Chapter Eleven

Patrick was making his way in from settling a problem at the BB Game, where one woman had tried to win by kicking over the buckets of the other women and was now having to clean all three screens by herself, when a dazzler walked up to him.

“The Governor called, King. He wants to see you in his office.”
”Thanks, Rob,” Patrick said. “Let Russ know I’m gone, will you?” He walked swiftly through the building, hardly even noticing the yoked woman bent over double in the common room, bared backside swinging in the air, fighting the usual futile fight to try and get her t-shirt to cover her.

Through the glass wall to his left, he could see a woman wriggling around nude on a bed, her hands tied behind her back. It looked as though Doctor Frank had been using his “tingly” cream again. Patrick was tempted to take some of that home. It didn’t do any harm, but it certainly made you very keen to be touched wherever that cream was rubbed in. He’d tried on himself once, and been surprised at how effective it was. It had taken ages to wash it off in the shower, too. He rather liked the idea of having a certain brunette/redhead begging him to touch her some more. He smiled to himself. Not that she didn’t do that anyway.

He almost walked into yet another yoked woman coming down the corridor, and as he sidestepped, he reached out and stopped her, his hand on the wood.

“Who put this on you?” he asked.
”One of the dazzlers, sir,” she said, recognising Patrick immediately. “The young one, the one with the dark hair.”
”Okay,” he said. “Stand still. It’s too tight. I’ll just loosen it a bit.” He shifted the latches that held her neck and hands trapped, making it marginally more comfortable for her. Then, through force of habit, he lifted her shortie right up and tucked it securely around the yoke. Her face turned an immediate crimson as her naked body was revealed to him.

“Have fun now,” he said, and patted her bottom as he moved past her.

He had to walk through the Display tube to get to Jake’s office, past all of the work detail cleaning the tube itself, past all of the crowds who cheered and waved to him, thrilled to see King Dazzler in person. He didn’t join in the activities much any more, so he was a rare sighting to most of them. He waved back, smiled, made a point of running his hands over a few of the nude workers, and kept walking. He ducked through the back of the Admissions Centre, walking in on Frank, photographing yet another unfortunate for his mythical book.

“That looks like a lovely photograph,” he commented. The doctor had the woman standing up, squeezing her ample breasts together. Frank was focusing his camera on her nipples, which were almost touching each other. “Can I have a copy for my wallet, Frank?”

“Anything for you, young Patrick,” Frank said, although not as cheerily as he would once have. He hadn’t completely recovered from being told off by King Dazzler.

He used his keys to unlock the door between the Holding Room and his father’s office and walked in just as Jake was putting the phone down.
”Sneaking in the back way as usual,” Jake said.

“You have to specify formality if you want it,” Patrick grinned. “What can I do for you, Governor?”

“Drop the title, for a start,” Jake said. “Sit, Patrick.”
”Yes Dad,” he said, still grinning. He sat down on one of the chairs in front of the desk.

“I had a very strange telephone call this morning,” Jake said, watching his son’s face carefully. “A man named Brad Clarence who seemed to think that he’d been asked to oversight a covert shaming of Jessica Porter.”
”Really?” Patrick said. “How strange. Do we have a covert shaming operation?”
”You know we don’t,” Jake said levelly.

“So the guy was obviously just a wacko,” Patrick said.

“Hmmm,” said Jake. “Want to tell me about it?”

“About what?” Patrick responded. Jake tapped his fingers ominously on his desk. It would have worked when Patrick was fifteen, but it wasn’t going to work now.

“Let me tell you more,” Jake said. “Apparently, Mr Clarence was contacted by a woman named Amanda, a tall woman with big breasts, long black hair, and a very confident manner.”
”Lucky man,” Patrick said.
”Shut up,” Jake replied, losing his patience if not his sense of humour. Patrick raised his eyebrows, but said nothing.

“She gave him a telephone number to contact here, to confirm that the offer was legitimate. He rang here, and had that confirmed, by a man with a heavy European accent. Imagine my surprise, considering we don’t have anyone matching that description on staff. No…don’t interrupt. Two days later, Mr Clarence met Amanda, and an elderly, stooped man named Gerald, who had glasses, grey eyes, grey hair and a green cardigan, at a cabin about three hours drive from here, right up in the mountains. There, he claims he was interviewed on the process he would use to shame Jessica Porter, and was then examined and tested to determine his physical and mental capacity for the task. He asked me, Patrick, whether it was normal for our testers to require the subjects to strip naked, be tied up, and travel great distances in cold weather. He became quite agitated when I explained that we don’t have testers, that we don’t have a covert operation, and that Jessica Porter is a free woman and is going to remain that way.”

Patrick said nothing. His father leaned across the desk, blue eyes the exact match of his own boring into his.

“How did you book the cabin?” he asked.

“Cash, false name, no-one ever saw either of us,” Patrick gave in. “And we left cash to pay for some damage we did to a wall.” Jake nodded.

“I suppose it was easy to work out,” Patrick sighed. “Only Daniel and I have the authority to divert the main switch number, other than you.”
”And only you or Daniel would go to the bother of victimising Bradley Clarence, because of his connection to Jessica Porter. But it clearly couldn’t be Daniel, because from what Mr Clarence said, he’d already threatened him and thrown him down some stairs. Mr Clarence would have recognised him. Is there something about Mr Clarence you two don’t like?”

“He tried to blackmail Jessie into being his sex slave for a year,” Patrick explained. Jake’s eyebrows went up. “He told her she wouldn’t get her job back unless she consented to doing what he wanted. He gave her eight pages of instructions. And you wouldn’t believe what he ran through for Ang...Amanda and me at the cabin.” Jake’s lips twitched.

“Amanda is, I presume, Angela Myers?” he asked.

“I’m sorry, I have to protect the anonymity of my associates,” Patrick said, almost grinning.

“Where did the two of you buy the wigs, the clothes and so on?” he asked.
”Different costume stores and dress shops around town,” Patrick replied. “Come on, we’re not idiots, Dad. We didn’t make it too easy for him to track us down.”
”And what did you drive out to the cabin?” Jake asked. Patrick’s grin faded.
”Tell me you didn’t drive that incredibly distinctive dark blue Jaguar of yours,” Jake said. Patrick said nothing. Jake shook his head.

“Amateur,” he scorned. “You didn’t think to take one of my cars?”
”I didn’t think you’d approve,” Patrick said.

“And when has that ever stopped you?” his father demanded. “I’ve quietened Clarence down, which was no mean feat, considering the fact that he noticed some similarities between Gerald and King Dazzler.”

“He’s never met me!” Patrick protested. Jake exhaled loudly.

“You appear on national television every night,” he said. “Including last night. He said he knew it was probably a silly idea, but having seen a close-up of your face last night, he did wonder if you might be related to Gerald. I agreed that it was a silly idea.” Patrick said nothing. Jake relented.

“He’s obviously a man who values his standing in the community. He’s not going to the police because he’s got some strange notion that Gerald and Amanda may have filmed him while he was naked.” Patrick grinned again. Jake sighed.

“Which is just as well, because I would have been annoyed if I’d had to use my contacts to smuggle you out of the country,” he went on. “Do think next time, Patrick. If the man had had a heart attack while struggling to his car in the cold, even I couldn’t have kept you out of jail. And you’d be a very popular boy in jail, with your notoriety, not to mention your mother’s pretty face and hair.”

“Alright, you’ve made your point,” Patrick said. “Thanks for helping out.”
”There’s a price,” Jake said.

“There always is,” Patrick conceded.
”I want to meet Angela Myers,” he said. “Yes, I know who she was when she was here, but I want to meet her as she is now. And I’d like to see Jessica Porter again, too.”
”I’ll see what I can do,” Patrick said. “But keep in mind that neither of them are supporters of the Shame Institute. They’re doing their best to talk Daniel and me into leaving.”
”And breaking your contracts with me?” Jake said, blithely unconcerned. “When hell freezes over, Patrick.”
”That’s exactly what I told them,” his son said.

………..…………

‘Stage Two’ of the plan to free Patrick and Daniel from their employment with the Institute had taken some time and some long phone calls to organise. They had decided that Jessie’s house was the best place, and because of their commitments to work, it was impossible for Patrick or Daniel to be there during the day. Angela was rushing to meet a deadline for her second novel, and as a result, Jessie was the only one there when the tall, graceful woman sailed up her front stairs and knocked sharply on her door.

When Jessie opened the door, she couldn’t help but smile. The woman was in her fifties, and her long, golden-silver hair fell in pre-Raphaelite curls over her shoulders. She was unusual and she was stunningly beautiful. But it was her familiar, deep green eyes that made Jessie smile.
”You must be Ms Sauniere,” she said.

“Gabrielle,” the woman smiled back. “And you must be Jessie. May I come in?”
”Of course,” Jessie stood back and welcomed her into the house.

“What a lovely home,” Daniel’s mother said. “I had a place like this on the beach once. My boys were babies then and we all slept in one big bed, in one room, with only a kitchen and a big tub in front of the fireplace for bathing. The three of us used to splash around in that tub for hours.” Her accent was lilting and exotic.

“There is a second bedroom here,” Jessie said. “And you are more than welcome to stay.”
”Thank you so much,” Gabrielle smiled again. “So now, can we sit down and you can tell me everything that is happening? I am so pleased to hear that my boys want to leave that horrible, horrible place.”

Jessie had coffee brewing already, and she was both impressed and horrified to see how strong Gabrielle took it. The older woman laughed at her expression.

“Come and sit down and tell me everything, Jessie,” she said, draping herself over the sofa. It was impossible for her to do anything in a clumsy fashion, but there was nothing pretentious about her. She slipped her shoes off and then sat on her bare feet.

“I’ll trade you,” Jessie said, smiling as she sank down beside her. “I’ll tell you everything as long as you tell me about Daniel and Patrick as children. I really can’t imagine them as children.” Their mother’s face softened, but her green eyes sparkled.

“They were equal parts joy and terror,” she said.
”They haven’t changed much, then,” Jessie laughed.

By the time Daniel arrived early that evening, letting himself in with his own key, the two women were firm friends. He stopped two steps inside the door, as Gabrielle looked up from the kitchen and smiled at him.

“Maman,” he said, affection in his eyes. She crossed to him, holding out her hands, and he picked her up, crushing her against him. When he released her, she reached up, tugged his face down and kissed him on the lips.

“My big boy,” she crooned. “Look at you. You are so beautiful, my Daniel. You have your father’s hair and his wonderful body.” She said that without a hint of shyness, assessing him from head to toe with one sweeping look. “But you have my shape of face, yes? You and Patrick both, although he looks more like me. I find it amazing that all of your silly viewers do not see the resemblances between my sons.”

”They’ve always highlighted the differences,” Jessie pointed out as she walked out from the kitchen as well. She and Gabrielle had been making a very complicated, very fragrant pasta. “Patrick in white, Daniel in black, Patrick with his angelic gold hair and face, and Daniel with his green eyes and wicked grin.”
”But Daniel was never the truly wicked one,” Gabrielle protested. “He was my quick, clever boy. Patrick was the naughty boy, always.”

”I’m the saint,” Daniel said smugly, his arm around his mother.

“I would not go that far,” Gabrielle laughed. “It is only by comparison with your big brother that you seemed well-behaved. And Patrick could make a devil look like an angel by comparison. And you. Why have you not said hello properly to your woman?” Daniel grinned.
”I was saying hello to my mother,” he pointed out.
”Which is very good, but you have said hello to your mother now,” his mother said. “Go say hello to your Jessie.”

“Yes, Maman,” he said. He walked over to Jessie, took her coffee cup from her hand and set it down on the kitchen bench. “I’m sorry,” he said to her. “But my mother says I have to do this.” With that, he bent down and kissed her, deep, long and thoroughly, while Jessie pushed ineffectually at his shoulders, and protested and squirmed. Gabrielle watched approvingly.

“Well done,” she said when he finally lifted his head. “Romance without passion is nothing. Just as passion without romance is empty. Now, we finish making dinner, Jessie.”

Patrick arrived as dinner was being served. Daniel let him in, and then stood back to watch the fireworks. Patrick and Gabrielle faced each other down across the room.

“Hello Nemesis,” Patrick said dramatically.

“Hello Brat,” his mother drawled back. Then she burst out laughing, as he strode across the room and snatched her up into his arms, swinging her around.

“Look at you,” he said, holding her at arm’s length. “You don’t look a day over seventy.”
”Patrick!” Jessie protested. Gabrielle could easily have passed for forty.
”He’s just jealous,” Gabrielle assured her. “The lines of dissipation are already showing on his face. Soon, people will think he is my father rather than my son.” Daniel laughed.

“Somewhere, tucked up beside the portrait of Dorian Grey, there’s one of you, Gabrielle,” Patrick said, kissing her on the lips. “Showing you for the evil old hag you really are.”

“Are they always this affectionate?” Angela asked from the doorway.
”It’s been nearly three years,” Daniel explained. “They’ve been saving it up.”

“Come here, you,” Gabrielle beckoned him. He went to her, and she held each of her sons, one in each arm. “When did my boys get so big?” she demanded. She stroked their faces with her hands, looking up at each of them with so much love in her eyes Jessie felt her own eyes misting up. “Ah well,” she said. She turned to smile at Angela.

“And you are the brave girl who is taking my devil Patrick on?”

“The jury is still out on that one,” Angela said. “But I’ve got an option on him.”
”Try a leash instead,” Patrick’s loving mother said. “And perhaps a whip and a chair.”

“Don’t encourage her,” Patrick pleaded. “She’s imaginative enough as it is.”

“Oh really?” Gabrielle turned laughing eyes to Angela. “Come and tell me more.” Angela looked at Patrick.

“She means it,” he assured her. “She’s an unnatural mother. Where do you think Daniel and I got our loose morals from?”

“I do not have loose morals!” Gabrielle smacked his arm. “I have flexible morals.” Everyone laughed, including her.

“That makes all the difference,” Daniel agreed.

“So, Maman,” Patrick said, once they’d finished the pasta and the cheesecake Jessie had made for dessert. “Did you bring them?”
”I did,” she said. “Has your mother ever let you down?” He smiled. “Just get me my bag, darling,” she pointed to it, and he got up from the table and went to retrieve it. She reached into it and pulled out a folder. She opened it in such a way that no-one could see the contents, and smiled around at all of them, drawing out the suspense. It was obvious where her sons got their showmanship from.

“Let’s start with this one,” she said, handing over a large print to Jessie, who took it, smiling immediately. Daniel, and there was no doubt that it was him, even though he looked to be less than two, was standing, big green eyes looking solemnly at the camera. His sturdy little body was naked, and there was a mass of glossy black hair around his face. He was holding a shell out to whoever was taking the photograph.

“That was taken just before we came to this country,” his mother said. “He was sweet, no?”
”Very sweet,” Jessie agreed. Daniel, tired of waiting for her to hand it on, got up and peered over her shoulder.

“Oh God,” he laughed. “That’s going to ruin me.” He pried it out of Jessie’s hands and gave it to Angela, who burst out laughing.

“A nude photograph of The Cat,” Patrick commented, grinning. “We could get a fortune for this.” Gabrielle handed Jessie the next photograph, and she laughed as soon as she saw it. Patrick as a four or five year old was just as handsome and just as mischievous as he was as an adult. He had gold ringlets that fell to his shoulders, and his blue eyes were gleaming. He held a black puppy in his arms, and the puppy was licking his chin.

“You think their macho reputations will survive these?” their mother asked, her green eyes gleaming with mischief. Jessie shook her head, still laughing.
”I think it will be difficult,” she said. “What do you think, Patrick?” She turned it round and held it up.

“Dear heaven,” he groaned. “My life is passing before my eyes. What sort of a mother lets her son’s hair get that long?”

“It’s not much shorter now,” Angela pointed out, twisting a handful of his hair through her fingers.

“Be quiet, woman,” he ordered.
”In your dreams,” she retorted.

“I like her,” Gabrielle said to Jessie.

“So do I,” Jessie smiled back. “May I see the next photograph?”

”This one is perfect,” Gabrielle dimpled, handing it over. Jessie sighed this time. Daniel, the same age as in the first photograph, was sitting cradled on his mother’s lap, and the Gabrielle of almost thirty years before was unbelievably beautiful. Her curls fell to below her waist and as she sat on the sand holding her dark-haired baby, those curls mingled with the hair of her older son. Patrick, also naked in this photo, sand all over his small, tanned body, was leaning forward, his rosy lips just touching those of his little brother in a soft kiss.

“Let’s see them maintain the mystique after that one hits the press,” Gabrielle smiled wickedly, looking disconcertingly like Patrick.

Daniel shook his head.

“That’s it,” he said. “When that one gets out, we’re done for, Patrick.” He passed it over to him.

“That’s revolting,” Patrick said. “I think I should rip it up.”
”No!” Jessie and Angela protested at the same time.

“You think I don’t have the negative, silly boy?” Gabrielle said, calm and composed. He grinned.

“And another twenty photos that are just as bad?” he suggested. She beamed.

“Well, there is this one,” she said, selecting one and turning it round so he could see it. His jaw dropped.

“I’m fairly sure that’s child pornography,” he said. In it, he was sitting naked and cross-legged on the floor, perhaps a little younger than in the other photograph. He was staring pointedly at his own genitals.

“Trying to work out what they’re for,” Daniel suggested.
”He worked it out,” Angela spoke without thinking, then grinned as everyone laughed, including Gabrielle.

“Or then there is this one,” Gabrielle picked up a framed photograph and touched her lips to it. “I have kept this one beside my bed for many years.” It showed the two boys curled up together like puppies, their contrasting hair on the same pillow, their soft faces innocent in sleep.
”They were seven and three in that one,” she said. “The only time they ever looked like angels was when they were sleeping, and they didn’t do that very often. They were little wild things, my babies.”

“They’re still not domesticated,” Jessie commented. “More photos?” Gabrielle chuckled.
”Well, there is this one, if all else fails,” she said. She turned it around, still holding onto it.

“That’s very dirty pool,” Patrick said, a smile tickling at the edges of his mouth.

“She never did fight fair,” Daniel agreed, grinning. Both Jessie and Angela looked, then blinked and looked closer. An extraordinarily good-looking man was lying on a beach, a small Patrick sitting beside him on one side, a smaller Daniel curled up asleep within his arm on the other. Patrick was depositing a handful of sand on the man’s flat stomach, and that thin coating of sand was all the man wore.

“Jake?” Jessie said in disbelief, trying not to stare too openly at the groin of the man in the photograph. Daniel certainly did have his father’s body. In the photograph, Jake’s hair was completely black, his body tanned evenly from head to toe, he was laughing, and he looked comfortable and completely relaxed.

“Where did you get these developed?” Angela asked Gabrielle. “I STILL don’t know any places that would develop full frontal nude photographs of a man.”
”I was a model for artists and photographers,” Gabrielle smiled. “I had friends.”

“Did Dad ever see this?” Daniel asked, reaching for the photograph. She smiled.
”Of course,” she said. “I have lots of photographs of him without his clothes, most of them a lot sexier than that one.”
”Too much information,” Patrick protested.

“And he didn’t mind your taking pictures of him?” Angela persisted.
”Why would he mind?” Gabrielle responded. “Does he look shy in the photograph?”

“I think he’d mind now,” Jessie said, thinking of the man she’d reluctantly spent time with in the Institute. Then she remembered him grinning when he’d walked in while his “goodbye gift” was being delivered to her, and she wasn’t so sure.
”That’s the idea,” the mother of Jake’s sons smiled beatifically.

There were dozens of photographs, and despite their continuing groans, the men enjoyed looking at them as much as Angela and Jessie did. It was clear from the photographs that neither of the brothers had ever gone through an awkward adolescent stage. There was one of the two of them standing together as teenagers, Patrick’s arm around Daniel’s shoulders. It made Patrick grin.

”That would have been one of the last times I could do that easily without standing on something,” he said. “You would have been about fourteen then?” Daniel nodded.

“I grew a few inches taller that year,” he said to Jessie.

“Bastard,” Patrick said. “I should have put a brick on your head. You had no right to grow taller than me.”

“It’s okay,” Angela patted his back and smiled sweetly. “As long as you stand on your ego, you tower over everyone, little Pat.” While he bared his teeth at her, the others fell about laughing.

“Tell me, Angela, how did you meet Patrick?” Gabrielle asked.

“The first time or the second time?” Angela responded. Smiles faded and Patrick looked away. His mother reached out and patted his hand.

“What, darling?” she asked. He looked up ruefully.

“Angie is a graduate of the Institute,” he said. Gabrielle’s face paled. She turned to Angela.

“Oh my dear,” she said. “I am so sorry. Did he hurt you?”
”Yes, I did,” Patrick answered. “Not physically. I never really hurt any of the women physically, but I did a lot of emotional damage.” Just for an instant, it seemed that he was having trouble meeting his mother’s eyes. But he managed it.

“He wasn’t on his own,” Daniel pointed out.

“Always you defended each other,” Gabrielle shook her head. She took Angela’s hand in hers, now the pivot between her and Patrick. “I apologise for whatever Patrick did to you.”
”Thank you, but Patrick’s a big boy,” Angela said steadily. “You’re not responsible for his actions. He is. And he’s the one who’ll continue to pay for them.” The light in her eyes brought a corresponding gleam to Gabrielle’s.

“What have you done to him?” she asked. She laughed at the look on Angela’s face. “Oh, I have to know this. We will go and sit on the sofa and share some secrets.”

”No we will not,” Patrick said levelly.

“You are not invited,” Gabrielle replied firmly. “You and Daniel can clear the table and wash the dishes. Jessie, come help Angela give me all the dirt.” Muttering again about unnatural mothers, Patrick nevertheless followed orders, and he and Daniel had to endure muffled whispers and roars of laughter for the next ten minutes while they did domestic duty. Gabrielle was wiping her eyes by the time her sons walked over to the living room to sit down.

“Barbecue tongs?” she sniffed. She laughed again, and held out her hands. “My poor Patrick.”

“Barbecue tongs?” Daniel repeated, looking at Patrick, then at Angela. “What did you…no, don’t tell me. I not only don’t want to know, I don’t want to encourage Jessie.”

“I do,” his mother said. “I want to encourage both of these girls. They are perfect for you two and I intend to keep them. When are you getting married?”

“Married?” It was Patrick’s turn to repeat her words. “You are asking us when we’re getting married? YOU? You would never even consider getting married to Dad!” She shrugged.

“Look how he turned out,” she said. “I was right not to marry him.”

“He’s not that bad,” Daniel defended him. She shrugged one shoulder again.
”I will never forgive him for what he dragged you two into.”
”Yeah, several years of national hero status, millions of dollars each, beautiful, naked women to play with. Man, he’s been tough to us,” Patrick put it in perspective.

“The damage to your souls was incalculable,” his mother said firmly. “You two would always have been famous and rich, with women attracted to you. You did not have to be involved in this shameful thing for that to happen. You are handsome and intelligent and talented, both of you, and I did not raise you to be cruel to women.”

“You don’t have to lecture any more, Maman,” Daniel said gently. “We’re convinced, remember?”

“Good,” she said. “Now we just have to free you from your father’s grasp, yes?”

……………………….

The photographs were released the next day, directly from Gabrielle, through contacts Angela dug up for her. Jake’s reaction when a photograph of his sons kissing each other as babies made it to the front page of several newspapers under the heading “Ain’t They Sweet?” was unprintable. ‘Sweet’ was NOT the image he wanted for the front men of his Institute. On this occasion however, he could not blame them, and unless he wanted to alienate them completely, he couldn’t use his resources to go after Gabrielle.

She became an instant celebrity, appearing on television shows nationwide. In deference to her son’s wishes, she did not identify their father, but she did share any number of embarrassing stories about their childhood, along with her opinions on their work on ‘The Shame Game’ and at the Institute. Jessie and Angela had a wonderful time watching her performances on television as she travelled around the country.

“But Ms Sauniere,” she was asked by a young, fundamentalist right-wing personality with archaic opinions, political aspirations and a fanatical following. “You have to agree that these women deserve shaming.”
”Why do I have to agree to that?” Gabrielle demanded. “If they have committed crimes, perhaps they should be doing community service, or being used to work on ways to… my English is not perfect. To make reparations, is that the word? To redeem themselves and to fix things for the people they have hurt. Humiliating these women does not fix anything for their victims. It just plays to the base desire for revenge and in so doing contributes to the cruelty that is inherent in our society.”

”I couldn’t have said it better myself,” Angela said, watching on Jessie’s television with her.

“I had trouble believing that she refused to see Daniel and Patrick for the last few years, given how close they are,” Jessie said. “But hearing her in action, I can understand it. She genuinely believes what she’s saying.”

“I’d love to hear her debate the issue with Jake Miller,” Angela smiled.

“I don’t think I would,” Jessie shuddered. “That would definitely be a war of attrition.”

“Ms Sauniere, these women are arrogant, unrepentant bullies,” the interviewer said. “Surely you can see that they need to be dealt with in a way that goes straight to their pride?”
”And what about all of the arrogant, unrepentant male bullies?” she countered. “Of which I’m sure you’ll find that there are many more. All of the politicians who strut around showing off and imposing their will on other people? What do you do to them? How do you go straight to their pride? Shrink their willies?” Much of the audience laughed, as did Angela and Jessie. The interviewer cleared his throat.

“Far be from me to condone what my fellow MAN does,” he said, with a flashing smile. “But I can’t help but feeling that the root of this problem, the essence of it, is that when you put women in power, it goes to their heads. It is essentially against the order of nature. As it says in…” He had to stop, because Gabrielle was laughing so loudly. He looked at her.

”You silly little man,” she said, standing up. “I’m not going to waste my time listening to you any more. Anyone who listens to you is as idiotic as you are. I am trying to redeem my sons. If your mother is still alive, I hope she does the same for you, you poor, deluded child.” With that, she un-miked herself and walked off the set, leaving him gaping after her like a fish.

…………….

Patrick and Daniel had a rare day off that Sunday, because there was a major sporting event on that was occupying the network all night. Gabrielle was interstate, so the four of them went out for dinner the night before, to ‘Guiseppe’s’, the Italian restaurant that had featured in Daniel’s courtship of Jessie.

“This is decadent,” Angela said, unashamedly slurping up pasta. “This is the best food I have ever tasted.”
”It’s good, isn’t it?” agreed Jessie, smacking Daniel’s hand when he tried to steal some gnocchi off her plate.

“What’s good is the fact that I get to sleep in tomorrow,” Patrick said. “And wake up beside Angie. And then expend a bit of energy, and go back to sleep again. Then wake up beside Angie again, and then…”
”We get the picture,” Daniel grinned. “Not a bad idea.”
”The bed’s not big enough for you to wake up beside Angie as well,” Patrick pointed out.

“Spoilsport,” Angela said, without looking up from her pasta.

Daniel grinned even broader, while Patrick’s eyes gleamed.
”I’m not enough for you?” he challenged. Angela looked up, met his eyes, then looked over to Daniel. She shrugged.

“Why stop at one Sauniere boy when you can have both?” she deadpanned.
”Well, there’s the small matter that I will have to scratch your eyes out if you touch mine,” Jessie said mildly.

“God, I love it when women fight over me,” Daniel sighed. “Let’s postpone the fight until we get home, though. And then you can both get into tiny little baby doll pyjamas.”
”Good idea,” agreed Patrick. “And hit each other with feather pillows. Oh yeah.”

“How clichéd can you get,” Jessie rolled her eyes at Angela.

“I know,” she said. “They’re pathetic. I mean, we always have our cat fights in the nude, don’t we, Jessie?” Daniel closed his eyes and smiled beatifically while Patrick moaned out loud.

“Don’t tease me like that, woman,” he said. “I’ll be up all night.”
”I’m counting on it,” Angela grinned.

“Stop it,” Daniel said. “Stop it immediately, or there’ll be no cassata for dessert.” Since he had one hand in Jessie’s lap, his long fingers gently rolling the hem of her short skirt up, she didn’t think he was in any position to call them on their behaviour. She inconspicuously brought her hand down and tried to push his away. It didn’t work. His fingers were right under her skirt now, teasing at the silk of her panties. She jammed her thighs together.

“Changing the subject completely,” Angela said. “You know how we were talking about some of the things in the Institute that could be useful in normal life?” They nodded. Jessie also jumped, because Daniel had changed the direction his fingers were taking and was now sliding them up over the front triangle of her panties and into the elastic at the top.

“Well, that injection they give, the contraceptive one that also stops your period for a couple of months, is that available in the outside world?” Daniel shook his head.

“No, because there is a concern that women would just keep taking it,” he said. “In order to get the contraceptive benefits, they’d be completely stopping their menstrual cycle.”
”And that’s bad because…?” Angela asked.

”Because there’s a possibility their body will forget how to revert back when they finally stop the injections,” he explained. “And it’s not always predictable. With some women, it only lasts just over a month.” His fingers were inside Jessie’s panties now, teasing at the soft hair underneath. She tried not to wriggle at the same time as she attempted to shift his fingers. She failed in both. And then something registered. She suddenly sat up straight, dislodging his hand.

“Just over a month?” she said. “It only works for just over a month?” Patrick nodded. Then he smiled.

“Oops?” he asked. Jessie chewed her lip and looked at Daniel.

“Precautions will be taken in future,” he assured her with a grin. His fingers sought her out again, and Jessie decided that she’d had enough of subtlety.

”Shift your hand NOW, Daniel!” she said, and he laughed.

“I did wonder what was happening under there,” Angela said, smiling.
”Something very similar to what’s happening under here, I’d say,” Patrick grinned wickedly. “Only you’re better at keeping still than Jessie is.” She immediately shifted her chair away from him. He immediately shifted his chair to get close again.

“Get!” she ordered. “No, you can keep your hands to yourself, too.”

“Darn,” he protested. “They’re no fun,” he complained to Daniel. “What is the point in them wearing nice short skirts if they’re not going to let us play?”
”Later,” Angela said. “If you’re good.”
”I’ll be good,” Patrick promised. “I’ll be very, very good.” Daniel groaned again. ”Definitely sleeping in tomorrow,” Patrick added, smiling.

“Actually, we sort of made plans for tomorrow,” Jessie said. The mischief in Patrick’s eyes turned wary.

“What sort of plans?” he asked.

“The riverside markets,” she replied. “They’re on from seven am tomorrow. We thought we’d all go.”
”Seven?” Daniel repeated. “Seven? That’s the middle of the night!”
”We don’t have to go at seven,” Angela said. “That’s just when they start, and when the best stuff is available.”
”Are they popular, these markets?” Patrick asked her. She looked at him.

“Well, yeah,” she said, as if speaking to a fool. “They’re the most popular markets in the city.”
”Oddly enough, I’m not an aficionado of markets,” he came right back. “Heaven knows why.”
”They’re very popular,” Jessie agreed.

”Lots of people,” Daniel said slowly, looking at Patrick, who nodded glumly back.
”Oh come on,” Angela said, realising what they were thinking. “They’re there to shop, not to mob celebrities.”

“They’re very serious shoppers,” Jesse added her piece. “You’ll be fine.” Patrick shook his head.

“You won’t go?” Angela asked, disappointed.

“Oh I’ll go,” he assured her. “But I can almost guarantee that some mobbing will take place, my love.”

“Some people have serious ego issues,” his love responded, unimpressed.

…………….

“Do you really not want to come to the markets tomorrow?” Jessie asked Daniel later, as she was sitting on the bed, removing her shoes.

“I’m happy to go to the markets,” he assured her. “But Patrick’s right. We can’t go anywhere without being recognised, and I can’t imagine it’s going to be any different there. You saw what it was like that night in the restaurant, the night we re-introduced Patrick and Angie.”

“Will it be bad?” Jessie asked.

“Nothing we can’t handle,” he answered obliquely. “Here, let me get that for you.” ‘That’ was her skirt, which she was perfectly capable of unzipping herself, but she knew how much he enjoyed undressing her, so she didn’t object. “And those, too,” he insisted, sliding her panties down her legs. “Mmmm. Been trying to get to this bit of you all night.” He bent low and nuzzled into her, making her giggle and push him away. “Damn, I still can’t get there,” he grinned. “Can I help some more with the blouse?”

“Not while you’re so overdressed,” she said. He looked down. He was shirtless, with his shoes off and his belt undone. In a flash, he’d unbuttoned, unzipped and pushed his trousers and briefs all the way down, shaking his feet to dislodge them.

“Come here,” he said. Laughing, she looked at him, at the perfect triangle from his shoulders to his hips, the smooth line of his body, the glossy fall of his hair around his handsome face. She walked over to him and straddled him, carefully placing her bare lower half down on his thighs. He smiled appreciatively.
”Now,” he said, unbuttoning her. “Tell me why you didn’t drink any wine after the main course. Were you scared I was trying to get you drunk so I could take advantage of you?”
”You don’t need to get me drunk for that,” she said, as the third button slipped open. He really was extraordinarily good at unbuttoning. “No, I just thought I’d stop, to be on the safe side.”

“The safe side of what? The law? We got a taxi home, Jess,” he said. “Right, we’ll just slip this off. Now, that bra looks terribly uncomfortable. Let me just...well, would you look at that? It just came apart in my hands.” Laughing, Jessie let him slide her last remaining garment off her arms.

“The safe side, since I’m not sure whether I should have had a period yet, or whether that injection is still working on me,” she said. Daniel stopped, his face halfway to her breasts, and looked into her face.
”You think we might be having a baby?” he asked. She loved him for the ‘we’ part of that question. She shrugged, immediately drawing his eyes down to the movement of certain parts of her anatomy.
”Probably not, but I stopped drinking, just in case,” she said. “Some of the learning problems the kids at the school have are the result of alcoholic mothers. Not that the occasional glass of wine probably makes a difference, but just in case.”

“Stand up, sweetheart,” he said, lifting her up off his lap. He stood her in front of him, holding her arms at her side, and looked at her body, really looked at it. Despite her familiarity with his gaze, with his touch, with being naked with him, after a few minutes of this scrutiny, Jessie started to squirm.

“What?” she asked.

“Just memorising it, so I’ll notice all of the differences when you’re pregnant,” he smiled at her. He surprised her by bending down and kissing her stomach tenderly. “Such a little body,” he said. “Amazing to think that it could have another life inside it.” He followed the kiss with a hand, smoothing down over her belly, then lower still. “Come back and lie down again,” he invited, and she knew exactly what he was thinking.

“No,” she said. “You lie down this time. On your back.”
”On my back,” he said, grinning as he complied. “You going to tie me up again? Tell me Angie hasn’t tracked down some handcuffs for you.”
”No, unfortunately,” she grizzled. “You just put your hands under your head and leave them there, Daniel.”
”Putting my hands under my head now,” he complied. She straddled his knees and looked him up and down.

“You are delicious,” she marvelled.

“Silly adjective to apply to a man,” he scoffed. “The pasta was delicious. And the cassata, that was really delicious. And the ahh… never mind.” Because Jessie had lowered her head to his groin and was demonstrating just how edible she found him.

………………..

The markets were bright, loud, colourful and packed with people, and within ten minutes, both men had decided they’d had enough. And even though they were hiding their eyes behind dark glasses, their feelings were evident in their expressions.

“It’s shopping!” Patrick pointed out.

“Exactly,” Angela said.
”But I don’t like shopping,” he said. “It’s such a waste of time.”
”Wash your mouth out!” Angela said, shocked at such heresy. “You’re just in a bad mood because I made you get out of bed at six o’clock on your day off.”

“Which is a serious crime in anyone’s book,” Daniel said, looking darkly at Jessie. Although he had no objection at all to the way in which she’d woken him up.

“Poor darlings,” Jessie said, with no conviction at all. “Look, Angie! Those crystal light thingies I was telling you about. The ones with the coloured lights underneath?”

”Looking just like the other three stalls with crystal light thingies on them,” Patrick commented under his breath.

“I heard that,” Angela said. “Why don’t the two of you go over there near that tree and just wait for us for a while?”
”How long is a while?” Daniel asked. “Ten minutes?” Jessie laughed. “Twenty minutes? Half an hour?” His voice was going up, his expression incredulous. “It’s just shopping, Jessie!”

“Go and stand over by that tree NOW young man,” Jessie said firmly. “And I want you to think about what you just said.”
”Are we going to get lines?” Patrick asked, grinning.

“I’m holding out for a spanking,” Daniel said. They left the rows of stalls and headed over to the trees with a real air of escape.

“We could have been sleeping now,” Daniel commented, leaning his long body against one of the trees. “Instead of being out here, shopping.” His dislike of the concept was evident. “And tempting fate by showing our faces in such a public place.”

“Well, so far so good,” Patrick said, lounging against the same tree. He spoke way too soon. The words were barely out of his mouth, when there was a shout from over near the stalls. “Oh hell,” he said. Within seconds, they were surrounded, both of them automatically reaching for the autograph pads and pens they always carried with them.

“No, I will not sign any body parts,” Daniel smiled at the girl who asked. “Very nice though those are, so you can put them away. What’s your name?” He signed his name, ripped the sheet off the notepad and moved on. Patrick was doing the same, and for several minutes, all they could hear was names being called out as they were completely hemmed in on all sides.

“People,” Patrick said loudly, after a while. “I can live with the hands on my butt and all over the rest of me, but, and I’m sure I speak for The Cat in this too, HANDS OFF the family jewels, please!” There was laughter and some shifting of hands. But, since both men had their arms up writing the autographs and there was no room for them to squat down, there was little they could do to defend their lower regions. It took no time at all for the hands to wander back again.

Daniel caught one wrist and turned with some difficulty in the crowd, tugging the owner of the wrist around to face him.
”You are not even old enough to know what you were groping,” he said firmly to the teenaged girl.
”Yes I am,” she said, defiantly.

“Bad girl,” he said in his Cat voice. “If I had room here, you’d have a sore butt. Hands off!” She laughed, but was less happy when he refused to give her an autograph. “No,” he shook his head. “You took matters into your own hands a bit too much for my liking, young lady.” Patrick was still fighting the same battle, too.

“Ma’am you haven’t even bought me dinner,” he pointed out reasonably to the owner of the hand he’d just trapped. “And while I’m easy, I am never cheap.” While the people around him laughed, he turned away to Daniel and muttered “She was unzipping me, would you believe?”

“I’d believe it,” Daniel said. “Jeez! What do you think this is, a petting zoo? Hands off the merchandise!”

“Are you really brothers?” one woman asked.

“We are,” he assured her. “Patrick got the looks and I got the brains.”
”But you’re so good-looking, Cat!” she protested. Daniel grinned while Patrick turned from the autograph he was signing to level a mock glare at her.

“I’m waiting for the ‘and the King is so clever’, Miss,” he said. She laughed, looking just a little nervous.

“Still waiting,” he said, putting menace in his voice.

“And the King is so clever,” she said obediently. Patrick sighed.

“Some sincerity would have been nice,” he said, shaking his head.

Most of the autograph hunters were well behaved, and were more than happy to just be close to them, maybe touching their arms.

“Can I give you a kiss?” another teenager asked Daniel, and he pretended to consider it before bending down so she could peck his cheek.
”Don’t tell my girlfriend,” he said. “No, I can’t kiss or be kissed by everyone. I’ll be in deep trouble.” He felt like he was in deep trouble already – about ten deep and still growing.

“My hand is killing me,” Patrick muttered in his ear.
”We need to get these autographs printed up,” Daniel agreed. Then, shaking his head, he raised his voice. “Look, whoever is feeling me up at the moment is doing a very thorough and expert job, but once again, let me stress that it is private property.” A female hand continued feeling the shape of him through the front of his jeans. Daniel growled.

“Is your girlfriend here, Cat?” someone called as he forced an arm down to push the hand away. He exchanged a quick glance with Patrick, who shrugged.

“Yes,” Daniel answered. “And so is the King’s. Sorry, what was your name?” He bent to hear the name before finishing the autograph he’d been writing.

“Where are they?” the same person called. Daniel looked over the heads of the people around him, to where Jessie and Angela were watching, open-mouthed, from near the end stall, their arms laden with plastic shopping bags. He beckoned. They both shook their heads. He beckoned again, as several of the people around them turned to look. The two women reluctantly came forward.

“Let them through, please,” Patrick said. “And if anyone gropes them, there is going to be serious trouble. Apart from us, of course. We’re allowed to grope, aren’t we?” There was more laughter over that, as Jessie and Angela threaded their way through the small opening in the group.

“That’s Jessica Porter!” someone called. “The one who got away!”
”She only got away from the Institute,” Daniel grinned. “She didn’t get away from me, did you, Jessie?” To cheers, he bent and kissed her, quick and hard.

“And this is Angela Myers,” Patrick said, pulling her close. “Stand in front of me, sweetheart. Protect me. These people keep grabbing my bits.”

“What am I, an athletic supporter?” she laughed, but she looked around threateningly at everyone. “Hands off King Dazzler’s bits,” she said. “They’re mine.” To laughter from the crowd, Patrick held her against him with one arm, still writing autographs, but leaning over her shoulder to do it. Jessie was shocked to have people demanding autographs from her too, and wasn’t sure what to do when Daniel ripped off some pages and handed her a pen.

“Write their name, best wishes and then Jessie,” he said, bending down to her. “No long messages. It takes too long and your hand will fall off.”
”I’m sorry about this,” she said in his ear. “We shouldn’t have dragged you out here.” He shrugged and grinned.

“It’s part of it, babe,” he said. Then he growled again, reaching down to brush yet another questing hand away from his groin. “For heaven’s sake, my girlfriend is standing right beside me. Have you no respect?”

Finally, with no sign of the crowds abating, they called a halt to it.

“Sorry folks, but we have to go,” Patrick said.

“Bye everyone,” Daniel waved, then tucked Jessie firmly against his side and made a path through the people, Patrick and Angela following.

“Dear heaven,” Angela said, once they were clear. “That happens to you everywhere you go?”
”Just about,” Patrick said. He shook his hand. “Just trying to get some feeling back into my wrist here.” Jessie was shaking her head.

“You’ve got handprints all over your jeans,” she said to Daniel. He looked down.

”I’m not surprised,” he said. “I’m just glad these ones have got a tight button on them. They’d have had them off me otherwise.”
”I know the feeling,” Patrick said. “One woman unzipped me,” he said to Angela, shaking his head. “And I swear she was old enough to be my mother!”

“Poor, exploited boys,” Angela said. “Tough work being sex symbols, is it?”

“I don’t get the impression she really cares,” Daniel commented. “Heartless.”

“Just as well I like my women tough,” Patrick said, pinching Angela’s bottom and making her squeal. “Smile everyone. We’re being photographed from several angles.”
”Then let’s give them something worth photographing,” Daniel said, swinging Jessie round to face him.

”What a good idea,” Patrick approved, and the photo that made it to the following morning’s papers showed the ‘Shame Game’ brothers passionately kissing their girlfriends. There was no more talk about their questionable sexuality after that.

……………

On the set of ‘The Shame Game’ itself, Patrick and Daniel were having an increasing amount of difficulty in maintaining the normal atmosphere of sexuality and danger, and were doing everything they could to make it worse. Humour was in big supply, ranging from Mim, who thought it was all hilarious and had clipped the newspaper photo of them as babies and stuck it up in the dressing-room, through to their audiences, who kept bringing the photograph in for them to autograph. Additional photos had appeared in publications, and one Monday, there was a blown-up version of the photo of Daniel as a solemn toddler being held up in the front row.

Patrick, walking on stage mid-banter, slowed down and shook his head.

“Ma’am, why are you holding a picture of that strange little boy?” he asked.

“It’s The Cat!” the older woman shouted, laughing.

“That’s not The Cat,” Patrick corrected. “That’s a kitten. Look, he doesn’t even have any claws. Or pants.” Daniel had worked his way along the line as this was happening, laughter rippling through the audience, and he stood in front of the woman now.
”Wanna see what’s changed?” he asked sexily, his hands on the fastening of his leather pants. She laughed. Then she looked back at the poster of him as a baby.

“Your mother wouldn’t approve,” she said. “Can you sign this for me instead?” Daniel burst out laughing, as did Patrick, who took control back as Daniel found out the woman’s name and gave her an autograph and a kiss.

“I’m guessing that not everyone is here to find out more about our childhood,” Patrick said. “Some of you would probably like to see a naked woman. Am I right?” There were lots of cheers. “Good,” he said. “Otherwise, we’d have to rename this ‘The Family Show’, and I don’t think it has the same ring as ‘The Shame Game’. Cat, get your butt up here. We have a show to run.”
”He’s always been bossy,” Daniel confided to the audience. “And he got much worse once I grew taller than him.” He sprang lightly up onto the stage, walked over and patted Patrick on the top of his head. The audience cheered again, almost as loudly as they had at the prospect of seeing a naked woman, and when Patrick levelled a glare at him, they laughed.

“In the corner!” Patrick ordered, pointing to the edge of the stage. “Now! And do not come out until I tell you to. If you’re not a good cat, I won’t let you out to play with Marie Lisle at all!” Head down, shoulders hunched, Daniel walked away, scuffing his boots on the stage as he went. At one stage, he looked back and stuck his tongue out at Patrick, causing more hilarity while King Dazzler was doing his best to read out the disclaimer with a straight face.

Marie Lisle was a top flight economist who had taken bribes to make incorrect projections. These had netted her backers a lot of money, but had resulted in massive losses by small investors. Although she wouldn’t have recognised her face, Jessie had once seen her in a line-up of women bent over and displaying their genitalia for a group of contestants to memorise. She was a small woman with a pretty, curvy figure. Her best feature was her long black hair, which was falling straight down her back to her hips as she was brought forward by the guards.

“Good morning Lisle,” Patrick said cheerily. “Feeling like having some national exposure?” Her arms covering herself, the woman shook her head. “No?” he asked. “Damn, well there goes the show!” The audience laughed. He looked over at Daniel. “Perhaps you could do some backflips or something to fill in the time? He used to be quite good at gymnastics when he was a kid,” he said to the audience.

“Patrick was, too,” Daniel countered, breaking the rule of never using their real names on the show. “Mind you, he always liked anything that involved wearing tight clothes and strutting about. Just as well he grew out of that, isn’t it?” He stuck his tongue in his cheek and threw a look at Patrick, in his skin-tight leather. More laughter. The audience was enjoying the banter, even if Marie Lisle wasn’t.

Patrick walked around in front of her, his back to the audience.

“We’ll just ignore him,” he said, his voice projected over the microphone. “Let’s have a look at you, Lisle. Come on. It’s just me at the moment. I may not have grown out of a liking for tight pants, but I grew big enough to block everyone’s view of you. Shift your arms.” This was a definite break from tradition, but the audience was forgiving enough to allow it to happen. Patrick kept talking, and eventually the woman moved her arms to her sides.

Under the influence of Angela and Jessie, not to mention Gabrielle, both men were having trouble doing their job on the show now. They were both finding it hard to just automatically condemn their victims on the basis of their behaviour and treat them accordingly. Only that morning, Daniel had sat down in the dressing room, saying: “She deliberately made people lose money so she could make money. That’s bad. She deserves to be punished for that.”

“She does,” Patrick agreed. Mim frowned at him, because she was trying to paint lipstick on him.

“And this is a lot better than years in jail,” Daniel continued.

“Of course it is,” Mim answered. “Two or three years out of her life would change her completely. She’d never recover. A month in the Institute is very hard, but it’s a lot better than it could be, and probably better than she deserves. There, you’re done now.” Patrick spun around in the chair and stood up.

“You think she deserves this?” Daniel said. Mim patted a few strands of his hair into place.

“I think you need to stop worrying,” she said. “If she took money from people who couldn’t afford to lose it, then that’s stealing. And if that means that she has to go out there and show her whoopsy on national television for everyone to see, then that’s the price she has to pay.” Patrick made a choking noise. Daniel pressed his lips together tightly, but the laughter showed in his green eyes. Mim was satisfied with that.

Marie Lisle may not have been.

“Very sweet,” Patrick approved, looking down at her standing naked in front of him. “You know, if you hadn’t had your shame pill this morning, you probably wouldn’t have any real objections to my moving aside and letting everyone see that pretty little body.” Marie Lisle was nodding. Yes, she would.

“No you wouldn’t,” he disagreed. “And I have to do it, so let’s just pretend that you didn’t have the pill, okay? Let’s pretend that you’ve decided to share.” She wasn’t looking any happier, but she wasn’t looking as panicked either. Patrick took her wrists and drew them up behind her neck.

“Even better,” he said, and stepped to one side.

There was nothing they could do to make that part easier, as the audience and the cameras zeroed in on her full-frontal nudity, and as the voice-over detailed her crimes. The usual victim statement was made, footage of her trial and arrival at the Institute was shown, and as some of the audience booed, the woman shook. Patrick put one hand on her back and left it there, steadying her.

”Now, we move on to the next part,” he said to her. “Where I turn you over my knee and hurt my hand on your bottom. I have very soft skin, you know. This job is such a trial to me.” Marie Lisle was looking thoroughly confused as well as embarrassed by now, and the audience laughter wasn’t helping.

“It’s a tough life,” Daniel took over as Patrick flicked his microphone off. “It’s nothing but beautiful, naked women, day in, day out. I really don’t know how we cope.” He led a camera and the attention off the stage, dropping down into the audience. “I think I need sympathy,” he said. He paused in front of a middle-aged man in the front row. “But not from you,” he amended. He moved along to an attractive blonde. “You,” he said. “I definitely need sympathy from you.” At that, he sat down on the floor and put his head in her lap. The audience roared as the girl stroked his hair.

Under cover of that, Patrick had been talking quietly to Marie Lisle.

“This won’t hurt,” he said to her. “It might sting a little, but it’s more noise than anything else. It’s the same when Daniel does it. The worst part is the exposure, and even that doesn’t last long. Now, we’ve got no choice. It’s going to happen, so let’s just get it over and done with, okay?”

“I’d rather not,” the woman said. Patrick laughed softly.

“I’m sure,” he said. “But that’s not an option. Quick, bend over my legs before they get tired of watching him getting petted.” By the time Daniel stopped pretending to purr and came back up to the stage, Marie Lisle was already bottom up over Patrick’s knees.

“Nice of you to join us, Cat,” Patrick turned his microphone back up and looked over at him. “What do you think? She only has a little butt.”

“Hmmm,” Daniel appeared to consider it. “What do you think?” He turned to the audience. Most people yelled out twenty or thirty, but the usual few called out ‘a hundred’. Daniel shook his head.

“I’m going to tell my mother on you,” he said. “And boy are YOU going to be sorry!” As they laughed, he turned to Patrick. “Twenty-five,” he said. Patrick nodded and commenced.

When he finished, Daniel stalked over to claim her, and this time he stood between her and the audience while he put the collar on her.

“A tame economist,” he said as he led her to the bench. “Perhaps you can advise me. What should I be investing in? Property? Stocks?” He helped her onto the bench, then bent to tie her wrists, holding the straps wide for the audience to see them. “Or bonds?” There was a groan from the audience, and he grinned.
”I’m just not appreciated here,” he said to her.

“I wonder why,” Patrick sighed. Daniel straightened up and walked around to pick up her feet. As he glanced over, Patrick, off-camera, mouthed the word “whoopsy” at him. Daniel had to turn away fast.

“Now,” he said. “My girlfriend and I have been having a debate about these things.” He opened her feet slightly and looked down, to leave no doubt about what ‘things’ he was referring to. “She says that it’s the least attractive part of a woman’s body. What do you think, King?”
”I don’t think there is any unattractive part of a woman’s body,” Patrick gave his opinion. He looked at the audience. “What do you think?”

“It’s the best part!” a man yelled.

“Best part?” Daniel repeated. “Right. I’m taking you with me to argue with my girlfriend next time. Now, for one reason or another, I’m somewhat of a connoisseur of this part of the female anatomy.” He’d put the Velcro around her ankles while talking, and was drawing her legs apart now. The woman squirmed, and he looked down at her, his back to the audience, and winked at her. “So let me see…oh yes. Now that is a very nice one. Very tidy. That should probably be appearing in medical journals as a perfect specimen. What do you think, Lisle?” He said nothing about the fact that she was shaved between her legs, something he would once have dwelled on for the amusement of the audience. Instead, he kept his voice light and his tone almost admiring.

The banter and the tone were having the effect he was after, and although the circumstances prevented her from feeling in any way at ease, at least her brain was working.

“As long as I’m paid extremely well,” she said. Daniel laughed.

“Ever the economist!” he said, and the audience found themselves actually applauding the wit of the victim for once.

Because he had no choice, he moved out of the way as her legs parted. Then, flicking his microphone off, he said, just for her.
”Almost over.” He turned it back on. “How many?” This time, no-one called out any number above thirty, which was a first for the show.

“Ten,” Patrick decided, and ten it was. When it was over, when the big red “SHAMED” had been stamped over her image, the two of them untied her from her bonds much faster than they had in the past. When they helped her up, Patrick held her just for an instant in a calming hug.

“You did well,” Daniel said. “Beautiful hair.” He stroked his hand down it.

“He’s only saying that because it’s the same colour as his,” Patrick added, signalling to the guards, who came and took her away, still looking confused. They both turned back to the audience and stepped down off the stage for the usual round of autograph signing.

“Why are you still doing this show if your mother doesn’t want you to?” the older woman who’d had the blown up picture asked Patrick.

“Why are you coming to it if you don’t approve?” he countered.

“We’d already booked to come to it, months ago,” she said.

“And I signed a contract to be part of it, years ago,” he said.

“Well, I think you should leave,” she said firmly. “You’re both lovely men and you shouldn’t be doing this.”
”We’re working on it, ma’am,” he said with a smile, then leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.

When they finally made it back to their dressing room, they found that they had an unexpected visitor. Well, not totally unexpected, but they had thought they’d be summoned to him, rather than him coming to them. He had obviously been watching the live feed on the monitor in his office.

“What the hell were you doing out there?” Jake demanded.

“Improvising,” Daniel said. “Mim, where’s the stuff that takes the makeup off?”

“Right in front of you on the counter,” Mim said. “Where it always is.”

“Improvising?” Jake repeated. “You were turning it into a comedy routine!”
”It’s always been a comedy routine,” Patrick pointed out, taking his leather vest off. “With some corporal punishment and skin thrown in.”

“The viewing public watches to see criminals shamed,” Jake said, voice laden with annoyance. “Not to watch you treating them with kid gloves and behaving like the Osmond brothers.”

“Osmond brothers?” Patrick couldn’t help but laugh at that, even though Jake was looking daggers at him. “Neither of us can sing, Jake!”

“And Patrick can’t dance very well, either,” Daniel said, wiping the eyeliner off.

“This is not funny,” Jake said, and his voice was quiet and deadly. “If you think for a minute that I don’t know what‘s behind this, then you’re idiots.”
”Then replace us,” Patrick said steadily. He peeled the leather pants off, boots with them and reached for a towel to dry his body. “You don’t need us any more. The Institute is well-established, and the show can continue without us. Russ could do it. Any number of the dazzlers could do it.” He slung the towel over his shoulder.

“Get those leathers off,” Mim said to Daniel, who obediently began unbuttoning and unzipping. Jake stood silently watching his sons.

“Your mother got to you, didn’t she?” he said. “She’s been trying to convince you to desert me for years, and she’s finally done it.”
”She hasn’t been in contact with us for years because of our involvement with this,” Patrick said, wiping his makeup off now. “And don’t use words like ‘desert’. We’re not planning to stop sending you Father’s Day gifts. We just want to do something different with our lives now.” Jake glanced over at Mim, who was showing no signs of having heard what Patrick had said. She was taking the leather pants Daniel was holding out to her and handing him a towel, doing her best to be invisible so she got to listen in longer.

Daniel was less diplomatic than Patrick. He dried the sweat off his body and dropped the towel on a chair, then turned to face Jake.
”Come on, Dad,” he said. “We’ve given this three years. We never intended to sign up for life. For a number of reasons, we’re not as committed to the concept of the Shame Institute as you are any more, and yes, Maman is one of those.”
”I assume the ‘girlfriend’ you kept referring to out there is another?” Jake demanded. Daniel nodded. Mim, trying not to make it obvious that she was looking, was glancing over, looking from one tall, naked man to another, and then to the man who had fathered them. She could see the resemblances now, and was wondering why she’d never noticed before. Then again, she hadn’t seen Jake every day for nearly three years.

“Jessica Porter,” Jake said. He turned to look at his eldest son. “And Angela Myers, a.k.a. Andie Nugent.” He sighed. “You told me they want you to leave, but I don’t know why you’d want to. I don’t see what the problem is,” he said. “Most men would kill to have the sort of work and lifestyle you have here.”

“And don’t think for a minute that we haven’t appreciated it,” Daniel said. “But we’ve been questioning it for some time. It doesn’t feel right. It did at first, but it doesn’t now.”
”What’s wrong about it?” Jake demanded.
”We’ll set you up for a chat with Angela Myers, a.k.a. Andie Nugent,” Patrick said. “She gets the point across a lot better than either of us can.”

“I told you I wanted to meet both of them again,” Jake said. “Something you haven’t arranged as yet.”
”It’s been a bit awkward, with Maman staying with Jessie,” Daniel defended Patrick. Jake let it go.

“So…you definitely want out?” he asked, looking from face to face. They both nodded. He looked saddened. Then he made the decision, fast as always.

“Well I’m not going to sue my own children, although the network will probably want to sue me. They won’t succeed, but they’ll try. The three year anniversary of the show is coming up, so we’ll go out on a high, have some sort of a special. Think about it and come and see me about it tomorrow.” He went to leave, then paused. “And tell your mother I’d like to see her.”

“Knowing how much fun Gabrielle is having, she’ll probably insist that meeting takes place on national television,” Patrick grinned. Jake shrugged.

“I’ve never been scared of her,” he said.

“Ah, but she’s holding a trump card,” Patrick said. “No one knows you’re our father.” Jake looked at him, surprised.

“That was kept quiet only to preserve the mystique,” he said. “If you think I’m ashamed to claim you as my sons, you don’t know me very well.” He half smiled. “I saw your mother make mincemeat of that idiot fundamentalist, Templeton,” he said. “She hasn’t lost her touch.”

“She’s got another trump card,” Daniel said, also grinning. “It’s a nude photograph of you, on the beach with us, when we were little.” Jake frowned as he cast his mind back. Then he smiled.

“I remember that,” he said. “You were asleep and dribbling on my shoulder and he was doing his best to cover me in sand.” He shrugged. “Publish and be damned,” he said. “She’ll have to do better than that if she wants to get to me.” He left then, leaving both Daniel and Patrick feeling a bit hollow. In some ways, it had been easier than they thought, but in others, it had been harder. Instead of dealing with a businessman, they’d had to deal with their father.

They recovered fast. They looked at each other, smiled, and slapped hands in a high five.

“I need a shower,” Patrick said. “And heaven knows you do.” They started walking that way.

“Stop right where you are,” Mim ordered. They both froze in front of the woman who’d been dressing them, ordering them around and seeing them naked on a daily basis for more than three years.

“Yes Mim?” Daniel asked, lips twitching.

“What are you two going to be doing now?” she demanded. Both of them shrugged.

“Don’t know yet,” Daniel conceded.

“Well, whatever it is, if there’s something I can help with, I’d like a job,” she said. “It doesn’t have to be anything special, I’d just like to keep close to my boys. After all I’ve…no! Don’t you dare hug me! You’re all sweaty and you’ve got nothing on! Put me down!”