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〃Woman's intuition？〃 Ed asked； scanning the message again for any sordid details； but finding only cold facts； as though The Wall Street Journal had covered the seduction。 Well； at least Nomuri had a little discretion。 No rigid quivering rod plunging into her warm moist sheath … though Nomuri was twenty…nine； and at that age the rod tended to be pretty rigid。 Chet was from California； wasn't he？ the DCI wondered。 So； probably not a virgin； maybe even a petent lover； though on the first time with anybody you mainly wanted to see if the pieces fit together properly … they always did； at least in Ed Foley's experience； but you still wanted to check and see。 He remembered Robin Williams's takeoff on Adam and Eve； 〃Better stand back； honey。 I don't know how big this thing gets！〃 The bination of careful conservatism and out…of…control wishful thinking mon to the male of the species。 〃Okay； so； what are you going to reply？ 'How many orgasms did the two of you have'？〃 〃God damn it； Ed！〃 The pin in the balloon worked； the DCI saw。 He could almost see steam ing out of his wife's pretty ears。 〃You know damned well what I'm going to suggest。 Let the relationship blossom and ease her into talking about her job。 It'll take a while； but if it works it'll be worth the wait。〃
And if it doesn't work； it's not a bad deal for Chester； Ed Foley thought。 There weren't many professions in the world in which getting sex was part of the job that earned you promotions； were there？
〃Mary？〃
〃Yes； Ed？〃
〃Does it strike you as a little odd that the kid's reporting his sex life to us？ Does it make you blush a little？〃
〃It would if he were telling me face…to…face。 The e…mail method is best for this； I think。 Less human content。〃
〃You're happy with the security of the information transfer？〃
〃Yeah； we've been through this。 The message could just be sensitive business information； and the encryption system is very robust。 The boys and girls at Fort Meade can break it； but it's brute force every time； and it takes up to a week； even after they make the right guesses on how the encryption system works。 The PRC guys would have to go from scratch。 The trapdoor in the ISP was very cleverly designed； and the way we tap into it should also be secure … even then； just because an embassy phone taps into an ISP doesn't mean anything。 We have a consular official downloading pornography from a local Web site through that ISP as another cover； in case anybody over there gets real clever。〃 That had been carefully thought through。 It would be something that one would wish to be covert； something the counterintelligence agency in Beijing would find both understandable and entertaining in its own right； if and when they cracked into it。
〃Anything good？〃 Ed Foley asked； again； just to bedevil his wife。
〃Not unless you're into child abuse。 Some of the subjects for this site are too young to vote。 If you downloaded it over here； the FBI might e knocking on your door。〃
〃Capitalism really has broken out over there； eh？〃
〃Some of the senior Party officials seem to like this sort of thing。 I guess when you're pushing eighty； you need something special to help jump…start the motor。〃 Mary Pat had seen some of the photographs； and once had been plenty。 She was a mother； and all of those photographic subjects had been infants once； strange though that might seem to a subscriber to that Web site。 The abusers of girls must have thought that they all sprang into life with their legs spread and a weling look in their doll…child faces。 Not quite； the DDO thought； but her job wasn't to be a clergyman。 Sometimes you had to do business with such perverts； because they had information which her country needed。 If you were lucky； and the information was really useful； then you often arranged for them to defect； to live in the United States； where they could live and enjoy their perversions to some greater or lesser degree； after being briefed on the law； and the consequences of breaking it。 Afterward there was always a bathroom and soap to wash your hands。 It was a need of which she'd availed herself more than once。 One of the problems with espionage was that you didn't always do business with the sort of people whom you'd willingly invite into your home。 But it wasn't about Miss Manners。 It was about getting information that your country needed to guard its strategic interests； and even to prevail in war； if it came to that。 Lives were often at stake； either directly or indirectly。 And so； you did business with anyone who had such information； even if he or she wasn't exactly a member of the clergy。
〃Okay； babe。 Keep me posted；〃 Foley told his wife。
〃Will do； honey…bunny。〃 The DDO headed back to her own office。 There she drew up her reply to Nomuri： MESSAGE RECEIVED。 KEEP US POSTED ON YOUR PROGRESS。 MP。 ENDS。
The reply came as a relief to Nomuri when he woke and checked his e…mail。 It was a disappointment that he didn't wake up with pany； but to expect that would have been unrealistic。 Ming would have been ill…advised to spend the night anywhere but in her own bed。 Nomuri couldn't even drive her back。 She'd just left； carrying her presents … well； wearing some of them … for the walk back to her own shared flat where； Nomuri fervently hoped； she wouldn't discuss her evening's adventures with her roommates。 You never knew about women and how they talked。 It wasn't all that dissimilar with some men； Nomuri remembered from college； where some of his chums had talked at length about their conquests； as though they'd slain a dragon with a Popsicle stick。 Nomuri had never indulged in this aural spectator sport。 Either he'd had a spy's mentality even then； or he'd been somehow imbued with the dictum that a gentleman didn't kiss and tell。 But did women？ That was a mystery to him； like why it was that women seemed to go to the bathroom in pairs … he'd occasionally joked that that was when they'd held their 〃union meetings。〃 Anyway； women talked more than men did。 He was sure of that。 And while they kept many secrets from men； how many did they keep from other women？ Jesus； all that had to happen was for her to tell a roomie that she'd had her brains fucked out by a Japanese salaryman； and if that roomie was an informant to the MSS； Ming would get a visit from a security officer； who at the very least would counsel her never to see Nomuri again。 More likely； the counseling would involve a demand to send that degenerate American bourgeois trash （the Victoria's Secret underthings） back to him； plus a threat to lose her ministry job if she ever appeared on the same street with him again。 And that also meant that he'd be tailed and observed and investigated by the MSS； and that was something he had to take seriously。 They didn't have to catch him mitting espionage。 This was a munist country； where due process of law was a bourgeois concept unworthy of serious consideration； and civil rights were limited to doing what one was told。 As a foreigner doing business in the PRC； he might get some easiness of treatment； but not all that much。
So； he hadn't just gotten his rocks off； Nomuri told himself； past the delightful memories of a passionate evening。 He'd crossed a