Touching Ice
Authors: Laurann Dohner
Touching Ice
Book 4 in the Cyborg Seduction series.
What can go wrong overseeing a bunch of android sex bots on an automated
whorehouse in deep space? Great job, if Megan doesn’t die of boredom. Then she
catches sight of the sexiest male she’s ever seen. On her grainy security monitor, she
watches all his sexual exploits with the bots, and fantasizes. But that’s all she
can
do
because he’s a cyborg. Then fate steps in.
There’s a crash and Megan must escape or die. The cyborgs are rescuing the sex
bots—taking them onboard their ship. She knows cyborgs hate humans. They’ll kill her
if she asks for help so she devises an insane plan—pretend to be the most realistic sex
bot ever made.
His name is Ice, and Megan is now his personal sex bot. He will satisfy every sexual
fantasy she’s ever had—and as many more as she can dream up. She just has to figure
out how to keep her big, sexy cyborg from discovering that she is all woman.
An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication
Touching Ice
ISBN 9781419931093
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Touching Ice Copyright © 2010 Laurann Dohner
Edited by Pamela Campbell
Cover art by Dar Albert
Electronic book publication November 2010
The terms Romantica® and Quickies® are registered trademarks of Ellora’s Cave Publishing.
With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in
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This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales
is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.
TOUCHING ICE
Laurann Dohner
Touching Ice
The female voice had a high-pitched Southern accent that grated on Megan’s last
nerve. Whoever the programmer had been who had last worked on the station had
obviously been a man with a sick, twisted sense of humor since he’d given the
computer the most annoying voice he could download. He’d also had a thing for
teaching Clara—the computer that ran
Folion—
how to be a smartass. Because of the
state-of-the-art, artificial-intelligence chips that made up the computer’s “brain”, it was
capable of learning.
“You have committed violations since the ship arrived at dock six, sugar.”
“I keep telling you to stop calling me that. My name is Megan.”
“Don’t get your panties in a bind.”
“I could take you offline for maintenance, you know.”
The computer went silent for a few seconds. “That would be another violation. I’m
keeping track.”
“Bite me, Clara.”
“I don’t have teeth, sugar, or I might be tempted. Is it that time of the month?”
Oh yeah,
Megan thought.
If I ever meet the guy who had this job before me, I’m going to
kill him for screwing up a perfectly good computer.
She took a deep breath as she counted to
ten. It didn’t help cool her temper by much but at least she wasn’t ready to try to escape
the employee quarters and travel three decks to yank out Clara’s motherboards.
Her attention returned to one of the screens where the sexiest man she’d ever seen
slowly dressed.
It should be a crime to cover up that perfect, dusky-gray body
, she decided.
He was unlike anything she’d ever seen and her one bright spot in a dismal job working
as the programmer on
Folion
. She’d been desperate enough to transfer to a floating
whorehouse in space four months ago since she’d needed the higher salary to pay off
debts. No one had told her she couldn’t leave the employee quarters, couldn’t interact
with other living beings, or that she’d have to put up with Clara’s annoying artificial
personality.
“It is against regulations to turn the cameras on in the client rooms. Master never
did.”
Megan rolled her sky-blue eyes. “Stop calling the last programmer that. He
shouldn’t have ordered you to do that. Why aren’t you bitching about him breaking the
rules? Did you screech about violations he committed?”
“He is incredibly handsome and sexy.”
Megan snorted immediately. “He’s probably some pathetic troll who couldn’t get
laid if he had a ton of credits.”
5
Laurann Dohner
“He had sex with the bots.”
“There’s a huge violation. How the hell did he do that?”
“He changed my programming. I am forbidden to keep records or report the
employees for making personal use of the bots.”
“Well, there’s one violation I’ll never commit. They are all female and I don’t do
women robots.”
“They are artificial-intelligence, sexual-aid androbots. That is the official title the
company has assigned them but you may call them bots for short. Master always did.”
“I feel a headache coming on,” Megan muttered, watching the sexy man put on his
boots.
His hair was wet from the fresh-water shower he’d taken—one of the many
luxuries aboard the expensive
Folion
—making it appear darker. When dry, it became a
beautiful white-ash color. Most people would have just called it white but the streaks of
light gray were something that Megan didn’t miss. The sex bot moved across the room
to smile at him. Her lips moved as she spoke to the client but he shook his head.
“The client has refused more service,” Clara stated. “The man you illegally watch
having intercourse with the bots is preparing to leave.” She paused. “You will have to
wait until he returns to violate company rules and infringe on his privacy again. You
are making a habit of it each time this client pays for service.”
“Shut up.”
“Do you know the client?”
“I wish.”
“Clarify.”
The man on the screen closed his shirt as he headed for the door. Depression hit
Megan hard. Three months ago, she’d accidentally spotted the guy on a security feed
when he’d forgotten to remove a gun he wore. It had sounded an alarm and brought
him to her attention when Clara had ordered him to return the weapon to his shuttle.
Those few minutes of staring at that beautiful, burnished-gray face had done things to
Megan that she didn’t want to admit. His image had burned into her mind.
He was a cyborg, something that shouldn’t exist anymore. Everyone on Earth had
been assured they’d been killed off but obviously that had been a lie.
Is he alone? Is that
why he visits a whorehouse staffed with androbots who are programmed to never keep records or
report who visits them? A real woman probably poses a threat to his secret existence.
“Clarify,” the computer screeched.
“Shut up. I just meant that I’m lonely and the guy is hot.”
“You are horny and desire to have sex with a client. That is a violation I am not
programmed to overlook. I would have to immediately contact the company if you left
these quarters. Not even Master violated that rule. Unless it is an emergency, the
bulkheads are to remain sealed between this section and the rest of
Folion
where the
clients have access.”
6
Touching Ice
“Who made that stupid rule?”
“Four years ago there was a hijack attempt and the programmer was extinguished
when he refused to order me to pilot us into deep space away from help. Androbots
would sell extremely high on the black market so we are always at risk of attempted
theft. Company policy implemented the separation to protect you from harm and
doesn’t allow the clients to know there is a human aboard to monitor all the bots and to
adjust our programming if we malfunction. All clients are told that
Folion
is one-
hundred-percent automated to protect you.”
“I’m not leaving this section. I said
I wish
. That means it’s something I’d like but I’m
never going to get. Besides that, he looks way too big. That bot is five foot ten and he’s
taller by a good four inches. I like my men on the smaller side—not too tall, and
definitely not big enough to pancake me if he rolls on top.”
“That is physically impossible. The male would have to weigh―”
“Shut up! It’s a saying, damn it. Can’t you be quiet for ten minutes?”
“I am registering an incoming, large vessel.”
“Ah. Great. It’s going to be a busy day then.”
“Welcome to
Folion
,” a sweet, female computer voice stated. “Please slow your
speed and dock with port nine.”
“Why can’t you use that voice with me, Clara? Huh?” It totally angered Megan that
Clara always used a nice speaking voice with clients. She got to monitor all verbal
communications and it pissed off Megan every time.
“Hello,
Folion
,” the man slurred his words. “What dock did you say?”
“Reduce your speed immediately,” Clara ordered the incoming ship. “You are
coming in too fast.”
The voice on coms laughed. “We already started the party and now we just need
some of your hot bots.”
“He’s intoxicated,” Clara’s annoying voice informed Megan. She changed the pitch
of her speech. “Reduce your speed immediately. Warning. Collision imminent. Reduce
speed.”
Fear spread through Megan. She adjusted her chair, her focus locking on the screen
that monitored incoming space traffic. She saw the freighter heading right at them, not
reducing speed at all. The big C-class, long-distance hauler appeared as big as the
Folion
.
“Move us out of their way,” Megan yelled. “Now, Clara.”
The engines flared to life, the sound a dull hum with mild vibrations under
Megan’s bare feet on the floor.
“Collision imminent,” Clara said calmly. “Brace.” An alarm siren blared to life and