Interlocking Hearts (18 page)

Chapter Fifteen

A major part of Paisley’s job was to answer the phone. She’d spout off a perfected greeting to sound sweet and approachable. She made it sound like she actually wanted to listen to people complain or cancel the appointments they had fought so hard to get in the first place.

This time, listening to the voice on the other line, sweat beaded on her brow as she took down the information. She told the caller Coral was in a meeting with a CoH candidate and couldn’t be disturbed. It wasn’t a lie, but she really wanted to talk to Coral about this call. She hoped her friend hadn’t answered a buzz from the cellular module in her head.

Coral’s door opened and Paisley was delighted to see the metallic humanoid from her job interview step out.

“Please feel free to contact me with any questions about the process.” Coral performed her way longer than necessary handshake, before nodding to Paisley. “My assistant will be the one to take your information down and she may help with a lot of things if I am busy.”

The android’s jaw snicked and clicked until a smile formed. “I am completely confident Paisley would be able to assist me. She has already helped me gain access to this process.”

“Are you the first to be assessed who doesn’t have a skin overlay?” Paisley asked.

She certainly hadn’t seen any come through without a skin transplant, and as far as she knew, uncovered biometal musculature wasn’t approved for evaluation at this point.

Coral answered, “The magistrate said that you were the one who told them they had to abide by their promises or face litigation. The process was started immediately after the interviews finished.”

Paisley took down the bot’s information and scheduled the next step of the process. She always scheduled the next step, even if the bot would not be approved, so she had to ask once the android was on the elevator, “Is she going to get to continue the application process?”

“I see no reason to disallow it. The magistrate has a verbal contract to allow this robot to apply.” Coral smiled. “You are the witness to the contract, and I believe you would hold him to that.”

“Fuck yeah, I would.”

Coral’s shoulders clicked back and she stood taller. Her head twitched to the side and back. She was assessing the data. “Then I believe we have set a precedent.”

Paisley realized she was the one who had done something that would change the entire CoH application process. “What are you going to do about the DNA sample part of the paperwork? Without a skin transplant or other bio material covering, this android won’t have anything to put into that area.”

“I am meeting with the magistrate later today to discuss this matter. You have not updated any appointments on my schedule, correct? I am clear after 4:00 p.m.?”

Paisley looked at the computer screen and her notes from the afternoon phone calls. One of them…well, she’d handle that one on her own. Coral looked too happy to bring down with Paisley’s problems.

“No updates. Still clear.”

Coral and Paisley worked the rest of the day on paperwork with only one other review appointment in between. The forms that had to be filed with the DMA were exhausting. Paisley still didn’t have a handle on all of the terminology or requirements. She had taken a few notes and was still using them as cheat sheets throughout the day.

Coral didn’t like to repeat information, so Paisley made an effort to work efficiently and not slow Coral down. It also gave her a second to process what the voice on the phone had said. Someone knew she’d been with Jon. Someone knew she’d broken the law.

A few of the receptionists and others getting on and off the elevator said hello to Coral, but she was silent. As they headed toward the magistrate’s office, Paisley realized there were areas of the interoffice experience where she could be an asset to Coral. Putting aside her own worries, she focused on the certified human next to her.

As another person waved to Coral, Paisley pinched her friend so that her arm went up in greeting.

“Why do you insist on doing that?”

“You need to be more personable,” Paisley said once they were in an empty hall.

“Why is that important? I don’t work with any of them.”

This was where Paisley was needed. Coral could look at individual facts and she could make linear moves that made a lot of sense to her. She got along well with most of the scientists studying certificate of humanity data. It was a shame the world was made up of far more people than just scientists.

“Like it or not, in this building you are representative of the entire robotic community.”

Coral frowned. “One person cannot encompass an entire group. It is true I have many more features than your average robotic citizen—not as many as Jon, but more than most.”

Paisley tried not to think about Jon’s upgrades. She shook off the remains of the chill from the phone call and locked it away. “You are the only AI roboperson most of these people know. The way you interact with them will be the way they see all robotic citizens from here on. If you are cold and unrelatable, they are less likely to interact with others like you. They will also care less about what kind of rights you are given in the future.”

“I understand your point. I still find that I am not pleased with changing myself to affect others.”

Which was why Paisley still didn’t think this whole DMA gig was right for either of them. She didn’t want to be the one lecturing Coral on how to be a political figure, but damn if it wasn’t happening anyway.

“I think this whole thing sucks, but right now, you are doing something important, and I’m getting a paycheck.”

“And free room and board,” Coral reminded her.

They made it to the magistrate’s office before Paisley could cringe too much at still mooching off her friend.

The magistrate’s assistant wasn’t at her desk. It was creepy when no one else was in the office. Most of these political types worked late hours.

Magistrate Winters came out of his office as they approached. His suit jacket was off and his tie was slightly off kilter, being held in place by a tie tack.

“Coral, glad you could keep your schedule clear. We need to get this paperwork adjusted and a review bill drafted before this applicant’s process goes any further. I want your input on the verbiage to make sure I’m leaving things as vague as possible without looking like I’m creating a loophole.”

“I have to go help make loopholes now, Paisley. Are you okay to get back to the hotel by yourself?”

Paisley mentally checked her credit account. She’d be good as long as she walked a couple blocks first.

“I’m fine. Call me when you get out?”

Coral nodded and disappeared into the magistrate’s office.

Paisley was just fine with calling it a day, so she started off toward the elevators only to hear the magistrate call her name.

“Paisley.” He wheezed when he caught up with her. The magistrate wasn’t a small man. “I have a favor to ask of you.”

“What can I do for you, Magistrate Winters?”

“We both know that Coral is somewhat difficult to deal with at times.” He tilted his head forward and put an arm on Paisley’s shoulder.

She tried really hard not to squirm underneath his clammy palm.

“Coral and I get along just fine,” she reminded him. “But she does sometimes speak a different language.”

It was not an easy thing to smile and be polite when you wanted to practice the extent of your curse-word vocabulary on someone. Paisley was pretty proud of the effort she put forward. Like most men, the magistrate misread her signals.

“I can see that we are on the same page. I just wanted to let you know, that if you ever want to talk about the difficulty in caring for an AI robot, I am more than happy to help. Whenever you’d need it.”

Paisley was grateful when he pulled back, but was not at all thrilled when he pulled her hand toward him and put a card in it.

“That has my personal number on it. You can call me when you need to talk. I have access to some techniques in dealing with robotics.”

Suddenly leaving this guy alone with Coral, without even an assistant outside the office, seemed like a really bad idea.

When you’re forced to deal with a creepy guy, use what you have to your advantage, right?

“You know…I’d really appreciate that.” Paisley leaned forward and flashed a little cleavage. Sure enough, the guy’s brain cells moved south.

“You can call me anytime you need my help, Paisley. I think you’ll see that there are more people around here to support you than you think.” His eyes glanced down and he talked to her boobs as he said, “You’ll find there are many people who would understand your plight.”

Warning bells blared and honked all over her gray matter.
Dealing with robots…someone in the DMA was leading the charge against robotics.

This guy was talking like Coral was a problem around the office.

Paisley moved around him and sat at his secretary’s desk. She didn’t have on a skirt, but really, when a guy was ogling you like you were dinner, you didn’t need to show any skin. He’d be a perv anyway.

So she arched her back and crossed her legs. “If you’re not too tired, I wouldn’t mind waiting for you to finish up with Coral and then we can chat.”

After she sat and he realized she was planning to stay, the magistrate looked put out. “We are going to be working on this paperwork for a couple of hours, at least. I can catch up with you later if you like.”

“Oh it’s no trouble to wait. It will save me from being hit on by a bunch of unprofessional men at the bar. I need to stop hanging out at those places. The guys I meet there are in no position of authority and I am so tired of having to lead these poor pups.”

Paisley told herself to back off. She might be coming on a bit strong to make this believable. As it turned out, some other power-hungry groupies must exist in the world, because he took the bait, like it was a twinkie waving in his face.

“I know exactly what you mean, Miss Compton. I will try and wrap up quickly. You seem like you have a lot to offer the community. I’d love to educate you.” He cleared his throat. “In all ways you need me to.”

“Of course.” Paisley painted her smile on until the door finally shut.

Her cell phone buzzed in her pocket a second later.

I do not think the magistrate would be a satisfying sexual partner for you. I thought you wanted an agile participant in the bedroom. Please explain this to me next time we visit.

Coral was texting from her mobile nodule while they were chatting. Paisley couldn’t even text and walk at the same time. Her bestie had skills. And she was very observant. Paisley had to text back if she didn’t want Coral interrupting.

I don’t trust him. I’m going to get him to open up about what information he’s compiling and then I’m going to get out of there. I’ll call you later.

Coral would keep pestering her. Unless…

Text me back when you figure out why you won’t tell Quinn you love him.

Points for Paisley. Coral wouldn’t text her back until she had a reasonable answer. And considering one didn’t exist, it bought Paisley plenty of time.

Chapter Sixteen

Paisley wanted a shower. She wanted a shower bad. It was late enough that her hair would probably still be damp when she went to bed, but she didn’t care. Scrubbing the last few hours off her skin was far more important than the threat of bedhead.

There had never been a night like this one in all her thirty-some years.

People found Paisley Compton attractive and she enjoyed having a figure and beauty that appealed to a fairly wide audience. Being pretty opened doors for her that might not have been available to her otherwise.

Tonight was not about using her beauty to make people realize she was a hard worker. Nope. She had just outright used her looks to get information.

Paisley turned on the shower as hot as the temperature-controlled hotel water allowed. The window was just starting to fog up when someone knocked at her door.

It might be the housekeeping staff. Paisley never had gotten her room cleaned yesterday. She could use a couple new towels. She might need two showers.

But when Paisley opened the door it wasn’t housekeeping. It was her next door neighbors.

“I’m not in the mood, guys. Sorry.”

Ben wedged his foot between the door and the frame before she could close it and pushed his way in easily.

“We’re not here about sex,” Ben told her as he sat on her couch.

“But if you would like to retry last night’s activities, I wouldn’t mind,” Jon told her.

Then he leaned in and inhaled all around her neck. His lip curled.

“Seems you’ve already replaced us as partners. With someone who smells like cigar vapor.”

There really was no denying that she had been way too close to the magistrate. Way too close. The man’s wandering hands hadn’t been pleasant. She thought about jumping right back in the shower, company or no.

“I was trying to get some information about the Anti-Mech group.” Paisley pushed away from Jon and went to turn off the water in the bathroom. Looked like she wasn’t going to get that shower yet. “The magistrate was telling me all about the files of information he is compiling with everyone who applies for their CoH.”

When she came out of the bathroom, both men were standing at the end of the hallway with frowns on their faces.

“What were you doing to get this information?” Jon asked.

This was rich. “Please tell me you are about to lecture me about using sexuality to gain access to information. Please. Tell me how this is different from what you did for a living before applying for your CoH.” Paisley put her finger to her lips before flipping both men the bird. “I’ll tell you how it’s different. It’s not.”

Ben looked like he was going to argue, but Jon stopped him with a hand to his friend’s chest.

Paisley’s hands went to her hips, and she reveled in the fact that she was right. She felt disgusting, but she was right. Sometimes war was dirty. She didn’t like feeling this way, but it wasn’t the first time. At least now she was still the one in control, all by making other people think they were. It was a small internal argument, but she was holding on to it successfully so far. Her body wanted a shower, and her brain wanted some bleach, but she was coping.

She hadn’t needed to have sex with the magistrate to work the files out from underneath him, but his hands had wandered well beneath her clothes. Her small thumbdrive was filled with nasty things off the man’s computer.

Better the drive than her.

“You were using your body to distract the man and spy on him?”

Paisley opened the fridge and grabbed a beer. She popped the top on the granite counter and tipped the frothy bottle Jon’s way. “Learned from one of the best, I’ve been told.”

“He didn’t have a choice in that. You need to check your accusations.” Ben started to get angry.

Jon didn’t seem upset. He patted Ben’s shoulder and bit back a smile.

Paisley realized she was in a very different position than Jon had been but she didn’t have time to feel bad for him. She needed to stay in control of everything if she was going to keep sane, and save her friend. After all, Coral’s files were some of the most viewed. Gotta love those data counters computers came with nowadays.

“I’ve got something important to do here. The magistrate’s files are more complete than anyone else’s. I can see how many times the CoH applications have been accessed and which ones are viewed most frequently. If I can match up the experiments at Bio-Dyne with access to these files, or better yet, if I can work a program to see who is accessing them, and find out who is viewing them with no purpose for experiment or classification project, I might be able to find out who our Anti-Mech leak is.” Paisley drained half the beer. “In order to do that”—she swallowed the other half—“I have to have access to the magistrate.”

“You could just offer to cover some shifts for his assistant.”

“He doesn’t think I’m competent enough to work for him. The only reason he hired me is because of my knowledge of mechanics. My political policy knowledge is next to nothing, and he knows that. His secretary helps him draft bills. I’d never get near anything but his coffee if I worked for him.”

Jon was frowning. Not just a normal “I disapprove” frown. His face was turned down so much, Paisley worried that he would end up snapping a biometal attachment.

Ben kept looking at him and back to Paisley. They must have been doing some kind of intra-brain communication thing again. When they used it during sex it was hot. When they used it to talk shit because a woman followed in their sex spy footsteps, it burned her up.

She tossed the bottle into the recycling bin. “If you’ve got something to say, you might as well say it out loud. I can tell you don’t like this idea, and I haven’t told Coral or Quinn because they won’t like this idea either. However, I really don’t give two flying shits.”

“You should care that the people who value your safety think what you are doing is stupid,” Jon finally said.

Paisley got up in his face. He didn’t back down, because what could she do? He was still in the application process and there was no documentation on where his Achilles’ Heel was. She could call security, but that would only annoy Quinn. Quinn Briggs was a calm person about everything except Coral. If she told him what she had found, he wouldn’t just tase the officers this time. He would likely do something much more permanent. Brain damage at the very least.

“Guess whose file was the most viewed?”

Jon didn’t reply.

“Coral’s. Coral’s file was in the magistrate’s downloads. The ticker on it was in the thousands. I’m not telling Quinn about this, and neither are you.”

Jon got his face-breaking frown back. But Paisley needed him to see her side on this.

“We aren’t going to tell him, because Quinn won’t keep calm and work this out to stop the whole problem. He will do something stupid and have to become some kind of robot vigilante. I don’t want anything to happen to Coral. Her starting this whole certificate of humanity crap is half my fault. I’m going to find out how deep this goes, and then we can decide how to fix it. Without Quinn getting sent to prison for murder.”

The guys, who were a lot less sexy at the moment, started to do their wordless communication thing again.

Paisley was over it.

“And if you don’t stop talking to each other inside your own heads, we are really going to have issues. Speak. Out loud. The human is getting annoyed.”

“I’m a human as well,” Ben pointed out.

“Well, I don’t have the same upgrades as you, and I would like to be in the loop. If you are going to exclude me from the conversation, go back to your room and do it from there.”

Jon’s frown didn’t go away as he said, “We agree that Briggs shouldn’t be informed of what is going on.”

“Good.”

“Yet. As long as we’re involved this can stay as is. We will tell him if we deem it necessary for the safety of anyone on this mission.” Ben rolled his shoulders, the pops reminding Paisley that he had more than a communications upgrade in his system. “But if we are going to do something about these files and what they are being used for, then we are going to want his help at some point. And Coral’s too. Quinn is a brilliant strategist, and Coral is aware of the legalities surrounding what you are talking about. This whole human and mechanics rights and classification business is in its infancy. We want to make sure everyone is safe, but we need to be careful not to kill off something that can mean so much to so many.”

Paisley grabbed another beer. “Look, I only have the idea and access. I don’t have proof yet. I’m exhausted, and want to take a shower and go to bed.”

The men sat on her couch. Ben reached for the remote, and Jon crossed his legs and leaned back.

Paisley wondered why these guys didn’t just go away like all the other men she’d fucked. She obviously needed to be blunt. “I’d appreciate it if you leave.”

“We’ll help you go over your plan after you shower,” Ben replied and turned on some kind of late night show.

“And you’ll do it without having sex with the magistrate,” Jon said.

“How do you know I didn’t already?” Paisley asked.

“Because if you did, he wouldn’t have been popping up in your calendar for another meeting so soon. Man’s not in that great of shape, and he’d need to recharge if you gave it up tonight.”

Paisley had thought the same thing. She told him she was really tired and not prepared to be seen
down there
. She really wanted him desperate so that he would be a little more lax with his security. Paisley figured if she could surprise him, that she’d have a better chance of him not locking down his computer again.

“And you aren’t going to have sex with him,” Jon repeated.

“If I need to do it to get access to who’s behind all this crap…I’m going to.” Paisley said it with force. Maybe it would give her the strength to wipe away all that disgust she had for the plan.

Jon got up and stalked toward her. She thought he would shake her or grab her, or even kiss her. Instead, he spun her around and she danced on her tip toes as he moved her down the hallway into the bathroom.

“Take your shower. Then we’ll talk.” He looked at her. Thought about it for a second. Then said, “I don’t like his scent on you.”

The door shut and Paisley was dumbfounded. Was the pleasure bot spy jealous? If anyone was going to be behind this plan, she’d figured Robohippie would have her back. If the magistrate was female, he’d have been knocking on her door to do the same thing. And probably get his undies bugged again for his trouble.

Paisley just wasn’t going to wear any underwear. She didn’t have to worry about embarrassing herself at work. No one in the entire building turned her crank.

Especially the one she used to be married to. After running into Darius again at the checkpoint out of the building, Paisley had decided she’d either need to stay late, or leave early from now on. The bastard was timely if nothing else.

Getting the water back up to scalding was worth the wait. She was glad she had the heat as high as it would go, because it helped ease the chill she felt at the enormity of the task in front of her. She had to get close to one of her main suspects. The magistrate.

He had done an awful lot of downloads of information himself. Granted, he was drafting verbiage for the certificates of humanity and needed to use words that would encompass all applicants, but there was something about those download numbers. He wasn’t the only one downloading duplicate files.

If the information was saved off site, it could increase the file distribution. Paisley would have to see if there was a way to find that out. The number of downloads didn’t specify that the locations were within the City County Building. They could have been downloaded to a drive and taken anywhere.

Running her hands through her hair to knock out the suds as fast as she could, Paisley realized she had to figure out the programming. Otherwise her brain would do another random thought lap in the shower and she’d lose it. She didn’t bother turning the shower off, because she fully planned on getting back in, but she did wrap the hotel robe around herself to minimize the chill after stepping outside the room of steam.

As soon as she got her breath back, she blurted, “Do you know how to use the programs at the City County Building to determine which files have been downloaded to external drives and through which computers?”

Both men did a double take as they turned to her.

Oops.
She grabbed the robe closed again. Darn thing was not made to cover nipples.

She snapped her fingers in the air to shake off their boob hypnosis. “I was just asking if you knew which programs in the government building to access to find out who has been taking information home.”

Ben turned back around, adjusted in his seat and whispered something to Jon who nodded and went toward her.

“I know how. I’ll tell you tomorrow.”

“What? Why tomorrow? And what if you forget?” She gripped the robe tighter as he got closer. She was positive she didn’t want round two with these guys, but her body and her brain weren’t in agreement on the subject. Her heart was suddenly trying to weigh in too, and she needed to squash that fast.

Jon tapped his forehead with his finger, and looked insulted.

“Okay. You’re a robot. You won’t forget, but I might. Why don’t you tell me now?”

Jon took the last step separating them, and Paisley gasped at how these men still affected her whole body.

She was trying to argue with herself that it was muscle memory, and her inner muscles remembered how great his outer muscles had felt last night, but that wasn’t it. Paisley’d had her share of men, and her favorites were always the ones who were visiting town or having a going away party. But the ones she saw again, even if the sex was great, didn’t do it for her the next day. There wasn’t anything left she wanted from them.

So why did she want these guys so bad when she’d gotten everything she should want from them last night? There was nothing she hadn’t done with them. No orifice they hadn’t violated in the most incredible way.

It
was
the best sex she’d ever had. Maybe that was it.