Military Men

by Shelley Munro

  The dog made a grumpy growl, and Janaya laughed.

  “I never sleep this late.”

  “Breakfast is almost ready. I rang Alice, and she asked if I could drop you at the factory later this morning. I thought we’d meet my aunt for coffee and do some quick clothes shopping before I leave you at Fancy Free. What do you say?”

  “I don’t have any money.”

  “I can give you some,” Janaya said. “Enough to buy clothes. You can’t walk around in my old sweat pants all the time.”

  “A loan,” Sorrel said in a firm voice. “I would appreciate a loan.”

  Two hours later, she walked out of Kellie Anne’s Ladies Wear, dressed in a pair of skinny black jeans and a body-hugging red shirt that showcased her assets. Beneath the outer layer, she’d donned lacy black underwear. On her feet, she wore a pair of black leather boots with a bit of a heel.

  “I feel sexy,” she blurted, tilting her head a fraction so her loose blonde hair fell forward to cover her chagrined expression.

  “You look sexy too,” Janaya assured her.

  Janaya’s aunt, Hinekiri, laughed and clapped her hands together in a delighted manner. “I doubt any of those robe people will recognize you.” She was an older version of Janaya, blonde with violet eyes and a vivacious manner.

  “We’re about to find out,” Janaya said, her tone grim. “Jake didn’t think they’d let him come into town on his own.”

  Sorrel froze when she saw the blue truck driving toward them.

  Janaya gave her a sharp nudge in the middle of the back. “Keep walking. They’re not expecting to see you dressed in street clothes. They won’t give you a second thought, except to notice how sexy you look.”

  Jake noticed her. She felt his gaze, a sensual stroke over her entire body as Brother Rick drove past. Heat suffused her but not shame.

  “Ah,” Janaya said in an undertone. “I should’ve known Jake would be the exception. He’s a soldier, and they’re trained to observe.”

  “We need to stop at the bakery.” Hinekiri gestured across the street. “There’s a board meeting today. Alice told me to make sure I arrived with a cake.”

  Janaya snorted, an inelegant sound coming from the pretty blonde. “The board at Fancy Free consists of retirees. They spend their days making a nuisance of themselves and eating cake.”

  “Do you think Alice will give me a tour?”

  “Aren’t you against condoms?” Janaya’s brows lifted in a teasing manner. “I’ve seen you picketing the factory.”

  “I can’t speak out against condoms if I’ve used them.” Sorrel clapped her hand over her mouth in an effort to hide her embarrassment.

  Hinekiri chuckled, a fan of fine lines radiating from the corners of her violet eyes. “You should try some of their other products. They’re lots of fun.”

  “I’m sure Alice will show you around,” Janaya said.

  Sorrel nodded and followed the two women in a bit of a daze. It was the first time people sought her opinion and listened to her reply. In the clothes shop, they’d offered honest advice when she had no clue.

  A glance over her shoulder told her the truck had pulled up outside the bank. Jake climbed out, sending a quick look in her direction before entering the bank behind Brother Rick. She could have sworn he smiled.

  After visiting the bakery and purchasing a gigantic carrot cake, Janaya and Hinekiri ushered her back to their car, and they drove to Fancy Free.

  This morning a group of men and women picketed the entrance, waving their signs about the perils of condoms. Sorrel stared back with interest. Not one of the brothers or sisters recognized her.

  “I feel invisible,” she said while they waited for the gates to swing open to admit their vehicle.

  “You might have been before.” Janaya smiled. “But people will notice you now. Normal people that is.”

  “Especially men,” Hinekiri piped up from the passenger seat.

  “I don’t want men to notice me.”

  Janaya cocked her head. “What do you want?”

  Sorrel didn’t hesitate. “I want to be my own person. I want to make my decisions. If some of my decisions are bad ones, it’s okay, as long as I make them myself.”

  “You want independence.” Hinekiri nodded. “I understand, but it isn’t necessary to close yourself off to get the freedom you desire. Some men like their women to stand at their sides as partners.”

  “But not all,” Sorrel said. “I’ve had my share of bossy men telling me what to do. I’m not going to put up with that again.”

  “Nor should you have to.” Janaya pulled up in a parking space reserved for visitors. “This is us. Let’s go.”

  “We’re here,” Hinekiri trilled, leading the way into a room full of people. They sat around a large oval table, chattering to rival a flock of noisy sparrows. The scent of freshly brewed coffee wafted on the air.

  “Oh, good. You’re here. Sorrel? Is that you?” Alice advanced with a smile of astonishment coloring her expression. “It is. You look fantastic. Everyone, this is Sorrel Thyme. She invented the cream we’re discussing today.”

  “I brought a cake as requested.” Hinekiri set it in front of her husband, Richard, who Sorrel had met earlier at breakfast. “You can guard it. Janaya and I are off to Auckland to do some shopping.”

  Richard’s brows rose. “Should I worry about my wallet?”

  “Of course.” Janaya grinned and waggled her fingers. “We’ll see you later this evening, Sorrel. Luke or Richard will give you a lift back to the house after you’ve finished here.”

  Sorrel hovered inside the doorway, unsure of what she should do.

  “Come and sit by me,” an elderly Maori lady ordered. She was busy knitting a sock in an eye-popping lime green and purple. “My name is Harriet. Would you like a cup of coffee?”

  Sorrel nodded. “Yes, please.”

  Alice performed quick introductions. “Harriet.” She pointed at the knitting lady. “This is Sam Glengarry, Katarina Wilson, Ben Kumar and Joseph Craig. You’ve met Richard already and James will be here soon. He got held up by a phone call from one of our distributors.”

  Sam had a full head of grizzled hair. Katarina possessed startling pale blue eyes, Ben hailed from India, and Joseph reminded her of a pixie with his bald head and pointy ears.

  Harriet finished a row and turned her knitting around. “Go and help yourself to coffee and come back. I can’t wait to hear about your invention. It‘ll be so exciting to have another product to test.”

  “Did you want some more coffee?” Sorrel asked.

  “Bless you, dear. That would be lovely.”

  It was so nice not being ordered around. Sorrel fetched the coffee and sat beside Harriet.

  James arrived and slipped into an empty seat.

  “Are we ready?” Alice glanced around the table.

  “We will be as soon as Richard hands out slices of cake,” Joseph declared.

  Alice rolled her eyes. “By all means. Let’s distribute the cake so we can concentrate.”

  Five minutes later, silence fell, and Alice started the meeting. “I’ve already introduced you to Sorrel. She approached us recently with a concept for a new product. We’ve conducted initial tests and compared it to other products on the market. Sorrel’s cream is new and creative.” She beamed at Sorrel, excitement dancing in her eyes. “And it works beautifully.”

  “What does this cream do?” one of the elderly gents asked.

  Alice grinned. “It seems to stimulate nerve endings, and it brings on very intense orgasms, especially if combined with good foreplay.”

  “Do we have to discuss your sex secrets?” Ben sounded crabby, his brows almost meeting between his eyes, but Sorrel could see suppressed humor lurking in him.

  “Ben, you know about foreplay.” Harriet clicked her knitting needles. “You’re not clueless. I discussed it with your wife when we were comparing our impressions of the new vibrator design. She told me—”

 
; “Don’t start,” James warned. “We have a lot to get through during this meeting.”

  “Do you have samples?” Katerina’s pale blue eyes glinted with interest. “I can’t wait to try this wonder cream. Where is it applied? On and around the clitoris or somewhere else?”

  “Sorrel? Would you answer this one?” Alice prompted.

  Sorrel willed the rush of blood to keep from her face. It didn’t work. “You can apply the cream anywhere on the body. Nipples, private parts. It’s good if you use the cream in a massage.” When no one made fun of her, she added, “The cream is very versatile. My mother and I created the cream to help sore and aching joints and went from there.”

  Alice nodded encouragement, and Sorrel’s confidence took a leap. She might not have a home, but she’d found a temporary place to stay and possessed skills to support herself given time. No matter what Brother Rick thought, she wasn’t useless.

  “How does it work?” Harriet stirred in her seat with a flourish of her knitting needles.

  “Basically, we used a combination of herbs to stimulate blood flow,” Sorrel said.

  The man with a full head of grizzled hair frowned. “Is the cream safe? We don’t want people dropping off from over excitement.”

  “Our tests show there’s nothing harmful in the product,” Alice said. “Of course we will do further tests should we decide to go ahead with production.”

  “All the ingredients in the cream are natural.”

  “Would it be possible for you to make another batch for us?” Alice asked.

  “I could, but I need my herbal supplies.” She paused, catching her bottom lip between her teeth as reality struck her in the middle of her chest. The tightness made it hard to draw breath for a second. “Everything I need to make a new batch is at the compound, but they’ve forbidden me to return. It’ll take me a while to collect more herbs and dry them.”

  “Richard,” James said in a crisp voice. “What rights does she have to obtain her supplies? Can they legally stop her from retrieving them?”

  “Who collected the herbs?”

  “I did everything on my own. Brother Rick took pleasure in making things difficult for me. I made all the products by myself, at least until Jake arrived at the compound.”

  “I’ll see what I can do,” Richard said.

  “How long have you been with the cult, dear?” Katarina’s eyes were full of curiosity.

  “All my life. I was born there.”

  Richard rubbed his jaw, his manner thoughtful. “Does anyone else know how to make your products?”

  “Yeah, how will they stock their store?” Alice asked.

  Sorrel shrugged away her pain. “It’s not my problem.”

  “You could always set up your own shop in opposition,” Ben suggested.

  “I’ll need to find a job and earn some money before I decide what to do with my future.”

  “Oh,” Alice said. “I assumed you’d work for Fancy Free. Don’t you want to?”

  “I—” Sudden tears welled at her eyes, the wash of emotion tightening her chest again. “I’d love to work here, but what would I do? I’m not qualified to…all I know is herbs.”

  “We’ll need your help with the cream.” Harriet’s knitting needles sparkled silver in a ray of sun.

  “It’s time to think about our Valentine’s Day promotion and also our Christmas promotion for next year,” Alice said. “I wondered if we could do small gift boxes featuring some of your soaps, bath bombs and other products along with some of our products.”

  “Good idea.” Katarina nodded approval.

  “Maybe you could do a play on words with bombs and orgasms,” Joseph said. “Seems to me that might be a good marketing angle.”

  “I think that’s a great idea.” Ben dusted cake crumbs off his hands. “We’ve become known for our clever holiday advertising. This would work.”

  “Can you make the bath bombs into rude shapes?” Sam demanded.

  Alice tapped her pen on a memo pad. “What sort of rude shapes?”

  “A penis shape might work packed with our condoms,” James said what they were all thinking.

  Everyone turned to stare at Sorrel. “I can make almost any shape as long as I have a mold. I mean the design can’t be too fiddly, but I remember my mother telling me about the carrot-shaped bombs she made one time for Easter.”

  Richard barked out a sudden laugh. “You could do egg-shaped bombs and package them with condoms. I like the irony of it all since condoms are designed to prevent eggs and sperm meeting.”

  Sorrel closed her gaping mouth. She couldn’t believe the discussions and the banter flying around the boardroom table. These were men and women who were confident and comfortable in their skins.

  Alice smiled. “So are you willing to join this madhouse?”

  “Yes, please.”

  “Pooh.” Joseph waved his hand. “Ask them what they’re paying you first. And discuss your hours.”

  “We can discuss that at our meeting,” James said. “No need to make a decision now. We’ll give you the contract to take away and think about for a few days.”

  Sorrel nodded, but she’d already decided she wanted to work here with people who weren’t afraid to offer their opinion or listen to others.

  Alice interrupted the chatter to hand out tiny pots of her cream and instructions of what she wanted them to try.

  The rest of the day passed in a blink. Alice and James spoke with her about her cream and gave her an agreement to sign, since she’d already decided to take a job with them. The amount of her remuneration brought tears to her eyes, and all she could do was nod dumbly. It was either that or cry.

  “Ready for a tour around the den of iniquity?” Alice asked.

  “I’m looking forward to it.”

  “I hear the children discovered Jake’s box of condoms.” Alice chuckled, a rich, infectious sound that had Sorrel’s lips twitching. “I would have loved to have seen that.”

  “I missed it, even though I was the one who got the blame.”

  “The event will go down in the history of Children of Nature. You’ll be famous.”

  “You should probably make that infamous,” Sorrel said drily.

  “Don’t worry. By the time I finish with you today you’ll be beyond redemption. You can’t work for us as an inventor without knowing about our existing products. Have you tried a vibrator before?”

  Sorrel shook her head. “I’d never seen a condom before the other night.”

  “I’ll give you clear instructions with everything,” Alice told her. “If you have any questions, all you need to do is ask.”

  * * * * *

  “What do you mean he can’t get his money out today?” Brother Rick demanded with an edge to his voice.

  The teller explained again in a calm voice that the particular investment relating to Jake’s account required ten days’ notice before the money could be accessed.

  “But we need the money today.”

  Curiosity roused in Jake. Brother Rick seemed on the verge of panic, and Jake had no idea why. “That’s okay,” he told the teller. “Please do whatever is necessary to give notice, and I’ll come back in ten days.”

  “Do you have another account?”

  “I do, but there’s only a hundred and five dollars in it.”

  “Withdraw a hundred,” Brother Rick ordered.

  Jake shrugged. “Sure.”

  The male teller handed him a withdrawal slip, and Jake filled it out, signing it with a flourish. The teller handed over the money—five twenty-dollar notes—and Brother Rick snatched it before Jake could pass the cash to him.

  Jake’s brows rose. If he wasn’t mistaken Brother Rick was scared of something or someone.

  Outside the bank, Brother Rick said, “We need to go to Auckland. We’ll drop you at the store. The women aren’t there today. I want you to sell the rest of the stock. Get rid of it. Discount prices if you have to. The lease is due for renewal. Since Sis
ter Bitter has left there’s no one available to make stock. I’ve decided to let the lease drop.”

  “What about the key?”

  “There’s a spare one in the book shop next door. They won’t ask any questions because you’re wearing a Children of Nature robe.”

  “No problem. Should I wait there for your return or should I walk back to the compound?”

  Brother Rick hesitated and exchanged a glance with Brother Felix. “We’ll be gone overnight. You’ll need to walk back.”

  “All right,” Jake said. “I’m sorry about the money. I’d forgotten the notice period.”

  Brother Rick grunted and pushed past him. Jake hesitated a few seconds before leaving the bank to go to the store. The blue truck sped past and disappeared around the corner. Jake pulled out his phone and dialed Luke.

  “Something is up. Brother Rick is behaving weirdly. I thought he was gonna hit me when the teller informed us I couldn’t have the money for ten days. He’s heading for Auckland and will be gone overnight.”

  Jake paused to listen. “Nah, he’s just left. I’ll do some snooping around later this afternoon and tonight. Yeah, okay.” He hung up and returned the phone to his pocket.

  He had a lot to do, but he might have a quick solution for the stock. Aware there might be spies lurking, and he’d already pushed his luck, he strode to the shop. He stopped at the bookshop to ask for the key. Once inside the cult shop, he pulled out his phone again and checked the internet for the number to Fancy Free.

  He glanced around the shop while he waited for someone to pick up the phone. The shelves were full of stock, but if he discounted everything to a dollar again, he should make two or three hundred-dollars. It would be enough stock to start Sorrel up in business for herself, if that was what she wanted.

  Someone answered, and he asked for Alice. He explained his proposal, and Alice let out a girlie shriek that almost deafened him.

  “We’ll be there in a few minutes.” The phone clicked in his ear.

  Jake found the boxes Sorrel used for packing stock out the back and started stripping the shelves. A tap on the rear door announced Alice’s arrival.

  Jake cracked the door open a fraction, saw it was Alice and opened it wider.

  “Sorrel.” Without taking his eyes off her, he stood aside for Alice to enter the dim store. When Sorrel went to pass him, he wrapped his arms around her to steal a kiss. They were both breathing hard at the conclusion of the kiss.