What do you mean “This time of the month?”

As Ellie’s words sink in, Alex gets a horrible feeling in his stomach. “What do you mean, ‘This time of the month?’”

The naked young woman, sighs contentedly against his chest. She looks up into his face and says, “When I’m ovulating, of course. I just can’t control myself. I’m so grateful you showed up when you did, or I would have gone out of my mind with desire!”

Alex sits up with alarm, sending Ellie rolling off onto the cot. “Ovulating? But I just — I mean, I —“ His mouth goes dry as he looks down at her snatch, still dripping with the evidence of the massive load he just deposited inside her.

Reading his thoughts, she reaches between her legs and rubs, as if encouraging Alex’s sperm to get swimming. “I’m just sure it’s going to take this time.”

“Take?” Alex knows he sounds a bit like a parrot, but he is unable to articulate more than one or two words at a time.

“I mean that I’m confident I managed to get pregnant this time,” says the young woman. She rolls on her back and lifts her feet straight up and bounces, urging Alex’s semen ever deeper into her womb.

“You’re trying to get pregnant?” Alex finally manages to get a full sentence out as he jumps out of the cot and begins gathering his clothing.

“Of course, silly! How else am I going to get out of this shit hole of a place? I thought I succeeded six months ago with a merchant who was passing through. I don’t know if he was just too old or what, but that time didn’t take. I decided I would have better luck with someone closer to my own age, so after that, when a father and son were traveling through here, I hooked up with the son a couple of times. The first time, he pulled out at the last second. What a shame, too, because he had a huge load that definitely would have done the trick. I tried it again the next night, but my father walked in on us before we finished our business. Poor fellow... he was so cute, too; he’s buried not far from here, and I go to his grave every once in a while to think of him.”

Alex has already decided the girl is deluded, and he quickly gets to work putting on his clothing. He stops his task, however, when she mentions her suitor’s grave. “What happened to him?” He’s pretty sure he knows the answer, and that feeling in his stomach rapidly builds toward nausea.

“My daddy,” she responds, sweetly. “If he had just waited a few more minutes, it would have been too late, and Daddy wouldn’t have had any choice but to let us get married, but once he determined he wasn’t going to be a grandfather quite yet, he made sure my lover wasn’t going to get a third chance.”

Alex gulps and hastily resumes fastening up his clothing. Ellie lowers her legs and rolls onto her side, facing him. “Since then, Daddy has kept such a close watch on me that I thought I’d never get another chance. I’m guessing he thought your knight was going to be the bigger threat, otherwise we never would have had this time alone.”

Yes, Alex concludes, the girl is definitely mad. Here she is, talking about getting pregnant just as casually as if she had just bought a new hat or something. “Look, I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but —“

“What we’re doing is going out there to tell Daddy that we’re getting married and that I’ll be going off with you to share in your adventures.” Ellie notices a hefty drop of semen on her inner thigh and casually scoops it up with her finger. She examines it lovingly before inserting it deep in her vagina and working it around. “I’ll let you go back out to the bar first, and then I’ll join you. We can tell him together.”

“Your father is here?” Alex’s feeling of panic grows to the point where it begins to overtake the feeling of nausea.

“Of course he is. You’ve met him already. He served you your drink at the bar.”

Alex remembers the gruff, muscle-bound bartender. “That guy is your father?” Alex steadies his breath to keep from hyperventilating. “He could snap me in half with two fingers!”

“Oh, he’s a big sweetie, once you get to know him. He might fret a little at first, but once we’re married, you’ll learn that he’s a big teddy bear.”

“Yeah, a teddy bear who murdered the last fellow who slept with you! Look, Ellie, I can’t get married,” Alex explains. “We only just met, and besides, your father obviously hates any guy who touches you. It’s nothing personal, but I don’t want to end up buried next to that last guy.”

“Don’t you worry about that,” she says. “Daddy may be a bit high-strung, but once he learns that I’m carrying your child, he won’t have any choice but to let us get married.”

“But I don’t want to get married!” Alex protests.

“Don’t be silly! You’re not going to leave me to raise our child all by myself, are you?” Ellie swings her legs off the bed and stretches lazily. She looks down, examining her belly, and pats it softly. “It will probably be a boy. I hear that’s most common when the woman is on top. We should name him after you. What is your name, anyway?”

Alex runs his hand over his forehead, wiping the sweat that is forming there.