"What in the world am I supposed to wear?" I asked.

"Hold on." Tatiana bounced up off my king size bed and disappeared into my closet. "You have to be who you are. You're a big time executive, right? So you're smart and powerful. But you're only twenty four, so you're still playful and young. And you founded a company that builds equipment used by every rock band on the radio, so you're clearly a little bit edgy." She reappeared with an armful of clothes. "Here," she said, laying the items out on the bed, one at a time. "Black skirt. Smart and powerful. Bright red shirt and heels. Playful and young. Leather jacket. Edgy."

I didn't even know I owned a bright red shirt and I hadn't worn that skirt since I begged the bankers for start up money three years ago.

Tatiana rolled her eyes at me. "Seriously, Kate. Just wear the clothes. You know a sense of fashion is the one and only thing I have that you don't."

It was undeniable.

"OK," I agreed. "But if this date sucks I'll never forgive you." The whole thing had been her idea. She's the one who'd convinced me I'd been working too hard and needed a night on the town. She's the one who registered me on ExecuMatch.com. She even picked the guy.

"Look at this one!" She'd said. "Top level male. Worth millions. Works eighty plus hours, guaranteed. He sounds perfect for you. He's as rich as you, so you know he's not in it for the money. And he works just as much as you, so you know he won't be all weird and clingy."

"Let me see the graphic," I insisted.

She turned the screen toward me. He wasn't a movie star, but he was solid. His dark skin was smooth, his hair cropped short. He was clean shaven, and he had a nice smile with straight, white teeth. His brown eyes looked clear and intelligent. Nothing about him screamed, 'serial killer.'

"How can I be sure he's not a serial killer?" I asked.

My best friend rolled her eyes at me. "Do you have any idea the background checks required to even be listed on a site like this?"

"I never agreed to a background check," I said.

"Yes you did. You just don't remember me clicking the authorization button while you weren't in the room."

I'd finally caved and let her give him a green light. Almost instantly, he'd responded with a date and time. I was stunned to see that it was the one night that month when it would actually be OK for me to schedule a social meeting.

And now the moment was upon me. And I was wearing a skirt. Lord have mercy.

The knock came on the door at exactly 7:00pm.

"Dang!" Tatiana said. "He's prompt."

"Score a point for the serial killer," I said. I pressed the button on the interface and the pleasant face I remember appeared before me. "Hi. I'll be right down," I said.

He smiled. "I am looking forward to seeing you in person."

I tried to smile, made a weird grunting noise that I hope he took as agreement, and switched off the interface. "I can't do this, Tatiana. I can't. I won't. I don't date. I program. I market. I direct. I don't date."

She rose and pushed me toward the door. "Go. Figure out how to act like a human, for heaven's sake. Coding isn't going to keep you warm at night."

And then I was in the elevator.

Why do I let her get me into these situations? I should just apologize and cancel. If I go back up now, I'll still have time to read all of the sales analysis reports before I go to bed.

The door opened.

He was taller than I expected; at least six feet, slim, smelling just faintly of something I was familiar with, but couldn't quite identify. He smiled and held out a small rectangular package.

"It was appropriate to bring you a small gift," he said.

I took it from him, mostly because I couldn't stand the thought of how awkward it would be not to. "Thank you." I held out my hand. "I'm Kate."

"I saw that on your profile," he said.

"Right. Well. Hello. And you're Max, right?"

"Yes. I am Max," he confirmed.

"OK, then. Well, Max, I'm really sorry, but I'm just not sure I can go through with this." The sales reports were becoming more attractive by the minute.

"You must. You signed a contract. It is illegal to breech a contract." He didn't seem upset in the least. He was just pleasantly stating a fact. "You should open the gift."

I looked down at the package in my hands. It was clearly a book. I was a sucker for books. My mother's generation had read everything on their phones, but when they all started going blind from staring at screens, she instilled in me a love for good old fashioned ink on paper. I couldn't resist. I pulled the paper off (Plain, brown, 100% recycled materials. Score two for environmental responsibility). It was a copy of, "A.I. coding: A pocket how-to guide."

I couldn't help but laugh. "I was actually planning on ordering this."

He smiled. "I am glad that you are pleased."

That scent teased my brain. I should know what that is, I thought. It's familiarity made me feel comfortable and at ease somehow.

"Shall we go?" He asked.

"Sure," I relented. "Let's go."

We stepped out into the cool damp air of the spring evening and began walking toward the train stop.

"What kind of work do you do?" I asked as we waited. The next train was still three minutes out, according to the display above the track.

"I am made for sales analysis, but I can do many other things as well," he said.

"I always felt made for research and development, myself. I accept sales analysis as a necessary evil."

"I am not evil," he said. "I cannot perpetrate an unethical action."

I laughed again. "Good to know! Have you been in marketing a long time?"

"No. I am waiting for an assignment."

Great. An unemployed playboy.

He stood, hands at his sides, watching the bright green numbers of the display.

Clearly not a playboy.

I stared at the numbers, too. Two minutes, fifteen seconds to go.

I should say something. This is weird. People talk on first dates. We should be getting to know one another.

I peeked at him from the corner of my eye. He appeared perfectly at ease in the silence.

I looked back at the display. One minute, fifty two seconds. A warm breeze tossed my hair away from my face. The scent of the earlier rain was enlivening.

Actually it's kind of nice standing here with him. Comfortable. Familiar. What is that smell?

"May I ask you a personal question?" I asked.

"Yes. I have no secrets," he said.

"None?" I couldn't imagine that everyone didn't have some secrets.

"No. I am programmed to be unfailingly honest," he answered.

"Programmed?" I laughed, but even as the giggle escaped me it hit me. Hot circuits! It was the smell of the epoxy gassing off of a hot motherboard. "Oh, my gosh!"

He tilted his head in a perfect imitation of a man.

"You're a computer?" I asked, astonished.

"Oh, no. I am not a computer. I am a top-level, fully mechanized, A.I. android."

I stood there with my mouth hanging open. The train arrived, twenty six seconds early. It was gone again, just as the display reached zero. I still hadn't moved.

"Are you well? Are you in need of medical assistance?"

"You're a top level male. Worth millions. You can work eighty hours or more, guaranteed," I said.

"Yes. That is right. I believe my manufacturer listed me for sale this week on ExecuMatch.com. You are interested in purchase. That is what you indicated when you accepted the terms and conditions on the website."

Tatiana.

Of course she didn't actually read the terms and conditions. Or even pay attention to the fact that the site wasn't for dating. It was for purchasing.

I sighed, "I'm sorry, Max. I think there's been a misunderstanding."

"You do not want to purchase a top level male made for sales analysis?" He asked.

"No. I don't need..." my voice trailed off. "You can really do eighty hours a week of sales analysis?" I asked.

"Yes. I can also do many other things," he said.

"Like what?"

"Marketing. Customer service. Personal organization. I am also able to cook, clean, and provide massage. I have two hundred and sixty three functions."

Another train was buzzing into the station. "Let's get to know one another, Max. I think you might be exactly the right man for me."

The End

~~~

eacomiskey is a passionate writer from Michigan. She finished her first novel, More Things In Heaven And Earth, here on Wattpad when she joined #NanoWriMo challenge.  She's written loads more since that first time and you can find many of her stories on her Wattpad profile and some even self-published on Amazon and other online bookstores. She became a rabid Nano promoter and Municipal Liaison for the "Michigan:Elsewhere" group.