"Are you okay?" Stella asked.
"Thirsty," I croaked out. "I'll get some water in the house."
Stella offered me a drink from her bottle, but I waved her off. Once inside I was able to wipe my eyes clean with the short sleeves of my shirt. When Riley saw me, I told her I had gotten some dirt on my face. It was a wonder I still tried to hide my feelings among these caring women, especially when I couldn’t conceal my feelings at all from one of them.
I headed back down to the utility room to begin work on the inverter. I dropped my stuff there earlier but didn't want to start on it right away while the girls were down at the river. They were all back now. I could hear Jada exercising in the den where a treadmill and bench press sat with some free weights. If I could get the power on, we could all get our cardio in without having to go outside.
I tried to test all the wires with a voltmeter, but I didn't really know what I was doing. Nothing returned a reading. Either everything was broken, or the voltmeter wasn’t functioning. I changed out the nine-volt battery with a good one and still couldn't get it to work.
The thick band of wires coming from the wall that fed into the inverter all seemed okay. They came from the solar panels on the roof. The ones going to and from the battery looked as good as new. But even the battery had no charge at all. I imagined if the family that lived there left the air conditioner on when they departed it wouldn't have taken long for it to drain all the power. Hopefully it would still be able to hold a charge.
I took the time to hook up each recently acquired unit to yield the same results. Chances were that the inverter was not the problem. The only thing left was to go up on the roof. I didn't want to take a chance on getting seen. Most of the trees weren't tall enough to completely block the view of the house from the street. On the flip side, though, I should be able to get a good view of the neighborhood from up there.
"Take Bianka and Jada with you," Riley told me as she helped set lunch on the table.
"I don't need two people to help me," I replied.
"Bianka for her ability to go places that you can't," Riley insisted. "And Jada for use of her sniper rifle scope to see what is going on out by the main road. Plus, it is just a good idea for both of our security team members to get a bird's eye view."
That did made sense, so I agreed. My irritation with the solar panel project was bringing out my stubborn side. I could always count on Riley to point that out for me. In that way she was the most like a typical wife. I decided that after we eat lunch the three of us would head up there.
"It is a shame we couldn't salvage your old whiteboards," Jada told Riley. By her tone I could feel a joke coming on. "How is Mason going to know who to fuck each night?"
"I have it written on a piece of paper on the refrigerator," Riley answered like it was a serious question.
"It's my turn tonight," Alexa said with a glance at Bianka and me. The mentally adjusted lesbian made a face like she might be scared but recovered quickly without making a comment. She grabbed some food and went back to making her security rounds.
"Oh," Jada replied with a smirk. I had seen this type of interaction between these women many times before. Jada being funny. Then Riley replying seriously even though I knew that she understood Jada’s intent. And the others contributing to the lighthearted conversation in their own ways. It had become as comfortable as an old recliner to me. I tended to sit back and enjoy it like it was my favorite show on television.
"Don't worry," Riley told Jada with her typical straight face. "I have you on for tomorrow night."
"Really?" Jada answered with a voice that sounded like a mixture of surprise and excitement.
"Jada is on the schedule now?" Stella asked. I believed that Riley was about to tell her that it was a joke when Jada asked my youngest wife if she had a problem with it.
Stella said no, of course. Then everyone just looked around at each other. A moment later Riley got up and walked to the refrigerator to make a change to the bedroom schedule without saying a word. I assumed that she was putting Jada on for tomorrow for real. Jada leaned back on her chair to watch. Afterward she looked at me and bit her lip.
"How did your night go sleeping with Bianka?" Stella asked Alexa. That question coming from anyone else would have had sexual undertones.
"Fine, why do you ask?" Alexa replied almost defensively.
"Sometimes she tosses and turns in her sleep," Stella said without even bothering to look up from her food.
"I didn't notice," Alexa said then. "She had second shift of guard duty, so I had the bed to myself for at least half the night."
Conversation continued like that for a while. Things being said that could have caused a disturbance if everyone knew what other people were thinking. Probably Alexa had a good idea what was going on in people's minds, but she had gotten very good at not letting on. Otherwise, her gift could easily make people uncomfortable. I often forgot what a challenge it was for her to sense everyone’s emotions without constantly reacting on that information. At times in the past, I was certain that the other women did as well.
Then I remembered that Riley was immune to Alexa’s gift. It was one of the reasons that the two of them had become so close so fast. Alexa said that working alongside my second wife was like working in a library. Peace and quiet for her brain.
There was a six-foot aluminum ladder in the backyard. I used it to gain access to the roof without much trouble as Jada and Bianka held it in place. Jada came up next, then Bianka without even needing to use her hands. It was a peculiar sight that took some getting used to over the last few weeks. I wouldn’t have been surprised if she one day decided to never wear shoes again. They had to be limiting the natural dexterity in her cute little feet, considering her feline prowess.
The solar panels were on the south side of the roof. That side had virtually no tree cover and gave a clear view of the closest house next door. I could also see a good bit of the neighborhood where Oakwood Street continued on its way toward the main road. I didn't spot any activity in that direction.
Bianka crept to the front of the house to see if there was any risk of being spotted. When she reported that there was none as far as she could tell. Jada then walked along the north side to lay down where she could use her scope to see over the roof ridge. Without binoculars of my own, which I certainly missed, I decided to go ahead and start checking out what was wrong with the panels designed to collect energy from the sun.
There were eighteen solar panels in all. If fully operational that would be more than enough for our purposes since we wouldn't run the air conditioner due to the noise it would make. They were covered in soot from unknown fires, general dirt and bird shit. It would take a while to get them perfectly clean, but that wasn't the problem at the moment. The system wasn't working at all.
Whoever mounted the brackets to hold the solar panels did kind of a shitty job. I could see where sealant was needed afterwards in several places to keep the roof from leaking. They also did a poor job of securing the wires. I found four sections with plugs that had come undone. There was another large cable that had been chewed on to the point that the wires were exposed. That was undoubtedly the issue that needed resolved.
I made a mental list of what to bring up with me next time. Wire cutters, electrical tape and duct tape. Then I heard Jada and Bianka talking. I crawled closer to hear what they had to say.
"There is a decent amount of activity out by the main road," Jada informed me. "I saw several people with shopping carts like they are heading home with groceries."
"Seriously?" I asked. My mind jumped at the thought. Were there some areas not as badly effected by the worldwide catastrophe? No, not possible. At least not to the extent that life would be going on as normal. The old normal, I meant.
"Yeah," she replied with chuckle. "It looks almost civilized out there. It's not even all trashy like the rest of the world."
I took my turn looking through the scope to see the sa
me thing. People walking east with shopping carts and grocery bags. People walking west were empty handed. Was there really an operational store down there somewhere? What were they using for currency? They had to be back to the barter system, I figured. I wondered what would be considered valuable as a trade these days.
I turned the rifle to look farther west where the store would have to be. I saw some tall structures, but they looked like office buildings. That was a business district that I vaguely remembered. And a small shopping center with a grocery store. I recalled the parking lot being entirely too small for the number of customers it had back before the shitdown.
Then I spotted what I was looking for. On top of the office building were three men, positioned where they could see everything below on all sides collectively. And they each had a rifle.
I shared my discovery with Jada and gave her back the scoped weapon. She continued to scout as I thought about what this might mean. Another military faction? If so, it was one that was more concerned about taking care of people instead of enslaving them apparently. How would they respond to people like us?
"I think I see gallons of water in these shopping carts," Jada said. "Not river water I bet. Looks like store bought goods. There is no way that they are all filled with milk."
I focused on what I remembered from that section of Columbia Pike. Office buildings, a shopping center, a gas station, and what else? There was a section that was fenced off down there. Oh my God! It was a small water treatment facility! Did they really getting it working again?
CHAPTER NINE:
I taped the chewed cord as best I could on the roof, bit there was still no power coming through to the inverter. What I should have done was cut each wire cleanly and splice them back together. Since I had never done any real electrical work before now, I was hesitant to put in the effort just to fuck it up beyond repair. With the tape job not getting it done, I regretted that decision.
It was getting late. I'd have to go back up to the roof in the morning and see what I could do. I had at least one woman expecting me to come to bed soon, maybe two. I shouldn't keep them waiting.
I closed the utility room door behind me with a heavy sigh. Out of sight out of mind kind of thing. I would only feel worse if the others could see my failure as they walked by. It gave me some closure on the day as well. I'd do my best not to think about it again until tomorrow.
Though I was helping others with their projects fairly regularly, my primary job was restoring power. And I simply wasn’t getting it done.
Laughter near the game room drew my attention. There I spotted Alexa and Bianka sitting at the bar chatting among themselves. They had not yet acknowledged me, though my whereabouts were always known within Alexa’s range. Since those were the same two women that I was expecting to share my bed, I decided to join them for a drink.
As I approached, I noticed that neither of them had a glass in front of them. It was like they were waiting for the bartender to show up. Their contentment and small talk gave me a flashback to old times, particularly movie scenes since I hadn’t spent much time in bars myself. If they were dressed up nicely with jewelry and make up it would have been more complete. But their natural beauty sufficiently made up for it.
"Here he is," Alexa said as she turned toward me. "Sir, we would like a couple drinks to loosen us up. What do you recommend?"
"Oh yeah," I replied as I put an arm across the back of each bar stool. I planned to make a comment about why they needed to be loosened up. Did they need to be drunk to have sex with me? But the look that they gave me immediately made me think better of it.
Alexa's smile was priceless. I hadn't seen her so happy since the day that we rescued her. In her eyes I saw love, adoration, and maybe even a tiny bit of lust. Bianka's expression was happy, too, but different. I saw caution, but also the desire to go where the night might take her. She was clearly looking forward to spending time with me, but I couldn't see the same lust as in my wife's eyes.
"Would you both like a cocktail?" I asked. Alexa had drinks with me a few times before. I knew her limits and the right amount to give her a nice carefree evening. Bianka, on the other hand, had only consumed alcohol on that famous night. The evening when we started a foursome with the three of us and Jamila. Even under the influence, she eventually backed out. That gave me some concern. I didn’t want to screw this up.
They each nodded with a smile so big that nearly all my worries went away. All I needed to do was properly navigate this night with these two women. Focus on them and everything would be fine. I hoped. Tomorrow was another day.
I leaned in to place a kiss on Alexa's cheek, but she turned toward me to take it on the lips. "I love you," I told her. And she replied that she loved me, too.
I turned toward Bianka with the same intention. She had seen how it just went with Alexa, so she too turned toward me to take the kiss on the lips, only a bit more awkwardly. I told her that I loved her as well. I wouldn't want her to think otherwise, even though our relationship had been unusual up to this point.
"I love you, too, Mason," she replied softly, dipping her eyes in something that bordered on embarrassment. It was so unlike her. At least we rarely saw that side of her.
I needed to address that before we continued, I believed. If I wanted the night to go as well as possible, I wanted Bianka to be as comfortable as I could get her.
"Are you sure that you want a drink?" I whispered into her ear. After she nodded, I added, "I don't want the liquor to take you somewhere that you don't want to go."
"I appreciate that," she replied as she turned toward me. I then saw a little more confidence in her eyes. "I know where I want to go. And I am determined to go there. A drink or two will just make it easier for me. And easier on you, too, I think."
"Okay," I whispered again before giving her a soft kiss on the cheek.
"I won't back out this time," she told me with promise in her eyes. This time I could see that she was determined not to look away first.
"I will understand if you do," I told her, using my loving husband voice.
"Okay, you two," Alexa interrupted. "Am I going to get a drink, or what?"
I left them there and walked around the bar to study my options. I was not a practiced bartender by any means, but I wanted to play that role for them tonight. Unfortunately, without the internet or a cocktail recipe book I only knew how to make a few drinks. To avoid delay, I decided a strawberry vodka martini would be my best bet.
They watched me make their drinks with fascination. I tried to add a bit of flare like the bartenders in the movies did but succeeded only in adding comedy instead. Not my first choice, but I'd take it. At least I didn't spill anything while using the shaker. Unfortunately, without ice, it didn't do much. I compensated with bottle water instead.
The olives looked like shit, so I didn't add them. I wasn't sure that they should even go with a strawberry flavored drink. So, I topped them each of with a tall umbrella that could be used to stir the drink. Warm martinis. Viola! It was basically watered-down flavored vodka. But I was the only bartender in town, so you get what you get.
Or was I? Could there be an open bar serving alcohol down there on the strip? I knew from past pandemics that drinking became a favorite past time of survivors.
"Aren't you having a drink, too?" Bianka asked.
"Um, sure. I'd love to have a drink. What would you recommend?"
"How would I know?" Bianka replied.
"Something that gets you horny, but not tired," Alexa suggested. "You are going to need your energy tonight."
"Well," I replied smugly. "I don't even need a drink to meet that criteria. The two of you already do the trick."
They had to know that I already found the two of them unbelievably attractive. How could they not? Surely, Alexa knew to what extent I liked anything.
"Pour yourself a whiskey," Alexa told me. So, I grabbed the good scotch and tipped the bottle to allow a couple ounces to spill int
o my wide lowball glass. I pushed back the memory of Camilla serving me such a drink back on the night where she was forced to watch Stella service me from her knees. The fond memory had turned sour since we found her helping Mister Skull. I could still remember her lifeless face when I collected Riley from the room and fled the fiery scene.
There were some flirty eyes and a few giggles as we each sipped our drinks. But no conversation. My flashback was putting a damper on the situation despite my effort to remove it from my brain. Apparently, it would be up to me to keep things rolling. Should I do small talk?
"So," I said. "Do you come here often?"
"I'd like to," Bianka answered with exaggerated but awkward flirtation.
Did she mean the bar? Would she be into drinking more regularly? Or was she referring to my bed? I wasn't sure. But a mood came over me at that moment. They looked like they wanted to do some role-playing game where I was the bartender at some club, and they were the drunk floozies. But I just wasn't feeling it.
Dystopian Girls 6 Page 8
