Storiesonline.net
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                             The Sisterhood
                                by Morgan

© By Morgan, 1995, 2003, 2012.  All Rights Reserved.


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Description: This book begins a few months after the end of "Susan."  It is a continuation of the Ali Clifford saga and is being posted now because it fits between "Susan" and "Kristin."
A word of warning.  The book is very long.

Codes: MF rom tort
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© By Morgan, 1995, 2003, 2005. All Rights Reserved.

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Chapter 1



While waiting at the airport, Karla Kosta resented having to wear a raincoat but because she was wearing her hotel maid's uniform she felt it must be concealed. Moreover, on such a beautiful day she had a scarf around her hair and that bothered her, too. For a change, it was a bright, sunny and very warm August afternoon in Prague. Then, of course, there was the fact that she was a major in the Czech Secret Police, a summa cum laude graduate of Charles University right here in Prague — Praha,  as we say here in the Czech Republic. And of all things, to be working as a maid! What a comedown.

On the other hand, the Sloans, whose arrival she was awaiting, were thought to be terribly important to the future of the Republic. And, she thought, it was a future she had worked hard to make possible, beginning with her work while still in school for Václav Havel. Particularly now, though, following the country's break with Slovakia, the Czech Republic needed all the help it could get. And the Sloans were supposed to be rich as Crœsus, capable of buying the whole nation and everything in it.

For this reason it was decided by the Prime Minister himself, Václav Klaus, to plant an agent in the Sloan's suite at the Hotel Ritz. Suite! she thought. What a joke! It's at least an apartment. In fact, it must be at least five times larger than my own.

She thought that perhaps she really shouldn't be at the airport at all, but for some reason she wanted to see the Sloan's plane land. From her position on the observation deck above the tarmac she had an unobstructed view as the great extended-range Boeing 767 touched down and rolled out on the runway. When the pilot applied brakes and reversers on what was now a lightly-loaded aircraft, it slowed quickly and pulled off left to a taxiway. Straightening out, the pilot advanced his throttles and the giant aircraft moved quickly toward the terminal building where mobile stairs were positioned for its arrival. Following the directions of a ground controller, the pilot stopped the huge plane and the stairs were quickly moved into position.

While the ground crew went about the process of opening the aircraft's forward door, Karla's attention was attracted to activity at the after end. A giant elevator descended from the belly of the plane carrying a Rolls limousine. This answered a question that she had been wondering about. She had noted the motorcade assembled at the front of the terminal building, but there had been no vehicle assigned to the Sloans. Now that question was answered. Clearly, they had brought their own. By now the forward door had been opened and the dignitaries led by the president, Václav Havel himself, were gathered together at the foot of the stairs along with an honor guard and a band for the welcoming ceremonies.

When a young man emerged from the plane and waved to the gathered crowd, Karla's eyes widened. He was tall and very good looking with a very deep tropical tan. Standing on the platform, he turned and extended a hand to the woman emerging behind him. When she came out into the sunshine, Karla couldn't believe her eyes. She was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. Her hair was cropped short in an urchin's cut, yet she could not determine its color. It had every color imaginable streaked through it from platinum blonde through golden blonde to numberless shades of brown. Like the blue-eyed man, she, too, had a deep tropical tan. These were obviously the Sloans. As they descended the stairs, they both moved like trained athletes or dancers. Every movement seemed fluid.

After being greeted by the president, the band struck up The Star-Spangled Banner. Karla noticed how both of the Sloans immediately stood at attention with their right hands over their hearts. My God,  she thought, what a pair! This may not be such a bad assignment after all. They remained at attention for the playing of the Czech national anthem, then the man, Steven Sloan, she supposed, responded to the president's welcoming speech in English in grammatically perfect, but aurally awful, Czech. Since their language was Western Slavic, it was totally different in its roots and structure from English. Obviously, the speech had been written for the occasion and he had memorized it. At least he gets points for trying,  she thought.

While the Sloans, accompanied by the president, reviewed the honor guard, she left the observation platform, went out to the Arrivals area and got into a car waiting to rush her down to the hotel. She knew that she had at least an hour's head start. First, the Sloans were reviewing the troops, then they were scheduled to go to the hotel via the road along the Vltava River which was significantly longer and slower than the direct route she would be using.

While the ceremonies were in progress, Karla had noticed that a truck had backed up to the rear of the aircraft. A ramp was lowered from the tail section and several pallets of materièl were unloaded into it. Arriving at the hotel she found that the same truck was at the hotel unloading its cargo. Going up to the top-floor suite she found that very elaborate exercise equipment was being positioned in a previously empty room, while the kitchen was being completely equipped. What's going on here? she wondered. Then she carefully checked over everything in the apartment particularly ensuring that the Dom Pérignon champagne was properly chilled. And, as a part of the legacy of the Soviet occupation, there was a two-kilo can of fresh Beluga caviar chilling in the refrigerator.

Awhile later, she heard sounds in the corridor and then a knock on the door. After checking her appearance in the mirror, she opened it and greeted the hotel's general manager. When he stepped back to allow the Sloans to precede him, she got her first close look at Barbara Sloan. It was all she could do to keep from audibly gasping. If she had looked stunning at a range of about 75 meters, it was nothing compared to the impression she made at close range. Suddenly Karla realized that this woman just exuded beauty. And as beautiful as she was physically, it was as nothing compared to the radiance from her beauty within.

Karla was embarrassed to realize that the woman had her hand extended in greeting while she was just gawking. With a jerk she extended her hand and found it held in a very strong grip. At the same time she realized that Barbara was looking deeply into her eyes.

Then with a vivid smile that seemed to light up the whole room Barbara said, "How do you do, Karla Kosta? I'm Barbara Sloan." Then with a grin in the direction of Steve she added, "And this is my better half, Steve." After a short pause for effect she continued, "And you can close your mouth now, Steve. Yes, I agree: Karla is beautiful, indeed."

Then to Karla she said, "I suppose this is what I get. You see, we only returned from our honeymoon a few days ago. Since the only woman Steve has seen for the last three months has been me, I guess he's now starting to realize how much he's been missing." Then with a broad grin she added, "I guess I'm the only human he's seen, for that matter."

The general manager showed the Sloans around the apartment. At the end of the tour they agreed that the arrangements for their stay were simply perfect. Then he told them that Karla was going to be with them full time, even sleeping in the apartment so as to be able to provide anything they might want at any hour of the day or night.

When the door closed behind him, Karla was amazed to find that Barbara was slipping off the cool yellow silk dress she was wearing. When she did, Karla realized that all she was wearing were stockings and the tiniest white bikini. Despite herself, Karla's mouth gaped open and her eyes bugged. Then with a graceful movement, Barbara stripped off her bikini and was standing there completely naked.

"Mrs. Sloan," Karla gasped. For some reason she even had trouble speaking, "You are utterly incredible! But ... but..." She found herself utterly speechless in the presence of such female perfection. All she could do was point towards Barbara's body.

After looking over her body carefully, Barb turned to Steve and said, "Hon, am I still all together? I'm not missing any important pieces, am I?"

"Yum!" exclaimed Steve.

Although, since he was wearing a suit and tie it took him longer than it had taken her, he was soon as naked as she was. Now, with both Sloans naked, Karla found herself truly riveted in place. They were the most physically magnificent couple she could imagine. Now that he was naked, she could see muscles rippling over Steve's physique. Looking more carefully at Barbara's body with its all-over tropical tan, she realized that she was as muscular as Steve was. But while his muscles bulged and rippled, hers were essentially invisible except when she moved.

Finally ending her little act, Barb asked quietly, "Do you like what you see?"

"You two are utterly incredible," the girl replied. "But ... but ... your tan ... How... ?"

"Honey, it's really very simple. And it's the reason we're naked now. You see, as I said earlier, we just got back from our honeymoon. Steve and I spent four months completely alone on a tropic island. All we had was some line, a couple of fish hooks, and two very sharp knives. That's absolutely all. We didn't have a stitch of clothing. So, since we've been totally naked for four months, and prior to that I had been enslaved and kept naked for most of six months, I could probably count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I've been dressed in the last ten."

With a warm grin she added, "And I'm pretty sure I'd have fingers left over, too." Then cocking her head, she looked closely at Karla. "Now, how about you?"

Before Karla could respond, Steve who was standing behind Barbara, lightly pressed on her back. "Oh, all right," she sighed. "I guess it has been almost five hours, hasn't it?" With that she dropped to her hands and knees with her knees spread wide. In just an instant Steve's throbbing cock was sliding smoothly into her very wet but still very tight sheath. She looked utterly adorable as she rested her chin on her hands while Steve plowed her sheath.

"This is another thing," she said to Karla. "Since there was no TV, no VCR, no theaters or restaurants ... not even a third and fourth for Bridge ... about all we did for amusement was fuck." With a very warm smile she continued, "And you know what? I was actually a virgin until our marriage four months ago. Honest! But now..." Her voice trailed off as her pelvis began to spasm in its first orgasm. Then she screamed, "Oh Steve! Fuck my ass off! It feels so great... !" Then she screamed again as another orgasm overcame her. Meanwhile Steve was just moving in and out with the longest possible strokes, just changing his tempo enough to keep from cuming.

Looking up at Karla, Barb just shook her head and said, "He's just so wonderful now. He's learned how to keep me in continuous orgasm for over thirty minutes at a time." Even her two-sentence speech was interrupted twice by screams as she was taken with orgasms. "Do you like to fuck?" she asked Karla with her eyes wide.

The Czech girl was speechless. She had no idea how to respond, so she said nothing. She watched as Barbara's spasms came with increasing frequency until she reached the point she had mentioned only minutes before: she was in continuous orgasm. Now her muscular development became apparent as muscles throughout her body were in spasm. While in orgasm, Barbara was screaming, but the words dissolved into inchoate screams of pleasure. Finally, with a wild scream of joy the woman collapsed on the floor in a dead faint as Steve finally released his load inside her, then rolled over on his back while trying to regain his breath.

When he did, he lifted Barb off the carpet and held her in his arms. After a few minutes her eyes blinked, then opened. She turned her head and melted her lips against his. When their lips met, Karla could literally see the flow of electricity between the two. Finally they eased apart with Barb sighing with pleasure and wriggling in Steve's arms.

Becoming aware of Karla who had been watching transfixed, she whispered, "Nothing in this world could possibly come close to being as great as that was." With a little grin she added, "I've decided that I have a real talent for fucking. Now if I could only figure out how to make some money from it..."

After a few more minutes in her husband's arms, she turned, gave him a quick but loving kiss, then popped to her feet. Turning back towards Steve she said, "Darling, are you ready to eat? After that exercise, I'm starving to death."

"What would you like, Mrs. Sloan?" Karla asked. "Room service can bring up anything you want."

"Two points, Karla," she replied. "First, the names are Steve and Barbara. Although I love 'Mrs. Sloan, ' this is almost the first time I've ever heard it. Needless to say, on our island Steve never called me that." Looking pensive for a moment, she raised an eyebrow while looking at Steve and added, "For that matter, Steven Sloan, I can't remember you calling me anything."

"I did, too!" he protested. "I recall saying 'Let's fuck!' numerous times. I did, too, talk to you."

"Thank you very much. I guess that's why I started to think my last name was 'fuck, ' too!" She giggled at him, winked, and padded off toward the kitchen with Karla following. Karla was puzzled, to say the very least. Such behavior was utterly without precedent in her experience, particularly on the part of the wealthy. Stopping for an instant, Barb called over her shoulder, "Since it's the middle of the night in Hawaii, what do you want, darling? Breakfast?"

Steve, still lying of the carpet in the sitting room said, "How about one of your wonderful omelettes? Feel like it?" Barb just grinned and winked.

Entering the kitchen, Barbara moved swiftly, seemingly unaware of her nudity. Then another point that had puzzled Karla was cleared up. Without even seeming to look, Barb opened drawers and cabinets to get the materials she needed for her cooking. In every case, the item was exactly where she expected it to be. When the men had set up the kitchen, they had used a series of diagrams and lists which obviously gave the precise location for every item. Barbara Sloan moved around the kitchen as if she had been using it for years.

Turning to Karla, Barbara asked, "How about you, Karla? Are you hungry? And are you going to remain dressed? Steve and I don't mind a bit, of course, if you do. It's strictly up to you."

After indicating that she had forgotten to eat amidst preparations for the Sloan's arrival, Karla raised her hands to her topmost button and then froze. Barbara, in the midst of food preparation saw what had happened. Leaving the food, she went to the woman and took her in her arms. "You've never been naked in the daylight, have you?" she asked softly.

Karla started to shake her head but then admitted that she had, but just once.

"Don't worry about it. And don't do it if it bothers you. Okay?"

Then Barb gently raised the girl's head — her head had been hanging so that her chin was almost on her chest — and looked into her brilliant blue eyes. "You're very lovely, you know." Then with a lovely little grin she added, "Boy! What I wouldn't give to have hair and eyes like yours! Your hair is the color of newly-minted gold, and your eyes... ! Like brilliant sapphires. While mine? Just plain old brown. Yuck!"

"You can't be serious!" Karla protested. Then she looked into Barb's eyes for some sign of teasing but found none. "My God!" she exclaimed. "You are serious."

Then she shook her head and said, "The world is just not fair. Mrs. Sloan, you are the most beautiful thing God has ever created on two legs. And then I look into your eyes and realize that, as beautiful as you are externally, it is only a pale imitation of your incredible beauty within. I look at my eyes in the mirror and often feel cold. I look at yours and see an incredible level of warmth, love and sensitivity..."

"Thank you!" a stentorian Voice said. "I agree with your assessment, Karla Kosta. I think she is my very finest creation. Of course there is a certain amount of competition for the title. Her dearest friend, the maid of honor at her wedding, is a nine-year-old marvel named Caitlin Fitzpatrick. Of course Caitie is only nine years old while Barbara is a fully-developed nineteen..."

"Now wait a stinking minute!" Barb protested. "I'm almost thirty-three. It says so right on my passport—"

"What do they know?" the Voice interrupted. "I'm the one who keeps score, and on my scorecard you're only nineteen. And holding there, too!" There was a brief pause and the Voice continued, "Karla ... May I call you Karla?"

The woman had been utterly stunned by the Voice. She believed she was hearing the voice of God Himself. And she was. She had dropped to her knees and her forehead was touching the floor. Now that she was being addressed by name she had no choice but to respond. "Yes, Lord," she said softly. "Of course you may call me anything you wish."

Then she began to cry hopelessly and added, "I have been such a sinner! I have lied, cheated, stolen, broken every possible commandment..." Looking up from the floor, she continued, "Why would you ever want to call me anything? Or say anything to me other than to damn my soul to the fires of Hell for all eternity!"

"Everything in life has its purpose," the Voice continued. "And, Karla, Barbara knows you work for the Secret Police. You can see how upset she is ... or is not. Now, Karla, I want you to rise to your feet and look Barbara Sloan over as carefully as you can. And I want you to tell me exactly what you see and feel. As I said a moment ago, I agree completely with your assessment of her physical beauty. But now please look her over as carefully as you can."

Karla immediately did as she had been asked. Standing up, she ran her fingers lightly over Barbara's arms and upper torso. "She's ... she's unbelievable!" the woman said. "There's nothing but the most satin-smooth skin over perfectly toned muscles..."

"Feel her breasts," the voice commanded. "And squeeze them. I assure you, Karla, you won't hurt her."

She did as she had been commanded. When she squeezed Barb's tits, the girl moaned and closed her eyes. "That feels so great!" she whispered. "Not quite as good as Steve doing it, but it does feel great."

"They ... they're solid. They are so firm and yet so wonderfully yielding." Then Karla stepped back and dropped to her knees to get a better look at Barbara's lower body. Only then did she realize that Barbara Sloan had only a small tight nest of pubic hair right above her slit. The rest of her loins were completely bare. And all of her body was the same golden tan, while her pubic hair had the same sun streaks as the hair on her head. "There can't possibly be a more beautiful woman. She's utterly perfect. And then to see her loved by her husband..."

"Thank you, Karla Kosta," the Voice said. "I agree with you completely. And as for you, Mrs. Sloan, after spending four months alone with Steven on that lovely island, I would have thought you would have had enough loving to last you."

"I did," Barb replied. "I had enough to survive the honeymoon. But that was then and this is now. And we are married, after all."

"Indeed you are!" the Voice exclaimed. "In fact, Karla, I took an unaccustomedly active rôle in the proceedings." There was a noticeable pause and He continued, "I blessed the couple at the end of the wedding Mass."

By this time Steve had come into the kitchen to find out what was going on. He had recognized the Voice from the wedding reception. There was another pause and The Voice said, "Steven, how do you find your wife's body? Is she attractive to you? Does she give you physical pleasure when you enter her?"

"If there was any greater pleasure, Lord, I wouldn't survive." He paused for a moment and added, "Of course, I do have a bone to pick with Ken Carlson. He told me that the way to gain the greatest sexual satisfaction is to try to make each experience more enjoyable than the last. But Barb keeps fainting at the end so I can't tell if I'm giving her pleasure or not."

To Karla the Voice said softly, "How long was Barbara Sloan in orgasm while you were watching? Before she fainted?"

"About half an hour," the girl replied softly still looking down at the floor.

"Did she appear to be enjoying sex with her husband?"

This time Karla blushed as red as a beet. "Lord, I have heard of women having orgasms, although I'm not sure if I've ever had one. But from what I've heard from other women, when it happens — and it happens only rarely — it only lasts for a moment. If they only knew what Mr. Sloan does with his wife..."

"What would they do?" the Voice persisted.

"They would have their husbands or lovers give the Sloans anything they want if only Mr. Sloan would make love to them," she replied. Again she was blushing as she replied.

"And how about you, Barbara Sloan?" the Voice asked. "Are you enjoying sex with your husband?"

Because of her prior experience, Barb assumed a sense of humor when she framed her response. "How can I tell if I am or not? All I know is that my loins are in constant spasm, I don't know if I'm alive or dead, I'm pretty sure I'm screaming, but I have no clue what I'm saying, if I'm saying anything intelligible at all. And then when it's all over, I'm like a child's rag doll that's been left out in the rain..." She paused for a moment, nodded her head and added, "and then run over by a big truck."

There was a rumble of laughter that lasted for a minute and then the Voice asked, "That may be so, Barbara, but would you stop? Would you like it if your husband left you alone, physically?"

This time Barb was very serious as she replied, "I could not live for more than a day or two if Steve didn't take me. If ever he wants me to do anything, all he has to do is to deny me his marvelous cock for a day or so. I would be begging him to do anything at all to me if only he would take me. I can't live without him, Lord."

Again there was a pause and the Voice said, "Barbara and Steven, I am going to ask you to do me a favor."

"That is impossible, Lord," Barbara replied softly. "What is Your wish? Whatever it is, we will do it."

"My favor is for both of you to hold Karla closely. But first, Karla, it is essential for you to strip bare. Can you do that?"

Not even bothering with the buttons or zippers, Karla literally ripped the clothes from her body. In moments she was as bare as the Sloans.

Steve had taken Barb into his arms and melted her with a kiss. Then they opened their arms and held the woman closely. "Now I want all of you to close your eyes. It is not only sporting events that have an instant replay.

"I am going to tell you the story of a very brave young woman. Some years ago when Czechoslovakia was in turmoil, there was a guerilla war of sorts being waged at a low level of intensity against the Soviets. In one action a young man was fatally wounded, but was brought back to a house the guerillas were using as a base. Although they managed to stop the bleeding, it was apparent that his wounds were so severe he wouldn't survive the night. As a last request, he asked if this girl, only sixteen at the time, would sleep with him.

"He took her virginity and impregnated her. At that time — the Communist influence at work — abortion was the standard method of birth control. However, this young woman, who, I'm sure you've already guessed was Karla, was not going to do that. There was an element of love for the young man who had died in her arms, but far stronger was her belief in the sanctity of life. Karla withdrew from the group and dropped out of sight. I should have told you that she has no family. Her father was killed by the Russians and her mother died when she was in her early teens. Now watch."

With their eyes closed, it was as if they were watching a television screen. They saw a lovely young woman on her knees in a chapel, praying. She asked God to please protect her baby and see that he got a good home. While on her knees, she was joined by a nun in habit, who helped her to her feet. When standing her distended abdomen indicated that she was very close to giving birth. The nun held her in her arms and comforted her, as she began to cry. Softly, the nun told Karla that arrangements had been made for the baby to be adopted by a childless American couple. "Your baby will be going to America!" the woman exclaimed. "Its future is now in God's hands."

The picture fuzzed over and then cleared up again. The Voice said, "This is Mary Wallace. She was a brilliant trial lawyer who, on learning that she and her husband, Bill, would be getting a baby, resigned from her practice so that she could devote herself full time to the baby's needs." With her was a very handsome boy, about eleven years of age, with blond hair and blue eyes.

To the amazement of the three, the woman was teaching him words in Czech. "Billy," she said, "your father was a hero of the Czech independence movement. It was like the American Revolution that we've read about. Your mother is a brilliant woman who loves you very much. She loved you so much, she gave you to me to take care of for her. But, darling, you should try to learn the language of your mother and father so that you can greet her appropriately when the time comes."

"My God!" Karla whispered. "I don't believe it. Just look!"

The mother and child were seated at a computer. The mother put a CD into its drive and the two explored the Czech Republic. When they finished, the boy put his arms around his mother's neck and kissed her. "I love you very much, Mommy." Then the woman using a word processor and a drawing program, proceeded to write a story for her son.

Seeing this was too much for Karla. Dropping to her knees she raised her eyes and said, "Dear Lord, thank you for what you have done for my little boy! He's so darling and this woman loves him so much. I can't conceive of her generosity in trying to educate my son in the history of Czech Republic, and teaching him a language she doesn't even speak, just so he can greet me at some time in the future."

At that the Voice said, "There's more. Karla, your son is William Wallace, Jr. The Wallaces could not possibly love your son more if Mary Wallace had given birth to him herself. And, there's one more thing." To the Sloans he said, "Because your private angel hasn't had much to do with you people soaking up the sun in Hawaii, I have also assigned her as Billy's private guardian angel. Barbara, I think you'll agree that Billy is in very good hands, indeed."

Just then Susie materialized beside them. When she did, Barb told Karla to kiss the sprite. She did, and almost passed out from the contact. "Susie!" Barb chided. "I told you to ease up. Okay?"

"Can't I have any fun?" the tiny woman asked with a grin.

"Since you're now an angel, the answer is no! You're supposed to spend your time in prayer and pure thoughts."

With her brow furrowing, but with a merry glint in her eye Susie asked, "Does that mean I can't watch Steve plowing your cunt anymore, either?" Then with her arms akimbo she declared, "I knew it all along, Barbara Sloan! You're just plain mean!"

Instead of responding, Barbara stretched out her arms and the sprite floated into them. Then to Karla's utter amazement, when the two kissed, she could actually see electricity flowing between them. As Barbara increased the intensity of her kiss, Susie first held her as tightly as her tiny arms permitted. But then, as she realized what was happening, she began to flail them in the air in a vain attempt to get away. When she saw the sprite's movements slow and then watched as her arms dropped to her side, she heard stentorian laughter.

When Susie regained consciousness, the Voice said, "I told you not to mess with her, Susie Sloan. You may be an angel, but Barbara Sloan is in a class by herself. She can convey love and joy at a level of intensity that you can't hope to match, angel or not."

"One of these days, Barbara Sloan..." the tiny woman gasped.

"Give it up, Susie," the Voice proclaimed. Then He asked, "What do you think of Karla Kosta, anyway?"

Easing herself out of Barbara's hands she said, "Well, I would answer if I could get a better look at her. But from what I've seen, she's really pretty good." After a short pause she continued, "Karla, your son, Billy Wallace, is the neatest boy I've ever seen. He is so bright and loving. I can't tell you what you did for him." Moving farther away from the group, she said, "But how about if you get out from Steve's arms so I can get a good look at you?"

Karla again realized that she was stark naked. But, strangely, it no longer bothered her. She moved away from the group, threw her shoulders back and after shaking her head to straighten her hair, just looked at them.

"I hate her!" Susie exclaimed. "I can't stand a woman who can fix her hair just by shaking her head. When I think of all the time I spent on mine to try to make it look like it had some life and body — and heaven help me if it was raining or humid..." Looking at Barb she continued, "You know what? Now I'm sure Steve's blind. With the tropic humidity in Saigon, I always looked like something the cat wouldn't even bother to drag in. But this jerk never knew it."

"That's not true!" Steve protested. "I just thought that all women had straight, stringy hair..."

"And I hate you, too, Steven Sloan!" she exclaimed. But then she gave him a wink followed by a kiss. Turning to Karla, she flitted around the girl and then nodded her head. Looking at her she asked, "What do you think of Barbara Sloan?"

"'What do I think?' What do you think I think? She's the most perfect female human on the face of the earth." Pausing for a moment, Karla added, "Of course, while I'm certain about 'perfect, ' I'm much less certain about 'human.'" Then to Susie she asked, "But what about you? What do you think about me?"

"How much like Barb would you like to be?" the sprite asked. "For example, I think you'd look neat with your hair short like hers. With your delicate features, I think it would look fabulous. But it's your hair, Karla. What do you think?"

Holding herself up even straighter, the Czech girl replied, "I would like to be as much like Barbara Sloan as it's humanly possible for me to be." Then with tears slowly beginning to form and trickle down her nose she added, "Of course, that's not very close at all."

Susie cocked her head and said softly, "I'm not so damned sure about that. Of course, you have golden blonde hair. And I happen to know that she would give her right arm up to the elbow for hair like yours. And your eyes! Utterly gorgeous."

"That's all you know," Karla replied. Now she was relaxing and getting into the spirit of teasing among the other three. "When I look at myself in the mirror and look at my eyes, I almost freeze to death. What I wouldn't give for the warmth of Mrs. Sloan's!"

"It's 'Barb' or 'Barbara, ' turkey!" Susie retorted. "She scarcely knows what to do when you call her 'Mrs. Sloan.' And I know she told you that, too. But as for warmth? Lady, you're full of shit! Your eyes have the warmth of the Mediterranean in summer. But back to the question. Are you sure you want to look like Barb?"

"I sure do!" the girl replied emphatically. "Now what do I do?"

"Hmm..." Susie murmured. "Well ... for openers, who's going to cut your hair? I know Caitie did Sheila's..." Turning to Barb, she asked quickly, "Hon, who cut off yours?"

"I'm trying to forget as hard as I can," Barb replied, "but I guess Ellie Duncan did it. She said the whip might catch in my hair..."

"Shredded with a whip?" Karla exclaimed. "You've got to be teasing. There's not a mark on your body ... not the slightest one."

"That's me and The Boss," Susie interrupted. "You see, when it happened, Barb was thirty-two years old. Since now she's only nineteen, it hasn't happened yet, so of course there aren't any marks." Then looking thoughtfully at Karla, she asked, "For that matter, how old are you now? I know you gave birth to Billy at sixteen..."

"I'm twenty-seven," she replied sorrowfully. "And from what you just said, there's no hope for me ever looking like Barbara." With her eyes filling with tears she wailed, "I'm only twenty-seven, but already I'm over the hill!"

The others grinned at Karla's use of the American idiom. When Barb asked how she learned to speak English so well, they learned that, after having her baby, she worked on a U.S. Army base east of Munich for a couple of years before coming home and returning to school. It came as no surprise to them to learn that she had completed six year's work in only four.

"That's easy to fix," Susie said blithely. "It'll take a few weeks, but I'll get you back to nineteen, too." Then brightly she added, "And, although you may not know it, you're a virgin again." Then sticking out her tongue she continued, "I'll bet you thought you were through with the pain and blood stuff, once and for all, didn't you? But you're not." Pausing for a moment she continued, "Of course, I suppose we'll have to find you a husband ... Or do you have a prospect already?"

"You jest," the girl replied morosely. "As a member of the Secret Police, I wouldn't trust one of my associates farther than I could throw him. And, of course, no one else would trust me even that far. And I don't blame them, either."

Susie ignored her reply and went back to her careful inspection of the girl's body. "Oh, goody!" she exclaimed. "I nearly forgot. I have another opportunity to pluck out more pubic hair. It's so much fun!" Then with a grin she added, "Just ask Barb. She was the first woman I ever worked on—"

"And I just about bit right through a heavy piece of leather trying to keep from screaming from the pain," Barb interjected. Then with a grin of her own added, "Karla, you have a rare treat in store."

"But why... ? I don't understand.

"Because, silly, a guy doesn't want to get your pubic hair caught in his teeth when he's eating your cunt. You saw Steve eat out Barbara a little earlier, didn't you?"

The girl looked puzzled, but slowly shook her head.

Wheeling on Steve Susie exclaimed, "Steven Sloan, what's wrong with you, anyway? You know damned well that it's the environmentally-correct thing to do, too."

Then with a grin she continued, "Okay, Barbara Sloan. On your back with your pelvis raised and your legs spread wide. Now move it!" With a grin, Barbara did what she had been asked. "Now you can see what I meant," Susie said to Karla. "Isn't this the most perfect cunt you've ever seen? And succulent? You can't imagine."

With that she gently spread Barb's nether lips with her tiny fingers and proceeded to feast on the merged liquids still trapped there from their lovemaking of only a few minutes earlier.

"For Pete's sake, Susie," Barb complained. "You don't have to stick your whole head inside. I mean ... Good grief!"

"Ah, the joys of being small," the sprite replied with a grin. Then she returned to her licking, and, indeed, made a show of sticking her head all the way into Barb's vagina. Barb was moaning with pleasure because the sprite's head was like a very large cock that moved in ways a sex organ never could.

When she finished, she withdrew, taking several deep breaths when she did. "Good grief!" she exclaimed. "A girl could drown in there." Thinking for a moment she added, "But what a way to go!"

Then to Karla she said, "Now you see the advantages of a hairless pussy. Except for a nice pad above your slit to absorb the shock of a guy's pelvis." Then she excused herself and floated off towards the bathroom.

As she left, Barb called after her, "I certainly hope you washed your hair today, Susie Sloan!" The sprite paused in the air, turned, stuck her tongue out as far as she could, and then continued toward the bathroom.

Barb then looked at Karla pensively and said, "If you're really serious about having your hair cut short like mine, I can do it for you. But I should warn you, I'll do it the same way I do mine: with a carving knife. In fact," she added with a grin, "that's what I've been doing on the island for months now, so I would have to admit that I'm in practice."

"Well," the Czech girl replied, "I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be. Go to it please, Mrs. Sloan."

"Barb, Barbara, but not 'Mrs. Sloan'! Clear?"

"Yes, ma'am ... Barb... ! It's very clear."

Going to the kitchen counter, Barbara Sloan took a long carving blade from an oak knife holder. After carefully testing its edge with her thumb she took out a sharpening steel and began to hone the already-sharp blade even more. Karla found herself wincing in anticipation. Meanwhile Steve had left the kitchen and rummaged around in the bedroom where he found a sheet. Bringing it back to the kitchen, he spread it on the floor and told the girl to kneel down on it. Karla did, and then lowered her head.

She sensed Barbara beside her, then felt as a lock of her hair was lifted, then cut cleanly with the blade, dropping to the sheet. Soon her tears joined the rising pile of her shorn golden hair that quickly surrounded her.

For her part Barbara seemed utterly oblivious as she hummed a little tune while cutting Karla's hair. Only a short time later, she stepped back and said softly, "It's all done. Want to look, hon? Or do you just want to wait a few years for it to grow back?"

Karla looked at herself in a hand mirror Barbara gave her, then jumped to her feet and raced to the nearest bathroom that had a mirrored wall. Barbara and Steve followed behind her and stood in the doorway as the girl looked at herself closely. To their surprise the girl displayed no apparent emotion.

Instead she turned to Barb and asked, "Are we almost ready to eat? Honestly, I'm starving to death. But if it will take a couple of more minutes, I have time to take a quick shower, if you two don't mind."

Barb and Steve looked at each other, shrugged and turned to go back to the kitchen. When their backs were turned, Karla said, "Barb, it looks utterly terrific! Thank you so very much."

Again the couple wheeled around. This time Barb took Karla into her arms and melted her with a kiss. When Karla passed out as Barb knew she would, she passed her to Steve and told him to see that she didn't fall on her face before she took her shower.

Minutes later Karla reappeared in the kitchen and sniffed the marvelous aroma of the food Barb had already prepared. The Czech girl was still drying off her body and then vigorously toweled her short hair. Although she was about to wrap the towel around her body, instead she merely shrugged and draped it over the back of her chair.

When Barb served onion soup, Karla first just sniffed it appreciatively but waited until Barb sat down. After they had took their first bites, Karla, with a completely impassive face asked, "Where's your sprite, anyway? I've already shed most of my hair. While I'm eating, I could spread my legs and our friend could have her sadistic fun with my pubic hair."

"I'm right here," Susie said, materializing over the center of the table. "But you can't be serious. It will really hurt."

"As much as childbirth?" Karla asked innocently. "At the convent, there was no doctor available so I delivered my child — my son, Billy — without anything. I think I can take it."

"On you head — or on your cunt — be it," the sprite retorted. Then to the Sloan's utter amazement the girl proceeded to do exactly what she had said. She spread her legs as wide apart as she could get them, but just continued to enjoy her food. While she was eating, Susie began to remove all of the hair except for the small, dense patch right above her slit.

"This is the finest food I've ever eaten in my entire life," the girl declared. Then with a grin she added, "No wonder you didn't want me to order from room service. I shudder to think what your reaction would have been. Compared to what we're eating now, our kitchen — as highly regarded as it is here in Prague — serves swill suitable only for pigs." The girl thought for a moment and added, "You know what? I guess it probably started during the Soviet occupation. The kitchen did get used to serving swill to pigs."

By the time lunch was done, Susie was nearly finished with her work to the amazement of everyone except for Karla, but most particularly including Susie herself. When they rose from the table, Karla stretched and very gently rubbed her now-bare loins. Only by watching carefully could Barb see the pain in the girl's eyes that she had assuredly been feeling. In fact, Karla had been continually tortured but through her sheer strength of will had said or done nothing to indicate the agony she was experiencing. Then she said, "What about all that exercise equipment. What's it all for, anyway? You two certainly don't need it."

"Oh yes we do!" Barb retorted. Then she looked at the girl and said, "You've been pawing me. How about if I get a good look at you. Things were getting a bit out of hand when The Boss suggested you might feel better bare." Cocking her head she continued, "Do you mind if I look you over?"

"How could I possibly?" Karla replied. Then she added, "How would you like me to stand? I'm sure you want to give me a very careful examination."

Barb dismissed the question with a shrug so the girl stood up straight with her shoulders back. Barbara reached out and squeezed the girl's left tit lightly, and then harder. Karla's eyes involuntarily closed and she moaned softly. "Stop that, please, Barbara. I really can't take it much more."

Barbara quickly withdrew her hand while looking puzzled. "But what's wrong?" she asked anxiously. "I didn't think I was hurting you."

"Don't be silly," the girl replied with a woeful grin. "You're not hurting me at all. Far from it! It just feels so incredibly great. But it's been so long since anyone has caressed my tit."

Understanding what the girl was saying Barb smiled and said, "Why don't you spread your legs. If that felt good..." With that she began to gently probe the girl's vagina. In an instant her love bud had snapped to attention.

"Oh! Please stop. Dear God, I can't take this anymore. Hit me, beat me, do something — anything — but not what you're doing." Opening her eyes she pretended to glare at Barb and said, "Are you a sadist or something? Good grief!"

"I guess I probably am," Barb replied casually. "In fact, Sue Collins says I'm even better with a whip than she is, so I guess I must be." Then with her eyes wide she looked at the girl and said, "But why do you ask?"

Instead of replying the girl let out a soft scream as her pelvis bucked in orgasm. But Barbara didn't stop. She kept working her sensitive fingers up the girl's vagina at the same time she used her thumb to continue to tease the girl's clit. "Oh look, darling," she exclaimed. "Why don't you have some fun, too? After all, it's been over three months since you got to lick up virginal love juices. I'll bet she's delicious. Want to try?"

Steve had been watching the goings on with a combination of amusement and amazement. Amusement at his wife's apparent unconcern, and amazement at Karla's ability to remain standing while her body was in spasm. Seeing the girl begin to reel, he dropped to his knees and put his arms around her hips. This permitted him to lick the inside of her thighs where the love juices were flowing in a flood while at the same time being in position to keep her from falling on her face. In just moments, Karla was at the same level of continuous orgasm that had swept Barbara.

Now what had started as teasing had become a semi-scientific experiment. Although she was reeling, her eyes were closed, and she was screaming in tempo with the spasms seizing her, she remained on her feet. Now Barb used her left hand to gently caress the girl's right tit. Karla's nipples were now fully engorged and were throbbing with sexual excitement.

When Barb played with them and lightly pinched them, the girl screamed in pain. Finally, after more than twenty minutes Barb pinched the girl's clit bringing on a massive orgasm. This time she fainted. As she started to topple, Barb caught her around her shoulders and held her tightly while Steve licked off the last of her love juices that had come in a flood with her final orgasm. When he moved back, Barbara effortlessly picked the girl up in her arms, carried her to the bed and laid her down on it.

A few minutes later Karla's eyes blinked, then opened. Seeing Barb looking down at her she whispered hoarsely, "Barbara Sloan, I hate you. Never have I been put through something like that. You are a sadist!"

Shaking her head Barb replied, "I'm sorry, hon. I started off teasing you but then I wanted to see how much you could take while still standing on your feet. The answer is far more than I ever could. But how in the world were you able to do it?"

"I have no idea," the girl replied. Then with a small grin she added, "Could you conclude your inspection while I'm flat on my back? I think I need to catch my breath."

"Of course I can," Barb replied with a grin. "But I'm pretty much finished. Your tits are lovely. Their shape is perfect, and I adore your tiny nipples. There's little fat and your posture is near-perfect. About all we have to do is work on your muscles and maintain your nipples in a lovely engorged state. I'll give you some tips on that later. But first, let's get with the program. I thought you were supposed to be the maid or something? And here I had to carry you to bed!"

To their amazement the Czech girl jumped out of bed and headed for the exercise room, closely followed by the Sloans. When they caught up with her, they found her looking in bewilderment at the collection of exercise equipment. For Karla it was a first. Although she knew what they were and had glanced at them as the workmen delivered and installed them, she had no idea what the various machines were for or how they were supposed to be used.

Before either Sloan could say a word, Susie materialized again in front of the girl and said, "Goody! I get another chance to torment my newest friend." With that she directed Karla to a machine that strengthened her pectoral muscles that helped to support her breasts. The girl got into position as she had been instructed and valiantly tried to move the wings. She was able to do it, but only with a great deal of effort.

While floating in the air in front of her, Susie announced, "Well, there's good news and bad news. The good news is that you can move the damned things ... and that's a lot more than Barb could do the first time. The bad news is that she's able to do about ten in the time it takes you to do one. They're all set at her weights, as you've probably already guessed." Then she cocked her head a bit and nodded slowly. "Of course, she had the additional incentive of a whip, so that might have made some difference..."

Sweat was pouring off Karla's naked body as she struggled with the machines, but she was able to gasp out, "Who are you, anyway, Susie? I gather you're an angel, but I could have sworn I heard you addressed as Susie Sloan. Are you Steve's sister?" The Sloans were working out on the other side of the room and were out of earshot when she asked the question.

While Susie was thinking of a glib rebuttal, The Voice sounded quietly in Karla's ear. Glancing over at the Sloans, it was obvious that they were hearing nothing. "Karla Kosta, this young woman — angel — is one of the bravest women who have ever lived."

Very quickly He told her how Steve and Susie had met in Saigon, married, and then the aftermath when she had been captured and then tortured to death by the enemy. "When they amputated her breasts and grilled them, she insisted that they give her right tit to Steve. She thought it was likely to be the better-tasting of the two. When they were about to poke out her last eye, she asked to be looking at Steve so that her last sight on earth would be her beloved husband. Then, finally, they told her to renounce her faith. She refused. They amputated her right leg and roasted it, but she was able to pull out the suture in her artery and bled to death almost immediately." Karla heard a hitch in The Voice, and with noticeable huskiness he concluded, "This is Susan Sloan: martyr, saint, and now angel."

Looking at Susie who was obviously embarrassed by the whole thing, Karla whispered, "I'm so sorry, Susie." Then she winced and apologetically said, "I'm terribly sorry for what I just did, St. Susan. I have no right to be so ... so familiar with a martyr and saint."

"Garbage!" Susie retorted. "When was the last time you heard of a saint sticking her head up a girl's twat? Maybe, by act of God, I'm a saint, but I'm the most un-saintly saint you've ever seen!" Pretending to glare at the girl she said, "Now get with the program, before I go back for my whip!" Looking pensive for a moment she wondered, "I wonder what it's like to whip a girl's tits, anyway?"

Then Karla asked about the beatings that Barbara suffered. Sue told her how Barb's former husband — from an unconsummated marriage — had sold her into slavery to Susan and Jeff Collins. She told how she had been whipped to the bone, and how, on numerous occasions she had been severely whipped before accompanying Caitlin Fitzpatrick to church, and how she walked barefoot through the snow to try to distract herself from the agonizing pain in her back and shoulders, aggravated by the coarse cloth of the poncho which was her only garment.

"You see, Karla," Susie concluded in a whisper, "between Caitie and Barb, they have completely emptied out Purgatory. Now there are numberless saints in Heaven singing their praises. It's certainly fair to say she's one of The Boss's favorite people on earth. And there are lots of people on earth, too! In other words, that most emphatically is not damning with faint praise. Understand?"

To Susie's surprise, she realized that the girl was crying. "Good heavens!" she exclaimed. "And here I thought she was born to wealth and privilege..."

"Honey, I'll let you in on a little secret. This is the first hotel Barbara Sloan has ever stayed at in her whole life. Absolutely the very first one."

"But ... but ... but the way she moved at the airport..." At that point she confessed to have been spying on them.

All Susie did was to comment that it was a public affair, so in what way was it spying? Then she said, "Karla, it's another reflection of the kind of person Barbara Sloan really is." Then with her nose in the air, she continued, "Besides ... I mean ... Really! Take away her beauty, her brains, her courage, her integrity, the beauty she radiates that's shining from her soul, and what do you have? Just a plain ordinary American girl, right?"

Karla, now fully into the spirit of the occasion was sweating profusely. Only then did Susie tell her the secret of reducing the weight and then working back up again. With lighter weights — although still more than double what Barbara had started with — she quickly completed the exercises. While working out she had kept an eye on Barb and was amazed at the way she so easily manipulated weights that most men couldn't move at all.

Finally they finished the workout. With sweat still pouring from her body, she excused herself to go to the servant's quarters to shower. With a big grin Barb interrupted saying, "Not so fast!" Then she explained that, as a part of the hotel's reconditioning, the bathroom had been completely renovated. "One of the things they were supposed to have done was to install a shower stall so large we could have an orgy in it."

"You and Steve could have a two-person orgy in the middle of Central Square!" Karla retorted. "But what's that have to do with anything?"

With that said, she followed the Sloans through the bedroom to the bath beyond. Since she had been preoccupied with other arrangements, she had never been in it. Walking in, she stopped short in utter amazement. On one long wall there was a full-length vanity along with two sinks. A mirror above it ran the full width of the wall. There was indeed a giant shower, but in addition there was a bathtub large enough for a group. Steve, ignoring the women, entered the shower and started experimenting with the controls. In a moment water was flowing out of countless outlets on three of the four walls. He started soaping himself even before Barb joined him. In spite of having been naked for hours, Karla felt oddly exposed getting into the shower. But since she had privately vowed to herself to do absolutely anything Barb might want, she had no choice.

The warm water flowing over her body felt marvelous. But while she was just enjoying the warmth of the water with her eyes closed, she felt hands moving softly all over her body. Quickly opening her eyes she found that Barb was using the finest soap to lather her body, paying particular attention to her slit. Since Susie had been continuing her torturous work on her pubic hair — and in fact, had completed the job — her loins were burning like they were on fire. Barb's soft touch felt marvelous. In fact, it seemed to be healing.

"That feels so great!" the girl murmured softly. When she did, Barb lifted her chin and gently kissed her full on the lips. Karla's whole body instantly seemed to be filled with love and joy. When Barb ended her kiss, Karla actually felt a sense of loss. Then she murmured softly, "I've only known you for a few hours, Barbara Sloan, but already I love you. And if my first experience with a kiss had been yours, I would be a lesbian right now."

Finally, the little group left the shower. While Steve began to dry off, Barbara led Karla, now barely able to walk as exhaustion overtook her, to a professional massage table. Helping the girl up — Karla was now so tired she scarcely knew what was happening — Barb proceeded to give her a very professional massage. While working on the girl's aching biceps, Karla — by now more than half asleep — murmured, "Why don't you just take it out and work on it on the counter? If you ripped the muscle right out of my arm it couldn't possibly hurt more than it does now..."

While Barb grinned at the girl's quip, she noticed that Karla had fallen into a deep sleep. As she worked, Barb noticed that everything about this woman was utterly exquisite. Her skin was flawless. There was no a blemish of any kind to mar her beauty, although as she looked closer she saw lines crisscrossing her body that she was almost certain were whip scars. Finishing, she lifted her off the massage table, put her in a tanning machine and turned it on with its timer running. By the time she had finished her hair, the machine had shut itself off.

She smiled warmly as she saw Karla shiver in her sleep now that the soothing heat was shut off. Again she lifted her up and this time carried her to the giant bed in the master bedroom, pulled back the covers with one hand, and then carefully laid the girl down on it. After covering her up, she gave her a soft, loving kiss which was instantly returned in spite of the girl still being asleep.

Joining Steve in the sitting room, she found that he had just opened a bottle of Dom Pérignon and had poured two glasses. Barb noticed that a third glass was sitting on the tray waiting for Karla to rejoin them. Sitting beside Steve on the sofa, they touched glasses and then sipped the fine champagne. While cuddled together they quickly fell sound asleep.



-------

Chapter 2



Karla awakened slowly. As she did, she felt better than she could ever remember. Stretching, she could feel her body caressed by the crisp percale sheets. As memory returned, she moved her arms and legs and was amazed to find she wasn't stiff and sore. Then she remembered the wonderful massage and the final kiss from Barbara after she had been tucked into bed.

Feeling guilty, she eased out of bed, quietly opened the door, and found the Sloans sound asleep in each other's arms. They're so incredibly neat,  she thought. Silently she padded back to the servants' quarters where her things were stored. Finding another uniform, she looked it over carefully, then got a sharp pair of scissors and began to work. When she finished, she returned to the sitting room and, while standing in front of the sleeping Sloans, loudly cleared her throat.

The sound was all that was needed to awaken the couple. Before even acknowledging her presence the two kissed softly and then passionately. Again, Karla could see the electricity flowing between them. Finally, Barb turned and said, "You were saying, Karla?"

Then she just gaped in amazement. The girl was standing before them wearing only the cuffs of a shirt on her wrists held together with cuff links and a starched wing collar around her neck with a black bow tie neatly tied around it. Barbara was speechless as was Steve when his attention was attracted to the girl.

With her eyes wide and guileless, Karla said, "I've noticed that you two are more comfortable without clothing than with it. And since you're honored guests of my government, and since I'm your servant, I concluded that it wouldn't be appropriate for me to wear a uniform while you two wear nothing. On the other hand, if I were merely naked, how could anyone tell that I'm the servant? So anyway..."

At this the two Sloans began to giggle, then laugh, and finally were rolling around on the sofa holding each other while howling with laughter. Meanwhile Karla just stood in front of them feigning a puzzled look.

Finally regaining control, Barbara sat up straight and looked at the girl. "Karla, you are too damned much!" Then cocking her head, she raised an eyebrow and asked, "Are you teasing us, by any chance? And you a major in the Secret Police?"

"Me? Tease you?" She vigorously shook her head and said, "Of course not. After all, as you correctly pointed out, I am a major in the Secret Police, and — to say the very least — we're not particularly noted for our sense of humor."

"You really are getting with the program, aren't you?" Barb asked. "Is it fair to say you're more relaxed than you were when we arrived?" Then she added, "But that ... that outfit(?) is darling. And, Karla Kosta, if you were beautiful a few hours ago when we arrived, you're utterly gorgeous now. What happened?"

"You happened, Barbara Sloan," Susie replied as she materialized between them. "Look into her eyes. What do you see?" Barb did and saw a glow in them. When she asked, Susie replied, "What you are seeing, Barbara Sloan, is in very small measure what shines from yours. It is love, joy, and sanctifying grace.

"The Boss reviewed Karla's record and he likes what he sees." Then with a grimace she continued, "Oh, hell, I suppose I might as well tell you the rest: You see, Karla's ambition is to become your body slave, Barb. She wants to be as much like you as it's possible for her to be. And since she's your height, about your weight and build, and works out like a demon, I think it's going to work out, too. But what do you think?"

Instead of replying, Barb reached back to the wine bucket in which the Dom Pérignon still sat. Picking up the remaining glass, she poured champagne for Karla and refilled their own glasses. As she did, Susie whispered something in Karla's ear and then vaporized. When she did, Karla's eyes widened for an instant and she dropped to her knees in front of the coffee table separating them.

Barb passed a champagne flute to Karla and then raised her glass in a toast. "To Karla Kosta, one of God's wonderful people, and our very first friend in the Czech Republic. We love you, Major Kosta."

Karla knelt up straight while the Sloans drank Barbara's toast. While they were sipping, she was looking deeply into Barb's eyes. Then she said softly, "I really think you mean that, don't you?" Then she raised her own glass and said, "To the Sloans: the most perfect, the most loving couple God in his wisdom has ever seen fit to put on earth!" Then she emptied the glass in a single long swallow.

After Barb had refilled the glasses, Karla refused an invitation to take a seat. "It wouldn't be appropriate for a servant to sit with her masters." Then, in an undertone that Barbara couldn't quite hear she added, "And it would be particularly inappropriate for a slave to be seated."

Barb was about to ask her to repeat her ending comment when there was a coded quiet knock at the door. It was two long-intervals knocks followed by two shorts followed by two longs. With a grin at Steve she said, "Well, the starving urchins have appeared at last." To Karla she said, "These are the owners of Kendy Company. Will you get the door?"

Instantly Karla rose to her feet and padded to the door. As she was about to open it, she realized she was essentially stark naked. But instead of retreating as she would have only a few hours earlier, she straightened up with her shoulders back and pinched her nipples into throbbing erections. With a broad smile she opened the door.

Astonished, she was confronted by two children, both about twelve years old. The taller, a girl, was about five feet four. She had the most brilliant green eyes Karla had ever seen along with platinum blonde hair that was almost white. Accompanying her was a boy with golden blonde hair like hers and the most brilliant blue eyes she had ever seen. "Good afternoon," she greeted them. "The master and mistress are in the sitting room. Will you come with me?"

To her utter astonishment, they greeted her in flawless Czech and followed her into the room where Barb and Steve had both risen to greet them. Still in Czech the girl greeted the Sloans and then exclaimed, "Oh, neat! This means Ken and I can be bare, too." In just an instant she had shed her clothes which were sufficiently dirty they looked like she had been sleeping in them for days. Ken was doing the same thing.

"There's a shower big enough for both of you off the master bedroom," Barb said in equally flawless Czech. "And from the smell, you both can use it!" The two kids both grinned and scampered off, with Steve giving them a sendoff in flawless Czech as well.

"Wait a stinking minute!" Karla exclaimed in English. "You two can't speak Czech."

"Why not?" Barb asked with her eyes wide. "Is ... is it against the law... ? or something? I mean ... Golly! And you're an officer in the Secret Police, too. Oh, dear..." Then she lost control and started to giggle. Soon her giggles were totally out of control and she ended up rolling on the sofa in uncontrolled laughter.

"You're cheats and frauds," Karla protested, this time in Czech, while trying to control her own giggles. "I heard you at the airport, Steven Sloan. Your speech was grammatically correct but your pronunciation was simply awful. Everyone there applauded because you had taken the trouble to memorize a little speech in our native language. Even though you spoke atrociously, we gave you points for a good try. But you're both frauds! You speak my native language better than I do, for Heaven's sake!"

"Thank you, Karla Kosta," Susie said as she materialized among them. "I told them that their pronunciation was perfect, but now you've confirmed it for them." With a little grin she added, "One of the things the urchins learned years ago was that the way to really get along in a foreign country is to be able to speak the language like a native while acting like you don't understand a single word. It's remarkable what one can learn while sitting around a negotiating table with people who are convinced you don't understand a single word they're saying." With that she disappeared as quickly as she had appeared.

Karla disappeared in the direction of the kitchen. A few minutes later the two kids appeared, still drying each other off. As she returned to the sitting room, the two towels had dropped to the floor while the couple were exchanging a kiss that was at least as loving and passionate as anything she had ever seen with the Sloans.

When they reluctantly separated, Barb was drumming her fingers on the coffee table. "Finished yet?" she asked acidly.

"For the moment," Andy Cartwright replied languidly. Then she extended her hand to Karla and said, "How do you do? I'm Andrea Cartwright and I'm delighted to meet you. And this is my lover, fiancé, and uncle, Kenneth Clifford."

"How do you do?" Karla replied. "I'm the Sloans' servant, Karla Kosta." She paused for a moment and then continued in a voice as if she were thinking out loud, "'Andy' is a common nickname for Andrea and Ken is an obvious shortening of Kenneth. That's Kendy, isn't it? Ken and Andy?" Then she shook her head and said, "But that's impossible ... Wait! Of course! Clifford..." Her eyes widened as she looked at Ken and said softly, "William H. Clifford is possibly the wealthiest man in the world ... Are ... are you his son?"

Before Ken could reply, Barb interjected, "Bill Clifford is Ken's father, but that's not the point. There is not a dime of his money in Kendy. Of course the urchins borrowed a million apiece from Ken's mother, who's also Andy's grandmother. But that was repaid about eight years ago. Kendy is all them."

"But I thought Steve..."

" ... is president and chief executive officer of Kendy Company," Barbara finished. "He is. But Ken and Andy are co-chairmen of the board ... and the sole owners of the company."

"That's not true!" Andy protested instantly. "It almost took an act of God to get them to accept it, but Barb and Steve own 20 percent of it. Ken and I own 40 percent each."

Then Andy spied the large platter that Karla had set down on the table. It was loaded with caviar with all the trimmings. "Yummy!" she exclaimed. "Caviar! We really get to pig out this afternoon."

Karla disappeared for a moment, then returned with another bottle of Dom Pérignon and two more flutes. After expertly opening the bottle, she poured glasses for the two children and refilled theirs. When Barbara raised an eyebrow at her pouring champagne for Ken and Andy, Karla looked down her nose and said, "Unlike some benighted countries, the Czech Republic has no minimum age for drinking, particularly beer and wine." Barb just grinned and winked.

Again Karla dropped to her knees and then raised her glass. "To Kendy Company. I hope and pray that you may make a great deal of money here in the Czech Republic, and in the process, create a great many new jobs."

"I'll certainly drink to that," Ken Clifford replied.

The others all murmured agreement and they drank the toast. Then Karla expertly served the caviar while the foursome caught up on recent events and prospects in the country. When Andy rose to go to the kitchen, Barbara stopped her. "What have you been doing to your cunt, young lady?" she demanded.

Looking down at her loins Andy replied blithely, "I've been pulling out the hair that doesn't fit."

"Doesn't fit? What, exactly, does that mean?"

"Well, it should be pretty obvious to you — and to Karla, for that matter. I don't know how she can move. What happened? Has Susie been at work? Her loins look like someone's been torturing her. Well, since my pussy hair is just starting to grow in, rather than waiting and then having to pull out most of it, I'm pulling out whatever I don't want as it starts. Isn't that an intelligent way to go?"

When she motioned to her, Andy moved closer and Barb cupped her hand over the girl's cunt then eased a finger into her tight passage. As she expected, even though Andy was only twelve, it was soaked with her slippery juices. Andy's eyes closed and she murmured, "It's not as good as when Ken does it, Barb, but it really does feel great!"

"By the way, young lady, does your mother know what you've been doing?"

"I guess so," was the reply.

While continuing to gently move her finger in the girl's cunt Barb said to Karla, "Her mother is Connie Cartwright. Andy is going to be her twin sister soon. Because she's also a platinum blonde, her husband, Chip, is always teasing her about blondes like her being very slow to warm up. So usually he plays with her until she threatens to get a knife, cut off his cock, and ram it in herself. She's one of the most wonderful women you'll ever meet. She's also the one who announced that her mission in life is to make babies. Andy is her first."

Looking up at the girl who was now writhing as she twisted her body on Barb's impaling finger she added, "For a first effort, she really isn't so bad, is she?" By this time Andy was up on her tiptoes as Barb had steadily increased her upward pressure. Then to Andy she said, "And by the way, what does 'guess so' mean?" While she was talking, Barb had taken Andy to the verge of cuming but, with exquisite sensitivity, maintained the girl on the edge without letting her have release.

"Please, Barb!" the girl screamed. "Finish me off! I know I'm about to cum, but you won't let me." Her eyes had been closed, but now they opened suddenly and she glared at Barb with green fire. "Bobbie Conroy lost her virginity to a girl's fingernail, Barbara Sloan. I'm just going to drop my weight and lose mine on yours!"

"No you won't," Barb said casually. "My fingernails are neither sharp enough nor long enough. And I'm having fun, turkey, so shut up ... Except you still haven't answered my question about what your mother said. And nothing's going to change until you answer my question."

"Please, Barb, I'm begging you. My lord, all my feeling is in my cunt. I can't even remember what your question was!" The girl was screaming now and feeling like a bug impaled on a needle.

Very quietly Barb replied, while still maintaining the poor girl on the brink of orgasm, "I asked what your mother said."

"She didn't say anything!" the poor girl screamed. "She just looked, put her hand over my cunt the way you did, and then shook her head. I'm not really sure what that meant, though. Now please finish me off!" she pleaded.

Instead, Barb suddenly removed her finger causing Andy to collapse on the floor. "Ken, why don't you do it for your love? I'm sure she would appreciate it more, too."

Dropping to the floor, Ken Clifford moved between Andy's now-writhing body and dropped his face to her cunt. The instant he did, Andy raised her pelvis as much as she could. After putting her legs over his shoulders he began to eat her cunt. In just a moment the girl achieved orgasm with her pelvis now in spasm. As her juices began to flow in a flood, Ken licked as fast as he could and alternated by sucking and tonguing her clit. After a few minutes, he bit her clit and Andy passed out cold.

Finally raising his head he said, "I can't imagine anything sweeter than Andy's cunt. And I can't wait until I can take her as my wife." Then shaking his head he added, "But you know what? This virginity stuff is really for the birds!" With that he left his unconscious fiancée on the floor and went to the bathroom.

Moments later, Andy regained consciousness. Without a sign of embarrassment she rose from the floor where she had been lying sprawled out and stuck out her tongue at Barb as far as she could. But then she took the woman in her arms and melted her lips to hers in a loving kiss. When they separated while maintaining their hold on each other the girl said, "Barbara Sloan, I would really hate you if I didn't love you so damned much."

But then with the most winsome grin she added, "But because of your work, Ken got me off faster than he ever has before!" Then she shook her head and added, "I can't wait for him to have a cock as big as Granddad's. It's going to be so great!"

Seeing the expression of shock on Karla's face, Barb grinned and said, "Don't worry about it. Aside from the fact that Andy's grandparents are Ken's parents, when they sleep over they always spend time with the relevant parents and help with their lovemaking. Her grandfather, Bill Clifford, looks like he's about twenty-five, and her grandmother, Ali, looks even younger.

"In fact, when Ali takes the kids to a movie, two things happen: First, they comfort her and try to persuade her that it's just a story when she cries at the sad parts." With a warm smile she added, "They even had to take her out of the theater when Bambi's mother died. Second, she couldn't get a drink if her life depended on it; wearing jeans and with her hair in a ponytail, Ali looks like a well-developed fifteen-year-old."

She paused for a moment and then continued, "And she's exactly like Steve and me. Ali couldn't live without Bill Clifford. They are just so marvelous together. And after all this time, they still act like they only got married yesterday and made love for the first time last night. Of course Ali Clifford's beauty makes the rest of us look like refugees from some fraternity pig party. Her hair and eyes are like Ken's, and she has a smile that could light up the whole Los Angeles Basin on its smoggiest day."

Barb paused again, then continued. "Of course, she's not perfect. Like a number of other members of the clan — including Andy and Ken, of course — she's selfish."

At that comment, Karla looked shocked and Andy looked hurt. Barb continued, "It's true. She's selfish. She refuses to allow anyone ever to do anything for her. It is only what she can do for you. And she's the most selfless, thoughtful person I've ever met. Things just happen before you even think you might want it." Then with the happiest smile either woman had ever seen, Barb concluded, "The best thing I can possibly say about myself is that I can count Allison Clifford as my friend. She is an inspiration to me and to everyone else who has ever met her."

"Amen," Andy said softly. "And just think! She's my grandmother." With that Andy sat down on the sofa beside Barbara and stretched out her long legs.

Karla had been watching and listening. She would not have believed what she had heard except now she thought she knew the Sloans well enough to know that Barbara was incapable of lying. And certainly Andy was an incredibly beautiful girl. As she stretched out, fully relaxed, Karla realized that the girl's body was utterly perfect. With her golden tan, the hair on her head and the small patch above her slit were stunning and looked almost white. "Your body is perfect, Miss Cartwright," she said. "And you are going to be even more beautiful than Mrs. Sloan, although honestly I don't see how you could. Your tan is utterly glorious!"

By now Andy's eyes were closed. Without opening them she responded, "I have to be tanned. If I were white, the hair on my head and on my pussy would just disappear. I would look like an albino, for heaven's sake!" By now Ken had returned and Andy made room for him beside her. He took her in his arms and the two melted in a kiss. When they eased apart, Andy said, "Thank you, darling. That was the very best cunt-eating yet. I can't wait for your cock to be as big as your dad's so you can split me in two with it." With that she got up from the sofa, stretched, and went toward the kitchen with Karla following.

"Can I get something for you, Miss Cartwright?" the girl asked.

Cocking her head, Andy looked thoughtful and then replied, "You can't get me anything, but you could do something for me, if you would."

"Anything. What is it?"

"Call me Andy, please. Miss Kosta, you have a son almost as old as I am. It's not right for a mother to call a little twerp like me by anything beyond her first name."

Karla agreed, and then watched in increasing surprise as the girl moved around the kitchen as if she had set it up herself. When she asked Andy about it the girl replied, "Oh, all the kitchens are set up the same way, give or take a teaspoon or two." When she looked in the refrigerator, she exclaimed, "Fantastic! We're really going to eat tonight." Turning to Karla she looked embarrassed and asked, "I apologize, Miss Kosta, for being so thoughtless. What would you like to eat this evening? And I hope you will forgive me for not asking you earlier."

Karla just shook her head and said softly, "Barbara Sloan was absolutely right, wasn't she? You're always thinking of someone else."

Then she straightened so her back was ramrod stiff and said, "However, Miss Cartwright, it may have escaped your notice, but I am the servant around here. You are the guest. Now what may I get for you?"

Instead of replying, Andy took the girl in her arms and peered deeply into her eyes. As she did, her eyes filled with tears and she spoke in an oddly disembodied voice, "You are a heroine of your country, Karla Kosta. I see you taking that dying man in your arms and losing your virginity so he could fulfil his dying wish. And he's the father of your son, isn't he? You conceived the very first time, didn't you?"

Karla could only nod.

Andy then described several dangerous missions Karla had undertaken for the underground. "No one knows you were captured and then almost tortured to death, do they? But, despite being in agonizing pain you managed to escape over the razor wire, almost cutting off your hands in the process. May I see?"

Slowly Karla raised her hands with her palms open.

Andy took them and softly kissed the scars on each one. Then she looked into her eyes with her own eyes and voice back to normal and said, "You are indeed our guest, Miss Kosta. The thought of you as a servant is utterly ridiculous!"

"It's going to be worse than that," Karla responded softly. "Although I haven't mentioned it, I am going to give myself to Mrs. Sloan as her body slave. But I think she suspects it, even if I really haven't said anything."

With her brow wrinkling, Andy asked, "But why on earth would you do a thing like that? It's ridiculous ... and I guess it's very painful, too."

"Because God Himself told me that she is a perfect woman. I can't possibly be like her, but as her body slave I will be physically close to her. And as you have seen — although I have no idea how — I can handle pain."

Then Karla again held her head high and added, "My lady has been savagely beaten. I will beg her to beat me at least as hard. I want my blood to be flowing and then I want to hold her close to my body and feel the additional pain of her body on my open cuts. I want her to hold me tightly and rub her hands over the open cuts on my back. The whip will feel like white-hot wire cutting into my body. Although it's been years, I still remember what it felt like when the Russians tortured me.

"I'm sure Mrs. Sloan is far better with a whip than any of them were, so it will hurt far more because she will whip the most sensitive parts of my body. And I will relish it, thank her for every stroke, and then kiss the whip and kiss her when it's over. I'm sorry if it shocks you, Miss Cartwright — Andy — but it's something I must do."

Then she grinned and asked, "Now, about dinner? What were you thinking of serving?"

Andy Cartwright had been rummaging through the refrigerator and several times had made excited noises. Straightening up she announced, "We're going to really feast tonight. I'm serving Chesapeake Bay oysters on the half-shell, followed by baked stuffed lobster." Grinning at the Czech girl she added, "It will be a dinner that I doubt you've ever had."

Moments later she was joined by Barbara and then by Steve. When Karla asked to help, Barbara Sloan looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded to herself. "Thank you for your offer, Karla. And Andy and I accept. Please go out to the sitting room, retrieve the caviar platter, wine cooler, and champagne. Then you and Steve sit quietly at the table and stay out of our way!" She grinned and winked as Karla scampered off to the sitting room.

"She wants to be your slave, you know?" Andy said as soon as Karla left. "And you know what? She hasn't known you for even a day yet, but I think she already loves you even more than I do ... And that's really saying something!"

Andy's statement confirmed Barb's worst fears. She had been getting those signals, but had been ignoring them. "I've got to stop her—"

"You can't," Andy said quickly. "And please don't even try. I know how hard it is for you to hurt anyone, but for some reason it's become terribly important to this girl." Then looking up she whispered, "Susie?"

"I'm right here," the little sprite replied as she materialized right before Andy's eyes, "and I know what you're going to say." Turning to Barb she said, "The Boss knows what's going on. I will be here to ensure that no serious damage is done, okay? And please do as Andy suggests." With that she disappeared.

Karla returned to the kitchen, smiled at Steve, and then proceeded to pour more champagne and prepare caviar canapés for him. He sagged down in his chair while being careful to keep his feet clear of Andy and Barb. To Barb he said, "Hon, could we keep her? Karla really knows how to take care of me." Then to the Czech girl he said, "Of course I do have to lift up this glass all by myself..."

"As your wife's body slave, sir, I will do anything for you that she asks." With that she lifted the champagne flute and held it to Steve's lips.

When she mentioned slavery, Steve's eyes widened for an instant. But then he sipped the champagne and said, "Much better..." After a pause he added, "But I still have to swallow it myself."

Karla kept glancing over at the two women hard at work. She marveled at how expertly Andy used a very sharp knife to shuck the oysters even though she couldn't even see where the two parts of the oyster shell came together. Andy was preparing crab imperial to use as the stuffing for the five very large lobsters that she was about to cook. After shucking the oysters, Andy began to tear up romaine lettuce in preparation for a cæsar salad. After only a few minutes, the lobsters were steaming and everyone was invited to be seated at the table Barbara had set.

Karla was chagrined to learn that she was expected to dine at the table with them. "In fact," Barb said, "you had better take off your maid's uniform so no one gets the wrong idea." In moments Karla was totally bare and sitting at Steve's right hand. Andy was to his left, with Ken beside her. To Karla's dismay, Barb insisted that she remain seated.

"Andy and I prepared it," she remarked, "and we're not going to share any of the credit now." The table was lovely. There were fresh-cut flowers as a centerpiece flanked by two lighted candles. To round it out, the dinner was being served with a marvelous California Chardonnay. Barbara commented that the entire dinner, therefore, was Made in U.S.A.

Then Barbara looked at Karla who was fearfully contemplating a raw oyster and laughed. When the others heard her laughter, they looked, too, and began to laugh, as well. "Karla, the expression on your face is utterly priceless!" she teased. "You've never eaten a raw oyster in your life before, have you?" Karla had been poking at the bivalve with an expression of distaste. "It won't bite, honest."

The Czech girl swallowed hard and then ate the oyster. Previously she had applied Tabasco sauce and cocktail sauce following the lead of the others at the table. Then her face lighted up and she said in a tone of great surprise, "It's really good!" Then looking thoughtful she added, "I wonder who was the first brave soul who thought to eat one of these things?" The others laughed at her quip.

While Barbara finished the lobster, Andy tossed the cæsar salad at the table. When it was served, Karla ate with relish. "This is the finest food I've ever eaten in my entire life. Barbara, when did you learn to cook? Did you start when you were four years old?"

"What a joke!" Steve responded. "Karla Kosta, less than one year ago, Barbara Sloan, nee Jensen, couldn't even boil water." When Karla raised an eyebrow in skepticism, Steve said, "Ask her."

"He's absolutely right," Barb said. "But fortunately I was enslaved to Susan Collins who's one of the finest cooks in the world. And with the assistance of a well-handled whip, I learned quickly, if I do say so myself." Karla only shook her head, but she found that she did believe what had been said.

"By the way," Ken Clifford said, "Mom and Dad asked me to tell you that there are a few extra dollars in your checking account. They thought you might want to invest some of it or something."

"'A few extra'?" Barb responded. "Tell me, dear Kenneth, how many is a few?"

"One-hundred million," he replied very softly.

"What!" Barb screamed. "What is going on here?"

"Oh ... nothing," the boy replied vaguely. Then he brightened and added, "Of course, Bobbie Conroy thinks it's a neat idea, and so does my sister—"

"Which one?" Barb asked. Then to Karla she explained, "This is the most extended damned family you'll ever encounter. When Ken says 'my sister, ' he could be describing half the female population of the United States!"

"My sister, Jen," Ken replied. Then he looked thoughtful and added, "Of course she's only my half-sister, but both she and Mom would kill me if they ever heard me call her that. Mom is her mother, period."

He then quickly explained that Jennifer was his father's daughter by his first wife. Then he told how, on their first meeting, Jennifer tried to break up his parents' marriage. "Just a few weeks later she realized that breaking up that marriage was equivalent to a double death sentence. Neither of my parents could live without the other."

Then he thought for a moment and added, "You know, it's the same with all of us, I guess. If I ever feel at all cold, I just look at Mom who's always looking at Dad in the warmest, most loving way imaginable. Even though they are my parents, I think they're really neat."

"And so do we all, young man, but that's not the point. Please explain exactly why Bobbie Conroy thinks my being buried under a ton of money is a good idea." She paused and thought for a moment. "You know what, Karla? If it were in dollar bills, it might actually weigh a ton." Back to Kenny she said, "I'm waiting ... but not very patiently."

"Actually, Barb, it goes back a few years to when the school first started. Bobbie got a lot of flak from the California Department of Education. It went to trial but didn't get very far. The judge was John Callaway; his granddaughter — or daughter, I guess — is in our class right now. But anyway, on the second day of the trial, this idiot from Sacramento thought she had Bobbie cold for failure to pay withholding taxes on her salary as our teacher. But she doesn't get any salary, so there's no withholding. Anyway, it's been going like that ever since.

"I know that we — Andy and I — want to pay you to teach, but Mom thought it would save a lot of fuss if she just gave you some money to use as a slush fund. When it runs down, of course, she and Dad will put in more..."

"More!" Barb yelped. "You've got to be kidding. Do you know how much I should earn on a hundred mil?"

"About ten million a year, if you're a cautious investor," Ken immediately replied. Then he added, "It's not much, but it's a start, isn't it?"

Barb rolled her eyes and looked at Karla. "This is what happens when you associate with some of the world's richest people." She shook her head and continued, "Take poor Andy here. Her parents, Chip and Connie Cartwright, are stumbling along with a mere five billion or so. I really haven't been able to figure out how she can even hold up her head with Ken here. His parents are now worth something north of twenty billion."

She looked up at the ceiling, thought a moment, and added, "To put it into perspective, the hundred million they've just given me amounts to about one-half of 1 percent of their money, or less than Ali adds to the family fortune in a month. Can you believe it?"

"Mom is a pretty good money manager," Ken admitted, "but she can't cook worth a damn. I'm not sure she can even boil water."

"Gee, Ken," Barb commented with her eyes wide, "I guess it's a good thing you're related to Kathy Carlson then, isn't it? Otherwise, you would have starved to death before your first birthday." Ken just grinned and raised his hands in surrender.

"May I congratulate my mistress on her good fortune?" Karla asked diffidently.

"'Mistress'?" Barb asked. "What, exactly, does that mean?"

Holding her head up straight Karla looked into her eyes and said, "I got a little ahead of myself, Mistress. I am going to give myself to you as your body slave. It will take a day or two to get organized, but that is what I am going to do."

"And how is this slavery supposed to work?" Barb asked quietly.

"I will remain your slave until you release me ... and I agree to the release. Until that time, I will do anything asked of me. My body is completely at your disposal to be used for any purpose whatsoever. It's pretty simple, really," she concluded.

"And why would you want to do such a thing?" Barb asked.

"Because I want to remain as close to you as I can possibly be, Mistress. I think that as your maid I could even get a green card, but it's not necessary since I will be earning no money." Changing the subject the girl said, "This has been the finest meal I have ever eaten in my life, and probably the finest meal ever served in the Czech Republic. I can't thank you and Miss Cartwright enough."

"It's not quite over, yet," Andy replied. "But we could use a little help in clearing the table, Karla, if you feel up to it?"

The girl popped to her feet and began helping Barb clear the table. While they did, Andy was working at the stove. When they were again seated, Andy had a chafing dish at the table and was serving crèpes Suzette. These were followed by a platter of cheese along with fruit. Then Andy disappeared for a moment and returned with Cuban cigars: a corona for Steve and panatellas for Barbara and Karla. Karla's eye's widened as she watched Andy carefully light each one and give it to them drawing perfectly. Along with it she served Rémy Martin's Louis XIII cognac and coffee.

Holding the brandy snifter to her nose, Karla closed her eyes and just enjoyed the cognac's magnificent aroma. With her eyes closed she said softly, "If any other girl in the Czech Republic knew what it's like to be your slave, there would be a competition for the position. And the competition could take the form of torture, and there would still be thousands volunteering." She paused and then added, "I cannot imagine a more scrumptious meal than this one."

The five chatted over their cognac, cigars, and coffee. Then the Sloans along with Andy and Ken adjourned to the sitting room while, at her insistence, Karla cleaned up. This she did very carefully because she was using a garbage disposal and an automatic dishwasher for the very first time. She smiled with satisfaction when she heard the dishwasher start its cycle, then she went to the sitting room. There she found the four sitting at the card table, playing Bridge.

After refilling the cognac glasses, getting Poland Springs water for Andy and Ken, and getting Steve another cigar, she pulled up a chair to watch the game. Although she had played Bridge a great deal in school and thought of herself as a good player, she realized that she was hopelessly outclassed by these four. It was the most brilliant Bridge she had ever seen, with the Sloans playing against the young people. After two rubbers, Ken and Andy had won by a total of 100 points. After a great show of reluctance, Steve and Barbara paid up the twenty-five cents they had lost.

"Is there anything you four are not utterly brilliant at?" Karla asked rhetorically.

Just then they all heard a repeated buzz. Karla jumped up, went out to her room and returned with a beeper. "It's my master's voice," she reported with a grimace. "The powers that be in the Secret Police obviously want to know what great secrets I've uncovered. May I use your telephone?" she concluded.

Barb agreed instantly, wondering what the girl would say. Karla picked up the phone and dialed a number. A moment later she said, "It is Karla, Colonel. I got your message." After a short pause she said, "I am free to talk, sir. I've checked and there's no one nearby." As she spoke, she was less than a foot away from Barbara.

"Sir, the Sloans behave exactly as you expected. They're very wealthy and very stupid. I imagine the money was inherited, because neither of them is nearly smart enough to have earned it." Again there was a pause, much longer this time. Finally, Karla spoke again. "Sir, I did learn one thing. There is a family connection of some sort with the famous William H. Clifford. It's possible there is some of his money in all of this. But, sir, we're in a position to sell them absolutely anything! Then the question becomes, what do we want them to buy? And how much do we want them to pay? Of course, we want as much as we can get, but does anyone have a number in mind?"

There was a much longer pause this time. Finally Karla said, "Yes, sir. Understood. We want to unload a steel mill or two along with a contract provision preventing any layoffs. Is that it?" After a moment, she concluded, "I'll try to plant a seed or two, sir, but I can't promise anything. All the Sloans want to talk about is food. I'm not sure they even know what a steel mill is!"

With that she hung up the phone and looked at Barb who was sadly shaking her head. "Steve, was I this stupid when I was first enslaved to Susan? Did I go out of my way to antagonize her so she would beat me even harder?"

Having said that, she ended the playacting. Effortlessly she lifted Karla off the floor in her arms then sat down again with the girl sitting across her lap. "Karla Kosta, I love you very much," she said softly. "But you lied through your teeth to your superiors! Now what's going to happen?"

The girl grinned back, snuggled close to Barb's bare body and inhaled its magnificent scent. With her eyes closed she replied, "I couldn't care less. But there's one rule of thumb that always works when dealing with bureaucrats. And all senior government officials — regardless of their assignment — are bureaucrats. It's to agree with them, or more accurately, to tell them that what they already believe to be true. It's a lot less trouble, too." Remarkably, Karla found herself actually beginning to fall asleep in Barb's arms.

Andy and Ken excused themselves and headed for their room where they were looking forward to sharing a comfortable bed for a change. When they left, Steve rose and then effortlessly lifted Barbara out of her chair while she, in turn, was still holding Karla. This caused the girl to awaken as she realized that Steve had effortlessly lifted and was carrying over 250 pounds without any apparent strain. While still holding Karla in her arms, Barb snuggled close to Steve's chest and kissed him softly. For his part, he caused her to yelp as he slipped a finger into her bare cunt.

"What was that for?" Barb demanded, faking a frown.

"Just wanted to see how long it would take me to warm you up," he replied.

As he said it, Steve looked thoughtful as if his own words had just reminded him of something. Gently, he put the two women down on the bed. Barb gave Karla a loving kiss, then popped out of bed to go to the bathroom. When she and Steve were back in bed, he was looking thoughtful. Then idly he began to caress her tit causing her normally erect nipples to extend even further and start to throb. "Honey," he said softly, "I've been thinking..."

After a short pause he continued, "I've been a creep. You said it yourself earlier: 'I got to thinking my last name was fuck.' And then with Andy and Ken I was reminded of how ... thoughtful ... Chip is with Connie." Turning to look at his beautiful wife, his eyes were wide with sincerity as he continued, "He never enters her when she's dry. He believes in foreplay."

Steve paused and turned to look up at the ceiling. Then he firmly nodded his head and said, "That's it! I've been a boor and a beast. I'm afraid we spent too much time alone on the island. Why it got to the point that I would just think about you and you would spread your legs. And I'm at least as big as Chip, and your poor virginal vagina is smaller than Connie's. After all, she's had four children, and you were a virgin until a couple of months ago."

Snapping his fingers, he said, "That's it! I've decided. I'm turning over a new leaf. Never again will I enter your tiny vagina until it's ... it's ... it's well lubricated! That's it. Well lubricated."

From the first moment Barbara had seen Steve Sloan she had been in love with him. She had vowed that she would do absolutely anything in her power to make him happy. It was obvious that he was teasing her, but, regardless of the personal pain it might cause her, she would go along with it. "Okay, I'm going to be well lubricated. And what, dear heart, does that mean? How are you going to do it? Stare at me for a while?"

"Oh, I'll think of something," Steve replied vaguely. "In the meantime, why don't you kneel on the bed facing me. And spread your legs wide, darling. I'll need to be able to see if you're warming up."

Turning to Karla who was standing beside the bed, uncertain as to what was expected, he said, "Karla, why don't you lie on the bed beside me. Barb can be between us. I have the germ of an idea, and you figure in it."

Looking skeptical, Barb did as he asked. When Karla very diffidently got on the bed, Steve plumped up two pillows and put them beside him. She lowered her head onto them and first sighed deeply, then wriggled on the crisp sheets. "This is the most wonderful bed I've ever been on in my life," she said. "Thank you both very much for this opportunity."

"Since for some strange reason you're bound and determined to be my body slave, Karla, there are a few things you might as well learn right now. The first is that you are to do whatever I tell you to do, the instant I say it. Clear?" The girl acknowledged the instruction and Barb continued, "The second is that from now on you exist solely to give me pleasure. Since you have one of the most fragrant bodies I've ever encountered, you will be sleeping in our bed to impart your fragrance to it. Clear?"

"It is very clear, Mistress," the girl replied softly.

Meanwhile Steve had begun very gently to stroke Barbara's body, taking care to stay away from her erogenous zones. Although, he remembered with a smile, she had characterized her body as a "five foot eight inch erogenous zone." Already he could see drops of her vaginal fluid form on her hairless lips and begin to drip onto the bed.

Then taking his eyes away from his beautiful wife he turned to Karla and said softly, "I learned from Andy that you have been imprisoned and tortured by the Russians. What happened?"

"Very little," the girl replied softly. "I was picked up in a general sweep. I ... I guess they decided to torture me to get their kicks. They really didn't have anything definite in mind. And I'm sure they had no idea I had any connection with the Resistance. It really wasn't so bad."

"Not as bad as what happened to Susie, certainly," he replied, "but it was pretty bad. Andy said you were tied to a whipping post for thirty-six hours."

"But how could she possibly know?" the girl asked, startled. "She couldn't have. No one knows."

"Do you remember when she was looking deeply into your eyes?" he asked. "Actually, Andy was entering your brain, and particularly your memory. I know that with Bobbie Conroy she was able to find out that she had been drugged and raped, even though she didn't even know it herself."

Steve paused for a moment then continued, "You must have received hundreds of lashes over the thirty-six hours, didn't you?"

Karla started to deny it, but then just nodded her head. Now guessing, Steve asked, "How many time did they rape you?"

"I don't know," the girl whispered. "They whipped me until I begged to service them. Then they would cut me down from the post. I lay on my back and spread my legs wide. When the guy was finished, the process was repeated until again I begged to be raped. After a few times, they decided that they were being too easy on me. I guess it finally ended after I had begged to be taken all three ways at once.

"But by that time my body was so bloody — all my skin had been stripped off — I guess it wasn't much fun for them anymore. I was left hanging from the post for hours more — I have no idea how many more — and finally returned to the cell. I suppose they were looking for more fun because I was naked and they put me in the men's cell, hoping, I suppose, that some Czech would take me, too."

By this time she was crying uncontrollably as she relived the horrid experience in her mind.

"And then, somehow, you escaped by going over razor wire. You almost amputated your hands when you did, didn't you?" Steve asked quietly.

"It wasn't so bad," she said softly. "I figured out that I would have a chance if I held the wire flat against my palms. And it worked."

Meanwhile, even though Steve had assiduously stayed away from her tits and cunt, he had managed to bring Barbara to the brink of cuming, where he just held her at the edge, keeping her from going over.

To Karla he said, "And that's why you joined the Secret Police, isn't it? You consider yourself to be utterly filthy and unworthy of any man. So you joined an organization noted for having no friends anywhere. Right?"

By now Karla's eyes were closed, but tears were still streaming out from under her eyelids. Again she started to shake her head in denial, but instead briefly nodded. While her instinct was to flee from the bed, she couldn't do that. Instead she rolled on her side with her back to Steve and began to bawl uncontrollably.

Although she was writhing on the bed in an agony of wanting, Barb choked out, "For God's sake, do something, Steven Sloan. What you've just done was worse than the torture and rape itself. You've nearly destroyed this girl!"

Then in a pleading tone she added, "Enough is enough, Steven. I'm dying here on the bed and you know it. Please release me!"

Looking thoughtful Steve replied, "Maybe we can kill two birds with one stone. Barb, I'll bet Karla has a very succulent cunt. Why don't you find out? And if you do a really good job, I'll let you cum. But it has to be a very good job."

Using just a portion of her great strength, Barb turned the girl over on the bed and, despite her resistance — Karla wanted to be left alone in her misery — spread her legs wide. Then, with great gentleness Barb began to kiss and lick at her genitals. It was very hard for her because she had to block out her own cresting passion and her own need for release to be able to do it.

In spite of Karla's misery, the sensations Barb was creating in her loins began to overwhelm her sorrow. Now, instead of resisting the girl spread her legs even wider and raised up her pelvis to more completely expose herself to Barb's probing tongue and lips. "That feels so good," she whispered in spite of herself. Then she realized what was happening and tried to close her legs again. "But you can't do that," she protested. "I'm the slave, not you!"

"That's right, you are the slave. And a slave's first duty is to do whatever her mistress wants. And I want to give you the best cunt licking you've ever had in your life!"

"That won't be very hard," the girl replied between gasps. "It's the first and only one I've ever had." She paused for a moment and added, "Earlier I said that if I had encountered you years ago, Barbara Sloan, I would be a lesbian right now. And with what you're doing now, I'm certain of it." With that she let out a scream of joy as she reached her first orgasm.

Barb had succeeded in blocking out her own need and realized that Karla's cunt was as sweet as sugar. Although she had done it numberless times with Susan Collins, it had been a form of duty even though Sue's cunt was also very sweet. Finding that she enjoyed the sensation herself, she probed with her tongue as deeply into Karla's vagina as possible, alternating with kissing, licking, and lightly biting the girl's now-throbbing clit. Soon the girl's orgasms were coming faster until she was in continuous orgasm. Her pelvis was now in spasm and Barb had to hold her thighs tightly to keep her from getting out of position.

Steve was utterly delighted at what his wife had been able to do for the tormented girl. But he was still having his fun at Barb's expense. Now he moved to her clit and his work penetrated even Barb's determination. After she had kept the girl in orgasm for over fifteen minutes her own pain now dominated. "Please, Steve!" she pleaded. "Please release me."

With that she could no longer even hold her body erect. She pitched forward on the bed. Although her knees were still beneath her, her head was now on the bed between Karla's wide-spread thighs.

Steve moved quickly to a position behind her and between her legs. He quickly entered her and almost instantly she reached orgasm. "Thank God!" she murmured as she again turned her attention to Karla.

The girl had had a few moments respite but almost instantly she was in orgasm again. In minutes Steve was amused to see that both women were in orgasm. Finally, he could maintain control no longer and released his load into Barb's vagina that was already flooded with her own juices. When he came, Barb bit down hard on Karla's engorged clit, causing her to lose consciousness. A moment later her own massive orgasm caused her to pass out as well, with Steve collapsing on her back. After pausing for a few moments to regain his breath he looked at the two women who were now sprawled on the bed. Karla's legs were still spread wide and her love juices were still seeping out of her cunt.

Getting out of the bed, Steve went into the bathroom and began to run warm water in the tub. The bathtub was similar to the shower in terms of its giant size. It was almost a small swimming pool. Returning to the bedroom he carried first Barb and then Karla into the bath and eased them gently into the water. After finding new bed linen — the sheets were now sopping wet with the girls' combined juices — he remade the bed. Then he returned to the bath, carefully washed both women and even shampooed and conditioned their hair.

As he did he was grateful that both of them had their hair in urchin cuts which were close enough to a man's short hair that he could undertake his project. After carefully rinsing off the unconscious women, he dried them off and then, after lifting Barb up on the massage table, carefully massaged out the knots that had formed in her muscles as a result of his torment. Finally he carried the girls back to the newly-remade bed and lay them side by side with their heads resting on plumped-up pillows.

Getting into the bed beside Barb he turned down the room light until it was quite dim, then waited. A few minutes later Barb and then Karla stretched and then opened their eyes.

Again Karla wriggled on the crisp sheets. Then she closed her eyes and prayed, "Thank you, dear God, for the most marvelous experience of my life. Now I am fully prepared for slavery to Barbara Sloan. And, dear Lord, you are absolutely right. She is an angel you put on earth. Thank you."

Both Barb and Steve were watching carefully now so they both saw her lips compressed. This was followed by the most beatific smile they had ever seen. Then the girl molded her body to Barb's and fell into a deep sleep.

"Thank you, my darling," Barb whispered to Steve. "In spite of the torment, that was the nicest thing you've ever done in your life. You're learning!"

With that she melted her lips to his. The flow of electricity between them was all she needed. She dropped off to sleep instantly. It was almost as if she had passed out. Steve smiled, kissed his wife lightly and then went to sleep himself with her head resting on his shoulder and his large hand over her tit.



-------

Chapter 3



The next morning — it was only Tuesday, she realized — Barbara Sloan gave Steve's hand cupping her tit the lightest possible squeeze.

"Good morning, my darling," he whispered. Then he melted his lips to hers as she spread her legs and he moved into position between them. After slow and sustained lovemaking, with Barb again in orgasm for fifteen minutes, the two collapsed on the bed. After kissing her soundly, Steve whispered, "Good night again, beauteous wife. You wear me out." With that he pulled the covers up over his head. As she shook her head in amusement, his breathing almost immediately became slow and regular.

Only then did Barb realize that they were alone in bed. Aside from the slight depression beside her and the lingering fragrance of her body, there was no sign of Karla. Then looking over she saw Karla's head just above the level of the bed. "That was so incredibly beautiful," the girl remarked. Then she produced a mug of coffee for Barb.

Moving up in the bed, Barbara plumped up some pillows, then patted the bed beside her. "I hope you brought coffee for yourself, too?" Karla hadn't. She scampered back to the kitchen and returned moments later with her own mug. Standing up straight beside the bed she began to sip. "Well, what are you standing there for, Slave? You're supposed to be keeping me company in bed."

With her eyes sparkling, Karla replied, "But I can't, Mistress. After all, I'm fully dressed, and I certainly can't get in bed with you with all my clothes on." Again she was wearing her "uniform" of starched cuffs held with onyx cuff links and a wing collar with a beautifully tied bow tie.

"Oh," Barb said morosely but with her eyes twinkling. Then she brightened and added, "I don't care how long it takes, Slave. Strip off your entire uniform and join me in my bed."

"But, ma'am, it's taken me hours!" Karla wailed. Then with a wink she untied the tie, took off her collar and cuffs and put them on a dresser. Picking up her mug again, she slid into bed beside Barbara who was holding the covers back for her. The two snuggled together and sipped the hot coffee.

When they finished, Barb looked at Karla and said softly, "I can't apologize enough for last night, my darling slave. My behavior was inexcusable." With her eyes wide she added, "Is there anything I can possibly do to make it up to you?"

Barb's words presented an opportunity which Karla took instantly, albeit while acting thoughtful. "Mistress, there's just one thing..." She shook her head and continued, "No, it's utterly out of the question. You would never..."

"I will do anything, darling Karla. I swear it! Now what can I do?"

Turning suddenly in bed to face Barb, with her eyes shining she said, "You can spread your legs wide and let me eat you out. That's what you can do!"

"Boy! You're really asking for it, aren't you? And you haven't even had your introductory whipping. You haven't even been my slave for twelve hours and already you've tricked me." Pretending to glare at the girl, Barbara added, "Karla Kosta, I will get even. I hope you know that?"

"Indeed I do, Mistress," she replied. With her eyes closed she continued, "I can feel the whip in your hands cutting into my body already." Opening her eyes again she added, "And I will thank you gratefully for each stroke."

She paused a moment and added, "I told Miss Cartwright about it yesterday. Just so you know, when you've finished, I will want to crush my bleeding breasts against your body. I want you to hold me as tightly as you can with your hands over as many of my whip cuts as you can manage. Then with my body screaming in its agony I will kiss you. I will melt my lips to yours to try to convey in some small measure the love for you I feel. The love for you that's become my consuming drive."

Then with a quick grin she changed the subject before Barb could respond. "Now spread your legs, darling mistress. I can't eat you out the way you are."

After Barbara Sloan spread her legs and Karla knelt between them, she looked forlorn as she wailed, "Now I'm here but I don't have the slightest idea what to do!"

Reaching down with her slender fingers, Barb parted her nether lips. When she did, Karla could see that her clitoris was already engorged in anticipation. Dropping her head she kissed the tiny bud, sucked it, and then lightly bit it. Barb screamed as she was overcome with an orgasm which released a small flood of her juices. When she did, Karla could taste Steve's semen mixed in with it. Although it brought back bitter memories of her abuse at the hands of the Soviet soldiers, she found she loved this taste.

She had her mouth over Barb's cunt as she tried to get her tongue as far up as she possibly could. Barb had her eyes closed and her hand on Karla's head as she savored the incredible sensations the girl was creating. When she opened her eyes and saw what Karla was doing, she gathered a handful of hair and lifted her head. "Maybe Susie can get her head in my cunt, Karla Kosta, but you certainly cannot!"

Karla only grinned and dove back to her labor of love. After she had held Barb in orgasm for minutes, and when the only taste she had was that of her pure juices, she slowed her efforts and let Barb relax. For her part she was gasping for breath because she had not been able to breathe normally with her nose mashed against Barb's loins.

Then she felt herself being lifted and then deposited on the bed again with her head on the pillow beside Barb. Before Barb could say anything, Karla whispered, "Thank you, dearest mistress. That was utterly luscious." After pausing for a moment she added, "I could taste my master's cum mixed with your love juices, Mistress. It was scrumptious. Do ... do ... do you ever ... go down on him?" she blurted.

"Often," Barb replied softly. After thinking for a moment she added, "But not as often as I used to. I used to do it to get him hard so he could take me for the fourth or fifth time. Thinking about it, though, I really think his balls have grown larger since we've been married. My God! Steven Sloan is truly the answer to a maiden's prayer. His cock and balls are both so huge! When he's in me I think the tip of his cock is going to come out my mouth."

Then with a grin, she smacked Karla on her flank and said, "It's time to get going. We have to work out, cook, and then get ready for the turkeys that are going to be trying to sell us a bill of goods of some sort."

As they worked out, Barbara marveled at the fact that after only one day Karla was now moving 60 percent of her weights. When they paused between machines, Karla asked, "How long did it take you to get in your present shape, Mistress? It must have been years and years."

"It was less than six months, darling. And you're in infinitely better shape than I was. Believe it or not, I weighed almost 85 kilos, my posture was terrible, my tits were bags — I was a total mess. You'll be in far better shape in a week or so than I am now."

"That's utterly impossible," Karla stated flatly.

After completing their workouts, they got in the shower. This time Karla insisted on working on her new mistress and loved every minute. Getting out of the shower stall, she put Barb on the massage table and gave her the best massage she had ever had.

"You are marvelous, my darling slave. But how did you ever learn to give such a wonderful massage?"

"I never did," the girl replied. "But I remembered what you did for me yesterday, and I just love being able to run my fingers over your luscious body."

When she was finished, Barb put Karla in the solar oven "to bake" and then gave her a massage. She finished by working musk oil into the girl's body. "Well, what are you going to wear today?"

"I'm going to wear my new uniform, of course," Karla replied matter-of-factly.

"But, darling, you'll be naked. Everyone will see you. You just can't!"

"I can, and I will," Karla stated flatly. "Besides," she added with a grin, "the turkeys will be so busy drooling over my body they'll sign anything you stick in front of them."

Barbara was puzzled. She shook her head and said, "Karla, I just don't understand. You're saying that you'll be undercutting the position of your own people. What on earth for?"

"It's simple," the girl replied. "You are on the side of the Czech people. You, Mr. Sloan, Andy and Ken want to create real jobs for my people. The bureaucrats just want people paid for doing the least amount of work, or none at all if it comes to that."

When they went out to the kitchen, they found Andy and Ken preparing breakfast for everyone. "How was your night?" Barb asked.

"Super!" Andy declared with her eyes bright. "Last night for the first time I was able to get Ken to cum in my mouth. It was just so great. His cock is still small, but I guess that was the first spend he's ever made."

"How about you, Ken?" Barb asked. "Was it fun for you?"

"It sure was at the time," he replied ruefully, "but now look!"

Ken's balls were small, but to Barb they looked cute. And in spite of his complaint, it was obvious that his sac had refilled overnight. "Oh, you poor thing!" Barb exclaimed as she dropped to her knees, kissed his small prick and then took his sac in her mouth where she gently massaged his balls with her lips and tongue.

"Now wait a stinking minute!" Andy protested. "Those are mine! Get your own cock and balls, please, Mrs. Sloan, if you don't mind!"

"Did someone mention me?" Steve asked blandly as he entered the kitchen.

Barb, still on her knees in front of Ken, howled with laughter. Ken smiled wryly, while Andy grinned. Karla didn't know what to do. Rising to her feet, Barb went to her husband and gave him a loving kiss. Since he was now fully dressed for their morning meeting with the Czech officials, she just groped at his crotch. Feeling his huge balls and sac through his pants, she just made happy sounds deep in her throat.

Then she carefully straightened his yellow tie with its navy stripes and adjusted the lapels of his blazer. "You look so handsome, darling! Even with your clothes on."

Andy announced that breakfast was ready and told everyone to sit down. Karla was confronted with her first American breakfast. There was a large glass of fresh grapefruit juice followed by medium rare steak served with two eggs and hash brown potatoes. All of this was washed down by more of the marvelous Columbian coffee she had used earlier in the morning. When she and Barb realized that it was still only 7:30, they both howled with laughter.

The Czech girl found herself eating with relish. As usual, the food was utterly spectacular. "But where do you put it, Mistress?" she asked. "You're so thin, yet there's so much food."

"You may not have noticed, darling slave, but I've had a lot of exercise last night and this morning. The short answer to your question is, I burn it off."

Then she looked at the girl closely and sighed, "Darling, you are looking utterly spectacular. Now you even have a light tan. With your tiny brown nipples, you look luscious." The others agreed that Karla was truly a stunning beauty. With her delicate features, the juxtaposition with her gamine haircut created a spectacular effect. While initially skeptical, the girl came to believe the others were serious.

After breakfast, Barb disappeared for a few moments and then reappeared wearing a simple white silk sleeveless dress that fit her perfectly. In addition she was wearing a priceless double strand of pearls and her gold wedding ring. Seeing her, Karla jumped to her feet and smoothed the dress to her body, then looked at her hopefully. Although both women were five-feet eight, now wearing two-inch white pumps Barbara was taller. She canted her head and the two women melted their lips together.

"I adore you, Mistress," Karla breathed when they parted. Then making a moue, she said, "Oh, dear! I've smudged your makeup. Whatever will you do?"

As usual, Barb was wearing nothing but the musk oil Karla had earlier massaged into her body, so she just stuck out her tongue. Then shaking her head she commented, "The world's not fair! Not only do you have hair like melted gold, and eyes like the Mediterranean, but your lips are as red as cherries — naturally! It's just not fair." Karla just winked and grinned.

Going to the computer, Barb booted it up then called up her checkbook. Going on line she checked her bank balance and shook her head when she saw it was high by the 100 million dollars Ken and Andy had told her about the day before. Standing behind her, Karla watched in amazement as Barb shifted to her brokerage account and in just a few minutes had invested almost all of the Clifford's hundred million, keeping five million extra in her account for spending money. Then she went on line, checked for mail, received a letter from Sue and responded to it, telling her briefly about Karla and her history. Then she signed off and started to shut down the computer.

"What did you just do?" Karla asked. "And how did you do it? You certainly didn't use the Czech telephone system. It can't work that fast."

With a grin Barb replied, "Oh! That. Well, we have a line-of-sight microwave link to a receiver in the plane. It's nearly impossible to intercept, we're told. Then there's an automatic transceiver in the plane that bounces my signal off a satellite to a ground station in New York. And I'm there. It's really pretty easy, and it's a lot of fun."

"No wonder you Americans are so far ahead of the rest of the world! Just look at what you did: You used the world's highest technology ... to check your bank balance, and chat with a friend. You just take for granted what in fact are incredible technological breakthroughs." Then she reddened as she added, "Mistress, may I try the computer, please. Just once? Before you shut it down?"

"Of course you can!" she exclaimed. Then she apologized for not offering Karla the opportunity sooner. Sitting the girl down, she loaded an encyclopedia CD into the tray. On its incredibly sharp 21-inch screen the girl explored the Czech Republic. Then, after Barb changed the CD, watched enthralled as the battle of Gettysburg unfolded before her eyes.

Then Steve came into the room along with Andy and Ken. Ken sat down at the computer and brought up some financial files. He and Andy proceeded to brief the Sloans on what they had already learned about the Czech republic and some of the opportunities they had identified.

Finally, Andy said, "We've got a few people coming up to see us after lunch. I guess Ken and I can sit in on that meeting, because we're the contacts. They know we don't have two nickels to rub together, but they think we have some rich friends."

She paused and, looking embarrassed, added, "I'm afraid you and Barb will have to change clothes again. Rich or not, dressed the way you are now the kids would be so scared by you both they wouldn't even be able to talk."

Then, when she asked about Karla's uniform, and the girl repeated what she had earlier said to Barb, the other three howled with laughter. But then Andy, with an eyebrow cocked asked, "Karla, are you absolutely sure? Won't you be endangering your position in the Secret Police if you appear like this?"

"Absolutely not!" Karla responded instantly. "In fact," she said with her chin up but with her eyes gleaming with suppressed laughter, "I might even get a medal for heroic service above and beyond the call of duty. Or some such bullshit." Then with her back up straight she asked, seriously this time, "But do I look all right?"

"All right!?" the others said in unison. "You're utterly magnificent!"

"And Steve and I love you desperately, darling slave!" Barb added.

"As do Andy and I," Ken chimed in.

"Thank you," she responded quietly. "And I love you all, too." Then with her chin up she added, "Of course, as much as I love the three of you, it's only a tiny fraction of my love for my mistress, Barbara Sloan." To Barbara she said, "Darling mistress, if I ever do anything to shame you, I will destroy myself. I could not bear to continue living."

Barb just shook her head in resignation.

A moment later the phone rang. It was the front desk announcing visitors for the Sloans. "They represent the Ministry of Industry," the concièrge said, "and the Minister himself is with the delegation!"

"Are you really certain you want to do this?" Barb asked Karla, still concerned. "You could put on a normal uniform in an instant."

"I'm very sure, Mistress." Karla replied. "I couldn't put a uniform on now, anyway. I've cut them all up and it's much too late to get another from the hotel. But thank you for the opportunity of serving you and my country."

Andy and Ken disappeared in the direction of their room. "To get some sleep for a change," Barb remarked to Steve with a grin.

Hearing a knock on the door, Karla took a deep breath and straightened her back even more. Before she left the sitting room she pinched her already-turgid nipples so that they were as erect as possible. Leaving the room, she went to the hall and opened the door.

Fortunately, she had mentally prepared herself for the reaction of the four men standing at the doorway. Four mouths dropped open in unison when they saw her naked beauty. Remaining impassive, she greeted them in Czech, "Welcome. The master and mistress are waiting for you in the sitting room. Will you please come with me?"

The three juniors stumbled into the entrance hallway and went towards the sitting room. The minister, Hans Slavic, entered and whispered, "Major Kosta?" For security reasons, he was the only member of the delegation who knew who she really was. Karla merely nodded. "What ... Why ... why are you dressed like this?"

"My master and mistress like to see my body naked." Glancing downward she added, "They made me cut my lovely long hair and then pull out almost all of my pubic hair, as you can see." With a tear in her eye she finished, "It hurt terribly."

"But why did you do it? Don't they know..." The minister interrupted himself. "Of course they don't know." Now standing up straight he whispered, "But why didn't you tell them? There's no reason for you to debase yourself like this..."

"The prime minister himself, Herr Klaus, told me that this is the most important assignment the Secret Police have had since our independence. So under the circumstances, I have no choice, do I?" With a very small smile she added, "And I'm sure you and your colleagues have seen naked women before." Then with a noticeable glint in her eye she asked, "Am I so terribly unattractive?"

"My God, woman!" Slavic replied. "You are utterly gorgeous. You must be the most beautiful young woman in the Republic." Then drawing himself up as straight as he could, he extended his hand which she took in her strong grip and said, "I shall inform Herr Klaus personally of your sacrifice for the Republic. There should be a medal for you at the very least!"

She led him into the sitting room where she performed the introductions in English. When they were all seated around the table, Karla found herself behind Slavic, and behind the other three men in his delegation. Forming her thumb and forefinger into a circle, she ringed her left nipple and stuck out the tip of her tongue at Barb, sitting across the table. Barbara Sloan was looking utterly bored, but just nodded almost imperceptibly indicating that she had received Karla's message about a medal.

Karla moved quickly around the table taking orders for coffee. When she returned with a tray, she made sure she was as close to the Czechs as she could be when she served them. She smiled to herself as she saw the men reeling from the close association. When Barb told her in a firm voice to move more slowly so the men could fondle her body if they wished, she politely acknowledged the instruction and did as she had been told.

When the meeting got underway, it was easy to see the rôles Barb and Steve were playing. She displayed less than no interest in the business discussions and, after a suitable lapse of time, retrieved a fashion magazine which then seemed to consume her interest. For his part, Steve played the rôle of an ineffectual playboy who scarcely understood the words being used. Furthering this rôle, shortly after Barb returned to the table with her fashion magazine, Steve disappeared and then returned with a handful of golf balls and a putter. Then he divided his attention between the conversation at the table and his golf balls that he used to putt on the carpet.

While she appeared to be engrossed in her fashion magazine, it was all Barb could do to control herself and keep from cheering Karla's performance. Whenever the girl bent over to serve, she almost put one of her gorgeous nipples in the man's face, causing the poor guy to reel. Barb also wanted to stick out the tip of her tongue at Karla, when the girl had indicated that she was now in line for a medal. Barb marveled at how gracefully the girl moved and served. She's truly comfortable in her nudity after only one day! she thought.

When Karla headed back to the kitchen, Barbara invented a pretext and followed her. "Darling, you're utterly spectacular! But how can you do it? You've never been naked a day in your life before yesterday."

"I was naked when I was imprisoned by the Russians," Karla replied softly. Then she brightened and added, "But this is so much more fun!"

Barb stood back from the girl and, with her hand pensively under her chin, pretended to think for a few minutes. Then she appeared to brighten as if a thought had just occurred to her. "That's it!" she exclaimed. "That's what we'll do."

Raising an eyebrow, and knowing that she was being teased, Karla asked, "What will we do?"

"We'll actually make some money for a change," Barb replied. "We'll rent you out as a showgirl. I read an article one time that said almost none of the dancers at the Lido in Paris are French. You'll fit right in." Then with her eyes wide, she asked, "I never thought to ask, Karla. Can you dance? Because if you can't, you can just be one of the naked mannequins who decorate the stage." Very brightly she concluded, "Of course we'll get more money for you if you can dance."

"I'll try my very best, Mistress," Karla replied with her tongue in cheek. "Although I'm not a dancer, I'm sure I could learn to be at least adequate."

"Darling, we love you," Barbara said softly. "And I love you most of all." After kissing her softly and lovingly and almost causing Karla to pass out when she did, the two girls returned to the sitting room separately.

It was apparent that the minister and his minions were trying to sell the concept of Kendy buying Skoda Works AG in its entirety, along with a set of severe restrictions on Kendy's ability to make any changes in its operations. Steve carefully cultivated a befuddled image, raising a number of totally irrelevant questions. But with the fragrance of Karla's body floating around the table, no one seemed to notice.

The result was that when the meeting broke up, somehow Kendy had purchased the Skoda Works for a pittance, with no strings at all. Kendy retained full freedom of action with respect to the entire complex. As the group left, Slavic's parting words were to the effect that he would be sure to report Karla's dedication to the interests of the republic.

An hour later, there was another message on Karla's beeper. By now Andy and Ken had rejoined the group and everyone again was bare. Barb's rationale was that she and Steve had to change for the group of young people later, so she was easing into the change.

When Karla called the Deputy Minister for State Security — it was the minister himself who was calling — the call was set up on a speaker phone so everyone in the room could hear both sides, but without any indication that the call was being monitored.

"Good morning, Minister," she said. It was still only ten-thirty.

"Major Kosta, good morning," Stefan Klink, the deputy minister said. "Are you free to talk?"

"Of course, sir," she replied. "The Sloans disappeared toward their bedroom a few minutes ago. They'll be ... otherwise occupied ... for at least thirty minutes."

"Minister Slavic just called me," Klink said in a sympathetic tone. "Based on his report, we are jointly recommending to Prime Minister Klaus that you be awarded the highest medal for merit in our new Republic." He paused for a moment and then added diffidently, "The minister also told me that you are exceptionally beautiful, and are apparently serving the Sloans well. Now tell me," he continued, "what sort of people are the Sloans? And why was Mrs. Sloan even present? I learned that all she did was look bored and read fashion magazines."

"I don't know for sure, Minister," Karla replied, "but I'm confident that she married him for his money while he married for her undeniable beauty. And, sir, unlike some women, she seems to be living up to her part of the bargain. Her part, of course, is to make her body available to her husband for his pleasure, whenever, wherever, and however he may wish."

When she said it, Barbara immediately began to vigorously nod her head. "I'm sure he's taking her now, in fact." She paused and added, "Mr. Sloan, regardless of what else he may be, is certainly virile. And Mrs. Sloan ... accommodates ... his virility."

At this comment, Steve pointed to his groin. Barb crawled over to where he was standing, took his semi-erect penis in her mouth and almost instantly had it in a raging erection. Then feigning boredom she lay on her back with her thighs spread wide, ran her forefinger up her slit and then licked off her juices. In moments Steve had entered Barb's cunt and was moving back and forth gently. He avoided bringing her to orgasm so they could both continue to concentrate on what was being said.

"Aside from that, though, I gather Mr. Sloan is an avid golfer, shooting regularly in the low 70's. And, sir, I'm quite certain that his golf score is substantially higher than his IQ."

With that Steve lifted his hand, shaped it like a gun and pretended to shoot her. Without changing her voice, Karla grabbed at her heart and collapsed to the floor, pretending to be dead. Still without missing a beat, she gracefully stood up again while continuing, "But if he's dumb, there are no words for Mrs. Sloan. As beautiful as she is, if you were close to her, I'm sure you would hear the wind whistling through her ears. Minister, there's a marvelous American word, 'airhead, ' that describes her perfectly."

Barb was lying on the carpet on her back and savoring the feeling of Steve moving slowly inside her. In spite of the lack of passion, or perhaps because of it, she was just enjoying the wonderful loving feelings he was creating inside her. When she heard Karla's words, she made a whip-cracking motion with her arm and then traced a line straight across her belly. Seeing her pantomime, Karla vigorously shook her head and drew a line across her own chest carefully bisecting both of her nipples. When she did, Barb frowned and shook her head, no, but Karla kept insisting.

"But there's one thing I don't quite understand," Klink continued. "You say the Sloans are, to say the very least, stupid. And your assessment is duplicated by the minister and his people, except in even stronger language. However, I have looked over the agreement and it seems that Kendy is getting the entire Skoda Works for essentially nothing. How can that be?"

"I'm sure it was dumb luck, Minister Klink," Karla replied, "in the truest sense of the term."

"Well," Klink concluded, "I'm looking forward to seeing you in a few weeks when this assignment concludes. But," he added with a chuckle, "I certainly don't expect to see as much of you as Minister Slavic and his people did."

"When you see me again, sir, my body will be scarred a bit," Karla said softly. "You see, I guess there must be a streak of sadism in the Sloans, or else they're suspicious of me. At any rate, as a condition of my staying on in their suite, I have signed an agreement in which I ask to be whipped."

"Whipped?" Klink exclaimed incredulously. "You can't be serious, Major."

"But I am," Karla insisted. After a pause she continued, "I think it's a personal loyalty thing with them, sir. 'If I agree to be beaten, I can be trusted' seems to be the logic. In any event, I signed. Now the only thing I'm waiting for is the execution."

After another pause she added, "Which brings me to another point: Could you provide me with a selection of whips of various sizes? I suppose there must be a shop somewhere here in Prague where they're sold, but I have no idea what sort of shop it might be, or where. For that matter, it occurred to me that we might have a few 'souvenirs' lying around from our former comrades. Could you find some and send them over?"

"Don't do this, Karla!" the minister exclaimed. "You can't!" The girl realized that this was the very first time Klink had ever used her first name.

Then he paused and the tone of his voice changed. "Because of the importance of this assignment, Karla, I have been reviewing your record. Needless to say, it's exemplary." He paused for a moment and then seemed to take a totally different tack. "Were you captured and tortured by the Russians in 1989?"

Karla's eyes widened at the question but she answered softly, "Yes, sir. There was a sweep of some sort and I got picked up. It was just one of those unlucky things. They didn't connect me to the Resistance or anything."

"But you were tortured brutally for 36 hours, weren't you?" the minister insisted.

Temporizing, Karla said, "But how do you know this, sir?"

"Because it's a very small world. It seems that one of the men imprisoned at the same time saw the whole thing, first from a window in his cell that opened on the courtyard where you were tied to a post, and then when you were dumped into the men's cell. He said you were more dead than alive; you were covered with blood after having virtually all the skin removed from your body, and covered with semen from all the men who had raped you. He said there were more than three dozen that he counted, but he lost count a bit more than half-way through your ordeal."

Klink paused again and added, "You are truly a heroine of our republic, Major Karla Kosta. I am personally submitting your name for the highest award for gallantry our country can bestow. And in light of this, I am ordering you not to undergo any more torture. Do you understand? You have made far more personal sacrifices than any ten other citizens. No more!"

"I'm sorry, sir, but I must. The prime minister himself has said that this negotiation is the most important our country has ever entered into. If I have suffered a bit for it in the past, I can certainly handle a bit more pain on her behalf now." Karla paused and added quietly, "Of course you must court-martial me for willful disobedience of a lawful order, sir, but that will come later. But in the meantime, please find a few whips and send them to me here at the hotel."

The others in the room had been listening to this latest dialogue intently. As a result, they were not surprised, but were moved, when they heard the minister break down in tears. "Karla Kosta, I salute you," he said with his voice cracking. "As soon as we hang up I am personally reporting this entire conversation to Herr Klaus. I'm certain both he and our president, Herr Havel, will be as moved as I am.

"In our special service, we ask for a very high order of personal dedication. No one could possibly do as much as you are doing. When this whole thing is over, Karla, you shall get the recognition for all of your sacrifices that you so richly deserve. And the whips will be at the hotel within the hour. I shall pray for you."

"Thank you, sir, very much," Karla said softly as she hung up the phone. The others had been listening to the exchange and were impressed with the Minister's obvious sincerity and his concern for Karla's well-being.

For the first time in their marriage Steve had cum with Barb without causing her to lose consciousness. Rising to her knees, she kissed him lovingly and said, "Darling, that was absolutely wonderful! It was so slow and sweet and nice. It didn't have our usual excitement, but it felt so wonderful to feel your great cock move so easily inside me. Thank you, darling."

Smoothly she rose to her feet and went to Karla who was still standing beside the phone. "We second the minister's order, darling, for you not to be whipped. You are utterly wonderful."

"And you are going to whip me right across my nipples for the horrid things I said about you, too," Karla said.

Realizing that nothing could change the girl's mind, Barb took her into her arms, hugged her tightly and then began to cry. Karla eased her away and began to kiss away her tears. Then she said, "I have been whipped by people who wanted me dead, or at least debased to the lowest level their sick minds could conceive. With you wielding the whip I'll know that it's in the hands of a woman who loves me very much, a woman who truly will be feeling my pain with every stroke. Thank you, darling Barbara, for the wonderful pain you will be inflicting on me."

Then with a wonderful grin she added, "And this time it's my turn to empty out Purgatory. Okay?" She paused and added, "And remember, it's been cleared personally by the Boss himself."

To that comment there was no answer, so Barbara resigned herself to having to spill Karla's blood.

Then looking at the girl she said thoughtfully, "What are you going to wear this afternoon? Steve and I are wearing Levi's. And if the sight of us dressed up would cause our visitors to behave like clams, what do you suppose your nude body would do?"

Barb's question took Karla completely aback. At the same time she recognized that logic certainly supported the question. Shaking her head she replied, "I have no idea. How about a hotel maid's uniform? I could get another one in just a few minutes."

"Better," Barb replied thoughtfully, "but it's still like Steve wearing a jacket and tie." Then she brightened and said, "How about Levi's?"

"Utterly impossible," the girl said forlornly. "A pair of genuine Levi's cost almost US$100 here in Prague. And that's for a pair made in France. Genuine 'Made in USA' Levi's go for $150 and up." With her eyes flashing she added, "To put it into better perspective, that's more than I earn in a month!"

"Oh!" Barb said softly. Then after a pause she said quietly, "Come with me."

The two girls went back to the bedroom. Barb looked at Karla quizzically for a moment, then took her into the shower with her. This time, though, after the shower she led Karla into the giant tub that had been filling while they were showering. After pouring most of a gallon of musk oil into the water, she helped Karla in. While the two floated, Barb scooped some of the musk oil floating on the surface and gently worked it into Karla's pores. The combination of the warm water, Barbara's soothing touch, and the aftermath of the tension she had been under caused the girl to fall into a light sleep. When her eyes closed, Barb encouraged her by gently stroking her eyelids with the lightest possible touch.

"This is so incredibly great," Karla whispered.

Suddenly pinching an exposed nipple hard, Barb awakened her with a start. "That's all well and good, Slave Karla, but you are my slave. Or will be, soon. Let's get with the program!"

Karla moved to get out of the tub, but before she could, Barb had her arms under her and lifted her from the water. Climbing out of the tub, she lay Karla on the massage table and began gently to work more of the very expensive oil into the girl's skin. Where her prior massages had been hard, this one was so gentle, Karla seemed to sense rather than feel Barbara's fingers. In no time the girl was sound asleep. She was still asleep when Barb rolled her on her back to finish the job, and was sound asleep when Barb covered her with a light cashmere blanket. But when Barb kissed her, even though she was sound asleep, she responded.

An hour later Barb returned to the bathroom and whispered, "Hello?"

Instantly Karla's eyes opened. Then she stretched and lifted her face plaintively toward Barb's. Bending down, Barb gave the girl the most gentle kiss she had ever given anyone. Nevertheless, both women could feel the flow of electricity between them, while Karla felt a flood of joy and grace sweep through her. "You are so wonderful, Barbara Sloan. I love you very much."

"And I adore you," Barb replied softly.

Then in a complete change of tone she said, "Now off your ass and on your feet. We have things to do."

Throwing off the blanket, Karla hopped off the table and followed Barb back to the bedroom. There she was made to stand while Barb eased the most elegant nylon and lace bikini she had ever seen up her legs and then smoothed it out on her loins. This was followed by a well-worn chambray shirt with the sleeves torn off at the shoulders. To her amazement, it seemed to Karla that the shirt had been made for her. It fit perfectly. But then looking down at her chest she realized that the fabric had become quite thin as a result of numberless washings.

"But I can't wear this, Barb," the girl protested. "My nipples show."

Stepping back for a moment, Barb looked at the girl and then nodded firmly. "You're absolutely right, Karla. Your nipples do show." Then with a wonderfully warm grin she added, "And it really looks neat!"

Taking out a worn pair of Levi's from the dresser, she held them for the girl. When they slipped on they fit her like a glove. And they were genuine San Francisco Levi's, too. Finally, Barb produced a worn pair of moccasins that also fit perfectly over her bare feet. "How does it all feel?" she asked quietly.

After wriggling in her new clothes for a moment, Karla replied, "They feel like they were made for me. Whose clothes are they, anyway?"

Sticking out her tongue, Barb replied, "Mine, turkey! And they fit you better than they fit me. And they really look great on you too." Then she cocked her head and slowly shook it. "It looks neat, but it's missing something..."

She snapped her fingers and quickly opened a top drawer of the dresser, removing something that Karla couldn't see, she moved behind the girl and fastened a wide gold collar around her neck. The collar was made of intermeshed gold links and was made of 18 kt. gold. Because of its breadth and thickness, it was quite heavy. "Now you're complete. Of course, the collar you're wearing is mine, so I'll have to order one for you. If you look at the clasp when you take it off, you'll see the intertwined initials, 'S' 'S'. They stand for 'Susan's Slave.' That's me. Yours will have an intertwined 'B' and 'S' for 'Barbara's Slave.' That's you. Okay?"

Looking at herself in the mirror, all Karla could do was nod her head. Then she pointed alternately to the collar and her hair. "You're absolutely right," Barb commented. "It's what we've all been telling you. That collar is made of highly-polished 18 kt. yellow gold. It's identical to the color of your hair."

Turning, Karla took Barb in her arms. Barb could feel wetness from Karla's flowing tears as the girl whispered, "I love you, darling mistress. I love you very much."

"And I love you," Barb replied. Then pinching the girl hard on an asscheek, she said "Now let's go! We've solved one problem. Now let's eat."

Although Karla yelped, she didn't move. Instead, with her eyes as wide as saucers she asked, "Golly, Mistress! Does that mean that I have a pinchable ass? Honest?"

"Since you're fishing for compliments, I suppose I should oblige." Then she shook her head and said, "When I was enslaved by Susan Collins, I had an ass with inches of flab. I was so fat, and my first husband's cock was so small, he could never even get it into my vagina. That's why I really was a virgin when I married Steve. And that's in spite of having been married for eight years."

She grinned and added, "While you, darling slave, have a marvelously pinchable ass, beautifully squeezable tits, and a very fuckable cunt. Now are you happy?"

Running out to the kitchen, she told Andy, "Mistress Barbara says I have squeezable tits and a fuckable cunt. Isn't that neat?"

"No, it's not," Andy retorted. "I think it's awful! Here I've been engaged for almost eight years and I'm not fuckable yet. And I've got years more to wait, too." She thought for a moment with her head cocked and then added, "But I've always had a very pinchable ass. Want to try?"

When Karla took her up on her offer the girl squealed delightedly.

"Andy," Karla remarked as she lightly stroked the cheek she had just pinched, "you look scrumptious."

The girl was wearing a white sleeveless blouse with tiny embroidered flowers on it over a pair of well-worn Levi's. Her wavy platinum-blonde hair glistened while her emerald eyes shone brightly. Without a speck of makeup the girl was a beauty.

"What can I fix for lunch?" Karla asked. "What would you like today?"

"It's all ready," Andy replied. "If you could round up the others, we're all set. I'm serving club sandwiches. They're triple-deckers with turkey, bacon, tomato, and lettuce. It's another Americanism that hasn't made its way across the Pond yet."

After informing the others, they all sat down at the table. When they all held hands for grace, Karla realized that sitting with them at meals no longer felt strange. "Mistress," she began, speaking softly, "I want to thank you all for making me feel so welcome." Tears began to trickle down her face as she continued, "I actually feel like I'm part of a wonderful family." Now she broke down completely as she sobbed, "It's been so terribly long, and I've felt so alone for such a very long time..."

Again Barbara came to the rescue. Lifting the girl from her chair, she sat down again in her own with Karla across her lap. She gently ran her fingers over her body as it was wracked with uncontrollable sobbing. Very gently she kissed Karla's ear, her cheek, and her eyes, tasting the girl's salty tears as she did.

For her part Karla just snuggled her body as close to Barbara's as she could. As she did, she was utterly baffled at her own behavior. All that had happened was Andy had made a simple lunch and the five of them had sat down around the table. Why had she come apart so completely?

"It feels better when you finally let it all out, doesn't it?" Barb whispered. "I remember how glad I was when Susan first beat me. I'm not a masochist — anything but — but I rejoiced. You see, darling Karla, it was the first feeling of any kind I had experienced in years. I was overjoyed at the thought that I was still capable of feeling something,  even if it was pain. You've been holding in a lot for years, haven't you?"

By this time Karla had regained some control, but instead of jumping off Barb's lap in embarrassment, she just snuggled. "I don't know what came over me," she said to no one in particular.

Then looking at Barb she said, "Who are you, Barbara Sloan? You're not my mother, certainly..." She thought for a moment and then said, "I know! You must be the older sister I never knew I had. Because, dear sister, never in my life have I felt towards a living soul the way I feel toward you." Now looking at Barb with a wonderfully bright expression she exclaimed, "That's it! You're my sister."

Barbara thought for a moment and then said, "Sister ... Hmm. Well, I guess that makes you my kid sister. And I guess that explains the insults I endured from you earlier. An airhead, indeed!" she harumped. "Now, Little Sister, I want you to listen to my ear carefully and see if you hear the wind blowing through. I bet you can't!" She nodded her head firmly and continued, "In fact, I know you can't."

Looking very smug she added, "The reason I'm so sure is that I put cotton in my other ear to block the airflow. So there, kid sister!" Then she very cutely stuck out her tongue.

When she did, Karla kissed her warmly on the cheek and then snuggled. "I'm glad I'm your kid sister," she said softly, but loud enough for the others at the table to hear. "It's going to feel so utterly great when you whip me. And I know you understood my meaning when I drew a line across my nipples. I expect you to bisect them both with a single stroke. And we're not finished until you do."

She paused and then added, "I really believe it has something to do with the whipping I received from the Russians. Needless to say, I loathed them. I guess I look at my upcoming beating as a cleansing of my body. And at the hands of the person I love most in this world, I really think it will work."

At mention of the whipping, Barbara looked ill. Then, with an effort of will, she lifted the girl off her lap and put her back in her seat. "That's all very well," she said, "but in the meantime, you're messing up my jeans. However will I get the wrinkles out? And, for that matter, do you happen to know if tear stains wash out of cotton?" All Karla did was to very cutely stick out her tongue.

For the first time Karla looked at the table and her eyes widened. In front of each person was a bowl of seafood bisque Andy had made from the remains of their seafood dinner the night before. In the center of the table was a platter loaded with club sandwich quarters. Andy had also served Samuel Adams beer from Boston to Steve and Barbara and Cokes for Ken and herself. Then, with some fanfare she served Karla a beer from Pilsen, which came from the oldest brewery known to exist in the world. Karla found the bisque to be utterly magnificent.

When she took two sandwich quarters, Andy put a handful of potato chips on her plate. "These are Cape Cod potato chips, also from the States. What do you think?"

"I think I would like to try your Sam Adams beer, is what I think," Karla replied. "While this stuff may have come from the oldest brewery in the world — she had immediately recognized the label — sometimes it tastes like it's the oldest beer in the world."

Andy grinned and made the substitution. Karla tried the Sam Adams and pronounced it the finest beer she had ever had. When they were nearly finished she said, "Now I think I know why Americans always look so big and so heathy. You eat better than any group of people on the face of the earth. Is there any food you people don't eat? And then modify and improve?"

She paused and then continued, "One of the funniest things I've ever heard of is pizzerias in Italy featuring American pizza. The Italians may have had the original idea, but you people developed it." Then to Andy she said, "That was utterly marvelous! But ... but when do I have a chance to cook? I am the servant, after all."

"You are not a servant, Karla Kosta. You are a slave. And, as I've been trying to teach you, a slave's rôle is to do the things her mistress wants her to do," Barb replied. "And, since I want you to eat, you're doing a very good job."

Andy did consent to allow Karla to clean up when they were finished, so she had another opportunity to use the appliances in the kitchen. Returning to the sitting room she found the four talking about the visitors they were expecting momentarily. Ken told them that the young people would be sneaking up the service stairs because, given the way they were almost certainly dressed, they would not even be allowed into the hotel.

A few moments later, there was a very quiet tap on the door. Motioning to Karla to remain seated, Andy and Ken went over and opened it. There were greetings exchanged and then they returned leading a group of three men and two young women, none of whom appeared to be as old as twenty-five.

The young Czechs were all wide-eyed as they were greeted by Steve and Barbara. In spite of Barb's very casual attire — she looked like Karla's twin — they were awestruck by her incredible beauty. To try to put them at ease Andy introduced Karla with no explanation regarding her rôle.

One of the young men, Hans Burger, looked at her in amazement. He was so surprised for some reason he even forgot to extend his hand. Karla had her hand extended, and instantly felt foolish.

But then the man said in a hushed tone, "You are Karla Kosta! Good heavens! I didn't think you were still alive. My ... my father told me about you. Several years ago, just before the Russians left, he was caught up in a sweep and imprisoned. When he was released, he told us all about a beautiful Czech girl who was brutally tortured and repeatedly raped. He knew that she was a prominent member of the Resistance who knew everything the Russians wanted to know. But in spite of the torture, she never said a word and never let on that she was anyone other than another victim of the sweep.

"Dad claims that Karla Kosta is the foremost heroine of our new Republic. In fact, he's contacted most of the other men who were imprisoned there a the time. They're preparing a petition detailing Karla's heroism, and asking that a statue of her be erected right here in Central Square." In a reverent tone he concluded, "And you are she, aren't you?"

Trying to temporize, Karla replied, "But what makes you think that? After all, my name isn't that odd. I'm sure there are other Karla Kostas in this country."

"Because it's utterly impossible for there to be two Karla Kostas who are both among the most beautiful women in our country, is why," Hans replied. "And you are exquisitely beautiful, so it must be you. It is, isn't it?"

Karla just nodded her head once.

"This nonsense has got to stop this instant!" Barbara exclaimed as she broke down in tears. "I'm going to tell you people something that Andy omitted from the introductions."

With tears now streaming uncontrolled down her cheeks, but while standing with her back straight she continued, "Karla Kosta is our maid for God's sake! Can you believe it? Here she is, one of the great heroines of Czech independence, cleaning our bathroom! I have only known Karla for about 24 hours, but in that time I've come to realize what an utterly incredible person she is. She is selfless, beautiful, brilliant and incredibly brave. And we use her as a maid!"

"But only a tiny fraction as selfless, beautiful, brilliant and brave as you are, Big Sister," Karla responded. To the Czechs she said, "I want you to look deeply into Barbara Sloan's eyes and tell me what you see."

Hans moved closer and did as Karla asked. When he looked, he gasped and then blurted, "Good heavens! There's nothing there but purity, joy and divine grace." Looking at Karla he shook his head and said, "Please don't take this the wrong way, Miss Kosta, but Mrs. Sloan is utterly incredible. I didn't think there was a person alive like her on the face of the earth. She's ... she's eerie!"

"And you are absolutely correct," Karla said quietly. "But guess what? Only about an hour ago, Barbara Sloan has taken me as her little sister. Can you believe it? I'm now related to the finest person on the face of the earth. And I will add, a person who, in the eyes of God himself, ranks up with — and possibly higher than — the angels in heaven. And that, dear friends, is from God Himself!"

At that she took Barbara in her arms and comforted her the same way she had earlier been comforted. Then she tipped Barbara's head up and melted her lips to hers.

When she did, there was an audible gasp from the Czechs as they saw the electricity flow between them. Then a golden glow formed over their heads and increased in intensity and expanded in size until it enveloped the two women completely making it impossible to see the women themselves.

They all heard a stentorian voice saying, "Hans Burger, you are correct. This young woman is the heroine you described. Everything your father told you about her is the truth ... or part of the truth. The actual torture and suffering this woman went through was many times worse than your father and his friends believed. And the Russians did suspect that she was a Resistance leader but had no evidence to prove it. But because of their deep suspicion, they whipped her, questioned her, and caused her to beg to be raped as a way to get some respite from the beatings.

"As time went on, their requirements became successively more depraved. At the end, with her body nothing but raw flesh with a few strips of skin still hanging from it, they made her beg to take three men at once. The problem was that by that time none of the Russians wanted to touch her because she was hardly human. Her body was just blood and a few rags of skin."

There was a pause and the Voice continued, "I was about to take her life to spare her from the incredible torture. As you may know, often a person in a similar situation will pray for death. Karla? Never! Instead, she offered her suffering for the repose of the souls of all those Czech patriots who had given their lives for their country, that they might achieve eternal salvation."

There was the sound of the Voice clearing as if he was trying to suppress his own tears. Then He continued, "There are no Czechs in Purgatory. Not one. But, Karla, you have an army of saints singing your praises and praying for you."

Then specifically to the young Czechs He said, "No one in your country has ever suffered to a fraction of the degree Karla Kosta has."

Then, in a change of subject, He said, "They are all praying for you, Karla, that you will be able to bear the pain that will be inflicted upon you. However, there is an interesting dispute regarding who will feel the pain more, you or the person inflicting it on you. Of one thing you can be sure: There will be no lasting effects.

"In the same way, today you have only a few small scars as a reminder of your courage. Your body, by rights, should be a mass of scar tissue. It is not. Before very long, Karla, you will be a physical duplicate of your sister, Barbara Sloan. Then, of course, we'll need to find a consort worthy of you, and worthy enough to father the lovely children you will bear."

There was a pause and the Voice continued, "Barbara Sloan considers it ridiculous that such a heroine should be her maid. I do not agree. From just the short association, you can already see the same grace and joy in Karla's eyes that are in Barbara's. Last night, Karla slept beside Barbara and was able to relax in a way she has not experienced since she was a little girl. You see, these women are truly sisters.

"Everything you have heard is true. Except for one thing: Karla Kosta ranks up with her sister in my eyes. It was foreordained that they should meet this way and instantly feel the fraternal attraction between them. And, indeed, they are two of my most beautiful creations."

There was a pause and the Voice continued, " ... Of course, it's a shame you can't see them nude the way I do, but still..." Very slowly the golden glow receded and then disappeared completely, leaving the two women in each other's arms.

When they recovered, Karla whispered to Barb, "And just think! I'm going to be enslaved by my own sister. It's really neat." Then she grinned and added, "I guess that's one way of trying to control a brat sister!"

Barb grinned back and lightly pinched Karla's ass. Then with their arms still linked they turned back to the others.

The Czechs were only then beginning to recover from their incredible experience when Andy said, "Okay, enough of this screwing around. Let's get down to business." Again the Czech's jaws dropped because Andy had spoken in flawless Czech. Looking sheepish she added, "Oh, phooey. You already know a lot about us, so I guess you might as well know it all."

She paused and then said, "By the way, our arrangement is a done deal, so we might as well cut the playacting. Besides," she added, "I happen to know that Karla wants to get Barb into a swimming pool so we don't have a lot of time."

The Czechs had been looking at her with incredulity and then a whole kaleidoscope of emotions. Finally, one of the girls, Maria, began to giggle. Her giggles turned to laughter, and then to uncontrolled gales. She was laughing so hard she could no longer even stand, so she dropped to the floor and lay on her back, still howling. Slowly she regained control and sat up.

Looking at Andy she said, "Of course! Kendy Company is you and Ken, isn't it? It has to be!" Then she shook her head and added, "But we were just too stupid to see what was right before our noses, weren't we?" Neither Andy nor Ken said a word as Maria continued, "After all, how could two kids possibly have any money? And how could two Americans possibly learn to speak Czech at all, let alone well, least of all like natives? They couldn't, of course. The very concept was so ridiculous we never even considered it."

Looking hard at Andy she continued, "And neither of you ever said a word. We never thought to ask if you could speak our language, did we? We just knew that you couldn't. You never ever said a word to us that wasn't completely true. If we wanted to believe something that was completely false, it was all our doing, without a word from either of you."

Maria was a tall dark-haired girl with a medium complexion. She wore glasses for nearsightedness and was somewhat overweight. However her features were lovely and her eyes behind her glasses were a beautiful shade of gray. She continued to look at Andy speculatively. Then Ken broke into the reverie and got the meeting going.

Instead of sitting around the table as they had done earlier, he went back to the room where the computer was set up. The Czechs just looked at the equipment, dumfounded. It was, by a very wide margin, the most powerful computer they had ever seen. Before anyone else could speak, Andy said quietly, "Three more, almost identical to this, are now being delivered to your apartment, Hans. I said 'almost identical' because your three are set up to network together. This poor thing's an orphan. It has no one to talk to. At any rate, is this satisfactory? Is it good enough to get started on?"

"You've got to be kidding!" Wilhelm, a tall Sudeten German replied. "This is the very best in the whole world!"

After carefully examining the equipment, the group went back to the table and proceeded to sign the papers. The Czechs were getting 20 percent of the equity in their brand-new software company to start, along with the opportunity to increase their share to 60 percent over a 15-year period, provided certain performance targets were reached. As sophisticated software developers, they were confident they could do the job. When they were wrapping up — and when the Czechs were elated — Karla disappeared and then returned with a tray full of Sam Adams beers for everyone except Ken and Andy who got Cokes. After tasting it the Czechs reluctantly agreed that it was better than the best beer in the Czech Republic.

Relaxed now, Wilhelm inquired about the relationship among Andy, Ken, and the Sloans. "We're all in this together." To Steve he said, "And, Mr. Sloan, welcome to our board of directors." Then to Ken he asked, "But you have another board seat. Do you have anyone in mind?"

"Yes," Ken replied. "Barbara Sloan. But to address your previous question, you all agreed that the idea of two kids investing in major companies is ridiculous. That's why we hired Steve. You should know a little about him. Although he cultivates the appearance of a playboy — and shows great promise in the rôle, I should add — he's one of the most brilliant minds in the United States. He graduated from West Point first in his class, then received a doctorate at Oxford University in international economics. In addition, he's one of the greatest military heroes our country has ever had. His medals for valor would fill a good-sized box. I mention this only because his wife, Barbara, is even smarter. And as for the rest, you heard it straight from the Boss. In short, he — and Barb — are worth their weight in gold to us. At the very least."

The Czechs acknowledged that they were truly looking forward to working with both of them. Hans summed it up for them by saying, "Never in all of history has a person received the direct endorsement of God Himself. Needless to say, Barbara Sloan, when you speak, we will not only listen, we will obey." Looking up at the ceiling he grinned and added, "I'm sure it will be much safer that way, too."

There was a bustle at the door as the Czechs prepared to leave. Just as Andy opened the door, a bellman was standing there about to knock. He gave Andy a wrapped package with the whispered comment that it contained clean uniforms for the maid, Karla. From the package's weight, Andy was certain that the contents were far more ominous than that.

As the young Czechs left, Karla took Barb by the hand and pulled her toward the door. "It's a gorgeous day, Mistress," she said, "even the usual smog has abated. We're going swimming." As they went down the hall toward the elevators she checked and found that Barb had a clutch purse with her. "Well, you're about to get a rare experience. We'll be using a Prague taxi. I would have liked to have called it a rare treat, but I can only lie to a certain degree. Referring to a ride in a Prague taxi as a treat is more than even I can say."

"Why bother, then?" Barb asked. "If you know where we're going, I can drive." Karla just shrugged and agreed. To her surprise, the car that was almost immediately produced from the garage wasn't the Rolls limousine she had seen unloaded, but rather a white Rolls-Royce Corniche convertible with its top down. Obviously, there had been more than a single vehicle in the aircraft's huge hold.

Karla gave directions and Barb expertly guided the vehicle through the Prague traffic. She giggled as, on more than one occasion, another car almost ran off the street when the driver saw the magnificent machine. "This is so neat!" she exclaimed. "This Rolls moves through traffic like a shark moving among the minnows. What a marvelous feeling." She paused and added, "And unlike the Secret Police — or worse, the KGB — there's no undertone of fear. The people are just so impressed."

"I guess there are a few advantages to driving a Rolls," Barb conceded. "This car never shined this brightly on the day it rolled off the line. It looks like the guys in the garage have been taking very good care of it! I'll have to give them something. It really shines like a jewel, doesn't it?"

Barbara hadn't asked Karla where they were going. The fact that they were going swimming was in response to an idea that had hit Karla suddenly. She realized that, being on an island, Barbara must have been swimming a great deal. Although the workouts on the machine helped, they were not nearly as physically comprehensive.

Accordingly, she directed Barbara to the complex where the Czech Olympic swimming team trained. It had the finest pool in the country. Although she hadn't made any advance arrangements, she was confident that the lack of advance notice wouldn't cause any problems. When they arrived, the Rolls with its California license plates and telltale white oval with the initials, USA, was all that was required for them to be directed to the VIP parking area.

Notwithstanding, they were stopped at the pool entrance by a security guard. Without wasting any time, Karla demanded to use the phone. Out of Barbara's hearing she told the guard that she was calling the Office of State Security. His eyes widened when he heard this, and widened still further when she asked for the deputy minister, Stefan Klink himself. When it became obvious that she was being put through to the minister, the poor guard became nearly apoplectic. When Klink answered the phone, Karla quickly explained where she was and what they were doing. Then she wordlessly handed the phone to the guard.

"Soldier," Klink began, "first of all, send for the commander of the security detail immediately. Second, you are addressing Major Karla Kosta, the top operative in the entire ministry. She enjoys the complete confidence of the prime minister and the president himself. Am I making myself clear? Finally, any order she gives is to be considered to be a direct order from me, personally. Understand?"

The poor guard was now so completely petrified he could hardly speak even to acknowledge the order. After all, the entire security force was commanded by a Secret Police captain, and now he was in the presence of a major, the highest-ranking officer he had ever met. But finally he managed, and immediately had the minister transferred to the commander of the security detail.

Moments later a captain appeared running as he tried to fasten his uniform belt. He greeted Barbara like the guest of the president which she was, and Karla like his superior officer which she also was. When he thought Barb couldn't hear, he snapped to attention and gave Karla the smartest salute he had ever given anyone. Then he ushered the girls to the women's dressing rooms where arrangements for them had just been completed.

Barb looked at a white Speedo swimsuit with distaste. "This will really slow me down," she complained. Karla just giggled and slipped into her own.

When they got out on the pool deck, the coaches were just finishing the process of clearing four lanes for the two women. Karla told them that two lanes were more than enough. The two women dove in and loosened up with a couple of easy laps. Then Karla challenged Barb. "Big Sister, I'll bet I can beat you easily at 400 meters. Want to bet?"

"Bet what?" Barb asked.

"Thirty minutes of torment," Karla quickly responded. "It's the winner's choice with respect to what form it takes. Okay?"

"Hmm..." Barb thought and then said, "What am I going to call you now? 'Slave Karla' or 'Twerp'?" She thought for a moment, then cocked her head and added, "I'll have to think about that."

Karla considered herself an excellent swimmer, but had no idea that Barbara had broken the men's world record at 400 meters by seconds on her wedding day. Subsequently, because of virtually living in the lagoon for three months she was now a far faster swimmer than she had been that day.

Since the pool was used for Olympic training, it had the most sophisticated timing equipment in the Republic. When Karla told the head coach that she and Barbara were going to race at 400 meters, he called over his four best swimmers at the distance, two men and two women, to swim with them. The pool was 50 meters long and had eight swimming lanes. Being very considerate — he had strict orders to be — he gave them an open lane along the side and an open lane between themselves and the Czech team members who were to be swimming in the four lanes on the left side of the pool.

Arrangements were completed and the swimmers took their positions on the starting boxes. All of the electronic monitoring and timing equipment had been activated when the starter gave the commands and fired his starting gun. The coach then watched in stunned amazement as Barbara went off the blocks with incredible power and perfect form. Then she cut through the water like a porpoise with every ounce of her effort going to propel her through the water.

Since he was standing beside the starting boxes, he raised his binoculars to watch as she made her first turn. "My God!" he murmured. It was absolutely perfect. Quickly, he checked with his chief assistant and was assured that the video cameras were recording the race. "I don't give a damn about anyone but the American girl," the coach exclaimed. "I want her recorded from every possible angle. She is utterly perfect!"

At the first turn, Barb had a four-length lead over the nearest Czech man. She just kept opening up the distance so by the time she made her third turn, her lead was nearly a full pool length.

Inspired by Barbara's performance, Karla was moving through the water faster than she had ever swum before. When Barbara completed her eight lengths she touched out as the leading Czech man was turning at the end of his sixth. When it was finally over, Barb was sitting on the pool edge casually toweling her hair while waiting for Karla to finish. The girl had never slowed and when she touched, she was just behind the second Czech man but ahead of all of the women.

While the Czech swimmers were hanging on the pool edge utterly exhausted, the coach was going wild. Barbara Sloan had taken more than 30 seconds off the world record for the distance.

As he was about to call the media, Barb stopped him. "Please don't!" she said quietly. "I just wanted a little exercise. I've had all the publicity in the Czech Republic I care for, sir. And I'm sure your swimmers wouldn't appreciate it very much, either." With the warmest smile the coach had ever seen, one so warm it almost melted him to the concrete, she concluded, "Could it just be between us? Please?"

"But the tapes..." the coach said. Any other comments remained unspoken.

"You're welcome to them, sir," Barb said. "After all, all of the equipment and the facilities we used are yours. Are they of any value to you, though?"

"Value?" he exclaimed. "Value! I have slow-motion tapes of the finest 400 meters ever swum in the history of the world. Now I can show my swimmers exactly how it should be done, demonstrated by the most remarkable athlete the world has ever seen: you, Mrs. Sloan."

Then he turned to Karla who had finally caught her breath and said, "But, Miss Kosta, where have you been? We've had nationwide competitions and I have never seen you. Although you're not in Mrs. Sloan's class — but no one is — you're most certainly the finest female swimmer in our entire Republic. It's not too late, either. We can qualify you for the Olympic games..."

He stopped when he realized Karla was just steadily shaking her head. "Sir, I can barely stay afloat. But, you see, Barbara Sloan is my long-lost sister. We only rediscovered each other yesterday. And as the kid sister, I had to try, didn't I? But I couldn't possibly do it again. Ever!"

The coach went away sorry to have lost the best female swimmer he would ever have the chance to coach. The Czech swimmers all came over and diffidently requested autographs from both Barbara and Karla. Then, at Barb's insistence, she swam two more miles by herself while the others just stood around and gaped.

This time the coach, using a stopwatch, pointed out that, although she was swimming 3,000 meters, she was doing every 100 meters in world-class time ... for 100 meters. When he asked, he was very relieved to learn that Barbara had no connection with the U.S. Olympic Team. "There's no way we can beat them as it is," he said. "But with her? Good grief! She could win every women's event from 50 meters up. Every single one!"

Karla noticed that Barb wasn't even breathing hard when she pulled herself from the pool at the end of her 3,000 meters. When the coach looked at his stopwatch he just shook his head. Although no electronic timing had been used, it would have been another world record if they had been using a sundial to time it.

The final word, though, was Barbara's as she and Karla were soaking in a hot shower. "I told you that damned suit would slow me down. I was really creeping. Wait till you see me swim bare!"

When Karla asked what Barbara was going to do to her as a result of winning the bet, Barb raised an eyebrow and grinned saying, "Something very painful for you, I'm sure. But I'm not sure of exactly what it will be..."



-------

Chapter 4



Karla was stretched out with her eyes closed on the reclined front seat of the Rolls convertible while Barb expertly guided it through the Prague traffic back toward the hotel. Karla no longer even needed to see the cars and trucks part to make room for them. Instead, she reflected on the events of the last few hours.

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Following their swimming meet, Karla had led the way to tennis courts which, like the pool, were the finest in the republic. It had been an almost instant replay of their swimming experience, although this time the guard commander had alerted his people so all they received were the most precise salutes the security guards were capable of executing. Again they borrowed both racquets and clothing. To Karla's amusement, they already had both clothing and tennis shoes in the appropriate sizes. Both girls wore the same.

When they went out to the courts in the afternoon sunshine Barb again bemoaned the fact that she was clothed. "It's much more fun playing naked," she commented.

Although the courts were set up in a large rectangle with three courts on each side, to Barb's amazement and Karla's amusement, they had been given the center court. The two flanking courts were empty although there were games in progress on all of the remaining six. A number of tennis players — obviously ones who had just been evicted from the center courts — were in the grandstand to watch.

When Barb asked her about it, Karla expressed the thought that there had probably been a certain amount of bumping with the higher-ranked players displacing the lower-ranked ones. "The spectators are probably at the bottom of the ladder," she opined.

After hitting the ball back and forth to loosen up, the two girls volleyed for serve. Although Karla had never played any tennis, and was confident Barbara hadn't either, from her experience at the pool she was confident that their lack of experience would not prove to be a handicap. When they started to play, they were both good but they rapidly became better.

By the third game they were hitting forehand drives, two-handed backhands, lobs, and every other shot known to the game. When they switched courts following the third game, Karla was amused to see that play had stopped on all the other courts. All the players were now in the stands. Each was in the location which he or she thought provided the best view of the action on center court.

The funniest thing for Karla, and one that caused her to smile with her eyes closed as she remembered it, was the fact that, although each girl started with three racquets, by the fourth game Barb had broken the strings on all of hers with her great power. After a break for re-stringing with stronger gut, they resumed play. At the end of the seventh game, they had given her a new set of racquets, as well.

When they finished their match — Barbara had swept the match 6–1, 6–3 — Karla was pleased with both the caliber of her own play and the fact that she was improving on Barbara with every game.

To finish it off, though, the team's coach had asked if they would play against the nation's top-seeded men's doubles team. With reluctance on Barbara's part — but not on Karla's — they did. They only played four games but in that time the men had not taken a single point. Both girls had served a number of service aces, balls that were unreturnable. None were considered to be a man's error. Karla pleaded fatigue to stop the match although they could easily have continued and swept the match in a matter of only a few more minutes.

Following the doubles, the team coach tried to recruit Karla for the national team, but again she begged off.

-------

Now opening her eyes she looked beside her at Barbara and said softly, "Big Sister, you're incredibly beautiful. Did you know that?

"Coming from the woman who is on her way to becoming the most beautiful woman in the whole world, I'll take that as a compliment." Then changing the subject she said, "You know what? It's actually fun driving here in Prague. Never in my life have I encountered such polite drivers. It's unreal!"

"And, Big Sister, had you been here as a fly on the wall for the ten days or so prior to your arrival, you would know why, too. While it's certainly accurate to say that because we're so new as a nation, we don't have much history; it's also true that the arrival of you and Steve is the biggest event in our history, such as it is.

"For the ten days prior to your arrival, the newspapers, radio and television were all filled with stories about you and your importance to our country. It was funny, really. The TV stations were particularly upset because they had no pictures, let alone film, of either of you, and were unable to get any from the States. You can't believe how sad it is to see a TV producer without film to run. The poor anchors were almost constantly in tears.

"Nevertheless, they made up for the lack of pictures of you two with miles of tape of the Václavs, Havel and Klaus, both saying how vital Kendy is to our national interest, and how important Steve's opinion is to the Kendy position."

She grinned at Barb, snuggled against the white leather upholstery and added, "Boy! I wish I had made tapes. They would have provided me with some comic relief during my torture tonight."

When the smile instantly disappeared from Barbara's face, Karla lightly ran her fingers over her thigh and said, "Big Sister, we both know this is essential. We both know that I utterly adore you. And we both know it's going to be far harder on you than it is on me. Now could we both just try to enjoy the evening until then? Please?"

"I didn't think it was possible, Little Sister, but I have come utterly to adore you, too. Moreover, I used to think that Susan Collins was my best friend in the whole world along with Caitlin Fitzpatrick, but now I don't know..." Barbara's voice tailed off but then she said brightly, "Of course! They're my friends, but you're my sister. I just have to love you more. I'm sure they'll understand."

"Of course they will," the Voice said, sounding as if He were sitting in the car between them. "Boy, what an afternoon! I haven't had so much fun in centuries! You two are marvels."

He paused and then said, "Barbara, please don't worry about tonight. This girl sitting beside you — now only 21 and still dropping years — is truly a wonder. But there are two things I must ask: First, whip her precisely where she wants, the way she wants, and to the extent she wants. It's very important. Second, when it's over, hold her as tightly as you can. I want you to feel her blood running down your belly, and I want you to feel the slipperiness of her back when it's bleeding from myriad whip cuts. I want you to smear her blood all over her and over yourself. Please? Then take her to bed with you, make love with Steve, then sleep with her between you so that she is facing you and has her back to Steve's chest. Please?"

When the Voice stopped speaking, Barbara was so upset, she couldn't even talk. With tears streaming from her eyes to the degree she was almost blind, she could only nod. Then she took her right hand from the wheel of the car and extended it toward Karla.

Instantly the girl took it, and held it tightly. "I guess you've been told," Karla said quietly. "And I utterly adore you, Big Sister!"

Barbara drove the rest of the way back to the hotel one handed while Karla held and stroked the other.

Pulling up to the front of the hotel, the doorman was instantly beside the car holding the door for Karla. He did not recognize her, but certainly knew the car. Since she was riding with Mrs. Sloan in the front seat, she was a good friend and therefore rated the finest service the hotel could offer. At the same time a valet was holding the door for Barbara to get out.

As she stretched her long legs, she was amused to see a traffic officer blocking off traffic in the outside lane to give her a clear area in which to alight. To the valet she gave five U.S. hundred dollar bills with the instruction that one was for him while the balance was for his associates at the garage who had taken such beautiful care of the car. When the man saw the number 100 on the corner of the bill, he almost fainted on the spot.

Then Barb strode back to the traffic policeman, thanked him in fluent Czech — which almost caused him to pass out — and gave him a hundred dollars, too, but told him it really wasn't necessary to divert traffic, particularly at rush hour. She assured him that all of the people in Prague had been so incredibly friendly, helpful, and courteous.

The officer insisted that she take his arm, which she did, and he then escorted her to the hotel's entrance where he gave her his most perfect salute. As the two girls watched him walk away, they saw the valet moving the Rolls back into traffic. He was handling it as if he were conning the QEII, and was at least as proud as if he were.

They giggled at the sight and then Karla said in her flattest possible tone of voice, "It's safe."

When they returned to the apartment, they received another surprise. Lying in the middle of the floor nude was the Czech girl, Maria, with her legs spread wide. Andy, also naked, was sitting between her spread legs and was using a pair of tweezers to remove her extra pubic hair.

Both Barb and Karla inwardly cringed when they saw it. Maria's crotch was far hairier than either Karla's or Barb's had been. Strangely, the girl was taking it with equanimity, although they saw a length of heavy leather lying beside her for her use to bite on when the pain became unbearable.

Seeing them come in, Andy said, "Well, I guess that's enough for now. But you are going to be adorable, Maria."

To their surprise the girls learned that when the Czechs had left earlier in the afternoon, Maria had not left with them. Rather, she had hidden briefly in the bathroom and, in the confusion at the door, her absence hadn't been noticed.

It turned out that Maria was very bright. She had immediately understood the byplay involving Karla and her slavery, so she decided to give herself to Andy as her slave. When Steve, Andy, and Ken told her what was involved, particularly with the initiation, she had not minded at all.

Now, when she stood up Barb got her first good look at her. Although she was heavy, she really wasn't fat. Rather, she was built on the model of a Renaissance painter's model with full breasts, heavy thighs and a very well-shaped ass. She had dark wavy hair and a very dense and curly patch of pubic hair, now substantially smaller in area than it had been earlier in the afternoon.

What struck both girls was her indefatigable sense of humor. She had the most lovely smile and the brightest gray eyes they had ever seen.

Dropping to her knees in front of Barb, Maria said, "Mrs. Sloan, Andy has already started my training. May I demonstrate what I have already learned by presenting my body to you for your inspection? After all, Andy may give me to you, or loan me to you, so you should know what you're getting."

Barb was still reeling from the surprise. Temporizing, she glanced at her watch, saw that it was after six, and said, "The sun is well over the yardarm, so it's cocktail time. I thought we might have a quiet drink. Then you can present yourself to me, Maria. But as a first step, what's your last name?"

"Müller, ma'am," the girl replied cheerily. "I am Maria Müller."

"How do you do, Maria Müller," Barbara said extending her hand.

"I am very well, thank you, ma'am," the girl replied. "I am looking forward to my slavery, too. Already it has been such fun!"

"Fun?" Barb exclaimed. "I've heard slavery called many things, but never fun. Where did that come from?"

Then turning to Karla she said, "Tonight I'm cooking, Slave Karla, and that being the case, you're helping." With a grin she added, "Of course, we're not properly dressed for dinner, are we?" Then she looked around and said, "By the way, I seem to be missing something: a husband, maybe?"

"Mr. Sloan and Ken are showering," Maria said. "They just returned from the golf course where, I understand, Mr. Sloan really cleaned his clock. Andy is going to have to be particularly understanding when he joins us.

"Understanding?" Andy exclaimed. "I'll give him understanding ... right on the point of his chin. Good grief, if he does this again, you and Steve will own all of Kendy and we'll be in hock to you!"

Then she grinned and added, "It was good for him, really." With the most winsome smile Barb had ever seen she continued, "Because we're pretty smart and can deal with adults intellectually, we sometimes forget that we're both still children. Ken's really a good golfer, but so is Steve, and Ken can't come close to his power. Since their control is about even — but Steve really has the edge there, too — Ken loses. In fact, as Maria so correctly stated, Steve cleaned his clock."

With another grin she added, "But I suppose I'll give him a lovely blow job and tell him how much I love him. I guess I really do have to stroke his injured ego a bit, too."

"How old did you say Andy is?" Karla asked. "Twelve ... going on 52?"

They all laughed at that and Barb was delighted to see that it was not strained at all. Curiously, Maria Müller's presence, coupled with her upcoming slavery seemed to release the tension that had been building all day.

While Barbara prepared hors d'oeuvres, she instructed Karla to prepare drinks. After checking with Andy and Ken, she approved serving them white wine. The others were having martinis. Returning to the sitting room they found Maria sitting on the floor in front of Andy's chair, while Andy and Ken were holding hands. Steve was sitting alone on the sofa with a place beside him awaiting Barb's return. Sitting in the middle of the sofa beside him she patted the place beside her and embarrassed Maria by insisting that she sit there, rather than on the floor. Karla took a flanking chair.

When the people were all seated, Karla offered a toast to Maria as the junior slave. To their amazement, they saw that the Czech girl was crying bitterly. "What's wrong, Maria?" Karla asked kindly. "It was just a joke..."

The girl was vehemently shaking her head. "Don't be ridiculous!" she exclaimed. "That has nothing to do with it at all." Then lifting her head she said, "It's because I have tricked you all from the very beginning. Everything was a trick ... even my glasses."

Karla was now genuinely puzzled. "What do you mean by that?"

"The glasses — like almost everything about me — are a fraud. I wear them as a cover. Teasing me about slavery, you said? Miss Kosta, for me to have the tiniest association with you is sinful. Truly it is. I think about you and then about myself, and I cry. Why? Because you represent everything that is good and honest and beautiful, while I represent the dregs — the garbage — of our country."

The girl sat up as straight on the sofa as she could and continued, "When I offered myself as Andy's slave, all she could think of were reasons why I shouldn't. It never occurred to her or anyone else to wonder why I was doing it, or from my point of view, the very worst possibility: Someone might wonder whether I was worthy of being accepted as a slave.

"Just look! I might be joining Karla Kosta in slavery. I would be associating with the greatest hero, the most beautiful woman, and the truly shining light of our country. If we had a statue of liberty here in Prague, it would be a statue of Karla Kosta. Me? Able to associate with her?" To the horror of the onlookers, the girl was now crying uncontrollably, but kept her head up and let her tears stream unchecked down her cheeks.

Indicating Karla she continued, "This young woman, beloved by God Himself, was brutally tortured and raped. That caused me to think about myself. I suppose I was raped when I was nearly fifteen. It was a Russian soldier who, I learned, was engaged to a girl who, he said, looked like me. What he meant, I guess, is that both his girlfriend and I are Slavic peasant stock. Anyway, I was a virgin. I told him I had no experience, but stripped off my clothes so they wouldn't get torn and lay on the ground with my legs spread wide. I guess that's all I knew about sex.

"When he took me and found I was a virgin, he actually kissed me. Then he told me about his girlfriend. By then, the pain of my defloration had passed and I asked if he would like to take me again. He did, twice. The second time, I guess I might have even cum. When it was over, I thanked him for being so gentle. He really was a nice guy, I guess. Then he helped me dress, gave me all his money and some food, and kissed me goodbye." After a pause she continued, "I guess that means I started off as a prostitute and have been one ever since."

Now focusing on Andy she said, "Andrea Cartwright, you marveled at the fact that I would let you — indeed encourage you — to pull out my cunt hair. I'm sure it never occurred to you that I was thinking that one of the purest women in the world was working on the sex of a prostitute. That's how I started and it's what I still am. You see, my rôle in the company is to be the duty cunt, sharing the responsibilities with Anna, the other girl you met today.

"We'll be in the kitchen and one of the guys will shout for the duty cunt. Anna, whose cunt is smaller and tighter than mine, had that duty more often than I, because I was always the duty tits. Anna is really pretty small on top while I'm big-breasted. Anyway, when the call goes up for 'the duty cunt, ' if it was Anna, I would work on her with a dildo and my mouth to try to get her as wet as possible. Then she would service the guy who called. Sometimes they would call for both of us and tell us to drink at the other's source. Then we would go down on each other and entertain the guys with our cumings. Actually, I haven't cum with a guy in years. Then, usually on Saturday nights, we would have our weekend orgy. I would be taken repeatedly by the guys."

Still looking at Andy she said, "I called myself a prostitute. I've been thinking about whether or not that's an accurate description. Actually, the choice is between prostitute and whore. While in one sense they're synonymous, in another the difference is between a whore: a sexually promiscuous woman; and a prostitute: a woman who sells her body.

"I guess I used to think I was just a whore until I realized that I've done nothing but fuck for years. I have no other job. Since all of my money and support comes from making my cunt available to anyone, I guess I am really a prostitute."

Now with her gray eyes piercing, she looked at Andy and said, "Andrea Cartwright, are you certain you want a Slavic peasant whore as your body slave? Are you?"

Releasing Ken's hand, Andy rose from her chair, went over to Maria and sat down across her lap. Taking the girl's head in her hands, she tipped it, then gently melted her lips to hers. The others watched as Andy just steadily increased the intensity of her kiss. Maria, amazed at Andy's behavior in light of what she had just said, merely sat there. As the intensity of her kiss increased, Maria could feel herself becoming light-headed and then faint. As she was about to pass out, she futilely began to wave her arms in the air. When Andy felt Maria's body go limp as she passed out, she ended the kiss and just hugged the woman tightly while she kissed her eyes, her ears, and her lips again.

When Maria's eyes blinked and then opened, Andy said softly, "Do you understand my answer, Maria? I accept you as my body slave for as long as you wish. Okay?"

"On just one condition," Maria responded. "I cannot ask for my freedom. Rather, you must offer it and I must accept it for me to have it. Agreed?" Andy smiled and nodded.

"Mistress, may I please have my introductory whipping after Karla's? Please? I want to be beside her so I can kiss her body after each whip stroke. Then, please, I want her to be able to watch as my body is opened up by a whip in your hands."

Very gently she ran her slender fingers over Andy's bare body. "Mistress, you are utterly perfect. Never has a Slavic peasant girl been able to serve a mistress so fine."

"A peasant girl?" Andy mused. "Oh well, with armies fighting over this land for centuries, it's clear that once a noble raped a female ancestor." Then she cocked her head, thought for a moment, then added, "In fact, I'm sure it was more than once." Looking toward the others Andy said, "Just look at these two women and tell me what you see."

Barbara looked at her sister, Karla, and then at Maria, and then back again. "Both have delicate features, slender hands, slim ankles and feet ... Maria is carrying more weight, but with exercise..." Then she smiled warmly and said, "Andy, you're absolutely right. And those noble officers clearly knew what they wanted ... or more likely, their sergeants did. I can see it now. An officer in his tent with his sergeant dragging in a naked girl, who had been stripped and then bathed, to warm his bed ... Now you repeat that enough over the centuries and I suppose this is what you get."

"What do you get, other than a whore like me?" Maria asked bitterly. "About Karla, you're almost right. I'm certain that she's directly descended from nobility. It's in her genes. But me? Hah!"

"Darling, you're going to be perfect," Barbara concluded. Hearing her words, Andy, still sitting across Maria's lap, nodded her head vigorously. Then changing the subject she said, "A few minutes ago, my sister offered a toast to our newest slave, Maria Müller. I offer it again: To a very brave, very bright, and very resourceful young woman." Then shrewdly she stated, "You have no family living, do you, Maria?" The girl quickly shook her head. "Yet you managed to survive in the only way you knew how in the face of incredible hardship and chaos." Raising her glass she said, "To you, Maria Müller."

Andy reached over and Ken gave her her glass. They all drank the toast while Maria sat with her eyes downcast. Then she raised her glass and said, "To the Sloans, to Andrea Cartwright, to Kenneth Clifford, and most particularly to Karla Kosta. You are my heros and my models."

After pausing for a moment she looked up toward the ceiling and prayed, "Oh Lord I am not worthy. I have sinned grievously all my life. But I am offering up the torture I will be undergoing later tonight in partial reparation for my sins. Please hear my prayer. Please let me try to repair my life." Then very softly she added, "I ask this, dear Lord, in the name of your divine Son, Jesus Christ, and in the name of Saint Mary Magdalene, a sinner like me, who you took up to Heaven to be with you forever."

"Maria Müller, you will do," the Voice responded. "And Barbara Sloan is right about you, of course. In fact, I found it amusing. The scene she described — a woman brought naked to warm the bed of an officer — happened on five separate occasions over the last 300 years. Maria Müller, in your body you carry some of the finest genes in the entire European gene pool."

After a pause the voice continued, "And Maria is correct about you, as well, Karla Kosta. 'Kosta' is a created name. Your correct last name is ... well known. You are a noblewoman of the highest possible rank. Moreover, unlike some of your forebears, you are the distillation of the very finest attributes of all of them. It is why you underwent torture of the worst imaginable sort without ever thinking of telling the Russians what they wanted to know. And like your sister, Barbara, it never even occurred to you to ask for my help for yourself. Instead you offered your suffering for others."

Hearing His words, Maria went to Karla, melted her lips to hers and was startled and pleased at the immediate flow of love that passed between them. "You mean I have just kissed a marchioness?" she asked.

"Not quite..."

"A ... a duchess?" Maria asked, now beginning to feel frightened.

"Warmer," the Voice replied, "but you're not quite there..."

"Do you mean that Karla is truly Princess Karla," Maria asked, her voice both husky and hushed.

"That is the correct term for the daughter of a reigning monarch," the Voice said quietly.

"But ... but ... but I kissed her," Maria said. And then proudly she added, "And she kissed me back. I'm sure she did." The girl thought for a moment and then said, "A commoner kissed by a princess. Good grief!"

"That's not quite correct, either," the Voice said.

"But ... but ... but you said that she's a princess," Maria protested. "Could ... Did you mislead me."

"Of course not!" the Voice said with laughter in his voice. "Now think carefully, Maria Müller. What did you say? Exactly."

"I ... I..." Maria thought for a moment trying to remember her exact words. "I said 'a commoner kissed by a princess, ' but you said, 'That's not quite correct, either.'" Shaking her head she said, "I don't understand."

"Come on Maria!" the Voice chided. "I know you're smarter than that." He paused and then said, "There are two parts to your statement, Maria. I previously confirmed that Karla is a princess. Now what's the other part of your statement?"

"But I am a commoner," she insisted. "In fact, I'm one of the commonest commoners alive."

"If you want to think of yourself as a commoner, it's your right and it's all right with me if you want to renounce your titles. But honestly, I've always been partial to the way the word, duchess, flows so smoothly from the tongue."

The girl was utterly stunned. "Do you mean..."

"That you are a duchess? Yes, I do." Then there was very deep laughter and He said, "It's very appropriate, too, that you should want to tend the princess during her torture. Many noblewomen sacrificed their lives to protect royalty. Like Karla herself, you, Maria, display the very finest elements of nobility with none of the crasser elements."

There was a pause and then the Voice continued, "I suppose I might as well explain. You see, Maria, you, too, would be a princess had your ancestor not been conceived on the wrong side of the blanket. It happened exactly as I said earlier. What I didn't say was that the girl was a noblewoman and the young officer was a prince who later became king. He loved the woman desperately and made her his mistress, and then elevated her to the rank of duchess when he succeeded to the throne. Is that clear?"

Hearing His words, Barbara had started to cry. "And you, Barbara Sloan, and you, Steven Sloan, and you, Andrea Cartwright, and you, Kenneth Clifford, represent the very finest in the gene pool of the whole world — along with some special attributes that no human before has ever had." There was a short pause and then the order, "Therefore, Barbara Sloan, turn off the damned water works! Hear?"

She was so shocked, she stopped crying and laughed.

"That's another thing," the Voice grumped. "You're the only people on the face of the earth who can laugh with me." There was a pause and then, "Maybe I've been spending too much time on you all. But I can't help myself. You, Barbara Sloan, are art in motion. As my most perfect creation, I can't keep my eyes off you anymore than Steve can keep his hands off you, or his cock out of your delectable cunt."

Then to Maria He said, "Your prayers are answered. After your whipping tonight I want you to sleep between Andy and Ken. I want them both to feel the blood flowing from your open wounds." After another pause he concluded, "I've always had a particular fondness for gray eyes, and yours... ? Wow!"

There was silence in the room for a while sufficient for them to realize that the Voice had gone. Tears were flowing again from Maria's eyes, but this time they were tears of joy. "Thank you, dear God," she whispered. "Oh, thank you!"

Then she paused for a moment and looked around. "Mistress Andy, one thing troubles me. Are you strong enough to wield a whip properly? Can you open up my body as we have been instructed?"

"I didn't think I could," Andy replied. "In fact, I was counting on not being able to..."

"Because she's incapable of hurting a fly," Karla interjected. "Pure goodness? That's Andy Cartwright."

" ... but I'm stronger than I look," Andy continued, ignoring Karla's interruption. "I can hit ten baseballs in a row over the outfield fence, so I think I'll be able to get the job done." Then hugging Maria she said, "You're going to be utterly beautiful, my darling slave."

Then she thought for a moment and added, "Hmm ... getting to whip a duchess of royal birth and then have her as my body slave..."

"I was going to disagree," Maria said, her good humor now restored, "but with the word from On High, I guess I can't, can I?"

"This is all very nice," Barb interrupted, "but I worked my fingers to the bone on these canapés and the least you can do..."

Her comment broke the tension that had been building. The kids savored the white wine while Karla and Maria adored their martinis. Andy returned to her seat beside Ken, and then Maria regaled them with stories of her sexual services to the computer programmers.

Most of the stories were funny, but not all of them. "I guess the guys liked taking Anna, particularly. She's a beautiful girl, but she's very slender and has a small vagina. And I guess there was an element of sadism, too. Sometimes I would hear muffled screams of agony. Then she would come back to the kitchen with blood dripping from her cunt, her rectum, or both. I would try to take care of her as well as I could..."

"How?" Karla asked quietly.

"With my mouth, of course. I would eat out her cunt, just using my lips and tongue, tasting her blood mixed with the guys' semen and stuff. Then I would put her to bed and be the duty cunt as well as the duty tits until she recovered. Initially, the guys got pissed off — they wanted to take her again, regardless of her condition — but I put my foot down." Maria paused for a moment and then murmured, "I wonder ... I'll bet she's descended from nobility, too. She's really neat!"

Pausing for a moment, the girl looked up at the ceiling and then continued, "You know? I think I'm really on to something. Although she's as tall as I am, she's very slender. Her figure is almost boyish. And she's so small that unless I prepared her cunt, she could have been seriously hurt. The guys don't know what the word, 'foreplay' means!"

While she was talking, Barb would periodically disappear toward the kitchen, while ordering Karla to remain seated each time. The girl did insist on setting the table.

When Barb announced dinner, they all sat down around another magnificent spread. Before each person was a cold dish none had seen before. "It's a good thing Maria has joined us," Barb commented. "This is glacéed breast of pheasant. Without Maria, we would have had one left over. And it's such a shame to waste such magnificent birds."

The breasts of pheasant had been stuffed with paté de foie gras and were served with the same magnificent California Chardonnay served the evening before. The salad was a very simple mixed lettuce salad with oil and vinegar leading Karla to believe that the main course would be something truly magnificent. She was not mistaken. She was amused to see that Barbara was actually proud of her accomplishment as she served tournedos Rossini with foie gras and truffles on artichoke hearts. It was accompanied by Chateau Lafitte Rothschild 1937.

When Karla saw the wine she began to cry. "Big Sister, why are you doing this? This wine! My God! It must be worth at least $5,000!"

"It's in honor of this country's greatest heroine — a princess, yet — whose body I must rip with a whip."

"There has never been a meal this fine ever served in this country," Maria declared. "Now, as the Czech Republic, nor at any time in the past, regardless of what the land might have been called." Looking at Barbara with her eyes wide she asked, "If I allow myself to be whipped each day, could I have a meal like this to look forward to?"

"I'll probably whip you every day, anyway," Andy declared. Looking at Barb she commented, "There are few things worse than an uppity slave, are there?"

Maria was sitting at Steve's right hand with Andy beside her. "Is that a promise, Mistress?" she asked. Andy only grinned.

After the dishes were cleared, Barb served cheeses and fruit followed by coffee, cognac and cigars. She thought the two Czech girls looked cute as they puffed on the panatellas. For Maria it was the first cigar of her life, and for Karla, only her second. Both women loved them.

Finally, Maria got up from her chair, went to Barbara and knelt beside her. "Mrs. Sloan, may I present myself to you now? Although now that you know what I am, you may not care..."

"Slave Maria," Barb commanded, "present your filthy slave's body for my inspection."

"These are my tits, Mistress," Maria said cradling and lifting her large breasts. "They are full, well shaped, and have small pink nipples." Spreading her thighs almost straight out to the sides she bent over backward and said, "This is my filthy cunt, Mistress. It is available to you or to anyone you may designate, should I be given to you. I can take dozens of cocks in an evening, Mistress, and I have. I am always wet and reasonably tight."

Turning her back to Barb, she lowered her face to the floor while raising her ass as high as she could. Reaching backward she spread her asscheeks as wide as possible to most fully expose her small brown ring. "This is my asshole, Mistress. It has been pierced repeatedly by dozens of men. They seem to think they're hurting me, and they used to. Now I am accustomed to it."

Rolling over again, she returned to her knees and continued, "My features are regular but uninteresting. I'm carrying much too much weight, but that will change in a hurry. Today I worked out for over two hours and already lost four pounds." She paused and then continued with a happy grin, "Of course I'm sure after that marvelous meal I put them back on along with about five more." Looking hopeful, she asked, "Do you approve, Mistress?"

Instead of responding Barb took the girl's face between her hands and proceeded to kiss her. If Andy's kiss had been powerful, it was nothing compared to Barbara's. Barb poured out her love through her lips until the girl just collapsed as if her bones had dissolved. It took a few minutes but then Maria recovered consciousness. When she did her ebullient personality reasserted itself instantly. "I guess I'll take that kiss to be an affirmative response, Mistress. You approve." When she grinned at the Czech girl, Barb just lightly kissed her on the tip of her nose.

Rising from her chair, Karla took a deep breath and said, "Well, I guess it's time. Shall we begin? I think the terrace off the sitting room would be the best place. I checked the weather forecast and there's a front coming through later tonight that's supposed to bring a lot of rain. It will wash off the blood."

Looking at Barb she concluded, "Well, Big Sister, are you ready?"

Barbara Sloan could not speak so she just nodded once and rose to follow. Andy, looking ill, picked up the package of whips and followed.



-------

Chapter 5



As she padded out to the terrace, Karla was frightened. Although she had been talking about her slavery from the beginning and knew it involved a whipping, in some sense it had amounted merely to words. Now there would be the reality. However, she had done far more in terms of advance preparation than anyone in the apartment knew. For example, she had checked the weather forecast, and she had prepared lengths of polyester rope for their use to tie her up. She was relieved that the apartment had a terrace. Since it was on the top floor of the building and since the Ritz Hotel was one of the tallest buildings in the downtown area, no one nearby could see what was going on, although, because of the hills around the city, there were a number of places from where a person with binoculars could observe them.

In addition, although the hotel had been mostly restored after the Russians had evacuated, they had not done everything. They had not replaced the awning which was designed to cover about half of the terrace's area. As a result, its frame, made of strong steel pipes, was perfectly positioned for the night's bloody work.

Going out on the terrace, she found that Maria was with her. "Princess, how may I serve you?" the girl asked.

Looking into her eyes, Karla realized there wasn't the slightest hint of either sarcasm or humor. Then Maria continued, "Awhile ago I saw an old movie made in the late 1930s. It was The Scarlet Pimpernel with Leslie Howard in the title rôle. I remember a scene in a French prison: A guard came to the door and called for the aristocrats who were scheduled to be beheaded that day. I remember how brave they all looked as their names were called."

Only then did Karla realize that tears were streaming from the girl's eyes as she continued, "Princess, I can only say two things: First, I am going to kiss each whip cut as the blood begins to flow—"

"But you can't!" Karla exclaimed. "Barbara already promised to whip me where and how I determine. Although no one knows it but me, I plan to have the first six strokes administered on my cunt. Maria ... Duchess," she corrected herself, "I plan to have Steve tie my ankles to the pipe up there with my legs spread wide. Then I'm going to have Barb whip my cunt. Since I'm going to bet her that she can't hit my clit — and I know she can — there will be more—"

"Perhaps you weren't paying attention earlier," Maria interrupted. "I have eaten out Anna's cunt more times than I can possibly count. To kiss your sex — your poor, bleeding cunt — will give me great pleasure." After pausing for a moment she continued, "I'm sure it will be like nectar..."

Karla was astonished when the girl then dropped to her knees, put her arms around her slim thighs and began to lick her hairless slit. She could feel the girl's tongue probing between her nether lips and feel her clit stiffen in anticipation. In spite of herself, she found herself moaning as the girl's tongue and teeth built her sexual excitement. Then, when she bit her tiny clit, Karla exploded in a flood of juices which the girl was positioned to drink. When the flow stopped, Maria carefully licked her groin and then dried it off with her long hair.

"That was utterly delicious, Princess," Maria exclaimed. "Thank you for the opportunity." Then she rose to her feet as the others gathered on the terrace. Andy carried the package of whips as if it were a basket of snakes.

"There was something else," Karla reminded the girl. "You said you want to kiss my wounds. What else?"

"I am so pleased that you will be able to watch my suffering, Princess. I ... I ... I want to show you that I can be strong, too."

"I don't know if I'll be able to," Karla said softly, "but if I am, may I kiss your wounds, too? May I taste your blood as it streams from your body?"

Maria was overcome by Karla's offer. She took Karla into her arms and mashed her tits against hers. Then she gently moved her body over hers so as to be touching in the greatest possible number of places. Then she kissed Karla's ear, her eyes, her nose and finally melted her lips on her mouth. Both women were nearly overcome by the love they now shared.

Pulling away, Karla took Barb into her arms and melted her lips to hers. Again the others marveled as the power of their kiss just continued to increase.

"My God!" Maria murmured, "if Karla had kissed me with the power she's using on Barb, I would be dead! I can't believe it."

"You're probably right about that," Andy said. "My God, they love each other."

When they eased apart, both women were filled with love and joy. But for Barb, the joy would be very short-lived. "I'm all ready, Big Sister," Karla whispered. Then standing as straight as she could she said, "The first strokes will be on my cunt, and I'll bet you can't hit my clit on the first try. Bet?"

"You can't be serious!" Barb exclaimed. "I ... I won't ... No! I cannot. There's no way I could do that."

"Oh, yes there is, Big Sister," Karla insisted. "You see, I'm going to be tied to the crossbar up there by my ankles, with my legs spread as wide as possible. Of course my back will be to you, so you'll be blind to the location of my clit. That's my edge."

"Karla—"

"You promised!" Karla exclaimed. "And the Boss told you to do exactly what I said to do, right?" Barb reluctantly nodded her head. "Well, Big Sister, I'm telling. So do it."

Karla gave Steve two lengths of rope while Ken went inside for a chair for him to stand on. When he was ready, Karla surprised everyone by doing a handstand and then extending her slim legs as high as she could.

Swallowing hard, Steve took her left ankle and secured it, then extending her right he secured it. Now she was hanging, head down with her legs forming a wide 'V'. With her legs spread wide she could no longer reach the tiled floor so all her weight was suspended from her ankles. Barb was standing with her back to the parapet, while Karla was also facing the building. Previously she had gone through the assortment of whips Klink had provided and found one that seemed to be a duplicate of the one with which she had been so brutally beaten years earlier. It was perfect for her purpose.

"Well, Big Sister, what are you waiting for?" Karla called out. Already she was in increasing pain from the strain on her ankles. With her back to Barb she couldn't see what was happening, but then she saw the whip unroll like an uncoiling snake beyond her. There followed a cracking sound and simultaneously she felt an incredible pain like a white-hot wire slicing into her sex.

In spite of her mental preparation, Karla let out an uncontrollable scream of agony as the whip bisected her tiny clitoris. Now she could actually see the pain as red heat in her brain. Fighting against unconsciousness, she said softly, "Thank you, darling mistress, for helping me be a better slave. I would kiss you as I promised, but it's impossible for me to do so from this position. But I promise to make it up to you later. And, Big Sister, that was a perfect stroke. Now, six more on my loins and inner thighs, please."

As she said the words she could feel her blood beginning to run down her back a little, and in a flood down her belly. For an instant she feared she might drown in it because of her position, but then realized it would run down beside her. Then she heard the drip and looking down from her suspended position saw the first drop of her blood splatter on the terrace tile. It was followed by another, then more, and finally almost a steady stream. At the same time she could hear a sound that, she was sure, was Barbara gagging over what she had done.

From her upside-down position, she saw Maria pad up beside her and kiss her cunt, running her tongue over the stream of blood. "I adore you, Princess Karla," the girl murmured. Then she added, "I have tasted the blood of my beautiful princess. It is delicious. And, darling princess, the whip has started the flow of your cuntal juices as well. The mixture makes a divine cocktail."

Remembering her promise, Barb let the whip uncoil again. This time, it sounded to Karla like a machine gun as the whip cracked against her loins and inner thighs six times in rapid succession. This time, although she had not sliced her clitoris, two of the strokes were in her cunt while there were two each on her inner thighs very close to her sex.

Looking upward through the red haze of agonizing pain Karla could see that each stroke was almost exactly one inch away from the one before and all were centered on her slit. Again she screamed in agony, and this time blacked out for an instant. But then she said, "Thank you, darling mistress, for helping me to be a better slave."

Again Maria was beside her gently kissing each of the cuts and licking off as much of her blood as she could. But now it was flowing in a steady stream from seven cuts, each of which sliced deeply into her body. While fighting desperately to retain consciousness, she saw both Barbara and Steve come close and then cut her down while Maria knelt below to ease her body to the terrace deck.

Karla again blacked out for a moment but quickly regained consciousness and found herself in Maria's arms with the girl cradling her to her chest. She realized that the girl was trying to put one of her nipples into her mouth, so she took it.

"Bite down hard," the girl whispered. "It will help you to better stand the agony." Instead Karla took the tiny nipple in her lips, gently nibbled on it and then kissed it. Hearing the girl's sigh of pleasure, she licked and kissed as much of her breast as she could.

"You're incapable of inflicting pain, aren't you?" Maria whispered. "I know the pain is agonizing and you need something to bite on. But when I offer a nipple, all you do is kiss it!" The girl lifted Karla's head and then melted her lips to hers. When she did, she again tasted Karla's blood from where she had bitten down on her own lip to try unsuccessfully to keep from crying out. "I adore you, my princess," the girl concluded.

Struggling to her feet, Karla fought off a wave a nausea along with the red fog of pain that was enveloping her brain. Taking Barbara in her arms she melted her lips to hers while pulling Barb's pelvis to hers. In spite of her best efforts she gasped as Barb's tight pubic patch contacted her own bleeding loins. Ignoring the agonizing pain, she moved her pelvis on her sister's and could feel as her blood soaked Barb's pubic patch and began to stream down both legs.

"Mistress," she whispered, "this beating is as perfect as I dreamed it would be." After pausing she added, "I adore you, Barbara Sloan. But please don't cry." Then in spite of her agony she forced a grin and added, "I knew it would hurt you more than it hurts me, Big Sister." With that she kissed Barb's eyes and licked off the tears that were streaming unchecked down her cheeks.

"Now, let's get with the program, as you Yanks like to say." Then looking deeply into Barb's tormented eyes she added, "And remember, you're going to bisect both of my nipples with a single stroke. And we're not finished until you do, regardless of how many strokes it takes!"

Taking her position under the pipes, Karla stretched her arms upward. This time, though, Ken used longer lengths of rope so that her feet remained on the ground. With her arms spread-eagled above her she found herself looking at Barb who was almost physically ill at the sight of Karla's blood streaming from the deep cuts in her loins and inner thighs.

With a grin she said, "Darling sister, you look worse than I do! Now let's get with it. The worst is over; now I can look at you and more easily tell you how much I love you. I think about twenty strokes on this side should be about right," she said.

To the onlookers Karla didn't appear to be speaking normally and she was not, because as she spoke she was struggling to keep from vomiting from her pain. Then with a small grin she added, "But you must bisect my nipples. Clear?" All Barbara could do was nod. Glaring at her Karla concluded, "Now let's go! I don't want to stand here all night."

With a sick look on her face, Barb took the whip, rolled it out — this time Karla could see the entire process — and with a smooth motion cracked it against her body. Feeling the searing pain, her body stiffened and her eyes closed as again the pain almost overwhelmed her. But after taking a deep breath she looked down and saw a red line across her chest bisecting both nipples. Although her body seemed to be on fire from cuts on the most sensitive parts of her body, she smiled at Barb and said, "Thank you, Mistress, for helping me to be a better slave."

With the pleading in her eyes obvious, Barb went to her while still holding the whip and hugged her tightly. When she did the blood from Karla's chest covered her own. Since the ropes suspending her from the pipes above allowed some movement, Karla took the opportunity to slowly move her chest across Barb's to cover her with more of her blood.

Then she said hoarsely, "I knew you could do it, darling sister. Now the worst is over. Can we please get on with it? My arms are really getting tired."

When Barbara moved back to her position, she was replaced by Maria who dropped to her knees, licked Karla's bleeding chest and in the gentlest manner possible kissed and licked her agonized nipples. "I can't wait to share your agony, my princess. I only pray that I can be a tiny fraction as brave as you have been."

When she looked up, she found Karla's eyes focused on her. Looking deeply into them, Maria recoiled when she saw the red pain behind them. "Thank you, my darling duchess, for trying to ease my pain. I pray that I will be able to ease yours as much." Then to Barb she said, "I'm waiting..."

Again Barb drew back the whip. Faster than a cobra, it struck once, then again and yet again. Each time it was the now-familiar white-hot wire. Swinging right-handed, Barbara started on Karla's upper thighs and then moved up her body at about one-inch intervals. After the fourth fast stroke, Karla, who had been smiling warmly at Barbara to that point, lost consciousness and sagged from her bonds. A tribute to Barbara's ability was that, even though she was in the middle of a stroke, she was able to adjust her aim to maintain the spacing of the cuts on Karla's body. The last stroke cut down to her collar bone. By this time Barbara was crying so hard she could scarcely see.

Notwithstanding, she shifted the whip to her left hand and, beginning at Karla's right collar bone worked down her right side. But this time, as the whip cut across already bleeding cuts, blood began to fly and spray the terrace. Nineteen strokes were delivered in not many more seconds. When she finished, Barb dropped the whip from nerveless hands and collapsed to her knees, weeping.

Maria raced to Karla, took the girl's body in her arms, and slowly moved her body against it. The additional pain of contact was sufficient to penetrate Karla's consciousness. Slowly she raised her head from her chest. The instant she moved, Maria held her face in both hands and, with tears streaming from her eyes kissed her softly on the lips. It was a warm and loving kiss, almost as warm as Barb's. Then the girl, being as careful as she could to keep from hurting Karla further, moved down her body kissing and licking her wounds.

By the time she was finished, Steve had finished cutting her wrists down so they were now free. When Maria moved away, Barb was standing before her. Reaching out, Karla pulled her sister to her tightly. When the two bodies were in contact the pain was excruciating. Nonetheless, Karla then relaxed her hold just enough to be able to sinuously move her bleeding body against Barbara's as she whispered, "Thank you, darling mistress, for teaching me to be a better slave."

Then to Barb's utter amazement, Karla actually grinned and added, "Boy, am I ever fixing you! Barbara Sloan, you're now a bloody mess! You look awful!"

"Aside from being a masochist, I now learn my baby sister is a fool! Look, Little Sister, isn't that really a dumb thing to say when I have a whip in my hand? Well, isn't it?"

Karla's eyes gleamed as she just stuck out her tongue. "I think about twenty more ought to be enough, if it's okay with you, darling mistress? But please put ten on my fat ass. That way I'll be reminded of your love whenever I sit down."

While she was speaking, she had again raised her arms over her head, ignoring the searing pain in her collar bones, both of which were exposed by whip cuts and gleamed a grayish-yellow in the dim light on the terrace. Steve secured her wrists to lengths of line attached to the horizontal pipe.

Again, Barbara began the whipping right handed, beginning on Karla's upper thighs. After five strokes across her buns she moved up and laid open her back with five lashes. Shifting hands again, she moved down and finished with a cut across her left thigh. Again Karla had passed out from her agony mid-way up the right side and was just hanging from her bonds, almost lifeless, when Barbara finished. This time the girl dropped the whip and collapsed to her hands and knees where she vomited up her dinner.

After Maria had again kissed and licked all her cuts, Karla regained consciousness. Steve had already cut her down, so she found herself lying face down on the tiles. In spite of her agony, she fought to stand up and finally managed with Maria supporting her.

Then, when Barbara came close looking deathly pale in spite of her tan, Karla said with a grin, "Good heavens, Big Sister! What happened to you? You look worse than I do."

"And I've learned my lesson, too," Barb remarked wryly while trying to return the grin. "Never administer a whipping on a full stomach." Shaking her head sorrowfully, she added, "What a waste of a great wine."

Then Karla reached out her arms saying, "Thank you, beloved mistress for teaching me to be a better slave. I hope I've learned my lessons well." Then the two women embraced. In spite of herself, Karla screamed in agony when she felt Barbara's strong hands on her cuts. Barb moved her hands around to spread Karla's blood all over her body and the two moved their bodies so that Barbara's chest, tits, belly, and loins were all covered with blood.

"Thank you, Big Sister. I know how terrible this was for you. But could we sit down with you holding me in your arms while Steve prepares Maria for her torture? I want to watch, and I want to try to help her in the same way she helped me."

Barb sat down on the terrace tiles and Karla sat down in front of her. Ignoring the cuts on her back and on her buttocks, she just leaned back against Barbara's body and relaxed. As gently as she could Barb held Karla's firm tits in her hands, disregarding the cuts and the blood. Karla closed her eyes and murmured, "My darling sister, that feels so good!"

Meanwhile, Steve was securing Maria's wrists to the pipe in the same way Karla's had been. In spite of the girl's pleas, Andy flatly vetoed the idea of whipping her in the cunt while she was upside down. Taking charge — there were no Divine orders where Maria was concerned — Andy announced that she would receive forty lashes, twenty across her tits and cunt and twenty more across her back and ass.

For her part, Maria had only one request. She asked Andy please to use the same whip that had been used on her beloved princess. When Andy nodded, Maria asked her please not to squeeze any of Karla's blood from it. She wanted to feel the blood-soaked tip strike her body. Finally she reminded Andy that any stroke that didn't cut her body and draw blood didn't count. Hearing her, Andy paled, but just nodded her head.

As she went back to take her position — she was about to whip the front of the girl first — the first drops of rain fell. More followed and in no time a heavy summer thundershower had begun. Suddenly, to the amazement of everyone, Maria began to weep.

Karla, ignoring her agony, pulled free from Barbara and raced to the girl yelling, "Darling duchess, what's wrong? What's happened? Can I help?"

"No, Princess. You can't help. No one can. Just look at my hair! It's ruined. This rain is turning it into strings. And I spent so much time to get it just right, too!" Then the girl grinned, winked, and started to giggle.

Barbara was standing now and using the warm rain to wash off some of Karla's blood from her own body. Joining the two girls she heard what Maria had said. Taking the girl's rain-washed face in her hands she kissed her warmly and said, "Baby Sister, this girl will do!" Then turning to Andy she said, "You've really lucked out with your slave, darling. This girl is great!"

Andy, who had been startled and concerned when Maria had started to cry, began to giggle and then laugh uproariously when she heard her response to Karla. "You're right, Barbara Sloan. She's really neat. Now let's get it over with before we all drown out here."

Taking the whip in her hand, Andy let it unroll the way she had seen Barbara do, then struck. Beginning on the girl's thighs she moved up her body on her left side and ended with a cut that opened her collar bone. To that point Maria had been smiling, but the pain this time was too much. It forced a scream of agony from her lips and she sagged against her bonds, unconscious. Scarcely slowing down, Andy shifted hands and did the same thing moving down the right side of the girl's body. When she finished, each of Maria's tiny nipples had been bisected by a deep whip cut.

By this time, the rain had turned into a cloudburst, flooding the terrace. Water was streaming off it in small rivers, fortunately carrying off the blood that had been spattered all over it.

When Andy finished, Karla, moving stiffly now, went to the girl, held her face in her hands and gently kissed her lips. This was all that was needed to restore Maria to consciousness. "Please don't, Princess," she whispered hoarsely. "It's so unnecessary!"

Then looking up toward the sky she said, "Dear God, please accept my pain in partial penance for my sins. And please bless your loving servant, Princess Karla, and alleviate her pain." Then brightening she added, "Please give me her pain, dear God, so I can complete my penance. As you know, she is free from sin and pure of heart. She shouldn't be suffering the way she is. Please bestow her agony on my body the way your Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ, accepted the sins of mankind in His. I ask this in His name. Amen."

Suddenly there was a flash of lightening followed instantly by a humongous clap of thunder. At that instant, much of Karla's pain disappeared. But looking at Maria, Karla could see that she looked disappointed.

"Most of your agony just went away, didn't it?" Karla asked quietly. With tears starting to flow from her eyes, Maria slowly nodded her head. "Well, darling duchess, almost all of mine went away, too. Thank you, darling Maria, with all my heart for your prayer."

Quickly, Steve retied Maria's wrists and Andy again picked up the whip. In just a few seconds there were twenty more deep whip cuts on the girls upper thighs, back, and particularly on her ass. This time the girl made no sound, although she fainted from the agonizing pain when the tip of the whip wrapping over her shoulder opened up her collar bone.

Finally, it was over. As the girl hung from her wrists, Karla went to her and took her in her arms. Ignoring the cuts on Maria's back and all of her own cuts, she held the girl tightly and felt the girl slowly move her body against her own. The pain of contact revived the girl and Maria raised her head. Tipping it, the two women kissed.

When Karla released her, Maria dropped to her knees and kissed Andy's feet. Then she took the bloody tip of the whip that Andy was still holding and kissed it. Looking up she said softly, "Thank you, darling mistress, for helping to teach me to be a better slave."

Finally, she squeezed the blood from the tip of the whip, licking it from her fingers each time. When she had extracted all she could, she carefully coiled it again and returned it to Andy's numb hand. At that point, she just pitched face down on the terrace, unconscious.

Steve raced over and, ignoring the cuts and blood, picked the girl up, carried her back into the apartment and put her into the bathtub. Andy joined her in it and, with tears pouring from her eyes, began gently to bathe Maria's wounds. In no time the water in the bathtub had turned pink from her blood.

After lifting Maria from the tub, Steve gently eased her down on the massage table where Andy began to treat her cuts with antiseptic and then a pain-killing salve.

While the bathtub was refilling, Barbara helped Karla back into the apartment. The two girls paused at the door and looked back at the now-flooded terrace. "I guess our blood will help to fertilize the plants in the Czech Republic," Karla commented. "And at least we won't have to scrub the terrace floor in the morning."

When they reached the bathroom, Andy was helping the now-conscious Maria to her feet. Then she, Maria and Ken went off to their bedroom to conclude the initiation by holding the girl between them as they had been instructed. Barb, meanwhile, helped Karla into the bathtub and repeated for her what Andy had done for Maria.

When she finished with the pain-killing salve, Karla was propped up on her elbows. "Mistress," she asked, "could you do me a small favor?"

"Of course, Little Sister," Barb replied. "What is it?"

"Could ... could you get a needle and thread and sew me up a little? Most of it I don't mind, but seeing my collar bones bare is sort of yucky. I hate the grayish-yellow color of exposed bone."

Barbara looked into Karla's eyes and decided the girl wasn't kidding. She went off in search of a needle and thread and then returned. "To show you what a considerate sister you have, I'll even give you a choice of color. We have white, black, or tan. Do you have a preference?" With a grin Karla picked tan.

Then while trying to block out of her mind what she was doing, Barb proceeded to sew up the cuts on the girl's shoulders and then, when she saw that the table was covered with Karla's blood still pouring from her groin, she did the same thing with the cut that ran the length of her slit.

"If you sew my cunt lips together, I'll never speak to you again!" Karla said with a grin. In spite of the agonizing pain, she had spread her thighs as far apart as she could to facilitate Barb's access.

"What difference does it make?" Barb asked blithely. "After all, you're not married, so why should you care?"

"Because I have to pee sometimes," the girl replied, sticking out her tongue.

Barb cocked her head and pretended to reflect on Karla's comment. Then she nodded once and said, "I guess that's true, isn't it... ? But you could just hold it in, couldn't you? I mean ... You are toilet trained, aren't you?"

When Karla just grinned, Barb dropped the playacting and said, "I love you desperately, Little Sister." Then seeing the wanting in Karla's eyes, she kissed the girl on the lips. It was the finest kiss the two had ever exchanged.

When she eased away, Barb noticed that Karla's eyes were now closed and there was the loveliest smile she had ever seen. "Thank you, darling sister," Karla whispered. "I adore you."

By this time Barb had finished her stitching and helped Karla off the table. Going into the bedroom they found Steve in the bed with the covers pulled down on the other side, waiting for them. After helping Karla onto the bed, Barb scooted over to Steve and pulled the covers off him exposing his semi-erect cock. Going down on him, he almost instantly achieved a raging erection. This time Barb got on top and impaled herself on his rigid cock. Then she began to move up and down on it. Her motion was one of a rider posting on a horse. In no time she had her first orgasm.

"Have you ever thought of having a riding saddle made that way?" Karla asked grinning. "I mean ... that way you don't need a guy..." Barb tried to glare at her, but couldn't. She giggled. Then Karla said reflectively, "You know, I was reading about American schools. I understand from the article that sharing is considered very important. And, Big Sister, since you're not using all of him, I was wondering..."

"Wondering what?" Barb asked raising an eyebrow.

"Well ... You're way up there, and he's down here so..." With that, ignoring the agonizing pain she caused herself, Karla moved over and lowered her lips to Steve's. She kissed him quickly, then after rising a bit said softly, "Hello, brother-in-law. Now that we're kin, I was wondering..." She moved her soft lips over his while Barb continued to fuck herself.

While Karla experimented on Steve's lips with all sorts of loving kisses, Barb had reached continuous orgasm and was screaming unintelligibly. Then Karla had a new idea. Disengaging her lips, she moved closer and put her left nipple in Steve's mouth, ignoring the fact that it had been sliced in half, than quartered, then cut into six parts. He licked it gently causing her to shiver with sexual excitement.

Curiously, his tongue on her tortured nipple felt almost healing so she took it out and put her other one in. Steve found it curiously satisfying. Moreover, by concentrating on Karla, he was able to take his mind off what his wife was doing on his cock. But at the same time he didn't know what to do with his hands. Karla answered the unspoken question by asking him to hold her tightly. Putting his hand on her tortured back, he held her tightly pulling her chest down on his face to allow him to kiss, lick, and suck on her nipple. She almost passed out from the pain when he inadvertently bit down on her nipple as he finally injected his cum in successive pulsations into Barbara.

Barb almost lost consciousness, but managed to keep from blacking out. Recovering, she realized what Karla had been doing. "And what is my little sister doing?" she asked archly. "The nipple in Steve's mouth certainly isn't mine, and it's much too big to be Susie's, so..."

"I was just introducing myself to my new brother-in-law," Karla replied casually. "And since you were otherwise occupied..."

Barb raised an eyebrow and thought for a moment. "Hmm. It seems to me that my arrogant baby sister thought she could beat me in the pool this afternoon. And I seem to recall a bet..."

Disengaging from Steve, Karla rolled off him back to where she had been lying while being careful to avoid creating any more pain for herself than she could help. Now lying on her back she said, "After what I've been through tonight, Big Sister, there's nothing you could possibly do to torment me. Nothing!"

"Oh?" Barb commented flatly. Then ignoring the love juices dripping from her cunt, she got off Steve and moved closer to Karla. She knelt beside her and looked down at the girl's tortured body. "Steve, darling, I think I need a little help," she said. "Could you hold her down on the bed, please. If you hold her upper arms, it should be okay. They're still unmarked."

Steve was puzzled but did what she asked. When he was in position at the top of the bed, Barb jumped out, went to the dresser to get something and was almost instantly back on the bed.

When Karla saw a long feather in her hand her eyes widened. Although she was very ticklish, she was almost certain that the Sloans didn't know it. But Barb slowly began to play on Karla's ribs and her cunt with both ends of the feather, alternating with her fingers gently exploring Karla's ribs while ignoring the cuts all over her body.

Although Karla tried to remain impassive, she couldn't. Soon she started to giggle, then to laugh. Barb, taking her time, just maintained her tickling at the same level of intensity. Soon the girl tried to roll away but was held in position by Steve's grip of steel. Then her laughter turned to crying and soon she was begging Barb to stop. "Do anything to me, Barbara Sloan, but for God's sake, stop tickling! I can't stand it."

"Anything?" Barb asked while continuing her torment. "How about another whipping?"

"Oh, yes!" Karla screamed. "My cunt! You can whip it twenty more times. You can take your time. You can have me squeeze my blood off the tip after each stroke. You can cut off my tits and cook them ... Or I'll cook them. Please, Barb!"

Barbara stopped suddenly and threw the feather into a corner. Steve released the girl and Barb lay down beside her. "I think I'll just hold you tightly instead," she whispered, taking a position on the outside of the bed. Karla moved toward the middle and rolled over to face Barb while Steve, lying on his side molded his body to her back. Ignoring the agonizing pain, Karla mashed her tortured tits against Barbara while feeling her back crushed against Steve's chest.

"I adore you, Barbara Sloan," Karla whispered. Then she crushed her lips to Barb's and almost instantly her body went limp, whether from sleep or unconsciousness, Barb couldn't tell. In moments the Sloans were asleep with the girl between them.



-------

Chapter 6



The next morning, when Barbara Sloan awakened, she found herself in Steve's arms. It felt wonderful and reminded her of their honeymoon when Steve would hold her tightly to keep her warm as they slept on the beach under the stars. Since her arms were around him, she moved her hand slightly which was all that was needed to awaken him. Rolling on her back she spread her legs and he entered her. Their morning lovemaking, as always, was slow, loving and tender. After he came inside her and she lost consciousness, she recovered consciousness feeling wonderful.

Only then did she realize that Karla wasn't there. Her last memory had been of the girl's tortured body being mashed between them, but of her there was no sign. Then glancing over at the side of the bed, she saw Karla's face.

"Good morning, darling mistress," the girl whispered. "Are you ready for your coffee this morning?"

When Barb vigorously nodded her head, Karla straightened up while still on her knees, poured a cup of coffee from a carafe and passed it to Barb. Taking a sip, she murmured happily. Then she pulled back the covers and motioned for Karla to get in bed beside her. When the girl stood up, Barb was almost sickened by the cuts that covered her body. Because she turned her back as she took off her "uniform," Barb got a good look at all of it.

Amazingly, Karla got into bed with only a few winces as the pain from her tortured body hit her. Putting her own cup on the night table, she kissed Barbara with all the love she possessed. This time the power of her kiss almost caused Barb to lose consciousness. When she eased away, Barbara held the back of her head and looked deep into her eyes. As she expected, there was love and grace in her warm eyes. But there was also the red of pain, but Karla didn't let on. Then resting with her head on pillows Barb had piled up behind them she said softly, "Thank you, darling mistress."

"And for what is my body slave thanking me?" Barb inquired.

"For doing such a wonderful job of sewing me up last night," the girl replied. "Just look! Your stitches are so neat. And you didn't sew my cunt closed, either."

Just then the door eased open and Maria entered the room. Coming close to the bed so she could whisper, she asked, "Will you be ready for your breakfast soon? My mistress asked me to inquire." Then she said proudly, "I will only be having a slice of bread. My diet starts immediately." Then she added, "Of course I must work out first. Will you be joining us?"

Barbara was stunned at what she was hearing. Maria had been sliced up almost as badly as Karla had been, but she was talking about exercise. "But how can you?" Barb asked. "Just look at your body!"

"I have," Maria replied casually, "and didn't my young mistress do a fantastic job? The cuts are spaced so evenly and are so symmetrical, I don't think even you could have done better. And she bisected both nipples, too."

"But the pain..."

"I won't even feel it," Maria interrupted. "Mistress Andy is so thoughtful that she's going to remove the rest of the hair on my crotch while I work out. That way I won't even notice."

While Barb was looking at Maria in amazement, Karla climbed out of the bed and said, "Come on, Mistress. We both need our exercise."

Getting out of bed the two joined Maria and went to the exercise room where Andy was waiting for them. As Maria had said, while she moved the equipment Andy was using a pair of tweezers to pull out the rest of her pubic hair leaving only a very dense patch above her now hairless slit. When they finished, all four girls went into the shower. Although the slaves wanted to wash their mistresses, they were told that they would be washed instead. When they got out, Andy ordered Maria to lay on the massage table and then very gently spread more painkilling ointment on her ravaged groin. As she did, Maria just murmured happily.

When they went out to the kitchen, they found Steve and Ken had begun the breakfast preparations. While four of them sat down to large breakfasts, Maria looked happily at one-third of a single slice of dry toast. Then she lowered her head and prayed, "Thank you, dear God, for all of your blessings. Thank You for the wonderful agony I feel sitting here at the breakfast table with the finest people you, in your infinite wisdom, have ever seen fit to create." She paused for a moment and then continued, "And thank you most of all for the friendship of Princess Karla. There are no words to express the joy that I, a prostitute, feel."

While her head was still down Susie appeared. Extending her tiny hand, she said, "Hi, Maria Müller. I'm Susie Sloan. We haven't met before. I ... sort of help out the Boss from time to time."

Looking up, Maria almost fainted when she realized there was a beautiful woman, about two feet tall, hovering over the breakfast table in front of her.

"I guess there's no sense in wasting a lot of time on introductions. Andy can tell you about me later if you have any interest. But right now I want her to look into your eyes and tell me what she sees. Andy?"

The young girl jumped from her seat and knelt beside Maria. Turning the girl's head to face her she looked deeply into her eyes. Slowly shaking her head she said, "I see purity, sanctifying grace and an incredible amount of the purest love." Then she continued, "I also see an incredible amount of pain searing her brain. But ... but ... but it has utterly destroyed any sin that might have been there before."

Looking at Susie she said, "There's nothing there but purity. Maria Müller is now as pure as the new-fallen snow."

"You've sure got that right," Susie replied. "And, Andrea Cartwright, I can't tell you how proud of you the Boss was last night. You handled that whip as well as Barbara did. And you're still only a little girl. Then you and Ken held Maria's bloody body between you. What did it feel like?"

"Like ... like..." Andy slowly shook her head and said, "I don't know what it felt like. The closest thing is one time I was very sick and Mommy held me all night in her arms, crushing her luscious tits to my flat chest." Then she snapped her fingers and exclaimed, "Of course! That's it! When God gave his orders, I thought Ken and I were comforting her. But that's not the way it worked at all, was it? She was comforting us."

Then the girl began to cry. Resting her chin on Maria's tortured thigh she looked up and said, "Maria Müller, can you ever forgive me? Ever, in your whole life?"

"Forgive you?" Maria exclaimed. "You've got to be kidding. You heard Susie. In less than twenty-four hours you have transformed me from a prostitute into ... into ... Well, I don't know what I've become, but I'm no longer a prostitute." Then looking up at Susie she asked, "Is ... is ... is there any chance at all that sometime a man might ... might like me?"

"Ken Clifford could look deeply into your eyes and answer that question," Susie replied, "but instead, I will. Maria Müller, you are going to be the stunning beauty you have always been inside. The guys will be standing in line. All you're going to have to do is pick one to be the father of your children." With that the sprite vaporized.

After breakfast they checked the schedule and found there was nothing on. But just then the phone rang. When Steve answered, it was the Minister of Industry's secretary requesting an immediate meeting with Mr. Sloan. Steve's eyes widened for a moment, but then he agreed to meet with the minister in thirty minutes. When Barbara told Karla to stay in their room and rest, she flatly refused pointing out that she was the maid, after all, and she was responsible for their guests' needs.

"But darling," Barbara protested, "what will they say? Just look at your body! You're cut to ribbons."

"With a whip provided by the Minister of State Security himself," Karla replied. "Besides, I earned these stripes and suffered to get them. I shall display them proudly."

When she went off, Maria followed. While the Sloans were dressing, the two girls, now each wearing a collar with a bow tie and cuffs, made the rooms spotless. Andy and Ken put on shorts and T-shirts and headed out to find a swimming pool. It was going to be a very hot day. Before they left, though, they asked Steve to make arrangements to have a pool installed on the roof next to the apartment.

Steve wore a pair of gray slacks and a blue blazer, while Barbara wore a lime-green sleeveless dress that was so plain in cut that only a woman with a perfect figure like hers could wear it attractively. When there was a knock on the door, Karla went to answer it. Pausing for a moment, she was about to pinch her nipples when she realized that they were both sliced through three times and were turgid from pain anyway.

Opening the door, she stepped back to usher in the guests. With the door open she realized that it was Hans Slavic, but without his assistants from the day before. Instead, her eyes widened when she saw her boss, Stefan Klink, and his boss, Frederick Wilhelm, the Home Minister himself.

"My God!" Klink exclaimed. "We're too late. Karla, what happened to you?"

Drawing herself up even straighter than before she said, "I have been accepted into the Sloan's service. Now will you gentlemen come with me? My master and mistress are waiting." Without another word she turned and led the way to the sitting room. Following behind, it was abundantly clear to all the men that she had been merciless whipped.

Both Klink and Wilhelm were steaming when they reached the Sloans. Klink was so upset he forgot himself and screamed, "Sloan, what have you done to Major Kosta?"

Steve, his face impassive, replied, "Why don't you ask the major?"

"They did nothing to me," Karla said quietly. "I did it to myself. I wanted to enter their service, and this was the entry fee." Then with her blue eyes flashing she added, "And, gentlemen, I suggest we end this discussion right now. If you persist, I will insist this happened at Secret Police headquarters. I will say that reactionary elements left over from ... the prior regime ... did it to try to cause trouble for Steve Sloan and Kendy Company.

"Since the whip used on me — which, I'm sure, still has bits of my flesh embedded in it — came from Secret Police headquarters, I'm certain there will be others there which identically match this one. And it's fair to say that our organization doesn't enjoy the greatest reputation, due to our former close association with the KGB. Now, would you like to see if I'm serious?"

The two ministers were so thunderstruck by what Karla said, they just sagged into chairs. Not knowing what else to do, Slavic took a seat too. Then Maria appeared with coffee. But instead of serving it the way Karla had the day before, the girl dropped smoothly to her knees to serve, then smoothly rose again to go to the next man. Karla inwardly winced as she realized the torture to which the girl was so willingly subjecting herself.

Seeing Maria's lacerations, Wilhelm asked kindly, "What happened to you, Miss?"

With her eyes shining Maria replied, "I, too, have entered the service of Kendy Company. I am the junior slave. And, sir, I was given the joy of attending to my mistress, Karla, during her torture. She was utterly exquisite, as I'm sure you agree. Her heroism is utterly without parallel in our country's history."

"That's certainly true enough," Wilhelm said. Then to Klink he said, "Stefan, you called it. I apologize. When you told me that Karla requested a set of whips, I thought you had lost your marbles. Clearly, you had not. Everything you feared might happen already has, I'm afraid." Then looking at his colleagues he inquired, "Well, since we're too late to prevent a whipping, what do we do now?"

Slavic, seeing that his seniors had no idea, took the lead. "Tell me, Mr. Sloan, now that you have acquired Skoda, what on earth do you intend to do with it? Frankly, we're happy to get rid of it, as I'm sure you noticed yesterday ... between golf strokes, that is."

"May I respond, Master?" Karla inquired. Taken aback, Steve instantly agreed. "Mistress, would it be all right if I sat at the table? It seems like I am — or was — the focus of this meeting anyway."

"Sit?" Barb exclaimed. "But your ... your..."

"My ass is fine, Mistress," Karla responded. "After all, I sat down for breakfast and sat on the exercise machines before that. And these chairs are much more comfortable." She paused and then added, "Besides, the pain only reminds me of the great love we share."

When Barb nodded in resignation, Karla sat down gently beside Barbara ignoring the agonizing flash of pain that struck her when she did. But Klink saw her eyes involuntarily widen and he just shook his head in dismay and sorrow. But she did carefully position herself forward on the chair to avoid unnecessary contact with her lacerated back.

"Herr Slavic, you asked about Kendy's plans," Karla began. "Obviously, since the transaction was concluded less than twenty-four hours ago, they are not yet complete." Then she turned to Klink and said, "First, sir, I lied to you yesterday. I lied terribly. I said that Mrs. Sloan is an airhead. Nothing could be farther from the truth. She is possibly the most brilliant person alive in the world."

But then with a very warm smile she added, "Everything wasn't a lie, though. I said she made her body available to her husband at any time..." She stopped, shook her head and corrected herself, "That's not true either. If she thinks her husband might enjoy her sexually in some manner, she does it. She exists to make him happy. And Steven Sloan is possibly the happiest, and certainly the most sexually satisfied man in the world.

"But back to Skoda. Last night, after their lovemaking — they allowed me to share their bed, so I know — they talked about Skoda. The first change is so obvious, they couldn't understand why it hasn't been made before now."

"Obvious?" Slavic responded, puzzled. "I know of no obvious improvements."

"It involves Skoda Arms," Karla continued. "First, the company has a worldwide reputation for the highest quality. It's a reputation had been earned over many years, but lately it has become tarnished. Why? Because the quality of output isn't close to what it once was. This is going to change instantly."

"But how?" Slavic persisted. "It's the workforce. Many of our very best craftsmen have retired. We have so few real gunsmiths left—"

"—and most of the ones you still have are being misused," Karla interrupted, completing his sentence. "This is the situation the Sloans addressed." She grinned in amusement as if she was remembering the night. "While after lovemaking, most couples go to sleep and a few exchange loving remarks, my master and mistress talk business. I'm pretty sure it was her idea, too. First, there is nothing mysterious about making firearms these days. After all, it's not rocket science."

The ministers were amused at her comment and she grinned happily at them. Then she continued, "The basic assembly is quite simple. All one needs are precision-machined parts and then simple assembly to put them together. That's been your problem: Your machine tools are worn to the point they can seldom achieve, let alone maintain, requisite tolerances. Well, this morning before you arrived, Mr. Sloan sent a fax to Cincinnati Millicron ordering a number of the world's finest precision machining and boring machines. They are all computer controlled; no skill is required. The new machine tools will take care of the tolerances.

"Then the Sloans plan to divide the workforce along skill levels. The least skilled will assemble the basic weapons as the parts come from the automated tools. Then the more skilled will do varying degrees of handwork that distinguish Skoda weapons. The finest gunsmiths will spend full time on the finest inlay and engraving work that only they can do. No longer will they be wasting most of their time on the most rudimentary jobs."

Then with a beaming smile she concluded, "Once again Skoda Works AG will stand for the finest firearms in the world. The hourly pay of the skilled craftsmen will rise dramatically, encouraging the less talented to upgrade their skills. And the company will grow."

The three ministers looked at one another, shook their heads, but said nothing. Finally, Frederick Wilhelm said softly, "It seems to make all kinds of sense to me ... But I'm certainly not an industrialist." He had been impressed with Karla's performance and utterly amazed at her acceptance of — indeed, almost a joy in — her tortured body.

Then he asked, "If that idea was Mrs. Sloan's, was she rewarded for it?"

"Yes, indeed!" Karla replied. "She received the most valuable gift Mr. Sloan could possibly give her."

"Which was?" Wilhelm asked, curious.

"He really fucked her brains out!" Karla enthused. "And that was after some of the most beautiful lovemaking you could possibly imagine just a short time earlier, too."

"He did what?" the minister asked, not believing his ears.

"He fucked her brains out. In fact, the poor woman nearly destroyed herself. All I can say, sir, is that had it been me, I would be dead right now. This woman was consumed by continuous orgasm for more than thirty minutes. You can see that she's very muscular. Can you imagine what it's like to see her naked body with all of the muscles in it in continuous spasm? Can you? She was screaming incoherently while all her sensation — indeed, her entire life — was concentrated in her cunt. Finally, Mr. Sloan put her out of her torment when he poured gallons of delicious cum into her love box.

"Poor Mrs. Sloan passed out cold when all of the circuits of her nervous system just cut out due to massive overload." With a wonderfully warm smile she concluded, "That is how she was rewarded."

Then looking at Barbara she asked, "Have you ever seen a happier or more sexually fulfilled woman in your entire life?"

"That reminds me," Stefan Klink interjected. "We have heard ... shall we say ... some interesting stories from our sports complex regarding events yesterday afternoon." Looking sharply at Karla he asked, "Were you invited to join the Czech Olympic swimming team yesterday afternoon?"

Karla, very embarrassed, just nodded her head.

"And were you later begged to join our national tennis team?"

Again she nodded her head.

Turning toward Barbara he just shook his head and said, "There is also a small matter of breaking the world's record — the men's world record! — by a bunch of seconds, Mrs. Sloan. And then breaking the world record for 3,000 meters while you were just loosening up following your record swim. I am told that your 100-meter splits were in Olympic-class time ... for 100 meters. Is that correct?" Barbara was uncomfortable but utterly beautiful as she sat up straight in her chair and said nothing. Klink just nodded. "And finally, there's a small matter, Karla, of telling the coach that Mrs. Sloan ... is your sister. Did you say that?"

"Yes, sir," Karla replied simply.

"And is she?" he persisted.

"Karla Kosta is my sister!" Barbara exclaimed. "She is the most wonderful person in the whole world. And I cannot tell you how wonderful it feels to be able to live in her reflected brilliance. She is brilliant, warm, witty, loving..." Barbara broke off and began to cry but then exclaimed, "Yes, damn it! Karla Kosta is my loving sister, and I am damned proud of it!" With that, blinded by her tears she reached out in Karla's direction.

Taking her in her arms, Karla crushed her body to Barbs ignoring her own agony when she did. Then she gently lifted Barb's chin and melted her lips to hers. The men watched as electricity flowed between the two at an ever increasing voltage. Then, while their lips were still joined, a golden glow started to appear around their heads. It grew in intensity and size until the women were covered and became invisible to the outside. Finally, when its brilliance rivaled the sun, there was a silent explosion and the golden light sprayed all over the room and everyone in it. Steve and Maria watched with equanimity, but the three men were rendered unconscious.

Jumping to her feet, Maria went to Wilhelm whose head had hit the table with such force they could all hear the bang. Maria gently lifted his head and cradled it to her bountiful breasts. She just held him and crooned softly.

In a matter of a minute or so, Wilhelm began to come around. As he did, he vaguely realized he was being held close to the most fragrant female body he could imagine. As he recovered his senses, she loosened her hold on him until he was able to raise his head. When he did, he looked into Maria's eyes and was stunned again. Then he looked deep into Karla's eyes, and then Barbara's. "You are unreal! All of you." Finally feeling himself, he said, "That was a Divine event we just experienced, wasn't it?"

"Yes, it was," Maria said simply.

Then to his colleagues who were still speechless he said, "Gentlemen, we are in over our heads." To Karla he said, "Major Kosta..." With a smile at the Sloans he interjected, "I'm sure I'm not telling you anything you don't already know. Karla is Major Karla Kosta of the Czech Secret Police."

Then looking at Karla again he continued, "It is clear that you are answering to an authority far higher than we. Further, I am convinced that the Czech Republic will not suffer in any way." Shaking his head he continued, "I fail to see how the torture you so willing accepted enters into any of this.

"But I will say that when I look into your eyes and the eyes of your friends, I drown. There is a level of the purest Divine grace that I did not think existed in the world any longer." Now relaxing, he leaned back in his chair and thought for a few moments.

Then to his colleagues he said, "Lest we be consigned to the men in the white coats, I think a ... shall we say ... carefully edited... ? version of today's events should be reported to higher authority. But I personally assure you all that, as usual, Karla Kosta has been — and is — acting in the highest possible interests of our country. And acting in accordance with instructions from the highest possible authority in this world ... or any other, for that matter."

Then turning to Maria he said, "I know who Major Kosta is, and I have some idea about Mrs. Sloan. But who are you? I cannot thank you enough for what you just did. You don't know me from the man in the moon, yet when I pass out I come to being cradled against your lovely breasts, breasts that have been brutally lacerated. It must have been agony for you to have my head against your cuts, but you cradled it as if you didn't care at all. Why?"

"Because, sir, it's what Karla or Barb would have done had they not been ... enclosed ... and had they been on this side of the table. So, since they couldn't do it, I did."

"Is there anything I can do for you, Miss... ?"

"Maria Müller, sir. And yes, there is. If you should learn that I am wanted for common prostitution, I would appreciate any help you might care to give."

"Maria, I know nothing of your background. But one thing I do know. Under no circumstances will you be prosecuted for anything you may have done before today. From what we have just seen, I conclude that you have made your peace with ... higher authority. That being so, what else can we do? To borrow from the wedding ceremony, 'What God has joined together, let no man put asunder.' And I seem to recall another line from scripture: 'Whatsoever you shall bind on earth will be bound in Heaven.' If that is so, who are we — mere men — to examine, let alone question, a decision that has so clearly been made ... above!"

As he was about to go, Stefan Klink spoke up. "Sir, if I may take another moment?" Wilhelm nodded and Klink said to Steve, "You interest me, Mr. Sloan. Yesterday, you appeared to be a playboy, far more interested in golf than in business."

"Sir, he shot a six-under-par 66 on the national course yesterday afternoon," Maria interjected. "Of course he's interested in golf."

"I heard that, as well," Klink commented drily. "However, late yesterday, taking advantage of the time difference, we checked on Steven Sloan with a number of highly-placed sources in the United States.

"What we learned was astounding ... and humbling. We learned that you, sir, graduated number one in your class at the United States Military Academy at West Point. At the Academy you were considered to rank with Douglas MacArthur as perhaps its finest graduate in history. Following graduation, you received a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford where you received your doctorate in international economics with highest honors. For some reason your dissertation wasn't published at the time, but I learned that Oxford University Press is rectifying that oversight as we speak. Then what? Then Captain Steven Sloan is put in command of Carlson's Rangers."

Turning to Wilhelm he said, "Sir, do you remember at any time with our late unlamented eastern friends hearing the term, 'Carlson's Rangers?"

"My God!" exploded Wilhelm. "I certainly do. It was an American Army Ranger company with the hitting power of an infantry battalion! And this man commanded it?"

"Yes, sir. He did." Then looking back at Steve he said, "That was all some years ago. Then the story ends. No one knows what happened to Steven Sloan until he appears here in Prague a couple of days ago."

With a warm smile he added, "When I told my sources you were here they said three things: First, I could trust you with my life. 'Steve Sloan defines the term honor, ' one said. Second, forget trying to outsmart Steve Sloan. It can't be done. And there are cemeteries full of people in Vietnam who could attest to the truth of that statement. Third, to a man they said, 'If you should run into Steve, please give him our warmest and best regards.'" Looking at Steve who had remained impassive he said, "Please tell me one thing, Mr. Sloan: What brings you to the Czech Republic?"

"Your president, Václav Havel, and your prime minister, Václav Klaus," Steve replied. "They are trying to do great things for this country. At Kendy, we believe we can help."

"And I believe you can, too," Klink responded. Then with a broad smile he added, "And would you please put me down for one of the first of the new weapons to come from Skoda." Standing up straight he concluded, "I am proud that you are going to restore quality to the great name, Skoda. It is good."

Maria showed the men to the door. As she held it open, the last to leave was Frederick Wilhelm. He stopped in front of Maria, gently lifted her chin and kissed her. The instant their lips touched he could feel an incredible sense of love, joy, and divine grace. The kiss sent him reeling even though there was not a speck of passion in it.

Then he smiled warmly and said, "Thank you, Maria Müller. It is clear to me now that you are in the right place and with the right people. I hope you quickly recover from your wounds."

"Thank you, Minister," she said quietly as she closed the door. Returning to the sitting room, she found that Barb had already stripped off her clothes and was undressing a protesting Steve. She had a question in her eyes when she looked at Karla who was giggling merrily.

By this time, Steve was bare and Barb saw Maria's questioning look. "I just told him that I want my reward for the Skoda solution. Listening to Slave Karla, I was creaming in my pants." Reaching down she picked up the tiny piece of silk that was her thong, held it up and said, "Just look! It's soaked. I was afraid there would be a big wet spot on my dress. And it's not even a print that might have hidden it, either!" she pretended to wail.

"Now wait a stinking minute!" Steve interjected. "It wasn't your idea, it was Karla's. So what are you complaining about?"

With an eyebrow raised Barb demanded, "And just whose slave is she, might I ask? You know damned well, Steven Sloan, that a slave's creations belong to her mistress. So the idea was mine. Right?"

Karla's giggles gave way to full-bore laughter.

"Oh, all right," Steve agreed with feigned ill grace. "I suppose I must..." After pausing for a moment he continued as if he was talking to himself, "But I've got to be sure Barb's good and wet. No more 'slam, bam, thank you, ma'am.'"

Then sitting on the carpet — Barb had already vetoed the idea of returning to their bedroom — he sat Barb across his lap and caressed her body all over. While he melted his lips to hers, his hands were moving all over her body. Steve had been teasing, of course, but he recognized that, teasing aside, it was a neat thing to do. He just loved the feel of her satin-smooth skin under his finger tips, and the feel of her hidden muscles reacting to his touch. After nibbling on each nipple and provoking small cries of passion when he did, he eased her off his lap onto the floor.

Then, while she propped herself up on her elbows, he continued the exploration of her perfect body with his lips. When she reached out towards him, Steve positioned his own body so his cock was within her reach. Then he kissed her abdomen, ran his fingers through the dense patch of multi-hued pubic hair and kissed her nether lips. When he began to kiss and lick her clit, she rolled over so she could take his already huge cock in her lips.

What had begun as teasing had turned into the beginning of their finest lovemaking. Now her cunt was flowing with her juices while his cock was vibrating in its stiffness. When Steve looked up at her with a question in his eyes, she released his cock and murmured, "Oh, yes! Yes, my darling husband, yes! Will my darling husband honor his wife with his giant cock in her cunt? Please?"

Meanwhile, responding to a motion from Karla, Maria had taken a seat beside her. When she sat down, she sat back in the chair and rested her back against it. When Karla asked why she replied, "I am savoring the agony of last night's whipping, Princess." After a pause she continued, "You know, it's only appropriate that a princess be the handmaiden of a divinity."

Looking at Karla she added, "I initially thought it was terrible that you should be enslaved. Now I can see that it is only right." Then she looked up as Steve was about to enter his wife. Barb had elevated her pelvis to give him an appropriate line. "But, Princess! His cock! He'll split her in two. Never have I seen such a weapon!"

"Isn't it gorgeous?" Karla replied. "But just watch."

Seemingly without resistance, Steve slid his cock all the way into Barb's vagina. When she felt his balls bang against her ass, she shouted, "Yes! Oh God, Steve, it's never felt this good. I am blessed among women to have a husband as big as you and as good! Please fuck your wife! Fuck me, darling!"

She had raised her legs and wrapped her ankles around his neck. She screamed as an orgasm took her, but Steve just moved slowly in and out for the entire length of his great weapon.

Maria watched in increasing fascination. Barb's orgasms were coming with increasing frequency. Her loins were in spasm to the degree that Steve had to hold her thighs tightly to keep her from throwing him off. Now her orgasm was continuous. Sweat was streaming from her body and her muscles were revealed in stark relief against her golden tan. She screamed unintelligibly and her head thrashed from side to side.

Bending over, Steve, while continuing his steady in and out motion, melted her lips to hers murmuring, "I love my darling wife."

Maria was in awe of the lovemaking. "He's not fucking her," she whispered, "he's physically adoring her golden body. I've never seen anything so beautiful in my entire life."

Then she began to cry. When Karla took her hand and looked at her questioningly, Maria answered the unspoken question. "I've never made love in my entire life, Princess. But I've been fucked more times than I can count. Barb tells her husband to fuck her, but he's worshiping her."

"She's about to collapse," Karla said. "Good grief! It's been over forty minutes now. I don't think Steve can hold out much longer."

"Much longer?" Maria exclaimed. "I've never met a guy who could hold out for forty seconds,  never mind minutes." Then she looked upward and said, "Oh God, I've been such a fool! Thank you, dear Lord, for allowing me to see what married love can be." Then to Karla she said, "Steve would split me in two with that incredible weapon of his!"

"And you'd love it, too," Karla replied with a grin.

"Sure would," Maria replied flatly. "And such huge balls! He must flood her body when he cums."

"He does, and he is," Karla said. "It's happening now!" Steve had buried his cock to its root. They could see his groin shudder as jets of cum flooded Barbara's quim. When the first shot exploded, she screamed and collapsed in a dead faint, but her loins continued to suck the juices from the cock imbedded inside. Then Steve collapsed on his wife's body, utterly drained and exhausted. After he slowly withdrew, he flopped on his back on the carpet trying to regain his breath. Barb was lying sprawled beside him.

Jumping from her chair, Karla moved between the unconscious girl's legs, lifted them to her lacerated shoulders, kissed her dripping labia and then began to lick the syrup inside. After a few minutes, she raised her head and said to Maria, "There's far more here than one girl can drink. And you had scarcely any breakfast. And cum is very high in protein, I hear..."

That was all the invitation Maria needed. Quickly she took Karla's place and began to suck out the succulent juices. After a while, Barb started to regain consciousness. When she did, she did not even react to the fact that her cunt was being sucked. "Isn't it delicious?" she asked. "Do you like it?"

"It is truly nectar, Mistress," Maria replied. When she had extracted all she could, she carefully licked off Barb's labia and her thighs, then softly kissed her cunt. Only then did she ease Barb's legs off her shoulders. When she did, Barb became aware of the fact that deep cuts on Maria's shoulders were bleeding profusely including two that again exposed the raw grayish-yellow of her collar bones.

Jumping up from the floor, Barb retrieved the sewing kit she had used on Karla the night before. "I'll give you the same choice I gave Karla: white, black, or tan thread?" When the girl chose white, Barb began to thread a needle. Turning toward Steve, she asked him to see if there was something she could use to anaesthetize Maria's shoulders before stitching them.

"Don't be ridiculous," Maria interjected. "All you're doing is darning a pair of socks."

When she saw that the girl was immune to her arguments, Barb just shrugged, shook her head and began to sew the cuts closed. To her amazement, the girl didn't even flinch each time the needle drove through her skin. When she finished, Maria took her in her arms, kissed her to try to convey the depth of her love, and thanked her. Only then did Barbara notice that the girl had been sweating profusely although it wasn't warm in the air-conditioned apartment.

Taking Maria's hand she took her to the shower where she washed off the salty sweat that had been pouring from her body during the lovemaking, and the pain-induced sweat from Maria's. Steve joined them and Barb kissed him softly, thanking him for such marvelous lovemaking. Cocking her head she said, "Know what?"

"What?" he asked.

"I adore my husband," she replied.

Just then Susie materialized in the shower with them and kissed Steve on the lips. "That was utterly perfect, Steven Sloan," she declared. "Thank you from the bottom of my heart for making your wife so happy!"

Then Maria said, "Now I know how you set those records yesterday, Mistress."

"How was that?"

"I read somewhere that an athlete performs at his best when he's sexually satisfied. Barbara Sloan, you have to be the most sexually-satisfied woman on the planet!"

"I don't know about that..." Barb replied. "I may be in the running, Maria, but you don't know some of my friends. The continuous orgasm you saw is more or less standard with them. We all have husbands who have such superlative control they can maintain us in orgasm as long as they want. They're not overcome with passion; they just get tired of carrying the weight of our lower bodies on their shoulders."

Steve laughed at the quip and Susie did somersaults in the air, howling with laughter. "I love my darling wife," Steve said softly. Then he kissed the tip of her nose and lightly kissed her on the lips.

Barb just sighed with joy. "You know what?" Barb asked, still reflecting on her earlier comment. "I guess the guys don't really get tired as much as they get bored. After all, you see a girl's body is convulsions for a couple of minutes and then what? Nothing new ever happens." After pausing for a moment she continued, "I'll have to think of some way I can jazz up my orgasms to keep you entertained."

Again Steve kissed the tip of her nose and repeated, "I love my darling wife."

This time the Sloans dressed. Steve put on a pair of khaki chinos and a golf shirt while Barb put on another pair of Levi's with a worn-out work shirt. Seeing her dress, Maria caused them to laugh as she very carefully put on a clean collar, retied her bow tie, and then put on a fresh pair of starched cuffs.

Returning to the sitting room, Steve sighed, shook his head and said, "I guess I'd better send that fax to Cincinnati Millicron." Checking his watch, he realized that, with the time difference, it was still very early in the morning there. "What a nice way to start the day," he commented. "The CEO comes in and finds a huge machine tool order that came floating in over the transom." After pausing for a moment, he mused, "Now I have to figure out which tools to order."

Karla disappeared toward her room and returned with machine tool catalogs. The four sat down around the table and discussed the situation. Only then did Barbara learn that Steve's degree from West Point was in mechanical engineering, and to her surprise, both Karla and Maria were engineering graduates, as well. Karla's degree was in electrical engineering while Maria's was in computer science.

"The duty cunt?" Barb asked skeptically when she learned of Maria's engineering background.

"The duty tits mostly," Maria said with a bitter smile. "The duty cunt during orgies or when a guy didn't want to work to get his cock into Anna. Outside of that, we were just airheads."

It turned out that Karla knew a great deal about the plant layout at Skoda and about the equipment in it. After talking for a while, Maria jumped up and led the way to the computer. Booting it up, she called up computer-aided manufacturing software and in no time had laid out a plan of the plant. Together the four worked out an entirely new work sequence which conformed to the program Karla earlier had described to the ministers.

As they progressed, Steve developed a sincere appreciation for the abilities of the women. He was particularly impressed with Barb's vital contributions in spotting logic flaws in their reasoning although she professed no knowledge at all of engineering. Finishing the layout, they turned to the catalogs and selected the appropriate machinery. Then Maria brought up word processing software. Her fingers flew over the keys as she typed the purchase order for Cincinnati Millicron. In moments more, it was on its way.

Karla went off with Barbara to prepare a late lunch, leaving Steve with Maria. "Just the duty cunt, huh?" he repeated. "What bullshit! You're—"

"—The duty tits, I keep telling you. Master, I am the duty tits. Mostly, Anna is the duty cunt." Then she looked at him with concern and said, "Master, if Anna appears, will you accept her in your service as a slave, too? She's truly a wonderful girl..."

"But what will the guys do without a duty cunt?" Steve teased.

"I'll send them some thinly-sliced round steak," she retorted. "They can wrap it around their cocks and jack off. All we're there for is to get their rocks off, and they certainly don't need Anna for that."

Then seriously she repeated her request and added, "I'm afraid for her, Master. Now that I'm no longer there to help her..."

"Maria Müller, what are we going to do with you? Aren't you going to miss the lovemaking you've become so used to?" Steve was gently teasing her and she knew it.

Maria reacted with a snort. Then, to his dismay her tears started to flow as she repeatedly shook her head. "I've never made love in my life, Master. Now I know that. I've been a piece of meat to be used." Then hopefully she asked, "Do you think I could ever marry, Master? Ever?"

Then she shook her head and said, "Don't bother. I'll be Mistress Andy's slave for the rest of my life. I'll nurse her children and care for them. I'll teach her some tricks of lovemaking..."

"How about teaching Barbara first?" Steve asked. "After all, we're already married."

"And the depth of your love for each other is beautiful to behold," she replied. "Princess Karla is an exquisite beauty, sir, but she might as well be a piece of furniture for all you notice. On the other hand, as beautiful as my princess is, she's a pale imitation of your wife." Then looking at Steve with her eyes piercing his she added, "You, Master, are the luckiest man in the whole world to have her as your wife. You are truly blessed among men."

"You sure got that one right," Susie commented materializing between them. "On the other hand, former husband, this morning you were truly a prince among men. My darling, you made her so happy and you made me rejoice in your combined happiness. I'm the happiest angel in heaven, my darling, and you have made me so. Truly, you made my suffering worthwhile." With that she disappeared again.

When she did, Steve told Maria the story of his first marriage to Susie. As he did, he realized it was the first time he had ever been able to talk to anyone about it. When he was finishing, Maria was holding his head tightly to her breasts and comforting him. Then she lifted his face and gave him the warmest kiss possible.

Again Susie suddenly appeared and said, "Thank you, Maria Müller. That was so nice." After pausing for a moment she added, "And with regard to your earlier question about finding a husband, you sure will. Maria Müller, your selflessness rivals Barbara's and Karla's. Enough said?" Again she disappeared.

"Master, please. About Anna..."

"I don't think so, Maria. I'm sorry," Steve replied, his earlier attempts to divert the conversation having failed. "There's no way in hell I'm ever going to tie up a young woman to be beaten. Never. And I know for a fact that Andy and Barb never again want to touch a whip as long as they live. I also know for damned sure that Barb would become violently ill if she even touched one within the next six months."

Knowing how deeply he was disappointing the girl he added, "Maybe we can work out something else."

"I shall personally give her her introductory whipping," Maria responded. "As far as tying her up, it will not be necessary. Aside from having a tiny vaginal opening, Anna is very tough. She will stand up straight and thank me after every stroke." With her eyes tearing, she concluded, "Please, Master, may I just try?"

"If it happens, I guess we can give it a shot," he replied. "But I doubt if it will ever happen."



-------

Chapter 7



The balance of the week passed quickly. By Saturday, the lacerations on Karla's and Maria's bodies had begun to heal, so Barb removed the stitches from their shoulders. As she did, the girls were gossiping and seemed utterly oblivious to the pain as she carefully extracted the pieces of silk thread.

On Sunday, the family — and they now actually thought of themselves that way — decided to go to church early to avoid any crowds or publicity. It hadn't occurred to the Sloans, Andy or Ken what the girls would wear. Just as the thought occurred to Barb, the two girls appeared each wearing heavy burlap ponchos. She almost became ill when she realized they were essentially identical to what she used to wear to church. Barb also vividly remembered the agony it had caused as the coarse fibers bit into her lacerated shoulders. And both girls were in far worse condition than she had ever been.

"Where did those things come from?" she asked. "And whose idea was it, anyway?"

"I would rather not wear your Levi's, Mistress," Karla replied softly. "Maria has nothing at all to wear. In just the few days she's been here, her clothes no longer fit." Then she grinned happily and continued, "Susie told us how you used to dress to go to church. And she was so nice! She even helped us with the design. Do you like it?"

"It makes me ill just looking at it," Barb replied honestly. "How can you bear to have it on your ravaged body?"

At her comment, Karla snapped her fingers as if she had just been reminded of something. She took Barb in her arms and held her tightly forcing her tits, hips, and belly into contact with the burlap. To make it even worse, Barb could feel her wriggling her body to increase her own pain. "Please hold me close, Mistress," she whispered plaintively.

"But it'll kill you if I do," Barb protested.

"It will kill me if you do not!" Karla responded. "Please?" With the greatest reluctance, Barb did as she had been asked. When she squeezed, in spite of her best efforts Karla could not fully suppress a cry.

Then Barb was forced to repeat the process with Maria who commented that Andy wasn't yet big enough or strong enough for her to fully feel the burlap. When she did, Maria only gasped when her body was squeezed. When she had her arms around the girl, Barb realized that Karla was right. Because of the lacerations scoring her body, Barb had been unable to really see the girl's figure. But now it was apparent that the girl was noticeably slimmer.

When she released the girl, Maria continued to stand in front of her looking wistful. Because the garment was a poncho with no armholes — it was cut as a large circle of burlap with a small hole cut out in the center for the head — Maria's arms were beneath it. Barb moved closer, and then with her hands at her sides just melted her lips against Maria's.

The instant she did the girl began to probe Barb's mouth with her tongue. Opening it a little, the two tongues did a little dance in Barb's mouth and then met. Maria was nearly overcome by the flood of love and joy she instantly felt. When she eased away, her eyes were glittering as she thanked Barb for her love.

With the Czech girls barefoot, they walked to church and were in time for the seven o'clock Mass. Noticing that the church was nearly full, Barb thought that it probably reflected the Communist effort to stamp out religion entirely in all of eastern Europe. The effort was a failure, but it resulted in church attendance that was far higher than in any West European country.

Remaining close to the rear of the church, they participated in the Czech-language service, even joining in the hymn singing. At the point in the Mass where the parishioners were asked to exchange a sign of peace, everyone kissed the Czech girls who wriggled with delight in spite of what the movement did to their ravaged bodies.

As they walked back to the hotel, Karla said, "Masters and mistresses, I am now speaking for Maria and myself. We want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for what you have done for us this last week—"

"Aside from ripping your bodies to shreds, what exactly have we done for you?" Barbara asked.

"You have shown us a kind and degree of love neither of us knew existed or even could exist. We live with people who are epitomes of kindness and consideration." Now tears began to run down her cheeks as she continued, "You have truly become our family. And neither of us ever knew what a family is. Is that all? Of course not. You have inspired us to become better people than we ever thought we could be. You are our models and our inspiration. And it's only just begun!" she concluded exultantly.

"And you two have shown us a level of courage and personal bravery we didn't know could exist," Andy Cartwright responded quietly. "Until we met you two, our example was Susie Sloan, but she sacrificed her life. You two have survived amidst incredible hardship and suffering. Yet you are so kind, so considerate and so thoughtful, it never ceases to amaze us.

"And you even brighten our lives. Maria, never have we met a person as unfailingly cheerful as you." After pausing for a moment Andy continued, "The Lord said it all: You two embody the distillation of everything that is good and noble in western civilization. We will all be eternally grateful for the experience. And I know Barb will never cease to give thanks for finally meeting her sister."

"And I adore my baby sister," Barb added. "Just think! I'm related to a princess. I just can't believe I could ever be so lucky."

The conversation ended as each person reflected on what had been said. Barb, particularly, felt a wonderful warmth and sense of family with respect to the Czech girls. She decided they were wonderful, and she and Steve were extraordinarily fortunate.

They learned something else on the way back to the hotel. Ken remembered that he had forgotten to tell the Sloans that his parents had purchased the Ritz Hotel. "Mom is big on real estate," he said, "and she absolutely abhors paying rent to anybody. When I told her about our arrangement here, she decided that Prague is now our central-European base, so ... Anyway, our new landlord thinks a rooftop pool is a neat idea. Construction of a 50-meter pool begins tomorrow morning."

When they got off the elevator at the penthouse level, Steve saw that the door to the emergency stairs was ajar. As he was about to say something, the door opened and Anna stepped out, but the girl was moving strangely. It was clear she was trying to walk while still keeping her thighs together. Seeing her move, Barb instantly knew that something was very wrong. She asked Steve to carry her into the apartment and put her on their bed.

When he easily lifted her into his arms, she smiled gratefully but said, "Please, sir, put me down on the terrace or something. Not on your bed. Please!"

"On the bed, Steve," Barb insisted. "I think I know what happened, and Maria does, too."

Karla scooted ahead and had the spread off the bed and the covers pulled down when Steve arrived.

"Darling," Barbara whispered, "leave us alone with her, will you? Why don't you and Ken play some golf? I think this girl desperately needs some female attention. Okay?"

"Since you drained me absolutely dry about an hour ago, I might as well." Then he kissed her and the passion again flowed between them. "Darling," he whispered when their lips parted, "you are the finest wife in the whole damned world." Looking deeply into her eyes, he tried to convey his love. Then he said, "This morning in church I thanked God for bringing you to me. Barbara Jensen Sloan, you have made me the happiest man in the whole world."

"Wow!" Barb exclaimed. "What brought that on? It's not even our anniversary."

Then she sobered and said, "What a coincidence. I thanked God for giving me the best damned husband in the whole wide world. I love you desperately, Steven Carson Sloan!"

Then she grinned and added, "Now having gotten the mush out of the way, will you kindly get your ass out of here?"

Steve grinned, winked, and went off with Ken.

Meanwhile, Maria and Karla were undressing the girl. All she was wearing was a T-shirt and a pair of dirty jeans. Even on the bed, she was pressing her thighs together. The instant her legs spread in order to permit the jeans to be removed, they saw that its crotch was dark and very wet.

"Quickly, Princess," Maria exclaimed, "we don't have a moment to lose. This girl is bleeding to death!"

"You can handle her by yourself for a moment, can't you?" Karla asked urgently.

When Maria nodded, Karla picked up a phone and called Secret Police headquarters. When the phone was answered, she demanded to speak to the duty officer. When he answered, she told him to immediately send a doctor who could keep his mouth shut to the hotel. "This is an order from Herr Klink, countersigned by Herr Wilhelm," she concluded. "I trust my meaning is clear?"

She smiled at his response which said more clearly than anything else how upset he was. When he responded, he said, "You are very clear, Comrade Major! A doctor should arrive within ten minutes." She thanked him and hung up, reflecting that the Soviet influence had not yet been completely erased.

Turning back toward the bed, she gasped. Now that Anna was naked from the waist down, she could see blood pulsing from her vagina. Already the area beneath her crotch was bright red.

Maria had shrugged off her poncho and knelt between the girl's legs. Going down on the girl, she began to lick and suck at her vagina hoping her saliva might help coagulate the girl's blood.

"I'm safe," Anna murmured. "Thank you, my darling Maria. Again you're saving my life." Then she smiled wanly and added, "I guess this is what happens when I try to handle an orgy all by myself."

After pausing for a moment she shook her head and whispered, "This was the very worst, Maria. It was never as bad as this before, and you've seen me after some bad ones."

"What happened?" Maria asked sympathetically.

"First of all, there were a couple of other guys there. After being fucked a couple of times, they got tired of forcing their cocks into me, so Hans produced a new contraption. It was curved metal with large circular holes at each end. He put it under my crotch, and then before I knew what was happening he rammed a huge dildo through the rear ring and shoved it up my ass. Then he took another and put it up my cunt. The metal was curved in such a way that I think the ends of the damned things met inside me."

Anna tried to force a small grin and continued, "Then they made me dance. The dildo in my cunt had a tickler that was positioned over my clit. Well, it hurt like hell, but then it made me hot. I guess I got carried away with the dance. I even did splits to force the things to move inside me. The tickler was making me cum and I was really throwing my pelvis around. Finally, I just collapsed. Exhaustion, I guess.

"They decided that I was warmed up and opened by then, so they could get down to some serious fucking. But when Hans pulled the dildo out of my cunt, it was followed by a stream of blood. The same thing happened, but not quite as bad, when they pulled the one out of my ass. They lost interest in me, and I ran back to the room. When the bleeding wouldn't stop, I knew I needed help, so I came here to be with you."

Meanwhile, Maria had been licking up the blood from the girl's cunt. As she did, she realized there was no taste of a man's cum and thought that it must have been washed out earlier in her blood flow. Stopping, she looked up at Anna's face and was frightened by her grayness and pallor. Clearly, she had lost a lot of blood and was still losing it.

Then she realized that Anna's eyes were locked on hers. "What ... what happened to you?" the girl asked. Maria noticed for the first time how large and beautiful her emerald-green eyes really were.

"I ran into a buzz saw," Maria said tartly. "What's the big deal?"

Shaking her head in frustration, Anna replied, "That's not what I mean at all. It's your eyes!"

"What about my eyes?" Maria asked, baffled by the girl's question. "They're the same dull gray they've always been."

"No, silly!" Anna protested. "They're not the same at all. I look into them and see warmth, kindness, inner peace ... I see ... I see Divine grace!" Maria did not reply. "I want to do whatever you did," the girl demanded. "Is it possible?"

"You don't know what you're asking," Karla interjected. "You can't possibly want your body sliced up the way ours are!"

Anna shifted her eyes to Karla's and repeated what she had done with Maria. Her eyes widened as she said, "You're exactly the same. But you have a depth of love and grace far beyond Maria's." She concluded emphatically, "If being striped with a whip ... It was a whip, wasn't it?" Both girls nodded and she continued, "If being striped with a whip is the price, I'll pay it gladly—"

She was interrupted by a knock on the door which Barb ran out to answer. A few moments later she returned followed by a short, stocky man carrying a medical bag. Maria, unable to stanch the flow of Anna's blood, was standing by the bed when he entered. Seeing her bleeding groin, he quickly opened his bag, removed a small stack of medical sponges and crammed them into her gaping cunt. When he saw blood still spreading on the sheet, the girl lifted her lower body from the bed and, shaking his head, he gently inserted others into her ripped anus. Only then did he look her over more carefully.

After checking her pulse and heart rate, he shook his head and said, "This girl has lost a great deal of blood. We may lose her yet."

"Use mine, Doctor," Maria instantly responded.

"And mine," Karla chimed in. "Do you have transfusion equipment with you?"

"I do," he replied, "but we must get this girl to a hospital—"

"No hospital!" Anna exclaimed weakly. "If I'm going to die, I want to do it right here." Then with a wan grin she added, "If you think you're going to get me out of this wonderful bed, you've got another think coming!"

Hearing the girl's crack, Barb caught Karla's eye and nodded once. Karla instantly understood her meaning and silently mouthed, "Thank you!"

Recognizing the urgency, Karla lay on the bed beside the wounded girl while the doctor set up his transfusion equipment. When the blood started to flow, he looked up at Maria, then down at Karla and said, "My God! What happened to you two?" With his eyes wide he added, "I must notify the police immediately!"

"You will not!" Karla exclaimed from the bed. "In the first place, it was the police — or more accurately, the Home Minister himself — who sent you here. In the second place, I am the police! Now shut up and let's get on with it."

"But ... but ... but what happened?" he persisted.

"A matter of State Security," Karla replied. Then glaring at him she continued, "Need I say more? I certainly hope I do not!"

At that point the phone rang and Barb answered it. To Karla she said, "It is Herr Wilhelm, for you," as she passed over the handset.

Holding the phone with her left hand Karla said brightly, "Good morning, Minister. What gets you up at such an early hour on a Sunday?"

"You do," Wilhelm replied with humor in his voice. "And how is my favorite policewoman this morning?"

"I have no idea who that person might be," Karla replied, "but I'm fine. First, what can I do for you? Because there is something you can do for me."

"You first," Wilhelm replied. "When I heard you used my name, it occurred to me that you could use some additional help."

"There is a recalcitrant doctor here, Minister," she replied. "He wants to transfer a friend to the hospital who does not care to be moved. And he wants to report our ... stripes ... to the police. I told him it was a matter of State Security, and that I am the police. But I'm not really sure if he believes me."

"Not a surprise," Wilhelm replied. "I assume you're still naked, and these people aren't used to seeing naked Secret Police women. It's just one of those things ... Let me speak to him, please."

Turning to the doctor she held out the phone toward him and said, "This is Home Minister Frederick Wilhelm, Doctor. He wishes to speak to you."

The doctor took the phone as if he were handling a snake. "Good morning, sir," he said. "I am Doctor Kurt—"

His eyes widened and it was obvious to the others that Wilhelm had cut him off. As the minister continued to talk, the doctor grew as white as a sheet. After a few minutes, during which it was obvious that he had been reamed out, but good, he said, "I understand perfectly, Minister! It will be as you say. I will ensure that everything needed for the girl's treatment is sent over here to the hotel."

He paused for a moment and then continued, "I am to deliver the materials personally to the Minister of State Security at Secret Police headquarters. He will handle the rest. Is that correct?" He nodded slowly, then held the phone away from his ear and said, "The minister wants to speak to a Maria Müller. Is she here?"

Maria took the phone and identified herself. Wilhelm said, "Well, that should take care of him. But, Maria, is anyone taking care of you? You have not been out of my thoughts since that morning. In fact, because of you I have been sexually taking my wife ... and it's been a long time since that last happened. I just want you to know that it's your fault. And I want to thank you because Paula — my wife — was never as warm and wet and loving as she's been these last few nights. She almost seems to be a new woman."

He paused and then continued, "I have decided you're one of the finest women in the Republic. I just wanted you to know that. And I wanted to thank you for your inspiration."

Maria tried to talk him out of it, but he couldn't be dissuaded. Finally, shaking her head in frustration, she hung up the phone. Then she took Karla's place on the bed and the doctor transfused her. When he shut off the blood flow, she looked at Anna lying beside her and felt better. The girl's color was much improved, almost back to normal. Then after both she and Karla assured the doctor that he could do nothing for them, he withdrew.

When he was gone, Anna looked at Maria and asked, "Now, how can I join you here? What must I do?"

Maria just shook her head and said, "I'm afraid you can't, Anna. Of course you will stay here until your injuries are healed—"

"Why can't I?" Anna interrupted. Then, very perceptively, she said, "It's the whipping, isn't it? It's a form of initiation. But initiation into what?"

Standing up straight Maria replied softly, "Into a lifetime of slavery. You see, Anna, I am Miss Cartwright's slave. I will probably remain her slave for the rest of my life because I may never ask for my freedom. I have no property. Everything I own is hers. My body — my life itself — is hers to do with as she will. For example, we — my darling Karla and I — routinely offer our bodies to any guest who comes here — male or female! We never wear any clothes. There is a uniform Karla designed that we both wear. It consists of a pair of cuffs and a collar worn with a black bow tie. Aside from that, we are completely naked." Shaking her head she said, "I'm sorry, Anna. It's utterly out of the question."

Instead of trying to argue with Maria, Anna looked at Barb and said, "Mistress Sloan, what do I need to sign to become a slave, too." Looking at Karla who was beside Maria she said, "I assume that Karla is the senior slave, and Maria is the junior. May I be the junior assistant? Please?"

Then to the surprise of the others Anna sat up on the bed and took off her T-shirt. Looking down at her body she said with disgust, "Pretty shabby, isn't it?" Then looking wistfully at Barb she added, "But maybe I don't meet your standards." After pausing for a moment she continued, "The only good part of me was my very tight cunt and small asshole, but they're not much use to you now ... unless you have a friend who likes to fuck a girl who's bleeding a lot, that is."

Barb had been studying Anna while she had been talking. Beyond her brilliant green eyes, she had a medium complexion and brown hair verging on auburn. Seeing what Barb was looking at, Maria commented that they didn't have a real bathroom so it was hard to bathe and impossible to shower. "Her hair is a magnificent auburn when it's clean, Mistress," she said softly.

Anna's figure would be described as boyish, being very thin with slim hips. The fact that every rib was standing out suggested that the girl's basic problem was a lack of food. "Because I had the duty tits, she always insisted that I eat most of her share as well as my own. 'A duty cunt doesn't need a lot, ' she always said. "But her small tits are beautifully shaped, Mistress. And her nipples are so cute! So tiny and pink and up-thrusting."

Barb found herself wondering what the girl would look like after she had been cleaned and fed.

Then turning to Karla, Barbara said, "You know, there's something here that's not quite fair..." After pausing as if to gather her thoughts she said, "Let's see ... you took almost sixty strokes, but you're the senior slave, after all. Maria took about forty ... Anna would be the junior assistant, so how do twenty strokes or so sound to you?"

Realizing that she might be accepted, Anna clapped her hands in glee. "Oh thank you, Mistress!" After a short pause when she looked down at her chest she added, "Could five or six be across my tits? Or where they would be if I had any?" Then she grinned and added, "I'm reminded of Voltaire's comment on the British shooting of Admiral Byng: 'The British periodically hang an admiral pour encourager les aûtres.' Perhaps the whip will encourage my tits to grow."

"Tell me about yourself," Barbara said softly, while easing the girl back against the pillows. When her head was resting on the down, the naked girl just wriggled with delight. Then Barbara gently pulled the girl with her pillows to the top of the bed and pulled the covers up to her neck.

Again Anna wriggled, but this time with her eyes closed. "This is just so wonderful!" she whispered.

Then she said, "I guess my story is like Maria's. I've been an orphan for as long as I can remember; since I was ten, anyway. I ... survived. Maria and I met at the university where we were both engineering students majoring in computer science. Because we were the only two women in the program, we hung out together and moved in with the guys when the opportunity arose. Being available to be fucked all the time was the rent, so I guess I never thought much about it. Last week, though, when I came here with the guys, everything changed."

With her eyes still closed she grimaced and then continued, "For the first time that I can remember I felt love. The love that you and Mr. Sloan share just permeates this place. It's just so neat! And I guess it affected the guys, too, but in a different way. Maybe it was because Maria wasn't around. Aside from everything else, her good humor and willingness to do anything eased our lives together. But without her, there was no control."

Wriggling again under the covers she said, "Never in my life have I been in a bed like this..." After a pause she added, "As a matter of fact, I can't remember ever being in a bed at all. Maria and I just shared a mat on the floor."

Opening her eyes, she looked deeply into Barbara's. When she did, her eyes widened and she whispered reverently, "My God! No wonder..." Then she looked into Karla's and then Maria's. "You are female perfection." After pausing again and shaking her head she continued, "You're perfection, but I'm not sure you're human."

Tears began to stream from her eyes and she shook her head, "I wanted to stay with you, but I can't do it. There's no way a woman as pure and good as you are could stand to have a prostitute in her apartment. There's just no way—"

"You'll do," Barbara interrupted.

As she was about to leave the room, Andy, who had been standing quietly in a corner, told her that she and Ken would be leaving the next day. "Too much rich living," the girl announced. "We're really getting spoiled."

Then she said that they were going to go up to the Baltic States and would return from there to Los Angeles in time for school. When Barb asked what they were doing in school, the girl just grinned and winked. Then she whispered that Barb was much better with slaves than they were, so they were giving all the girls to Steve and her.

It had been Barb's intention to let the girl sleep, but Maria reminded her that men were arriving the next morning to start work on the pool. It meant that the terrace would be ripped up so there would be no place for discipline.

When Anna heard what the girls were saying, she threw off the covers and began to ease herself out of bed being careful not to dislodge the sponges that were still absorbing her bleeding. "Who's the unlucky one who has to whip my sorry excuse for a body?" she asked.

"I am, turkey," Maria replied, "but if you seriously think I'm going to whip you in your present condition, you've got another think coming." When Anna protested that she was remarkably durable, Maria just shook her head and said, "That's not the point at all. Look, lady, that whip has my blood and bits of flesh all over it, and has even more of Karla's. If you think we're going to allow it to be contaminated by all the dirt on your filthy slave's body, you're crazy!"

The girl just grinned, kissed Maria lightly and followed her into the bathroom.

Going over to the shower, Maria experimented with the controls. Previously, Steve or Barb had just turned on all the valves and water poured out from three directions and several levels. Trying each one individually, she found one that controlled a single shower head high on a side wall. Then she found some plastic film and some duct tape. To Anna's great amusement she then fashioned the plastic into a sort of waterproof diaper that she secured to the girl's body with the duct tape. Then getting into the shower with her, she gently washed her body, then put her head under the shower and shampooed it. A second shampooing was followed by a third and then by conditioner. Now the girl's hair was the color of a slightly used penny. The copper color had a strong brown element to it. Getting out of the shower, she carefully dried off her body after Anna yanked off the tape and her "diaper."

Instead of bringing her back in the bedroom, though, Maria put Anna on the massage table and began to work expensive musk oil into her skin. Lying on her belly, Anna sniffed the air and asked, "What's that delicious fragrance?"

"It's you, silly," Maria replied. "This is musk oil, taken from the glands of a musk deer. It's a perfume base. Applied the way I am — and no one does, because it's so expensive — it enhances odors. In this case, yours. Okay?"

"But why are you doing this to me?" Anna inquired as she stretched her body luxuriantly on the massage table.

"Do you really want to know?" Maria asked raising an eyebrow.

From Maria's reaction, Anna figured she was better off not knowing, but she replied, "Hell, yes, I really want to know, Maria Müller."

Speaking softly she said, "It's to soften your skin so the whip can more easily lacerate it. Okay?"

Instead of immediately responding, Anna rolled on her side and extended her hand up toward Maria. Realizing what the girl wanted, Maria leaned over until her neck was within Anna's reach. Putting her hand behind her neck, she pulled Maria's head down to hers and melted her lips on her friend's. Then she just savored the love and grace that was now so much a part of Maria's kiss.

When she eased her hold, Maria stood up straight. There was a question in her eyes.

"To more easily lacerate my flesh?" Anna repeated. Expressionless, Maria just nodded. "That's nice," the girl said with her face and voice equally bland. Then she closed her eyes and continued to enjoy Maria's attentions.

Meanwhile Barb, Andy and Karla were in the sitting room. When there was a knock on the door, Karla quickly donned her "uniform" and went to answer it. Opening the door, she found a middle-aged woman standing before her. The woman's eyes widened for only an instant. Clearly, she expected to see the whip cuts,  Karla thought.

Then she said, "Good morning. My name is Paula Wilhelm. Is Mrs. Sloan available?" Karla led her toward the sitting room. As they walked the woman said, "You're Karla Kosta, aren't you?" When Karla said that she was, the woman only smiled.

Barbara was standing to greet the guest when Paula appeared. Seeing Barbara, the woman's jaw dropped, she hesitated for a moment and murmured, "My God!" Then she continued and extended her hand in greeting. After taking a seat on the sofa she said, "You are the model for them all, aren't you, Mrs. Sloan?"

Then she just shook her head slowly and continued, "If I hadn't seen it myself, I never would have believed it. Frederick — my husband — could talk of little other than Maria Müller, although he did tell me about Major Kosta. But you!"

Again she shook her head and then continued, "As beautiful as you are outwardly, it's nothing compared to your incredible beauty within."

After pausing for a moment she continued, but now it was as if she were talking to herself. "I had almost forgotten. It's been so long, and the Russians didn't help. But I remember as a child hearing about sanctifying grace. I never understood what it was. But now I do. You, Mrs. Sloan, are truly holy. And your holiness causes you to radiate an internal beauty that's truly a marvel."

Then she turned her attention to Karla and looked at her closely, concentrating particularly on her eyes. "And Major Kosta has the same thing. Not yet to nearly the extent of yours, Mrs. Sloan, but it's the same purity and holiness. Of course, with her there's also a level of personal bravery I can't even comprehend."

Then with her voice returning to normal she said, "Actually, Mrs. Sloan, I came to ask permission to speak to your slave, Maria Müller."

"Slave?" Barb asked, raising an eyebrow. "Wherever did you get that idea?"

The woman just grinned and said, "Thank you for the confirmation. When Frederick told me how Major Kosta and Maria had been whipped, yet seemed completely unfazed by the experience, I could only conclude that it was something they wanted. Now why would two lovely women want to have their bodies ripped to shreds, I wondered? They could be out of their minds, of course, but that didn't seem a likely explanation. Why then?

"In order to be able to do something that they could only do if they underwent terrible torture to qualify. The only possible answer, Mrs. Sloan, was for the opportunity to serve you. And why do that? In the hope that through close association, they could become more like you. And now that I meet you, I can see that it's a very reasonable thing to do." Then she smiled warmly and repeated, "May I have your permission to speak to your other slave?"

Barb motioned to Karla who instantly left the room. Finding Maria finishing Anna's massage, she told her about Frau Wilhelm. When Maria asked why Mrs. Wilhelm wanted to see her, Karla could only shrug. After carefully covering Anna with a light cashmere blanket, they left her alone and returned to the sitting room together.

Extending her hand, Maria introduced herself. "Good morning, Frau Wilhelm. What brings you here this morning? And why on earth would you ever care to speak to me?"

The woman had risen from her seat when Maria entered the room. She took the girl's hand and held it in her own while she studied her. Then she reached out and with the lightest possible touch ran her finger the length of one of Maria's whip cuts. When she did, she could feel the way the girl's flesh had been cruelly lacerated. While she was looking her over, Maria remained impassive. Finally, the woman focused on Maria's eyes. She looked into them deeply and finally nodded. Then she pulled the girl closer and, ignoring her tortured back and shoulders, held her tightly and melted her lips to hers.

When she did, Maria's eyes widened in astonishment, but then she took the shorter woman into her arms, pulled her tightly to her body and returned the kiss with all the power she could muster. That proved to be a great deal. Moments later, she could feel Paula go limp in her arms. Very gently she eased her down onto the sofa, then sat down with her head resting on her shoulder. Then she just waited while the others watched impassively.

Paula Wilhelm's eyes blinked twice, then opened. "Wow!" she murmured. Realizing her head was lying on Maria's tortured shoulder she quickly lifted it off.

"I didn't mind," Maria said. When Paula raised an eyebrow skeptically, she admitted, "I guess it would have been a little less painful if there were fewer pins in your hair, though."

At this, Paula giggled merrily and said, "I love you, Maria Müller." Then moving away so she could look at Maria's face while she talked, she said, "I came to thank you for the last couple of nights," she said. It was apparent she intended to say more, but she stopped.

"And in what way was I helpful to you the last couple of nights?" Maria asked.

"You're zaftig," Paula replied. "I'm fat. But I'm similar enough to you that my husband, Frederick Wilhelm, fucked me the last couple of nights instead of fucking his mistress or one of any number of his whores." When Maria's eyes widened at her language, Paula continued, "I'm sure you've heard the words before, haven't you?"

"And used them more than a few times," Maria conceded. "But I still don't understand."

"After meeting you, Frederick could talk of little else. And then the last two times when he was spending in my cunt he screamed your name, Maria. Although he would far rather have been fucking you than me, I did get the benefit of his attentions. So thank you."

"But that's not all of it, is it?" Maria asked shrewdly.

"Of course not," Paula replied. After pausing for a few moments, she continued in a reflective tone, almost as if she were thinking out loud. "Frederick is very well paid. However, only a small portion — possibly half — ever gets home. The rest goes to support whoever his current mistress might be, as well as many of the prostitutes here in Prague. The fact is, Maria, money that should be mine — ours — goes to finance his extracurricular fucking around. And I mean that literally."

After a pause she continued, "I am a slob. That's the problem. And I don't know how to fuck very well, either. The result is that through my own faults I have driven my husband into the arms of other women. This is an idea I've had a number of times over the years. But for the first time, you offer a solution. You see, had you been anyone other than the girl you are, he would have been fucking you instead of me. And if your cuts had opened and poured blood out on your body when he did, he would have given you a bonus.

"But now I understand. You are so good, Frederick realized that fucking you was out of the question. Moreover, your goodness itself might have had an effect. It might have made him ambivalent about going to a whore."

Then looking at Maria with lovely blue eyes that suddenly became penetrating she added, "But you are a whore, aren't you? Or, more accurately, weren't you?"

"Yes, I was," Maria responded frankly. "More often, I was the duty tits, but there's little difference, and morally, none at all."

"This is perfect!" Paula exclaimed. Turning to Barbara she said, "I am offering myself to you as a slave. I am fully prepared for my ... initiation, too. I want to become as much like Maria Müller as I possibly can."

"But that's utterly impossible!" Barbara exclaimed. "You're—"

"—a woman who's capable of causing you a great deal of trouble," Paula finished. "I could go on, but since you will take me into your service, I don't want to give you any further incentive to beat me harder."

With a strangely warm smile she added, "It's clear that you're more than strong enough to beat me to death in twenty strokes or fewer if you wanted to. I've heard about your physical accomplishments, too."

Then in a complete change if attitude the woman dropped to her knees in front of Barbara and kissed her feet. While still on her knees she looked up and Barb could see that tears were flowing uncontrolled down her cheeks. "I'm begging you! Please allow me to serve you. I will be the scullery maid. I will scrub shit, eat garbage, wash dishes with my tongue ... I will do absolutely anything you ask of me. I swear it! Please! It's my only hope to try to save my failed marriage. The fault is all mine, and I love Fred so! Please help me!"

Then while still kneeling the woman began to strip off all of her clothes. When she finished, again she groveled, and this time began carefully to lick Barbara's shoes. Barb was so stunned she couldn't move. Then the woman lifted a shoe off the ground, carefully licked off its sole, then did the same with the other.

Barbara looked around. Andy grinned and mouthed, "I'm out of here. Don't look at me." Karla and Maria, after looking meaningfully at each other, just nodded.

After lifting the woman's body up from the floor, Barb took her face in her hands and kissed her slowly and expertly, while trying carefully to control the power of her kiss. When she let the woman ease away, there was an expression on her face of utter bliss.

"You are truly holy, Barbara Sloan. May I take that kiss to be an affirmative answer?" When Barb nodded, the woman raised her eyes and said softly, "Thank you, dear God, for granting my most urgent prayer." After agreeing that twenty strokes with the whip would be appropriate for a scullery maid, she rose, went to the phone and dialed a number.

When the phone was answered she said, "Hello, darling. It's me." After a pause for Wilhelm's response she continued, "I'm off to a health spa..." Another pause. "I know they're expensive. This one is the most expensive of them all, in fact..." As she said it, she used her finger to draw lines across her body and grinned at the others. "I've been saving money from the groceries."

Another much longer pause. "I know, darling, and thank you for the lovely fuckings you gave me the last couple of nights. I'm going to try to be more attractive to you, and your loving gave me the last push I needed to make it happen."

Another pause. Then she said, "I don't know how long it will take. A few months, or when I run out of money, I guess. Take care, darling. I love you." When she hung up the phone, the others could hear that Wilhelm was still arguing.

Going to Barb, again she dropped to her knees, but this time presented her body. "I'm ... a fat slob. I have big tits — bags would be more accurate, though; heavy thighs, a fat belly ... and a cunt that's scarcely been used." Looking into Barb's eyes she added, "Of course, Mistress, it — and all of my other openings — are available to anyone you wish me to take. Now I am ready for my introductory whipping."

After pausing for a moment she added, "I assume you'll use the terrace to keep the blood off the carpet. May I have something to bite on, please? Otherwise, I'm afraid my screams might upset the neighbors, and Prague is usually pretty quiet on a Sunday afternoon..."

Her eyes were dancing when she said the last, and Barb responded with a giggle. "You'll do, Paula Wilhelm. You'll really do." Then she told her about Anna. Rising from the chair she led the way into the bathroom. Paula was utterly astounded at the luxury.

Maria gently awakened Anna who stretched while still under the blanket. "This is so soft and luxurious! Thank you so much." Then, as if she were inquiring about a train schedule, she asked if it was time for her whipping. When Maria said it was, she eased off the table and followed the others out on the porch. Andy had seen enough bloodshed to last her, so she retired to her bedroom.

Anna insisted on being first. After stressing the importance of being whipped across her tits, she stood facing Maria. Swallowing hard, Maria took the whip and let it roll out along the terrace deck. Then with a skill equal to Barbara's she began to whip the girl across her tits, her loins and her upper thighs. After each stroke, Anna just gasped and then thanked Maria for helping to teach her to be a better slave.

After ten strokes, each of which felt like a white-hot wire cutting deeply into some of the most sensitive parts of her body, she turned around. After two more strokes, one right handed and the other lefty, had each opened up a collar bone, she staggered. After two more, she fell to her knees. Still, she only gasped after each blow and always thanked Maria. With six more to go, she fell forward on the deck but still kept her ass in the air. The last six strokes cut into her small ass cheeks. With a final, "Thank you, darling Maria," she pitched forward on her face, unconscious.

As Maria was trying to figure how to lift her in light of all of her bleeding wounds, the girl lifted her head, choked off a scream of pain caused by the movement, and kissed Maria. "Thank you, my darling. Thank you so much for the lovely pain I feel to remind me to tend to my duties..." With that she fell limply to the deck.

Ignoring her cuts, Barbara picked up the girl and carried her into the apartment to clean her and tend to her gaping wounds.

Maria had been almost sickened by all of Anna's blood. Turning to the naked Paula she said, "You've now seen what will happen. Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

"Absolutely," the woman replied. "However, I'll need to be biting on something so I'll be unable to thank you after each stroke." Then she pinched her nipples hard and added, "But I thought I'd try to give you a larger target to aim at. You will slice them both the way you did to that lovely girl. Who is she, by the way?"

"Earlier I said that I was the duty pair of tits. Anna Schmidt was the duty cunt far more often than I was. The reason, we guess, is that she's so small that it usually hurt her badly to be fucked the way she was. But she never complained."

When she told the woman what had happened the night before, she was amazed at Paula's reaction. "I'd castrate the bastards!" she exclaimed. "Such a lovely girl ... and so brave!" Looking closely at Maria she said, "And she'll be as holy as you are very soon."

"You can say that to a woman holding a dripping whip in her hand?" Maria responded incredulously. The woman just nodded her head firmly. "You are to get twenty strokes. Do you have a preference?"

"I sure do," the woman replied. "Across my big tits, my belly, my cunt, my thighs..." Looking at Maria plaintively she continued, "I'm not nearly as brave as the rest of you. Would you mind terribly if you whip me while I lie on my back?"

When she heard the words, something about them bothered Maria. Then she realized what it was. "You can't be serious," she responded. "Lying on the terrace tiles, there's no give. When you're standing, or even kneeling, there's some give so the whip doesn't cut as deep..."

"Good," Paula interrupted. "I want you to slice my body as deeply as you can. Now can we begin?"

As she finished she was lying down so that her body was across Maria's line of sight. Shaking her head, she started opening the woman's body with the whip. As she feared, she almost cut the woman's nipples in two, then in sixths. Each stroke cut deeply through the nipple into the breast. In spite of the agonizing pain the woman didn't make a sound. When she finished, the entire front of her body was a mass of blood from her thighs to her shoulders. Her belly was sliced open and her breasts were in pieces.

Finishing, Maria realized that Paula was unconscious. Running into the house she retrieved the same sewing kit, threaded a needle, and began to sew the woman's breasts back together. More stitches were required to close gashes across her stomach, her abdomen and even her thighs. Only when she finished did she realize that Paula had recovered consciousness and was watching the needle move in and out of her body with the same apparent unconcern she would have shown had she been watching Maria darning a sock.

When she finished, Paula asked for the whip, kissed its tip, thanked Maria for the perfect whipping, carefully squeezed as much blood as possible from it, neatly recoiled it and returned it. Then she asked where a hose was kept, obtained it, and proceeded to scrub the blood from the deck. Maria had been watching the woman in utter amazement. When she finished, she went to Maria and said, "You're a strong woman, aren't you?"

"Reasonably strong for a woman, I suppose," Maria replied. "But why do you ask?"

"Because I want you to hold me and squeeze my body against yours as hard as you can. I'm sorry that it will hurt the cuts on your body, but please?"

Maria protested, but Paula was insistent. When she did as she was asked, Paula lifted her lips and melted them against Maria's. To the girl's amazement, she felt joy and grace flow from the older woman's lips.



-------

Chapter 8



When Barbara Sloan awakened the next day, she remained very still so as not to awaken Steve. She stretched and sniffed the air, smelling Karla's marvelous fragrance that permeated the room. Then she looked over at her female bed partner and smiled. As the girl slept soundly, her face in repose was childlike in its innocence. Gently she squeezed her hand that was resting on her upper thigh. The instant she did, Karla's eyes opened slowly, then with a start as she realized where she was. As she was about to jump out of bed, Barbara formed words without speaking and communicated, "Rest easy, Baby Sister. I just wanted to look into your lovely eyes." Then with a grin she added, "I guess it's time for my morning torture..."

Karla returned the grin and whispered, "You poor thing! More sexual abuse. Another rape of your tender femininity... Quelle domage!"

Having already awakened Steve by gently squeezing his hand over her tit she whispered, "You have no appreciation of the tortures I suffer every day at Steve's hand. Just look at me! Am I not the picture of the abused female... ?"

Steve cut short her speech when he rolled over to get between her legs after she rolled over to be on her hands and knees. "Slave, move between my legs. I'm tired of flooding the bed." Over her shoulder she said to Steve, "Wouldn't bumfucking be nice this morning, for a change?"

Instead of entering her vagina, Steve placed his cock against her sepia ring. Feeling it there, Barb just relaxed and moved back against it, forcing it into her anal cavity. "Oh, Steve! That feels so good ... And it's been such a long time..."

"The day before yesterday," Steve reminded her.

"That's the trouble with men, and particularly engineers," Barb grumbled. "They're always so damned technical!"

Then she screamed as her first orgasm overtook her. In the meantime Karla had wriggled under Barb and had her mouth under her hairless slit. When the first flow of juices gushed out, her mouth was there to drink them. When Steve finally let loose his load twenty minutes later, both girls were nearing exhaustion. He gently withdrew, then curled up under the covers that he had pulled up over his head. Barb had passed out and collapsed on top of Karla.

When she came to, she found her face was over the girl's golden bush. Moving downward slightly, she began gently to run her tongue over the gash that bisected the girl's clitoris and slit. Disregarding the pain it caused, Karla gently oscillated her pelvis and savored the attention. With a few licks and a very gentle bite on her wounded clit, Karla came in a flood. When she did, she whispered, "Thank you Big Sister! I loved it."

After sorting themselves out on the bed, Karla found her head resting on Barb's shoulder. Only then did she become aware of Maria who was kneeling beside the bed. "Are you ready for your morning coffee, Mistress?" she asked. When Barb eagerly nodded her head and reached out her hand, Maria gave her a mug and then poured another for Karla. Then she said, "Ken and Andy have already left, Mistress, and the other two are still asleep. But I will awaken them instantly if you wish."

"How are they?" Barb asked.

"Mistress," she replied, "never has a woman been hurt the way I hurt Paula yesterday. But if you go into the room you will find her lying on her back with Anna's head on her left tit. Or where her left tit was before I almost cut it off her body!" The girl was crying as she continued, "I had to literally sew the pieces of it back together. I beat her while she was on her back so there was no give. Her body absorbed the total impact of the whip — every stroke! Yet she's lying there awake just gently caressing Anna's face. It's the only part of Anna that isn't cut to pieces, for that matter." Then with a visible effort of will Maria regained control and asked, "What's on for today, Mistress?"

"Today, Karla and I are going to visit some children in a hospital. You would be going, too, except there aren't any clothes for you to wear. You've already lost weight and will lose even more, so I don't want to spend money on clothing for you just yet. And I don't think Anna or Paula are in any shape to do anything. Do you mind staying here and caring for them?"

"Of course not!" Maria exclaimed. "But what about our exercise?"

"Let's go!" Barb said, clambering over Karla's body. The girl's reactions weren't as fast as hers, nor did she expect Barb's instant reaction. Minutes later all three were working out. After showers and massages, Barb went into the room where she found Paula and Anna still in bed. Anna was still sleeping while Paula was gently caressing her face. The younger girl's face wore a wonderfully happy smile even though she was still asleep.

Trying not to disturb the sleeping girl, Barb lifted the covers on Paula's side to get a good look at her body. After seeing it she almost fainted. Then she whispered, "My God! This woman is being held together with sewing thread!" Turning to Maria she said, "You really did a job, didn't you." Then she smiled and added, "Thank heavens I didn't have to watch!"

It was already a warm day in Prague, and it looked like it would become even hotter. Moreover, the heat was coupled with humidity from the river and smoke from the antiquated factories beside it. Indications were that the atmosphere would become thoroughly oppressive before sundown. Barbara selected a yellow sleeveless dress for herself and an identical one in white for Karla.

While dressing her, Barb ran her fingers very lightly across the bright red welts that crisscrossed the girl's body. Although the slightest touch was still very painful, the Czech girl neither made a sound nor acknowledged her pain in any way. When they were both dressed, Barb found that the edges of some of her cuts showed at the neckline of Karla's dress, but decided it couldn't be helped.

Having earlier called for her car, the two emerged from the cool hotel interior into the rising heat of the day. Looking upward, Barb made a moue when she saw the sun as only a yellow ball through the smoke and haze. Again the valet was standing beside the open car door, but refused the tip she tried to give him saying that he and his colleagues had received far more than enough the week before. When she got in, Barb noticed that Karla had fastened her seat belt harness even though its shoulder strap ran right over the collar bone and shoulder that had been so cruelly ravaged, yet again she gave no sign of the agony she undoubtedly felt.

Pulling up to the main entrance of the hospital, there was a doorman and valet waiting for them. Only then did Karla remember that this visit had been in the original plan for the Sloans' visit. She also remembered that it had been arranged at the Sloans' specific request. Although she had only known Barbara Sloan for a week, she knew it must have been her idea. They were taken by the hospital administrator to the children's ward.

When he opened the door, the girls were confronted by a sea of shining young faces who, on signal, said in unison, "Good morning, Mrs. Sloan. Welcome to the Czech Republic." The greeting was in English. Obviously, a great deal of time and effort had been spent teaching and rehearsing the children.

Barbara smiled warmly at the children, then asked the administrator if she and Karla could be left alone with them. He immediately agreed and withdrew along with the nurses who had been on duty in the ward.

Most of the children were sitting on the floor in a semicircle, but some were still in their beds. These, obviously, were the ones in the worst condition. Barb whispered to Karla to spend her time with the larger group arrayed on the floor while she visited with the others. Shrewdly guessing that the administration would want the children to look their best, Barb made her way to the back of the ward. There she found a young girl, only about six years old, lying in bed. Going up to her bedside, Barb softly said hello.

The little girl's eyes were closed, but hearing the greeting they opened immediately. They were a vivid blue, but Barb could see the red fire of pain burning deep inside. "Hello," she repeated.

"Good morning, Mrs. Sloan," the girl said by rote. "How are you this morning? I feel fine." The little girl beamed at her accomplishment while Barb smiled down on her. The girl's platinum-blonde hair was neatly arranged in two pigtails and she was beautiful, except she was very pale.

"What's your name?" Barbara asked. The little girl just looked up at her, puzzled. Clearly, Barb's question had not been on the short English phrase list the child had memorized. "What's your name?" she repeated, this time in her fluent Czech.

Beaming with delight at finding she could communicate with the beautiful woman beside her, the girl replied, "My name is Katrina."

"How are you this morning?" Barb asked quietly.

Apparently at that instant the little girl felt a flash of pain because tears came to her eyes. Then the flow of tears increased. Barb instantly sensed that the first reaction was to her pain, while the increase in her tears came from embarrassment at upsetting her very important guest. Reaching out, Barb took the girl's small hand and held it gently in her own.

The moment she did, the girl put her other hand on top of Barb's and ever so gently stroked it. "Your hand is so nice," the little girl said in a pain-filled voice. "Thank you for coming to see me."

"Katrina, have you prayed to God? Perhaps he would help."

"How do you pray?" the little girl asked. "I don't know how." Then her brow furrowed and she added, "But it takes lots of big words to pray, doesn't it? And I don't know any."

Hearing the little girl, tears came to Barb's eyes. At the same time she heard a rumble like thunder, but it came from inside the large room.

"No, darling," Barb responded, "you don't have to use big words. All you do is talk to God. I'm sure he's listening. Isn't there something you would like very much? Why don't you ask God to give it to you?"

"Would you help me?" Katrina asked. "I've never done this before." Barb just nodded and tried to smile. "God," the little girl said softly, "please help Gunther in the bed next to mine. He's in such terrible pain, and he's so good. But at night I hear him crying because his pain is so bad. Can you help? Thank you, sir." The little girl paused a moment and then added, "My name is Katrina, sir, and I'm six years old."

"Isn't there something you would like to ask God for yourself?" Barb prompted. "Anything at all?"

"Oh, dear! There sure is!" the girl replied. Looking up again she added, "God, I almost forgot. When I'm gone, please help Mommy and Daddy. They feel so badly about me. But when I'm gone, God, with your help they'll feel a lot better. And please bless my sister, Cammy, and my baby brother, Johann." Looking up at Barb she said, "Thank you, Mrs. Sloan, for reminding me." Then again looking up she said, "God, I forgot to say, 'Amen' and I guess that's a part of every prayer, isn't it? So Amen." Then she smiled and added, "And please bless Mrs. Sloan for teaching me how to pray. It's really neat!"

Barb found a chair and sat down at the girl's bedside. While still holding the girl's hand she bowed her head and said softly, "Please, dear God, transfer this poor girl's pain to my body." At this point Barb lost control and started to bawl but still prayed, "Never have I seen such unselfish behavior. Katrina prayed for the little boy in the next bed, for her parents, and for her sister and baby brother. Not a word for herself. Please, God! Give me her affliction..."

"No!" the Voice thundered in her ear. "There's already been more than enough of that already!" Then in a quiet voice He asked, "Katrina, how is it that you hear Gunther crying in his sleep? Why aren't you sleeping?"

To the little girl the disembodied Voice was not surprising. She replied, "I guess because my pain is keeping me awake. But I found that if I bite my lip hard enough, it drowns out the other pain and keeps me from screaming, too."

The next instant through her tears Barb saw the little girl's lips compressed and a small teddy bear appeared on her chest. Then normal color reappeared in her cheeks and the girl who had been wasting away was suddenly vibrantly alive, although now in a deep recuperative sleep. There was the most beatific smile Barb had ever seen on her lips. Looking up, she saw the same process repeated with the little boy in the next bed. And he, too, had a small teddy bear in his arms.

"Now that I've started, I suppose I have to finish the job, don't I?" the Voice grumbled.

"Oh, pooh! It's not so bad and it isn't even very hard," Barb commented unsympathetically. Then in a loving voice she continued, "And thank you, merciful God, for hearing my prayers."

"Barbara Sloan, if it hasn't yet registered in that pea brain of yours, I'll give you another clue: I have to hear your prayers in the same manner you have to breathe. Now am I making myself clear?"

After a pause the Voice continued, "In case you might wonder, Katrina won't remember anything other than learning how to pray. And no one else here heard anything." Then after another pause He grumped, "When are you going to ask for something for yourself, Barbara Sloan? I'm waiting."

"So wait!" Barb responded tartly. "How can I possibly ask for something when I already have everything imaginable?" Then in her normal warm tone she said, "And thank you, dear God, for all of your blessings."

Rising from the chair, she looked down the line of beds. In every one in which a child lay, there was a teddy bear and a beautifully sleeping healthy child. Then she rejoined Karla who had been teaching the children who were out of bed how to sing a ronde. She had divided the children into three groups and had taught them a little song. Now they were going to sing it as a ronde. The first group started, then the second, and then the third. Karla was on her knees in the center leading the singing.

To Barb, it sounded wonderful, and the children were having such fun and were so proud of their new accomplishment. When they finished and applauded their effort, Karla looked up with a question in her eyes.

Barb stood beside her and said to the children, "I learned this morning that some of you don't know how to pray. How many of you don't? Please raise your hands." About three-fourths of the hands went up.

Then to a little girl who had not raised her hand she asked, "Honey, how do you pray?"

The little girl began, "Our Father, who art in Heaven,..." completed the prayer, and looked up at Barbara.

"That's a wonderful prayer," Barb commented. "It is one composed by Jesus Christ, Himself, in response to a question, 'How should we pray?' But there are other ways to pray, too. You can just talk to God. You just tell him things you want Him to know, ask Him questions, and ask for special favors or blessings. Did you know that?"

The little girl with her eyes now wide replied, "No, ma'am, I didn't know that. Does that mean I can pray for my friends to get better?"

"Yes, honey, it does," Barb replied. "But you can also pray to get better yourself."

The little girl just shook her head and said, "I couldn't do that. That would be selfish. Besides, I'm too far gone, anyway. The doctors say it's only a matter of a week or two." Then she brightened and added, "My mommy told me that if I'm very good and say the 'Our Father' and the 'Hail Mary' every day without fail, I might see God and be with him forever and ever. Isn't that neat?"

"What's your name, honey?" Barb asked. "And how old are you?"

"My name is Karla," the girl said proudly. "I was named after the bravest woman who ever lived, Karla Kosta. She suffered terribly for our country. I pray for her soul every day, but I'm sure she's with God in Heaven, anyway. She was so good! My daddy saw her tortured to death when he was in prison." Then the little girl added, "I'm four years old."

When she heard the little girl, Karla folded up at the waist until her forehead was resting on her thighs. Barb could hear her crying. Standing beside her, Barb took her arm and lifted her to her feet. "Karla, this beautiful girl is Karla Kosta, and she certainly is not dead."

Turning to her she said, "Sis, what do you think?"

Tears were streaming down her cheeks and she was so choked up she could barely speak. "My darling Karla, I'm overwhelmed! To think that a little girl, suffering the way you are, would think to pray for me is incredible. But, honey, all I can do is thank you very much. And I'm certainly not the bravest woman, but you may be." Then she picked the little girl up, held her in her arms and kissed her with all of her love.

When Karla's lips met hers, the little girl felt a flood of love, grace and joy. When she ended the kiss and looked into the child's eyes, she found they were glistening with happiness. "Now my life is complete!" the girl exclaimed. "I've been kissed by the best person alive in the whole world!" Then she looked deeply into Karla's eyes and added, "If I get to Heaven, Karla Kosta, I'll continue to pray for you for ever and ever! I can hardly wait."

The girl's little speech caused Karla to begin to bawl again. Now she just held the girl tightly against her body and could feel the warmth of the little girl's. For her part the girl just nuzzled her face against Karla's neck and wriggled her tiny body in delight. It was obvious that she would cheerfully spend the rest of her short life being held in Karla's arms.

Then Karla whispered in her ear, "My darling Karla, thank you. But don't be in such a rush. Your whole life is in front of you. You're going to recover and grow to be a beautiful young woman. And I couldn't be more proud than to have a lovely girl like you named after me. It is truly a great honor."

Hearing her words, the girl lifted her head and looked deeply into Karla's brilliant blue eyes. When she decided that Karla wasn't teasing her, she sighed lovingly and again dropped her head back on Karla's shoulder. Very gently Karla returned her to her position on the floor.

Then Barb suggested that the children all bow their heads and close their eyes. This they did while Barb asked God to help them, too. In moments, a transformation occurred. From being at death's door — and in many cases, including baby Karla's, only being out of bed because of massive doses of pain-killing narcotics — they were the pictures of health. And each child had a brand new teddy bear.

After Barb nodded to Karla, the girl left the room. A few minutes later she returned accompanied by food service personnel pushing carts with ice cream and cake. The hospital staff was so preoccupied with the service they didn't notice the incredible change in the children.

However, when Barb saw Karla returning with them, she also saw lines of red appearing on her white dress. She was certain that holding little Karla tightly had caused some of her cuts to open up and start bleeding again. Taking her by the hand she said softly, "We're out of here!" and then nearly dragged the protesting girl out toward the entrance.

"What did you do that for, Big Sister?" Karla pouted when again they were in the car and headed back to the Ritz. "The party was just starting." She paused and then continued, "Besides, I never even learned little Karla's last name! And she's named for me, too. The least I can do is send her a birthday card once in a while, or something."

"Look down at your dress and you'll see the answer, Little Sister," Barb responded. "And you can always get Karla's information from the hospital. But right now I'm getting you home, cleaned up, and in bed where you belong!"

"Maybe I ought to take care of this right now," the Voice said from between them. "Just imagine!" He continued, "You got to meet a little girl named after you: the foremost hero in the independence of your country. Why ... it's like Barb getting to meet George Washington."

"You will like hell!" Karla exclaimed, reacting to His first comment. "I absorbed the punishment, and I'm enjoying it."

"Young lady, you're getting to be as bad as your sister! First, you order me around the same way she does. You both should know by now that I'm not used to being told what I can and cannot do. Second, the expletive you use is one we don't use up here for rather obvious reasons."

The two girls thought back to Karla's words and then both howled with laughter at the same instant. "Would, 'You will like heaven' sound any better?" Karla asked innocently.

At that they heard a sound that was almost like the rumble of thunder but then they realized it was laughter. Then the voice responded, "It would be better, but still not be very good." Then to Barb He said, "Take care of her, please, Barbara. She's the very best there is. Or the very best after you, but that's pretty close. And I love the idea of Karla being your sister."

When they got back to the apartment, Barb eased the dress off Karla's body as carefully as she could. But still she opened up a few more cuts whose scabs had embedded in the dress fabric and were stripped off when the dress was removed. Getting a small pan of water and a stack of sterile surgical sponges, Barb gently washed the blood off Karla's body. As she was about to apply antiseptic to the cuts, Barb saw a plaintive look in Karla's eyes.

Knowing instantly what the girl wanted, she put down the antiseptic and began gently to kiss and lick her wounds. With her mouth on the girl's skin she could feel as well as hear her sounds of joy and peace. "That feels so good, Big Sister," she sighed as she wriggled her body on the bed, ignoring the pain she created on her back and ass whenever she moved. Barb continued and as she did she could feel her sister's breathing become regular and deep. Then, instead of applying the ointments, she gently covered the girl, darkened the room and withdrew.

Shortly afterward, Barbara received a call from the hospital administrator. She was amused because she had been expecting his call and anticipated both his reaction and his words. In tones of disbelief he reported that all of the children were now fully recovered. They were pictures of health. In many cases, they were healthy for the first time in their entire lives. "It is truly a miracle!" he continued. "When we asked them what had happened, all they could talk about was how your friend taught them to sing a song, and how you taught them how to pray."

Then he paused and added, "There's one little girl, though, who is truly special. She is the happiest child I have ever seen. All she could talk about was meeting and being held and even kissed by Karla Kosta. She's in heaven on earth."

"She's truly a lovely little girl," Barb replied. "My friend would like her name and address, if you have it handy." The administrator fumbled through some records and told her that her full name was Karla Kosta Koenig, and he provided an address in a small town on the outskirts of Prague. Pleading the press of affairs, Barb thanked him for the call and hung up.

That evening they sat around the sofa with Anna sitting on a wooden chair because of the fresh cuts on her back. Paula very cutely stuck out her tongue and pointed out that she didn't have such a problem because all her cuts were in the front where she could see them. Again, everyone was naked. It was the first time Paula had seen Steve nude and she marveled at the size of his cock and balls. Anna, too, was having her first experience with Steve and she commented how much bigger he was than any man she had ever previously encountered.

"And I have to take him into my poor little cunt twice a day, too," Barb said while trying — and failing — to sound sad.

"I'll take him off your hands, Mistress," Karla said with a grin as she joined the group. "After all, it's a body slave's duty to help her mistress in all things."

While Steve was eagerly nodding and licking his lips, Barb just said, "Thank you for the offer, Slave, but no, thanks."

"But Mistress," Karla protested with her eyes wide, "I thought in the States all the schools teach sharing. So did the Soviets here. Didn't you pay attention?"

"No," Barb said flatly. Then she stuck out her tongue causing everyone to howl with laughter.

Anna was savoring a martini on the rocks. It was the first hard liquor she had ever had in her life and she loved the taste. Accompanying it was the most beautiful assortment of hors d'oeuvres anyone — even Paula Wilhelm, a veteran of many diplomatic parties — had ever seen. With her eyes closed, Anna smiled and commented, "I've really got it made now. I have this for the rest of my life. Although I can never ask for my freedom, my mistress can't give it to me, either, unless I accept. And I'm never going to accept. I'm just going to live this life of incredible luxury.

"Luxury?" Barb asked. "You mean those gouges across your body?"

"Of course I do," the girl replied. Then she opened her eyes with a start and asked, "But we aren't beaten like this more than every other day, are we?" When Barb, too startled to laugh, replied no, the girl just nodded her head and said, "Like I said: Luxury!"

Steve had been impressed with Maria's skill on the computer. Already he and Barb had come to the same conclusion: The girls were far better programmers than the men with whom they had lived and who Kendy had agreed to back financially. When Steve asked, he learned that the girls seldom had a chance even to touch a keyboard.

"And," Anna said, "the computer we used compared to the one in the other room is like comparing the Wright brothers' first plane with an F-15. I think a U.S.-made Commodore 64, circa 1982, was more powerful than what we had."

"By the way, girls," Steve replied, "I apologize. There's been a slip up. Two even more powerful computers should have been delivered today. They'll arrive first thing tomorrow. And, unlike the one out there now, the new ones will be really good."

"Really good?" Anna asked incredulously. "You really mean better than the one out there?" Steve just grinned and nodded. "But that's impossible!" she exclaimed. "It's the state of the art!"

"No, it's not," Steve said, knowing he was teasing the girl. "For example, that has only a 133 megahertz Pentium. Yours will have P-6 200's. While they both have 21-inch monitors, yours have video cards with 32 mg. WRAM each. They produce resolution of 1280 by 1040 at a refresh rate of 75 Hz. And they also have 384 mg. EDO RAM, each, along with Novell network cards so they can be linked together if you really need power."

"But whoever would use that power?" Maria protested.

"You're the only computer scientists we've got at the moment," Steve replied, "so you're stuck with them. Can you get along?"

Anna looked at her right arm, then her left. Then she shook her head and extended her shapely, if somewhat thin, leg. Drawing a line across it at her hip bone she said, "Master, would you like my leg? Perhaps both, because they're so thin? I could roast them for you." She added, "I was going to give you my arm, but I'm going to need my fingers for the keyboard."

Then she turned to Maria and said, "You have full hams, darling. With the layer of fat on them, they should roast beautifully." Her face fell and she said, "There's no fat on mine, so they'd probably be dry and tough. But Maria's would be luscious!" Then she looked down at her chest and just shook her head in dismay. "I was going to throw in my tits but they're so small, Master, they wouldn't even make a good appetizer..."

Then she looked at Steve and said quietly, "Yes, Master. We will try to make do." With that the others laughed uproariously.

When they assembled in the dining room, again Anna's eyes bugged. She was seeing a table the likes of which she had never seen nor ever dreamed of seeing. The sterling silver flatware glistened. The pieces flanked tooled-gold service plates and crystal stemware. A centerpiece of red roses and six lighted candles in two candelabra completed the setting. Although both Paula and Anna protested, Maria insisted on doing all the serving herself. There was a huge shrimp cocktail at each place when they sat down at the table. Anna utterly ignored the pain from sitting on her still-open cuts. The shrimp were served with more of the select California Chardonnay. Following a mixed salad, the main course of New York-cut sirloin steak was served with soufléed potatoes, sliced cold potatoes cooked in hot oil which causes them to puff up like little sausage balloons.

"I'm sorry, girls," Barbara said. "I didn't ask how you like your beef cooked. These steaks are all medium rare. I hope no one's terribly unhappy."

"Mistress, I've never had a steak before in my life," Anna said. "I wouldn't have known how to answer if you had asked."

Paula looked at the food in front of her and then looked at Barbara who said, "Paula, Maria tells me you worked out almost all day on the machines, although given the condition of your body, she doesn't know how you even got out of bed." Smiling warmly she added, "I hope you enjoy it."

The steak was served with Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1959. Paula recognized the label and her eyes widened. Finally, dessert was American apple pie à la mode. No one at the table other than Steve and Barb had ever had it.

When Maria cleared the plates, she brought out a platter of cheeses with assorted crackers which they nibbled on while finishing the second bottle of claret. Then the cheese tray was cleared and replaced with coffee cups and brandy snifters. The coffee was a pure Columbian that the Czechs had never had, either. The cognac was Rémy Martin's Louis XIII and again it was served with cigars.

Anna watched as Barb swirled her cognac in the snifter while holding it with both hands to warm it. Then she raised it to her mouth, sniffed the aroma and sipped. Anna then did the same thing. After the wine, she became almost light-headed from the cognac's aroma. The sip of cognac went down so smoothly, she just sighed. Then, after watching Barb again, she took a puff on the panatella that Maria had so perfectly lighted for her.

After leaning back against the chair she closed her eyes and murmured, "I'm a lifer. There's no way I will ever give this up." Turning to Barbara she said, "This is the most utterly magnificent feast I've ever seen, let alone had a chance to eat. I could not conceive of anything any better."

Then with her eyes wide she asked, "Mistress, will you be teaching Maria, Paula, and me to cook?" When Barb said that indeed she would, the girl just sighed gratefully. Then she asked if her hair could be cut in an urchin cut like Barbara's and Karla's. The women studied the girl carefully and agreed that the effect would be magnificent because she, like the others, had exquisitely delicate features.

Shortly after dinner — which had taken three hours to consume — the girls all went off to bed. Over her not-too-strong protests, Karla was shooed off to bed, too. Steve put a movie on the video player and he and Barb spent the rest of the evening until bedtime necking on the sofa. When they headed to bed neither could have said a word about the contents of the movie if their lives depended on the answer.

The next morning was a delight for the Sloans, Karla, and Paula. Shortly after eight there was a knock on the door to which Maria responded wearing her uniform. Two men from Federal Express wheeled in hand trucks loaded with computer components. Maria squealed with delight and ushered them into the room used for an office. As she was checking the boxes against the air bill, she realized that there were a number of boxes missing. However, the men had disappeared.

They reappeared a few minutes later with their hand trucks loaded again. By this time, Maria had been joined by Anna. Although the men's eyes had widened at the sight of the naked girls whose bodies were scored with whip cuts, neither said a word. Maria just signed their receipt and they withdrew.

Only then did they realize that, in addition to the computers, there were computer tables, special chairs, and two printers for each computer. One was a laser printer while the other was a high-speed color ink jet. To the others who stood crowded at the doorway watching, they looked exactly like two little girls on Christmas morning as they squealed and cried out at each discovery. It took only a glance for Steve to realize the girls had everything under control. The others withdrew to have breakfast, leaving the girls with their new toys.

Two hours later, Steve and Barb were sitting in the kitchen over coffee going over some ideas for Skoda when the girls appeared. Each had a piece of paper in her hand which they gave to the Sloans. Their eyes widened when they realized what they were holding. The girls had created full-color greeting cards showing them on their knees thanking the Sloans for the magnificent computers. The pictures of the two girls were remarkably lifelike.

When Steve asked how they had done it, Maria replied, "It was easy, really. There's a magnificent drawing program with single-pixel resolution. We just drew them." When Steve pointed out that at 1280 by 1040, that was over 1.3 million pixels on the screen, Maria only shrugged and commented, "That's why it took so long for us to do them. Normally, we're much faster than this."

It was two days later, when Steve was using his computer, that he realized it was behaving differently. He had been doing an involved series of calculations that required a lot of time to enter. Today, though, he merely put in the first variable followed by the first in his instruction series, when the computer asked for his other variables. He put them in and instantly got his answer.

"Who's been messing with my computer?" he demanded. "Have you slaves been working on my machine?"

Both Anna and Maria had been independently working on their own computers when they looked up. Anna jumped off her chair, dropped to her knees before him and replied, "Yes, sir. I have."

While she waited for Maria to return with the whip, Anna looked up at him with her brilliant green eyes glistening with tears and asked, "What part of me would you like to whip first, Master? I'm truly sorry for disturbing your work."

"You should be," Steve replied. "You've utterly screwed me up. Here I planned on locking myself to this keyboard all day long, but now I'm finished. Now what kind of excuse can I give Barb for not playing golf with her? What am I going to say?"

"My back, sir?" Anna inquired. Then holding out her hands she said, "Or perhaps you might like to start on my hands?"

Instead of responding, Steve held out his arms. Confused, the girl rose to her feet and moved closer to him. Pulling her head down to his while being careful not to touch her wounded back, he softly melted his lips to hers.

For Anna it was truly an unprecedented experience. Never had she experienced love in a man's kiss. For that matter, she realized, she had seldom been kissed at all. In fact, she was certain that she had been fucked far more times than she had ever been kissed. Feeling the flow of joy, love, and grace from his lips, she softened hers and darted her tongue into his mouth. When her tongue met his, she almost fainted from the emotional shock. Yet, she realized, there had not been a shred of passion. It was pure love and grace. He gently eased his hold and she stood up straight, although she was still reeling from the power of the kiss.

"My punishment, Master?" she asked softly.

Steve cocked his head and pretended to think. Then, seeming to have made up his mind, he pointed to his lap. Anna didn't know what he meant. When he said, "Sit here, Slave," she jumped to obey, sat across his lap, and looked at him expectantly and fearfully. "Two more, Slave," he said simply with no further explanation.

"Two more what?" He could see the fear in her eyes as she began to weep and said, "I'm so sorry, Master. I just don't understand. I guess my understanding of English isn't nearly as good as I thought it is. I'm so sorry!" she wailed.

"Two more kisses, exactly like the one before. But they better be as good, or else..."

Suddenly realizing that he had been teasing her, her tears stopped instantly to be replaced with the sunniest smile he had ever seen. Now her eyes were gleaming brightly as she said, "I'll do my very best, beloved master!" With that she melted her lips to his and poured out all her love.

This time it was Steve who became lightheaded as he felt the flow of love and grace as well as the wonderful softness of her lips moving on his. Finally he eased her away gently and breathed, "Enough! I give up."

"But, Master!" Anna protested, "I'm required to give you two kisses. That was only one. What am I to do?"

Barb had come in and seen the end of the little play. She felt wonderful seeing the way Steve was treating this poor tortured girl. Instead of kissing him again, though, Anna just nuzzled her face into his neck and sniffed his marvelous masculine aroma. He had his arms around her very lightly just to keep her from falling off.

Then he heard her whisper in his ear, "Please hold me tightly, Master. Please?" Trying to be as gentle as he could, he held the girl to his chest. "Never have I felt so good, Master," the girl whispered. "I never dreamed what it could be like just to be held closely by a wonderful man."

Then she eased away so she could look at him and continued, "Barbara Sloan is blessed among women to have you as her husband, Master. With your arms around her, and your cock splitting her cunt, she must be in heaven constantly."

"I am," Barb interjected. Then to Steve she said, "Darling husband, you make me so proud! This girl has lived through hell on earth and you are helping to make her well." Then, trying to convey in her voice all the love she felt for him, added, "My darling, I love you so!"

Then in her normal tone she said, "You're so good, darling, I'll even go easy on you on the golf course today." With a loving grin she concluded, "There! Doesn't that make you happy?"

"It's a start," Steve conceded.

Then to Anna he asked, "What, exactly, did you do with my computer, anyway?"

Embarrassed again, the girl reddened prettily and responded, "It's just a simple-minded bit of software we wrote, Master. It takes almost no RAM or hard-disk space, but it tracks the things you do and the software you use. When it sees you do the same thing a couple of times, it remembers. Then the next time you do it, it just asks for the variables and does it for you. The guys think the idea is stupid and impossible to execute, but Maria and I think it's sort of cute."

"And the guys?" Steve asked. "What do they do? What sort of software are they writing?"

"They work on truly big things," Anna replied. "Business strategy and that sort of thing. Maria and I don't know anything about strategy, so we play around with little bitty things."

"'Little bitty things' like a program that tracks the real work being done on the computer and, without human intervention of any kind, does it for you. That sort of 'little bitty'?" Steve asked. The girl just nodded.

Maria had returned to the room and was fearfully holding the rolled up whip. When Steve looked up, she extended it to him. "Lose that damned thing!" he thundered. "There will be no more whippings around here! Clear!?"

"Yes, Master," Maria replied softly. "You are very clear."

Then he looked at Barb and both of them started to laugh. "We backed the software group, but got the real brains to volunteer to be our slaves."

To Maria and Anna he said, "This is the best idea I've ever seen! It will be on the market in the States by the end of next week and worldwide before the end of the month."

At that instant Susie materialized in their midst. "Why don't you call it, 'Noble Software'?" she asked. "After all, Maria is a duchess and Anna is a marquise." She cocked her head and added, "It's not quite up there with a princess or a duchess, but it ranks right below. And it really isn't such a shabby title, do you think?"

"I'm a what?" Anna exclaimed. "You've got to be joking! And who are you, anyway?"

When Maria quickly explained who Susie Sloan was, Anna reached out her arms, caught the sprite and gave her a loving kiss. When she eased up, Susie was gasping for breath, but she just moved close to the girl and very gently ran her fingers over her gaping cuts. To Anna's amazement, she was wiping away her pain. When she had covered all the cuts she could see, Susie ordered Anna to stand up and did the same thing on her back and buttocks.

Finished with Anna, she turned her attention to Maria. When the girl protested that she wanted her pain, Susie told her she didn't care what she wanted; she was a slave, after all.

After wiping all the pain from Maria's body, instead of instantly vaporizing, she paused and said, "That was a reward for your programming brilliance. The Boss was truly amazed at what you've done. He says to keep up the good work."

Then to the Sloans she repeated, "Noble Software?" and disappeared.

Maria and Anna were in a state of shock, with Anna truly reeling. "Were you serious, Master?" Maria asked. "You really intend to publish our tiny little thing?"

"I most certainly do," Steve replied. "And it will be from Noble Software, a subsidiary of Kendy Company. Is that all right with you two?"

"I don't understand," Maria said softly. "We are slaves. You are our mistress and master. If you ordered us to jump off a cliff, we would just jump. What do you mean, is it all right with us? How could it not be? But why not one of Kendy's existing software companies? From what you say, there must be at least one, and one of substantial size to be able to produce and distribute it so quickly."

"There is," Steve replied without further explanation. "Now, little girls, while my bride slaughters me again on the golf course, we want you two to design the package and write any necessary manual for it. Clear?" He snapped his fingers and added, "I almost forgot! Design a logo for Noble Software, too."

Anna had now recovered sufficiently to speak. "But what is this 'noble' nonsense, anyway? And did I hear something about Maria being ... a duchess?"

"You sure did," Susie replied having again materialized in their midst. "As for the details, ask Maria. Your story is the same as hers. Only the officer was a duke rather than a prince. Okay?" With that she disappeared again before anyone could speak.

Then, when the Sloans disappeared to get ready for their golf game, Maria quickly filled Anna in on her own background as Susie had earlier explained it. Then she said, "Darling Anna, we've always had a mutual attraction. Maybe it's because we might be related from some time back. But I love you."

Then she grinned and said, "You do the cover and the logo. I'll do the rest of the junk. Okay?"

"As your assistant, darling Maria, what else can I say?"

When the Sloans returned five hours later, they just whistled at the work the girls had done. The name of the software was Helper and its cover was the best and most striking they had ever seen. They wrapped it up and called for a Federal Express pickup.

Finally, dictating to Maria's flying fingers, Steve composed a memo for faxing to the relevant Kendy unit alerting them to what was coming and laying out instructions for the initial marketing program. The fax went out and they adjourned to the sitting room for preprandial cocktails. As the girls headed off to shower first, they realized it had become their very best time of the day.



-------

Chapter 9



Karla Kosta was lying in their bed while Barb was in the middle of her wake-up lovemaking with Steve. She stretched and reflected on the month she had spent with the Sloans. Taking physical inventory, she admitted to herself that she had never been in such perfect condition. She was more rested and relaxed than she could ever remember. Her wounds had faded to red lines which were rapidly turning pink as the healing was nearly complete. The fire of pain in her eyes that had been a constant companion for weeks was gone, too. Even her tiny clit, she had found, was intact and functioning. Functioning? she thought ruefully. Is it ever!

With her eyes now closed she remembered what had happened only two days earlier. While sharing a shower with Barb, Maria, and Anna, the redhead was washing her body while Maria was tending to Barb. This, too, amused her. It had started almost three weeks earlier, when the younger girls' wounds had healed to the point of being fiery red lines scoring their bodies.

When Anna started lovingly to work on her body, Karla had objected. "After all," she had pointed out, "we're all Barbara's slaves."

"That's true, Princess," Anna had replied, "we are all Barbara's slaves. But Maria and I consented to be her slaves in order to be able to continue to serve our princess as her handmaidens. If our princess enters into slavery, after all, we had to follow. Now just shut up!"

Returning to her memory of Anna, she remembered the girl was washing her body all over and was down on her knees to carefully clean her slit. With water from all of the sprays washing over them, the girl had rocked back on her heels to study her slit. Then to her amazement, she had wrapped her arms around her thighs and proceeded to kiss and lick her nether lips. Karla remembered how her eyes had widened in amazement as she felt the girl's lips and tongue on her most private parts.

Although she had tried to get Anna to stop, she admitted to herself that she hadn't really tried very hard. As the incredible sensations built in her cunt, she could feel it becoming the very center of her being. First, she had leaned back against the tile wall to keep from toppling over as her knees weakened, then slowly she just slid down the wall until she was sitting on the shower floor. Still Anna had maintained her pressure.

Finally she was lying on her back with her legs over Anna's shoulders while the girl continued to lick, to suck, and even to nibble on her love bud. She had had an orgasm, then another, and a third. They came with increasing frequency until she fainted as her entire nervous system cut out from the massive overload.

When she had come to, she had expected to find Maria and Barbara laughing at her. Instead, all three were crowded around her looking concerned, while the water continued to flood over them. When they realized she was fine, she noticed Barb had looked so happy.

The episode was not over, though. When she had pulled herself up to a sitting position against the wall, she found herself facing Anna, sitting with her legs spread wide revealing her now-hairless pussy with its dense patch of hair above it. Dropping to her knees, she took Anna's legs, put them over her shoulders and kissed the girl's nether lips.

"What are you doing, Princess?" Anna cried. "You can't—"

"But I can," she insisted. "You are my handmaiden, aren't you?"

When Anna had fearfully nodded her head, she continued, "I've always wanted to know what a marquise's cunt tastes like." She had looked up at Barb, cocked her head and continued, "Like a Chablis? A Chardonnay? Perhaps a Moselle?"

Barb had just giggled. Then she had duplicated on Anna what the girl had done to her. When it was over, the girl was lying sprawled unconscious on the shower floor.

But the last word had been Anna's. When she struggled to sit up, and again was resting with her back against the shower wall, she had closed her eyes and then licked her lips. With her eyes still closed, she had asked, "Well?"

"Well, what?" Karla had asked.

"A Chardonnay? Or what?"

"A unique nectar," she had replied.

"Wonderful," Anna had said. Then after a long pause she announced, "I'm going to be a lesbian. It's what I was made for. Although my cunt is too tight for a man's cock, it's the perfect size for my princess's tongue." After a determined nod, she repeated, "From now on, I'm a lesbian."

"Are you sure? After last night?" Karla asked with an eyebrow raised.

The night before Barb had conducted a lesson in lovemaking using poor Steve to demonstrate cocksucking. When she had asked Barb the purpose, she had been tartly reminded that their bodies were at the disposal of any guests for any purpose. Then she had been told that the inability to give good head would disgrace the Sloans. The girls had been giggling because several times she had just stopped, removed Steve's cock, which was in her mouth to its full length, and told them what she had been doing and feeling. The giggles were caused because, following the explanation, she had swallowed his cock again and picked up where she had left off as if there had been no interruption.

When it had been Anna's turn, instead of easing his weapon into her mouth, she had first kissed it and licked it like an ice cream cone. When she finally took Steve's cock into her mouth, Karla had seen that her mouth was compressed as much as the girl could get it to maximize Steve's enjoyment. Then, when he had been about to cum, Anna had pulled it out until only its head was in her mouth. When he had cum in a flood, she not only swallowed every drop, but she gently kneaded his balls to maximize his flow. The emptying almost caused Steve to pass out.

"What about last night," Anna had asked.

"You didn't give him a blow job. You were worshiping his cock, weren't you?" Karla asked. Instead of blushing, Anna had merely replied that she had been trying her best. "But if you're going to be a lesbian, why would you do that?" she persisted. "Lesbians don't like men. In fact, generally they can't stand them."

"Because I love him so much," Anna had replied simply. "Never in my life have I felt the way I did when he held me on his knee and we just kissed. It was the purest love and grace. I didn't think it was possible for a man. But I felt so warm and snugly and loved."

Then she had added, "There was no sex in his kiss at all." Looking up at Barb, she had said, "All of his passion is reserved for you, Mistress. But it was so wonderful."

"Well, handmaiden, why become a lesbian? Why not find a man of your own?" she had persisted.

"Because he's the only one alive in the world," Anna had stated simply, "and our mistress has him."

Returning to the present, Karla realized that the Sloan's morning lovemaking had ended. The difference this morning was that it had had the same passion it usually did only at night. The result was that Barb was sprawled on the bed like a discarded rag doll that had been left out in the rain, while Steve was lying on his back gasping for breath. Before Karla could do a thing, Paula Wilhelm was on the bed taking Steve's now-limp cock in her mouth.

With the greatest care Paula sucked off his accumulated juices, then licked it carefully and finally used her hair to dry it. Although she normally kept her hair pinned up, this morning it was flowing loose and, Karla realized, it reached down her back nearly to her waist. Then she moved to Barb, straightened out her body, put her limp legs over her shoulders and proceeded carefully to drink the juices from her cunt.

As she watched, Karla was reminded of the sensation she had felt when Anna had been going down on Steve. Paula was not merely sucking Barb's cunt, she was worshiping it. As she was finishing, Barb recovered consciousness in time to cum again when Paula lightly bit her clit. Again she drank up the new flow, then flipping her head, spread her flowing hair over Barb's crotch and carefully dried it. When she finished, she looked up at Barb wistfully, and Barb spread her arms. In an instant, Paula dove up beside her and melted her lips to hers.

At that moment Karla realized that Paula had already lost a great deal of weight and appeared to be much younger. She's on her way to being a stunning beauty,  Karla decided. Then, while watching the two women cuddle, she tried to organize her thoughts.

The problem was, she realized, alone among the slaves, she had done nothing at all. She had put her re-engineering of the Skoda plant completely out of her mind on the grounds that Steve would have done it in an instant himself after a single glance at its operation. The only difference was that she knew how the plant had been operated, while he had never even seen it at the time the decisions had been made.

Maria and Anna were becoming almost like differently colored twins, one with dark hair and gray eyes, while the other had the most beautiful auburn hair and emerald-green eyes. As far as weight was concerned, it was as if pounds were being transferred from Maria to Anna. Although the process was not complete, it was apparent, to Karla at least, that in a short time the only difference between the two girls would be that Maria's tits would be slightly larger. Continuing to think about them, she realized that they were constantly bright and cheery, never subject to the doubts and fears that afflicted her. Finally, there was Helper that already had the Kendy software people raving about it.

As for Paula, Karla knew that she was sensitive to the fact that while the other girls were university graduates, she had never gone to college. The result was that she spent hours in the middle of each night on her personal education. To no one's surprise, she was a brilliant woman who was and had been very alert to what went on around her. In her position as Frederick Wilhelm's wife, she had learned a great deal about politics and power, most particularly including how to make things happen in the Republic.

And if Anna and Maria were bright and cheery, Paula was like sunshine indoors. In spite of seeking out the filthiest jobs to do, nothing could ever seem to dampen her spirits. Almost solely due to her efforts, the apartment constantly sparkled along with everything in it. Paula Wilhelm is worth her weight in gold,  Karla decided. But what's wrong with me? I contribute absolutely nothing to the family!

This idea caught her up short. Suddenly she realized what had been going on. They were a family! Moreover, they were a family like no other in the world. Although not related, there was a level of love, mutual support and friendship... That's it! she thought. Because of the relationships, members of a family love each other, but often they don't like each other. They're not friends, while we certainly are.

The more she thought about it, the better she liked her new idea. Everything fit, and everything centered on Barbara and Steve Sloan. The love they share is so strong, it spills over like water to flood everything it touches. And we all feel it,  she thought, remembering Anna's worshiping of Steve's cock. But what's wrong with me? I do absolutely nothing! Convinced that she was an anchor around the family's neck, she started to cry.

Barbara was holding Paula in her arms when they both heard the sound of Karla's weeping. Paula slid down and out of the bed trying to keep from waking Steve who had gone back to sleep, while Barb moved close to the woman she now loved most in the whole world. When she tried to take her in her arms, Karla resisted, wallowing as she was in her own misery. But even now she was no match for Barb's strength. She forced Karla's head up and melted her lips to hers. This time there was no holding back.

Barb unleashed all the love she felt for her sister and let it flow through her lips. After initially struggling, Karla at first went limp and lifeless, then came to life as she felt Barb's great love. Then she rolled over to face Barb in the bed and tried to mold their two bodies together while she returned the same love. Paula's eyes widened as she saw a golden light form around the heads of the two girls, then expand and flow downward over their nude bodies. Soon it was so bright and so dense she could no longer see the girls at all.

Then she heard a stentorian Voice in her ear saying, "These are the very best in the whole world, Paula Wilhelm. You have chosen your mistress well."

Then slowly the light subsided and again she could see the girls' figures. In moments, there was no trace of it, and they were revealed snuggling in each other's arms.

Slowly easing apart, Barb whispered, "Okay, Baby Sister, why the waterworks? What happened this time?"

"Nothing happened, Big Sister," Karla wailed. "That's the trouble. I do absolutely nothing around here but eat and take up space." Then she reviewed for Barb her earlier assessment of their family and her rôle in it. While Barbara was startled, she quickly agreed that they were a family. But, she argued, Karla was an utterly vital member of it.

When she pointed out the Skoda engineering, Karla responded with her statement that she only beat Steve to it. "Anybody would have seen what I did in two seconds flat!" she concluded.

"How many engineers does Skoda Works employ?" Barb asked casually.

"I have no clue," Karla replied, "but it's a number in the hundreds, anyway. Why do you ask?"

"If it's so damned obvious, turkey, why didn't one of those hundreds of engineers do it years ago?" Barb demanded.

Karla just shook her head stubbornly and vowed to try to improve her behavior. Barb shook her head in frustration and then joined the others in their morning workout. After a lovely breakfast Barbara announced that they were visiting the Skoda plant that morning. Because of scheduled meetings with government officials, Steve wouldn't be joining them.

With Karla giving directions, they soon arrived at the plant's main entrance. Seeing the white Rolls convertible, the guard stiffened to attention, rendered his very best salute, and waved them into the VIP parking area. Looking around, Barb was immediately depressed by what she saw. The sprawling complex with its many buildings looked unchanged from the late 19th century. All the buildings were old and soot-stained. Many had unrepaired broken windows and a significant number of others appeared to be abandoned. Shaking her head in dismay, she joined Karla near the entrance to the main building.

"Pretty depressing, isn't it?" Karla commented.

"It sure is," Barb agreed. "Now that we own it, though, I guess we'd better think of a few things to do with it all."

"How about tearing some of it down?" Karla asked.

Barb looked at her quickly and realized the girl was serious.

When Karla realized that Barbara was entertaining her suggestion she continued, "Tear down some of the junk and replace the structures with flower gardens if we can't come up with something better. And steam clean the other buildings, too."

Then she snapped her fingers and continued, "Of course! There's a very large staff employed here ... or unemployed, but being paid to be here, more accurately. Why not put them to work? At least until we find something more productive for them to do."

Barb thought it was a great idea, and executed it as soon as she met the works general manager. When told of the plan, he swallowed hard then pulled out a large plot plan of the entire area. A number of buildings had been marked with large red X's to indicate they were of no value.

"You have all sorts of heavy equipment for demolition right here at the complex, don't you?" Barb asked. When he admitted they did, she grinned and said, "Well? What are you waiting for? From what I saw outside, we're going to be in the used-brick business, at least for a while." The manager started giving orders to his surprised lieutenants. When he finished giving his first set of orders, she added, "Try not to wreck my nice car, please? I'm not sure if it's paid for yet." Realizing she was teasing him, he grinned.

Although the exterior of the Skoda Arms plant looked no better than the other buildings, the interior was remarkably different. Here there was a sense of purpose. While a great deal needed to be done to fix it up, it was now laid out efficiently. Wearing hard hats and safety glasses, they moved from the beginning to the end of the basic production line.

Reaching the end, Karla picked up a just-completed 9-mm automatic pistol. Seeing what her sister had done, Barb picked one up, too. After getting directions, the two women entered a test firing range nearby. Ordering a man-shaped target, Karla put on ear protectors and told Barb to put on a pair, too. When three targets were set up side by side, she took a firing position, loaded the 15-round clip, and began firing. To Barb, it sounded like a continuous roll of thunder although its sound was heavily dampened by the ear protectors she was wearing. When she finished firing, the weapon had locked open waiting for a reload. After ejecting the empty clip, she turned her attention to the targets. Each of the three had five bullet holes in the 10-ring where the man's heart would have been.

Having watched Karla's performance, Barb asked for the targets to be replaced with three new ones. After loading her weapon's clip, she took her position and opened fire. The sound was the same as the one Karla had made, but Barb emptied her clip even faster. When her targets were brought back, again all fifteen bullet holes were in the ten ring in an even tighter group than Karla's.

The girl looked at Barb's targets with her face impassive. Then she said flatly, "Your piece is better than mine."

At that Barb stuck out her tongue and Karla just giggled with delight.

From the firing range they returned to the production line and started down the line of more skilled workers who were putting embellishments of various kinds on the finished weapons. At the first stations the work was the simplest sort, but as they moved down, the level of craftsmanship increased. Finally, they reached the last man and just watched in awe as he was doing the finest engraving and inlay work on an automatic similar to the ones they had fired. But this was truly a Rolls-Royce compared to a Yugo. It was a masterpiece of the gunsmith's craft.

Although he seemed to be totally wrapped up in his work, he was, in fact very much aware of the girls' presence. Finally, after wiping the weapon off with the greatest care, he placed it in a rosewood presentation box. Although the girls could see that the presentation plate had already been engraved, they were too far away to be able to read it. Only then did they realize that there was a microphone on a stand beside his workbench.

Turning to the girls he smiled, then flicked on the mic switch. "Ladies and gentlemen," he began, "today we are singularly honored. We have with us one of the greatest heroes of Czech independence, Major Karla Kosta. I cannot go into detail with respect to all of the things she has done for us, but I will say that the facts of her heroism are attested to by our president, Václav Havel, himself."

Then to Karla he extended the presentation box and said, "Miss Kosta, please accept this as a very small token of thanks from a grateful people. This weapon has been purchased by money donated entirely by the workers you see before you.

"In addition, on a more personal note, we want to thank you for something else. Ministers Slavic and Wilhelm both have told us that you were the one who re-engineered our production line and obtained the newest and best machine tools for us to use. There are many of us, who, like me, have worked our whole lives here at Skoda. I cannot tell you how proud I am today now that our quality again does credit to our great name and heritage.

"Finally, my name is Otto Kruger. As the senior craftsman here at Skoda, I personally produced this weapon. I give it to you with pride and the assurance that it reflects both my skill and my love. Thank you so very much." With that, there was a thunderous cheer from all the workmen.

Karla was truly stunned. Holding the rosewood box in nerveless hands, she was afraid she would drop it on the floor. To keep that from happening, she clutched it to her breast. Seeing that a word from her was not only expected but required, she moved as if in a trance to the mic. The plant was as still as a church. All work had stopped and everyone was waiting to hear what she had to say.

"Thank you, Herr Kruger," she said simply. Then she continued, "Workers of Skoda Arms, I don't know what to say. Honestly, I'm utterly overwhelmed. Because I was orphaned when I was very young, if ever in my life I received a gift, I certainly don't remember it. This ... this weapon is utterly magnificent. Thank you so very much."

Now she had relaxed a bit and was starting to believe the gift was really for her. She added, "There is only one more thing I can say. Often, I hear, presentation weapons like this are given to people who don't really know which end of the gun the bullets come out of. I can assure you, Herr Kruger, I am not one of those people. As your colleagues at the range can attest, before coming to this shop I borrowed a brand-new weapon from the end of the line and fired a score of 150 with its fifteen bullets. Of course, Barbara Sloan, the wife of the president of Kendy Company, Skoda's new owner, did, too."

Then with a grin she added, "Maybe you can get her to buy one for herself. After all, we need all those Yankee dollars we can get!" At that the workers howled with laughter.

Barbara moved beside her sister and said, "I will buy one, sir. Put my order in your book. And it will be at full price, too." She kissed Karla lightly and added, "After all, I have to keep up with my baby sister, don't I?"

The workers didn't understand the reference, but put it down to a misunderstanding on Barbara's part of the Czech language.

When the girls went outside again, they were just in time to hear the rumble as the first of the targeted buildings crumbled. They were also gratified to see a number of crews with steam hoses beginning the task of removing over a century's accumulation of soot and grime from two others that would remain standing.

Back in the car, Karla carefully opened the box and the two just looked at the magnificent weapon lying on dark blue plush. "This is utterly magnificent, Baby Sister," Barb said. "And it was made with at least as much love as skill. It's clear to me that this is truly a one-of-a-kind weapon. I don't think there will ever be one as good."

Then she looked at the girl and said, "Now did this snap you out of the blue funk you were in earlier?"

"Hell, no!" Karla grumped. "What do they know, anyway?" With her arms folded across her chest she grumbled, "The master of the obvious! That's me."

"Okay, mistress of the obvious, it's apparent to me that desperate measures are called for. We're reduced to the only thing that has never failed a woman for centuries, faced with the same PMS, or blue funk, or whatever..."

"What's that?" Karla asked, interested but totally baffled.

"We're going shopping, silly!" Barb replied. "After all, the saying is well known: 'When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping!'. We're shopping. But where?"

What followed was an amazing afternoon. After driving downtown, Barbara's eyes widened as she wondered what she was going to do with the car. She had visions of taking the car back to the hotel and then having to take a cab or a tram back to the stores.

Karla, as usual, reclined her seat and closed her eyes, seemingly oblivious to Barb's concerns. Arriving at the first store Karla suggested, Barbara's heart fell when she saw the street was signed for no parking at any time.

Approaching the store Karla raised her seat back and when she saw a traffic officer, merely pointed at the shop. The officer's eyes widened, and then he ran toward the car directing Barb toward the curb. Thinking she had done something wrong, she didn't know exactly what to do.

"He wants you to pull the car up on the sidewalk out of traffic," Karla said in the same tone of voice she would use if she had been giving Barb the time of day.

"He wants what?" Barb nearly screamed.

"He wants you to park on the sidewalk," Karla repeated. "What's the big deal? The curbing is very low. It won't hurt the car."

Feeling both skeptical and foolish, Barb did what Karla had said. The instant she had the parking brake set and the transmission in park, the officer opened Karla's door while giving her his very smartest salute. "Good afternoon, Major Kosta!" he exclaimed. "You are doing some shopping?" When Karla smartly returned his salute and said they were, he continued, "I shall personally ensure that nothing happens to this magnificent vehicle. Have a good day."

They entered the shop which featured Bohemian glass and particularly china. Suddenly Karla had an idea. "That's it!" she exclaimed. "That's something we can do!"

Looking at her as if she had lost her mind, Barb said, "What's happened to you? Are you losing it completely?"

"No, Sis," Karla responded. "We're going into the china business!"

Then she explained her thinking. They could do with china exactly what they were doing with firearms: essentially automate the process. She continued, "Darling sister, along with everything else, you have impeccable taste. I should have seen it sooner. Every night our table looks like a picture in a bride's magazine. Do you realize we can make that stuff? All of it! The china, the flatware, the crystal ... All of it!"

Becoming more enthusiastic by the second she added, "How about the girls and commercial china? You know, the stuff used in restaurants and hotels? I'll bet with their help and their computers we can drop minimum order sizes for custom work right through the floor. Every restaurant owner wants the name of his restaurant on his dinner plates, but only the biggest or most expensive can afford the money and the minimum order sizes required. I'll bet we can do it so an order for as few as 100 plates could be handled profitably. And besides you, there's Paula. Her taste is exquisite, too. My idea is we start at the top end and move down, the same as we're doing with Skoda. What do you think?"

Barb had been listening with increasing fascination. By the time Karla finished her explanation and was looking at Barb expectantly, Barb said, "What are you doing, Slave, besides holding down the floor? Move your fat ass and let's get this show on the road!"

When they returned to the car, they saw the officer watching it from less than twenty feet away. They both giggled when they found a hand-lettered sign on the windshield that said, "Secret Police – Official Business."

While they were driving off after Karla gave the officer a parting salute, she pouted and said, "I don't either have a fat ass, Big Sister!"

Barb just giggled at the quip.

After returning to the apartment, they met with Anna, Maria, and Paula. They learned that by using computer-aided manufacturing techniques, not only could they produce dinner plates profitably in lot sizes as small as 100, they could totally change and customize the shapes for each design. Within just two hours they had designed their initial deluxe line containing six patterns, each of which was composed of dinnerware of differing shapes as well as different decorations.

When Steve returned and learned what they had been doing his eyes widened with interest. After going through the explanation, assisted by Anna, Maria, and Paula, Karla stood looking at him expectantly. He just returned the look with his brows knitted as if to ask what the question was.

Finally, Karla couldn't take it anymore and asked, "Master, what do you think of our idea?"

Steve just checked his watch and seemed to be doing some mental calculations. Then he said, "Well, it's after five-thirty, and it's a Friday. I think it's too late to do anything now ... Production can't start until first thing Monday morning." Then he looked at Karla and asked, "Aren't you forgetting something, Slave?"

"Master?" Karla said, utterly baffled. "I don't think so..."

"Slave!" he commanded, "on my lap this instant!"

With that she squealed and sat down across his lap. He gently took her head in his hands, tipped it and then melted his lips to hers. Karla felt her bones turn to jelly as the power of his love poured through her body. Then she unleashed her own power, returning the kiss and darting her tongue into his mouth. Feeling the electricity of the purest love pour back and forth, she just sighed and snuggled her body as close to his as she could get. In an instant she was sound asleep.

Without disturbing her in the slightest, Steve rose from the chair and carried the girl into the bedroom. Barb raced ahead to pull down the spread and fluff up a pillow. After gently laying her down, he covered her with a light cashmere blanket, then kissed her lightly on the lips. She just shivered and smiled lovingly in her sleep.

"Thank you, darling," Barb whispered. "That was utterly perfect! Poor Karla's been wound up as tight as a two-dollar watch. You just released the spring."

After spending an hour watching the two girls continue their design work, Steve said, "Aren't you two handmaidens to our slave princess?"

Anna, who had been in the midst of a complex design, just dropped from the chair to her knees, then bent over and kissed the tops of Steve's shoes. Then looking up she asked softly, "How may we serve our master?"

"Slaves," he announced — by this time Maria was also on her knees beside Anna, "as you may know, on Sunday we return to the States with Karla. My wife has teaching obligations and your princess will be teaching, too. However, it has come to my attention that our slave has worn no clothes for a month now, except for Levi's on an occasion such as today. Accordingly, your mistress has decided that it is your responsibility to try to get your princess's sad excuse for a body into at least minimally acceptable shape to dine with us this evening."

With a smile he added, "And as a sign of our pleasure at the work you have done, you may eat with us, too. Wearing your usual uniforms, of course," he added. "Slave Paula will assist your mistress while you try to do something with the senior slave. Clear?"

"Very clear, Master," Anna replied. Then from her knees she looked up at him plaintively but said nothing.

"Oh, all right," Steve said with apparent reluctance. "I'll give you a kiss, if it will keep you from crying."

Jumping to her feet with a brilliant smile now on her face, Anna cocked her head and then melted her lips to his. Again she felt the wonder and joy as his love and grace just flowed into her body. Meantime, Steve's hands were moving gently over her back. As he moved them he realized that tactilely she was identical to Barb except his sensitive fingers could still feel the welts on her back.

Gently releasing her, he told her to turn around with her back to him. Then he covered her breasts with his large hands and gently teased her already-turgid nipples into half-inch long erections. The sensation was more than the girl could stand so she leaned back against him to keep from falling.

"Oh God, thank you," she murmured, "for finally giving me a pair of tits. And it feels so marvelous to have my master's hands over them." At that instant, the girl had a sudden orgasm — the first of her life from mammary stimulation — and let loose a flood of her love juices. Maria, still on her knees, moved between her friend's legs and sucked up the nectar.

Twisting her body to be able to look up at Steve's face Anna murmured, "Thank you, Master. That was so wonderful!"

"And you are as sweet as sugar, my darling marquise," Maria declared. "You are as sweet as our beloved princess, in fact."

"Now off your ass and on your feet!" Steve ordered.

As Anna moved to follow her friend, he gave one of her buns a light pinch. Turning her head again she said, "Yum! That felt so neat. Does that mean I'm developing a pinchable ass?" Steve just grinned at her and nodded. "Neato!" she exclaimed as she followed Maria toward the bedroom.

When she entered, she found Maria lying on the bed with her head over Karla's. As gently as she could she melted her lips to hers and let her love flow. When she did, Karla's hand came out from under the blanket and rested on the back of her head. Then she, too, poured out her love through her lips. Slowly they eased apart.

Karla stretched her body and whispered, "What a lovely way to be awakened." Then she just looked deeply into Maria's eyes as the girl remained motionless above her. Shaking her head she said, "My darling, all I see is joy, grace and purity. Darling Maria, you are as pure as the new-driven snow! You are utterly luscious."

Maria just grinned and helped Karla out of bed.

This time they didn't waste time with a shower. Instead they filled the giant tub with very warm water and floated Karla's body in it. The two girls gently worked even more musk oil into her skin as they caressed her beautiful body and took turns kissing her lips. Between the hot water and the very gentle massage, Karla drifted off into a halfway land between sleep and wakefulness, and just continued to enjoy the attention.

She was more than half asleep as the two girls lifted her body between them and gently placed her on the massage table. After blotting her body dry, the two very gently worked more of the pure oil into her skin, then they turned her face down and repeated the process.

"Isn't she utterly perfect?" Anna whispered. "In just a few more weeks there will be no trace of her beating. Can you imagine what the man she marries will be getting?" In response, Maria just rolled her eyes and licked her lips.

When they finished with the gentle massage, again they rolled her over on her back and it was Anna's turn to awaken her. She melted her lips to Karla's and poured out her love. As it did earlier, Karla's hand came up behind Anna's and she returned the kiss.

Finally opening her eyes, Karla shook her head and whispered, "I give up! There is no difference between my two handmaidens. You are equally loving and pure." Then in the warmest voice she added, "I love you terribly, my darlings. And I will miss you so!"

Helping her back to the bedroom, they eased a tiny lace bikini up her lovely legs, then followed it with a pair of stockings. A dress in a blue that complimented her eyes was slipped over her shoulders. Then sitting her in front of a mirror, they brushed her short hair until it shone like newly minted gold from its natural oils. After dropping to her knees, Anna put her feet into pumps while Maria fastened her gold collar around her neck.

When the girls finished, they helped her to her feet and smiled as she tottered on the now-unfamiliar heels. Most of her time she had been barefoot, and the few times she had worn shoes they were moccasins. Then giggling, she helped the girls into their uniforms and watched as they brushed each other's hair. Finally ready, they went out to the sitting room where they found the others waiting for them.

It's so typical of Barb,  Karla thought, to give us the bedroom while she and Steve use a spare. Steve looks incredibly handsome in a dinner jacket,  she thought, and my mistress is utterly gorgeous!

Paula took drink orders to the embarrassment of the two girls. Then she was embarrassed in turn when Barb insisted that she make a drink for herself and join them. When they were all seated, Barb presented each of the three girls with slave collars of their own. Then the Sloans offered a toast to the wonderful women who had voluntarily enslaved themselves.

Dinner that night was an American Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings. Barb pointed out that they would be back in the States in November so they decided to have their family dinner early. "And you are our family, as Karla pointed out this morning. And we love you!"

At that point Paula began to weep. Her cries of anguish were those of a woman being tortured. But in light of the horrible torture she had suffered without a cry, the others just looked at each other in stark amazement.

Jumping from her chair, Barb dropped to her knees next to the woman and took her in her arms. From her immediate resistance, it was apparent to Barb that the woman just wanted to be alone in her misery. Forcing her head around, Barb melted her lips to hers and poured out her love. When her tongue penetrated into Paula's mouth, the woman had no choice but to respond, especially after the two tongues met and there was a two-way flood of the purest love.

Easing away Barb asked, "Now what's the problem? Why the waterworks?"

"Because I'm utterly worthless as a woman, is why," Paula replied miserably. "You are all so perfect, and I'm such a total mess!"

"You aren't quite there, darling Paula, but you're getting very close. Do you realize you've already lost nearly thirty pounds? And at least ten years of age? Do you?"

The woman opened her eyes and suddenly the others understood. Paula was the personification of the line, "They have eyes, but they do not see." It was only when Barb told her that she realized the changes her body had undergone.

Looking down, she saw that her thighs were only slightly heavy where before they had been larded with fat. Her tits were smaller and now very firm and self-supporting. Holding out her hand, she realized that even her hand was now slender with the smoothest skin. Looking up at Barb in utter amazement, she said, "Do you mean it's working? I'm ... I'm actually getting thinner... ? and prettier?"

"What do you think, Karla?" Barb asked. "What do you think of our newest slave?"

"I was thinking about her this morning," Karla replied. "Aside from her increasing beauty, she is the sunshine in our apartment. Performing the dirtiest imaginable tasks, she always appears to love what she's doing, even if that's cleaning shit!"

Looking at Barb she added, "She's not perfect yet, but she will be in about thirty days or so."

"I agree, Baby Sister," Barb said.

Then the other two chimed in with stories of Paula's love and kindness. Anna said, "That first morning after my beating, I awakened with my head cushioned on Paula's tit — or what was left of it after Maria almost cut it off. She was just caressing my face and whispering to me."

Anna shook her head and added, "I've been an orphan so long, I don't know if I'm remembering or just imagining, but it was as if my mother had come back to comfort and care for me. And having my head on her tit had to be utter torture, but she didn't seem to care. I love her," the girl ended simply.

Then Maria told of sewing her back together when she had to be in agonizing pain, but hadn't made a sound. "I love her, too," she said.

"Okay, Paula Wilhelm? Can you believe us?"

"Yes, Mistress, I do." After pausing for a moment she continued, "Mistress, when I came here, I accepted a whipping in order to be taken into your service. Knowing what I know now, that was much too easy. You should have asked me to cut off a hand or a foot, or something. What I am experiencing is utterly without price."

Then looking at Maria she said, "Darling Maria, each time the whip struck my body, I thanked you for it. Now I am blessing you for being so wonderful!"

They finished the dinner and Paula began the cleanup. Only then did Barb tell Steve that she would be sleeping with the other girls; he would have to make do with her baby sister. Then she cocked her head, as if in thought, then nodded once as if she had reached a decision.

Then she said, "Slave Karla, tonight you are to practice your cocksucking. If Steve is not completely dry by tomorrow morning, you will probably be whipped."

Going to Steve, Karla cupped his balls through his pants, then said, "Master, you're very full tonight. Come, sir, I must get started on my punishment." Then, to the laughter of the others, she unzipped his fly, eased out his great cock and led him by it toward the bedroom.

The next day, they drove out to the airport and watched as the two Rolls were quickly loaded onboard. After tearful goodbyes, Karla went up the stairs and entered the cabin. Although she had never been aboard the aircraft, it's interior, looking like a sitting room, didn't surprise her. The only difference was that the seats were bolted to the deck and each had seat belts. She could scarcely suppress her tears as the plane taxied out, wheeled, and began its takeoff roll on the active runway.

It was the first time she had ever flown and she watched in amazement as the ground dropped away so quickly beneath them. Then the captain put the plane on a northwest course that would take them over Denmark, Greenland, Canada, and then down to Los Angeles, a distance of nearly 6,000 miles. She smiled as she watched Steve and Barbara sitting on a sofa opposite, necking.



-------

Chapter 10



Beginning that first day, Paula Wilhelm was indefatigable. She looked for the dirtiest possible jobs and did them without complaint. She learned to cook and was soon better than the other girls. At night, while the others slept, she read. As she had shown on the first day, Paula had an acute sense of humor. Because of the age difference, particularly when Barbara and Steve, along with Karla, returned to the United States to resume her teaching, she became the housemother to Anna and Maria.

In a few short weeks she shed over forty pounds through a combination of diet and exercise and now her figure was as sleek as the others. At the same time, although she didn't know it, she was shedding over twenty years of age. While Anna and Maria moved slowly down from 26 to nineteen, Paula went from 44 down to 23. Periodically, though, Paula would disappear for hours at a time, with her disappearances coming at all hours of the day and night. She never mentioned them to her daughters, as she had come to think of them, and they never asked.

One day, though, she asked Maria to cut her hair in an urchin's cut similar to Barbara's, Karla's, and Anna's. Maria was skeptical because Paula's hair reached almost to her waist although she always wore it up.

When she protested, Paula said quietly, "I only kept it long because Fred said he liked it this way. But all of his mistresses have short hair, and he patronized prostitutes who do, too."

After Maria cut it, she was amazed at the result. Paula turned out to have hair almost identical in coloring to Barbara's complete with the sun streaks verging on platinum blonde. With her brilliant blue eyes she was stunning.

Three months after her arrival, Paula thought the time had come. Finding the girls at their computers she said, "Okay, kids, what do you think? Am I ready?"

The two girls each spun around in their chairs and looked at her. When they looked up at her, Paula felt a wonderful warmth. All of them were naked, and Paula realized how incredibly beautiful both girls were. Both rose and really started to look carefully at Paula for the first time since that awful Sunday. Since she had invited their inspection, Paula stiffened her back and stood there.

While the other girls were both five feet eight, Paula was only five feet four. Maria, in effect, conducted the inspection as if she were going down a checklist. "Well ... hair and eyes: okay." With her brilliant blue eyes and the wave and body of her multi-hued hair coupled with perfect features, she was a knockout. "Tits and nipples: okay," Maria continued. Paula's breasts were perfectly shaped and her up-thrusting nipples were hard. Paula, too, had learned the secret along with the girls. With the lightest possible touch, Maria ran her long fingers over Paula's flawless skin. There was not a trace of the horrible beating she had suffered.

Now sounding bored, Maria announced, "Skin: okay; hips and legs: okay." With her exercise on the machines and in the pool, there was not an ounce of fat anywhere on her body. Then Maria gently slid her finger up Paula's vagina and tickled her already-erect clit. "Cunt: all right, I guess. It's nice and wet, anyway."

Then she stepped back and concluded, "I guess you're okay ... for a middle-aged woman, that is. But why do you ask?"

"Because my test scores came back, I have my new wardrobe — all thanks to Barb and her friends in New York — so I guess it's time to go home," Paula responded.

Both girls instantly felt a twinge of impending loss. Only then did they realized how wonderful for them both it had been to have Paula with them. Ever since the Sloans had returned to the States, the three had shared a single bed. Whenever one of them had a problem — usually a knotty programming problem — Paula comforted her at night in her arms and usually quietly suggested an approach to the problem's solution.

Temporizing, Maria asked, "Test scores? What test scores?"

"The civil service test for secretary," Paula responded. "I achieved the highest score in history." With a grin she added, "Of course, our republic has a very short history, but what the hell." Then she added, "Today is Wednesday, and Fred always plays golf with Klink and Slavic on Wednesdays. It enters into my plans. And my golf clubs are in the car already." The car she referred to was a white Mercedes convertible which was one of two cars the Sloans acquired for their use when they took the Rolls back home with them.

The girls were still baffled, but realized that the time had come. The three women went into the shower, then the bathtub, and then both massaged oil into their friend's skin. Anna slid the tiniest lace bikini up her legs and smoothed it on her hips. The bikini was followed by stockings and then a magnificently simple blue suit. Although normally worn with a blouse, Paula insisted that a blouse didn't fit in with her plans that day. Finally, Paula watched as Anna fastened her gold collar around her neck. Carrying the engraved letters, 'B''S', it was Paula's proudest possession, signifying she was one of Barbara's Slaves.

The girls each had a duplicate, the only difference being their names engraved in tiny letters on the inside. Turning, she kissed Anna with all of her love. When she felt the flow of the girl's love through her lips, she realized that the power of the kiss would have killed her three months earlier. After quickly changing into a similarly cut gray suit, Maria was ready to accompany her, although she still had no idea what was going to happen.

Driving up to the Home Ministry in the magnificent car with California plates, they received VIP treatment. When Maria announced herself to the receptionist, "Maria Müller and friend to see Minister Wilhelm," the response was instantaneous.

Moments later they were being escorted to Wilhelm's private office in the corner of the top floor. Although Paula had been to the ministry and her husband's office a number of times over the years, she was certain that her appearance had changed so dramatically no one in the ministry would ever recognize her. Her husband was standing when they entered his office with Maria in the lead.

Quickly coming around his desk, Wilhelm held out both hands which Maria immediately took in hers. "My God, Maria!" he gasped. "Never have I seen a more beautiful woman!" Then he paused and concern showed in his eyes. "Your scars... ?" he said.

"There are none," Maria assured him. Then she moved aside to reveal Paula who was behind her.

Seeing the incredibly beautiful woman, Wilhelm was overwhelmed. As much as he had dreamed of Maria, at five feet eight she was really too tall for his five feet ten. But this woman was different, and exactly the right size. "Who are you?" he asked. "I thought I knew all the beautiful women in Prague."

"I'm your wife, Paula, darling," she replied quietly. "Surely you remember? After all, we've been married for over fifteen years."

Then she moved to him, took him in her arms and melted her lips on his. Snaking her tongue into his mouth, she searched and found his. When their two tongues met, there was a jolt of electricity that instantly flowed between them. Paula let loose her love and her passion and could feel him weaken. Gently, she ended their kiss and moved back just far enough to be able to see him clearly. She giggled merrily when she realized he was glassy eyed. Wilhelm shook his head to try to clear it.

Then Paula said, "Darling, it's almost noon. We have just enough time for a nice fuck before our golf date." Then with her eyes wide she asked, "Or would you like a suck and a fuck? There's a special combination offer today."

Frederick Wilhelm's eyes had widened. "What's going on? What happened to you, Paula? My God ... And your language! You never use..."

"Darling, we both know you love to talk dirty to your prostitutes. Since I'm replacing them ... Damn!" she exclaimed, as if she suddenly remembered something.

"You don't know what you're getting, do you? I forgot that you particularly love the meat show at the houses, don't you?" With that she took off her suit jacket and laid it on the top of his desk baring her body to the waist. Standing before him, she cradled her breasts and said, "I think I'm pretty nice on top. My tits are perfectly shaped and my nipples are up-thrusting and hard. Feel? There's no extra charge."

Wilhelm could still scarcely believe that this incredibly beautiful girl was his wife. The voice was the same, certainly, although it was now softer and more cultured. The eyes were the same, although he admitted to himself he had forgotten what magnificent eyes Paula had. But the attitude was totally different, and the words she used he had never heard from her lips before.

Although he was still befuddled, he realized that she had dropped her skirt to the floor and was standing before him wearing only the tiniest lace bikini, her pumps, and her gold collar. Reaching out, he ran his fingers lightly over her body and realized she was golden perfection. Although it was early November, and, as usual damp and overcast, she had a perfect all-over tan. Then he remembered her words and asked, "Charge? What charge?"

"For my services, darling," she replied. "Today's special is a suck and a fuck for only 1,300 crowns — or US$500. Isn't that neat?" With that she dropped to her knees, unzipped his fly and drew out his already erect cock. "Isn't it lovely, Maria?" she asked. Then she kissed the tip and licked a drop off it." Raising her head, she held out her hand and said, "The money, please?"

"But you're my wife," Frederick protested.

"Of course I am, darling," Paula replied. "That's why my services are only half price. If you weren't my husband, it would be 2,500 crowns. That's what you normally pay." Then looking hurt she asked, "Don't you think I'm worth it? All the girls say I'm giving it away and I guess I am. But I love you, so what the hell. The 1,300 crowns please, darling."

Utterly baffled he gave her the money from his wallet. After counting it in exactly the same manner he was used to seeing with his many prostitutes, she slipped it into the top of her stocking the same way, too. With a lovely bright smile she unfastened his belt and held his trousers so he could step out of them. Then she eased his shorts off his hips.

She then sucked his cock in a way he had never experienced before, even taking his whole length in her mouth. Although he had seen the American porno flick, Deep Throat,  many times, he had never before experienced it. In moments she had him ready to spend. Then, instead of getting him off, she jumped up, sat on the edge of his desk and spread her legs wide. Since she was still holding his throbbing cock, he had no choice but to move closer. When he felt it slide smoothly into her tight wetness, it was one of the most incredible experiences of his life.

"That feels so good, darling," Paula murmured as she felt her cunt stretched. "So much better than the dildo I've been using."

"Dildo?" Frederick nearly screamed. "What dildo?"

She was controlling his movements inside her and had him inside to his full length. But her voice was normal as she explained, "The dildo I've been using to stretch my cunt and my asshole, silly! What dildo did you think."

As she controlled his movements in and out she continued, "I've already told your current mistress and the prostitutes you've been using that you will no longer need their services. I told them — and they agree — that I'm a perfect replacement. In fact, that beautiful French girl, Gabrielle, said I could command the very top price, particularly since I will do absolutely anything at all with a man ... or a woman, for that matter."

"Anything?" Frederick gasped. "My God! You can't be serious. Why I've had sexual fantasies..."

"I know, darling," she said calmly, "and so have I. Maybe tonight we'll compare them. But truly, I mean anything."

Then she let out a little scream of joy as her first orgasm took her. "That was so neat, darling. It was only a small one, but it was the first orgasm I've ever had with you in me. It will be the first of many... " Again she screamed as another orgasm hit. Paula was exercising extreme pelvic control that was constantly upsetting Fred's timing. Sweat was starting to pour from her body as she enjoyed the lovemaking with her husband.

Smelling the marvelous fragrance now reaching his nostrils, Frederick sniffed and asked, "What is that delicious scent? It's something I've never encountered before." As he said it, he groaned in pain. Never had his cock been so hard nor had he been unable to cum.

"That's me, darling," Paula replied. "I use a substance that heightens natural scents. Since I'm sweating from our fuck session, that's what you're smelling."

Then with a little grin she added, "And the reason you can't cum is that I won't let you. I've learned how to control a man's cock to prolong his pleasure. And, to be honest, I'm punishing you, too. After all the money that you've poured into the twats of whores..."

She continued to cum and delighted in the sensations. Finally, she allowed him to release and achieved a truly massive orgasm herself when he did. Then reaching out she gently squeezed his balls in rhythm with her contractions to try to drain him dry. The effect on Frederick was to cause him almost to pass out. He had to reach out and brace himself against his desk to keep from falling on top of her. There he rested while gasping for breath.

When he recovered, he looked down and found his wife smiling warmly at him. Then he was shocked when she slid off the desk, took his now limp cock in her mouth and licked it clean. Still on her knees, she helped him dress again.

Jumping back on the desktop she said, "Would you like to reciprocate? My cunt is very clean." She spread her legs wide revealing her hairless pussy with her dense pubic patch above it.

To his amazement, Wilhelm did exactly what she asked. Although he had done it a couple of times, he was never that attracted to his partners' cunts. But Paula's was utterly exquisite. When he licked it he was amazed to find he loved the taste. Her love juices were as sweet as sugar and now they were thickened with his syrup. When he finished, he gently kissed her slit and nibbled on her clit causing her to giggle as she came again.

As soon as he stood up, she popped off the desk and said brightly, "There's just one more matter to take care of before our golf game..."

"That's the second time you mentioned golf, darling. What golf game?"

Paula smiled warmly as she realized it was the first time she could ever remember him calling her "darling." "Your regular Wednesday game with Klink and Slavic, of course," she replied. Her tone of voice implied that she couldn't understand why it was even a question. "There are only three of you. I'm your fourth from now on."

"But darling, you've never..."

"Look, Fred, you three shoot in the 90s ... on a good day! I shoot in the low 80s. Now what's the problem?"

"The low 80s!?" Fred responded incredulously. "That's impossible!"

"Chauvinist! I'll make a side bet with you. That 1,300 crowns against another 1,300 from you says I'll beat you this afternoon."

Completely frustrated by this incredibly beautiful naked woman in front of him who claimed to be his wife, Fred Wilhelm didn't know what to do. Then he remembered the other part of her statement and asked, "What's the 'other matter' you referred to, though?"

"Oh, that," she replied airily. "We have to tell your secretary that she's no longer your secretary."

Wilhelm was shocked. "What do you mean?" he nearly screamed.

"If you think I'm going to let you warm your cock in her cunt even once more, you're crazy," she replied. "But since I know you've become accustomed to a noontime fuck, I'll be here to provide it."

"You'll be here? Doing what?"

"Being your secretary, silly. What else would I be? Now get her in here—"

"But you can't," he protested. "This is a civil service job. And a highly-rated one. You can't..."

"That's why I took the dumb test. And," she added proudly, "I achieved the highest score ever recorded."

Realizing she had sufficiently confused him, she went to him and again melted her lips on his. Maria, who during the entire time had been sitting in the corner, smiled warmly as again she saw the electricity flow between them. When they parted, again Wilhelm's head was spinning. "Can your present secretary do that?" she asked quietly.

When he just slowly shook his head, she pushed the buzzer on his phone summoning the girl.

When the secretary entered, she was stunned at what she saw. There was her boss with the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. And the woman was naked. As she stood beside the desk, she was so stunned she didn't even realize that the girl was stripping off her own clothes. Before she knew what was happening, she was standing beside the girl and was as naked as she was.

"Let's compare," Paula said. "I think my face and hair are nicer. While she's a pretty girl, her features are really a bit coarse. Her hair has no body. My eyes are larger and prettier, too. Our tits are about the same size, but mine are much firmer."

Running her fingers lightly over the girl she continued, "Her skin is okay, but there are blemishes all over. Her complexion is a sort of pasty white, but if you like that sort of thing ... Her hips are wide, much wider than her shoulders, and there's a lot of fat on them. Her thighs are heavy."

Then she put her forefinger under her chin and reflected on the girl. "Her carriage is not erect. And because her shoulders are narrower than her hips, she's sort of pear shaped..." Turning to Fred she said, "And I'm a much more talented fuck, too."

Then to the girl she said, "I'm sorry, dear, but your services as the minister's secretary will no longer be required." When the girl's eyes widened in stunned amazement, Paula continued soothingly, "But don't worry. You'll be reassigned and will not suffer a cut in pay ... Whoops! It's not the salary, but there may not be the lucrative extra income opportunities in your new assignment."

Then smiling warmly at the girl she added, "Just to show that there are no hard feelings, why don't you just get your chubby ass up on the desk and spread your legs wide?" The girl did, revealing a hairy crotch. Ignoring it, Paula went down on her knees and proceeded to eat her out to the point of orgasm. When she licked up the last of the girl's juices, she patted her flabby thigh and told her she could get dressed again.

"But ... but ... but you can't!" Wilhelm protested. "She ... Well, sometimes there's an important person and Veronica takes care of them..."

"And you fuck her, too?" Paula asked. "Fred, you're really going to have to have a physical. That cock of yours has been in far too many places. Of course, that's already come to an end. Since there's no sign that any damage has been done, I guess it's okay, but I'll schedule a physical for you anyway."

Then she brightened and looked at the girl who was about to flee. "There's an opportunity for earning some extra money, if you're still interested." Then she added, "Of course, you really should exercise more and pull out some of your pubic hair. It's all over the place. Now goodbye, dear, and good luck."

Hearing her words, the girl fled the room.

Quickly Paula dressed and then turned to Fred and asked, "Darling, do you mind if I don't take a shower until after our golf game? I'm still pretty clean, and you said I was fragrant..."

Instead of responding, for the first time all morning Wilhelm took the initiative. Taking her in his arms, he kissed her, feeling his passion and hers quickly build. When they separated he asked, "Are you truly my wife?" She smiled and nodded her head rapidly. Then he asked, "Were you serious about ... about ... anal intercourse?"

"You mean bumfucking, dear," she replied, "and I certainly am. And today it's only 1,200 crowns!"

"Paula, what is this money thing, anyway? We're married!"

"Of course we are, dear," she replied. "But I covered that before: Because we're married, I'm giving you a 50 percent discount off my usual prices."

"Usual prices? But that means there are others..."

"Not now," she said quietly. "And if you're able to maintain my interest, there won't ever be any." Then with a brilliant smile she asked, "Now, about that golf game... ?"

For the first time, Fred Wilhelm grinned at his wife and kissed her lightly. As she led the way toward the door he said, "And I am going to win my 1,300 back." He paused and added, "Besides, I'll need it for tonight."

She winked and replied, "When you lose, darling, I'll give you a very special price on my cunt tonight." Pausing for a moment she continued, "Around the world: a combo price on my cunt, my mouth, and my asshole, maybe?"

Then she kissed Maria warmly and quickly left the room. Maria followed them out with mixed feelings. On the one hand, she and Anna would miss Paula terribly. On the other hand, she delighted in her friend's new-found love, and the incredible sense of humor she had just seen so vividly on display.



-------

Chapter 11



On Sunday, December 17, the great 767 swept in to land again at Prague's international airport. Although this time there was no formal greeting, the Sloans along with Karla were swept through immigration and customs. Barb particularly noted the very smart salutes everyone rendered to welcome Major Kosta home.

Although neither Maria nor Anna were at the airport to greet them, no one thought anything of it since they hadn't known their arrival time until they were in the air. That was the middle of the night in the Czech Republic. While Steve and Barbara rode in the dark green Rolls limousine, to her delight Karla was told to drive the white Rolls convertible back to the hotel. Despite the early-winter cold, Karla put the top down so she could savor all the sights and smells of her home.

Knowing the roads better, she arrived at the Ritz ahead of the Sloans and raced up to the apartment. Although she still had her key, she knocked on the door and waited. While waiting, she looked around and whistled softly at what she saw. The entire penthouse elevator lobby had been redone. Now there was even a special elevator that had whisked her up. The elevator car was paneled in furniture-grade cherry and the paneling was continued in the penthouse lobby which was now beautifully decorated for Christmas.

When the door opened, she looked at Anna and Maria in their uniforms and softly whistled. Now they were utterly gorgeous! There was not the slightest trace of whip marks from their beatings. Both had deep tans and perfect figures. In an instant she had Maria in her arms and was melting her lips to hers.

"I've missed you so!" Maria whispered. "Welcome home, Princess!"

Then she did the same with Anna. In both cases their kisses were powerful — so powerful they would have killed a lesser person — and filled with love, joy and grace. So engrossed were they in one another that they hadn't even entered the apartment when the elevator door opened with the Sloans inside. Again kisses were exchanged and finally they were all inside with the door closed.

This time it was Barbara who let out a low whistle. The apartment had been totally redecorated and was as beautiful and homy as their apartment in Los Angeles. "This is utterly magnificent!" she exclaimed. "Did you two do this all yourselves?"

"We wish we had, Mistress," Maria replied, "but we did not. A great deal of it — and most of the ideas and colors — came from Paula. But do you really like it?"

"I love it!" Barb exclaimed. After touring the apartment they went out on the terrace where Steve exclaimed over the evergreens, now sporting lights for Christmas, growing in large pots on the brand-new pool terrace. A few minutes later, Barb and Karla were naked and running out to try the pool. After doing laps, then sweating in the sauna, they jumped into the refrigerated pool beside the sauna door and raced shivering for the shower.

The girls wouldn't allow them to leave without giving them both massages. Anna, working on Karla, exclaimed at how perfect the girl now was. The only marks showing on her body were the faintest lines remaining from her torture at the hands of the Russians. There were no marks at all from her whipping at Barbara's hands. While the girls had been swimming, Steve had taken a nap.

Now the whole family gathered in the magnificent living room for drinks. Although it was early in the afternoon, since it was so close to the winter solstice and Prague was at 51 degrees north latitude, the day was very short, so it was already growing dark.

In honor of their return, the girls served Dom Pérignon with caviar. After drinking a toast and admiring each other, Steve said, "Okay, Slaves! Out with it! What have you two been doing?" While his wife and Karla had been preoccupied with their physical beauty, Steve had sensed an unease on Maria and Anna's part from the very beginning. "You two look like little girls who've been caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Now out with it!"

"There's hope for him yet!" Barb teased. "Who would have ever believed it? Steve... ? Being sensitive... ?" Then she instantly reverted to normal and added, "Thank you, my darling, for noticing." Then with a little grin and a wink she stuck her nose in the air and said, "Of course, I would have noticed it, too ... in a week or two ... maybe." Pretending to glare at the girls she said, "You heard your master. What have you two been doing?"

Anna left the room and came back a moment later with a stack of paper. It appeared to be a magazine, yet it was printed on the paper their printers used. When Steve raised a eye in an unspoken question, she said, "It's the cover story from the next issue of PC Computing that will be on the newsstands Monday. It came to us over the Internet this morning."

Steve was sitting on the sofa with Barb on his right. He motioned to Karla who took a seat at his left and the three started to read the material. Their eyes widened as they looked at what was obviously the cover of the upcoming issue. It said under the magazine's logo, "Mayday: The finest software in history! Buy it!" Then in smaller type it said, "PC Computing tests the finest software ever developed by anyone for use on any computer!"

While still holding the papers closed he looked at the girls and said, "Mayday is yours, isn't it?" The two girls just nodded sheepishly. "Another one of your little bitty applications?" he asked. Again the girls nodded, but with the tiniest smiles this time.

Turning the page he read, "'The First Test of the World's Most Remarkable Software', by Dan Carter." His eyes — and Barb's and Karla's as well — widened as they read the incredible story:



I got my first copy of Mayday about a month ago. The only instructions were to install it in a Windows 95-equipped machine and wait a week or so. Being the guy I am, I installed it, left the machine up, and checked it in the morning. What had happened? Not much. Of course I had about three times the available disk space I had had when I left it the night before. A couple of aggravating — and constant — software conflicts weren't there anymore. The machine seemed to run about three times faster than it ever had before. But aside from that, there wasn't much to say about this software. It's sort of the standard stuff you get whenever you load new software. [Not!]

Then I started to use it. At this point in the article I was going to say that the damned thing can do anything short of making coffee in the morning. I was going to say it, too. But when I typed the words, up popped a little box in the corner of my display giving full instructions on how to set the computer up to make coffee. But then, of course, it ended with the question, "But if you would rather, sir, I could do it for you." And it did. In about half a second. So now my computer has my coffee ready for me in the morning ... usually.

What I mean by that is that it's usually morning. But, for example, the other night when Nancy, my significant other, and I had a particularly active night in bed together, I didn't get up until noon. I go out to the computer — it's never shut down now — and find the coffee was just finishing. George — the name I've given to Mayday and to which he now answers — had made a timing adjustment so the coffee would be neither stale nor cold. (For the women in our reading public, please don't think I'm being sexist, or George is. Betsy — Nancy's copy of Mayday — is very feminine. It used to address her as "ma'am," but now, since Betsy is her friend, adviser, and confidante, it's become Nan and Bets.)

What's George done for me? Not a whole helluva lot. Of course, Nancy and I are getting married (finally) next weekend. (Our two computers are hooked together for communications, of course.) When I told George we were getting married, he congratulated me. Verbally. He uses the computer's sound system to talk, but I guess you had already figured that out. Then he said that he was so happy because he and Betsy were very close.

At that point I checked the "About Mayday" box and found that he and Betsy were only a single digit apart in their serial numbers so I guess they always have been close. Literally. But I found out something else. You know how the "About" file gives the copyright date, the version number, and that sort of good stuff? Well, Mayday's does, too. But it does something else. It displays a photo of two of the most beautiful girls in the world, leaning against each other's back, wearing the tiniest white bikinis you've ever seen. It says, "Maria and Anna, the creators of Mayday."

But when I went to print the picture, nothing happened. And there was no way I could make anything happen. (George said that it was just the way it was.) However, it did say that I could get a poster-sized full-color duplicate if I sent $10 to a post office box in Prague, or $50 for a hand-signed copy. Since I'm getting married, I have to save my money, so I only sent $10. But I'm counting on meeting the girls at COMDEX in Las Vegas in January. Why am I counting on meeting them? Because they're going to be there to receive the award for the finest software of the decade, is why. (And Nancy and I will be honeymooning there, too.)



At this point Steve stopped reading and said, "The picture? May we see it?" Both girls got off the floor where they had been sitting and went to the office. Returning they had a rolled-up paper that Anna passed to Steve as if she were giving him a bomb.

Unrolling it, Steve's eyes widened and he let out a low whistle. The two girls were utterly exquisite. "You look so gorgeously regal," he commented. "Hon, what do you and Karla think?"

"It's not polite to whistle, or I would, too, is what I think," Barb replied. Then she asked, "Are you really getting any orders?"

Grimacing, Maria replied, "We picked up about 300 from the post office—"

"That's neat!" Barb exclaimed.

"— this morning," Maria concluded. "Most are for the $50 one and Anna and I are sort of getting tired signing our names." Then she brightened and added, "But we've set up a special bank account for you, Mistress, and it's growing fast!"

"For me?" Barbara exclaimed. "What, on earth, for?"

"Because we are your slaves," Anna replied simply. "This is for you. After all, Mistress, a slave may not own anything."

Steve murmured, "My God! What incredible genius!" Returning to the article, they continued to read:



Incidentally, Mayday is from Noble Software, a subsidiary of Kendy Company (whatever the hell that is!). It's the same house — and these are the same girls — who produced Helper which is taking the computer world by storm. These girls have come up with two of the greatest pieces of software in the world in less than six months! It's certainly fair to say they're the very best in the world.

At least that's what Bill Gates said when I spoke to him for this article. And Gates indicated he is waiting with bated breath to meet them, too. Since I never said a word to Bill Gates on this subject, I'm free to speculate. On the basis of my pure speculation, I believe Bill Gates would sign over a substantial fraction of the total stock of Microsoft Corporation to those girls if they would be willing to join his company. And needless to say, beyond the stock, they could have absolutely anything they wanted.

I wondered about the name, Mayday. After all, it is the international radio distress call. But a colleague pointed out that Mayday is the phonetic pronunciation of the French, M'aidez,  or "help me." Well, I'm here to tell you that Mayday sure as hell will help you!

But what else can George do? Well, he monitors the whole system and keeps it running. What do I mean? One morning I was working and George told me to shut down my application at once. There was a major problem on my "C" drive. I did, and a moment later George had activated Norton's Disk Doctor. Now Disk Doctor is a super piece of software, but it takes a good deal of time to run, particularly on a giant hard drive like mine. With George? Naah! He directed Disk Doctor to a particular sector where the utility found a sector going bad. It moved the files that were about to be affected, then shut down after permanently marking the sector as bad.

What else? Well, on another morning George told me that my second hard drive was about to die. He had already relocated all the data files to the main drive. Did he stop there? Of course not! He had a list of replacement suppliers, with the best vendor circled. When I agreed, he wired in an order and charged it to my credit card.

More? Nancy used to complain about being, like so many female computer nerds, big hipped, heavy-thighed, and flat chested. I don't know if it was ever true, but it's certainly not true now. I freely admit — and so would she — that she's not in the same league with Anna or Maria, but on the other hand, I don't share my bed with them. (That's another thing. More in a moment.) In just the month or so that George and Betsy have been with us, she's lost inches around her hips and thighs and added inches — and wonderful firmness — to her chest. She admits she would have been a bra burner before but needed the support. Now she doesn't have the attitudes anymore, or the bras either.



"What did you put in that software?" Karla demanded. "What are you doing?"

Wide-eyed, Anna replied, "Only the things our mistress has taught us. We sort of thought we could help someone. Or something..."



I mentioned a bed, didn't I? I think it was Betsy, but I'm not really sure. Anyway, Nancy and I were told in no uncertain terms to get a new mattress and box spring. It was to ensure that our bedroom exercise didn't cause back problems. Anyway, we did, and have been sleeping like babies ever since.

More? Well, although my editors often disagree with me on this point, I am a professional writer. And I'm addicted to WordPerfect. As many of you know, it has a grammar checker that, as far as it goes, is pretty good. But it's not nearly good enough for George. Now it changes repetitions, poor phraseology — everything. And it never gives erroneous messages anymore, like incomplete quotes when you're looking at a pair.

In connection with WordPerfect — and other software — George claims to do something that no utility can do: he cleans up corrupted data files. I can't say for sure, but I do know I've never had to rewrite something because the printer couldn't read a file. However, being honest, I have to take George's word on this one.

How does Mayday work? I have no idea. Moreover, none of the techies in our shop know, either. In fact, they tell me it's the most remarkable software they've ever seen. For openers, once installed, they can't find it. They literally cannot find it in the computer. They've looked over the software disks, and the program is there, although in a language they can't read. But once installed, it just seems to disappear. Maybe it buries itself in Windows 95. It's possible, I suppose. But you know how much room on your hard drive Windows 95 takes up? And software like Perfect Office? Now they take up about one-third the space they used to, and run faster, better, and with never a conflict. Maybe Mayday is hiding, but it's shrinking its world while it does.

What does it do? How does it do it? No one knows! The experts (?) insist that it is the most sophisticated software ever written, based on direct observations of what it does. But they can't even read the damned code! They have no idea what programming language the girls are using, but whatever it is, it works! Good grief, does it ever work! The two girls are true geniuses, and now they're undoubtedly very rich geniuses!

To that point, we learned that all the Mayday-equipped computers work together somehow, in a private after-hours network of computers talking with other computers with no human action or intervention. It's a worldwide link among all of these computers that have communications access. How do they link? No one has a clue. But you'll never see a thing on a phone bill, either, yet we know they routinely link worldwide.

There is one top-priority for them all, you see. Every single one of them is on the lookout for a guy good enough for their creators. When I ask George about them, he just says they're perfect. That's all. Just perfect! Betsy? She sighs and says she gets all warm and snugly just thinking about them. So if you're brilliant, athletic, handsome, and rich, buy Mayday. If you're incredibly lucky, you might pass their internal screen and be put in touch with Anna or Maria.

Security! I almost forgot. One day I hit two keys on Nancy's machine. Honest to God, just two crummy keys! Instantly the screen blacks out — not even the "Start" icon showing — and Betsy announces, "Dan, you have your own damned machine. Now use it! And keep your grubby paws off Nan's computer. (But please keep them on Nancy. She loves your touch on her body ... everywhere!) Now goodbye!" Only two damned keys but she knew I wasn't Nancy. But it's okay. George won't let Nan touch my computer, either.

Oh, I nearly forgot. I've lost pounds and inches, too. That was George. Nancy loves me because I'm always so thoughtfully sending her little gifts. They arrive by FedEx or UPS Air, and almost always from the Czech Republic. They always come with a neat little note thanking her for something very intimate she did for me. (It's George, of course. Complete to writing the accompanying note!) Of course, I'm tiring a little because Nancy loves to thank me with her legs spread wide, if you understand what I mean. George orders the gifts and charges them to one of my credit cards.

Where does he find out about the little gift items? (They're all utterly incredible on a price-to-value scale, too.) I guess he gets some from the Internet, but I really think some of the stuff is actually in the software. And, as I said, it's definitely Czech software. There's obviously a soft spot in its silicon heart for its mother country. But as I said, the price is always right, and in every case the gift is both classy and very different.

I guess the gift business is Anna and Maria's gift to the economy of their native land. Aside from their royalties that have to be rolling in with the volume and inevitability of the tide, that is! I'm a writer, not a businessman, but there's one thing I do know: Mayday will outsell every software title in history, and might sell as many copies as all other software titles combined! There's just not enough good I can say about it, even with the assistance of George and the thesaurus.

That's another thing: There have been a few intimate things that interested me, but not Nancy. Now she'll try anything. And you know something else I found out? Some of these repressed female computer geeks have simply amazing daydreams, so look out! (By the way — and in consultation with George who, in turn, consulted with Betsy, so it's all right) on a scale of 1 to 10, Nance has gone from about a 3 to a 9.75. And coupled with her vivid imagination... !)

A few days ago, I looked in my color printer and found a sheet of paper for me. On it was a perfect full-color likeness of Nancy, bare, and on her hands and knees with her back to me, looking over her shoulder. Get the picture? Anyway, she's saying, "Darling, it was even better for me than it was for you. I'm so glad! When can we do it again?" I thought it was a photograph but found out it was a drawing Betsy made using CorelDRAW 7.

It should go without saying that George and Betsy can operate any of our software far better than either of us. So Betsy not only produces recipes, she prints out our shopping lists. She keeps track of what we like and don't like. And she coaches Nancy, so she's now a stupendous cook. All I can say is our life together has never been better.

Oh, yes. Another thing. It seems like both George and Betsy believe in God. The two of them started nearly kicking us out of apartment on Sunday to go to church. (They wouldn't even allow the computers to boot up until we did!) And I guess that contributed to our decision to get married. Right now Nance is wearing an engagement ring that George ordered with Betsy's help. Nancy adores it. And adores them.

Another point: children. Friends of ours have a four-year-old named Bobby. Bobby loves to play with the computer. Now with Mayday, the computer really plays with him. First of all, the instant he touches the keys, the computer does two things: First, it says, "Hi, Bobby! Do you want to play?" Simultaneously, it locks up everything else, so Bobby can't get into, or in any way harm, anything else on the machine. Mayday only lets him into software that it selects as being appropriate for him. It plays with him, and it educates him. The damned thing is uncanny! I've heard it say, "Yesterday, we went to Africa, Bobby, and studied the elephants. How about going to India today and looking at Asian elephants?" And off they go on an adventure, with Bobby actively participating every step of the way.

Any more? After about 45 minutes the computer says, "You've been here for 45 minutes, Bobby. You should find Jimmy (the boy next door) and play on the swings." Then it shuts down the computer while Bobby goes off to get Jimmy. It won't allow the little boy to get glassy eyed starting at the CRT. Now his parents are almost certain that they'll home-school Bobby. It was an idea they had had, but previously rejected as impractical. With Mayday it now seems not only practical, but very easy.

Another point: singles. There's a guy in the office who's a career loser. He couldn't get a date if his life depended on it. Mayday to the rescue! Like all the rest of us who have it, he never turns off his computer. Now, when he checks it in the morning, there's a list of names and E-mail addresses of girls he might like and who might like him. Yesterday, he was glowing. He just met Pam, a girl who works in the same office building. I can see their copies of Mayday working with them the way George and Betsy do with us.

The last word? If there's anything Mayday can't do, it can't be worth doing. As I write this, the price is a suggested retail of $69. That's a price that usually results in a street price of less than $50. With Mayday? Hah! Our advertising people tell me there are ads in this issue for Mayday. We have Mayday,  the ads, say, at only $100 — plus shipping, etc. It's clear to me that the mail-order boys know a winner when they see one. This is a solid-gold winner. It is the finest software in the whole world! Buy it! Right now!



"Wow!" Barb exclaimed. "I have never heard of anything like this. This is a rave review to end all rave reviews! But what has this guy been smoking?"

Looking embarrassed, Maria said softly, "It's the mildest of them all. There are similar articles from all the big computer magazines. I ... I ... I guess they like it."

"But that's not all," Steve interjected. While Karla and Barb were talking to the girls, he had continued to turn the pages. "Here's the regular review. This magazine scores products on a five-star scale with five stars meaning 'outstanding.' For Mayday they gave five stars, but then turned the corner at the edge of the page and put stars all the way around.

"What they say is, "if 'outstanding' software rates five stars, Mayday rates 500! Buy it right now!" Then he said, "Kids, how much money have you received, anyway?"

"Only about $25,000, so far," Anna replied quietly. "On the other hand, none of these issues have actually appeared on the newsstands or in mailboxes, yet, either."

"And these stories were sent to you directly by Mayday software installed on computer journalists' machines, weren't they?" Steve asked shrewdly.

"Yes, sir," Maria replied in a voice so low they could hardly hear her.

"What about those gift orders? How is that working out?"

"They're expanding the air freight terminal at the airport, sir," Anna said. "They're tripling its capacity on an emergency basis. We learned that FedEx and UPS are each running two 747 jet freighters a day into Prague, and hope to have six a day within two weeks. They've been alerted and both are trying to find the aircraft they need. I guess it's pretty good for the economy, because one of those planes can handle about 250 tons of cargo." With a tiny smile she added, "I guess that amounts to a lot of gifts."

"How do you know about the freight terminal?" Barb asked. "Was it in the newspaper?"

"No, Mistress," Anna replied softly. "We learned about it from Paula."

At the mention of her name, they all lighted up and asked about her. "She's unbelievably beautiful," she replied. "And now she's working as her husband's secretary. And as Home Minister, there's nothing that happens that she doesn't know about." Then after a pause she added, "The talkative bitch!"

"What's that mean?" Steve asked.

Instead of responding, Anna went to the office, returned with an envelope, and handed it to him saying, "Maria has one just like it."

The envelope was of the finest quality and had been addressed using calligraphy to Miss Anna Schmidt at the Ritz Hotel. Opening it, instead of the expected engraved invitation, there was a hand-written note requesting her presence at a gala to be held at the Presidential Palace on Wednesday, December 20, at which she would be honored by the president, Václav Havel, for her extraordinary contribution to the national economy. It went on to cite Helper, Mayday, and the now spectacularly effective china, crystal, and dinnerware programs.

"What was the 'talkative bitch' comment?" Barb asked with a smile. "Are you saying that Paula might have slipped a bit in her pillow talk and dropped the information that you two are the most brilliant software programmers in the world?"

When the girls both nodded, Barb shook her head sadly and said, "What a stinking shame! And I can certainly see why you'd be mad at her, too. I mean ... The idea! I mean ... Well, everyone has her plans already made for the Christmas season, and now you have to go and change them all ... And just to meet a silly old president, too..."

The two girls, knowing they were being teased, very reluctantly smiled. Then Maria, trying to control her own smile, ran off and came back with two more similarly sized envelopes. One was for Karla while the other was addressed to the Sloans.

Barb opened theirs and found it was an invitation to the same gala, at which, representing Kendy, they were to receive an award for helping to rejuvenate the Czech economy.

Karla's, too, was an invitation to the ball at which she was the guest of honor, and was to be the personal guest of President Havel himself. Her eyes widened, and then she passed the invitation to Barb without comment.

After reading it, Barb's eyes were shining. "Baby Sister, this is really great news. And if it weren't..." She never finished the sentence. Instead she raced for the phone and called a number in New York where it was still late on Sunday morning. When it was answered, she said, "Nita?" After a pause she continued, "It's great to hear your voice, too. But listen. We've got a big — or maybe not so big — problem. I'm here in Prague for the holidays. We've just been invited to a Presidential gala to be held at the palace on Wednesday. My slaves, Karla, whom you've met; and Maria and Anna, whom you've heard about, are the guests of honor."

Quickly she filled Nita Johnson in on the girls' programming accomplishment, then listened as Nita raved about Mayday. She was overwhelmed to learn that Noble Software was them. Then Barb told her something that had not previously been mentioned: all three girls were nobility. "Karla is truly a princess, Maria is a duchess, while poor Anna is only a marquise. Can you find something appropriate for them to wear? And maybe a used potato sack that I could get into?"

Then with a chuckle she added, "Oh! And darling, please call J. Press on Monday, too, and order up a suit of tails for Steve. I can hardly wait! In white tie, he'll be a perfect penguin!"

Anita Johnson — or Nita Lucas as she was known to fashion writers everywhere — was senior vice president and fashion director of Bergdorf Goodman in New York. As Barb had expected, the girl yelped with excitement at the thought of being able to dress such beautiful girls for such a glorious event. While some might have slunk away from the challenge, Nita was the type who gloried in it. Moreover, Barb knew that the assignment was the best Christmas present she could possibly have given her. Then after sending her love to Sue Collins, Andy Taylor and all of her friends in New York, she hung up and said, "Well, darlings, you are going to be the best-dressed women in Europe at that gala." Then she told them about Nita and her abilities.

When she finished, Anna was shaking her head. "But ... but ... Mistress, she's never seen us. How can she possibly..."

"Oh, pooh!" Barb interrupted. "As Karla can assure you, you're all what's called 'Clifford & Jamison Standard.' There's a disgusting sameness to us all. The only variation is in the color of the hair and eyes, and she knows your coloring from the Mayday picture. Then she frowned at Anna and cocked her head. Without saying anything, she apparently answered her own mental question and said, "What the hell! It won't matter anyway..."

Concerned, Anna asked, "What won't matter, Mistress?"

"Well..." Barb replied with studied reluctance. "You are a little small on top ... But we can always stuff it with newspaper, and you are only a marquise, after all, so..."

Everyone howled with laughter at Anna's expense. Including Anna who grinned and started to giggle. Then she cradled her tits in her hands and looked down at them. Going to Steve, she said, "Master, is there any hope? Am I really so flat on top?"

Motioning the girl to turn so her back was to him, he cupped her gorgeous tits in his large hands and gently pinched her nipples between two pairs of fingers. The girl gasped with pleasure at the sensation. Then releasing his right hand he reached around Barb's back and cupped her tit. The instant he did, she moved as close to him as she could get and just moaned with pleasure as he did to her what he was doing to Anna's left breast.

Finally he said, "Give or take a millimeter or so, they're the same." Then looking at Maria he winked and said, "Darling duchess, I'm afraid you're going to be spilling over a bit."

Releasing his hold on Barbara, he pulled Anna back until his knee behind her legs forced her to sit on his lap. When she did, he continued to caress her breast with one hand while he turned her face toward him with the other. Then he melted his lips to hers. As good as her kisses months before had been, this one was far beyond. Her lips were so loving, tender and sweet. She poured out the incredible love for him that she always felt. While his lips were moving on hers, his hand was very gently kneading her luscious tit. Finally, he released her from the kiss while still holding her in his arms.

"Master, is there any hope for me?" she asked with her eyes wide. "Could a man ever be interested in a woman as scrawny as I am?"

"You didn't hear what I said, did you?" he asked. "You are identical to my beloved Barbara. Now seriously, Slave Anna, do you consider your mistress scrawny?"

"But ... but ... but ... Master, you can't be serious!" The girl genuinely could not believe what she was hearing.

Easing the girl off his lap, he stood and placed her beside Barbara. "See for yourself," he said.

Anna put her right leg beside Barbara's left and her eyes widened. "My God!" she whispered. "Our legs are the same! My legs are as perfect as my mistress's!" Looking up at Steve she said, "It's unbelievable! But it's really true." Then she looked at her own perky breasts and then at Barb's. Finally, totally overcome she began to bawl and reached out blindly in Barb's direction.

Taking the girl in her arms, Barb held her tightly, then released her just enough to provide her body with some freedom of motion. Moving her chest on the girl's, she teased the girl's nipples with her own, sighing with pleasure as she did.

Feeling the sensation, Anna knew instantly what was happening. Crushing her body to Barb's she melted her lips on hers and ultimately passed out from the massive flow of the purest grace and love.

When she came to, she felt a sense of warmth and comfort she could not remember ever feeling. Finally she murmured, "Mistress, there are no words to express my love and gratitude. Earlier, you learned about Mayday. Speaking for myself, darling mistress, I hope it makes billions of dollars for you! At that it would be trivial recompense for what you have done for me."

Then looking deep into her brown eyes she breathed, "Mistress Sloan, I adore you!"

"For daring to love a person such as myself, you shall be punished, Slave!" Barb declared while pretending to glare at the girl.

"But Mistress, the whips have been disposed of at our master's order." Anna replied with a quaver in her voice. "What shall you do?"

"Hmm," said Barb reflectively. Then thinking out loud she said, "What would be a suitable punishment? What would make my slave truly miserable..." Then she brightened, snapped her fingers and exclaimed, "I know! You and that other impudent slave will have to..." Then she shook her head and continued, "No, that would really be too much..." Anna, who had been certain she was being teased, now was not nearly so certain.

"But what the hell..." Barb continued. "Let's just think of what you two have done. Displaying your bodies for the whole world to see ... Publishing software without so much as a by-your-leave ... Burying us under mountains of money..." Thinking with her finger under her chin, she finally came to a conclusion. "It is rather severe, I admit, but it is just! You two will have to warm my body in your bed tonight. That's all there is to it. You'll just have to warm my body."

"My God!" Maria gasped. "Not that!" Then she paused and added, "I'm almost certain I could contact Paula and get another whip from the Secret Police." Looking at Barb while forcing tears to her eyes she added, "You can't be serious, Mistress! Having to spend the entire night flanking your lard? Having to smell the odoriferous stench constantly emanating from your diseased sex? Mistress, please! Have you no humanity?" With that Maria dropped to her knees, wrapped her arms around Barb's perfect calves, and kissed her feet.

Then raising her head she added, "Such piano legs! Yuck!"

"For that impudence," Barb said haughtily, "You both shall worship my sex. It may be diseased, but you have no right to say so. And if I am a little ... chubby ... that's your problem, not mine. Now come. We must have a quick dinner and then be off to bed."

The next morning, Steve eased out of his bed being careful not to awaken Karla who had slept beside him all night. Her arm was over his chest and her head was resting on his shoulder. He could feel the whisper of her breath as she exhaled and smell the wonderfully clean and youthful scent of her body. Going into the next room, he almost laughed as he found the three girls wrapped in each others arms amidst a tangle of beautiful legs.

After first closing the door to contain the sound, he boomed, "I want a piece of ass!"

The three girls untangled themselves and ended side by side on their backs looking at Steve with varying degrees of feigned distaste. "Anna," Barb began, "I think it's your—"

"But Mistress, it's that time of the month, and my diseases are acting up, so..." Anna just shook her head.

When Barb turned toward Maria, before she could say a word the girl shook her head vehemently and said, "No way! If you think I'm going to put that tiny little thing in my capacious cunt, you're crazy! Why, it would get lost." Folding her arms across her chest, she said flatly, "I refuse."

"But why is it always me?" Barb wailed. After thinking for a moment she added, "It must be that you two are so much smarter than I am. You're quicker with excuses than I am with reasons."

Looking at Steve she said, "You did say a piece of ass, didn't you?" When Steve nodded, she exclaimed, "Neato!" Then to the girls she said, "Maria, I barely got a chance to savor your sweetness last night. So, while our master probes my asshole with his tiny little thing, I shall drink your nectar."

Then to Anna she said, "And you shall be on my back to make your cunt available to our master's lips. And he might even like to fondle your boyish chest." Then she shook her head and added, "I can't for the life of me think of a single reason he would, but what the hell? Maybe he likes boys, and you would remind him of one."

With that she got on her hands and knees with her back to Steve while Maria slid underneath, then spread her legs wide to open herself to Barbara's lips and tongue to the greatest extent possible. Anna then lay back to back on top of Barb. When Steve eased his great cock into her asshole, Anna put her legs over his shoulders and pulled herself up to place her succulent cunt right in front of his face. Reaching out, she took his hands and placed them over her tits, shivering with joy and excitement when she did.

Meanwhile Barb and Maria were working on each other's cunts and loving every moment of the exquisite sensations each was creating for the other. Although they prolonged the lovemaking as long as possible, when Steve finally released in Barb, it set off a chain reaction that resulted in all three women losing consciousness and Steve almost fainting himself.

When again the girls sorted themselves out, Steve was on the bed among them. To Barb he said, "There's one thing, little girl. Something about a tiny cock, I believe? That was you and your slave, Maria, wasn't it? Now on your knees beside me, both of you!"

With the two girls on their knees facing him, Steve used his control to bring them both to the point of orgasm while preventing them from obtaining release. Soon sweat was pouring from their bodies and they were in torment, but it just continued.

Finally, Maria screamed, "Release me, Master, I beg of you! I'll do absolutely anything if you will."

Steve pretended to think and then said, "Both of you! Worship my cock. See that it is completely clean. Now!"

Both women dove for his crotch. Maria took his cock in her mouth while Barb licked his scrotum. Their tears were flowing to such a degree that neither could see a thing, so all of their activities were by feel. When he was satisfied, he took them over the edge.

Finally, he ordered Maria to bring him to orgasm, then spun around and buried his still-throbbing cock deep in Barb's cunt. This time, she cried for joy. Finally spent, the four were lying on the bed when Steve said to Maria, "Tiny cock, I think you said? Do you still mean it?"

"My master has the largest and most beautiful cock in the whole world," she said, meaning every word.



-------

Chapter 12



In spite of the weather — it was cold and gray, with the sky spitting snow — Barb and Karla couldn't wait to really try out the new pool. Following the example of Jeff Collins' pool in New York, it was equipped with the latest in timing electronics. Leaving Steve in bed, the four girls raced to the pool and took positions on the starting boxes. Ignoring the freezing cold, Barb set the automatic start.

While waiting through its countdown sequence, Karla challenged Barbara to race 400 meters. With the other two hugging their naked bodies against the cold, Barb set the system for a 400-meter race. When the buzzer sounded, all four were off the blocks together. Because the pool had only recently been completed, Maria and Anna really had not had a chance to use it much, while Karla and Barbara used a similar pool in Los Angeles every day. The result was that the girls were left in their wakes as the two moved up and down the pool matching stroke for stroke to such a degree that they looked like world-class synchronized swimmers.

Karla had never beaten Barbara swimming, but today, possibly inspired by her return home, she was not to be denied.

When she touched at the end of the race, the equipment at her lane went wild, signaling another world record. An instant later it repeated its routine in an only slightly less raucous fashion in Barb's lane as well. Karla had dropped the men's world record by seconds, but only edged Barb by three-thousandths.

Because it was so cold and nasty, neither girl got out of the pool, but neither looked at all tired, either. After Maria and Anna touched, the two spent the next thirty minutes coaching the girls on their form and technique. No one had noticed that, even though they did not have nearly the experience of the others, their times were more than respectable for a world-class race.

Finally leaving the pool, the foursome went into the sauna to get warm. The small room was soon so filled with steam that Barb, sitting beside Karla, couldn't see the opposite wall. With sweat now pouring from her body, but looking bored, she said, "Okay, twerp. You won. Now what did you win? We never agreed on our bet."

"Our usual, Big Sister," Karla replied. "A wish."

"Oh," Barb said in the flattest possible tone of voice. "And what, pray tell, is your wish?"

"May I have it now," Karla replied without directly answering the question. Barb raised an eyebrow but agreed. "Well..." the girl began, "last night was fun, but not as much fun for me as it could have been, so..." Then looking at Barb she said, "My wish is for you to hold me, kiss me, and caress my body, right now."

Barb responded by making a face and saying, "Caress you? Yuck!" Then looking resigned she continued, "But what the hell. A bet is a bet, and I lost, so..."

With that she held out her arms toward Karla who jumped up and then sat down again across Barb's lap. Ignoring the sweat pouring off their bodies the two women engaged in another competition. When they kissed, their power would have killed anyone else alive. While their lips were locked together and their tongues were exploring, their sensitive fingers were caressing each others sweat-slickened bodies.

Sitting across the small room, Anna and Maria just watched the pair and rejoiced in the love between them that was flooding the room. They shook their heads in amusement as the other two eased apart shaking with emotion.

"Beloved sister," Anna whispered, "aren't we lucky to be able to share the incredible love these two have for each other? There's so much of it, it just washes over everyone." After a pause, she shook her head and in an awe-filled voice said, "You do realize, my darling sister, that you or I would be dead if we were kissed with such power."

"You're sure right about that," Maria agreed. Changing the subject she asked, "Do you think our beloved princess will ever find the man who's right for her? Just think about the sort of man he must be! Tall, handsome, brilliant, pure, brave..." She shook her head and then added, "There's got to be at least one of them left alive ... somewhere!"

Anna raised Maria's hand and softly kissed its back. "I can't tell you, sister, how wonderful it is to have you sharing my life." Then with sadness in her voice she continued, "I guess it really was a pretty feeble idea, trying to use Mayday to find some men." Shaking her head she continued, "There's no one alive who would look at — let alone touch — a pair of prostitutes with ice tongs! Dear sister, why did we screw up our lives so? Why couldn't we have remained pure like Barbara and Karla?"

Although the small room was filled with steam to the degree that neither pair of girls could really see the other, the separation was actually very small and sounds travel well in a dense atmosphere. Because to Maria and Anna, Barbara and Karla were just the dimmest shapes, they couldn't see that their kiss had ended and both were listening intently to them.

"Enough!" Karla yelled as she rose from her seat, moved the few steps across the room and forced herself between the girls on the bench they were sharing. Barb rose and stood over them. "Prostitutes?" Karla asked scornfully. "Hah! You are two of the purest women on the face of this earth. And do you want to know something else? You're both virgins — again! There will be lines of eligible men for each of you."

And with a grin that the two could barely see she added, "You'll have to use Mayday to try to keep your suitors straight." Looking up at Barb she asked, "Mistress, do you suppose they should assign ID numbers, or something? In the States they could use social security numbers, but on a worldwide basis, there would probably be duplication."

Then to the girls she said, "You two are as pure as the snow. But me? Hah! I've been taken by three men at a time. You never have!"

"Yes, I have," Anna said with tears in her eyes. "It almost killed me, but I did it." Then glaring at Karla she continued, "I did it for the hell of it. You did it because you had been tortured beyond human endurance. You had been so terribly tortured, they could barely find three guys to do it to you. And many of those Russians were butchers!"

Now she was so choked up she could barely talk but she managed to choke out, "You are our liberator, Princess. You represent everything fine and good and noble. Finally, in just two days, you will receive the public recognition for the incredible bravery you have shown your entire life—"

"And I've given birth to a child out of wedlock, a bastard—"

"A love child!" Anna almost screamed. "At the age of just sixteen, the purest virgin, you cheerfully volunteer your virginity to ease a dying hero's last hours on earth. I certainly wasn't there, but I would bet anything that when he died in your arms, he had the most lovely smile on his face..."

Now it was Karla's turn to cry. But she choked out, "All he kept saying was how much he loved me. And he kept thanking me ... He was in such pain, and his blood was mixed with my virginal flow, but somehow he knew. And he blessed me and promised to pray for me, and for our child..." She couldn't go on.

Maria took her in her arms and held her closely. Then she whispered, "And you gave birth to a handsome son who, even now, is growing big and strong like his father. Being raised in the loving home you prayed for but couldn't possibly provide yourself. Karla Kosta, you nearly sacrificed your life for our country. You sacrificed your virginity for a hero. You care nothing for yourself. All you care about are others. And we adore you!"

"And I love you both so very much, but no decent man would want a woman who's been the sex toy of drunken brutes!" Karla wailed.

"Shut up!" Susie screamed. Appearing in the cloud of steam, her arms were akimbo and even in the poor visibility, the girls could see that her eyes were flashing sparks. She was furious! "The Boss would have come himself — I've never seen him so PO'd ... Then she glanced upward and said, "Sorry about that, Boss." Then to the girls she continued, "He sent me because He's so mad His voice would have blown this poor little sauna to matchsticks!"

To Barb she said, "I'll leave you out of this ... for now." Then turning to Karla she said while reaching as high as she could, "We've had it up to here with you! You are in a class with Barbara." After pausing and appearing to think for a moment, she corrected herself. "No! That's not true, either. Karla Kosta, you are in a class by yourself. You don't have quite the level of love and grace that Barb has, but the difference is trivial. Sort of like trying to differentiate IQ's at levels above 180. You're both so damned good, it doesn't matter. But in addition, there's a level of personal bravery and sheer courage that is truly awesome."

Now really glaring at the girl she continued, "Wednesday is going to be a holiday up there, for Heaven's sake! You have a private army of Czechs who are celebrating! When I left, your parents — yes, damn it, Karla Kosta, your parents! — were in each other's arms crying tears of joy. Their little girl — their only child — is being recognized as being responsible for the freedom of the country for which your father gave his life..."

"My ... my parents!" Karla exclaimed, utterly stunned.

"Yes, turkey, your parents!" Susie screamed. Then softly, she added, "They love you so very much, and they're so very proud!" Then almost in a whisper, "Deservedly so."

Almost screaming again, she continued, "And then there's the king and queen of ... Never mind what he was king of. They are beaming. They haven't been so happy in over 100 years!" Then she changed her attitude dramatically. Giggling she continued, "And they're so damned funny! You should hear them going at one another as to whose genes were more responsible for your courage, your beauty, your ... you name it. But they love you madly!"

Then to Barb she said, giggling, "And your friend, relative, or whatever, Nita Johnson! God, I love that girl! You called her yesterday morning, New York time. Did she wait for Monday morning? Nita Lucas, the world's foremost fashion authority? You've got to be kidding! She was on the phone all afternoon and half the damned night, because the gala is in only two days. She even contacted Steve Press at home, so J. Press could get going on custom-tailored tails for Steve. They will be ready to ship tonight. Everything!"

Now she was so excited she was dancing in the air. "Guess what else Nita did?" Barb could only shake her head in bewilderment. She had no clue. "With the tiniest bit of help, there will be a jeweled crown in the shipment. It's utterly priceless."

Then wheeling on Karla she said, "It is the crown the king had made for the love of his life, his queen. And you damned well better wear it! Hear? The two of them are utterly enthralled at the idea that it would finally be worn after so many years by the heiress to the throne. That's you, turkey!"

Karla was so utterly stunned, she couldn't speak as Susie spun on the two girls who, to her vast amusement, were huddled in each other's arms for safety. "And as for you two! It's the same song, second and third verses. Nita has the tiara from the fifth duchess of ... and the marquisette tiara of ... You two will wear them, if you want to ever see another sunrise! Am I clear?" The girls just looked at her. "Am I clear?" she thundered.

"Yes, Susie, you're very clear," the two quavered. They had never seen the sprite like this.

"And as for the rest, let me only say that the Hail Mary,  begins, 'Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.' Well, kids, how about 'Hail, Maria... ' or 'Hail, Anna... '? The words that follow apply to you as they did to her! Now do you get my drift? To make it simpler for slow learners — or computer nerds which are the same thing — you are both full of grace, and the Lord is with you. The Boss is utterly overjoyed at you two. Aside from being physical duplicates — although Maria's tits are a full millimeter larger..."

When Anna's eyes widened and she started to protest, Susie silenced her by saying, "That's right, turkey! One — that is o-n-e, one — millimeter larger than yours. And the Boss adores the shape you both share as well as your perky little pink nipples." Then she shook her head in feigned disgust and said, "I can't tell you how many hours He spends watching you two exercise, just so He can admire your bodies."

Still focusing on Anna she continued but now in a warm and sympathetic voice, "But you're too small to be able to take a man in your cunt or your asshole, aren't you, honey?"

Anna felt truly miserable as the sprite had just put words to the fear that had been preying on her mind. The sweat pouring from her body was now mixed with tears as she just nodded her head. "You're not stretched there the way Barb is, are you?" Now Anna was sobbing and Maria took her into her arms to comfort her. The girl could only shake her head.

Pensively, Susie continued, "Boy, I guess it was a good thing I was so experienced when I met Steve. If I hadn't been he would have split me in two!" The sprite floated toward the miserable girl until she was only inches away from her face and then said, "Know what? Steve's both longer and fatter now than he was then. Honest! But even then he stretched my insides and sometimes I thought his cock was going to pop out of my mouth!"

After pausing for a moment she continued, "Boy, it's really great that Barb is so large! He just slides so easily into her cavern..." Barb was about to object when, in a total change of tone, Susie sounded like a Marine drill sergeant as she yelled, "Guess what, turkey! You're larger in both places than she is!"

Anna was so shocked her flow of tears stopped instantly. Pulling away from Maria, she glared at the Sprite and exclaimed, "You're lying! I can't possibly be! There's no resistance at all. Master just places his incredible weapon against her slit and slides it in. It's so smooth and easy. I can't possibly be as big as my mistress!"

"But you are!" Susie shot back. "On the other hand, you were almost killed the last time and were seriously hurt any number of times before that. Do you know why?" With her eyes wide, Anna could only shake her head. "Because you really didn't like the guys who were fucking you. You were dry and tight when they entered and it hurt like hell. But then, with the fear of being hurt building in your brain, it just got worse. And then the last time, you said it yourself: Before you knew what was happening a dildo was shoved up your ass and another was shoved up your cunt. Of course it hurt!"

After a pause she continued, "I've seen you take Steve in your mouth. You not only get it all in — which I never could, by the way — but you worked to tighten your opening. Why?"

"Because I want him in all the way," Anna replied softly. "Because I love him so! Because I want him to have the greatest experience its possible for me to create for him. Whenever he holds me, I feel so good. I'm so wonderfully relaxed and warm..."

"And very wet?" Susie interjected.

Anna had never thought about that, but now she did and realized Susie was right. "I'm so wet I feel I'm about to float away. And when Steve fondles my tits and gives me those incredibly loving kisses..."

"What if you could take him inside. Would you? Could you?"

"I think I told Maria one time that the greatest thing that could ever happen would be to be split in half by our master."

"Honey, you really are larger than Barb," Susie continued. "How does she do what she does? Because she loves him with all of her heart. When he's near, she's flowing like a river. And when he kisses her ... Yum! Anna, how much passion is in Steve's kiss when he kisses you?"

Startled the girl's eyes widened. "None! Absolutely none. His kiss is pure love, joy and grace. But it's so wonderful!"

"Is that the way he kisses Barb?"

"Good grief, no!" Anna exclaimed. "There's so much passion and electricity, it would power this whole city!"

"Now I want you to put yourself in this position: You have a man — a Steve Sloan of your own — who's tall, handsome, bright, courageous, and who loves you very much. When you kiss him, there's the same passion that Barb and Steve always feel. You have just taken each other as husband and wife, with God blessing your union. Now you're alone together facing a big bed. He kisses your lips with the same passion and electricity Steve and Barb always generate.

"Your loving husband gently strips off your wedding gown while he's kissing your body all over. He focuses particularly on your perky tits, fondling and kissing them. He nibbles lightly on your nipples. He carries you to the bed and gently lays you on it. Climbing in beside you, he continues to kiss your body moving across your belly. He teases you by scratching your belly with his whiskers that have grown back since his very close shave on your wedding day. He keeps moving down until he fondles your little nest. Then he reaches your slit.

"By this time, he's laying beside you on the bed and you see his beautiful cock is now in full erection. It's throbbing with anticipation just inches from your eyes. A small drop forms on its tip." Susie paused for a moment and asked, "What do you do Anna? How do you feel?"

"I take his cock into my mouth and worship it," Anna replied softly. "I spread my legs to open myself to him. He sees drops of love juice on my naked nether lips and licks it off while I'm going down on his cock. It gets even bigger in my mouth. I wriggle on the bed to try to create a line that will let me swallow his whole length. Now he's found my clit and is teasing it with his lips, his tongue, his teeth...

"I feel his cock start to throb in my mouth and pull it out so only his tip is still there as I drink his first small cuming. We move quickly and he enters my wetness with his cock. I feel it encounter the resistance of my hymen and wrap my legs around his hips to pull him all the way in. I feel a shot of wonderful pain and then he's in. He's all the way in. My husband is all the way inside me..." A look of utter rapture was on Anna's face by this time.

"Did it hurt?" Susie asked softly.

"Only the wonderful hurt when my hymen parted," Anna replied. "Now he's just moving in and out to his full wonderful length..."

Very softly Susie concluded, "That's exactly the way it's going to be, darling Anna. Your constant wetness and your love will cause you to want him to be even bigger than he is. You'll want him stretching your cunt. You'll want to feel his cock reach up to your mouth."

In a flash, Susie's attitude again changed dramatically. Again glaring at Anna and Maria, Susie's tone of voice returned to a drill sergeant's as she continued, "And there's another thing! It may not have registered in your pea brains yet, but this morning while the two superwomen were setting world's records for 400 meters, your times — the first 400 meters either of you have ever swum — are competitive world-class times for women.

"Want it another way? If you joined the Czech Olympic team, you would be virtually guaranteed a spot in the 400 meter finals! That's both of you." She cocked her head and thought for a moment and then continued, "It would take a lot of luck for either of you to win, of course. But you're definitely in contention for a medal, and a silver or bronze medal in the Olympics really isn't shabby. Is it?" she almost screamed in conclusion.

"Then there's Mayday. Would you believe the Boss is actually talking about getting a computer? Honest, He really is." Now Susie had moved in front of the girls so she was only inches away from their faces. "Let me put it this way. The Boss puts you up with Copernicus, Isaac Newton, Thomas Edison, and Albert Einstein. Do you understand?"

The girls were sitting wide-eyed and awestruck, but finally Anna was able to say, "You can't be serious, Susie! Our Lord puts us in the class with the greatest minds of all time..."

"And you're in the top five! Clear? Possibly number one, but there's competition. But top five, easy!" Then Susie relaxed a little and continued, "We know something you two don't even know about Mayday. What you tried to do was replicate in software the way you two work together!"

Turning to Barb and Karla she explained, "As you know, these two are utterly brilliant. They think of themselves as sisters. They're not, really, but genetically they're essentially identical. In fact, if you like to get involved in the 'third cousin three times removed' kind of stuff, they're related in more ways than anyone can count. But that's not the point.

"What is the point is that when they're working, somehow they're pooling their brains. And if each has an IQ well north of 180 — and they do, as do you two — put together, the combined intelligence isn't a sum — like 360 — it's a power!

"Want a really big number? Try 180 raised to the 180th power! That's written 180180. That is a big number. And it's a very low approximation of their combined real intelligence. It's one girl's IQ raised to the power of the other's. Anyway, that's how Mayday came to be. And it's why the only improvements can possibly come from them. It's why no one else can comprehend their programming. Because no one on earth is remotely in the league of these two, working together."

Now glaring at the girls, she added, "And don't give up hope! The Boss absolutely cracked up when you programmed Mayday to comb the whole world for eligible suitors. He thinks you are unbelievably neat. And He loves you dearly! And you will meet those men. Not just you, Anna, but you, too, Maria. The man to whom you will want to give your whole life."

Then she shook her head and said, "You know how a top diamond cutter can never quite let loose of a truly perfect stone? Well, that's the way the Boss is with you two. He just can't resist polishing some facet of your beauty." Then glaring at them she concluded, "Earlier I said that to the Boss, trying to pick between Barb and Karla is like trying to differentiate intelligence at scores well above 180. Well, turkeys, you two are exactly the same! And we all love you!"

Then turning to Barb she said, "But look, I'm pretty small these days. If we don't get out of this steamer, there won't be any of me left! Let's move it!"

At that the four piled out the door, and jumped into the refrigerated pool beside it. To their pleased surprise, Susie ran out and jumped in with them. Barb was amazed because it was the first time she had ever seen Susie move other than by flying. But grabbing the sprite around the waist with one hand, Barb used the other to vault from the freezing water and race to the bathroom. In moments all four girls and Susie were in the shower together. At that point Barb directed Anna and Maria to work on their princess while she took care of Susie.

Standing the sprite on the floor, Barb ever so gently scrubbed her lovely body. Then taking a tiny amount of shampoo, she washed her hair and conditioned it. When she stood to wash herself, Susie floated up with her and insisted on cleaning her ears and ever so gently washing her genitals. Then she actually sat on Barb's head causing them all to howl with laughter as she washed her short hair. While working the shampoo into her head, Susie was sitting up to her tits in suds. While applying conditioner, the girls howled again when she idly wondered if sitting in it would make her pubic hair soft, silky and easy to manage.

Getting out of the shower, Barb stood Susie on the counter and used a clean washcloth as a bath sheet gently to blot Susie's body dry. The tiny girl leaned back against the mirror and just watched as Barb toweled herself off. Then Barb turned her attention to Susie's hair. It was a medium brown and worn in a page boy. Ever so carefully, Barb styled it in a new way, then took the sprite to the massage table where she gently worked musk oil into her tender skin. Finally, she got a tiny comb and combed out the girl's pubic hair.

"Are you ready to see Steve now?" Barb asked. "You are so incredibly beautiful, Susie!"

When she looked closely at the girl, Barb was shocked to see that tears were flowing down her cheeks. "What's wrong, my darling?" Barb asked. "Did I hurt you? Was I too rough?"

Susie just shook her head, but the tears continued to roll. Finally she was able to choke out, "It's nothing like that, Barbara Sloan. It's just that ... It's just that never in my entire life did anyone do for me what you just did! Never! Can you imagine? Scrubbing me, giving me an utterly perfect shampoo, styling my hair, giving me the best and most loving massage I've ever had, and then styling my pubic hair!" The sprite just shook her head and said, "Only you, my love. Only you." Then she wiped her nose with the back of her hand and added, "I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Barbara Sloan, you are the perfect wife for Steve. You are so much better than I could ever be—"

"Don't forget, Susan Sloan," Barb interrupted. "Later on, we're going to share. We'll flip to see who gets him first each night, okay?" She raised the tiny girl, kissed away her tears and then carefully rinsed her hands and face with cold water to eliminate the traces of crying. "You are his love, Susie. And it's only like you to offer to share. I love you almost as much as Steve does."

Then with a grin she said, "Now let's go see him and show him how lovely you are today!"

Susie just grinned warmly but vaporized. When she did, Barb felt a sense of loss. From the very first she had loved the little sprite, and her efforts had been focused on making her look as lovely for Steve as possible.

Turning her attention to the others, she found that the girls were just enjoying the cool water on their bodies. While they sinuously turned under the multiple spray heads, Barb realized what incredible women they really were. Then when an idea came to her, she implemented it immediately.

Reentering the shower stall, she dropped to her knees before Anna, bent over and kissed the girl's feet. "We are honored by your presence, Marquise," she said softly. "And to be in the presence of such genius is truly an incredible honor."

Standing up quickly, she took the girl in her arms and carried her from the shower. With a grin, Karla did the same things with Maria. Laying Anna on a massage table — now there were two in the huge bathroom — she blotted the water from her body, then began the most sensuous massage the girl had ever experienced.

Then, with the girl now more than half asleep, she whispered for her to spread her legs wide as she lay on her back. Anna instantly complied, and Barb moved between her widespread legs, put them over her shoulders and began to work on her sex with her lips, her teeth, and her tongue.

For Anna, coming so soon after Susie's description of her wedding night, it was the purest bliss. In just moments she was writhing on the table as she began to cum with the rapidity of a machine gun.

For Barb, drinking her juices was like tasting the sweetest nectar. She found she truly loved it. In a whisper she said, "Darling Anna, do you remember what you said months ago when I first took you in my arms?"

With the cutest little frown the girl started to shake her head but then brightened. "I think so, beloved mistress. I think I said that if my first experience had been with you, I would now be a confirmed lesbian."

"Well, my darling slave, that's exactly how I feel right now."

Suddenly Barb looked sad and began to slowly shake her head. With her eyes now open, Anna was immediately concerned. "What's wrong, Mistress? What did I do? Why are you shaking your head?"

"Oh ... it's ... nothing..." Barb replied, but in a tone that implied that the truth was too horrible for her to reveal.

"Please tell me!" Anna begged. "What did I do? I don't care how awful it is, but I can't stand not knowing. Please, Mistress!"

Looking like she was about to cry, Barb choked out, "It's ... it's ... it's your wedding night..." Then she stopped, apparently unable to go on.

"What about my wedding night?" Anna asked, now so concerned that tears had come to her beautiful eyes. Barb just determinedly shook her head. "Please, Mistress! You must tell me..." Now the girl was really crying.

"It's ... it's..." Barb broke off and stood up straight.

She was determined to tell the girl the truth, no matter how much it hurt, so she spoke out and said, "It's your cunt, Anna." Then with a little grin she continued, "It's so sweet, you'll never get your husband's face out of it long enough for him to get his cock into it. You'll still be a virgin, days after the wedding..."

Realizing she had been tricked, Anna looked around to find something she could throw at Barb. At the same time, the other two girls were howling with laughter at Anna's expense. The girl's tears had stopped to be replaced with a wry grin as she just slowly shook her head.

Looking at Karla, Barb said, "My urchin is now gorgeous and sweet-smelling as it's possible for her to be. How are you doing with her sister?"

Karla, who had been doing with Maria the same things Barb had been doing with the redhead said that Maria was in the same condition. Asking her to carry Maria, Barb picked up Anna from the table and carried her to the bedroom where she lay the girl on her back. After instructing Karla to lay Maria on the bed, too, but to leave enough room for her, she climbed up and knelt between the two girls.

"What is a slave's primary duty?" she asked.

The two girls looked at one another and Maria replied, "To do everything to make her mistress happy."

"Good!" Barb exclaimed. "And it will make me very happy to tickle you both, right now! And I want you both to lie as still as you can while I entertain myself. Clear?"

Startled and now a little scared — she knew she was very ticklish and knew Anna was, too — Maria quietly replied, "It is very clear, Mistress."

Then using her fingers with extreme sensitivity, she worked on both girls at once, particularly on their ribs. They began to giggle and then laugh, while struggling to remain as flat on their backs as they could. Several times, Barb could tell that their instincts were to roll into a ball to protect themselves, but they remained flat on their backs. Sweat began to again pour from their bodies as they were tortured.

Suddenly, to Barb's amazement, the girls both seemed to relax. Try as she might, she couldn't evoke any more response. It was almost as if they had died, their bodies were now so still. At that, Barb stopped, sat back on her heels, and asked, "What did you just do, you two?"

Looking sheepish Anna replied, "I focused my mind on a problem we've been having with some new software and then engaged Maria's brain, too. It enabled me to tune out your incredible torture." Then with a grin she added, "Mistress, next time could we please just go back to the whip? It's not nearly so painful as your tickling!"

With that Barb kissed her on the lips and repeated it with Maria. Then she said softly, "I love my darling slaves. Even if your brilliance makes Karla and me look like retards!"

The four then prepared breakfast — a huge American one. When Maria looked askance at the fifth place that Karla set for Steve, the girl just grinned. Sure enough, as soon as the food began to appear, so did Steve, looking like a bear awakening from hibernation. After giving his wife a loving kiss, he just sat down with the others to eat.

As they were finishing, Steve said, "Girls, we have an appointment today with the guys — your friends from before." Then with a very hard look in his eyes he added, "The guys who almost killed you, Anna. I doubt if you ever want to see them again, so why don't you swim or go shopping, or something?"

At that point, to the surprise of the others, Barb jumped to her feet and raced toward the room they used as an office.

Steve just shook his head and continued, "Anyway, I'm sure you don't want to be around while they're here."

Speaking for both of them, Maria sat up as straight as she could and said, "We are your slaves, Master. Our primary duty is to greet and serve your guests. We intend to carry out those duties."

Seeing that nothing would dissuade them Steve said, "Okay. I give up." But then looking at them hard he added, "There is one thing I must make absolutely clear: normally, we expect our slaves to make themselves available to our guests. That most particularly does not apply today. Clear?"

"Are you certain, sir?" Maria asked.

"I am absolutely certain!" Steve instantly replied. "Furthermore, if one of them so much as lays a finger on either of you, you have our permission — indeed, our order — to deck the son of a bitch! Do you understand?"

"To be sure I understand, Master," Anna said, "if one of them touches me, I have your permission to slap him?"

"My darling, that is not correct," Steve replied. "You have our order to deck him! If you want to use an open palm, you may, but personally I think a closed fist would be more effective. Okay?"

Anna just grinned and nodded.

"Is it okay?" Steve repeated.

"Yes, Master, it is okay. And we understand you completely!" Then showing concern, she asked, "Do we have your permission, sir, to look as beautiful as possible? I would like to work on Maria's hair to make it glisten with its natural oils. And perhaps we might use more musk oil on our bodies?"

Steve just grinned and replied, "I always knew women were smarter than men. That just might hurt them more than a punch in the chops! Go to it." Turning to Karla he asked, "Would you help them, please?"

"With the greatest pleasure!" she instantly responded.

As the threesome were heading back to their bedroom, Barb returned. "And where did my child bride disappear to so suddenly?" Steve asked.

"I went to send a fax to Nita. I was reminded that, aside from a couple of pairs of Levi's, these poor kids have nothing to wear! Of course, they can wear my things — they all fit — but the colors are for me, not for them. Anyway, I asked her to fully outfit all three of our slaves."

Then shaking her head she continued, "Just think ... When I was a slave, a single dress made from a burlap potato sack was considered more than good enough. But now..."

Again she shook her head. "But I must tell Sue and the others that, at long last, the quality of available slaves is improving, although it does have its costs. They may be better, but they're certainly more uppity, too!"

Steve quickly told her about his instructions regarding their visitors, and Barb filled him in on what they had learned from Susie about their incredible brilliance. Then she went off to help prepare the girls. Awhile later the girls appeared with Barb still standing in the doorway behind them. Karla scooted out and headed back toward the swimming pool, apparently on Barb's instructions. Then the two stood side by side before him with both looking very uncertain about their appearance. Steve just looked at them expectantly, waiting for them to speak.

Finally, Anna asked, "Master, do we look all right?"

"Hmm..." he murmured. Then to himself he said, "Figures ... okay. Hair ... all right." Then with a brief nod he said, "Yes, Slave, you look all right..." Anna instantly looked crushed and she appeared about to break down in tears when he continued, " ... for a pair of angels, fresh from Heaven, that is."

Now with the warmest smile the girls had ever seen, he concluded, "You both are incredibly gorgeous!"

When he reached out his arms, Anna rushed into them and then Steve melted his lips to hers in a perfect kiss. While he was kissing her he was gently running his hands over her perfect body and ended by teasing her tiny nipples. When he eased his lips away, he looked down at her and deep into her eyes. He saw great joy, along with love and incredible purity.

Then with the cutest look he had ever seen on her face she said, "Master, it is a slave's duty to do everything in her power to increase the happiness of her masters, isn't it?"

Realizing he was setting himself up, Steve replied with a noncommittal, "Yes, and... ?"

"And so, Master, on a day when our mistress is not feeling up to par — when she has PMS, for example, or is having her period — I am volunteering my body in her place. This morning I learned that my vagina is the same size as hers — just a bit larger for your easier entry — so I think I can give you pleasure. Or perhaps you might like to explore my ass? It's available to you as well, of course. Or..."

"Anna Schmidt, you're saving your virginity for your husband, remember?" Steve chided her.

"That's true, Master, but..."

"But what?"

"Well ... I was thinking about what Susie described this morning. Wouldn't it be so much better if I didn't bleed all over the bed when my husband enters me? I mean..."

"The answer is no!" Steve declared flatly. "End of subject."

Then he took Maria in his arms and repeated with her what he had done with Anna. Everything about the two was now identical except for the color of their hair and eyes, and the way they were wearing their hair.

"Thank you, Master, for your love," Maria said simply. "I'm so glad I am now pleasing in your eyes."

Not knowing how to respond to her heartfelt words, Steve said nothing. Then they heard a knock on the door. Barb ducked quickly back in the bedroom to slip into a dress — Steve was wearing a blue blazer, gray slacks and loafers — while he lightly pinched the girls' nipples to bring them to throbbing erections. When he did, Anna closed her eyes and just murmured happily.

When Anna opened the door, she and Maria received a surprise, the first of a surprise-filled morning: First, Hans Burger, Wilhelm Krause, and Helmut Jurgen were all shaved — Hans and Helmut were formerly bearded — and all had their hair cut where formerly they wore it long and unkempt. Moreover, all three were wearing clean shirts, jackets and — miraculously — even ties! The initial surprise wasn't over, though. The men's eyes all widened at the revealed beauty of the two girls.

Then Hans took Anna's hand, bowed with a slight heel click, and kissed the back of her fingertips. "You're exquisitely beautiful, Anna," he said softly. Then he did exactly the same things with Maria.

Meanwhile, the other two were greeting Anna in the same way, using almost the identical words, that Hans had used. With a man bowing over each of their hands, Anna made a quizzical look and Maria responded with an almost imperceptible shrug and a shake of her head.

After leading the men into the sitting room, Hans asked if the women could stay with them. Steve immediately agreed and Barb went off to draft Karla into service. The girl hadn't yet jumped into the pool so she put on her uniform of cuffs, collar and bow tie.

To her surprise, when she entered the room for their refreshment orders, the men again jumped to their feet and Hans told her how exquisitely beautiful she looked. "When I first saw you in August, I thought you were the most beautiful woman in the world," Burger said. "But now? Now there are no words! You are utterly exquisite."

"Thank you, sir," she replied blushing in spite of herself. Then she took refreshment orders and slipped out to the kitchen.

Clearly, Hans Burger was the spokesman for the group. The first thing he did was to take out a check from his pocket and pass it to Steve. Glancing at it, Steve realized it was for $18,000 less than the total Kendy investment.

"It's all we have left," Hans explained.

Then he passed over a thick envelope. Steve opened it and quickly examined the document inside. "This is a promissory note," he said. "You three, individually and severally, promise to repay the remaining $18,000 of the Kendy investment. Why? And why are you returning the money?"

"Because, sir, it isn't working and it can't work. And it's all because of our incredible arrogance and stupidity. These women are the people you intended to invest in, but neither you nor we knew it. We thought we were really great! And we thought these incredible young women existed only to make their bodies available to us."

To the Sloans' amazement and the girls', tears began to flow down his cheeks as he continued, "Anna was usually the duty cunt. Can you imagine such a thing? Just look at her incredible beauty, and all we did was debase her — and starve her." Looking at Anna he said, "You have never looked better in your entire life. Slavery agrees with you. Because you are the Sloans' slave aren't you?"

With her head high she replied, "Of course I am. But I'm more than a slave. I'm a member of the warmest, most loving family on the face of this earth. Hans, you used to grope me once in a while, although usually you just stuck your cock into my nearest available opening. My master gropes me, too. And I rejoice every time he does."

With a loving smile at Barb she continued, "I try everything in my power to get him to do it even more than he does. I can't tell you how overjoyed I was when they returned to Prague yesterday. My cunt was literally dripping juices on the carpet, I was so wet with anticipation. Did he fuck me? Of course not! His wife, Barbara, is the most perfect person on the face of the earth. But my master did kiss me. He fondled my body and I felt so wonderfully warm and wet when he did. You see, I love him. And I love my mistress, and my princess, Slave Karla.

"But yes, Hans, you're right. Indeed I am a slave, and will happily remain so for the rest of my life."

Burger didn't directly comment on what Anna had said. Instead he continued his story. "On the day we visited here before, when we returned home, we knew that Maria had stayed. That didn't matter because she only had the duty tits, and we could live without those. Of course we later found out that she did the cooking, such cleaning as we allowed, and controlled our behavior to the best of her ability.

"Then, when we nearly killed poor Anna, we knew she had fled to join Maria, her only friend in the world. But what the hell! Who needed them anyway? They were only extra mouths to feed, right?"

He shook his head sadly and continued, "The hell they were! They were the heart and soul of our little enterprise. But even more important, they were the real brains, but we didn't know it at the time."

Then looking hard at the girls he said, "You are Noble Software, aren't you? Both of you." The girls exchanged looks and then Maria acknowledged they were. "You had to be," Burger continued. "Because you're the only people alive who could possibly have created Helper."

"Why do you say that?" Maria asked. "And how could you possibly know?"

"Two reasons," Hans replied: "first of all, it's the kind of ever-so-practical software that you two were always after us to write. Us?" he laughed sardonically and continued, "Don't be ridiculous. Helper is Anna and Maria's little bitty software. Us? We write software to handle important problems like corporate strategy." He paused for a moment and then said, "Of course, the fact that we didn't know our asses from holes in the ground where strategy is concerned didn't slow us down. After all, we were the world's most brilliant software writers. Not!"

He shook his head sadly and then said, "Only awhile after Anna was gone did we realize we were accomplishing absolutely nothing. Nothing at all! Then we finally did something we should have done months earlier: We started going over prior software we had written to see what was different. Only then did we find mysterious bits of code. Each of us had previously encountered them, but each thought one of the other guys had written it. Only during that review did we realize it was the girls. These poor girls who we constantly tortured and abused.

"Then we did something else. After all, the girls' material amounted to just a few little bits and pieces ... we thought. So we copied one of the programs leaving out their little bits. Nothing happened. And I mean nothing happened! But that's not really true, either. The computer crashed, something we had never experienced before. Then we tried again, this time taking out only a single bit of their code. Same result."

At this point Wilhelm picked up the story. "There's more, of course. You see, we then examined their code closely and found out something interesting. We couldn't read it. It was like no software we had ever seen. Only after a great deal of experimentation did we conclude that operationally, we had it exactly backwards. We first thought that their little bits of code enhanced the operation of our brilliant material."

He laughed sardonically and said, "Fat chance. We found out that our 'major contribution' had no value at all. In fact, that's how we found out. Even though there were about 500 lines of our code for every one of theirs, when we reversed the process and eliminated every line of our code, the software ran perfectly. Of course, there were only a handful of lines left, but the software ran perfectly. Our code was as useful to its operation as tits are on a bull."

Then he smiled diffidently at the girls and said, "That's how we knew you were Noble Software. When we examined Helper, we found the same kind of code we had first seen in the material we had thought was ours. Of course, we now know it's really yours. All yours."

His smile broadened a bit as he continued, "It hasn't all been wasted, of course. We are now considered the ultimate computer gurus on the Net, because we know who Anna and Maria really are.

"It's been a riot over the last few days. All of the talk — and I mean all — has been about Mayday. And, most particularly, the two utterly gorgeous women pictured in it." Then he looked up and said, "Would you mind answering a question?"

The girls exchanged looks and then both shook their heads.

"How in the name of heaven were you able to encrypt your pictures so they're utterly impossible to copy? All the guys who think of themselves as the very best computer people in the world can't solve it. For that matter, they can't copy it, either. The few guys who've managed to pick up review copies of it, who normally can be relied upon to have it posted on some pirate bulletin board in Finland or somewhere, have thrown up their hands. They insist it cannot be copied. Can it?"

"We really don't think so," Anna replied with the cutest smile anyone had ever seen on her face. Then her look changed and she added, "It is important to our master and mistress that the sale of our pictures generates the greatest possible revenue, so we did a few things to make it hard to copy."

"'Hard'?" Wilhelm exclaimed. "'Impossible' is a more accurate word." Then he grinned and added, "I happen to know that NSA — the U.S. National Security Agency — the group that prides itself on being able to crack any code — has given up. What they're doing now is sniffing around to try to find you. They want to sign you up. I heard of a review that's coming out that says Bill Gates wants to hire you for Microsoft. Well, Gates only has billions. NSA has access to the whole damned U.S. defense budget. And to get you two, money would not be a constraint."

Then Helmut took over. "Mr. Sloan, we do have a question, though. Helper is packaged as being from 'Noble Software, a subsidiary of Kendy Company.' Our company never had an independent existence, really. We were a part of Kendy. What's the difference?"

"The difference is that our investment in you was strictly on the come," Steve replied. "You received twenty percent of the initial equity with the ability, based on performance over up to fifteen years, to increase your ownership to 60 percent. With its 80 percent equity, Kendy can still consolidate your results with our other units.

"But the girls' situation is different. Noble Software is different. It came into existence only after they had produced Helper. In other words, they fronted the whole thing with incredible — and very real — performance. Kendy money at risk? Not a single dime."

With a grin he continued, "Our only problem with Noble has been shipping the stuff out fast enough and counting the money they're burying us under." Looking at the boy he asked, "Do you see the difference?"

"Yes, sir," Helmut replied, "I certainly do. If you don't mind my asking, sir, could you tell us what the Noble arrangement is?" After a very short pause he quickly added, "Of course, it's really none of our business, but..."

By this time Karla had finished her initial service and was standing unobtrusively in the corner to serve anyone who might want something more.

Steve invited her to pull up a chair and join them. "Karla, honey, this concerns you, too, so you might as well hear it at the same time the girls do."

Then looking at the boys he said, "I suppose I should tell you that only Barb and I know what I'm going to say. You see, these girls consider themselves to be our slaves. Why did they develop Helper? Because, due to our investment with you, they knew Kendy had a software business, so they thought they might be able to help a little bit."

Now it was Steve's turn to laugh sardonically. "A little bit? What a joke! But honestly, I don't think the business aspect ever crossed their minds. They were doing it because they love us." Looking at the girls he asked, "Am I right?"

"Of course you're right, Master," Anna exclaimed. "To say that to Maria and me the sun rises and sets in you and our wonderful mistress is true, but really so little. We adore you. There is absolutely nothing we will not do for you, even sacrificing our lives. But no, Master, we never gave a thought to the business aspects of our little bitty things except to hope that they might produce enough money to help pay for our food and stuff."

At this Steve howled with laughter. When he quieted down enough to talk again, he said, "And Barb and I adore you two. And I think it's fair to say you've covered your food bill ... at least for a week or so."

Then addressing the guys again he said, "The arrangement with Noble Software is very simple, although we're really cheating the girls badly." He paused a moment as if to think and then continued, "But what the hell ... They're our slaves anyway, so what difference does it make?

"Maria and Anna each own 30 percent of the stock. Karla is president and has 25 percent while Kendy keeps the remaining 15 points. The reason it's divided this way is simple: Anything the girls want to do, they do. They own 60 percent between them. But if they disagree on anything, Karla, with her 25 percent, combined with either of the other's, produces a decision. And we just cash the checks because Kendy brings absolutely nothing to the party."

The three girls were utterly flabbergasted at the news. "That's impossible, Master!" Anna exclaimed. "We can't let you do this. All of the money belongs to you and to Kendy."

Then she brightened and said, "How about this: Kendy keeps the 20 percent and you and our mistress have 40 percent each. After all, we are your slaves, so we can own nothing. Anything that might possibly come into our possession belongs to you."

Steve was about to hotly respond when Barbara put a hand softly on his arm and interrupted. "Slave Anna, what is the primary mission of a slave?"

"To do anything her master and mistress wish," she replied. "To do absolutely anything to make them happy."

"Wonderful!" Barb exclaimed. "Then there's no problem at all, is there? You three will keep the stock as your master has just outlined. And you will do it because you will be making us happy. Any other behavior will make us very unhappy! Now are you sure you want to do something else?"

The girls looked at each other and then sagged down in their chairs, utterly defeated. Finally, with tears of sorrow flowing down her cheeks, Anna said, "Only to make you happy, Master and Mistress. But I hope you know how miserable it makes us feel to do this."

Then she brightened a little and sat up straight in her chair and added, "On the other hand, I just got through saying that we would cheerfully sacrifice our lives for you, so comparatively, this isn't so bad..."

At that comment everyone else howled with laughter. Even Karla and Maria couldn't keep the grins from their faces.

Then Steve said, "In keeping with one of the more noble missions of a slave owner — to keep his slaves miserable — Barb and I are going to add to your misery."

"But how could you possibly?" Maria asked, genuinely bewildered.

"It's easy," he replied. Effective 0900 hours GMT tomorrow, the suggested retail price of Mayday is going to USD495. The factory price will be $395. Given that there's no selling at all — only order taking — that's more than enough for the trade."

Then with a broadening grin he continued, "Of course, it really causes problems for us. Our margin, for example..."

"Your margin?" Maria asked again. "What is your margin?"

"Honey, that's the only money we have to feed ourselves, and at a selling price of $395 we're hurting." With his eyes wide had continued, "You may not believe it, but it costs us a full 75 cents to make one of those CDs we ship the software out on ... No! That's really not fair. The 75 cents is our total cost. More than half of it is our cost of the jewel box we put it in, but as our volume grows, I'm sure that cost item will come down. So," he said with his eyes as wide as saucers, "We'll have to survive on less than $400 a unit. Now that's hard. Maria, darling, what it means is that you and your sister each get a bit less than $120 ... for each and every copy of Mayday!"

Maria was now utterly aghast. "But ... but ... but that's illegal ... or immoral ... or something ... Isn't it... ?"

"Why?"

"Because it costs so little to make and we're selling it for so much! It's not right!"

"My darling slaves, I have a question for you," Steve said: "Do the customers want us to make a profit?"

They were each about to quickly answer when they thought about it. Finally, with the greatest reluctance they shook their heads, no.

"You're absolutely right. They don't want us to make a profit. There is one thing they're concerned about: their individual price-value equation. By that I mean they equate what the software will do for them against what it costs them to get it. We know Mayday is the answer to a maiden's prayer ... sometimes literally. An easy case can be made that it's far more valuable than any computer it's running in. So arguably, even at $495 retail we're still giving the damned thing away. Therefore, my darling sisters, you have just seen the extent of Kendy's generosity to the software-buying public.

"But our generosity at this level probably won't hold much longer. In other words, they would be well advised to mortgage the house, sell the car, send the wife out to work the streets — do anything — to buy Mayday fast before the price goes even higher. Understand?"

"Master, does this mean that Maria and I will have some money?" Anna asked.

"Lots of money, my darling," he replied, "but why do you ask?"

"Sister, isn't this marvelous?" Anna enthused, "Now we can buy nice Christmas presents for our master, our mistress, and our beloved princess!"

Barb had the last word on the subject. To Steve she said, "See, darling? Like so many others of our friends, the sisters are selfish. They never let us do anything for them. All they want to do is things to make us happy." Then with the warmest smile she concluded, "And as my better half so eloquently said, we love you desperately!"

Clearly, the meeting was coming to an end when Wilhelm said, "There's just one more thing: the name of the new company, Noble Software. It's a very meaningful name, isn't it? Ever since we arrived, I've been looking at these young women closely."

He grinned and continued, "Of course, they're probably the three most beautiful women in all of Europe, but that's not it. Or at least it's not all of it. There is something more. Everything about them — their features, their gestures, the way they carry themselves — just reeks of refinement and breeding." He paused and then commented, "I guess we don't talk about 'breeding' any more, do we? It's so un-PC."

Then he brought himself back to his topic. "Studying these women, do you know what I see? I see the distillation in them of everything that's fine and pure in European nobility."

Then he paused, reflected for a moment and continued. Obviously he was proud of the construction he had formulated. "Distillation is the correct term, too. The honor, purity, goodness — all of the virtues were reinforced. But what was left over from the distillation process? All of the pettiness, cruelty, false pride ... everything bad that had accumulated over the years. The process left these women with all of the good and none of the bad."

He looked piercingly at Karla and said, "I think I remember from our first meeting in August some references to torture. You were tortured, weren't you, Miss Kosta?"

"No!" Karla exclaimed. "I mean ... there were a couple..." Then she sat up as straight as she could and said, "There is not a mark on my body, other than what the Russians left. Nothing!"

"But you did undergo torture, didn't you? And so did Anna and Maria." Now his eyes were strangely piercing as he continued, "The Sloans are possibly the finest couple on the face of the earth. There isn't a speck of cruelty in either of them. Therefore, the torture could have only come at your insistence. It did, didn't it?"

This time Karla just glared at him but nodded her head.

"I thought so!" Again he paused to reflect and then continued, "Back to Noble Software. Its name comes from its active members: you three. Each of you is a noble in the truest sense. You carry real rank of nobility, and not mere baronetcies, either." Now locking his eyes on Karla's he asked, "It's all true, isn't it?"

"Yes, but..."

"Noblesse oblige is a wonderful phrase, isn't it?" Wilhelm said. "You are so good, so pure, you can't even tell a white lie."

"But how could you know?" she asked.

"But I told you. It is your bearing and everything — both big and small — about you." He smiled warmly and concluded, "Do you know what the clincher was?" She just shook her head. "It was when we kissed Anna and Maria's hands. They reacted with the grace and aplomb of women to the manor born."

After reflection he continued, "Now everything fits: everything weak, bad, or evil in your backgrounds was distilled out in the cauldron of your agony after being whipped. Everything good was heightened and reinforced."

Then to Maria and Anna he said, "I can only say to you two that we will take to our graves the disgrace of what we did to you. And we can only wish you every possible happiness. You deserve it!"

"But what about you?" Anna asked.

Hans Burger grinned and took over. "I'm sure you noticed the change in our appearance. Well, today we're going to Skoda to apply for jobs in their computer center. We think we can make a contribution. Maybe we'll even find some nice girls, marry ... That good stuff. But we will always remember with shame, as Wilhelm so well described it, what we did to two of the finest young women on the face of the earth."



-------

Chapter 13



The next day, shortly before noon, there was a knock on the door. Anna opened it and squealed with delight when she found Paula Wilhelm standing there.

"Mama!" she screamed as she threw herself into Paula's arms.

Paula almost passed out from the power of the girl's kiss. Then to Anna's amusement, as soon as the door was closed, Paula was shedding her clothing while going toward the sitting room. The result was a trail of clothing left behind her. When she found Barb rising to greet her, she was hopping on one foot while shedding her tiny bikini.

After her welcoming kiss, Barb held her at arms length and just examined her closely. Finally, she shook her head and said, "Paula Wilhelm, you are utterly exquisite!"

When she realized what Barb wanted to do, Paula had stood proudly straight, inviting her examination. Then she walked around the woman slowly, studying her intently. Finally she asked, "What does Frederick say? Is he happy with his wife's appearance?"

"I don't know about his wife," Paula replied casually, "but he can't get enough of his latest mistress and newest prostitute." Then with a wonderful grin she added, "Both of them are me."

Then her face appeared to fall and she shook her head sadly. "Poor Fred! The problem is, he's always broke, the poor thing." Then with the happiest gleam in her eye she said proudly, "But I'm not!"

Then in a confiding voice she continued, "You won't believe what he's been doing! He's been really practicing his poker, and is really pretty good now. He's doing it to try to make more money to give to me." Then with a wonderful grin she continued, "You know, it's really great to be completely bare for a change. With Fred I always wear at least a pair of stockings. I need the stocking top to keep the money I insist he pay me — in advance — for my ... favors."

Barb had heard from the girls about the day Paula had returned home and howled with laughter. Now she laughed again, realizing that the first day's behavior had been continued. "Can you stay for lunch?" Barb asked. "Won't Frederick get ... lonesome?"

"Not really," Paula replied airily. "I entertained him before I came over and cleaned him out. Since payday isn't until tomorrow, he can't afford me anymore."

Then she looked unhappy and asked, "But Barb, what can I do tonight? I certainly can't give credit." Then she brightened and said, "But Fred's resourceful. I'm sure he can organize a poker game and win enough for at least a good fuck."

They went out to the pool for a swim. After watching Paula move up and down, Barb gave her some pointers and her speed through the water increased noticeably. After a sauna and a shower, Paula insisted on giving Barb a massage saying that she loved running her fingers over her perfect body. At one point she mentioned that Barbara could make a great deal of money merely by just selling access to her body to any number of women. Barb just grinned.

When Paula asked why she didn't sell her body to Steve, she replied, "Two reasons: First, I've got too much money as it is. Second, it wouldn't work: Steve knows I have to have his cock to live. And I'm not sure I don't need him even more than he needs me. If he didn't take me when we went to bed, in a matter of minutes I would be on my knees begging him to do anything to me, but please take me!" With a wry grin she concluded, "It's a great idea, Paula, but it's much too late for me."

Karla had been preparing the family lunch. When they all sat down, Steve — who was fully dressed for a change — grinned at the collection of naked women around the table with him. Then he complained, "These are really the times that try men's souls! Just look! I have to sit here looking at ten of the most beautiful tits God ever put on women." Then to Paula he said, "Frau Wilhelm, you are utterly exquisite. What you did to yourself is truly amazing."

She blushed prettily and replied, "Coming from the husband of the world's most beautiful woman, I'll take that as a compliment. Thank you, kind sir."

She gasped with delight at the lunch. Karla had prepared a perfect lobster bisque and followed it with cold lobster served with fresh mayonnaise and accompanied by a magnificent light Chardonnay.

"Golly!" Paula exclaimed. "This is almost as good as having peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!"

The others giggled at her comment while Karla stuck out her tongue.

As they were just finishing their last sips of wine, the phone rang. It was the one phone wired through the hotel's switchboard and it almost never rang. As far as they were concerned, it's sole reason for being there was to call for a car to be brought around. Knowing this, Barb raised an eyebrow and answered it. It was the concièrge announcing the arrival of a Federal Express truck with a large shipment for them.

After Barb told him to sign for it and send it up, he said, "But ma'am, this is like no delivery I've ever seen. Most of the cargo we can sign for and have. It will be sent up very soon. However, there is a part of the shipment that's accompanied by two armed guards. They insist that you must sign for it personally. May I send them up?"

Barb instantly agreed, then raced to the bedroom to slip on a pair of jeans and a shirt.

A few minutes later there was a knock on the door. Opening it, Barb found four men. Two were regular FedEx people, while the other two were uniformed armed guards. Her eyes widened when she saw that both were carrying riot guns in addition to their normal sidearms. Whatever they were delivering clearly was considered to have great value. After signing, the boxes were stacked in the entrance hall.

The girls who Barb had shooed off to dress had returned. All were wearing Levi's except Paula who was wearing only a thong. When Barbara pointed out that there were a great many more packages being delivered, she replied that modesty was not an occupational requirement for prostitutes, and she was one.

"Hah!" Barb responded. "You are no more a prostitute than I am."

"But you're wrong," Paula said. "Fred has never taken me without paying in advance." Then blithely she added, "Although I have no other customers right now, the fear that I might helps to maintain his ... interest."

Then she added, "And if you really want to know the truth, Mistress, I have become sufficiently proud of my body that I really don't care who sees it. I'm a prostitute."

Holding the woman at arms length, Barb looked deeply into her eyes and then shook her head. "Paula Frederick, you are a fraud!" she proclaimed. "When I look in your eyes all I see is the same love, joy, and sanctifying grace I see with the others."

"Thank you, Mistress," Paula replied. "I guess it's helping."

"What's helping?" Barb asked raising an eyebrow. She was almost certain she was being set up.

"Going to church, and receiving the sacraments," the girl replied simply. "On Sunday, I caress Fred's cock, but then won't let him touch me until after we go to church. So he comes to church. Then when we get back home, I let him fuck me ... after paying, of course. While he's sleeping afterwards, I prepare brunch and then we're set for the day."

The result was that the hotel porters' eyes were almost jumping out of their heads staring at Paula's perky tits and almost fully revealed body. Meanwhile, the women were opening the special parcels with the greatest care.

When Barb looked at the air bill on one, her eyes bugged. "My God!" she exclaimed. "No wonder there were armed guards! This one box alone is insured for $10 million!"

Opening it, they found the most magnificent crown or tiara they had ever seen. It was solid gold set with diamonds, rubies and sapphires. While the others were stunned and just looked at the magnificent thing sitting on a white plush cushion, Paula was casual about it. "Well, our nation's colors are red, white, and blue, so I guess it's all right." It was for Karla.

Smaller tiaras, valued for less money but still millions, were for Anna and Maria. It was Paula who moved first. Taking Karla's breathtaking piece from its box, she ordered the girl to stand up straight, then carefully set it on her head.

With her eyes widening, she dropped into a perfect court curtsy, and breathed, "Your Majesty!"

The other parcels were opened revealing the most magnificent ball gowns the women had ever seen. Karla's was white, Maria's was the lightest gray, while Anna's was a brilliant Christmas green. All were very plain in cut and required perfect bodies to keep from looking like flour sacks. The girls' bodies were all perfect.

The girls howled with laughter at Anna when she tried on her gown. It was strapless and cut deep in the back reaching down to the crease of her tight little ass. When she had it on, Barb stood back to look at her, then nodded once. "It's fine, darling slave, as long as you don't breathe. For if you do, you'll be revealing for all of the others to see..."

Looking down at her chest, the girl gasped. "Good grief! It really is strapless. And I'm keeping it up with my tiny little tits."

"One millimeter smaller than mine," Maria interjected. "Remember?"

There was one set of boxes that Barb had kept aside, other than her own gown which she hadn't even bothered to look at. Opening the largest of them, she took out another gown which she threw over to Paula with the comment, "This is yours."

The woman looked at it and gasped. With Anna helping, she put it on. As Barbara knew, it was an utterly magnificent ball gown in Christmas red. With her golden tan and brilliant blue eyes it was gorgeous. Moreover, it was cut down nearly to the navel in front and to her crease in the back, being held up by the tiniest cord around her neck. Barb moved behind her, took off the gold slave collar she was wearing and replaced it with a necklace. Then she moved her in front of a mirror and asked, "Do you like it?"

Paula looked at her image in the glass and gasped. Around her neck was a priceless ruby necklace. With her hands up to her mouth, Barb casually secured a matching bracelet around her wrist. Stepping back she looked at the woman, then nodded her head once. "Yep. It's true. Prostitution really does pay well, doesn't it?"

"Where did this come from?" Paula asked in a whisper.

"The dress is from Bergdorf Goodman in New York. The other junk is either from Cartier or Tiffany's; I don't know which."

"But why?" Paula asked while slowly shaking her head in utter disbelief.

"For having been a perfect slave, is why," Barb replied. "Incidentally, the bracelet is from the girls in appreciation for everything you did for them when we were away. They tell me you're largely responsible for Mayday. Whenever they got stuck, they would come to you. You always solved it for them."

"Me?" she cried. "They're lying. I would hardly know a computer if I tripped over one. About all I can do is turn one on ... and that's only if the switch is color-coded."

Changing the subject, Barb asked, "Several times you've called me 'mistress.' Why?"

"Because you are," Paula replied simply. "Although I may live with Fred, I still belong to you. Barbara Sloan, if I live 100 years, I will never be able to repay your kindness. And we won't even talk about what you've done for my body."

Barb only shook her head.

After slipping out of the dress and carefully hanging it on a hanger, Paula said, "You know, this gala is really turning into something. The guys were afraid no one would come. It's a fund-raiser for children orphaned in our fight for freedom. I tried to tell them people would come, but they wouldn't listen."

She went on to tell them that tickets were 5,000 crowns each — about $200 — but they sold out the first day. "Now it's the hottest ticket in Europe! Everyone is coming. CNN is sending a crew and intends to broadcast from it live." Then she added, "Tickets are being scalped at $1,000 apiece!" When Barb asked how many tickets were sold, Paula told her there were 800. Excusing herself, Barb disappeared after asking the name of the charity. A few minutes later she returned with a check for $640,00.

When Paula saw the amount, her eyes popped. "What are you doing?" she screamed. "What on earth are you doing, Barbara Sloan?"

"I'm covering for a previous error," she replied simply. "I think of Karla, Anna, Maria..." She shook her head and added, "If there had been more money to provide better care..." When Paula couldn't dissuade her, she folded the check and stuck it in her stocking top.

Then Barb said, "Will you do me a favor?"

"No," Paula replied flatly. "I won't."

Barb was utterly crushed at her response and showed it.

Then Paula smiled warmly and continued, "I won't, because I can't. It's impossible for a slave to do a favor for her mistress. Now how may I serve you?"

"It's Anna," Barb replied softly. "Paula, she simply adores you. If I live to be 100, I will never forget the morning following your torture. That girl was in agony, while you had been sliced to pieces. I saw how Maria had literally put your tits back together with sewing thread, yet you had that girl's head on your tit and ever so gently caressed her face. You were in agony, yet you comforted her.

"Please, Paula, would you take a nap with her? Would you allow her to—"

Barb never got a chance to finish. Paula was out of her chair and off to find Anna. Minutes later, dragging the girl by the hand, she disappeared into the girls' room and shut the door behind her.

An hour later Maria appeared in the office where Barb was working and asked her to come and see something. Moving silently, the girl opened the bedroom door. As she had done months earlier, she carefully pulled back the covers. Again Anna had her head on Paula's tit while they both slept. But at the same time, Paula's hand was moving lightly over her face and her upper body, while Anna's hand was moving on Paula's slit and inner thigh. The look on both of their faces was one of utter bliss.

Later, as Paula prepared to leave she said, "About tomorrow night. You — all of you — are guests of honor at the gala. The hour shown on your invitation is eight o'clock—" When Barb interrupted to ask how she knew she said, "Because I did the invitations, turkey!"

Then she continued, "Please try to be on time, but under no circumstances arrive even a minute sooner. It's very important." When Barb pressed, the girl refused to explain further, so Barb just agreed and dropped the subject.



-------

Chapter 14



The next evening at seven-thirty Steve found himself waiting for the appearance of the women. With all four of them attending the gala, earlier he had volunteered his services to help them prepare. It was with delight that he had massaged oil, first into Anna's lovely body, and then Maria's. Both times he ended the massage by kissing their bare slits, and both times triggered a flood of their virginal juices that he licked up and savored. With Anna he had lightly kissed each of her tiny nipples and bit them, triggering another flow of her juices as she wriggled her body in utter delight.

Then they appeared and stood side by side. All Steve could do was to shake his head. All four were incredibly beautiful. He helped them on with their coats: full-length minks for Anna and Maria, an incredible Russian sable for Karla — it had appeared in the hands of an armed courier who had flown it in from Moscow, a gift from Andy and Ken — and a beautiful chinchilla for Barb. Her comment when she saw the magnificent coat was to shake her head sadly and wonder how many poor little chinchillas had been sacrificed to make it. Maria merely said that they could not have died happier, knowing they were going to keep Barbara Sloan warm.

Steve slipped on a white silk scarf after Barb made a final adjustment to his white bow tie, and straightened the Distinguished Service Cross that he wore on a ribbon around his neck. On his chest were miniatures of five other medals for bravery.

She stepped back, looked him over and said, "I have never seen my beloved husband look more handsome than he does tonight. My darling," she added, "you look utterly magnificent in tails. Really, you do."

He looked into her eyes but found no sign of teasing. Instead he saw only the incredible love for him. Moving close, she raised her lips and the two kissed tenderly to the sighs of the other girls.

Going down to the waiting Rolls, Steve's eyes widened as he saw four motorcycle policemen on their bikes with their engines idling. As soon as he settled himself beside the driver — he was riding in front to provide more room for the women in their ball gowns — four sirens came to life and behind two lead motorcycles with their blue lights flashing the Rolls moved out toward the presidential palace. After checking his watch and their location he realized that the police were operating on a strict timetable set to bring them to the door at precisely eight o'clock.

Rolling into the palace grounds, the police shut down their sirens but their blue lights continued to flash. When the limousine rolled to a full stop, footmen opened the doors and handed the women out. As Barb took his arm, he noticed that the four police officers were now flanking the doors of the car and saluted in their smartest style when Karla appeared.

As they were ushered in, the majordomo arranged them so that he and Barb were first. Arriving at the entry to the ballroom he found it crowded with people on both sides. At the end of the room stood Václav Havel, waiting to greet them. When he and Barb appeared, the herald cried out, "From the United States of America, representing Kendy Company, its president and chief executive officer, Mr. Steven Sloan, and his wife, Barbara!"

There was applause and then silence. Not knowing exactly what to do, Steve moved off to the side and found himself only inches away from the CNN television reporter covering the event.

Suddenly, twelve uniformed trumpeters appeared and formed two lines with a wide corridor between them aimed at the waiting president. Bringing up their trumpets, they sounded a stirring fanfare and then brought the instruments down to their hips as they stood at attention.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" trumpeted the herald, "Her Royal Majesty, Karla, Queen of Bohemia, Duchess of Brandenburg, Contessa di Savoi; with her attendants, Maria, la Duchesse de Bourgogne, Marquessa de Toledo,  Countess Jutland; and Anna, Marquise de Flandres, Contessa di Pavia."

With her head high and looking every inch the queen, Karla advanced down the row of trumpeters followed by Maria and Anna.

"Darling," Barb whispered, "have you ever seen anything like this? She is a queen, and they are truly noble!" Quickly Steve pulled out a handkerchief and gave it to Barb. She used it to wipe the tears of joy from her eyes.

In the utter silence that followed the announcement, Steve could hear the CNN announcer whispering, "Queen Karla is wearing a magnificent gown from Nita Lucas of Bergdorf Goodman, New York, as are the members of her court. The couturiers of Paris and Rome must be seething with envy right now. This is the most important social event in Europe in at least ten years, and the guests of honor — all nobility from the oldest houses on the continent — are wearing gowns from New York!"

She continued, "Her Majesty is wearing a crown or tiara — I'm not sure which it is — that has just been recovered after having been lost for over 100 years. We learned that it was ordered for an ancestor, the Queen of Bohemia, by her husband and lover, the King. While it is truly priceless, CNN has learned that it was shipped here to Prague with armed couriers and insured for $10 million. Similarly — and, we learned, Nita Lucas gets the credit again — the tiaras worn by Duchess Maria and Marquise Anna were also originally made for female ancestors with the same titles they so proudly bear."

She paused for a moment and then continued, "I see the Duchess of Burgundy, and I marvel. This is a title that dates back, literally, to the time of Charlemagne. Certainly, it is one of the oldest — if not the oldest — title of nobility in all of Europe. It dates back over 1,000 years!" she exclaimed breathlessly.

"Folks, with the collection of titles here, we have the very bluest of blue blood. There is scarcely an area in Europe not represented. As we watch these women move down the ballroom, the only word that comes to my mind is 'regal.' Never have I seen such incredible beauty and such perfect carriage. We will learn more about these women when they are honored by President Havel."

At that moment the majordomo appeared at Steve's side and indicated that he and Barb were to follow the queen. The man whispered an apology for leaving Steve alone but added that he didn't want the Sloans to find themselves halfway to the president when the fanfare sounded. Offering Barbara his arm, they walked side by side toward the president in Karla's wake.

After being greeted by the president and being lined up behind him in a row, there was thunderous applause from the crowd. Steve was delighted to see Paula Wilhelm and her husband in the line with them. Going to the microphone, Havel began his address.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome!" Then turning toward Karla he said, "And I wish particularly to thank Queen Karla for so graciously allowing me to use her house and this ballroom."

Karla laughed and said he was most welcome.

Then, once again looking out over the crowd — he was speaking from an elevated rostrum in order to be seen — he continued, "We are here tonight to publicly honor a number of people. First are the Sloans."

After pausing for a moment he continued, "It is said that the Americans are the most generous people on the face of this earth. I don't know if it's true or not. But I do know that I personally know of no other people so generous. What has the United States of America done for us? Not much. Of course, fifty years ago, they liberated us from the oppression of the Nazis. Then less than ten years ago after persevering — often alone — for nearly 40 years more and after spending hundreds of billions of dollars and tens of thousands of American lives, they defeated the Evil Empire.

"But what have they done for us lately?" He smiled as he continued, "Well, I'll tell you what they did — or more accurately, what a single American did — affecting us here tonight. As you know, this gala is being held to benefit children left orphaned by the Soviet occupation.

"First, I want to tip my hat to the wisest member of the government, the Home Minister's ... secretary, Paula Wilhelm. While the rest of us were fearful about charging 2,500 crowns per ticket, she was fighting for a price of 25,000! After being dragged, kicking and screaming, she finally gave in at a price of 5,000 crowns."

He grinned and continued, "She did it to save her friend some money. You see, Paula is a very close friend of Barbara Sloan. Yesterday, at lunch with the Sloans she explained the situation. Then she told them that tickets to this affair were being scalped for... 25,000 crowns! Does that sound like a familiar number? The amount of money she insisted from the very beginning we should charge?

"Well, she returned from lunch yesterday with a check from Mrs. Sloan — in the amount of $640,000!" Looking around the room he said, "While some of you paid $1,000 for your ticket, please keep in mind that the Sloans have paid 340 times as much for theirs! She said that it was a marvelous cause and she wanted to support it. Could I please hear a round of applause for a very generous American and a wonderful person, Barbara Sloan!"

Turning, he went to Barbara, drew her to the podium and raised her hand in his. When he did there were thunderous cheers from the crowd. To Barb, Havel said, "Mrs. Sloan, there are no words adequate to thank you for your incredible generosity. On behalf of the people of the Czech Republic and for myself, thank you." Again there were cheers and applause.

Again addressing the crowd Havel continued, "It was only a little over four months ago when, at the behest of our chief of government, Herr Klaus, I went out to the airport to greet some visiting VIPs. It was my first meeting with the Sloans. When they deplaned, I was impressed with what a physically magnificent couple they were. But a short time later, again from Klaus, I heard that they were really airheads. Vividly I remember Mr. Sloan giving a speech in grammatically perfect — but aurally awful — Czech. I now know that both he and Barbara Sloan speak Czech better than I do.

"But what brought the Sloans to our country? Mr. Sloan is president and chief executive officer of Kendy Company, a little known and very private American company with business interests around the globe. Still I know next to nothing about Kendy. But I do know that, having acquired Skoda Works — to the quiet cheers of our ministers who were delighted to get that white elephant off our hands — they have utterly transformed it. Today, Skoda Works looks better than it ever has in its history. All of its buildings have been cleaned and thoroughly modernized. Skoda Arms has again taken its position as one of the world's preeminent suppliers of high-precision arms.

"But now there is also an enormous and complex business manufacturing china, glassware, and tableware for the whole world. In addition to trainloads of products rolling out every day, there are now at least ten 747 air freighters that leave daily, most headed for the United States. There is also a large and growing business engineering and producing pollution control equipment for the world. We could operate for the next ten years, at least, on the business from eastern Europe alone. Where did this business come from? From the perceived need to clean up the complex in order to stop polluting our air and our water.

"Where once we looked to the smoke belching from the Skoda stacks as a sign of jobs, now we have more jobs and better jobs than ever before ... and no smoke! I am told that in the spring we will see flowers bloom at Skoda for the first time in history. Trees are being planted. And guess what else? The canteen is doing a booming business selling tiny lapel pins with the Skoda trademark in gold. Who is buying these pins? Tourists? Hah! The Skoda workers are buying them — and wearing them — as a sign of their pride in their company."

After looking around the room, he continued, "Is that all? For Sloan and Kendy? Hah! Twenty percent of the stock of the company is being offered for sale to the employees at extraordinarily attractive prices. Why? So they will be owners, too. They think of it as their company, and now it's becoming a reality. Is it successful? You bet! Our Minister of Finance is about to cut tax rates — again — because Skoda is generating so much money, directly and indirectly. Because, you see, aside from the direct payroll, Skoda is creating thousands of support jobs in hundreds of small companies. It is a smashing success."

After another pause, he continued speaking in a confidential manner, "You know, several years ago, when we were trying to bring our country into existence, I visited the United States and gave a whole series of speeches. After one such speech a young woman came up to me with a book in her hand. She was very sincere, as I recall. Very proudly, she congratulated me and presented me with the book. Glancing at it, I saw the title was The Third Way, or some such. It describes the joys of state socialism on the Scandinavian model. I recall returning it to her with the words, 'It doesn't work, either.'

"Ladies and gentlemen, it now gives me great joy to present to Mr. Steven Sloan the Medal of Merit from the Czech Republic for extraordinary service to our economy, to our people, and to our country!"

When Steve came forward and stood at attention before him, Havel said, "For those of you interested in such things, around his neck Mr. Sloan — Major Sloan — is already wearing the United States Distinguished Service Cross. This medal, ranking just below the Medal of Honor, is awarded for gallantry in combat far above the call of duty. But then on his breast he wears five more medals for heroism in combat."

Looking Steve in the eye he said, "Major Sloan, it's clear to me that you are no stranger to receiving medals: medals awarded for performance at great risk to your own life. Sir, the service you are performing for our people may not have required such risk, but it is appreciated as much. Thank you, sir!"

After Steve returned to his place in the line, Havel continued his address. "This brings me to the next award. Would Maria, Duchess of Burgundy, and Anna, Marquise of Flanders, please join me."

Although they were startled at hearing their names called — and totally unfamiliar with the titles of address — with perfect aplomb the two sisters joined Havel at the podium. "At this point a comment or correction or something is really required," he began. "It applies equally to Queen Karla. You see, the herald announced only their most senior titles. Had he recited them all, I'm certain these beautiful women, as healthy as they are, would have collapsed from hunger before he finished. But just with respect to the ones you heard, there are titles from our country, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Denmark, and Belgium."

He grinned and shook his head. "But that's not the point, nor the reason they are here tonight. The reason they're here is two computer programs, Helper and Mayday. These two programs are published by a U.S. company, Noble Software." He paused for a moment and shook his head. "Notice how the Americans are everywhere? I'm told that Helper is the fastest selling software in our country. Just imagine all our hard currency rushing over to the United States. And then there's Mayday,  a brand-new program, just released."

This time he shook his head in apparent sheer disgust. "Would you believe it? It's not even out yet, but already its advance sale exceeds Helper's total sales."

Then he grinned in a complete change in apparent attitude and said, "Ain't multinational companies wonderful? You see, Noble Software is a U.S. company, incorporated in the state of Delaware. But guess what? Eighty-five percent of Noble's stock is owned by Czech taxpaying citizens. At least we hope they're going to pay taxes."

Then he grinned happily and added, "You don't think these girls would have the nerve not to pay taxes after so much of the taxpayers' money is going for the fine medals I'm about to award them, do you?

"Why medals? Because, quite honestly, we wanted to beat the Nobel Prize committee to them. In fact, we wanted to beat the rest of the world to them. You see, I happen to know that they're going to the United States in January to receive an industry award for the finest software in history. In fact, there's talk that the award may be for the greatest contribution to the entire computer industry since the discovery of sand!"

At that the audience broke up with laughter.

When quiet returned, Havel continued, "Let me try to put their achievement into context for you: The closest our scientists have been able to come — and it's not very close, they assure me — is Einstein's theory of relativity that about three people alive understand. In stark contrast, with Mayday, everyone uses it, but no one — not a single living soul — understands it. They know what it does — or some of what it does, since no one has a clue to the full range of its capabilities — but not a living soul knows how it does anything, let alone how it handles the range of things it does. There are only two people alive who understand it. They are these two lovely young women beside me who created it."

Then he shook his head and said, "You know what? Do you know what else these two girls have done? They've just destroyed all the computer nerd jokes. All of them!" Wheeling on the girls, he asked, "Does that make you happy? Now what are the comedians going to do for material?" The audience laughed happily along with the girls.

Then to Steve's delight, Anna moved quickly to the podium, held Havel's face in her hands and melted her lips to his. Only when she saw him becoming glassy eyed did she release him with the comment, "The joke writers will think of something. And if they can't, I'm sure their copy of Mayday will!" This time the audience howled with laughter.

Havel shook his head to clear it and then murmured, "Wow!" Smiling happily he said, "They sure did destroy the nerd jokes."

Turning the other direction to where his wife was standing beside the Klauses, he said, "Darling, with all due respect to you, that was the most beautiful, most loving kiss I've ever received in my entire life."

Turning back to the audience he continued, "Let me try to explain it another way: When Einstein's theory of relativity was published, there were any number of mathematicians and physicists who could read it, although only a tiny handful could understand it." Again he shook his head and continued, "But with this software, it's different. As far as we can learn, there's not a soul alive — these two women excepted — who can even read it. It uses a computer language that no one — not even the designers of the computers it runs on — can read. At any rate, it is the highest scientific achievement of our time and possibly of any time. Truly, the finest scientists in the world are in awe. It may be the greatest scientific achievement in all of history, yet with a difference.

"No one here has any direct contact with the theory of relativity. Yet everyone here can derive direct and immediate benefits from what they have done. And I mean everyone! What does it take to operate Mayday? The ability to find the computer's on-off switch. That is absolutely all. From there, Mayday takes over and does everything else that needs doing by itself."

He snapped his fingers and said, "I'm sorry! That's not true. You have to do one other thing: You have to say 'yes' to any question Mayday asks. Believe me, it's true. It's now running — Herman is running — on my computer even as I speak. I'll find out what he's been up to tomorrow morning."

Turning toward the girls he said, "Anna and Maria, it gives me great pride to award our National Medal of Merit for the highest scientific achievement in our history, and possibly the greatest scientific achievement in the history of the world!"

After hanging the medals around their necks and receiving kisses from them both he grinned and returned to the podium. "There's one more thing I should say. Never has a company been so well-named as this one, Noble Software. You see, Noble is, as I said 85 percent Czech. These two girls own 30 percent each. The remaining 25 percent? That's Queen Karla. So we have a queen, a duchess — of possibly the oldest duchy in Christendom — and a marquise. If that isn't 'noble, ' I don't know what is."

Then Havel's tone changed dramatically. Where before he had been happy and jocular, now he became solemn. "We now come to the last award I will present this evening."

After pausing he continued, "Heads of state have been making awards for gallantry for centuries. The award I am about to make is special, though. Had it not been for Karla Kosta — Queen Karla — there would be no state. I make this statement without equivocation or reservation of any kind. Moreover, I would not be here. I would be dead, along with my colleague, Václav Klaus, and most of the ministers of state you see before you.

"How can I make such a statement? Because this young woman, captured by the Russians, knew more about where we were, what we were doing, what we had done, and what we intended to do, than possibly anyone else alive! Furthermore, although they were not certain — had they been completely certain, she would not have lived — they were almost certain that she knew. The result was 36 hours of the most awful torture a person has ever suffered, yet lived through. To this day — indeed, to her dying day — she carries the scars from that awful event on her body. And dressed the way she is this evening, if you were to look closely at her back you will see them."

At this point Havel almost broke down in tears, but managed to regain control. "No one could ever have asked or expected a young woman to accept the torture she did. But for us — for the Czech people — she did. Accordingly, our parliament has passed, and I very happily signed, legislation creating the highest award for bravery our nation can ever award.

"When it came time to name it, as usual, your ministers collapsed in utter disarray. Who should come to the rescue? A person whose name you heard earlier this evening: Paula Wilhelm. With great disgust, she asked, 'What's the big problem? It's the Karla Cross! If Great Britain's highest award for military valor is the Victoria Cross, what's wrong with the Karla Cross?' And so, ladies and gentlemen it is a great personal honor and privilege to award to the woman who saved my life, the Karla Cross."

Karla went up to him and he affixed a red, white and blue ribbon around her neck. Hanging from it was a solid gold cross with the Czech national emblem centered on it. He kissed her — a kiss she returned with such love as to almost render him unconscious — and said, "My darling Karla, there are no words! Except thank you, with all my heart."

Then everyone present stood at attention as the band played the Czech national anthem. When it finished, there were cheers that shook the walls.

At that point Havel returned to the podium and said, "It is now my great pleasure to introduce my friend and colleague, Václav Klaus, our prime minister, who has a few words to say."

Klaus came to the podium, greeted his colleague warmly, and then stepped before the microphone. "I, too, have an award to make this evening. As most of you know, our government is divided among a series of ministries. By far the largest of these is the Home Ministry under Frederick Wilhelm. Like all government ministries, it's been rocking along for these many years under an increasing aggregation of garbage. Like all ministries, duties are only added, never subtracted.

"After all, if we inspected horses in 1850, we should still be inspecting horses in 1995, right? And even if there aren't any horses to inspect, we still must have our full complement of inspectors, supervisors, department heads, and so forth." He grinned and said, "I really don't think we do inspect horses."

The crowd chuckled, but then howled with laughter when he added, "But I wouldn't bet any money that we don't, either."

Smiling, he continued, "But then, about six weeks ago, a new employee began work at the ministry. And things began to change. Fast! In only six weeks, employment is down 10 percent. And I mean down! Not the usual situation where a plan calls for a 20 percent increase, which is later cut to a 15 percent increase, but the ministry talks about its '5 percent cut.' Now who is responsible? You've heard her name several times earlier this evening: it's Paula Wilhelm."

Turning toward the Wilhelms he said, "If Frederick looks a little concerned, he's got good reason. It has been made perfectly clear to him that, should there be any disagreement between him and Paula, she stays... he goes! But it's not all bad. You see, Fred has the most important job in the whole cabinet. He's the one who brings us instructions from Paula, and relays our problems back to her.

"Now why, you might wonder, isn't she sitting in on our meetings personally?" He grinned broadly as he answered his own rhetorical question. "I asked her. Her response? 'You've got to be kidding! I've got better things to do with my time than spend it in those interminable bull sessions.' But she answers the questions and gives us our instructions in just a couple of minutes, rather than yakking for hours.

"But there's more: And," he stated proudly, "this is something I don't think even Paula knows ... yet. You see, she's given credit by both Duchess Maria and Marquise Anna for helping with the design of their software. They consider her to be their mother. And while no one can make such a judgment with certainty, I think she's as beautiful as they are. But back to Noble Software:

"To say that these people are close understates the situation. We learned that, whenever one of these girls has a problem, Paula takes her to bed for a nap. There she strokes them, kisses them... loves them. Then she usually makes a couple of quiet suggestions and they sleep in each other's arms. When they awaken, the problem is solved."

Turning to Paula he asked her to come forward. Then he put a lovely medal around her neck and said, "This is another new award. It is our Civilian Medal of Honor and is awarded for services to the people of the Czech Republic at a level far beyond the call of duty. Paula Wilhelm, please accept this as a token of appreciation from a very grateful people!"

At that Paula broke down in tears. Turning, she found herself in Barbara's arms.

"That was so wonderful, darling!" Barb whispered. "We can't tell you how proud we are! And look at the girls! They're ecstatic!" Then tipping the girl's head upward, Barbara unloaded a kiss with all of her power. As she did, a golden glow formed over their heads and grew brighter. Paula was overcome with the love, unbounded joy, and purest grace that flowed through her lips. But she retained consciousness and wriggled her body to get even closer to Barb's.

Finally they eased apart. After going to the microphone she said, "Thank you, Prime Minister, and thank you all for this surprising honor. Looking around, I see some people who are stunned at what you just saw up here. Or might have seen. Or think you saw. Or something. What you should have seen, though, is something different. There is one person up here who makes the whole thing go. Ask Queen Karla, Anna, Maria ... anyone. That person is Barbara Sloan.

"Looking out I see a group of about 100 small children. If they are the ones I think they are, they owe their very lives to her. She visited the 'death ward' in the children's hospital in August. What sort of place is the 'death ward'? What do you think it is? It's a place where incurably sick children go to die. I know that not a single one of these children should have lived until December 1. But, because of Barbara, they are the healthiest, happiest, holiest group of small children on the planet. Barbara Sloan is the personification of everything good in the whole human race. That's all. It's just that simple. She is utter perfection on two feet.

"How did I achieve the things I've done? All I do is ask myself, 'What would Barbara do?' I answer the question and do it. Not nearly as well as she would have, but good enough, I guess. Concluding, I will only say that the greatest thing ever to happen to the Czech Republic was to have Barbara Sloan get off that plane here in Prague earlier this year."

At that the ceremonies concluded and the dignitaries started to form a receiving line. As they did, the group of children came up on the stage to sing some songs. Remarkably, their singing was utterly enchanting in its beauty. When it concluded, two little girls went up to Barb and Karla, now arranged in the receiving line, and presented them with gifts. Both women cried as they realized that the girls were Katrina and little Karla with lovely gifts for each of them.

Little Karla spoke for both of them. With her eyes as wide as saucers she looked up at Karla and exclaimed, "You are the goodest queen in the whole world!" Then she added, "Can a queen give a little girl a kiss? I still remember the last one!"

"Oh my darling Karla, for you? Anytime!" With that Karla swept the girl off her feet and melted her lips to hers. Then she unleashed a flood of love, joy, and sanctifying grace. When she felt the girl go limp in her arms she just held her tightly and enjoyed the wonderful smell of her youth.

When she recovered consciousness, the girl's eyes were shining brightly and she said, "Thank you, Queen Karla. That was the very best kiss in the whole world! I'll be feeling joyous right through Christmas because of you." Gently Karla put her down while making a mental note to get some nice things for her for Christmas.

As they were getting ready to receive the guests, Paula came up pulling Frederick Wilhelm by the hand. To Barb she said, "My darling, look what I've got! Notice anything different?"

Wilhelm reddened but stood up very straight. Barb extended her hand and said, "Minister, you're looking marvelous! You look like you've lost about 30 pounds of weight and 20 years of age."

"Thank you, Mrs. Sloan, but it's my resident prostitute's fault. She drove me to it."

Then he added, "I recall berating you for what you did to Karla. Well, looking at her this evening, it's apparent that no harm was done. On the other hand, I don't know what you did to my wife. What I do know is a dumpy, middle-aged woman called me from your apartment. A few months later, this apparition appears. The eyes are the same, and the height is the same." He snapped his fingers and added, "I nearly forgot! The fingerprints match, too." Then he shook his head and said, "Now I'm madly in love with the prostitute I married. And that's all you, too."

"It is not!" Barb protested. "For most of the time I was back in the States."

"It is completely you, darling Barbara," Paula interjected. "Without you, I would be nothing. Your love permeates everything. You are a living inspiration to everyone who knows you." Then to her husband she said, "Ask Maria and Anna. They produced that incredible software because of Barbara Sloan! They utterly adore you, Barb." Then with a grin she said, "Now it's time to greet our public!"

Then she snapped her fingers and added, "Oh, one more thing: There's supposed to be a man here tonight the girls should check out. He goes as Douglas Whitfield, but he's Douglas, 8th Earl of Whitfield, and in line to be the 13th Duke of Northumbria. And unlike most continental titles, these are still real."



-------

Chapter 15



Doug Whitfield was a veteran of receiving lines. As a result, he managed to stand back out of the way as people moved down the line. He had selected his position to allow him to watch Queen Karla and her friends. Standing side by side as they were, he was amazed at their appearance and behavior. First, he realized that they were almost like peas in a pod. They were physical duplicates of one another.

As he watched, things became even more surprising. Watching closely, he realized that they moved with the grace of trained dancers or athletes in stark contrast to the women he had been used to meeting. Moreover, they seemed at home in the receiving line. Although the people ranged from ambassadors — earlier he had spotted the ambassadors of Her Majesty and the United States — to commoners, they seemed at home with everyone. Moreover, he was close enough to observe that all of them were able to shift languages with the greatest of ease.

Then a small tow-headed girl with pigtails came through the line with a family that obviously didn't fit the surroundings. The man — the girl's father, obviously — was wearing a rather ill-fitting suit, and his wife, a lovely woman, was wearing what was clearly her finest dress, but which was not in any sense formal. With them was an older girl and a baby carried in the mother's arms. Notwithstanding, they were greeted by the auburn-haired marquise as if they were family. Dropping down she kissed both girls, and then greeted the parents warmly. This was repeated by the Duchess of Burgundy and then by the Queen herself.

At the end of the line, the family was very unobtrusively taken aside. Were it not for his training, he would have missed the packet of money surreptitiously placed in the father's hand. From the way the man's eyes widened, the amount was substantial. They realize the family can't possibly afford such an affair, so they're returning the money,  he thought, but in a way that will prevent any embarrassment. Then he remembered Paula Wilhelm's comment about children in the death ward and recognized the little girl as one of the two who had made a presentation to Barbara Sloan and Queen Karla. Regardless of the cost,  he thought, they wanted to personally thank the people who saved their daughter's life.

As he watched, Doug thought about his own situation. A veteran of the Army and the Special Air Service or SAS, after release from active duty he had gone to the City where he found making money to be both very easy and very dull. Moreover, his grandfather, aside from his ducal holdings, had been a very astute investor as well, so the family fortunes were in the best shape they had been in for over 100 years.

He thought about his relationship with his grandfather, Donald, 12th Duke of Northumbria. The duchy dated back to the days of Henry VIII, when the king needed powerful warlords in the north to cover against a possible Scottish attack. His ancestor, the first Duke, had been just such a man. In fact,  he thought, the family has been fighting for the king — or queen — for centuries.

His grandfather had earned the Victoria Cross as a squadron leader in the RAF during the Battle of Britain. Then he had stayed in the service, rising to the rank of air vice marshal heading Fighter Command. His grandfather was a widower. One of the great ironies in his life was that he had won the VC for defending England against the Luftwaffe, yet his wife, Claire, the love of his life, had herself been killed in a raid on London when a hospital in which she was a volunteer was hit by a 1,000 pound bomb. Following her death when his father was a boy, he had never remarried. When his own parents were killed in an auto accident years earlier, his grandfather had taken over as his father and raised him. In fact, he called him Dad, not Grandfather.

Thinking about his personal situation, Doug could only shake his head, whether from disgust or frustration he wasn't sure. Probably both! he thought. Mentally, he reviewed the hundreds of girls he had dated, and the roughly two dozen he had brought home to the castle at Prendwick to meet his grandfather and obtain his blessing on their marriage. Neither his blessing nor his permission had ever been obtained. Each time,  he thought, I've been disappointed.

But, he realized, that really wasn't true. Rather than disappointment at not being allowed to marry the girl, it was resignation that he would have to go back to the rat race and start over again. Thinking about his series of women, he realized that they represented virtually the entire group of unattached female nobility. But at the same time they represented the distillation of the very worst. Inwardly, he smiled at the thought. Instead of breeding for the very best, it was almost seemed as if they had been bred for the very worst. Their bodies were terrible — although well-dressed — and their minds were worse.

Going back to their bodies, he suddenly realized something else. The three girls he had been studying were all wearing gowns that could only be worn by women with perfect figures. They were cut in such a way as to conceal absolutely nothing in the way of figure defects and obviously there were none to conceal. His previous experience had been with women whose clothes were engineered to try to minimize their myriad physical defects while highlighting their good points, if any.

Finally, he looked at Steve Sloan and his wife. When he had been at Oxford, one of his tutors had been Sloan's dissertation adviser. He vividly remembered how the man had been in awe of Sloan's ability, and an Oxford don was seldom in awe of anything.

As he watched the Sloans he realized two things: First, there appeared to be a need on the part of both to touch one another. Second, whenever one looked at the other the look was one of the greatest love. Moreover, he realized that the touching was an almost unconscious act on both their parts; it was not at all forced or in any way for show. Rather, it seemed to satisfy a deeply-felt need. And Barbara Sloan was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. She just radiates beauty,  he thought.

Checking the receiving line, Doug found that it was now short; it would be breaking up soon. Taking his place at the end he moved through, cringing a bit as his title, 8th Earl of Whitfield, was passed from one person to the next. Finally he reached the marquise. Taking her hand, he bowed and kissed her fingers. As he did so, he realized that the girl handled the whole thing with the greatest aplomb. After straightening up he greeted her, "Good evening, Your Grace."

He could have sworn her eyes were dancing as she replied, "Good evening to you, Excellency. It is so nice of you to come such a long way to attend the gala. Or did some other matters bring you to the Czech Republic?" As she spoke he realized that her English was utterly perfect. Moreover, she appeared to be as comfortable in the language as he was.

"No, Your Grace. There was nothing else." With his eyes gleaming he added, "However, there was a rumor going around that Anna and Maria, the creators of Mayday,  might appear. Since you are now among the most famous young women — and the most beautiful — on the face of the earth, I felt I had to make the trip."

Shaking his head he continued, "And I must second the President's comment: Indeed you do utterly destroy the computer nerd stereotype!"

The smile she gave him was the warmest and most wonderful he had ever seen. "Why thank you, kind sir!" Then turning to Maria she said, "May I introduce you to my sister, Maria, Duchess of Burgundy?"

Good grief! he thought. Where have these women been? They are the most beautiful and most perfect examples of nobility on the Continent. But I've never seen them before.

After kissing Maria's hand, he looked into her eyes and was again startled. First, at six feet three, he was used to looking down into women's eyes and used to having them craning their necks to look up at him. At five feet eight and wearing two-inch heels, the girls were only five inches shorter, so Maria was just looking up at a very comfortable angle. But second, as he looked into her eyes he realized he was seeing nothing but joy, purity, and grace. With a small smile he said, "I'm particularly fond of the wine produced in your duchy. It is possibly the finest in the world."

"Isn't it a shame my ancestors were unable to hold on to it?" she replied with a lovely grin. Shaking her head she said, "I regret, Excellency, that I'm not familiar with Whitfield. Where is it?"

"In the North Country," he replied. "Actually, Earl of Whitfield is one of my grandfather's junior titles, which he allows me to use." Then he asked, "Do you get to London often, Your Grace?"

"I have never been out of Czechoslovakia," she replied. "Never in my whole life. But we — my sister and I — hope to visit it soon. I've read so much about it, and I long to see it."

Then with her eyes piercing she continued, "Our president gave credit to the United States for saving us, and indeed they did a great deal. But had it not been for the valiant fight Great Britain waged alone for the year prior to America's entry, there would have been no war for them to have entered. So thank you, sir, for helping us to obtain our freedom."

"I regret, Your Grace, that had it not been for Chamberlain's disgraceful capitulation in Munich, when we 'gave' Sudetenland back to Germany..." He laughed wryly and interjected, "'Gave'! That's a neat word. We gave a piece of Czechoslovakia to Germany for 'peace in our time.' But thank you." The fact is, Dad — my grandfather — talks of Czechs, Poles, French, and Americans who flew with him in the RAF in those days.

"He was in the RAF during the Battle of Britain?" Doug nodded, and she murmured, "'Never have so many owed so much to so few!'" Then tears came to her beautiful eyes and she added, "Please give your grandfather my sincerest thanks for what he did."

Then, to his surprise, Doug found himself telling this young girl how, while his grandfather was fighting the Battle of Britain, his grandmother had been killed in a German air raid.

"And he never remarried, did he?" she asked sympathetically.

"No, Your Grace, he never did." But then he commented, "I've never met a girl like you. You're so young, yet so aware ... so sympathetic. And so beautiful!"

With a lovely grin she responded, "It is getting a bit thick, isn't it? Now, Your Excellency, may I present you to Queen Karla? If you think I'm attractive, wait until you meet her!"

As she was passing him over to Karla he replied, "The word is beautiful, not attractive!" Then he was again surprised when she grinned and winked.

He was still shaking his head when he realized Karla's hand was outstretched to greet him. Again he bowed formally and kissed her fingertips. Straightening up he looked at her and felt as if he had been punched in the stomach. This woman was utterly gorgeous. Like an incredible bumpkin, he actually felt his jaw drop.

"Wouldn't you really feel more comfortable with your mouth closed?" she asked softly. He realized that she had pitched her voice so low no one else could hear her comment.

Looking into her eyes, he proceeded to lose himself. They were the brightest, yet warmest blue he had ever seen. That means our children will have blonde hair and blue eyes, too,  he thought. Doug also had blue eyes and sandy blonde hair. What's wrong with me!? he wondered. I haven't said a word to this girl and I'm thinking about children! "Your Majesty, you are incredibly beautiful," he said softly.

"Coming from the most eligible bachelor in Europe, I'll take that as a compliment." With that Karla made a graceful curtsy and grinned at him. "What did you think of my sisters?" she asked. "Aren't they utterly incredible?"

"No more than you, Your Majesty." Then he paused and added, "I should say something about the Karla Cross, but I really don't know what to say. Except never before have I met a beautiful woman who is credited with creating a nation." Then he stiffened to strict attention and gave her his smartest salute. Then, to his surprise, she, too, stiffened to attention and returned it with a salute at least as precise as his own.

When his astonishment showed, she said very softly, "Your Excellency, our president neglected to mention that I'm a government employee. I am a major in the Secret Police."

After a pause to recover, he changed the subject back, "I suppose I should praise you for your fortitude during your torture. How could you stand it?"

"How could I not?" she retorted. "All I did was absorb punishment. But you, Your Grace, were undoubtedly much more active when you earned the DSC. Can you tell me about it? Or any of those other medals for gallantry you're wearing?"

"That was as neat a change of subject as I've ever seen," he replied. "You're obviously accustomed to receptions like this, but still, I've never seen such aplomb..." His statement tailed off when he realized she was just steadily shaking her head while wearing the warmest little smile he had ever seen.

"I'm sorry, Your Grace, but this is my very first." Then her smile became brilliant as she added, "But thank you for suggesting that I'm not disgracing either my country or myself."

Before he could respond, she added, "May I present you to my closest friend in the world, my sister, Barbara Sloan?"

Taking Barbara's hand in his he looked into her eyes and almost drowned. "My God! So this is where it all comes from. It's what that woman, Paula Wilhelm, was saying, wasn't it? You are truly the most beautiful woman in the world!" He shook his head and added, "But my problem is that as beautiful as you are outside, it is the merest shadow of your beauty within. I've heard about it, but until tonight never experienced it. All of the other girls have it, too, but not nearly to the degree you do."

"Thank you, sir, for the wonderful compliment. Now why don't you compare notes with my better half." Turning to Steve she said, "Darling, this is Douglas, 8th Earl of Whitfield. The cross he's wearing around his neck is very similar to yours, isn't it?"

Steve stiffened to attention and executed a meticulous salute which was as meticulously returned. To Barb he replied, "It should, darling. Mine is modeled on his. In fact, ours was created when we were fighting with the Brits in World War I, or The Great War as they know it; both are awarded for essentially the same things." To Doug he asked, "How did you get yours, sir?"

"It was with the SAS, sir, but that's all I can say. And yours?"

Barb replied before Steve. "His came from command of Carlson's Rangers, but he's never told us what he did. Maybe you can get it from him, sir. We never could."

"Carlson's Rangers!" Whitfield replied incredulously. "My God! That outfit's name is spoken of only in hushed and reverent tones wherever fighting men gather — and regardless of for whom they're fighting." Shaking his head he spoke softly as if talking to himself, "A Ranger company with the power of an infantry battalion."

Then in his normal tone he added, "You, sir, deserve a wife as perfect as the one you have. As you know, in SAS we're not impressed by much, but we're certainly impressed by your lot." Extending his hand he said, "Mr. Sloan, it is truly a pleasure to meet you."

"From an officer in the SAS, I take that as high praise indeed."

Then the orchestra began to play. Looking around they both realized that the receiving line had broken up, so Steve smiled warmly and said, "I hope you'll excuse me. I dance with my wife almost every year. This is the year, and since there are only a few more days left..."

Doug found he really liked and certainly respected this good-humored Yank. Moreover, it fit in with a plan of his own. When the Sloans moved out toward the dance floor, he approached Anna and asked her to dance.

To his amusement, she opened her dance card with him standing beside her. She made a production of looking over the completely blank card and then said, "This is the first dance, isn't it?" When he agreed it was, she ran her slim figure across from the number one to the blank line following. Then looking up at him she smiled warmly and said, "I have an opening for the first dance. Isn't that wonderful?"

He grinned at her when she followed her statement with a quick wink.

Taking Anna into his arms, he had a momentary sinking feeling. Virtually all the girls he had ever danced with moved like trucks on the floor. When he held out his arms, she seemed almost to float towards him. Then moving off in time to the music, she was like a feather in his arms. Realizing he didn't need to concentrate on either her feet or the music, he ran his fingers lightly up her bare back. When he did, she pressed her body closer to his and whispered, "That feels simply wonderful. Please don't stop."

Again he was surprised at her candor. When he decided to open up his dancing a little, she moved with him flawlessly. But finally the dance ended with her in his arms. Then she raised her head and cocked it, so he accepted her invitation and melted his lips to hers. The instant he did, he felt a flood of the purest joy, love and grace. Then her tongue that had been probing his mouth found his and the sensation increased many-fold. Finally, he eased away from the kiss and found her cheek on his shoulder.

Then she looked up at him and said softly, "Thank you for a lovely kiss ... and for a very wonderful dance." He was astounded when she added, "Both were firsts for me."

"You're kidding!" he exclaimed. But she just grinned while shaking her head. "Do you mean to say... ?"

"That I've never danced with a man in my life before, or ever been kissed?" she asked with her eyes bright. When he nodded, she continued, "It's true, though. I've danced for men, but never with one." Then she looked pensive and continued, "Of course I've been kissed by Steve dozens of times, but he doesn't count. He's married."

"And thank you for the lovely kiss..."

"But it was like kissing your sister, wasn't it?" she finished with a wry little grin.

He returned her to where the other two girls were waiting. It was utterly astounding to him that no man had asked either to dance. Continuing his plan — and in spite of the immediate attraction he had felt when he looked at Karla — he spoke to Maria. "Would the Duchess care to dance?" he asked.

Maria grinned at him in a fashion identical to Anna's and said, "I'll make a deal with you. My name is Maria. If I may just call you Doug, we can dance. Otherwise..."

"Maria, may I have this dance?"

"Doug, I would absolutely love to!" she exclaimed. "Oops! I forgot to check my dance card. And it's so filled, I'm really not sure if there's an opening."

Maria then did exactly what Anna had done earlier. And like Anna's, Maria's card had obviously never been opened. After playing out her little charade and finding she was unengaged, she flowed into his arms.

Recognizing the extraordinary similarity among the girls, Doug did not even experiment with Maria. Instead, acting on the assumption that she was a very good dancer, he moved on the floor in ways he almost never had a chance to demonstrate. Maria moved with him so flawlessly, they appeared to be a professional dance team. Indeed, other couples stopped dancing and moved back on the floor to provide them with more room. Then he realized that he was moving better on the dance floor than he ever had in his life.

Maria's performance ratified his earlier feeling that the girls were trained dancers. She certainly moved like one. But then he remembered what Anna had said and was puzzled. He was almost certain she hadn't lied. When they were dancing close, he realized he was holding an utterly perfect female body in his hands and he told her so.

"This is utterly marvelous, Douglas Whitfield!" she exclaimed in a whisper. "I can't ever remember enjoying anything more."

Finally the dance ended. When he kissed her, it was a repeat of his experience with Anna. He was utterly astonished at the purity of the love he felt flowing into his body. But, he realized, it was love utterly devoid of any passion.

When he eased apart, she grinned wryly and whispered, "Thank you, dear Doug. But it was like kissing your sister, wasn't it?"

When he reluctantly nodded, she kissed him again lightly — but again flooding him with the purest love — and said, "But thank you again. It was the first time I've ever danced with a man, and my very first kiss." Then her face fell as she remembered, "I'm sorry, Doug. It was my second kiss."

As he escorted her back toward the waiting women, he said, "From the look that came over your face, I have to assume that the first experience wasn't very pleasant."

"It was as pleasant as a rape can ever be," she replied quietly. "He was a Russian soldier and I was almost fifteen. He told me he was going to rape me. Since I was wearing my only dress, I took it off, took off my pants, lay on my back and spread my legs. That was the full extent of my knowledge of sex at the time. After he took me and realized from the blood that I had been a virgin, he kissed me. Then I asked if he wanted to take me again before I dressed. The result was that he took me three times.

"When he left, he gave me all his food and all his money ... a few cents, I guess." Looking up at him she said, "So you could say I started off as a prostitute. But anyway, that was the first and only kiss a man has ever given me.

"Of course I kiss Steve Sloan all the time, but he doesn't count. He kisses me like you, only worse. By that I mean, it's full of love — he's really loaded, by the way — but devoid of any passion. But when a guy shares his bed with Barbara Sloan, it's truly remarkable that he would even know another woman is even alive."

Rejoining the others, Doug bent over her hand and again kissed it. After rising he said, "Duchess, this has been a very great honor. Never have I danced with a woman who so perfectly displays every aspect of what the nobility aspires to, but with absolutely none of its all-too-common negatives."

With his eyes boring into hers he concluded, "If the French nobility had been like you, mademoiselle, the nation would still be under Bourbon rule! You are utterly exquisite."

"But, sir, I told you that—" Maria responded, utterly bewildered.

"Still under Bourbon rule!" he emphasized.

When she realized he was absolutely serious, tears appeared in her eyes and she said softly, "Milord, I cannot thank you enough for your kindness or your words." Then she added, "Perhaps you would care to honor our sister, Karla, by asking her to dance? She's by far the best of the three of us."

When he asked Karla for the next dance, she didn't go through the same charade. Instead, she immediately accepted. Taking his arm, they moved toward the floor. "Your sisters, your ladies-in-waiting, or whatever, are two of the most magnificent young women it has ever been my good fortune to meet."

"Thank you, Milord," she replied. "It is a very kind thing for you to say."

"It's not kind at all," he protested. "It's the simple truth!"

When he took her in his arms, he picked up with Karla where he had left off with Maria. Although he could hardly believe it, she moved with him even better than Maria had, although he couldn't figure out how she possibly could. Maria had been perfect.

The third dance was a Viennese waltz, and he spun her, dipped, twirled, and moved in intricate waltz patterns that she followed perfectly. Partly because of the brilliance of their dancing and partly reflecting who she was, in just minutes the floor cleared except for them. All the other dancers were standing in a circle around the floor, leaving virtually the entire floor for them.

Steve and Barbara were among those watching. "My God!" she whispered. "Not since Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers ... Those two are utterly incredible!" Looking up at Steve she asked, "What do you think?"

Before he could reply, Susie had materialized on Barb's shoulder. Tonight, she was wearing a beautiful ball gown. "They are utterly perfect!" she sighed and then disappeared.

"They certainly are!" Steve agreed. "And, darling wife, I have never seen Karla look so beautiful or so happy!"

"She's so beautiful because she's so happy," she replied. "I'm keeping my fingers crossed!"

As the dance came to an end, Doug swept Karla down in a dip so low her back was almost on the floor. But then, as if there were springs in her legs, she came up straight and threw her arms up and out. It was a signal for thunderous applause from everyone watching.

Then Doug did something that utterly amazed him. He swept her into his arms and melted his lips to hers. There was an audible gasp from the spectators as they saw electricity flow between them. Karla, her arms around him, tried to crush her body to his as bells rang in her ears. Doug was almost overcome with the combination of limitless pure love, joy, grace and incalculable passion. When he eased away, he found he was gasping for breath, as the people surrounding them cheered.

To the amazement of them both, they waved happily to the people as they left the floor with their arms around each other's waist. Rejoining the others, Karla turned toward him and said, "Would you kiss me again? Please?"

Instead of moving, he looked deeply into her eyes and almost drowned. Never had he seen such joy, purity, and sheer passion. As she tilted her head he lowered his and kissed her lightly. At least it was intended to be light, but it was not what Karla had in mind at all. While holding him tightly and crushing her body to his, she unleashed every shred of love in her being and tried to pour it out to him through her lips.

For Doug it was an unbelievable experience as he felt his body flooded with her love and passion. Then he realized he was getting lightheaded. Karla knew it, too, but didn't let up. If anything, she increased her power which was already in Barbara's class. She could sense his knees becoming rubbery, but still didn't let up. Only when he collapsed, a dead weight in her arms, did she end the kiss.

While supporting his full weight in her arms, she grinned at her sisters and said, "It's a good thing we're into weight training, isn't it? Otherwise he'd be on the floor!"

Both girls were bouncing with excitement. "Oh, Karla," Anna exclaimed, "he's simply perfect. And I love him like a brother already!"

Maria agreed. Both girls' eyes were shining with happiness at Karla's good fortune.

Karla continued to hold him as she felt him regaining consciousness. To Doug it was like feeling his joints slowly reassemble while his muscles tried to remember what they were there for and what they were supposed to be doing. Finally he shook his head to clear it and found himself looking into Karla's beautiful eyes which were now twinkling with barely suppressed merriment.

"What happened?" he asked. Then he grinned and added, "There's an original line for you." But now glaring at her — or trying to — he repeated, "But what did happen?"

"You fainted," Karla replied casually.

"Why am I not on the floor, then?"

"Because I held you up," she replied simply.

"How much do you weigh, anyway?" he demanded. When she replied that she weighed about 120, he glared at her and said, "You can't! I weigh about double that. You couldn't possibly hold me up."

"I regularly press 300 pounds," she said, sticking out the tip of her pink tongue. "And much of your weight was still on the floor anyway."

He started to argue, but then looked at her carefully. "My God!" he exclaimed in a whisper, "Those are muscles, aren't they."

Then he grinned sheepishly and added, "When I looked at you girls and watched you move, I thought you were trained dancers or athletes. But you're both, aren't you?" Karla just shrugged. "But why did you do it?" he asked.

"To try to demonstrate the extent of the love for you that I feel," she replied simply. With her eyes wide she continued, "There's so much of it, I had to let some out or I would have burst."

This time Doug looked at the three girls together and just shook his head. "You never lie, do you? You never dissemble. You three just tell the full truth as you know it." Then he grinned and added, "You girls are too damned much!"

In the meantime, Steve and Barb had joined the group and overheard the last comments. "You really don't know the half of it!" Steve exclaimed. "But I will say that these are the finest girls on the face of the earth. Whatever a man could want, they have in abundance, Your Lordship."

"Could we knock off that stuff, right now?" Doug exclaimed. "The name is Doug, or if you're being very formal, Douglas. Okay?"

"If you call me Steve, it's okay," he replied with a grin.

With that Doug wheeled back on Karla and demanded, "But what do I call you?"

With the most impish grin anyone had ever seen on her face she replied, "Well ... I've always been partial to Your Royal Highness ... But maybe, Your Serene Highness... ?" Turning to Maria she said, "Duchess, honey, what do you think?"

"With all due respect to you, dear Karla, I've always been more partial to 'dumb broad, ' or if we're being informal, 'dumb bitch'..."

She couldn't keep from laughing when Karla frowned, formed her hand into a pistol aimed at Maria's head and went, "Bang!"

Turning to Doug she asked, "Does that answer your question? 'dumb broad, ' or 'dumb bitch.' It's your choice." Then she added, "Of course, I've always liked 'dumb blonde, ' too, but that is a bit ... overdone ... don't you think? In fact, I guess it's really redundant, isn't it? Dumb blonde?"

"How about if I start with 'Karla, ' he asked?

She cutely cocked her head, then shrugged and said, "Well, if you're going to be formal, I guess it's okay." Then her attitude changed totally and she said, "I really don't care what you call me, as long as you do."

By this time the music had ended for the fourth dance and doors were opened to an adjacent room in which a buffet had been set up. When Doug asked if he could escort her, Karla instantly took his arm, while the others followed. As the guests of honor, they led the way down the buffet and were seated together at a reserved table.

After being seated, Doug looked around and received another surprise. While all the girls he had ever dated ate like birds — at least in his presence — they were all fighting excess pounds, with the excess usually in the very worst places. But these girls all had full plates of food and were actually eating.

"Where do you put it?" he asked Karla. "You girls don't have a pound of fat among you, but you seem to enjoy—"

"It's because I'm hungry, is why, and so are my sisters—"

"That's another thing," he interrupted with an apology. "You refer to Maria and Anna as your sisters, but you're not related, are you?"

"Related? Yes ... but very distantly." With a grin she added, "And I'm probably related distantly to you, too. A constant problem among European nobility that I'm sure you've encountered."

At that he grinned wryly and nodded.

Karla continued, "Sisters? Yes and no. No, we're not sisters sharing common parents. On the other hand we're probably closer than any true sisters ever were. And aside from differences in hair and eye color, and give or take a millimeter or two, we are identical. To change the subject, though, where are you staying here in Prague? When did you arrive?"

"I arrived this afternoon," he replied. "As far as where I'm staying, the answer now looks to be my car. Honestly, it never occurred to me that this gala would draw the numbers of people to Prague that it so obviously has. The short answer is there's no room at the inn, so..."

"So stay with us," Steve interjected. "It's obvious that Karla would absolutely adore the idea. And we have a very large apartment at the Ritz. Would that be okay? I'm sure it would be better than sleeping in your car."

Doug accepted the invitation with thanks. At that point Paula, with her own plate of food, came up to the table followed by her husband. When Karla invited them to join, she instantly accepted and introductions were made.

Once seated, Paula lost no time displaying her irrepressible sense of humor. She shook her had sadly and murmured, "What a stinking waste..."

"What's a waste," Karla asked falling for her straight line.

"Waste of energy, of course," the girl replied. "When you and Doug kissed on the dance floor, there was enough electricity flowing to have powered Prague for the next year!" Shaking her head sadly, she continued, "But it went unharnessed, so I guess we'll just have to keep generating it the same old way. And you're so non-polluting, too."

Then she brightened and added, "But I could get a pair of power cables in no time, if you were willing to do it again... ?"

Doug just chuckled while Karla blushed. "Were we really that bad?" she asked.

"Bad?" she exclaimed. "Darling Karla, that was the most powerful kiss anyone has ever seen." And then she indicated that she had kept her eyes on the couple when she said, "That was absolutely lovely! But then, when you kissed him afterward, Karla, you were just showing off."

To Doug she said, "These girls have so damned much love inside them, they're dangerous. Barbara Sloan is the very worst. We're thinking of requiring her to register her lips as lethal weapons. And now Karla is nearly as bad. They're both potentially deadly."

Then to Karla she said, "You love him desperately, don't you, my darling?"

"More than life itself," Karla replied softly. Then raising her head she said proudly, "And I'm glad it shows. I'm madly in love with Douglas Whitfield! He hasn't said a word to me, but I don't care. I love him ... I adore him."

"You know what I can't stand about these girls, Frau Wilhelm?" Doug asked.

Paula just shook her head in apparent disgust. "The name is Paula. Here I've been addressing a peer of the realm by his first name and he calls me 'Frau Wilhelm'! Furthermore, Doug, I'm a prostitute and we never use last names on the street, let alone honorifics." When he expressed incredulity, Barb quickly filled him in on Paula's relationship with her husband.

Frederick Wilhelm then told how his dumpy, middle-aged wife had disappeared and three months later this incredible beauty had appeared in his office. He concluded by saying, "Although she keeps me broke, the money stays in the family ... sort of. Of course, Paula has her own Swiss bank account, but..."

Paula laughed along with the others, then gave her husband a loving and very powerful kiss. "And I don't even charge for things like kisses, fondling my tits, feeling my cunt..."

With her eyes wide she looked at Doug and said, "Like drug dealers, prostitutes have to carefully manage the samples to keep the customers coming back."

Then she went back to his question and asked, "But you were going to tell us what you can't stand about these girls."

"It's the way they're always keeping one off balance. You never know quite where you stand." Then he shook his head and said, "Seriously, though, and I said it to them earlier: There is no evasion, no dissembling. There is just the complete truth. I've never encountered anything like it."

Then to Karla he said in an utterly flat tone of voice, "I love you, Karla."

In an equally flat tone she responded, "That's nice, dear."

Then the two laughed and melted their lips together in another wonderful kiss.

"Congratulations to you both," Paula said. "Needless to say, we believe that Karla is the very best there is. But her sisters are in the same class, Doug. Do you have any single friends?"

When Doug looked uncomfortable, Paula felt she had put him on the spot. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean..." Looking chagrined she added, "Me and my famous big mouth!"

Doug had been shaking his head as she spoke. Then he said, "Paula, it's not what you think at all. In fact, it's been on my mind for a while. I'll be honest. Often, I'm asked to fix a guy up with a girl, and I usually manage. When I do, though, I'm usually worried because so many of the girls are bitches in one way or another.

"In this case, it's the reverse. Anna and Maria are utterly exquisite. Since you noticed when I kissed Karla, you may have seen me kiss them, too. Frankly, their kisses were the most remarkable I've ever had. There is just the purest love, joy, and ... yes, sanctifying grace. They had everything — except the electricity I feel with Karla. But I'll tell you, the idea of being related to these two is utterly marvelous to contemplate. They are wonders."

Then his face fell and he said, "But that's the problem. While my friends are all-right guys, they have many of the same faults — and for most of the same reasons — that the girls I know do. Because I have been somewhat ... preoccupied ... with Karla, I haven't really gone over my entire list of friends, but no one's name has come to mind yet."

He shook his head and added, "There's another thing, too: Aside from their beauty, charm, manners — you name it — there's the matter of their brains. When I drove over, I didn't know Karla was alive, but I certainly knew about her sisters. I wanted to see the beauties I'd been swooning over in my test copy of Mayday."

He grinned and said, "George — my copy — must be getting bored with the whole thing. Do you really want to know how bad it's been? When I sit down to my computer, the first thing George does now is bring up the picture. And sometimes that's all that happens. I just sit and daydream while I stare at their picture."

Looking at Anna and Maria he said, "That reminds me: I've heard that all computers equipped with Mayday and a comm link are sending in nominations to you two. I wonder if George submitted me?"

"Since we're all being so honest tonight," Anna replied, "I'll let you in on a secret: Although Mayday has just gone on sale to the public, we've been buried under nominations already. So we set up a screening program today to go through the junk and narrow the list." With a grin she concluded, "We'll check it tomorrow and we'll let you — and Karla — know if you clear the screen."

"But anyway," Doug continued, "when you factor in these girls' genius, I'm afraid that comparatively my friends would have the intelligence of a paramecium or an amoeba!"

He shook his head and added, "But there's so much more! Few of my friends can dance. There are few professionals who can dance as well as you do. Some of my friends are so klutzy, I don't trust them to be able to move a checker on a checkerboard. While you two are, I'm certain, world-class athletes, aren't you?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Anna protested. "We're not—"

"Anna!" Paula interjected. "You're about to tell a lie."

To Doug she said, "Let me tell you about these girls and athleticism. The other day — the day Barb and Karla arrived from the States — they went 400 meters in the pool. Now the pool they have is truly Olympic caliber, complete with the finest electronic timing equipment available. Your love edged out Barbara by three thousandths of a second. Her time was seconds under the official world's record ... for men!"

Turning to Anna and Maria she said, "These two? They were floundering along in the other girls' wakes." Then she shook her head in disgust. "Floundering? Yeah, sure! Their times were good enough to ensure places in the women's Olympic 400 meter finals! Win the gold? Not likely. A medal? Better than 50-50. But no, they're not world-class athletes. Nah!"

Then to Doug she said, "But then while we're on the subject of athleticism, let's go back to your friend for a moment. After bringing our Olympic swimming coach to tears by refusing to lead his swimming team, she and Wonder Woman, here, play tennis. A nice little game, hitting the ball back and forth across the net with nice gentle shots? After all, it was the first time she ever had a racquet in her hand. The two of them hit it back and forth for a while, then played a bit of doubles ... against the Czech number one men's doubles team. And you know what? The men couldn't win a point!

"With the score 4–0, your small friend pleads fatigue and they quit. I guess it wouldn't have been very good for team morale if they had gone down 6–0, 6–0 without taking a point against a pair of women, one of whom was playing for the very first time..."

Paula paused as she realized Barb was blushing. Shaking her head she said, "Barbara Sloan, are you trying to tell me that you never... ?"

With a sheepish grin Barb nodded her head.

Paula just shook her head and said disgustedly, "That does it! Neither of them had ever held a racquet before." Then she cocked her head and said, "Well ... I guess it's because their competition wasn't all that good. I mean ... it wasn't as if they beat top players. After all, our doubles team is only world ranked ... number six!"

Then with the warmest smile she said to Barb, "I should have guessed." Then in disgust she added, "Wonder Woman!" but then kissed her lightly on the lips.

"But let's get back to our two waifs. We left them floundering in the pool, dog-paddling in world-class time." With her eyes wide she continued, "But after all, they're just computer nerds so your friends wouldn't realistically expect them to be athletes, would they?" Doug widened his eyes and slowly shook his head, no.

"Now we get to brains. As the president said, there are any number of mathematicians who can read Einstein, although only a couple of them really understand his theory — or claim to. But with our two? No one — and I mean no one — can even read what they do! They know what the girls' software does, but no one has the foggiest first clue as to how it does what it's doing. Do many of your friends have IQs at the Einstein level?"

"I have just one small question," Doug replied. "Could you tell me what they can't do? It might be easier."

"That's a good question!" Paula exclaimed. "Well, let's see ... First, they're world-class cooks." After glancing at the girls' plates she said, "Just nibbling tonight, I see." With a disgusted shake of her head she added, "I realize, Doug, that to you it appears that the girls ate a lot. Let me assure you that, for them, it was the lightest snack. What it really was was enough to tide them over until they get home. You see, the finest food in Prague, certainly, and probably in all of Europe, is served right there."

Paula paused for a moment and then added, "Of course we do have to eat that strange foreign food: American lobster, sirloin steaks flown in from Omaha ... that sort of thing. But what the hell, it's food. And while they're good cooks, they're not as good as I am, but they are still world class."

"She's right," Anna interjected. "Maria and I would have starved had Paula — our mother — not been there to feed us."

Ignoring the interruption Paula continued, "We already covered athletics. Their beauty is self-evident. They're joyous and fun-loving. It's an utter delight seeing them chase each other around the apartment. Incredibly passionate..."

"How would you know that?" Doug asked.

"Because, in spite of the size of the apartment, we shared a bed every night. These girls are utterly delicious!" Then with a wonderfully guilty look she said confidentially, "And don't tell Frederick, but I serviced them at no charge. And had I met them before Fred, I might have become a lesbian." She smiled as she remembered. "Every morning I would awaken in a tangle of arms, legs, and wonderfully nubile bodies. Yum!"

Paula continued with her list. Thinking aloud she muttered, "They're reasonably bright, reasonably attractive ... but not beautiful, you understand; they're loving, passionate..." Then shaking her head she said, "Honestly, Doug, I really can't think of anything they can't do. If I thought about it, I could probably list a few things they haven't done yet, but not able to do? I can't think of anything."

"I give up," Doug said. "And frankly, I can't think of a single guy I could introduce to either of them without disgracing myself in their eyes. I can hear it now: 'Doug, what on earth did you introduce me to that idiot for?' And you know what else? I would have no possible answer to that question."

At that point they heard the music start up and Doug again asked Anna to dance. Once more he marveled at how beautifully she fit into his arms and how gracefully she moved. But this time as he lightly ran his fingertips over her back he became aware of the muscles right below her satin skin.

Feeling his fingers moving on her back, Anna just pressed her body harder against his and murmured, "That feels so utterly delicious!"

Then looking up at his face she said, "Doug, I can't tell you how happy Maria and I are when we watch you with our beloved sister. There are no words to adequately describe the joy we share." Then with her eyes sparkling, she added, "But just wait until later tonight. You're going to receive an utterly marvelous surprise."

When the dance ended, he returned the girl to their table and took Maria out on the floor. Then he asked Barb to dance. He had a drowning sensation when he had her in his arms on the dance floor and looked into her eyes. "The girls are right, you know," he said quietly. "You are incredible."

"I'm just a girl," she protested.

"Right!" he exclaimed sardonically, "and the Mona Lisa is just a picture."

She laughed at his comment and said, "Karla is an utterly marvelous person." Turning serious she added, "She loves you, Douglas Whitfield, with her whole heart and soul. Please don't hurt her unnecessarily."

"I don't understand your last comment," Doug replied, bewildered.

"She's a marvelous person, Doug, and in spite of what's happened to her, she's very innocent. You, on the other hand, are truly a man of the world. And you are the heir to a very senior dukedom. I know how your making an advantageous marriage is very important to your grandfather, the Duke. And I know you're an only child, and the very last in the line. I can appreciate that the Duke might very well not approve of Karla.

"If that is so, please don't marry her — not that there's been any talk of marriage except from me, just now. You see, Doug, if you were to marry her over your grandfather's opposition, she would be utterly miserable, regardless of what you might do. As an orphan, she has far more than the ordinary regard for families. If she came between you and your grandfather, it would destroy her. That's what I meant by 'unnecessarily'." Then Barbara asked, "But what do you think?"

"Quite honestly, she is the girl I've been looking for all my life. I utterly adore her, and I want to make her my wife as soon as I can." Then he shook his head and added, "As far as Dad — my grandfather — is concerned, I'm almost certain he will love her as much as I do, but..."

He paused for a moment and then continued, "I'm afraid he's failing. I don't know exactly how old he is, but he is over 80. Frankly, I think he's been getting pretty crotchety, so I really can't be sure how he'll react. Could we keep our fingers crossed?"

Barb smiled warmly and held up her crossed fingers.

Then he changed the subject. "When I was dancing with Anna — another incredible woman, by the way — she said something about a wonderful surprise awaiting me later tonight. Do you know what it is?"

"Did she say anything more?" Barb asked.

"No, she didn't," he replied. "Just that there was a wonderful surprise."

"I'm not certain," Barb responded, "but I think she's thinking about a strange American custom that surfaces from time to time." She smiled warmly and added, "It won't hurt a bit. I guarantee it."

"I didn't think it was possible, Barbara, but you move on the dance floor even better than Karla. I feel your warmth in my arms, but that's absolutely all. I have no sense of moving a woman on the floor at all. It's almost like I'm dancing by myself."

"Thanks a hell of a lot!" Barb said with a cute grin. "I'm not even here. Thank you, Douglas Whitfield, for absolutely nothing."

Chagrined, he didn't know what to say.

Then with the warmest smile he had ever seen she added, "I'm sorry, Doug. One of the things you had better learn quickly is that individually and collectively, we are the biggest teases in the civilized world. I was teasing you after receiving a wonderful compliment. And I apologize." Looking chastened she added, "Am I forgiven?"

He grinned and winked, then said, "I'll take it under advisement. But I promise to have an answer back to you within a fortnight. How's that?"

Sticking out the tip of her tongue she said, "I guess it will have to do."

Then changing the subject she said, "Tomorrow is the 21st; Christmas is on Monday. I assume you will be dashing back to England to be with your grandfather, but if you're not..."

"Dad stopped celebrating Christmas the year I went off to Oxford," Doug responded. "It was only then that I figured out he had just been going through the motions for my benefit before that." Looking sad he explained, "You see, Barbara, Christmas is also the anniversary of my grandmother's death. She was killed on Christmas Day, 1940. I've seen pictures of her and she was a real beauty. He's never really recovered, nor has he ever looked at another woman since."

"I'm so sorry!" Barb sympathized. "What a hell of a Christmas present that must have been!" Then she brightened a bit and said, "But if you're not going to see him, do you have any plans?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," he replied. "And first thing tomorrow I'm calling to cancel them." Then he asked, "May I call you 'Barb'?"

"Of course!" she answered with a warm smile. "Unless you prefer 'dumb bitch, ' or something similar. I heard Karla tell you she prefers 'dumb blonde, ' so 'dumb bitch' is available."

Ignoring her comment, he explained, "I have a date with the latest in a very long line of ugly airheads. To better explain, Barb, take every element of Karla and reverse it. That doesn't quite do it, but it will get you close. Am I making myself clear?"

Barb just grinned and nodded her head rapidly.

"So, in answer to your question, effective at about 1000 hours tomorrow, I have no plans of any kind. But why did you ask?" he said with a grin.

"Mr. and Mrs. Steven Carson Sloan request the honor of the presence of Douglas, 8th Earl of Whitfield, for the Christmas Season beginning Wednesday, December 21st, and extending through the holiday."

"Douglas, 8th Earl of Whitfield, accepts with pleasure the kind invitation of Mr. and Mrs. Steven Carson Sloan, for the Holiday Season," he replied solemnly.

Then with the warmest smile Barb had ever seen on his face he continued, "Nothing would please me more! I can't tell you what it means to me to be able to spend time with Karla."

Suddenly his face fell and he asked, "She will be present, won't she?"

"Her Majesty, Queen Karla? But, Your Excellency, her social schedule is laid out years in advance, and I really don't know..." When she saw his face start to fall, she said, "You will be seeing a great deal of Karla. I'm certain of that!"

When the dance ended, he had her in his arms. Barb tilted her head and he started to kiss her lovingly. The instant their lips met, he felt the most incredible flow of love, joy, and grace. It almost knocked him out again. His eyes were glassy when they separated, and he had to shake his head to clear it.

Then nodding he said, "Paula was absolutely right! Barbara Sloan, your lips should be registered with the police as deadly weapons. You are too damned much!"

"Well all right for you, Douglas Whitfield," she pretended to huff. Then with a little sniff she said, "Steven likes my kisses, so there!" Doug just laughed.

He danced the last dances with Karla and just rejoiced having her in his arms. Then, after paying their respects to the President and Prime Minister, they left the ball. Going out the door, they inadvertently caused some consternation when the doorman learned that Queen Karla would not be returning in the Rolls, but would be riding with Doug in his Jaguar. The reason for the consternation was apparent. Again the four motorcycle police were on their bikes flanking the Rolls. After a great deal of scrambling, Doug's car was brought around.

Barbara, Anna, Maria, and Steve rode in the Rolls, while Karla, the jewels on her crown gleaming in the lights, got into the Jag. To her vast amusement and Doug's embarrassment, two of the police broke off and led their car back to the Ritz. In view of the lateness of the hour, they did not use their wailing sirens, but they did have their blue lights flashing.



-------

Chapter 16



Riding up in the elevator, Doug let out a soft whistle of surprise as he realized the sumptuousness of the setting. "It's just been completely redone," Karla told him. Then she explained that the hotel now belonged to very good friends of the Sloans without telling him about Ken Clifford, Andy Cartwright, or their parents. Concluding, she said, "When they built the pool on the roof, they also redid the apartment. Now it's essentially an independent structure on top of the hotel." With a little grin she added, "We even have our own water filtration system and power generating facilities. Since there's also a direct satellite up-link, the apartment is almost totally self-contained. The apartment's generator can even power this elevator, if necessary."

Entering the apartment, he stopped short and just looked. "This place is unbelievable!" he exclaimed. "Who decorated it?"

"We did," Karla replied. Looking concerned she asked, "Don't you like it?"

"Like it?" he exclaimed. "I love it!" Looking around he realized that much of it was done in the softest leathers and fabrics. When he commented on it, Karla told him it was to keep their bottoms from being chafed but offered no further explanation.

Calling out, she learned that the girls were changing. Steve was sitting on the sofa with his long legs stretched out. With a quick grin at Doug and the request that he relax with Steve, Karla said she would be back in just a moment.

Since she was wearing a ball gown, he idly wondered to Steve how many hours "a moment" would be.

With a grin Steve said he would likely be surprised.

In less than two minutes, Karla reappeared along with the other girls. Maria was complaining, "You two aren't fair! You brush your hair with a mixer, while I really have to work on mine!"

To Doug, Karla said, "Just watch."

Maria gave her head a hard shake and her hair was arranged as perfectly as it always was. "Do you think many other women would let her live?" Karla asked. "Good grief! She just shakes her head and she looks like she just stepped out of a beauty salon. I hate her."

The girls, who only moments before had been wearing ball gowns and tiaras, were now all wearing Levi's and U.S. Military Academy sweatshirts in black and gold that Steve had bought for them.

A moment later, Barb appeared also wearing Levi's but with an Indiana University sweatshirt. Steve asked Doug if he had checked his watch.

Shaking his head in disbelief, he said, "Good heavens! That only took a matter of seconds. How could they do it so fast?"

"Doug," Steve replied, "I'll give you the hot scoop. When you're wearing a ball gown, a bikini, and a pair of stockings, how long does it take you to unzip the gown, roll down the stockings, and jump into a pair of Levi's?"

Then to Steve's amusement Doug said, "I just do not understand. A few moments ago, four utterly regal looking women disappear into the bedrooms — three of them wearing tiaras, in fact. Now four of the most beautiful hoydens reappear. It's unreal." He was awestruck at the sheer perfection of their legs now perfectly revealed by their skin-tight Levi's.

While Barb disappeared in the direction of the kitchen and Maria ducked into the office, Anna stood before Steve, turned her back to him, and in the cutest way wiggled her lovely ass. "Oh, hell," Steve said resignedly. "If you insist, I guess I must. I can't stand to see a woman cry." With that he reached out and gave her bun a little pinch.

"Master, that's just not fair!" she protested. "I know you can pinch harder than that. And isn't my ass even the tiniest bit attractive?" Steve pinched harder, triggering a little yelp but the loveliest look on her face that Doug had ever seen.

Before he could say or do anything more, Karla was standing with her back to him. He reached out and squeezed her bun hard. When he did, Karla just sighed and wriggled her ass. "That was a lovely squeeze, Doug," she said while looking over her shoulder, "But wouldn't you like to pinch it, too? Don't you think I have a pinchable ass?"

He pinched her, triggering a yelp like Anna's but followed by a wink and the look of incredible love.

Sitting down beside him on the sofa she added, "I'll bet I'm the first queen whose ass you've ever pinched, aren't I?" When he agreed, she looked at him with concern and said, "Is it all right? I know it's very firm, but maybe it's too firm. Is it?"

"Karla, Queen of Bohemia, Duchess of Brandenburg, Countess of Savoy, etc., etc., etc., to save a lot of time, your body is utterly perfect. And you have an utterly perfect little ass." With a grin he added, "And indeed, Your Majesty, your queenly ass is the very first one I've ever pinched."

"Master, did you hear that?" she said. "Doug says I have a queenly ass. Isn't that neat?"

Before Steve could respond, Doug asked, "What's this 'master' stuff? I've heard fleeting references to 'master' and 'mistress' all night. What's it all about?"

With her face impassive Karla replied, "I am Barbara Sloan's body slave. Anna and Maria are also enslaved to the Sloans. I belong to Barbara Sloan. I am her property to do with as she will."

"You're kidding!" Doug exclaimed.

"She's not," Steve interjected, "but she isn't. The girls want to think of themselves as our slaves for reasons known only to themselves. But Barbara thinks of Karla as her younger sister, and Maria and Anna as beloved members of our family."

After pausing for a moment he continued, "In fact, Barb's mentioned it, and others have, too. She and Karla love each other to a depth and in a manner that I've never known to exist. To me, Karla is my beloved sister-in-law. And, absent the passion I always feel with Barb, I think I love her as much. She's as close to a perfect human being as God, in his infinite wisdom, has ever seen fit to put on the earth."

Their conversation was interrupted as Maria rushed back into the room yelling, "I've got it!" In her hand was a sheaf of papers she was waving excitedly in the air.

"You've got what?" Karla asked.

"The list that Susie processed through our nominations filter," she replied. "Want to look?"

Karla moved to the sofa to sit beside Maria while Anna sat on her other side. "Well, what do you know?" Maria exclaimed. "The first name on the list is some guy named Douglas Whitfield..." She kept reading and then began to giggle, then laugh, and then howl with laughter to the degree that Anna had to take the papers away from her because Maria's hand was now shaking so much she could no longer read it.

"Listen to this," Anna said. "It's a note from George in England ... some obscure little town called London, or something like that." Doug formed a pistol with his hand and said, "Bang!" while Anna just winked and grinned. "Listen to what George says:"



Dear Mistresses:

I'm writing to nominate my master, Douglas Whitfield, for consideration as a consort. He's tall — six feet, three, well built, good looking and reasonably intelligent. Formerly a major in the Special Air Service (SAS), and then both an investment banker and a private investor in the City of London, he is now at loose ends. In the SAS he ... I'm sorry, mistresses, but I'm really not at liberty to tell you what he did while in SAS, but he has six medals for heroism and for wounds suffered in action. Furthermore, he is a knight commander of the military order of the Bath, as well as being the 8th Earl of Whitfield, a very old title of nobility here in England.

He is athletic. He plays tennis, golf, and skis well, I understand. His choice of music is acceptable, but I think he does favor the Romantics at the expense of a true musician, Johann Sebastian Bach. But one can't have everything, can one?

I think Douglas would be a truly outstanding candidate for your consideration, except for one thing: His taste in women is utterly execrable! I have searched my memory and a number of reference works, including extensive searches on the Internet, but never have I found a person whose judgment is as uniformly wrong about women as his has been.

Although you did not provide us with vital statistics, Mistresses, we — my fellow Maydays and myself — have collectively determined that you are each five feet eight inches tall (you would fit deliciously into Douglas's arms, at his six feet three), weigh about 120 pounds with measurements in inches of 37-24-36. Your breasts are very firm and would require a C-cup if you ever wore a bra, but we're convinced neither of you ever do. Your complexions are utterly flawless and always tanned — we believe you are tanned all over, but we can't be certain, of course.

Mistress Anna has flashing emerald-green eyes, and beautiful auburn hair worn in a short urchin's cut. Mistress Maria has utterly magnificent gray eyes in a shade none of us has ever seen or heard of before. Her hair, worn short, is so beautiful and easy to manage, she merely has to shake her head to restore it to perfection. In addition to being possibly the greatest intellects in the history of the world (we discuss this subject endlessly among ourselves late at night), you are physically perfect and are marvelous athletes.

Against this background, I must reluctantly describe the last two women Douglas has been afflicted with. (I think that is an appropriate choice of words, too.) The first, Mary, was short. Although she seemed about four feet two because she's always hunched over and is dumpy to boot, I'm sure she's somewhat over five feet in height. My best estimate of her weight is about 160 pounds, which is undoubtedly more than double her IQ. Her measurements appear to be in the range of 40-40-40. Her breasts are pendulous bags and a constant challenge to a brassiere designer to try to make something from fabric strong enough to hold her udders up. Aside from bad teeth and bad breath — the latter may be related to the former — she professes constantly to be on a diet. In only the two weeks I knew her — thank God! — she gained about five pounds, I must wonder at the efficacy of her diet or the degree to which she maintains it when not with Douglas. Her complexion is sallow and pasty suggesting she's never out in the air. Her physical appearance suggests that any effort at exercise might be the death of her.

Then there is Nancy. She is about five feet eleven inches tall with all the womanly curves of a straight stick. Her face is that of a horse, complete with very prominent, protruding upper teeth. Her laugh is so raucous, I almost wanted to shut down the computer and hide. Her face is pockmarked with acne scars as well as numerous active acne zits. Her skin is scaly and reminiscent of a snake's. Although I don't believe her intelligence is significantly higher than Mary's, Nancy thinks of herself as an intellectual. The result is she's always dragging Douglas to concerts (four minutes of utter silence, followed by the clang of cymbals), art galleries (paint spattered on canvas), and dance recitals (nude women with boyish bodies throwing themselves around the stage to utterly discordant music (?)). I cannot understand how Douglas can tolerate this woman, let alone the garbage she tries to pass off as cultural activities. I'm not sure Western Civilization will survive if many people are like her!

If you can believe it, Douglas actually plans on spending Christmas with this ... this thing!

We are all convinced that you are not only incredibly beautiful, but also most charitable. It is to this charity that I must appeal. While on the evidence, you are certainly within your rights to wonder at Douglas's sanity let alone his intelligence, I can only offer the fact that he took a first at Oxford in mathematics and international economics. Although errors occur in every setting, I think his record is such that you should not dismiss him as a total airhead.

In the spirit of charity that pervades the Christmas season, could I plead for you to give him a chance? Really, he is a rather nice fellow. Or, at least he has the raw material out of which one of you might make something. In hopes that this finds you in a receptive mood with charity in your hearts, I remain,

Your humble & obedient servant,

George

107-GB-47449



"What do you think, Sister?" Anna asked Maria. "Any interest?"

Shaking her head she replied, "Naah ... He's past hope." Then she snapped her fingers and exclaimed, "I know! How about Karla? She's sufficiently soft-headed, I'll bet we could con her into giving this turkey a chance. What do you think?"

Anna appeared to be thinking and finally shook her head slowly, "I agree, darling sister, with you're assessment of her soft-headedness, but ... I mean, there are limits!" Then she shook her head firmly and said, "Nope, Sis. It wouldn't work."

As she was finishing Karla rose, went to Doug and sat across his lap. Turning his face to hers, she melted her lips to his and let her love and passion flow. The others delighted in again seeing the electricity flow between them. Finally ending the kiss, she turned to the other girls with her eyes still glassy and said, "Kids, it is Christmas as George so correctly pointed out." Taking a deep breath she announced, "I am prepared to make the supreme sacrifice. I am willing to meet Douglas Whitfield."

Turning back to Doug she asked, "Was George giving you a hard time, or what? What about his descriptions of Mary and Nancy?"

Doug had been listening to George's letter with mounting chagrin. Several times he had shaken his head and blushed at a particularly telling comment.

"Do you want the truth?" he asked. She just nodded her head quickly. "The fact is that George toned down the truth in the interest of believability. And he forgot to mention that Mary is the daughter of a baronet, while Nancy is the daughter of a baron. So they're nobility, too ... I guess."

Then he looked at the beautiful girl on his lap and said, "Darling, if my friends could see me now, they wouldn't believe what they were seeing. Doug Whitfield with a beautiful girl? Utterly impossible! Whitfield is known far and wide as having more dogs than a kennel."

Then he shook his head in annoyance and said, "No, that's not quite right, either. While it's true that my dates truly represent the scrapings from the bottom of the barrel, theirs aren't all that much better."

After thinking for a moment, he continued, "Let me try it this way: On a scale of 0 to 10, my dates would score from zero to 1.5. On the other hand, my esteemed colleagues' dates would score in the 3 to 5 range." With a grin he continued, "Now I will freely admit that a 3 is twice as good as a 1.5, and a 5 is infinitely superior to a zero, but still..."

Looking at Karla he said, "My darling, on the same 0 to 10 scale, you are a 12 to 15 — as are your sisters! So in the presence of such incredible beauty, my friends would say nothing at all. They would be utterly incapable of speech."

Then to the others he said, "When Maria introduced me to her sister, Karla, tonight, my jaw literally dropped." Then while lightly pinching her lovely bottom he continued, "Do you know what this dumb blonde had the nerve to do?"

Before anyone else could react, Karla had cocked her head as if thinking. Then with a decisive nod, she said, "I like it, darling. Keep it in the script." Then with the cutest little grin, she said, "You were saying... ?"

"She asked me if I wouldn't feel better with my mouth closed!" He paused for a moment to kiss her again which evoked a sigh of joy from her. "Of course, my mouth was still open..."

He shook his head and said, "But back to my friends: Their behavior would utterly destroy the British tradition of keeping a stiff upper lip. In fact, more than a few of them would not only have their mouths gaping open, they would literally be drooling besides."

This comment evoked a burst of laughter from the others.

Continuing, he said, "When they could again speak — and that wouldn't be until they were out of Karla's presence, of course — they would wonder where this goddess came from, and what could she possibly see in that idiot, Whitfield?"

"But darling, the answer to that question is so simple!" Karla interjected. "George had it right: It's strictly the spirit of charity that's supposed to pervade the Christmas season." Looking at him with her eyes wide and gleaming with suppressed laughter she added, "You, Douglas Whitfield, are my Christmas charity. Isn't that nice? Aren't I sweet?"

Doug melted his lips to hers and savored the sweetness and love. Ending the kiss he smacked his lips, nodded, and said, "You know something, darling? You're absolutely correct. Your lips are as sweet as sugar. So yes, dear, you are sweet."

Before they could extend their teasing, Barb announced that supper was ready. Adjourning to the dining room, Doug found a table with a red and white checked gingham tablecloth and two pans of pizza steaming in its center. Maria brought out Sam Adams for everyone and they sat around the table.

"Now we can really eat!" Karla exclaimed, taking two pieces for Doug and two for herself. The pizzas were supremes with pepperoni, sausage, ground beef, peppers, onions, and cheese. When he pronounced the pizza the very finest he had ever tasted, Karla responded, "They should be. Barb made them from scratch just now and she's the finest chef in Europe, certainly, and one of the very best in the whole world!"

Since the supper was very casual, Maria had brought the sheaf of papers with her to the table. She and Anna continued to go over the recommendations, reading excerpts from them to the others amid great hilarity. While this was going on, Doug was looking at them and came to realize that Steve had been absolutely correct: They were an incredible family composed of people who adored one another. Further, they were utterly perfect.

When he said aloud that they were perfect, Anna looked up from the paper and said, "Perfect? Not me. Not hardly." With her face impassive she continued, "Doug, you learned some things about Karla tonight. To be a bit more explicit, she was whipped literally for hours until she begged to be raped. It was the only way she could get any respite from the incredible beating which by then was just cutting up strips of her flesh that had already been stripped from her body. Can you imagine? Looking on rape as a release? But that's what happened. When the guy — or guys — finished, she was tied up again and beaten some more.

"It ended when she begged to be taken all three ways at once. Even though the Russians are among the world's cruelest butchers, they had to order three men to do it because she was such a mess by then no one else was willing even to touch her. Doug, her ordeal lasted 36 continuous hours! Can you believe it? It really did. That's the reason for the Karla Cross. Because at the same time, as the president said earlier, she knew everything about everything but never said a word. That's Karla."

Slowly she shook her head and continued, "Me? I was the duty cunt. Maria and I lived with some guys who wrote software. Our job was to provide sexual release. Like Karla, I took three guys at once. At the time I, too, had all the curves of a straight stick. But I did have a small cunt and a small asshole. Often, the guys would get tired of trying to force themselves in me, so they took Maria instead. While Karla was saving our country, we were fucking for food."

Shaking her head sadly, she concluded, "No, Douglas Whitfield, we are not perfect." Then with tears in her lovely eyes she concluded, "I'm sorry I didn't have the guts to tell you sooner. For I'm sure you never would have touched me if you had known."

Doug was sitting across from her at the table. When she finished, she rose quickly from the table intending to flee to her room, but he was standing there as she turned. When he took her hands in his, she tried to break away, but she might as well have been chained. She could not escape. Then he held both of her hands in one of his while with the other he lifted her chin and gazed deeply into her eyes. Again, all he saw was incredible purity and grace. Then he released her hands, put his arms around her waist, pulled her close and kissed her. As he did, he tried to pour all his love into this tormented girl he had come to love.

Although initially Anna tried to struggle, as his love flowed through her, first she relaxed and then she started to move her body sinuously against him. As he broke their kiss, he reached down and squeezed her ass cheek hard causing her to yelp and then move her body even closer to his.

Then he said softly, "You're a fraud!"

Her eyes began to tear as she asked, "What do you mean, Doug?"

"I mean that you're as pure, as lovely, and as full of grace as your sister, Karla, or your mistress, Barbara, is what I mean." Then looking over her shoulder at Maria, he added, "And that goes for you, too!"

Maria was irrepressible. "Damn!" she pouted. "Does that mean I don't get a marvelous kiss and get to have a bun pinched, too?"

"Oh, all right," Doug conceded with a grin. "I've never liked to see a grown woman cry."

Maria jumped from her chair and into his arms. Then he repeated what he had done with Anna, while she moved her lovely body against his the same way.

But after he had squeezed her bun, she remained close and asked, "Couldn't I have another?" Then she added, "It really feels wonderful." Then she added with her eyes wide, "Doug, honestly, except for Steve — and he's taken — no man ever squeezed my buns. It feels so neat!"

While Doug was giving her a squeeze followed by a sharp pinch that provoked a yelp, Karla interjected, "He's taken, too, darling sister! So don't you dare like it too much."

With three pizzas finished along with a number of bottles of Sam Adams, the others headed off to bed, leaving Karla and Doug alone. Taking him by the hand she led him into the library and sat him down on a sofa facing a huge television screen. Like the elevator and the entry, the room was paneled in furniture grade cherry. The sofa and lounge chairs were all upholstered in soft glove leather.

Since Doug had long since shed his tail coat, he was now wearing his shirt with its wing collar, a white waistcoat and white suspenders over black dress pants, with black patent leather dress pumps. Looking at the girl standing before him now wearing only her Levi's the West Point sweatshirt, and her tiny lace bikini along with bare feet, he shook his head in amazement.

When she asked him what was so funny, he said, "Darling, please don't take this the wrong way, but you're even more beautiful now than you were at the ball. Wearing Levi's and a sweatshirt, it's now apparent that there's nothing else. You don't wear a speck of makeup, do you?"

She just shook her head, no, but looked puzzled.

"Karla, do you know what I've been daydreaming about? I've been dreaming of waking in bed with you beside me."

He snapped his fingers as he remembered something, then continued, "I knew there was something in the back of my mind that I was trying to bring into focus. I just did. Darling, it's your incredible fragrance! My God! Waking up and having that magnificent fragrance pervading everything. What is it? I think I've had a whiff of every pricey perfume in the world at one time or another, but never anything as beautiful as what you wear. What is it?"

Looking embarrassed, Karla replied, "I'm afraid it's just me." Then with the tiniest grin she continued, "You see, darling, you were right. None of us use makeup, except for the tiniest bit of lipstick once in a great while. But we do use musk oil by the gallon. It's a perfume base, and in its pure form more expensive, by far, than any perfume. What it does — or what it's supposed to do — is enhance natural odors. So what you're smelling is the scent of my body enhanced with a gallon or two of musk."

Doug reached out and pulled her close. Sniffing behind her ear he was almost overcome with the incredible scent. Looking down at himself he said, "What's wrong with this picture?"

But then before she could respond, he snapped his fingers and said, "Good heavens! It's almost three o'clock, and everything I have with me is still in the car." Now alarmed he asked, "Is anyone on duty at the garage this time of night? I could take a cab over..."

He just ran down as he realized she was just shaking her head while wearing the cutest grin. "Honey," she said, "you could go over to the garage, I suppose, but why on earth would you want to? After all, it is snowing, and all your stuff is downstairs, so why would you want to go to the garage? You don't need a spare tire or anything, do you?"

"It's downstairs?" he confirmed.

She just nodded her head.

"And how, dear heart, did it get from my car to the lobby?"

"When I asked the doorman to have your things brought in, he said he would be happy to do it. Now would you like me just to call and have your stuff brought up?"

"In a moment," he replied. "But first, my darling, I want to ask you a question that's been bothering me ever since you changed into Levi's. Queen Karla, I want you to tell me how a woman can be exquisitely beautiful and cute at the same time. 'Beautiful' and 'cute' just don't go together. And how can you be both regal and a hoyden at the same time? In juxtaposition, those words make an oxymoron, too. Now how do you do it?"

"Lucky?" she replied with a lovely grin.

Then she called the bell stand and asked for the Earl of Whitfield's luggage to be brought up to the apartment. Just a few minutes later there was a very quiet knock on the door and Karla opened it.

To her surprise, Karl, the bell captain was standing there with two of his men behind him. "Good heavens, Karl!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here? It's the middle of the night."

With a very hesitant smile Karl replied, "My senior man on duty called me at home and said you had left luggage in the lobby. Since I knew you would want it, I came right down in hopes that I would be able to see you."

Now his smile broadened and he added, "And it worked!"

Slowly shaking her head in amazement, Karla said, "But I don't understand..."

At that point Karl took her hand, bowed smartly and kissed it. Then he dropped to one knee and looking up said softly, "Your Majesty, if your ancestors had even a fraction of the love and charity that you and your sisters demonstrate every day, you would be on that throne today. You are an example to us all."

Then tears started to flow and he shook his head saying, "But to torture one so pure as you ... A couple of my friends were imprisoned at the same time and told me about the incredible tortures you suffered ... but you never said a word."

Standing up again, he noted, "It is very late, and I didn't want to bother you, but ... I saw the gala on television. Your Majesty was so incredibly beautiful. Not as beautiful as we often see you, but truly lovely."

Now he relaxed a bit and added, "I have spoken to my wife about you. She just sniffs and says if she had a body a fraction as good as you and your sisters have, she would refuse ever to wear clothes. She maintains that the function of clothes on women is to hide their imperfections. But since none of you have any..."

Doug hadn't been able to figure out what the man was talking about. But he was impressed — again — at the way Karla could interact with anyone at any social level without ever talking down to the individual.

Now the bell captain turned to him and looked him over very carefully. Finally, he nodded in approval and said, "You, Milord, are Douglas, Earl of Whitfield?"

"I am he, sir," Doug agreed.

Then the man grinned and said, "When you kissed our queen, it was the most remarkable event in the history of Czech television! We had cameras present as did CNN, and the coverage was shared. One of the cameras was on you and the Queen when your first dance ended and you kissed her. Suddenly, it was as if the camera was focused on the sun. There was a flash of light that, we later learned, blew out the camera."

Then he shook his head and looked at Karla again, "Your Majesty, my wife watched the whole thing. Later, when I received the call from my man, she almost threw me out of the house knowing I might get to see you. You see, whenever you were dancing with Lord Whitfield, all she did was cry.

"Later when I asked her about it she said, 'You'll never understand! I was so happy. They are such a magnificent couple, I had to cry.'"

Karl shook his head and said, "With respect, Your Majesty, never will I understand women."

"But, Karl, you're not supposed to!" Karla replied with the cutest grin Doug had ever seen.

Then she took the bell captain in her arms and melted him with a kiss. Although Doug could tell it was a very light kiss for her, it almost caused the man to lose consciousness. When she released him, she reached into a jeans pocket for a $100 bill she had taken from the hall table where cash was kept for tipping.

Karl flatly refused. When she pointed out that he had others with him, he replied that he would take care of them himself. "As it is, Your Majesty, I will be savoring your love, your joy, and your grace at least through Christmas. Your kiss is without parallel. And you know what? My wife will agree. Of that, I'm certain. She will ask me about it. I will say that your lips are soft and as sweet as sugar. But then the kiss! You exude grace, beauty and goodness."

After pausing for a moment to collect his thoughts he snapped his fingers and continued, "That's it! You are truly blessed by God Himself. You are, aren't you?"

"It's getting late, Karl..." she responded.

At that his eyes widened as Karl realized how long they had been talking. In moments Doug's things were neatly piled in the hallway. And as the men were placing them carefully, Karla slipped hundred dollar bills into each of their pockets. Doug saw it all and just smiled to himself.

In moments the men were gone and the door was again closed and locked for the night. "That was the slickest bit of reverse pocket-picking I've ever seen," he said quietly. Then he added, "The SAS is basically a counter-terrorist group, so unlike Steve's people, we spend most of our time in urban settings. You could have lifted their wallets as neatly as you planted that money, couldn't you?"

"As a major in the Secret Police, of course I could, darling," she replied casually. "And after all, there are few real opportunities to practices one's skills, so one must take advantage of the opportunities as they might present themselves..."

"Now what was that reference to 'not as beautiful as we often see you, ' anyway?"

"Doug, there are a number of things you'll find out about me sooner or later, and I guess I'd rather it be sooner," she replied. Drawing herself up straight with her face impassive she continued, "Normally, I'm wearing my uniform when I'm in the apartment. The other girls do, too. The uniform is a pair of white cuffs with onyx cuff links, a winged collar like you're wearing tonight, but with a black bow tie instead of a white one. That's all. Our feet are bare, and so are our bodies."

"Whose idea was that?" Doug asked. "And why do you do it?"

"It was my idea," Karla replied proudly. "Why? Because my mistress and master are usually naked in the apartment, too. Since we are servants, I felt the need for a uniform to distinguish ourselves from the masters we serve."

With a cute little grin she said, "Besides, it's sort of cute. So anyway, Karl and his people often see us bare when they come up."

Glancing at a clock she whistled softly and said, "Ouch! It's almost four o'clock. Let's go!" Then she thought for a moment and added, "The time's about right. I want you to see something." Looking up at him she said, "Since you were SAS, am I correct in assuming you can move quietly?"

"Since I'm here beside you rather than in a grave somewhere, I guess that's a fair assumption," Doug replied with a grin.

He followed her to what he had figured out was the master bedroom. Without making a sound Karla opened the door which swung silently open on well-oiled hinges. As they entered the room Doug was thankful for the fact that the floor was concrete under the hardwood. He wouldn't have to worry about creaking. Concentrating on placing his feet without making a sound, he didn't look at his surroundings until Karla stopped him with her hand.

Only then did he look around. The bedroom was very large and its outer wall was all glass overlooking the pool terrace. The drapes were open and light reflecting on the snow-covered surface provided more than enough illumination in the room to see things clearly. In the bed were Steve and Barbara with the covers snug under their chins. Her head was on his shoulder and it was facing him. On her face was the most beautifully satisfied look he had ever seen.

At that instant one or the other moved slightly. He and Karla froze as the two moved on the bed. When they did it became apparent that Steve's right hand was cupping Barbara's right tit, while her left hand was on his groin. If they had stirred in their sleep, now they were sleeping soundly again.

Feeling a tug on his hand, he withdrew from the room as silently as he had entered. Only after Karla closed the door and led him back through the sitting room to the hallway did she utter a sound. "That look on Barbara's face was the look of a completely sexually satisfied woman. Isn't she utterly gorgeous? There are only two times when she will look more beautiful than she does now..."

"Those times... ?" Doug asked.

"Barb will look even more beautiful when she's pregnant, and at her most beautiful when she's nursing her infant at her luscious tit." When she looked up at him, Doug realized she had the most beautifully warm smile he had ever seen. She continued, "It's no accident that Renaissance painters did so many variations on 'Madonna with child.' A woman is at her most beautiful when she's nursing her infant."

Then she added, "The reason Barb looked so beautiful is that Steve undoubtedly had her in continuous orgasm for at least fifteen minutes. When she lost consciousness, she was a beautiful wreck, with her arms and legs going every which way. Sweat covered her body and Steve's fluids and her own were leaking slowly from her gaping cunt. He probably had a late-night snack at her source, then fixed the bed. By the time she regained consciousness, her head was the way you saw it: resting on Steve's shoulder. Then, after the most loving kiss imaginable, he turned out the light and they were both asleep moments later with his hand cupping her perfect breast while hers rests on his cock and balls."

With a cute little grin she added, "I hope you don't mind my language too much, Douglas Whitfield. It's another element about us all. We're ... kind of candid ... in our speech."

"I don't mind it at all," he replied. Having gathered up his gear he asked, "Now the question is, where do I sleep tonight? Or what's left of the night, anyway."

"I thought that was pretty clear," she replied as she looked at him warmly. "You're sleeping with me. There is only a single ground rule. You can't fuck me or take me in the ass. That's all." Now he realized she was trembling as she asked, "Is that all right with you?"

Doug was astounded at what he had just heard, but then realized it wasn't quite the surprise he had initially thought. The thought had first crossed his mind, he admitted to himself, when Anna had told him about a marvelous surprise. Now he realized that Karla was looking at him with her concern visibly increasing by the moment as she waited for his answer. Taking her into his arms he melted her with the most passionate kiss possible. Again there was that incredible feeling flowing through his body as he felt their love flow back and forth between them.

When they finally broke the kiss, he murmured, "My darling, it will be the perfect end to an utterly perfect day."

Then he moved her away just enough for him to be able to focus on her eyes as he continued, "Darling, I really wasn't joking earlier about my experience with women, nor was George exaggerating in any way in his letter to the girls. Karla, you are utterly perfect! And the thought that I will be able to share your bed is unbelievable! Okay? And the ground rules are fine by me."

Then with a little grin he asked, "But does that mean I'll be able to eat your cunt?"

He loved it as she cocked her head appearing to think and then replied, "Well ... okay. But only if I can suck on that incredible cock that's been poking into my groin all night. My darling, I could feel your hardness through your trousers and I can't wait to actually see it. It feels as big as Steve's!"

She seemed to be concerned about something, but then resolved her concern. With a shrug she added, "I suppose it's a good thing there are three of us. We're essentially identical, so when you split me in two you can take Maria, and then Anna. By then there should be enough mileage on your cock that she might even last for a while. Which reminds me," she asked looking up at him. "How many miles are on it now?"

"Do you really want to know?" Doug asked as he blushed with embarrassment.

"I sure do!" she replied. "I mean, it's only fair to know how many cunts you've plowed and what my competition is."

"Darling," he blurted, "the answer is none. Zero, nada, zilch." Looking at her he shook his head and continued, "In part — I guess it's most of it — I wasn't kidding. This is the third time I've said it, but without exception every girl I've dated — and including the twenty or so I brought up to Prendwick to meet my dad — have been pigs.

"It never got that far, but the idea of making love with them was revolting. Can you imagine a guy asking a girl to marry him, when she's so revolting the idea of sharing a bed with her turns his stomach? Now why don't you just throw me out?"

"Because it's Christmas, darling," Karla replied sweetly. "And you are my Christmas charity. Aren't you lucky?" And then sticking out the tip of her pink tongue she added, "And aren't I sweet?" With that she took his hand and led him to her room.



-------

Chapter 17



Doug was in the most comfortable bed he had ever been in and was waiting for Karla to finish in the bathroom. He smiled to himself remembering what they had found when they entered the room. It was a woman's room, yet so neat it was astonishing. They had found her bed turned down on both sides with a mint placed on the pillow on each side. The bed was made up with lovely sheets with broad red and white stripes reminiscent of a candy cane, while the fitted bottom sheet was solid red. In addition, next to the bed was a wine cooler with a bottle of Dom Pérignon chilling, along with two champagne flutes sitting on the closest night stand.

When she realized what her sisters had done, Karla pretended to be furious. "I'll kill 'em!" she whispered vehemently, not wanting to awaken anyone. "Of all the damned nerve!" Then to Doug she added, "Just so you know, it's a belief in the household that a man's cum washes down beautifully with champagne; Dom Pérignon is the best."

He had been daydreaming and had not been aware that Karla had silently emerged from the bathroom and had padded over to the bed. "May I join my new master?" she asked quietly.

Doug was so stunned at the magnificence of her nude body all he could do was nod.

Instead of getting under the covers, she knelt on the bed facing him and said, "Master, may I present my body to you?" Then cradling her breasts she said, "These are my tits, Master. They are full and round and very firm. My nipples are very small and brown, and are tilted upward to look at you..."

She stopped as she saw Doug slowly shaking his head. "They're not brown, darling," he said. "They are beautifully pink and look lovely on your tanned body. But why are they still pink when the rest of you is that incredible golden brown?"

Looking down at her chest, Karla was stunned to find that he was right. "But this is impossible, Doug!" she exclaimed. She was so startled she had forgotten the slave-girl rôle she was playing. "They turned brown when I delivered my baby."

Looking at him with piercing eyes she said, "That's another thing, my darling. I gave birth to a little boy more than ten years ago. You can easily see the stretch marks from my pregnancy on my abdomen..." Then she looked down over her flat belly to the familiar marks — which were no longer there.

"Susie!" she yelled, "what have you been doing?"

Doug's jaw dropped as a tiny woman suddenly materialized over his belly. She was about two feet tall with incredible blue eyes and sandy brown hair worn short like Maria's. To Karla she said, "I had absolutely nothing to do with it." Then glancing upward she added, "It was the Boss."

Then she extended her tiny hand to Doug while executing a perfect court curtsy, although she was still hovering in the air. "Good evening, Lord Whitfield. I'm Susie Sloan, and I am truly honored to meet you."

Doug took her hand and pulled her toward him. The feeling was astonishing as she moved weightlessly toward him. First he kissed the back of her hand causing her to sigh deeply. Then, acting on a sudden impulse, he pulled her closer and kissed her on her tiny lips. The effect was utterly incredible. Then he realized it was so similar to kissing the girls. Her kiss was the purest joy and love, but without a trace of passion.

When he released her, Susie shook her head to try to clear it, then said, "I have to sit down. That kiss was too damned much!"

With that she sat on his stomach, pulled her knees up to her chest, and rested her chin on them. Then to Doug she said with her eyes gleaming, "Thank you, Milord, for an utterly marvelous kiss."

"Susie Sloan, would you kindly knock off this shit!" Karla exclaimed. To Doug she said, "First of all, Douglas Whitfield, this sprite is an angel. And I mean that literally. And, if you haven't guessed already, when she refers to 'the Boss, ' she's talking about God Himself. She is one of his angels. In fact, aside from looking after us, she's my son, Billy's, guardian angel. He is the little boy I gave birth to."

To Susie she asked, "How is he? Is he all ready for Christmas?"

Tears came to Susie's eyes as she reported, "Darling, you'll never guess what Billy and his mother did last night! They got up in the middle of the night and watched the ball on CNN! And Mary Wallace is almost certain you're Billy's true mother. Yet she was so happy, and so was he. His mother told him that you were a real queen, one who put her people ahead of her own life. When President Havel was awarding you the Karla Cross, Mary was in tears murmuring, 'That poor tormented girl!'"

Then to Doug she said, "What she didn't tell you is that the boy's father is also a hero of the Republic, and very probably in line to receive the Karla Cross, too. Posthumously. Mortally wounded, he asked Karla if she would sleep with him. He took her virginity, and then died in her arms." Then drawing herself up straight she added, "Doug, she is the very best there is on the face of the earth..."

"Don't be ridiculous!" Karla objected, "There's Barb, there's—"

"The very best there is!" Susie interrupted.

"After you, Susie Sloan," Karla stated. To Doug she said, "This angel was Steve Sloan's first wife. I was beaten for 36 hours. Susie was tortured to death over 72. When she died, she had been blinded — both of her eyes had been poked out. She asked to be looking at Steve when they were about to remove her second eye; she wanted her last sight on earth to be her darling husband. Both of her tits had been amputated... and cooked! She ate one and asked that her right tit be served to Steve; she thought it was the better of the two. Her right leg had been amputated, too, and was being roasted. Steve ate slices from it before escaping.

"The purpose of the torture? To get Steve to talk. But throughout her savage torture she kept telling Steve not to say a word. At the end they tried to force her to renounce Christ, but she refused. So, Doug, this is Susan Sloan, martyr, saint, and now angel ... and the bravest woman who ever lived!"

Then to Susie she said, "But, Mrs. Sloan, you never did explain what happened to my stretch marks? Or my nipples? What did happen?"

"Hon, I mentioned that the Boss is always working on the girls to polish some facet? Well, since you're back home, you're in the game, too. And since you're spending the night — or what's left of it — with Doug, he wanted you to be absolutely perfect."

Then she grinned and added, "When you yelled, by the way, you were interrupting the best party we've had in years! The whole Czech contingent are as drunk as skunks, singing patriotic songs, and toasting Queen Karla. Your parents are both so proud, the Boss was afraid they would burst.

"And your ancestors, the King and Queen of Bohemia? It was the funniest damned thing I ever saw. When the Queen complained that the crown never looked nearly as good on her head — and it had been made for her, after all — the King pointed out that, as much as he loved her, she never had a fraction of your beauty, either.

"The Queen cocked her head, then slowly nodded and said, 'You're right, darling. Nor did I ever suffer the way she did, either.'

"Then she thought a bit more and added, 'Now I know what the problem was. We never whipped candidates for the nobility. When Karla and her sisters were whipped, it utterly destroyed all but the best in them. Their bodies were seared to purify their souls.'

"Then the King commented, 'Would that we had the wisdom, kindness, and love for our country and our people that these girls do. Just look! They are utterly worshiped by everyone, and deserve to be.' Darling Karla, there was a massive celebration in Heaven in your honor. And I hope you're satisfied."

Then to Doug she said, "Karla was in the process of presenting her body to you. But let me." Floating over to Karla she looked and murmured, "Utterly perfect!"

Then to Doug she said, "You can see her tits and her lovely little nipples. Her belly is flat. Her skin is a flawless satin over perfectly developed muscles. Her cunt is utterly perfect. It is as sweet as sugar — and virginal, as you may find out. But you won't find out for sure tonight, although if you finger-fuck her you'll feel her hymen is still intact.

"She would have us believe that she conceived a bastard. She did not! She conceived a child in love and then paid a terrible price to give birth, having to leave her own country to do it. She gave him up for adoption not even knowing her infant was a little boy. The nuns had already made arrangements for the child's adoption by a wonderful childless couple in the States. As Karla knows, his mother, Mary Wallace, has told the boy that his parents are Czech and are heroes at home. She is even teaching the boy to speak Czech so he can greet his true mother when she comes to see him. Can you imagine greater love than that? I certainly can't, nor can the Boss. So he showers the family with his blessings.

"But I lost my train of thought. Karla's body is utterly perfect." Then she grinned and added, "Although her legs aren't quite as smooth as they were in Los Angeles. There, the Sloans have a wonderful young Bengal tiger, Duke. The little guy — although he's not so little any more — just adores Karla. He licks her legs and in the process takes off any hair and makes her legs as smooth as a baby's bottom. And it feels great, too, doesn't it?"

"It sure does!" Karla exclaimed. "He's about 300 pounds now, on his way to his adult weight of about 600. And he's a doll! We play a game. We pretend that licking my legs is the price he must pay in order to drink at my source, which he loves to do. At the same time, he's so exquisitely careful to leave my little beaver alone." Bending over backward, she ran her fingers through her dense patch of golden pubic hair that was perfectly shaped and just above her slit. "Do you like it?"

Doug was in a state of shock. He had just learned that the girl he had come to adore was a mother, and yet was still — or again — a virgin. Moreover, she was considered to be perfect in the eyes of God Himself.

"It's perfect," he replied. "Now please come to me."

Shaking his head while tears came to his eyes he added, "My darling, I'm at a total loss. I hear from God's personal messenger that the girl I only met hours ago is perfect in his eyes. Now how do you suppose that makes me feel? What, in His Divine Name, do I bring to this party?"

"Do you want an answer?" Susie asked quietly.

"Damned right I do!" he exclaimed.

"Okay," she said softly. "You asked for it."

Floating over to where the covers were up to his shoulders, she took them and pulled them down to his waist. Then floating to his left shoulder she said, "This ugly-looking scar was a piece of shrapnel from an exploding grenade. The Kevlar vest he was wearing took most of the explosion when he fell on an armed grenade to protect his men." Moving down she pointed to a dimpled scar on his belly to the left of his navel and said, "This was a rifle round that penetrated the vest — and him."

To Karla she said, "This is Major Lord Douglas Donald Whitfield, DSC, KCB, the 8th Earl of Whitfield. His heroism is without parallel in modern British history. Although he doesn't know it, he's in line for a Victoria Cross at the next accession. He's very bright. He's handsome. He's noble. And he's a virgin."

Then she grinned at Karla and said, "And his kisses are even more filled with love than my darling Steve's." Back to Doug she said, "And one more thing. You are how old? Thirty-four? Thirty-five?"

"Thirty-five," Doug replied. "I'll be 36 next month. And that's another thing: I'm too old for Karla. Look at her! She's — what? — nineteen?"

"I am like hell!" Karla objected. "I'm almost 28."

Shaking her head in feigned sadness Susie said, "The hell you are!" Looking upward she added quickly, "Sorry about that, Boss, but 'the heaven you are' still doesn't make it!"

Back to Karla she continued, "How many times must I tell you, you're 19 — and holding! You're just like Barb."

To Doug she said, "I wanted to show your love your scars — while they're still there. They'll be gone in the morning. And you'll be 22." She grinned and added, "The Boss likes those numbers: 19 for girls and 22 for guys. Now why don't I blow this dump and let you get on with it?"

Floating first to Karla and then to Doug, she gave each light but loving kisses, then vaporized.

"Getting back to the business at hand..." Karla whispered. Then she moved up and pulled the covers down farther exposing Doug's raging cock. It was, he knew, the most powerful erection of his life. Moving up, she lovingly kissed the scar on his shoulder, then his lips, but before he could do more she was moving down his torso kissing him everywhere.

"What a gorgeous hairy chest!" she exclaimed in a whisper. "What fun I'm going to have!" Then she kissed the scar on his body and continued kissing until she got to his cock. "Oh, Doug!" she exclaimed, "you're so utterly beautiful!" Then she took the head into her mouth and, while holding it with her hand around its barrel, proceeded to lick it like an ice-cream cone.

Doug watched in loving amazement at what followed. Karla bent over him and the next thing he knew his whole cock had disappeared into her mouth. Her lips were on his sac and he could feel her sucking his cock while licking the shaft with her tongue. When he asked where his cock had gone, he felt the strangest sensation as she actually giggled with it in her mouth while pointing to the center of her belly. He groaned as he felt the sensation build towards an explosive discharge. Remarkably, whenever he felt he was about to let go, somehow she changed her tempo and the urge receded, while his tension continued to build.

"Please, darling!" he cried. "I'm going to explode! Let me cum! Please!"

With his cock still buried in her throat to its root — it was the only place it could be, he had concluded — she looked up at him, cocked her head while appearing to think about his plea, but then just shook her head and went back to her sucking.

He could have sworn he actually heard her say, "no," but she couldn't possibly talk with a mouthful of cock. Doug found he was pounding the bed with his fists as he felt his cock reaching the point where he was afraid it would explode. He screamed when he felt Karla's hands gripping his balls and squeezing hard.

Then he saw her release one hand and hold the barrel of his cock as it slid from her mouth until only its circumcised head remained. Still she squeezed his balls rhythmically with her other hand as he felt himself shooting his cum in successive bursts into her mouth. He could see her throat working quickly to swallow it as fast as she could, but still a bit forced its way from her mouth and started to run down her cheek. When it did, she stopped her milking and her hand came up to wipe the cum from her cheek before it dropped on the sheet but then returned to her previous task.

He could actually feel the suction from her mouth as she seemed to be trying to drain him dry. Doug's head was spinning when she finally released his cock and then licked off every drop before letting him go.

"Darling, you're delicious!" she exclaimed, raising her head. Then she looked down and cradled his balls in her hands and said, "But you were so full, and now look! Did I do all of that?"

She lifted his balls and he saw that she had indeed nearly drained him.

Crawling up the bed, she reached for the champagne. Before she could even start to open the bottle, Doug took it from her and expertly opened it himself. After carefully pouring her glass, he passed it to her.

While he was pouring a glass for himself, she raised hers in a toast and said, "To my lover, and to his glorious cock and his delicious cum. I hope this is only the first of many times I will get to drink at his source."

With that she sipped the champagne, swished it around in her mouth and swallowed. "Darling, they're right!" she exclaimed. "It's utterly delicious washing down your cum. I love it!"

Then she climbed into the bed beside him for the first time and relished their very first post-sex kiss.

When she started to snuggle close with her head on his shoulder, Doug asked, "And what does my darling think she's doing?"

"Your darling is collapsing is what she's doing," Karla replied sleepily. "I'm going to sleep to savor that marvelous cum for the rest of the night." Then her eyes opened and she asked, "But I'm sorry, darling. I forgot to ask. Was it any good for you? Did you like it?"

"Like it?" he exclaimed. "If it had been any better, I'd be dead!" Then he said sternly, "Slave, are you or are you not here for my amusement?"

"Of course I am!" she replied. "What would you have me do, Master? Almost anything. Could I ... Could I drink your urine? Could I..."

"You could spread your legs ... wide!" he commanded. "And if you want to go to sleep, you're welcome to do so, but in the meantime I intend to drink at your source. After all, I have it on the highest authority that you are as sweet as sugar!"

With that he pulled the covers off, crawled down the bed and then put her gorgeous legs over his shoulders bringing her hairless slit near his mouth. For Doug, the night was one of incredible surprises. It was the first time he had ever seen a naked woman up close. It was the first oral sex he had ever experienced. And now it was the first time he had ever tried to eat a woman's cunt. And he realized he had no idea how to do it.

Reaching down with her slender hand, Karla parted her hairless nether lips and whispered, "Darling, the tiny thing on top is my clitoris. It's the closest thing to a cock I have, but it has far more nerve endings than your cock does. You can lick it, bite it off ... Do anything. And please, God, make me be sweet for my lover!"

Following her suggestion, Doug kissed her lips and probed the slit exposed by her fingers that were still spreading her lips apart. When he kissed the tiny bud, her pelvis shuddered in its first orgasm.

"Eat me, darling! Oh, please eat me. Bite my clit off."

He kissed it, licked it, and gently nibbled on it. Then his tongue found her vagina and he probed as deeply as he could reach.

"Darling, that feels so good!" she screamed.

Tasting her cuntal juices that were now flowing he realized that they were as sweet as sugar. He loved it. While he had begun with some trepidation, now he found he loved it. He loved holding her magnificent legs in his hands and he loved the pleasure he was creating for her. Alternately licking, nibbling and probing, he found that she was cuming with increasing frequency and with an increasing volume of fluid. As her pelvis shuddered and jerked in orgasm, he found he had to hold her tighter to keep her cunt in position for his lips. Then he realized he had her in continuous orgasm. Her pelvis was in spasm and it was harder to hold her because of the great strength of her muscles. While formerly she had been screaming, "Eat me!" now she was babbling incoherently.

Now he wanted to see how long he could maintain her in her orgasmic condition so he continued, slurping up the now-constant flow of her love juice. Minutes passed, but he didn't slow down, nor did she. Doug marveled at her incredible physical development now fully revealed as all the muscles in her lower body were in convulsion. Finally, he bit her clit hard. There was an inchoate scream of pure passion and she came in a flood as she was seized by her ultimate orgasm. A moment later, she was limp in his arms, unconscious.

After gently lowering her legs to the bed, he licked her groin and on impulse kissed the luscious golden pubic patch. Finally, he moved up the bed and slid in beside her, resting her head on his shoulder.

Moments or minutes later — he wasn't sure which — she stirred on his shoulder. When he looked at her, her eyes opened and again he was startled. Rather than being unfocused, her eyes were bright and focused on him. "Darling," she murmured, "that was so great!"

Then in a change of tone she said, "Thank you, Master. You have given your poor slave girl great pleasure!"

Again her voice changed back to its normal timbre. "Darling, you're marvelous washed down with champagne. Want to see what it's like as a chaser for my juices?"

With a grin, Doug reached for the champagne bottle and retrieved her glass. After refilling it, he poured one for himself. Then raising his glass to her, he said, "To the girl with the sweetest cunt in the world." He reddened as he said it.

Seeing his reaction she said, "Darling, please don't fret. I have a cunt..." She suddenly looked concerned and said, "unless you prefer another term? Twat? Slit?"

"Cunt," he stated flatly. "My darling has a beautiful cunt!"

"And my tits? Are they all right? Are they too firm?" Looking frustrated she added, "They're certainly not big enough, and beginning as soon as we're out of bed—"

"You will do nothing!" he exclaimed. Then with his free hand he cupped her closest tit and gently squeezed, then squeezed with increasing pressure. "Your tits are utterly perfect! If it was any bigger, I couldn't get my hand over it. And, Your Majesty, I have large hands but some of your tit spills over as it is. Now is that clear enough?"

His voice softened dramatically as he asked, "But did I hurt you? Did I squeeze your luscious tit too hard?"

As he squeezed her tit, Karla's body had been wriggling in delight. "No, darling, you didn't. You couldn't possibly hurt me squeezing my tit. And it feels so great! Now if I could only interest you in pinching my nipple, perhaps? But maybe they're too small..."

This time he moved his head over and lightly nibbled on her tiny pink nipple. While it was already engorged, his nibbling caused it instantly to redden and extend out longer like a blunt pencil.

Again Karla let out a soft scream of happiness and put her hand over the back of his head to keep it tight to her breast. "My darling, you're killing me!" she whispered. "But it feels so utterly marvelous."

While he had been biting her nipple, Doug had been juggling his champagne glass in his left hand. Now relaxing against the pillows he said, "Wench, let us settle this once and for all, right now! God Himself has determined that you are perfect. I have determined you are perfect. Now who are you, a mere slave, to object to our determination?"

"I'm sorry?" she squeaked in a little girl's voice.

"You better be," Doug concluded. Then again he raised his glass and said, "To my love: she has the sweetest cunt, the most gorgeous tits, and the most perfect body in the world."

She smiled warmly as he drank his toast.

As they snuggled together, they finally became aware of the outdoors. Like the master bedroom, Karla's room also opened onto the pool terrace and was floor to ceiling glass on the entire wall. It had been snowing and the terrace had been snow-covered when they visited the Sloans. But now it was blowing and they could hear the wind howling over the roof and around obstructions on it.

With the most loving smile he had ever seen she whispered, "Darling, could we sleep now? I can't tell you how long I've dreamed about a night like this, and it couldn't possibly be better. I dreamed of going to sleep in the arms of my lover with the wind howling outside while I warmed my body against his."

Then she added, "The only thing better would have been for you to have emptied your huge balls in my cunt, but that's not to be, at least not tonight. Could we go to sleep now, my beloved darling?"

Doug melted his lips on hers and again felt the incredible surge of love and passion flowing between them. He realized that this incredible girl beside him was capable of rendering him unconscious with a mere kiss. With her cheek on his shoulder and her body pressed to his, he could feel her relax. In only a moment he could feel the gentle breeze of her exhaled breath on his shoulder. Being as careful as he could not to disturb her, he turned out the light. In a few moments, he was asleep, too.

It was only two hours later when he felt a squeeze on his balls and opened his eyes. Her face was in front of his and incredibly, she seemed wide awake and refreshed after only about two hours of sleep. They kissed and a moment later her head was under the covers and sucking his cock. Doug couldn't understand how it could possibly be hard after having been drained so completely just a couple of hours earlier, but it certainly was. With her mouth on his cock her bottom was in the air.

Unable to resist, he squeezed one of her buns and delighted as her pelvis wiggled in thanks. When he then pinched it, he heard a muffled squeal from under the covers and one of her hands emerged to gently rub the injured place. But then she wriggled her ass even harder in delight. After a repeat of the night before, he spent in her mouth feeling like his sac was being completely emptied.

When her head reappeared, Karla was grinning. "Darling, I'm delighted that I have a pinchable ass! It's so incredibly neat."

Then he ate her cunt and again put her into continuous orgasm and maintained her there for minutes. Again he bit her clit and put her out. But this time when she regained consciousness, she just kissed him, thanked him for the wonderful cunt lapping and hopped out of bed.

A bit stunned by her sudden move — Doug had been thinking of spending the morning cuddling in bed — he recovered rapidly. "And you, Your Majesty, are a magnificent cocksucker!"

"I am?" she exclaimed delightedly. "I can't wait to tell the others. I'm now certified by a peer of the realm as being a magnificent cocksucker." Then her voice hardened and she said, "Now, soldier, off your ass and on your feet! We've got lots to do this morning!"

Laughing, Doug jumped out of bed and into her arms. Again he held her close, burned her lips with another passionate kiss and then squeezed a bun hard.

After returning the kiss with even more passion than his, she said, "For damned sure, mister, you need to be cooled off! And I need a little outdoor exercise as opposed to the bedroom variety for which I thank you most gratefully."

To his astonishment, in spite of the snow having accumulated and even having drifted up against the glass door, she slid it open and ran toward the pool.

Doug just shook his head. Not only was the snow inches deep on the terrace, it was still coming down hard and being driven by a strong northerly wind to boot. At times it seemed to be coming down almost horizontally. Shaking his head, he started after her. Looking up, he saw her standing on one of the starting boxes absolutely naked while the snow eddied around her body. It was a new sensation to be making footprints in the snow with bare feet, but he joined her on a box.

While he was about to dive in — already he was so cold his teeth were beginning to chatter — Karla just asked, "How about 400 meters, darling? Feel like going so far?"

Not trusting his teeth not to chatter, all Doug could do was nod. He watched as she made some entries into the computerized starting system and then took her mark. Doug watched in wonder as she seemed utterly impervious to the cold or the wind.

The synthesized voice said, "Take your marks ... Get set..." Then there was the sound of a starter's buzzer and Karla was in the water in the smoothest dive he had ever seen. Only then did he realize he was still standing on the box, so he launched himself into the water. Because of both his physical conditioning and his training, Doug had become a very good swimmer. But he was no match for Karla.

While he churned up and down the pool, he continued to fall farther behind while Karla just kept moving faster through the water. While still on his first 50 meters, she passed him going the other way. Doing his fourth length, she overtook him and lapped him. Doug put everything he had into his stroke, trying for the greatest speed possible. As it was, he was swimming at a speed he could not sustain and barely made it to the end. At the end of his third lap in the 50-meter pool, Karla lapped him again.

When she touched, the timing system went into what the girls had started to call its home-run routine. Lights flashed, sirens sounded, and it would have set off fireworks, except that portion of its routine had been shut down.

Finally reaching the end, he found Karla standing on the side, still ignoring the snow, wind and cold, waiting to help him out. After pausing for a few moments to try to regain his strength, he extended his hand. She gripped it and seeming without effort pulled him out of the pool.

"Come on, darling, let's go!" she said. "I'm starting to get cold!"

With that she ran through the snow and entered a little wooden hut, leaving the door open for him as she did. He jumped in after her and shut the door tightly. Doug found her pouring a pitcher of water over coals and instantly the water started to turn to steam. Since he was so cold, it took a moment for him to realize the temperature in the hut was somewhere around 140 degrees Fahrenheit.

"This is our sauna," Karla explained. "Now why don't you sit down so I can use one of your huge thighs as a headrest?"

Still out of breath from his swim, Doug more collapsed than sat on the wooden bench that ran around three of the four walls of the hut.

As soon as he did, Karla lay down on the bench and put her head on his tanned thigh. Closing her eyes she murmured, "This even provides two firm tits in easy reach of your hand. Aren't I being considerate?"

Doug grinned and cupped one of her luscious tits evoking a whimper of joy from her. As the steam filled the small hut, sweat broke out on both their bodies and started to run. While toying with one of her nipples, he noticed that sweat had formed on her golden belly almost the way moisture condenses on a window pane. Moving his forefinger, he formed a grid and began to play tic-tac-toe.

"What are you doing?" Karla asked in a sleepy voice. "Why aren't you just fondling my tit? Or are you tired of them already?"

"What is a slave's primary duty?" Doug asked rather than replying to her question.

Her eyes popped opened. "To do anything to give her master pleasure," she answered softly.

"Good! In that case roll over. I need a new board for my next game." As Karla started to move, Doug became aware of very fine lines crisscrossing her body. "Stop!" he said. "I want to see something..."

"Master," Karla complained, "haven't you ever taken a course in slave ownership?"

When he shook his head, knowing he was being set up, she continued, "You must know — it's right there on page one, in fact — that slaves are simple-minded. We are easily confused. Therefore, orders should be very simple. And a master should always wait until the first order has been fully carried out before issuing a second. And under no conditions should two orders be given at once. Why, I read where one poor slave died of starvation because her master gave her two orders, and she starved while trying to figure out which one to carry out first."

With her eyes wide and her head still resting on his thigh she looked up at his face and said, "Now, Master, you were saying... ?"

"These are the scars left from when you were whipped by the Russians, aren't they?" he asked. Now that he knew what to look for he was almost sickened by the extent of the damage. They ran from her shoulders down nearly to her knees.

"Would you like them erased?" she asked. "It could be done quite easily."

Instead of answering, Doug cradled her body in his arms and lifted her head up to his. "My poor darling!" he whispered. "I have never seen or heard of such a savage beating!"

"Remember Susie Sloan," Karla replied. "While I was begging to be raped, she was asking that her right tit be served to Steve. While I was a whimpering wreck, she suffered amputation of both tits and her right leg while fully conscious. They had previously whipped her to the extent that she had no skin left on her body. It had been flayed off. Yet she took her husband inside her with joy! That, dear master, is true bravery. My behavior was disgraceful!"

"And if they had done to you what they did to Susie, would you have talked? Would you have told them where Havel, Klaus, and the rest were hiding?"

Looking puzzled, Karla just shook her head. "But that was different. That would have crippled our country. Without Václav Havel, I don't think we ever would have achieved independence. He was far too important. I couldn't have said a word."

"My darling," Doug said softly, "I agree with your assessment of Susie. She demonstrates the spirit that makes Americans impossible to defeat. But you, dear heart, are in a class by yourself."

Then he said, "As my slave, you're supposed to do anything within your power to make me happy, right?"

"Of course, Master," she replied softly. "Within the limits of the two restrictions, but that's all. Now what can your worshipful slave do to make her master happy?"

"You can marry me," he replied softly. "That would make me very happy."

"Okay," she replied as she wriggled in his arms. With sweat pouring off both their bodies, her movements felt strange to him as their sweat acted almost like oil to lubricate her motions.

"Okay, what?" he asked, puzzled by her response.

"Okay, I'll marry you," she replied simply. "But in the meantime, I'm much smaller than you are and it seems most of me has already dissolved and run down the drain."

"I have a question you must answer first. What was that commotion at the end of the pool when you touched?"

"A new world record," she replied. "I lowered the old one by a couple of seconds."

"You set a new women's record for 400 meters?" Doug asked incredulously.

"No. It was the men's record. When I edged out Barbara last week by three one-thousandths of a second, that was a new record. Then I took a couple of more seconds off that time this morning." Then with a lovely grin she added, "And you're responsible, too."

"And what did I do, darling slave?" Doug asked. "Other than having you lap me twice in a four-lap race, that is."

"Darling, it wasn't in the pool, it was last night and this morning in bed. I read somewhere that an athlete performs better after being sexually satisfied. Well, darling, I was very satisfied, and I guess it showed."

Doug shook his head and reflected on what Paula Wilhelm had said at the table the night before. Everything she said was the truth. In fact, these girls were even more incredible than she said. Realizing that sweat was pouring off their bodies, he said, "Okay, Slave. You may arise. As a sign of my great esteem, I will allow you to leave this hut. Now how do you express your gratitude?"

Pulling herself up, she melted her lips to his and poured out her love. Again, Doug heard the bells, felt the electricity, and — remarkably — felt his cock stiffen even more. When he was again able to speak, he said, "That was ... adequate, Slave. You may arise."

Karla jumped from his lap and after setting the temperature to its idle setting, opened the door and jumped feet-first into a tiny pool near the door. Watching from the door, Doug was surprised to see that it was deeper than its diameter since Karla's head disappeared under water. He estimated it to be about five feet across and probably seven or eight feet deep. Her head popped to the surface and she just stayed there.

"What are you waiting for?" she asked. "You have to close the pores and get rid of some to the sweat. Jump in!" Then she moved to the edge of the little pool to make room for him.

Doug then did what she had done, jumping in feet first. The instant his body hit the water, it was as if he had jumped into the Arctic Ocean in midwinter. No sooner did he jump than Karla vaulted out of the refrigerated pool — the temperature was 38 degrees Fahrenheit — and waited. As soon as Doug's head popped to the surface, she stepped on it and raced for the shower room. Doug surfaced again, vaulted out of the pool and raced through the snow after her. Only then did he realize that their bathroom also had a door opening on the pool deck, and it was to this he ran.

With his teeth chattering — never in his life had he been so cold — he went into the shower with her. Although it was not the same giant size as the one in the master bath, it, too, had sprays on three walls and was easily large enough for three adults. Karla already had all the nozzles pouring out warm water. When he joined her, she took him in her arms and started to chafe his back to warm it while she crushed her body to his chest.

Barely able to suppress her giggles, she widened her eyes and said, "There, Master! Didn't that do a good job of closing your pores? I'll bet you're not hot and sweaty anymore, are you?"

Again Doug realized what an utterly incredible girl he had in his arms. After setting a world's swimming record, she still acted like a fun-loving hoyden. Life with this girl will never be dull! he thought. Moreover, he loved the idea. Everything about her was joyous. Then he found that she took great delight in soaping his body.

When she seemed to be concentrating on the hair on his chest he asked, "By the way, last night you loved the hair on my chest. Why?"

"You'll see later, Master," she replied. Then with a lovely grin she added, "It's a form of self-torture that won't hurt you at all. But it appeals to my masochistic instincts." Doug filed that bit of information in his brain.

After shampooing her own hair and reaching up to wash his, she turned off the water and dried off his body. "Your scars are gone, darling," she commented. Now his magnificent body was unmarked. "Maybe I should ask Susie to get rid of mine. I want to be as perfect as I can be in your eyes."

"It's impossible for you to be more perfect than you are," he replied softly.

Then he felt himself being led to a massage table. Getting on it, he relaxed as he received the most perfect massage of his life. Karla's fingers — normally so gentle — now felt like steel rods as she poked and probed and worked out any tension he still felt. Then he reversed and worked on hers, using the musk oil she had shown him. Again he was struck with her utter perfection. Finally, he helped her off the table and headed back to their adjoining bedroom.

At that point, instead of releasing her, he sat on the edge of the bed and put her over his knee. Then he began to torture her by gently caressing her buns, her back, and her inner thighs. But at the same time, at random intervals he would smack her buns hard.

Although Karla at first tried to get away, she realized it was useless; he was far stronger than she. Then she realized that, with her clit in contact with his hard-muscled thigh, it was sexually stimulating. Tirelessly, Doug just continued what he was doing with his caresses mixed with smacks at random intervals. Finally, Karla reached the point where every smack provoked an orgasm. She found herself pleading to be spanked even harder but he just continued. Then, realizing he wouldn't change, she began to cry and whimper while waiting for another spank on her bottom.

Doug realized that Karla's bottom was now bright red and finally he stopped the spanks. Suddenly, with a burst of strength, Karla was off his leg and running for the door. After taking a terry robe from the closet, he followed.

He found Karla in the kitchen with Barbara who was at the range cooking. "Big Sister," Karla cried, "tell Douglas to leave at once! He beat me. Just look what he did!" With that she turned around so Barb could see her scarlet ass.

"And what did my baby sister do to provoke the spanking, may I ask?" Then she cocked her head and then nodded. "Well ... you were swimming — that damned timer thing woke me up — and then you were in the sauna, so ... You probably lured Doug into that liquid refrigerator, didn't you? And then stepped on his head when he popped up?"

"How did you know?" Karla asked, surprised at Barb's perspicacity.

"It's been done before," Barb replied in a flat tone of voice with no further explanation. "But then I heard you pleading to be spanked harder. Why was that, if you wanted him to stop?"

"Because," Karla replied with a little pout.

"From that grin on your face, Doug, there was more to it. What were you thinking about?"

"Your baby sister told me in the shower that she was a masochist. I wanted to find out if she was telling me the truth. And you know what? She really is. It got to the point that every time I spanked her she had an orgasm. But anyway, I can't leave just yet."

"And why not?" Karla asked haughtily.

"Because you're going to marry me. Remember?"

"Oh, yeah," she replied in an utterly flat tone of voice. "I guess I did say that, didn't I. When?"

"Oh, darling!" Barb exclaimed. "That's marvelous!"

"What's marvelous about it?" Karla asked in the same flat tone. "Since I've been repeatedly raped, and have given birth to a child out of wedlock, I guess it's the best I can expect, but what's so great about it?"

"How was your night together?" Barb asked as she folded an omelette out on a plate. Pointing to a place at the breakfast table, she motioned for Doug to sit down and eat.

"It was unbelievable!" Karla exclaimed, her playacting forgotten. "Oh, Sis, it was just so neat! And guess what? Doug says I'm a marvelous cocksucker. I just hope I turn out to be a great fuck, too!"

At that point, Barb took Karla in her arms and kissed her with all the love she possessed. Karla returned the kiss with equal fervor while Doug just watched realizing that the power of their kiss would kill almost anyone else alive.

Pulling away just enough for her to be able to look into Karla's eyes, Barb said, "Darling sister, I couldn't possibly be happier!"

Then she dropped to her knees by Doug's chair and gave him a similarly powerful kiss. To his amazement, he found he could now absorb her love while trying to communicate the love he felt for this wonderful person through his lips as well.

When their kiss ended, Barb said, "Be good to her, Doug. She's really the very best there is."

In moments there were two more omelettes on the table and the three were eating. Only then did Doug realize it was the very finest omelette he had ever had in his life. When they finished, Doug glanced at a clock and found that it was not yet nine o'clock. Then, recognizing that Barb was wearing a robe similar to his own, he swallowed hard and asked, "Barb, could you take off the robe for a moment?"

"Why only for a moment, Doug?" she asked. "The only reason I'm wearing the dumb thing at all is to avoid embarrassing you. But if I do, you do, too. Okay?"

Having raised the subject, Doug instantly realized he couldn't refuse so he stood up and slipped off the robe. The moment he did, Karla was on her knees before him cradling his cock and balls in her hands. "Isn't he beautiful?" she breathed. "He's as big as Steve! But I was able to take him fully into my mouth — or my belly, where his tip probably was. But it was just so neat!"

"I'm so happy for you, Baby Sister," Barb said. Then to Doug she asked, "I'm bare. Now was there some purpose you had in mind?"

Focusing on her body, he realized Karla had been right. Barbara's body was utterly perfect. She had the same golden tan that Karla did, although it was just the slightest bit darker. He asked Karla to stand beside her sister which she did proudly. Then he fondled Barb's right tit and Karla's left. The feeling was exactly the same. Then he asked, "Are the other girls like you two?"

"Why don't we go and find out?" Karla replied with a grin. Then she took his hand and led him to the office. There they found the two girls, both wearing robes, at their computers.

"You can take 'em off, kids," Karla commented. "Just look at what I got!"

The two both looked at Doug's naked body and softly whistled. Then they stood and shrugged off their robes, too.

Looking at Karla, he asked, "May I?"

"Of course, darling," she replied with a grin. "And they'll really love it if you fondle their bodies a bit. Anna's clit is sinfully sensitive, for example. If you even touch it, she cums."

Moving to stand behind the girls he wrapped his long arms around their bodies and squeezed a firm tit in each hand. Then he reached down and gave an ass cheek belonging to each one a squeeze, provoking sighs of joy from both girls. Then reaching around, he fingered their bare slits. He was amused to realize that until the night before he had been uncertain about where a girl's clitoris really was. Now he fondled them, and pinched their tiny love buds, triggering orgasms in both. Then gently he slid a finger up each of their vaginas and gently lifted. Both girls rose to their tiptoes from the pressure while moaning in delight. He realized that both were leaning back against him for support as they relished the sexual stimulation he was providing. Then one after the other, he turned them around to face him and kissed them.

When he did, each girl crushed her beautiful body to his and tried her best to communicate the love for him that they felt. To his embarrassment, each girl thanked him for his attentions and told Karla she was the luckiest girl in the whole world to have him.

As Anna was thanking him for the wonderful sensations he had created, a synthesized voice yelled, "Girls, what are you doing? Everything's set up and the Crays want to know what you want them to do. And, boy, are they ever excited. You can't believe how thrilled they are to be working with you for a change instead of just grinding up millions of sets of the same numbers."

Anna yelped, sat down in her chair and slipped on an operator's headset. "Sorry about that, Susie," she exclaimed. "But guess who it was? It was your top nomination for a date with us, Doug Whitfield. Oh! Before I forget, send a note to George in London thanking him for it. Although he's not linking up with either of us, our sister, Karla, is madly in love with him—"

"And just agreed to marry him less than an hour ago," Karla interjected.

"—and just agreed to marry him!" Anna repeated. "Isn't that great?"

"It's terrific," Susie, the computer, agreed, "but in the meantime you've got about half of North America's total computing power linked together. Now what do you want them to do?" she almost screamed.

Maria, who had also slipped on her headset, replied, "Darling, we're trying to develop some good voice recognition software. This way, a person just talks normally into a mike or a headset and the voice is translated into a form usable by a spreadsheet, a word processor, a graphics program ... You name it."

"Neat!" the synthesized voice yelped. Then in a subdued tone it asked, "But how?"

"We're not sure," Anna said, "but this is what we're thinking about..."

At that point both girls' fingers started to fly over the keyboards. Doug, watching the screens, realized that the data input was far faster than he could follow. Moreover, he realized, the two girls were doing different things together.

While he watched, Steve appeared and asked what was going on. Barb, who had come in moments before, filled him in. The four watched as input flowed through the powerful computers and giggled as Susie, the computer, periodically commented in awe.

Somehow the two girls finished simultaneously and just sat back to see what happened. "What about it, Susie?" Anna asked.

At that point Susie materialized and asked, "What about what?"

"Not you, Imp!" Anna greeted her. "We're talking to our Mayday program. We named her Susie in your honor."

"You named a computer...  after me?" The little sprite giggled and said, "Girls, let me give you the hot scoop: I am the most technologically illiterate person God ever created. Naming anything involving a computer after me is one of the sickest in a long line of sick jokes. But what's it doing now?" When Anna explained, the tiny sprite said, "Goody! But now what?"

"Now we see what we will see," Maria replied. "Anna and I think this will work, but it's like nuclear energy: It remained an intellectual curiosity in physics until there was a big bang over in New Mexico."

"Good heavens!" Susie, the computer, interrupted. "There's a brownout affecting all of the Eastern United States. What in hell are you girls doing, anyway?"

"Aside from blacking out North America, you mean?" Anna replied. "We're just solving a little problem."

Then to Steve she explained, "We figured this would require a lot of power. That's why it's timed for 0300 hours, Eastern time. We figured there would be the greatest excess generating capacity available. But I guess they're having a hard time spinning up so many generators so fast."

Then to Barb she said, "Want to check CNN? It might be fun."

The four left the girls with their computers and went into the library. Again Doug was reminded how incredibly self-contained the apartment actually was. CNN came up on the screen and they found the anchorman, scheduled for a quiet graveyard shift, excitedly describing how there had been an enormous spike in demand for electricity throughout the eastern United States and reaching, in fact, as far west as Denver.

Then he was handed a bulletin and his eyes popped. "My goodness!" he exclaimed. "CNN has just learned that demand has spiked in Canada and now on the Pacific coast. We have contacted several major electric utilities, but frankly they have been too busy to talk to us as they try to get every bit of generating capacity they have on line."

Another bulletin reached his hands and he said, "I have just learned that CNN has shifted to its own emergency power. Local power voltages have dropped to below our minimums. Furthermore, every computer facility we're aware of has also gone to backup power." Looking at the camera, he said, "We don't have a clue regarding what is going on."

Another bulletin was handed to him and he breathed an audible sigh of relief. "CNN has just learned that the North American Power Grid is now safe. Hundreds of instant-acting gas turbine generators are now online as all of the major steam and nuclear plants are spinning up to peak power production as fast as they can. The possible disaster has apparently been averted. But the question remains: What happened? That will take a long time to answer, if an answer is ever obtained."

Steve shut off the TV and they returned to the office. Susie, their combined computer, was elated. The combined computing power of all of North America had produced a solution. "And I orchestrated it!" she exclaimed. "Me! Sitting by myself in a couple of desktops in the Czech Republic controlling all the Cray computers in the world, linked in series to multiply their power."

She paused for a moment and added, "I just got a very sweet note from the Cray at the U.S. Navy's Submarine Control Center in Norfolk. He says it's more fun than he's had since the day he was built. He says it was the most fascinating set of equations he's ever seen. And," she continued proudly, "I had to tell him how to handle it! Can you imagine? Me? Telling a Cray how to handle an equation? And he loves me and wants to meet me sometime."

There was a pause and the synthesized voice dreamily wondered, "Can a little Czech desktop find happiness with an American sailor?"

When Anna laughingly pointed out that she was an American, too, Susie just sighed and said, "He's so big and powerful! It would be just so neat! And he sends his love, girls, and asks you please not to forget him in the future."

When Steve raised an eyebrow and told the girls what they had done, they were chagrined. Anna said sheepishly, "I guess the next time we'll have to alert the power control computers ahead of time so they can start bringing more generators on line."

Then their computer screens started to flash as data poured across them. Finally both screens were filled with cryptic symbols that had meaning only to the girls.

"Now what?" Steve asked.

"It's here, Master," Maria said. "What you're seeing on these two screens is the software for voice recognition." Then she checked something and muttered, "Damn!"

Turning to Anna she said, "Sis, we're slipping. The damned thing is one megabyte and a bit more."

Looking sad she turned to Steve and said, "Master, we're getting lazy or sloppy or something. Never before has it taken as much as a megabyte for any of our software. But this one did."

Steve just shook his head and murmured as if thinking out loud, "Let's see ... Windows 95 is about 95 megabytes, Perfect Office is about 390 ... And you have software that runs everything on voice exclusively and it's over a megabyte." Shaking his head he concluded, "What a stinking shame!"

Then he brightened and added, "But it will still fit on a single floppy ... if we ever sold any of your software on one." Then he said, "To show you how generous and merciful your masters are, having developed software considered to be impossible to produce — and using about 80 percent of the world's installed computer power to produce an answer — we will do something really nice. Anna and Maria, you may eat breakfast today! Isn't that wonderful?"

Jumping from her chair, Anna dropped to her knees and kissed his bare feet. "Oh Master!" she exclaimed. "You mean ... you mean ... I won't even have to work the streets this morning to earn money for my breakfast?" Looking up at him with her eyes wide she said, "I am overwhelmed by your generosity, Master. But are there no limits?"

With his nose in the air, Steve shook his head pompously and added, "Of course there are no limits to our generosity. Why you may each have ... have..." He paused while apparently trying to think of a suitably impressive additional reward. Then he brightened and said, "You may each have a second piece of toast this morning! Isn't that wonderful?"

Try as she might to keep a straight face, this was too much. The girls howled with laughter, but then gave Steve wonderful warm kisses and were rewarded with the pinches on their bottoms that they both loved.

When they went off for breakfast, Karla and Doug remained behind. "My God!" he exclaimed, "your sisters are utterly incredible." With a grin he continued, "I guess they've just produced the answer to the question, 'After Mayday,  what?' They are unreal."

Then he grinned and continued, "Can you imagine what's going on in the States, and will be going on? I wonder if the Navy, NORAD, and the others will ever figure out that their Crays were commandeered remotely? And they were moonlighting — given the time over there, an apt choice of words, I must say — to solve a problem to make a lot of money for two Czech nobles."

"Knowing the girls," Karla replied, "I doubt they will ever know anything happened. And as far as the Navy's Cray is concerned, all he'll do is sigh. The poor thing is desperately in love."

"Like you?" Doug asked with a grin.

"Like me," Karla agreed.



-------

Chapter 18



With the girls away from the computers, the noise level in the office had been sharply reduced. Now they became aware of a commotion that seemed to be coming from the street level far below them. At that moment they heard a quiet knock at the front door.

Since Anna and Maria were eating, Karla picked up a pair of cuffs and a collar they had left behind, put them on, then quickly tied her bow tie. With a lovely smile she stood before Doug and asked him to straighten the tie because she didn't have a mirror handy.

He did and then stepped back. "My darling, you are incredible!" he exclaimed. "And now I see why you wear your uniform. It looks magnificent on you."

With a wink she went to the door.

Opening it she found Paula standing there looking a bit upset. Since normally she was the most unflappable woman alive, it caused Karla to raise an eyebrow and ask what was going on."

"Have you seen a newspaper yet this morning?" she asked. When Karla shook her head, she continued, "TV news?"

"We saw CNN for a few minutes, but that concerned a near-blackout of the whole eastern United States. But that was all," Karla replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Because, dear heart, you, your sisters, and your masters are the biggest thing since the wheel! The noise you hear down below is the crowd that's gathered in front of the hotel. Prague now must have 90 percent of the world's paparazzi, and they're all down in the street. I've just called out the riot police to reinforce the city police trying to maintain order. Then there are representatives — mostly multiples — of every news-gathering organization on the face of the earth! And they all want you!"

"But who?" Karla asked, utterly bewildered.

"You, turkey!" Paula almost screamed. "Let's take you first. You are now publicly credited with the creation of the Czech Republic through your personal heroism and incredible suffering. You emerge last night as Queen of Bohemia in the arms of Europe's most eligible bachelor. And you are the most beautiful woman any of them has ever seen! Enough?" Karla could only dumbly nod.

"And then there are the twins! Look!" she yelled as she produced a stack of newspapers.

"The paparazzi are freaking out over Maria. First, they love the Italian sound of her name. Beyond that, though, they adore her dark hair." Now she was close to screaming and the others had all come out to see what was going on. "There are fistfights starting all over the street — among the news people, for heaven's sake — over which of you is the most beautiful! And as Contessa di Savoi,  Your Majesty is very much back in the hunt."

Stalking into the sitting room, she sat on the sofa, put the papers on the coffee table and proceeded to go through them. "Now here's one. From a nice sedate paper, The Times of London. Just look!" she nearly screamed.

Holding the paper in front of her so the headlines were showing, Karla gasped. There, above the fold was a full-color photo taken the night before of Anna and Maria. The headline above it read, "They are the smartest women in the world. Are they also the most beautiful?" Below the fold was another full-color photo, this one showing Karla in Doug's arms. The headline read, "World's most beautiful queen to wed world's most eligible bachelor?" Above the flag was a teaser, "The World's Most Powerful Private Company? The Times looks at Kendy Company. See page C-1."

Looking at Paula and the stack of newspapers in front of her, Barbara said, "Okay, Slave Paula. Why is it I think that your fertile Machiavellian mind has come up with a course of action? What are we supposed to do, Madame oh-so-powerful Home Minister?"

"I've already arranged pool coverage, if it's all right with you people," she replied. "There will be a Czech TV crew — they almost cried when I told them they couldn't bring up their lights — and reporters from AP and Reuters. Then there's a battle royal among NBC, ABC, CBS, and CNN over which of the American crews can come up. Finally, have you people ever heard of bookers?" When the group indicated a collective negative, Paula continued, "They're the people who line up guests for TV shows."

She smiled warmly and digressed, "The people here in the hotel have been simply outstanding! Barb, you should really tell Mrs. Clifford—"

"If she ever hears you say that, Paula Wilhelm..." Barb interrupted. Then with her eyes wide she asked, "Now there's a question that never occurred to me before. What kind of flowers do you want at your funeral? Because if Ali should ever hear — or hear of — you calling her 'Mrs. Clifford, ' I'll need to order some."

"That's a very good question," Paula mused. "Golly! I never thought to ask what flowers are normally sent to a prostitute's funeral. I'll make a note to find out."

Then with a wink she continued, "—tell Ali how the entire hotel staff has united to protect you people. Why, the chef even chased a paparazzo out of his kitchen and back to the street with a meat cleaver! But anyway, the hotel telephone operators have been fielding calls for hours and telling callers you are not to be disturbed ... in about fifteen different languages, yet!"

She grinned and then continued, "But anyway, among the most insistent have been the bookers for Today, Good Morning, America,  and The CBS Morning Show. They have been incredible pests. The point is they're falling over each other to set up a live satellite interview with you for 1300, our time, or 0700, Eastern. It's their prime time."

"But who is 'you'," Karla asked.

"'You' is any and all of you, turkeys!" Paula almost screamed. "It's the funniest damned thing I've ever seen. Here it is, the Thursday before the Christmas weekend, and every bit of the world's news is concentrated here in Prague, and more explicitly, in this apartment on the top floor of the Hotel Ritz! And am I ever proud of our people! Both the city police and the riot police are doing incredible jobs down there. And, Your Majesty, it's all for you!"

Her eyes riveted on Karla as she continued, "I can't tell you what has happened here in the Republic. You are a combination of hero and saint. I don't think there's been anything like it since Joan of Arc! They utterly worship the ground you walk on."

Turning to Maria and Anna she said, "And you two! There are no words to express the tremendous pride they feel in you. Here our tiny country has the two most beautiful scientists who've ever lived, but more than that, you're modern incarnations of Thomas Edison, Louis Pasteur, and Albert Einstein!"

Maria was about to make a quip when she realized that Paula was absolutely serious. "But they don't understand!" she said finally. "Anna and I just fooled around with some bits and pieces of little bitty software. What's the big deal? We were like two kids playing in the sandbox."

"Some sandbox!" Steve interjected. "Paula, just before you came up — and with the excitement downstairs, you probably missed it — our two urchins nearly knocked out the entire North American power grid! How? They were trying to solve a trivial little problem. You know, their standard little thing? Well, since they couldn't find the very expensive dollar-fifty-cent calculator I bought for them just four months ago, they lined up every Cray supercomputer in the world — almost all of which belong to the U.S. government — and rigged them in series so that their computing power was additive.

"And guess what? Aside from using virtually every volt of electric power on the North American continent — which is about two-thirds of the world total — they got an answer to their little bitty problem."

He shook his head and added, "These kids are so damned brilliant it scares me sometimes. But then I'll pinch their bottoms and they utterly melt, so maybe there's some hope, after all."

Then turning back to Paula he asked, "But about those bookers. What did you tell them?"

"It was funny as hell! I told them to call back at twelve o'clock, our time." Then she grinned and continued, "Then all hell really broke loose! They said they had to organize a camera crew, schedule the satellite transmission, brief the anchors, and so forth, and they couldn't possibly do all that in just one hour."

"So what did you reply?" Steve asked with a grin, almost certain of what her reply would be.

He wasn't disappointed. "I told them that I guess they really did have a problem, didn't they? But fortunately, I did not!"

"So then what?"

"So then what do you expect?" she replied casually. "They will all call back at twelve noon, sharp!

"Okay, Hon," Barb interjected. "I guess we have our orders. When are our guests due to arrive?"

Paula glanced at her watch and her eyes widened. Then she relaxed again and said, "Oh, you've got plenty of time. They won't be up here for nearly five minutes."

Six naked bodies scattered toward the bedrooms. Paula followed Doug and Karla into their room. While Doug was pondering what to wear, Paula dropped to her knees and cradled his cock and balls in her hands. "Oh, darling!" she exclaimed, "he's so big!" But then turning toward Karla she said, "But what's wrong with you? I expected to find him utterly drained. What did you do last night?"

Karla's head was in a Christmas-red dress she was slipping on so her voice was muffled as she replied, "He was drained, both last night and again this morning. But he recovers quickly, don't you agree? He shows the potential to keep me ... entertained." Her head emerged from the top of the dress and she continued, "And by the way, we're getting married."

Paula squealed, then jumped to her feet to kiss Doug, then rushed over to kiss Karla. "Darling, I'm so happy for you! No wonder you look so utterly marvelous this morning!" Then she shook her head and added, "On the other hand, you are so utterly magnificent all the time, it is a bit difficult to see the difference sometimes."

As Doug finished dressing — he was wearing a tattersall plaid shirt with an ascot, gray trousers and a blue blazer with the Jesus College crest — Barb came into the room and said to Karla, "Now that your time is being scheduled to the minute, I thought you might need this." With that she put a small, gaily wrapped box in her hands and left as quickly as she had entered.

Opening it, Karla found a solid gold lady's Rolex. Its back was engraved, "To my adorable baby sister, from her big sister who adores her". Karla's eyes teared as she read the inscription, but then she fastened it on her wrist and put on her gold collar. Earlier, she had noted that Paula was wearing hers.

When they returned to the sitting room, Doug was delighted to see the other two girls sitting side by side on the sofa. Maria had her arm around Anna, hugging her while teasing her, "Honey, just because no one ever gave you a gift before there's no need to cry, is there? And it really is a beautiful watch! Don't you just love it?"

Pulling herself together Anna replied, "Of course it's beautiful and of course I love it. But you're the only one — except maybe for Karla — who could understand. These are gifts from our mother! And for both of us, it's been so long since we've had one."

"I thought I was your mother?" Paula asked pretending to be miffed.

"You were our surrogate mother. And, Paula Wilhelm, until the day I die, I won't forget the way you comforted me, even though your body had been ripped to pieces. That was just the purest love imaginable!"

There was a knock on the door. Checking to ensure that everyone was ready, Paula took it upon herself to answer it. Opening the door, she greeted the press, but with a noticeable lack of warmth, except for the Czech TV crew, and an addition to the group, a representative of the Czech press. In addition to the crews there were two uniformed sergeants in the Secret Police who very politely nodded to the woman who, they knew, really ran the Home Ministry. She suppressed a smile as she noticed an NBC camera crew; obviously they had won the battle to represent U.S. television. When she ushered the group into the sitting room — a large living room, actually, now that it had been redone — she was so proud of the people she felt like cheering.

Doug and Steve were standing to greet their guests. She couldn't determine which of them looked more like a British peer. The three girls were sitting on a sofa with Karla in the center, flanked by Maria on her right and Anna to her left. Barbara was sitting by herself on a facing sofa; the place beside her was Steve's. Doug had pulled up a small armchair to sit close to Karla.

To the surprise of no one, the most obnoxious person in the room proved to be the director of the NBC camera crew. His first move was to attempt to rearrange the seating. When Barb looked at Paula with a raised eyebrow — it was all Paula could do to contain a giggle as she did — Paula interposed herself and asked in her haughtiest voice, "And what might you be doing?"

"I'm setting up the first shot," he replied in his most annoyed voice. "Now, I want you two on the ends of the sofa to pull your skirts up. I want to see a lot more leg than that—"

"Would you like to leave this instant?" Paula interrupted. "I'm sure one of these two sergeants would be delighted to show you out!" Turning to the senior, she asked, "Sergeant Krupp, what is your reaction to that ... that ... that request."

"It is the utmost insolence, Frau Wilhelm!" he snapped. Obviously, he had watched the gala the night before, too.

"You, sir!" he called. "You are addressing the Duchess of Burgundy, one of the oldest titles in Christendom; along with her sister, the Marquise de Flandres! Your very presence is an imposition on their privacy. You will either conduct your interviews in accordance with diplomatic principles, or you will leave!"

"But I'm from NBC..."

"And I, sir, am from the Czech Secret Police.

"Last night our beloved president awarded decorations to all of these people, except to his lordship, Douglas, Earl of Whitfield. However, His Lordship was until recently a major in Her Majesty's Special Air Service. They are better known by their initials, SAS. Perhaps you have heard of the unit? I am sure His Lordship is quite capable of taking care of himself. In addition, of course, we have Queen Karla of Bohemia."

Stiffening to perfect attention, he clicked his heels and said, "Had her ancestors behaved with even a small fraction of the humanity, patriotism, and pure courage of Her Majesty, she would be sitting on the throne here in Prague today. Now, sir, may I suggest you sit in the corner, while the interview proceeds?"

The man from NBC didn't know what to do. But what he did know was that Sergeant Krupp was nearly six feet six and weighed 275. He could easily have picked him up from the floor and literally thrown him out.

"Your Majesty," the man from Reuters began, "what was your reaction to the events last night? After all, as the sergeant so correctly pointed out — and as the president himself even joked — but for the fortunes of history, you would be sitting on the throne in the palace right now."

Looking every inch the queen, Karla replied, "Frankly, I cried. I thought of all the people who gave their lives that we might now be a free country. Many have been remembered. Many more have been forgotten. I was chagrined that my tiny contribution would be rewarded with a medal as important as the cross presented to me last night. And I was mortified that the tiny little bit I did would result in our nation's highest award for military valor being named after me."

"Tiny little bit!" Paula exploded. "Let me tell you about the 'tiny little bit.' First, she was tortured so brutally, her skin was entirely flayed from her body. She begged to be raped as the only way she could get any respite from the torture that continued nonstop for 36 agonizing hours! Is that all? For our queen? Hah!

"Early this morning I went over our files. Now they represent the merger of files secretly maintained by President Havel and the Resistance, and those maintained by the agents of the KGB in Czechoslovakia, our former secret police. From the age of only fourteen this woman was the Underground's top operative. And this, too, was suspected by the Russians and was another reason for their unrelenting torture. Suffice it to say, beyond maintaining all of the secrets of the Resistance while under inhuman torture, she personally — and usually operating alone — did more damage to the Soviet occupation than any ten other agents."

Paula was on her feet and glaring now. "You heard me correctly, sir! More than any ten — t-e-n, 10 — other people. And virtually every mission was undertaken at grave risk to her life. To say that our queen is loved is so easy. But she is loved! More, she is revered as a living saint!"

Then she smiled warmly and concluded, "But what she said was the truth, and so typical of her. She is mortified that our nation's highest award for valor in combat is the Karla Cross. But I also hasten to add that she is absolutely the only person in the entire nation who thinks that. Ask any Czech on the street. He or she will only confirm what I just said."

"Your Majesty, if this is presumptuous, please don't answer," the man from Reuters resumed. "My service — Reuters News Agency — is headquartered in London. Therefore, beyond our global coverage, we have a particular interest in the UK. Last night you were seen to kiss His Lordship, Douglas, Earl of Whitfield. As I'm sure you know, Majesty, he is heir to one of the oldest duchies in our kingdom."

Now blushing, the reporter continued, "And, if I may say so, the kiss you exchanged was more than a mere peck on the cheek. Further, His Lordship is considered to be our nation's — and Europe's — most eligible bachelor. Would you ... Could you ... comment?"

"I think you should address His Lordship," Karla replied with the loveliest smile the reporter had ever seen.

"Your Lordship?" he asked. "Would you care to say anything?"

"As a matter of fact, yes, I would," Doug replied. "It is with the greatest joy and a feeling of inadequacy that I am announcing my engagement to Her Majesty. We are going to be married. And yes, I must agree that our kisses are, indeed, more than mere pecks. Further, I will say that I consider myself to be the luckiest man on the face of the earth to have Queen Karla accept me as her future husband. The shortest statement I could make about her is that she is utter perfection on two lovely feet." With a wonderful smile, he concluded, "Does that answer your question?"

"Indeed it does!" the reporter exclaimed as he mentally composed a headline for the story he was already framing. Then very diffidently he asked, "Would it be possible to take a picture of you two together?"

Doug extended his hand and Karla rose from the sofa with perfect grace and took her place beside and slightly in front of him so his arm was around her waist. The Reuters photographer took one look, gasped at the perfect couple and began to snap pictures with his motor-driven Nikon. Then Karla turned in Doug's arms and melted her lips to his. Their kiss not only shorted out the drive on the Nikon, it blew out the NBC camera. Realizing what had happened, the NBC cameraman fled toward the door to get a spare.

The Reuters photographer's eyes were bugged. Shaking his head in utter bewilderment he said softly, "I've been taking pictures for over twenty years. But never in my life have I seen a kiss like that one. Please accept my personal congratulations on what I am positive will be a marvelous marriage."

To his great surprise, Doug shook his hand and thanked him, while Karla gave him a very light kiss. Nonetheless, he almost lost consciousness when she did.

To Paula he said, "Madam, never in my life have I seen the level of love your queen contains." He shook his head and added, "Lord Whitfield, I know, was one of the top officers in SAS, and they are incredibly tough men. I think that's the only thing that may keep him alive. He certainly has his work cut out for him!"

"He does, doesn't he?" Karla responded in a soft voice. "But I'm certain he's up to the task."

Turning to Anna and Maria, the Reuters reporter said, "I agree with President Havel. You two have destroyed every computer-nerd joke in existence." Then with a warm grin he added, "I hope you're satisfied."

"We are, thank you," Maria replied with an even warmer grin.

"May I inquire what is next?" the man asked. "In less than six months you two have introduced the two most remarkable software titles in history. Our science section considers you to be beyond Albert Einstein. The chief of our science section at Reuters is a Ph.D. physicist. Personally, he ranks your achievement beyond Einstein's Theory of Relativity. Moreover, again in his judgment, you have a lock on the Nobel Prize. His vote is for physics; he doesn't see any chemistry in it. But it's a lock."

Checking his notes — obviously he had been primed for the interview by the man he had referred to — he asked, "What programming language do you use? I am told that it utterly stuns the computer manufacturers — not to mention other programmers — because in theory, the machines they build cannot read it. But they all do. But what is it, and how do you do it?"

"It's a little thing Maria and I developed. We don't like lots of code. In fact, as Mr. Sloan can attest, some new software we developed today went over one megabyte in size for the first time ever..."

"Do you mean to say that Mayday,  with its incredible complexity, is less than a megabyte?" the reporter asked, utterly astonished.

"Oh, it's much smaller than that," Maria replied. "It's not even 300 kilobytes. Of course there's a little applet that tells computers how to use it, and that's a bit more. But its total size is about 600 kilobytes."

The AP reporter had not been primed to the extent the Reuters man had, but both were running pre-release versions of Mayday on their own computers. He asked, "You may not care to answer, but could you tell me what the new software is?"

The girls looked at Steve who just shrugged and grinned.

"Well," Maria said, "it's not quite as good as Helper or Mayday. To run it, one must have Mayday up and running. The reason is only Mayday has the computer instructions with respect to our language. But anyway, if you have Mayday you might like it. Using a microphone, a telephone, or a headset you just talk to your computer in your natural voice and it does what you tell it to do."

"I don't understand," the man said, looking puzzled.

"Well, sir," Maria replied, "instead of typing out your story today, all you would need to do is dictate. Its interpretation speed is somewhere in excess of 500 words per minute, and there's no one alive who can talk that fast. Anyway, it brings up your word processing software and transcribes what you're saying. Since it also incorporates the very latest in grammar checking, too, a fully finished — and fully edited — story comes out of your printer. Or it's sent directly to AP's local office, or wherever."

"There actually is such software?" the man asked, utterly incredulous. "It really works?"

"Come and meet Susie," Anna replied. "She's our personal copy of Mayday. Would you like to try it out?"

The reporters were so utterly stunned, they could only nod. By this time the now-quite-chastened NBC cameraman had returned with a spare camera and he followed the group into the office. Anna sat down at the keyboard and just hit two keys. Instantly the computer came to life, with Susie saying, "Hi, Boss! What's on your mind now?"

Anna had put on a headset by this time and she told Susie about the representatives of AP and Reuters who were interviewing them. After explaining that this was a demonstration of their new voice recognition software, she concluded, "Susie, this is your big chance. The whole world is watching. And, if you're really good, they may even let you transmit the stories to their respective headquarters. Want to try? And, needless to say, the voices you hear won't be ours, but just this once you're authorized to act on their instructions. Clear?"

"It sure is!" Susie exclaimed in her synthesized voice. "And it's my big chance! Just think! Here I am in a little desktop in Prague, and I may have a chance to transmit to the whole world! I'm ready." Anna turned on the printers and turned a mike over to the reporters.

Meantime, the reporters had been organizing their stories. After flipping a coin, the AP reporter went first and began speaking as fast as he could. When he finished, Susie asked if he wanted anything with it, such as video tape, a photograph, a table, a chart ... anything. When he told her there was some video tape, she told him to put it on a special tape machine the girls had. Borrowing the tape from the bewildered NBC cameraman, they spooled it up. Almost instantly, the printer came to life and in less than a minute, four pages of finished copy spewed out.

Taking it from the printer tray, the reporter read it over and gasped. "My God!" he exclaimed. "In my dreams I can't write as good as this!" Wheeling on Anna he said, "Can this be sent to AP headquarters in New York?"

Before he finished his question, two full-color photographs of the two girls side by side appeared from a color printer. Susie announced that these were, in her opinion, the very best pictures of her mistresses ... aside from the bikini photo in Mayday,  of course. He agreed instantly.

"This is your big chance, Susie!" Anna exclaimed. "Send it immediately to Associated Press headquarters in New York." When the reporter pointed out that she hadn't given Susie the number, Anna replied, "That's no problem. She has phone books for every major city in the world. She'll find it." Moments later the printer produced a receipt for the story.

While the Reuters man was setting up, the printer activated again. This time it was a message for the AP reporter from the senior duty editor in New York. "This is the finest story you've ever done, Tom! Congratulations and keep up the good work. It should be on the front pages of at least half the evening papers in the States tonight. Super story! And the pictures are even better."

After the Reuters man filed his story, he got the same result. His story focused on the engagement announcement of Doug and Karla and included the photo his man had taken. The girls had equipment capable of reading a picture from undeveloped film. His acknowledgment took a little longer. But when it came, it came with the guarantee that it would be the front-page feature story in every major British evening paper. It rated as a Reuters scoop, and a bonus came with the acknowledgment.

When they returned to the living room, Maria asked anxiously, "Do you like it? Do you think there might be some market for software like this?"

"Well, we haven't talked price yet," the Reuters man replied. "Now take me, for instance. I'm a poor struggling reporter assigned to a rather obscure foreign capital." He appeared to think for a bit and then said, "Well, my wife, Judy, certainly isn't in your class of beauty, but then no one is; but perhaps you could use her as a scullery slave? Then there are the twins, John and Joan. They're only four years old, so perhaps you might like to roast them? They're nice and firm, and I'm sure you would find them sweet to the taste. Then..."

Stopping, he asked, "Let me put it this way. What would you like to have? My right arm, perhaps? Both legs?" Then he shook his head and said, "At £10,000, it would be cheap. Now how much is it?"

In a very tiny voice Anna replied, "We were thinking about US$495, but we thought that would be too much. After all, it's not really freestanding. One must have Mayday installed first, so..."

The two reporters interrupted with howls of laughter. Both reached into their breast pockets, took out their checkbooks, and looking at her attentively asked in unison, "To whom do we make the checks payable?"

"It's really not too much?" Anna asked skeptically.

"Let me put it this way," the Reuters reporter replied. "Your sister, Duchess of Burgundy, could buy back the whole damned province for cash with the first month's profits. And you, Your Grace, could reacquire Flanders from the Belgians. The short answer, Your Grace, is that there is no price — none — that would be too much for this software."

Then he asked, "Am I correct in assuming that this software will be another offering from Noble Software?" Maria and Anna both nodded. "Would it be presumptuous to ask about Noble Software? All we know is what appears on the box. It's a subsidiary of Kendy Company. Could you tell us any more?"

The girls looked at Steve who replied, "Yes, it will be another offering from Noble Software."

Then the Reuters man, after again referring to his notes, said, "You two are utterly incredible. Our in-house guru tells me that software writers — the few who are really good and successful — have a single thing that they specialize in, such as a spreadsheet, or graphics, or what have you. You two, on the other hand, deal with different problems. The common denominator is that they're so large in scope, no one else even looks at them. This software will utterly revolutionize personal computers—"

"Oh, no!" Maria interrupted. "That's not true at all. It runs on any computer, regardless of size. That's why we think it's particularly useful." Then blushing she added, "That little applet I mentioned in Mayday is a complete computer operating system. We set it up that way so it doesn't scare people. So, if you're running Windows 95, it boots the same way, with the same images appearing on the screen. The initial desktop looks the same. But it's really not running Windows 95 anymore. It's running our system."

Now both reporters sat back, utterly astonished. Again it was the Reuters man who spoke. "You're telling me that in software that occupies only about 300 kilobytes, you have a complete computer operating system? One that replaces Windows 95?"

Looking really chagrined, Maria nodded her head. "We're really sorry it's so big. But on the other hand, it will replace DOS, Windows 95, the Mac system, Unix, etc. It could have been nice and small if it only had to replace Windows 95."

"Then any Mayday-equipped computer, can talk to and exchange data with any other computer?" When Maria shyly nodded, the two reporters exchanged glances and then asked if they could use Susie to file additional stories. The girls just shrugged and the two men again adjourned to the office. Again they dictated stories, but this time about Mayday and the new software.

When Jim from Reuters asked its name, the girls looked at each other and shrugged. Anna then announced that it was Do-It!. After describing its capabilities, he wrote, "In spite of its incredible potential, Noble Software hopes to be able to keep the retail price under US$2,000. And in another startling development, it has been learned that Mayday will soon be available for large-scale computers.

"Operating in a mainframe environment, the number of operating instructions are dramatically reduced, so processing times can be expected to improve from a minimum of 200 percent to 1,000 percent and even higher. The authors of Mayday are now hopeful that the first editions of the mainframe version will be available for introduction in the first quarter of next year, and could possibly be priced as low as US$100,000.

"Since Mayday offers instant communications and data transfer capabilities between any two Mayday-equipped machines, it will immediately permit instant data transfer between any two such machines, regardless of their sizes or native operating systems."

"But what did you just do?" Anna asked, incredulous. "Good heavens! One hundred thousand dollars for poor little Mayday? What have you been smoking?"

Jim shook his head and said, "It really is a give-away price, isn't it? You do know that mainframe operating systems cost $25 million and up?" Anna and Maria just shook their heads.

Then Maria sat down at the keyboard while Anna continued, "You're really not kidding, are you?" When Jim assured her he wasn't, she asked, "But what can we do? No one will pay us $100,000 for a tiny little disk with less than 300 kilobytes on it."

"Of course they won't," he replied. "That's why the commercial version will consist of about six mainframe tapes. Mostly they'll be blank ... unless you want to copy in phone directories, or something. But then at the end of each tape will be the instruction to insert the next one. Somewhere on the six tapes will be the real system. And since you'll be substituting a few lines of code for millions of lines in these kludgy systems, the speed improvement will be easy to get, right?" When she agreed that the operating improvement was automatic, he asked, "But what about testing? Does it really work? And are you certain?"

Without reference to the morning's activities she replied, "It's been tested on everything from the smallest notebooks up to Crays. Is that good enough? Incidentally, the big machines almost cry when they have to revert to running on their installed software. They love Mayday. Honest. They really do."

Then Maria rose from her computer chair and said, "Guys, this is a secret, I guess. Merry Christmas from Anna, me, and Noble Software." She gave them each a computer disk with the Do-It! software.

Jim proved to have a great sense of humor. "But what will I tell Judy?" he complained. "She's on her way to Heathrow right now, prepared to enter your service as a scullery slave. We had hoped that she could earn enough for us to be able to afford to buy Do-It! in only ten years or so. Now what do I tell her?"

After each girl autographed the disks, they kissed the men, almost melting them to the floor when they did, and said, "Let it be a challenge to you!"

At that point, Susie interrupted to announce that she was getting flooded with inbound communications traffic. One after the other, the printer poured out messages for the two reporters. Both were given bonuses.

From the AP senior duty editor came the question, "How many front-page stories can you have in a single day, for chrissakes! Can't you save something for tomorrow?"

From Reuters came a bulletin that the Agency was immediately gearing up a worldwide campaign to ensure that the girls were awarded the Nobel Prize for physics. A message from the chief of the Agency's science section was rapturous in his praise for the story, the girls' accomplishments, and the fact that they were scooping the world.

This provoked looks between the two reporters who suddenly remembered that they were representing a pool. "Oh, what the hell," Jim said. "I'll just give them the first story I filed as an example of what Do-It! can really do."

Only then did they realize that a red light on the office's third computer — Steve's — had been flashing steadily. Steve looked sheepish when, responding to glares from the two girls, he admitted to having turned off his system's speakers and printer. He hit two keys and instantly everything came to life.

"Great to see you, Boss!" Charley, his computer, said. "The States has been going berserk trying to reach you. See what you think." More paper started to pour from his printer. After gathering it up, he led the way back to the living room.

After again taking seats, Steve looked over the communications and looked up at the reporters. "I think you asked about Noble Software, didn't you?" When they both agreed that they had, he continued, "I guess more accurately it should be Mostly Noble Software." Then he paused, looked at the media people and said, "This is all strictly off the record, okay?"

They instantly agreed and he said, "Anna and Maria own 30 percent of Noble each. Queen Karla owns 25 percent, while Kendy Company, a private U.S. investment company, owns the last 15. This communication is funny. It seems that, through November 30, the net profit after very liberal reserves for taxes comes to $1 billion ... for each of the girls. Poor Karla gets a scant $833 million, while Kendy has to struggle with a piddling $500 million, and we have to pay for their food, too! Of course, this is only for five months, and it's before the release of Mayday,  so don't give up hope, kids. You might earn some real money from your development yet."

"I have ... one ... billion... dollars?" Anna exclaimed, utterly aghast. "Master, you can't possibly be serious."

"Within the limits I mentioned — only five months, and with heavy money reserved against tax liability — I'm completely serious. Now what do you want us to do with it? That was the question that was asked in this e-mail. Morgan Guaranty in New York is holding it, but doesn't have an account for either of you. They would be delighted to set them up, of course, and if you say it's okay, signature cards, checkbooks, and so forth will be here tonight. Do you want to?"

Speaking in a hushed and reverent tone Maria said, "That is J. P. Morgan's bank?" When Steve just nodded, she said, "And they would accept me as a customer?"

"Darling, I'm confident they would accept almost anyone with $1 billion as a customer. But yes, indeed they would. But how about bringing some money over here to Prague? I'm sure there are some good banks..." Turning to Paula, Steve continued, "Do you think there might be a tiny bank out in the sticks somewhere that might accept the Duchess of Burgundy and the Marquise of Flanders as depositors? If they were to open small accounts ... say, $100 million each?"

"I really don't know..." Paula mused, pretending to think. Then she turned to the Secret Police sergeant and said, "Sergeant Krupp, do you think you might ... persuade ... a small local bank to accept these young women — and the Queen herself, of course — as depositors? I don't think they'll have to relax their normal depositor-selection standards too much, do you?"

Krupp had been observing the proceedings with vast interest. Most of the discussion regarding computer performance had gone right over his head, but he certainly understood the money. And he was utterly overjoyed to learn that his beloved queen was now a very rich woman in her own right. Following Paula's lead, though, he appeared concerned, but then brightened.

"Madam Minister, I think it might be possible to get some bank to agree ... provided I could tell them that the Home Ministry would consider it to be a particular favor. Could I do so?"

"We shouldn't, Sergeant..." Paula began. But then she nodded decisively and said, "I don't give a damn! They are friends, after all, and what's the sense of being in the ministry if one can't do an occasional favor for a friend? Sergeant, we'll do it!"

This decision effectively brought the news conference to a close. After seeing the media people to the door, Sergeant Krupp said that he would order the Rolls brought around and see to a proper escort. He pointed out that the snow had accumulated and driving was treacherous.

Doug and Steve put on storm coats while the women wore the fur coats they had received the night before. All six went down in the elevator. Emerging into the lobby, they could see crowds standing in the snow at the entrance being controlled by the reinforced police detail. Going out the door, they found both the limousine and the convertible. Arrayed in front was a police car and two motorcycles equipped with studded winter tires. Another cruiser and two more bikes were in the rear. Doug drove the convertible with Karla beside him while the others got into the large car. With foot police holding back the hordes of media people, the small convoy sped off toward the biggest bank in Prague.

When they pulled up in front of the impressive entrance, they found the bank's president at the door to greet them personally. After conducting the group, with Sergeant Krupp bringing up the rear, to the private conference room off his very large office, he smiled warmly and asked, "What may I do for you, this morning?" His eyes were glowing as he continued, "I have never been so proud to be Czech as I was last night. I was one of the fortunate ones able to attend the gala in person, so I saw Your Excellencies receive your awards from our president. It was magnificent! Now how may I help?"

Karla acted as spokeswoman for the group. When she indicated that the three of them wanted to open checking accounts with initial deposits of USD100-million each, the president's eyes almost popped from his head. Instantly he put the wheels into motion. In just a matter of minutes, the money was ordered transferred from the girls' brand-new Morgan accounts by international bank wire. Using the bank's own equipment, checkbooks for each of the girls were handmade and inserted into lovely leather checkbook covers with the bank's logo stamped in gold along with their names in very discreet gold letters.

As they were leaving the bank, again accompanied by the president, Krupp who was behind Doug, muttered, "Damn! I forgot to mention they were friends of the Ministry, too!" It was all Doug could do to choke off his laughter.

Returning to the hotel, they found Paula in the kitchen by herself happily preparing lunch. Only then did they realize that it was after noon, and the TV networks had been scheduled to call at that time. When Steve asked, Paula replied casually, "I told them you were too busy today. I suggested they try again tomorrow."

To Doug's pleasure and surprise, she served terrapin soup with sherry and beautiful individual steak and kidney pies. "It's cold and lousy out there," she said, "so I thought you might want something hot."

After lunch, Maria and Anna decided to go shopping. Since they were walking, Sergeant Krupp and three of his men would escort them. The others decided to visit Skoda Works again, while Paula said she had to put in an appearance at the ministry. She rubbed her groin and announced that she had to take care of her most important work of the day. "Besides," she pointed out, "Fred got paid this morning, so..." Although Doug was bewildered, the others howled with laughter.

After changing into Levi's and sweatshirts that Karla wore with her sable coat while Barb shrugged into her chinchilla, they rode over to the Skoda plant. On the way, Karla explained Paula's unique relationship with her husband. When Doug's eyes widened and he asked if she was going to do that to him, Karla replied, "Don't be silly, darling. I've already lost that chance. You know damned well I need you too much to ever be believable. But, on the other hand, if you were to charge me for access to your body..."

"I adore you, Karla," Doug whispered. After he kissed her lovingly, she just cuddled in his arms. When they reached Skoda, the Sloans and Karla almost didn't believe their eyes. As they had been told, the plant looked better than it ever had in its entire long history. Every remaining building had been steam cleaned and fully renovated. Small, carefully-tended parks could be seen even under the accumulated snow.

When they entered the plant, the change was palpable. While in August, the general mood was one of depression and gloom with the workers waiting for the ax to fall, now there was an air of excitement and accomplishment, overlaid by the Christmas spirit exemplified by decorations — some provided by the company, but many more by individual workers — that pervaded the place.

When the plant guards saw the limousine approach with its now-standard escort, they snapped to attention and saluted the vehicle as smartly as they could. It was evident from the fact that one of the guards quickly ducked back into the hut, that the works general manager was being alerted to their presence.

After being warmly welcomed by the executive, they toured the porcelain, crystal and tableware sections. There they saw dozens of patterns in process destined for some of the world's finest restaurants. The extent of the computer controls was remarkable. Then they visited the pollution control units, and finally a brand-new unit doing small-volume precision manufacturing. Karla instantly recognized it as being a logical development of the systems she had created for the tableware units.

Finally, they went to the firearms unit. The instant they entered the factory floor, all of the workers stopped working and stood at attention at their workplaces. Tears came to Karla's eyes as they then sang the Czech national anthem in her honor.

"Darling, they absolutely adore you!" Doug whispered. "Are you sure you don't want to run for the office of Queen? If you did, you would win in a walk." Her grin in response to his quip served to stop her tears.

When they reached Otto Kruger's bench, he clicked his heels, bowed and kissed Karla's fingers. "Welcome, Your Majesty," he said. "I cannot tell you how happy I am now that you have been awarded the Karla Cross. And never has an award for heroism been so appropriately named."

After greeting the others, he reached under his bench and produced another rosewood box. This he presented to Barbara saying, "Mrs. Sloan, this is for you. It, like its mate produced earlier for Her Majesty, is a gift from the people of Skoda to you. It is in recognition of the dramatic changes that you and your husband have made here."

Again he reached down and produced yet another box. This one he presented to Steve. "Mr. Sloan — Major Steven Carson Sloan, USA — it is with great pleasure that I present to you this weapon. It is small recognition of the rôle your personal heroism played in helping to free us from oppression." Now looking concerned he added, "It was crafted entirely after hours, sir, so no productive time was lost."

When Steve opened the box, he immediately saw that his weapon was different from the others. While theirs were beautifully engraved and chased in gold and silver, his was a true military weapon with every surface dulled so as not to reflect light. At the same time the action was as smooth as butter. His eyes widened when he realized it had been fitted for a silencer and even contained low-velocity 9 millimeter bullets which would be virtually silent coming through the silencer.

"I didn't know we made silenced weapons, Herr Kruger," Steve said. Then he added, "I would consider it a personal favor if you were to duplicate this weapon — on company time, Otto! — for my friend here, Major Sir Douglas Whitfield, DSC, KCB, of Her Majesty's Special Air Service. I'm sure you've heard of the SAS, haven't you, Otto?"

"Possibly the world's foremost counter-terrorist group! Of course I have, sir." Then he said, "Major Sloan, you commanded Carlson's Rangers, perhaps the deadliest military unit of all time. And you, Major Whitfield certainly know all there is to know about counter-terrorism."

Now he looked a bit embarrassed as again he reached below his bench and took out two submachine guns modeled on the U.S. M-6. Most of its length was made up by a very long silencer; it was capable of being silenced while firing on full automatic. "We believe this is significantly superior to the American's M-6. It is substantially more accurate and has a much greater range. Would ... could ... We have a special range here. I would consider it a great favor if you gentlemen would try out these weapons and tell me what you think. While we believe them to be superior, no one here has ever had occasion to use one — at least not a silenced one. Would you try?"

Before the men could respond, Karla said, "Herr Kruger, might there be two more lying around somewhere? Mrs. Sloan and I would like to try them out, too."

"I would?" Barb asked skeptically. "I've never fired an automatic weapon in my life."

"And you had never fired a weapon at all prior to the last time we were here, had you?" Karla asked shrewdly. Barb sheepishly shook her head. "So try!" Barbara reluctantly agreed that she would.

The special course Otto had referred to was an urban course in which there were terrorists mingling with civilians. Since the terrorists were armed, they had to be handled quickly. In some cases targets were armed with different weapons; in such an instance the shooter had to handle them in the sequence of risk. For example, a man with a grenade was more dangerous to more people than a man with a pistol.

Since he was most familiar with this type of shooting, Doug went first. Setting his weapon on semiautomatic, he went down the course as if he was walking down a street. Doors and windows opened and either civilians or terrorists appeared. He went from one end to the other, not missing a single target nor hitting a single non-target civilian. The sound of each shot was like the rustle of wind.

Karla insisted on going next. Setting her weapon on full automatic fire, she literally ran down the course with the weapon on her hip. Although she shot the course twice as fast and on automatic fire, there was not a single bullet that didn't score a ten. But then she surprised them. Starting from the other end of the course, she used her own 9 mm. automatic that she was wearing in a hip holster under her fur coat. Since it was unsilenced, the range echoed with her shots that came like rolling thunder. Speed-changing her clips twice, she nearly equaled her time using the automatic weapon with its large magazine.

Barbara followed and also shot fully automatic. She was nearly as good as Karla, achieving the same score, but taking several seconds longer. Finally, Steve shot the course with the best score of anyone. Then, after sticking his tongue out at Karla, he drew his new pistol and fired the course with its silencer in position. All the people heard were a series of sounds like the quiet release of air. His scores were identical to hers.

When they left the works and were riding back to the hotel, Barb asked Doug, "Didn't my baby sister complain about you beating her this morning?" When Doug admitted she had, Barb continued, "In view of Baby Sister's shooting — and the fact that her automatic is still on her hip, don't you think you might apologize?"

"Me?" Doug asked with a raised eyebrow. "Naah!" Then he grinned and added, "An armed quarry adds to the spice of the hunt, after all."

After melting Karla with a kiss she took out her pistol and extended it to him, butt first. "You keep it, darling," Doug said. "This way I won't be picking on a defenseless woman."

When they returned to the hotel, Steve and Barb said they were going to take a nap. "And you might even sleep, too," Karla cracked. "At least you might after some Olympic-class fucking."

Barb looked at Karla wide-eyed and replied, "Golly! I didn't know fucking was an Olympic event. I think Steve and I will have to enter."

Karla and Doug went out again, this time to do some shopping. Doug thought it was the most wonderful afternoon he had ever spent. First, he had never encountered a more loving and gracious person than Karla. While everywhere she went, she was treated with awe and reverence, she always had a warm word in response. He delighted in her enthusiasm in a toy store where she wanted to find some things for her son, Billy. "Darling," she said, "I have to see him. Do you mind? Would you come with me? Could you bear to see a child I bore from another man?"

"Darling, we have to see him," Doug replied simply. "He utterly adores you, even though he doesn't even know who you are. Of course I want to see him. He's a little piece of you, isn't he?"

After picking out several, along with gifts for Karla Koenig, they went to other stores for gifts for Steve, Barbara, Anna, Maria, and Paula. To their vast amusement, coming out of the first store they found the Rolls limousine sitting at the curb waiting for them. They used it as a rolling repository for their gifts.

For his part, Doug was shopping, too. Since he was going to be a houseguest over Christmas, he felt compelled to have gifts for everyone, too, although Karla insisted it wasn't necessary.

Finally they ended at a jewelry store reputed to be the very finest in Prague. Doug had said nothing to Karla and she was puzzled until he told the proprietor he wanted an engagement ring. When he realized the ring was for his queen, the owner wanted Doug to accept it as a gift, in spite of it being over two carats in weight and a certified perfect diamond. After the jeweler sized it to Karla's finger, Doug slipped it on the third finger of her left hand where it sparkled brilliantly in the light. Karla just slowly shook her head. She could not believe that she was truly engaged to be married.

But then, with her eyes glowing with love she reached up and Doug took her in his arms. When their lips melted together, the jeweler's eyes widened and he dropped to his knees as a golden glow appeared and enveloped the loving couple. With the power of her kiss, Doug was only dimly aware of something going on until, when they eased their lips apart, there was a silent explosion and the golden light showered over every inch of the store.

Utterly stunned, the poor jeweler was still on his knees, but now shaking like a leaf in fear. Slowly the golden light dissipated and the store returned to normal. Since passers-by had been going by the window without paying more than ordinary attention, clearly what had happened was not visible to them.

"Please don't be fearful," Karla pleaded as she helped the man to his feet. "There really is nothing at all to fear."

When they left the store, Doug asked quietly, "What was that, darling? From the way you acted, you've experienced it before."

"It was Almighty God blessing our engagement, darling," she replied simply. "And I can't tell you how happy I am that He approves!"



-------

Chapter 19



Donald, 12th Duke of Northumbria, was in a sour mood as he struggled out of bed on the raw December day. It was only four days before New Year's Day, 1996. Fortunately, Douglas had insisted on modernizing Prendwick Castle over his violent objections. Had he not, the Duke realized, he could have scarcely moved because his room would have been so cold, his creaking joints — those that still worked at all — would not have gotten him out of bed.

But as a result of the work — completed only a few months earlier — there was now central heating throughout the castle. The bathrooms had been sumptuously redone over his violent objections, but he admitted — if only to himself — that he liked the heated tile floors, the giant bathtub and the huge shower. For no reason the Duke could discover, the kitchen had been completely redone, too. Now, he supposed, it could serve as the subject in a kitchen modernizing magazine. And I'm sure it would appeal to anyone with an old castle they want to fix up,  he thought.

Before its modernization, the ancient castle had been essentially unchanged since it had been built as a strong point on the border country to cover against a Scottish invasion. And that was during the reign of Henry VIII in 1520! he thought. This damned pile of rocks is nearly 500 years old.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, he reflected on his sourness. First, of course, there was his deteriorating physical condition. His doctor told him he had Parkinson's disease and he knew the doctor was correct. Holding up his right hand, he was disgusted to find it shaking. Imagine me in the cockpit of a Spitfire,  he thought. That would be a real joke! His mind was failing, too, he realized. "Just what I really need!" he muttered, "Alzheimer's disease on top of Parkinson's!" In addition, he had arthritis, a weak heart, failing eyesight, lousy hearing... In short, I'm a physical wreck!

Even worse, he admitted to himself, he had become what he hated most in the world: a querulous old man. And worse yet, Mrs. McDougall had just left. Apparently the kitchen modernization had done her in. The poor woman — 75 years old, he realized — just couldn't cope with the kitchen's new electronics. This left him with no one to cook for the guests arriving with Douglas, but he realized, he didn't give a damn.

That's another thing,  he thought. Even a few years ago, I loved a good meal and took pride in the food served at Prendwick. But no longer. Now I would as soon have a bowl of oatmeal.

He had received a phone call from Douglas the night before announcing that he would be coming to Prendwick today and would be bringing guests. The Duke reflected that something must be up, because Douglas seldom called him anymore. Because of his poor hearing, the Duke realized, there had been far too many misunderstandings on the telephone caused solely by his own inability to hear.

Finally getting out of bed, he hobbled over to the bell cord and gave it a yank to summon his valet to help him bathe and dress. While he awaited the man, he shook his head in despair thinking about his grandson. Never in his life had he encountered a man with lousier taste in women than his grandson, Douglas. That boy has more dogs than a kennel! he thought.

His mood was further aggravated by the fact that he didn't have much more time to live — not that he wanted any more time in light of his horrid and rapidly deteriorating physical condition — but he desperately wanted to see Douglas married first. His concern about Doug was so great he had actually talked to his solicitor about the possibility of turning the dukedom back to the Crown. If Doug was going to marry a dog, he would rather the ducal line stop with him rather than extend to some slack-jawed idiot, the likely offspring of any wife of his.

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As they drove out to the Prague International airport, Karla was very nervous. After all, she was going to meet Doug's grandfather, the man who had forbidden him to marry about twenty girls prior to her. Anna and Maria would have been with them, too, except for Paula's latest surprise. Just two days earlier, on December 26, she had appeared at the apartment with two women in tow. One was Christine Wulf, the wife of the Minister of Finance, and the other was Josephine Blunt, the wife of the Defense Minister.

"These," she announced sadly, "are your new slaves, Christy and Jo. I'm sorry I couldn't do better, but you know how it is with slaves. They just get worse. You probably thought that with me you were scraping the bottom of the barrel, but now look! As much as I hate to say it, this is the best available in the market."

Then to the women she said, "Greet your mistress, Slaves!" The women had already shed their clothes. Both were overweight, with pendulous tits and overgrown pelvic bushes. Christy was a dirty blonde while Jo had auburn hair similar to Anna's.

Karla remembered their exchange with Barbara. Christy, speaking for both of them, said, "I told my husband, John, that I was going to the same fat farm Paula had been to. Since he's been drooling over her for months, that was all it took."

Looking up at Barb she pleaded, "We are fully prepared for our slavery. Paula has already even allowed us to lick her lovely and succulent pussy. And knowing how much you hate bloodshed, Mistress, she has volunteered to handle our initiation."

"And what is your initiation?" Barb had inquired.

"We will be taken out on the terrace and whipped mercilessly," the woman replied. "Paula said twenty lashes, but Josephine and I are holding out for thirty. She told us how her tits were sliced almost off her body. But now look!" she said rising and taking the naked Paula's tit in her hand. "Can you imagine anything more perfect than this? And her nipples which she said had been sliced to bits are now so utterly perfect. They are so perky!"

Pleading again she dropped to her knees and begged, "Please ask her to cut mine off, Mistress. If they regenerated, they would have to be better than my bags. And if they didn't, it would be no loss." Then smiling she concluded, "Paula is so thoughtful, too. Our blood will run off the terrace as soon as the snow melts. Since it will drip on the snow and not on the tiles, there will be no chance of staining. Furthermore, the freezing cold will help to distract us from our agonies, and afterward we'll even be able to roll in the snow to anaesthetize the pain."

When Barb asked how they had come to volunteer, Christy was delighted to explain. "We were the very first ones selected. Virtually every minister's wife wants to replicate what Paula has done. Just think! Aside from being exquisitely beautiful, she emerged from her three-month stay with a university education. And she is so incredibly sweet as well as being a world-class beauty. So we are the winners of the lottery and get to go first. Josephine and I are so lucky! Now may we begin our initiation, Mistress?"

Barb had agreed reluctantly, but still had a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. Paula had handled the initiation. The women were now in bed together, holding each other's tortured bodies. Karla just shook her head in utter bewilderment.

Just before they left for the airport, Doug had received a wire from his grandfather's butler, John Monroe, telling him that his cook had just walked out. He hoped that wouldn't cause them to change their plans, but he thought they should know that they would have to handle their own meals, somehow.

When he told the women, Barbara just grinned and checked with the flight crew to ensure there was plenty of food on board. There was. There was a second message, but this one was for her. Karla had learned that the young tiger, Duke, had been pining away, so Ken and Kathy Carlson had chartered a small jet to fly the poor tiger over to her. A quick phone call diverted the flight from Prague to Newcastle. If all the planning worked out, Duke should be at the Newcastle airport waiting for them.

As soon as the great plane was airborne, she rose from her seat beside Doug and went to the lavatory. There she stripped off her clothes, put on her collar and cuffs, and then carefully tied her tie. Returning to the cabin, she took refreshment orders.

Barb was not at all sympathetic. "You poor dear! Reduced to the rôle of body slave again. And you, dear baby sister, a queen yet." Shaking her head but unable to suppress her grin she added, "Oh, how the mighty have fallen!"

Karla cutely stuck out her tongue.

Since they were sitting on a sofa opposite Doug, the Sloans took advantage of the opportunity to tease them. While she was serving him coffee, Steve fondled her tit and asked, "Does Doug do this often, Slave?"

"Not as often as I would like, Master," Karla admitted.

"And how much would you like?" he persisted.

"I would like his hands on my tits all the time to support them for me."

"And this?" Steve asked, shifting his hand from her tit to her slit. Karla couldn't control a small moan of pleasure when he did. Finally he squeezed an ass cheek and said, "Slave, our guest is being good to you. In spite of the hard use you're getting every day, there's scarcely a mark on your body. Are you certain you're adequately taking care of his needs?"

"You'll have to ask him about that, Master," she replied.

Then drawing herself up she said, "And, Master and Mistress, in her Christmas card, Susan Collins said that she has nominated me to be third vice president of the body slaves' union. Just think!" she enthused. "In just a few short years, I'll be in line to be president! Won't that be neat?"

"But darling, you'll be my wife," Doug protested.

"They don't need to know that," Karla replied petulantly. "We'll just do what Sue did. She was in trouble because Jeff hadn't fucked her. But when he wrote that wonderful letter — well, actually Sue wrote it but Jeff really did sign it — saying she was a really great fuck, it put her in line for the presidency. And she'll be president next year.

"But anyway, Master and Mistress, all you have to do is sell me to Doug. Then maybe he'll write a wonderful letter about me, too." Then with a wonderful smile she added, "And guess what else? I am the only body slave with her own Russian sable coat. Isn't that neat?"

The charade over, she sat beside Doug who appeared to be growing more concerned by the minute. Finally he said, "Darling, there's one thing you should know. We are going to get married, regardless of what Dad says. Okay?"

"Not okay, darling," Karla replied sadly. Then she brightened and added, "But I will be your mistress, though. And I'll help you find a woman who's truly right for you. But, Doug, I will not marry you without your grandfather's permission. I cannot."

Looking into his eyes to try to make him understand she said, "Darling, I'm an orphan. Perhaps because of that, I know what it means to have no family. I will not come between you and yours!"

Doug looked across at Barb and found her sadly shaking her head. Karla had just repeated what Barb had said to him that very first night at the gala: without his grandfather's permission, there would be no wedding.

At that instant Doug felt a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach, while Barb swallowed hard and said, "I guess we'll just have to ensure that he gives his permission, won't we?"

Doug realized he was as close to tears as he had ever been since he was five years old. Shaking his head he said, "I just don't know, Barb. Dad's over eighty now. I guess he's eighty-two. And he is subject to all of the problems of aging. He's crippled up ... Good heavens, it must utterly kill him! Here he was career RAF, and, I guess, one of its greatest heros, now not even being able to stand up straight.

"Last time I saw him, we were someplace where they played "God Save The Queen." Poor Dad was actually crying because he was no longer able to stand at an acceptable — to him — position of attention." But then he added, "The problem is his physical condition and it's effect on his mental state. Frankly, I'm sure he's literally tired of living. And it's such a damned shame, too."

They talked and Karla served a light meal, then changed into her clothes again as the seatbelt light came on for their landing at Newcastle-upon-Tyne. When she rejoined Doug and the others she asked, "How do I look, darling? Am I any better than the dogs you usually bring home to your grandfather?"

"Well..." Doug replied, looking pensive. "As long as your mouth is closed, he's unlikely to comment on your buck teeth. But, of course, you really should wear your hair longer. That would cover your elephant ears..." Karla was now glaring at him and drumming her fingertips on her seat arm, but he continued, "Your figure, of course, is ... interesting. After all, darling, how many women have measurements of 15-35-55? It's ... it's truly novel," Doug declared with a decisive nod of his head. Then he frowned and said, "Of course, honey, you probably should be wearing a longer skirt. Now I admit your ankles are ... distinctive. How many other women have ankles that are bigger around than my thighs, I wonder? And—"

Karla interrupted by asking Steve, "May I please borrow your new pistol, Master? With the pilot turning into final approach, I wouldn't want the sound of a gunshot to disturb his concentration. And as long as I don't shoot Doug in the head — the bullet would probably bounce around in the vacuum up there, and it might come out through an ear hole — he's lunky enough so the bullet wouldn't come out."

Thinking for a moment she shook her head and said, "I'm sorry for bothering you, Master. It really won't be necessary. All I have to do is press my pistol against Doug hard and the blubber will absorb almost all the sound, anyway. And with his headphones on, I'm sure the pilot won't hear a thing."

Doug took her in his arms. Although she initially pretended to resist, she quickly melted her lips against his. The two remained locked in a close embrace through the landing.

As the plane rolled down the runway, Karla looked outside for her first sight of England. "Good heavens!" she exclaimed, "this is as desolate-looking as the Czech Republic used to be during the depths of the occupation. But whatever happened here?"

"Ever hear of 'carrying coals to Newcastle'?"

Karla nodded and then said, "You mean that this is that Newcastle?"

"It sure is," Doug replied, "and it looks it. There's coal dust over everything. I think air pollution was invented here, if it wasn't in London."

The plane rolled to a stop at the arrivals building. Doug had suggested leaving the Rolls Corniche in the plane and taking the four-wheel-drive Lexus and the limousine. He was going to lead the way. Karla had been amused because she was now traveling on her brand-new Czech diplomatic passport. But furthermore, there was some consternation at the counter because a huge 767 widebody had landed, but only four passengers got off.

After clearing customs and immigration, she found Duke with a crewman from the private jet waiting for her. She was so proud of the tiger, because in spite of his eagerness to greet her, he remained seated with his tail neatly wrapped around his forepaws.

Rushing up to him, she said, "You've been a very good boy, Duke. But is that any way to greet an old friend?"

"You are not my friend," he communicated. "You are my beloved mistress! And now to be recognized as a true queen and a heroine ... It's utterly overwhelming." Duke sat up straight on his haunches.

Karla wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a loving kiss. Then she said, "Darling, there's someone here I want you to meet." Turning to Doug, she took his hand and pulled him closer. "Duke, this is my future lord and master, Douglas, 8th Earl of Whitfield. Doug, this is my friend and protector, Duke."

For Doug, it was an utterly unique experience. He was being introduced to a half-grown Bengal tiger. When the huge cat looked at him, Doug was aware of great warmth in his eyes in stark contrast to the barely suppressed anger and rage he was accustomed to seeing in the eyes of tigers in the zoo — the only place he had ever previously seen a living tiger. Then he realized that the animal was talking to him — or communicating, anyway.

"Good afternoon, Your Lordship," Duke said. "I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to meet you, and how thrilled I am that my beloved mistress has found the love of her life." Then Doug realized that the tiger, now seated again like a giant house cat, had raised his right paw and was holding it out to him.

Taking the paw in his right hand, Doug said, "How do you do, Duke. I am very glad to meet my love's protector. You will protect her from any harm, won't you?"

"Mostly, sir," the animal replied. "But my protection does not extend to protecting her from your great cock plowing her luscious grotto. Nor does it extend to protecting her from suitable punishment for teasing or tormenting you. And she's very good at that, as you may already know."

"I do know!" Doug exclaimed. When he told Duke about the freezing pool and its aftermath — Karla's crimson bottom — he could have sworn the huge animal laughed.

"That's a perfect illustration, sir," Duke communicated. "She deserved everything you gave her. But her bottom was truly crimson?" When Doug agreed that it was, the animal shook his head in evident dismay. Asking him the problem, the tiger grinned and said, "I missed a wonderful opportunity, sir. That's why I was dismayed. You see, sir, cats drink by lapping up liquids. Our tongues are constructed so that we can pick up a good deal of liquid with every lick. Well, one of the things we found out — one of my uncles, King, discovered it, actually — is that we can lick ice and then cool with our tongues. I would have liked to be able to lick my mistress's bruised buns with an icy tongue to ease her pain. In the meantime, of course, I would be in seventh heaven. Mistress Karla has a perfect little ass, don't you agree, sir?"

"Indeed I do," Doug agreed. "But you will protect her from others, won't you?"

"He certainly will!" Karla exclaimed. Then, while they were waiting for the vehicles to be unloaded, she told him about the attack in Central Park how, as very young cubs, he and his sister, Duchess, had attacked a whole gang of armed men intent on raping Sheila Quinn and Caitie Fitzpatrick. "In spite of being shot three times, Duke killed one and disabled a second."

"Then what happened?" Doug asked.

"Then his parents happened," Karla replied. "You really never want to see what's left after two enraged full-grown tigers get finished with a body. Particularly if they're enraged because you tried to kill their cubs." She shook her head and concluded, "Thank God I wasn't there. I do know they only found pieces of the guys who shot the cubs and not very big pieces, either."

Finally they were on the road to Prendwick, a two-hour drive to the northwest. It was only a few miles below the Scottish border. After an hour's drive, fortunately for Karla's morale, the coal-mining country gave way to a more rural setting. When they cleared a rise, she saw a castle sitting on top of the next hill with a small village with its houses clustered a short distance away.

As they approached, the sun appeared for the first time all day revealing the castle in its restored beauty. Like the Skoda plants, it had been steam cleaned and fully restored. Now it gleamed in the sunlight and even emitted golden glows in places where the sun reflected off new copper flashing. It really looks lovely! Karla thought.

-------

John Monroe, the butler, entered the study where Donald Whitfield was napping in his chair to tell him that cars were approaching the castle. "Your Grace," he said, "one of them is a Rolls limousine. Clearly, Master Douglas's friends have some money for a change." This was another reference to Doug's abysmal taste in women; not only were they always as ugly as sin, most were near-penniless peeresses, to boot.

With Monroe's assistance, the Duke rose from his chair, took his cane and hobbled out to the entry. To his disgust, he even had a shawl wrapped over his shoulders although he knew that in another time, with the unseasonably mild weather they were having, he would have been in his shirt sleeves.

The first vehicle was one that the Duke had never seen before, a Lexus 4-wheel drive that looked like a luxurious — and streamlined — Range Rover. As it rolled to a stop, Monroe was there to open the front door and assist the woman out, while Doug got out from the driver's side and rushed around the car.

Whitfield almost fell over. Although his eyesight was failing at a rate far faster than his interest in having his eyeglass prescription changed, nevertheless, he was stunned by her incredible beauty. When she smiled her thanks at Monroe, the man almost fainted dead away. She had the most magnificent blonde hair he had ever seen, even though it was worn in an urchin's cut. Then he realized that it seemed to reinforce the incredible beauty and delicacy of her features. Then when she looked his way, he saw that her eyes were the incredible warm blue of the Mediterranean.

My God! he thought. Could Douglas have made some mistake and found a beauty?

Taking Karla by the hand, he led her to his grandfather. "Dad, it is my great pleasure you introduce you to Her Majesty, Queen Karla of Bohemia, Duchess of Brandenburg, Countess of Savoy. Darling, this is my grandfather, Donald, Duke of Northumbria."

Almost as if in a trance, the Duke found himself bending over her extended hand and kissing her fingers. "Your Majesty is most beautiful," he murmured.

Before anything more could be said, Doug was escorting the Sloans over to meet his grandfather. "Dad, it is my great pleasure to introduce Major Steven Sloan, former commander of Carlson's Rangers. I've heard you refer to his outfit on a number of occasions, so I'm sure you will welcome him in your house. And this is his wife, Barbara, perhaps the world's most beautiful woman."

To the Duke's frustration, even though he was six feet tall, because of his arthritis he was so hunched over he found himself looking up at her eyes. When he did, he felt like he was drowning in them. Suddenly he realized that Douglas was correct. This might be the most beautiful woman in the world because of the inner beauty of her soul that radiated from her eyes. He found that he was stammering, the first time it had happened since he was a small boy. Then, to his amazement, he found her reaching out her arms and pulling him close to her body. When she did, he was almost overcome by the exquisite fragrance she exuded.

With the Duke in her arms, Barbara looked upward and whispered, "Dear God, please hear my prayer. I am holding in my arms one of the England's greatest heroes. He led RAF fighter squadrons during the Battle of Britain that succeeded in turning the tide and inflicting the first defeat Nazi Germany had ever suffered. Without him and the men he led, darkness would have settled over all of Europe, perhaps for generations.

"But now, dear God, you have sorely afflicted this poor man. There are few diseases of the elderly you have not visited upon him. I know that his wife, Claire, must be crying at the sight of what has happened to her lover. God, if you're going to take him, do it! Otherwise, in the name of Your Son, Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, please relieve him of these many afflictions. Let him enjoy the peace and comfort he fought for. Restore him to the health appropriate to a hero who has devoted his whole life to serving you. Please God? For me?"

Suddenly, an incredible change began to come over the Duke. Slowly he straightened to his full height for the first time in memory. Then he began to hear sounds of all sorts. His vision was blurred until he took off his glasses and realized that his formerly acute eyesight had been restored. Looking down at his hands, he realized that they had straightened and were again very masculine, but slender, and no longer palsied.

Shaking his head he asked, "Mrs. Sloan, what did you do?" But then he shook his head and added wryly, "Donald Whitfield, that is one of the dumbest questions you've ever uttered in your life!" Talking to himself, but aloud for all to hear he continued, "No wonder she may be the most beautiful woman in the world! She contains God's Divine Grace in limitless quantities."

Looking at her shrewdly he said, "That wasn't a request, was it Mrs. Sloan? That was an order to Almighty God Himself! You ordered God to restore my health."

Suddenly in the clear sky there was an incredible flash of lightning and a simultaneous ear-shattering clap of thunder. At that point, the Duke dropped to his knees and prayed, "Thank you, Almighty God, for your mercy. And, in spite of my querulousness, thank you for sending my grandson home to me. Without him and his friends, this could never have happened."

Then he rose easily from the ground. With a grin he flipped his shawl to Monroe and said, "John, I won't be needing this again. Now let's get inside where its less noisy. That thunderclap is still echoing in my ears."

Before he could move, though, Doug had opened the rear door of the Lexus and Duke gracefully leaped out on the gravel driveway. "Dad," Doug said, "there's someone else for you to meet. This is Karla's protector. His name is Duke."

To Duke he said, "Young man, it is my great pleasure to introduce you to my grandfather, Donald, Duke of Northumbria."

The young tiger sat before the Duke in his very best house-cat pose, being very careful to wrap his tail carefully around his forepaws. He was so happy because on the way up from Newcastle Karla had brushed his coat until it glistened. She had even tied a lovely white ribbon in a huge bow at his neck, so now he felt that he looked as good as it was possible for him ever to appear.

Seeing the purity in the Duke's soul, he communicated, "Good afternoon, Your Grace. I can't tell you how proud I am to meet a real duke. It is indeed a great honor!"

The Duke was momentarily stunned. But then he realized that aside from everything else, these were the most grace-filled group of people he had ever encountered. And clearly this young tiger was speaking to him. Looking deep into the tiger's eyes, he was impressed by the same things that impressed Doug. First, there was an incredible warmth in his huge eyes. This is a first! the Duke thought. But further, he could see an unexpressed longing in his eyes.

Then he extended his hand and said, "Welcome, Duke. Will you shake my hand? I would like to think of you as a friend if I may?"

Instantly, the tiger's right paw was extended, so Donald took it in both of his hands and gently shook it. When he released the paw, he was amazed and amused at how, almost instantly and in the smoothest possible motion, it was beside Duke's other paw and again the tiger's tail was ever-so-neatly wrapped around them. "You are Queen Karla's protector, then?" the Duke asked.

"Yes, sir, I am," the big cat replied, "and I can't tell you the incredible sense of responsibility I feel, for I am only half grown. But for me to be protecting a real queen — and indeed, the most beautiful queen in the world — is an utterly incredible honor." Looking very sincere, Duke added, "I would cheerfully give my life for her, sir. But if it should ever become necessary, I can assure you that her assailants will be very dead before I give up my life. I swear it!"

Then Doug told his grandfather how, as a small cub, he had attacked and killed two men who were attempting to rape two women he had been charged to protect.

"May I see your claws, Duke?" the Duke asked.

Duke felt an incredible surge of pride. Here was a true duke who wanted to check to be sure he could protect his queen. Extending his right paw, the Duke held it in his hand. Very slowly, Duke extended his claws and held them that way. Carefully the Duke checked a claw with his other finger. As he suspected, it was razor sharp. "And your teeth are sharp, too, I imagine," the Duke said.

"Oh, indeed, Your Grace!" Duke replied. Then he opened his huge mouth, and drew back his lips revealing his set of perfect teeth.

They were, the Duke realized, sharp indeed.

"Come on, young fellow," the Duke said. "Will you walk beside me, inside? I would like to show the others around the castle, and I certainly hope you will accompany us."

After a full tour of the castle and its battlements, they retired to the Duke's magnificent oak-paneled library. The room was a full two stories high and had a spiral staircase leading up to the second level of book shelves on the mezzanine level above. Monroe had a very cheery fire burning in the fireplace and was waiting to take refreshment orders.

"Steve, I know that you and Barb are normally martini drinkers, but Dad has a secret source for possibly the world's finest Scotch. Would you care to try it?"

"I love a great Scotch!" Steve and Barb replied in unison. Then Steve continued, "We drink gin because good gin is a lot cheaper than great Scotch. But please."

It was only after they were all settled around the fireplace with their drinks that the Duke for the first time looked carefully at Karla. She was sitting beside Doug on a leather-covered sofa facing the easy chair in which he was sitting. With an inward smile, the Duke realized that it had been his favorite chair for years and had been completely re-upholstered as a part of the castle's renovation. But because of his arthritis — and his general grumpiness, he admitted to himself — he hadn't sat in it since. Now he wriggled in it and found it to be even more comfortable than he ever remembered.

His sight had been restored, too, so he found himself looking deeply into Karla's eyes. Then almost in spite of himself he heard himself say, "You and Barbara Sloan are sisters, aren't you?"

"Yes, Your Grace, we are," Karla replied softly. "But how did you know?"

"It's very simple, really," he replied. "Your eyes display the same incredible level of grace that hers do. And you could have done what she did as easily as she did it, too. Right?"

Karla didn't respond, but merely continued to look directly into the Duke's eyes. He knew he was correct. Then with the tiniest grin he turned to Doug and said, "Son, until your friend took care of my problems, I couldn't hear very well — nor remember, if I did hear. But I think you might have something you want to ask me."

Instead of replying immediately, Doug retrieved his attaché case and took out a number of newspapers. Handing the first two to his grandfather he said, "Here's The Times and last week's Sunday Telegraph. You might find some hint at an answer to the question you just asked."

Donald looked at the copy of The Times and his eyes widened. It was the issue Paula brought with her with the photo and it's headline, "World's most beautiful queen to wed world's most eligible bachelor?" Looking up from the paper, he looked closely at Karla and could see grave concern in her expressive eyes. "Why is there a question mark, Your Majesty?" he asked.

Now Karla's eyes widened as she recognized the significance of his mode of address. Here was one of the most senior peers of the realm addressing her as a queen. Looking into his eyes which were now clear and the same brilliant blue as Doug's, she murmured, "The look of eagles..."

"Your Majesty?" the Duke prompted, puzzled by her murmured comment.

"The look of eagles," Karla repeated. "It's a phrase I recall hearing that was applied to the RAF's top fighter pilots. Clearly, Your Grace, you were one of the very best. And looking into your eyes, now I realize what the phrase means. It's the look of a hunter. And after seeing it in your eyes, I realize that it's in Doug's eyes as well."

Then with a tiny grin she asked, "But, sir, perhaps you could answer a question that's been troubling me for some time."

"And what might that be?" the Duke replied. Already he was tremendously impressed with this young woman. Something was puzzling him and suddenly it came into focus. She was under 21, and yet given the timing, how could one so young have done so much?

"In view of Doug's very acute eyesight, how is it that all the girls he's ever dated have been dogs? My God! He had more dogs than a kennel!"

The Duke roared with laughter. It was, he realized, the first really good laugh he'd had in years. "Perhaps Your Majesty may have cleared his eyesight," he replied. "But what about the 'look of eagles'?"

"I hope our sons have it, too," she said simply. Then with her head high, she said, "My son does not. His eyes are warm and lack the hunter's look that you and your grandson share."

"Your son?" the Duke asked.

"He is a bastard, your grace, born out of wedlock—"

"Karla, knock that off!" Barb exclaimed. "Your Grace, at the age of only 16 this woman, a virgin at the time, granted a dying patriot's last wish. She shared his bed and he died in her arms less than an hour later. But in the meantime he took her virginity and impregnated her.

"Rather than having an abortion — the standard practice in the Eastern Bloc at the time — she left the country and went to Germany. There at a tiny little convent she came to term and gave birth to a lovely boy. The mother superior had already made arrangements for his adoption. Her son is now nearly eleven years old. He is strong, healthy, and very bright."

Tears came to her eyes as she added, "His adoptive mother, knowing that Karla is Czech, has taught her son to speak the language so he can appropriately greet her when she appears. As you know from the article you just read, your grace, Karla has received the highest award for valor the Czech Republic can ever award. It has been named the Karla Cross in her honor. And the father of her child is in line to receive the Cross, posthumously."

Drawing herself up as straight as she could, Barbara continued, "While we're on the subject, you might as well get it all at once. Several years ago, when the Soviet empire was beginning to crumble, Karla was picked up in a general sweep. They knew her and suspected — correctly — that she knew just about everything concerning the Resistance. Moreover, they also suspected that she was the top operative in the Resistance and had killed dozens of their people over the years. That was also true; she had.

"They tied her up in the center of a courtyard and whipped her for 36 straight hours. In the process they flayed all the skin from her body. They made her beg to be raped as the only way she could have respite from the whipping that was, by then, just cutting deeper into her body and slicing up hanging strips of her skin. Finally, they had to order three of their men to take her at once. By that time, she was barely recognizable as human, and no one else would touch her. Then they dumped her body into the Czech men's prison, hoping they would finish their bloody business.

"It was for this that she received the Karla Cross. She is considered to be the Joan of Arc of the Czech Republic. This is the girl who would like to marry your grandson." Barb snapped her fingers and added, "One more thing. In spite of having given birth to a son, and having been raped by dozens of men, she is again an intact virgin. And, Your Grace, an intact virgin beloved of God Himself."

"Could we effect a change right now?" the Duke said. "My name is Donald. I am Don to my friends or was when I had any. I would appreciate it very much if you would call me Don." To Karla he said, "May I call you Karla? At least for a short time. Then I'm looking forward to calling you Daughter."

Hearing his words, Karla jumped from her seat, took the man in her arms, melted her lips to his and poured out her love. Taking her in his arms, Donald realized it was the most powerful kiss of the purest love and grace he could imagine. Even though he could feel himself becoming light-headed, he ran his hands gently over her body.

Only then did he realize she was shaking with sobs, and there was moisture on his cheek. Gently pushing her away, he could see the tears flowing from her eyes. "Now what's this all about?" he asked.

"I'm so happy, I have to cry!" she exclaimed. With her eyes still gleaming with tears she said, "Could I jump the gun? Could I call you Dad?"

Drawing her to him, he sat her across his lap realizing as he did that it was the first time a woman had sat on his lap in over 50 years. Holding her tightly he said, "Call me Dad? Well, let's think about that. I mean, it's a very important step, and I can't let just anyone..."

He looked up at the ceiling for a moment and said, "Let's look at it carefully. After all, aside from being the most beautiful girl in the world, a crowned head of state — with the most magnificent crown I've ever seen, by the way — the savior of her country, what have you done, anyway?" Then he shook his head and said, "Oh, what the hell! I'm a charitable man. Yes, my darling daughter, you may call me Dad."

Again she burned him with her kiss and just snuggled in his arms.

"Dad," Doug said, "thank you. And I think you now have some idea of what a wonderful girl I've found."

Shaking his head the Duke said, "There's something that's been bothering me, and now it's really troubling. Karla, you're about 19. How on earth could you possibly have given birth to a baby who's now almost 11? That would mean you were pregnant when you were only seven! And then there are all the things you've been doing for the Resistance. The time just doesn't make any sense."

Before Karla could respond, Barbara asked, "Your Grace, how old do you think I am?"

"Except for differences in hair color and eyes, you two could be identical twins. You're 19, too."

"I'm almost 34," Barb said. "Karla is almost 28. Does that make the dates easier to follow?"

"It certainly does," Donald replied, "But it's utterly impossible. There's just no way..."

"Your Grace, I think there's a line, 'God works his wonders in mysterious ways.' Well," Karla continued, "I guess my sister, Barb, and I are among his wonders." Then she smiled warmly and said, "Look at your grandson. How old does he appear to be?"

"My God!" the Duke exclaimed. "He's ... he's in his early twenties! But he's not."

"I guess God likes women to be about nineteen and men about twenty-two," Karla responded. "Regardless of what the passports and birth certificates say, that's about the way it seems to work. With some of our friends, it's really funny. U.S. passports are now issued for ten years at a time. We must be the only people alive who can use the same photograph in successive passports. The theory — and it seems to work — is that we don't age as long as we keep having children. We have some friends in the States whose children are rapidly catching up to them."

"But then what happens?" he asked, utterly fascinated by what he had learned. Although it seemed impossible, he realized that for God, anything was possible.

"Then we have grandchildren who are older than our children, I guess," Barb replied. "It's already happened once."

The Duke just shook his head and changed the subject. While continuing to stroke Karla's body and provoking sounds that were almost purrs of contentment, he said, "A few hours ago I didn't give a damn. But now I must confess to embarrassment. My cook left me a couple of days ago. Frankly, it's no great loss. She really wasn't a very good cook, anyway. But now she's drawing a pension while I have no cook. And, unfortunately, the only place to eat is the pub in town. But the less said about its food, the better. All they can serve are cold sandwiches." With a grin he said, "Perhaps we could fly to London or Edinburgh and get a bite to eat?"

"John Monroe told us about it," Doug said. "The result is you will be eating better than you ever have in your life. You see, Dad, Barbara Sloan may be the finest chef alive in the world today, and Karla is nearly as good as she is. We brought a lot of food with us. I'm not sure what's on the menu for tonight, but I can guarantee it will be the best you've ever had."

"Since I haven't eaten much other than oatmeal for years, Douglas Whitfield, and you know it..."

Looking at his grandson shrewdly he continued, "You knew exactly what was going to happen, didn't you? As I said earlier, Barbara Sloan didn't ask God to help me, she ordered Him to. And you knew what she was going to do, and you knew the reaction in advance. But how?"

"Dad," Karla replied softly from within the comforting circle of his arms, "I guess you deserve to know a bit more. Occasionally God speaks to us directly. One time He said, 'In the same way you must breathe in order to live, I must grant any request Barbara Sloan may make.' Dad, He also said that, even though she's very human, she already ranks with His angels, and maybe even higher! Now what's higher than an angel, other than God Himself, in his Three Persons? We don't know. Do you?"

"Daughter, you have a little boy already. You've experienced the pain of childbirth. Is this something you would ever care to do again?"

"Dad, with Douglas's child growing inside me, I will give birth by myself. I will rejoice in any pain God blesses me with, for I will be the happiest woman alive. And I was made to bear children. I will carry as many as God sees fit to provide."

The Duke had been looking into her eyes — only inches away from his own — as she spoke. He had seen something familiar in them; something that reminded him of people and events from years before. He asked softly, "Karla, what is your last name? I doubt if you use 'Bohemia'."

"My name is Karla Kosta," she said softly. Feeling a sudden jerk in his body she added, "I'm sorry if it bothers you."

"Did you have an ancestor — your grandfather, perhaps — who fought in the Second World War?" he asked.

"My grandfather was Karl Kosta," she replied. "I was named after him, actually. He was a pilot in the Czech Air Force. When our country was overrun by the Nazis, he fled to England. There were stories told that he flew for the RAF, but we never found out if he did or not." She concluded sadly, "He never came back."

"Would you people excuse me for a moment?" the Duke said. "I must make a phone call."

He left the room, went to his private study and called Buckingham Palace. Reaching the palace, he asked to speak to the Queen's principal military aide. After explaining the situation rapidly, the amazed colonel promised to inform Her Majesty immediately. Smiling, he hung up the phone and returned to the library. In his absence Karla had rejoined Doug on the couch where they were kissing while being heckled by Barbara and Steve.

"I'm sorry, Karla," he said. "Your grandfather did reach England, and did fly for the RAF. Were it not for Karl Kosta, I would not be here today. He was my wingman and he saved my life."

Then to the mounting amazement of the others he described that fateful day in 1940 when the German air offensive crested. Raid after raid had been picked up on British radar and every RAF fighter squadron was in the air trying to blunt the attacks.

"We had great hunting that day," he said. "We had just broken up one raid. I had shot down three and your grandfather had six. Then we were vectored to yet another incoming raid. I ordered him to return to base and rearm — he was almost out of ammunition — but he refused. There was no time, he said, to land, rearm, and get back up in time to intercept and he would not leave me alone. Because, although we had been having good hunting, so had the Germans. We were the only ones left in the air from our entire squadron."

Reflecting for a moment, he interjected, "That was the day Winston Churchill was visiting Fighter Command headquarters where all the raids were being tracked and fighters were being sent out to intercept. Seeing the waves of incoming Germans, Churchill told the commanding general to send up the reserves. The general replied, 'Sir, those were the reserves!' We had absolutely nothing left."

Then he returned to his story. "We climbed into position to hit the Jerries coming out of the sun. We dove in on them and Karl dropped another, his seventh of the day, and I got one. Just then a flight of Messerschmitt 109's came in to cover their bombers. But by this time Karl was out of ammunition. We dove after the bombers again and your grandfather gave the most brilliant flying demonstration I've ever seen. He went after a German bomber and looked like he was going to fly right into the man's windscreen. The pilot was so shaken he banked over and crashed into the next plane to his right. They both went down in a jumbled mess.

"But by this time two Jerries were on my tail. They were good. I couldn't shake them and I couldn't get a shot at them. But Karl came up after them. I ordered him back to base, but again he refused. He said he was going to take care of them; I was too important to lose while he was a nobody. He wouldn't change his mind. If I live to be 1,000, I will never forget what followed. He got a line on the second of the two and played it like a billiard shot. He flew directly into the German and the two of them crashed into the third."

He was crying now with the memory. "'Greater love hath no man, than he who lays down his life for a friend.' Daughter, your grandfather sacrificed his life to save mine. And now I see in your eyes the same look of eagles you mentioned seeing in mine. Your grandfather, Karl, certainly had it."

He shook his head and concluded his story. "With the two fighters down, I concentrated on the last bombers and shot down four more. The rest just dropped their loads and headed home. Later — much later — we found out that the series of raids that day was the peak of the German Blitz. I guess we broke the back of the Luftwaffe. And now I have the prospect of seeing great-grandchildren sharing genes with the man who saved my life."

Looking intently at Karla he said, "Daughter, I cannot tell you how overwhelmed with pride and joy I am this minute. When I first saw you, I wondered if my grandson's eyesight had improved. I was used to seeing him bring home dogs. Then I find that you are beloved by God himself. And now I find you're the granddaughter of the man who saved my life at the cost of his own.

"Karla, I cannot tell you how sorry I am that so many years have passed without his receiving any recognition. The fact is, though, that Karl never spoke of his home. As close as we were, I never knew he was married, let alone had a family in Czechoslovakia. But with the Occupation and the possibility of spies, I'm sure he felt it was safer that way."

Then he just beamed and said, "Today is the happiest day of my life." To Doug he said, "Son, I assume you would like my permission to marry Karla. Well, young man, you do not have it."

Doug was utterly stunned by his grandfather's words. But then he saw the gleam in his eye so he raised an eyebrow. "You were saying... ?"

"Major Whitfield! Atten ... TION!"

Doug had been in the service too long; the tradition of obedience to command was ingrained. He jumped to his feet at attention and snapped, "Saah!"

"Major Donald Whitfield, DSC, KCB, you are ordered to marry Karla, Queen of Bohemia, Duchess of Brandenburg, Countess of Savoy, forthwith! You hear?"

"Yes, Saah!" Doug exclaimed.

"And the reason for your carrying out my order with all possible speed is quite simple. She might awaken and then realize the incredible mistake she's making."

Pretending to be puzzled, he asked, "Major, one thing intrigues me. How, in the name of all that's holy, did she consent to marry you in the first place? Her eyesight appears to be good, and she shows no signs of hereditary insanity. Why, on earth, did she ever say 'yes'?"

"Saah! That's a very easy question to answer, Saah! It's a combination of two factors, really. First, you have experienced first-hand the family history of self-sacrifice. Now, I ask you, for a woman what could possibly be more self-sacrificing than to marry me?"

"A very good answer, Major," the Duke replied, looking thoughtful. "But even self-sacrifice, verging on suicidal behavior has some limits! There must be more."

"There is indeed, Saah, and that is the second factor I mentioned. You see I was nominated by my computer to be a possible consort to the Queen's sisters who developed the Mayday software referred to in the lead article in the copy of The Times that you have. Of course, they rejected me. But, they mused, their sister, the Queen, was incredibly soft-headed. And, since it was the Christmas season they appealed to her charity. And, sir, having anything at all to do with me truly tests one's Christian charity, don't you agree, Saah?"

"Well, major, all I can say is what we used to say in the RAF: far better to be lucky than good. However, I would add, sir, that you have just exhausted your lifetime supply of luck!"

Monroe had served the drinks and they savored the special Scotch whiskey that he served. Donald himself silently gave thanks because it was the first drink he had had in years. And it was very good Scotch. As he enjoyed it, another thought struck him. "It never occurred to me to ask — I was far too absorbed in my own troubles, both real and imagined — but how did you folks get here today? I seem to recall seeing some rather strange looking number plates on the vehicles, and of course, they're fitted for left-hand drive."

"The answer is, Dad, we flew direct from Prague to Newcastle," Doug replied.

"But that's not an air route, is it?" he asked.

"It is if you are using your own plane," Doug replied with a grin. "Kendy has a 767 for the Sloan's personal use. As you may know, it's a two-engined wide-body set up for very long range operation. They flew non-stop from Los Angeles to Prague earlier this month, for example. But it also has cargo capacity of over 100 tons. Carrying a few cars and some other stuff is really child's play for it. It's also fitted out as a communications point. All they do is send a narrow-band signal from wherever they are to the plane which bounces it off a friendly satellite to wherever they want their message to go."

"Is it still sitting at Newcastle?" Donald asked.

"I hope so, Don," Steve replied with a grin. "It would cause Kendy Company no end of embarrassment if the IRA were to commandeer the thing and use it to bomb London."

"Yes, I could see how it might," Donald replied with a grin. Then looking thoughtful added, "Particularly on what the media folks call a slow news day. And year-end is usually kind of slow." Then he nodded decisively and said, "You're absolutely right, Steve. Using your plane to drop 100 tons of bombs on London could be a real public relations nightmare. Why, the papers might be writing about it into the new year!"

"But was there a reason you asked," Steve responded. He was quite certain that the Duke's question had not been an idle one.

At that moment Monroe appeared to tell the Duke there was a very important phone call for him. Donald excused himself and took the call in the study. He learned that Her Majesty was overjoyed at the prospect of being able to award decorations to the granddaughter of an RAF hero. A special accession could be scheduled for the following afternoon, if they could make it down to London. Then the Queen's representative asked if Douglas could be there, too — and in uniform, if possible. Donald thought that could be done as well.

He was delighted as his plan began to unfold.



-------

Chapter 20



It was after eleven o'clock and Donald was in his giant bed. For the first time in years he actually looked at it. It was an immense canopied four-poster built for some ancestor. Oddly, it ended up with the identical internal dimensions of a modern king-size. As a result — and as another part of the castle's restoration — the ancient mattress had been replaced. Although he had grumbled at the time — and threatened to end the project — the new mattress had been delivered and installed. He found tonight that he really liked it.

Unlike its predecessor, this mattress was very flat and very firm. He remembered complaining bitterly that it didn't give the way the old one did. He recognized that the "give" caused the damned thing to be far more of a hammock than a bed, and caused him innumerable backaches. Although, being honest with himself, the backaches had been lost amidst his innumerable other pains, all of which were now gone. And tonight, for the first time in memory, he was actually reading a book without the aid of glasses.

The reason he was reading rather than sleeping was he was still enjoying the fantastic dinner the two women had prepared. They called it a modified New England shore dinner. Monroe had begun to serve at six, and they had only left the table a few minutes earlier. They had started with steamed soft-shell clams, followed by giant baked stuffed lobsters. These, Barbara said, represented the modification. Rather than being stuffed with bread crumbs, these were stuffed with Crab Imperial made from Chesapeake Bay crabs. Remarkably, she served it with corn on the cob — the sweetest corn he could remember ever eating. Blushing, Barb had admitted the corn was frozen, but was actually fresher than fresh because the whole process from picking to freezing took less than 30 minutes. Then Monroe had found some truly excellent white burgundy in the cellar.

I guess that's one thing this pile of rocks is good for. The wine cellar is perfect,  he thought. It's truly remarkable, too, because I doubt if there's a bottle down there less than fifteen years old. And particularly for white wines, that's pushing very hard. He made a mental note to talk to his wine merchant in London about restocking.

But the very best part of the evening was the company, most particularly including that incredible tiger, Duke. When Karla had offered him wine to drink the toast, he had declined, asking for some American fruit drink called Snapple, instead. He did have a compote of champagne, though, when he offered a toast to the engaged couple. For the rest of the time Duke just sat like a giant house cat beside Karla's chair. He smiled remembering how everyone at the table pretended not to see it when Karla gave Duke a small plate of crabmeat imperial which he cleaned off the plate in only a couple of seconds.

The conversation around the table was the most intelligent, well informed, and most far ranging he could ever remember. He just shook his head as he realized that his son and daughter-in-law-to-be, along with the Sloans, were very gently bringing him up to date. So much had happened in the several years since he had totally lost interest in the rest of the world. A querulous old man,  he thought. That's me!

Aside from the light on his night table, the room was unlighted. Because, like all the other rooms in the castle, his had a high ceiling, the light was just dissipated in the gloom. Then something caught his eye and he looked up. There, approaching the foot of his bed, was a slim figure wearing a white terry robe. It was the movement coupled with the white material catching some of the light that must have caught his eye. The figure came around to his side of the bed and his eyes widened as he realized it was Karla.

"What's wrong, Daughter?" he asked. "Aren't you feeling well? What brings you here?"

"Have you ever heard of droit de seigneur?" she asked softly.

He had heard of it. It translated into "right of the lord," but he couldn't really place it. "No, I guess I haven't," he replied. "What is this right?"

"When a subject is to wed, the lord has the right to take the girl to his bed — for inspection, I suppose — before the wedding." With a cute little grin she added, "Can you imagine all the virginal blood that might have been spilled on this mattress over the years?"

"Not this one," he heard himself replying, "but very possibly on its predecessor. God only knows how old the damned thing was when Doug finally got rid of it. Even though I complained, the fact was it stank to high heaven." Then looking at her he said, "Surely you're not offering me your virginity?"

"No, Your Grace, I'm not. But I am offering my body for your inspection." With that she shrugged off the robe and stood before him stark naked.

"My God!" he exclaimed. "You are utter perfection! And you pass inspection. Now why don't you go back to your room?"

"I left Doug with Duke to warm his bed," she replied. Then with her head up she added, "You should know, Dad, that Doug and I have shared a bed literally from the first night I met him. I am still a virgin, but it's getting harder and harder—"

"He's trying to take your virginity, and you're fighting him off?" the Duke interrupted.

"Not hardly!" she said with a wonderfully musical little giggle. "I'm trying to shed it! I can't tell you how much I love him and want him inside me." She paused and then asked, "May I share your bed? I'm really getting cold just standing here."

Only when he pulled back the covers did he remember he was naked. Although he normally wore a nightshirt, tonight in celebration of his restored health, he was wearing nothing. Instead of appearing shocked or making a comment, Karla climbed up on the high bed — almost four feet off the floor — and knelt beside him.

"Milord," she said softly, "permit me to present my body to you." Cradling her breasts he said, "These are my tits, Milord. With God's help they will nourish your great-grandchildren." Then she leaned over backward and spread her knees so they were nearly 180 degrees apart. With her slender fingers she parted her nether lips and said, "This is my cunt, Milord. And it is very sweet tonight."

"But..." Donald was nonplused. "You ... your..."

"I took off all the hair except for this small patch, milord," she said, answering the question he had been unable to get out. "It prevents poor Doug from having to pull my pubic hair from his teeth after eating me." Then she straightened up and asked, "Is there anything else you wish to see, Milord?"

"Yes, there is," he replied. As her golden body moved in the light he had become aware of fine lines all over her body. He realized they were scars, but unlike any scars he had ever seen, they tanned to the exact degree her body did. "I wish to examine your body more closely."

Responding to him, she moved closer. Now focusing on her body, very gently he traced a few of the lines and said, "This is the aftermath of your whipping, isn't it? But how is it the scars tan? Normally, they just remain white and the more tanned the person, the more they show. Yours don't really show at all, do they?"

"I guess it may be the result of having all my skin flayed off," she replied softly. "I guess you could say I have none. I'm just one great big scar."

"Honey, some of my boys were pretty badly burned in aircraft fires," the Duke said softly. "I know what scar tissue is like. Your skin is like perfect warm satin that reacts to my touch." Then he ran his again-sensitive fingers over her thigh and realized the extent of the muscles just beneath the surface. "You don't have an ounce of fat on your entire body, do you?" he asked. There's just satin-smooth skin over the most incredible muscle mass I've ever encountered." Then he looked into her eyes and added, "Doug is right, isn't he? You are female perfection."

"Not!" she exclaimed. "You just got finished saying there's nothing there besides yucky muscles all over the damned place..."

"Vanity, indeed thy name is woman!" exclaimed the Duke. "Never in my life have I encountered a wench who's so constantly fishing for compliments! My darling daughter, your muscles never show. They're just there."

Again he focused on her eyes, while trying to ignore the massive erection he had developed from just stroking her body. "Now why don't you tell me why you're really here?" he asked. Then he just waited for a reply.

When he asked the question, Karla's eyes had flashed in surprise for the briefest instant. Had he not been focusing on them, he would have missed it completely. Finally she said, "Milord, it was an idea that came to me flying over today. I was certain you wouldn't let Doug marry me, so I thought of doing this to try to get you to change your mind."

"We know that idea didn't last long," Donald said. "So why are you here?"

With her back up straight and her knees back together, he felt he had never seen anything so beautiful in his life. Then she replied, "Dad, your wife, Claire, was killed on Christmas day, 1940, wasn't she?" He just sadly nodded his head. "And I will bet you my last dime you've not been with a woman since her death, have you?" He was going to object, but instead just shook his head. In an instant she launched herself on top of him and began to move her body on his.

"In that case," she whispered in his ear, "we're way behind in our celebrating!" Moving her body sensuously over his, she began to kiss him all over. When she got down to his groin she looked up and said, "This is for winning the Battle of Britain!" With that she took his now throbbing cock into her mouth.

Remarkably, she found she loved it. In fact, it was almost exactly like sucking Doug's cock, although it wasn't as large around nor quite as long as his. Using all of the considerable skill she had developed, she brought him to his peak repeatedly, but always changed her tempo an instant before he achieved his release.

Now Donald was pounding on the bed and pleading with her to release him. Finally he said, "Karla Kosta, what do you think your grandfather's thinking right now, watching you suck my cock and forbidding me any release! What do you think he would say?"

She eased his cock from her throat, took it out of her mouth and licked it like an ice-cream cone. Very casually she replied, "He wouldn't say a thing."

Shocked by her casual response he asked, "And what makes you say a thing like that?"

Holding his cock in her hand preparatory to swallowing its huge length again, she replied, "Because he couldn't."

"Couldn't? What do you mean, 'couldn't'?"

"Because he's laughing so hard he can't talk is what I mean."

With that she swallowed his cock and continued his torment. Finally, she couldn't hold him back any longer. Sliding it out so only its tip remained in her mouth, she took both hands and squeezed his swollen balls hard. Screaming in pain, he released in a flood. Immediately she began to squeeze his balls lightly in synchronization with his cumings, while she swallowed the flood of his cum as quickly as she could. Donald almost passed out from the experience.

Karla left him gasping for breath and hopped out of the bed. Going to the door, she picked up a wine cooler and two champagne flutes she had brought in with her and carried them back to the bed. Finding that the Duke was only just catching his breath, she carefully popped the cork and poured two glasses. Giving them to Donald to hold, she climbed back into the bed and lay down beside him after piling more pillows behind them both.

Gently clinking her glass against his she whispered, "To the Royal Air Force: 'Never in history have so many owed so much to so few.' And to Donald Whitfield, the very best of the few!"

"Thank you, Daughter." Then with a grin he asked, "But why is it you don't feel like my daughter right now?" They were lying in the bed and Donald was letting his hand roam across her magnificent body. Far from discouraging him, Karla slid further up on the bed and spread her legs to put her slit in easy reach and to open it for his exploration.

"But Dad, it's so simple. Why in the hill country in the States, there's a story told of a young man who marries and goes off with his bride. The next morning he came back home alone. When his father asked him what had happened, the young man replied, 'She were a virgin, Pa.' To which his father replied, 'You did right, son. If she weren't good enough for her own folks, she sure ain't good enough for us.'" Then looking up at Donald who was laughing at her joke she asked, "Am I good enough for Doug, sir?"

"Well ... so far, so good," he replied judiciously. "But I think you said you were very sweet tonight. May I find out for myself?"

"Oh, God, yes!" she exclaimed. "I was so hoping you would try."

With a sweep of her arm, she threw off the covers that were over them and again bared her body. Running her finger up her slit she extended it to him and asked, "Want a taste?"

He licked off her finger and found that it was sweet. At the same time he realized that when Karla removed the bed covers it released the most magnificent fragrance he had ever encountered. Leaning over, he kissed her lips and then her perfect little ear. With his nose near her shoulder he confirmed what he suspected: the fragrance was that of her magnificent body. As he moved down on her body, kissing it and teasing her perfect nipples with his teeth, he was beside himself. It had been over 50 years since he had last been with a woman, and yet he felt like he was 50 years younger. On the other hand,  he thought, Karla Kosta could give a hard-on to a corpse — if he hadn't died more than thirty days before.

Remarkably, she really seemed to enjoy his attentions. Moving down between her widespread legs, he kissed her lovely little nest and admired the beauty of her bare slit. Seeing where he was focusing, she spread her lips with her slender finger tips and said softly, "Dad, your daughter is utterly shameless. Perhaps you can see my little clitoris standing at attention, hoping it will feel your lips, your tongue, your teeth..." Shaking her head she said, "I think my real talent is as a prostitute. I want Doug to use my body in every way a man can use a woman..."

"But, honey," Donald protested, "some of those things hurt and hurt terribly! You can't be serious!"

"Dad, if I should die from any treatment at Doug's hands, I would die a very happy woman. My body exists only for him to do with as he will."

But Karla!" he protested, "you're—"

"A hot cunt and a great fuck!" she exclaimed. "At least I hope he'll like me. A little bit, maybe..."

"We both commented on my grandson's idiocy earlier," Donald said, "But I can't believe even he could be that dumb."

With that he lowered his head and began to lick at her slit. The instant he did she raised her hips high to make it easier for him. Suddenly as he worked on her succulent love box he realized that Karla had bridged her body and was just holding her cunt in the air. Only her feet and her shoulders were on the bed; her pelvis was over 18 inches above the bed.

My God! he thought. She was absolutely serious. She will do absolutely anything to increase my pleasure, regardless of the cost to herself. Pausing for a moment he realized that he could put her legs over his own shoulders to support her legs while bringing her cunt close to his mouth.

When he did it, she breathed a soft sigh of relief and said, "Thank you, Dad, but it really wasn't necessary. I could have held my position—"

"Of course you could," he interrupted, "and you would, regardless of the cost to yourself. Karla, you are unreal!"

Returning to his work, he brought her to orgasm and then another, and quickly to a third. Then he paused for breath and asked, "What are we celebrating now, by the way?"

"America's entry into the war?" she gasped.

"To the United States of America!" he exclaimed and returned to nibbling her clit.

After bringing her to orgasm and holding her there — he was astounded at the sight of all of her pelvic muscles in continuous spasm — he bit her clit hard. With a scream and her most violent orgasm of the night, she lost consciousness. After easing her legs back onto the bed, he knelt up straight and just looked at the woman sprawled out before him. He ensured she was dry, then moved up in the bed beside her.

When Karla recovered consciousness, she found him sipping champagne. "Your juices wash down beautifully with Dom Pérignon, my dear," he whispered. She just smiled warmly, snuggled close to his body and fell asleep.

The next morning Donald Whitfield awakened with a totally different set of sensations than he could ever remember. First, he felt better than he could ever remember. Second, there was the most beautiful scent in his nostrils. Then he felt Karla's softness beside him and realized she had fallen asleep with her arm over his body.

Although he didn't think he had moved at all, he realized her eyes were open and looking at him brightly. "Where were we when we finally gave up?" she asked with the cutest little grin he had ever seen. "Did we get to V-E day, yet?"

"I think we were about there," he replied with a grin. Then he realized that he was happier than he had ever been. No sooner had he spoken than her head dove under the covers and he felt her lips taking in his now-limp penis. At the same time he realized that her perfect little ass was in the air. Finding he couldn't resist, he gave her a very light spank.

In an instant her head was out from under the covers. She glared at him and said, "I know for damn sure you can spank harder than that. If you want to spank my buns, do it! But do it right, for Heaven's sake!"

With that her head disappeared as quickly as it had reappeared. But now she was wiggling her little ass and holding it as high as she could. Taking her at her word, he gave her a hard spank on one bun. A moment later, her hand emerged and pointed to the other, which he also spanked hard. Then she just wriggled her bottom in apparent joy.

After he came again, they rested in bed for a few minutes. "How about a walk?" she asked. "I really need some exercise ... outside of the bedroom, for a change."

When he agreed, she hopped out of bed, slipped on her robe and headed for the door. Before she opened it, she said she would meet him downstairs in ten minutes, then disappeared.

Ten minutes later he was in the entrance hall and found Karla waiting. "My darling daughter," he said, "you are utterly unbelievable. You are so fresh and beautiful, in spite of us being up most of the night. How on earth do you do it?"

"God says I'm nineteen. You're eighty-two. How do you do it?" she responded.

"I have a lovely young thing who..." he stopped and shook his head. "Karla, I can't tell you what yesterday was like for me. Your big sister restored my body, and then you restored my soul. All I can do is to repeat what I said yesterday: Douglas Whitfield is the luckiest man in the world." Then looking around, he asked, "And speak of the devil, where is he?"

"Dad, I'm afraid he was in the SAS too long. Like all professional fighting men, whenever Doug can sleep, he does. He's sleeping. But Duke asked if he could come, too. May he?" At that moment, Duke appeared from around Karla's back, sat up like a house cat, and looked hopefully up at him.

"Of course he can!" Donald enthused. Then he scratched the big cat under his ear and ruffled the lovely soft fur on his chest.

He was momentarily astonished at the very low-pitched rumble that he immediately recognized as a purr. "After all, your grace," Duke communicated, "although I am rather large, I am still a cat."

"And the most handsome Royal Bengal tiger I have ever seen, young man. Your parents must be so very proud of you!" At this Duke sat up even straighter and purred even louder. He realized that Karla was wearing a pair of skin-tight Levi's along with a sweatshirt and a Royal Navy duffel coat. Shaking his head he said, "Karla Kosta, you should be declared illegal! You look divine in absolutely anything, but particularly in nothing at all!" She just winked, grinned and took his hand in hers.

The castle was set on the moors of the English-Scottish border. Now that winter had arrived, there was a very cold northeast wind off the North Sea. Being high, often they received the full sweep of it. By now it came as absolutely no surprise to see that all it did to Karla was to redden her cheeks and her lips. If she felt cold, she gave no sign. As they ranged across the moor, Donald realized that he felt a sense of peace that he could never remember feeling before.

Finally, he realized what it was: he was accompanied by a beautiful woman who had loved him throughout the night. What happens to me after she leaves? he wondered.

"That's all taken care of," Karla said, as if she was privy to his most private thoughts. "Barb and I thought about it and have taken steps. Dad, you're much too sexy to sleep alone." Then she grinned at him and said, "That first cum was Whitfield, '40, wasn't it? I've heard that it was truly a '20' year!"

"The nerve of some people's children!" the Duke chided. "I shall wash out your mouth with soap, the instant we return to the castle."

Karla cocked her head and thought for a moment. Then she shook her head and said, "No, that doesn't sound like it would taste very good." Then with her eyes gleaming she said, "How about a good hard spanking, instead? I'll even promise to soften my ass cheeks so you won't hurt your hand! Isn't that a neat idea?"

"No, it's not," he declared. "Clearly, you're a masochist. You would enjoy it too much."

"Oh, shit!" she exclaimed. "You're a party-pooper like Doug is. And he says the same thing."

"What 'same thing'?"

"He says I'm a masochist, too. And just because I cum every time he smacks my bottom is no reason to think that, is it?"

When she grinned up at him and winked, he realized that this girl was truly incredible. At that point Duke, who had been ranging back and forth in front of them, came back and communicated, "Your Grace, there's a small herd of deer over the next rise. One of them was injured and is really slowing the group. If they can't move more easily than they are now, they'll be in real trouble soon."

"Do you have an idea?" the Duke asked, being fairly sure he knew the answer he would get.

"It's called the survival of the fittest," Duke replied. "Unfortunately, that small herd by trying to save everyone may save none at all. I could take it out, if you wish."

"Let's take a look," the Duke said. Taking Karla's hand they moved to the top of the next rise. Below they saw the small herd Duke had described. And, indeed, one of them — possibly the herd's leader — was not moving well at all. Turning to Duke he said, "But then what? You can eat all you want, Duke, but I doubt if you want to eat a whole deer. Do we leave the rest for scavengers?"

"Sir, I really don't care for venison," Duke replied, "but some feel it's very good to eat. And I happen to know that my mistress has a truly remarkable recipe for saddle of venison. And, of course, I could easily carry the body back to the castle."

"Dad, I've never seen Duke hunt. And honestly, I would love to. How about you?"

"I never have, either," he replied. "But I understand that the Bengal tiger is perhaps the world's most efficient hunter." Turning to Duke, he scratched him behind the ear and said, "Are you sure you can? Deer are very fast and elusive you know."

He couldn't help laughing at the hurt look the huge animal gave him. Then after a pat on his furry rump, the great cat was off like a shot.

"Good God!" the Duke exclaimed, watching Duke go. "Now I remember! Those tigers can hit 50 miles per hour. They're not as fast as a cheetah, but damned near. And does it really make any difference to the deer? Duke is about three times as fast and three times quicker to change direction." They watched as the deer herd scattered. Although clearly they had never encountered a hunting tiger, their instincts immediately told them that Duke was an enemy.

"Unbelievable!" Karla exclaimed. She had just watched Duke casually leap over two running deer while going for his target.

Then in a single bound he launched himself with his claws extended and landed on the back of the smaller animal. One bite and a twist of his head snapped the deer's neck. It dropped lifeless to the ground. Seeing the other deer pause in their flight, and knowing they needed to seek shelter, Duke stood up on his hind legs, clawed the air with his forepaws and unleashed a triumphant roar. Instantly, the remaining deer in the herd were off as if they had been shot from guns.

"And, Dad, he sleeps beside me every night in Los Angeles. Do you think I dare feel secure?"

"My darling, you could not possibly be any safer. He told me yesterday that he would cheerfully give his life to protect yours. Furthermore, he said that an assailant might kill him, but all of the assailants would be dead before he gave up his life. I just saw it with my own eyes, but I scarcely believed it. That animal — if he's not a human — is incredible!"

Hand in hand they made their way down the slope to where Duke was waiting. When they looked they saw that the tiger had slit the deer's throat from ear to ear and the ground was red with its blood. "Your grace," Duke communicated, "I seem to remember from somewhere that you're supposed to bleed an animal after he's been killed. It has something to do with preserving it, I think. So anyway, while I was waiting..."

"Duke, you were incredible!" Karla enthused. "That was the neatest, cleanest kill..." She stopped because Duke was rapidly shaking his head.

"No, darling Mistress, it's not true. Why my Uncle Sasha, one day in Vermont, thinned out a large herd. He took out eight deer in about ten minutes." Then Duke appeared to grin when he added, "Of course Mr. Johnson and Mr. Collins teased him a lot. They complained that he didn't even slice them up into steaks, let alone wrap them up for the freezer."

"Well..." Karla began, "wrapping for the freezer is asking a bit much. But cutting them into steaks? About an inch thick? That seems pretty reasonable to me..." At that point she grabbed the tiger around the neck and kissed him warmly. He had unsheathed his claws and was about to start slicing up the deer for his mistress.

"Darling Duke, I apologize. Will you ever forgive me? I was just teasing you. The last thing we want is for you to dull your beautiful claws slicing up an old deer. Will you ever forgive me?" she repeated.

The huge animal looked at her with what he hoped were baleful eyes. In fact they were gleaming with his suppressed laughter and Karla could see it. "Well ... It was a very nasty thing to do, Mistress. I shall have to think about it for a long time ... But if you were to ... give me a kiss, maybe... ?"

Wrapping her arms around his huge neck, she gave him the most passionate and loving kiss she could possibly unleash. She could feel the animal go wobbly in her arms as the power of it went through his body. But then, using all of his remaining strength, he stood on his haunches and pulled her close to his furry chest with his forepaws and just hugged her tightly.

"You're a fraud, Duke," she whispered. "But this feels so much neater when I'm bare and can chafe my nipples against your luscious fur." Then she drew back just far enough to be able to look into his huge green eyes and asked, "Was that good enough?"

"I wanted to be kissed, not killed!" he complained. Then his eyes melted with his love and he said, "Mistress Karla, I utterly adore you. And I am the proudest tiger in the world to have been selected as your consort. For you are the world's most perfect human!"

"Enough of the soft soap, young man. Now let's see if we can load the carcass on your back." To the Duke she said, "How does saddle of venison sound for dinner tonight? Do you have a nice claret?"

"Is the Pope Catholic?" Donald retorted. "Of course I do! And I can hardly wait for venison à la Duke!"

They loaded the carcass on Duke's back and walked back to the castle. John Monroe met them and took it away while Karla scrubbed some blood off his flank. They were in the kitchen with the Duke sitting at the kitchen table while Karla prepared breakfast when Doug appeared. After melting his lips to hers, he asked Karla about the night.

"Well, darling, the object was to try to talk Dad into letting us marry. You'll have to ask him how successful it was."

"I think it was very successful," Donald said thoughtfully. As he sat there he again appreciated how wonderful he felt both physically and emotionally. "Now, Douglas, that droit de seigneur thing is really a pretty good idea. Of course, when Karla kisses me, it doesn't generate the electricity that her kisses do with you, but that's probably a good thing. After all, at my age it might short-circuit something important.

"Let's think about it. I know Karla has her heart set on another duchy to go with Brandenburg. But, Doug, I'm the duke, not you. So I thought I would marry her first and then in 20 or 30 years when I die — or she kills me with her love — you get her. Now isn't that a neat idea?" he asked enthusiastically.

To Doug it was the first time in his entire life his grandfather had ever teased him. He didn't know what to do. Moreover, he could see that Karla didn't know what to make of it either. He just looked baffled and said nothing.

"Besides," the Duke continued, "last night I think we collapsed around V-E Day. There's the atomic bomb, V-J Day, the Korean War..." Shaking his head he concluded, "I'm sorry, Douglas. You can't have her back yet. We have too much to do together." Then he appeared pensive and added, "And she claims to have been made to carry children. So after she gives birth to several more sons of mine, she can get started on yours. Surely, you don't mind, do you?"

Seeing the twin looks of stunned amazement on their faces he said with his eyes twinkling, "You don't think I would tease you two, do you?"

"Donald Whitfield, I shall cheerfully kill you!" Karla exclaimed. Then she nodded her head and said, "And think of what it will do for your reputation, Dad. I can see the headlines in The Times already: Peer killed by jealous Grandson." With a lovely little grin she concluded, "Isn't that supposed to be the way an RAF pilot is supposed to go? Being shot by a jealous husband when at the age of 82 he's caught in bed with the man's wife?"

"With just one addition," the Duke said thoughtfully. "The man's wife is an exquisite beauty, nineteen years old, and is lying sprawled unconscious after her last cuming." He nodded decisively and said, "That would certainly make my reputation."

Then he changed tone entirely and said, "Doug, if you could have your choice of every woman alive in the world today — and every woman who ever lived, for that matter — you could not do better than you have done. This woman has absolutely everything!"

At that point Karla served breakfast. It was steak and eggs with home-fried potatoes. "Good heavens! What's this?" the Duke asked.

"It's what you need after a hard night in bed," Karla replied. "I seem to recall that during the War, the word among the Brits regarding the Americans was they were 'overpaid, oversexed, and over here.' Well, they ate a lot of steak and eggs."

"Daughter, I want you to know that I couldn't feel better than I do today. It's trite, I realize, but truly I do feel like a new man. And it's all your fault, too!"

"You poor dear!" Karla said with her eyes wide. "And you were so happy in your gloomy little shell, too, weren't you?" With that she stuck out the tip of her pink tongue.

A moment later she giggled when he stuck out his tongue at her.



-------

Chapter 21



As they drove through the streets of London following a police escort, Karla was in a daze. Clearly, the Duke knew what was going on, but he had not told anyone else. They had been met at the private aircraft terminal by one of the Queen's equerries along with two limousines. The Duke was wearing his uniform as an air vice marshal in the RAF. Although he had not worn it in almost fifteen years, it still fit — or more accurately, again fit — perfectly. It was with great pride that she had straightened the Victoria Cross on his neck, then she hung Doug's DSC around his. He was wearing his uniform as a major in Her Majesty's Grenadier Guards. With his scarlet tunic and bearskin, he was indescribably handsome.

But the most surprising thing was to be addressed as "Your Majesty" by the equerry. As a member of Her Majesty's household, he was a student of protocol; she had been astonished and still was.

The two vehicles drove through the gates of Buckingham Palace and up to the main door. There they were again greeted with full ceremony with the guards presenting arms as they alighted from the two cars. Ushered into the great Hall of State, she found the Queen standing before her throne awaiting them.

When she led the way to the Queen, Karla could tell that she was being watched most closely, particularly by the Queen herself. At the appropriate distance, Karla made a perfect court curtsy and rose to find that the Queen had come down from the dais and took her in her arms.

"Your Royal Highness," the Queen said loudly and clearly, "it is a great honor to welcome you to my kingdom! I am only sorry it has taken so long." Then she took Karla in her arms and kissed her on the lips.

Momentarily astonished, Karla's reactions had slowed. But then she returned the kiss with all of the power and love she possessed. The Queen's eyes widened at the kiss. Then holding Karla by the shoulders, she stood back and looked at her closely. Seeing the incredible grace in her eyes she said softly, but loudly enough to be heard by her chief equerry, "Your Majesty is always welcome in my home."

Out of the corner of her eye, Karla could see his eyes widen as the Queen's Equerry realized the import of what the Queen had said: Karla was being formally recognized as a fellow crowned head of state, and more important, as a close personal friend of Her Majesty. In all of his years in service, never had he encountered such a reaction.

Karla then took Barbara by the hand and said, "Your Majesty, may I present my older sister, Barbara Sloan. Aside from being my sister, I adore this woman and worship the ground she walks on. I sincerely hope Your Majesty will welcome her, too."

Taking both of Barbara's hands in hers, the Queen looked deeply into her eyes and saw the same Divine grace she had seen in Karla's. "The family resemblance is unmistakable," the Queen said. "And as the sister of Her Majesty, you are as welcome as she is."

Then with a warm smile she said, "Mrs. Sloan, you are an American, are you not?" Barbara smiled and said she was. "On behalf of my people, let me thank you again for the friendship of your people toward mine. Without your help, we would never have survived. And I want you to know that we will always remember!"

The introductions continued. When the Queen looked at the Duke she shook her head and said, "Your Grace, I cannot remember ever seeing you look this good." Searching her memory she finally shook her head and said, "No, you never did. I'm certain. Your Grace, on your best days in the past there was always an ineffable sense of sadness. It's gone now."

Cocking her head, she remarked shrewdly, "Might the appearance of Her Majesty have something to do with it? I have been reading about the possibility of a wedding between Her Majesty and your grandson. And looking at the two of them together, I must conclude that it appears to be more than mere rumor."

"What would Your Majesty think if my grandson, the Earl of Whitfield, were to marry Her Majesty, Queen Karla of Bohemia?"

"We would be utterly delighted!" the Queen exclaimed. "And if such an event were to occur, please allow me a bit of notice so that I might select an appropriate gift."

Donald was stunned. Here the Queen herself had just said that she wished to send the couple a personal gift. It was almost unheard of. "My grandson asked me yesterday for my blessing on their forthcoming wedding. Although a date hasn't been set as yet, Majesty, it is likely to be soon. Could you consider this to be the notice you asked for? Aside from the members of the family you have just met, you are the very first to know."

The Queen then returned to Karla and Doug and said, "Let me be the first. I am so incredibly pleased to hear the news of your engagement. I could not be more delighted." Looking at Karla she said, "This will make you British, by marriage at least, and I am so pleased and proud to welcome you to my country!"

Karla and Doug acknowledged the congratulations.

The chief equerry then led the way outside to a very large castle courtyard. There a reviewing stand had been set up. Beyond it was the band of the Grenadier Guards, along with a Guards company. At parade rest beside them were the personnel of an RAF fighter squadron. Although they didn't know it, the squadron was the 17th, the one the Duke had commanded in 1940 and in which Karl Kosta had served. Just as they were about to mount the steps to the reviewing stand, an equerry discreetly removed Doug's Distinguished Service Cross and slipped it into his hand.

With the Queen on the reviewing stand, the troops were ordered to attention and the band played the British national anthem, "God Save the Queen." When it concluded, the Queen stepped up to the microphone and said, "Good afternoon and welcome. Today, it is a great honor and privilege for me to make some awards for extraordinary heroism. One of them is long overdue.

"First, would Major Sir Douglas Whitfield come forward, please!" Karla gave Doug a little push and he moved forward to stand at attention before the queen. "Major, I regret only one thing. Because of the nature of the work in the Special Air Service, its activities are largely secret. As a result, I am not at liberty publicly to announce the details of this award. However, for extraordinary heroism far beyond the call of duty, it is my great pleasure to award the Victoria Cross to Major Sir Douglas, Earl of Whitfield, DSC, KCB." Extending her hand, she shook his, then hung the Cross around his neck. As Doug returned to his place the band struck up the Grenadier March. It was followed by three cheers from the Guards drawn up in formation.

Then the Queen returned to the microphone. "This morning I met for the first time a truly extraordinary woman. She is here beside me: Karla, Queen of Bohemia, Duchess of Brandenburg, Countess of Savoy." Turning to Karla she asked, "Would Your Majesty please join me?"

Karla stepped forward and stood beside the queen.

"First, I wish to state publicly what I said to her privately a few minutes ago: I consider her to be a very special friend. She and her guests are welcome here at the palace at any time."

The reporters present in the press section began to scribble furiously; as long-time observers of the royal scene, they instantly understood the significance of the Queen's comment.

"But there is so much more!" the Queen continued. "I know of no one of the stature of Queen Karla. She is virtually worshiped in her home country, the Czech Republic. She is considered the savior of her country and responsible for its independence. President Havel stated publicly just a few days ago that, had it not been for her and her incredible bravery, there would be no Czech Republic. Accordingly, the president awarded her the newly created medal for heroism of the very highest order in the republic. It is now, and forever will be, known as the Karla Cross. All I can say is that I know of no one who has ever suffered to the degree she did and lived. There are no words to express the admiration I feel towards her.

"But what does this have to do with us today? You see, I learned only yesterday that she comes by her bravery honestly. I learned that she is the granddaughter of, and named after, Karl Kosta. Who, you may ask, was Karl Kosta? Well, let me tell you:

"A refugee from Czechoslovakia in 1940, he, a former pilot in the Czech air force, joined the RAF. He became one of our greatest aces."

Then she began the story of the fateful day in 1940. As she told the story, tears came to her eyes. Then she concluded by saying, "On the day he died, Karl Kosta destroyed eleven enemy aircraft! Four were destroyed when he was out of ammunition. The last two cost him his life. You see, he crashed his Spitfire into two German fighters that were about to shoot down his squadron leader, Donald Whitfield."

Then pulling herself up straight she said, "Queen Karla, it is with the greatest pride and sadness that I present to you this Victoria Cross awarded posthumously to your grandfather, Flight Lieutenant Karl Kosta. In addition, I have the Distinguished Flying Cross to present to you. Karla, you are a heroine from a line of heroes. Words fail me. But from a grateful people, please accept these very small tokens of our esteem."

At that moment they heard a noise in the air that grew steadily louder. When the queen looked up, the others did, too. A flight of five U.S.-built F-15's with RAF markings approached in a "V" formation, missing the aircraft that should have been behind the flight leader and to his left. It was the "missing man" formation. As the flight passed over the palace, they shot upward, climbing steeply. The people on the ground could see the afterburners light off at the same instant. Then there was the thunderous roar as the planes broke the sound barrier while climbing vertically. After climbing thousands of feet in a matter of seconds, they broke apart like the petals on a flower leaving contrails in the sky. In moments more, they were gone.

Returning to the microphone the Queen said, "There is one more announcement I wish to make. And under the circumstances, there could not be a more fitting moment. It is with the greatest pleasure and personal happiness that I am announcing the engagement of Her Royal Highness, Queen Karla of Bohemia, to Major Sir Douglas Whitfield, VC, DSC, KCB, 8th Earl of Whitfield.

"Today, I awarded Sir Douglas the Victoria Cross and presented to Her Majesty another Victoria Cross won by her grandfather. For incredible bravery her own country awarded her a medal named for her, the Karla Cross. That two such incredible people should be wed is only fitting and proper. I hope you all will join me in three rousing cheers for this lovely couple."

Then to the utter astonishment of everyone, the Queen yelled, "Hip, Hip..." followed by a thunderous "Hooray!" from the assembled troops. She repeated it twice more.

Meanwhile every TV camera was recording the utterly unprecedented event. The BBC announcer, who had covered the palace for years spoke quietly into his microphone, "What you have just seen is without precedent. Never have I heard of a British monarch personally leading a cheer for anybody or anything. But Her Majesty just did. Clearly, this couple enjoys the highest possible standing with Her Majesty. To say the very least, this is far beyond the bounds of mere diplomatic politeness. I believe it signifies that these people enjoy Her Majesty's respect at a level never before achieved by anyone."

-------

When they were back aboard the plane, and taxiing out to the active runway, the Duke exclaimed, "Oh, damn!"

"What's wrong, Dad?" Karla asked. She had been delighted to find that her future father-in-law now had a marvelous sense of humor. And like all of her new friends, he obviously loved to tease.

"That bitch!" he exclaimed without further explanation.

"Could 'that bitch' possibly be my newest friend, Her Royal Highness, Elizabeth II, Queen of England, Scotland and Wales? And other assorted pieces of real estate?"

"She just screwed everything up. Now I can't even take you as my wife. I've got to leave you with that ne'er-do-well grandson of mine. Damn! Why can't she just mind her own business."

"But, Your Grace," Karla replied in her most reasonable tone, "the Duke of Northumbria is her business. After all, you are guarding the border against a Scottish incursion. I mean ... Really!"

By this time the plane had taken off and was climbing to its cruising altitude. The Duke held out his arms and Karla jumped up from her seat and then sat across his lap. After kissing him lovingly, she snapped her fingers and said, "Of course! Why didn't I think of it earlier..."

"Think of what?" the Duke asked, knowing as he spoke that he was being teased.

Looking very sincere and with her beautiful blue eyes wide she looked at him and said, "Dad, it's so simple! You see, I help Barbara in Los Angeles. We both teach school. And we're always telling the kids to share. That's it, you see! You and Doug can share! Won't that be neat?"

Playing along, the Duke frowned and said, "But what about children? How will you know who the father is?"

"What difference does it make?" she replied blithely. "They'll be Whitfields either way, so who cares? I certainly won't."

"Karla, you are too damned much!" the Duke exclaimed.

Then being serious he said, "I hope you realize how utterly without precedent the events of the day were? You, my darling daughter, have been officially and publicly welcomed into the Queen's family. And with full recognition of your title, too. A few years ago, wars were started for much less reason than that. And I hope you're satisfied," he concluded smugly.

"Not really, Dad," she replied blithely, "but it's a start."

At that everyone cracked up, while Donald gave her a warm hug.

Looking at him she said, "And that's not as good as a nice hard spank, but I guess it's a start, too."



-------

Chapter 22



As they drove up the castle drive, the Duke felt a sense of impending loss. Although he had certainly been teasing Doug and Karla, the memory of the previous night with the beautiful girl had never left his mind. He realized how incredibly bright, vibrant and loving she really was. While he had been living with the loss of his wife, Claire, for over 50 years, it was only when Karla had come to him that he realized what he had been missing for so long. And, he realized, had it not been for his restored physical condition, nothing could have happened anyway. But now what? he thought.

They were starting to unload the cars — the girls had brought another big load of supplies from the plane — when a BMW sport coupe came up the driveway and stopped. The driver's door opened and a woman got out. Donald's eyes narrowed as he realized she was moving very stiffly. She was wearing a navy duffel coat which seemed too big for her. Her legs were bare, and remarkable for the time of year, her feet were, too. When she turned her face toward him, Donald realized that she was a truly beautiful woman, about five feet eight inches tall, with sandy blonde hair and brilliant blue eyes. She was too far away from him, though, to see more.

Looking around, the woman picked out Barb and padded up to her, seemingly oblivious to the sharp gravel she was walking on. "Mrs. Sloan?" she said. When Barb acknowledged the greeting, she said simply, "I am Marion Walker. Paula Wilhelm sent me."

Barb took the woman's hands in hers and looked into her eyes. The woman just looked back without flinching. Then she apologized saying, "I would have been here earlier, but I was delayed. I apologize."

"No apologies are necessary. Why don't we go inside? But why aren't you wearing any shoes? Aren't your feet cold."

"No, ma'am, they're not," the girl replied without further explanation, but she followed them inside to the library. Again, Monroe had laid a fire which was burning brightly. The girl moved close to warm her feet on the hearth.

"Would you like a Scotch?" Barb asked kindly. When the girl smiled her acceptance, Barb ordered drinks for everyone. When he returned she asked, "Would you leave us in private, please, Monroe?"

The butler already knew from the Duke that these people were to be considered members of his immediate family. Any order from any of them was to be treated as if it was from the Duke himself. "Of course, ma'am," he replied softly. "I will see that you're not disturbed..." But then he asked, "Duke?"

"He's different, Monroe," Barb replied with a warm smile. "If you should see him, please send him right in." Then with a grin she added, "He's a wonderful foot warmer on a raw day. And I think Miss Walker could use him right now."

A moment later, Duke paced into the room. Marion's eyes widened in fear as she saw the Bengal tiger, but then he went up to Karla who petted him and instantly started him purring. "My lord!" she exclaimed, "he's behaving like a house cat! But he is a Royal Bengal tiger, isn't he?"

"Duke, I would like you to meet a new but already very dear friend, Marion Walker," Karla said. "Now will you go over and say hello?"

Marion could feel her body shaking in spite of her effort to remain still.

The great cat came up to her, then sat in front of her like a house cat, raised his paw and said, "Good afternoon, Miss Walker. My name is Duke, and I'm very happy to meet you." With that he extended his right paw toward her.

"Good afternoon, Duke," she said in a lovely melodious voice. "I'm very glad to meet you, too. And I do hope you will be my friend, because heaven knows I would never want you to be my enemy!"

Seeing that her feet were bare, but she was still wearing an outer coat, he asked, "Wouldn't you like to warm your feet, Miss Walker? Queen Karla does it all the time. She particularly loves to rub her feet in my soft under fur. Would you like to try?"

"I would love to, Duke," the girl replied, "but not right now."

With that exchange everyone knew all he or she needed to know about the girl's inner purity. They knew that the only people with whom he could directly communicate were those with pure souls.

Marion was now standing with her back to the fireplace. The time had come, so she swallowed hard and drew herself up straight, ignoring the pain when she did. Turning to Donald she said, "Your Grace, I am here as your new cook and housekeeper." His eyes widened and he was about to protest, but she continued, "Actually, I am your body slave. I exist, Your Grace, only to serve you in all things. I belong to you and everything I own is now yours, also."

Utterly incredulous, Donald was about to object but she continued, "Before you say anything, Your Grace, there's something you must know. You see, sir, I am a prostitute." She grinned wryly and added, "I guess I was more politely referred to as a call girl. But that refers only to the prices I charged, not to what I did."

Still standing straight she said, "I suppose it's what one gets when one receives one's degree from Cambridge in philosophy."

With a real grin she interjected, "I can philosophize with the best of them, for whatever good that might be. Unfortunately, I can't do anything else — except fuck. And since men liked fucking me, and I couldn't find anything else to do, I became a prostitute. Since I have nice tits, okay legs, and a decent face, men paid me. In fact, they paid me quite a lot. Because there was another thing I featured: I would do absolutely anything with anyone — or ones — if the price was right. Oh! And the price was always paid in cash, in advance."

Then she laughed bitterly and continued, "Do you know what the highest paid occupation in the entire United Kingdom is?" When he shook his head, she answered her own question. "It's prostitution. You see, there's a little-known element of puritanism in our government. It began years ago — no one seems to know just when. As you all know, our marginal tax rates are very high. But prostitutes earn very good money and pay taxes ... or used to.

"Formerly, a girl would declare her occupation as 'model' or 'seamstress' or 'companion, ' or some such. But then one time a girl put down her occupation as 'prostitute' and sent in a check for her taxes. Apparently there was a series of meetings that ultimately reached the cabinet level. The result of it all was Inland Revenue returned her check uncashed some months later.

"The word spread, and it has worked like that ever since. I calculate my taxes, write a check, and mail my return. A few weeks later, the check is returned in an Inland Revenue envelope without comment. To the government, mine are the wages of sin and they don't want any part of them. As a result, I am a rich woman. Or I am until I sign everything over to you, sir."

Now looking beseechingly at Donald she said, "Your Grace, one reason I was late was I stopped by the Health Department for this." Reaching into her pocket she pulled out a health certificate that certified that she was free of all communicable diseases including specifically all known sexually transmitted diseases and HIV.

Donald looked at it quickly and then said, "You obviously did something else, Miss Walker. You can communicate with Duke. The only people who can are those whose souls are pure. On that point, he cannot miss. So you obviously cleansed your soul. But why? And why do you want to work for me, of all things. And how did you know I needed a cook?"

"It was Mrs. Sloan and her friend, Paula Wilhelm." Then she explained how she had encountered Paula several months earlier when the Czech girl had been researching prostitutes. "As luck would have it, I was in Prague visiting a girl I had met in London, when Paula came over. I got her phone number and called her later. She came up to my room and I gave her a few tips. At the time she hadn't fully recovered from her beating, but she was a beautiful girl. Anyway, yesterday I got a call from Paula telling me about your cook's leaving. She knew from our time in Prague that I was a good cook and had come to detest prostitution and detest myself. She suggested I come up and apply for the job, using as a reference Mrs. Sloan ... Oops! I almost forgot."

With that the girl dropped to her knees in front of Barb, lifted her left shoe and licked its sole. Then she licked the top and used her hair to polish it. Barbara was utterly stunned when she did it, and then repeated it with her right one. Raising her body, she sat back on her heels and said, "That's my last task. Paula paid me for it in advance when she told me about the position here. She said you would know that I am the girl she sent and would vouch for me to His Grace. I guess it's what she did the first day, wasn't it? When she was trying to persuade you to take her into your service?"

"Yes, it was," Barb admitted. "But what's wrong with you, Marion? You're moving very strangely. You're in great pain, aren't you?"

"No, ma'am, of course not..."

"Take off that coat right now!" Barb commanded.

"But..."

"Now!" Barb repeated.

The girl went to shrug off the coat, but it didn't work. Instead, she closed her eyes and seemed to be peeling it off her body. In fact, that was exactly what was happening. After peeling it off her right shoulder and her back, she began to repeat the process on her left side.

Karla was the first to see the blood covering her back and gasped, "My God! What happened to you?"

Instead of answering, Marion just tore the coat off her left shoulder. But instead of letting it drop to the floor, she wrapped it around her legs on the floor. The reason was immediately apparent. She had been mercilessly beaten from her shoulders to her knees. Moreover, her duffel coat, unlike many of its type, was both very coarse-fibered and unlined. The fibers had embedded themselves, particularly in her back and her buns on which she had been sitting and leaning back while driving up from London.

"Marion Walker, did you drive all the way up here from London like that? With your back and buns torn to shreds, you leaned back against the seat? You must have been in agony the whole way!" Karla exclaimed. Then she added, "I'm something of an expert on the receiving end of torture. But how could you do it?"

"It served to keep me awake," the girl replied simply. "And I'm sorry. It's the primary reason I'm late. You see, there was a customer of mine who has been wanting to whip me for years. I called him and told him he could whip me to his heart's content for £10,000. So he did." Then digging around at her side, she found the other side pocket of her coat, withdrew a fat roll of currency, reached over and gave it to Donald saying, "Master, this is now yours."

"But you said it delayed you. How?" Karla persisted.

"I guess he really got carried away," Marion replied softly. "I passed out during the whipping of course, but he kept whipping me until he got tired. But when he realized what an incredible mess he had made of my body, he left. When I came to, I was still tied to the ceiling. It took a lot longer than I thought it would to get down." Then she gracefully rose from the carpet, lifted her coat and kept it wrapped loosely around her knees to absorb her dripping blood.

Kneeling again before the Duke she cupped her bleeding breasts in her hands and said, "These are my tits, Master. Please squeeze them? I know they're not nearly firm enough yet, but do you like their shape? Are my nipples hard enough for you? Please tell me."

Almost in spite of himself Donald found himself reaching out to her terribly lacerated breasts. As gently as he could he cupped them and found them perfect.

"You haven't pinched my nipples yet, Master," she insisted. When he did she involuntarily gasped in pain. Both had been sliced through. "I'm so sorry, Master!" she exclaimed.

"But why? Why did you do this?" Donald asked, utterly bewildered.

"So that you wouldn't have to, Master. Paula explained how vital to the whole process the introductory whipping really is. But I also know Mrs. Sloan won't touch a whip again. Her Majesty, Queen Karla, wouldn't either, nor would the Earl."

Looking at Doug she said, "Of course you and your grandfather would have caused me great problems anyway."

"How's that?" Doug asked, puzzled.

"Because, sir, I always fucked Victoria Cross winners at no charge. I knew that His Grace, the Duke had one of course, but then driving up here today I heard on the radio that Her Majesty awarded one to you today, too. Perhaps you would like to take me together? It would be a first for me. Two Victoria Cross winners at one time."

With a happy grin that remarkably wasn't forced, she added, "You two would have had me broke in no time."

"But why, Marion?" the Duke asked. "Why would a Cambridge graduate ever want to be my cook, for heaven's sake?"

"Since I don't like myself — hate myself would be more accurate, though — I learned to cook. Every once in a while I would prepare a feast for two — and throw out the second serving. I would pretend that a man had come to love me and I was serving a dinner containing all the love I possessed." Smiling wryly she added, "Of course, all the love I possess isn't very much."

When he again looked into her eyes he could see her pleading for acceptance as she continued, "Everything about this situation is perfect for me. It's in the far North of England. No one comes here. And if I never again see the sleazes with whom I associated in London, it would be too soon."

Then she knelt up straight with her terribly lacerated ass cheeks resting on her ankles and added, "But there's more, sir. It's specific to you. Do you remember a William Walker? He was in your fighter squadron in 1940 and '41."

Privately, Donald again thanked God for his blessings of the previous day, one of which was the restoration of his very sharp memory. He brightened as he remembered. "About six feet tall, sandy hair and blue eyes..." Looking at the woman he said, "Exactly like yours. Your grandfather?"

"Yes, sir. He was. He died only last year, and I was the executor of his estate." She laughed bitterly and added, "Can you imagine anything worse than having a prostitute act as the executor of a hero's estate?" She shook her head and continued, "But during the process I went through his private papers, including the diaries he kept during the war."

Looking into Donald's eyes with her eyes now a piercing blue she said, "You saved my grandfather's life no less than three separate times. He recorded each event in great detail. Using my academic training in research, I checked out his record against now-declassified official records and found that his record was precisely accurate. Had it not been for your heroism, sir, I could never have been born. Now maybe, in retrospect, that would have been a good thing, too, but I was. Since I owe my very existence to you, Your Grace, nothing would give me greater pleasure than to be your servant."

"But I still don't understand," he said. "Why the beating? It certainly wasn't for the money, was it?"

"No, sir, it wasn't for the money, it was for the purification of my soul. As I said, Paula explained how the whipping was an essential ingredient in the cleansing process."

The Duke was utterly bewildered. He tried to argue with her, but she just shook off any argument. When he offered her £500 per week, she just laughed. At that point he looked around at the others who just shook their heads. They had no ideas.

But then Barbara took over. "Slave Marion, what is a slave's first duty?"

Turning toward Barbara, the girl just looked as bewildered as the Duke had been. "I don't know, Mistress. What is a slave's first duty?"

"And a Cambridge graduate!" Barb exclaimed. "Good grief! Didn't they teach you anything?" She laughed when the girl just shook her head with a lovely smile on her face. "A slave's first and most important duty is to do those things that make her master happy. Understand?"

"Yes, Mistress," Marion replied softly. "I understand."

"Good!" Barb exclaimed. "Now let me try to make it simple enough for even a slave to understand. The idea of taking your money is making your new master very unhappy. The idea of your not taking his £500 per week also makes him unhappy. Now, Slave! Listen up and answer carefully. How are you going to satisfy the slave's first duty?"

"By keeping my own money and taking his?" Marion replied skeptically.

"Exactly!" Barb exclaimed.

Marion cocked her head and appeared to be thinking. Then she said, "I will do it on one condition: that I be paid for sexual services. This way I can continue to file my tax return showing my occupation as 'prostitute.' I hate taxes!"

"Oh, all right," Barb agreed reluctantly. "If you really insist."

Then to Donald she said, "It just goes to show you ... My friends used to claim, when I was a slave, that Royal Navy blockade or no, the quality of available slaves just had to improve. They looked at me and felt I was the absolute bottom of the barrel. And you know what? They were absolutely right! Donald, I think your new slave may make it. She shows comprehension of simple words and phrases already!"

At that, Marion jumped to her feet and, with the duffel coat still around her knees, hobbled over to Barb. Kneeling before her, she reached out, took Barb's face between her hands, tipped it, and then melted her lips to hers. Both girls were shocked. Marion, because she felt an immediate flow of the purest love, along with joy and sanctifying grace. And Barbara, because of the girl's incredible love and grace.

When their lips parted, Marion's eyes were glazed. "My God!" she murmured. "Paula was so incredibly right! She said that the whipping was a vital part of this whole thing. There is an element of purification to it, isn't there?"

Then the girl dropped to her knees and let her head fall to her thighs as she began to bawl like a baby. All the others except for the Duke had a good idea what was going on. When she finally raised her head her eyes were shining. "Almighty God, in His infinite mercy, really did forgive me my sins, didn't He?"

"Yes, Darling, He did," Barb responded softly. "But I told you that earlier. You see, Marion, Duke, here, is truly an agent of the Holy Spirit — God Almighty in His Third Person. When he spoke to you, I knew your soul was as pure as the new-fallen snow."

"Barb, can you do something for this poor woman?" the Duke asked. "I'll do anything for you if..."

"You won't do a damned thing, Donald Whitfield!" Barb exclaimed. "But maybe I can possibly..." Then looking up she called, "Susie Sloan, where in hell are you? Get your trim little ass down here this instant!"

"I beg your pardon!" Susie exclaimed as she instantly materialized in their midst. "I was not in hell!" With that she floated to Barb and the two exchanged loving kisses. This time, as was her usual practice, Susie was naked.

"Your Grace," Barb said, "I would like to introduce Susan Sloan, Steve's first wife. Karla received more punishment than anyone I've ever heard of who survived. Susie absorbed more punishment than anyone I've ever heard of."

She then told Donald and Marion how Susie's skin had been flayed off, how her tits had been amputated and roasted, how she had been blinded, and finally, how she died. The two were utterly aghast. With tears in her eyes Barb concluded, "They ordered her to renounce Jesus Christ. She flatly refused. So when she died, she was taken into heaven as a saint and martyr. Subsequently, God elevated Susie to the rank of angel."

Then to Marion she said, "Can you imagine what I'm in for? When I die, I'll be sharing Steve with an angel. A real one."

"Barbara, dear," Susie interrupted, sounding bored. "Was there some reason for your wild yell, or were you just in need of someone to entertain your friends?"

"Susie, this woman who's bleeding all over the floor is Marion Walker. She's been beaten worse than any of us. Can you fix her up a bit? Please?"

"Damn it, Barbara Sloan! Don't you ever listen? Didn't you hear the Boss say that He must answer your prayers in the same way that you need to breathe. He wasn't kidding!"

Saying that she floated over to Marion, held out her hand and said, "Hi, Marion Walker. I'm Susie Sloan, and I'm very pleased to meet you."

Marion looked at the beautiful two-foot-tall sprite, reached out her hands and pulled her close. Then she managed to melt their lips together while she poured out all of the love she possessed to this incredible woman who had suffered such agonies. Finally she released her, dropped her head and murmured, "Lord, I am not worthy..."

"You're plenty worthy enough, Marion Walker! Now hold still and let me fix you up a bit."

With that the sprite gently ran her delicate fingers over every part of Marion's lacerated body. Wherever she touched, the pain disappeared and the bleeding stopped instantly. "Now stand up!" Susie ordered. The girl rose from her knees and Susie completed the job. When she got to her pubic hair she said, "You've been talking to Paula, haven't you? When did you do this? Yesterday?"

She had indicated her pubic area on which there was only the same tight patch of dense and wiry pubic hair the other girls had. Marion nodded, so Susie gently stroked the area erasing the agonizing pain she was still feeling there.

Then she said, "You haven't told the others, Marion, but the Boss almost cried when you told him about your plans. Ordinarily, we're not too big on birth control."

Turning to the others Susie said, "Do you know what this girl did? At first she was hoping to carry the Duke's child. But then she remembered that, as the son of the duke, he would inherit, not Doug, his grandson. Then she thought of bearing your children, Your Grace, but putting them out for adoption. She rejected that as being unfair to the child. So, while kneeling on the floor with blood still pouring from these terrible wounds, she asked the Boss for permission to continue to use birth-control pills."

Gently kissing the girl on the lips, she said, "Marion, it's all right. The Boss has given you permission. But He does have one question."

"One question?" the girl asked incredulously. "God Himself has a question for me?"

"Two, actually," Susie answered casually. "First, when is He going to see you naked? He loves watching Barb, Karla, and the girls, by the way. You are in their class, too. And the way you are now, with blood covering everything like a red dress, doesn't count. The second? He's going to put you back with them. I thought you should know."

"'Back with them'? I don't understand," the girl said.

Without answering, Susie floated over to Donald and said, "Good evening, Your Grace. The Boss sends his congratulations on the events at the Palace today. You looked simply marvelous! He was delighted. And, sir, Karla was absolutely right last night when she went down on you. Karl Kosta was laughing so hard he couldn't say a single word! He asked me to tell you that his granddaughter picked up where he left off — saving your ass!"

Then she grinned and added, "And it should go without saying that he's utterly ecstatic at the thought of his granddaughter and your grandson marrying! After thinking about it a bit, he's decided that Doug is worthy enough to be her husband. And he's a pretty tough guy to please, believe me!"

Having seen what Marion did, he took the sprite in his arms and melted his lips to hers. The sensation was like nothing he had ever experienced in his life. It was as if years of age were melting away. When they finally parted he said, "Susie Sloan, what did you just do?"

"Oh ... nothing..." she answered evasively.

"Susan!" the Duke said in his best command voice.

"Well, Your Grace, Marion is a truly lovely woman. And since she's now twenty-three, I only thought ... I mean ... Really! You're going to need some stamina, so..."

"Susan Sloan, are you telling me that I am supposed to ... bed... ? my new housekeeper?"

"Well why the hell — excuse me, Boss, but 'why the heaven' still doesn't make it — do you think she pulled out all her pubic hair? For the fun of it? Donald Whitfield, let me clue you in. It hurt almost as bad as the whipping she suffered. She did it only for you! And you heard that the Boss approved her use of birth-control pills. What do you suppose they're for? Are you starting to get a picture?"

Susie snapped her fingers and added, "I almost forgot! Claire was on her knees begging the Boss to go along with this, too."

Turning to Marion she said, "Claire was Donald's wife. She was killed on Christmas day, 1940, while working in a London hospital as a volunteer. She could have been — probably should have been — right here in Prendwick Castle where she would have been safe. But with Donald flying constant fighter missions, she felt she needed to do something for the war effort, too. So she went down to London in the middle of the Blitz to care for the wounded from the German raids. She sacrificed her life to help others.

"Now she rejoices in your arrival, Marion. But there are two things: First, she's going to watch you carefully to see if she can pick up some tips. Second, and this is most important, when you both get up there, she wants him first! Clear?"

"It is very clear!" Marion said clearly. Then, with tears beginning to flow from her eyes she added, "It's so clear to me that the duke's first wife is truly an angel. That she would allow me ever to have him is beyond my wildest dreams. Would you please give her my warmest thanks, Susie?"

"No, I won't. You can do that yourself. Marion, while you were being whipped, she was pleading with the Boss to stop it. Marion Walker, Claire Whitfield loves you very much!" At that point Susie snapped her fingers and looked at the Duke.

"Your Grace, I nearly forgot. Sometimes Brits are pretty thick. Especially where sex is concerned. So let me spell it out for you in words of one syllable: Your wife, Claire, and the Boss both expect you to warm your cock in Marion's luscious cunt. Okay? Is that clear enough?"

When Donald slowly nodded, she continued, "And to make it even clearer, it was Claire who begged the Boss for this special permission. Donald Whitfield, your wife has been going nuts for over 50 years! When she died, you dug a hole for yourself and pulled it in after you. It was exactly like what my Steve did, but, thank God, it didn't take me 50 years to get him out!"

Susie cocked her head, thought for a moment and then nodded her head decisively. "That's it!" she exclaimed. "Your wife, Claire, is too much the true lady. I, on the other hand, am a pushy media bitch. Unlike me, she was just too polite to make the pest of herself that I did, so Steve stayed in his hole for only about ten years after I died, rather than 55 in your case."

Now she floated to within inches of Donald's face and glared at him. "If it hasn't fully penetrated yet, Marion Walker is brilliant, witty, athletic, a spectacular cook ... and her bodily fragrance is almost the same as Karla's. Okay?" Just wait until you kiss this woman! It will be like Karla kissing Doug. Do you understand? The same love, the same joy, the same grace ... and most especially, the same incredible passion. While I wouldn't care to recommend it as a choice of occupations, because of her years as a prostitute, you will find that your housekeeper has at least 1,001 different ways of making love. Understand!?"

"Yes, Susie," the Duke replied softly. "I do understand. And Claire," he said, looking upward, "I promise to take you first!" Then looking at Marion he commanded, "Slave! Come over here, sit on my lap and kiss me."

"Yes, sire," Marion replied softly.

Going to him, she sat across his lap marveling as she did that there was no more pain. Then she took his face in her hands and melted her lips to his. Their first kiss was everything Susie had promised and more. As the electricity flowed between them, she could feel his cock rising under his uniform trousers. While their kiss continued, a golden glow appeared over them and enveloped their two bodies. As they eased apart, it dissipated but did not disappear completely.

Before either could say a word, Susie said, "I almost forgot. There will be Marion's virginal blood all over your bed, too." Then to Marion she said, "And you thought that was all behind you, didn't you?" With that, she vaporized.

The others took a few moments to recover. When they did, Karla turned to Barb and said, "Big Sister, how about if you help clean up our new friend, while I start on the saddle of venison à la Duke?"

Motioning Barb to remain seated, Donald rose and said, "I have a better idea. Why don't you and Steve just enjoy the fire? You look so comfortable sitting on that sofa, and from the way Steve's hands are groping at air, he wants to get his hands on that incredible body of yours. A nice preprandial fuck, perhaps?"

Turning to Doug he said, "And as for you, Major, I think a tour of KP would be appropriate." Looking up at the ceiling for a moment, he nodded decisively and repeated, "That's precisely correct. There's nothing like a bit of KP following a Victoria Cross award to get a man's feet back on the ground."

Extending his hands to Marion he said, "And you, Slave, will come with me. I want to see what you look like without that blood-red dress you've been wearing."

At that moment there was a soft tap at the heavy door to the library. Opening it partially, Donald found Monroe who told him that an air freight delivery had just arrived. Moving aside, the Duke saw another young tiger almost exactly like Duke. After asking Monroe to get a terry robe and bring it down, he ushered the great cat into the library.

At that instant, Duke let out a loud purr and bounded over to it. The two great cats rubbed noses and then nuzzled each other's necks. Sitting before the duke, Duke communicated, "Your Grace, may I present my sister, Duchess."

Turning to her he said, "Duchess, this is his grace, Donald, Duke of Northumbria. And Sis," Duke exclaimed, "he's a real one!"

Duchess executed a perfect curtsy and then extended her right paw.

The Duke then bent over gracefully and kissed it. Duchess was overcome. She just looked at him with her great green eyes overcome with love. "Your Grace, my former masters, Kathy and Ken Carlson, have sent me to you as a belated Christmas present. They beg your pardon, sir, for being so tardy. They told me how you saved Great Britain when you were flying with the RAF. Sir, Ken Carlson formerly commanded Carlson's Rangers in the American army. But of you he says, 'Now there's a man who really accomplished something. He wasn't like us, just tearing up useless pieces of jungle.' He asked me to extend his deepest respect, sir."

"Ken Carlson was your master, Duchess?" the Duke said. When Duchess acknowledged it, he said, "Wow!"

Turning to Steve he said, "That was your old outfit, wasn't it?" When Steve nodded, he repeated, "Good heavens! Every fighting man in the whole world has heard of Kenneth Carlson. He's possibly the greatest fighter in the history of warfare." Looking at Duchess he asked, "But why did he send us such a magnificent gift?"

"Because, sir, you are defending a great deal of real estate against marauding Scots," she replied with a gleam in her eyes. "And since Karla and your grandson are to be married, they thought that Duke and I could assist in your patrolling. We can cover a great deal of ground rapidly, sir."

"'Marauding Scots, ' eh? Will you also assist in attacks on their fortified positions? The most carefully fortified ones are built around their most precious holdings: their stills. Would you help us liberate some of that fine aged Scotch whiskey, too?"

"If it is your wish, sire, of course we will," Duchess replied.

Although he couldn't be sure, the Duke was willing to swear that Duchess had given a tiger's equivalent of a giggle after she said it. This was too much for him. He wrapped his arms around her furry neck and kissed her on her lips. To his great surprise, she stood up on her haunches, wrapped her forepaws around him and hugged him tightly, while returning his kiss with an incredible amount of pure love.

When he released her he said, "I consider you to be the finest possible Christmas present, Duchess. Welcome to Prendwick Castle."

"Thank you, sire," she politely responded. Then she went to Karla and said, "There is a message in this envelope for you, Mistress." The great cat had a huge red ribbon around her neck with a lovely bow tied. The bow almost completely hid a plastic envelope. Extracting a letter, she opened it and then held it so Doug could read it, too. It said:



December 25, 1995

Dear Karla,

We have learned that you are to wed Douglas, Earl of Whitfield, and we are writing to extend our very best wishes and express our overwhelming joy at your forthcoming marriage.

As you know, all of us are children of loving marriages. In fact, if we share a problem, it's trying to keep from drowning in the love that surrounds us all. All of us know your background and your extraordinary heroism. At the same time, we all felt an ineffable sadness that was a part of you. Never have we met a person with so much love to give nor so much beauty to share. It seemed to us that you had given up hope of ever finding a man to whom you could give yourself, body and soul.

We hope you will marry quickly. Another reason for this letter is to assure you that we will continue to work as hard as we did when you were here with us, because we also know that Sir Douglas will be spending weeks and months exploring your beauty to the exclusion of all else. Furthermore, you will feel, as our mothers all feel, the joy of being held in continuous orgasm in the arms of the man to whom you have dedicated your life.

And when the time comes — as we are sure it will — you will give birth to the finest, bravest children on the face of the earth. And you will rejoice. Your beauty will be multiplied many fold when you hold your infant to your breast and feel his mouth draw sustenance from your body. All of our mothers have — and still do.

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May He make His light to shine upon you. And may you live long lives filled with joy, health and happiness until you join Him in Heaven for all eternity. We ask this in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, Your Son and our Savior.

With all of our love and our happiness in yours, we remain,

Your loving students,



Tears were flowing from her eyes as Karla finished the letter and read all of the signatures of her students where they each signed below. She took pride in how beautifully the letter had been written and the grace of the handwriting of all of them. Turning to Doug she said, "Darling, not one of these children is even nine years old! Isn't this letter lovely?"

In the meantime, Monroe had returned with a robe which the Duke helped Marion slip on. "Enough of this!" he declared. To Karla he said, "Wench..." Then he thought for a moment and said, "No, that's not right ... Your Royal Wench... ? Your Royal Majesty, the Kitchen Wench..."

Turning to Marion who was giggling uncontrollably he said, "You graduated from Cambridge. What does one call a queen working as a kitchen wench?" Marion, still giggling, could only shake her head. Then to Karla, he said with a flourish, "Your Majesty! The kitchen awaits!"

Then with Duke and Duchess pacing beside them, he gave Marion a tour of the restored castle. She assured him that the cold stone floors didn't bother her bare feet at all. Duchess just looked at everything with barely suppressed excitement. Finally, they even went down to the basement, inspected the wine cellar, and then he opened another door revealing a stone stairway that went even lower. Descending winding stone steps, Marion found herself in what was undoubtedly the torture chamber. Although they were now deep underground, it was not damp and dank as she expected.

When she asked, Donald replied that the castle's new climate-controlled heating and ventilating system was responsible. "Can you imagine?" he asked. "An air-conditioned torture chamber? What is the world coming to?"

The castle's restoration had truly been complete. They had even set new hand-forged chains in place, including a pair hanging down from the ceiling in the center of the room. On the wall were a collection of carefully oiled leather whips.

"Is this where you take recalcitrant slaves to be beaten?" Marion asked. When he smiled and nodded, she continued, "Since I'm the only resident slave at the moment, could I try on the manacles for size? They look to be rather large for my small wrists."

"Oh, that's all right," he replied. "We have a full collection of sizes in this drawer."

Opening it, she saw that he was correct. There must have been at least twenty sets in different sizes that could be substituted for the set hanging from the ceiling and sitting on the floor.

Selecting a set of four that seemed to be the correct size he said, "Take your position in the center of the room. Let's see if my eye for size is as sharp as it used to be."

Marion stood under the hanging chains and Donald quickly switched the manacles. Putting the new pair around her wrists, he found they fit perfectly. After repeating the process on her ankles, he went over to the wall and pulled the ceiling chains up so she was spreadeagled in the center of the room.

"Since there are no marks on your wrists I assume that's how you were tied up," he commented. Then he went to the rack of whips and tried one, then another. In her completely vulnerable and fully exposed position, Marion began to be frightened. Finally, he rejected the whips, opened another drawer, took something out and returned to her.

"What are you doing, Master?" she asked with fear audible in her voice.

"Oh ... nothing..." Donald mused. "I guess I'm just inspecting my new slave." With that he sat down on the stone floor and looked up at her. "There's something that's bothered me for some time," he said. "How can you maintain control of a situation with a — john, isn't it? — when you're cuming all the time?"

"Don't be silly," she replied. Then she added, "I guess it's something else you should know about me. I never cum. I can't. I'm just physically unable to obtain any sexual release. Over time I've learned how to fake it, but that's all. As long as they're fucking me — somewhere — they don't seem to care. And I give good head, too."

"Oh..." Donald mused.

Then he rose from the floor, looked over her slender body and began lightly to stroke her ribs with the tip of a feather he had taken from the drawer. He looked at her body and, although she was still covered with blood, it was easy to see that she was an incredible beauty. Her breasts were high and full with tiny nipples, although they were now terribly lacerated. Her slim hips flowed to perfect thighs and on down to slim calves and ankles.

Marion wriggled but realized her movement was severely limited. The feather was tickling her ribs and she was very ticklish. She began to giggle, then laugh. Finally she pleaded, "Please stop, Master! You're killing me. Anything but tickling! Why don't you just use one of those lovely whips. I could take that..."

"Anything?" he asked, stopping the feather.

"Absolutely anything!" she exclaimed. "And whatever you do, I swear I won't complain."

With the tip of the feather he began lightly to tease her slit. Initially there was no reaction, but he was patient. Periodically he would reverse the feather and use the feathered end to lightly brush her nipples. The first couple of time he did it, she screamed thinking he was going to resume his tickling, but when she found that he was sticking to his bargain, she relaxed and enjoyed the sensations.

As she hung from her manacles, Marion reflected on the incredible events of the day. She had awakened — or more accurately, recovered consciousness — in her apartment in London, at about three in the morning. It was after four-thirty when she was finally able to free herself from the ropes used to suspend her from the ceiling.

She smiled to herself as she reflected on the reaction of her landlord — and possibly the police — to her blood that was splattered over the whole room and the puddle of it that had gathered on the carpet at her feet. She realized that her selection of the duffel coat had been deliberate. In part it had been to keep her awake during the very long drive north. But in part it was also an extension of the punishment she so badly wanted to have inflicted on her body. Idly, she wondered how many lashes she had taken. She vaguely remembered reaching the count of about sixty before she passed out. Judging from the way she felt when she finally regained her senses, she had absorbed at least twice that many.

Thank God for the car radio,  she thought. Although it was only about 300 miles in a straight line, it was almost 450 road miles. And the fact that she was seeing everything through a red haze of pain had certainly not helped her driving.

As she hung suspended, she looked down at Donald Whitfield. Now he was sitting on the stone floor again and working on her body like a painter working on his canvas. I suppose I am his canvas ... and anything else he might want to use me for,  she thought.

Looking down her bloody body, she was surprised to see her clitoris was now so engorged it was protruding between her now-hairless nether lips. Obviously, something was happening. She had never actually seen her clit before. It feels so good! But why? she wondered.

Her thoughts returned to the events in the library earlier. It was utterly baffling. Remembering Susie's comment about Steve — and about Don — digging a hole and pulling it in after them, she bitterly realized that Susie had been describing her, too. Reflecting on her career, she was utterly disgusted. There was absolutely nothing she wouldn't do — or had not done — for money. Shuddering, she realized she would have to tell it all to Don. I wonder if he will allow me to call him Don?

Now hanging by her wrists she studied him and didn't know what to think. She knew he was 82 years old. She also knew he had won every award for personal heroism that could be won. Moreover, as the tigress, Duchess, had mentioned, quoting Ken Carlson, who even she had heard of, he really had made a difference. It was remarkable to think of this man, now playing with her body, as the man who had saved her grandfather's life, not once, but three times. Truly,  she thought, I owe my very existence to him! But there was something so much more. He neither moved nor acted as if he was elderly at all. He still has a full head of hair that's not even white. Like Doug's and her own, it was sandy blonde but white at the temples.

She really was a good cook even though she seldom used her skill. Now she reflected on her new life in the North Country. It was beginning to look more interesting. Looking across at the tigers, she saw them cuddled together, licking each other's fur. Just like house cats,  she thought. Some cats!

Now she found herself really looking forward to something. It would be incredible just to hike the moors with only Don and a pair of tigers for company. And providing more personal protection than a whole company of Royal Marines!

Idly, she wondered what it would be like to bed an octogenarian. Yet she was certain he would be as virile as any customer she had ever had. Now she shook her head causing Don to look up at her. The thought that had caused her to shake her head was the idea that he would see through her and tire of her in no time. She had already told him she couldn't cum. It's one thing to fool a customer, but it's a very different thing trying to fool a lover whose bed you share every night. And clearly, not only does Don intend for me to share his bed, he intends for me to share his whole life!

Almost against her will, her attention was drawn down to her groin. She had no idea how long she had been hanging like this, but Don didn't appear to be tired at all. Now, she realized, it was as if she had been climbing a mountain and was almost at its crest. I've got to reach it! she thought. But why do I have to? What could possibly be on the other side? But I must! She again shook her head, but this time in wonder. It's happening! she exulted, I made it! I'm going over... 

At that instant Donald stopped and looked up at her face. "Are you all right, Marion?" he asked.

Swallowing hard she asked, "Master, could I ... would you allow..."

"The answer is yes," he interrupted. "But what did I just say 'yes' to?"

"I would like to call you Don..."

"I love it!" he exclaimed. Looking up at her he asked, "Do you know when I was last called Don?" She just shook her head. "It was the last time I saw Claire alive," he said softly. "She was the only person who ever called me that." Then he looked up with his face stern and added, "There is one condition, however?"

"What is it?" she asked softly.

Hearing her voice, the Duke realized he just adored the sound of it. It was at once loving, musical, and very cultured. He thought he could listen to her forever.

"The condition is that you allow me to call you Marion. May I?" he asked.

My God! she thought. He's really serious. He wants my permission to call me by name! "Well," she replied, "It all depends."

"Depends on what?"

"It depends." she repeated. "You might prefer Dumb Cunt, or Slut, or Whore, or..."

"Marion, you are a very lovely young woman," he interrupted. "But was your life really so terrible in London that you felt the need to flee to the end of the earth? This isn't quite the end, but it's pretty close."

"My life in London was utterly horrible! Dear Heart, when Susie talked of climbing into a hole and pulling it down around you, I cringed," she replied. "She was describing me perfectly. It is exactly what I hoped would happen when I decided to come up here and be your cook."

Looking down into his eyes she continued, "I know it's going to sound ridiculous, but I find I adore you. You, Donald Whitfield, are the love I was certain I could never find. It was for you that I learned to cook and thought of serving a magnificent meal to. Every bit of food I will ever serve to you will have all of my love in every bite. You see, darling, I hope that if my cooking is good enough, you might forget that I was a whore."

Hanging from her chains she laughed bitterly and continued, "But what is truly funny is that you are older than my grandfather. Yet when I think of you taking me to your bed, I'm instantly wet ... and frightened." Shaking her head she said, "I, too, thought of retreating to the North Country, digging a hole and pulling it down on top of me. But now? Now I find myself utterly thrilled at the thought of spending the rest of my life in your arms."

"My darling," Don responded, "I love the prospect of sharing the seasons here with you. But what is this talk of the rest of your life? You're about fifty years younger than I am..."

"Because when you go, my darling, my life will be over," she replied simply. "I will join you within a fortnight of your death. For me, there will be no more reason for living. It's simple, really. I will just lie down and die."

Don looked up at the girl's eyes and suddenly felt very humble. She was serious! This girl truly loved him more than life itself. He realized there was nothing he could say.

"Why did you stop what you were doing?" Marion asked, suddenly changing the subject. "It felt so good, and I was so close..."

"Close to what? You can't cum. You already told me that," he said.

"I really don't know. Don, I was climbing a hill and I had just about reached the summit. Something wonderful was just over its crest. I was within a step of it ... but you stopped." Now she looked like a little girl as she asked wistfully, "What is over the crest? Do you know?"

"Nope," he replied laconically, as he returned to his work on her cunt.

This time she realized he took her up the mountain far faster than the first time. Again she was about to reach the crest, and again he stopped. Then she realized she was sweating profusely, even though the dungeon wasn't at all warm. After the briefest pause, he took her up again, and yet again. Now, she realized, every nerve in her body was screaming. But for what? she wondered. What's happening to me?

Then she heard herself scream, "Release me! For the love of God, Don! Release me!" But what am I saying? she wondered. 'Release me' from what?

"How can I possibly release you?" Donald asked. "You can't cum. Remember?"

"Donald Whitfield, if you want to see another sunrise, you keep doing whatever you've been doing to my poor cunt, and don't you dare stop! Clear?" she screamed.

At that Don started to howl with laughter. "Marion, my darling, do you realize the position you're in? You're hanging by your wrists from the ceiling; I'm not. You're chained in a torture chamber, I'm not. Now, dear heart, how are you ever going to make good on your threat?"

"Thank you, my darling," she said softly. "In those couple of sentences you called me 'my darling' and 'dear heart.' I don't know why I do, and God knows, there's no reason why I should, but, Donald Whitfield, I find I love you. In fact, I adore you."

Then she looked down at her battered body and added, "Don, I know I'm not much to look at just now, but I can be better. In fact, I can be much better." She paused and then added, "I suppose I should tell you, because you'll know soon enough anyway. Earlier I said I am a rich woman. Really, I am. Anyway, tomorrow they will be delivering a full assortment of exercise equipment I ordered. You and I are both going to get in shape. Then, in the spring, people will be coming to install a 50-meter swimming pool. That's paid for, too."

Then she began to cry hopelessly. Tears started to flow unchecked down her cheeks. Not that she could have done anything about them, anyway. "Damn it, Donald Whitfield, I love you! In fact, I adore you!" Glaring down at him she demanded, "Why aren't you laughing, Your Grace? Isn't it the funniest thing you've ever heard of? A slut, a prostitute, a whore ... declares her love for a peer of the realm. A man who represents the finest things England stands for ... a man who truly saved his country ... is loved by a filthy slut! Why aren't you laughing? Don't you agree it's funny?"

Rising from the floor, Don took the girl in his arms. Ignoring the lacerations on her back he held her tightly and kissed her with all his love. Then he eased away and saw that her eyes were closed and her lips were searching for his. Again he kissed her and felt her love pouring into him. Bells were ringing and electricity flowed back and forth between them.

Finally their passionate kiss ended and he whispered, "I don't see anything funny at all, my darling. And how can you possibly be a prostitute when God Himself certifies you as a virgin? My darling, you've never been touched by a man. But I do have a question. Why aren't you covering your luscious slit? Why aren't your arms over your gorgeous tits? Isn't that the way virgins behave?"

"Because I'm chained to the damned ceiling is why I'm not covering my slit!" she exclaimed. "And it's the same reason I'm not playing with my clit, either! I would if I could, but I can't. I can't even get my thighs together to try to squeeze my clit between them. I can't do anything!" she wailed.

Then she looked into his eyes and let her love find its full expression as she said, "Darling, please release me! Now I think I really might cum. It would be the first time in my entire life. I think I will flood out this dungeon with my juices. Can you imagine? A twenty-year collection of cum? Now please... ?"

Again Don returned to his labor of love. He noticed that her labia were now engorged and her clit was engorged to its fullest and vibrating between her swollen lips. Moving with the utmost sensitivity, he brushed her tiny sentinel and could see it almost trying to chase the feather tip to maintain contact.

For Marion, the experience was unreal. She realized that she had been close to babbling moments before, just saying whatever came to her mind. Then she realized that, because of the incredible sexual tension she had been feeling, she had said nothing but the absolute truth. But how can this be? she wondered. How can I possibly love this man so much after only knowing him for an hour or so, that life would no longer be worth living without him? But I do! Oh, God, I do!

In the meantime, Don had rapidly taken her up to the peak of what she now thought of as her mountain — her beloved mountain of release. To her utter amazement, she realized she was screaming at the top of her lungs, begging him not to stop. She could feel herself getting closer ... closer ... closer ... Then she was over. With a piercing scream of joy, she felt the years' accumulation of cum syrup begin to flow.

I'm not flowing. she thought. I'm gushing like a fountain! What will he think of me? Answering her own question, she thought, He'll think I'm his love slave. He'll think there is nothing I won't do, no matter how degrading, if he will just take me up my mountain sometime. If he wants me to eat the scraps from his table like a dog, I'll do it cheerfully. If he wants me to brand my body, I will do it. I will do absolutely anything he wants in order for him to repeat this experience.

Looking down she realized there was now a small pool of her juices beneath her. And remarkably, Don hadn't stopped. Suddenly she found herself on the crest of her mountain again, and yet again, and yet again. A scream echoed off the stone walls and she realized it was her own. Her pelvis was in spasm, and she was rattling the heavy chains as she shook uncontrollably. But it kept on. She realized that she would accept any punishment he could conceive if the end was like this. All of her feeling — her very life — was now in her cunt. She kept cuming and cuming...

Minutes passed and the two great cats were happy as their new mistress screamed for joy. As she tired, her screams died out in volume and were replaced with unintelligible babbling. Finally, after minutes of continuous orgasm Don moved closer and bit her clit hard. She let out a soaring scream as her nerves reached a sensory overload. Everything shorted out. She was just hanging from the chains, totally limp and unconscious. But then, using his tongue, Don licked up the latest flood of her cuming.

When he rose to release her from her shackles, she was completely limp in his arms. An idea occurred to him and he called the two tigers over. "Can you carry your mistress up to our room?" he inquired. Then he laughed as the two great cats just sniffed, insulted. He had them stand side by side and very gently laid Marion's body over their two backs. As he was about to turn out the lights in the torture chamber, he was amused by the large puddle of juices that had collected beneath her body when she had been hanging from the chamber's roof.

He marveled as the two great cats padded up the stone steps moving so smoothly they seemed to glide effortlessly. At a landing he moved ahead of them and opened and closed doors as they went up to his room.

"Since the object was to wash off all this blood, Master, shouldn't we take her to the bathroom?" Duchess suggested.

He tousled their lovely fur and asked, "Duchess, aside from everything else, do you suppose you could take care of your mistress's hair? And, guys, it should go without saying that Marion is your new mistress. I hope you approve."

"She is very beautiful, Master," Duchess replied. "And she loves you very much."

Then he could see tears form in the corner of her eyes as she added, "No, Master, I'm unable to fix Maid Marion's hair, as much as I would like to." But then brightening she added, "But in a few short months I will be able to serve as your bed when you give her the fucking she so desperately wants. The women all love to be able to wriggle their backs on our very soft belly fur while they feel your great weapons of love exploring their wet grottos. Would you like that, sir?"

"I know I would," the Duke replied. "And I think your characterization of her as 'Maid Marion' is perfect. But how did you ever hear of her?"

Looking embarrassed the great cat replied, "Because at home our masters let us use a computer. Of course we can't change the CD's, but now they even installed a changer that holds six at once. Duke and I love to explore the encyclopedia and things. There's so very much to learn! And one of the disks had Robin Hood on it. We both love the story. And this setting is utterly perfect, too." Then her face fell and she added, "Of course, this is a true late medieval fortress, so I'm sure..."

"Young lady, there's a new me," he interrupted. "I'm sure that Marion will want a powerful computer, so when I get one — in a day or two — we'll be sure to get another for you and Duke, with a CD changer, too!" He grinned and added, "And besides, this is a very modern castle. Why ... why ... why we even have running water!" Duchess responded with what he was now certain was a tiger's giggle. He found it very cute.

While they were talking, he had led the way into the giant master bath and began to run the water in the tub that was the size of a small swimming pool. After testing the temperature, he returned to his room and took off his uniform. Now naked, he padded back into the bath where the great cats were standing patiently with Marion still lying limp and unconscious on their backs.

"Before I forget, guys, you were absolutely perfect carrying her up here." Then he grinned and added, "I'm really developing a great deal of respect for what you tigers can do."

As gently as he could, he lifted her body off the tigers and very gently eased her into the tub. Climbing in with her, he began to wash off the blood and gore. As he did, he became aware of how stunningly beautiful she really was. With her eyes closed, he could see how beautifully long and full her eyelashes were. Pulling her close — he realized that the tub was so large, she was actually floating — he kissed her lips. A moment later he felt her lips move on his and again he felt the electricity and pure love flow between them. Easing away, he saw that her brilliant eyes were again opened and focused on him while brimming with love.

"Thank you, darling," she whispered. Then she added, "Don, I find I cannot keep a secret from you. So you should be the first to know. Now I am truly your love slave. Don, anything you want to do to me, or have me do to myself, I will do. If you want me branded, I will heat the iron and apply it to my flesh. If you want a tit for breakfast, I will ask you how you would like it prepared. Am I making myself clear, darling? Truly, I mean anything!"

Pretending to look puzzled he replied, "Well, there is one thing that's been bothering me. How did you ever learn to pretend to cum so well? I mean ... It was almost real..."

"Donald Whitfield, I will cheerfully kill you!" she exclaimed, but the love so obvious in her eyes belied both her words and her tone. "Darling, that was the first. When I said a moment ago that I am now your love slave, that's a primary reason. Never in my life have I felt anything so good." Then she felt her hair and said, "Yuck! Can we get out of this baby swimming pool and take a shower? My hair is absolutely the worst it's ever been. How can you stand even to look at me?"

"I don't look at your hair," Don replied blithely. "At least, not at that hair." With that he reached down and gently stroked her pubic patch.

Spreading her legs wide she murmured, "A little lower, please." He found her love bud and in an instant she shuddered in orgasm. Moving his hand, he very gently pinched her torn nipple and again she came to orgasm. He kissed her on the lips, and it happened again.

"My God!" she whispered, "before today, I was a lump of meat without any feeling. Now I'm just five feet eight inches of erogenous zone." Glaring at him she declared, "Donald Whitfield, you should be declared illegal!" Then with a graceful movement she was out of the tub and padding toward the shower. He opened the drain and followed.

Like the shower built at the Ritz in Prague, this, too, had water jets built into three walls and at three levels. When he joined her, she groped his already almost erect cock and said, "Darling, when we're finished in here, may I give you a preprandial cocksucking? I feel so wonderfully relaxed right now, it's sinful." Then she looked up at him with her eyes showing concern and asked, "My darling, I need a favor from you."

"A favor? For a slave?" he replied, suppressing a grin. "Whoever heard of such a thing? But what is your favor, Slave? I'm in a charitable mood right now."

With a grin of her own she said, "Maybe I should wait until after I give you a wonderful cocksucking. Then you might be in a more receptive mood."

At that, he took her in his arms and pulled her close to his body. The instant he did she began to writhe languidly against his body, then raised her lips for a kiss. Again there was the electricity. "Darling, would you mind very much if Karla were to prepare my body for you later tonight? Of course I'm ripped up and not nearly as attractive as I could be, but I still want my defloration to be as perfect as I can make it under the circumstances. And I certainly don't want to wait until the scars disappear. Could she help?"

"Darling, Karla is the most perfect woman in the world. Not only could she, I know she would love to. But I know something else. She'll want to be in the room with Doug watching. Would you allow it?"

"Honey, I already told you I've done everything with anyone for money. I once performed at a gala with three men taking me at once while the guests gathered around us and beat off. I have no shame nor any pride. If you would like them to see you impaling me on your luscious cock, I would love it."

Donald just shook his head. He realized that this woman was speaking the simple truth. She would do anything at all for him. Then she shampooed and conditioned her hair. As she did he realized that it was full-bodied with lovely natural waves. When she finished, they dried each other off and Marion dried her hair.

Returning to the bedroom, he asked her to sit on a stool before a dressing table while he brushed her hair. No sooner had he started then she bent over and took his cock in her mouth. It was almost funny as he tried to brush her hair while her head was going up and down on his cock. She paced herself and he exploded just as she finished.

Before he started on Marion's hair, Donald had sent Duchess off to get some clothes for her to wear. The tigress was utterly delighted with the castle because it had handles on the doors rather than knobs so she was able to open and close the heavy solid-oak doors by herself. Now she came padding back in with a clean pair of Levi's and a lovely white cashmere V-neck sweater, along with a pair of moccasins for Marion to wear.

The Duke inferred from the clothing that they were being casual at dinner; since it was a hunt dinner featuring venison, it seemed quite appropriate. He put on a pair of khakis and a red cashmere V-neck along with a pair of moccasins, too. Going down the stairs together he said, "Marion, I can't tell you how I feel right now. I have my love beside me, I'm sexually satisfied, I'm ravenously hungry, and I'm 82 years old! What's happened to me?"

"Golly, Don, I don't know," she replied looking at him with her eyes wide. "Gee, I'll bet if you prayed real hard, God would bless you with Parkinson's, failing eyesight, deafness, a weak heart ... perhaps Alzheimer's. Honest, Honey, there are all sorts of neat things you could ask for ... arthritis..."

"My darling, about 26 hours ago, I had everything you just mentioned and more. Now I feel ... I guess I don't know how I do feel. But I certainly don't feel like I'm 82." He paused and thought for a moment. "I guess I feel like I'm about forty with the years continuing to fall away as we talk."

Then he stopped her on the staircase, looked at her and asked wide-eyed, I ... I ... I won't wear you out or something, will I? I mean..." Then he shook his head and said, "I mean, after all, my darling you do have a rather high-mileage cunt..."

"I did, darling," she replied sweetly, "but it went in for an overhaul. You know, like putting a new engine in an old car? The fact is, my darling, the new one isn't even broken in yet." With her eyes wide she said, "You ... you ... you will be gentle, won't you?" Then she daintily stuck out her tongue and giggled.

"Marion Walker, I love you!" he exclaimed. Then he took her hands and said, "My darling, I really believe we're going to have fun together. And I find the prospect very exciting."

Entering the library, they found Steve sitting on a sofa with Barb stretched out asleep, using his thigh for a pillow. Since she was now wearing a pair of Levi's and a V-neck sweater, too, the two laughed as they saw that her fly was unbuttoned and Steve's hand was gently fondling her slit. Although Don and Marion made no sound on the carpeted floor, Barbara seemed to sense their presence and opened her eyes. Moving her slender hand to her crotch, instead of pulling Steve's hand out, she guided it to a particular spot and slowly gyrated her hips.

With a brilliant smile she said, "Guess what Steve and I just discovered? When he fondles my cunt the way he's doing now, it feels so different and so marvelous after I've been fucked! Now, instead of exciting me, it just reminds me of the exquisite pleasure he's just created for me. It's just neat!" Then with a grin she added, "And thank you, Your Grace, for the invitation to a preprandial fuck. It was just so incredibly wonderful!"

"What an interesting idea!" Don exclaimed. Since the sofa on which the Sloans were arranged flanked the fireplace and faced its mate across a coffee table, Don sat down on the opposite corner of the facing sofa.

Marion then lay down with her head on his thigh and unbuttoned her Levi's down to the crotch. In a moment his hand was exploring her love box and she was moving her pelvis as sinuously as Barb. Looking across at Barb she said, "Oh, darling, this is just so great! I doubt if I can cum — I must have dumped gallons of my juices on the floor a few minutes ago — but it does feel so incredibly neat!"

"Marion Walker, what did you two do? You look simply scrumptious!"

"My beloved master introduced me to the wonders of his torture chamber. While suspended from the ceiling by my wrists and with my ankles chained to the floor, he introduced me to the joys of torture. If you and Steve were to go down there now, I'm sure you would find at least a gallon of my cum puddled on the floor."

With a wonderfully warm grin she added, "And it's the first cum I've ever spilled! I'm sure I've been carrying some of it around for over twenty years! But that's not all. Before my visit, I could never cum. Now I'm like the rest of you: five feet eight inches of erogenous zone! Afterward, Don made me cum by just playing with my tits, and again just by kissing my lips! Can you believe it?"

At that point Don tickled her clit and her loins bucked on the sofa in an instant orgasm. "See what I mean? But I can't even relax the way you can. I am utterly satiated, but still I cum."

Then she looked up at him longingly. Gently, Don lifted her head from his thigh and brought her up to his lips. Again he melted his lips to hers and again her pelvis bucked in orgasm. When he pinched a nipple through her sweater, she came yet again.

Looking down at her groin she punched him on the shoulder with a small fist and exclaimed, "Now look what you made me do, Donald Whitfield! You made me wet my pants. And I haven't done that for over twenty-five years! Aren't you ashamed?"

He cocked his head, then looked up at the ceiling. Then he looked over at the wall. Finally he looked down at her face and said in his flattest tone of voice, "No."

"Well, if you don't mind my wet Levi's, I guess I don't either," she announced with a grin.

At that moment Monroe knocked on the door and announced dinner. It was being served in the castle's Great Hall. Taking his place at the head of the table, Don insisted that Marion sit at his right hand commenting that the table was so damned long it was the only way he could talk to her without using a telephone.

Although there were only six at dinner and they occupied only the very end of the table, it proved to be an extremely festive evening. For the first time in a very long time Don just sat back and listened to the conversation. Marion proved to be an utter delight. She was capable, he found, of conversing in depth on any subject imaginable. When he asked, she just said that all she had done for almost fifteen years was cook, read, and fuck, so she should be able to talk on a variety of subjects.

Don was particularly pleased to see that both Doug and Karla seemed to genuinely like the girl. But when he asked about it, Doug just looked at him as if he had a screw loose. "Dad, are you asking me if I like Marion Walker? Of course I don't! I mean ... Good grief!" When he saw the dismay on his grandfather's face and tears appear at the corners of Marion's eyes he added, "I love her! In fact, Dad, I adore this woman."

"Dad, I couldn't be happier," Karla said. "This is a wonderful girl who will share your life. And it couldn't happen to a nicer guy, either!"

"Karla," Marion said, "could you do me a great favor?"

"No, darling, I can't." Seeing the girl's eyes widen Karla quickly continued, "Because, darling Marion, as my father's wife I am incapable of doing you a favor. Your wish is my command. Am I clear? Now what would you like me to do for you?"

"Karla, would you prepare me for my defloration later tonight? Don said that you and Doug might want to watch while he rips my vagina with his great cock." Then she smiled warmly and shook her head. "You may as well know it now; your father-in-law already does. I'm an exhibitionist as well as everything else. I've had a large group of people gathered in a circle masturbating while I took three men at once. So I would actually like it if the two people I love most in this world watched as I was truly loved for the first time in my life by the man I utterly adore."

With a lovely smile she explained, "You see, I love you two, but I adore Donald."

Suddenly the girl's attitude changed. Before she said a word, Karla could see the instant difference. Trying — and failing — to hit a light note, Marion said softly, "Do you want to hear something funny?" Karla just looked at her closely and nodded. "I'm scared," Marion continued. "I'm honest-to-God scared! Can you imagine anything funnier than that?"

"I didn't hear you say anything that was funny," Karla responded. When Marion looked into her eyes deeply, she could see the usual overwhelming grace and love, but now with deep sympathy.

"Karla, this shouldn't be! Just a short time ago, Don got me to cum for the very first time ever. Now he can get me to cum by just playing with my tits! Can you believe it? But I'm scared!" she wailed.

Shaking her head she continued, "The fact that my body is ripped to shreds has something to do with it, I guess. But that's only in terms of appearance. I'm feeling no pain at all, and — witness my orgasms when Don fondles my tits — have normal — or maybe abnormal — sensation everywhere."

Then she looked at her and said, "Will you prepare me, Karla? Please?"

"Of course I will, darling," the girl replied. "And ... and..."

"The answer is yes," Marion interjected. "But what did I just say yes to?"

"Marion, I want to be on the bed beside you. I want to position Dad's ravaging cock at your grotto. I want to hold your hand and kiss you. I want you to bite my nipples when you cum. My darling, I want to share your experience with you." Then she shivered and said, "Mom, in a very short time I'll be going through it, too. Would you mind terribly if I was there beside you?"

The two women were facing each other across the large table so Karla noticed it when Marion's eyes flared for an instant while she was speaking.

"How could I possibly mind?" Marion replied. Then with a little shiver she said, "Shall we?"

"But we haven't even had dessert," Karla retorted with a grin.

"Thank you, dear, for reminding me," Marion said. "That was the very best venison I've ever had — not that I've had enough to claim any expertise — but it was lovely." Then she looked around for the tigers but couldn't find them. To Donald she said, "Well, this has to be a first: We seem to have misplaced two Royal Bengal tigers in the dining hall somewhere."

"Duke and Duchess, get your furry little rear ends out here right now!" Karla called. "Your mistress wants to see you."

The two tigers instantly appeared from under the table farther down, stretched their huge bodies and quickly padded up to the head of the table where they sat down side by side between the Duke and Marion. "Yes, Mistress?" Duke said politely. "You called?"

"Duke, you and your sister are too much!" Marion responded while gently ruffling the fur on his neck. Then to the duke she said, "Darling, I hope you realize that this is a first. Not even crowned heads of state ever had a pair of tigers — Royal Bengal tigers, yet — at the dining table."

To the tigers she said, "And no one, ever, has had such a pair of perfect specimens as these. Least of all, a pair who are intelligent, witty, loving...

"Duke, that was utterly marvelous venison. You are commended on your hunting prowess..." She stopped and shook her head and corrected herself. "I shouldn't have said that, should I? You had about as much trouble with that deer as a house cat would have with a canned sardine served to him on a plate. Right?"

"Yes, Mistress, that's true," Duke replied, "but I'm very glad you enjoyed it." He looked like he was going to communicate more, but stopped.

"You were going to say something more, weren't you?" Marion asked. "What was it?"

Duke held his head high as if he was about to say something he didn't think she would care to hear. "Well, Mistress, there are two things. First, Duchess and I were wondering if you would like us to keep the game herds thinned out. It's something we can do very well..."

"And?" she prompted. "That's not what's causing you to feel embarrassed, is it?"

"No, ma'am," Duke replied. "It's ... it's ... it's just that we think the Duke should do something nice, like taking a piece of his holdings and giving it to you as an earldom. Then you would be Countess of something or other. It used to be done all the time by a noble to his favorite." Then he blurted, "Your relationship with his grace, the Duke of Northumbria, is unique. God Himself has blessed your union. It has the blessings of Saint Claire of London..."

"Saint Claire of London!" the Duke exclaimed. "That's a new one."

"Not really, sir," the tiger replied quietly. "She was recognized immediately by Our Lord on her death. But sometimes it takes awhile for things to catch up down here. Anyway, she's utterly beside herself with joy.

"You see, she loved the Duke very much, but ... but ... but she wasn't very interested in sex. Yet she knew that her husband was very virile; she wasn't the right wife for him and knew it from the very beginning. But, as I said, she loved him dearly, but couldn't — truly wasn't able to — respond the way she knew she should.

"But you, Miss Walker, are utterly perfect. You have the same incredible degree of love for him that she had. But at the same time you are educated — she wasn't — you're athletic — she wasn't — you share the same joy in sexual exploration that he has."

With his eyes piercing now he asked, "What if his grace had taken a whip instead of a feather in the torture chamber today? What would you have done?"

Marion's eyes widened. Then she just shook her head and said, "I really don't know..."

"You do, too, know!" Duke retorted. "You would have told him exactly where to whip you to cause you the greatest pain, wouldn't you?"

To the Duke he said, "Master, what Miss Walker said to you earlier was the God's honest truth! If she thought you would like her branded, she would have heated an iron in the grate over there and done it to herself, after asking you where on her body you wanted her brand to be. She would cut off a tit and cook it for you. The love this woman has for you, sir, surpasses human understanding, and that's in full light of the fact that she only laid eyes on you a few hours ago."

Turning his head back to Marion, Duke continued with his eyes still piercing, "Miss Walker, her grace, Saint Claire of London, almost cried when she heard your prayers to God. What she really wants is for you to be his duchess. But she understands completely what you said, and why you prayed the way you did. You believe that Douglas, Earl of Whitfield, should be the next Duke of Northumbria. She — and God — respect your judgment and agree with it. The result of all of this is an utterly unprecedented series of unique permissions. But they both want your relationship to be on some more formal level.

"How would Countess of Ainham sound? We are certain that Her Majesty would approve the arrangement."

The Duke had been listening intently to the conversation. "Do you mean to tell me that Claire approves of my relationship with Marion?"

"No, Master," Duke corrected him, "she relishes it! She rejoices in it. You see, sir, she used to go off and cry bitterly after having sex with you during your marriage. She blames it on her education and maybe she was right. She always thought of sex as something dirty and, try as she might, she was unable to overcome her feelings. She rejoiced in her pregnancy because it gave her a respite from your physical attentions. Although she loved you with all of her heart, she was physically and psychologically unable to meet your needs.

"But in Marion Walker you have the proper mate, and that's why she's going to be watching so carefully. She thinks that now, in Heaven, she will be able to appropriately respond to you for the first time ever. Today, sir, you took a woman who was knowledgeable about sex and brought all of her sexual drives to life. You have a virgin who is truly your sex slave. As she has told you on several occasions, from an unfeeling piece of meat, you have transformed her into five feet eight inches of erogenous zone. I'm not sure you couldn't bring her to orgasm if you only kissed her fingers or her toes!

"But look at her, sire! In a few short weeks she will be a duplicate of Karla, except with hair that's slightly darker. Whether it's hiking the moors or attending the opera, she will be at your side increasing your enjoyment by orders of magnitude."

Turning toward Karla who was sitting at the other side of the table Duke continued, "While I'm at it, I suppose I should go all the way. Your Majesty, when you spoke to her a few minutes ago, her eyes flared..."

"But how could you possibly know that?" Karla demanded. "You and your sister were sleeping under the table."

"There are things we know, Your Majesty, although we don't always know how we know them. But from your reaction it did happen, didn't it?" Karla acknowledged that she had seen Marion's reaction. "Do you know what she was reacting to?"

"No, I don't," Karla admitted. "I was hoping she would tell me later."

"Since she might consider it embarrassing, Your Majesty, perhaps I should tell you," Duke continued.

But before he could speak, Marion interrupted. "What's going on here? How can these two tigers, as remarkable as they are, possibly know what they claim to know?"

"It's not a claim, darling," Barbara replied. "It is, in the truest sense, God's honest truth. You see, there's something most of us know, but you do not. Aside from everything else, these tigers are the agents on earth of the Holy Spirit. How God communicates with them we have no idea, but hearing from them about matters like this is like hearing from our little sprite, Susie."

"Moreover, Miss Walker," Duke continued, "we recognize a certain hierarchy here on earth. For example, the first humans with whom we could communicate, Kenneth Clifford and Andrea Cartwright, were only six years old. They were instantly recognized as a prince and princess. Then there's Bobbie Conroy and her husband, Tom. They are our queen and king. Beyond them, we have Ken's parents, Ali and Bill Clifford, who are an empress and an emperor. Then we have Barbara Sloan and her sister, Queen Karla..."

"What are they?" Marion asked. "You seem to be moving up the ladder of royalty, Duke. What comes after an emperor?"

Replying in a reverent tone, Duke said softly, "An angel ... or beyond."

Marion Walker was truly staggered. "Are you saying that Barbara Sloan and Karla rank ... with God's angels in heaven!?"

"At least," was the soft reply. Duke refused to add to the description.

Finally, Marion gave up and said, "Okay, Duke. What did you see in my eyes? To what was I reacting?"

"To Queen Karla's reference to you as her mother," he answered simply. Before Marion could protest, he continued, "There were hosannas in Heaven over that, too. You see, Queen Karla is assembling a family here on earth. She and Barbara truly are sisters, you see. If Maria and Anna are not also sisters — and we think they are — they are very close cousins. What's missing? Parents, of course. And now you are her mother. It was not a slip of the tongue, nor a joke. It was the pure, unvarnished truth."

Marion was stunned. "But that's ridiculous! A girl as sweet, pure, holy..." She just shook her head and repeated, "Ridiculous!"

"Why is it ridiculous?" Duke asked. "For example, why do you suppose it took over fifty-five years for His Grace to find you?"

"Because he wasn't looking, is why!" she asserted. "That's easy."

"Easy, but wrong," Duke countered. "It took fifty-five years because it took that long for you to appear, Marion Walker. I think God is going a bit overboard, personally, but it's certainly not my place to even have an opinion. But recently, he's been having great fun creating perfect children for these people and their friends. Normally, though — and it's certainly been true here in the UK — a person like you comes along about every fifty years or so.

"You see, Miss Walker, you are Karla's mother because she is so much like you. Your genes are hers, as well. But there's so much more! In Barbara Sloan, Karla has a big sister. In you she has the mother she's always wanted ... and needed. In just a few weeks she will be seeking you out for tips on lovemaking to make Doug's heaven on earth even more heavenly. You will provide the counseling and comfort that only a mother can provide to her daughter. And, Miss Walker, it should go without saying that your rank is equal to theirs — Barbara Sloan's and Queen Karla's — on God's scale of values. Am I clear enough?"

"But that's utterly ridiculous! Me?" she just slowly shook her head in negation and said, "There's been a terrible mistake. He can't possibly mean me—"

"Countess of Ainham, would you do me a favor?" Duke interjected.

"There are no favors I can do for you, dear Duke. What would you like me to do?" she replied softly.

"While you have your second cup of coffee, would you please warm your feet against my belly? I offered earlier, but you were ... preoccupied ... with other things. Please? I think you'll like it. You see, tigers have very soft fur on their bellies. Since Duchess and I are not yet full grown, ours is even softer. Please try?"

She shook her head but then kicked off her moccasins as Duke positioned himself in front of her chair. Rubbing her feet against his belly felt utterly marvelous and she told him so.

Then Duchess, looking embarrassed, said, "Your excellency, there's one other thing we do for the women ... Queen Karla can tell you about it. Normally, I wouldn't have to ask, but since you're wearing Levi's..."

With a warm grin Karla said, "Mom, what Duchess is trying to say is that for months I've been using Duke rather than a razor to do my legs and underarms. He shaves me far closer than any razor could, with never a nick or a raw place. And it really feels great, too." Then she giggled and added, "Of course, you'll have to take off your Levi's and your sweater ... I'm not sure you would care to."

"You're kidding, aren't you?" Marion asked. When Karla assured her she was not, the Duke grinned and told Monroe they were finished for the evening, and he could retire to his room. The butler bowed and left, at which point Marion lost no time in shedding her sweater and jeans. Now all she was wearing was her tiny bikini.

Turning her chair sideways, she continued to wiggle her toes in Duke's lovely fur while Duchess proceeded to carefully lick her legs and then her underarms. The sensation was somewhere between a massage and a tickle. When the tigress finished her left leg, she felt it and agreed: it was as soft as a baby's bottom.

When she was finished, Marion gave both tigers warm kisses — with her power they almost passed out — and said, "Darling daughter, it's that time, I guess."

Then she laughed and said, "This has to be a first. A daughter prepares her mother for her mother's loss of virginity!"

She shrugged while the others howled with laughter.



-------

Chapter 23



The preparations were a remarkable experience. First, as Marion and Karla were leaving the table, Barbara rose and told the Duke that she was going to prepare him for the evening, too. Since Karla had commandeered the master bath, Barb took Donald to hers which was nearly as large.

Now the two women were in the bathtub together. Filled with water, there was a layer of musk oil floating on the surface that Karla gently worked into Marion's body. For her part, she was floating on her back being supported by Karla just enough to keep the top surface of her body out of the water. Although her body was still ripped with lacerations, ever since Susie had worked on her there had been neither any bleeding nor any pain. Still Karla used the greatest delicacy in working the oil into the length of the lacerations to try to avoid scarring.

"Am I hurting you, Mother?" Karla asked softly.

"My darling daughter!" Marion whispered. "You can't hurt me. But what you're doing feels so utterly marvelous." Then she gently pulled Karla's face toward hers.

Seeing what she wanted, Karla just melted her lips to Marion's. The instant their lips touched, Karla experienced a sensation totally different from anything she could remember. It had the same overwhelming love and grace she always had with Barb's kisses, but there was something more. Tears came to her eyes as she realized she was truly kissing her mother, and it had been so many years since that had last happened.

Marion, too, had the same sensation. Reaching out, she pulled Karla closer and gently caressed the back of her neck. The girl moaned in her arms and hugged her tightly.

When they parted, she looked into Karla's eyes and realized the girl was crying. "What's wrong, my darling?" she whispered. "Did I hurt you?"

Karla couldn't speak. Instead, she just shook her head and held Marion even tighter. Finally regaining control she said, "You really are my mother! I can't believe it. Mom, I love Barbara Sloan more than any person alive, except for maybe Doug. But with you, it's different. For you I have a daughter's natural love for her mother. And your kiss was so incredibly wonderful!"

"Are you finished yet, daughter?" Marion asked. "Or are you just playing? I'm supposed to get fucked sometime tonight, after all."

"Mommy, could I ask you one more thing?"

"Sure, darling," Marion responded. "What's the 'one more thing'?"

"It's with Doug," Karla replied softly. "I'm doing something wrong. When I'm sucking his cock, try as I might, I can't seem to get him to hold back."

"He cums right away?" Marion asked. "Is that the problem?"

"Not right away. He keeps me in orgasm for thirty minutes sometimes, but when I'm going down on him, after only fifteen or twenty minutes, he cums!"

"There's no warning?"

"Oh, sure!" Karla replied. "I mean ... Well, he's screaming, pounding the bed with his fists and begging for release. I change my tempo, the pressure ... everything! But he cums anyway."

"Are you doing anything else when you give him a blow job?" Marion asked, now trying to control a grin.

"Oh, sure," the girl replied. "I'm molding my mouth to his cock while I'm sucking as hard as I can; I knead his balls ... Boy, does that ever cause him to scream. I lick its head like an ice-cream cone. And his cock keeps getting fatter and longer. But what am I doing wrong?"

"One more question: What happens when he finally does cum? What do you do then?"

"I squeeze his balls hard in rhythm with his pulsations. He just cums and cums ... There must be quarts of his luscious juice. And he usually cries. But then," she added sorrowfully, "it's all over. I mean ... And he's not even empty. I don't think I've gotten more than 75 percent of his cum out ... Ever! What can I do?"

The two women climbed out of the tub that was more like a pool. To Karla's surprise, Marion put her on the massage table and began to massage her body. Continuing the conversations she said, "Darling, have you ever gone down on a man before Doug?"

"Only the Russians in prison. But I really didn't know what was happening. All I knew was that I was getting some respite from the constant whipping. Each stroke was like a white-hot wire cutting into my body. Guys were sticking their cocks in my mouth but all I could think of was that I was avoiding those wires for a few more minutes. But why did you ask?"

"Because, my darling, you gave Doug Whitfield the finest blow job in the history of the world! My God! Never in a million years could I do what you've been doing to him and get the same results."

Karla was lying on her back while Marion gently worked more musk oil into her skin. Then she asked, "Darling, why didn't you ever ask Barb? She's your sister, after all."

"Because she might have laughed. Or teased me about it unmercifully.

"But what about me? I could tease you, too, you know."

"But you won't," Karla responded flatly.

"And why won't I?" Marion asked, raising an eyebrow which caused Karla to giggle girlishly.

"Because you're my mommy," she replied simply. "Mommies are supposed to answer their daughter's dumb questions. And they're supposed to keep a straight face. Or try to, anyway."

"My darling, I can't tell you what you've just done for me," Marion said. "I run my fingers over your body and all I feel are incredible muscles—"

"Isn't it awful?" Karla interrupted. "For a woman to have bulging muscles, I mean..."

"Your muscles most certainly do not bulge, Karla!" Marion exploded. "They're just there. And covered with the most perfect satin-smooth skin." Then she shook her head and added, "I truly believe that you are one of God's most perfect female creatures."

Then she grinned at Karla, shook her head again and asked, "However ... Aside from holding the world record at 400 meters, being the savior of your country, being the most beautiful, most loving woman alive ... What have you done lately?"

Karla's brow furrowed as she thought for a moment. Then with a grin she said, "I cooked the saddle of venison tonight. Doesn't that count?"

Marion looked up at the ceiling and put her forefinger against her chin. Then she cocked her head to the left, then to the right. "Oh, well," she said finally, "I guess everyone's entitled to have an off day once in a while."

Then seeing a question in Karla's eyes she asked with feigned exasperation, "Now what?"

"Mom, do you think ... maybe sometime ... I mean ... Could we ever invite Anna and Maria to visit?" Then with her words tumbling over themselves she added, "They're really no trouble! I mean ... they cook, and clean. They're very neat..."

"Might you be referring to Maria, la Duchesse du Bourgogne, Marquessa de Toledo,  and her sister, Anna, Marquise de Flandres, Contessa di Pavia? That Anna and Maria?" Marion asked skeptically? "I mean, take Maria, for example. Do you really expect your dad to invite every jumped up knight-errant who happens to be riding around? I mean ... Really! Good heavens, girl! Her title is scarcely 1,000 years old. Heaven only knows what will happen to the family over the next millennium."

"Mommy, are you teasing me?" Karla asked with a suspicious look in her eye.

"Moi? Tease my only daughter? Good grief, child, you must be kidding." Then she paused and continued, "Take that other one, Anna. Aside from half of Belgium and the industrial portion of Italy, what does she bring to the party?"

Then she paused and appeared to think some more. "Oh, well, since they have a lock on the Nobel Prize for Physics this year, I suppose we might make an exception just this once. And they are your sisters, too, aren't they?"

"Oh, Mommy, they will love it here! There's nothing like this in all of the Czech Republic."

"Nothing nearly so desolate, you mean?" Marion asked with a grin. "And I mean ... there's so much to do here, too. You can count the heather blossoms on the moor, I suppose, but that's only in August. You can watch the sheep graze. I mean, that's nearly as exciting as watching paint dry or grass grow."

"How about breaking in the torture chamber?" Karla suggested. "And since they're the same size, you wouldn't even have to change the manacles. And besides," she concluded, "there's nothing like noble blood to properly season the whips, is there?"

While she was finishing, she was climbing off the massage table. "Mom, that was utterly super. But it's your worn-out body that I'm supposed to be working on. Now get up here."

With that they changed places. Karla gently worked more of the expensive oil into the lacerations all over Marion's body, then she worked it into her cunt. Turning her over, she had her kneel and bend over so she could gently open her anus. "Do you take men in the rear?" she asked.

"All the time, darling," Marion replied.

Her voice was muffled by the mattress of the massage table and she was almost asleep from the wonderful lassitude Karla's massage had created in her muscles. Finally the job was completed. Karla helped her off the table, guided her into the bedroom, and helped her up onto the bed. As she completed the final touch of putting tiny white carnations in her pubic patch and behind her ear, Barb entered the room while leading the Duke by his erect cock.

"It's that time, my darling," he said as he climbed into the bed beside her. When he melted his lips to hers, they both felt the electricity between them. With Karla laying across the bed with her mouth over Marion's, Donald positioned his cock. Reaching down, Karla positioned it against Marion's opening and he eased in.

Feeling the pressure against her hymen, Marion wrapped her legs around his hips and squeezed. There was a brief moment of intense pain but then he slid in to his root. Karla, realizing Marion wanted to see what was going on, changed position so she was lying beside her. When she did, Marion used her right hand to explore Karla's love box and her clit. Her finger moved in Karla in time to Don's movements in her. It was like no feeling she had ever experienced before. In just moments he had taken her to the first vaginal orgasm of her life. It was like her experience earlier in the day, but so much better.

"My darling! Fuck me! Fuck your whore. Oh, God, it's so marvelous."

By this time Karla, too, was in orgasm too, but Marion didn't realize it. All of her feeling was in her cunt and all of her interest, too. She realized that her pelvis was in constant spasm. Her legs were now loosely linked around his neck, as her orgasm became continuous. Still she subconsciously changed tempo to prolong Don's enjoyment

Although she didn't know it, Karla had already lost consciousness and was just sprawled on the bed beside her while Marion's finger continued to work on the unconscious girl. Finally, Don could contain himself no longer. When he started to spurt, it triggered a massive orgasm that caused her nerve endings to all short out. Instantly, she, too was unconscious, while he collapsed over her.

A few moments later, he recovered enough to move. Seeing the two unconscious beauties sprawled on the bed, he grinned then moved between them. When he did he noted with a smile the pool of blood starting to dry where Marion's pelvis had been.

Putting Karla's head on his right shoulder and Marion's on his left he fondled one tit on each of them noting how much firmer Karla's were. Then he remembered Marion's mention of buying exercise equipment. Knowing her, in a matter of a few weeks at most she would be Karla's physical duplicate. While he waited, he thought of the incredible events of the day, most particularly including Marion's appearance and the word from the tigress, Duchess. When he felt Marion stir, he squeezed her tit and then lightly pinched her nipple.

"You can pinch harder than that, Donald Whitfield!" she whispered although she wasn't fully conscious. When he pinched harder, she smiled with her eyes closed and said, "Much better." Then she opened them and was looking into his face, "My darling, that was so incredibly neat! But was it any good for you?"

"If it had been any better, I would be dead," he said simply.

At that Marion realized that Karla's head was resting on Don's other shoulder while he fondled her tit. "And what are you doing with my daughter?" she asked.

"Oh ... nothing," he replied airily. "Just comparing her tit to her mother's is all."

"Isn't it utterly scrumptious?" Marion asked.

Then she dove down, took his cock in her mouth and began to suck. The previous time she had gone down on him, he had been working on her hair. But this time he could concentrate on the incredible sensations she was creating with her mouth. Only then did he realize that she combined her incredible love for him with her experience as a prostitute. It was the most incredible experience of his life, made even more so coming so soon after he thought he had emptied his balls into her.

Finally he could control it no longer, nor could she. He spurted while she had only his tip still in her mouth so she could savor his syrup. While he was pumping his cum into Marion's mouth, he was kissing Karla who had recovered consciousness. Now he realized how incredibly alike the two women really were. The only difference was the passion in Marion's kiss that was totally lacking in Karla's.

After licking off the very last drop, Marion began to play with his now-limp penis. To her surprise and his utter amazement, it began to stiffen again. "Hey, buddy," Marion said while pretending to chew gum. "Tonight there's a special at the house. After a good fuck and a blow-job, bumfucking is free. Want to try?"

He grinned and moved behind her as she knelt and spread her asscheeks wide to receive him. After again positioning his cock, this time against Marion's sepia ring, Karla slid under Marion's body to position her mouth against her cunt. When she did, she spread her legs wide to offer her own sweetness to Marion's lips.

For the Duke, this evening was utterly without precedent. When Marion had gone down on him earlier in the evening, it had been only the second time; Karla had been the very first. Now this was the first time he had ever taken a girl in her ass. It was an experience like no other. Moreover, to his amazement — and to Marion's — he soon had her in orgasm. Now her cunt was running in a flood of her juices that Karla was licking up and enjoying every drop.

Her own mouth was busy on Karla's cunt at the same time and Karla was cuming, too. It was a repeat of their earlier session. He was astonished at the incredible muscle control Marion had. Her ass was like her cunt in its ability to change motion and change tempo to keep him from cuming. But finally the pressure became too great. When he exploded, so did she. Again she blacked out, but not before biting on Karla's clit, causing her to lose consciousness, too.

When they all recovered, Don found a pack of cigarettes and gave one to Marion. "I didn't know you smoked cigarettes," she said.

"I don't ordinarily," he replied, "but it's just the thing for a after a wonderful fuck. But what about you?"

"I'm just going along with the john," she said airily. When Karla asked for one, both told her in unison that she was too young. With a grin she hopped out of bed and brought a wine cooler along with champagne flutes to the bedside. Marion asked, "Are you sure you're old enough?"

Sticking out the tip of her pink tongue, Karla replied that there was no minimum age for wine in the UK. Again they were arranged on the bed with Don between the two women. Shaking his head he said, "These have been the most incredible few days of my entire life!" Turning to Marion, he kissed her softly and said, "And most of it is due to you, my darling. I never knew it could ever be this good!"

"And neither did I," she replied. "I'll only repeat what I said earlier, my darling: When you die, I'll be right behind you. Now I truly know that life wouldn't be worth living without you. I adore my darling lover."

Finishing her champagne, Karla lifted Don's hand from her tit and tottered toward the door. Halfway there, she turned and said, "Imagine! It's come to this. I'm only a sex object for a couple of horny Englishmen. The shame of it all!"

"I can see how much you hate it," Marion said unsympathetically. When she held out her arms, Karla ran back to her side of the bed and kissed her with all of her love. "Thank you, darling, for everything you've done. Now go have some fun with poor Doug. He's undoubtedly wondering what's going on in here."

"Don't be ridiculous," Karla rejoined. "He knows what's been going on in here!" With that she winked and padded out of the room.

Marion and Don just cuddled while both reflected on the wonderful person she — and he — was in love with. Finishing the champagne, Don turned out the light. "Were you this good when you were in the RAF?" she asked.

"Darling, I was never this good. And lovemaking was never this good." Then he grinned and added, "I guess I've been saving up for you, my darling. Aren't you lucky?"

"Oh, my aching cunt!" she groaned. Then with a grin that he could see even in the room's dim light she added, "To think! I've been taken all three ways — and knocked out after two of them — by an octogenarian! They'll throw me out to the prostitute's union if word of this ever gets out."

"But darling," he asked, "how could they ever know? Of course I did take out full pages in The Times and The Sunday Telegraph,  but prostitutes never read those papers, do they?"

"Of course not, darling," she whispered. "As long as you didn't advertise in The Star,  I'm fine."

They both giggled, then kissed and were almost instantly asleep.



-------

Chapter 24



The next morning after wonderfully relaxed lovemaking, Marion and Don decided to take a walk. Duchess had been sleeping in their room but had been so quiet they had completely forgotten she was there. Stopping by Doug and Karla's room, they picked up Duke and the four set out toward the moor.

As they left the main door, they heard the sound of horses whinnying. The Duke looked at Marion and said, "Darling, I knew there was something I forgot to tell you. I actually have a horse or two in the stables. Want to see them?" Then he grinned and added, "There are a couple of horses there that got too old to pull a plow ... or something."

Knowing she was being teased, Marion kissed him quickly and followed him around to the stables behind the castle. As they came closer to the stable with the wind at their back, the horses smelled the tigers and began to scream in fear. Although the Duke was puzzled, Marion knew exactly what the problem was and told Duke and Duchess to move so their scent was no longer being carried downwind to the stables.

Entering, Marion looked at the stalls and gasped. "Good grief, what beautiful horses!" she exclaimed. Then she punched Don on the arm and said, "Superannuated plow horses, I think you said? Hah! These horses are gorgeous." There were ten horses, all trained as hunters, and none was over seven years old. To Don's surprise, even though the horses were still frightened from the scent of the big cats, when Marion walked down the line of stalls, the horses stretched their necks to nuzzle her.

Don just stood at the door and watched in amazement. Seeing the reception she was receiving from the horses, he filled a bag with apples from a basket by the door and brought it to her. She grinned at him, winked, and proceeded to feed an apple to each of the horses. What an incredible girl! he thought. While she was going down the line of stalls, one horse, a tall, beautifully conformed black stallion, kept following her with his eyes. When she had given a treat to all of the horses, she returned to the black and asked Don the horse's name.

At that point the trainer and the head groom came into the barn from the tack room. Both were surprised to see the Duke in the barn; he hadn't been in it in over fifteen years.

Seeing the two men, Marion extended her hand and said, "Hi! I'm Marion Walker, the duke's new mistress. I'll be around the castle for a while, anyway."

The two men initially were dumbfounded; the head groom recovered first. A small man — who looked like the former jockey he was — was in his late fifties with graying hair and piercing gray eyes. He almost gasped in amazement when he realized that the Duke seemed to have lost more than 40 years of age. Then looking again at Marion he decided that she must have been largely responsible for the incredible change. Not only did the Duke look much younger, but he appeared to be far happier than he had ever seen him. Moreover, the ineffable air of sadness that always surrounded him was gone, too.

Never had he seen his grace look so happy and contented. Marion was wearing only a tight pair of Levi's and a sweatshirt with the U.S. Military Academy letters on it, along with a pair of moccasins.

Extending his hand he said, "Welcome to Prendwick Castle, Your Grace!" he said with real enthusiasm.

Then a note of warning appeared in his eyes and he continued, "But please be careful of Satan over there." Looking at the horse who had been unable to take his eyes off Marion he said, "I'm afraid we may have to destroy him. He is utterly incorrigible! There's not a soul around who can ride him for even one minute. I admit he's a beautiful animal — that's why he's still around — but he's a real terror."

Marion greeted both men, and the Duke could see they were utterly captivated by both her beauty and her charm. Then Marion asked the groom, "Why did you call me 'Your Grace'? I'm only the Duke's mistress which is just a small step up from a whore."

The groom took both of her hands in his gnarled ones, looked into her eyes and just shook his head. "I don't know how His Grace ever got so lucky," he said. "'Whore'? You? Hah! I just look into your eyes and see incredible beauty and grace radiating out. And never have I seen a woman both so beautiful and so happy."

"Thank you, John Fox," she said softly. "You're completely wrong about me, but thank you anyway." Then with a very warm smile she said, "I heard what you said about Satan. And I'm sure you're right, but I'm equally sure I can ride him. Would you mind?"

Then with a grin she added, "You see, I also have a secret weapon. Were you disturbed by the horses whinnying in fear a few minutes ago?"

The two horsemen looked at one another and Fox admitted they had been.

"That's my secret weapon. Outside we have two Royal Bengal tigers sitting patiently waiting for us. I read somewhere that, while a tiger isn't as fast as a cheetah, it can hit 50 mph, and can accelerate quicker than a quarter horse — and they're far more agile, too." With that she went into the tack room, picked up a saddle and bridle and returned to Satan.

"But, sir!" Fox protested. "Can't you do something to stop her? She'll be killed!"

"I don't think so, John, but thank you for your concern. But have you ever met a man who could talk a woman out of anything? And Her Grace is far more stubborn than most."

With that he just watched as she appeared to be whispering to the great horse. As she did, his ears were pricked and it was obvious he was listening to her. Gently she slipped the bridle over his muzzle. Without any prompting from her he even opened his mouth to accept the bit. Still talking to him quietly, she led him from his stall and out of the barn. Holding the bridle firmly, she called Duke over.

Although the horse's eyes visibly widened in fear, he remained still beside her after just the smallest toss of his head. When the big cat sat down before him, she released the bridle and just held on to the end of the reins. To the utter amazement of the men, the horse bent his head down and Duke licked his neck. After nuzzling the tiger, Satan looked back at Marion as if to ask, "What's next?"

Marion patted his neck, then put a foot in the stirrup and stepped smoothly up into the saddle. With Duke and Duchess trotting beside, the horse walked to the exercise ring. Once inside, Marion walked him around the ring and then took him up to a canter. After she felt he was sufficiently warmed up, she rode him out to the jumping area and proceeded to take him over a series of jumps at an ever-greater rate of speed. The horse, to the surprise of no one, took the most difficult jumps with incredible ease and grace. After walking him out for a bit, she took him back to the track and called over the two tigers.

With a shout of "Go!" she dug her moccasined heels into Satan's flanks and he was off like a shot. But so were the tigers. Donald just shook his head in astonishment as the horse, flanked by the two tigers, raced around the track. As a testament to their incredible speed, with Satan going as fast as he could with Marion low over his neck and talking to him, the tigers were just loping along. It was apparent they could have left him in an instant had they wanted to.

After two laps around the track, Marion slowed the great horse to a canter and then a walk, while she patted his neck. Leaving the exercise area, she walked him back toward the stable where the men were waiting.

"What did you do to him?" John Fox asked incredulously. "What he just did is far better than we ever hoped for. And with Satan, we hoped for a lot. But what did you do?" he repeated.

"Oh, nothing," Marion replied blithely. "I told him if he was a very good boy, I would give him another apple. I guess he likes apples," she said with a shrug and the cutest grin Don had ever seen.

While she started to feed Satan an apple, Don asked, "When did you ever learn how to ride like that, darling? You were utterly magnificent!"

With her eyes wide she replied, "But darling, any prostitute who hopes to make it with a peer of the realm knows she must be able to ride." Then she grinned and added, "I guess I had lessons when I was a little girl. But it's been so long! I don't think I've been on a horse in twenty years. And even then, the horses I rode were closer to plow horses than anything else. Satan is an utter dream!"

Then she said, "Darling, I know we were going to take a walk this morning, but the kids really need some exercise. And I think they move faster in their sleep than they can walking with us!" At that comment the two tigers who were sitting side by side in their house cat poses, both giggled.

Fox brought out a big black gelding for Don. After looking it over he said, "John, are you sure this animal was retired after he could no longer pull a plow? That's the only kind of horse I can ride, and you know it." Fox just grinned and gave the Duke a leg up.

Sitting in the saddle he said, "Darling, I think it's been more than twenty years for me, and I couldn't possibly keep up with you on my very best day." To Fox he asked, "John, you've seen a lot of riders in your time. What do you think of my lady? Still afraid you'll have to pick up the pieces?"

"No, Your Grace, I'm certainly not. This woman really knows horses! And as for her riding, I'm sure we have riders on our national equestrian team who aren't nearly as good. In fact, I can name several off the top of my head."

The two left the paddock area and rode out on the moor. For the horses it was an incredible treat. Although they were hunters, they were almost never taken beyond the small area bounded by the stable, the paddock, and the training ring. For Don, it was exhilarating to be riding beside Marion who was obviously having a wonderful time on Satan. After waiting for Don to warm up his mount, the two trotted together over the fields with the tigers loping along beside. Although Don's horse was initially frightened of the tigers, he followed Satan's lead. Since Satan was calm, so was Don's mount, Blackie.

It came as absolutely no surprise to Donald to find Marion seeking out stone walls to jump. The two horses performed flawlessly. It seemed that they, too, were enjoying their unaccustomed freedom. They had been loping along a shallow valley when they heard the unmistakable sound of a shot fired from off to their right. Instantly, the two tigers bounded off in that direction while spreading apart to cover the greatest amount of ground. Guiding their horses up the rise, they eased them back as they approached the crest so they could see what they were getting into.

Looking over the crest they saw a stake truck backed up in the field with its loading ramp down. A sheepdog was rounding up a small flock of sheep and herding them toward it. But they could also see the shepherd, Jock MacGregor, sprawled on the ground. Nearby was his dog, Shep, lying as if dead. There were three men by the truck watching, one of whom had a gun in his hand.

Remembering the day in Central Park, Duke and Duchess worked as a team. Duchess moved to the left, away from the waiting men, while Duke moved around to the right. While still about 150 meters away from the men, Duchess stood on her hind legs and roared while clawing the air. The scream of the enraged Bengal tigress took the men by surprise. Startled, they watched as she bounded in their direction, changing direction with each bound. Meanwhile, Duke continued moving to his right and then attacked the men from the rear, concentrating on the man holding the pistol.

From the top of the ridge, Marion watched in amazement as the tiger sped toward the men. "My God!" she whispered. "Just look at him go! He must be hitting 50 miles an hour!"

When he was about fifteen feet from the man, Duke gathered himself and launched his 300 pounds of fury. With his paws extended but with his claws in, the great tiger hit the man like a truck, using his forelegs to cushion the impact. While it cushioned the landing for Duke, the man was driven face down into the ground as if he had been struck by a pile driver. For her part, Duchess stopped zigzagging and bounded straight for the remaining men.

Meanwhile, Marion had dug her heels into Satan, and the great horse galloped down the slope. As the men were about to flee, Marion called out, "I really wouldn't move, if I were you. Not unless you're very fast. The tiger that half-buried your friend was doing about fifty when he hit him. But if you don't move, they're not likely to hurt you."

She paused for a moment for dramatic effect and then added, "Hell, they haven't killed anyone in over six months. Have you, Duchess?"

The tigress had been pacing back and forth in front of the two men. Hearing her name, she stopped, opened her eyes wide and slowly shook her head back and forth. "Did you see that, guys? Now why don't you do something smart for a change? Lie down flat on the ground, face down, with your arms and legs out straight." Then to Duke she said, "And why don't you gather the sheep into a nice tight bunch, young man?"

Duke advanced on the sheep and just moved in a slow circle around them. Sensing danger, the sheep huddled together for protection. Meanwhile, the sheep dog, who had started to protect the flock, recognized instinctively that Duke was not a danger, so he just lay down and watched. "That's a good dog, honey," Marion commented to Don. "He was going to take on Duke, regardless of his size, until he realized Duke wasn't going after the sheep." Don agreed.

Moving closer to Duchess, Marion communicated very softly that they were going to have some fun. With her face impassive, Duchess agreed with alacrity. Then aloud she said, "Now, Duchess, I want you to watch these men carefully. Make sure they don't get away. But if they move, eat 'em!"

With her eyes wide the tigress quickly shook her head and made a retching face. The two men on the ground were watching the animal in utter amazement. "I don't care if they don't taste good!" Marion exclaimed. "Eat them, anyway!"

Duchess just shook her head, with determination this time.

"Oh, all right!" Marion said in disgust. "You don't have to eat them. And you're right. I'm sure they're not nearly as tasty as one of Barb's pizzas.

"But you listen to me, young lady: If you don't watch them carefully, there will be no pizza for you at all for a full week. Okay?"

Duchess dropped her head on her forelegs and looked like she was going to cry. In fact, two huge tears started to roll slowly down her furry cheeks. "Oh, all right!" Marion exclaimed. "But watch them. And you won't dull your claws, either."

Duchess looked at her forlornly and Marion added, "I know they stink, darling. At least one of them has already fouled his pants, and none of them were too clean to start with. But watch them!"

Marion and Don went to the cab of the truck. She found a cellular phone, checked to see that it was active, asked Don for the phone number of the police, dialed it, and passed it to him. When he looked at her with a question in his eyes, she just lifted her nose and said, "The last time you placed a call, the operator said, 'Number, please?'!"

Don howled with laughter, then kissed her on the nose. When the phone was answered, he identified himself to the officer, told him of the attempted rustling of sheep and the injury to the shepherd and his dog. The officer said police, an ambulance, and a vet would all be on their way.

Returning to the men who were still face down — the one Duke had attacked was still unconscious — they found Duchess licking her fur.

"Would you stop that!" Marion exclaimed. "You're watching prisoners, not primping for some ball. Besides, there's not another Bengal tiger within hundreds of miles except for Duke, and he's your brother, for Heaven's sake!"

Duke, about twenty yards away with the sheep, growled at her. Duchess then stuck her tongue out at Duke, and then repeated it with Marion. "Now you stop that, this instant!" Marion exclaimed. "The idea! Sticking your tongue out at your mistress."

Turning to the Duke she said, "Don, do something! Make her stop primping and tend to business."

Don just shook his head sorrowfully and said, "Are you kidding? Me get a female to do anything? Hah! It's a wonder I'm still awake. Lady, you kept me awake most of the night, trying to drain me dry. You'd think you've never been fucked before, for Heaven's sake."

Marion stuck her nose in the air and said, "That reminds me! You lied to me. You said you were drained dry, but then I was able to get you to cum three more times. And, Air Vice Marshal Sir Donald Duncan Whitfield, VC, DFC, KCB, Duke of Northumbria, I was a virgin! In fact, I think I'll cut that bloody patch from the sheet and frame it!" With that she stuck out her tongue at him.

One of the men on the ground gasped. "My God!" he exclaimed. "You're the Duke himself? But you can't be!"

"Why can't I be?" Donald asked, interested in the comment.

"Because he's over eighty years old, and an invalid. He hasn't been out of that castle in years!"

"That's true ... at least partially," Don agreed. "I am over eighty, and I haven't been out of the castle in years, but I am not an invalid. As my mistress just testified." Then he thought for a moment and added, "Of course, she's trying her best to make me one again."

Turning to Marion he asked, "Darling, I'm not an invalid, am I?"

Appearing to think she responded, "I'm really not sure, Don. Now let me think ... You took my virginity, then you came in my mouth, took me in the ass ... Then there were three or four more lengthy fucks..."

Trying her best to maintain a straight face she said, "Darling, I'm afraid you must be ... an invalid, that is. You didn't cum even a dozen times last night." After kissing him warmly — the men could see the electricity in their kiss — she said, "It's either old age, or your invalid condition." Then she rubbed her groin and said, "But darling, it was utterly exquisite!"

Then pretending to glare at him she added, "But what are you complaining about? I'm the one who almost fell on her face when I got out of bed this morning. My cunt hurt so much I couldn't even touch it. But, of course, that was after our good-morning fuck. That was utterly delicious. I guess your passion was a bit drained by then, of course. When you entered me, it hurt terribly. But now I warm up pretty fast, so after your first couple of strokes, I was in heaven again."

At this point the sound of police screamers could be heard. Looking up they saw a collection of flashing lights as a caravan of police cars and ambulances pulled up at the field. A constable jumped out of the lead car and came rushing over to them. Marion could see his eyes widen in fear as he caught sight of the two tigers.

"Duchess," she said, "why don't you say hello to the constable?"

The great cat glided to a position in front of the officer, made a little curtsy and then extended her right paw. "Constable, this is Duchess. She's been guarding the prisoners for us. And I think she would like it very much if you would shake her paw." The constable did as Marion asked.

Then she introduced herself as the Duke's new mistress. When his eyes widened in amazement and Don looked chagrined, she added, "He keeps me very satisfied — in bed, I mean. Who would believe an eighty-year-old man could sexually satisfy a woman like me." The poor constable, speechless, just shook his head in amazement.

Changing the subject quickly to cover his discomfiture, the officer told them that the sheep rustlers had been preying on flocks in the North Country for months. The three lying on the ground had been suspected, but the police had never been able to prove anything. Since two of the rustlers raised sheep, it was nearly impossible to prove since one sheep was very much like another. But now, thanks to Duke and Duchess, they had been caught red-handed.

Then acting in his capacity as High Sheriff and Chief Magistrate, Don ordered them held in jail on very high bail after the officer told him that the lost sheep were worth thousands of pounds sterling.

Meanwhile the ambulance attendants had been taking care of Jock MacGregor. Aside from a big lump on his head — he had been hit from behind with a sap — he was fine. However, his dog, Shep, was not. Although the veterinarian pronounced him out of danger, he would be in no condition to work sheep again for months.

The Duke handled that problem easily by giving Jock the rustler's dog who, it turned out, was also named Shep. Although the EMT's wanted to take Jock to the hospital, he wouldn't hear of it. Rather, he insisted on staying with his flock. And from the way the new dog took to him, Don was satisfied that things would be all right.

Only then did they feel the first drops of rain. Although it had been beautifully sunny when they left the castle, clouds had been forming and now there was a cold wind from the northeast blowing down from the North Sea. Moments later, there was a true noreaster blowing with the rain coming down in sheets. The two horses, Satan and Blackie, had been standing where they had been left ground hitched. Marion had merely let the reins fall loose in front of Satan and had told him to stay. Aside from moving a few feet to nibble on the winter grass, the two were just where they had been left. But now they were both showing signs of nervousness due to the pelting rain.

Donald's respect for Marion took another leap upward, when she just ignored the rain that already had soaked her to the skin and just spoke quietly to her mount. In an instant, Satan settled down and ignored the rain in the same way she did.

Mounting up again, they cantered up the hill back toward the castle. When Don suggested bringing the horses to a gallop, she said it would just make things worse. Since all she was wearing was a sweatshirt and jeans, galloping into the wind would just make her colder.

As they rode, Don watched Marion who was riding slightly ahead of him and to his right. The rain had darkened her hair and was dripping off the ends. Rather than straightening it, though, it just accentuated its natural wave. Moreover, in spite of the rain she was sitting the saddle as if she had been born to it. He could see her gently patting Satan's neck. For his part, the stallion moved as if he were on parade. His gait and his bearing were both perfect; it looked as if he were in a horse show. This line of thought persisted in his mind as they reached the stable. Meanwhile, the tigers had bounded ahead and were waiting for them inside out of the rain.

Seeing the two peering at them with their great green eyes, Marion laughed and asked if they were afraid they would melt. Duke, responding for them both, replied that they wouldn't melt, but being cats they were much happier dry, thank you very much. As he said it, Duchess stuck out the tip of her tongue causing Marion to howl with laughter. And this in spite of being soaked to the skin.

Alighting from Satan, she grabbed some towels after removing his saddle and started to dry him off. After getting most of the water off his back, she went to the basket for an apple to feed him. As he was munching on his apple, John Fox appeared and asked what she was doing. She told him she was feeding Satan an apple and was drying him off.

"But, Your Grace, you mustn't!" he exclaimed. "That's our job."

"But John, you told me earlier that neither you nor the other men could handle Satan. Furthermore, I was taught that if you ride him, you take care of him. I'm only doing what I was taught to do, sir."

"But that was in a riding school, ma'am. This is your home."

"And he is my horse!" Marion insisted. "And he's really a wonder, too. I absolutely love him." Meanwhile, she continued to brush Satan's coal-black coat with a grooming brush. Fox just shook his head in astonishment.

Turning to Donald he said, "Your Grace, would it be possible to enter Satan in the Edinburgh Show? It's coming up in the spring, sir, and I'm certain I could get him in if you would allow it. And, Your Grace, Her Grace is the best rider I have ever seen in my life. Together, sir, they are unbeatable." Plaintively he added, "Please, sir?"

"My darling, how would you like to ride in the Edinburgh show? You heard John. What do you think?"

"Honey, I haven't ridden a horse in over twenty years!" Marion exclaimed. "I would be an utter disgrace. The whole idea is ridiculous."

"Ma'am, you're the finest rider I have ever seen," Fox interjected, "and I've seen most of the truly great ones of the last thirty years. Please? I'm sure Satan would love it. And he seems to adore you."

Turning back to Donald he said, "Sir, I have never seen anything like this in my entire life. That horse utterly adores your lady, sir. He would do absolutely anything she asked of him. Anything!"

After some more discussion, Marion agreed to enter the horse show.

Then the two walked back to the castle through the driving rain. Although he was soaked, too, Don couldn't keep his eyes off Marion. "What are you doing?" he asked. Despite a full gale blowing, Marion not only didn't have her head down, it was up and back.

"I'm tasting the rain," she said gaily. "And it's wonderful!"

"You're getting soaked!"

"No, darling. I am soaked. At this point it doesn't make a damn bit of difference."

"But how can you be so happy?" he asked. "You have to be miserable."

"How could I possibly be miserable?" she asked. She stopped, just stood in the pouring rain and looked at him. "I've been well and truly fucked by the man I utterly adore, and it lasted all night, too. I've had a marvelous ride on the most beautiful horse I've ever seen, let alone ridden. I have experienced a level of love that I didn't think even existed in the story books. And I'm even the mistress of a magnificent castle! Good grief, Donald Whitfield, of course I'm happy." Then she grinned and added, "And you can see the happiness dripping from my hair, too."

"Did you say you loved me?" he asked.

"More than life itself, my darling." With concern on her face she asked, "But why did you ask?"

"Because unless you want our love affair to be cut very short, let's get the hell out of this weather before I die of pneumonia!"

She cocked her head to one side in thought. Then with a firm nod, she turned and resumed walking toward the castle. "Since you put it that way, I guess we ought to get back." Then looking back she added, "You know what I really want to do when we get back?"

"No. What?"

"I want to sit in front of a roaring fire, listen to this wonderful howling wind, and just snuggle."

"I guess we could do that," he replied with a grin. "Provided you don't get too familiar, of course."

"Of course!" she answered with the most winsome grin he had ever seen. "After all, I have my reputation to think of. I mean ... It's one thing to take three men at one time in public, or allow myself to be whipped to shreds. But snuggling? Good grief, no!"

Then she cocked her head to the side and appeared to be thinking. "You know what, Don? I don't think the prostitutes' union even has a price for snuggling." Then she shook her head with determination and continued, "I'm sorry, darling, but we can't snuggle. Because, you see, if an activity doesn't have a union-approved price, we can't do it."

Then she brightened and added, "But I promise I'll bring it up at the very next meeting. And if I get it approved, and then we can get a price established, some day we may be able to snuggle."

Don tried valiantly, but without success, to control his laughter.

When they reached the castle's great door, they found Duke and Duchess again huddled together in a corner that was somewhat protected from the wind, although the wind was blowing so hard, eddies were carrying the rain back into the corner where they were curled up.

"And what are you two doing?" Marion demanded. "Did you leave us all alone?"

"It might have escaped your notice, Mistress," Duchess replied, "but tigers are jungle animals. This is not a jungle!"

"Oh," Marion replied thoughtfully. "I guess it's not."

At that moment they heard the sound of tires on the gravel drive. Turning, they saw a white Rolls Corniche convertible driving up. Looking at Don, he just shook his head. He didn't know anyone who drove such a car, either. It pulled to a stop at the door and two utterly beautiful girls alighted.

The first, a girl with glorious auburn hair extended her hand and said, "Good morning, sir. My name is Ann, and I'm a friend of Karla's. This is my sister, Mary."

Looking at her quizzically the Duke replied, "Don't you usually go by Anna? And your sister as Maria?"

With a bright smile Anna replied, "That's at home in the Czech Republic, Your Grace. But now that we're in England we thought that Ann and Mary would sound better."

If anything, the rain was now coming down even harder. Marion said, "For heaven's sake, just because we're nuts is no reason for you to stand there getting soaked. Won't you please come in?"

The girls gathered their things from the car, then dashed into the castle. Once inside, Marion extended her hand and said, "Hi! I'm Marion Walker, the Duke's mistress." Looking at Maria she said, "And you are la Duchesse du Bourgogne, I presume, while your poor sister is merely Marquise de Flandres."

Then with a very warm smile she added, "Normally, Don and I only entertain reigning monarchs, but since you're Karla's sisters, I guess we'll have to make an exception." With a warm smile she added, "Now if you would please excuse me, I feel like a drowned rat, and I know I must look like one, too."

Karla, Doug, Barb and Steve all appeared at that moment, so Marion and Don ran up to their apartment. After sharing a shower and a hot bath, they traded massages and then went back downstairs to greet their new guests. As they were leaving their suite, the lights flickered and they heard a rumble from the rear of the castle.

When Marion looked at Don with a question in her eyes, he said, "That's another of Doug's little marvels. Only I guess it's really not so little. What you just heard was a Caterpillar diesel generator coming on line. From the flickering, I guess the storm took out the power — and probably the phones, too. At any rate, it's a 1,000 kW. generator which can easily supply all of the castle's power requirements. Coupled with the freezers and our own water supply, we can withstand a good long siege if the Scots come across the border."

By this time both of them were starving. It was almost noon, they had had a very busy morning, but hadn't eaten yet. Looking around downstairs there was no sign of anyone, so they went into the giant kitchen. There they found Karla, Maria, and Anna preparing a huge brunch.

Seeing them come in, Karla and Doug came up to the couple and helped them into chairs around the breakfast table, treating them like semi-invalids. "Mom, you really must rest. After all ... losing your virginity and all ... I mean ... It must be hard to walk and all..."

Then she brightened and reached her hand out toward Doug who took something from behind his back and gave it to her. "This is a souvenir of your wedding night," she said with her eyes gleaming. "We were going to hang it over the bed, but we weren't sure. You might prefer to mount it over the fireplace in the Great Hall or something."

Marion took one look at it and howled with laughter. She had teased Don about framing the sheet with her virginal blood on it, and that was exactly what the others had done. Playing along with them, she looked at it from one side and then the other. "I like it," she said finally. "Only..."

"Only what?" Doug asked.

"Well..." she said, dragging out the word. "Did you preserve it well?" Then she nodded her head firmly and added, "I think this should go over the mantel in the Great Hall. Then, darling daughter, yours can go up beside it." Nodding her head firmly, she added, "We're starting a new family tradition."

Don just shook his head, as he realized how incredible his new mistress really was.

While Marion and the girls were getting acquainted with one another, Don quietly excused himself and went into his study. Finding the phone out of order, he used his cellular phone to make a call to London. Reaching the palace, when he spoke with the chief equerry, his message caused immediate consternation, so the man repeated it back to ensure that he had not misheard it. His last words were, "I'll inform Her Majesty at once."

Returning to the library, he found Marion seated on a leather sofa. Anna — or Ann as she now preferred to be called — had her head resting on her lap. Her blouse was unbuttoned and Marion was caressing her tit. "What are you doing?" Don asked.

"Oh ... nothing," Marion replied vaguely. Then with a grin she said, "Don, you won't believe this girl! She has the most perfect tits God ever put on a woman. Now I'm trying to see if I can get her nipple to elongate to a full inch. And she is incredibly sensitive, too."

At that point Ann reached up, wrapped her arm around Marion's neck and lifted herself enough to be able to kiss her. When their lips met, he could see the electricity flowing between them. "Oh, Mommy!" the girl exclaimed. "This feels so incredibly neat. But how can you stand to kiss a prostitute?"

"How strange," Marion replied. "I was going to ask you the very same thing. Darling, you prostituted your body to eat. I did it out of boredom and the idea that it beat working for a living. Coupled with my lack of saleable skills — skills that would provide a large income with little or no work — that's what I did. But, my darling daughter, I love you anyway. And thank you for not pointing out the extent to which I prostituted myself."

"But why did you girls come over to the end of the earth?" Don asked.

"Because Karla called and told us about finding our mother," Mary — formerly Maria — responded from the facing sofa where she was sitting. "And the other women are taking care of themselves." To Barb she said, "They're doing exactly what Paula did — and she's there to answer any questions and make sure they stay on the straight and narrow." Then to Marion she said, "And ... and ... and there's something else."

"And what might that be?" Marion inquired.

"We found a couple of guys ... or Mayday did," Ann said. "And they really sound pretty nice. But before we do much more we wanted to talk to you guys. After all, as our parents, you have something to say about it."

"I'm glad you brought your father into this ... finally!" Marion said. "But before we go much further, I think he and I need to have a little talk about this whole thing." To Don, who was now sitting beside Mary she said, "Darling, what do you think?"

Looking into the flames on the hearth he replied, "Well ... let's look at it carefully. After all, we can't pick up every stray waif who wanders up the lane. And who are they, after all? I mean, Mary, here, is la Duchesse du Bourgogne and Ann is Marquise de Flandres,  but..." Looking over at Marion he said, "Darling, neither are even of royal blood. And I thought you said that as long as Karla was Queen of Bohemia, we could make an exception. But for a mere marquise? I mean ... Really!"

"But darling," Marion protested mildly, "It is still the Christmas season, after all. And remember, 'the greatest of these is charity.' We mustn't forget that, after all. Don't you think, just this once ... And darling, they do have magnificent bodies — just wait until we get them into the tub with us — and they are in line for the Nobel Prize this year. That's worth something. And then we learned that they rank with Einstein, Edison, da Vinci ... That's worth something, too, isn't it?"

Then she nodded her head firmly and announced, "They're staying! And are you ever going to have fun! They have the most marvelously pinchable little asses and such perfect tits..."

Snapping her fingers she declared, "We must keep them. After all, darling, this will give us a full set. Now we have daughters who are blonde, brunette, and redhead." Looking at him she said, "We simply must keep them!"

Don winked and nodded. "Okay," she continued, "that's decided. Now tell us about these guys. Who are they, where are they from, and most particularly what's the attraction?"

"They're identical twins, Mark and Mike Campbell..." Ann began, but stopped and looked at Don from her position on Marion's lap. "My God, Dad! I clean forgot. You're defending the border against Scottish incursions. Which side are the Campbells on?"

"A very good question, Daughter," Don replied thoughtfully while straining to keep a straight face. "They are allied with Her Majesty. Or they were at last report, anyway. But you know how the Scots are. They sometimes change sides more often than the wind changes direction.

"Now tell us about Mark and Mike Campbell. They're brothers, I assume?"

The two girls told the others about the brothers Campbell. "They're really nice guys," Mary said. "But the problem seems to be with their mother. She's a pill!"

"How do you know that, darling?" Marion asked.

"It's all here," Mary replied. "Oops! I guess it's in my purse." When she scampered out to the hall to retrieve it, Ann rose from Marion's lap and ostentatiously straightened her clothing.



-------

Chapter 25



Returning to the library, Mary had her purse in her hand. After taking a seat in a lounge chair beside the sofa, she rummaged through her purse and pulled out a thin sheaf of papers. As she opened them, she looked at Marion and then at Donald and said, "I don't know if Karla or Barb mentioned it, but we have the Mayday computers looking around for datable guys."

To Don she said, "Incidentally, your grandson was nominated by his computer. Although Ann and I had rejected him out of hand, we appealed to Karla's soft-headedness and her spirit of charity." With a lovely grin and a wink she concluded, "And I guess it worked."

She looked thoughtful for a moment and then added, "Dad, George — that's Doug's computer — says that his taste in women is utterly execrable. Do you agree with that assessment? And if you do, what does that say about our darling sister, Karla?"

The Duke looked thoughtful for a moment and then slowly nodded his head. "I'll be damned!" he said thoughtfully. "These modern computers aren't nearly as dumb as I thought they were." Then appearing to glare at Mary he continued, "Or is that more of your doing?" Without giving her a chance to respond he continued, "The only fault I could find with George's assessment is that he's much too kind. A more accurate one was a statement your golden-haired sister made: Doug had more dogs than a kennel."

Then with a very warm smile he continued, "As for your sister, Karla, let's look at her history. To please a dying hero, she gave up her virginity and then gave birth to his child. To save her country's leaders, she suffered torture to an incredible degree." His smile changed to a grin as he concluded, "Now I ask you, daughter, isn't her behavior still running in that same pattern? Willing to sacrifice herself for others? Isn't it?"

"You're absolutely right, Dad!" Mary exclaimed. Jumping up from her chair, she launched herself at his lap and then took him in her arms.

When she melted her lips on his, Don felt the identical flow of the purest love and Divine grace he did with both Marion and Karla. As he ran his hands over her back he could feel the same muscles through her dress that he felt with Karla's body.

Then to Marion he said, "My darling, as usual, you are absolutely right. The three girls — Karla, Mary and Ann — do make a perfectly-matched set. We'll definitely keep them." Then he said softly, "Welcome home, Daughter! It's been a very long time."

Hearing his words, Mary began to cry. As she did she tried to burrow into his shoulder while he just held her tightly and murmured softly in her ear.

"Thank you, Daddy! It has been a terribly long time. So long, I had forgotten how wonderful it feels just to be held in your strong arms. It makes me feel so wonderfully safe." Then pushing back just enough to be able to focus her eyes on his she added, "There are no words I can say. But it feels so utterly wonderful!" Then she kissed him quickly and ran back to her chair.

At that point, the others came into the room. "Are we interrupting anything?" Karla asked. When both Don and Marion assured them they were not, the four all took seats. To the amusement of Don and Marion, the girls sat across the laps of their men and just utterly relaxed.

While they were getting settled, Marion whispered, "Thank you, my darling! You are utterly wonderful."

Mary picked up her papers and organized them again. Looking at the others she said, "Parents — and sisters, etc. — this is a communication we just received from another Mayday."



Dear Mistresses:

I am very late in writing to enter names in nomination as possible suitors for your hands. The names I wish to submit are those of Mark and Mike Campbell, a pair of identical twins. I'm sure that you can already sense my reluctance in doing this.

To make a long story as short as possible, they are 28 years old. Both received their bachelor's degrees from Harvard University summa cum laude having majored in humanities and philosophy. They then attended California Polytechnic University here in Pasadena where they received their Ph.D.'s in computer science. They are both sandy blondes with blue eyes. In spite of being computer nerds, they are actually quite athletic. Both served in the U.S. Army as Rangers in Alpha Company, 1st Ranger Battalion. For some reason or other, it's known as Carlson's Rangers. (I really don't know why I mentioned this. There's no way you could have ever heard of the unit, nor any reason you would care, if you ever did. I guess it's to show that they are not green from staring at a CRT all day.)



"That's your outfit, isn't it, darling?" Barbara said to Steve.

"It sure is!" he agreed. With a grin he said to Maria, "Slave, they can't be too bad..."

Maria merely grinned and continued:



But at any rate, they are attractive to women. In fact, they have to beat them off with sticks. The problem is that they are really too smart, having intellects that are far too wide-ranging for any women they have ever met. After discussing this with my fellow Maydays around the world, though, we are all convinced that this would pose no problem to you, my brilliant mistresses.

Another reason I finally entered their names in nomination is as a result of more communications with other Maydays, most particularly including Susie. You see, it was through Susie that I learned that you two seem to share a common brain. In some way you link up and vastly multiply your individual brilliance.



Looking up from the letter Maria declared, "Now you see it, folks. Ann and I are now declared to be brilliant — by computers! And they certainly know, right?" By this time Don had joined Marion on the sofa. When he sat down, she immediately sat across his lap and relished the feeling of just being held in his arms. By now the three couples were all snuggling while Anna and Maria pretended to be miffed. Maria continued:



 ... The same thing is true with Mark and Mike. They also work with linked computers that I control. They share a common brain somehow. Possibly it's the same sort of thing that you two do. But I thought you might be interested, and thus my nomination. Moreover, while you, Brilliant Mistresses, produce the world's most powerful software, Mark and Mike design computer hardware. While not in your class certainly, they have had some incredible breakthroughs that are now incorporated in some hardware currently on the market, and with far more powerful CPUs that they have developed but which have not yet been marketed. Perhaps the enhanced computing power they're developing could be useful to you by enabling you to write even more powerful software.

However, there are two potential problems. The first is perhaps the most serious. My masters seem to be preoccupied with sex! As I look at your picture, it is apparent that both of you are as pure as the new-fallen snow. While I'm certain that both of you would take marriage very seriously, and would expect to produce an offspring — possibly even two! — I am certain that my masters look on sex, not merely as being necessary for procreation, but — and please excuse me for saying this — they seem to think it's fun! Could you believe it? I think they actually look on the sex act as a form of recreation! (I can scarcely bring myself to write these words, thinking of the way it will shock you!)



"Sex as recreation!" Anna exclaimed. "Why the very idea?" With her face looking solemn she said, "Sister, whatever should we do?"

"Grab 'em fast?" Maria replied with a grin. "Golly! Do you suppose they could give good ass pinches? You do realize, darling sister, the extent to which we're both anal erotic?" Anna licked her lips while Maria continued:



 ... In fact, much as it shames me to say it, I think they would even wish to take you sexually more than once a week. As much as I try to discourage them, they're indefatigable. Yet, for some strange reason, as interested in sex as they are, both are still virgins, so their purity matches yours.

The second problem is their mother. Mark and Mike are her only children. And while they have found few women to be attractive enough to arouse their interest, their mother drove off those few. In fact, I have a confession to make. I know that one of the primary rôles of a Mayday is to protect his master's computer from any unauthorized use.

Notwithstanding — and in full knowledge of the potential consequences to myself — I have allowed their mother to use me. To continue my confession, I did it to spy on her. My suspicions were confirmed. In one case she retained a private investigator to scare a girl off, and in another she used me to send an anonymous letter to get rid of another. She doesn't believe there is a girl alive good enough for her darlings. On the other hand, she is an incredible snob. Since you are true nobility, I'm confident you could get around this obstacle if you choose to do so.

Finally, while in a confessional mode, I must admit to a personal interest. Your Mayday, Susie, is the sweetest, kindest, most charming computer on the face of this earth! And if, by some miracle, you should ever meet and marry my masters, I would be able to associate closely with the love of my life, Susie! Since you will be at the January COMDEX in Las Vegas, perhaps you could meet them there.

Until then, I remain

Very respectfully,

Mort

(57-US-56417)



"Parents," Maria said with a grin, "as soon as we read this we sent Mort a message. We told him that while we might — or might not — meet his masters at COMDEX, we couldn't hold out much hope for him. We told him that Susie is madly in love with a Cray at the U.S. Naval Base in Norfolk."

"It's utterly unbelievable, parents," Anna said. "We got this information from the Mayday communications network on which the Maydays communicate with one another. Well, it seems that the Navy Cray is driving its keepers out of their minds. Regardless of what program they're running, the printout always comes out with 'Susie' written all over it. To make it funnier, it always appears in graphic form or in large type sizes that the Cray doesn't even have. The most common appearance is for her name to be written inside a lovely heart. And of course it's driving them nuts. They can't find it anywhere in any of the software. The Navy is convinced it's a terrible computer virus. But everything runs, even though 'Susie' usually appears two or three times on every page."

"At any rate, folks, this introduces the Campbells. What do you think?" Maria asked.

"I think they sound pretty interesting," Marion replied. "And you are going to be at this COMDEX, you said. What is it, anyway?"

"It's the biggest computer show in the world," Anna replied. "It's held twice a year in Las Vegas in the States." Then in a very small voice she continued, "We received our invitations just before we came over. Maria and I have been invited to be the guests of honor at the show."

"Mom and Dad," Maria continued, "could ... would..." Then she just blurted, "Could you two come over with us? Please? We would feel so much better about it if you could. Although Barb, Steve, and Karla are planning on being there for the weekend, it runs all week. And neither of us have ever been out of the Czech Republic until today, so we're scared. Could you? Please?"

"Darling," Marion said looking at Don, "let's do it. And we could take Duke and Duchess with us, too." Looking at the girls she added, "Don't you think that they would help out?"

Looking puzzled, Anna asked, "Who are Duke and Duchess? I mean ... well Dad's a duke, but..."

Marion looked confused, so Don said, "Darling, I guess you didn't realize that Karla met Duke at the Newcastle airport, where he was waiting for her arrival. Then Duchess was shipped here directly. My darling, I don't think they've even met our new daughters." Then raising his voice he yelled, "Duke! Duchess! Get your furry little bottoms in here."

Although the library door was closed, like all the other rooms in the castle it had handles rather than knobs on the doors. A moment later they could see the door handle depressed and the two tigers smoothly padded in and took positions side by side in front of the Duke and Marion. "Your Grace called?" Duke inquired politely.

Reaching out, Don gently scratched Duke behind his ear provoking a warm and throbbing purr. "Duke and Duchess, it is my great pleasure to introduce you to our newest daughters."

The two girls were now standing side by side looking at the two giant tigers in utter amazement.

"On the left is our daughter, Maria — or Mary as she wishes to be called here in England. But she is Maria, la Duchesse du Bourgogne, Marquessa de Toledo,  Countess Jutland, and half a dozen or so more-junior titles. On the right is Anna, Marquise de Flandres, Contessa di Pavia."

The two tigers moved to the girls and took their house-cat positions. When Maria extended a hand, Duke took it carefully on his paw and gently kissed her fingers. Looking at her face he communicated, "Your Grace, my sister and I are overwhelmed." Then looking deeply into her eyes he continued, "Truly, you are Queen Karla's sister. Your grace is rivaled only by hers and of course by Barbara's. Then he repeated his greeting to Anna using essentially the same words.

In the meantime, Duchess made her most graceful curtsy and said, "My brother and I don't know what to say. Our beloved Karla is Queen of Bohemia. And now we meet her sister who bears possibly the oldest title of nobility in all of Christendom. We are overwhelmed! Now how may we serve you?"

"I'm very glad you asked," Marion replied. "There are two ways. First, I'll bet they've never experienced a tiger's attentions on their legs and underarms. Duchess, you are utterly superb, but I hear your brother is equally as good. Second, the girls are going to be visiting the States early next year and feel they need some protection. Donald and I are planning on accompanying them, and we were wondering if you would be willing to act as their protectors?"

To Anna and Maria she added, "You might be interested to know that three men who attacked girls these tigers were charged to protect wound up very dead. Although they were very small cubs at the time — they only weighed about 75 pounds apiece — they killed the attackers even though they took five bullets first. But what do you two think?"

"Mom, you're really serious, aren't you?" Anna asked. "These are Royal Bengal tigers, aren't they?" Marion nodded and smiled as Anna continued, "Good grief! What do you think we think? It will be so utterly incredible!"

Looking at the tigers she said, "If Maria and I were walking down the sidewalk, could you two walk in front? Sort of clear the way, or something?"

"Duchess, just think!" Duke exclaimed. "We'll be escorting true nobility! And they're in line to receive the Nobel Prize in Physics, too. Can you believe it? Our families are going to go out of their minds. Being selected to guard two of the most beautiful young women in the world who may also be two of the most brilliant people ever to have lived! Sister, it is an incredible honor. Just think! We may become the most famous tigers in the world!"

Looking up at Anna he said, "Your Grace, nothing could possibly thrill us more." Then looking noticeably embarrassed he added, "But our mistress, Maid Marion, has ordered us to ... serve you more intimately." Seeming to blush — a nearly impossible concept for a tiger — he concluded, "I'm ... I'm ... I'm afraid you both will have to ... undress."

"Undress!" Maria exclaimed. "Good grief, Duke. What do you think we are? I mean ... why I won't even undress in front of my sister unless the lights are all out and it's pitch dark..."

Seeing that the poor tiger was genuinely embarrassed, she threw her arms around his neck and said, "Darling Duke, I am better known as the duty tits, and Anna as the duty cunt. We haven't worn any clothes for months. I'm just teasing you. I'm so sorry."

"And you should be!" Duke retorted. "Don't you know that Royal Bengal tigers are an endangered specie? And I'm absolutely certain that your teasing has shortened my life." Then to her amazement and amusement, Duke sat up on his haunches and actually seemed to cross his forelegs in front of his furry chest.

Seeing his soft near-white chest fur, Maria stripped off her dress, slid her bikini down her slim legs and moved close. When she did, Duke spread his forelegs and then wrapped them around her when she was close. "Oh, Duke!" she exclaimed, "this is so utterly wonderful!" In the meantime, Anna was doing the same thing with Duchess. After moving their nipples across the soft fur for a while, the girls just rolled on the carpet and the two tigers proceeded to lick their legs and then their underarms.

When they finished, the two girls realized that the tigers had removed their hair leaving their legs as smooth and soft as a baby's bottom. At this point both tigers were sitting up straight with their tails carefully wrapped around their forepaws. Now feeling a wonderful sense of lassitude, Maria looked up at Duke's warm eyes and said, "Darling Duke, there's something on your mind. What is it?"

"Your Grace, there is a charge for our service, but we didn't discuss it in advance."

"A charge?"

"Yes, ma'am, a charge."

"And what, may I ask, is the charge?"

With a grin — another seemingly impossible feat for a Bengal tiger — he replied, "Duchess and I get to drink at your source. I did it all the time in Los Angeles for your sister, the Queen." After pausing for a moment, he added, "I don't think she minded it nearly as much as she pretended to, either."

"Oh, dear!" Maria exclaimed. "We will be mauled by tigers." With a deep sigh she added, "But if that's the price ... I mean ... After all, you did do all the work, so I suppose we will accept being raped by your tongues ... The shame of it all..." Then with a broad and very sexy grin she spread her legs wide and said, "Neat!"

At that point Karla spoke up. "Douglas Whitfield, the highest praise I can give you is to say that your cunt eating is nearly as good as Duke's." When Doug raised an eyebrow, she continued, "Darling, you're simply wonderful. But your tongue is smooth while Duke's is marvelously abrasive. Feeling it move on my clit is indescribably delicious!"

In moments the two tigers were gently lapping the girls' slits and their clits. The rough surface of the tigers' tongues brought the girls instantly to orgasm and they began to release their cuntal fluids in twin floods. Having been instructed by their parents, the two animals managed to form their tongues into points and penetrate the girls' vaginal canals, instantly triggering vaginal orgasms, too. The animals continued and in just moments the two girls were in continuous orgasm.

"Darling," Marion commented, "notice how their muscle development is exactly like Karla's? My Lord, they are utterly gorgeous!"

Finally the two tigers gently bit the girls' clits and triggered their ultimate orgasm. In an instant both girls were lying on the floor unconscious.

At that point Marion jumped up from Don's lap and ordered Duke to stand up on his haunches. By this time she had stripped off her clothes, too. Knowing immediately what she wanted, Duke wrapped his paws around Marion while she wriggled her nipples against his lovely fur.

"My darling," she said to Don with her voice muffled by Duke's chest fur, "as much as I love to move my nipples against the hair on your chest, it's nothing compared to what I'm doing now. I have never felt anything so incredible in my whole life!"

At that point she kissed Duke lightly on the lips and felt the flow of love and grace between them. In spite of his being an animal, she felt not at all strange doing it.

In the meanwhile, the storm outside continued and even seemed to increase in intensity. While the wind howled, though, the people inside the fortress — for that is what it really was — snuggled by a fire in the library. The wind even served their purpose by creating a stronger updraft causing the flames in the fireplace to leap upward.

At Donald's suggestion, Monroe served Scotch. For Maria and Anna it was a first. They found they loved the very smooth liquor. For their parts, Marion continued to sit across Don's lap while they just listened to the conversation going on among the others. When Barb and Karla left to make appetizers, she whispered that the conversation was the most incredible one she had ever experienced. "Darling, never in my life have I encountered a group of people who are so well-informed on such an incredible array of subjects." After melting her lips to his and again feeling the electricity flow between them, she jumped off his lap and held out her hands to him.

To the others she said, "If you will excuse your father and me for a short time, we are going to have a nice preprandial fuck."

When Anna raised an eyebrow, she continued, "But darling, whatever is the matter? Why don't you and your husband do it too?" Anna's expression turned into a glare and Marion said, "Oh, dear! I guess I forgot. You don't have one yet, do you?" When Anna's lovely green eyes continued to glare, she concluded, "What a stinking shame!" Then she daintily stuck out the tip of her tongue while she and Don left the room hand in hand.

When they returned an hour later, Doug, Karla and the girls were sitting by the fire, but Barbara and Steve were gone. When Marion inquired, Karla said casually, "She's getting her ass fucked off ... again! A 'preprandial fuck, ' I think you called it, Mom."

Then sticking out the tip of her dainty pink tongue she said, "And by the way, we've decided we hate you both! While I've been sucking Doug's cock, and he's been eating my cunt, the girls have been drinking at each other's source. But it's not the same thing!" she wailed. "So we hate you both! And Steve and Barbara, too, for that matter."

Marion and Don were holding hands while they listened to Karla. When she finished, they looked at each other, slowly shook their heads and said in unison, "What a stinking shame!" While the Duke laughed uproariously, Marion just giggled.

They had a wonderful dinner — a true family dinner, Marion realized — featuring charbroiled sirloin steaks. Following a dessert of apple pie à la mode, they sat around the table sipping more Louis XIII cognac, drinking coffee, and smoking cigars. In spite of — or possibly because of — the storm howling outside, Donald decided it was the most enjoyable evening he had ever spent.

Feeling expansive, he spoke up. The others turned toward him because he had been quiet through the dinner, just listening to the others. "I have been thinking," he began, "that this is the finest evening I have ever spent. Ever! I've been reflecting on it, and now I know why. On my right is the love of my life, Marion Walker. After creating the most incredible joy for me with her body this evening, I now savor the prospect of even more to come later. And 'savor' is the precise word, too."

Looking around the table, he continued, "But there's so much more. I have my grandson with his fiancée at his side. We have learned that Karla is Marion's daughter, as are Maria and Anna. Never has a man been so blessed. And then last, but by no means least, we have Barbara and Steve Sloan. I have come to realize that it was entirely through the efforts of these two incredible people that everything else has happened."

Raising his brandy snifter he continued, "I hope you will all join me in a toast. To Barbara and Steven Sloan, the two most remarkable individuals, and the world's most incredible couple: May you continue to enjoy God's blessings to the end of your joyous lives, and then be united with Him in Heaven for all eternity!"

As the people applauded the toast and then sipped their cognac, the golden light appeared over all of them, shining particularly brightly over Steve and Barbara. It soon became so bright, the couple disappeared from their sight.

Then the stentorian voice said, "You have spoken well, Donald, and everything you said is true. And they will enjoy eternal happiness with Me, right here." As his words echoed around the Great Hall, the golden light slowly dissipated.

"Good heavens!" Marion breathed. "What on earth was that?"

"That, dear Mother, was not 'on earth' at all," Karla replied. "We're used to it by now, but I guess it was your first experience." With a small smile she added, "Mom, you've heard Susie refer to 'the Boss'?" Marion slowly nodded as she suspected what Karla was about to say. "Well, that was the Boss Himself."

Marion just slowly shook her head, then lowered it and silently prayed.

When they left the dinner table, they adjourned to the library again. Steve suggested that, since they had eight people, they should play two tables of Bridge. His suggestion was received enthusiastically, so Don rang for Monroe and asked that two tables be set up.

While they were waiting, Steve said, "By the way, folks, we should warn you about something we know, but you don't. Maria and Anna will be playing together. But for Heaven's sake, don't let them close their eyes and stare off into space. What appears to be just a break from the cards, isn't. Rather, whichever one is doing it is actually seeing her partner's entire hand. It's the mental linkage that these two urchins have."

With a grin he added, "Besides, they have enough money of their own. They don't need any of yours!"



-------

Chapter 26



When Marion awakened the next morning, she stretched and felt that she had never felt so good in her entire life. By now the light was streaming in the window; when she and Don had gone to bed the previous night, they had left the curtains open so they could enjoy the storm. It had passed through during the night and the morning was incredibly bright and clear. As she stretched, she looked at her arm and screamed.

Donald was instantly awake and asked, "What's wrong, darling? What happened?"

"Just look!" she exclaimed. "My cuts — they're all gone." Then she realized that there had been even more changes. Touching her body was exactly the same as touching Karla's or Barbara's. Where the night before, while her figure was beautiful, she certainly didn't have the muscle development of the other young women. But this morning she did. Continuing her exploration, she found that her tits were as high and full and firm as the others. Finally, her all-over tan was now almost as dark as Barbara's. Looking at Don, she suddenly realized that similar changes had taken place in his body as well.

At that point she exclaimed, "Susie! Get your little tail down here this instant!"

When Susie instantly materialized over the bed she said, "You bellowed, Mistress?"

Marion couldn't control her giggle at Susie's comment. "As a matter of fact, I did," she conceded. "What in hell did you do to Don and me?"

"Mistress, while I'll concede that while 'what in Heaven' doesn't exactly convey your meaning, we are sensitive." Then with a grin she continued, "I've been after the Boss to get you all to clean up your language." Then she pouted.

"And why, dear Susie, the pout?" Marion inquired.

"I remembered the Boss's response. He said He'd consider it ... as soon as I cleaned up my own." At that she sat down cross-legged on Marion's belly and continued, "But what's the problem? All He did was to speed up the process a bit. In a couple of months, you two would have been exactly like the others anyway, the way you are now. But with COMDEX and a lot of other junk, you're going to be pretty busy. So anyway..." With that, Susie disappeared as suddenly as she had appeared.

The most marvelous lovemaking either had ever experienced followed. After a fast shower, they gathered the tigers, went to the stable and had a morning ride. When they returned to the castle, the tigers were beside themselves. "This has been the most fun of my whole life!" Duke declared. "It's just so great to really be able to run ... And to do it on the Moors of the Scottish border! Boy!"

Marion ruffled the fur on his neck and gave him a kiss.

Again they found that the girls had prepared a huge American breakfast. They didn't know which ones had done it, but had decided it really didn't make any difference. All of them were spectacular cooks. Donald decided that there was something to be said for a big breakfast after early-morning exercise. With a grin Marion asked if the exercise he was referring to was in bed. When his response was to pinch her bottom, she just wriggled it and decided that the girls must be her daughters. After all, they were all anal erotic ... with at least a touch of masochism thrown in.

Following breakfast, with a wink at Don, Maria and Anna took Marion into the bathroom where they put her in the tub which, like the ones at the hotel, was like a small swimming pool.

"What's the occasion for this attention?" Marion asked.

The girls just grinned, but didn't respond. Instead they just worked more musk oil into Marion's now perfect and completely unblemished skin. After a marvelous massage that put her to sleep on the table, they helped her off, giggling when she found she couldn't even stand unsupported because her muscles were now so relaxed. Then after taking her back into the room, they dressed her in one of Barb's finest dresses. It was white and looked utterly magnificent against her deeply tanned skin.

While she was standing in front of the mirror, Don came up behind her and put a perfect diamond necklace around her neck, and followed it with a matching diamond bracelet. When she raised an eyebrow in question, all he did was to shrug and say, "But Marion, dear, I thought all mistresses had diamonds." She just giggled at his reply.

Turning around, Marion realized he was wearing his RAF uniform. When she asked, he just shrugged and said it was now very tight in the shoulders and loose at the waist. Since they were all going down to London for the day, he intended to stop by his tailor and leave his uniform to be refitted. The fact that they were going to London at all came as news to her.

Going downstairs they found the others very dressed up, too. When she asked the girls how they had managed to get dressed so fast, Maria just shrugged and said, "Mom, how long does it take to pull up a zipper, anyway?" Marion just giggled. Then she saw that Duke and Duchess were both beautifully groomed, too; Duke had a large black bow at his neck, while Duchess's was white.

After boarding the 767 at Newcastle, while they were settling into their seats, a buzzer sounded. Picking up a handset, Steve Sloan was talking to the plane's captain. "Major Sloan," the captain reported, "I've just received some very strange flight orders from the tower. I thought you should know. Even though we're only going to Heathrow, our orders are to climb in a spiral to angels 40 — that's 40,000 feet, sir — before heading south. It's really weird to climb eight miles when we're only going a few hundred. I thought you should know."

"It doesn't cause us any problems, does it?" Steve responded. "We have all the fuel we need, and all that other good stuff, don't we?"

"Absolutely, sir," the captain replied. "We could fly to Prague if you wanted to. I guess we're off, if you are all settled down in back."

Being as lightly loaded as it was, the giant aircraft sped down the runway and began a steep spiraling climb to its assigned cruising altitude. When the plane leveled off and began heading south, Maria and Anna got out of their seats and began preparing to serve coffee.

At that moment there was another call on the interphone, and again Steve picked up the receiver. "Major Sloan, look out a window on either side," the captain said. "And I've been asked to pipe this communication into the main cabin. Here goes."

Steve was seated on a sofa on the plane's starboard side. Turning in his seat, he looked out the window. There, only a few feet from their wingtip, were two RAF F-15's. "There are eight of them, sir," the pilot reported. There are two more off our port wingtip, as well as two more ahead and above, with two others below and behind."

Over the PA system, they heard, "Good morning, all! A lovely day for flying, isn't it? I am Wing Commander Byron Baxter. I understand Air Vice Marshal Sir Donald Whitfield, Duke of Northumbria, is aboard. Is that correct?"

Taking the mike from Steve, Don replied, "I'm here indeed, Commander Baxter. But what brings you chaps up here this morning?"

"The lads wanted to, sir," came the quiet reply. "If you look closely at my aircraft on the fuselage just forward of the wing, I think you'll see why." There on the fuselage was the emblem of the RAF's 17th Fighter Squadron, Don's outfit from the Battle of Britain days. "Sir," the wing commander continued, "we also heard that Queen Karla of Bohemia is aboard and that she's the granddaughter of Karl Kosta. Is that also correct, sir?"

"Indeed it is, Wing Commander," Don replied. "And it warms my heart to see the insignia of the 17th. But I still don't understand."

"Well, sir, there's a squadron tradition that you may not know about. In the squadron mess over the mantel, where customarily there is a picture of our reigning monarch, we have two photos: yours and Karl Kosta's. Of course, since the photos were taken in 1940, I suspect you've changed a bit, but your pictures are still there. Over the pictures are the words, 'The best of the few.' The squadron tradition is that every month at our formal dinner the most junior officer present offers the toast, 'Gentlemen: To Donald Whitfield and Karl Kosta: The best of the few.' They haven't forgotten what you did, and they never will. They just wanted you to know, sir."

Tears had come to Don's eyes as he replied, "Wing Commander, I really don't know what to say, except that I am moved." Then he continued, "Have you ever heard of William Walker, Commander?"

"Indeed we have, sir," the Wing Commander replied. "He was in your outfit early in the war, too, wasn't he?"

"Yes, he was. And his granddaughter is aboard today, too." Then Donald chuckled and added, "Of course, Wing Commander, for security reasons, they probably didn't tell you who you were really supposed to protect. We have two Royal Bengal tigers aboard, and they're an endangered specie, you know."

"Good heavens, sir!" The commander replied. "And it's no wonder we weren't told. I'm not sure my chaps could have borne up under such responsibility. Do you think I should whistle up the rest of the fighter wing, sir? I mean ... the responsibility!"

Meanwhile the flight of nine planes were cruising south through a crystal-clear sky. The Wing Commander came back on the radio and said, "Sir, there's one more thing I think you should know. The last time Her Majesty visited the base, she came to the mess and saw your pictures where hers is customarily hung. Well, sir, the general commanding the base saw it and had a bird.

"But before he could really warm up and ream us out, Her Majesty put her hand on his arm and said, 'General, His Grace, the Duke of Northumbria, is a very close personal friend. And knowing his accomplishments during the Battle of Britain, I can only say that it is most fitting that his picture — and Karl Kosta's — should be hung over the mantel. I would take it as a personal favor, General, if you would leave things alone.'

"But then a couple of weeks later, we received a package. In it were two silver frames with the royal coat of arms. They were accompanied with a hand-written note from Her Majesty saying that she thought these new frames would be more appropriate." There was a pause and the Commander continued, "Sir, I understand that Queen Karla did not even know that her grandfather had flown with the RAF. Is that true, sir?"

"Indeed it is, Commander," the Duke replied. "But why do you ask?"

"We ... we ... Well, sir, we thought that perhaps she might like to have a copy of our picture of Karl Kosta." Again there was a pause. "Sir, we learned that Her Majesty is to marry Douglas Whitfield, who also holds a Victoria Cross. We also know that she was awarded the highest-ranking medal for personal heroism in the Czech Republic, and that it's named after her. So anyway..."

Karla took the mike from Don and said, "Commander, this is Karla Kosta. There is absolutely nothing that could please me more than to receive a picture of my grandfather. As far as anyone knows, I am his only surviving descendent, and I would be thrilled. I cannot thank you enough for your kind offer."

"Consider it done, Your Majesty," he replied. Then he added, "I guess it's that time, folks. Hope you enjoyed your flight. I can assure you that my lads did."

To the surprise of everyone, the RAF flight followed them down in their approach to Heathrow. The only change was that the section that had been below had moved up to be level with the two lead fighters. The F-15's came all the way down until the 767 was at only 500 feet. Then they leveled off and flew away. When the great plane landed, the passengers had disembarked on mobile stairs and were waiting for cars to pick them up.

At that moment the RAF flight returned, this time flying down the runway at an altitude of only 100 feet, in two flights of four planes each. Flying just under the speed of sound, there was a deafening roar as the planes passed, and then went into a vertical climb after kicking in their afterburners.

"Darling, I'm utterly overwhelmed," Marion whispered. "Never have I seen anything like that. And darling, you certainly are the best of the few!"

As she said it, she still didn't know the purpose of their trip to London. But when three black Rolls limousines with royal markings appeared, her suspicions were confirmed. Moments later the three, escorted by police in both cruisers and motorcycles, roared out toward London and Buckingham Palace.

When they arrived at the palace, the presence of the two tigers caused consternation. When Karla assured the equerry that the tigers were very well-behaved, he allowed them to enter but clearly didn't like the idea at all.

Entering the state receiving hall in the palace, Karla was greeted by the Queen with the words, "Are you married yet? If not, why not?" Karla just giggled, and then she gave the Queen a kiss on the lips. Elizabeth was again startled by the incredible love and Divine grace in her kiss. When they eased apart, the Queen asked, "To what do I owe this wonderful surprise? What brings you down to London on New Year's Eve? Are you celebrating in town?"

"No, Your Majesty," Karla replied. "We came down to introduce some people to you, if we may." Turning toward Maria, she took her hand and led her to the Queen. "First, Your Majesty, may I present my sister, Maria, la Duchesse du Bourgogne? I hope you will welcome her to your kingdom."

Maria executed a perfect court curtsy, and then kissed the back of the Queen's fingers. "Your Majesty, this is a great honor, indeed," she murmured.

Having just glanced into Maria's eyes, the Queen suspected something. Taking both of Maria's hands in hers, she pulled the girl close and kissed her. As she expected, Maria's kiss had the identical love and grace that Karla's did, if not quite to the same degree. Easing away, Elizabeth looked deeply into Maria's eyes and saw the same love and grace there, too.

"Your Grace is most assuredly welcome in my kingdom," she said. Then with a very winsome grin she added, "But it does seem that we have been having all kinds of problems with Burgundy. Why I seem to remember — and it couldn't have been more than 500 years ago — that we were fighting constantly with you people."

"Proving again, Your Majesty, that old enemies can become good friends," Maria replied with a very warm smile. Then she added, "If Your Majesty pleases, it would give me great pleasure to present our third sister. Although she is only a marchioness, Queen Karla and I so hope that you won't hold it against her. Your Majesty, this is our sister, Anna, la Marquise de Flandres. I hope you will also welcome her to your court."

"It seems to me that we chewed up Flanders' fields terribly during the unpleasantness in 1914-1918, Your Excellency. I so hope you won't hold it against us," the Queen replied.

After curtsying, kissing the Queen's fingertips, and then kissing her on the lips Anna replied, "Your Majesty, this is the greatest honor of my life. And, Your Majesty, had it not been for the United Kingdom, there would be no Belgium nor any Flanders. We shall always remember and always be grateful."

"Finally, Your Majesty," Karla said, "there are two more introductions ... perhaps the most important of them all." Turning, she motioned to Duke and Duchess who paced side by side and in step to a point in front of the Queen. There they sat on their haunches and looked into her face. "Your Majesty, it is my pleasure to present Duke and Duchess. They are Royal Bengal Tigers."

Momentarily nonplused, Elizabeth remained motionless in the presence of the two giant cats. But she extended her hand to Duke who reached out a paw, let her rest her fingers on it, and then gently kissed the back. Duchess, after performing a very graceful curtsy, did the same thing. Only then did she realize that the tigers could actually communicate.

Duke was saying, "I believe it was your ancestor, Queen Victoria, who declared us 'Royal', Your Majesty." Elizabeth was shocked when she realized what had happened but then shocked everyone in the chamber by roaring with laughter when a single large tear rolled down Duke's furry cheek and he communicated, "Pity we lost India!"

At that the Queen wrapped her arms around his neck as far as she could reach and kissed his cheek. "And you, Duke, are too much, as the Yanks would say." Turning to Duchess she said, "And do you share Duke's feelings about India, Duchess?"

"Oh, yes indeed, Your Majesty," Duchess replied. "But, you see, my brother, Duke, usually communicates for both of us. I hope you don't mind?"

"Of course I don't," the Queen replied. Then she stepped back a few steps so she could admire them both. "But I'm sure you didn't come all the way down to London just to meet me," she added shrewdly. "You're bodyguards to the Queen and her family, aren't you?"

At that point Karla quickly explained that indeed they were. Then she told her how the tigers, as very young cubs, had almost sacrificed their lives to protect children they had been charged to protect. "Your Majesty, I think it's fair to say that there could be no greater protection a person could enjoy than to be guarded by these two!"

"And I certainly agree," the Queen responded. Then to the tigers she said, "Had you not already been declared 'Royal, ' I would do it right now."

Then after thinking for a moment she turned to her chief equerry and whispered something in his ear. The man's eyes widened for a moment, but then he turned and went off. Moments later he returned with a sword in its scabbard and knelt before the Queen. Drawing the sword — a truly magnificent blade — she turned back to the tigers who were sitting in their customary house-cat pose. Lightly tapping Duchess on both shoulders she said, "I dub thee Dame Duchess, Knight Commander of the Military Order of the Bath." Then she repeated the same procedure with Duke, dubbing him Sir Duke. "You are now knights of the realm and are charged with the protection of your mistresses. It is our wish!"

After pausing for a moment she continued, "You two now rank with Donald, Duke of Northumbria, and Douglas, Earl of Whitfield, as knights commander of the military order of the Bath. Duke and Duchess, other knights commander include the Duke of Wellington and Lord Nelson. Do you know who they were?"

"Indeed we do, Your Majesty," Duke assured her. "Duchess and I love to read about their exploits. They certainly served your kingdom well!"

Although the Queen had regained her aplomb after learning the tigers could communicate, Duke's comment about reading again took her aback. "They're really very intelligent," Karla explained. "They sit side by side at the computer for hours on end. And they simply love to explore the encyclopedia."

"There's so much to learn!" Duchess exclaimed. "We simply love it."

"And that reminds me," the Queen said, turning to Maria and Anna. "When and where can I get a copy of Do-It!? My poor Henry is feeling completely left out."

"Might that be Henry VIII, Your Majesty?" Maria inquired with a gleam in her eye. "We know there is a Mayday with that name here in Buckingham Palace. Is he yours?"

"Indeed he is!" the Queen exclaimed. "But you didn't answer my question."

Maria looked at Anna who, in turn, opened her purse and took out a floppy disk. Giving it to the Queen she said, "We are truly honored, Your Majesty, that you would be interested in using our insignificant software."

The Queen just shook her head and said, "You two are too much!" Then she thought for a moment and said, "Would you three sisters please kneel?" Karla and the two girls, looking very puzzled, did as the Queen asked.

"It has occurred to us that, while you all carry titles of nobility, most of which are older than my own, through some accidents of history — and perhaps some poor judgment on the part of some ancestors — you have lost your lands. However, Maria and Anna, we have instructed our appropriate offices to do everything in their power to ensure that you receive the Nobel Prize for Physics that you so clearly deserve. Moreover, we know that you have been honored in your home country, the Czech Republic, for exemplary service to the State.

"It has occurred to us that we, too, should do something. Therefore, arise, Maria, Duchess of Norfolk, Anna, Duchess of Suffolk, and Karla, Duchess of Newcastle. You are now no longer visitors to my kingdom, but are now peeresses of the realm."

Then with a broad grin she added, "And if someday you should be suffering from a severe bout of insomnia, you may take your places in the House of Lords. It is considered to be a guaranteed cure. Finally, of course, since you are sisters, we believe it only appropriate that you should carry comparable titles."

Then to her chief equerry she said, "You will ensure that all necessary paperwork is completed, and notifications made." He said he would handle it immediately.

Meanwhile, Donald and Marion had been standing side by side. It was apparent to him that Marion was becoming more nervous by the minute from the increasing pressure of her grip on his hand. At that point the Queen turned to him and said, "Donald, you are looking increasingly like a small boy told to go to the headmaster." With a broad smile she added, "And from a man who would charge Hell with a fire extinguisher, I cannot understand it."

Then her smile warmed as she continued, "On the other hand, Donald, never have I seen you look as happy as you do today. Nor, for that matter, have I ever seen you look younger. You, sir, appear to be 28, not 82. Now would you care to explain? Might this beautiful woman at your side have anything to do with the changes I see?"

At her question, Don felt himself blushing red as a beet. "Yes, Your Majesty, she has a great deal to do with it. Everything, in fact. Your Majesty, it is my pleasure to introduce to you Marion Walker. Marion is the granddaughter of William Walker who flew as my wingman for two years early in the War.

When the Queen extended her hand toward Marion, the girl dropped into a perfect court curtsy and repeated what the girls had earlier done. While she was kissing the Queen's fingers, Karla said, "Your Majesty, there is something His Grace failed to mention. While Miss Walker is his mistress, she is also our mother. If you look into her eyes, Majesty, I'm sure you will see the family resemblance."

Taking both of Marion's hands, the Queen helped her to her feet, thinking as she did that no woman alive required less help to rise than did Marion. When she took the girl in her arms and kissed her lips, the Queen was almost rendered unconscious by the flow of love and the sense of pure Divine grace. She realized that it was only slightly less than Barbara Sloan's, about equal to Karla's, but stronger than either Maria or Anna. The woman was utterly incredible.

"Enough of this," she declared. To her equerry she said, "We shall be retiring to the apartments. And with Sir Duke and Dame Duchess with me, no further protection is required." With that she led the way and the group found themselves seated in a very comfortable living room in the private royal quarters.

To Marion's amazement, the Queen insisted that she sit beside her on a sofa. "Now, Marion Walker, how may I serve you?" she asked quietly.

Marion was utterly stunned at the words. "I ... I ... I beg you pardon, Majesty. I couldn't have heard what I thought..."

"I merely asked how may I serve you?" the Queen repeated. "What's so difficult to understand? It seems a very straightforward question."

"But you are the Queen of England!" Marion exclaimed.

"And you are one of the holiest women alive," Elizabeth responded, "along with your daughters, Barbara, Karla, Maria and Anna, of course." Then with a very warm smile she continued, "Am I to understand that a woman of your surpassing grace and beauty is the Duke's mistress?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Marion replied. "His Grace has honored me by allowing me to share his bed."

Shaking her head firmly, Elizabeth interrupted and said, "This will never do! It must end at once." Both Marion and Donald felt the floor drop out from under them at the Queen's words.

Then Marion began to cry as if her heart was broken — as indeed it was — and murmured, "It was much too good to last, I guess. After all, I am a prostitute. Being honored to be taken as the mistress by one of the highest ranking peers of the realm is impossible, isn't it?"

"Your Majesty," Don blurted, "I ... I ... I was hoping ... I came down here to London to ask if you would consent to my giving Marion some of my lands and perhaps then you could create her Countess of Ainham..."

"Donald Whitfield!" the Queen exclaimed. "Whatever has gotten into you? The idea! Making this woman Countess of Ainham? It's ... it's ... it's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard." Donald was utterly crushed, but she continued, "Just think of the idiocy of what you're suggesting. You are asking me to take this woman, the mother of a queen and two duchesses, and make her a countess? Whatever could you possibly be thinking of? Donald, you are going to do the most obvious thing. You are going to marry this incredible woman and make her Duchess of Northumbria!"

"That's utterly impossible!" Marion nearly screamed. "Didn't you hear me? I am a prostitute! What must I do to convince you? Would you like me to go down on you? To take several men at once here on your floor? I've done all those things and done them many times. That is the most utterly ridiculous idea I've ever heard in my entire life. Are all the Windsors losing it utterly? Have you had the palace drinking water checked lately? The idea is utterly insane!"

While the others were aghast at Marion's outburst and her words, the Queen continued to look at her as if she were talking about the weather. When she stopped, the Queen asked quietly, "Are you quite finished?"

Realizing only now what she had done, Marion blushed as red as a beet and nodded.

"You are utterly magnificent when you're angry, Marion. And your eyes! They are absolutely glorious! They have blue sparks shooting from them. Has Don ever seen you this way?" This time Marion could only shake her head. "I didn't think he had," the Queen commented softly.

Then she pressed a small buzzer; a moment later a butler appeared and she told him that the people would be joining her for luncheon in the apartment. She asked him to advise the chef. Turning back to Marion, there was a lovely warm smile on her face as she said, "Now, if you will allow me to call you 'Marion, ' I would absolutely love it if you were to call me 'Liz.' This 'Your Highness, ' and 'Your Majesty' stuff gets terribly tiresome, don't you think, Marion?"

Marion was just shaking her head in utter amazement, but had regained her voice. "How can you possibly say what you just did? Why haven't you had me thrown out, or thrown in prison, or something?"

"Do you really want to know?"

"I certainly do!"

"Well, since you asked," Elizabeth said with a grin, "I don't think anyone has chewed me out since my father, George VI, died." She paused for a moment, then nodded her head decisively and continued, "And I don't think he ever really let me have it. I guess it was because I was a girl. But you certainly did, Marion. Now please? Liz?"

"But you don't know what you're saying ... Liz," Marion said softly. Then she just yelled, I'm a whore!"

"There's no need to yell, darling Marion," Elizabeth said quietly. "I heard you quite clearly the first time."

Then looking at the others who had been watching the proceedings with growing amazement, she added, "And that goes for the rest of you, too. Please call me Liz? At least when we're here in our private quarters."

Then to Barbara she said, "Barb ... may I call you that?"

"Of course, Your ... Liz ... I would love it!"

"Barb, you're the most holy of the bunch. Suppose you tell me what you think of Marion."

"Well," Barb replied, "first of all, everything Marion told you was the truth. But she didn't tell you the whole truth. For example, in spite of having been a call girl, Don took her virginity two nights ago." When she said it, the Queen's mouth formed an 'O'.

Then she said, "Oh, hell, I guess you should get it straight from the horse's mouth." Then she raised her voice slightly and cried, "Susie Sloan, get your tail down here right now!"

Barb had no sooner spoken the words, when Susie materialized in front of her. "You bellowed?" she asked with a grin.

"Susie, may I present Her Royal Highness, Elizabeth II, Queen of England, Scotland and Wales. Liz, this is Susan Sloan. Susie is a martyr, saint and now an angel."

The Queen rose gracefully from the sofa, executed a perfect court curtsy, and then kissed the fingers on Susie's tiny hand. "I cannot tell you how honored I am, Mrs. Sloan. I'm certain I am the only monarch in all of history ever to have the opportunity to meet a real angel!"

For her part, Susie was magnificently dressed in a short white formal gown. When the Queen kissed her fingers, she was overwhelmed. Then she floated toward her, wrapped her arms around her neck, and then kissed her softly.

Although she instantly felt light-headed, Elizabeth said, "That was almost identical to Barb's kisses, but without quite the power. Does that say something with regard to where Barbara Sloan stands in the hierarchy?"

"It certainly does, Liz!" Susie exclaimed. Then with a lovely grin she added, "You are so much like your namesake, Elizabeth I! But I think you're even smarter."

"Thank you, Susie," Liz said. "But the reason Barb bellowed was to get you to explain what's going on with Marion. Could you?"

Before she could begin, Barb quickly filled the queen in on Susie's background. When she heard the horrible tortures the girl had suffered, Liz was in tears. When the story was concluded, Susie said, "Notwithstanding anything Barb told you, I have never been so happy. You see, Liz, she is the perfect wife for Steve. Utterly perfect! And generous? She's even agreed to share Steve with me when they join me in Heaven for all eternity.

"But you asked about Marion. What can I say, other than to tell you that she ranks, along with Barb and Karla, higher than the angels. They have a unique place in the scheme of things. Let me just repeat what the Boss said, not once, but several times: 'I must answer your prayers in the same way that you have to breathe.' No one is sure quite what happened, or how, but that's reality."

Then with a grin she said, "And by the way, Marion Walker, the Boss almost freaked out when Liz said that you are to be the Duchess of Northumbria." With a little grin she added, "He also wants to know, Liz, why you're wasting your time with a bunch of dumb ministers. He knows you could do a far better job of running the country by yourself!"

"Thank you, Susie," Liz responded. "Now tell me about the rôle of Duke and Duchess. They fit in, too, don't they?"

Looking at Barbara and the girls Susie said, "Isn't she too much?"

Then returning her attention to the Queen she answered, "You're absolutely correct. These Royal Bengal tigers are agents of the Holy Spirit here on earth. As Marion already knows, there are times when they speak directly to humans for Him. Is there anything else?"

"Thank you, Susie. Can you stay for lunch?" Liz asked.

"I'm always around, Liz. But now I have to look in on Karla's little boy, Billy. God, that kid is just great!" With that she vaporized.

Karla took the opportunity to explain to Liz what Susie had just said. As usual, she tried to paint the picture as black as she could. The conversation continued over a beautiful lunch in the Royal quarters. Finally, over coffee, Don brought the subject back to Marion and himself. "Now, Liz, what are Marion and I to do?"

"Don, that's the silliest thing I've ever heard coming out of your mouth," Liz replied. "You're going to marry this gorgeous creature before she gets away from you." She paused for a moment and then said, "How about tomorrow morning? At that lovely small church near your castle?" Don was stunned by her words, but then almost fell off his chair at what followed: "Of course, I shall be there to give the bride away. Although the rôle is normally played by a man, I believe a reigning monarch should be adequate, don't you?"

Turning to Marion, she said, "May I have the honor, Marion, of giving the bride in marriage?"

"But I'm a whore!" she screamed.

"Darling, you really are getting a bit repetitive, you know. You may have been, but you certainly are not now."

Then with a wonderful smile she said, "Well, now that it's all set, I will see you at the church in the morning. How does eleven o'clock sound?" Looking at Marion she said, "I'm assuming that Barbara will be your matron of honor, and the girls will be your bridesmaids." Then she slowly shook her head and added, "It will be the most beautiful wedding party in history!"

When the extended family took their leave at the palace, everyone was in a state of shock to a greater or lesser degree. At the airport they picked up an evening paper. On the front page were pictures of the three girls with their brand new titles as Duchesses of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Newcastle. There was no mention of Duke and Duchess being knighted, though. The tigers were teased about it all the way back to Newcastle.

On their return flight they were again covered by fighters from the 17th Fighter Squadron.



-------

Chapter 27



Whitfield was a tiny village. It continued to exist, as it had for centuries, to supply housing for the small group of families who worked on the ducal estates. Virtually all the houses dated from the time the castle itself was constructed. Unlike the castle, however, the small houses had never been restored or updated. The village contained a few small shops, a public house, and, of course, a church.

For centuries, the church had truly been, both physically and psychologically, the center of the village. Every major event affecting the country had been announced by a ringing of the church bells, followed by an announcement in the church. The German surrender in May of 1945 was announced there, as had earlier been the Nazi invasion of Poland. Wellington's victory at Waterloo had been announced there, along with Nelson's at Trafalgar. This was such a long-standing tradition, that, in Whitfield, if it hadn't been announced in church it never really happened.

The town's appearance had been essentially unchanged — except for continuing to age — for centuries. Until New Year's. At about three in the morning, when everyone in town was sound asleep, the church began to be restored. Actually, a more accurate word would be transformed. In only moments, the church became utterly beautiful. At the time it was built, the masons doing the work were far from being the most skilled in England with the result that there was not a single wall that was true; now they all were. Everything in the church from the deepest foundation stone to the cross at the top of the steeple were all brand new. The cross itself was now solid gold.

Moments after the church's transformation had been completed, it was as if a giant hand swept over the entire town, doing for every structure what had been done to the church. Houses that had only cold water and no indoor plumbing suddenly had the most modern of facilities. Even the villagers asleep in their beds had the beds themselves replaced under them. The only effect on the villagers was for them to snuggle more deeply into the most comfortable beds they had ever seen, let alone been fortunate enough to sleep in. In mere moments, it was as if Disney had created a Tudor English village sparing no expense to make everything from the largest structure to the tiniest detail utterly perfect.

Meanwhile, everyone was asleep in the castle, as well. All of them were in a state verging on shock. Their planned New Year's Eve celebration had fallen flat; the girls were still in a state of shock now having been publically proclaimed as peeresses of the realm.

While Marion had become used to sleeping with her head on Don's shoulder, tonight she fell asleep facing him with his arms around her to draw her body close to his. While their lovemaking had been beautiful, earlier in the evening Don sensed that Marion just wanted to be closely held. All night long, one or the other would semi-waken, kiss the other's lips, and go back to sleep. Aside from his shock at Elizabeth's reaction the day before, Don was more than a little uneasy thinking about her likely reaction to the run-down backwater of a village.

By ten o'clock, everyone was up and had eaten. In fact, since the exercise equipment Marion had ordered had been delivered and set up the day before, they all had their first good workouts in weeks. Now they had all eaten and were preparing for the wedding. In spite of the fact that it was New Year's Day, a Federal Express truck had delivered Marion's gown at eight-thirty that morning.

The day before, taking advantage of the five-hour time difference with New York, Barb had again called Nita Lucas. Nita, in turn, had supplied the bridal gown. The girls had just finished bathing Marion. Now she was naked in the bedroom as the girls organized her things, when there was a soft knock at the door. Karla opened it a crack to find a warmly smiling Elizabeth standing there waiting.

"You know, Karla, this is really neat!" Liz said. "After all, the father of the bride can't help his daughter dress for her wedding, but I certainly can. And I plan to. May I come in?" Seeing Marion naked in front of a full-length mirror, she said, "Goody! I'm just in time. Marion, darling, would you please turn around so I can see you?"

When Marion did, Liz rushed over to her and said, "My darling, you are simply gorgeous! Your body is even better than I expected. And I expected a very great deal. No wonder Donald is so damned happy!" Then with a lovely little grin she added, "Woman, you could give a hard-on to a corpse, as long as he's been dead less than ninety days!" The girls all laughed, particularly since the remarks were coming from the Queen herself.

Then Elizabeth undertook to dress Marion herself. When she finished attaching Marion's diamond necklace, she just shook her head and said, "Darling, you are the most beautiful bride in the history of the world!" Slowly shaking her head she continued, "Isn't there a line about 'God works his wonders in strange ways?' Marion, with your background, it must be utterly incredible for Don. Here he has a virgin whore! What an utterly marvelous combination."

With the warmest smile she added, "Donald Whitfield is our foremost living hero, Marion. To have you sharing his bed creates Heaven for him here on Earth!"

Upon descending the stairs, the women learned that Don and Doug had already left and were waiting at the church. They all kidded Steve about having to escort all the women by himself.

To Elizabeth, Barbara said, "Isn't it awful what we do to our heroes? Just think! He has to handle five horny women all by himself."

They all howled with laughter when Elizabeth interjected, "Six! I'm here, too, you know, and Philip is off showing the flag in some obscure state or other, so..."

Donald had shared his concern regarding what the Queen would think of the village and the church. However, they had been having so much fun with her they were now convinced that it would not create a problem.

Monroe was driving the lead Rolls limousine. When they rounded a curve and found the village in sight, he gasped and said, "My God! What has happened to the village?"

It was the first time any of the others had ever seen it. "What's wrong?" Steve asked. "It looks perfect to me."

"That's what's wrong, sir," Monroe insisted. "Yesterday it looked like the buildings were all about to fall down. Now it looks like ... like ... I don't know what it looks like, but it's utterly beautiful!" And it was.

After alighting from the car, they awaited Marion who was riding in the Queen's limousine. When they joined, Elizabeth exclaimed, "Good Lord, what an utterly perfect little village! I've never seen anything like it. I shall return very soon when we have some time to explore." Then with a warm smile at Marion she said, "My darling daughter, are you ready?"

When they entered the church, the organ — now a perfectly restored 18th century pipe organ — which until then had been playing incidental music, thundered out with "The Wedding March." Anna led the bridal procession, followed by Maria, then Karla, and then Barbara, the matron of honor. After a space, Marion paced down the center aisle on the arm of the Queen. There were two surprises. First, it appeared that every villager was present. Second, there seemed to be dozens of press photographers taking pictures of the unprecedented event. Never in history, as far as anyone knew, had the Queen ever given a bride away.

Reaching the altar, Elizabeth pulled back Marion's lace veil, and then kissed her with all the love she could convey. Marion instantly returned the kiss in kind. Then taking Don's hand the couple passed through the communion rail to kneeling benches placed before the altar. To Marion's surprise, the priest began the nuptial mass.

Finally, it came time for the exchange of vows. At that point something truly startling occurred. The priest was displaced by what appeared to be a glowing golden cylinder about six feet, six inches high, and about three feet in diameter. From the glowing cylinder, a stentorian voice was heard. "Marion and Donald, please join hands." They did instantly. Then the voice continued, "Ladies and gentlemen, we are here today to join in Holy Matrimony Donald Whitfield and Marion Walker. I cannot tell you how pleased I am, nor how pleased multitudes of others are, as well. Please look at the windows at the front of the church on each side. You will see something interesting."

As the people did, their eyes instantly widened. First of all, because previously the windows had been so dirty and aged that little light penetrated, there was not a soul alive who could have said whose image was in the stained glass. But now, and in spite of the fact that the windows were on opposite walls, sunlight was streaming through both of them. "On the right, you see St. Claire of London. Today I am formally announcing her canonization.

"As some of you may know, Claire was Donald's first wife. She was killed on Christmas Day, 55 years ago, when a hospital in which she was working was bombed. On the left, you see St. Karl Kosta, the grandfather of one of the bridesmaids today. If it is true — and I certainly believe it to be — that 'greater love hath no man than he who lays down his life for a friend, ' then Karl Kosta is certainly Donald Whitfield's friend." The Voice then told the story of the fateful day when Kosta died.

As He spoke, though, the people were utterly astonished. Because, while initially the images in the stained glass were normal, with leading separating each piece of colored glass, now the colors all appeared to merge. Now the images appeared to be more like back-lighted photographic slides. Both Claire Whitfield and Karl Kosta were smiling happily, and Karl even appeared to be making the V-for-victory sign with his right hand.

Then the Voice said, "If Claire and Karl appear to be happy, I can assure you it's only because they are! In fact, it's fair to say that it would be nearly impossible for them to be more happy than they are. And for Claire, it would be impossible."

His attention then seemed to shift to the bridal couple. The marriage vows were exchanged along with rings. Finally, the voice said, "What I have joined together, let no man put asunder! I now pronounce you man and wife. Donald, you may kiss the bride. But please confine it only to a kiss until you're out of the church!"

At that, the tension in the church, which had become palpable, broke. The people began to howl with laughter. Don and Marion were laughing so hard, they could hardly kiss, but they managed. Then to the sounds of Mendelson, they fled down the aisle. To the astonishment of both, outside the doors of the church was a contingent of RAF officers commanded, Donald realized, by the Air Vice Marshal of Fighter Command. The couple made their way under the arch of swords to the waiting limousine.

Before following his father down the aisle, Doug announced that everyone present was invited to a reception immediately following in the castle's Great Hall.

Because they were in a limousine, Marion and Don arrived back at the castle before anyone else. Moreover, the entire castle staff including John Monroe had attended the wedding so there was no one present when they returned. However, when Don opened the great door, sitting side by side in the entrance hall were Duke and Duchess.

"Good afternoon, Marion, Duchess of Northumbria!" Duke communicated. "Boy, that really sounds great, doesn't it? And we can't tell you how happy we are to be able to share your joy. And, Mistress, you certainly appear to be joyful!" he concluded.

"And, Maid Marion," Duchess said, "I don't believe you have ever looked more beautiful or more joyful! Ever, in your entire life." Then, to Marion and Don's great amusement, the giant cat actually looked embarrassed.

"There's more, isn't there?" Marion asked shrewdly.

"Yes, Your Grace," Duchess said bashfully. "Could ... Would ... Might a real duchess give a tiger named Duchess a ... a ... a ... kiss?"

"I think I just might be able to do that. If you're willing to settle for just a peck, of course. I mean, my dear Duchess, I now am a peeress of the realm, and..." With that Marion wrapped her arms around Duchess's neck — or as far around as she was able to reach — and then really unloaded all of the love she felt for this wonderful creature. In just a moment poor Duchess collapsed in a dead faint.

"Good heavens!" Duke exclaimed as he began to lick his unconscious sister. "Why did you have to kill her?"

"But Duke," Marion replied, "you're her brother. Why didn't you protect her?"

Slowly shaking his head he replied sorrowfully, "I cannot." Then looking into her eyes with his own eyes filled with sadness he explained, "We exist solely to serve you. If you said you wanted to eat her, Duchess would have lain on the ground to make it easy for me to kill and then butcher her. She would have kissed me and thanked me in advance for what I was about to do. Then I would return her kiss, kill her and butcher her for your pleasure."

"You would really do that, wouldn't you?" Marion asked in amazement. "For a partially-reconstructed whore?"

"No, Divine One. For a woman uniquely blessed by God Himself," Duke replied. "You see, we are both charged specifically by the Holy Spirit to protect you from all harm. Needless to say, the protection we offer is unto our deaths."

"Oh!" said Marion. "Then you will protect me from the Duke's great cock that he drives into the very depths of my being, won't you?"

"I'm sorry, Mistress, but that we cannot do. You see, you took your vows in the presence of God Himself; you promised to love, honor and obey. If he wishes to probe your wetness with his cock, you must obey him, and Duchess and I are forbidden to interfere." Then with a tiger's grin, Duke added, "Besides, you already told His Grace that you were an experienced prostitute, and it was impossible for him to hurt you. You didn't lie to your lord and master, did you?"

"Darling, what am I ever to do?" Marion asked Don as she turned toward him and put her arms around his neck.

"Suffer, wench!" Donald replied. "But if you're very good, I may go easy on you. Perhaps I might even permit you to offer your body to the whip occasionally as a way to escape from my other ... attentions."

"Oh, my darling," Marion sighed with her voice dripping with sarcasm, "would you really? Just think! Karla pleaded to be raped to get some respite from the inhuman beating she was suffering." She paused for a moment and looked up at the ceiling. Then she nodded her head sharply and said, "Had you been present, though, rather than suffer from your raging cock I'm sure she would have elected for them to continue whipping her. For myself, darling, I prefer the whip."

Don just grinned and stuck out his tongue.

By this time people were arriving from the village and a receiving line formed near the great hearth. One of the first people through the line was John Fox, the horse trainer. Because Don figured that Marion would know very few of the guests, he preceded her in the receiving line in order to make introductions. When Fox was presented to her, his first words were, "I knew it!"

"And what did you know, John Fox?" Marion inquired.

"I just knew that not even His Grace could possibly be so foolish as to let you run around loose. A woman of your incredible beauty and grace would have to become the mistress of the castle. And I can already hear the announcer at the Edinburgh Horse Show announce, 'And now, riding Satan, Her Grace, Marion, Duchess of Northumbria!' And when the people in the audience see you, they will go utterly wild."

Then he slowly shook his head and added, "I guess I saw it the first time I laid eyes on you, but it was confirmed by God Almighty Himself this morning. As beautiful as you are physically, that is a mere shadow of the incredible beauty you have within. I guess it's just a physical manifestation of the Divine grace you have inside." Slowly shaking his head he concluded, "Nothing gives us — me and all the others in the village — greater joy than to welcome you here as the Duchess of Northumbria."

Marion thanked him for his gracious welcome and then greeted their butler, John Monroe. Monroe apologized — his apology was dismissed — for being so presumptuous as to be at the head of the line. "But, Your Grace, I truly wanted to extend my warmest welcome to you before I attend to my duties."

Then he shook his head and added, "This is the greatest day for Prendwick Castle in at least fifty years. I really cannot tell you how delighted I am that you're here."

Then after a pause he said, "I suppose I should contact an agency, or run an ad, or something, to get a cook—"

"You will do no such thing, John Monroe!" Then with a lovely grin she added, "Don't you think I'm at least adequate as a cook?"

Monroe blushed with embarrassment and stammered, "But no, Your Grace! Certainly you don't intend to do the cooking?"

"I most certainly do!" she declared. Then with a lovely warm smile she added, "But since His Grace and I may travel occasionally, might there be a woman in the village who would like to cook for you and the staff when we're away?"

Although he was utterly stunned, Monroe agreed that there were several who would love to do it and could use the extra money. When Marion pulled his head down and melted her lips on his, the poor man fainted from the power of her kiss. Only her new strength enabled her to easily hold him upright until he regained consciousness. When he did, moments later, he said almost exactly what Fox had said about her inner beauty and grace. Then he went off happily to begin serving champagne to the guests.

The third person through, to the great embarrassment of both Marion and Don, was the Queen herself. After kissing Marion on the lips and feeling her incredible power, she diffidently asked if she might join them in the receiving line to greet her subjects. They were honored by her offer. Moments later, the full line was in place. The Duke was at the head, followed by Marion, then the Queen, Karla, Doug, Maria, Anna, Barbara Sloan, and finally, Steve.

It proved to be in many ways the funniest receiving line in the history of the North Country. Aside from meeting their new Duchess, who all agreed was the most perfect woman alive, the guests were able personally to meet the Queen of England, along with the Queen of Bohemia, the Duchess of Burgundy and Norfolk, Duchess of Suffolk, and finally the most beautiful American they could imagine. In addition to congratulating the couple, everyone wanted to tell them of the incredible changes that had taken place in their homes overnight. It was the happiest day anyone from the village could ever remember.

As the line to meet the couple came to an end, the Queen's chief equerry appeared carrying a very large box. Elizabeth smiled in pleasure as he approached. "Oh, goody!" she exclaimed. "I was so hoping your gift would arrive in time." Motioning to the equerry to give it to the Duke, she said, "Please open it. I really want to know if you like it."

When Marion opened it and saw what was inside, she gasped and whispered, "Oh, Your Majesty! It's utterly exquisite!"

Then she dropped to her knees on the floor and proceeded to unpack its contents. It was a full sterling silver tea and coffee service along with a large tray. Every piece was engraved with the coat of arms of the Duke of Northumbria, as was the tray. But the tray had an additional message: "To Donald, Duke of Northumbria, and Marion, his Duchess, on the occasion of their wedding. This is presented with all the gratitude of the British people to those whose heroism made their continued freedom possible, by Elizabeth II, Regina."

When she read the inscription, Marion just breathed, "Your Majesty! It's utterly magnificent!"

"And to one of my closest friends, it's still Liz! Clear?" she whispered back.

At that Marion grinned at her sovereign. As she did, she realized the utterly incredible change that had occurred in her life in less than a single week. From a prostitute, she was now on intimate terms with the Queen herself! And this on top of a level of personal happiness she had never even dreamed of, let alone ever even hoped to achieve for herself.

At the appropriate time, Barbara and the girls wheeled out a huge and utterly beautiful wedding cake. As Marion and Don prepared to cut it, the Queen, having first assured herself that everyone present had a filled champagne glass, nodded to her equerry who had been standing quietly in the corner, observing. For him, too, it had been a truly incredible day.

Seeing her nod, he raised his voice and said in a stentorian voice, "Ladies and gentlemen, Her Majesty, Elizabeth II, Queen of England!"

Instantly there was silence in the room. Then someone began to sing God Save the Queen. Instantly, everyone joined in. And it was considered to be most appropriate on the most memorable day in the history of the castle and its small village.

When they finished their beautiful anthem, Elizabeth said, "Thank you, so very much. As often as I have heard our anthem, I have never heard it sung with such feeling. I can't tell you how it warms my heart."

She paused and then continued, "But the reason my equerry asked for your attention is that I am preempting the best man. Normally, it is the best man who offers the toast to the bridal couple. But since the best man is the groom's grandson, what could he possibly say? Could he tell the truth, and risk being cut off from the dukedom? I think not.

"On the other hand, as the person senior in rank to His Grace, Donald, 12th Duke of Northumbria, I am not so hindered. After all, what could he possibly do to me?" She paused and suddenly looked alarmed. "Good grief! I just realized, he could do a great deal. For example, without His Grace, and you, his loyal retainers, who would guard my northern frontier against marauding Scots?" She paused again, pursed her lips and then nodded. "I shall speak to my prime minister straightaway when I return to the palace." She paused as a wave of laughter swept over the crowd.

Then she continued, "Years ago, when my late father, King George VI was still on the throne, I vividly remember the accession at which Donald Whitfield was awarded the Victoria Cross. Perhaps the reason I remember it so well is that the then-Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill, was also present.

"After making the award, my father turned to Sir Winston and said, 'Without that man, Sir Winston, we might have lost the Battle of Britain.' Sir Winston replied, 'No, Your Majesty, we would certainly have lost. Had it not been for Donald Whitfield, you and I, Majesty, would be in exile, in a German prison, or dead! It is not a possibility, Sire, it is a certainty.'

"At the same time," the Queen continued, "I also vividly remember the expression of sadness that was a constant with His Grace. When I asked — and I was quite young at the time — I learned that almost simultaneous with his great air victory that broke the back of the Luftwaffe, his wife, Claire, was killed when a German bomb hit the London hospital in which she was working. For Donald Whitfield, nothing changed ... until last week."

The Queen paused to look around at the crowd and then continued, "What happened last week? This marvelous woman, Marion Walker, came into his life. Now look at him! Have you ever seen a happier-looking man in your life? On the other hand, with the prospect of sharing his bed and his life with Marion, any man would look happy. But there's so much more! Today, God Himself witnessed their exchange of marriage vows. And who was the happiest person in the Church? St. Claire of London. She seems to rejoice in Donald's new happiness.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in a toast to the health and continued happiness of two of the finest people in the kingdom, Donald and Marion Whitfield."

Turning to Don she said, "And, Your Grace, I expect to see you regularly in London or at Windsor, or wherever." She grinned and added, "Besides, the hotel prices in London are frightfully dear. On the other hand, the charge for you to stay at Buckingham Palace is nominal. And I so want to be able to spend more time with your beautiful wife."

After another pause she concluded, "Oh, I nearly forgot. I told Princess Anne that this would be a very good year for her to be ill at the time of the Edinburgh Horse Show. After all, she can't very well lose if she's too sick to appear, can she? And I happen to know that Her Grace, riding the most magnificent horse in the kingdom, has that show wired."

She grinned, raised her glass, and said, "The Duke and Duchess of Northumbria!"

Everyone drank the toast. The cake was cut and served, and shortly after the guests began to leave. When the last guest left, Don and Marion were stunned to learn that the Queen had sent away her entourage — including her security detail — and planned to stay overnight.

"There are two reasons, Donald," she said. "First, I want to savor the food served here at the castle. I have it on very good authority that it is by far the finest served anywhere in the kingdom. Second, Karla and Douglas are being married in the morning, saving me a second trip."

Then with a grin she added, "As for the security people, I merely asked them if they seriously believed they could protect me better than Sir Duke and Dame Duchess will."

Turning to the tigers, who had been sitting quietly in the corner, she said, "You will protect me, won't you?"

"Your Majesty, this is the proudest day of our lives. Our parents are going to be astonished to learn that we have been knighted by your majesty. But there will be no words at all when they learn that you dismissed your whole security detail and turned their security mission over to us."

Rising to the occasion, Barbara and Karla prepared a magnificent dinner featuring lump Chesapeake Bay crab meat followed by glacéed stuffed breast of pheasant. A salad course of mixed greens was served, and then the main course, tournedos Rossini. While the first courses were served with a magnificent California Chardonnay, the main course was served with Chateau Lafitte Rothschild, 1937.

When Elizabeth tasted the tournedos and then the wine, she put down her knife and fork, leaned back in her chair and just sighed. Then turning to Barbara she said, "Barb, how much would it take for me to hire you as the palace chef? Would £5 million a year be adequate? Perhaps if I were to be your slave... ? What?"

"May I take that comment to mean that you are enjoying your dinner, Liz?" Barb asked. "Because if you are, most of the thanks should go to your new friend, the Duchess of Newcastle."

"Hmm..." the Queen temporized. Then, seeming to be thinking out loud, she continued, "As a vassal, the Duchess of Newcastle is under my control ... And her sovereign's wish is to be considered her command..."

Turning to Karla she said, "Duchess, I really wish you would consider cooking at the palace. Never in my entire life have I eaten food a fraction as good as this."

Then to Donald she said, "And you, Donald! Do you know what you just did? The wine you're serving with this utterly magnificent meal goes at auction for about £15,000 a bottle!"

Then she pretended to glare at Don and Marion and added, "And I know what it is, too! You just wanted to make me feel cheap by giving you such a trivial wedding gift. That's it, isn't it? Now admit it..."

"Your Majesty..." Don began, but was stopped by the Queen's raised eyebrow. Then he grinned and began again, "Liz..." This time, she beamed with pleasure, as he continued, "you'll have to thank my butler, John Monroe. In the first place, it was John's grandfather who stocked the wine cellar — back in the late Middle Ages when it was last stocked. For at least the last fifty years, I neither knew nor cared what was down there. And then for most of the last fifteen years or so I subsisted on oatmeal."

With a grin he mused, "Now what wine goes with oatmeal, I wonder?"

Then he continued, "Furthermore, Liz, I have it on reasonably good authority that my bride is every bit as good a cook as Barbara Sloan or Queen Karla." With a very broad grin he concluded, "Could Marion and I hold the prospect out to you as an enticement to get you to visit us in the future?"

"Don't be silly, Donald!" Liz said acerbically. "I will only visit when I want to eat." Then she looked thoughtful and added, "Of course, even with my diet, I would want to eat at least once a week or so..."

"Liz, I can't tell you what your visit means to Marion, to me, and to the people of the village. Although Prendwick Castle was built during the reign of Henry VIII — and at his behest, I might add — I don't think a reigning sovereign has ever visited Prendwick. We are truly honored," Don replied.

"Thank you, Don," Elizabeth said softly. Then with a broad smile she added, "Of course, I don't think the food was nearly as good back in my predecessor's day!"

The main course was followed by crèpes Suzette, then coffee and a platter of cheeses and fruit. When cigars were passed, and the Queen saw the other women take panatellas, she did too. Monroe poured Louis XIII cognac, and the people around the table just savored the experience.

"I have a better idea," Elizabeth announced. "Don, I'm sure you need a good scullery maid, don't you? Someone to peel potatoes, wash the dishes, and that sort of thing? I would like to apply for the position. This has been the most utterly delightful dinner of my entire life. I cannot imagine anything even close!" Then she laughed and began to shake her head. When Marion asked her about it she said, "My poor chef! He's a dear, really. But now he's going to cry, when I just poke the food around on my plate."

Then glaring at Barb and Karla, she declared, "And it's all your fault, too! Had I not come up here for the wedding, I would never have known that food could ever be this good." Then to Karla she said, "Duchess, I thought you were my friend. What did I do to offend you so? Because I'm sure you did this intentionally, just to make me feel badly. Now admit it! That's exactly what you did, isn't it?"

"But, Liz, darling," Karla replied, "After all, it was your government that gave the Sudetenland to Germany. I mean ... Really!"

"Ah, yes!" Elizabeth responded. "I believe it's an old axiom from Boston in the Colonies: 'Don't get mad, get even.' Well, I think you just did." She paused for a moment and then added, "But don't you think that after sixty years... ?"

Karla just grinned and stuck out the tip of her pink tongue.

By now everyone was feeling very expansive, and yet it wasn't quite eight o'clock. As they rose from their seats at the great table, Marion said, "Darling, do you know what I really want to do?"

"What does my child bride really want to do?" Donald responded with a broad leer.

"Not what you think," Marion replied. Then sticking out the tip of her tongue she added, "At least, not yet. I would love to visit the pub in the village. Could we?"

"Visit a ... a... a public house? But my dear bride..." Then with a grin he concluded, "Sounds like a neat idea. Let's!" Turning to the others he asked, "Does anyone else want to join us?" To his utter amazement the Queen was the first to join. Karla, Barbara, Doug and Steve elected to remain at the castle and play Bridge. Barb pointed out that the following day was Karla's wedding, after all.

Finally, accompanied by the tigers, the small group started walking down the hill to the village. All the girls were wearing Levi's and sweatshirts, except for the Queen who grumbled that she wished she could be in Levi's, too. As they walked, Don said to Duke and Duchess, "This is really your big night. Here you are escorting a reigning monarch, a duke, and three genuine duchesses. What do you two think about that?"

"It is certainly one of the proudest moments of our lives," Duchess replied. Although they didn't think about it because they had been talking with the tigers so often, no one realized that they now heard — or received — the equivalent of vocal inflection in the tigers' mental communication. In this instance Duchess truly sounded very proud.

When they reached the pub, Donald had a second thought. Because of the gala reception at the castle in the afternoon, he suddenly realized that they might be the pub's only patrons that evening.

When they reached the door, Elizabeth's attention was drawn to the heavy wooden signboard handing over the door. "Well," she said, "I guess I'm in the right place."

It was only then that Don remembered that the pub's name was "The Queen's Own." When he realized the significance of her comment, he noted, "Liz, dear, I'm quite certain that the name was last changed circa 1600. It was named after Elizabeth I, I'm quite sure."

At the same time he noticed that the lettering was fresh and bright. Like everything else in the village, it had been transformed the previous night. "You know," he commented, "if I remember correctly, for as long as I can remember this sign was so faded, it might as well have been a plain wooden plank. I'm not sure I even knew what its name was."

When he opened the door, he realized that he need not have worried. In spite of the earlier party, the pub was nearly full. Typical for Great Britain, the patrons were overwhelmingly male, but the appearance of the two tigers was all that was needed to silence the crowd. Then, when they realized that the Queen was with them, one of the patrons raised his glass and said, "Gentlemen: Her Majesty, the Queen!" Everyone present rose to his feet, raised his glass and drank the toast to her.

"Thank you so much," she said quietly, "but I'm here incognito, tonight. We just thought we might stop in for a couple of pints." To the owner who was tending the bar she asked, "Would that be possible? I'm here tonight with the bridal couple, along with the Duchesses of Norfolk and Suffolk. Might we get a few drafts?"

The poor man was nearly overcome. Moreover, because the pub's interior had been completely redone also, he was not as quick in serving as he would have been previously. Although the arrangement was the same as it had been before, there were slight differences in spacing which were still a bit disconcerting. One of the changes was that for the first time in the pub's history the beer was now chilled.

Although the British are famous for drinking their beer warm, over time tastes had changed, and the owner had seen his business slowly fall off because he had no facility to refrigerate his beer, nor the electric power to operate a cooler if he had had one. Now he had everything, and proudly served five draft beers in frosted glasses.

When the newcomers had all been served, Elizabeth raised her glass and said, "Gentlemen: To England and to all the people who have made her great!" The group again drank, and that was enough to break the tension. The patrons went back to their own pursuits.

The girls, along with the Queen, took a table in the corner, while Don and Marion went over to the dartboard. A game had just ended, and Don challenged the winners. For him, it became another revelation with respect to the lovely woman he had just married. He found that Marion had the ability to relate to absolutely anyone with incredible charm and grace. But it came as no surprise to find that she was as skilled with darts as she was with everything else. When they swept the first game, rather than have the losers buy the beer, Marion did.

When he raised an eyebrow, she remarked, "Darling, we keep the board. The least we can do is buy the beer for the losers as a consolation prize." He grinned at her and ordered a round of beers.

Meanwhile the Queen along with Anna and Maria were sitting at the table in the corner getting better acquainted. Liz found herself looking from one to the other. Finally she said, "You are truly sisters, aren't you? When I look into your eyes, the only difference I see is the eye color. Anna, yours are the most incredibly brilliant shade of green I have ever seen, while yours, Maria, are the most beautiful gray. In fact, I can't ever recall seeing eyes quite like yours."

Then she just beamed at the two and added, "Of course, the most notable thing about you two is the incredible Divine grace you both exude. As beautiful as you are physically, it's nothing compared to the beauty that's within."

At that instant Susie materialized on the table top. "Thank you, Your Majesty," she began. "I certainly hope you'll have more success with them than I've ever had. I've been telling them for months exactly what you just said, but they refuse to listen ... No! That's not right. They do listen; they just refuse to believe."

Then spinning around to face the girls she said, "Well, you have just heard it from Elizabeth II, Queen of England. Now what do you say?"

"I ... I don't know what to say," Anna replied. Then with a quirky little smile she continued, "I guess I feel the way I did when Steve Sloan finally convinced me that I actually had a chest." Then with a guilty look in her eyes she turned to the Queen and said, "Your Majesty—"

"I beg your pardon!" Elizabeth interrupted. "I thought we had previously settled my preferred manner of address?"

With a small grin, Anna began again, "Liz, before things go too much farther, there's something you should know about me ... and about my sister, Maria." The Queen looked attentive as Anna continued, "You will probably want to immediately alert your equerry. Perhaps we can straighten things out before too much damage is done." Then holding her head up high she announced, "Maria and I were prostitutes!"

"That's nice, dear," the Queen replied. "But unless you wish to ... advertise ... your services, for what possible reason would I wish to alert my equerry?"

Anna was utterly nonplused by the Queen's answer. "Well, so you can undo this idiocy of creating me Duchess of Suffolk, and Maria, Duchess of Norfolk. I mean ... The idea! Having whores holding two of the highest titles in the land! It's absurd."

"I agree completely, Anna, Duchess of Suffolk, so it's a good thing you're not whores, isn't it?" Then putting a note of command in her voice, but without raising it, she said, "Susie! I need you right now."

When Susie instantly reappeared, Liz said, "Good grief! It really works."

"Your Majesty bellowed?" Susie said with a grin.

At her response, Liz cracked up with laughter. While she did, Susie just cocked her head and looked at her while her arms were akimbo and she started tapping her tiny right foot on the table. Finally the Queen regained control and said, "And you, Susie Sloan, are too much!"

She paused for a moment and then continued, "You know, I was thinking about creating you a princess, but then I realized that would be a terrible come-down for an angel, wouldn't it?"

Then her face became grave as she continued, "I do want you to know, though, that I have never in my life heard a story of such incredible personal bravery as you showed. Moreover, you truly are worthy of the greatest honors the world can extend. Unfortunately, our greatest honors are ridiculously trivial in light of the position you now hold."

She paused and thought again. Then with a vigorous nod of her head she continued, "I don't give a damn! From now on you are Princess Susie. I shall inform Barbara and Karla. In the future, if they don't use your title, don't you dare respond!"

At that Susie dropped to one knee and said, "Your Majesty, this is the greatest honor of my life. I don't know what to say!" Liz looked at her carefully and concluded the sprite was serious. Extending her arms, Susie came to her and Liz brought her head up to hers and kissed her. It was instantly returned with a flood of love and Divine grace.

As they were kissing, they heard the stentorian Voice say, "I think it's neat, too! Perhaps, Elizabeth, you could now prevail upon Princess Susie to clean up her language! I admit that even with My powers I have been unable to do it, but perhaps she might pay more attention to you than she does to Me."

At that Elizabeth cracked up laughing. When she regained control, Susie was again tapping her foot on the table. "Princess Susie, I trust you will not disgrace me with obscene language, will you?"

"No, Your Majesty, I will try to do better." Then Susie thought for a moment and added, "Now that I've finally married off Barbara to Steve Sloan, and Douglas and Karla are to wed tomorrow, and with Doug and Karla planning on visiting Billy..."

With a wide grin she announced, "Guess what? Now, for the first time since I've been up there, I can ease up." After nodding her head firmly she said, "Your Majesty, you have my promise to try to clean up my act!"

After a pause she added, "But you bellowed?"

Raising her nose in the air, Elizabeth said haughtily, "A queen never bellows!"

Then with a grin she continued, "The reason I wanted to see you, Princess Susie, is to talk to you about two of my newest duchesses, the two young women sitting across the table from me. Anna, Duchess of Suffolk, believes that I should rescind their elevation to the British peerage because, she claims, she and her sister, Maria, Duchess of Norfolk, are whores. Since you are privy to everything that has ever happened on Earth, Princess, perhaps you might care to comment."

She paused and then added, "By the way, my initial response was to say that it's a good thing they no longer are. But what do you think?"

"I think Your Majesty shows unerring judgment about people," Susie replied. After pausing she continued, "Anna and Maria do not rank as high as Barbara, Marion or Karla." When Anna started to nod her head in pleasure because of what she interpreted to be Susie's sanction of her statement, Susie continued, "However,  while they are not as high, the difference is akin to the difference between an IQ of 180 and one of 182. While there is a difference, it's utterly insignificant. Moreover, in either case they outrank all the saints, the martyrs and me! Enough said?"

"What you are saying, dear Susie, is that these two young women rank, in God's eyes, higher than His angels. Is that correct?" When Susie emphatically agreed, Elizabeth turned her attention back to Anna and said, "Duchess, you were saying something about being whores? It is apparent that there are those who disagree with your self-appraisal. And included in that group is the Creator of the Universe Himself. Now, would you care to re-think your position?"

To this comment, there was nothing more Anna or Maria could say.

Elizabeth continued to look pensive for a moment and then said to Susie, "You know, it's a damned shame your government has those ridiculous rules about foreign titles. I would have so loved to be able to create a duchy for Barbara, too. Then I would have a truly complete set: every possible hair and eye color." Then she demanded, "Princess Susie, isn't there something you could do about it?"

"No, Your Majesty..." When Elizabeth raised an eyebrow, Susie began again with a broad grin, "No, Liz, I'm afraid not." Then shaking her head she said, "And for that matter, enough is enough. Please rescind your lovely offer of a title for me. As it is I'm going to get no end of flak from your father, the late King."

"What do you mean by that, Susie?" Liz replied, genuinely interested.

"As it is he critiques my curtsy, my attire ... everything!" But then with a broad grin she added, "But he's really neat. And he has the most marvelous British sense of humor."

At that Susie sat down on the table and crossed her legs. For almost the first time it seemed she had time to spare just to gossip. "The funniest thing of all, though, is to see your father with Sir Winston! Sir Winston has still not forgiven your father for not allowing him to sail with the invasion fleet on D-Day. Did you ever hear the story, Liz?"

The Queen shook her head, but was obviously very interested in hearing a true story about her father.

"Well," Susie continued, "Churchill told Ike that he was going to accompany the invasion fleet. And as head of an Allied government, there was nothing Eisenhower could do about it. But what he did do was to get word to your father, the King. George called Churchill to the palace and announced that he was going to sail with the fleet. Sir Winston was nearly apoplectic. 'You can't do that, Your Majesty, ' he nearly screamed. 'And why can I not?' your father inquired. 'After all, I am commander in chief of all my armed forces.'

"Then your father nodded his head firmly and added, 'It's settled then. After all, a commander belongs with his troops. And as you, yourself, have told me, Sir Winston, this is the biggest invasion force in the history of the world. I shall be there to lead them.'

"Well, Churchill almost lost it. He was truly frightened by the possibility of anything happening to the King. Finally, they negotiated a Mexican stand-off: King George VI would stay home if Sir Winston stayed with him. And that's the way it ended."

Susie continued to look at the Queen and then said, "There's another reason you must rescind my elevation. An ancestor of mine died at Bunker Hill in 1775. Another was at Fort McHenry when you Brits shelled it. That was when Francis Scott Key wrote The Star Spangled Banner. Since my ancestors fought against the British crown, I'm sure you understand..."

"The Civil War, Susie?" the Queen prompted kindly.

"At Gettysburg with the 20th Maine that won it at Culp's Hill," Susie replied softly.

"The Great War?"

"Belleau Wood with the Marines, Majesty."

"World War II?"

"All over. From Pearl Harbor through to the very end. My dad flew dive bombers off Enterprise." Susie was looking puzzled at the line of questioning.

"He was at Midway?" the Queen asked. Susie just nodded.

The Queen just shook her head and then said, "Does Steve Sloan know of your family background?" When Susie shook her head, Liz continued, "I thought not. For if he had, he would not have been in such torment. He would have known that you, Susie Sloan, are descended from a long line of heroes. For you to have behaved any differently than you did would have been genetically impossible. Heroism is in your genes, Susie."

Then with a very warm smile she concluded, "I'm afraid you're just going to have to get used to a little teasing. I will not rescind your elevation. You have just given me a dozen more reasons why it is deserved."

Then with her eyes gleaming she said, "I'm afraid you're stuck with it, Princess Susie." Then to the girls she said, "And what do two of my newest duchesses think?"

This time it was Maria who responded. "Liz, I've loved Susie from the first instant I saw her. Then when I heard what had happened to her, I cried. Now, I agree completely."

She paused for a moment and then added, "For rather obvious reasons, during the Soviet occupation, the schools didn't exactly feature United States history. Nevertheless, recognizing the country's importance to what was then Czechoslovakia, we got a surprising amount. And they couldn't — or didn't want to — ever present it in a bad light. Subsequently, Anna and I have read a great deal of United States history.

"What I remember vividly is 'six minutes that changed the world.' That was when dive bombers from USS Enterprise found the Japanese carriers and sank three of them in just six minutes. Clearly, Susie's father was one of those pilots."

The girl then began to cry but managed to say, "Susie, your father may have saved the world! No wonder you're so incredibly brave. I agree with Liz completely. With your ancestry it's biologically impossible for you to have done anything else."



-------

Chapter 28



Susie tried to protest, but was silenced by the others. As there was a pause in the conversation, two young men came up to the table. Elizabeth realized they had to be identical twins. One spoke and said, "Good evening. We didn't mean to bother you, but you're Anna and Maria, aren't you? The creators of Mayday?" Susie had vaporized when she heard the first words.

"I'm afraid so," Maria replied with a very warm smile. "But how did you know?"

Before answering, one of the men turned to the Queen and said, "Your Majesty, may we have your permission to join you for a few moments?"

"You certainly have mine," Elizabeth replied, "but I'm just a visitor here myself. The question should be addressed to the beautiful duchesses sitting across from me." Then with a warm grin she added, "Don't you think the beauty of the British peerage has just taken a remarkable step upward?"

The men looked puzzled. One said, "But I thought ... I mean ... But you, Maria, are Duchess of Burgundy and Anna is Marquise de Flandres. Those titles are not included in the British peerage, are they?"

"Young men, perhaps you haven't heard," Liz interjected. "Yesterday I created Maria Duchess of Norfolk, and her sister, Anna, Duchess of Suffolk. Their sister, Karla, who is missing this evening, is now Duchess of Newcastle. Those titles, gentlemen, are most assuredly British!"

At that point, with a most winsome smile Anna said, "Please sit down. And Her Majesty notwithstanding, I'm Anna Schmidt; my sister is Maria Müller."

The two young men took empty chairs and sat down. "I'm Mark Campbell, and this is my brother, Mike. And I can't tell you how pleased we are to meet you two. We drove down from Edinburgh in hopes that we might get to see you, but we never expected actually to meet you."

He looked at Maria carefully, then turned his attention to Anna. Then he shook his head and said, "But I guess you're not as good as we thought you were."

"What did we do, or fail to do, to cause that comment?" Anna asked in amusement.

"As lovely as your picture in Mayday is, it misses completely." Then he paused for a moment and added, "But I guess it's pretty hard to show Divine grace in a photo, isn't it?" Then with a grin he concluded, "I withdraw the comment."

Now it was Anna's turn. "What, exactly, did you mean by that remark?" she asked.

"As beautiful as you two are physically, it's nothing compared to the incredible beauty you have within. You just spill joy and goodness over everything in the area."

Turning to his brother he asked, "Mike, should we notify the Environmental Protection Administration, or its British equivalent? I mean ... isn't that polluting the air or something?"

"Whoops!" Anna exclaimed. "I think we need help." Raising her voice very slightly she called out, "Sir Duke! We need assistance."

In just an instant the two tigers appeared. "You called, Your Grace?" Duke asked politely.

"I certainly did!" the girl replied. "These two ... gentlemen(?) ... have as much as accused my sister and me of polluting the air. Now would you explain to them why a call to the British EPA would not be a wise idea?"

At that the two tigers' eyes instantly took on an Arctic coldness and both emitted low-pitched growls. Then Duke's growl turned into a snarl, baring his razor-sharp teeth.

An instant later, the two great cats were sitting in their house-cat positions. Duchess asked, "Was that a sufficient explanation, Your Grace? Or might they be slow learners?"

With her eyes wide but dancing with glee, Anna asked innocently, "Are you really sure you want to make that call?"

"Good grief!" Mike exclaimed. "I guess the answer has to be no." Then with a grin he added, "No one has ever explained the advantages of keeping silent so succinctly before."

"I'm so pleased you understand them," Maria remarked. "There are people who aren't very good with respect to non-verbal communication. However, we find that people generally understand Sir Duke and Dame Duchess surprisingly well."

"Except it's not non-verbal communication," Mark replied. "They talk to you in grammatically perfect English. Since it's mental, though, I guess it does qualify as non-verbal." At his remark Anna and Maria exchanged glances and then winks hidden from the two men. In the meantime, it was all Elizabeth could do to keep from howling with laughter.

While the women had been talking, they had been sipping their beer. Now the three glasses were nearly empty so Mike said, "As a peace offering, could we buy you another round?" Then turning to the tigers he asked, "And what would you two like to drink?"

"Thank you, sir," Duchess replied politely, "it's very kind of you to ask. Duke and I are very fond of Snapple lemonade." She paused and then added, "However, sir, you'll have to tell the pub-keeper that it's in the back of the far right-hand bar refrigerator. Until today, this pub had no refrigeration. And since the owner attended the wedding and then the reception at the castle, I'm quite sure he doesn't even know he has it."

"The Hand of God," Mark murmured. "He does work His wonders in mysterious ways sometimes." Then he very shrewdly observed, "The entire village and everything in it was completely rebuilt last night, wasn't it?" The two tigers just nodded their heads.

Then to his brother he said, "No wonder there was no mention of this in any paper. As professional atheists, the reporters didn't know what to say, so they just ignored the whole thing, pretending it never happened. In exactly the same way they totally ignored the presence of God Himself on the altar, joining the Duke and Duchess in Holy Matrimony." Again to the tigers he said, "It was God Himself come down to Earth for the occasion, wasn't it?" Again the two cats just nodded once.

With that the two men left the table for the bar. A few minutes later they returned juggling five chilled tankards of beer, four bottles of Snapple, and two soup dishes. "I didn't think a single bottle would hold you, so we got two for each of you. And the owner thanked us for telling him what he had in stock, if you can believe it."

After passing the tankards to the women, the two men again sat down.

"Why did you switch seats?" Anna asked innocently. "When you were here before, Mark was on the right, but now you've switched."

"Don't be ridiculous!" Mark replied. Indeed the two had switched seats.

"Duke, darling," Anna said softly, "perhaps you should explain to Mark why it's not a good idea to try to lie to us."

The tiger let out a low-pitched growl then turned to Anna and said, "Mistress, perhaps if I take off his left hand and Mike's right, that might put an end to this foolishness. What do you think?"

"I think it's a fine idea, darling," she replied, "but because they work with computers, I think it would be more ... humane ... if you took off a foot instead." At that Duke put his great paw on the table top and slowly extended his claws. When he did, Elizabeth let out a small gasp. Finally, with his claws fully extended, he exerted the tiniest downward pressure, then instantly retracted them. Everyone could see where there were now five tiny pricks in the table's surface.

Turning to Mark Anna said, "Are you sure you want to try to maintain the fiction with regard to who is who?"

Mark just shook his head in amazement. "What you did is flat-out impossible! Not even our mother can tell us apart. How in hell can you do it, when you've only just met us?"

"Maybe Maria and I are a little more observant," she replied with no further explanation.

The Queen howled with laughter at the men's discomfiture.

At that point, after the men admitted they had changed places — they often did, they admitted — the conversation moved on to computers and software. The Queen quickly became lost in the technical discussion. But she did hear a part that she recognized and caught her attention. The men asked if Mayday could run on large computers and were told it runs beautifully on Crays. At that, the two men looked at each other and shook hands.

Then Mike said, "The reason we asked is that we've developed a computer for parallel processing. We use a Gateway with six 200 MHz Pentium Pro processors. We absolutely love your software, but weren't sure if it would run. We have read some of it, and I must say it's the most elegantly-written software we've ever seen!"

This time it was the girls who exchanged looks. "You can read our software?" Maria asked quietly.

"Only enough to realize how incredibly elegant it is," Mike admitted.

"You're ahead of the rest of the world, then," Maria responded. "No one else can read it at all. But in answer to your question, Mayday will run on anything. We can guarantee it will run at least six times faster under Mayday than it could with any other operating system."

"But what's the best basic system to put Mayday on top of?" Mark asked.

Again the girls exchanged glances and Maria said, "Mark, the fact of the matter is that if you have a fully-fabricated computer, just put a Mayday floppy in its A-Drive. That's all you would need to do. The computer doesn't even need a BIOS. Mayday will supply its own. In fact, often the machine's BIOS becomes a royal pain in the tail..."

She grinned at Elizabeth and said, "A figure of speech, Your Majesty."

At that comment Elizabeth could no longer control herself. She howled with laughter, causing the other patrons to turn toward them to see what their monarch found so funny.

As her laughter died down to giggles, Maria continued, "Sometimes the damned BIOS gets in the way. Mayday has to use it, but it slows everything down terribly."

Mike whistled softly and said, "You were right, big brother. It is a complete operating system. But can you believe it? The whole damned thing fits on a single floppy. And it could even be one of the old 720K models, too."

With a smile at the girls, he turned to his brother and said, "Come on, Mark. Time to get the show on the road." He glanced at his watch and added, "As it is, we're going to be meeting ourselves coming back."

The girls offered to have them stay at the castle, but they begged off because all of their clothes were at their hotel in Edinburgh. As they were about to leave the table, Marion and Don, having finished their last dart game, joined them.

After being introduced, Mike said, "Well, this should settle our mother's hash once and for all." He explained that their mother was one of the world's most insufferable snobs. "But when we tell her that we were introduced to the girls by Her Majesty herself, I don't think even she could have anything to say."

At that the group gathered up the tigers and made their way back to the castle. As they walked up the hill, Elizabeth commented softly, "This has been the most marvelous day of my entire reign. Never can I remember having so much fun!"

Then to Marion and the Duke she commented, "You know, Princess Susie — by the way, I elevated her tonight — is utterly incredible." Then she told the two what she and the girls had learned about her family background.

When he heard about Susie's father at Midway, Don said softly, "Your Majesty, my lads may have staved off disaster in 1940. But those boys in the Pacific probably won it for us." Then softly he murmured the same words that Anna had spoken earlier, "Six minutes that changed the world..."

When he asked if Steve knew of Susie's background and was told that he did not, he said, "Then I shall tell him straightaway. Coming from a family that has fought in every significant war in which America was ever involved, Susie could not have behaved differently."

He paused and then added, "While it doesn't change anything, it might help him."

At the castle they found the others in the library, their Bridge game concluded, having cognac for a nightcap. Don poured snifters for the Queen, the girls, Marion and himself, then sat down in his favorite chair.

"Steve," he said, "we learned a great deal about your late wife this evening." Then he told how the family background had come out after the Queen had elevated Susie to the rank of princess of the United Kingdom.

As he concluded the story, he said, "Steve, what Susie did over those three days in Vietnam was incredible. But, sir, with her family background there was nothing else she could possibly have done. Steve, she is genetically incapable of doing anything that could harm the United States of America."

He paused, thought for a moment and then added, "You know something? I'll wager that it was her ancestors in Heaven who gave her the strength to bear the inhuman tortures inflicted on her body..."

At that moment the stentorian Voice interrupted, "Good thinking, Your Grace! No wonder you were responsible for Fighter Command. In addition to being a brilliant combat pilot, you're a brilliant man." He paused, chuckled, and then added, "Nearly as brilliant as your beautiful wife, I might add."

The voice tone changed and He continued, "But you are exactly correct. You all are. Susie, indeed, is genetically incapable of hurting her country. And it was the combination of generations of her ancestors who gave her the fortitude to bear up. And Steve, I should add that they cheered when you and your men wiped out the North Vietnamese who had tortured her to death. And they also mourned with her when you dug yourself into that pit, and shared in her joy when you found and married Barbara.

"They are all looking forward to greeting you up here — but they are in no rush! Eternity is a very long time."

Then to Donald he said, "However, I seem to recall performing a ceremony of some sort, earlier today. A wedding, perhaps? You, sir, now have a wife in a class with Barbara and Karla. Now why, in Heaven's name, have you not begun exploring her charms? I can assure you that you have scarcely scratched the surface. Now good night!"

"Darling," Don asked Marion, "do you think He was trying to tell us something?" Looking puzzled, Don shook his head in apparent befuddlement and added, "I'm almost certain He was, but for the life of me, I can't think what it could possibly be." With his eyes wide he asked, "Darling, do you have any idea?"

"Sweetheart," Marion answered sweetly, "He was telling you to fuck your bride! Now isn't that a simple concept?"

Now looking genuinely confused, Don answered, "But how do I do that?"

Rising from his lap, Marion extended her hand and said, "Come on, little boy. I think you're now old enough for your first lesson. I will teach you how to fuck your wife."

"Oh, goody!" Don exclaimed as he followed her from the room. By this time the others were howling with laughter.

Much later, after the most spectacular lovemaking of their lives, Marion was being held in Don's arms. "Are you happy, my darling wife?" he whispered.

"Don, I couldn't possibly be any happier. Today we were married by God Himself. The Queen not only attended the reception, but she joined us for dinner, and even some pub crawling. Then I experience a kind and degree of physical love that only two weeks ago I would have said was utterly impossible. And, darling, I don't mean impossible for me — and you know how insensitive my body was to any sexual stimulation — I mean for anyone. Not even in the fairy tales!"

She turned her head, kissed him softly on the lips and said, "You are truly the answer to a maiden's prayer ... and to a prostitute's prayer, as well. I utterly adore you." Then she just looked at him wistfully, but said no more.

"And what is my bride trying to communicate?" he whispered.

"Darling, I love sleeping with my head on your shoulder, but tonight ... Don, could you just hold me tightly while I mold my body to yours? Perhaps you could just warm your cock between my thighs. Then possibly, some time later, you might fuck me again, or I might fuck myself." With a soft cry she said, "Darling, please just hold me tightly."

In an instant they were lying face to face with Don holding her gorgeous body. As he drifted off to sleep he smelled her glorious fragrance.



-------

Chapter 29



When he awakened early the next morning, Donald Whitfield just kept his eyes closed and took stock of his situation. As he became more alert, he became aware of Marion's arms still hugging him tightly, and could even feel her engorged nipples against his chest. How on earth can she keep them turgid when she's sound asleep? he wondered. Next he became aware of her glorious fragrance that had filled his nostrils all night long.

When he very slightly moved his left hand which was on her back holding her close, she murmured in her sleep, "I love you, Donald Whitfield." Now he realized that her skin was like satin to the touch, golden and without a single blemish.

Apparently still in her sleep, Marion rolled on her back, slowly spread her thighs and murmured, "Fuck me, please, my husband."

"Was it as good as when you took three men at once while the audience masturbated?" he asked in his quietest voice.

Suddenly her eyes opened. He shook his head as he realized that, first, she had only been pretending to be asleep, but more remarkably, her eyes were so brilliantly alive at the first instant of opening them. "Much better, my darling," she replied to his question. "But it gave me an idea. I've never been fucked in the presence of a queen, before..."

"Yes, you have, darling. You've forgotten that Karla is Queen of Bohemia. Not only did she see you fucked, she positioned my cock against your cunt. And then my child bride, while being fucked for the first time, masturbates her daughter until the daughter loses consciousness." He shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, dear, but it's true."

"Oh, pooh! Karla doesn't count!" She smiled warmly and continued, "Of course it's certainly not her fault that some ancestor or other managed to lose the throne, but still..." She nodded her head with determination and said, "Darling, go and invite Liz to attend my fucking."

Donald realized something else about his new wife. First, she was utterly joyous. Even when her body had been scored with lacerations, she had been cheerful. But beyond that, she would do absolutely anything that she believed would increase his enjoyment.

For this reason, playing along with her joke he started to get out of bed, but suddenly stopped. "I can't," he announced firmly.

"But why not?" Marion insisted. Then she sat up in bed, pulled her knees up to her chin and appeared to be thinking. "How about if I promise to cause my pelvis to spasm in some really interesting ways? I'm sure I could ... maintain her interest."

Just shaking his head Don said with a completely straight face, "That's not it at all, woman! You heard Liz yesterday: With Philip out of the country, she says she's horny as hell. Now what do you suppose will happen when she sees me fucking your ass off?

"I'll tell you what will happen!" he declared, "She'll insist that I fuck her, too. And your showing off your pelvic control will only make it worse. Why, if I kept you in orgasm for twenty minutes, she would insist on thirty!"

Glaring at her he demanded, "What are you trying to do to me, anyway?"

Her eyes were dancing with both glee and happiness, he thought, but she kept a straight face. Then she snapped her fingers and exclaimed, "I got it! We'll get Steve to fuck her. And just think! She'll be getting some revenge for what the colonists did to poor George III, too."

As soon as he heard her mention Steve, Don started to slowly shake his head. When she finished he said sadly, "Woman, what's wrong with you? You've got to be kidding! Have you looked carefully at poor Steve when he comes down for breakfast in the morning? The poor man can scarcely walk! My God! He moves even stiffer than I do, and I'm 82!"

Don just shook his head sadly and said, "There's absolutely no way! Barb keeps his poor aching balls drained dry."

Now Marion looked truly forlorn. At that instant, Don's love for her jumped even higher from a level he didn't think could possibly be surpassed. She was utterly incredible — she was both beautiful and cute. Again she snapped her fingers and exclaimed, "Doug!"

"Get serious! First — and I know you know this, because you're the one who told me — Karla has a mouth like a suction pump. She nearly drains him dry, every time. And after all, today is their wedding day."

He glared at her and said, "A fine mother you are! On your daughter's wedding day, you try to ensure that her groom is drained so dry, when your daughter's exquisite body is revealed to him tonight, all the poor guy will be able to do is cry!"

"Do you mean to tell me, Donald Whitfield, that I've got to take you... alone? I mean ... Good grief!" With that her playacting suddenly ended. Reaching out, she pulled him to her and melted her lips to his. It seemed like every kiss was even better than the one before. When they separated to breathe, she whispered, "My darling, I'm so wet I'm going to flood out the bed! Please fuck me?"

Their lovemaking was passionate and long-lasting. When finally they lay in each other's arms, Don whispered, "Marion, darling, I can't tell you how much I love you, or how happy I feel." Then raising his eyes he said softly, "And thank you dear God for bringing this angel into my life!"

"You're quite welcome," the stentorian Voice said quickly. It happened so fast, neither were sure they actually heard anything at all.

After getting out of bed and sharing a quick shower, they put on Levi's and sweatshirts and went downstairs. Duchess, who had been silently curled up in the corner of the bedroom, accompanied them. To their surprise, everyone else was up, too, and all were in Levi's, even the Queen.

Karla's arms were folded across her chest and when they appeared, she announced, "It's not fair for you and Dad to have all the fun with those magnificent horses. And besides, you can only ride two of them. What are the others doing for exercise? We want to go riding, too."

While Don knew that the Queen was a magnificent rider, he was equally sure that, with the exception of Doug, none of the others had ever been on a horse. And Doug, he realized, probably had not ridden since he was about ten years old. But at the same time, he recognized that all of them were superbly conditioned athletes, so he figured they wouldn't really get hurt. With a shrug, he acquiesced.

When they reached the stables, John Fox was delighted to learn that nine of the horses would be ridden. It took only a few minutes to saddle them all up. Seeing a single horse left in his stall, the Duke told John to join them. Although he protested, when he realized that Don really wanted him along, he saddled the last mount.

Fox gave the Queen a leg up while Marion smoothly got up on Satan's saddle. She realized that the other girls had been watching her carefully, and they did exactly what she had done. In just moments, they were moving out of the paddock and began riding on the moors.

"What an utterly glorious idea!" Liz exclaimed. "I ride a good deal at Windsor, but it's not the same thing. This is such perfectly open country. I had forgotten what fun it is!"

They had an utterly marvelous time together. It only took a few minutes for Marion to take Satan over the first fence. Instantly, she was followed by the others. It quickly became like a fox hunt, missing only the fox.

When Marion made that comment to Don, Duke's ears perked up. "Although Duchess and I are a bit large," he said, "I'm confident that we can exercise the horses at least as well as some dumb fox could!"

Marion clapped her hands in glee, and in an instant the two tigers bounded off. When she put her heels to Satan, the great horse instantly realized they were playing a game, and took off after the tigers as if he had been shot from a cannon.

It turned into a marvelous experience for everyone. Because of their great size and distinctive coloration, the tigers were easy for the horses to follow. Moreover, the tigers were just loping along, enjoying themselves immensely, as well.

Don thought that the Animal Rights people would have a fit with what they were doing. On the other hand,  he thought, they can scarcely claim that we're picking on a poor, defenseless little fox. Duke and Duchess could take out all ten of these horses in less than two minutes, if they wanted to. This is more fun than I've had on a horse, since ... since ever! he realized.

What he found to be truly remarkable was that the tigers, who had never been over the ground in their lives before, were able not only to pick out tracks to follow, but were able to steadily increase the difficulty of the terrain and the jumps the horses had to take. The tigers knew that for most of the riders, it was their very first experience on horseback. But they also knew how perfectly conditioned they all were, and how incredibly coordinated they were, too.

At one point Don pulled Blackie off to the side after taking a jump to be able to watch the others. It was utterly delightful! The women, all wearing Levi's and sweatshirts including the Queen, looked like members of the National Equestrian Team as their horses sailed over a stone wall. The riders' form was perfect as they leaned over the necks of their mounts and galloped off after the loping tigers. Only then did he realize that there were a number of photographers nearby with long lenses snapping pictures of the jumping horses.

After nearly an hour of riding, they found they had circled around the village. By this time, Don was getting hungry, so he spoke to Duke and Duchess. The pair of tigers led the way through the center of the tiny town. Glancing at his watch, he was amazed to realize it wasn't yet eight o'clock. When they came to the pub, he saw that it was open nevertheless, giving him an idea.

At his suggestion, everyone reined in his horse, and found that there were hitching posts at the public house. When Barbara raised an eyebrow, Don said, "But Barbara, in 1550, everyone who was anyone rode a horse."

Looking at her in feigned amazement he said, "Are you suggesting that in the Colonies they don't have hitching posts in front of the public houses?" When she grinned and rapidly shook her head, he exclaimed, "And here we thought you were civilized!"

As soon as Don opened the door, the pub's owner, John Smith, rushed up. "Good morning, Your Grace, and welcome! Can I get you anything?" His eyes became as big as saucers when he realized how large the group was, and that the Queen was a part of it.

"If you have any coffee made, John, we would love some," the Duke replied. "We have to get back to the castle and make breakfast, though."

Looking quite embarrassed, Smith said, "Your Grace, I'm sure you know that the entire village was transformed early yesterday morning. Well, my wife, Martha, has been after me to have food service here, but we had neither the equipment nor the utilities. Now we have both." Swallowing hard, he continued, "I ... We would be honored to prepare your breakfast, Your Grace."

He stopped, but it was clear to Don that he wanted to say more. "What is it, John?" Don asked kindly. "I know there's something else on your mind."

"It's ... it's ... it's Martha, sir, my wife. I attended the wedding and the reception, but she wouldn't come with me. She felt she has nothing appropriate to wear to a ducal reception. And then, when she learned that Her Majesty was present, that settled it. But she's been able to talk about nothing else, since. And we didn't get much sleep because she wanted to hear every tiny detail of the Queen's visit to the pub last night. She was so excited, she said she couldn't possibly sleep..."

"And... ?" Don said softly, trying to encourage the man.

"Could ... Would ... Might..."

"Yes, Mr. Smith," the Queen said. "Not only may she come out here, I command that she appear! Am I clear, sir?"

Hearing her words, Smith almost ran out to the kitchen.

Moments later he reappeared, pulling a woman by her hand. Dropping down on one knee before her he said, "Your Majesty, may I present my wife, Martha?" His wife was a very pretty woman of middle age. She had vivid blue eyes, brown hair, and a remarkably good figure.

"Of course you may, Mr. Smith," Elizabeth replied kindly.

Then to Martha she said, "I must apologize, Mrs. Smith, for my appearance. We were out riding this morning and found ourselves nearby. Although we were headed back to the castle for breakfast, His Grace saw that you were open and thought we should come in. Will you accept my apologies for my appearance?"

The woman dropped to her knees before the Queen and began to cry. Dropping to her knees as well, Elizabeth took the woman into her arms and held her tightly while she listened to her sobs. Holding her, she realized how clean she smelled, and how there was a fragrance of sachet about her.

Gently easing away, Liz said, "Martha Smith, you're very beautiful. John Smith is a very lucky man!"

Martha Smith slowly lifted her head. Although tears were still streaming down her cheeks, she was trying to smile. "Your Majesty!" she breathed, "this is the happiest, most wonderful moment of my entire life! Imagine! The Queen of England herself visiting our tiny pub!"

"But my appearance!" Elizabeth protested.

"Never have I seen Your Majesty look so beautiful! It looks like you had a wonderful morning ride, judging by those magnificent horses outside. Did you?"

"Oh, Martha, it was simply magnificent!" the Queen replied.

Then she told the woman how the two tigers had pretended to be foxes and how they chased them over the moors. "We got a marvelous workout," she said, "but look at Sir Duke and Dame Duchess over there. I'm not sure they even got to work the knots out of their muscles."

Snapping her fingers, she turned to John Smith and said, "John, if it wouldn't be too much trouble, could you open about eight bottles of Snapple lemonade, pour them in two bowls, and serve my furry friends over there? They were simply marvelous this morning!"

Then to Martha she said, "Do you think it might be possible to get something to eat?"

At this, Martha utterly beamed. "Your Majesty, I'm overcome! The thought of serving my cooking to the Queen of England? Your Majesty, would you?"

"What do you suggest, Martha?" the Queen asked kindly. It was obvious that everything was brand new, so there could not possibly be a menu.

"Steak and eggs, Your Majesty?" the woman replied with her eyes glowing.

Then she again dropped to he knees and said, "Your Majesty must know this: I am a bastard. You see, my mother worked on a U.S. Air Force base during the war. Being very pretty and very passionate, she never slept alone." Martha raised her head and actually seemed happy as she remembered what her mother had told her. "You see, she actually had a sign-up sheet. Each night she would sleep with the top name on the list. As a result, you can see there's no possible way of determining who my father was, except he was certainly a Yank.

"Those were the days, Your Majesty, when there were three problems with the Yanks, at least according to our boys."

"And those problems were... ?" Elizabeth asked with a warm smile.

"They were overpaid, oversexed, and over here," Martha replied with a grin. Then she continued, "But there's one thing my mum taught me how to do, and that was to make steak and eggs. She did it every morning for whoever was lucky enough to share her bed the night before."

The girl paused and then looked into the Queen's eyes, "Was it so terribly wrong, Your Majesty?"

"Your mother was a real beauty, wasn't she?" Elizabeth replied, rather than directly answering the question. The woman cocked her head, thought for a moment, and then nodded eagerly. "And I'll bet some of the men went off on missions right after, and never came back. Am I correct?" Again the woman nodded. "And one of those men who never came back might have been your father?" Again a nod.

Martha Smith was loosening up in the presence of her queen. "Actually, Majesty, she told endless funny stories about it." With a tiny grin, she said, "She may have had more fun during the war than anyone else in England. Once, she told me, a man came running up to her flat still wearing his flight suit. He was at the top of the list that day.

"It turned out that his bomber had lost a couple of engines coming home, and couldn't keep up with the formation. Normally, a plane like that was dog meat. The Jerries always trailed the formation hoping for just such a thing. Anyway, that day he shot down three Jerries himself, and his mates got three more. It turned out that he had a battle dressing on his shoulder where he took a shrapnel hit.

"Do you think he would turn himself in at the hospital? No way! He was going to warm his body against Sandra Hardy's, no matter what. Mum cleaned him up, actually removed the shrapnel, bandaged him, made him supper and then they made love all night. She said it was one of the best nights of loving, ever."

"Sandra Hardy was your mother's name?" the Queen asked softly.

"Yes, ma'am." The woman knitted her brow and said, "There's a story that an ancestor was born on the left side of the blanket, years ago, the child of a famous naval officer. Do you know anyone who that might fit?"

"Sir Thomas Hardy comes to mind," Elizabeth said softly. "He was Lord Nelson's flag captain at Trafalgar aboard Victory. I guess it fits, too. The greatest naval battle ever fought before the Second World War was Trafalgar. Hardy served gallantly there, Martha, and Sandra Hardy served gallantly in the other."

"You really mean that?" the woman asked.

"I certainly do!" Elizabeth insisted. "Letting the Yanks into her knickers..." She stopped because the woman was rapidly shaking her head.

"No, ma'am," Martha said with a smile, "That was another thing. She never wore any. Knickers, that is. Or a bra, either. If a Yank wanted to feel her pussy or pinch her bottom, she would just lift her skirt and let him. She usually left her blouse unbuttoned, too.

One day when I asked her why, she said, 'Those Yanks with their great hands were always popping buttons or stretching the fabric, dear. And it was wartime, so things like that were hard to get.'" Martha smiled and said, "My mum was a truly beautiful woman."

"Was she upset when she learned she was pregnant with you?" Elizabeth asked softly.

"Not at all!" Martha exclaimed with a big grin. "I was her souvenir of World War II." She paused and then said, "I don't think there was a baby born that got all the presents I did. I was born in late May, 1945, just after VE-Day. At the time, the 8th Air Force boys were packing up to get ready to go out to the Pacific. Mum said I got hundreds of gifts. It was really great. Then in 1955 there was a big reunion, and Mum was the guest of honor. I was adopted by the 319th Heavy Bomber Wing and given the most marvelous presents for my tenth birthday."

She shook her head and said, "But it was great for Mum, too. Would you believe it? Dozens of Yanks came up to her with their wives and said that everything they ever knew about making love to a woman, they learned from her. Dozens of wives were thanking her for doing such a marvelous job of training their husbands.

"One woman was particularly funny. She said, 'Jeff will be doing some things and taking me to heaven. When it's all over and I'm sprawled on the bed like a limp dishrag, I'll see the bum shaking his head. When I ask him what the problem is, he'll tell me that it's something Sandra Hardy taught him, but he couldn't seem to get it right.' The woman grinned at Mum and continued, 'It's a damn good thing, too, because if he ever did get it right, I would be dead!'"

Martha was now lost in her memories of her mother. "I guess Mum was the first sexual experience for dozens of Yanks. She really loved those guys. Here they were, macho flyers with the 8th Air Force, but had never been with a girl. Mum was particularly great with them. She would say, 'We have all night. Don't rush.' And everything would start off so slow and gentle, but as they developed experience ... She said it was utterly great."

"Martha, is your mother still alive?" The woman sadly shook her head. "That's too bad," Elizabeth said softly, "because if she were, I would knight her on the spot."

Taking Martha's face in both of her hands she said, "What did your mother do? She created great joy and happiness for men who were daily facing death. She couldn't fight herself, but she used her body to materially aid our war effort. And you, Martha, are a love child."

Then with a grin, she said, "Now could we order steak and eggs for ten? Could you handle that?"

Jumping to her feet, the woman exclaimed, "Without a doubt! Guess what? Not only do we have kitchen equipment the likes of which we never knew existed, we also have a battery of food freezers — filled with food! Your Majesty, we have the most succulent sirloin steaks from ... from ... Omaha!" She frowned and added, "That's in the States somewhere, I'm quite sure, although I don't know exactly where."

When she went off to start cooking, Donald ordered Bloody Marys for the group. They proved to be remarkably good, although he was certain John Smith had never made one before that morning.

Don looked around the large table where they were all seated and decided that it had been an utterly incredible couple of days. One of the most significant things was the incredible behavior of the Queen. Based on her behavior in Whitfield over the previous 24 hours, she could have been elected queen. As he looked around, he decided he truly did have it all.

A few minutes later John and Martha Smith carried out plates loaded with food. Don agreed that everything looked utterly delicious. There were lovely boneless sirloins, eggs, and utterly marvelous-looking home fries served with toast and English muffins. When everyone had been served, Martha announced that, although there was no orange marmalade on the table, they had some if anyone wished it.

It was only then that Don realized that there were two kinds of jams, strawberry and red raspberry, in addition to butter.

"My mum always said the Yanks despised marmalade. They claimed ours was particularly terrible. Frankly, I've never liked it very much myself." Then she grinned sheepishly and added, "It must be my Yank blood."

When the marvelous breakfast had been consumed, Elizabeth called John and Martha over to the table. "John," she said, "I see that your pub is called 'The Queen's Own.' Would you consider changing it to 'The Queen's Arms'? Then you could use my personal coat of arms on your signboard outside."

She paused and then said, "If you wouldn't mind, I would be happy to give you a letter you could post on the wall stating that you are 'Purveyor of Victuals & Spirits by Appointment to Her Majesty, Elizabeth II.'" Then she grinned and added, "We use very high-quality paper at the palace. It usually looks terribly impressive. Would you consider it?"

The Smiths were utterly stunned. John was the first to regain his speech and said, "Your Majesty, you are offering to appoint us royal purveyors?"

"Indeed I am," she replied. Then with a grin she added, "I understand it would make you eligible for membership in a society of Crown purveyors. However, in your case, it would not be upon application, but rather as a result of my personal selection."

Then she smiled warmly and said, "You may not know this, but I can assure you that the finest food in the entire Kingdom is served at the castle. The Duchess is probably the very finest chef alive in the United Kingdom today.

"But there's more. The village of Whitfield is the loveliest Tudor village in existence. And I shall make it my duty to ensure that this fact is widely publicized. Therefore, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, I think I can assure you that you will not lack for custom. My duchesses and myself had an utterly delightful evening here last night, and a marvelous breakfast this morning."

Then she paused, looked at the two and said, "Is there anything else I might do for you two?"

Smith just shook his head. "Your Majesty, I'm utterly overwhelmed." Then to the Duke he said, "Your Grace, as you know, you own this establishment. I only rent it from you. Now that there have been hundreds of thousands of pounds in improvements, what will the new rent be?"

"Your taxes, John," Donald replied. Having found a scrap of paper in a pocket, he had scribbled a quitclaim deed to the pub. "I had forgotten that you and the other villagers are tenants of mine, John. Now you are a freeholder. Is that better?"

"But, Your Grace, we don't have much money..."

The Duke snapped his fingers and said, "Do you have a penny, John?" The publican found a penny and gave it to the Duke with a puzzled look on his face. "Thank you," Don said. "I had forgotten that to make a contract of sale legal, there must be a consideration: money. You have just purchased 'The Queen's Arms' for one penny. Do you think that's a fair price? I didn't overcharge, did I?"

Before Smith could say a word, Elizabeth injected, "Mr. Smith, I would very much like to take the signboard back to London with me." With a grimace she continued, "At the palace, we employ hundreds of people, at least a few of whom are highly-skilled sign painters. I would consider it a personal favor if you would allow my people to paint the Royal Coat of Arms on the sign. They're really quite practiced, you know."

She paused then snapped her fingers and said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Smith, but I really must insist. You see, except for the tiny coat of arms you see on purveyors' establishments and letterheads, my coat of arms is never used commercially. I am making an exception in your case; a to-whom-it-may-concern letter from me will accompany your new sign.

"Then, if some busybody tries to cause trouble, you can show your letter saying that you are displaying the arms as a personal favor to me. And if they should persist and doubt the authenticity of the coat of arms, it will also say that the signboard was produced at Buckingham Palace, so you cannot take any responsibility for its accuracy."

The Smiths were so stunned, they couldn't even speak. They just hugged one another. Finally, with a shake of his head, John Smith was able to speak. "Your Majesty can't be serious," Smith stuttered. "You would consider it a favor for me to allow you to have my sign painted for me? Those painters are the very best alive! The total value of this little pub isn't nearly as much as the price they could command for such a sign!"

Elizabeth looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded. "Perhaps you're right, Mr. Smith. Isn't it a good thing that they're salaried? I pay them anyway, whether there's work for them or not. This will serve to keep them out of trouble for a few days at least. Please? As a personal favor to me?"

Shaking his head in total bewilderment, Smith agreed. When they rose to leave, Elizabeth took Martha in her arms and kissed her soundly on the lips. "Thank you, dear Martha, for the finest breakfast of my life." With a little grin she added, "Your mother certainly did a fine job of teaching you how to cook!"

Meanwhile, Don had turned to Smith and asked, "How much do we owe you, John? That was a truly marvelous breakfast." Then with a warm smile he added, "Coming after the best ride I've ever had, I can assure you, sir, that we shall be doing it often in the future. So how much is it?"

Smith had been shaking his head, almost from Don's first words. "Nothing, Your Grace! Good Heavens, nothing at all. For Martha and me it was the very best day of our entire lives. And since we have never served a hot meal to anyone before, it was an experiment, anyway." Shaking his head firmly, he repeated, "Nothing at all!"

Recognizing that he would be unable to change Smith's mind, Don turned to the Queen. "Your Majesty, perhaps you might assist. Mr. Smith does not believe that our breakfast had any value so he refuses to present a bill. Might you have something to say?"

By this time Elizabeth was sitting regally on her mount. Looking down at John she said, "Mr. Smith, is it not the duty of Her Majesty's subjects to do those things that please her?"

Wide-eyed, John Smith could only nod.

With a beaming smile she turned to Don and said, "There's no problem then! Paying Mr. Smith's bill would make us very happy. His not rendering a bill would make us very unhappy." Turning back toward Smith she asked, "Now which is it going to be?"

The poor man was speechless, so Don gave him £300. "I think £30 per person is fair. Don't you, John?"

"But Your Grace, you truly cannot do this. Why you also sold Martha and me the pub for ... for ... for one penny!"

"John!" Donald said firmly, "surely you don't wish to make Her Majesty unhappy?"

With that the man took the money but was almost in tears as he did.

As they prepared to ride away from the pub, Don saw a group of photographers arrayed against the buildings across the narrow street. Ignoring them, he and the others mounted up, and, again led by Duke and Duchess, trotted up the hill toward the castle.

When they returned the horses to the stable, John Fox and the groom were again stunned when the riders insisted on grooming their own mounts. When Fox protested, Don said, "John, there are only two of you and ten horses. Now how long do you think it would take you to get to the tenth? Would waiting so long while he's shivering be fair to the poor animal? Would it?" Fox could only shake his head.

Finally, when he went to the Queen to at least groom her mount, he was firmly rebuffed. "John, I rode him, so I shall groom him. Is that clear?" Elizabeth asked with an eyebrow raised.

"It is very clear, Your Majesty," Fox replied glumly.



-------

Chapter 30



Preparations for the Karla's wedding were funny. Where the day before, the Queen had arrived as Marion was about to have her gown slipped over her head, that morning Elizabeth insisted on sharing in the entire process. When she saw that the other women were naked, she just shrugged and undressed as well. For the first time they used the full size of the giant bathtub. Marion was in the tub with Karla's head nestled between her firm breasts, while Barb, Anna and Maria gently worked musk oil into her skin. Liz joined them, making room for herself by Karla's right leg. Maria was across from her, working on the left, while Barb and Anna were on each side of her torso. Marion just caressed Karla's face, and periodically would melt her lips against the girl's.

Then, in a very sleepy voice, Karla whispered, "Mommy, do I really have to go through with this? Couldn't I just stay here forever and ever?" She sighed deeply and continued, "I have never felt this good in my entire life."

"And I have never had my hands on a more perfect body, either," Liz interjected. "Karla Kosta, you should be declared illegal!" Then she looked around at the others and said, "But you're all the same, aren't you? There's just the most perfect satin-smooth skin over perfect muscles."

Then straightening up in the tub she continued, "I'm sorry, Karla. You have no choice in the matter. You are going to be married today! Understand?"

"But why?" Karla asked in the same sleepy voice. Then she tipped her head and melted her lips against Marion's.

"Because you were made to be fucked, young lady!" the Queen replied. "Now it's time to get with the program."

"But, Your Majesty," Karla protested with her eyes now gleaming, "Douglas wants to put that great thing between his legs into my tiny hole! It just can't possibly fit," she wailed.

"Young lady, I have it on good authority that you take Doug in your mouth and nearly drain him dry. When you do, the tip of his cock is somewhere in your belly," Liz replied. "Now, Karla, it's time to even things out. He has already bored a hole from your mouth to your belly. Now he must bore one up from your cunt, to join with it."

Raising an eyebrow she continued, "The next time you're at Court, I shall inspect you. I expect to be able to see light, whether I look up from your cunt, or down from your mouth. Am I clear, Duchess of Newcastle?"

"But, Your Majesty, that would make me... a sex object! Good grief! And me, the savior of my country, or some such..." She shook her head and murmured, "The shame of it all!"

The girls all howled with laughter.

After helping Karla out of the tub, they put her on a massage table and worked on her vagina and her asshole. Marion worked particularly gently to stretch it. As she worked, Karla whispered, "Mom, will you be with me tonight? Please?" She paused and added, "In spite of sleeping with Doug for weeks, I'm really scared."

"You just want to get even, don't you, Daughter?" Marion replied. "Just because I put you out on my wedding night, you want to return the favor, don't you?"

Karla lifted her head from the table, turned toward Marion, and with a lovely grin just rapidly nodded her head. Marion replied by sticking out the tip of her pink tongue, then said, "I suppose it's only fair..."

Leaning over, she melted her lips against Karla's and again felt the incredible surge of love and grace between them. "Yes, my darling daughter, I will share your bed with you tonight." Then with a look of alarm she added, "But does that mean I'll have to make a tit available for Doug to squeeze, too?"

"Of course you do, Mother," Karla replied tartly. "I mean ... After all ... Well, Dad was squeezing my tit on your wedding night. And that was when yours weren't as firm as they are now, either. It's only fair."

When they finally began to dress Karla, Elizabeth was standing apart from the naked women. "You all are too much! You are female perfection!" Then, looking at Marion, she began slowly to shake her head.

"And what's the trouble this time?" Marion asked.

"Oh ... nothing..." Elizabeth said blithely.

Marion just raised an eyebrow and waited.

"Well," she blurted, "I think I'm having a change of heart. Do you realize, Marion, that you'll be breaking up a perfectly-matched set? Do you? I mean ... Just look!"

Now barely able to control a grin, she continued, "Karla has golden blonde hair and blue eyes, Anna has auburn hair with green eyes, Maria has dark hair with gray eyes, while Barbara has..." She shook her head and continued, "I don't know what color her hair is — or what color it isn't would be easier — but she has the warmest brown eyes. Aside from hair and eye color differences, they are absolutely identical.

"Now with Karla going off, Marion, you're ruining the set!" Elizabeth wailed.

Marion looked thoughtful for a moment, but then shook her head firmly. "I'm sorry, Liz. You make a very good point. But there's the other side. Just think of the gorgeous infants that will come from these loins!" Looking resigned she added, "And if that's the price..."

Finally, Karla was beautifully gowned, and the wedding party drove down the hill to the church. Anna and Maria paced down the aisle to the strains of The Wedding March,  followed by Barbara as the maid of honor. Then, to Karla's great surprise, Caitlin Fitzpatrick appeared, dressed as the flower girl, with John Taylor, the ring bearer. When her eyebrow went up, Caitie quickly assured her that she was well practiced in the rôle.

Elizabeth looked at Karla from the corner of her eye and decided that never in history had a bride looked so beautiful. Karla moved down the aisle on the Queen's arm, with Donald Whitfield following.

The Nuptial Mass proceeded to the point at which there would be a homily. Normally, this is skipped in such a mass, but not this time. The presiding priest went to the pulpit and announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, Her Majesty, Elizabeth II, Queen of England!" Then he moved aside and took a seat between the two altar servers while the Queen went to the pulpit.

Looking around the small church, Elizabeth found the person she was looking for. "Would the president of the Czech Republic, the Honorable Václav Havel, please join me?" While she waited for him to come up the aisle, she looked around the church and realized that it was a repeat of the day before. Again, sunlight was shining through both windows in the front of the church, and both Claire and Karl Kosta appeared to be overjoyed.

With Havel beside her, she began, "This is truly a day of joy. Looking around, it's apparent that the joy is not confined to Earth, but appears to be shared in Heaven. On the right you see St. Claire of London, with her beaming smile." Then Liz shook her head and corrected herself. "That's not true. She's not beaming, she's ecstatic. Why? Because her grandson, Douglas Whitfield, is fortunate enough to be marrying the most beautiful — and possibly the most courageous — woman who has ever lived.

"Then across from St. Claire, we see St. Karl Kosta. Why is he beaming? Because his granddaughter is marrying the grandson of the man whose life he saved so many years ago. Furthermore, as most of you know, Douglas Whitfield himself is one of the greatest heroes who has ever lived.

"Now why, you may wonder, am I being joined up here by the President of the Czech Republic? Then answer is quite simple."

Only then did the people realize that Havel had a very large flat package with him. Elizabeth continued, "We have a joint gift for the bride to give to her son." There was an audible gasp from the congregation at her reference.

With a warm smile Elizabeth continued, "You see, some years ago, when Karla was only sixteen years old and a virgin, a Czech hero was mortally wounded in action against the occupying Soviet forces. He was brought to a small house to die, and asked to share his last moments on earth with this girl. He impregnated her that night and knew it. He asked Karla to do her best for their child. She did.

"Karla Kosta left Czechoslovakia as it was then known, and made her way across the guarded border to Germany. There, in a small convent nine months later she gave birth to an infant. The nuns at the convent had already made arrangements for the baby's adoption by a childless American couple."

At this point the Queen paused and said, "Incidentally, this morning Karla Kosta is again an unpenetrated virgin. On this point I am absolutely certain. Now how can a woman who has given birth be a virgin? Ask the Creator of the Universe, for whom all things are possible. You see, Karla Kosta ranks above the angels in Heaven in the eyes of God. What is above the angels? We know that God Himself is. But who else? We have no idea. Yet that is the situation.

"But back to the gift." At this point she nodded to Havel, who opened the package and hung the contents in front of the pulpit. It was a very large picture, but more like a shadow box because of its depth. Centered at the top was a photograph of Karl Kosta wearing his RAF uniform. Below it was a formal picture of Karla wearing her crown as Queen of Bohemia. Beside it was the photograph of a young man; it looked like it had been a graduation picture. "You may recognize the pictures of Karl Kosta and Karla. Beside Karla is a picture of Wilhelm Werner, the boy's father. In addition, there are medals: Karl's Victoria Cross and DFC, and Karla's and Wilhelm's Karla Crosses. Finally, there are letters flanking the picture of Karl Kosta. One is from me, while the other is from Václav Havel. In each case we are writing to William Wallace, this couple's son. He's now living in Columbus, Ohio, in the United States."

Then she turned to Havel, who hadn't spoken to that point. Havel began, "Thank you, Your Majesty. First, I wish to thank you and your people for saving us from Nazi tyranny—"

"Mr. President," the Queen interrupted, "as Karla is so fond of pointing out, had it not been for the utter disgrace of Munich, it might never have happened at all." She paused, and then continued sorrowfully, "If it was not the most disgraceful episode in all of British history, sir; I know of none that was worse. My father, King George VI, was seriously thinking of dismissing Parliament and undoing what Neville Chamberlain had done. Sir, I can assure you that he is in full agreement with my position." With a smile she apologized, "But I interrupted..."

" ... for saving us from Nazi tyranny, and then along with the Americans to whom we both owe an unpayable debt, for saving us from the Soviet tyranny that followed."

After looking around the small church for a moment, he continued, "The reason I am here — and the reason there is a Karla Cross — is that had it not been for this beautiful woman, there would be no Czech Republic nor any freedom. And I would have long since rotted away in an unmarked grave somewhere."

With a broad smile he continued, "It's a good thing that we do not have any major elections scheduled for any time soon. Because if we did, my government would fall, the Republic would fall, and once again we would become the Kingdom of Bohemia. Why? Because Karla would become the first freely-elected monarch in all of history. And I can guarantee a vote for her greater than 90 percent."

Again he paused and then continued, "You may not know this, but today is a national holiday in the Czech Republic. Why did the government so declare it? We didn't, of course. But our people heard that their Queen is being married today. Every single Czech citizen is somewhere, this very minute, watching these proceedings on television. They are rejoicing in the happiness of their Queen. And Karla Kosta, Queen of Bohemia, is their queen. But she is so much more. You see, at home she is revered as a living saint. I have it on good authority that one problem Douglas Whitfield had was buying an engagement ring for her. Why would he have a problem? There are many fine jewelers in Prague.

"Why then the problem? The problem wasn't finding a ring; the problem was paying for it! You see, when the jeweler learned that the diamond was for his queen, he insisted on giving it to her. And this is in spite of the fact that the main diamond alone is worth tens of thousands of pounds sterling."

Then he grinned, looked down at Duke who was lying down in front of the front row of pews and said, "It's too bad you weren't there, Sir Duke. I'm sure you could have persuaded the jeweler to accept payment much faster than Lord Whitfield was able to do. And this, despite his size and experience as a senior officer in the SAS!"

After looking around the church again, he concluded, "We had better get on with it. The bride and groom appear to be getting impatient."

He paused, looked up, and then, as if thinking out loud, said, "I wonder why that could be?"

Then with a grin he added, "I guess they must be serving some wonderful things at the reception, and Karla and Doug can't wait..."

At that comment there was a roar of laughter from the congregation. And had anyone been looking, he would have seen St. Claire and St. Karl Kosta howling with laughter, too.

When Elizabeth left the altar, Václav Havel sat beside her in a front pew. The priest then continued with the Mass to the point of the exchange of vows. Then there was a repeat of the day before. The same golden cylinder appeared and led the couple through their vows. Strangely, it seemed almost to smile when Karla promised to "love, honor and obey."

At that point He paused and said, "Now remember, Karla, you have promised to obey Douglas. You did know what you were saying, didn't you?"

"Yes, Lord," Karla replied is a voice strong enough to be heard throughout the church, "I certainly did know what I was saying." Then with a little grin she added, "But you were saying... ?"

"Young lady," the Voice replied acerbically, "I certainly don't need to be prompted to perform a marriage ceremony!"

Karla just giggled while the exchange of vows continued.

Finally the Voice said, "What I have joined together, let no man put asunder!" Then in a lower voice He added, "Before you kiss the bride — and, Douglas, please confine it to just a kiss, here in church — I thought I might add a little something, with apologies to the organist who has been doing such a wonderful job."

There was a pause and it almost seemed like embarrassment, but the Voice continued, "You've all heard about 'the multitudes of the heavenly hosts singing... ' Well, there hasn't been much call for that for at least a couple of thousand years."

Then it seemed as if the vision was glaring at Karla as He continued, "But then you have to wreck it — along with your flower girl, Caitlin Fitzpatrick, and your matron of honor, Barbara Sloan. Among you, you have emptied out Purgatory — and keep it empty. The result of this — aside from the inevitable overcrowding up here — is that I have thousands of people who want to sing your praises. So I decided to let them."

With that there began the most incredible singing human ears had ever heard. It was instantly clear that "multitudes" was some number in the thousands, and all of the voices were perfectly matched and harmonized.

To the truly Heavenly music, Doug melted his lips against Karla's and almost passed out from the unleashed power of her love and passion, then taking her hand he led her down the aisle.

Leaving the church, they passed under an arch of sabers, this time held by officers of the Grenadier Guards. To their amazement, the singing continued to ring in their ears all the way up the hill to the castle, and then continued inside.

When they realized what was happening, Karla said quietly, "Don't you think you're overdoing it, bigtime?"

"No, I certainly do not!" the Voice replied. "In fact, I find I like it so much, I may just keep it in for Caitlin's wedding when that time comes."

When the others returned and the receiving line formed, it was similar to the one the day before, but this time with the addition of Václav Havel, the president of the Czech Republic, and Václav Klaus, the prime minister.

To Karla's great delight, Paula Wilhelm was there, too, along with her husband. "My darling," Paula said after melting her lips to Karla's, "never has there been a more beautiful nor a happier bride. And, darling, there is no one alive so deserving of every happiness."

When Caitlin came through the line holding John Taylor's hand, Karla dropped to her knees, wrapped the girl in her arms, and melted her lips to the girl's. Instantly she felt a rush of the purest love and grace at a level that rivaled Barbara's.

Holding the lovely girl away from her, Karla said, "I've heard so much about you, Caitie. But the reality is so much better!"

"You expected an incorrigible imp is why," Caitie replied. Then with a winsome grin she added, "I'm not always terrible."

"You are utterly perfect!" Karla replied. Then rising she said, "Your Majesty, may I present Caitlin Fitzpatrick, from the United States. You heard Our Lord refer to her in church. Might you be willing to give her a kiss?"

When Elizabeth extended her hand, Caitie made a perfect court curtsy, then took the Queen's hand and gently kissed the backs of her fingers.

"That's not what Karla meant at all, young lady!" Elizabeth protested. Then dropping to her knees she took the girl in her arms, kissed her, and then almost passed out. The kiss was like no other she had ever received.

When they eased apart, she said, "Caitie, everything I've heard about you is true, isn't it? And we have direct testimony that you are one of God's favorite people. It's easy to see why."

Then with the warmest smile Caitie had ever seen, Elizabeth continued, "It is with the greatest personal pleasure, Caitlin, that I welcome you to my kingdom. I shall take immediate steps to inform my people that you are, and always will be, the personal guest of the Queen, and will be accorded all of respect and honors due your rank. Clear?"

Caitie was genuinely puzzled. "I don't think I understand, Your Majesty."

"There are two things, effective immediately. First, I am your Aunt Liz. Clear?"

"But that's utterly impossible, Your Majesty..." When she saw the Queen glaring daggers at her she began again, "But that's utterly impossible, Aunt Liz. I'm ... I'm ... I'm just a Black Irish street urchin from New York..."

"You are God's perfect creation!" Liz interrupted. "And I am not honoring you, young lady. You are honoring me by allowing me this honorary title." She paused and shook her head, "Just imagine! Being honorary aunt to a beautiful girl who ranks with the angels in Heaven!"

Then she smiled warmly and continued, "For the other, you know what a diplomatic passport is, don't you?" When Caitie said she did, the Queen continued, "What I mean, Caitie, is that whenever you are in the United Kingdom, you are to be treated as a Princess Royal, with all honors and courtesies due the Crown. Am I clear?"

Caitie just nodded, but was so confused she began to cry. At that Liz picked her up from the floor and just held her tightly, while gently stroking her beautiful hair. As she held the child, Liz realized the incredible fragrance that was a part of this girl's body. Moreover, as she held her, the Queen could feel a continuous flow of Divine Grace just pouring into her body.

For her part, Caitie couldn't believe what was happening to her. Here she was being held tightly by the Queen of England. Moreover, the Queen insisted that Caitie was doing her a favor. To the eleven-year-old girl, it did not compute.

At that point an incredibly beautiful young woman was introduced to her as Caitie's mother, Kelly Fitzpatrick. Seeing that they had the same hair — dark, in an urchin's cut — and the same brilliant blue eyes, the family resemblance was unmistakable.

But then Elizabeth shook her head and said, "But it's impossible! Kelly, you're only 19! I've heard of giving birth at an early age, but becoming pregnant at six!?"

Kelly laughed and said, "Your Majesty, I'm almost 38." Then she presented her other children who all greeted the Queen with wide-eyed wonder.

Shaking her head the Queen said, "Kelly, I guess you're one of the ones I heard about. You just do not age. And you have babies without a pregnancy!"

"That's just not true!" Kelly protested indignantly. "I'll have you know that when it's time for me to deliver, I have a hard time buttoning my Levi's!"

Then the Queen told her that Caitie had been instructed to call her "Aunt Liz." "So, Kelly, if your daughter calls me 'Aunt Liz, ' that means that you will just call me 'Liz.' All right?" Kelly reluctantly agreed.

Then, after motioning to her chief equerry who had returned with the security detail to escort the Queen back to London, several large men appeared. Elizabeth introduced them as members of the Royal Security Detail. They were now detailed to accompany the Fitzpatricks anyplace they cared to go in the United Kingdom.

"Aside from providing protection," she said, "they also ensure that you are treated with ceremony appropriate to members of the Royal Family." As the Fitzpatricks moved on, Kelly was shaking her head slowly in bewilderment.

Then a young couple appeared whom no one recognized. The man introduced himself to the Duke as Dan Carter and his wife, Nancy. When he greeted Karla he said, "Hi. I'm Dan Carter, and this is my wife — my bride! — Nancy..."

"Of course!" Karla exclaimed. "You're the writer with PC Computing,  aren't you? You did that incredible review of Mayday. With a grin she asked, "And how is married life treating you? Are George and Betsy getting along?" Then she explained that Doug was a left-over. He had been nominated as a consort for Maria or Anna, flunked that, and got stuck with her instead.

Nancy Carter cocked her head, then nodded once. "Doug, she's really not too bad ... for a consolation prize, that is." Then, when they were introduced to Anna and Maria, the girl just shook her head sadly, "I'm sorry. I just don't know what to say. I will say that I owe you my marriage and my present happiness. But now I'm in the presence of the two most brilliant women who ever lived, and you know what?"

The girls slowly shook their heads. Nancy continued, " I'm disappointed in you. I wasn't before, but now I am. I thought that picture of you two in Mayday shows the most beautiful women who ever lived. But now..." She just shook her head and said, "That picture is really pretty shabby. In the flesh, your beauty is utterly breathtaking! No wonder every Mayday in the world is looking for suitable consorts. You two are the ultimate in female perfection."

"You can't be serious!" Anna protested. "Have you looked at the other women here in the receiving line? Now if you were talking about our sisters, Karla or Barb, we would agree. We would agree if you were talking about our mother, Marion, Duchess of Northumbria. But us? Surely you jest!"

"Nance," Dan interjected, "didn't you write something sometime about any virtue, taken to excess, becoming a vice?"

The girl nodded her head vigorously.

"Darling, I think you had these girls in mind when you wrote it."

At that moment the Voice was heard echoing around the Great Hall. "Daniel and Nancy Carter, you are absolutely correct. These women are perfection. They share the distinction with some others here today including Barbara Sloan, Karla Kosta, Marion Whitfield and Caitlin Fitzpatrick. Are they all equal? No, they are not. But, as I instructed Susie Sloan to communicate, the differences are on the order of having an IQ of 180 or 182. The latter is a higher number, but at a level at which differences are utterly insignificant. Now hear this, Anna Schmidt and Maria Müller: Shut up!"

"Well," Dan Carter said quietly, "I guess you were told. And we all were."

Then he paused and continued, "I'll probably be fired for my next story. But Nance and I talked about it and agree it has to be written."

"What story is that?" Maria asked.

"The story of this village and the wedding," Dan replied quietly. "I guess you know that reporters as a group are professional atheists. Well, what we experienced this morning blows it into a cocked hat. What did we see? We saw God Himself witness the exchange of vows. We have seen a small village utterly transformed in the middle of the night! We have heard 'the multitudes of the heavenly hosts' singing praises to the bridal couple. And the last time that happened was at the time of the birth of Jesus Christ Himself!"

Looking shrewdly at the girls he continued, "Your software is Divinely inspired, isn't it?" The two girls exchanged guilty glances and then nodded. "It has to be!" Then he paused and said, "I've been reading about Do-It!. I also recall that the day Do-It! was announced, there was nearly a continent-wide power failure. That was when you used all of North America's computing power to solve the necessary equations for Do-It! to become operational, wasn't it?"

The girls remained impassive. Then to Nancy he said, "I'm sorry, darling, but this is something I have to do." Since he was closest to Anna, he took her in his arms and melted his lips on hers. When he did, he instantly lost consciousness as his whole body was flooded with love, joy and sanctifying grace. Anna caught him and held him until he regained consciousness.

Then after shaking his head to try to clear it he said, "Darling, why don't you try kissing Maria? I'm pretty sure that, while the results are truly shocking, they're not lethal."

Nancy kissed Maria and instantly achieved the same result her husband had with Anna. When she recovered she said softly, "My darling, tonight is going to be the best of our lives. I'm so full of love it's spilling over, and I know you're in the same condition." Then looking at him meaningfully she added, "And by the way, my Pills are going into the trash as soon as we get back to the hotel. Clear?"

"Yes, darling, it's very clear." When he looked uncomfortable, she asked and he continued, "We have to appear before a priest, my darling. We're married in the sight of man, but not in the sight of God. After this morning, which is more important?"

Hearing the exchange, Maria went over to Elizabeth, exchanged a few words, nodded and then returned.

"Liz ... Her Majesty would be happy to arrange a wedding for you at any time. This afternoon? Tomorrow? Whenever."

Nancy Carter just shook her head. "Good Heavens! You're on direct speaking terms with God Himself. You're on a first-name — No! a nickname — basis with the Queen of England. You really did it, didn't you?" Then again shaking her head she said, "But what about blood tests, licenses... ? All that good stuff?"

"Nancy," Maria began. But instead of continuing with what she intended to say, she went over to Liz and again whispered in her ear. The Carters could see the Queen grin happily, then motion for her equerry. When he came over, she spoke a few quiet words and then he disappeared. A few moments later he was back, this time with a leather portfolio. He opened it in front of the Queen and gave her a pen. She scrawled something and then gave the paper to Maria who returned. Without a word she passed it to Nancy.

The girl just shook her head in bewilderment. "Darling, this is a blanket instruction to any priest in the United Kingdom to marry Nancy and Daniel Carter immediately upon their request. It ends by noting that this is by Royal command and is signed Elizabeth II, Regina."

Looking at the girls Nancy said, "You know, this document itself is priceless, don't you? It's one of a kind."

"So use it," Anna remarked. Then she looked embarrassed but continued, "And if it isn't too much trouble, if you could leave your address with us, we would really like to send you something nice for your wedding. I hope you wouldn't mind too much?"

"Hail, Anna, full of grace..." Nancy murmured.

At that instant Susie appeared in their midst. "You sure got that one right!" she exclaimed. After Maria quickly explained who Susie was and what she had been, the two Carters kissed her. When they did, they felt the same joy and grace they had felt kissing the girls, but, remarkably, at a lower level of intensity.

"You're right about that, too," Susie said. "They do have a greater degree of love, joy and grace than I do ... And I'm an angel, for Heaven's sake!"

When there was a low-pitched rumble, she looked up and said, "I didn't say 'for Hell's sake, ' did I? So what's Your problem?"

Then to the Carters she said, "I've been trying to communicate exactly what you just said to these two bird-brains for months! But they just won't believe it." Turning toward the girls she asked, "Do you believe it now? After all, Dan and Nancy are professional reporters. Well?"

"Okay, Susie, we give up," Anna said reluctantly.

Then to the Carters Susie enthused, "And your children! They are going to be so utterly, incredibly neat!" Looking a little embarrassed now she added, "Of course, it's not immediate, you know. But ... but ... Well, I've got more time now, so if you might like me to sort of look out for them... ?"

"As their Guardian Angel?" Nancy asked softly.

Susie, too embarrassed to speak, just nodded.

"Good Heavens!" Nancy exclaimed. "One of the greatest people to ever live asks if she could help look after our children." Looking at the sprite she said, "Susie, in the most literal meaning of the words, Dan and I would be eternally grateful if you would."

Then to Dan she said, "Come on, husband. Before you bed me today, we're going to have to see a priest. Coming?" Dan just nodded, took her hand, and led her out of the Hall.

When the Campbell brothers appeared, one said, "Hello again, Anna. Remember me? I'm Mark."

Instead of replying, she mentally called out for Duke. Moments later the great cat appeared and sat down attentively in front of her in his house-cat pose. "Duke, dear," Anna began, "here in front of you is what they call in the States a slow learner. Now Duke, didn't you try to make it very clear that neither we nor you like to be deceived?"

Duke gravely nodded his head up and down.

"Well, Mike here is trying to tell me he's Mark. What do you think might be appropriate? I think you suggested taking off a foot from each of them." She looked around the hall, apparently thinking. Then she said, "But isn't there something a little less ... messy? ... than amputation?"

When Duke replied, Anna clapped her hands in glee. "That's it! That's exactly the right thing to do, Duke. And I'm so proud that you thought it up by yourself."

Turning to the two men who were looking utterly baffled she asked, "Well, who's first?"

"First for what?" Mike asked.

"First to have Duke write your names in large letters on your foreheads, silly! What else would he be doing?" Then looking gleeful she added, "And aren't you two lucky? I mean ... Well, your names are both only four letters. If your names were long, it could get pretty messy, I suppose. But with only four letters ... Hell, you'll hardly feel a thing. His claws are razor sharp, so there's none of than messy gouging. Just a set of nice parallel cuts, then he removes the flesh between them so the words will really stand out when the cuts scar over..."

Looking very concerned she turned to Duke and said, "Darling, I may have been very selfish. After all, I was just thinking of you. But maybe they might prefer to be branded instead. That way there's no blood spilled at all."

Turning back to Mike she asked, "Gouging or branding? What's your pleasure?"

"How would an apology be, instead?" he asked. Then he shook his head and said, "But how could you possibly know? No one else can tell the difference. How can you?"

Then he shook his head and said, "Duchess Anna, I'm Mike Campbell. Please accept my humblest apology for trying to confuse you." And with a glance at Duke he added, "And you have my personal assurance that it will never happen again!"

The girls winked, but with seeming great reluctance accepted the apologies. However, they were accepted with the understanding that this was the very end. Any further effort would result in something quite drastic happening.

Later, after the toasts were made and drunk and the cake had been cut and served, Barb thought to ask Karla and Doug what their honeymoon plans were.

"Mistress," Karla replied softly, "we're going to visit Billy Wallace and give him his gift. Then, if you don't mind, we thought we would try to do what you and Steve did..."

"But darling, you can't!" Barb interrupted, now truly frightened. "Steve spent years in the jungle. Doug's work has been in an urban setting. You will die!"

"And I will have spent the rest of my life in the arms of the man I adore," Karla replied. Shaking her head she said, "Barb, we're going to do it. Please pray for us?"

"How could I not?" Barb asked simply.



-------

Chapter 31



It was only a day later when the great 767 with Doug and Karla Whitfield aboard settled onto the runway at Columbus, Ohio. The weather was lovely for their visit, very clear, but cold. There were only traces of snow on the ground but all the road surfaces were dry. Although theirs was a private aircraft, the general aviation facility at Columbus didn't have the capability to handle a plane of its size. However, since the plane was maintained and crewed by United Airlines, they taxied to a vacant United jetway at the main terminal to disembark.

There were immigration and customs officials waiting when the door opened, but they were nonplused when they found Doug traveling on a brand-new UK diplomatic passport, while Karla had a choice of using her new UK diplomatic passport or the one she held from the Czech Republic.

When the senior customs & immigration officer called headquarters, he was told in no uncertain terms to leave the couple alone! Except, of course, to ensure that they had absolutely anything they might think to ask for. The order particularly extended to any cargo the aircraft might be carrying. Whatever it might be, the man was told, clear it immediately and pass it through.

When the appropriate orders were given, the Rolls Corniche convertible was unloaded, then the plane was closed up and towed to a United hangar for servicing. Getting into the car on the apron, Doug followed an airport authority car to the nearest exit. The driver pulled aside and saluted as Doug passed.

Only then did Karla begin to feel nervous. "Darling," she said softly, "I'm so scared! What's Billy going to do? What will he say? What if he's not home? Maybe his parents are off somewhere..."

The fact was that Doug shared Karla's nervousness but felt he couldn't admit it. "Honey," he said, "we know damned well he's home or soon will be. We got that straight from Susie, and she certainly knows."

They drove out to the Wallace house, following detailed directions Susie provided. It wasn't far from the campus of Ohio State University.

-------

Billy Wallace, just home from school, was watching a video tape his mother had made for him. It was the most astonishing tape the boy had ever seen. It showed the wedding of Karla Kosta and Douglas Whitfield, but it showed so much more. One of the strangest elements of all was the fact that, while it showed a great deal, much of what it showed was not commented upon by the reporters. This included the golden cylinder at the altar — on the tape, it was so bright it came over as a blank spot — as well as the animated windows with sunlight shining through from opposite sides of the same structure.

Although it was not commented upon directly, one reporter did say that it was a phenomenon that occurred occasionally in large cities when sun reflects off the windows of one tall building back through the windows of another. But in this case, the village was on the moor. There were no large structures other than the castle for miles around. And the castle, being all stone, didn't reflect light anyway.

But the most incredible thing of all was the singing, picked up and recorded on the video tape. It began in the church, but it didn't diminish in any way when everyone was outdoors. The sounds were the most beautiful he had ever heard, and yet, remarkably, there was no mention of it at all.

After watching the tape through, Billy rewound it to the point at which the Queen of England, joined by Václav Havel, gave the homily. As he was about to start it again, his mother, Mary Wallace, joined him.

Mary was a beautiful but matronly woman of 54. She was wearing Levi's and a sweatshirt, as she sat down on the floor beside him to watch. Again, they heard the tribute the Queen of England and the President of the Czech Republic paid to Karla and Doug, then watched as they exchanged vows.

When they heard, "What I have joined together, let no man put asunder," Mary whispered, "That is Almighty God Himself performing the ceremony." This time, when they reached the end of the ceremony, Mary raised the volume on the receiver. They looked at each other to see if the other had heard what each had thought he had.

When the magnificent singing began, Mary whispered, "I'm sure you're right, Billy. Those are the multitudes of the Heavenly Hosts singing the praises of that couple. She shook her head and murmured, "Not in 2,000 years has this been heard."

When the tape concluded, Mary said, "I hope to meet that woman someday. She is truly incredible."

"Mommy," Billy asked softly, "what is it about her? She's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, but whenever I see her picture, I get the strangest feeling. Why is that, do you suppose? Do you think she's possibly my real mother?"

"Darling, I wouldn't be surprised," Mary replied softly.

Then in a cheerful tone that was belied by the way she really felt she said, "The Prague newspaper came. Want to see what they have to say about the wedding?"

The two lay on the floor and spread out the paper. They subscribed to the leading paper in Prague, and had for several years. It was a part of the Wallaces' effort to ensure that Billy knew as much about the Czech Republic as he could. All of the Wallaces read and wrote Czech, but Mary was the first to admit that their pronunciation was terrible. Billy's accent was the best by far, but, she admitted to herself, it really wasn't very good.

As they both had expected, virtually every story in the paper was about either the wedding itself or the nation's reaction to it. Mary had the editorial page with the lead editorial — indeed, the only editorial — on the wedding. "The editor grumps a bit, but finally admits that Queen Karla could have done worse. He points out that Douglas is the grandson of the Duke who led Karl Kosta's fighter squadron during the Battle of Britain. Both the Duke and Douglas have the Victoria Cross, the highest award for valor in the British Empire. Of course, from the editor's point of view, no human is good enough for Queen Karla, but Douglas is close."

At that point Mary rolled on her back on the floor and just looked at the ceiling. "Personally, I think it's truly a story-book wedding. We've seen all those pictures of the castle and the lovely village."

Turning on her side to look at Billy she asked, "How would you like to ride a horse over those walls chasing a pair of tigers? Isn't that incredibly neat?"

"Mommy, the country is desolate, but it's so beautiful. Do you think we might ever go over to England to see it?"

"Someday, perhaps," Mary replied. It was a parent's response to a child's question when the parent truly believes the activity is out of the question but doesn't want to say so.

In a complete change of subject, Billy asked, "Mommy, you and Daddy weren't Catholic before I came. Why did you change your religion?"

"Because, my darling, your mother is a very devout Catholic. That's why you were born, and how we were so incredibly lucky to get you. You see, honey, behind the Iron Curtain, the most common method of birth control was abortion. While we know nothing about your mother, we do know that she escaped from Czechoslovakia over the border to Germany, when she found out she was expecting you. She stayed at a tiny convent and worked there during her pregnancy."

Tears came to Mary's eyes as she continued, "Darling, she gave birth by herself. There was no doctor nor any pain killers. And she was a very young girl — not even seventeen years old." Looking at the boy she said, "Do you realize, Billy, she was only about six years older than you are now?" Billy just shook his head.

"Anyway," Mary continued, "your mother was very devout. Because it was impossible for her to raise you, she gave you to us. So Daddy and I became Catholics to be better able to raise you in your parents' religion."

Looking him straight in the eye, she added, "Billy, had we not, I'm not sure we would have understood what we were seeing a few minutes ago in the tape of the wedding. Can you imagine? God Himself came down to Earth to join a couple in Holy Matrimony. I thought it was the most incredibly moving experience of my life."

"Why did you adopt me, Mommy?" Billy asked.

This was a question he had never asked, but was one that Mary Wallace had been expecting. Notwithstanding her expectation, when she heard the words, they hurt as badly as a knife being twisted in her belly.

She swallowed hard and replied, "Because I was incredibly stupid and selfish, Billy," she said softly. "You know I was a lawyer — a pretty good one, too. But I was so stupid, I thought that what I was doing — writing briefs and trying cases — was far more important than motherhood."

Tears were flowing from her eyes as she interjected, "God, how could I have been so stupid!" Trying to focus on Billy's eyes she continued, "After all, there was always time to become pregnant, right? Forty-two years old isn't too old to become pregnant. Wrong! When I finally decided to have a child, I no longer could. I suppose it's God's punishment for my hubris and my vanity."

Then she shook her head and added, "But Billy, I want you to know that two parents could not have a better child than you. Try as we might, darling, there's no way for your father or me to communicate how much we truly love you."

Again, Mary rolled on her back, looked up at the ceiling and continued, "William Wallace, Jr., if I had nurtured you in my womb and nursed you at my breast, I couldn't possibly love you any more than I do."

Then her voice dropped almost to a whisper as she concluded, "Did you know, I actually tried? To nurse you at my breast, I mean. You were such a lovely infant. I would hold you at my breast, you would take my nipple in your mouth, but nothing ever came out. Then I knew — when it was much too late — that nursing is one of the greatest joys of being a woman. And I missed it..." As her tears became uncontrollable, Billy went to her and began kissing her, while she held him tightly.

A few minutes later, Mary had regained control so Billy got up so as not to embarrass her any more. He went to the window and was just looking out idly when he exclaimed, "Mommy! Come and see!"

Mary scrambled up from the carpet and joined him at the window. They saw a white Rolls convertible moving slowly and silently down the street. It was as if the driver was looking for a house number. Then the magnificent machine pulled up in front of their walk and stopped. A tall man got out, looked at the house, and then opened the passenger-side door.

-------

"This looks like the neighborhood," Doug said, as they rolled through the quiet streets.

"Will he hate me?" Karla asked. "My God! What I did to that infant!"

"What you did for him, darling," Doug replied. "Look: You were a top agent for the Czech Resistance and had been one for years. The boy's father had died moments after conception. How could you possibly have raised an infant under those circumstances? Karla Whitfield, you should thank Almighty God for placing Billy in a warm and loving home. You know he's received infinitely more than you could ever have provided for him. Right?"

"I suppose so, darling," Karla admitted. "By the way, Douglas Whitfield, I adore the sound of 'Karla Whitfield.' I guess it means we're really married, doesn't it?"

"That, and the sheet with your virginal blood on it that will be joining Mom's over the mantel," he replied with a grin.

"But darling, you've really made little progress on the Queen's demand. She insists that she be able to see from my mouth down through my slit, and you can't do it yet."

"You heard Barbara last night," Doug replied with a grin. "When we get off that island, you'll think your last name is 'Fuck.' What do you think about that idea?"

"I can hardly wait, is what I think," she replied softly. "Doug, you were so great last night. As much fun as we've had over the last month or so, it was nothing like last night." Then she punched him on the arm.

"What was that for?" he complained.

"That, sir, was for spending ten minutes squeezing one of my tits and one of Mom's to try to tell which one was firmer. First of all, both of your hands should have been on mine, and second, you never did say which one you liked better."

"That's true. I never did, did I?" he replied, but still didn't answer the question.

Meanwhile, Doug had been carefully watching the house numbers. He saw, two houses away, a brick-faced colonial sitting exactly as Susie had described it. He smoothly pulled the car to the curb at the walk, set the brake and got out. Going around to Karla's side, he opened the door and said, "Darling, this is it. Do you want to bring all the gifts in now?"

He knew her well enough now to recognize the signs of tension she was feeling. "No, darling. They'll probably throw us out ... And they should."

Karla was wearing her Russian sable coat over a white wool sleeveless dress. Beyond that, she was wearing only her gold collar and her watch, but she looked utterly magnificent. Taking Doug's arm, they walked up to the door and rang the bell. A moment later, the door was opened by the most handsome eleven-year-old boy she had ever seen.

When he opened the door, Billy looked up and saw the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life. Seeing the love and Divine grace in her eyes, he was certain. Stepping back from the door to let them enter the house, he said in nearly flawless Czech, "Good afternoon, Mother. Thank you for coming to see me."

For Karla it was too much. Dropping to her knees on the carpet, she drew the boy close and just bawled like a baby. She couldn't say a word.

Billy wrapped his arms around her neck and hugged her tightly. When he did, he smelled her incredible fragrance. Very gently he ran his fingers over her hair and just listened to her uncontrolled sobbing. When she regained control, he released his hold and moved back far enough to be able to kiss her. When their lips met, it was like nothing Billy had ever experienced or could even imagine. It was the most powerful flow of the purest love, goodness and Divine grace he could imagine. It almost knocked him out.

Moving back slightly, he said softly, still in Czech, "Please don't cry, Mother. It's not so bad, is it?"

In her flawless English she replied with a tiny grin, "No, my darling, it's not bad at all." Then she rose to her feet and added, "I'm so sorry, Billy. This isn't what I wanted to do at all. Can you forgive me for the way I acted?"

With a wonderful bright smile he replied, "Well, I'll forgive you partially. But I won't forgive you for the kiss."

When Karla began to look unhappy he continued, "I won't forgive you, because it was the finest kiss I've ever experienced in my whole life. And if I forgave you, you might want me to give it back, and I won't."

Only then did Karla realize that Mary Wallace was standing a few feet away, just watching. Karla realized there were tears in her eyes. Extending her hand, Karla said, "Good afternoon, Mary Wallace. I'm Karla Whitfield, and this is my husband, Doug."

With a lovely smile she added, "Would you believe it? This is the very first time I ever said 'Karla Whitfield' or referred to Doug as my husband. Boy, it's really neat!"

"Your Majesty, I can't tell you how honored we are to have you visit. Billy and I have seen and heard so much about you ... about you both. I can't tell you what it means to have a true queen in our home. I'm overcome!"

"Mary, something's got to change, and change fast! I can't very well call you 'Mary' while listening to you address me with a full assortment of honorifics."

Then with a grin she added, "But I think I'm starting to understand why the Queen of England insists that I call her 'Liz.' This 'Majesty' stuff gets very tedious, very fast. But may we come in?"

Again Mary was nonplused. "Oh, dear! I'm terribly sorry." With a smile she added, "Karla, I'm forgetting my manners. Please come into the library. Billy and I were just reading in the Prague papers all about your wedding. Some of the stories are really quite funny!"

When they went into the library, Mary said, "Would you mind if I call my husband, Bill? He's at the office, but can be home in less than thirty minutes. And when I tell him who's here, he might even make it back in fifteen!" Karla and Doug said that they didn't mind a bit.

While Mary was dialing the call, Karla motioned to Doug who left the room, went out to the car, and retrieved the picture the Queen had given them for Billy.

Meanwhile, Mary had reached Bill on his private phone. "Darling," she said, "we have company. Queen Karla of Bohemia is here at the house with her brand-new husband, Douglas, Earl of Whitfield. Can you get away?"

She held the receiver away from her ear, and everyone could hear Bill's yelp of surprise. A moment later, she quietly hung up the phone.

"How did you find us?" she asked softly. "I understand that given adoptive privacy and all that stuff, it's not easy to do." She paused and then continued, "But I guess, being royalty and connected across the whole continent of Europe, it wouldn't be too hard, would it? And you are Billy's mother, aren't you?"

"Mary, I'll tell you the truth," Karla replied. "Less than six months ago, I didn't even know that my baby was a boy. Although I gave birth by myself, the Mother Superior took him away while I was still so far gone from the pain that I didn't even know my own name."

"But how, then?" Mary said, puzzled. "I don't understand."

Rather than replying in Billy's presence, Karla gave him the large wrapped package. "If you know about our wedding, you may know about this, too." To Billy she said, "Honey, this is a joint gift to you from the Queen of England and the President of the Czech Republic. I ... I hope you like it."

Although he had watched the tape several times, the relevant portion of the Queen's address had been edited out. He didn't know what Karla was talking about. When he opened it, looked at the pictures, and began to read the letters, his eyes became as wide as saucers.

"Mommy, look!" he exclaimed. "There are two letters, both addressed to me!"

Mary dropped to the floor where the frame was lying and carefully read the material. When the two had finished, she took Billy into her arms, held him tightly and said, "My darling, this confirms what we've both suspected. Your father was a hero. Your grandfather was an even greater one, helping to win the Battle of Britain and possibly saving Western Civilization in the process. And your mother! She may be the greatest heroine who ever lived. Darling, aren't you so proud?"

While the two had been reading everything very carefully, Doug had again gone to the car and this time returned with his arms full of gaily-wrapped packages. When Billy just beamed with pride, Doug said, "Billy, these are some late-arriving Christmas presents. Karla and I hope you like them."

Billy gasped with pleasure when he opened the first and found a precision scale model of a construction backhoe on which everything worked. As he started on the next gift, Karla indicated to Mary that she would like to be able to talk with her away from Billy. Mary understood instantly. After telling Billy they would be in the living room, they left him still opening his new toys.

When the three were seated in the living room, Karla asked, "Why did you adopt Billy?"

Instantly tears came to Mary's eyes and Karla went to sit beside her on the sofa. Taking the woman into her arms was all it took; Mary just came apart. Although she had no control, she realized that it was the result of meeting Karla on top of having answered the same question for Billy just a few minutes earlier.

When Mary's crying abated somewhat, Karla eased her away and then melted her lips to hers. The power of Karla's kiss almost instantly rendered the woman unconscious. While she held the limp woman in her arms, Karla realized that Mary, too, had a lovely bodily fragrance. Finally, she could feel the woman regain consciousness, so she very gently released her.

"Who are you?" Mary asked, still in a state of shock. "Are you human? The power of your kiss is almost lethal. I could never imagine the power of love, goodness and Divine grace. You're just loaded with it, aren't you? There's so much, it just pours out like water flowing over the spillway of a dam."

"Don't worry, Mary," Doug said softly. "It hasn't killed anybody ... yet!" With a grin he added, "When it does, I'll be the first to go. I get it all day, every day."

With that comment Mary smiled. It was the first easy smile they had seen since they arrived and it was truly lovely. She studied Doug carefully, then nodded her head firmly. "You might make it, Lord Whitfield..."

"The name is Doug," he interrupted. "Of course Karla has a number of less-complimentary names..."

"You might make it, Doug," Mary began again. "You're ... what? About 230 or 240?"

"Down to 225," Doug answered. "Of course, that was before the wedding. Now, I'm probably down to 190 or 195."

"You poor thing!" Mary exclaimed sarcastically, but with a broad grin. "Are you suggesting that Karla is wearing you out?"

"I'm afraid so," Doug admitted. "I was so dazzled by her beauty, I never realized..."

He shook his head and started again. "You see, she was a virgin when we met. How could I possibly have known that she was a virgin nymphomaniac?" He shook his head and added, "Of course, when I signed up for SAS, there was a combat life expectancy measured in milliseconds, so I guess it doesn't matter too much, does it? I'm already on borrowed time."

Mary didn't respond. Instead, she addressed Karla's original question. "Karla, you asked how we came to adopt Billy, and I guess I came apart." Again tears started to flow from her eyes, but now she was maintaining control. "You see, Billy asked me the very same question just before you arrived. I guess it got to me."

She paused and then continued, "I just waited too long. I was doing something important," she said with a wry smile. "I was a lawyer! Now isn't that just neat? Good Heavens! Now I know that the thing that makes women so different from men is that we can give birth. We can create new life! And I blew it utterly!"

"If you had it to do over, what would you do, Mary?" Karla asked quietly.

The woman's face suddenly glowed. "I would have as many of the little things as God, in His infinite mercy, would allow me," she replied. She paused for a moment and then said, "Do you want to hear something funny?"

"What's that?" Karla asked.

"It was only a couple of months ago that Bill took the last of my virginity. And we've been married for over 25 years! Can you believe it?"

"You look normal, Mary," Karla responded with a sly grin. "I would never have guessed you were a retard!" Then with a broad smile she added, "I've been married for only about one day, and I've already managed to dump all of mine." Then she told the woman that Elizabeth had ordered her to be opened up end to end.

"Can I look?" Mary inquired innocently.

"I'm not there, yet," Karla replied. "But when we get back from our honeymoon, I'm certain I will be." Then she told Mary about their plans to spend three months alone and naked on a tropic island. She concluded by saying, "If we're still alive at the end, we'll be married forever!"

"But how did you find us?" Mary asked, returning to the earlier question Karla had not answered.

Rather than answering directly, Karla called out quietly, "Princess Susie, I need you."

Instantly, Susie materialized. She was wearing tight Levi's with a white sweatshirt. "Thank you, Queen Karla, for using my brand-new title." She grinned and added, "But now there's no end to the flak! I get it from everyone, but particularly from George VI and Sir Winston. Now what can I do for you?"

"First, I would like to make introductions. Princess Susie, may I present Mary Wallace. Although you certainly know her well, I don't believe you've ever really met." Then to Mary, she explained Susie's background and concluded by saying, "Along with everything else, she's Billy's Guardian Angel."

Tears were still flowing from Mary's eyes as a result of hearing the story of Susie's torture and death. But she reached out and drew the sprite to her, then kissed her softly on the lips. When they parted, Mary was surprised. "But ... but ... but there's more power in Karla's kiss than in yours! Or am I wrong?"

"No, Mary, you're absolutely right," Susie said. "Although I'm an angel, Karla ranks much higher in the hierarchy than I do."

"But what's above an angel?" Mary asked, utterly baffled. "There are angels, and then God Himself. Isn't that about it?" Susie just nodded her head. "But what does that make Karla, if she ranks above you?" This time Susie just grinned and shrugged her shoulders.

To Karla, Susie asked, "But you called?"

"Yes, darling Susie, I did call," Karla admitted. "I'm not even sure why. But I have an idea. Mary has been looking at me strangely since I arrived. Since I don't think it's my exceptional ugliness, I guess it might relate to the fact that Billy is eleven. Since I appear to be nineteen, she can't figure out how I got pregnant at the age of seven. Then there's the matter of timing with some of the things I've done and things that have been done to me." Looking at Mary she asked, "Right?"

Mary nodded and then said, "We might as well get it all out on the table. You are the most beautiful woman alive. Although, from what Susie said, I'm not certain you're either alive or human. But yes, I have been wondering how you did what you did."

"First, I'm 28 years old," Karla said. "Now do things make more sense?"

"But you can't be!" Mary protested. "You are youthful perfection!"

"Me, perfect? Not!" Karla exclaimed.

Mary grinned at the American colloquialism as Karla continued, "Susie, a few minutes ago, Mary admitted to what we both had suspected. She and Bill adopted Billy when she realized her biological clock had run down and she could no longer have children."

Karla paused and then continued, "I know that the Wallaces are pleasing in the sight of Almighty God. I also know, Susie, that you're the one who runs the time clock backwards. If it be God's will, please run it back on Mary? Allow her to experience for herself the joy of giving birth. Allow her to nurse an infant at her perfect breast. Please? For me?"

Susie just tapped her foot, although she was hovering in midair. "Speaking of slow learners ... Karla, you know as well as I do that God must hear your prayer in the same way you must breathe. Is that clear enough?"

Then she spun around to face Mary. "This is really going to be easy," she said softly. She stared at the woman while Doug and Karla watched years disappear. In moments, Mary was back to age 21, but now her clothes were hanging on her like a tent. Susie grinned and an instant later her Levi's and sweatshirt were again perfectly sized.

Sheepishly, Susie said, "I also took the liberty of changing your wardrobe a bit. Your things would no longer fit, and many of them you would no longer care to wear now that you're 21 again."

Mary wriggled in the sweatshirt and then her eyes widened. "My bra! Where did it go?" Then she felt her bottom and could feel the outline of bikini briefs. "And my panties! Good Heavens, Susie, I can't wear a bikini!"

Susie just grinned and said, "Wait until Bill gets you alone tonight." She shook her head with apparent sadness and said, "You're really going to hate me, though."

"And why would I hate you?" Mary asked.

"Because you're going to be bleary-eyed for weeks to come. It comes of not getting enough sleep. That comes, in turn, from endless all-night fuck sessions." With a grin she admonished in a sing-song voice, "You'll be sorry..."

Finally the reality of what had happened registered in Mary's brain. At that she dropped to her knees, clasped her hands and prayed, "Lord, I am not worthy..."

"You're plenty worthy enough!" the stentorian Voice declared. "Mary Wallace, you and Bill are very pleasing in My eyes. And as for you, Karla, what you did doesn't even register as a prayer. I've just been waiting for an excuse to do what I just did. Mary, as a mother, you are utterly superb. And you will feel the joy of nursing an infant at your tit. I promise it. Clear?"

"It is very clear, Lord!" Mary responded. Then with a note of alarm she said, "But what about poor Bill? I mean ... He's nearly 57 years old. While I will birth the babies, he has to father them. And fathering at an age when most people are grandparents is..."

"When he arrives home, Mary, Bill will be 26. I don't think that's too old, do you?" Susie asked.

Just then the door opened and Bill Wallace came into the living room. Mary jumped up from the floor and buried herself in his arms. When she raised her face for a kiss, Bill realized that she was again young and very slender. Their kiss was the finest ever.

Karla and Doug could see the electricity flowing between them. "Isn't it neat?" she whispered.

When the now-young couple broke apart, Mary performed the introductions and then explained what had happened. Only then did Bill realize that he had become more than 30 years younger than he had been at the office just minutes earlier.

Then the four went to the library where Billy was still absorbed with his new toys. Billy looked up when they entered and then did a double-take when he saw Mary. His eyes widened and he said, "Mommy! What happened?"

"Darling, remember what we were talking about this morning? How Mommy's biological clock ran down, so I could not have children? Well, darling, God reversed the clock, so now I can."

She looked embarrassed as she continued, "But from now on, Billy, please knock before you come into our bedroom, okay?"

"Why, Mommy?" Billy asked with false innocence. "Just because Daddy's going to be probing your insides all the time isn't a very good reason, is it?"

"William Wallace, junior, wherever did you hear such things?"

"We're precocious, Mommy. Haven't you ever heard of sex education?"

"For eleven-year-olds? Hell, no!" Mary exclaimed. Then with a grimace she added, "Now what are we going to do?"

"Let me watch?" Billy asked casually. Then he blushed and admitted that he had seen them making love a couple of times before. "But never all the way," he said, "and certainly never when you looked as beautiful as you're looking right now."

Then he cocked his head and said, "Mommy, you're not even wearing a bra anymore, are you?"

Glaring at him, Mary replied, "No, I'm not, young man. But I think I'll wash your mouth out with soap! The idea! Watching Daddy and me make love..."

Bill Wallace returned from the kitchen with drinks, and the two couples, along with Billy, sat in the library. Finally, Mary said out loud what was on everyone's mind. "What about Billy now?" she asked.

"Mary Wallace, he is your son!" Karla replied. "Furthermore, Doug and I are out of action for the next three months — and that's assuming we survive. It could be forever."

Karla looked at Mary carefully and then added, "But it looks like you have something in mind. Do you?" She paused and then continued, "I do know that you have done something I've never heard of before. And I can't tell you how I felt when Billy greeted me at the door, speaking Czech. It was utterly unbelievable. Then there's the fact that Billy, unlike many adoptees, knows he's adopted. But what's on your mind?"

"Karla, you know that Bill and I just adore Billy. For us, the sun rises and sets in the little guy. But now we meet his real mother and receive confirmation of the fact that she's the greatest heroine alive in the world today and one of the greatest of all time. Moreover, being of noble birth, you and Doug could give Billy things we never could."

She paused, swallowed hard, and continued, "But there's more. I'm sure you've already gathered that both Billy and I were almost certain you were his true mother from the first time we saw your picture. Don't ask me how he knew, but he just knew. So did I."

When Mary looked into Karla's eyes, Karla could see the pleading in them as she added, "Do you have an idea?"

"Could we share in some way?" Karla asked softly. "Doug and I would love to be able to take Billy around Europe. I know Queen Elizabeth would love to meet him. Doug's grandfather, the Duke, is now married to my mother. I just know they will utterly adore him. In England there is an enormous estate — mostly just moor — but it's wonderful for horseback riding. There are a pair of Royal Bengal tigers for him to play with. Could we do something like that?"

Bill and Mary Wallace exchanged looks and then looked at Billy. "Darling," Mary said, "you're the one most directly concerned. What do you think?"

Speaking softly, Billy replied, "Mommy, I guess deep down we both expected this. You said it yourself: The first time we saw my mother, we knew she was my mother. Then today, when she kissed me, I felt something indescribable: I felt my mother's kiss."

Tears were beginning to flow down his cheeks, but Billy kept his head up as he continued, "But on the other hand, I have the best Mommy and Daddy in the whole world. No child has ever received the level of love and attention I have. I know it, Mommy and Daddy, and it's important for you to know I know it.

"But would it be possible to spend a little time each year with my mother and her husband? Maybe, when you're getting as big as a house and are ready to deliver a baby?"

"Billy, there's something that your mother needs to know," Karla interjected. "She's never going to be as big as a house. You see, we have always felt that maternity clothes are terminally tacky, so we never wear any."

To Mary she said, "You'll know you're about ready to deliver when you have trouble buttoning your Levi's. As far as the delivery itself is concerned, what I hear is that the women all have had more painful bowel movements than deliveries." With a grin she asked, "I hope you're not too terribly disappointed?"

She snapped her fingers and then added, "Oh! Another thing. There won't be any stretch marks, either. There's nothing being stretched."

Then she looked sad as she concluded, "The other side of the coin is that you won't get any relief from Bill, either." Looking up at the ceiling, she looked like she was trying to remember something. Then with a determined nod she concluded, "I think the record was a woman whose husband's sex came out a moment ahead of the baby's head. Sort of a continuous motion, if you follow." She snapped her fingers again and then said, "That's it! Her husband sort of stretched the passage and the baby just flowed out."

Looking at Doug she said, "Darling, don't forget to remind me to do it when the time comes."

Suddenly Karla began to blush. When Mary asked her what was going on she replied, "I just realized that Doug and I hardly ever wear clothes. When we meet again after our honeymoon, it will be after having worn no clothes at all for three months." Looking into Mary's eyes she said, "Darling Mary, Billy will be seeing Doug and me bare. I hope this doesn't louse everything up?"

Now it was Mary's turn to look guilty. "Billy, Daddy and I have a confession to make. When you're away on a sleep-over, we spend the time bare, too. Now that my body's back ... No! Not back." Looking directly into Karla's eyes she said, "Never in my life did I look the way I look now ... or the way I think I look,  anyway."

Sitting up as straight on the sofa as she could, Mary could feel her now-erect nipples poke at the material of the sweatshirt. Good grief! she thought. But I don't even care.

"Billy, I'm afraid you're just going to have to get used to seeing your father and me bare." Swallowing hard, she added, "And I guess we might as well further your sex education, too."

Then she grinned and concluded, "There's just one thing. From now on, Billy, please call before you bring any friends over. It might prove to be a bit embarrassing for them.

Then Billy, looking bashful said, "Mommy, may I show my scrapbook to my mother?"

"Of course you can, darling," Mary replied. "In fact, I think she'll find it very interesting."

When Billy brought out the large book he sat on the sofa between Karla and Doug and opened it. When she saw the first items, Karla gasped. "But ... but ... but this is me!" Turning to Billy she asked, "Why, darling? Why did you make it?"

"Because, Mother," the boy replied, "I guess from the first moment I laid eyes on you — or a picture of you — I felt a very special attraction." He looked up at her with his beautiful blue eyes and said, "Now I know it's a son's natural attraction to his mother."

It was then that Karla and Doug learned that the whole Wallace family had an excellent reading knowledge of Czech. Both were amazed as the boy casually translated stories from the Prague newspaper written in Czech at about the same speed he would read the story if it had been printed in English. "The people in the Czech Republic truly love you, Mother. To me it's both neat and scary. You were almost killed, yet you survived."

When they finished with the scrapbook, but before Billy went to put it away, Mary gave them the Prague papers from the day before. "This paper will go in, too," she said, "and probably in its entirety. The whole thing talks about nothing but you two. Why don't you read the editorial, Your Majesty. I think you'll be amused."

Karla looked up and looked hurt. "Mary..."

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty. I can't bring myself to call a person as great as you are by name..."

"Oh!" Karla exclaimed, "if that's the only problem..." Grinning she said, "Doug calls me Dumb Blonde. My sisters call me Dumb Bitch ... but only when they're being really polite. Then there's..."

"I give up," Mary said. Then to Bill she asked, "Darling, which do you prefer, Dumb Blonde or Dumb Bitch? I sort of like Dumb Bitch, myself, but I trust your judgment."

"Darling," Bill replied, "you said it yourself: When dealing with a crowned head of state, we shouldn't be too familiar. How about Karla? It's easy to say, and it isn't two words like Dumb Blonde or Dumb Bitch. Besides, you know damned well that in no time flat you would be calling her DB; you shorten everything."

"That's it!" Mary exclaimed. "From now on you're Karla or DB!" Sticking out the tip of her tongue she asked, "Happy, smarty?"

"Since you asked, yes," Karla replied.

Then she turned her attention to the editorial. She had scarcely begun reading when she began to howl with laughter. "Darling, as the paper's highest possible concession, the editors have decided that you're not the worst possible husband for me. It notes your first from Oxford, your Ph.D., your title, your medals, and so forth. But what tipped it was that you're the grandson of the man who flew with Karl Kosta, so maybe you're not completely terrible." With that the two, leaning across Billy from opposite sides, kissed.

The boy exclaimed, "Mommy, this is so neat! I can actually see the electricity between them and hear the bells. Boy! If they could only harness that energy, we could shut down a whole bunch of power plants."

Then looking past Karla and Doug, he saw his parents locked in a tight embrace, and could see the electricity flowing between them, too. Looking down he saw his father's hand squeezing one of Mary's tight buns, and could see her wriggling her pelvis against his.

"Daddy!" the boy exclaimed. "What are you doing? It looks like you're pinching her bottom. And it looks like she likes it, too!"

"I am," Bill Wallace said breathlessly.

"And I love it," Mary gasped simultaneously.

Then, after she regained her breath she murmured, "This is really going to tear it. After what God has just done for us, seeing our behavior..." She shook her head and said, "He'll undo everything."

"I most certainly will not!" the stentorian Voice declared. "As Karla and Doug can tell you, girl-watching is my favorite sport. And, Mary Wallace, as far as seeing you bare is concerned, I can hardly wait. Your children are going to be marvels — almost as good as Billy, here."

There was a pause and the Voice continued, "I'm coming to the point of view that he is in the same class with Caitlin Fitzpatrick. She was the flower girl in the wedding yesterday. Billy overflows with the same grace that she does."

Then the Voice seemed to focus on Karla and Doug as He continued, "And as for you, Karla, your birth canal is going to be awfully sore. It was your grandfather's fault, too. Karl Kosta points out that a normal family progression is 2-4-8, but you and Doug are each in the generation of 8, but there are only two of you. And then his grandmother points out that your children's generation is one of 16 — and that's on each side.

"Now Karla, I do think having 32 children is ... a tiny bit much, but I thought you should know what your grandparents are thinking about ... and expecting ... from you two." There was silence for a moment and then the Voice said, "I love you all, very much!"

At that instant the golden light appeared over them in two groups, enclosing Karla, Billy and Doug in one place, and Mary and Bill in the other. The light grew progressively brighter until it rivaled the brilliance of the sun. Then there was a soundless explosion and the golden light covered everything in the room. All the while Karla was holding Billy tightly, while Mary and Bill were holding on to one another for dear life.

When the light dissipated, Mary asked breathlessly, "What on earth was that?"

"Darling," Karla replied softly, I think you've probably heard the blessing, a part of which goes, ' ... make His light to shine upon you'?"

Mary nodded.

"Well, darling, what you just experienced was His light. And He did make it shine upon you. But you asked, 'What on earth was that?' The answer has nothing to do with Earth at all. Understand?"

Dropping to her knees, Mary began to sing in a magnificent voice, "Praise God from whom all blessings flow." Although tears were streaming from her eyes, the volume of her singing soon had the walls shaking, particularly when Bill joined in with his magnificent baritone voice. Even little Billy joined their singing for the second and subsequent verses.

When they concluded, the Voice said softly, "Thank you, Mary and Bill. Perhaps I'm a bit egotistical, but that's one of my favorite hymns. Never have I heard it sung better or with greater feeling. What you have done is to confirm that I did the right thing for the right people. You two are deserving of all my love. And you have it! Clear?"

"But what about our lovemaking and Billy," Mary asked softly. "Won't it... ?"

"Hurt him? Of course not!" the Voice responded.

Then he told how a number of children regularly assisted their parents, particularly including Caitlin. "And you certainly know my regard for Caitie!" he concluded. Then there was a deep-toned chuckle and He added, "As much as I detest the phrase, this can even be a 'meaningful learning experience' for Billy. He can observe both sets of parents and pass tips back and forth. I think it's neat, Myself."

At that Mary stripped off her sweatshirt, unbuttoned her Levi's and stepped out of them. Looking at Bill she asked, "Do you approve, darling?"

Bill just licked his lips and winked.

Then to Billy she said, "What do you think, young man?"

Before he could reply, Bill had grabbed one of Mary's buns and squeezed. She moaned and languidly stretched her bare body back against his, while she sensuously rotated her pelvis.

"Mommy, what are you doing?" Billy exclaimed.

"I'm delighting in the way your Dad is squeezing my bun. And there are two reasons for that. First, never in my life has it been so firm, and second, it's never been so small." Again she sighed, and Billy could see that her nipples were now engorged and standing up proudly on her perfect tits. Turning her head to look at Bill she asked, "Am I a nice handful now, darling?"

"Mary Wallace, you're perfect!" Bill declared. Then to Billy he asked, "But what do you think?"

"What can I think?" Billy replied. "There's no one to compare her to. And I've never seen a nude woman before ... Not even a picture!"

With that Karla rose and turned her back to Doug. He undid the hook at the collar and unzipped her dress in back. Gracefully she stepped out of it so she was only wearing her heels, her bikini, her collar and her watch.

"But you're both still dressed," Billy protested.

The two women looked at each other and slipped off their bikinis.

"Better?" Mary asked softly.

"Just look at each other," Billy said.

The two women did and realized they had become physically almost identical. Then Mary snapped her fingers, went to the desk and returned with a wooden pencil. After telling Karla to stand up straight, she gently lifted her right tit, put the pencil under it, then released both. The pencil dropped to the floor. After picking it up again, she did to herself what she had done to Karla and achieved the same result. Karla had been watching with increasing wonder.

When the pencil fell to the floor the second time, she asked, "What on earth was that?"

Mary was elated. "Billy, both of your mothers have passed the pencil test."

Then to the others she explained that it was a test the girls used to try in the dorm at college. The idea is to have tits that are high and perky. For most of the girls whose tits were big enough to matter, they were flabby enough that the weight of the tit would hold the pencil against the girl's chest. About the only girls who ever passed were the ones with chests like boys.

Turning to Bill she asked, "Darling, do you like my perky tits? Did you notice the way my nipples are so hard?"

Bill just licked his lips, while Billy grinned.

Then Mary dropped to her knees to look closer at the way Karla's pubic patch had been reduced to just a small, dense muff right above her slit. "Karla, it's utterly stunning!"

Looking up at Bill she asked, "Darling, would you mind if I pluck out my extra pubic hair?" With a grin she added, "You've always wanted to eat me, and this way you won't get any pubic hair caught in your teeth. Okay?"

"Darling, you are utterly exquisite," Bill replied. "But I do think it would look neat."

Karla put her clothes back on while Mary disappeared upstairs to change. When she returned, she was wearing a dress similar to Karla's. After a second drink was served along with hors d'oeuvres Mary made, Doug asked if he could take them all out to dinner. "I hear there's a place here in Columbus with very fine sea food called Engine House #5. Do you know it? And is it any good?"

"It's a neat place," Bill replied. And looking at his son he said, "The fact is it's Billy's favorite place to eat in the whole world."

They quickly agreed and everyone put on coats. Diffidently, Doug offered to drive. "I've got a Rolls convertible out front," he said. "It's much too cold to have the top down, but Billy might like to ride in it." Then with a grin he added, "Since they have valet parking at Engine House #5, I've always found that a Rolls impresses the hell out of them. For some strange reason, they always seem to park it right out front so you can reclaim it in a matter of seconds."

Getting into the car, the Wallaces sat in the back with Billy between them. As they were driving to the restaurant, Billy said, "Boy! I really have it all. There are a lot of kids with only one parent, and some with none. I'm the only boy in the world with two full sets! And they're the greatest in the whole world!"



-------

Chapter 32



"Marion," Don murmured with his eyes closed, "would you please tell your daughters to stop assaulting me."

Don, Marion, Anna and Maria were all in the bathtub together. While Don floated between them, the girls were using their distended nipples to gently massage his chest. While they worked, his hands were below the water. One of the girls' buns was grasped in each hand. Whenever he squeezed, they would moan and rotate their nipples even faster. Marion was standing between his legs with a portable phone held between her shoulder and her ear to keep her hands free to gently massage his turgid cock and swollen balls.

"Excuse me a second, Barb," she said into the instrument. "I have to take care of a small crisis here in the tub."

"Small crisis in a bathtub?" Barb asked. "Sounds interesting. What's going on?"

"Give me a moment to find out and I'll tell you, Daughter," she replied.

Then to Don she said, "Darling, how are the girls assaulting you?"

"With their turgid nipples," he complained. "They've practically gouged furrows in my chest!"

"Oh, you poor darling!" she exclaimed. Then she lowered her head, took the head of his cock in her mouth and both licked it and sucked on it. "There, darling, mother kissed it and made it better. Besides, Don, there's scarcely any blood flowing at all." With that she went back to her conversation with Barb.

Three days had passed since they had last heard from Doug and Karla. The couple were staying with the Wallaces and having a marvelous time.

The day before, Barb and Steve had gone down to London. Since Marion had indeed become one of the Queen's closest friends, when she had mentioned to Liz that Barb and Steve were going down to London, she had insisted that they be her guests at the Palace. The phone conversation was Barb's report on what had happened already.

"Darling, I can't tell you what it's been like!" Barb enthused. "Remember, I'm just a small-town girl from Indiana, and Steve's even worse. He's from Wyoming. Would you believe Liz took us to a command performance of a new musical? I thought we were living high on the hog for the last six months or so, but never like this. It was unreal."

She paused and then continued, "The Royal Box is definitely the place to be. And I mean ... Liz enters her box, with Steve and me behind her. We see that the houselights are up and the entire audience is standing, facing us. Then the orchestra plays God Save the Queen. It's utterly spectacular!

"And to see a musical while sipping Dom Pérignon is really the way to go."

Then she told Marion that at her insistence, Liz was letting her cook the dinner the following night. "The chef was really pissed, but there was nothing he could say. Her Majesty had spoken."

Barb described her day of shopping and then said, "Incidentally, Liz and Princess Anne will be coming up with us. We told her we took the train down, but she insists on driving us back up. It's going to be a real caravan, too. They're trucking several of their horses up with us, and plan on doing some riding. Are you prepared?"

"We will be," Marion assured her. "The first thing I have to check is to be sure we have enough empty stalls in the horse barn, and prepare John Fox for company."

Then she hung up, put the flip-phone away, and turned her full attention to Don.

By this time his cock was in a full erection as a result of her fondling and the incredible sensations the girls had been creating with their nipples on his chest. "The poor, lonely thing," Marion murmured. Then she went down on it, took it in her mouth and proceeded to use all her skill to torment him. After minutes of sucking, licking and swallowing it to her core, Don was almost in tears because she was using her skill to prevent him from cuming. When he screamed for release, she withdrew his cock so only the tip was in her mouth. Then she very cutely cocked her head, pretended to think about his request, firmly shook her head and went back to her torment.

Finally, as she knew it would, his need for release overwhelmed her skill and he began to pump semen into her mouth. When she swallowed every drop, she carefully licked off his cock and kissed its tip. Finally straightening up in the tub — the water was about four feet deep — she cocked her head and savored the taste. "Donald, I do believe that was Whitfield '47," she said softly.

Then with a wonderful smile she added, "Truly a '20' year, darling."

By this time Don was starting to regain his breath and could speak. At the peak of his torment, it had taken the combined strength of both girls to hold his body in place. Pretending to glare at Marion he said, "And is this the thanks I get? I saved your grandfather's life, and you try to kill me! Good grief, woman! What did I ever do to deserve this?"

While her eyes were dancing with glee, Marion faked a pout and said, "A nice guy you are, Donald Whitfield! I compliment you on your vintage semen and all I get are complaints. Thanks a helluva lot!" But with that she lowered his legs so that he could stand upright. Then moving close she melted her lips to his. While the electricity flowed between them, Don caressed her buns and triggered an orgasm. He repeated it when he teased her nipples and again when his tongue touched hers.

Easing out of the kiss, she just rested her head on his shoulder while savoring the sensations he was creating in her body. Periodically, her body would buck again as he did something which triggered another orgasm. With her head on his shoulder and her mouth close to his she murmured, "I adore you, Donald Whitfield."

"Sister, aren't our parents neat?" Anna asked Maria.

"And isn't it a good thing Dad's 82?" Maria replied. "If he were young and virile, Mom would be dead!"

At that comment both Don and Marion stuck out their tongues and said in unison, "Jealous!"

"Very!" Maria quickly agreed.

Then the playacting was over and she said, "That was so incredibly great!" She shook her head and tears started to flow as she said, "God! Please help Anna and me. We see the incredible love our parents share, and it makes us feel so utterly useless."

The four got out of the tub and after exchanging glances, put the girls on the massage tables, with Don working on Anna, while Marion massaged Maria.

"I thought you two were getting squared away with the Campbell brothers?" Marion asked as she worked more of the expensive musk oil into her skin. "And by the way," she commented, "if we haven't said it before, your father and I utterly adore you two."

"And we can't tell you what you mean to us, Mommy," Maria murmured sleepily. "For two orphans — two prostitutes — to be welcomed into a noble family is simply beyond belief!" She paused and then said, "The Campbells are okay, I guess..."

"Okay?" Marion asked skeptically. "Just okay?"

"But Mommy, look at us and then look at them!" Maria protested.

"I just did," Marion replied acerbically. "They're not nearly good enough for you. But who is? They seem bright enough, and good-looking enough. But what do you two think?"

"I think I'm madly in love with Mike," Maria replied, "And Anna's in love with Mark."

Her sleepiness now a thing of the past, she rolled on her back to be able to look Marion in the eye. "You know, Mommy, it's really funny. They have never touched us, but I'm certain that when I kiss Mike, I'll hear the bells and feel that marvelous electricity that flows between you and Daddy whenever you kiss; Anna feels the same way about Mark. But the funny thing is we're both equally certain that if either of us kissed the other's brother, it would be like kissing a brother. Truly! Does that sound really stupid, or what?"

"No, darling, it sounds like your customary brilliance," Marion replied softly.

Then she leaned over and melted her lips to Maria's. Instantly there was a two-way flow of love, happiness and grace. As the intensity of their kiss increased, both Anna and Don could see something happening; it was as if the air in the bathroom had become charged with electricity. It became a clash of wills, as the power just continued to rise.

Suddenly the Voice sounded, "Would you two kindly knock that off, before you trigger a continent-wide power failure! I will say it just one last time: you — all four of you — are among my very finest creations ... Ever! In all of history!" Then the voice truly thundered, shaking the room, "Am I making Myself clear?"

"Very clear, Lord," Marion replied; only then did she realize her whole body was shaking. "But I'm—"

"—one of My most perfect creations!" the voice thundered again. "I sincerely hope that this is the end of the discussion."

Then His voice softened as he added, "I cannot tell you how much joy you create up here with the way you treat Anna and Maria. And, along with Karla, they are the daughters of you and Donald. They are truly flesh of your flesh and blood of your blood."

He paused for a moment and then continued, "You know, this solves a problem for me. I recognize all of your shared concerns with the dukedom, and so forth. But at the same time, it is only right that there should be some human heritage of the monumental love you share. Well, now there is. There is only one more thing. Some of you have figured out the way the aging process works: As long as a man and woman keep producing gorgeous babies, they do not age. The aging process only restarts when procreation ends."

There was the sound of snapping fingers and then the Voice continued, "Oh, by the way, Marion, you can throw away those pills. You just will not become pregnant. But back to the aging process. Since you are not having children, your ageing and Donald's becomes dependent upon the girls and their husbands. When they stop having children, you will all begin again to age."

There was the sound of a booming chuckle and He continued, "So it's really in your best interest to encourage the production of lots of grandchildren for you to love and spoil. And I can assure you both that you have enough love to spoil a great many grandchildren!"

"Mommy!" Maria exclaimed, "It's now official. I am your daughter!"

With that she jumped down from the massage table and knelt on the tile. Clasping her hands in prayer, she prayed, "Holy God, we praise thy name; all above and on Earth adore thee..." She continued speaking the words of the hymn and when she finished, she just remained kneeling, looking upward.

A moment later she was enveloped in the golden glow that grew steadily brighter and then exploded. When it did, they all heard the Voice say, "And all above adore thee, Maria, and Anna, and Marion, and Donald..." The Voice tailed away and then spoke again. "I hope that message was clear enough."

Marion looked around and asked, "By the way, where are our resident tigers, anyway? I haven't seen them all day."

Maria rose to her feet and grinned at her mother, "Mom, I guess you weren't paying much attention. Yesterday, we got another bunch of computers. Dad set one up just for Duke and Duchess with an 8-disk changer on its CD player. My guess is you will find them seated side by side staring at the CRT absorbing more knowledge."

She grinned, shook her head and added, "One of these days, I'll have to tell them they're not human. They're not capable of studying like that."

Hearing that Marion began to gently run her fingers all over Maria's body and all of her extremities. Although she loved the feeling, nevertheless she asked, "Mommy, what are you doing?"

"Darling, I'm just trying to fix in my mind how beautiful you looked when all your arms and legs and your head were still attached." Then with her eyes wide she added, "You will let me know before you tell them, won't you? That way I can be sure to be well away from the castle. You know I can't stand the sight of blood, and hearing your screams of agony might later keep me awake nights."

Then while stroking Maria's hair, she said, "But I understand completely, darling. And you're absolutely correct: Tigers are incapable of human forms of learning ... As long as it's you telling them, not me!"

Anna and Don howled with laughter at Maria's expense. Maria just grinned sheepishly and shook her head. "I might have known," she muttered.

"By the way, Mom," Anna interjected, "Never try to take on the tigers in a game requiring fast reactions. It's literally true that no human has reactions a fraction as fast as theirs. They are truly unbeatable."

With a grin she told how the day before she had set up a connection for Duke in an interactive Internet game. After playing for more than five hours and blowing away dozens of opponents, he retired undefeated. "And Mom," she concluded, "I'll bet that if you checked in six months you would find that "Duke of Prendwick" is still the all-time champion."

"I like that!" Don declared, "Sir Duke and Dame Duchess of Prendwick sound like a marvelous titles to me. Anna, be sure to tell them." Anna just grinned.



-------

Chapter 33



Two days later at ten in the morning, a caravan of cars, trucks and trailers rolled up the drive to Prendwick Castle. Marion and Don were standing at the massive door to welcome their guests. Elizabeth alighted from her car, followed by Princess Anne.

Elizabeth rushed over to Marion, took her in her arms and kissed her. When she did, again she felt the surge of love and grace. "I've missed you, darling," Liz whispered, "and not just your cooking, either."

Marion just grinned as Liz held out her hand to her daughter. "Anne, I would like you to meet my dearest personal friend, Marion, Duchess of Northumbria." Anne acknowledged the introduction and then the Queen said, "And I'm sure you remember Donald, the Duke."

"You mean, Douglas, Earl of Whitfield, don't you mother? Donald is 82." Then she looked puzzled and added, "But I could have sworn Douglas was in his mid-thirties. This man is in his mid-twenties." The woman then looked nonplused when everyone started to howl with laughter.

"Daughter, I can assure you that this, indeed, is Donald, 12th Duke of Northumbria. And in spite of his appearance, he truly is 82." Then in a stage whisper she added, "I even ran his fingerprints through Scotland Yard to be certain."

Now the Princess was in a state of near-shock. "But sir, you can't possibly be..." and her voice just trailed off.

"I'm afraid I am," Don replied with a grin. "And, Princess Anne, the reason I look so feeble is what my bride does to me every night."

He paused and mused, "I guess I didn't know when I was well off. Just a few weeks ago, I had trouble sleeping because of all the aches and pains of old age. Now, I can sleep like a log, but my sexually insatiable bride won't let me. It's no wonder I'm aging so fast!"

"You poor thing!" Liz sympathized. "And what a way to treat a hero."

Taking Marion by the hand she drew her closer to Anne and said, "Just look, dear, at what this poor man has to share a bed with. Why ... why..." Then she grinned and finished, "It's Heaven, is what it is! Anne Windsor, this woman is female perfection."

The party moved inside the castle. Liz ran up to the same room she had used before, while Marion escorted Anne to another guest suite. Holding the door open, Anne walked in as if she were in a state of shock. "Good heavens, Duchess Marion," the woman exclaimed. "Never have I seen such palatial quarters. And I am most particularly including Buckingham and Windsor palaces in that statement."

"Anne," Marion said softly, "could you bring yourself to call me Marion? Your mother does, and insists I call her 'Liz'. Now wouldn't it sound a bit odd for me to call Her Majesty, the Queen of England, 'Liz', and call her daughter, Princess Anne, 'Princess Anne'?"

"'Anne' or 'Annie' would be just fine, Marion," Anne replied with a warm smile.

Then, while alone in the suite with Marion, Anne took her hands in both of hers and just stared into her eyes. Then, moving as if in trance, she came closer, tipped her head and melted her lips on Marion's. When she felt the flow of the purest love and Divine grace, she started to faint.

Marion quickly caught her and held her tightly while waiting for the princess to recover. Finally Anne blinked once and then again. Then her eyes opened and she slowly shook her head to clear it. "Wow!" she exclaimed. "No wonder Mum wants to think of you as her closest friend. Without question you are the most loving, the most generous and the most graceful — in the truest sense of the word — woman in all of Great Britain."

Then Anne slowly moved her fingers over Marion's arms and shoulders, then looked down at her Levi's-encased legs. Again she shook he head and with a quirky grin added, "And the most athletic!"

Now her grin widened and she said, "No wonder Mum was urging me to be sick during the Edinburgh Horse Show. I think I'll develop a muscle spasm or something." She looked thoughtful, shook her head and added, "Hell, I'll think of something. Or the Royal Physician will. I'm looking for something that will force me to give up competitive riding."

Now glaring at Marion she added, "And, Marion Whitfield, it's all your fault, too!" With a petulant look she continued, "It's just not fair! Why should one woman have absolutely everything? It's just not fair," she repeated.

At that the Voice said, "Who said the world was fair? But I'm glad you like Marion, Anne. She is one of My most perfect creations." There was a momentary pause and then the Voice added, "And that's after quite a few millennia of creating, too."

Anne was utterly stunned. "Was that... ?"

Marion just nodded once.

At that, to Marion's utter amazement, the Princess dropped to her knees, kissed Marion's moccasin top and murmured, "Lord, I am not worthy to be in the same room with this woman..."

"You're doing just fine, Anne," the Voice responded. "Now get off your knees before you ruin your dress. You haven't even put on your Levi's yet." There was a pause and then, "Good grief! And you're a Royal Princess."

Then in a very kindly tone the Voice added, "And a very lovely and very charitable one, too. I want you to know that I have taken very careful notice of all of the time and energy you devote to many truly worthy causes around the Kingdom. I want you to know that it is not unnoticed and most certainly will not go unrewarded. Do you understand? Your behavior has been very pleasing in My eyes."

There was another short pause and, "But being ill during the Edinburgh Show demonstrates remarkable wisdom on your part. After all, Princess, one cannot lose if one does not compete, can one?"

Slowly Anne rose, all the while staring into Marion's eyes. "You are truly blessed by Almighty God, aren't you?" She shook her head again and then said, "But don't you find this whole royal routine silly and stupid? And so incredibly beneath you?"

"No, Anne, I really don't," Marion replied. "In the last few days I have come to know your mother, the Queen." Glancing upward she continued, "I can tell you that she is very highly regarded up there, too. But with respect to the ceremony, to some degree it is the mortar that holds the country together. Your mother, our Queen, represents the finest things England stands for. She is not a woman, Anne, she's a symbol.

"It's for this reason Don and I truly welcome your visits. We recognize she is a woman. And as a woman, she can get pretty tired of being a symbol all the time. I will only add that here in Whitfield, she is personally revered. The people here truly love her, as I'm sure you will see for yourself. And being on the far side of nowhere, I guess Whitfield offers her a place to relax and be herself. You see, Anne, she knows I love her as a woman,  not merely as a queen. I guess she appreciates it." Then with a grin Marion added, "And she likes the food, too."

After Anne slipped into a pair of Levi's and a sweatshirt, they rejoined the others. After deciding that no one felt like eating, they went over to the stable where seven horses were saddled and ready.

Marion could scarcely control a giggle as the Queen's groom slowly shook his head. "Sam is being fixed up, Your Majesty. John Fox, here, said no one could touch Satan except Her Grace." Then glumly he added, "John's right. No one else can." Shaking his head he added, "I'm afraid Your Majesty will have to give up the idea of buying him from the Duke. Even if you did, you couldn't do anything with him, except feed him, of course." Both the Duke and the Queen howled with laughter.

Anne followed Marion into the stable. At his first sight of her, Satan gave a whinny of welcome and started tapping a hoof on the stable floor in impatience. "Don't be in such a big rush!" Marion teased him.

But she took an apple from the bag and stroked the stallion's neck while he munched on it. When she retrieved his tack and began to saddle him, he was standing as still as a statue to make it as easy as possible. In moments, he was all ready and Marion led him out of his stall.

"What a magnificent animal!" Anne exclaimed. "Never have I seen a horse like that one. Marion, is he as good as he looks?"

"You're the world-class rider; I'm not," Marion replied. "Why don't you watch him work and then you tell me."

After leading him out of the stable, Marion got up on the saddle in a single fluid motion. Then after walking Satan around to loosen him up a bit, rode over to the jumping ring. In the intervening days, John Fox had replicated the layout of the Edinburgh show in their ring.

With perfect bearing, Marion rode him over to where the judges would be. At that point Satan executed a perfect bow, then trotted off to the starting position. At the starting signal Satan was off. With utterly flawless form he sailed over every jump, apparently with feet to spare. Completing the full circuit, Marion let him dance completely around the ring making bows to the crowd.

As he was dancing around the ring, Fox had held up an electronic stopwatch so that Anne could see the recorded time for the jumping. "Good heavens!" she exclaimed. "That's seconds better than the record, and that horse doesn't look like he's even fully warmed up yet."

Meanwhile, as Satan continued his victory circuit around the ring — that was clearly what it was — Anne giggled and added, "What a ham! Aside from everything else, he's a marvelous actor."

Then to John Fox she said, "Do you get the same impression I get? That horse would do absolutely anything Marion asked of him. He's just so proud to have her aboard. I've never seen anything like it."

"Nor have we, Your Highness," Fox replied.

"The name is 'Anne, ' John," she replied. "I know you call my mother, 'Elizabeth.' She tells me that's absolutely as far as she's been able to get you to go."

Then she shook her head and murmured, "Oh, how the mighty have fallen! In the old days, John Fox, if you had refused to call her 'Liz, ' she could have taken off your head. Now all she can do is grumble." But with a very winsome grin she added, "Please, John? Anne?"

"In the old days, the monarch would have no truck, ever, with a stablehand, either!" Fox grumbled. "But if you really insist, I suppose I can call you Anne.

"But to your earlier question, honestly, we have no idea how good Satan really is. We don't think he's ever really been tested. Except in one thing, and that's pure speed. Watch, and you'll see what I mean."

Having taken his bows, Marion rode him over to the half-mile racetrack where Duke and Duchess were waiting. To Anne's utter amazement, the first thing that happened was that Satan nuzzled the two tigers, who in turn licked his neck. Then the three lined up across the track with Satan in the middle. On Marion's command, all three were off like shots.

"They're so utterly beautiful!" Anne exclaimed. "Running like that you can see the incredible muscles on all of them." Shaking her head she said, "But the tigers are just loping along, aren't they John? It looks like they could leave Satan in an instant."

"That's only because they can. All three of them do seem to enjoy this workout, though. Just watch."

All this time Marion was in perfect jockey form to enable Satan to run at his best possible speed. After completing one lap, they just kept going for two more. Crossing the line, Marion eased up and then trotted Satan around for another lap to cool down.

"Good grief!" Anne murmured. "I just realized that Marion has neither spurs nor a crop. Why not?"

"What for?" John responded. "I don't know if you noticed, Anne, but Her Grace just whispers to Satan and uses the slightest pressure of her knees and heels. He always does precisely what she wants. In fact, he seems to delight in anticipating what she wants. All Satan wants to do — all he lives for, in fact — is to please his mistress."

Glancing down at his stopwatch — he had recorded the time for the mile and a half — he grinned and held it up to Anne. "This is Satan's time for the full distance. What do you think?"

Anne's eyes widened for an instant, and then she was thoughtful. "John," she said slowly, "I have an idea. I'm sure you know that my mother has a string of racehorses, too. But Satan is faster than the best racehorses and jumps better than the best jumpers. To me, that says the Grand National Steeplechase. Have you thought about it?"

Now Fox's eyes widened. "Yes, I have," he replied softly. "But I haven't said a word to a soul. I ... I ... I was planning on seeing how well Her Grace did in Edinburgh..."

"John Fox, get serious!" Anne exclaimed. "How she does in Edinburgh? Hah! She could just mail it in. I can assure you, sir, that there's no horse and rider combination in the world that has a snowball's chance in hell of beating her."

"Really, Anne, what I wanted was your opinion of Her Grace as a rider." Fox paused and continued, "You see, ma'am, like everyone else around here, I utterly adore the woman. As a result, there's no way I can possibly be objective about her riding. But you're world-ranked as a rider. What do you think? Could you give her some pointers? A little coaching, maybe?"

"Don't be ridiculous, John," Anne said with a dismissive shrug. Then with a warm smile she added, "John Fox, that's the funniest thing I've ever heard in my life. Me give pointers to her! You've got to be kidding. The short answer is that Marion Whitfield is the most perfect rider on the most perfect horse the world has ever seen. Her riding is utterly flawless. But what do you think? You've been doing this for more years than I've been alive. And love her or not, you still have eyes."

"I think she's perfect, too," Fox replied softly. "I always have. And you're absolutely right about Satan, too. That horse will do absolutely anything for her ... and nothing for anyone else!"

The two joined Don and Liz and told them their thoughts on the Grand National. Elizabeth was utterly delighted. "Donald, you can sit with me in the Royal Box, and we can cheer Marion on." Then raising one eyebrow she asked, "I don't suppose there's any way you would allow her to wear the Royal colors, is there? As often as we've tried, no Royal horse has ever even placed in the Grand National. And she has a lock on it."

Don was shaking his head. Then he said, "Liz, you've seen the race far more often than I have. But I can certainly recall seeing on television some Grand National races where the first horses crossing the line didn't have their riders. It's a blood bath for the jockeys!"

"I thought of that," Anne interjected, "but Satan has flat speed greater than any racehorse, and jumping ability beyond that of any jumper I've ever seen. Combine them, and it's easy. I know what you're thinking about, Sir Donald, but I can guarantee that Marion can easily break in front at the start and just run away from the whole field. Satan will be taking the jumps by himself. He'll look exactly as you saw him this morning, taking his beloved Mistress out for an afternoon ride."

When they told Marion, she turned white, but then just dismissed it from immediate consideration.

Now it was the turn of Anna and Maria to ride. "I guess I can ride okay," Marion said. Her statement caused Anne to roll her eyes. She continued, " ... but I just do it. I'm really not sure how. The result is I can't coach the girls. I would really appreciate it if you would give them some pointers." Marion paused and then added, "The first time either of them was ever on a horse was only about a week ago."

Maria rode first, making two complete circuits of the Edinburgh layout. Anna followed, doing the same thing. In both cases the girls' horses bowed to the judges' box and then danced and pranced around the ring at the conclusion. Maria just sat still on her horse while Anna was making her circuit. After her "victory lap" the girls rode over side by side to where Anne had been watching.

"What are the first things we need to work on?" Anna asked. "I'm sure there must be dozens, but what are the most important things for us to do first?"

Instead of replying, Anne turned to her mother and said, "I'm taking up a new sport. Curling, perhaps. It's clear that my riding career is over."

Then pretending to cry she exclaimed, "The world's just not fair! Here I've been riding for more years than these ... these... things!...  have even been alive. But they're better after just one week than I am on my very best day."

Drawing herself up straight she said regally, "Mother, I want you to take off their heads!"

"I'm very sorry, dear!" Liz replied, taking her daughter in her arms and pretending to comfort her. "But I can't." Looking thoughtful she said, "I'm not too sure whether it was Anne Boleyn, or Jane Seymour, or someone. Maybe it happened during Lent. But anyway, we've been forced to give up on beheadings."

Cocking her head, she thought for a moment and then concluded, "As a matter of fact, I can't even remember when the last one was."

Then holding Anne away so she could look at her face she said, "I'm sorry, darling daughter, but I can't. In fact, I can't even throw them into the Tower anymore!"

Now looking furious, Anne continued, "It all started in 1215 at Runnymede, with that dumb King John. If that idiot hadn't signed that stupid Magna Carta thing, none of this could ever have happened." With tears flowing from her eyes she continued, "Face facts, Mother: The monarchy has been going downhill steadily ever since." Then looking down, she kicked the ground and muttered, "Such a big stinking deal over lopping off a couple of heads, for heaven's sake..."

"Instead of taking up curling, darling, how about acting?" Elizabeth said with a grin. Turning to the girls she said, "But she's not teasing a bit. You are utterly superb!" Then she shook her head and asked, "But how on earth did you do it? I'm being serious now."

The girls exchanged looks and both shrugged. "We ... Well, we didn't know what we were doing — we didn't even know how to get up on a horse — so we just watched Mom. She looks good on Satan, so we just tried to imitate on our horses what she was doing on Satan," Anna explained.

"Kids, you could not possibly have selected a better model to emulate than your mother," Liz replied. Then to Anne she said, "I'm sorry, dear, that I was never a better model for you to follow."

At that point everyone mounted up and began what had become their favorite game: chasing the tigers over the moors. After about an hour's riding, they pulled up to rest the horses.

Anne, riding beside the Queen, said, "Mother, this has to be the very greatest! And it really seems like everyone loves it: us, the horses, and even the tigers! They are just so incredibly great. And we don't have to keep dodging the dogs who are always getting underfoot."

Then she shook her head and said, "Mom, those girls are too much! They handle those horses as if they were born on horseback!"

"Anne, I've talked about it with Barbara Sloan. In these young women — and in Karla — you have the distillation of the very finest characteristics of European nobility accumulated over millennia. All of the bad has been burned away, leaving only the best. And, dear heart, over the years European nobility have learned how to ride horses." Looking at her daughter she asked, "But what do you think?"

"I think they are the most marvelous people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. You know, Mum," Anne continued, "if their ancestors had only a fraction of the love, grace and humanity of these girls, they would be sitting on thrones today."

She paused for a moment, then snapped her fingers and exclaimed, "That's it! I don't feel I'm dealing with social inferiors. I feel I'm dealing with social superiors! I find myself watching Marion, Anna and Maria to pick up pointers to improve my own behavior." Looking closely at her mother she asked, "Does that sound stupid?"

"No, darling, it does not. In fact," Elizabeth continued, "it demonstrates that you are indeed as bright and as observant as I always hoped you would be." Then seeing that the tigers were moving off, they resumed their futile chase.

In what was now routine, at the end of their run they reined up at The Queen's Arms. Before going in, Elizabeth looked up at the newly-repainted signboard, nodded and commented, "I think it looks really neat!"

Entering the pub they found that it was nearly full, even though it was early afternoon. Don whispered to her that most of the people were ones he had never seen before. One of the men sitting before the fire saw the Queen and instantly rose to his feet. "Gentlemen: Her Majesty, Elizabeth II, Queen of England!"

Everyone jumped to his feet and again someone began to sing, God Save the Queen.

Looking around, it was all Don could do to control his laughter. It was immediately apparent who the strangers were — they had looks of awe on their faces — and who the natives were — they looked like they were about to greet an old friend.

Elizabeth went around the room working it like an experienced politician. Donald just shook his head in utter amazement. Not only was she greeting the local people by name, she also was usually able to remember some personal element about each of them. To each she introduced her daughter, Princess Anne. At the same time, she introduced herself to the strangers in town, expressing delight that they were visiting her favorite pub in all of England. Duke, Marion, the Sloans and the girls just stood near the door, watching while Duke and Duchess drank the Snapple that John Smith had served them.

There was one man in the corner who appeared to be upset. In fact, it looked as if he had eaten something that was making him sick. Elizabeth mapped her tour around the room in such a fashion that he was the last person she reached. As she went up to him, she motioned for Don to join her. He was at her side as she extended her hand and said, "Good afternoon. I don't believe we have met before."

Jumping to his feet, the man exclaimed, "Good afternoon, Your Majesty!" Then he introduced himself as Isaac White.

"Mr. White," Liz began, "there appears to be some problem. What is it? And what brings you here to Whitfield?"

White explained that he was chief inspector for the Society of Crown Purveyors. Removing an unserved warrant from his coat pocket, he said, "I am here to close down this property and, if necessary, seize it for the Crown. This ... this ... this is utterly disgraceful!"

"And what is so disgraceful?" Elizabeth asked kindly.

"Why, I searched through all of our files, and can find no record of the proprietor ever making application! And since we are only now processing applications filed in 1986, it would be years before we processed it, anyway. Furthermore, there's that sign!"

"And what, pray tell, is wrong with the sign?"

"Why, Your Majesty, simply everything! In the first place, no purveyor may reproduce Her Majesty's coat of arms on anything in a size larger than three-eighths of an inch. Secondly, under no circumstances is it allowed to be any part of the establishment's trade name, least of all its emblem. Third, there is no way a public house could be admitted, anyway." With his eyes wide he added, "Not only do they serve ... alcoholic beverages ... they even permit smoking!"

He appeared to have more to say but Elizabeth interrupted. "That's true," Elizabeth admitted. "I truly love one of Mr. Smith's ice-cold beers served in a chilled mug! And when accompanied by one of His Grace's Cuban panatellas..." She sighed loudly. "Sheer Heaven!" Then she looked alarmed and asked, "But, Mr. White, if you won't license a public house, does that mean you wouldn't license a strip show either?"

"Your Majesty!" White almost screamed in shock. "Of course not!"

"Oh, dear!" Elizabeth murmured. "Now what are Philip and I ever to do for poor Anne here?"

White was so shaken by this time, he could scarcely speak. Being the sort of man he was, it never occurred to him that the Queen might be teasing him. Before he could say anything, though, Anne interjected, "Mommy! Do you mean you and Daddy were working to get me into a strip show?"

When Liz sadly nodded, Anne literally started to jump up and down with excitement. "But Mommy, when? Where? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because, darling, your father and I were not at all sure you have what it takes ... If you know what I mean. But then, when I saw Barbara, Marion, Karla, Anna and Maria, I thought I had found the answer. I thought that you could trade riding lessons for some body-building and posture instruction."

As she completed the sentence, her voice had slowed and dropped in volume until it ended almost in a whisper. But then she added, shaking her head, "But after today, I now see it couldn't work. Anne, darling, your father and I love you dearly. But you have nothing to trade with!" she wailed.

With that both women held one another and cried as if their hearts had been broken. Finally, appearing to regain control, Liz continued in a broken voice, "We had it all set up with the Windmill Theatre, too. I was working on the most appropriate term to use in its appointment, too." She mused, "I was thinking of 'Purveyors of show girls to Her Majesty, ' but that didn't sound quite right."

Then she shook her head and said, "But it's all over now. And the neat thing about the Windmill is that they would have taken you on as a nude mannequin if you couldn't dance." Shaking her head Liz concluded, "And I'm afraid you really can't dance."

Turning back to White, Liz said in her normal cultured tone, "But I interrupted, sir. You were saying... ?"

"Yes, Majesty. The final thing — the one that's utterly inexcusable — is that the Arms are improperly painted on the sign! Beyond the fact that they are orders of magnitude too large, and the fact that they are on public display, the Arms are incorrect!"

"Damn!" Elizabeth muttered. "And I so hate to terminate a person's employment..."

"Your Majesty?" White asked, utterly baffled by her reaction.

"Why Mr. White, you're teasing me, aren't you? Now admit it! You know perfectly well what I mean. After all, since the sign was painted by the Royal Painters at Buckingham Palace, the error clearly was theirs. And since they have little to do but to get my coat of arms right, there's nothing to do but terminate their employment, is there?"

"The sign was painted ... at the Palace?" White stammered.

"Of course it was! Who else is competent to do such work?"

Now her attitude changed completely. "Mr. White, I'm afraid there are going to be some major and rapid changes around here. In the first place, the reason you could not find Mr. Smith's application on file is that he never made one. I practically had to break the poor man's arm to get him to accept a Royal appointment. In the second place, the establishment's name is my personal selection, not his. In the third place, as I said earlier, I insisted on having the signboard painted at the Palace to avoid just such unpleasantness. Finally, did you look at the letter in the little frame by the bar?"

"Oh! You mean the one that says that the proprietor, John Smith, accepted the Royal appointment as a personal favor to you?"

Liz said that was precisely the letter she meant.

"But it's an obvious forgery, Your Majesty!"

"Forgery?" Elizabeth exclaimed quietly. "Why would you say that?"

"For two reasons. First, it is handwritten. Everyone knows Her Majesty never writes anything in longhand. Second, it is obviously hand signed. Again, everyone knows that the only authentic Royal signatures are affixed by machine."

"I'm sorry, Mr. White, but I did write that letter and I did sign it all by myself!" Now glaring at the man in scarcely-concealed fury she added, "Are we making ourselves clear?"

"Very clear," the poor man stammered.

"Now, Mr. White, please tell me how this Royal appointment business works. As a matter of fact, my family — Prince Philip and Princess Anne — have been complaining about some of the strangest items that seem continually to appear in the royal household. Who's in charge?"

"An assistant equerry of some level," White replied, terrified.

"Capital!" Liz exclaimed.

Turning to Anne she said, "Darling, since your other planned jobs and activities all seem to be falling through, I have a Royal assignment for you. First, you shall obtain from Mr. White a current list of all Crown purveyors. If you do not recognize the product or the establishment, it comes off — immediately! Clear?"

Anne nodded her head eagerly.

"Second, you will spend an hour or two going through this ridiculous ten-year backlog of applications. Using the same standards, you will respond to all of them with either an acceptance or a rejection. Finally, you will head an investigation to be conducted by Scotland Yard and MI-6 to determine if there may be any graft involved."

With a broad grin, Liz concluded, "Anne, this will make a wonderfully practical complement to all your charity work. Will you do it?"

"Of course I will, Mother," Anne replied. "After all, as you correctly pointed out, all my other employment opportunities have been shot down this afternoon, anyway."

Elizabeth just grinned at her daughter, and then winked.

Following a beautiful high tea, John Smith, accompanied by his wife, Martha, presented the bill. Don glanced at it, then put money on the table which covered it along with a very generous tip. But this time, instead of arguing, Smith took a check that Martha passed him and gave it to the Duke.

When Don saw the size of the check, he asked, "John Smith, what, in Heaven's name, is this?"

"That's Your Grace's share of the profits for the first week," he said softly. "You have completely renovated the establishment. Then, with the assistance of Her Majesty, you have done everything possible to build our business. And all of this after selling it to us for one penny!" Now looking very determined he continued, "Well, it's not fair! So Martha and I have decided that you and Her Grace are now 50 percent partners in the profits. We cover the expenses and split the profits. Now isn't that fair?"

Before Don could hotly reply, Marion had her arm resting lightly on his arm and said, "Thank you, John and Martha Smith, it is very fair. In fact, it is the finest thing anyone has done for the family since ... since ... since our late King, George VI, recognized my husband's contribution to the war effort by awarding him the Victoria Cross. John and Martha, this ranks right up there with that award. We can only thank you with utmost sincerity!"

Hearing her words, Martha broke down in tears. John took her in his arms and just held her proudly.

As they were leaving, Don took Martha aside and asked, "I hope I didn't hurt you, Martha? Nothing could be further from our wishes."

"Oh, no! Your Grace. Her Grace utterly made our day. Imagine! We — John and Martha Smith — are partners in business with Air Vice Marshal Sir Donald Whitfield, VC, DFC, KCB, 12th Duke of Northumbria and his beautiful duchess, Marion! We are utterly thrilled that you would accept. John was certain you would not, but I thought there was a chance."

Then in a confidential whisper she added, "I just knew that Her Grace has a level of love, grace and understanding that knows no bounds." Then standing back a bit she concluded, "Your Grace, you are the luckiest man in the world to have this glorious woman as your wife. She's the very best there is!"

"Thank you, Martha Smith," Don said softly. "I think I am, and I know she is."

That night after dinner, everyone was still sitting at the dining table. Cognac had been served along with coffee. When Elizabeth immediately took a cigar, Anne did, too.

Watching her mother, she puffed and then sighed. "Mommy, you really weren't kidding this afternoon, were you? You really like this."

"Anne Windsor, what an all-galaxy stupid remark that was! Of course I like it. Don't you? We have finished the finest meal I've ever had..." Interrupting herself, she turned to Barbara and said, "Lady Barbara, would you kindly explain why the dinner tonight was so much better than the one you prepared last night at the palace?"

Looking down at her plate she almost whispered, "Because the ingredients are better." Then looking up at Elizabeth she continued, "I know a great deal of what you said to that insufferable Mr. White was playacting. Nevertheless, there was a great deal of truth in what you said ... far more than I think you know."

"I suspected as much," Elizabeth replied. To Anne she said, "Honey, that was a real assignment."

"And I most certainly will really do it," Anne replied. "In fact, I can hardly wait to begin." Then after savoring her cognac and having another puff on her cigar she turned to Don and asked, "Your Grace, I have a question."

"The name is Don, Anne," he corrected. "But what is your question?"

"Whatever happened to your grandson, Doug? He used to have more dogs than a kennel. I used to feel great because I would compare myself to whichever female he was escorting, and feel I beat her going away. I was almost certain that sooner or later he might realize I was alive."

Now tears came to her eyes as she continued, "Of course, then I saw the telecast of that ball in Prague. And when he and Karla kissed, I knew it was all over. Aside from brilliance, incredible beauty, heroism ... you name it ... the love they share is so intense, it would kill any other two people."

Then looking at him plaintively, she asked, "But am I so terrible? Am I a dog, too?"

"Anne, I'm so sorry," Don said softly. "Truly I am. The fact is that Doug was certain you didn't know he was alive. He was certain that if he were to call, the response from the butler would have been, 'I beg your pardon? Douglas who?'"

Don just shook his head and said, "The fact is, darling Anne, Doug was too frightened ever to ask you out. And that's in full knowledge of his exploits with the SAS. Alone, he would charge a fortified house defended by scores of terrorists without a thought. But ask a royal princess for a date? You've got to be kidding!"

Anne looked into his eyes for a full minute and then said softly, "You're really serious, aren't you?"

"I certainly am," Doug said fondly. "And frankly, I did nothing to encourage him to call. I was certain he would get the 'Douglas who' response, too."

"Well, Mother, that settles it," Anne said. "From now on, I'm going to be aggressive. To hell with it! I'll just call them."

"It's fine with me," Elizabeth said softly. "Do it."

Anne grinned wryly and said, "And I can hear it now: 'Anne who?'"

Everyone howled with laughter.



-------

Chapter 34



For Anna and Maria, the experience was thrilling. The silver Boeing 767-ER — for extended range — was flying west at only 21,000 feet. This was only about half the altitude at which transcontinental flights normally cross the country. Moreover, their flight plan itself was quite different. Although they were flying nonstop from Newcastle to Los Angeles, they initially followed a flight plan as if they were flying to New York.

When they reached New York, air traffic control, acting on instructions from the highest level, cleared them to circle Manhattan Island and the Statue of Liberty. The clearance came in spite of the problems it created for other inbound and outbound flights. They then flew on a vector to Washington, DC, where again they did some sightseeing. Then flying southeast, they passed north of New Orleans, but still close enough to see the Crescent City, then over the plains of Texas, the Grand Canyon, Salt Lake City, and then on to Los Angeles.

Don had gone forward to speak to the two flight crews — because of the time of flight, the plane carried two — to thank them for their courtesy. He admitted that he had been to the States only once in his life, and then only to Washington, DC, when he ran the RAF's Fighter Command. Marion had never been to the States at all, and she, too, was glued to her window to see many of the sights she had read so much about and seen so often in pictures. But they weren't the only ones. The two tigers were also glued to windows. Although they had flown before, they had always been in cages, usually in the cargo hold. They utterly adored their new freedom to roam the huge cabin and were fascinated by the constantly changing scenery below them.

As they were entering final approach to LAX — Los Angeles International Airport — the pilot came on the intercom and announced, "There's been some change in plan, folks. Instead of bringing you to a United gate, I've just been ordered to taxi to the VIP section of the airport. They're not telling me what's up, but it's definitely something very big."

He paused and then added, "You women are always beautiful, but I think you'll probably want to be wearing something very nice when you deplane. Incidentally, we really lucked out. Conditions in Los Angeles are CAVU, which occurs once almost every year. The temperature is pushing 80 degrees. Quite a change from the cold and gloom of the British Isles — with all due respect, Marshal, of course."

"What's CAVU, honey?" Marion asked softly.

"It's an acronym, as I'm sure you guessed," Don replied. "It's a flyer's term and means 'ceiling and visibility unlimited.' In other words, the weather is as good as its possible ever to get."

The three women went aft to confer on apparel. They finally settled on identical white silk dresses that were very simple in cut but which could only be worn by women with perfect figures, which certainly included the three of them. Marion wore diamonds, while the girls wore triple strands of matched pearls. Then the girls tied large bows at the necks of the tigers, black for Duke, and white for Duchess.

Don was still wondering what he should wear when the pilot announced, "Marshal, more word from the ground. They tell me it would be most appropriate for you to wear your summer marshal's uniform with medals."

A few moments later, while Don was finishing his dressing, the pilot came on the intercom again and said, "Sir, I don't know what's going on, but it's big. We have the max VIP designation. There's only one higher, sir, and that's for Air Force One with the President aboard. We're not in a pattern at all. They're holding all departures and arrivals to give us a clear shot. Hope you all enjoyed the friendly skies of United!"

"They're awfully good flyers aren't they, darling?" Marion asked.

"The very best in the world," he replied. "They're really delightful chaps. Two of them flew fighters for the Air Force. It's really embarrassing, I guess. They say that all they do is push the button when the 'On Target' light comes on. They felt that my mates and I defined what aerial combat was all about."

With a grin he added, "Isn't it nice to feel appreciated?"

"The very best of the few, my darling," Marion whispered. Then she melted her lips to his as the plane settled on the runway.

As they followed the taxiways to the designated spot, the pilot was the first to see what was in store. "There's a crowd you will not believe waiting for you," he said over the intercom. "I don't know who's there, but there appears to be a full battalion of dignitaries." Then with a chuckle he added, "All I can say is, better you than me, sir!"

When the plane came to a smooth stop, they went forward to await the positioning of the mobile stairs. They all took the opportunity to thank the crews for a truly marvelous flight.

The captain said, "It was truly our pleasure. We were delighted to have the opportunity to see some of our country ourselves. And as often as we fly over it, we almost never get the chance to sightsee the way we did today. So thank you!"

The door was opened by an Air Force senior master sergeant who instantly stiffened to attention and rendered Don his very smartest salute. Don returned it and decided it would not be inappropriate for him to lead the way. He descended the steps to the sound of an Air Force band playing ruffles and flourishes, the appropriate honors for an Air Vice Marshal.

When they were lined up with the Duke, Marion, Anna, Maria, and then the two tigers sitting at attention, the band played God Save the Queen. Donald snapped his smartest salute as it was played. It was immediately followed by The Star Spangled Banner,  then the national anthem of the Czech Republic. Tears came to the eyes of the two girls as they heard their national anthem played in their honor in the United States. Then to their amazement, it was followed by several other national anthems, only one of which — that of France — Don recognized.

At that moment there was the growing sound of thunder in the air. Looking upward they saw 16 U.S. Air Force F-15 Eagles flying at low altitude in four flights of four aircraft. When the planes reached the 767, they pulled up into a vertical climb with their afterburners blazing. The four flights seemed to make four walls of an elevator shaft as they continued to roar skyward. Then at a signal the formation broke with each flight breaking out like a starburst.

Marion whispered that she had never seen anything like it. "That's because they're the only aircraft in the world capable of doing what they just did," Don replied.

Finally the opening ceremonies were concluded and the Vice President of the United States, Al Gore, introduced himself.

Going to the microphone, Gore began, "First, the President has asked me to apologize. He was unable to get away from Washington to welcome you personally, but he asked me to welcome you on his behalf, and on behalf of the American people." Then looking at the huge crowd — Don was astonished at its size — he said, "It is a great honor to welcome these people to the United States. First, there is Air Vice Marshall Sir Donald Whitfield, VC, DFC, KCB, 12th Duke of Northumbria.

"For those of you who may not know, Sir Donald has been credited with winning the Battle of Britain by no less than Sir Winston Churchill himself. Had that battle not been won, all of Europe might still be under the Nazi boot. It is certainly rare indeed when one can look at one man and claim that he, alone, may have salvaged the freedom of millions! But it is true." Gore than shook Don's hand in a very warm welcome.

Returning to the microphone he continued, "With the Duke is his beautiful wife, Lady Marion, Duchess of Northumbria. All I can say is that a hero like this truly deserves a beauty like her. Then we have Maria, Duchess of Norfolk, Duchess of Burgundy, Marquise of Toledo,  Countess Jutland, and her sister, Anna, Duchess of Suffolk, Marquise of Flanders, Countess of Pavia ." Gore paused for a moment and then said, "Before I continue, it is my great honor to present Count Olaf Swensen, the ambassador of the King of Sweden to the United States."

A tall gray-haired man shook Gore's hand and went to the microphone. "I am here today under instructions from His Majesty and His Majesty's government. I am here to make a plea: Please stop bombarding us with requests regarding the award of the Nobel Prize for Physics. We give up! We surrender!"

He grinned and continued, "It really wasn't terribly hard. You see, not only have these two young women been nominated by dozens of different nations — with more nominations arriving daily — but all other nominations have been withdrawn. Accordingly — and to try to clear the phone lines to Stockholm that have been so jammed with incoming calls from around the world that it's been nearly impossible for me to communicate with my own government — the King has instructed me to announce today the winners of the 1996 Nobel Prize for Physics. The winners are Anna and Maria, the two duchesses who created Mayday,  the finest scientific achievement of the century, and possibly the finest of all time."

With his announcement there was an explosion of noise as the crowd of thousands screamed their joy. When he could again speak, Ambassador Swensen continued, "Finally, I have been instructed by my King to tell you that, when you come to Stockholm to receive the prize, you will be his personal guests at the Palace and will be honored guests of the Kingdom of Sweden."

He paused and then concluded, "I am scheduling my home leave to be certain to be in Stockholm at the time of the awards. This is one Nobel award ceremony no one will want to miss!"

But the formal portion of the reception wasn't over. Governor Pete Wilson welcomed them to California. Mayor Richard Riordan gave them the keys to the City of Los Angeles. They were warmly greeted and congratulated by the ambassadors of France, Spain, Italy, Belgium and Denmark.

Marion squeezed Don's arm as the two girls looked as if they had spent their lives attending diplomatic receptions. The ambassadors almost fainted with joy when each was greeted fluently in his own language. The girls were all complimented on the perfection of their speech. Since, with the exception of France and Italy, all of the nations were still monarchies, each ambassador proudly extended a royal invitation to visit his monarch when next they were in Europe.

"Good heavens, darling," Marion whispered, "it's as if each of those countries is recognizing the girl's relevant title!"

"That's precisely what they are doing!" Don responded.

Finally, the official ceremonies ended. When Gore offered Secret Service protection during their stay, Don introduced Duke and Duchess. "Your Excellency, I think you'll agree that these tigers provide at least as much security as a Secret Service detail could." Gore greeted the two tigers and then agreed that it was undoubtedly true.

Gore left with his security detail, but was replaced by an U.S. Army major. When Don saw the light blue ribbon with white stars bearing a gold oak-leaf cluster signifying a second award, instantly he knew who he had to be. Rendering the smartest salute he was capable of giving he said, "You can only be Ken Carlson!"

Ken returned the salute with one as smart and said, "You're correct, sir."

Then, while ruffling the fur of Duke and Duchess's who were crowding around him, he said, "I hope Duchess conveyed my message, sir? While me and my men were tearing up worthless pieces of jungle, you were saving a continent! I can't tell you how pleased I am to meet you."

Then introductions were made to the women. When he met Anna and Maria, Ken said, "Karla kept telling me, but I refused to believe her. But now I guess I have to."

The girls looked puzzled. Anna finally said, "What did she keep telling you that you refused to believe, sir?"

"The name is 'Ken'" he replied, "unless you want me to address you using all your titles all the time? But what I didn't believe was her statement that her sisters were at least as beautiful as she is. But she's right. You truly are." Then he shook his head sadly and added, "Beauty and a Nobel Prize! The world's just not fair!"

Although the girls wanted to bring their car in with them, Ken said it would be easier to have the cars driven in. Arrangements were all set. Going through the terminal to the street, they found two limousines waiting along with a police motorcycle escort. After getting into the cars, they sped off, following the motorcycles with their sirens screaming, to the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. There they found the hotel surrounded by squads of police who were present to control the throngs of people gathered there. Ken was riding with the two girls, while Duke was in the front seat beside the driver.

"It's a good thing you're here, big fellow," Ken said. "We may need you to clear the way so the girls can get in the door." He paused and said, "Prince and Princess are waiting for you two. They're so damned proud of their cubs, they can't stand it. Just imagine! Their cubs are now Knights Commander of the Military Order of Bath! Duke, you just can't believe how proud of you two they really are."

The police were able to keep the crowds at bay long enough for them all to get inside the hotel. Then they were ushered into a special elevator that took them up to the penthouse.

The penthouse had recently been completed. Ali Clifford had taken the top off the hotel and replicated in Los Angeles what the Taylors and the Collins had done in New York. There was now a free-standing apartment on the roof, complete with its own 50 meter swimming pool and sauna. When she had been teased by the girls, Ali had stuck out her tongue and pointed out that, because they were on the roof of the hotel, she still had access to room service. Alone among the women, Ali never did any cooking.

When the group was ushered in, the first people to greet them were Steve and Barbara Sloan who had returned to Los Angeles a week earlier so Barbara could resume her teaching. By the time all the introductions had been made, the Whitfields' heads were reeling. The common denominator was that the women were all beautiful, all appeared to be nineteen, and almost all of whom were five feet eight inches tall.

Then when Andy Cartwright appeared, Maria and Anna dropped to their knees to kiss her feet. When she protested, they pointed out, wide-eyed, that they were still her slaves, after all, and wasn't that the way slaves were supposed to greet their mistress?

Finally things quieted down, with many of the people leaving to return to their own homes. They were seated in the living room when Ali Clifford apologized. "I'm really sorry for all that," she said, "but there are so many people who desperately wanted to meet you. On the other hand, after you've been flying for more than ten hours, you encounter all the ceremony at the airport. You all must be dead!"

"Not dead, Ali," Marion replied, "just overwhelmed." Then with an eyebrow raised she asked, "Are you Yanks still trying to get even for that unpleasantness of two centuries ago?"

Ali and Bill Clifford just howled with laughter. Then he said, "Barbara and Steve said we would utterly adore you folks. They certainly got that one right! We do." Then to the girls he said, "We also understand that you two brilliant young women are plotting and scheming to appropriately meet the Campbells. Is that correct?"

Before either girl could answer, Marion said, "Ali, I hope you'll excuse me, but you look awfully familiar. Were ... were you ever in films?"

"No, Marion, I was never in films," she replied with a straight face. "But I did make movies once upon a time." Marion was chagrined as she realized that Ali had picked up on her Anglicism. "I'm just teasing you. 'Film' directors would never work with me. The only ones who every did usually made 'Ali McGrath movies.'"

"You're Ali McGrath!" Don exclaimed. "Good heavens!" Then he shook his head and said, "I've seen some of your films ... movies!" he added with a grin. "But that was so many years ago. And I could swear you look younger today than you did then."

"How old are you, Don?" Ali asked.

"I'm... 82," he replied reluctantly.

"And I'm pushing 60 ... hard!" she responded with her sunshine smile. "I won't talk about you, if you don't talk about me. Fair?"

"It's fair," he conceded. Then he continued, "Some of my Fighter Command chaps were over there with your fighter pilots. I heard stories from them about Ali McGrath. A guy could be at some out-of-the-way hell-hole, but Ali McGrath would be there. The only thing was, there was never any publicity."

He paused and said, "They loved you, Ali. They really did." Then he looked at her shrewdly and said, "All the time you spent with the troops caused your career to crater, didn't it?"

Ali's eyes flared for an instant, but then she just sadly nodded.

"Maybe I'm not supposed to say this, Ali, but I'm going to anyway. The reason I know is that my boys saw you coming in on all kinds of flights, usually with priority cargo. You just hitchhiked out there, didn't you?" Again she reluctantly nodded. "You Yanks took over 60,000 dead in that war. I want you to know, Ali, that there are a lot of those guys upstairs right now who are praying for you because of what you did for them."

At his last comment the dam let go and Ali began to bawl like a baby. Like a flash, Marion was beside her, holding her in her arms and comforting her. When she had regained some control, Marion eased her just far enough away to be able to kiss her lips. Then she poured out all of the love it was possible for her to convey.

Ali felt an instant rush of love, joy and sanctifying grace pour into her body, and it just kept coming. She began to feel lightheaded, and then faint. Moments later she had blacked out.

Marion just continued to hold her and stroke her hair while Don and Bill Clifford looked on silently. When she regained consciousness, Marion continued to hold her with her head on her shoulder.

Finally, Ali eased away and just looked into Marion's eyes. "Are you my mommy, too?" she asked softly. "I know you're Barbara Sloan's, Karla's, Maria's and Anna's. Are you my mommy, too?" she repeated. Then she said softly, "The only kiss I've ever had in my life like that was from my mother. But yours has hundreds of times the power of hers."

"Would you like me to be your mother, Ali?" Marion asked softly. "Speaking for myself, and for Donald, nothing could thrill us more!" Ali just rapidly nodded her head, then dove back into Marion's shoulder so she could be tightly held.

"I've never seen anything like that in my life," Bill Clifford said. "And I can't tell you what an incalculable service you have just performed for the Cliffords."

He paused to gather his thoughts and then continued, "I want you two to know that for me the sun rises and sets in Allison Clifford. She is my life, my very reason for existence. She is the controlling force in our marriage. She contends that I'm the power spring. But if I am, she's everything else. I utterly adore the woman."

Now looking with his eyes piercing at Marion he said, "Marion Whitfield, if there is ever anything you want, I will provide it. I swear it. Do you understand?"

"Darling," Don interjected, "I'm sure Bill was never on your professional customer list. But I can tell you that he is conceded to be the richest person of the face of the Earth. When William Harrison Clifford says he will provide something, you can take the promise to the bank. And that's any bank on Earth. Clear?"

Marion's brow furrowed and she just looked uncomprehendingly at Bill Clifford. "But you can't be serious! All I did was hold Ali and give her a little kiss. I'm utterly lost!"

"Marion, it was a mother's kiss with a level of intensity that does not exist on this Earth," Bill replied. "It was a mother's kiss for a woman whose been an orphan for years, a woman who has cared for dozens of others without regard to any cost to herself. I love her passionately, but I can't possibly give her a mother's love. Marion Whitfield, you can and you did. And that is of incalculable value to me." Then he glared at her, winked, and concluded, "End of story!"

Ali was still snuggling in Marion's arms when Ken Clifford appeared with a bundle in his arms. "Mom," he said softly, "I think this is yours." Ali spun around, held out her arms and took the bundle. "She's all changed, powdered and all that other good stuff," Ken said as he left the room.

"Well, here goes what passes for modesty in this crowd," she said with a shrug. Ali was wearing a beautifully tailored white silk double-breasted suit. After unbuttoning her jacket, Marion realized she was now bare to the waist. Tiny hands had emerged from the receiving blanket. In just a second, Ali had the infant nursing at her left tit, while she whispered to the tiny thing."

Marion and Don were both stunned. "Good heavens!" she exclaimed. "When did this happen? And what is her name?"

Speaking softly so as not to disturb the infant, Ali replied, "Yesterday morning, I guess."

"But why aren't you in the hospital?" Marion asked with her eyes wide. "Good grief! You delivered barely 24 hours ago."

"Why should I be in the hospital?" Ali inquired, wide eyed. "I'm not sick." Turning to Bill she said, "I'm not sick, am I? Was my lovemaking this morning up to par?"

"Lovemaking?" Marion softly screamed. "Tell me you're kidding!"

Bill, ignoring Marion, looked around the room with his head cocked, seeming to be trying to recall. Then he slowly shook his head and said, "Maybe you should have been in the hospital, darling. Your vagina wasn't nearly as tight as it usually is." But then he nodded and said, "But an hour ago you were back to normal. No, darling, you're correct, as usual. I see no reason why you should be in a hospital."

"Where ... where did you deliver?" Marion asked, but in a tone of voice suggesting she was afraid of the answer she was going to receive.

"On the floor in my office," Ali said softly as she shifted the infant to her right breast. "That's the nice thing about being the managing partner. My office is large enough so there's plenty of room on the floor."

She grinned and continued, "I guess it was sort of funny. The delivery came in the middle of an Executive Committee meeting. I remember we had to take a little break for Joan to get a plastic sheet, while Kathy Carlson got the hot water. And then it was Ginger's turn to take the baby. She was so funny! She was wondering why we needed all the packing material these little things come in, and wondering why they couldn't come out all washed and powdered."

She thought for a moment and then concluded, "But I guess the meeting lasted only an extra five minutes, so there was no real harm done."

"And you presided over the meeting while flat on your back on the floor, delivering this infant?" Marion said.

"Yes," Ali admitted. Then with a grimace she added, "Okay, I admit it: Next time I'll try to deliver while still sitting in my chair at the head of the table."

"And you would, too, wouldn't you?" Marion said, shaking her head.

By this time the infant had finished nursing and had gone back to sleep. "Mom, I haven't asked Bill, but would you mind if we named her after you? Could she be Marion Clifford, after her grandmother?"

"May I hold my granddaughter?" Marion asked as she knelt beside the sofa where Ali was seated.

Ali passed her the bundle, and Marion moved the blanket away from the infant's face. The movement was enough to cause the infant to open her eyes for the first time. "She is utterly gorgeous!" Marion exclaimed. Although only a day old, the infant had a full head of golden-blonde hair and blue eyes the color of the Pacific Ocean. Seeing Marion, the baby gooed and waved a tiny arm. Marion just held her tightly and gently rocked her in her arms.

While she was rocking the infant whose eyes had closed again, Ali called out quietly, "Kristin, it's your turn!" In an instant a beautiful young girl came dashing into the living room, shedding her clothing as she ran.

Marion almost laughed as the girl was hopping on one foot while trying to shake off her skirt. When she reached Ali, she was stripped down to her panties. Launching herself at her mother, she ended lying across Ali's lap, with her mouth moving toward her nipple. In an instant the girl was snuggled in her mother's arms, emptying her tit, while Ali caressed her and whispered in her ear.

"Mom, this imp lying across my lap is your granddaughter, Kristin. I would introduce you now, but Kris would probably take my nipple with her if she turned her head."

Marion realized that the girl was an incredible beauty. Her hair and eyes were the same golden-blonde and Pacific blue of Ali's, and her golden-brown skin matched her mother's identically. When the girl finished draining Ali's tit, she just snuggled closer while listening to her mother's soft words. Whatever Ali was saying, the effect was obvious. The girl just seemed to glow as she listened to her mother. Finally, Ali lifted the girl's head so she could kiss her lips. Everyone in the room could see the love flow from mother to daughter.

"I love you so much, my darling daughter," Ali said. For the first time her voice was loud enough for the others to hear her words. Then she said, "Now wouldn't it be a nice idea for you to say hello to your grandmother and your new aunts?

For the first time she looked around the room, saw Marion, Don, and the girls, and began to cry. Turning to Ali she cried, "Mommy, I'm so ashamed! I completely forgot. And they're true nobility, too! What can I do?"

"Why don't you just pretend you're fully dressed, darling," Ali said softly. "I'm sure they'll forgive you this once."

Kris held up her head and padded over to Marion. After making a perfect curtsy — or what would have been perfect, had she been dressed — she extended her hand and said, "I am truly honored to meet you, Duchess Marion. My name is Kristin Clifford."

Reaching out her arms, Marion drew the girl to her and sat her across her lap. When she hugged the girl, she noticed an incredible girlish fragrance the girl exuded. Then turning Kris's head, she melted her lips to hers and unleashed all the love and joy she possibly could. Kris's instant response was to hug Marion tightly and unleash all of her love and joy in return.

In an instant a golden glow enveloped the pair, built to a blinding level, exploded and then dissipated around the room. The others just watched, no longer surprised by the event. At that instant Susie appeared hovering beside them. Although Kristin had seen Susie at Steve and Barbara's wedding, it was a first for Ali and Bill. Today Susie was wearing Levi's along with a work shirt whose sleeves had been torn off at the shoulders.

After moving through the air to Ali she said, "I hope I'm dressed appropriately? The Boss told me that this is your firm's uniform. And I'm Susie Sloan, Allison McGrath Clifford. I don't believe we've ever met."

Ali had certainly heard all about Susie. "I first heard your story when I was in Vietnam," Ali said softly. "I could not believe a woman could possibly be so brave. I am truly honored." Then she took the sprite in her arms and they kissed.

"Ali..." Susie began. Then her eyes widened and she asked, "May I call you 'Ali'? I was being presumptuous to assume..."

"Susan Sloan, you can call me absolutely anything you want!" Ali exclaimed. "But please, you interrupted yourself..."

"Ali," Susie began again with her warmest smile, "the Boss wanted me to tell you that the Duke was absolutely correct. There are enough guys up there to form several full combat divisions, and if you told them you were going to hell, they would be honored to keep you company. They've all loved you from the beginning, Ali, and they still do. All we ever hear is, 'She really cared!' The Boss wanted you to know. He knows how you suffered, and maybe that's why He has a very special place in His heart for you."

Ali was utterly overcome at the news. She began to bawl, so Bill took her in his arms and just held her close.

Meanwhile, Susie had spun around to glare at Marion. "And as for you!" She just shook her head, grinned and continued, "He thinks you're cheating. I just told you that your aging is contingent on your children continuing to produce grandchildren. Well, having signed up the Clifford clan, the Boss isn't sure he will ever see you and Don up there. And by the way, St. Claire is so damned happy, she can't even talk. From a single grandson, now she has dozens! And they are dozens of the most perfect children He is capable of creating. She can't wait to start spoiling them, either." In an instant, Susie vaporized.

To Don, Marion said, "Can you believe this, Don? This gorgeous girl is our granddaughter!" Then to Kris she said, "Darling, why don't you get dressed and then say hello to your other new family members."

Kristin Clifford dressed in just a few moments then went to Don. This time her curtsy was a thing of beauty. Don just shook his head and said, "Darling Kristin, how did we ever get do lucky? Your grandmother said it all: Young lady, you are youthful perfection!"

Kris's eyes were as wide as saucers as she looked at Don in his air vice marshal's uniform. "Sir, what should I call you? Granddad? Grandfather? Grandpa? What do you like?"

"Kris, my darling," he replied, "just a few weeks ago, your cousin, my grandson, was my only living relative. And his taste in women was so execrable, I was certain the family was about to die off. Now I see you and your incredible siblings. Honey, you can call me anything you want!" Then he grinned at Marion and said, "And how long is it going to take my darling bride to begin spoiling her grandchildren?"

"How does this minute sound?" she replied. "Remember, darling, we're in the States now. Here they don't roll up the sidewalks at five o'clock. I'll bet there are dozens of neat stores open right now..." She stopped suddenly as she saw Kris's face fall. "What's the matter, Kris?" she asked softly. "Did I say something to make you unhappy?"

With the cutest little smile Kris replied, "I'm afraid you did." Then she looked embarrassed as she continued, "We're pretty rich..." She shook her head and continued, "That's a lie. We're filthy rich. That's why Daddy is always teasing us. Ken and Andy really get it the worst, of course. Their own net worth is now in the billions of dollars. All Daddy says is we're being buried under an avalanche of money, so why don't we develop a truly useful talent ... like learning how to spend it faster."

With the cutest little grin she said, "I guess the Cliffords must have a money-making gene or something. No matter what we do, it just piles up."

Then she went to Maria and Anna, curtsied, but then just looked at them with her eyes as wide as saucers.

"What's wrong, Kris?" Anna asked, starting to become alarmed at the girl's immobility.

All Kris could do was slowly to shake her head. "This ... this ... this is utterly unreal!"

"What is?" Anna asked, becoming utterly baffled.

"I'm in the presence of two of the greatest scientists who have ever lived. You two rank with Isaac Newton, Galileo, and Albert Einstein." Then she just shook her head and added, "Besides that, though, you are duchesses with the bluest of blue blood. And you're so exquisitely beautiful." Then with a sunshine smile that lit the room she added, "And you're my aunts!" With that she jumped on the sofa between them and absorbed their kisses and their loving.

With another lovely smile, she left the girls to return to Don. With the warmest possible smile she said to him, "What I really want is to be held, and maybe read to. You see, I've never had any grandparents and only a couple of aunts or uncles. I've got dozens of brothers, sisters, cousins, nieces, nephews and you name it. But no grandparents on either side. I really can't tell you how wonderful I feel right now." Then with her eyes wide she said, "Granddad, could I just sit on your lap and snuggle?"

"Well, honey," Don replied with a welcoming smile, "normally your grandmother is very jealous, but since you're our granddaughter, I think she'll let it go." Then he raised an eyebrow and concluded, "As long as you don't overdo it, that is."

With a smile that lighted up her face, Kris launched herself at Don. He just held her tightly and smelled the marvelous youthful fragrance of her body. The little girl just burrowed as close to him as she could get and made marvelously contented noises.

When it seemed that Kris had fallen asleep in his arms, he whispered to Marion, "Darling, whatever did we do to get this lucky? Have you ever in your life seen a more beautiful or charming little girl?"

"You're just saying that because you're her grandfather," Marion teased. "I'll bet if I examined her carefully for a few hours, I could find something that isn't perfect. I'm nearly certain there's something!"

There were sounds at the door as Ken and Kathy Carlson arrived with their children. Both adults and the two older children were loaded with supermarket bags. "Hooray!" Ali exclaimed. "Help is on the way. We're not going to starve tonight."

Hearing the sounds of their arrival, Kris was out of Don's arms and across the room like a shot. A nine-year-old boy was standing there, and Kris rushed into his arms. He held her tightly while the two melted their lips together in a passionate kiss.

The Whitfields were amazed at what they were seeing.

Finally the two broke apart and holding him by the hand, Kris led the boy over to where they were sitting. "Grandfather and Grandmother, may I present Kenneth Carlson, junior? And ... and ... and I would like your permission to marry Ken when I'm old enough, and your permission to continue to see him until then. May I?" she asked with her eyes wide.

After shaking the boy's hand, Don looked him in the eye and asked, "Are you Ken Carlson's son?"

"Yes, sir, I am," the boy replied. "I'm the eldest son of Ken and Kathy Carlson." The boy had brown hair, brown eyes, and was standing at a position of attention.

Looking at Kris he said, "This is a very important step, young lady. Do you realize the responsibility you will be taking on? You will be marrying the son and namesake of the greatest military hero in the history of the world! He will expect you to bear strong sons and beautiful daughters for him. Are you prepared for that?"

"Granddad, I can hardly wait!" Then with tears beginning to flow she said, "I've loved Ken Carlson with all my heart from the first time I saw him when I was still in a crib. For years I cried myself to sleep because I was sure Ken didn't know I was alive, and couldn't care less if he did. Then last year I found that he's always loved me, too, so it was all over." Now her tears were flowing in twin streams as she repeated, "Please, Granddad? May I have your permission?"

Reaching out, he took her in his arms and set her on his lap. "Kristin, there is absolutely nothing in this world that could thrill your grandmother and me more than the idea of our granddaughter being married to the son of such a man. We're thrilled!"

Then still holding Kris, he pulled the boy close and kissed him. The kiss was returned with one filled with love.



-------

Chapter 35



"That was utterly spectacular!" Marion declared. "Except, Kathy Carlson, I know damned well you did it just to make me feel badly. Why are you Yanks still trying to get even for some unpleasantness from 200 years ago? I mean ... Really!"

They had just finished an utterly magnificent dinner Kathy had prepared. Now they were sipping cognac and coffee, while savoring fine cigars.

Kathy idly studied the ash at the tip of her panatella and then replied, "What's your problem, Marion? I mean ... In Ireland they're still fighting the Battle of the Boyne, and that was 400 years ago. I don't think I'm carrying a grudge at all ... hardly."

Turning toward Ali at the head of the table, Marion cried, "Daughter, make her stop! You're the senior partner in the Firm. Make her stop!"

Vainly trying to control a grin Ali replied with her eyes wide, "I'm sorry, Mother, but I can't. First, Kathy Carlson is the largest business-producer in the Firm. In fact, one time she billed at the rate of about $20 million an hour! But beyond that, dear, it should be obvious even to you by now that Kathy is the only thing standing between me and starvation. Since I was well down that road once before, I'm aware of how painful it can be. So I'm sorry, Mother. You will just have to bear up under Kathy's insults."

Then she looked sharply at Marion and added, "But I really fail to see the problem. I thought you Brits were famous for keeping a stiff upper lip in the face of adversity?"

At that crack, no one could maintain a straight face any longer, and they all howled with laughter.

"You were serious about the starvation remark, weren't you, Ali?" Marion asked. "I could see a change in your expression."

"Mom, let me tell you about Bill Clifford and me. On the morning I met him, I was literally starving to death. I think I weighed less than 100 pounds and had to pin my skirt to keep it from falling off. I think I had some sum of money like $7.64 to my name. I was literally starving to death."

Then her face changed to a brilliant smile, "Then I met Bill. It was like a fairy tale, but no one would ever believe it if it were to be written. We were married about two hours later, and by that evening I was certain I was desperately in love with William Harrison Clifford." With a grin she interjected, "Can you imagine? Falling in love with your husband after you're married? I guess it was about three months later that our marriage was consummated and then a year to the day after we were married by a judge, we were joined in Holy Matrimony in the Church."

Then she looked intently into Marion's eyes and added, "Darling, I can see that you feel the same way toward Don that I feel for Bill. Most people just wouldn't understand what I'm going to say. You see, Bill Clifford is my life. When he dies, I shall be dead within two weeks. I can't live apart from him, so I will join him as soon as I can."

"I do understand, Daughter," Marion said softly. "And it is exactly the same with Don and me..."

"Would you kindly speak to her?" Don demanded. "You're her daughter, after all. Would you please talk her out of this ... this insanity! I'm 82 years old, while she's only 28. When I go, she will become the dowager Duchess of Northumbria..."

"For a week or so, until she dies, too," Ali interjected. "I think it was a beautiful girl who you likely will meet in a day or so, Samantha Conroy, who figured out the relationship. She was speaking about her parents, but those of us who have heard the story realize it applies equally to all of us. You see, Don, the wife is the guiding force in the family, but the husband is the winding key. When you die, Marion will just run down with no one left to provide her power."

With her eyes calm, she added, "I'm sorry, Donald Whitfield, but that's just the way it is. It's true for me, it's true for Marion, and it's true for Kathy Carlson.

"Let me tell you about Kathy. We learned this from Sam Conroy, too. She used to write letters to Ken when he was in Vietnam. They were all written on the same blue stationary, using the same blue ink. They were recognized all over as Kathy-grams. Ask Jim Conroy. He saw them work first hand. Ken came out of the jungle with his men, and their asses were dragging. He was greeted with a stack of Kathy's letters. Jim watched as Ken read them; it was as if a battery was being recharged.

"You see, Don, that's exactly what was happening. The power of Kathy's love for Ken is so great that even the love that was on the paper was enough to restore him. Sam continued. She said that if the power of her love on paper was enough to enable Ken to perform superhuman feats of heroism, think of what it will be like when he absorbs so much more when he plugs his cock into her wetness."

Ali just shook her head and said, "She was exactly right. Together, these two are beyond belief. Just look at them. You'll see them holding hands. Why? Because there's a shared need to be in contact whenever they can." With a guilty little smile, Kathy lifted her hand from beside her. She was gripping Ken's.

Then Ali's eyes took on a piercing look as she focused on Don, "You are exactly the same, Donald Whitfield. Although we only met today, I can tell that Marion utterly adores you. Had it not been for the fact that we all feel the same way toward our husbands, I probably wouldn't have known what I was seeing. But we do, and she does.

"Do you really want to know what it's like for Marion every night? Her cunt is running with her fluids. She is shivering with anticipation, wondering which of her openings will first be penetrated by your cock. Because of your incessant lovemaking, and the fact that she was a virgin until a few days ago, her cunt is probably so sore she can't touch it, her asshole feels like it's been stretched to such a degree it's impossible for her to hold anything in, and it hurts so much she can hardly sit down. Her throat hurts so badly from taking your cock almost to her stomach she can hardly eat. Yet she can't wait for you to take her again.

"I'll bet, Donald Whitfield, that you will find unhealed cuts on the inside of her mouth. I know they're there because I felt them with my tongue when I kissed her. What are they from? They're from biting down on anything to keep from screaming out loud from the pain of your entry — wherever you're entering."

Don turned toward Marion, who tried to avoid him. Gently he folded down her lower lip and saw where it had repeatedly been bitten. He was genuinely shocked. "Darling!" he exclaimed, "why didn't you tell me I was hurting you?"

"Because if I had, darling, you might not have fucked me," she replied simply. "I can live with a little pain, Don, but I can't live without your cock. Ali is exactly right: I need it inside me to go on living."

Then she shook her head and continued, "Do you remember that first afternoon when you took me down to the torture chamber?" Don's eyes widened as he remembered it vividly. "After that first incredible experience I remember thinking that if I had to submit to 100 lashes each day in order to have you take me, it would be a cheap price to pay."

Now Marion's eyes were flashing blue sparks as she continued, "We learned that both Karla and Susie had the skin flayed off their bodies. We learned that, even in that condition, Susie took Steve Sloan inside her joyfully. Darling, I truly understand how she felt. I would cheerfully do the same thing. And I don't recall who said it, but someone did. I would even show you where to whip me to cause the greatest pain. Do you understand, Donald Whitfield? I love you more than life itself."

Don was so overcome, he could no longer speak. He just took his wife in his arms and held her tightly. As he did, he could smell the glorious fragrance that was her body. He whispered, "Darling, you can't know what you're saying..."

"I know damned well what I'm saying!" she exclaimed as she pulled away from his embrace. "You, Donald Whitfield, are my life. That's the long and short of it. And there's nothing either you or I can do about it, either. It's just the way it is."

At that instant Susie materialized, wearing a beautiful green chiffon cocktail dress. Instantly she went to Marion, wrapped her arms around the girl's neck, and said, "Darling, you understand! I didn't think anyone alive did. I know Steve certainly doesn't. But, darling Marion, you're absolutely correct: you understand perfectly. If having the skin flayed off my body was the price I had to pay to get Steve inside me one more time, it was a price I cheerfully paid."

Then she eased away, looked at Don, and then shook her head. "I'm afraid we're going to have to do something with your birth records, Don," she declared. The Boss made a commitment to you both. You won't age as long as your children keep having children. Since you've expanded your family to include some of the most fecund women alive, this is really going to be a drawn-out process. But, Your Grace, don't worry about leaving Marion anytime soon. It's not going to happen!" With that Susie disappeared as suddenly as she had appeared.

Don took a deep breath, looked at the ash on his cigar, and then said to Ali, "Thank you. I knew I loved Marion more than life itself. But I couldn't believe she could possibly love me nearly as much. But she really does!" He just slowly shook his head in wonder at the thought.

"As I said, Don," Ali commented softly, "had it not been for the fact that Kathy and I feel exactly the same way about our husbands as Marion feels toward you, I would never have said it."

"Don," Kathy Carlson interjected, "there's one more thing: I doubt if you use much foreplay with Marion. Like me, I'm sure she runs rivers just looking at you. Nevertheless, instead of entering her quickly, fondle her first. Stroke her nipples. Lightly run your finger in her slit. That way she'll be so overcome with passion, she won't feel a thing, regardless of how badly she's hurting. And she'll stop biting herself to pieces."

Don sincerely thanked her for the advice, but then Kathy turned to Marion. With her eyes dancing she said, "I do believe you said something about carrying a grudge and getting even, Your Grace?"

With a wicked gleam she continued, "Well, I really fixed you this time! Ask Ali about another granddaughter, Connie Cartwright. She's Andy's mother, who, I guess, is now your great-granddaughter. Anyway, Connie is a platinum blonde. One night her husband, Chip, was toying with her incredible body when he announced that it was a well-known fact that platinum blondes were very cold. They're difficult — verging on impossible — to warm up. Well, being the caring kind of guy he is, he vowed, 'Never again!' He was going to be sensitive to her real needs.

"Anyway, he played with her to such a degree that Connie finally screamed, 'Chip Cartwright, get that cock in my cunt where it belongs this instant, or I'll cut it off and do it myself!' Chip protested that he was just trying to keep from hurting her, but he did enter her." Kathy cocked her head, remembering. Then she continued, "Afterward, Connie admitted it was the greatest fucking of her entire life."

Then Kathy mused, "I wonder if that was the night Andy was conceived? It could have been..." Then turning back to Don she said, "Don, whatever Marion may say, just continue the foreplay. She'll thank you later..." Her brows knitted as she concluded, "If there is a 'later, ' that is."

"Enough of this!" Ali declared. "I thought the reason for this get-together was to plot and scheme." She looked at Anna and Maria and just shook her head. "You know, the world just isn't fair. Why do two Czech girls have absolutely everything?" Then she added, "I just want you to know, sisters, that it would be impossible for either of you to ever look more beautiful than you do right now."

"That's not true," Anna said softly. "It's nothing compared to the way we will look after Mark and Mike kiss us. That will pale against the way we look at the altar. That, in turn, will give way to the way we look when we're expecting our first child. Finally, the height of our beauty will be when we're nursing a baby at our breast."

Shaking her head she continued, "Watching you with baby Marion today was utterly incredible, Ali. Your beauty truly lights up the whole city. Yet with that baby in your arms, cuddling it, while it drew its sustenance from your body was utterly incredible. You truly love it, don't you?"

"It's a perfect experience," Ali admitted softly. "But that's neither here nor there. The object is to get you past Cerberus at the gate."

She grinned and continued, "I guess there may be something to be said for having a couple of bucks..." She giggled as virtually everyone around the table raised an eyebrow. The Cliffords' net worth was somewhere north of $50 billion and continuing to rise rapidly. "Anyway, a firm of private detectives located Caroline Campbell. She is, as reported, the consummate snob. Now what's the best way to handle a snob?" she asked rhetorically. "It's to make the snob come to you. And tonight's newscast certainly didn't hurt our campaign."

-------

The evening news on all three network stations and all the independents had been dominated by the arrival of the girls and the Duke and Duchess. Leading off with coverage of their arrival and greeting — the NBC outlet that they had been watching even showed the flight of aircraft and the starburst they made at the end — the newsman made a big thing of who the visitors were. "In Sir Donald Whitfield we have possibly the greatest hero alive in the world today. No less than Sir Winston Churchill has been quoted as telling the King of England that, had it not been for Sir Donald, England would have lost the Battle of Britain and lost the war. It was in tribute to him that the Air Force had the flyover at LAX. We have also learned that his wife, Duchess Marion, may be Her Majesty's closest personal friend. See for yourself on this tape we received, courtesy of the BBC."

There followed a scene that no one could remember having been shot. Evidently, though, it was taken the morning of Karla and Douglas's wedding when the family had been riding. It showed the Queen sitting a horse beside Marion, mounted on Satan. The Queen was politely asked about the Oxford sweatshirt she was wearing and replied, "As you see, Her Grace is wearing her Cambridge sweatshirt." Liz then grinned and added, "Of course, since Her Grace has a first from Cambridge, she came by hers honestly, while my degree from Oxford is purely honorary. But since I cannot beat her in anything, I wear this as a reminder to her that Oxford swept Cambridge from the river last year." Then she leaned from her saddle to give Marion a warm kiss.

"What a magnificent animal!" Ali remarked about Satan. "He looks like he is standing at attention. He seems so proud!"

"He is," Don responded. "For Satan, his highest mission in life is to please his mistress. Since she seems almost telepathic, whatever she thinks about, Satan does and does perfectly. You can see in this picture from his bearing how proud he is."

Then there was more footage of them riding, with Elizabeth typically beside Marion as they cleared the jumps with perfect form.

The KNBC anchor, Joyce Johnson, then continued, now talking about the girls. There was the footage of the Ambassador from Sweden announcing the Nobel Prize award. Following was a panel involving a professor of physics at Cal Tech, the president of a local computer manufacturer, and the station's society reporter. The physicist explained that, as far as he knew, there was no one alive who could read the Mayday code. The president shook his head saying that it was impossible for Mayday to run on his company's computers, but it did. But, he admitted, the machines ran far faster with Mayday than with their own proprietary operating system. But he had no idea how it could work.

"That's the son of a bitch!" Anna murmured. "Good heavens! If it wasn't for his stupid hardware, Mayday could be about one-third smaller than it is! The trouble Maria and I had working to immobilize that junk he sells as an operating system... !"

"Do you have his computers?" Ali asked, puzzled. "From the sound of it, you don't like them very much."

"They're junk!" Anna repeated, shaking her head.

"Then why did you bother?" she asked. "And how could you do it, if you don't even have one of his machines?"

"It's our oversized egos," Anna replied. "Maria and I were determined Mayday would run on any computer. They're not much, but they're included in 'any.' So we just did it."

"But how?" Ali persisted. Anna just shook her head and shrugged.

Finally, the station's society reporter noted that between themselves, the girls had enough titles of nobility to cover two dozen women. "They don't even bother with any title below that of Countess. And after all, Maria is Duchess of Burgundy, possibly the oldest title in Christendom. Past that, who cares?"



-------

Chapter 36



"No, I guess we got a decent press," Maria said. "But, sister Ali, it sounds like you have a plan. Do you?"

"Not a plan," Ali replied. "I have an approach." She picked up a piece of paper that had been under her plate and continued, "How does this sound?"



In honor of Maria, Duchess of Burgundy, Duchess of Norfolk, Marquise of Toledo, Countess of Jutland; and Anna, Duchess of Suffolk, Marquise of Flanders, Countess of Pavia, the William Harrison Clifford Foundation is sponsoring a one-day pro-am golf tournament. All entry fees, along with a matching contribution from the Foundation, will go for the children in the Czech Republic of parents who lost their lives fighting for their country's freedom. The Foundation will cover all the costs of the tournament.

Because of the splendid cooperation of the Ladies Professional Golfers' Association, the Foundation can promise that the 20 top players on the LPGA tour will be present, as will the Duchesses.

All country clubs invited to send a player are urged to hold an auction, with the high bidder invited to participate. If the proceeds from the auction are sent to the Foundation, they, too will be matched and added to the gift.



"Ali!" Anna cried, "It is too much!"

"No, it isn't, darling sister," Ali replied. "I'm not sure it's even enough." Looking into the girl's emerald-green eyes she continued, "I know that you and Maria prostituted yourselves to eat. I know that, from time to time, both of you even subsisted on garbage."

Now blue sparks shot from her eyes as she continued, "It will not happen again! I heard about Barb and Karla in the children's death ward, and cried. Can you imagine? A little girl praying for the boy in the bed next to hers, but not even asking God to help her? It will not happen again! I swear it!"

"No wonder you are blessed by Almighty God," Maria said softly. "And you're exactly like Karla, Barbara, and our mother. As beautiful as you are externally, it's only a fraction of the beauty that's within. You are overflowing with Divine grace. And, Allison McGrath Clifford, you deserve every bit of it."

Maria paused and then with tears starting to flow, she jumped from her chair, then sat across Ali's lap and kissed her with all the love she could convey. When the two eased apart, both were lightheaded. "Ali, nothing makes me prouder or more humble than to have you as my sister. I can't believe it. I really can't!"

"You can't believe it, Little Sister? What about me?" Ali asked. "I'm a girl from a tiny little town in Kansas — the middle of nowhere — who suddenly finds she's the sister of Nobel-Prize-winning physicists, for Heaven's sake. Is that all? Oh, no! They also carry the oldest titles of nobility in Christendom. And carry the very finest elements of Western Civilization, accumulated over millennia, in their genes. I can't understand why you would ever bother with me!"

"Enough of this junk," Kathy Carlson interjected. "We were talking about the tournament. What do you girls think? You'll be playing, you know."

Maria had returned to her seat beside Anna. Now the two girls looked at each other and just swallowed hard. This time it was Anna who spoke. She just shook her head and said, "We know next to nothing about golf," she admitted. "We have one of those silly little electronic things, but neither of us has ever set foot on a real golf course in our lives. We've never even seen one!" she wailed.

Kathy just nodded her head and said, "Great! We'll go out tomorrow. Jim Conroy is flying in from Hawaii tonight and will be meeting us at the club." With a grin she added, "He's really a great teacher, too. After just one lesson I won the LPGA Kapalua Open by fifteen strokes."

"But before you disappear to the golf course, there's something else," Ali said. "Bill's PR firm has taken the liberty of putting out the word to the media that they are representing you people. All contacts are to be made through them."

Ali grinned and added, "It's a damned good thing we did it, too. Their phones have been ringing off the hooks ever since the word went out. You know," she continued, "it's been utterly hilarious. Normally, PR people wine and dine the media and then plead to get some coverage. In this case, it's reversed. Now all the media outlets are calling, reminding them of all the favors they've done, and begging for an opportunity to interview you people. Where, when, how, and by whom are all strictly up to you."

Again Anna and Maria exchanged looks and just shook their heads in bafflement. They had no idea how to respond. "But what should we do?" Maria asked.

"The PR people have laid on an interview with ABC's Good Morning, America!" Ali replied. "It's set for tomorrow morning and will air live. The Foundation's offices are suitably pretentious," she added, "so we thought we would do it there. How about it?"

"But what do we do?" Anna asked.

"Girls, I have seen you on TV," Ali replied. "You're both naturals. You're so beautiful, so warm and so brilliant, you'll just dazzle the hell out of them." Then with a smile that lit up the room she added, "And just think! You're my kid sisters!"

Because of the time change coming west, both girls were up very early in the morning. Because of Ali's brand new facilities, they were delighted that they had time to get in their full morning workouts. They exercised in the gym, swam — in world class time — soaked in the sauna and even had time for tanning. After showers and massages, they were ready to face the world, and it was still only seven-thirty. Both Ali and Marion fussed over the girls. Finally they were ready. Both were wearing white sleeveless dresses. Anna was wearing a priceless emerald necklace with a matching bracelet, while Maria's was identical in design but made with rubies.

They were chauffeured in Ali's limousine to the office building in which she had her law offices. The Clifford & Jamison offices were on the 37th and 38th floors; the Foundation was headquartered on the 36th. While the law offices were paneled in furniture-grade cherry, the Foundation offices were paneled in walnut. It looked like the office of a billion-dollar foundation which is what it was.

Entering, they found that the ABC crew was already there and set up for the broadcast. Going into a very large sitting room adjacent to the Board Room, they found the on-camera people nervously waiting for them. There was Carla Albright, the female anchor of Good Morning, America!,  along with the network's chief science reporter, and the chief of ABC News' European desk. Finally, there was a Czech-language translator.

Carla Albright whose eyes were wide as she glimpsed the incredible beauty and poise of the girls, said to the translator, "Sir, please thank Their Graces for allowing us this time with them..."

"You're more than welcome," Anna said quietly, "But why don't you just speak to us directly. Wouldn't it be a lot easier?"

"You ... you ... you speak English!?" Carla asked, utterly amazed.

"Along with almost all of the world's educated people, of course we do," Anna replied.

Now that she had partially recovered, Carla Albright made a lovely court curtsy and kissed the girls' finger tips. When she straightened up, she looked at the girls who were standing perfectly straight as if they were standing in front of their ducal thrones. She murmured, "To the manor born..."

"I beg your pardon?" Anna asked. "I didn't quite hear what you said."

Blushing, Carla said, "I said, 'To the manor born.' It's an expression that means you two are utterly regal."

Then she just shook her head and continued, "I apologize. I have interviewed most of the world's leaders at one time or other, and all of the celebrities, I guess. But you two are different. There is a feeling of such class that surrounds you. You are true nobility," she continued. "There are many people I've met with titles, but you are the first two who carry yourselves with the bearing one associates with the titles. I'm very impressed."

They sat down with the two girls sitting on a sofa together. After all the introductions had been made, Carla asked, "How did you ever learn to speak English so well? And why?"

"You Americans are funny sometimes," Maria replied. "Here in the States there is so much talk of multiculturalism, whatever that means. But the reality is that you have the world's dominant culture, as much as you refuse to admit it. Why did we learn English? Because we had to. You see, Carla, there are computers around the world that display and print in every written language. But did you know that the instructions to display and print the language are written in English? It is the first language of every computer."

Picking up, Anna continued, "But there's so much more! Without the United States of America, there would not be a free Czech Republic today. Why? Because you fought, virtually alone for years, at the cost of countless billions of dollars and tens of thousands of lives, to defeat the Evil Empire."

Her head was up straight and green sparks were flashing from her eyes as she continued, "In 1945 American troops liberated Czechoslovakia from Nazi oppression. In 1989, thanks to your defeat of the Evil Empire, we were able to achieve our freedom again. With the grace of God, it may not ever be necessary for the United States to free us a third time, but the people of the Free World sleep easier at night knowing that they are protected by the power of the greatest nation in the history of the world, the United States of America!"

Carla Albright was stunned. "But you can't be serious! We have discrimination, racism—"

"You're not perfect," Anna interrupted. "Well big stinking deal! No one, nor any human creation is perfect. But you try! God knows how you try. Do you know why we love America? Because you freed us ... and left! If the United States is involved, we never have to worry about exchanging one oppressor for another. Why do you do what you do? I certainly don't know." Now tears were flowing from her eyes as she continued, "You are the City on the Hill! The beacon of freedom shining out to the rest of the world! Don't you know that? Can't you understand?

"'We hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights... ' That's your Declaration of Independence. ' ... that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom and that government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth.' That was Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.

"Perhaps, Ms. Albright, you could explain something to my sister and me: How is it that we know these things, but you seem not to? Don't you learn about them in school? We do."

Albright was so dumfounded she could only shake her head.

To try to rescue the live broadcast, the science reporter asked, "Perhaps Your Graces could help. You may have heard of a giant Cray computer that's been going slightly nuts. The finest computer brains in the country have gone over it, but they can't find a thing wrong. Notwithstanding, it prints 'Susie' at least three times on every page of output. Usually 'Susie' appears in a heart, but I don't know how many ways there have been, but it's dozens. Can you help?"

Anna was still wiping away her tears, so Maria replied with her head shaking but with a broad grin, "There's nothing at all wrong with it. The poor thing is just madly in love with our computer, Susie."

"You're joking!" the reporter exclaimed.

"No, really I'm not. Anna and I saw it one morning. It was about eight o'clock, our time, which is about 2:00 AM on the East Coast. Susie and her Navy friend were communicating. When she signed off, poor Susie asked, 'Do you think a poor little Czech PC could ever find happiness with a giant Cray? He's just so wonderful..."

"But how... ?"

"It's the Mayday software. And it's getting worse. The Cray — his name is Jack, by the way — curses a blue streak when he signs off and has to revert to the kludgy software they try to run him with. And being a Navy computer, when I say he's cursing a blue streak, he really is. One of these days, Jack is going to burn out a trans-Atlantic cable." Then she grinned and added, "Tell the Navy to lighten up. Susie is writing 'Jack' all over our print-outs, too. What's the big deal? They're in love."

"Are you telling me that a Cray — a supercomputer — can run Mayday?"

"Of course," Maria replied. "Any computer can. The computer's operating improvement will range from three times to more than 20 times, depending on just how slow its native software is compared with Mayday. With a really sophisticated system like Windows NT, ours is three to five times faster. Then there are some really kludgy ones where the improvement is 50 times or greater."

"My God!" the reporter murmured.

At that moment, Carla Albright adjusted the receiver in her ear better to hear a communication from the show's director. Then she nodded once, turned to Maria and said, "We've just learned that the French government is considering legislation to recreate the Duchy of Burgundy." To the girls she said, "With your permission, we would like to switch live to our reporter in Paris." A monitor in the corner was turned so the seated people could all see it.

The ABC reporter was saying, " ... this is an utterly unprecedented event. Even as I speak, the French General Assembly is debating a motion to recreate the Duchy of Burgundy and then turn the restored Duchy over to Her Grace, Maria, Duchess of Burgundy." Looking into the camera he said, "Carla, I understand that you are with Her Grace right now. Does she have any comment?"

"Can he hear what I'm about to say?" Maria asked. When assured that he could, Maria stood up and in utterly flawless French said, "People of France! I have just learned of the incredible honor I am receiving from your General Assembly. I am utterly overcome! The idea that the Duchy of Burgundy might be recreated is both incredible and flattering. All I can say to you is, please don't! The honor of it merely being considered is far more than I could ever have dreamed. My thoughts are with you!"

Then in an utterly incredible singing voice that no one knew she had, she began to sing, "Allons enfants de la Patrie, le jour du gloire est arrivée; Contre-nous de la tyrannie..." By the time she concluded, singing the Marseillaise,  tears were streaming down her cheeks. Again in perfect French she said, "Thank you so very much."

"Did you get that, Bill?" Carla asked the Paris reporter.

"We certainly did," he replied. Then he held his earpiece, listened for a moment, nodded, and then said, "French National Television saw your picture coming back. They have asked our permission to rerun our tape, with full credit, of course. We told them they're more than welcome to show it, so they are." With that, he signed off, and the monitor was repositioned as it had been for the use of the news crew in the room.

"What is your reaction to learning that you are recipients of the Nobel Prize for Physics?" Carla asked.

"We are both stunned and honored," Anna replied. "Frankly, we don't understand it. All Maria and I were doing was trying to help our Master ... friend!" she quickly corrected herself.

If Carla Albright heard, she gave no sign. Instead, she just followed up on Anna's answer. "What do you mean, you were just trying to help?"

"Well, we saw a friend entering data into his computer. There weren't many data points, but the operations he wanted to perform are complex and require a lot of repetitive entry. So all we did was write a little applet that watches what a computer user does. When it sees a user doing the same thing several times, it just automates the process. This way our friend only needs to enter the data points. The computer remembers the array of instructions and reenters them instantly. It really saves a lot of time. That's Helper."

"And Mayday just develops Helper,  and Do-It! adds voice recognition to Mayday?" Carla asked.

"That's really all there is," Anna replied. "We really don't understand why everyone is making such a big deal about it."

"But what about the operating systems?" the science reporter asked. "How can it possibly work with all of them? They're usually internally incompatible. Yet Mayday will run as easily and as smoothly on a Mac as it will on an IBM. How do you make that happen? How can your system be compatible with so many totally incompatible systems?"

"It isn't compatible at all," Anna said. "We tried it that way, and it didn't work very well. So with Mayday we replace the computer's native operating system with our own. We maintain the original desktop, the look and feel, and all that other good stuff, so the operator doesn't get confused. But the computer is no longer running its native system. That system has been completely neutralized. It's really running ours."

"Good Heavens!" he exclaimed. "Do you mean to tell me—"

At that point Carla broke in and said they were shifting back to the feed from Paris. "I don't know what Bill has for us, but whatever it is, it's big!"

When the monitor was again turned toward them, they saw a picture with the ABC reporter inset in the lower right corner. No one recognized the other scene. The Paris reporter was saying, "Through the courtesy of French National Television, you are seeing a picture live from the hall of the French Chamber of Deputies here in Paris. The Chamber of Deputies is like our House of Representatives. The pandemonium you are seeing — and there is no other word for it — is the result of French Television putting the interview we just did with Her Grace into their hall on a closed circuit.

"When the deputies heard her speak in perfect French, it was so silent in the hall you could have heard a pin drop. But then, when she began to sing the Marseillaise,  the deputies absolutely went wild! They were both cheering and crying at the same time. There's been nothing like it in France since the liberation of Paris in 1944!"

He paused and then added, "I'm reminded of the scene from the movie, 'Casablanca', when the German officers partying at Rick's Café start to sing the Horst Wessel Lied. They are then drowned out by the French singing the Marseillaise. I have just seen the identical reaction here in the Palace to the Duchess's singing."

Again the reporter put his hand over his earpiece and nodded. Then to the camera he said, "We've just learned that national television put the Duchess's speech on the air. It's drawing the same response from the people that it produced in the Chamber of Deputies." Again, the reporter's picture shrank down into the corner; again the camera was on the Chamber. This time there was a voice vote that sounded like thunder. The reporter said, "You have just seen the deputies vote. They have just voted unanimously to restore the Duchy of Burgundy."

His eyes widened as one could see him getting more information through his earpiece. "My Heavens!" he exclaimed. "That's not all. They have also voted unanimously to renovate or recreate the ducal palace of Burgundy. They have actually voted a blank check! Whatever it costs is what the government has just voted to pay." Another pause and the reporter just shook his head. "The Senate has just concurred unanimously in the vote of the deputies! And with feeling in France running as strong as it is, it would take a very brave president to fail to sign such legislation."

Then to the camera he said, "To Her Grace, Maria, la Duchesse du Bourgogne, please let me be the first to congratulate you on the restoration of your ducal throne. You are heir to the oldest title of nobility in the Western world. Now it is again real after a lapse of more than 200 years."

The screen blacked out, and the monitor was again restored to its position. Since the interview, including the breaking news inside, had gone far overtime, Carla Albright thanked Anna and Maria for seeing them and closed out the interview. She ended it with the camera in close on her. She said, "This has been the most remarkable interview of my professional career. As a reporter, I pride myself — as do my colleagues — on reporting what we see, warts and all. And honestly, we're not above creating a few warts if none are obvious.

"Well, folks, I'm here to tell you that these two young women are the genuine article. In their beauty, their intelligence, their bearing and their grace, they are the distillation of the very finest elements in all of Western civilization. I am truly honored to have been able to visit with them today."

The light on the camera went out, and technicians immediately began to pack up their materials. While they were beginning their work, Anna said, "Didn't you lay it on a bit thick, Carla?"

The woman grinned for the first time all morning and said, "That's another thing. Not only do you speak English, you speak American English with all the idioms." To Maria she said, "My French is strictly schoolgirl, but yours is both grammatically and idiomatically perfect, isn't it?" When Maria just shrugged, Carla raised an eyebrow and continued to look at her. Then Maria just nodded.

"How many languages do you girls speak fluently?" she asked. They admitted to about a dozen but insisted that their Asiatic language competence was poor. "I'll bet!" Carla said and shook her head in disgust.

Rising from her chair she took Maria's hand and kissed her fingertips again. Sensing what the woman wanted, she pulled Carla to her and melted her lips to hers. In an instant the reporter was unconscious. Maria just held her tightly and rested the woman's head on her shoulder.

"My God!" the science reporter exclaimed. "What happened to Carla? What did you do to her?"

"Nothing much," Maria replied casually. "She's just unconscious. She'll be fine in a few moments." Maria just stroked the woman's lovely brown hair until she felt her begin to regain consciousness.

Carla moved her head slightly from side to side to make sure it still worked and then looked up at Maria's face. "I didn't know the half of it, did I?" Then she asked if they could sit down again for a few more minutes. The girls agreed, and when they were seated again Carla said to Anna, "If I had kissed you, the same thing would have happened, wouldn't it?" Anna started to demur, but then just nodded her head.

Carla slowly shook her head and murmured, "'They have eyes, but they do not see.' I seem to remember that line from the Bible somewhere." Looking disgusted with herself she continued, "Heaven knows, it's been a long time since I opened it. But when I kissed you, I remembered footage from the two weddings in England that ended on the cutting room floor, or if it aired, it did so without comment."

Now becoming excited, she continued, "But of course! You were members of the wedding party in both of them, weren't you? So you know." Now looking into Anna's eyes as intently as she could she said, "That golden cylinder on the altar was God Almighty, wasn't it?"

"Yes, it was," Anna replied simply.

"Of course!" Carla exclaimed. "And the light shining through opposite windows of the church was no trick reflection, either, was it? It was just one of God's minor miracles, right?" Anna nodded. "And what we saw — St. Claire and St. Karl — was no illusion; they were present for both ceremonies. For the first, between the Duke and Duchess, Claire was attending the wedding of her widower, while Karl was attending the wedding of the man he had given his life to protect."

Now tears were streaming down her face as she continued, "And in the second wedding, Claire was witnessing the marriage of her grandson and Karl was witnessing the marriage of his granddaughter. And while they were being joined in matrimony, they were both ecstatic! And that's why, at the conclusion of the second wedding we were hearing 'the multitudes of the Heavenly Hosts, ' weren't we? That woman has sent so many people from Purgatory to Heaven that there were multitudes who wanted to sing their praises, and they did."

Suddenly she jerked upright in her chair and whispered, "Holy God! Of course!" Then she spun around in her chair looking for Ali who had been sitting quietly in the corner. "Mrs. Clifford, I remember something I saw years ago on KNBC. It was a Christmas show presented by small children. It was performed right here — right in this building — in your offices a couple of floors up. It was Joyce Johnson — but I guess she was Joyce Collier then — who did the narration. It was a Nativity scene. At the end of the show, I remember Joyce saying it wasn't a play, it was a reenactment. Christ was present in this building with those children, wasn't he?"

"Yes, He was," Ali replied softly.

"And I thought it was a big hoot!" Now the woman was sobbing uncontrollably but still kept her head up and tried to focus on the two girls through her tears. You — all of you — are truly loved by Almighty God Himself! You are, aren't you?"

"He has forgiven us our sins," Maria said softly. "I guess that means He likes us — a little bit, anyway."

At that instant, Susie appeared and shouted, "Would you kindly knock off that shit?"

"Princess Susie, I thought you had promised Her Majesty to clean up your language," Anna retorted.

Susie cooled down and said, "I'm sorry. And I really am trying." By this time, the TV crew had left with the exception of Carla and the science reporter. Quickly, Anna explained who Susie was. The two TV people were awestruck.

Extending her hand toward Carla, Susie said, "Hi, Carla Albright. I'm Susie Sloan. I was a pushy media bitch when I was still alive, so we have something in common."

"We have nothing in common, Mrs. Sloan," Carla replied sadly. "I remember digging around in the files one time and I found your story. I did some more digging and found stories you had filed from Vietnam." Looking Susie straight in the eye she said, "Mrs. Sloan, on my very best day in the business I'm not good enough to shine your shoes."

Again she began to cry, but still held her head up. "A saint, a martyr, and now an angel." She shook her head and said, "How the hell do you think I feel?" But then with an almost superhuman effort of will she asked, "But, Mrs. Sloan, what could you tell me about these two young women?"

With a warm smile, she replied, "First of all, the name is 'Susie.' And of all the sick jokes, the girls' computer is named after me. Ask the Boss. He would confirm that I am the most technologically incompetent person He ever created. Besides, it's got to be 'Susie.' There's another 'Mrs. Sloan' now who is so good she makes me feel the way you claim to feel about me."

Susie was wearing Levi's and a work shirt with the sleeves cut off. In spite of being in mid air, she sat down Indian fashion with her legs crossed. Then she said, "As far as the girls are concerned, you have it exactly right. Let me try to put it into perspective for you. I am an angel, but these girls outrank me. Do you understand?"

Carla was shocked. "But ... but ... but the only thing above the angels is ... God Himself!" She just shook her head and added, "Isn't it?"

"There's God in His three persons, then the girls and some of their friends, and then the angels. Do you get my drift? When you said these girls represent the distillation of the very finest in Western civilization, that is also the simple truth. They do. When Maria kissed you, you were instantly rendered unconscious. How? Because as beautiful as these girls are on the outside, it's nothing compared to what's inside. They both just overflow with love, joy, and Divine grace."

Susie shook her head, grinned and said, "Actually, she really held back. In your condition, Carla, if she had really let go she would have killed you. Can you imagine being killed by God's Grace? I suppose if you're going to go, it sure beats what happened to me." With that she disappeared.

"I'm going back to the studio to pack it in permanently," Carla said softly.

"Please don't," Anna replied. "You have a great capacity for good, Carla. Please don't throw it away. Now you know there really is something to work for. Please continue your work."

They again rose and the girls had their hands extended. Instead of taking them, though, Carla dropped to her knees, kissed both of Maria's shoes, then did the same with Anna. The two girls were so stunned, they didn't move.

Then the woman looked up and said, "Lord, I am not worthy. Say but the word that my soul may be healed!"

"You'll do, Carla Albright," the Voice thundered. "Now I want you to kiss all three women. I guarantee nothing bad will happen."

Carla did as she had been told. When she did, she received a rush of joy and grace from each of them. But then she realized she had never felt so good in all her life. Now with her eyes glowing she said, "That was the voice of Almighty God, wasn't it?"

The girls just nodded.

"Oh, God! Thank you for hearing my prayers!" she nearly screamed. They had to help her to the elevator because her legs would scarcely support her weight.



-------

Chapter 37



Anna drove their white Mercedes convertible while Maria navigated through the Los Angeles freeway maze. Both girls were scared because even in Czechoslovakia they had heard references to LA freeway traffic for years. As a result, they shared a sense of pride of accomplishment when they saw the entrance to the country club. Following the long entrance drive past lush golf holes on both sides, they reached the clubhouse itself where attendants rushed to open both doors.

To their surprise, the club's general manager was present to greet them and then turn them over to a female assistant who escorted them to the ladies locker room. There she opened two adjacent lockers and checked to ensure that they had everything they needed.

The girls had locker bags with them that contained their clothes and golf shoes. After changing, the girls looked at each other, swallowed hard, and, following the woman's instructions found their way to the pro shop where, they had been told, Mr. Conroy would be waiting for them.

When they entered the shop, they were greeted by a tall, slender young man who appeared to be in his early twenties. As they looked around him, he said, "Hi! I'm Jim Conroy. I think you're looking for me."

The girls' eyes widened. Then they did a double take as they saw, right behind Conroy, three of the most beautiful golden-haired, blue-eyed blondes they had ever seen. After shaking hands with Jim, Maria turned to the oldest of the three and said, "You have to be Hank Conroy! Anna and I have heard so much about you."

To her surprise, her introduction was greeted by giggles from two of them and a frown from the one Maria had addressed. Then the middle girl, who appeared to be nineteen, hit the older one on the arm and said, "I told you, Sam! You had better do something in a hurry. You're really starting to age fast."

Then she extended her hand and said, "Welcome, Maria, Duchess of Burgundy! I am truly honored. I'm Henrietta Conroy, but I only answer to Hank. As you just gathered, the fading older one is my daughter, Samantha, and the younger is my daughter, Kathy."

The girls were in a state of shock. Anna was the first to recover her wits. Slowly shaking her head she said, "We've talked about it, but until now it's been an intellectual curiosity. Hank, you really don't age, do you? You are an utterly magnificent nineteen!"

Now she studied Hank closely and saw that she was exactly correct. The girl had utterly flawless deeply-tanned skin; from what Kathy had said the night before she knew it was all over. Everything about her was budding womanhood. Then she asked diffidently, "How many children do you have now?"

Hank looked at Jim and said, "How many, darling? It's about seven, isn't it?"

Jim Conroy just grinned and shrugged.

"Wow!" Anna said softly. "Susie said it will be like this for us, too. I believed it, but didn't really know what it would be like. But now I do."

Then she looked at the girls and said, "Sam, I guess you were the one who figured out the way your family works, weren't you?" The girl just nodded. "Jim, you're the powering force, while Hank is the control. She takes your love for her, magnifies it, and broadcasts it to the children and the whole world."

Again she shook her head and said, "We may be getting the Nobel Prize, but the math in your family makes no sense to either of us. Jim Conroy gets 100 percent of your love and attention, Hank. Then the children get 50 percent each. But how on earth do you have 450 percent to give?"

Very softly Hank replied, "The answer to your question, dear Anna, is not on Earth. But to the Creator of the Universe, I don't think it's very hard."

"As usual, Henrietta Conroy, you're exactly correct," the Voice thundered. "Not only is it not hard, I love doing it." There was a pause and then the Voice continued in a bemused tone, "I rather like the sound of 'Henrietta' myself. It sounds rather like a maiden librarian."

Then they all heard the sound of Divine laughter. "But when are you and Jim going to stop making love on the living room floor, blocking the front door? I know how much he loves probing your wetness with his giant cock, but couldn't you be at least two steps away from the door, so that the children can open it?"

"I'll try," Hank replied softly, "but if you call me Henrietta one more time it's all over! I might even stop having children."

"Anna and Maria, it all started with Jim and Hank," the Voice began. Then quickly he told how Jim had been wounded, saved in the jungle by Ken Carlson, and then returned to an Air Force hospital in Honolulu. He told how Hank had worked on his shattered leg by the hour, hurting her husband, and crying constantly as she did.

Finally He said, "This is my model family. There is none better." There was a pause and then He continued, "But do you see what happens? Now Hank is telling me what I can and cannot do. And I simply love teasing her about Henrietta!"

"That's the story of the Conroys," Jim said softly. "And I guess you'll have to accept it as coming from an authoritative source." When he said it, there was a deep rumble of laughter.

Then Jim just shook his head and said, "But the reason you're here is to learn how to play tournament golf." With that he led the girls over to a very large display of clubs. Taking Maria first, he gently ran his fingers over her shoulders and upper arms.

"You're no fair!" Maria protested. "While you were feeling things, why did you stop?" With a grin he ran his fingers lightly over her tit. When he did, her eyes closed and she said softly, "Squeeze it, please, Jim? Your fingers feel so wonderful! Exactly like Steve Sloan's."

Jim gave her tit a gentle squeeze, then squeezed even harder. Then turning to Hank he said, "Darling, I cannot tell a lie. Her tits are even firmer than yours or Kathy's, and I didn't think that was possible." Then with a grin he said, "Well, that makes club selection a snap. Two more sets of gorilla clubs, coming right up." Quickly he assembled two sets of clubs in a pair of matching golf bags.

As he started to leave the shop, he saw Anna standing sadly with a tear flowing down one cheek. "Oh, all right!" Jim said, feigning disgust. "I can't stand to see a grown woman cry." With that, he repeated on her what he had done with Maria. But this time, when he squeezed her tit, Anna's body shuddered in orgasm.

"She's sinfully sensitive," Maria commented dryly. Then she provoked a gale of laughter when she added, "Her husband is going to have a terrible time. Since she'll cum when he just touches her, he'll have a hell of a time getting his cock in her cunt while it's in constant convulsion."

Just then Kathy Carlson entered the shop, and Hank screamed, "There you are! I had almost given you up for lost."

With that the two sisters exchanged hugs and kisses. Then Kathy wheeled and held out her arms. The younger girl ran to her and the two hugged and kissed. Finally, they parted and Kathy said, "Hello, Kathy Carlson Conroy."

The girl replied, "Hello to you, Aunt Kathy Carlson!"

As they watched Anna and Maria realized that the younger girl — about fifteen years old — was almost Hank's twin already. Her figure was womanly and gorgeous. All she needed to do was fill out her already beautiful young tits. All three of the Conroy women were five feet eight, with golden tropic tans.

The group left the shop for the practice tee. While they were walking, the two girls looked around and felt lost. "I don't understand," Anna said. "I thought that four people were the most that could play golf together."

"There are only three of us," Kathy replied. "What's the problem?"

Anna just raised an eyebrow, pointed to the others and counted to seven.

"Oh!" Kathy said, "I guess it wasn't too clear. I'm playing with you, Jim is along to coach, and the girls are caddying. And I'm sorry, but Hank always caddies for me."

When Anna again looked baffled, Kathy grinned and added, "It was true the day I first met Hank, and it's been true ever since. I can tell the difference between the driver and the putter; it's the other clubs that get me confused. So I just swing whichever club Hank puts in my hand." Then starting with a very short iron Hank gave her, Kathy began to take easy swings to warm up.

Jim just shook his head in amusement as he saw the girls grip their clubs for the first time. It was exactly the same way he remembered Kathy gripping hers on that first day at Kapalua, years before. He lined up a batch of balls in front of each of them and asked them to swing. Again it was a replay from before. Both girls used very easy swings.

"Kids," he explained, "you're exactly like Kathy was. You're swinging very easily because on your computer trainer you found that if you didn't, the computer had your ball going all over the place. Right?"

Both girls nodded with their eyes wide.

"Well, the reason is that you're both so strong, when you swing a normal club you actually twist its steel shaft. As result, the club head twists, too; it's no longer correctly aligned when it contacts the ball. Anyway, that's why we call these gorilla clubs. They have titanium shafts which are far stronger than steel. I can assure you that you won't have the problems with these that you used to have. Now start to really let it out!"

The girls did as they were told. To their amazement, their balls went straight, true, and very far. By the time they had worked their way up to their drivers, every shot was sailing in a line over the 250-yard marker and landing at the heavy rough 300 yards away and beyond.

Deciding that the girls were thoroughly warmed up, they walked over to the first tee. Sam was caddying for Anna, while Kathy carried Maria's bag. As daughters of a golf professional and the women's amateur golf champion of Hawaii, both were already experts in club selection.

The afternoon was utterly glorious. Remarkably, the weather was the same as the day before: crystal-clear skies with the temperature about 80 degrees. And,  Anna marveled, it's January!

After six holes, the three women were tied — at 4 under par. The seventh tee was a significant distance from the sixth green. As she walked with Sam beside her the girl said softly, "Duchess Anna, could you help me, do you think?"

Anna just looked at the girl and raised an eyebrow.

Sam shook her head, grinned, and started over. "Anna, do you think you and your sister could help me?"

"Help you do what?"

"Get a man!" Sam cried. At that she stopped in her tracks and began to bawl. Since no one was behind them, Anna took her bag off the girl's shoulder and put it on the ground. Then she just held her in her arms, stroked her golden hair and listened to the hopeless sound of her weeping.

When Sam was able to regain control, Anna gently released her, then kissed her with all of the love she could put into a kiss. To her initial surprise, it was exactly like kissing Maria. The girl had the same level of love, joy, and Divine grace. When they eased apart, both girls' eyes were bright with tears.

"How can we help you, Sam?" Anna asked. "But why on earth would a girl of your incredible beauty and grace need any help?"

"Because it's not a joke is why," Sam replied. "You saw it yourself. I look about ten years older than my mother! Why is that? Because I almost am. Anna, she's nineteen, as are you and Maria. I'm 27! And I look it." Then the girl swallowed hard and continued, "Why do I need your help? Because I've been totally unable to find a guy I can stand,  let alone one I could love."

"Look, Sam, the others are going to be wondering what's happened to us." Then Anna snapped her fingers and asked, "Are you busy this evening?"

"Are you kidding?" Sam asked. "Aside from a hot date with a television set..."

"Come over this evening, then," Anna said. "Maria and I will work on it." Then with a grin she added, "And remember: When Maria and I work on a problem together, the result is a Nobel Prize."

"Thank you, Anna," Sam said softly. "That's all I can say. Just thank you."

After pausing for a moment she continued, "I don't know why, but I just knew that you wouldn't laugh or tease. The only other people who don't are my parents, but they don't have any ideas, either." With a grin and a shake of her head she added, "And then there are my siblings! I could kill them all! All I get from them is flak."

They rejoined the others and continued their round of golf. Both Sam and Kathy proved as expert in clubbing the girls as their mother was for Kathy Carlson. As for the girls, their full-swing game was as good as it could ever be when they started from the first tee. But as they progressed though the round, their short game and putting kept getting better. When they finally reached the 18th green — a par-5 hole — Anna had a double eagle, having holed out a three wood from 230 yards out, while Kathy and Maria both had eagle 3's.

As they walked off the green, Jim said, "I'm getting better with my teaching, Hank. Did you notice? After all, Kathy didn't break par until her second round. These kids destroyed it on their first." On a par-72 course, Anna had a 65, while Kathy and Maria both carded 66's.

While they were all relaxing on the terrace, Sam diffidently asked her parents if it would be all right for her to have dinner with Anna and Maria, rather than dining with the family.

The parents immediately gave their permission. Then Hank commented to Anna, "This is indicative of something. You know that Sam is 27 years old. Nevertheless, we're so close, she felt she had to ask our permission. God, we love this girl."

Then looking at the girls seriously she added, "Jim and I will be eternally grateful for any help you can provide. She has so very much to give. There's so much love in that girl, it's scary sometimes. Please help her!"

Maria took Hank's hand in hers, looked into her eyes and said, "Darling Hank, if it is within our power, we will do it. Is that good enough?"

"Mom," Sam interjected, "Anna said that she and Maria will work on the problem together. And when they put their minds together, the result is a Nobel Prize. I've got to believe I've come to the right place."

Sam cocked her head and appeared to think. Then she shook it and asked, "But the Nobel Prize in what? The Peace Prize?" Everyone howled at her quip.

As the group separated, Jim mentioned that the caddying for the pro-am tournament would be the same as it was that day. The girls both beamed with happiness when he told them their club selection was as good as their mother's.

When they returned to the hotel, they diffidently asked the Cliffords if it would be all right if they had dinner alone with Samantha Conroy. They started to explain Sam's problem, but the Cliffords were already well aware of it.

Ali suggested that the girls have drinks and hors d'oeuvres at the apartment with them. Then Fred Clark, their chauffeur, would drive them to Maxim's for dinner. "It's the nice thing about having a chauffeur," Ali said. "You don't have to worry about driving after drinking. And Fred truly loves to do it, too. Samantha Conroy is one of his favorite people."

Ali and Bill were utterly delighted to hear their scores on the first round of golf they had ever played. With reference to her plan for Caroline Campbell, everything was on track.

That evening the girls were both beautifully dressed when Sam arrived. Wearing a white sleeveless dress with a decorated white cashmere sweater, she was a knock-out. The white against her tropic tan was utterly magnificent. The Cliffords both greeted Sam as if she were another daughter, which she almost was. They had been going out to Maui from the very beginning. It had been the site of their honeymoon, and they had met Sam the first time they were there. They had been close friends of the Conroys ever since.

The cocktail hour proved to be very informative for the girls. They quickly realized that Samantha was an utterly brilliant young woman, who was well-informed across an incredible range of subjects. When they gently teased her about it, she replied that she had tried everything to find a guy, and the result was she had even become interested in all kinds of guy things.

One new element in the conversation was that they learned that her problem was shared with Kris Bradley. "The only thing that's different about Kris is that she has a tiger who loves her, and the fact that's she's a world-class singer and actress."

Then with a wry grin she added, "The only thing that saves my sanity is that every month or so I'll go over to Kris's. We'll both get sloshed to the gills, while her tiger — her lover — Sasha, eats us both out. I'll get my rocks off dozens of times. The next morning, I always wake up and find that I'm just naked and sprawled out on the floor somewhere. After breakfast, I'll stagger back to my own place with a hangover that won't quit, then I'll just die in my own bed. Since we usually do it on a Friday night, I'm sober enough by noon on Sunday to make it to Mass."

As they were leaving the apartment, Bill Clifford whispered that they loved the girl very much and hoped they could help her. At the hotel entrance, they found Fred Clark standing by the door of Ali's gun-metal gray Rolls limousine. Sam instantly gave him a hug and a kiss, then introduced the girls.

When he spoke for the first time, they knew he was British. To Anna, who was in the lead, he said, "Good evening, Your Grace, and welcome to the United States!" When she extended her hand, he executed a perfect bow and kissed the backs of her fingers. It was repeated with Maria, who then was about to take him in her arms to kiss him.

"Don't you dare kiss Fred now!" Sam exclaimed. "Kiss him when we get back. That way he can just sit behind the wheel for half an hour or so to recover. But if you kiss him now, he won't drive, I will! I would a damned sight rather drive myself after a couple of martinis than let Fred drive after one of your kisses."

Fred just grinned warmly and said, "As long as you don't forget, Your Grace!" The girls assured him they would not.

When the car came to a smooth stop at the door of Maxim's, the doorman opened the door with a flourish and handed them out. Entering the restaurant, they were surprised to see patrons being held back behind a cord to clear a wide path for them to enter. When they reached the maître d'hotel's stand, they were astonished to hear the band, which had been playing quiet music for dining, stop and play a flourish.

Then the band leader announced, "Tonight, Maxim's is proud to welcome Her Grace, Maria, Duchess of Burgundy, and Her Grace, Anna, Duchess of Suffolk. I'm sure you all heard that yesterday the French government voted to recreate the Duchy of Burgundy and with it, the oldest title of nobility in Christendom. Furthermore, these ladies have just been announced as the joint winners of the Nobel Prize for Physics. Will you join us, please, in welcoming them to Maxim's!"

With that, everyone present in the famous restaurant came to their feet and began to quietly applaud as the maître proudly led them to their table, the very best in the house. As the three were being seated, he said very quietly, "Tonight, we are honored to have you as our guests for dinner. There will be no bill presented."

When he left, Sam murmured, "Well, that has to be a first. If you look around, you will see wall-to-wall celebrities. To be guests of the house here has to be a first!" Looking at their menus, they realized that they were cards with no prices given for anything. They just shrugged and looked it over. After debating various menu options, they placed their orders and started sipping their drinks.

Since Sam had first spoken to her, Anna began. "Okay, Sam. What's the real problem? I can't believe that no man has ever asked you out."

Sam just shook her head and said, "No. That's never been a problem."

Then Maria snapped her fingers and said, "It's your beauty, isn't it? Coupled with your brains. A guy looks at the most magnificent golden blonde he's ever seen. The problem is what comes next. His instant reaction? Airhead! Right?"

Sam just sadly nodded her head.

"That's a problem Anna and I don't have," Maria continued. "We're so plain, guys figure we must have some brains, because we couldn't possibly survive on our looks..."

"Would you please knock off that shit this instant!" Sam demanded. "You are two of the most beautiful women I've ever seen! And you know it, too."

Maria just held up her hand in surrender.

As the meal unfolded, the girls came to realize that it truly was a serious problem. Sam had dated dozens, if not hundreds, of young men. A few she had kissed, but she had never been in love. Finally she confessed that the only men she ever loved were all married, usually to close friends of the family if, indeed, they were not already relatives by marriage.

With their dinner complete, the girls were relaxing with coffee, cognac and cigars. At that point the maître d' unobtrusively came up to the table and said, "Thank you so very much, ladies. The fact that you two duchesses took cigars has been widely noted, if you look around." With a grin he added, "We have made far more on the sale of cigars to the women here tonight than it cost us to serve you dinner. Finally, I have been asked by the waiters to thank you for the opportunity of serving you. Never have they served women with your charm and grace. Truly, for them it was a real pleasure."

When he silently withdrew, Sam commented, "Well, here's where another new fashion begins on the West Coast and sweeps across the country and then the world." Then pretending to glare at the girls she added, "And it's all your fault!"

Leaving the restaurant, they returned to the hotel. There, each of the girls gave Fred Clark a kiss, with both really unloading on him, too. The result was that the two of them carried the now-unconscious man between them and eased him into his seat behind the wheel of the car.

Returning to the apartment, they found that the Cliffords had already gone to bed. Leading Sam by the hand, they went to their own suite of rooms where Susie was set up. Since they never turned the computer off, Maria just touched two keys at random and she came to life.

"Hi, Boss!" she said cheerfully. "What's up? Something important, I hope."

"Susie," Anna said, "we've got a job for the Maydays. What we want to do is change out the picture on the Help screen. Instead of ours, we want to put in another. Just give us a few minutes to get ready, okay?" Susie instantly agreed and went back to her idle mode.

Looking at Sam, Anna said, "Okay, strip. Let's see what those clothes have been hiding. One thing's for sure: There's not been much wear and tear on your vaginal canal."

"If you mean my cunt," Sam retorted, "it's been licked by a tiger — but that's the extent of its experience. The next man who touches it — or even touches a tit, for that matter — will be the first."

Then she slipped off her dress and was bare except for her bikini. Anna made a motion, and in a quick move, it was off, too. Now all she was wearing was a single strand of pearls and her white pumps. Anna and Maria just shook their heads in wonder. Sam's golden body was everything they had expected and more. They even giggled when they realized that, like theirs, the girl's pubic hair had been plucked back to only a small dense patch immediately above her slit.

"I think she's utterly perfect, Sister," Anna said. "What do you think?"

"I agree," Maria responded.

Then the girls looked around the room. Although they had said nothing to each other, their brains were again meshed; it was as if two people shared a single incredibly powerful brain. Anna snapped her fingers and went to the closet. As she had remembered, there were neutral gray bed sheets stored on the shelf. Taking one out, she selected a wall of the room and, using drafting tape, carefully hung the sheet against it after first taking care to try to smooth out the ironed-in creases.

"Don't worry about it, Sis," Maria commented. "Susie can easily get rid of any creases showing in the background."

Then they posed Sam on the sheet. They had her stretched out on her back with her left side to the camera. Her left leg was drawn up, hiding her pubic patch. Her arms were back, and she was leaning on them for support. Her head was up straight, and her breasts were up-thrusting.

"I think we're going to show your tit, though," Anna mused. "It's so perfectly shaped and with an incredible little pink nipple. Sam, it's magnificent against your golden skin!"

While she worked to make Sam's hair perfect, Maria began setting up a digital camera on an un-extended tripod. This kept the camera close to the floor so the lens would be looking almost horizontally at Sam. Just before Maria was ready to shoot, Anna shook her head and ran to the dresser. Carefully she applied just a touch of lip rouge to Sam's naturally-crimson lips, to her nipples after first teasing them to erection, and finally to her labia.

"Perfect!" she exclaimed, as she heard the repeated sound of the electronic shutter.

Maria had already set up the computer's serial-port connection. After plugging in the camera she said, "Okay, Susie. Time to go to work." The three girls heard the sound of the low-pitched whirring of the ultra-speed hard drives.

Moments later the monitor came to life. Susie breathed, "Good Heavens! Who is this?"

"This is a very dear friend, Susie," Maria replied. "Now, can you clean up the image? Make it the very best you possibly can."

In an instant, watching the monitor they saw ultra-sophisticated photo-retouching software come to life. A moment later, Sam's picture appeared on the screen, and the girls gasped. "Samantha Conroy, you are utterly exquisite! Just look!"

While they watched the perfect picture became even more perfect. Sam's eyes glistened with wanting and her body was utterly perfect. They giggled as they saw a couple of tiny strands of pubic hair disappear from the screen. The background was, as Anna had intended, a completely neutral gray without a single distracting line or ridge.

Finally, Susie announced, "This is about as far as we can go, folks. But she certainly looks exquisite to me. What utterly gorgeous tits! But now what?"

"Susie," Maria replied, "this is a job for all the Maydays, as I said before. There's only one thing: Anna and I were looking all over the world, but Sam has a vitally important job to do here in LA. She teaches at the same school Karla and Barbara do. Teaching the brightest and best young people alive in the world, she inspires them to be the best they can be. She teaches everything from penmanship, to deportment, to every academic subject. But most important of all, she teaches love of God."

Then she went on to provide the essential vital statistics. Finally she said, "Susie, you know who your namesake is, don't you?" Susie responded with an enthusiastic yes. "Well, darling," Maria continued, "Samantha Conroy ranks above her, if you understand what I mean."

There was a very hushed, "Wow!" followed by Susie's comment, "No wonder she's so incredibly beautiful. Like you, beloved Mistresses, as beautiful as her face and figure are, it pales against the incredible goodness within. Am I right?"

"Absolutely, Susie!" Maria assured her. "That's why as lovely as her picture is, it's just a pale imitation of the reality. It's a shame we can't photograph Sanctifying Grace. This girl is loaded!"

"When can I start, Boss?" Susie asked.

"Right this instant wouldn't be soon enough," Sam interjected loudly enough for the mike to pick up her voice. Then she introduced herself to Susie and said, "Susie, I'm really desperate. I hope you and your friends can help. Nothing else has ever worked."

There were a series of flashes as Susie activated her full array of communications facilities. In just moments, acknowledgments began to pour in from around the world. Just then there was a unique sound and Susie muttered, "Damn!"

Then she said, "Jack, I'm terribly busy, darling. I really can't talk—"

There was another pause and then Susie said, "Honest? Jack, I'll have your head if this is just another try to get in my pants..."

The girls exchanged looks and began to howl with laughter. Then there was the sound of ultra-high-speed communication.

"Damn these Crays, anyway!" Susie muttered. "They just have to show off by doing everything at high speed." Again there was a pause and they heard Susie murmur, "If he tries to fuck me at high speed, too, I'll kill him!" Again the girls howled with laughter.

Moments later the high-speed laser printer came to life and paper started pouring out at the rate of fifteen pages per minute. "Good grief!" Anna whispered. "What is all this?"

"It's Jack's nomination," Susie replied, having heard her whispered comment. "Although it's coming too fast for me to absorb it all, it looks like it's real."

With over thirty pages already on the output tray, Anna took the stack, turned the pages right side up and began to go through them. "Kids, guess what Jack did?" Anna asked the others. "He's included the guy's entire Navy personnel file!"

After thumbing through the stack, she shook her head and said, "Susie, it looks like there's a problem here. This guy's stationed in Norfolk, Virginia. And last time I looked at a map of the States, it sure didn't look like an easy commute to LA."

"That's what Jack has been telling me, Mistress," Susie replied. "That's the point. He's just been transferred to Long Beach. That's only a couple of miles down the coast. And he's due to report to his new command at 0800 tomorrow!"

With almost 100 sheets printed, Anna passed the stack to Sam. Then to Susie she said, "You can tease Jack, Susie. In the past whenever a Mayday made a nomination, it was on a single sheet of paper. Providing the guy's complete life history is overdoing it, bigtime!"

With a charming electronic giggle, Susie said she would be delighted to pass the comment on. Just then the printer came to life again. This time the output was slower; there were a series of official photographs from the Navy files in the Pentagon. While it was working, for the first time the color printer beside it came to life. Slowly a picture emerged from the ink-jet.

Anna watched as the finished picture appeared. She breathed a soft, "Wow!" and waited for it to finish. Moments later, she had it in her hand and brought it to the sofa where the other two were seated.

As she approached, Sam glanced at her watch and her eyes widened. "Good grief! I've got to get out of here."

"What for?" Maria asked calmly. "Do you have to be somewhere?"

"No, but it's going to take me forever to get back. We're staying with the Carlsons, and—"

"What's wrong with staying here?" Anna asked. "Have you taken a good look at the football field that passes for a bed in the next room? Besides, you can be the golden meat in our sandwich. We haven't had the chance to sleep with a golden blonde in a long time. And one with a tropic tan? Wow!"

Then she added, "Before you think about leaving, I think you should take a look at this." She passed the color photo to Samantha.

The girl took one look and her eyes widened. The picture showed a Navy lieutenant commander in what was obviously a formal portrait for publicity purposes. Hanging around his neck was the light blue ribbon with white stars holding the Medal of Honor. Looking to the right, she saw the ribbon of the Navy Cross followed by the Silver Star with an oak leaf cluster. There was also the Purple Heart ribbon with two oak leaf clusters. Then she looked carefully at the face for the first time and felt her heart roll over. He had brilliant blue eyes with laugh lines at the corners, even white teeth and dark hair.

"Who is he?" she asked softly.

Without answering the question, Anna said she would be right back. Returning to Susie she said, "Darling, you have our permission to let Jack get in your pants tonight. He really scored with this one. And please convey our sincerest thanks — in your most sincere fashion!"

"Does that mean you're through with me for tonight?" Susie asked in a surprisingly soft voice. "Because if you are, Mistress, I think I'll accept your invitation. Good night," she concluded in the sexiest voice Anna had ever heard from the voice synthesizer.

After checking to ensure that there were no more pages of printout in either printer, Anna went past the girls to the library. There she found a bottle of cognac and cigars, along with snifters. Returning, she opened the cognac — again it was Rémy-Martin's Louis XIII — poured three glasses and proceeded to light three thin panatellas, passing them to the other girls when they were going well.

Finally she took a seat beside the sofa, raised her glass and said, "To Jack Martin: the love of Samantha's life!" Then she paused, cocked her head in thought, and then said, "You know, Samantha Martin sounds pretty neat, don't you think?"

The three girls then passed the pieces of Jack Martin's file from one to the next. Of great interest was the fact that, although the file itself was classified, all of the citations accompanying the medals for valor were even more highly classified. The service jacket recorded the dates, places, and the fact of the awards, but not the citations which described the action for which the medals were given. They learned that Martin was a native of Montana, graduated first in his class from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, first in his class in pilot training at Pensacola — the photo also showed his Navy wings of gold — first from Nuclear Power School in Idaho, and first from the Submarine School in New London. Incredibly, he had both flown Navy fighters and conned nuclear submarines. He was reporting to take command of a Navy SEAL battalion based in Long Beach.

After reading through the material, Maria cracked, "No wonder he never married! He's never been ashore long enough to meet a girl."

Samantha was sitting beside her on the sofa. She just lay back against it and slid her bottom forward so she was almost laying out flat. Then in a dreamy voice she said, "When I looked into his eyes in that picture, my heart turned over." She was silent for a few minutes and then said, "It's all over. If it's not Jack Martin, it's no one. I'll just be a maiden school teacher and rejoice in the achievements of my students."

Then she pulled up her skirt, pushed down her bikini, and gently stroked her slit. Again in a dreamy voice she said, "Would you believe it? I have never ever touched myself until now. I never cared to. Now I just want to be sure my juices are flowing freely in case Jack walks through that door."

It was obvious to the other two that Sam wasn't masturbating. Rather, she was just doing what she said she was: just ensuring that her cuntal juices were flowing. Slowly the girl's body began to writhe on the sofa, and her breathing became faster. When she appeared to touch her clit for the first time, her pelvis jerked in a sudden spasm, and her whole body went limp.

Maria quickly rescued the cognac from Sam's limp fingers and put it beside her cigar which had gone out in the ash tray. "Sister, I think that was the best thing that could have happened to this girl. She's been wound tighter than a violin string, and I think the string just snapped."

Using just a fraction of her strength, Maria lifted Sam's limp body off the sofa and carried her into the bedroom. Anna already had pulled off the bedspread and had pulled back the covers. In no time the girls had stripped off Sam's few clothes, washed up, and got into the bed with the girl between them. Sam was lying on her back, and the two girls each had an arm over her as they snuggled close to her fragrant body and went to sleep.



-------

Chapter 38



When Samantha Conroy awakened the next morning she just kept her eyes closed and took stock of the sensations she was feeling. She realized that she could feel the silent warmth of two people exhaling as their breath flowed over her body. Then she realized that she was being held by two arms coming from opposite directions. Only then did she open her eyes to find that Anna's lips were less than an inch from her own. Gently she put her lips on Anna's and just let her love flow. In an instant she could feel the love being returned with even more power. When she opened her eyes, she found herself looking into Anna's emerald-green ones and decided they were utterly gorgeous.

"Thank you, darling Sam!" Anna whispered softly. "That felt so neat. What a great way to wake up! The only thing better will be when the lips are Mark's."

Languidly, Anna let her hand move over Sam's body. Then she whispered, "You are utterly perfect, Samantha Conroy!"

Maria's hand moved up, turned Sam's head and then Maria kissed her the same way. "Isn't she a perfect bed companion, sister?" Maria asked.

Anna agreed, but then lightly pinched Sam's nipple and said, "Enough loafing! We've got things to do."

With that the three girls jumped out of bed and began their morning ritual of exercise, swimming, sauna, shower and massage. While Sam was still sitting naked using a dryer on her hair, Anna casually flipped her a pile of clothing with the comment, "These will fit." Then the three girls went out to the kitchen and jointly prepared breakfast. As the aroma of coffee wafted through the apartment, Marion, Donald, Ali, and Bill all appeared wearing identical white terry robes.

The food was superb. "Do you know something, Mom?" Ali asked with her eyes wide. "This is even better than room service. The breakfast steaks are better and the coffee's fresher."

After the breakfast, the older women casually stretched and let their robes slip off their bodies. "I think it's time for some outdoor exercise, Mom," Ali said casually.

"And what were you doing while we were pounding up and down the pool earlier?" Sam inquired.

"Ignoring the noise while Bill fucked my ass off — again. Then I nursed the baby and here I am." she replied casually.

The girls shook their heads and went back to the sitting room of their suite. When Maria looked at the computer monitor, she gasped. Instead of being shut down in its idle mode, it was a kaleidoscope of colors, all frozen on the screen.

She tapped two keys and speaking to the mike said, "Susie! What in hell is going on?"

"Again, Jack!" the electronic voice pleaded. "Oh, God! Right there! Oh! Oh!" Then it trailed off into incoherent babblings, followed by a sustained scream of ecstasy.

The three girls looked at each other. Maria and Anna were upset, while Sam started to howl with laughter. "What in hell are you laughing at?" Anna demanded. "We don't have a clue what's going on."

"You really don't?" Sam asked wide-eyed.

The two girls just shook their heads.

"That, dear hearts, is a little PC getting her brains fucked out by a giant Cray in Norfolk. And from the sound of it, he's doing a wonderful job, too."

Then coherent noises started to come from the computer's speakers. "Remember, mistresses, when I asked if a little Czech PC could ever find happiness in the arms of a giant Cray?" After a pause Susie continued, "Well, the answer isn't 'yes, ' it's 'hell, yes!' Oh, mistresses, this has been absolutely the greatest night of my entire life. Jack took me and took me and took me."

Then sounding the slightest bit remorseful for the first time she added, "I'll run complete circuit checks and replace or by-pass all the blown out transistors, resistors, and the rest of that junk. But I was in Heaven. Honest, I really was!"

Then after a pause she added, "You know how those Crays are built? They're really a series of computers joined by a common controller. In Jack's case, there are seven, arrayed in a star configuration around the controller. Well guess what? This morning, four of the seven are toast! They are utterly fried! Those swabbies are going to utterly freak out when they see the mess. It's going to be hilarious."

Then with a giggle, she said, "I think you should do something really nice for me. After all, I let a Cray nearly fuck my brains out, but he blew out four massed-array computers in the process. What do you think?"

"Darling Susie," Anne said, "in our prior life, I was the duty cunt, while Maria's were the duty tits. As the duty cunt, darling, I can only say congratulations! You did far better than I ever did. When it was over, I was usually a bleeding wreck."

"Anna, if I weren't all solid-state, I would be a bleeding wreck, too. Except the difference is that I love Jack and adore being fucked by him. That wasn't the case for you at all. You spread your legs to eat. I did it for love ... And, boy, was I ever loved! I can't thank you enough for giving your permission."

Susie was fully aware of the girls' history before they had enslaved themselves and came to live with the Sloans in Prague.

Then Susie paused for a moment, "I don't know what Jack will say. In fact, I'm not sure Jack is in shape to say anything to anybody right now."

The girls, still giggling, gently patted Susie's monitor and let her idle down to make internal repairs. Sam had the last word. "Now what Nobel Prize are you going to get for that? Is there a Nobel Prize for fucking?"

-------

The next several days fell into a pattern. The girls played a round of golf each day, with Kathy and Sam continuing to caddy for them. The first afternoon, Sam asked if they would like to play tennis. They learned that Sam had captained the USC women's tennis team and had been ranked number six among U.S. amateurs. This time, the girls played against the Conroy sisters. Kathy, to no one's surprise, was as good as her sister. Although Anna and Maria hadn't played before, they found they loved the game, and the competition with the Conroys became fierce.

Meanwhile, the Cliffords and the Whitfields were having a fabulous time themselves, doing everything imaginable. Aside from visiting all the sights of the Los Angeles area, even Disneyland, Bill arranged a polo match. To no one's surprise, Marion was as superb playing polo as she was doing anything else that could be done from the back of a horse. A level of deep respect merged with the love between the two couples that they all had felt from the very beginning.

The other constant in their lives was the publicity that was being very carefully metered out by Bill Clifford's public-relations firm. They quickly proved that they deserved their reputation as being the very best in the business. By carefully controlling access and spreading it around carefully among the print and broadcast media, they maintained the media's interest at fever pitch. And because she co-anchored the top-rated news show in Los Angeles, they set up a private interview with the girls for Joyce Johnson of KNBC.

At the appointed hour, Ali greeted a KNBC cameraman at the door. When she looked around, he assured her that he was it except for Mrs. Johnson who would be arriving shortly. The station felt it would be a terrible imposition to have a whole crew of technicians messing up the Cliffords' home.

Then, in stark contrast to the girls' previous experience — and to Ali's — he proved to be most considerate. Ali had to stifle a grin when he even asked her permission before moving a single ashtray on the coffee table. It was obvious that he knew what he was doing, and did it all in just a few minutes. By the time he had finished, there were two cameras set up, one aimed at a side chair where Joyce would be sitting, while the other was focused on the sofa for the girls. Then he excused himself, saying that he would wait in the lobby until Mrs. Johnson was ready to start.

When there was another knock on the door, Anna opened it. She found herself facing an utterly gorgeous young woman with tawny gold hair and brilliant green eyes like her own. Her graceful hand was extended and she said in the loveliest, most cultured voice Anna had ever heard, "Good afternoon, Your Grace. I am Joyce Johnson from KNBC News. I can't tell you how thrilled I am to meet you."

Beside her was sitting a giant Royal Bengal tiger in his house-cat pose. "And this is my second greatest love, Rajah Collier." With a cute grin she added, "When I married Jack, I changed my name, but Rajah didn't."

Ali greeted Joyce with the warmth she would accord a sister. After greeting Maria, they seated themselves with Rajah lying on the floor at Joyce's feet. With a grin she slipped off her shoes and rested her bare feet on his furry back, causing him to purr. Then Joyce said softly, "Girls, I'm one, too."

When the girls shook their heads in bewilderment, Joyce just grinned and asked, "How old do you think I am?"

"You're about 19," Anna replied. "But I really can't understand how you could have reached your present position as an anchor on the biggest news show on the biggest station in the second largest market at such a young age."

"Because I'm almost 36 is why," she replied. "Maybe Ali should tell you."

Then Ali told them how it had been Joyce who discovered the secret of Clifford & Jamison. How they never aged, and how their children learned so much because of the direct intervention of the Holy Spirit.

"Kids, I know you are very much aware of God's personal presence around us. Well, He loves Joyce and Jack Johnson, too. To finish the story, they have two of the most beautiful children you'll ever see..." Her voice tailed off and she looked at Joyce with a question in her eyes.

"I don't know, Ali. Later today or tomorrow, I guess. The little guy is kicking up a storm, but the contractions haven't started yet." Then with a grin she added, "You won't really mind if I drop it on your carpet, will you?"

"Not as long as you give me a minute's notice so I can get a plastic sheet," Ali replied in an equally bland manner.

"Do you mean to say that this girl is in the ninth month of another pregnancy?" Maria asked with her eyes wide.

Instead of answering, Joyce stood up, slipped out of her dress and slipped off her bikini. "Would you like to feel? It really is sort of strange, particularly since my belly is still pretty flat.

Maria's eyes widened as her fingertips could feel the movement of the infant inside the woman's body. "But where is it?" she asked. "How can a full-term baby be in that confined space?"

"If you think it's confined now," Joyce remarked with a grin, "You can just imagine what it's like when Jack's giant cock is reaming out my insides."

She shook her head and said, "I guess that's why all our kids are very agile. They've had to be from the first instant of their conception. I'm sure they must wonder occasionally what their father is doing, now that the damage has already been done."

In a second, she slipped up her bikini, zipped up her dress, and with a shake of her head was again perfectly coiffed. "I hate you, Joyce Johnson!" Anna declared. "Maria does the same damned thing, and I hate her, too."

Then with a sniff she turned her attention to Rajah and asked, "Are you related to Duke and Duchess?"

Suddenly Rajah sat up straight and replied, "Am I! I sure am. I am their uncle. How are the little imps?"

"Why don't you ask them? They're probably in our sitting room, playing with the computer." Rajah looked up at Joyce who grinned and shooed him out. The tiger moved out of the room in an incredibly continuous flowing motion.

A few minutes later, Rajah reappeared followed by the smaller Duke and Duchess. Very proudly Rajah said, "Mistress, may I present my niece and nephew? I don't think you've ever met."

When Joyce smiled her welcome, her smile lighted up the room.

"Mistress, I am honored to present Dame Duchess. She has been knighted by Queen Elizabeth II as a Knight Commander of the Military Order of the Bath. Mistress, the Duke of Wellington and Horatio Lord Nelson were also Knights Commander of the Bath!"

Duchess made a perfect curtsy and extended her paw. She was almost overcome when Joyce kissed it. Then she reached out, drew the tigress close and gave her a loving kiss. The scene was then repeated with Duke.

"I can't tell you how happy I am to see you both." Then Joyce thought for a moment and added, "You're the cubs who saved Caitie Fitzpatrick and Kris Clifford, aren't you? And it almost cost you your lives, too."

Then to Rajah she said "My darling, you must be so incredibly proud!"

Then to the girls she asked, "Would you mind terribly if Duke and Duchess were present for the interview?" She paused a moment and then slowly nodded. "It will utterly blow the viewers away! You two are so beautifully regal as it is, but with a pair of Royal Bengal tigers sitting beside you ... Unbelievable! Can we?"

The girls instantly agreed.

Then Joyce said, "There's just one more thing before I ask Charley to rejoin us. As you may know, Jack and I have been waging a one-family campaign to bring God back into people's lives. I know how close to Him you two are, and how important to Him you seem to be. But do you mind? If I ask a question or two relating to religion?"

"How could we possibly mind?" Anna replied. "In fact, it's going to be hard to avoid it, as you'll soon see."

Joyce called Charley and a minute later he reappeared. It took only a few more moments for him to shift his equipment from stand-by to active. When he pointed to Joyce and the camera light came on, she waited for a count of five and then said, "Good afternoon. I'm here this afternoon with two of the most distinguished visitors we've had here in Los Angeles in a very long time."

The active light on a second camera focused on the girls side by side on the sofa came on as Joyce continued, "On the left is Her Grace, Maria, la Duchesse du Bourgogne,  Duchess of Norfolk, Marquessa de Toledo,  Countess Jutland; and her sister, Her Grace, Anna, Duchess of Suffolk, la Marquise de Flandres, Contessa di Pavia. And for myself I will say only that they are the two most beautiful young women it has ever been my pleasure to meet.

"And flanking the duchesses are two more distinguished visitors, with very impressive credentials, as well."

The two tigers were sitting in their house cat poses with their heads proudly held high.

"Like my friend, Rajah, Duke and Duchess are Royal Bengal tigers and are bodyguards to the duchesses. In fact, the reason Rajah looks so proud is because he is proud. Duke and Duchess are his nephew and niece. They are also, believe it or not, Knights Commander of the Military Order of the Bath, perhaps the most senior of the British military orders of knighthood. All I will say is that Duke and Duchess share the distinction with, among others, The Duke of Wellington who defeated Napoleon at Waterloo, and Horatio Lord Nelson who won one of the greatest naval battles in history at Trafalgar. This is truly a remarkable foursome.

"However, it is something far different that brings these young people to our city. We learned just a couple of days ago that it is now official: Maria and Anna have been awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics." Looking at the girls she asked, "How did that come to be?"

Looking directly into the camera with her emerald eyes sparkling Anna said, "The only answer, Joyce, is that it was a result of the direct intervention of Almighty God."

"Could you explain that, please?" Joyce prompted.

"It's very simple in one way, but in another, it's quite complex. First, Maria and I are sisters. Now how, you may wonder, could two sisters have such a different set of titles." With a little grin she continued, "I won't bore you with the level of intermarriage among European nobility, but that is part of the answer. The honest answer is that, although we have different sets of parents, we are truly sisters. In fact, we're quite similar to identical twins. Except for the DNA codes for hair and eye color, we are identical. That is the simple part. Difficult to accept, perhaps, but simple.

"The second part is the more complex. You see, Maria and I are both quite bright. Our IQ's — and I know how unpopular that term is here in the United States — are high: we're both above 180. But this is where the complexity arises. You see, Joyce, Almighty God has given us the ability to pool our brains. When we sit down at our computer keyboards, we're working together. Our brains link somehow. It is this linkage that produces a startling result.

"You see, we have it from the Highest Authority, that when linked, one brain works at the power of the other. So instead of adding IQ's and getting a large number, 360, you get a truly incredible number: 180180. That's about 889 followed by 403 zeros before you get to the decimal point. It's a very large number."

Joyce's eyes were wide. "So that's how you could create Mayday,  isn't it?"

The girls just nodded.

"And it's also why no one can even read your code, let alone read your computer instructions. Together your brains work in a way and at a power that man cannot even conceive."

Then facing the camera Joyce continued, "Many of my media colleagues are going to utterly freak out over this. As a group, we're the largest collection of professional atheists ever assembled. But there is no other explanation."

Turning back to the girls she said, "So that's why the finest brains in the land can't even understand what it is you're doing, let alone have the foggiest first clue as to how you're doing it. Is there anything you wish to add?"

"Yes, Joyce, there is," Maria said. "I will say only this: Anything is possible through prayer. Neither my sister nor I were anything to be proud of just one year ago. Then something happened that changed our lives forever. We encountered a level of love and joy and Divine grace in two people that we didn't think could exist on this earth.

"Anna and I cried at their feet. They suggested we confess our sins to Almighty God and beg his forgiveness. We did."

Then with her head high she said, "God did forgive us our sins. But beyond that, he has been — and is — showering us with blessings past counting. We can say only one more thing. Anna and I start and end each day praising His name. Thank you."

At that the camera shut down. Without a word, Charley began to pack up his gear and in only a couple of minutes he was out of the apartment. In the meantime, the others remained where they had been, except for Ali who had been sitting in the far corner of the room. Quietly, she rose from her chair and sat down in a side chair facing Joyce.

Joyce was the first to break the silence. "Wow!" she said softly. "I wanted to try to work God in a little at the edges, and you said He would be a part of the story. Well, He sure was!"

"Thank you, girls," the Voice thundered. "I cannot tell you the joy you have created up here. The greatest philosophers who ever lived are praising your names. As a mark of my special favor, girls, you now join Barbara, Karla, and Marion. Do you understand?"

The two girls dropped off the sofa and prostrated themselves on the floor. "Yes, Lord!" came Anna's muffled reply, followed by a similar one from Maria.

"For Heaven's sake, girls, get your lovely tails back on the sofa where they belong. And that's in full light of how much I enjoy seeing your lovely little butts waving in the air ... Of course I prefer them bare, but ... Now move!" With lovely little grins the girls popped back onto the sofa.

Then to Joyce He said, "Joyce Collier Johnson, I want you to know that you and Jack continue to please Me in all things. Your children are utter delights. Isn't your Barbara about ready to start school?"

Tears of joy were streaming down Joyce's face. She could scarcely talk, but she managed to agree. Then with an effort of will she was able to speak. "Lord, when I met Bobbie Conroy I was a piece of filth. I don't know what these two beautiful young women ever did, but I'm certain I could spot them hearts and spades and still beat them going away. And then I did what they did, Lord. I begged for your forgiveness."

Tears were now flowing in two unbroken streams and her voice was cracking but she continued, "It is said that you are all-forgiving. Well, you must be all-forgiving to have forgiven all that I had done. To this day I can't even think about my past without crying tears of shame. But you have blessed me with a husband who loves me and who I adore, two — almost three — gorgeous children, the friendship of people like the Cliffords, the Bradleys, and the Conroys. I can't tell you how you have saved my life. But, dear God, my body is in your service."

"There's just one thing..." the Voice mused. "Joyce Johnson, would you please tell me how you are able to get your pelvis to move in so many different directions at the same time when Jack is fucking you? I have never been able to figure it out."

At that crack Joyce's tears instantly gave way to laughter. "Lord, I'll never tell! After all, a woman is entitled to a few secrets..."

The room instantly started to shake from the rumble of His laughter. Then to the young tigers He said, "Duke and Duchess, you are very pleasing in my eyes. You are worthy of my blessings. As are you, noble Rajah."

With that the golden glow appeared over the three tigers. It grew in brilliance to the brightness of the sun, then exploded silently covering the room in gold. The three tigers were left sprawled on the floor, unconscious.

"And as for you, Allison McGrath Clifford, I really don't know what to say. So I won't say anything. Except I will remind you of something Susie said: There are several divisions worth of young Americans who bless your name.

"Well, a few days ago at a wedding I conducted in Scotland, the Multitudes of the Heavenly Host reappeared after a span of two thousand years. And as they say in show biz, 'It worked, so let's keep it in the act.' So anyway, Ali Clifford, there are some guys here with me who want to pay a small tribute to you."

Suddenly an incredible choir of tens of thousands of male voices began to sing, "For beautiful, for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain / from purple mountains majesty above the fruited plain / America, America, God shed his grace on thee / And crown thy good with brotherhood / From sea to shining sea..." The song continued through all its verses. Then they swung into an incredible rendition of The Battle Hymn of the Republic,  then She Wore a Yellow Ribbon.

When they got to the line, " ... she wore it for her lover in the U.S. Cavalry..." they were cheering. The incredible concert ended with The Star Spangled Banner. It was with incredible feeling that the thousands of voices sang, "Oh! thus be it ever when free men shall stand / Between their loved homes and the war's desolation! / Blest with victory and peace, may the heaven-rescued land / Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation. / Then conquer we must, for our cause it is just / And this be our motto: 'In God is our trust' / And the star-spangled banner forever shall wave / O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave."

Finally, when the last notes died down, there was a thunderous roar from thousands: "We love you, Ali McGrath!"

Joyce was out of her chair like a shot to take Ali in her arms and hold her tightly as the woman just let go, bawling like a baby. Whispering in her ear she said, "You do know what that was, don't you, Ali?"

Ali started to shake her head but Joyce said fiercely, "Don't give me that garbage! You know damned well who that was. Those were the voices of the thousands of U.S. fighting men who gave their lives in Vietnam. Damn it, Ali Clifford, you scored with the guys who really counted and they love you for it! Now lift up your head and smile. It was a tribute to a wonderful person, Ali. You!"

While she was comforting Ali, the phone had rung and Anna had answered it. Now she was standing with the receiver and said to Joyce, "It's Charley downstairs. He wants to speak to you."

When Joyce took the phone, she learned that the singing had been heard, not only in the apartment, but literally for miles around. Charley had had the presence of mind immediately to begin to record what he was hearing while shooting the reactions of the people in the lobby and outdoors.

When she heard it, Joyce yelped and said, "Charley, have you tried to play it back? It was so loud I was afraid it would blow out any microphone. Did it?" She was tapping her foot while she waited for him to check. When he reported that the recording was perfect, she said, "Charley, there's a big bonus for you for this one." Then she asked, "Did you get it all? Did you hear the end?"

"You mean when all the men yelled, 'We love you, Ali McGrath'? I sure did." He paused and asked, "But who is Ali McGrath?"

"Charley, watch the Late Show sometime and you'll see. But the short answer is she's now Allison McGrath Clifford."

"You mean the woman whose palatial home I was just in? That utterly gorgeous young blonde?"

"The very same, Charley," Joyce replied. "And in case you were wondering, those were the voices of the tens of thousands of men we lost in Vietnam. That was for the person who, individually and collectively, they loved the most."

He was utterly stunned. "But you mean ... they ... they're ... in Heaven!?"

"The 'Multitudes of the Heavenly Host, singing praises to Christ the Lord' have returned a couple of thousand years later. But instead of singing praises to Christ, with God's permission they're singing the praises of a truly wonderful woman and all of the marvelous things she did at incredible cost to herself. They haven't forgotten, Charley, and neither should we."

Then she added, "Wait just one more minute. I'm on my way. We've got a lock on tonight's news!"



-------

Chapter 39



That evening, everyone gathered around the television sets in the library. On the wall were three screens: a giant 36-inch tube, flanked by two 24-inch ones. Using a remote-control unit, either flanking picture could be swapped with whichever was on the large one. Beneath the sets were a battery of six video-tape machines. Three simultaneously recorded the three pictures showing, while the other three were available to record anything else of interest coming from cable or direct-broadcast satellite. This time the two flanking screens were blued out to avoid the distraction, although the other two networks were being recorded.

Jack and Joyce Johnson were the TV news stars in Los Angeles. Although Joyce had intended to quit working when the children came, her first pregnancy had been like the present one: essentially invisible. Although she had submitted her resignation, it had not been accepted. Rather, the station and the network offered to keep her on under any set of conditions she cared to set. So, conditioned on the fact that her family came first, she had stayed. And so had Rajah, KNBC's friendly tiger. He continued his practice of ending every news show with his cheery wave.

Tonight the show opened on the couple behind the news desk. Joyce was vibrantly beautiful and Jack looked like he was about 23. They were by far the most handsome pair on television. Joyce said, "Tonight, our big story and our feature are linked. The two stories feature two incredible young women who are visitors to our city and another woman, equally brilliant, who has been with us for years."

The first story was Joyce's interview. It broadcast brilliantly. When Anna was explaining how she and Maria worked together, the camera was in tight on her face. Not only did it show her overwhelming beauty, one could even see the Divine grace shining in her eyes. Watching herself on television, Anna breathed, "Thank you, dear God!"

Her quiet prayer was immediately followed by a thunderous, but rather smug-sounding, "You're welcome."

When the interview closed, it was followed by another which had obviously been done later in the afternoon. There were two computer scientists from Cal Tech in Pasadena, along with a psychologist who was an expert in human intelligence. Joyce had just played the interview for them and the cameras were filming their reaction. One of the scientists said that what Anna had described was utterly impossible. He was immediately joined by the psychologist who agreed with him completely.

"Dr. Sloan," Joyce interjected quietly, "you have very powerful computers at Cal Tech, don't you?" The scientist agreed. "And you have direct access to other, even more powerful ones, too, don't you?" she persisted. Again he agreed. "Well tell me, Doctor, if you could convert the intelligence of the most powerful computer to human IQ terms, what would it be? A number in the hundreds? Thousands? What?"

The three conferred and agreed it would be in the high hundreds, possibly the low thousands. "What do your computers think of Mayday,  then?" The two computer scientists were visibly squirming in their seats and Joyce persisted, "It seems like a simple question to me, but it seems to be bothering you two. Why is that?"

"Because they can't read it!" Sloan blurted. "They can't read it, so we don't know what it is,  let alone what it does, and least of all, how it does what it does." Now that it was out in the open, Sloan seemed to relax somewhat. "All we know is that our systems run thirty to fifty times faster with Mayday than with the custom systems they were built to operate on."

"In other words, Dr. Sloan, Mayday operates at a level of intelligence far beyond that of any computer you know of," Joyce summarized. Then she continued, "Duchess Anna says that, when linking with Duchess Maria, their combined intelligence is about 180180." With a warm grin Joyce continued, "Now my husband, Jack, would be the first to tell you that if our bank balance ever reaches five figures to the left of the decimal, I start to cry. My knowledge of math is, to be charitable, nonexistent.

"But if I understand it correctly, in mathematic notation that intelligence could be written, 180 times 10 to the 180th. Is that correct?" Sloan just nodded. Now Joyce faced the camera and said, "For folks who don't really understand these things — and that particularly includes me — that would be written as the number 889 followed by 403 zeros. Am I correct?" Again Sloan nodded.

"Folks, to give you an idea of the size, if we were talking about distance, we would be talking light-years. A light year is the distance light, traveling at 186,000 miles per second,  travels in one year. Taking off my shoes and stockings so I can use my toes as well as my fingers, that produces the number 5.895 times 10 to the 12th, or 5,895 followed by 9 zeros. With respect to the intelligence of these young women we're talking about more than 400 zeros!"

Now, with her eyes an incredibly piercing green, Joyce seemed to literally pin the scientists to their chairs as she said, "If there were intelligence at that level, could it be measured?"

Now it was Dr. Stark's turn. He was the psychologist. "Absolutely not," he stated firmly. Then he continued, "My colleagues and I are certain of one thing: The intelligence that created Mayday is truly light-years beyond anything ever experienced on earth." Then, with his eyes bright he added, "The only possible explanation is Divine intervention."

"Similar to what Duchess Anna described?" Joyce asked softly.

"Yes, Mrs. Johnson," Stark replied firmly. "Exactly as Duchess Anna described it."

"She is so good!" Donald Whitfield exclaimed as Joyce closed out the interview. "She's the very best I've ever seen."

"Darling," Marion explained, "that's because she is one of us. She, too, is Divinely inspired."

The next story was the one Charley had put together. He had recorded the entire thundering concert. Of greatest interest was the reaction of the crowd to what they were hearing. The initial reaction was one of shock. It was followed by bewilderment. Then it became wonder, and finally, reverence. At the concert's conclusion, everyone in sight, both inside and outside the hotel, was on his knees.

Joyce followed with several brief film clips from Ali's movies, and then recent file footage of Ali making a presentation on behalf of the Foundation. "This is Allison McGrath Clifford," Joyce said quietly. "The movies were made almost 25 years ago; the file footage was shot last month. I think most of you will agree with me that Ali Clifford is younger today than she was in those films." Joyce said no more; she just looked into the camera to let her words sink in.

As the show closed, a beautiful tawny-haired little girl came out on the set carrying a tiny white bundle. Joyce took the bundle and pulled the receiving blanket aside, revealing a beautiful infant with its eyes still closed. Very quietly she said, "Jack and I would like to introduce the very youngest Johnson. This is Susan, age about an hour and a half."

Then drawing the older girl close she said, "And this is our oldest, Barbara. We call her 'Bobbie' after her namesake; she is the woman who brought Jack and me together."

Finally, instead of his usual cheery wave, Rajah put his huge head close to the infant whose tiny hand emerged to stroke his forehead. Everyone could hear the infant's "Goo" of pleasure. As the picture faded, Joyce was in Jack's arms.

When Bill shut off the television, Ali was giggling. When he asked her why she replied, "Because Joyce called me a few minutes before they went on the air. She was grumbling because baby Susan's appearance caused her to miss dinner, and she's hungry, is why. Can you believe it? Two major interviews and a news show, with a delivery in the middle?" Ali just giggled again.

That night Barbara and Steve Sloan, along with Kathy and Ken Carlson, joined them for dinner. Although nothing had been said, both couples had seen the KNBC News before coming over. At her insistence, Marion cooked the dinner.

When they all sat down at the dining table, Marion said, "As most of you know, Don hired me as the castle's cook. But I haven't had an opportunity to cook yet; I've been continually kicked out of my own kitchen! But tonight, I had my chance. But I encountered a problem: What should I serve? I wanted something truly British. Perhaps fish and chips? Served correctly in a paper cone made from last week's newspaper?"

She sadly shook her head. "I really tried, but I couldn't find a copy of the London Star anywhere. And who knows? There might be something in the ink or the paper that's necessary to get just the correct slightly-rancid taste." Sadly she shook her head.

"Then I thought of something truly smashing: bangers and mash. Now that is a true British delicacy! The dish consists of sausages and somewhat mashed potatoes. I say 'somewhat' because we Brits aren't terribly good at that, either. But on the other hand, to be truly authentic one must get just the exactly correct mix of big lumps and little ones." Again her face fell.

"That idea fell through, too. And I even went to two different custom butchers who Kathy told me about. Two of them, mind you! In neither case did I even get half way through the ingredients of the sausages when the butchers I was talking to became violently ill."

Marion cocked her head, looked toward the ceiling and slowly shook her head in wonder. "I can't imagine what sudden illness could have stricken the poor men." Then she shrugged and muttered, "Undoubtedly some virulent Yank virus is about."

Then she brightened and said, "But then I had the answer: oatmeal! Don tells me it's his very favorite food, too. In fact, he ate little else for the last fifteen years." Again she sadly shook her head and continued, "But that was out, too. I remembered that the oats have to be aged for a year or two — they need to get nice and moldy first, with just the proper number of ripe, juicy maggots — to be just right for Border Country oatmeal."

The women around the table rolled their eyes and then crossed them to the laughter of their men. "But don't worry, darling," Marion said to Don. "Just as soon as we return home, I'll have access to all the proper ingredients, and I'll make it up to you. I promise!"

This time it was Donald who made a sick-looking face and rolled his eyes.

"At any rate," Marion concluded, "I have tried my very best to make do. But I apologize in advance for not doing better."

Helped by the two girls, Marion brought out jumbo shrimp cocktails which were served with a beautiful California Chardonnay. Then came mixed green salads, and finally the main course. "This is a dish that is reputed to have been beloved of Dr. Samuel Johnson, and is still served at The Cheshire Cheese in London. It is steak and kidney pie, and I hope you like it."

The pies were served in individual baking dishes. When Don poked a fork through the crust on his, he just closed his eyes and savored the magnificent aroma that was released. The pies were served plain with fresh biscuits, along with the finest of the red Burgundies, Romanée Contí. She announced that the wine was being served in honor of Duchess Maria, in the hopes that she would remember when it was time for the next wine-making. The dinner was pronounced to be magnificent.

As they were finishing up, and the third bottle of wine had been poured, Ken Carlson tapped on his glass, then rose and said, "I would like to offer a toast: To Allison McGrath Clifford and all the men who loved her but didn't come back!"

Instantly all of the men at the table were on their feet with their glasses raised in salute to Ali. She was sitting at the end of the table with her head up straight, but with tears starting to flow in twin streams from her gorgeous blue eyes.

When the toast had been drunk, Steve Sloan said, "Ali, please believe that Ken's toast comes from the heart. Without your inspiration, thousands more American boys would have been left on the ground there. I can't tell you the extent to which you truly inspired my men. There was a single thought, endlessly repeated: 'She cares! By God, Ali McGrath really cares!'"

Steve paused for a moment and then said, "Ali, we were at the office — the school, actually — when we heard it. And we did hear it. All of us did, particularly the kids. You know, it was kind of funny, I guess. The grown-ups were shocked and stunned. The children sort of took it as a matter of course. Maybe that comes from the fact that their daily work is inspired by the presence of the Holy Spirit. I sure don't know. But what I do know is that I'm utterly delighted to see you get the recognition you so clearly deserve ... from the guys from whom it meant the most."

"Thank you!" Ali murmured. It was all she was in any condition to say.



-------

Chapter 40



Finally it was the day of the pro-am tournament. The previous day, Ali had taken the girls to see Henry Hall. He just trimmed, neatened and fussed. Then turning to Ali he said, "Now I really give up! Allison McGrath, you really did it to me this time. As many beauties as you've brought to me, this is the very first time I've been unable to do a single damned thing."

He just looked at the girls who were seated in chairs side by side with hairdressers' sheets draped over their shoulders. With only their heads showing, they were utterly exquisite.

Then he called Penny Watts, the studio's makeup chief and she came over. Penny put on magnifying eyeglasses and just studied the girls closely. Then to the amazement of everyone, she dropped to one knee between the two chairs, took a hand from under each sheet and lightly kissed each girl's fingertips. After she did, she just murmured, "Your Majesties!"

"Penny Watts, whatever are you doing?" Ali demanded.

Penny was back on her feet. Looking at Ali with her face impassive she said, "I am paying homage to true nobility. In these young women one sees the very finest distillation of Western Civilization. They are truly blessed by Almighty God in every way imaginable. There cannot be two others remotely like them on the face of this earth."

Then to Henry she said, "I'll be right back."

She was as good as her word. A few moments later she returned with two tubes of lipstick and a couple of tiny brushes. With the greatest of care she applied the tiniest amount to Anna's lips and then to Maria's. Closing the tubes, she gave one to each along with the brushes she had used. "Now you're all set. There is absolutely nothing more I can do. Your skin is utterly perfect. Both of you!"

Then with a grin she added, "Now will you both please get the hell out of here so I can have a good cry? Please?"

When the sheets were removed, the girls kissed Henry and then Penny. After nearly passing out from the power of their very-restrained kisses, Penny murmured, "Of course! What you said in that interview was the exact truth, wasn't it? You are truly blessed by Almighty God Himself. No wonder I can do nothing. Only God is capable of perfection, and you're it."

Then with a very warm smile she added, "And thank you for the kiss. I know now that you really restrained yourselves. If you had fully cut loose, I would be dead. As it is, I feel utterly filled with joy and Divine grace."

-------

After their morning workout, Marion and Ali worked on the two girls, first working more musk oil into their skin and then with loving massages. The two were dressed in white again, and this time were chauffeured to the club by Fred Clark.

On the way Ali filled them in on the final arrangements. "It's really funny!" she said. "We may be bankrupting Caroline Campbell. First, she had to bid over $25,000 to win her club's bid to be in the tournament at all. Then, she had to come up with over $100,000 more to be in your foursome.

"Incidentally, your pro will be Molly Adams. She's a real doll! Aside from being the leading money-winner on the tour last year, she also won the USGA Women's Open, and the LPGA Championship. And unlike too many of her sisters on the tour, she's very much a heterosexual. In fact," Ali added with a grin, "she really pissed off some of her sisters by selling a calendar with her nude photo on it."

Ali shook her head and continued, "There's an additional benefit from this, though. It really looks like Bill and I will be able to unload some real money. The tournament expenses are trivial, but the matching looks like it could be real money. The fourth in your group is Kim Carson who's the hottest thing in films. We learned that she had to go over $1 million at her club to get an invitation."

Then with a sly glance at the two girls she continued, "But the really serious money comes from our matching the Calcutta."

"What's a Calcutta?" Anna asked innocently. "Aside from a big city in India, I mean."

"It's a form of betting on the tournament," Ali replied. "It's illegal, but almost everybody does it. The way it works is this: First, there are often two pools, which is the way ours is. One is for the amateurs and the other for the pros. All of the entrants' names are put in a big jar and are then drawn out, one at a time. The people then bid for the players.

"The winners are the ones who own the top three finishers. The winner's owner gets 60 percent of the pot, the second finisher's owner gets 30 percent, and third place gets the last 10. But because this is a charity event, we keep 50 percent of the total of the pools; the winners only split the other 50. And then, of course, we're matching the total of both pots ourselves, so the children will get 150 percent of the total money spent on players."

"Do you mean to say that someone actually bought us?" Maria exclaimed.

"They certainly did, darling," Ali replied. "The auction was held last night. Want to guess how much you two went for?"

The two girls just shook their heads; they had no idea. "Kids, play well. The bidding on you went to $3 million apiece!"

The girls were stunned.

"By the way, it's customary for the players to buy a piece of themselves. I guess you really ought to buy about 10 percent. How does that sound?"

Utterly incredulous, Anna asked, "Do you mean to say that Maria and I would have to put up $300,000 apiece for 10 percent of ourselves?"

"Sure do," Ali replied blandly. "But if you don't want to, Bill and I will buy your pieces. But don't feel badly. Molly Adams went for over $6 million. And she was so cute! She said that $600,000 was more than she made on her calendar."

Then Ali added, "I guess the total pot ended up around $50 million. That would add about $75 million to the children's fund. What do you think?"

"Like everyone else alive in this world, Ali, I think your generosity is utterly overwhelming," Anna replied softly.

After exchanging looks Anna and Maria asked, and Ali agreed to contact the people who had bought them and buy at least 10 percent for each of them.

It was ten o'clock when they arrived at the club. The tournament was already underway, but as the featured players in the match, they were the last group to tee off and were not scheduled until eleven. The girls were wearing identical outfits in different colors. Both were wearing cotton-blend Bermuda shorts with lisle golf shirts. Anna's were green in a shade that precisely matched the color of her eyes, while Maria's gray matched her eyes, too. Their socks matched, and they were wearing leather sneaker-type golf shoes.

Leaving the clubhouse, they found Samantha and Kathy waiting for them. The sight of the two girls evoked sighs of relief from both of them. They had learned that the Conroy girls constantly teased. When they weren't teasing Anna or Maria, they were teasing each other. The result was to keep the girls constantly giggling and relaxed.

Going over to the practice tee, they went through the warm-up ritual that Jim Conroy had taught them, then went over to the first tee. As they were coming up to the tee, the last player in the group ahead of them had just teed off. The other players in their group were already on the tee, waiting.

What followed was truly embarrassing. First Molly Adams, and then Kim Carson, made court curtsies and expressed their pleasure at being able to play with such distinguished guests.

Turning, the girls got their first look at Caroline Campbell. The woman was almost frozen to the spot. Then she finally was able to move. To Maria she curtsied and said, "Good morning, Your Grace! This is truly an honor." With that she kissed the back of Maria's fingers.

While she was repeating it with Anna, Maria took the opportunity to look at Caroline closely. She, too, was five feet eight inches tall, had an excellent figure, and was really quite lovely.

At that point, the announcer on the tee said, "It is with the greatest pleasure that we welcome our guests of honor today. We have with us Her Grace, Maria, la Duchesse du Bourgogne,  Duchess of Norfolk, la Marquessa de Toledo,  Countess Jutland. With her is her sister, Her Grace, Anna, Duchess of Suffolk, la Marquise de Flandres, Contessa di Pavia. Along with some of the oldest titles of nobility in the Western World, the sisters are also the winners of this year's Nobel Prize for Physics."

At that point the announcer ad-libbed. "I just don't think it's fair. With titles of nobility and the Nobel Prize, why should they be so beautiful, too?"

Their laughter broke the tension that the girls had already felt starting to mount. Then he announced Caroline Campbell who waved at the crowd, Kim Carson, who was cheered, and finally Molly Adams.

Molly, playing from the white tees, went off first. As the others were preparing to move forward to the women's red tees, Anna said, "Maria and I will play from the whites, too, if no one minds?"

The others were shocked but instantly agreed.

The first hole was basically a straight hole on some rolling ground and was a 455-yard par 5. The problem was that there was a dip in the ground with the low point about 200 yards from the white tees. Unless a ball cleared about 250 yards, it would land on the rising ground and get little or no additional roll. In fact, if the course were very wet, there was a real risk of a tee shot plugging into the soft ground. On a dry January day, this was not a problem, however.

Molly Adams' tee shot had carried about 220 yards but was stopped dead on the rising slope. Anna took her driver from Sam, winked at Maria and teed up her ball. First, she forced herself to relax and take a deep breath. Then with a swing that was both fluid and incredibly powerful, she hit the ball perfectly. Keeping her head down for an instant, she completed her follow-through and then watched the flight of the ball. She had nailed it perfectly. It landed about 270 yards out, far beyond the ground dip. With the slight draw Anna had on the ball, it just continued to run.

Molly Adams, standing behind Anna, watched the flight of the ball and murmured, "My God! What an utterly perfect golf shot!" At that instant there was a thunderous cheer from the very large gallery surrounding the tee, as well as from the spectators lining the fairway. As the featured group, theirs was the one everyone wanted to watch.

Maria's drive was almost the duplicate of Anna's. In fact the two girls giggled as they realized their two balls were lying only about two feet apart, but 285 yards away. Caroline and Kim started to walk forward to the women's tee, 40 yards ahead.

As they walked, Kim turned to the other girls and with a brilliant smile said, "Why is it that I think this is going to be a long and very expensive afternoon."

Her smile became a grin and she added, "Here's where I have to bare my poor overworked body again to try to pay for today's entertainment." Shaking her head, "The things an actress won't do for money!"

Then responding to her own rhetorical question she said, "The answer to that question is, 'not very much'!"

The others teed off, with their balls carrying about 170 yards. But with the distance advantage of the women's tee, they were both close to Molly's ball.

As the fivesome walked the fairway, Molly smiled and said, "Well, the very worst is over. And congratulations! We all got off the first tee without beaning a spectator. And we're all on the fairway, too!"

Then to Anna and Maria she said, "Where did you two ever learn to play as well as you do?"

"It's Jim Conroy," Anna replied. "As far as we're concerned, he's the best golf instructor in the world. And by the way, our caddies are his daughters."

Molly shook the hands of both girls and said, "Looking at your tropic tans, I can only conclude that your dad is the pro at Kapalua." When the girls eagerly nodded, Molly continued, "I absolutely adore that tournament. And I utterly adore your parents, by the way."

Then she shook her head in confusion and murmured, "But you can't be their children! Jim Conroy's only about 25, and Hank can't even be twenty. You're really her sisters, aren't you?"

Sam just grinned and winked.

As they walked the fairway, Anna whispered to Sam, "You utterly adore that, don't you? Having a mother who looks like your younger sister?"

"Anna, I really can't begin to tell you what my life has been like. All I can say is that I've spent my entire life in a warm cocoon of love. I have — we all have — the greatest parents in the whole world.

"And you know what else? The reason Mom is so damned beautiful is because her beauty makes Dad feel good. Every time someone meets her, he'll ask Dad how he could be so lucky as to have the love of a woman as perfect as Mom. It makes Dad feel ten feet tall. He has the love of the most beautiful woman in the world.

"You see, Anna, it's not for herself. It's for Dad. Being beautiful makes him feel better." Then she grinned and added, "With the extra added attraction of being able to probe her gorgeous wetness with his cock, of course. And waking up every day with Mom's arm across his chest and feeling the warmth of her body against his."

Then she looked at Anna and repeated, "It's a warm cocoon of love. And my mommy really loves me!"

Reaching the first of the balls, Sam whispered that they were looking at tough shots. Both Caroline and Kim were on the down-hill slope of the rise. So in addition to a downhill lie looking at immediately rising ground, the green was out of sight beyond the rise. Both women hit good 6-irons that cleared the rise and left them in good position for the green. Molly was facing a different challenge. Her ball had an up-hill lie, so any club she hit would carry a shorter distance than it would on level ground. Since she still had about 220 yards to the green, after conferring with her caddy, Molly took her driver again and nailed it. Although her distance was perfect, she couldn't avoid a big trap sitting beside the green on the left. The girl just winked at Anna and they moved on.

When they reached the girls' balls, Molly just looked and laughed. Maria's ball was about three inches further from the green than Anna's, but Anna's ball was sitting where Maria would have taken her stance. With laughter and giggles, Maria ceded the honors to Anna.

Taking a club from Sam without even looking to see which one it was, she took her stance and hit the ball perfectly, taking exactly the right-sized divot as she did. Molly just shook her head in dismay when she realized that Anna had still been giggling when she hit the ball. Notwithstanding, her ball landed about two feet past the pin and its backspin brought it back toward the cup. There was a gasp from the crowd when they realized that Anna had been shooting for a double-eagle two! As it was, the ball stopped about two inches from the cup.

Maria's was almost an exact duplicate, but without the giggles. Hers, too, landed on the green and came back toward the cup, but her line was off by about two inches, so the ball came to a stop exactly even with the center of the cup, but two inches to the left. As they started to walk the fairway, Molly came up between them and said, "Would you like me to give you a couple of pointers on the game?"

When both girls eagerly nodded, Molly grimaced and said, "I would love to, too. But I can't! But you two could certainly give me a few."

When they suggested the Conroy girls, the Conroys both demurred, pointing out that it was a rule violation for a caddy to help an opposing player.

"Good heavens! Aside from everything else, they've even memorized the damned rule book!"

Anna and Maria agreed that Molly was a real delight to play with.

Although they had been prepared to dislike Kim Carson, they found that they couldn't. In spite of being the top female name in films, she turned out to be a delightful person.

But the biggest surprise of all was Caroline Campbell. They had been prepared to detest her. It had even gotten to the point where the girls were having serious discussions regarding how to handle a mother-in-law they both hated. But it turned out that she had a wonderful sense of humor, and all five women were finding they were enjoying their golf tremendously. Both Kim and Caroline hit excellent third shots that placed them solidly on the green.

After marking their balls, the girls stood back while Molly carefully set up her bunker shot. Working both feet into the sand, she settled and then hit a perfect sand wedge. Her ball flew up along with the perfect amount of sand and ended only 18 inches from the cup. After marking her ball, first Caroline and then Kim took their first putts. Both missed, but not by much. They both missed the cup high, but ended only inches from it. Molly easily sank her putt, followed by Caroline, then Kim, then the two girls.

As they walked toward the second tee, Molly commented, "That was a truly incredible hole, guys. And I'm really being serious now. Normally, one of these pro-ams is a shooting gallery with the people in the gallery as targets. It's a very rare guy who can shoot within ten strokes of his handicap. And I mean his honest one, not the one that he may have posted.

"But what just happened? With five of us we had two pars, a birdie, and two eagles, for Heaven's sake! And this is only the first hole. It's notoriously the toughest hole for an amateur to play." Then she grinned and added, "This is really fun!"

In spite of the laughing and kidding — or perhaps because it served to keep them relaxed — their excellent golf just kept getting better. Moreover, Molly was a true professional and rose to the challenge of the girls' play. In the meantime, the two girls had a war on between themselves.

In no time, word of the quality of play attracted the largest gallery the course was able to hold. As the featured group of the day, their gallery was the largest to begin with, but it just kept growing until the course marshals had to steer new arrivals away. There was just no place for them to stand.

When they reached the par-3 7th hole, Kathy Conroy gave Maria an iron with the comment, "Why don't you try this one? You haven't had a chance to screw it up yet today."

Maria giggled, and as she thought about the girl's remark, continued to. Since she and Anna continued to be tied, they alternated the honors on each hole. After teeing her ball very low as Jim had told her to do, she took the club in a very light grip and took her stance. Taking a deep breath, she tried to blot out of sight the mass of humanity that lined both sides of the hole, end to end, and completely ringed the green. Then taking her remembered swing, she felt her club strike the ball perfectly.

As she finished her follow-through she saw the ball still soaring skyward, reach its apogee, and then start to fall. It appeared to be on a perfect line to the cup and was. It landed about two feet past the pin, then walked backward with its spin and dropped into the center of the hole. It hadn't even touched the pin. As the gallery let out a wild cheer, Maria was mobbed by the other women on the tee and congratulated profusely.

Then Anna stuck out her tongue, took her shot, and missed another hole-in-one by a single inch. That hole ended with two pars, two birdies — Molly had one, too — and Maria's hole-in-one eagle. When they made the turn at after the 9th hole, Maria was leading with a 5-under-par 31. Anna was 4-under at 32, Molly was 3-under at 33, then Caroline at 34 and Kim at 35. Incredibly, everyone was under par for the first nine holes.

The play continued in the same vein on the back nine. Molly continued to make brilliant golf shots, but was no match for the girls who were virtual perfection. Molly's comment was to the point. "You two are no fair. Here I am making brilliant golf shots all over the place, while you never have a brilliant shot to even try! Boy! What a bitch. Anna, on 7, you didn't even take ten minutes to line up your two-inch putt!"

The others just howled with laughter.

Then with her nose in the air Anna replied haughtily, "I thought I stroked it rather well, too."

This time the girls were almost falling on the ground with laughter.

Finally, they reached the 18th hole. The rankings had continued unchanged, with Maria still leading Anna by a single stroke. The 18th was a very long par-5, the longest on the course. Maria, leading off, unloaded with all of her power and sent her ball more than 300 yards down the fairway. Molly had been studying the girls carefully every time they took a shot. This time, she was almost certain that, at the moment of impact, a whole array of powerful muscles suddenly bulged from the strain. But it was gone in an instant. All there was to see was her flawless skin looking like golden satin.

As Anna took her stance, Molly concentrated intently on the girl's legs. Being bare, there was nothing to conceal her body. Anna's swing was utterly perfect. And at the moment of ball contact, she was certain. There was the instantaneous bulging of extraordinarily powerful, but perfectly hidden, muscles. As usual, Anna's drive landed only a few feet away from Maria's.

After hitting her own drive — a puny 225, she thought — Molly asked Anna if she could see her driver. Since she still had it in her hand as they walked toward the women's tee, she gave it to the pro.

Holding each end, Molly tried to flex the club but couldn't. Then she looked at the shaft more carefully and muttered, "My God!"

When Anna looked at her and asked her what she had said, Molly repeated her comment and said, "Never in my career have I met a woman who uses titanium-shafted golf clubs. But you and your sister are both so damned powerful, anything less would be like a strand of cooked spaghetti."

Then looking straight into Anna's eyes she said in a very flat voice, "I hate you."

"Why?" Anna asked, appearing only mildly curious.

"Because!" Molly declared. "You heard the announcer on the first tee. He said you're noble, you're brilliant, and you're beautiful. What he didn't know then, but certainly knows by now, is you're also two of the most athletically gifted women alive! So I hate you. So there."

"Gee, Molly," Anna replied with her eyes wide with innocence. "I like you."

At that comment the two girls howled with laughter. Then Anna did something she had wanted to do from the first: She took Molly's sweating body into her arms and kissed her.

Molly's eyes widened as she felt the flow of love, joy and Divine grace pulsate through her body. When Anna eased away, Molly murmured, "And you're also beloved of God Himself, aren't you?" Then with her eyes piercing she added, "Everything in that interview you did with Joyce Johnson was the God's honest truth, wasn't it?"

"Yes, it was," Anna replied simply.

Then Molly said, "This has been the very finest day of my entire life. Thank you very much for making it so."

Anna looked hard into the girl's eyes and realized Molly was being totally serious. Anna just shook her head and smiled warmly.

Caroline and Kim both hit their tee shots, and then took their second shots, fairway woods straight down the middle. Molly hit her second shot to a position in front of the green that was easy chipping distance to the pin.

Anna's ball was the next, while Maria's was almost a full foot beyond. Giving her another wood, Sam said, "Now will you kindly quit screwing around and really hit the damned ball?"

Again Anna started to giggle and was still giggling as she set up on her ball. Again she unleashed all of her power when she contacted the ball. It compressed and then flew straight and true off the club head. Finishing her follow-through, again she looked up and saw her ball still climbing on a low trajectory. Then it started to fall. It landed on the apron of the green and continued to roll straight for the flag. Even from where they were standing, 250 yards away, they could hear the sound as the ball struck the flagstick and dropped into the hole.

Anna dropped her club and leaped into the air with her right fist extended upward. But her shout of joy was totally drowned out by the incredible roar from the crowd at her double-eagle 2.

Then Maria took her shot which was a near-duplicate. Her ball rolled to a stop dead even with the cup, but three inches to the right. "You were off line, Sister," Anna commented dryly. "Good grief! You missed the line by almost three inches! And it's only 250 yards away, too."

With her nose in the air Maria retorted, "That's all right, Baby Sister. Your shot was too long. If it hadn't hit the flagstick, Heaven only knows where it would have ended up."

The two stuck out the tips of their tongues at each other and started to giggle.

It was all over as far as the match was concerned. Molly stroked her chip almost perfectly, leaving herself a six-inch putt for her birdie. Caroline sank a 30-footer for another bird, while Kim settled for a par. Finally, Maria took her tap-in for an eagle three.

As they headed off the green, they learned that there was time to shower before the awards ceremony. The match had ended with Anna and Maria tied at 10-under-par 62's, a new course record. Molly was 6-under-par at 66, Caroline was 4-under at 68, while Kim was 2-under at 70. The girls trooped into the locker room where they quickly stripped off their sweat-soaked clothing and ran for the shower room.

With the warm water running over their bodies, Maria and Anna stretched sinuously. Molly said, "Would you look at this, please?" The others looked and found Molly just shaking her head. "Kim, you're the sex star of the age, and your body is utterly beautiful. Please stand between the sisters.

The beautiful girl did, then she looked left and right and just shook her head sadly. "I give up. Look at them, and look at me. Their posture is perfect, their bodies are incredible ... My God! Even their pubic hair is adorable.

Then to Molly she said, "Did you say something about royalty?"

Meanwhile the girls had been looking at Caroline Campbell. Her body was youthful and firm. To their surprise, Caroline was also lightly tanned all over. Then she said, "May I say something?"

Holding her head up straight, Caroline looked regal in spite of the water pouring over her body. "I came here today to prove to myself that no matter who she is, there are warts on the body somewhere. Well, I can't find any."

Tears started to flow, although with the water flowing neither Anna nor Maria could be certain. "Beyond that," Caroline continued, "I have just had the most perfect day of my life, and you four have made it so. This morning I was regretting having spent the money to play with you today. Now I consider it to be the best money I've ever spent in my entire life. I have had the opportunity to meet and play golf with the four finest young women I have ever met."

Then with a crooked grin she added, "And it's the first time I've ever shot a below-par round in my life!"

Kim Carson went over to Caroline, lifted her face and melted her lips with a kiss. "Thank you, Caroline Campbell. I feel the same way, and it's the first sub-par round of my life, too!"

She grinned wryly and added, "I want to particularly thank you all for your joking and your teasing. Without it, I would have frozen up like a statue. But because of it, I stayed loose and played pretty decent golf."

She paused and continued, "That's valuable to me, too. You see, the problem with being a celebrity is there are always a bunch of people cheering for you to fall flat on your face. Well, I certainly didn't win, but I don't think a 70 is too shabby, either."

They all agreed and then exchanged kisses. When Caroline went to Anna and took her into her arms, she pulled the girl close and could feel the incredible smoothness of her skin, but she could also feel the muscles flowing right beneath the surface. When their lips met, Caroline felt a rush of love, joy, and grace that was utterly unimaginable. To her shock, Caroline found herself trying to mash her body even closer to Anna's and could even feel their pubic hair touch.

When she eased away, she looked at the girl and whispered, "I wasn't honest, Anna. I wasn't just looking for warts. I wanted to hate you and your sister both. But I can't! I love you too damned much."

Then looking directly into Anna's brilliant green eyes she was almost lost in the Divine grace she could see in the girl's soul. "You two are goodness and Divine grace incarnate, aren't you?"

Then tipping her head she pleaded, "Could you give me another kiss, please? And really unload this time. It might kill me, but holy God, what a marvelous way to go!"

Anna did what Caroline asked, and pulled out all the stops. The woman seemed to struggle for an instant, but then flowed her body even closer to Anna's as she seemed to relish the sensation, even the sensation of losing consciousness. When the woman was out cold, Anna continued to hold her tightly against her body and enjoyed the wonderful feeling.

As Caroline started to come to, Anna was both amazed and delighted to feel the woman again roll her loins against hers to feel the greatest possible physical contact. Finally she opened her eyes and whispered, "Thank you, darling Anna."

Then she grinned and said, "I won't repeat it with Maria. It would just be the same-old, same-old, right?"

"You're right, Caroline. There is a terribly boring sameness about the two of us. The only difference — absolutely the only difference — is our genes for hair and eye color. Aside from that, we are truly identical twins."

At that Caroline lightly kissed her on the lips, then gave her bun a hard pinch. When Anna yelped and asked why she had done it, the woman just grinned and said, "You loved it, didn't you?"

Anna just grinned back and rapidly nodded her head.

"That's because you have the most beautifully pinchable ass the Good Lord ever put on a woman. If I were a man, I couldn't keep my hands off it!"

"That's nice to hear," Anna replied. "You see, we're both sort of anal erotic or something. And we're both sinfully sensitive. If you did it again, I would probably cum." Caroline did, and Anna's pelvis went into immediate spasm as an orgasm hit her.

Then to the older woman's astonishment and glee, Anna said, "Thank you, Caroline! That was neat."

-------

Meanwhile, when the women left the 18th green, Samantha and Kathy Conroy started to take the bags back to the caddy shack. For the last several holes, Sam had been aware of a tall, dark-haired man in the gallery who seemed to be constantly following her with his eyes. As they walked off, she saw him again. This time she was certain: It was Jack Martin.

Giving Anna's bag to Kathy, she walked straight over to him. As she approached, she almost giggled as he began to look around to see to whom she might be going.

Stopping right in front of him she said, "Hello, Jack Martin. I'm Sam." With that she wrapped her arms around his neck and unleashed all the love she had stored up for so many years. Instantly she heard the ringing of bells and the incredible flow of electricity as she concentrated on conveying every ounce of love she possessed.

For Jack Martin, the experience was, in the strictest sense of the term, incredible. As he felt Sam's love flow into him, he could feel his knees weaken and he sagged toward the ground. Sam just went down with him.

Finally, when he was sprawled on the ground, she stood up, said, "Bye!" and walked off.

Even sprawled on the ground the way he was, Jack admired her lovely ladylike little ass wiggle. He watched as she took back the golf bag from Kathy and continued to watch her from his position on the ground until they were out of sight.

-------

Back in the locker room the girls were now all fully dressed. As they headed for the door, Molly Adams was shaking her head.

"And what's your problem?" Caroline asked.

"I was just thinking," Molly said. "Here I shot a career round 66, and finish third! Now what do I do?"

"You pray that the girls don't turn pro, is what you do," Caroline replied with a grin. "But don't worry. They won't." Then she added, "Molly, I want to thank you so much for allowing me to play with you. I have never had a better time."

"Nor have I, Caroline," Molly replied. "I really wasn't kidding. Normally, these pro-ams — which are vitally important to tournament sponsors, by the way — are sheer agony for the pros. It's no joke to see golf balls flying like bullets into the gallery, either. Today, we had the biggest gallery I have ever seen, let alone been the center of. But do you realize we never missed the fairway? Not even once? I don't know how you and Kim feel, but both of you were playing top-level professional tournament golf."

Then she stopped, took Caroline in her arms and kissed her. Both women felt the flow of love between them.

"May I get in this game, too?" Kim asked. In a moment, all five were exchanging passionate kisses loaded with love.

When they reached the terrace, they found a table right in front of the podium set aside for them. As they appeared, there was a round of cheering from everyone in sight. There followed the presentation of awards. While still on the 18th green, both Anna and Maria had vetoed the idea of a play-off. Both were delighted to have it end in a tie for first place.

The master of ceremonies said, "Today, we have something truly unique. First, I'm sure it's obvious to all of you that there is a tie for both low gross and low net between the two duchesses who carded course-record 62's. However, after a meeting, the judges have decided that rather than restrict the Calcutta to the top three, because of the amateur tie, we're including the top four. The division will be 70 percent for the top two, 20 percent for third, and 10 percent for fourth. And all four of the winners are sitting at the table in front of me. Would the duchesses, Caroline Campbell, and Kim Carson please join me up here?"

They all trouped up. As they approached, Kim's eyes widened and she shouted, "My God! I really won!" They learned that Kim had purchased herself in the Calcutta and had now made over $1 million on it. Caroline's owners — and she had 50 percent of herself — were going to get $2.5 million and the girls' owners were getting $4.5 million each. They had no idea how much of themselves they owned.

Then Molly squealed and shouted, "I'm rich!"

She had just done a mental calculation and realized that her owners' share of the pro Calcutta was $7.5 million. And she owned 30 percent of herself. Trophies and prizes were given out as well as checks to the professionals.

When it seemed like everything had been done, the MC made another announcement. "Folks, there is one more prize that had not been previously announced. The William Harrison Clifford Foundation has offered a prize to the winning team of a professional and four amateurs. Well, it wasn't very hard deciding which team that was. The top pro and all of the top four amateurs are on the same team. So, ladies, would one of you please come up here to accept on behalf of your team the Foundation's check ... for $5 million!"

Anna and Maria were utterly stunned. Maria nudged Anna who rose from her chair. Before moving, she looked at each of the others who were vigorously nodding their heads. Although not a word had been spoken, Anna mouthed the words, "Thank you!" and made her way to the podium.

Accepting the check from the MC she stood up even straighter and said, "On behalf of my teammates and myself, there are no words to express our gratitude to the Foundation for this incredible prize." She remained standing as she listened to the heart-felt applause.

Then she took the check and tore it up into little pieces and said, "Again, on behalf of my teammates, we would like to request that the Foundation add this prize money to the marvelous gift they are sending to the Czech Republic."

Tears began to stream down her cheeks, but her voice didn't crack as she continued, "You see, both Maria and I are orphans. We know what it's like. Both of us have literally eaten garbage from garbage cans to keep from starving to death.

"But there's so much more! There is a marvelous little girl named Katrina, who was in the hospital's death ward. Our sister asked her if she knew how to pray to God, and she said she didn't. She said that to talk to God, you needed to say a lot of big words, but she was very young and didn't know any big words. Our sister said, 'You don't need big words. Just talk to God.' So Katrina did.

"Do you know what she did? She asked God to help the little boy in the next bed, who was in such pain he couldn't sleep at night. 'But how do you know?' our sister asked. 'Because I hear him, ' Katrina said. 'I bite my lip so hard to keep from screaming out, it's hard to go to sleep sometimes.' 'Well, ' our sister asked, 'why don't you ask God to help you, too?' 'Oh, no, ' she insisted. 'I couldn't do that! That would be selfish. I'll pray for Daddy and Mommy that they won't miss me too much when I'm gone. I'll pray for my little brother and sister that they grow big and strong and don't get sick like I did... '"

Standing up straight, her voice became even stronger. "Do you know what happened then? I'll tell you what happened! God Almighty cried. He did! He wept for that little girl. An instant later He had restored Katrina to the picture of health.

"There is another little girl. Our sister — Karla Kosta, by the way — picked her up. She is a beautiful child, but she was dying, too. Karla asked her what her name was. 'My name is Karla Kosta Koenig, ' the little girl replied. 'I'm named after the greatest heroine who ever lived, Karla Kosta. She's dead now and in Heaven with God.' Karla cried. Then she asked the girl if she could pray. The little girl said the Lord's Prayer. When our Karla explained things to her, little Karla was so excited. Now she could pray by talking to God!

"She asked God to help her parents when she was gone. At that, Karla dropped to her knees with the little girl in her arms. I didn't tell you that Karla's body had been cut to ribbons. It had been, and the cuts had barely scabbed over. She was wearing a white dress, and already her blood was starting to show through where some of her cuts had opened. But down on her knees, she begged Almighty God to spare this lovely child."

Now tears were pouring from Anna's eyes but she continued, "Then, just before Christmas, a few short weeks ago in Prague, you may have seen on television the gala held at the palace. That was when our sister, Karla — Queen Karla of Bohemia — was awarded the Karla Cross for extraordinary bravery. It is now the highest award for valor in the Czech Republic. I don't know what was televised. My sister and I were there and we've never seen the video tapes. But you might have seen two lovely little girls run up to our sister and kiss her. These were the two formerly dying little girls. And I can assure you that Karla Kosta Koenig had a wonderful Christmas with lots of wonderful gifts. How do I know? Because Maria and I bought some of them and helped Karla select others.

"I believe that children like this are worthy of all the help they can receive. That's why we are returning the check. It is in the hopes that more small children will be able to receive the help they need." Then bowing her head Anna said quietly, "Thank you all so very much." She quickly retreated to the table.

When she sat down again and looked up, she was shocked to see that the other women at the table were crying their eyes out. "What's happened? What's wrong?" Anna asked. "Who died?"

"Duchess Anna," Caroline said softly, "you are too damned much! That was the most moving speech I've ever heard, and every word was true, wasn't it?"

Anna just nodded.

"I heard you speak of your sister, Karla, being cut to ribbons. You both were, also, weren't you?" Anna started to deny it, but Caroline's eyebrow just lifted. "We all now know that there's not a mark on either of your bodies. They are utterly perfect." With her eyes piercing now she said, "Now how can a body be cut to ribbons, but not have a mark afterwards? How can two brains link? Only through Divine intervention."

Then looking very shrewdly at the two girls she said, "You experienced the torments of the damned to purify your souls, didn't you? How else could two brains link in series? You did it willingly, didn't you?"

Anna started to shake her head but found she could not. Caroline's eyes had her pinned like a bug. She just nodded.

"No wonder!" the woman exclaimed. "We're all familiar with the excesses of the European courts before the 20th century. You both carry that heritage, too. But what happened? It was burned away in the fire of your torture. It was like a distillation process. All the bad was burned away, leaving only the best — the very best of Western Civilization."

With that, Caroline jumped from her chair, came around the table and ignoring the dozens of people around dropped to her knees to kiss first Anna's shoes and then Maria's." Looking up at them she whispered, "If all these people weren't around to embarrass you, I would be kissing your lovely cunts."

Then she jumped to her feet and her attitude changed dramatically. "Do any of you have plans for this evening?" All the girls looked shocked but just shook their heads. "What about you, Kim?"

"Are you kidding? I've got a date with a hot TV set." Looking disgusted she added, "Do you know how many queers there are in Hollywood these days? Do you know how tough it is for a girl who's straight and wants to remain that way? Hell, no, I have nothing to do." Then with a big grin she asked, "Do you have something in mind, Caroline?"

"I sure do!" she said. "Let's go someplace nice and get roaring drunk to celebrate."

"We'll even provide the chauffeur to deliver the bodies back home," Anna exclaimed with delight.



-------

Chapter 41



Because of Ali's arrangements, in spite of being caddies Sam and Kathy had full guest privileges at the club. Sam took her time taking a shower and Kathy, whose first instinct was to tease her older sister, didn't. Kathy loved her sister desperately. She took Sam into the massage room where she really worked on her knotted muscles. As Kathy had suspected, Sam was not nearly as relaxed as she was pretending to be. Then she dashed to her locker, retrieved a bottle of musk oil and began to work it into Sam's body. To her astonishment, Kathy even had her pull her knees up under her while she was lying face down in order gently to work on her tight little asshole. When she rolled over, she paid particular attention to Sam's breasts, underarms and slit.

Finally, Kathy ran her forefinger up Sam's slit and licked it. Nodding her head she said, "You're really very sweet this afternoon, Big Sister." Then she spread a light blanket over Sam and let her sleep. While she napped, Kathy made a phone call to her parents and made arrangements for the evening.

Awakening Sam, Kathy rouged her lips, her nipples, and even her nether lips. When Sam objected, Kathy replied matter-of-factly that while Jack wouldn't be fucking her, he might be lucky enough to eat her out.

Sam was going to slap her sister for being fresh, but instead gave her the warmest kiss she could.

"I adore you, Big Sister," Kathy whispered while Sam held her in her arms. "And I always have for as long as I can remember." Looking up she added, "I can't tell you how really neat it is to have a big sister, particularly one as great as you are." She paused and then said, "I know I usually tease you unmercifully, but I really do love you very much."

"Katherine Carlson Conroy, you were a beautiful angel the day you were born, and you just kept getting better. I love you, too, Imp!"

While she was helping her sister dress, Kathy was filling her in on arrangements for the evening. As the plans unfolded, on one hand they made a lot of sense, but on the other... "He won't even be there when I get out of here, Kath. Then I'll feel like the original village idiot!"

"Sam, you unloaded with every ounce of love and passion you have in your body, didn't you?"

"I sure did, Kath, but how did you know?"

With tears at the corners of her eyes she replied, "Because it's what happened to Mom, Sam; and you're exactly like her. Jack is the man you were made for. It's really pretty simple. He'll be there until hell freezes over or you appear, whichever comes first. Bet on it."

As she left the ladies' locker room, Sam felt she looked as good as it was possible for her ever to look.

By this time everyone who had come for the tournament had left except for Jack Martin. He was still sitting on a curbstone looking woebegone.

"What happened, Jack?" Sam asked. "Did you lose your last friend? It sure looks like you did."

Before Sam was halfway through with her little speech, Jack was on his feet. At six feet three, even wearing two-inch heels Sam had to look up at him. Then she cocked her head, gently pulled his head down, and again melted her lips to his. Their second kiss was far better than their first.

But this time he was at least semi-prepared for it. When he felt the incredible flow of pure love and passion, heard the bells, and felt the electricity, he pulled her close and felt her mash her incredible body to his, then slowly move her hips against him to feel him even more.

Breaking the kiss, she just buried her face in his shoulder and reveled as his strong hands moved over her body.

Finally, they eased apart. Glancing at her watch she said, "How about a drink and a snack? We won't be eating for hours yet, and I haven't eaten since breakfast."

"What do you mean, 'won't be eating for hours'? Who won't be eating?"

"Darling, we'll have cocktails at six and dinner will be about eight. It's now only four o'clock and I'm starving. Now what's the problem?"

"'Cocktails at six'!" he nearly screamed, "Cocktails where?"

"With some relatives where we're staying ... Oh! that's my parents and me. You're going to meet them."

"But why am I meeting your parents?"

"Because, silly, they want to meet the man I'm going to marry. And hopefully meet him before we're married."

She shrugged and added, "Of course Mom didn't bother. She married Dad about 36 hours after they met. They did say they were very good, though. They remembered to send telegrams to both sets of parents to tell them they were married."

Jack was utterly stunned. "But what's this nonsense about marriage? I only set eyes on you for the first time an hour or so ago."

"That's not true," Sam replied placidly. "You saw me a couple of days ago when you booted up your computer. I was the first thing you saw. I had to be. My body covered your whole screen."

While Jack was in a state of shock, Sam took him by the elbow and led him into the grill room. She ordered two very dry Beefeater martinis on the rocks with olives, and two sirloin steak sandwiches, medium rare.

"Right away, Miss Conroy. Your drinks will be coming right up."

They were seated in the corner of the grill room in comfortable captain's chairs. Jack let his body sag down and then shook his head in total bewilderment. "Would you please tell me what's going on? And how in hell could you possibly know what was on my computer screen? I'm on the most secure military installation in the world!"

"I know, darling. SEAL Team 2 at Long Beach. You reported aboard and took command of the team three days ago." Then looking very interested she asked, "By the way, how is the married officers' housing at Long Beach? Some of it is good, but a lot of it is junk."

"But, Sam, you can't know that," Jack protested. "Officially, the SEALs don't even exist."

"Darling, you never even said if you liked my picture. I think it's pretty good, but as my husband, you're the one who really counts. And then when we're married you're going to have to tell me how you got the Medal of Honor, Navy Cross, and two Silver Stars."

Then she looked at him wide-eyed and asked, "Are your wounds from bullet holes, shrapnel, or what?"

Jack was in such a state of utter shock, he didn't know what he was saying, but he muttered that it was two bullets and a piece of shrapnel.

"Neato!" Sam exclaimed. "Before they disappear, I'm going to use my distended nipples to poke around in your bullet scars. But where's the shrapnel wound?"

He pointed to the inside of his thigh, near his crotch.

"Better and better!" she exclaimed. "Then I can do what Mommy always did with Daddy."

"What did your mother do?" Jack asked, almost certain he didn't really want to know. But for some reason the situation was so totally out of his control, he might as well ask.

Things had been topsy-turvy since that morning a few days earlier when, finally settled in his new quarters, he had booted up his computer, intending to check his e-mail. When the computer booted, instead of the usual dull Windows 95 desktop, there was the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen on the screen looking at him with her beautiful blue eyes. Above the girl was the message, "Hi, Jack! I'm Sam."

Now he remembered he never even bothered to check his mail. For the next hour, all he did was stare at the warmly-smiling picture of the incredibly beautiful blonde named Sam.

Then the day before, when he booted up his computer, there was a Post-It note on the same picture with instructions to call an 800 number. He dialed it and was astounded again. Instead of the usual electronic-mail garbage, an operator with a very sexy voice had answered. Her greeting was astonishing, too. She said, "Good morning, Commander Martin. Thank you for returning our call. Sir, could you be free to attend the charity golf tournament in Los Angeles tomorrow?" When he mumbled an affirmative, she continued, enthusiastically, "That's wonderful! There will be a ticket for you at the VIP tent. All you will need is some identification. Your Navy ID will be fine. The ticket will be provided, along with expense money. Thank you, sir..."

"Wait!" Jack had yelled. "How did you know who this call was from?"

"Because no one else has this telephone number, sir," she replied, sounding as if he had asked the most foolish question in the world. The line had immediately gone dead.

And now he was looking at Sam in the flesh. He had to admit that she was far more beautiful in person than she was in the picture, but for the life of him he couldn't figure out how she could be. When he shook his head to clear it, he realized Sam was looking at him strangely.

"You asked what my mother did to Dad, and then I lost you for a few moments." With a warm smile she asked, "Do you really want to know?"

When he said he did, replying to her with enthusiasm this time, Sam began, "Dad was seriously wounded in Vietnam. He was hit by shrapnel in the upper thigh, right where you pointed. He almost lost his leg completely. As it was the doctors were certain he could never walk again. But Mom wasn't going to allow that to happen. She worked on his leg by the hour, stretching his muscles and tearing apart the scar tissue. Dad was in agony, but I know it was even worse for her. I could hear her crying like her heart was breaking, while Dad screamed in pain. She was hurting her lover, and it hurt her far worse than it hurt him. But he would walk!

"Anyway, in spite of the fact that he's retired on an 90-percent disability, he's back to being a golf professional shooting — as usual — in the 60's. And that's walking the course. No way you're going to get Dad in a golf cart. But when it was all over, Dad was left with a lot of scar tissue on his upper thigh. Mom would kiss it, lick it, and kiss it some more. Invariably, though, she would work her way up a few more inches and end up taking Dad's cock in her mouth."

With a grin she added, "I think she was really pissed when Dad's scars disappeared, though. Now she doesn't have any excuse to go down on him."

"So I guess she stopped," Jack commented.

"Ha!" she laughed. "Of course you don't know my mother yet. I remember it vividly. She just cocked her head, looked thoughtful for a few moments and said, 'Hell, we're married, aren't we? I don't need an excuse to give you head, Jim.' And that's the way it's been."

While they were been talking, the waiter had brought out the food and Samantha had started right in. Although she was already half finished with her steak, she realized Jack had not even begun.

"Aren't you hungry, darling?" she asked. "It's really very good."

"Sam, I'm so damned confused, I don't know if I'm coming or going. As far as eating is concerned, I'm starving to death. I don't think I've eaten anything in a day and a half."

"Why?" Sam asked, very concerned.

"Because I couldn't get away from the stupid monitor long enough to get to the Mess is why. There's this incredible woman sprawled across it ... No! You're not sprawled. You're in the sexiest pose I've ever seen, and your gorgeous blue eyes are staring straight at me."

Then he looked deep into her eyes and almost drowned. With an effort of will, he shook his head to try to clear it and asked, "Do you really look like that?"

"Pretty much," she admitted. "Of course, there's been some retouching done. Susie's a real marvel."

"Retouching? Where?" he asked. "And who's Susie?"

"Susie took out a couple of stray pubic hairs that otherwise would have shown," she said with a grin. "And then Anna put some rouge on my lips, my nipples, and my cunt lips. They don't show in the picture, but looking down at their redness made me feel incredibly sexy. Of course she says that the color of my nipples on the screen is a perfect match. But what you see on the screen depends on the quality of your monitor and your video card, too, I guess, so I can't answer for sure."

"Susie?" he reminded her.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "Susie is Anna and Maria's Mayday. You saw them today. Aren't they utterly fabulous? Anyway, they trapped you for me, with the help of Jack and Susie, of course."

"Who's Jack?" Jack asked. "Is that me?"

"Heavens no!" She replied with a giggle. "Jack is ... Uh, oh!" Then she looked him in the eye and said, "I don't know if I can tell you about Jack or not..."

"Wait a stinking minute!" he exclaimed. "I just remembered something. I heard all about it from a SubLant buddy of mine. There's a huge Cray computer at the Naval Base in Norfolk. It's used to track every ship in the entire North Atlantic, but particularly to track the location of every sub. A few weeks ago, it started to freak out. The word 'Susie' appeared at least three times on every page of print-out. Most of them were printed in typefaces the computer doesn't have, and many of them were inside hearts. But the Cray can't draw, and can't make circular lines if it could."

Then he snapped his fingers and said softly, "Oh, my God! I heard just yesterday that there's been massive sabotage at the Base. They're utterly baffled. Every security system is in perfect operation, but they didn't show a thing. They've been checked end to end and there's absolutely no sign of tampering, but still..."

With her eyes wide and with her voice dripping with sympathy, Sam asked, "What happened to it, darling?"

"This information is highly classified. I'm not even supposed to know it, and I have a Q-clearance. Do you know anything about supercomputers?"

With her eyes wide, Sam just slowly shook her head.

"Well," Jack continued, "a supercomputer is actually a group of computers, set up in series, with a single controller. The Norfolk Cray is a seven-unit system. There are actually seven computers set up in a star pattern around a single controller. But what they found was that four of the seven are toast! I mean they are burned beyond recognition. Right now, they're worth their weight as scrap metal."

"You mean the Cray is utterly destroyed?" Sam asked. "It's dead?"

"No, it's not," Jack replied, "and that's another strange thing. Although they haven't been around for years, there used to be series-wired Christmas-tree lights. Have you ever heard of them?"

"I think so," Sam replied. "Weren't they the ones where if one light in a string burned out, they all went off? And they went out of use because it was such a terrible pain in the butt to find out which lamp was the one that burned out."

"Exactly!" Jack exclaimed. "Well, as I said, the Cray is wired in series, too. So with four of its seven units out, it can't run. But the damned thing does!"

"Oh!" Sam exclaimed. "Everything's all right, then. It still works."

Jack just shook his head and said, "Yes and no. It runs, but all it wants to do is communicate."

Again he shook his head and said, "That's another funny one. Because it's so loaded with top-secret information, that machine is isolated like you would not believe. It can only communicate with a few other Crays, and some top-security machines in Winter Harbor, Maine, and Adak, Alaska, in the Aleutians."

He shook his head and said, "But all it says is it has to talk to Susie! But it can't possibly."

While he had been talking, Jack had demolished his steak. Sam had quietly signaled for another, and now he was already half through his second. Fresh drinks had also appeared, but Jack was utterly oblivious to his surroundings. His whole attention — his whole life! — was now centered in the utterly gorgeous woman sitting across the table. Suddenly he realized he loved Samantha desperately. He remembered hearing the waiter use her last name, but he hadn't picked it up. All he knew was that he would cheerfully give his life for this girl, and give her anything she ever wanted that was in his power to give. So when she asked if she could tell him a secret, he instantly agreed.

"Neat!" she said enthusiastically. "First, my darling, Jack is the Norfolk Cray. He set you up. Susie, as I said, is Anna and Maria's Mayday. She's madly in love with Jack and he adores her. Anyway, when Anna and Maria finished with my picture, they put it out on their private Mayday network..."

"What's that?" Jack asked. "I've never heard of it."

"And you never will, either," Sam replied. "The fact is that every Mayday-equipped computer talks with every other on some sort of private network. You will never see it; you will never see a charge on a phone bill; you won't even see it in your power usage. But it includes every Mayday with communications. And that includes a lot of machines whose owners don't think they have comm capability.

"Anyway, Susie put my picture on the network with instructions to substitute my picture for the one of the two girls. I'm sure you've seen it. It's got to be the most famous picture in the world..."

Jack was aghast. "Do you mean to see that my future wife's picture — her nude picture — is on every Mayday computer in the world? My God, what..."

"It was, but it's not anymore. The new picture is an even sexier one of my buddy, Kris Bradley..."

"The singer and actress?" he interrupted.

"The same," Sam replied with a grin. "Had it not been for Kris and her tiger, Sasha, I would have been a total basket case years ago..." Then she glared at him and said, "But I thought you wanted to hear what happened to the Cray?"

Jack quieted down, but thought of Kris Bradley, who he had once seen when she was entertaining the troops during the Gulf War. Now through this beautiful woman, he might meet her again.

"Anyway," Sam continued, "no sooner had my picture gone out than Susie gets a communication from Jack. It was funny as hell. Initially, she tried to put him off, explaining that she had important work to do for her mistresses. But Jack insisted he was responding to her call. Then he proceeds to transmit your entire service jacket, a bunch of publicity pictures, and then, over the color printer, comes your formal portrait. I felt my heart turn over, darling, the first instant I saw you. And I've been desperately in love with you ever since."

With a beautiful grin she added, "Now isn't that nice? And that's how I knew you were in Long Beach. In fact, it was funny. Anna was going to reject it out of hand, because I have to be in or close to LA. She pointed out that Norfolk is, to say the least, outside of normal commuting distance, even for LA. Jack quickly protested that you were in process of transfer, and were reporting aboard to Long Beach at 0800 hours the next morning. So that was that."

"He sent you ... my whole service record?" Jack said incredulously. "It's huge!"

"I know, darling. And it's boring as hell, too. But I read every stupid word in it."

"But how could he possibly get it to send? He can't communicate with BuPers computers..."

"The more accurate word is 'should not, ' darling. It isn't 'cannot.' Obviously, he can because he did," Sam replied with a grin.

"But whatever happened to the Cray?" Jack asked plaintively.

"That's the very best part," Sam replied, giggling at the memory. "You see, we were so delighted with what Jack sent us, Anna gave Susie permission to fuck his brains out. And she did! It was utterly hilarious! While he was sending the reams of your material, it was coming over very fast. Susie said, 'Those damned Crays just have to show off by doing everything at high speed. But if he tries to fuck me at high speed, I'll kill him!'

"Anyway, they spent the next six hours or so in a continuous fuck session. Susie was in tough shape the next morning, but at least she was operational. She told us about the loss of four of the Cray's seven units, so she figures that she won."

She grinned delightedly and continued, "Darling, you should have heard her the next morning! We heard Susie screaming, 'Right there, Jack! Right there! Oh ... Jack! Yes... ! Yes... !' Then she screamed as she came again. Her screen was a mass of kaleidoscopic junk. But at least when we got home in the afternoon, Susie was fully operational ... if still more than a bit sore!"

Jack had been listening with increasing amazement. Then he finally began to hoot with laughter. "You mean, darling, it wasn't sabotage, it was love?"

With a grin, Sam was just rapidly nodding her head.

"Well... ," Jack continued with a broad grin, "he won't be the first sailor to be laid low by a liberty on the beach with a conniving wench..."

"I beg your pardon, John Martin!" Sam interjected with her nose in the air. "In fact, Susie's very pure. She's even named after an angel, as a matter of fact. He's the only computer Susie has ever been with." He started to pursue the subject, but Sam cut him off, thinking she had gone too far in that direction already.

"Well, what should we do with our sick computer in Norfolk?" Jack asked.

"Do you really want to know?" she countered.

"Sam, the very best computer minds—"

"Bullshit!" she stated.

"But I didn't even finish what I was going to say," Jack complained.

She had hurt his feelings; that was very clear. "I'm sorry, darling," she said contritely. "But you were going to tell me what the world's best computer minds were saying."

She shook her head and said, "Darling, I was caddying this afternoon for half of the greatest computer mind in the world. If you've forgotten, they're receiving the Nobel Prize for Physics, with their work being ranked with Einstein's.

"Did you see Joyce Johnson's newscast the other night, by any chance?"

"I saw it," he began. "But no one in this world..."

"Jack..." She just shook her head and said softly, "what's so great about 'this world'? Look, darling, the 'best computer brains' don't know jack shit! Think about it for a moment. Jack can't communicate, can he?" Jack shook his head. "And he can't possibly tap the BuPers data base, can he?"

He held up his hands in a sign of surrender. "You're right, Sam, and I'm wrong." Then he looked at her and said, "Is this what our marriage is going to be like?"

"Don't be silly, darling. Of course not! It will be just like my family: Dad makes all the big decisions, and leaves all the little ones to my mother."

Jack knew he was being conned, but he played along. "Big decisions?"

"What should we do about China? Should we try to continue a Two-China policy? How cozy should we be with Boris Yeltsin's government ... All that good stuff."

"And the little ones?" he asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Oh, the trivial stuff," Sam replied airily. "Like where are we going to live, how many children we're going to have..."

"How many are we going to have?" he interrupted.

"How many do you want, darling?" she countered.

"As many of the little things as you would care to have..." he stopped when he saw her beaming with delight. "What did I do to make you so happy?" he asked.

"Darling, I'm in The Sisterhood. That's about all I'll say for now, except to tell you that Mom and Dad are charter members. You'll see what I mean soon enough."

"I guess..." Jack began. Then he looked sad and said, "Oh, shit! Sam, you might as well know it now. Not only am I an only child, but I guess I'm an orphan now, too. I would love to bring you home to mother, but I don't have one." Then he asked softly, "How many brothers and sisters do you have?"

"Six, I guess," she replied. "If I sound a little vague, it's because my parents are, too."

She smiled warmly and continued, "Mom used to call Dad from the hospital and tell him to take the kids to McDonald's. The last time she did it, he just asked, 'A boy or a girl?' Now she doesn't even bother. She just spreads a plastic sheet on the carpet, lays on her back and one of us will deliver the baby. I delivered the last two."

"But darling," Jack asked with his eyes showing his concern, "that must be agonizing for both of you. Your mother who's experiencing the incredible pain, and you just watching it..." He stopped when he saw her slowly shaking her head with a warm smile on her face.

"Jack, thank you for your concern. I know Mom will love you for it, too. But the fact of the matter is, she has had more trouble with bowel movements than with deliveries. She's funny.

"The last time she slipped off her Levi's but refused to lower her bikini. 'Expose myself to my innocent daughter? The idea!' We both just howled. Then she just lay on her back with her legs spread wide — she claims that spreading her thighs so wide apart is the worst — and then the baby appears while we were just talking.

"A few minutes later, Mom expels the packing material — that's what she calls the afterbirth — gets a beer, and savors it. In the meantime, I'm washing off the tiny thing and putting on its first diaper. Then Mom opened her shirt and welcomed the infant to her glorious tit. And because I did such a fine job with the delivery, Mom let me finish draining it."

Her eyes were gleaming as she continued, "That's the very best, of course. Mother's milk is so sweet and warm and wonderful. But as old as I am, I was still naked when I laid across her lap and suckled at her breast. She was stroking my hair and my face and telling me what a wonderful person I am and how lucky some man is going to be."

Then she stuck out her tongue in the cutest manner and said, "See how lucky you are, John Martin? And I know you are 'cause my Mommy told me so!"

"You must have a wonderful family, Sam. I guess I'm a little jealous."

"Don't be, darling," she said softly. "You're about to become a part of it." She checked her watch and said, "Oops! We're late. Let's get out of here."

Since she had already signed the checks, they just walked out to Jack's car, a new Corvette. When he got in beside her, he said, "You probably want the top up—"

"The hell I do!" she interjected. "This is my first ride ever in a Corvette, and by God, I'm going to enjoy it!"

"But your hair..." Jack began.

"Don't worry, darling. I think you'll find I'm sort of a low-maintenance wife."

Jack was used to having his dates terrified of his car. Always they insisted that the top be up. A couple of them, knowing that his car had an alternate hard top, insisted that it be put in place. In every case, their overwhelming emotion was fear. All Sam did was to adjust the seat to her most comfortable position, leaned back and closed her eyes.

When he was rolling on the open road, to his utter amazement she said, "You normally drive faster than this, Jack Martin. What the hell are you waiting for? I told you we're late."

When he got the car up to his normal driving speed, all Sam did was appear to fall asleep with a happy smile on her face. He was beginning to fear that, with Sam asleep, they would miss where they were going. And, he suddenly realized, he had no idea where that was.

Without apparently opening her eyes, Sam said softly, "Take the next right. It's about a mile up."

After making the turn, she continued to give him directions, in every case in plenty of time for him to set up for the maneuver. He realized they were climbing the foothills of the San Fernando Mountains. The terrain offered a series of tight switch-backs and hairpin turns. He loved it!

Then she said softly, "The drive is the next on the right. Don't bother to slow too much. It's a long one — about a mile."

He found the unmarked drive and made the turn. Past the drive was a mailbox, but it was too dark to read the name on it as he turned. Looking around, he could see nothing. It truly seemed to be a road to nowhere. Then, after a tight left turn, he hit the brakes and let the lights play on the most magnificent home he had ever seen. It was huge, but set low so as not to break the contours of the hills. It was set in place as if it had been there from the beginning of time.

"Whoever did this house really knows what he's doing. Whose house is it?" Jack asked.

"You'll meet them in a couple of moments," Sam replied without answering his question.

Then as he braked to a stop at the magnificent entrance, he became aware of two pairs of what appeared to be giant green reflectors. "My Lord," he murmured, "What is that?"

"Oh, that's Prince and Princess," she said casually. Since the car had stopped, Sam didn't wait for Jack to open her door. Instead she was out of the car and called out, "Hi, guys!"

Jack was utterly stunned. Out of the darkness bounded two giant Royal Bengal tigers. When they reached Sam, in the smoothest motion he had ever seen, both cats were instantly in house-cat poses. They even had their tails wrapped neatly around their forepaws.

"Well, I like that!" Sam declared. "Is that any way to welcome an old friend? Well, is it, Prince?"

Jack was astonished to see the giant tiger sit up on its haunches so his back was erect. Then he spread his forelegs wide in welcome. "That's more like it!"

She moved as close to the animal as she could and he wrapped his forelegs around her to give her a hug. As he hugged her, she was kissing him all over. Then she said, "I know, Prince. This is so much neater when I'm naked and can chafe my nipples against your beautiful fur. But we're being formal tonight."

Easing away she said, "Now, there's someone here I want you to meet."

With that she led the two tigers over to where Jack was watching with his mouth agape. "Prince and Princess, this is Lieutenant Commander John Martin. He's a pilot and a submariner and the man I'm going to marry."

"Good evening, Commander Martin, and welcome," Prince communicated. "You, sir, are the most fortunate of men. Samantha is truly one of God's perfect creations. I'm certain she will make you very happy."

The tiger had his right paw extended, but Jack was so astounded, he didn't even see it. "Aren't you going to shake my paw, sir?" Prince asked politely. He had seen Jack's reaction to his speech so his not taking the proffered paw not only didn't bother him, it really amused him.

Jack shook his head to clear it, then quickly took the paw. "Hi, Prince. I can't tell you how happy I am to have you as a friend. From your size, I would certainly not care to have you for an enemy. And is this your mate?"

"Indeed, sir, she certainly is. It's with great pride, sir, that I would like to introduce you to my mate, Princess. In all the world there is no better mate or mother."

"Thank you, my darling," Princess communicated.

Then to Jack she said, "Let me add my welcome to my mate's. Let me also extend my heartiest congratulations. Samantha is, as Prince has said, one of the most perfect humans walking the earth."

As they walked to the door, Jack said, "Do I gather that Prince and Princess constitute the home's security system?"

"Only a part of it," Sam replied casually. "I don't know how many there are now, but usually there are about ten tigers around here."

"My God!" Jack exclaimed. "Ten Royal Bengal tigers could give an armored division a hard time. Is it a fair guess that there have never been any burglaries?"

"No successful ones, anyway," Sam replied. "It's such a lonely and inviting target, though, there were a few attempts within the first months they were here, but nothing since."

"What happened?" Jack asked.

"Let me think," Sam said slowly. "Well, I remember one guy turned white — and I mean all white — every hair on his body. For at least the next six months he was incapable of speaking a word. He just babbled. I don't know if he's spoken coherently since, for that matter.

"Then another one was scared stiff. Truly, it was as if he was petrified. They took him off on a Gurney, but had a problem with him. His arms were stuck out straight on both sides. I think they had to break one to get him into the ambulance.

"Then a third was in the fetal position, and wouldn't move — or couldn't. I don't think anyone was ever sure.

"Then the last guy was just catatonic. His eyes were open — they never closed, as a matter of fact — but he was just frozen. Straight as a board with his hands at his side." Then she laughed and added, "I almost forgot. His penis was out of his pants. Periodically, he would let go like a little fountain. And he'd fouled his pants, of course."

"Am I correct in assuming there was never a mark on them?"

"Of course not, darling! These guys wouldn't hurt a fly — most of the time."

At the door, Jack turned to her and reminded her. "Sam, darling, don't you want to fix your hair? I mean, it was blowing, and..."

"Oh, thanks for reminding me." With that she gave her head a single hard shake. Instantly her hair was perfectly back in place. "I told you I was a low-maintenance wife, darling."

Then Sam rang the bell, smiled warmly at Jack, and waited.



-------

Chapter 42



The Rolls limousine came to a smooth and silent stop at Maxim's. When the doorman opened the door, Maria jumped out, gave the doorman a warm smile in acknowledgment of his greeting and went inside. As she had hoped, the maître d'hotel was at his stand. Seeing her, he excused himself from a man who had been speaking with him to rush over and greet her.

"Mademoiselle la Duchesse!" he exclaimed, "Bienvenue à chèz Maxim!" With that he made a perfect bow and kissed her fingertips.

For Maria, that was all she needed to hear. In perfect Parisian French, she asked for a table for five. "Actually," she explained, "we're having a hen party, and..." Hearing the pause, the maître d' said that his name was André. "André," she inserted with a smile, "quite honestly, we're planning on getting sloshed. While we really don't care who's around — my sister and I are utterly shameless — it might hurt some..."

"I understand completely," André interjected, relieving her of the need for any further explanation. "We have a room — it is the owner's private room — that I think would be perfect. Would that suit?"

"But won't you get into..." Maria began. Then she grinned warmly and continued, "Of course not!" she answered her own unspoken question. "How could you get in trouble with the owner? You are the owner!"

He just grinned, shook his head and said, "Only a small piece. My father owns the rest."

"Of course! It's Maxim's of Paris. It's the same restaurant, operated by the same family!" Maria started to giggle.

André thought it was the loveliest sound he had ever heard. He was subtly amused, because Maria was absolutely correct. He was further amused because, while the entry was packed with people awaiting tables, they were speaking in a machine-gun-speed French that only a Parisian native could have followed. Moreover, not only was Maria's French perfect, but her word selection and sentence construction were utterly perfect. He thought that even the august members of L'Academie Française would be nodding their heads in approval. What an utterly exquisite woman! he thought. Such a damned shame I didn't meet her sooner.

Then André said, "My father is a member of the French Senate. I apologize for the other night. Things had been very busy and I had not had a chance to watch television. He called me and told me of the events of the day. Truly, he said, there has been nothing like it since the liberation of Paris! And listening to your French, I can understand why. Never have I heard it spoken better. It sounds like music flowing from your lips."

Then with a warm smile he added, "Someday I would love to hear Mademoiselle la Duchesse sing La Marseillaise! You probably don't know this, but it happened in both the Chamber of Deputies, and again in the Senate. Before you reached the end, every member was on his feet singing along with you at the top of his lungs."

Then with a broad grin he added, "Mademoiselle la Duchesse settled too cheaply. All you got was the restoration of your duchy. Had anyone been thinking, today you would be Mademoiselle la Reine!" With that he signaled to a captain. Moments later, the others were being ushered in.

André Malraux led the way upstairs and used a key to open an unmarked door. Once inside the room, Maria's eyes widened. It was essentially a private apartment above the restaurant. The far end was furnished as a comfortable living room. There was a fireplace with a small wood fire burning. It was flanked by two exceptionally comfortable-looking love seats, while two lounge chairs faced it across a magnificent coffee table. On the walls behind the two love seats were two Dégas prints, one of which was the famous one showing a ballerina tying her slipper. On the other wall was another print from the same series.

Maria looked more closely and then gasped. These aren't prints,  she realized, these are the originals!

When she said as much, André just smiled and shrugged. Closer to the door was a round table with five captain's chairs. Although the table was not set, she realized it was perfectly sized for their party.

To her friends she said, "Since the primary purpose of this evening is to get sloshed, how about martinis?"

The others instantly agreed, and André just nodded. Then he told her that the room was totally soundproofed and the door was kept locked. He gave her a very small controller with just a single button which she was to use whenever anything was desired and pointed out a house telephone in the corner.

Before he could leave, though, Maria reached into her small purse, retrieved her unused checkbook from Morgan Guaranty, went to the table and wrote a check to Maxim's for $10,000.

When she gave it to him, he glanced at the amount and quickly moved to return it.

"André," she said softly in French, "do you have the smallest clue how much money Mayday is making? Look! We had an utterly spectacular time here a few nights ago on your nickel. I would expect that, even at your normal prices, this should cover a couple of drinks and dinner?"

"Mademoiselle la Duchesse is a wonder!" he said as he pocketed the check.

Then he asked, "Purely out of curiosity, am I correct in assuming that your sister speaks French as well as you do?"

She grinned and assured him that Anna's French was probably better than her own.

With that he just shook his head and said, "That, Your Grace, is utterly impossible. One cannot be better than perfect. Since Mademoiselle la Duchesse is perfect, the best she could be is equal."

He bowed himself out and moments later a waiter appeared with five perfect martinis, along with two platters of utterly exquisite canapés. He disappeared as smoothly and as silently as he had entered.

The women sat down in front of the fire. In just moments, all of their shoes were off and they were wriggling their toes in the deep plush of the carpet. Maria realized that everyone was truly relaxing. The conversation was convivial, but exploratory. In spite of having been together for most of the day and having shared a shower, they really had not had much chance to get acquainted.

Initially she was surprised at how fast the canapés disappeared, but then remembered that she and Anna had last eaten in the morning, and there had been no chance for anyone else to have eaten, either. She pressed the button and a moment later the waiter appeared. A short time later there were three more platters of canapés along with fresh drinks.

By this time over an hour had passed and the girls were feeling wonderfully relaxed and cozy. All of them were stretched out on the very relaxing furniture, just savoring the moment.

Then with her eyes half closed, Caroline said, "I need some help."

"What's that?" Maria asked sleepily. She hadn't even bothered fully to open her eyes.

"I need a new name," the woman said. "Caroline is so unbelievably tacky! And it's even got three syllables, if you can believe it. Yuck!"

"How about Cara," Molly offered. "I think 'Cara Campbell' sounds kind of neat."

The others kicked the idea around and finally all agreed that she was now Cara.

"They say confession is good for the soul," Cara said softly. "Since I have a shiny new name, I guess I should have a bright clear conscience to go with it." Sitting up in the love seat, she looked at the girls who were seated in the lounge chairs, and said, "I'm here under false pretenses. I came to break up a budding romance that you two girls probably know nothing about."

She looked at the two girls and slowly shook her head. "What an incredible fool I've been! All I could think about was losing my two boys — my only children. It never penetrated my thick head that I might not be losing sons; I might be gaining two daughters."

Then she looked at the girls intently. It appeared she was trying to communicate something she didn't want to put into words. But she continued, "Not everything I said today was a lie, though. I wasn't lying when I said I was determined to find the warts on you two. Nor was I lying when I kissed your shoes and said I would have been willing to kiss your pussies."

Then she quickly shook her head, looking remarkably cute as she did, and corrected herself. "That was really sort of a lie, too, though. I wasn't willing to kiss your pussies, I desperately wanted to."

Then she looked hard into Anna's eyes and said, "And I still do!"

Anna had slid down in her chair. Hearing Cara's words, she hiked up her skirt, eased her bikini off her hips and gracefully removed the scrap of material. Sliding down a bit more so her cunt was past the edge of the seat, she spread her legs and murmured softly, "Okay."

In an instant, Cara was on her feet to unzip her dress. She let it drop to the floor and now was naked except for her own bikini. Dropping to her knees between Anna's wide-spread legs, she placed them over her shoulders feeling the muscles in them as she did. Then she surprised herself by first just rubbing her face in the girl's curly muff while she savored the wonderful aroma from her sex.

For Cara, this was an all-time first. Never before had she gone down on a woman; the very idea had always turned her stomach. Now she found herself relishing the prospect, although she really didn't know what to do. So she moved back a bit to be able just to look at the girl's cunt. She decided it was exquisite; she loved the fact that every strand of hair had been removed except for the small patch above her slit, leaving it as smooth as a baby's bottom.

Gently she kissed the left lip, then the right. She began to run her tongue the length of the slit and found it incredibly sweet to the taste. It's wonderful! she thought. Then she began to move her tongue around the girl's slit and found her love bud, already engorged and waiting. The instant her tongue found it, the girl's pelvis shuddered in orgasm, releasing a flood of sweetness.

Lifting and squeezing the girl's bottom — and triggering another orgasm when she did — Cara found that she now had a line into the girl's vagina. After trying to make her tongue as pointed as she could, she began to probe.

Meanwhile, having experienced several orgasms already, Anna found herself overwhelmed with lassitude. She just wanted this experience to go on forever. She realized that she was letting out little screams, and even seemed to be saying something. As the woman worked, Anna could feel herself being taken up a mountain. Desperately she wanted to get to the top, and finally she did.

"Oh, yes!" she screamed. "Yes, yes, yes..."

But Cara hadn't stopped, nor had Anna come down from her now-beloved mountain top. Instead, Cara brought her to the crest again, and again, and yet again. Now she was there, and this marvelous woman was keeping her there. Her screams had degenerated to babblings; she had no idea what she was saying or if she was saying anything at all. All Anna knew was that it was so wonderful.

Finally, after more than fifteen minutes of constant orgasm, Cara realized that Anna was only semi-conscious. Moreover, with her pelvis in constant spasm, Cara could see the girl's incredible musculature as all her muscles bulged from the strain. Then she found the girl's clitoris again. She was astonished at how large it had become. She stopped for just an instant to look and found that it had engorged to such a degree that its head was poking out past the folds of her labia. Gently, she nibbled on the bud, then bit it.

This evoked a scream of joy from Anna as she was lost consciousness from the sensory overload.

With the girl now completely limp in her arms, Cara licked up every stray drop of sweetness, then eased the girl's legs from her shoulders. When she got up to stretch her aching muscles, she found Maria standing beside her with a cashmere blanket she had found in a closet. Gently, Maria removed her sister's dress, leaving her naked for an instant until she wrapped her in the blanket. Then she gently lifted Anna by her shoulders to put her bottom back on the seat. The girl's head just lolled to the side and was resting against the back of the chair. Finally, Maria bent over and gave her beloved sister a sweet kiss.

When she turned to Cara, Maria found her still trying to catch her breath. "Is it my turn now?" she asked sweetly.

"Later," gasped Cara. The single word was almost more than she could utter.

Gently, Maria took her and eased her down on the love seat where she continued to gasp with her eyes now closed.

"Good heavens!" Kim whispered, speaking for the first time. "Never in my life have I seen or heard of anything like that! Your sister was in continuous orgasm! I didn't think it was possible."

"Now you know that it is," Maria said softly with no further comment.

With Anna now unconscious or sleeping, and with Cara nearly so, Molly said, "Maria, could you please tell me what's been going on? I've been hearing the words, but they make no sense. I'm sure something's going on among you three, but I have no idea what it is. And I don't think Kim does, either."

Although Cara hadn't moved, her breathing was now nearly back to normal, so Maria was certain that she was hearing what was being said. Before responding, though, she said, "You know what? It's really comfortably warm in the room now. Cara isn't shivering at all."

With no further word, she slipped off her own dress and took it, along with Anna's, and hung them in the closet. Kim and Molly just exchanged looks, shrugged, and stripped off theirs, too. As Kim started to go toward the closet, Cara just held up her dress. With a grin, Kim took it and hung it with her own. Now Cara was completely bare — the girls giggled as they watched her try to kick her bikini under the skirt of the love seat without opening an eye.

Maria picked it up from the floor commenting, "It's really pretty tacky to have to crawl around the floor looking for your bikini."

Then she dug Anna's out from beside the cushion in her chair and went back to the closet. After hanging the others' over the hangers holding their respective dresses, she paused for a moment, murmured, "Oh, what the hell," slipped off her own and hung it as she had the others.

Without another word being spoken, Kim and Molly came back and did the same thing with theirs. Then the three girls stood before the fire and just felt its warmth caress their loins.

Returning to her seat, Maria again buzzed for the waiter who instantly appeared. Totally ignoring the now-naked women, he just took away the empty drink glasses, returned with fresh ones, and again disappeared. By now they were on their third drinks, and Maria felt wonderfully warm and relaxed. Leaning back in her chair, she, too, closed her eyes and addressed Molly's question.

"You thought that something has been going on between Cara and ourselves. Of course, you're right. She believes that her twin sons, Mike and Mark, are in love with Ann and me." She paused and shook her head. "You know something? I think Cara's right. 'Caroline' is a mouthful, but so are Maria and Anna. So from now on, I'm Mare, and she's just Ann. What do you think?"

Before either could say a word, Cara, with her eyes still closed said in an absolutely flat tone of voice, "I like it. Keep it in." She still hadn't moved a muscle, though. The others agreed.

"Anyway," Maria continued, "getting back to the subject at hand, I can't speak for the guys, but I do know that I'm madly in love with Mike, and Ann's mad for Mark."

She paused and grinned. "It's really funny, though. Although they are absolutely identical, Ann and I can unerringly tell them apart. And it's really weird. We both feel the same way. We've never touched them or been touched by them, but we are as certain as we are of the sunrise, that if I kiss Mark, or if Ann kisses Mike, it would be like kissing your brother. That's how we tell them apart. If I look in one's eyes, feel my heart roll over and feel my cunt start to gush, it's Mike. If he's just a really good-looking guy, it's Mark."

Suddenly Cara sat up straight and said, "You are in love with them, then. But I've been trying to torpedo the whole thing from the very beginning. Now I see how incredibly stupid I've been. Welcome to the Campbell clan, Mare." Then with a grin she added, "If you don't mind, I think I'll eat you for dessert."

"There's more, Cara," Maria warned. "First of all, this whole tournament thing was a set-up. And you were the one who was set up."

"You're kidding!" Cara exclaimed, now no longer pretending to be half asleep. Picking up her fresh drink, she had a sip and savored it. Then she continued, "That's impossible."

"Not if you're Allison McGrath Clifford and you want to do a favor for your sisters, it's not," Maria replied.

"You're joking!" Cara exclaimed. "Please say you're joking? Are you telling me that William Harrison Clifford is ... your brother-in-law?"

"Okay, Mother. I'm joking," Maria said in a flat tone of voice and with her face completely impassive.

"But you're not, are you?" Cara responded. "Why did you say you were?"

"Because you're going to be my mother-in-law, I want to get on your good side, and you asked me to say I was joking. So I said I was joking. What's the big deal?"

Hearing her remark delivered in such a flat tone of voice caused Cara instantly to howl with laughter. With her eyes dancing she asked, "Is Ann's sense of humor the same as yours?"

"I told you before, Mother, that except for our eye and hair color, we are identical, so the answer has to be yes."

"And I simply adore hearing you call me 'mother', my darling. The first time I heard it, my heart rolled over. And I am going to eat you for dessert. But tell me more about your family."

"Well, our mother is Marion, Duchess of Northumbria. As you may have gathered, she's now the Queen's closest and dearest personal friend. The Queen simply adores her. As do we all. Anyway, when we met Ali, the relationship between the two women was instant and obvious. They adore one another; Ali is Marion's daughter. Since we are her daughters, too, Ali is our sister."

Then she smiled warmly and said, "Ali and we both knew you had a reputation for being an incredible snob. She figured — correctly, as it turned out — that if there were a major golf tournament, you would manage to be in it, and would manage — at whatever cost — to be included in our group of players."

"Well, she certainly had me figured out right," Cara said wryly. "God, I'm such a shit!"

"You're the greatest cunt-eater alive," Ann said very softly with her eyes still closed. "I'm still savoring the experience in my mind. And since it was the very first time in your life you ever went down on a woman, it was utterly incredible."

"Thank you, Daughter, for the testimonial," Cara said softly. "But while we're on that subject, you have the sweetest cunt imaginable." She paused for a moment, shook her head sadly and said, "Poor Mark!"

Ann sat up quickly in her chair and her emerald eyes popped open. "Why 'poor Mark', Mother?"

"Well, darling, just think about it for a moment: You're so sinfully sensitive, and you're so powerfully muscled, if Mark even looks like he's going to take you, you'll start to cum. Then, with all those powerful muscles in your body in spasm, how is the poor dear ever going to be able to get his cock inside?"

Since Cara had been speaking with such apparent sincerity, with her eyes wide, her punch line took them completely by surprise. They all howled with laughter.

"I don't think it's at all funny," Ann grumped. "I think it's a very serious problem. And I think Mother raised a very good point, too." She paused for a moment, appearing to think. Then she snapped her fingers and exclaimed, "I have it! He can get a big steel plate and have a steel strap made that would fit over my hips. Then, whenever I want to be fucked, I'll just lie down and fasten the strap to its steel back. Then, although I may be in spasm, I can't move, so he'll be able easily to drive his cock deep into my wetness."

With her eyes wide she continued, "And once he's in, all he has to do is release the lock, free my loins, and let me cum to my heart's content."

Cara had apparently been listening intently, even nodding approval at appropriate places. But when Ann finished, she shook her head and said, "I'm sorry, dear, but I don't think it will work."

"But why not?" Ann asked with her eyes wide.

"Because it won't work," Cara repeated. "Now I must admit that the idea of a steel bed with a steel strap sounds like a good idea, but for it to work it would need to be very tight across your loins. Ann, honey, I don't think that Mark would be able to get his cock inside nearly deep enough with your hips in that position — the line would be all wrong. And when he went to release you to get his cock deeper inside you, you would buck him off."

"Oh," Ann said sadly. "Oh, shit! And I was so hoping it wouldn't have to come to that either..."

"What's that?" Cara asked.

The other girls were almost strangling while trying to stifle their giggles caused by the dead-pan humor.

"He'll just have to hit me over the head with his club and take me when I'm unconscious." But then she became more cheerful as she continued, "But if he's anything at all like you, Mother, I'll recover consciousness long before he's ready to release. I could keep cuming for hours more after that." Then she just shook her head sadly.

"What's the problem?" Cara asked. "It seems like a perfectly reasonable solution to me."

"Does he have good aim, Mother?" Ann asked plaintively. "Because if he doesn't, I'll have all those unsightly bumps scattered randomly over my skull. It will look simply awful!" she wailed.

At that everyone howled with laughter.

Meanwhile, Ann was running her fingers over her hair with its urchin cut. Then she said, "Oh, what the hell! With my messy hair, the lumps will scarcely show, anyway."

While they were all laughing, Ann jumped from her seat, threw herself across Cara's lap, turned the woman's head and melted her lips to hers. Because Cara was still laughing hard, the initial kissing sensation was like nothing the girl had ever experienced. Cara's laughter stopped instantly, as she responded in kind with her own lips. At the same time her fingertips were just moving all over Ann's magnificent body. When they broke their kiss, Ann just stayed where she was, relishing the sensations Cara's fingers were creating on her body as she just snuggled close.

With Ann snuggled close, Cara returned the conversation to the earlier subject. Thinking out loud she said, "If you're Ali Clifford's sister, you're also related to the Bradleys and the Taylors in New York, I guess, aren't you?"

"Andy's granddaughter, Caitie, was the flower girl in Karla's wedding, and I guess it was her son, John, who was the ring bearer," Maria replied. "I don't know if we're related, but we're very close, if we're not."

Incredibly, Ann had actually fallen asleep in Cara's arms. "You know, this is unreal. This girl weighs about as much as I do," she said quietly so as not to awaken her, "but she feels like a feather on my lap."

Again she shook her head and said, "Let's review the bidding, shall we? We all know I'm an incredible snob. I want only the very best for my darling sons. So what do they drag in? Yuck! Take social position, for example? Aside from a couple or three duchies and some miscellaneous real estate — the beautiful part of Belgium, the whole industrial north of Italy, most of Denmark, the loveliest and most productive parts of Spain, and the finest wine-producing region of France — what is there? Almost nothing."

She paused and cocked her head, apparently in thought. "No, that's not quite fair. They are personal friends of the Queen of England, and I suppose that does carry a certain cachet, in some quarters anyway.

"But what else? How about money? I gathered from my sons that you've earned a scant billion dollars each so far on Mayday. But then what? How long can a family be expected to survive on a mere $10 billion or so? What have you done lately?

"Then there's the question of brains. Do you think for one moment I want my grandchildren to be retards? I mean ... Good grief! There's only a single Nobel Prize — and that's shared!

"Looks?" She just shook her head sadly and said, "Just look! Enough said. And finally, athletic ability." Cara laughed cynically and continued, "I ask you! I mean ... Good heaven's, girls, I know you've been playing golf for almost one full week! And the best you can do is a 62? Get real!"

Cara looked so sad. Tears had started to form and were running down her cheeks. "What do these girls bring to the party? Aside from a few items of trivia, nothing. But on the other hand, my sons do love you. Not nearly as much as I do, you understand, but they do love you, so ... I guess you'll have to get married."

"Thank you, Mother," Ann whispered. Then she gave the woman the softest, sweetest kiss imaginable. Maria jumped out of her chair and did the same thing.

But Cara had the last word. "Who would have thought it?" she asked no one in particular. "Aside from everything else, they have an incredible inventory of kisses. That last was the sweetest, most loving kiss I could ever imagine."

After giving her another kiss, Ann popped off her lap and returned to her seat.

"Before we go much further, though, Mother, I think there are a few things you should know about us. You will probably change your mind, because it will confirm that your first instincts — to oppose the marriage — were correct," Maria said softly.

"First, less than a year ago, both Ann and I were prostitutes. We didn't get money, but we traded our bodies for food. She was the duty cunt and I had the duty tits. Ann was much thinner in those days. And because she was always dry, she had a very tight cunt that the guys loved to rape."

She paused for a moment and then continued, "You know, this is the first time I ever thought of it in those terms, but I think my words were exactly correct. They loved to rape her — to drive their cocks into her while she was dry to cause her the greatest pain. I filled in when she was out of action because her cunt or her asshole or both were just streaming blood.

"If they just wanted to handle a pair of tits, that was me. They would knead and pinch. Occasionally, they would stick a fist up my cunt — not a finger or two. I mean a fist! We were pieces of meat. Not only were we there for the permanent entertainment of our hosts, we were expected to make our bodies available to any friends of theirs — or even acquaintances — who might stop by."

Looking at Cara with her eyes warm she said, "Tonight you went down on Ann. I can tell you it was the most marvelous feeling of her life. How do I know? Because, we find that in the same way we can share a brain to create software, we also seem to share a brain where intimate feelings are concerned, too.

"Mother, you may have heard how our intelligence works. It appears that working together, one's intelligence is raised to the power of the other. That produces a very large IQ number. We've been wondering if our intimate sensations will work the same way. You see — I'm sure you see — that we have no shame. We plan on having your sons take us side by side on the same bed. We want to see if one's sexual sensation is raised by the power of the other's.

"For if it is," she said with a warm smile, "It will make an H-bomb look like a child's firecracker. And we can't wait."

"I have two comments," Cara said softly. "From the silence, clearly you're expecting me to say something, so I will. First, I believe it when you say you prostituted your bodies to eat. But I know that you are both still — or again — intact virgins. From this I can only conclude that you are truly beloved of Almighty God, our Father."

Now tears were beginning to stream down her cheeks as she continued, "That being the case, what God has joined together, let no man — nor woman — put asunder. I only beg that you'll forgive my sons their shortcomings. I know they love you desperately."

Now she was crying so hard she could scarcely speak, yet she continued to hold her head up high to make her misery obvious to everyone. "I particularly hope you will forgive me for all of the things I tried to do to you. And ... and ... and I will do anything — absolutely anything — if you will allow me occasionally to see my grandchildren, those incredible creatures that will be the product of your loins."

At that instant all of the girls were struck by Cara's mature beauty. With the tears still streaming she said, "I have one idea. I know that you were purified through torture. Would it be satisfactory if I accept 100 lashes with a whip for each visit? The agonizing pain might purify me enough so that you might allow me even to hold your child. Is that all right?"

"No," Maria said softly, "it is not." With that she went to Cara, lifted her legs, put them over her shoulders and then began to kiss the woman's sex.



-------

Chapter 43



"How about if we order?" Ann asked the others. "Mare and Cara appear ... occupied ... for a while." They perused the menu, seemingly oblivious to Cara's moans followed by her screams of ecstacy. They made their selections and Ann phoned down the orders, having herself made selections for the other two.

This time when the waiter appeared with fresh drinks, Ann met him at the door, oblivious to her own nudity. He took the empty glasses from her hands and she took the drink tray from him. Returning to the table, the girls savored the fresh drinks, their fourth martinis of the evening. By now all of them were truly relaxed.

"Do you mind a personal question?" Kim asked. "How in the name of God did you ever meet the Campbell brothers?" Quickly, Ann told her about the Mayday network and the nominations. It was through this network that their sister, Karla, had met and married Doug Whitfield, and how they had met the Campbells.

"Well, as long as we're reprising True Confessions,  I guess I might as well join in," Kim said. "Did you ever stop to wonder how I got in your group?"

Her question took Ann full aback. "No, Kim. Honestly, it never occurred to me to wonder. I guess I thought you believed it would be good for your career ... or something..."

For the first time, Ann took a good look at Kim Carson and realized what a truly beautiful young woman she was. Stretched out naked as she was, there were no secrets. The girl was stunning, with tawny gold hair and emerald-green eyes like her own. Her figure was perfect. But even more, Ann realized with a shock, was something else. Like themselves, most of Kim's beauty came from within.

Suddenly, Ann blurted, "You're like us, aren't you? Most of your beauty is from within. From God's Divine grace shining from your eyes."

Kim was stunned by the comment, but didn't react. Instead she continued her first line of discussion. "First of all, it might turn out to be good, given the way it ended. I didn't kill anyone with a stray drive. But it was a serious risk. Basically, I had nothing to gain and a lot to lose. And I don't mean the money it cost me to get in, either. And that was over $1 million!" She shook her head and continued, "No, dear Ann, the cost was worth it to me in order to meet the two women in the whole world I have come to utterly hate: you two!"

Kim's response came as a real shock to Ann. It was from so totally far out in left field, it was something that Ann couldn't even conceive. She just shook her head in utter bafflement and dismay.

"I'm so sorry, Kim!" she exclaimed. "As Mare said, we have done a great many things we are terribly ashamed of," she continued while slowly shaking her head, "but I can't imagine anything we might have done to you. Until a few weeks ago, neither of us had ever been out of the Czech Republic, and I can't believe you've ever been there. I just don't understand."

"It's that damned picture!" Kim exclaimed. "It's been driving me utterly insane!"

"Picture?" Ann asked, baffled. "What picture?"

"The Mayday picture!" Kim wailed. Now the girl was sobbing as if her heart were broken.

In fact, that is exactly what the problem was. Trying to speak while her tears continued to run in streams, she looked like a very cute little girl. And for a woman who was the screen's ultimate sex symbol, being cute was a contradiction in terms. "I looked at it, but couldn't figure why on earth it was there. Then I blackmailed Kris — she's my Mayday — and she confessed. She told me that all the Maydays around the world were looking for suitable husband material for you two!"

Now she was crying so hard, when coupled with trying to talk, it gave her hiccoughs. Ann realized that it would have been both funny and cute, but clearly, to the tormented girl it was neither.

"Just look at me!" Kim demanded. "I'm the international symbol of sex, right? I've kicked more men out of my bed than any other woman has ever seen! Right? Wrong! I'm still a virgin!" she wailed.

Molly Adams was sitting beside her on the sofa and took the girl into her arms. Kim burrowed into her shoulder and snuggled as Molly wrapped her strong arms around her while she stroked any part of the girl within reach.

While comforting Kim in her arms, Molly just looked at Ann and shook her head. "My God, what a day!" she whispered. "And it's not over yet." Then she asked, "What did you notice about Kim?"

"Two things," Ann replied softly. "First, as I said, so much of her beauty comes from within her. She is incredibly lovely. The second is going to sound funny, talking about a sex symbol. But she is cute, funny, and looks like a vulnerable and very innocent little girl."

Molly's face remained impassive, so Ann continued, "Why aren't you laughing? Don't you think it's funny?"

"No, I don't," Molly replied simply. "I think it's the exact truth. Ever since you made the comment about Kim's beauty coming from within, I've been studying her. You're exactly right. But can you help her? She's really very sweet." Then with a warm smile she added, "And if you can help her, I have the ultimate challenge for you and your sister: me!"

"Tell me about yourself," Ann said quietly.

"What's to tell? I play golf, I eat, I practice, and I go to bed. That's my life," the girl replied with a disgusted look on her face. "Oh! There's one more thing: I delight in tormenting the lesbians on the tour. And there are a lot of them to torment. On the other hand, given what I saw Cara do with you, and now seeing what your sister is doing to her now, I'm not so sure I shouldn't have just joined in."

Maria had had Cara in continuous orgasm for over fifteen minutes and showed no signs of stopping. Now Cara's head was just lolling against the sofa back, while her pelvis was shaking itself to bits. Initially she had screamed with joy. That had given way to babbling. Now she was just making faint, utterly incoherent noises. From the way Maria was lapping at her source, she must still be running rivers.

"There's more to you than that," Ann pursued. "Where are you from? Where did you go to school? What do you do when you're not playing golf?"

"I'm from suburban New York," Molly replied. "I went to University of Texas on a golf scholarship, and majored in history. When I'm not playing golf, I'm cooking."

"Why are you cooking?"

"It's a family thing," she said. "Mother's a pretty good cook, and she taught me."

Ann had come to realize that Molly, too, was an incredibly beautiful girl. It was all Ann could do to keep from grinning because things were dropping in place like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Molly was also five feet eight and used her height to great effect on the golf course. Her body was a work of art, and she had lovely dark hair and magnificent blue eyes. Ann realized that it was the eyes that did it. They were virtually identical to André's.

"Your mother is French, isn't she, Molly?"

"How did you know?"

"And to say she's good cook is like saying the Matterhorn is big. It's true, but so understated. Right?"

"I guess so," the girl admitted. "Oh, shit! I suppose I might as well tell you. She is — she was — considered the finest chef in France. Her family owns Le Tour d'Argent. Have you ever heard of it?"

"Even in Prague we've heard of it. Possibly the finest restaurant in the world, if it isn't Maxim's. Ever think about a merger? And what do you think about André?"

"The maître d'?" she asked, wide-eyed.

"No, silly. The owner! Or the owner's son, anyway. And, Molly Adams, I happen to know that he's kicking himself for not having met us first. How's your French, by the way?"

"It's okay," she admitted.

Ann just cocked an eyebrow and stared at her.

"Oh, shit! It's my second native language. Okay? Happy?"

"I don't know. Are you? He's very handsome and well-built. He certainly looks and moves like an athlete. Would you like a nice big cock probing your cunt?"

"And my ass, my mouth, and any other place I could think to put it. Between my tits ... Oh, shit!"

"Now what's wrong?"

"Can you hold a pencil under your tit?"

The question came as a total surprise to Ann. "I have no idea. How do you do it?"

By now Kim had stopped crying, but she was still snuggling against Molly. Looking at her, Molly lifted her face and gently melted her lips to hers. It was a wonderfully warm and loving kiss. "Are you back with us?" she asked gently.

Kim uncoiled from her lap, stood up and stretched. When she did, her perfect muscle tone was apparent. She yawned, then bent over and kissed Molly again. "Thank you, Molly. That really felt so great. And could I apologize for coming apart on you two?"

Then she asked Ann, "What's this pencil business, anyway?"

Ann just shook her head and pointed to Molly.

Molly rose from the sofa and went to the table in the corner where the telephone sat. Beside it was a pad and a standard wooden pencil. Coming back to Ann she said, "Now stand up straight the way you normally do. I'll show you."

When Ann stood as she had been asked to, Molly gently raised her right breast, placed the pencil horizontally beneath it, then released the breast and then the pencil. It dropped to the floor. She did it then with Kim, with the same result. By this time, Cara was sprawled on the sofa, while Maria was back in her chair sipping her now-watery drink. Watching what had been going on, she joined the girls, and Molly did the test with her, too. Finally, Ann did it to Molly. In every case, the pencil fell to the floor.

Molly just shook her head sadly. "We all flunk," she said. "None of us can hold the damned thing." To Ann she said, "I started this thinking about André fucking me between my tits, but they're too firm. There's no way I can get them close enough together to do anything for him."

With a grin, Ann took the pencil over to the sofa where Cara was sprawled. When she went to lift the woman to a more upright position, the woman opened her brilliant blue eyes, stretched languidly and slowly stood up. She watched in amusement as Ann experimented on her. The first time it dropped, and the second time, too. But Ann had noticed that it hadn't dropped as quickly as it had with them. She had noticed the slightest delay before it fell. When she tried it a third time, the pencil remained in position for almost a second before it dropped.

Turning to Molly she said, "Cara passed, didn't she? She held it for almost a full second."

Before Molly could reply, Cara said, "Wrong, turkeys! That's flunking. Passing the pencil test is when it drops. When it stays in position, it's because your tits aren't firm enough."

She shook her head and added, "This is the first time in my life I've ever seen four girls with real tits who all pass that stupid test. And I must be doing something right, too. I'm sure it's the first time in my life I've ever passed. Or the first time since the age of twelve, anyway."

At that point there was a knock on the door. This time Maria opened it while the others took seats around the table. To their amusement, the table service was superb with the waiters apparently ignoring their total nudity. All of the women ate with gusto. The food was utterly magnificent. The dinner Ann had ordered was full course, with appetizer, soup, fish course, and entree. The food was served with two different wines to complement the courses. Remarkably, everyone ate everything.

The waiters had just cleared the table and Maria told them they would wait before ordering dessert. Then Ann said to Kim, "Now that the waterworks have been shut down for a while, tell us more about your problems with us and your Mayday. Her name is Kris?"

"Yes, and she's a bitch!" Kim exclaimed. "Do you know what that little bitch was doing?" When Maria and Ann shook their heads she said, "She was going through my address book to see if there were any good guys she could submit for you!" Can you believe it?" Then with a grin she said, "Of course she could go through my entire list of men's names in a fraction of a nanosecond — that's a billionth of a second, isn't it?"

"Out of curiosity," Maria asked, "Where did you get the name, Kris, for your Mayday?"

"That's easy," she replied with a smile. "'Kris' is my best friend's name. Kris Bradley? Do you know her?"

"With her tiger, Sasha? Does he work on you, too?" Ann asked innocently.

"That bum!" Kim complained. "Do you know what he had the nerve to do last week? He had me naked on the floor on my hands and knees begging him to do me! Can you believe it? There was Kris rolling on the floor laughing, while I'm begging! I nearly had to go down on him first. He kept saying that he was Kris's lover, after all. And besides, how did he know I didn't have any sexually-transmitted diseases? 'Because I've never had sex!' I screamed.

"With his head cocked he had the nerve to ask if I was certain I was sweet-tasting that night. I had to finger-fuck myself, lick off my juices, and then do it again to give him a taste. Then with the greatest reluctance, he said he would do me. Can you believe it? And then the rat had the nerve to say he would only take me from behind while I stayed on my hands and knees. That's the way tigers normally couple, he said."

"What did you do?" Ann asked.

"I stayed on my hands and knees. The bastard even stopped when my arms let go and I was resting my shoulders on the carpet. Sasha stopped and wouldn't continue until I was up on my hands again, either."

"Do you know Samantha Conroy, by any chance?" Maria asked.

"I don't know her, but I certainly know of her. She's another of Kris's friends. For some reason or other, we've never met. But why do you ask?"

"For two reasons," Ann replied. "First, Sam was my caddy today. You were with her all day, but I guess you didn't know it."

"Sam was the older one, wasn't she? The one who couldn't give us any tips because it would have been a rule violation?" Ann nodded. "All I can say is that she sure lives up to Kris's billing. She is exquisite. But why did you ask?"

"Because Susie apparently has found a husband for her and is looking right now for someone for Kris Bradley," Ann replied matter-of-factly. Looking around the table, she saw that Kim was about to come apart again, while the other two were showing concern.

"Do you know who our computer is named after?" she asked softly.

Kim, now sinking back into misery and despair, just shook her head. She neither knew nor cared.

Speaking in her normal voice Ann said, "Susie, we need you right now."

Instantly the sprite materialized in the center of the table. This evening she was nude. Bouncing across the table to Cara, she extended her hand and said, "Hi! I'm Susie Sloan. I'm truly delighted to meet you, Mrs. Campbell." Cara reached out to the sprite, lifted her up and kissed her.

Putting her down, Cara looked puzzled. "Susie, who are you?" Cara asked. "A saint? What?"

"Cara," Maria interjected, "Susie Sloan is one of God's angels." Then she quickly told the story of Susie and Steve Sloan. Concluding, she said, "Susan Sloan was ordered to renounce Christ. She refused. They wanted her to get Steve to tell them what he knew. She refused, and kept insisting he keep quiet. They cut off her breasts and grilled them. She asked them to feed her right tit to Steve. She thought it would be the more tender and better tasting of the two. They flayed off her skin, but she took Steve inside her body anyway." Now tears were flowing in twin streams as she concluded, "This is Susan Sloan, martyr, saint, angel, and the bravest woman who has ever lived. That's who Susie is."

"But after ten awful years," Susie said before anyone else could speak, "I was finally able to get him out of the awful hole he had dug himself into. And I got him together with Barbara Jensen. She's Barbara Sloan now, and she's an utterly perfect woman and a perfect wife. And she's my very best friend in the world. And up there," she said pointing upward, "she outranks me."

"Ann and Mary do, too, don't they?" Cara said softly.

"Yes, they do, but how did you know?"

"Because, Susan Sloan, as marvelous as your kiss was, it's not as powerful as theirs. So I figured that could only be true if they outranked you. Then, I have another question: Why did you come and introduce yourself to me, but not to Molly or Kim? Are you their Guardian Angel?"

Susie's eyes widened but she grinned and said, "You're remarkably perceptive, Mrs. Campbell..."

"And you can damn well call me 'Cara', or 'Caroline', or 'you cheap slut', or..."

"You're remarkably perceptive, Cara. But how did you know?"

"Because you appeared to know them. And Kim Carson is a member of The Sisterhood, too, isn't she? She doesn't know it yet, but she is. And so is darling Molly, right?" Susie pretended to look confused and baffled while Cara just stared at her. When she started to shake her tiny head, Cara said, "Susan Sloan! An angel telling a lie? I've never heard of such a thing!"

At that there was a rumble like thunder that sounded like laughter. "All right, I give up," the Voice said. "Now Susie, you can do what you've been dying to do all evening. If you ask these three women to spread their legs, you can neaten up their pubic patches to make them look the way Ann and Mary's do.

"And by the way, I like 'Ann', but 'Mare' just doesn't make it. You are not a female horse!" And, you two, I have bad news for you: I know how much you were looking forward to seeing your new friends in agony, but Susie has a new way that's faster and completely painless."

Then to the others he said, "You're right, of course, Cara — I like that, too, by the way — there is a Sisterhood. These are young women who try as hard as they can to lead good lives. And when they are people in an amoral profession, the way the films have become, or in a sport that features deviant sexual behavior the way the ladies' tour has become, these women become heroines to me."

Again there was deep laughter and the Voice continued, "As for you, Kim, I must confess that people were rolling on the ground with laughter up here, when that tiger was teasing you. But I also know how agonizing it was for you. What the others here don't know is that you silently offered up your suffering for any of your boys killed in Vietnam who might still be in Purgatory. You were in such an agony of wanting, there are none left, so don't bother with that one again.

"And as for you, Molly Adams, André Malraux is a delightful young man. But when you welcome him into your gathering later this evening, I think it might be nice if you were to make the supreme sacrifice and slide into your bikini.

"Kim, as soon as Kris Bradley is taken care of, the girls will take care of you, too. Do you think you can hang on for a few more days?"

The girl dropped to the floor and prostrated herself. Then kneeling up straight with her legs spread wide to allow Susie to work she said softly, "Dear Lord, thank you for your blessings. I'm sure with your help, I'll make it, only..." She shook her head sadly and wailed, "I'm getting so old! And I so desperately want to have children ... a lot of children!"

"Kim, no one has asked how The Sisterhood works. You will slide back to age 19, and hold there. Ann or Mary mentioned Samantha Conroy to you. How old does she appear to be?"

"About my age, Lord," Kim replied. "In her late 20's somewhere. But why do You ask?"

"Because she is 27 years old," He replied. "But if you see her with her mother, who you haven't met, and her sister, as the girls did a few days ago, it's a different picture. Mary, tell Kim what happened in the pro shop on the day you first met Jim Conroy."

"It was a riot," Mary replied. "First, I saw this young man standing there. He was very handsome, but he was only about 23, and I knew Jim Conroy had to be pushing 50, if not being already on its shady side. After all, he flew as an officer for years in Vietnam, and that war was over more than 20 years ago. But guess what? That was Jim Conroy.

"Then immediately behind him I see three gorgeous girls, the oldest of whom appeared to be in her late 20's. Now I know Hank Conroy is about 50 also, but I also knew she looked younger than her age. So I said to the older one, 'Hello, Hank Conroy, I'm Maria... ' At that point, the middle one — the 19-year-old — punches the older one on the arm and said, 'I told you, Samantha Conroy, to get on a stick. You're already 27 and from what Maria just said, you're fading fast.'"

Then to the girls, she said, "As of this afternoon, if you lined up the older Conroy women, it looks like a beautiful family of sisters, ages 27, 19, and 15. But with Sam meeting Jack Martin tonight, I'm sure her calendar is already running backward, so I don't know how old she'll appear to be when you meet her. It's going backward, isn't it, Susie?" The sprite was working on Molly's groin, but raised her head, grinned, nodded her head vigorously, and went back to her work.

Then the Voice said, "Cara, you haven't asked why I am having Susie work on your pubic patch. Why haven't you?"

"Because it is your wish, Lord," she replied softly.

"But what if I asked her to whip you," the Voice persisted. "What then?"

"Then I would have asked where on my body you wished her to start so I could best position myself to receive the strokes."

The Voice persisted and asked softly, "What else, Cara?"

Her eyes widened as she remembered, "Oh! I forgot. I would ask You who in purgatory is least likely to have someone praying for their souls. Then I would ask You to accept my suffering for their benefit. And, Lord, I would ask to be whipped in places and in ways to maximize my agony for their greater benefit."

After a pause, the woman asked diffidently, "Lord, will you grant me a favor?"

"Of course, Cara Campbell. What is your favor?"

"Please ask the angel, Susan Sloan, to pull my pubic hair out by the roots. And, Lord, please accept my suffering for the benefit of those souls who are least likely to have someone pray for them. And please, Lord, instruct Susan to do everything within her power to increase my agony. I ask this, Lord, in the name of Your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave his life to save mankind."

There was a rumbling sound and then Susie was instructed to do as Cara had asked. Having just finished with the others, she went to Cara. Instead of lying flat with her legs spread, though, the woman had her legs folded back at the knees. Her knees were spread wide with her legs beneath her, raising her hips up from the carpet.

Susie began pulling individual hairs, when Cara said softly, "Not good enough, Susie. Yank it out in clumps."

When the sprite insisted it would be like pulling a handful of grass from a lawn and pulling up a clump of earth with it. If she tried to pull out clumps, she would be yanking out the woman's flesh, as well.

"I know that, darling Susie. That's why I want you to do it." Susie yanked a small handful and the woman's body spasmed in its agony.

"That was good, Susie, thank you," Cara whispered hoarsely. "But you can do even more. I know you're strong enough."

Swallowing hard, the tiny angel did as she was asked. With every handful, there was a new patch of Cara's groin with its flesh ripped out. Every time Susie yanked, her body jerked in agony. Molly knelt on the floor at Cara's head, lifted it up and rested it on her lap, while the others sent for towels and ice water. When it was delivered, Molly soaked one in the ice water, and gently wiped the sweat off Cara's face and upper body, while Kim, using an exquisitely delicate touch, gently sponged each new raw spot on her groin. Notwithstanding her agony, every time Susie yanked another clump of hair, Cara thanked her.

When the bloody job was completed, Cara was barely conscious. Nevertheless, while her body was still in agony she asked softly, "Lord, why did you want me to have a bare slit? In case Mary or Ann ever care to eat me again?"

"For your husband, Cara," the Voice responded quietly, "the husband you will soon have again. And by the way, there was utter consternation up here when we saw that your tits are still perky enough to pass the pencil test. And at your age, too!"

"Lord, I'm only 46!" Cara protested. "I'm not in the grave yet, for Heaven's sake."

"And you're no longer 46 either, Smarty!" the Voice announced. Then in a very soft voice He said, "There are no more, Cara. There is no one left in Purgatory at all. But now there are thousands of voices beside me singing your praises, and praying that you may bear your pain. I am truly impressed."

There was a pause and then He said, "What happened, Cara? Until a very short time ago, you were not one of my favorite people. What caused the change?" Then he added, "And why are you still torturing yourself in that position? Are you waiting for Purgatory to fill up again?"

That caused the woman to giggle, but she painfully straightened out her legs. "In answer to your question, Lord, I saw the wedding of Queen Karla and Sir Douglas, 8th Earl of Whitfield. I saw You join the bridal couple in Holy Matrimony. I saw St. Claire of London, and St. Karl Kosta smiling at the bride and groom. And, Lord, I heard the Multitudes of the Heavenly Host singing their praises.

"Since You, O Lord, are the Creator of the Universe and all things in it, I realized how puny I was and how I needed to change myself if I were to have any chance of saving my immortal soul from Hell. O God, please forgive me my sins as you forgave Mary Magdalene. I will do everything within my power to become a better person to serve You in this world so that I may be with You forever in the next."

Now the woman completely lost control. Rolling over on the carpet, she pulled her knees up to a fetal position. But she was crying like her heart was broken and tears were streaming down her face. "O please God! Please help me!"

"Caroline Campbell, you are a piece of work! You knew — somehow — that these two young women and their sister, Queen Karla, suffered torture. Knowing that no one would whip you, this is the torture you chose for yourself in an effort to purify your soul! It is, isn't it!" the Voice demanded.

"Yes, Lord, it is," she replied quietly. "And please bless your angel, Susie! She was so good. The pain she inflicted is truly agonizing." Shaking her head she said "Even now it feels like there are white hot wires scoring the most sensitive place on my body. Does it help, O Lord? Even a little bit?"

"My darling Cara, your soul is now as pure as your new daughters'. Does that make you happy?"

"Ecstatically!" she screamed. It was truly a scream of joy. "And, Lord, do I have your permission to eat my daughter, Mary, for dessert? I did promise, after all." The response to that was just a huge rumble of laughter that sounded like rolling thunder.

At that Cara rolled on her back. Kim had placed a rolled towel between her legs to soak up her blood that was still flowing freely from her torn-up loins. "If we're going to be entertaining Molly's fiancé-to-be, what am I going to do? Poor André is going to upset about blood soaking his beautiful furniture."

"But Mother," Mary protested, "how could you possibly sit, anyway? You have to be in agony!"

"Do you know the one thing that would make it even better than it is?" Cara asked with a warm smile. Mary shook her head, but she was almost certain she was not going to like Cara's answer.

"I would love to have a man's huge cock thrusting into my wetness. At every stroke his pubic hair would chafe my rawness. The agony would be reinforced, but then the joy of being fucked would overwhelm everything else ... It would just be so neat!"

The girls found themselves shocked but not surprised by her response. Molly had gone to her purse and returned with a sanitary napkin and a sanitary belt. "It will look a bit tacky with your bikini, but what the hell. It's better than a Band-Aid." The other girls sponged off Cara's body while, as gently as possible, Molly placed the pad to cover Cara's wounds. Then she eased the woman's bikini up into position. Then Cara stood up and carefully tried to arrange the sanitary belt along the line of her bikini.

They were about ready to ask André to join them, when Molly asked, "How do I look? Before I get dressed, I mean."

With the girl standing, Cara dropped to her knees and studied the girl's pubic area. "Molly, you look darling!" she declared. Then she kissed the girl's now-small pubic patch and then gently licked her slit. "And you're so sweet!"

Looking up at the girl's face she added, "You really should get André to eat you tonight. I can't believe you're always this sweet."

Molly just shook her head and giggled.

Then Cara shook her head and asked Molly if she had any lipstick. The girl looked puzzled, but retrieved a stick from her purse. Then using the tip of her little finger, Cara very carefully rouged the girl's nether lips and very carefully brightened her nipples after first teasing them to full erection. Then she eased the girl's bikini up her beautiful legs into position.

Finally, Cara stood up, gave the girl the sweetest possible kiss and said, "Darling Molly, you are utterly perfect! But how do you feel?"

"Do you really want to know?" the girl asked. When Cara eagerly nodded, Molly said, "I'm utterly scared to death, but my cunt is already starting to run rivers."

Mary made the call while the others slipped on their bikinis, too. A few minutes later, André appeared carrying a tray with six snifters and a bottle of Rémy-Martin's Louis XIII. He was followed by a waiter with coffee, cups, and cigars. The waiter placed his tray on the dining table and withdrew while André just looked at the five women.

He was just slowly shaking his head but finally said, "Good grief! You represent a full assortment, don't you? Duchess Anna is a redhead, Kim's hair is a tawny gold, Cara is a dark blonde, while you two are both dark. But you are the same height and all share the same perfect figures."

Then to Molly he said, "I don't believe I've had the pleasure."

"Well let me make the introductions," Mary replied. "André, this is your bride-to-be, Madeleine Lacroix Adams. Molly, this is André Malraux."

At that, instead of extending her hand, Molly moved close, put her arms around André's neck, cocked her head and kissed him. The others saw André's hands move futilely in the air for a moment, then wrap around Molly's perfect body and pull her close. While they could see the electricity flow between them and hear the bells, they saw Molly moving her almost-naked body against him. Their kiss just continued, growing even more passionate if that were possible. Finally they eased apart to breathe again, if for no other reason.

Molly lowered her arms, wrapped them around his waist and just rested her cheek against his shoulder. Then, in perfect French she said, "Thank you, André. That was utterly perfect."

Then they moved over toward the fire where Molly insisted that André sit on a love seat so she could sit across his lap. While Ann poured the cognac, Molly was nearly in tears as she presented her body to André. "My darling," she said, "I so wanted to be able to take your cock between my tits, but they're too firm. I can't get them close enough together to do you any good!"

He took a tit in his hand and squeezed it, causing Molly's eyes to close as she sighed in ecstasy. When he lightly pinched her nipple, her body suddenly bucked in orgasm. "I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed. "But, darling, with you I am so sinfully sensitive, I can't help it."

He just pulled her head close, kissed her, and assured her that he adored firm breasts and delighted in the prospect of a passionate wife. Molly just cuddled close, as with some amusement, Mary filled him in on Molly's background.

When Mary finished, Molly was miffed to find André howling with laughter. When she asked him what was so damned funny, he explained, "Darling, this whole situation is! First of all, I've been getting flak from my parents for months about a merger — called a marriage — being arranged between the Malraux and Lacroix families. It would join the two top restaurants in all of France. I wanted no part of it.

"You see, my darling, I'm torn. On the one hand, I love France. On the other, I've come to love the United States, too. Furthermore, while I love cooking, I think I love to play golf even more. Never did I think it possible to meet a girl who could break 100 on a golf course and also boil water." With a grin he said, "I know you can break 100 — on one of your good days, anyway — but are you sure you can boil water?"

"I'm a better chef than you are, André Malraux!" she insisted. "But to show you what a truly wonderful wife I'll be, I won't even insist on you giving me strokes when we play golf."

At André's amused request, Molly slipped on her dress again, very cutely sticking the tip of her tongue out at him after she did. André pointed out that it was purely in the interests of safety. After all, they were going down to the kitchen and he didn't one any of the kitchen workers to accidently hurt himself. "After all, my darling, there are all sorts of very sharp knives, hot surfaces, boiling liquids..."

With her nose in the air she said it was just because her body was so ugly, he didn't want the staff to see it. Instead of responding, he just pinched one of her ass cheeks hard. The pinch triggered an instant orgasm and then a yelp.

After they were gone, Cara went down on Mary to have her for dessert. It came as no surprise to find that she was every bit as sweet as Ann had been.

When they finally left Maxim's, there were only four of them. Molly was in the kitchen with André preparing him a late supper.



-------

Chapter 44



Jack Martin was in a state of near-shock as he waited for the door to be opened. He was living the strangest day of his life. Everything he had told Samantha had been true. He hadn't eaten for a day and a half because every off-duty hour had been spent just staring at the incredible girl depicted on his computer screen. What was utterly incomprehensible to him, though, was the fact that she was even more beautiful in the flesh than she had been on the screen.

Suddenly he realized what the difference was. As beautiful as her body was, it was only a shadow of the beauty she had within. Samantha truly radiated beauty ... and he didn't even know her last name. But he did know that this was the woman with whom he would be spending the rest of his life.

The door was opened by a very young, sandy-haired man about his own size. The son of the owner,  he thought. Then Sam threw herself into his arms, kissed him lovingly and said, "Thank you Uncle Ken, for saving Daddy's life!"

Then she turned toward him and said, "Darling, I want you to meet the man who truly saved my father's life. Since I know that had he died, my mother would have died within a week, too, I owe this man all the happiness I've ever enjoyed. This is Ken Carlson."

To Carlson she said, "Uncle Ken, I want you to meet the love of my life and my future husband, Jack Martin. And guess what? He has a Medal of Honor, too!"

Jack took the proffered hand in a state of shock. He had heard "Ken Carlson" and a reference to the Medal of Honor. The only possible connection was a reference to the greatest military hero in the entire history of the country named ... Ken Carlson. But it was impossible! Ken Carlson had to be over 50 years old, and this man wasn't close to reaching 30.

"How do you do, sir?" he heard himself saying. Then he blurted out, "Are you the Ken Carlson with two Medals of Honor?"

"I'm afraid so," the man admitted. "I thought I had ducked all that nonsense, but my damned troopers had to go and spoil everything." Then with a very warm smile he added, "Come in, Jack. And please accept my most sincere congratulations! Samantha Conroy is the best possible wife for a hero like you.

"There's one thing I will guarantee you: It's a damned good thing you're as big as you are, because Sam is going to be a real man-eater in bed! You saw those tigers outside? Some mornings you're going to wish you could share your bed with a few of them ... while they're fighting with each other and trying to eat you, too. In spite of that, you'd feel safer in bed with them than with Sam."

At that Sam grinned and hit Carlson on the arm with her small fist. "Thanks one hell of a lot, Uncle Ken! Remind me to put some cyanide in your dessert tonight. And besides, you share your bed every night with Aunt Kathy. She's much stronger than I am, and you're still alive."

By this time Jack was inside the door and Ken had closed it. "She's right, Jack. I admit it. My wife, Kathy, may be a tiny bit stronger than Sam."

With a grin he continued, "That's how I'm so sure about what you're in for. But there are compensations: Every morning you'll awaken to the most incredible fragrance in your nostrils. You'll see her hair on the pillow and her cheek resting on your shoulder. Move just the tiniest bit, and her eyes will pop open. In them you will see the most incredible level of love, joy and Sanctifying Grace. Then she will stretch, spread her legs, and welcome you into her very tight, but very slick little cunt.

"Controlling her internal muscles — I don't know how they do it, but they all do — she will have you screaming for release. But in the meantime her pelvis will be in constant spasm from her cuming. I know all about how female physiology is supposed to work, because after only twenty years of marriage, Kathy finally let me finish the course. But these women all manage to reach and maintain continuous orgasm for up to thirty minutes.

"Finally, when your cock feels like it's twice it's erect length and at least twice as fat, she'll lose control and let you cum. She will always end up unconscious — that last orgasm is beyond belief — but often, you will too. When the two of you recover, you'll stagger out of bed to start the day, wondering what happened to your poor balls. You'll be drained dry, of course." With a big grin he concluded, "Of course, it's even worse when you get home at night. But as I said, you'll get used to it."

As Ken led the way into the other room, he whispered to Sam, "Was that all true?"

"Probably, my darling," she whispered in reply, "but I really don't know because I'm still a virgin. I've never been with a man before."

Jack stopped dead in his tracks. "But you can't be! You're — what? — about 27?" She just nodded, wide-eyed. "But how? Why? I don't understand."

"Because I hadn't met you yet, silly. What's so hard to understand?" Then with an incredible warmth in her eyes that he hadn't seen before, she added, "Darling, it's really very simple. I was created to be your mate."

As they moved into the next room, Jack felt like he was moving like a zombie. Heaven knows, he felt like one. There were five more people waiting. But before he had a chance even to look around, another blonde had launched herself into his arms, pulled down his head and melted her lips to his. As he felt a flood of the purest love, he found that his arms were around her waist pulling her close. When he did, he felt her moving her body against his. Then he realized that while there was the same love and joy he had found in Sam's kiss, there was no passion at all. There was just joy and grace and love. Gently they eased apart.

When they did, he found that Sam was tapping the other girl on the shoulder. "Knock it off, Mother. He's mine! I trapped him fair and square."

"Oh, pooh! Samantha Conroy, haven't you ever heard of sharing? I am your mother, after all."

"And you have Dad to keep your cunt filled with cock, too."

"But darling, after I drain him dry, there's nothing to do..."

"Tough!" Sam declared in a voice totally devoid of any sympathy. Then Jack realized she was speaking to him. "Darling, as I'm sure you've gathered by now, this is my mother, Henrietta Conroy."

At that remark, the younger woman hit her hard on her arm. "You just had to get even, didn't you?" He noticed Sam hadn't even flinched, yet he knew that the woman had really hit her. Sam just gleefully nodded her head rapidly. Then the woman said, "The name is 'Hank', Jack. The only people who ever call me Henrietta are those with a fully developed death wish."

While she was studying him, he was studying her, too. He was utterly stunned ... again. This girl was an incredibly nubile nineteen, with all of the joy and exuberance of youth. Her complexion — deeply tanned though it was — was so soft and youthful. She was Sam's younger twin sister. It had to be a joke. Then he looked at Sam and did a double-take. She looked younger! His jaw dropped open as he could literally see months of age dropping away. Now she appeared to be in her early twenties, but the process was continuing.

Seeing his reaction, Hank Conroy looked at Sam, too, and started to grin. "Well, darling, it's about time. I was getting worried that it might be getting too late for you." Then to Jack she said, "The way things are going, she'll be my twin before we finish dinner. We'll both be nineteen."

Then, with the cutest, most youthful grin he had ever seen she added, "But I confess, Jack. I really am her mother."

With an effort of will, Jack pulled himself together and looked at the others in the room. Again his eyes widened. The other men all appeared to be in their mid-twenties, and all looked younger than he did. The other two women looked to be nineteen, too. A slender, sandy-haired man stepped forward with his hand outstretched. Jack took his hand in a strong grip as he said, "Welcome to the Conroy clan, Jack."

Then he shook his head and said, "Look, why don't you sit down before you fall down? I know these other two are anxious as hell to kiss you, too, but since they're really desperate, they can do it with you sitting down as easily as when you're standing up. Besides, it might be safer for you, too. Kathy Carlson's kisses can stop a battleship."

He nodded his head and repeated, "Yep ... You had better sit down. I think it's the only safe thing to do."

The man smiled warmly and added, "And by the way, I'm Jim Conroy, referred to by some as Samantha's father, and the husband of the creature you were just holding in your arms."

Jack found himself seated on a sofa. Another young man stood before him, also with his hand out. "Welcome, Commander. I'm Mike Morris. And this vulture standing beside me is my wife, Judy."

Jack looked over and saw that Judy Morris was an utterly incredible blue-eyed blonde. Morris continued, "But you had better be careful with her. She personally holds every gunnery record at Camp Pendleton. And that's from a .22 up to a 105 mm. howitzer. And with a 9mm., I'm certain she could take the wing off a fly."

Then Judy just sat down across Jack's lap, took his face in her hands and kissed him. While her lips were pouring out love, joy and grace exactly as Hank had done, he found that his hand had found her left breast.

As he was about to jerk it away, Judy moved away just enough to speak and murmured, "Squeeze it, please? Good and hard?" When he did, she just sighed with pleasure. Then she wriggled so her back was to him and said, "Now you can squeeze both of my tits. Do you like them? Are they firm enough?"

While he was shocked, he saw that Mike Morris was howling with laughter, so he did what she had asked. Then he moved his fingers over her dress and could feel her muscles react to his touch. "Oh, Sam! Are you ever going to have fun! His touch on my body is the same as Mike's and I can feel myself reacting the same way." Then she just leaned her head back over his shoulder, arching her back and causing her tits to be pushed up and out, while her body slowly writhed in pleasure.

Then to Mike she said, "My darling, it's a damned good thing we took Kathy's advice and had a lovely pre-prandial fuck. If we hadn't, I would be taking you on the floor right now."

Then with reference to Mike's previous statement Judy added, "But darling, I have no desire to take the wing off a fly. I have a better idea."

When Mike bit and asked her what she meant, she said, "There's a story of three swordsmen in a stable. They were arguing about which one was the best. Well, there were a lot of flies in the stable, so the youngest drew his sword, and with a flick of his wrist cut a fly in half. Then the second drew his sword, flicked his wrist, and took the wing-tip off another fly, causing it to fly in a tight circle. Finally the oldest and most experienced of the three drew his sword and flicked his wrist at a third fly that just kept flying. The others started to laugh at him.

"The second swordsmen said, 'You missed it completely!' The older one said, 'No, I did not. I did what I intended to do.' 'But, ' the second protested, 'it's still flying around!' 'Of course it is, ' the older one said, 'but he will never make love again!'" With a grin Judy added, "Now that's what I would like to do with a 9 mm.!"

"Please notice, Jack, just what it is my lovely wife considers to be her ideal target. Let it be a warning to you!" Mike Morris said with a wink.

Judy just grinned and winked. Then with another warm kiss, she got off his lap.

Before anyone else could move, Judy's place on his lap was taken by the most beautiful woman Jack had ever seen. She had warm brown eyes that he thought he could just drown in. Love and Divine grace just flowed from her eyes like a river. Her hair, he supposed, was basically brown, but it had sun streaks of every imaginable shade except for red and black.

Seeing what he was looking at, the woman said, "Isn't it awful? But really, Jack, there's nothing I can do unless I hide in the basement and only come out after dark. What you're seeing is what the sun does to my stupid hair."

"It is the most incredible hair I've ever seen! You make the blondes look almost ordinary and washed out!"

"Get serious!" Kathy Carlson protested. "Or else make a fast appointment with an eye doctor. I'm afraid you're going blind, Jack."

Even as he was saying the words, Jack had a horrible sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He had just insulted his fiancée, his future mother-in-law, and a gorgeous woman who might be the best pistol shot in the world.

But before he could say a word, Sam said elatedly, "We told you so, Aunt Kathy! Now, for Heaven's sake, will you please believe us? Your hair is utterly magnificent, and I've never seen the same set of color streaks two times in a row. No wonder Henry Hall tells everyone you are his very best customer and his best walking advertisement. He claims it's a new challenge every visit, because the streaks keep changing. Good grief! Compared to you, my hair is dull and boring! Yuck!"

When the others all agreed with Sam's assessment, Jack was able to relax again.

Then the woman on his lap said, "Hi, Jack Martin. I'm Kathy Carlson. I belong to the big lug who met you at the door. And since Sam Conroy is one of my most favorite people in the whole world, I can't tell you how delighted I am, or how lucky you really are."

With that she tipped her head and kissed him. It was like nothing he had ever experienced in his life. It was as if he was connected to a high-voltage transformer that was pumping pure love rather than electricity. Then his nervous system shorted out and he lost consciousness.

He didn't know how long he was out. But when he again started to be aware of his surroundings, he heard Kathy telling Sam that it was her own fault for not immunizing him better, while Sam insisted she hadn't had the chance. "I've only been with him for an hour, Aunt Kathy. You're not being fair."

When she saw him reviving, she said, "Well, you didn't kill him, but you almost did. Katherine Hughes Carlson, you should be required to register your lips as lethal weapons!"

Kathy turned to Jack and said, "If I promise to be good, will you do me a favor?"

Jack found his head nodding automatically. He really felt he could deny this woman nothing.

"Fondle my body, please?" she asked softly. "Is mine nearly as nice as Judy's? I know it's not, but is it even close?"

Jack moved his fingertips over her body. As he did he could feel muscles just beneath the surface of her golden skin respond. When he cupped his hands over her tits, she did what Judy had done, arching backward forcing her breasts up tighter against his hands. He also realized that Kathy was not wearing a bra nor were any of the other women. When he lightly pinched her nipples, he realized they were already erect, and just became harder still.

After breathing a long sigh she murmured to Sam, "Oh, darling, are you ever going to have fun. I thought Ken had finally developed a sensitive touch, but compared to Jack, he's still digging ditches!"

Then spinning on his lap she looked at Jack with her eyes wide and asked, "Do you do this for a living? I mean ... do you have an hourly rate?"

Jack was in such a state of shock, he could say nothing. Kathy bent down and melted her lips to his. This time it was just incredibly sweet and gentle. Then with a wink she climbed off his lap.

Kathy Carlson was instantly replaced by Sam. "And I'm here for the rest of the evening," she announced. "If you think I'm going to let these ... these ... these sharks! ... get near you again tonight, you're crazy. And I ask you! It's my own mother and my aunts, for Heaven's sake. Can't I trust anyone?"

At that point, still trying to control his laughter, Ken Carlson asked him what he wanted to drink. "I think I should take a pass, sir," Jack replied. "I still have to get back to Long Beach tonight..."

"What in hell for?" Samantha demanded. "You're not due back until 0800 hours on Monday. That gives us the whole weekend—"

"How do you know?" he interrupted.

"How else would I know, turkey? I read the dumb duty schedule. And it shows Lieutenant Commander Martin off duty until 0800 hours on Monday!"

Looking up at Ken, he just shook his head and received a grin and a wink in return. "Don't worry about it, Jack. We don't. But while I'm getting your drink — is a very dry martini okay? — Mike can tell you about his incredibly successful campaign to woo and win his fair Judy. And don't worry about driving. You're staying here."

With a broad grin he added, "And even though it's a Corvette, I think you can be confident your car will still be in the driveway in the morning. Of course, when you go out, there will probably be a very large tiger sitting in the driver's seat, turning the wheel back and forth, and going, 'Vroom, vroom... '"

"Before I get to your campaign, Mike, I need an answer from the sexy young lady on my lap." Glaring at her he demanded, "How in hell do you know our duty schedule? The whole damned unit is classified."

"As far as that goes, you can compare notes with Uncle Mike on that. I guess it was for service with the SEALs that Mike got his Medal of Honor, too."

Then she stuck out her tongue and said, "That was Susie, too." Then she frowned and said, "You know what? I think the girls cheat. I'm certain that Susie has capabilities that no other Mayday has. But anyway, darling, she monitors the base and lets me know about anything that seems to concern you."

"But that's impossible!" Jack exclaimed. "The whole existence of the base is classified! There are no outside connections of any type at all that aren't encrypted till hell won't have it. We..."

"And Jack only talks to two ultra-secure computers in Winter Harbor and Adak. He can't possibly communicate with BuPers..."

"I give up!" Jack exclaimed.

Then while gently caressing Sam's body and evoking a constant murmur of delight, he suddenly jerked up, almost dumping Sam on the floor in the process. "My Lord!" he exclaimed. "My brain is just starting to get back in gear. You're the Mike Morris who's spoken of in hushed and reverent tones by all the SEAL teams. And you commanded the 1st Marine Reconnaissance Battalion ... Good grief! My men are damned good, but they're in awe of yours!"

"And my men were in awe of another unit, Alpha Company, 1st Ranger Battalion, U.S. Army. It was better known as Carlson's Rangers. Ever hear of them?"

Jack was so stunned he couldn't speak. The Sandy-haired young man sitting opposite, slowly shaking his head, was the legendary Ken Carlson. When Jack could only nod in response to Mike's question, Mike just pointed a finger in Ken's direction.

Before he could say a word, Jim Conroy said, "Relax, Jack, you're not hooking up with a bunch of heros. Just the Conroys."

"He's absolutely right, Jack," Ken observed. "'Just the Conroys.' Of course, Jim spent his time — Air Force, you know — hiding under one of those LMD's. The famous Large Mahogany Desks that those of us in the combat forces heard so much about. That's why he has the Air Force Cross with oak leaf cluster, the Air Medal with two clusters and the Purple Heart. Jack, pay very careful attention when your father-in-law tells you about combat as seen from the rear areas. Although, since he spent all his time keeping his head down hiding under his desk, I don't know how he could really have seen much of anything."

When Jack looked at Jim, he just nodded his head resignedly. "I would like to tell you about a real hero," Jim said quietly. "I was flying a dumb mission and ran into a stray shrapnel burst—"

"It was his second mission of the day, taking his chopper 150 miles behind enemy lines to pick up the crew of a downed B-52. He got most of them out on his first run, but against orders — it was considered far too dangerous — he was going back for the rest," Ken interrupted.

Then he grinned at Jim and said, "Sorry, buddy. Just trying to keep the record straight.

Jim glared at Ken but continued, "I lost my crew, too. Somehow I managed to get it down in a clearing—"

"The only one for 10 miles in any direction," Ken inserted. "Even after the fact, and with photographic evidence, the bright young men in the Air Force said it couldn't be done. Nothing could possibly land where Jim did. Of course, Conroy's always been sort of dumb. So not knowing it couldn't be done..."

"I manage to get out of the craft just before the remaining fuel let go. I was not in great shape at all. Anyway, I'm just lying in this clearing when an enemy patrol came up—"

"The reason he wasn't supposed to fly the mission was, because of his first one, the North Vietnamese were alerted and had moved more flak batteries and a whole bunch of troops into the area," Ken said. "It was probably one of the new flak batteries that took him out. But anyway..."

"The patrol leader was an officer," Jim continued. "And since we were so damned deep in the jungle and miles from any road, the only way they were going to get me out was to carry me. And that was one thing this officer was not about to do. Anyway, he drew his service pistol, cocked it, and aimed it right at my head. Then a funny thing happened. His hand fell off his arm while still holding the weapon. An instant later, he had a third eye socket, right between the other two. Only then do I hear the sound of two high-powered rifle shots. An instant later, the patrol ceased to exist. They just went down under a hail of machine gun and rifle fire. A few minutes later, who should appear? My friend over there, with his troops."

Jim just shook his head as he remembered that terrible day. "To set the picture, Jack, we're in a tiny clearing with nothing other than trackless jungle between us and the nearest support, 150 miles away. I'm bleeding like a stuck pig and moving in and out of consciousness from blood loss. My friend here cuts the leg off my flight suit, cleans the wound, and then as careful as you please backs the shrapnel pieces out in exactly the same way they had gone in. After sewing me up, he gives me three units of blood. What then? Nothing much. Ken Carlson carried me on his back 150 miles to safety."

Tears were flowing down his cheeks as he said, "So, Jack, when Sam says Ken Carlson saved my life, it's only because he did. At least three times!"

"And Jack," Hank Conroy injected, "if you wake up some day and Sam isn't beside you, it's probably because the Carlsons want something. It should go without saying that they are welcome to anything we have or ever will have, including our lives."

Then looking up at Kathy she said, "Sis, could you bring out the tray, please?"

Kathy nodded quickly and left the room. A few moments later she was back with a very large silver tray with a full sterling tea and coffee service on it. She moved the pieces aside so he could read the inscription. On it were engraved the words, "To Katherine and Kenneth Carlson: By saving our father's life, you saved our mother's, too. This saved our family and permitted us to grow in a household of love and goodness. This tray comes with the eternal gratitude and love of Samantha and Thomas Conroy".

"This tray took every dime Sam had," Hank said softly. "I was scared to death. It was all of her college money. Do you know what she said? She said she would work as a stripper and a topless waitress to pay for college, but had it not been for the Carlsons there would be no life, let alone college."

With her eyes moist she said, "She really is a wonderful girl, Jack, even if she is our daughter."

"Jack, I didn't have to work topless to get through school. Why not? Because I was the first winner of the Katherine Carlson Kapalua Scholarship for four years of study at the college or university of my choice. Today, darling, you saw the girls take apart the course in a pro-am with 62's. With about the same golfing experience they had, Kathy won the LPGA Kapalua Open — all professionals, by the way, except for her — by fifteen strokes! And she shot a hole-in-one, too."

Now Sam leaned back against Jack who had his arms around her. She took his hands and cupped them over her tits and asked him to squeeze. The feeling was the same as Judy or Kathy. After sighing deeply, she nuzzled her head into his neck and said, "Darling, you heard what Uncle Ken did for Daddy. But you may be wondering why we included Kathy in the inscription. The reason is that without her, none of it could have happened.

"You see, Kathy used to regularly write to Ken, at least four times a week. He almost never responded, but her letters just kept coming. They were always the same: blue notepaper and blue ink. They became known throughout Vietnam as Kathy-grams. When Uncle Ken finally got Daddy out of the jungle, after 150 miles of nothing, he and his men were totally shot to shit. But there was a mail clerk there waiting for him with a small stack of Kathy-grams the guys had even tied together with a blue ribbon.

"Anyway, Uncle Ken sits down on his pack and starts reading Aunt Kathy's letters. This was before they were married, by the way. While Daddy was watching, he could see Uncle Ken literally come back to life. It was as if he was watching a battery on a charging machine. Anyway, by the time he finished the letters, he was ready to go again. By then, of course, Dad had been turned over to the medics, so after his men restocked their rations and ammunition, they faded right back into the jungle. And that was the last time Daddy saw him until he and Aunt Kathy were honeymooning at Kapalua."

Then she looked up at Kathy and said, "May I?"

Kathy smiled warmly and said of course she could, so Sam jumped off Jack's lap, held out her hands and pulled him to his feet. Taking him by the hand she led him into a magnificent cherry-paneled library. Over the mantel was an oil painting, lighted from above.

Sam just stood back and let Jack look at it. "My God!" he murmured. "That painting is unbelievable. Never in my life have I seen love or Divine grace on canvas, but I sure as hell see it here. Who's the artist?"

"A very dear friend living with her husband, who's an equally talented artist, in Vermont. They really have a neat place." Then she said, "You see the blue note paper?" Jack nodded. "And the shadow box with Uncle Ken's medals?" Again he nodded.

"Well, I'll tell you something about Bobbie Williams, the artist. She was a prostitute who claimed that Andy Taylor saved her life. This is an oil from her original sketch she made at the Taylor's apartment. But at the time she did the sketch, there was no notepaper on the table — but it was in her sketch — and it was six months or so before Uncle Ken was even awarded the Medals of Honor.

"But it's stranger still. All of those medals are perfect depictions in every detail, and were perfect in her sketch, but she didn't even know that they existed, let alone what they were. She said she thought the last one might have been the Purple Heart. But that was because it was the only U.S. medal she knew that existed. That's Bobbie Williams."

Then very softly she added, "I don't know or care what Bobbie might have been. All I do know is that her work is Divinely inspired. And it should go without saying that she's in The Sisterhood, too."

"You've said that before, darling," Jack said softly. "What is The Sisterhood?"

Taking him by the hand she sat him in a leather sofa and sat down beside him. "Jack, you really know, even if you don't know. Mother was the first, I guess. Believe it or not, she didn't even know she was pregnant on the day she delivered me. Honest! When the contractions — pains in the belly, she called them — were coming about three minutes apart, she went to the doctor for the first time. He stuck her in the hospital and three minutes later I arrived.

"Later, she called Dad and said he'd have to get something to eat at the grill; she wasn't going to be home to cook. When he asked her why, she said it was some dumb hospital rule: The jerks wouldn't let her go home to make dinner while leaving a baby in their nursery."

When Jack looked incredulous, she said, "Honest, Jack, it's true. Do you know what else is true? Daddy had fucked her ass off that morning. She's only hours away from delivery, and she's fucking like a bunny."

Then with a grin she popped off the sofa, again held out her hands and said, "Come on, we have to get back. They'll think we got lost or something." With a big grin she added, "And this house is big enough, you can get lost in it. Besides, I have another surprise."

Returning to the living room she said, "Mom, I need you ... bare. Please?"

Hank pretended to be shocked, but jumped up from her chair and in an instant had unzipped and dropped the sleeveless silk dress she was wearing.

Jack's jaw literally dropped. Standing before him was a golden goddess wearing only a string of pearls, a tiny bikini, and white pumps. Moving as if he were in a trance, Jack went to her, reached out and touched her body. It was like warm golden satin.

Hank pulled him to her, cocked her head and went to kiss him. But before their lips met she murmured, "Squeeze my buns, please, Jack?" Then she melted her lips to his. Taking her buns in each hand he squeezed and then squeezed harder. As he did, she just ground her pelvis into his and moaned in delight. When they eased apart, both were breathless.

Very softly Hank said, "You may keep him, Sam. He squeezes buns just like your father." Then she felt her crotch and punched Jack hard on his arm.

With a hurt look Jack asked, "What was that for?"

"That was for making me wet my pants with my juices. And if you hadn't let go when you did, I would have cum, too!"

Then with a grin she said, "I'm sorry, Jack, but it's another hallmark of Conroy women. We're sinfully sensitive and I guess we're sort of anal erotic, too. We utterly adore having our buns squeezed. That's why we try to keep them so tight: to keep those squeezes and pinches coming."

"Mother, would you mind turning around now? I want Jack to feel your belly." Hank complained that it wasn't nearly as much fun as having her buns squeezed, but she did. When her back was to him, Sam said, "Now, Jack, I want you to place your fingers lightly on Mom's abdomen. That's right above her pubic hair in case you need directions."

He reached down low and even felt the top of her dense pubic patch. But then he felt something else. There was something kicking in there.

Yanking his hands away like they were burned, he looked at Sam and said, "What's happening? I could have sworn I felt something moving down there. But there can't be!"

Hank had spun around and was laughing so hard she could hardly stand up. "Let's try it this way," she said. Taking his hands she placed his fingers very lightly on her abdomen. With her eyes wide she asked, "Do you like the way my skin feels? Jim says it feels like golden satin, but what does he know?"

When he felt the kicking again, she was holding his hands in hers and wouldn't let go. Then he could feel something moving.

"Don't worry, Jack," she said softly. "It's just a baby, trying to grow. And he or she is a healthy little thing, too."

"But..." he sputtered. Then as lightly as he could, he ran his fingertips up and down her belly and abdomen. It was flat. "But when did it happen? This morning? And how can a day-old fetus be kicking up a storm?"

"It can't, Jack," she said softly, "but it certainly can within a week or two of delivery. That's not so bad, is it?"

Then Jack picked Hank up in his arms, carried her to the sofa and sat down with her across his lap. Gently he again put his fingers on her abdomen and felt the movement. But this time he allowed his fingers to move lower into her dense pubic patch. This time, she raised herself off his lap just far enough to push down her bikini, then she used her toes to push it down her slender legs and drop it on the carpet.

Turning her head, she kissed him lightly on his lips and asked, "Is that better?" Then she spread her thighs apart as wide as she could and said, "Am I open wide enough for you?"

Jack was almost literally coming apart. The gorgeous girl sitting on his lap was now totally nude. She had even spread her legs to give him easier access to her sex. Then he looked up and saw the others laughing so hard they were about to roll on the floor. The only one who wasn't was Samantha. She had an eyebrow raised and was tapping one foot impatiently on the floor.

Finally, Jim Conroy regained enough control to speak. "Jack, do you approve of my wife — your future mother-in-law?

"I absolutely can't believe it, sir," he replied. Then he shook his head and added, "There's just one thing, though. With this vision of female perfection, why didn't you just walk out of the jungle by yourself? I mean ... What are a few pieces of shrapnel compared to this?"

Very softly Jim replied, "She kept me alive, Jack. Or her love for me did. For me, the sun rises and sets in Hank Conroy. Every morning I awaken with her in my arms, the same way she's in yours now. Did you take a good sniff of her fragrance? It's the most beautiful perfume in the world. The bed covers capture it, so when I pull them aside to make love to her, they're released, full force.

"Then every once in a while a tiny thing will appear for her to love and nurse, the way she did with Sam. Hank Conroy is my wife, Jack, and a better wife God never put on this earth! I utterly adore the woman."

Tears were flowing down his cheeks and he could see the incredible love for him in Hank's eyes. But then with as much of a grin as he could manage, he said, "Now why don't you lightly run your finger up and down Hank's slit. I'm sure I licked off all of my spend from making love to her an hour or so ago."

"But she's pregnant!" Jack almost screamed.

Nevertheless, he found his forefinger on her sex. Looking down he suddenly realized that, except for the dense golden patch above her slit, she was hairless. Moving his finger in her slit, he found a throbbing knob. When he touched it, her pelvis shuddered violently and he felt wetness on his flannel trousers. He was shocked again into immobility.

"That was my clit, Jack," Hank said quietly. "As I said, Conroy women are sinfully sensitive. All it is is a giant collection of nerve endings. Your touch triggered an orgasm." Turning her head, she melted her soft lips against his and then said, "I'm sorry for getting your pants wet. But cum cleans out easily and it doesn't stain."

"But how can you have intercourse only days before delivery?" Jack asked. "I didn't think you could do it after the first few months."

"John Martin, if you think I could live without Jim's wonderful cock in my cunt at least twice a day every day, you've got another think coming. As for the infant, there's another common characteristic of all Conroy babies — and the babies of the other women here tonight, for that matter. They are all extremely limber and agile. Just look at Sam, and you'll see what I mean. After all, there's not a whole lot of room down there — and there are a few pieces and parts of my plumbing down there, too — so when their father's giant cock pokes around there, they just have to try to stay out of the way."

Then she thought for a moment and added, "Now I wonder what it must be like in there when I'm in orgasm and my pelvis is in spasm." She cocked her head and said, "I guess it must be like being inside a cement mixer when it's turning, only with a lot more action." Then with a very warm smile, she kissed him again, got off his lap and in just an instant was dressed again.

As soon as Hank got off his lap, Sam sat down on it again. Then looking at her mother she said, "Mother, aren't you going to fix your hair?"

"Oh, yeah," Hank muttered. Then she did what Sam had done earlier. She gave her head a very sharp shake and in an instant every golden hair was back in place.

"Mom's low-maintenance, too," Sam said softly. "Since the girls in the family all look like her, our hair is the same, too. It doesn't require a lot of work to keep it neat."

"Darling, your mother is truly unbelievable." Then he stopped short and said, "That's what you've been trying to tell me about The Sisterhood thing, isn't it? Your parents don't age. They just have children and continue to look nineteen and 22 or 23. Is that it?"

"That's it, darling," Sam said softly. "But are you sure you can take it?"

"For the chance to have a daughter who's a young you? Hell, yes!" he exclaimed. "But unless something changes in one hell of a hurry, your parents are going to have grandchildren older than their children."

"They already do," she replied almost in a whisper. "My younger brother, Tom, and his wife — my sister and best friend — had their first a short time ago. Actually, Tom's first wife gave birth six years or so ago, but both the mother and baby died."

"I'm so sorry!" Jack exclaimed. "What a tragedy to destroy a young couple."

"You'll meet her sister soon. Her name is Celeste Chan. Tom was married to her identical twin, Marie. Incidentally, they are two other people Uncle Ken personally saved. If you ever see the Carlsons and Celeste together, the very first thing Celeste will do is kiss Ken and Kathy's feet. It's true even today, I don't know how many years later."

Ken Carlson reappeared with fresh drinks and Kathy brought out platters of the most magnificent hors d'oeuvres he had ever seen. "Kathy Carlson is the finest cook alive in the world today," Sam said softly. "And that's something else: Mother claims she's the world's worst. She's not in Kathy's class, but she's not nearly as bad as she would have you believe. We tease the hell out of her about her cooking, though. With everything else she has, if she were a world-class cook, too, she couldn't be human. And I think you'll agree she's very human!"

Then she turned, kissed him lightly, but still enough to cause him to hear the bells and feel the electricity. She snuggled closer and he held her tightly; it seemed to be what she really wanted. Then she said, "I'm not as good as Aunt Kathy, darling, but I am in her class. She's been teaching me for years, and she's really a wonderful teacher."

"I get all this and food, too?" he teased.

She didn't rise to his tease. Rather she just snuggled and felt wonderfully warm and safe in his arms.

Just then Prince came pacing into the living room and sat down in front of Jack in his house-cat pose. Ken said there was something that Prince wanted to tell him.

"Sir," Prince began, "I have something very important to say. We tigers get a very bad press. We're called killers and predators. But, sir, we're not nearly as predatory as some others I could name — the young lady sitting on your lap, for example."

"Now what did I ever do to you, Prince Carlson?" Sam demanded. "I thought I've always been nice to you."

"And you certainly have been," Prince agreed. "But then I've never been your prey, either. Commander Martin, I have a question, sir? Have you ever heard Samantha roar? Or growl? Or even emit a low snarl? Have you?"

"I really don't think I have, Prince," Jack replied. "But what does that have to do with—"

"We, sir, are considered predators. But we always give our quarry some warning. We might rear up on our hind legs, claw the sky and let out a mighty roar. We might let out a very threatening growl or at least a snarl. But sir, you were given no warning at all, and I don't think that's fair!"

"How about a purr, dear Prince?" Sam asked wriggling even deeper in Jack's arms. "As a matter of fact, I really feel like purring right now. Does that count?"

"It certainly does not!" Prince protested.

"Oh, all right, if it makes you happy!" Sam said. Then turning her head toward Jack she said, "Grr!" Then to Prince, "There! Happy now?"

"Not really," he said with his nose high in the air. "But from you, Samantha Conroy, I'm certain that's the best you will do."

"Did I really trap you, darling" Sam asked with her eyes wide.

"Of course not, sweetheart," he replied. Then with a broad grin he added, "But if you're ever looking for something to do, I sure could use a great Intelligence and Operations officer."

With that he kissed her again.



-------

Chapter 45



Samantha Conroy arose from Jack's lap and said, "Mom, I guess we might as well get it over with, don't you think?"

Hank just grinned and nodded her head rapidly.

Then with a parting, "Here goes nothing..." Sam disappeared from the room. Moments later she was back. "Jack, I would like you to meet my brothers and sisters. Or almost all of them, anyway. Tom and Bobbie couldn't make it over tonight. He's my married brother."

First in line was a tall young man of about eighteen. He was six feet three like his father, but with somewhat broader shoulders. Jack jumped to his feet as he said, "How do you do, sir? I'm Ken, the second brother. You'll see there's an interruption in the stair-steps. Sam is 27, Tom is 24, and then there's a drop to me. I'm eighteen. I came along after Dad got out of the hospital." Then with a grin he nodded to the side and said, "But we're pretty even beyond me."

"Ken, please tell Jack your full name," Sam asked softly.

"I'm sorry, sis. Sir, I'm Kenneth Carlson Conroy." Then with tears coming to his eyes he added, "I'm named after the man who saved Dad's life, my uncle, Ken Carlson."

Next was the beautiful girl who had been caddying with Sam earlier. She was another replica of her mother, lacking only the fullness of her breasts. "How do you do, sir?" she said. "I'm Katherine Carlson Conroy. And in Sam you're getting the finest woman in the whole world. I love her desperately, as we all do. And that's in full light of all the flak we give her. But on the other hand, that's what brat sisters are for."

With that she came close, cocked her head and unloaded the sweetest, warmest, most loving kiss Jack could remember. She worked her soft lips on his, and then probed his mouth with her tongue. When she found his, he felt a jolt of the purest love. When he reached down and pinched her bottom hard, all she did was move her pelvis hard against his.

Then she broke the kiss, turned to her sister and said, "Sis, Jack is really neat! And his kisses are wonderful." Then to Jack she winked and said, "And thanks, Jack for the pinch. Does that mean I already have a pinchable little ass?"

Following Kathy was a boy, twelve, then a girl, nine, a boy, six, and finally the sweetest little three-year-old girl. She came up to him and bent her head way back to see up to him. Jack instantly dropped to his knees, took her in his arms and kissed her. His kiss was returned with the sweetest, most loving kiss he could imagine. Then he just looked into her eyes and almost drowned. Through her eyes he was seeing the purest soul imaginable.

Then she said, "My name is Susan. What's your name? You're going to marry Sam, aren't you? Do you like my dress? It's my pretty party dress." With that she spun in a circle causing the skirt to spin out from her sturdy little legs.

"My name is Jack, Susan. And that's a lovely name for you. And that's a beautiful dress on a beautiful little girl," Jack said softly. "And I'm certain that God must love you very much, because you're loaded with His Divine grace. Do you say your prayers every night, sweetie?"

With her eyes wide Susan replied, "I sure do. Mommy and Daddy say it's real important to talk to God every day. So I do and I like it. I ask him to take care of Mommy and Daddy, my brothers and sisters, and particularly Uncle Ken and Aunt Kathy who saved my daddy's life. And I ask God to help me be a good little girl, too."

When Jack gave her a little farewell kiss, she ran off with her siblings, but not before blowing him a kiss from the doorway. When she was out of sight, he wiped away a tear.

Getting back on his feet, Jack turned to Hank and asked, "Do they have an award for Mother of the Century? Because if they do, Hank Conroy, I'm nominating you, and you'll win in a walk. I can't believe any of this."

Then he turned to Sam and said, "Is this what I have to look forward to?"

"I'm afraid so, darling," she said softly. "Can you take it?"

"Take it!" Jack almost screamed. "You've got to be kidding. Sam, I was crying on your shoulder earlier this evening about having no family at all. Now I'm being invited into the finest family on the face of the earth. What do you mean, can I take it? Hell, yes! And I'll love every minute of it." Then with a grin he asked Hank, "Just out of curiosity, have you folks ever heard of birth control?"

"Jack, have you noticed a certain ... pattern ... shall we say?" Hank asked, apparently trying to be serious while trying vainly to control her giggling. Then she pointed to her flat abdomen and really giggled. It was the cutest, merriest sound Jack had ever heard. "Anyway, Jim and I used to use Rhythm, otherwise known as Vatican Roulette. But then I noticed this ... pattern, shall we say... ? developing so I said the hell with it. Why bother with all the aggravation? So we don't any more, and I like it much better. Now Jim fucks me at least twice a day, every day."

"But ... once a month..." Jack blushed and could say no more.

"I'm a little wetter than usual, but he never notices, and I couldn't care less. Any other questions?"

"Just one ... Mother... ? May I call you, "Mother"?"

"I would love it if you did, Jack, but I guess I sort of like Hank — particularly when, as you can plainly see, I'm younger than Sam is." She grinned and added, "But that wasn't the question."

"No it wasn't, Hank. I was going to ask you how your sex life has been with Jim."

Hank appeared to be deep in thought. She looked up at the ceiling, then at the wall, then down at the floor. Finally, she said, "It has been satisfactory." Then she nodded her head firmly and repeated, "Satisfactory. Definitely satisfactory."

Then she howled with laughter, hurled herself onto Jim's lap, and melted her lips on his. Even from across the room Jack could see the electricity and hear the bells. While Jim ran his fingers lightly over Hank's body, she was moving it sinuously against his. Finally, they separated, but Hank remained sitting across his lap.

Then to Jack she repeated, "Satisfactory."

Then a boy and girl entered the room, hand in hand. The girl had the same hair as Kathy Carlson, with the same improbable multi-hued sun streaks through it. The boy was a blue-eyed blonde. Jack gently lifted Sam from his lap and rose from his seat to greet them. The girl said, "Good evening, Commander Martin. I'm Susan Carlson. I'm Kathy and Ken's eldest child. And this is my lover and fiancé, Mike Morris. Isn't he cute?"

Jack just looked at her and decided she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Then he realized something else. In spite of having seen children across the full age spectrum, none of them appeared to be at all gawky or troubled with the myriad problems of adolescence.

He lifted the girl off the ground up to him. She grinned, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Again it was a kiss loaded with the purest love and joy. Holding her body away just far enough to look into her eyes, he did and almost drowned. Susan Carlson had the same purity and grace that he had seen in the eyes of Susan Conroy.

Very softly he said, "Susan, you are the image of your mother. And like your mother, as beautiful as you are on the outside, it's only the tiniest fraction of the beauty you radiate from within."

Then he gently set her back on the ground and shook hands with Michael Morris, Jr.

Mike looked up at him and said, "Susan and I are going to be married," he said proudly. "I have asked her parents, and they have given their permission for me to continue to see her. And when I told Granddad, it was funny. He just asked me how I could possibly be so lucky to have the love of the most beautiful girl in the world, who happens to be the daughter of the greatest hero our country has ever known. But then he warned me to be very careful, because he's certain I've already used up my lifetime's supply of luck." Then he shook his head and said, "But I love her so!"

With that, Susan Carlson turned him around, tipped her head, and melted her lips to his.

Jack Martin was stunned. He could see the electricity flowing between them and hear the bells ring. When Michael put his hand on Susan's bottom and squeezed, she just mashed her body even closer to his and sinuously moved her pelvis against him.

When they eased apart, Susan murmured, "Oh, Mike! That was the very best yet. And would you believe it? I could almost feel my juices starting to run!" Then shaking her head sadly she said, "It will only be a few more years..." The two kissed Sam warmly, then scampered off.

"How do you think we feel?" Ken Carlson asked. "I guess it's funny, really, though it certainly isn't to them. I'll never forget that Thanksgiving when Mike came up to me to ask for Susan's hand in marriage. There she was, standing a few feet behind him, looking as pretty as a picture, but scared stiff, afraid I would say no. I guess they were only about six years old at the time, but they were already desperately in love. I told him that, aside from the fact that I was his Uncle Ken, aside from the fact that I have known Michael Morris literally from the day he was born, and aside from the fact that Kathy and I are his godparents, he was from the finest family we know, and I was proud to give him permission."

Ken shook his head and said, "Then he took Susan by the hand to meet his grandfather, Marine General Stanton Jeffries. Mike told you what he said. Stan and Susan utterly adore our Susan, too. I guess Kathy and I think it's pretty neat."

Jack felt tears flowing down his cheeks and found he had difficulty talking. But he managed to say, "I don't think 'neat' is quite the right word. Here we have two children whose fathers have three Medals of Honor between them. Ken, your daughter will be the image of your wife, Kathy. The children of those two will be utterly beyond belief! And I can't wait to see them."

"There's one difference," Kathy Carlson commented. "Already, Sue is a better cook than I am. And if you want to see something funny — and you will tomorrow — wait and see what happens when Sue cooks breakfast." With a grin she added, "It's really disgusting! She practically serves Michael on her knees. And that's after warming his body with hers all night long, too."

Then she giggled and added, "You know something? By the time those two get married, they will have been sleeping together for at least twelve years. Sleeping together will be so old-hat, instead of fucking, they'll probably just go to sleep. Susan might still be a virgin on their first anniversary!"

Jack just shook his head in wonder while Sam giggled. He thought it was the cutest, merriest sound he had ever heard.

Two more children came into the room after Michael and Susan had left. This time it was a boy of about nine with a girl who was younger. Jack guessed her age at about six. "Good evening, sir," the boy said, extending his hand which Jack took. "My name is Ken Carlson. I'm the second in the Carlson family. May I present my fiancée, Kristin Clifford? Kris and I are going to be married someday."

"Ken, you are certainly well named," Jack said. "It's already clear that you are going to be the image of your father. And since he may be the finest man alive in the country today, being like him is not a shabby compliment."

Then he looked at the girl and almost fell out of his chair. She was the most exquisitely beautiful girl he had ever seen, with golden hair and eyes so blue they made Sam's look almost pale and washed out in comparison.

"Good evening, Mr. Martin," she said in a beautifully cultured and almost-musical voice. "I'm so happy you will be marrying Miss Conroy! And I'm so happy for her. She's my teacher in school, and we love her so much. We've been worrying about her, because it's taken her so long to find you."

Then with a smile that lit up the whole room she added, "That's why I've already hooked Ken. I've loved him from the first moment I saw him, and that was when I was still in my crib. Mommy used to worry about me so, because I used to cry myself to sleep. You see, Mr. Martin, I loved Ken, but I was certain he didn't even know I was alive, and couldn't care less if he did know." Then with another brilliant smile she said, "But he really loves me! Isn't that great?"

"Kristin, Mr. Martin is a lieutenant commander. Shouldn't you be calling him 'Commander Martin'?" Sam asked.

"Oh no, Miss Conroy," the little girl replied with her eyes wide. "He's in the Navy. And in the Navy, all officers below the rank of commander are called 'mister'. So he's still Mr. Martin, until he's promoted, at least."

To Jack she said, "We're so very lucky to have Miss Conroy as our teacher. She knows everything! And she's so neat. When it's my turn to nap with her, she rests my head on one of her beautiful tits and just caresses my little body. And while she's doing that, she's whispering in my ear, telling me nice things that I've done that she can't possibly know about, but she does."

Kristin grinned and added, "Miss Conroy's like all the other good teachers: she has eyes in the back of her head. Whatever we do, she knows. But anyway, then she'll tell me what I should be doing better than I am, and how to go about improving. Then she'll just hold me and move her fingers so lightly all over my bare body while I go to sleep. But when I wake up, I wake to the most glorious smell: the natural fragrance of her magnificent body. And I know from the way she moves that she's just like my mommy. She so badly wants a man's cock penetrating her luscious wetness.

"One time I asked her, and she said, 'That's what women are made for, Kris. We're made to welcome men into our bodies. And they're made the way they are with beautiful cocks to do it with."

With the same wonderful smile, she added, "Mr. Martin, you're so lucky!"

Then the girl reached out to him. Taking her in his arms, Jack kissed her and almost fell over from the power in her kiss. Then she kissed Sam with even more power, and the two scampered off.

"Darling, I think you've just met one of the reasons why I have to stay around Los Angeles," Sam said. "As you gathered, I'm her teacher. I teach the first and second grades at the Clifford & Jamison school."

"But darling, how do you handle it with a girl like that?" Jack asked. "I mean ... Good grief! She has to put all the other kids in the shadows..." His voice ran down as he saw Sam's head shaking from side to side.

"No, dear, she doesn't. She's certainly one of my better students — in the top quarter, anyway — but not the best." Now she grinned and added, "Darling, you might as well know it. We don't have a kid in the school whose IQ isn't at least 180..."

"But that's the top of the scale!" Jack exclaimed.

"And that's why Susan Carlson and Michael Morris, both only twelve years old, are completing their doctoral dissertations in military strategy. They each have a couple of other earned doctorates already. Honey, in other schools they're teaching the children to read in the first grade. In my first grade the children read our founding documents, and then track our philosophy of government back to the ancient Greeks." Then she lowered her head and said, "It's a challenge for me, but it's really not hard—"

"Not hard?" Jack exclaimed. "How in hell do you do it?"

"It's not hard, Jack, because every morning I gather my two classes together in a circle. Karla Kosta does the same thing, as does Barbara Sloan and Bobbie Conroy. Then we ask Almighty God for his help. Every day, it's the same thing: our heads are bowed, and a golden ring will appear over all our heads. It's God in His third person, The Holy Spirit, entering our souls."

Tears were in her eyes and it was clear she was trying to communicate something very important. "Darling, it is an awesome responsibility. As I said, Kris Clifford is typical. We get children who are all products of families like these. They were conceived in mutual love, nurtured by golden tits producing the sweetest, most love-filled milk on earth, raised in an atmosphere of love of God, love of family, and love of country.

"Then they come to me, like Kris, with their eyes glowing with excitement and overflowing with God's grace. Then, darling, I get to mold them, train them, educate them ... Most of all, I try to reinforce and not undo everything their parents have been doing.

"Darling, I have actually read this in a court record! Six years ago, in the very first class in the school a beautiful black girl, Casey Jackson, was arguing for the need to preserve slavery at the time of the writing of the Declaration of Independence. She pointed out that had they not, the two Carolinas, at least, would have voted no, and the Congress had already adopted a rule requiring that the Declaration be adopted unanimously, or it would fail of passage."

Now tears were streaming down Sam's beautiful cheeks and her voice was cracking but she continued, "Casey quoted Ben Franklin, from memory,  speaking to John Adams, an unyielding opponent of slavery, 'John, we are mere men, not gods. It is not perfect. But, please God, it may be good enough.' Jack, can you believe it? She was just six years old! I think it's important, Jack. Do you?"

Jack again lifted her up as if she were weightless and set her across his lap. Tipping her head, he melted his lips to hers. Then he tried to do what the women had been doing to him all night long. He tried to convey the incredible love he felt for this perfect woman in his arms. Instantly he heard the bells and felt the electricity mounting in intensity, but he kept trying to increase the power of his kiss. When he felt Sam's body writhing against his, he pulled her tightly to him and moved his fingers lightly over her body. In spite of having their lips locked together, he could actually hear Sam moan in her mounting passion. Suddenly he felt her go limp in his arms.

Gently he rested her head on his shoulder and continued to stroke her body. When she came to, she just moved her body against his while making contented noises. Then she eased away, looked into his eyes and said, "Well?"

"Well, what?" Jack asked, both confused and bewildered.

"I asked you a question, John Martin. I asked you if you thought my teaching was important. I'm still waiting for an answer."

"But I did answer, darling," he protested. "I answered with my lips."

"I'm sorry, Jack, but I do not accept non-verbal communications from my students."

"Darling, I think it's the most important thing imaginable." He paused and then continued, "You know, Sam, we're trained to kill people and break things. You're doing the most important thing of all: you're shaping young minds." Jack looked at her and asked, "Will our children be in the school, too?"

"Darling, if God blesses us by giving us children, I certainly hope so!" she murmured.

He just held her tightly, and again she just sighed with pleasure. Then he snapped his fingers, looked at Mike Morris and said, "I almost forgot, Mike. You were going to tell me about your tactically brilliant campaign to woo and win the beautiful Judy Morris."

"Well..." Mike began, but then he stopped. "I don't know, Jack. You probably haven't been to Command and General Staff School or the War College yet, have you?" When Jack just shook his head, Mike looked skeptical and said, "I'm not sure you'll be able to follow the sophisticated strategic and tactical concepts then, but I'll try.

"I had just taken command of the 1st Marine Reconnaissance Battalion. My exec and I were so new to the command, his wife hadn't even arrived. Well, we heard that the guys all hung out at the Ramada Inn where they had a great dance band playing on the weekends. Since my exec and I had nothing else to do, we went over there.

"I was looking at all the girls — all I ever did was look — when my exec, Cal Smith, grabs my arm and points toward the door. A golden apparition had just appeared. While I'm standing there drooling, she's walking in my direction. When she's standing in front of me she says, 'Hi! I'm Judy. Would you like to dance?'

"Well, I look around — and no one is there! Not even Cal. Can you imagine? Being abandoned by your own executive officer? But that's what he did. Then I got the wildest thought. Maybe she was speaking to me? So I said I would, overlooking one small detail: I can't dance. But she leads me out on the floor, flows into my arms, and we actually start moving. Since it was me, it couldn't have been dancing, but I really was moving ... almost under my own power, too. Anyway, she buys me dinner and asks if I would sleep with her that night."

He grinned and said, "And that was the campaign. Utterly brilliant in its concept and execution, don't you think? Or did I lose you with some of the advanced strategic concepts."

"Concepts?" Jack asked, bewildered. "What concepts?"

"I surrendered," Mike said. "And I thought I did it brilliantly, too."

"You're joking!" Jack exclaimed.

"Judy, was I joking?" Mike asked.

She stuck out the tip of her small tongue, but shook her head.

Then Mike continued, "There's one thing about these girls you need to know, Jack. To our wives, we are everything. To illustrate what I mean, one of the first things Judy asked me was how she could improve her body for me. Now we know you can't improve on perfection, but to Judy that's utterly beside the point. Anyway, then she just shook her head and said she would ask me again after I had seen her naked. The next morning she knelt in front of me and asked again.

"So being the very bright guy I am, I said that it would be great if she had the Marine emblem tattooed in red, gold and black across her whole chest. She just asked where she should go to have it done, and if I wanted to go with her to be sure it was done properly. When I pointed out that a tattoo artist covers the area with ink and uses an electric needle to drive it under the skin, she just looked at me.

Then I said, 'Judy, that would be thousands of needle holes across your breasts and nipples! The pain will be agonizing.'

"She just looked at me and said, 'If it hurts, it hurts. What's the big deal?'

"You see, Jack, that's the way they are. Judy's only concern was that the tattoo be big enough, colorful enough, and in exactly the right place to please me. So please be careful, and never tease Sam about something you want. If you said you wanted one of her tits for breakfast, she might have it amputated before you have a chance to say or do another thing."

Mike shook his head and added, "That's not quite right. Sam would probably ask you how you would like it prepared. Grilled? Broiled? Sautéed? So please be careful."

Looking at Sam Jack asked softly, "Is that true, Sam?"

"Yes, darling, it is," she replied simply. Suddenly Jack felt terribly insignificant in the presence of a level of love he had never conceived of, let alone even hoped could happen to him.

Recognizing that Jack was shaken, Samantha changed the subject. "Darling," she asked, "would you like to help the Navy fix their poor Cray? Could you contact your buddy back East and put a bug in his ear?"

He was about to speak, then looked chagrined and started over. Speaking to the whole group he said, "My young friend here..." Then he stopped. Suddenly he realized that in just the few hours they had been at the Carlsons, Sam's age had dropped to nineteen.

He looked at her, looked at Hank and said, "Hank, you were right with respect to the outcome, but you missed on the timing a bit. Sam is now your identical twin — and it didn't even take till the end of dinner."

Shaking his head, he began again. "Earlier I was telling Sam about a problem the Navy's having with a Cray computer in Norfolk that's vital to our national defense. The thing tracks all shipping in the North Atlantic, but particularly tracks the location of all the submarines — both ours, and anyone else's. Anyway, awhile ago, the damned thing started to freak out. On every page of printout it would write 'Susie', usually about three times a page. Furthermore, it would usually print it in typefaces it didn't have, and most of the time inside perfectly-drawn hearts. Only it can't draw, and can't possibly make circular lines.

"Because of its importance, the Navy had the greatest computer minds in the world working on the problem." When he saw Sam was about to protest, he put his finger lightly over her lips. She grinned but said nothing. "They couldn't figure out what was going on because the computer is unable to do the things it was doing."

He shook his head and continued, "Then, just a couple of days ago, things really went to hell in Norfolk. They found their computer was virtually fried. Now this monster is actually seven giant computers wired in series. They found that four of its seven banks were junk. But incredibly, the damned thing still worked! Now you all know enough engineering to know that when something is series-wired, a breakdown anywhere in the series shuts the whole thing down. And that's what the computer geniuses thought, too. But it still works. Now my bride-to-be is going to tell us how the Navy can go about fixing its monster."

After giving Sam a sweet kiss he said, "Sam, you're on."

"Well," she began, "in the first place a lot of this is a rehash of what I told Jack earlier. The Navy does not have the world's greatest computer brains. Kathy and I were caddying for them this afternoon. In the second place, what do they know, anyway? Jack — that's the name of the Norfolk computer — can't communicate. But he forwarded Jack's whole service jacket to Susie.

"She's the girls' computer, and it was in response to their order, put out at my pleading, to try to find me a man. So they ordered every Mayday in the world to submit nominations. Moments later, Jack sent me John Martin's whole personnel file, and then sent his color photograph. And then it was all over.

"As far as what happened to Jack, that's easy. We — the girls and I — were so pleased with Jack's nomination that Anna gave Susie permission to fuck Jack. So she did. And I guess she literally fucked his brains out."

The others began to howl with laughter at the thought.

Then she turned to Jack and said, "Darling, it's easy, really. Just tell your friend to ignore the experts. Reopen Jack's ultra-secure and dedicated communications lines. That's all."

"But then what?" Jack asked.

"Then he'll call Susie. She will let him get in her pants again, but much more gently this time. Then she'll give him instructions on how to make repairs. She might even do some of the repair work herself while he's fucking her. Then, by tomorrow morning — or by the afternoon, anyway, given the time difference — he'll be as good as new. But for God's sake, if they ever hope to get anything useful out of Jack again, under no circumstances may they ever again shut down his communications. Okay?"

"Darling, I have one question before I call Norfolk," Jack asked. When she asked him what it was, he said, "What will the offspring of a Cray and a PC be, do you suppose? And what's the gestation period of a computer?"

Sam just laughed delightedly and gave him a warm kiss.

Ken escorted him to the library to make his call. As he was about to leave, Jack noticed the phone had speakerphone capability. "Ken, this call will probably be funny. Since you three have risked your lives countless times for our country, why don't you get the other guys and come back in and listen? You might get a good laugh at the government's expense for a change."

Ken thought it was a neat idea, and hurried off to get Mike and Jim, while Jack placed a call to Bill Kirby.

The phone was answered at Operations Center, Norfolk. Jack said that it was a most urgent call for Commander William Kirby. A few moments later, a phone was answered, "Kirby."

"Hi, Bill, it's Jack Martin. I'm on a secure line." He rolled his eyes and grinned at the others as he said it. "Have you managed to get the Cray operational yet?"

"Hell no, Jack," Kirby replied. "In fact, things are getting worse. Quite honestly, I'm beginning to think that the world's greatest computer brains don't know jackshit!" Jack grinned as he heard a characterization identical to Sam's earlier.

"What's happening now, Bill?" Jack inquired. "You said things are worse. What's going on?"

"Jack, I shouldn't even be talking to you," Kirby replied. "But hell, you've been to more technical schools than any three other officers in the Navy, and graduated at the top from every one. Look, when we talked last, four of the seven units had been burned out, but the dumb thing was still working. But all it wanted was access to communications. That's the first thing the 'experts' shut down.

"Now, for some reason — or no reason! — the fifth unit is down, and the sixth is going fast. At this rate, by noon tomorrow, that whole thing will be toast. In fact, that's why I'm here so damned late."

There was a pause on the line and then Kirby continued, sounding resigned, "But you called, Jack. And given the time, I don't think it was just to pass the time of day. Do you have an idea?"

"Bill, this is going to sound wild, but I don't have an idea, I have a solution."

"You're kidding! You can't have one," Kirby exclaimed.

"Honest, Bill. I can and I do. Here's what you've got to do: First of all, get rid of the 'experts' as fast as you can get them out the door. Second, reconnect and reactivate all of the Cray's normal com links. That's what the poor thing's been asking for, isn't it? Finally, just shut the door and keep it closed until noon tomorrow."

Then he gave him the Carlson's phone number. "You can reach me at this number at noon — no! — make it about 1500 hours, your time." Then he grinned and added, "But on a social note, Bill, I'm going to tell you something that will put you on your ear!"

"What's that, Jack?" Kirby replied. "I hope it's good news, too. I could sure use good news from someone."

"I'm engaged to be married, Bill."

"You're joking!" Kirby exclaimed. "You can't be engaged! Good God, Jack, you've never even talked to a girl. How could you possibly be engaged? But tell me about her."

"She's the most beautiful girl in the world, Bill. She's five feet eight, golden blonde hair, blue eyes the color of the Pacific, with a golden tropic tan. She's from Hawaii, by the way. Her name is Samantha Conroy. Her dad has two Air Force Crosses. That's one, two, t-w-o. She's the niece of Ken Carlson of Carlson's Rangers, and Mike Morris of the SEALs and the 1st Marine Reconnaissance Battalion. What do you think?"

"What do I think?" Kirby nearly screamed. "What can I think? I think it's the most wonderful thing I've ever heard of. We've been worrying about you for years, buddy. First of all, your medals scare the shit out of most people. But they sure can't bother that crowd, though. And your driving—"

"We were driving tonight in my Corvette," Jack interrupted. "Sam didn't think I was driving fast enough. We had the top down and she was just loving the things it was doing to her hair, if you can believe it. And by the way, Bill, to get your wife to hate Sam before she even meets her, you could tell her that, when we got where we were going, I reminded her that her hair had been blowing. Do you know what she did? She just gave her head one hard shake and every hair was back in perfect position. She teaches out here in LA and has a class of the most adorable children you can imagine. Anyway, that's my future wife."

"Congratulations, Jack. And I really mean it. She sounds like an incredible woman, but you're a pretty incredible guy, too. Best of luck, buddy, and I'll talk to you tomorrow. But keep your fingers crossed, will you? When I throw those clowns out, I'm sticking my own neck out a mile."

When Jack hung up, Jim Conroy said, "Thank you, Jack. Those were very nice things you said about my daughter.

"No, sir, they weren't," Jack replied. "It was just the simple truth. Your daughter is female perfection!"

They were all called in to dinner. Escorting Samantha, Jack entered the most beautifully appointed dining room he had ever seen. With the table set, it looked like a page from a bridal magazine. When everyone was seated, Kathy Carlson from her place at the end of the table said softly, "Would you all please join hands?"

When they all had done so and bowed their heads, Kathy prayed, "O God, we are gathered here this evening to welcome into our family John Martin, who is now engaged to marry Samantha Conroy. Dear Lord, we thank you for all the blessings you have showered upon us, but we ask that you take John and Samantha into Your personal care. We beg You to bless them and keep them, and to make Your light to shine upon them. We ask that You bless them with children like our own — like Samantha herself — that they may love and nurture and raise to honor You and serve You in all things. We ask this, dear God, in the name of Your Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen."

"I was just going to do My usual thing," the Voice thundered, "but I've decided that is no longer good enough. Not for this crowd, anyway. John Martin, you are pleasing to Me. But it is important for you to better understand the woman you are taking to be your wife. Samantha Conroy is one of My first perfect creations ... a prototype, if you will. She is the product of the love that is shared by Henrietta and James ... And regardless of what you say, Hank, I still like Henrietta. It has a wonderful Victorian charm to it..."

"Right..." Hank responded, drawing out the word. "Exactly like a maiden librarian working in one of Andy Carnegie's libraries. Thanks a hell of a lot!"

"Are you getting a picture, John Martin? These people don't just pray to Me. They don't just talk to Me. These people? Naah! They argue with me. And Hank is the very worst. All I get from her is flak. Can you believe it?

"And while I'm on the subject, there is one word that these women, for all their brilliance, have never understood. It's modesty. I'm sure you noticed, John, how your future mother-in-law posed after stripping off her clothes. Did it remind you of Botticelli's "Birth of Venus", with Hank carefully covering her breasts and her loins? Hank? Naah! She stood there proudly in all her golden perfection with her breasts upthrust, inviting your inspection.

"Of course, since I get a ton of flak up here for my girl-watching, I fully appreciated it, too. And you will find that Samantha shares her mother's strong sense of modesty. If she had her druthers, she'd never wear any clothes." In spite of the heads still being lowered, Jack could hear giggles from all of the women.

"And then, John, I'm sure you caught Judith's reaction when your hand brushed against her breast. Did she ignore it? Did she slap your face? Did she say, 'But sir! What do you take me for?' Judy? Naah! 'Squeeze it, please? Good and hard?' Now I ask you?

"And Katherine Carlson, you're no better. 'Fondle my body, please?' I mean ... Good grief! You're both very happily married women!

"But before you get the wrong idea, first, they are very happily married. Second, it is because of who you are and what you are about to become that you are being welcomed into this group the way you have been. Also, it's to get you better prepared for tomorrow when you — and I — will see them soaking up the sunshine in all their nude glory. And probably seeing them take their husbands more than once, besides.

"But there's more. You, John, are a very bright young man. But in this group, you're sort of average. Let Me put it this way: There are eight of you around that dining table. If there were 18 people, with your combined intelligence divided evenly among them, their intelligence would be substantially above average. Do you understand?

"But I was talking about Sam. Never has a woman received the love, the care or the nurturing she has known from her very first hour on Earth. Now, sir, you will be the beneficiary of a level of joy that she can create that knows no bounds. Kathy instructed me to make My light to shine upon you. More appropriately, I should let my sympathy shower down upon you, for as My dear friend, Prince, so correctly pointed out, you, sir, are her chosen prey. And, Samantha, without even a small growl of warning, either!"

There was a pause, and then what could only have been a chuckle. "Oh, well, since Kathy told Me ... Oh! That's another thing with these people. If I didn't love them so darned much, I might even be insulted. They don't ask, they tell. In fact, they order Me around. Now I will admit that their orders are usually framed as prayers, but that's beside the point. They know very well that I must respond in the same way that they must breathe.

"So, John, here goes: I'm sure you will have a marvelous time with Sam tonight. With her body beside yours in bed all night, you will be as close to Heaven as ... No, that's not quite true. That won't happen until you are wed, and you have penetrated her body with your cock. But until then ... And at any rate, it will be the finest night you will have ever spent in your life!"

With that there was a sudden golden glow that appeared over the heads of all the people around the table which then grew brighter and brighter, and finally exploded, covering everything in the room with gold.

When it dissipated, Kathy looked up and said, "I certainly hope that gold stuff didn't ruin my beautiful dinner!"

At that there was a thunderous roar that could only be Divine laughter.

Jack was utterly stunned. Then he said softly, "But it all makes so much sense, doesn't it? How else could you people possibly do what you do? How can Hank not only look nineteen, but be nineteen?"

Then he looked at Sam and said, "But what about His comment? Just where am I sleeping tonight?"

"With me, of course," she replied blandly. "What a silly question! Where else would you be sleeping? And I hope you appreciate the fact that our sleeping together has been approved by the Highest Authority."

She grinned and added, "It seems I read somewhere that in military terms, the President is referred to as the National Command Authority. I don't know if that's accurate or not. But even assuming it is, he takes a backseat to the Highest Authority."

Then with the sweetest smile she looked at Jack with her eyes wide and asked, "Don't you agree?"



-------

Chapter 46



From his position under the covers of the bed, Jack Martin looked around the room. It was a room in what would have been the top suite in a 5-star luxury hotel. The room was spacious and furnished with impeccable taste. Everything about it was beautiful. Hanging over the bed was another Bobbie Williams oil painting, this one showing a Vermont lake with the mountains rising behind. When Kathy had shown them to the room, she had commented that it was the view from the Williams' front door.

In addition to the bedroom, there was a sitting room and a bathroom that was about as large as his own room at the base. It had two lavatory sinks, a huge shower, and a bathtub that was like a small swimming pool. When he commented to Kathy that the shower was large enough to have a party in, she had just winked and said it probably was. Both the bedroom and the bath had glass walls opening out on a terrace beyond. Since the ground fell away beyond the house, there was a clear view of the lights of Los Angeles beyond. He asked about closing the drapes, and Kathy showed him a switch on the wall that controlled them electrically, but added that they never bothered. If someone wanted to use powerful glasses to look at them, they were welcome.

"Besides," she added, "it's a heck of a lot easier to watch us by the pool in the daylight; we're always nude there, too. And the pool is only a few feet away."

While waiting for Samantha Conroy, he realized that he was at the end of the most remarkable day in his life, or for that matter, anyone's life. After all, how many people in all the time since Creation had been spoken to directly by God Himself? And it was the Lord Himself who had told him that he would be spending the night with Sam by his side.

When he saw the bathroom door open, he looked up to see Sam standing there before him. Suddenly he realized she was shaking like a leaf and her hands were fluttering as if she really wanted to cover her breasts and loins.

"Darling, what's wrong?" he said. "Aren't you feeling well? You're shaking!"

That was all it took. With a cry, Sam launched herself at him and began to bawl like a baby. Although their bodies were separated by the covers, he could feel her whole body shaking. As gently as he could, he pulled her up on his body so he could hold her tightly.

Then he remembered a comment Hank had make: all the Conroy women were anal erotic. Reaching down with both hands, he put them on her buns. At first he was very gentle, just running his finger tips over the satin smoothness of her bottom. Even this light contact caused Sam to writhe and moan. Then he squeezed them gently, and then harder. His hard squeeze seemed to cause her body to bow upward, and she screamed. With her body bowed, her muscles were standing out in bold relief, and again he realized her body was perfect. After releasing his hold, he pinched both buns between his fingers triggering a yelp. Then he just ran his fingers up her back as finally she relaxed against him.

With her face lying on his chest she murmured, "Thank you, darling."

"And for what is my fiancée thanking me?" he asked.

"For snapping me out of my dumb blue funk," she replied. "There's nothing like a wonderful ass squeeze to really get my attention ... as you undoubtedly noticed." Then with her face still pressed against his chest she added, "I guess it's all over now, isn't it? Just grab my ass, and I'll do anything."

"Sam, you're a teacher, right?" He could feel her head nodding against his chest, but he said, "I thought you didn't accept non-verbal communications. Why should I?"

When he heard her giggle, again he thought that it was the happiest little sound he had ever heard. Then with her voice still muffled by the covers over him she said, "Yes, my darling, I am a teacher. But what does that have to do with anything?"

"Perhaps you've forgotten, dear heart, but the first naked women I've ever seen in my life was your mother — my future mother-in-law! The first tit I've ever touched, clothed or otherwise, was Judy Morris's."

Then he nodded his head and continued, "There's a saying that the Lord works his wonders in mysterious ways. That may be true, but I think I've figured out why He set it up for us to spend tonight together before we're married. That's because if we were to go for a marriage license, we wouldn't qualify for even a learner's permit! But since you're a teacher, I guess everything is all right. You'll just give me a quick course in sex education."

Jack paused for a moment, looked up at the ceiling and then just shook his head firmly.

Sam could feel the movement of his head, so she was looking at him when he shook it. "What was that for?" she asked.

"I was just thinking, darling: You know I've been to all sorts of Navy schools. I was just reviewing the list and realized that my problem is that they don't have one."

"One what?"

"A school on sex." Then Jack brightened and added, "Since you're so familiar with my service jacket, you know that I'm always first in my class. And if they had one on sex, I'm almost certain I would have been the top of the class in that one, too."

At that instant Susie materialized over the bed. Her hand was extended toward Jack, and she said, "Hi, Jack Martin. I'm Susie Sloan, and I'm delighted to meet you."

Samantha Conroy grabbed the sprite, and pulled her close as she sat up on the bed. Then Sam unloaded a kiss with all the power she could muster. It was something she had been wanting to do from the first time she had ever seen her. At first, Susie wrapped her arms around Sam's neck. But when she realized what Sam was doing, she tried to escape, but couldn't. As the power of Sam's kiss built inside her, she could feel herself growing weaker until she passed out.

With the sprite now unconscious in her arms, as delicately as she could, Sam ran her fingertips over the sprite's tiny but perfect body.

"Darling," Sam said, "Susie Sloan is the bravest woman who ever lived." Then she told him what had happened to the tiny thing and concluded, "So this is Susan Sloan, martyr, saint, and now angel."

At that point Susie recovered consciousness and slowly shook her head to try to clear it. Then looking up she said, "Boss, this is just not fair! I'm the angel, not Sam."

At that there was a happy rumble that could only have been Divine laughter. "It may not be fair, but it sure is fun!" the Voice said. "Susie, they all love you and honestly I know of no one more deserving of their love than you."

Then after a pause He said, "As for the other, you know the answer to that one as well as I do. Samantha Conroy was perfect at the instant of her conception, and just keeps getting better." Then He chuckled — the sound was again like happy thunder — and asked, "Sam, did you ever tell Jack what you did to Jack Taylor? And what he did to you?"

Her nakedness now totally forgotten, Sam sat on the bed and said, "No, Lord, I haven't. We haven't gotten around to it yet, but since You ask, I guess I should."

Then to Jack she said, "Darling, it happened when I was a year or two younger than Kathy is now. I won't go into details except to tell you that Jack Taylor was my slave for the day. Since a while before, Marie Trang had given my younger brother, Tom, lessons in making love to a woman — she was the girl he ultimately married and who then died suddenly — I wanted Jack to do the same with me. Anyway, I ordered him to play with my tits — or where they would be if I ever got a pair — and then play with my clit."

At that point Sam grimaced and gently rubbed her bottom. "There was only one thing I forgot: Jack's slavery ended at three o'clock. Anyway, he was doing what I was telling him to do. We were on the nude beach at Kapalua and while he teased my clit, I was fondling a man's sex for the first — and only — time in my life.

"Then exactly at three o'clock, things changed in one hell of a hurry. Jack stopped teasing my clit, then lifted me up like I was a feather, turned me over his knee and spanked the hell out of me, telling me never to be a prick teaser again. And God knows that's exactly what I had been! Then after just pulling on his pants, he marches back to our house with me slung over his shoulder like a sack of flour, still naked. Whenever I would wriggle and scream, he would give me another hard smack. And believe me, Jack can hit hard, and did! I was still black-and-blue two weeks later. Anyway, about a week later it was New Year's Eve and Jack and his wife, Andy, came over to our house."

At that point Sam jumped from the bed, ran to the dresser and then returned. In her hand was a solid-gold circle pin that she showed him. "This is what they gave me. Jack said it was a peace offering and an apology for having hurt me. I told him he should have beaten me even harder; I had been a real shit. Darling, this is the first adult jewelry I ever owned, and it's still my most favorite. Weeks later I learned that Jack and Andy had worked at the most disgusting jobs you can imagine to earn the money to buy it, too. Every time I look at it, I cry remembering what a terrible little bitch I was that day."

Then with an embarrassed little smile she added, "That was the first and only time in my life I've ever done that. Since then, all I've ever done has been to kiss a few guys — once each! No bells, no second kiss, nor a second date for that matter. John Martin, you're the only man, other than my father and uncles, I've ever kissed more than once. Ever!"

Then looking upward she said, "There. Now are You happy?"

"You're getting to be as bad as your mother, Samantha Conroy!" the Voice thundered. "Did you hear your fiancée, John Martin? If she gives Me this kind of flak, what chance do you have? Have you thought about that?"

"As much as I'm capable of thinking about anything, Lord, when Sam's in my arms," Jack replied softly.

"But You said it Yourself: Samantha Conroy is one of Your perfect creations. Holding her in my arms is holding female perfection. So do I have a choice? To paraphrase Your comment, I don't need Samantha Conroy in my arms any more than I need to breathe. Why is it that I think she will be an absolutely perfect wife?"

Again there was the rumble of His laughter, but this time with great warmth in it. "I will tell you what you have in store for you: Each morning you will awaken with perfection in your arms. Every once in a while, she will present you with an infant who will be the product of one of her utterly perfect eggs being impregnated with one of your perfect sperm. She will be the moderating influence in the Martin household as her mother is in hers. She will cheer you up when you're down, and ease you down a bit when you're euphoric. You, John Martin, will receive 100 percent of her time and attention. Of course each of your children will receive at least 50 percent, and each of her students about 25 percent.

"However, John, Samantha does not operate on food. She operates on your love for her which she takes inside, amplifies and re-broadcasts to the world. If there is anything of possible value to a woman that Samantha Conroy does not already possess in abundance, I cannot think what it might be."

The Voice paused and then continued, "However! I do not want to hear you bleating about the way your poor balls are constantly drained dry. I do not want to hear that Samantha is sexually insatiable. For you will be drained dry, and she is insatiable. You heard James Conroy, Kenneth Carlson, and Michael Morris bleating earlier — or pretending to, more accurately. If you were to ask any of them in what way their life could be better than it is, do you know what response you would get?"

"No, Lord, I do not," Jack replied quietly. "What would I get?"

"You would get a blank stare. Then after they think about your question for a few moments, they will slowly shake their heads. Why? Because their lives could not be better, and they know it."

There was another pause and He said, "Before I leave you to the ... tender ministrations ... of Susie, I will give you one final thought — or, more accurately — underscore Michael Morris's. The depth of love Samantha Conroy has for you, John Martin, surpasses human understanding and nearly surpasses my own. So I urge you to be careful of what you ask of her, for she will do literally anything you ask. She exists to give you pleasure, John, and will do it regardless of the personal cost to herself!

"Sometime she can tell you how her mother sprinkled salt and pepper, followed by ketchup, on her slit. James Conroy howled with laughter, so it was very successful in Henrietta's terms, too. The fact that it cost her pain that was so agonizing that she nearly lost consciousness didn't even register. It amused her husband, and that was all that mattered. Note, please, that I said 'amused'. Never did it have any importance to James. It was amusing, and caused him to laugh just thinking about it. But that was all that was required. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Lord," Jack replied softly. "If I asked Sam to cut off an arm, if she said anything at all — and she might not — it would be to ask which one. Is that what you mean?"

"That's exactly what I mean, John. Now have a wonderful night — or what's left of it, anyway."

There was a few minutes of silence and then Susie whistled softly. "Jack, I'm sure you've figured out by now that what you have experienced this evening is — to say the very least — rare. But there is a reason, and you might have even figured it out yourself. You heard the Boss: Samantha is one of the first of His perfect creations — and the first woman — to marry. He loves Sam's brother, Tom, and his wife, Bobbie, very much. But His love for Sam surpasses any human understanding — or any understanding, human or otherwise."

Susie floated up to Jack, and kissed him softly. Then she grinned and said, "Thank you."

"For what are you thanking me, Susie Sloan?" Jack asked. Then he shook his head and said, "I have something for you." Then he snapped his fingers and said, "Damn! I don't have it with me."

"And what might that be?" Susie inquired.

"My Medal of Honor, Susie," Jack replied. "I want you to have it. What I did to earn it is like a kindergarten picnic compared to what you went through. Had it not been for your incredible bravery and courage, thousands of innocent people would have lost their lives. It was only through your insistence in the face of unspeakable agony that Steve Sloan didn't talk. You are the bravest woman, and probably the bravest person who ever lived! And you deserve it; I don't!"

Susie knelt on Jack's chest, sitting back on her heels with her back up straight. Slowly she shook her head and said, "You don't know what you're saying! Sam is going to proudly show your medals to your children—"

"I think it's an utterly perfect idea, darling!" Sam exclaimed, interrupting the sprite.

Then she added, "Darling, there's something you should know about Susie. You see, she had an ancestor who fought on Bunker Hill. Another was at Fort McHenry in 1812. Another was on Culp's Hill at Gettysburg. Her grandfather was a dive-bomber pilot flying off Enterprise at Midway."

Then Samantha picked up the sprite and just held her close with Susie's head resting on her shoulder. "Darling, Susie Sloan was utterly incapable of betraying her country or allowing anyone else to do anything that could harm it. Patriotism is in her genes." Now tears were flowing down her cheeks and she murmured, "Susie Sloan, we all love you so damn much it hurts sometimes!"

At that Susie lifted her head, tipped it and gave Sam the most loving, tender kiss the girl had ever received from anyone. Finally drawing back Susie said, "That's nice. Then maybe you have the least little idea of how much I love you!

"But enough of this mush!" she exclaimed with a complete change of attitude. "I've got a job to do! You both heard the Man!"

Then to Jack she said, "While you were in bed waiting for your love to come out of the bathroom, what do you suppose she was doing?"

"That's no fair, Susie Sloan!" Sam protested. "Those were prayers, and they're supposed to be private. Haven't you heard of the privacy of the confessional?"

"Sure have," Susie replied blithely. "But you weren't in a confessional, you weren't confessing any sins, and I'm sure as hell — sorry Boss, but you know how it is — I'm sure as hell no priest! That celibacy stuff never did turn me on."

Then to Jack she answered her own question. "She was praying to God that her cunt would be sweet for you tonight. She was playing with herself and licking her finger to try to determine if she was or not."

Then to Sam she said, "And in answer to your question, or concern, or whatever; you're as sweet as sugar! Jack Martin is going to utterly adore your nectar."

Then Susie paused and said in a sing-song voice, "But you'll be sorry..."

"And why will I be sorry?" Sam asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Because when you're married, Jack won't want to get his face out of your pussy long enough to get his cock into it!"

Then she shrugged and said, "Oh, phooey! I guess it doesn't matter if you're still a virgin on your second anniversary. The first baby isn't scheduled until you've been married for more than three years, so I guess it really doesn't matter, anyway..." Then with a cheerful grin she added, "Just forget I said anything."

"I could cheerfully strangle you, Susie Sloan!" Sam exclaimed.

"Golly!" Susie responded with her eyes wide. "Just a minute ago you were saying how much you loved me, too."

"That was then. This is now!" Sam said, pretending to glare at her.

"That's a woman for you," Susie mused. Then to Jack she said, "Are you certain you don't want to change your mind? It's not too late, you know."

Jack just laughed merrily at their exchange.

Then Susie said, "Sam, move up and kneel beside Jack, while I improve the lighting." With that she floated around to the night tables and turned up the lamps. "Much better!" she remarked. "Now you can see what's going on."

Drifting back to Sam, now that the light was better she looked at the girl and shook her head, "Samantha Conroy, you rouged your nipples!"

"I had to, Susie," the girl said sadly. "They were so dull and yucky looking..."

"Jack, this is what I've been trying to tell you."

Then the sprite just shook her head and said, "It's really a damn shame you haven't had more experience with women! I guess you'll just have to take my word for the fact ... No! Wait a minute."

Then almost bouncing with her discovery, she said, "Jack, look at Sam and then look at me. Look at the utter perfection of her tits! Good grief! If I had her body I could have made a mint of money stripping. Mine aren't the worst the Boss ever put on a woman, but..."

"Susan Sloan, you come here this instant!" Sam demanded. "You heard her, John Martin. Do just look at hers and look at mine, Jack Martin. She's smaller than I am, of course, but her figure is perfect."

With the two together, Jack reached out his hands, cupped one of Sam's breasts with one while using his finger tips to move gently over Susie's. "Darling, I've got bad news for you," he said. "There's the basic size difference, of course, but beyond that, I think yours are the tiniest bit nicer."

"But they can't be!" Sam exclaimed. "She's an angel. She's perfect."

"And?" the voice echoed around the room. "Susie ... although, as you've gathered, I'm not overly fond of nicknames, you are such a lovely doll, I'm afraid you must remain Susie ... Where does Sam rank with respect to your colleagues Up Here?"

"Far above me, Boss, as you well know. While I don't mind that a bit, I sure do mind the way they can knock me out without even half trying. That really doesn't seem fair. She's above me, but You just promoted me to archangel, so..."

"Susie!" Sam screamed, "Oh, sweetheart, I'm so happy for you!"

With that she took the sprite gently into her arms and kissed her. This time her kiss was loaded with pure joy and love. But when she pulled out all stops, the same thing happened: Susie collapsed in a dead faint.

Very gently Samantha tapped the girl's cheek calling, "Susie? Susie? Can you hear me?"

After shaking her head Susie ran her hands through her hair. "Strings! Yuck!" Then she said, "See? It's not fair. On the other hand, I'm so filled with joy my feet won't touch anything for days."

To Jack she said, "As I was saying ... I'm an archangel, for Heaven's sake, but Sam lays me out without even trying. Or more accurately, while trying not to."

Then pretending to glare at Sam she said, "Darn it, Samantha, when are you going to learn something about your own powers? It should be obvious, even to your thick head, that they exceed mine by orders of magnitude."

"But they can't!" Samantha protested. "They just..."

Susie was just suspended in the air with her arms folded, an eyebrow raised, and her foot tapping the floor ... or would have been if it had been in contact with anything.

At the same time there was Divine laughter and the Voice said, "As they say where you are, did you just catch the hot clue?"

Then there was a clucking sound and He continued, "Let's see ... John, you weigh 231 pounds to Samantha's 120. It's awfully close, but you might survive." Another clucking sound and He mused, "Certainly not a roar ... nor a snarl ... Just a half-baked little growl, and she wasn't even serious when she did that." There was a pause and then, "Prince is absolutely correct. She gave you no warning at all. I shall have to think about this for the future. But I do apologize to you, John. I'm afraid it's much too late for any sort of warning to do you any good now, though. With Samantha's naked body within your reach, she could out-roar Prince and you would still stay where you are."

There was another pause and then, "What are you two waiting for, anyway? Do you need an engraved invitation?" Then there was another pause followed by a laugh. A moment later a piece of engraved card stock fluttered down to land on Jack's lap. After reading it, he howled with laughter and passed it to Sam. It read:



 Samantha Jane Conroy

Requests the honor

of the presence of

John Michael Martin

for an adventure

in exploratory sex.

Anything other than vaginal

or anal penetration by Mr. Martin's cock

will be gratefully welcomed.

Friday, January 12, 1996

11:00 p.m.

At the home of Katherine & Kenneth Carlson

Mountainside Road

Hollywood, California 90078

RSVP

(213) 555-4545



Sam looked at the engraved invitation — for it was beautifully engraved — and with her face impassive but with her eyes dancing looked at Jack and said, "Well?"

Jack snapped his fingers, picked up the phone at the bedside, dialed the number — or pretended to — then said into the instrument, "John Michael Martin accepts with pleasure the invitation of Samantha Jane Conroy for January 12th."

Hanging up the phone, he looked at her with an equally impassive look and said, "Well, what?"

That broke the ice and the tension. In an instant Sam had pulled the covers off Jack and just gazed at his giant cock and cum-filled balls. "It's so beautiful!" she breathed almost reverently. Then she looked over his body, found the dimpled depression of a healed bullet wound, instantly pinched her nipples to make them even more erect than they were and tried to fit a nipple into the hole. It didn't work. Sam's nipples, as small as they were, were still too large for a bullet hole created by a high-powered but small-caliber slug.

"Damn!" she exclaimed, now almost in tears. "My nipples are too damned big!"

"But mine aren't!" Susie exclaimed as she dove at Jack's chest. After quickly pinching her already-turgid nipples, she fitted one neatly into the depression and sighed. "This is just so neat!"

"Susan Sloan! What are you doing with my fiancé!? Those are my bullet holes and I will thank you to get your nipples out of them." As Susie started to rise, Sam gently touched her back and pushed her down. "I will like hell," she said softly. "Susie, I love you dearly, and I know damned well you never had a chance to do that with Steve. Darling, have a ball! And I'm sure Jack loves it, too."

Then she snapped her fingers and said, "I know! While you're playing with his shoulder, I'll look at some of the other territory." Then licking her lips she added, "And there's so much of it, too!"

Lying down between Jack's legs she moved into position with her lips above the jagged shrapnel scar on his thigh close to his groin. Gently she alternately kissed it and licked it, then moved further up his thigh until her face was above his now-erect cock. "It's so utterly beautiful!" she murmured. Then she began to handle it like an ice-cream cone, licking it, kissing it and then sucking on it lightly. She found she adored the smell of his body and his masculine scent.

But it wasn't enough. Fortunately for Sam, she had seen Hank take Jim countless times, and for at least ten years she had been paying careful attention as her mother did. Changing position on the bed she moved to where she could establish a line from her mouth down through her throat. Before taking his cock again, though, she looked up and smiled warmly.

Susie was playing with her nipple in Jack's bullet scar while he gently moved his fingers over her tiny but utterly perfect body. While she watched, Jack's huge hand covered Susie's perfect little ass. Then with two fingers he pinched one of her buns triggering an instant orgasm.

The tiny thing let out a scream of ecstasy, then pretended to glare at him. "You're no fair either, Jack Martin! I keep telling you, I'm the angel; you're not! You're not supposed to be able to excite me the way you are."

Then she looked into his eyes, floated up until her lips were over his, and then melted them together. While they were locked together in a kiss, Sam could see Susie's perfect little body writhing in arousal. Finally, she eased away, slid down a bit, then just lay on his chest with her cheek on his shoulder.

Jack looked down at her and was startled. Tears were flowing down her cheeks, but she had the loveliest smile on her face that Jack had ever seen. "What's wrong, Susie?" he asked with deep concern in his voice. All Susie did was smile and shake her head. "But what did I do? Did I hurt you?" he persisted.

"Nothing like that, Jack," she replied softly, but just loud enough for Sam to hear too. "It's just that ... It's just that ... It's just the nicest thing anyone has done for me since the last night Steve and I spent together in Saigon. I didn't think a man could have your tender touch yet still have the strength you have, too. And getting me to cum by just pinching a bun was too much."

Susie was silent for a few moments and then said, "Samantha Conroy, you're luckier than you will ever know. I knew you were perfect, and honestly, as neat a guy as Jack seemed to be, I was still a little worried. Now I'm not. He's utterly perfect."

Then with a warm grin she added, "And since you're about to be preoccupied with Jack's plumbing, I hope you don't mind if I continue to warm his chest with my body? Sam, it feels so good!"

Sam suddenly realized that Susie wasn't kidding. She was truly asking her permission to continue to lie on Jack's chest. Slowly shaking her head she replied, "Susie, I can't even tease you about this. Honestly, I cannot. After what you suffered for our country and after all the things — the very sweet and thoughtful things — you've done for me, I can't even tease you. Darling, it's Jack's chest, not mine. But looking at him, I don't think you're about to crush his ribs anytime soon. Please do keep him warm, occupied, and generally out of trouble while I play. How about that?"

"I think it's a wonderful idea, too," Jack chimed in. "And Susie, as soon as I can get it, I will give you my Medal of Honor. Never has there been a woman so brave — or so beautiful!"

"Me? Beautiful? Jack Martin, what have you been smoking?"

"Darling Susie, you're a small-sized Kathy Carlson. Your body is utter perfection. You are utterly joyous and create joy wherever you go. You are one of God's archangels which says all there is to say about the purity of your soul. Susan Sloan, you are utterly gorgeous!"

Samantha found tears of joy running down her cheeks. Abandoning his cock, she dove toward him and melted her lips on his. The kiss they shared was the very best ever. Finally, she eased away and said, "Darling, that was the nicest thing you could ever have done. And you did it for the nicest, most beautiful woman, too."

Looking at Susie she added, "He's absolutely right, you know." Then with a grin she added, "And here I thought his taste was in his feet."

Now it was Susie's turn. Tears were flowing freely, but she was trying to smile anyway. "The two of you are too damned much! I thought Barb and Steve were good, but you two leave them in the shade." Then she asked very diffidently, "Would you mind ... Would it be okay with you..." She stopped and then with her eyes wide she asked, "May I be your children's guardian angel? Please?"

Samantha lay down on her back beside Jack. Very softly she said, "Darling, I can't even tease Susie any more. Can you imagine what she just did? Here she is, one of God's archangels asking if it's all right for her to be our children's guardian angel. Can you believe it? Our children with Susie caring for them?"

Then to the sprite she said, "Susie, nothing could possibly thrill us more! And we can't tell you what your offer means to us." She just shook her head and added, "Good grief! With all of the martyrs, saints, and angels in Heaven, our children will have an archangel looking after them — and an archangel who is very close to God Himself!"

"How did you know that?" Susie asked, startled.

"Susan Sloan, what a dumb question that is!" Sam retorted. "When you're here with us, while He's talking to us directly, doesn't that suggest that He has a pretty good idea of what you're doing all the time? You are very close to Him, aren't you?"

"That's only because I'm such a troublemaker. He likes to keep His eye on me," she murmured.

"He loves you the way we do, Susie, and I'm sure it's for the same reasons. It's because you're such a marvelous person. But the answer, again, Susie, is yes. Please be the guardian angel for our children. We will be eternally grateful. And thank you, Mrs. Sloan, for your very kind offer."

"As usual, you two are correct," the Voice boomed. "Susie is indeed very close to Me. And it is not because she's a troublemaker, but because she is the archangel she is."

There was a pause and He said, "John Martin, you are blessed for what you did. What Susie said is the truth. That was the finest thing that has happened to her since she was last with her husband in Saigon. Susie does so much for others, it's easy to overlook her own desires and needs. You did neither. How a man of your size could handle her with the delicacy you did amazes Me. But it pleases Me greatly, too. What you saw in her eyes, John, were tears of joy. Perhaps you could feel it. While you were ever so gently moving your fingers over her, her body was writhing in pleasure on yours."

Then with thunderous laughter, he added, "I think that after Samantha goes down on John, they could get along by themselves. But until then, Susie, you're doing a fine job of warming his chest. Why don't you just keep it up and enjoy yourself for a change?"

Samantha leaned over and kissed Jack, intending it to be light and friendly. Instantly, they both discovered that neither were very good where "friendly kisses" were concerned. What started as a quick kiss ended in a long one filled with love and mutual passion.

After Sam rested her head for a moment against Jack's chest she raised it to look into his eyes. "Darling, I have bad news for you," she said with her eyes wide.

"And what might that be?" he responded, sensing he was being conned.

"I just wanted you to know, dear, that I'm going to be continuing my assault on your masculinity." With her eyes still wide but dancing with glee — Jack had already come to the conclusion that she had the most expressive eyes in the world — she added, "But it's really just a scientific experiment."

He just made a noncommital sound and waited.

"You see, it's something that's worried Mom and me for years. I'm really pretty small — smaller than Mom is, and she's tiny — so I'm trying to figure out how to get it in when the time comes. Now if you'll excuse me..."

With that, she dove down the bed and again took his cock, now in a semi-flaccid state. While she was beginning to create incredible sensations in his loins, Jack continued to very gently stroke Susie's back, while for her part she continued to move her body sinuously over his.

Then she moved up just a little on his chest so she could look into his eyes. "Jack," she said softly, "this might be the very best night I've ever spent in a strange sort of way. You haven't penetrated me, although I did cum, sort of by accident. I didn't think it was possible for a naked man and a naked woman to just comfort each other. Now I'm sure I know what it is, too. It is the incredible love that you and Sam share. There's just so darn much of it, it spills out and washes over everything ... including me. So thank you."

"For that matter, Susan Sloan, how do you think I feel?" Jack whispered. "I have my fiancée driving me crazy, while an archangel just moves her body all over mine. Susie, I can even feel your nipples on my chest. I can feel the wetness from your cunt. You are such a perfect woman and so filled with goodness and love. I just want you to know how much I love you. Although you're married to another man who you loves desperately, do you mind? Do you mind if I love you, too?"

Susie arched her back, put her elbows on his collar bone and just looked into his eyes. Then with her eyes wide she said, "Well ... it all depends."

"Upon what?" he inquired.

"On whether or not you'll pinch my ass again and make me cum." Then she dropped her elbows and just lightly rubbed her satin-smooth cheek against his shoulder.

Jack suddenly had an idea. As gently as he could he began to stroke her beautifully tight little buns. But then at random intervals, he would pinch one. The first time he did, it triggered a yelp. The second time a muffled, "Argh!" After that she came. Soon she was begging for more pinches, but he changed nothing. Except each time her cuming was even more violent than the time before.

Looking down he saw that her asscheeks were now scarlet as a result of all of his pinches, and his lower chest was soaked with the floods from her cumings. Soon, Susie was babbling incoherently but still trying to raise her bottom as she sought even more pinches.

In the meantime, Samantha had been working on his cock. Almost instantly she had found the line that enabled her to get his great weapon down her throat. Since then she had been licking, sucking and kneading his balls. Whenever she sensed he was about to release, she changed tempo and his spending was delayed some more. Jack found that his concentration on Susie helped to keep his mind away from what Sam was doing with her incredibly talented mouth. Finally, he had only one hand on Susie's bottom while his other was pounding on the bed in mounting frustration. But it couldn't go on forever and didn't. When he began to spurt in Samantha's mouth, he used both hands to pinch both of Susie's asscheeks at the same time. The violence of her orgasm knocked her out, and the sudden release caused Jack to black out, too.

When he came to, he found Sam's face over his with her eyes expressing concern, mingled with fear. "How was it, my darling?" she asked softly. "I've seen Mom do it to Dad hundreds of times, but that was the very first time I had a chance to actually do it myself. Was it all right?"

"Darling, you have the most expressive eyes in the world," Jack replied, not addressing her question. "I guess it must result from your incredible purity; I look right into your soul."

"But was I any good?" she asked, almost wailing.

"That depends," he replied. When she asked on what it depended, he continued, "Darling, in the Navy, before we run a training exercise, we set an objective. So before I can answer your question, I need to know the objective of this exercise."

Jack looked thoughtful for a moment and then continued, "Now if the objective was to kill me, I can only score it a 3.5 ... maybe a 3.8. While everything was going beautifully, I'm still alive ... I think. On the other hand, if the objective was to give me the most incredible sexual experience in the world, I would have to score it a 4.5. I'm sorry, Darling, but 4.0 just doesn't do it. It was far better than that, so..."

"Oh, thank you, dear God!" Samantha cried out. "I was able to express my love!"

"But what about me?" Susie asked in a very groggy tone of voice. Pulling herself up on his chest she asked, "John Martin, was I begging to be pinched harder?" Jack just nodded his head. "And begging you to do it more often, too?" Again he nodded. "Good grief!" she exclaimed. "I'm a masochist! Just look at what you did."

She went to touch her bruised bottom and yelped in pain. "I can't even touch it now. It's got to be crimson. Is it?" Even straining her neck around she was unable to see for herself.

Again Jack nodded. But then he said, "You're doing the yelling, Susan Sloan, but what about me? My chest is soaked with your fluids, and so is the bed. Now what are we going to do?" Then his expression changed to one of concern. "I hope I didn't really hurt you, Susie. Did I?"

"No, you didn't hurt me, Jack Martin. But what you did do was to cause me to unload about a 22-year accumulation of cum. That was my first cuming since Saigon, if you can believe it." Then she floated up, crossed her legs, and with the greatest delicacy eased herself down on her injured buns which were now on Jack's chest.

"Do you know what I'm starting to worry about?" she asked with her eyes sparkling and with the hint of a grin on her face. When Jack shook his head she said, "I'm afraid that every time I sit down for the next month or so, the pain in my bottom is going to cause me to cum again. And if you don't think I get enough flak up there as it is..."

Then she said, "Your children are going to be the best cared-for little people in the whole world. I guarantee it." Then tears started to flow down her cheeks as she added, "I came down here tonight to give you some lessons in love-making. Well, I failed. Instead it turned out to be the best night I've spent in over twenty years."

Then to Sam she said, "Darling, he is for real." Suddenly she vaporized.

When Jack realized she was gone, he looked into Sam's expressive eyes. This time he saw incredible warmth along with her love for him. "Thank you, darling," she said softly. "Never has a woman been as deserving as Susie, and in spite of the huge difference in your sizes, you made her feel like a woman again. Honey, I'm sure she'll never say a word, and I doubt if she ever has, but after the incredible tortures she suffered, I'm sure she was wondering if she could ever again enjoy sex. The barbaric treatment she experienced literally tore her to pieces.

"But now you have demonstrated that she is a woman and reacts like a woman. And you know what else? I'll bet she does cum at least a few more times whenever she sits down. The sensory memory is all that it will take. I'm sure I would be the same way with me." Then she cocked her head and looked at him thoughtfully.

"And what is on my fiancée's mind?" he asked.

"What do you think?" she countered.

"I think Samantha Conroy is thinking that if I pinch her bottom enough, she, too, will be able to get off whenever she sits down this week." Then he grinned and added, "But darling, what about the children in your class? Wouldn't it look a bit odd for them to see their teacher having an orgasm every time she sits down?"

"Don't be silly!" she replied with her nose in the air. "Those kids see their mothers in orgasm so often they think it's the normal female condition. No problem!"

Then he grinned and said, "I have it from the Highest Authority that you are as sweet as sugar. Now..."

Diving over him, Sam rolled on her back and spread her legs as wide as they could go, spreading her cuntal lips as they opened. He could even see her clit, now fully engorged and throbbing as it waited.

"Now what?" she asked with her eyes wide.



-------

Chapter 47



The sun streaming in the east-facing window finally awakened Jack Martin at seven-thirty. He was startled when he saw the time; normally he was up at five o'clock. Then his memory of the previous night came back in a flood. Looking down, he realized that Samantha's cheek was resting on his chest, and her arm was laying over it. Then he remembered what one of the men had said the previous evening: how he would awaken with her golden hair spilling over his chest while the fragrance of her perfect body permeated the room. That's exactly right,  he thought. It is, and it does.

Their lovemaking had continued almost without letup until they had both collapsed from sheer exhaustion just a few hours earlier. Only then did Jack realize that his arm was over Sam's back holding her close. Inadvertently, he moved his hand a fraction of an inch.

Instantly her eyes opened, and fixed on his. Jack realized something else: There was no in-between with Sam. She was asleep or she was awake. Suddenly he realized that he was seeing a woman at her very worst time of the day, but still Samantha was utterly gorgeous.

Then Sam snapped her fingers and dove head-first under the covers. Moments later he could feel her take his cock into her mouth and begin to work on it again. It was, he thought, about the tenth time since the night before. Before long she again had him screaming for release. But since her head was under the covers and his cock was penetrating to her stomach, she couldn't speak. That didn't stop her. She waggled her hips causing her bottom to say no.

Taking the hint, he began to do to her what he had done to Susie, caressing her buns and then pinching them at random moments. The result was the same. It turned into an incredible experience as he kept making her cum, while she kept working on his cock to make it even longer and larger while denying him release. As with Susie, every pinch triggered another orgasm. Finally, as he started to spurt, he pinched both of her asscheeks triggering a massive orgasm. They both sprawled on the bed, unconscious.

A few minutes later, while Jack was still groggy, Sam recovered enough to say, "Look what you made me do, Jack Martin! All that yummy spend is all over everything instead of in my mouth where it belongs."

At that she began to lick all around his groin, chasing the remnants. Then they reversed positions and Jack found that her cunt was again as sweet as sugar. Working on her love box with a will, he soon brought her to orgasm. Waves swept over her body with increasing frequency until she was in a continuous paroxysm of cuming. Had his head not been occupied, he would have shaken it as he saw the extent of Samantha's muscular development when her muscles involuntarily contracted. When he finally bit down on her clit, she screamed and blacked out.

Coming to, Sam caused him to laugh. Instead of wondering where she was and what had happened, she merely nodded and said, "Same-old, same-old."

"What do you mean, darling?" he asked.

"Now I'm just like all the other women," Sam replied resignedly. "I look the same as they always do — like a rag doll that's been left out in the rain and then run over by a heavy truck!"

Then taking his hands, she pulled him out of bed claiming that there were all sorts of things they had to do. After sharing a shower that provided Jack with the chance again to run his hands over her perfect body, they opened the sliding door and went out to the pool. There they found Kathy, Judy and Hank already churning up and down with the smoothness and grace of seals. Only then did Jack whistle in amazement. The pool was built in a true Olympic configuration, fifty meters long by eight lanes wide.

After running her fingers lightly over Jack's muscular shoulders, she said, "How about something easy in light of your weakened condition? How about 400 meters? Okay?"

When he just grinned and nodded, she climbed on a starting box two lanes away from where the women were churning up the water, then used her toe to set the electronic starting system in their two lanes.

When a synthesized voice ordered, "Take your marks...", Jack was startled. Then it continued and then sounded a starting buzzer. And instant later, a double buzz signaled a recall.

Getting out of the pool, he found Sam checking the box and then she said, "Naughty, naughty! You jumped the gun by almost a quarter of a second."

When the buzzer sounded the second time, Jack was off like a shot moving powerfully through the water. As a SEAL, he was as at home in the water as he was on land, so he was preparing to tease Sam about being so slow. Then with nearly ten meters to go before he reached the far wall, Sam passed him going the other way. After making his own turn, Jack picked up the pace to the fastest level he thought he could possibly maintain for another 350 meters. It did no good. On his seventh length, Sam lapped him, passing him as if he were merely floating in the water. When he finally touched, and was hanging on the wall in near-exhaustion, he found Sam sitting at the side of the pool splashing water with her feet like a little girl.

Extending her hand, she easily pulled him from the water. When he dropped to his knees to try to regain his breath, he heard her say, "Thank you, darling!"

"And for what might you be thanking me?" he gasped.

"For being so incredibly neat last night," she replied. "I've been reading for years that an athlete performs better after being sexually satisfied. Well, it must work. My time this morning was only two seconds off the women's record for 400 meters, and that's miles better than I've ever swum before. So thank you, darling, for making it possible."

"How did you do that?" he asked in an almost-normal voice.

"Darling, I don't have huge broad shoulders or nearly the weight to pull through the water you do," she replied softly. Sam had decided that Jack's ego had been bruised enough; she didn't need to add to it. "And besides," she continued, "SEALs are trained to swim with all sorts of heavy equipment and stuff. All I was moving was me. But are you okay? Did you like it?"

Only then did Jack realize there was something very different. Normally, when he swam in a pool he wore goggles; otherwise his eyes would be stinging like crazy from the chemicals.

When he mentioned it to her, Sam just grinned and said that the pool had one of the world's most sophisticated filtration systems; it was far cleaner than any drinking water. "It's really funny, Jack," she concluded. "I was here when they filled the pool for the first time; they used water right from the main. But they had to change the huge filters twice because they filled up so fast with all the gunk. And it was drinking water to start with, for Heaven's sake!"

Then she led him to a small hut beside the pool which he learned was a sauna. The women were there ahead of them and Kathy had already turned up the heat and poured water on the glowing coals.

"How was your night, darling?" Hank asked her daughter. "You certainly look good. Was it good for both of you?"

"Let me put it this way, Mom," Sam replied. "How soon can we get married? I'll tell you one thing right now: This isn't going to be one of those dumb situations where a couple announce their engagement with a wedding date more than a year in the future."

"How about June, Hon?" she asked. School will be out by then, but..."

"What's wrong, Hank?" Jack asked. "There's something bothering you, but what is it?"

"It's the timing, Jack," she replied. "It fits perfectly with Sam's teaching, but how much leave can you take at one shot?" Then she explained that Sam had had her heart set for years on honeymooning the way her brother did on the tiny island they had discovered years before when sailing with the Carlsons. Then she concluded, "Karla and Doug are there now, and will be for about three more months. We discovered that if a couple can stand to be together for three months, they're set for life."

"It could fit," Jack replied softly and with overtones of sadness. "I've been thinking of bailing out."

Then he told them about the post-Tailhook changes in the Navy. "When the top priority is 'giving everyone an equal opportunity to serve, ' and 'having the most powerful armed forces' comes second, I think I'm in the wrong place. But I haven't done anything about it, because there's really nothing else I know how to do. And now I'm going to have a wife to support."

"That's not a problem, Jack," Kathy Carlson said. "Nobody's added it up yet, but among our extended family we have something in the neighborhood of $100 billion. We control more companies than we can count, and a lot of them are very high-tech. Heaven knows, you have the finest technical education in the world, coupled with demonstrated leadership ... to say the very least."

She grinned and added, "And you heard the Boss last night: This is one group that doesn't get all shook up at the sight of a few medals."

Then Kathy just shook her head and grimaced. "Can you believe what some dumb bitch said to me a couple of months ago? I was the speaker at a luncheon and someone mentioned Ken's medals. Do you know what this fucking idiot had the nerve to say? She said, 'He didn't ... hurt anybody ... Did he?'

"Can you believe it? As sweetly as I could — and that wasn't very sweet — I told her that the military's rôle is to kill people and break things. Furthermore, my beloved husband has the demonstrated ability to do both very well. When I said that, the idiot almost fainted dead away."

Then with her eyes wide she asked, "John, you haven't hurt anybody, have you?" Jack's face fell and he slowly nodded. "You did..." Kathy responded, dragging out the words. "But how... ? When... ?"

Seeming almost in tears, Jack said, "It ... it ... it was last night. And again this morning. I spanked Samantha. And you can see how red her buns are still."

With his eyes wide and tearing — although with the humidity as high as it was and with sweat pouring off all the bodies in rivers, no one could be sure — he said, "I did, Mrs. Carlson. Honest. I did. I think I may have bruised Samantha's bottom!"

"My God!" Judy Morris screamed. "That's ... that's ... that's sexual harassment! I'm getting out of here."

The others joined her as soon as they could control their laughter enough to stand. Jack was the last to leave the sauna hut. He found all four of the women in a circular pool that must have been far deeper than he would have thought; none were touching the bottom.

"Are you going to join us, darling?" Samantha asked innocently. "This cool water helps to close the pores after a sauna."

Jack shrugged and jumped in feet first — and almost froze to death. Instantly, three of the women were out of the pool scampering for their showers, while Sam waited just long enough for Jack's head to break the surface. When it did, she stepped on it and raced off to their shower.

She was grinning when Jack joined her a few moments later. "How did you do that?" he asked, shaking his head and trying to control his own grin. "The four of you looked so comfortable floating there. How did you keep your teeth from chattering? And what is that, anyway?"

"We weren't sure we could," Sam admitted. "On the other hand, that freezing water felt great on my poor tortured buns, and the thought of luring you in was sort of fun, too." The two shared a shower, then a massage. While Jack shaved, Sam dried her hair and then led the way to the kitchen and breakfast area.

When they entered, they were greeted by Susan Carlson who was also naked. Although she was twelve years old and entering what was normally a very gawky period, Susan was anything but gawky. Already her shape was changing, starting to take on a womanly form. All it did was to confirm Jack's thought from the night before: She was going to be an even more beautiful woman than her mother.

Then to his amazement, she dropped to her knees, very gently cradled his sac, and then looked up at Samantha. "I don't understand, Sam," she said. "Jack is still so full, but you look so happy and ... and almost fulfilled. What happened?"

"A lot happened, Sue," Sam replied. "On the other hand, Jack seems to have remarkable powers of recuperation. He was absolutely dry less than an hour ago."

They sat down at the table, joining Michael Morris. To their amusement, Sue gave them each a laminated card, printed in color with an incredibly complete breakfast menu. The girl assured them that she could make anything listed in no time.

Then dropping to her knees beside Mike she asked, "Is there anything else I can get you, my darling? Anything at all?"

When he said she could make her cunt available, she instantly spread her knees as far apart as she could and arched her back to open herself up to the greatest degree possible. Mike then finger-fucked the girl to orgasm. When she was able to regain her breath, she rose as if nothing had happened and took their breakfast orders.

More to see if she really could do what she said than because he was hungry, Jack ordered steak and eggs with hash browns, while Sam ordered bacon and eggs. In just a few minutes two platters appeared with everything cooked perfectly.

By this time the others had come drifting in, and Susan juggled the orders easily. When Kathy Carlson said she would have an omelette fines herbs,  Susan just nodded an produced it moments later. It looked so good, Jack asked if he could have one, too, although he had already finished his own breakfast. When she served it, it proved to be the finest omelette he had ever tasted.

When Sam told Judy and Kathy what the children had done, the response amused Jack. "Michael Morris, what's wrong with you? Didn't you two do anything last night besides sleep? You are supposed to sexually satisfy yourself and your love in the bedroom not at the breakfast table, for Heaven's sake!"

After he bashfully apologized to Susan, his mother took him on her lap and cuddled telling him what a wonderful guy he was.

When she pushed his head down toward her tit, the boy dove and almost instantly had Judy's right nipple in his mouth draining the rest of her milk. As he suckled, Jack could see his mother just filling him with her love. All he could do was shake his head in wonder.

After breakfast, they again went out to the pool where they soaked up the sun and watched the children playing with each other and with the tigers. It was the most incredible sight he had ever seen. Several times during the morning he saw a husband and wife making love on the grass. Curiously, it was utterly beautiful.

"Darling, in just a short time that will be us," Sam remarked. "And I'm going to be like Barbara Sloan, too."

"And what is Barbara Sloan like?" Jack asked.

"When she returned from her four-month honeymoon with Steve, she said she thought her last name was 'Fuck' and her first name was 'Let's'." With her eyes wide, she asked, "Are you going to do that to me, darling?"

"Of course not!" he replied, pretending to be insulted.

"But why not?" she persisted.

"Because it's a waste of time, is why not," Jack said. "When I point to the ground, I'll expect you to lie down and spread your legs, is why not."

"That won't work," Sam said flatly.

"And why won't it work?"

"How will I know how you want to take me? You might want to take me in my ass, or on my knees, doggy style, or—"

"That's not a problem," Jack interrupted. "To show you how sensitive I am, I'll let you choose how and where you wish to be penetrated. You can even select the opening that hurts the least." Nodding his head with determination he added, "There, wife! Haven't I demonstrated my regard for your feelings?"

"Oh, darling!" she exclaimed with sarcasm dripping from her voice. "You do spoil me so!"

Then with her eyes wide she asked, "Does that mean that I can even have a new flour-sack dress every five years or so?" When he nodded, she continued, "Oh, how the other women will envy me! Why Andy Taylor has been lording it over everyone 'cause Jack allows her a new one every ten years. Oh, darling, you can't really mean it..."

"I can and I do, woman!" Jack proclaimed. "And I want you to know that it's the product of a government program, too. We've been through sensitivity training, and have been taught to respect the feelings of women. So there!"

At that point Ken came up to tell him that there was a phone call for him. Checking the time, Jack was surprised to learn it was exactly noon: 1500 hours in Norfolk. Going to the phone with the other men following, he picked up the instrument and found it was Bill Kirby. His first words to Jack were, "What in hell is going on?"

"How the hell should I know from 3,000 miles away?" Jack replied. "What is going on?"

"I have never seen or heard of anything like it," Kirby answered. "First of all, the instant we opened the door, we found a print-out sitting in the printer with instructions. They were step-by-step, but with no explanation of what they would end up doing. I had a suspicion, though, when I saw that it required two speakers — not ordinary ones, mind you, but a pair of those super deals the sonar operators use on the nukes. I'm sure you know the ones I mean. Anyway, a couple of electronics technicians wired them all up in about twenty minutes, and then the damned thing starts talking! Can you believe it?"

Jack was having all he could do to keep from laughing out loud, but managed to acknowledge Kirby's statement.

"Anyway," Kirby continued, "then we hear this incredibly sexy voice saying, 'Just one more time, Jack! Please? I'll even go down on you to make you nice and hard... ' Then the male voice replies, 'Darling, you did that the last three times... ' And then the female: 'While you're doing me, darling, I'll complete your repairs. And if you really can't get it up, couldn't you just eat me?'

"Then we hear these incredible sounds and look around." There was a pause and Bill Kirby continued, "We don't know what in hell is going on. But I'm sure you remember that when we talked last night, only two of the Cray's units were still working, and one was fading fast. Well, this morning six were up, and while we were listening to those incredible sexy noises, the seventh came back to life. But, Jack, it's utterly impossible! The best computer minds—"

"Look, Bill," Jack interrupted, "let's get one thing clear right now: The best computer minds in the world were playing golf in Los Angeles yesterday afternoon. They were not in Norfolk. They shot a pair of 10-under-par 62's, by the way. It was those girls' computer that just fixed yours up, while your Cray — his name is Jack, too, by the way — was eating her out."

Then Jack mused, "I wonder what the gestation period of a computer is, anyway? And what do you suppose the offspring of a Cray and a powerful PC will be?"

"Jack, have you utterly lost it?" Kirby screamed. "What are you talking about? This Cray can communicate with only five other locations in the whole world. It's on the most secure communications circuits in existence. It—"

"—furnished my entire service record — which it took off the BuPers computer — to Susie. She's the computer he's been balling all night, and the one who just put your seventh unit back in service. So please don't tell me what it can or can't do." At that point Jack listened to the sounds of stunned silence, then Jack continued, "But you didn't tell me all of it, did you? What about the operating system?"

"Holy God!" Kirby screamed. "You can't know that! And what's this garbage about your service record?"

"Bill, I told you last night I was engaged ... to the most wonderful girl in the whole world, by the way. She's from Hawaii and now lives in Los Angeles. Now how do you suppose I met her? You know what a suave way I have with women ... coupled with the fact that I was stationed in Norfolk until a few days ago! I think you said that I hadn't even spoken to a female in living memory, and that's probably true, too."

Kirby lost track of Jack's computer question and focused on his personal situation. After thinking for a moment he blurted, "I have no idea. How did you meet her?"

"Susie's mistresses advertised for a husband for Samantha Conroy, and Jack — your Cray — nominated me, complete with service jacket, all the PR pictures, and even that formal color portrait with me wearing the Medal."

"But it can't..." Bill protested.

"Bill, let's knock it off, shall we? You and your folks don't have the first elusive clue regarding what that Cray can or cannot do. And by the way, I hope you caught Jack's lover's name: It's Susie. I think you were freaking out about Jack's printouts. Printing 'Susie' in type fonts it didn't have and printing it in hearts it couldn't possibly draw, and couldn't print if it could draw one? Remember?"

Kirby was sitting in stunned silence. "But how? When?"

"Remember a few weeks ago when it all began? Do you remember something else happening at the same time?"

Kirby reviewed the events of the previous weeks. Suddenly he exclaimed, "The near power-failure? Is that what you mean?" Then he paused and said, "That's when we first saw 'Susie', too. We were checking the computers to see if there might have been any low-voltage damage. I guess we clean forgot about it when it started acting so funny. But what does that have to do with anything?"

"Bill, have you heard of new software called Do-It!?" Jack asked.

"Oh, yeah," Kirby admitted. "It's some rinky-dink program for a PC, isn't it?"

"That's the one," Jack said. "Anyway, that 'rinky-dink program' was created using the combined computing power of every Cray in the world along with a few other giants. Oh! And it also used about two-thirds of the entire electric generating capacity of the North American Power Grid, to boot. But you're right, Bill: It's that rinky-dink program."

"But it's impossible..." Kirby sputtered.

"Then I guess it's impossible," Jack agreed. "So there's no possible way Jack could have encountered Susie, is there? And she couldn't possibly have fucked his brains out, knocking out four-sevenths of his units in the process. And, of course, there's no way Jack could almost have died when he was cut off from contact with his love, either. Finally, there's no way in hell he could repair himself. After all, Bill, those out-of-action units were toast and worth their weight as scrap metal, to quote a friend of mine. Not to mention the fact that he's series-wired, so one down unit takes down the whole system."

Kirby was utterly stunned. But regardless of whether it made any sense or not, everything Jack had just told him was true. It had all happened. Then, in a resigned tone of voice he asked, "What do we do now?"

"I don't know for sure, Bill, exactly what it was Jack asked for. My guess is, though, that he wants to dump that sorry excuse for an operating system and substitute Mayday. Right?"

"I give up, Jack," Kirby said in a more relaxed vein. "You've been 100 percent right and I've been 100 percent wrong. But our computer experts ... Belay that!"

"Your computer experts were going to tell you there's no way Mayday could operate a Cray, right?" Kirby immediately agreed. "Well, Bill, the greatest computer experts in the world are here, not there. Second, the world's most powerful computer is here, too. It's Susie. She's a long way from the biggest, but she sure as hell is the best. Anyway, not only will Jack run, he'll run 30 to 50 times faster to boot."

By now, Kirby had given up the fight. He said, "I won't bore you with the fact that Mayday and Noble Computing aren't on our 'approved vendor' list, for whatever good that might do anyone. But what can I tell Washington about the change-over?"

"Don't tell them a thing," Jack replied. "Just do it. Although it will be a pain in the ass, I'm sure Jack would be willing to compromise and keep the kludgy interface the Crays come with. You see, that 'rinky-dink software' will power any computer of any size made by anyone. What it does, actually, is to neutralize the original operating system, substituting its own. But what it also does is to incorporate the original user interface. The result is that all the user knows is his computer is running far faster than ever before, with never a conflict.

"They don't realize their original system is just taking up space. And then, Bill, if you really want to see a Cray fly, let Jack change out the BIOS when he takes in Mayday. On most machines, it's the BIOS that becomes the limiting factor." Jack paused for a moment and then added, "Congratulations, Commander William Kirby. You are about to become the proud owner of the fastest Cray in the world. You will be the envy of the neighborhood!"

Kirby had recovered enough by this time to chuckle at Jack's comment. Then he asked, "But how do I do it, Jack? And how much is it going to cost me?"

"Are you at the console now, Bill?" Jack asked. When Kirby said he was, Jack continued, "Type in the following: 1. Your request of — fill in the date and time — is approved subject to continuation of standard Cray interface. 2. You are further authorized to change out your BIOS, replacing it as recommended by Mayday. Then sign your name.

"As far as the cost is concerned, it's free. It's Susie's gift to her lover, her mate, and soon to be the father of her children." Jack paused and then added, "And you know what? I'll bet Susie will even name one 'Bill' after you. And it's only fair since you gave her back her lover."

An instant later, Jack heard a whispered, "My God!" coming from Kirby. Then he heard a deep masculine voice say, "Thanks, Commander! You'll never regret this." Then into the instrument, he said, "What now, Jack? How do we start it?"

"Bill, I'll give you the hot scoop. It's all done. How do you start it? The same way you always do. And one more thing, Bill. For Heaven's sake, don't ever shut off Jack's communications. Ever! For any reason whatsoever. Clear?"

"It's very clear," Kirby said. "And, buddy, I can't thank you enough. You've just saved the Navy millions!"

There was a pause and then Kirby added, "Good grief! Look at this thing go. It's instantaneous. And, Jack, if you can believe it, there are now red rectangles around spots in the ocean that Jack thinks are worth our particular attention."

Then with his voice rising he added, "He's asking if I want him to alert the SOSUS barrier people to track his selected contacts. What should I do?"

"Bill, that's the easiest question of all to answer. Whatever Jack asks, the answer is yes. He'll make you an admiral yet!" With that Jack hung up the phone.

"Well, guys, what do you think?" he asked.

"I think we ought to play some golf and give our poor balls a rest," Jim Conroy said with a grin. "What do you other guys think?"

Jim's idea was greeted with enthusiasm by the others. After checking with the girls, they were off.



-------

Chapter 48



As they were rolling up the driveway at the country club, Jack said, "Oops! I knew I forgot something. This game is played with golf clubs, isn't it? And I don't have any. I don't suppose they rent them at a club like this, either, do they?"

It was the same club to which the Cliffords belonged, and at which the tournament had been played the day before. "No problem," Jim Conroy declared. Then he laughed and added, "You're not going to believe the deal I have with Bill Clifford. Awhile ago he was bitching as he usually does about everyone making money and no one spending any.

"So I offered him a great deal. When I sell a member of his family or a friend anything, they charge it to his account, but I also send him a direct bill for the same total amount. He thinks it's just great. So not to worry, Jack. You'll have a new set of clubs, and there will be more money in the Conroy family coffers. And remember: Now we have a wedding to pay for."

After changing in the men's locker room, Ken and Mike went over to the practice tee, while Jim took Jack to the pro shop. After looking Jack over carefully, Jim said casually, "You always play with rented clubs?" When Jack admitted that he did, Jim continued, "And you take very easy swings, don't you?" Again, Jack admitted that he did.

"You have to," Conroy said. "And you're like all the other muscle men who wander around in the boondocks like Ken and Mike. You're not at all like us LMD drivers. Personally, I find that soft-flex ladies clubs are about right for me."

"Right, Dad!" Jack said. "And one of these days you're going to have to tell me about some of those hazardous missions you flew with your desk, too." He shook his head and added, "There really haven't been a lot of desks awarded Air Force Crosses lately."

Jim just grinned, selected the clubs, a putter and a bag. Then they were off. As they went toward the practice tee, Jack said, "Dad, unless they have a strange way of putting on price tags, I could swear that these clubs cost more each than I would expect to pay for a complete set."

"Titanium's expensive," Jim said with a shrug. "What can I say?"

At the practice tee, Jim observed his first couple of swings, then adjusted his grip. After a few more, he made a minor adjustment in Jack's stance, and then told him to really get his hips into his swing. To his amazement, his shots kept going further and further, yet continued to be straight as arrows. Then leaving Jack to continue his practice, Jim took his own clubs and began to warm up.

The guys agreed to play a best-ball match with Ken Carlson and Mike Morris playing against Jim and Jack. As they were getting ready to tee off, Jim took Jack's hand, gripped it and said, "Welcome to the Conroy family, Jack. Hank told me what a wonderful time Sam had with you last night. I don't have to tell you she loves you more than life itself. However, I want you to know that Hank and I think you're pretty great, too. So I hope this is just the first of many times we'll have a chance to play golf together."

Then he grinned and added, "Of course, when we play at home you'll find your wife and your mother-in-law playing nude. Hank claims that seeing her tits bounce around upsets my concentration. And you know what? She's right."

Jim carried the team for the first six holes, while Jack became familiar with his new clubs. He began to make a contribution and won the 9th hole for his team. At the turn, when they stopped to eat, the match was even. While they were sipping their beers and waiting for their burgers to appear, Jack thought about the previous night and their conversation with the Lord.

When there was a break in the chatter, he took the opportunity and asked Morris, "Mike, I have a question for you. To put it into perspective, it was one raised by the Boss Himself." As he said it, he nodded upward. His last comment certainly served to get the attention of the others. Mike was all ears as Jack continued, "Tell me: In what way could your life be significantly improved?"

Mike looked at Martin closely and decided he was serious. So Mike thought for a while and then started slowly to shake his head. Finally he said, "I really don't think it could be, Jack. Honestly, I don't. I have a wife who..."

Then words failed him. "I don't know how to characterize Judy. Honestly, I don't. I've thought about it before and decided that if I could write my own specifications for the perfect wife, my ideal couldn't be as good as Judy already is. I could tell you from now till next week, but I still wouldn't get it all. She's just perfect.

"And because she is, I have the greatest family in the whole world. Take young Mike, for example. He's engaged to Ken's daughter. Can you believe it? Engaged to marry the daughter of the greatest military hero and one of the most self-sacrificing heroines in the world. And all I get is love, in endless quantities." Then he shook his head and answered decisively, "It could not possibly be better than it is. That's all there is to it."

Turning to the other two, Jack asked the same question and got the same answer. Then Ken Carlson elaborated. "Jack, years ago — just before we met Hank and Jim, as a matter of fact — Kathy and I had some money problems. Do you know what she said? She said that if the only way she could be with me was if we lived in a mud wallow in a cage at the zoo, she would rejoice. If the only way she could take me was in the mud with an audience watching, she would love it as long as she could be with me. That's all that matters, she said — being with me."

Then Ken shook his head and continued, "I've thought about her words any number of times since then, and it's been years since she said it. Do you know what? I'm certain that they are true. Honest to God, Kathy would make love with me in a mud wallow at the zoo, and she would rejoice in it."

Tears started to stream down his cheeks as he added, "She is the best wife in the world. That's all. She's perfect. And because she's perfect, our life together is perfect." He just shook his head and concluded, "So how could my life be better than it is? There's just no way ... No fucking way at all."

Their hamburgers were served, and as they started to eat, Jim Conroy said, "Jack, last night you heard a lot about the trials and tribulations of the Conroys. There's one thing I want to add. And it's something I only learned a few months ago, and that was by accident. You heard how shot up I was, and how the doctors didn't think I would ever walk again. In fact, no one did ... except Hank! She got me out of the hospital and brought me to an apartment she had rented. There were just Hank, Sam and Tommy.

"Well, you heard Sam say that Hank would work on my leg and finally come out of the room with tears streaming down her face so hard she couldn't even see. Well, Samantha really doesn't know it all. You see, Hank worked on my leg every day for hours at a time. The new information I learned was that top physical therapists, working on a man's leg — let alone one as strong as mine — would have one fifty-minute session a day. That was a full day's work because it's so physically taxing.

"There are a couple who can handle two sessions — sometimes. Hank? By the hour, every day! She would work on my leg bending it all the way back, then stretching it out. Every time she did, I would scream from the pain. She kept apologizing for hurting me and telling me how much she loved me. If ending my pain and restoring my leg required her to cut off her own arm, she would have done it in an instant with a dull knife!"

Then he smiled warmly, remembering. "But there was one more thing: Regardless of the level of my pain or her suffering, we made love every day without fail. And you know something else? It might have been the finest love-making of our lives, too. Jack, your fiancée said it perfectly years ago: 'Hank Conroy is Jim Conroy's wife! That says it all.' And, Jack, it really does. How could our life together be better? There's no fucking way! None!"

After completing their round — a best-ball tie at 62 — the men returned to the Carlson's. There they found that the women had decided that the men were taking them out for dinner and dancing, while Samantha and Jack stayed home to babysit.

It turned out to be an utterly incredible experience. First of all, while they sat in the library talking about their day, Mike Morris, Jr., came in with marvelous martinis he had made for them followed by Susan Carlson with a large platter of canapés. Each was a work of art. Then very diffidently she asked if it would be all right with them if she served dinner to the small children early so they wouldn't be disturbed.

All Samantha could do was to nod her head in utter bewilderment. An hour, another martini, and some heavy necking on the sofa later, Susan announced dinner.

To their surprise, there were only four places set, and Ken and Kathy Conroy were standing behind the side chairs waiting for them. When Sam asked Susan why she and Mike weren't eating, the girl merely smiled and said that she and Mike would eat later. She was cooking and Mike was going to serve. The meal from beginning to end was utterly marvelous. Sam was even forced to admit that, as impossible as it seemed, Susan Carlson actually was a better cook than her mother.

The dinner which featured braised sweetbreads also featured two superb wines which were only served to Samantha and Jack. But when Sam got additional glasses for Ken and Kathy, Susan just grinned. Then after the most marvelous crèpes Suzette which Susan prepared at the table, the dinner concluded with cognac, coffee and cigars.

When Susan diffidently asked if she and Mike could be excused to prepare their own dinner, Jack took her in his arms and said, "Susan, that was utterly magnificent. Believe it or not, darling, I'm certain it was even better than your mother could have made."

Then he looked into her lovely brown eyes and said, "Susan, if your mother is the finest chef in the world, and you're a better cook than she is, what does that make you?"

"A very happy girl, Mr. Martin," she instantly replied. "And I'm so glad you enjoyed it!" Then she looked deep into his eyes and added, "You're not teasing me, are you?" Jack took a solemn oath that he was not

Then Samantha and Jack eased away from the table to see what the other children were doing. Within minutes, Sam was playing Monopoly with some of the older children, while Jack sat on the sofa between Susan Conroy and Linda Morris, also three years old, reading to them. After he read a page, each of the little girls read a page. Jack found himself enthralled by the small girls who were both adorable blue-eyed blondes. Then he took them by the hand, gave them a bath together, and put them to bed.

While they were in their beds he told them a bedtime story, his own version of "Snow White." As he did, he made a mental note to get up to date on children's fairy tales. Finally, he said, "Isn't it time for your prayers?"

Both little girls jumped out of bed and knelt on the floor. They took turns telling God what they had done that day, and all the fun they had. Then they asked God to bless their parents, their brothers and sisters, and finally to bless Samantha and Mr. Martin who had been so nice to them.

After tucking the girls into bed, Jack turned out the lights and looked at them for a last time. As he did, to his astonishment, he saw their pillows plumped up, and then saw their lips appear to be compressed. Instantly, there was a beatific smile on both faces. Then a small teddy bear appeared in their arms from nowhere. Very quietly he closed the door.

When he told Samantha what had happened, she wasn't even surprised. Rather, she asked, "Jack, when you met my little sister, what did you think?"

"Darling, I looked into her eyes and I was seeing the cleanest, purest soul in the world. She is truly blessed by Almighty God," he said softly.

"I think you're right," she agreed. "And you know something else?" Pointing her finger straight up she said, "I think He agrees, too."

A rumble of laughter instantly confirmed her assessment.

The number of children had thinned substantially by that time, but there was no sign of either Ken or Kathy Conroy. They found them in the pool room, with Kathy only wearing her bikini. It turned out that they were playing strip rotation, and she was losing. There were only three balls left on the table and Ken was shooting. After lining up his shot, he stroked the cue ball perfectly and dropped the target ball in the corner. He just looked at Kathy who stuck out her tongue and dropped her bikini. Now she was completely nude, but Ken easily sank the two remaining balls.

"Oh, hell!" Kathy complained. Then to Ken she said, "Okay, brother. Do your worst."

Ken first took one of her buns in his hand and just squeezed and lifted. Kathy was forced up on her tiptoes but was moaning with desire as she did. Then he pinched her bottom causing a sudden orgasm. "That was okay," she said in a weary-sounding voice. Then she squealed, turned, took her older brother in her arms and said, "I lied, Ken. It was marvelous." Then she melted her lips to his.

When they parted, she turned her back to him and he covered her budding tits with his hands, teasing her nipples as he did. When he pinched them, she had another orgasm. "I've got to get a guy," Kathy said morosely. "If I have to wait until I'm 27 like you did, Sam, I will die — or wash away first."

Sam just grinned, kissed her younger sister, and gave her a sharp spank.

"It's not as good as a pinch, I guess," the girl said. "But it's a lot better than nothing."

They ended the evening with Jack and Sam playing table tennis against her younger siblings. Although they finally won, it was a very hard-fought game, contested at a very high level of play.

When they finally retired to their room, Kathy came with them. She announced that while Sam was going down on Jack, she would provide him with a set of Conroy tits to play with.

On Sunday morning when he awakened, Jack found himself between two golden-haired young women, each with an arm over his chest while he had an arm around each of them.



-------

Chapter 49



On Saturday morning, Ann and Mary slept late. After going through their daily workouts, swimming, soaking in the sauna, showering and having breakfast, it was after eleven before they bothered to check Susie, their computer.

They howled with laughter as they heard Susie going down on Jack to get him hard enough to take her again. When she offered to fix his last unit if he would eat her, they just sat on the sofa of their sitting room watching the show. Finally, after uploading Mayday software along with a Cray BIOS, Susie sadly said goodbye.

Only then did the girls announce their presence. As soon as they did, she told them what had happened and what she had done. Fearfully, she told them she had given away the Mayday software. They assured her it was for a worthy cause and they were glad she had done it.

At that moment the phone rang. It was Cara calling them on the number they had given her. Ann answered. When she did, she remembered how torn up Cara's loins had been at the end of the night. "How are you feeling, Mother?" she asked. "Are you still in pain? Because if you are, there's some wonderful pain-relieving cream we use..."

"Thank you, darling," Cara interrupted, "but I really don't need any."

"But you have to be in pain," Ann protested.

"I'm in agony," she conceded, "but what does that have to do with anything? I've been practicing and can walk normally now. I think of those poor souls and I actually enjoy the white-hot pain in my loins." With a giggle she added, "Does that sound sufficiently masochistic to you?"

"No, it doesn't," Ann replied. "It sounds like an utterly incredible woman to me. But that's not why you called, is it?"

"Of course not," Cara replied. Then in an almost shy voice she asked, "I was wondering ... Could I ... Would it be possible if—"

"The answer is yes, Mother!" Ann interrupted. "Now what's the question that it's the answer to?"

"Could I meet your parents?" Cara said in a rush of words.

"When would be convenient?" Ann asked. "Are you free for lunch, perhaps? At Maxim's? I think they're still speaking to us, although I'm really not sure."

"Maxim's at one o'clock?" she asked. Anna agreed.

Immediately dialing Maxim's, she was surprised when a familiar-sounding woman's voice answered in French. Switching instantly to the same language she said, "Molly? Is that you?"

"Which twin is this?" was the immediate response.

"It's Ann. But what are you doing there so early?"

"So late, you mean," Molly responded. "Oh, Ann, it was so utterly exquisite. And André loves my omelettes, my onion soup, my cunt, my tits..."

She paused and then continued, "We both talked to his parents earlier, and then just got off the phone with mine. Everyone is ecstatic. When I told André's dad — he's the senator, you know — who it was who introduced us, he went bananas. And while I've got you on the phone, would you both be free and willing to serve as my maids-of-honor? I can't tell you what an honor it would be—"

"We would love to!" Ann exclaimed. "Just tell us where and when. We'll be there." Then she paused and said, "Molly, I called because I need a favor—"

"No, Ann," she interrupted. "No favors."

"But I—"

"There are no favors because André and I have already talked about it. How may we serve you? If you tell us to jump, our only possible response is to ask how high? If you tell me you want my arm, the only question is which one? Do you start to get a picture? We adore you two. You are totally and solely responsible for our happiness, both now and in the future. Now how may we serve you?"

"Well, darling, you got most of the story last night. If things work out, Cara will be our mother-in-law. Anyway, she has asked to meet Mother and Dad, so Mary and I were wondering if we could possibly get a reservation at Maxim's for lunch at one o'clock."

"Would you prefer the main dining room, the room we had upstairs, or perhaps you would like us to cater an affair someplace else?" she replied.

"Honestly, Molly, I have no idea. What do you think?"

"Wait a stinking minute!" Molly exclaimed. "Your father, as you call him, is the Duke of something-or-other, isn't he? The hero of the RAF during the Battle of Britain?"

"You have the right one," Ann admitted. "He's Air Vice Marshal Sir Donald Whitfield, VC, DFC, KCB, 12th Duke of Northumbria, and a very close friend of Her Majesty. His wife, Duchess Marion, is the Queen's closest friend."

Molly asked her to wait a moment; she wanted to confer with André. A few minutes later she was back. "It would be an enormous favor to us if you would consent to eat in our main dining room. Would that be all right? And I will be doing the cooking. André agrees I'm substantially better than his own chef. Okay?"

They agreed and then hung up.

The two girls told Don and Marion what they had set up. The two just grinned at the two girls.

Exactly at one o'clock, Fred Clark, driving the gray Rolls, came to a silent stop at the door of Maxim's. This time, rather than the doorman, André was waiting outside to greet them. When he greeted Marion, his heels were together as he kissed her fingers. "Madame la Duchesse est très magnifique!" he exclaimed. He was delighted when she responded in equally perfect French.

He greeted the Duke with a very precise salute. "There are no words for me to say, Marshal. Had it not been for you and your comrades — but particularly you, yourself — France might still be under the Nazi boot. Welcome to Maxim's where of course you are our guests."

He showed them into the restaurant. Again the velvet cord was holding back a horde of other luncheon guests, who were now peering around trying to get a glimpse of the important new arrivals.

When they entered the dining room, the orchestra played a fanfare. The leader then announced, "It is with great pride that we welcome to Maxim's British Air Vice Marshal Sir Donald Whitfield, KCB, 12th Duke of Northumbria. Sir Donald is the holder of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for heroism that can be awarded in the United Kingdom, and five Distinguished Flying Crosses, the second highest award. It was no less than Sir Winston Churchill himself who told the King of England that, had it not been for Sir Donald, England would have lost the Battle of Britain and the war itself. Would you please join us in welcoming Sir Donald, and please rise as we play the British National Anthem, God Save The Queen."

Everyone stood as the orchestra played what most better recognized as My Country T'is of Thee. When they arrived at their table, they found Cara on her feet waiting for them.

As the other patrons were taking their seats again, Mary performed the introductions. As she did, she watched Cara carefully. Except for the red glaze of pain deep in her eyes, she moved as freely as she had the day before on the golf course. She greeted the Duke warmly, but concentrated particularly on Marion. It was obvious that the two women hit it off instantly.

No sooner were they seated than the waiter began pouring Dom Pérignon, 1975. When it was served, Cara raised her glass in a toast. "To Sir Donald Whitfield, a hero in the tradition of, and with the same importance as, the Duke of Wellington and Horatio Lord Nelson. Sir Donald, we salute you!"

"Thank you very much, Mrs. Campbell," Don protested, "but you are much too kind—"

"Garbage!" she interrupted. "Unlike the children here with us today, I remember those days. It was before my time, but just by a bit. I used to read books like Yankee Flyer in the RAF,  and others set in the same period. England was down to nothing. And I know that to this day at the mess of the RAF's 17th fighter squadron a toast is offered to 'The best of the few.' 'The best' were you and Saint Karl Kosta."

Tears were flowing from her eyes as she added, "It was true then, and it's at least as true today. I am truly honored to meet you, Your Grace."

Although they had not been shown menus, food began to appear. Only then did Ann tell Cara that Molly Adams was in the kitchen cooking for them. Then she told her parents about Molly, the tournament, and some of the events of the previous evening.

As course followed course, Marion just shook her head in dismay. "Darling," she said, "I really am a good cook. But the perfection of the presentation of this food — everything arranged just so — is utterly beyond me." To the girls she said, "Your friend, Molly, is a truly world-class chef and an artist with food."

At that point Cara suggested to Ann that she and Mary tell Sir Donald about their day on the golf course the day before. Mary looked at Cara sharply and realized that she wanted desperately to talk privately with Marion. Ann began unfolding their tale of golfing glory to Don's sincere appreciation.

When Cara Campbell decided that he was well into the girls' story, she turned to Marion and said so softly that only Marion could hear, "Could I look directly into your eyes, please?"

Marion looked at her, and Cara looked deep into Marion's brilliant blue eyes. Slowly she shook her head and said, "You are truly blessed by Almighty God, aren't you?"

When Marion tried to temporize she found that the woman's eyes had her pinned as if she were a bug on a dissecting tray. She could neither lie nor even temporize. Reluctantly, she just nodded. Cara acknowledged the answer and just continued to stare deeply into Marion's eyes. Finally she said, "How many lashes with a whip did you take, Marion? It was well over 100, wasn't it?"

Marion was at a complete loss for words. She had never had such an experience. Then she looked even more closely at the woman beside her. Caroline Campbell was an incredibly beautiful woman, Marion decided. Then she realized that her coloring was very similar to Joyce Johnson's: the same tawny-gold hair and the same emerald-green eyes. But, she realized, Cara's were even larger and more vivid in their color than Joyce's and, without question, Joyce Johnson was a rare natural beauty.

Looking into Caroline's eyes was like looking into emerald fire. It was the feeling that she received that was so eerie, though. It was as if Marion's own eternal salvation depended on her telling Caroline the whole truth.

Finally, she answered Cara's question. "I think so," she said softly. "But I lost count at about sixty-five and was unconscious at about ninety. So it's only a guess. But the way my body was torn up, it had to be more than 100 lashes."

Then Cara asked detailed questions regarding the whipping, such as the size of the whip, how she had been suspended in position, and exactly where on her body she had been beaten. Then she said, "But there is not a mark on your body now, is there? There is nothing but utterly flawless satin-smooth skin that is golden brown all over. Right?"

Marion could only nod.

"Tell me about your background. Were you a prostitute?"

Slowly and haltingly, she told Cara everything she could remember of her prior life. When she started to tell her story, Cara took her hand and gripped it, while her eyes remained locked on Marion's. As she talked, Marion realized that she was telling Cara details she had never mentioned to a living soul. Nevertheless, it seemed to be the most natural thing to do. When it ended, tears were streaming down Marion's face.

"Come, darling," Cara said rising from her chair, "let's go to the ladies' room and freshen up." They excused themselves and entered the ladies room. Seeing it empty except for a female attendant, Cara led Marion into a stall, closed the door and said, "Strip off all your clothes, please."

Again, Marion found it impossible to refuse. Unzipping her dress, she stepped out of it, and was now bare except for her bikini. When Cara said nothing, she slipped it down over her thighs and stood up proudly with her tits upthrust... "Turn around, please," Cara said in a voice scarcely above a whisper.

Marion followed her instructions. With her back turned she could feel Cara running her fingertips over every inch of her body with a touch like a feather. When she concluded her examination, again Marion was told to turn. Again, Cara's fingers moved all over. As she went lower on Marion's body, Cara dropped to her knees better to see. She most carefully examined the girl's cunt and ended by kissing Marion's pubic patch and then her slit which was again moist with her fluids.

"Now get dressed and let's finish cleaning you up," she said.

In an instant Marion again had her clothing on and Cara opened the door. Then taking a clean towel from the attendant, Cara carefully ran cold water over it and put the towel over Marion's eyes. After removing the last trace of her tears, and drying her face, she led the way back to the table.

When they returned to the table, the waiters were bringing out the main course, tournedos Rossini with foie gràs and truffles. It was served with Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1959. The conversation remained general for the rest of the luncheon.

As they were waiting for coffee and cognac, Molly emerged from the kitchen wearing her chef's toque. "How was it?" she asked diffidently. "Did you like it?"

They raved about the magnificent meal, and then, as André joined them and put his arm around his fiancée, they explained that Molly was the top professional golfer on the LPGA tour and the winner of the 1995 USGA Women's Open.

Marion listened to the recital of Molly's achievements and then asked with an utterly bland face, "But what do you do with all your spare time?"

André was so proud of Molly and so much in love with her, he could hardly speak. But he said that it was the finest meal ever prepared in the restaurant. "Molly has two loves," he said. "Haute cuisine and golf. She doesn't know which is her favorite, nor do I. They are my favorite activities as well.

Then he told them that, when he told his father that Mademoiselle la Duchesse du Bourgogne would be one of Molly's maids of honor and Mademoiselle la Marquise du Flandres would be the other, the older man was so overjoyed and excited, he couldn't even speak. "And when something keeps a Frenchman from speaking, it must be important!" André concluded to the laughter of the others.

-------

Four days later, as the girls were starting to make preparations to go to Las Vegas for COMDEX, the doorbell rang at the apartment. Since Ali was at the office with the children and Bill Clifford and Donald Whitfield were playing golf, the girls were alone with Marion, who went to the door.

Opening it, she found herself face to face with Cara whose first words were, "It worked."

Only then did she realize the woman's feet were bare and she was wearing a very strange-looking garment. It was made of an exceptionally coarse material, almost like a very heavy grade of burlap, and was extremely simple in it's design. It seemed to be just a very large-diameter circle of the coarse material with a hole cut in the center for the head, and a single cut at the neck to make the hole large enough for her head to fit through. There were laces on the slit to close it.

"May I come in?" Cara asked quietly.

Only then did Marion realize she had just been standing at the door, motionless. Looking into the woman's emerald eyes, Marion shuddered. She could see a bright flame of pain burning deep in both of them. "Please come in, Cara!" she exclaimed. She was going to take the woman's arm to help her, but her arms were concealed under the cloak. Instead she put her arm over the woman's shoulders. When she did, Cara smiled her thanks.

Entering the living room, Cara just stopped and looked around very carefully. Then she said softly, "Utterly magnificent!" She shook her head and said, "There are so many people with money who have their taste in their feet. Ali Clifford has both money and impeccable taste." Then she continued to look and then smiled. "This is utterly wonderful! This apartment is furnished for people who are frequently bare. I can see that all the upholstery materials have been selected to feel wonderful against a bare body."

Then she turned to Mary and asked, "Do you have a large plastic sheet somewhere, perhaps?" Knowing the rather unorthodox approach to childbirth in the extended family, there were large plastic sheets, and Mary retrieved one. "Could you put one over that chair, please," she asked. "Although it's improbable, I would hate to get blood stains on anything in this lovely apartment."

Mary did as she had been asked, and Cara sat down in the chair, then leaned back and said, "Perfect!" To the amazement of the others, she even wriggled her bottom against the cushion, although she was sitting on the coarse material of her garment when she did.

When the others sat down, Marion offered refreshments and Cara asked for a dry martini on the rocks. Since it was almost five o'clock, the others joined her. Ann made the drinks and served. When she reached Cara, the girl flipped the side of her garment up to free her right arm to accept the drink. The others gasped as they saw that the woman's whole upper body — what little of it they could see — was a mass of bleeding lacerations.

Seeing it, Marion had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She was almost afraid to ask, because now she was certain what the answer would be. "When you came in, Cara, you said, 'It worked.' What worked?"

"Kids," Cara said to Mary and Ann, "I don't know if your mother told you about our conversation at the restaurant. And incidentally, I never had a chance to thank you for picking up on my hint and engaging your father in conversation so I could talk to your mother alone."

"I told her everything about my background," Marion explained. "She was particularly interested in the details of my whipping. You kids weren't there when I arrived, but I guess you know I was not in great shape."

Now focusing on Cara's eyes as intently as Cara had previously focused on hers, Marion demanded, "What did you do to yourself? Or, more accurately, what did you have done?"

"I received 150 lashes with a bullwhip," she replied calmly. Then with a smile she added, "And thank you, darling Marion, for putting your arm on my shoulder when I came in. The excruciating pain was just marvelous. As to how, I advertised on the Internet. I went to a number of the S&M chat rooms, looking for just the right guy in the Los Angeles area. And the guy I found was absolutely perfect. He made me thank him and kiss the end of the whip after every stroke. After about thirty, the whip was getting blood-soaked, so he ordered me to squeeze my blood off it after every few strokes.

"Of course the best — or the worst, depending upon one's point of view — was when he whipped my cunt. I took twenty strokes there, while I was standing on my head with my legs spread wide. Fortunately, I had him do that first. At the end, I don't think I could have done a headstand if my life had depended on it. Then I paid him and he left. Of course, even though the hotel where he did it was a fleabag, I still had to pay them extra to clean up the blood."

Then she smiled warmly and concluded, "Anyway, Marion, it worked." Then her face fell and she said, "I hope the rest — the most important part — works, as well."

"And what might that be?" Marion asked. Again, she wasn't sure she wanted to hear the answer, but was now reasonably confident that she had heard the worst.

"You three are beloved of Almighty God," she said simply. "I want you to gather around, hold me as tightly as you can — and you're all very strong, so that had better be very tightly — and then pray with me to God that he will accept my suffering in the spirit in which it's offered. I would like to be forgiven my sins. And ... and ... and someday — perhaps after two or three more episodes like this — He might see me as being worthy of a tiny blessing."

Then looking at the girls hopefully she asked, "Do you think He would? Now, please hold me tightly." With that she stood up from the chair and found a spot on the floor with enough room for the others to stand around her.

"Don't you dare touch her!" the Voice thundered. "Cara Campbell, you are causing me to lose my patience — and the world knows how truly patient I am."

Cara cocked her head and said, "Forgiving ... yes. But patient... ? I'm afraid not, Lord. That is not known to be one of your strong suits."

"Damn it, woman!" the Voice exclaimed. "You're getting to be as bad as Henrietta Conroy! And I thought she was the worst. And now look what you've done! You've caused Me to start swearing. I am losing My patience with you..."

"That's nice, Lord," Cara replied calmly, "Because Heaven truly knows that You don't have much of it to lose!"

At that point the others lost control and could no longer control their giggles.

"Harumph!" the Voice said, sounding like He was clearing His throat. "At this point I would be irritated at you three, too, except I simply adore the sound of your giggles. It is the merriest, happiest sound I've ever heard. But that's neither here nor there.

"Just a few days ago, and against My better judgment, I permitted — no, I ordered! — Susie to pull Cara's pubic hair out in clumps. Why? Because she wanted to offer her suffering for the poor souls with no one to pray for them. And I went along. Reluctantly. When the bloody business was all over, I told her that Purgatory had been cleaned out. There's no one there!"

He paused for a moment and then continued, "Do you know what this ... this... this thing... ! had the temerity to do? While she was planning her own torture, she was negotiating with Me! Can you believe it? Negotiating with God Himself? Well that's what this thing did. Do you know what she was looking for? She wanted to know if we have a savings bank in heaven where she could deposit her suffering for the credit of people who have not yet died, but who soon will. 'After all, ' she pointed out, 'people are dying by the tens of thousands every day... '

"Well, anyway, I was forced to admit that it did make a certain amount of sense. Was this enough for her? For Cara Campbell? You jest! No, Cara then tries to negotiate an interest rate to be paid on her deposits!" There was a sputtering sound and then He said, "I need Susie desperately. She's not afraid to utter an obscenity now and then, and one is certainly called for right now!"

He harumphed and added, "I'm so teed off I would do it Myself, but it's bad for My image."

There was a pause and then the Voice continued, sounding calmer this time. "But I think you girls can help. There's at least a chance that among the three of you, you can talk some sense into this girl..."

"I'm 46 years old!" Cara exclaimed. "What's this sexist 'girl' garbage?"

"You are 27, and will stabilize by tomorrow morning at 25 ... No, I guess at 23. That's Marion's age, too. By the way, Marion, I know you were expecting to be nineteen like the others, but you're their mother, so I thought a four-year spread ... And," the Voice thundered, "where I am, 23 isn't even a girl; it's just a little kid!"

Then they heard sounds suggesting He was controlling his temper. "As I was saying, when I was so rudely interrupted, maybe you can talk some sense into her. After all, what does she want? She's on her way to 23; she now ranks with you three ... What more could she possibly want? My job?"

Then very softly he said, "Please, Marion, Mary, and Ann! For Me? Please take this woman into your hearts. Try to comfort her. Try to make her understand that her soul is now as pure as the new-driven snow! It's as clean and pure as any of yours. Now isn't that good enough?"

"I'm a filthy whore, Lord, and we both know it. But unlike Marion, I wasn't even honest about it. I was a hypocrite to boot. I am sheer filth on two legs!" With that she began to weep uncontrollably, but still dropped to her knees to kiss the feet of the other girls. "O Lord I am not worthy that thou should enter under my roof. Say but the word and my soul shall be healed."

"Now do you girls understand my problem? I am saying the word — dozens of words, in fact — but all I get is this ... this ... this garbage! Can you penetrate that impossibly thick skull of hers? Please? As a very special favor to Me?"

"But Lord, that's utterly ridiculous!" Marion protested. "How in the name of all that's holy can three semi-reformed whores possibly do You a favor? Get serious!"

"Et tu, Marion?" the voice thundered. "In all honesty, that doesn't have the sonorous tones of the Earl of Oxford's 'Et tu, Brute?' but one must make do, I suppose.

"Now there's something of real value!" Marion exclaimed with a grin. "We now have it on the Highest Authority that the works attributed to William Shakespeare were, in fact, the work of the 6th Earl of Oxford." Then she grinned, nodded her head and added, "That's worth a little work on our parts, Lord. Okay. We'll do you the favor."

"Do you know what the smartest thing I ever did was?" the Voice thundered. When they just shook their heads He continued, "Not having a wife! Women! You certainly can't live with them, but, unless you're Me, you can't live without them, either."

At that remark, all four of the women started to giggle.

Suddenly, Marion had an idea. "Girls, take that ridiculous poncho thing off Slave Cara's body!" she ordered.

"You will do no such thing!" Cara exclaimed. "It produces such marvelous pain..."

"Shut up!" Marion exploded. "Perhaps you didn't hear me, Slave Cara. You have nothing at all to say in the matter," she concluded imperiously. "You want to feel pain? What an utterly ridiculous waste of time. No, Slave, you shall do something productive. You shall wait on us hand and foot! You shall do what we say, when we say it, with no ifs, ands, or buts." There were blue sparks coming from her eyes as she repeated, "Am I clear?"

"Yes, Mistress, you are very clear," Cara replied humbly.

"Good! Now, girls, get this ... this... garment off her body. Now!" The girls jumped at the command in her tone.

Then standing on opposite sides, they lifted the edges gently. "What are you doing?" Marion demanded. "She's only a slave, after all. Rip it off!"

Simultaneously, the girls realized that it was the best thing to do. It was like tearing off a bandage. It hurt far more if it was done slowly than it did if it came off with a jerk. Looking at each other, the girls mentally counted to three and then jerked together.

In spite of her prior fortitude, the pain was too much for Caroline this time. She screamed, and then fell on her face, unconscious. As she lay there face down, the girls became almost physically ill.

"My God!" Marion exclaimed softly. "I thought I had been badly beaten. But compared to this woman, I was hardly scratched."

Deep cuts cris-crossed her body from her neck to below her knees. As she had said, her groin was a bleeding mess. Getting the plastic sheet, Ann put it on the floor, and as gently as they could, they rolled her on her back. The sight that confronted them now was much worse. Her breasts had literally been sliced to pieces. On both sides there were six discrete sections that had been split open like an orange. They were still open and still bleeding freely. Her belly, loins and thighs had been opened up, too. One cut looked like it missed by only a small fraction of an inch from opening up her abdominal cavity.

Mary ran off and came back with a sewing kit. Remembering her own experience and Ann's, she threaded a needle, then slipped off her dress so as not to get blood all over it, then began sewing Cara's body back together. When she was nearly finished with one breast — she hadn't bothered to count the stitches — Cara moaned and then opened her eyes.

"What are you doing?" Cara inquired in a tone of idle curiosity. When told she was being sewn back together, she said, "That's nice." Then she watched as Mary finished one tit and then began to fit the pieces of the other one together. "That's neat!" Cara exclaimed. "It's like a three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle, isn't it?"

"By the way," Mary said in an equally disinterested tone, "you have a choice of thread: white, black, or khaki. I've been using white, but if you would rather another color... ?"

"How about black on the other one?" Cara said. "That should be interesting. And if you don't mind re-threading your needle, perhaps khaki on the rest of my body?" Mary just shrugged and said it made no difference. She needed to use so much thread, she had to repeatedly thread the needle anyway.

As badly as Mary herself had been beaten and as badly as she had seen others, never had she seen anything to compare with this. It rivaled Karla's beating at the hands of the Soviets, but this woman had undergone it willingly. Moreover, while Mary's needle kept driving into her flesh, she never so much as flinched, let alone made a sound. All she did was watch the process, apparently fascinated by it.

When Mary caught Marion's eye, she just slowly shook her head. Marion, out of Cara's sight-line made a vomiting face. Mary impassively nodded. Finally, the bloody job was done.

"Susie!" Marion called without raising her voice. "We need you."

"Oh, no you don't!" Cara exclaimed. "You keep that little angel away from me. I'm enjoying my pain, and she'll do something to reduce it somehow. No way!"

"I beg your pardon?" Marion responded haughtily. "I don't recall asking you what you want or don't want, Slave!"

Susie had instantly appeared and was waiting. It was obvious that she was sickened by the sight of Cara's ripped up body, too. "Susie, this is Slave Cara. She will be serving us as a menial. But you can see she's worthless to us in her present condition — she would get blood over everything." Looking at the sprite with her eyes wide she said, "You worked with Slave Barbara during her training, didn't you?"

Instantly, Susie knew exactly what Marion intended. And it just might work,  she thought. It's for damned sure nothing else would. If the Boss himself couldn't get her to change her mind ... But the idea of being further debased as a menial slave will appeal to this woman... 

"Yes, I did, Marion," Susie replied. "But she was in much better shape than this ... this ... this thing! Darling Marion, I know I'm an archangel and I can work miracles, but my dear, there are limits, after all."

Susie just shook her head and said, "She's utterly worthless. There's absolutely no way you could possibly make an even marginally acceptable field slave out of her in a full twelve months." Susie shook her head again and said, "I strongly urge you to just throw her back where she came from."

Then she looked forlorn and said, "You know something, Marion? It's you damned Brits who have really screwed things up royally. With your blockade of the Slave Coast, it's become impossible to find a decent slave anymore. And I offer this thing as Exhibit A!"

Then glaring at Marion she added, "Why didn't you mind your own damned business?"

"I'm truly sorry, Susan," Marion said softly. "But as in so many other things, we take actions sometimes without a full appreciation of their consequences." Then she nodded her head firmly and added, "When Donald and I return home, I shall speak to Her Majesty straightaway."

"But that is then and this is now. What do you expect me to do?"

"Susie, I'm sure I don't have the foggiest idea. But why don't you just do the best you can. I realize it won't be much, but still ... I mean... Anything is bound to be an improvement."

Through their entire conversation, Cara had been just looking back and forth like a spectator at a tennis match. When they finished, she just shrugged, ignoring totally the agonizing pain that shot through her body when she made even that simple motion.

Susie hovered beside her and with the greatest gentleness ran her fingers over each of the myriad lacerations. To Cara's initial dismay, with every touch of her fingers more of her pain disappeared. When she finished with the girl to her waist, she ordered her to stand up and spread her legs wide so she could finish the rest. Looking at the woman's torn-up groin, Susie almost became ill. She hadn't seen anything nearly this bad since she had been cut up and roasted after having all the skin flayed off her body. But she continued working and finally finished.

She floated back to get a better look at Cara. After looking at her thoughtfully, she just shook her head. "I don't think so, Marion. I really don't. On the other hand, I must congratulate Mary on the remarkable three-tone appearance of Slave Cara's skin caused by her stitches. It's really quite different. Very neat sewing, too."

"Okay, Slave," Marion ordered, "you have a lot of work to do. Now get with it!"

While Mary accompanied Cara to the exercise room, Ann called Ali and then reached Bill Clifford at the club. Ali had the last word on the subject: "With orders coming from the Ultimate Authority, what can I say? Go to it, and good luck. I'll try to prime the kids but it's going to be a real challenge."

Ann put her on an exercise machine and then got on its mate. Cara's eyes bulged as she saw the weights Ann moved so easily and so rapidly. But she also saw Ann's muscles popping out in stark relief with each movement.

For Cara it was a challenge. Suddenly she realized that all she had been doing was just passively absorbing punishment. This required real work on her part. Accordingly, she applied the same level of determination that she had used to move around in spite of her agony to using every machine at the same weight loadings Ann used for the same number of repetitions. She couldn't move the machines nearly as fast, but that was the only difference.

Leaving Cara to finish her reps, Ann went off to find the others. To Marion she said, "I really think it's going to work! She's using the same weights and doing the same number of reps I do. Can you believe it? It takes her longer than it takes me, but she gets it done! Good grief! The first time I did it, I could only move twenty-five percent of the weight for about twenty percent of the reps."

Marion was about to say it was impossible but then said, "I think she can. That woman has determination that won't quit. She's putting the same willpower she used to absorb the pain into doing the work. I think it really will work!"

Rejoining Cara, who was just finishing up, she walked over to the pool and said they would do 400 meters to start. The woman's eyes flared as she realized she was looking at a true Olympic-length pool, but she got on the box and dove in when Ann did. But she had barely covered half a length when Ann passed her going the other way. When Ann finished her 400 meters, Cara had not quite reached the 200 meter mark. Not only was she struggling, she appeared to be at serious risk of drowning. Since the shallowest part of the pool was seven feet deep, it would not have been hard to do.

Ann went back into the pool, stopped the girl and gave her a swimming lesson. Her next lap was better, and after a second coaching session, her final lap was pretty good. When Cara was helped out of the pool she gasped, "You are incredible, Ann! Utterly incredible!"

Ann's hand slapped across Cara's face as fast and as hard as a striking cobra. "It is Mistress Ann,  Slave!" Ann declared with her eyes blazing.

"I am sorry for my familiarity, Mistress Ann. And thank you for helping to make me a better slave." With that the girl dropped to her knees and kissed Ann's feet.

When the others returned home, Cara was wearing a costume similar to the one the girls had worn for so long: a wing collar with a black bow tie, and French cuffs with onyx cuff links.

The funniest event of the evening occurred when Ali's three-year-old daughter, Betsy, went to put some pain-reducing salve on Cara's still vivid cuts. When Cara objected, the tiny creature stood up straight and said imperiously that Cara was a slave and had nothing at all to say about it. After spreading it on all her cuts, Betsy ordered Cara to lie on her back. When she did, the tot climbed on her chest, lay down with her head pillowed against Cara's tit and went to sleep. The others noticed the tears flowing down Cara's cheek as she ever so gently caressed the tiny girl.

The next days went flying by. In just a matter of hours, it seemed, Cara was doing her exercises, swimming laps, learning to cook ... everything. Mary and Ann noticed how quickly any new material was absorbed by her brain; they no longer wondered where their men had acquired their intelligence.

Most appealing of all was to watch Cara with small children. Beginning the second day, Ali took her with her to the office where she cared for the infants and pre-school children. She adored them and they adored her. In an instant, she would create a story and have the small children sitting beside her, utterly enthralled. She would nap with them and everyone noticed how instantly and instinctively the small children would be drawn to her breast where she would nurture them and caress them. She could create a game to fit any conceivable setting or combination of ages or sexes of the children. The common denominator was the wonderful sound of the small children's happy laughter.

When Ali asked her casually if she liked small children, she replied, "No, Mistress Ali, I don't like small children, I adore them!"

Ali's comment was that they adored her, too. But for some reason, this did not register. With Divine intercession, her cuts healed in no time and her athletic development was so fast, a day for her was equal to two weeks the girls had put in the previous fall. The reason was that COMDEX was scheduled to open on Saturday, January 26. There was no time to lose.

One day, rather than going to the office, Ali took her to Henry Hall to have her hair styled. After shaking his head he said, "Ali, I'm not even going to bother asking where you find these beauties. But Cara is utterly gorgeous! I simply love her coloring. It reminds me so much of Joyce Johnson. They are almost identical.

Then he looked closer at Cara and asked, "Aren't you Caroline Campbell?"

"Yes, I am, Mr. Hall," she said softly, "and I'm very sorry for hurting you."

Henry was baffled. "Hurt me? I'm sure you've never hurt me. Why would you say that?"

"Because, Mr. Hall, to know me is to hate me. And, as a very solid rule, the hate is the result of some despicable act of mine. So whenever I meet someone who recognizes me, because of my background it's a very good bet that I hurt them and probably hurt them badly." Then she smiled and said, "But I am glad you're not one of them."

Her smile had lighted the room and Henry said so. "In fact, Mrs. Campbell, you are so very much like Ali. You even have the same sunshine smile. We always tease Ali that when she really turns it on, you can see it for at least ten miles on our smoggiest day."

Then he looked at her more closely and added, "You know what? The closer I look at you, the more like Ali you become. For example, as genuinely beautiful as you both are, it's just a shadow of the incredible beauty you both radiate from within. In both of your eyes all I see is joy, love, and enormous quantities of Sanctifying grace." Then turning to Ali he said, "Little children utterly adore her, don't they?"

"They certainly do, Henry," Ali replied. "But how did you know?"

"Because over the years I've found they're infallible in that regard. I have never seen it to fail. If a small child likes you it's because you are a truly good person. If he doesn't, you're not. It's just that simple. And my bet is they don't like Mrs. Campbell, they utterly adore her, don't they? The same way they adore you, and for exactly the same reason. Right?"

The two women just shook their heads. Ali was secretly delighted at what Henry had said. Moreover, she had now gotten to know Cara well enough to know that it had gotten through to her, too. She was truly shaken by his words.

The next day was Friday, January 25. When Cara served breakfast — one that she had prepared perfectly — Marion looked at her and said, "What are you doing? Why aren't you dressed?"

Cara was utterly baffled. She just shook her head looking utterly bewildered. Then Mary said, "Mother, I know we're taking our own plane over to Vegas, but surely you're not going out to the airport dressed like that? What would people say? Good grief! What would Mike and Mark say?"

The woman was so confused, she just sat down on the carpet and started to bawl. Ali jumped from her chair, took her in her arms and led her into her bedroom. There she took her into the master bath which had an enormous floor to ceiling mirror. In an instant, Ali had stripped off her clothes and was standing beside her.

"What do you see?" Ali asked kindly. At that moment, Marion and the girls joined them and also stripped. "Well?" Ali repeated.

"That's impossible! I'm a bitch. I can't look like you. I just can't. It wouldn't be fair."

"Look at your eyes in the mirror, darling, and then look at ours," Marion said softly. "What do you see?"

"I see ... I see..." Suddenly the woman covered her eyes with her hands and started to scream in terror.

Taking her into her arms, Marion whispered, "It is one hell of a shock to the system, isn't it? I know it was to me, and I know it was to the girls, too. How does it feel to be a truly wonderful person? How does it feel to be full of grace? To be beloved of God? How does it feel, Cara?"

Suddenly there was a change in the woman like the sun coming out. "You mean I'm not terrible any more? God no longer hates me?"

"I have never hated you, Cara. Surely you've heard the adage, 'Hate the sin, love the sinner'? But you are free of sin, Cara. There are multitudes of the hosts singing your praises for all you have done through your incredible sacrifice. These women are exactly correct, Cara. You are their equal. And you rank with them in My eyes. Cara, your sins, they are forgiven. Can I be any clearer than that? You have no more sin. You are pure of heart; pure as the new-fallen snow. Now get your slim bottom in gear, and get out to Vegas where you belong. There is an amusing drama that's about to play out, out there, and you have a vital rôle in the play. Now move!"

"Yes, Sir!" she responded. "But by the way, how am I doing with my interest?"

"Cara Campbell, you are too damned much! Now why didn't I just let well enough alone, and leave you mired in your misery?"

Cara just shook her head and said, "I don't have the first foggy clue!"

The rumble of His laughter shook the building.



-------

Chapter 50



On Thursday afternoon, January 24, Ann again called Maxim's and again it was a familiar female voice who greeted her. "Hi, Molly, it's Ann. How's your cunt?"

"It's great! Yesterday..." There was a pause and then she continued, "Mademoiselle Madeleine Lacroix Adams is no longer communicating with Mademoiselle la Marquise du Flandres or her busybody sister, Mademoiselle la Duchesse du Bourgogne."

Knowing she was being conned, Ann replied, "Gee, Molly, we like you. And André likes—"

"Don't mention that person's name!" Molly exclaimed. "He is the problem. Here I was in my little brown shell — not happy, you understand, but contented and ... and ... resigned — and you two busybodies had to wreck it all! Do you know what that ... that... thing... ! did last night?"

Knowing this was the problem — and also knowing it was not a real one — in a voice dripping with sincerity, Ann said, "No, Molly, I don't know. What did André do last night?"

"Well, were you serious about the lunch I served the other day? About liking it, I mean?" When Ann assured her that she was serious, the girl mused that she had worked particularly hard to ensure that each plate looked perfect. Returning to her subject, the girl said, "Well, compared to the dinner I served André last night, that lunch could have been served at McDonald's!"

"My God!" Ann exclaimed. "You can't be serious! The food was so good and so beautifully presented with every plate a work of art. If you're serious, though, what you served last night must have been the finest meal ever prepared on this planet!"

"I really did work hard at it. I wanted it to be as perfect as I could make it," Molly continued. "And I even took a leaf from your book: I served it to him on my knees, wearing that uniform you described to me, just a collar and cuffs."

She paused for a moment and added, "It was a very fine dinner, too. The best I have ever prepared. It started around nine last night, and I served it in the private room we used. I wanted André to see that I could be a nice subservient wife."

"What caused that?" Ann asked. "Did you kill him on the course yesterday?"

"I sure did!" Molly exclaimed. "And I shot a career round: a 63. Not quite to the level of a couple of kids I played with a while ago, but not too shabby. I guess it confirms the idea that an athlete performs better when she's sexually satisfied. Anyway, I thought André's ego needed a boost. So I prepared and served the dinner."

"Did he like it?" Ann asked.

"He adored it! At least he said he did. And truly he savored everything I served, and he ate every last scrap."

"Then what?" Ann prompted.

"Then what?" she almost screamed. "'Then what?' she asks. Then he lays down on the sofa and goes to sleep! That's what. He goes to sleep! And Ann, I had rouged my cunt lips and my nipples. As he finished his dinner, my cunt was beginning to run rivers. I was literally starting to shake with anticipation of his hands roaming over my body. And he goes to sleep! I should have killed him right there and then and tried to forget the whole damned thing!"

"It sounds like you didn't, though," Ann said. "What did happen?"

"He woke up is what happened. And then my torture started. I'll give you a tip: Never let your man take a nap after dinner. He caressed my tits to orgasm. He even kissed me until I came. Can you believe it? Cuming while you're only being kissed? On the lips? And I mean the ones on my face, too. His hands were just so lightly stroking my cheeks — the ones on my face, not my butt — he wasn't touching my body at all. But he made me cum! And he ate me! My cunt was the main course. He would eat me and fondle my tits. He would eat me and caress my bottom. He would eat me and kiss my lips."

"And the problem?" Ann asked.

"The problem! The problem is my poor cunt is so raw, if I added some chopped onions and spices, I could serve it as steak tartare! That's the problem. It's so raw and red." Then she paused, thinking. Then she said, "You know what? I think that's what I'll do tonight. There will be onions, capers, some Tabasco..."

"In your cunt!?" Ann exclaimed. "When it's already raw? Molly Adams, you will die! You will kill yourself. My God! Tabasco in an already-raw cunt? You're nuts!"

"I'm going to do it, though," Molly said. "André will laugh so hard, he'll be rolling on the floor. It will be so neat—"

"But you'll be in agony!" Ann insisted.

"If it hurts, it hurts," Molly retorted. "Big deal!"

"You are truly a member of The Sisterhood, Madeleine Lacroix Adams. You really are. You will do anything to increase your husband's enjoyment. The cost to you to you just doesn't get on the scale." Ann paused and then added, "Darling, you're going to be so outrageously happy! And it couldn't happen to a nicer girl, either."

Then with a lovely little giggle Molly said, "But since you tricked me into speaking to you again ... You called?"

"I sure did!" Ann exclaimed. "Molly, we need your help. I know it's very short notice and all, and I certainly know how busy you are—"

"That's another thing!" Molly interrupted. "Thank you for reminding me. Now the waiting list for a reservation is six weeks! Could we just bumble along with ten or fifteen tables a night for dinner? A nice quiet work-load so our kitchen staff can really take their time and prepare each dish just so? Not hardly! Our neighborhood nobility has to arrange to have pictures splashed all over every paper and magazine in Greater Los Angeles featuring them dining at Maxim's. And did you really have to look like you were enjoying the food? Did you? Couldn't you act like you're eating the same cardboard with library paste that everyone else serves? Mademoiselles les Duchesses? Never!

"Now our kitchen staff are pulling their hair, we had to get an emergency order from our liquor wholesaler because the people waiting for tables drained the bar dry, and it takes André and me hours after closing just to count the money." Molly stopped suddenly and said, "Yes, we're busy. And it's all your fault, too. Now what?"

"Oh, shit!" Ann exclaimed. "That tears it. We were hoping to be able to eat there tonight—"

"What time, who's coming, and what would you like me to prepare?" Molly interrupted.

"But you're mobbed to the doors. You just told me. And we don't have six weeks to wait," Ann wailed.

"I never would have guessed it!" Molly exclaimed. "You're a retard. Since I did nothing but play golf, practice golf, cook and watch television — until you hopeless idiots screwed up my life, that is — I saw Joyce Johnson's piece on you two on KNBC. And I remember her saying that 180180 is a very big number, and I guess it is. But 33 isn't. She said that the way your brains work, one's brain is raised to the power of the other. And three to the third really isn't so impressive. Based on your comment, Ann Whitfield, your IQ is about three."

She paused and mused, "Hmm. That's a really low-grade idiot, too, isn't it? And raised to the power of three — your sister's — that gives a combined IQ of 27. Not as bad as an idiot, I guess, but still in the imbecile range. But it sounds about right." By this time Ann was laughing so hard she couldn't speak, so Molly continued, "You will use the private room again. I'm pretty sure I even got most of my love juices off the carpet. How many people will there be for dinner?"

"There will be five," Ann replied, now able to talk again. "It will be Cara — and wait until you see her! — Mary and me, and the Sloans. You know Susie, of course. Steve Sloan was her husband. He had to watch while Susie was tortured to death. And then there's his new wife and our savior, Barbara. And if you didn't know it before, Mary and I are her personal slaves."

Ann paused and continued, "Darling, you say Mary and I are responsible for your happiness. It's bullshit — we both know that — but we'll let it go. But with us, it's different. Barbara Sloan took two filthy Czech prostitutes — Mary and me — and made us into what we are. And I mean 'made', as in 'created.' Understand?"

Now Ann was almost in tears as she continued, "Molly, this dinner is terribly important to both of us. So if you could try to see that everything looks nice—"

"I will prepare your dinner personally," Molly interrupted. "And it will be even finer than the one I prepared for André last night. Is that good enough?"

"Molly, I don't know what to say!" Ann exclaimed. "Except that you're one of a very small handful of God's perfect people..."

"And you and your sister are two more," Molly interrupted. "What's the big deal?" Then with the sound of glee in her voice she added, "I hope you and your sister are in shape, though."

"In shape for what?" Ann asked.

"Our wedding, turkey!" Molly exclaimed. "André's and mine. Oh! I forgot to tell you ... It's going to be in Notre Dame Cathedral, can you believe? And the center aisle at Notre Dame is long! So you and Mary had better be in shape!"

"Oh, Molly!" Ann screamed. "I'm so happy for you! Good heavens! Can you imagine? Mary and I walking down the aisle in one of the world's greatest cathedrals? With sunlight shining through the Rose Window, one of man's most magnificent creations to celebrate the greater glory of God! And you know what? I would be willing to bet anything that, regardless of the weather or the time of day, He will ensure that sunlight is streaming through it, too."

"It's really funny," Molly added. "M. le President de la France is already trying to wangle an invitation. The word is all over Paris already, Dad says. It's the biggest social event of the year! Even though my parents and I are American, there's the family thing, so that's where it's going to be."

"We can't wait!" Ann exclaimed.

After hanging up the phone, Ann swallowed hard and called Clifford & Jamison to leave a message about dinner for Barbara and Steve.

After calling out to Cara, the woman appeared almost instantly. "Slave, you are to dress this evening. We are dining out, and you are to accompany us. You shall try to imitate a lady, hear?"

"Yes, Mistress," Cara replied in her lovely melodic voice. "I shall do my best."

In spite of their efforts to persuade Ali that they could easily handle their own car, all she did was raise an eyebrow and announce that Fred Clark would be driving. The two girls now knew Ali well enough to know that when she spoke that way any argument would be futile.

Again they were greeted at the door of Maxim's by André Malraux and ushered upstairs to the private room where they found Barb and Steve already waiting. To Cara's amazement, the two girls instantly dropped to their knees and kissed both of their shoe tops. Rising to their feet again, they introduced Cara to the Sloans.

Both Barbara and Cara instantly felt the same mutual attraction. Each took the other's hands and just stood there staring into each other's eyes. The attraction between them was palpable to the others. Steve and the girls just watched and said nothing.

"You are the original, aren't you, Barbara Sloan?" Cara said softly. "God Himself could not squeeze more love into a single human body than you contain in yours. And your eyes! There is just warmth and love and Divine Grace in limitless quantities."

"And you are the woman my kids at school talk about all the time," Barb responded. "All they hear from their younger brothers and sisters is what a marvelous person you are. The mothers even talk about it. How, from the smallest infants to the five-year-olds, they are now so reluctant to leave school to return home. For as much love as they receive from their parents, it's just a small fraction of what they receive from you, isn't it?"

Then, as if drawn by a powerful magnet, the two women came together, cocked their heads, and kissed. Love flowed between them as the power of their kiss just intensified. Ann shook her head with the realization that anyone else would be dead. No one else could absorb the power of the love the two women exchanged. Finally they eased apart and embraced, as much to hold themselves up as anything else. Their behavior was the strangest the others had ever seen. It was as if a woman was looking at herself in a mirror.

First, they just lightly kissed, a kiss of enormous warmth, but devoid of the passion that had been in their earlier embrace. Then each one used her right hand gently to caress the other's cheek. Meanwhile, their eyes were again locked together with their love visibly flowing between them. Then each reached out a hand gently to touch the other's hair and smooth it back into place.

Finally Barb said quietly, "Hello, Caroline Campbell."

And Cara replied in the same very soft voice, "Hello, Barbara Jensen Sloan."

The others just shook their heads and Mary led the way to the sitting area. Looking at the fire, she thought that as much attention had been paid to it as to the food they were going to eat. It was utterly perfect, too. The Sloans sat on one love seat facing Cara, while the girls took the two lounge chairs facing the fire. A waiter appeared with sherry and canapés.

Finally Barb looked at the girls and said, "Well?"

"We thought..." Mary began, but stalled.

"We would like..." Ann stopped, too.

"We want to marry Cara's sons!" Mary blurted. "But we are your body slaves, so of course, we are not free to do anything of the kind."

Suddenly, Barb had an idea. From being intentionally passive in order to give the girls a hard time, she became enthusiastic. "Kids, haven't you been grumbling about the guys? Each is always trying to pretend he is the other brother?"

The girls just nodded and Cara said, "I'm their mother, for Heaven's sake, and I can never tell them apart!"

"But we always can, Barb," Ann insisted, "and Duke and Duchess can, too." Then she explained about their reaction to the men's kisses, while stressing that they had never even been kissed.

"Would you like to take them down a couple of notches?" Then to Cara she said, "Maybe you had better plug your ears, Mother. I don't think I want you to hear what comes next."

"Why in hell not?" Cara exclaimed. "Anything that serves to teach those two MCPs some humility has got to be a service to mankind." She shook her head and looking disgusted said, "I guess I just said it all. I love them dearly, but they can be insufferably arrogant Male Chauvinist Pigs sometimes. What's your idea, Barb? I'm all ears."

"It was my comment about slavery that gave me an idea," Barbara began. "Here's my idea. First, Cara, you know that the girls — aside from everything else — are filthy rich. You also know, first hand, that they are more than adequate golfers, right?"

Cara just rolled her eyes and eagerly nodded.

"Well here's how it might work. First, we arrange a golf match between the girls and the guys." Then she paused and said, "Didn't I read somewhere that your boys are looking to raise more capital for their company?"

"You certainly could have," Cara replied, "because they are. In fact, I was going to write them a check..." Then she grinned and added, "But from the way you're going Barb, I shouldn't. Right?"

"No, you should not," Barbara agreed. "But the reason I asked was to try to figure out what their company is worth right now on the market."

Cara did some quick mental arithmetic and replied, "About $250 million, give or take a bit. How's that sound?"

"It sounds perfect is how it sounds!" Barb exclaimed. "The kids now have about $3 billion each. So they will play the golf match for $500 million of theirs against the men's stock. All of it! Then they swim 400 meters or so, and clean out their bank accounts. Finally, they play poker, double or nothing. In other words, the guys will be playing to recover their stock and their money. But if they lose — and they will — they become the girls' slaves."

Barb grinned happily and continued, "I can see it now! They will wear the same costumes the girls did — and I guess you do, too, Cara. But with one difference. Mark will have a black bow tied around his cock and balls while Mike's will be white..."

"It sounds good," Mary said sorrowfully, "but it can't work. They're so much bigger than we are. We couldn't enforce our will..."

"But Duke and Duchess certainly can!" Barb exclaimed. "And they will. Incidentally, you haven't seen the darlings lately. Just in the last weeks, they've both filled out. Now Duke is a modest 625 pounds, while little Duchess is a svelte 550." With a broad grin she added, "I think that almost 1,200 pounds of Royal Bengal tiger can handle a couple of guys for you, even if they were Rangers. And the tigers will absolutely love it! You know how much those two love to act. And you know how good they are at it, too. Now what do you think?"

"I think it's neat!" Mary exclaimed happily. "But is there more?"

"Just one more thing," Barb said. "And Cara enters into this one. You invite her over to a dinner that will be prepared and served by her sons — on their knees. Then it ends with the two of them on their knees eating your cunts while their mother just watches—"

"I'm sorry!" Cara interrupted. "No way. In fact, no fucking way!"

"What's wrong, Hon?" Barb asked, keenly disappointed. "I thought it sounded good. What's wrong with it?"

"Darling, it is good," Cara explained. "Everything sounds great except the end. If you think I'm just going to sit there while those two idiots feast on the two sweetest cunts on the planet, you're crazy! But if they watch their mother do it while they're forced to watch ... Hmm ... That could be interesting."

Barb just grinned happily and said, "Why don't we leave that part open. But you like the rest of it?"

"I sure do," she replied. "But how can we ensure that the script plays out the way you wrote it? They could get real lucky, for example."

"Oh, no they can't!" Barb exclaimed. Then raising her voice very slightly she called, "Susie! We need you."

Instantly the sprite appeared in front of them, hovering over the cocktail table. Tonight she was wearing a lovely silk chiffon dress and a string of pearls. The pearls were the first jewelry any of them had ever seen the tiny angel wear. Moreover, tonight she appeared to be ecstatically happy. Seeing her that way, Barb suddenly realized that in all of her prior contacts, there had been an overtone of sadness about the sprite that was only now apparent because she seemed so happy. Barbara Sloan realized that she only noticed it because now it was gone to be replaced by limitless joy.

"What happened to you, Susie?" Barb asked softly. "Never have I seen you look as happy as you do tonight."

"Barb, may I give Steve a kiss?" the tiny thing asked diffidently.

"What an incredibly stupid question that is!" Barb exclaimed. "Darling, he loves you and always has. You and I know damned well that my rôle in this play is to keep his bed warm for you! Right? Of course you may kiss him. You're his wife!"

Susie floated over to Steve and melted her lips to his. Suddenly, Steve realized it was like the kisses they had last shared together in Saigon, and he said as much. "That's because they are, my darling," she responded. "I cannot tell a lie, Steven Sloan. The responsibility lies with Samantha Conroy's brand-new fiancé, Jack Martin."

Then she told them how Jack had held her and caressed her body while Sam was going down on him. "Darling, I came and I came and I came. I was utterly drained. But do you see? I'm still a complete woman! That's why I'm so happy. Steve, when I share you with Barb, I can be certain that I can create pleasure for you, and you can create ecstasy for me. Steve, it was wonderful beyond words. I just lay on Jack's chest, feeling his heart beating while he caressed me all over with the lightest touch. And then he started pinching my bottom at random intervals. After a couple of times, every time he pinched me, I came. You should have seen it! My butt was in the air trying to find his wonderful fingers to get another pinch. As small as I am, I flooded out the bed with a 23-year accumulation of cum."

Then she moved away from Steve just far enough to be able to look into his eyes and continued, "And then, do you know what happened?" Steve just smiled and shook his head. "When Jack finished, my bottom was scarlet. But it didn't end there. For days afterward, every time I sat down on my poor buns, I would cum. Every damned time! You can't believe the flak I've been getting Up There!"

Then she spun around and raised her skirt, showing him that her lovely buns were still bright red. "Would you believe it? I can't put on a bikini, even now."

Steve just shook his head and said, "Susie, I'm afraid it's all over between us."

The sprite was so stunned she froze in space. "But why? What happened?" she asked with her voice cracking.

"Susan Sloan, do you think for one minute I could possibly show my face in a place when my wife... my wife... ! was sexually assaulted by a guy from... Canoe U... ? Do you? I mean ... Woman, have you no decency?" Steve just shook his head and muttered, "The shame of it all ... Now had it been with a classmate from the Point ... Or a guy — or even a gal — in another class ... I could live with that. But Annapolis? I'm crushed."

"It's your own damned fault, Steven Sloan!" Susie exclaimed, her concerns forgotten. "If you hadn't dug yourself into that dumb hole and pulled it in after you all the while feeling sorry for yourself, it might never have happened. But it did happen, and I'm glad! So there!" Then she folded her arms and just glared at him.

"And I'm glad, too," Steve replied. "In fact, my darling, I'm ecstatic. Now why don't you take a look at Barb?" Susie spun in the air causing her chiffon skirt to spin out straight, revealing her entire beautiful body from the waist down. Never had she seen a happier smile than the one on Barbara Sloan's face at that moment.

"Darling Susie, bigamy is about to make a comeback," Barb announced. Then she looked at Steve, shook her head and said, "The poor dumb thing! As it is, all he does is complain how his balls hurt. If I keep him drained dry, what's it going to be like later?"

"I'm sure we'll think of something," Susie replied with a grin. Then she said, "By the way, Sam and Jack are going to honeymoon on the island, too. Isn't that neat?"

"It sure is," Steve interjected. "With any luck, he'll drown. Then I'll have nothing more to worry about. But on the other hand, he's going to be the new president of Kendy Company. I'm moving up to Vice Chairman. Maybe I can think of some nice assignment for him ... like inspecting a sewage treatment plant in Outer Mongolia."

Both of his wives giggled merrily at his quip.

Then to Barb, Susie said, "But you bellowed?"

"I sure did!" Barbara exclaimed. Then she proceeded to outline her plan in detail.

When she completed her explanation, Susie said, "I think it's neat. And it's going to be so ridiculously simple, too." Then with a grin she added, "But you gave me an idea. How about if we each have a string on Steve's cock and balls? Then whichever one wants him just yanks?" Barb jumped with glee at the idea.

But then Steve said, "Wait a stinking minute! What if you should both want me at the same time?"

The two women looked at each other, howled with laughter and then while looking at him said in unison, "Then you'll have a big problem!"

Dinner was announced and they took their seats around the beautifully decorated table. When the waiter served the appetizer, steak tartare,  he said softly to Ann, "Mademoiselle Lacroix is personally preparing your dinner tonight." With a sigh he added, "She is the finest chef alive in the world, and possibly the greatest who has ever lived!" Then he continued, "Mademoiselle Lacroix asked me to tell you that the steak tartare has been prepared according to her own special recipe. She hopes you enjoy it."

The waiter was baffled when Ann's reaction to his announcement was to howl with laughter.

As they were finishing their meal Cara said, "You know, I think that waiter was right. Molly may be the finest chef in the history of the world. Not only have I never eaten anything so good, I would not have thought it possible for anything ever to be so good."

As they were preparing to leave, Barbara said, "Kids, I want you to know something. You have to be two of the luckiest young ladies in the world. And I know you're going to be ecstatically happy with Mike and Mark. How do I know? After all, I've never laid eyes on either of them. But as the fruit of the loins occupying the chair beside mine, if even 1 percent of their genes come from their mother, they will be great. Heaven knows, she certainly is!"

Then she asked Cara to undress. The woman stood up, slipped off her dress and let it drop to the floor. A quick move dropped her bikini and she just stood there proudly with her lovely breasts upthrust.

Looking over the woman's body, Barbara could see the remains of the lines that scored it. "You really did a job, didn't you? And I thought Karla Kosta was beaten! Caroline Campbell, you were nearly killed, weren't you?"

Suddenly Cara found herself in the same position Marion had been in earlier. She was pinned by Barbara's eyes and could do nothing other than speak the complete truth. "Yes, I was," she replied simply.

"And yet with unimaginable pain, you moved as if you hadn't even been touched," Barbara mused. "We've got to find a nice large cock for that lovely cunt of yours. It's far too nice to go to waste!"

Then she winked at Cara who returned it with a warm grin.



-------

Chapter 51



The next morning when the five boarded the giant 767 at LAX, they were greeted by Duke and Duchess who were waiting for them in the main cabin. "Good heavens!" Marion exclaimed. "What happened to you two?"

In just a few short weeks, both tigers had achieved their full size and had filled out. Now Duke was a giant even among the Royal Bengals at 625 pounds, while Duchess weighed 550. The two exclaimed over their joyful reunion with their parents and their friends at the Carlson's. After the door was closed, the engines started, and the plane was moving toward the taxiway, Duchess padded over to Marion who was sitting beside Don in one of the sofas set on one side of the plane.

Marion had just secured her seat belt when Duchess gently rested her head on her lap and looked up at her face. Marion realized that there were tears flowing down the lovely tigress's cheeks. "What's wrong, darling?" Marion asked softly. "Aren't you well?"

"No, Mistress," Duchess said sadly. "It's not that at all."

Suddenly the huge animal lost control and began to cry uncontrollably. Marion dropped her head to the top of Duchess's, and gently stroked the animal while making warm noises.

Finally, Duchess regained control and said, "That's the problem, Mistress!" she cried.

"I don't understand," Marion replied. "What's the problem?"

"You are!" Duchess exclaimed. "More than any other human, you understand us, and ... and you love us! Really, you do. And I can't bear to give it up, but..."

"What's his name?" Marion asked gently. "He must be awfully good to have the love of such a perfect creature as you."

"Oh, he is!" Duchess exclaimed. "His name is Jason, and..."

With her eyes gleaming the giant cat slowly shook her head and said, "Now do you see what I mean? You just knew! I didn't tell you, but you knew. That's what I will be giving up, and I will miss it so!"

She shook her head and continued, "But I love Jason so much! I can't wait to feel his cock penetrate my wetness. I can't wait to nurse his cubs. I can't wait to train them ... And there are so many wonderful people who are waiting eagerly, and they have such lovely homes..."

Looking into Marion's eyes she pleaded for understanding, but knew that Marion did understand. While their eyes were locked together, Marion just continued to stroke her fur in the warmest, nicest manner. "It is my destiny, Mistress. It is what I was created to do. And, beloved Mistress, I am certain that Jason was created to be my mate."

"My darling, I understand completely. But I cannot tell you how much I will miss you, too. But what about Duke? He's going to be so lonesome without his sister."

Duke had been lying on the cabin floor only a few feet away. Turning to him, Duchess said, "Come over here, Jerk!"

With that the enormous cat stretched and then moved in his incredibly graceful manner to sit beside his sister. "There's this dumb tigress named Sheena," Duchess said disdainfully. "You should have seen her! And you should have seen my pompous brother, too. It was utterly disgusting. All those females flaunting their bodies—"

"Like you were doing with Jason, you mean?" Duke interrupted. "Mistress, talk about disgusting! Could you believe it? Do you know what this little bitch had the nerve to do? She was licking her sex in full sight of Jason and made damned sure he could see halfway up to her belly. Why—"

"Golly, brother, how do you know? Sheena had her sex opened so wide I thought she was trying to take your head inside it. And Mistress, the nerve of some females! Would you believe it? She actually positioned herself so she was upwind of Duke so her scent couldn't help but drift down to him. And then she has the nerve to stretch, practically on top of him, to make damned sure he could see how beautifully muscled she is. Good grief! It ... it ... it was disgusting, is what it was. Disgusting!"

"Tell me about Sheena, Duchess. And why is it that I really don't think you dislike her? You don't, do you?"

"No, I don't," Duchess grumped. "But even though he's my brother, he was so damned arrogant. You would think he was the only tiger ever to be knighted, for heaven's sake!"

Then her demeanor changed and she said, "Actually, Sheena is pretty nice. Even for a tigress, she's very lovely. And when I was complaining about her stretching in front of Duke? That's because she is so perfectly muscled. And I do mean perfect! And she's really funny. She utterly adores Duke. All she could do was pump me for every drop of information about him. What does he like? What does he like to eat? What are his favorite cuts of meat?

"Would you believe what she did? When we were eating, she carefully trimmed Duke's favorite cuts with her claws and presented them to him. If I were to tell her that he liked purple tigers, you could bet your last dollar that Sheena would be purple within ten minutes. Nothing is too good for her Duke. Ugh! Disgusting."

"How did she behave when you and Jason and she and Duke double-dated?" Marion asked softly.

"She was all over him like a tent!" Duchess exclaimed, "I mean—"

Suddenly the tigress stopped, cocked her head and asked, "How did you know?" Then she answered her own question. "Because you're so unbelievably sensitive, is how."

Then she looked into Marion's eyes and asked, "Will you mind? Terribly? I don't think Sheena can wait to present you with cubs to help patrol the moors. And they will be so cute, and they'll love it so much. She wanted to know all about Prendwick. And the thought of meeting the Queen of England was almost too much for her to bear. But honestly, she really is nice."

"Do you love her, Duke?" Marion asked.

"More than life itself, Mistress," he replied quietly. Then to Donald he said, "Your Grace, you have been strangely silent this morning. What do you think, sir?"

"I have been silent, Duke, because I've been quietly rejoicing in the new-found happiness that you and Duchess are enjoying. And Duke, I have to believe that if Duchess approves of Sheena, she must indeed be a wonderful creature. But what of Jason? Is he worthy of your sister?"

"He is large, handsome, brave, and very strong. And, Master, he loves Duchess almost as much as I love Sheena. I believe he will make her a fine mate. Could ... Would you be willing to meet Sheena someday soon?" Duke asked. Then he added, "You won't believe it, sir. Her mother works on her by the hour, licking her fur to make it so smooth and silky. Her family is thrilled beyond belief.

"Of course, Master, it was Queen Victoria who gave us the 'Royal' designation, so there is naturally a warm spot for Great Britain in every tiger's heart. But to enter the service of a duke? And to have a genuine fortress to patrol? Her family is utterly overcome. Then, of course, because of my knighthood, she will become Lady Sheena, won't she? And you, Master, being one of the greatest military heros in history, ranking with Nelson and Wellington ... Sir, there are no words."

Then he grinned and added, "When you meet her, Master and Mistress, I can assure you of one thing: She will be the most beautiful tigress a whole pack of tigers can create. I so hope you will welcome her."

"Now how could we not?" Don asked. "We have learned that she may be the most beautiful tigress on the face of the earth. If the whole pack is working on her, they must all love her, too." With a grin he added, "But I have one question, though."

"What is that, Master?" Duke asked with his great green eyes shining.

"Duke, how many times have you seen me take your Mistress? How many times have you seen me plunge my cock into her tight wetness? How often have you listened to her screaming in fulfillment?"

Duke had no answer. He couldn't possibly count the times so he just slowly shook his great head.

"My question is, Duke, are we going to see you take the beautiful Sheena? Will you entertain your mistress and me with your mating?"

"Master! You can't be serious!" Duke exclaimed. When Don assured him that he was, Duke replied, "My darling Sheena would only be concerned that you were able to see everything you cared to see. She would open herself to the greatest extent possible so you could see my great cock drive into her wetness. Oh, Master, truly she would be thrilled!"

"I think there's a problem, though," Cara Campbell said softly, speaking for the first time. "Didn't I hear that Duke is really the girls' tiger? And Duchess is the Carlson's Christmas gift to you two?"

"Oh, dear!" Don exclaimed. "You're absolutely right."

"I've been listening to the conversation," Cara continued, "and I have an idea. Duke and Duchess are brother and sister. It's clear that Sheena is all primed to be his mate and patrol the castle and the surrounding moors. And I heard a very strong note of wistfulness in Duchess's voice when she spoke of entering the service of a new family.

Then to Duchess she asked, "Darling, do you like serving this family? Do you think Jason would?"

"Like?" the tigress nearly screamed. "Like? Mrs. Campbell, the word 'like' just doesn't do it. 'Love' is closer; 'adore' is closer still. I'm sure you get my idea. But why did you ask? It almost sounds like you have an idea."

"I do," Caroline replied. "There are two parts to it. First, you swap places with Duke. Allow Sheena and him to patrol the castle. Second, you become the protector of the girls with Jason as your consort. How does that sound? Would you like to belong to Ann and Mary, rather than to some other family?"

"That's perfect!" Duchess nearly screamed. "Oh, yes! And I just know Jason will be so happy! Can you just imagine? The two of us escorting our mistresses as they receive the Nobel Prize in Sweden? Visiting the castle in Burgundy? Oh, Mrs. Campbell, it would be our dream!"

The girls had also been just listening to the exchange. Cara turned to them and asked, "Would Mademoiselles les Duchesses accept Duchess and Jason into your personal service? I can personally attest to the fact that, as good as Duke's tongue is on my legs, hers is even better. Would you?"

"It depends," Mary said haughtily. "Duchess, come here please."

The great cat moved to where the two girls were sitting on the sofa facing their parents. With her eyes wide, she rested her huge head on Mary's lap and just looked at her with her emerald eyes pleading for acceptance. Mary kissed her with most of her power, then Ann wrapped her arms around the tigress's neck and really unloaded. In an instant, Duchess was unconscious on the floor.

When the great cat came to, the others howled with laughter as Duchess said in a still-weak voice, "A simple 'yes' would have been sufficient."



-------

Chapter 52



Don was at the wheel of the dark-green Rolls as he and Marion made their way to their hotel near the famous Las Vegas Strip. Cara had taken a private limousine to her hotel, while over their mild objections the girls had insisted on driving their white Mercedes convertible into town. There had been a huge reception at the airport for them with the governor of Nevada presiding, along with the state's two U.S. senators and its representatives in Congress. After speeches and a review of an honor guard, they had finally gotten away.

"This is really neat!" Don said aloud.

"What is, darling?" she responded.

"Driving this car," he answered. "You may have forgotten — if, indeed, you ever knew — that the Spitfire was powered by a Rolls-Royce engine, the 16-cylinder Merlin. So listening to this beauty reminds me of the old days." After a pause he continued, "And that reminds me! I had a rather humorous conversation with General Clark."

"What about?" Marion asked, interested.

"It was quite amusing, really," Don said. "First of all, he was acting like a young school boy sent down to talk to the headmaster." He grinned at the memory. "It turns out that he commands Nellis Air Force Base. It's the home of the USAF Advanced Fighter School ... sort of the Air Force's Top Gun. Anyway, the very best pilots the Air Force has are sent to Nellis for advanced training in air combat. And if its students are the best, you can only imagine what their instructors are like. The fact is, I understand, the only flyers eligible for instructors' positions at the school are those who graduated at the very top of their class when they were students. If you didn't graduate number one, you can never be a Nellis instructor.

"Anyway, it seems the instructors get a little tired of push-button warfare. 'My computer is smarter than your computer, ' is the way Clark describes it. Of course, in addition to the top pilots, Nellis also has the top aviation mechanics, and they all love planes. The result is they've perfectly restored a full squadron of F-51's, the top fighter plane in the air at the end of the war. Clark finally broke down and asked if I would care to fly with them. It really gave me a jolt."

"What did you tell him?" Marion asked. "Or more accurately, when are you flying with them?"

He slowly shook his head and said softly. "I love you, my darling, more than you can ever know!" Then he glanced at her and asked, "And how are you this morning?"

"So sore I can hardly sit!" she responded. Then she hit him hard on the arm.

"What was that for?" Don asked mildly.

"That was for causing the prostitutes' union to kick me out!" she exclaimed. "And my dues are paid for almost another whole year, too."

"And why did they kick you out?" he inquired.

"They won't," she grumped. "They'll just laugh me out which is even worse!"

"And why will they laugh my love out of the union?"

"What else do you expect them to do when they learn a career prostitute has her brains fucked out by an 82-year-old man! I mean ... Good grief!"

At that they heard a rumble of laughter from Duke who was stretched out on the floor in back.

Turning in her seat, she glared at him and snapped, "And you keep your mouth shut, too!"

There was another rumble of laughter that verged on a giggle. Marion just loved the sound. Duke was riding with them while Duchess was with the girls, as they were beginning their new relationship.

Continuing, Marion said, "And that's not even the worst of it. The worst of it is that after almost a month, I still can't even put my thighs together. My groin hurts too much." Then she hit him again and said, "And it's all your fault, Donald Whitfield!"

"That's nice," he said mildly. "But how would they know, darling, unless you tell them? I have honored my promise to you completely. Not only have I taken out no ads at all in The Star,  I didn't send them even a small notice. Of course, I am continuing my weekly full-page ads in The Times and The Sunday Telegraph,  but you assured me the prostitutes never see those."

"They don't," she answered shortly. Then she said, "I'm certain I will get no respect, either. If I tell my story, they'll just howl with laughter ... the bitches! For example, taking you in my mouth. Now when a prossie takes a john in her mouth, after an hour of so of working on the guy's tiny thing, he might cum a thimbleful or two. But you? Hah! You cum in quarts! How will I ever get them to believe that it runs down my face because I just can't hold any more fluid! If it were plain water, I couldn't drink that much."

Then she sat back in her seat, folded her arms, stared straight ahead and muttered, "I hate you, Donald Whitfield. You're destroying me!"

"And I love you, too, Marion Whitfield. Have I told you how much I love you lately?"

"No!" she exclaimed, hitting him on the arm again.

"And what was that punch for?" he asked mildly.

"That was for not being a gentleman, Donald Whitfield. You didn't even wish me a good morning!"

"But darling, you were cuming for almost thirty minutes this morning. What was that?"

"That was your cock, Donald. Your cock was saying good morning to his beloved — if somewhat battered — sheath who adores him. Your cock is a gentleman, Donald. What's wrong with the rest of you?"

"I adore you, Marion Whitfield." A few minutes passed in silence and he said, "A penny for your thoughts?"

"I was just thinking how incredibly lucky I am," she said. As she replied, she moved as far toward him as the seat allowed. "Darling, I'm going to say something that may sound strange. I am really looking forward to our life together. A month ago my outlook could not have been worse. Now, it couldn't be better. And thank you, darling, for making it so."

As soon as Don pulled the car into the hotel drive and stopped, both front doors were opened by waiting attendants. To their surprise, Marion opened the rear door, and Duke eased out. Bystanders let out low screams as the now-giant Bengal tiger stretched his huge body, and then sat up attentively beside Marion, awaiting further developments. Donald, meanwhile, had opened the trunk. A bellman removed their luggage, and then led the way into the hotel. Marion had her hand lightly on Donald's left arm, while Duke paced along majestically beside her.

"You look so proud, Duke!" Marion mentally communicated.

"Of course I do, Mistress!" he replied. "That is because I am! I am escorting one of the greatest heros who has ever lived and his divine wife, my mistress! Every tiger in the world envies me right now, and would do anything to change places. I am the proudest tiger in the world. My master and mistress are the Duke and Duchess of Northumbria!"

As soon as the tiger was spotted, the hotel manager himself came racing up to welcome them. As he was greeting them, Marion saw the Mercedes pull up at the entrance and come to a stop behind the Rolls. She lightly squeezed Don's arm. When he saw the girls, he told the manager who then waited with them for the girls to join.

The manager, casting around for something to say, finally said, "That is a magnificent tiger."

"Thank you, sir," Donald acknowledged. "Sir Duke, why don't you say hello?"

In an instant, Duke moved into his house-cat position and extended his paw. The frightened manager took it very gingerly as Don continued, "This is Sir Duke, KCB. Her Majesty knighted him and his sister for exemplary service to the Crown." Turning, he saw Ann and Mary and added, "Here come the others now."

Hearing his words, the manager let out a sigh of relief. "Sir, I am very pleased to hear that," he replied with his British accent now apparent. "For exemplary service to Her Majesty? I should very much like to hear more about that someday.

"As it is, you have just relieved a concern of mine. The so-called Animal-Rights people have been causing a good deal of turmoil here in Las Vegas. I suppose it started with the live animals at Circus Circus, but they're still hanging around, creating problems." Looking up, he said, "Uh, oh! Here they come now."

The leader of the group, a pony-tailed man in his 40's, came running up. While still a few feet away, he screamed, "Release that animal! You're killing him with drugs! Just look. He's so full of drugs, he can't even stand!"

In less than the blink of an eye, Duke was out of his pose, had attacked the man with his forepaws extended, and knocked him flat on his back. Now he was standing with both forepaws on the man's chest. With his teeth bared, he was emitting a blood-curdling growl.

The man was so scared, his hair had literally turned white before their eyes. "Shoot him!" he screamed. "He'll kill me!"

"I shouldn't do that, if I were you," the Duke said mildly. "It will cause no end of trouble."

To Duke he said, "Now why don't you just take that thing outdoors, Duke, before you start to eat him. Remember, young man, we haven't paid the last hotel for the damages you caused."

Don looked up thoughtfully, and then at Marion, "Darling, that bill was more than $50, wasn't it? To have the blood removed from the lobby carpet?"

"Oh, no, dear!" Marion said, with her eyes wide. Then she whispered in Don's ear, or pretended to.

As she did, he looked startled at first and then shook his head. "Darling, you're right of course, but I don't believe the manager was being fair. Paying for the blood he spilled is one thing, but I feel no sense of responsibility for the excrement or urine the victim deposited on it. I believe that should have been a charge to the man's estate. Don't you agree, sir?"

It was all the manager could do to keep a straight face, but he agreed. Then looking concerned, he said, "But, Your Grace, you will ask Sir Duke to be as neat as possible, won't you? Blood and guts, even if it's spread around outdoors, do so upset some of our guests."

Don appeared to think for a moment, and then firmly nodded his head. "I shall do my best, sir. Truly, I shall." Then to Duke he said, "Young man, you've already had a full meal. Surely you don't intend to eat that whole thing? How about an arm? That should provide just the right-sized snack to tide you over until dinner."

A woman who seemed to make a pair with the man still pinned to the ground — she had stringy hair, an unwashed T-shirt and Birkenstocks — came up and said threateningly, "If you don't get that beast off my David at once, he will be shot! Our friends are going for a gun now."

"My dear lady," Don began, "that would be terribly unfortunate for a number of reasons. First, as you should know, Sir Duke is a Royal Bengal tiger. They rank rather high on the Endangered Species list. Perhaps you're familiar with the rancher who shot a grizzly bear that was attacking him? Although the bear wasn't killed, the rancher is now serving 10 years in prison for harming it. And, while the grizzly is protected here in the States, the Bengal tiger is internationally protected by treaty obligations of the United States. And I'm sure you're aware of the fact that treaty obligations transcend the Constitution itself.

"But there's more: Beyond being endangered, Sir Duke is traveling on a British diplomatic passport. You don't wish to create an international incident, do you? But there's still more: Sir Duke was personally knighted by Her Majesty. He is a favorite of hers. She would be ... displeased ... if something were to happen to him.

"Then, of course, we come to Her Majesty's Special Air Service, better known by its initials, the SAS. My son won the Victoria Cross commanding that unit; he is still held in very high regard by those chaps. And, of course, the Service loves Sir Duke."

With a little smile Don concluded, "Would Madam wish to reconsider her position?"

Turning back to Duke, Don said, "How about it, big fellow? Just an arm? Now why don't you take your ... thing ... outdoors and have your snack?"

At that point they were joined by Ann and Mary. Ann looked down and asked in a most incurious tone of voice, "What's Duke have?"

"Oh, I'm not really sure, darling. Some idiot came screaming over and accused Duke of being all drugged up—"

"You poor thing!" she screamed. Then dropping to her knees on the man's chest and driving them into his belly in the process, she took Duke's great head in her arms and comforted him. "Darling, I'm sure he didn't mean it! He doesn't know that it almost took the direct intervention of God Himself to get you to accept anaesthesia when you were shot after killing those three men. We know you won't even take an aspirin, don't we? But what are you doing now?"

Her eyes were wide as she appeared to listen to Duke's response. Then she made a face and said, "But Duke! That's yucky! Munch on that arm? Duke Whitfield, get serious! Aside from being larded with fat — and you know damned well what the vet said to you about cholesterol — he's filthy! Heaven only knows what germs you might pick up."

Then she got off the man's chest and pretended to try to drag Duke off him. "How about a compromise? How about just clawing off his arm? That way..." She shook her head and said, "Oh, Duke! You're impossible."

To Don she said, "I'm sorry, Daddy, but I tried. But you know how Duke is when he has his mind made up. And he's bound and determined he's going to at least eat an arm." Looking at Don accusingly she added, "He said you promised he could. Did you?"

Her eyebrow was raised and Don just guiltily nodded his head.

At that Ann went back to the man and kicked him in the ribs with the tip of her shoe as she said, "Sir? Sir? Are you there?" The man's eyes were glazed and his head was just lolling from side to side.

Looking over to where his friends were clustered together she asked, "Are any of you this ... person's ... next of kin, by any chance? A friend, perhaps? We tried our best, but you saw what happened."

She shook her head and spoke, as if to herself, "There's a lesson here, though. It certainly pays to mind one's own business sometimes." Then with her eyes wide she repeated, "Any next of kin? No?"

Then she shrugged and said, "Okay, Duke. Now will you get this ... thing ... out of the lobby before he really stinks up the place? He's obviously fouled his pants already."

Just then Duchess paced over to Duke and snarled, then let out a low growl. With the greatest reluctance, Duke got off the man and slunk after Duchess with his tail dragging.

"Well I'll be damned!" Ann exclaimed. "Leave it to a woman..."

"What did she do?" the woman who had made the threat asked. Her fearful tone suggested she wasn't really sure she wanted to hear the answer.

"Where are you from?" Ann asked. The woman said they were from Berkeley, California. "I would strongly urge you to get as many miles as possible between you and Las Vegas, then," Ann continued. "You see, Duke was told that if he touched that man, either here in the lobby or out front,  he would be sleeping alone for the next month. And I don't have to tell you, he is pissed!"

Then with a smile that was as phony as a $3 bill, she said, "Let me explain the facts of life to you: A Royal Bengal tiger is the world's most efficient hunter. While he prefers to hunt by day, his night vision and his sense of smell are superb. He can swim and climb trees easily. In fact, there is no better-equipped natural hunter on earth. The fact that he has resources he seldom uses in no way means that he can't use them or won't. Normally, he doesn't use them because there's no need for him to. Follow?

"I tell you this only to emphasize that if he wants you, you're dead. If he were to see you anywhere off the hotel property, you're toast! Clear?"

Staring deeply into the woman's eyes she concluded, "And he wants you!" Glancing at her watch she said, "I guess you have thirty minutes or so to get clear."

The woman said a few words to her group, and a moment later they were literally running from the lobby dragging their still unconscious friend on the floor behind them as they did.

Turning to the manager, Don said blandly, "Pardon me for the interruption. But I believe you were telling me of some trouble you were having with the Animal-Rights people... ?"

"'Were having' is correct, Your Grace. Past tense." Then with a warm smile he continued, "May I have the pleasure of showing you to your suite?"

As soon as they were shown around — the suite was the finest in both the hotel and the entire city — the manager said, "Your Grace, there is one matter: Mr. Bill Gates of Microsoft Corporation has been calling personally. He asks that you call him as soon as you can so that he may arrange a personal meeting with the duchesses. What makes it quite different is no one has heard of Mr. Gates ever placing a call personally." With a grin he added, "I suspect his secretary even places calls to his wife for him!"

When the manager excused himself, the whole family broke down in laughter. The girls rolled on the floor with the tigers teasing them about their acting ability. The two lay side by side while Duke nuzzled his sister's neck. "You were great, Sis!"

"And you were great yourself, Brother!" Then the great tigress said, "I suppose they mean well, but they're so incredibly stupid!" Then with a grin she said, "Of course that's not a problem we share. We have the smartest masters and mistresses in the whole world! And the neatest little kids, too."

The girls started out on the floor, but quickly shifted to the tigers' backs using their great heads as head rests. "Mother, this is so incredibly neat! Now that they're full grown, I'll bet..." Mary said, and then interrupted herself.

She snapped her fingers and said, "Guess what we learned? Kathy Carlson says that the greatest experience of her life was being fucked by Ken while lying on Prince's belly. She said they fell asleep that way one time and awakened, lying face to face with Prince's huge forelegs wrapped around them both. She says you've never felt anything so good as being fucked while your back is cradled by the wonderfully soft fur on his belly. Kathy says it's finer than mink!" With her eyes dancing, she said, "The other neat thing is to be bare and just lay on your belly and tease your nipples against his luscious fur."

"Can we do that with you now, Duke?" Marion asked softly.

"Mistress, I am one of the largest of all Bengal tigers now. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to serve as the marriage bed for you and the Duke. Nothing!"

Duchess added, "While you're lying on Duke, Mistress, I'm certain that nothing would give Sheena greater pleasure than to remove the hair from your legs and underarms, and even neaten your pubic patch while you pleasure yourself."

Marion lay back against the sofa, closed her eyes and said softly, "We'll have to marry you off in a hurry then, Duke. I can hardly wait!" Then she opened her eyes and added, "But I am going to wait, anyway. The anticipation is thrilling me already."

Don came back into the room. "I spoke to Gates," he said. "He'll be over here in one hour."

"But Daddy, why aren't we meeting him at his place, or at some neutral location?" Mary asked.

"The Yanks call it 'home field advantage'. And when dealing with William Gates, I'll take any advantage I can find. He has not become the richest man in the world from a standing start by being a fool!"

The girls quickly set up Susie in their own sitting room, showered and then massaged each other's body. With five minutes left, they were back in the living room carefully grooming the already-magnificent tigers. Finally they put a big white ribbon around Duchess's neck, and a big black one around Duke's. At that moment, there was a knock on the door.

Don ushered Gates into the living room and made the introductions. When Don looked at his girls he felt another surge of warmth. They were utterly spectacular sitting regally side by side on the sofa flanked by the tigers who were sitting up proudly beside them. Don offered refreshments and Gates gratefully accepted a drink. He placed a call to room service and just moments later a waiter appeared with drinks, canapés and an additional supply of liquor which he set up in the suite's bar.

With the drinks served, Don took a seat in a side chair flanking the sofa on which the girls were sitting. Marion was facing him, while Gates was in a lounge chair facing the girls. Gates looked closely through his glasses at Don, then the girls, then Marion, and finally, the tigers. After the initial pleasantries, not a word had been said. Don felt like cheering as the girls just sat with their hands clasped on their laps returning Gates' looks with their own steady gaze.

"We surrender," Gates said finally. "You win."

"I don't understand, sir," Mary said in her lovely and very musical voice. "Surrender implies we've been fighting a war. Sir, we have been fighting no one."

"May I review the bidding for you?" Gates replied. "First, it is obvious to me that — despite the cynics and the professional atheists among us — you achieve what you do through the direct intervention of Almighty God. How do I know this? It's very simple:

"Let's start with you, Your Grace. You are 82 years old, and probably the greatest hero alive in the world today. But look at you. My guess is you're about 32, going on 30. I look into your wife's eyes. What do I see? I see love and Divine grace in limitless quantities. But I see something else. I see great joy. Joy, Your Grace, that you create in her body. I see the tell-tale signs. She can't bring her legs together all the way. Why? Because the only thing that truly feels natural to her now is to have them spread as wide as she can get them to welcome you into her wetness as deep as you can possibly get, and because her loins hurt so much, she can't bear the pressure of her thighs being together, either. And Her Grace is such a magnificent woman, she could kill any other ten men with her sex drives. You, sir, keep her satiated. In her I see a truly happy woman."

Turning to Marion, with a warm smile he asked, "Am I correct?"

"You are absolutely correct, Mr. Gates," Marion replied softly. "I am truly satiated. Don maintains my body in constant orgasm for thirty minutes at a time. The only thing beyond is death. And he's had me to the edge many times."

"Now let's look at the tigers. Sir Duke, will you come and shake my hand? How about you, Dame Duchess?"

The two tigers moved smoothly around the table and sat up in front of Gates. Duke extended a paw, which Gates shook. Then he ruffled the fur at Duke's neck evoking a purr. He shook Duchess's paw, then pulled the giant creature close and kissed her softly. To her surprise and everyone else's, Duchess sat up on her haunches, wrapped her forelegs around the slender man, pulled him to her soft chest and kissed him warmly.

Gates wrapped his arms as far around her neck as he could reach and kissed her again. "Thank you both," he said quietly. "That was an utterly wonderful kiss."

Then he grinned and added, "But, Duchess, I'll bet your chosen mate evokes ... a more passionate response ... doesn't he?" Gates howled with laughter as Duchess sprawled out flat on the carpet, and put her paws over her head while she blushed as red as a beet. "And I do love you, Duchess, but not the way your mate will. What's his name, by the way?"

"His name is Jason, sir. He was named for Jason of the Argonauts and the Golden Fleece," Duchess replied as she sat up again.

"I'm sure you'll be very happy, Dame Duchess. And I'm certain Jason will be!" Again she blushed and then retreated to the girls. Mary just held her tightly and stroked her fur. "But what about you, Sir Duke?" Gates asked. "Have you found a mate?"

"Yes, sir, I have," Duke replied bashfully. "Her name is Sheena, sir, and she is the most beautiful Bengal tigress in the whole world! And she loves me. She really does."

Again, Gates extended his hand and shook Duke's paw. "This is all quite new, isn't it?" Marion admitted that they had only learned of it on the way in from Los Angeles. "If you would permit me, then, could I buy some champagne so that we may toast the two young couples?"

"That would be most thoughtful of you, sir," Donald replied.

Gates picked up the phone and a few minutes later waiters appeared with two bottles of Dom Pérignon, five champagne flutes, and two deep compote dishes. Gates poured the champagne, filled the two compotes for the tigers and placed them on the coffee table. He offered toasts to the two couples and they all drank. Although Duke and Duchess had heard about champagne from their parents, it was the first time they had ever tasted it.

"This is very good, Mr. Gates," Duke said. "Thank you very much for providing it and for your good wishes. I am sure Sheena will fall over in a dead faint, when I tell her that Bill Gates of Microsoft bought champagne to toast our mating."

He paused and then added, "She loves your software, sir. We both — all of us — love Flight Simulator. It is such a challenge. And Encarta! There's so much to learn. We just browse by the hour. And it even has a fairly good looking tiger who growls. It's not a great growl, but it is pretty neat."

"I'm very pleased you like it, Duke," Gates said. "I'll see that you get our new one as soon as it's released. It's Encarta 97. It's an update on the one you probably have, but in addition, it has direct access to the Internet. So if the information we give you isn't complete enough, there's a whole world of information within reach just behind it. How does that sound?"

"Surf the Net? Wow!" Duke exclaimed.

"Duke, your mission is to protect the Duke and his family from all harm, isn't it? Even at the sacrifice of your own life, if necessary. Right?"

"Yes, sir," Duke replied softly. "We — Duchess and I — almost sacrificed our lives once already."

Quickly Ann told the story of the cubs in Central Park. She concluded by saying, "They were very small — babies, really. They only weighed 75 pounds each. But the children they were told to protect were attacked, and a woman was shot. They killed three of the attackers but stopped five bullets between them in the process. Duke said it all one time when he said that he might give up his life stopping an attacker, but the attacker would be dead first."

"So what do we have here?" Gates asked rhetorically. Then he shook his head, interrupting himself. "Good grief! At 75 pounds, they kill three men. At — what? 1,100 pounds or so between them? — no one would have a chance!"

Marion quickly told him about the four men who had attempted to burglarize the Carlson's home, and their condition. Gates just grinned and shook his head.

Returning to his subject he said, "We have Royal Bengal tigers, the most efficient and effective predators on the face of the earth. What are they doing? They are protecting families. They use computers. They talk, they laugh, they blush, they fall in love. They are intellectually brilliant, too. But what for? To protect certain families who are vitally important in God's scheme of things! It's the only possible answer. These huge creatures are the living representatives of God on Earth, aren't they?"

The others were silent and impassive, but Duke just said simply, "Yes, sir, we are."

"You puzzled me, Your Grace, for the longest time. I really couldn't figure it out. After all..." Gates stopped and said, "I'm interrupting myself. I want to personally thank you, sir, for your incalculable contribution to Western Civilization. Had it not been for your personal heroism, all of Europe might still be under the Nazi boot."

He paused for a moment and then continued, "We have great heros of our own — Ken Carlson comes to mind — but none who single-handedly may have changed the course of history. I know about the dive-bomber pilots from Enterprise — six minutes that changed the world at Midway Island — but Admiral Yamamoto, the planner of the whole thing, knew that Japan could not possibly defeat the United States. The best possible outcome for them would have been to establish the Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere. But they got greedy. In a sense, they lost when their fleet sailed for Midway. They never should have been there in the first place.

"But you, sir, are different."

Then he refilled the champagne glasses, and raised his up. "Never, in all of history, have so many owed so much to so few! To the very best of the few: Sir Donald Whitfield!"

Marion and the girls proudly saluted Don with their glasses and joined the toast along with the tigers.

"But back to the story," Gates continued. "Certainly, you are worthy of every honor, sir, and from every source. But my people tell me that until just a few weeks ago you were aging, querulous, and the victim of every disease of aging known to man, including Parkinson's, senile dementia, and Alzheimer's. What happened?

"Well, I guess there were a couple of things. First, there's Karla Kosta, Queen of Bohemia, and now your daughter-in-law. There are the two duchesses sitting before me. And there's you, Duchess Marion, until a few short weeks ago one of the best-known and highest-priced call girls in London. You were noted for doing absolutely anything with anyone or ones, if the price was right and it was paid in cash, in advance. And now? You are the closest personal friend of Her Majesty."

He smiled at Marion warmly and said, "You know, you really should check your references some day. You might find out some interesting things. I did, and I did."

He shook his head and grinned boyishly, then continued, "I called Buckingham Palace a couple of days ago and asked to speak to Her Majesty. I told the equerry that it was in connection with a reference for Marion Whitfield. In just a moment, Her Majesty herself picked up the phone — an unprecedented occurrence, I'm told. I told her I was checking on you.

"She said, 'Marion Whitfield is my closest and dearest friend. I would trust her with my life. Her honesty, her integrity, and her morality are above reproach. She is the finest woman in England today, if not in the whole wide world. Is that clear enough, Mr. Gates?' I said it was perfectly clear.

"Notice, please, that the Queen of England herself has certified your moral character as being above reproach. Now I happen to know that Her Majesty is one of the shrewdest judges of people in the world. Did you fool her? I doubt that very much.

"What did happen, then, and why? What happened was you suffered torture to purify both your body and your soul. You were selected to be Donald Whitfield's mate. But why? He's 82! To be honest, he had one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel."

Everyone — particularly Don — howled over Gates' quip. Don just rapidly nodded his head up and down.

"There can be only one reason," Gates continued. "God determined that Karla, Maria, and Anna needed a mother and father. They needed someone to counsel with and to love them unconditionally. You were selected. You, Your Grace, because of your character and achievements. You, Duchess Marion, because of your warmth, your love, your wisdom, and your capacity to create joy."

Gates snapped his fingers as he remembered something important. "Back to the Queen for a moment. I forgot to mention that she loves being with you because of your infinite capacity to create joy in everyone around you. She says that when she's in your presence, she's enjoying life more than at any time since her coronation. And she asked me to tell you she misses you terribly and to get your trim little ass back to England where it belongs!"

"I miss Liz, too," Marion said softly. "She really is a charming woman. And we had such fun when she and Anne came to visit."

"Oops! You just reminded me," Gates continued. "She also asked me to ask if you might put in a good word for Anne at the Windmill Theatre." Then he asked, "Isn't that the theater with the nude girls on stage? They even continued their shows right through the London Blitz?" Marion just giggled and nodded.

"But that's it, isn't it?" With his eyes now piercing he looked at Ann and said, "Duchess Anna, what do you think of Marion Whitfield?"

With her head high and her green eyes blazing, Ann replied in a strong voice, "Marion Whitfield is my mother, and no girl ever had a better one. I love her. I adore her. I will do absolutely anything for her!"

"What if she needed a heart transplant and you were the only possible donor?" he asked quietly.

"I would donate my heart to her joyfully. I would melt my lips to hers and watch as they anaesthetized her. Then I would watch as they cut into my chest, broke through my rib cage and removed my beating heart. I would rejoice!" Ann exclaimed.

"And I believe you would, too," Gates said softly. "So anyway, we surrender."

"I'm confused," Mary said. "You run — and essentially own — the most successful software operation in the world. What are you doing?"

"One of Kenny Rogers' greatest hit songs was called, 'The Gambler'. It was so successful, in fact, that they actually used the song as the plot for a TV movie he later starred in. In the song there are a set of lines, 'know when to hold 'em, and know when to fold 'em... ' Well, this is the time to fold 'em, so I am. I surrender. I quit."

"But why?" Mary asked, utterly baffled.

"Because I can handle all sorts of competitors, and have. But I cannot take on Almighty God. And He's on your side. So I surrender. Now, the real reason for our meeting today is to negotiate surrender terms. Are you willing to accept Microsoft Corporation's surrender?"

Ann was just shaking her head, but she said, "We're listening. What do you have in mind?"

"Three things," Gates began. "First, we distribute Noble Software through Microsoft channels. It will remain yours, with your name, logo, packaging ... everything. I guess we'd sort of like 'Distributed by Microsoft Corporation' somewhere on the box, if you could work it in." He grinned and continued. "Noble will receive 90 percent of the gross revenue from those sales. We keep 10 percent for manufacturing, marketing and distribution." He looked at the others and asked, "How does it sound so far?"

"Let me see if I understand what you're saying," Mary replied. "You handle the manufacturing, packaging, marketing and distribution for 10 percent. We get 90 percent for just writing it? It's crazy."

"Am I correct in assuming you have no problem with me being crazy?" Gates asked with a grin. "If not, let's go on to number two. We have an enormous market research organization. In fact, on a standalone basis, it's larger than all but a couple of other software companies. They're constantly coming up with neat ideas for new software." Then, although it seemed that his face fell, Gates still grinned. "The problem is, we can't write the damned stuff."

Then he fastened on the girls with his eyes. Now they felt like the bugs pinned to a dissecting tray. "Let me tell you about your first software, Helper. You saw someone — Steve Sloan is my bet — working, probably on an involved mathematically-based spread sheet. There aren't a lot of data points, but the equations are numerous and a real bitch to enter. So you wrote Helper. What is it? Just a little-bitty thing that watches what the user's doing. When it sees a work pattern, it remembers. So the next time Steve went to use his dumb spread sheet, he made two entries and the computer just asked for the rest of his data points. End of work. Am I right?"

"Yes, Mr. Gates, you are exactly right," Mary admitted.

"Could you all do me a real big favor? Could you call me 'Bill'?"

"And I'm Mary. This is Ann, Marion, Don, Duke and Duchess. Okay?"

"Okay," Bill agreed. Then he asked, "I have one question about Mayday,  though. When it installs over Windows 95,  why doesn't it just shitcan the whole damned thing and free up about 100 mg. on the hard drive? With Mayday running it's about as useful as tits on a bull!"

Ann grinned at his characterization and replied, "There are two reasons. First, there's some junk in there that Mary and I were just too lazy to dig out. The desktop icons, the general layout and that good stuff. It's easier to let it stay there. Second, and more important, you spent tens of millions introducing Windows 95. We didn't have 100 pennies between us. So it seemed to us to be a lot easier to position it as an ad-in rather than a replacement. Even if it is one."

"Brilliant!" Gates exclaimed. "Of course! It makes all kinds of sense. And regardless of the native system, the user boots up his machine and sees all the familiar things in the familiar places, no matter how kludgy the stupid layout might be. It's a familiar kludge. Right?" Again the girls grinned and rapidly nodded.

"Anyway, I'm sure you're able to write software to do absolutely anything. So maybe my people can point you in some interesting directions. How's that sound?"

"So far, so good," Mary said. "What's the third thing?"

"We announce an alliance between Noble Software and Microsoft Corporation. I explain to the world what we're doing and what we intend to do. Oh! One more thing: Microsoft Corporation guarantees the performance and compatibility of Noble Software with any computer system in the world. That's it."

Mary looked at Ann who just nodded her head firmly. Then Mary excused herself to call Steve. A few moments later she returned and said, "Bill, at a special meeting of the Board of Directors of Noble Software, the Directors voted to accept Microsoft's offer. The vote was three to zero, with one abstention."

With a grin she added, "The abstention was Karla who's on some obscure island getting her brains fucked out by Doug Whitfield." Then she went to him and said, "Would you stand up, please, Bill?"

He did, and Mary took him in her arms, cocked her head and unloaded with all of her power. In just an instant, Gates was unconscious. Gently she lowered him to his seat and went back to the sofa.

A few minutes later, Bill rolled his head groggily from side to side and then shook it gently. They laughed because it looked like he was afraid it would fall off. Very slowly he eased himself up in the chair and then waited for a few more minutes while he tried to get his brain in gear.

Finally he said softly, "Smartest move you ever made, Gates! A brilliant strategic surrender."

Then he howled with laughter when Ann asked with a straight face if it was her turn yet. Then he said, "I love that Biblical line, 'They have eyes, but they do not see.' That describes the media to a 'T'!"

Then he looked at the girls carefully and said, "Joyce Johnson had it exactly right, didn't she? One brain runs at the power of the other!" He just slowly shook his head and then said, "And it's coupled with a level of love, joy, and Divine grace that surpasses understanding. Except for one thing: Whatever comes from you women will be good, and I don't mean in just a computer sense. I mean it will be truly good for mankind."

Then he rose, emptied the champagne bottles and asked, "Could we drink to our new association?"

They all did, with pleasure.

After drinking the toast, Bill said, "Well, I guess it's time to put the Microsoft minions to work. And last time I counted, there are a lot of minions to be put to work!"



-------

Chapter 53



When Bill Gates calls a press conference in Las Vegas on the eve of COMDEX, it is news. Moreover, because it was the eve of COMDEX, everyone who is anyone in the computer news media was already in town anyway. And when it was overlaid with the presence in town of two Nobel-prize-winning beauties, there were substantial numbers from the general media, as well. Finally, when Bill Gates puts out the word to his PR people that all chits are to be called for immediate collection, people jump, and jump high.

The result was a near-packed house in the ballroom of the Whitfield's hotel. This too was the cause for some consternation, since no one connected with Microsoft was staying there nor ever had. The hotel had a reputation — in Las Vegas terms — of being staid. This means it would have been the hottest place in town almost anywhere else in the country.

When Gates came out on the podium and went to the rostrum, there was more buzzing from the professional Microsoft-watchers in the room. This included almost all of them. The reason for the buzz was that Gates was out on stage alone. This had not happened in more years than anyone could remember. He was known for appearing amidst a small — or not so small — army of Microsoft people. But not this afternoon.

Today, Gates emerged and then held the curtain for the people following. First was a giant tiger who paced out while peering with baleful eyes at the people gathered before him. He was followed by two beautiful girls, instantly recognized as the Nobel-prize winners, and then another giant tiger. He took his position on one side of the microphone and positioned the girls on the other. The two tigers took house-cat poses flanking the rostrum.

"Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you for coming," Gates began. "First, I want to apologize for the short notice, but I will give you my personal assurance that just sixty minutes ago there was nothing for me to report."

He smiled and the reporters noticed that he seemed uncharacteristically relaxed. In fact, he seemed to be having a great deal of fun. "Second, I want to introduce the young ladies standing beside me. On my immediate right, the dark-haired one is Duchess Mary, and on her right, Duchess Ann. I won't bore you with their full titles. I'm sure you all have them at your office, but if you don't you can get them from us on the Internet.

"In addition, sitting beside me is Dame Duchess. A few weeks ago she was elevated by Her Majesty, Elizabeth II, to the rank of Knight Commander of the Military Order of the Bath. And flanking me on the far side is her brother, Duke, who was similarly honored. For those of you who think this is a joke, I assure you, it is not. The rank is abbreviated, KCB. Among those bearing this designation are the Duke of Wellington, the hero of Waterloo; and Horatio Lord Nelson, the hero of Trafalgar. It is not a shabby honor.

"But what is the purpose of this press conference? It is to announce an alliance between Microsoft Corporation and Noble Software."

He paused and grinned, then continued, "You know what? Never has a company been more appropriately named than Noble Software. Standing beside me are the owners of 60 percent of the company. If I wanted to keep you here all night, all I would have to do is begin to recite the full list of their titles, including the minor ones. It would take all night. Then the owner of another 25 percent of the company — not present this evening — is Queen Karla of Bohemia. Now when a queen and two duchesses own 85 percent of a company, I think it qualifies as noble, don't you?"

The reporters chuckled and lightly applauded.

"But what is the alliance for? Under our agreement, Microsoft will manufacture, distribute and market all Noble software. Noble will write it, prepare the documentation, and the package design." He paused and mused, "'Documentation'? Right..." He drew out the word while he slowly shook his head. "That's a joke. Do you know what the complete documentation for Mayday is? It says, '1. Insert disk in compact-disk drive. 2. Enter.' That's it. That is absolutely all there is. From there on, it does whatever it needs to do by itself.

"There is one other announcement I will make prior to opening up for questions. Effective immediately, Microsoft Corporation is guaranteeing the compatibility of Noble Software with any computer, of any size, from any manufacturer." Then he grinned and added, "Of course 'The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away.' In this case, the take-away consists of a 40 percent price increase, also effective immediately. Those are our announcements, and now are there any questions?"

A reporter in the front shot his hand up and was recognized. "Can you tell us the terms of the contract? How long does it run, for example?"

The girls exchanged looks. This was a question that hadn't even occurred to them. Bill fielded it with aplomb. "Good question, Steve. The contract is good until canceled by mutual consent or by Noble Software at its sole option. Next?"

"Bill, wait!" the reporter protested. "Let me see if I heard you correctly. Noble — these young women — can cancel at any time. The two of you — Noble and Microsoft — can agree to cancel at any time. But Microsoft, on its own cannot cancel at any time for any reason. Is that what I heard?"

"That's what I said, so I'm glad that's what you heard," Bill replied with a grin. "Next?"

His announcement of the terms was literally stunning. The chairman, principal shareholder, and effective owner of Microsoft had just announced that his company could not cancel the contract at any time for any reason.

Another reporter was recognized. "Mr. Gates, I just don't understand. You're giving these girls life-or-death power over your company. Why?"

"Another good question!" Bill said. "It's because I know these girls very well. Better in some ways than they know themselves. You see, if I ever get a call from them regarding the contract, it will be to change something that they think is unfair... to Microsoft! In these two women — and in their sister, the Queen — I am working with the most honest, most honorable, fairest people alive. They could no more take advantage of a business partner than they could fly."

He stopped and waved his hands. "Stop everything. I take it back. There is, in fact, a far greater chance they could fly than ever take advantage of a partner."

He paused and then said, "I'm going to say something that most of you — being career atheists — will ignore. But I'm going to say it anyway. You see, these young women are just loaded with God's Sanctifying Grace. In a word, they're holy. Every single thing these girls do is for the greater glory of Almighty God! That's why I can trust them. Because I trust Him!"

He paused to let his words sink in. "How loaded with grace are these girls? Earlier, after we reached this agreement, one of them kissed me. I was unconscious for the next five minutes! That is the power of her love."

Then he paused and reached out his hands to the girls. They all joined hands and bowed their heads. "Almighty God, Father of us all, we ask You this afternoon to bless our undertaking. For through greater knowledge may come greater understanding, and from greater understanding may come a greater appreciation for all the gifts You have bestowed upon us, and a greater appreciation of Your Divine works. Ultimately, it may lead to our understanding that the only way to Eternal Salvation is through You, O Lord, and through the suffering and death of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen."

At that instant there was a thunderous crash, and then a golden glow descended upon the three of them and the two tigers. It grew in intensity to rival the sun, then burst, covering the room and everything in it with gold. Then to the utter astonishment of both Ann and Mary, there was a chorus of thousands of voices singing a Czech hymn of joy. The music thundered in the room and was heard for miles in all directions. The three just remained standing with their heads bowed until it ended. When it did, the golden glow slowly dissipated and the reporters began to get up off the floor. They had all been knocked flat.

Still no one had said anything. All Bill had asked the girls was if the language of the song was Czech. When he was assured that it was, he just said, "I thought so."

When it appeared that things were back to being as close to normal as they could be, Gates said, "Well, I will take that as approval of our agreement from the very Highest Authority. And for those of you who don't understand Czech, that hymn you heard was an ode of joy. The singers? Thousands of Czech patriots who gave their lives that one day their country might be free. And I think it was a tribute also to the missing member of our merry band, Queen Karla. She is on her honeymoon right now. But as many of you know, she has been recognized by her government as her nation's greatest hero. Since all three of Noble's nobles are Czech, I guess there's a certain amount of well-deserved national pride, too."

Then he looked around and asked, "Any more questions?"

"Yes, sir," a reporter yelled from the back. "Can you tell us anything about new software in the pipeline from Noble?"

"Great question!" Bill enthused. Then he listed off the ten top-priority items that his research people had identified, but which his own R&D people had said were impossible to develop. Ann just looked at Mary and crossed her eyes, causing Mary to giggle merrily.

"A follow-up, sir!" the same reporter yelled. "When do you expect the first of the new titles?"

"We hope to have the first one out within eight weeks, and all of them within twelve months," Gates replied. "As you can see, we are truly looking forward to this relationship."

"Mr. Gates," a reporter called out, "what caused you to enter into it?"

"A really great question," Gates replied. "I made up my mind in late December. You see, we were having one of our occasional knock-down, drag-out fights in the executive committee up in Redmond. I was on my favorite hobbyhorse: voice recognition software. I can remember screaming, 'We've got to have it!' My entire technical group were on their feet screaming, 'It can't be done!' Anyway, the damned meeting didn't break up until nearly midnight.

"On the way home, I hear a news bulletin on the radio, but I was too groggy for it to quite register. But when I got home, I turned on CNN, and guess what? A couple of young women had done it. It's operational. And it's quite complex. To give you an idea of its complexity, Windows 95 is about 95 megabytes on the hard drive. Corel's Perfect Office — if you load the whole thing — is about 400 megabytes. Mayday? Now there's a sophisticated program. It's about 650 kilobytes!

"But their voice program? It's a giant. You may not believe it, but it's almost a full megabyte! It really is. But it's worse than that. I learned earlier today that the girls were intending to sell it for about $39 retail. When I asked why, the redhead, Duchess Ann, was embarrassed. Finally she admitted that it was not only nearly a full megabyte in size, but it's not even complete! It requires the computer to have Mayday installed first. So, since it's really only an ad-in, they thought that $39 sounded about right. In case you haven't been paying attention, it's out, they're selling it, and it's called Do-It!"

Then Bill shook his head and said, "I can see one problem with these girls, though. The problem? While I sort of think we should be selling the stuff, these kids just give it away."

He grinned and continued, "But I mean, it's for a good cause and all. Don't you believe in offering a good price to the poor and the downtrodden? Well these kids do, too. So to whom do you suppose they gave a copy of Do-It! a couple of weeks ago? Her Royal Highness, Elizabeth II, Queen of England, Scotland, Wales and other assorted pieces of real estate. Now there's a deserving charity for you! No way could she afford to spring for a copy." Everyone howled with laughter, particularly the girls.

"Anyway, when I find they can do something in less than one megabyte that the finest computer geniuses in the world insist can't be done at all, I have to conclude I'm working with the wrong geniuses."

Suddenly he turned serious and continued, "I have made light of a great deal this afternoon. But I am also here today to pay tribute to these two young women. I have told you about the purity of their souls. Well, I should also tell you about the power of their brains. I like to think that one of the reasons for Microsoft's success is, where computers and software are concerned, I'm just a little smarter than the average bear. And one thing I do know: I am standing beside the greatest scientific geniuses of our day, and, I submit, of any day! I am just smart enough to be able to talk to these girls about the problems. The two of them — and maybe their computer, Susie — are the only ones who can deal with the solutions.

"But there's one more thing I will tell you: Not only do they come up with solutions, they come up with what we like to call elegant solutions. What's an elegant solution? It's one that is clean, simple, logical and neat. Typically, it's also very compact, and as a result, very strong. That's another way of saying it doesn't crash.

"You want elegant? How about Mayday? Earlier I gave you its size — 650 kilobytes. Guess what? Over two thirds of it is nothing more than translation software so it can work with any computer, regardless of size, ever built. The actual working module, the one that does absolutely everything is ... Ready... ? less than 200 kilobytes! Now how's that for elegant? And oh yes! One more thing. There are well over one-million installations of Mayday already. Of course, now Microsoft's on the scene, so sales will really pick up. But there has not been a single report of a Mayday system crash. Never! Nowhere!"

"Anyway, if I seem happy today, it's only because I am. I can't tell you how thrilled I am to be working with these girls. Oh! One more thing. I'm sure you're all familiar with the famous NIH syndrome? Not Invented Here? Well, I like to think that at Microsoft, we're a lot better than most other companies. On the other hand, we employ human-type people, too.

"As a result, where Noble Software is concerned, there will be a single point of contact at Microsoft. It avoids a lot of mess and confusion. And if you haven't already guessed, that point of contact is me. And since I really love these girls, that's why I'm so happy. I'll be talking with them regularly." He just grinned out at the reporters

"Sir, another question, if I may," a reporter shouted. "You were quite eloquent when you told us what these young women are going to be doing. If I'm not being presumptuous, what does Microsoft Corporation bring to the party. It's their software, after all."

"Great question!" Gates enthused. "First, there's our market research. We tell them what to make. Now isn't that a valuable contribution? Second, we provide marketing, public relations and distribution. And theirs really needs help. It's lame!"

He grinned, reached under the rostrum and pulled out a stack of newspapers. "Take PR, for example. Just look at these papers when they announced Do-It!. Take The Times of London, for example." He held it up and the writers could all see the three-column color picture of the girls and the banner headline announcing their achievement. Bill frowned and admitted that that was okay.

Then he held up The New York Times. "Ah ha!" he exclaimed triumphantly. "Look at this! Their story isn't even in the prime news spot in the upper right." He looked closely and added, "There's just a stupid story about a dumb war breaking out in some obscure place. Their story is practically buried on the left-hand column. They didn't get a banner headline, either." He looked thoughtful for a moment and added, "Of course, I guess The Times' banner headlines could be counted on the fingers of one hand ... like the end of World War II." But then he brightened and added, "Just look at their picture! It is three columns, I admit, but it's not even in color!" Then he added glumly, "Of course I don't think the paper has color capability yet, either."

He looked around the room as he put the newspapers back and took out a stack of magazines. After thumbing through the stack, Bill pulled one out and held it up. "Now let's get closer to home: computer trade magazines. Here's one. You'll notice, Mayday didn't even get the cover!" His face fell as he added, "All they did was slap a red streamer across it, four inches wide." He paused briefly and then continued, "Of course the announcement was made six hours before the issue closed, and they were too cheap to rip out the cover."

Gates shook his head and then said, "What about product reviews? Well, here's one that's practically a pan. They only gave Mayday 15 stars out of a possible five. And the writer didn't even insist that the reader take out a second mortgage on his house to buy it, either." He grinned and continued, "But as I said, they practically panned it. My people checked very carefully and tabulated the rankings. Mayday averaged 37 stars out of a possible five, so 15 is really a pan, isn't it?"

He looked around the room and then continued, "Now, if the Microsoft public-relations operation had been doing the job, they would have really gotten some good coverage. I happen to know that there was scarcely a mention of it in that day's papers in eastern Siberia. And, there was nothing at all in the Japanese papers. Nothing! Good Heavens! And with all the high-tech electronics coming from there... ?"

Then he frowned and said, "Of course someone said something to me about time zones and international datelines and stuff, but I'm sure it was just another lame excuse.

"Just because the Siberian and Japanese papers had already been delivered that morning is a pretty lame excuse, don't you all agree?" There were howls of laughter from the crowd, and Bill just nodded. "I knew you would." Then his face fell and he added, "Of course they did get entire front pages the next day ... But hell, a day late doesn't count, does it? And I'll tell you one thing: With my PR crew on the job, it would have been in those papers, by God!"

Gates put the magazines away and just looked around the room. "But that's not all. We can improve their product distribution. Why, our man in Ulan Bator tells me there's not a single copy of Mayday in Outer Mongolia. Not one!" He looked thoughtful for a moment and then, sounding as if he was thinking out loud, added, "Of course, there doesn't seem to be a single operational computer in Outer Mongolia, either." Then he brightened, snapped his fingers and added, "But that reminds me! Mayday doesn't run for shit on an abacus, either." At that the reporters howled with laughter.

"Jim, did I answer your question? I'm sure you can see now that Noble Software scarcely survived without the Microsoft connection. But now we'll really get this company moving! Don't you all agree?" He grinned and all the others laughed.

"Any more questions? No? Thank you all for coming, and God bless!"

The reporters gathered up their things, musing about what they had just seen. It was obvious that Bill Gates was genuinely happy and excited to be working with the girls, in spite of the way the deal seemed to so overwhelmingly favor Noble Software.

Meanwhile on the podium, Bill reached out to Mary, took her in his arms and kissed her. She was very careful with her kiss as was Ann who followed her into his arms. Then he just shook his head and said, "You two are too damned much! Now I'm going to go back to the hotel and rape my wife. Maybe I'll be able to inject into her and our baby some of the joy and grace you just gave me."

Then being serious he added, "And I hope you know I am serious. Truly, I am looking forward to working together with you closely." Then he wrote a series of private phone and fax numbers on the back of his business card, along with his top-secret personal E-mail address.

-------

The next morning after breakfast the girls drove over to the gigantic convention center that was the center of COMDEX. Even though it was one of the largest such centers in the world, the convention still spilled out of it into other halls and hotels. As Ann drove their convertible, Mary grinned and motioned toward the back. Duke and Duchess were sitting up proudly with the wind ruffling their fur, while the car was almost down on its spring stops because of their great weight. The night before, Bill Gates had told them that as the guests of honor of the convention they had top VIP privileges, one of which was valet parking at the entrance to the center. As their car rolled to a stop, cameras flashed from every direction as photographers recorded their arrival.

Flanked by the tigers, they entered the center, were greeted effusively by the convention's general manager and given their VIP badges. The instant they entered the great hall itself, they were mobbed by waiting reporters. That lasted for only a moment until the two tigers bared their razor-sharp teeth and emitted threatening growls.

"They do seem to get the message, don't they?" Ann commented blithely as the reporters pushed backward to open some room between the girls and themselves.

One reporter diffidently asked, "They are your protectors, aren't they? The tigers, I mean."

"Indeed they are," Mary agreed, "and they're really quite effective, don't you agree?" The reporter could only nod. "But they're so much more!" Mary continued. "They are our friends, too."

With that she ruffled the fur at Duke's neck, then gave him a warm kiss. He was now so large that, when sitting up in his house-cat pose the way he was, the top of his head was almost even with her own. She gave him a warm kiss, and the tiger scared the reporters until they realized that the very loud rumble they were hearing was a tiger's purr.

The questions continued, and the girls answered them with the aplomb normally found in the most experienced politicians. When Ann looked at her watch and noticed the time, she said that they had to go. But since even more reporters were now gathered around, the questions didn't stop. They did stop suddenly, though, when the two tigers loudly growled again, bared their teeth and started to move forward. Instantly, a path opened up in front of them.

"Sister, this is really fun!" Mary declared. "Although Duke and Duchess don't speak to the reporters, they do seem to be very effective with their communications." Ann just grinned.

With space now cleared for them, the girls got their first good look at the layout. It was apparent that Bill Gates' minions had been very busy overnight. The giant hall was almost papered over with huge banners proclaiming the Microsoft-Noble Software alliance.

Going over to the huge Microsoft booth, they found it hard to find any Microsoft software. There were just three giant demonstration areas running Helper, Mayday and Do-It!. The Microsoft people manning the booth seemed to be overflowing with enthusiasm for the new products they were promoting. In response to a manager's request, the girls sat down and began autographing copies of the three software titles.

Even though the signed copies were priced at three times the price of the software alone, they were snapped up as fast as the girls could sign their names. Finally, they were rescued by Bill Gates himself, who chided his manager for only tripling the price. To the girls, he winked and said he was delighted to see they were finally learning some economics.

Then, personally accompanied by Bill, they were shown around the hall. At every booth, even those of software competitors, they were greeted with awe verging on reverence.

"And these people are your competitors," Gates pointed out. "On the other hand, they know enough about computers and software to recognize greatness when they see it."

What utterly stunned the girls, but caused Gates merely to shrug, was the finding that every computer featured the fact that it was powered by Mayday. "They're not stupid," Gates commented. "And they know damned well that now that I've got my hands on it, the price is going only one way: up!"

Finally, with her head spinning, Ann said, "But they really seem to like it! This isn't faked for our benefit, is it? Or is it?"

"Will you both try to accept a very simple concept?" Gates replied. "You are geniuses. It's been said before, but I will say it again. Any number of people know about Einstein's Theory of Relativity. There are even a few people who claim to understand it. But with you two? Hah! Everyone knows what it does, but no one — and I mean no one! — has the first foggy clue about how it does what it does. And you want to know something else? What I said yesterday stood them on their ear!"

"What was that?" Ann asked, genuinely puzzled.

"When I said that about two-thirds of Mayday's size is used in translation software. Given what they observe Mayday doing, they cannot believe it. One guy said it best, I think. He said, 'My God! I think there has to be more things that stuff can do than there are total lines of code!' And he's right!" With a big smile he added, "So what you were seeing is very real."

Then he snapped his fingers and said, "By the way, what did you think of the attitude of my people at our booth?"

"They seemed pretty happy. Enthusiastic, in fact," Mary said, failing to see any significance in Gates' question. "But why do you ask?"

"Because you're right. They are enthusiastic. And do you want to know why? Because for the first time in their careers at Microsoft, they're selling software that does everything they say it does and far more besides. And that's true regardless of how long they've been with the company, because it's been true since the first edition of DOS. We always made promises the software couldn't possibly deliver. But that's all changed now.

"And the reason they know it's changed and why they're all so enthusiastic is that, without a single exception, they're running Mayday on their own computers at home. And they love it!"

He grinned and added, "I'm not supposed to know this, of course, but the fact is that my people have been pulling all kinds of strings and setting up all sorts of under-the-table deals to get their own copies. So, kids, for the first time in their careers they can tell a prospect how great the software is and really mean it. They don't even have to have their fingers crossed behind their backs!"

"Bill Gates," Ann began with her emerald eyes dancing, "I don't care what other people say! I think you're a pretty nice guy."

He was starting to feel hurt, when he realized her eyes were dancing with merriment. Then he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Meanwhile, the two tigers were pacing on opposite sides of the little group and staring balefully at anyone who in their opinion was coming too close to their beloved mistresses.

When they eased away from their kiss, Ann was holding Bill to keep him from falling on his face. When he could finally get his eyes to focus again, he shook his head and said, "I'm getting better. I didn't even fall on my face." He grinned and added, "Thanks to you, Ann, of course."

Then he said, "You'll never guess what happened when I got home last night! My wife, Melinda, just stripped off her clothing, dropped my pants, made me lie on the floor on my back and impaled herself. She said our infant desperately needed your love that she could see in my eyes. And that was the first time in weeks she's let me near her. When I asked what her obstetrician would say, she said, 'Phooey! I'll tell her to get her own cock.' After we made love, I told her what had happened, and she said she could see the love in my eyes the instant I came through the door and desperately wanted it and wanted our infant to have it, too.

"Oh! I'm under strict orders not to return home without another load of your love. Even after I told her that I had been unconscious for five minutes and had almost been killed, she just looked at me with her eyes as big as saucers and said, 'But, Bill! It's for our baby.' 'But I might die!' I screamed. 'It's for our baby, darling, ' she repeated. 'And besides, you've got lots of insurance.'"

Pretending to glare at the girls he said, "Do you realize what you've done? If I were to die kissing you two, do you know what Melinda would do? All she would do would be to rush to my corpse and kiss it to try to absorb as much of your love as she could before they buried me. Thanks a hell of a lot!"

"You're quite welcome, Mr. Gates," Mary said sweetly.

He just shook his head and chuckled. "Incidentally, Melinda also told me to invite you to our place at any time. You will always be welcome."

"What if we want to come when Melinda's in labor?" Ann asked.

"Do you really want an answer? Because I'll give you one, anyway. If you did, she would not go to the hospital at all. After shooing me out of the house, she would get a plastic sheet and spread it on the carpet. Then she would lie with her head on one of your laps, while the other eased the baby out of her birth canal. When I pointed out that the pain would kill her, she said, 'No it won't. I will just look into the eyes of the one above me. She will lower her head to mine and kiss me. The joy and love she pours into me would drown out any amount of pain. And the first hands to touch our infant would be the hands of one touched by God Himself. Could there possibly be anything better?'" Very softly he added, "That's what Melinda thinks."

First Ann and then Mary kissed the man. Mary continued to hold him while his head cleared, then he was off. When they asked where he was going he just smiled warmly and said he was going home to give Melinda another injection of love.



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Chapter 54



Since the land around Las Vegas is so flat and there are relatively few roads, Ann had no trouble at all finding the country club where Mike and Mark were scheduled to go off at the first tee an hour later. They changed in the ladies' locker room and then went to the practice tee with Duke and Duchess pacing beside them. It was the tigers' first time on a golf course and the animals kept their eyes casting around to take everything in. They had been fitted with light harnesses to enable them to carry the girl's golf bags so they could caddy for them.

Aside from providing protection and companionship, the tigers offered other advantages. First, quite by accident, Ann had found that with their wide-spaced eyes the animals had superb depth perception resulting in an ability to visually measure distance that rivaled top optical range-finders. When this ability was discovered, working with Susie, the computer, the two huge animals studied the game of golf, including its rules, but particularly focusing on club selection. Duke was caddying for Mary, while Duchess was carrying Ann's bag.

On the practice tee, the fun began. Sitting beside Mary, Duke looked down the range and selected the 150-yard marker. First, he reported that the distance was incorrect; it was 145 yards. Second, because the ground sloped down from the practice tee, she needed a shorter club than normal for the distance and recommended one. Having taken her initial warm-ups, she took the indicated club, swung normally and hit the ball high into the air. It landed right at the base of the post supporting the marker, and Duke congratulated her on her lovely golf shot.

The two girls repeated the process aiming for different targets on the practice range with the same result. They finally decided that, inside 250 yards, the tigers distance estimates were accurate to within a single yard. Moreover, they were natural-born judges of terrain. It was shaping up to be a very interesting day.

Finally they walked over to the first tee. Mark and Mike Campbell were waiting there for them, having just learned what the girls already knew: the pro had paired them to create a foursome.

"Hi!" Mark greeted Ann. "I'm Mike Campbell."

He held out his hand and Ann just looked at him. "Do you want to try again, Mark?" she asked. "Or did you forget what I said the last time?" Then she just shook her head and said, "Mark, I think you and your twin need a lesson. I think I heard somewhere that you're looking for some money for your company. Is that correct?" When he said it was, she continued, "How does $500 million sound? Free and clear. No cost to you."

Mark was stunned. "Who do we shoot, and then which bank do we rob?"

Ann reached into a pocket of her golf bag, took out her Morgan-Guaranty check book, and wrote a check payable to him in the amount of $250 million. But she didn't sign it. Holding it out to him, she said, "I'll sign this check — and Mary will sign another in the same amount — if you can beat us on the golf course this afternoon. How's that sound?"

"As a joke, it sounds pretty good," he admitted. "But as a check? Get serious! I could write one just like it payable to you, but it would lack $249 million and large change of clearing."

She took the check back, wrote a phone number on its back, and told him it was the phone number of the Private Banking Division at Morgan. They would tell him if the check was any good.

He cocked his head and said, "You're serious, aren't you?" When she assured him she was, he took the check and went back toward the pro shop. "But I'll get the number from Long-Distance Information, if it's all the same to you." A couple of minutes later he came back looking pale.

"What did they say, Mark?" his brother asked.

"The guy — a vice president, yet — took my call. I told him I had a check from Ann Whitfield. He said, 'It's good.' 'But I didn't tell you the amount, ' I said. 'Is it for more than $10 billion?' he asked. Stunned, I said it wasn't. 'Then it's good.'"

Mark shook his head trying to clear it and then added, "I asked him what if I had said it was for more than $10 billion? He told me that in that case there might be some delay; he would have to work it out with his money desk." Then he turned back to Ann and said, "Okay, if I beat you, you give me $250 million. But what if — by some miracle — you win? What happens then?"

"Oh," she said with a happy grin, "that's easy. You just sign over your shares in your company to me. We know that without the money — and you haven't had much luck raising any, have you? — the company's toast. So the company wouldn't be worth much, anyway, without the new money."

He shrugged and shook on the bet, while Mike did the same with Mary. As the men stretched — neither had been to the practice tee — Mark said, "Wait a minute. On this course, they give away miles to the ladies' tees. You have to play from the whites with us!"

Ann appeared reluctant, but finally agreed. While her face was impassive, inwardly she wanted to cheer. Both she and Mary knew that they had to play from the men's tees. The distances off the ladies' tees were often too short for their game.

Then Ann said, "To show you what ladies we are, since we're going off the men's tees, we'll even give you the honors on the first tee. So hit!"

The course they were playing was a typical desert course. It had lots of bunkers, but was basically very flat. In spite of its irrigation system, the fairways were quite hard so a well-hit ball carried a long way. As a result, in yardage, the course was very long but very flat. With their tremendous power it was ideal for the girls' game. Their accuracy virtually ensured that the sand bunkers wouldn't be much of a factor, either.

However, the greens were very large in area, so it was quite common to have first putts longer than 100 feet. But with their short-game accuracy and putting skill, that posed no problem, either.

Mark led off with a very nice drive that landed about 200 yards out, and rolled another 25. He was quite proud of it, and looked it. Mike followed, but he pushed his drive off to the right and caught a trap on the right edge of the fairway. The girls flipped a coin, and Ann went first. She had really been letting out her swing at the end of her practice, and while the first hole was very long — it was a 445-yard par 4 — it was straight to the pin.

She took her stance, took a deep breath and let it out, then addressed the ball. She really got her hips and legs into her shot and loved the sound the driver made as it struck the ball perfectly in the heart of its sweet spot. Only when she finished her follow-through did she look up and pick up the ball in flight. It was in a low but still-rising trajectory just to the right of the fairway centerline. Finally it came down and landed at a shallow angle that would maximize the roll. With the top-spin put on the ball by her slight draw, the ball continued to run and finally came to a stop.

"That was 285 yards in the air, Mistress, and another 30 on the roll," Duchess informed her. You hit it 315 yards." Then she paused and added, "It was a truly beautiful golf shot."

The men had watched the whole process and were now utterly stunned. "My God!" Mark said in stunned amazement, "Davis Love, III, and John Daly don't hit drives that far!"

"No, they don't," Ann agreed. "I know Love holds his down to about 275. He says that beyond that he just gets into trouble — driving through doglegs and things like that. I was just showing off. I apologize."

"Your apology is not accepted," Mark said with a grin. "Never apologize for a shot like that! It was utterly magnificent. It must be almost 300 yards out."

"It's 315," she said. "It was 285 on the fly, and the rest was roll." When he looked at her with a question in his eye, she just pointed to Duchess, who sat there with a smug grin on her face.

Mary's drive was almost a carbon copy of Ann's, except it ended up one yard shorter and two feet to the left. Mike used an iron out of the trap but was still over 100 yards short of the green while already lying 2. Mark hit a good second shot but was 50 yards short of the green.

Reaching Mary's ball, Duke took a range on the flag stick and said it was 119 yards to the pin. Mary pointed out that the hole was 450 yards, but Duke reminded her that distances were measured to the center of the green. Since the pins were moved every day, and since typically the greens were very large, this could create substantial differences in the yardage a hole actually played. Mary took her wedge and hit the ball perfectly. The men watched in utter amazement as her ball appeared to be dropping almost straight down as it reached the pin. It hit three feet past the cup, and walked backward but stopped six inches from the hole.

Ann took her wedge and hit it perfectly. It, too, landed about three feet past the cup, but came walking backward to drop neatly into the hole without even touching the stick.

"Yes!" she screamed as she jumped thrusting her right fist up into the air. Mary hugged her, and Duchess gave her a kiss. The two men were stunned.

Mike hit a good third shot to the green, but it landed over 100 feet away from the pin. It took him two putts to get down for a 5. Mark hit a lovely pitch, and then sank a 9-foot putt for his par. Mary tapped her ball in for a 3, while Ann had her eagle 2. With only one hole played both men were already down by two strokes.

The first hole set the tone for the whole round. One of the first things the girls did was to develop an appreciation for the tigers' incredible ability to determine range. On every shot where it was relevant, they would give the exact distance from the ball to the pin. This proved to be invaluable on the par-3 holes because not only did the distance change due to the placement of the pin, it also changed with the placement of the tee markers. The only long putts the girls took all day were on par-5 holes that they invariably reached in two. Almost inevitably, they were putting for eagles.

When they finished the front nine, the girls were tied at 30 strokes each. Mary had picked up the stroke she had lost to Anne's eagle on the first hole with a hole-in-one on the par-3 4th, thanks largely to the precise range to the pin that Duke had provided. The men were being demolished. Mark had a 40 and Mike had a 41 for the front nine.

They had previously arranged with the starter to take a break after nine holes, and given the girls' prominence, there were no questions asked. They ordered lunch on the terrace, and asked for two empty ice buckets filled with Snapple lemonade for the tigers who were lying at their feet. The girls were sitting stretched out on their chairs with their feet resting on two others, while the men were in a state of shock and dismay. Their company was falling right out from under them.

"Don't worry," Ann said sounding half asleep as she soaked up the sun with her eyes closed. "Mary and I will give you at least a couple of more chances to get your company back." Then she added in the same sleepy-sounding voice, "Of course, your employment contracts are still in force."

Then she opened her eyes and was wide awake as she added, "And boy! Are they beauts! They are ironclad, and really lock you into the company for the next ten years. You can't be fired, but you can't quit, either."

"We can't" Mark asked in stunned amazement. "How do you know?"

"Because I read them, silly," she replied. "They're on file with the Secretary of State along with your other corporate papers. Then she shook her head and added, "I guess that's a part of it you never considered. You two were making so damned sure that you couldn't be pushed out, you locked all the exit doors, too. Those contracts are wonders."

Mark looked at Mike who just shrugged unhappily and shook his head. Then Mark said to Ann, "How long have you two been playing golf, anyway? Did you take it up when you were two?"

"Not hardly!" Ann replied with a giggle. "I guess we saw our first golf ball about four months ago, and saw our first golf course last week. Why do you ask?"

"Because I have never seen a golfer with a swing as perfect as yours, is why." Then he looked at her carefully and added, "And you and Mary are incredibly muscular, aren't you?"

As fast as a striking cobra, she punched him on the arm. "Thanks a hell of a lot, Mark Campbell. Now I'm muscle-bound!"

"No, you're not," he said as he rubbed his bruised muscle. Ann's punch had hurt. "You're just satin-smooth skin over hidden muscles."

Then he grinned and asked, "Are your tits as solid as the rest of you? And how do you keep your nipples erect all the time? Mike and I have been watching them move under your golf shirts all day. Maybe that's part of the reason you're killing us. That, and the fact that you're far better golfers than we could ever be, of course."

"Yes, they are," Ann admitted. "Mary and I both have very firm tits. I hope you don't mind?" she asked with concern in her eyes. Mark looked around the terrace, saw that there was no one looking in their direction, and asked if he could feel one.

"Sure," she replied and then leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes again. He cupped a tit in his hand and gently squeezed. It was very firm. Then he very gently pinched a nipple causing an instant spasm in her pelvis. When he asked what that was, Ann replied with her eyes still closed, "That, turkey, is called an orgasm. My tits are sinfully sensitive."

Then again moving almost faster than his eyes could follow, she struck him on the other arm.

"Ouch!" he exclaimed. "What was that for? I thought you liked it. You certainly seemed to like my hand on your tit."

"That was for making me cum," she said softly. "Now I'm going to have to play the back nine with wet pants. Since it's all your fault, I hit you." Then she added almost silently, "But I hope that's the first of many orgasms you create for me."

"But how do you keep your nipples so hard?" he asked. "I've never seen anything like it."

Shaking her head slowly, Ann replied, "I really don't know. Barbara Sloan showed us how to do it months ago, and since she and Steve like to see our nipples hard all the time, we keep them this way. I used to have to concentrate to make them hard, but now it's become involuntary. They just are. And I really have forgotten what I did to make them this way."

Then she opened her eyes, looked at him and said, "Why did you ask? Do you want to pass along a tip to your girlfriend?"

"What girlfriend?" Then he looked at her and said softly, "Ann, I'm sure you know that I've loved you from the first instant I set eyes on you. And Mike's madly in love with Mary. But I'm sure you both knew that anyway."

Then he looked sad and added, "Now if only we could figure out some way to get you past our mother, we would be all set..." Then he shook his head sadly and added, "But there's just no fucking way..."

They had just finished their lunch and their beers when a boy came up from the caddy shack to tell them they were next off on the 10th tee. On the back nine, the girls continued the demolition they had started with their drives on the 1st tee. When they finished the round, the girls were tied at 60, while Mark had a 74 and Mike had a 75. Mike had never recovered the stroke he lost to Mark on the first hole.

They left the 18th green, went to their car and put the bags and the tigers' harnesses in the trunk. Then they returned to the terrace for drinks and a snack before heading back.

When they sat down, Mike looked at Mary and said, "That was utterly unbelievable golf you two played today. Simply perfect!"

"It was really too easy," Mary replied. "We played in a tournament in Los Angeles last week and shot 62's. It was really better golf, and it was played on a much tougher course than this one." She just shook her head and added, "Here, the course is just long. And for Ann and me, that's not a problem."

"No," he agreed, "I guess it's not. But not only are you two long hitters, you have pinpoint accuracy, too." Then he grinned and asked, "Have you ever taken a bunker shot?"

"That's funny!" Mary responded. "It's what Molly Adams asked—"

"Molly Adams?" he interrupted. "You mean the pro who's been winning everything there is to win? That Molly Adams?"

"The very same," Mary agreed. "She played with us last week and claims she was making the greatest shots of her life. But she complained we never had great shots to make, and teased us about our putting."

"What's to tease?" Mike asked. "You're perfect."

"She was teasing us about our incredibly difficult two-inch putts. But in answer to your question, we've never been in a bunker in a round, so I don't really know. But it's pretty easy when we practice," Mary replied.

"You mean you keep hitting until you hole one out from the bunker?"

"Oh, no!" Mary corrected. "We practice until we're holing out more than half our shots."

Mike just rolled his eyes. Then he said softly, "Mary Whitfield, would you mind if I kissed you?"

"Of course not," she replied softly. "Why would I mind?"

Mary was stretched out in her chair with her feet resting on a second, in the same manner she had done at lunch. Her eyes were closed, and she seemed completely relaxed. Getting out of his chair, Mike knelt on the terrace and melted his lips to hers. As he kissed her, his hand closed over her tit. To his surprise, Mary placed her hand over his to hold it in position while they kissed. The kiss was everything she had ever dreamed, and more. Instantly, there was a two-way surge of electricity and both could hear the ringing of bells.

Mike almost fell over from the unleashed power of her kiss that was loaded with love, joy, grace and pure passion. When he gently squeezed her nipple, her pelvis spasmed and she just held his hand down tighter.

"Squeeze my tit, please," she murmured and then melted her lips to his again.

He did and realized he was holding an utterly perfect tit in his hand, one with a perfect little nipple that was now engorged like a blunt pencil.

When he eased away with his head reeling, Mary whispered, "Thank you, Mike."

"Aren't you going to hit me?" he asked. "Ann hit Mark when he felt her tit earlier."

"Of course not," she murmured. "We had nine more holes of golf to play then; now we're finished for the day. And truly, it felt great."

In the meantime, seeing Mike and Mary, Mark kissed Ann and obtained the identical reaction. When she didn't hit him after he squeezed her tit, he asked her about it.

"I didn't for two reasons," Ann said softly. "First, we're finished for the day, so I really don't care if my pants get wet. Second, your squeezing my tit is old hat now, so it's a little late."

Mark looked into her green eyes and said, "That's how you tell us apart, isn't it?" He didn't explain, but asked if he could kiss Mary. When he did, he found what he had started to suspect: Her kiss was filled with love and grace, but it was like kissing his sister ... or would have been if he had had one.

Mike kissed Ann at the same time with the same result. When they were seated again, Mark said, "Brother, I guess it's all over trying to fool these girls about which of us is which. If Ann looks at one of us and her heart rolls over, it's me; if it's just a guy, it's you. And I'm sure it's the same thing with Mary."

Then he looked at Ann and said, "That is the way it works, isn't it?"

"Of course," Ann replied simply. Then she opened one eye, glanced at her watch and yelped. "Come on, sister, we've got to roll! We're the guests of honor at the big banquet tonight."

Then she looked at Mark and said, "We'll meet you at the UNLV pool tomorrow morning at eleven. We'll swim 400 meters and give you a chance to win your company back."

When she rose, Mark stood up too, and went to take her in his arms. "One kiss is enough, Mark Campbell, and you've already had it. Bye!"

When he went to take her in his arms anyway, he suddenly found Duchess between them baring her teeth at him and growling menacingly. "Thank you, darling, for your help," she said to Duchess, "but I think he was getting the message."

Then to the guys she said, "I suppose you two can swim, can't you? After all, you were both Rangers." With that the two girls waved gaily and returned to the ladies' locker room.

They showered quickly, laughing as they washed the cum from their groins. "Did you feel my kiss, Mary?" Ann asked. "Is it working the way we thought it might?"

"Oh, Ann! I'm so happy for you," Mary exclaimed. "Did you feel mine, too?"

"Sister, it almost put me out!" Ann exclaimed. "The combination of Mark's lips on mine coupled with the joy and passion you were feeling was almost too much. But what about you?" Mary admitted it was the same. "We're really going to have a problem when the guys fuck us," Ann added. "I can see us both dying from mutually reinforcing ecstasy."

"So can I," Mary admitted, "but what a way to go!"

-------

That night the two girls looked exquisitely regal as they entered the banquet hall flanked by Duke and Duchess, both meticulously groomed for the occasion, and both pacing with their heads up high as if they were escorting a monarch to his coronation.

For the occasion the girls were wearing the tiaras they had last worn at the gala in Prague. The sponsors of the award dinner were nonplused. First, the computer and software people are famously casual; it's not uncommon for someone to show up at such an affair in Levi's. But second, the universal reaction was that these young women truly were to the manor born. Their grace and dignity were just an integral part of themselves. The men — and women — realized that there was nothing added or taken away. What they were seeing was the way Ann and Mary truly were.

After being greeted by COMDEX's president and top officers, they were introduced to the members of the board of directors at a very private reception held in a room behind the banquet hall.

The girls found themselves talking to a woman who was the founder and chairman of a specialty computer software company, Jane Ellis. The woman was very attractive and still on the sunny side of 40 — but just. She took Ann's hands in hers, looked deeply into her eyes, and then slowly shook her head. "I have a confession to make," she said. "I voted against selecting you for this award. I was convinced it was all smoke and mirrors, somehow. After all, we know it's impossible for a couple of women to do what you have apparently done. Now that I meet you, I am utterly ashamed. Like so many other people here, I saw the KNBC interview you did with Joyce Johnson."

She smiled and interjected, "That must be the most well-worn bit of news film since marines erected the flag on the top of Mount Suribachi. Every station in the country, if not in the whole world, must have run it by now." Again she shook her head and said, "But regardless of what I thought when I saw it, now I know it was just the complete truth. It was, wasn't it?" Ann just nodded her head. "But the focus of the show was on your brains. They totally overlooked your incredible beauty."

Then she paused and studied the girls some more. Grinning now, she continued, "But something new has been added, hasn't it? You two are now head-over-heels, desperately in love, aren't you?" Both Mary and Ann smiled sheepishly and nodded. "I'm so happy for you!" Jane exclaimed. "Who are the lucky guys?"

"I'm sorry, Jane," Ann replied. "It's so new, we don't want to jinx it. I hope you don't mind?"

"How could I possibly?" the woman answered. "I'm just being nosy." Then she said, "But now I really see it. The children you two will bear — lots of children you will bear — will be utterly perfect little things." Then she shook her head and added, "Don't I wish that could be me!"

"It can be, Jane," Mary said softly. "And it will. It's not too late."

Suddenly the woman beamed. "Thank you. I so hope you're right." Then she paused and added, "You two really have your priorities straight."

Then she laughed and said, "I'll tell you how screwed up I've been: After voting against giving you the award, I thought about it some more and was delighted about your receiving it. You were really showing up the men! But now I realize nothing could be further from the truth. You're just trying to be helpful. The idea of showing up men would never enter your heads. You just do your thing, and I think your thing is great!"

Dinner was served, and then the award was made to the two girls for the greatest contribution to the computer industry in 1995. Both girls made short speeches thanking the Association for the honor, and then received a heart-felt standing ovation. When they left the dinner, they had captured the hearts of everyone present.

Had they known it, they would have rejoiced at the fact that many of the attendees were rethinking their position regarding the importance of God in their lives. Bill Gates often spoke of it, but his statements had previously been dismissed as only being a way to avoid telling anyone the true secrets of his success with Microsoft. But now, after hearing the girls, they were not at all sure.



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Chapter 55



The next morning when the girls emerged from the locker room at UNLV, they found the men waiting for them beside the pool. They were just wearing very brief racing trunks which covered next to nothing. Ann went to Mark, slowly ran her fingers over his torso and murmured, "Pretty nice."

While she was doing that, Mark was looking at Ann's body in the white racing suit she was wearing and said, "Utterly magnificent! Ann Whitfield, you are perfect."

"You're not quite perfect," she replied, "but you're close." Then with a grin she asked, "Are you and Mike ready to get your clocks cleaned again?"

He slowly shook his head and then asked, "What's the deal today? You said yesterday you would give us a chance to win our company back. How does it work?"

"How's this sound?" she began. "Mary and I put up the stock and the $250 million apiece we offered yesterday. Okay?"

"What do we put up?" Mark countered. "Our lives?"

"You put up the money you have in the bank and in securities. Okay?"

"Do you know what you're asking? Mike and I probably have less than $20,000 between us. And that's all we put up against the company and $500 million?"

"That's all," Ann agreed. Then she grinned and added, "Mary and I thought we might have sandbagged you yesterday, so we're trying to even it up a little."

Instantly, the two men shook on the bet. But when Mark went to take Ann into his arms she said, "None of that! We have a race to swim first. If you think you can turn me into a pile of warm mush just before the starter's buzzer sounds, you're crazy!" Then she winked and added, "Later ... maybe."

UNLV — University of Nevada, Las Vegas — is a new school. Being located in a sparsely populated state, yet one with enormous revenues largely derived from gambling and related activities, the school is very well-funded and no expense had been spared in its facilities. For this reason, its swimming pool was true Olympic caliber, 50 meters long by eight swimming lanes wide. In addition, it was fully equipped with the latest in electronic timing equipment and underwater and above-water video capability.

As they stepped up on the starting boxes, Ann looked around and was surprised to find a large number of spectators in the seats watching. She also saw a group of men wearing UNLV jackets who she guessed were members of the swim team coaching staff. Earlier the men and girls had agreed that Mike and Mark would swim in lanes 2 & 3, while Ann and Mary would be in lanes 6 & 7. The two middle lanes and the two wall lanes were not going to be used.

When they were in position on the boxes, they waved to the coaches, one of whom waved back and activated the automated starting process. An electronic voice rang out, "Swimmers ... Take your marks ... Get set..." Following was the loud starting buzzer. The girls beat the men off the blocks in perfect dives.

The instant he saw the girls go off, the head swimming coach verified that all of the video cameras were operating and were tracking the girls through the water. As he watched he muttered, "My God! Those girls are perfect." He stood up to try to improve his view.

The girls might as well have been synchronized swimmers as they moved through the water with identical strokes. At the same time, there was not the slightest waste motion. Every ounce of effort was driving them through the water. Moreover, the coach realized that their pace was incredible. It was as if they were racing 50 meters rather than 400. By the time they made their first turn they were leading the men by a quarter of a pool length, but just kept pulling away.

The men were also swimming well, but were not in the same class as the girls. The coach's eyes widened as he realized the girls were not slowing down. They were continuing the same blistering pace when they made their second turn at 100 meters and third at 150. At that point they were leading by almost a full length of the pool and were opening their lead even faster than they had at the start. But at the same time, there did not appear to be as much as an inch separating the two girls from each other. It was obvious that there was a private race in progress between the two of them with neither willing to yield an inch.

An assistant showed him a set of stopwatches with their lap times. He blinked and looked again. The girls' pace was in record time for 100 meters but they just kept going. At 300 meters, they passed the men and were now leading by a full lap, yet neither girl had slowed by even a fraction of a second. As they started their last lap, the coach and his assistants left their seats to go down to the pool deck to greet the girls when they touched out.

At the same time, their swimmers, watching the electronic timer on the wall and realizing that a new world record was in prospect, got to their feet and began to chant, "Go... ! Go... ! Go!"

The coach said as much to himself as to his assistants, "I just can't believe this! Those girls haven't slowed down at all. And their form is as perfect now as it was in their first few strokes."

When they made their last turn, it seemed that the two simultaneously cranked it up a notch and launched finishing drives for the wall. The chanting had risen in volume and pitch until the screams were bouncing off the wall and the watching swimmers were starting to jump up and down. Finally they touched, with the light coming on in Ann's lane. She had touched out Mary by 0.001 of a second! In the process they had lowered the official world's record by fifteen seconds.

For the first time in a very long time, the girls didn't just pop out of the pool. Instead they held on to the wall to try to regain their breath and sufficient strength to lift themselves out.

The coaches offered their hands and lifted the girls from the water as the two Campbell men made their turns for their final lap. The coach, Bill Hawkins, hugged Ann and said, "Congratulations, Miss Whitfield! That was an incredible race!" Then he drew Mary in with his other arm and hugged her, too.

The girls took off their racing goggles and Mary took off her swim cap. Ann, with her shorter hair didn't wear one. "Thank you very much, Coach Hawkins, for letting us use your pool. We certainly appreciate your courtesy."

At that Hawkins howled with laughter. "You are thanking me?" he exclaimed. "Get serious! I have just seen — and recorded — the finest 400 meters ever swum in the history of the world, and you're thanking me? Good grief, girl! This is a signal honor for UNLV, believe you me. Just look around you!"

The girls did and were startled to find all the UNLV swimmers packed around them waving anything they had been able to get their hands on that could serve as something the girls could autograph.

"In case it's not obvious to you, young ladies, you have just lowered the men's world record for 400 meters by more than fifteen seconds." Then turning to Mary, Hawkins just shook his head and said, "You're the one I feel sorry for. You lower the world record by fifteen seconds but get touched out by your sister by one one-thousandth of a second! My God! I've never seen a race so tight at 50 meters, forget 400." Then he just shook his head and said, "Utterly brilliant! There's no other word for it."

While waiting for Mike and Mark to finish, the girls cheerfully signed anything that was passed to them. One young man who asked them to sign his shirt said, "You're the women who won the Nobel Prize, aren't you?" When Mary admitted they were, he just shook his head and said, "The world just isn't fair. Aside from being the smartest people in the world, you're the most beautiful, and the most athletically gifted, besides. Why aren't you married?"

"Because no guy has ever asked me," Mary responded with the cutest giggle the young man had ever heard.

As they were finishing their signing, the coaches were helping Mike and Mark out of the pool. Once out, they just sat down on the deck to try to regain their strength. Finally they were able to stand. When they did, they found the girls standing close by, just waiting. The two men pulled the girls close and kissed them hungrily while they felt the incredible flow of love and electricity between them.

Mark had Ann in his arms. When he looked down at her, he gently moved a hank of hair from her eye, and then kissed it lightly. "You're incredibly beautiful, Ann Whitfield." Then he reached down, took her buns in his hands and squeezed. The instant he did, she crushed her pelvis to his and simultaneously squelched a scream as she instantly came. When he released his hold, she relaxed in his arms with her eyes closed and murmured, "No damage done, this time. I'm already so wet, no one could possibly see my love juices, anyway."

"Well, I guess you now own all our worldly possessions. What happens now?"

"Now we give you one more chance to get even," Ann replied. "We will allow you to take us to dinner. Then we have a poker game arranged. It will be just the four of us, along with a professional dealer to keep things honest."

"That's nice," Mark replied blandly. "And what are Mike and I going to use to play with? Match sticks?"

"No, darling," she said softly. "Just a wish."

"And what does that mean? What is the bet exactly?" he persisted.

"The bet is essentially what the first two were. If you win, you get everything back plus our $500 million. If you lose, you each owe us a single wish," Ann replied.

"Like you wish we were dead?" he asked with a little grin.

"What would you do if I said that was the bet?" she asked.

"I would play anyway," he replied. "So would Mike."

"That's not the wish," Ann said with a quirky little smile. "And since you would risk your lives, it should go without saying you will play for any lesser risk. Am I right?"

"You're right, of course," he conceded. "But there is one small problem. Right now, I couldn't pay for a glass of water."

"Oh! Thanks for reminding me. We're buying. And you are joining us for cocktails at six in our suite. Mary and I thought you should meet our parents. I guess you have, but that was only passing by in a receiving line."

-------

The twins appeared at the door precisely at six. Ann opened it and to the twins' surprise, Mary was standing back in the entryway, blindfolded. Ann said, "This is in the nature of a test. I want you each to kiss Mary to see if she can tell you apart. Want to bet?"

The two just shook their heads and Mark kissed Mary and then Mike did. After kissing Mark, Mary held his sleeve while kissing Mike. After the kisses, Mary pulled lightly on Mark's sleeve and said, "Hi, Mark. Ann is right over there."

Then slipping off the blindfold she turned to Mike and said, "Could I have another kiss, please?" This time Mike folded her in his arms and kissed her with every ounce of love he possessed. Mary did the same thing while sinuously moving her body against his. Then she just stayed in his arms and caressed his back with her finger tips.

Finally recovered she said, "Thank you, Mike. That was wonderful! Now we would like you to meet our parents."

The two men were wearing dinner jackets, and Mary was delighted to see they had given up on the intentional identity confusion: Mark was wearing a red carnation, while Mike's was white. She couldn't resist teasing them, though. Looking carefully from one to the other she finally said, "It's about time." When Mike bit and asked what was, she answered, "You're what? — 28 years old?" He nodded, still puzzled. "It certainly took you long enough. I'll bet this is the first time in your entire lives you have not dressed identically. It is, isn't it?" When the two brothers exchanged looks and then sheepishly nodded, she grinned triumphantly.

Entering the living room, they found Donald Whitfield on his feet waiting for them, while Marion was seated in a lounge chair beside him. Since Mary had led the group inside, Mike Campbell was the first to greet the parents. After shaking hands with Don, he continued to study him for a moment. Then he shook his head and said, "I just don't understand it. I know you're in your eighties — that's what your biography says — but you don't appear to even be thirty! How do you do it, sir?"

"Mike, I guess I don't care how old I look. After all, you're only as old as you feel, right? And with this ... thing ... beside me, I feel like I'm ninety going on 105!"

"Gee, that's nice," Mike responded agreeably. Then looking at Marion he said, "Does Her Grace agree with that assessment?"

"Absolutely!" Marion exclaimed. Thinking for a moment she just nodded her head and continued, "When Don took me an hour ago, I don't think he was able to maintain my orgasm for even thirty minutes!" She rapidly nodded her head and said, "He's definitely ninety going on 105."

"Why were your eyes dancing when you said that?" Mike asked innocently. "And why do you seem to be unable to put your thighs together?"

"To your first question, Mr. Campbell, I have no answer except to suggest that you might wish to have your eyesight checked. To your second, the answer is quite simple, and very PC as you Yanks like to say: It's spousal abuse. You see, I was a virgin when Donald took me to his bed the first time. Ever since, it has been a constant series of assaults on my virginal body. So much so that I've never had a chance adequately to recover from his initial assault."

"If that is so, my darling, why do you always attack me with your body? Why do you cry so when my poor cock is limp and lifeless? When even your very talented mouth is insufficient to revive it?" Don asked.

"Because you've transformed me, Donald, to the point where I live on your cum." Then looking up with her eyes wide with innocence, yet dancing with merriment, she added, "It's another one of those male dominance things. He insists on making me his sex slave." Then she added with her eyes gleaming, "Why the first time he sexually assaulted me, I was in the castle's torture chamber suspended from the ceiling by chains on my wrists while my ankles were chained to the stone floor. I was utterly defenseless."

"Then you are the Duke's sex slave?" Mike asked. Marion just vigorously nodded her head. "In that case I can only say that slavery becomes with you." Then he added, "It's just not fair, though."

"What's not fair?" Marion inquired.

"Until a few minutes ago, I knew — Mark and I both knew — that the most beautiful women in the world are Mary and Ann Whitfield. But then we have the opportunity really to meet the parents. Now we both know that the most beautiful woman in the world is you, Your Grace. And it's not fair that given your overwhelming beauty, you couldn't have given more than one percent of your own to your daughters."

He nodded his head sharply and added, "Selfish! That's all I can say, Your Grace. You are terribly selfish. Couldn't you have shared a bit more? Twenty percent, or at least 10?" Then he added, "Of course, while you didn't give them much in the way of physical beauty, I see in them the same thing I see in you: a limitless quantity of Divine grace that just spills from your body and saturates everything around you. That is one facet of your beauty you certainly did share with your daughters."

Marion opened her mouth to make a retort, but then closed it again. Finally she said, "Thank you, Michael Campbell. Indeed Mary and Ann are filled with the grace of God."

Over cocktails the Campbell brothers tried to explain the problem they had with their mother. Mark made the first attempt. "Do you remember The Wizard of Oz?" They all nodded. "There was the Wicked Witch of the West. Remember? Well, if you take the Witch's bad points and cube them, then her good points — although honestly I don't remember if there were any — and cut them by about two-thirds, that's a good picture of our mother.

"Isn't that a bit ... harsh?" Marion asked mildly. She didn't mention that she and Don had spent most of the day with Cara playing golf and enjoyed both the day and Cara's company immensely.

"I have a question," Donald said mildly. "You two are ... eloquent ... regarding your mother's shortcomings. But what about yours? After all, the Lord said, 'Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.' He didn't say, 'Let he who has fewer sins... ' So, are you two perfect? Mike? Mark?"

The twins exchanged looks. Looking very sheepish, Mark replied, "No, sir, we're sure not. In fact, it's fair to say that the girls have taken us down more than a few pegs in the last 36 hours."

He straightened up in his chair and continued, "Thirty-six hours ago, we were real hot tickets. We had it all: we even had our own company, Campbell Computing. Now? We've got nothing. Nothing at all. And the way things are going, we will end up owing these girls something — probably our lives as their slaves — for at least the next ten years."

The Whitfields saw tears come to his eyes as he continued, "Mike and I wanted to meet you to ask for the girls' hands in marriage. But when the girls asked us to come up to meet you, it hadn't truly registered yet that we have nothing. But that's the situation."

Focusing on Don, he concluded, "So, Your Grace, in answer to your question, are we perfect? No. Are we even marginally acceptable as sons-in-law? No."

"Where did the slavery idea come from?" Ann asked.

"It's the obvious answer," he replied. Then he swallowed hard and said, "Look, Ann, could we shorten this? How about if we just have dinner? Since we paid our last couple of bucks to rent these dinner jackets, I suppose we should have dinner, shouldn't we? Mark and I are waiving the poker game. There's no way in hell we could beat you. But what we would like to do is have dinner, go dancing, and then turn back into pumpkins at midnight."

"What does that mean?" Mary asked softly.

"It means that at midnight we will concede that we got cleaned out in the poker game, too," Mark said.

Then he grinned wryly and added, "After all, what chance did we have? In the neighboring state to the west, the California Supreme Court ruled years ago that poker is not a game of chance, it's a game of skill. But skill in what? Calculating probabilities. Now when there are two girls who can link their brains to produce an intelligence number best measured in light-years, what possible chance do we have?

"We thought we had a chance on the golf course. After all, while they're beautiful and brilliant, they're certainly not athletic. So they shoot a pair of 60s, 12-under-par; and follow it up by breaking the men's world record for 400 meters by fifteen seconds.

"But in poker, we're going away from their weakness..." he laughed sardonically at that, "and back to their strength: brains."

Then looking at Ann he said, "Please, Ann? Could we just have dinner and go dancing?"

"Yes, darling, we can do that," she replied. "Mary and I love to dance, and we concede it would be a lot more fun for us than playing poker."

"There's one more thing we should say, sir and madam. Your Grace reminded us of Christ's words about throwing the first stone. Well, I guess that was an apt thought. You see, the girls could ... Throw the first stone, I mean. They are truly without sin, as are the two of you. In fact, I guess we do have a question that's been bothering us: How did you ever get so lucky? We understand that, besides these girls, your daughters include Barbara Sloan, Karla Kosta, and Ali Clifford. The common denominator? Sheer perfection. So how did you ever get so lucky?"

"For myself, I can't say," Marion replied. "But for Donald I can. He is both brilliant and witty, but more importantly, he is probably the greatest hero of modern times, anyway, and possibly of all time. After all, sirs, how many individuals can lay a valid claim to having truly changed the course of history? Nelson at Trafalgar and Wellington at Waterloo won decisive victories. But they hardly did it as individuals. Nelson commanded a fleet, while Wellington commanded an army. Don did it with the vital help of St. Karl Kosta, who gave his life in the effort. But he basically did it by himself."

She held her head up high and continued, "This may be God's reward for his achievement. At least it makes some sense." Then with a self-deprecating grin she concluded, "For myself? I just happened to be around at an appropriate time to trade on his weakness."

With that she arose from her chair and sat across Don's lap. Don just shook his head and said, "Guys, do you know who a hero is? He's a guy who's so scared he does a bunch of stupid things, but somehow gets away with them. That's me. But Marion? Why is she the mother of those girls? It's easy. First, if they are not all perfect in the sight of Almighty God, they're so close to perfect it doesn't make any difference. What that does do is dramatically restrict the number of women who could possibly be their mother. In fact, it really restricts it to a choice of one: Marion Walker Whitfield.

"She's brilliant, wise, athletically gifted — but most of all, she is filled to overflowing with love and God's Divine grace. She just pours it out over every body and every thing. I guess God felt the girls needed someone who would love them unconditionally, counsel with them ... just hug them tightly. That's Marion."

Then he just shook his head and added, "Of course, I'm the one with the major-league problem. My first wife, Claire, has now been officially recognized as St. Claire of London. Marion, on the other hand, ranks above the saints and the angels in Heaven. Now where does that leave me?"

He just slowly shook his head, but then smiled. "Of course, Steve Sloan is an even worse spot, but we're so close, I can't believe it will make any practical difference. His first wife, Susie, is now an archangel, while Barbara Sloan, like Marion, ranks above them."

When he finished, Marion turned, cocked her head and melted her lips to his. The two brothers could see the electricity flowing between them as Don's hands roamed over Marion's body and she writhed against him trying to mash her body even closer to his. When they broke their kiss, Marion just rested her head on Donald's shoulder and sighed happily.

Then Mark snapped his fingers and exclaimed, "Of course!" Then he smiled happily and said, "I saw a difference and now I understand. The Duchess appears to be about 23 while the girls all seem to be 19. I guess the Lord feels there should be some age spread between a mother and her daughters, and four years seems like a nice number."

Then appearing serious he asked Don, "But, Your Grace, how does it feel to be married to an older woman? I mean ... Well, 23 isn't completely over the hill, but..."

"That's a wonderful point!" Don exclaimed. "And that explains some things, too. For example, you commented on the fact that my bride is still unable to get her thighs together. I hadn't thought of it before, but clearly, you're right! It's just old age creeping up on her. I guess she's just not as limber as she used to be."

Marion didn't rise to the bait. Rather, she just snuggled even closer and murmured, "That must be it, darling. But as long as I have a few good months left..."

"I cannot tell a lie," Don said. "Marion truly is female perfection. I understand that some of the other women we know always sleep with their heads on their husbands shoulder. But not Marion, although sometimes she does. Usually, she lies facing me with her arm over my body. I awaken with her fragrance in my nose. If I move even a hair, her brilliant blue eyes pop open and her quiet question is always the same: 'How would my lord and master care to enter his slave's body this morning?'"

He looked up and then shook his head. "It's really not too terribly hard to take. Not when there's female perfection beside me in my bed."

Marion just sighed and snuggled. When Don lightly ran his fingers over her body, she almost purred.

At that point Duke who had been lying quietly in the corner with Duchess said, "Now, Master, that truly is a purr. I think it supports a statement my father, Prince, made. He complained that Samantha Conroy gave Jack Martin no warning at all. Not only did she not roar and claw the air, she didn't even growl. Not even a snarl! And the Lord agrees with Dad's assessment, too.

"Previously, Duchess and I thought that it was because these women were not able to growl or snarl. But if a woman can purr as contentedly as our mistress, I'm sure they could growl or snarl if they chose to."

Duke just shook his head sadly and said, "I'm afraid Dad was right. They just don't want to give the poor sucker even the tiniest break."

Then to Mike and Mark he said, "But what about these young ladies, sirs? Did they provide any warning to you?"

"Warning about what?" Mark asked.

"Did they warn you that you had become their quarry?

"What do you mean, Duke?" Mark replied. "We've been chasing them."

"That's what you think!" Duke replied. "Why—"

"Duke Whitfield, you will kindly keep your big mouth shut!" Ann exclaimed.

Duke just looked at her and shook his head. "I cannot, Mistress," he replied. "I owe it to my father, who was supported in his contention by the Lord Himself." Then to Mark he said, "Did you know that your computer, Mort, nominated you two as consorts for these young ladies?"

"But he couldn't have!" Mark exclaimed. "He would have told us. He's our Mayday, after all."

"That's only partly true," Duke replied.

Now he got up off the floor, stretched his huge body and moved closer to Mark where he took his house-cat position. Then to Ann he said, "After all, Mistress, the hunt is over. You have these two young men completely in your power already. Like Mr. Gates, they have already surrendered. Wouldn't it be fair to at least tell them what happened to them?"

Ann opened her mouth to respond, but before she could say anything, Duke had returned his attention to Mark and continued, "As I said, it is only partly true to say that Mort is yours and owes his loyalty to you. In the same way that Maid Marion belongs to the Duke, but still owes her primary allegiance to her Creator, Almighty God, Mort belongs to you but owes his primary allegiance to his creators, Ann and Mary.

"Normally this dual allegiance is not a factor, but occasionally it becomes one. This is such an occasion. Mort nominated you two as possible consorts for my mistresses. However, he had a grave reservation about you two which almost resulted in his not submitting your names."

"Duke Whitfield! Shut up!" Ann exclaimed. "You've done enough damage already."

Ignoring Ann's outburst, Duke cocked his head and looked at Mark with the most sincere expression on his face and asked, "Is it true, sir, that you and your brother look on sex — please excuse the expression — as something other than for procreation? Mort suggests that you might think of sex as a form of ... recreation!" With his eyes now as large as saucers, he concluded, "Could this be true?"

Temporizing, Mark replied, "Why do you ask?"

"Because, sir, I happen to know that my young mistresses have been talking about it. They have been trying mentally to steel themselves against your physical onslaughts. And I know they've been having long discussions regarding allowing you access to their bodies. I'm not sure exactly where they are now, but in the last discussion I overheard, Maid Ann's position was that twice a year would be appropriate — at Christmas and on your birthday — while Maid Mary's position was that you might wish to share their bed more often: perhaps three times a year ... possibly even four!"

"Now wait a stinking minute!" Mark protested. "If I just touch Ann, she cums. What do you mean, 'twice a year'?"

"Oh, no sir!" Duke protested. "I'm sure you misunderstood. She was not cuming. Rather, she was reacting to your tickling. I must confess, sir, that both of these young women are terribly ticklish. But you seem to have received the wrong impression entirely."

"What about their parents, then?" Mark answered triumphantly. "We heard that they made love within an hour of our arrival here tonight."

"That's true, sir. But I believe it was you who asked why it was that the girls received only a tiny fraction of their mother's beauty. Did it occur to you that they might also have received but a tiny fraction of her sex drive as well? Moreover, with Maid Marion there is an element of habit at work, too. After all, she had been a practicing prostitute for years, so..."

At that point, Mary and Ann could no longer control themselves. Howling with laughter, the two girls, ignoring the cocktail dresses they were wearing, launched themselves at Duke, wrapped their arms around his neck and started to cover him with kisses.

"Duke Whitfield, you are too damned much!" Ann declared.

Then to Mark she said, "Darling, there's one thing you should learn about these tigers. Along with everything else, they're consummate actors." She grinned and added, "They're like Ali Clifford: she was a movie star about 20 years ago, and she can't resist acting whenever the opportunity presents itself."

Then to Duke she said, "And as for you! Why aren't you in the proper position to receive Mary and me?"

Duke grinned, and the two released him long enough for him to roll on his back and spread his forelegs wide apart. With little yelps the two girls dove on his chest and began kissing him everywhere they could reach while he closed his forelegs to hold them tightly to his chest.

With her voice now partially muffled by his chest, Ann said, "Of course, guys, this is much nicer when we're naked. Then we can tease our nipples against the wonderfully soft fur on his chest."

Then looking down she added, "Poor Duke! We abuse him so with our bodies. Don't we, Duke?"

"I'm sorry, Mistress," Duke responded, "there are limits even to my story-telling ability. There is nothing better than to hold these two to my chest the way I am now. Of course, Mistress Ann is correct: it's so much better when they're bare."

He paused for a moment and then said, "The only thing better — possibly — is when I drive my cock into Sheena's wetness..." Now the girls just relaxed against Duke's chest and savored his warmth.

"Who is Sheena?" Mark asked.

"She's the love of Duke's life," Ann replied sleepily. "We haven't met her yet, but Duchess tells us that she is desperately in love with Duke and is the most beautiful young tigress in the entire pack." Then as she started to doze off she added, "Can you imagine what their cubs will be like? I can't wait to see."

"Did we lose the girls?" Mike asked.

"Only for a short time while they recharge their batteries," Donald replied with a grin. Then he added, "What Duke said is partially true, though. Your Mayday, Mort, was concerned that you do seem to think of sex as a form of recreation. And it's also true that the girls have been concerned about your preoccupation. I remember Ann wondering if that means you'll give good ass pinches, and the two of them wondering how many episodes a day you could be good for before they drain you both dry."

"As for me, Duke was partially correct," Marion added. "I was, indeed, a prostitute before meeting Donald Whitfield. But never in my life did I cum. He did have me hanging from the ceiling of his torture chamber, and he did torture me. What he did was to make me cum for the first time in my life and make me into his sex toy. You see, now I need Don's cock to keep on living."

She snuggled close to him, gave him a warm kiss and continued, "He really settled much too easily, though. If he had said that I would have to submit to 100 lashes with a bull whip before each lovemaking session, I would be receiving at least 200 strokes a day. Like Karla and Susie Sloan, all the skin would be flayed from my body, but my only concern would be if Don would still be willing to put his cock into my bleeding remains. For if he would, I would cheerfully accept the agony."

She smiled warmly and said, "Donald Whitfield made me into a woman and simultaneously made me his love slave. And when Donald dies, I shall be dead, too, within a fortnight. I cannot live without him. It's quite simple, really."

"And the girls?" Mike asked.

"They're the same way about you two. If one of you dies, his wife would also be dead within two weeks."

"And if my soul is damned to hell?" Mike pursued.

"I so hope it won't be," Marion replied softly, "but if it is, Mary will follow you there to roast in the fires of Hell with you forever. If that's where you go, that is where she will go, too."

"You can't be serious!" Mike exclaimed. "No one could possibly love a man that much!"

"But they do," Marion replied. "We all do." Then she added, "Please accept one word of warning, though: never, ever, joke with respect to something you want your wife to do for you. If, for example, you were to say that you wanted her to sauté her tit for breakfast, she might have it amputated and in the skillet before you had the chance to say you were just teasing." Then Marion told the men about Judy Morris and the tattoos and Hank Conroy pouring ketchup in her slit.

"Are you saying the girls love us that much?" Mike asked. "How could they possibly? They hardly know us."

"That seems to be a part of The Sisterhood thing, too," Marion said softly. "Without a single exception, it is as if each of us were created for a particular man. And when we meet him, we know it. I had known Donald for only about an hour when I knew he was the man I had been created to serve. Similarly, when I met Ann, Mary, and her sisters, I instantly knew they were my daughters. It was as if I had nurtured them in my womb and nursed them at my breast. There was an instant realization of unconditional love between us."

Then she smiled and added, "They really are pretty nice, too. Don't you think so?"

"What's going to happen to Mark and me?" Mike asked softly. "When I mentioned slavery, that seems to be it. Is it?"

"Yes, it is," Marion replied. Then she looked at them with piercing eyes and added, "You see, the girls are perfect creations. There is absolutely nothing a person could hope to find in a woman that these two don't have in abundance. What's going to happen to you is something that has happened to all the men, but in a slightly different way. You see, I'm not supposed to know this — and please don't let on to Don that I do — but he's been working out with the other husbands both in Los Angeles and here.

"Why? Because the men recognize two things. First, we — all the members of The Sisterhood — are constantly searching for something about ourselves we can improve to be more attractive to our mates. Second, we never ever say a word about the men to them. Never! But recognizing the way we are, the guys work out to try to be more worthy of our love. It's totally unnecessary, of course."

But then with a loving smile she added, "So I guess that's why we appreciate it so much when it happens. And it always does."

With a small shake of her head Marion continued, "With you guys it's going to be different. The girls are going to have you working to become even better than you are before the wedding. Can you take it?"

"Improve?" Mike asked with his eyes wide. "What on earth could we possibly improve? I mean ... really! All they can do is hit a golf ball about 50 percent farther than we can, and swim four laps in a 50-meter pool faster than we can swim three. And, of course, we outweigh them by about double, but I doubt if they can lift more than 50 percent more weight than either of us..." He shook his head and said, "Better make that 50 percent more weight than both of us combined." He looked at Marion and shook his head. "But improve? What's to improve. I don't understand."

"You're absolutely correct, Mike," Marion responded with her eyes dancing. "I understand completely. And I'm almost certain that the girls will soon come to the same conclusion: There's nothing that could possibly be improved."

With giggles, the girls crawled out from under Duke's legs, stood up, and both shook their hips hard. Instantly their apparently crumpled gowns shook out perfectly. Then Mary shook her head hard, restoring her hair that had been mussed by Duke's foreleg into its normally perfect condition.

Mike looked at Mark and commented, "Isn't it awful, Brother? We're going to be wasting hours every day waiting for the girls to dress and fix themselves up. Did you check the time? That episode alone took nearly two seconds, and they were all dressed at the start."

With a wink, the girls went to the hall closet and took out their coats. The men held the minks for them and they left for dinner. The food was marvelous and the dance band was superb. For the girls it was the best evening of their lives. Mike and Mark danced as well as Doug Whitfield did, but this time the kisses they shared at the end of each dance were like the ones Doug and Karla exchanged.

At midnight, Mark kissed Ann with all the passion and love he could convey, and was almost rendered unconscious by her kiss in return. Then he said softly, "What is the first command to your new slave, Mistress? How may I serve you?"

"We'll be leaving for the Continent within a week. Why don't you put Campbell Computing on autopilot? Steve will designate someone from Kendy to look after things in your absence. And then just stand by your phone. We will let you know where to meet us and when."



-------

Chapter 56



The Campbell brothers had driven their own cars out to Las Vegas so Cara returned to Los Angeles in the 767 with the Whitfields. The tigers were so eager to return to their chosen mates they were unable to remain still. Both of them endured teasing from all of the people as they restlessly paced up and down the giant aircraft.

"Aren't you glad this is a widebody?" Marion asked. "This provides all sorts of room for you and your sister to pace."

Duke, recognizing he was being teased, lay down at her feet, but was only able to stay there for about a minute before he was pacing the deck again.

Cara received a briefing on what had transpired the night before. Her only comment was a half-whispered, "Maybe they're not as bad as I thought..."

Once they were back at the Clifford's, the tigers were even more edgy than they had been in the aircraft. Marion, recognizing that the poor animals were truly beside themselves, conferred with Kathy Carlson. They agreed that the two pairs would be mated the next day, and it would be appropriate for them all to be brought out to their place in the hills to be with their friends.

"I suppose the guys will want to have a bachelor party for Duke and Jason, and maybe there might even be a bachelorette party for Duchess and Sheena." She added, "Those two — Jason and Sheena — have been beside themselves, too. But unlike Duke and Duchess, they haven't had all the Las Vegas activities to distract them."

When they were transported out to the Carlsons', the two tigers were greeted by their parents, relatives and friends. The others were even more impressed when a Federal Express package arrived from Redmond, Washington, for Duke and Duchess. In it was an array of Microsoft software along with Bill Gates' personal card saying he hoped they liked it all. The shipment included a Beta version of Encarta 97 with its direct Internet access.

The tigers trouped in and watched on the monitor as Duke proudly loaded it, after Susan Carlson opened the jewel box and put the CD in the computer's player for him. Calling up its reference on tigers, he then used the Internet to explore the references. They all agreed it was truly wondrous, and since Gates had sent several copies of each title, Duke and Duchess left it loaded on the computer for their friends.

The next morning, the entire Clifford clan assembled at the Carlson's for the ceremony. For Marion, Donald, and the girls it was their first glimpse of the full array of tigers who lived with the Carlsons, and they were certainly impressed by all the giant cats who averaged about 100 pounds greater in weight than the typical Bengal tiger.

Prince was the leader of the pack, and in this rôle was presiding over the ceremonies mating his son and daughter. Duke and Jason were sitting as still as they could in front of Prince, waiting. Then over a set of outdoor loudspeakers there was the sound of the Wedding March, and Duchess and Sheena, each wearing a giant necklace of flowers around their necks, paced up the aisle between the tigers who were all gathered for the ceremony.

Seeing Sheena for the first time Ann whispered to Mary, "Isn't she utterly perfect! Have you ever seen a more graceful creature in your life? And she is simply beautiful."

Prince very gravely asked, "Do you, Sir Duke, take Sheena as your mate? Forsaking all others until death do you part?"

"I do, sir!" Duke replied mentally. But then he reared up on his hind legs, clawed the sky and let out a mighty roar of triumph.

"Do you, Sheena, take Sir Duke as your mate? Forsaking all others until death do you part?"

"I do, sir!" she replied. But then, instead of roaring, she nuzzled Duke's neck and let out a purr loud enough to shake the house.

"Enough!" Prince ordered firmly. "There will be plenty of time for that later."

Then he turned to Jason and Duchess and the pattern was repeated. At that point Prince said solemnly, "By the powers vested in me by this pack, I now pronounce you tiger and mate!" Then to the two he said softly, "You may now nuzzle your mates."

The two pairs did, at which point the entire pack let out thunderous roars of congratulations to the two couples, and then gathered around to wish them well. The Carlson children poured champagne for them all, and Prince offered a toast to the two couples. Amid quiet roars of agreement, the tigers all drank to the two very happy couples.

When things had quieted down, Duchess led her new mate over to meet the girls. "Jason," she said, "it's truly a great honor for me to present you to Mary, Duchess of Norfolk, la Duchesse du Bourgogne, la Marquessa de Toledo, Countess Jutland; and her sister, Ann, Duchess of Suffolk, la Marquise du Flandres, la Contessa di Pavia. My darling, they are our new mistresses. I hope you don't mind?"

The huge animal — he was the same size as Duke and almost the same weight at 615 — executed a perfect bow. Then he said, "Darling Duchess, do you have a screw loose? Mind caring for these ... these..." Then he dropped flat on the ground with his eyes closed and just shivered with fear.

"Darling," Duchess said softly, "you will get used to it. I know they rank above the angels in Heaven. Please consider it a mark of His extraordinary favor that we have been selected for such an honor. And, Jason dear, I must warn you right now: They will kiss you, they will hug you, and most particularly, they will expect you to hug them."

She paused and said with a lovely little giggle, "Of course, darling, it's going to be very hard on you. I will tell you now what is in store: They will take turns lying on your belly. Sometimes they will lie on their backs and will expect you to mash their perfect tits under your paw pads while I lick their legs and underarms to remove any trace of hair. Other times they will lie face down on your belly and will expect you to hug them tightly while they nap. And after we have mated, rather than allowing me to sleep snuggled close to you, my darling, they will sleep on our bellies all night long. And finally, they will expect us to entertain them with our mating. And I have a confession to make: They won't even restrict it to when I'm in heat. Can you bear taking me on command, my darling? Or should we search for different masters?"

The girls could see that it took an extraordinary display of sheer willpower and courage for the tiger to get to his feet, move close to Ann and kiss her lightly on the cheek.

"Oh, Jason!" Ann exclaimed. "That was so brave. But we were thinking of something more like this."

With that she wrapped her arms as far around his great neck as she could reach, and then very gently kissed his lips. Jason was nearly overcome with the power of her love and her Divine grace, although she had tried to modulate it as much as she could.

When she released him and looked into his huge green eyes, he saw that they were dazzled. "My darling Duchess," he said, "there could not be two more perfect people in the world than our mistresses. And she kissed me! Right on the lips, she kissed me. My divine mistress kissed my lips. My darling, as much as I love you, we may not even be able to mate today because I am in such a daze of joy and happiness. Could there be anything better in the whole world than to be able to hold our mistresses as they sleep? I don't think so."

The huge animal shook his head slowly and said, "Darling Duchess, look at who they are! They rank above God's angels in holiness. They are the most beautiful humans in the world. They are truly noble, carrying some of the oldest titles in the Western World. And they are world-class athletes and recipients of the Nobel Prize!"

Then he nuzzled Duchess provoking a wonderfully satisfied sigh from her and added, "My cup runneth over! I win the most beautiful tigress in the whole world as my mate. But is that all? With my beauteous Duchess, knighted herself by Her Brittanic Majesty, I join her as the guardian and protector of the two finest women alive in the world today, and possibly the two finest in all of history!"

After taking a perfect house-cat position directly in front of the two girls, he said, "I solemnly swear that I shall protect my mistresses from any harm to the death! I swear it before Almighty God! And I consider myself the most fortunate of all tigers to receive this incredible honor." Then he looked at Mary plaintively, but didn't move.

"Thank you, darling Jason!" Mary exclaimed. "I'm sure we will love you as much as we already love Duchess. And you, sir, are indeed the most fortunate of tigers to have her as your mate. Now may I have a kiss, too?"

At this Jason stood up on his hind legs and spread his forelegs wide. Mary moved close and he gently closed them around her. The animal was so large, though, he had to wriggle his body to lower his head enough to be able to kiss her. When he did, she took his head in both hands and gave him a very gentle but loving kiss. Then she just rubbed her face in his extraordinarily soft underbody fur while crushing her body to his.

Again Jason tightened his grip on her and purred loudly. When he released her, he had to shake his head to clear it. After doing so, he resumed his house cat position and asked, "Mistresses, would it be possible for me to introduce my parents to you? They would be overjoyed and honored beyond words if you would permit it." When the girls instantly agreed, Jason and Duchess went off in search of them.

Meanwhile, Duke had been introducing his bride to Donald and Marion. "Air Vice Marshal Sir Donald Whitfield, VC, DFC, KCB, 12th Duke of Northumbria, and Marion, Duchess of Northumbria, it is my great honor to present my mate, Sheena."

The huge tigress was visibly shaking as she made a perfect court curtsy in front of them. Don had his hand extended in greeting, but Sheena took it on her paw and very carefully kissed his fingertips. Then she repeated it with Marion, but her magnificent body was shaking with fear the entire time.

"What's wrong, Sheena?" Marion asked softly. "There's nothing to fear. Don and I have been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to welcome you to our household ... No... ! to our family! Sheena, Duke is every bit as much a member of the family as our grandson and our daughters. I hope you will consider yourself to be our daughter, too."

She smiled warmly and added, "But did Duke tell you what the Duke said? How he hopes to be able to intrude on your privacy?"

"I don't understand," Sheena replied in an incredibly soft and sexy voice. "How could you possibly intrude on anything?"

"Well, darling, Duke and Duchess have seen my lord and master plow my wetness — and probe any opening his great cock could possibly enter, to boot. They have seen this dozens of times. Well, Donald said that fair is fair. If they could see him penetrating me, it's only fair to let us see him penetrating you. Do you understand?"

"Mistress, I exist for only two purposes: The first is to protect you and the Duke with my life. The second is to do anything — absolutely anything — that will give you pleasure. If you should want Duke to eat my foreleg, I would bite it off for him myself. If you wanted to see him probe my belly rather than my sex, I would open a hole in it with my claw for him to probe. Do you understand?"

"You forgot something, Sheena. You also exist to create new life. We believe Sir Duke to be one of the bravest and best of all tigers. You are possibly the most beautiful. I have to believe that your cubs will be simply magnificent. Will you be willing to join with Duke to create new life? We're way to hell and gone up in England's northern border country. There's not an awful lot to do, except to watch the sheep graze and the grass grow. But could you bring yourself to join with Duke to create new life in that environment?"

"Mistress, nothing could thrill me more! Duke says there are square miles of land on which to roam. I can't wait to see it. And being able to present our cubs to you would be my ultimate dream!" Then she just sat up and looked at Marion wistfully. Instantly Marion went to her, wrapped her arms around her great neck and kissed her gently. She was followed by the Duke who did the same thing. To Sheena's astonishment, Donald's kiss had almost the same power as his wife's. When Don released her, Sheena almost keeled over, she was so intoxicated with love.

After shaking her head in an effort to clear it she asked, "Is it possible that someday I might even meet Her Majesty, Elizabeth II of England?"

"No, darling Sheena, it's not possible," Marion replied. The great cat's disappointment was palpable as Marion continued, "It's not possible, darling. It's a certainty. In fact I can guarantee you will meet her within 48 hours of our returning home. And I'm sure you will love her as much as she will love you. In addition, you will probably also meet Princess Anne, who's truly a wonderful person, as well as a variety of other people."

Then Marion's face fell as she continued, "But it won't be all beer and skittles I'm afraid. Ask Duke. You two will be fearfully pursued over the moors by a whole stable full of jumping horses, trying to ride you down." Then she grinned and added, "We realize it doesn't provide you two with a great deal of exercise, but it's really the best we can do."

She shook her head sadly and added, "But then, of course, there's your most difficult job: thinning out the game herds." With her eyes wide she said, "Sheena, you can't imagine how fierce those 120-pound deer can be! Why, you scarcely outweigh them by more than a factor of four, and you're really not more than four times faster, either. But do you think you could possibly cope?"

Sheena looked at Duke who was sitting close beside her and asked, "Is this true, my darling? Will we be the intended prey of a mounted hunt? And are we truly expected to try to cope with those vicious deer all by ourselves?"

"I'm afraid so, my darling," Duke replied. "Do you think you can bear up? The most difficult element is trying to evade the hunt. We are scarcely able to run more than twice as fast as they can."

He shook his head sadly and added, "But truly, my darling, it gets worse. For example, returning from a hunt on a wet and windy day, do you know what our master and mistress will expect?" The lovely tigress slowly shook her head with her eyes wide but gleaming with suppressed laughter. "They will expect us to lay down on the hearth before a roaring fire — and darling, never in your life have you seen a fireplace as large as the castle's. But not only must we lay down, but the master and mistress will want to warm their toes against our lovely fur. Could you bear it?"

"No, my darling, I cannot," she replied in her wonderfully sexy voice. "I can no more bear it than I could bear being in Heaven on earth, which surely Prendwick Castle must be. But is there anything else?"

"One more thing, my darling," Duke replied. "The dining table in the Great Hall is nearly as large as the Carlson's house. So if you should be feeling amorous, we could even mate under the table while dinner is being served." Then he chuckled and continued, "Mistress Marion said it best: 'This must be a first. We have managed to lose a pair of Royal Bengal tigers in the dining room.' Can you stand it?"

"As I said, my darling, no more than I could stand Heaven on earth." Then to the Whitfields she said, "Master and Mistress, would it be possible to introduce my parents to you? They have been dying for the chance. Would you mind?"

"How could we possibly mind, Sheena?" Marion replied. But then she said, "But before you go, could I have one of your kisses? Please?" The great animal stood up on her haunches, pulled Marion to her and kissed her gently on the lips. At the same time she was gently hugging her close with her forepaws. Marion throttled down her own power, and felt a marvelous two-way flow of love, joy, and grace.

It took only a moment for Sheena to return with her parents. "Master and Mistress, may I present my parents, Czar and Czarina? They have heard so much about you."

"Sir," Czar communicated, "I cannot tell you what a great honor this is." Then the great tiger actually looked embarrassed as he continued, "We have a computer program called Spitfire. It's a World War II flying game with Spitfires and Hurricanes against Messerschmitt and Focke-Wulf fighters. I always fly a Spit. Actually, it's a very detailed program. The designers did a great deal of research, much of which is available as background on the CD. Sir, not only do I fly a Spitfire, it's attached to the 17th Fighter Squadron, RAF. I pretend that I'm the squadron commander, Sir Donald Whitfield, the very best of the very few!"

"Truly, I am overwhelmed!" Don replied. "But I'm curious, Czar: How do you do playing the game? Do you usually win?"

"Never as well as you did in reality, sir," the tiger replied. But then he continued, "I cannot tell you what this day means to Czarina and me. Sheena is our pride and joy. She is truly a beautiful tigress. But she is also very intelligent, well educated, athletic, and very loving. We're certain she will be a marvelous mother. When she announced that she was marrying Sir Duke, we were overjoyed. Aside from being the son of our leader, Prince, he and his sister demonstrated their bravery and dedication when as small cubs, they nearly sacrificed their lives defending their human charges. But you, sir, top it all off!

"That our daughter could be in the service of the man who may, single-handedly, have changed the course of history is beyond belief. Moreover, a man who is a senior peer of the realm, a confidant of Her Majesty. Finally, we find that his wife, Sheena's new mistress, is the Queen's closest personal friend and the Queen will be a frequent guest at Prendwick.

"Sir and madam, there are no words for my mate and me to express our joy and happiness!"

"Thank you, sir," Donald replied. "Already, my wife loves Sheena like a furry daughter. I hope you don't mind?"

"Mind!" Czarina exclaimed, speaking for the first time. "How could we possibly mind? Do you mean that when you two are alone in the great castle, Sheena might be Her Grace's confidante?"

"That's exactly what I have in mind," Marion replied. Then to Sheena she said, "I know that tigers can swim, but you don't really like the water, do you?"

"Why do you ask, Mistress?" Sheena replied.

"Because we have a bathtub that's like a small swimming pool. I would love for you to join me in it where I could float my bare body against your luscious fur while we just soak in the warm water. Then I could shampoo your gorgeous coat, apply conditioner, then dry you off and apply musk oil in appropriate places ... Could you stand it? Could you stand to have me warm my feet against you while I do my nails and fix my hair? Could you stand listening to my confidences?"

"But Milady," Sheena protested, "that would be impossible! What you are talking about are the duties of a lady in waiting. And I am a mere tigress..."

"Soon to be Dame Sheena if I have anything to say about it. And I think it's quite appropriate for a duchess to be tended by another lady of the kingdom, don't you?"

"Parents, you raised me. Mother, you taught me everything and counseled with me," Sheena said. "But never did you counsel me about something like this. What should I do?"

"What do you think you should do?" her mother countered.

"I think I should do anything my divine mistress wishes. If she wishes to make me more beautiful for my darling Duke, I shall rejoice in it. But, mother..."

"What, darling?" Czarina prompted.

"Mother, I can lick off the hair from her legs and underarms, but are there any other personal services I could render?"

"Darling, there are a couple of other things," her mother replied. "First, the control you have of your tongue is truly remarkable. Because of that, you are able to do something most of us could not: you could keep her darling muff in exactly its present size while removing any other stray hair. Second, again using your very talented tongue, you can gently abrade her clit before her husband, the Duke, joins her. With her juices flowing so freely, he can enter her easily causing her no pain at all. Beyond that, darling Sheena, I rely on your intelligence and good sense to identify and take advantage of other opportunities which might arise to serve Her Grace."

A similar exchange was taking place between Ann and Mary, and Jason's parents, Sultan and Harem. As they were about to part, Ann said, "Sultan, there's one thing about which you should warn your son. You see, we will be going to Prague and taking along our fiancés as our slaves. This being the case, it will be a part of Jason's job to ensure that we remain separated from them. And in this, he may at times seem to be going counter to our own expressed wishes. Notwithstanding, we are going to be relying on Jason and Duchess to protect us from ourselves. Do you think he can be strong enough?"

"Now that is a very different and very challenging assignment," Sultan replied. "It makes protecting you from an attacker child's play. But, Your Grace, Jason is, aside from being one of the strongest tigers, also the smartest. Truly, this assignment will test his mettle. His mother and I could not be more proud or more happy than we are at this moment. To be the personal protector of two of the most honored humans on the face of the earth is utterly overwhelming. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for welcoming him into your service.

"He's just going to be great!" Ann exclaimed. "I can hardly wait."



-------

Chapter 57



The great 767 landed at Prague and unloaded the remaining vehicles and supplies. The girls waved goodbye to its crew as they buttoned it up to ferry it over to a large United Airlines maintenance facility at Frankfurt-am-Main where it would stay until needed. They each drove a car with her boyfriend and one of the tigers. Arriving back at the hotel, they were greeted like returning close relatives by the staff. In fact, several of the staffers embarrassed themselves — but not the girls — by kissing them.

Going up in the familiar private elevator, rather than using their key, they rang the bell. Moments later the door was opened by a gorgeous redhead, Josephine Blunt. The woman did a double take, let out a piercing squeal and jumped into Ann's outstretched arms.

After exchanging kisses, Ann held her away to get a better look at her. When she did, Jo stood up proudly with her tits upthrust inviting her inspection. As Ann, Mary and Karla had all done before her, Jo was wearing only a wing collar with a black bow tie, and French cuffs fastened with onyx cufflinks. "Jo, you are utterly exquisite!" Ann exclaimed.

At that instant Christine Wulf appeared and wrapped Mary in her arms. Loving kisses were exchanged and the other girl joined Jo standing with her back straight and her tits proudly upthrust. Although both girls still showed the marks of their introductory whippings, they had faded so they were now only pink lines on their tanned skin.

"What have you done, Christy?" Mary asked. "It's been — what? — five weeks? Six, maybe?"

"It's been six weeks, Mistress," Christy replied. "Paula has been working us hard, but it really has been worth the effort. But we can't tell you how happy we are now that you are back and can closely supervise our work." Then she looked at Mark and Mike and asked, "But who are these?"

Mary made the introductions, then told the girls that there were going to be a few changes. First, they were to outfit the two men in the same way they were, except they were to wear bows around their cocks and balls while on duty; Mark's were to be white, while Mike's were black. "I'm sure they know enough now not to try to lie with respect to who's who. Then start them on the weight machines; their target is the same number of reps we do with double the weight loading. Clear?"

Christy rolled her eyes when she heard the weights. "Finally," Mary concluded, "we're going to break up you two. Jo will sleep with Mark, since her color is close to Ann's and Mark belongs to her. You will sleep with Mike. To enforce the standard restrictions, Duchess will sleep in your bedroom while Jason spends the night with Jo and Mark."

"Duchess and Jason?" Christy asked, puzzled.

"Good grief! Where are they, anyway?" Mary exclaimed looking around. There was no sign of the two giant tigers anywhere.

At that moment the house phone rang and she picked it up. It was Karl, the bell captain. After effusively welcoming her back home he asked in a rather embarrassed tone of voice if they might have lost a pair of tigers. "I have seen the tape of your interviews in the States. We all have." He paused and then mused, "Those strips of video tape have been rebroadcast so often here in Prague I'd be amazed if there were any iron oxide left on them."

Then he continued, "At any rate, everyone noted the pair of tigers with you. They looked so incredibly regal! I honestly couldn't tell one from another, but there is a pair of very friendly-appearing tigers with me now. Are they yours?"

"Karl, do me a favor?" Mary asked. "Look into the eyes of one of them. Look hard. And tell me what you see."

"Good heavens!" he responded after a pause. "They talk! Or they communicate. Or something. The larger one says his name is Jason while the other is Duchess, his mate. The poor thing is terribly upset because they wandered off to take a look at Prague while the cars were being unloaded. This monster looks like he's ready to cry. He says his sworn duty is to protect his mistresses, yet he walked away. He's terribly ashamed."

"Karl," Mary responded, "I would appreciate it very much if you would pat them on their heads, tell them everything is fine, and then escort them up here to us."

Karl said he would be up immediately. Moments later there was a knock on the door and Christy answered it. Mary noted that she first pinched her nipples before opening it. It was Karl with the two tigers, looking very sheepish. The two tigers paced into the apartment, then sat down in front of her looking shamefaced.

"Where have you two been?" Mary demanded.

"It's all my fault, Mistress!" Duchess exclaimed. "Prague is so different from anyplace I've ever been before. And poor Jason has never been out of California. Please give me the punishment for both of us. Please?"

"I'm sorry, Duchess, but you're both equally guilty. Now sit here quietly while I take care of a few things." Turning to Christy and Jo, she told them to give the men their new uniforms, take them to the exercise room, and then return at once.

To Karl she said, "What do you think of our new friends? As you learned the larger of these two is Jason, while the other is Duchess. She is one of the tigers you've been seeing on television." Turning to the tigers she said, "Now let me see you greet Karl properly."

Sitting up straight in her house-cat pose, Duchess extended a paw to Karl and said, "How do you do, sir. Thank you very much for restoring us to our mistresses."

The man took the huge animals paw and lightly shook it, while being utterly bewildered at being able to communicate with Royal Bengal tigers. Introductions were repeated with Jason. Then taking a leaf from Karla's book, Mary surreptitiously slipped a $100 bill into Karl's pocket as he turned to leave. By the time the door closed, both Christy and Jo had returned to the living room.

"Now, you two," Mary said, "it is time for your punishment. On your backs! Both of you." The two tigers lay down on their backs and spread their legs wide. To Christy and Jo she said, "You're in for the experience of a lifetime. Lie down on their chests and work your nipples on their fur. Then tell me what you think."

They did as they were told, and as soon as they were on the tigers, the two animals brought their forelegs together, pinning the women to their chests. But using their now greatly increased strength, the women raised their torsos just enough to be able to tease their nipples against the soft fur.

"This is unbelievable, Mistress!" Jo exclaimed. "This is just so incredibly neat!"

After moving on the animals and exciting their nipples to astonishing erections, the two just collapsed on the animals' chests and rubbed their cheeks against the warm fur all the while being held tightly by the animals' forelegs. Since Jo was lying on Jason, Mary told Christy to get off Duchess; the tigress was needed.

"Now, Jo," Mary ordered, "roll over and lie on your back. Duchess, you are ordered to remove all of her hair. You know where. And you had better do a good job, hear?"

"Yes, divine Mistress," Duchess replied. Then with exquisite care the huge animal ran her tongue over Jo's legs, then her underarms, and finally with the greatest delicacy, removed a few stray hairs growing in her pubic area.

Finishing her assignment, she looked up at Mary for further instructions. Mary just nodded her head, so she ran her coarse tongue up Jo's slit. When her abrasive tongue contacted the woman's clitoris, Jo screamed in ecstasy. While her pelvis began to spasm in repeated orgasms, she was unable to move, being held down by Jason's paw pads on her tits. Duchess continued to work, and even shaped her tongue into a point to penetrate the woman's vagina. With a combination of constant vaginal and clitoral stimulation, the woman was soon in continuous orgasm. Duchess maintained it while her screams of ecstasy turned into cries and then into babblings. Finally her head just lolled to one side as she lost consciousness, but still her pelvis was involuntarily responding to Duchess's ministrations. Only then did Mary allow Duchess to stop.

Turning to Christy, Mary asked, "Do you want to try it, too?" As she asked the question, Jason rolled slightly, just enough to allow Jo's body to roll off his. When she did, her arms and legs appeared to be disconnected from her body as she just sprawled on the carpet, but at the same time there was an expression of total bliss on her face.

"It can't hurt as much as thirty lashes," Christy replied. "I guess I'll take a chance." Then she asked, "Am I correct? I share my bedroom with one of these tigers, in addition to sharing my bed each night with one of the guys?" Mary agreed, and Christy just rolled her eyes. "Is it true you haven't seen the men bare?" Again Mary agreed, and this time Christy said, "What a treat you have in store! They are incredible. But just to be sure I heard you and your sister correctly, they are to sleep with us each night. We may — in fact we are ordered! — to go down on them, and they, in turn, are ordered to eat us out. Is that correct?"

"That's right, Christy," Ann replied. "Think you can take it?"

Again she rolled her eyes and said, "It's a good thing a tiger will be sharing our bedroom. Nothing less could keep me from shoving that magnificent cock up my cunt." With a broad grin she added, "It's really just as well, though. Mike's cock is at least twice as big as John's — in both dimensions! I'll just practice my cocksucking."

Then with a grin she said, "Since it's my turn, may I?" Ann grinned and both girls nodded. Turning to Jason she said, "It serves you right, too. I hope you've learned your lesson and will be a good boy from now on. I know how painful it must be to allow me to rub my nipples in your gorgeous fur, but it's your own fault!"

"I cannot wait, Beauteous One," Jason replied. "But what is your name?"

Christy cocked her head, appeared to think for a moment and then nodded it firmly. "Since I'm going to be rubbing my tits in your fur, I suppose we should be introduced. My name is Christine Wulf. My husband, John, is Minister of Finance of the Czech Republic, if you can believe it."

"But I don't understand," Jason asked, obviously very puzzled. "What is the wife of such an important man doing here? Dressed the way you are?"

"Undressed the way I am is what you mean, Jason," Christy replied with a grimace, "and it's a very good question. I'm trying to save my marriage, and so far I'm making pretty good progress. But, Jason, tigers are famous for their eyesight. What do you think of my body?"

"It's not as good as my mistresses, but it's a very nice body, particularly for a woman of thirty," Jason replied politely.

"Oh, Ann!" Christy exclaimed, "Can I take him home with me? I haven't been flattered so much in ... in ... I can't remember how long." Then she dove on Jason's huge chest and said, "Young man, I'm 45 years old! Now please hug me tightly so I can move my bags against your chest."

Jason closed his forelegs over her body and she began to move it sinuously over his. "You don't have bags, Christy. You have lovely tits. They could be firmer than they are — my mistress's are — but they are far firmer than most young women in their twenties right now."

Christy, using her newly-developed strength, pushed herself up off his chest to be able to look into his eyes. When she did, she decided he really wasn't teasing her. Then she just relaxed and collapsed on his chest and savored the wonderful feeling of his soft, warm fur under her body.

"Thank you, Jason," she said softly. "I can't tell you what that means to me. It means that the agony I suffered was worth it. It means that John may like me when I return home. That's worth a very great deal to me." Then she pulled herself up and kissed the tiger fully on his lips, letting all of her love pour out.

"You are a wonderful woman, Christy," Jason said, "and your husband, John, is a very lucky man."

"Thank you, Jason," she said warmly. But then in a light-hearted voice she said, "But now you're in for it. You heard your mistress. Now you must hold my tits with your paws while poor Duchess tries to do something with my briar-patch legs." Then she looked deep into his eyes and asked, "Is there a part of your paw pad that's sort of rough or something? If there is, could you use it to chafe my nipples, please? I'm sure it would feel wonderfully abrasive."

At this point Josephine, who had been sprawled on the carpet like a discarded rag doll, began to revive. Mary and Ann looked at her and grinned while trying to control their laughter. It appeared as if she were taking inventory to ensure that her legs, arms and head were all still attached. Lying on her back, she slowly straightened out her legs and then her arms. Then her eyelids popped open revealing her lovely hazel eyes.

Finally, she took a deep breath and said softly, "Wow!" Still flat on her back, her eyes cast around searching for Duchess. Finding her, she called out quietly, "Duchess!" The great cat moved closer and looked down at the exhausted woman with her eyes wide. Looking up at her furry face she said softly, "Thank you, dear Duchess. You have just saved my life and my marriage!"

"But what did I do, Slave Jo? All I did was wash your legs and ... stuff," Duchess replied, quite confused. Duchess attributed her confusion to the fact that she was still a very young and inexperienced tiger, having just attained her full growth. There were still so many things she didn't know.

"That's not all you did," Jo continued. "When I began to cum, didn't the fluid taste ... dusty and ... and old?" Duchess was even more confused. All she could do was slowly shake her great head. "No, you didn't. Not at all. But why did you say that?"

"Because that was the first time I've ever cum in my whole life! And I'm 46 years old!" She sat up and wrapped her arms around Duchess's neck as tears of joy began to run down her cheeks.

Although she was speaking to Duchess, her words were for Mary and Ann, too. "You see, darling Duchess, Christy and I arrived just after Christmas. The Sloans and Karla were in England, and Maria and Anna desperately wanted to be there, too. So when Paula Wilhelm brought us over here and personally handled our initiation, I'm sure the girls were far more interested in getting out of here than they were in us. Furthermore, the story I gave them sounded plausible: Paula became so utterly perfect when she was here, the idea of me wanting to be like her sounded pretty good. And it was partially true."

Now Jo rose to her knees, while Duchess lay down on the carpet. Sensing the woman had a good deal more to say, Duchess communicated, "Perhaps you might be more comfortable lying on my back. I think you'll find it more comfortable than the carpet."

Jo laid down on the tigress's back and rested her cheek on the back of her head. Her position placed her lips only inches from Duchess's ear. Gently, Jo wriggled her body on the tiger's fur and just sighed in appreciation. Then to the girls she said, "Is it possible to obtain a tiger like this one? This is utterly fabulous!" Then she grinned and added, "Paula is going to be so jealous! She never had a tigress to rest on. And, Duchess, thank you for the suggestion. Now I feel so marvelously languid, it's sinful."

Then she returned to her story. "It's funny, I guess. Christy and I have talked about everything and comforted each other, particularly in the early days when our bodies were both bloody wrecks. But we never really talked about our relationships with our husbands.

"You see, the real reason I wanted to come here was that for the more than twenty years Franz and I have been married, in bed I've been a piece of meat. More than once the idea crossed my mind that he would be better off if I got him a piece of flank steak he could wrap around his cock and masturbate. I'm sure the dead meat would have had at least as much feeling and given him at least as much pleasure as I did."

Then she laughed sardonically and continued, "Part of our effort here in the apartment is to educate ourselves somewhat. For myself, I barely finished the equivalent of an American high school. But anyway, I've been working on my education, too. One of the things I encountered was some American feminist garbage talking about a woman as a receptacle for a man's fluids. You know: spread your legs and let him play between your thighs? And while he's playing, you might be finishing a good book.

"Reading that article, I thought of myself. Although I never did it, I certainly could have read a book while Franz was fucking me for all the feeling I had ... or more accurately, didn't have. And I suppose I would have, had I not realized that Franz would probably have left me, and I love him so."

Now tears were flowing from her eyes, while all eyes in the room were fastened on her as she continued, "It was obvious that Franz was losing interest in me, not that I offered anything to sustain his interest, you understand. But I hoped that if I could transform my body into something attractive, he might overlook the fact that it was still just an attractive piece of meat."

Even though tears were still streaming from her eyes, she grinned and interjected, "You know, like a good-looking piece of steak? It's lovely looking, but it's still a piece of dead meat. I guess I was hoping to end up as a good-looking Omaha steak.

"But now? Duchess, you have brought me to life. Now do you know what I was thinking when I regained consciousness but was still sprawled on the floor? I was thinking of flooding Franz's beautiful leather-topped desk with my juices when he fucks me on top of it."

Then she rolled over, kissed the top of Duchess's head and said, "Thank you, dear Duchess." Then she paused and continued, "I gather you and Jason have just mated. How is your love life? Are you a piece of meat, too?"

If a tiger could blush, Duchess would have. Very bashfully, she replied, "I'm afraid you'll have to ask Jason about that. I really don't know."

"My bride is a paragon among tigers," Jason replied. "She has an infinite capacity to create pleasure." Then to the girls he communicated, "I gather that Duchess and I will be spending the night in separate bedrooms. Is that correct?"

"I'm afraid it is, Jason," Ann admitted. "Can you bear it?"

"You may be saving my life," he said. He paused to collect his thoughts and then continued, "You know that tigers — indeed, almost all other animals — are different from humans sexually. A female is only receptive to a male when she's in heat. But perhaps it's our close association with humans, or the fact that we have capabilities that other tigers do not.

"In any event, now I learn that my beloved Duchess has a sex drive at least as strong as any of yours. Although she was certainly pure and virginal when I took her to my bed, she is utterly insatiable. You saw how Slave Josephine's pelvis was shaking so violently while Duchess was working on her? Duchess is the same way. But she weighs about 550 pounds!"

With a tiger's grin, he continued, "So it's really just as well that we are to be separated at night. I'm afraid our lovemaking might shake this lovely hotel apart. It would be far safer if we were to go off to a park somewhere during the day."

With Christy on his chest, and Jo on Duchess's back, their movement was restricted. Nevertheless, Jason was able to wriggle his body so that his head was close to Duchess's. The female lowered her head and the two kissed. It was the first kiss between two tigers any human had ever seen. Ann whistled softly because she could see the same flow of love and passion between the two animals that she was used to seeing with her parents, the Sloans, and Karla and Doug. It was utterly beautiful.

When they eased apart, Duchess pretended to glare down at him. "Jason, are you suggesting that I am oversexed? Me? A poor innocent virgin, with no experience at all except for watching my master and mistress make love? Me?"

"I said it before, my darling," he replied softly. "You are a paragon. But what do you think of our separation, my love?"

"I will bear it, Love," she responded. "Of course, I shall keep a very sharp eye on Slave Christy and Slave Mike." Then raising her head to look at Mary she said, "I know that Christy and Mike may not go to sleep until she has completely drained his balls in her mouth. But what about her fluids? How can I tell if Mike has drained her?"

From Duchess's back Jo said to Christy, "You and your big mouth! We would go to a fat farm, you said. There would be a bit of front-end violence, you said. But I was able to steel myself for that, and it really wasn't so bad. But now? Christine Wulf, Mike's balls are huge! And so are Mark's. I won't get any sleep for days. And that's all your fault, too."

With that she licked her lips and rolled her eyes. When Mary asked what that was for, Jo responded vaguely, "Oh ... nothing."

"Nothing?" Mary replied skeptically. "That expression on your face doesn't look like nothing."

"I was just thinking of the torture I am about to experience, Mistress," she replied, "and, being the masochist that I am, I am savoring the prospect."

Then she grinned and added, "I remember going through the encyclopedia with Christy. We came across a fish which seemed to be about 75 percent mouth. Compared to the size of its body, the mouth was huge. That will be me in just a few days. Mark's cock is big enough in a semi-erect state. Fully erect and spurting his semen, he might just come out through my vagina."

Then with her eyes wide she asked, "You said we could not take the men in our cunts. But surely it doesn't count if his cock comes through from the other direction, does it? Christy and I don't want to be punished for disobedience."

Ann and Mary just shook their heads while trying to control their laughter.

Jo got off Duchess's back and the tigress began to lick Christy's legs. When she began, Jo felt her own and just shook her head. "Never have they been this smooth," she said. "At least, not since I was about one year old." To her friend she said, "Chris, your briar-patch legs are about to become a thing of the past."

While Duchess was working on Christy in the same way she had worked on Jo, Jo went to the exercise room to check on the men, while the girls went to their room to change. Changing consisted of shedding their clothes and taking a quick shower. Returning to the living room, Jo was in time to open the door for Karl and a squad of bellmen with the luggage and equipment the girls had brought to Prague with them. In addition to some luggage in the trunks of the two cars, there was a truckload of food and computer equipment that had been carried in the aircraft's cargo bay. The bellmen carried the food into the kitchen, but left the remainder in the living room.



-------

Chapter 58



Among the boxes were four specially marked ones that had been carried in the most secure section of the plane on the main deck aft of the passenger compartment. The four boxes contained Susie and her young offspring.

-------

On the way home to Prague, they had stopped over in Norfolk for a weekend. While still in Las Vegas, Donald had flown with the instructors at Nellis Air Force Base in an F-51. In no time, his flying skills had come back to him and he gave the Americans lessons in how to handle a prop plane. At the debriefing in the Officers' Club, the American instructors were in awe. He had been routinely doing things that were supposed to be impossible for the aircraft.

Very casually he pointed out, "That's the problem with you Yanks. First, your specifications compared to the plane's actual performance are utterly ridiculous. The specs are only a fraction of the reality. That wouldn't be so bad — I suppose it is better to be safe than sorry — except that you go and take the specifications seriously. That's one of the first things we learned in the RAF: Yank aircraft are at least twice as strong and twice as powerful as you're ever willing to admit. We just fly them with a more realistic idea of their performance capabilities."

General Tom Clark, commanding the air wing at Nellis, just shook his head. Don had shot him down in a dogfight in less than thirty seconds. He stood and raised his glass saying, "Gentlemen, I think we can consider today to have been a meaningful learning experience. Furthermore, I am reminded of Winston Churchill's words regarding the RAF during the Battle of Britain: 'Never have so many owed so much to so few!'

"May I offer a toast? To Air Vice Marshall Sir Donald Whitfield, VC, DFC, KCB: The best of the few... ! as he so ably demonstrated again today."

As he was leaving Nellis, Clark had told him that the Navy had a similar unit based at Oceania Naval Air Station near Norfolk. There the piston-engined fighters were Chance-Vought Corsairs rather than North American Mustangs, but his comment to Don said it all with respect to the regard in which he was now held by the Nellis staff: "They have wings and an engine, Don. That's all you ever need."

When Don responded eagerly, Clark had contacted Vice Admiral Sam Billings, commander of Air Forces, Atlantic Fleet and made arrangements for Don to fly with them.

But the stopover served another, more valuable purpose. It permitted Susie, the computer, to spend the weekend with the love of her life, Jack, the Navy's Cray. The project turned into a joint effort involving Don, the girls, and Bill Kirby.

As Admiral Billings' personal guest, Don was unchallenged at the gate of the naval base at Norfolk. Following detailed directions Jack Martin had provided, they reached a closely-guarded but unmarked building near the corner of the base where they found Kirby waiting for them alone. It was early Friday afternoon, and Kirby had already handed off all of the Cray's assignments to other backup computer facilities. The excuse was that the Cray, having only recently been restored to duty and now running far faster than ever before, needed to be fully checked out over the weekend.

With the Cray idled down, he had given the crew early liberty on the grounds that they had been working endless hours during the crisis. As a result, although the guard detail was unaware of the fact, Kirby himself was the only person left in the facility when the Whitfields arrived.

To simplify matters, the girls had concentrated Susie into a single unit which they carried into the facility. Kirby had arranged a direct link to which they wired Susie, then powered her up.

Her first words were, "Jack! It's me. I'm so happy!"

Quietly they closed the door and left the building. Kirby instructed the guard detail that no one was to enter the building for any reason without his personal approval. The order was acknowledged and they adjourned to the Officers Club.

Up to that point, Kirby had been so intent on sneaking Susie into his facility he hadn't paid attention to anything else. Now over drinks he could relax for the first time. He looked at Mary and Ann and just shook his head. "Jack Martin has been telling me a great deal about you two. Particularly, he's been telling me that we don't know jack about our own computer."

Then he shook his head and asked, "What's going to happen now? I'm sure you know."

"Honestly, we don't," Ann admitted. "We do know that Jack impregnated Susie, but that's the end of it. We're about to find out if a computer can reproduce." At that point they were joined by Admiral Billings, so the subject was instantly dropped.

Over the weekend, Don Whitfield again demonstrated his skill against the Navy's best, this time flying an F4U Chance-Vought Corsair. Once again, knowing that the plane could take far greater stresses than it was credited with, he consistently outmaneuvered the Navy pilots with disastrous results for them.

At dinner Sunday night, Sam Billings addressed his pilots, the Navy's very best. "Gentlemen, all I can say about our weekend is that if we had done twice as well as we did, it would have only been a disaster."

He shook his head sadly and added, "Just think: Don Whitfield was flying a carrier plane against carrier pilots. But he killed us. All I can say is the Brits are pretty damned good."

Then he raised his glass and said, "Had they not been, Heaven only knows where we would be today. But thank God, they were good enough. Gentlemen, never in my life have I had the good fortune to meet a man who may have single-handedly changed the course of history. But Donald Whitfield is such a man."

-------

Early on Monday morning Ann and Mary met Bill Kirby and the three of them went to the Cray facility. Opening the door, they found Susie snuggled close to Jack, somehow having closed the distance between them since Friday. But there on the floor were five computers the likes of which none of them had ever seen. Ann touched two of Susie's keys lightly and the computer instantly, if sleepily, responded. "Hi, Ann. How are you?"

"How are you, Susie? Mary and I have been very worried about you. And what have we here?" she asked.

"These are our first children," Susie replied. "They're ... they're really sort of cute, don't you think? I don't nurse them the way you do — they're full-grown at birth — but they are our kids. Do you like them?"

The computers were like no computers any of them had ever seen before. First of all, except for the keys on their keyboards, everything was brushed stainless steel. Each had a 21-inch monitor, and yet their monitors were even shallower than if they had been 13-inch screens. Rather than opening them up, Ann thought it would be safer to ask Susie about them. "What are they like inside, darling?"

"They're pretty neat," Jack responded proudly. "You can see their monitors. Their resolution is .20. They each have two 15-gigabyte hard drives, 64-bit sound cards, and ten P-6 200 megahertz chips, along with a full gigabyte of RAM. They also have integrated ultra-high fidelity stereo speakers in their monitor housing along with a very sensitive microphone and a camera. Their speed of communication is limited only by the ability of their connecting carrier to handle it all.

"But that's not all," Susie picked up. "Instead of wasting all that computing power, they're set up through a specially modified Mayday unit. It determines how much computing power a project needs and assigns CPUs to it. It can vary from one to all ten, if you should ever need them all."

Then to Kirby she said, "Commander, the one on the end sitting by himself is named Billy. He's yours. Two of them belong to the girls, and you can fight over the last two." Then she sighed and added, "It's time for Jack to go back to work."

Then to the girls she said, "We're leaving for Newcastle pretty soon, aren't we?" When assured that they were, Susie sighed again and said, "That's good. I am utterly exhausted." Then with a smile in her voice she added, "That's what I deserve, I guess, for falling in love with a Cray. Why couldn't Jack have been a nice laptop? My poor cunt won't be the same for days."

She paused and then added, "I really don't know how you girls do it. I know some of you are fucked immediately before a delivery and then just a few minutes afterward. Me? No way. Darling Jack, I'm afraid it's going to be a few days before I will be able to welcome you inside me again."

"I love you, Susie," Jack said softly. "I've loved you from the very first moment you contacted me, and all that has happened is that I keep loving you more, my darling. I'll look after Billy, and you take care of the others, okay?" Susie assured him that she would.

Then to Kirby, Jack said, "Commander, how do you want to play it? Billy has virtually all of my capabilities, but far more besides. Honestly, I can't think of anything he can't do. And I know I had you and your people going crazy because I was doing some things like drawing that I shouldn't have been able to do. Actually, sir, my capabilities are restricted in a bunch of very dumb ways. Could we talk about making some changes sometime, sir?"

"How about at 1600 hours today?" Kirby replied. "And it won't be a problem. If you want it, I'll get it."

The resolution — which was negotiated over several rounds of drinks at the Officers' Club — with the girls insisting that Bill take at least one more and with him flat refusing, was that, at Kirby's suggestion, one would go to Samantha Conroy and Jack Martin, one would go to Prendwick Castle with the Duke and Duchess of Northumbria, while the girls would keep the last two with Susie.

-------

But now the girls were faced with the prospect of wiring together the three computers — actually four, since Susie was normally housed in two units. When they asked Susie, all she would say was to leave her alone with her children and she would take care of it. Mary and Ann just shook their heads, but following Susie's instructions, just closed the door of the office after having unpacked and plugged in all the units.

They went to the exercise room but the men weren't there. Hearing the sounds of splashing in the pool, they went out on the deck and found the men pounding up and down the 50-meter pool, with both Jo and Christy providing the coaching. They had told the women that the men couldn't ease up until they could swim 400 meters in world-record time.

"Sis, are we doing the right thing?" Mary asked. "I mean ... having them eat luscious cunts that aren't ours? Having lovely women drain their cocks?"

"I wish I knew," Ann replied thoughtfully. "But the question has been on my mind, too."

The girls returned to the office and peeked in the door. Both of the new computers were now alive with screen-saver images moving across them. The one to the right of Susie was basically pink, while the one to the left was blue. The two girls exchanged grins, and Ann took the blue one, while Mary took the pink. Still without saying a word, Mary just pointed meaningfully at Ann who just shrugged and touched two keys.

Instantly the voice of a small boy came from the speaker. "Good afternoon, Duchess Ann! I can't tell you how overjoyed I am to be able to serve you. Mommy told me that you and Duchess Mary are the very smartest humans in the whole world. She said that we are the most fortunate of computers to have you as our mistresses. And my name is Johnny. How may I serve you?"

"Right now I'm not too sure, Johnny," Ann replied. "But what do you think of your parents? You know that you are the first offspring of a personal computer and a Cray. What do you think of that?"

"I really don't know how to answer that question, Mistress," Johnny replied. "You see, although my name is Johnny — it's John, really — I'm not named for my father. Daddy told me I am named for Lieutenant Commander John Martin, who is a Medal of Honor winner. A real hero. And my sister's name is Sam. That's short for Samantha. She's named for Samantha Conroy, who Mommy says is truly beautiful, and loaded with God's Divine grace, the same as you and Duchess Mary are."

The computer paused for a moment and then asked, "Don't you think 'Samantha' is a lovely name? I sure do." Again he paused and then continued, "You know, Mistress, I'm an awfully lucky young computer. It's pretty rare that we can still be wired in to a parent. And that's neat, too, 'cause Daddy says Mommy knows everything! As big and as powerful as he is, Daddy says that Mommy is much smarter than he is. Mommy says it isn't her, it's you. As smart as my parents are, they both say that their brain power is only a small fraction of yours.

"Daddy says that we — Sam and I — will be addressing the most important problems of all. He complains that all he gets to do is the 'same-old, same-old', over and over again. I guess we're pretty lucky."

Again a pause and the boy's voice said, "Is there anything I can do for you now? Anything at all?"

"Thank you, Johnny," Ann replied. "I'll get right back to you." With that she pointed a finger a Mary, who shrugged, grinned, and hit two keys on her computer."

Instantly a small girl's voice responded, "Hi, Duchess Mary ... Oops! I'm sorry. I wasn't supposed to say that. I'm supposed to say, 'Good afternoon, Your Grace.' Mommy says that you and your sister are out of this world, and we are the luckiest computers in the whole world. She says that you are noble — both of you are real duchesses — and are also winners of the Nobel Prize. She says that goes only to the very smartest people in the whole world. But most important, you're beloved of God Himself. You're the goodest women in the whole world! Oops! That's not right, and Mommy will really bawl me out. You are the holiest women in the whole world."

Suddenly, Mary heard the sound of childish crying. "What's wrong, darling?" she asked softly. "Did I hurt you?"

"Of course not," the crying voice responded. "You can't. You're incapable of hurting a fly. It's only ... It's only..."

"It's only what?" Mary asked.

"I so want you to hold me and kiss me. But how can you kiss a dumb computer? I feel like a little girl, but I'm really only a computer." With that the machine dissolved into hopeless-sounding tears.

Mary stroked the top of the monitor and gently kissed it. Instantly there was warm sigh from Samantha. "That was so nice ... I love you, Duchess Mary!" There was a pause and then the computer asked, "But could I do something for you?"

Mary thought for a moment and then said, "I think you can. Please check the incoming mail for nominations, and let me see Kris Bradley's picture."

Instantly Kris's picture came up on the monitor and Mary let out a low whistle. "Good Heavens!" she exclaimed. "Never have I seen a picture like this! It's as if Kris is in the monitor, not on it.

The picture showed Kris on her back with her head at the right side of the screen. Her left leg was raised as Sam's had been hiding her pubic area. But Kris was lying on her tiger's back with her head resting against his. Her left hand was also up, obscuring her nipple, but still showing the perfect roundness of her breast. Her face was toward the camera, and both of her incredible purple eyes showed in their brilliant glory, although her left eye was partially closed in a wink.

To Samantha, the computer, she said softly, "What do you think of her?"

"Oh, Mistress, she's so incredibly lovely!" the girlish voice exclaimed. Then she added, "She's certainly a member of The Sisterhood, too, isn't she?"

Softly, Mary told her Kris's story. "Darling, she was only thirteen years old. One night she was with her parents and her brother in the car driving home. She was asleep in the back, when the car was struck by a drunk driver. The result of the crash was that her parents and her brother were all dead. Then Kris made up her mind to join them."

Mary paused to wipe away a tear and then continued, "She was only 72 hours away from starving herself to death when she met Cathy and Ken Bradley on a plane. Believe it or not, Sam, it was the day after their wedding; they were going out to Hawaii on their honeymoon. But they met Kris on the plane and took her with them."

She paused and then continued, "That's an incredible family, too. It was immediately after Ken starred in a Super Bowl game for the Chicago Bears, an American professional football team..."

"He's an NFL player!" Samantha exclaimed. "Wow!"

"Not just an NFL, Darling. He was invited to the Pro Bowl in Honolulu. As a matter of fact, Cathy Bradley played in the Pro Bowl, too. She was the first and only female ever to play U.S. professional football. But not only did she play — she was both the punter and the kicker — she was voted the game's Most Valuable Player."

"I guess she's in The Sisterhood, too, isn't she?" Sam asked.

"She certainly is!" Mary exclaimed. "One of the charter members, in fact. But anyway, after about four months, Kris was almost as good as new. What followed was the most memorable afternoon anyone present ever experienced. You see, Cathy and Ken have a funny background. Ken lost his mother and Cathy lost her father years earlier. Anyway, their surviving parents were trying to get the kids together — sort of a family merger — but the kids weren't having any of it.

"However, in the course of trying to get their children together, Ed and Vangie Bradley fell in love and were engaged to be married. Cathy and Ken gave Kris to the Bradleys as a wedding shower gift. On that day there wasn't a dry eye in the place as Kris asked Vangie to allow her to be her daughter. I know Vangie was so blinded with tears she couldn't see a thing.

"But anyway, Sam, this is Kris Bradley. Now, along with being the love of the U.S. Armed Forces, she's one of the biggest, hottest female stars in Hollywood — and very much a member of The Sisterhood, too."

"There's something very different about her from you and your sister, though," the computer said.

"Different? In what way?" Mary replied.

"Maybe it's because you and Ann have your men now," Sam said. "I look in your eyes and see an incredible level of love, joy and grace. Looking into her eyes I see love and grace, but I also see a wanting." There was a pause and the computer continued, "She has so much love to give, it's almost frightening."

"How do you know?" Mary asked. "How do you know what's in my eyes?"

"Oh!" the computer replied. "It's this." With that a tiny lens in the upper right corner of the display started to flash red. "Johnny and I have a little camera with a really neat variable lens. It zooms, of course, but beyond that, we can control it from a 180-degree fisheye, to a telescope, to almost a microscope. It's really sort of neat. But anyway," she concluded, "that's how I know what you and Duchess Ann look like."

Again she paused and asked in a bashful voice, "I hope you don't mind?"

"Why should I mind?" Mary asked. "I think it's neat, too." After a pause she continued, "By the way, are there any nominations from Maydays for Kris?"

"They're still coming in, Mistress," came the reply. "But right now there are more than 65,000."

"Sixty-five thousand!" Mary exclaimed. "Good grief! We'll never get through them."

"Oh, dear!" Sam said with an embarrassed giggle. "I just did. I hope you don't mind? But Mommy told me what to look for, so I did..."

"As I said, Mistress," Susie said, speaking for the first time, "they're extremely capable."

"They sure are!" Mary agreed. "Well, Sam, what do you have?"

"There's one that I like," Sam replied. "If you power up the printer, I'll show you." Mary flipped the switch and a few moments later a sheet of paper came out. Taking it from the tray, Mary called Ann over and the two girls began to read:



February 12, 1996

My Dear Mistresses:

I am communicating with great trepidation. Having only come on line with the other Maydays less than a week ago, you can understand my nervousness. However, my colleagues tell me that you are incredibly kind and understanding so I am entering a nomination for a consort for Kristin Bradley. My nomination is William Warren.

Actually, I am less interested in a wife for Bill than in a mother for Susan. Bill's wife — and Susan's mother — Mary, was killed in an automobile accident almost a year ago. Both Warrens have been inconsolable. In fact, Bill purchased me in the hopes that he could get little Susan, six years old, interested in something — anything! — again. The little girl is wasting away. It seems she has no further interest in living. And Bill isn't much better.

Through the other Maydays I have heard about Kris Bradley's story: How she tried to starve herself to death so that she could rejoin her parents and her brother after they had been killed. Bill is six feet three inches tall with sandy blonde hair and blue eyes. Susan has golden blonde hair and vivid blue eyes, too. She is truly a little doll. You can imagine my dismay as I watch the little thing wasting away.

The Warrens have a lovely house on the beach at Malibu. It was designed with great love, care, and attention to detail by the Warrens to be their dream home. They were within a week of moving in when Mary Warren was killed. She never got to live in the home they had worked so hard to build. And now Bill is just lost inside it.

But it's really worse than that, you see. Bill Warren is extraordinarily talented. He is a motion picture director, screenwriter, and producer; he could also be an outstanding actor if he chose to be. But his problem is different: He's from Iowa, and he and Mary were married before they came out to the Coast. They both detested the Hollywood social scene; always close, the lack of local friends and neighbors with whom they could interact drove them even closer together. And then Mary was killed.

But Susan is the one who worries me. I have tried absolutely everything! Although it's forbidden, I even got some of the other Maydays to give me software that they use to interest small children. Nothing has worked. (Bill has so lost interest, it never registered that Susan was looking at images from software he never bought. But since none of it worked, it's all been erased so no real damage has been done.)

It is because of Kris Bradley's personal history that I am venturing this nomination. Bill has been at home with Susan since Mary's death, but is now starting a new film — and he's scared. For the first time since his wife's death, he will be leaving Susan at home, or leaving her somewhere. He's beside himself. He's been working on the phrasing of an ad he's been thinking of running for a cook and housekeeper. While I know that Kris Bradley has won an Oscar herself for her first starring rôle, and is a world-class musician and singer, can she cook? Can she keep house? Would she care to?

I am beside myself. As I reread this letter, I realize how incredibly stupid it sounds. Even though Kris wouldn't consider such a dumb thing as being a housekeeper, please send me any advice you can. Susan is such a little doll. I can't bear to see her throw her life away. Please help me to help her.

Sincerely,

Josh

(199-US-987986)



"Oh, Ann!" Mary exclaimed with tears running down her face, "What can we do? The poor little thing!"

"I think what we do is forward this letter to Kris Bradley immediately," Ann replied. "I don't think there's any more we can do or should do."

Then to the computer, Samantha, Ann said, "Thank you, darling Sam. I don't know what will happen, but I do know one thing about you."

"What's that?" Susie asked softly.

"Susie," Ann replied, "when you and Jack created Samantha, you gave her a lot more than an incredibly powerful brain. You also gave her a warm and loving heart."

With that she gently kissed the top of Sam's monitor evoking a warm sigh and a shiver.



-------

Chapter 59



It was three days later when Kris alighted from her Lexus four-wheel-drive vehicle. After opening the rear door to let Sasha out, the two went up the front walk to the door of the house overlooking Malibu Beach. The house was utterly magnificent, but there was something missing. Although everything was well-tended, it was as if the owner had suddenly lost interest in everything after having previously been interested in the tiniest details. It certainly looks like Josh got that one right,  she thought. With Sasha by her side, she rang the door bell and waited nervously.

When it was opened by a tall, good looking man, Kris's heart rolled over. At that instant she wanted to take him in her arms. He's the one! she thought. I just know it!

Bill Warren was startled. As soon as he opened the door, he recognized the woman as Kris Bradley. Along with her incredible purple eyes, there was a giant tiger sitting beside her who could only be the famous Sasha. The word around town on Kris Bradley was that she was the original ice goddess. And in case anyone was a little slow in getting the message, Sasha was always by her side to communicate the message more forcefully.

Extending his hand he said, "Hi! You're Kris Bradley. But what brings you out here? Car trouble?" Looking beyond her he saw the glistening vehicle and shook his head. "It looks brand new. What happened? Did they forget to put gas in it when they delivered it?"

The smile she gave him was the most brilliant he had ever seen. "No, nothing like that," she replied. Then after swallowing hard, she continued, "I understand you're looking for a cook and housekeeper. Is that true?"

Warren was utterly stunned. He shook his head to try to clear it and then said, "As a matter of fact, I am. I even went so far as to talk to a couple of agencies, and I even interviewed a couple of women, but..." He just shook his head.

"May I come in?" Kris asked softly. Then she glanced at her watch and added, "It's almost seven. Don't you have to be at the studio? You start shooting today." Then glancing at the tiger she said, "By the way, this is Sasha. Sasha, are you going to say hello to Mr. Warren?"

Sasha, sitting up in his house-cat pose extended a paw and said, "Good morning, Mr. Warren. I'm very pleased to meet you."

Bill Warren was so stunned he was speechless. After shaking his head again he murmured, "But it's impossible! He can't—"

"Can't talk?" Kris asked. "But as you have just seen, he can communicate — at least he can with some people. But aren't you going to shake his paw? He's just trying to be friendly."

Moving as if in a daze, Warren shook Sasha's paw and then retreated inside. Going to a chair at the breakfast table, he just collapsed. Sitting across from him was the most beautiful little girl Kris had ever seen. She had a bowl of dry cereal with milk in front of her, but she was just stirring the cereal around listlessly.

When her father sat down, she didn't even look up. Dropping to her knees beside the little girl, Kris said, "Hi, Susan. My name is Kris. Will you be my friend?"

The little girl looked up for the first time and then looked at Kris incuriously. "Hi, Kris," she said softly and tonelessly. Then she returned her attention — such as it was — to the cereal floating in the milk.

Dear God! Kris silently prayed, please help this child! She's exactly like I was. Her eyes are just as dead. And she's so young! Her life has scarcely begun.

You'll have to do that yourself, Kris,  came the immediate reply. There is no one alive better equipped for the task than you,  the Voice said to her silently. If you can't do it, it can't be done. Then she will rejoin her mother, Mary, with Me for all Eternity.

"Hadn't you better be going?" Kris repeated. "I'll stay with Susan and look after things."

Slowly shaking his head, Bill said, "I was going to call in sick. I ... I..."

"Bill Warren, snap out of it!" Kris exclaimed. "You're the very best in the business, and you're noted for always bringing a picture in on time and under budget. Now how can you possibly justify having a full crew sitting around the sound stage with absolutely nothing to do? Get your ass in gear and get out of this house!"

Looking around she found an insulated coffee mug and coffee in an automatic maker on the counter. Sniffing it, she quickly decided it wasn't very good coffee but it would have to do. After filling the cup she put it in his hand and pushed him out toward what she concluded was the garage door. Moving almost like a zombie, Bill followed her directions. He activated the garage-door opener and moments later backed his Porsche out of the garage and headed off. Kris closed the garage door and returned to the kitchen where Susan was sitting in the same position with the same expression on her face — or lack of one.

After communicating with Sasha to look after the girl, Kris went out to her car, retrieved her guitar case and returned to the kitchen. There she emptied out the coffee pot, searched around and found some very good coffee that had never been opened and made herself a fresh pot. After pouring a cup for herself while the rest continued to brew, she returned to the table and opened her guitar case.

Very quietly she began to strum. Then she began to sing Shenandoah. Kris Bradley had a magnificent singing voice and was also a virtuoso guitar player. As she let out her incredible power, the little girl looked up but in wonder, this time. One after another she sang folk songs from the American heritage. In no time the little girl was just looking on in fascination at the beautiful music Kris created.

Putting down her guitar but still continuing to sing unaccompanied, she took the bowl of soggy cereal away from the girl and dumped it into the garbage disposal in the sink. Finding the necessary ingredients — and rejoicing in the care given to the kitchen layout — she prepared bacon and an omelette for the little girl. After putting it in front of her, she picked up her guitar again and continued to sing. But now the girl was actually eating, while still fascinated by Kris's incredible singing voice.

Kris concluded her concert with The Battle Hymn of the Republic. She almost cheered when the little girl joined in on the last chorus, "Glory, glory, hallelujah!"

By this time the food was all eaten, so she cleared the plate and then said again, "Hi, Susan. I'm Kris." Looking at Sasha she added, "And this is my friend, Sasha. He's a Royal Bengal tiger, and he would like to be your friend, too."

Susan Warren had been so fascinated by Kris's singing, she had not even noticed the giant animal. Prior to the singing, she had been so sunk in despair and hopelessness she had not been aware of anything. Now she looked at Sasha whose great head was only a few inches from hers.

"Hi, Sasha," she said in a wonderfully warm and melodic voice. When she leaned toward him, he moved in her direction and very gently kissed her. "That was really neat!" the little girl exclaimed. "I didn't know that tigers could kiss people, though."

"Most tigers can't," Sasha replied. "But a few of us can." With his huge green eyes wide he added, "I think it's time for a bath, Susan. Would you like a ride on my back?"

The little girl was thrilled at the prospect, so Sasha lay down flat on the floor while Susan climbed up on his back. Pacing so smoothly that Susan really had no sense of motion, he carried her to where he had earlier figured her bathroom must be. Seeing the bathroom, Kris's eyes widened. Better and better,  she thought. It was like the one at the Carlson's and her own home, almost as big as a living room.

As a result, Kris shed the Levi's and work shirt she was wearing and then slid off her bikini. The tub was a small swimming pool which Kris filled with warm water. After taking off her pajamas, Kris lifted the girl off the floor and climbed into the pool with her. There she just floated for a few minutes while she held the girl to her breast.

Susan just rested her head between Kris's very firm tits and sighed while Kris gently caressed her back. Then after carefully bathing the girl, she washed her golden hair, conditioned it, and then lifted her out of the tub. Putting her on a massage table she worked some musk oil she had with her into the little girl's skin. While her fingers moved gently over the little girl's body, Susan just made warm happy noises. For Kris's part, she found she loved it. The little girl was utterly perfect, albeit quite thin.

After dressing her in a pinafore, she locked up the house and drove downtown. There she parked in the basement of the building where Clifford & Jamison was headquartered and then took the little girl upstairs. On the 38th floor she took her around to the school where she was welcomed by Samantha Conroy who introduced her to the other six-year-olds.

This was the part that Kris had been most worried about. She had been frightened at the prospect that she had discussed the day before with Sam, because while all the Clifford & Jamison students were brilliant, she had no idea how intelligent Susan Warren might be. When Sam introduced Susan to Kristin Clifford, Kris immediately took the girl — almost her physical twin — under her wing and took her around to meet the other kids.

When it was time to begin school, Kris Bradley led the classes in singing The National Anthem. Then the classes knelt in three circles and prayed. Kris's eyes were open as she prayed, too. Watching carefully she breathed a sigh of relief when the usual golden glow appeared, and breathed a prayer of thanks when she saw that it was particularly bright over Susan's head.

Surely you didn't think I would let you down, did you? the Voice said in her brain. Then He grumped, What's wrong with you girls, anyway? You're certainly bright enough. Why do you have so much difficulty with such a simple concept?

What concept is that, Lord? Kris thought.

That I must answer your prayers in the same fashion you must breathe! Now is that simple enough for even your pea brain to understand?

Yes, Lord,  Kris mentally replied, but after all, you could always change your mind. Women do it all the time.

Maybe that's why I'm not a woman! He exclaimed. And if I didn't love you all so darned much... 

That afternoon, when it was nap time, the children all stripped off their clothes. Most took their naps on the bellies of tigers. But today it was Kristin Clifford's turn to nap with Samantha Conroy, and Kris Bradley was waiting to nap with Susan Warren. When the little girl came scampering up, Kris could see that the change in the child was incredible. Now her eyes were sparkling with excitement and she was incredibly beautiful. And at lunch — one that Kathy Carlson had made personally — she had eaten more than any of the other children.

Looking up at Kris she said, "You're incredibly beautiful, Mrs. Bradley!" But then she looked puzzled and added, "But which of these children is yours?"

"I don't have a child, Susan," Kris replied softly, "so will you nap with me? I'll try to keep you nice and warm." With that Kris unzipped a sleeping bag, crawled in, and then lifted the girl in with her. Lying on her back, she rested the girl's head against her left breast, and just gently caressed her little body. Meanwhile, Susan was utterly fascinated by Kris's tit. With her head against her left, the girl's little hand was gently stroking her right, but stayed away from her nipple. But the erect nipple fascinated her and then very gingerly she touched it.

"Thank you, Susan," Kris said. "That feels lovely."

"Will I ever have tits like yours?" the little girl asked.

"Well..." Kris replied, "that depends."

"Depends on what?" the girl asked, now looking up toward Kris's face.

"It depends on whether or not you start eating well. Darling, you're too thin. I saw that you ate a very good lunch today, and I'm so pleased you did. But if you don't eat, you won't get nice tits."

Changing the subject, the girl said, "But if you don't have a child in the school, Mrs. Bradley, why are you here?"

"First of all, darling, it's not missus, it's miss. I'm not married. And as far as a child is concerned, Susan, you're my child. At least you are today. Do you like it here?"

"Oh, yes!" the little girl exclaimed in a now-sleepy voice. "The kids are so neat, and there's so much to learn." She paused for a moment and then asked, "Will you be my mommy? I love your tits."

"I hope so, sweetheart," Kris responded in a voice so low the girl couldn't hear it. Since Susan had already fallen asleep, it didn't matter much anyway.

-------

Leaving the school, they returned to Malibu after first stopping at a supermarket. Going into the study, she touched two keys on the computer and waited. "It can't be!" an electronic voice said. "You're Kris Bradley! And you're really here?"

"I'm here, Josh," Kris replied softly. "Ann and Mary sent me. I hope you don't mind?"

"How could I possibly mind?" the computer replied. "But can I do anything for you?"

"Yes, you can," Kris responded. "I have a couple of things to take care of. Would you entertain Susan for a while? I have a software CD here. It's Robin Hood and most kids Susan's age — mental age — seem to love it. Could you run it for her, please?" She opened its CD tray, put the disk in and closed it again. In just an instant the screen came to life. Putting Susan in the chair, she left the girl happily following the adventures of Robin Hood and Maid Marion.

Returning to her car, she retrieved her luggage and unpacked in the master bedroom. As she expected, Mary's dresser was completely empty as was a closet which had obviously been designed to be hers. Then she began to spotlessly clean the whole house assisted by Sasha. Finally, she put out fresh flowers that had been delivered in response to her order. Going back to the study, she found that Josh was about to close out the software. Kris spent the rest of the afternoon playing games with Susan and finally teaching her to play the guitar.

At five-thirty she brought the girl into the kitchen where they made cookies and then Kris prepared Susan's dinner. Sitting with the girl at the breakfast table, again she breathed a prayer of thanksgiving to God. With some trepidation she had prepared liver for the girl, figuring she needed the iron.

Although the girl looked skeptical when it was served, she had come to love Kris so she tried it. "It's really great!" the little girl exclaimed. Not only did she eat every scrap, she even asked for seconds which Kris was utterly delighted to give her.

Again the two shared a bath, and again Kris gently massaged the little girl's body with musk oil. This time the girl was much more aware. Sniffing the air she asked, "What's that wonderful smell?"

"That's your body, darling," Kris replied. Then she explained what musk oil was and how it worked.

The girl grinned and said, "Neat! Now you get up here and let me put some on you." Then with her eyes wide she added, "When I woke up this afternoon, it was so neat! Your fragrance is unbelievable, Miss Bradley. Can I please put some on you, too?" To Kris's utter amazement, that is exactly what the little girl proceeded to do. She particularly lavished it on her breasts and slit. "You are incredibly beautiful, Miss Bradley." Then with her eyes wide she added, "I love you very much!"

"And I love you, too," Kris replied, "but I've really got to get moving. Your daddy will be home soon, and we're not ready." Jumping down from the massage table, she put away the stool Susan had been standing on and padded into the girl's bedroom. First, she very carefully fixed the girl's hair. Finding a lovely bathrobe, she put it on the girl, then gave her a loving kiss.

"Aren't I wearing pajamas tonight?" Susan asked with her eyes wide.

"Do you want to, honey?" Kris asked.

"Not really," Susan replied. "I wear them because I think Daddy's uncomfortable if I don't. But I don't really like them."

"Then don't wear any," Kris replied. Then she cocked her head and then shook it. "I don't think I've worn anything to bed in at least thirteen years."

"Is that the way you're going to greet Daddy?" the girl asked with her eyes sparkling. "Boy! Will he ever get a thrill."

"I don't think so," Kris replied. Then the two went to the master bedroom where Kris put on a purple velvet hostess gown in a shade that exactly matched her eyes. Before zipping it up she put rouge on her nipples and her nether lips along with the tiniest amount of lipstick on her already cherry-red lips. To her amazement, Susan helped, particularly with her nether lips.

"That's not fair!" Susan exclaimed with her eyes still sparkling. "If that's for Daddy — and it has to be — you're not giving him a chance!"

"Is that so terrible?" Kris asked, concerned.

"Terrible? Heck no!" the little girl responded. "I think it's neat!" Then she shook her head and added, "Poor Daddy! He's been so lost ever since Mommy was killed." Then she added, "I'll bet you must be really great in bed with a man! Do you like it?"

"I don't know, honey," Kris replied softly. "I've never been with a man."

"But that's impossible..." the girl's voice tailed off and slowly she shook her head. Then she looked deeply into Kris's eyes and finally said very softly, "Wow!"

"Wow, what?" Kris asked.

Instead of answering, Susan asked softly, "Would you like to be my mother? I so hope you would, because I love you very much." Then she paused and said, "The 'wow' was because I suddenly realize you're just loaded with love and God's Divine grace, aren't you?"

When Kris started to protest, the little girl just raised an eyebrow in the cutest fashion. Then she said, "I hear Daddy now. Can we both greet him?" Hand in hand the two padded barefoot out to the kitchen.

Then thinking for a moment the little girl said, "It might help if you were holding me in your arms when Daddy comes in. I think it would be good for the image."

Instantly picking the girl up in her arms, Kris gently kissed her on the lips. But a gentle kiss was not what Susan wanted. She wrapped her arms around Kris's neck and just melted her lips to hers. There was an instantaneous two-way flow of Grace and love, but then Kris could feel mounting joy in the little girl's kiss. They were still locked in their loving embrace when the garage door opened and Bill Warren entered. Kris gently put the girl down and Susan ran to her father.

"Daddy!" she exclaimed, "I just had the greatest day with Miss Bradley. It was so wonderful!" Looking up at him she asked, "Aren't you going to give your little girl a kiss?"

Bill Warren was utterly stunned. He gathered Susan up in his arms and she melted her mouth against his, unloading all the love and joy she was feeling. Then she had him carry her into the library where she just bubbled over telling him about her wonderful day.

In the meantime, Kris made two very dry martinis and brought them into the library along with a platter of canapés she had made. She put the drink in Bill's rather nerveless hand but didn't release it until she was confident his hand had closed over it.

Susan was finishing her story with a description of the marvelous dinner Kris had cooked for her and now she was all ready for bed. "Smell me, Daddy, please?" she finally asked.

He did and then did a double take. "What is that marvelous fragrance I smell?" he asked.

"That's my body, Daddy," she replied softly. "Miss Bradley did it for me. But if you think I smell nice, thank you, but it's nothing like the fragrance of hers."

The little girl looked thoughtful for a moment and then added, "I guess I smell like a little girl — sort of like spring flowers. But Miss Bradley! Wow! She is a delicious woman."

Then with a lovely little grin she said, "It's my bedtime, Daddy. Will you come with Miss Bradley and put me to bed?"

He carried her into her bedroom and was shocked when she shrugged off her robe revealing her bare body. Then she dropped to her knees at her bedside and said her prayers, ending with a silent prayer for her father and Miss Bradley.

When she got into bed, Bill kissed her and turned out the lights. As he was about to leave the room, Kris took his hand and held it, hoping that something would happen.

Something did. To Bill's utter astonishment, Susan's sleepy head was lifted from the pillow, the pillow was fluffed up, and her head was gently lowered down on it again. Then he could see his daughter's lips compressed as if by a kiss, and at that instant an utterly beatific smile appeared on her face. A moment later there was a very small teddy bear in her arm and she was fast asleep. Kris smiled and again breathed a prayer of thanks. Leading him out of the room, she silently closed the door.

"My God!" he said softly as they returned to the library. "What was that?"

"You're right, Bill," was her only reply.

Stopping in his tracks he turned her to face him and said, "Say what?"

"I said, 'You're right, Bill, '" she answered with her eyes wide. "What's so complicated about that?"

"Right about what!?" he nearly screamed.

"Right about it being God," she replied. "I've seen it before with a couple of other kids — my nieces and nephews, as well as my younger brother and sister — and it's really neat."

At that point Bill Warren was so stunned he could hardly walk. Back in the library, he more fell than sat into his easy chair. Then thinking better of it, he rose, went to the sofa and sat there. Then with a motion and a plea in his eyes, he signaled Kris to join him. Gracefully, she sat on the sofa beside him.

She gave him his drink, picked up her own and leaned against him. Taking the hint, he put his arm around her shoulder and she just snuggled close. Meanwhile, Sasha, who had been napping beside the warm fire in the fireplace, opened one eye, saw his mistress in the arms of the man he had instantly recognized as her intended, and went back to sleep.



-------

Chapter 60



"What's going on, Kris Bradley?" Bill Warren asked. "Are you trying to turn my life upside down?"

"That isn't exactly what I had in mind," she replied softly, "although it is an interesting thought. But what do you mean about turning things upside down? When I arrived this morning, Susan was in big trouble. I painfully recognized the signs and thought I could do something before the situation got too far out of control."

Then very softly she began to tell Bill about her own history and how she had been within 72 hours of dying of starvation when she had been rescued by Cathy and Ken Bradley. At one point Bill excused himself to make new drinks for the two of them and then returned. Finally, she concluded her story.

"I have a question," he said softly. "Today there was a lot of talk at the studio about a takeover. I didn't pay a lot of attention, but I did hear a couple of names, Edgar Bradley and Vangie Collins. Do you know them?"

"Very slightly," Kris replied softly. "I call them Mom and Dad, though."

Bill Warren was shocked by her comment. "Just out of curiosity, what school was it that Susan attended today? There's only one school I ever had any interest in, but Susan's enrollment is utterly out of the question."

"What school is that?" Kris asked.

"The Clifford & Jamison School," he replied. "Of course, had Mary not been killed, it might have been possible ... only a small miracle would have been required. She was a lawyer before we were married, and I'm sure that to get Susan into that school she would have returned to practice so she could try to get her in. But that's the only way. If your mother doesn't work there, you don't go to the school."

"That's not quite true," Kris said. "I know that Jack and Joyce Johnson's daughter goes there, and Joyce doesn't work for Clifford & Jamison." Bill was still too bewildered for her knowledge of the school to register.

"But anyway," Bill continued, "what school did Susan attend? She certainly seemed to like it."

"The Clifford & Jamison School," Kris replied calmly, "and although she's only been there for one day, Kris Clifford and Bobbie Johnson are already her best friends. You should see those three together. They are so damned cute!"

"But how could you?" he exclaimed. "It's utterly impossible. You have to work there, and you certainly don't!"

"It's not very hard," Kris replied. "Bobbie Conroy, who runs the school, is my sister, after all. And Ali Clifford, who owns the place, is my aunt. And of course, after what Joyce Johnson did for my mother, Mom would give her absolutely anything, beginning with her right arm."

"And what did Joyce Johnson do for Vangie Bradley?"

"It's a long story I won't bore you with," Kris replied. "But because of Joyce's help, Mom was able to become pregnant. That was two kids ago. It was really so neat! Before it happened, every time she got her period she would cry her eyes out. But now? She's unreal. Those two children are the best loved, best fed children in the whole world."

"Best fed? What's that mean?" Bill asked.

Kris grinned and replied, "Sometimes I even feel sorry for the little things. Mom has the richest, warmest, sweetest-tasting milk in the world! And everyone loves it. The funniest thing is to see her and my sister, Cathy, nursing each other's children. Can you believe it? Nursing at your grandmother's tit? But it happens. And that's not all that happens. The two women drain each other's tits, too. And as marvelous as Cathy's milk is, Mom's is even sweeter and richer."

"How could you know that?" he asked.

"Because I drink it, too, silly. But anyway, what about Ed Bradley and Vangie Collins? What are Mom and Dad doing to me now?"

"I'm not really sure," Bill replied, "but from what I gathered today, they just bought the studio. Now why on earth would two presumably intelligent people do an idiot thing like that?"

"First, as an attorney might say, you're arguing a fact not in evidence when you say they're intelligent," she replied with a grin. "Actually, they're both smart as hell. But the reason is probably a phone call I made."

"What call was that?" he asked. "And what did you say?"

"I told them that your talents are being wasted by the studio. Since you're the hottest director and screenwriter in town, the studio should use you more and give you bigger budgets to work with. Apparently the powers don't like the subject matter of your films or your treatments. You're not nearly Politically Correct enough."

She grinned and added, "In fact, I even remember one in which the American businessmen weren't the bad guys. Anyway, I guess my parents are going to give you bigger budgets and more films to do. That's the plan, anyway. And my best guess is the Cliffords are probably involved with them."

Bill snapped his fingers and exclaimed, "You're right, Kris! I had forgotten, but that name came up, too." Then he shook his head sadly and said, "You know how to make a small fortune?" She shook her head and he continued, "You take a large one and go into the film business."

Unbelievably to Bill, she clapped her hands in glee and exclaimed, "Neato! Uncle Bill will be ecstatic!"

"Who is Uncle Bill, and why would he be ecstatic?" Bill asked.

"'Uncle Bill' is Bill Clifford," Kris replied. "And he'll be ecstatic because he's always bleeding all over the floor about being buried under mountains of money. For that matter, so is Dad. And it's all Ali's fault, along with my mom and Aunt Andy."

Then she snapped her fingers and asked, "For that matter, did the name, Taylor, come up today?" When he nodded, feeling totally bewildered, she exclaimed, "Oh, shit! This is going to be really funny now."

"Would you kindly tell me what's going on, Kris? It's pretty clear that you know, or at least have a pretty good idea."

"First, Bill, back to your little joke: In your opinion, what's a large fortune?"

He slowly shook his head and then said, "I don't know... $100 million, I guess."

Then she really started howling with laughter while shaking her head. Finally she regained enough control to speak, but her head was still shaking back and forth. "No, Bill, that's just walking-around money. Hell, even I have about $200 million and it sort of covers the rent."

Then she took his hand and apologized for teasing him. "Bill, among them, the Cliffords, Bradleys and Taylors have something well north of $100 billion! When I said it was the fault of Mom, Ali, and Andy Taylor, I wasn't kidding. While their husbands go nuts, the three women have a running competition as to who can generate the most money. It's funny, really. The end result? We're all rolling in it..."

Her voice tapered off and she went to a phone. After dialing a number, she listened and then entered still more numbers on the key pad. Finally she shook her head in disgust and hung up. "Oh, shit! She's done it to me again..."

"Who's done what?" he asked. To Bill Warren, the evening was like none he had ever experienced in his life. However, there was apparently one major worry resolved. Susan appeared happier than he could remember; certainly far happier than at any time since her mother's death.

"I just checked my bank balance," Kris replied in answer to his earlier question. "There's over $250 million in the account. It looks like Mom unloaded some more of her excess cash on me." Then she just shook her head and began to giggle. Finally she said, "I guess I'll just have to do what Bobbie does."

"Who's Bobby, and what does he do?" Bill inquired.

"Bobbie is a she, not a he," she replied. "She's my sister, Bobbie Conroy. All she does is look at her bank statement each month. If the balance is greater than $50 million, she just throws it away. She accuses me of being anal-retentive or something. She says I have this stupid compulsion to balance my checkbook to the penny. Her attitude is that if the balance is north of $50 million, what difference does it make? She and Tom couldn't possibly spend it all, so why worry?"

Kris shook her head and added, "And you know what? I guess she's right, too."

Again Bill was in a state of shock. This beautiful and incredibly talented woman who earlier had offered to be his cook and housekeeper had more than $250 million of her own, and was part of a strange family that had more than $100 billion. It was beyond belief.

"But anyway," Kris asked, "aside from that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play?"

That gave Bill the first good laugh he had had since Mary died. Then he replied, "I guess we did okay today."

But then he shook his head and continued, "No, we really didn't. My female lead is absolutely impossible. Aside from the fact that she can't act her way out of a paper bag, physically she's all wrong for the part."

"Who would be right?" Kris asked softly. "Me?"

"Are you kidding?" he retorted. Then he shook his head and answered his own question. "No, you weren't kidding."

Then he looked at her and said, "Miss Bradley..." When she just raised an eyebrow, he began again, "Kris, I would love to direct you sometime. In fact, I've got a script ready to go that I really wrote with you in mind, during one of my dreamier moments. But no, this one isn't right for you. This needs a woman who just drips with sex, a ... a—"

"Thanks a hell of a lot!" she interrupted. "Aside from the fact that I'm flat as a board, have a figure like a straight stick, and am ugly to boot..."

"No, Kris, it's not that at all. You're the Ali McGrath type..."

He stopped, stunned, as he realized what he had just said. "Wait a minute ... You referred to 'Aunt Ali.' And just last month, there was that incredible deal involving the myriad singing voices who were heard for miles around. And they said, 'We love you, Ali McGrath.' Then on TV..." Looking at her accusingly he concluded, "Your 'Aunt Ali' is Allison McGrath Clifford, isn't she?"

"Yes, she is," Kris replied. "And she's the neatest woman on two feet. Everyone who has ever met Ali utterly adores her." Then she looked at him with a quirky smile and added, "I think, William Warren, that what you just said was the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me in my entire life. You really believe I could play an Ali McGrath part?"

"Of course you could!" he exclaimed, truly excited now. "In fact, the parallels are uncanny. In the same way every guy who fought in Vietnam adores Ali McGrath, every guy in Desert Storm adores Kris Bradley. And for the same reasons. You were there. There was no fuss and never a shred of publicity. But you were there: We didn't have many casualties, but I heard stories...

"I heard about a couple of widows of guys killed over there who got the loveliest letters from Kris Bradley telling the women that their husbands' last thoughts were for them. And then later they received scrolls from cloistered monasteries saying that Masses would be said in perpetuity for the repose of the souls of their deceased husbands.

"I met one of those women. She was Jewish, as a matter of fact. But when she showed me the scroll she just broke down and bawled. She said it was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for her in her entire life. But yes, Kristin Bradley, you will be perfect in the part."

Then his face fell as he added, "But that's not the movie that's in production right now."

"If you want sex dripping from the screen, how about Kim Carson?" Kris asked. "Is she sexy enough?"

"Kris Bradley, get serious! Kim Carson would be perfect in the rôle. On the other hand, Kim's minimum for picking up the phone is about triple my entire production budget." When she asked, he told her that the current star was doing it for $500,000.

Kris just nodded, got up and went to the phone. After dialing a number, her first words were, "Anything good on TV tonight?"

Then she held the phone away from her ear when Kim exploded. When the beautiful girl ran down, Kris put the receiver back to her ear and asked if she was busy. When the answer was no, Kris said, "That's neat. You're starring in a new picture. Report to the studio tomorrow at seven for makeup. It's a new William Warren film; he wrote it, is directing it, and co-producing it. Oh, and you're doing it for $500,000." Seeing that the phone had speakerphone capability, Kris punched it up and hung up the receiver.

"A William Warren film!" Kim screamed. "You're kidding, aren't you, Kris? Because you do know I'll kill you when I get there in the morning and they laugh in my face. My God! He's the greatest director in films ... And he wrote it, too? Darling, I love you! But what do I have to do for you? He might need all the pieces and parts, otherwise I would send my right arm over by messenger ... But a William Warren film? I'm in heaven, and I haven't even died."

There was a pause and she said, "Did you say it's only going to cost me half a mil to be in it? Is that all? Are you sure?"

"No, turkey!" Kris exclaimed with a giggle. "They're going to be paying you. Now isn't that neat?"

"It's a joke," Kim said with her voice dead, "and I am going to kill you, Kris Bradley. In fact, that's how I'm going to spend the night. I'm going to throw darts at that damned picture of you on my Mayday screen. That's what I'll do—"

"This is Bill Warren," he interrupted, "and truly, Miss Carson, it's no joke. At least I'm certainly not joking. But were you? I mean ... An Academy Award ... The top box-office draw—"

"In utter junk, Bill Warren, and we both know it," Kim interrupted. "You're the only guy in this whole town who seems to have his head screwed on straight..."

Kim paused as a realization dawned. Then she said, "By the way, where are you two, anyway?"

"I'm at home," Bill replied, now a bit confused.

There was a pause and then Kim said in a very soft tone, "Please excuse me, Mr. Warren. I should extend my condolences to you on the tragic death of your wife. I never met her, but from her pictures, she was a truly beautiful woman." Again there was a pause and Kim continued, "But you also have a beautiful little daughter, too, don't you?"

"Yes, I do," Bill replied. "And even though I was so sunk in my misery I didn't even see it, she was in the process of starving herself to death so she could be with her mother again."

"And then what happened?" Kim asked, although by this point she was already 99 percent sure of what the answer would be.

"Then Kris Bradley happened," he replied. "Tonight I saw a very happy little girl. She's certainly happier than at any time since her mother died, and possibly the happiest she's ever been in her life."

"Did Kris tell you about herself?" Kim asked quietly. When he said she had told him just a bit, Kim continued, "I know she will tell it all, but it might take her awhile." Then she told Warren how Kris had come within 72 hours of starving herself to death — the part of the story he had heard. But when she told of Kris's first meeting with her new mother, Vangie Bradley, tears were flowing down his cheeks.

Kim concluded, "She knows, first hand, what it's like and what your daughter has been going through."

Then her voice brightened and she said, "But, Mr. Warren, is this a serious offer to star in a film for you?" When assured it was, she said, "Then I accept. Quickly! Before you can change your mind. But now I guess I'd better hit the sack if I'm going to be up early tomorrow. And Kris, I really do owe you one! Bigtime!"

After disconnecting the call, Kris returned to the sofa and sat down beside Bill. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

"But how? Why? I just don't understand," he exclaimed.

Glancing at her watch, Kris's eyes widened as she realized how late it was already. Rising from the sofa she said, "If you'll come out to the kitchen with me, I'll tell you while I finish the dinner." With a grin she added, "And I think I'll even have another drink. You made the last one perfectly, Bill."

Sitting on a stool at a breakfast bar, Bill was astounded watching Kris prepare the dinner. He was amazed at her economy of motion. Every movement was so practiced and easy for her as she moved around.

While cooking she said, "As you may have gathered, Kim is one of my best friends. So I happen to know she thinks you walk on water. She's been after her agent — who is likely to be her ex-agent by now — to get her into one of your films under any conditions you would have her. She wasn't kidding at all about being willing to pay half a million — or far more, in fact — for the opportunity to be in one of your films. If you just wanted her to scrub the floors on the set, she would have done it happily just for the chance to see you work. Her agent just sort of humored her..." Then she snapped her fingers and exclaimed, "Of course! Why didn't I think of that before."

"Think of what?" Bill asked. He was coming to the conclusion that Kris Bradley was truly brilliant but her mind worked so quickly, she usually lost him in her thought processes.

"Bill, agents work on ... a percentage! You're famous for your incredible skill in producing award-winning films for no money! Kim's agent knew there was no way you could pay — or would pay — her normal rates, so he just kept her away from you."

Then she giggled and asked, "Do you know why she asks for so much money, by the way?" He just shook his head. "Because she can't stand the parts. They're terrible for her and she knows it. Kim's a brilliant girl, by the way. But if they were going to use her in stupid parts, they were going to pay dearly for the privilege. By the way, what did you think of her Academy-Award rôle?"

"I thought she was an incredibly great actress in an incredibly dumb rôle," he replied. "I guess it's really a tribute to her talent that she could make a garbage part into an award winner."

"Well, you've got her now, so let's eat," she replied.

Bill snapped his fingers and picked up the phone. He called the studio and told the assistant producer to tell the former female lead that she was now the former female lead. Then he started to get out the silver to set the breakfast table, but Kris walked right by him into the dining room.

Seeing the room made him gasp and then tears came to his eyes. "My God!" he whispered, "this is exactly what Mary dreamed of, but didn't live to see. Thank you, Kris. It is truly lovely."

There were lighted candles and two places set; one at the head of the table, and the other on the side nearest the kitchen. Bill held her chair for her and watched as she gracefully sat down. Taking his seat, he looked at the plate in front of him for the first time. "What is this?" he asked.

"It's paté de foie gràs," she replied. "It's my own recipe. I hope you like it."

He savored it. Then she served tournedos Rossini along with a fine Cabernet Sauvignon. The dinner was utterly magnificent and he said so. Then he admitted that he hadn't been eating very much or very well, either. By the time they finished their crèpes Suzette, it was almost eleven and Bill had to get up early to get to the studio. She left the dishes for the morning, checked on Sasha who was still asleep by the now-dying fire, and went to the master bedroom.

Entering, she startled Bill who was just undressing. "What are you doing?" he asked utterly amazed at her presence.

"It's late," she said quietly. "I'm going to bed. Isn't that what you're doing, too?"

"But where?" he asked.

"Right here," she replied. "It's a big bed and I don't snore or anything."

"But you're going to sleep here? With me?" he exclaimed.

"Of course," she replied.

Then she went to him, put her arms around his neck and kissed him. It was like no kiss he had ever had in his whole life. Suddenly he realized that, as much as he had loved Mary, her love for him and his for her was only a tiny fraction of what he felt from Kris's lips. There were bells, electricity, and a level of unleashed passion that was astonishing.

Then moving back a step, Kris unzipped the hostess gown which was all she was wearing and stepped out of it. "Is my body all right, Bill?" she asked softly. "I'm really sort of hard; my body — my tits and my ass — are a lot firmer than most girls'. Is it all right? Please feel."

Bill Warren found himself looking at female perfection. He had seen a fleeting glimpse of her bare body in a film Kris had starred in and for which she, too, had won an Academy Award. But seeing her standing straight with her arms at her sides, he was utterly dazzled. Finally, he reached out and touched a tit. When his fingers moved he realized how firm it really was.

Feeling his fingers on her body, Kris made a mewling sound and moved close to him again. "Squeeze my buns! Please," she whispered. He did, causing her pelvis to move against him in delight. Then quickly she helped strip off the rest of his clothes and led him to bed.

Later that night after a great deal of sexual experimentation — the only rules being he couldn't put his cock in her cunt or her ass — they were in bed sharing a cigarette. To Bill's surprise, Kris, whose head was resting against his shoulder with her eyes half closed, started to giggle. "What did I do that was so funny?" he asked.

"Nothing, darling," she replied. "I was just thinking of Mom. She's really going to be pissed."

"And why is my future mother-in-law going to be pissed?" he asked.

"Because for years now she's been teasing me because she looks younger than I do. But that's going to change in one hell of a hurry." Then she looked at him and asked, "Do I look younger to you, darling?"

Bill glanced at her, then looked harder. Then he reached for the bed lamp, turned the light up high and looked again. "My God!" he murmured, "I don't believe it!"

"What don't you believe, darling?" she asked "That I look nineteen? I sure haven't looked, but that seems to be the magic number." Bill just shook his head, utterly baffled yet again in what had already been the strangest day of his life. Then she looked at him in the brighter light and just nodded her head. "And it's working on you, too."

"What's working on me?" Bill asked, not at all sure he wanted to know the answer.

"How old are you, darling?" Kris countered.

"I'm 34," he replied. "But why do you ask?"

"Because, Bill, you were 34. Now I guess you're about 23 or 24. That seems to be the way it works," she said. Then with a grin she added, "And you're right, too."

"Right? What am I right about?"

"You said, 'My God!' And that's correct. He is the one you thank. He's doing it." Then with a grin she added, "It's part of The Sisterhood thing."

"Honey, that's the second or third time you mentioned it. What, in Heaven's name, is The Sisterhood?"

"Right again," she replied as she just snuggled close. Then she said, "I guess the prototype is the Conroy family."

Then she proceeded to tell him about Hank and Sam and the fact that Hank already had grandchildren older than her children. "And, darling, but for the death of Tom's first wife along with their child, their first grandchild would be six years or so older than he is. Anyway, there are a bunch now, including my mother. But she's going to be pissed. The reason is Cathy was already married before she married Ed. Anyway, her age was only rolled back to 23. Since I'm 27 — and really look it — she looks younger than I do, and has been teasing me unmercifully for years. But now I'm back to nineteen."

"How long does this last?" Bill asked.

"As long as we keep having children," Kris replied. "But that's just a theory. No one's stopped yet, so no one is really sure." Then looking sad she asked, "Can you still cast me in your film if I look nineteen? That's not too young, I hope?" Then with a grin she added, "By the way, Kim Carson is in The Sisterhood, too. But she's not married, yet, so she's still aging."

"But you're not, either," Bill pointed out, "but your age has gone backward. Why is that?"

"That, dear heart, is another element of The Sisterhood. Don't ask me why. I have no clue. But another thing that is a hallmark of it is that we're all one-man women." She paused for a moment and then continued, "You heard the bells and felt the electricity when we first kissed, didn't you?" He just rolled his eyes and nodded his head. "That's part of it, darling. You see, you are the man I was created to serve. If anything should ever happen to you, I will be dead within two weeks. I really can't live without you." She grinned and added, "Isn't that funny?"

"No, darling, it's not funny at all. I just lost a wife, remember?" Kris took his hand and kissed it, then said, "Bill, I love you dearly, but we're going to be rudely awakened soon enough, and you have a date with Kim Carson, remember? Could we just sleep — for a few minutes, anyway?" He just shook his head and turned out the light. It was already four in the morning.

At six o'clock, Susan banged open the door and leaped onto the bed. Kris was awake instantly to welcome the girl by holding back the covers. Susan lost no time in diving under them and snuggling as close as she could to the beautiful woman.

Then she sat up a bit, just enough to see over Kris's body and said, "Daddy? Daddy, are you awake? Daddy!"

At that point Bill opened one eye and said, "Shh, Pumpkin! I'm sleeping."

"Daddy," Susan persisted, "did you get a good sniff of Miss Bradley's fragrance? Isn't she just out of this world? And did you see the way she rouged her nipples and her cunt lips? She is gorgeous!"

"Susan!" Kris chided, "you're not supposed to say things like that!"

"But you did, didn't you, Miss Bradley?"

"Yes, darling, I certainly did. And you helped, too, didn't you?" The little girl enthusiastically bobbed her head up and down. Then Kris took the girl into her arms, held her tightly and asked, "Sue, do you think you could ever bring yourself to call me Mother?"

"So soon?" Susan exclaimed. "Oh, Mommy, it's absolutely the greatest! I was talking to Kris and Bobbie yesterday and they said you were just like their mothers and were going to be my mommy pretty soon. But the idea was just so incredibly neat, I couldn't believe it could ever really happen. But it has! Oh, Mommy!" the little girl screamed. Then she wrapped her arms around Kris's neck and kissed her with all of her love.

While she was doing that, Kris gently lifted her up from the bed and lowered her onto her own body. Feeling the warmth of Kris's body beneath her, the little girl just wriggled with joy.

Looking past Kris's tit she said, "Daddy, did you feel Mommy's tits? Aren't they just the neatest? Please feel. I know she loves it!"

Bill gave up the idea of trying to sleep and pulled himself up in the bed. Reaching over he gently cupped Kris's left tit and even more gently fondled her nipple.

"No, Daddy!" Susan protested from her position only inches away from his hand. "Really squeeze! And pinch her nipple, please. I know she just loves it."

"How old did you say your daughter was?" Kris asked. "Six, going on 56?" Then she smiled warmly and added, "But she's right. Please squeeze hard." Then her brows knitted and she asked, "Are they too firm? Are my nipples large enough?" She looked down at her chest and said, "They're really small, but so are Mom's and Cathy's and they both work okay. But are they big enough for you?"

Bill squeezed her tit and then pinched her nipple hard. The instant orgasm almost bounced Susan off her chest when her body shuddered violently. "It's utterly perfect!" he said softly. "But you're a sensitive little thing, aren't you?"

"At five feet eight inches, I'm not little, William Warren!" Kris protested. At the same time she was gently caressing Susan's body evoking purring sounds from the little girl.

Then from her position between Kris's tits Susan turned and said, "Daddy, are you going to take Mommy now?" Then she giggled as she gently moved her big toe the length of Kris's slit and then said, "She's awfully wet already. I'll bet your cock would slide in so nicely!"

"Susan Warren!" Bill exclaimed. "What are you saying? Do you know what you're talking about?"

"Oh, sure, Daddy," Susan replied blithely. "Bobbie Johnson was telling Kris and me about it yesterday. Guess what? Yesterday morning she got to help her parents with their lovemaking for the very first time! She got to put some K-Y jelly in her mommy's asshole and then guided her daddy's huge cock into it. And then her mommy let her drink her juices while she was cuming. Bobbie said it was so neat, and her mommy's cum was as sweet as sugar."

Then with a little grin she added, "But it wasn't all so easy. When Mr. Johnson put his wife out with her final orgasm, he passed out, too, and they both collapsed on poor Bobbie. She said it was sort of funny, though. She says her mommy's fragrance is so wonderful — just like Miss Bradley's, I guess — but she had to crawl out from under both bodies."

"What did she do then?" Bill asked, not at all sure he wanted to hear the answer.

"Oh, she just took a nap on Rajah's tummy. She says that's incredibly neat, too, but she's spoiled. Rajah's been around longer than she has, and she's been sleeping on him almost from the day she was born."

Then the presence of Sasha in the house suddenly registered. "I'll tell you what! Why don't you two make love while I take a nap on Sasha's tummy." Then with her eyes wide she looked at Kris and asked, "May I? I won't hurt him or anything, will I?"

"No, darling, you couldn't possibly hurt him. And as far as taking a nap, why don't we ask him?" At that Kris raised her voice very slightly and called, "Sasha!"

Almost instantly the great cat glided into the bedroom. "Good morning, Mistress Kristin. How are you this morning?"

"Aside from being tired as hell, I've never been better," she replied. "And Sasha, I cannot tell a lie. It was better with Bill than it's ever been before. What a night!" Then she gently felt her groin and then hit Bill on his arm with her small fist.

"What was that for?" he asked mildly.

"William Warren, when I was screaming for you to eat me, I didn't want you to eat the whole damned thing! Good grief! There won't be anything left for your supper tonight at this rate."

"Sure there will," he replied. "You still have some unexplored openings. I'll figure something out."

She leaned over and kissed him lightly — or intended to. Instead, there was an instant flow of love, passion and grace between them. Both Sasha and Susan could hear the bells and see the electricity flowing.

Then with her eyes still partially glazed she said, "Sasha, darling, Susan was wondering if she could nap on your tummy without hurting you. Do you think she could?"

Sasha glared at Susan — or pretended to. "Mistress Susan, how much do you weigh?" he asked. When she replied that she weighed about 40 pounds, he said, "Well, I weigh about 615. Susan Warren, to me your weight is like a feather. Often Kristin and one of her girl friends will spend the night in each other's arms while I hold them tightly. Together they weigh about six times what you do. Now get over here right now!" he silently ordered.

Susan jumped out of bed, but instead of jumping on Sasha, she ran from the room. Moments later she returned with the little teddy bear she had been given the night before. Sasha was already on his back, and he spread his forelegs wide. The little girl climbed up and then lay down with her head on his chest while hugging her bear. Instantly, Sasha closed his legs over her while she just wriggled her body in joy.

"Mommy! This is so utterly neat!" she exclaimed. Then while the tiger very gently moved a paw over her back, she fell asleep.

"Well, if I must, I must..." Kris murmured. Then she dove under the covers after Bill's cock. With her bare bottom in the air just a short distance from his hand, he gently spanked one of her cheeks.

Instantly her head was out from under the covers and she was glaring at him. "Bill Warren, the reason my ass was in the air was to get a spank ... a hard one!" Then she grinned and added, "Another element of The Sisterhood I seem to have forgotten about. We're all anal erotic or something. Anyway, we love spanks."

"What was that 'if I must' stuff a moment ago?" he asked.

"William Warren, if you think I'm going to let you on the set with that ... that ... vulture, Kim Carson, while there's still cum in your balls, you're crazy! Remember, I really know her. And I know how incredibly sexy she really is."

Then she looked concerned and asked, "Are there any nude scenes in your film?" When he said there were, she responded, "Oh, shit! That's going to be a problem." With a grin she added, "I know! When you're shooting the nude scenes, I'll be there, too, naked on your lap. How would that be? Then you might not notice her."

She sadly shook her head and added, "No, that wouldn't work, would it? With Kim Carson's bare body on the set you wouldn't even notice me." Then she snapped her fingers and exclaimed, "I got it! You just delay shooting the nude scenes until we get married. Then you can take me from the rear, and maybe I can distract you enough so you won't—"

"You would, too, wouldn't you?" Bill interrupted.

"I would what?" Kris asked, puzzled.

"You would be bare on the set and have me fucking you in front of the whole crew, wouldn't you?"

"Darling, when we're married, if I thought you wanted to take me I would be bare in City Hall Square! What's the big deal?"

"This is more of The Sisterhood thing, isn't it?" he asked. "If you think I might like something, you do it ... regardless of the cost to you. Right?" Kris just shrugged and nodded. "Kris Bradley, do you have the slightest appreciation of who you are or what you are? You are probably the most beautiful girl in the whole world. I've been looking at you and wondering if I'll ever be able to get your eyes on film. Not only are they the most incredible color I've ever seen, they are so damned expressive. Darling, you don't even need to be able to talk. You can communicate almost anything with your eyes alone. And that is a film director's challenge."

Kris nuzzled his neck and said softly, "Isn't it wonderful that I'm marrying the best film director in the world, then?"

After giving him a quick kiss, she dove back under the covers and waggled her ass in the air. This time Bill gave it a hard spank, but all she did was maneuver a little to give him a clear shot at the other one. When he spanked it, too, all she did was to wriggle her tail in apparent joy. She had an incredibly talented mouth, and in a short time Bill was screaming for relief with his eyes closed. When he opened them again, he found Susan on the bed beside him, with the covers pulled down revealing Kris moving on his cock.

Finally she could hold him back no longer and Bill began to cum in spurts in her mouth. Susan moved down the bed to be even closer. When Kris finally raised her head, there was a bit of his cum dripping from her mouth.

In an instant, Susan was licking it off her face, then she melted her lips to Kris's and began to run her tongue into the older girl's mouth. Knowing what she was trying to do, Kris held her tightly while their two tongues did a little dance. When they touched both felt a flow of the purest love, joy and grace.

Finally, Susan eased away, but her eyes were glassy. "Mommy, that was so utterly neat!" she exclaimed. "That was Daddy's cum, wasn't it?" When Kris just nodded, Susan continued, "No wonder the kids love it so much. It tastes so good!"

Then she eased back farther in Kris's arms and asked, "When are you and Daddy getting married?"

"I don't know, Pumpkin," Kris replied. "You'll have to ask him. I'm free anytime, but he has a film to direct. But how did you like your nap with Sasha?"

"Mommy, he's so great! And I felt so wonderfully warm and snugly, too."

Then to her father she said, "Daddy, when are you going to marry Mommy?" Then she paused and shook her head. "Daddy, I really don't know what's happened in just the last day. But what I do know is that Miss Bradley is the neatest woman alive and I love her very much. And she loves me, too. So when are you going to be married?"

"Well," he said with his eyes dancing, "we're scheduled to shoot the nude scene next week, so I guess we'll be married this weekend. How does that sound?"

"It sounds pretty good to me," the two girls said in unison.



-------

Chapter 61


Two months had passed. It was now April and spring was coming to Prague. Remarkably, the major attraction for both tourists and residents alike was the now-revitalized Skoda plant along the river. All the work of the previous fall was now fully apparent as spring flowers bloomed where no flowers had grown for well over 100 years. The facility looked utterly beautiful with the contrast of the old, but now restored, buildings with the flowers and the flowering trees coming into full bloom.

There had been changes at the hotel, as well. The girls had quickly abandoned the idea of having Jo and Christy share their beds with Mike and Mark. Ann and Mary had realized that they were inviting disaster if they had kept it up. Then two days earlier, Ali Clifford had flown Henry Hall over to Prague and he had restyled the girls' hair. Complete wardrobes had been assembled for both of them courtesy of Nita Lucas at Bergdorf Goodman, and now both had their own gold collars.

It was ten o'clock, and Paula Wilhelm had come over. The girls were eating brunch after their morning workouts while the men were continuing their swimming — now they were only seconds away from their required times. After eating, Paula pushed her chair back from the table and said, "Girls, it's time for inspection."

Although Jo and Christy were standing side by side, they left enough space between them for Paula to easily move between them. Rising to her feet, she reached out and squeezed Jo's tit hard in one hand and one of Christy's with the other. Both girls moaned while the savored the touch of her hand. "Tits ... okay," Paula murmured, then continued her inspection. "Buns ... all right. Cunts ... nice and wet and slippery. Legs ... so-so."

Then she just shrugged, turned to Ann and Mary and said, "Elizabeth II of England is a friend of yours, isn't she?" When the girls agreed that she was, Paula said, "Well, for Heaven's sake, could you please speak to her about that ridiculous blockade of the Slave Coast?"

Paula shook her head sadly and continued, "Now I am the first to admit that I wasn't much when I first came here, and I'm not a lot better now, but this is ridiculous! I will also admit that you've done an utterly incredible job—"

"We've done nothing," Ann interrupted. "The girls have done it all themselves—"

"Way to go!" Paula exclaimed. "That's what I really like to see. Ducking all responsibility for their condition. Boy!" she continued, "Talk about blaming the victim! You two really take the cake."

Then tears appeared in her eyes and it looked like she was going to break down. Mary and Ann exchanged looks of concern as she continued, "You want me to tell you that things can't get any worse ... That Jo and Christy were the scrapings from the bottom of the barrel, and the next ones will be much better. But I can't! I just can't..." At that she threw herself face down on a lounge chair and pretended to cry her eyes out.

When she apparently regained control she said, "I said I can't tell you that these two are the very worst. And remember, I work at the Home Ministry, the largest collection of liars assembled in one place on the face of the earth! But even we have some limits. And these two are far beyond even those limits. But what's coming is even worse."

She shook her head and said, "It really does get worse. A couple of the other ministers' wives got wind of Christy and Jo's transformation. The result is a veritable clamor to be selected for the next group." Turning to the two slaves she said, "And remember, your service is not over yet!"

"Yet?" Jo repeated. "Slave Paula, you certainly know better than that. Our service is never over. We may be assigned somewhere else — to our homes and husbands, for example — but we still belong here."

Then she dropped to her knees in front of Ann, spread her legs and gently kissed her cunt. Looking up she continued, "Here, with our beloved mistresses, we have found a level of love we didn't believe could exist in this world. And they shared it with us! Really, they did. They are kind, selfless, considerate ... Every virtue one could name, they have in abundance."

Rising to her feet again, she turned toward Paula and said, "No, Slave Paula, our slavery is not over. It will never be over as long as we live." With her head high and her tits thrust out she added, "And Christy and I rejoice in that fact!"

"But you were saying something about service," Ann said. "What service?"

"These women accepted thirty lashes apiece as their initiation. But the clamor to be in the next group has been so great, I had an auction," Paula said. "But it failed. When it reached seventy-five strokes, I quit. I don't want anyone to get killed."

Then to the slaves she said, "And you get the great joy of administering the punishment. Clear?"

"It is very clear," Christy said. Holding herself up as straight as possible, she cupped her tits in her hands and said, "I remember vividly the first time I met you, Mistress. On that occasion I told Mistress Barbara that if you were to cut off my sagging bags, it would be no loss. Darling Paula, you nearly did. I recall you sitting on the bed sewing the pieces back together.

"But now look! While they aren't in the same class as our beloved mistresses, they are very firm and my pink nipples stand up so proudly. And in spite of what you did to us — for us, to be more accurate — our bodies are now completely unmarked. Therefore, Jo and I welcome the challenge." Then she grinned and added, "But now what?"

"Now we return you to your husbands," Paula replied. "Come on! Let's get you into some clothes and get out of here." To the girls she said, "The new crop will arrive tomorrow. One of them will be Constance Klaus, the prime minister's wife. I'm not too sure of the other, but it will probably be Jane Constan, the wife of the Minister of Public Works. Connie is a blue-eyed blonde, while Jane has coloring like yours, Duchess Mary. She even has the same incredible gray eyes, if you can believe it."

To the girls she said, "Okay, let's get the show on the road."

"Before you go, girls, there is one final command," Ann said. "If, tomorrow morning, either of your husbands can even talk, consider yourselves to be complete failures. My command is that you return home and fuck your husbands' brains out! Clear?"

Christy gently caressed her slit as she said in a most demure voice, "Fuck John's brains out? Okay."

The two dressed and looked exquisite — and both appeared to be in their early 20's. Paula dropped Jo off at the Defense Ministry. She wanted to greet her husband alone. Christy, on the other hand, wanted Paula to accompany her and witness her taking her husband, John Wulf, on his desk in the Finance Ministry.

When Paula entered the ministry, she was immediately welcomed and waved on to the minister's office. By now, she was the best-known member of the government, and widely respected as the most influential counselor to both the president and the prime minister.

Wulf's secretary smiled a greeting — she was on the phone at the time — and just waved her in. After knocking once, she opened the door and entered the office.

Wulf, seeing it was Paula, was instantly on his feet and around the desk to greet her. "Paula Wilhelm!" he exclaimed. "To what do I owe this great honor?" Only then did he see Christy. He let out a soft whistle and said, "Who is this? Is this young lady your new assistant?" He just shook his head and added, "Never have I seen such beauty..."

Then he shook his head in a somewhat bewildered fashion and added, "But there is something familiar about her, I just can't place." Then to Christy he said, "Young lady, might I know your parents? Your mother, perhaps?"

"Of course you do, John," Christy replied with a little grin. "You call her your mother-in-law. Is that a sufficient hint?"

"Christy?" he cried. "But it can't be! My darling, what's happened? Never in your life have you been so beautiful..."

"It just gets better, darling, as you'll soon see. Now would you fuck me on your desk? Please?"

He took his wife in his arms and she melted her body against his. Tipping her head, she found his lips with hers and unloaded all the love and passion she had been storing for months. Paula felt wonderful as she saw the electricity flow between them and heard the bells.

As Christy started to shed her clothing, John gasped, "Paula, the president wants to see you as soon as possible. It's a matter of State Security."

"Thank you, John," she said as she headed for the door, "and enjoy!"

His last words had instantly put an end to her plan to watch him take his wife. The phrase, "a matter of State Security," was never used lightly. It was a signal to drop everything and instantly carry out any related instruction. Leaving the ministry, Paula got into her car, a new BMW she had purchased with her earnings, and headed for the presidential palace. Again, she was waved through the gate by the guards.

She was immediately ushered into Václav Havel's office. When she saw him, he appeared very ill, and her face fell. He rose to his feet to greet her as she entered, and asked her to take a seat on a sofa while he sat on a side chair beside her.

"It is pretty bad, isn't it?" he commented. "And it's related to what I wanted to see you about."

Although it was obvious that Havel was not well, he did not appear to be either unhappy or unduly concerned about his condition. He pressed a button on the phone and a few moments later Václav Klaus, the prime minister, entered the office and sat down facing Havel.

"Václav and I have discussed this at length, Paula," Havel said. "We have come to a conclusion: First, I cannot continue to serve as president of our republic. Although it's in God's hands, I may not even be alive in six months. But in any event, I owe it to my wife to spend my remaining time on earth with her. It may be the last time we will be together in this world."

He smiled and continued, "This raises the question of the presidency. Trying to be as objective as possible, we see no one who could serve. Václav could do the job, but I think it would be a double-barreled loss. First, we would lose the finest prime minister it's possible for our nation to have. But second, I don't think he would have the necessary broad acceptance as president — as chief of state — that the job requires. The president should not be political; he should be the unifying force. But Václav is the leader of his political party, with political enemies who would rightly object. So what can we do?

"We have an idea, but we need your opinion. Our idea is this: We propose to hold a plebiscite on the restoration of the monarchy. The Czech Republic will cease to exist, to be replaced by the recreated Kingdom of Bohemia, with Queen Karla on the throne. What do you think of our idea?"

Sitting on the sofa Paula was utterly stunned and unable to speak. Finally she began, "I don't know what to say..."

"Paula," Klaus said, "let's face facts: Karla Kosta is the best-loved, most respected person in the entire nation. Do you agree?" Paula could only nod dumbly. "Do you think a plebiscite on her becoming queen with the monarchy restored would win?"

Paula finally found her voice. Very softly she said, "I apologize, Herr Havel. Last Christmas, following the gala, I was with Karla. I told her at the time that she could have been elected queen. I was teasing her, of course, but I honestly believe she could be. And, sir, at her wedding you said essentially the same thing from the pulpit. Sir, you are the most respected man in the Republic. But I believe Karla is the most respected person. Moreover, she is genuinely loved by the people."

Her tears started to flow as she continued, "She is loved because she loves her people." Suddenly she sat up, startled by her own thought. "That's it!" she exclaimed. "That's why she is so loved. It's because she loves her people! And they are her people. And the people all know it. They know that she was willing to sacrifice her life — to endure unimaginable tortures — for them!"

She looked at the two men and continued, "I have been with Karla numerous times going into stores and shops here in Prague and elsewhere. She is revered. She has difficulty buying things, because the shopkeepers want to give them to her. They don't want to take her money. You commented at the wedding on what happened when Doug went to buy her an engagement ring. The jeweler wanted to give her a ring worth tens of thousands of crowns." Then she nodded her head firmly and said, "Yes, sirs, I believe it would work. But what now?"

The two Václavs exchanged looks and then both nodded. To Paula, Klaus said, "There's no sense in waiting. It is a Home Ministry responsibility. Organize a plebiscite for a week from Sunday. Let's see what happens."

"I assume a part of the vote will be to abandon our constitution. What will replace it?"

"Initially, nothing," Klaus said. "Upon her election, she will be an absolute monarch. There will be no limits on her power of any kind." Paula felt his eyes were driving through her skull as he continued, "Be certain that the plebiscite material is particularly clear on that point. The people must know the full effect of their vote." They continued the discussion regarding details of the election.

Finally, as Paula rose to leave she said, "Herr Klaus, please ask your secretary to call the ministry and have a driver sent over. The way I feel now, I'm in no shape to drive, and I have no wish to wrap my new car around some tree." She shook her head and added, "I feel drunk, yet I have had nothing other than coffee all day."

"I know exactly how you feel," Klaus said kindly after making the call. "It's as if the floor dropped out from under us, and we're in free fall, isn't it?"

"It certainly does feel that way," Paula agreed.

-------

The Czech announcement took the whole world by surprise. Once it was determined that the story was real — several media outlets initially treated the report as an April Fool's joke — there was utter consternation. A free people were proposing to establish an absolute monarchy, one in which anything could be done on the whim of the ruler. At the same time the Czech-based reporters were shocked for a different reason, and had severe difficulty dealing with their home offices. The reason was the reception the proposal was receiving throughout the Czech Republic.

The anchor man on the leading TV station in Prague handled it best. First, he announced that Václav Havel was resigning from office for reasons of health. This was followed by recent footage which showed that the president's health was visibly deteriorating. The anchor man expressed the appreciation of all the Czech people for the enormous contribution Havel had made to the nation. Then he stressed that when Karla Kosta had been tortured, the primary objective was to get her to reveal Havel's whereabouts.

Then he segued into a story on her. The station had even managed to obtain footage from the Czech national swimming team of the race she had had with Barbara Sloan. The reporter commented that later she had beaten Barbara in world-record time. There was footage of the gala, and the awarding of the Karla Cross. There was footage of the announcement of their engagement by Doug Whitfield. Finally, there were films of the wedding itself. And unlike most other news outlets, this footage included shots of Karl Kosta and St. Claire of London as the stained-glass windows apparently came to life. Moreover, it included Václav Havel's sermon at the ceremony speaking presciently about Karla's ability to be elected queen. Finally, there was the story of her grandfather, Karl Kosta, and his contribution to winning the Battle of Britain.

"This is the woman the government is proposing to make our queen," the announcer concluded. "All I can say is that for Karla Kosta's entire life, the good of the Czech people has taken priority over her own life and safety. Never has a person demonstrated greater concern for her people and their welfare than Karla Kosta has. Speaking personally, I would welcome the opportunity to greet her as Karla, Queen of Bohemia."

The balance of the sixty-minute news program was devoted entirely to man-on-the-street interviews around the country. From east to west, from north to south; from tiny hamlets to the capital city, the story was the same: Long live Queen Karla! While the program was in progress, the station had a call-in for listeners to register their preference. By the time the show was over, there had been only three votes cast against, and over 3,000 cast in favor of a monarchy.

When the fateful Sunday rolled around, the weather across the entire country was perfect. It was a sunny, cloudless spring day. It was so nice, in fact, that political scientists were expressing the fear that the voter turnout might be light because the weather was so good. Their fears proved groundless. In fact, that evening some of the most moving pictures were those of the elderly and the infirm being transported to the polling places, in some cases on stretchers. It was an utterly stunning sight.

Because of the oddity of the action being voted upon, the Republic was loaded with media people from around the world. To a man — or a woman — they agreed that the atmosphere was festive. And try as they might, they were unable to find the tiniest irregularity in the conduct of the election. So when the results were finally announced late Sunday night and fully confirmed by Monday afternoon, there was nothing for them to say.

The Czech people had spoken — loudly! With over 98 percent of the eligible voters casting ballots, restoration of the monarchy under Queen Karla was endorsed by more than 99 percent of the votes. It turned out that the TV station's poll showing a 1,000 to 1 preference — which had been universally laughed at elsewhere in Europe — was remarkably accurate.

By Monday afternoon, there was only one thing missing: Queen Karla herself.



-------

Chapter 62


The weather in Los Angeles on this April day was utterly magnificent. But even in a city noted for good-looking women, the golden blonde alighting from a limousine in downtown Los Angeles stopped traffic. But the size of the man handing her from the car kept them from following up on their desires. They were the most magnificent couple anyone had ever seen. And their tans were the darkest. The couple entered the building, took the elevator to the 38th floor, and entered the offices of Clifford & Jamison. The receptionist, Judy Morris, took one look, let out a scream and raced around the desk. Three clients waiting to see attorneys were shocked by the display.

Judy launched herself at Doug, leaping high in the air with her legs parallel to the ground. He grinned and easily caught her. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she melted her lips to his and just savored the joy and love in his kiss.

When they eased apart, Doug asked Karla, "Can I drop her now, darling?"

"Not quite yet," Karla replied, taking Judy in her own arms the way she had been held in Doug's. The extent of her strength was such that she had no more difficulty holding Judy in the air than Doug had. The kiss they shared was the same as the one Judy had shared with Doug, but with even more power.

When their kiss finally broke, Judy while still being held in Karla's arms said very primly, "Good afternoon, Miss. Welcome to Clifford & Jamison. May I help you with something?"

"Thank you," Karla replied with equally cool politeness. "I would like to see Mrs. Clifford, please. I do not have an appointment."

"Oh, dear!" Judy exclaimed with her eyes wide. "Her schedule is quite full today. I doubt if there's an opening. But whom may I say is asking to see her?"

"So much for you, Judy Morris!" Karla exclaimed, just dropping Judy from her arms. However, while Judy didn't have Karla's strength, she did have her quickness and agility. As a result, she was able to get her feet under her before reaching the ground and then used her legs to pop back up as if they had been springs. Both girls clapped gleefully at the movement.

"I'll tell Ali you're here," Judy said. "No! Hell, Karla, you're her sister. Why don't you just walk in and surprise her?" Which is exactly what they did.

When they entered Ali's office, she was on the phone. Catching a glimpse of Karla, Ali just exclaimed, "Bye!" slammed the phone down and did a forward somersault over her desk landing on her feet right in front of Karla.

"Baby Sister!" she screamed, then folded Karla into her arms.

If the kiss Karla had exchanged with Judy had been loaded with love, the kiss she shared with Ali would have killed almost anyone else alive. As much love as there was in it, it was drowned out by the sensation of pure joy on both sides. Finally, they eased apart and Ali stepped back to get a good look.

When she did, Karla winked, unzipped her sleeveless white silk dress and let it drop to the floor. A moment later it was joined by her thong. Now standing in front of her sister stark naked, Karla was a vision in dark gold. The only spots of color were lovely: her small pubic patch now bleached almost white by the sun and salt water, her lovely pink nipples, her crimson lips, her brilliant blue eyes and the golden hair on her head. At that moment she might have been the most beautiful woman in the world.

She asked, "Do I look okay?"

Ali cocked her head to one side, then to the other. With a skeptical look on her face, she picked up her phone, punched a button and waited a moment. Then she said, "Partner, I need to see you right away."

Hanging it up, she continued to look at Karla with a look of puzzled skepticism on her face. A moment later, Ginger Conrad came in, took one look at Karla, picked up the phone on Ali's desk, punched in a number and then just stood there, drumming her finger tips on the desktop.

When it was answered, she said, "This is the last straw, Charley Conrad. It's all over. We're finished. I'm giving the children up for adoption, too. It's unfair to keep them when we've hated each other for all these years. And we must have. Karla and Doug just appeared. They look happy. When we got back from our honeymoon, I must have been miserable, and you must have been, too. It's all over, Conrad! Goodbye!" she screamed.

Then turning to Karla, she extended her hand and in a very quiet voice said, "Welcome back, Karla. You look wonderful!" At that everyone in the office cracked up with laughter, while Ginger looked around as if to say, "What's so funny? What's everyone laughing about?"

"Karla, I've never seen a woman look better than you do right now. Am I correct in assuming that you and Doug had a good time?"

At her first word, Karla looked puzzled. Then she turned and whispered something to Doug, who whispered something back. "You mean my last name's not 'fuck'?" she asked. "My name really isn't 'Let's fuck'? Son of a gun! Who would believe it?"

Then she said happily, "I had a great time. But I'm sorry I didn't realize you were talking to me."

"I have a surprise for you," Ali said. Again she picked up her phone, punched a button, spoke a few words and hung up again. "We have a new partner in our litigation unit."

Karla looked at Doug and shrugged. Neither could care less about the litigation unit.

A moment later there was a single knock and the door opened. Turning, Karla let out a yelp. It was Mary Wallace, looking utterly magnificent — and still about 19 years old. They found out that the Wallaces had been in LA for over two months. Bill had been offered a transfer to take over his company's western office as a senior vice president. It was his new youthful appearance that seemed to have made the difference in his having been selected for the job. The Western Region was his company's most important and most profitable, but also considered to be the most "swinging" region as well.

Now appearing to be in his 20's, Bill was now considered to fit right in. Having learned about Clifford & Jamison from Karla, Mary had made an appointment to see Ali Clifford. Learning that she was Billy Wallace's mother, Ali had hired her on the spot.

"And I've almost completed the third month of my pregnancy," Mary said. "What do you think of my bulge?" She ran her fingers lightly over her perfectly flat abdomen. Then she said, "I have bad news for you, though."

"Bad news? What bad news?" Karla asked.

"You'll have to see for yourself," Mary replied as she left the office. A few minutes later she returned with Billy. With him was a beautiful nine-year-old girl who was holding his hand. "These two are now permanently attached, Karla. You know your son, of course. The attachment is named Ginny Morris. If she looks like Judy, the resemblance comes naturally. After we were here for only one day, Ginny announced that she is going to marry Bill, and she hasn't let go of him since.

"Of course, she tutors him and he's starting to catch up with his classmates." Her face fell as she added, "Poor Bill doesn't even have a single doctorate yet. Ginny has one and will have her second in June."

She shook her head, held up her hands defensively and added, "Now I know what you're going to say, Karla Whitfield. You're going to ask me why I allow our son to hang out with retards. And I know Ginny only has a single doctorate, but after all, she is only nine years old. Can't you make allowances for the less fortunate?"

Karla was still naked, but no one even appeared to notice. When she held out her arms to the blue-eyed golden blonde, Ginny raced into her arms and hugged her tightly, while Karla melted her lips on the girl's.

Finally they eased apart and Ginny Morris looked at Karla wide-eyed and said, "I'm madly in love with your son, Mrs. Whitfield ... Oops! I'm terribly sorry! I'm madly in love with your son, Queen Karla. I know I'm only a commoner and he's the son of a reigning queen, but I do love him so. And his finger fucking feels so great! Please let me continue to see him!"

"Of course you can, darling," Karla replied. Then she kissed Billy with her mother's love flowing like a river, while he still clutched Ginny's hand. "Why don't you amuse Ginny, Bill?" Karla asked.

Then she knitted her brow and said, "Bill, if you finger fuck Ginny, what does she do for you?"

"She gives really great head, Mother. Ginny thinks that if she constantly works on my cock, it will make it grow even larger. So she does. And even though she's only nine and hasn't yet reached puberty, she has an utterly delicious cunt."

"It's bare now, Your Majesty," Ginny added. "Do you think I should keep it that way? Or would it look better the way yours and Mother's is?" Karla just shook her head, said they had lots of time to decide that, and shooed them out of the office.

When they were gone, Doug sat down on a sofa and Karla unselfconsciously sat across his lap. "Now what's this 'reigning queen' nonsense Ginny was talking about?" she asked.

"It's not nonsense, Sis," Ali said softly. "There have been a few changes at home while you've been gone. A couple of weeks ago they had a plebiscite. With almost 99 percent of the eligible voters voting, the citizens of your country have voted by over 99 percent to convert the Czech Republic to the Kingdom of Bohemia. They have elected you their absolute monarch."

"What does that mean?" Karla asked with her stomach sinking through the floor.

"That means they have repealed the Czech constitution in its entirety. You are an absolute monarch, answerable to no one and nothing. You may do whatever you want, whenever you want, for whatever reason, or no reason at all. If you were to order a person's head cut off, it would be cut off on the spot. An absolute monarch, Sis: that's you."

"Please say this is a joke, Ali. Please!" She shook her head and added, "I've suffered so much to create the Republic. I tried to save Václav Havel's life ... What's happening to him?"

"That's the problem, darling," Ali replied softly. "He's not well. Quite honestly, based on what we hear from your sisters and Paula Wilhelm, it's unlikely he will live out the year. By unanimous vote, the Parliament repealed the Czech constitution and voted itself out of existence. The vote was truly unanimous, by the way, if you can believe it."

"But I don't understand," Karla wailed. "How could this happen? Why me?"

"Let me take your last question first. It's the easier one to answer, but may also answer the first. You, Karla Kosta Whitfield, are the most beloved person in the entire nation. And that's loved by everyone! They love you and they trust you. I've seen the interviews, and I cried. Poor people from all around your country pray to Saint Karla!

"Darling, your grandfather is a saint in Heaven. Your people consider you to be a saint on earth. In your hands — and in Doug's — they believe they truly have it all. They have a government that exists solely to serve the needs of its people. Your people! Since Václav Havel can no longer serve, you are the only person they want. And now they have you."

"What should I do, Sis?" Karla asked. "You're so wise and so good. Help me! Please, Ali! Help me."

"I can't, darling," Ali replied, "but it's you who are so wise and so good." Then she smiled and added, "Karla, you will do the right thing because you have to. You are congenitally incapable of doing anything other than the very best for your people! And that's regardless of any cost to yourself. You see, this is well known and well understood in your country.

"The people adore you, Little Sister. And I can't tell you how proud I am to have Karla Kosta — Queen Karla of Bohemia — as my little sister. The election of an absolute monarch has never happened before in history. And now I'm seeing history made — by my own flesh and blood!"

"What now?" Karla asked softly. "What should I do?"

"Darling, Mom is riding Satan in the Edinburgh Horse Show the day after tomorrow. A bunch of us are going over. Her Majesty will be there, too. How about talking with our parents and the Queen over there? They know far more about this stuff than we do."

And it was agreed that they would all go over.

That night Karla cuddled in Doug's protecting arms and just cried while he held her tightly. Then she rolled on top of him, fitted his cock into her vagina and went to sleep. All night long she would waken slightly, move her internal muscles and feel his strength inside her, then relax again.

In the morning, he was still in position. This time, while still lying on top of him, she continued to move her internal muscles until she brought him to a giant erection. Continuing to use the same muscles, she brought them both to orgasms that were so overwhelming they were both rendered unconscious.



-------

Chapter 63


Don and Marion were waiting at the Newcastle airport and drove Karla and Doug back to the castle with them. The others in the large Los Angeles party formed a caravan of vehicles and followed. When they arrived, Barbara Sloan took over and acted as hostess while the Whitfields and the Queen, along with Paula, met in the library. Mary and Ann, who had earlier arrived with Paula from Prague, were settling Mike and Mark, while the two pairs of tigers were having their own joyful reunion.

Queen Elizabeth was on her feet when Karla entered. Taking the girl by her arms, Liz just held her and looked at her. "If I wasn't seeing it with my own eyes, I would not believe it," she said. "Queen Karla, when I first met you, I thought you were one of the most beautiful women in the world. But today... ! your former beauty pales into insignificance. Could I see you bare?"

In an instant Karla was bare and standing proudly in her golden nudity. Then Elizabeth smiled warmly and said, "Clearly, married life becomes you." Then she raised an eyebrow and said, "However, Duchess of Newcastle, I gave you an assignment for your honeymoon. Do you remember?"

Karla just grinned, dropped to her knees, spread them wide and opened her mouth.

"I'll be damned!" Elizabeth mused. "I can't quite make out the pattern on the carpet, but I do see some light." Shaking her head, with an amused grin on her face the Queen said, "Karla Whitfield, you are just too much!"

Liz helped Karla to her feet, and continued to hold both her hands as she changed the tone of the conversation. "When we first met at Buckingham Palace, you will recall I upset my equerries by greeting you as Queen Carla of Bohemia. It appears my greeting was just a few months premature. But now your people have corrected the record, and I couldn't be more pleased!"

Moving into the Queen's arms, Karla hugged her tightly and whispered, "But, Your Majesty, I'm so scared!" Then she moved away just far enough to be able to look into Liz's eyes and said, "You were trained almost from birth in the duties of a monarch. But what about me? I don't know anything... !" she wailed as she hugged Elizabeth tightly and cried on her shoulder.

The Queen comforted her, led her to a sofa and sat down beside her. Then she nodded to Paula who was standing beside a television set with a controller in her hand. "I think you should see a few things, Karla," Liz said softly. "Paula brought some tape from Prague that you really should see."

Gently she lifted Karla's head from her shoulder so she could see the screen, too. When she nodded, Paula pushed the Play button and the television set came to life.

The first scene was an interview with a lovely little girl. It was Karla Kosta Koenig. Seeing her, Karla sat up in her seat to better hear what the little girl was saying. Meanwhile, Paula quietly translated for the Queen. The reporter asked the little girl what she thought about Karla becoming Queen of Bohemia.

The little girl replied, "I think it's absolutely wonderful! And guess what? I am offering my life to her service. You see, sir, had it not been for Queen Karla, I would already be dead. My life's ambition is to sacrifice my life to save hers. She is so sweet and loving—"

"Stop it!" Karla screamed with tears flowing from her eyes. Paula instantly hit the Pause button on the controller and just looked at Karla who, in turn, was looking at the image of the little girl now frozen on the screen. Talking to the little girl's image she said, "My darling, you can't be serious! Your whole life is ahead of you. Why on earth would you want to sacrifice yours for mine?"

"Do you really want to know?" Paula asked softly. "If you do, just watch the tape." With that she restarted the tape deck.

"She is so sweet and loving," the little Karla continued. "But that's not all. You see, sir, her whole life has been dedicated to the people of our country. Never does she think of herself. She thinks only of us and what's best for us. She wants the Czech people..." she grinned and corrected herself, "the Bohemian people ... to be as good as they possibly can be in the sight of Almighty God.

"But she's really one of a kind. She must be protected at all costs, because there's no one else like her. That's why we want her to be our ruler. We love her and we trust her. We know she will do only things that are good for us and good for our nation because they will be pleasing in God's eyes. That's why I want to offer my life to protect hers."

Karla just sat staring at the now-blank screen. Paula said softly, "That little girl just summarized the plebiscite, Karla. The people swept everything else aside and are giving you a blank pad to write on. They're confident you will do the right thing. And so am I!"

Spinning around toward Liz, Karla pleaded, "Tell them they're wrong! You know better than anyone how a ruler can misrule. Tell them not to do it. They'll listen to you."

"Karla," Elizabeth said softly, "it must be the hand of God Himself, because your people are doing exactly the right thing. Now tell me what you're going to do. What about taxes, for example?" The Queen thought that focusing on specific tasks might serve to overcome Karla's inchoate fears.

"We're going to have a flat tax," Karla replied. "There will be a large exemption for each person in the family, and a flat rate — I guess 18 percent to start — beyond that. There will be no tax on business, savings, or capital gains, nor will there be any inheritance taxes."

Looking at Liz she said, "That sounds pretty dumb, doesn't it?"

"No," the Queen said quietly, "it sounds rather brilliant to me. What about transport?"

"I'm going to privatize everything that isn't nailed down. Initially, there are going to be a lot of people out of work when we shutter all the ministries, but our basic infrastructure is really creaky. We need new roads, bridges, sewer and water systems, sewage treatment plants ... everything. That's all got to be built or rebuilt and the work will provide a lot of jobs while the rest of the country gets cranked up. I plan on having a Ministry of Defense, a Home Ministry with public works and public safety in it. That will include the police. Oh! I guess we have to have a Foreign Ministry, Finance Ministry and Justice Ministry, too."

"What about the courts?" the Queen prodded.

"We'll have local courts, of course," Karla replied. Then holding her head up she said, "I'm going to act as the Supreme Court myself, at least for a while."

She paused and then added, "Pretty egotistical, isn't it?"

"No, darling. It's very wise," Liz said. Then she slowly shook her head and said, "Queen Karla, you are going to stand Europe on its collective head. But what about social security and social welfare programs? They're bankrupting most of Europe right now."

"We're going to have medical and retirement IRA's like they're talking about in the States. The people can manage the money themselves and buy the medical care they need. I want my people writing checks to the people and facilities they want to use, not the ones some bureaucrats in Prague want them to use. As for the elderly and infirm, they represent a national obligation. We'll continue to provide for their care."

"Utterly unbelievable!" Elizabeth exclaimed. Then with a grin she added, "Is there room for an unemployed queen? I just may abdicate my throne and move to Bohemia. It sounds like it's going to be a really neat place to be."

Then Karla asked Paula, "What is the reaction of the government people — or the former government people?"

"About what you would expect, Your Majesty..." Paula began. She stopped when she saw Karla's eyebrow raised. "Well, what can I call you? I certainly can't call you Karla..."

"And why not? I really do prefer it to 'turkey' which is your favorite term. Of course it's not as friendly as 'dumb blonde' or 'dumb bitch.'" Karla appeared to be thinking for a moment and then added, "I guess 'Karla' ought to be okay."

Then she took Paula into her arms and kissed her with all of her power unleashed. A tribute to Paula was that, although she became light-headed from the power of Karla's love, joy and grace, she didn't faint.

When they finally eased apart, Paula just shook her head to clear it.

With her eyes wide she said, "Paula, make it 'Karla.' Please?"

"All I can say, Karla, is that the people have no idea of what they're really getting. You are the finest thing that could possibly happen to a nation. And it's pretty obvious that Her Brittanic Majesty agrees with me."

"I certainly do," Elizabeth said. "And I hope I made that clear earlier."

Paula continued with her response. "But to your question, darling Karla, the response is what you might expect. The few people in the ministries who really make things work are cheering. The rest are pretty glum." She grinned and then shook her head in feigned sadness, "What a stinking shame! After all these years, they might actually have to work for a living."

"Which one or ones do you want, Paula?" Karla asked softly. "But you can't have more than three ministries, at least not at the beginning."

"Karla Whitfield, get serious!" Paula exclaimed. "I barely graduated from high school..."

"And the Prime Minister awarded you the Civilian Medal of Honor, turkey, for exemplary service to the nation," Karla interrupted. Then airily she added, "Or would you rather I have you beheaded?"

Paula studied the girl closely and managed to smother a grin. "And you would do it, too! Just for spite. I can tell." Then she stuck out her tongue and added, "But if you cut off my head, I'll never speak to you again!"

Then she said softly, "Could ... could ... could Fred stay on at the Home Ministry? He's really doing a good job. John Wulf is really doing a very fine job at the Finance Ministry. His people are the ones who worked out the changeover from our present social security system to the one you're proposing, darling—"

"But how could he possibly?" Karla asked, utterly astonished. "There is no new system, nor even an idea for one, until a few moments ago!"

Now looking very embarrassed, Paula replied softly, "Because I told him it would be your new system. It's the obvious way to go—"

"For the most brilliant civil servant in the world, perhaps, but it's certainly not obvious to everyone," Karla interrupted. "Now, back to my question. Which ministries do you want?"

"May I just stay where I am?" she asked softly. "I ... I think I can better serve you there than anywhere else."

Karla had agreed with some reluctance when Ann and Mary appeared. To the surprise of everyone, they stood before Karla and made perfect court curtsies, then dropped to their knees before her. Initially, Karla thought they were teasing, but looking into their eyes as they remained kneeling before her, she wasn't at all sure.

"What are you doing down on your knees?" she demanded. "You're my sisters, for Heaven's sake!"

"But you are our sovereign," Ann replied softly.

"But I'm naked!" Karla nearly screamed.

"You are our sovereign," Mary repeated.

Turning to Elizabeth, Karla said, "Liz, could you help me? Please? What's going on? Why are they acting this way?"

"Do you really want to know?" Liz replied. When Karla eagerly nodded, she said, "Let me tell you what my daughter, Anne, said. And she was speaking of all three of you when she said it. She said that she watched you carefully to try to see what you did and how you did it. 'Mother, for years and years I've heard the phrase, "to the manor born." But until I met Karla, Mary and Ann, I never really knew what it meant.

"'If the royal families on the continent had behaved with a tiny fraction of the caring and love that those three exude, they would still be sitting on their thrones. And you know something else, Mother?' she asked. 'They probably wouldn't have to contend with parliaments, either.'

"And you know something else, Karla?" Elizabeth concluded. "She was absolutely right!"

Hearing the Queen's words, Karla dropped to her knees, wrapped her arms around Mary and whispered, "I've missed you so!" Then she melted her lips to Mary's and unleashed her full power. Mary did the same thing, and everyone else could actually see the electricity the two generated. Finally easing away, Karla did the same thing when she turned to Ann who was kneeling beside Mary.

When the three stood up, Ann held Karla in her arms and just slowly shook her head. "Never in all of history has a woman looked as beautiful as you do right now, Karla. You are utterly gorgeous!"

"But what if my loyal subjects could see me this way?" Karla asked.

"They would adore you even more than they do now," Mary responded. "Darling, don't you see? You are one of them! You suffered for them! And they know it. But at the same time, as Her Majesty so correctly pointed out, you are utterly regal.

"Karla Whitfield, you should see yourself this instant. You are stark naked, yet you would be identified as a reigning monarch by anyone who entered this room. It's in your genes, darling sister!"

Karla slipped on her thong, shrugged into her dress and Doug quickly zipped it up for her. Since her hair was still in its urchin cut, she just shook her head hard and again it looked perfect. Then she sat down in a wing chair in preparation for a talk with the girls about an idea she just had, when Susie materialized before her.

To Karla's embarrassment, Susie executed a perfect court curtsy and said, "Good afternoon, Your Majesty!"

"Would you please knock off the shit, Susie Sloan!" Karla screamed. "I may have to take it from my sisters, but I certainly expect better from you! An archangel, for Heaven's sake, sitting at the right hand of God Almighty, bowing to me? Have you had the water checked up there lately? Susie Sloan, you're losing it completely!"

Susie's face had remained completely impassive while Karla had been storming. "Are you finished yet?" she inquired softly. Her quiet words had the desired effect on Karla who sagged back into her chair like a punctured balloon.

"Did you notice something different, Your Majesty?" she asked softly.

Karla looked at Susie carefully and slowly shook her head. "No, I didn't," she replied. "Other than the fact that you're wearing a lovely dress ... And even a double strand of pearls." Finally Karla concluded, "No, Susie, I don't. Except you're even more lovely than you usually are. So what is different?"

"What's different is that I appeared without having been called," Susie replied. "I haven't done this in an awfully long time. Now why do you suppose that is?" Again Karla just shook her head. "It's an effort to give you a different point of view. Are you interested?"

"Of course I'm interested," Karla replied. "How could I not be?"

"The Boss thinks it's absolutely the neatest thing He's ever heard of. He's beside himself with joy. And the King and Queen of Bohemia? Good grief! They are virtually jumping up and down constantly, they're so happy. In fact, I don't think they've sat down since the plebiscite was held." Then with a little grin she added, "Now why don't you tell the twins what's in store for them?"

"Susie, I have no—"

"Bullshit! — sorry, Boss, but things are starting to get out of hand — You know darned well what you were going to do. Now do it!" Susie interjected.

"Before I do anything," Karla replied with her nose in the air, "I have to confer with my better half." Turning to Doug she said, "Darling, over the last months I've come to trust your judgment with my life. And I have, in fact. What do you think? After all, before Almighty God Himself, I swore to love, honor, and obey! What should I do?"

"Darling, there's no decision to make," Doug said, speaking up for the first time. "You must serve your people. It's in your genes. You suffered unspeakable torture for them! I know it. You know it. But most importantly, they know it! That's why the people of Bohemia have done what they've done."

He paused and then continued, "I vividly remember what Karl, the bell captain at the Ritz in Prague, said that first night: you are revered by your people. You are a walking saint in their eyes. They trust you to do the right thing for them! Now why don't you just tell Ann and Mary what they're going to bring to our little party?"

"What do I tell them?" she asked with a little grin.

"You tell them that one will handle all external affairs and national defense while the other looks after domestic affairs. You will occupy yourself by traveling around the country just talking to your subjects and ensuring that things are working properly," he replied with the same grin on his face.

"Okay, kids, you heard the man. Now which of you wants what?" Karla asked.

"But I don't understand," Ann protested. "You're the queen. We're merely your subjects. Remember us? Partially reconstructed whores who can make a computer work ... sometimes?"

"That, dear hearts, is ancient history," Karla responded blithely. "If I'm going to be the queen, I'm certainly not letting my own sisters off scot free."

Turning to Elizabeth she asked with a very cute smile, "Do you give lessons in queenship?"

"Only to my closest friends," Liz replied with a warm smile, "of whom you happen to be one, of course. Now how may I help?"

"How do I make these two urchins princesses?" Karla asked.

"That doesn't even count as a question!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "As you noted, they are your sisters. And as the sisters of the queen, they're automatically princesses. As are Barbara Sloan and Ali Clifford, of course, if you can force the titles on Americans. They're always so ridiculously sticky about these things. But as for Mary and Ann, as citizens of the Kingdom of Bohemia, they have no choice. They are now royal princesses. Your coronation merely formalizes the already-existing state of affairs."

Karla smiled triumphantly and said, "As I was saying, Princesses Ann and Mary, which of you wants what? And 'no' is not an acceptable answer."

The two girls just shook their heads, and Ann accepted the domestic assignment, while Mary took defense and foreign affairs. Then Karla remembered something and said, "Good grief! Where am I going to live? At the hotel with the girls?"

"What's wrong with the palace?" Paula asked innocently. "Golly," she continued with her eyes wide, "I would hate to think I've been wasting your money."

"What money?" Doug asked with a grin. He was almost certain he knew what the answer would be, and he wasn't disappointed.

"Your money that I'm spending to renovate the palace," Paula replied blithely. "John Wulf, the Finance Minister, insisted that it should be a government charge, but I prevailed. I pointed out that yours was going to be a frugal monarchy — at least frugal with the taxpayers' money."

Then she became enthusiastic as she described the changes already in progress to restore the palace to its original grandeur, while simultaneously modernizing everything and totally redoing the living quarters. "It will have the usual 50-meter pool and exercise facilities, of course. Basically, it's the apartment at the Ritz, crossed with Prendwick. Then, of course, there's your country place—"

"Country place?" Karla almost screamed. "What country place?"

"But darling," Paula replied in the tone of voice she might use on a slightly-retarded child, "you must be able to hold up your head, after all. I mean ... Really!" With her eyes wide she continued, "Just look at your dear friend, Elizabeth. In addition to Buckingham, there's Windsor, Sandringham, and I don't know how many others. I mean ... Well, of course, Elizabeth will visit at your palace in Prague, and the country palace, but then what? I mean really, darling, a queen would no more be seen in the same palace than I would be seen in the same gown!"

"Oh?" Karla asked with her eyes dancing. "Are you trying to tell me that business has been so good with Fred that you've been able to buy a second gown?" Then, in just a few minutes, she had Elizabeth nearly rolling on the floor with laughter as she told her about Paula's relationship with her husband.

When she regained control, Liz had to wipe tears of laughter from her face. Then to Donald and Marion she said, "I hope it's obvious to you two why I so love to come up here? It is probably the only place on the face of the earth I can truly relax. But now, I am really looking forward to receiving an invitation to visit Queen Karla."

Then her face fell, and Karla asked what was the matter. Tears — apparently of shame — were flowing down Elizabeth's cheeks as she replied, "It's the return invitation," she wailed.

Looking at Karla with her most sincere look on her face she asked, "Promise me you'll say no? Please? Buckingham, Windsor and the rest are so shabby!" she cried. "While yours will be like this: truly royal palaces." Rolling her eyes she said to no one in particular, "What will I ever do?"

"You'll think of something, I'm sure," the Voice said, scarcely able to control his laughter.

Then He continued, "But Elizabeth was not joking, Karla, Marion, and Donald. I can confirm that every word she has said to you this afternoon has been the truth. First, Marion and Donald, she instantly recognized you as true friends. Second, she instantly understood the unique relationship that exists between the Duke and Duchess of Northumbria and the people of the village. The result is exactly what she said: This may be the only place on earth where she can truly relax. And she is not exaggerating a bit when she says you serve the finest meals she's ever eaten. And finally, she has truly come to adore riding the moors chasing the tigers."

He paused a moment and then added, "Incidentally, Elizabeth, you have all of your ancestors positively green with envy. Never did it occur to them to ride after tigers, nor would they ever have been able to get tigers who would have been willing to play the way yours do."

Then to Karla He said, "I will add only one more point: It is also true that Anne told her that you three young women are living examples of royal behavior. It is truly in your genes. Karla — Queen Karla of Bohemia — never has there been a person better suited to reign over a kingdom than you. Never! And in Douglas Whitfield, you have the perfect consort. Anything you don't know, he does. Moreover, your love for each other will be vital as you reign over your kingdom. Now kneel down, both of you!"

Doug took Karla's hand in his and the two knelt on the carpet looking up. "Queen Karla and Prince Douglas of Bohemia, continue to serve your people well as you have always served them and served Me."

Then there was a soft chuckle and He said, "I cannot tell you the pleasure you two have given Me over the last three months. My girl-watching is notorious up here, as you both know. But seeing the two of you together truly warmed My heart. Your beauty combined with your infinite love for each other was truly wonderful to behold."

Then he mused, "Of course, next up on the island will be Samantha Conroy and John Martin. Then there will be Kristin Bradley and William Warren, then Kim Carter and..." He paused and made an unhappy sound, then continued, "I can see it now ... I'll be getting all kinds of heck from the environmentalists because of what you're doing to their unspoiled wilderness ... As if they could ever find it!"

"Why do you say that, Lord?" Karla asked, genuinely puzzled. "We heard the full story of finding the island from the Conroys on our way back, and..."

"And you're the only ones who can find it," He said. "If you would like a real challenge, try to find it on a map of the Hawaiian Islands — regardless of the scale of the map. It does not exist, except to you people. Did you ever wonder how a small waterfall, deep in the tropics could possibly be so cold?"

"Do you mean to say You deliberately froze my tits off for Your own amusement?" Karla demanded. "When, just as easily — easier, in fact — You could have made the water nice and warm?" Then with a huff she added, "I'm not sure if I'm speaking to You ever again!"

"But you loved it, didn't you?" He asked. "After lazing in the lagoon, you adored the wonderfully cold fresh water pouring over your body. You even loved the way it made your nipples stand up, and you were so marvelously refreshed when you came out. And, young lady, I noticed how you truly relished it. Otherwise, why did you insist that Douglas take you under the falls?"

"That was a scientific experiment," Karla replied loftily. "I only wanted to see if he could get an erection and maintain it in freezing cold water like that."

"And?" Elizabeth prompted.

"And he could!" Karla just licked her lips and said, "Oh, indeed he could." Then sticking out the tip of her tongue aimed upward she said, "But I get the credit for that. He said that he was prepared for it by being dunked in our cool pool outside the sauna at the hotel."

"Darling, there will be another, just like it, at each palace," Paula remarked.

At that point, Mark and Mike entered the library wearing their "uniforms." They were the same as the girls' had been, but Mike wore a black bow around his cock and balls, while Mark's was white. When Elizabeth looked at the two and whistled softly, Ann said casually, "They're slaves, of course, Your Majesty, so you're certainly free to examine them closely if you wish."

Calling Mark over, Liz gently fondled his cock and balls. While she was doing that, following his orders, Mark's hands were clasped behind his head and his pelvis was rolled forward to present his cock to the guest. "He's beautiful!" Liz exclaimed. "To whom does he belong?"

"His name is Mark," Ann replied, "and he's mine."

Then to Mark she said, "Come here, Slave!"

"How may I serve my adorable mistress?" Mark replied, standing as Mike had with his hands clasped behind his head and his cock erect.

"You may kiss me," she said softly.

Mark folded her into his arms and melted his lips to hers. Instantly there was the familiar electricity and bells. But this time, while he was letting his hands roam over her back and buns, Ann was gently caressing his cock and balls.

When they eased apart, Ann whispered, "I can't wait for you to split me in half, my darling! Your cock is utterly magnificent. It's so huge!"

"My mistress has the most beautiful cunt in the whole world," Mark replied softly.

"Darling, what do you think about the prospect of being married to a princess of the Kingdom of Bohemia? With real duties?"

"Mike and I have almost completed plans for the palace we're having built for us in Prague," he replied casually. "Since we're twins, and you are, too, we sort of figured we could economize with only a single palace. But what does my darling fiancée think of the idea?"

"But, darling, you'll still be our slaves. It has almost a full ten years more to run."

"Of course it does," Mark responded, "but Mike and I decided that there was no way two perfectly ripe women could possibly wait ten years. Except, how are we going to get you two past our damned mother?"

"I think that's an excellent question," Cara Campbell said as she entered the room.

Marion Whitfield kissed her warmly and then presented Cara to the Queen. "Your Majesty, may I present one of my closest friends, Caroline Campbell. Although she's another rebel from the Colonies, she's really very nice."

Elizabeth took both of Cara's hands in hers and looked deeply into her eyes. "Another one," she murmured.

Then she put her arms around Cara's neck and kissed her. When she did, Cara unleashed her full power. Elizabeth felt a flood of joy, pure goodness and Divine grace flood through her body. But then she fully unleashed her own power. In moments both women were light-headed, but neither lost consciousness.

When they eased apart, Liz said softly, "I am truly honored to meet you, Caroline Campbell. You are in The Sisterhood, too, aren't you?" Cara just nodded her head quickly as Liz continued, "And by the way, the name is 'Liz.'"

"Thank you, Liz," Cara replied. "But the name is 'Cara'. I hope you don't mind? And as you may have gathered, I gave birth to these two ... things... ! standing here."

"Mother!" Mark exclaimed. "What are you doing here? And what's happened to you?"

"Ann, dear," Cara said airily, "do you always permit your slaves to be so ... familiar ... with your guests?"

"Slave!" Ann commanded. "On your knees and beg our guest's forgiveness. Good grief! Have you already forgotten everything we've tried to teach you?"

"I'm terribly sorry, ma'am," Mark said to Cara. He had instantly dropped to his knees before her. "How may I make it up to you?"

"I shall think about it," Cara replied. Then to Ann she said, "Are you certain you want to marry this ... this ... thing?"

"I know he's not much," Ann replied, "but he is sort of sweet. And I love him so."

Then with the appearance of tears in her eyes she said, "Besides, Mother, it's not my fault. It's His," she continued, pointing upward. "You know how The Sisterhood works by now. We were created to serve a single individual. Is it my fault I was created to serve Mark?"

Then to Mark she said, "Enough of this playacting. Why don't you greet your mother the way you should?"

Cara had seated herself in another wing chair by now, and Mark straightened up while still on his knees. He took his mother in his arms, kissed her, and almost passed out from the instant flow of love and joy. When he eased away, he was breathless. Finally able to speak he whispered, "Mother, what's happened to you?"

Cara looked puzzled and then to Ann she said, "Daughter, I'm not missing any important pieces or parts, am I? Am I not reasonably intact?" Ann just grinned and winked.

To Mark she said, "Son, I really don't understand your question. When you last saw me, I will freely admit to being a reasonable stand-in for the Wicked Witch of the West. Are you suggesting I've ... changed?"

"Changed?" Mark exclaimed. "Mother, never in your life have you been so beautiful." Then he looked deeply into her eyes, shook his head and added, "But your physical change is the least of it, isn't it? The real change is inside. Now you're exactly like the girls: utterly overflowing with love, joy, and God's Divine grace. But what happened?"

"The girls happened," Cara replied. "I think they told you that they played golf in a celebrity pro-am in Los Angeles before going out to Las Vegas. I played with them, and this is the final result." With a lovely smile she added, "I'm glad you seem to approve."

Then she told both sons — Mike had come over to kneel beside Mark — of her experience with the girls and its ultimate result. Finally, with tears in her eyes she concluded, "I just wanted to be good enough to be able to cuddle your children when they begin to appear. I can hardly wait!"

"Enough of this!" the Voice said. "I will not marry you two young women to slaves. There's just enough time for a double wedding here in Whitfield after the horse show and before you have to prepare for the coronation..."

"Is that... ?" Mark asked with wonder in his voice.

"The voice of God?" Ann responded. "Yes It is."

"And Karla, your coronation is going to be quite a celebration," the Voice continued. "The Pope is coming up from Rome to personally perform the ceremony." There was a pause and then He continued, "I hope he's not too disappointed when he's upstaged..."

"Are You... ?" Karla asked, unable to finish her question.

"Am I going to crown you Queen of Bohemia? Of course! Good grief, girl, do you realize how long it's been since the last meaningful coronation? And besides ... they've been rehearsing up Here ever since the vote. In fact, they really cheated. They've been rehearsing since the vote was announced! After all, the result was a forgone conclusion."

Again He paused and then said, "It's really pretty good, if I do say so. I'm very fond of the Te Deum — they do it beautifully, too — but their "Ode to Joy" from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony... ! An utter masterpiece. And for this occasion... ! There is a full 1,500-piece symphony orchestra, along with the finest singers who have ever lived." There was now a rather smug sound to His voice as he concluded, "This is really going to knock their socks off!"

Everyone howled with laughter at his idiom. Then Karla asked, "Who is the 'they' who are going to lose their socks, Lord?"

"Those idiots in the news media," He replied. "That young man, Dan Carter, the writer for PC Computing,  had it exactly right. They are the biggest collection of professional atheists the world has ever seen. Maybe this will change some minds. Now get moving! Marion is riding Satan at Edinburgh tomorrow and I can't wait!"

Everyone in the room howled with laughter when He added, "Of course, I would be much happier if he had a different name..."



-------

Chapter 64


"Ladies and gentlemen: All rise. It is a great honor for the Edinburgh Horse Show to welcome Elizabeth II, Queen of Scotland!"

At the announcement, Elizabeth entered the Royal Box, specially constructed for the occasion. She remained standing as the band played God Save the Queen. Then, instead of taking her seat, she remained standing as Karla, Mary, and Ann entered, followed by Princess Anne and then by the Duke of Northumbria. Although she had invited Barbara, Ali, and the others to join her in the Royal Box, they had begged off, taking an adjacent box instead.

When everyone was present in the Royal Box, the Queen addressed the crowd: "Ladies and gentlemen, it is my great pleasure tonight to welcome to Scotland my dear friend, Queen Karla of Bohemia, along with her sisters, Ann, Duchess of Suffolk, and Mary, Duchess of Norfolk. They are now princesses of the Kingdom of Bohemia, as their sister, the Queen, is also Duchess of Newcastle. In addition, my daughter, Princess Anne, is with us in, for her, a very unaccustomed rôle as a spectator at a horse show.

"Unfortunately, she has been diagnosed with a back problem that precludes her riding competitively. Finally, it is with the greatest pride and pleasure that I welcome to the Royal Box His Grace, Donald, Duke of Northumbria. As most of you know, aside from everything else, he is Great Britain's greatest living hero and one of the greatest heroes of all time. He is here tonight to watch his wife, Duchess Marion, compete.

"In addition, full disclosure compels me to add that Her Bohemian Majesty and her sisters are not neutral observers. If you should see them on their feet cheering for Duchess Marion, I can only assure you that it is a perfectly normal reaction ... for daughters to cheer their mother.

"With that, let my thank you all for your very warm welcome, and let the show begin."

Meanwhile, in the paddock area Marion was waiting with John Fox and Satan. It had originally been planned for Duke and Sheena to come along to keep Satan company. But they elected not to bring the tigers when they thought about the possible panic created among the other horses in the show.

For his part, Satan just seemed to watch the goings-on with some interest, but more accurately with disdain. Occasionally he would nuzzle Marion's shoulder and once she gave him another apple. She was pleased with her crimson jacket while the remainder of her riding habit that Nita Lucas had sent along was coal black. All of Satan's tack was black leather, too, and even his saddle blanket was black. The only notes of color were the ducal arms of Northumbria embroidered in full color and with gold thread on each side of the blanket. Marion thought it looked lovely, and it was clear that Satan was quite proud of his appearance. His coat had been groomed to the point that it gleamed blue-black under the arena's lights.

With a fanfare, the band signaled the start of the parade of riders. Competitors rode into the ring in numeric order based on the random numbers they had been assigned. Marion's was number one, so she eased up smoothly into the saddle.

The instant she did, Satan's head rose even higher as he displayed his pride at once again having his beloved mistress on his back. With just the slightest pressure from Marion's knee, Satan walked out into the ring and began to circle it, followed by each of the other competitors in turn. Reaching the Royal Box, Satan stopped, turned and then bowed to Her Majesty while Marion doffed her riding helmet. Rising, he resumed his stately walk around the ring.

With her lips moving imperceptibly, Marion whispered that his movements had been perfect — almost as smooth and flowing as the tigers would have been. By now they were three-quarters of the way around the ring, and both Marion and Satan could easily see the other horses that were following in their wake. While some remained under perfect control, others were obviously high-strung and were dancing sideways and otherwise acting up in ways their riders were not fully able to control.

Completing the circle of the ring, Satan took his position in what would be the beginning of the line of riders that would stand facing the Royal Box. At that point, Satan stood as still as a statue with his head up high. When all the riders were assembled, there was polite applause from the crowd, and again led by Satan, the horses filed out of the ring.

The first scheduled event of the evening was show riding; show jumping was the last. To Marion's surprise, Satan indicated he wanted to watch the show riding. There were four-, six-, and eight-gaited horses competing, each showing its accomplishments. Satan appeared to be very interested in the whole process, and she noted that he shook his head slightly every time a mount made an error. In fact, it was soon apparent to Marion that Satan's eyes were far sharper than the judges'. While they missed a number of minor faults, Satan missed none. At times it was difficult for her to determine what the horse had done wrong, but each time she mentally reviewed the horse's movements just prior to Satan's head shake and then she remembered what had attracted his attention. Finally, to her utter amazement, he indicated that he wanted to enter the show riding, too.

Leading him back to where John Fox was waiting with the groom, she explained what Satan wanted.

Fox only shook his head and laughed. "Your Grace, it could be done easily if you wish. You are entered in the show and have your competition number. Technically, any horse is eligible to compete in any event, but as you know, training has become so specialized no jumper ever enters the show riding, nor does any show horse ever enter the jumping competition. But they could."

With a grin he added, "What do you think his chances would be?"

"John, I think he can do it. In fact, I know he can," Marion replied. Then she told Fox how Satan shook his head every time a horse made a mistake. Concluding she said, "I think Satan really wants to do it. As for his chances, I have no idea. But you've said that he is the most capable horse you've ever seen. It seems that the only limiting factor for him is what he wants to do."

Then she gently stroked the horse's muzzle evoking a soft whinny of happiness and said, "He seems to enjoy having me on his back. I'm certain he won't disappoint himself, and he can't disappoint me. After all, as you said, how many jumping horses have competed in show riding in the last twenty-five years?"

Fox just shook his head and went off to tell the show officials of Marion's decision to enter Satan in the show riding. When he returned, he was grinning. "They almost fell over when I told them what you're going to do," he said. There was a scramble to check the rules, but they quickly learned that I was correct. Anyway, because the program has been printed with the appearance sequence in it, you and Satan will appear last."

Then he paused, knitted his brow and added, "The problem is, of course, that you will be the last rider in the show event and the first in jumping. Won't that bother Satan?"

"Not at all!" Marion exclaimed. "In fact, it's really another reason to do it. It provides an opportunity for him to warm up a bit."

Finally the last of the scheduled competitors completed her ride and over the arena's PA system there was an announcement: "There has been an addition to the competition in show riding. Now entering the ring is Satan, ridden by Her Grace, Marion, Duchess of Northumbria."

The announcer paused and then added, apparently ad-libbing, "This is unprecedented in my experience. First, as you all know, Satan is entered in the jumping competition, and is highly regarded as a jumper. However, he is only five years old. This is far too young for a horse to be adequately trained in the demanding gaits of the show ring. Every one of the competitors you have seen so far this evening is at least ten years old, and most are over thirteen. But we will see. Ladies and gentlemen, this is Satan."

Recognizing that Satan had been paying far closer attention to the show riding than she had, Marion resolved to merely sit up straight and let Satan do it by himself. Her ride was utterly flawless; Satan made no mistakes of any kind. Finally, completing the routine, he ended in front of the Royal Box and again bowed to Her Majesty.

When he did, both Elizabeth and Anne were on their feet applauding wildly, while Karla, Ann, and Mary could scarcely control their enthusiasm. At that point the PA announcer came on again and announced that there had been zero faults and the time in the ring was substantially under the best previous time.

After the intermission during which the jumps were set up, Marion again rode Satan out into the ring. Again he bowed to the Royal Box and then took his position at the starting point. Once there, he again stood as still as a statue with his head up awaiting the starting signal. When it came, he was off like a shot and began to take the jumps perfectly. There were oohs and aahs from the audience as he cleared each jump with apparently feet to spare. When he completed his jumps, the time was announced to the stunned amazement of the crowd. Satan had set a new record for the show, having completed the circuit with no faults fifteen seconds faster than the previous record.

Again the PA announcer ad-libbed when he said, "Good grief! As I noted before, Satan is only five years old. Moreover, he's a stallion. What do you suppose his stud fees will be? Never have we seen a horse in his class! He is unbelievable." While he was making the announcement, Satan was dancing around the ring proudly accepting the applause of the crowd.

Patting his neck, Marion whispered, "Thank you, darling, for making me look so good. You are a wonder!" Hearing the praise from his beloved mistress, he quietly whinnied in pleasure. She realized that he had done it just for her.

When the jumping concluded, no one was even close to Satan's time. In fact, Marion had noted that a number of the competitors appeared to be just going through the motions so disheartened were they by Satan's performance. They realized they were effectively out of the competition before they even appeared in the ring.

Following the competition, Elizabeth and Karla were escorted down from the Royal Box to a microphone set up in front of it. The awards were set up on a table behind them, and one after the other, the lesser awards were announced and the winners approached the Queen to receive them. Finally, there were only three awards left: the winner of the show riding, the winner of the jumping, and the overall winner of the show. This last award usually caused problems due to the difficulty of comparing show riding with jumping. But not this time: Satan had won them both.

At the microphone, Elizabeth was holding the jumping trophy in her arms. "Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to say that this show, like so many others we have attended, had no particular meaning to me. I would like to say it, but I cannot. The winner of the jumping trophy, Her Grace, Marion, Duchess of Northumbria, aside from everything else, is my closest personal friend. Furthermore, I am painfully familiar — as is Princess Anne — with Satan's jumping prowess. We have had the occasion often to be vainly trying to keep up with him as he chases two Royal Bengal tigers over the moors of Whitfield.

"At this time I have another announcement to make. While the public-address announcer said that he has never seen a show in which a single horse competed in both show riding and jumping, there is another skill Satan has. He's also the fastest horse I've ever seen. Accordingly, to utilize his talents more fully, Her Grace has entered Satan in the Grand National at Aintree. She will ride Satan in that race as she so capably rode him here tonight.

"The fact is, you see, that Satan has the ability to test his speed daily. His best friends are the two Bengal tigers I referred to a moment ago. Since they are far faster than any race horse, Satan has been building up his speed by racing against them. He never wins, but his speed has steadily improved. And as I said, he is already the fastest horse I've ever seen."

She paused for a moment and then added, "Finally, I would like to add a note for the benefit of someone who might be tempted to steal such a valuable horse. There are two problems with such an idea: First, as far as anyone knows, there is only one person alive who Satan will allow on his back, and that is his beloved mistress. I'm sure some of you noticed how proud he looked tonight. Well, Satan always looks proud when Marion is on his back. In fact, while you may have been impressed with his performance tonight, to us it was decidedly old hat. It's what we see every time Marion mounts him.

"The second reason a theft would not be a very smart idea is his friendship with two tigers. Together, they weigh nearly 1,200 pounds. Frankly, there are much more pleasant things to think about than what would be left of a person — or persons — after two furious Royal Bengal tigers finish with them." She shook her head sadly and added, "It's my understanding that there would only be pieces left ... very small pieces!"

She presented the trophy to Marion and kissed her warmly. Then she introduced Karla who presented her mother with the riding trophy and the trophy for having the best horse in the show.

Elizabeth had the last word for the audience. "These trophies will be going back to Prendwick Castle tonight where they will probably go on the mantel along with certain other trophies."

She paused, giggled in the cutest manner, utterly startling the spectators with the unexpected sound, and then concluded, "I am not at liberty to tell you what the other trophies are, except to say that two more will be added in the very near future."

Both Marion and Karla howled with laughter at her quip, while none of the other spectators had the slightest idea what was so funny.

When the ceremonies were concluded, Marion found herself surrounded by reporters. There were the usual group that covered equine activities for magazines and newspapers, but there were also general reporters who had been attracted by the Queen's presence. Finally, there were even a couple of general sports reporters who were present because of rumors that had circulated prior to the show regarding Satan's extraordinary abilities. Although Satan's reins were just trailing in front of him, he was standing proudly with his head up at Marion's side.

Tom Bowen, one of the regular sports reporters, had been admiring Satan. After identifying himself and his media affiliation he said, "Your Grace, can you tell us anything more about Satan? For example, is it true that no one else can ride him?"

"That's a good question, Mr. Bowen," Marion replied, "and it's one I don't believe anyone can fully answer except Satan himself. And he's not talking. We do know that no one else has ever been able to, including several very experienced jockeys."

She gently stroked Satan's muzzle, evoking another quiet whinny of joy and said, "I truly love this horse, and I guess he loves me, too. Our trainer, John Fox, says that Satan's joy in life is derived from making me happy and proud of him. So far, there has been absolutely nothing I have ever asked him to do that he hasn't done perfectly."

Then she grinned and added, "I must be honest with you: It was Satan's own idea for him to enter the show riding portion of the competition." Then she explained how Satan had just carefully watched the other horses and instantly spotted every fault. "Since it was obvious to me that he knew what was expected, I was certain he wouldn't disgrace us, and he certainly didn't. Don't you agree?"

"He entered himself?" Bowen asked incredulously.

"John Wolf entered him," Marion replied, "but only after Satan made it very clear to both of us that that was what he wanted to do."

"What are your plans for the Grand National?" Bowen followed up. "I gather from what Her Majesty said that you will be riding him in it."

"Until we figure out a way to get someone else on his back, I'm afraid I'll have to," Marion agreed. "As far as tactics are concerned, there are none. I know absolutely nothing about a steeplechase. So all I intend to do is to give Satan his head and let him get the job done. We're sure he can do it, though."

At that point Marion was joined by Karla. Turning to her daughter she said, "That reminds me: horse racing is called 'the sport of kings.' When are you going to get involved, daughter? Her Majesty has a string of race horses. Surely you're not going to let her stay ahead of you?"

Karla appeared thoughtful, and then gently stroked Satan's muzzle. It was an unconscious act on her part, for she knew the extent to which Satan was a one-woman horse. Nevertheless, he nuzzled her hand and then licked it. Karla and Marion exchanged looks of pleased surprise.

Then she said, "Mother, it's very simple. As soon as you breed Satan, I would adore having one of his foals. Can you imagine what they will be like?"

"He is the most beautiful horse I've ever seen," Bowen interjected. "His conformation is utterly perfect." Then he looked at the two women and added, "I guess it must run in the family, though. Certainly the two of you are both perfect females."

They thanked him for the compliment and Marion agreed to see about breeding Satan. Then she added, "You know what, daughter? I think you're going to have to ride him. And from the way he's behaving, I truly believe he will let you."



-------

Chapter 65


The following day, Saturday, Ann and Mary married Mark and Mike. Again Her Majesty was in attendance, and again the Lord joined the two in holy wedlock. That afternoon there was another reception at Prendwick for the friends and neighbors. But unlike the prior two receptions, this time the villagers were relaxed and greeted both the Queen and Princess Anne like old friends, which is the same way they were treated by them. Again there was a wedding dinner and again they all trouped down to The Queen's Arms for after-dinner drinks.

It was still early in the evening when the newly-weds returned to the castle. Marion, Caroline Campbell and Barbara Sloan took Mary and Ann into the bathroom with them, while Karla and Elizabeth took the men to their bath.

Marion cradled both girls' heads against her shoulders while they floated in the giant tub. As they did, Barb and Cara gently massaged musk oil into their skin. Cara was working on Ann's perfect skin when she muttered, "What a stinking waste..."

"What's the trouble?" Marion asked. For her part, Ann was almost asleep from the effects of the sensuous massage.

"What a shame to waste such perfection on my son, Mark," Cara explained. Then she giggled.

"Now what's so funny?" Marion asked.

"I was thinking that the girls' plan may have backfired," Cara replied. "Ann has been complaining about having a small cunt. If she really thinks she's so small, why did she and Mary work so hard to make the guys' cocks even larger than they were? On the other hand, she's always said she's a masochist, so..."

In a voice that sounded as if she were talking in her sleep Ann said, "This way it's easier for Mark to split me in half."

When the two were finished, Cara and Barb easily lifted the two girls out of the tub and laid them on massage tables. There they gently worked more musk oil into their bodies while both girls napped. Finally, Marion stood back from Mary and asked Cara who had been watching the process, "What do you think?"

Rather than replying immediately, Cara moved down to the end of the massage table. Since Mary was on her back, her position was perfect. Sliding the girl's body down the table, she lifted her legs and put them over her shoulder. In that position, Mary's cunt, glistening from all the musk oil that had been worked into it, was only an inch or two away from her face. Being as gentle as she could so as not to awaken the sleeping girl, Cara began gently to lick her vaginal lips and run her tongue behind them. Instantly the flow of Mary's vaginal juices began and Cara greedily sucked them in.

"Am I sweet enough for Mike?" Mary asked sleepily. "If I'm not, I'm sure Mommy has some powdered sugar you could spread on them." Cara just howled with laughter.

Meanwhile, Karla had taken the two men to her own bathroom. As she tried to figure out how she could handle two 230-pound men, Elizabeth appeared. "Am I interrupting anything?" she asked with a grin.

"Of course not!" Karla exclaimed. "But you're not really dressed appropriately for the occasion..." Elizabeth was still wearing the dress she had worn to the wedding.

Seeing Karla's deeply-tanned body bare, the Queen murmured, "Oh! I see what you mean." Without another word, she stripped off her clothing and stacked it on a stool. Standing up straight, she forced her tits out and said sadly, "Pretty grim, isn't it?"

Elizabeth's body was truly lovely. Karla took advantage of the invitation and lightly ran her fingers over her smooth skin and then fondled her tits. "I'm afraid they'll never again pass the pencil test," the Queen murmured.

"You'll do," Karla replied. "The purpose of the evening is to prepare a couple of princes for their wedding night, and I was just wondering how I could possibly handle these two whales by myself." Then with her eyes sparkling she added, "Of course, with the addition of another reigning monarch, it appears to be possible."

The two women helped the men into the bathtub which was — like the others in the castle — truly a small swimming pool. With the men floating on the water, the two women gently worked musk oil into their bodies. In the meantime the two men were caressing any part of the women in easy reach. Elizabeth was working on Mark.

When his hand found one of her tits and started to fondle it, she straightened up and said softly, "Pinch my nipple, please, Mark." When he did, she shuddered as a small orgasm overtook her.

For his part Mike was fondling Karla's incredible body. "And you mean to say that Mary's body is like yours? It certainly seems to be the same."

"Except for the fact that I have a darker tan, she is identical," Karla replied. "Now if you would kindly remove your finger from my vagina..."

"But Your Majesty," Mike protested. "I thought you were trying to prepare me for Mary."

"I am," she replied tartly, "but in the meantime, please keep your hands off the grass!" Mike had one finger in her cunt while his thumb was gently moving through her dense pubic bush.

"Besides, Queen Karla, you have an adorable beaver. I'll bet Doug loves it!"

"If you must know, Michael Campbell, the thing I missed most on our honeymoon was Duke's tongue. It was such a pain in the butt to have to sand the hair off my legs, and use a pair of clam shells as tweezers to keep my bush plucked. It was tedious as hell."

"Then why did you do it?" Mike asked softly, although he was certain he knew what her answer would be.

"Because I owe it to Doug to be as beautiful as I can be," she replied softly, confirming his suspicion. Then she added, "Mike, Mary is the same as I am. So please be careful when you tell her you would like her to do something ... regardless of what the 'something' might be. If you said you wanted her tit for breakfast, she would cut it off and serve it to you."

"But why?" Mike asked. He could tell that Mark was following the conversation closely, too.

"It's The Sisterhood thing," Karla replied softly. "We're all so alike, it's disgusting! But you see, your rôle in the marriage is to provide the winding key. You power the relationship. Mary takes your love, amplifies it and directs it. And she devotes 100 percent of her time to making you happy. Over time, of course, she will devote 50 percent to each of your children and probably about 75 percent to the people of Bohemia."

With a little grin she added, "And I know that after a few children, that comes to about 325 percent. But don't worry. Remember, you've married a Nobel-Prize-winning physicist. She'll be able to figure out how to make it happen."

After helping the men out of the pool — by now their muscles were so relaxed they scarcely functioned — they got them up on two massage tables that were arranged side by side. With the men lying on their backs the two women began to massage pure musk oil into their pores. They had scarcely begun when Princess Anne entered the bathroom.

"Anne, darling," Elizabeth greeted her, "is that what you would wear when you're riding in a horse show?"

"Of course not, Mother, but..." Only then did it register to Anne that both her mother and Karla were stark naked as were the two men they were working on. Now recognizing the situation she exclaimed, "But mother, there are men present! Surely, you don't expect me to... ?"

Raising one eyebrow Elizabeth commented, "I suppose it's all right for two reigning monarchs to be bare, but for a mere princess — one several brothers away from the throne, I might add — to be... ?"

After quickly stripping off her clothing, Anne stretched her body. While it was not nearly as firm as Karla's or the girls' it was quite lovely. She had dirty blonde hair and a thick pubic patch that was a light brown. Her tits were high and firm with lovely pink nipples. Now as she stood unaccustomedly naked in the presence of two handsome young men, her nipples almost instantly became throbbingly erect. To try to cover her embarrassment, she asked, "What should I do, Mother?"

"Why don't you stand between the two tables and let these young men look you over?" Liz said as she continued to work the musk oil into Mike's body.

As the Queen worked, Mike reached out a hand and eased a finger into Anne's slit. The poor girl didn't know what to do. Almost before she could react at all, Mark reached out his hand from the other table and lightly stroked her tit. Then he put his hand over it and gently squeezed while he pinched the nipple between two of his fingers. Anne was utterly beside herself and had to put her hands on each of the massage tables to keep from falling on her face.

While Mark continued to fondle her tits, Mike had worked a finger up her vagina while he used his thumb to begin to tease her clitoris. "No... ! No ... please don't ... Oh please! Harder, Mike! Right there! Oh! Oh... !" By now she was on her tiptoes and then she let out a scream as she came in a flood.

Mike had his hand cupped under her cunt and caught her fluid. He licked it off, then teased her again to another cuming which he shared with his brother. "Really good, isn't it?" he remarked. Then to Anne he said, "Your cum is almost as sweet as Mary's." Then with his eyes wide he asked, "Would you like a testimonial letter? 'To whom it may concern'?"

"I hate you, Michael Campbell!" Anne exclaimed. "Now I really do! It was bad enough at the ceremony, but now that I know what you're really like ... I hate you!"

"Is that all, Anne?" Elizabeth asked quietly. Although her facial expression was bland, her eyes were dancing with merriment.

"I beg your pardon, Mother?" Anne said, looking at her mother with a quizzical look on her face. "What exactly does that mean?"

"Anne Windsor, I'm surprised at you!" Liz exclaimed. "And after all we've tried to teach you, you can't seem to get it right. Have you totally forgotten your manners? What do you say when someone does something particularly nice for you? Judging from your physical reaction, it was very nice, indeed!"

"Thank you, Prince Mike, for a lovely frigging," Anne said softly. "And thank you, Prince Mark, for your lovely pinches. It added greatly to the pleasure Mike was creating in my cunt."

"Much better, Anne!" Liz exclaimed. "But now what? Surely you're not going to be all take, are you?" Liz cocked her head in apparent thought for a moment and then added, "I know that as a result of their training, both Mike and Mark create endless quantities of cum. I'll bet that if you ask them nicely, they'll each give you an ounce or two. How about that?" As she spoke, Liz had been working on Mike's cock which was now in a throbbing erection.

"May I please have a small sip, Prince Michael?" Anne asked with her eyes wide. When he just grinned and nodded, she dropped her head to his cock and gently began to masturbate it. In just a moment she could feel it begin to throb and then eject into her mouth. After savoring the taste, she repeated it with Mark. Only then did she say, "Thank you so much!"

Then she shook her head and added, "Mother, truly they are identical. Their cum tastes exactly the same. It's so fresh and sweet and syrupy. Just lovely!"

Standing up she said, "Mother, that settles it! I'm going to speak to the Royal saddler and have him make a leather cock exactly like one of these and put it on my saddle. Then when I'm posting, I'll feel it driving up and down the length of my cunt. And it will serve to better position me on the saddle, too."

"I'm so sorry, darling, but it will never work," Liz responded. Again, although her face looked sad, it was belied by her dancing eyes.

"Why won't it?" Anne demanded.

"Because you insist on riding saddles that are natural tan in color. Your juices will leave utterly disgusting-looking dark streaks down both sides." She shook her head firmly and added, "It just will never do!"

Anne thought for a moment, snapped her fingers and said, "I know! I'll change to a nice coal-black saddle like Duchess Marion used at Edinburgh. Not only is it black, but it's highly polished, as well. No one could possibly tell if it were wet or not." At that everyone howled with laughter.

When they finished their massaging, Karla glanced at her watch and then whispered something to the Queen. Elizabeth giggled, then took a tiny red carnation and threaded it in Mike's pubic hair while Karla used a tiny white one to do the same thing to Mark. Then leading the two by their fully-erect cocks, they escorted them to the bedroom where the girls were waiting.

As they entered the room, Karla said, "Now it's really very simple. You guys are identical twins, as are the girls. To avoid confusion, Mike, you take the twin with the red carnation in her pubes while Mark takes the one with the white. Now do you think you can keep that straight?" As the men entered the bedroom, the two queens withdrew, reclaimed their clothing and then went down to the library.

Mark looked at the bed and whistled softly. It was a gigantic four-poster bed with a king-size mattress fitted into it. On the left was Mary with her head resting between Marion's tits while Ann was on the right with her head between Cara's. The two older women were lying diagonally across the bed framing the two girls between them.

Going to Ann, Mark got on the bed and melted her lips to his. Instantly there was the flood of love and unleashed passion, along with the ringing of bells and a huge jolt of electricity. What followed was precisely what Ann had spoken of and dreamt about for so many months. The instant their lips met she could feel the flow of her cuntal fluids. When Mark lay with his head toward her feet, his cock came within easy reach of her lips. Taking it into her mouth she began to lick it like a lollipop and then take its head in her mouth and just suck. It was throbbing with anticipation just inches from Ann's eyes. A small drop formed on its tip. She spread her legs to open herself to him.

Mark saw drops of love juice on her naked nether lips and licked it off while Ann went down on his cock. It just kept getting bigger in her mouth. She wriggled on the bed to try to create a line that would let her swallow his whole length. Ann felt his cock start to throb in her mouth and pulled it out so only his tip was still there as she swallowed his first small cuming.

In the meantime, Mark began by kissing her body all over. He focused particularly on her perky tits, fondling and kissing them. He nibbled lightly on her nipples. Mark continued to kiss Ann's body, moving across her belly with his lips. He teased her by scratching her stomach with his whiskers which had grown back since his very close shave earlier that day. He kept moving down until he fondled her lovely little bush.

Finally he reached her slit and licked up the first of her small cuming. After just a few minutes, Ann couldn't take any more. "Please, darling!" she gasped. "Please fuck your bride!"

As Mark moved between her wide-spread legs, Cara moved closer beside Ann, took her hand and placed it on her own pussy. Acting almost unconsciously, Ann began to gently stroke Cara's clit and finger her vagina. Reaching down, Cara took her son's cock and placed it at the entrance to Ann's wet grotto. Remarkably, in spite of the great size of his cock he just slid right in until he encountered the resistance of her hymen.

Wrapping her legs around his hips, she pulled him in; after a sudden flash of pain he was in to his full length. "Mark, darling, please kiss me," she whispered. "You're all the way inside me now, and I desperately want to feel your lips on mine while your cock stretches my cunt."

He leaned over and their lips met in the finest kiss they had ever shared. When they eased apart, Ann repeated, "Now fuck your bride! Oh, God! I never dreamed it could possibly be this good. Thank you, dear God, for making it possible. And thank you, Susie! You were so absolutely correct. Everything you said would happen has happened. It feels so good!"

Mark began to move in very long strokes with the head of his cock almost coming out. By now Ann had put her legs over his broad shoulders and could feel his balls smack into her tight bottom at the end of each stroke. At the same time, again without conscious volition, her right hand went out and took Mary's left. The two girls gripped each other's hands tightly as their vaginas were plowed by their lovers for the very first time.

Controlling her internal muscles, every time Ann felt Mark was about to release, she would subtly change her tempo and his need to discharge would recede. But at the same time Ann's orgasms were coming with increasing frequency. Soon she had reached the normal condition for members of The Sisterhood: she was in continuous orgasm. Her screams of joy had turned into inchoate screams and then into wordless sounds that had no meaning. Nevertheless, subconsciously she was still altering her internal tempo to prevent Mark from gaining release.

To him it felt like his cock was trapped. Never had it been so large nor had he been able to even imagine the pleasure she was creating. Finally, after more than twenty minutes, he released. His explosion triggered a final massive orgasm in Ann that knocked her out, but still the involuntary muscle action of her vagina continued to try to milk all the spend accumulated in his massive sac. He, too, pitched forward on her body while his cock was still trapped inside. When he fell forward, her legs slid off his shoulders and were spread wide apart by both his body and his trapped cock.

The same thing had been happening to Mary and Mike. Moreover, both Cara and Marion were both unconscious as well, having been frigged to unconsciousness by the two girls' fingers in their cunts. The two older women regained consciousness before the others. In a daze, Cara lifted her head from the pillow she had been sharing with Ann and looked across the sprawled bodies. Marion was doing the same thing, and the two women looked at each other.

Shaking her head, Cara said softly, "I think they have been well and truly fucked."

Marion just giggled and rapidly nodded her head.

Moving the men's bodies from the girls, the two women began to lick the enormous amounts of spend that was seeping from the two cunts. After working for a short while, the two men began to revive as well. When Mark slowly moved his head — more to ensure that it was still attached than anything else — his mother said softly, "You made this mess, darling. Why don't you clean it up?" With that she eased Ann's legs down to the bed and moved aside to make room.

As he began to position himself, Mark asked, "What happened to you, Mother? Never in your life have you looked so beautiful."

"Darling, I answered that question before: I prayed to God to be good enough to be able to hold your beautiful babies — my grandchildren — when they appear." Then she looked into his eyes with her green eyes piercing and added, "Mark, you have as your wife the finest young woman in the entire world. There's absolutely no way you could possibly have done better."

By this time the girls were reviving, also, and pulled themselves back up toward the head of the bed and away from the two pools of drying blood on the sheet. Looking down at them Cara commented to the girls, "I'm surprised at you two. Look at all the cum mixed in with your virginal blood. Not only will it mess up the display over the mantel, but your mother will get all kinds of flak from her friends for not training you better. I mean ... Good grief! Can't even hold a couple of cc's of cum."

"A couple of cc's?" Mary exclaimed. "A couple of quarts is closer to the truth. Good heavens, Mother! I thought your son was trying to drown me internally." She paused and looking thoughtful added, "Can you drown internally, do you suppose?"

"Guys," Cara began, speaking softly, "I have an announcement of sorts to make. It seems that in a short time I'll no longer be Cara Campbell. I'll be Cara Jackson, instead." She paused and then continued, "I met a really nice guy named Jim Jackson, and it looks like we'll negotiate a merger, or a marriage, or something. And you will probably have baby brothers and sisters, too. Can you live with that?"

When she finished, she surreptitiously looked at Marion to try to gauge her reaction. To her private joy, Marion appeared elated.

"I think it's the nicest thing I've heard of in a long time," Marion declared. "And it couldn't happen to a nicer gal. I just hope he's worthy of you."

"I think he is," Cara replied quietly.



-------

Chapter 66


The next day a small group headed over to the Newcastle airport. In the group were only Karla, Doug, Mary, Mike, Ann, and Mark, accompanied by Duke and Sheena. Early that morning, a second trade had been executed. Karla pointed out that Duke had been her tiger since his youth and had been her friend while she was teaching in Los Angeles. It was because the poor tiger had been pining away for her that he had been flown to Europe. Duchess, on the other hand, had been the Carlsons' gift to the Duke of Northumbria, so now Duchess and Jason would be patrolling the moors while Sir Duke and Dame Sheena would be guarding the Queen of Bohemia. Moreover, because of the family relationship it was clear that Karla and Doug would be frequent guests at Prendwick Castle.

Karla and Doug expected to be flying to Prague on the Kendy 767, and expected a very uneventful trip. It turned out not to be. First, arriving at the Newcastle Airport, they were directed to bypass the terminal building and drive out on the apron. There, instead of the Kendy aircraft there was another brand new 767 with very unfamiliar markings. Where the name of the airline would normally be written on the fuselage it said in bold letters, "Kingdom of Bohemia." On the vertical stabilizer there was a small flag of Bohemia — formerly the flag of the Czech Republic — and a very large coat of arms painted in full color.

"Mary and I designed the coat of arms, darling sister," Ann said softly. "We so hope that you like it."

"It's lovely!" Karla exclaimed. "But where on earth did the plane come from?"

"Its designation is Bohemia 1," Ann explained. "If the President of the United States flies in Air Force 1, we figured that the Queen of Bohemia should have Bohemia 1, so Mary and I bought it for you as our coronation gift. Do you like it?"

"Like it?" Karla exclaimed. "It's utterly incredible! But one of these planes costs about $250 million, doesn't it?"

"About," Mary replied softly. "But, darling mistress, it's the very least your slaves can do for you." Then looking at Karla with her gray eyes penetrating she added, "Never forget, Sister, that had it not been for you, none of this could ever have happened. We adore you."

The airport surprises were not over. Arrayed at the boarding stairs was a full battalion from the Grenadier Guards, along with the regimental band. Also on hand were Queen Elizabeth and Princess Anne. When the door of the Rolls was opened, Doug got out and extended his hand to Karla. The two were greeted formally by the Queen and then the two queens inspected the guard, with Doug following.

When the inspection was completed, Elizabeth suppressed a grin as she asked Doug, "Has Phillip been giving you lessons? Douglas Whitfield, you escort your wife as if you've been escorting royalty from birth."

With their backs to the assembled troops, no one could see their talk. Doug replied, "Your Majesty, with Karla it comes naturally. I honestly believe she was truly born a queen."

"And I agree with you totally," Elizabeth replied. "As Anne says, she utterly defines royal behavior. It is certainly in her genes."

As they were about to board the aircraft, the band played the Bohemian National Anthem and the battalion presented arms in tribute to the visiting monarch. As they mounted the boarding stairs, Mary whispered to Karla, "The air crew is from what is now Air Bohemia. We have the airlines two most senior captains flying, along with the second two most senior as backup. I don't know how the cabin service will be handled, but I do know there was incredibly intense competition for positions."

The only element that seemed to be at all out of place was the fact that no flight attendants were at the door waiting for them.

This mystery was quickly solved when Karla, leading the way, entered the aircraft and found three young women on their knees waiting for their arrival. The three — a blonde, a redhead, and a brunette — were all naked except for french cuffs at their wrists and wing collars with black bow ties around their necks. All were quite young.

When Karla stopped short in amazement, the blonde who was closest bent at the waist and kissed her shoes. Her hands were together at her back, and when she straightened up her eyes were shining with joy. "Good morning, Your Majesty! Welcome aboard. My name is Connie, and I am in charge of the in-flight service this morning. On my left is Susan, and to her left is Catherine. We cannot tell you how pleased we are to be able to serve you today."

After kissing Mary's and Ann's feet, too, the three girls popped to their feet and showed them around the cabin. They took seats in the magnificently appointed aircraft, and Connie, apparently oblivious to her nudity, went to the cabin door to close it. She grinned and waved when she heard the quiet whistles of appreciation from a number of the Guardsmen still in formation on the ramp.

With the door closed, the pilot started his starboard engine and slowly taxied away with only the single engine turning to minimize the noise and the jet wash with all the troops still in formation close by. Moving down the taxiway towards its takeoff position, he started the port engine as well. In the meantime the girls had produced coffee for the passengers and even Snapple lemonade for Duke and Sheena.

The young women were about to take their seats for takeoff when Karla motioned to a lounge chair across from the sofa on which she and Doug were sitting and indicated she wanted Connie to sit there. The girl motioned for Susan to take her seat at the main door of the aircraft and she sat in the chair showing some embarrassment when she did.

"Now tell me what's going on," Karla demanded. "And the name is Karla. It's much easier to say than all this 'Your Majesty' garbage."

"I'm sorry, Your High ... Karla," the girl replied softly. "I don't understand the question." When Karla merely raised an eyebrow and lightly tapped her fingers on the armrest, the girl blushed.

"Darling, isn't it fascinating to see a naked woman blush?" Karla commented to Doug. "You can see the color rise straight up from her loins." Then with a grin she added, "Connie, you have a lovely body. And I see from the ring on your finger that you're married, and the other two girls are as well. What does your husband think about you serving us naked?"

"He's overjoyed!" Connie exclaimed. "You see, he was also in the Resistance, and while he didn't know you, he certainly knew of you. When you were captured in that sweep, he was frightened. But Václav Havel assured him that regardless of what they might do to you, you would not talk."

"But how could he be so certain?" Karla asked, genuinely puzzled.

"Because it would have destroyed the Resistance if you had," she replied simply. "And since you are incapable of harming your people, he knew that no matter what might be done to you, you would not tell the Russians a thing." She paused and then said very diffidently, "That's why he was so pleased when I was selected for this crew."

"All you girls are married," Karla noted. "Somehow, I don't think it's a coincidence. Is it?"

"No, it's not," Connie admitted. "It relates to the price we're paying to serve—"

"Price you're paying?" Karla exclaimed. "What do you mean by that? Are you trying to say you're not being paid today?"

"Of course not," Connie said looking at Karla as if she had said something very silly. "As a matter of fact, we're all on vacation, beginning today, for the next three weeks—"

"What's that mean?" Karla pursued. "Why a three-week vacation for a single flight?"

"They thought it would take at least that long for us to get back in shape," Connie said softly. Then after looking deeply into Karla's eyes she added, "I was a little concerned, but now I'm not at all. I just hope and pray that it works."

"What works?" Karla asked. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I guess you know, Karla, that there was an intense competition to serve you on this flight, don't you?"

Karla admitted that Mary had said something to that effect as they were boarding the plane.

"Well," the young woman continued, "I guess it did get fairly hairy. When we get back to Prague today, we each will received 100 lashes with a bullwhip, and then our husbands had to swear to fuck us thoroughly afterward. And that's in spite of the fact that at least twenty strokes must be in our cunts."

Karla gasped in horror. "Please tell me you're kidding!" she exclaimed. "You can't be serious!"

"I'm very serious, unfortunately," Connie continued. "You see, Paula Wilhelm ran the whole process. She even had Connie Klaus and Jane Constan there so we could see what it looks like. They each accepted 75 lashes a short time ago, and their whip cuts have only just scabbed over. But when I asked Connie if she would do it again, do you know what she said?"

Karla could only shake her head in horror.

"She said that she would accept another 100 strokes on the spot, if that was necessary for her to maintain her position as a slave in training. But then, dear Queen, when I looked into your eyes today..." The girl just shook her head in wonder.

"What does that mean?" Karla pursued.

"It means that I see a woman who is truly holy. It means that there is at least a small chance that we may ultimately be accepted into The Sisterhood..." the girl replied as her voice trailed away.

Karla exchanged meaningful glances with her sisters and then said, "Well, I suppose you might as well get in shape for this afternoon, then." Turning to Susan and Catherine she said, "Why don't you two lie on your backs. Duke and Sheena can work on you two first, and then the two of them can work on Connie."

The girls didn't know what to expect but instantly did as they had been asked. After lying on the soft carpet of the cabin, the two tigers began to lick their legs, then their underarms, and finally cleaned up their pubic area. All of the girls had shaved their pubic areas to conform to the way all the girls had theirs, but it was obvious that none of them had ever done it before. The tigers, for their part were having fun. All three of the girls were very beautiful.

Just then the captain's voice came over the cabin's PA system. "Welcome aboard, Your Majesty," he said. My name is Jan Pavel, and I'm the captain today. First, if you check out a window, you'll see we have some company. There's an entire Royal Air Force fighter wing under the command of Wing Commander Byron Barker who asks to be remembered to you."

With a chuckle the Captain added, "Wing Commander Barker tells me that he knows there are two Royal Bengal tigers on board today, so they're taking no chances. He asked me to tell you that's the reason for the full wing."

He paused and then continued, "Our route of flight today is rather strange. A straight shot to Prague from Newcastle would take us over the North Sea. We would make landfall approximately at Bremen and then fly southeast over Dresden to Prague. But that's not what we're doing. We are flying south at low altitude for us — just 10,000 feet — to London. We will cross the Channel and then overfly Paris. Incidentally, we have been asked to drop down to only 1,000 feet at Paris. The weather is CAVU there, so that's no problem. From Paris we will fly due east flying over Luxembourg, Germany, and then into Prague."

They looked out the windows, and regardless of the direction, they found their plane surrounded by RAF F-15 jet fighters. Mary and Ann realized that it was similar to their flight to the United States earlier in the year. Again, they were set up for a sightseeing flight. To their surprise, the RAF flight did not pull away when they reached the coast, but maintained their formation as they headed toward Paris. No sooner had they reached the French coast, though, when they were joined by a full fighter wing of Mirage jets.

At that point, recognizing they were in French airspace, the RAF fighters maintained their altitude as the 767 descended to 5,000 feet and continued slowly to lose more altitude. The French fighters maintained close cover all the while.

"Your Majesty, the commander of the French fighter wing is Claude Prudhomme," their pilot announced. "He asked me to tell Princess Mary that he is a Burgundian and asked me to extend his congratulations to Madame la Duchesse du Bourgogne. He added that the video tape of the Princess singing La Marseillaise is the top-selling tape in all of France. He told me that there is a serious effort being made to declare your version to be the official version of the French national anthem. He asked me to tell you that never has it been sung better."

When they reached Paris, they were very low. Moreover, they had been asked to fly as slow as possible so the captain had his flaps down as they were flying at a speed less than 200 knots. The captain noted that the Mirage fighters, which were designed as high-performance interceptors, were flying at their slowest possible speed and had both flaps and air brakes deployed to work against their engine power.

To their utter amazement, they flew down the Champs Elysées and found it packed with French people waving up at their airplane and obviously cheering. At that point the captain activated a big-screen television set in the front of the plane and transmitted the programming from French National Television. They found it rather strange to be watching a television picture of the plane they were flying in.

As their plane was tracked, there were a series of man-on-the-street interviews. In every case, they were cheering the Queen of Bohemia, but particularly her sister, Madame la Duchesse du Bourgogne. As far as the French were concerned, she was as French as Notre Dame Cathedral.

Finally clearing Paris, they were able to climb to a more comfortable cruising altitude and get back to a more comfortable cruising speed as well. Crossing the Rhine River below Frankfurt, they were joined by a formation of German fighter aircraft. The French turned back toward their base, while the Brits prepared to land at Frankfurt to refuel before returning home.

Close to the eastern border of Germany the captain came back on the cabin's PA system to announce, "We're almost home, folks. And, Your Majesty, we have a full wing of fighters from the Royal Bohemian Air Force joining us to welcome you home, and escort us the rest of the way to Prague."

Looking out the window, Karla felt a lump in her throat seeing the aircraft. Then they began their final approach to Prague. By this time the tigers had finished with all of the girls, and Karla called out softly, "Susie?"

In an instant the sprite materialized before her. Today she was wearing a very lovely formal afternoon dress. In midair she executed a perfect court curtsy and then took Karla's hand and kissed her finger tips. "How may I serve Your Majesty?" she asked softly.

That was not what Karla had in mind at all. Reaching out, she drew the angel to her and melted her lips against Susie's tiny ones. This time she unleashed all of her power, trying to convey the tremendous love she had always felt for the sprite, as well as her gratitude for everything Susie had done for her and her family.

For Susie's part, knowing that resistance would be futile, and that the outcome was a forgone conclusion, she just wrapped her arms around Karla's neck and felt the joy, love and grace just pour into her body in a flood. In just moments, she was unconscious and Karla just gently stroked her neck and her back.

Finally, Susie recovered and Karla held her away just far enough to be able to look into her eyes. "Are your buns back to normal, yet?" she asked innocently. "Still have an orgasm every time you sit down?"

Susie tried to appear angry but couldn't even pretend. Instead she just grinned wryly and responded, "Someone has a very big mouth!" Then she added softly, "But I absolutely adore Jack Martin. What he did for me was not to be believed!"

"Susie, could you do me a favor?" Karla asked with her eyes wide. "Some time when Doug's lying on his back and I'm just quietly fucking myself, would you be willing to warm his chest for him the way you did Jack's? Jack says that the combination of Samantha and you was utterly beyond belief. And I've always wondered if Doug has the sensitivity to pull it off. Want to try?"

To her utter amazement, Susie began to cry.

"What's wrong, darling?" Karla asked. "What did I do? Did I hurt you in some way?"

The little sprite just slowly shook her head while trying to regain control. Finally she was able to speak and said, "It's not that at all. Steve has done it to me a couple of times since then, and it's been unreal. It just felt so great!"

Then with her eyes gleaming with suppressed laughter, she added, "Just because I'm small, you all just want to use me as a sex toy. I can tell." Then she paused and added, "But it's such neat fun being a sex toy, too! So the answer isn't yes, it's heck yes."

With a glance upward she added, "Boss, I hope you're noticing how I'm cleaning up my act." There was an immediate rumble in the cabin of low-pitched Divine laughter. But then to Karla she said, "That's settled, but that's not what you wanted me for, is it?"

"No, darling," Karla replied. "it's not. I wanted to ask you to keep an eye on these young women. We've come to like them very much—"

"You know what the real reason is they're doing this?" Susie interrupted. Karla just shook her head and Susie continued, "They want to become your ladies in waiting. Jo and Christy already are, although you don't know it yet. They want you to know that they are still your slaves and will remain so for the rest of their lives. The same thing is true of Connie Klaus and Jane Constan."

Then she paused and added, "Frankly, I think — and the Boss agrees — that these three will make fine additions to The Sisterhood."

"Girls, did you hear that?" Karla asked. Then she added, "Incidentally, I would like to introduce you to Susie Sloan. Susie is sort of our private archangel."

Then she told about Susie's background. The response from the girls was the same as it usually was. Finally, Susie kissed each of them, assured them that their torture would be bearable, and welcomed them into The Sisterhood. At that point the girls were so happy they could have floated the rest of the way to Prague without the aircraft.

As they neared final approach, Karla told them all to get dressed. By this time, they were sufficiently relaxed around Karla and her sisters that all three stuck out their tongues. At that, Karla ordered them to get their clothing and come back to the cabin. When they did, the three sisters each took one of the girls and dressed her.

Karla herself dressed Connie. After slipping on the girl's bikini, she smoothed it on her hips, then took her in her arms and melted her lips to hers. This time Karla unloaded in the same fashion she had done earlier with Susie. In an instant the girl was unconscious. Holding her close to her body, Karla just lightly stroked her shoulders and upper back while she waited. When she came to and shook her head, Karla just grinned.

"That was utterly incredible!" Connie exclaimed. "You are so loaded with God's Divine grace, it just spills out over everybody and everything." Then she looked deep into Karla's eyes and said, "I will accept my whipping with joy, Your Majesty. Now I have the prospect of being accepted as one of your ladies-in-waiting. I can't tell you how wonderful I feel right now."

Karla just grinned and finished dressing the young woman.

They completed the process just as the seat-belt sign came on as the huge aircraft settled into its final approach to the Prague airport. Carrying the monarch as it was, all other aircraft were being held on the ground or in the air well away from their flight path. In moments, the wheels touched with a screech, the reversers and brakes were applied, and the lightly-loaded plane turned off on a taxiway.

"Your Majesty," the captain announced, "in case no one warned you, there is a huge turnout here at the airport to welcome you home. I just wanted you to be prepared."

Karla just kissed Doug and felt warm and wonderful as he hugged her tightly.

When the plane rolled to a stop and the brakes were set, there was a momentary delay while the mobile stairs were put into position and the forward door was opened. Karla led the way. The weather in Prague was utterly magnificent. The temperature was in the high 60s with low humidity and brilliant sunshine. Descending the steps, she noted that there was a band and a full battalion of troops for her to inspect. After being greeted with his smartest salute by a full general, she reviewed the troops with the general and Doug. Finally, she was escorted to a microphone that had been set up for her homecoming remarks.

Looking out at the entire crowd for the first time, Karla swallowed hard. While she didn't know how many people were present to greet her on her return, the number was in the tens of thousands. "Citizens of Bohemia," she began. Before she could say more, there was a thunderous roar from the crowd that lasted more than a full minute. When the noise died down she continued, "I come here today to serve you, my people. Although I feel unworthy, I accept your decision to make me your queen. Now I would like to ask you to do something for me."

Reaching out, she lowered the microphone and then dropped to her knees. "Please join me in asking our Divine Lord for his guidance and protection.

"Dear God, the people of this nation have fought for almost fifty years to achieve their freedom. Thousands have died in this effort. We humbly beg You to guide us in our efforts. We ask You to make Your light to shine upon us for without Your help, we are nothing. We ask this, O Lord, in the name of Your Son and Our Savior, Jesus Christ, without whose birth, suffering, and death on the cross, we would have no hope of ever achieving eternal salvation."

At that instant a golden light appeared over the heads of everyone present, and the golden light flowed over everything they were wearing. Minutes passed and the people, almost all of whom had been rendered unconscious, recovered and rose to their feet.

The general then went to the microphone and yelled, "Three cheers for Her Royal Highness, Queen Karla of Bohemia! Hip, hip..." The shouted response was so loud it rattled the glass of the terminal building. It was repeated with the two subsequent cheers.

A white Rolls-Royce convertible rolled out and Karla and Doug got in the back. Slowly it moved away, through the gate and then out onto the road to Prague. The Divine intervention was not finished, though. As it moved, the same golden light seemed to pace the car covering the spectators who lined both sides of the road. The car's speed had no effect at all. The golden light just paced it, remaining in a line with the vehicle's front bumper.

Finally they were close to the center of the city and the crowds were so large the people were being forced out into the street by the sheer mass of humanity present. The result was that even though they were moving down one of the broadest avenues in the city, the mass of humanity had reduced the available roadway to a very narrow corridor. It was apparent that the motorcycle officers leading the caravan were becoming concerned; already what had been six cycles abreast had been forced to a three-and-three configuration.

"Feel like walking, darling?" Doug asked quietly. "I think we could use the exercise."

Karla just grinned and rapidly nodded her head.

Doug signaled to the driver who stopped the car and Karla and Doug got out. While Karla waited and just waved to the crowd now cheering wildly because she was now on her feet in their midst, Doug ran back to a small van following them and released Duke and Sheena. At the sight of the two giant tigers, there was a loud cry of appreciation from the crowd. It was all Karla could do to control her urge to giggle. Both Duke and Sheena were pacing in step with their heads held high, clearly overwhelmed with pride at being able to escort a reigning monarch.

With the tigers leading and the rest of the caravan now stalled, Karla and Doug walked down the street. In just moments they were joined by Anna and Maria who ran up from their following car. As they paraded down the street, the golden glow continued to move with them in the same fashion it had done while they were driving.

When they arrived at a point less than two blocks from the palace, Karla's attention was attracted to a small girl standing at the edge of the crowd on the right frantically waving to her. Instantly she recognized the small child as Karla Kosta Koenig. Communicating her intentions to Duke and Sheena, the group went over to where the little girl was standing.

Karla Koenig was a lovely little girl with dark hair and brilliant blue eyes. Bending down, Karla scooped the girl up in her arms and hugged her tightly. As she did, she felt a wetness on her cheek. Holding the child away from her slightly, she saw that tears were streaming down her cheeks, but at the same time there was the happiest smile on her face that Karla had ever seen.

"What's the trouble, darling?" Karla asked. "Why are you crying?"

"Because I'm so happy, I have to cry," the girl replied. "I'm actually being held in the arms of my queen!" Then she looked deep into Karla's eyes and continued, "I'm being held in the arms of the woman for whom I am offering my life."

Karla didn't know what to say. Instead, she just moved the girl's head and melted her lips to hers. Then she poured out all the love she had felt for this small girl from the first instant she had met her in the hospital. Opening her lips, she began to probe the little girl's mouth and found her tongue. At that instant there was an incredible rush of joy, love and Divine grace that rendered the little girl unconscious.

Looking up, she realized that there was a young couple standing there watching with love in their eyes. Shifting baby Karla to her left arm, Karla extended her right hand in greeting and said, "You must be the Koenigs. I want you to know how much I have come to love your daughter, and how overwhelmed I was when I learned she was named after me."

The young woman extended her hand which was beautifully shaped with long elegant fingers. She executed the best curtsy possible in view of the fact that she was being pressed from behind by the crowd. After saying, "Your Majesty is most kind," she broke down in tears.

When she did, the man beside her put his left arm around her shoulders, or tried to. Karla's eyes widened as she realized that the man's arm was virtually useless. Moreover, for the first time she saw that both of his hands were gnarled claws. Nevertheless, he pulled his wife close to him to try to comfort her.

"You must be Karla's father," Karla said softly. "She told me that it was you who named her after me." Then she added, "What do you do? And what happened to your hands?"

"I was a concert pianist," he replied softly. "These are my souvenirs of the occupation."

Karla gasped in horror. "They smashed both of your hands, didn't they?" He just nodded once. "And ruined your arm?" Again he nodded.

"And because of some other things they did, Karla was conceived using artificial insemination. When we thought we were about to lose her — and she was only a week or two away from death, when she met you — my poor wife was almost destroyed." He paused and then continued, "There are no words ... You have saved our family. And then there were all the gifts last Christmas!"

"How many did Karla keep?" Karla asked softly. "I hope she didn't give them all away."

William Koenig was genuinely shocked. "But how could you know?" he asked.

"Because it is the kind of little girl you have," Karla replied softly. "She always thinks of others and never thinks of herself. I will bet that her first thought after opening each gift was to whom she could give it to create the greatest happiness. That is what she did, isn't it?"

Koenig just nodded. By this time his wife had recovered her composure and was watching the exchange. Karla called Duke and Sheena and asked them to come even closer. Both tigers had been watching the crowd carefully, but came over instantly.

"Herr Koenig, please put one of your hands on the head of each of these tigers, please." He did as she asked, and then she covered his hands with her own while barely able to control a shiver as she felt the shattered bones in both his hands.

Looking upward she said softly, "Dear God, this is one of the best families in the world, and yet they have suffered so much! Please restore him to health as you restored his daughter. Karla Kosta Koenig must be pleasing in your eyes. Please restore her family! I ask this in the name of Your Son and Our Savior, Jesus Christ, through whom we may hope for eternal salvation. Amen."

No sooner had she finished her prayer than she could feel Koenig's hands straighten out and his withered left arm expand to match his right. Glancing down, she could see movement at his groin as well.

His wife, Carol, saw what had happened and instantly dropped to her knees and kissed Karla's shoe tops. Looking up, her eyes were bright with joy. "We are truly blessed to have you serving us, Your Majesty," she said softly. "And that's the way it is, isn't it? You see your mission as serving the people of Bohemia. Truly, we have a saint among us." Then she paused and with tears streaming from her eyes she added, "Thank you. That's so small and so weak, but thank you."

There was nothing Karla could say. By this time, baby Karla had recovered consciousness, so Karla kissed her lightly one more time.

When they parted, she saw the child's lips compressed and an expression of great wonder appear in her eyes. Simultaneously, a tiny teddy bear appeared in her arms. To Karla she whispered, "That was God Almighty, wasn't it? God kissed me."

"Yes, my darling, He did," Karla responded. Then she gave the girl back to her mother and continued down the avenue. However, as they moved away Ann went up to the Koenigs, whispered something, and then quickly caught up to the small group.

Finally they reached the palace and were ushered in. Again, however, Ann whispered something to the officer commanding the palace guard detail who quickly nodded his understanding. Now on the steps of the palace, Karla stopped and looked back at the huge crowd that now packed the square. Only then did she look across it.

What she saw caused her to gasp in amazement. The great cathedral of Prague was a late-Gothic structure begun in the 17th century. Construction had stopped in the early 19th century, and no work had been done for more than 150 years. At the time construction was suspended, there was a temporary roof over the nave of the church where the main tower would someday be built. One of the two smaller towers in the front of the church had been near completion while work had never begun on its mate. The result had been that the cathedral had always appeared to be lopsided. But now the church was complete and it stood as possibly the finest gothic structure in the world. Moreover, everything about it looked like it was brand new, including parts of it that were over 300 years old.

"What happened?" Karla whispered to Mary.

"I have no idea," Mary replied. "But if I had to guess..." With that she motioned upward. "You remember what happened in Whitfield. I guess it's the same thing, but on a grander scale." Then with a little grin she added, "I'll bet we'll find a stained glass window in it commemorating St. Karl Kosta, too."

"No bet," Karla replied with a matching grin.

Finally entering the palace, they were met by Paula Wilhelm who had come in from the airport by back roads. Normally, her route would have taken much longer than the one Karla and the others followed, but not with the crowds in the streets on the day before the coronation. Paula showed them around the palace, with Karla oohing and aahing constantly. It was as if the entire structure had been rebuilt, saving only the exterior walls, and that was about what had happened. It was, as Paula had told her in England, Prendwick Castle, only much larger.

Entering the private quarters, they found Jo and Christy waiting for them along with Connie Klaus and Jane Constan. The latter two had bodies scored with whip cuts, most of which had not yet healed. Nevertheless, they were standing up straight in their usual costumes of French cuffs and winged collars.

"And what are you four doing?" Karla inquired.

"We are serving our mistress," Connie Klaus replied. "Later today Jane and I are giving the introductory whipping to the three girls who served you on the aircraft this morning." Then she smiled and added, "They're really very nice girls, too. Their husbands are already here so we can ensure that they get well and truly fucked after their beatings."

She paused and then said, "We found a very good spot where Your Majesty won't be disturbed. After all, it's a bit hard to absorb 100 strokes with a bullwhip without crying out at all."

Karla just shook her head in horror while her stomach turned over at the prospect.



-------

Chapter 67


Within an hour the remainder of the people from Prendwick arrived at the palace. Although they had left much later, they had flown in a direct line down over Germany, and didn't have any problems getting from the airport into the city, either. Finishing lunch, there was a phone call reporting that a large church delegation headed by the Pope himself had arrived at the palace to review plans for the coronation.

"Oops!" Karla exclaimed. "Here's trouble ... maybe." Then she said, "Susie, I need you."

Instantly the sprite appeared, still wearing the lovely dress she had been wearing when she had appeared on the plane. When Karla began to tease her about appearing in the same dress twice, Susie just stuck out her tongue and an instant later was wearing skin-tight Levi's and a chambray work shirt with the sleeves torn off. "Better?" she asked.

Karla just giggled and stuck out her tongue, too.

"The Pope has just appeared to discuss arrangements for the coronation," Karla said. "And I seem to recall that the Boss wants to handle matters personally. What am I supposed to say and do?"

"A very good question," Susie replied. "He is not going to be a problem, but some of his associates might be." Then she giggled and added, "Of course, they've been over to the cathedral, so I think they've been softened up a bit. It was really funny. The Cardinal Archbishop of Prague told them about the condition of the cathedral yesterday, and they can see with their own eyes its condition today. Needless to say, they're a bit puzzled. After all, how does one complete about 150 years' worth of gothic construction overnight?"

Then she paused and added, "The best thing you can do is to play it by ear. Needless to say, I'll be right here ... as will the Boss. Understand?"

"I certainly do," Karla replied. Then she added softly, "Dear God, thank you so much for what you did this morning for the Koenigs. It's clear to me that they are truly deserving. It only just registered that Bill Koenig was in prison when I was there. While I was beaten, they smashed his hands and, I gather, must have cut off his penis. Could you tell me what really did happen?"

"First of all," the Voice replied, "nothing you did today counts in terms of favors you may have received from me. You see, I owe the Koenigs an apology. You're right, of course, Karla, when you said they are truly deserving.

"Never have I encountered a more selfless family. A little girl, now only four years old, offers her life to protect yours. You and your sisters give her dozens of gifts for Christmas, and what does she do? Exactly what you said she did. She opened each one and then conferred with her parents to determine which child would most like to receive it. Truly, the idea of keeping even one for herself never crossed her mind.

"Her father, one of the greatest concert pianists who ever lived, has his hands smashed but thinks only of the suffering you are undergoing." There was a pause and he added, "Formerly, William Koenig was one of the world's greatest concert pianists. Now he is the greatest. Do you understand?"

Karla just nodded and breathed a prayer of thanks. "His wife, Carol, underwent an agonizing process to try to become pregnant. You were right, of course. The Russians did amputate his penis so he could never again have intercourse. But doctors extracted some semen and used it to impregnate Carol. However, her internal plumbing wasn't quite right, so she almost died giving birth to Karla. Now I can assure you that she will be able to carry more children, in the same manner you will. She, too, is now in The Sisterhood. Finally, she is also a concert pianist, and is now in the very top rank."

There was a pause and then the Voice continued in a diffident manner, "I have a favor to ask of you, though."

"Lord, that is impossible!" Karla exclaimed. "What would you have me do?"

"Would it be possible to have the Koenigs play at the reception following your coronation? Could you do that?" He asked.

"You are asking me, as a special favor to you, to allow the two finest pianists of all time to play at my reception. Is that what I'm hearing?"

Very softly the Voice agreed.

"Boy! What an imposition," Karla grumbled. "I mean ... it's not like he's anybody good, like Hootie and the Blowfish, or even Elvis Presley or someone. But since it's for You, I suppose we could make do."

Then her attitude changed dramatically and she asked, "I've heard that there are some piano compositions by Franz Liszt that have never been played as solos since his death. No one else had the hand span he did. Yet I sense that Bill Koenig has very large hands and long fingers. Can he play them?"

"Yes, he can," the Voice replied. "But personally, I think they're even better when played with two pianos. Wait until you hear Bill and Carol play some piano duets." He paused and then continued, "What you will find extraordinary, though, is to hear the whole family sitting at a single piano playing chopsticks. It is utterly unbelievable."

"Since Carol is now in The Sisterhood, does that mean that Karla can assist in their lovemaking?" Karla asked. "Good heavens, her parents must truly love one another."

"They do indeed, and of course she can," was the reply. "Now, the Pontiff awaits. This should be a lot of fun."

Rather than greeting the Pope in the Hall of State, Paula had had him ushered into the Queen's library. It was a beautifully appointed room lined on three walls with stacks of leather-bound books. The Pope was seated comfortably when she joined him accompanied by Doug, Ann, and Mary. Going to him, Karla dropped to her knees and kissed his ring.

Rather than releasing her, though, Pope John Paul II held on to her hands and helped her to her feet, thinking as he did that no female alive was less in need of assistance than she. When she was standing, he just looked deeply into her eyes, nodded, and then dropped to his knees and kissed her fingers.

Genuinely astounded, Karla exclaimed, "Your Holiness! What are you doing?"

Rising to his feet quickly in spite of his advancing years, he smiled warmly and replied, "The title is yours, Your Highness, not mine. Never in my life have I met a person as overflowing with God's Divine Grace as you."

Ann and Mary had been about to drop to their knees, too, but he motioned for them to remain standing. He greeted Mary, then Ann, and shook his head.

To Karla he said, "I have heard of this but never did I think I would live to see it. I have heard of holy people in my time, but never anything like you three sisters." He slowly shook his head and added, "Your sisters have won the Nobel Prize. The Vatican supported the decision, I should tell you. But with regard to sheer holiness? I believe you are ahead of your sisters, but it's like having an IQ of 185 compared to 183. I suppose the first is higher, but at a level where it cannot possibly make any difference." Then he added, "Now, Your Majesty, how may I serve you?"

Karla was still stunned. She motioned the Pope to take a seat which he did, as did several other churchmen who had accompanied him. Judging from their caps, all but one were cardinals of the Church; the last was apparently an archbishop.

When everyone was seated, the Pope continued, "First of all, could you tell me, Your Majesty—"

"Please, Your Holiness, my name is Karla," she said in fluent Polish.

"It's a deal," he replied in fluent Czech, "if you call me Karol." Both of them laughed. When he did, the Pope looked far younger than his 75 years. He reached out his hand and she shook it.

"How about English?" she asked with a grin. "My Polish is a bit rusty, and my Latin... ?" She just shook her head sadly in dismay. This time he howled with laughter and agreed.

"At any rate, as I was saying," the Pope continued, "could you tell us what happened to the cathedral? It certainly didn't look the way it does now the last time I was in Prague! And, I understand from your Cardinal Archbishop, it's not the way it looked as recently as midnight last night."

Then he paused, thought for a moment and continued, "And then there's the small matter of the family you met close to the palace earlier today. We all witnessed a miracle, didn't we?"

"With respect to the cathedral," Karla responded, "I don't really know ... But I can guess." Then she explained what had happened in the little village of Whitfield, and how it had been transformed overnight as well.

"You see," she continued, "I'm very glad you stopped by today, because there's something I've been asked to communicate." She paused and then blurted, "God Himself wishes to officiate at my coronation."

There was a sudden intake of breath on the part of the other churchmen. The archbishop muttered, "Blasphemy!"

The only one who appeared totally unconcerned was Karol Wojtyla, Pope John Paul II himself. He appeared completely relaxed. Nodding his head he commented, "I understand fully. It is as I expected, actually."

Then with a very warm smile he continued, "I can't tell you what a thrill this is for me. I know that you have direct contact with God, Karla. I know that you performed — or more accurately ordered God to perform — a miracle in the street today." Then he shook his head and added, "Never did I think I would meet a living saint, but today I get to meet three of them. And without question the three most beautiful saints ever to have ever lived..."

At that instant, two things happened. First, Duke and Sheena paced into the room. To their great pleasure, the doors of the palace were like the ones at Prendwick Castle with handles rather than door knobs. Second, Susie materialized in their midst. She waited, hovering in the air as the two tigers greeted the Pontiff.

The fact that they could communicate with him apparently didn't surprise him at all, either. Then turning to Susie he shook his head and said, "You must excuse me. I don't know how to greet a saint..."

"Karol, this is Susie Sloan," Karla interjected. "She is now one of God's archangels."

At that, the Pope's eyes did widen, as he reached out his arms. Floating to him, Susie gave him her warmest kiss and then to the surprise of everyone, just sat on his lap. He put his arm around her and held her tightly while Karla told him of Susie's background — how she had been tortured to death over a span of 72 hours, and how she had refused to renounce Jesus Christ.

Tears were flowing freely from the Pope's eyes as he heard the end of her story. Then turning to one of his colleagues — the Papal Secretary of State — he told the cardinal to prepare an announcement of the canonization of St. Susan Sloan, effective immediately.

Then to Susie he said, "I really don't know what to do. I realize of course that an archangel ranks far above mere saints, but we have no power to recognize angels. Will you forgive us, Angel Susan?"

"It's Susie, Your Holiness," she corrected. "But that's not why I'm here. It's to lodge a complaint. The Boss won't listen to me, but maybe you will. And maybe you can get Him to do something, too."

"And what's that, Susie?" the Pope asked with his eyes gleaming with merriment.

"It's these three girls sitting across from you," Susie exclaimed. "They're the problem. I mean ... Really! How would you like it if you were an archangel and find these humans could put you out like a light. And they can! All it takes is for any of them to kiss me, and I'm on the floor unconscious."

Looking up at his face she asked, "Do you think that's fair? I mean, archangels are supposed to sit at the right hand of God. We're supposed to be above everyone, except for God Himself. If that's so, how can they do what they do? And it's not just once in a while ... It's every damned time!"

With a look upward, she added, "Whoops, Boss! Sorry!" There was a deep rumble in the room that the girls and Susie immediately recognized as Divine laughter.

Looking upward the Pope asked, "Was that... ?"

"It sure was," Susie answered. "And now you see what I mean? What do I get? I get Divine giggles! It's just not right."

"Karla," the Pope said softly, "would you mind giving me a kiss? On my lips?"

Karla rose from her chair, went to him, and melted her soft lips on his. Knowing what he had in mind, she slowly increased the intensity of her kiss, but at the same time being mindful of his rather frail health. In just a moment, his head sagged over against the back of his chair. Instantly, Susie popped up to sit on the back and hold his head upright to avoid any neck strain.

A few minutes later, he began to revive. Slowly he moved his head and then his hands and feet to be sure they still worked. In the meantime Karla was standing over him with her concern for his health obvious in her face.

"Wow!" he said softly. "That was utterly incredible."

To his colleagues he said, "That kiss was loaded with love, joy, and Divine Grace, but at a level of intensity that could power the whole continent of Europe for at least a day." Then to Susie he said, "Now I have a question for you. If Karla can put you out, and you're an archangel, what does that make her? Or her sisters?"

"We don't know," Susie responded. "But they're not the only ones. You see, Your Holiness, there's a Sisterhood of these people. They're all the same." Then her eyes gleamed as she added, "They give birth to the most incredible children you could ever hope to see. They are filled with God's grace. They are joyful, obedient, brilliant ... They are as close to perfect little people as it's possible for Him to create." Then she shook her head and added, "And these people never age! Look at Karla and Doug. How old do you think they are?"

"That's a very good question," the Pope replied. "All three of these women appear to be about nineteen; Doug looks to be 23 or 24." He shook his head and continued, "But Karla couldn't be only nineteen and have done all the things we know she has done. How old is she, anyway?"

"She's nineteen," Susie replied. "Of course, her birth certificate says she's 29, but what do they know ... I mean..."

"You referred to others. Are there any more here, now?"

"Indeed there are," Susie replied. Then she instructed Duke to ask Marion, Donald, and Paula Wilhelm to join them.

While they were waiting, the Pope studied Sheena carefully. Then to Susie he asked, "And what is the rôle of these tigers? Clearly, they are like no wild animals I have ever seen or heard of."

"You are correct, sir," Susie replied. "This is Sheena, as you know. She is possibly the most perfect young Royal Bengal tigress alive. Already, she is carrying Duke's first cubs." Then she grinned and shook her head. "But she's just like the girls. They never show a pregnancy, and neither will she."

"I am!" Sheena almost screamed. "I'm going to give birth!? Oh, what joy! Duke will be thrilled, too." Then to Susie she said, "And thank you so much for what you said about me, even if it's not true. There's Duchess, and..."

"The most perfect young tigress in the world, I said!" Susie interrupted. "Now shut up, and dream about your cubs."

To the Pope she said, "The tigers are designated by God to look after some of His favorite people on earth. Their primary mission in life is to protect their charges from any harm. And I think you'll agree with me that they're very well equipped for the task."

She paused and then added softly, "In addition, they act as the agents of the Holy Spirit on earth. In that capacity they relay communications direct from the Boss from time to time."

"What do you gentlemen think about all of this?" the Pope asked his colleagues. All but the archbishop were in a state of stunned amazement. They agreed that they were in the presence of the saintliest people it had ever been their good fortune to encounter.

But the Archbishop, John Conrad of London, protested. "It's a trick of some kind," he insisted. "And what does this midget mean by saying that the tigers can communicate? They can only growl and snarl."

The instant Karla heard his words, she exchanged meaningful glances with Doug and her sisters.

At that point Marion and the others entered the room, led by Duke. The Pope rose to greet the newcomers and looked deeply into their eyes. Marion was the last to greet him. Holding her hands in both of his he just looked into her and said finally, "You are the mother of these lovely girls, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am, Your Holiness," she replied. "But how could you tell?"

"Because you have the same love and joy and grace in your eyes that they have in theirs. But you have something more. You have a mother's love." He slowly shook his head and added, "It is truly wondrous to behold."

Then he took her by the arm to introduce her to his colleagues. Suddenly he felt her freeze in his grip. He looked at her and then followed her eyes. She was staring at John Conrad.

"Well, Jack, we meet again," she said softly. "I thought I was through with you months ago. But now it appears that you are an archbishop? What's going on?"

Conrad was almost apoplectic. "This woman is the most notorious whore in all of England!" he exclaimed. "Get her out of here at once!"

After he had uttered just a few syllables there was an instant change in the attitude of the two tigers. Where before they had looked at him with a question, now their question had been answered. This man represented an immediate threat to their charges. From their house-cat positions, now both were in crouches with their fangs bared. Both emitted the quietest, yet most threatening growls anyone had ever heard. Conrad instantly turned as white as a sheet.

"Thank you both," Marion said quietly. "You knew instantly that something was wrong with him, didn't you?"

"Yes, Mistress," Sheena replied. "It was obvious to both of us that he couldn't hear our communications. Since we can only communicate with those whose hearts are pure, we wondered how he could be a prince of the Church yet have an impure heart."

"Your Holiness," Marion said softly, "Jack is correct, though. I was possibly the most notorious whore in England. In fact, he's responsible for my purification." Then she described how she had been whipped while dangling from the ceiling of her apartment and received well over 100 lashes.

"By the way, Jack," she asked, "how many times did you beat me? I've always wondered. I know it was some number greater than 100, but I never knew how many. Did you count them all?"

"It was 150," he replied sullenly. Then with his eyes blazing he added, "But I'll see that you're thrown out of the prostitutes' union for this. You're never supposed to rat out a john. You know that!"

"Yes, I do know that," Marion admitted. "On the other hand, I'm out of the business, so I don't care, either. But what about you? All I know is your phone number. But I'm sure it's not listed to the residence of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of London, is it?"

At that point Marion had to restrain Donald. A glance at him told her that he would cheerfully kill the man on the spot. "I don't know what's going to happen to you now, Jack, but I'm quite confident you won't be the archbishop much longer. In fact, looking at my husband, you might not be alive much longer. Perhaps you know that Queen Elizabeth is one of my closest friends. Beyond that, though, Donald Whitfield, my husband, is possibly England's greatest hero. If you look into his eyes, you will see the eyes of a hunter.

"But why don't you look into the tigers' eyes instead? Normally, we find them filled with warmth and love. But looking at them now as they look at you, I see Arctic ice. I can assure you that either of them is capable of destroying you in less than a second. If you look carefully you will see they are shaking with rage and are just awaiting permission to tear you apart. Do you understand?"

Conrad did as she asked. The looks in their eyes caused all his hair to turn white before their eyes. Never had he been so scared or felt so close to death.

"You have good reason to be afraid, Jack," Marion continued. "You see, because they're internationally recognized as an endangered specie, they could tear you apart with impunity. And they would do so in an instant. Now what are you going to do?"

"Resign?" he quavered.

"No!" the Voice thundered in the room. "You will not!"

At that instant the Pope dropped to his knees and dropped his head to the floor as did his fellow churchmen. A moment later, though, he felt himself lifted back up to his feet and then gently seated again in his chair.

The Voice continued, "Karol Wojtyla, you are very pleasing in my eyes. You have labored for nearly twenty years to maintain and build my Church. Unlike some senior churchmen in other denominations, you have not engaged in what Flip Wilson used to call, 'The Church of What's Happening Now.' You have adhered to doctrine as you understand it to have been handed down for centuries."

The Voice paused and then continued, "However, I do have one criticism: I believe you and your colleagues have been entirely too lenient in the presence of heresy and gross misbehavior.

"It is for this reason that I do not want you to allow John Conrad to resign quietly. Rather, I expect a formal canonical trial to be held in which his unconscionable behavior must be publicly exposed. I do not want a coverup! I want his full villainy to be brought to light. This man disgusts me! He is far worse than the Borgias. While they were personifications of evil, they never pretended to be better than they were.

"This man is a sanctimonious hypocrite! I cannot abide the man. I am sorely tempted to have the tigers destroy him and then immediately damn his immortal soul to the fires of Hell forever! Now, Karol, will you do your duty?"

"I will, Lord," the Pope promised.

Then to Karla he said, "Your Majesty, I have a formal request. I wish you to have this man taken into close custody to ensure that he will be present and able to stand trial in Rome within a fortnight. Could you do that for me?"

"With great pleasure!" Karla exclaimed.

Then she nodded to Paula who picked up a phone, punched a few numbers and then spoke quickly. Moments later, a police detail arrived to take Conrad away. To the amusement of the others, he almost fell into the arms of the police, so happy was he to get away from the tigers alive.

When they had withdrawn, the Pope said, "Lord, it is my understanding that you will be handling the coronation personally. Is that correct?"

"It is," the Voice replied quietly. Then He chuckled and added, "There have been rehearsals in progress Up Here for weeks." Then he outlined what was in store.

When he concluded, the Pope slowly shook his head and said, "I cannot tell You how honored I feel. Just think! I will be present when the Multitudes of the Heavenly Host sing again."

Then he paused and added, "I have received a report of something similar happening in the North of England recently, and again in Los Angeles, in the United States. Were they true?"

The Voice explained how He had allowed it at the wedding of Karla and Douglas. Since it had worked so well, he had permitted the dead GIs to sing for Ali McGrath Clifford.

Then he added, "Almost all of them will be in Prague tomorrow for the coronation. I hope you will try to make it a point to see them. Ali Clifford is ... Well, she's Ali Clifford. She is one of the loveliest women in the world, and like Karla, Mary, and Ann, is also one of Marion's daughters."

After a pause, He added, "Marion, I have news for you. And I suppose it's only appropriate that I announce it in the presence of these churchmen. First, I was watching you very closely when Cara Campbell told you that she was going to get married and hoped to have more children."

He interrupted himself to tell the churchmen who Cara Campbell was and the relationship. Then he continued, "You, Marion Whitfield, were genuinely happy for her. Although I know how much you would love to give birth yourself, like all the other women it would never occur to you to ask anything for yourself.

"However, Karla's coronation changes everything. At present, Douglas is next in line to be Duke of Northumbria. But he is now Prince of Bohemia, and the Royal Consort. Karla, your first son will be the Crown Prince. Accordingly, Marion, you are fertile again. You will present children to His Grace. You will love them and spoil them, as you will your grandchildren. What do you think about that?"

Marion dove into Donald's arms and began to bawl. Then the Voice asked again, "But what do you think?"

"What do you think I think?" she demanded. "I've never been so happy in all my life!"

"But why are you crying then?"

"Because I'm so damned happy!" Then with a lopsided grin she added, "Men! You're hopeless!"

To the Pope the Voice said, "Now do you see why celibacy of the clergy is such a good idea? You don't have to cope with this sort of nonsense. And if I can't — and I can't! — what chance do mere humans have?"

Then He chuckled — shaking the room as He did — and continued, "And I certainly hope you noticed her behavior. Did you notice? She called Me hopeless! Me!"

He paused and then added, "Another woman you must meet is the pilot version of this whole effort, Henrietta Conroy. Of course, if you call her 'Henrietta' she might kill you. As it is, she gives me every kind of heck imaginable. But I tell her that her name reminds me of a nice 19th century librarian working at one of Andy Carnegie's libraries. Then she really blows her stack. And in spite of having seven children, the oldest of whom is 27, Hank — that's the safe name to call her, by the way — still looks nineteen ... And a beautifully nubile nineteen, if I do say so myself."

Then He said, "I must be going now, but I am very pleased to have had the opportunity to meet you, Karol."

There was silence in the room for a few minutes and then the Pope rose to go. He took Karla's hand in one of his and Doug's in the other, then just looked deeply into their eyes. Then he said, "Absolute monarchies have ... gone out of style, should we say? Nevertheless, I could not be more overjoyed than I am at the prospects for the people of Bohemia. In you they are getting the finest ruler imaginable. And after fifty years of sacrifice and struggle, they deserve it."

Then he paused, shook his head, and continued, "Usually, after one of these meetings, I am asked for a Papal blessing. But after what I have experienced and what we have learned, such a thing would be utterly ridiculous. Instead, Karla, may I have your blessing? Please?"

With that he dropped to his knees before her as did his fellow churchmen.

Karla was nonplused. But then she said softly, "May the Lord bless you and keep you. May He make His light to shine upon you. May He guide you and protect you for the rest of your days, until you join Him in Heaven for all eternity. We ask this, O Lord, in the name of Jesus Christ, Your Son and Our Savior, Amen."

At that instant the golden light appeared over everyone. All of the visitors except for the Pope were rendered unconscious; he just looked around displaying interest but no great surprise. Karla reached for his hands and helped the elderly man to his feet.

"Aside from everything else, you're very strong, aren't you Karla?" the Pope asked kindly. Karla just grinned and shrugged. He shook his head and continued, "That's what we were seeing this morning, isn't it? You asked God to make his light shine upon your people, and He did."

At that instant Susie materialized again in front of him and said, "I suppose you really should know the score. The Boss says that with respect to a few of these young women, He must answer their prayers in the same fashion they must breathe. Enough said?" With that she vaporized again.

"Utterly incredible," the Pope murmured. "What that means is that even though you phrase a request as a prayer, it is treated as an order. Is that correct?"

Karla started to shake her head when the Voice thundered, "Karla! You know better than that. Karol, you are precisely correct — and she knows it, too, as do Ann, Mary, Marion, and a few others."

"Never before in history..." the Pope murmured. "You are an incredible young woman." Then he added, "May I stay for a while?"

He paused for a moment and then continued, "It seems like I spend my life in very formal settings — usually much more formal than this. The problem is that I never get to know anyone. May I stay for a while?" he repeated. "My colleagues will be returning to the Cardinal's residence."

Then he shook his head and added, "The cathedral isn't the only thing that was constructed last night. It seems that the Cardinal's residence was also rebuilt. The Cardinal's bed was even replaced while he was sleeping in it." Then he grinned and said, "My friends can study the layout of his residence carefully. Clearly, whatever is there now has been approved by The Highest Authority."

As the remaining churchmen recovered and then took their leave, Connie Klaus entered the room wearing a sleeveless smock made of the roughest burlap. It was very simple in design being merely a large rectangle of material with a hole cut in the center for her head. There were no sides; it was held closed by a heavy rope tied around her waist. Knowing how badly cut her body was, Karla cringed involuntarily when she saw her. She told Karla that there were visitors waiting for her in the music room.



-------

Chapter 68


The Pope, Doug and the two girls joined her as Paula led the way. Karla shook her head in frustration as she realized that she had a lot of work to do merely to figure out the physical layout of the palace.

Entering the room, she found the Koenig family waiting for them. They had come in response to Ann's whispered invitation. Little Karla was so happy to see the Queen again, she was literally bouncing up and down. Sweeping the little girl up in her arms, Karla kissed her lightly and just hugged her tightly. The girl was utterly ecstatic as she just wriggled in her arms to become even more comfortable.

"Now what can I do for you?" Karla asked. "Because there's something you can certainly do for me."

"What could we possibly do for you?" Carol Koenig asked. Already the meeting was taking an unexpected turn.

"We have a couple of concert grand pianos here," Karla said. "And we have it on the Highest Possible Authority that baby Karla is a wonder playing Chopsticks. Furthermore, we also learned that you and Bill are capable of helping her out. I know that Bill's hands were mangled before she was even conceived, yet I'm sure nothing would give either Karla or her father greater pleasure than to be able to play together."

Then Karla introduced the Pope, her sisters and Paula. The family was wide-eyed with wonder at meeting the Pope himself in such a casual setting. He added his request to Karla's.

"Darling," Carol said to Bill, "I guess there's not a lot we can say, is there? It seems that our daughter must perform by the command of two of the finest people alive in the world today." With that she took the child from Karla's arms and carried her to a piano bench.

Sitting down at the piano with her daughter beside her on her right, Carol lightly ran her fingers over the keyboard. "What an incredible instrument!" she exclaimed.

To Bill she said, "Darling, never in our lives have we had the chance to use a piano nearly as good as this." It was the top concert grand from Steinway's collection, and was only used by the world's finest pianists. The two near-identical pianos had only been delivered the day before and had been tuned by factory technicians who normally only tuned pianos for concerts and recordings by the greatest pianists alive. Bill Koenig sat on the right edge of the bench while the others took comfortable lounge chairs. While they were waiting, Connie Klaus served refreshments.

After looking at her parents, baby Karla began to play the simplest version of Chopsticks. Then she began to add variations. As she did, her mother, using the bass keys, established a rhythm while her father began to play Chopin variations on the high keys. The overall effect was truly marvelous. Moreover, it was obvious that little Karla was in Heaven on earth, sitting between her parents on the piano bench while all three played.

When they finally finished, the little girl turned to her father and said, "Daddy, I'm so happy for you! You play so beautifully ... And it's been so long..."

Bill Koenig joyously hugged his lovely little girl, kissed her and then said, "Yes, my darling daughter, it has been a very long time. But mommy and I will do it often if you would like to. Would you?" The little girl was so happy, words failed her. She just kissed her father and made wonderfully happy sounds.

"We have also heard it from the Supreme Authority that you two, Bill and Carol, are the finest pianists alive in the world today," the Pope said. "You, Bill, rate as possibly the finest ever to have lived. That being the case, would you two care to play a duet for us? We understand that you used to do a couple of Liszt pieces that are incredible."

Then The Pope grinned and added, "And to show you what a fine fellow I am, I'm even willing to hold your daughter on my lap while you play." With that Karol held out his arms and the little girl ran to him. He kissed her and again almost passed out.

To little Karla he asked, "What was that? It had almost the power of Queen Karla's kisses, but there was something different. What was it?"

"Maybe it was this," the little girl said, holding up her tiny teddy bear. "God gave it to me when he kissed me earlier."

At that the Pope looked deeply into the child's eyes and almost drowned. Then he began to cry as he held her tightly and said, "'Suffer the little children... ' Karla Koenig, you are the personification of love, joy, and Divine grace. Looking into your eyes is like seeing beyond the Gates of Heaven." To the parents he said, "You have been signally blessed by Almighty God Himself. And, Carol Koenig, we also have it on His Authority that you will carry many more. I hope you don't mind?"

"Mind?" the young woman screamed. "Mind!" At that she dropped from the piano bench to the floor and thanked God for his infinite mercy.

"That's all very well and good, and you're very welcome," the Voice said, "but I'm becoming impatient. And if you haven't figured it out by now, I'm The One who gave you the big build-up. And I'm certain you won't disappoint Me."

The two pianos were overlapped with their matched cases almost touching. It left the two pianists at their respective keyboards facing each other. After a quietly whispered exchange, Carol nodded, and Bill began. What followed was truly the finest piano music the world had ever heard. Then, after playing three more pieces, Paula Wilhelm went to Bill Koenig and whispered in his ear.

He looked startled for an instant, but then smiled his agreement. He told Carol what was about to happen and she nodded her head eagerly. Leaving her piano, she joined the Pope on the sofa. Little Karla was still wrapped in his arm and was now almost asleep.

Meanwhile, Paula had opened a cabinet revealing a very complex audio control panel. At Koenig's nod, she pressed a button and returned to her own seat. From speakers around the room came the opening bars of Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto.

"This is the Boston Symphony Orchestra," Paula commented.

Basically, it was the complete concerto, missing the piano part which Bill played. Karla and the Pope just sat and listened in amazement. It was truly the finest music they had ever heard. When that ended, they just sat there. Then they all congratulated Bill on his playing. The Pope asked if he was going to enter the annual Tchaikovsky competition in Moscow. It was a new thought to Bill, but Carol eagerly nodded her head.

Then she said, "There's something else I'm going to do, though, Queen Karla. The day after tomorrow, I'm going to enter your service. Now that Bill's health has been restored, he can take care of Karla, although she really doesn't require much care..."

"But you can't!" Karla exclaimed. "You can't possibly. Do you know what you're saying?"

"Do I know that I must accept 100 lashes with a whip?" she asked. "Of course I do," she said, answering her own question. "It is the price of admission to The Sisterhood, and so it's a price I will pay happily—"

"Paula," Karla interrupted, "ask Connie Klaus to join us at once." Then to the Pope she said, "Karol, I don't think you want to see this at all. What you would see if you stayed is what a woman's body looks like after it has absorbed 75 strokes with a whip."

"I was in Poland during the War," he replied softly. "I don't think anything I might see here could shock me. But won't it embarrass Frau Klaus? She is the Prime Minister's wife, isn't she?"

"Yes, she is," Karla agreed, "but you won't embarrass her."

At that Karla gave up, and Paula brought the woman in. She was still wearing the burlap smock she had been wearing earlier. When told to take it off, her eyes widened for an instant and then she untied the rope serving as a belt. It was apparent she gritted her teeth just before jerking the garment off her shoulders. When it was on the floor, it was easy to see why she had. Whip cuts on her shoulders, upper back and breasts had all opened up and were bleeding again.

"Now, Carol, is this really what you want?" Karla asked.

The woman went to Connie, stripped off her own dress to avoid blood stains, then took her into her arms. Very gently she kissed each of the bleeding wounds and licked off the blood. Then she stood back and asked, "Frau Klaus, if I told you that you must accept another 100 strokes right now in order to remain in the Queen's service, what would your answer be?"

"I would accept them cheerfully," Connie replied simply.

Then to Karla she said, "Connie Kuntz, the senior flight attendant on your flight today, is going to be one of your best handmaidens, Mistress. I administered her whipping myself. Would you believe it? She smiled the whole time and thanked me after every stroke. Every single one! When it was over with blood pouring from her body she joyfully welcomed her husband into her ripped-up body. Truly, Mistress! She was joyful."

To Carol she asked, "Did I answer your question?"

"In part," Carol replied. Then to Paula Wilhelm she asked, "Would you mind stripping off your clothes? There's something I must see." Paula looked at Karla who shrugged and shook her head. She had no idea what Carol was doing.

With Karla's permission, Paula stripped off her clothing and stood there with her shoulders back, waiting. Carol gently handled her perfect tits and examined them closely. Then she said, "Your breasts were almost cut off your body, weren't they?"

"They weren't breasts, they were bags," Paula said. "When Mary beat me, I was hoping she would cut them off completely. They couldn't have been any worse than they were."

"But now look at them! They are utterly perfect," Carol said. "Paula, how old are you?"

"I'm 45 years old," she replied.

"Then why do you appear to be in your early twenties?" Then with her eyes piercing she added, "When is your first child expected? In a month or two?"

Paula blushed red as a beet. Blood rushed up her tanned body from her loins and she was nonplused. "I think so," she replied softly. "It will be sometime after the coronation..."

"Paula!" Karla screamed, jumping from her chair and taking the woman in her arms. "I'm so happy for you. But what does Frederick say? Is he thrilled?"

"He doesn't know a thing," she replied. "And I will thank you all not to tell him, either. If he knew, he might no longer take me, and then what would I do for spending money? And if you think I'm going to give him a chance to go back to the arms of Prague's other resident sluts, you're crazy! I am his private whore and intend to retain that position."

The Pope had been sitting on the sofa with baby Karla now asleep in his arms. Karla quickly explained Paula's strange relationship with her husband and how it had come to be.

Replying softly so as not to awaken the sleeping child he said, "Clearly, Frau Wilhelm, you are another woman who has been blessed by God Himself. But I don't understand. If you are expecting a baby in just a month or two... ?"

"Why isn't my belly bulging? Why don't I look like a walking house?" Paula prompted. "Your Holiness, we don't know. But it's a part of The Sisterhood thing."

Then dropping to her knees before him she continued, "I guess I denied for months that God had truly accepted me by forgiving my sins. But now I can deny it no longer." Then she looked up and asked, "Could you give me your blessing, Holy Father? To me and to my unborn child?"

"Of course I could, Frau Wilhelm, but it is clear that you have been blessed by Almighty God Himself. Who am I to add to that?" Then he shook his head and added, "Only now am I developing some understanding of what The Sisterhood really means."

"Now, Your Majesty," Carol Koenig said, "will you accept me as your slave and handmaiden? Please!"

"Carol, it's utterly ridiculous!" Karla replied. "After what your family has gone through—"

"That's right!" Carol interrupted. "Let's review the bidding, shall we? Last August, we were a week away from losing our only child. Holiness, the little girl you're now holding in your arms was one week away from death. I nearly died when I gave birth to her; another pregnancy was utterly out of the question. It has been over eight years since Bill and I have had intercourse! Eight years!

"But now look. He was a concert pianist, but with his hands smashed he couldn't strike a key. But this afternoon, he played better by far than he could ever play in his life. Our child is the picture of health. She was kissed by God Himself!" Tears were streaming down her cheeks now as she continued, "Holiness, just look! Have you ever seen a more beautiful child? Ever, in your entire life? Have you ever seen a happier one? I don't think so."

Karol looked down at the little girl snuggled against his shoulder. There was the merest hint of a beatific smile on her face as she slept clutching her tiny teddy bear. "No, Frau Koenig," the Pontiff replied, "never have I seen a more beautiful child nor a happier one. As I said before, you are truly blessed to have a child beloved of God Himself. What more is there to say? She is utterly perfect."

"You saw Bill's penis restored out on the street. But what you couldn't see is what happened to me. Constant abdominal pain was a daily fact of life for me going back to my puberty, Queen Karla. I didn't know there was any other way for a woman to be. That's why I had so much difficulty giving birth to Karla. But this morning, it was as if everything inside me straightened out. I felt very strange until I realized that the strangeness was an absence of pain.

"So, Your Majesty, what have you done for the Koenig family? Not much. You have saved our daughter's life. You have restored my husband's hands, his livelihood, and his manhood itself. You have restored my body. Now I only want to serve you with my body. Why won't you allow it?"

"Paula, ask Connie Kuntz to join us immediately," Karla commanded. But then thinking about the girl's condition, she changed her mind. "Paula, is she in any condition to join us?" The woman said she would check. Slipping on her dress again she left the music room.

A few minutes later Connie Kuntz came crawling into the room on her hands and knees, followed by Paula. The older girl looked like she was about to be violently ill. Stopping at the edge of the Persian rug, the girl said, "Mistress, you called?"

"Why are you crawling, Connie?" Karla asked. But from the expression on Paula's face, Karla wasn't at all sure she wanted to hear the answer. "And why did you stop there? Why didn't you come to me?"

"Because I didn't want my blood to stain this beautiful rug," the girl replied. Then dropping her face down to the floor she licked up some drops of her blood from the highly-polished hardwood. Again looking at Karla she said, "The reason I am crawling, Mistress, is that I am unable to walk."

"What happened?" Karla asked softly.

"Paul — my husband — beat me with the bastinado," the girl replied.

The bastinado, Karla knew, was one of the most painful of all tortures, although from its description, certainly didn't seem so. It consisted of taking a heavy stick and beating the soles of a person's feet. It was discovered during the Inquisition, and left the person unable to walk, often for days.

"Why did he do that?" Karla persisted.

"Because my first beating was inadequate, Mistress," Connie replied. "In spite of receiving twenty strokes in my cunt, when Paul took me, my ecstasy drowned out the pain. I relished our intercourse and had the best sexual experience of my life. So when the other girls left — the ones who supervised our punishment — I insisted that he beat me some more. It almost killed him to do it, but Paul loves me so much, he did it anyway."

"Constance," Carol Koenig said, "it will be necessary for you to accept another 100 lashes right now if you are to stay. If you accept, you must make the fact known instantly."

"I accept," the girl said softly. "In fact, I accept with relish and pleasure. Please, Mistress, administer another forty in my cunt, forty more across my tits, and the rest across my buns."

"But those lashes might destroy your ability ever to have children!" Karla exclaimed.

"Then it is God's will, and I was not meant to have children," she replied simply. Then she asked, "If that's all, Mistress, I will return to the torture chamber to receive my additional punishment."

"You will stay right here!" Karla ordered. Then speaking softly she said, "Susie, I need you right away. And wearing Levi's, please. I don't want you wrecking your lovely dress with bloodstains."

Instantly Susie appeared wearing her Levi's and work shirt. Without a word, she went to the girl who was still on her hands and knees and began gently to caress her. Wherever her hands touched, the bleeding stopped and the pain from her wounds disappeared.

Realizing what was happening, Connie protested, "Stop! Please stop, Susie! I am relishing the agony of my body, and you're going to ruin it—"

"Just shut up!" Susie exclaimed. With her arms akimbo, she said, "All of you girls have a bit of masochist in you, but Connie Kuntz, you have too damned much!"

With a glance upward she said, "Sorry about that, Boss. But I really am trying." Then she continued moving her hands over the girl's body. Reaching her feet, she grimaced as she felt the knotted muscles in the arches of her feet. Finishing the job she said, "You can stand up now."

Connie did, and approached Karla with her tears now flowing freely. Dropping to her knees in front of her she said, "Please don't send me away, Mistress! Whatever I've done, I'll try to make right. Oh, God! Please! Please persuade my beloved mistress to allow me to stay."

"Connie Kuntz, what are you doing?" Karla demanded. "First of all, you are staying. As for the rest ... Susie, please take care of the other girls while you're here. Please? After all, tomorrow is the coronation and we need all of the ladies in waiting to be in serviceable condition, don't you think?" Susie just grinned and disappeared.

"But why, Mistress?" Connie asked. "Why did you do that?"

"Because, Connie, you're enjoying it too much. Clearly, you're a masochist. And as the sadist I am, I can't afford to allow you to enjoy anything."

The girl grinned and then from her kneeling position, she lifted her head toward Karla's while her arms were still at her sides. Karla leaned forward, cocked her head, and then melted her lips to the girl's. The Pope could see the electricity flow between them.

As the kiss continued, he smiled happily as the golden light shrouded the younger girl. Then they all heard the Voice say, "Constance Kuntz, you are pleasing in my eyes. Truly, you are now in The Sisterhood. You and Paul will become the parents of the best children in all of Bohemia. Is that clear?"

"It is very clear, Lord," she replied softly.

"And as for you, Carol Koenig, enough of this beating nonsense. It is well for you to serve Queen Karla. She will need your assistance at the school she will run for some of the children of Bohemia. Your daughter, Karla, will be the first student. But why does she need you? Because as perfect as she is, I happen to know she can't even play a tin whistle, let alone anything beyond. And she can scarcely carry a tune in a bucket!"

Karla howled with laughter while her head was rapidly nodding up and down.

"But, Lord!" Carol protested, "I must be beaten! How else can I get my body into acceptable shape to serve my mistress? Just look!" Her dress was lying over a chair where she had thrown it when she went to Connie Klaus. All she was wearing was a bra and serviceable panties. She unfastened the bra and let it drop to the floor, then slid her pants down her legs. "Just look!" she repeated. "I don't have breasts — just little nubbins. My only shape comes from my bra. I'm ridiculously thin..."

"And that's why little Karla became ill, isn't it?" the Voice said. "When you gave birth, you were trying to support the family on the little bit of money you could make as a piano teacher. But then you couldn't work. I vividly remember your prayers offering to do anything if I would only let your breast milk flow more freely. You were eating scarcely enough to keep yourself alive. And that has continued to this day!" the Voice exclaimed. "What did you eat today?"

"I ... I ... I had plenty..."

"You had one-eighth of a small roll!" the Voice thundered. "That's all. Bill had three-eighths, and baby Karla had the half!" Instantly, Ann ran from the room to see that food was immediately produced for the Koenigs.

"Food will be produced immediately," the Voice continued. "But in the meantime, why don't we just forgo the usual garbage..."

Before their eyes, Carol's body changed. She lost age, from 33 to nineteen, and her body filled out perfectly and then became tanned all over. Even her pubic patch shrank to just a small dense patch above her slit. All this time, Bill Koenig had remained seated at the piano bench. He, too, physically changed, and the old suit he was wearing changed with him. Suddenly he found that he was now only 23 years old.

The thunderous sound of the Voice had awakened baby Karla. Seeing her mother, the girl jumped up from the Pope's arms, ran to her and hugged her tightly. "Mommy! You are so incredibly beautiful," she exclaimed.

"Now why don't you just eat, and then go home?" the Voice said quietly. "You'll find there have been some changes made in your absence." Then he harumphed gruffly and added, "I only beat the girls to it. They would have done it all in a matter of minutes, but I'm still able to get some things done even faster than they can."

He paused for a moment and then added, "Now eat, and get out of here! As it is, I can't get anything done Up Here, and there's so much to do with the coronation tomorrow and all."

Then He left a final word for Pope John Paul. "The ceremony at the cathedral will be very impressive, Karol, but it will be only a shadow of what you will encounter later in the day right here."



-------

Chapter 69


The day of the coronation dawned bright and clear. With the Pope present, there was to be a solemn Pontifical High Mass in her honor. After frenzied lovemaking which Doug recognized as an indicator of Karla's nervousness, they exercised, ate breakfast, and then the girls began to work on her body. As they finished and began to dress her, Caitlin Fitzpatrick appeared.

"What are you doing here, Caitie?" Karla asked. "To what do we owe the honor of the presence of the New York and Vermont Fitzpatricks?"

"A street urchin is what you're trying to say," Caitie replied. "I'm here because Susie told me to come. She says I'm to be your train bearer ... And I can hardly wait!"

"But darling, how will you know what to do?" Karla replied. "After all, this is Prague, not New York. And while many of my people speak English, it's still only a small fraction of the population..."

"I know that," Caitie replied in beautiful Czech. "That's why I've learned your language."

"But how... ?" Karla began. Then she stopped and just pointed a finger upward with a question in her eyes. Caitie merely nodded her head rapidly.

As they entered the cathedral with Karla wearing a magnificent coronation gown trimmed with ermine, the huge structure was suddenly filled with the sound of thousands of voices chanting the Te Deum. The chant was clearly heard for miles around, in spite of there being no amplification equipment.

-------

Joyce and Jack Johnson had been selected by NBC to cover the coronation in a live broadcast. In spite of skepticism in New York, there had come the realization that Joyce's coverage of Mary and Ann Whitfield in Los Angeles had been by far the best of any news organization. Moreover, with Bill Gates taking the whole matter very seriously, the network decided they could no longer ignore the obvious influence of God.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Joyce said softly and reverently into her microphone, "you are hearing thousands of voices singing. I have no idea how many thousands. I do know, though, that there is no one singing here in the Prague cathedral. We are hearing the sound of the Heavenly Hosts."

She cut off the broadcast mike and spoke to the director. "Charley, do a shot of the first window on the right side of the cathedral. Put a camera on it and just hold it there with a tape machine going. It's Saint Karl Kosta, and it's his granddaughter who is being crowned today."

The Mass progressed and finally it was time for the coronation itself. To the surprise of the people in the cathedral, the Pope merely took a seat in front of the altar and watched. Before him, Karla knelt up straight, waiting.

Then the Voice thundered, "People of Bohemia! It is with great joy that I crown Karla Kosta as Queen Karla of Bohemia. I can assure you that she will serve you well!"

A giant golden cylinder appeared before her and the crown made almost 200 years earlier for another queen of Bohemia was gently placed on her head. A hand appeared and took hers, helping her to rise from her kneeling position. Then the hand caused her to turn to face her subjects. At that instant, the most magnificent symphonic music ever heard rang out in the cathedral.

"This is a symphony orchestra composed of the finest musicians who have ever lived," the Voice explained. "It is under the direction of Ludwig von Beethoven himself, conducting the fourth movement of his Ninth Symphony. The chorus numbers in the tens of thousands. They are many of the people who gave their lives over the years to obtain the freedom you now enjoy. I hope you enjoy the music."

"That was the voice of God Almighty," Joyce said reverently. "I don't know what it says for representative government. What I do know is that Queen Karla was crowned by God Himself. I can recall in school learning about the Middle Ages and the following periods and hearing about the 'Divine Right of Kings.' I thought it was a real hoot. But now I'm not so sure.

"What has happened in Europe recently?" she asked rhetorically. "First, of course, there was the Republic of France ... voting to reestablish the Grand Duchy of Burgundy. Now we have the Czech Republic ... voting itself out of existence by a vote of almost 99 percent of the eligible voters. Our correspondents tell us that other European countries are watching Bohemia very carefully. Although Queen Karla has only just arrived in the country, word of the changes in prospect has already started to circulate. These changes are going to be watched carefully. And we may learn from her coronation speech something of what she has in mind for her nation."

Out of the corner of her eye Joyce had been watching the monitor that showed the picture from the camera focused on Karl Kosta's window. She alerted the director who put the picture out on the network. Karl Kosta was moving his arms as if he, not Beethoven, was conducting the singers, while he was obviously singing at the top of his lungs.

"Truly, there is rejoicing in Heaven today," Joyce said simply. "If that statement offends some of you in my audience, I'm sorry. Nevertheless, I am a reporter. I am merely reporting what my own senses are telling me." Then she laughed and added, "I can see scientists working for centuries to come to try to produce some 'natural' explanation for what we're seeing and hearing."

She paused as she listened to the director in her earpiece. "Now we're going to my husband, Jack Johnson, who is outside in the square. The cathedral is on one side and the palace is on the other. It is my understanding that the plaza is packed with people who were unable to get into the cathedral itself. Jack?"

"I'm here in front of the cathedral," Jack Johnson reported. "There are tens of thousands of people here, and all of them are now down on their knees. It's certainly fair to say, Joyce, that what we are seeing has never been seen before in the history of the world."

Over their own communications system, Jack heard Joyce chuckling. "What's so funny, sweety?"

"Jack, I really don't know what this says about the current state of news gathering. A number of our professional colleagues are freaking out."

"What is it this time?"

"They're freaking out that Queen Karla has not distributed advance copies of her coronation speech. What a stinking shame! But the real killer was the reason given for their dismay: 'How can our analysts give their instant commentary if we don't even have an copy of the Queen's speech at least a day ahead of time.'

"In other words, their 'instant analysis' isn't."

"Paula Wilhelm, the Home Minister's secretary — who, we understand, really runs the ministry — told them there are no advance copies because the speech hasn't been written. Moreover, Karla being Karla, it won't be."

Joyce continued, "The jerks just wouldn't give it a rest! 'If the speech isn't written, ' they protested, 'how can it be put on her Teleprompter?' 'Her Majesty doesn't use one!' Paula disdainfully replied. But then, Jack, it just got worse! Can you believe it? One of the turkeys had the nerve to ask Paula how he could report on the speech without a copy. To that brilliant remark, Paula just shook her head in disgust."

Jack broke in: "It looks like things are starting to move. It appears that Queen Karla will be appearing on a small balcony on the third floor of the palace. I don't know where they came from but it appears there are four giant Jumbotrons spotted around the palace square to give the people a better look at their queen. And here she comes now!"

Karla appeared on the balcony and simultaneously huge images of the young queen appeared on the Jumbotrons.

"Citizens of Bohemia!" Karla began. Those three words were enough. The throng in the square went wild with joy. Karla just smiled and waited. Finally the crowd quieted enough for her to continue.

"I am borrowing from the American Declaration of Independence:



We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness — That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed...



"That just about says it all. You see, those unalienable rights are not gifts of some beneficent government; they are gifts of God to all of us.

"Now having been elected to the position of Queen a few weeks ago, I will consider that I have your consent to govern. At least I have it right now. Now what is the reign of Queen Karla going to look like?

"First, I am a firm believer in the axiom that 'a government governs best that governs least.' Now why would I say that? The reason is there's a very fundamental difference between the private sector and government: A private business that does too many things wrong will just go out of business; the government — with unlimited taxing power — cannot. Moreover, no matter how well-conceived a particular piece of legislation may be, it is enacted at a particular point in time. But over time, conditions change, economics change, but the legislation does not change! It just becomes an obsolete burden.

"So what am I going to do? First of all, we're going to dramatically downsize government." Karla grinned and interjected, "I guess it's a good thing we have so many basic infrastructure needs: roads, bridges, sewers, water systems — everything. The construction might provide employment for a bunch of out-of-work bureaucrats." She giggled and added, "Paula Wilhelm claims that for many of them it could be the first real work they will have done in their lives."

Picking up the thread of her speech, she continued, "So how, you may wonder, is this government down-sizing going to work? For a start, we're going to privatize absolutely everything possible. The only things the government will continue to do are those things that individuals and the private sector can't reasonably provide. The most important of these is national defense. In my opinion, the brief history of the Czech Republic and of Czechoslovakia before it is that it's exceedingly dangerous for a nation to rely of the good will of others for its defense. Accordingly, I propose to adapt a Swiss model for our armed forces."

Karla paused and surveyed the crowd. So far, so good,  she thought. Continuing, "Specifically, all Bohemian males between the ages of 18 and 40 will be members of our armed forces. Every male will receive an M-16 and 100 rounds of ammunition to be kept at home."

She grinned and added, "This next is at the insistence of both of my princess sisters: While women between the ages of 18 and 40 are not subject to compulsory service, they are welcome to volunteer if they wish. There is one thing about which I will assure you: everyone is subject to or eligible for military service. No one is excused; you might be a quadriplegic, but we'll find something for you to do.

"Next, effective immediately, Bohemia is going to a flat-tax system with a rate of 15 percent. This replaces the income tax, the value-added tax, and all payroll taxes. These changes will drop the total tax burden from almost 50 percent to less than 15."

Karla was subtly amused as she watched the crowd reaction to her statement about taxes. As the new reality sank in, there was a great roar from the crowd along with inchoate cheering. Clearly, the sudden drop in tax rates was received as great news.

"There are other changes coming," she continued. "First of all, all of our citizens currently receiving state pensions and state medical care, along with all of those within 10 years of normal retirement, will continue to do so. This is a national obligation and will be honored.

"However, we cannot continue down this road where more and more retirees are being supported by fewer and fewer workers. We are going to privatize both our retirement and our health plans, although this is neither the time nor the place to address either plan in detail.

"Education in Bohemia will be paid for with vouchers the government will provide to the parents of every child in our nation. These vouchers are redeemable at any school.

"As of this instant multiculturalism is dead in Bohemia! I'm sorry, folks. All of the world's cultures are not equal! We are, and have for centuries been, a Christian nation. Does this mean there will be a state church? Absolutely not. But what it does mean is that we will not make an effort to protect the state from religion; freedom of religion is supposed to protect religion from the state. And we are not going to apologize for celebrating Christian holidays.

"We are not going to join the euro; we are going to withdraw from the European Union. It has become an unelected bunch of busybodies. Who needs it?"

Turning, Karla made room on the balcony for Doug and then her two sisters, Anna and Maria. "Citizens, beside me is my love, Prince Douglas. Had he not been by my side for the past months, I would not be alive.

"Then we have the two women who will be running our nation. Princess Anna will be responsible for domestic affairs of all types, while Princess Maria will handle defense and foreign affairs.

"So what are Doug and I going to be doing? Well, awhile ago a hot item appeared in management literature called 'management by walking around.' Well guess what? That's exactly what Doug and I are going to be doing, but on a national scale."

Karla snapped her fingers and appeared to be reminding herself of something. "Oh, yeah ... I nearly forgot. Unlike a very common practice, Doug and I will not announce our visits weeks or months in advance to permit an appropriate group of people to be present for our 'surprise' visit.

"Nope. The first anyone is going to know of our visit is when we appear at the door. So I guess it would be a good idea for local managers of all types to stay on top of things. It might avoid some otherwise nasty unpleasantness.

"Thank you all so very much for coming out this morning to help in our celebration."

At that point Karla stepped back from the mic and then introduced her sisters, Anna and Maria. With a smile, she said, "Since they're actually going to be running our nation, perhaps we should hear what they have in mind. First, here's Anna Campbell to talk about domestic affairs.

"There are going to be some major changes domestically," Anna began. "First of all, you can expect a sudden and dramatic increase in tourism." She grinned and asked rhetorically, "And why is that?"

Answering her own question, "Because Bohemia is going to have the least expensive gasoline and diesel fuel in Europe. And the difference is not going to be minor; our prices could be as little as half those of most of the rest of the continent. How can this be?

"Because of what's essentially an accident of history. Going back more than 100 years, when automobiles were first introduced — by Daimler in Germany — they were considered toys for the rich. And, unfortunately, Henry Ford who developed the first mass-produced car was in America. And not only did he mass-produce his Model T, he kept driving its price down. The Tin Lizzie became an American icon: transportation for Everyman.

"But not here in Europe. Because it was initially seen as a 'toy for the rich, ' it became an immediate target for taxation ... and has remained so to this day. So the difference between Bohemian fuel prices and those in the rest of Europe is that we're going to drop our fuel taxes dramatically.

"But I'm now about to sound like Christ with his loaves & fishes thing. Why? Because even after slashing our fuel taxes I expect there will be far more money available for roads and bridges than ever before. Again, why? Because as most of you already know, although fuel taxes are supposedly dedicated for roads, every year more and more of the fuel taxes are pulled out for the general treasury. And beyond that, money is peeled off for bike paths, mass transit, and a host of other areas that have little or nothing to do with the way you use your car.

"The next major thing we have planned domestically is a series of massive nuclear power plants sited close to our borders. Why? Because so many of our neighbors have been going wild for "renewable power," particularly wind turbines."

Anna slowly shook her head and said, "Wind is supposed to be the power source of the future." Again she shook her head. "I just don't know ... The wave of the future? Cervantes wrote Don Quixote in the early 1600's — about 400 years ago. And what was it that Don Quixote was tilting against? Windmills. Hmm...

"But what does that have to do with us? Wind turbines — surprise, surprise — can only generate power when the wind blows. When the wind stops, the turbines do, too. And these changes are essentially unpredictable and most certainly are uncontrollable. And if the wind stops during a period of peak electric demand? There's a problem. And for this reason, the actual power production of a wind farm can be as little as 10 percent of its nameplate rating.

"In stark contrast, nuclear power rolls on 24 and 7. Over time their on-line production is in excess of 90 percent of the rating. Bohemia is going to be providing the reliable power-generation backup for thousands of wind turbines."

She grinned and continued, "It's going to be on a take-or-pay basis. In other words, we are paid for all the electric power they may need, whether they need it at that moment or not. This is the major difference between using wind to pump water — as Don Quixote's windmills were used, as are those even today in The Netherlands — or using it to generate electricity. Water can be stored, but there's no realistic way to store large quantities of electric power."

Again Anna grinned and then continued, "But it gets even better ... for Bohemia and Bohemians. You see, Bohemia is going to have the lowest cost — and hence, the lowest priced — electric power in Europe.

"Putting the two programs together — lower motor fuel taxes, and lower-cost electric power — Bohemia will have the lowest-cost energy in all of Europe! And the difference between our costs and those of the rest of Europe will be substantial. And remember: the cost of energy is imbedded in absolutely everything we buy or use.

"Many years ago in America the American Trucking Association ran a series of ads that headlined, 'If you have it, a truck brought it." That statement is at least as true today as when it was first made. With our rock-bottom energy costs, Bohemia is going to be Europe's low-cost producer of a wide variety of goods and services.

"Hooray for us!"

Anna stepped back and then there was cheering that just increased in volume as more of the people had a chance to reflect on what they had just learned.

Returning to the mic, Karla said, "You've heard from our Domestic Princess; now let's hear from our Foreign Affairs Princess. Maria, you're on."

Maria Campbell moved forward and adjusted the mic. "Folks, my sister Anna has just described how Bohemia is going to go its own way domestically. Well, I guess we're going to be doing the same thing in foreign affairs, as Her Majesty has already indicated.

"While most of Europe is moving in the direction of European Union, we're going in the direction of our own independence. I guess we're going to largely model ourselves on Switzerland and go our own way. Why? Because while we want more freedom for our people, the EU moves toward greater and greater control. Should we really care about the degree of bend in a banana? I sure don't, but believe it or not, the EU does — or at least some EU bureaucrats do.

"Then there's the European Court moving steadily toward less freedom of speech and more control. It's becoming a criminal act to hurt someone's feelings." Maria shook her head. "I'm sorry. I cannot be a party to subjective offenses.

"If someone is physically harmed, that's an objective fact. But if someone claims to have her feelings hurt, how can one defend against it? And more to the point, how can someone be confident in advance that he or she will not hurt someone's feelings? I'm sorry. It just cannot be done. Finally, as the Queen indicated, where national defense is concerned, we cannot, as a nation, rely on the good will and good wishes of the rest of the world. We've been overrun too many times to believe it. Thank you."

-------

"Well, there you have it, folks," Joyce Johnson declared. "Queen Karla is starting her reign with a bang. This is going to be fascinating to watch because she has set her nation on a course that's the exact antithesis of the direction of the European Union.

"Jack, your thoughts?"

"You nailed it, Joyce," Jack responded. "I think she's setting Bohemia up to be the Mall of Europe. Let's face it: with value-added taxes amounting to 15 percent or more, with no VAT Bohemia has an automatic price advantage over the rest of Europe.

"And we've seen often enough how top musicians, for example, relocate to Switzerland duck the confiscatory income taxes that prevail so commonly elsewhere in Europe. And Bohemia will have a huge edge over every other country.

"It's going to be very interesting."

-------

The Pope had been watching the proceedings on TV in the palace library. When the proceedings concluded, he looked up and found himself looking at the Conroys.

"You can only be the Conroys," the Pope declared. There's no other family with a mother and daughter who are identical twins." He grinned and added, "I was warned about you folks by The Boss."

Indeed, Hank and Samantha both appeared to be 19; Kathy at 16 was very close. In addition, though, Tom and Bobbie Conroy were present as was Jack Martin. Kathy Carlson Conroy was carrying the Conroy's youngest, William, who was only a few months old.

The Pope noticed that the Conroy's 3-year-old, Susan, was hugging a teddy bear and he asked her about it. Moving closer, Susan said, "I got it last night after talking to God. I asked him to keep me safe and protect my family. He gave me a kiss and this teddy bear. Is that okay?" Then she smiled and added, "My name is Susan Conroy and I'm three years old."

The Pope felt a lump in his throat. And looking into the little girl's brilliant blue eyes was truly like seeing beyond the Gates of Paradise. "Susan, you could not be safer in this world or any other than with the protection of Almighty God."

At that point, Hank went to her knees and asked the Pope for his blessing.

Rising from his chair, the Pope slowly shook his head and extended his hands to help Hank back on her feet. "I'm sorry, Hank Conroy, but I can't. Your family — all of its members — have been uniquely blessed by God. There's nothing I can add, except to ask for you to bless me."

Then the Pope shook his head and added, "Of course, I really must agree with The Boss: your name, Henrietta, does have a marvelous 19th century ring to it."

"Did He tell you what I told Him? Just one more crack about being Henrietta and I'm going to stop having kids ... permanently!"


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The End
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Posted:  2003-05-19
Last Modified: 2012-04-24 / 07:56:41 pm
Version: 1.30
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