Marta chooses a booth where she can sit with her back to the wall. She has transformed back into the ninja look and I smile inwardly at our shared secret. I've never masturbated in a room with another woman, not even with Kyra when we were college roommates, although I heard her doing it many times.

"Do you know that you snore softly, Cate?"

"Yes, I'm told that only happens after good sex, like last night. Do you know you snore when we fly in private jets?"

"Assault choppers, too. I try to drown out the engine noise." She smiles and carefully scans the room as I conduct business on my tablet and cell phone. Barbie and Claire have a one hour time zone advantage and have used the time wisely. Claire has dug into the private lives of Oliver's wife and children, even peeking into their school, medical, and court-ordered family counseling records.

Marianne is the wife from hell. Their teen daughters are actually hers from a previous marriage, but Oliver has adopted them, which complicates the legal picture. They are discipline problems at their separate schools. They can't attend the same school, even though they are in different grades, because they band together and beat up any girl that either doesn't like, and even some boys. Marianne undermines Oliver's authority with them. They are already sixteen and eighteen years old, so Barb's professional opinion is that we should cut them loose.

We don't want Marianne in the sisterhood. Her experience as an auto insurance claims processor isn't valuable to us and she has a long history of minor legal troubles ranging from traffic tickets to small claims court battles to a restraining order for harassing a neighbor who complained about her dog pooping on their lawn. I don't like the idea of leaving the daughters with her, but it's not my battle to fight. I see my goal as extracting Oliver from a rolling train wreck of a marriage. We can try to buy her off or trade for him, somehow.

Since Oliver is wanted by both Gabe and the sisterhood, I decide that I should contact him next. I send him a cell phone by courier to his office and when I verify that he signed for it, I send a text message to it from the contact labelled as 'Mom'.

If you want help getting out of your cage, call this number. It doesn't take him long to call.

"Who are you?"

"I represent a powerful friend of Terri, and hopefully of you."

"Why would you help me?"

"We have a strong desire to protect your careers."

"Why?"

"The only answer that I can give right now is that it will be mutually beneficial. We can give you a better alternative than the ultimatum we believe Marianne offered."

It doesn't take much to get his agreement to divorce his wife. He agrees to try for joint custody of their daughters and then let her have sole custody as part of the settlement. "They were sweet little girls when I married her, but they are too much like her, now." He agrees to marry Terri and raise their son together.

Before I have a chance to get back to Terri, Barbie calls. "I've been doing some research, Cate. I think it would feed into Marianne's ego if you offered a woman-to-woman male slave swap. We would want her to get the impression that Terri has powerful friends who hired you to mediate. Or I can come out to mediate and you can be her advocate, if you prefer."

I accept her offer. I want to see her put her skills to work. I call Terri and learn that she is willing to play along. "But what if Kevin won't?"

"He'll go along because we will offer him something he very much desires. He'll be happier with Marianne. You'll be happier with Oliver. We'll bind him into an agreement tonight and try to set the swap up for tomorrow."

I coordinate a meeting at a local safe house for nine PM. That gives time to work out a scenario with Barbie when she arrives at six. We're in the house well before nine. We're both wearing evening dresses and our ball masks when Terri and Kevin arrive.

I've coached Terri via text message to play along with us, but to let us do most of the talking.

Barb gives our offer to Kevin phrasing it as a set of demands. "Kevin, we're here to broker a trade between your Mistress and another woman. You're not working out for Terri and she wants to trade you away before your value deteriorates further. She has her eye on a male who is superior to you in ways you can never hope to compensate for. We believe the owner of that male would prefer a pathetic male like you. Tonight we'll make you presentable. Do you understand?"

"Yes, but... this is so sudden."

"Is it really, Slave? You didn't sense this coming for quite a while now? Well that doesn't really matter. This is the way it will be. Take off your clothes."

Terri is flabbergasted as he immediately complies. The scene mimics a series of photos that he reblogged on his Tumblr site. He reblogged many pictures of men being dominated by older women. He thinks he knows what's going on. I whisper to her, "This is what he really wants, to be ruled by a dominant woman. If you're interested in being that woman, let me know now."

"No, this is sick. I had no idea."

"You must have had some idea, Terri. He's hidden these desires, but you guessed about the crossdressing."

When he is completely naked, he stands with downcast eyes and one hand holding his other wrist behind his back. He didn't need to be taught the respect posture of submissive males. His cock has hardened and it's clear that he posted pics of the real thing on his site. He's below average in size, but only disappointingly small, not ridiculously small.

Barbie takes several photos of him, interspersed with orders to suck in his gut and throw back his shoulders. He really is a handsome man, and would make a nice trophy husband for an older woman, if she didn't mind his shortcomings. She approaches and slips a toilet paper tube onto his dicklet, shoving it rather firmly until the tube can go no further to prove that not even the tip sticks out of the end. She snaps a photo. "For the brochure," she says.

She then orders him to bend over and waves Terri over to insert a stainless steel buttplug with a pink jewel on the outer face. "By inserting this, you assert your ownership over this male. Push harder and twist. Keep pushing until it's... good, it's in. I think he will adapt nicely to his new owner. Now we'll check his oral skills."

She sits in a chair and pulls her legs up. She points to a spot on the floor and says, "On your knees, Slave. Hands behind your back. Tongue only." She's wearing no panties and he dives right in on her pussy. He licks her enthusiastically and I begin to wish I was wearing loose clothing so I could masturbate. Terri watches, fascinated at first, but seems embarrassed to be there when Barbie approaches orgasm. I like the sound of Barbie's cuntsong, but I'm there to show Terri what kind of man her husband is. Barbie comes and Kevin continues licking until she roughly pushes his face away.

"Good, there's some skill there, more than most males possess. His new owner might want to send him to finishing school so we'll allow a small deduction for that." She gives him a specimen cup. "We need a semen specimen. You will masturbate now."

Terri watches stunned as he begins to jack his cock. I whisper to her, "She's taking control of him. She'll accept him and ask for temporary transfer of ownership soon."

"May I come, Mistress?"

"Yes, Slave, unless you can think of some other way to give me a semen specimen."

Kevin spurts cum into the specimen cup and Barbie seals it and gives it to me. I take it to the front door and pass it to her bodyguard who takes it to a lab where we have a sister on standby to evaluate it.

Barbie opens a new CB6000S chastity cage and puts it on Kevin's cock. She uses the smallest base ring and it is tight, but hopefully not too tight. She places the lock through the pin that holds the cage together and turns to Terri. "By locking this and giving the key to me, you transfer possession of this property for the purpose of trade for the male you want."

I nudge Terri into action. She locks the lock and gives the key to Barbie, who snaps another photo and then addresses Kevin, "Slave, you will wear these and stand in that corner until we come for you." Kevin puts on the pair of lacy white panties and stands as ordered in the corner with his hands behind him. Barbie snaps another photo of him.

We adjourn to another room and answer all of Terri's questions as Marta watches Kevin. We show his Tumblr site to her and explain about this lifestyle that he fantasizes about. She recognizes his body in some of the photos of him wearing dresses and fucking himself with dildos, and she looks like she will soon be sick.

"This... is not for me. I can't believe that he hid this from me for all these years."

"Most men are simple creatures. Some are... warped. We could offer counseling, but trust me on this, he doesn't want it and it isn't likely to help. The roots of this are too deep in his self-image. If you can live without him, we'll offer him in trade for Oliver. He'll be happier with her and we've seen signs that Kevin is the kind of man that Oliver's wife wishes she had. You'll be freeing one man from a woman who doesn't deserve him and giving Kevin what he wants. With luck, this will happen tomorrow. Is this acceptable?"

We've kept her off guard by conducting this ritual this way. The stakes are high and we need to show her that Kevin is willing and is not the man she thought she knew.

"Why are you doing all of this? I mean, I've read the stories now and I get what you're about, but what are you expecting for doing this for me?"

"We would be happy enough if you and Oliver just remain in your jobs and this harassment complaint goes away. That was our goal in coming here, but if we can recruit you, also, that will be better."

"Both of us?"

"Yes both of you. Oliver cheated on one wife, and you cheated on your husband Odds are that one or both of you will cheat again eventually, but if we can negotiate a pre-nup with you, we think everybody wins."

"He won't cheat on me and I won't cheat on him, but I would take the oath just to get the other benefits. I won't send him 'gifts' or whore myself out to other men, or women. It's just not me. As long as it's not required, I'm down with what you're doing and I want in."

I admire her conviction and I hope for her sake that she's right, but I know that the sisterhood will be there to support her if Oliver disappoints her. Now that we have three committed, it's time to work on Marianne. We leave the safe house after instructing Kevin to return home with Terri, pack his clothing and await further instructions. We leave the second key with Terri, but instruct her to not tell him that she has it, and to only use it in an emergency. She looks like she doesn't even want to be in his presence, but he seems remarkably calm and hopeful.

As we strategize over dinner, Barbie's opinion is that we should come on strong and make Marianne feel that she has tangled with a woman who has powerful female friends. "If she knew Gabe wanted this, she would hurt herself just to spite him. She'll only respond to the power of the cunt."

When we return to her hotel room, she gets Marianne on speakerphone and says, "Imagine the value of your husband's career if the truth comes out."

"Who are you?"

"Would he be worth anything if they knew that he had an affair, impregnated his lover, filed a sexual harassment complaint against her, and submitted to wearing a chastity cage because his wife discovered the affair and wanted petty revenge against the woman he loves?"

"He doesn't love her, he..."

"You didn't answer the question. It's clear that you fucked up by handling his affair the way you did."

"What? Fuck you. Tell me who you are."

"You will be fucking yourself if you don't stop us from destroying his career. Do you think you can continue making those big mortgage payments if he's out of work? You'll be lucky if you and your brats don't have to move back to that shack you lived in before you married him. We have an offer that can spare you that."

Claire has really been doing her homework. Marianne's previous house was not exactly a shack, but it was much smaller than their current home and in a less desirable location.

"What offer?"

"Good. That's the first indication that you have any sense. We've been hired by friends of the woman you tried to screw over, friends powerful enough to salvage her and ruin you. Women who see more value in protecting her than in tolerating you. We can be civilized about this or... less than civilized. She wants your husband and she's willing to trade hers for yours. Your use of a chastity cage indicates that you want a certain kind of man, one who will serve you better than Oliver. She's tired of the slave she has and she wants Oliver. Her husband is younger, in good physical condition, and has a steady job in a respectable profession. He would look good on your arm. He's untrained, but eager to please. I can personally vouch that his oral skills are above average for a man. He's in chastity. He's wearing panties. He's ready to be cuckolded. He's even willing to service your male lovers. From what I've seen of his fantasies, he'll do whatever you require him to do, even if they're black. It might not be as satisfying as humiliating the man who cheated on you, but he's a handsome man who's got a lot to offer, even a pathetically small cock that you can lock up for as long as you feel he deserves."

I hear a gasp from Marianne. It doesn't sound like a gasp of surprise. I think she has begun to masturbate. And then Barbie goes right for the twat. "He hangs out with a bunch of men at a sports bar. There should be plenty of guys with big cocks there with whom to cuckold him."

"Okay, you've got my interest. When can I get a look at him and what exactly are we talking here?"

Barbie sends her the 'brochure' by email and they discuss it. She skillfully reels Marianne in and they soon have a deal. In exchange for divorces, satisfactory property splits, and a modest annual cash payment to Marianne to compensate for Kevin's lower earning potential, the two women will take their new slaves home tomorrow night. All that's left to do is work out the details of the transfer. Marianne suddenly gets very demanding here. It takes some time, but we get a compromise worked out.

After returning from Barbie's room, the evening with Marta passes without sex of any sort. It's as if we both want to make sure that we don't push too hard. I pour my own nightcap and I spend most of the evening on the laptop. I receive a call at one AM from Oliver. He's whispering, trying to hide from Marianne the fact that he's having a conversation on the secret cell phone that I gave him.

"I want nothing to do with this slave transfer ritual. I will not be paraded around like a show pony."

"Oliver, we've confirmed that Terri's son is almost certainly yours. Kevin's viable sperm count is much too low for him to be the father. So think of your son. Do you want him to be raised by a man who would actually enjoy wearing that cage you're wearing? Can't you endure an hour of humiliation to be free to raise your son with Terri? Marianne wants this deal and she may back down on some of her demands, but don't let foolish pride get in the way. Make this deal happen and you will be rewarded."

"I don't want Terri, or you, or anyone else to see me like that."

"Oliver, let me remind you of your position here. You cheated on your wife. I'm a wife. I'm not prone to cutting men any slack. Man up and take your medicine. Terri will understand that this is you showing your love for her. You'll be saving her career as well as yours. I've explained to Terri how strong a man has to be to endure this. You will get a chance to sign a contract, which means that you will get the chance to throw the whole deal. Read the contract. Argue with us, or pretend to argue with us just to make Marianne sweat. When Terri gets your key, she has promised to release you immediately. If she doesn't, our deal with her is off and we will free you. Either way, you will be freed in front of Marianne."

"How do I know that I can trust you?"

"You don't. But if I wanted to hurt you, I would have killed your career. That's what we threatened Marianne with, and we don't make hollow threats. Our personal interests lie in getting you and Terri out of this publicly unscathed, but we will serve the needs of your child as best we can. Have the balls to do the same. Believe me, I've seen a man endure far worse humiliation than you will endure. Think of this like a prisoner transfer from North Korea. The petty dictator will try to posture and preen for validation and in so doing, will reveal how petty and pathetic she is. Terry and I and my associates will know which of you is the better person in that room, and of the two men present, who the more admirable and desirable man is.

Let the petty dictator have her willing slave. Win your freedom by playing the role of the political prisoner."

"So you're saying forget the ego and play it smart."

"Exactly. Play your wife's weaknesses against her. We're in your corner, and we'll stay there because that's how we gain."

"I'm still not sure how you gain."

"We have an agreement with Terri about that. She's a smart woman. You're a lucky man. Be a smart man and make her a lucky woman."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I learn a lot from Barbie as I witness how she makes it her personal mission to psych Marianne out, to fluster her and spoil her victory. It starts with Barbie, Terri and Kevin's arrival at the safe house in a limo. We've bought Terri a new maternity dress. It's more expensive than anything she would have bought herself and she looks sophisticated, young, and beautiful, which, if Barbie has guessed correctly, should intimidate Marianne. Barbie and I are wearing conservative business suits.

Kevin strips down to nothing but new, tiny, pink panties that barely cover his cock cage. This was his choice. He wanted to make a good impression on his new owner. He hides his clothing and stands in the corner Barbie points out. We've packed a bag for him. Anticipating that Marianne might try to inconvenience Oliver, we've also brought clothing for him. We've placed three chairs on one side of a large coffee table, with a cushy easy chair in the middle for Terri. Barbie and I flank her in wing chairs. We've set another easy chair, slightly smaller and less comfy, across from Terri. There's a small lamp on the coffee table to provide light for signing the contracts and a freestanding lamp behind Marianne's chair to help her read the contract.

Marianne arrives with Oliver in tow at seven PM. She's wearing a fairly elegant dress, but it appears that she has dressed him in his gardening clothes, and she hasn't brought a bag for him. After seeing how we've presented Kevin, she orders Oliver to strip down to just his cage and stand in the corner behind her, which happens to place him directly behind her from my perspective and off to the side from Terri's and even more off to the side from Barbie's. He looks upset, but he complies. Barbie, her bodyguard, Marta and I deliberately keep our attention on Marianne while Terri deliberately ignores her, Kevin, and Oliver. The two bodyguards, dressed in chauffeur's livery, are visibly armed and take their positions behind Barbie and me. They are wearing black bandit masks. Barbie and I are wearing our ball masks.

Marianne seems uncomfortable and I worry that she will be extra combative because of that. We don't offer her a drink, but Terri sips from a glass of lemonade, which I'm sure Marianne notices. We are hosting the meeting, but not hosting her. Our message is that everybody is here to accommodate the desires of Terri. Barbie sets us off by laying four copies of the contract on the coffee table. Marianne must bow slightly to pick up a copy. Terri will not have to bow as we will do that for her when necessary.

Marianne reads the contract and sees that we have stayed true to our verbal agreements. To overcome the intimidation, she decides to throw her weight around by insisting on a closer inspection of Kevin. She wants to humiliate Oliver in front of us. She demands Kevin's key so that she can 'sample the merchandise'. Barbie leans forward and nonchalantly sets the key on the table, forcing Marianne to bow to retrieve it.

After removing Kevin's cock from its cage, she makes a big show of touching it, kissing it, licking the tip, and bringing it to full erection. She's trying to cuckold Oliver right in front of us. We ignore her, which frustrates her. Kevin is clearly eager to please her, but she's at a loss for how to exploit that. She can demand to try out his oral skills, but that would require exposure in front of us. Finally, she demands a bedroom to use and demands that Oliver accompany them. She wants to cuckold him privately. That's my cue. Barbie has anticipated her attempt to get both men together.

"We have a room available for your privacy, but my client insists that she be allowed equal access to Oliver at all times." As I deliver that message, Barbie and I do something that is normally unthinkable. Until this point, we've kept our knees tightly together and our legs turned off to one side, as decorum would dictate if we were sitting on a stage in front of an audience. But now we both turn our legs directly toward Marianne and part our knees about seven inches. We are wearing white slips under our skirts to provide the maximum of reflected light. Neither of us are wearing panties and our stockings stop short enough to expose plenty of inner thigh. My pussy is shaved and I know, from watching Kevin lick Barbie's, that her pussy is quite bushy. The light from both lamps is revealing what we intend to reveal.

When Barbie first spoke of this possibility, I didn't understand the need for it or the message it would convey. "This will be very intimidating, Cate. You'll need Cate Confidence for this display. The message to her will be, 'Top this, Bitch.' Put yourself in her shoes. If she's even wearing a dress or skirt, she will undoubtedly be wearing panties. How will she match our audacity? She'll be asking for privacy not just to humiliate the men, but to avoid exposing herself to us. What's can she do to respond? Remove her panties and flash us back?"

I did not know that Barbie had that level of psychic manipulation in her, but I see the effect it has on Marianne. With both of us, and our ninjas, just staring at her while waiting for a response, and with Terri just looking at her fingernails, checking her watch, and otherwise just acting oblivious, Marianne has the ball in her court, but nowhere to hit it. It is as if our pussies are shining spotlights on her and she is being roasted by them.

With a disgusted sigh, she says, "There is no way that I will let that whore have any private time with my husband. Let's just get this over with so I can be rid of the cheating son of a bitch."

We slowly close our legs and turn them to the side again as she is forced to bow to sign the contracts. I can finally take my eyes off her and look up at Oliver. He was in a position to see my display and he has the barest hint of a smile on his face. He gives me a nod as if to say, 'Well played.' I wonder if he can detect how hot the flame in my pussy becomes as a result of that.

Terri and Kevin have already signed. Our main concern was whether Marianne would begin amending the contract just to be a pain in the ass. We've apparently avoided that. Now it is Oliver's turn to sign and I expect him to be so uncomfortable about standing there in front of us, that he would sign anything just to get the humiliation over with. Barbie picks up a copy and delivers it to him, showing that she will treat him with more human decency than Marianne.

Oliver picks up on this kindness and I guess suddenly the situation doesn't seem so bad to him. He very carefully reads the document. It is really nothing more than an agreement to go through the legal motions of divorce according to the terms set out in the document. Satisfied that it liberates him fully from Marianne's clutches, he steps out of the corner, kneels at the coffee table and signs all of the copies. That is my next cue.

"My client will accept the key now." I hold out my hand for it.

Marianne hesitates, as if there is something else that she is hoping to impose on us, but finally she removes the key from the thin chain from around her neck and places it in my hand. I place it in Terri's hand as Oliver comes around the coffee table to join her. As she's removing him from chastity, I'm removing the tags from a new pair of silk boxers. She holds the boxers as he steps into them and then she kisses the tip of his cock and pulls them up to return his dignity to him. I stand and continue handing items of clothing to him as we ignore Marianne and Kevin. He sits in my chair as he pulls on socks. Next comes a shirt, slacks, a tie, dress shoes and a jacket. He looks like a man ready to go out for dinner at Pierre's and they actually have reservations for four at a fine restaurant that Barbie will be taking them to, where they will meet Terri's prospective sponsor, a local woman who has agreed to sponsor her under these unusual conditions.

Meanwhile, Barbie has dealt with the paperwork while our bodyguards stared at Marianne as if they were hoping she would give them reason to shoot her. When Oliver is fully dressed, Terri hugs and kisses him. When they finish, an awkward moment occurs. Cate Confidence steps into it.

"Hello, Oliver. It's a pleasure to meet you."

He smiles. "Thank you for saving me, masked woman."

I chuckle at his reference to the Lone Ranger. "It was my pleasure. I'm Cate Blanc. My associate is Barbie Malibu. Yes, those are aliases. You will learn more about us at dinner. Unfortunately, I won't be there. Barbie will. She's a marriage counselor and she will be introducing you to another woman who will be Terri's advocate in sorting out the fallout from this fiasco. You both have cell phones that you can call me on if there are any problems. Now go. Enjoy life. Love each other. Congratulations on your new engagement and your new family."

I herd them out the door with Barbie and her bodyguard, leaving me and Marta with Kevin, who is just finishing getting dressed, and Marianne, who is looking unhappy about the happy departure of Oliver into the arms of his lover.

"Unfortunately for you, my client has a guardian angel. Stick to the terms of the contract. Don't cross her or her angel will rain hellfire down on you." Marta takes an alert stance upon hearing the code word, not quite touching her gun with her hand, but not far from it. Marianne gets the message and leaves with Kevin in tow. I call Gabe and give him the good news.

"Mission accomplished, Sir. The harassment charge will be dropped tomorrow. The parties will be married as soon as the laws here can recognize it. I suggest you prepare to transfer them together as soon as it is convenient. I'll send the bill. I think you'll be pleased. You got them both back for far less than the lawyers would have. I'll present the charges when next we meet."

"Thanks, uh... Cate. Do I even want to know what this was all about?"

"One, two, five, and six of the seven deadlies, Sir."

"I see you've been studying your Catholic history. Wrath, Avarice, Lust, and Envy. Did the good guys win?"

"Yes we did, Sir."

As we drive away, Marta informs me that she received an unexpected call earlier.

"Oh? And you couldn't mention it earlier?"

"I didn't want to distract from the fun. It was your husband. He asked if I was Cate Blanc's 'protector' and when I told him that I was, he said, 'You have a green light'."

I smiled. "Did he really say 'protector'?"

"No, he said 'guardian angel'. There's something I think you should know about that. I am not an angel. Beth does not hire angels for the black teams. Most of us, me included, are what we are because we have the ability, some would call it a curse, to act violently without remorse. We don't feel things the way normal people do."

"So you're saying that you're a sociopath."

"No. I'm saying I'm emotionally... different, like a sociopath, but not completely. I have some of the skills and traits of sociopaths but not all of them. Most sociopaths were emotionally damaged at a younger age. Beth understands women like us better than anyone else I've met. She recruits us because we can be more effective than people who had more normal moral development, but also because we replace conventional morality with codes."

"For some people, the Bible is a code."

"The Bible is nothing like a rules of engagement manual."

I wait for her to say something more, but she doesn't. "And why are you mentioning this now?"

"We use these codes to keep our actions in check because that's how we stay out of prison or keep our jobs or keep custody of our children."

"Oh. I understand. Personal bodyguards have a code saying that you can't get involved with the one you are protecting. A green light from Dan isn't enough."

"Yes."

"What other green lights do you need?"

"Employers. Bethany and Gabe already supplied those."

"Gabe knows that I'm bisexual?"

"Gabe is an astute man."

"And who else must supply a green light?"

"Well, you, obviously. You can become something more than a client, but my code says that you have to be informed of my..." She points to her head. "There is no conventional morality in here. I learned right and wrong the same as everyone else. And then something happened and... right and wrong come from a guidebook, now. There's no belief in Heaven or Hell. There is desire, fondness, affection, etc. I can fake most of what's missing, but I can do things that would convince most people that I am incapable of love. And I can do them to anyone if the operant code requires it."

"Could you do them to your son?"

The question visibly stops her. Her jaw moves again and again as if she is going to say something. Finally she says, "I don't know."

"That's good enough for me. You have my green light."

"Wait. No. You don't know what you're getting into. Don't dismiss this so... so..."

I've managed to penetrate her defenses twice, with just three sentences.

"Okay, Love. Let's have a code between us then. If ever your code requires you to hurt me or anyone I care about, you have to explain why to me first."

It's the first time that I've verbally called her 'Love'. It's the name that I've had for her in my head since she let slip the unintended confession that she knows more about my past than someone who is just a bodyguard would. Two evenings previous, she mentioned that Kyra, or more specifically, 'Mrs. Cardinal', and I were roommates in college and more importantly, that my friendship with her started the change of Saint Cate, the virgin Catholic prude, into me. That impression could only have come from my stories, because it isn't quite the truth. But unless she read my stories, or gleaned that information from someone who had, a member of a black team, even one who became a personal bodyguard, would have had no need to know those details about me. And it just doesn't seem like something Bethany would tell her.

"That doesn't work, Ma'am. I might have to shoot through you to stop the person who's going to kill you if I don't. I have a code for that. Your code would nullify it. I don't respond predictably to conflicting codes."

Her use of the name 'Ma'am' for me, spoken with vehemence after I upset her balance and called her 'Love' is a clue. I believe that it indicates real feelings for me, which I desire, because the alternative is that she, or someone she works for, studied my stories extensively in order to penetrate my defenses. But either way, I can't think of a better example of the dilemma she could be faced with if she has a poorly constructed code.

"I see. So how are you different from a sociopath?"

"That's a complex subject. I'll give you two examples. Sociopaths are pathological liars. I have the ability to lie without remorse, as they do. I can pass a lie detector test. But only when my code makes that possible."

"Hmmm. There doesn't seem to be any quick and dirty way that I can test that. What else?"

"I can admit when I'm wrong. Sociopaths can't. Their ego won't let them."

"But they can lie and say that they are wrong, can't they?"

"Yes."

"And pass a lie detector when they do?"

"Yes."

"So again, there's no quick and dirty test that I could use to rule you out as a sociopath."

"Yes."

"What can you do that they can't fake?"

"Behave within a strict code for an extended period of time. It's the only way I can stay out of trouble. They believe their failures are always the other guy's fault."

"Ah very good. I can work with that. Thank you. So, you want me to understand that you might resolve conflicting codes differently, more pragmatically?"

"Yes."

"More pragmatically than someone who has a more conventional moral compass. Also, that you're basically an atheist and that you were emotionally damaged when? Early adolescence, mid, late?"

"Late."

"Okay, how about I do a little research until I'm comfortable that I've done enough, and then we'll revisit this green light issue."

"Deal, but there's one more thing. The group that you specifically want to research is a subset. Emotionally abused in late adolescence, female, suicide attempt survivors."

"Oh."

Author's Note: This was the last triumph, such as it was, of Cate Blanc, though not the last act of Marie Catherine Theresa Lesperance-Geroux as a member of the sisterhood. Cate will be bidding you a fond 'adieu' in the next episode of our passion play.