Chapter 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.”