Hotter with a Blue Bonnet on it Ch. 02

The alarm beeped, cutting through the fog of sleep that Kate was buried in. She rolled onto her belly, the white sheet wrapping around her more tightly, clinging to her nude form as her muscles protested the movement, her arm stretching to quiet the alarm. After two fumbles, she ended its call and lay there for a moment in the dark contemplating her surroundings.

There was a wet spot on the pillow, as she had drooled a puddle onto the fabric. Her muscles told her that, after the end of her frenzy she'd collapsed and simply hadn't moved. There were other spots of wetness on the bedding and, between them, the fact that she felt the layer of dried sweat still on her skin, and the lingering scent of arousal still hanging in the air, they were triggers enough for her to remember how she'd spent her evening...vividly.

Oddly, enough, even with so little sleep, she didn't feel overly fatigued. She'd slept deeply, as though her mind had shut down and rebooted. One thought hit her with force: There's work to be done.

Shit. I can't lay here all morning. Along with that thought came the memory that Rose Khyber would be here today if Vanessa spoke the truth and there were things to be done before that. She scrambled from bed, throwing her dress in the wash before and taking a shower for as long as she dare and still have time to get ready.

She didn't want a repeat of yesterday. Vanessa wouldn't be happy and, for all Kate knew, she might say that the disrespect was enough to call the whole thing off. Finishing up in time for her dress to complete the wash, she tossed it in the dryer before heading to her closet for another perfectly clean and pressed dress.

Slipping it on and pinning her hair back she had to admit that the dress was comfortable in a way it hadn't even the day before. Yesterday it felt heavy, hot and constricting, but there was little of that today. It's just what I have to wear to fit in here.

Looking around for it, she found her cotton and lace headgear on the floor facing upward, straps wide apart as if welcoming her to it. Kate had a sudden feeling of...shame? My outfit has to be perfect like everyone else's or they won't trust me. She picked it up, studying it to make sure it wasn't wrinkled or dirty.

It seemed all right so she carefully placed it to her head before the mirror just so before beginning to tie the bow. Her hands moved in that subtle and intricate dance as she took time with it, from feeling the fabric against her fingertips to seeing how her actions tightened it around her head, cradling it. And when she pulled the loops of the bow she stopped when it felt the most right.

Checking the clock, she went to the laundry room window at the other end of the house to see Vanessa already walking towards the house. "God, I can't afford to piss her off now," she muttered.

Correctness.

She went quickly to the door to meet her before Vanessa came knocking and maybe saw the bit of a mess in the house had become. She gave a small wave and a smile. "Hi."

Vanessa smiled back and called out, "Hello, Kate."

She waited on the porch for Vanessa to approach the house before planning to just start walking alongside. That had been the plan. Instead, she just found herself standing there under Vanessa's critical gaze, waiting for judgment. "Not wearing the slip on the outside at least."

The comment made her squirm on the inside even if she didn't show it.

She gave a curt nod. "You look proper today. Good morning and good job."

Correctness.

She wasn't quite able to hide her happiness at the praise. A quick smile bloomed as she stepped from the porch to make pace as they headed to the cows. Kate carefully composed her thoughts before speaking. "I...just wanted to say that I'm sorry for getting as upset last night like I did. It just..felt like you were turning everything around on me when all of this isn't about me."

It was clear she was measuring her own words as well."Well, this is my home and everyone in the community is someone I love. That may have made me a bit," she groped for the word, "testy. But, if this is going to happen, I want my life and the people I love to get a fair shake. It upset me because what you see as a little thing that no one should care about, I see as a sign of your bias."

"You avoid your own name because, in your own words here and in your internet world it's 'quaint,' 'old-fashioned,' and 'ridiculous in this day and age and makes you sound like a dress-weaving spinster.' So things you deem quaint and old-fashioned are also ridiculous."

"The former can absolutely describe my life and those of everyone else here. In the face of that, I don't think I can be faulted for pointing that out."

Correctness.

Kate shook her head."You sure do sound like you were a lawyer."

She laughed a hearty laugh. "Told you so."

"But...can you talk to your husband like that?"

"Of course, I can. He doesn't want an empty little thing. He wants my skills and gifts as much as he does my body, my love, and my obedience."

Correctness.

"That last bit," she began as a tingle rushed though her body, sounds almost sexual."

There was a huskiness to her voice as she spoke of it. "It's a complete surrender, Kate. You give yourself to your man. You give yourself to the community. I shed everything else for it, and I'll never regret it. It's more than sexual, but it makes the sex..." Her mind slipped into a warm memory before she cleared her throat and proceeded with her routine."Lord, how it makes the sex."

Kate stayed silent as they entered the barn thinking about all she'd said and how that made her feel. Some of it was probably true. Why not take advantage of conveniences as you found them? Why bother to milk cows when someone else can do it and you can just buy the milk? Why give up everything just so you can wake up before dawn and go to sleep after you've finished dinner? What kind of life is that?

Bad thoughts.

Kate almost just stopped in her tracks at the barn door when she realized that Vanessa was right, at least a little. She was coming in with her own biases and, if she wasn't careful, she was actually going to write the article that Vanessa feared...that they all feared. She's right and I have to be fair.

Correctness.

They both found their place and set up their stools. Vanessa lubricated her hands as she spoke. "You were right to stop when you did. It doesn't really matter why. None of us were in the best mood for it just then and no one said things they might have regretted today. Thank you, Kate, I'm proud of you for your maturity."

Correctness.

The warm feeling that ran through her at the praise felt like the hug from the night before that she was too angry to really feel. It was warm and sweet and simply made her purely happy. She let it ebb before speaking again. "I'd like to think I have my moments."

She fell into the routine of milking; the rhythm of her fingers drawing down the teats and the high pitch of the milk tinkling against the metal as it slowly filled the bucket. She flushed at the thought of the question, but asked it anyway. "So the sex is good, huh?"

"Now we're getting to the crux of your article?"

She couldn't see Vanessa, as cows made poor windows, but there was no accusation in the tone. Indeed, there was more than a little good humor to be heard in it. "C'mon, you knew before you checked out that sex sells. It still does If I can get an angle and talk a little bit and get people to keep clicking through pages, they might get to some of the things that matter more. So, it's good?"

"I could describe it in exquisite detail, Kate," she began, "and it wouldn't be enough. Even the simplest acts are...electric. Touching those you love, being touched by them. Having the man who has picked you plowing deep and hard like he's trying to till through hard clay. It's glorious. I've never had a lover on the outside that even came close."

Correctness.

With the sense of right came another far more familiar rush of feeling as her nipples were being teased now by the soft fabric of her slip. That sensation brought with it another remembered thought. It's enough to have him inside and screwing them to keep the little cult pussies happy. She sighed, feeling warmth bloom between her legs so powerful her body stopped doing anything else just to feel it without missing a bit of it. Vanessa sure seems happy.

Correctness.

Her pussy clenched in response.

"You okay over there, Kate?"

The sudden mention of her name brought her back to the now, and with that transition came a host of feelings, from embarrassment at feeling caught to annoyance over...something else. She couldn't put her finger on what it was so quickly dismissed it as just humiliation at the places to which her mind sashayed at the first opportunity. "I'm just fine, Vanessa."

She chuckled. "Everything just sort of stopped so I wasn't sure."

"No worries." She milked faster at first to sort of catch up, at least in her own mind before she settled back into that pattern once again. Having milked enough now for what she extracted to hit more milk rather than the metal of the pail, she looked down and saw a fair amount inside with yet more milk to be drawn down and she felt a wave of pride. I'm doing something that helps everyone. I didn't go to the store for this. This is a result of my work.

Correctness.

They finished their work in the barn and headed to the main house for breakfast after Kate went to collect her legal pad and an extra, just in case."How does the community make money? You all have pretty big families, and, even if you aren't keeping up with the Jones's, it can't be cheap."

"We do well enough," Vanessa told her. "Some families breed horses, some of us cattle. All the women do all sorts of hand-crafted and baked goods. Some of the money goes to the community as a whole and we all have enough to raise our families properly. We'll get you into some needlepoint or something sooner or later," she promised. "You make pretty things and it's very cathartic."

She entered the house to find the other girls cooking breakfast, the smell of sausages attacking her empty stomach with a vengeance. All moved again in total concert, each seeming to know where the other was, what they were doing, and where they themselves were needed. Kelsey saw them and greeted them with a smile. "Early enough to really help today. Wonderful."

She took Kate and led her to her own space the counter. "You can work the pancakes if you don't mind."

Kate was a bit embarrassed and it showed. "Like I said, I don't really cook."

"Stop, sweetie," she said, pushing her to her counter space. "You can follow a recipe. Follow the recipe."

"You watched yesterday, you do today," Vanessa said firmly as she collected oranges for squeezing.

Okay. How hard can it be to follow a recipe? She started by reading it twice and making sure that she had everything she needed. It didn't take long before she was caught up a bit in the chemistry of it all...a pinch of this and a teaspoon of that.

"How are things over there," Adette wanted to know.

"Doing pretty okay, I think. Nothing's burned yet. Of course, I haven't put anything on the griddle yet, so we'll see. Question: is this a guest house or something? Vanessa said her family visits, so is that here or somewhere else?"

"Here sometimes," Jennifer answered, "or at one of the other outlying houses. This is actually my home. My family cleared out for you, so that you might understand us better."

"Us. Here. All of this is for you," Adette told her.

Emotions played about that Kate didn't expect; shame that she had taken someone else from her life and gratitude that they would go to all of the effort for her. "Sorry that I took you away from them."

Jennifer was entirely untroubled. "They are everything, but this matters, too, so it really is okay."

The other women continued to chat as they continued their respective efforts. "She finally went there," Vanessa said as a tease.

Jennifer piped up,"The sex, you mean?"

"Yes. She went silent for a while, so I think she kind of liked it."

Adette wondered,"What's not to like about good fucking?"

"Nothing." Vanessa agreed. "A man pounding that hole is what's meant to happen to it."

"I'm not sure I get your attitude."

Kelsey looked at her out of the corner of her eye. "A level tablespoon, Kate. Run your finger across to level that out."

"Oh. Sorry." She kept talking as she quickly corrected herself.

"Better. What are you not getting?"

She searched herself for the best approach. "You seem to be...pretty open about sex when most...groups like yours shun it...or at least get all puritanical about it. I...guess I just didn't expect you all to be talking about it in the open, even if it's just girl talk."

"No reason not to," Vanessa said plainly. "It's what men and women do. We are simply animals that can think about sex as opposed to just act on an urge to do it."

The batter was finally mixed and she hooked her arm around the bowl began to work the whisk from the center out to smooth the batter and kill the lumps that wanted to ruin breakfast for them all.

Kelsey sounded pleased indeed."All I can tell you is that before coming here, a lover making me cum was like him solving a puzzle, a little touch here, but not too much; this pressure there, but not for too long. It was a victory for everyone if I could find that moment with someone else."

"But now," A sound came from her that came off suspiciously like a purr. "now, just him slipping inside me is enough to set me shrieking like a banshee."

The women agreed and swapped sexual anecdotes as they worked, each seeming more salacious than the last. Maybe that wasn't it so much as the fact that, as she listened she saw the visions in her head as the whisk cut its swirling patterns through the batter, center to edge and back again.

She saw in her head the rare clips of these women where they walked together, shying away from the lens as much as they could when they knew of it and smiling and chatting in near whispers when they didn't.

She saw the women in her mind's eye as they casually described themselves here, splaying wide and performing all manner of depravity for their men, Jennifer describing in exacting detail how she could orgasm simply being on her knees for her husband's cock. Adette talking about how she could go from a dead sleep to waking to find her man on top of her, wet almost at once and his wild need driving her so insane with lust that she would literally forget how to speak English, giggling at the fact that the German words and phrases he knew best all centered around sex.

Kate listened, and whisked, and felt her panties dampen and her thighs squeeze.

Correctness. Reward.

"That's plenty smoothed out," Jennifer told her.

"Huh?"

Those green eyes conveyed mirth with perhaps a bit of empathy. "That batter's ready for the griddle anytime you are."

"Oh," she said, looking down to see that she had slowed her stirring but still hadn't stopped, "yeah. I told you I don't really cook."

"Not too much now."

She poured carefully with Jennifer watching her and tended her portion of breakfast, feeling that same sense of satisfaction that came with the milking. She was doing something for them all as much as herself.

And she really liked that.

They really aren't bad. They're a little crazy in the patriarchy department, but there's plenty of that in the outside world, too. At least they're honest about it and embrace it.

Correctness.

She made notes as they spoke at breakfast. Kate asked them to elaborate on the day to day of their lives and finances, and how that's handled when it comes to decisions and life in the community. And she was somewhat surprised that Kelsey actually managed the household finances. "He's never been any good at it, so I do it," she said.

Kate was about to delve more deeply into that when there was a firm knock at the front door. Jennifer rose and peeked out the living room window before she bolted to the door. "It's Greg!"

"Her husband," Kelsey filled in for the momentarily confused Kate.

The door swung open and she embraced him as though she might break him in half. He was well over six feet and lanky, but handsome with bright eyes and rugged features as though he'd spent most of his life in physical labor and relished it. He was definitely a little older. Perhaps ten years or so based solely on Kate's rough eyeballing of things.

He looked her over carefully. "How is my sweetie?"

If a person could melt Jennifer would have. It was all over her face. It was in the way she shied away from his eyes, wanting to smile at just a glance from him. It was in the way she'd shiver at just the touch of his hand. It was in the way that the rest of the world seemed to fall away and leave only him as the center of everything.

She belongs to him, Kate realized. She'd heard of love at first sight and all that, but this seemed so much more. Jennifer even spoke to him quietly as one might speak to a God.

Correctness.

The man who was with him stood exchanging pleasantries with the other women who were unquestioningly deferential to him as the man. There was some uniformity in their dress as well, black pants with matching belts with silver buckles. With them went charcoal gray shirts and black vests with matching silver buttons. Otherwise, as he'd seen before in clips, the men could go without hats and otherwise manage their appearance as they chose.

Kate looked him over. He was well shorter than she and his brown hair and wide brown eyes gave him a boyish look. He seemed to be avoiding looking at her out of shyness that she was very familiar with. She found it at tech trade shows and pretty much anywhere her fans would gather. To be honest, she found it at bars and such, too. It was the look of men that wanted to talk to her, but feared she wouldn't give them the time of day.

And, to be honest, she probably would have passed this one over with a smile and politeness, and that's pretty much it. She had network anchors and swimwear models hitting on her. This boy wasn't hideous or anything at all, but he was so plain that he wouldn't have garnered her notice at all.

Bad thought.

She instantly shied away from it herself. She didn't even know this man and here she was judging him.

He turned to her and she felt more than a little mortified, as though she had been caught by him even though all he'd done is smile and say hello.

Adette gave her own little nudge."Kate, this is Brandon."

"Hello, Brandon," she said warmly, extending her hand.

She heard some of the awestruck that she was also familiar with. "I know who you are, Kate. I've been a big fan of yours for a long time."

When there hands met it was like a current passed between them that rooted her to the floor and added two hundred beats a minute to her heart rate. She struggled to stay composed, never having been so flustered in her life.

Correctness.

"You're one of the men that likes the internet?" It had come out a bit more simple than she'd planned in her head, but she got the point across.

He nodded and gave her a grin. "Even most of the men limit their access to it. It can...take up a lot of time if you let it. It's just always been a little more my thing...technical and mechanical things, really. I'm not much of a farmer."

"It surely can," she agreed. "And I've never been much into domestic. It was no small victory for me to manage pancakes this morning."

He glanced toward the kitchen. "I'm sorry I missed it."

Suddenly she was, too.