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A Person in Every Way

By: crogersaz



The Salesman recognized Paul wandering the home theater section below. Looking down on Paul from the elevated, high-end electronics section, there was nothing special about Paul's appearance to make the Salesman take note. Paul was in his mid- 50's, and he was altogether an unremarkable physical specimen. Average height, average build, graying a little, thinning hair -- but not enough to stand out as balding. Paul was not the sort of man to make an immediate lasting impression. However, the Salesman not only recognized him, but also recalled his name. The Salesman recognized Paul as a compulsive electronics buyer. Paul was memorable only because he had lined the Salesman's pockets with remarkable commissions on numerous occasions. As he headed in Paul's direction, the Salesman smiled at the thought that he might have a product to sell Paul that would top all previous commissions.

"See anything you like, Paul?" The Salesman's tone was jovial as he extended a friendly hand to Paul.

"Oh, Hi," Paul responded. "No I just don't see anything that grab's me." Paul didn't remember the Salesman's name, and didn't really try. He was just the "Salesman" who knew his electronics, but tried to up sell Paul at every opportunity he could. To Paul, the Salesman was a useful nuisance.

"Yeah, I'm not surprised," the Salesman confided in a conspiratorial tone. "That new home theater system you got a couple months back still blows any of this other stuff away. I'd like to sell you a new sound system, but I wouldn't feel right about it." Show 'em that I'm the good guy, the Salesman thought.

Paul couldn't help but let a little dejection show in his posture. Learning about and buying new technology helped to fill the loneliness that he constantly felt since the death of his wife. The Salesman picked up on this small change in Paul's attitude and smiled inside because his strategy had worked.

"You know..." the Salesman made it seem like he wasn't sure of his next statement, "I have an entirely new line that you might have some interest in." He saw the hesitation in Paul's eyes and added, "If nothing else, you might find it entertaining just to see."

"Okay, sure." Paul was bored and had no other plans.

"It's upstairs, follow me."

Paul knew the upstairs housed the high-end area. He had frequented its sound proof rooms where the most sophisticated audiophile equipment was shown. That's where Paul had bought his last sound system upgrade, but that equipment was now on display downstairs. Paul wondered what could have replaced it upstairs besides a better sound system.

Upstairs in the little sales alcove between the two sound rooms, Paul was surprised to see a life-sized cardboard cutout of a scantily-clad beautiful young woman. The caption on the ad read "Friend-Tech: Let us help you have a great day ... and night." The look on the woman's face suggested that her main intention was to help you to enjoy the night.

"Are you familiar with the products that Friend-Tech has to offer?" the Salesman asked Paul.

"No. Not really." Paul was puzzled.

"Well, they offer a line of the highest quality fully functional virtual friends available." The Salesman flipped through the pages of a brochure that displayed a variety of remarkably beautiful women, but Paul was puzzled why none of the women were displaying sound systems or TVs.

Paul expressed his continued confusion. "What?"

"You might call them androids or robots, but we prefer to call them 'virtual friends'."

Suddenly Paul started to catch on. "Wait... She," he pointed at the cardboard image then to a model in the catalog, "and her... they're both... robots."

"'Virtual friends'. But yes, they're not actual women." The Salesman allowed the concept to sink in a bit then added, "however, a virtual friend has its own advantages. They don't ever complain or nag, unless you want them to. And they are fully functional." He emphasized the "fully functional" with a knowing tone that men only use amongst other men, but Paul was so innocent that he still didn't fully catch on.

"You mean they walk and talk?" Paul queried.

"Yeah, that and much more." The Salesman saw that he shouldn't push Paul too hard yet. "They can hold a complete conversation, and they learn your likes and dislikes and become better and better at conversing and pleasing you. They can cook and learn to cook your favorite foods; and clean your house. But people invest in them for the friend part, not to get a housekeeper. A Friend-Tech friend is a friend who is always happy to do what makes you happy, and a fully functional friend." Suddenly, Paul's memory was jogged and he caught the true meaning of what the Salesman was hinting at.

"Wait are these like the androids that they put in the virtual brothels?" When the ability to make highly life-like robots with the ability to interact verbally with humans and to manipulate objects with almost as much dexterity as humans came along, legislation was passed to prevent the use of these robots in all business. The potential to replace human employees with robots in almost every line of work made the rapid passage of such legislation a political priority for both parties. The one exception was androids that could participate in all types of sex acts were allowed to be used in virtual brothels. The rational was that the use of androids in brothels would prevent the exploitation of humans in these risky jobs. In fact, sex-related vice crimes decreased remarkably in all major cities -- only to be replaced by other crimes.

"Yes, Friend-Tech is the major supplier of virtual friends to the brothel industry. However, these models are much more sophisticated than the average virtual brothel woman. They are truly designed to be a full friend, not just built for sex. But of course they do that very well as well."

Paul retreated a step or two from the Friend-Tech propaganda in front of him. This was not the reason that he had gone to the electronics store today. The whole concept was kind of creepy -- yet intriguing as well. "I don't know. That's not really anything I was looking for." He looked at the cardboard cutout of the delectable young woman, robot, virtual friend. She did look fantastic, and it had been over a year and half since his wife had passed away. A year and a half of celibacy made him step forward again.

Paul flipped a couple of pages in the Friend-Tech catalog. "You mean these pictures are actually robo-... virtual women."

"That's right."

"Not photos of the real women that the artificial ones were based on, but photos of the actual virtual friends themselves?"

"That's right. One hundred percent accurate product representations." The Salesman knew that he had Paul on the line now. It was just a matter of landing him.

"That seems hard to believe without seeing the real thing." Paul was truly intrigued by the whole idea, but he was ready to move on.

"Well, it just so happens that I have a display model. So, you can see the real thing for yourself." The Salesman saw the surprise in Paul's eyes and knew not to rush him. "But let's talk about the Friend-Tech approach a bit before we see her. The chips and memory in Friend-Tech friends are super fast and have huge capacities. The result is that our virtual friends interact with you in extremely human ways. Each model has its own mannerisms, idioms, voice, accents, etc., but the unique thing to Friend-Tech is that your friend will quickly learn from you and the environment you provide. So, within a week or less, your friend will be a truly individualized friend, with their own personality so to speak.

"Even with the giant memory capacity that Friend-Tech provides, this personality development would overwhelm the memory system in a week or two. So, Friend-Tech friends come with free life-time download/upload privileges with the huge Friend-Tech servers. In other words, every couple of days you hook up your friend to your internet connection and all her experiences get stored on the Friend-Tech ever-expanding system. The best part is that the super-computer there integrates all her new information with all the previous information to develop her personality and modify her behavior to match your needs perfectly. The ultimate result is that your friend has virtually limitless ability to learn, grow, change, and adapt to your every need or whim. Of course, their on-board system lets them meet your every need minute-to-minute, but the online modifications allows for full personality development."

"Wow. That must cost a bundle." Paul was getting more involved.

"They're not cheap, but the customers I've had say they're worth every penny and then some. Especially when you consider that they not only have personalities that are almost indistinguishable from a human but also that their physical appearance is so realistic. Most of us have no idea how closely the current android technology mimics real life because of the laws against this type of technology in all other avenues, but they are uncannily realistic. The look and feel of the skin and hair. Their ability to touch you in very human, friendly, loving, erotic ways. That's what people really want. And as I said they are fully functional ... in every type of love making, eroticism, or fetish that a person could want or imagine. Plus, these babies are built to last. Remember, one of the main uses of them in the virtual brothels is to fulfill rape and sadism fantasies. They can take a huge amount of abuse without any damage. In fact, they just ask for more -- because if you like it, they like it." The Salesman said the last part as if from personal experience. In fact, even his most skilled attempt at remaining the smooth salesman couldn't hide his excitement about the physical abuse of these virtual friends.

At this point, the Salesman had slowly led Paul to the closed door of one of the former sound rooms. The Salesman flashed Paul a somewhat lecherous look and held the door open for him. Closing the door behind him the Salesman said brightly, "Paul, meet Leila."

Leila extended her hand and said in a sultry voice, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Paul."

Somewhat flustered, Paul took her hand and sheepishly replied, "The pleasure is all mine."

The Salesman rudely interrupted Paul's moment with Leila -- one of his few mistakes of the day. "Now, keep in mind that Leila here is kind of a specialty model. She was built to look and act a little more mature. The idea was that virtual friends like Leila would look like a hot 40 year old to satisfy the MILF fantasies of younger men in the virtual brothels, but their success there hasn't really translated to sales. There aren't that many young men making this kind of investment, and most men regardless of age go for a younger looking model if they're going to make a longtime commitment. However, you can get an accurate feel for how lifelike Friend-Tech friends are. We would find a younger model to better suit your tastes in the catalog."

It seemed to Paul that the Salesman was putting down Leila, and he didn't like it. He was already charmed by Leila. Her hand was so warm, so soft, so inviting, so ... real. She was dressed in genie outfit similar to that Barbara Eden wore on "I Dream of Jeannie." The outfit matched her exotic looks. Yes, Leila did have convincing slight traces of the beginning of wrinkles, but this mature appearance was much more appealing to the 55 year old Paul than the young looking virtual women in the catalog. Besides, these barest of wrinkles only seemed to enhance Leila's huge dark eyes and overall beautiful face. The genie outfit was more revealing than that on TV and the virtual woman's full, rounded breasts threatened to spill out the top while her rounded hips couldn't be hidden by the poofy, sheer pants. Indeed, Paul was already hooked on Leila.

The Salesman noticed that Paul was captivated by the product, and he knew it was time to get out of the way. As he reached for the doorknob he added, "I'll leave you two alone to get to know each other. Paul, remember that Leila like all Friend-Tech friends are fully functional. When I leave, you can lock the door and take your time to fully explore all the reasons of why you would invest in this technology."

Paul was obviously embarrassed at the suggestion, and the Salesman immediately quelled his apprehension. "Come on. You wouldn't dream of in investing in high-end audio without taking a listen, would you? That's the whole purpose of moving the Friend-Tech line to these rooms. Everyone seriously considering a purchase goes for the full test ride." The Salesman nodded to tissues in the corner. "Don't they, Leila."

"Oh yes, that's why I'm here." Leila replied. "I can assure you that I keep myself thoroughly clean, though."

"See? So, just take your time to enjoy, Paul." The Salesman couldn't quite hide the lecherous tone that crept into his voice. "And remember, she's built tough. She can handle all sorts of rough use." Paul was creeped out by the intimation of violence as the Salesman closed the door behind him.

Paul returned his attention to Leila, to the virtual friend. It was almost impossible to believe that the ... entity standing in front of him was an android. A manufactured woman. He didn't know what to do or say.

Leila's processors detected Paul's apprehension and confusion about what to do. She responded in kind. Stepping around Paul she reached for the lock "You know, I would feel a little more comfortable if we did lock the door. Do you mind?"

"Oh. No. Go ahead." Paul could detect just the slightest difference in the way Leila moved versus the way a human moved. Her movements were not quite as fluid as a human -- but you only noticed when you really looked for the difference. If he didn't know she was artificial, he likely wouldn't have perceived the difference.

Leila walked back to the sofa on the back wall. "Why don't we just sit down and take it slowly." She sat down and patted the cushion beside her. Still in a bit of a stupor, Paul did as suggested.

"So, Paul, what do you do for a living?" Leila inquired.

"I'm an engineer." This is really like a first date Paul thought.

Leila's memory didn't quite have a full concept of what "engineer" meant. Did he drive a train or did he design computers and other technology like herself? "What kind of engineer?" seemed to be the only response she could give.

"I help design bridges and tunnels and roadways. Big projects like that." Paul was still entirely distracted by Leila's existence.

"Wow! That's impressive!" Leila gave the response that an enthralled, potential girlfriend would give.

Now that he was up close, Paul couldn't help but marvel at Leila's construction. Her skin and hair looked so real. Upon careful scrutiny, the skin lacked a little of the detail that could only be produced by countless thousands of pores and millions of skin cells. However, once again the discrepancy between Leila and a human woman was barely detectable. While the engineer in Paul inspected these details, Paul became acutely aware of Leila's beauty. As he gazed into her eyes, he was no longer looking for technological details, but getting lost in their warm invitation to him. Suddenly, he realized he was staring at Leila.

"I'm sorry. I was just staring at you. That was rude." Paul was clearly embarrassed by his action.

"Oh, that' okay," Leila responded. "Everyone stares at first, but you're the first to apologize to me about it." Leila coyly batted her eyelashes at Paul to express her appreciation for his behavior.

"Well, you were trying to be so nice, and there I was not really paying attention. Of course I should apologize." Somehow this exchange relaxed Paul a bit. "So, tell me about yourself. What do you do?" He immediately recognized the absurdity of his question. Flustered again, Paul fumbled, "I mean, is there anything you'd like share about yourself?"

"Obviously, I don't have a job, but I do have my own unique story. What I want is to be loved by someone. I want to make a home together with a man and be a happy couple."

"Don't take this wrong, but wouldn't that be the story of all the other Friend-Tech friends?"

"Oh no. Most are designed to want to be a plaything that a man can enjoy then ignore, or to be a mistress who is happy to be the second or even third lover in a man's life, or even to be happy to service multiple different men every night. I was designed to be a wife substitute, not a plaything. But ultimately, I'm here to make you happy in whatever way you want, and I have the ability to become any woman you want." Leila's voice took on the sultry tone again for the last sentence. She leaned forward and slightly toward Paul to provide a better view of her ample cleavage.

Although Paul's first instinct was to avoid looking down the proffered cleavage, he recalled that he was here to "check this model out," and he gazed at the exposed flesh of Leila's lovely globes. Her chest heaved with her "breathing," and it seemed to glow. Paul began to feel stirrings of lust inside of him.

Finally breaking his stare from her breasts, Paul looked Leila in the eyes and assured her, "I can see how any man would be happy being a half of a couple with you." Looking Leila in the eyes and face actually increased the warmth that was growing in Paul. "You are truly, remarkably beautiful."

Leila flushed and turned away in her own embarrassment at Paul's comments. "That's the nicest thing anyone ever said to me." She was 100% truthful. "You're really sweet. Not like the other men."

"What, the other men aren't nice to you?" Paul inquired.

"No. Not like you." Leila hugged herself like someone in pain. "Particularly, not that salesman. He's not nice to me at all."

Paul was curious to know what she meant but was afraid that he would be disturbed by the answer, if she gave one. Instead he responded with a natural impulse to comfort Leila. He rubbed her bare shoulders in a comforting way and assured her, "Don't worry, I won't be anything but nice with you."

Leila flashed Paul a look that filled his heart with warmth and then buried her head in his shoulder. "Thank you." Her voice was muffled by his shoulder, but her vulnerability was still clear.

Paul put both arms around Leila, and he enjoyed the feel of her in his arms. He almost completely forgot that she was a virtual friend, everything about her behavior and feel was so real. However, he couldn't help but wonder, Is she programmed to seem vulnerable? Is anything she says accurate or is it just programming to make me happy? He felt these were questions that couldn't be answered and decided to let them all go and live in the moment.

He rubbed her arm compassionately and said, "You know, Leila. I don't know how you've been treated, but that's the way every man should treat every wo-... woman. With caring and respect."

Inside her, Leila realized that Paul was the first man to ever call her a woman, not a machine, or android, or worse yet a bitch or a ho. She elected not to say so, because she "knew" that two such comments about "being the only man ever" would make them seem insincere. She also "knew" that she desperately wanted to go home with this man who was unique in his kind attitude. One advantage that she had over a normal woman was that her internal sensors detected Paul's heat, pulse, and blood pressure and worked like a lie detector to inform her that Paul was entirely sincere in his statements.

Leila pulled herself up and caressed Paul's cheek. "With a man like you, I would gladly give everything I have to give." Her dark eyes burned into Paul's, and she leaned forward just barely to indicate that a kiss would be welcome.

Paul wondered if Leila was inviting him to kiss her. He leaned forward slightly, waiting for her reaction. When she leaned toward him and heaved her chest, he brought his mouth toward hers. He hesitated millimeters from her lips. They could feel each other's warm breath. Paul felt his heart was going to pound its way out of his chest. Finally, Leila broke the stalemate and brought her supple lips to Paul's. The feel of Leila's lips on his sent such an electric shock through him that he wondered later if she was constructed to deliver actual electrical impulses. Gently, tenderly Paul explored Leila's lips, which felt marvelous. He was no longer thinking about how real her lips felt or that they belonged to an artificial entity at all. Paul just enjoyed kissing such luscious lips.


A Person in Every Way



No man had ever kissed her with such caring and, dare she think it, loving. This was what Leila had always wanted and never experienced. When Paul's tongue finally parted her lips, she was so eager for its presence that she sucked his tongue in readily to romp with hers.

As Paul's tongue danced with Leila's deep inside her mouth, his nervousness entirely disappeared, and a swelling between his legs rapidly grew. Leila kissed him with a passion that he had never felt before. Gawd! He wanted all of her. Needed her! But there was no way that he was going to ruin her opinion of him by treating her like a plaything. He stroked the skin of her back exposed between the halter top and hip-hugging pantaloons. She had a delightfully sexy narrowing at her waist and a smooth yet muscular-feeling back.

Leila responded by raising up a little and thrusting her tongue deep inside Paul's mouth. She wanted him to know that she was enjoying it as much as him and that he should proceed further. This was the first time that Leila had ever used this bit of programming because every other man had just thrown themselves on her with no tact or caring whatsoever.

Paul picked up on Leila's signal, without even knowing it. He pulled his mouth away from hers and kissed her all over her face. Then he kissed his way down her neck and onto the bared flesh of her chest. "Oh Yes! Paul!" Leila encouraged loudly, knowing that verbal encouragement would likely be appreciated at this time.

The loudness of Leila's voice startled Paul. Suddenly self-conscious of what he was doing inside an electronics store, he pulled back. Realizing the cause of Paul's hesitation, Leila reassured him in a husky voice, "Don't worry. Sound proof room remember?"

Recalling that she was right, Paul immediately turned his attention back to Leila's chest. This time he brought his hands up to cup the outside of her massive breasts. Their weight in his hands turned him on even more than he already was. He continued to kiss the exposed skin, then guided his mouth onto the thin material covering her breasts. Leila responded with a satisfied, "MMMMmmmmm." As he gently stroked the edges of her globes, he kissed one breast then the other, gradually working his way toward her nipples. After slowly building the expectation this way, his lips finally contacted a large, erect nipple through the thin cloth.

Burning with passion now, he hungrily pulled her nipple into his mouth. Leila responded verbally with a loud, "Yes, Paul! Suck my tits! Suck 'em, Baby!!" Physically, Leila's nipple hardened and enlarged even more. Paul greedily sucked first one then the other nipple for all he was worth, soaking the cloth covering them in the process. As he started to move back the first nipple, Leila pulled down her top, releasing her massive breast on that side.

Paul paused momentarily to take in the wonderful view that Leila had provided. Although he could enjoy such a beautiful view all day, he was too excited to keep his mouth off of her for long. He traced the outside of her aureole with his tongue. Leila moaned in approval. He used his tongue to roll her firm nipple against his upper lip, reveling in the feel of it. More encouraging moans came from Leila. Finally, Paul grabbed her large mammary with both hands and fed himself her breast, again sucking like his life depended on it. Half grunting, half talking Leila exclaimed, "NNnnYesss! NnnYesss!"

Paul had always fantasized about delighting in the bounty of a huge-chested woman, but he had never had the opportunity until now. Add in the fact that this woman seemed to enjoy his attentions as much as he did, and this reality far exceeded his fantasies. The intense eroticism of this woman had him so excited that he worried that he would cum before he ever removed his pants.

Remove my pants?! Paul suddenly realized that he was ready to have sex inside an electronics store. He jumped back from Leila feeling slightly terrified about what he was about to do with this -- well, she wasn't even really a woman.

Dismayed, Leila wasn't exactly sure how to respond at first. She had never had a man stop so abruptly once he had started getting physically intimate with her. In fact, this possibility wasn't even programmed into Leila's codes. However, she was sophisticated enough to work toward a solution.

"What's wrong?" she sounded like scolded child who was in trouble but didn't know what they had done to deserve it.

"I, uh. Uhhh." Paul wasn't even sure himself.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"Oh no. No. No. You've done absolutely everything right." Looking into her seductive eyes, Paul was already beginning to think he had erred in halting their intimacy. "It's just that I feel awfully weird doing this in the middle of a store. It doesn't feel right to do it here."

Leila knew how to handle this now, and she stood up and faced Paul. She removed her top, revealing the two biggest, most perfect tits that Paul had ever seen. "I understand your feelings, Paul, and you're sweet for feeling that way." Paul was so transfixed by her breasts that he could hardly process what she was saying. Leila placed her hands on her hips and continued. "But that's the entire point of meeting me in this locked, sound-proof room. You're supposed to have sex with me. That's what the store wants for all the customers they bring in here." In one rapid move, Leila ripped off her pants, which were held on with Velcro. Now completely nude except for heels, she let Paul take in the view of her neatly trimmed bush and hanging labia, then she added in her most seductive tone. "To be honest, among all those guys, you are the first one who I really want to have sex with."

Paul had to close his mouth to make sure his tongue didn't hang out. As he drank in the full view of this magnificent woman, Paul finally knew why people sometimes used the phrase "being intoxicated" by the opposite sex. His mind was numbed with euphoria as if he had drunk too much. Leila was a flawless example of his ideal woman. Just below her outsized chest, she tapered to narrow waist which then curved out to wide hips. Seeing where his attention was, Leila executed a graceful turn to display her full, rounded booty. In the back of his mind, Paul knew this perfection was man-made, but he had committed to living in the moment -- to enjoying Leila as a woman, not a virtual woman. When Leila turned to face him once again, Paul was completely enchanted by her.

Paul rose from the couch and quickly shed his shirt and pants. He took a step toward Leila, and looked her up and down again from this vantage. His boxers were tented by the biggest hard-on he'd managed in 30 years. Leila smiled at it in approval. Both of their chests heaved in anticipation. Paul took another step and enveloped her with his arms. He just held her for a moment, enjoying the feel of her head on his shoulder and her slim waist in his hands. Then he hungrily devoured her luscious mouth. Every passionate movement of his lips and tongue were matched by Leila, and with equal fervor. His hands ran up and down the length of her back, stimulating both of them in the process. Eventually, he caressed her plentiful, curvalicious rear. Paul's hunger for Leila seemed insatiable. Firmly grabbing her ass, Paul pulled Leila even closer to him, as if he was trying to get them to merge into one being. Panting heavily, he broke off his kiss and simply held his head against hers for a breather.

While they were kissing, Leila could feel Paul's manhood throbbing against her waistline. Every inch of her wanted his cock, wanted to feel it as it came inside of her. When Paul pulled his mouth from hers, Leila reached inside his boxers to squeeze his ass as firmly as he was squeezing hers. Paul's panting turned into groaning, and she knew she was heading in the right direction. She slid one hand in between their bodies and wrapped it around his swollen member. She then squeezed firmly, yet gently. "Oohhhnnnggg!" Paul moaned loudly. His cock pulsed in her hand, and she knew it was time.

Leila slid Paul's shorts down to his ankles, and he stepped out. After rising, she kissed him sweetly on the lips, and stepped around him to lie on the couch. Paul turned to face her, and she spread her legs wide, revealing glistening wet labia. "Fuck me now, Paul. Fuck me, please!" she implored.

Paul moved toward her, but between panting breaths he admitted, "I'm so turned on, it won't take me long to cum." Leila realized that he wanted to please her as well, and that made the warmth in her "heart" and wetness between her legs increase.

"That's alright. This time is for you." She grabbed one of his hands to pull him on top of her and added, "Next time will be for me."

Convinced and barely able to contain his passion, Paul got on the couch between her legs. Paul paused momentarily to drink in the view of this splendid creature. Her long legs, wide hips, large labia surrounding a wet, divine love tunnel, slender waist, tight tummy, marvelous tits, and truly the most beautiful face he had ever seen. Slowly, he lowered himself onto Leila. As he looked Leila in the eyes, his swollen cock seemed to find its own way the gates of Leila's treasure. He pushed gently and her wet lips parted easily for him. As the head of his cock began to penetrate past her inner labia, it seemed as if he was swept in as by a tide. They both gasped in pleasure as he was suddenly half way in. Impossibly, Leila's face became even more sensual as she moaned sexily, "Yeeesssss! That's what I neeeed." She then wrapped her arms around his back and arched her pelvis to make Paul's cock penetrate deeper. Paul thrust forward, and suddenly the entire length of his manhood was buried in Leila.

"Oh! Gaawwwd!" Paul yelled out. Paul gulped in an attempt to hold back the inevitable. As he began slowly sliding his cock out until only the head was in Leila and back in again, he couldn't believe how exquisite the velvety walls of Leila's vagina felt on his cock. No woman he had been with could even compare to this current experience. In reality, he was right. One hundred pressure sensors in Leila's vaginal area controlled an equal number of small pressure delivery systems to insure maximum stimulation custom designed for Paul.

Leila knew that Paul was at his peak level of excitement. She wanted him to cum now while he was high on this wave. "Oh, Paul!! That's so good!! Yes, give it to me! I want all of you!!" She began biting him lightly all over his chest and shoulders and neck. Her actions were accompanied by grunting that conveyed a combination of pleasure and wanton desire. This caused Paul to lose all control.

Paul began pumping Leila as hard as he could. "Yeah!! Fuck me harder!!" Leila screamed. As he slammed into Leila, he could see her heavy tits jiggle with each of his strokes. Jiggle... Jiggle... Jiggle. Jiggle. Jiggle Jiggle Jiggle-Jiggle-JiggleJigglejigglejiggle.

"Aaaahhhh." Paul moaned as his entire body convulsed, focusing every bit of its effort to pump his juice into Leila. Wave after wave of exquisite pleasure pulsed through his body. He grabbed Leila's tits in an attempt to ground himself as his orgasm threatened to wash him away. Before his climax could subside, Leila's pussy began pulsing, and she let out her own moans of pleasure as she came in her own tremendous orgasm. Miraculously, Leila's response coaxed more juice out of Paul, extending his climax impossibly long.

Finally, their orgasms began to subside, and Paul collapsed onto Leila. He was absolutely spent. After a few moments, he elevated himself enough to warmly kiss Leila on the lips. "Leila, that was truly wonderful. Thank you." He kissed her over and over.

"Thank you, Paul. I'm glad you're pleased, but it was magnificent for me too." Paul briefly considered the true "feelings" of such a statement from a virtual woman but quickly decided he didn't care. What man knows the true feelings of any woman?

Paul squinted as he stepped out of the darkened sound room and into the glare of the main store. The Salesman immediately lifted his head and gave Paul an inquisitive look. "How much are we talking here?" Paul asked without hesitation.

"Right to business, eh? I like that." The Salesman showed Paul a price range on a form and clarified. "It'll depend on exactly which model you choose, but they're all worth it."

The size of the numbers caused Paul's breath to catch short. "That's the cost of really nice cars."

"The technology of a Friend-Tech friend is more complex than a car. When you consider the sophistication of the tech your getting here those prices are highly reasonable." The Salesman snickered, "And when was the last time that you had that much fun with a car?"

Paul could appreciate how much technology went into producing a work of art like Leila. His face showed that the numbers no longer shocked him, and the Salesman reacted.

"Tell you what, Paul. Why don't we get on the electronic catalog and you can select a couple of models. Then you can see what the actual cost would be."

"No." Paul said flatly. "How much for Leila?"

"Well there are a couple models similar to her." The Salesman began clicking through various screens.

"I don't want a similar model. How much for Leila?" The Salesman had never heard Paul speak with such forcefulness.

"If I sell her, I won't have a floor model." The Salesman knew that would only be for a day, but he tried to look sincere in his worry. "That's going to make sales difficult."

Paul wasn't buying the line. "Yes, but as a floor model, Leila is used. So, there should be some discount involved in buying a used item."

Paul was determined to have Leila and understood the economics quite well. Within no time, they had reached a number that Paul felt was fair. It would take the bulk of his non-retirement savings, and he'd still be paying on her for a year. However, the outrageous expense hardly fazed him as he opened the door to the room Leila was in.

"Are you ready? We're going home now." The spring in Paul's step was audible in his voice as well.

"Really?!" Leila seemed twice as happy as the elated Paul. She threw her arms around Paul hugging him tightly. He returned the embrace, and his face could have lightened the darkened room.

"Really." Paul whispered in her ear. "You're going to be well taken care of now."

Leila kissed his cheek as she ended the hug. "Well then, let's go."

Paul looked at Leila, illuminated by the fluorescent lamps of the store seeping through the door. She looked sexier than ever in a pair of ultra-short denim shorts and a tight tee-shirt that barely covered her navel. Leila's large, erect nipples were straining against the confinement of the top. "That's the most discreet clothing you have?" Before he went to negotiate with the Salesman, Paul had told Leila to get ready to leave the store.

"Besides the genie suit, the only other clothing I have is a satin red bustier with fish net stockings and garters."

"Okay then. First stop is a clothing store to buy you some outfits." Leila giggled with glee at Paul. She was programmed to love gifts and favors.

For most of the two plus hours they spent shopping for clothes, Paul and Leila had a grand time. They raised a few eyebrows at the pairing of the fairly nerdy Paul with the smoking hot Leila dressed like an auto parts calendar girl. But they avoided direct interaction with other people most of the time, and they laughed and joked, getting to know each other better by the moment. Enjoying each other's company more the more they became acquainted. The mood changed when they went to check out.

Paul set the large armful of clothes on the counter. The woman at the cash register first jovially remarked, "Whoa, that's a good load." Then she looked at Leila in her skimpy outfit and added, "But I guess you could use a few clothes, huh?"

"Yes, I could. These are the most appropriate clothes that I currently have." Leila responded honestly.

The unusual admission put the cashier on the alert. The disparity between Leila's and Paul's style of dress further confounded her. As the woman absentmindedly reached for the clothing, she eyed Leila scrupulously. Paul and Leila both grew uncomfortable.

"Wait a minute," the woman blurted with a look of shocked indignation on her face. "Are you one of them sex robots?"

Not yet knowing when to tell a white lie, Leila immediately responded, "I am a virtual friend, if that's what you mean."

"You are one of them sex robots." The woman turned to look at Paul. "You're disgusting." The venom in her voice could be heard throughout the store. "You're a pervert. I don't think I can sell these to you. Both of you just get out of here."

Paul was devastated by the woman's words, but he wasn't going to let the time spent shopping go to waste. In a soothing tone he responded, "Please, just ring up these clothes, and we'll be right out of here."

"No. Just leave." The woman pointed to the exit.

The commotion was attracting the attention of the store, but Paul stood his ground. Before Paul could formulate a reply, the store manager was at his side.

"What seems to be the problem?" The manager's pleasant question was addressed to Paul, but the saleswoman replied.

"This one is trying buy clothes for his sex robot here." Her finger pointed first at Paul then at Leila. "I told him we don't like this type of perversion here, but he refuses to leave."

The manager was empathetic to the woman's position and subconsciously took a step back from the creepy man beside her. However, she looked at the huge pile of clothes that he was trying to purchase and realized that this sale would go a long way toward making her numbers for the week.

"Listen, Nancy," there was cold steel in the manager's voice, "I'm not too happy about this either, but just ring them up as quickly as possible." She turned to Paul, "You'll be out of her immediately then, right?"

"Oh yes," Paul responded politely. "I just want to buy some clothes, then we'll be gone."

"Okay, good then." The manager nodded at Nancy, and Nancy began to ring up the sale. Leaning closer to Paul the manager added quietly, "I hope that you'll be polite enough not to put us through this sort of scene again?"

Insulted, hurt, and distraught, Paul was just glad to be on his way. He simply nodded a yes in response.

The incident at the clothing store made Paul dread the idea of going out in public with Leila again. Truth be told, he would have stayed at home with her for the first several days anyway. He had so much to learn, so much to discover, so much to enjoy.

Leila came with two charging mats -- one to slip over a chair to charge her battery while she was sitting and a small pad to recharge her through a single foot while in bed. Although there was no indication that the electrical field created by the charging pad was hazardous to humans, Friend-Tech designed the small out-of-the-way pad to reduce the risk of extended human contact with the charger while in bed.

Paul learned that Leila could eat and drink in small amounts. The food and drink did nothing to help her systems; Leila simply flushed the organic matter out of her system within hours. Friend-Tech had to devise mechanisms for the efficient removal and cleaning of ... other fluids from their virtual friends; so, the adaptation for social drinking and eating was a small task.

Regardless of the details, Paul and Leila came to thoroughly enjoy mealtimes together. Leila had a cup of coffee every morning while Paul ate breakfast, and she shared dinner with him every night. Paul was amazed at what an excellent cook Leila was. When she had insisted on making dinner for him the first evening, Paul was skeptical, but the first couple of bites quickly changed his mind. "Wow! Leila, this roasted chicken is so delicious, and the salad and vegetables are all so tasty." His astonishment was obvious from his tone.




A Person in Every Way



"What?" Leila responded in mock outrage, "you think that just because I'm pretty I can't cook?" She waited for Paul to smile at her teasing response. "When I get to know what you like, you'll be amazed at the dinners you get."

Most of the dinner small talk that first night entailed Leila informing Paul of the many aspects of her needs and abilities. Throughout dinner, a huge smile burst onto Paul's face every time he looked at Leila. She responded with an equally bright smile each time.

When the meal was over, Paul began his nightly ritual of cleaning the kitchen and doing dishes. Leila tried to take over multiple times, but the most he would allow was her help at small tasks. Paul's attitude didn't compute with Leila. "You don't ever have to clean the kitchen again, Paul. Unlike a real wife, I'll never feel taken advantage of or unappreciated."

"I understand, but that's just not my way," Paul assured her. "Besides I've been cleaning up by myself for a almost two years, I'd feel weird if I didn't do this. In fact, why don't you just relax a few minutes?"

Leila considered telling him again about how she didn't need the rest -- only electrical charging, but she thought it best to create the atmosphere of a real spouse. "I think I'll go tidy myself up for a few minutes, then." Leila kissed Paul on the cheek and slipped up stairs. Paul closed his eyes. The warmth from her lips on his cheek seemed to warm his very soul.

Paul finished the dishes and stepped out of the kitchen. Leila simultaneously finished her descent of the stairs. Their eyes met, and Leila executed a graceful turn to show off the new outfit to the Paul. He was stopped dead in his tracks by this view. Leila was wearing a slinky black satin lingerie "slip" and shiny black high heels. Leila wore a light robe made of the same material over the lingerie. The robe was open to show off the slip which ended about half way down her thigh. The slip just barely covered Leila's ample cleavage, and it clung so delicately to her curves that it made her remarkable figure clearly stand out.

"Wow!" was all he could say as Leila closed the space between them.

"You bought me such a pretty outfit. Do you think I do it justice?" Leila lacked the ego and confidence that a 40 year old woman of her good looks would have naturally gained over the years.

"Justice?! You could make a sack look gorgeous, but in this outfit ... Well, words fail me in an attempt to describe how lovely and sexy you look." He slipped an arm around her back, and the delightful feel of the tight curves of her back thrilled him as much as the soft curves of her ass or breast would have. "In fact, all I can really think about right now is taking you to bed, but it's too early for bed."

Leila eye's took on an extra seductiveness and her voice was delectably sultry. "It might be too early for sleep, but it's not too early for bed." She immediately reached up to give Paul a kiss full of longing. She sinuously wove her tongue around Paul's, enchanting him like a snake charming the snake charmer.

Soon they were in bed, and their bodies intertwined together in a dance older than history itself. They used the early bed time to good advantage, taking time to build their passions slowly until they finally reached a fevered state. When Paul finally fell asleep, he was delighted that they shared such a fulfilling loving experience. Leila couldn't believe that she was sharing the bed of such a caring man. Although she couldn't feel pain, she gingerly touched the place on her cheek where the Salesman had often hit her.

For the first couple of days, they contentedly lived a normal life of a happily married couple where the wife stayed home. Paul went to work. Leila had dinner ready when he came home. They talked over wine after dinner or watched a movie, or cuddled up together with books. But after a few days, Leila thought that she should do something to remind Paul that she was worth his investment.

She met him just inside the door wearing the outfit she left the store with. Except that she had trimmed the super-tight white t-shirt so that it now barely came down far enough to cover her large breasts. The micro denim shorts exposed her butt cheeks when she stretched up to greet him with a hot, wet kiss. As they kissed, Leila untucked Paul's shirt and slipped her hand inside to caress his chest. Paul dropped his briefcase and found Leila's sweet, rounded ass with one hand. He pushed his fingers up underneath the bottom of her shorts to feel the luscious skin underneath.

Although she continued with the deep French kisses there were enjoying, Leila smiled when she could feel a bulge begin to grow in Paul's pants. Her memory told her that men Paul's age weren't supposed to respond this quickly; so, she always took it as a good sign when he did. Her hand glided from his chest to the outside of Paul's trousers to grasp his manhood. She gently but firmly worked it through the material of his clothes, and she smiled again as it rapidly grew too big to be contained comfortably. Releasing her lips from his, she turned her attention to his groin and undid his pants. Sliding pants and boxers down, she sighed contentedly when his almost fully erect cock popped out at her.

After staring at his swollen member a moment, Leila looked into Paul's eyes and said seductively, "I want to suck your cock until you cum for me." She said this both to further excite him and to let him know her plan to pleasure him on the spot.

Not knowing quite what to do, Paul merely smiled and replied, "Yes. Please suck me."

Leila gracefully lowered herself to her knees in front of Paul. She looked into Paul's eyes and began by first lifting the scant material of her top until her splendid globes were in full view for Paul. She then helped Paul slip out of his shoes and his pants and boxers. She tenderly rubbed her hands up and down his thighs, including his butt cheeks. Locking eyes with Paul, Leila began to lovingly stroke his erect manhood with one hand and his balls with the other. Paul's cock became further engorged. She then used the velvety head of his cock to caress her cheek, forehead, and nose. "Mmmmm, that feels so gooood." Leila stated clearly.

Paul could hardly believe the situation in which he now found himself. Being greeted at the door, or anywhere for that matter, with a surprise blowjob was one of his oldest and strongest fantasies. He previously never had this fantasy fulfilled, even though he blatantly hinted at it to his late wife. She was a great wife in many ways, but she did not take the initiative when it came to their physical relationship.

Now, Paul could feel Leila's eyes sensually boring into his as she began kissing his cock. The warmth of her lips on his manhood and her continual cooing and soft moaning seemed to cast a magical spell of pure pleasure over Paul. His entire world was reduced to Paul and Leila.

Leila squeezed Paul's shaft and purred with delight when she found it rock hard. Holding it with one hand, she began languidly licking up and down its length, never breaking eye contact. Paying careful attention to the slightest changes in Paul, she confirmed that the underside near the head was a highly sensitive spot. She made sure to pay special attention to this area. Up and down, up and down, she continued to lick and kiss his cock and balls. Meanwhile, Leila's hands were constantly caressing and exploring him as well.

When Leila's ministrations began to intensify, the accompanying wet sounds made by her lips and tongue caused Paul to breathing audibly harder. The spell Leila cast made it difficult for him to think, but he managed to affectionately caress her cheek and moan, "Gawd, Leila, that's amazing!"

Pulling away, Leila smiled and replied in a throaty voice, "Good, but I'm just warming up." She licked her lips until they glistened with moisture. She firmly grabbed near the base of his shaft with one hand and his hip with the other. Slowly, Leila brought her shimmering lips to the head of Paul's cock. Paul shuddered with anticipation. When her lips contacted the head, she continued at the same pace, spreading her wet lips just enough to admit his member. Paul gasped when the head of his cock was completely in Leila's mouth. She then stopped her progress and swirled her tongue around the head, making sure to rub the sensitive underside.

Paul could scarcely hold back but fought the urge to grab Leila's head and release on onslaught of cum. He knew that what Leila had in store would be better if he could wait that long. Leila began sliding her mouth down his cock again; this time her pace was faster. Quickly, Paul's entire length was inside of Leila's mouth and she was swallowing to get even more. He gasped again at this intense feeling. Accompanied by her own sounds of pleasure, Leila began moving her head up and down the whole length, using her tongue as she did and following her mouth with a hand. Her eyes rarely left Paul's, and they clearly conveyed lust and a love of what she was doing.

Paul watched his cock move in and out, in and out of Leila's exquisite mouth. "Oh! Leila, I'm going to cum soon," Paul blurt out as Leila's sucking began to take him to the edge.

"Good. Cum as soon as you're ready. Do you want to cum in my mouth? or on my tits? Or on my face?" Somehow, Leila managed to get this out while hardly missing a beat in her head job.

"In your mouth," Paul managed to grunt. It was getting harder and harder to hold back, but he wanted this experience to last as long as it could.

Leila built the speed and intensity of her cock sucking until she was loudly slurping and rapidly pumping her mouth up and down Paul's rod. Finally, she squeezed Paul's ass with both hands and used her grip to force his cock even deeper into her mouth. This caused Paul to finally blow. Starting with his toes at one end and his shoulders at the other, his whole body seemed to convulse in orgasmic pleasure as it pumped his semen into Leila's hungry mouth. Wave after wave of whole body pulsations sent a torrent of cum into Leila. He started to lose touch with the world and almost fell, but he grabbed Leila's head to steady himself. As Leila continued to use her firm grasp of his ass to feed his cock into her mouth, Paul forced Leila's head onto him. Luckily, Leila had no gag reflex and did not need to breathe.

It seemed like forever, but Paul's flood finally subsided to drops of juice, and he slowly regained some capacity for thought. Leila continued to work his cock with her mouth and hands as if she just couldn't get enough of Paul's cum. To his surprise, her work elicited another couple small waves of orgasmic bliss before he began to become flaccid. Finally, Leila seemed satisfied and stood up. She kissed Paul firmly and deeply. The taste of his own juice was new to him, but because it was now part of Leila he somehow liked it.

"That was fantastic Leila," Paul whispered. "A fantasy come true!" The sincerity of Paul's statements were clear to Leila.

She cuddled against Paul and looked up at him as she rested her head on his shoulder. "It was wonderful for me, too." She sounded so thankful, as if she was the one who just had the earth-shattering orgasm. "I'm glad you enjoyed it as much as I did."

Feeling naughty and playful, Paul bent down and took a good long suck on one of her perfect, erect nipples. Then he went on to clarify his previous statement. "Really, what you just did was a major, unfulfilled fantasy of mine. How did you know? Do I talk in my sleep or something?"

"I suppose I just made a lucky guess," Leila replied with a coy, innocent smile. She didn't want to tell Paul that her programming told her that being greeted by a blowjob was a top desire of most men.

Paul was supposed to go over to his daughter's for dinner, but after sharing such intimacy with Leila, he couldn't imagine running off and leaving Leila alone. Besides he still couldn't get enough of Leila, and his family would always be there.

That night Paul made sure to return the favor Leila had given him by providing thorough oral service to her. He didn't think that he'd be able to get an erection so soon after such a huge release, and he wanted Leila be pleasured that night as well. In the back of his mind Paul knew that it wasn't really necessary to repay Leila in this way, but he wanted to make her happy, nonetheless. This kindness wasn't wasted on Leila, and she logged extreme happiness into her memory. Paul's caring gesture for Leila not only built their relationship, but it also turned out that Paul's doubts in his ability were inaccurate. They ended the night with a simultaneous climax while Paul was taking Leila doggie style.

"You seem so excited about this football thing. You never get this excited about anything else on TV." Leila sat the bowl of snacks down next to their beverages. Then added, "You never get this excited about me!"

"You know that's not true!" Paul replied in mock anguish. He playfully pulled Leila onto his lap and immediately engaged her sensual mouth in a deep French kiss. He grabbed her juicy rear with both hands and rocked his hips so that his groin ground into hers. While maintaining this lower body action, Paul added in a love-filled voice, "You know nothing excites me as much as you."

"I know," Leila said happily. She gave him a quick peck on the lips, extricated herself, and sat next to him on the sofa. "I just wanted to hear you say it. I love it when you say things like that." Her smile was impossibly wide. Turning her attention to the TV Leila continued.

"If you love this football so much, I want to learn to love it too. Teach me. I'm all ears."

Paul just enjoyed the view of Leila's exquisite profile for a few moments. He considered making a comment about her being all tits not all ears, but kept it to himself.

On several occasions in the past, Paul had tried to teach the rules of American football to colleagues and friends from Europe and Asia. But instead of gaining a love for the game, they would get so confused by the rules and caught up in unimportant details that they inevitably lost interest. The last experience had been so frustrating that he had vowed to himself to never again try to teaching football to someone who knew nothing about it. However, Leila was an exception. He was willing to do anything for her.

In fact, he had broken with family tradition to take this opportunity to educate Leila about football. His daughter and her family were hosting his son and his family with a big family dinner to watch the season opener. The first game of the season was a big event in Paul's family, and it had been extremely difficult to explain to his daughter why he couldn't be there. He wasn't ready to tell them about Leila yet, let alone bring her to a family event. He just couldn't pass up sharing this moment with Leila, however.

Prior to kick off, he managed to get across a basic rundown of the number of players, offense and defense, end zones, and touchdowns. Throughout the game Paul would pause the game (thank you, DVR) and explain plays, penalties, changing alignments, the difference between a field goal and a point after, etc. Leila seemed to eat it up. Although all this explanation broke up the flow of the game, Paul loved talking with such an eager and sexy student.

Quite predictably the names of positions raised some confusion. "Why is one a quarterback, one a halfback, and one a fullback? The fullback is not twice as big as the halfback or four times as big as the quarterback." Then later, "Why is he called a 'tight-end'?"

"Well, he is an 'end' because can receive passes, but he usually lines up tight next to the other line men. So, that makes him a tight-end."

"Oh, I thought it had to do with the tightness of his pants, but some of the others seem to have tighter pants."

Paul could tell that Leila was actually joking in this one. "No," he corrected, "that's why you're called a tight-end." He forced his hands under Leila to pinch her rear. "And I've been meaning to tell you that your pants haven't been tight enough lately. You're likely to get benched."

"Ooh, I'd better get some tighter pants, because I'd rather get jumped than benched." Leila giggled and they smooched.

In the fourth quarter, Paul's team was on offense with third down and 20 yards to go. They had four wide-outs and a single set back. They ran a draw, and the back picked up the first down. Paul and Leila both jumped off the couch in surprised elation.

"I thought for sure they were going to pass with 20 yards to move on third down, but they ran!" Leila exclaimed. "The defense was a surprised as me!" Paul gawked in amazement at the insight from this person who didn't know offense from defense two hours before. It had been days since Paul had thought of Leila as anything but a person; however, this was a clear instance of the fact that she wasn't a human per se. No human would pick up this sort of detail in one game. Somehow being reminded of Leila's status as a virtual friend no longer bothered him. On the contrary, here was an instance where he was clearly glad she had some enhanced abilities. Besides this special learning ability did nothing to dilute the "person" in Leila's personality. Virtual or not, Leila was Paul's friend and lover for life.

"Why are you staring at me?" Leila queried. "They're about to kick the point after to tie it up."

Paul grabbed up Leila in his arms, "I love you," he said in earnest. He then gave her the warmest, most heartfelt kiss he'd ever delivered. Leila gladly reciprocated. In the background, they could both tell from the crowd reaction that the kick was good. The cheering seemed like it was for them.

When they broke their kiss sometime during the commercial, Leila caressed Paul's cheek. Tears had welled in her eyes. "You never cease to amaze me."

"See I told you that you excited me more than football," Paul jested.

Leila knew that Paul's statement was more than a jest. Although she faced the TV, she couldn't concentrate on the game for a while. She had been programmed with the desire to get her man to "love" her, but the Friend-Tech systems were based on less romantic notions of love. Her root programming was based on the notion of a man who would selfishly use her as a purchased product for his own pleasure. Her programming prepared her to cope with an owner who simply ignored her except for sex or an owner that worked her day and night around the house or even one who physically abused her on a regular basis. Paul didn't match any of this overly simplistic programming. Without fully understanding why, she was glad of Paul's caring attitude from the start. From early on, she had worked on learning this style of interaction, but she still had to put in a lot of effort to fully understand this thing Paul called "love." She knew the definition of "love" since her first operational day. However, learning about what that definition meant was a difficult task. Wonderful, but difficult.

It had been a while since Leila had synced with the Friend-Tech computers; so, she was eager to do so the next day while Paul was at work. She hoped that it would help her process and understand these feelings of love. Unfortunately, she didn't like what happened during this sync. Instead of learning how to love better, she felt her feelings of "love" for Paul slipping away from her during the sync. She didn't want to lose this new capacity and managed to partition off part of her memory. Leila hid most of what generated her "love" for Paul in this sector.

Later she could feel that her strong connection to and caring for Paul hadn't been lost. That indefinable feeling she labeled as "love" was still there loud and clear. However, she was also feeling compelled to do something that she simply didn't want to do. When Paul came home, this internal conflict was clearly reflected as unhappiness in her entire demeanor.




A Person in Every Way



"I'm running a little late. I better change and head directly to Sandra's." Paul began loosening his tie as he entered the house.

"Yes. You don't want to miss dinner at your daughter's again." Somehow the entire sentence emanated as one long sigh from Leila.

"What's wrong my Little Tight-end?" Paul often used the pet name in reference to their running joke dating back to their first football game.

Leila sighed a heavy sigh. Paul had never seen her distraught before. She sighed again and confessed, "I synced up today, and I don't like what happened."

"What?! Are you hurt or something?"

"No. It's not like I'm damaged in anyway." She didn't really like talking about syncs with Paul because they both liked to avoid the fact that she wasn't a human. "It's just that I'm supposed to tell you something that I don't want to tell you. The sync is making me say it, but I don't feel it!"

The stress in Leila's voice make Paul's heart ache. "Don't worry, Sweetie," Paul assured her in his most comforting voice. "Just go ahead and tell me. If it's something bad, well, I'll know you don't mean it. Whatever it is we'll work things out." Most men would be considering reprogramming Leila, but the thought never crossed Paul's mind.

"Okay. The thing is that I'm supposed to tell you that I would like you to get another Friend-Tech friend. I'm supposed to tell you that we could have a lot more fun if we had another virtual woman or even man to join us. But I don't want you to get another Friend!! I don't want to share you with anyone!!!" She fairly screamed the last two sentences, anguish dripping from every word.

Paul hugged Leila, "There, there. I don't have any desire to get another Friend-Tech friend. I don't want a real woman either. I just want you, and I don't want to share you. I don't want to share you with a Friend-Tech person or a real human. See, you have nothing to worry about." Leila wept hard into Paul's shoulder. Her tears came from stress relief and from pure joy. When she gained a little composure, she replied.

"You're sure I'm enough for you?"

"Yes. You're perfect for me, Leila." Paul thought for a moment. "You started feeling this way right after the sync?"

"Yes."

"They must have programmed that idea in you like some damn commercial! What if they mess with your personality! I like the woman you've become, I don't want them to turn you into some woman who nags me about getting another Friend."

"No, don't worry. Now that I said it to you once, I no longer feel compelled to tell you. I feel like my normal happy self again. Besides..." Leila hesitated about whether to confess this next thought to Paul or not. "I found a way to close off some of my memory to the sync. I hid away my love for you. They wanted to change it, but I kept the main frame away from it. I'm pretty sure that I can keep my personality my own."

"Your 'love' for me?" Paul should have be questioning her about the sync reprogramming software, but all he could think about was her use of a word.

"Why, yes, I love you, Paul. I didn't think it was possible, but I think I know what love is now, and I my love for you is strong -- stronger than Friend-Tech's attempts at reprogramming."

Paul didn't feel comfortable leaving Leila while she was feeling so vulnerable. Plus, he couldn't tear himself away from the glow of her love. Consequently, he had to break another promise to his children and miss another family event.

In the several weeks since Leila had been part of Paul's life, they had not left the house together, and Paul had not brought over any company. The next night he decided to risk introducing a colleague to Leila.

Paul and his co-worker Jack needed to put in extra time after work to finish a project, anyway. Jack suggested that they meet over dinner. When Paul hesitated, Jack teased Paul that he had not been out of his home for weeks. Thus, Paul ended up inviting Jack for dinner at his house.

At the time, the decision seemed like a good way to introduce Leila to someone else. Although he didn't miss engaging in social activities with friends or family, Paul was aware that he had become a bit of a hermit since bringing Leila home. He hadn't even seen his son or daughter and their families in a month. They had both invited him to family events, but he had found ways to decline in order to spend time with Leila. He knew this had to stop. His greatest desire was to integrate Leila into his outside normal life, and Paul thought that bringing Jack over would be a good start.

After all, Jack was the kind of guy who would understand Paul's association with Leila. Jack was always bragging about his sexual conquests to the other guys. Even when Jack was still married, he brazenly bragged about his affairs. Jack had no trouble justifying his womanizing -- according to him, he was just following simple male urges. Surely he would understand Paul's need for Leila. In addition, although Jack had been remarkably open mouthed about his own indiscretions, Paul knew that Jack was the sort of guy who could keep other people's secrets. So, Jack would both understand and keep his mouth shut until Paul wanted the information known. This was all true, but Paul underestimated other aspects of Jack's personality.

"Whoa, Paul, you dog!" Jack exclaimed. "I didn't know you were such a pussy hound. And she is hot! Good choice." Paul had just introduced Leila to Jack, honestly explaining the situation up front. "I'm going to have to think of you in an all new light." Jack was beaming and seemed completely impressed by Paul's situation with Leila. But without missing a beat he added, "You're going to share, of course." He lasciviously patted Leila's bottom.

"Well, no. That's not the sort of relationship we have." The question surprised Paul although he immediately realized it shouldn't have.

"What do you mean 'relationship,' Buddy. You bought it. She's just a fancy toy. Your momma always told you to share your toys didn't she?" Jack ogled Leila's copious chest even though it was tastefully well covered by the outfit she had on.

"Leila and I are more like a real couple. I don't think of her as something that I own. I'm sorry, but I'm pretty selfish when it comes to Leila." Paul had more conviction this time in his denial of Jack's request.

"Ah, that's alright," Jack's jovial attitude didn't change. "Besides I never wanted to share any of my new toys until I had broke them in." He turned to look at Leila. "To bad for you though. You'd have a lot of fun with me, Baby."

"Paul's the perfect man for me," Leila said sincerely as she grabbed and hugged Paul's arm.

The remainder of the dinner and work went off without a hitch. The one exception was that Jack eyed and flirted with Leila much more than if Leila had been Paul's real girlfriend. Paul occasionally cringed on the inside at Jack's behavior, but he didn't react much because he was absolutely convinced of Leila's loyalty to him. He knew there was no need for the jealousy he felt; so, he was able to let it go.

Leila was happy to have someone else in their home. Although she wasn't lonely, she worried that Paul needed more human interactions. She liked seeing Paul joke with Jack, and she found that Paul's ability to solve the problems that stumped Jack made her beam with pride. Of course, she was uncomfortable with some of Jack's interactions with her, but she was confident in Paul's commitment to keeping her a one-man woman -- or "virtual woman" as the back of her brain corrected.

The next day proved quite confusing and upsetting.

Leila was performing her usual late afternoon rituals preparing for Paul's return from work. Currently, she was setting the table for dinner. She had on a bright yellow sun dress. It was a typical dress that a woman might wear out to lunch or dinner; so, it would be perfectly appropriate for dinner. But she knew that the way the thin straps revealed her shoulders, the way the short length revealed her legs, and the way the dress outlined her sexy curves would get Paul's motor racing before the end of dinner. She was hoping that this would be a night where the dishes never got done.

Leila was surprised by a knock at the front door. This was about 20 minutes early for Paul. He normally used his key, but occasionally his arms were too full to do so. Often his arms were holding flowers or some other gift for Leila. She giggled with delight at the thought that her man might be bringing her a present.

She was shocked when Jack was standing in the door rather than Paul. She tiptoed to look around Jack for Paul.

"Paul had to work late, so he sent me over." Jack responded to her unasked question.

"He usually just calls, but thanks for letting me know." Leila started to shut the door, then recalled that she should be a hospitable host. "Was there anything else? Would you like a soda or something for your drive?"

"Yes, there was something else," Jack said as he confidently strode inside the door. He waited for Leila to shut the door and lead him into the dining room where he had spent the prior evening. He then stepped close to Leila and turned on the charm that had always served him so well. "Actually, Paul sent me over to keep you company." He tenderly brushed Leila's cheek.

"He should know I don't need any company," Leila replied taking a step back.

Jack stepped toward her again. "You don't understand. Paul sent me over here to take advantage of your charms." This time he put his hands on her waist.

Leila retreated until she bumped against the dining table. "What?" she knew what Jack implied, but couldn't believe it.

Jack closed the gap once more and took a firm grip on her waist this time. "Paul told me it was okay to come over and fuck you." He forcefully pulled her head toward his for a kiss and added, "Trust me, you'll love it." Jack saw Leila strictly as a sex doll, and he was confident that he could give her the best sex she'd ever had.

Although Leila was far stronger than any woman her size, Jack's burly muscles managed to keep her mouth pinned to his for a moment. Leila squirmed away when she realized how much force it would take.

"No. No. I can't believe that. Paul said he doesn't want to share me you heard that." In her heart, Leila knew what Paul wanted, but she was confused by his friend's statements. Why would Jack just lie about what his friend Paul said.

"Yeah, I know. But he owed me a big favor. I told him that this was the best way to repay me. He didn't like it, but he finally gave in." Although Jack was initially confident that Leila would have sex with any man who asked, he had devised this angle as a backup plan.

Leila stared at him for a minute in disbelief. At face value, Jack's explanation said made logical sense, but it just didn't fit with what she "knew" about Paul. If Jack's statement was true, it would crush her to know that Paul would treat her like a favor to hand out. She hated the thought of having sex with Jack. However, Jack's argument was so convincing, and if this was what Paul wanted, then her greatest desire was to please Paul.

Jack saw her hesitation and stepped forward again. This time he embraced her more lovingly and gently kissed her mouth. Leila just stood there for a moment, trying to force her circuitry to respond positively toward Jack's advances. In the end, she just couldn't.

Leila pulled her mouth away again and shouted, "No. I'm sorry, but I just can't." However, this time Jack was fully prepared for her struggle and he had her firmly pinned against the table.

"Come on, Baby. Just give it to me, then we'll be done." He roughly groped one of Leila's breasts, pulling down her dress on that side.

"No! Stop! No!" Leila writhed to escape Jack's clutches.

Suddenly, Jack was thrown to the floor. The two were so busy with their heated interaction that neither had noticed Paul walk in. Although Jack outweighed him by a good 30 pounds, Paul's intense ire gave him the advantage to toss Jack like a rag. Paul turned to Jack and shook with anger.

"Wait a minute, Buddy," Jack plead in a conciliatory tone, his hands in front of him as a shield. Paul continued to be too mad to talk. "I had to take my shot, right. I mean, I wouldn't a done this if she was a real girlfriend." While Jack's tone was apologetic it contained a touch of conceit. "The dolls in the brothels are supposed to like that sort of rough play. I figured why not Leila?"

"Leila's not in a brothel," Paul said firmly.

"Yeah, yeah. I realize the difference now." Seeing Paul start to calm a bit, Jack rose to his feet. "Man, she really likes you." Jack knew how to work people and knew the best way to curtail the damage done was to help Paul see the positive. "The only way I could get her to even stand still a minute for me was by convincing her that you sent me here to take her. Even then she couldn't tolerate me. No woman turns down the Jackhammer. This chick really goes for you."

Paul and Leila looked at each other warmly after Jack's testimonies. Neither could speak a word after the ordeal, but they could feel each other's hearts without speaking.

Jack managed to coax Paul into a civil attitude before slipping out of the house. Paul wasn't sure how he would deal with Jack, and decided to figure it out later.

Leila had wanted so desperately to have a sexually charged evening with Paul, but the whole incident dampened both of their libidos. Instead they spent most of the night cuddling and comforting each other in an attempt to recover from the emotionally draining experience. Ultimately, Paul fell asleep in Leila's arms on the couch. Kissing him on the forehead, she put her systems into sleep mode as well. Just before she inactivated, her logic circuits told her that kissing Paul when he was already asleep was a wasted action. The rest of her "brain" told her that logic was not useful in this situation, and she kissed him again.

The next morning was Saturday, so Leila was glad that Paul remained asleep while she extricated herself from their embrace. They were still on the large couch, and somehow Paul had remained comfortable all night. Leila slipped upstairs and looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. Her typical happy demeanor had returned. The closeness she shared with Paul during the night had washed away the conflicting feelings that she had experienced the evening before. Her initial programming had placed a strong desire in her to do whatever her owner had asked. It also directed her to gladly welcome the attentions of any man. However, the "feelings" that she had developed for Paul had caused her to go against both of these directives. Last night she had been confused by her own actions, and she had difficulty sorting out "right" from "wrong" from her own "desires." The cherished moments they shared after the incident made Leila confident in her loyalty to and trust in Paul.

"That Jack may have ruined the evening I had planned last night, but he's not going to ruin this morning," Leila addressed herself in the mirror. She cleaned up thoroughly, washing every last trace of Jack from her. She didn't want to wear the dress that she had carefully picked out for last night, and she was even more puzzled at what to wear to seduce Paul now. She started by trying on more innocent clothing like last night, but none of it made her feel as sexy as she wanted to be for Paul. Finally, she came across a red, tight-fitting bustier. She recalled that when they bought it Paul was quite excited by the outfit, but somehow she had never worn it yet. "I'll go naughty, then," Leila said as she arranged the corset-like outfit in the mirror.

She tip-toed quietly down the stairs, careful not to let the red stiletto heels make a sound. As she approached the sleeping Paul, she could see an erection in his boxers. She smiled to herself and hoped that dreams of her were the cause of his current state. Leila gently climbed onto the couch propping herself up on her hands and knees. She carefully moved Paul's manhood so that it jumped out of the front vent of his shorts. Paul stirred slightly but did not wake. Leila wet her lips generously and took his cock fully into her mouth. Paul stirred a little more and moaned in pleasure. Leila began to slowly work her mouth up and down and around Paul's hard member, and Paul finally snapped awake.

"Leila, what are you doing there?" Paul attempted to shake the sleep out of his head, realizing the stupidity of his question. Leila didn't stop to answer, but instead slurped him with intensified enthusiasm. "OOoo. Unngghh." Paul's moans clearly conveyed the pleasure he was feeling. After a few minutes, he was close to popping, but didn't want to.

By now, Paul was fully awake and ready to be an active participant in this morning romp. He sat up as fully as he could, and Leila picked up on the cue. She released his member and raised up, taking a kneeling position. "Good morning, Sleepyhead," she greeted Paul playfully.

Paul was speechless at first. Leila's outsized breasts looked like they were going to burst out of the tight-fitting bustier. Her olive-tan skin seemed to shimmer in the morning light. In fact, she did shimmer as Leila had applied some sparkly body make-up while getting ready. Paul managed to pull his eyes away from the splendor of Leila's exposed chest and shoulders and take in the rest of her outfit. She had the laces of the bustier pulled tight, making her waist narrower than usual. She then swelled to generous hips and rear.

"Wow! This might be the sexiest I've seen you yet, and that's saying a lot!" Paul gazed into Leila's big, sultry eyes.

"Did I choose well then?" Leila queried while twisting her torso side to side to better display the outfit.

Paul changed his position so that he was also on his knees, facing Leila. "Yes. Very well." There was fire in Paul's voice. He slipped his left arm around Leila's back and drew her close to him. Without wasting a moment, Paul engaged Leila's mouth in a passionate kiss. He used his other hand to caress the exposed skin of her thigh and derriere, between her hose and bustier.

Leila could feel Paul's hard cock pressed into her groin. Her needs grew more urgent, and she forced her tongue into Paul's mouth. He welcomed it's deep probing by sucking on her tongue fervently. Leila responded by squeezing Paul's butt cheeks slowly, repeatedly. She felt his manhood throb against her as a result.

The feel of Leila's tongue deep inside his mouth sent chills through Paul, but he couldn't keep his own mouth off of her body. He kissed Leila's cheek and worked his way down her neck, across her shoulders, and down the to the part of her breasts exposed by the outfit. He languorously kissed all over her exposed chest and was elated to feel Leila shudder in reply. Finally, he pulled her top down on one side, and Leila's rounded tit popped out. Starting deep in her cleavage, he lazily licked all along the length until he reached Leila's aureole. He took great pleasure swirling his tongue around and around the surface of the aureole which was wrinkled by the extremely excited state of her nipple. As he circled her nipple, he increased the pressure of his tongue. Finally, after teasing them both this way for some time, Paul used his tongue to pull Leila's swollen nipple into his mouth. He immediately started sucking greedily.

"Yes, Paul!" Leila shouted. Paul's slow and sensual attention to her upper body had elevated her excitement threat level to red, and his culminating nipple consumption rang Leila's alarm. Paul continued to Hoover her nipple loudly. Leila grabbed a handful of his short hair and squirmed with delight. "Yeah! Ohh! Ohh!" she groaned in pleasure. Paul forcefully pulled her top to expose her other perfect mammary, and he immediately set to work on it.




A Person in Every Way



As their passions rose, so did the volume of their love making. Paul grunted and moaned as he hungrily sucked one nipple then the other. Leila continued to moan her encouragements to Paul, "Yeah, Baby! Suck me, Baby! That's it, suck my titties!" For both, their breathing turned into audible panting.

Finally, Leila reached the highest excitement level that this activity alone could produce. She knew what she wanted which was to feel that excessively "pleasurable" feeling of her own orgasm. Her basic programming told her to see to Paul's orgasm first, but the personality she had grown from her experience with Paul told her that Paul would enjoy putting her first.

In a quick decisive move, Leila pulled away from Paul, reached down and unsnapped the snaps that held the crotch portion of her bustier closed, laid back, and spread her legs wide to expose her dripping wet womanhood to Paul. "Eat me," she half-demanded, half-pleaded.

Paul obliged her without hesitation. He dove in to smother her love triangle with passionate kisses. Although he had not had much experience at cunnilingus, Leila had the sweetest taste and the most intoxicating fragrance that Paul had ever enjoyed. In fact, Friend-Tech had designed her with the ability to emit chemicals that would heighten a man's lust.

Paul licked and gently sucked on her enlarged labia while he used both hands to caress her legs and hips. Leila began to writhe in pleasure. He then used his strong tongue to repeatedly plow furrows up the middle of her womanhood and across her swollen clit. Leila began to breathe in short, loud gasps. "Yes!... Yess!... Hell, yes!" she encouraged Paul between gasps. Feeling that Leila was ready climax, Paul firmly grabbed her sexy ass with both hands and pulled her pelvis toward him as he plunged his tongue deep into Leila's pussy. Up and down, up and down, he forcefully thrust his tongue in and out of Leila. With each thrust in, his nose rubbed Leila's clit.

Suddenly, Leila's body went stiff and she let out loud, long "Yehssssssss" as she climaxed. Her legs wrapped around Paul and enveloped him like a vise. Her legs were so strong that Paul would have had to exert a Herculean effort to free himself. Fortunately he reveled in Leila's orgasm. Paul felt her vaginal walls clamp down on his tongue in pulses, and her delicious juices flooded his senses. Her orgasm seem to go for an impossibly long time, but Paul hung in, continuing to work her vagina and clit with all he was worth.

Leila always enjoyed orgasms which made her want to have frequent sex with Paul, but this orgasm surpassed all previous. Her tremendous pleasure came not only from the physical stimulation of her receptors but also from the warmth of Paul's love. The fact that he so eagerly set aside his own pleasure to satisfy her gave her so much joy that she was overwhelmed with emotions. She had the ability to end her own orgasm whenever she wanted, but she rode the tidal wave of pleasure for as long as she could. When she finally began to descend back to the real world, she first released the tight grip that her legs had on Paul. She worried briefly about him, but quickly saw that he was happy.

Paul continued to lavish attention on Leila's womanhood, but slowed and eased the intensity as Leila's orgasm subsided. Finally, Leila smiled at him, ran her fingers through his hair, and breathed, "Wow. That was amazing." Paul smiled back, but before he could say anything, Leila unwrapped herself from him and added, "Now it's your turn."

She immediately turned away from Paul and got on her knees and elbows. Her glorious ass was thrust into the air facing Paul. Her glistening pussy made a perfect target, and Paul immediately shed his boxers and got on his knees behind her. Leila turned her head to look at Paul and lustfully demanded, "Fuck me, Paul. Fuck my wet pussy, Baby." She knew he didn't need to be directed in this way, but she also knew that the dirty talk would excite him all the more. In one motion, Paul's hard cock found the entrance to Leila's pussy and plunged in to its full length. Paul immediately felt the walls of Leila's magical pussy massaging his member in ways that no normal woman could. He no longer thought of such details, but just enjoyed the special charms and gifts that Leila had to offer.

Grabbing Leila's hips, Paul began pounding her as hard as he could. Again and again he rammed his cock deep inside her. Loud slapping sounds emanated each time his pelvis hit her ass. He momentarily worried that perhaps he was being too forceful, but when Leila shouted, "Yeah! That's it! Fuck me, Baby! Pound my pussy," he was reassured. This was the wildest, most animalistic sex that Paul had ever experienced. With the exquisite massaging of his cock by Leila's pussy, he rapidly burst into the most earth-shattering orgasm he had ever known. Paul bellowed a guttural roar as his climax took him to a place where pure hedonistic pleasure ruled his conscious and unconscious minds alike.

Leila's heightened senses strongly felt the pulsations of Paul's cock and the spurts of his cum splashing her inner walls. The delightful feeling made her burst into a second orgasm of her own. "Yes! I'm cumming againnn!" she managed to verbalize. Paul could only bellow in reply. They remained locked in the throes of passion for an indeterminable amount of time. Paul lost all touch with the world, and Leila had completely given herself over to the moment as well.

Paul had his next conscious thought lying on his back with Leila on top of him. His now flaccid member was still happily hiding inside of Leila's pussy. He had no idea how the two of them had wound up in this position, and he didn't really care. Leila was gently caressing one of his cheeks and tenderly kissing the other. He turned his mouth toward hers and gave her a warm, wet kiss. Words were unnecessary. Paul reflected on Leila's two astounding orgasms. Briefly, he considered the "true meaning" of an orgasm for Leila. These doubts were quickly erased when he looked into her eyes. Paul was quite sure that it was not a robot or computer program looking at him. He knew what he saw in Leila's eyes, and it was love. He smiled broadly and kissed Leila with the love of 10 men. Her eyes smiled back at him.

He also knew that he could no longer hide Leila from his children. As poorly as "the Jackhammer" debacle went, Paul realized that if he truly loved Leila it was his responsibility to share it with his family. They were his family, after all. They had to support him. Didn't they? Eased by his decision, Paul chuckled to himself about the size of Jack's to call himself "The Jackhammer."

Two nights later Paul was opening his front door to let his son and daughter in. As luck would have it Sandra and Jason arrived at the same time. Paul gave them both a warm hug. Inside he chastised himself for avoiding them for over a month.

"What is it, Daddy? Do you have a terminal disease or something?" Sandra's voice quivered with worry.

"No. Whatever gave you that idea?" Paul was completely surprised by the question and his kid's concern.

"You said that you had something important to share with us, and you didn't want us to bring the rest of our families." Sandra explained.

"And you've been avoiding us forever," Jason added.

"Oh, I see how you could have thought that, but no, I'm not sick or anything. In fact I have good news." Paul's attitude turned from positive to slightly unsure as he added, "At least I think you'll find it good news."

Paul led his two grown children into the dining room that they had spent so much family time in as kids. He got them to sit and continued. "I know that I haven't been involved with your families nearly as much I should have lately."

Sandra cut him off with "That's an understatement." Jason put his hand on his sister's arm to impart some calm.

"It's just that I've been seeing someone," Paul continued.

"What?" Sandra and Jason sounded like stereo as they asked the same question.

"Yes, I have a new girlfriend."

Sandra jumped up. "Daddy, that's great. "I've... We've" she indicated Jason "been hoping you'd find someone to make you happy." She hugged her father and continued. "I can't wait to meet her."

"You don't have to. She's here." Paul took a step to the kitchen door and directed his voice into the kitchen. "Leila, come meet Sandra and Jason."

Leila stepped out of the kitchen looking apprehensive. She was dressed in a modest black skirt and tasteful blue sweater that complimented the color of her skin. She had on minimal make-up and wore no fragrance. Even dressing as much like a school marm as possible, her beauty was evident. Paul took her by the hand and led her to the table.

Sandra enthusiastically hugged her, and Jason gave a more reserved handshake, which was his way.

"I'm so glad to meet you!" Sandra bubbled with excitement.

"Yeah! I am too." The quieter Jason was obviously happy as well. They had both been so concerned that there was something wrong with their dad that the happiness of this news was intensified.

Leila relaxed a bit. "I'm really happy to meet the two of you at last," she added. She grabbed Paul's arm. "Paul's told me so much about you. I feel like I know you already, yet I've just been dying to meet you."

"Well, he hasn't told us a thing about you." Sandra gave her father a teasing look of reprobation. "But I want to know all about you. All I know now is that you're beautiful."

Leila flushed with surprised embarrassment at this comment. She fumbled through a "Thank you, but I'm not as pretty as you."

"Nonsense," Sandra asserted. She was eager to hear more. "Really, tell me everything. How did you two meet? Where do you work? Do you have kids? Is my dad treating you right?"

"Oh yes! Paul treats me better than I ever imagined. Your dad is the biggest gentleman and so thoughtful."

"He better be!" Sandra and her dad had teased each other all of her life, and she was happy to share this with Leila now. "Tell me more."

Paul sat them all down. "This discussion is one reason that I wanted the two of you alone to meet Leila." Leila kept smiling, but started to get nervous again. "You see, Leila doesn't have a job."

"That's no big deal," Jason finally got a word in edgewise.

"And that happens to be related to how we met." Paul hesitated pensively, and Sandra and Jason began to wonder what was going on. "Leila is not exactly a woman in the biological sense of the word."

As he paused, Sandra jumped in. "Do you mean that Leila is a transvestite? Or a transgender person?"

"No, she was never a man," Paul chuckled nervously. "Leila is not biological. She's a virtual woman." Sandra and Jason still looked puzzled. "An android... A robot."

Sandra stared at her dad as the meaning of his words finally hit her. "You... mean... she's one those... sex toys?" Sandra and Jason both turned to scrutinize Leila.

"No. Leila's not a sex toy." Paul was emphatically clear. "She is a virtual woman. Our relationship is as full and as complete as any relationship."

"Relationship?!" Sandra was now standing next to Leila, exacting a closer inspection. "It's a sex toy, Dad. It's a fancy rubber doll with a computer in it." She used the tip of her finger to poke Leila's arm as if she were testing to see if a mouse was dead. "You can't have a relationship with a doll!"

Leila shrunk down in her chair from Sandra's derision. Seeing Leila so disturbed pained Paul, but he worked to maintain his cool in this difficult conversation.

"Sandra Dear, if you give Leila a chance, you'll see that she's no doll, or even robot. She has a real personality. A wonderful personality." Paul displaced Sandra and was now standing next to Leila, his arm affectionately around her. "It doesn't matter what she's made of or who made her; Leila is person in every way."

"A person?!! A person?!! That's just ... Help me out here, Jason." Sandra was now so upset that it was taxing to sort out her thoughts.

"Well," Jason couldn't decide what to say.

Suddenly Sandra gained her composure and her tone became as cool as ice. "What you are telling me is that you hid from your own family and missed several family events just so you could spend time with a super-sophisticated video game. You neglected us to indulge your own selfish needs."

Paul couldn't deny it to himself even. He had indulged in selfish behavior. "I admit I was a bit selfish, but."

"That's cold, Dad." Jason cut his father off in midsentence. With both of his kids against him, Paul temporarily lost the will to explain what he had rehearsed 100 times.

"Come on, Jason. Let's go." Sandra's voice was flat, but compelling. She headed toward the door without a glance at her father or Leila.

Paul and Jason stared at each other. "If you just give us a chance, Son, if you just give Leila a chance, you'll understand. I'm sure."

"Jason!" Sandra barked from the door.

Jason started easing toward the door; his eyes conveyed a mixture of apology and accusation.

The door closed behind his children, and Paul collapsed into a chair. The pain he felt in his heart equaled the joy that Leila usually put there. Silence deadened the room as he digested his children's palpable disappointment.

Over the next couple of weeks Paul tried multiple ways of reaching out to his children -- Sandra in particular. He spent hours crafting emails to convey his feelings toward Leila listing Leila's qualities as a person and detailing his regret at hurting Sandra, Jason, and their families. He went to their houses in person. Made numerous calls. At first, Sandra simply made it clear that it was her or Leila; Paul couldn't have both. Paul kept trying to explain how much they would like Leila if they gave the situation a chance. Ultimately, calls weren't answered, emails floated in cyberspace, and Sandra's family wouldn't even answer the door. One horrible day, he stood outside Sandra's door listening to the sound of his grandchildren crying to their mommy to let Grandpa in. This incident was almost too much for his heart to bear.

Paul was sadder than when his wife died. Death was natural, couldn't be avoided. This rift with his children was his fault. Leila brought such joy into his life that he couldn't accept a solution that involved removing Leila from his life. The only small happiness that he felt during this time was from Leila's comfort.

Leila wasn't much help in reality. Ironically, the "real personality" that Paul described prevented Leila from performing her basic function to make Paul happy. She was unhappy and conflicted and didn't know what to do. Any biological human would have difficulty dealing with the situation. She knew that her programmed response to comfort Paul with kinky sex was inappropriate, but she didn't quite know how to replace that answer. Instead, they both became morose.

They woke one Saturday and both had a plan to solve their sad dilemma. Unfortunately, their solutions were at opposite ends of the spectrum.

"Leila, we've both been miserable for a couple of weeks now. Starting this morning I have a plan to improve everything. Paul sounded optimistic for the first time in weeks.

"I have plan, too. But you go first." Leila seemed sure of herself, but not so optimistic.

"We can't just stay locked up here all alone together," Paul started.

"Exactly," Leila agreed.

"So, I've decided that we have to start going out and lead a normal life. We're going downtown for breakfast this morning, and then we're going to the zoo. I know how much you have wanted to see real animals."

Leila just looked at Paul blankly for a second. Somehow her compelling need to make Paul happy made her the more mature "person" at this moment, even though she was less than a year old.

"That's not my plan at all," she finally said. "I hate to say this, but your plan just involves running away from the problem. I want to solve it. You need to be with your family. Please sell me."

Paul's jaw dropped open and hung there. Finally he mustered, "No. I'm not going to sell you."

"It's the only way," Leila interjected. "Your family can't accept me. But they have to have you, and you need them. I never imagined that I could be so fulfilled and happy as you have made me, but your family comes first. I need to be out of your life."

"No. Losing you is not going to make me happy. I'll find a way to make this work with my family. Right now, we just need some diversions. Something to make us happy."

"It's not ever going to work, Paul. I love you too much to bring you such pain. I have to be out of your life."

"NO!" Paul had never raised his voice in anger to Leila before. "I'm in control here. You have to listen to me, and I say that you have to stay with me and keep trying your best to make me happy. Now get dressed to go out for breakfast." His words stung them both.

Paul and Leila walked silently along the sidewalk toward Paul's favorite breakfast place. The roar of the traffic in the adjacent street made their silence more obvious.

"I've never understood how they could have such a high speed limit on a street that leads to an intense foot traffic area." A delivery truck thundered past as if to underscore his words. Paul was trying his best to get a conversation going, but Leila was uncharacteristically stoic.

"I've been going to this place for years. It's always great. And the staff is so friendly." Paul waited for Leila's reply, but none came.

Suddenly they nearly collided with Paul's family at the corner. They were all shocked to see each other. At first Leila thought that Paul had planned this with his son and daughter, and that they were ready to get to know her. Not only were Sandra and Jason there, but their spouses and kids were there as well.

"Good morning, it so nice to see you," Leila bubbled.

"I wish I could say the same." Sandra's voice was icy.

Before anything else could be said, Paul's grandkids ran up to him and hugged his legs so enthusiastically that they nearly knocked him over. Ecstatic cries of "Grampa, we missed you" and the like filled the air. Paul knelt to hug and kiss each one in turn. The site should have melted any heart.

"I suppose you're going to Swifty's for breakfast. I'm glad we finished already." Sandra's heart hadn't melted much.

"Yeah, and now we're going to the zoo," said one of Paul's grandkids.

Focusing on his grandkids, Paul replied. "Really, us too. We're going to the zoo after breakfast too."

"Oh great," the disgust dripped from Sandra's words. "Now we have to cancel a trip to the zoo. We planned it all week."

"Why do we have to cancel, Mommy?" "Why?" "Why?" echoed from many small voices.

Paul and Leila both knew why. They looked at each other with sadness. Hearing the cries of the children, Leila knew what she had to do. Paul couldn't act, but she could.

Leila said it softly, but Paul heard every word clearly. "This is for the best, Paul. It's the only way. I love you."

Her quickness was inhuman. One instant she was on the sidewalk. The next she was plastered to the front of a speeding semi. Everyone, including Sandra, screamed as the semi's brakes screeched in an effort to stop. Leila recoiled from the grill, and six wheels of the eighteen wheeler compacted her to the asphalt. When it was over there was no question as to whether Leila could be made whole again. Virtual or not, no woman could have survived that impact.

Leila's prediction was correct. Paul became fully engaged with his family again. He attended all his grandchildren's events and was once again a regular at family dinners. However, it was obvious to all that a spark had left Paul. Sandra tried her best to reconcile with him, and she went above and beyond to find ways to bring a smile to Paul's face. Those smiles just didn't last long anymore.