Author: Thinking Horndog
Title: The Academy
Part: 16 of 88
Universe: The Swarm Cycle
Summary: The Governor of the colony of Nuevo Angelino recognizes that the ad-
hoc educational system in use in his colony isn't producing sponsors -- so he
sends a team to Earth to collect some professional educators with a
Confederacy perspective.  This results in a new and unusual kind of pickup...

Keywords: MF MFF FF M+F mf mF exhib humil inc ir group oral anal toys Mdom
Fdom

The Academy

Chapter 16

Oliver:

	I left the house on Thursday morning feeling inordinately pleased
with myself; Jack and I had pressed Vera pretty hard the evening before and
she'd borne up well under it.  Oh, I was well aware that she still had
concerns and reservations, but she was gamely dealing with them.  I
considered that we'd actually broken new ground -- and experienced a level of
intimacy sorely lacking in our relationship over the past few years.  All in
all, it appeared to me that the shakeup of our relationship offered
opportunities for improvement well beyond my ascendancy to operational
control.

	At the office, I almost immediately discovered response emails from
my other two daughters; I had been correct in assuming that dropping the
fiancé hint would bring them slavering.  Both would contrive to arrive on
Friday evening, which would work out well.  Judith's communiqué had some
hints in it about rough waters with her spouse and the fact that he might
wish to return home on Saturday -- but I doubted that he would be going
ANYWHERE once thoroughly briefed.  Judith's husband wasn't a source of any
excitement on my part; if we could avoid briefing him and he wandered off
Saturday morning it would fix any marital problems they might have quite
handily.  I would have to remember to express that thought to all
concerned...

	No time like the present; since I hadn't aired this little brainstorm
with Vera yet, now was the time if I was going to avoid a harangue about not
giving her any preparation time.  I picked up the phone...

	"Ollie?" Vera responded.  "Is something wrong?"  I seldom call home
-- but this was paranoia...  It was unclear whether I should be strict or
coddle her, so I decided to just pass it off...

	"Of course not," I replied.  "But I had an idea and it has borne
fruit, so it's time to warn you.  I emailed the girls and told them that we
would be having a little family get-together tomorrow night."

	"Oh," Vera snorted.  "And they haven't begged off yet, so you're
thinking that I should go ahead and plan a big dinner.  That hasn't..."

	"They've both confirmed attendance," I rode over her.  "I took the
liberty of telling them that they would be meeting Beth's fiancé..."

	Vera snorted again.  "You DID?  That was GENIUS!  Where did THAT come
from?"

	"I haven't spent a quarter century in your presence without learning
a FEW things about what gets a woman going!" I retorted.  "Besides, I AM the
genius in the family, remember?"

	"Yes, well..." Vera began.

	It was time to call her down.  "And that's not ALL I am, either!  I'm
going to stop you here to remind you that you're falling back into old
habits..."

	There was a silence on the other end of the line that got lengthy
before a meek voice said, "Sorry."

	"I'm not angry," I assured her, "It's just a reminder."  Still, while
I'd hoped to brace her in person, this was a lead-in...  "While you're
planning, you should expect another guest."

	"Oh?  Who?"

	"Actually, I haven't decided yet," I replied -- which triggered an
audible gasp.  "My assumption is that with you tending the home fires, I
should attempt to collect a research assistant."

	"A young one, I'm sure," Vera replied in a dead voice.

	"Age is irrelevant," I told her.  "I'm sure that we'll both have a
decade or so of wear repaired physically.  Mental age could be another matter
-- and being a bit older and wiser could work in your favor."

	"Ollie, I..."

	"We'll discuss it this evening," I cut her off.  "This isn't a topic
for telephone conversation.  I only mentioned it so you could have a
headcount when arranging supplies."

	"Yes, Ollie."  That had to be painful.  Just cutting her off like
that was exercising authority I seldom even thought about attempting.

	"Nothing is decided.  We'll discuss it when I get home.  Worry about
menu planning -- dinner tomorrow night could be our last unhurried meal for a
while."  I closed out the call with the usual terse endearments -- and
suspected that she took little comfort in them.  Well, it would all shake
out....

	The incident didn't improve my mood either; I felt somewhat guilty
about the way I was treating Vera.  But there wasn't much to be done about
it; Jack had pointed out that if I didn't take on a second concubine,
assumptions would be made -- assumptions that could complicate things even
more than they already were.  No, it was better to go ahead and do the male
chauvinist pig thing and let Vera get used to it; she would adjust...

	Putting aside my funk, I made the rounds.  The feminine contingent
had dressed for success -- or seduction, perhaps.  I'd never realized what a
catch it appeared that I was considered to be...

	Some things SHOULD be covered -- Harriet's knees, for instance, which
were large and arthritic; she WAS pushing sixty, after all...  Well, perhaps
only dragging fifty.  I doubted that she was at all fertile, in any case, but
she'd been displaying that aggressive friendliness that women over fifty
looking for a late-life companion tend to deploy for some time.  She would
have been out of luck in any case -- I HAD Vera, after all; I'm not at all
certain I was flattered, given the fact that I held the younger side of our
age difference.  Besides, when a woman over fifty who lives with her mother
goes looking for a man, one has to wonder what for...

	The young girls, on the other hand, were VERY flattering with their
attentions; I don't think Amanda Fenster was wearing ANYTHING under her lab
coat!  They all seemed to go to great lengths to get me to try to see their
navels from a vantage point between their breasts...

	I let it go on through the morning, but by noontime, I'd decided.
Britney held the high ground; in the first place, we had history, of a sort,
in that she'd taken a long-term interest in me.  In the second, she wasn't
making a fool of herself.  Instead, she hung out on the fringes, dressed
relatively respectably and acting professional -- wearing eyeglasses today --
and watching the others make fools of themselves and making nonverbal
commentary -- a look here, a quirk of a smile there, an occasional arched
eyebrow...  In conversation, she was completely professional, while still
managing to hint at the availability of another level -- which was something
she'd been practicing for some time on me, and which had been a minefield on
occasion when I was more concerned about maintaining the integrity of my body
parts if Vera discovered an indiscretion.  No, Britney was a class act -- and
as such, my choice to occupy the vacant slot in my entourage...

	That having been decided, I stopped enjoying the attacks of
clumsiness and the apparent slipperiness of paper in my vicinity and began to
evince some perplexity at the entire situation.  I declaimed loudly to Leland
in the break room that I had no idea what the fuss was and that it was much
ado about nothing and that perhaps he should go shopping for concubines,
since it appeared that all it took was an unguarded word to initiate massive
excitement.  It was true, too -- the conversation between Britney and I
hadn't been all that damning, but someone decided that it boded a change in
my modus operandi.  The odd thing was that I could have triggered that mine
at virtually any time -- and I would have been just as graceless about
backing out as I had been.  No, there was more to it than that; I was
telegraphing interest -- clumsy of me, I'm sure, but I'm not good at these
things.  That afternoon, however, I closed up shop and went back to my old
ways -- and feminine enthusiasm waned rapidly.

	Just before the close of business, however, I contrived to visit
young Britney, asking her about progress and getting her latest hypotheses
regarding our slim data.  At the end of it, after a casual glance around to
see if we were being actively observed, I asked, "I wonder if you are
available for dinner tomorrow night?"

	Britney froze, then took off her eyeglasses to cover it.  "I might
be.  Where?"

	"My home," I replied.  "I think it's time you met the wife.  I need
to know how well you'll get on together."  I could see that I'd rocked her,
so I continued, "I braced her with a variant on your comment about the
realities of being a modern woman."

	"I see."  Britney put her glasses back on and covered her mouth with
her hand while pretending to seriously peruse a printout.  "And how did that
go?"

	"There were some initial fireworks, but the point was made," I
replied.  "Vera blusters quite a bit to cover her insecurities -- and another
woman is a clear threat.  She'll need to be, well, coddled, deferred to."  I
eyed Britney directly.  "She's not particularly beautiful or shapely, but she
is a practical woman and she took me on when no one else would and became the
mother of my children.  What little polish you see on me was applied by
Vera."

	Britney locked eyes with me, her expression serious.  "You're being
very direct, Doctor," she challenged.

	"I am," I agreed.

	"How should I dress?"

	"Casually.  It will be a family gathering, but the situation may...
morph a bit," I replied, treading carefully.

	Britney eyed me for several seconds before asking softly, "Should I
come prepared to stay the night?"

	"The weekend, perhaps," I replied.  "I have no idea of your living
arrangements, I'm afraid.  Do you have any long-term responsibilities?  A
pet, perhaps?  A roommate?"

	"No."  She smiled an embarrassed smile.  "My work occupies my
attention.  Pets -- and roommates -- would be a distraction."

	I nodded, wondering what that meant from a sexual standpoint.  As I
have previously indicated, Britney wasn't excessively pretty, but she was
fully capable of attracting a male.  Had I been twenty years younger and
single, I'd have taken a run at her (and been rebuffed, of course; my age and
experience were part of my attraction for her, I doubt not).  "So we should
expect you?"

	"Yes."

	I handed her a slip of paper with our address and contact information
on it that I had prepared in advance.  "Dinner should be around seven-thirty
-- but feel free to arrive well before that."

	"Thank you, Doctor."  Britney tucked the slip away in her lab coat.

	"Obviously, we'll have to get through tomorrow..." I glanced around
pointedly.

	"I understand completely," she replied.  "I'll...  attempt to defuse
the current crisis."  She cocked her head, her look suddenly sultry,
"Besides, if tomorrow night goes well, there will no longer be any occasion
for excitement, will there?"

	There it was.  She was asking -- pretty clearly -- if she was
auditioning for a slot in my entourage.  What amazed me was the fact that
even though she had no idea that the potential harem would soon be an actual
one, she was still willing to deliver herself into my tender mercies.  I was
well aware of the concept of the 'pre-pack' -- and just as aware that they
didn't always deploy as configured -- yet, clearly, she was willing to take
the chance that I would be extracted and that when it occurred, she would
actualize her position as a potential concubine.  I limited myself to,
"Exactly."

	She nodded, absorbing the confirmation.  "Goodnight, then," I said,
turning and taking my leave of her.

	"Goodnight, Doctor."  I could feel her eyes on me until the door
closed behind me.

                       ----------------------------------

	At home, Vera awaited my pleasure -- nude and obsequious.  I don't
know which surprised me more.  "Would you like a drink?" she asked, as she
took my laptop case -- a behavior heretofore unknown in and of itself.  Vera
NEVER met me at the door, and NEVER took my laptop from me -- and I got my
OWN glass of wine if I wanted one, although she saw to it that the bar was
stocked.  Now she stood before me, head down...  It was somewhat painful, as
if I was guilty of robbing her of something.  "The pinot grigio, I think," I
replied.  "Give me my case back and I'll take it to the office while you
pour.   Pour one for yourself, as well."  I took my laptop back and took it
to my office, working to compose myself and trying to figure out just how to
present things to Vera.

	Upon my return to the living room, I settled on the left side of the
couch and waved Vera to the right, where we could face one another.  "Vera,
how long have we been married?"

	It was a clear indication of her upset that she didn't needle me
with, "What?  You've forgotten?"  Instead, she said quietly, "A long time --
but that's over, isn't it?"

	"Technically, perhaps," I agreed, "but functionally?  Aren't you
still the woman I come home to at night?  Don't we continue to occupy the
same bed?  Are you not continuing to do the myriad things that keep this
household running, leaving me to focus upon my work?  We DO still have a
relationship, and it isn't 'at will', as it were..."

	"It is for you," Vera replied quietly, "And it's clear that I won't
be the only one occupying your home or your bed!"

	"Vera," I sighed, "Have I ever said or done ANYTHING to indicate to
you that I consider you to be disposable?"

	"Well, no..."

	"If I wanted you gone, could I not have gone to Jack and made a
separate agreement to merely leave you behind?"

	THAT had an impact!  Vera looked startled.  "Uh, I guess you could
have, couldn't you?"

	"Yes, I could -- yet there you sit -- and you ARE a concubine!" I
pointed out.  "You need to look at the larger picture, here.  I can take you
-- but there will be changes.  There would be, anyway -- it will be a new
place, and I will most likely have a new job.  You will need to start fresh
on a new home.  What I need for you to do is to look at the glass as being
half full, rather than half empty."

	"There will be another woman," Vera pouted.  "Some young thing from
your office, I imagine."

	"Yes, you are most likely correct," I conceded.  "Since our telephone
conversation, I have settled upon a candidate."

	"You haven't slept with her, have you?" Vera snarled, stiffening.
She whipped back her glass, preparing to dash it into my face...

	I slapped her!  I don't know what came over me; suddenly, I was
EXTREMELY angry!  I leaned up and warded off the incipient dousing with one
arm -- and with the other, I hit Vera for the very first time in our
relationship, and roared, "Don't you EVER speak to me like that again!  I
have NEVER, EVER dishonored you with another woman and I am insulted beyond
measure that you would accuse me of such a thing!  You pig-headed little
fool!  I'm doing my absolute best for you and all you can do is whine about
this and that and accuse me of infidelity!"

	When I settled back, I don't know which of us was more surprised --
Vera, who was white-faced around the red mark on her cheek -- or me!  Almost,
I ruined it by apologizing -- but somehow, I realized that doing so would
undermine any good that might come of the ugly incident, so I held myself in
check.

	Vera eyed me as if someone she'd never seen before was occupying my
seat, then blinked back tears as she shifted her attention to the wine
spillage.  "I need to clean this up," she said dully, and staggered off.  In
a bit, she came back with some spray cleaner and paper towels and began
dabbing at spots, pushing the coffee table out of the way while I sat mute,
dealing with my own personal disquiet over the implications of what I'd done.

	Finally, Vera looked up from a position basically between my legs and
murmured, "Ollie?  I'm sorry..."

	No trusting myself to speak, I waved her onto my lap.  "I'm just...
scared..." she continued, "and jealous...  Fearful.  Another woman could..."

	"Do nothing to displace you," I finished for her.  "We have...
history.  You need to approach this from a different direction.  Beth has her
man, and will be leaving us; therefore, you will need a replacement to help
you keep things in order.  I'm taking a girl from the office because she will
be able to assist me in my work, if it is anything like what I have been
doing.  But you are to go back into the child-rearing business, which means
that you'll have more than just me to sweep up after.  Whoever I pick will be
your assistant in that area."

	"She'll be 'assisting' me in bed, too!" Vera sulked, but she watched
me carefully to ensure that she didn't cross any lines.

	"Tell me you want sex every time I want sex," I retorted.  "Go ahead
-- lie about it..."

	Vera smiled crookedly.  "Okay, you've got me there..."

	"I'm well aware that the supply was a handle you had on me -- and I'm
afraid it's one you've lost, if for no other reason than in an extremity I
need not take no for an answer," I pointed out.  "Perhaps you should be glad
of any assistance you get in that arena, too..."

	Vera eyed me sidelong, "Sex isn't exactly a fate worse than death, no
matter what I may have said at the time..."

	"Maybe, but if you DO have a headache, it might be nice to be able to
hand off to the 'B' team," I argued.

	"What if she's... better?" Vera worried.

	"It will be an incentive to stretch the edge of the envelope, I
should think," I replied.

	"Like we did last night?" Vera replied archly, then moved on.
"She'll be younger..."  Vera was settling in, relaxing, playing a bit with my
collar.

	"Not after we've regressed you physically a bit," I replied.
"Physically, there will probably not be any serious competition.  I'm
comfortable with you, remember.  If she has some little trick that makes her
competitive, I guess you'll have to learn it."

	"Just taking a few years off won't keep me from being a cow," Vera
asserted, eyeing me.  "I'd be willing to bet that whoever you've picked out
won't have my build."

	"Variety IS the spice of life," I admitted, "so she won't, if the
current candidate works out.  Nonetheless, we can discuss other adjustments,
as long as they don't keep you from being recognizable."

	"Don't keep me in suspense," Vera sighed softly, "Tell me what she's
like."

	I shrugged, deliberately squeezing her a bit.  "Mid-twenties, reddish
brown hair, eyeglasses.  Tall, somewhat narrow -- she has that thing where
the legs bow back."

	"Pretty?" Vera asked.

	"Not anything amazing, but not difficult to look at -- not remarkable
in either extreme," I replied.  "In fact, there really isn't anything
remarkable about her, except maybe her mind."

	"You haven't mentioned those," Vera noted.  I was absently fondling
her left breast.

	"Something on the order of young Frieda's, I imagine," I replied.

	"I'm surprised -- I thought you liked mine..."  Vera had big, soft
naturals that hung a bit and splayed on her chest.

	"I do -- you know that," I replied, kneading the one in my hand and
enjoying its softness.  "I guess she's not competitive that way."

	"So what is the draw?" Vera asked.  "Why this one, who is so patently
unremarkable?"

	"Interest," I replied.  "She's been gently attempting to draw my
attention for some time.  In the last couple of days, I must have been
telegraphing something because the majority of the feminine population of the
center has been attempting to draw me with garish displays of flesh, but
young Britney has maintained her dignity and not made a spectacle of herself
while reiterating that she remains... interested."

	Vera raised an eyebrow.  "She's been stalking you?"

	I shook my head.  "Nothing so gauche.  Merely the occasional look or
an opening left in conversation for something more flirtatious.  I think part
of it may be that she considered me a safe target upon which to practice her
wiles.  Some women do that, you know -- count coup on men they consider to be
safe..."

	Vera gave me a look.  "If that's all there is to it..." she
disparaged.

	"No, there appears to be genuine interest -- although it isn't clear
to me why," I insisted.  "Perhaps I remind her of her father..."

	Vera snorted.  "Have you approached her?"

	"This evening," I confirmed.  "She was, indeed, interested."

	"How did you put it?"

	I smiled.  "Rather abruptly.  I told her that she should come to
dinner and meet the wife, so I could see if you two were going to get on."

	"Omigawd!" Vera burst out laughing.

	"She was taken aback," I chuckled, "but then, I owed her for a few
past conversational booby-traps.  She's... clear on what is being offered.
What she doesn't know, of course, is that she's walking into a situation that
is no longer fluid."

	"No, of course not."  From that, I gathered that Vera had run up
against the inhibitions and hypnotic blocks a time or two.  "What is she
expecting then?"

	"A 'family dinner that might morph into something else,' is how I put
it," I informed Vera.  "I told her that she should plan to stay the weekend,
and asked after long-term entanglements.  Apparently, she has none."

	"So she expects to stay over," Vera mused.  "She could be a dead
thing in bed."

	"If she is, you win again, my Darling," I chuckled, squeezing her.
"Maybe she likes women."

	"Oh!" Vera's eyes popped.  "Ollie -- you WOULDN'T!"

	"Oh, I will -- never doubt it," I replied.  "Think about it -- if she
services you, it's likely to enforce her position, is it not?"

	"That's just... nasty!"  Vera shivered in anticipation.  "Our sex
life has certainly grown legs!"

	"Indeed it has," I agreed.  "Indeed it has."

	We were like that, resting comfortably on the couch sipping wine,
when Beth came home, bursting in ahead of Jack and Frieda.  Vera had just
enough warning to get up and head to the door when Beth burst through it
wearing nothing but a pink choker or something.  I thought Vera showed
considerable restraint in limiting herself to asking Beth if they'd had
dinner.  Beth was clearly preoccupied and a bit brusque in her response --
Jack, coming through the door behind her called her on it.  But Beth turned
and wailed, "Jack -- Master -- PLEEEEZE!" and Jack allowed himself to be led
off, leaving us with little Frieda -- who was fully dressed, but adorned with
a spiked dog collar.  Frankly, it took me a moment to notice; I was handling
an embarrassing rush of arousal occasioned by the fact that Beth's thighs
were shiny with her secretions!  I was grateful for the distraction as I
called myself to order; flashes of lust for one's own daughter are frowned
upon, in the vast majority of cases.  Vera really wasn't much better off --
my hand had wandered to her vulva over the preceding half-hour or so -- but
it was a bit less visible, I think.  "That's an interesting addition to your
apparel," I noted, eyeing Frieda.

	"Like it?"  Frieda preened.  "We went shopping for a few things and I
couldn't resist."

	"I see."  I waved at the couple already disappearing upstairs.  "What
occasioned that?"

	"Some obedience training," Frieda replied nonchalantly.  "Beth hadn't
quite gotten it into her head that doing what Jack tells her is mandatory,
not optional.  She kept wasting her time trying to decide whether his
instructions were reasonable or not."  I noticed that she was eyeing Vera as
she provided this amplification.  "That doesn't matter, you know..."  This
was CLEARLY aimed at Vera.

	"I'm learning," Vera replied dryly.  "Would you like a glass of wine,
Frieda?"

	"Sure, that'd be nice," Frieda said amiably.  "We're gonna be a bit.
It turns out that being felt up in public makes Beth hot..."  She eyed Vera
sidelong.  Vera turned a bit pink, but continued to prepare a wineglass,
apparently unperturbed.

	"How is it that you retained your clothing?" I asked.

	Frieda shrugged.  "I'm the teaching aide -- the model of the obedient
slave girl.  I offered to take my stuff off, but Jack felt that my being
dressed produced a, um, greater impact."

	I nodded.  "I see."  Vera having delivered the wine, I patted my lap
and Vera moved to reoccupy it.  Deliberately resuming fondling Vera's breast,
I asked, "Should we expect you all for dinner?"

	Frieda grinned and made a point of watching -- as I knew she would.
"I don't know.  I think we're going out..."  About that time, some relatively
unmistakable sounds drifted down the stairwell from Beth's bedroom and Frieda
turned her grin in that direction.  "Now is the wrong time to ask THEM!"

	"Indeed," I grunted.  Frieda settled into a chair -- one with a clear
view of what Vera and I were doing -- and we settled in to wait.  I set about
arousing Vera -- deliberately overriding any attempt at defense on her part
-- taking advantage of the opportunity that Frieda offered, knowing she was
doing it deliberately.  By the time the sounds of Beth's orgasmic release
floated down the stair, Vera was panting and dancing on my fingers, managing
a small orgasm herself despite -- or maybe because of -- Frieda's
deliberately intense regard.

	"Fun, huh?" Frieda asked, when Vera settled against me in the
aftermath.  Vera merely nodded and smiled, still embarrassed.

	Beth and Jack came downstairs a few minutes later; Jack was dressed,
but Beth was limited to the choker and a washrag that she dabbed at her vulva
with periodically, looking embarrassed -- but happy.  I was beginning to get
agitated, to tell the truth, having stimulated Vera and listened to Beth's
sexual calisthenics with Jack.  Jack looked at Frieda, who briefed him with,
"I kept it bare bones, Master -- just told them we'd been shopping and that
you'd put Beth through a little obedience training -- no details."  She
turned to eye me.  "Mr. H. is doing pretty well at the obedience training
thing, as far as I can see."

	Jack looked around pointedly and waved for Frieda to join the ranks
of the nude.  "Where are the bags?"

	"Right here, Master."  Frieda tossed her blouse on the floor and
picked up two plastic shopping bags that she'd placed on the floor by her
chair, then resumed undressing.

	Jack approached us.  "Today, at the school, I had it brought home to
me again how difficult this all is without some kind of constant reminder for
concubines to remember their status and duties in this environment.  As a
result, we went shopping for some training devices and visual reminders."  He
fished in the bag and came out with an assortment of what I clearly
recognized as dog collars.  Laying them out on the couch arm, he produced
four different models -- a spiked item like Frieda's, a pink plastic one with
jewels and a charm like the one Beth was wearing, a similar purple one, and a
black collar with diamond-shaped studs.  "These make a fine reminder, with or
without clothing," he announced, especially when paired with one of these..."
He produced a leash made of chromed steel chain.  There was a soft gasp, but
when I turned my attention to Vera she was clearly doing her very best to
remain cool, calm and collected.

	"They're all very nice," I said calmly.  "Does any one item appeal in
particular?" I inquired of Vera.

	"Women being fashion conscious as they are, I took the liberty of
purchasing one of each type for each of my girls and the same for Vera," Jack
interjected.  "Please accept them as a gift from me."

	"Thank you," I replied formally, fingering them.  "Vera?"

	"The studded one, I think," Vera murmured in a somewhat choked voice.
"The spikes look good on Frieda but I think they're a bit much for me."  She
managed a self-deprecating smile.  "Pink and purple are going to require the
right outfit; besides, I'm a big bitch, like a Rottweiler..."

	"Sensible..." Jack nodded, poker-faced.  "You HAVE made ground..."
He reached in the other bag.  "There may still be some occasions where a
quick correction is necessary."  He surfaced a riding crop and a short
braided whip.  "Just the presence of these is instructive, without the
necessity to use them -- isn't it, Beth?"

	"Oh, yes, Master!"  Beth nearly disconnected her head from her neck,
nodding.

	I was dubious.  "I really..."

	But Vera took them from Jack's hands and handed them to me.  "He's
right, Master -- I'm slow.  This will help."

	Jack eyed us both.  "You HAVE made ground!"

	"Not without some mistakes," I replied.  "I handled myself poorly,
earlier."  I was still embarrassed over having struck Vera -- and now I held
various implements the sole purpose of which was to repeat the incident!

	"No, Master," Vera settled herself against me.  "You did what was
necessary.  I needed the correction -- and I will again, despite good
intentions.  Jack is right; I'm sure you won't have to go nuts with that
thing to get my attention."

	"A single flick is all it takes," Jack assured me, "and it replaces
any amount of reasoned discussion in a flash."

	I nodded, pensive.  "I can see that it might."  I set the whips on
the couch beside me.  Changing the subject, I said, "So -- dinner?  It's
getting late..."