Page 24 of Operation Iron Heart

Jack showed Marci’s holographic invitation to the assistant to prove that she was the real Skyla Rosebud.

She felt an instant dislike for Rickman, even though his blue eyes and impeccable appearance of a male underwear model made him almost as good-looking as Jack. Almost. He was slightly shorter than Jack and didn’t look nearly as dangerous. Rickman looked at him with irritation but Jack kept his expression carefully blank. “Wouldn’t you rather leave the robot outside?”

“Not at all, Mr Rickman,” Marci replied flirtatiously. “This robot is my personal companion for the evening and an illustration for your boss.” She was surprised how the words fell from her lips. “I think he’d like a glass of champagne, too, wouldn’t you?” She gave Jack a look of invitation, and he responded with a brief smile.

“As Madame wishes.” Jack looked at her loyally and gave a slight bow.

“I have to admit, I like the look of your robot, Ms Rosebud.” Sounding amused, Rickman handed Jack a glass of champagne without sparing him a glance. “Apparently he knows how to behave. Is there one for men, too?”

“I think it’s time for women to have a go first,” countered Marci confidently.

“I hear that you want to use MfM to take CRU’s business into the erotic market. Aren’t you taking on a bit much? I mean, your model here looks really good, but how on earth is a male robot supposed to satisfy a woman? Men are normally only interested in screwing, but women want heart and soul when they sleep with a man. They want to be recognised and appreciated as a woman. How is a robot, particularly one based on a combat robot, supposed to do that?”

“You’d be surprised, Mr Rickman.” Marci responded to his overweening arrogance with a defiant tone. She had no intention of sharing Jack with anyone. She simply had to persuade Montgomery MacIntyre that her business was sound and that he should take her on as a business partner so that she could access the plans for his secret production facilities.

Rickman seemed unimpressed and led her and Jack to their table, one of a hundred in the lavishly decorated conference hall, each one laden with expensive glass and china. All the tables were set for six people and while some were already occupied by couples, others had only women, waiting for their men who were still in the lounge area chatting with business associates and other individuals from select social circles.

To Marci’s horror, Rickman showed her to a seat next to Lorna Atkinson, the wife of the governor of Illinois. It was not only the neon display on the table that revealed her identity; Marci knew her face from the gossip sites. It was then that Marci felt absolutely certain that she didn’t belong here, and only felt more nervous as another extremely attractive woman appeared at their table – a blonde wearing a stunning silver sequined gown of pure silk, slit to the thigh, showing her pert breasts and long, flawless legs to perfection. To cap it all, she had beautiful violet eyes and full, shimmering pink lips.

“May I introduce you?” drawled Rickman, aiming a brash smile at the two women at the table. He nodded to Marci. “This is Skyla Rosebud, entrepreneur and owner of a start-up that’s developing a new generation of escort robots.”

“And this is Lorna Atkinson, wife of our highly esteemed governor.” He glanced appreciatively at the attractive brunette, whose copper eyes matched the colour of her dress. “And this,” he continued with a slightly stilted gesture, “is her friend, Jill Ambush.” Gallantly, he pulled up a chair for the dazzling blonde and she sat down in a single elegant movement.

“You must know each other,” he said to Marci. “Jill is the sister-in-law of our highly esteemed President and runs one of the most well-known lifestyle magazines. I am sure you women will have an entertaining evening.” He winked lasciviously, gave Jack a suggestive look and walked away.

Despite her lack of enthusiasm, Marci held out her hand to the richly bejewelled governor’s wife and the perfectly groomed sister-in-law of the President. Jill Ambush came across as artificial and not very likeable, but Marci still felt sorry for her. It can’t have been easy being left for a younger-looking robot woman, an experience she shared with Rochelle MacIntyre. Marci’s sympathy was immediately quashed, however, as she saw the sly look that Jill gave Jack’s imposing figure, as if she were the snake and he was the rabbit, barely taking the time to give Marci a casual nod.

“And who do we have here?” she asked with a radiant smile directed exclusively at Jack. Rickman had vanished by now, presumably unwilling to introduce a robot.

Marci was suddenly faced with a problem, not knowing whether to introduce Jack by his name, but the governor’s wife pre-empted her.

“Is this your husband?” she asked Marci, looking slightly confused.

“No, this is my robot,” replied Marci truthfully, leaving the two women momentarily speechless. Marci was amused by their reaction, but it hadn’t solved the problem of which name to use.

Jack glossed over the awkward situation by giving both women a formal bow and kissing their hands.

Whoever had taught him that, it had the desired effect. The governor’s wife was delighted, her artificially rounded breasts visibly heaving in her tight-fitting satin corset.

“I wish Trevor were this attentive,” she gushed effusively, “but unfortunately he comes from a dynasty of brutish cattle farmers for whom manners are a foreign concept.”

“He’s a robot?” asked Jill. “He doesn’t look at all like a robot, even if he definitely fits the dimensions of those humanlike combat machines, but I wouldn’t want to sit at the same table as one of them,” she admitted unconvincingly, giving Jack a look full of promise, to which he responded with a confident smile.

“In his previous life, he was actually a combat robot,” explained Marci with an air of smugness, as if Jack were a dangerous predator and she was the only one who could now control him. “But apart from the fact that he can rip an attacker’s head off, he’s completely harmless,” she declared with a sideways glance at Captain Incredible, as she’d been calling him to herself since the events of that afternoon.

She noticed the women’s quizzical looks and Jack’s disapproving raised eyebrow and wondered whether she might have gone too far with the bit about ripping heads off. “Just a joke,” she added with a nervous giggle. “Honestly, he’s completely harmless.”

Jack assumed a non-committal expression and Marci signalled to him that she wanted to sit down. He immediately pulled a chair up for her before sitting down next to Jill Ambush, much to Marci’s displeasure. The women had clearly noticed his courteous manner and, after their initial shock, stared at him with interest clear in their eyes.

A waiter appeared at their table to take their orders; Marci requested a red wine and Jack, a whisky on the rocks. When their drinks arrived, Jack toasted both Marci and the two women, who responded with enthusiasm to his friendly attention.

Grinding her teeth, Marci turned to her prominent neighbour – whose interest in Jack had clearly increased – while he blithely answered Jill Ambush’s questions. She gave him the third degree, asking about his abilities and discovering that he could easily replace a domestic robot.

“But you don’t just cook, clean and do laundry for women,” said Jill in amusement as he recounted a list of innocuous tasks that he performed to satisfy the requirements of his demanding clientele. “You also go to bed with them?”

As she asked this, she looked away from Jack and directly at Marci, who wanted to answer Yes, but not with you, you stupid cow.

Instead, Marci gave a feline smile. “I would say that’s his ideal task. And, if I might add, he fulfils it exquisitely.”