Sexual Equity 06: The New Minister

"The waiting rooms we're not allowed into."

"Right. Only men waiting to receive service can go in, other than Service Office staff -- the cleaning and security staff of course have to be able to go in, and me, since I make the portraits and decide how to hang them. But nobody else. You're allowed to see your own, of course, and the king is, since he's in it, sort of. Do you want to choose your official portrait?"

Lauren does, and Caitlin comes down the stairs with the camera. Lauren sits up, and Caitlin sits next to her on the sofa, showing her three the photos on the camera's display. "We'll crop out all of the king except just his cock -- it's just you, plus just enough of him to show what's happening. I think your smile is best in this one."

"And every minister has a picture like this?"

"Sure. Every minister has to be a member of the Privy Council, and you get to be a Privy Counsellor by providing service to the king, so we almost always take the photos as that happens. Even if somebody's already on the Privy Council before she becomes a minister, the easiest way to get a portrait is for her to come provide service to the king again. Every once in a while someone like that has a portrait done with a duke, or a citizen volunteer, but that's rare. You can't really tell who the men are, but since it's an official portrait, it does have to be during an official act of state service, not just a random fucking."

"Okay. I guess that one with the smile is fine. I've never seen a photo of myself fucking before. I didn't know about this. I knew I'd have to provide royal service to be a minister, but not about the photo, and it all came so fast."

"Well, yeah. But the way it was explained to me is like this. In Sexual Equity, only women can run government, right? But in return, only men get to decide things about honor and symbolism. They keep all that mostly to themselves -- they're the ones who are kings and knights and lords and members of the umpteen Most Noble Orders of whatchamacallits. They gave up power and that's what they got.

"The downside for women is that women don't get to choose what we're honored for. We might want to be honored for what we did in school or in government or whatever. But men decided that what they want to honor us for is mostly the state service we perform. So you used to be the Honorable because you'd performed state service, and now you get to be the Right Honorable, because you've provided service to the king and are now a Privy Counsellor. The portraits are just part of that. Men get to decide what we're honored for, and the portraits are just one kind of honor.

"And you know, it's not a bad thing to be honored for serving others, for giving generously of yourself for someone else. The king is a man, but he represents the whole country, and by providing service to him you're really serving the whole country, right? So that's something you've given back. You might not think it's the most significant thing you've done, but that doesn't mean somebody else can't think it's important. So take your recognition where you can get it. And in the meantime, you're the one who gets to decide about the Ring Motorway or whatever dam, not some man."

"Okay... that helps. Thanks. I am glad to serve others by bringing them pleasure, I just didn't know about this."

"Yes. Usually women are briefed before I see them — Sophie volunteers to show her own photo as an example, which makes it easier for most women to get used to it. But I still have to be here and be the one taking the photo."

"And help out... I guess you must serve the king a lot in this job? I haven't had anybody er, fluff someone like that before."

"Yeah. I didn't used to need to do that, until the last year or so. I guess I can tell you, now you're a Privy Counsellor... I've gotten good at knowing what works best with him, so I can get him hard, but it doesn't happen easily anymore. As far as I know the only time he's doing audiences is when he has to, and that's when I'm there. And I never see him come down to the seraglio anymore..."

"You live here?"

"Yeah, I've always lived here, but I only moved from the family side to the seraglio after I got this job and had a service obligation."

"Family side? Oh! Princess Caitlin. I'm so sorry, Your Royal Highness, I didn't recognize you, I didn't mean to--"

"Lauren, it's fine. Call me just Caitlin. Outside I'm a princess, but in here I'm another woman giving service, just like you, so here we just use first names with each other. OK? Most of the time my princessitude doesn't even come up when I'm working."

"Sure. Caitlin. Thank you. I'm just a little starstruck, I guess. I used to wonder what it was like, to be a princess."

"Yeah, I get that a lot. Honestly, being a princess doesn't really mean that much, most of the time. King Kevin was my dad, so I get a fancy title and all, and I have a guaranteed place to live in the family quarters for life, which sounds great until you realize it's basically public housing with better carpets, which is why only a few people actually stay there. And I was my dad's first kid, and so most people know who I am. But you know, I have like fifty half brothers and sisters, and we all get to be called 'Your Royal Highness', and that's pretty much all we get. If I didn't have a job and lived in family quarters I'd be on the dole like anyone -- I'd get room and board here but not a penny for clothes or toiletries or anything else. My life is not exactly 'The Princess Diaries.'"

"Caitlin, I'm so sorry, I didn't understand that, especially when I was a kid."

"No, I get it. And the truth is, if I weren't a princess, I probably wouldn't have gotten set up for the job I have now, or gotten to live in the seraglio. And I'm really lucky -- my job is basically to take pictures of people fucking, which for me anyway is a big turn-on. And I have a service obligation, but lots of guys are pretty excited to get it on with a princess, and it's nice to be wanted like that. So it's a good life. At least for now... But what I was saying was, when the Privy Council meets in October, I'm going to have to propose electing a Crown Prince to take over Jeremy's audiences, and I don't know how Jeremy's going to take it. Jeremy's more than just the king to me -- he was Crown Prince when my mom died and my dad was sick, and he took a lot of time back hen helping me through it. I don't want to hurt him, and I don't really want to have to figure out how to be the portraitist with someone else, and maybe live in the seraglio with someone else, or move back to family quarters. But Jeremy's not being a good king right now."

"Caitlin, I think you have to talk to him."

"Sure. 'Hey Jeremy, now that you're impotent I think that you should quit!'"

"Obviously, not like that. But I think you can tell him you've noticed the trouble he's been having, and ask if he's thought about doing something else."

"Yeah. I guess. I thought... I actually thought about asking him to marry me, which would give him a way to abdicate without looking bad. But there wouldn't be any point in marrying if we weren't going to be exclusive, and... I love Jeremy, kind of, he's been very kind to me and I enjoy fucking him, or I used to. But I I don't want to quit my job and be just with him forever, especially if he can't..."

"No, that doesn't seem like a good solution. Anybody marrying him would have no sex life, it sounds like. But I think you need to talk with him, and then you need to talk with the President of the Council, and the Selection Committee."

"I'm actually on the Selection Committee -- everybody agreed the committee needed to be made up of women willing to make sure the candidates could hack it physically, and that sounded like fun, and mostly it has been. If you ever have a chance with the Duke of Helenia, don't turn it down. Mmmm. Anyway, yeah that's how I was going to bring it up in October."

"Oh, okay. If there's any way I can help, Caitlin, I'm happy to do that. I can tell them about what happened."

"Thanks, Lauren."

"Listen, Caitlin... if you ever want to just talk about stuff... you can reach out to me, okay? I don't know if you have other people to talk to but you have me."

Caitlin breathes out slowly, and looks over at Lauren with a grateful expression. "Thanks. I have a few friends I can talk to, but I can always use another."

"Me too." Lauren reaches over to hug Caitlin; she's just a bit uncomfortable as their bare breasts squeeze against each other. "I have to get back to my office and get ready to go back to Louisia tomorrow. Thanks for everything, Caitlin." Lauren gets up, takes her robe from its hook and starts to go through the door to the changing room. "Just one thing -- let me know when my portrait is up, okay? I want to hear what men think about it." Caitlin laughs, and says "Sure."

Lauren goes out, turning her mind to calling Olivia back and starting her new job.