A Dark Future Ch. 17

Morning comes too early for everyone in the house. Jane's alarm jars Robert from sleep first, and gradually Jane, and then Alexia emerge from their blankets. Robert slips out of bed, going around to turn off the alarm before leaning down to kiss Jane.

"Time to get ready." He says, before going to the bottom of the bed, reaching under the covers, and tickling Alexia's feet, causing her to squeal and curl up into a ball.

"Too early for those noises." Jane grumbles, trying to hide her head under the pillow.

Robert goes to turn on the shower, realizing that the best way to get Alexia moving was to start moving forward without her. A moment later she practically runs into the bathroom.

"Sorry, Master." She says. "Are you ready for your shower now?"

"Is Jane actually up?" Robert asks.

Alexia pokes her head back out the door, and says. "She's out of bed."

"Good, then yes, we can shower now." Robert says. "Just a shower, we don't have time for anything else, and you've gotten more than your share of attention over the past two days."

Alexia blushes, remembering the events of those days. "Yes, Master."

Once the shower is over, Robert heads downstairs. Kissing Lucia good morning, he continues to Jane's office.

"So what's the verdict?" Robert asks. "Let me guess: 20?"

Jane laughs. "Nothing that bad. Our minimum is 6, and maximum is 12."

"That's surprisingly reasonable." Robert says. "Or maybe you've just been hitting me with high numbers so long that my expectations were not realistic."

"Either way, I'm happy we can just accept it and move onto more important things." Jane says. "There are a few new orange profiles since we last looked, I'll look them over, and see if any are worth strong consideration. There is something else we need to discuss first though."

"That sounds ominous." Robert says. "What now? Another card class? All women losing citizenship? Nothing would surprise me with these guys."

"Nothing like that." Jane reassures him. "But they've finalized some of the rules, and posted them. Some of it we already suspected, but now it's official. Let's move out to the breakfast table, and at least read it to Lucia, and she can brief the other girls if they aren't eating with us, or we can go over it all together again when we get home with the new girls."

Heading out to the kitchen, Jane grabs her old laptop the girls have been using from the couch. "Lucia, we have a few things to go over, if you would join us for breakfast."

Jane spends a few minutes pulling up the BAA site, and when Lucia finishes bringing out the food, Jane says. "So there are new BAA rules, some of which we expected, and some we didn't. We may need to adjust things a bit based on these."

"Let's just hear them first, and then we can figure out how to adapt." Robert says. He notices Lucia pull out her phone, and assumes she is taking notes.

"Ok. Lucia, feel free to go over this with the girls whenever they get moving, but we should probably go over it with the new girls as well when we make it home." Jane says. "So first is the 'birth quota'. Each household is expected to have one birth per year minimum. If you have two in one year, one can credit towards the next, but any extra are just extra. Each yellow, white, and green card is expected to have a minimum of 5 children total, or 1 per adult in the home. Once you reach the limit, the yearly 'quota' is suspended until and unless you no longer are at your quota."

"Hang on a second." Robert says. "That last bit. Does that mean if kids grow up, we have to keep having more? Or is that referring to the household growing?"

"It's... unclear..." Jane says. "We should probably assume the worst though. So our minimum concubine count is 6, which means that with you, me, and Amber, we are at 9. If we have 9, and then they grow up, and don't leave home, does that mean we suddenly have to start having a kid per year until we have 18 kids in the house? At some point the math doesn't work, and it's just a kid a year no matter what."

She breathes in for a moment, and continues. "I'm hoping what they mean is that if you add extra concubines, your quota goes up. So if we start with 9 people, and add a concubine next year, our new quota is 10. I suspect they also mean that if you lose a child, you have to replace it..."

"That's fucked." Robert says, getting angry.

"I know." Jane says. "And it doesn't say it explicitly, but I think we know these people don't care about feelings, or what is right and wrong."

"You are certainly right there." Lucia says, scooting her chair over to hug Robert. Robert puts his arm around her, and asks Jane. "So what happens if we don't meet the quota?"

"The oldest concubine in the house who doesn't have a child is removed from the home. If she's over 40, she goes to the labor camps. If she is under 40, she gets sent to a new household." Jane says. "If the man is proven to be fertile, a replacement concubine is placed in the home. It doesn't sound like we would be able to pick the replacement, it would just be them shuffling concubines between homes."

"What if the man isn't fertile?" Robert asks, dreading the answer.

"All concubines get re-distributed." Jane says.

Lucia inhales sharply, and haltingly asks. "Is that a possibility?"

Jane shakes her tongue. "We did fertility testing, Robert is fertile, or at least, he was when we tested a few years ago."

"I'll feel better when we have one confirmed pregnancy." Lucia says.

Robert nods in agreement. "Me too. I think we need to start trying with at least two or three girls. Once someone is pregnant, we can stop, of course."

"Once two are pregnant." Jane says. "Miscarriages happen, and we don't want to put ourselves in a bad position."

"Well, I'm obviously trying." Lucia says. "And I think Alexia will be willing, knowing how important it is."

"I'm sure she will." Jane says. "And if Amber were healthy, I would ask her, but she's not ready."

"No, definitely not." Robert says. "Maybe year two, or three. We still need to build that relationship, and work through her trauma. I know she's doing well, but I fully expect bumps in the road to recovery."

"What about Mei?" Lucia asks. "I know you guys don't really KNOW her, but she may be willing, and at least she isn't a stranger."

"Maybe." Jane says. "We'll see who we end up with. One of them may volunteer. I don't plan to ask anyone unless we don't have volunteers that we feel good about."

"Agreed." Robert says. "It's a big ask, and I don't want anyone doing it if they aren't sure, unless we are desperate."

"Were there other rules we should know about?" Lucia asks.

"Most of it is what we expected. It looks like auctions will happen every evening over the next two weeks, and it did mention a quarterly auction of girls who are being raised in the camps who have recently turned 18." Jane says, and then adds. "It also mentioned auctions happening spontaneously if a man loses the right to his girls, either by infertility, death, or imprisonment."

"You are not allowed to die." Lucia says, grabbing Robert's arm.

"I second that." Jane says.

"I'll do my best." Robert says. "I need to get back to my exercise routine, I haven't gone for my evening walk since the night this all started."

"Maybe you can take a few of us with you." Lucia says.

"Sure." Robert says. "We can work that out later. Jane, is there anything else we need to know?"

"I don't think so." Jane says. "We need to leave within the next thirty minutes, if you want to finish getting ready. Lucia, can you go through the few new profiles, and text the girl's chat if any of them are worth considering? I need to go get ready, and then we should get going."

"Girl's chat?" Robert asks. "How long have you four been talking behind my back?"

"Only since the day they got their phones back." Jane says with a smile. "Don't worry, we don't say bad things. Think of it as a place we can discuss things you don't want to hear about. Not everything requires your input, after all."

Robert just shrugs, and gets up to finish getting ready. Giving Jane and Lucia a kiss, he heads upstairs. Stepping into his bedroom, he finds Alexia back in bed. Slipping into bed next to her, he kisses her on the forehead, and says. "Wake up, sleepy. You've got a lot of work to do this morning."

"Want to sleep, Master." Alexia says, clutching the covers tightly.

"Don't we all?" Robert says. "You can sleep in tomorrow, if you want. I need you to finish getting the last set of bunk beds assembled, help Lucia with the new pantry shelves, and then get the house tidy before the new girls arrive. All of your chores went undone yesterday, so I'm sure you've got lots to do that I don't even know about."

"Amber did some of them." Alexia murmurs, not quite ready to let go of the comforter. "15 more minutes?"

Robert just kisses her on the forehead again, and heads into the closet to start getting dressed. When he is ready, he comes back out, but finds Jane in the bedroom instead of Alexia.

"You managed to get her up?" Robert guesses.

"Sometimes it just requires the right motivation." Jane says, and shows Robert her phone, which has a picture of Bessie on it. "She really doesn't want this to be my new phone background."

Robert laughs. "I'm glad you are on my side."

"Forever and always." Jane says, kissing him. "I'll be ready in 5, if you are ready to go."

"I'm ready." Robert asks. "Is there something we need to bring? I keep thinking I'm forgetting something."

"Just our cards." Jane says. "And payment, but I've got that in my purse. I called the bank yesterday to let them know, so we shouldn't have any issues."

"What would I do without you?" Robert asks.

"Collapse into nothingness?" Jane asks. "Realistically, you'd struggle, but you'd keep it together for the girls. Lucia would step up, and you'd all figure it out. You don't have to worry about that though, I'm not going anywhere." She kisses Robert, and heads into the bathroom to finish getting ready.

Robert heads downstairs to find Alexia and Amber eating leftover pizza while Lucia cleans up the kitchen.

"You just can't resist pizza, can you?" Robert asks Alexia.

"Nope." Alexia says, and sticks out her tongue before taking another bite.

"Maybe next time we need to find a Miss Piggy outfit for you." Robert jokes.

"Ouch." Alexia says, exaggeratedly acting like she was deeply wounded. "Does Miss Piggy get pizza? If so, I'd prefer that to being Bessie again."

"Miss piggy gets slop." Lucia says. "All of the leftovers are mixed up together and thrown into a bowl."

Alexia looks a little green, and says. "I think we should just make sure there are no next times."

"Good girl." Robert says with a laugh, leaning in to give her a kiss on the cheek.

"Lucia, can I trust you to keep this one on task while we are gone?" Robert asks.

"Absolutely, Master." Lucia says. "Do I get a reward if they do extra well?"

"Maybe." Robert says. "We can negotiate something when we get home, I'm sure."

Lucia looks at Alexia. "I hope you are prepared to work hard."

Amber pipes up. "I can help. Just tell me what you want me to do."

Lucia smiles at Robert. "I think I've got this."

Robert hears Jane coming down the stairs and gives Lucia a last kiss, and then Amber a quick hug.

"I guess we are taking the van." Jane says. "It should be big enough for all of the new girls, and the two of us."

The ride to the auction center is quiet, Robert preoccupied with the list of potential new girls that Lucia has typed up for them. As they pull into the parking lot, Jane looks over at Robert and says. "When we are interviewing the girls, squeeze my leg if you are out on a girl. I'll do the same for you, if you are the one talking. No point wasting time if someone is an obvious no."

"Yes, Ma'am." Robert says, faking a southern accent. Jane just rolls her eyes in response, and they head inside.

At the door they have their cards scanned, and are allowed to pass inside. The inside isn't quite what they expected. Robert had pictured an open room with women chained up, or in small cages, but it was just a waiting room, with Rosie of all people manning the desk. Jane walks straight to the desk to greet her.

"Hi Rosie!" Jane says. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"I go where they tell me." Rosie laughs. "And apparently for the foreseeable future, it's going to be this desk on auction days."

Looking around, Jane sees that the room is empty apart from Rosie and them. "I don't suppose you can tell me what order the auction is in? We have a family friend we really need to get."

"What's her profile number?" Rosie asks, clicking on something on the computer. After Jane provides it, she says. "Oh, she's in the red card auction. She'll probably be in the back half, the order is determined by the profile number, which is determined by when she was tested and processed."

"Thank you." Jane says with a smile. "That is very helpful."

"Very welcome." Rosie says. "If I could just scan his card, I can get you checked in, and you can start the preview."

Robert steps forward with the card, and she scans it. "Did you already see your allotment numbers?"

"I pulled it up this morning." Jane says.

"Well, since no one else is here..." Rosie says, keeping an eye on the door. "There is only one other person here with an allotment even close to that." Rosie turns the monitor just enough for Jane to see the photo on the screen. "Allotment is based on a few factors, but income is the primary one. The other bidders are almost all 1-5 households, which means income is like 30% of yours at most."

"Which means that this is the only guy who can potentially outbid us." Jane concludes.

"Basically." Rosie says. "I didn't tell you any of that."

"Any of what?" Jane says. "I can't quite recall the last few minutes."

Rosie laughs. "How are the girls?"

"They are great." Jane says, beaming. "Lucia is already trying to get pregnant, and I suspect Alexia won't be far behind her, she's taking a bit of time to decide."

"They are really lucky to have you two." Rosie says. "I doubt most people are giving these girls a choice."

"Forcing someone into motherhood is a bad idea." Robert responds. "And a great way to make them resent you forever. I want my girls to be happy."

"Good." Rosie says. "If you two are ready for the preview, I can take you back real fast, since no one else is here."

Rosie leads them through the double doors, and down a hallway, before entering a large conference room. On one end is a large group of women, and the other end is set up with tables with chairs on either side. "Most people are going to be interviewing here, but this room has a few offices over there." Rosie points to the far side of the room. "I'll talk to the guards, and see if you can use it."

"Thank you." Jane says. "One day we need to take you out to dinner to thank you for everything you've done for us."

"Maybe you could invite me over?" Rosie asks. "So I can see Alexia."

"Definitely." Jane says. "Do you have my number?"

"He gave me Alexia's last time he came in." Rosie says. "If you don't mind, I'll ask her to give me yours."

"I'll text her in a minute to let her know that it's ok." Jane says.

Rosie leads them over to the group of guards watching the women.

"Ron, these are my friends Robert and Jane. Any chance they can use one of the offices to interview some of these ladies?" Rosie asks nicely.

"What's their allotment?" Ron says. "They wanted us to keep these for the higher allotment households."

"6-12, so they should be good." Rosie says.

"Yeah, no doubt." Ron says. "Feel free to take your pick. If you have specific women you are interested in, we can pull them back for you, otherwise feel free to browse and let us know as you find some you are interested in. You can talk, but no touching."

"Understood." Robert says. "Thank you for your help Rosie."

"Very welcome." Rosie says. "I'll see you when the auction is done."

As Rosie walks away, he sees Jane peeking into the various offices, before waving Robert over. "We are going to take this one." She says loud enough for Ron to hear, and he gives them a thumbs up, before turning back to watch the women waiting to be auctioned. Putting her purse down in the corner, she asks Robert. "Who do we want to speak to first?"

"Mei." Robert says. "I'd like to reassure her that we are here, and then we can go in whatever order you want. I'd suggest starting with the orange card possibles, then the orange card maybes, and then the same for the red cards."

"Sounds good." Jane says. "Let's go get Mei."

Walking out of the office, Jane leads the way to the guards. Letting Ron know Mei's number, and that she's a red card. He checks his paperwork, before walking to the far end, and calls out her number. As he does, Jane spots Dee, who unfortunately spots her as well. Dee starts to stand up, and then stops. Jane realizes she is handcuffed to her chair.

"Jane!!!" Dee screams. "Jane!!!"

"Fuck." Robert says, seeing her for the first time. "Not that bitch."

Dee is still screaming, trying to move the chair towards them, as the guards turn to look at them. "Friend of yours?"

"No." Robert says. "She can stay here forever for all I care."

Jane doesn't look quite so certain. Turning to Robert, she asks, voice nearly breaking. "Can I at least talk to her?"

"I don't think it's a good idea, but if you want to, I'm going to be there." Robert says. "And I don't see any way we can take her."

"Do you want her now, or after the one Ron is getting?" the guard asks.

"After." Robert says. "Do you want me to go calm her down?"

The guard gestures at the taser at his waist. "I'm assuming you don't want your wife to see how we would calm her."

Robert walks towards Dee, and she stops trying to move towards them. "If you can calm yourself down, we will talk to you in a few minutes." Robert says. "If you don't, I'll have Jane go back to the car, and you won't ever get to talk to her again. Do you understand?"

Dee just nods, hair hiding her face.

"Good." Robert says. "We have someone else to speak to first, when we are done, you'll be called next. Think very carefully about what you are going to say."

Walking back towards Jane, he sees Mei with her, not cuffed like Dee. Ron asks him. "What's the story with the crazy chick?"

"Mainly that she's crazy." Robert says. "I noticed she is cuffed, and the other women aren't. Has she already given you trouble?"

"Since she got here this morning, it's been constant." Ron says. "You couldn't pay me to take her."

"She lived with us for a while, when she was getting out of a bad marriage." Robert tells him. "It was a nightmare."

Robert sees Jane leading Mei towards the interview room, and tells Ron. "I guess I should get going. You said no touching, but it looks like they are already breaking the rules. Do I need to remind Jane?"

"I can tell they know each other." Ron says. "Just keep the blinds open, and we should be fine."

"Thank you." Robert says, and turns to follow Jane and Mei.

Entering the room, he sees Jane and Mei embracing.

"Are you ok?" Jane asks Mei. "No one is mistreating you?"

"I'm fine." Mei says. "And so glad to see you. I was terrified you wouldn't come, and they initially told me I wasn't going to auction for a while."

"Hello Mei." Robert says, and then adds. "We asked them to move you up, so you wouldn't have to stay here so long."

Mei turns, and throws her arms around Robert. "Thank you!"

"No one is messing with me, but it's like being in prison." Mei says, letting him go. "No freedom, no privacy, and the food is awful. I'm lucky to have you guys. My poor mom and grandparents..." Mei tears up a bit.

"If there was anything we could do for them, we would." Jane says. "And if there is an opportunity to help them in the future, I hope you know we will."

"Thank you." Mei says. "This sounds dumb, but you guys are definitely taking me home today, right?"

"We aren't leaving this building without you." Robert says. "We do have to bid on some other women too though, so we'll have some company."

"That's fine." Mei says. "I'm just relieved to have this experience be over, and to get some decent food."

"Our girls are going to have lunch ready when we get home." Jane says. "We are counting on you to add some variety to the menu though, once you get settled in."

"I'd love to." Mei says. "I've missed cooking."

"You aren't coming up until the last part of the auction." Robert says. "So you'll have to be patient, but rest assured, we are saving enough money to make sure we get you."

"Do you know any of the girls out there?" Jane asks.

"Not really." Mei says. "I have made one friend in here, but she didn't get pulled for the auction today."

"You can help me find her profile when we get home." Jane says. "We need to interview at least a dozen other women. Are you ok with us sending you back so we can move onto them?"

"I'm good now that I know you are here." Mei says, giving them a smile. "I'm so excited, thank you!!!" Mei hugs them both again, and then steps back, making space for Jane to step out of the office first, followed by Mei and Robert.

Heading up to Ron, Jane asks. "Can we get her next?" gesturing at Dee.

"If you are sure you want her." Ron says with a laugh. "Are you planning to bid on this one?" he gestures at Mei.

"She's coming home with us for sure." Robert says with a smile. "But we knew that when we arrived. Always nice to have easy choices."

Ron nods, and takes Mei back to her original seat, before stopping to uncuff Dee from the chair. Robert notices that he recuffs her hands in front of her before bringing her over. Ron looks at her, and says "No touching either of them. If you do, you get tased. I've had more than enough of you today, and it's still early. Do you understand?"

Dee nods, not looking up, and Robert can see it's tugging on Jane's emotions. He leads her back to the room, Ron following with Dee. Stepping inside, Robert gestures for Jane to go around to the far side of the table, and after Ron leads Dee in, he quietly asks. "Do you mind staying just outside the door?"

Ron nods, and says. "I hadn't planned on going far."

Leaving the door open, Robert steps around the table to sit next to Jane.

Jane starts to speak, and Robert touches her leg to stop her, and opens up the conversation with. "You've definitely stepped into some shit here. I'm assuming you want us to bid on you?"

"Please, Jane." Dee says. "I'll be so good for you, I'll do anything you want. I've learned my lesson. I'll do my own laundry, and clean..."

Robert cuts her off. "Our two girls already do the cooking and the cleaning. They are also so nice to both of us. What do you bring to the table that would convince BOTH of us to bring you back into our house?"

Dee pauses, apparently realizing that Jane isn't the one making this decision. "I'll give you a blowjob every day. You can even fuck me in the ass occasionally. You can keep me pregnant, you know I have a breeding kink."

"Just about every girl out there offers that, and they don't have the relationship baggage you bring. You screwed around on us, tried to drive a wedge between us, and generally made us miserable. I honestly don't know that you can convince us to allow you to come back to our home, but I'm giving you an opportunity here to come up with something I haven't thought of." Robert says.

Dee just sits quietly, clearly trying to get control of her temper.

Jane breathes in deeply, and patiently speaks. "Dee, I still have a soft spot for you, in spite of everything you did. You betrayed our trust, and really hurt me though. Robert is also worried about you being a bad influence on our other girls, and it's a valid concern. If you came back to the house, you would need to understand you'd be the low girl on the totem poll. You'd have to keep your mouth shut, do exactly what you are told, do the chores you are told, and do them well. One of our current girls would be in charge of you, and if you acted up, you would be punished."

"I don't mind a spanking." Dee says, winking at Jane.

"No spankings this time." Robert says. "We've come up with something different. You'd be painted like a pig, we'd put ears and a tail on you, and you'd be the household pet for a period of time. You'd eat out of a bowl, and be walked outside when you needed to use the bathroom. You'd sleep on the floor. Spanking didn't work for you, but this might. I'm still waiting for someone to tell me why this time would be different though, and why we should pick you over some girl out there who is genuinely nice to us?"

"Fuck you!" Dee screams, jumping out of her chair, and trying to come over the table at him. "I fucking hate you!"

Robert pushes the table to knock her off balance, and Ron comes in quickly, grabbing her and dragging her out.

Jane hugs Robert. "Are you ok?" He asks her.

"Yes." Jane says, taking a deep breath, and then says sadly. "She hasn't changed."

"I don't think she is capable of change right now, honey." Robert says. "She's damaged, and she doesn't want help. Until that changes, she's always going to be like this."

"I know." Jane says. "I hoped that maybe this would have been her wake-up call."

Robert gives her a kiss, and says. "I know, baby. We need to focus on the other girls though. We still have a lot of interviews to do. Do you need a few minutes before we start the next one?"

As Robert asks this, he sees the first group of other bidders walk in.

Jane notices as well, and shaking her head, says. "No, we should get this done before it gets too busy."

They decide to ask for Lucia's classmate Hannah next. They wait in the room for her to arrive. As she walks in the door uncertainly, Jane asks her to sit.

"Your name is Hannah, right?" Jane asks, wanting to make sure they have the right girl.

"Yes. How did you know?" Hannah says.

"One of the girls we already have went to school with you. She suggested we talk to you about joining us. Her name is Lucia Delgado." Jane explains.

"I remember her." Hannah says. "I wouldn't call her a friend, but she is nice."

Hannah pauses a moment, like she has more to say.

"Feel free to ask us whatever you want." Jane says. "And if you'd like to ask Lucia questions about us, I can call her and put her on speaker. I know this has to be stressful."

"It's not that." Hannah says. "My boyfriend is supposed to be here, and bid on me."

"Oh..." Jane says. "Lucia thought you were single. We don't want to take you away from your man."

"Thank you." Hannah says. "I'll have him come let you know he is here when he arrives, if that is ok. His name is Trevor."

"Absolutely." Jane says, and asks hesitantly. "If he doesn't show up for some reason, do you want us to bid on you?"

"If you win me, would you be willing to allow him to buy me back?" Hannah asks. "And would you expect me to... do things...? I don't want him to not want me back..."

"We wouldn't expect anything of you." Robert says. "We are offering to help, not trying to find a way to get you to cheat on your guy. If we buy you, we would help you make contact with him, and hopefully get back to him."

"Thank you." Hannah says, looking relieved. "Then yes, if he doesn't show up, please bid on me."

As Hannah walks out, Robert says. "I really hope her boyfriend shows up, and has cash. Buying her and holding onto her until he can redeem her would be a giant pain."

"Definitely." Jane says. "The good news is that she is at the very end of the auction."

"Wait, if her boyfriend is here today, he's a green card, right?" Robert asks.

"Fuck. Yeah, why hasn't he claimed her?" Jane asks. "When he shows up, we need to find out what the hell he has been doing since she got detained."

"Let's get the next one." Robert says. "The clock is ticking, and I'd like to get as many interviews in as we can. We probably need to find the bidder Rosie told us about too."

The next interview is with the teacher. As she is led into the room, she is at the brink of tears.

"Ron, can I give her a hug?" Jane asks. He shrugs and closes the door, giving them a small amount of privacy.

"Hi, my name is Jane." Jane says, coming around the desk slowly. "This is my husband, Robert. What is your name?"

"Lindsey." The woman says, sobbing slightly.

"We aren't here to hurt you, Lindsey." Jane says. "We just want to talk to you, and at the end, you can tell us if you want us to bid on you. If you say no, we won't. Can I give you a hug?"

Lindsey nods, and sobs a bit harder as Jane hugs her. After a moment, she hugs her back. Jane gives her a minute, and then pulls back.

Lindsey says. "I'm sorry for crying. I know I'm not making a great first impression."

"It's fine." Jane says, moving her chair around to sit directly across from Lindsey, their knees nearly touching. "I read your profile online, but I just want to make sure the information is accurate. I'm going to ask you some questions, feel free to just nod yes or no if you are struggling to talk."

Lindsey nods, and Jane continues. "You are a teacher?"

"Elementary school, for the past two years." Lindsey says. "I was working on my Master's degree, and then I was going to move up to high school eventually."

"Ok, that's great." Jane says encouragingly. "I know this one is going to be hard, but it says you were married. Is that right?"

Lindsey just nods, tears threatening to burst out. After a moment she says. "He was detained too. Red card."

"I'm so sorry." Jane says, rubbing her back. "We generally aren't bidding on women who were previously married, but we would really like a teacher in the house. Would you like to hear a bit about us, and then you can ask us any questions you have for us?"

Lindsey nods, and Jane tells her a bit about them, and about Lucia, Alexia, and Amber. She tells her about their dream of relocation to a more remote area, and how they would want her to home school any children, to keep them out of the public system and any indoctrination that would happen there. Jane pauses for a moment, and says. "We wouldn't expect you to be with Robert, if you aren't comfortable. There are birth quotas though, and at some point it may be necessary in order for the government to let you stay with us. That wouldn't be for years though."

Lindsey looks up at Robert, and he nods. "We are going to have lots of women in the house. And the last thing I want is an unwilling or unhappy partner."

"So you just want me to teach kids?" Lindsey asks, looking almost suspicious.

"When there are kids." Jane says. "Until then, maybe you can study, and teach any of the other women in the house who are interested in more education. Obviously we would like it if you at least did enough chores so that you aren't making more work for everyone else, until you start teaching."

"I can do that." Lindsey says, tears gone now.

"Do you have any questions for us?" Jane asks. "I'm sorry to rush you, but we have a dozen more women to interview before 10 am."

"No questions." Lindsey says. "If you are serious, please bid on me. I don't want these guys to touch me. I wouldn't be able to live with myself."

"We'll do our best to get you." Jane says, standing up. "Keep your head up, honey. This will all be over soon."

Before Ron can bring back the vet for her interview, an older man pops his head in the door. "Hello there. I'm your neighbor in the next interview room."

"Hi. I'm Robert, and this is my wife Jane." Robert says, standing up and shaking his hand.

"I'm Frank." The man says. "Is the huge black van outside yours?"

"It is." Robert says.

"Then you are my competition." Frank says. "I'm guessing your allotment is around 10?"

"Something like that." Robert says suspiciously. "And yours is?"

"Same range." Frank says. "I'm not here to get into a pissing contest. We can bid against each other, and run out of money fast, or we can take a few minutes, and work out how to avoid running up the prices. Why give Uncle Sam any more money than we have to?"

"That sounds very reasonable." Jane says. "Which girls are interested in?"

Frank pulls out a list. "These are the ones I want. The ones at the top are the ones I'm not really willing to budge on."

Jane looks at the list, and compares it to the one on her phone. "Let me just compare, and hopefully we can work through any overlap."

"Ok, so we've got 4 profiles in common. One of the ones on your list is someone we know in person, and I promised her grandmother I'd bring her home with us. We can give you the other three, if you take this one off." Jane says.

"Which one?" Frank says, and Jane points out the number. "Oh, the Asian girl. I suppose I can let you have her. You aren't going to bid on the other three at all, right?"

"As long as you don't bid on Mei." Jane says. "Mei is last of that group, so we are trusting you to keep your word."

"There is another Asian girl going up tomorrow. I'll just bid on her instead." Frank says. "Nice doing business with you." Nodding to them both, he walks back out the door, and Ron leads the vet to the door.

"Please, take a seat." Jane says, gesturing at the chair, before moving hers back around next to Robert.

"I'm sorry, just give us 1 minute." Robert asks the vet, who nods. Turning back to Jane, he whispers. "Who the hell did we just give away?"

"The artisan, the Indian nurse, and one of the orange card cute girls." Jane says. "We probably weren't getting any of those anyhow, if he was going to bid them up."

"Ok, just checking." Robert says. "Sorry about that." He says to the vet. "I'm Robert, and this is my wife Jane."

"I'm Taylor." The woman says nervously. "I'm not sure how this is supposed to go."

"I'll ask you a few questions, and then we'll tell you a bit about us, and then you can ask us any questions you have. Does that sound good?" Jane says. "At the end, you can tell us whether you want us to bid on you. We are only bidding on women that want to come home with us."

"That sounds good." Taylor says, and fidgets nervously.

"Your profile says you are a veterinarian?" Jane asks.

"Yes, I worked with my dad at his practice. We specialize in large animals." Taylor says.

"How long have you been a vet?" Jane asks.

"I finished school about a year ago." Taylor says. "But I grew up helping him."

"Excellent. And you are currently single?" Jane asks.

"Yes." Taylor says, and then adds nervously. "I had a boyfriend in college, but I didn't have time for relationships after I finished my undergraduate work."

"That's good." Jane says. "Obviously this is a lot harder for women who are being split up from their significant others."

Taylor nods.

"I'll tell you a bit about us, how our house works, and then I'll let you ask your questions." Jane says, and Taylor nods again. Jane proceeds to tell her about themselves, the other girls, and their eventual plan to relocate to a remote area, and hopefully have a farm. "You can probably see where you come into this."

"I can." Taylor says. "What else do you expect from me? I doubt most of the men out there are planning to bid on me for my vet skills."

Robert looks like he is going to speak, and Jane stops him. "We aren't expecting you to jump straight into bed with Robert, if that is what you are asking. We are already bidding on one woman who isn't interested at all though, and I'd prefer that you at least be open to the idea, after you get comfortable. I'm not sure if they told you, but they have put a breeding quota in place. If we are going to bid on you, we have to know that at some point, you are willing to have at least one child for Robert."

"May I ask Robert a question?" Taylor asks, and Jane nods. "How do you treat women in bed? Are you rough? If I say no, would you stop? I have no intention of allowing myself to be mistreated."

"I treat all of my girls with respect." Robert says. "Consent is extremely important to me."

"He's a gentle and kind lover." Jane adds. "The girls we currently have argue about whose turn it is."

"They do." Robert says, almost mournfully. "Lucia is getting a bit possessive at times."

"I'm working on it with her, honey." Jane says, and turning back to Taylor. "We want everyone in the house to get along, and as long as you can make Robert happy occasionally with a genuine smile, we should be fine."

"I think he and I can work something out." Taylor says with a blush. "One more question. I... experimented... with girls back in college. What is your stance on that, if I found a special friend in your house?"

"I'm all for it." Robert says. "Not everyone is bi though, so make sure you have their consent. I don't play around about that."

"I will." Taylor says, and smiles. "I think I know what I need to. I'd like you to bid on me."

"One more thing." Jane says. "We don't have a doctor or nurse currently, though we have a girl who is interested. We'd like you to train her up as much as you can on any skills that cross-over to humans, and to help with anyone in the house that is sick, until and unless we can get a doctor or nurse in the house."

"No problem." Taylor says. "I'd be happy to teach her as much as I can."

After Taylor walks out of the room, Jane turns to Robert. "What do you think?"

"I like her." Robert says. "She'll never be a sub, but I could see her getting along well with Lucia."

"Agreed." Jane says. "She's not my type, but I think once you get her in bed, you can probably get her to open up a bit."

"Definitely." Robert says. "Gardener next, right?"

"Yeah." Jane says, going to the door and giving Ron the profile number.

As she walks in, Robert can see the poor girl is trembling. "Please take a seat." Robert says quietly. As she does, Robert asks. "Is this your first interview this morning?"

"No, sir." She says.

"Please don't be nervous." Robert says. "We aren't going to hurt you, or yell at you."

She looks up, after taking them in, relaxes just a bit. "Thank you. I'm Emily."

"Hi, Emily." Jane says. "I'm Jane, and this is my husband Robert."

"What happened in your last interview?" Robert asks with obvious concern.

"He said he was going to hurt me." Emily says, shaking a bit again. "I don't want to repeat it."

"No one is going to hurt you." Robert says, color rising in his face.

"Robert..." Jane says, grabbing his leg. Looking at Emily, she continues. "We would like to ask you a few questions, and then tell you about ourselves. After that you can ask any questions you have. Before you leave, please tell us if you would like us to bid on you. We only bid on women who want us to."

"Yes, Ma'am." Emily says.

"It said on your profile that you work at a nursery that specializes in permaculture. Is that right?" Jane asks.

"Yes, Ma'am." Emily says. "I studied it in college, and I really like focusing on sustainable sources of food production."

"Excellent." Jane says. "If we wanted you to do a project like that for us, could you design it on your own, and build it with help from a few people who don't really know what they are doing?"

"Yes, Ma'am." Emily says.

"You are such a polite girl. I really like that." Jane says, and Emily blushes. "And you are 24?"

"Yes, Ma'am. I just turned 24 last month." Emily says.

Jane proceeds to tell Emily the plan and about the house. "Before we let you ask questions, I just had a few more. Are you currently single?" Jane asks.

"Yes, Ma'am." Emily says, and blushing, continues. "I'm really shy. I've never gone on a date before."

"So I'm assuming you are a virgin?" Jane asks, and Emily just nods. "How do you feel about the idea of having sex? Does it bother you?"

"No, Ma'am." Emily says, blushing even more red. "I'm definitely interested in that. I'm just a little scared."

"So if you had someone who was kind, caring, and gentle, you'd be open to it?" Jane asks.

"Yes, Ma'am. That would be a relief." Emily says.

"This might sound like a weird question, but please answer honestly." Jane says, and then asks. "Are you interested in men, women, or both?"

Emily hesitates, and then says quietly. "Both, I think, Ma'am." She immediately hides her face in her hands. "I'm sorry." she mumbles.

"That's fine, honey." Jane reassures her. "I'm bi as well."

Emily slowly moves her hands, and says. "Really?"

"Yes." Jane says. "Do you have any questions for us?"

"If I come home with you, are you going to hit me?" Emily asks.

"Absolutely not." Robert says.

"If you misbehave in a way that causes major trouble, we may punish you." Jane says. "We can work with you to limit that punishment to something that doesn't cause you trauma though. If spanking is a problem for you, we can do something like time out. And we only punish if someone really messes up, intentionally."

"I'm not a troublemaker." Emily says. "I tend to be quiet, just tending my garden and reading my books."

"I think we will get along great." Robert says. "We have lots of books at home, and a few of the other girls like reading."

"That sounds wonderful." Emily says, a bit dreamily. "I would like to come home with you. Will you bid on me?"

Robert looks at Jane, who nods. "Yes, we will."

"One more thing, Emily." Jane says. "Have they told you about the breeding quota?"

"No, Ma'am." Emily's eyes go wide.

"Each household has to have one child born per year. That lasts until the house has as many children as they have adults." Jane explains. "Would you be willing to have at least one child, at some point in the future?"

"I've always wanted to be a mother." Emily says. "I love kids."

"That's a relief." Jane says. "It was nice speaking with you Emily, I hope we end up taking you home."

As Emily walks out, Jane looks at her watch. "We need to hurry up, or cut the amount of interviews." She says.

"What if we do the red card possibles next, and then alternate orange and red maybes after that?" Robert asks. "It sounds like we are going to get our possibles, and probably won't have to go after a maybe anyhow, unless we want to do more than 3 reds today."

"Good idea." Jane says. As she gets up to go to the door, she spots a young man being pointed there way by Hannah from the interview tables. Putting her head back inside, she tells Robert. "Looks like Hannah's boyfriend is here."

"Hi, I'm Trevor." The young man says, looking nervous.

"I'm Jane, and this is my husband Robert." Jane introduces them, and waves at the chair. "Take a seat, we've only got a few minutes."

After he sits, Robert asks. "You are a green card, right?"

"Yes, sir." Trevor says.

"No need for the sir, I'm not that old." Robert says. "Have you claimed another girl? Why exactly is Hannah up for auction in the first place?"

"Claimed?" Trevor asks, looking extremely dumb.

"Did you not read the paperwork that came with your green card?" Jane asks, in a tone that was a bit nicer than Robert would have used.

"I skimmed in a bit." Trevor says. "I just got tested yesterday, I haven't really had time to read it all."

"Each green card is allowed to claim one red card detainee." Jane says. "I would suggest you go to the guards right now, and tell them you want to claim Hannah. They should send you back to Rosie at the front desk to have her process it, and then you own her without having to bid on her."

"Oh..." Trevor says, and starts to get up. "Umm... Thanks."

"Trevor." Robert says, and as he turns back. "You still have to bid on the orange cards, or they will assign you a few. Once Hannah gets processed, I would suggest having her help you pick who to bid on. Don't bid on the one who is handcuffed to her chair, she's insane."

"Oh.. Shit.. sorry, I didn't realize I'd be taking home anyone other than Hannah." Trevor says. "My mom is going to be angry at me."

"I'll give you my number." Jane says. "I know this is all complicated, if you or she have questions, you can call me."

As Trevor walks out, Robert says. "You are too nice sometimes. They are probably going to call you constantly."

"Hannah seems bright." Jane says. "I suspect she'll take charge once they get home."

The next woman they interview is Reyna. She gives them both a serious glance as she walks in.

"Please, take a seat." Jane says.

As Reyna sits, Jane introduces them both. "I'm Jane, and this is my husband Robert."

"My name is Reyna." Reyna says.

"So normally we ask a few questions, then tell you about ourselves, and give you a chance to ask some questions. After that, you can decide if you are interested in us bidding on you." Jane says. "I do want to mention something before we start though. One of our girls was able to find your social media, so we do know a bit more about your background than with most of the women we've interviewed."

"Not a lot of half Filipino Forest service rangers in the county to get me confused with?" Reyna says with a smile.

"You are a bit unique." Jane admits. "So that answers a few of my questions already. You were a Ranger, and previously were a security guard?"

"I was." Reyna says. "And after the past two weeks of being in here, I wish I had just vanished into the forest when this all started."

"I don't blame you." Robert says. "This is all fucked."

"So why are you here, if you feel that way?" Reyna asks.

"A few reasons." Jane says. "First, they've set quotas on how many women each man has to take. If you don't go to the auctions, you get whoever is left, like the crazy woman out there."

"That's a good reason." Reyna interjects. "She does appear to be insane. And she seems to know you."

"That's a long story." Jane says. "If you end up with us, I promise we'll tell you the whole thing. The second reason is that we genuinely want to help people. I've been on the wrong side of an abusive relationship, and I wouldn't wish that on anyone."

"Ok, I'll buy that reason too." Reyna says. "Any others?"

Jane blushes a bit, and puts her arm through Robert's. "I love this guy. And he deserves the best, at all times."

"That's quite an endorsement." Reyna says.

"I might be underselling it." Jane says. "He's my perfect man."

"I'm just ok." Robert says, kissing Jane on the forehead. "You are the amazing one."

Reyna coughs loudly. "Do I need to step outside for a minute?"

Jane laughs. "Sorry, you'll have to get used to that, if you end up with us. That's why we are here, but there are other reasons we are interested in you, in particular."

"I am a hot piece of ass." Reyna says, laughing.

"You are." Jane says with a grin. "And don't think we don't know that, and appreciate it. But I meant your professional skills. We are hoping to relocate somewhere a little more remote, on a decent sized piece of property, and we think your background as a Ranger would be very useful. I would also love having someone who can go out with me, Robert, or one of the other girls to make sure they stay safe. With your background, and martial arts skills, I think you can fill that role."

"So you want me to play bodyguard?" Reyna asks. "I'm not objecting, I just want to be clear on what the ask is."

"Primarily bodyguard at first, and eventually you could use your Ranger skills a bit more if and when we get property." Jane says.

"I can do that." Reyna says, and then leans forward. "What kind of perks does the job come with?"

"You'll have to share a room at first." Jane says. "And you probably won't need to do much in the way of chores, we have other girls who will be happy to handle that in exchange for making them feel safe when they leave the house."

"Not quite what I meant." Reyna says. "I'm sorry, do you mind if I'm very, very blunt?"

"Please." Robert says. "Blunt is good in this situation. We only have so long for these interviews."

"I have a very high sex drive." Reyna says. "I haven't had an orgasm in almost two weeks, and it's driving me crazy. Normally I use my toys, but they didn't exactly give me time to pack... If I agree to have you bid on me, how long do I have to wait to get him in bed?"

"After we get home?" Jane asks, and Reyna nods. "He usually likes to get to know people first, but given the state of his pants right now..." Jane pats the front of Robert's pants, which are tented outward. "I'd say about 10 minutes."

"I know you are in a rush, but can I ask like two more questions?" Reyna asks eagerly.

"Go ahead." Jane asks with a smile.

"He's not a minuteman, is he?" Reyna asks, and looks at Robert. "No offense meant."

"None taken." Robert says with a laugh.

"Definitely not a minuteman." Jane says. "And he loves eating pussy."

"Fuck." Reyna says. "You don't suppose they'd let us close the blinds for a few minutes?"

"I think that'd get all three of us in a lot of trouble." Jane says with a laugh. "What was your other question?"

"You already answered it." Reyna says. "I love a man who eats pussy with enthusiasm."

"I think you two are going to get along great." Jane laughs. "Before we let you go, you do know that they aren't allowing you ladies to have birth control, right?"

"They removed my implant." Reyna confirms, showing the bandage on her arm. "Yes, I know that means that I'm probably going to end up pregnant, and while I'm not exactly looking for that right now, I accept that is probably an inevitable result of being a horny bitch in a world without birth control."

"They have a breeding quota now, too." Jane says. "I can explain more about that later, it sounds like you are on board?"

"Absolutely, I'd just like Robert's assurance that he's going to give me an orgasm when we get back to your place." Reyna says.

Jane nudges Robert a bit, noticing he's been staring at Reyna a bit since she mentioned being super horny. "Stop imagining her in our bed, and promise her that you'll put her there as soon as we get home."

"We shower together first, and then we can have fun for as long as you want. Or until we absolutely have to break for lunch." Robert says.

"Deal." Reyna says, stretching out her hand. Robert shakes it, and Reyna gets up and exits.

"That took a little longer than expected." Jane says. "We've got 30 minutes left, I think we've only got time for the one possible interview."

"So far it's going great though." Robert says.

"It is." Jane says, and goes to the door to give Ron the next profile number. A minute later he returns with an angry looking woman with dirty blonde hair.

"Please, take a seat." Jane says for what seems like the hundredth time today.

"I'm Jane, and this is my husband Robert." Jane says, pausing a moment to let the woman respond. When she doesn't, Jane asks. "What is your name?"

"Megan." The woman responds.

"Please feel free to speak freely, Megan. We aren't here to hurt you." Jane says.

"I just had a sick fuck tell me that he wanted to 'fuck my injun ass to death', so respectfully, I'm not sure I believe it just because you say it." Megan nearly screams.

Jane stares at her in shock, and Robert steps in. "I'm so sorry. We would like to see if we are good fit for you, and vice versa. If we are, I can assure you that none of those men out there will have a chance to put a hand on you."

"And what do you want to do with me?" Megan asks a bit hotly. "I think I've heard it all today."

Jane has recovered and says. "We are interested in you as a human being, not just a set of holes. I assure you, the last girl who was in here offered to keep Robert busy for quite some time."

"What a whore." Megan says.

"That's not very nice." Robert says. "Maybe this isn't a good idea."

He leans towards Jane, to ask if they should just end the interview, when Megan speaks up again. "I'm sorry. It's been a very traumatic day, and there are only so many times a girl can hear that she is 'fuckmeat' or something similar before she loses it."

Jane speaks up before Robert can. "I understand. But if this is going to work, you are never going to call another one of our girls a whore. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Megan says.

"Why don't you let me tell you a bit about us, and then we can do some Q&A?" Jane says.

Megan nods, and Jane explains their plans for the future, that they are going to have around 8-12 girls in the house, and then about the breeding quota.

"So no matter who buys me, they are going to want to knock me up?" Megan asks, a tear running down her face.

"If they are a single concubine house, they won't have a choice." Jane says. "We can offer you the luxury of delaying that day, but you will have to be willing to have one at some point. It's not fair to ask the other girls to get pregnant repeatedly, and you not even once."

"Later is better than now." Megan admits. "Apart from a kid, what do you want from me?"

"Well, if we end up with property, and potentially a farm, a girl who grew up on a farm could be useful." Jane says. "Until that happens, you'd be assigned to help with some household tasks like cooking, laundry, or cleaning."

"And what do you want from me?" Megan asks, staring at Robert.

"I want you to get along well with everyone, and not cause problems." Robert says. "If and when you are ready to do something with me, just let me know. We can always move slowly."

"But." Jane interrupts. "If you don't think you are ever going to be ready, we ask that you are honest and tell us up front."

"I'm not a virgin." Megan says, and shudders as she continues. "But I also don't want to get raped."

"No one is raping you in our house." Robert says. "Consent is very important."

Jane looks at Megan. "I'm going to admit, I'm not 100% sold on you. Based on what you've heard, do you want us to bid on you?"

"Yes..." Megan says, a bit reluctantly. "Anything is better than those creeps."

"Yes, I suppose it is." Jane says, a little irritated. "But we have options. I want to know that you are going to do your best to get along, not make waves, and otherwise be a good fit. If you can't reassure me of that, we need to consider other options."

"I'll be good." Megan says, making eye contact. "This is all just very traumatic."

"It's traumatic for every girl we've talked to." Jane says. "The only other one that responded with anger towards us is the crazy woman out there. Is this normal behavior for you, or a one off?"

"Definitely not normal." Megan says, with a small laugh. "You mentioned a farm. My parents have one in the mountains, and they were detained. Would you be willing to consider buying that one? Then I could be at home, at least."

"Maybe." Jane says. "That could have some advantages. But it would have to be a good fit, and you'd need to earn our trust."

"I'll do my best." Megan says. "Please bid on me."

As she walks out, Jane turns to Robert. "Thoughts?"

"She's attractive." Robert says. "And using her family's farm would make sense. But..."

"But she might be crazy?" Jane asks.

"Not crazy, I don't think." Robert says. "Manipulative? Entitled? Spoiled?"

"And maybe crazy." Jane says. "Let's go take a walk past the red cards, and see if anyone sticks out to you. If they do, we can quickly interview them. I'm just not sold on her."

"I think I can fix her." Robert says. "It might take a little work though."

"Honey, I love you." Jane says. "But there is no chance you can fix that girl. She'll bat her eyelashes, wiggle her ass, and cry a bit, and you'll forget all about tough love. I'm willing to take her in, if we don't find someone else, but if she acts up, I'm fixing her, and you will stay out of it. If you can't agree to that, we can't bid on her."

Robert takes a minute to think, and says. "I get two chances, if it's something minor. And I get to warn her after the first that if she continues to act up, that I won't be able to decide her punishment again. After that, I'll stay out of it, as long as I don't have to see or hear whatever training you come up with."

"You can warn her after her second fuckup." Jane says. "And if we can't both agree on whether something is major, Lucia, Alexia, and Amber are the tie-breakers. And your play sessions, when they start happening, are supervised by me. I am not willing to end up with her being both pregnant and a problem."

"Agreed." Robert says. "We've only got 10 minutes until the auction starts, we should hurry up and see if we missed anyone."

Jane leads the way down the group of women, past various bidders who are open ogling them. She smiles at Mei as she approaches, and then at Reyna a little further down. Stopping near a guard, she asks."Which ones are the red cards?"

"The last 20 or so." The guard replies. "The rest are orange."

"Honey, what do you think?" Jane asks. "See anyone that sticks out?"

Robert scans the faces, most of whom look scared, tired, or just numb. "I don't think so. What about you?"

"No." Jane admits. "We don't have to take 3 reds though. I'm sure Lucia has dozens of reds waiting for review."

"She's got the skill set though, and the connection to a farm that's in the right area." Robert says. "We also requested her, so we have to bid at least once, unless someone else does."

"Let's compromise." Jane says. "We can bid, but we aren't going crazy. $1,000 maximum, and only if we still have plenty at that time."

"Deal." Robert says.

"And if she starts with the crazy, and she isn't trainable, we sell her. I'm not having her in the house long term if she can't behave." Jane says.

"Understood." Robert says.

As they take one last look at the assembled women, they hear a bit of feedback from a microphone, and turning, they see a man at the front of the room. "If all bidders would please come up to the front, we are getting started in two minutes."