Podcasts about hron

Bulletin d'actualités. Le campus viticole et fruitier dont la construction est prévu a Modra, petite commune viticole de renom et connue également pour la fabrication de la majolique, située a seulement 27 km de la capitale Bratislava, vise a relier l'éducation, la pratique et la recherche appliquée. Le premier systeme d'approvisionnement en eau de Bratislava a 139 ans. Un nouveau projet international vise a résoudre les conflits entre les humains et les animaux sauvages.La route des châteaux Pohronska longeant la riviere Hron offre d'aborder l'histoire de 16 localités et des châteaux.

Hostia: Július Hron (predseda Cechu predajcov a autoservisov SR) a František Gajdáč (podpredseda Cechu predajcov a autoservisov SR). | Automechanik, elektrikár, klampiar, čalúnik, sklár.... Ktorúkoľvek profesiu z oblasti autoopravárenstva spomeniete, tá na trhu práce chýba. Automobilov na cestách je stále viac, predaj nových i ojazdených vozidiel takisto stúpa. Kto teda bude servisovať a opravovať naše autá? Ako spolupracujú autoservisy so školami, aby si vychovali nových odborníkov? V diskusných Kontaktoch sa pýta Ľuboš Kasala. | Nedostatok autoopravárov v autoservisoch. | Moderuje: Ľuboš Kasala; | Kontakty pripravuje Slovenský rozhlas, Rádio Slovensko, SRo1. V premiére v pondelok až štvrtok po 20. hodine v Rádiu Slovensko.

Dnes k nám dorazil moderátor a zpěvák Vladimír Hron. Jak se dostal k tomu, že chce bavit lidi a kdo byl první člověk, kterého imitoval? A kdo byl zase největší oříšek? Jak to má s Vánoci, cukrovím a předsevzetím? Proč nekouká na televizi a imitoval někdy ženu? Jak se dostal do rádia a víte, že moderoval na Evropě 2? Poslechněte si celý rozhovor.

Back with Libra; but first some nonsensical news. In 25 parts, edited from the works of FinalStand. Listen and subscribe to the ► Podcast at Connected..  “Just as echoes pollute sound, the echoes of our histories pollute our view of the World.” Katrina Explains the ‘Ash Men' "Amazons keep rather accurate histories, basing everything on lunar cycles. Our records, with minor gaps, date back to the Great Betrayal," Katrina began. "By modern parlance, around 1000 BCE, our ancestors stopped a millennia of a nomadic existence to settle in the land between the Váh, Hron rivers and Danube rivers." "You bitches know who the Magyar are," I interrupted abruptly. Sure, that region was in current day Slovakia, but it bordered Hungary, my ancestral homeland, even though our residency was separated by over 1500 years. "Of course I know who the Magyar are," Katrina shook her head mirthfully. "I simply can't resist busting your balls." I muttered angrily while avoiding using actual words. "Our numbers were enough to seize and hold the land," Katrina continued. "For centuries before that, we raided for men from tribes whose land we were moving through. After a few seasons, we disposed of the men and took some more." "When we chose to settle down, our Council decided to raid distant tribes and steal boys to be raised among our people. At first the males were virtual slaves yet in three generations, our people began seeing males as fathers, brothers and sons. We trained them in crafts. A few generations later, we voted to train them to be guardians; protectors of our hearths while the Host made war." "For eighteen generations things went well. We prospered, grew rich and strong. The tribes around us feared our wrath which made us proud yet was our undoing. New, stronger tribes migrated into the region from the West; we now know them to be Celts. The genesis of House Epona is from those first meetings. Many Celtic women embraced the Amazon lifestyle." "Though they knew of our strength, the first of these new tribes quickly went from peaceful coexistence to warfare. The Host crushed them. The problem was that new tribes kept coming and coming. Dirges of Mourning replaced the sweet taste of victory around our fires. We were always winning the key conflicts but our numbers were diminishing." "The males came to the Council and begged for the opportunity to join the Host in battle. Twice we rejected them. The third time, we relented and allowed a select few males to join us in the fight and for a time the balance was restored. Our doom crept upon us. More conflict resulted in more men taking up arms to fight." "What the Council could not perceive was the insidious influence of our enemies and it swept upon us on the wings of ravens by night; druids. Masculine deities, ethos and egos combined with our own blind arrogance to bring about our downfall. Constant contact with the Celts brought a different cultural view to our men. They began to question why women should rule." "Somewhere around the year 680 BCE, it began. It was not a calamity over in a night, or even a week yet once it began there was no stopping it. Most of our males, never fighters, were taken as slaves by their former brothers and their new Celtic masters. Not all fighting males betrayed us. Those males risked their very lives to sneak into fallen towns and villages to rescue their daughters." "The penalty our enemies exacted on our remaining fighting males was meant to keep the rest in line. They burned those brave men alive, in public. They burned them slowly, in much agony; the druids showed them how it was done. There is no record of any of our fighting males switching sides, or failing to undertake any mission for the Host. We survived as a people because of them." "When all hope of remaining in our new homes faded, we fled east into the mountains. My ancestors were furious, frightened and shamed. They decided they had let down their guards around men and swore to never do it again. The only obstacle to this way of thinking was the handful of men who risked all for the Host's survival and still lived." "They sent those male survivors on one last, suicidal mission. They were to return home and incite the Celts' wrath against the traitor males. For the Hell they unleashed, the druids were chosen for this final act vengeance. Amazon males slew the druids. The angry Celts fell upon their former allies, slaughtering the lot. "Somehow, a tiny band returned to their mistresses. Their return was unexpected. In their absence, the High Priestess and Council decided to rectify their centuries' old error in judgment. Only a few Houses; Arinniti among them; knows how each Council member voted yet the final decision is something we are dealing with today." "The 'valiant' Host went to their defenseless sons and butchered them. When the last Amazon males made it back they were rewarded with death as well. It is recorded that they didn't even resist, loyal to their last drop of blood. In less than ten minute's time, the last of the male line of Amazons perished." "These are the 'Ash Men' Oneida mentioned. Burned to death by our enemies for their devotion to us, burned to ash by the Host to hide our shame after we killed them for the crime of never betraying us. All full-blooded Amazons are taught about the Second Betrayal; except that last, pathetic and tragic addendum," Katrina educated me. "Oh shit," I interrupted. I was sure Katrina had more to tell me but I felt the hideous weight of this; now shared; past. "You believe that when this gets out, as all secrets do, it will undermine everything you have built. You did more than utterly betray those loyal brothers, you murdered your own sons." "That is one of the most serious issues the Council is dealing with," Elsa finally spoke. "That makes sense, but you are forgetting something," I shook my head. "Times change, people change, circumstances change. The Host misses the point." "That point would be?" Katrina studied me. I believed this was more of a case she wanted me to make the logical next step. "You betrayed us," I stated. "The lesson is not that men were lured away from the Amazon cause, it was that despite every reason to save themselves, men stayed loyal to the grisly end. If the Host is mindful and respectful, we males would rather be 'Ash Men' and safeguard our sons and daughters." "Men volunteered to fight, they did fight and fought well yet the Host refused to acknowledge anything had changed," I then paused. "Which is why I'm learning how to shoot, and knife-fight and why Elsa is here. Katrina, with the upmost respect; you are a manipulative bitch." "Cáel, I let you get away with a great deal," Katrina smirked. "Don't take advantage of it." "You seem to forget that I consider being murdered by your ilk highly more desirable than slavery," I retorted. "I hope it doesn't come to that, but if it does, you know you can't win," Katrina pointed out. "I have more invested in the fight than you do," I stated. "I'm fighting for the future of my people. You know that," Katrina bantered. "I'm fighting for my sons to be allowed to live free of bondage, or thrown from the cliffs, and for my daughters to not be a plague on the human soul," I grinned. "You would turn my daughters into Fabiola and; you can't even agree on letting the other half of your own offspring live, as if that was something 'normal' mothers would ever discuss." "Fabiola? Not Aya?" Katrina prodded. "I ignore the reality of Aya because I love her. There is no saving her. Your reach makes it hopeless, she wouldn't understand and she is already too poisoned by the rest of you anyway," I explained. "Watching her inevitable slide into madness is another reason for me to seek death in battle." "I enjoy these chats," Katrina smiled as she stood up. "You are a very complex individual and crossing wits with you has been an unexpected pleasure. Good night." Elsa moved to follow Katrina to the door. "Elsa?" I called out. She half-turned. "Try going with French cut instead of boy shorts tomorrow." There was a fey light in Elsa's eyes. I continued to creep closer to having status in her eyes. Not a sentient; I was that already. Amazons didn't have a glorious rival. Strong rivals you killed as soon as possible. Cáel Nyilas had become a nebulous entity treading down unexplored pathways in her until-now internally consistent World. "I won't let you win," she gave me a molten, hungry look. "I bet you say that to all the guys," I shot back. "Only the ones I care about," she gave me one more promissory fuck-note, turned and left. I didn't have time to mull over my bleak future forecast. Yasmin was coming over and we were definitely not going out to eat.  (Wednesday Night) Yasmin had a kink I hadn't really had to deal with before. She liked having sex standing up; anywhere. Sure I had made love in hallways, showers and against a refrigerator once, but Yasmin took this to a whole new level. The most horizontal I got her was fucking her on my bedroom dresser. She was also an aggressive nibbler which is a kind way of saying she bites down hard without breaking the skin. The scars would fade by morning, but I was going to catch Hell from Timothy and Odette later tonight. Our experience was; enhanced by yet another reality I was unaware of. Yasmin's ex was an 'intellectual'. In Brazil that must translate as a small penis with limited stamina, but don't hold me to that. Since the birth of her son and the 'incident' with her husband, Yasmin hadn't much 'personal' time; read: not much finger, or vibrator usage. Yasmin was tight, famished and extra aroused by me kicking Felix's macho ass an hour earlier. I ushered Yasmin into my place, she was looking smoky yet contained, so I gave her the ten cent tour. When I turned around, her sandals, pants and shirt were off. Silky violet was a good color on her. Yasmin didn't rush the removal of her final items, using their skimpy allure to draw me in like a striker to the goal. My Brazilian MILF loved being appreciated for every nuanced curve, scent and taste. She let me slip off her bra first then she pulled off my shirt. She didn't let me get behind her. This allowed her to pace her own aggression. Cáel was along for the ride. This wasn't fem domination, just a very hungry lady looking for some first-rate sportsmanship. Lucky for me, I was a full service arena with overtime expertise. Every little 'Give and Go' and 'tackle' was received, or dodged to keep our game in play. Here I was thinking of swinging a little more upper body workout later tonight. Yasmin's gymnastics made that redundant. My first insertion was welcomed by her. Yasmin repaid my diligence with lip services, strong hands massaging my back and arms, plus timely input concerning what was good and bad without running over the passion. Yasmin was not at Buffy's level of competition. Instead she brought her own torrid spirit that was new and exciting. I had no idea how Yasmin's husband ever found the energy to cheat on her. Yasmin would seek breaks in our activities. The rest of the hour-plus she was either at a vivid simmer, or a full-on blowtorch. Half the time I didn't even have to direct our intimacy; Yasmin was happy to manage all of the movements using her thighs, stomach muscles and arms to make it a highly memorable performance. As we staggered down from the peak of my climax, a sweaty, panting Yasmin informed me that she was glad she had started doing handstand push-ups once more. For those not in the know, imagine doing a handstand facing a wall. Now push your body up the wall which is occasionally done with your fingertips if you are a true bad-ass; like Yasmin and Timothy. That is another exercise I'm going to have to work on. Jacking-off and squeezing stress balls wasn't going to cut it anymore. "Ora, ora, meu bombom precioso ;  muito bom," Yasmin purred as I put her legs down; I had been holding the back of her knees with my elbows. "I'm the bomb? Sweet!" I sounded as energetic as I was able. My Brazilian Nitro-girl began laughing. "What did the rest of it mean?" "With every orgasm you give me, I'll give you a word," she taunted me. I looked at the ceiling. "I'm looking for a downside to that challenge," I met her gaze. "I can't see one." "We'll see about that when I leave. I have a sitter until 11:00 p.m. so you have good deal of bravado I want you to back-up," Yasmin looked carnivorously-aroused. We did get around to getting cleaned up then hoofed it to a local Egyptian cuisine eatery. On the way back, I screwed her against a streetlamp with the light burned out. You see a good deal of humor about girls in super-tight pants and all the contortions they go through to get into them. Peeling them out is much, much easier. Maybe it is the inspiration that makes the difference. Best of all, the reactions of people walking around us, or across the street. Overt disgust, ignoring the whole situation, and, my favorite, the running commentary. (First couple) #1 Girl: "Why don't we ever do that?" #1 Guy: "Do you bend that way?" (Second couple) #2 Girl: "Do you think she's hotter than me?" #2 Guy: "Let's go down to the next lamppost and find out." (Third couple) #3 Guy: "Don't they have a bed, or are they homeless?" There was no way we were dressed like homeless! #3 Girl: "You have all the romance of a rhino." Somebody wasn't getting some tonight. And because we were in a major metropolis, (Fourth couple) #4 Girl (1): "Are you practicing safe sex? If not, I have a condom," she touched my shoulder. Me: "We are good. I use Durex normally, though I'll use Trojan too." #4 Girl (2): "Are you okay, Miss?" Yasmin: (unhappy): "I'm fine. Now either let my man get back to slaking my every lust, or join in." #4 Girl (2) "Are you serious?" to Yasmin. #4 Girl (1) "Are you okay with this?" she addressed me. "She's my girlfriend." A few seconds of grunting, gasping sex ensued. Yasmin: "Yes, I am serious and you two are killing the mood. Mount up, or get off my horsy." The two ladies looked at one another. #4 Girl (1): "She's very ho; attractive. What do you say? It is safe sex," hint, hint. And thus I had a lesbian four-way. The first girl, Evie, was bi- and worked at Planned Parenthood, explaining the condom lore. Girl two, Samantha, was a lesbian, but having a strong sex drive, decided that Yasmin was as luscious as I thought she was. Back at my place, it took Samantha thirty minutes to get used to sharing her bed with a man. By then she decided I wasn't the enemy, despite my penis and hunger for the female form. Evie and Yasmin had zip inhibitions and let the lesbian and the straight guy work our differences while they basked in each other's femininity. Yasmin insisted she wasn't a lesbian, or bi-sexual. She had no sexual hang ups and found American's confusing because they did. We had wrapped up the first round with Evie giving me a quick blowjob because I had been a good boy and kept my sperm holstered for the entire encounter. Samantha threw on one of Odette's t-shirts (I didn't explain) and went to the bathroom. I got washed up; Samantha gave me a dirty look from the toilet then I reminded her I'd just seen her naked. We both exited to the living room and took up spots on the sofa as we waited for our prospective partner. I heard my roommates keys jingle in the lock. He walked in, taking in the now familiar scene of me with a new girl on the sofa. "Timothy Denver!" Samantha squealed when my roommate showed up. "Sammy; what are you doing in my apartment; with him?" Timothy meant me. They (Timothy and Samantha) hugged each other, Timothy lifting her off the ground. "Me and Evie are sharing his girlfriend," Samantha explained. "Which one?" Timothy put her down. Samantha shot me a semi-hostile look. Yasmin and Evie came out of the bedroom; having found Evie's clothing. That was their story and I wasn't going to argue with it. "Hi Timothy!" Evie ran up and hugged him too. Up she went. "Timothy, this is Yasmin," I made introductions. "The Brazilian Hottie," Timothy noted. "Yasmin, is Cáel sleeping around you on you?" Samantha inquired. "No. Cáel has sex with far too many other women to cheat on me," she informed them. Samantha didn't know what to make of that. "That means she's aware that I date a lot," I explained. I would have asked how Samantha, Evie and Timothy knew each other except now all their body art made sense. "Timothy, are you and Cáel;” Samantha asked. Timothy rolled his eyes. "God, I wish," Timothy sighed dramatically. "The dick on this guy is phenomenal." "Sammy, I know you would never, ever, ever go that way, but if you did, do it with Cáel here," Timothy told her. "He is the most sensitive, skilled and empathic lover I've ever seen. He's not at all possessive and totally confident in who he is." Sammy didn't look like she was contemplating a gender-preference switch. She was getting between me and Evie. "As long as you understand you, me and Evie," Sammy warned me. "Sadly, fidelity is not one of my virtues," I shrugged. "I could lie to you about it. You seem to be Timothy's friend, so I should treat you better than that." "You can trust me around Cáel," Evie insisted. "No, we can't," Timothy, Sammy and Yasmin all spoke simultaneously. I wasn't trustworthy, but at least I was consistently untrustworthy. "Listen to your friends and the woman you barely know," I met Evie's gaze. "I know I couldn't control myself around you and we'd both regret it." No we wouldn't. I could see that fire deep in her eyes. We were going to have sex again, just me and she. I was a lowdown dirty dog who gave an incredible dicking and I'd already made an insertion into Evie's body and mind. Not that it was terribly important to me; she was okay at sex, though not great. My words were for the listening audience. Timothy knew me better. "Cáel," Timothy stated firmly. "For me, man; don't fool around with Evie." I'd lied to roommates all the time. Like the women in my life, I wanted to keep them happy, or happily neutral. That attitude suddenly didn't work for me. "How?" sort of spilled out. No one expected my plaintive cry for relationship help. "What?" Sammy gulped. Yasmin snickered. She knew the score. "Sammy, Cáel's nailed a girl who was making a food delivery to us. In around an hour and a half, a waitress he met for a minute and gave his number to, will be here. She moved into his room. They are not a couple," Timothy tried to explain. "She lives here to hang out with me and bangs Cáel when he doesn't have anyone else over, yet, I swear on Buddha's Belly, I've never seen him abuse a girl," Timothy continued. "It is the strangest damn thing I've ever seen. He's stacked them up like jets at LaGuardia." "He's a shit-head player," Sammy glared. "Do you feel used?" Yasmin pointed out. "You don't because you weren't. He's not trying to out-dick your vagina. He's not out to steal Evie. He is admittedly hormonally unbalanced. That doesn't make him a bastard. I'm not here looking for a boyfriend and if I was, it would never be Cáel." "If you can get past the fact he might have sex with your girlfriend from time to time, he's really a great guy," Yasmin added. "Cáel is fearless and as long as sex is not involved, completely reliable." Sammy was clearly not believing any of this, finally turning back to Timothy. "He gives an incredibly good dicking, he's a dog, and he's one of my best friends," Timothy shrugged. I had been 'one of the guys', a 'buddy' and 'dude'. I had never been considered a man's best friend before and I had never heard Timothy toss that term around about anybody. I went up and hugged him. "Dude, you have lousy taste in friends," I patted his back. "Cáel, I have plenty of friends who wouldn't abandon me in a fight. You are the only person I know who took an arrow for a little girl you barely knew," Timothy patted my back. "You don't find that dedication often. In the past two months we've been through more freaky shit than I've experience in the past ten years. Faults and all, this has been the best time of my life." I stepped back until we were at arm's length. "I take that back. You don't have lousy taste in friends; you are delusional," I blinked. "He got shot; took an arrow; for a little girl?" Sammy gulped. "How come this is the first I'm hearing about it?" "That would be the bandage on your leg?" Evie pointed. "I have a dangerous job," I regarded the new girls. "I test poultry for signs of intelligence. Let's just say that a sleeper cell got past me and chaos ensued." "Translation: he can't talk about it," Yasmin smirked. "What do you do you really do?" Sammy pressed. "I'm working on a special project. We are taping strobe lights to Garden Gnomes then, using hobby store-bought rockets, my corporation is going to sell them as a Developing World-friendly alternative to the current GPS system," I looked grim. "Really?" Sammy looked uncertain. "I work for a really sleazy corporation," I confessed. "There is nothing they wouldn't do for a buck." "That's heartless," Sammy protested. "Men like that are raping the planet and exploiting the poor." "Sammy, I work for Havenstone Commercial Investments. I am one of three men in the entire workforce; that is well over 10,000 women; undoubtedly more," I smirked. "If it is any consolation, I am treated as little more than a pin-up model by my co-workers." "Oh wow," Evie snickered. "Were you hired for your looks?" "Hardly," I declared with authority. "I majored in Business with a minor in Philosophy from Bolingbrook College in New Hampshire, an institute of higher learning renowned for its 70% female student population and nothing else. Still, I am working for a Fortune 500 company at a job I am totally unqualified for, earning an unheard of starting salary and constantly required to work shirtless, or naked." "Personally, I think it was my creative writing skills that won them over," I nodded sagely. "You are a jerk," Timothy snorted. "I hate it when you tell the truth and make it sound unbelievable. It is a skill I've never seen wielding so cuttingly." No one said anything for a few seconds. "It is really annoying that no one believes I earned my position because I'm actually intelligent and hard-working," I grumbled. "Welcome to the world of a Carnival dancer," Yasmin laughed. "I was going 'a blond bimbo'," Sammy agreed, "but that works too." That broke down the social ice. Letting yourself soak up a bit of ridicule can pay huge dividends. I was going to be back in bed with every single woman in the room; even the lesbian, though I'd be sharing a girl with her, wait and see. For some reason, Sammy remained convinced I was an asshole, so she dared me to kiss Timothy. I shrugged, Timothy shrugged, so we kissed. Seriously, I have no clue what I Won't do for sex. When Timothy slipped me some tongue I nutted him. As he doubled over, I told him I wasn't the kind of guy who went beyond second base on the first date. The group informed me that second base was touching my cock; whoops. Then Evie reminded me that I had sex with her within fifteen minutes of our initial meeting. I replied I hadn't had anal sex with her yet, but if that was the case, I was sure Timothy would be a good sport about it all. Timothy had finally gotten back to his feet. Again, he nodded. This time he snatched me up, bench pressed me over his head (man, we need to re-spackle the ceiling) and bounced me off the sofa. Timothy is really strong too. I hit the floor, face down, but with my knees and palms catching my weight. I quickly summersaulted and regained my footing. I trusted Timothy. Still, talking about anal sex with a big, buff gay man then assuming the doggy-style position; let's not tempt fate. My antics earned me another round of sex. After Evie exploded (figuratively) all over the place with her; third euphoria, I looked over Yasmin's shoulder to Sammy, who was sexing up my Brazilian from the other side. "I have totally and completely re-evaluated having a lesbian in bed with me, Sammy," I testified. "You rock!" Sammy shot me a look, realized I was expounding true praise and picked up her ravishing of Yasmin. After we demolished Yasmin, Sammy mounted me. She wanted a 'test drive' more than anything else; the experience of feeling the differences between the masculine and feminine skeletal and muscular textures and nuances. "Can I touch your breasts?" I requested. Sammy thought it over, eventually giving me an 'okay' look. She had those nice, banana-cone shaped breasts with huge areolas and sizable nipples. I started off by lifting and weighing each teat, taking it nice and leisurely. Sammy decided I was doing a passable job so she stopped studying me and got into the sensation of the moment. That little gasp cued me in that I had earned the right to move a little farther. Her nipples were already engaged. A half-dozen grazing passes and they were definitely joyous. Lesbians, bi-sexual and straight women all have the same physiology, yet different visually, audibly, and olfactory stimuli were specific arousal cues. Most lesbians didn't like Old Spice, The Firemen of New York calendars and Enrique Iglesias. At the very least they aren't throwing their panties at Enrique. Touch and taste tend to be unisex. Baring you having big, calloused man-paws, fingers are fingers and hands are hands. Taste is taste and more individual specific than gender-related. Sorry ladies, your sweat can stink as much as a men's does. It is more a matter of diet. Both sexes should clean up 'down there'. It is common sexual courtesy, so use it. When I can, I use a subtle cologne though I've used women's Secret deodorant on rare occasions. It earned me curious looks every time, but it never stopped them. Sammy was already taking quick gulps of air when her worried eyes looked down at me again. She wanted to tell me to stop. She was caught in a double bind; she was getting gratification and the only reason to refuse it was because I was a man; a man she had allowed to touch her. That would make her either sexist, or a bigot. Never ignore the allure of the female orgasm. Add to that, never ignore the power of friendship. As Sammy struggled to master her 'lesbian outrage', Evie sneaked behind her, wiggling two fingers. "Evie," Sammy moaned in protest. "Sammy-love, he's not trying to fuck you," Evie murmured to her companion. "You are liking what he's doing and you know you have dynamite nipples. Let him have a sample." To me, "She likes a whole lot of suction and a tiny bit of teeth." Sammy attempted some kind of protest. Yasmin stroking Sammy's upper thigh, hip and stomach breached the dam of her inhibitions. So, I had a lesbian lowering her body toward mine. First her palms rested on my shoulders. Sammy's body flowed up mine until her elbows replaced her hands. As advised, I applied a wet vacuum seal. I twirled my tongue around her savory flesh, bringing Sammy to the point she embraced her tantric titillation. "You should have longer hair," she purred as she ran one hand through my locks. "I don't normally go for butch girls." You guys go be indignant if you wish. These were some sweet teats I was indulging in and I had zero regrets about 'girling-up' for a lesbian. Sammy finally climbed to the mountaintop of her orgasmic quest and howled out her victory. She cascaded down on me, my lower stomach syrupy with her juices and her bosom muzzling my face. Yasmin went to her knees, leaned over Sammy's prostrate form and began seriously making out with Evie. I lived in a vortex of unexpected pleasure and fulfillment. I had taken part in making a lesbian sexually complete. "You are the best guy I've ever been with," Sammy murmured. "He's the only guy you've ever been with," Evie teased. "Fine. He's still the best. Cáel, have you ever thought about becoming a post-op transsexual?" Sammy giggled. "No!" Yasmin protested. "That's where I draw the line. Cáel keeps his tender bits." "Mmm Mmm," I added my voice against that proposal. To punish Sammy for even bringing that up, I latched onto a breast like a starving lamprey and went to town. Damn right that put her in her place. Fifteen minute later, she finally let me come up for air. Ten minutes after that, we stumbled out of the apartment. I was going to see Yasmin safely home; she snickered then, seeing my hurt feelings, told me I was very brave and could take her home. Evie and Sammy lived close by. They had known Timothy from his days working at an ink place in Queens, but had lost touch when he opened his own place on the East Side. They promised to stay in touch. Sometimes I don't even have to try. Maybe that's why Timothy got so pissy with me at times. As for Yasmin and me, I fucked her in the hallway right outside her domicile because she still had twenty minutes left on her babysitter and there was a convenient vertical surface. We both went home with smiles on our faces. I met up with Odette walking up to my; now our; place. She wanted all the juicy details, helped me change our sheets, promised to do our laundry tomorrow morning and then we had sex. I was set up on my feet, shins and knees, Odette facing away from me and grinding her lush tight end on my rod when the door opened and Timothy Nerf-shot me; cause I definitely deserved it. (Thursday) Thursday was good. I inspected artificial wood products for artificial termites. Actually, I started out with Constanza; really Naomi and her Merry Band now; and learned how to actually fire a personal defense weapon. No more 'spray and pray' for me. They told me they had a special surprise for me on Friday. Color me concerned. According to Medical, I was a lousy lab monkey. Then Katrina informed me it was Brian's turn today to get poked, prodded and forced to cough up millions of little Brian-lettes for Havenstone's perverse pleasures. I e-mailed Brian my best wishes. I was seriously starting to question those 'so-called' medical experts ethical integrity. I worked with Buffy, teamed up with the Daphne/Desiree combo. Why? Because there was an emergency board meeting on Friday. I wasn't told this, but Daphne and I figured it out. To put some extra butter on my hell-bound soul, an agent of Rhada's gave me a private note informing me she wanted to talk. Keeping to Amazon Princess Rape Fantasy Bondage protocols, I ate the message before Buffy could pry it from my hands. Bad enough was all these crazy females trying to kill me, I also had to keep track of which ones hated the other ones. It reminded me of dating sorority sisters, except this time out, I could never leave the sorority house and they almost never went to classes. Oh, and they are all related to Jason Voorhees (that's the maniac from the Friday the 13th movies for those who had lived constructive lives) and we were adjacent to an Ace Hardware store. Plus I had a date with Libra and I was dedicated to 'tapping that ass' at least once more before I died. And, there was more! Deena, the swimming, 'fingers in her cunt' buddy dropped me a line telling me she was 'expecting' me this afternoon. There was no way I could swing that, despite her request that could be only construed as an order. I simply didn't have the time. I e-mailed her back, pleading for her to be in a bikini with several suggested sites for her to visit. Before my designated knife training, I had a fucked-up brainstorm about what to do with Rhada. I wrote a letter in Old Kingdom Hittite, sealed it in wax with the imprint of the symbol 'Lowest' on it, representing me, though Rhada's submissive side could easily misinterpret that. To get it to her, I went to the only one who could meet her face to face who I could trust. Katrina? Laughable. She could do it but she wouldn't touch this disaster with a three meter pole made out of male vertebrae. The only other person who met all the criteria; Oneida. Yes, I was a fucktard, fuck-nut and a waste of human potential. "Oneida, I need a favor," I asked the moment I hunted her down in Acquisitions. "Of course," her eyes lit up, her lips moistened and breathe quickened. She wasn't wanting a quick tussle in a side room. The chick wanted to be held closely while I whispered love poetry into her ear for her to hear alone. I was letting her down abysmally. "I need this message hand delivered to Rhada," I pressed the missive into her hands. She didn't know how to wrap her mind around that. Rhada? She knew we had fought, but what contact had we shared since then? She made the sane 'girl-logic' assumption. "Cáel, are you in trouble," she worried. Oh, I wish it was only trouble. "Not that you can help me with. If you can't do this, I'll find another way," I sighed. Yes, I was playing her. Oneida would run over hot coals for me. "No, no; I'll do it; why? Why Rhada?" Oneida pleaded. "I can't say and you cannot look at the message. It is critical that she, and she alone sees this," I impressed on her the importance of saving my life without saying 'please save my life'. By asking her to not look at the message, I increased the odds she'd look. I had no choice. If I didn't say anything about it, she'd make an excuse to look and tell herself that I hadn't forbidden her to look. Add to that, she was my racial superior. In her case, this meant she had to look out for my best interest. Oneida nodded and watched me leave. Training with Pamela was hands on this day. I had a wooden blade with a lead core to give me a better feel for the proper weight. Pamela had a meter long wooden rod. She had a miraculous ability to move her baton in a blur yet not hurt my fingers, hand, or wrist. It was very instructional. I was practicing stabbing and a bit of slashing. I left with a sense I'd added something useful to my repertoire. I wasn't calling out Elsa anytime soon; heck, I wasn't calling out Europa, Aya's 13 year old sister either. As we were cleaning up, Pamela noticed my uncertainty. "What is it?" she asked. "Oh, it is that you've resisted the urge to cause me pain," I mused. "Normally, I find Amazons to be very harsh." "That is certainly a common training style here," Pamela nodded. "I chose showing a student how to do things right as opposed to reminding the student what they did wrong." "Good enough. Thanks for treating me like I matter," I grinned. "What makes you think that?" Pamela and I started to leave the little dojo. Note, she didn't say 'assume'. "Trust me, I'm a sperm donor with sex appeal to virtually every other screwy dame in this place," I smirked. "I know the difference between what I see in their eyes and yours," I winked. "Ash Man," Pamela remarked. She zinged me, alright. "My granddaughters talk of you and not in a way I would expect Amazon women to talk about a male." "That and an Egg McMuffin;” I shrugged. "Means you won't die hungry," Pamela shrugged along with me. "This is why I volunteered to teach you; you deserve every chance to go out unconquered." "Do you think I have a chance; of that?" I questioned. "Not really. I didn't think I would ever be talking to a man in my native language again either, so who knows," she added. "Do you think I'm an Ash Man?" I wondered. Male; OKH; again? "I haven't a clue what one is," she rolled her shoulders. "I am neither my House Leader, nor its Keeper of Records." "Oh; what are you then?" I asked. The response she gave didn't make sense. "Cliff-walker? I don't know;” I furrowed my brow. "I am past my useful life yet refuse to take myself to the cliffs," Pamela told me. "I have unfinished business to attend to in this World." "What is that; if that isn't too rude?" I inquired. "A dead man spoke to me. He told me I would never find my way to the halls of my ancestors until I replaced a life for a life," she related. "That's; umm; odd," I suggested. "Cáel, I severed his throat to the spine. Even had he somehow been alive, he could not have spoken. Then there is the matter of speaking the Amazon tongue," Pamela continued. "Did he tell you anything else?" I played along. "No." "How will you know what life you should save; to replace a life for a life?" I searched her out. "He had the most unforgettable emerald green eyes," she filled me in. Just like my eyes. We had stepped into the elevator when she told me that. There were five other Amazons with us. I didn't know any of them. I reached out and put my hand on Pamela's stomach. "Whatever happens to me, and I don't want you to die, or anything; I want you to know you've done what needed to be done," I assured her. Pamela's laugh was so loud, deep and resounding, I was stunned that it came from such a thin frame. "That, my friend, is what being an Amazon is all about," Pamela slapped my back. What she said was wrong in so many ways and the Amazons around us knew it. I wasn't an Amazon and equating me to one of them was insulting to their feminine martial ardor. Also, no Amazon had ever called me a friend and meant it in a non-sexual manner. Things were getting uncomfortable. "Matron," one of the Amazons spoke up, "are you feeling well?" That was a polite way of saying 'have you lost your mind?' "Do you know why there are twenty 'First' Houses?" Pamela addressed me and ignored the others. "Not really. It wasn't in the Havenstone Handbook," I tried to sound innocently curious. "The first Amazon to escape capture came back for the rest," Pamela related. "She was free and if she was recaptured she would have certainly been raped again and most likely killed. She came back because no risk is too great for one's family. Like the first of the Unconquered, you risk everything for the spiritual and physical safety of your sisters." "He is not one of us!" a different Amazon insisted. "How bizarre that none of these crazy bitches can see it," Pamela smiled. "Who are you again?" I gave Pamela a worried look. "A discarded heroine, Cáel," Pamela answered. "I am an embarrassment, an anachronism and an arrogant warrior humbled." Clearly this was part of Havenstone's history I wasn't supposed to be privileged to hear. "You don't date much, do you?" I changed things up. Pamela snorted. "This whole scarred scholar-warrior with a tragic past works better with your moping, 19th century literature-reading college types. Cavemen like me prefer slinky clothing and feigned idiocy." "I'll keep that in mind," Pamela snickered. By the bug-eyed expression of our fellow travelers, Pamela was indeed some kind of heroic figure. She held no position, but her status was undeniable. "How about this: I will forgo taking myself to the cliffs until you give me my first great-granddaughter." "As long as we agree that I'm never going without a condom for the next five years," I counter-offered. "By the way, which two am I going to be surreptitiously avoiding?" "Brielle and Daphne," Pamela appeared amused with my expression. "Holy crap!" I exclaimed. "I really like those two. This is going to be tougher keeping you alive than I thought." "How many more days?" Pamela teased. "67," I groaned as we stepped out onto the Executive Services floor. Technically, I had an hour left of my work-day. "Look on the bright side, our first great-grandchild could be a Son," Pamela joked. Pamela clearly enjoyed 'freaking out' the Normals; the normal Amazon population that is. "That would truly suck," I remarked. "You ladies have zero experience with male names and no boy of mine is going to be named Shirley. Picking the baby boy names is going to be all on me." "How about Augustus?" Pamela suggested. I looked stunned. Buffy, having heard my voice, hopped up from her station and came blazing my way. I hadn't done a damn thing wrong yet she was angry with me. She didn't know Pamela and I hoped to hell I wasn't hitting on; okay, Pamela was a bit odd-looking. I'd still do her. "Cáel," Buffy snapped. "What is going on? Don't you have a job to do; with me?" "Buffy, this is Pamela. She's my knife instructor," I said. "Pamela, this is Buffy DuBois, my (dead word spoken)." Literally in Old Kingdom Hittite that meant 'mountaintop'. Pamela clearly got the implication. Buffy's fury about me slipping into OKH was mitigated by Pamela's appraising look. "Okay," Buffy grumbled. "What was that?" "Pinnacle, peak, highest point, mountaintop," Pamela answered for me. "I would wager it is a term of endearment and praise, but feel free to be offended despite him using the word for my benefit as opposed to yours. He might have incorrectly thought you knew how much he cared for you." Verbal beat down! "Who are you, anyway?" Buffy struggled to be polite. "Pamela Pile," my instructor stated. "I am not employed by Havenstone anymore." "That's not; possible;” Buffy questioned. "She is Brielle's and Daphne's Grandmother, Buffy," I explained. "That's nice," Buffy was less than impressed. "Cáel, take care. Buffy, I know nothing of men, but I know camaraderie and I know you can throw that away as quickly as you earned it," Pamela gave an even stare. "By the way, Pamela, you clearly have never been a kid on a playground," I joked. Buffy was irritated while Pamela was amused. "With a name like Augustus, he's either going to toughen up really fast, or get flattened. Trust me. My name was Cáel aka Cabbage Head all through elementary school." "What did they call you in; middle school? It is middle school, correct?" Pamela inquired. "Yes; middle school. By 6th grade, I was firmly a 'nobody'," I enlightened her. "Hell, my teachers could barely recall who I was. I stayed that way until I graduated high school." "I had asthma as a child," Pamela related. "I barely made it through my 12th year." "What did you do when you; is the term 'casted', or 'choosing a caste?" I posed. "It varies. Sometimes we choose and sometimes the caste chooses us," Pamela answered. "I ended up here, in what is now known as Executive Services." "Great," I grinned. "I bet you were enticed by our intensive training in marshmallow juggling. Am I right?" "Not really," Pamela grew serious. "I came here so I could build obstacle courses for kittens. It is an unappreciated melding of animal conditioning and engineering." I was really liking Pamela. She was like a kindred spirit in this madhouse. "Speaking of 'animal conditioning', Cáel, we need to get to work," Buffy huffed and off I went. We finished up, had our after-work meeting and began to head-out for the day. "Daphne, I met your grandmother; nice lady," I told my 'new hire' buddy. "Really, what was she doing here?" Daphne smiled affectionately. I need to wear a dead rat around my neck; the deader the better. "She is teaching me how to knife fight," I told her. Her not knowing that was odd. "Oh; I didn't know she did that," Daphne frowned. "She worked in Executive Services," I said. That appeared news to Daphne as well. "I thought that was why you joined." "Katrina," Daphne looked to our boss, "was my grandmother in the (dead word spoken) service?" That word roughly meant 'darkness of night' in OKH, but like so many things in a 'dead' language, interpretation could be sketchy. "She was before my time," Katrina nodded. "I do recall her legacy though." "What did she do? Normally I wouldn't care, except Pamela is a laugh riot," I smirked. "She was the most lethal Amazon assassin of the 20th century," Katrina stated deadpan. "Grans?" Daphne gasped. "She's always been so odd; I mean nice." "What happened to her?" I muttered. "I don't know," Katrina mused. "She came back from her last mission then took herself to the cliffs. A few weeks later she returned with no explanation for that either." "Well crap," I groaned. "She's never going to forgive me for that 'wet willy' (getting a fingertip slick with your saliva then sticking it in an opponent's ear). I'm a goner." Daphne play-punched me. We all heard the subsonic rumbling from the door. According to Buffy, she was the only one allowed to cause me physical discomfort and resented Daphne horning in on 'her turf'. Buffy had a new weapon in her arsenal this afternoon. "Your (dead word spoken) wants you to come here," Buffy snapped. Even Katrina looked at her in some confusion. "I was told that was a good thing," Buffy sizzled. "It most likely interpreted as 'most prized', or 'most esteemed'," Tigger translated. "Precisely it means 'mountaintop'." Buffy stuck out her chin proudly. "Cáel, I believe I made my desire clear," she commanded. "No can do McGiggles Sissy-pants," I grimaced, "I have a date tonight that precludes me from me being overly bruised; again." I was heading for the door, leading the 'new hires' out of Katrina's office. "I know you like laugh at death, Cáel," Dora snickered, "but I'm not sure the rictus of death counts." "I've got that covered, Dora," I actually brushed up against Buffy. "I'm having a laugh track installed in my urn." "Who says they'll ever find your body?" Buffy moved rapidly at my side. "Whoa; cannibalism. Where I come from, normally the guy eats the girl," I joked. "With you, Buffy, I'm never quite certain of our gender roles. I'm still terrified of letting you snuggle up from behind." "I hate you," Buffy growled. She wasn't upset. Her eyes were dancing with laughter. "What are you going to do when he is relocated?" Fabiola murdered the mood. "Blame you," Buffy glared at Fabiola. "I'm so scared," Fabiola mocked Buffy. "Fabiola, don't be like that," I moped. "You have such full, plump lips that clearly know how to take hold of a problem and work it through. Your thighs are the product of diligent effort on your part and I'm sure that when you grapple with an opponent, no one can break that fearful hold." "I'm sure anything your hands touch, you don't release until you've milked every ounce of life out of your target. You are truly a complete woman," I concluded. The elevator doors opened and we flooded out. Oneida was waiting for me. Buffy began laughing so hard she couldn't keep up. "What is it?" Oneida looked to Buffy. "That is the most obtuse description of fellatio, fucking and a hand job I've ever heard," Buffy wheezed. "Fabiola, he called you a whore and you can never prove it." Okay, I didn't call her a whore; money was never mentioned. Oneida looked distressed. "Oneida, Fabiola insinuated that Cáel would be relocated soon," Daphne came to the rescue. I still had something to take care of. "I knew I forgot something," I realized. "Buffy, can you hold my jacket?" I handed it to her. She examined it then dropped it to the ground. I shrugged then kept stripping. "Cáel?" Oneida worried. "I don't have my biking clothes on," I pointed out. "We can't go biking unless I'm dressed in my biking clothes." Was Oneida still upset about me stripping in public? No. She was about to spend time with me because she mistakenly perceived me to be a good guy. My bike trip with Oneida to a neutral halfway point proved that while Oneida was in good shape, she wasn't a cyclist. Cycling emphasized an unusual muscle sequence, so if you don't cycle much, it shows. I stuck close to her. Not only did it endear me to Oneida, it kept our two shadows at a safe distance so they didn't impinge on their princess's joyful mood. I sent Oneida on her way, got home and immediately started making adjustments to my night's plans. First I had to deal with Libra. I got into an argument with her. I insisted she should wear only jeans, a t-shirt with no bra, and comfortable shoes. Libra was furious. She wanted to go clubbing and look hot; preferably enticing some guys to make me jealous. She certainly wasn't going to come giftwrapped for an easy screw. She wasn't that kind of girl. She didn't like that I was that kind of guy. I insisted that I was the kind of guy who was fascinated with her. I was also happy that Brooke had gotten us back together; you know Brooke, the girl I had fucked to help her get over Felix then refused to sleep with so I could be with Libra. I was blistered and lambasted. I also got my way. I also got to see Libra embrace the ogling her attire earned her in my working class neighborhood as we walked around and talked. "Everyone is staring at my breasts," Libra whispered to me after a bit. She wanted to make me think she was unhappy while her nipples were excited and she was relishing the turning heads. Brooke was better looking, in my opinion, but Libra was definitely a girl who shouldn't walk around without a bra. Her breast are really shapely, large and firm, possibly her best attribute. We were hanging around an authentic Italian pizza joint, Libra against the wall, face to face with me. Without warning, I slipped my hand down, popped her jeans button open and unzipped her pants. "Cáel!" she hissed. Yum, Libra had gone panty-less as well. "Cáel," she repeated. Libra tried to stop my fingers from exploring. She was hampered by her desire to not make a scene while I was insistent. Nice sexy jeans are not only nice and sexy, they hug the hips. This meant I could peel the front of her pants open and work two fingers past her pubic hair to her puffy lips. "Stop," she whimpered. I didn't. I slipped a finger between her labia and she was moist and steamy. I wiggled a finger inside with no effort. "No one will see us," I murmured into Libra's ear. I wiggled my finger in deeper. "You are horrible," she moaned quietly. Her hands started out on my shoulders. A few seconds later, she migrated her arms down. I wasn't positive where she was going with that until she hooked her thumbs into her pants and slid them farther down. "Get it over with," she mumbled. She followed that up with tender kisses to my neck. Her moving her pants down allowed me to move a second finger in. All of that was a prelude. With my two slick fingers, I searched up for her clitoris. She (a clit is definitely a 'she') was hungering for my contact and offered up her tenderness to my attention. Libra's hand began clawing my abdomen through my shirt. Her nasal breathing was becoming ragged, so I eased off on the tempo my stimulation. I wasn't going to bring Libra to an embarrassing public display of sexual release. It took her a few seconds to figure out I wasn't teasing her, but shielding her from an uncontrolled release. "You are mean," her eyes blazed with lust as I sucked my fingers clean of her vaginal secretions. "Kiss me, or I swear to God I'm going to take you on one of these tables," I referred to the small tables the pizza parlor had for diners. Now Libra looked sultry and in charge. She rubbed her hips against my erection, appeared to contemplate her options and deigned to give me a kiss. It was barely a French kiss. Just enough to remind me I had taken advantage of her person and was being punished with pleasure. The box with the pizza slices barely made the toss to the sofa as Libra and I grappled with one another, yanking off our clothes and staggered to my bedroom. "You are going to fuck me so good for all the hell you've put me through," Libra erotically demanded. Ma'am, yes Ma'am. Prepared to do my duty, Ma'am. I decided to do something new for Libra. Trust me, you develop a sense for what sexual deviancies your sex partner has broached. This helps you figure out what they'd like to explore. That leads you to worrying about your partner's sexual history, but is a story for another time. "Hey!" Libra squawked as I handcuffed her left wrist. I wasn't done. With her right wrist beside her left, I looped the chain around a bar in the headboard and snared her other limb. "Motherfu;” she got out before I smothered her with a lip-lock. She put her teeth on my tongue then decided not to chew it off. I broke off the kiss. "Now you are going to do whatever I want you to," I gloated. "Scream, the cops come and you end up splashed all over the society page." Most likely a lie. "I'll never," she snarled as I rammed my dick in to the hilt. "Ah; you bastard," she grunted. Now I picked up my pace. Except having her hands bound, Libra was clearly getting into it. Right before climax, I eased off. Libra whined piteously. "Not yet," I murmured. When I repositioned her in doggy-style, my cock got back to work. This time, I alternated seriously deep cock-thrusts (not pounding) with spanking. Libra went wild; one of her most intense orgasms yet. Libra should have realized two things: my neighbors knew by now and the screams my bedmates generated, and Libra herself was truly an Angelic choir of erotic gratitude. "That; that; that was intense," Libra gasped. She was all sweat and electric; tired yet begging for more. "It gets better," I promised her as I freed her up. Given two minutes to rebound, I rolled over onto my back at her side. The cuffs were handed over and I placed my hands over my head. Libra's countenance was an explosion of thermal desire and numerous unanticipated opportunities. She straddled me, strung me up then; left. Huh? Libra didn't go far. She noticed my 'goodie' box which I had left nonchalantly available when we first tumbled in. What she pulled out didn't make me jump for joy; an ostrich feather, lube and a body wand (imagine a small mace, except the head is actually a vibrating ball). "So, you've done this before?" I questioned. "There is a ball-gag in there. Shut-up, behave, or I'll put it on you," Libra gave me a saucy threat. I nodded. Libra settled in beside me, worked the wand controls then rolled it along my stomach. "To answer your question; no, I've never used anything like this before, but I've wanted to. Now I have a delectable, helpless male with tons of stamina laid out before me." "This is going to be so much fun," she squealed with delight. "Maybe I should call Brooke?" She wasn't soliciting my opinion, just thinking aloud. She called Brooke who begged Libra for the chance to come over and help out. Libra promised Brooke could 'next time'. After that came the feather tickles, lubing up my cock, a hand job and finally using the wand on my cockhead until she shattered my resolve and I ejaculated. Libra licked all my creamy cum up, keeping eye contact through most of the process. For thirty seconds she left me with the sneaking suspicion she was going for round two. She freed me, gave me a good series of kisses then dropped down to bring my penis back to attention. That accomplish, Libra rolled my condom on, mounted me and slowly squirmed down my rod while mesmerizing me with her eyes. "Oh," she purred, "you are so, so bad." I sat up so that I was eye-level with her chin. Libra laid her forearms languidly over my shoulders, while mine deftly cupped each ass. "Does this mean you are breaking up with me?" I gave her my best puppy dog eyes. Libra made that squichy-angry play face. I was teasing and she knew I was teasing. "Do I have to hand-cuff you again?" Libra snickered. I slipped my right hand farther back and down. Using the liberal amount of lube Libra had lavished on my penis, I slicked up my forefinger and picked her sphincter. Libra gave a quick intake of breath. "For the sake of your backside, that might be wise," I teased right back. Libra pouted. "Are going to ream my poor, abused Henie?" she moped deceptively. Rule One plus the addendum; make the girl happy. If you make the girl happy, she'll figure out what makes you happy and do it for you. I lifted Libra up until my cock flopped out of her. It didn't take her two seconds. Her hand found my cock, pointed it up and steered it into her asshole with zero need for encouragement. "I can't believe you are making me do this," she groaned as her sphincter parted and my glans slipped in. I wasn't rushing things. I certainly wasn't coercing Lira in anyway either. She certainly relished my upper body strength that allowed me to match her pace in penetrating her. Once Libra was fully impaled, I rocked us over so that she lay on her back with her knees touching her breasts. A casual, relaxed screw followed. Yes, I could have pounded Libra and she would have loved it, except she was here for more than a series of orgasms. She wanted some kind of confirmation there was an 'us'. She hadn't wanted a relationship when we first met, or even after our first fuck. I was a hook-up; nothing more. The post-Felix episode with Brooke had changed that. I was far from acceptable, but more than a random fuck. Our status had become an enigma to her thus my approach with the soft anal fuck. I could certainly be a late night booty call, salvaging a bad night and making it good. This was a 'take him out for a weekend as a friend' change of events. I was still not in the clubhouse. Thirty minutes in bedroom while 'changing to go down to the pool with her other friends' they'd all know why she'd brought me along. Had Libra forgotten I was a Pound Puppy of the worst sort? Yes, but I felt no desire to remind her. We'd revisit the issue during that first weekend; guaranteed. Libra kept up a quiet bit of banter for a few minutes. Her words were meaningless. Her tonal quality was what I was paying attention to. I kept up a conversation which I would never recall. It is an art form; coherent babbling. My partner's words faded away into groans and grunts. "Ready?" I rumbled my hunger for her wantonness. Libra nodded once, hesitated then nodded several times vigorous

Neoprénový oblek, plutvy, potápačská maska, dýchací prístroj, to všetko pri svojom výskume potrebuje archeologička Klaudia Daňová. Dunaj, Hron, Nitra, sú rieky, v ktorých je naša minulosť odkrývaná pod vodou. Výskum robila na plážach Kuvajtu a skúma aj rímske tábory na brehu Dunaja. Pôjdeme aj na potopenú luxusnú loď z Benátok, na ktorej sa našla najväčšia hodvábna rolka na svete. S hostkou, ktorej srdcovkou sú aj mačky. | Hosť: Klaudia Daňová (archeologička, pod hladinou slovenských riek odhaľuje našu minulosť; Archeologický ústav SAV). | Moderuje: Gabika Angibaud. | Tolkšou Nočná pyramída pripravuje Slovenský rozhlas, Rádio Slovensko, SRo1.

Cáel's tombstone: For the love of women, women put him here.In 25 parts, edited from the works of FinalStand.Listen and subscribe to the ► Podcast at Connected..

Rok 2024 je pro Náchod významným milníkem, protože letos to je 770 let od první písemné zmínky o městě. Hron z rodu Načeraticů s přídomkem z Náchoda se poprvé zmiňuje roku 1254, což bylo za vlády Přemysla Otakara II. Jak si v Náchodě tohle významné výročí připomínají? Nejen o tom si povídáme s náchodským starostou Janem Birke.Všechny díly podcastu Host ve studiu můžete pohodlně poslouchat v mobilní aplikaci mujRozhlas pro Android a iOS nebo na webu mujRozhlas.cz.

Rok 2024 je pro Náchod významným milníkem, protože letos to je 770 let od první písemné zmínky o městě. Hron z rodu Načeraticů s přídomkem z Náchoda se poprvé zmiňuje roku 1254, což bylo za vlády Přemysla Otakara II. Jak si v Náchodě tohle významné výročí připomínají? Nejen o tom si povídáme s náchodským starostou Janem Birke.

Bulletin d'actualités. VAH - seulement trois lettres pour une riviere qui est, avec ses 403 km, la plus longue riviere de la Slovaquie. Elle prend naissance dans les Tatras pour rejoindre le Danube au niveau de la ville de Komárno. Sur les pentes de Kralova hola prend la soource aussi la seconde plus longue riviere slovaque – HRON. Cette source appartient parmi l'une des plus accessibles. Le Hron est un affluent a la rive gauche du Danube.

Naším hotem je tentokrát herec, bavič, moderátor a zpěvák Vladimír Hron, který spoustu času věnuje své práci.

Naším hotem je tentokrát herec, bavič, moderátor a zpěvák Vladimír Hron, který spoustu času věnuje své práci. Všechny díly podcastu Host Dopoledního expresu můžete pohodlně poslouchat v mobilní aplikaci mujRozhlas pro Android a iOS nebo na webu mujRozhlas.cz.

Today, I sit down with Barbara Mason, CEO of Career Pathways and HR consultant to discuss the importance of HR in growing a seven-figure business. Join us as we cover topics such as the role of an HR consultant, the employee recruitment process, creating employee handbooks, conducting performance reviews, and common mistakes entrepreneurs make in HR structures.  Barbara emphasizes the significance of having an HR consultant on board from the early stages of business growth and provides valuable insights on how to effectively structure HR processes to support a growing team. She also highlights the importance of strategic HR planning and the role of HR in creating a positive company culture.  Learn more as we tackle the significance of clear communication, feedback, and employee engagement in building a successful team. Tune in this episode and grow your 7-figure business by hiring the right HR team! KEY POINTS: - Develop an employee handbook template for clients to use - The importance of strategic job formation in HR processes - Role of an HR consultant in supporting entrepreneurs in hiring and managing employees - HR perspective: Differentiating between contractors and employees  - Considerations for transitioning from contractors to full-time employees - The significance of employee handbooks in setting company policies and culture - Structuring employee reviews to align with company goals and values - Common mistakes entrepreneurs make in HR - On knowing when to reach out to an HR consultant for guidance in building a strong team QUOTES:  "As soon as you get ready to hire, as soon as you get ready to think that you're going to have a team, as soon as you think I'm not going to be a solopreneur anymore, that's when you should call me." — Barbara Mason  "One of the things with when it comes to employee reviews, you want to think about it before it's time to happen."" — Dr. Erica Jordan-Thomas GUEST RESOURCES  Barbara Mason Website | careerpathwaysconsulting.com/about-barbara IG | @barbara__mason LinkedIn | @barbaralmason [OTHER PASSION] YouTube | A Gardener's Journey Homestead  RESOURCES: [LIVE EVENT] Join us at Seven Figure Educator Live, our three-day event in Atlanta, Georgia, where you'll experience unparalleled content, community, and fellowship. Click HERE to grab your ticket now and let's make magic happen together in Atlanta!  [FB COMMUNITY] Don't miss out on your chance to connect with other education consultants in our free public Facebook group! Click HERE and find your 7-Figure community today. [GET LAUNCHED SCORECARD] Don't miss out on the chance to gain clarity on your stage of business with our Get Launched Consulting Scorecard! Click HERE to take the quiz and get actionable steps tailored to your business stage.  Dr. Erica Jordan-Thomas  IG | @e_jordanthomas LinkedIn | @erica-jordan-thomas-ed-l-d-86314764  Facebook | @EJTConsultingLLC  Enjoyed this episode? Like, rate, and subscribe to the 7-Figure Educator podcast!  7-Figure Educator is produced by EPYC Media Network

Je tu nová epizóda podcastu Na Bezblok! V jej úvode sme si rozobrali dianie v play-off na domácej scéne mužov, ale aj žien. Našim hosťom bola tentokrát bývala vynikajúca reprezentačná blokárka, Veronika Hrončeková. Hronky nám okrem iného povedala o tom: aké boli jej začiatky v extraligovom tíme Slávie, aké šťastie mala pri návrate z Izreala počas pandémie, prečo vnímala ME v Bratislave ako najväčší kariérny neúspech, ako vníma svoju rolu spolukomentátorky na JOJ Šport. Nezabudnite nás sledovať aj na našom Instagrame a Facebooku! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090629876704 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nabezblok/

I think as musicians we have particular concerns that perhaps looking at those through an ecological lens can be helpful. One of them is to think about the structures of funding which allow us to operate and to maybe reconsider them because they might change. And to be open to that change and to find solutions. And those solutions might be that we need to advocate for other kinds of support, if we still want to advocate for support, or to engage in other types of activities to make a living. Maybe that sounds a little bit defeatist, but I am trying to think in a very pragmatic way about what might be helpful and useful to create a greater sense of security and happiness in the future.Terri Hron's work explores historical instrumental performance practice and repertoire, field recording, ceramics, movement, video, among other things. Besides composing and performing works for and with others, Terri, who lives in Montreal, produces performances, gatherings and events.For example, when she was Executive Director the Canadian New Music Network (CNMN) she implemented a series of groundbreaking programs focusing on equity, pluralism, sustainability and accessibility including a more inclusive understanding of what new music could be. This was always an issue for me when I studied music in Montreal with ‘la musique contemporaine', which was exciting but I found to be quite restrictive but now the field is opening up and Terri has played an important role in that widening of scope.As you'll hear in our conversation that Terri is passionate about the interconnections between music, social, ecological and labour justice and thankfully, is also able to remain calm in the eye of the storm, as she notes during our conversation :I think the only thing that I can do is to try and live with as much integrity as I can and, and avoid participating in the things that I consider to be the least aligned with my values.At the end of our exchanges you'll hear Terri recommend some of her favorite publications and artistsThe Master and his Emissary by Iain McGilchristThe Age of Insecurity by Astra TaylorThe Flowering Wand by Sophie StrandBrain Forest Quipu by Cecelia VicuñaPhoto credit of cover photo of Terri Hron: Justine Latour *END NOTES FOR ALL EPISODESHere is a link for more information on season 5. Please note that, in parallel with the production of the conscient podcast and it's francophone counterpart, balado conscient, I publish a Substack newsletter called ‘a calm presence' which are 'short, practical essays for those frightened by the ecological crisis'. To subscribe (free of charge) see https://acalmpresence.substack.com. You'll also find a podcast version of each a calm presence posting on Substack or one your favorite podcast player.Also. please note that a complete transcript of conscient podcast and balado conscient episodes from season 1 to 4 is available on the web version of this site (not available on podcast apps) here: https://conscient-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes.Your feedback is always welcome at claude@conscient.ca and/or on conscient podcast social media: Facebook, X, Instagram or Linkedin. I am grateful and accountable to the earth and the human labour that provided me with the privilege of producing this podcast, including the toxic materials and extractive processes behind the computers, recorders, transportation systems and infrastructure that made this production possible. Claude SchryerLatest update on April 2, 2024

Hvor er fyrtårnene? Hvor er rollemodellerne? I Finans' podcast om fremtidens lederskab ”Tjek ind” er Louise Orbesen, stifter af Leading Humans, sammen med Finans' virksomhedsredaktør Søren Linding på jagt efter mennesker, der kan inspirere og fortælle noget, der kan lede til faktisk handling på ledelsesgangene.I denne episode tjekker vi ind med Ali E. Cevik, der er stifter i HR-On.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of LawNext: A conversation about Thomson Reuters' strategy around generative artificial intelligence with two of the executives most directly responsible for its development and implementation.  In a year dominated by discussion of generative AI and its potential impact on the legal profession, Thomson Reuters has played a leading role. It started in June, when the company announced its $650 million acquisition of the legal research and AI company Casetext and the CoCounsel generative AI tool Casetext had developed in collaboration with OpenAI.   Then, in November, Thomson Reuters made good on its promise to integrate generative AI within its flagship legal research platform, introducing AI Assisted Research in Westlaw Precision. Soon after that, it rolled out generative AI within Practical Law, its legal know-how product. What does this all mean for legal research and legal software, now and into the future? Today we go deep into TR's AI development with two of the company's leaders in this area:  Mike Dahn, senior vice president and head of Westlaw product management.  Joel Hron, head of artificial intelligence and TR Labs. We talk about the development of AI Assisted Research in Westlaw Precision, the company's broader AI product strategy, its acquisition of CoCounsel and where that fits in its AI strategy, how the company is protecting against hallucinations and ensuring security, and the future of AI at Thomson Reuters and more broadly.    Thank You To Our Sponsors This episode of LawNext is generously made possible by our sponsors. We appreciate their support and hope you will check them out. Paradigm, home to the practice management platforms PracticePanther, Bill4Time, MerusCase and LollyLaw; the e-payments platform Headnote; and the legal accounting software TrustBooks. Noodle: automate all of your practice's admin work, while you focus on growing your business without increasing headcount. Sharefile for Legal: Securely send, store, and share files – plus discover document workflows designed to improve your client experience   If you enjoy listening to LawNext, please leave us a review wherever you listen to podcasts.  

Ako vyzerá archeológia pod vodou a čo skrývajú naše rieky Váh, Nitra, Žitava či Hron? S archeologičkou Miroslavou Daňovou, ktorá aj prednáša na Trnavskej univerzite, sa pozrieme tiež do rímskeho vojenského tábora v Iži. Vyskúšala si viacero povolaní, ale vždy ju to pritiahlo späť k archeológii. K potápaniu ju priviedli rodičia a voda jej priniesla manžela. Hovoriť s Gabikou Agibaud bude aj o unikátnych rímskych šperkoch. | Moderuje: Gabika Angibaud. | Tolkšou Nočná pyramída pripravuje RTVS - Slovenský rozhlas, Rádio Slovensko, SRo1.

Klasické povídání od váhy.

Moderátor, zpěvák a bavič Vladimír Hron není zábavný pouze na pódiu před diváky, legrace je s ním i v civilním životě. Přesvědčit se o tom mohla i moderátorka Lenka Šobová.Všechny díly podcastu Host Dopoledního expresu můžete pohodlně poslouchat v mobilní aplikaci mujRozhlas pro Android a iOS nebo na webu mujRozhlas.cz.

In the latest HR On the Offensive podcast, Chris and LACE Director Pavan Bilkhoo speak with their guest, Michelle Gyimah, who is a keynote speaker and a consultant specialising in gender and ethnicity pay gaps. The discussion revolves around the challenges and strategies related to pay reporting. If you are considering pay transparency within your organisation, listen now to understand the challenges associated and how you can mitigate them.

Baví ťa analyzovať dáta a vymýšľať, ako robiť veci lepšie? Chceš svojou prácou ovplyvňovať rozhodnutia, ktoré majú reálny dopad na životy Slovákov? Peter Hronček z Útvaru hodnoty za peniaze ti prezradí: - prečo vo svojej práci potrebuje hlavne zvedavosť, - čo robí analytik junior a čo analytik na seniornej pozícii, - čo všetko vie svojou prácou zlepšiť, - čo potrebuje ovládať analytik a prečo je často prvý tam, kde sa deje niečo závažné. Predstaviť si analytika iba ako chlapca s kalkulačkou a tabuľkami je veľký omyl. Táto práca je aj pre ženy a zažiješ v nej mnohé zaujímavé výzvy, ktoré by si nečakal/a. Jobcast ti prináša youNique v spolupráci s GROWNi a Websupportom.

Soňa Rebrová je bývalá novinárka, ktorá našla svoju záľubu v diaľkovom plávaní. A to až natoľko, že sa rozhodla preplávať La Manche, čo sa jej, ako druhej Slovenke, aj podarilo. Kanál, ktorý delí Veľkú Britániu od Francúzska, pokorila za 14 hodín a 43 minút. Prišla o tom porozprávať do Nedeľnej talkshow. V rozhovore sa dozviete: -ako sa Soňa dostala k plávaniu (1:11) -ako prišla k myšlienke preplávať kanál La Manche (9:09) -ako sa spoznala so svojím trénerom a ako vyzerali jej tréningy (18:15) -ako prebieha kŕmenie počas plávania (28:50) -prečo venovala svoje odplávané kilometre slobode rieky Hron (43:00)

Odmala hrála na housle, zpívala, interpretovala lidovky a po vzoru písničkáře Owena Palletta pracovala s looperem. Když pak ale na konzervatoři zakusila dirigování sboru, okamžitě věděla, že tohle je její cesta. Sází na autentičnost, zásadní byl pro ni konkurz na asistenta dirigenta Janáčkovy filharmonie, vystoupení na letošním Pražském jaru a také mistrovská studia v Curychu. Vycházející hvězdu dirigentské scény Alenu Hron ve Vizitce představila Renáta Spisarová.Všechny díly podcastu Vizitka můžete pohodlně poslouchat v mobilní aplikaci mujRozhlas pro Android a iOS nebo na webu mujRozhlas.cz.

In dieser Episode lernst du: • Wie man mit wenig Mitteln ein Employer Branding für die eigene Arbeitgebermarke aufbaut • Wie man Talente unkonventionell und rasch identifiziert Fabio Blasi ist zu Gast bei Eliane Toller. Er ist Leiter Sourcing & Employer Branding bei der KSA-Gruppe und verantwortlich für die Personalgewinnung und für das Arbeitgebermarketing. Seit über elf Jahren ist er im HR im Gesundheitswesen in verschiedenen Fach- und Führungsfunktionen tätig. Er ist Betriebsökonom und hat einen Master in Human Capital Management. RESSOURCEN / LINKS: Beitrittslink zur HR on The Go Community auf Slack: https://join.slack.com/t/hronthegocommunity/shared_invite/zt-1tt9rxqba-EijhIhMEyJUrmm~im9vQWw Tagesanzeiger Artikel "Die meistgehasste Abteilung in jeder Firma": https://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/die-meistgehasste-abteilung-in-jeder-firma-877697945835 Sekundenbewerbung beim KSA: https://karriere.ksa.ch/ Unsere HR Trainings: https://www.impulse-group.ch/hr-training-academy-1/ Fabio Blasi bei LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fabio-blasi-242270bb/ HR On the Go ist dein monatlicher Impuls zu Themen aus dem Recruiting, Employer Branding und mehr. Hier bist du richtig, wenn dich Recruiting, Employer Branding und weitere HR Themen interessieren. Dein Host Eliane Toller hat über 25 Jahre Erfahrung im HR-Bereich und spricht in ihrem Podcast mit Expertinnen und Experten der Branche. In einer kompakten “On The Go” Folge, erfährst du neue Trends im Talent Management und spannende Insights von führenden Personen aus dem Bereich Human Resources. DIR GEFÄLLT WAS DU HÖRST? Dann folge uns auf Social Media, vereinbare einen Termin mit Eliane oder besuche unsere Webseite: Terminbuchung: https://calendly.com/elianetoller Eliane Toller auf LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eliane-toller/ Impulse-Group auf LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/impulse-group-gmbh/ Impulse-Group auf Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/impulse_group/ Website: https://www.impulse-group.ch/ Hinterlasse gerne eine 5-Sterne-Bewertung auf Apple Podcasts, eine Rezension und abonniere den Podcast. Vielen Dank für deine Unterstützung! Hier bei Apple Podcasts bewerten und abonnieren: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hr-on-the-go-recruiting-|-employer-branding-|-talent-management/id1690170100 Dieser Podcast wird produziert von Podcastliebe, deiner Full Service Podcast Agentur. Mehr dazu: https://podcastliebe.net

Terri's website Terri's Vimeo site for multimedia recordingsJohn EstacioHoward BashawAmsterdam ConservatoryPeter HannanAbleton LiveAnagam KilnsLuciane Cardassi, Synchronisms No. 6, by DavidovskyAndrea TyniecDivision on a GroundAnthony Holborne 5-part Viol Music - (We LOVE viol music!)Helen Pridmore - NMNM episode Canadian New Music NetworkCircuit, Musiques ContemporainesMusicworks MagazineJulie RichardShirley Graham Du Bois

The discussion was part of the Invest Summit 2023 conference, more info here: www.investsummit.sk Have you ever wanted to buy NFT but don't know how it's regulated in terms of taxes, accounting and law? We have the perfect solution for you!? Speakers: Viktor Feťko (SK) - senior associate Hronček & Partners Slavomír Hazucha (SK) - Head of business development artzenal Robert Kalmár (SK) - Tax Manager VGD Slovakia Jan Zibner (CZ) - CLO & Co-founder, Artiffine David Iskander (HU) - Co-Founder, MetaPlayers David Achberger (SK) - CMO at QORPO Game Studio & Strategic Venture capital advisor The audio is made from livestream video.

"This piece is a collaboration between Cristian Estrella (It Rises All Nectar), and the Catalan guitarist Javi Alcalá. It was composed in Carcassonne (France), recorded in Barcelona, and mixed and mastered in Plovan (France). "The original idea was to use the soundscape as a painting, with which different elements could be joined together. The birds, originally recorded in the Gatwick Airport reservoir, are segmented by frequencies, and coexist with Spanish guitar, celesta, violins, violas, piano, clarinets, pads, basses, rhythmic sequences, the howling of wolves, the sound of water, and electronics that mark a change of states. The lyrics appear in spoken word format, and refer to the awareness of our watery condition. It is intended as a call for attention to the care of water, and is articulated with sounds of a branch of the river Hron, in the small village of Nová Baña (Slovakia), where the composer is based. The vacant throne in heaven is that unattainable, utopian place, for which it is worth taking care of our life on earth, which is the only real and concrete thing we have." Gatwick birdsong reimagined by It Rises All Nectar and Javi Alcalá.

13. dubna 1939 se narodil Seamus Heaney - irský básník, spisovatel a překladatel, nositel Nobelovy ceny za literaturu za rok 1995. Básně vyšly ve výboru Přezimování pod širým nebem, vydalo nakladatelství BB art v roce 2002, přeložil Zdeněk Hron. Podcast "Báseň na každý den" poslouchejte na Anchor, Spotify, Apple, Google, YouRadio, České Podcasty nebo Audiolibrix. Domovská stránka podcastu je na https://www.poetickyklub.cz.

Insults, Felix and Ash Men.By FinalStand. Listen and subscribe to the podcast at Steamy Stories.Caring is a curse you dare not go without.(Somewhere in the midst of this nightmare, Cáel needs to earn a paycheck)Felix had the physical confrontation he wanted. Somewhere in the back of my mind was that I had to do something inane yet again; like consumer test Ginsu Spatulas, or the equivalent. Felix noted the open hostility directed his way, but had neither the knowledge, nor the empathy to give a fuck. The elevator closed on his smug face. Work time.“That didn’t take you long at all,” St. Marie chortled from behind me. I jolted.“If I wasn’t doing this, I’d be hand-feeding polar bears, so cut me some slack,” I groaned.“I was under the impression that your pugnacity was more of a defense mechanism, not male bravado,” St. Marie probed.“I am as much surprised as you are about this. I don’t even like the girl involved. I’ve never fought over a woman before, but Felix used that woman to get at me; ineffectively,” I mused. “My emotions don’t…you don’t want to be hearing any of this, do you?”“No,” St. Marie said. I stared at her. She stared at me. “Yes?”“Have you ever done any bikini wrestling?” I blurted out. She blinked. “Gotta go. Work to do,” and I fled. In the elevator I recognized one of the ladies from International Finance though I didn’t know her name.“What happened to your face?” she asked.“Do you know who the Golden Mare is?” I replied. She nodded very respectfully. “Well, she hit me.” The woman studied me. “I guess I shouldn’t have hit her first.”“You hit (dead word spoken) St. Marie?” She gulped. “I’m stunned you are still alive.”“You and me both,” I sighed. “I’m starting to regret suggesting she take up bikini wrestling.”Blink.“Tell me about it. I was looking into her eyes and that was the first thing to come to mind,” I shrugged.“I repeat, I’m stunned you are still alive,” she shook her head.“What do you mean? I think she’d look good in a bikini,” I stated. The door opened to Medical. “Have a good day at work now,” I smiled. “I’m off to crush marbles with a sledgehammer.” My real job was to be a genetic guinea pig. I had to sit naked on a gurney and let them take blood and tissues samples.The sperm sample was fun. First I insisted that I’d been in a fight earlier in the morning and my elbows weren’t up to the job. After confirming this, they had some poor ‘new hire’ jack me off. I held out as long as I could, to the point she gave me a blowjob; her first. Sadly, when senior medical technician informed her of the extinction of her oral virginity, they were both less than pleased yours truly.I reminded them that I didn’t shoot off into her mouth, or anything so crude. Next I informed them of a little known fact that my first ejaculate of the day (no mention of Brooke by me) was sterile and we had to repeat the process. No such luck. Damn microscopes. To prove I was a lousy patient, I feigned a collapse and a lack of breathing.I didn’t grapple with my CPR specialist. I very slowly and tenderly wrapped her up in my embrace. I told her that at the moment of utter darkness, her heartbeat brought me back to the light. I was a the point of penetration when a real doctor showed up and pulled the struggling Physician’s Assistant away; she hadn’t finished saving me, the young Amazon protested.At this point the team threatened to give me a sedative. I responded with 'is it chemical, or a blow to the head’. They smiled and said they’d give me both if I misbehaved again. My counter-offer was a request for some Neapolitan ice cream. They conceded the issue, I got my ice cream and stopped being a jack-ass.At 11:30 am, the first battery of tests concluded. As we were wrapping up, I asked why I had to be naked for the entire thing. They stared at me. Strangely, the Amazon who had prepped me for this nonsense had made herself scarce. Damn it. The doctors then gleefully informed me that I had to be naked for the second half of the test, after lunch.I asked why. They smiled. Bitches. As I was fixing my tie, my phone rang.“Hello, Android Cáel Nyilas here,” I answered. There was some giggling; Brooke.“Hey, Android Cáel, this is flesh and blood Brooke Lee,” she snickered. Man, I had turned her around emotionally in only a few hours. Screw Felix.“Have you eaten lunch yet?” she asked. I bit back my automatic response; asking if she was on the menu. We’d talked about Libra as I was leaving this morning.“You, me and Libra?” I suggested. Brooke put her hand over the phone; the dearth of background noise was the giveaway.“She may not want to see you,” Brooke hedged. That meant Libra was listening in.“We talked about this earlier, Brooke,” I sighed. “I want a chance to at least talk with her.” Not totally false. I wanted to fuck her again. That necessitated some amount of conversation so I was willing to put forth the ergs of energy.“I’ll make the effort,” Brooke promised. Making Libra a deal-breaker might have been sugar-coated chocolate for Libra. It would have also made them both suspicious of my suspicions.“Please do your best,” I said. “Where do you want meet?”“My place?” she teased.“Libra plus I would only have forty-five minutes with you, which is not nearly enough time,” I reminded her. Sex.“Libra doesn’t have to know,” Brooke was now pressing Libra’s buttons.“We are not going to go there,” I insisted. They didn’t own me and I didn’t own them.We were bantering back and forth, playing with sexual innuendo of the relationship kind. A good aphrodisiac is a woman thinking you are foregoing sex with another woman to have sex with her. Best of all (for me) for hooking Libra and me back together, Libra was going to let Brooke fuck me yet again. Win-win-win.“We’ll meet at Stanhope’s,” Brooke finished. I agreed to meet her there in ten minutes and off I went. Aisha, the Arabic swimsuit model/SD hottie called for me as I was heading out the door. I asked why. She didn’t say so I ran for it. Screw them all; it was my lunch break. I made it to Stanhope’s. I was fleet of foot and was getting the hang of hailing taxis.Libra was with Brooke at an outdoor table at Stanhope’s. I didn’t fake surprise. My cover was that I had faith in Brooke. I kissed Brooke while Libra gave me the cold shoulder.“Libra doesn’t believe we’ve talked about her,” Brooke opened up.“You are the one who keeps shouting out her name during orgasm,” I sighed.“That’s not a joking matter,” Libra snapped viciously.“It made you talk to me,” I winked. Libra growled.“I hate you,” she seethed.“That is a perfectly normal, if heart-rending reaction to our past two encounters,” I admitted.“I hope it hurt,” Libra seethed. “Besides, I went out with Brian Fung last night.” She was stating the obvious. I was okay with that. It left her open to my lie.“Have you moved on?” I moped. Libra not seeing me anymore made me want to cry. Missing her was utter anguish; it was written all over my face. Non-verbal deception is as important as the verbal kind.I was not beating a dead horse, I was coaxing a thoroughbred to the Triple Crown. Give the girl what she wants; verbally, sexually and, if you can pull it off convincingly, emotionally.“I don’t know,” Libra stated which meant 'no, she hadn’t moved on’.“Let’s go out tomorrow night,” I suggested. Be bold enough to make the first move, but not so aggressive she feels pressured.Being a man isn’t beating your chest; it is stepping up to get your ego battered by the girl. If it wasn’t for my first, failed romantic attempt, I wouldn’t be where I am today. It hurt like Hell when she publically rejected me. These days, my bed was always warm so the pain was well worth it.“Why not tonight?” Libra got combative.“Felix and I had a disagreement at work,” I grinned. “We are settling the issue tonight at six.”“What happened?” Brooke leaned in close to me, hungry for details. I was a bastard.“He loudly presented me with these,” I slipped Brooke her panties under the table.“In the middle of my office and co-workers. Even my Boss heard it,” I added. Brooke’s deeply tanned complexion paled. Libra didn’t see the panties, but she knew the score.“What did you do?” Libra pressed.“I told him Brooke was a grown woman and could make her own decisions about who she was with,” I started.“Brooke is a wonderful lady and she should be courted based on that. Felix had this bizarre idea that I felt possessive about her and thought he was using Brooke to hurt me over a slight at work,” I wove forth the basic truths. “I’m not going to fight Brooke’s battles,” I affirmed which meant that 'yes, I was going to fight Brooke’s battles’.If you are a guy and you assume that the woman is actually hearing the words coming out of your mouth, you are deluded. The reverse is also the same.“If a man has a problem with me, he comes after me, not my friends,” I grew stern. This meant Felix was not a man. It also meant that I considered Brooke, thus Libra, my friends.They were okay with that. This didn’t mean they thought of me as a friend. It was similar to the family butler. I had to memorize every detail of their lives. If they remembered my birthday, I should feel blessed; symbolically speaking of course. I’d make an abysmal butler.“Did he hit you?” Libra leaned across the table and stroked my cheek right below the place St. Marie had clocked me.“That? Nah. An Archer fish tried to shoot my eye out so now he’s fish sticks,” I replied.“With all your wounds,” Libra hesitated, “Are you in the military?”“Libra, I’m a disaster as a civilian,” I chuckled. “I’d make an impossible soldier. Half way through basic training I’d start showing up in a kilt; 'cause it makes me feel free and breezy down there’.”“When they tried to make me change, I’d charge them with cultural insensitivity,” I smiled.“What would you do if they let you get away with it?” Brooke snickered.“Take up horse archery…because you never know when you’ll be without fuel and bullets on the modern battlefield,” I postulated. “If they let me get away with that, I’d stay, but I’d join the airborne.”“I like parachuting,” Brooke nodded. “Have you ever done it?” She bet I hadn’t and she was right.“Never before in this lifetime. I really want to see if I could get my horsed trained to do it first,” I chortled. “Lord knows, nobody else has. The first Airmobile Horse Archery unit. That would be pretty cool.”“The horse would break her legs,” Libra frowned.“Use an air mattress platform for the horse to stand on, sort of like those air bags stuntmen use, but smaller,” I reasoned. I wasn’t sure if Brooke and Libra were more stunned about the plausibility of my suggestion, or that I had created it off the cuff.We ordered lunch and drinks. Service was very efficient so I had only pushed my salad aside to have my grilled shrimp replaced it when a shadow fell across our table. It was a stormy Aisha.“Cáel Nyilas, you are coming with me,” she spoke with deceptive calm.“No,” I replied then ate a shrimp. She put her hand on my shoulder. I brandished my fork.“Listen up,” I grumbled. I tapped my wristwatch with my fork, “I’ve got 35 more minutes on my lunch break. I’m eating with friends…okay, almost friends…”“I’m Cáel’s friend,” Brooke rallied. Aisha bore down on my collarbone, so I stabbed at her hand with the fork. She moved it out of the way first.“Come now,” she growled.“Very well,” I sighed. “Since you certainly have never heard this from a man before meeting me, I’ll clarify. NO, I’m not coming with you. Go away you annoying twit. If that was unclear, let me add; no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no and no.”Aisha looked over her shoulder. There were two more SD chicklets. Woot!“Last chance to keep this simple,” Aisha threatened.“Brooke and Libra, you need to stand up and back away,” I instructed them as I stood up as well, “I’m going to need your chairs as weapons.” The girls grabbed their food and backed up.“Don’t make a scene,” Aisha whispered.“Ex-squeeze me? I’m eating lunch. In thirty-five minutes I’ll be back at work. You are the one being a total bitch for annoying the fuck out of me here,” I glared. “All you had to do was tell me why you wanted me back at Havenstone, but you didn’t feel the need, so now we have this stand-off.”“It is not a stand-off and I don’t explain myself to you,” Aisha glared back. She even showed me she had a gun. I laughed, pulled out my phone.“What are you doing?” Aisha made a swipe for the phone.“Making me late for work,” I chuckled. “I’m dialing 9 1 1.”“Do that and you will be in a world of trouble,” she threatened.“You haven’t thought this out, have you, Aisha?” I snickered. “If it was important to my job, Katrina, or Medical would have called me. If it was a calamity, Hayden perhaps. Barring that, I can’t wait to hear your excuse for starting a public brawl.”“I told you to come with me and you had best obey,” Aisha hissed. That was the tipping point. Recycling old, failed arguments is the sign that your opponent has lost.“Yeah…right,” I shrugged. I sat back down and began eating. A second later, Brooke and Libra joined me. Aisha retreated to the curb and waited…and got ticketed because it was a No Parking Zone.“Who was that woman? I’ve seen her before,” Brooke commented.“She’s that woman from the first night we met,” Libra answered.“She’s not my boss so I don’t care,” I tried to recapture our earlier mood. It was only partially successful. The three SD ladies kept their eyes on us until dinner was cleared away and it was time to go back.I kissed both Brooke and Libra goodbye with a promise of a date the next night. When I tried to walk past Aisha, she grabbed my arm. From my point of view, a ride to work was a ride to work and this one was free. I travelled in silence. Miraculously, they didn’t answer my request to go to Medical, though we were at least going up…and up…and up. Crap.They deposited me in Hayden’s office then departed. It was Hayden, Katrina, St. Marie, Elsa, and Tessa. The door shut ominously behind me.“Cáel, I like you,” Hayden began. “Unless you are working on an assigned task, you are not allowed to defy a woman of Havenstone who gives you a clear concise order, especially one from the Security Detail.” It didn’t take me a second to formulate my treatise on the Rights of Man.“No.” That didn’t go over well. Into the emptiness, I forged ahead. “You can’t expect for me to be given conflicting orders and expect me to succeed. You people have a chain of command for a reason. I follow that chain like every other member of Havenstone.”“You are not a member of Havenstone,” Hayden pointed out. That I had to think about.I scanned each impassive face in the room. I wanted to cry; not out of fear; out of frustration because I really had tried so hard to make this work.“You are all a bunch of cowards and I regret ever wanting to be part of this place,” I spat.“Your opinion of us does not matter,” Hayden started.“Cowardly act number one,” I interrupted. Hayden’s gaze hardened.“It is your time. You publically defied a Havenstone employee on a mission concerning you,” she continued.“Cowardly acts number two and three,” I growled. Now St. Marie and Elsa closed in.I turned to face them. I wanted to go down swinging, no matter how futile the gesture.“Cowardly act number four; suddenly, when you desire, my insolence matters,” I set myself for what was to come.“Don’t fight,” Tessa commanded softly. Katrina kept her own counsel.“That’s your fucking problem, right there,” I shouted. “This isn’t the Sunshine Scouts. This is a martial society. I fight, because that is what every bitch here is broadcasting. I didn’t hit Rhada when she hit me. I called for help, like any sane individual. When no help was forthcoming, I called for someone to get the police. Again, you did nothing.”“Fuck you all. Rhada attacked me, so I put her down. Madi attacked me, so I put her down too; and it all your damn fault and not one of you has the courage to face that fact,” I shouted. “You attack me for fighting back at the same time you tell me to fit in. Now which is it? Am I to fit in to a martial culture, or am I not? Make up your damn minds!”“You do not get to talk to us like that,” St. Marie murmured.“Somebody better talk to us like this,” Katrina finally spoke. “Face facts: Cáel is here because he resists. He resists because that is the lesson we are teaching him, Sisters.”“What do you mean?” Elsa regarded Katrina.“When Cáel is challenged physically and resists successfully, or even unsuccessfully, he grows in the estimation of our Sisters. No one admits it, but it is the truth. The harder he fights, the more he is valued. It is a very simple principle. He has never believed he is a member of the Host, a Runner, or even a recruit. He does not strive to be an Amazon of any kind,” Katrina lectured.“Then we expect him to do ridiculous things like walk off with an Amazon he barely knows who doesn’t even explain where he is going, or what he is supposed to do,” Katrina shook her head. “Somehow we forecast his desire to be treated with a modicum of respect to be a threat? Respecting him does not make him an Amazon; it makes him a warrior in our cause.”“The Council has not decided on that portion of the New Directive yet,” St. Marie stated.“Warrior-Fathers,” Katrina declared firmly. “My niece, Aya; you all know of her; she went to camp this week and SHE formed her own war band with her fellow students. Fuck you all very much; It works!”“Katrina,” Hayden cautioned.“Hayden, I am tired of this half-measure bullshit. There is no being half-alive. We live, or we die. We made a mistake then we made another one. Let’s not make it three.” I raised my hand.“Yes?” Hayden finally acknowledged me.“Can I go back to work now? Sitting here is like commenting on the rain. I have a lot to say, but it won’t affect the rain one iota,” I reasoned.“You are not going to run?” Tessa asked. I knew she was joking.“Well, I can’t get past the front door. I can’t escape out the garage and I left my diamond-tipped glasscutter and 150 meters of rope in my other jacket,” I informed her.“I guess I’ll have to use the 15 kg of C-4 I have stuck in my shorts. I know it makes me look like I took a colossal dump in my underwear, but trust me, it is only a weapon,” I grinned. I tried to get around Elsa. She brushed her hand over my chest.“You are special,” she purred.“You scare me,” I mumbled.“I know,” she grinned happily.“Bye Pony-Lady,” I waved to St. Marie.“Cael,” Hayden called out. I halted, but didn’t turn around. “You will stop referring to the Marshal of the Amazon Host as 'Pony-Lady’, is that clear?”“Yes Hayden. Good-bye St. Marie,” I said as I departed.“Are you sure he is not mentally defective?” St. Marie questioned.“He is,” Elsa replied. “He laughs at Death.” See, what did I tell you? Now you can run out and pick up an infatuated female psychopath of your very own.(Later in the day)Knife-fighting class was taught by this painfully thin yet tall Amazon with mostly grey-white hair. There was nothing wrong with her reflexes, or sight. She regarded me, her only student, with passionless eyes. She had me sit down cross-legged, she did the same opposite me, and we spent an hour talking about the philosophy of knife-fighting.Knives were hardly ever the first weapon of choice. That was part of the lesson; knowing when to choose a knife to fight with. We talked about all kinds of blades, focusing on the short, hilt-less blades every Amazon carried. I had to get one special-made. It was the size of my palms. If the blade was too small, it would cut up my hand when I used it.Except for a few hand motions, it was verbal instruction. Knife from an advantage, knife from the front, and knife at a disadvantage. Each had its own set of rules to follow. It was cool. Me having a penis didn’t bother her in the least. At the end of the lesson, I asked if I could call her Zen Master. She said 'no’, her name was Pamela.I then asked if I could call her Zen Mistress Pamela. Smiling, she said 'no’ again. My last attempt was 'Blossoming Petals of Death Pamela’ at which point she laughed and told me to give it a rest. I found myself with a free hour so I raced down to the pool and took in a few laps. It was a crime against nature that all the Amazons were one-piece bathing suits.Here I was in my Speedo and no one to play with. That wasn’t really true. After my first lap, two Amazon lasses tried to engage me in a race without actually talking to me. As they were turning back they realized I was keeping to my same strong, casual strokes in my own little World.That annoyed them so the next time around, one got into my lane, turned to face me and stopped. Right according to plan, or if you prefer, like stealing candy apple kisses from a lady. I almost ran into her. At the very last second, I pulled up, letting my body coast up against her. She was treading water and looking vibrant.Her treading water meant I didn’t have to. One hand settled on her mid-back (friendly enough), but the other one cupped her right buttock and immediately probed along her cleft and to her pussy from behind. Her 'Happy Choice’ pop-up indicators went off and I had a winner. I was sure I could have pointed a shotgun in this woman’s face and she’d have spit on me.With my cock bumping up against her crotch, my finger wiggling around her suit for her pussy and my other arm keeping her close, she looked totally flummoxed.“What are you doing?” she whispered. I was sure she wanted to have that sound authoritative, not like plea for an instruction manual.“How about this,” I replied quietly, “you keep your hands moving and I’ll kick so that you can wrap your legs around my waist?”“Why would I want to do that?” she asked…while her legs wrapped around my waist. A little positon altering with my hand and I was having her pulse against my cock.“Deena?” the other Amazon called out. She was swimming in close proximity now.“I…” Deena responded to her comrade. “You are taking liberties,” she chastised me even as an erotic smile graced her lips.“Please don’t turn me in,” I murmured to her. My lips were a few millimeters from hers.The other woman could clearly make out our physical relationship between us.“Stop that,” the unnamed woman demanded.“Ah…” Deena moaned as I slipped two fingers past her swimsuit and into her slick cunt. The stranger tried to separate us, but Deena shook her head. “No…we are okay.”“Stop it,” I whispered. “Don’t make me…don’t make me…don’t,” and kissed. Total lie for the sake of our voyeur. Deena wasn’t currently capable of making me doing anything. Why was I doing this? Out of control libido plus stress plus I still had Yasmin and Felix to deal with. Oh yeah, Deena being cute, firm and just curvaceous enough to be Grace Kelly feminine didn’t hurt.“Why are we doing this?” Deena murmured sexily.“Am I making you happy?” I posed. She thought about it then nodded.“I thought being with a male would be more difficult,” she countered.“Stop looking so athletic,” I teased her, “and it will be easier for me to get away.”Calling an Amazon 'pretty’, or even 'beautiful’ would have limited, if any affect. Better words were 'impressive, swift, healthy, fit and athletic, because that’s what they valued in one another. Even 'scary’ and 'frightening’ were turning out to be good words to use. They never got enough male input to matter.“You are very healthy for a male,” Deena purred back.“How healthy?” the other one asked. She was now more curious than offended with my audacity.“He’s VERY healthy, Sharona,” Deena smiled. “He has strong fingers as well.”I knew the look Sharona shot me. It was the 'why her and not me?’ The answer was clear to her; Deena had been bold, thus won. It was traditional Amazon culture. I was easier to blame me because I was the guy. All three of us knew the score. More kissing and kitty-petting ensued. It became even more rewarding when I eventually bumped into Deena’s clit.I didn’t have to do much. My finger rubbed against her nub, Deena really liked that and started humping my finger before I could do anything. Public sex had never been a stimuli for me. I didn’t mind it and by the number of Amazons circling, or watching from poolside, they didn’t mind what Deena was 'doing’ to me either.There was no screaming, thunderclap of joy, or even a violent physical spasm. Deena pressed tight, made several yipping noises and came down whimpering happily. She was a truly content little camper; that was for sure.“You had sex!” one of the bystanders called out. I looked into Deena’s eyes.“If you say 'yes’, I’ll wake up tomorrow morning in Baku Faso,” I whispered.“No…no we weren’t,” Deena gave me a sultry look. “We were practicing lifeguarding techniques. Did I save your life…?”“I’m Cáel,” I breathed on her lips. “Yes, I feel like a whole new man.”“We will have to hone your skills; real soon,” Deena winked. That was not a request. That was 'come back, or I’ll hunt you down’.“I normally cannot make it before five,” I informed her.“That works for me,” Deena pulled away. She gave a warm sigh as my fingers slipped out of her. I made for the side. As I pulled myself out, my equipment straining at the seams, several wonderful ladies surrounded me.“Do you think you are leaving?” they confronted me.“I have a five o'clock end-of-day meeting with Katrina,” I calmly explained. Katrina was my 'Get out of Jail’ free card that allowed me to escape the pool and the shower without becoming a scratching post. Amazons aren’t animals; I’m just that sexy. Yes, I could pick up almost any girl at a club. I also had various Amazon pre-ordering collars with my name on it. By now my neck size was common knowledge.(Wednesday Evening)The stuff of my nightmares: I walk out from the end of day meeting with Katrina and the new hire ladies two see a gaggle of other women waiting for me, I assumed. I knew them all. Farah Winters recruited me from Bolingbrook, Umami Lhasa who was Tessa Carmichael’s right-hand woman, Tessa herself…and Yasmin Palhavã, my Brazilian hottie and workout date.“Hi Cáel,” they all greeted me.“Hey ladies,” I did my best to look happy. “What’s going on?”“Havenstone has offered me a job,” Yasmin grinned. How could this possibly go wrong? Yasmin thought this place was run by a crazy cult, so why did she look at ease?She could be trying to infiltrate Havenstone; bad idea. She could have had a conversion; I hope her son would be okay. She was…high on drugs…okay, the last one was weak.“What department?” I kept going.“We are trying to convince her to start out in Security Services (the guards) then move her up to Financial Investigations due to her expertise with the Policia Federal in her homeland,” Tessa said.“Cáel, by the look on your face, I know you are concerned. Ms. Carmichael; Tessa, has told me some things that put the situation in perspective,” Yasmin gave me an all so sexy look. “You are far braver than I thought you were.”“What? That I invested the entirety of my 401K on the comeback of Baleen Oil?” I joked.“My Son will be okay,” Yasmin patted my hand. Was I that much of an open book?“Do you have an instinct to protect children?” Umami inquired.“Not before I got here, but then I didn’t know anyone who would casually kill children either,” I responded. I had to ask the next question. I couldn’t be me and not.“Tessa, can I ask you a serious question?” I began. Tessa nodded. “Why was Yasmin 'read in’ to Havenstone? I don’t doubt for a second she’s a qualified as an investigator, but this strikes me as highly unusual and even reckless for your…people.”“It was this, or kill her,” Tessa answered. “By the way, that was Yasmin’s first question too.”“Precisely, my question was 'are you going to kill me for that crazy cult stuff that went down last week?’” Yasmin corrected. “She said I had to answer two questions to decide that.” In a bizarre, Amazon-style way, that made sense. Yes, Yasmin would beat her husband nearly to death for cheating on her; and shooting her, and she would willingly have sex again.I knew this because Buffy told me her backstory and it had Katrina asking her the two questions as well.“Yasmin, let me clarify this right now,” I held my ground. “I’m cheating on you. Please don’t hit me. It has been a bad day and the pain has just begun.”And all the psycho-bitches laughed.“Let’s go practice, É o meu P.A.,” Yasmin chuckled. No one was going to tell me what the damn phrase meant. I dare not look it up on-line because if I did, and Yasmin saw that flicker of understanding in my eyes…bad things would happen to me in the bedroom. No, I needed an alibi witness.To be honest, I thought the bedroom was Paradise until some ladies (I’d cheated on; surprise, surprise) tied me to one. Having my body waxed by sadistic amateurs was only recently exceeded by being shot with an arrow on my pain meter. It is not something I like to talk about. They dyed my hair bright pink too.I ended up nailing the new assistant at the College infirmary, so it wasn’t a total loss. Oh, and less I forget, they both took me back later, at the same time, without telling each other. It is a wonder I’m still alive. In an effort to keep that going, I took us to the non-blooded gym this time around.It wasn’t as nice as the full-blooded one, but it was still very full service. The biggest difference I had noticed earlier was the lack of archaic weapons on the wall near the training mat. Yasmin and I decided on a 40/20 split; forty minute of working out and twenty minutes on the mats. Around 5:30 pm, Felix showed up. Like me, he automatically drew attention and he’d clearly been cultivating his aura.He barely spared me a glance, being absolutely confident he had the advantage in every aspect of our contest; both physically and socially. Within minutes a subliminal ripple moved through the crowd. I was spotting Yasmin so it took me a bit to figure out what was going on; full-bloods had entered. One by one, I picked out Daphne, Paula, Dora, Tigger, Violet and Oneida.They weren’t coming at me; that would have kept things calm. No, 'my’ ladies were circulating and I didn’t need ESP to figure out what they were saying. In the ladies’ wake, evil looks where shot Felix’s way. Once more, he felt the undercurrent but misunderstood it. He thought I was seeding the crowd against him.One Amazon 'Runner’ cleared up the nature of the disturbance, if not reason for the outrage.“Did you really take a woman’s underwear to use as a trophy to throw in Cáel’s face?” the disbelieving woman asked. Felix was fearless.“Of course not,” he assured her. “One of Cáel’s many one night stands stopped by my place, slept and forgot…something. That’s all.”Good play. Since I wasn’t in on sabotaging Felix, I had no counter and I wasn’t going to get into a he-said/he-said contest that would leave me looking petty. Poor Felix, he kept forgetting we worked for some really smart women. Around thirty women into Felix’s counter-propaganda campaign, Daphne struck. She was confronted by a pro-Felix lady.“Really?” Daphne announced loudly. “Let’s clear this up why don’t we.” She pulled out her phone, hit one number and said, “Please project that footage to the 'Runner’ gym.”Ten seconds later, Felix and my conversation was projected to every TV suspended around the room. Yes, even Felix’s boast and getting in my face.This wasn’t solely Daphne’s doing. She didn’t have that kind of weight. Oneida on the other hand…Felix barely missed a beat.“Nyilas, you pulled that all out of context,” he growled. The best defense is a great offense.“Felix, I’m a guy. No way in Hell I have the kind of access to security tapes,” I held up my hands, proclaiming my innocence.Felix missed the 'I’m a guy’ part. The women didn’t. Most of them know I skated the rules, but never broke them. Yes, Katrina liked me. Would she give me access to security? That was laughable. Felix was about to pack on the stupidity.“Fine, you had one of your cheerleaders do it,” Felix counterthrust.Cheerleader was not a 'positive’ Amazon role model. Cheerleaders were women who promised sexual reward to male warriors that defeated their enemies (a bit of a biased view). The bipolar normal world reaction to cheerleaders aside, I knew cheerleaders were athletes who worked hard to pull off relatively complex routines. Telling the Amazons this was pointless.If any woman in this room had known a cheerleader before surrendering their old existence to become lethal man-killers, they probably didn’t like them. If they had been a cheerleader, they were keeping their mouths shut.“Are you implying we have lied and altered the official record of events?” Daphne sizzled.See, lying to me and Felix was expected. Lying to their fellow Amazons, despite the Blood Prestige rift, wasn’t going to happen. Trust and loyalty were fundamental virtues here. I imagine Felix had read that passage in the Handbook. I hadn’t believed it for the first two days either. I’d been educated since then.“I wouldn’t put it past you,” Felix glared right back at Daphne. Foolish; stupid.“Yasmin, I gotta go,” I hissed to my Brazilian MILF then rushed to get to Felix. I wasn’t doing it for Felix, the douche. I was doing it for Katrina and her New Directive. Felix had not officially fucked up; he was just being a jerk.Daphne sent Felix a wicked smirk. She’d kicked his ass. Felix knew his ass had been kicked yet still couldn’t grasp the underlying principles behind his defeat; he was in a Woman’s World.“Felix, let’s warm up,” I urged him once I was close enough to be heard.“After that stunt; you can go fuck yourself,” Felix glowered.“Dude, it wasn’t me, I swear,” I met his gaze.“I’m here. You find your own space,” Felix indicated another portion of the mat.“Felix, these ladies are about to kill you. You do not want to send me away,” I whispered. Felix formed a rebuttal then looked around.“Why?” Felix whispered back. Felix was finally acknowledging he’d lost. Now he wanted to know why.“I can’t explain it right now, but let’s say 'cheerleader’ was the wrong descriptive to use,” I continued. “Calling them liars only dug the hole deeper. It is the way it is.”Felix didn’t understand my words, but understood the intent. He was in Oz without any knowledge of the tornado that had taken him there. We didn’t spar together. I did stay close enough to make my intent clear; there would be no ambushing of Felix. You had to understand Amazon psychology to figure out why they weren’t angry with me.I was exhibiting loyalty; especially to a person I hated. Amazons had blood feuds, the specifics I hadn’t figured out. You could probably kick your opponent’s ass. If you stabbed them in the back, there was no rock on the face of the Earth you could hide under.“He practices Muay, Thai, and Savate,” Oneida snuck up on me. “I lend you my spirit,” she added with deep compassion.I turned on her and placed my hand between her breasts.“No. No cheating in this fight,” I insisted. That drew many stares. “Hold your spirit for the battles that matter, not for the resolution of male grievances. Your heart is fierce and I appreciate that, Oneida. No one’s spirit is infinite, so marshal your resources carefully.”Yes, I was lecturing Oneida; bad move. Yes, I was safeguarding her spirit, as would any of the other Amazons in the room; good move. Cloaking my lecture and concern in mystical terms; the win.“I care deeply for you too,” Oneida gave me a demur look, “my Ash Man.” Kill me. Kill me now.This culture didn’t have a 'ready-set-go’. When one person was ready, they attack without warning. I almost forgot that and blind-sided Felix. I didn’t hold back for him. I held back because I didn’t want him to be a whiny baby about this whole thing. I gave him a nod, he nodded back then he attacked.Two piston kicks by Felix backed me up. He switched up with a reverse roundhouse. That was his mistake; I slipped inside his kick range. I came at him; left jab, left jab, and a right cross in such a rapid blur the audience later told me their brains didn’t register the hits until after the fact. It was lights out for Felix. His body made a wet, thumping noise at it hit the mat.There was a hush. Everyone expected this fight to go the distance. I was more renowned for my stamina than punching power. Welcome to the world of light heavy-weight boxing. My problem with Madi had been I couldn’t touch her. I hadn’t even gone all out with Rhada and I dropped her with two jabs.A good number of 'martial artists’ think of boxing as a primitive fighting form. It is. It has also been around forever because the principles are rather simple and effective. Either don’t get hit, or soak up the hit (particularly for heavier fighters), set your opponent up and clobber then. Felix had meant to control me with his powerful kicks.Both Savate and Muay Thai have excellent fist and elbow blocks and strikes. It is simply difficult to switch your focus from kicking to blocking in the blink of an eye. That was less time than what I gave Felix. Most people think of boxers as freight trains, not snipers. In truth, we are both; locomotives approaching the speed of light (somewhat).Double back to all the options Savate and Maui Thai boxers have. They would never be afraid to take a risky kick because they can block in so many ways. Suddenly the issue became one of distance and balance. The boxer was at the kicker’s ankle at the moment of supposed impact and closing. By the time the kicker realized the kick’s over-extension the boxer was at his knee.The kicker still had a plethora of elbow, arm and hand blocks and grapples; except all his power has gone down that kicking leg, leaving him with on point of balance; his other leg. Sure he could get an arm up, but it only had the strength and weight of that limb to call upon. The upcoming hit? It had the mass times acceleration of the boxer’s body coming at him. Good luck.Felix could have beaten me, except it would have taken time. Closing would have allowed him to use all those nifty elbow, palm and hand strikes. It would have also allowed me to do what boxers to best; box. This wouldn’t give me an advantage, just leveled the playing field a bit. He didn’t want to grapple. I had an entire school devoted to grappling while it was an addendum to what he did.Felix’s saw me go to a boxing stance, and like most practitioners of Savate and Muay Thai, he laughed inside. He was going to make a mockery of me because my style sucked and his styles were the ones that best broke your enemies and caused them pain. He was going to knock me back with his kicks then close in and pummel me with every part of his body before I could slip into jujitsu. It would be lightning fast and bloody.Nice in theory; bad in practice. He should have worn me down with his stronger legs. Things fell apart when I stopped running away after the second kick. I couldn’t do much about the piston kicks. The reverse roundhouse on the other hand…allowed me to get close. I put him off-balance with two jabs, not letting him escape and out came the right with my entire mass behind it. I’ve hit a guy with that before who didn’t go down.He was 160 kg, almost 2 meters tall, a jaw made of chromium-steel and a bar bouncer. When he picked me up off the floor and helped me outside he told me I had a good punch. He wasn’t even angry with me. He was amused. I am far luckier than I deserve. His name was Amos. When I found out he had a sister, I got a good look at her picture to make sure I never, ever hit on her.Felix wasn’t that guy. He also wasn’t getting back up. 'Best’ of all, no one was going see how he was. I hoped I hadn’t killed him, or broken his neck. Before I could go to him I heard a voice behind me.“Is this the part where you take his underwear as a trophy?” Dora asked.“For the love of G; the Goddesses, tell me you are joking,” I gasped.“I got you!” Dora snickered.“Is someone going to help Felix?” I inquired. I sensed a bit of combat etiquette I was ignorant of. My previous Amazon opponents had always came to me when the fight was over and I’d lost.Usually they stood over me until I regained consciousness. Felix wasn’t getting that courtesy. He was being studiously ignored and I would have been separating myself from the 'lioness pride’ to help him. It was moral judgment time; Felix wasn’t worth the grief I’d get for disregarding the lesson the rest of the Amazons were administering.I waited at the closest mat edge, doing my cool-down with Yasmin and a few of my female…I guess I had to consider them friends now. What Felix did in front of them was bad, but they had gone above and beyond in coming to this gym and shattering his sexual anima and turning the crowd against him.Worse, while the 'new’ hires couldn’t justify an official corporate campaign against Felix, at the gym he was vulnerable to a propaganda blitz. By lunchtime tomorrow every woman in the building would know of Felix and his predilections toward the female gender. Amazons would still desire him alright. Felix better watch his precious Henie though in case someone decided to explain to him who was really the boss.After eight minutes, Felix stirred. He leveraged himself, took in his surroundings before letting his gaze settle on me. Any anger over my rudeness was dissipated by the social hostility focused on him. I silently offered up a water bottle. Felix hurriedly sprang up then blew the macho display by nearly tumbling back over.Felix took the water, splashed some in his face then drank the rest.“That was fast,” he finally spoke. “Damn fast.”“It was what it was, Felix,” I stayed neutral. “I hope this settles matter between you and I.” I could read it in his eyes; no way in Hell was this over.“I’ll stay away from Brooke,” Felix conceded. “Until next time.”“It was never about Brooke, Felix,” I sighed. “It was about using a woman to get at me. I never cared about anything like that before yet I do now so just don’t do it.” Felix snorted in amusement. He took up a towel and began drying off as he exited the gym.“He should be…” Oneida got out. I took another gamble.“No, Oneida,” I rested a gentle hand on her shoulder. “He did what a thousand other men would do. He’s an egotistical pain in the ass. He is also a fighter, brave and he refuses to accept defeat easily. You can’t instantly dissect his good qualities from his foul ones.”“It takes time,” Daphne supported me. She was also soothing any anger over the over-familiarity I was showing to Oneida. “Along with the rest of us, Cáel is showing Felix the delicate position men will hold in our world. It is a learning process for all of us.”“Felix is not a good man,” Oneida stated, “not like our Cáel,” she added, clearly crushing on me. Eek!!“Umm…ladies, thank all of you for your help this evening,” I looked over the group around me. “Having the room divided over Felix’s predations wouldn’t have done any of us much good. I’m glad this morning’s encounter was brought to light. Thank you all.” If someone does you a favor, thank them.If it is a woman, make doubly sure you tell them exactly what they did and risked for you. They will appreciate it; it strengthens your bond aka the promise of sex. Yes, I’m a sex-obsessed bad little piglet. The looks my Amazons were giving me told me how well my words were working, except for Yasmin, who seemed terribly amused by the whole romantic spectacle.The resulting shower scene was its own interesting ballet. As a male, I couldn’t be in the center. As a gravitational point in space, the tightest group of Amazons decided on who got into which orbit. Yasmin, despite me being on 'date’ with her, was exiled to the periphery. I wasn’t going to get into a shoving match over a six minute shower.Exiting the building was its own paranoid experience. Yasmin and I were leaving together. She was going to take a taxi home, check up on her son, then circle around to my place. We’d figure out 'where to go out to eat’ from there. Before Yasmin could stop me, I paid the cab for the trip, the wait and the delivery to my place.(The Ash Men; a history dump, for those not interested)I strode into my apartment, bike on my shoulder, when I realized I wasn’t alone. Elsa and Katrina; sigh. Breaking and entering? Disrespecting my domicile? This was not the time to be petty, or a stickler for boundaries. I put my bike in its customary place.“Can I get you something to drink?” I offered as I made my way to the kitchenette.“Lemonade would be nice,” Katrina stated.“What is that orange stuff?” Elsa inquired. Yeah, they searched my place already.“Dark orange, or light orange?” I countered.“The darker one.”“That’s carrot juice,” I informed Elsa.“I’ll try some of that,” she said. I fixed three drinks in tall glasses, handing them out before I joined Katrina on the sofa. Sipping my own lemonade, I turned to face Katrina.“Oneida is becoming a problem,” Katrina began. “She’s told you some things she shouldn’t have.”“The Ash Men,” I sighed. “You two being here makes this nothing but bad news.”“Not so,” Katrina corrected me. “It is a shameful episode in our history; so disgraceful we keep the truth of what really happened a closely guarded secret. Unfortunately, it is something House Arinniti has always felt strongly about and teaches their young.”“Amazons keep rather accurate histories, basing everything on lunar cycles. Our records, with minor gaps, date back to the Great Betrayal,” Katrina began. “By modern parlance, around 1000 BCE, our ancestors stopped a millennia of a nomadic existence to settle in the land between the Váh, Hron rivers and Danube rivers.”“You bitches know who the Magyar are,” I interrupted abruptly. Sure, that region was in current day Slovakia, but it bordered Hungary, my ancestral homeland, even though our residency was separated by over 1500 years.“Of course I know who the Magyar are,” Katrina shook her head mirthfully. “I simply can’t resist busting your balls.”I muttered angrily while avoiding using actual words.“Our numbers were enough to seize and hold the land,” Katrina continued. “For centuries before that, we raided for men from tribes whose land we were moving through. After a few seasons, we disposed of the men and took some more.”“When we chose to settle down, our Council decided to raid distant tribes and steal boys to be raised among our people. At first the males were virtual slaves yet in three generations, our people began seeing males as fathers, brothers and sons. We trained them in crafts. A few generations later, we voted to train them to be guardians; protectors of our hearths while the Host made war.”“For eighteen generations things went well. We prospered, grew rich and strong. The tribes around us feared our wrath which made us proud yet was our undoing. New, stronger tribes migrated into the region from the West; we now know them to be Celts. The genesis of House Epona is from those first meetings. Many Celtic women embraced the Amazon lifestyle.”“Though they knew of our strength, the first of these new tribes quickly went from peaceful coexistence to warfare. The Host crushed them. The problem was that new tribes kept coming and coming. Dirges of Mourning replaced the sweet taste of victory around our fires. We were always winning the key conflicts but our numbers were diminishing.”“The males came to the Council and begged for the opportunity to join the Host in battle. Twice we rejected them. The third time, we relented and allowed a select few males to join us in the fight and for a time the balance was restored. Our doom crept upon us. More conflict resulted in more men taking up arms to fight.”“What the Council could not perceive was the insidious influence of our enemies and it swept upon us on the wings of ravens by night; druids. Masculine deities, ethos and egos combined with our own blind arrogance to bring about our downfall. Constant contact with the Celts brought a different cultural view to our men. They began to question why women should rule.”“Somewhere around the year 680 BCE, it began. It was not a calamity over in a night, or even a week yet once it began there was no stopping it. Most of our males, never fighters, were taken as slaves by their former brothers and their new Celtic masters. Not all fighting males betrayed us. Those males risked their very lives to sneak into fallen towns and villages to rescue their daughters.”“The penalty our enemies exacted on our remaining fighting males was meant to keep the rest in line. They burned those brave men alive, in public. They burned them slowly, in much agony; the druids showed them how it was done. There is no record of any of our fighting males switching sides, or failing to undertake any mission for the Host. We survived as a people because of them.”“When all hope of remaining in our new homes faded, we fled east into the mountains. My ancestors were furious, frightened and shamed. They decided they had let down their guards around men and swore to never do it again. The only obstacle to this way of thinking was the handful of men who risked all for the Host’s survival and still lived.”“They sent those male survivors on one last, suicidal mission. They were to return home and incite the Celts’ wrath against the traitor males. For the Hell they unleashed, the druids were chosen for this final act vengeance. Amazon males slew the druids. The angry Celts fell upon their former allies, slaughtering the lot."Somehow, a tiny band returned to their mistresses. Their return was unexpected. In their absence, the High Priestess and Council decided to rectify their centuries’ old error in judgment. Only a few Houses; Arinniti among them; knows how each Council member voted yet the final decision is something we are dealing with today.”“The 'valiant’ Host went to their defenseless sons and butchered them. When the last Amazon males made it back they were rewarded with death as well. It is recorded that they didn’t even resist, loyal to their last drop of blood. In less than ten minute’s time, the last of the male line of Amazons perished.”“These are the 'Ash Men’ Oneida mentioned. Burned to death by our enemies for their devotion to us, burned to ash by the Host to hide our shame after we killed them for the crime of never betraying us. All full-blooded Amazons are taught about the Second Betrayal; except that last, pathetic and tragic addendum,” Katrina educated me.“Oh shit,” I interrupted. I was sure Katrina had more to tell me but I felt the hideo

Insults, Felix and Ash Men.By FinalStand. Listen and subscribe to the podcast at Steamy Stories.Caring is a curse you dare not go without.(Somewhere in the midst of this nightmare, Cáel needs to earn a paycheck)Felix had the physical confrontation he wanted. Somewhere in the back of my mind was that I had to do something inane yet again; like consumer test Ginsu Spatulas, or the equivalent. Felix noted the open hostility directed his way, but had neither the knowledge, nor the empathy to give a fuck. The elevator closed on his smug face. Work time.“That didn’t take you long at all,” St. Marie chortled from behind me. I jolted.“If I wasn’t doing this, I’d be hand-feeding polar bears, so cut me some slack,” I groaned.“I was under the impression that your pugnacity was more of a defense mechanism, not male bravado,” St. Marie probed.“I am as much surprised as you are about this. I don’t even like the girl involved. I’ve never fought over a woman before, but Felix used that woman to get at me; ineffectively,” I mused. “My emotions don’t…you don’t want to be hearing any of this, do you?”“No,” St. Marie said. I stared at her. She stared at me. “Yes?”“Have you ever done any bikini wrestling?” I blurted out. She blinked. “Gotta go. Work to do,” and I fled. In the elevator I recognized one of the ladies from International Finance though I didn’t know her name.“What happened to your face?” she asked.“Do you know who the Golden Mare is?” I replied. She nodded very respectfully. “Well, she hit me.” The woman studied me. “I guess I shouldn’t have hit her first.”“You hit (dead word spoken) St. Marie?” She gulped. “I’m stunned you are still alive.”“You and me both,” I sighed. “I’m starting to regret suggesting she take up bikini wrestling.”Blink.“Tell me about it. I was looking into her eyes and that was the first thing to come to mind,” I shrugged.“I repeat, I’m stunned you are still alive,” she shook her head.“What do you mean? I think she’d look good in a bikini,” I stated. The door opened to Medical. “Have a good day at work now,” I smiled. “I’m off to crush marbles with a sledgehammer.” My real job was to be a genetic guinea pig. I had to sit naked on a gurney and let them take blood and tissues samples.The sperm sample was fun. First I insisted that I’d been in a fight earlier in the morning and my elbows weren’t up to the job. After confirming this, they had some poor ‘new hire’ jack me off. I held out as long as I could, to the point she gave me a blowjob; her first. Sadly, when senior medical technician informed her of the extinction of her oral virginity, they were both less than pleased yours truly.I reminded them that I didn’t shoot off into her mouth, or anything so crude. Next I informed them of a little known fact that my first ejaculate of the day (no mention of Brooke by me) was sterile and we had to repeat the process. No such luck. Damn microscopes. To prove I was a lousy patient, I feigned a collapse and a lack of breathing.I didn’t grapple with my CPR specialist. I very slowly and tenderly wrapped her up in my embrace. I told her that at the moment of utter darkness, her heartbeat brought me back to the light. I was a the point of penetration when a real doctor showed up and pulled the struggling Physician’s Assistant away; she hadn’t finished saving me, the young Amazon protested.At this point the team threatened to give me a sedative. I responded with 'is it chemical, or a blow to the head’. They smiled and said they’d give me both if I misbehaved again. My counter-offer was a request for some Neapolitan ice cream. They conceded the issue, I got my ice cream and stopped being a jack-ass.At 11:30 am, the first battery of tests concluded. As we were wrapping up, I asked why I had to be naked for the entire thing. They stared at me. Strangely, the Amazon who had prepped me for this nonsense had made herself scarce. Damn it. The doctors then gleefully informed me that I had to be naked for the second half of the test, after lunch.I asked why. They smiled. Bitches. As I was fixing my tie, my phone rang.“Hello, Android Cáel Nyilas here,” I answered. There was some giggling; Brooke.“Hey, Android Cáel, this is flesh and blood Brooke Lee,” she snickered. Man, I had turned her around emotionally in only a few hours. Screw Felix.“Have you eaten lunch yet?” she asked. I bit back my automatic response; asking if she was on the menu. We’d talked about Libra as I was leaving this morning.“You, me and Libra?” I suggested. Brooke put her hand over the phone; the dearth of background noise was the giveaway.“She may not want to see you,” Brooke hedged. That meant Libra was listening in.“We talked about this earlier, Brooke,” I sighed. “I want a chance to at least talk with her.” Not totally false. I wanted to fuck her again. That necessitated some amount of conversation so I was willing to put forth the ergs of energy.“I’ll make the effort,” Brooke promised. Making Libra a deal-breaker might have been sugar-coated chocolate for Libra. It would have also made them both suspicious of my suspicions.“Please do your best,” I said. “Where do you want meet?”“My place?” she teased.“Libra plus I would only have forty-five minutes with you, which is not nearly enough time,” I reminded her. Sex.“Libra doesn’t have to know,” Brooke was now pressing Libra’s buttons.“We are not going to go there,” I insisted. They didn’t own me and I didn’t own them.We were bantering back and forth, playing with sexual innuendo of the relationship kind. A good aphrodisiac is a woman thinking you are foregoing sex with another woman to have sex with her. Best of all (for me) for hooking Libra and me back together, Libra was going to let Brooke fuck me yet again. Win-win-win.“We’ll meet at Stanhope’s,” Brooke finished. I agreed to meet her there in ten minutes and off I went. Aisha, the Arabic swimsuit model/SD hottie called for me as I was heading out the door. I asked why. She didn’t say so I ran for it. Screw them all; it was my lunch break. I made it to Stanhope’s. I was fleet of foot and was getting the hang of hailing taxis.Libra was with Brooke at an outdoor table at Stanhope’s. I didn’t fake surprise. My cover was that I had faith in Brooke. I kissed Brooke while Libra gave me the cold shoulder.“Libra doesn’t believe we’ve talked about her,” Brooke opened up.“You are the one who keeps shouting out her name during orgasm,” I sighed.“That’s not a joking matter,” Libra snapped viciously.“It made you talk to me,” I winked. Libra growled.“I hate you,” she seethed.“That is a perfectly normal, if heart-rending reaction to our past two encounters,” I admitted.“I hope it hurt,” Libra seethed. “Besides, I went out with Brian Fung last night.” She was stating the obvious. I was okay with that. It left her open to my lie.“Have you moved on?” I moped. Libra not seeing me anymore made me want to cry. Missing her was utter anguish; it was written all over my face. Non-verbal deception is as important as the verbal kind.I was not beating a dead horse, I was coaxing a thoroughbred to the Triple Crown. Give the girl what she wants; verbally, sexually and, if you can pull it off convincingly, emotionally.“I don’t know,” Libra stated which meant 'no, she hadn’t moved on’.“Let’s go out tomorrow night,” I suggested. Be bold enough to make the first move, but not so aggressive she feels pressured.Being a man isn’t beating your chest; it is stepping up to get your ego battered by the girl. If it wasn’t for my first, failed romantic attempt, I wouldn’t be where I am today. It hurt like Hell when she publically rejected me. These days, my bed was always warm so the pain was well worth it.“Why not tonight?” Libra got combative.“Felix and I had a disagreement at work,” I grinned. “We are settling the issue tonight at six.”“What happened?” Brooke leaned in close to me, hungry for details. I was a bastard.“He loudly presented me with these,” I slipped Brooke her panties under the table.“In the middle of my office and co-workers. Even my Boss heard it,” I added. Brooke’s deeply tanned complexion paled. Libra didn’t see the panties, but she knew the score.“What did you do?” Libra pressed.“I told him Brooke was a grown woman and could make her own decisions about who she was with,” I started.“Brooke is a wonderful lady and she should be courted based on that. Felix had this bizarre idea that I felt possessive about her and thought he was using Brooke to hurt me over a slight at work,” I wove forth the basic truths. “I’m not going to fight Brooke’s battles,” I affirmed which meant that 'yes, I was going to fight Brooke’s battles’.If you are a guy and you assume that the woman is actually hearing the words coming out of your mouth, you are deluded. The reverse is also the same.“If a man has a problem with me, he comes after me, not my friends,” I grew stern. This meant Felix was not a man. It also meant that I considered Brooke, thus Libra, my friends.They were okay with that. This didn’t mean they thought of me as a friend. It was similar to the family butler. I had to memorize every detail of their lives. If they remembered my birthday, I should feel blessed; symbolically speaking of course. I’d make an abysmal butler.“Did he hit you?” Libra leaned across the table and stroked my cheek right below the place St. Marie had clocked me.“That? Nah. An Archer fish tried to shoot my eye out so now he’s fish sticks,” I replied.“With all your wounds,” Libra hesitated, “Are you in the military?”“Libra, I’m a disaster as a civilian,” I chuckled. “I’d make an impossible soldier. Half way through basic training I’d start showing up in a kilt; 'cause it makes me feel free and breezy down there’.”“When they tried to make me change, I’d charge them with cultural insensitivity,” I smiled.“What would you do if they let you get away with it?” Brooke snickered.“Take up horse archery…because you never know when you’ll be without fuel and bullets on the modern battlefield,” I postulated. “If they let me get away with that, I’d stay, but I’d join the airborne.”“I like parachuting,” Brooke nodded. “Have you ever done it?” She bet I hadn’t and she was right.“Never before in this lifetime. I really want to see if I could get my horsed trained to do it first,” I chortled. “Lord knows, nobody else has. The first Airmobile Horse Archery unit. That would be pretty cool.”“The horse would break her legs,” Libra frowned.“Use an air mattress platform for the horse to stand on, sort of like those air bags stuntmen use, but smaller,” I reasoned. I wasn’t sure if Brooke and Libra were more stunned about the plausibility of my suggestion, or that I had created it off the cuff.We ordered lunch and drinks. Service was very efficient so I had only pushed my salad aside to have my grilled shrimp replaced it when a shadow fell across our table. It was a stormy Aisha.“Cáel Nyilas, you are coming with me,” she spoke with deceptive calm.“No,” I replied then ate a shrimp. She put her hand on my shoulder. I brandished my fork.“Listen up,” I grumbled. I tapped my wristwatch with my fork, “I’ve got 35 more minutes on my lunch break. I’m eating with friends…okay, almost friends…”“I’m Cáel’s friend,” Brooke rallied. Aisha bore down on my collarbone, so I stabbed at her hand with the fork. She moved it out of the way first.“Come now,” she growled.“Very well,” I sighed. “Since you certainly have never heard this from a man before meeting me, I’ll clarify. NO, I’m not coming with you. Go away you annoying twit. If that was unclear, let me add; no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no and no.”Aisha looked over her shoulder. There were two more SD chicklets. Woot!“Last chance to keep this simple,” Aisha threatened.“Brooke and Libra, you need to stand up and back away,” I instructed them as I stood up as well, “I’m going to need your chairs as weapons.” The girls grabbed their food and backed up.“Don’t make a scene,” Aisha whispered.“Ex-squeeze me? I’m eating lunch. In thirty-five minutes I’ll be back at work. You are the one being a total bitch for annoying the fuck out of me here,” I glared. “All you had to do was tell me why you wanted me back at Havenstone, but you didn’t feel the need, so now we have this stand-off.”“It is not a stand-off and I don’t explain myself to you,” Aisha glared back. She even showed me she had a gun. I laughed, pulled out my phone.“What are you doing?” Aisha made a swipe for the phone.“Making me late for work,” I chuckled. “I’m dialing 9 1 1.”“Do that and you will be in a world of trouble,” she threatened.“You haven’t thought this out, have you, Aisha?” I snickered. “If it was important to my job, Katrina, or Medical would have called me. If it was a calamity, Hayden perhaps. Barring that, I can’t wait to hear your excuse for starting a public brawl.”“I told you to come with me and you had best obey,” Aisha hissed. That was the tipping point. Recycling old, failed arguments is the sign that your opponent has lost.“Yeah…right,” I shrugged. I sat back down and began eating. A second later, Brooke and Libra joined me. Aisha retreated to the curb and waited…and got ticketed because it was a No Parking Zone.“Who was that woman? I’ve seen her before,” Brooke commented.“She’s that woman from the first night we met,” Libra answered.“She’s not my boss so I don’t care,” I tried to recapture our earlier mood. It was only partially successful. The three SD ladies kept their eyes on us until dinner was cleared away and it was time to go back.I kissed both Brooke and Libra goodbye with a promise of a date the next night. When I tried to walk past Aisha, she grabbed my arm. From my point of view, a ride to work was a ride to work and this one was free. I travelled in silence. Miraculously, they didn’t answer my request to go to Medical, though we were at least going up…and up…and up. Crap.They deposited me in Hayden’s office then departed. It was Hayden, Katrina, St. Marie, Elsa, and Tessa. The door shut ominously behind me.“Cáel, I like you,” Hayden began. “Unless you are working on an assigned task, you are not allowed to defy a woman of Havenstone who gives you a clear concise order, especially one from the Security Detail.” It didn’t take me a second to formulate my treatise on the Rights of Man.“No.” That didn’t go over well. Into the emptiness, I forged ahead. “You can’t expect for me to be given conflicting orders and expect me to succeed. You people have a chain of command for a reason. I follow that chain like every other member of Havenstone.”“You are not a member of Havenstone,” Hayden pointed out. That I had to think about.I scanned each impassive face in the room. I wanted to cry; not out of fear; out of frustration because I really had tried so hard to make this work.“You are all a bunch of cowards and I regret ever wanting to be part of this place,” I spat.“Your opinion of us does not matter,” Hayden started.“Cowardly act number one,” I interrupted. Hayden’s gaze hardened.“It is your time. You publically defied a Havenstone employee on a mission concerning you,” she continued.“Cowardly acts number two and three,” I growled. Now St. Marie and Elsa closed in.I turned to face them. I wanted to go down swinging, no matter how futile the gesture.“Cowardly act number four; suddenly, when you desire, my insolence matters,” I set myself for what was to come.“Don’t fight,” Tessa commanded softly. Katrina kept her own counsel.“That’s your fucking problem, right there,” I shouted. “This isn’t the Sunshine Scouts. This is a martial society. I fight, because that is what every bitch here is broadcasting. I didn’t hit Rhada when she hit me. I called for help, like any sane individual. When no help was forthcoming, I called for someone to get the police. Again, you did nothing.”“Fuck you all. Rhada attacked me, so I put her down. Madi attacked me, so I put her down too; and it all your damn fault and not one of you has the courage to face that fact,” I shouted. “You attack me for fighting back at the same time you tell me to fit in. Now which is it? Am I to fit in to a martial culture, or am I not? Make up your damn minds!”“You do not get to talk to us like that,” St. Marie murmured.“Somebody better talk to us like this,” Katrina finally spoke. “Face facts: Cáel is here because he resists. He resists because that is the lesson we are teaching him, Sisters.”“What do you mean?” Elsa regarded Katrina.“When Cáel is challenged physically and resists successfully, or even unsuccessfully, he grows in the estimation of our Sisters. No one admits it, but it is the truth. The harder he fights, the more he is valued. It is a very simple principle. He has never believed he is a member of the Host, a Runner, or even a recruit. He does not strive to be an Amazon of any kind,” Katrina lectured.“Then we expect him to do ridiculous things like walk off with an Amazon he barely knows who doesn’t even explain where he is going, or what he is supposed to do,” Katrina shook her head. “Somehow we forecast his desire to be treated with a modicum of respect to be a threat? Respecting him does not make him an Amazon; it makes him a warrior in our cause.”“The Council has not decided on that portion of the New Directive yet,” St. Marie stated.“Warrior-Fathers,” Katrina declared firmly. “My niece, Aya; you all know of her; she went to camp this week and SHE formed her own war band with her fellow students. Fuck you all very much; It works!”“Katrina,” Hayden cautioned.“Hayden, I am tired of this half-measure bullshit. There is no being half-alive. We live, or we die. We made a mistake then we made another one. Let’s not make it three.” I raised my hand.“Yes?” Hayden finally acknowledged me.“Can I go back to work now? Sitting here is like commenting on the rain. I have a lot to say, but it won’t affect the rain one iota,” I reasoned.“You are not going to run?” Tessa asked. I knew she was joking.“Well, I can’t get past the front door. I can’t escape out the garage and I left my diamond-tipped glasscutter and 150 meters of rope in my other jacket,” I informed her.“I guess I’ll have to use the 15 kg of C-4 I have stuck in my shorts. I know it makes me look like I took a colossal dump in my underwear, but trust me, it is only a weapon,” I grinned. I tried to get around Elsa. She brushed her hand over my chest.“You are special,” she purred.“You scare me,” I mumbled.“I know,” she grinned happily.“Bye Pony-Lady,” I waved to St. Marie.“Cael,” Hayden called out. I halted, but didn’t turn around. “You will stop referring to the Marshal of the Amazon Host as 'Pony-Lady’, is that clear?”“Yes Hayden. Good-bye St. Marie,” I said as I departed.“Are you sure he is not mentally defective?” St. Marie questioned.“He is,” Elsa replied. “He laughs at Death.” See, what did I tell you? Now you can run out and pick up an infatuated female psychopath of your very own.(Later in the day)Knife-fighting class was taught by this painfully thin yet tall Amazon with mostly grey-white hair. There was nothing wrong with her reflexes, or sight. She regarded me, her only student, with passionless eyes. She had me sit down cross-legged, she did the same opposite me, and we spent an hour talking about the philosophy of knife-fighting.Knives were hardly ever the first weapon of choice. That was part of the lesson; knowing when to choose a knife to fight with. We talked about all kinds of blades, focusing on the short, hilt-less blades every Amazon carried. I had to get one special-made. It was the size of my palms. If the blade was too small, it would cut up my hand when I used it.Except for a few hand motions, it was verbal instruction. Knife from an advantage, knife from the front, and knife at a disadvantage. Each had its own set of rules to follow. It was cool. Me having a penis didn’t bother her in the least. At the end of the lesson, I asked if I could call her Zen Master. She said 'no’, her name was Pamela.I then asked if I could call her Zen Mistress Pamela. Smiling, she said 'no’ again. My last attempt was 'Blossoming Petals of Death Pamela’ at which point she laughed and told me to give it a rest. I found myself with a free hour so I raced down to the pool and took in a few laps. It was a crime against nature that all the Amazons were one-piece bathing suits.Here I was in my Speedo and no one to play with. That wasn’t really true. After my first lap, two Amazon lasses tried to engage me in a race without actually talking to me. As they were turning back they realized I was keeping to my same strong, casual strokes in my own little World.That annoyed them so the next time around, one got into my lane, turned to face me and stopped. Right according to plan, or if you prefer, like stealing candy apple kisses from a lady. I almost ran into her. At the very last second, I pulled up, letting my body coast up against her. She was treading water and looking vibrant.Her treading water meant I didn’t have to. One hand settled on her mid-back (friendly enough), but the other one cupped her right buttock and immediately probed along her cleft and to her pussy from behind. Her 'Happy Choice’ pop-up indicators went off and I had a winner. I was sure I could have pointed a shotgun in this woman’s face and she’d have spit on me.With my cock bumping up against her crotch, my finger wiggling around her suit for her pussy and my other arm keeping her close, she looked totally flummoxed.“What are you doing?” she whispered. I was sure she wanted to have that sound authoritative, not like plea for an instruction manual.“How about this,” I replied quietly, “you keep your hands moving and I’ll kick so that you can wrap your legs around my waist?”“Why would I want to do that?” she asked…while her legs wrapped around my waist. A little positon altering with my hand and I was having her pulse against my cock.“Deena?” the other Amazon called out. She was swimming in close proximity now.“I…” Deena responded to her comrade. “You are taking liberties,” she chastised me even as an erotic smile graced her lips.“Please don’t turn me in,” I murmured to her. My lips were a few millimeters from hers.The other woman could clearly make out our physical relationship between us.“Stop that,” the unnamed woman demanded.“Ah…” Deena moaned as I slipped two fingers past her swimsuit and into her slick cunt. The stranger tried to separate us, but Deena shook her head. “No…we are okay.”“Stop it,” I whispered. “Don’t make me…don’t make me…don’t,” and kissed. Total lie for the sake of our voyeur. Deena wasn’t currently capable of making me doing anything. Why was I doing this? Out of control libido plus stress plus I still had Yasmin and Felix to deal with. Oh yeah, Deena being cute, firm and just curvaceous enough to be Grace Kelly feminine didn’t hurt.“Why are we doing this?” Deena murmured sexily.“Am I making you happy?” I posed. She thought about it then nodded.“I thought being with a male would be more difficult,” she countered.“Stop looking so athletic,” I teased her, “and it will be easier for me to get away.”Calling an Amazon 'pretty’, or even 'beautiful’ would have limited, if any affect. Better words were 'impressive, swift, healthy, fit and athletic, because that’s what they valued in one another. Even 'scary’ and 'frightening’ were turning out to be good words to use. They never got enough male input to matter.“You are very healthy for a male,” Deena purred back.“How healthy?” the other one asked. She was now more curious than offended with my audacity.“He’s VERY healthy, Sharona,” Deena smiled. “He has strong fingers as well.”I knew the look Sharona shot me. It was the 'why her and not me?’ The answer was clear to her; Deena had been bold, thus won. It was traditional Amazon culture. I was easier to blame me because I was the guy. All three of us knew the score. More kissing and kitty-petting ensued. It became even more rewarding when I eventually bumped into Deena’s clit.I didn’t have to do much. My finger rubbed against her nub, Deena really liked that and started humping my finger before I could do anything. Public sex had never been a stimuli for me. I didn’t mind it and by the number of Amazons circling, or watching from poolside, they didn’t mind what Deena was 'doing’ to me either.There was no screaming, thunderclap of joy, or even a violent physical spasm. Deena pressed tight, made several yipping noises and came down whimpering happily. She was a truly content little camper; that was for sure.“You had sex!” one of the bystanders called out. I looked into Deena’s eyes.“If you say 'yes’, I’ll wake up tomorrow morning in Baku Faso,” I whispered.“No…no we weren’t,” Deena gave me a sultry look. “We were practicing lifeguarding techniques. Did I save your life…?”“I’m Cáel,” I breathed on her lips. “Yes, I feel like a whole new man.”“We will have to hone your skills; real soon,” Deena winked. That was not a request. That was 'come back, or I’ll hunt you down’.“I normally cannot make it before five,” I informed her.“That works for me,” Deena pulled away. She gave a warm sigh as my fingers slipped out of her. I made for the side. As I pulled myself out, my equipment straining at the seams, several wonderful ladies surrounded me.“Do you think you are leaving?” they confronted me.“I have a five o'clock end-of-day meeting with Katrina,” I calmly explained. Katrina was my 'Get out of Jail’ free card that allowed me to escape the pool and the shower without becoming a scratching post. Amazons aren’t animals; I’m just that sexy. Yes, I could pick up almost any girl at a club. I also had various Amazon pre-ordering collars with my name on it. By now my neck size was common knowledge.(Wednesday Evening)The stuff of my nightmares: I walk out from the end of day meeting with Katrina and the new hire ladies two see a gaggle of other women waiting for me, I assumed. I knew them all. Farah Winters recruited me from Bolingbrook, Umami Lhasa who was Tessa Carmichael’s right-hand woman, Tessa herself…and Yasmin Palhavã, my Brazilian hottie and workout date.“Hi Cáel,” they all greeted me.“Hey ladies,” I did my best to look happy. “What’s going on?”“Havenstone has offered me a job,” Yasmin grinned. How could this possibly go wrong? Yasmin thought this place was run by a crazy cult, so why did she look at ease?She could be trying to infiltrate Havenstone; bad idea. She could have had a conversion; I hope her son would be okay. She was…high on drugs…okay, the last one was weak.“What department?” I kept going.“We are trying to convince her to start out in Security Services (the guards) then move her up to Financial Investigations due to her expertise with the Policia Federal in her homeland,” Tessa said.“Cáel, by the look on your face, I know you are concerned. Ms. Carmichael; Tessa, has told me some things that put the situation in perspective,” Yasmin gave me an all so sexy look. “You are far braver than I thought you were.”“What? That I invested the entirety of my 401K on the comeback of Baleen Oil?” I joked.“My Son will be okay,” Yasmin patted my hand. Was I that much of an open book?“Do you have an instinct to protect children?” Umami inquired.“Not before I got here, but then I didn’t know anyone who would casually kill children either,” I responded. I had to ask the next question. I couldn’t be me and not.“Tessa, can I ask you a serious question?” I began. Tessa nodded. “Why was Yasmin 'read in’ to Havenstone? I don’t doubt for a second she’s a qualified as an investigator, but this strikes me as highly unusual and even reckless for your…people.”“It was this, or kill her,” Tessa answered. “By the way, that was Yasmin’s first question too.”“Precisely, my question was 'are you going to kill me for that crazy cult stuff that went down last week?’” Yasmin corrected. “She said I had to answer two questions to decide that.” In a bizarre, Amazon-style way, that made sense. Yes, Yasmin would beat her husband nearly to death for cheating on her; and shooting her, and she would willingly have sex again.I knew this because Buffy told me her backstory and it had Katrina asking her the two questions as well.“Yasmin, let me clarify this right now,” I held my ground. “I’m cheating on you. Please don’t hit me. It has been a bad day and the pain has just begun.”And all the psycho-bitches laughed.“Let’s go practice, É o meu P.A.,” Yasmin chuckled. No one was going to tell me what the damn phrase meant. I dare not look it up on-line because if I did, and Yasmin saw that flicker of understanding in my eyes…bad things would happen to me in the bedroom. No, I needed an alibi witness.To be honest, I thought the bedroom was Paradise until some ladies (I’d cheated on; surprise, surprise) tied me to one. Having my body waxed by sadistic amateurs was only recently exceeded by being shot with an arrow on my pain meter. It is not something I like to talk about. They dyed my hair bright pink too.I ended up nailing the new assistant at the College infirmary, so it wasn’t a total loss. Oh, and less I forget, they both took me back later, at the same time, without telling each other. It is a wonder I’m still alive. In an effort to keep that going, I took us to the non-blooded gym this time around.It wasn’t as nice as the full-blooded one, but it was still very full service. The biggest difference I had noticed earlier was the lack of archaic weapons on the wall near the training mat. Yasmin and I decided on a 40/20 split; forty minute of working out and twenty minutes on the mats. Around 5:30 pm, Felix showed up. Like me, he automatically drew attention and he’d clearly been cultivating his aura.He barely spared me a glance, being absolutely confident he had the advantage in every aspect of our contest; both physically and socially. Within minutes a subliminal ripple moved through the crowd. I was spotting Yasmin so it took me a bit to figure out what was going on; full-bloods had entered. One by one, I picked out Daphne, Paula, Dora, Tigger, Violet and Oneida.They weren’t coming at me; that would have kept things calm. No, 'my’ ladies were circulating and I didn’t need ESP to figure out what they were saying. In the ladies’ wake, evil looks where shot Felix’s way. Once more, he felt the undercurrent but misunderstood it. He thought I was seeding the crowd against him.One Amazon 'Runner’ cleared up the nature of the disturbance, if not reason for the outrage.“Did you really take a woman’s underwear to use as a trophy to throw in Cáel’s face?” the disbelieving woman asked. Felix was fearless.“Of course not,” he assured her. “One of Cáel’s many one night stands stopped by my place, slept and forgot…something. That’s all.”Good play. Since I wasn’t in on sabotaging Felix, I had no counter and I wasn’t going to get into a he-said/he-said contest that would leave me looking petty. Poor Felix, he kept forgetting we worked for some really smart women. Around thirty women into Felix’s counter-propaganda campaign, Daphne struck. She was confronted by a pro-Felix lady.“Really?” Daphne announced loudly. “Let’s clear this up why don’t we.” She pulled out her phone, hit one number and said, “Please project that footage to the 'Runner’ gym.”Ten seconds later, Felix and my conversation was projected to every TV suspended around the room. Yes, even Felix’s boast and getting in my face.This wasn’t solely Daphne’s doing. She didn’t have that kind of weight. Oneida on the other hand…Felix barely missed a beat.“Nyilas, you pulled that all out of context,” he growled. The best defense is a great offense.“Felix, I’m a guy. No way in Hell I have the kind of access to security tapes,” I held up my hands, proclaiming my innocence.Felix missed the 'I’m a guy’ part. The women didn’t. Most of them know I skated the rules, but never broke them. Yes, Katrina liked me. Would she give me access to security? That was laughable. Felix was about to pack on the stupidity.“Fine, you had one of your cheerleaders do it,” Felix counterthrust.Cheerleader was not a 'positive’ Amazon role model. Cheerleaders were women who promised sexual reward to male warriors that defeated their enemies (a bit of a biased view). The bipolar normal world reaction to cheerleaders aside, I knew cheerleaders were athletes who worked hard to pull off relatively complex routines. Telling the Amazons this was pointless.If any woman in this room had known a cheerleader before surrendering their old existence to become lethal man-killers, they probably didn’t like them. If they had been a cheerleader, they were keeping their mouths shut.“Are you implying we have lied and altered the official record of events?” Daphne sizzled.See, lying to me and Felix was expected. Lying to their fellow Amazons, despite the Blood Prestige rift, wasn’t going to happen. Trust and loyalty were fundamental virtues here. I imagine Felix had read that passage in the Handbook. I hadn’t believed it for the first two days either. I’d been educated since then.“I wouldn’t put it past you,” Felix glared right back at Daphne. Foolish; stupid.“Yasmin, I gotta go,” I hissed to my Brazilian MILF then rushed to get to Felix. I wasn’t doing it for Felix, the douche. I was doing it for Katrina and her New Directive. Felix had not officially fucked up; he was just being a jerk.Daphne sent Felix a wicked smirk. She’d kicked his ass. Felix knew his ass had been kicked yet still couldn’t grasp the underlying principles behind his defeat; he was in a Woman’s World.“Felix, let’s warm up,” I urged him once I was close enough to be heard.“After that stunt; you can go fuck yourself,” Felix glowered.“Dude, it wasn’t me, I swear,” I met his gaze.“I’m here. You find your own space,” Felix indicated another portion of the mat.“Felix, these ladies are about to kill you. You do not want to send me away,” I whispered. Felix formed a rebuttal then looked around.“Why?” Felix whispered back. Felix was finally acknowledging he’d lost. Now he wanted to know why.“I can’t explain it right now, but let’s say 'cheerleader’ was the wrong descriptive to use,” I continued. “Calling them liars only dug the hole deeper. It is the way it is.”Felix didn’t understand my words, but understood the intent. He was in Oz without any knowledge of the tornado that had taken him there. We didn’t spar together. I did stay close enough to make my intent clear; there would be no ambushing of Felix. You had to understand Amazon psychology to figure out why they weren’t angry with me.I was exhibiting loyalty; especially to a person I hated. Amazons had blood feuds, the specifics I hadn’t figured out. You could probably kick your opponent’s ass. If you stabbed them in the back, there was no rock on the face of the Earth you could hide under.“He practices Muay, Thai, and Savate,” Oneida snuck up on me. “I lend you my spirit,” she added with deep compassion.I turned on her and placed my hand between her breasts.“No. No cheating in this fight,” I insisted. That drew many stares. “Hold your spirit for the battles that matter, not for the resolution of male grievances. Your heart is fierce and I appreciate that, Oneida. No one’s spirit is infinite, so marshal your resources carefully.”Yes, I was lecturing Oneida; bad move. Yes, I was safeguarding her spirit, as would any of the other Amazons in the room; good move. Cloaking my lecture and concern in mystical terms; the win.“I care deeply for you too,” Oneida gave me a demur look, “my Ash Man.” Kill me. Kill me now.This culture didn’t have a 'ready-set-go’. When one person was ready, they attack without warning. I almost forgot that and blind-sided Felix. I didn’t hold back for him. I held back because I didn’t want him to be a whiny baby about this whole thing. I gave him a nod, he nodded back then he attacked.Two piston kicks by Felix backed me up. He switched up with a reverse roundhouse. That was his mistake; I slipped inside his kick range. I came at him; left jab, left jab, and a right cross in such a rapid blur the audience later told me their brains didn’t register the hits until after the fact. It was lights out for Felix. His body made a wet, thumping noise at it hit the mat.There was a hush. Everyone expected this fight to go the distance. I was more renowned for my stamina than punching power. Welcome to the world of light heavy-weight boxing. My problem with Madi had been I couldn’t touch her. I hadn’t even gone all out with Rhada and I dropped her with two jabs.A good number of 'martial artists’ think of boxing as a primitive fighting form. It is. It has also been around forever because the principles are rather simple and effective. Either don’t get hit, or soak up the hit (particularly for heavier fighters), set your opponent up and clobber then. Felix had meant to control me with his powerful kicks.Both Savate and Muay Thai have excellent fist and elbow blocks and strikes. It is simply difficult to switch your focus from kicking to blocking in the blink of an eye. That was less time than what I gave Felix. Most people think of boxers as freight trains, not snipers. In truth, we are both; locomotives approaching the speed of light (somewhat).Double back to all the options Savate and Maui Thai boxers have. They would never be afraid to take a risky kick because they can block in so many ways. Suddenly the issue became one of distance and balance. The boxer was at the kicker’s ankle at the moment of supposed impact and closing. By the time the kicker realized the kick’s over-extension the boxer was at his knee.The kicker still had a plethora of elbow, arm and hand blocks and grapples; except all his power has gone down that kicking leg, leaving him with on point of balance; his other leg. Sure he could get an arm up, but it only had the strength and weight of that limb to call upon. The upcoming hit? It had the mass times acceleration of the boxer’s body coming at him. Good luck.Felix could have beaten me, except it would have taken time. Closing would have allowed him to use all those nifty elbow, palm and hand strikes. It would have also allowed me to do what boxers to best; box. This wouldn’t give me an advantage, just leveled the playing field a bit. He didn’t want to grapple. I had an entire school devoted to grappling while it was an addendum to what he did.Felix’s saw me go to a boxing stance, and like most practitioners of Savate and Muay Thai, he laughed inside. He was going to make a mockery of me because my style sucked and his styles were the ones that best broke your enemies and caused them pain. He was going to knock me back with his kicks then close in and pummel me with every part of his body before I could slip into jujitsu. It would be lightning fast and bloody.Nice in theory; bad in practice. He should have worn me down with his stronger legs. Things fell apart when I stopped running away after the second kick. I couldn’t do much about the piston kicks. The reverse roundhouse on the other hand…allowed me to get close. I put him off-balance with two jabs, not letting him escape and out came the right with my entire mass behind it. I’ve hit a guy with that before who didn’t go down.He was 160 kg, almost 2 meters tall, a jaw made of chromium-steel and a bar bouncer. When he picked me up off the floor and helped me outside he told me I had a good punch. He wasn’t even angry with me. He was amused. I am far luckier than I deserve. His name was Amos. When I found out he had a sister, I got a good look at her picture to make sure I never, ever hit on her.Felix wasn’t that guy. He also wasn’t getting back up. 'Best’ of all, no one was going see how he was. I hoped I hadn’t killed him, or broken his neck. Before I could go to him I heard a voice behind me.“Is this the part where you take his underwear as a trophy?” Dora asked.“For the love of G; the Goddesses, tell me you are joking,” I gasped.“I got you!” Dora snickered.“Is someone going to help Felix?” I inquired. I sensed a bit of combat etiquette I was ignorant of. My previous Amazon opponents had always came to me when the fight was over and I’d lost.Usually they stood over me until I regained consciousness. Felix wasn’t getting that courtesy. He was being studiously ignored and I would have been separating myself from the 'lioness pride’ to help him. It was moral judgment time; Felix wasn’t worth the grief I’d get for disregarding the lesson the rest of the Amazons were administering.I waited at the closest mat edge, doing my cool-down with Yasmin and a few of my female…I guess I had to consider them friends now. What Felix did in front of them was bad, but they had gone above and beyond in coming to this gym and shattering his sexual anima and turning the crowd against him.Worse, while the 'new’ hires couldn’t justify an official corporate campaign against Felix, at the gym he was vulnerable to a propaganda blitz. By lunchtime tomorrow every woman in the building would know of Felix and his predilections toward the female gender. Amazons would still desire him alright. Felix better watch his precious Henie though in case someone decided to explain to him who was really the boss.After eight minutes, Felix stirred. He leveraged himself, took in his surroundings before letting his gaze settle on me. Any anger over my rudeness was dissipated by the social hostility focused on him. I silently offered up a water bottle. Felix hurriedly sprang up then blew the macho display by nearly tumbling back over.Felix took the water, splashed some in his face then drank the rest.“That was fast,” he finally spoke. “Damn fast.”“It was what it was, Felix,” I stayed neutral. “I hope this settles matter between you and I.” I could read it in his eyes; no way in Hell was this over.“I’ll stay away from Brooke,” Felix conceded. “Until next time.”“It was never about Brooke, Felix,” I sighed. “It was about using a woman to get at me. I never cared about anything like that before yet I do now so just don’t do it.” Felix snorted in amusement. He took up a towel and began drying off as he exited the gym.“He should be…” Oneida got out. I took another gamble.“No, Oneida,” I rested a gentle hand on her shoulder. “He did what a thousand other men would do. He’s an egotistical pain in the ass. He is also a fighter, brave and he refuses to accept defeat easily. You can’t instantly dissect his good qualities from his foul ones.”“It takes time,” Daphne supported me. She was also soothing any anger over the over-familiarity I was showing to Oneida. “Along with the rest of us, Cáel is showing Felix the delicate position men will hold in our world. It is a learning process for all of us.”“Felix is not a good man,” Oneida stated, “not like our Cáel,” she added, clearly crushing on me. Eek!!“Umm…ladies, thank all of you for your help this evening,” I looked over the group around me. “Having the room divided over Felix’s predations wouldn’t have done any of us much good. I’m glad this morning’s encounter was brought to light. Thank you all.” If someone does you a favor, thank them.If it is a woman, make doubly sure you tell them exactly what they did and risked for you. They will appreciate it; it strengthens your bond aka the promise of sex. Yes, I’m a sex-obsessed bad little piglet. The looks my Amazons were giving me told me how well my words were working, except for Yasmin, who seemed terribly amused by the whole romantic spectacle.The resulting shower scene was its own interesting ballet. As a male, I couldn’t be in the center. As a gravitational point in space, the tightest group of Amazons decided on who got into which orbit. Yasmin, despite me being on 'date’ with her, was exiled to the periphery. I wasn’t going to get into a shoving match over a six minute shower.Exiting the building was its own paranoid experience. Yasmin and I were leaving together. She was going to take a taxi home, check up on her son, then circle around to my place. We’d figure out 'where to go out to eat’ from there. Before Yasmin could stop me, I paid the cab for the trip, the wait and the delivery to my place.(The Ash Men; a history dump, for those not interested)I strode into my apartment, bike on my shoulder, when I realized I wasn’t alone. Elsa and Katrina; sigh. Breaking and entering? Disrespecting my domicile? This was not the time to be petty, or a stickler for boundaries. I put my bike in its customary place.“Can I get you something to drink?” I offered as I made my way to the kitchenette.“Lemonade would be nice,” Katrina stated.“What is that orange stuff?” Elsa inquired. Yeah, they searched my place already.“Dark orange, or light orange?” I countered.“The darker one.”“That’s carrot juice,” I informed Elsa.“I’ll try some of that,” she said. I fixed three drinks in tall glasses, handing them out before I joined Katrina on the sofa. Sipping my own lemonade, I turned to face Katrina.“Oneida is becoming a problem,” Katrina began. “She’s told you some things she shouldn’t have.”“The Ash Men,” I sighed. “You two being here makes this nothing but bad news.”“Not so,” Katrina corrected me. “It is a shameful episode in our history; so disgraceful we keep the truth of what really happened a closely guarded secret. Unfortunately, it is something House Arinniti has always felt strongly about and teaches their young.”“Amazons keep rather accurate histories, basing everything on lunar cycles. Our records, with minor gaps, date back to the Great Betrayal,” Katrina began. “By modern parlance, around 1000 BCE, our ancestors stopped a millennia of a nomadic existence to settle in the land between the Váh, Hron rivers and Danube rivers.”“You bitches know who the Magyar are,” I interrupted abruptly. Sure, that region was in current day Slovakia, but it bordered Hungary, my ancestral homeland, even though our residency was separated by over 1500 years.“Of course I know who the Magyar are,” Katrina shook her head mirthfully. “I simply can’t resist busting your balls.”I muttered angrily while avoiding using actual words.“Our numbers were enough to seize and hold the land,” Katrina continued. “For centuries before that, we raided for men from tribes whose land we were moving through. After a few seasons, we disposed of the men and took some more.”“When we chose to settle down, our Council decided to raid distant tribes and steal boys to be raised among our people. At first the males were virtual slaves yet in three generations, our people began seeing males as fathers, brothers and sons. We trained them in crafts. A few generations later, we voted to train them to be guardians; protectors of our hearths while the Host made war.”“For eighteen generations things went well. We prospered, grew rich and strong. The tribes around us feared our wrath which made us proud yet was our undoing. New, stronger tribes migrated into the region from the West; we now know them to be Celts. The genesis of House Epona is from those first meetings. Many Celtic women embraced the Amazon lifestyle.”“Though they knew of our strength, the first of these new tribes quickly went from peaceful coexistence to warfare. The Host crushed them. The problem was that new tribes kept coming and coming. Dirges of Mourning replaced the sweet taste of victory around our fires. We were always winning the key conflicts but our numbers were diminishing.”“The males came to the Council and begged for the opportunity to join the Host in battle. Twice we rejected them. The third time, we relented and allowed a select few males to join us in the fight and for a time the balance was restored. Our doom crept upon us. More conflict resulted in more men taking up arms to fight.”“What the Council could not perceive was the insidious influence of our enemies and it swept upon us on the wings of ravens by night; druids. Masculine deities, ethos and egos combined with our own blind arrogance to bring about our downfall. Constant contact with the Celts brought a different cultural view to our men. They began to question why women should rule.”“Somewhere around the year 680 BCE, it began. It was not a calamity over in a night, or even a week yet once it began there was no stopping it. Most of our males, never fighters, were taken as slaves by their former brothers and their new Celtic masters. Not all fighting males betrayed us. Those males risked their very lives to sneak into fallen towns and villages to rescue their daughters.”“The penalty our enemies exacted on our remaining fighting males was meant to keep the rest in line. They burned those brave men alive, in public. They burned them slowly, in much agony; the druids showed them how it was done. There is no record of any of our fighting males switching sides, or failing to undertake any mission for the Host. We survived as a people because of them.”“When all hope of remaining in our new homes faded, we fled east into the mountains. My ancestors were furious, frightened and shamed. They decided they had let down their guards around men and swore to never do it again. The only obstacle to this way of thinking was the handful of men who risked all for the Host’s survival and still lived.”“They sent those male survivors on one last, suicidal mission. They were to return home and incite the Celts’ wrath against the traitor males. For the Hell they unleashed, the druids were chosen for this final act vengeance. Amazon males slew the druids. The angry Celts fell upon their former allies, slaughtering the lot."Somehow, a tiny band returned to their mistresses. Their return was unexpected. In their absence, the High Priestess and Council decided to rectify their centuries’ old error in judgment. Only a few Houses; Arinniti among them; knows how each Council member voted yet the final decision is something we are dealing with today.”“The 'valiant’ Host went to their defenseless sons and butchered them. When the last Amazon males made it back they were rewarded with death as well. It is recorded that they didn’t even resist, loyal to their last drop of blood. In less than ten minute’s time, the last of the male line of Amazons perished.”“These are the 'Ash Men’ Oneida mentioned. Burned to death by our enemies for their devotion to us, burned to ash by the Host to hide our shame after we killed them for the crime of never betraying us. All full-blooded Amazons are taught about the Second Betrayal; except that last, pathetic and tragic addendum,” Katrina educated me.“Oh shit,” I interrupted. I was sure Katrina had more to tell me but I felt the hideo