Binary Love (18+)

The Mayflower

Nova anxiously fiddled with the hems of her long dark jacket, her turquoise nails picking at the corners of the freshly synthesised fabric. Made up of geometric cuts of black leather, the jacket had an asymmetric but tailored look to it, which she paired with sheer leggings. It did up to her neck, where she had placed an elaborate web necklace to take pride of place. The back chain of the necklace fell low down her back, where at the bottom the AI spider rested. The outfit was outside her usual style, but was needed if she wanted to fit in and not draw too much attention in the brothel.

The Mayflower had a reputation to maintain, and one of the ways Madame Berkley cultivated that was by insisting customers adhere to a dress code. Everyone came dressed to impress; clad in various fabrics, colours and jewels, the overall theme was dark hues and varying levels of nakedness.

Nova hadn't even entered the ship, but she could see from the current customers coming in and out that she had overdressed. Not because of how expensive her outfit was - she cringed at remembering that she could've spent the money on two brand new charging docks - but because most of her skin was covered.

It seemed like the majority of people chose to wear less clothes, than bother to dress up to then take them off.

"I didn't think it would be strange coming back, but it is..." Mark whispered in her ear, letting his claws briefly brush against her backside before resting his palm on the small of her back. "None of my memories include the scent of so much sex, submission and dominance. It adds another layer to it all..."

It was like he was in a daze, his nose lifting and wiggling as he drew in the heady combination of debauchery escaping from the open doors. His left ear twitched, drawing attention to several hoop earrings pierced through the cartilage. The bottom earring was a small dangling spider, chosen to match her own jewellery, as well as hide a small communications amplifier for his cybernetics.

They had needed to find a creative way to stay in contact with Harou and Itsuki. It was the best she could come up with on such short notice.

Nova let her eyes rove Mark's body, letting out a small hum of appreciation. His upper body was bare - with the exception of a medallion hanging from his neck - showing off his thick muscles and wide chest, while his traditional loincloth draped attractively from his narrow hips. The loincloth was heavily embroidered, with a hole at the back big enough for his tail to fit through. The length of the fabric trailed down, just stopping a bit past his knees, tapering off into a thin point.

"If it's too much, we don't have to go in. I'm sure I can think up something else if-"

Mark's thick, gruff laugh interrupted her. His sharp eyes twinkling with amusement. "Trying to back out now? If I didn't know any better, I would think that you're embarrassed." His tongue brushed against his canines, before his mouth split into a wide smile.

"That's not true, I just-" Nova's eyes widened as she watched a lady walk in with nothing but diamond nipple pasties and a holo g-string. A wave of heat bloomed across her face, breaking her out into a deep red blush. "Alright, fine, maybe a little. But I'm also being serious that if you don't want to go in, then you don't have too."

"I'm fine, Nova. It's not so bad, it's just different." Mark replied, shrugging.

"Ok." Nova took a deep breath in, before sighing out her nerves. "Right, well... Let's go then."

As soon as they stepped through the ship's entrance, it was as if they had arrived at another world.

The foyer was bathed in a deep red from the neon lighting strips scattered around the room. One ran along the width of a commanding black polished desk, which sat directly in the middle of the room. The walls were padded with a matching red satin, contrasting against the velvet black seats and carpet. Several doors lined the back wall. From them, Nova could hear the recognisable sounds of moaning, and screams that warned of the pain and pleasure that could be found inside.

A tall, blue skinned Indus was manning the desk, using one set of arms to organise paperwork, while the other set collected payment and directed clients into the different doors behind him. His face was covered with a breathing mask, as all Indus needed one when they were not on their home planet.

Once he had dealt with the clients in front of them, he gently waved them over to the desk.

"Please, there's no need to be nervous! You're welcome to ask any questions if it will help." His voice came out breathy and raspy from his air filter, distorting his words a little.

At first, Nova was confused as to how he knew that she was nervous - she didn't think she looked outwardly uncomfortable - but she then remembered that all Indus were empaths, and he was likely picking up some of her emotions. That made her anxiety worse, as she didn't want anyone taking notice of her while she tried to sneak in a AI spy camera.

"I'm sorry, but we're not here as clients. My name is Nova, I'm meant to be meeting Madame Berkley today."

At the mention of her name, the Indus seemed to brighten up; his four arms became far more animated, while his eyes widened. Where a human would normally have a white sclera, the Indus' eyes were a solid navy blue. It resulted in his overall look being quite striking, as all the blue clashed terribly with the neon pick latex he was wearing.

"Ah, of course, she's been expecting you! You are the sexbot designer, yes?" Before Nova could respond, he continued talking. "The Madame should be finishing her meeting soon, but she requested that you wait for her in one of the VIP booths - the theme room of your choosing, of course."

"Of course?" Nova replied.

"Of course," Mark reiterated with confidence, "then I think the Voyeur room would be the most appropriate for us today, please."

"Voyeur?!" She whispered furiously to Mark.

"Trust me, it's the least ... intense. Unless, the BDSM room would be more to your liking, Nova?" His teasing voice held an undertone of delight at her expense.

She emphatically shook her head.

"Wonderful choice! The Voyeur room it is! Please go through the second door on my right. An android will lead you to your private booth." The Indus clapped all of his hands together - far too joyfully, in Nova's opinion -then gestured to one of the mystery doors.

"Thank you." Mark replied.

With a gentle push, he guided her towards the threshold.

Nova's heart beat sped up. A cocktail of nerves and intrigue ramping up her adrenaline. Sex wasn't taboo for her, but watching strangers get steamy added another level to it.

Add in her current sneaky surveillance, and she felt like a spy from one of those old Earth vids.

As the door opened smoothly in front of them, a red headed android with freckles stood on the other side, her wide smile showing off her perfect teeth.

"Hello," The android said with a soft voice, "my name is Sheila and welcome to The Mayflower."