“You crushed the table, researcher.”
“It’s hard to be that wild and not touch your partner, but to do that, you need to keep control of yourself. The cuffs stop me from going too crazy too soon, but once they come off, I am allowed to go a little crazy. Pleasure is always a fun pastime. With a partner you trust, anything goes.”
“Do you have any pointers?”
“Ease into things. Never go too fast, and if you want to flirt with an active, tell them that you like their personality. They get comments about bodies and heroism all the time. They need to know that someone likes their laugh, the way they hold a cup, the tilt of their head while they are thinking. The things that give an insight into their personality. That is how Torun seduced me, and I told him I really liked purple.”
He chuckled in surprise. “That was bold.”
“He thought so. We went for ice cream and talked. Stick to public venues if they like, but avoid places they can strand you until you trust them.”
His eyes widened. “Right. Good point.”
Instead of going to the chamber, they were heading to one of the greater halls. “Where are we going?”
“There were those who requested permission to witness the tribunal’s decision. There are several team members, a few corporate heads, and a governor’s security detail complete with a governor.”
She felt heat creep into her cheeks. “Ah, I had forgotten about her.”
“So, you are bisexual?”
She shrugged. “People need affection, attention, and touch. Gender or sexual preference only chooses where it is most readily available. You can seek pleasure from anyone that you trust, and those aspects will grow. I care about the people. Their bodies are just the housings for their personality. I am more omnisexual than anything else. I will screw any shape of sentient being with a good personality.”
“So, personality matters?”
They rounded a corner, and the entryway was lined with familiar faces, male and female, who nodded politely and blocked the reporters who were pushing and trying to get in for a better look at her.
She muttered to her escort, “Now I understand the suit.”
He grinned, and they walked the channel to the tribunal hall where every seat was taken up with her patrons, the patrons of other escorts, and a few of her friends. Khytten and Salat were standing together in a corner, his arms around her protectively.
Khytten was dressed neck to toe in black leather, and Salat was wearing matte black. They were an adorable couple. Zera smiled and waved at Khytten, Khytten waved back. Salat leaned and spoke in her ear, and Khytten blushed.
Zera grinned and walked up to the spot set aside for her. She had passed half a dozen figures wearing deep hoods with gleaming masks under them. Her employees had shown up for the event.
She faced the tribunal, and the men and woman were looking flustered. It was probably due to the dead silence in the space. No one was speaking.
The spokeswoman spoke, “Researcher Zera, while our teams would like to continue examining you and your skills, we understand that your importance to our community and those of neighboring countries is something that cannot be disregarded. We ask that you resume your normal activities and report in on a weekly basis to be monitored and scanned.”
Zera smiled. “No. I do not have a condition that requires monitoring. I am stable, and it is the program’s refusal to accept that an active can have cumulative aspects that has gotten us here today. That, and the legal termination of two know criminals.”
“Ah, right. We have issued you the bounty for those two men and that portion of the case is closed.”
“So, we are dealing with me, then?”
“Correct.”
“May I address the assembled?”
The tribunal shrugged. The speaker said, “Please.”
Zera raised her voice. “Who is here due to Z-Tech?”
About twenty persons stood up.
“Now, who is here due to the Blind Date Corporation?”
Close to a hundred of the assembled stood.
“So, these are the people who will be affected by what you say next. If I am turned into a lab rat, I will simply fold up all shops, discontinue all energy research, and disband the Blind Date Corporation, which up until this point had a plan for an entertainment venue at Uklanda Beach.”
That had a murmur of interest through the room. It was two countries over, but the beach was legendary for its peace, tranquility, and nightlife.
Once the room was quiet, the spokeswoman said, “You would hold this stuff hostage?”
She grinned. “Of course not. I would kill it completely and salt the earth where these programs had been. Do not look so shocked. If you had been doing your job, helping those in need, passing exams, and creating useful tech all your adult life, and then someone says that now we want to supervise you at all times, you might get a little irritated. If you have been sharing your body and the boosting effect for years, you might get mad at the governing body that wants to flip the script and whore you out to the team members they think deserve a boost. I am a woman with choice, free will, and the ability to choose who I share with, and I choose carefully.”
Zera smiled. “So, I either go free right now, or I don’t, but the programs will come to a screeching halt if I don’t leave here when this chat is over.”
The tribunal looked down at their reports, and then, the gathered folks started radiating hostility.
One of the men spoke, “We can just start the escort program up ourselves.”
“Can you? Can you match emotional needs as well as physical? Can you find the one person hiding in the population who has a desperate need but a powerful talent? Can you gain their confidence and promise them anonymity? When they freak out at the first date, will you hold their hand, give them a briefing? Will you teach them
