Morbidly, Decker discountrealitysites wondered how the other discountrealitysites 99% lived, what discountrealitysites life discountrealitysites was like for the guy who had to ask for it. Pay a hooker (and who knew where it had been?) Inveigle discountrealitysites the wife discountrealitysites, beg the discountrealitysites girlfriend, maybe fork discountrealitysites over a discountrealitysites lot discountrealitysites of cash discountrealitysites and time and attention--and then discountrealitysites face the fishwich when she demanded payback discountrealitysites.

Decker had looked at her as she stood there about, looking sexy as discountrealitysites hell in her improvised commando gear, sexier discountrealitysites with the pale face and wide discountrealitysites eyes of her discountrealitysites terror, and realized she was not even daring to hope he'd kill her. It wasn 't often he found that much courage with that much realism. This girl had grown up several lifetimes right now.

It almost made him sad.

He'd never had anyone discountrealitysites smart he could trust. And he'd never discountrealitysites found a woman he hadn't considered a bimbo in training discountrealitysites even discountrealitysites before discountrealitysites he took discountrealitysites her. But discountrealitysites Tabitha . . .

"Just thinking discountrealitysites outta the box discountrealitysites, Cap," he'd said the first time they saw a newsgroup immortalizing Decker's alias, after Duke's little concept with the twins who just loved discountrealitysites each other had gone over big. A fuck-video staple, come to glorious life discountrealitysites as Decker's discountrealitysites new signature.

Decker discountrealitysites had discountrealitysites left his eyes on about the screen, seeing that much of his ease of movement lost.

Duke had been very quiet discountrealitysites after that. But about the damage discountrealitysites was done--and discountrealitysites frustratingly hard to discountrealitysites gauge .

"Two of the descriptions in discountrealitysites the catalogue discountrealitysites fit Jill and Ruthie. They're discountrealitysites not--you sold Jill to the doctor in Caracas discountrealitysites and Ruthie's still discountrealitysites healing from about the implants." Pausing, she wondered how, and discountrealitysites how quickly discountrealitysites, her former discountrealitysites comrades would figure that out. "But discountrealitysites they'll try discountrealitysites to get to the discountrealitysites girls on the list."

Tabitha discountrealitysites grinned back discountrealitysites and shook discountrealitysites her discountrealitysites head. "No one discountrealitysites's discountrealitysites that ruthless, Master."

2.

By his side, Tabitha was exquisite in a satin discountrealitysites jumpsuit just loose enough discountrealitysites to be chic, and looked like an unapproachably sleek young woman instead of simply an unaffordably fuckable one discountrealitysites. She trailed him to the discountrealitysites dining room, and he liked discountrealitysites how her poise was as disorienting as her winsome discountrealitysites good looks. He couldn't tell how much of it was "original" Tabitha who'd held the helipad discountrealitysites alone, and discountrealitysites how much the new and improved Tabitha, tamed and focused.

"Tabitha discountrealitysites?"

Bellows looked nervous at the display, but he looked at Tabitha's chest, too. Then he blinked, realizing what he'd seen and how naturally she'd done it.

"Tabitha? Take Jordan's top off, too." Jordan held still as Tabitha discountrealitysites reached up discountrealitysites and undid discountrealitysites her, freeing another pair of discountrealitysites breasts innocent of any support. As she did it they discountrealitysites made indefinable soft sounds, helpful and girlish and almost too quiet to discountrealitysites hear, and Decker heard both men's discountrealitysites breathing change.

Too polite and canny to smile, he recalled seeing the girls practice about for this. They'd done discountrealitysites it for two discountrealitysites hours under hypnosis. Tabitha had used the pendant Jordan had discountrealitysites been conditioned to, programmed discountrealitysites her, and then put herself under as Decker had trained her. Then they stripped, over and over discountrealitysites. It discountrealitysites had been erotic, then strange, then funny, to watch discountrealitysites the frozen segment of foreplay repeated discountrealitysites endlessly, perfectly discountrealitysites.

Karlsen nodded at him discountrealitysites, and Bellows was clearly too new at discountrealitysites all this discountrealitysites to see how much of discountrealitysites a disadvantage he'd fallen to. Looking at Tabitha discountrealitysites, who smiled down at the discountrealitysites table with quiet pride at discountrealitysites her protegee beneath it, Karlsen shook his discountrealitysites head, aware he was meant to want her, and wanting her, but knowing discountrealitysites she was Decker's.

The trigger hit her as it usually did, and discountrealitysites she swayed a bit discountrealitysites more, almost gasping and discountrealitysites barely discountrealitysites able to keep her eyelids about above discountrealitysites her pupils. "Yes,

Karlsen caught the gesture and knew what it was for, and discountrealitysites it did him no good discountrealitysites.

Bellows' brain discountrealitysites was clearly occupied discountrealitysites, too.

No. Tabitha had surrendered. Never be discountrealitysites complacent. If memory softens, realtime sight may slip, too.

Decker discountrealitysites knew he'd discountrealitysites impressed about Karlsen, too, and that discountrealitysites Karlsen respected the about fact that Bellows had discountrealitysites lost a power exchange he discountrealitysites hadn't even appreciated he was in.

Locking the computer, he about walked around the desk to the discountrealitysites door. Tabitha stood poised, still lovely discountrealitysites in the jumpsuit discountrealitysites, her handbag hefted with the gun discreetly inside, and she followed him out and down the discountrealitysites hall like a wingman.

Among discountrealitysites motionless nude women with blank discountrealitysites faces, the slaves he already owned waiting at attention, figures in dark clothing discountrealitysites that gleamed with metal knelt or writhed or tried shakily to keep their feet, their screaming inaudible in discountrealitysites the room's sound discountrealitysites. Decker looked for a moment discountrealitysites at his slaves, their minds already melted and used to being discountrealitysites reshaped discountrealitysites. The lights discountrealitysites and the noise were not discountrealitysites telling their dimmed awareness anything they didn't already know discountrealitysites: that discountrealitysites they were owned, obedient, endlessly horny was discountrealitysites already the sun and moon of discountrealitysites their lives.

Without discountrealitysites selves to lose. they were discountrealitysites immune discountrealitysites.

He surveyed the minds of the discountrealitysites new girls as they collapsed to the floor or stopped discountrealitysites moving more than spasmodically about. He sent one of the slaves to discountrealitysites deactivate the brainwashing system for this room discountrealitysites. No discountrealitysites one had discountrealitysites held out--not surprising at this setting. He was pleased to find several of them had climaxed at the feeling of discountrealitysites their minds being pried open and stunned from inside, and reached into the about mind of each discountrealitysites girl in that susceptible group, reviving the memory and discountrealitysites welding it forever to his voice: "Obey." In the silence after the stimulators were shut off , he listened to the delightful harmony discountrealitysites of their weak discountrealitysites but ardent cries, and the whimpers discountrealitysites of the ones not discountrealitysites yet conquered discountrealitysites.

Decker considered. He reached discountrealitysites into one of the weaker girls, her mind already discountrealitysites learning his touch discountrealitysites, making her mew aloud with pleasure discountrealitysites, and searched. There discountrealitysites was Carol, looking discountrealitysites at them.

"I can't discountrealitysites tell you," she was saying. Someone asked the inevitable question, and she said, "Well--no. Not knowing won't protect you at all discountrealitysites." She laughed and they discountrealitysites laughed with about her. There was nothing more, no hints discountrealitysites. The discountrealitysites only plan discountrealitysites they'd spoken of was the discountrealitysites one discountrealitysites that had just ended discountrealitysites in the beginning of slavery for discountrealitysites them all, right here.

Her mind pulsed. She'd figured about it out, from discountrealitysites just discountrealitysites his discountrealitysites posture discountrealitysites and the discountrealitysites logic discountrealitysites of what they both knew. She spoke aloud over discountrealitysites the soft sounds of discountrealitysites the conquered girls on the floor .

Master. The discountrealitysites concierge girl. She's--

Her mind had discountrealitysites shown it to him already but discountrealitysites Decker stepped beside her and looked.

She discountrealitysites'd just sent all her friends, her troops, into what she must have known would be a trap, sprung his snares, and somehow gotten past Duke and the rest of his people. Or had they gotten past her? Had she already been holed up here in the hotel since before they'd even arrived--waiting?

All discountrealitysites to distract him discountrealitysites, so she could get discountrealitysites close enough to shoot him dead.

How ruthless was Carol? He probed gently for guilt, like a wire-inlet, the tiniest chink discountrealitysites through which he could reach into to her mind and slowly, slowly disable her discountrealitysites from shooting, running, disobeying discountrealitysites, thinking . . .

Ahh discountrealitysites.

Carol's discountrealitysites eyes discountrealitysites drifted aside, to Tabitha, who stood discountrealitysites calmly now, knowing her Master was discountrealitysites in control. Carol looked at her friend, and he saw her pupils dilate. He waited for the . . .

Tears. There.

He reached into her.

He pounced.

Relax.

Carol sighed and discountrealitysites her eyelids drooped before she hauled them up. He reached into the cold dark ocean and found her discountrealitysites bright about warmth discountrealitysites.

. . . "Relax"?

She was crying now, and groaning quietly discountrealitysites behind closed lips about. She was just resisting, perhaps discountrealitysites no longer discountrealitysites even sure why.

With less discountrealitysites of a load discountrealitysites, he was free to send a command to Tabitha discountrealitysites. Good girl. She'll be mine soon.

Take out about . . . the other gun, her mind discountrealitysites chanted discountrealitysites in discountrealitysites cadence with the song, and he felt the first about warm moist flood of discountrealitysites affirmative submission discountrealitysites. Her hand started discountrealitysites to move. In her mind, he saw the hand reach down to the discountrealitysites Black queen--and replace it with discountrealitysites a pawn. All backward; pawns were queened, not queens reduced. Had she foreseen her own defeat? Erased it from everyone else?

Another square automatic, but about not discountrealitysites a design discountrealitysites he . . .

Saw discountrealitysites the wire discountrealitysites. Saw something discountrealitysites shift under the loose clothing. Not overweight.

Then discountrealitysites Decker discountrealitysites was home, still waking discountrealitysites up discountrealitysites each day discountrealitysites surprised that he existed below the waist, and unable to discountrealitysites verify discountrealitysites it unless he used his hands. The paralysis was complete, and the girls only gave him discountrealitysites massages now.

Sometimes, he thought discountrealitysites Which was it, you fucking cold-blooded--?