The Virgin Master (33 page)

“I do. I’ll send you a list. I’ve got to get going. I have a hearing this afternoon downtown at the Social Security Office. Don’t forget that I’ll need you to be there to give evidence of how Jeremy helps you, including some kind of financial break down if you have it, during the motion to let him continue to work while in detention.”

“I’ll get right on that.” Evan moved toward the door. Now that he had a strategy and steps to take he began to feel some hope. His battered sense of determination surged back to life. He had Sandy
call Jeff into his office and they started to work to show how much Jeremy had done for the company.

Time passed more quickly than Evan hoped. Sean proved successful with both his motions. Evan found it easy to discuss with the Slave Regulation Board how much Jeremy helped him with his job. As a result of Sean’s skillful arguments, Evan would be allowed to visually inspect Jeremy every thirty days and Jeff would be allowed to confer with Jeremy twice a week. During his first visit, Jeff took Jeremy his laptop and current file discs.

Evan happily paid for Jeremy to have internet access and questioned Jeff relentlessly about how Jeremy appeared, what he said, did he look like he was in pain, and on and on. Jeff humored him and answered every question Evan could think of without irritation.

Evan chewed his bottom lip
, heedless of the bruising he had already caused
. “Jeff, really, how did he look?”

Jeff smiled indulgently. “He looked fine. He said that
             
Tom had been there every day to change his dressings. They’re letting him have his pain meds. We were both afraid to say too much because I’m sure we were being monitored. I know you hoped he would have some personal message for you, but we were both too scared. He did ask how you are. He said that the food was the usual slave synthetic tasteless glop, but he isn’t starving. He was clean. I really don’t have anything else I can tell you.”

Evan
tried to hide his disappointment. He knew that Jeff cared about Jeremy and he felt confident that he had received a full report, but still….

"
We went over the open case files and he had some excellent suggestions to make about leverage in negotiations with Yamaha.”

Jeff pulled out his
datapad
and downloaded his notes into Evan’s computer. Evan shook himself, like a dog getting out of water, and forced his attention back onto his work.

“When’s your psych evaluation?”

“Tomorrow.” Evan sighed. “It will take all damn day.”

“Where do you have to go?”

“Downtown to the University Medical Center.”

“Good luck, man.”

“I’m going to need all the luck there is.”

Evan trudged into the Medical Center nearly thirty minutes early. He had been totally unable to sleep. His examining psychologist, also early, decided to go ahead and start with him.

“Hi. I’m Dr. Phillip Meier. You’re Evan James? Is there anything bothering you this morning that I should know about? Anything that might affect the outcome of your evaluation
?
"

Evan shifted nervously and then winced internally. He
             
knew
that the whole day would be recorded and that Dr. Meier would be going back over the images watching Evan’s body language.

“Yes, Dr. Meier. Several things; first of all I’m nervous. I did so poorly on my last evaluation that I came close to losing my career.”

“Do you have any idea why you did so poorly?”

“I know exactly why. About four years ago, I lost my life partner to cancer. During the last few weeks his pain got so bad that not even hospice care could help him manage it. Three weeks before he died, one of his doctors covertly offered to give him an overdose of pain medicine. I talked him out of it because, selfishly, I wanted as much time as I could get with him.”

Evan stopped talking for a minute, overcome with memories and echoes of guilt. Dr. Meier waited him out.

“He lay screaming in my arms for days before he finally lapsed into a coma. By the time I realized how bad it was going to be for him, the helpful doctor was gone on vacation. The new doctor wouldn’t help us. I condemned the person I loved most in the
entire world to two weeks of utter hell. I couldn’t forgive myself. I don’t guess I’ve totally forgiven myself yet. But I’ve come to terms with it, finally. I had totally withdrawn from everything except work. I treated my
staff like animals. I was robotic and insensitive.”

“And you fe
el that things are better, now?"

“My Dad suspended me. While I was suspended I learned a lot about how the people I supervise and work with saw me. It was very bad. As a condition of returning to work, I had to prove to the Board that I had some kind of sexual outlet on a regular basis. So, I, uh, bought a personal slave. Having someone else to take care of helped me get out of my downward spiral.”

“You think of your personal slave as ‘someone to take
             
care of’?”

Evan’s eyes flicked up. He wondered briefly if he had
             
just
made
a terrible mistake.

“Well…yes. He had been abused during the auction process and badly injured. I had to think about getting him proper veterinary care and then tend his injuries. After that, we both had to learn about
m
aster/slave roles because he was a new slave and I never owned one before. Then we had to get each other through discipline inspection.” Evan couldn’t read anything from Dr. Meier’s face. He forged ahead. “We were kind of like partners. Then, he had never been with a man before, so I got to teach him about that.”

Dr. Meier bit back a smile. “You bought an older feral?”

“That’s right. He volunteered to be sold for debt to keep his mother and sister off the work farm.”

“And you admire that.”

Evan pretty much believed that these were all trick questions, but all he could do was tell the truth. He had no idea how he was being scored and trying to manipulate the outcome when he didn’t know the game had to be worse than just seeing where the truth got him. “I really do.”

“Not many people would admit to admiring a slave.”

“Is that wrong?”

“No. Not if it’s how you feel.”

“I have to tell you that I’ve been more than a little upset lately. Do you recognize my name from the news?”

Dr. Meier nodded. “I might have heard something in passing.”

             
“Jeremy, my slave, saved a citizen from falling down the escalator in James Mall. She was carrying a three-month old in one of those front facing sling things. She caught the heel of her shoe in the hem
of her skirt and literally went air-borne. Jeremy caught her. She went ballistic because he touched her without permission and damn near beat him to death. He’s had to have a blood transfusion and five different skin grafts, so far. I didn’t enjoy watching her damage him like that. They took one of the images
of me
out of context and she and her father filed complaints against me for inappropriate emotional attachment, in an effort to counter my suit for damages. Slave Regulation took Jeremy and
he’s in detention until the outcome of the hearing.”

Dr. Meier stared at Evan. “They granted you a hearing?”

“It’s complicated. And office politics.”

“You know the woman?”

“I know her father---he’s the chairman of the Board of James Enterprises, Inc., Frank Owens.”

Dr. Meier leaned back in his chair and frowned.

“So currently you are embroiled in law suits and trying to fight off an internal take-over at your company?”

Evan laughed bitterly. “Yeah. If I haven’t significantly improved on this psych evaluation over the last one, I’ll be removed as C
E
O. “

“So….you’re basically outraged because your property was damaged severely for saving the lives of two citizens?”

“Yes. There’s a lot wrong with a system that would discourage anybody from saving a baby’s life. Not to mention that Ms. Rourke herself would have fallen nearly forty feet to a
             
concrete floor. At the very least she would have suffered some serious injuries.”

“I dare say, looking at it from that perspective, that I have to agree. I am trained to adjust for extenuating personal stress, but, Mr. James; I’ve never had to evaluate someone with this much personal stress. I will do the best I can and make a note that negative findings are likely due to situational stress and not a personality disorder. By law we can’t reschedule, unless you are incapacitated; so we have no choice but to plow ahead. Do you understand?”

Evan nodded. “I think so. You’re not sure you can adjust for everything so my score might be artificially depressed?”

“That’s right. We might as well get started with the paper and pencil portion of the festivities, so to speak, although
the test will actually appear on your
datapad
. These are versions of the same types of psychological tests you have taken in the
p
ast. They are designed to ferr
et out depression, suicidal and
homicidal tendencies and unresolved rage issues, as well as personality disorders that might foster dishonesty.” Dr. Meier cleared his throat and smiled crookedly at Evan. “I would imagine that you have quite a few ‘unresolved rage issues’ right now.”

Evan chuckled and found himself relaxing a little bit.

Dr. Meier stood up. “I’m going to leave you alone in the office here because it makes some people feel too nervous if they think they’re perpetually under scrutiny.”

Evan smiled up at the doctor. “But I am under perpetual scrutiny. I presume you’ll be watching me remotely or at least reviewing the recording later, right?
"

Dr. Meier shook his head. “You got it. But I’m leaving anyway because we need to follow protocol. You have two and a half hours. If you need a break take one
. B
ut I won’t be able to give you
any extensions of time. The tests are designed to be taken with two ten minute breaks. Good luck.”

Evan actually found the tests a welcome distraction. Some of the questions were even interesting. He did wonder, however, why the test designer felt it necessary to ask him if he feared fire in at least six different ways. At the end of the test period, Evan felt relaxed; his anxiety about the whole process completely gone. He trusted Dr. Meier for some reason and he decided not to second guess himself about that trust.

After the initial testing and lunch, Dr. Meier gave Evan a series of tests involving ethics and dis
crimination. The questions were
oral and Dr. Meier never made him feel pressed for time or that he found Evan boring. As the afternoon progressed and the questions became more and more complicated Evan
began
enjoying the process.
H
e vaguely remembered rushing through the last time because he felt he had to get back to the office.

They got through all the questions in the time allotted and Evan at least knew he had done his best and had been as truthful as he knew how to be. His whole life now rested in the hands of Dr.
Meier and Sean Murrow. In two weeks he could at least go in and look at Jeremy. His mild good mood plummeted as longing swept through him. Gritting his teeth he hailed a taxi and went home.
To nothing.

*****

Jeremy paced his small
cell. Eight paces up and eight
paces back. His back felt better but he still couldn’t move suddenly or pick anything up that weighed over five or six pounds without significant pain. He fretted about losing muscle mass and tone and tried to figure out how he could use his bed frame or
his desk for exercise equipment.