A Deceptive Study

"This robot has been my life for the last few years. I've seen a lot of the studies." Rob shrugged. He seemed nervous. The man was usually cocky and unflappable, but Maria had never seen him in a professional setting. Rob had once been Kent's roommate and, Maria surmised, best friend. He had been there as Kent's teammate on the fateful night of the trivia contest. "I'd let you two get ready in separate rooms, but you know each other well. At least, I hope you do." He smiled. "There are masks in the cabinet here. They are mandatory. I'll give you ten minutes to get undressed while I get the students set up in the observation room."

"Anything we need to know, Rob?" Maria started to undo her blouse. She wasn't concerned about her modesty. This wasn't the only study she had participated in pertaining to the field. Though this was the only time that the other party was a robot. It had been over a half-decade since at least one of the other participants was male.

"Have fun, do what you want. The robot should roll with anything you two want to do once she's activated. We had planned on two sessions, but when yesterday's student canceled on us, we had to roll with things. Thank you both. The observation room is going to be stuffed to the gills."

"Is there anything off limits?" Kent asked. Maria doubted he could do anything the study wouldn't permit. She stifled a giggle at the thought.

"Be gentle if you try to do anal. The vagina should be self-lubricating, but the backdoor isn't. There's lube on the exam table if you want to try." Rob answered quickly. "I would tell you to be nice to the robot, but I doubt that will be a problem for you two." When Maria stripped off her skirt, Rob excused himself from the room.

"I think they're using the sex-based large language model I helped create," Maria informed Kent as she unfastened her bra. Kent should have been undressing but never missed a chance to watch her strip. She liked how it felt to have those bright green eyes on her. "There was plenty of porn available on the open internet, but that's always so unrealistic."

"When did you do that study?" Kent wasn't as into sex studies as Maria, but he was interested in anything that involved his wife.

"I participated in it while working on my certification. It was the year before you met me. I was only a small part of it." She shed her panties. The red thong was among Kent's favorites.

"Huh. Are they using any of your other research?" Kent finally started to unbutton his shirt.

Her husband was a tall and good-looking guy with sandy brown hair and devastating green eyes. Kent just had no idea about it when they met. In high school, he was an ugly duckling, which had sapped his confidence. It was likely why he was single when they met. Maria had never planned on getting married; she wanted to keep experimenting with various sex partners. One victory celebration kiss, and that plan crumbled.

Kent was a kind, honest, caring guy that had no idea how much of a catch he was when they met. He had physical gifts but no idea that he possessed them. His experience level was low; however, his wife was a good teacher. His green eyes took her in while he stripped. Her husband was a colossal nerd and an introvert who battled large amounts of social anxiety, though he never seemed too timid regarding Maria. They seemed to bring out the best in each other.

"Maybe. I never know where my research will end up before they publish their papers." Maria's academic fascination with human sexuality extended to their own bedroom. She occasionally filmed their sex lives, only letting Kent know afterward before submitting what they had filmed. Consent was crucial for data sharing, but she didn't want Kent to play to the camera. After she blurred their faces, she added it to a bevy of sex films she and other researchers studied.

In the six years the pair had been together, their sex lives could never be accused of being boring. Her husband still let her play with other women if he got to watch. Kent never wanted to join in when Maria found a new lover, even when she offered. He always said that it felt like cheating if he were to be with another woman. Maria thought it had more to do with his history before her and lingering and unwarranted feelings of inadequacy. She had been surprised that he wanted to engage in this type of study.

Maria sat on one of the metal stools arranged around the chemistry lab that had been turned into a green room for the experiment or observation. She wasn't exactly sure what to call what they were about to participate in. This wasn't an actual, scientifically rigorous study; the scientific method was not used. Instead, this would be about observational data from experience. Kent would have to write a substantial report about the incident. He would need to make significant observations for the write-up while participating.

Her husband might consider himself a nerd or a geek, but Maria knew that wasn't exactly where she would classify him, at least physically. Kent was tall and thin, with just enough muscle and flab to prevent him from looking like a bean pole. He kept himself fit with running and weight training, sculpting his body far more in their six years together than when they met. Kent had caught her attention the first time they got together, but now he would catch anyone's.

Kent had well-defined pecs and proto-abs emerging from the former flab; he folded his shirt and placed it beside Maria's before pulling off his pants. Her meticulous tendencies had rubbed off on her husband. An impressive cock was straining to be released from his boxers already. His penis stood nine inches when completely erect; he only worked with a semi now. She was surprised when he dropped his shorts and revealed that he had been doing some grooming this morning.

"That's new." Maria pointed at his freshly shorn crotch.

"I wanted to match my beautiful wife when she decided to come along with me." Kent gave her an easy smile.

"You haven't done that in a few years." Maria hopped off the stool to run her fingers over and inspect his shaving. "Smooth. Though you could've gotten waxed if you wanted to match me."

"I gotta keep you guessing, my love. This is just temporary. Unless you want me to keep it up." Kent pulled her into a kiss.

It was the kiss that had made her defenses completely crumble. Every subsequent kiss had her more addicted to her charming husband; the man had a gravitational pull that he had no idea he possessed. There had been a reason that smooches hadn't been on the menu with her previous sexual partners. It had been a blind spot in her personal observation of human sexuality. One that made her realize that everything before had been woefully inadequate. All it took was getting caught up in the moment; the next thing she knew, she was married. It was a surprise, to be sure, but never a regret.

"We'll have to take it for a test drive or two. You know, see how it performs." Maria gave him her best teasing smile. Kent was always too much fun. "I guess I'm finally going to get you to try that threesome, babe."

"It's just a sex toy, right?" He suddenly looked concerned again.

Maria gave him a shrug. She wanted to show her husband off to another woman and get a report on how well she had taught him. Could his time-honed skills transfer to another woman? Or had she trained her husband to only be adept at pleasing her? It was another critical data point that Maria's curiosity demanded that she find out someday. She believed that Kent's reticence stemmed from his former lack of confidence. A bad experience in high school was the issue's genesis, but he was cagey about precisely what happened with his first girlfriend.

Even if she had never intended to get married, Maria was deliriously happy with the wedded bliss she had fallen into every day. Kent grounded her in a way that nothing else could in her life. It gave her a secure foundation to build to further heights. Her marriage also gave her a reason to try other types of sex and intimacy. How could she know what human sexuality meant for a monogamous relationship if she didn't experience it?

After selecting a pair of masks, the couple cuddled close and conversed for a few minutes, mostly doing mundane things like catching up on each other's days. Kent could tell her much more about his workday than Maria could. She could inform him about broad strokes but had to keep him in the dark about finer details due to doctor-patient confidentiality. Kent wouldn't confess that it bothered him, but it took him a while to get used to the asymmetric nature of the informational exchange.

"Are you two ready?" Rob reappeared from the door to the laboratory. This time he had a clipboard in his hands and put on a lab coat. His name and Better Than Life were monogrammed on the left breast. The disparity in their state of dress almost caused Maria to guffaw nervously. She liked to put on a brave face but felt anxious like everyone else.

Maria affixed her purple mask to her face. The mouth wasn't concealed by the item as those were likely needed when playing with each other or the robot. She helped Kent straighten his blue and green disguise before he returned the favor. They shared a quick but tender kiss as Rob looked away momentarily. Maria thought she saw a flash of jealousy in the researcher's eyes. Maybe he wanted something more than casual hookups.

"Let's do this." Maria slipped on her flats and gripped Kent's hand; the simple act calmed her roiling nerves. She was ready for another adventure with her unquestioned soulmate.

Kent -- A few heartbeats later

And now Rob's seen me naked. Kent took a deep breath to calm himself before he followed his close friend. As an undergraduate, Rob had been a buddy and a roommate a decade ago. How the man from Canada had ended up in the medium-sized midwestern town, Kent wasn't sure. They had lost touch for a few years when Rob returned home to complete his master's degree in Toronto. It was a surprise when he had ended up in the same city as Kent, a couple of hours away from where they got their bachelor's degrees.

Kent knew the man had accepted a position at a prestigious local robotic engineering firm. Whenever they talked about what he was working on, Rob was evasive. Kent had figured that the man was perhaps working on defense contracts as that was one of the most significant subsidiary's main domains. That would have explained all the secrecy. Instead, the man had been working on an ambitious new use for a narrow artificial intelligence.

There was enough buzz that the parent corporation was spinning Better Than Life off as its own company. It would be a privately owned company, so they didn't have to be beholden to shareholders as they started. They also didn't want the rest of the company to be associated with expensive sex toys. Making weapons and drones was evidently more socially acceptable than anything involving pleasure. Kent thought that was a sad comment on the world.

His heartbeat quickened as he stepped into the laboratory. He knew he was being watched by several undergrads and likely a professor or two. He knew he had nothing to be bashful about when his cock was ready for action, but it wasn't impressive flaccid. Maria must have known he was getting a little concerned as she squeezed his hand and calmed his nerves. A pair of clipboards to take their own notes were sat on a stool, complete with a pen apiece. It wasn't as if they could take anything with them. Another step took him around the cabinets, bringing the exam table into view.

The android was already as naked as they were and reclined on the shiny surface. A pillow propped under her head let the automaton look in their direction. A black visor over the woman's eyes almost resembled a wide floating black censor bar from some 90s-era news program. There wasn't even a bare sheet covering her very authentic-looking form.

"I would like to introduce you two to Eve. She's our first-generation sexual encounter robot." Rob explained as he took a place at the head of the exam table. "The first production versions will start rolling out of our factory in a few months."

"Eve, really? Isn't that a little too on the nose?" Kent said with a laugh.

"Don't blame me for that. It came from a focus group. Several of them, in fact." Rob shook his head. "The business guys made the final decision on the name."

"Who's your target audience?" Maria released Kent's hand and took vigil at the other side of the exam table.

"Well, for the first time out, we aim for more commercial applications than personal ones. The technology in the robot is quite expensive."

"What kind of commercial applications?" Kent questioned. He could almost read Maria's follow-up query in her quizzical look.

"Hi-tech brothels?" Maria continued the line of questioning before Rob could answer.

"Err... sort of. The vaginas in the robots are self-sanitizing in a matter of minutes." Rob looked a little flustered. "They also never get tired, and as long as they're on a wireless charging table like Eve, their battery should last almost all day."

"Then why did I have to do all the STI testing?" Kent asked. The corporation had paid for a bevy of tests to be run earlier in the week.

"We're being abundantly cautious. Testing for pathogens and sanitization has happened in the labs. Everything looks positive, but we aren't taking any chances until we have it cleared by the FDA." Rob stumbled for a moment but again took on his smooth speech patterns.

"So, no condom for Kent?" Maria asked.

"No." A blush covered Rob's cheeks for a flash. He wasn't usually this easily flustered. Then again, he probably didn't see friends come through the testing area.

"How much customization is available in your models?" Maria's curiosity needed to be sated. She was bouncing with excited energy.

Her butt and breast were hypnotic, but Kent tried not to spend all the observation time staring. He was supposed to be paying attention to the android.

"We can custom mold anything from breast size to how the sex organs are modeled. The interior structure lets us size them from five feet, a little shorter than Eve and up. Likewise, they can create a plethora of body types. The creation process is sort of like a character creator in a video game, really." Rob sounded proud of what they offered.

"Are you going to model men?"

"We're working on that now. It's been a little illuminating that although sex toys seem more socially acceptable for women, the demand was not as prevalent for a male model. Our present belief, though not fully backed by science, is that women are better at fantasizing while men need the visual stimuli." Rob evidently knew Maria's predilections toward explanation.

"Interesting. I would like to see some of that research if you can share." Maria fluttered her eyelashes a little. "What about models with female breasts and cocks, or maybe hermaphroditic genitals?" She was thorough in her research and could probably question Rob for hours if he let her. Their rational nature was one of the many things that enhanced Kent's bond with his impressive wife.

"Once we get the male molds tested, anything will be possible. We can custom-build to order any combination of our building blocks. I don't envision ever having off-the-shelf models." Rob explained before nervously tapping his watch. "Would you mind starting your observations? I'm going to stand back and take my own notes."

"One last question, mister. Are the male models going to grow like my husband?"

"The prototypes don't. So far, our research is leaning towards models that are always ready to go."

"What do you see, babe?" Kent questioned in an attempt to keep them on track. He was enamored listening to her analytical side when Maria did something she loved.

"I thought the robot was supposed to be a tall and buxom blonde." Maria slid her hand down the woman on the table.

"We had to send that one to a presentation on the coast." Rob shrugged. "We went with the more fun-sized model."

"This one's beautiful, Rob. Don't you think so, Kent?"

"She really is, my love." The android wasn't as gorgeous as his wife, but Maria would want him to give his honest opinion and not put her up as some unattainable perfection.

"Almost too perfect. The woman appears to be breathing, Rob."

"Yeah, that was a requested feature and recent addition. They looked so realistic that being motionless while in standby mode was disconcerting. I would like to say that they won't always be getting software updates. They are fully functional in the update mode."

"How so?" Kent inquired before Maria could.

"Well," Rob blushed before he set down his clipboard. "You can pose the android. She just won't react. Her vagina will still get wet, engorged, and she would be ready for sex. She just won't engage in most of her artificial intelligence. If you're looking for a sex toy and not a sex partner, this is your mode."

"Neat. Her nipples react to my touch too." Maria tweaked the woman's breasts. She pinched a nipple and rolled it in her fingers. "They get hard."

"We didn't want to miss anything."

"Her skin is almost flawless." Maria leaned down to peer closely at the android.

"She has a freckle on her clavicle, my dear." Kent tapped the imperfection. Rob had provided him a sample of the super sim skin, but it hadn't felt as natural as with the warmth coming from his touch.

"Her breast are amazing. They're a little too large and perky for her stature compared to the real thing. The nipples are too symmetrical. Are these supposed to simulate fake boobs?" Maria asked before bending down and circling her tongue around a pink nipple.

Kent thought he heard the robot's tiniest sighs, but perhaps he imagined things.

"We benchmarked many chests, both real and fake. We have a ton of density information about real breasts. I can assure you; these are very much supposed to be real." Rob sounded defensive.

Maria smacked the android's breast and watched how it jiggled. She then slapped her own breast and observed. "What do you think, my love? Take a feel of both of us."

Maria's breasts were incredible but not large by any stretch of the imagination. They were perfectly shaped with sharp little nipples in the middle of tiny dark-pink areolae. Small breasts fit Maria's athletic form, and they were so damn perky in a way that seemed to defy gravity. They were also quite susceptible to Kent or a female lover's tongue.

Eve, on the other hand, had large, round breasts. The nipples were a light, delicate pink that almost blended from areolae into her milky white skin. The way they shook looked natural, though Kent didn't have much hands-on experience with breasts besides his wife. There was zero experience in his history with the artificial variety. He had only slept with a pair of women before his wife. One of the women seemed to be moving toward forever before she had to return home to be closer to family. They had decided to take a break while she got her feet under her in the new place. The gap never had a reconciliation.

Kent reached out and explored the android's breasts one at a time. They were far more than the perfect handfuls that Maria possessed. They had a weight and firmness to them that could be fake or real; Kent couldn't be confident. His wife moved closer and offered a breast for comparison. Kent took his time so he could make an accurate assessment. Whether or not he needed to suck on a nipple a piece to make his observation, he couldn't say but would take advantage of the opportunity.

"Well?" Maria wanted an opinion.

"I'm not sure. You probably have more experience with breasts than I do, babe. You and Eve's nipples both hardened under my tongue. Her skin certainly feels very real."