Ganymede turned on Andō, anger on his golden brows. “Is this true?”

Andō shrugged, still smiling. “I have no plans to use the Canner Device against you or anyone.”

“But it’s true? You made it?”

Still the Chief Director smiled. “A predecessor made it.”

Hurt mixed with anger on the Duke’s face. “You knew who made the Canner Device? You didn’t tell me?”

Andō stepped close enough to smile down at the delicate Duke. “You didn’t need to worry yourself about it.”

Gold brows tightened. “That isn’t your decisi—”

“Yes it is.”

Ganymede stared up at him. “You cannot hide a thing as serious as—”

A kiss rendered the Duke mute as Andō seized him, a fast, practiced embrace which pinned the Duke’s slim arms to his sides. Ganymede’s eyes answered the kiss with wet anger, then some moments of serene enjoyment, then anger again as he craned his neck away. “Not…” He stopped—how could he finish? Not here? Not now? Not in front of this worm Perry? Any of those would have proved to Perry that elsewhere, elsewhen, the Duke would have submitted.

“What?” Andō answered with a sibling’s nonchalance. “Perry’s been invited upstairs, it’s nothing they’re not going to see a thousand times.” He pressed the Duke President against a wall and took his lips a second time.

“Upstairs!” Perry cried in full-bodied delight. “You asked Madame? I’m in?”

Andō has practiced this, one arm to pin the fragile Duke in place, the other down his trousers to tickle Ganymede’s seat of pleasure, and drive all words from his lips with gasps of joy. “Not me.” Ando’s words took turns with kisses. “I convinced Spain… to ask Madame… It had to come… from them… from me it… might’ve seemed an insult… You’ll be inducted… tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” Different kinds of delight chased each other across Perry’s rapt face. “Does this mean Madame approves of me staying Prime Minister? The others approve? MASON approves?”

“They’re reconciled to you… Eventually they might want… to shunt you off… some high office in Romanova… Senate Speaker maybe… reinstate Spain… but you’re inside now… we’ll keep you at the top… somewhere.”

“I did it?” Perry voiced a little laugh, slow, like a timid chick, uncertain whether it is truly time to leave the shell. “I made it? Madame’s inner circle. It’s done. I’m done.”

“I’ve paid your dues for this year. I know you’ve nowhere near the means to pay yourself, but we’ll discuss the balance of your debts in time.”

“Thank you!” Perry’s voice cracked. “Andō, thank you! I can never th—”

“No, you never can, and never will.”

The Prime Minister froze, then bowed his head. “You won’t regret this, Andō, both of you, I swear. I’ll make you glad to be my sponsors, every hour, every day!” Sponsor was an interesting word choice, avoiding the dread word ‘patron’ as the Servicer Program avoids the dread word ‘slave.’ Sponsor feels so legitimate.

“I have high expectations,” Andō warned.

Perry filled himself with a deep breath. “I’ll exceed them.”