Deanna's Surprise Pt. 02

"Can you afford one?" I asked in an attempt to cover up my surprise at her assessment of me and my choice of lovers. I wasn't insulted but hadn't realized how accurately she had appraised my current situation. I'm not comfortable with being known well by others still. Best to keep the subject changed. "Even a used stripper 'bot can be pretty expensive."

"I know," she admitted. "But I've heard stories about how easier it is sometimes to get robots from places like this."

Hearing that, I slowly nodded. Yes, it is pretty easy to obtained a used 'bot from a showclub. To keep the money coming in, club owners continually need to replenish their stock of dancers with fresh faces. This normally is facilitated by shifting dancers from club to club in the same general region. Here in Niagara, there are sixteen showclubs: six in Saint Catharines, five in Niagara Falls, three in Welland and one each in Fort Erie and Port Colborne. With an average of twenty "regular" girls per club plus a scattering of feature dancers making the rounds between them, there are close to 350 'bots available for people to see.

But even with this wide variety to choose among, there come times when people want something new and different. Remembering what Donald said about the new girls from Vancouver, I began to wonder if Russ wasn't contemplating introducing some special shows for those who might be interested in watching some bi-'bots bare it all. Far as I could tell, there hadn't been a big market for anything this exotic to date. I'd be certainly interested in that sort of thing. But then again, I lived with two bi-'bots, so I didn't really need to visit a showclub to see that kind of action up close. Of course, the luck I had with Reika and Irene couldn't possibly strike twice...

Could it?

Thinking about my experience with my lovers, I realized that it could happen. It wouldn't be easy. One of the prerequisites to developing a successful pairing with a 'bot is possessing the right mentality. Having a relationship with a 'bot, as I was learning, isn't the same as having one with a human lover. The differences didn't make things easier, however. Not one bit.

Staring at Pauline, I wondered if she could develop the right sort of attitude with a 'bot lover. Remembering the level of self-discipline and determination she demonstrated in my English classes, to say nothing of how she performed in the tojang, spoke promisingly of her.

"Well, then," I reverted back to English. "Want to see one of the girls up close?"

Pauline blinked, then sat back and thought about it for a moment, deciding she really was ready, before nodding...

I stepped out of the private room to waylay a waitress and order my usual glass of Sprite, plus a bottle of soju -- sweet potato vodka -- for Pauline, then glanced around the lounge to see who was available. On the stage, Chie was partway through her first song, already attracting the normal crowd of tippers ready to fill her panties with bills and coins. She is incredibly pretty up there. I could only grin as I watched one guy slip a twonie right into her panties. Seeing what Chie did with her latest tip, I had to conclude that the trick Reika used when I first saw her dance several weeks ago was now standard for all the Retreat's strippers. Joining in the applause when the song ended, I took a breath before glancing around the room. My eyes quickly locked on one particular dancer, standing with several others nearby.

"Emiru!!" I called out.

Emiru looked over, then beamed. "Darling!" she gushed, then skipped over to wrap her arm around mine. "Does Darling want a dance?"

Deep down, I tried not to retch too much on hearing that saccharin-sweet, lolicon-type voice, to say anything of her really weird way of talking. Like Chie and the rest of the new girls Russ obtained, Emiru is a Japanese 'bot. On first meeting her, I strongly wondered if her programmers were on something when they created her. Not only does she speak with a squeaky, child-like voice that would drive me to drink -- and I'm allergic to alcohol for Heaven's sake! -- she also talks in a dopey, third-person format that really sounds strange in English. To top it all off, she always calls herself "Emiryun" and addresses anyone who wants a dance from her as "Darling."

Despite all this, she's really beautiful, if you're into the slender, thin type of girl around Pauline's age. She stands a short 154 centimetres -- that's five-feet-even in American terms -- without the mandatory high heels. With them on, tack on another ten centimetres. Her hair, upstairs and down, is a caramel brown that takes on a strawberry blonde hue depending on surrounding lighting. She normally ties her hair in stubby side pigtails with a pair of big silver ball barrettes. Her eyes are a deeper shade of brown, which is common for a Japanese woman. Properly curved in all the right places and with a better bustline than the average Japanese woman, she could definitely make any person's life a lot more exciting. Once her behavioural and speech programming get tweaked, of course.

"Yes, I want a dance," I replied, nodding. "But I've also brought a friend with me tonight. This is her first time in a showclub, so I want you to give her a dance, too, Emiru. Do you think you can do that for me?"

Emiru blinked, then her smile broadened. "Of course Emiryun can do that for Darling!" she tittered.

Now that things had been decided, I walked her to our private booth. The waitress had come with our drinks; Pauline had already paid for her soju. "How come your drinks are free?" she asked as I sat down, Emiru taking her place on the small stage between us.

"It's what I get for being Reika's and Irene's owner of record," I replied.

"Lucky," she toasted me with her shot glass, then swallowed its contents in one gulp.

I paid no attention to her drinking. When it comes to that particular social activity, I had long learned that Koreans could outdo anyone else on the planet. Instead I quickly did introductions, then spent the rest of Chie's second song explaining how things go in the Retreat when it comes to private dances. They are ten bucks a dance. During the dance, patrons can touch the dancer anywhere they wish, even the nipples or between the legs. No sex is allowed between the dancer and the patron. Dancers may touch the patron in private places if the patron agrees to it, but no clothes can come off the patron. That's as far as Russ allows in these circumstances. And last but not least, Pauline had to remember that once the music stops -- unless she pays for the following song -- the touching stops.

As for tips, they are optional. Feature dancers like Reika and Irene keep their tip money, of course. If regular dancers are tipped -- Reika told me this sometime ago -- Russ holds onto the money in a special bank account set aside for each of them. This will be turned over to the dancer if she obtains "freed" status. If the dancer is transferred to another owner, the money goes to her new owner to deal with. In truth, Russ's system works so well, he doesn't need the tips his regular girls receive. And he does even better on his part of the split when a newly-freed dancer chooses to return on her own to work again at the Retreat, as many have.

After all, just becoming freed doesn't make all that stripper programming suddenly go away.

Hearing all this, Pauline could only nod, though I was quick to sense that she didn't completely comprehend all that was allowed here. That was understandable. Showclubs in the North American mould hadn't made it yet in Korea or Japan. If you wanted to see naked robots, you'd normally visit one of the red-light districts scattered throughout both countries and purchase the services of a hooker 'bot. What few showclubs exist in Korea and Japan -- in the foreigner ghettos in Seoul, Pusan, Tokyo, Osaka and a few other other big cities -- are dominated by human strippers, mostly girls from the poorer parts of Russia and the other old Soviet republics looking to earn money to send back home to their families. They are often at least as willing to get close to the patrons as any 'bot does.

"Darling?" Emiru cut in. "Maybe Emiryun should dance for Darling first so Darling's friend can see what happens for herself."

I looked at her, then slowly nodded. Was Emiru starting to develop some sense of self-awareness or was her social interaction programming much more advanced that I had initially assumed? Maybe just working at the Retreat has put her into overdrive.

"Sounds like a good idea," I replied, then glanced at Pauline. "Would you mind?"

"Go ahead," she nodded.

The third song in Chie's set began. To my surprise, it was a Yanni song, Highland. I didn't realize Chie was into that sort of music. What surprised me even more was how 'bots seemed to enjoy music at all. And why different 'bots asked for different tunes. As Emiru swayed to the bouncy beat, I gently guided her off the mini-stage and up against my legs. She grinned as she freed her breasts from the strapless bikini top, then leaned in to rub her skin against my face. Naturally, I peppered both her nipples with licks and kisses, then reached up to guide Emiru's lips onto mine. We shared a slow, tongue-filled kiss before she slid my hands down to pull off the silk towel she'd wrapped around her waist atop her bikini bottoms. Those were soon pulled down to her knees as her hands guided one of mine between her legs.

A quick glance at Pauline told me she was totally enraptured by the performance, her hand reaching under the band of her jeans so she could finger herself. Drawing my hand back to taste Emiru's amazingly womanly fluids, I then reached into my jacket to pull out her tip money. We shared a long kiss as that was exchanged from lips to lips, then Emiru turned to rub her very accommodating butt against my crotch. Since I get something like this constantly from Irene and Reika, my "friend" quickly sprang to attention. As the song wound up to its climax, I pulled Emiru against me as I guided one of her hands to my crotch. As her fingers danced over my hard-on, her smile glittered like the sun.

Truly, there's nothing that beats a 'bot's smile after she learns she has performed her function better than expected.

The song ended, then I gave Emiru her dance money. We shared another kiss, then Emiru turned to Pauline. "Does Darling's friend want Emiryun to dance for her now?" she cutely asked as she moved to slip on her bikini preparatory to removing it yet again.

"Definitely," my friend hoarsely breathed out, reaching into her pocket to draw out a ten and a five.

The next song came from the Moody Blues, The Voice. I relaxed myself, adjusting my pants a bit to ease off the pressure on my erection. Pauline remained rock-still as Emiru slunk all around her, peppering her with licks and kisses all over her face, while expertly working over Pauline's breasts through her top and bra. She hardly seemed to react as Emiru guided her hands all over the 'bot's lovely body. It was amazing what one could get away with in a club like this. Pauline certainly had never let herself be handled like that before.

Yeah, not too surprising, I mused to myself as I drank the rest of my Sprite. My first personal lap-dance experience, twelve years ago in a club near the naval base in Victoria, was roughly the same way. No, I quickly amended as the song wound towards its conclusion. That wasn't exactly true. Back then, patrons weren't allowed to touch the dancers in an overt way. And 'bot dancers were fully linked into a control network to prevent them from surrendering themselves to their own deeper programmed urges.

The song came to an end, then Emiru gave the still-stunned Pauline a thank you kiss before taking her money. "Emiryun is glad to have another Darling to dance for," she said, playfully rubbing her nose against my friend's forehead before moving to dress.

"You okay?" I asked Pauline.

She blinked a couple of times, then breathed out. "Waa!" she gasped, then a light smile crossed her face before she moved to pour herself a new shot of soju. "That was the most incredible thing I've ever been through! And you can have that every night? Kamsahamnida!"

She toasted Emiru before swallowing her drink. "Even more fun than watching me in the shower?" I asked with a grin.

Pauline blushed. I gave her a wink in reassurance, then noticed Emiru blinking confusedly. Quickly realizing what might be bothering her, I toasted my companion with my glass of Sprite. "Kanojo wa Kankoku-jin da," I stated in Japanese. She's Korean.

Hearing that, comprehension crossed Emiru's face. "Ah!! Emiryun understands now!" she beamed, then gracefully bowed to Pauline before turning back to me. "Hey, Darling, do you want to have another dance? Emiryun can give you one more before she has to go on stage."

I gazed at her, then hummed for a moment. "Well...!" I trilled before perking. "Say, Emiru, Donald told me that you and the others who came with you from Japan are all jodan-botto." That was the Japanese term for bi-'bots. "Can you do a dance in bi-'bot format?"

Emiru stared at me for a moment, then her eyes turned to the floor. Still, I had asked her a question in a format which compelled her to answer truthfully. "Emiryun can do a dance for Darling that way," she replied in a voice I instantly recognized was etched in fear.

I gave her a curious look. "You don't sound too enthusiastic about it," I noted in a voice that I hoped Emiru wouldn't see as threatening. Maybe Emiru was still caught up in the fact that doing this type of performance to a male customer would probably not go over well.

"Not really," she admitted.

"If you had a choice, would you want to perform as a younamsoung robot?" Pauline asked.

Emiru considered that question, then shook her head. "No."

"Why not?" I prodded her.

"Because when Emiryun brings it out..."

Here, she paused, her fists clenching for a moment. I had seen this before on many occasions with other robots, even self-willed ones like Reika and Irene. Emiru was no doubt scanning her social interaction database to locate the proper words to express herself truthfully. Taking a breath, I reached over to squeeze her shoulders in support. She looked at me. "Gambatte," I whispered. Do your best.

Emiru's face brightened considerably, then she straightened herself. Her voice continued to remain timid, though. I guess even encouraging her that way doesn't change everything inside her. "When Emiryun brings it out, Emiryun is no longer Emiryun," she reported.

Hearing that, I nodded. No doubt, when she was first activated and made to be a stripper, Emiru's programmers believed it best to ensure that she would prefer to remain in full-female format. As I said before, I didn't know what, if any, sort of market existed for bi-'bots to perform in "male" format in showclubs. "Is Russ planning to use any of you girls in bi-'bot format?" I wondered.

She shook her head. "Emiryun doesn't know."

"Emiru-ya, will you be encouraged to develop that side of yourself?" Pauline wondered.

The smile slipped from our new friend's face. "Emiryun thinks so," she admitted. "Then again, if Emiryun is required to do it, Emiryun thinks Ioanis-sensei can help her be the best she can be."

I jolted on hearing that name, my guts starting to twist themselves around as still-painful memories arced past my mind's eye. "Is this Ioanis-sounsaengnim...?" -- here, Pauline uses the Korean version of "sensei" -- "...a robot technician?"

"Yes, she is!" Emiru beamed. "She's a really good technician, too. The best technician Emiryun's ever had!"

"How can you say that?" Pauline wondered.

If hearing Marlenn's name could make my guts turn inside out...

...hearing Emiru's answer sent my heart right through the floor.

"Because Ioanis-sensei's a robot herself, Darling!"

I don't recall what exactly happened next...

Seeing Deanna standing by the main entrance into the Retreat, I shivered as various social interaction scenarios began to gestate within my personality matrix. Unlike normal robots -- even unlike other IP-'bots! -- meeting her for what was, in fact, our first time, would present me with a number of problems. Those had to be overcome before I could execute the command Mother had left within the core of my mind.

Fact: fourteen years ago, a terrible altercation between Mother and Deanna destroyed a decade-long friendship. One of its aftereffects left Deanna without the ability to bear her own offspring.

Fact: for the past fourteen years, Deanna has travelled as far as she could from Welland, no doubt to restore her sense of internal harmony from the damage Mother did to her after becoming truly aware of Deanna's sexual nature.

Fact: five years ago, Mother vanished without a trace. To date, the police have yet to discover what happened to her.

Fact: no one bothered to tell Deanna about Mother's disappearance, much less about my existence.

Fact: no one has any real idea what Deanna's feelings for Mother are -- if she has any at all now. Because of this, I suspect, those who know both Deanna and Mother have no real idea as to what to tell Deanna concerning Mother's fate, much less myself.

Fact: four weeks ago, on the very night she initially agreed to become Reika's and Irene's new owner of record, Deanna, on seeing me when I came over to look in on the other dancers, fled from the Retreat rather than "reacquaint" herself with me.

In the face of the facts mentioned above, what could be my best course of action?

I watched as Deanna and her friend went into a private room. She emerged a couple minutes later to flag down a waitress, then called for Emiru to perform a private dance. By then, I'd shifted myself to a position where it would be next to impossible for Deanna to see me. There, I waited for the duration of two songs. No doubt, Emiru had been asked to perform for Deanna's companion. Keeping in mind the schedule the dancers at the Retreat followed, I knew she could do one more dance before breaking off and coming onto the main stage.

Sometime after the start of the final song before Emiru's stage show would begin, I heard a cry of alarm through the Retreat's private security communications links. "Aaaah!!! Darling's fainted!!" Emiru screamed.

My internal response functions went into overdrive as details quickly formed a logic chain in my mind:

Fact: Emiru is with Deanna and another woman in a private booth.

Fact: Emiru always calls those who seek private dances with her "Darling."

Fact: I knew from previous times she has been to the Retreat, Deanna has obtained private performances from Emiru.

Fact: Emiru just reported that someone she has designated "Darling" has fainted.

Instantly, my legs propelled me towards the booth just as George, another of the bouncers, came up to unlock the door. He opened it up, then sensing my approach, stepped out of my way. Looking inside, I gasped on seeing Deanna slumped on the floor by her seat. Her companion was on her knees to Deanna's right, patting her face in an attempt to awaken her. Emiru knelt to Deanna's left, frozen still. No doubt, the poor girl was trying to determine what her proper course of action should be in the wake of confronting what most likely seemed a major violation of the First Law of Robotics. Kneeling beside Deanna's feet, I reached over to squeeze Emiru's shoulder.