"Did you just hack me?" Cam asked.
"Yes. Sorry."
"Hmm. Thought so." His expression was mild. "Successfully, too. It's been a long time since that's happened."

Introverted Lewis needs to increase his Social score for a shot at his dream job with his favorite serialized space opera. So he hires human-machine hybrid Cam to pose his boyfriend. But Lewis isn't interested in a real relationship, and he takes steps to ensure that the liaison remains purely for show.

Cam dates people for a living. He enjoys his job, and he's good at it. He's not allowed to touch Lewis. But there's nothing that prevents him from talking...

Contents include: space opera fandom, sexy talk, and a fake boyfriend who isn't going to take this sort of thing lying down. So to speak.

This short story was previously published in Shousetsu Bang*Bang.

M. Arbon writes stories, mostly queer, often sexy, about people who try hard not to be jerks. M. lives and works in Toronto, Canada. M.'s stories have appeared in the anthologies His Seed and Best Gay Stories 2017, as well as being published as stand-alone volumes.