index


Message-ID: <48662asstr$1091272204@assm.asstr-mirror.org>
From: Vulgar Argot <vulgarargotREMOVEALL@CAPSinsidejoke.tv>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Subject: {ASSM} The Secrets of Kings (tags at bottom to avoid spoilerage)
Lines: 1439
Date: Sat, 31 Jul 2004 07:10:04 -0400
Path: assm.asstr-mirror.org!not-for-mail
Approved: <assm@asstr-mirror.org>
Newsgroups: alt.sex.stories.moderated,alt.sex.stories
Followup-To: alt.sex.stories.d

The Secrets of Kings, Chapter 3
by Vulgar Argot
(tags at bottom to avoid spoilerage)

"What do you mean you can't?" Thule asked.

Benton Bragg glowered at him. Despite the fact that Thule was Bragg's
boss, the man always seemed to be a half-step away from bursting into
a fit of rage and thrashing him. Bragg had left the police force after
fifteen years with a partial pension to work for the previous owner of
Bonderman Investigations, but his confidence clearly did not extend to
the current one.

"I can explain either word if you like," said Bragg. "Or both in
conjunction if that's where your lack of comprehension stems from."

"I mean, 'Why can't you?'" asked Thule evenly. He refused to rise to
the older man's bait.

"Every agent I have is booked solid," said Bragg. "More than booked
solid, in fact. I've been telling you for three weeks that I need more
people. We have the Logan Airport matter, the background checks for
Stryker, the Tarr hand-off, the Atech-Terra case, and Colby Ballistics
matter..."

"Point noted," said Thule. "How many more people do you need?"

Bragg paused and looked at him, "What?"

"How many more people do you need? Bonderman Investigations is a great
business. Now that it's being integrated into RSS, the synergy is
solid. Some of these cases you're working on have the potential to be
extended for decades if you do well. I can't have you hobbled because
you can't get enough people. So, how many do you need?"

"Err," Bragg seemed to be calculating. "Twelve more investigators,
three more office support people, and an administrator. And, I could
use an assistant."

"And, with that, you'll be able to take the Medeforte case?"

"No," said Bragg, more patiently this time. "That would be just to
stop paying so much goddamned overtime. As it is, it would stretch
support services and administration damned near the breaking point. I
don't have the infrastructure for another case. Period."

Thule rubbed his temples, "What would you need to handle it?"

Bragg shook his head, "I would have to restructure our organization.
It would take at least three months to get that done. Then, maybe I
could take another case."

Thule sighed, "Besides the fact that this is a lot of money, I have a
personal interest in this case. What do you recommend I do so that we
can take this case?"

"Did the contract stipulate that the work needed to be done by a
licensed private investigator?"

"I don't..." Thule started to say.

"No," said Dawn. "There was no such stipulation. Legal specified that
in the abstract."

"There's your answer, then," said Bragg. "Use some of those spooks
you've got working at RSS."

"Those spooks, as you put it, are pretty busy right now," said Thule.

Bragg shrugged, "Then do it yourself, I guess. The point is that you
can get anyone to do the footwork. Just make sure they have guidance
from someone who understands investigative procedure."

                                          -=-
                                          
"So," said Vil Umanski as he lined up a putt. "You did not fly an old
man to Boston just for a few rounds of golf."

Dawn crouched down to line up her own shot, "How is retirement
treating you, Grandpa Vanya?"

Thule watched his former nemesis's eyes. As Dawn crouched down, the
old man glanced down at her cleavage appreciatively. Thule resisted
the urge to chuckle. It was a sight that he'd admired many times
himself although he'd seen far more of Dawn in the past. He was glad
to see that Umanski had some human motivations. From time to time,
he'd felt like he was intellectually jousting with a snake.

"It is getting warmer," said Umanski. "I am getting more time to play
golf."

"And is that satisfying?" asked Jake. Thule thought it too unsubtle a
question to ask the old Russian. But, Umanski answered.

"I miss working," said Umanski. "It kept me young. Being a stool
pigeon is not nearly so satisfying."

"Interesting you should say that," said Thule, not one to miss such a
golden opportunity. "We have a project that could use your expertise."

Umanski noted with a nod of his head that he was willing to listen.
Thule explained their situation. When he was finished, Umanski looked
thoughtful.

"Da," he said finally. "This sounds like just what I need. You will
perhaps do me some small favor in return?"

Thule braced himself and asked as casually as he could manage, "What
sort of favor?"

"I am getting married at the beginning of July," said Umanski. "And I
would like to borrow your young ladies."

Before Thule could answer, Dawn smiled, "Grandpa Vanya, I'm flattered.
But, I don't do bachelor parties."

Umanski smiled down at her, "Now, that is truly a pity. However, what
I need you for is nothing so savory. My wife-to-be is moving here from
Georgia and has asked me to provide...bridesmaids."

Dawn frowned, "On second thought, the bachelor party thing might be
negotiable."

"I would consider it a great favor," said Umanski.

"Am I going to have to wear pink?" asked Dawn.

"The dresses are being negotiated," said Umanski. "Currently, my
Sabina is suggesting seafoam. But, I think it is just a bargaining
ploy."

                                          -=-
                                          
"What's next?" asked Dawn. They were getting into Thule's car in the
parking lot of the golf course.

"Schedule's clear," said Thule.

Dawn pantomimed cleaning out her ear with her finger, "Say again?"

"Schedule's clear until tomorrow morning," said Thule.

"But, it's only 3 p.m." said Dawn. "And we just played golf for two
hours."

"Yeah," said Thule. "But, it's Sunday. Even God rested on Sunday."

Dawn peered up at him, blinking a little too innocently, "And, is rest
what you have in mind?"

Thule wouldn't have admitted it if he were being tortured with hot
pokers, but that had been exactly what he'd had in mind a moment
earlier. Instead, he said, "Actually, I was thinking about a bath."

"Oh, yeah?" asked Dawn.

Thule nodded, "Have you seen the tub I have at home?" When Dawn shook
her head, he said, "Big, square one, more like a small indoor pool
with powerful jets and room for three at least."

Dawn stretched and smiled, "Did you have a third in mind?"

"Well," said Thule. "When the thought first occurred to me, that would
have been Marigold."

Dawn scowled, "I can't believe that bitch stood us up and stayed in
Africa. Europe I could understand maybe. But, Africa?" Despite the
words, there was no real anger or malice in her voice.

Thule chuckled, "She has to figure out what she's doing with herself.
I don't know how much more the world can take of Marigold Tarr at
loose ends."

For a while, neither of them spoke. Then, Dawn said, "Thule, I think
she stayed because she's seeing one of the other students working on
the program."

Thule sighed, but nodded, "I think you're right, wildcat."

"What are we going to do if she leaves us?"

Thule didn't answer immediately. When he did, he said, "If she is
seeing someone new, it doesn't mean she's leaving us. You were seeing
Scott for more than half a year and you still came back."

Dawn nodded, "That's true. But, what if she does? What does that mean
for us?"

Thule reached over and stroked her hair, "I love you, wildcat.
Whatever happens between me and Marigold or you and Marigold or you
and Scott, that hasn't changed. I want to be with you. That hasn't
changed either."

"I love you too, Thule." She leaned in and kissed his hand. "And I've
waited to be with you far too long as it is."

                               -=-
                               
Watching Dawn undress for the bath reminded Thule that he hadn't been
with a woman since Marigold left for Africa right before Christmas. It
wasn't really a thought that has crossed his mind very often. Far more
common was the thought, usually in the few minutes between his head
hitting the pillow and sleep overtaking him, that he missed having a
girlfriend.

Lowering himself into the water, he forced himself to relax. Kale was
back in New York trying to get results through official channels.
Anders had gone with him to facilitate the process. Vil Umanski was
arranging to move into the apartment RSS had provided for his use.
Ioke was still missing, but there wasn't any forward progress to be
made on that front. There were dozens of things he could be doing for
the business, but there always were. Four years of plotting revenge at
Mannsborough High had taught him something about patience, but not as
much as it could have.

Dawn seemed to like being watched and prolonged the strip-tease. Thule
sat back in the pool, watching as she untucked the green polo shirt
she'd worn to the golf course, crossed her arms, and lifted it over
her head. As she did it, her hips began to rock back and forth as if
dancing to music only she could hear. 

Thule leaned back in the tub, "Are you sure you don't do bachelor
parties?"

Dawn grinned, "Not normally. But, if you ask real nice, I might do
yours."

Thule frowned momentarily, but forced the expression off his face as
soon as it formed. Any of the quips he considered would bring up an
ugly and heretofore undiscussed dilemma. Since Dawn had entered the
picture, he and Marigold hadn't discussed marriage much. The one time
they had, Marigold dismissed the discussion by telling Thule,
"Sweetheart, I thought about marriage much too soon. I don't want to
think about it again at least until I'm out of college. Let's not go
looking for problems."

Thule hadn't known what he thought about the matter at the time. He
still didn't know what he thought. So, it was better not to bring it
up.

Deep in thought, Thule really wasn't paying attention to the strip
tease. Looking up again, he saw that Dawn had stripped out of her bra
and was now standing, hand on her hip, glaring at him.

"Am I boring you?"

Thule shook his head and gave his best rakish grin, "No. I was just
deep in thought as to what I'm going to do to you when I get you in
this tub."

"Oh?" asked Dawn, unbuttoning her white pants. "And what were you
thinking."

Thule looked up, "I'd rather not say it out loud. Sometimes, the sound
from this room carries through the pipes."

Dawn pouted, "Tell me."

Thule sighed, "All right. Come here, so I don't have to shout."

Dawn took a step towards the tub. Thule leaned forward and whispered,
"I'd like to....your..."

"What?" asked Dawn.

Thule crooked a finger at her. She leaned forward to hear. As soon as
she was close enough, he leapt up, dragging her into the tub. He made
sure to pull her clear of the edge, landing her safely in the deep
center of the pool. But, you wouldn't have known it from her squeal.
She clawed at Thule's neck, wrapping herself around him like she was
drowning. She opened her mouth to protest, but Thule covered it with a
kiss. She dug her claws into his back and bit Thule's lip, but not
hard enough to make him stop kissing her.

When he finally broke the kiss to breathe, Dawn said, "You bastard."
But, she was out of breath and smiling.

Thule lowered his head to her breast, kissing it. Dawn shivered.

"You," she growled, "didn't let me finish my striptease."

Thule reached down to help her out of her pants. Skin-tight even when
dry, they proved to be something of a challenge, "I don't like being
teased."

"Thule," Dawn gasped. "Before you get me all naked, are we about to
have a security detachment in here to see what I screamed about?"

Thule shook his head, "You didn't scream so much as shriek. And, no.
You're not about to be saved. Nobody outside of this wing of the house
would hear you if you screamed yourself hoarse."

Dawn was kissing one side of his neck and slapped his other shoulder.
Sitting back, she said, "Do you enjoy tricking me that much? I promise
you. It's not really that much of a sport."

Thule managed to get her pants off. He deposited them on the side of
the pool with a wet slap. Wrapping one arm around the back of her
neck, he pressed his forehead to Dawn's, "Maybe I need to interrogate
you again."

Dawn got a resolute look on her face, "I won't talk. You get name,
rank, serial number, and what a bastard you are for playing tricks on
your dumb girlfriend." She smiled a little to take the sting out of
her words, but Thule got the message. Sliding off her thong, he pulled
Dawn into his lap, resting himself on the wide shelf that went around
the edge of the pool underwater.

Reaching over the edge for a bar of soap, he dipped it in the water
and slid it experimentally up her spine. Dawn wriggled, "Not the
frou-frou soap. You monster."

Thule slid it around to her belly, "It's French-milled."

Dawn gasped, "Have you no soul?"

"No," said Thule. "I will break you."

They played, washing each other slowly with lots of kissing and
giggling as they went. Finally, Dawn said, "All right. I'll confess my
deepest secret."

Thule held her by the waist, "Confess."

"I love you, Thule," she said. "And I need you inside me now."

She rose to take him inside her, but Thule held her waist firm. She
looked down.

"Come here," he said, releasing her and swimming to the other side of
the pool.

"Better light?" Dawn asked, following him.

"No," said Thule. He lifted one of the terracotta-colored tiles,
revealing a recessed well underneath. Dipping two fingers into the
well, he brought them out coated in a golden oil. Sliding his fingers
under the water, he teased those two fingers into Dawn.

"God, Thule." she whispered. "That feels good. But, I really don't
need it. I'm already pretty worked up."

Thule shook his head, "Learn from my mistakes. Water is not a sexual
lubricant and it tends to wash away the natural ones."

Dawn spread her legs wider for him, rocking back and forth on his
fingers. Kissing his forehead, she said, "I thought you told me you
were a virgin."

Thule chuckled, "In my left ear, maybe."

Dawn lifted herself up, wrapping her arms around Thule's neck again,
and snaked her tongue into the orifice he'd just mentioned.

Thule growled at her, "You have sullied my honor. For that, you must
pay." Sliding his fingers out of the way, he took his cock in hand and
guided it up into her. Dawn wrapped her legs around his waist, taking
him all the way in.

They made love slowly and deliberately. When Dawn tried to change the
tempo, Thule locked her hips in place and hissed, "Not yet. For the
first time in weeks, there's nothing for me to rush off to, so I
intend to take my time."

Dawn didn't protest. When they finally increased their tempo, it was
gradual. When Dawn went over the edge into climax, she leaned back,
hanging onto Thule's neck, and howled her pleasure as loudly as she
could. Thule looked up at her, surprised.

"Just testing your theory," said Dawn. "If you're wrong, security will
be here any minute."

Thule drove her down harder on his hips, rising up to bury himself
completely inside of her, "We'd better give them a good show, then."

Dawn wrapped herself around him, pressing her whole body against
Thule's now. For a while, the only sounds were the slap of water
against the walls of the tub, their breathing, and Dawn's more
modulated pleasure noises. When Thule came inside of her, he growled
like a wild animal, earning himself a fierce kiss on the mouth, Dawn's
hands pressed into the back of his head.

Afterwards, Dawn lay with her head pressed against Thule's chest, her
breathing still ragged in his ear. He held her, letting the jets
buffet them both, but not moving.

"Thule?" she asked.

"Yes, Dawn?"

"Did you put a lube pit in your bathroom?"

Thule shook his head, "It came with the house."

Dawn raised her head, "What sort of pervs lived here before us?"

Thule laughed, "I wondered the same thing. I suspect that it was
originally designed for warming shampoo or maybe hot oil treatments
for the hair."

Dawn laughed, "I think you've found a much better use for it."

Thule kissed her. Dawn looked him in the eyes, "Thule?"

"Yes, Dawn?"

"If Marigold does leave us, do you want to get another girlfriend?
Because I really liked having one."

Thule kissed her neck, "Don't speak of it in the past tense. Even if
she did find someone in Africa, she may break up with me and keep
you."

"How do you know it isn't a girl she found?" Dawn asked.

"Because I think I know who it is," said Thule. "I can't remember the
last time I talked to her that she didn't mention Alan Hall."

"You didn't answer my question," said Dawn.

"I hadn't really thought about it," said Thule. "Marigold told me I
should find someone to keep me company when she left for Africa. I
don't think she fully appreciated how little time I had."

"So, no little flings for Thule?"

Thule laughed, "Not even a wink and a nod. Besides, I'm not really a
'fling' guy."

"You didn't sleep with Lin?"

Thule shook his head, "We collapsed next to each other during finals
after Frank gave her my bed. But, we were dead to the world. It may
have been the least sexual sharing of a bed ever recorded."

"Well," said Dawn, smiling. "That's no way to start a harem."

"She did ask me out, though," Thule said.

"That bitch," Dawn sounded genuinely indignant.

"She didn't know about you yet."

"Oh," said Dawn. "That's different."

"She knew about Marigold, though."

"Okay," said Dawn. "I think I want to scratch her eyes out again, but
I'm not sure and I can't take the back and forth. Does she like
girls?"

Thule laughed, "I have no idea. I think you would have to ask her."

Dawn sat up, "Seriously? What if the answer is yes?"

Thule shrugged, "I think that's between you and Marigold."

"You like the idea, though."

"Why do you say that?"

Dawn's grin was downright perverse, "Because you're still inside of
me. And, you're getting hard again."

Thule shifted a little, rubbing up inside of her, "Those two facts
have more in common with each other than with the conversation."

Dawn laughed, hugging him hard, "Flatterer."

                               -=-
                               
They might have lay in bed all evening, cuddling and talking, if
Dawn's stomach hadn't grumbled rather emphatically just as the sun was
going down.

"Hungry?" Thule asked.

"Famished," said Dawn.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"I was enjoying the moment," said Dawn. "Who knows when I'll get to
lie in bed with you for a couple of hours and just talk again?"

Thule kissed the top of her head, "There will be plenty of chances.
This week, I'm taking it easy. Starting next week, I'm testifying in
Randy's trial. I'll have a one or two hour status meeting every night
after testimony, but should be done by eight at the latest. It will
give us plenty of time for dinner and..." he smirked, "relaxation."

"Dinner at eight?" asked Dawn. "Haven't you become citified?" She
kissed him, "Well, I guess I'll have to become citified too--the
things we do for love."

Thule rose and went looking for some clothes, "Would you rather eat in
the private dining room or the main one?"

"We have two dining rooms?" Dawn asked.

"Three if you count the one in the office wing, although it's more of
a server room than a dining room at the moment."

Dawn slid out of bed, "Do you ever get lost here?"

Thule nodded, "Not so much anymore. But, I spent a lot of time getting
the layout of this place. If you ever get lost, just get on the
intercom and the operator will tell you where you're calling from."

"We have an operator?" asked Dawn.

"Actually," said Thule, "it's answered by whoever is in the main room
of the servant's house."

Dawn looked at him, alarmed, "We have enough servants that they have
their own house?"

Thule nodded, "If it were just me here, no satellite office, no
Marigold, I would close down all but this wing and make do with one or
two. But, Jonas hired them so that the house would be ready for
Marigold to enter Boston society when she was ready to do so."

"What does that mean?" Dawn asked.

"I don't know," said Thule. "It's some sort of rich person thing that
I just nod and pretend to understand."

"So," asked Dawn. "Who uses the main dining room?"

Thule pulled on a pair of jeans, "Marigold and I and now you have use
of the private dining room. When it was just me, I didn't use it much.
Everyone else uses the main dining room--employees, friends,
freeloaders."

"Household staff?" asked Dawn.

Thule looked up, buttoning a light-blue dress shirt, "Actually, we
have a fourth dining room--in the servant house. I invited household
staff to join us in the main one, but most of them seem too freaked
out by the idea to do so."

Dawn nodded, "This is going to take some getting used to. Even living
with Jonas and Holly, we only had a couple of people working in the
main house and none in Randy's, where I stayed--unless you count the
cleaning lady who came three times a week."

"Let's go to the main dining room if that's all right," said Dawn.
"I'm feeling sort of social."

                               -=-
                               
When they entered the dining room, Anne and Helene were holding an
animated conversation at one end of the table. Lin sat at the middle
of the table reading a magazine. Dawn sat down across from Lin waving
Thule to a chair on her own right-hand side.

Lin didn't look up until a maid appeared at Thule's elbow to explain
what was available in the kitchen and, for Dawn's sake, that the cook
would be happy to make something else if she would prefer.

"Oh," said Lin. "I didn't mean to be rude. I was just wrapped up in my
reading?"

"Anything interesting?" asked Dawn.

Lin held up the magazine, showing them the cover. It was, "The Journal
of the American Institute of Finance." Her smile was apologetic,
"Selectively interesting to a very specialized group of people."

Thule shuddered, "I'll say. Even when I thought I was going to be a
mathematician, it was pretty dry."

Lin nodded, "I've got an article in it this month, but I'm inclined to
agree."

Thule laughed, "And now, high school students around the world can
hate you, too."

Lin waved a hand, "I'm used to it. I published my first peer-reviewed
article in the tenth grade."

Thule raised an eyebrow, "I didn't publish mine until my junior year."

Lin chuckled, "Don't give me the stinkeye. I still hate you for it.
Fourteen is much too young to be introduced to the concept of 'publish
or perish.'"

Thule frowned, "You were fourteen in your sophomore year? That means
you're seventeen now?"

"Sixteen," said Lin. "I skipped the sixth, eighth, and twelfth
grades."

Dawn seemed amused by the turn the conversation had taken. Turning,
she asked, "Thule, how come you never skipped any grades?"

Thule laughed at the obvious goad, "If it was ever an option, it
wasn't offered. If it had been, I don't know if I would have accepted.
I had things to accomplish."

"Yeah," said Lin. "I heard something about that. What was that all
about?"

Thule grunted, "You're going to have to narrow down the question a
little. Jake and I managed to get a whole book out of it."

Dawn laughed next to him, "And nearly half of it is true."

"Every word of it is true," said Thule. "We just omitted certain
inconvenient details."

"I'm barely in it," said Dawn indignantly.

"As I said..."

Dawn punched Thule on the shoulder, "Hah. I knew that's all I was to
you."

"You were in it plenty," said Thule. "We even gave you all the best
lines. You were the perfect plucky sidekick."

Dawn tilted her head back, "Well, that part is all true."

Thule leaned down and kissed Dawn. Without even turning to look at
Lin, he asked her, "So, how do you know Sean Medeforte?"

"Well," said Lin. "He calls me his 'special project.' I wrote an
article for the JAIF that he used to structure a big financing deal in
Brazil."

"Did he try to recruit you?" Thule asked.

"For his harem?" asked Lin. "No. He doesn't recruit Americans under
eighteen. He apologized for that, incidentally. He offered me a
contract to do some modeling work for him while I'm at school."

"Modeling?" Dawn shivered, "That seems a bit...creepy."

Lin glowered at Dawn for a second before saying,
"Financial...modeling."

"Oh," said Dawn, lowering her head and blushing.

"Besides," said Lin. "I'm not pretty enough to work for him on that
level. I look all right, but those girls are world-class."

Dawn nodded, "I know. They're kind of intimidating. Speaking of which,
don't we have a meeting with Melinda tomorrow?"

Thule rubbed his temples, "I have a meeting before lunch with her.
Apparently being at my disposal doesn't really mean that. She's still
doing a lot of work for Medeforte. It was kind of a scheduling
nightmare. I'm not sure how much help she's really going to be."

Surprisingly, Dawn seemed to take this in stride, "All right."

"So," asked Thule. "How's the apartment search going?"

"Kind of tough," said Lin. "The age thing keeps getting in the way. I
really appreciate you letting me stay here as long as you have."

"How did you wind up having no housing, anyway?" asked Thule.

"It's a family thing," said Lin. "My parents really didn't want me to
go to MIT. They thought it would be too hard and weren't going to pay
for it. So, my grandfather is." She frowned, "I'm trying to take as
little of his money as possible. I had an offer to stay with a couple
of friends off campus this semester, but it turned out to be too far
away from campus."

Dawn leaned in, "You can't go back there now that classes are over?"

Lin shook her head, "Besides being too far away, it wasn't a good
scene. I was staying with a friend and her boyfriend. Every time she
was out of the apartment, he was trying to get into my pants. I tried
to approach the subject, but it was clear to me that she wasn't going
to take it well. So, I started moving around."

"That's awful," said Dawn, scowling. "Thule, why can't she stay here?
This place is huge."

Thule resisted the urge to sigh, "I didn't say she couldn't. She never
asked."

Lin lowered her head a little, hair falling in her face, "Could I?"

"Could she, Thule?"

Thule turned to Dawn, "Why are you asking me? This is Jonas's house.
You live here as much as I do."

"Well, do you have any objections?"

"If I did," said Thule, "this would be a hell of a time to bring them
up. As a matter of fact, this conversation is starting to sound very
familiar. Isn't this how Marigold moved you into my house?"

Dawn smiled, "And, you see how well that turned out." Then, she turned
to Lin, "You have to forgive me. Sometimes, I get overly impulsive.
Could you excuse us for a minute?"

Thule shook his head, "Stay and finish your dinner. I have no
objections."

"I'll try and stay out of the way," Lin offered.

"Pay no attention to the gruff act," said Dawn, rubbing the top of
Thule's head. "He's a big kitty cat."

Thule glared at her without moving his head, "What did I tell you
about that?"

"Ten second limit for ugly girls?" asked Dawn.

Thule shook his head.

"Work with the grain?"

Thule just glared at her.

"Oh," said Dawn. "Don't tell people you're not really scary."

Thule nodded, "Nobody likes to watch the magician put the doves up his
sleeve." He turned to Lin, "You are welcome in our home. From the
limited amount of time we've spent together, you seem like pleasant
enough company. The room you're in is in the guest wing also known as
the business wing at the moment. Feel free to use the pool, the gym,
any of the common areas. Dawn and I and the girlfriend formerly known
as Marigold live in the residential wing. If you want to visit us,
call first. The guards have orders to shoot on sight otherwise. I'm
almost never around and awake, but it will be good for Dawn to have
someone her own age to play with." Thule fought the urge to wince at
his own choice of words, "Do you have any questions?"

"You have a pool?" asked Lin just as Dawn asked, "We have a gym?"

Thule turned to Lin, "Yes." Then, he turned to Dawn, "We set up some
equipment in the basement. It turned out to be very popular. So, we
added more equipment. It's spiraled a little since then. Yoga classes
are on Saturday."

"You're kidding," said Dawn.

Thule gave her a half smile, "Actually, that was a joke. But, it's an
impressive setup down there. It wouldn't be beyond the realm of
possibility."

"I can't believe this place is real," said Lin. "Are you sure I can
stay here? What's the hitch?"

"I didn't have one planned," said Thule. "Would you like one?"

Lin seemed to be considering it for a while. Dawn looked like she was
about to say something outrageous, but Thule kicked her under the
table. Finally, Lin said, "Maybe I could work for my keep. Can you use
a mathematician around here?"

Thule nodded a little more emphatically than he meant to, "Definitely.
Can you program?"

"FORTRAN and some C++," said Lin. "I might need to get up to speed,
though. It's been a while."

"Fair enough," said Thule. "If you want to work for room and board,
you're perfect. We can't afford to hire anybody else for a while."

"That was his excuse to me, too," said Dawn.

"Room and board is fine," said Lin.

"This was originally going to be a much smaller firm," said Thule. "It
was based around some software I wrote when in high school. One of the
products has about 800 tickets against it and nobody else has been
able to make sense of the math. If you can make progress on it, you
can stay here for as long as you like."

"What's the math?"

"Bayesian analysis and fuzzy logic mostly," said Thule. "Partial sums
of infinite series. None of it is rocket science."

"Guys," said Dawn. "I'm trying to eat here. Could you make me feel
stupid later?"

"Sorry," said Thule. "It's just shop talk. I forget how boring it is
to everyone else sometimes."

"So," asked Lin. "Is the gym open now?"

"It's not that kind of gym," said Thule. "Like I said, it's just a lot
of equipment in the basement. It's always open. I was actually
planning on changing, finding Jake to spot me, and heading down."

"Great," said Dawn. "Then, we can all head down there."

                               -=-
                               
Jake turned out to already be in the basement doing warm-up exercises
with Matika. He stopped to smile and wave at them as they walked in.

Dawn looked around. This part of the basement was just smaller than a
football field. The gym equipment took up about a third of it, "Jesus,
Thule. Are we opening our own health club?"

"Not deliberately," said Thule. "But, it would probably make sense. We
were looking at the possibility of adding health club membership to
our employee benefits package earlier this year and found out that it
would be way too popular. Something like 80% of RSS's employees work
out two or more times a week."

"Sounds like an easy cost-benefit analysis," said Lin.

Thule nodded, "It's on my very long list of things to look into when I
have time."

Dawn frowned, "Why would you need to handle that personally?"

"I need to sign off on all changes to the benefits package," said
Thule. "There are some legal and liability issues if I don't. Anne
explained it at one point, but I'm a bit hazy on the details."

"But, would you need to do the analysis by yourself?" asked Dawn.

"I..."

"She's got you there," said Matika, coming up behind him.

"I don't have to do it," said Thule. "I probably won't. But, nobody
who can do it is going to be free for a while. All our finance people
are backed up--just like everybody else."

"What about Lin?" asked Dawn. "Aren't you doing work in finance?"

"Sure," said Lin. "And I could do it. But, that sort of CBA is pretty
straightforward. You don't really need a skilled finance person for
more than the first couple of days. After that, anyone with a
spreadsheet could do it."

"Could I do it?" asked Dawn.

"Sure," said Lin. "I could show you how."

Thule looked over at Jake, who seemed amused by the conversation. He
found the reaction puzzling. For the most part, he considered this
stuff dull, but necessary. To Jake, he said, "Once I warm up, can you
spot me?"

"Sure," said Jake. "I was just working out with Matika because Helene
stood her up."

"I didn't stand her up," called Helene, her voice echoing across the
wide open space. "I just needed to go over some last minute precedents
with Anne. But, them's fighting words. I hope you're ready to spar."

Matika waved her over, her face a perfect imitation of belligerence,
"Bring it on, blondie."

Thule chuckled. In early spring, he'd noticed Matika and Helene both
sporting some fairly spectacular bruises. He'd asked Anders about it
and gotten the response, "Matika's always been a little crazy. And,
from what I've seen, Helene's no better. Now that they don't have the
Vandevoorts to chase around, they've been using martial arts as an
outlet. Just don't go down and watch them. It's nerve-wracking."

Thule had, of course, been immediately intrigued. The reason he had so
much equipment was that, just as he realized that there was a huge
waiting list to use the few pieces he'd bought for his own and
Marigold's use, Anders had stumbled across a deal to pick up nearly a
full gym's worth of gear at a bankruptcy sale. That had included a
regulation Golden Glove boxing ring, which Helene and Matika headed
off to now. Unfortunately, it was just far enough away from where they
were setting up to work out that he could hear them once they got in
the ring, but couldn't see them.

While Thule had been watching the two former agents head off, he'd
been dimly aware of Dawn and Lin talking in the background. Now, he
heard Lin exclaim, "Jesus. I would kill for a stomach like yours."

He glanced over. Dawn had just stripped down to sweat pants and sports
bra. As he'd noticed earlier, Dawn must had spent a fair chunk of the
previous school year working out because she was consistently more
toned than she'd been. But, Lin was right. Her abs really had become a
marvel to behold.

But, what Thule particularly noticed now was that Dawn was beaming.
Ever since Dawn had commented on feeling stupid, Lin had been working
hard to smooth over any potential hard feelings. Thule allowed himself
a small smile of approval. Public impressions to the contrary, MIT
students ran the gamut in terms of social awareness for their age with
maybe a slight overrepresentation of the Frank Rose type, but not
overwhelmingly so. Considering how young Lin was, Thule was relieved
by her maturity.

Lin poked her own flat stomach, "I haven't been able to work out much
at all since I started my diaspora. I think I'm starting to get
spongy."

Dawn shook her head, "You look fine."

Lin frowned, "I don't feel fine. Could you show me what you do for
your abs?"

"Sure," said Dawn, taking Lin by the hand and practically bouncing
away.

Thule turned to Jake after they were out of earshot, "What is so
damned funny?"

Jake chuckled, "You just surround yourself with the strangest people.
Teenage girls are supposed to bond over talking about boys or sharing
clothes, not 'Oh. I can help you with that cost-benefit analysis.'"

Thule smiled as he lay down on the weight bench, "It's gotten so I
don't even think about it. I'm just glad they're bonding. It seemed a
little dicey there for a while."

"Careful, boss," said Jake, adding free weights to the bar. "She's
only sixteen."

"That..." Thule glared at him. "...was just about the farthest thing
from my mind. The last thing I need is another girlfriend. I meant
that I think Dawn is feeling a little intimidated by all the smart
people around here."

"And you figured that I, being dumb, would be able to relate?" Jake
asked.

Thule snorted, "Hardly. It's just that you've known her forever. I
thought you might have some insight."

"To tell the truth," said Jake. "I'm kind of intimidated myself. I
mean, I know I'm not stupid, but I feel stupid around you big brains
at least once a week. And, we do put a lot of focus on intelligent
solutions here. I think that puts a lot of the guys in physical
security off. At least, I hear a lot of grumbling."

Thule grunted, locking his hands on the weight bar and lifting it free
of its braces. After a couple of reps, he said, "So, what do I do to
fix something like that."

Jake shrugged, "I don't know if you can. I want to say that you should
make them feel appreciated, but that sounds like I'm advocating some
kind of phony corporate bullshit where you give them all key chains
with our logo or something."

"All right," said Thule. "I'll think on it. But, if you come up with
anything, let me know."

"Do you want me to talk to Dawn?" Jake asked.

Thule tried to consider the question from all the angles. He knew that
Dawn had a crush on Jake going back to when she was about twelve. Jake
had gone through a fairly amicable divorce shortly before Christmas
and, if he'd had any involvement with women since then, he'd kept it
fairly quiet. As much as he loved Dawn and Marigold, the arrangement
he'd somewhat trepidatiously agreed to with the two of them allowed
all three to seek other romantic involvements. Dawn was Marigold's
first "other involvement," then Thule's. Since then, Dawn had become
briefly involved with Scott, a former classmate of theirs. Thule
recognized that the whole relationship ought to be a dream come true.
And, in all fairness, it generally was. But, it certainly complicated
day-to-day interactions.

"If you get the opportunity," Thule said. "But, don't force the issue.
Like you said, this is not the sort of thing that's going to be solved
with phony corporate bullshit."

                               -=-
                               
Thule didn't bother to set an alarm clock that night. This was his
week off, more or less. He had a noon meeting with Melinda and a
status meeting immediately afterward. But, otherwise, his day was
free.

When he opened his eyes the next morning, he was disturbed to see the
red block numbers on his alarm clock spell out "7:00." He'd woken up
exactly at the time his alarm would normally have gone off. Defiantly,
he closed his eyes again. He refused to become such a creature of
habit that he couldn't enjoying lounging in bed with a beautiful woman
wrapped around him.

Seemingly only an instant later, he felt Dawn sliding out of bed. He
glanced at the clock again. It read, "9:19." He smiled and stretched,
looking around the room for where he'd left his clothes.

Dawn stepped back into the room from the bathroom, "Now, that is a
sight to see."

Thule gave her a wolfish grin, "Likewise. Do you remember where we
left our clothes?"

Dawn nodded, "They're probably rolled up in the sheets at the bottom
of the bed."

Thule nodded, stretched across the bed and started to unroll the
sheets. Dawn climbed in behind him, wrapped her arms around his
stomach, and pressed herself into his back. Thule leaned back on his
haunches, stretching his back like a cat.

Dawn kissed him between the shoulders, then lower. Thule rolled on his
back, catching her in his arms, one hand tracing down her spine.

"Of course," he said, "clothes are overrated at times like this."

Dawn laughed, leaned down, and kissed him, "I'm starting to understand
why Marigold kept pushing me into your arms. You're a lot for one girl
to keep up with."

Thule chuckled, then growled at her, "Feed my appetites, woman."

Dawn smiled and kissed Thule's chest, one hand lingering on his thigh.
Before she could get any farther, the bedside phone rang.

"Shit," said Thule. He checked the caller ID. "I should take this.
It's Peter Fields with the Boston Herald. I owe him a big favor."

Dawn kissed his chest again, "A reprieve."

"Only momentary," growled Thule, picking up the phone while wrapping
his arm more firmly around Dawn's waist. "Don't go anywhere."

"Thule," he said into the phone.

"Peter Field, Boston Herald."

"Hello, Peter," said Thule. "What can I do for you this morning?"

"I was wondering if you could comment on the deal that the New York
District Attorney's office has cut with Randy Vandevoort."

Thule sat bolt upright, dislodging Dawn, "What?"

"You haven't heard?" asked Peter. "The DA called an 8 AM press
conference and announced that they've reached a deal with Randy
Vandevoort in return for testimony in a wide-ranging probe of illegal
activities undertaken by Ivan Vandevoort on behalf of Vandevoort
Industries. You've got to see the list of charges they're introducing
against Ivan. I figured you would be briefed by now."

"Actually," said Thule. "I just woke up. I haven't heard anything
yet."

"So," said Peter. "Care to comment?"

Thule grinned, "Nice try. But, you know I almost never comment on the
trial and certainly not without a full debriefing."

Peter chuckled, "Can't blame a guy for trying. If I were you, I would
be pretty pissed."

Thule rolled his eyes. Peter was shameless. He said, "I may feel the
need to comment on this one. If I do, I'll call you first, give you a
couple of hours before I release it to the public."

"Thanks, Thule," said Peter. "You're a pal."

Dawn looked at him, concerned, "What was that all about?"

"The New York DA's making a deal with Randy," said Thule. "I don't
know much more than that. I should really talk to Anne and Helene and
find out what's going on."

Dawn nodded, "Good idea."

Thule looked down at her, "I'm sorry about the timing."

"It's all right," said Dawn. "The thought of Randy getting out of jail
pretty much killed my libido anyway."

                               -=-
                               
It turned out that Anne and Helene had been ready to meet with Thule
as soon as the news was announced, but elected to let him sleep.

"There wasn't much you can do about it," said Helene. "And we're still
going over all the details."

Thule nodded, "You did the right thing. Now, catch me up."

"It's not as bad as we initially thought," said Anne. "The SCOTUS
decided a case on Friday that changed the terms under which crimes
committed as a juvenile can be tried under adult statutes. There was a
small possibility that they would have had to drop three quarters of
the case and focus on crimes committed after his eighteenth birthday.
That's what Helene and I were discussing last night at dinner. The DA
decided that he wasn't going to get the death penalty for Randy, so
he's focusing on getting it for Ivan."

"So, what does Randy get away with?" Thule asked grimly.

Helene looked at her notes, "He enters a plea of nolo contendere on
seven rape charges and two charges of conspiracy, including the June
Kane murder. The remaining charges are dropped. He gives a full
accounting of his activities and agrees to testify against his
confederates and Ivan. In return, he gets a guarantee of no death
penalty prosecution in New York State, which is the only state that
could have executed him. Instead, he gets two concurrent life
sentences from New York and still faces charges in New Jersey and
Connecticut. Presuming no other convictions, he would be eligible for
parole after twenty-five years."

Thule scowled as he considered the new information. He drummed his
fingers on the table. Finally, he said, "You're right. It's not as bad
as it could have been. But, it's still far from ideal. He should fry.
Anne, what are the legal repercussions if I make a public statement?"

"Limited," said Anne immediately. Thule raised an eyebrow at her. She
continued, "I assumed you would want to, so I did the analysis before
you came down. If there's not going to be a jury trial, there's no
risk of tainting the jury pool. Just try to stay on message about the
deal and not to talk about Ivan's trial."

Thule nodded, "I can do that. I should probably make a joint statement
with RAINN on this one. Opinions?"

Helene nodded, "It makes sense. They bring credibility. You bring
celebrity and a personal connection to the case. I'll set it up."

Thule sighed and stretched his shoulders, "Helene, have you finished
up with finals?"

Helene shook her head, "Law school is on a slightly different
schedule. We've got them all this week. Getting ready for them and the
trial has been rough." She yawned and stretched, "Of course, I haven't
been pulling your workload, but it's been tough nonetheless."

Thule nodded. Both Anne and Matika had taken the opportunity to tell
Thule that Helene had a bad case of hero worship for him. He could
hear it in her voice now. The hours he kept were one of the last
things he wanted to be idolized for, but he saw no way to address it.

Instead, he turned to Anne, "I never did find out what your grandson
Kyle went into the hospital for. Did that turn out all right?"

Anne smiled, "It turned out to be appendicitis. He's fine. He came
home the next day."

"Great," said Thule. "I'm glad to hear it."

Anne smiled at him, "He wants to meet you. Ever since he found out
that grandma works with Thule, he's been asking about you."

Thule frowned, but said, "Bring him in some day. I'll try not to
disappoint him too much."

Anne laughed, "You'd better get your tights and red cape dry cleaned,
then."

                               -=-
                               
Melinda had a way of frowning that did nothing to detract from how
pretty she was. It was an interesting trick, one that Thule had only
seen one other person pull off. That person had been Ioke and, until
now, he'd assumed it was a trick that was only possible with her
unique blend of Asian and Polynesian features. But, Melinda, blonde,
tall, and of Nordic descent, could not look more different than Ioke.

Her frown had the same effect on Thule, though. His gut was giving him
a powerful command, lent force by thousands of years of evolution:
Whatever it is that's making her frown, eliminate it now.

"You're not dedicating very many resources to this case," said
Melinda. She was sitting on a tall chair at the kitchen counter in her
suite dressed in a gray summer-weight suit that matched her
improbably-colored eyes. "I do hope you're taking it seriously."

Thule ignored his gut. This was business, "We're dedicating every
available resource. And, we're still in the very preliminary stages of
the investigation. If we need more people later, we'll arrange for
them."

Melinda nodded, "Good. Thule, would you rather do this over lunch? I
haven't eaten yet today."

For the first time, Thule thought he heard the faintest whisper of a
Southern accent in Melinda's speech. All three of Medeforte's women
he'd met seemed to have flawless traveler's accents. Somehow, it
immediately humanized her and put Thule at his ease, but not without
giving him the thought that it might have been deliberately done to
get him off guard.

"Now that you mention it, I haven't eaten either," said Thule. "I'm
afraid I woke to some bad news."

"About the trial?" asked Melinda. "I heard. How awful to think he
might get out one day."

Thule heard it again, "Melinda, where are you from?"

She smiled, "Charleston. Most people don't notice the accent."

"I didn't until this morning," said Thule. "It's very faint."

"Actually," she said in a voice that was pure mint juleps and
magnolias, "it's very strong. But, in the normal course of business,
you won't hear it at all. We do a lot of business for Mr. Medeforte in
parts of the world where it's hard enough to get any credibility at
all because I'm a woman. If I talked like this, it would just make
things harder. I took a lot of diction lessons when I got this job.
But, it's still nice to sound like myself once in a while. I do hope
the hotel restaurant will be satisfactory to you. I make it a point to
stay here for the food every time I'm in Boston. And, they serve
breakfast until two."

"That sounds fine," said Thule.

Melinda smiled and rose. As Thule turned to open the door to her
suite, she hooked her arm into the crook of his elbow and laid her
opposing hand on the outside of his arm. Thule looked down at her,
surprised. The smile she gave him radiated warmth and humor.

"I am a bit old fashioned," she said, continuing to use her native
accent. "A lady likes to make it clear that she is not unescorted."

Quite without conscious thought, Thule reached over and patted her
hand.

"Melinda," he said as they were in the elevator. "Maybe you can help
me understand something. I don't mean to be blunt. But, from what
Medeforte has told me, the women he chooses are beautiful,
intelligent, and unusually capable. That's not the sort of woman I
would ordinarily think of as..." He found himself at a sudden loss for
words.

Melinda came to his rescue, "Making herself available to a man on a
contractual basis?"

Thule nodded, "Uh, yeah. Why do they do it?"

Melinda smiled to show that she hadn't taken offense at the question,
"I'm afraid that there's no one answer. Every girl has her own
reasons. I can tell you mine if you like, but it is hardly typical."

They stepped out of the elevator. Thule asked quietly, "If it's not
too personal..."

Melinda smiled again, "Not at all. Anything to help with your
investigation." With almost imperceptible pressure on his arm, she
guided him to the dining room. Once they were seated and served
coffee, she leaned forward a little and said, "My big sister was
recruited by Mr. Medeforte, but not chosen. She was prettier than me,
but not quite as smart. Until she failed to attract Sean's interest, I
had thought that being smarter than her, but not as pretty was the
worst thing in the world. It was the first time I realized that it
might not be so bad."

She waited for their server to pour their coffee. As she was spooning
in sugar and pouring cream, she went on, "It took a little while, but
I decided that I wanted to be the woman that Celia couldn't. So, I
spent a little more time working on my grades and a little less time
planning my debut. When I finished high school, I applied for the job.

"Your debut?" Thule asked.

Melinda chuckled, "I was a debutante when I was sixteen and a bit of a
notorious one at that. When I first decided I wanted to work for Mr.
Medeforte, I had the romantic ideal that I would save myself for him.
But, Sean wants his women to have a certain degree of sophistication
to start out. He says that he has enough to teach us from the start
and that less experienced women tend to fixate on the more prurient
aspects of the contract."

Thule cleared his throat, "I have to admit that I've sort of fixated
on that aspect myself."

Melinda's smile was pure amusement, "It does attract a lot of
attention. But, it's really only a small portion of my duties. Sean is
a good lover. He's not the sort to waste his time on things he's not
good at. It didn't take long to learn to enjoy being with him."

"What about the other side of it?" asked Thule. "There must be plenty
of times you don't see him."

Melinda chuckled, "Why, Thule. You've obviously given this some
thought. You're absolutely right. It was surprisingly easy to enjoy
being with him and surprisingly hard to get used to being ignored.
When you're the new girls, you usually end up spending a lot of time
with him. But, he's got his favorites. Just like some of us are
particularly good at figuring out currency hedges, some of us are
better suited than others to share his bed. Some women do not take
that well and have to be dismissed."

Thule was getting the sensation that, the more Melinda explained, the
less he understood. He decided to cut to the chase and hope that
understanding would follow, "Are you happy working for Mr. Medeforte?"

Melinda nodded, "No one is happy with their job all the time. But, I'm
happy more often than I'm not. In the last six years, I've traveled to
six continents and nearly a hundred countries, met fascinating people
and done fascinating work. In seven weeks, I'll be twenty-five,
single, free, independently wealthy, and ready to be whatever I want.
I've learned more in the last six years than most people do in their
whole life. I have an open invitation to work in Mr. Medeforte's
organization or go back to Jayanesia and study at MU. What would four
years of college and two years of entry-level jobs give me to compare
to that?"

Thule shook his head, "I don't know. I still find the whole thing
alien to my way of thinking. What are you planning to do with yourself
once your contract ends?"

Melinda's smile was more surreptitious this time, "Like I said, I'm a
bit old fashioned. I want to take a few years off and have children."

A thought jumped out at Thule, "Do you think this job will make it
difficult for you to find a husband?"

Melinda shrugged, "The husband should be easy. I just need someone who
will love me, appreciate me, and keep me mentally engaged. Everything
else is pretty much negotiable."

He nodded. The server came back with their breakfast. Taking a quick
bite, Thule said, "Wow. I see why you like eating here."

Melinda chuckled, "I see this conversation is making you
uncomfortable. Should we get on to the information I have to help with
your investigation?"

"All right," said Thule, relieved at the change in topic.

Melinda launched into a prepared presentation, giving context and
structure to the information Thule had already gone over. She
recommended people to interview first and what to ask them. She
wrapped up just as they were finishing breakfast.

"Do you have any questions?" she asked.

Thule nodded and asked a few pointed questions about the material
she'd presented him with. Melinda answered them fully. As they spoke,
she led Thule through the hotel to a garden out back, still lightly
perched on his arm.

When she was done answering everything Thule had brought up, Melinda
asked, "Do you have any other questions?"

"I think I've got plenty to get started," said Thule. "Will you be
available for follow up?"

Melinda nodded, "I have a few more days worth of work on projects I
started before this trip. Then, I'm entirely at your disposal."

Thule nodded, "I'll get my people to work on this today and be in
touch."

Melinda raised an eyebrow, "Were there any other questions?" She
emphasized the "other."

"I think that's it," said Thule.

Melinda continued to stare at him, questioning look on her face.

Thule sighed, "What sort of criteria do you have for the man who would
be the father of your children?"

Melinda smiled broadly again, "He would have to be genetically
predisposed towards a good physique, extremely intelligent, not afraid
of hard work, free of any congenital diseases or addictions. I would
want my children to have a head for finance, so their father should
have a background in math--applied, not theoretical."

"That's pretty specific," said Thule uneasily.

Melinda nodded, "In all my research, I've only turned up three. One is
too old. One is married and refuses to even discuss the matter. And
the third, of course, is you."

                               -=-
                               
"So," asked Jake, stepping into Thule's office back at the house. "How
did the meeting go?"

"It was very...educational," said Thule, still a little off balance
even after the drive back.

Jake chuckled, "I'm sure."

"What do you mean?" asked Thule a little more sharply than he meant
to.

"Just that, if my teachers looked like that, I'm betting I would have
paid a lot more attention in school too."

Thule looked up from what he was working on, "Jake, if I remember
correctly, you were salutatorian in high school and graduated from
college summa cum laude."

"Jeez, boss. Give a guy some poetic license. Will ya?"

Thule glanced at the folder Jake was holding, "Have you got something
for me?"

Jake nodded, "We just finished the last batch of background checks.
Sometimes, with all the new hires we have, I think we're our own best
client for these things. There are a couple of points you're going to
want to see." He flipped to a page he'd bookmarked and handed it to
Thule.

Thule nodded and grunted, "History repeats itself." Reaching into his
desk, he fished out a pack of cigarettes and lit one. He didn't know
how the smoking laws applied to his own office in his own house when
he was surrounded by employees, but he kept it mostly on the down-low.
Taking a deep drag, he considered the new information, then said, "No
policy changes on this one. Keep an eye on her. Feed her
misinformation. It's better to know who the spies are than root them
out and have them replaced with someone we don't know is spying."

"I figured you would say that," said Jake. "Flip to the other tape
flag."

Thule flipped to another background check. As his eyes read the name
at the top, he asked, "Who ordered this check? I think we're crossing
the line here."

"Roscoe did," said Jake. "He's very protective of Marigold."

"He should be," said Thule irritably. "It's his fucking job."

Before Thule could turn the page, Jake laid a restraining hand on his
wrist, "What we found, it's not life threatening. It may not even be
dangerous. It just seemed like a detail you would want to know."

Thule nodded. Jake released his wrist.

Thule flipped pages until he found a section highlighted in yellow.
His eyes scanned the text. At some point, he started to frown. As he
kept reading, his frown deepened into a scowl. When he looked up, Jake
was noticeably uneasy, looking as if he wanted to be anywhere but
Thule's office at the moment.

"Find out where Marigold is," Thule growled. "Get her on the phone."

The Secrets of Kings, Chapter 3
by Vulgar Argot
(MF, rom)

--Vulgar Argot
  http://storiesonline.net/library/author.php?id=2020
--
"Vulgarity begins when imagination succumbs to the explicit."
  --Doris Day

-- 
Pursuant to the Berne Convention, this work is copyright with all rights
reserved by its author unless explicitly indicated.
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| alt.sex.stories.moderated ------ send stories to: <ckought69@hotmail.com>|
| FAQ: <http://assm.asstr-mirror.org/faq.html> Moderators: <story-ckought69@hotmail.com> |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|ASSM Archive at <http://assm.asstr-mirror.org>   Hosted by <http://www.asstr-mirror.org> |
|Discuss this story and others in alt.sex.stories.d; look for subject {ASSD}|
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+