Jeretta's Judgment

***Jeretta's Judgment*** is the seventh book in the Free Spirits series. The title character is a woman who attends a training workshop for arbiters in the Free Spirit Connection, enjoying some sexual escapades in her free time.

## Plot Synopsis

Andrew Hamady arrives home to his partners Peri Winger and Lila Jaworski, before his departure to Cleveland for a workshop to train new arbiters for the Free Spirit Connection. They discuss what he will expect over dinner, then engage in three-way lovemaking in the conversation pit of their living room. Early in the morning, he writes a love note to them before leaving.

On the first morning of the workshop, Jeretta Ardoin wakes up in her hotel room; she showers, puts on her prosthetic leg, dresses and goes down to the hotel restaurant for breakfast. There she meets Millie and David, a married couple also attending the workshop. They agree to share a table together, engaging in conversation where the couple tell her theirs is an open relationship, and hint that they welcome the possibility of a threesome with her.

Meanwhile, two FBI agents are engaging in surveillance of the Connection workshop. The reasons given are not made clear, and they are more concerned that yet another person or group is involved in some dangerous actions.

The workshop begins with the five co-leaders introducing themselves with a summary of the program, followed by trainees introducing themselves to others at their respective tables, then having one person from each table share this with the entire room - an exercise to test people's ability to listen. During the break that follows, Jeretta meets again with Millie, discussing the likelihood of a threesome later on; she also talks briefly with Justin Marshall and Miguel Santana, both of whom seem attracted to her.

Martine Duchamps of the Connection's senior staff leads the first session with an introduction into the beliefs and organization of the Free Spirit Connection, including the basics of how Connection leaders work to resolve disputes over alleged misconduct with the guidance of trained arbiters. The lunch break follows, and Jeretta uses the opportunity to discuss with Justin and Miguel the potential for erotic play with either or both of them.

The next session, led by Kerry Peet, focuses on the role of an arbiter, according the Article Five of the Connection's bylaws, and includes Kerry and the other co-leaders fielding a number of questions from trainees. The workshop then breaks for dinner, and Jeretta has dinner with Millie and David, then joins them in their room for a threesome.

The next morning in the restaurant, Jeretta has a brief conversation with Andrew about the diversity of relationship structures welcomed in the Connection. Athena Xenakes then leads the next workshop session on interviewing techniques, including methods of determining the truthfulness of what the other person is saying, drawing on her law enforcement and journalistic experience. One of the trainees, Wanda Thibodeau, raises some objections at the suggestion that any woman might be lying about allegations of harassment or assault; several people join in the conversation, especially Andrew, Tom Watanabe (another member of the Connection's staff) and Cole O'Ryan.

Jeretta, Justin and Miguel discuss the past session over dinner, and they move to Miguel's room for a threesome; after they are done, Justin has to leave to take a phone call regarding some family issues, and Jeretta departs later on. She meets Cole in the hallway, and they make plans to have lunch the next day.

Jeretta has breakfast with Millie the next morning, and the first session of the day is led by Andrew, focusing on conflict resolution methods. The trainees break into small groups, each discussing a hypothetical case based on real-life events and attempting to arrive at a consensus. Jeretta is teamed with Cole and Wanda, but they fail to reach consensus as Wanda insists that the man accused of wrongdoing in their case be expelled despite the lack of real evidence against him. When they share their results, the others in the workshop discuss the options at length, with Wanda becoming more isolated and agitated.

Jeretta and Cole have lunch together, and talk about Wanda at length. While Cole does agree with Jeretta on the facts, he also tries to empathize with Wanda's perspective - and Jeretta finds herself growing more attracted to him. In the next session, Martine goes over how to prepare and present a formal report to the Local Gathering council making the final determination regarding a case. During dinner afterwards, Jeretta joins some other women in some deep conversation on a number of related topics, including sexuality and relationships.

Jeretta then meets Cole in the elevator, and suggests their spending the night together. After negotiating their respective limits, they make love, and the next morning have breakfast together. Tom leads the next session on the appeals process, during which Wanda raises yet another objection, this time over the fact that only those accused may appeal a decision against them, while complainants are unable to appeal when the accused is exonerated, citing an "epidemic of sexual harassment and abuse" yet unable to provide evidence that the Connection's leadership is failing to handle such cases (while Martine produces evidence which runs counter to her claims). Wanda leaves the workshop in protest, and Athena goes after her to try to reason with her.

Outside of the workshop, Athena encounters the FBI agents who are engaged in surveillance. They inform her that they are investigating the disappearance of several women, all radical feminists, and some having left the Free Spirit Connection prior to their disappearance. She agrees to keep the matter secret, so as not to interfere with their efforts.

After the workshop is wrapped up, Jeretta has dinner with Miguel and Cole, and they agree to have a threesome during their final night together. The next morning, Jeretta is swapping email addresses with many of the people she has encountered there, before she and Cole leave for the airport. After they part, for their respective flights, Jeretta can't help thinking about Cole, and the possibility that their friendship might blossom into something more.