Trip to the Capital

Jane slows the car as they turn onto the long driveway to the facility, coming to a stop at the security checkpoint.

“This is a lot of security.” Reyna says quietly, before Jane rolls down the window.

“It is.” Jane says, reaching over to put the window down. “Just keep quiet.”

“This is a secure facility.” The guard, decked out in body armor, face not visible behind a mirrored visor, says gruffly. “No entry for civilians.”

“My BAA Administrator called ahead.” Jane says. “I’m supposed to pick up two detainees.”

The guard looks up, says something to another guard behind him, before taking a step back. “Name?”

“Jane Wolfe.” Jane says, eye catching movement in her rear view mirror as the other guard circles the car, muttering something into a radio.

“ID card.” The guard says, holding out his hand.

When Jane passes it over, the guard steps back into the gatehouse, before emerging a few moments later, returning it to her. “Pull around to the back. Do not exit the vehicle. Follow the instructions of the officers there.”

“Got it.” Jane says, raising the window again before pulling forward when the gate opens. Glancing at Reyna out of the corner of her eye, she says. “They are taking this a lot more seriously around here.”

“DC is like seventy percent minority.” Reyna says. “And who knows how many of the people who identify as white fall below the ninety-five percent threshold.”

“And it’s the capital.” Jane sighs, turning to go around the side of the building. “I knew security would be high, but this is a bit much. We aren’t actually even in DC.”

“It’s probably a lot worse to actually enter the city.” Reyna says.

Jane nods, attention focused on another black clad officer motioning for them to pull into a covered loading area.

“Jane Wolfe?” Another guard asks, coming over once they have stopped.

Jane tries to keep the shock off her face as she realizes from the voice that the guard is a woman. “Yes..” She manages to say.

“ID.” The guard demands. After looking at it, and then at Jane, she continues. “The detainees will be processed out momentarily. Unlock the doors, and remain in the vehicle.”

Jane hits the unlock, waiting for any other instructions. When none are forthcoming, she rolls the window up halfway, and looks back at Reyna. “You ok?”

Reyna just nods, gritting her teeth. “I’m ready to go.” She says quietly.

“Me too.” Jane says. “If I ever agree to do this again, please get my head examined.”

“I will.” Reyna says seriously.

A few minutes later, a double door near them opens, two guards emerging first, before stepping to the sides. Behind them are two women, dressed in orange jumpsuits, feet bare, hands zip tied behind them. Another guard follows behind, pushing them towards the car with a club when they begin to slow.

“What the hell?” The shorter one asks, turning to face him.

With an abrupt flick of his wrist, the guard whacks her on the side, causing her to stumble. Unable to recover her balance with her hands bound, the woman falls, cursing.

“No talking.” The female guard says, coming over and prodding the woman on the ground with her foot, before grabbing her arm and pulling her to her feet. Marching her over to the car, the guard stops with her near the driver’s side window. Looking behind her, she asks. “Who has the paperwork?”

The guard with the club comes over, handing the paperwork to the female guard. Flipping through it, she glances at the paperwork, and then the detained woman, before handing the first set over to Jane. “Sign at the bottom of the first page to confirm receipt.”

Jane glances at the photo on the paperwork, and then at the detained woman, and back at the photo again, not completely sure it’s the same person. The girl in the picture is pretty, long hair neatly groomed, with golden skin and a warm smile. The girl in front of her is dour, sulky even, with shorter, tangled, and dirty hair. “Are you Asha?” Jane asks.

The woman glances over at the female guard. “You will answer questions when you are asked.” The guard barks, fingers digging into her arm.

“Yes.” Asha says, voice flat and emotionless.

“Yes, what?” The guard says, fingers digging in further.

Asha winces, attempting to pull away for half a second, before saying. “Yes, Ma’am.”

“Well done.” The guard says in mock encouragement. “I’m so glad we taught you a few manners during your stay with us.” Looking back at Jane, she asks. “Are you going to sign, or are you refusing delivery?”

Jane signs, handing the paperwork back. Reaching into the paperwork, the guard tears off one page, handing it back to Jane. “Her card information is on that, in case you are stopped on your trip back.” Reaching for the car door, the guard opens it, shoving Asha into the back seat. Reaching in, she buckles the seat belt, tinkering with something on the door before closing it.

“I turned your child locks on.” She says. “You don’t want them opening the door and bailing out in the middle of the highway.”

“Next.” The guard says, handing the first half of the paperwork off to the guard with the club when he brings forward the taller, darker woman. Inspecting the paperwork again, the guard looks between the woman in front of her, and the paperwork. Grunting in apparent frustration, she looks up at the guard with the club. “Are you sure this is the right one? I can’t ever tell the darkies apart.”

“Fingerprints matched.” He says.

Handing the paperwork to Jane, she says. “Sign at the bottom.”

Jane glances at the photo, and then up at the woman, wincing as she notices the bruising on her face for the first time. “Kendra?” She asks. The woman nods, opening her mouth to speak, before shutting it. Jane quickly signs, and hands the paperwork back.

As the guard straps Kendra into the back seat, she says. “Watch out for this one. She’s a spitter.”

“Oh…” Jane says, unsure of how to respond to this.

“She’s probably learned her lesson.” The guard says, straightening up and nodding at the bruises on Kendra’s face. “We are out of spit shields, but some duct tape or a pillow case over her head will work if she starts up again. Just make sure she doesn’t bite you while you put it on.”

Jane nods, suddenly even more eager to be out of there.

Engaging the child locks, and then shutting the rear door, the guard comes back around, handing Jane the sheet she needs from Kendra’s paperwork. “Head back directly to the gate. Do not stop, do not exit the vehicle. They will need to see those papers there, so don’t put them away yet.”

When they’ve made it out of sight of the front gate, but haven’t hit the main road yet, Jane pulls off of the road, stopping the car. Turning in her seat, she looks at the two women in the back seat. “My name is Jane. And this is Reyna. She’s one of my girls. Do either of you need anything before we get on the highway in a few minutes? We’ve got a long drive ahead of us, and I’d rather not stop anymore often than we have to.”

After a moment of silence, Jane looks between them. “Painkillers maybe? You both look like you could use one.”

“Where are you taking us?” Asha asks angrily, the dam of patience finally bursting.

“Like I said, we’ve got a long drive ahead of us.” Jane says. “We are headed to a small town in the mountains, west of here. You wouldn’t have heard of it.”

“My dad is coming to get me.” Asha insists. “You need to take me back.”

“If your dad comes here, he’ll be detained.” Reyna says, looking at the sheet with her card info on it.

“He’s a government official.” Asha says. “They wouldn’t dare. We would go to war over it.”

“If anyone was going to war over any of this, it would have happened by now.” Jane says. “I’m truly sorry, but that’s the reality of the situation. You are here, and if you were being sent back to your homes, it would have happened by now. Your auction dates were set for next week.”

Kendra’s head drops, sobbing quietly as she attempts to hide her face.

“That can’t be right.” Asha insists. “Let me call my father, he will clear this up.”

“I can’t give either of you a phone.” Jane says. “We really need to get on the road. Do either of you need anything before the car starts moving again?”

“Painkillers, please.” Kendra says quietly.

“Reyna, can you give her some?” Jane asks.

Reyna pulls out the bottle, getting two pills, before reaching into the bag at her feet for a water bottle. “Do you want me to undo their hands, Mistress?”

Jane shakes her head. “I’m sorry girls. But we can’t risk a situation right now. Kendra, Reyna is going to help you take the pills. If you bite her, or spit at us, we are going to have a serious problem.”

“I won’t.” Kendra says, looking up and opening her mouth for the pills.

Once Kendra swallows the pills, Jane looks at Asha. “Last chance…”

Asha huffs, staring out the window.

“Ok, off we go then.” Jane says, putting the car in drive as Reyna settles back into her seat. “You two can talk, if you want. I don’t run things like a prison, I like my girls to be happy.”

“Is that why you got us?” Asha asks, scorn dripping from her voice. “Are you some kind of nasty old lesbian?”

Seeing Reyna turn in her seat, Jane reaches over, putting a hand on her knee. “It’s ok, Reyna. Asha, I am bisexual, but my girls aren’t required to engage with me. It’s completely voluntary. And I did come to get one of you. I don’t have to decide which until we get home, though. The other one of you will go to our local camp, which I’m guessing isn’t quite as bad as the one you just left.”

“Why us?” Kendra asks softly.

“You are both doctors.” Jane says. “And we need doctors. I’ve got a pregnant girl and two injured people in my house, the town is surviving with a doctor who is too old to drive anymore, and our camp has one doctor to handle all of the girls that are there. I don’t even know how many there are. We need help, and you two were the closest doctors available.”

“And Mistress Jane isn’t old!” Reyna adds, glaring at Asha.

Asha glares back.

“Enough, girls.” Jane says. “It’s a long trip, maybe we can talk about something more pleasant? Or I can turn on some music for a bit, and we can talk later.”

After a moment, Kendra speaks up. “Why are they doing this? I was at the airport, ready to leave. If they don’t want us here, why don’t they just let us leave?”

Breathing deeply, Jane explains. “How much US history do you girls know?”

“I had to take a US history class as an undergrad.” Kendra says.

“Then you should be able to put it together.” Jane says. After a moments silence, she continues. “I’ll lay out of a few facts for you, and then you tell me why you think they are doing this. The gap between the rich and the poor in the US has been growing year by year, with the middle class gradually shrinking. We are rapidly headed towards a situation in which there is almost no middle class. People have been growing discontented, and with the way inflation hit over the first year of this presidency, it’s been harder and harder for people to make ends meet. Elections are happening at the end of this year, and if the ruling party lost those, they wouldn’t be able to pass any of their legislation. Worse, it would likely have meant a backlash against the party as a whole, leading to them losing the presidency in the election after that. Also, several of the president’s advisors are either from, or spent significant time in your home country, Kendra. Is that enough for you to put it all together?”

Kendra sits, clearly thinking. “You are saying that this is just new apartheid?” She eventually asks.

“Bingo.” Jane says. “In apartheid, you had a sharp divide between those who had power, money, etc and those who did not. In America, that was the rich and the poor, with the middle class as a buffer, as well as something the poor could aspire to become part of. That has been less and less effective over the past few decades. Now they are trying to redirect the divide. Instead of rich vs poor, now it’s master vs ****. It was originally a thought experiment of billionaires, and they’ve had to adjust the rules as reality has poked some holes in their ideas, but that is the gist of it. How do you elevate poor white voters, and make them feel like they aren’t at the bottom of society anymore? You put someone underneath them, as a distraction.”

“If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you.” Reyna says, looking up from her phone. “I know I had heard something like that in school, I just couldn’t remember who said it.”

“LBJ called it, more than sixty years ago.” Jane nods. “It’s the Southern Strategy all over again, but taken much further. They simultaneously shored up their support with poor whites, and stripped voting rights from most of the opposition party.”

“That’s bullshit.” Asha says angrily. “The rest of the world isn’t going to just let this happen.”

“The rest of the world didn’t really step up during apartheid. There were a few economic sanctions, but nothing major.” Kendra says. “And South Africa didn’t have nukes.”

“India has nukes.” Asha says, angrily attempting to pull her zip-tied hands apart.

“We will see what happens.” Jane says. “If the government wants to give you back, that’s fine with me. But for you own mental health, it might be best not to hold onto that. If it was going to happen, they wouldn’t be sending you away from DC. For now, let’s talk about something a bit more pleasant. What kind of hobbies are you girls into?”

*****

When Jane pulls into the parking lot at the county office, Tom and Rick are waiting expectantly. “Did you run into any trouble?” Tom asks when she gets out of the car.

Jane shuts the door, stepping forward to talk without the girls in the car hearing, before handing over Asha’s papers. “Nothing major. Asha, the Indian girl, is a handful. I’m keeping Kendra, the South African girl. She’s enough of a realist to try to make the best out of this situation. Asha still insists her dad is going to somehow **** the government to give her back though. I wouldn’t let her near anything sharp, and I definitely wouldn’t trust her to take care of Robert or any of my girls. Maybe you can get her into a more cooperative mood with some decent clothes, a shower, and a hairbrush. She’s a bit disheveled compared to her photo. I don’t think she’ll give you any problems tonight, though; She wore herself out on the first few hours of the drive.”

“They didn’t give you any problems at the pickup?” Tom asks.

“Besides crazy high security, and knocking the girls around a bit?” Jane asks. “Not really. They were treating them like they were on **** row though; All of the guards in riot gear, mirror visors so we couldn’t see their faces. It’s way different than what I saw back where we used to live. I’m not willing to do that again.”

“Our camp is nothing like that.” Tom says, frowning deeply. “Let’s get her out, and see if we can tempt her into cooperating.”

Jane opens the car door, beckoning Asha to come out. “Asha, this is Tom, the local BAA Administrator, and Rick, the county Sheriff.”

Asha shrinks back into the car a bit, face struggling not to show the fear that was clearly gripping her.

“We aren’t here to hurt you.” Tom says. “We’ve got a few ladies in the VIP area in the basement here, and I’m sure they’d be happy to help you find some clothes that would fit you, after you get cleaned up. They already had dinner, but a few of the local places are open, we could get you a pizza or a burger.”

“I’m a vegetarian.” Asha says, not budging from the back seat.

Tom glances back at Jane and Rick, who both shrug. “A salad maybe? We don’t really have a vegetarian place, but I think the pizza place could manage that.”

After a few moments, Jane steps forward, ducking her head into the open door. “Asha, I really don’t want them to have to drag you out of the car. If they really wanted to harm you, they could easily have done that already. You are here as a doctor, and as long as you don’t give them trouble, you’ll get the VIP treatment. If you aren’t willing to play your part as a doctor, the best case scenario is that you get dropped into the local camp, where you won’t get any special food options, and sleep on the floor with hundreds of other women, all of whom know each other, and don’t know you.”

Asha looks up at her, before eventually nodding. When Jane steps back, Asha gingerly sets first one foot, and then the other on the pavement, before emerging from the car warily.

“I’ll be right back, ladies.” Jane says. “Reyna, can you tell the group chat we will be home shortly?”

As Rick escorts Asha towards the basement, Jane and Tom trail behind. “We got an ultimatum from the regional BAA today.” Tom says quietly. “If we don’t complete auctions for at least twenty percent of our detained population by Monday, they are going to do a detainee swap. After that, we’ve got to shed another ten percent a week.”

“When is the next ladies meeting?” Jane asks.

“Tomorrow.” Tom says. “At the local deli, at noon.”

“I’ll go.” Jane says. “Does everyone know yet?”

“I’m going to call an emergency meeting tomorrow evening, and announce it then.” Tom says, holding the door to the basement open for Jane. “So far, only you, the county commission, and a few of the local pastors know. They are going to attempt to win people around at the meeting, and at Wednesday night services.”

“What’s the plan if no one shows up?” Jane asks. “I’m assuming you’ve got at least a few people lined up to set the example? Those pastors and the other county commissioners? Rick and his deputies?”

“I’m working on that.” Tom says. “I’m going to lay it out plainly at the meeting tomorrow. Not showing up means endangering every woman in the camp, and risking conflict with the federal authorities. Regardless of how anyone feels about the situation, we need to prevent that. If we come up short, I’ll have to start assigning women to anyone who has open slots, until we are at twenty percent.”

“When are you planning to do the auction?” Jane asks, coming to a stop as she watches Rick open the door to the basement cells, ushering Asha inside.

“Friday and Saturday nights.” Tom says, stopping beside her. “And if we aren’t where we need to be, I’m hoping the pastors can shame people into attending a Sunday afternoon auction. But I’m hoping we can get to our quota with just the two.”

“What about the local green cards?” Jane asks. “Have they all put in their claims yet?”

“We’ve only had a dozen claims, and those are mostly people claiming their wives.” Tom says. “For all intents and purposes, we are starting at zero.”

“I need to get home.” Jane says. “We still need to get dinner, and I want Kendra to look over Robert and Jia before we let her get settled in.”

“You’ll be at the meeting tomorrow?” Tom asks.

“The ladies thing, or the town meeting?” Jane asks.

“Both.” Tom says. “If you and Robert can come to the town meeting, with Layne and Megan, that would be helpful. If nothing else works, I can try to shame them by showing that strangers are willing to help when they aren’t.”

“I’ll talk to Robert.” Jane says. “No promises, though. It may just be me, with Megan. Layne probably won’t do well with crowds like that.”

*****

“Mistress!!!” Alexia says excitedly, coming down the steps to open the car door before Jane can. “I’m so glad you made it back safely.”

A small crowd of girls forms on the steps, watching as Jane, Reyna, and Kendra emerge from the car, before Robert parts the crowd, coming down to sweep Jane up in a hug.

“Careful.” Jane says. “You are going to pull your stitches.”

“I missed you.” Robert says. “You didn’t even wake me up to say goodbye.”

“You needed your rest.” Jane says. Turning to Kendra, she says. “This is Kendra. Kendra, this is my husband Robert. And this is Alexia. You’ll meet the rest of the girls shortly. I’m sure Kendra would love a chance to freshen up, if you don’t mind taking her inside, Alexia. I’m sure a few of the girls will have something that fits her. Maybe Megan?”

“Yes, Mistress.” Alexia says, turning to lead the way inside.

As Jane watches them go inside, followed by most of the girls, Robert says. “Lucia kept dinner warm for you, and a few of us waited to eat with you.”

“Thank you.” Jane says, melting back into his embrace. “Have you been taking it easy today?”

“A bit.” Robert says.

“What does ‘a bit’ mean?” Jane asks, mock glaring at him.

“Things needed to get done.” Robert says with a shrug. “Work, then I had to go over some stuff with Jia, and more stuff with Chad. And Amber needed a bit of help getting the girls to compromise on the land usage. I think we found a good compromise though, even if it took Roger’s cooperation to do it.”

“You’ll have to fill me in later.” Jane says. “For now though, I need a quick shower, and then some food.”

*****

When Jane reaches the shower, she finds Alexia waiting for her. “Did you get Kendra settled?” Jane asks.

“Samira offered to take over for me.” Alexia says. “And I wanted to talk to you privately.”

“Are you getting in the shower with me?” Jane asks, stripping as Alexia turns on the water.

“If you would like me to, Mistress.” Alexia says. “It’s a bit tight, though.”

“It’s fine.” Jane says, testing the water before stepping in. “What did we need to discuss?”

“Layne.” Alexia says.

“What happened now?” Jane asks, her moan on enjoyment at the hot water rapidly changing into a groan of exasperation.

“Nothing has happened, yet.” Alexia says. “But she’s spending more and more time with her door closed. Anyone near her door can hear her. I think we need to put her on the schedule, and give her a night as soon as possible. Robert isn’t the only man in the house right now, after all.”

“Has she been talking to Chad or his guys?” Jane asks, face suddenly stern.

“We’ve been keeping an eye on her, and she’s mostly been sticking to her room.” Alexia says. “But I don’t think Robert should ease her into things slowly. She’s as horny as Reyna is right now, and if she’s left to her own devices long enough, something will eventually happen.”

“And you are sure she hasn’t done anything yet?” Jane asks.

“Amber and I have been keeping an eye out, and when we can’t, we’ve had Megan doing it.” Alexia says.

“That’s a relief at least.” Jane says. “I’ll talk to Robert. I had hoped to ease him into the idea a bit.”

“Are you going to show him the video from the other night?” Alexia asks with a grin. “I bet he’d enjoy that.”

“After he gets upset at me for involving her without talking to him first.” Jane says. “I am still waiting for the backlash on including Megan in that without talking to him first.”

“Maybe he’s ok with it?” Alexia suggests.

Jane wipes at the glass shower door, so she can look Alexia in the eyes. “He checked on her to make sure she was ok, and if she wasn’t, he’d have given me shit right away. Since she is, he’s waiting until we have less going on. But it’ll come up, probably as soon as I mention Layne.”

“It was time.” Alexia insists. “She wanted to participate, and Amber agreed she was ready.”

“I know.” Jane says, turning off the water, and attempting to reach the towel hanging off the other side of the shower door. Alexia stands, grabbing it and handing it over. “Thank you.”

“Maybe Amber and I should be the ones to talk to Robert about Layne?” Alexia suggests.

“Oh, you are definitely going to be the ones doing some of the persuasion.” Jane says. “I’ll bring it up, and then you two can tell him what you think. We can discuss it after dinner, so make sure Amber will be there.”

“Yes, Mistress.” Alexia says, rising and heading out the door.

*****

When Jane reaches the dining room, she finds Robert working on his laptop, Mei perched on his lap. “No Kendra yet?” Jane asks.

“I can go check on her, Domina.” Mei offers.

“Don’t rush them.” Jane says. “Just find out how long it’s going to be. I’m starving. And tired.”

Sitting next to Robert, Jane reaches over, grabbing his hand. Once she is sure Mei is out of earshot, she asks. “Has she been like that all day?”

“Clingy?” Robert asks, shutting the laptop and looking up at her. “A bit, mostly in the morning. I’ve been too busy for her to cling all day. We need to start the sleeping schedule again. The girls are getting restless.”

“I know.” Jane says. “We can talk about it after dinner. I’d rather keep dinner conversation a bit light. Kendra is going to need some time to settle in. She and the other girl didn’t even know they were coming here until I arrived. It’s going to take some time to wrap her mind around the change in her situation.”

“They didn’t tell them?” Robert asks, surprise plain on his face.

“Apparently not.” Jane says. “They probably didn’t want to risk them acting out.”

“Probably.” Robert says. “Why not make it our problem instead?”

“Mistress.” Amber says, coming inside, followed by Alexia, Kendra, and Samira. “Mei is going to help Lucia bring up dinner.”

“Great. Take a seat, ladies.” Jane says with a smile.

“Kendra, you’ll have to let Lucia and Mei know about any dietary restrictions. We like our girls to be comfortable here, and we have a few picky eaters.” Jane adds, glancing over at Alexia.

“It’s not my fault that pizza is good, and green stuff isn’t.” Alexia says. “Besides, tomatoes are a veggie, right?”

“Kind of.” Kendra says quietly. “Technically they are fruit, but it’s kind of a gray area.”

Alexia shrugs. “I’m calling them veggies. Therefore, if I eat pizza every day, I’m eating my veggies.”

“Don’t forget about french fries and ketchup.” Robert teases. “Famously healthy veggies that you also like.”

“So healthy.” Alexia says. “And tasty.”

When Lucia and Mei come in, they set a few platters in the center of the table. “Are you joining us?” Jane asks.

“I wouldn’t mind a snack.” Lucia says, taking the seat across from Jane, on Robert’s far side.

“Eating for two already?” Robert says, smiling at her.

Lucia nods, reaching out to grab some bread off the platter nearest to her.

Kendra looks at Lucia, and then around the room.

“You are allowed to talk, Kendra.” Jane says, sensing her uncertainty. “We are very informal here; Some of the girls like to be a bit more formal, but that’s not necessary. Outside of the house, it’s a different story, though.”

“How far along are you?” Kendra asks.

“Just a few weeks.” Lucia says in between bites.

Glancing around again, Kendra asks. “Are all of you pregnant?”

“Just Lucia, so far.” Jane says, smiling at her. “We’ll probably have one or two more soon though. A few of the girls are actively trying, and with birth control outlawed, we may have more than a few little ones running around in a year or two.”

“How many of you are there?” Kendra asks.

“Well, with you we have twelve concubines, plus Amber, who is technically free, but chooses to be here.” Jane says. “Plus Robert and I. And Isabel.”

“Isabel is my daughter.” Amber adds. “She’s eight.”

“So sixteen people?” Kendra asks.

“That sounds right.” Jane says.

“Are there any other health conditions I should know about?” Kendra asks.

“You and Samira can talk about the details tomorrow.” Jane says. “Or later this week. Whenever you get settled in, and feel up to it. For now, the things you need to know about are Lucia’s pregnancy, plus some injuries to Robert, Amber, and Jia.”

“Robert and Amber both have stitches, from an incident with an angry child with a box cutter.” Samira says. “And Jia has some cracked ribs.”

“I should take a look after we eat.” Kendra says.

“I would appreciate that.” Jane says.

“So… what are you into, Kendra?” Robert asks. “We’ve got a few girls who like to read, Mei is a techie, Megan loves horses…”

“I’ve been too busy with school to have any hobbies.” Kendra says.

“It’s never too late to take one up.” Robert says. “You’ll probably be fairly busy, but I’m sure you’ll get some down time.”

“Hopefully Asha ends up being useful.” Jane says. “If she does, that will help, especially once the camp gets cleared out. Speaking of which…” Jane looks over at Robert. “Tom says they have to clear twenty percent of the detainees out by Monday, so they are doing auctions starting Friday. He’s also doing a town meeting tomorrow, and he wanted us to attend, with Megan and Layne.”

“I don’t think Layne would do well at a town meeting.” Robert objects. “Especially if it’s not going to be calm. Megan is just getting settled down too. Maybe we should take Reyna and Alexia instead, or just go by ourselves.”

“Tom wants people to see us sitting with local girls they recognize.” Jane explains.

“I’m not putting either of them in a potentially upsetting situation.” Robert says. “We can ask, but I won’t make either of them go.”

“I wasn’t saying we should make them.” Jane says. “I’m just passing along the request.”

“We can talk to them about it tomorrow morning.” Robert says. “Is he actually expecting to get enough people to show up to meet the twenty percent goal?”

“He’s hoping.” Jane says. “If he doesn’t, he’s considering assigning them instead, to anyone who hasn’t met their allotment.”

“Not us though, right?” Robert asks. “We already took Layne, and we just got Kendra. The inn is full.”

“Your maximum allotment is fifteen.” Jane says. “And Tom can tinker with the allotments if necessary. Our best bet at keeping our current numbers is for the auction to go well.”

Robert sighs, hands in his face, before looking up. “I’m so tired of being threatened with having more people dropped into our laps.”

“I know, honey.” Jane says. “Why don’t we have Kendra take a look at your back now? And then we can get you ready for bed? You look exhausted.”

Robert nods. “Whenever she’s done eating.”

“I should stop.” Kendra says. “I don’t normally eat this much, but I haven’t had decent food in a while. It was very good.”

“Thank you.” Lucia says, smiling at the compliment.

“Let’s get you to bed.” Jane says. “It’ll be easier for her to take a look if you are laying down.”

*****

“Did you do the stitches?” Kendra asks, leaning in to look closely at the wounds.

“Taylor and her dad did them.” Samira says. “It’s not really something I’m confident in doing.”

“And Taylor is…” Kendra asks.

“Taylor is one of our girls.” Jane says. “She and her father are both veterinarians.”

“They did a decent job.” Kendra says. “There’s no obvious signs of infection. We need to keep an eye on it though, and get him on an antibiotic if there is any change. And he needs to keep the wounds dry until they heal.”

“How do we do that?” Jane asks. “Robert will go crazy without his hot showers in the morning.”

“They make waterproof bandages you can put over them.” Kendra says. “You should be able to find them at any decent sized pharmacy.”

Robert looks over at Jane. “There aren’t any of those around here, are there?”

“Maybe the grocery store will have them?” Jane says. “The pharmacy here is just a small local place. I’ll see what I can dig up.”

“There is probably some duct tape in the workshop.” Robert says.

“No.” Jane says, wagging her finger. “I forbid you to duct tape over your stitches. Imagine taking it off, and the stitches pulling out.”

“That does sound painful.” Robert admits.

“Thank you, Kendra.” Jane says, turning to her. “Can you peek at Amber’s as well? And then you and Samira can go find Jia.”

“These are fine too.” Kendra pronounces after a glance at Amber’s wound. “They can probably come out in a few days. Robert’s are going to take a bit longer.”

“Thanks.” Amber says, pulling her shirt back down.

“I think Jia is upstairs.” Samira says, leading Kendra out the door.

Jane moves to close it, before turning to face Robert and their girls.

“Now, we have a few things to discuss before you go to bed.” Jane says. “You mentioned restarting the sleeping schedule. Alexia approached me earlier to suggest that as well. She also had something else she and Amber wanted to bring up.”

Jane waves at Alexia, who looks over at Amber before beginning. “Since Layne walked in on you and Reyna last week, and we did her sex ed lesson, she’s become… interested… in the topic. Deeply. There is buzzing coming from her room at all hours of the day and night. We think you need to bump her to the top of the sleeping schedule, and not ease into things as slowly as you have with some of the other girls who were inexperienced.”

“Woah, woah…” Robert says, holding up his hands. “You just want me to bring her in here, and get right to it? That would hardly give her a great first time. And we barely know each other yet. I’ve been gone for most of the time that she’s been with us. Have you even talked to her about whether this is what she wants?”

“Master, she is really, really horny.” Amber says. “If you put her off much longer, it may get the better of her. You may have noticed that she has a bit of a one track mind. Right now her mind is on getting laid.”

“She has definitely expressed an interest in joining you in bed.” Jane confirms.

“Lucia?” Robert asks, looking over at his favorite, sitting next to him on the bed.

“I haven’t spent as much time with her as these two have.” Lucia says. “I do know she’s been talking to Mei quite a bit, mostly asking her questions about sex.”

“You don’t have to bend her over the bed and get right to it.” Jane says. “By all means, give her the full treatment. But you don’t have a week to ease her into it, like you did with Lucia. We’ve got what, ten girls on the schedule now? If she doesn’t partner up with another girl, that’s a long wait for someone with a bit of an obsession.”

“Ten would be everyone except Valentina, Kendra, and Jia, Mistress.” Amber says. “I’m assuming those three are not planning to be on the schedule?”

“Valentina doesn’t have any interest.” Alexia says.

“Jia and Kendra might, eventually.” Jane says.

“Jia is technically willing already.” Alexia says. “It would be best to give her some time though, and let her approach us about it when she is ready.”

“Definitely.” Jane says. “Did you clear up the confusion from earlier with her?”

“I think so.” Alexia says. “She still seemed somewhat skeptical.”

“I’ll try to talk to her tomorrow.” Jane says.

“Maybe it would be better to let Reyna and Mei do it.” Lucia suggests. “If the nymphos can’t convince her that they’ve got Robert’s needs thoroughly seen to, no one can.”

“That’s not a bad idea.” Jane says. “If they are comfortable, and can make it not awkward, it’s worth trying.”

“What about Kendra?” Lucia asks. “Did you get anything from her on the trip?”

“Not much.” Jane says. “It was a bit tense with the other girl there. Asha isn’t happy about any of this, and isn’t afraid to show it. Let’s give her time to get settled. If she fits in well, and it’s obvious things are going to work out long term, we can bring it up, as an offer, not as a demand.”

“Ladies, it’s getting late, and I need to be up early for work.” Robert interjects. “Is there anything else that can’t wait until tomorrow?”

“No, honey.” Jane says, leaning down to give him a kiss. “Sleep well. I’ll join you in a bit, I just need to check on a few things first.”

“Do I get a cuddle buddy tonight?” Robert asks, pulling Lucia a bit closer to him.

Lucia looks up at Jane, who nods. “I’m bumping you towards the bottom of the sleep schedule though. We’ll call this your night, if you are good with that.”

“Thank you.” Lucia says, snuggling in closer.