Part 2

When he woke, Celeste was still asleep. Having turned during the night, she was spooned against his side. Max moved carefully, extracting himself from her side without waking her. Pulling on a pair of sweatpants, he went down to his office, retrieved a legal pad and pen, then sat at the kitchen table and started to map out his strategy for dealing with Neil Rasmussen.

His methodical nature had gotten him a ribbing more than once in college, but helped make him a foundation of his law firm until his leave of absence. When faced with a problem, he wrote down everything, organizing and shaping the information until a solution became blindingly obvious.

In this case, he just didn't have enough information. He needed to know the source of Neil's power. Apparently, Neil had explicitly ordered Celeste not to talk about it. That meant Max was going to have to find another source of the information, possibly direct observation.

By the time Celeste wandered into the kitchen, wearing the flannel shirt Max had lent her and nothing else, he had a preliminary plan.

"Can I make you breakfast?" she asked.

Max nodded, "Sure. That would be great. I have a couple of questions I want to try asking you this morning. I want you to answer them as best as you can without causing yourself pain."

"All right," said Celeste, looking uncertain.

"Has Neil ever given you an order in a non-verbal manner?"

Celeste considered the question, "Not that I remember."

"Have you ever followed an order without actually hearing it?"

"I... I've followed orders that I misheard."

Max shook his head, "That's not what I mean. I know this sounds far-fetched, but have you ever received an order that you couldn't have heard?"

"No. How would I follow an order I couldn't have heard?"

Max sighed, "I'm dealing with something science says can't happen, so my questions aren't bounded by scientific possibility. I'm wondering if Neil's power might be telepathic. But, I won't ask you that because you couldn't answer it."

Standing at the stove making breakfast, Celeste nodded and smiled, "Well done. I didn't even notice where you were going with that. You should be a lawyer."

Max laughed. Then, more somber, he asked, "What was the exact wording of Max's command that keeps you from telling me about his power?"

Celeste frowned, "I can't say."

"Why not?"

"Because," she said. "If I told you what he said, I would be telling you where his power came from."

"If I ask where his power doesn't come from, would you be able to tell me?"

Celeste considered the question, "No. Because, if you hit on it, I would have to demur. And, that would be the same as telling you."

"Could you accidentally give it away in some way without knocking yourself out?"

Celeste froze at the stove. Her voice came out small and meek, "Yes."

Max looked up, "I wouldn't ask you to do that unless it were life or death and I couldn't figure it out on my own from observation."

Celeste nodded, but didn't speak. She went back to making breakfast. Max could see that she was crying.

"Celeste, what's wrong?"

She shook her head, unwilling to speak.

"Tell me," Max said quietly.

Her head snapped up. Quietly and without inflection, she said, "I'm afraid you're going to get used to being able to give me orders and have me obey them without question. You're already thinking about how to use the power you have to get information out of me, even if it hurts. When Max first got his... power, he tried to be as nice as possible about it as long as he got his way. Over time, that became less of a concern."

"I thought he was always a little savage."

Celeste shook her head, "Not at all. He was a poor kid who got picked on a lot. At first, he used the power to get people to stop picking on him and his friends. Revenge came later. Then, he became less interested in revenge than in making people suffer."

"Celeste, you have to trust me," said Max. "I would never hurt you except to save your life."

She raised her head, "Is that an order?"

Max shook his own head violently, "Absolutely not."

"Because it could be, you know. You could order me to trust you and I would. You could order me to love you. You could order me to hate you, hate your touch, everything about you, and then order me to fuck you and I would, hating every minute of it. I don't know if you thought about any of that yet, but I'm sure you will. Can you honestly tell me you're not going to use that?"

Max nodded, "Yes. Whenever I think about forcing you to do things, it makes my skin crawl."

Celeste nodded, "All right."

"Do you believe me?"

Celeste shook her head, "No. I'm sorry, Max. I've seen what the power did to Neil. He was by no means a saint, but he was nothing like what he's become either. He told me he would throw away the power once 'everything was put aright.'"

"All right," said Max quietly. "Fair enough. Could he have done that? Could Max somehow throw the power away?"

Celeste shook her head, "I can't say."

"That's okay," said Max. "If I were to approach him wearing earplugs, would I be safe from his power?"

"I don't know," Celeste said. Her voice was still quiet.

"Celeste, I want you to tell me if this plan will work: If I ask you to try to disobey a written order, then give you the order, will it hurt if the written order works?"

Celeste considered the question, "If you told me to try to disobey the order until it started to hurt, then stop fighting it, I could probably do it."

Max nodded, "Try to disobey the written order I am about to give you until it starts to hurt, then stop fighting it."

Celeste nodded. Max took his legal pad, turned to a clean page, and wrote one word. When he turned it to Celeste, she smiled.

"Shit," she said. "That was involuntary. Try again."

Max turned to another page and wrote, "Tap yourself on the head three times." Then, he turned the pad around again, she looked at it, concentrating on the words. Her hands stayed at her sides.

"Good," said Max. "I think we're getting somewhere."

Max got in his car and drove to a mall an hour away to buy earplugs. He could have gotten them in town, but a quick drive down main street convinced him that it wasn't a good idea. If Neil knew that his power could be blocked by earplugs, he might be controlling the people who sold them. It was a small chance, but too big to take.

Without thinking, he'd told Celeste, "Stay here. Don't move until I get back." Fortunately, he'd noticed her paralysis a few seconds after he'd said it.

"I didn't mean that literally," said Max. "If you think you're going to leave the house, call me."

Celeste nodded, went up on tiptoes, and kissed him. When Max kissed her back, she wrapped herself around him like a vine and had to be ordered to let him go before she would release.

"And don't pout," Max said. The smile that split her face was so abrupt and unnatural that he ordered her to forget his previous order. But, it still stuck in his mind's eye for most of the drive over.

He walked around the mall several times, looking for people showing the telltale signs of Neil's control. From what he'd seen at the gym and around town, people who were in Neil's thrall but not being directly commanded by him seemed to pause before changing directions. Their eyes seemed to take an extra half-second to focus on new objects.

At least, Max hoped that was how it worked. He could be walking into a trap and wind up losing control of his own mind any minute. But, there was only so much caution he could exercise. As it was, he left Celeste alone for almost four hours before returning, having stopped at several stores on the way. When he came home, she was sitting on the couch, still dressed in the big, flannel shirt, deeply engrossed in reading one of his introductory law texts. When she saw him, she laid the book aside gently, then launched herself across the room at him, wrapping her arms around his neck, kissing him passionately on the mouth. He smiled down at her and stroked her hair.

"Max," she said, breathless and excited, "I just spent the last three hours focused on reading about the law. It was really fascinating. I hardly thought about sex at all." The pride was clear in her voice.

His hands held her up by her bottom, "And now?"

"Now," she said, giving him a saucy look and wiggling, "I could use a little bit of attention--to help me focus."

Max kissed her gently and gave in to the inevitable. He carried Celeste into the bedroom, kissing her as they went. Laying her back on the bed, he stripped her of the shirt and ran his hands over her naked body, loving the way she responded to him. She whimpered, aroused by his touch. He followed hands with lips, kissing his way down her body.

"Max," she moaned. "What are you doing to me?"

"I may have figured out how to deal with Neil," said Max. "By this time tomorrow, you may be free of him. Let me make you feel good."

Celeste closed her eyes and nodded. She opened her body to Max, who took his time exploring it. This time, he didn't let her responses direct him. He kissed and stroked her everywhere before letting his tongue claim the warm place between her thighs. She arched her back, pulling his hair and clawing his scalp.

One nail caught his ear, causing him to cry out in pain. She looked up, alarmed, "Did I hurt you?"

Afraid he would bump up against some command she'd been given if he said "yes," Max said, "Don't worry about it. Forget it happened. Just leave your arms at your sides until I tell you to move them."

Celeste's arms dropped to her sides as if the were dead weight. Max rolled her over on her stomach, kissing up and down her spine, powerful hands massaging her from neck to calves. Her sounds of pleasure were mostly constant now, but they changed timbre whenever he touched near the rosebud of her ass.

"Do you like that?" he whispered. Celeste nodded frantically. He teased a fingertip into her. She cried out, feet clawing at the sheets.

"Would you like me to fuck you there?" he growled. Again, she nodded frantically.

Max moved his hand between her legs, covering his fingers in her juices, and applying them to the other entrance to her flesh. Celeste spread her legs to make it easier. It had been a long time since he'd done this. Abigail hadn't allowed it. There had been a girl in college who liked it well enough with sufficient oil applied. Max didn't have oil, but it was all right. Celeste wouldn't mind.

He entered her all at once. Celeste panicked at first, but he growled, "Don't fight me," and the muscles relaxed. After that, it became easier and he took her in deep strokes, driving his cock as deep as he could go each time. Max's pleasure was as intense as he could remember it ever being. He kept it going as long as he could, feeling Celeste's slender body trembling beneath him, completely overwhelmed with pleasure.

When he finally came, he collapsed next to her, sliding out, dragging her back against him so that he could hold her in the spoon position. It took a long time for her pleasure noises to stop. When her breathing had gone back to normal, he pulled her towards him, cradling her in his arms. As she rolled towards him, one of her arms swung freely, flopping like a rag doll's.

Max laughed, "Sorry. I forgot. You can move your arms now."

"Max," Celeste said, lying in his arms, "if you do that very often, you're going to break my mind. I almost went insane today."

Max kissed the top of her head, "I just wanted to make sure that you were sated for tonight. I think I found a way to learn Neil's power and maybe even neutralize him."

"Really?" asked Celeste, sitting up.

"I want you to help me do an experiment," Max said. "Will you?"

"Of course," Celeste said.

Max took a pair of earplugs out of their packaging and handed them to her, "Put these in your ears and turn your back."

Celeste did as she was told. Sitting right behind her, Max said, "Turn around and face me."

Celeste didn't move. She continued to stare away from him. He tried again, "Celeste, pat yourself on the head."

Still getting no response, he turned her to face him and said, "Celeste, kiss me."

Celeste reached up and pulled out one of the ear plugs, "What?"

Max shook his head, "No. Don't take the earplugs out."

"Oh," said Celeste. She put the earplug back in.

"Now," Max said, "kiss me."

Celeste stared right at him. Her hands stayed firmly in her lap. For a few seconds, Max thought she would just ignore the command, but she started to quake like he'd seen her do when two orders conflicted.

"Celeste," he shouted, "take out the ear plugs."

She didn't respond and still looked to be going into a seizure. Max reached for her. She caught his wrists, trying to stop him. When he tried to force his way past her arms, she bit one of his wrists and wouldn't let go. Instinctively, Max swung the arm she was attached to, flinging her off the bed. She looked like she was trying to get up and run, but the tremors hadn't stopped and she collapsed again.

Max approached her much more carefully this time, holding his bleeding wrist with his other hand. Lying on the floor, curled up in a ball, skin clammy with sweat, quaking and moaning, she didn't seem ready to give him any more trouble. But, he didn't take any more chances. He pounced on her, pinning her face down to the ground, twisting one arm behind her back, and placing a knee between her shoulder blades to keep her pinned. Only then did he reach down and pull out one of the earplugs.

"Celeste," he said hoarsely, "can you hear me?"

"Yes," she growled, anger clear in her voice.

Max took his weight off her and sat back against the wall, "I'm sorry," he panted. "Take out the other earplug, then go and get something to take care of my wrist."

As Celeste bandaged his wrist, he asked, "What the hell happened?"

Celeste shrugged, "I had a sense that you wanted to give me an order. It became very important that I hear the order. I wanted to take the earplugs out so I could do what you wanted, but I couldn't because you told me not to."

Max shook his head, "I'm sorry, Celeste. I didn't realize what was happening. I would never have told you not to take out the earplugs had I realized the effect it would have had."

Celeste sat with her back against the wall, still naked, chest still heaving. She glared at Max. Still exhausted himself, he held out his arms, waving her to him to be comforted, "Come here."

Celeste crawled over, lay her head on his chest, and let herself be held.

Max waited until it was dark out to start packing for his surveillance of Neil. He said, "Well, we know that commands you're not aware of don't effect you, but that, if you think you are being commanded, you'll work hard to try to obey those commands. So, they'll be of limited protection.

Celeste looked up from the book she was reading. It was the textbook she'd found earlier, "Be careful, Max."

Max nodded, "I will. You're really enjoying that law book. Aren't you?"

"No," said Celeste. "But, I'm compelled to read it."

"Why?"

"Because you told me I should be a lawyer," said Celeste. "So, I'm doing what I can to obey your order."

"That wasn't an order," said Max. "It was just a suggestion."

Celeste shrugged, for the first time in a long time reminding Max of the teenager she actually was, "I'm very suggestible."

"Well, for..."

"I'd rather you didn't," said Celeste, cutting him off.

Max was puzzled, "Why not?"

"This afternoon, I read for four hours straight and didn't go completely sex crazy. It's preferable to what I'm like otherwise."

"All right," said Max. "Celeste, I promise you. Once I figure out this thing with Neil, I'll figure out how to untangle all of the conflicting orders you've got, however long it takes."

"Thank you, Max," Celeste said quietly. Then, she went back to her book.

"Celeste, how long has Neil owned you?"

"Since last April," said Celeste.

"Are you the first person he owned?"

Celeste nodded, "Yes."

Max took a deep breath, not wanting to ask the next question, but not able to resist it, "Celeste, did Neil ever own my wife, Abigail?"

Celeste considered the question, then said, "Yes. She was the second person he owned."

Max glared at her, "Did he order Bill Horton to kill my wife?"

Celeste shook her head. She was crying, "No. Bill Horton didn't kill your wife."

Max felt faint. He sat down heavily in his chair. Ever since he'd found Celeste on the side of the road and heard her story, this suspicion had been growing in his head. Bill Horton had been a transient living in and around town for almost four years and never hurt anybody. Then, after Abigail's body had been found, her skull crushed and her neck broken, Bill had confessed to kidnapping, raping, and murdering her.