc thought, all the things his fiancee had made him the perfect guy, just not the guy for her.

She was wondering how she must look and quickly got rid of the thought, he was just a machine after all. "The Perfect Man? I assume?" she asked, even as she thought how risky it was to let just any man in her house.

He had forgotten to introduce himself and he mentally kicked himself for it, "You can call me Marc." He offered his hand and tried not to ogle her.

"Mackenzie, Mack for short." She said as she took his hand and invited him in. "You have some sort of instruction manual?"

"No, I'm designed to be self explanatory."

She was surprised at how real he looked, from the warmth of his skin, and that he seemed to breath. "Let me get dressed."

He placed his hand gently on her arm, surprised at how soft her skin felt, and tried not to think of how long it had been since he had been with a woman. "Finish your shower, I'll familiarize myself with your home."

Her skin grew hotter under his touch and she quickly agreed and retreated to the bathroom. She wondered what she was expected to do with him and if she was supposed to test all his functions. She recalled that he did household chores, was an excellent cook, and she blushed as she remembered what the woman had said about massages. The shower was not helping her thoughts and she did not hear him knock on the door as the door silently opened.

 

[intriguess]

bumping it because i can't find it in first couple of pages

 

[PearlNecklace]

This is a great idea! I hope you find someone to play it. It would be a shame to waste it!

 

[intriguess]

one more shameless bump

 

[PearlNecklace]

Another bump! (I want to read this story! C'mon guys!)

 

[Akryus69]

lets see what i can do

"Excuse me, Mack. May I ask a question"

He stood in the doorway staring at the silohuette of the a gorgeous figure and suddenly remembered that he couldn't be caught staring.

 

[intriguess]

Mack

She wished her shower was less voyeuristic it was clear glass, frosted in a few strategic spots, but all the same clear glass. "I'll be out in second, can you wait?" Heck why was she asking? he was just a robot after all. She couldn't believe she'd agreed to keep it for a full month. Then again it wasn't like she had anything else going on in her life, she lived alone, worked alone, and pretty much was alone. She began wondering where she would keep him, what would he do all day, was she expected to test ALL of his functions?

Mack could only think of one reason she might have been chosen, because she was a writer and would be able to clearly state her thoughts and ideas. Right now she was thinking Marc should have some sort of respect for her privacy. Did robots understand respect? it didn't really matter because even a houseguest could have done what he had. She was so confused, but at least he closed the door and she slipped out of the shower and wrapped herslef up in a towel.

She had lived alone so long it would take some getting used to, normally she'd towel off toss the towel in hamper and walk to her bedroom naked. With Marc here her natural modesty kicked in and she dashed to her room barely covered in the towel.

She quickly realized none of her pajamas were suitable for company and decided to wear the least revealing. She slipped on the silky purple night gown, the v neck was mainly lace and revealed more skin that Mack would ever dare show in public. It was beautiful and it felt great against her skin so she had bought it figuring no one would ever know.

She felt exposed as she looked at him and wondered again where would she put him. Did he have a cuddle feature? She often drifted off to sleep imagining a man's body curled up against her.

"You had a question?" she hadn't combed her hair and the long dark brown hairs clung to her skin. She thought about all the things she missed about having a man around and fixing things was not on the list. It was little things like feeling him next to her at night, having her hair combed, breakfast in bed, and a good back massage after a long day of work.

 

[Akryus69]

she looked good as she stepped out of the bathroom. she gave off a sort of shy sexiness he hadnt seen since his ex. his brain started going into overdrive. he really hadnt gone up there with a question, he just wanted to see if he could catch a peek. that plan failed. h etried to think of a questino to ask without staring at her gorgeous figure.

"i was wondering if you had anything you wanted me to do. i have an almost ifinite amount of commands. whatever it is all you have to do is ask. one more thing, where shall i power down."

he was curious to see the first command she would give him. how would she treat him, would she treat him as a mindless robot, a freind, a lover, a companion. who knew. all he knew was the next month was going to be both difficult and exciting.

 

[intriguess]

His words sounded programmed but his timber and pitch were very natural and she was trying getting used to the way he looked at her. She was faced with the same thoughts as before, where to put him? Her guest bedroom had not had a guest or a bed in it in forever and she didn't think it was right to stick him in the closet. There had been a few clauses stating he would respond differently according to how she treated him. She wasn't about to treat a very sophisticated piece of robotics like her vacuum cleaner, but treating him like a house guest was pushing her comfort zone.

"Honestly I was just going to comb my hair and go to bed," she rambled a bit, "Do you need pajamas?" the thought of him walking around without clothes was troubling and somehow exciting, "It would be nice if you could make me breakfast in the morning, somehow I never find the time to eat right, and if I do I then make up for it with lunch." She sighed softly she really hadn't given much thought with what to do with it. She figured any other woman would have a whole list of chores and such planned out.

"My bed is big enough for both of us," she had been about to ask if he snored and stopped herself, "I warn you I giggle in my sleep," was what she said instead. "That is if you want to power down in a horizontal position." She was certainly making a mess of things. "Do you eat? because my kitchen as you probably noticed is not exactly prepared for a guest. I don't suppose you can complete a grocery list and shop tomorrow while I'm at work?" She was glad tomorrow was Friday, it would give her a little space to adjust before spending many hours alone with it.

Her fingers were running through her hair, seperating the long dark strands, she was surprised by how realistic his eyes were, and how naturally they moved. Definetly something she would compliment the designer on in her journal entry.

 

[Akryus69]

he was hoping she would treat him like a person, not an appliance. "thats all i need is to sleep in a closet for a month", he thought to himself.

"I can be naked or fully clothed, it is your decision and if breakfast is what you want than i will wake be fore you and prepare it for you. all you have to do is tell me what you desire."

when she said he could sleep with her it made him feel very releived. "As long as i dont screw something up i will be sleeping in a bed for this trial run".

"I can sleep where you want. powering down in a horizontel position is fine. You must first set the perameters as to how close you want me to be to you. "

A grocery list? He hadn't gone shopping in a long time. takeout has been his way og life for a while now. he had to do it. what perfect man couldn't complete a shopping list?

"I am able to complete a shopping list and go shopping for you. I also do not have to eat, but if it is required of me i do have the ability to eat".

That was a big mess up. what if he were to spend the weekend with her. he would have to sneak food unless she wanted to have him eat with her.

"If you wish, tommorrow we can go over my complete list of abilities and set up my parameters as to what amle role you want me to portray. As for now my initial battery power is nearing end. shall we go to bed."

As she turned around to walk to the room he followed her and just gazed her beautiful and flawless body. He wondered how she would want him to lay. Does she want me to cuddle or just be a body next to her. he walked into a nice peaceful looking room, it suited her nice. her wondered what this first night together was going to be like.

 

[intriguess]

He was an odd mix of real and surreal, then again they were trying to work the quirks out of the system. It was easy to see him as real but then he said something about battery power and she was reminded that he was just a very sophisticated toy. She led him to her bedroom feeling nervous, she'd never had a man in her room, unless the movers counted. She was sure this was different and she softly spoke, "I have to be at work by about 9 so I get up about 8 or so and am out the door by 8:30." She never noticed how empty her bed looked until she saw him next to it. "It would probably be simplest if you kept your clothes for daytime wear, there is a washer and dryer in the basement when you need them. I'd guess any self maintenance tasks should be done while I'm at work, or when I sleep in on weekends." Her life seemed very boring at the moment and she noticed he was taking off his clothes. She noticed he was wearing what any other guy would wear and almost said something about his underwear but she was curious to see how his programming would interpret her instructions as well as if he was realistic or like a Ken doll below the belt.

The eating thing puzzled her, she expected The Perfect Man to be rather realistic so that if she took him to a party or something he'd blend in. Then again he could eat and she decided that since she wanted to treat him like a man he would have to act like a living person.

She turned on a lamp and flicked the overhead light off and pulled back the sheets. She liked to snuggle into her blankets and his question about distance filled her mind. It would be wierd having him sleep on the far side of bed, and she was unsure of just how close she wanted him to be? Did he exude heat during his resting cycle? or would it be like sleeping with a cold robot?

"As far as sleeping positions," she wondered how much he weighed, "I tend to cuddle, unless you conserve heat in your resting mode?" She picked up a comb and a brush and began sorting through the silky strands of hair. She hadn't looked directly at him since he removed his pants and she felt an odd mixture of nervousness and excited.

 

[Akryus69]

watching her silky hair running through the brush as she got into bed was rather arousing, but he remembered that he must not show signs of arousal.

"I will wake up at 7:30 so I can have breakfast waiting for you at 8:00. What time shall I expect you home sao I can have dinner ready and we can go over all of my functions."

he was glad to here that she was a cuddler. he hadn't felt a woman's body close to his in a long time.

"My body temperature remains at a constant 98.6 degrees so i will feel like anyother person. Cuddling with me will be like cuddling with a human man. I must first ask a question, why dont you look at me, am i not the design that you wanted"?

He hoped this question would get her to open up to him. he wanted this to be more than a 30 day trial of an appliance. he wanted to get to Know how she thought and how she felt. he knew this would help in his research and that he had a small attraction to her already.

 

[intriguess]

Max's hands trembled a little when he asked her to look at him, this was going to be tough. Not that she didn't love certain modern conveniences but he was a luxury item. The brochure had mentioned renting, upgrades, costs of operation, and other things in tiny print.

She had figured he was to be the perfect man, not the perfect mate/husband, and the idea of renting made a lot of sense. When she looked at him she was again struck by how amazing his eyes were.

"They didn't give me much choice I mentioned preferring dark haired men I figured that was a detail that could be easily changed and they said any other preferences could be programmed in during the trial period. I recall something about it might be uncomfortable to tell a programmer one's intimate details and preferences. I figured as the test model you'd be a standard size, I suppose if I had you custom made I'd," she paused and shook her head as if anything she said would hurt his feelings, "I don't know. I mean I prefer dark haired guys, being only 5'2" I have dated tall and short, chubby and muscle bound, all types pretty much and I've realized it's not so much what's on the outside as what's on the inside and what you do with your life." She shrugged, as a robot he didn't exactly have a life. "Guys with big egos, or absorbed with their own looks, or guys who demand all my time, that's a turn off. I'm not the type to ever accept being told what to do, or having to constantly remind him what to do." She put her brush down and slipped between the sheets, laying on her side facing him, "I guess I prefer a relaxed guy, someone who's not picky, someone who rolls with the punches, who is willing to go celebrate or commiserate."

 

[Akryus69]

He could tell this woman had been through a lot in her love life. She must have just been unlucky. She is a great person so far and she is absolutely gorgeous. He knew that he had to be gentle.

"Everything that you are saying is being documented and I shall adjust my hair color and my personal demeanor so as to be the man that you want to be with."

He knew he had to mabye carry some type of recording device so he could always remember preferences, sfter all he was only human. hopefully she would send him on an errand tomorrow. while he would be out he figured that he might get some type of hair dye to make everything he says about altering his appearence real. He slipped into the covers and rested his arm on the headboard to sort of welcome her in to cuddle with him.

 

[intriguess]

Maxine

The idea of everything being recorded was a little unsettling and she realized that to do otherwise would be stupid during a trial period, after all if she said he was cold and wouldn't cuddle and she never asked then that would be different. It did make her more hesitant to try out some of the more intimate options. She slowly moved closer, snuggling in against him, feeling the warmth of his body, her right hand sliding up and down his side until she found a place that was comfortable for her neck and shoulders.

It was nice, pure and simple, she had never thought about how demanding a real person could be until now and she had the option to make him whatever she wanted and needed. She was not looking forward to going to work tomorrow, but figured timing a delivery for Thursday night was in the long run a good idea.

She expected to toss and turn before finally falling asleep, but she fell asleep easily and deeply. Her dreams were peaceful and warm, and when she woke up the bed seemed empty. She stretched slowly and could hear him in the kitchen. She should have told him what she liked to eat. She slipped out of bed and went to bathroom, she almost expected the toilet seat to be up, then she realized that he had no reason to do so. She washed her face and went back to the bedroom and got dressed. She had that strange feeling about being naked with someone else in her apartment, but at same time she kept telling herself he wasn't someone he was something. She noticed she had a few minutes and took the time to jot down notes on him.

Amazing eyes, realistic voice, his choice of words often gave him away as robot, pleasant, polite, considerate, yet not a boring pushover type.

She organized her thoughts and wrote more about the realism and then finished with what she intended to test out next. She intended to discover his cooking abilities, as well as any personality options, maybe get a massage, and if all went well take him out in public next weekend.

She headed for the kitchen to see what he'd made out of the limited resources of her kitchen.

 

[Akryus69]

"Good Morning, I hope you dont mind but I ran to the convenience store and bought some food for breakfast this morning. While you are at work i will do any chores that you would like and I will also need to know what you will want to have for dinner when you get home."

He could sense that she was a little uncomfortable when he spoke like a robot so he figured he should change his speech a little and say that it was just a part of the programming in him.

"You may have noticed that my methods of speech have changed. Inside my databank there is a program that adjusts my speech to my owner. Eventuallaly my robotic sort of language will all but disappear. After you are done I ask that you jot down my list of chores andf errands and the time that they need to be done. After you come home and we finish dinner we will go over all my functions. They are all pretty fast to go over. My programming tells me that the two that are to take the longest is the list of people that are to know that i am indeed a robot and the intamacy options."

He realized that he would eventually have to get the intamacy part in the air. he knew that even though he was a robot to her, she may be a little embarrassed to discuss them or to try them out. now that everything was waiting on her, all he had to do was wait to see what she would do.

 

[intriguess]

Maxine

She thought about who should know and came up with compelling reasons for telling and not telling. It was something she would have to think about. She picked up a fork and took a bite, "Chores, probably just clean up after yourself in the kitchen and such. For time being I'd rather do my own laundry and such, I've taken care of myself for a long time and cleaning the bathroom is rather humbling." He was already growing on her and she kept telling herself it was only a month, "As for food, I like pasta dishes, Chinese especially sweet and sour chicken and crab ragoon. I love potatoes, hate hot dogs, and I usually have chicken when I order out. I like Mexican dishes, especially fajitas, anything where I can eat with my fingers. As far as steak or chops go, it's seems like a lot of effort for one person and usually only eat that when there is a family event." The food was warm and satisfying. "I drink skim milk, my favorite ice cream is chocalate peanut butter, but anything with nuts is fine."

She felt like she was giving a crash course on what she ate, "I take lunch whenever so I probably won't be hungry right when I get home." She was trying to remember everything he asked. "Depending on how things are going and traffic I'm usually back by 6:30, oh and I don't eat regular popcorn." She was thinking of what she had in her kitchen and added, "Could you pick up a Blue Hawaii, either a pack of wine coolers or a bottle." Yep, she thought, alcohol would definetly help relax her tonight.

"You'll have free run of the place today, but please stay out of my bedroom," she blushed a little at the thought of him searching through her clothes among other things. "Your going to need a key," she realized and as she put her empty plate in the sink grabbed the spare set by the door and handed it to him. "Please don't answer the phone and I'd prefer if you left my computer alone."

She didn't want him to feel like a child, but she wanted to make sure that certain things didn't get messed up over a misunderstanding. "Would you mind checking the bathroom before you go grocery shopping? I always seem to get back from store and realize I need toothpaste or toilet paper or something else trivial."

"I feel like I'm forgetting something, but that's all I can think of," she had this wierd thought that any other house guest she might hug or kiss before leaving.

 

[Akryus69]

With all the information he realized that it may be awhile before she accepts him fully and treats him like a lover and companion rather than an appliance.

"I will surprise you with dinner. I will stay away from the places of the apartment that you have listed. Have a good day at work and if you need anything from me call this phone number". he handed he a card. "this will get in touch with my internal computer and you will be able to talk to me"

He walked her to the door. "Have a good day at work". he knew this would be awkward. he didn't want to kiss her goodbye and be left hanging. then again he did not want to seem disinterested in kissing her as well.

 

[intriguess]

Maxine

She had a wierd mix of feelings, it was tough to balance all the information he needed and still respond to him as a woman might treat a man. She had to keep reminding herself that he didn't have feelings, that if he messed up only she would be upset, he would self correct and move on. Any other house guest would know her well enough to stay out of her bedroom and what she liked to eat and she was trying to get him caught up to the point where she could stop treating him like a stranger and start thinking of him on a more personal level. She kept thinking of all the steps it took to train a puppy and realized that on many levels he would be simpler, ask and she would receive.

"I know I'm probably overloading you with info, I just want to get past the get to know you stuff so we can move forward." He was kind of standing there expectantly and she was thinking of what it would be like to kiss him. At the same time it seemed a little scripted, so she leaned into him a little and spoke into his ear, "Thanks for breakfast," and kissed him lightly and shyly on his cheek.

She was glad that was over and the smile on his face reminded her that in the end he was programmed to be the perfect man, and the perfect man would expect displays of affection.

"Have a nice day and I'll try and wrap things up and get home early."

 

[Akryus69]

the kiss on the cheek told him that she was starting to get used to him. his next tasks were to do some shopping and start acting more like a normal person. his "programming" would have him normal by the time she got home.

he cleaned up things in the house and went to the store

1 hour later

he returned back from the store with the items neccesary to equip the house. he dyed his hair a dark brown and prepared fetuccini alfredo for dinner and sweet and sour chicken just in case she didn't like the pasta dish. he also had her fav ic cream waiting as he anticipated he arrival home in about 15 minutes.

 

[intriguess]

Maxine

Once she started working time flew by and only the rumble of her stomach reminded her to eat. There was a quaint cafe nearby and she snagged a quick sandwhich and tea and was back to work in no time. She finished a little early and began thinking about the programming options. What kind of personality did she want? it was a conundrum, she wanted the ease of a long time lover with all the excitement of a new lover. She wanted the freshness of a high school sweetheart, the tenderness of a husband, and the boldness of a one night stand.

It was a tough call to try and get opposites to line up as she drove back, heck perhaps it was the conflicting sides that made a person interesting. Most people would not even look at her twice, but she was or at least had been an amazing lover. It had been one of those things her exes commented on, that she didn't dress the way she acted in bed. Max would rather be comfortable than look sexy, and her relaxed attitude had been confusing as she had put a lot of effort in maintaining a relationship but she was not about to change who she was to make any man happy. She considered herself to be just fine the way she was, despite being alone. It was tough to believe it had been such a long empty stretch, but being manhandled in bars was not her idea of a good time.

She pulled into the parking lot and felt an odd surge of awareness as her lights were on and it quickly faded as she remembered he was there. She had meant to get home earlier but she had felt so focused today that it was almost 6:30 as she locked up her car and headed up the stairs.

It was a strange mix of feelings, it wasn't exactly a date, but he was cooking for her on a Friday, and she suddenly wished she had worn something a little nicer. She glanced down at her khaki's and decided that it wasn't like he was going to be wearing a tux or have flowers and candles.

For a moment she wondered if he was flammable and could not recall any user warnings. She took a deep breath and turned the door knob.

It smelled fabulous, and she realized she hadn't given him a check this morning and wondered if he had access to her bank account as he had gone shopping before she woke up. It would make sense, but at same time seemed like an invasion of privacy. The way the food smelled she didn't care, even as she wondered if he should come with a warning about gaining weight.

SHe had been about to say she had missed him, but it seemed like such a scripted response that she just took off her coat, kicked off her shoes and moved to the kitchen, "It smells fantastic."

 

[Akryus69]

he had flowers waiting for her and two place settings. "I made fetuccini alfredo and sweet and sour chicken, in case you dont like the alfredo. all the chores are done, except the ones that you told me not to do. sit down and relax and have dinner."

The two of them sat down and had dinner. they had some samll talk now that his speech was sounding less scripted and more like a actual person. he just sat their and let her talk as he went of into his own world, gazing into her gorgeous deep eyes.

 

[intriguess]

She stopped worrying and enjoyed the meal, she tried a little of both, in order to sample his cooking skills. It was really nice to have food ready when she got home and she couldn't recall the last time she'd had someone outside her family cook REAL food. She noticed that they talked about nothing and as she ate the last bite on her plate for once she was at a loss for words. She would have mentioned the dishes, but she hated washing dishes and loved her dishwasher. As she rarely ate something other than cereal and frozen meals she had found it necessary to hand wash silverware and glasses on occasion.

She almost mentioned dessert but she had eaten more than she probably should have and decided that in this instance she would be eating only so she wouldn't have to speak. It would only be delaying the inevitable, she picked up her glass and sipped the blue wine.

"So you were going to tell me about your options?" she finally asked hating to break the natural flow, but wanting to get it over with so she could go back to pretending he was a date.

 

[Akryus69]

He was finally there. he had been waiting for that question and it came up. this would be the first time he could get opinions about his ideas on features from the target group, but there was a problem. he went comp-letely blank so just whatever idea came up in his head he said.

"They are a bit mistitles when they are referred to as features, you probably would get it better if referred to as settings. I can be just an appliance responsible just for cleaning. then you could also power me down and use me only when the social occasion called for it. pretty much what ever you want you can get it. a lot of it is how you want me to act. some woman prefer soft and sensitive men when other women want a man that is tattooed and rides a harley. an option recently added is quite remarkable. instead of you saying how you want me to act, my comouter actually uses your personality and can detect exactly what you want with 91.7 percent accuracy."

that was a load of bull but what else could he say, she looked stunning and he was just spitting out ideas as the came out.

"hat most people wonder about is the sexual modes. however way you prefer to be intamite with someone i am capable of doing. if you are interested in that option i am required tio tell you that it may take a few tries before your preferrences are complaetely loaded. so actualy you may not fully enjoy till the third or forth time. i know thats a lot to take in at once. do you have any questions?"

now he just sat back and waited for her to conjure up something to say.

 

[intriguess]

She almost laughed, he was definetly an honest robot, it might take three of four times for her to be satisfied with his performance as a lover. No man would ever say that and before she started in on how stupid that was she decided it was better idea to teach him how to be a perfect lover long before they ever became intimate. That is, if she actually wanted a robot for that.

"I guess I understand how some women might want you just for domesticate or sexual service, but I understand that the more you are exposed to the faster you learn? As for estimating off my personality well it seems a little invasive. I'm not the type of girl who just jumps into bed with the first guy she meets and well you look to human to think of you as just a different type of sex toy." She paused she hadn't expected to have such clearly defined roles, she expected him to have ranges so she could make him a neat freak or a slob or somewhere in the middle. Same with sex she figured he had a nervous virgin setting to studmuffin. "You're not exactly a sex toy either, because I have control over that and you well, you'd have to learn how I like to be touched." She just realized that was the most intelligent thing she'd said so far. "Can I do that?" she paused unsure of whether he followed her random logic, "Can I teach you how I like to be touched? After all with a real guy we wouldn't just jump into bed and hope for fireworks." She wondered if she sounded totally insane, "I guess I figured I'd have more say in how you approached sex rather than just trial and error."