Spreading Seeds Saga 03

By the time that Lenore let me out the front door we had reached an agreement and had eaten the omelet and most of the bacon. She kissed me, I caressed her breast, kissed the nipple in proper Bahia greeting and started back down to the trading post.

Sarge was standing in the door of the post talking with Sue when I showed up. "Perkins, Thought you had gotten lost. I didn't see you at breakfast. The corn mush was especially thick this morning" Sarge said and nudged Sue with his elbow, grinning.

"Well Lenore had all these mushrooms that would go to waste if I didn't have a mushroom omelet and all this bacon that was going to waste, so I had breakfast with her." I was rubbing it in because Sarge had only gotten me to service Lenore because Raule had been kicked in the balls by a mule.

Sue looked at me and asked, "Where did she get mushrooms. I've never seen any around here before."

"She and her momma grow them in one of the spare rooms in her bunker. They have another room set up to brew beer and are just transplanting their first sativa crop in the green house they have. A couple of real entrapanures those two." I said

"Bunker?" Sue asked.

"Yeah," I turned and pointed to the bunker up the hill, "Up there where it looks like a grassy hill. Apparently that was the first line of defense for the Facility and you wouldn't even notice it unless you knew it was there."

Sue looked at Sarge, "I suppose you knew about this?"

Sarge put up his hands, "Now Sue honey don't get riled up, I just confirmed by reconnaissance last night and I was going to tell you all at the Morning meeting." Sarge could get away with talking to Sue like that because even she admitted that he was her uncle, although there were times when she denied it.

Sue just looked at him and if her face was any indication of her thoughts, she didn't believe he was telling her the whole unvarnished truth. Sarge had the reputation of putting at least three coats of paint and one layer of varnish on anything he told a woman. Sue looked up and Chief Mercer and Ginny were walking up to the post.

Chief Mercer nodded to me and said, "Well Sarge, how did the recon go last night?"

"Real well Chief, I was just waitin' for the meeting to start, so I could tell you. Josh and I both were in there."

"Well both of you come in and report then." The Chief said as she entered the post.

Genevieve was standing at the door to the Chief's office with a sheet of paper and a cup of steaming tea. "Good morning Chief," Sweet Genevieve said as she handed the Chief the tea and the sheet of paper. "The daily log has been entered and the Inventory adjusted."

Chief Mercer patted Genevieve's cheek and said, "Ever efficient, so pretty and an extended libido, what more could I ask? Did you fix that little problem you had?"

Genevieve smiled and said, "I introduced Judy to Raule and now she's not so possessive, but now I have to find someone new to do on Thursday nights."

Chief Mercer looked down at the paper as we all filed into her office and then closed the heavy wooden door.

"OK Sarge tell me what you found." Mercer asked as she sat behind her desk. Ginny had chosen a chair at the side table and Sue was on the edge of Mercer's desk, looking skeptical. Sarge looked a bit nervous but took a breath and began, "Well I had made arrangements to take Raule up there with me to provide a secondary reconnaissance, but he had a mule kick him and couldn't go, so I took Josh with me."

"Raule is going to be alright isn't he?" Chief Mercer asked, her face showed a little shock, and she really sounded concerned.

Sue turned to the Chief and said quickly, "I looked at it, and he'll be ok. He's just bruised and he should be good to go in a few days, less if I know Raule."

The Chief nodded, "OK Sarge, you took Josh, what did you find?"

"Well the entrance we used is easily defended and opens into a hallway about 3-4 meters wide and, oh 50 meters long. There is a staircase at the end and it is defensible. We went up two landings and she showed me the shower room."

Ginny snorted, "Of Course she did."

Mercer looked at Ginny and frowned.

"Well Josh and I got separated and I left him to conduct the secondary reconnaissance with Lenore. The place seems pretty big but it is so dark in there that it is hard to navigate and I had only a few minutes to look around and then Leona took me to her room and which was down the hall from the bath. Now it seems to me that the level we were on ran perpendicular to the entrance hall, what do you think Josh?"

"That's right the shower hallway was pretty much at right angles. I think. We stopped off in the kitchen and Lenora fixed a Ragu." I said,

"How did she cook it? A wood stove, fireplace?" Sue asked.

"She had a gas ring thing built in to the cabinets and she used an iron pan." I said.

Ginny asked me, "How did it smell in there?"

"When she was cooking? Wonderful. Lenore is a cook up at the Facility and she must be very good at her job, because everything was real good. Not like the Dining Hall."

"No," Ginny said, "was it musty and damp or what generally?" Ginny had gotten up and stood next to Mercer, who as usual didn't say much of anything.

I looked at her then understood, "It was a little dry smelling come to think of it and like concrete, but even the baths smelled that way." I thought about it, "Lenore had about 40 candles lit in the kitchen and I didn't notice that they affected the smell of the room much, so there must be ventilation of some kind."

Mercer looked at Ginny and Sue and then at me. "Do you think you can get back in there?"

"Sure I made a trade for a fork to match my spoon and I was going to go there after dinner."

"Fork?" Ginny asked looking at me curiously.

"Yeah, I got this spoon last night and she had a mate to it, so I made a trade and I have to payoff tonight." I pulled the silver spoon out and handed it to Ginny. "She said she had a whole set and if I wanted she'd trade me."

Sue took the spoon from Ginny and looked at it closely. "Rogers, probably 60% silver from the hall marks."

Chief Mercer took the spoon from Sue and looked at it and smiled up at me. "Do you know how many pieces are in a set of silverware?"

I thought about it, "Three, four?"

She smiled and looked a Ginny who smiled back at her. "No there are probably at least six per place setting and 8 or 12 place settings in a full set of silverware of this vintage, and there might be a few serving pieces to take the total up to maybe 80 pieces."

I guess my face fell, I know my mouth fell open. That would mean I was going to be servicing Lenore a long time.

Sue laughed at my reaction and slapped my shoulder, "Cheer up you're young and strong. You 'll have the whole set in two to three years, if you don't renegotiate."

"Josh go out and give Genevieve a hand at the counter for a while and then come see me." Chief Mercer said and I left.

Sweet Genevieve was at the counter drumming her fingers as a woman in Administration grey was deciding on her purchase. I said hello and Genevieve smiled at me but said nothing. I walked down to the end of the counter and made to look like I was sorting pins or something.

Sweet Genevieve finished up the transaction and came down to me, "Raule is going to be alright isn't he?" Her face showed real concern.

"Oh yeah, Sue said a few days and he'll be right as rain." I said and put my hand on her shoulder.

She smiled, "I had him on the schedule for an RTA next Thursday and Judy was going to come over to observe. I hope he won't reschedule. Maybe I'll take him some of my special salve and that will help?"

"Oh I'm sure he could use some special salve." I said.

The door opened and in came Lenore and another woman. Lenore smiled when she saw me, "Josh I didn't know you worked the counter."

"Just filling in for a while. Can I help you?" I said.

"Mavis came in to get some salt and I just came along to get some sun. Oh this Mavis Bennet, Mavis this is Josh Perkins. He's the one I told you about."

I shook Mavis' hand over the counter and introduced Genevieve. Mavis was smaller than Lenore but about the same age and dressed in Administration grey denim. Lenore was in a rusty colored shirt and a skirt. Her hair was down and she looked radiant.

Genevieve said, "Well Mavis, how much salt do you need?"

"A small bag, I just want to try it and see if it is better than our salt." She said apologetically.

Genevieve looked in the bin, "I'll need to grind some for you if it's for table salt. Some of it got damp on the trail and is kind of clumpy."

"I'll wait," Mavis said.

"Have you tried the olive oil?" I asked.

Mavis smiled and said, "Yes it is pretty good but has a strange flavor."

"I haven't, although Mavis told me about it." Lenore said.

"Come down here I've got a sample bottle and you can taste some and tell me what you think." I said as I walked down the counter.

Lenore followed me and I pulled out the sample bottle and a small bowl. I poured a tiny bit in the bowl and held it out. "Try the aroma."

Lenore took the bowl and put it to her nose and sniffed.

"Genuine Davis extra virgin olive oil, the best natural oil around." I said. Lenore smiled and I dipped my finger in the oil and put it to her lips. She smiled at me and touched her tongue to my finger and then sucked it softly,

"Mmm tasty" Lenore said smiling at me.

I knew she wasn't talking about the oil, so I said in a low voice, "I've got the afternoon off and I could come up and see you after lunch rather than after dinner?"

Lenore glanced at Mavis and Genevieve they were discussing the qualities of Sea salt verses Alkali salt, she took my hand and said, "Perhaps you could come by and I'll make you lunch?"

"That is a deal," I said. "Don't know how soon I can get off but I'll come as soon as I can."

Lenore saw that Mavis was looking at her and she let go of my hand and said, "Give me a bottle of that oil and I'll try it."

I got out a liter bottle and said, "That will be eight dollars."

Lenore took the bottle and turned to Mavis, "Mavis can you put it on the tab? I don't have any chits with me."

"Mavis said, "Sure," and nodded at Genevieve who added the oil to the tab and took Mavis's chit.

Lenore paused in the door when she and Mavis left and waved at me before she closed the door.

Sarge came out of Mercer's office and called me over to him, "Ok we need to get you into the bunker again."

"Would this afternoon be too soon, "I asked.

"What?"

"Lenore just came in and I told her I had the afternoon off and would she like for me to payoff the fork this afternoon instead of after Dinner. She said yes."

"You didn't?" Sarge said.

"Well the Chief wanted me in during the daytime and I thought it was a good idea."

Sarge looked at me sideways, "Perkins you have an amazing talent." He rubbed my chin and said, "You better shave before you go up there. Go see what the Chief wants and then you can take off, but bring back some more information about that Bunker. Don't let her keep you in one spot, try to see as much as you can. I'll keep Leona out of your way this afternoon."

"Got'cha Sarge," and I went back to the Chief's office and knocked on the doorpost.

Chief Mercer waved me in, "I'll talk to you later Ginny." Ginny nodded and left closing the door behind her.

"Have a seat Josh; I realized that I haven't talked to you since we left Bakersfield. How do you like Burney?"

I wondered why she was being so pleasant. Not that she wasn't nice usually, but when she came around her desk and sat on the edge looking down at me she smiled differently.

"Oh Burney is nice, different than I expected but everyone is so friendly and there is plenty of food."

The Chief nodded, "Nice people here. They held on to their civilization and made the best of a bad deal since the Plague. The women treating you ok?" She was grinning.

I grinned back at her, "Yeah, oh some are a little anxious and I've had to turn some away, until Sarge gives the go ahead for recreational sex. But most of them seem interested in Able and Raule for that."

She looked at a piece of paper on her desk. "I see that Sue has you down for six confirmed pregnancies. You've been busy."

"Six! I thought it was four."

"Sue added two this morning. She examined them yesterday. That puts you tied with Steve and Bob." She said looking at the sheet of paper.

"Does it say who? Because I generally send them a present when I hear it's confirmed," I said.

She smiled, "A present, you do that every time?"

"Oh yeah, My Dad would have my hide if I didn't. He always told me that a woman likes to have her pregnancy acknowledged. So I send them a little something."

She smiled just a little, "John Perkins is your dad?"

"Yeah, do you know him?"

She smiled very wide and said, "Yes John and I were up in Redding together. He gave me a present too."

"You and Dad?" I asked.

"Yes, my second daughter is your half sister. I was really surprised when I got the present, and happy he remembered me. It was just one night in the House of Giving, but I remember him."

I was surprised but Dad had been in the trade for more that 20 years so I asked, "How old is she?"

"She is fifteen now. Doris is tall and thin like you and your dad and has his coloring. He comes and sees her when he's in Davis. I haven't seen him in years but Doris seems to like him and always gets excited when he comes to see her."

"Chief?"

"Yes"

I said, "Lenore came into the store just now and, well I told her that I had the afternoon off and made a date for this afternoon. Sarge is going to keep Leona busy this afternoon so I can get in to see the Bunker in daylight."

She looked at me and nodded, "I thought you had serviced her last night. Isn't it a little soon for another go-round?"

"The facility gave her four nights off since she's in season and she's anxious." I said. Hopeful that as a woman the Chief would understand.

She thought about it for and second, "Ok I'll tell you what. I'll clear it with Sarge, you take the next three days off and stay as close to Lenore as you can and find out as much as you can about the bunker. Then if you can get free tonight come by my quarters anytime after dinner and brief me on what you find."

"Ok," I said.

"Something wrong?" she asked seeing my expression.

"Well I made an appointment to see April Desoto tomorrow and I don't know how... Well I wanted to see the combine she designed and she was going to show me how it works and all."

The Chief looked at me quizzically and asked, "How do you know April Desoto?"

"June introduced us and they wanted a special service and we ... Well we..."

The Chief put her hand up, grinned and nodded, "Ok I get the idea. She designed a combine?"

"Yeah, it uses horse power but the horse is on the machine and doesn't tromp down the barley by dragging the harvester behind him."

She asked me, "Have you seen April's house?"

"Oh yeah, It's really nice and April and June have fixed it up real well. You should see her shower room, it's beautiful."

She smiled and nodded, "I'll be sure to ask about it. Evelyn Riley is going to take Ginny and I up to see it today. Evelyn said it's the house of the future."

"It is real nice. Tell April and June hello for me if you have a chance."

"I'll do that. Come by tonight and brief me on the bunker. Now go on and do what you do best." She was smiling at me as I went out the door.

Spreading Seeds

Chapter 15 Quick Shave

I waved to Genevieve as I left and walked up to the Kiva to shave. When I got there the water was cold so I took my kit and went to the Bathhouse.

I opened the door to the Bath house and went in.

Maria Bitterwater was in the dressing area sweeping and said "We're closed, until after lunch," without looking up.

"Maria, I haven't seen you since I first got here, How are you."

She looked up and saw it was me, she dropped her broom and came over threw her arms around me gave me a big hug. She looked up smiling, "Pregnant is how I am."

"I heard, any morning sickness yet?"

She kissed me and then let me go. "No I'm not sick at all, but I am starting to show a little." She backed up and patted her belly. "I hope it's a boy."

"Do you have hot water? I need to shave and the water in the Kiva is cold."

Maria reached up and stroked my face. "I'll give you a shave. Come inside." She took my hand and led me to the bath area where she started to undress.

I looked at her and smiled, "Just a shave Maria. No hanky panky"

She looked up smiling and said, "You should know by now that it is bad luck to enter the bath area still dressed, and I was going to bathe anyway."

"Ok but I've got a client this afternoon and I have to save myself for her." I undressed and sat on the stool. Maria got some hot water and soap and brought it back. When she set the bucket down she frowned.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"You're too short. Set on the shampoo chair."

I got up and adjusted the seat on the shampoo chair. Maria poured some water in the basin and soaked a towel in the hot water then wrapped it around my face, leaving a hole where my nose was. She let that set on my face for a while and then took it off and felt my face. She put some soap on her hand and as she applied it said, "I think you'll like this soap, it smells of wildflowers."

I sniffed and remembered June and April. "Is this some of June's soap?"

Maria looked at me, "You know June Black?"

"Yeah I met her and she ... Well she showed me her soap. She hadn't got it to harden into a bar yet, but I remember the scent."

Maria started to shave my cheeks and under my chin. I shut my eyes and just relaxed as she drew the straight razor over my face.

"You've gained some weight Josh. The last time I had a hard time with your cheeks. Now they are much fuller."

"It must be all the food that people have been pushing at me since I got here."

She started to shave my upper lip then changed sides and tried again, stopped and straddled me. I opened my eyes as she was pulling on my nose and I said, "What are you doing?"

She looked down at me and said, "Just getting around so I can shave your lip. Why, does it make you nervous?" She said as she stroked my cheek and bent low with her face close to mine.

"No just wondering," and closed my eyes again.

She finished my upper lip and sat on my lap to do my chin.

Now the shampoo chair is narrow and low and most of the time the women who sat in the chair sat with their legs spread. I had the seat made in a heart shape so that it was most comfortable if you spread your legs. I had my legs spread and when she sat in my lap her pubis was right on the base of my penis. It felt good and I did the Way of the Weasel and tried to counteract the sensation of warm pussy on my lap.

She had to squirm a little to get to all the whiskers off my chin and between her squirming, my remembering June and April and the scent of the soap, the Way of the Weasel just wasn't enough.

"Josh," Maria said.

"Yes Maria?"

"That is very distracting."

"What?"

"Well your penis slapping my ass like that. I thought you only wanted a shave."

"I did, or do but when a beautiful woman gets naked and sets on my lap it is a little bit distracting. Here stand up."

Maria stood up and I laid my penis upon my belly.

Maria sat back down, smiled at me and said, "Oh that is much better."

I realized that it was better, for her. Now my penis was splitting her pubis and she was rubbing her clit on the base of my penis and smiling at me. I reached out and caressed her breasts. "Now who is distracting whom?"