Several days later, Carter materialized out of the blue, back from--wherever he'd been, doing God knows what, to some hapless officer of the law.

He grinned at her from the door way. "Am I allowed into the inner sanctum?" he asked.

"Not if you're going to be sarcastic."

"Me?" he asked, innocently.

"Oh, get in here. You're starting to annoy me already."

He laughed. "That may be a record."

"No. I believe the record was in Bali when you managed to offend me before we even said a word to one another."

"For the zillionth time, I was *not* flirting with that woman at the airport."

"Of course, you were."

"Glennis, you can't seriously believe I'd go to all the trouble of meeting you halfway around the world only to--" He took a deep breath. "Never mind. Never mind. I don't want to argue about ancient history. Not when I dropped by to do something nice. Here," he said, handing her a video tape. "I hope it will be very profitable for your charities."

"What's this?"

"Footage from my last project. Just like I promised."

She sat up straighter. "You got the whole thing on video?"

"The whole thing." He smiled at her winningly.

"Is it good?"

He looked offended. "Of course, it's good. What do you think I am? An amateur?"

"Oh, please. Don't even think about getting insulted. You know I meant the subject, not you. Did he cry much?"

"Like a baby."

"Oh, that *is* good. Grown men weeping always sells well."

"Well, this guy should be a real winner then. For a cop, he was quite the drama queen. When he lost his cherry, you would have sworn it was the end of the world."

"Did you do the honors?"

"Of course. You know that's my one rule with my crew. I go first."

She laughed. "It's good to be the boss."

He leaned back in his chair. "It certainly is. And how is your project coming along? Has James been reduced to a mere shadow of his former self?"

"Quite," she told him.

"I'd like to see," he said.

"Really?"

"Does that surprise you? I did break him in. I'd be fascinated to see the end result of all your hard work."

"Of course. I'll call Bradshaw. He can show you to the observation room."

"I was hoping you'd show me yourself."

"Well--"

"Come on, Glennis. Please."

He wasn't begging. Carter never begged. But he was asking in his most earnest voice, the one she could never quite refuse.

"Oh, all right," she gave in. "I'll take you over there."

She got up from her desk and led him out to the hall and down the corridor. It wasn't far to the studio where James was currently working. She showed Carter into the observation room and closed the door behind them.

Today, James was entertaining a gang of inner city drug dealers. He straddled the lap of one of the hoodlums, impaling himself enthusiastically on the kid's prodigious cock. He greedily sucked another, slurping and smacking his lips obscenely, as if the young thug's come was the best tasting treat he'd ever had.

"Yeah, bitch, suck that dick. Get it down your throat," the kid said, as he fucked James' face without mercy.

The other gang members waited impatiently, rubbing themselves through their pants as they watched. They would all have their turn, again and again, as many times as they wanted. And when it was over, James would still beg for more.

Glennis sighed heavily.

"You don't sound pleased," Carter noted.

"I am," she said. "I mean, it all came out exactly as I'd hoped. It's just--"

"What?"

"Oh, you know how it is. It's destroying a person's will that's entertaining. Once you've completely broken them and they'll do anything you want, no matter how painful and disgusting it is, because they're so degraded they no longer know any better-- Well, it's just not interesting any more. You know what I mean?"

"You know I never keep them that long. I just fuck them up and put them back."

"I don't suppose you'd like to try something new, would you? You could have him, as a thank you gift for all you've done to help make the project a success. It might be a nice change of pace, having a cop around to abuse whenever you like."

"That's very generous," he said. "But I've already had my fun with James. Nothing could ever compare to taking his cherry."

"Yes, well, I can see how you'd feel that way. I guess I could always sell him. I mean, there have to be any number of brothels who'd be interested in a submissive cop slut who begs johns to fuck his pussy and beat his balls."

Carter laughed. "No doubt." And then he asked curiously, "So why don't you? Why do you keep him around?"

"I don't know."

"Don't you?"

"Please don't go all psychoanalytical on me. I can't take it."

"Fine. Don't tell me then."

"Fine. I wasn't planning to, anyway."

"It's not as if I don't know already."

"You don't know anything," she told him.

"Don't I?"

"No," she insisted. "How could you?"

"Do you really think it's all that difficult to guess? For someone who knows you as well as I do?"

"I have work to do," she said, in her most chilly voice.

She started for the door. He grabbed her wrist.

"James forced himself on working girls. And sometimes on women he only presumed to be working girls. That's what you said at the auction. Now, I don't believe you were ever a prostitute. But I do know you haven't always been this fabulously wealthy. I imagine there was a time when life was pretty hard. So it makes sense that you somehow ended up in a situation where he mistook you for something you weren't."

She could feel all the blood leaving her face. "If you ever tell anyone--" she threatened.

The force on her wrist relented. His touch turned gentle, his fingers stroking her skin.

"I'm not going to do that," he said. "You should know by now I don't want to hurt you."

She swallowed hard. She wasn't sure if she knew anything of the sort. But she found herself telling him the story anyway.

"I was a virgin," she said.

"I'm sorry," he told her.

"He doesn't remember me. Not even after everything I've put him through."

"Is that what you wanted? For him to remember?"

She lowered her eyes. "I don't know," she lied. She had no intention of confessing to him or anyone else the very unFurylike ideas she'd entertained about James. "I just wanted-- something."

"I know how that feels."

"He laughed at me," she said. "That night. As he was walking away."

"They laughed at me, too. I still remember the way it sounded, echoing off the walls of the cell."

"Getting revenge didn't make that go away?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Not for me."

"I don't understand. It's supposed to make everything better. After it happened, I promised myself I'd get even if I ever had enough power. And then-- well, everything changed for me, and I could do anything I wanted. And this was supposed to be my crowning achievement."

"But it didn't turn out that way."

She shook her head. "He still doesn't remember what happened. He made a lasting impression on me, and I was just some faceless fuck to him."

"Hey, at least he'll never forget you now."

"That's true," she said.

"So maybe it's time that *you* forgot *him*."

"I guess," she said. "Carter--" She broke off.

"What?"

She frowned. "Do you ever think about getting out of the retribution business?"

"Not really. You?"

"This thing with James has given me doubts."

"You're not really going to let him ruin your life's work, are you?"

She hesitated. "I guess not."

"You know what I think would be the best thing in the world to take your mind off all this?"

"What?"

"A new project."

"You think?"

He nodded. "I do."

"I don't know."

"It'll put some distance between you and James. Give you a fresh perspective. Maybe then you'll be ready to auction him off to some lucky pleasure house. Imagine how much money that would raise for your foundation. Think of the runaways and single mothers and all the other people you could help with it."

She perked up a little. "I like the sound of that."

"And you'll have the satisfaction of knowing that James will be spending the rest of his life in enforced servitude, the hapless plaything of sadists and perverts. That ought to make you feel better."

"It's certainly a start."

"And I have the perfect project to take your mind off things."

"Really?"

"Something we can work on together."

"Carter--"

He held up his hand. "At least let me tell you what it is before you say no. I promise you'll find it interesting."

She sighed heavily. "All right. I'll listen. But don't take that as agreeing to work with you."

He grinned. "Not to worry, Glennie. I've learned by now never to take anything for granted where you're concerned."

"I hope you're not going to start irritating me again."

"Me? Never. Now, do you want to hear about the project or not?"

"I suppose I could listen."

He laughed. "And people say you're not gracious."

She folded her arms over her chest and gave him the *look*.

"All right, all right," he said. "So, there's a warden at a women's prison in Texas. It seems he's been running his own little prostitution ring with the inmates he supervises, having johns come into the prison and do the girls right in their cells. Of course, the women aren't given a choice in the matter. There are no condoms, no birth control of any sort. The women who get pregnant are forced to have abortions in the prison infirmary. And there's nothing to keep them from getting HIV."

"That's *terrible*," she said, feeling the familiar and comforting indignation stirring in her Fury's blood.

"It gets even worse. Most of the women are mothers. But they're not allowed to have any contact with their families, so the warden can protect his secret and continue growing rich."

"This bastard has to be stopped."

"Clearly," Carter agreed.

"He has to be taught a lesson."

"I know. So will you help me do it?" he asked.

"I don't know if that's--" she said, hesitantly.

"Come on. You know you want to," Carter coaxed.

"Who'd be in charge of the project?" she asked, warily.

"Neither of us. We'd have to compromise."

"I don't really do that."

"I know. Neither do I. But we could learn, don't you think?"

"I honestly don't know," she told him.

"We could find out."

"I suppose."

"Come on, Glennis. I realize this could be a disaster of epic proportions. But if it works? If we actually figure out how to work together as partners? There isn't anything we wouldn't be able to do. No one who would be out of our reach."

"That could be exciting."

He smiled. "To say the least."

"I guess we could give it a try."

"Let's go back to your office, and I'll tell you everything you want to know about the naughty warden."

"All right," she said, letting him put his arm around her shoulders and guide her to the door. "But this doesn't mean I've made up my mind or anything."

"I never thought it did."

"Just as long as we understand each other."

They bickered all the way back to her office, leaving the observation room abandoned, the door ajar. On the other side of the glass, James just went on fucking and fucking and fucking...

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