ME, Inc.

"Wow, I never knew there was an organization like that," Ben offered. "But how do you pay for all the stuff that you're doing?"

"We use the interest from our capital fund," Pres explained simply. "We are constantly soliciting new members. New Members pay a one-time initiation fee of one thousand dollars. Then they pay an annual fee of two hundred and fifty dollars. They also pledge to offer assistance if their expertise can be helpful. A lifetime membership costs one hundred thousand dollars. All the money collected is put into the capital fund. We use the interest to fund our causes. Currently, our capital fund is approaching two billion dollars. We also have several large benefactors who will underwrite our lobbying efforts and have been very generous with contributions to our capital fund."

"But I didn't pay you guys anything," Ben protested. "And like I said, I don't have any spare cash."

"Again, Ben, put your mind at ease. This isn't going to cost you anything. About twenty or thirty times a year, we take on cases pro bono. Yours is one of those cases. ME, Inc. is picking up all the expenses for you."

"I don't know how to thank you," Ben said gratefully.

"I haven't finished telling you everything that we are going to do on your behalf, but if you want to thank us, live a good life."

Ben just nodded, and then he smiled for the first time that night.

"Now let me continue," Pres began again. "Your ex-wife has not been honest with the court. She has a source of income. However, it is an illegal source; she sells drugs. In fact, she was selling them while you were still married. She has been stashing money overseas, but we've discovered where and cleaned out her accounts. She'll find out tomorrow that all her money is gone. But that's only going to be the first piece of bad news for her. We've arranged for the police to raid your old house. Connie recently decided to up her game and has a sufficient quantity of drugs on hand to qualify her as a major supplier. Not only that, but we think there is sufficient evidence to tie the death of a teenager to the drugs Connie sold him. We expect her to be sentenced to at least fifteen years. All three of her kids will be indited also. They all will get substantial jail time as well. Oh yes, her past four lovers will be going down at the same time. Connie will be an old woman if she ever gets out of jail."

Ben's eyes had widened considerably as he tried to digest what he was being told.

"Now let me tell you the most important thing. That brokerage house and that law firm where the men worked who got your wife pregnant, they're being sued for allowing their partners to take advantage of you and your wife. We expect them to quietly pay you a seven-figure settlement each. When that money comes in, you can, if you wish, purchase a life-time membership with ME, Inc. However, since you're a pro bono case, you're not required to do that."

A grin went from one of Ben's ears to the other. "I don't know if any of this is true, but it sure has raised my spirits just thinking about it. And for sure, if the money comes in as you say, I will definitely be buying a lifetime membership."

There were a few papers for Ben to sign, and then Pres headed back to his hotel room. He wanted to get a good night's sleep before tomorrow's wedding.

The next day, the snowstorm that had threatened the night before had been a no-show, and the sun shone brightly. Pres was sure that the Bride would be happy about that. Still, the temperature hovered in the mid-twenties. However, there was no wind to speak of, so the cold was quite tolerable.

The wedding was scheduled for one-thirty that afternoon, so Pres took his time, spending an hour going through the paper. When he finished, Pres balled the paper up and threw it on the floor. One of the things that he had been taught during his training period was picking out the media's bias. In that morning's paper, there were no less than five articles supporting a women's point of view or denouncing some crime a man had allegedly done against a woman. That the man was probably guilty of what the article claimed wasn't what annoyed Pres. It was the placement on the front page that gave the offense much greater weight. This was typical of most newspapers, and the bias was the same with magazines, movies, television news, and television shows.

By quarter after one, Pres was sitting in the Church's back row on the groom's side. After being seated, he scanned around for the videographer. When he couldn't find him, Pres got up and began to look. If the man who was supposed to videotape the service was not there, then Pres would have to use his handheld camera. He did not really want to do that because the quality would not be near as good.

Finally, up in the balcony, Pres found the videographer setting up at the railing. Wandering down to check the view, Pres could see that the man had chosen an excellent spot to film everything. With nothing else to do, he returned to his seat.

At precisely one-thirty, the organist, who had been playing random selections, suddenly stopped and began the bridal march. Gary, his best man, and his groomsmen had already assembled to one side of the altar. The bride began to slowly walk down the aisle on her father's arm.

About ten minutes before the service started, two white screens had slowly been lowered off to the side but facing the congregation. When the bride and groom were finally together at the altar, the minister began.

"Today is a glorious day where a man and a woman will pledge themselves to each other in holy matrimony. It is the beginning of the rest of their lives, where they will love, work, and help each other become more than they would be apart. Gary Lewis Harris, do you take Belinda Marie Cummings to be your lawfully wedded wife; to have and to hold from this day forward, in sickness and health, for richer or for poorer, forsaking all others until death do you part?"

Gary didn't say anything. He just stood there looking at Belinda for several long seconds. The assembled guests began to murmur at the delayed response. Then Gary turned to the people in the pews, and in a loud voice, said, "No, I do not take this cheating slut to be my wife."

Gary pressed the button on the remote, and instantly, images of Belinda getting fucked in the ass filled the screens. Pandemonium broke loose as both Belinda and her mother screamed. Some of the people got up and left the church as quickly as they could.

Pres watched Spencer's expression as he turned six shades of pale. The scene on the screen finally revealed that Spencer was banging his cock into Belinda while she moaned in pleasure. At that point, Gary moved up next to Spencer.

"Gary, I'm, I'm, I'm," the best man sputtered. He never did get to say anything because Gary caught him with an overhand right. It caught Spencer on the bridge of his nose, and everyone in the church heard the bone break. Spencer went flying back with blood spewing everywhere. Some of it got on Gary, but the minister was also hit, as was the front of Belinda's wedding dress.

At that point, Belinda had collapsed onto the floor, crying hysterically while her mother tried to comfort her. Belinda's father just stood above the two women, red-faced. He alternated, looking at the screen and then his daughter and there was a look of absolute disgust on his face. Finally, he growled, "Belinda, don't come back to our house."

While that drama was evolving, the groomsmen, other than Jason, started to move but were unsure what to do. Jason stepped in front of them, holding up his hand.

"That thing on the floor is a piece of shit," Jason said with intimidating force. "If you want to defend him, then you're no friends of Gary's or mine."

The four groomsmen looked at Jason, and then the screen. They all shook their heads, and one of them said, "I don't want any part of that asshole. What piece of shit."

Jason then went over to the fallen Spencer and helped him sit up.

"Listen, Spencer," Jason said in a loud voice of disgust. "You know you're a piece of shit, and everyone here now knows you're a piece of shit. We've been friends all our lives, and you would do this? Not only were you supposed to be Gary's best friend, but you're an assistant district attorney. How do you think your boss will react when a copy of this hits his desk on Monday? And I think the copy that's being sent to the Bar will cause you no end of problems. So, why don't you do everyone a favor and get the hell out of here. Oh, and lose our phone numbers."

Spencer crab-walked away from Jason stood up and disappeared through a door in the church's rear.

Meanwhile, Gary had retrieved the package Mr. Fulton had given him the previous night, which he had stashed behind a column just to the right of the altar. From it, he started pulling out pictures of Belinda with various men and began passing them out. His groomsmen were the first to receive copies, then Gary stopped by Belinda and her mother.

"Here are some pictures that will help you remember this special day," Gary said as he dropped a dozen in Belinda's lap. She looked up at him in misery. "I'm so sorry, Gary. I really do love you."

Gary just shook his head and sneered. "Let me see if I understand. You express your love for me by fucking Spencer. You truly are a slut, Belinda. You need help desperately. But fortunately, that isn't my problem. Good luck with the rest of your miserable life."

"Oh please, Gary, give me another chance," she cried after him.

Over his shoulder, he responded, "No fucking way."

Gary then went down the aisle, tossing pictures onto the pews. Then his father caught up to him and put his hand on his son's shoulder. "Come on, Gary, I think it's time for all of us to go. There is a reception that's been paid for. I think we should at least get something to eat for our troubles."

Looking over at his father's sad smile, Gary replied, "Give me just a second, dad. There is still one person that I want to make sure has some of these pictures."

Gary made a beeline to a distinguished-looking older man with white hair who was Belinda's boss. He was the owner of a well-established financial planning firm. It was where Belinda had worked for the past two years.

"Mr. Turner, I'm Gary Harris," Gary said to Belinda's boss. "You probably don't remember me, but we met briefly at your company's Christmas party."

"Yes, Gary, I remember you," Mr. Turner said as he rose and took his wife's arm to assist her up. "I'm so terribly sorry about how things have turned out."

"I'd just like to give you some of these pictures," Gary offered a half-dozen pictures in his hand.

"That won't be necessary, Gary. I've seen quite enough already."

"Oh, these pictures aren't for you, Mr. Turner," Gary said as he reached in and handed them to Mrs. Turner. "These pictures are for Mrs. Turner. They're pictures of you and Belinda. You've got her spread out on your desk, and you're doing quite a number on her. I hope you enjoy the pictures, Mrs. Turner, as much as your husband and Belinda, enjoyed that moment."

Gary then turned to his father. "Now, I'm ready to go, dad."

Pres smiled as he made a note of the exchange. After checking with the videographer to make sure he knew where to send a copy of the tape, Pres headed back to his hotel room. He had a report to write and review the video he had made of his discussion with Gary and Jason.

The report was pretty straightforward. Pres reviewed it twice to ensure that he had included everything, and he hadn't misspelled anything. Then Pres pulled out his tablet and watched his talk with Gary and Jason. He kept a checklist next to him to tick off each point as he explained them.

The first thing he did was to give an overview of ME, Inc.'s mission statement. It was very simple -- To ensure that all men were treated equally under the law and to assist members of ME, Inc., who were being cheated on by women or men.

Pres watched and listened as he explained that men are treated worse under current divorce laws than second class citizens. Even when the husband and wife are equally good parents, the courts almost routinely award primary custody to the woman. Not only that, but if the woman hasn't worked, alimony was almost always awarded. Alimony, in and of itself, ME, Inc. did not oppose. What they were fighting against was unlimited alimony, which fortunately was not permitted in many states. At some point, the woman should be forced to get a job. And the sooner, the better. Also, ME, Inc. recommended that instead of placing the children with only one parent and allowing limited access to the non-custodial parent, a different arrangement should be worked out. This new custody plan, if workable, called for the parents to switch residences every two weeks. The kids wouldn't have to move, and both parents would get considerably more time with their children.

The next part, Pres felt, was particularly important to men who were not married but in a relationship with a woman. He made the point as strongly as he could that they should always use some form of contraception. He warned them to never believe a woman who said she was on the pill or incapable of conceiving.

Pres spent a fair amount of time on this point because if a man was not careful, the woman he had sex with could become pregnant. And because the feminist movement had instilled the belief that the woman had total control over whether a woman would have a child or not, it gave her total reproductive control to the potential detriment of men. While ME, Inc. did not object to women deciding whether they wanted an abortion or not. They did object that women, if they chose to keep the child over the men's objections, refused to take economic responsibility. Women had the right to decide to terminate a pregnancy, but the man had no say if she decided to keep the child. The courts would routinely force the man to pay child support. ME, Inc. felt this was a travesty of justice.

The phone in the room startled Pres and concerned him. He rarely got phone calls when he was in the field. Pres always called his wife each night, so if she was calling, it would be some kind of emergency. Very occasionally, the office would call. Pressing pause on the tablet, Pres picked up the phone.

"Hello"

"Turner, something's come up," Pres' boss, James Baker said. "I'm sorry, but you're going to have to extend your stay another day."

"Oh, what's going on?

"We have another project planned for the day after in Akron, and the field representative assigned is down with the flu. Everything is already in place. You'll just need to be there to record it. Make sure they let you film the entire thing. I don't just want just the audio of the meeting. The usual bonus for the extra day has been approved and will be in your next paycheck."

"I've got my camera charging right now, so no problem. And I never say no to extra money," Pres chuckled, "but you know me, I'd do the extra day for nothing. That's how strongly I believe in what we're doing."

"Your attitude has always greatly appreciated. I'll email you all the details for the new assignment. We've rebooked you on a later flight, so don't worry about that. Again, I'm sorry for keeping you from your family. Hopefully, your flight will get off before that big snowstorm moves in. They're predicting fifteen to twenty inches of snow."

After the call, Pres waited until the email downloaded, and then he opened it. It turned out to be an interesting case where the wife had ambitions of being a movie star. Her husband had been a very successful movie and television writer. He had just finished his last script for a very successful television series that had already run five years. Even though they wanted him to stay, he had other things he wanted to do. Over the five years of their marriage, the wife had engaged, unbeknownst to the husband, in numerous affairs. All of them were with people in the industry that the wife thought could further her career. Now she had taken up with one of the bigger stars in Hollywood, Kirk Southern. He had promised to feature her in his next three movies.

Pres studied all the logistics of this project to ensure that everything had been covered. That wasn't his responsibility, but it was something he did regardless of how he was involved in any project. This one had been well planned and well executed to date. Then he scanned his emails and found the new flight information. Finally, he turned his attention back to the video.

Pres always found men's reaction to one of ME, Inc.'s presentations interesting. And that was true with Gary and Jason. But it was the next item that Pres covered that got the most positive response. Pres had turned to the subject of DNA testing. This was one of the biggest lobbying efforts ME, Inc. was engaged in. They were hoping that each state would pass legislation that would require a DNA test on all newborns. Far too few fathers ever have their kid's DNA tested when they're born. If the new legislation was passed, it would immediately establish paternity. It would also possibly reveal potential health problems in the newborn children.

The problem with establishing paternity for men was that if it wasn't established in a fairly short amount of time, the father could be stuck paying for children that weren't his. In many states, the courts had ruled that men only have a short amount of time to prove that they weren't the fathers. After that, the cuckold men were stuck paying for them. Even if they knew who the real fathers were and could prove it, there was no guarantee the courts would force the natural fathers to pay. If it was ever passed, the new legislation would make it possible for a man to stop paying at any time for children that were proven not to be his. As it stood now, the cheating wife was being rewarded while the innocent husband was being punished.

Pres continued to watch his presentation on the tablet, checking off each item as it was discussed. However, he paused the video when he got to one particular section. It was an issue that he had never considered in his first marriage. That was the issue of wives withholding sex. His first wife wanted sex all the time and, as it turned out, wasn't too discriminating about who she would have it with.

While money was still the number one issue that caused dissension within a marriage, sex was right up there. The laws had been changed within the last thirty or forty years to reflect that a husband couldn't force his wife to have sex with him. Pres was in favor of this, but that begged the question of why get married? Pres could imagine nothing quite so humiliating as a husband wanting to have sex with his wife and having her shut him down for no good reason.

To currently address this issue, ME, Inc. recommended that all men insist on a prenuptial agreement. It was strongly urged that such an agreement be signed before getting married. And this was recommended regardless of whether there were any assets or not. Of course, this agreement would spell out the division of assets should there be a divorce in the future, but it went much further. It also included a clause that penalized either spouse if they are proven to have cheated. Instead of a 50/50 split, it would be a 70/30 division with the lion's share going to the non-cheating spouse. Also recommended to be placed in the agreement was a clause that spelled out that at least one day a week would be designated as a day to have sex. This way, there was no need for the husband to worry about being turned down. It also installed a penalty that if either party refused to comply, it was grounds for divorce with an 80/20 split of assets. Of course, the spouse refusing to have sex would only get 20% of the assets.