Page 4 of Black Reign

That presents a problem.

For several years, people assumed I was gay.

I never corrected them.

Why would I?

People reveal considerably more once they believe they've categorized you.

Women relaxed around me.

Mothers quit throwing daughters in my direction at charity dinners.

Useful misconception.

Incorrect.

I'm attracted to women.

I'm simply selective.

Ultra-selective.

Possibly clinically selective.

That isn't entirely my fault.

Spend enough years watching human beings through surveillance feeds and romance loses some of its polish.

I've seen men leave engagement-ring appointments and drive directly to another woman's apartment.

I've watched wives kiss husbands goodbye at airports before walking into first-class lounges with someone else.

I've caught people who erase messages, duplicate accounts, falsify locations, hide purchases, create entire second lives.

Blackmail is currency in my world.

Sometimes more valuable than cash.

A photograph.

A location record.

A conversation someone assumed disappeared.

One compromised hotel camera.

One transaction routed through the wrong account.

Boardrooms run on leverage far more often than anyone admits.

I've known that since I was thirteen.

It changes the way you look at intimacy.

Trust isn't romantic to me.

Trust is a security vulnerability.