Chapter 9

Tiffany - At the Airport

There she is. "Hello, Katt. Welcome to North Carolina."

"Hi, Tiffany. You look beautiful, as always," Kira replied.

"Thank you. You still look great too," I commented.

"No I don't, but thanks anyway," she replied.

Well, her complex is still there. It's a shame she feels so bad about herself... "Come on, the car's this way," I told her. "You didn't bring anything else, did you?"

"Nope. Just my notebook with some of my programs," she replied.

"Good. Xanthos may want to see them."

"So, when are you going to tell me about this guy?" she asked.

"What do you want to know?"

"Of all the other programmers, why did he pick me?" she asked.

"I was talking to him over lunch and recommended you for the infrared remote I mentioned on the phone," I explained. "I've got the circuit board designed, so we need the drivers and control software."

"What's it for?" she asked.

"Controlling all sorts of A/V equipment from a PC or notebook."

"Why not just use a universal remote?"

"His idea is far beyond that. Besides, I did a little research of my own and the major competition for this remote sells for $2,500. Ours will sell for $150, or $250 with RF added."

"Ours?"

<Heh> "He wants me to run his new company."

"I guess that's why you moved then."

"It's definitely a good part of it."

"And the rest?"

"Like I said, it's complicated. There's the car."

"Oh? Who's that in it?"

"That's Katrina. She offered to drive since I didn't remember where the airport was."

Kira got in back and I got in front. "Katrina, this is Kira. Katt, this is Kat."

They both looked at each other, surprised, then back at me and said, "Kat(t)?"

Kira

Wonderful. Another 'Kat'.

Tif grinned and said, "Yeah. Xanthos already commented that it was going to be interesting having a pair of Kats in a pack of kittens."

"Kittens?" I asked. What kind of person calls people 'Kittens'?

"Like I said; complicated."

"Why don't you just tell her that we all love him and each other?" Katrina asked as we pulled away from the terminal building.

"What?!?" What is this? Some kind of cult?

Tiffany

Oh wonderful! Spill it why don't you!

Kira

"Is she serious?" I asked.

"Yes," Tiffany answered.

"And just how many are there in 'all of us'?" I asked.

"Seven women and Xanthos," Katrina explained.

"One man and a bunch of bisexual women? Lucky man!" Definitely sounds like some kind of cult, but what kind of man can attract seven women to him - and keep them all from fighting each other? Hell, they're probably a bunch of bimbos and sluts!

"More than you can imagine," Tif said.

"How so?" I asked.

"Wait till you meet him. You might find out then..." she suggested.

Xanthos - In the Eagle

They should be here in a few minutes. Might as well take a quick look at Kira now that she's in range.

>> Subject: Kira Estoc

Hmm... Age 29, 5'7", 32B-19-22, Amerasian, black hair, green eyes... certainly not unattractive... attraction to men and women: 30%... no specific boyfriend or girlfriend... Submissiveness: 80%? And Tif described her as "an Ice Queen with a severe inferiority complex"? Hmm...

I grabbed the concept sheet that I'd typed up earlier and made sure it was handy. Just then, I noticed a car pulling up outside. That must be them.

I turned off the monitor and walked out to greet them - only to find that it was Lis and Anna instead.

"Hi, kittens. What's up?" I asked them.

They got out of Anna's new car and, walking seductively, came up to me with Melissa saying, "We just want to play."

"It has been a few days," Anna added.

I chucked and said, "I'd love to, but I've got a meeting here in a few minutes."

They both pouted, so I gave them a quick hug and kiss.

"If you'd like to stick around for a while, we can have some fun after the meeting," I suggested.

"Great!" Lis replied.

"Yeah!" Anna added.

"Let's go inside, then," I said, turning to open the Eagle's door.

They went in and headed for the fridge, while I followed.

"So, who's this meeting with?" Lis asked once everyone was seated in the living room.

"Her name is Kira. She's a computer programmer that Tif recommended for the remote control," I replied.

"Another family member?" Anna asked.

"I don't think so. The family is already about as large as I want to make it," I replied.

"I noticed that everyone seems to be pairing off," Lis commented.

"I know. Let me guess; you're thinking that Sonya doesn't have someone to pair off with?" I asked.

Lis nodded.

I'm sure that she'll be getting plenty of invitations after she gets her retirement present. I've already seen signs of it," I replied. "Sonya is an incredibly gorgeous woman at age 29."

"Okay. I was just a little concerned since she hasn't had anyone spending nights with her," Lis explained.

I heard another car pulling up outside and asked, "Do me a favor. Keep an eye on Kira and let me know what you think of her."

"Sure," Lis replied.

"Okay," Anna added. "Why?"

"I don't know. There's just something strange about her profile," I replied, heading for the door.

Kira - On the Road

I wonder why we're leaving town? "Where are we going?"

"Xanthos bought a new lot out near the lake. We're almost there now," Katrina explained.

"He's staying in a motor home until our new home gets built," I added.

"Why not just get an apartment or a house in town until then?"

"That's not a bad idea," Tif commented as Katrina slowed the car.

"We're here," Katrina said, pointing to the left.

I looked where she was pointing and saw a massive high-dollar RV and a couple more new Lexi. Damn! Looks like someone likes to spend money!

Once we pulled into the lot beside the RV, I noticed a tall, very powerful, reasonably good looking man stepping out of the RV. Not exactly what I'd expect from a cult leader... but I guess it takes all kinds...

We got out of the Lexus and he walked up and said, "Greetings. I'm Xanthos Pendragon."

"Kira Estoc."

Xanthos

Hmm... She doesn't look very comfortable for some reason...

"Welcome. Would you like to come inside?" I asked.

"Okay."

I opened the door for her and the others to enter. When Kat got closer, I curiously asked her, "What are you doing here, kitten?"

"Tiffany didn't remember the way to the airport, so I drove," she replied.

I smiled and nodded, motioning her to enter.

Kira

The inside of his RV was very impressive. It was obvious that this was one of the more expensive ones available.

Damn! And there's another pair of women!

"Hi, Lis. What are you two doing here?" Tiffany asked.

"We came over to have some fun, but we didn't know you were having a meeting," the Latin woman answered.

Tiffany nodded and said, "Kira, this is Melissa," pointing to the Latina, "and Anna," pointing to the other Oriental woman.

"Would you like something to drink?" Xanthos asked when he entered.

"Diet Coke, if you have any," I replied.

He chuckled and said; "With this many people living here who drink it, I'd better."

He poured a glass and handed it to me, motioning for me to sit down on the couch. Then he sat down at a table that had a computer on it.

"How was you flight?" he asked.

"It was okay. Tiffany said you had a programming job for me?"

He nodded, smiling slightly, and asked, "How much did she tell you about it?"

"Quite a bit, I think. She said you needed me to write drivers and a control program for an A/V remote control."

He nodded, handing me a sheet that explained his idea. "Right. You have the hard part - if you're interested. I want the software to be EXTREMELY customizable by the customer." Then he laid out the specific details on everything he wanted.

Damn! He's not kidding about extremely customizable. Thank God I've already got the programming tools to do a job like this!!

"So, are you interested?" he asked.

"Sure. How much does it pay?" I asked.

He looked over to Tiffany with a raised brow, and she said, "For something like this, 4,000 would be normal."

"Let's make it five then. What do you think?" he asked me.

"It sounds fair to me. I should be able to have the program done within two weeks, but I'll need the plans and a sample of the remote to make sure everything works properly - especially the drivers."

"I know a good company to get the boards manufactured at, so that part shouldn't take long. Once I get the schematics in a computer, I'll send you a copy," Tiffany told me. Then she turned to Xanthos and said, "That reminds me. We need to get a computer that I can use for company stuff."

"It's already on order. In fact, it should be here tomorrow morning," he said, grinning.

Xanthos

Wait till they see their new systems! <Grin!>

"Can I use your bathroom real quick?" Kira asked.

"Sure, it's down the hall on the right."

"Thank you," she replied, moving to the back.

Hmm... Even after this chat, something seems strange about her... "Tif, what do you think?" I asked, motioning toward Kira with my head.

"I'm sure she'll be able to do the job," Tif replied.

Not exactly what I was looking for... I turned on the monitor, cleared the screen saver, and motioned for her to take a look at Kira's screen. When she did, her eyes widened.

Tiffany

Submissive?!? Maybe that's why she acts like such an Ice Queen: she doesn't want to be found out!

Xanthos

"She's certainly attractive, but I don't think that's what your wanting to know," Lis commented when I glanced to her.

"She's a big fake," Anna said from across the isle, unable to see the monitor.

"What do you mean?" Kat asked.

"She's got some major secret she doesn't want found out," Anna explained.

Tif and I looked at each other and nodded.

How to handle this... Or is this even something that SHOULD be handled...

Kira chose that moment to come back out of the bathroom, so I quickly ran "Short-Seed" and shut down the system.

Kira

What was that? I looked around, but didn't see anything... Must have been my imagination...

Xanthos

Maybe if we can talk privately...

"Let's go for a walk, shall we?" I suggested to Kira.

"Okay, I guess," she replied.

"We'll be back in a few minutes," I told the others.

While we walked around the lot, I explained my plans for the castle and the office. I also talked about the gardens and waterfalls.

We were near the river when I finished and she said, "If you're trying to get me to join your cult, I'm not interested. I'll still do the programming for your project, but that's mainly because of my friendship with Tiffany."

"Cult? Hmm... I guess it could be called a 'cult'... though only by a rarely used definition. I think you'd find 'harem' to be much more appropriate," I suggested. "Besides, I already have a group of eight. Adding one more would likely destabilize that group, and I don't you'd fit in too well without some major changes."

"What? I'm not beautiful enough for you?" she asked sarcastically.

"Tell me something," I said, changing the subject to match her last statement, "if you could change anything about yourself, what would it be?"

"What?!? What do you mean?!?" she asked.

I sat on a rock and motioned for her to do the same. "If you had the ability to change yourself into whatever you wanted to be, what changes would you make?"

<Heh> "What changes wouldn't I make?" she replied sarcastically.

I grinned slightly and said, "Be specific."

"Breasts... shortness... I just want to be able to impress a man. You know, make him think of asking me on a date," she replied.

"What makes you think someone wouldn't ask you? Maybe you're too attractive? - Too unreachable?"

She scoffed at that and said, "I don't know. Just cold I guess. I give a lot of men the cold shoulder."

"An 'Ice Queen with an inferiority complex'... and submissive to boot..." I said to myself.

"What?" she asked, shocked.

"I just find a mixture like yours to be rather strange. An Ice Queen with an inferiority complex is practically unheard of... but add in your strong submissive streak, and I don't know what to think," I replied.

"Wha... How... I mean..." she started.

"The problem is, what would you do if you got your wish?" I asked her.

"What?"

I picked up the rock I was sitting on and moved it next to a tree so I could lean back some. It also had the desired effect of surprising Kira since the stone weighed around 850 pounds. When I sat back down, I said, "Let's just say for grins that I were to change your body to meet your ideals. Height, breasts, scars... everything you wanted done. What would you do then?"

"I'd keep doing what I'm doing now. I like my job, I make good money, and I have a few friends..." she replied.

"What if you found that you suddenly couldn't live or work where you do now - and had to lose all your friends?"

"Well... Why? If I get 60 million for moving away, I might, but I don't have 60 mil," she replied, trying to figure out where I was going with this.

"If you suddenly looked so different that your friends would only barely recognize you..."

"Then what? I mean, I wouldn't mind. I mean, I wouldn't lose my job over it," she replied. "You can't lose your job just because you look different."

"How would you explain it - if you physically were not able to explain it?" I asked, directing her.

"... I wouldn't be able to... I mean, I could use fingerprints or retinal scans or something," she replied.

"Ah, but obviously there are going to be a LOT of VERY CONCERNED PEOPLE in the law enforcement, medical, work, and other fields..." I continued.

"Yeah. I would be confused as hell."

"Guinea pig?" I suggested.

"I don't wanna be no freaking test subject!" she replied sharply.

"Like they would give you a choice?" I offered.

"I'd rather keep it a secret in that case... If they came after me or something, I would... I don't know... move away. I mean I don't wanna be carved apart!" she replied.

"Calm down. Do you understand now why I asked?"

"Yes," she replied. "But this is all fantasy."

I pulled up a half-grin and said, "Is it?"

Her eyes went wide as they jumped back to the stone I was sitting on. Then she glanced over her shoulder toward the Eagle and back at me with a combined look of shock and concern on her face. Then her face took on a look that was closer to panic.

Kira

FUCK! If he can really do stuff like that, maybe he can mess with people's minds too... He HAS to be able to read minds! I've NEVER told ANYone about my wanting to be dominated!!!

Xanthos

"What are you going to do to me?!?" she asked, terrified.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, studying her. "Relax, I'm not going to do anything that you don't want done - except to protect our privacy. Do you really want anything changed though - keeping in mind what we just discussed? Remember, no matter what you do, people are going to be very curious about any sudden changes."

"I don't wanna be changed any more - not if I have to worry about being put on a carving block!" she replied. "And I don't want to be a member of your harem either."

I nodded and got up. "Shall we head back?" I asked, extending my hand to her.

She looked a bit uncomfortable about it, but took my hand and got up.

When we got back to the Eagle, I turned my system back on and pulled up her record again while she watched.

>> Subject: Kira Estoc

>> Command: <Understanding>

>> Command: You will never discuss or let anyone know about anything we talked about during the last 35 minutes other than with Xanthos and other members of his group - and then only when no one else is around. <Send>

"Like I said; a guarantee of privacy," I explained.

Kira

Damn! And I thought he could read my mind! "I guess that's how you knew about my wanting to be dominated..."

He nodded.

"But why aren't you trying to dominate me?"

Xanthos

"I'm not that kind of person," I softly replied.

"But how..." she started asking, glancing at the other women in the Eagle.

"They all joined the family of their own free will," I explained.

She went a bit wide-eyed at that, but when she looked to the others for confirmation, they all smiled and nodded in turn.

"Wow... I'm sorry. I thought they were all some sort of sex slave or something..." she said, shocked.