by Holly Ardent
When we got home, the lights in both of the neighboring houses that had been empty were burning. Evidently the guards were splitting up already and whoever had bought the house next door was moving in immediately. I figured I'd be neighborly and go down to invite the new neighbors for dinner. I'd left a stew on low simmer throughout the day and if I added in some cheese, fruit, and a loaf of bread we ought to be able to handle a larger crowd then we'd planned for. I was pretty sure the guards would have been prepared for the move so I wasn't worried about them.
We put away the stuff we got from the swap meet, with me hiding the bras as best as I could, and I asked the women to get the table set and pull out the extra foods I planned on adding. I went down to the neighbor's house myself and knocked at the door. As I waited I noticed that their wagon wasn't completely unloaded yet, but they'd tied a tarp down over the remaining contents. As I was looking at the wagon I heard the door open behind me and began to talk and turn at the same time.
“Hi, I'm your next door neighbor Tim. We were thinking you might not exactly have a meal planned while you were unloading still so we'd invite you to share ours. Oh, and you might...”
My comments died away as I found myself face to face with the Goth I'd been eyeing during the meeting. I shook my head to clear away the speculation about other piercings that immediately came rushing back to the front of my brain when I saw her face to face.
“Sorry, I was saying you might want to tuck that wagon into the garage if you can, the guards are good but as you heard at the meeting they'll be stretched thin until we get the new ones on duty. By the way, that back there is the central guard house they mentioned.”
With the last line, I pointed to the lighted house a couple hundred feet behind, and fifty feet above, theirs.
“That's kind of you Tim, I'll join you for dinner at least. I'll have to ask Steve and Pamela though. Oh, by the way, I'm Jessica... Jess for short please.”
“Alright, well you should be safe walking from here to our place, we're the other lighted house right next to you there.”
I pointed again, this time to my own house.
“Could you wait a second Tim? I need to borrow your muscles for a minute to follow your advice, but I'll be right back.”
She went inside, but left the door open at least, and I heard her voice followed by a man's and another woman's. She was back out in a minute or two.
“We'll know in a couple of minutes if they'll accept. My sister is a total cunt and has to have her own way in everything. Steven is whipped and will go by what she says but they have to 'discuss' it first.”
She shook her head in obvious disgust.
“Anyhow, there's an old car in the garage. It won't start, won't even crank over, but with your help we can get it out of there and the wagon into there. Steven is a freakin' wuss and refused to even try.”
We walked down to the garage as she continued her monologue.
“I can't believe he actually got Pamela to move out here. It never would've happened if two of her three nearest and dearest friends hadn't gotten themselves burned up in that fire. The third one's house burned down too and Pamela never could find her again after, but there were no bodies in the ashes there. I'm loving it out here already, I couldn't help but notice when we were looking around, are those apple trees on your land?”
“Well, some apples, a couple of pears, a reliance peach and an Elberta peach which are some of the only types of those that'll grow around here. I've also got nanking cherries, a bunch of nut bushes and trees, and a few berry plants around as well. There's more but... Come by during the day some time and I'll give you the tour.”
We were in the garage now and our old neighbor's car looked much the worse for wear. The tires were partially flat and it had been garaged all wet and muddy the last time so there was actually some rust on it, which we rarely saw in this part of Colorado. When I looked in, the keys were on the floor so I put them in the ignition and shifted the car to neutral.
“Jess, you want to push or steer”
The car was nose in to the garage so steering and pushing at the same time was going to be difficult, if not impossible.
“I'll steer, you push. I'll help as much as I can,” she said.
With a little effort the car started rolling out. I could see, as Jess pulled with her left arm and used her right on the steering wheel, that her bulk was partly muscle and partially from being well fleshed out. The car cleared the garage door and she hauled the wheel over. It ended up in the side yard between their driveway and our fence. Then we moved over to the wagon. The wagon took a bit more effort than the car, but with both of us pushing we got it inside and closed the garage door.
“I don't know how to thank you Tim. I suggested to Steven that we do that earlier on but, like I said, if it involves physical labor he tries to avoid it.”
“Well, good luck to him here then, gardening, berrying, tending fruit and nut trees, and hunting supply most of our food and it isn't exactly a piece of cake.”
“He has relatives here and thinks they're going to take care of us. He had a cushy job with the city for quite some time in Denver. He got to work as a foreman, walking around and instructing others on how to do what they had to. I think he's going to have to redefine his idea of work. Pamela won't do a damn thing that might break a nail or get dirt on her face. I'm seriously thinking of taking off since if I try to grow or hunt food they'll try to claim part of it for themselves. We've got enough to get through winter though so I've got some time. Let's go see if they've made up their minds yet.”
“Jess, mind if I ask a question?”
“Go ahead, I won't answer it if I don't want to though.”
“I was just wondering, with the look and all, why you were being so talkative with me. I'm used to Goths being pretty quiet around everyday guys like me.”
“Heh... Yeah, right. Everyday guys like you? I was at that meeting. I heard what you said, and then I heard you put those old hags in their place, and then put them in their place again when people were filing out. You think a bit like me, it's my decision what to do with my life and if it doesn't harm anyone else then no-one has the right to interfere in it. Seems to me that you're probably more tolerant of people who are different than then norm, no?”
“Well yeah, I never considered myself to not be just your average guy though. Okay, maybe I did some, but not to that degree.”
She opened the front door to the house and called in asking if they were going to come up to dinner. The reply came out that they would and they'd be ready in fifteen or twenty minutes. I asked Jess to go in and at least point them to the correct house so we didn't have to wait for them. After she did, Jess and I headed back to my house.
“Let me guess... fifteen to twenty minutes means we'll see them in half an hour?” I asked.
She gave me an evil grin.
“Oh, you do know them. Yeah a half hour if we're lucky, or is that unlucky?”
I gave her my own evil grin back.
“Well then, I'll just have to serve some appetizers that they'll miss out on, won't I? Hmmm let's see. When is the last time you had citrus? Or a banana? Think tropical fruits will be a good appetizer?”
“Wait, how the hell do you have tropical fruit in this climate?”
I chuckled.
“Our greenhouse is heated and the citrus stay out there, they can get to about freezing without dying. We keep the house at above fifty-five degrees so I grow the bananas in there, they stop growing under fifty-five degrees. I sell lots and lots of both at the market, they bring an awesome premium around here, but we keep probably half the crop for ourselves, or ourselves and our friends at least. Matter of fact I have two ripe oranges and one lemon that I was going to trade at the swap meet today but the guy I had intended them for thinks he owes me a major favor so he wouldn't let me pay with them. I thought I'd segment those up and serve them with a few bananas as an appetizer. Interested?”
“Oh hell
yeah, I haven't had citrus in a couple of years. You seem to be a guy with some hidden depths, how do you have all this stuff?”
“Well, for a few years before the Crash I was paying attention to politics, economics, etc... all the crap that crashed down on us. I made what preparations I thought would be a good idea like planting the stuff I mentioned earlier, setting up a greenhouse, and getting some citrus trees and banana plants. I originally got those just to ensure my family had some treats now and again, but they're doing quite well so I sell some also. I learned about permaculture, which after the first couple of years is the least labor intensive form of... well, not quite farming or gardening, but food production at least. Finally I learned a lot about gardening also. A few other things here and there, but a guy needs to keep his secrets, you know?”
She grinned at me.
“Damn, I thought all the politicians were saying no-one could have seen this coming at the start of the Crash.”
I snorted.
“Did you really believe a politician? You should've known they were lying, their lips were moving. Pretty much if you looked you could find the information that told you we were on the downward spiral, but the politicians and the powers that be wouldn't take the necessary steps to avoid or at least lessen it since it would have been political suicide and they wanted to keep their power. The media, for whatever reason, backed them up on their play so it wasn't going to jump out at you, you had to actually go looking for the evidence.”
Her grin had grown larger as I spoke.
“No, I didn't really believe them, I just wanted to see what you'd say,” she replied.
“Well, here we are. Let's go in and I'll introduce you around.”
We went inside and I introduced her to everyone. All of them, except Sandra, seemed happy to meet another neighbor, and after I told them that Jess' sister Pamela and Steven would be up in a bit and we'd have dinner when they arrived, they settled in to talk. Jess seemed a little less willing to open up to my ladies, but with her telling me that she'd been willing to talk to me after my little act of defiance at the meeting I wrote it off to the fact that while they were involved in the situation, none of them had made the public gesture that I had. Leaving them chatting, I went and got the citrus and bananas I'd mentioned.
As we ate the tropical fruit plate I served for an appetizer, Rita, Sandra, and Jess made appreciative noises. Molly and my daughters were a bit jaded about it, the fruits were nothing out of the ordinary for them, but evidently the others weren't yet accustomed to them and the way Jess was savoring her portion backed up her statement about not seeing any in a while. After we finished the plate I took it to the kitchen and made sure dinner itself was ready. Much longer and it was going to be overdone so I hoped the rest of our company would arrive soon.
It was about thirty-five minutes, after we were told fifteen to twenty, before Pamela and Steven showed up. I was taking the food off the heat to keep it from burning when the knock on the door came and Molly let them in.
I turned to see them and my jaw dropped in astonishment. I had to work really hard not to laugh since they were dressed to the nines. Steven wore a casual outfit with slacks, a polo shirt, and one of those coats that was not quite a suit jacket. His shoes were black, shiny, and undoubtedly uncomfortable. Pamela wore a dress of some sort, not quite an evening gown, but certainly not everyday wear. To top it off she was wearing four inch heels.
I barely managed to contain my amusement, but some of the family was not so lucky. Kate had buried her face in a book and was making noises that could possibly be construed as crying if you didn't know her. Those who did know her knew she was quietly laughing. Sandra was out of the room like a shot. She shut the door before muffled laughter was barely audible to me in the kitchen and I hoped it wasn't carrying any farther than that.
When I peeked out of the kitchen I could see Jess' fair skin blushing a brilliant red with embarrassment. I nearly laughed again when I saw Rita and Molly's reaction. They were peering at the dress as though trying to memorize it, but I was pretty sure, given the earlier meeting with Allan, that something very similar would be showing up on Mary's sewing machine.
After a brief awkward pause.
“Jess, aren't you going to introduce us?” Pamela said.
The anger was audible in her voice.
“This is my sister Pamela and Steven. These are Tim, Molly, and Rita. The young one with her nose in the book is Kate, the youngest is Becky, and the one who dashed out is Sandra.”
Jess seemed like she was about to boil over so I tried to ease the atmosphere with small talk.
“Wow, you guys went all out. I wasn't thinking formal, just friendly. I'm amazed to see fancy clothing in such a good condition still though. You must have been taking very good care of it.”
With my icebreaker, and side-handed compliment, the two new guests seemed to thaw some and started talking. I excused myself to get dinner set to serve, but went to Sandra's room first. I wasn't thinking, I just opened the door and walked in, closing the door behind me in case Sandra started laughing again.
I found myself face to back with a totally nude Sandra who was obviously looking through the clothing given to her by Molly to find something else to wear. She turned as she heard the door open and I was immediately struck by the fact that she was a fully ripened, nubile, young woman. In addition to her laughter, she had evidently been doing a little crying as well since there were moist tracks down her cheeks.
My eyes could not help but be drawn to her breasts. They were slightly smaller than Molly's, but significantly more firm. Her nipples and areolae were impressive in their own right and, for some reason, they were becoming erect. She burst into a few more tears.
“Tim, how can I compete with all these women? Jess is a dish and exotic, Pamela is... I don't know, elegant?”
Hell, I guess Molly was right about her. I hadn't thought about it, but she's pretty lush, she's...
I blinked.
She's been pregnant. I recognize those stretch marks and that's the only way you get them just like that. Should I ask? No, she'll tell me if and when she's ready.
“Sandra, you don't have to compete with them. I'll admit Jess is interesting and might be fun but Pamela? First off, that's a bad copy of elegant. It was poor manners and taste to dress to the nines for an informal occasion and I can tell right off that she did it, and probably made Steven do it also, in order to try to establish herself as superior to us. What she doesn't get is that the values and opinions that people used to have before the Crash just don't apply any more. What's more, she's taken. Beyond that, from what Jess tells me, she's utterly useless for anything other than looking pretty. I pity Steven because from what Jess says, he's pussy-whipped. You know what that means, right?”
“I think I do? It means that she uses the promise of sex, or no sex, to get him to do what she wants him to, right?”
“Yes, that's right. Do you think I'd be dumb enough to be interested in someone like that?”
“No, but that still leaves Jess. You think she's interesting. I bet you mean that in a sexual way.”
“True, I do. I won't push it though. I think she might be interested also since I'm pretty sure she's been flirting with me. She knows I have a wife and a lover though, so...”
“Yeah, and I bet that she's thinking that if you already have more than one woman, adding another wouldn't be that big a leap.”
“I don't quite think that Jess is the type to take second, or third, seat to anyone else. I did just meet her though so I could be wrong.”
“Well, look at me!”
She struck a pose in front of me, chin high, breasts thrust out and up, hip half turned with one leg forward, its knees bent.
“Do you find me interesting in a sexual way?”
So as to not disappoint her, I let my eyes start at her face and work their way down. I'd kept them above the waist prior to this and I'm sure she noticed them widen when I got below her waist a
nd found her shaved bare of all pubic hair.
“Molly told me you prefer your sex partners shaved so I've been shaving, just in case I got a chance.”
I'm sure my scolding tone was somewhat tamed by the obvious erection I'd instantly gotten from the combination of nipples of the sort I loved combined with a shaved pussy.
“Sandra, Molly did mention that you might be interested in me, but you'd never given me any sign about that at all.”
“Okay Tim, here's your sign. Will you fuck me? Molly says you're good and can certainly give me an orgasm if I let you try. The other guy I've had sex with wasn't that great. Although since he was my first, I didn't realize it until I talked to Molly. When he got me pregnant my parents kicked me out of the house and I moved in with him. I was lucky that they took me back in a year later after he and the baby died in that nasty epidemic that went around a while ago.”
My head was left spinning, it seemed I was always the last to know. It sounded like she'd told Molly about some of this, but not me. Meanwhile I was trying, hard, to find a way to turn her down, but found that I didn't really want to. She was stunning and, after her pregnancy, had the exact body type I loved. Add the physical things that I preferred best to her blatant request and the moral stand I'd been going to try to take turned into a moral morass.
“Yes, I'll fuck you, but not right now. We've got a dinner to get through, with two unpleasant guests and one enjoyable one. ”
“I understand, you promise that you will?”
“Tell you what, here's a down payment on that promise.”
I walked over to her and laid her down on the bed. Leaning over, I ran my fingers over her clit, finding her already wet. The rigid nipples had tipped me off that she might be, but I'd wanted to be sure. I leaned down and ran my tongue lightly over her shaved pussy, then pushed it as deep into her hole as I could several times. When her breath caught and began to quicken, I moved my tongue to her clit. I flicked her clit rapidly with my tongue, exerting pressure on it every now and again.
