Chapter Four

"So she appeared out of the blue like that?" Cecie said, sitting at a sidewalk table at the Café Boucher an hour later. Joe sat opposite to her, backward on a chair, his shapely thighs spread open.

"Yes, I have since spotted her several times throughout the day. It is as if she were drawn to me like a magnet," he replied.

"Well, everyone calls you a chick magnet." He smiled thinly in response to this. "But I guess now you're attracting a metal chick."

"As if I were a real magnet."

"There's something to be said for you if you're such a looker that even your own kind gets drawn to you."

"But it is not practical. I am of no use to her: she lacks the wherewithal with which to enjoy my endowments. She is not a real woman: she barely resembles something feminine. It is difficult for me to pursue her. I may as well make love to a tin wastebasket."

"Well, next to you that's what she looks like. Have you tried blowing her off?"

"No. I do not know how. I have never needed to blow anyone off before this time."

"Well, I'll show you how." She called for her bill and paid it. "C'mon, we're going for a walk."

She lead him down Main Boulevard, which bisected the city, till they came to another small plaza.

"There's this one Mecha who keeps pesting me something awful every time I walk down this way. I want you to follow me at a distance. Don't try to intervene when he comes along; just listen to what I say and watch how I handle him."

"That I can do."

She walked a little way ahead of him and stopped, pretending to check her pendent watch and clean her glasses.

At length a male Mecha with medium blond hair, clad in a pelvis-length gray jacket approached her. If he had been a flesh and blood human, he might have been about eighteen years old.

"Aw, I see you've come my way. Want it rough for a change?" he said.

"Beat it, Alex."

He sidled closer to her, fists in pockets, chest flung out, head back; he stood slightly shorter than her. "Oh, we're even gonna talk rough, eh? Had enough of that pretty boy you been foolin' with all this time?"

"I haven't even come close, but I've had enough of you since you showed up," she said this with cold disdain, not even looking at him. He strutted into her line of sight, but she acted as if he hadn't passed by.

"Something wrong with your eyes? I'm as much of a sight for sore eyes as that prissy dude."

"I wish there were something wrong with them so I didn't have to look at you. Now beat it!"

He tapped his foot impatiently. "C'mon, yes or no?"

"No. Now go away!"

"Hey, I'm supposed to be the blunt one."

"What part of 'no' didn't you understand?" she said this in an icy drawl

"Well, you just missed out. You came to the wrong town if yer gonna keep yourself clean. Or you saving yourself for Joe?"

"None of your danged business. Now get! I mean it, Alex!"

He shrugged. "Suit yerself, Ms. Frigid." He swaggered away with his nose in the air.

Cecie went back to Joe. "Did that give you any ideas?"

"Perhaps I can modify your actions and mannerisms and speech patterns to suit my circumstances. You chose well you words."

"I've done it before. I know the drill. Except for you, I haven't met a more persistent Mecha."

"But you welcome my persistence."

"To a point, and only because you're more genteel about it."

"You are wisely discriminate in your tastes."

"I have to be, to keep to my principles." She glanced over his shoulder. "And you might want to put into practice the principles I just demonstrated."

He turned and followed her gaze. That girl droid came up behind them, swiveling her head.

Cecie didn't want to miss out on the fun, but she had to call the hotel and leave a message for Rupert.

Galatea had her visual filter set on high again, which greyscaled out everyone who didn't match the profiles in her database.

A dark mass of color—sheening black and silver—moved across her line of vision and resolved into the droid of her "dreams".

"You give her hell, Joe," a woman talking to him said, walking away. At least Galatea wouldn't have to deal with her now.

She approached the handsome fella with what she hoped was a sexy walk. His eyes scanned her up and down, but an odd smile showed on his swarthy face.

"Hey, is your name Joe?" she asked.

"They call me that for short—but I rather you did not call me anything."

"Ooooh! Playing hard to get? Girls do that, not guys."

"They play hard to get when they do not wish to be gotten by the likes of you."

"Hey, you got a short in your wiring somewhere? Aren't you the kinda droid that's supposed to be sweet on girls?"

"I am, but something is not quite right within me. You may have something to do with it."

"Aw, don't get all cold on me, Joey-boy. Don't you want to find out what your own kind is like?"

"If I wished to find out what my own kind is like, I would choose one of the silicon-skinned variety, not a metal-skinned droid like you."

"Why, what's wrong with me?"

"You are not capable of utilizing, much less enjoying the services I provide."

"I've seen you dancing. Y' wanna dance?" She slapped a switch on her thigh. An old song started to play.

"She's got it!

Yeah, baby, she's got it!

I'm your Venus,

I'm your fire,

At your desire."

She circled him with a few steps she thought looked slinky and sexy. He watched her with an odd stiff little smile that didn't look very friendly.

"Two can play at that game," he said. He jerked his head to his left.

Even older, more graceful music started to play from within him.

"The moon may be high,

But I can't see a thing in the sky—"

"Hey, no fair! I thought only I could do that!" Galatea cried.

He jerked his head again, switching off the music. "You thought wrongly, I regret to inform you." with that he started to walk away.

"Hey, get back here! I didn't get my smooch!" She went after him, matching his strides with hers and planted herself in front of him. He tried to step around him but she blocked him at every step.

"If you are trying to dance with me, I must refuse you this pleasure."

She leaned up to him and put her arms about his neck. "One smooch ain't gonna kill your battery, you know."

"Remove your arms from me."

"No! I don't take orders from other droids."

"Then neither do I, particularly because I am Mecha." He twisted out of her grasp. She grabbed him by the coattail. He shook her off as he started to walk away.

"Hey! No fair! You can't do that to me, lover-boy! You haven't given me my smooch!"

She followed him; he walked quicker. She tried to grab his arm as she caught up; he walked even faster, almost running.

She got ahead of him and grabbed him by the face. "I want my smooch!" She pulled his face to hers and tried to press her auditory slit to his mouth.

He pulled away so suddenly she fell to the pavement.

"Hey!" she squeaked, getting up. "Get your cute metal rear back here! If you're gonna play rough, you gotta give me a smooch first!" She ran after him.

 "Oh, no!" he cried.

To be continued…