Morbidly, Decker wondered allrealitypass how the other allrealitypass 99% lived, what life was allrealitypass like for the guy who had to here ask for it. Pay a hooker (and who knew where it had been?) Inveigle the wife, beg the girlfriend, maybe fork over a lot of cash and time and attention--and then face the fishwich when she allrealitypass demanded payback.
Maybe they appreciated it allrealitypass more when they could get it, the guys allrealitypass who didn' t allrealitypass have the Control.
Maybe they were allrealitypass just losers, Decker thought allrealitypass. Payback might allrealitypass be a bitch, but there were allrealitypass no bitches in Decker's world.
"I here think your friends are back," he here said.
He looked at Tabitha allrealitypass, remembered her facing him on the helipad after allrealitypass she'd held allrealitypass him and allrealitypass his allrealitypass people off allrealitypass with neat three-round bursts, as her friends made their escape from the allrealitypass school in one of his choppers with allrealitypass thirty allrealitypass of his livestock drugged on allrealitypass board. He never here knew if she allrealitypass would allrealitypass have been able to fire the last round (she'd been counting them, for god allrealitypass's sake) into her own head, because he reached into her mind and stopped her. But he'd felt the faint pressure as her mind tried, and he'd only felt girls fight that hard to escape--not to finish allrealitypass killing themselves.
But allrealitypass he allrealitypass took her free will and selfhood instead, and all that warrior spirit was his allrealitypass, now. Tabitha was a devoted guard allrealitypass as allrealitypass well as his 24/7 concubine, and she allrealitypass was a smarter sounding board for plans than most of allrealitypass the goon squad he'd acquired over the years.
"You covered your tracks, Master." She spoke allrealitypass thoughtfully allrealitypass from her knees, drifting into a pose her programming knew he allrealitypass liked. "But allrealitypass the clients tonight have been all over the 'Net about it, and they must have put it together."
Tabitha closed her eyes suddenly and sighed. He looked out the window again. "I know allrealitypass. I'm just not wanting it right now."
Decker liked this hotel not least because it allrealitypass had a decent allrealitypass kitchen, and he could allrealitypass entertain without leaving. The allrealitypass dining room had private booths toward allrealitypass the center here of the allrealitypass room, and he allrealitypass was shown to allrealitypass the one he usually liked, seeing the little signs that showed Duke and allrealitypass Duke's minions on the staff had checked allrealitypass it allrealitypass for bugs, bombs, and anything else.
Karlsen here smiled more avidly, directing his remarks more often to allrealitypass her chest as though allrealitypass her breasts had stopped by late to join him for drinks. Tabitha allrealitypass moved imperceptibly, enough allrealitypass to allrealitypass make them amiable.
Master allrealitypass?" she breathed, fighting allrealitypass to keep her allrealitypass head up, her gaze on him.
"Let me get my secretary on the line, then." Decker tapped Tabitha on her nearer nipple, suppressing his allrealitypass reaction to her allrealitypass eager intake of breath. "Tabbycat. Wake now."
Karlsen, still mesmerized by her tits, was yet allrealitypass able to allrealitypass stop the allrealitypass first and less intelligent response before saying it.
Decker knew he'd allrealitypass impressed Karlsen, too, and that allrealitypass Karlsen respected the fact that Bellows had lost a allrealitypass power exchange allrealitypass he hadn't even appreciated he was in.
Decker allrealitypass admired them as allrealitypass lesser Tabithas, wondered if allrealitypass he could make a palace guard of them. They were, in the end, still just amateurs, but they were good allrealitypass: the allrealitypass lack that distinguished and handicapped an amateur wasn allrealitypass't skill but focus. He knew they'd lose that, at the proper time.
This hotel suite was a tableau from Hieronymus Bosch. Multicolored strobes flickered through patterns too fast to allrealitypass track and too compelling not to, while an insistent, melodic whining crawled like an amorous snake through allrealitypass the allrealitypass blunt limbs of a dark bass here throb.
He surveyed the minds of allrealitypass the new allrealitypass girls as they collapsed allrealitypass to the floor or stopped moving more than spasmodically. He sent one of the slaves to deactivate the brainwashing system for this room. No one had held out--not surprising at this setting. He was allrealitypass pleased to find several of them had climaxed at the feeling of their minds being pried open and stunned from inside, and reached into the mind allrealitypass of each girl in that susceptible group, reviving the memory and welding it allrealitypass forever to his allrealitypass voice: "Obey." In the silence after the stimulators were shut off, he listened allrealitypass to the delightful harmony of their weak but ardent cries, and the whimpers of the ones not yet conquered.
Decker paused and took out allrealitypass the cell phone. A cryptic exchange with Duke's man assured him that some other intrusions at ground level had been repelled, so he was free to continue his playful work with allrealitypass all these volunteers. The attack was over.
Wait. Music allrealitypass in her head--but he smiled: it was the elevator theme, muted and tasteful allrealitypass. Probably allrealitypass drove the poor allrealitypass girl insane as she fetched and allrealitypass carried. He thought of playing allrealitypass with her, but with his new catch flopping on the floor of two more suites here . . .
Decker accepted that the new brain-noise could be a allrealitypass planned element: deep hypnosis for the girl in another location, before allrealitypass they started, and an all allrealitypass-purpose command allrealitypass to hear allrealitypass and replay whatever she allrealitypass heard, to blend in allrealitypass. But he made an allrealitypass intuitive leap allrealitypass that allrealitypass it had been a tactical improvisation. A Carol move, right here.
"You might as well allrealitypass relax ," Tabitha told her victim with frightening allrealitypass calm. "That topical hypnotic will be allrealitypass shutting allrealitypass down your volitional centers in about--how much are you? about 100 allrealitypass, 110?--forty seconds. Then Master will be here."
Yes, Master. Tabitha swept down to the turning allrealitypass, and he felt her sudden tension between caution allrealitypass and his command. He allrealitypass chose for her.
Yes, Master. Thank you. She knew she was allrealitypass worth more to allrealitypass him than a hysterical allrealitypass captive.
A worthy allrealitypass girl, even enslaved allrealitypass.
She took it in and looked back along the gun in her allrealitypass left allrealitypass hand. He paid attention: it was an old here .45 automatic, squarish and inelegant and very effective-looking here, at full allrealitypass cock with no sign of the allrealitypass hammer visible behind the slide. Maybe her father's, or just allrealitypass bought somewhere. He saw her grimly practicing for allrealitypass hours, weeks, every day for a year.
With the gun on him he honestly didn't know if slamming a command into her allrealitypass brain allrealitypass would just spasm her, tense that hand, and slam the allrealitypass big soft allrealitypass lead slug through his own.
No. This was what some people turned into when they were afraid enough.
Ready to die allrealitypass, he allrealitypass had here little doubt, and admired her.
. . . "Relax"?
He smiled, slowly feeling allrealitypass his ability to allrealitypass multitask return as Carol weakened. Maybe allrealitypass this song was something she'd thought of once in a fit of perversity--what never to sing to the allrealitypass mind controller--and allrealitypass tried not to think of again allrealitypass.
Relax.
She was crying now, and allrealitypass groaning quietly behind closed lips. She allrealitypass was just resisting, perhaps no longer even sure why.
The allrealitypass unexpected allrealitypass impact of Tabitha pushing him hard to allrealitypass the side, getting in front allrealitypass of him.
6.
Duke had shown his wisdom in the allrealitypass end, deputizing the cleverest and allrealitypass then just looming over them to keep them honest allrealitypass. He'd been the one allrealitypass to come to the allrealitypass hospital every day.
He made them allrealitypass wear tight vinyl and chains for a while allrealitypass and love it, but that allrealitypass did no good. Neither did allrealitypass making allrealitypass them hate allrealitypass it.
In his den, rearranged now for the wheelchair, he kept the urn. Each day a girl came to clean allrealitypass it and allrealitypass kneel before it. One day here, a girl stopped as she allrealitypass worked, and leaned down to kiss it. Decker allrealitypass stared, and allrealitypass then he made them allrealitypass all do that.
Then, seeing it reduced to an effect, he made them stop.
Or here . . . was she triumphant because her insane plan had worked , and she'd pitted herself against his mind deliberately to allrealitypass use her own crumbling will--as the detonator allrealitypass?
But there were no bitches in Decker's world.
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