Jenny took the entire day to adjust and preen. One of the first frustrating things she noticed was that all of the animal instincts, her keen sense of smell and her ability to detect changes in people around her, they were almost completely gone. That explained a lot about humans; they were practically flying blind. Jenny also kept flexing an imaginary tail and trying to use her feet to grab and sort only to sadly realize her body was much less flexible and solely reliant on her hands. She hoped Erika was enjoying her tail; it really was like an old friend, so comfortable and handy. It took at least a few hours before she could manage a more human appearance devoid of her restless monkey habits. Jenny spent most of the day trying on different clothes, practicing walking in heels and grooming. She bathed and rubbed creamy lotion all over her hairless body. She worked her hair for an hour, brushing it and conditioning it, making it gleam and swirl around her shoulders and down her back. Although she was of the opinion that Erika looked better without her glasses, she couldn't find any contact lenses in the place, so instead she played up her hazel eyes with goldish-green eye shadow and a thick line of smoky kohl eyeliner. When she was done she thought Erika looked hotter than she had ever looked in her entire life. That girl just kept her designer dresses and good looks to herself instead of sharing it like she should! Then again, that was the point of the entire expedition, wasn't it? And Jenny was going to share Erika with Duane in a way she had been dreaming about for years.

But…as the hour drew near, Jenny became more and more unsettled. Just what exactly was she going to do when he showed up? What was she going to say? What was it going to be like if something happened? Would it hurt? Jenny thought back to Donovan's pornos, with their squealing and screaming and contortions. A documentary about monkey mating flashed through her mind, too…God, what the hell was she really going to do with good old Duane? Imagination was different from reality, and she was facing down a whole truckload of reality. Maybe she could just eat chicken, shoot the breeze, maybe hint that Erika really liked Duane and they should maybe get together another night or something.

The doorbell jolted her out of her imaginary fears and into her real ones. Duane was here, with a bucket of chicken. Goddammit. Trembling, she walked across the floor in her lavender and gold Manolo Blahniks and hesitated with her hand on the knob. She took a moment to pull it together; after all, she had dealt with heads of companies, arranged major deals and moved millions of dollars, and that was just as a hairy little monkey. She was a beautiful woman with a capable mind, and she could deal with one guy holding a bucket of chicken on the other side of the door. She flicked the lock and opened the door.

It was startling, how small Duane actually was. He might have been an inch, maybe two taller than Erika. Ever so put together, he was wearing a neatly pressed light blue shirt and some khakis. It was casual, but still slightly military in a way. And God, he was so handsome. All of the animal instincts that Jenny was lacking suddenly flooded up into her, pumping blood through her body fast and hard. She backed away slowly, smiling the toothy grin of a cornered monkey. She had fought so hard to control it for so many years; humans never understood her smile, and Duane didn't understand now. He just regarded her with his calm green eyes as he walked into her apartment and locked the door. He placed the bucket of Appalachian Fried Chicken on the kitchen table, and sighed.

"So, robots and chicken? Is that our code now?" Duane's smile was always a little crooked and it showed his chipped incisor. Jenny didn't understand what he meant. He closed the gap between them and pushed her against the dining room wall. Without hesitation, without asking for permission, he kissed her. His body was smaller and larger all at the same time, his scent so clean and vivid, and his taste—Jenny tasted banana gum and spearmint toothpaste in his kiss. Jenny was so overwhelmed by everything she barely registered his hands crawling around her body. His hand slipped to her breast, thumbing her nipple through her dress. She broke his kiss involuntarily as she moaned, head lolling back. He kissed up her jaw line to nibble at her ear.

"Erika, I just think about you all day long…you're the only thing that keeps me going, you know that…" Jenny writhed as his hot breath tickled her ear. It only encouraged him further. His hand left her breast and glided down to her hips. He kissed her fiercely as his hand gathered up the fabric of her dress. His hand glided underneath the folds and went straight between her legs with determination. She couldn't help but cry out.

"You sure are sensitive today, huh?" Duane's usually sweet grin was strangely naughty, even a little perverse. Jenny never dreamed she would see that look cross Duane's face. Duane, who was always so straight-laced, a practical boy scout! His mouth went to her neck. She felt moisture on the inside of her thighs and panicked a little thinking that she had started bleeding like that one time she accidentally went into heat and got blood on Donovan's jacket, but then she remembered that humans didn't go into heat like that. Had she pissed herself in fear or something? Even though her mind was utterly disoriented, her body, Erika's body, seemed comfortable with the situation. When Duane's fingers slid inside of her up to the knuckles, it felt so natural. She was reeling with confusion, with pleasure; her knees gave out. She clutched Duane's shoulders to keep from collapsing on the floor. He lifted her up, wrapping her legs around his waist, and carried her into the bedroom.