"Why are we doing this here? I thought this was all about welcoming me into the club. Shouldn't we be at my place in town?"
Mike and Clara we standing at the front door of Clara's mansion, watching as the small motorcade made its way up her driveway. He was wearing a dark suit, she was in a long gown of some shimmering green fabric.
"It's not just about you. She's also here to congratulate me on doing such a good job being your mentor." The motorcade was pulling up now, two big SUVs flanking a long limo. "And Councilwoman De Luca doesn't like cities. She grew up in Italy during the Renaissance. Thinks modern cities are 'without culture'. And my house is better for security anyway."
As if to validate what Clara had just said, the doors on the SUVs opened, and a party of very large, very dangerous looking men got out. One of them walked to the limo to open the door, the rest spread out around the vehicles, radiating a sense of feral watchfulness. Mike wondered what all the security was about anyway. Maybe a member of the Council had enemies that he didn't understand. The door to the limo opened, and Councilwoman De Luca emerged.
"Whoa."
She was an impressive sight. A tall woman, with sensuous curves, long black hair spilling in waves down her back. Some sort of corset-like garment encircled her midsection, leaving her breasts bare. A pair of knee high black boots were the only other clothes she wore. Rubies the size of quail's eggs hung on golden rings from her nipples. Two more women got out of the limo behind her, De Luca's assistants. They were dressed just as provocatively as their mistress. Tight black skirts covered their legs. A golden chain stretched between each nipple.Black masks covered their faces, rendering them featureless. Judging from the way the women navigated the stairs, Mike assumed their masks were thin enough to see through.
He leaned towards Clara and whispered. "What's up with the costumes?"
"She likes to make an impression," Clara replied, and then reached out a hand for the Councilwoman. "Councilwoman De Luca, welcome to my home. You honor me with your presence."
The Councilwoman took Clara's hand as she reached the top of the stairs. "Thank you, Ms. Barrows. It's a pleasure to be here." She swung her gaze onto Mike. He found himself transfixed by a pair of the greenest eyes he'd ever seen. "Mr. Engler, it is very nice to meet you. I'm always delighted when another person joins our ranks." Her voice was deep and melodious, with just a hint of some exotic accent. "Let's get down to business, shall we?"
They settled together in one of the many rooms of Clara's home. Mike was on the couch. The Councilwoman sat across from him, her assistants kneeling on the floor to either side of her. Clara sat off to the side, looking happy, but a little nervous.
A small smile graced the Councilwoman's lips. "Let's get the formalities out of the way first." One of her assistants was holding a small tablet and stylus, ready to record her mistress's words. "On this day, October 15th of the Christian calendar, I, Councilwoman Francesca De Luca, do hereby welcome Michael Engler into the community of the Changed. By my authority I do invest in him all rights, privileges, and duties associated with his new position. May he prosper under the guidance of the Council." Her words had the inflection of something that had been said many times over the years, but there was still power behind them. "Mr. Engler, there is but one test that I must administer. The test of strength."
Clara had warned him that something like this would probably happen. "I'm ready."
"Very good." De Luca gestured to one of her assistants. "You will attempt to make Kimiko experience an orgasm. I will try to stop you. Understood?"
He nodded.
"Very well, you may begin."
Mike reached into the assistant, quickly finding the center of her arousal. But something blocked him from approaching it. He realized that De Luca was in the woman's mind with him. It was a strange feeling. He'd shared minds with Clara before, but they had always been working together. To have another person actively opposing him was new. He pushed against her barrier, and felt it sag a little. The Councilwoman's eyes went wide as he applied pressure. The wall gave way, and he dove into the assistant's lust. She gasped, a quick, quiet sound, and began shifting her hips. Mike knew what to do now, quickly manipulating the woman's mind. The assistant moaned, one of her hands pressing between her legs. Suddenly, there was an almost physical pressure applied to his presence, trying to shove him aside. He diverted part of his attention, and pushed back at De Luca. She kept coming at him, kept trying to dislodge him from his perch in Kimiko's mind, but she was too late. The assistant began to shake, and slowly crumpled down on the floor as an orgasm raced through her. Mike withdrew, suddenly exhausted by the effort. He was covered in sweat.
The Councilwoman was smiling at him. "Very good, Mr. Engler. It's been a long time since I was bested in a competition of strength." She looked over at her other assistant, still writing on her tablet. "This concludes the formal portion of the induction ceremony. Now, I'm sure you have many questions. I will do my best to answer them."
Mike nodded. There was so much that he wanted to know. One question in particular was at the forefront of his mind. "Why an orgasm? Why is that the test?"
She shrugged. "Because it is simple. Because it's straightforward. And because it fits with our nature. I'm sure you've noticed that sexual power and domination is a large part of our mentality. And am I right in assuming that your first real use of your power was sexual in nature?"
"You are," Mike admitted.
"That's how it is for most of us. And sex continues to be a dominant force in our lives, even as we learn what else we can do. There isn't any point in denying it." She paused for a moment. "If this were the old days I could have asked you to force a slave to cut their own hand off. From what I understand such things were distressingly common. I hope you'll agree that this is much more civilized."
"I do." Mike couldn't even imagine what that would be like, to be responsible for pain like that. "Thank you for not asking me to do that."
De Luca smiled. "That ended before even I joined the ranks of the Changed. The Council frowns on those sort of excesses."
"Well, that's good," Mike said. "But other than stopping people from cutting each other's hands off, why do we have a Council? A government? It all seems a little bureaucratic for a bunch of psychic immortals."
De Luca contemplated his question for a moment. "If you wanted, do you think that your abilities would allow you to take control of this country? Could you become the King of America?"
