A Dark Future Ch. 26

"Let me do the negotiating, honey." Jane says. "Who knows what they are going to ask for, or want. Try to keep quiet unless they offer something we definitely don't want."

"I suppose." Robert says. "Are we at least agreed that they need to offer us a fairly good deal, for us to agree to anything today? It sounds like we might be better off shopping their deal elsewhere, it's not like this is the only area we like."

"Maybe we could shop it somewhere less... rural?" Lucia chimes in from the back.

"Maybe somewhere closer to home?" Alexia suggests.

"We really love it up in the mountains though." Jane says. "This has been our plan for years."

"Plus, if things get worse, being somewhere away from population centers, and with the ability to be self-sufficient, could be very important." Robert says. "I know the idea makes a few of you girls nervous, and we will do everything we can to help make you comfortable. But if we stayed in our area, we would be looking at a 5 acre lot and a 5-6 bedroom house, at best."

"I understand, Master." Lucia says reluctantly. "I just really didn't like how people looked at us at lunch. It was different than the nasty looks we got back home."

"This area is very insular." Robert says. "But that's going to be changing, as more people do these relocation programs. Would it help if you didn't have to leave home much once we get moved?"

"Yes." Lucia says. "I hate even leaving our house where we live now."

"Then we will do our best to keep any of you home that want to stay home." Robert says. "And when we meet with the BAA administrator in a few minutes, we can ask about whether they have any reason to think you girls won't be safe."

"Thank you, Master." Alexia says. "That is helpful."

"And if we do leave the house, and someone gets grabby, I'll blast the fuckers." Reyna says, grinning.

"Let's try not to shoot anyone." Robert says. "But if it's ever you or them, do what you need to do."

"We are almost there." Jane says. "We will leave you all in the van, unless they want us to bring you inside. Amber is in charge, and I'll leave the key with her, so you don't get cold."

"Does anyone need anything before we head inside?" Jane asks, pulling into the county office parking lot behind Cheryl.

"I think a few of us wouldn't mind using the bathroom." Samira says. "Especially if you are going to be a bit."

Jane sighs. "I guess we may be taking you inside then. I have no idea how long this will take, but I suspect it might be a while."

After she gets out of the car, Jane asks Cheryl. "Some of the girls need to use the facilities. Do you mind if we bring them inside?"

"Tom may want to see the whole group, I suppose." Cheryl says. "We don't normally allow concubines into the actual offices though, just the holding area in the basement, or the long term holding facility and auction house."

"What is the 'long term holding facility'?" Robert can't help but ask.

"Oh, there is an old prison that stopped being used about a decade ago." Cheryl says. "It has enough room for all of the livestock, except a few that Tom is giving special treatment to. Those are in the basement."

"Livestock?" Robert asks, getting angry, despite himself.

"Why don't we head inside?" Jane cuts in. "We need to get this over with, so we can get on the road. Robert, can you get the girls together?"

Robert bites his tongue, opening the van door, and stepping back to let the girls out. "Try not to talk to anyone." He says quietly as they get out.

As he reaches the doors where Cheryl and Jane wait, Cheryl says. "There are too many of us for one load in the elevator. Maybe the girls can take the stairs, and we can do the elevator?"

"You and I can take the elevator." Jane says. "Robert can escort the girls. What floor is it?"

"3rd." Cheryl says, apparently relieved she doesn't have to share the elevator with any concubines. "The stairs are right over there." Cheryl points to a door next to the elevator.

When they reach the third floor, Robert finds Cheryl and Jane waiting with an older man. "Hi, I'm Tom. Welcome to our little town." He says, holding out his hand to Robert.

Robert shakes it reflexively, trying not to let any of his repugnance for all of this on his face. "I'm Robert, and these are our girls." Robert waves at the girls behind him. "I'd introduce them individually, but Jane informs me that we want to get home before dark."

"Happy wife, happy life." Tom says, smiling. "I totally understand. I've been married for 40 years. Please, follow me to my office. Cheryl, can you get their girls settled in the conference room?"

"I think they could use a pit stop first." Jane says.

"Of course." Tom says. "Cheryl, can you show them to the facilities first?"

As they enter Tom's office, he says. "If either of you would like something to drink, I can have Cheryl grab it when she gets back. I normally would have offered right away, but I know you are in a hurry."

"We are fine." Jane says. "Long drive back and all. So what was it you wanted to meet with us about?"

"In the spirit of brevity," Tom says. "We would very much like you to commit to our community before you leave today. We seized the private school from it's previous owners, and can let you have it far under market. But we need a few things from you, as well."

"What kind of things?" Jane says. "And why are you so desperate for us, in particular?"

Tom laughs. "I can see we don't want to beat around the proverbial bush." Tom continues. "Our veterinarian is a tribal member, and was detained. I've managed to avoid sending him to the regional work camp so far, but that won't last much longer. To be frank, I need a replacement vet, as quickly as possible, before I get an angry phone call, and risk being replaced. We have a few other complications you may be able to help with, as well."

Jane pulls out her phone, and says. "I hope you don't mind, I'm going to take notes. I want to be clear about what we are agreeing to, if we come to an agreement."

"That's fine." Tom says. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't share those with people outside of this room though."

"Understood." Jane says. "What are the other complications?"

"We are in an unusual situation here." Tom says. "Large parts of this county were once a reservation, and as a result, close to 40% of the town identified as Native American. Nearly 50% of the county was detained, and while the populations were somewhat segregated, there have been more intermarriages in the past few generations. Most of us have some family member whose spouse and children have been detained."

"But not Cheryl?" Robert can't help but ask.

"Cheryl is a unique case." Tom says. "I apologize for sending her to meet you, but I was in a county commission meeting this morning, and she is our only other BAA rep for the area."

"So what is the complication?" Jane asks. "Feel free to explain it to us like we are stupid. I prefer to make sure I understand the situation, exactly."

"Basically, we have hundreds of women in a local facility, and no families willing to take them." Tom says. "The Regional BAA reps want us to send them to the nearest city for auction. That would, naturally, upset most of the people in the town who are related to those girls. Including me."

"And how can we help with that?" Jane says. "And before you ask, no, we don't have room for hundreds of girls, even in a giant private school."

Tom laughs. "Oh, I know you already have a large household. Keeping up with that many women must be a full time job. There are a few ways you can help. Rosie tells us that you met with a couple who were struggling with the idea of acquiring concubines. Here, the problem is primarily with the wives, and mothers. Many in the community have strong religious convictions, and when you combine that with a wife who says, 'Absolutely not.', well, you can see the problem. I need someone who has lived the life, to talk some sense into these women, before we have a huge problem."

"Why not have the local clergy do it?" Jane asks curiously.

"Good question." Robert says. "Just ask them to preach the old testament for a few Sundays. Just about every old testament figure had a handmaid, a dozen wives, or both."

"I've leaned on as many of them as I can." Tom says with a sigh. "A few are realistic, but others are a bit more new testament. I need someone else, preferably a woman, to talk to some of them, one on one. If we can get a few of them to buy in, they'll convince their friends, and so on."

"So you want me to, what, throw a tea party for middle aged ladies?" Jane asks incredulously. "To convince them to let their husbands bring other women into their houses."

"I was thinking maybe attending a few ladies lunches." Tom says. "I can get my wife to take you to the first one, and introduce you to the group. If you can win over the wives of the most influential men in town, the rest will take care of itself."

"I'm not very social." Jane says. "But I can try, if we figure everything else out. I can't guarantee success though. What else do you want from us?"

"I'd love you to replace Cheryl." Tom says. "Rosie tells me your concubines are happy, and you've met Cheryl. She's just not a good fit for this. I can't get rid of her without showing I have a much better candidate though. Her husband is on the county commission with me."

"Wait, you are a county commissioner?" Robert asks.

"It's a small county." Tom says. "Each county is allowed to appoint their own director, at least initially. We decided one of us was going to do it, and I drew the short straw."

"No offense, but I'm not working for the BAA." Jane says. "I can try to talk people into the program, for the sake of the girls, but I'm not comfortable with doing more than that."

"It was worth a shot." Tom says. "Rosie said you would say no, but I was hoping after meeting Cheryl, that you'd be more open to the idea."

"I agree, you do need to get rid of her." Jane says. "I'm just not the right person. Are there any other requests? And what exactly is the deal you are offering us?"

"I have one other, and I'm afraid I need to insist on this one." Tom says. "I need you to take a local woman as a concubine."

"We already have a local girl." Jane says.

"Yes, Megan." Tom says. "Her father worked for me, before my son took over the family business. But I need you to take someone who is connected in the community."

Robert sighs. "I already have too many girls. Maybe we can do something else?"

Tom shakes his head. "Two of the other commissioners have relatives who are detained. And several important local business owners do as well. If you had an emptier house, I'd ask you to take all of them. I'm only asking for you to take one. You have 10 now, right? And a maximum allotment of 15?"

"Twelve." Robert says.

"Rosie gave us the extra slot, even though we said we didn't want it." Jane says. "And then you got a promotion at work..."

Robert sighs. "Great."

"These women have family members who are worried that they are going to be taken out of the county." Tom says. "They want to keep them close, so they can keep an eye on them. Think of it as making an alliance, if that helps."

"Sure." Robert says. "Until I have to juggle yet another woman in the house. I can't keep up with the ones I have."

"They make pills for that." Tom says, trying and failing to contain a smile. "Or so I'm told."

"Why don't you just claim them?" Jane asks. "If it's that important. Each of you claim one of the other guys' relatives."

"Because my wife would murder me." Tom says. "And so would the other guys' wives."

"Which you need me to fix." Jane says.

"Exactly." Tom says. "If I could claim them, and remain alive, I would. I don't like asking people to do something I'm unwilling to do. Once my wife is on board, I'll claim my maximum allotment. And I'm sure many of the other local men will, too. No one wants to see what happens if the Regional guys show up and try to take them out of the county."

"You think they wouldn't be allowed to leave?" Robert asks.

"I know they wouldn't." Tom says. "It would be ugly, and then the national guard would end up running the town."

"Shit." Robert says, and looks over at Jane. "Honey, we may need to rethink this. No offense Tom, but I need my family to be safe."

"They can be." Tom says. "We really only need a few households to open the floodgates. If we can show women are being claimed, even slowly, we can keep them from being taken."

Robert hesitates, and Jane again asks. "What are you offering us, exactly?"

"Oh, sorry." Tom says. "We can do a straight up trade on the private school. The local bank will give you a mortgage for whatever you owe still on your current house, at a favorable rate. We will put a lien on your home, that will expire in 10 years. If you leave before then, you owe the county $500,000. If you stay at least that long, the lien goes away, and you just owe the mortgage. In addition, we will help you find whatever you need for your renovations, whether that is building supplies, contractors, etc. Just let us know, and we will point you in the right direction. Several local business owners are offering discounts at their stores, restaurants, etc for various lengths of time to anyone who relocates here through the BAA. I can get you a list of those stores."

"Some of our girls are worried about getting some weird looks." Jane says. "I need to know, honestly, will they be safe here?"

"We haven't had any incidents." Tom says. "I'll admit, we don't get many outsiders, or many people who aren't Native or White in this town, even before this. Some of your concubines are going to stand out, but I doubt anyone will hassle them. If they do, let me know, and I'll make sure it gets handled."

"I'd feel more comfortable if they could defend themselves." Jane says. "One of our girls has an emergency carry permit. If I wanted permanent carry permits for a few of them, could you promise to make that happen?"

"As long as they are trained." Tom says. "I can talk to the sheriff, and see if he has anyone willing to train them."

"Our girl is qualified." Jane says. "And I'm sure the girls would be more comfortable with her doing it."

"That's fine." Tom says. "Anything else you need from me, or the town? I really need an answer before you leave town."

"One second." Jane says to Tom, and turns to Robert, leaning in, and whispering. "What do you think?"

"Are you confident you can talk the wives around?" Robert asks. "If not, we need to bail on all of this."

"I think I can." Jane says. "Are you willing to take one girl?"

Robert sighs. "One. Only if he promises that he won't push any more on us."

Jane turns back to Tom. "Here are our conditions. We will take 1 girl, of our choice. If we don't like any of the girls you want us to take, then you can back out, or give us another group of girls to choose from. Moving forward, if we take any more concubines, it'll be at our instigation. We also want a promise of privacy at our new home, no showing up unexpectedly, or getting hassled by the local authorities. Also, if new rules come down, we want to know as soon as you know."

"Anything else?" Tom asks.

"Actually, yes." Jane says. "Some of our girls have family who may need to move here. One of them is elderly, and will need care. Is there a local assisted living, or something similar?"

"We can work something out." Tom says. "A few local older ladies have 'roommates' that they basically take care of. I know one who has an opening. You said some of your girls, are we talking just the one?"

"Just one elderly woman." Jane says. "I may be able to get you a full time veterinarian as well, though."

"Excellent." Tom says. "That is very useful."

"Can I promise him the same type of help you are giving us?" Jane asks. "Assistance with the housing swap, local business discounts, etc?"

"Absolutely." Tom says. "Is he at his allotment?"

"He isn't really on board." Jane says. "We talked him into three that we are picking up when we get home. It may be best not to push more on him, right now."

"Give him my email address." Tom says, handing over a business card. "I'm sure we can come to an arrangement. We desperately need a vet. You can't have a farming community without one."

"Good." Jane says. "I think we have a deal."

Tom picks up his phone, hitting a speed dial. "Cheryl, please bring in the paperwork."

Jane looks at him quizzically. "What paperwork?"

"I had all of the paperwork for this drawn up over the past two days." Tom says. "We just need to add a few things, and then we can sign."

"We still need to inspect the property." Robert says.

Cheryl opens the door, bringing in a few folders. "Here it is." She says. "Anything else I can get you?"

Tom flips through them, until he is satisfied nothing is missing. "Can you phone the bank, and ask them to send over a notary? And have the guests from the basement brought to the second story conference room."

"Will do." Cheryl says, and smiles at Robert and Jane, before closing the door.

"This is a bit sudden." Jane says, and Robert nods.

"Here are the inspection reports." Tom says. "I had the county inspector go over it, as well as a local contractor. One of the women you are picking from is the contractor's niece, and he is aware the report is going to someone that may well end up with her in his house. Hopefully that helps assure you that the report is thorough. You'll notice on the last page, he has an estimate for some of the repairs he feels are necessary."

Robert quickly flips through the report, before handing it to Jane, and moving onto the county inspectors report. "I can't help but feel a bit ambushed." Robert says.

"I understand the feeling." Tom says. "If it makes you feel any better, we had contacted other BAA offices, and if you had left, there would have been another group here on Tuesday to look at the property. The contract we have drawn up doesn't actually have your names typed in, just in case. This was preparation, not an ambush."

"May I see the contract?" Jane asks, finishing skimming the inspection.

"Of course." Tom says, passing over one of the folders. "The notary should be here momentarily. We should go pick your new concubine now."

"Wait, we are doing that today too?" Robert asks, more than a bit aghast.

"It's part of the contract." Tom says. "I need a name to put in the blank."

Jane looks up. "I think we both assumed we would be picking her up when we took possession of the school."

"Or when we were actually ready to move in." Robert says.

Tom stands up. "Sorry, folks. The ladies are waiting for us in the second floor conference room."

Robert just looks at Jane, waiting to see if she has some idea of how to slow this all down.

Jane shrugs. "I guess we are going concubine shopping. Come on, Robert."

"Maybe we should grab a few of the girls to help?" Robert suggests. "Maybe Megan? She is from here, after all."

"Your choice." Tom says. "You are the ones in a rush, not me."

"How many are there?" Jane asks.

"Eight." Tom says. "You can bring them if you want, we just need to head down one floor."

"Let's grab a few of them." Jane says.

As the three of them enter the conference room, the girls go quiet, anxious for news.

"Ok, girls." Jane says. "We've come to an arrangement for the private school. As part of that, we have to take a local concubine. We have eight candidates to choose from, and we need help making a decision quickly. Megan, are you up for helping? We want to make sure we don't pick someone that you have negative history with. Amber, Lucia, and Alexia, if any of you want to come, you may as well."

"I'll come, Mistress." Megan says, a hopeful look coming over her face.

"We will too." Lucia says, after conferring with Alexia and Amber.

"Good. Reyna, you are in charge until we get back. Stay in this room." Jane says.

"If you ladies need anything, just wave at Cheryl." Tom says.

"Or you can text me." Jane says. "We are just going to be one floor down."

As they walk down the hall, Tom says. "I don't know if you remember me, Megan."

"Yes, Mister Reinholdt." Megan says, eyes downcast as she follows towards the rear of the group.

"I'm glad to see you are well." Tom says. "How are you adjusting?"

Megan looks up, and Jane says. "You can be honest, Megan."

"It was hard, Sir." Megan says quietly. "But I think I'm doing a bit better."

"Much better." Amber says, reaching over to give her a hug as they head down the stairs. "I'm very proud of you."

Megan flushes, and Jane says. "The first few days were rough, but Megan has really worked hard to adjust to the new realities since then."

"Good." Tom says. "Here we are."

"Before we go in..." Jane says. "You said to think about this as an alliance. Is there someone you think we should pick, based on that?"

Tom hesitates, and says. "All of them have connections, some of which they don't even know about. You should pick whichever one you think will work best with your existing concubines."

Tom opens the door before Jane can ask anything else, standing aside to let everyone file in, before stepping inside, and letting it close. "Good Afternoon, Ladies." Tom says. "I'm sorry I missed checking on you all this morning, but duty called. This is Robert, his wife Jane, and a few of his concubines. They are going to be moving to our area, and have agreed to allow one of you to join their household."

"Megan?" One of the girls murmurs, and a few of the others chatter quietly until Tom clears his throat.

"Ladies, let's make a good first impression." Tom says. "Some of you will recognize Megan. She is part of their household."

A few of the girls wave at Megan, who looks up, a brief smile playing over her lips before she catches herself.

"I'm going to step out to let them talk to you all, and decide who to take." Tom says. "When you've made your decision, just step out and let me know. I'll be at a waiting area just down the hall."

Tom steps back out the door, leaving Robert and Jane with 8 girls looking at them curiously.

"Hello, Ladies." Jane says. "Like Tom said, I'm Jane, and this is Robert. You all appear to already know Megan, and our other girls are Lucia, Alexia, and Amber. Could you go around the room and tell us a little about yourselves?"

As the ladies go around the table, Robert finds his gaze settling on one of the younger girls, who keeps glancing up at them, and then back down, before fidgeting with something in her hands. When the woman next to her finishes, she nudges her slightly, causing her to drop what she has in her hands. After listening to the woman's whispers, the girl says. "Hi, I'm Layne."

After another nudge, she says. "I'm 20."

"Did you have a job before this?" Jane asks her gently.

"I took care of my mom." Layne says. "She was sick."

"And what did you do for fun?" Jane asks.

"I like to make clothes!" Layne says excitedly.

"What kind of clothes?" Jane asks.

"All kinds." Layne says, smiling. "I just like making them. My mom taught me how, before she got sick."

"Mistress, Layne's mom used to make crafts to sell in town, during the tourist festivals." Megan says quietly.

"Oh, I do that now." Layne says, smiling at her. "My cousin helps me sell on the internet now, too."

"Thank you, Layne." Jane says. "Ok, who is next?"

After hearing the introductions, Jane tells the girls. "We are going to be moving into the old private school, after we do a few renovations. We currently have 10 concubines, as well as Amber. We only take girls who want to be with us, so I'd like to give you all a chance to ask questions, either of us, or the other girls, so you can decide who is interested. Why don't we start with questions for us, and then we can step out, to give you girls a few minutes to chat?"

The woman who prompted Layne raises her hand. "Do you have children?"

"None yet." Jane says. "A few of our girls are trying though."

The woman nods, and another one asks. "You said moving into the private school. Where do you live now?"

"We live about 3 hours south of here." Jane says. "We are hoping to move fairly soon, but I can't give you an exact timeline."

"My question is for the husband." One of them, a woman in her 30's says. "If you've already got a dozen women in your house, why do you need more?"

"This was Tom's idea." Robert says. "He insisted we take at least one local woman."

"So you don't want to take any of us." The woman says. "We are safe in the basement, at least for now. I don't see why we should risk that."

"That's totally fine." Jane says. "Like we said, if any of you aren't interested, we are ok to move onto the other girls."

The woman nods, looking around the room.

"Can we ask Megan questions now?" Layne asks.

"Do any of you have questions for Robert or I?" Jane asks, and when there is silence, she says. "Ok, we will step out now, feel free to ask Megan or the other girls anything."

Looking at her girls, she says. "If there is something they ask that they don't want you to repeat, I'd like you to keep it in this room. I want them to be free to ask anything. If you don't feel comfortable answering, that's your choice, though."

"Yes, Mistress." The girls say, and Robert and Jane step out into the hallway.

"I don't get the impression that most of them are actually interested." Jane says. "Except maybe Layne."

"What did you think of her?" Robert asks. "Autism, or something else?"

"I have no idea." Jane says. "She seems like a sweet girl though. Are you interested in her?"

"I have concerns." Robert says. "I need to find out what is going on with her before I can be comfortable saying yes."

"Why don't you go ask Tom?" Jane suggests.

Robert nods. "Hopefully he will know, or can make a call to find out. I'll be back in a minute."

Robert heads down the hall, finding Tom reading a fishing magazine in a small waiting area. "Did you make a choice already?" Tom asks, setting down the magazine.

"We are letting the girls talk." Robert says. "It seems like most of their questions were going to be for Megan."

Tom laughs. "I bet."

"We did have a question about one of them though." Robert says, and after a moment's hesitation, asks. "What is Layne's situation? Medically." Robert clarifies.

"Medically?" Tom asks.

"She seems... different." Robert says. "Not in a bad way or anything, but we were getting a bit of maybe autism vibes? or maybe ADHD?"

"Would that be a problem?" Tom asks, a flat expression on his face.

"Not necessarily." Robert says. "We just need to know exactly what we are getting into, both for her sake, and for ours. If we can't get an answer on that, then we can't pick her."

Tom sighs. "She has a type of ADD. Or what they used to call ADD. I think they call it Inattentive ADHD now. Or something like that."

"Is there someone I can talk to who knows the details?" Robert asks. "My biggest concern is whether she is competent to make big decisions, like wanting to go with us."

"I can make a call." Tom says. "Her mother passed away from ALS last year, but I know someone who might be able to give you a bit of insight. I'd rather not make the call unless you are serious though."

"Let me go check with Jane." Robert says. "And see if Layne is even interested. At least one of them isn't."

"The oldest one?" Tom asks.

Robert nods.

"She's still in denial." Tom says. "At least three of them aren't though, including Layne. Let me know if you want me to make the call."

Robert walks back down the hall, finding Jane still waiting outside the conference room, this time with Lucia, Alexia, and Amber.

"What'd he say?" Jane asks.

"She has ADHD." Robert says. "He called it inattentive ADHD. He didn't seem to know all of the details, but he said he can call someone to tell us more about it, but only if we are serious about her. I wanted to check with you, and see if she was interested in us, first."

"She seems interested to me." Lucia says.

"If I had to guess, half of them are." Alexia says. "Including the one next to Layne. She seems nice too."

"What do you think, Amber?" Robert asks.

"We could use Layne's skills, if she can actually make decent clothing." Amber says. "And I don't see her causing a problem with any of the other girls. I don't see any risk in adding her to the house. The others have stronger personalities, and could clash with a few of the other girls."

"Ok." Robert says. "Did they ask you all many questions?"

"Only a few." Lucia says. "Just about..."

"Stop." Jane says. "We don't want to know the questions. Just if they asked you any."

"Only a few." Lucia says. "Most of their questions were for Megan, and they clearly preferred to ask them without us."

"Jane, let's see if we can at least get an idea of who is interested." Robert says. "So we know if we should make the call while Megan finishes talking to them."

Jane knocks on the door, waiting a moment before opening it. "Sorry to interrupt. We just wanted to get an idea of how many of you were interested at this point, and how many aren't. If you are undecided, you can keep talking to Megan."

The girls looked around, and Jane says. "If you are interested, please raise your hand."

After a moment, Jane says. "Any undecided?"

After another moment, Jane says. "Ok, feel free to keep talking. We'll be back in a bit, if you finish up before that, just pop your head out and let the other girls know, Megan."

"So?" Robert asks quietly as the door shuts.

"3 interested, 2 undecided. Layne is interested." Jane says. "Let's go ask Tom to make the call."

Walking down the hall, Jane says. "I think if Layne checks out, she's probably the right choice. Amber made some good points, and right now, safe is probably the best choice."

"I'm fine with that." Robert says. "None of the other ones really stood out to me."

As they round the corner, Tom puts down the magazine again. "How's the selection coming?"

"I'd like to speak with whoever about Layne." Jane says. "We are most interested in her, but I don't want any surprises."

"Ok." Tom says. "Let me see if I can get her interested party on the phone."

"Interested party?" Robert asks.

"The person who asked us to keep her in the basement, instead of the old prison." Tom says. "Layne doesn't know what their connection is, and I don't know if he wants to advertise it, even to you."

Tom dials, holding the phone up to his ear, before they can respond. "Yep, it's Tom. I've got someone interested in Layne. They wanted to know more about her ADD." After a short pause, he says. "Yes, the couple I mentioned." After another moment. "We are on the second floor, county clerk's waiting area."

"He'll be here in a minute." Tom says.

"Who is he?" Jane asks.

"The sheriff." Tom says.

Jane and Robert exchange a look, before Jane says. "And he knows Layne well enough to talk about her?"

Tom shrugs. "He wouldn't be coming up from the basement if he didn't have something to say."

A minute later, Robert hears a door open, and a tired looking man in his 50's comes in, uniform rumpled. "Tom." The sheriff says.

"Rick." Tom says, picking the magazine back up. "This is Robert, and Jane."

Rick sticks out his hand, and Robert shakes it. "Ma'am." Rick says to Jane, before holding out his hand.

"Hello, Sheriff." Jane says, giving him a firm handshake.

"I understand you folks are interested in Layne?" Rick asks.

"Yes." Jane says. "We were hoping to find out more about her diagnosis. Tom says it's something ADHD related?"

"Yes." Rick says. "Please, take a seat."

After they all sit, Rick continues. "Layne was diagnosed as ADHD when she was 3. Her type of ADHD isn't the hyper version you probably are thinking of. She's just a bit forgetful, and can struggle to focus on things that aren't interesting to her. She tends to fixate on things that do interest her, like her clothes, sometimes to the detriment of other things. She did very well at managing that when she took care of her mother, though."

"Tom mentioned her mother's passing to us." Jane says, and for just a moment, Rick's face shows a flash of grief. "If all of this hadn't happened, do you think she could have lived independently, made her own life decisions?"

"Definitely." Rick says. "She's a little messy sometimes, but she's gotten better about that over the past few years. And you may have to tell her things more than once, and check her work, if it's something that she doesn't really want to do. But she's fully capable of making decisions for herself."

"Do you mind if I ask what your connection is?" Robert asks.

"Her mother was a family friend." Rick says. "Layne doesn't have anyone anymore, so I've stepped up to make sure she doesn't get lost in the shuffle."

"That's good of you." Jane says. "If that's the extent of her issues, I think we can move forward with her."

"I'm fine with that." Robert says. "She seems like a really sweet girl."

"She is." Rick says. "Take good care of her. I'll be checking in."

"Understood, Sheriff." Robert says, rising, and holding out his hand again. "We'll do our best to make sure she's happy, just like the rest of our girls."

Rick takes his hand, squeezing it hard. "Good."

"Well, we can finally get the paperwork done." Tom says. "Rick, do you mind taking the ladies back down to the holding area when you head down?"

"Sure." Rick says. "I'll just say goodbye to Layne first."

Robert and Jane follow Rick and Tom down the hall, stopping at the door where Amber, Alexia, and Lucia are waiting.

"Sheriff, these are a few of our girls." Jane says, introducing them.

"Nice to meet you ladies." Rick says.

Tom opens the door, letting Rick, Robert, and Jane come inside.

"Meagan?" Rick asks, surprised.

"Hello, Sheriff." Megan says, smiling.

"You two know each other?" Robert asks.

"The sheriff helps out with the local rodeos, Master." Megan says.

"And Megan was one of the best barrel racers in her age bracket." Rick says with a smile.

Robert looks at Megan. "You never told us you competed."

"I haven't in years, Master." Megan says. "Since I left for college."

"We still need to sign the contract." Tom says to Rick. "And then they have a long drive home."

"Sorry, I could reminisce forever." Rick says. "Layne, would you like to go home with Robert and Jane?"

Layne looks up, noticing Rick for the first time. "Oh. Will I get to see you again?"

"I'll come check on you." Rick says.

"Once we get moved in, maybe we can have the sheriff over for dinner occasionally." Jane suggests.

"Ok!" Layne says.

"Great." Rick says. "Layne, you go with Robert and Jane now. Remember what we talked about?"

"Yes, sir." Layne says, sitting upright. "I'll do what I'm told, and try not to be messy."

"Good girl." Rick says.

"Ok, time to go." Tom says. "I'll send Cheryl down to get your things from the basement."

"Oh." Layne says, realizing they are waiting on her. She gets up, going around the room hugging the other women, before skipping to the door. "I'm ready now."

***

After Jane and Robert sign the contract, Tom holds out his hand, and says. "Congratulations. It's not every day you get a 75 acre estate, a sweet girl like Layne, and 2 horses."

"Horses?" Robert asks.

"Megan's old horses." Tom says. "We split up the livestock amongst anyone who could take them after the detainments, and Rick ended up with everything from Megan's family. He wanted to make sure she got them back, now that she's coming home. We'll have them delivered once you have someone on the property full time who can take care of them."

"I'm sure Megan will be thrilled." Jane says. "We probably need to get a barn."

"I'll have Cheryl contact a few local contractors, and get you bids." Tom says. "If there is anything else you want her to get quotes on, let me know."

"We will review the inspection in more detail in the next few days." Jane says. "And have our handywoman tell us what she thinks she can handle, and what it'll be easier to have a contractor do."

"Sounds great." Tom says. "I'll walk you all out."

***

On the drive home, Layne got more and more excited, pointing out her favorite stores to the other girls as they approached the interstate, before getting a bit quieter as they began their descent from the mountains. "You doing ok back there, Layne?" Robert asks.

"I don't think I've been this far from home before." Layne says.

"It's ok." Megan says, reaching over to take her hand. "You are safe with us."

"Oh, good." Layne says, reaching up to tug on her collar.

"Did you make that?" Robert asks.

Layne jerks a bit as she realized what she was doing. "Oh, yes. When Rick and Tom explained that we were going to find new homes, and would have to wear these sometimes, I made one for each of the ladies in the basement."

"Do you think you could make some for us?" Reyna asks from behind Layne. "The ones most of us have are scratchy."

"Did we get my tools?" Layne asks, craning her neck in a vain attempt to see the cargo area behind the last row of seats.

"We got two boxes of stuff." Jane says. "Tom is holding onto the rest of it until we move in. We only had so much room in the van today. We'll be coming back soon though, so if what you need isn't in there, we can swing by and get what you need."

"Oh, ok." Layne says. "I'll try to remember to make some for all of you. You may have to remind me a few times."

"I'm sure we'll remember every time we leave the house." Reyna laughs.

"Do you think you could make some clothes for me?" Amber asks quietly, from the other side of her. "And maybe for Megan? I used to have mine custom made, but I'm going to outgrow mine soon."

"I'm going to be busy, huh?" Layne says. "Just remind me. People tell me I forgot to do things a lot, but I don't remember them asking."

"Amber, how would you feel about Layne reporting to you?" Jane asks.

"That's fine, Mistress." Amber says.

"That means you and I will be working together." Megan tells Layne, who was looking around, a bit lost.

"Oh, good." Layne says. "You can remind me what to do."

"What about the sleeping schedule?" Lucia asks.

"We have plenty of time to figure that out a different day." Jane says. "We do need to figure out sleeping arrangements for tonight, though. Even with 4 to the master, and 3 in the spare room, we are going to need to put one person on the air mattress."

"Whose night is it?" Emily asks, from the rear of the van.

"Mine!" Reyna says loudly. "And Taylor is joining me."

"A girl likes to be asked, not told." Taylor says, sticking out her tongue at Reyna.

"I guess I can pick someone else." Reyna says, glancing around the van exaggeratedly. "Let's see, who else might enjoy spending the night with Master, Mistress, and I?"

"Don't you dare." Taylor says, elbowing Reyna. "I accept your invitation."

Reyna grins. "I knew you'd come around."

Taylor leans in, kissing her.

"Oh, I haven't seen girls kiss like that before." Layne says, craning her neck to see the girls behind her.

"It's rude to stare." Amber tells her quietly.

"It's kind of hard not to watch." Layne says, a bit more quietly.

"I know." Robert laughs. "If they don't want people to watch, they probably shouldn't do it in the middle of the van."

"Keep your clothes on." Jane warns them from the driver's seat. "I don't want to get stopped by the highway patrol because someone called in to complain about you two."

"Yes, Mistress." Reyna says, reluctantly disengaging. "I guess it can wait a few hours."

***

When the van pulls into the driveway, Reyna slips out of her seat, quickly opening the side door, and practically dragging Taylor with her. Opening the front passenger door, she asks. "Master, are you coming?"

Robert pauses, torn between having fun with these two, and his responsibility to help unload the car and get everyone settled back in.

"Just go." Jane laughs. "She's been waiting hours, after all."

"Are you sure?" Robert asks her. "I'm sure she can wait a few more minutes while I help unload."

"We can unload the car, Master." Alexia says. "And she needs you."

Reyna reaches up to grab his hand, trying to pull him out of the van. "Please?" She asks.

Robert smiles, stepping out of the van, and allowing Reyna to pull him to the front door.

"Where are they going?" Layne asks, looking puzzled.

"To the bedroom." Megan says quietly.

"To jump his bones." Mei adds, grinning. "Lucky bitches."

Layne looks a bit puzzled, and says. "His bones?"

"Let's get the car unloaded." Jane says. "Then we should probably talk, Layne."

"Oh, ok." Layne says. "What are we going to talk about?"

Jane sighs. "All kinds of things. Let's just get the car unloaded for now. Lucia, Mei, just grab your bags, and then please start figuring out dinner. If we need to pick something up, please let me know asap."

"Yes, Mistress." Lucia says.

***

"Hey!" Robert says, feeling Reyna's hand squeeze his ass as she follows him up the stairs.

Reyna grins. "I'm so worked up. I haven't had an orgasm in almost 48 hours. If I thought Mistress would have allowed it, I would have asked if you could have joined us in the back seat."

"I don't think that's the first impression we want to make on Layne." Robert says.

"I'm not so sure." Taylor says, reaching the top of the stairs. "She seemed very interested in us making out."

"She definitely was." Reyna says.

"We've known the girl for a few hours." Robert says, entering the master bedroom. "Slow down a bit with her."

"We behaved, when Jane asked us to." Taylor reminds him, as Reyna sinks to her knees and begins working on his pants.

"Taylor, please shut the door." Robert says, glancing over his shoulder at the still wide open door, as Reyna yanks down his boxers. "Reyna, let's shower first."

Reyna responds by jamming his dick down her throat in one smooth motion, glancing up at him when she hits bottom.

"She's very worked up." Taylor says, coming up behind Robert, and taking off his shirt. "I caught her trying to finger herself like 5 times on the way home."

"Maybe we need to order a chastity belt for her." Robert says.

Reyna quickly pulls off, and says. "Let's not do anything drastic. I just need not to go that long without a bit of satisfaction."

"Why didn't you two handle it last night?" Robert asks. "Or this morning?"

"That was the plan." Taylor says. "But I wasn't feeling great last night, and we were in a rush this morning. And we didn't bring a toy."

"You could probably have asked Mei." Robert says, reaching down to pull Reyna off his dick. "Or Alexia. I'm sure someone will be willing to help, if that happens again."

Reyna looks up at Taylor, and asks. "Babe?"

"If it happens again, we can talk about it." Taylor says, and then tells Robert. "We kind of have a deal. If we are playing with another girl, we do it together."

"That's sweet." Robert says. "Let's get you girls stripped, and clean."

"Master, can I have one orgasm first?" Reyna asks, still on her knees. "Please???"

"Strip and bend over the bed." Robert says.

Reyna pops up off the ground, wrestling off her pants and soaked panties, and leaning over the bed, reaching behind her to spread her tight ass. "Please, Master. I'm so horny. Please fuck me."

Robert considers teasing her, but decides to slip in, sliding all the way inside on the first thrust. "You are soaked."

"I told you, Master." Reyna moans. "I needed this so bad."

Taylor reaches down, grabbing Reyna's panties, before tossing them on Reyna's back. "Look at those. I'm shocked she didn't leave a wet spot on the van seats."

"I'm close." Reyna mutters, putting her hands on the bed, and thrusting back towards Robert. "Fuck, I'm cumming!!"

***

"What was that?" Layne asks, as she carries one of her boxes inside.

"That was Reyna." Mei giggles. "She really gets after it."

Layne follows the other girls up the stairs. "It?"

"She is somewhat hypersexual." Samira says.

"What's that?" Layne asks curiously.

"She's a horny bitch." Mei says.

"Enough with the bitch stuff." Lucia tells her. "She hasn't done anything to deserve that."

"I didn't mean it that way." Mei says, pouting. "She's just super horny, all the time."

"Everyone has needs." Samira says. "Reyna is just very... aware of hers."

"Are they kissing again?" Layne asks.

After a moment of silence as they enter the bunk bed room, Amber says. "You and I can discuss that with Mistress Jane. Let's get the rest of your stuff."

As Layne follows Amber back downstairs, Lucia looks over at Megan. "Did she never have sex ed?"

"Sex ed wasn't exactly thorough in the public schools." Megan says. "Unless it changed between when I took it, and when she did, it mainly consists of scary speeches about STDs, and a reminder to stay abstinent. Most of my 'education' came from the internet. I was not prepared when I got to college." Megan's face takes on a dark look, and she shakes her head, looking at the ground.

"Do you think I need to do an anatomy lesson with her?" Samira asks.

"I don't think she's ever had one." Megan says. "Honestly, I think I could use one too. I've never had a proper sex ed class."

"I know the academics of it, but I'm not the best person to answer... practical... questions." Samira says. "I'll figure something out, and see if Jane is ok with me doing it."

***

"Mistress?" Amber says. "Do you have a moment to talk?"

"Give me two minutes." Jane says. "I never called Rosie on the way home, I just wanted to send her a quick update via text."

Amber kneels, waiting patiently for Jane to finish. "Ok, what's up?" Jane asks. "And you know you don't have to do the kneeling thing, right? I feel like I've mentioned it before."

"Mistress, Layne was asking some questions earlier about the noises coming from the master bedroom. I'm not certain she actually knows anything about sex." Amber reports. "If me taking the nadu position while waiting for you bothers you, I will certainly stop."

"It doesn't bother me." Jane says. "It just looks uncomfortable."

"It was at first, Mistress, but now I am used to it." Amber says. "I can stop though, if that is your wish."

"It's fine." Jane sighs. "I picked up on Layne's lack of exposure in the car. That's one of the things I wanted to discuss with her."

"Thank you, Mistress." Amber says. "The van is empty. Would you like to talk to her now?"

"I suppose we should." Jane says. "Do you mind joining me for the conversation?"

"I would be honored, Mistress." Amber says. "Would you like me to get anyone else?"

"No." Jane says. "I'll be ready in 5 minutes. I need to figure out what we are doing for dinner, first."

Walking out to the kitchen, Jane finds Lucia and Mei pulling out food from the pantry.

"Hi, Domina!" Mei says. "Dinner will be ready in about an hour."

"Good girl." Jane says, giving her a little smile, and a quick kiss on the forehead. "Thank you both for handling it."

Mei shudders with delight, beaming at Jane.

"You are very welcome, Mistress." Lucia says, picking through ingredients. "It'll be coming out in batches, do you want yours first?"

"Yes, please." Jane says. "I'll be in my office, if one of you can let me know when it's ready."

"We will, Domina." Mei says.

Walking back to her office, Jane finds Layne and Amber both waiting, Amber in the nadu position, and Layne sitting next to her on the floor, fiddling with the charms on her bracelet.

"Girls, use the chairs, please." Jane says, closing the door, and walking over to her seat.

After they both get settled, Jane continues. "Layne, I wanted to have a little chat with you about a few things, now that we are home. Before we get started, do you have any questions?"

"Amber says you are going to talk to me about kissing." Layne says. "How do I know who to kiss?"

Jane sighs. "We will talk about that. Is there anything else you had a question about?"

"No." Layne says, fidgeting again.

"Ok." Jane says. "So before we talk about 'kissing', I wanted to let you know how the house works. Each girl in the house reports to either Amber, Alexia, or Lucia, and they report to Robert and myself. You are going to report to Amber, and help with the chores she assigns you. If you have questions about things during the day, you should ask her first. If there is something you need, you talk to her. If you have a complaint about Amber, you can talk to me. You are welcome to talk to Robert, but he is busy with work most days, and every girl wants his time, so if it's something someone else can help with, you should talk to Amber first. Do you have any questions about that?"

"Is that why Reyna was kissing Taylor in the van?" Layne asks. "Because Robert was busy? And then when we got home, he wasn't anywhere, so they went upstairs to kiss?"

"I guess we can just go straight to 'kissing'." Jane says. "Reyna was kissing Taylor because they like each other. Some girls do that in this house, and that's fine. You don't have to kiss anyone you don't want to kiss though. What they are doing upstairs isn't just kissing, though."

Layne looks uncertain. "What else are they doing?"

"Layne, do you know what sex is?" Jane asks.

"It's when you kiss with your clothes off." Layne says. "And then they might have a baby. They told us about it in school. My mom said if anyone tries to kiss me like that, I'm supposed to scream, and punch them."

"Kissing with your clothes off is part of it." Jane says. "Did they say anything else in school?"

"I didn't really pay that much attention." Layne admits. "The kissing part was interesting, but when we started giggling, the teacher got mad, and I got bored."

Jane sighs more heavily this time, holding her head in one hand. "We will have to go over that. Did anyone talk to you about what you would do when you got picked by a couple?"

"Rick says I'm supposed to be good, and do what you say. And not be messy." Layne says. "Oh, and one of the women in the basement said that I needed to close my eyes, and try to think about other things when I was in bed. I don't really know why, but I can't fall asleep when I'm thinking."

"Bless your sweet little heart." Jane says. "They haven't really prepared you for this, at all."

"No, they haven't, Mistress." Amber says. "At all."

"I'm sorry." Layne says, looking between the two of them. "I'll try to pay more attention next time."

"It's not your fault." Jane says. "We'll find some sex education material for you, and figure out who is going to go through it with you."

"Like school?" Layne groans. "School was really boring most of the time."

"It won't be like school." Jane says. "And no one will get mad at you for giggling."

"Ok." Layne says, brightening up. "I might giggle a bit when it gets to the kissing. I like watching it, but it does seem a little silly."

"Layne, did you ever have a boyfriend?" Jane asks.

"I had one in elementary school." Layne says. "I liked holding his hand, but then he tried to kiss me, and got mad when I screamed and punched him."

"He tried to kiss you with your clothes off?" Jane asks.

"No, just kiss me. My mom didn't tell me about the clothes off thing until after that." Layne says.

"Ah." Jane says. "If Robert tries to kiss you, don't punch him or scream. Do you understand?"

"Ok." Layne says. "What if someone else tries to kiss me?"

"If it's someone who lives here, just tell them no." Jane says. "If it's someone who doesn't live here, then scream and punch."

"Ok." Layne says. "I guess I can do that."

"Do you have any other questions?" Jane asks.

"Am I supposed to have babies with Robert?" Layne asks. "I heard someone say we were all supposed to have babies."

"Amber, can you please remind me to tell Tom that I do not find this amusing?" Jane says. "At all."

"I will, Mistress." Amber says. "You may eventually need to have a baby with the Master. But that's not something you need to worry about right now."

"Oh, ok." Layne says. "Kids can be fun."

"They can, but they are also work." Jane says. "And you have to pay attention to them, even when it's boring."

"I took good care of my mom when she was sick." Layne says eagerly. "Even Rick said so."

"I'm sure you did." Jane says. "Amber is right though, you don't need to worry about Robert asking you for a baby for a while."

"Ok." Layne says, fidgeting again. "Can I go look through my stuff now? I want to see if I can make collars for the other girls."

"That's fine." Jane says. "Amber will check on you in a bit."

After Layne leaves, Jane asks. "Are you up for handling her? I understand if she's too much. I can see if we can trade some girls around."

"I'm sure we will be fine." Amber says. "It'll be an adjustment, but I think having Megan with her will be good. I also noticed she tries to copy other people when she doesn't know what to do. Maybe that will help?"

"It couldn't hurt." Jane says. "Do you have any ideas for what to do with her? I do NOT want Robert to know about this."

"I can try to explain it to her, if you'd like, Mistress." Amber says. "I'll admit, most of my knowledge was acquired the hard way, though."

"I'll talk to a few of the other girls." Jane says. "You, Taylor, and Reyna probably have the most experience, right?"

"And Megan." Amber says.

"Megan's experience is not something we want to be teaching Layne." Jane says.

"Yes, Mistress." Amber agrees. "Is there anything else you'd like me to do?"

"Just keep an eye on her." Jane says. "And if she's getting on anyone's nerves, or asking questions that are making people uncomfortable, try to redirect her."

"I will, Mistress." Amber says.

***

As Jane comes out of her office, Mei says. "It's still going to be a bit. Maybe 30 minutes, Domina."

"That's fine." Jane says. "I'm going to go check on Robert and the girls."

"Can I come?" Mei asks eagerly.

"No." Lucia says. "You are going to stay and help make dinner."

"Awww..." Mei groans.

"Maybe another night." Jane says. "I'm not staying up there anyhow, I'll be back."

As Jane goes up the stairs, she hears grunts and moans, quietly opening the door, she peaks in to see Reyna on her knees on the bed, Robert behind her, and her face buried in Taylor's pussy.

Jane creeps inside quietly, coming up behind Robert without him noticing, and kissing his neck.

"What the fuck?" Robert says as he jumps, nearly pulling out of Reyna.

"It's just me." Jane says reassuringly, pushing forward to keep him from pulling out. "Dinner is coming out in shifts, I just wanted to see when you three would be ready?"

"Don't wait for us." Robert says, beginning to thrust into Reyna again. "She's only on 4, so it may be a bit."

"We should get a sybian." Jane says. "And then we can tie her to it, and just leave her there during the day."

"Fuck, yes!" Reyna's muffled voice comes from between Taylor's thighs.

Jane chuckles, and slips back out of the room. Going around the upstairs, she eventually finds Alexia, and then Valentina. "Can you two come with me?" Jane says. "I'd like to talk about next steps on the new house."

As they follow Jane down the stairs, Alexia asks. "Are you not going to join them tonight, Mistress?"

"It's been a long 24 hours." Jane says. "I'm way too tired for all that. Maybe tomorrow."

Sitting at the breakfast table, Jane says. "Mei, can you bring over the food when it's done? The three of us are going to talk while we eat."

Mei nods, busy tending the stove.

"Alexia, first, I'd like you to go over the notes on these inspections for her." Jane says. "I want her to understand the condition, and what the inspector thinks needs to be done. At the end, there are quotes to fix certain things. What we really need to know is what needs to be done before anyone moves in, and also if the prices seem fair. I'd like to get the house to livable condition asap, so we can get moved, and then she can continue the renovations at her own pace."

Jane listens as Alexia and Valentina go over the report, occasionally asking Jane for clarification on something that Alexia is not familiar with. Before Jane realizes it, Mei is coming over with dinner.

"Alexia, food is here." Jane says, before taking the first bite of her food. "This is really good, Mei. I'm glad we didn't grab pizza again."

"Mmm... Pizza..." Alexia says, moving the papers to the side.

"You can't have pizza every day." Jane says. "It's not healthy."

"I can take a vitamin or something, right, Mistress?" Alexia suggests.

"And then blow up to 500 lbs." Jane says. "And need to permanently sleep alone."

"Oh, fine." Alexia says, crossing her arms and pouting. Mei sets her food down, and she looks at it with an odd expression. "What is this?"

"Pizza sandwich." Lucia calls from the stove. "Marinara, cheese, and pepperoni between two slices of sourdough. You are welcome."

Alexia tilts her head to the side as she tries to peek into it, before picking it up and trying a small bite.

"How is it?" Jane asks curiously.

"It's so good, Mistress." Alexia says quietly.

"You should thank your cousin." Jane reminds her.

"I suppose, Mistress." Alexia says. "Thank you, Lucia. It's very good."

"Great." Lucia says. "Next time I'll add some spinach or something."

"You shouldn't taint people's food." Alexia says. "I think there are laws about food tampering."

"You'll survive." Jane says. "And if it's too difficult, we can go back to training on how to eat green things."

"I guess I can eat the sandwich with spinach, occasionally." Alexia says, flushing at the memory.

"Good." Jane says. "How far did you get on the inspection?"

"Almost done, Mistress." Alexia says.

"You can take it with you after dinner." Jane says. "Take your time, make notes, and get it back to me by the time I get back tomorrow after lunch."

"Yes, Mistress." Alexia says.

***

"Are you almost ready to go?" Jane asks Robert, as he struggles into his clothes with the assistance of Mei.

"Yeah, I didn't expect Reyna to demand another round this morning." Robert says. "Otherwise I would have set an alarm."

"You need to put your foot down with her." Jane says. "She can't always have seconds, and you can't go for hours every time."

"I know." Robert says. "And it's not fair to whoever is tonight."

"Tonight is Lucia, Daddy." Mei says, buckling his belt. "And hopefully me."

"We'll see." Jane says. "If I notice he's getting tired, I'm going to start putting rest nights on the schedule. You can tell the other girls I said that."

"Yes, Domina." Mei says.

"Jane, why don't you go tell Alexia, Amber, and Lucia that?" Robert suggests. "If it's not going to come from us, it should come from them. I'll be down in two minutes."

"If you aren't down in two minutes, I'm going to leave without you." Jane says.

"Wait, that's an option?" Robert asks. "Because I don't really want to go."

"No, it isn't." Jane sighs. "Just get moving, please."

Jane walks out of the room, rounding up the supervisory girls, before saying. "We are leaving in a minute, but I'd like you all to have a chat with your girls. We are nearly late this morning because Reyna just had to have another multi-hour session this morning. Not only is that not fair to Lucia, because Robert is already tired before you get your turn tonight, it's potentially going to make us late. Let them know that I don't appreciate that, and if it continues, people are going to get bumped down on the schedule, or lose a night. If someone wants a bit of morning fun, that's fine, but they have to do the work, not Robert, and it needs to be a quickie, unless he says otherwise."

"Yes, Mistress." They all say.

"Am I still going with you, Mistress?" Amber asks.

"Yes." Jane says. "Are you ready?"

"If you are happy with this outfit, then yes, Mistress." Amber says.

"Twirl for me." Jane says, appreciating the black dress Amber is wearing. "You look great. You should wear that more."

"I was hoping to get Layne to make some ta-teeras for Megan and I, Mistress." Amber says. "And maybe Emily? Perhaps I should get some in this color?"

"We'll see after she makes one to prove she can do it." Jane says. "Then I'll pick the colors."

Amber nods. "Yes, Mistress. Thank you."

"I'm coming." Robert says, coming quickly down the stairs. "Two minutes on the dot."

"Great." Jane says. "We'll be back in a few hours."

***

"Why didn't we have them come to our house?" Robert asks, as they pull into the apartment complex.

"Because they might not know when to leave." Jane says. "Here, we control when to leave."

"That's fair." Robert says.

Making their way to the second floor, they eventually find the right door. A few moments after Jane knocks, the door opens, revealing a black woman in her mid 20's, collar on her neck, eyes red and puffy.

"Hi, we are here to see Todd and Jennifer." Jane says. "You must be Imani."

Imani opens her mouth to speak, but instead bows, motioning them inside.

"Hi, you must be Jane." A skinny blonde comes into the room, trailed by a large man.

"Yes, I'm Jane. This is my husband Robert, and our friend Amber we mentioned." Jane says.

"Oh, good." Jennifer says, eyes moving over Amber. "You think she can fix that?" She jerks her chin towards Imani.

"First, we need to see what needs fixing." Jane says. "Why don't the four of us chat while Amber gets to know Imani?"

"Oh, we don't normally let it talk." Jennifer says. "The way it talks is just awful. I have no idea why you picked this thing, Todd."

Todd shrugs. "There weren't many options we could afford. We are saving up for a house, so we can start a family." He explains.

"There had to have been something better than... this." Jennifer says. "It's so ... ghetto."

"You need to give her permission to talk to Amber, if you want us to help." Jane says. "This doesn't work if she can't communicate."

"I guess." Jennifer says, looking over at Imani. "You can answer her questions. Quietly. I don't want to hear your awful voice."

Imani nods, and Jane asks. "So is lunch ready?"

"It better be." Jennifer says, looking over at Imani.

Imani nods frantically, and Jennifer says. "I don't know what you are waiting for. Go put it on the table."

Imani walks over to the small kitchen, before bringing out three plates to the already set table. When she is done, Jennifer says. "Now we can eat."

Imani walks out of sight to the kitchen, and Jane asks. "Does she eat in the kitchen?"

"I can't stand to watch, or listen, to it eat." Jennifer says. "It's so loud. I don't let it eat when I'm home anymore, it drives me crazy."

Jane sighs. "So, why don't you tell us the problem, as you see it?"

"You just saw the problem." Jennifer says. "She's awful. I still can't believe Todd thought I'd be ok with him bringing it into my house. That creature is barely housebroken."

"Todd?" Robert prompts. "You've been fairly quiet."

"She doesn't bother me as much as Jennifer." Todd admits. "She cooks, she cleans, she is ok at giving blowjobs, and she doesn't cry too much when I fuck her."

"And that." Jennifer says. "That's part of the problem. It's so gross that he actually puts his dick inside of that thing. I have no interest in touching you after you touch it, Todd. You know that."

Todd shrugs. "It doesn't mean anything. I've told you before, I think about her the same way I think about the dishwasher, or the shower. She's basically an appliance."

"Then stop calling it her, and she." Jennifer says, apparently oblivious to the fact that she had done the same just a few minutes before. "

"I think I see the problem here." Robert says. "She's not an appliance. She's a human being."

"Not really." Jennifer says, picking at her salad. "My parents have a pet parrot who speaks better English."

"Jennifer, how exactly do you see this getting better?" Jane asks.

"I don't, until it's gone." Jennifer says. "But he won't send her back."

"We wouldn't even get close to breaking even." Todd explains. "Our minimum allotment is 1, and she probably won't sell for much. Plus my hours have been cut back at work lately, since sales have gone down. I don't see how we can replace her with something much better."

"So for now, you are probably stuck with her." Jane says.

"And she's stuck with you." Robert adds.

"What does that mean?" Jennifer says, as an angry flush comes over her features.

"Imagine how awful her life is." Robert says. "She is brought into a home where she isn't wanted, gets told she can't talk, can't eat when she's hungry, and gets treated like the vacuum cleaner. How would you react, if someone did that to you?"

"That's different." Jennifer says. "I'm a real person. You can't do that to a real person."

Robert shakes his head. "Jane, I don't think we can help here."

"Master, Mistress, may I?" Amber asks.

"Go for it." Robert says.

"A girl who is new needs to be taught how to behave, and what her Master and Mistress like, and don't." Amber says. "But if you push too far, you risk breaking her. If she breaks, she will either become useless, try to escape, or hurt you. I would suggest letting her earn better treatment when she complies with your wishes. By using positive re-enforcement, as well as negative, you will train her faster. These two taught me that."

"I'm fine with breaking her." Jennifer says. "She's fairly useless already, and that is a shock collar."

Jennifer hits a button on her watch, and they hear a yelp from the kitchen. "I lock her into a crate when we sleep or are at work. And if she tries to escape, that's fine, we can finally be rid of her."

"Todd?" Robert asks, hoping he will have a different view.

Todd shrugs. "I'm fine as long as she doesn't try to bite my dick or anything."

"Stop putting it in her mouth!" Jennifer says, reaching over to smack him sharply enough to cause a loud crack.

"You said her." Robert says, making Jennifer's face turn red.

"My suggestion is that you trade her back into the auction." Jane says. "Or see if you can find someone to trade with. Jennifer, you are never going to be happy with her. Perhaps you can find a concubine that would make you less unhappy."

"Wait." Todd says. "I get to pick them, not her."

Jennifer glares at him, and Robert says. "Happy wife, happy life. Is it really worth it?"

Todd shrugs. "I guess you can help me pick a new one. But we don't really have much money for that."

"Clean her up." Jane says. "Feed her properly, and stop making her cry. She'll sell for more if she doesn't look like she's being beaten regularly."

"But then I have to stop beating her." Jennifer whines. "It's really cathartic. I think that's the word."

"I'm sure it is." Robert says, staring at her. "I can only imagine."

Jane steps on his foot under the table, causing him to wince. "I think that's really all we can suggest. Get her into decent condition, and sell her. Pick your next one much more carefully, and try to treat her a bit better, so you don't end up in this situation again."

Jane stands up, lunch untouched still. "We have a few other things we really need to do today. Good luck with Imani."

Robert quickly stands and makes a beeline for the door. "Can I have a moment with Imani first, Mistress?" Amber asks.

Jane looks at Jennifer, who shrugs. "Go ahead." Jane says.

Robert sees Amber step into the kitchen, hugging Imani who is in the corner crying. She says something too quiet for anyone to hear, and after a minute, turns to walk to the door.

As they get into the car, Robert asks. "What did you say to her?"

"I told her that if they don't sell her, she needs to find a way to make Jennifer happier with her. And if she can't do that, to try to not be noticed." Amber says. "One of our girls had a period like this with Master Jackson. We would do our best to distract him, so he would notice her less."

"I doubt that will work for Imani." Robert says, and looks over at Jane. "What do we do?"

"I'm going to call Rosie." Jane says. "And ask why the hell she sent us there. I thought you were going to smack her."

"I really, really wanted to." Robert says. "Way more than I wanted to smack Cheryl. I'm extremely glad we didn't bring any of the other girls. A few of them might have done it."

"May I go back and do it for you, Master?" Amber asks, completely calm.

"No." Robert says, and looks back at her. "You really would, wouldn't you?"

"Of course, Master." Amber says. "I belong to you. I would follow your orders, no matter what."

"Don't smack anyone." Robert says. "We don't need legal problems."

"I understand, Master." Amber says.

"I'm dialing Rosie." Jane says, before putting the car into reverse.

After the third ring, Rosie comes onto the line. "Done already?" She asks.

"What the fuck was that?" Jane shrieks at her.

"So it went poorly?" Rosie asks.

"You could say that." Robert says. "Seriously, what was that?"

"They've had numerous noise complaints called in, and the local PD alerted us." Rosie says. "I called and spoke to them, but you've met them now, so you can imagine how that went."

"I can." Robert says. "What did you expect to be different with us? And why not warn us?"

"I didn't really." Rosie says. "But now we can say we tried. Next time a noise complaint is called in, the local PD is going to seize Imani, and they'll have to pay a fine before they can get her back. I don't think they will, and so she will be sold at auction to pay the fine. If they fight it, now we can say we tried to counsel them, and that it didn't work. I'm sorry for not warning you, but if you ever have to testify in court, you can honestly say that you went in with an open mind."

Jane breathes a bit more calmly, and slows the car slightly from the 10 over the speed limit pace she'd been going. "Don't do that again." She says. "I don't like being dropped into bad situations."

"I understand." Rosie says. "You see the kinds of people I'm dealing with, though. That's why counseling and training is so important, and why we could really use you."

"I couldn't do that all day." Jane says. "I'd smack a bitch."

"That's fair." Rosie says. "I am sorry for dropping you into that. If it wasn't necessary, I wouldn't have done it."

"Is there any update on getting me approved bidder status for Roger?" Jane asks, not quite ready to forgive.

"Roger signed, and I'll have my boss sign in the morning." Rosie says. "It'll be ready for tomorrow night's auction."

"Any chance you can bump all 3 into that auction for me?" Jane asks. "It would really save me some time."

"I'll talk to my boss about it." Rosie says. "But I think we can."

"Thank you." Jane says.

As Jane hangs up the phone, Robert exhales a sigh of relief. "I'm so glad she has a real plan. I honestly thought she was going to suggest we go buy Imani."

"I was tempted to suggest it." Jane says. "But we really are maxed out."

"If that was the only way, I would do it." Robert says. "But I'm relieved we don't have to."

***

As they pull back in the driveway, the door to the house opens, and a few girls peek out.

"Is everything ok, Mistress?" Alexia asks. "We didn't expect you back yet."

"It was a bad situation." Jane says. "Amber can tell you about it later, if she wants to."

"I'm not quite finished with the inspection report." Alexia says. "We were just going over it."

"I need to borrow Jane and Amber for a bit anyhow." Robert says. "Mei, can you see what you can make us for lunch? We'll be ready in about 30 minutes."

"What did you need us for?" Jane asks.

"I just wanted to have a quick conversation." Robert says. "Let's go to the bedroom."

Amber quietly follows them up the stairs, and when they reach the master, she sinks into her nadu position. "This girl apologizes, Master." She says quietly, looking at the carpet.

"You aren't in trouble." Robert says, reaching down, and pulling her up. "I have no complaints about you, at all. I needed to talk to you though, and I thought Jane should be here for it. ... I spoke to your mother last week. And then to Katie."

Amber freezes, looking at the ground again, barely breathing.

"Who is Katie?" Jane asks curiously.

"Her best friend in high school." Robert says. "Amber, are you ok?"

Amber jerks at the sound of her name, looking up. "What... what did they say, Master?"

"I hope you won't be offended if I say that your mother is a nasty piece of work." Robert says. "I don't want to repeat what she said. She did give me Katie's name though, and she told me everything."

"This girl is very sorry, Master." Amber says, shaking. After a moment she continues, quietly sobbing. "She... understands... if you do not want her... anymore."