The Bunker Ch. 08 - The Cullings Pt. 02

"All of our children are eating as we speak. So for the next few hours, talk and mingle. Get a preliminary idea of who you might want to partner with. Tomorrow we will have a second mixer. That one will be pub foods and drinks and karaoke."

There were a few groans.

"You don't have to be good, just get up and have a little fun. Besides, there'll be alcohol to help you relax and make the rest of us think you're great."

That bought some chuckles. The promise of alcohol would make it worth coming back, even for the guys that likely would not get to choose a new member for their family.

"Every man will sing three songs -- relax you have tonight and tomorrow morning to pick a few. The women of each family will sing three songs -- either one woman sings three songs, or three different women sing one song each, distribute that however you wish. The women among the thirty-nine will each sing one song. Unless you are not interested in re-partnering. If that's the case, you are free to leave and you don't need to be here tomorrow. You can get something to eat before you leave here, or make your own arrangements." Three departed at that. I think they were together, since they left from the same table.

"The day after that, we'll sit down with each potential pair before assigning the new partners. I'll submit the pairings that night or the following morning, the third day. Any questions?" No one piped up. "Okay, eat and mingle folks."

I descended the stage and moved to the table my family sat at. I was grateful for the hugs. Sure there were more stressful things today, but this just piled on top. Besides, some of what I said would get back to the BA guys and I'd just thrown down a gauntlet. It was right, but doesn't make it easy.

A harried looking teen girl came rushing up. She wore cloth shorts made more for comfort than seduction, and a light tshirt that was nearly big enough for her sizable breasts. In almost meeting that challenge, the hem of her shirt gave peeks at her navel as she walked. Her round face, with its brown eyes and framed by shoulder length dark brown hair, looked like it was accustomed to bearing a friendly smile, but not today.

"Please, please, you have to choose me."

Kiki and Gabby were just coming back with extra chairs. They'd anticipated the need for more seating to accommodate petitioners. Kiki ushered the young girl into a chair, maneuvering her back from me just enough to allow reason into the discussion.

"There's going to be many women with the same statement. Tell me about yourself and why you want me to choose you. Bear in mind that I'm almost old enough to be your grandfather."

"You have other women about my age, so its not like it would be unusual for you." That came out as a plea, even if the words were almost an accusation.

Sarah smirked and nodded. "She's got you there Kev."

I side-eyed her for a second while inhaling. Then I put my attention back on the young lady. "Can we start with your name?"

"Ellie. Eleanor Estrovich." Her chin, which gave just a slight pointedness to the overall round, open face, quivered. "When my brother was selected in the lottery, he made arrangements with James to choose me as one of his six, as a handmaiden. He treated me alright, but it was just to keep me safe. He ... he was one of the ones they flew to the hospital. His wife was the one that started wailing." Ellie paused to collect herself. "Well, now my brother says the only way to save me is for him to choose me. I don't want to sleep with my brother even once, and definitely not have his babies!"

I reached a hand out to calm her. "The BA won't allow an incestuous match."

"But they'd have to check birth records or something to know!" She was moving toward frantic again. "Our parents divorced before mom knew she was pregnant with me. The guy she started dating not long after wasn't upset, so when I was born, my birth certificate lists our dad as my father, but I have my stepdad's last name! They'll see two different last names and assume there's no relation! And since he's the third place finisher, it's either you or one other." A shake of her head suggested that option was already out.

I sat back. I couldn't imagine what she was facing, but scanning the faces of my nearby partners confirmed I had few courses of action if I still wanted to maintain some self-respect. I still had to be that guy. "You haven't had time to talk with him yet. Why not?"

She looked frustrated. "I did go there first, but all of the women at his table are wearing chokers. Well, the ones whose necks you can see. Some have their collars up and are wearing long sleeves and long pants. The ones with visible chokers are wearing miniskirts and barely there shirts."

The implications of that were clear even to me. I knew what my answer had to be before I even saw Sarah's face. "No promises, but why don't you hang around here, and get to know the family? We still need to talk, but I'm not sending you away okay?"

Jenn's face, sitting across the table, went from serious to imp in seconds. She bolted off toward the food line, whispered in the ear of Connie, the first of our family in the line, and zipped right back. She was too far away to hear, but I swear she was giggling.

Sarah and I watched Ellie talking with Gabby and Leslie. The longer their conversation went on, the looser her body became. Like the tension drained from her body and she could relax. Gabriela waved Jessica over. Within a minute or so of Jess joining the conversation, the two hugged. I did try not to think too much about Jessica's D cups mashed against Ellie's ... E? maybe F? cups. Both had lovely, cherubic faces and little button noses.

I looked to Sarah on my left. "Do you really think this will work?"

"She seems like a nice girl, and you're a good man. It will work out. Give her at least until tomorrow night. I think you two will find something to unite you." She looked up, to my right.

I turned and nearly planted my face into a very lovely navel centered in a smooth abdomen precisely balanced between fit and muscular. Below her belly she wore faded daisy dukes that might have been stitched into place. Without looking, I still knew her ass cheeks were hanging out the back. And the legs extending downward from the shorts were smooth, toned, and amazing. The balance struck with an eye to sex appeal, not athletic achievement. Or maybe a marathon shopping spree.

As I looked upwards, my head nearly buried in her cleavage. She wore a bandeau cross top that left a tantalizing amount of under boob and bottom cleavage out in the open. The light beige of her top contrasted with the pale white of her skin. Not pallid, certainly not sickly, just the whiteness of flesh that preferentially engaged in indoor activities. She wore no bra, but didn't need one. Her 34G breasts were clearly not the manufacturer's original specifications. They sported the obviously artificial 'bolted on fishbowl' look. As much as I've always said I'd rather have natural A-cups than artificial, I liked what I was seeing. And how closely I was seeing it.

Pulling my eyes above the mammaries on display by conscious effort, I noticed the graceful curve of her neck as it led up to a beckoning smile of a beautiful woman that knew exactly how her body effected a man. Perfectly coifed long black hair fell luxuriously over her shoulders, most running down her back, but a few locks draped forward, resting on the upper slopes of her cloth covered breasts.

I was instantly on guard. No way in hell was I going to saddle my family with a bad choice just because my dick got itchy. Not that she was a bad choice, I have no idea what she's like at all. Except I'd bet she's used to relating to men through her body. That often doesn't work out well. Not for the woman. Not for the 'decent guy' that has her in his life after years of living that way. I like to think I'm a decent guy.

"Hi, my name is Andrea. May I sit?"

"Sure." Andrea took a chair in front of me, close enough to reach me, or vice versa, but far enough that I could see all of her as we talked. "Have you talked with anyone else yet, or am I the first one you are sitting down with?" It had been ten, maybe fifteen minutes since I came down from the mike, so maybe she'd had a short conversation with someone else.

"No, you're the first. And frankly, I'd like you to be the only one."

"You don't even know me." I scowled. "We're talking about a life changing decision."

"I'm not a rugged girl, I won't make it outside." She allowed just a peek at the insecurity inside before closing the curtain. "Before all this, I had pages on Instagram and OnlyFans. I had just signed a deal with a major studio for a solo video." She paused to let the implication sink in. "Cameron was a subscriber. When he asked me to be one of his six, I jumped at the chance. The other ladies weren't happy with me, but it was bearable because I was going to survive."

"I accepted being a slave because I've always been the 'hot girl'. It was some adjustment, because I'm used to that getting me 'primo' guys. I ... I looked forward to being somebody's trophy wife. Or a well-kept mistress. I'm fine being arm candy, for someone important. For a winner. You won twice. Three times if you count the lottery itself. People see you. Maybe it's selfish, or slutty, or whatever you want to call it. This is who I am, I'm comfortable this way. And I would gladly be yours. I would rather be yours."

There was a strange synergy of nervousness and confidence in her voice and behaviors. I flashed on a mental image of her life-long assurance of her social value via her sex appeal rushing about playing whack-a-mole with her anxieties in this unfamiliar situation with a man that didn't seem to be as enamored of her as she was accustomed to. At least I think I was showing restraint, after that initial surprise anyway.

Sarah interrupted my thoughts by whispering in my ear. "I want you to take her Kevin." I whipped my head around to face her so fast my cheek smacked her nose. After apologizing, I leaned closer so our mouths were close to the other's ear.

"You can't be serious. She is not going to fit well with my lovely bunch of nerd girls."

"We aren't all nerd girls. Hell, I only started watching scifi when we met. And you are missing the point. A girl like her will absolutely mold herself to match the guy she's with. How can I put this ... oh, it's like that episode with the bald captain and the woman in the glowing egg thing. She'll make herself be what you want her to be."

Pulling back momentarily, I narrowed my eyes and scowl-smiled at her. "Using TNG against me is dirty pool."

"I'm using it for you so she gets up against you," Sarah cooed. "or under you. Look at her, she'd love to be under you, doing whatever you want. Any hole you want. You know you want it baby. I can hear your breathing picking up."

"I have never, not once, picked any of you for your looks alone."

"I could argue that means you deserve to ... just this once. But that still wouldn't be true. She's already said she knows how to operate a social media business. If you join that savvy with Leslie's tech skills and Kiki's press talents, you would have your own highly effective PR department. And she's right, you are going to need it. You never meant it to happen, baby, but you're a name now. A small one, but there's attention on you. Even if it never grows more than what it is now, you need to make sure you control your public image, not the BA folks that dislike you."

I pulled back to think. And to give my ear a break from the whispering. It was tickling that whole funnel part of my ear and into the canal. I pushed aside the 'you deserve a treat' argument -- mostly -- but the social media savvy part made a lot of sense. Was it really going to matter that much? Sarah's instincts on marketing and image were right a hell of a lot more often than they were wrong. She usually taught the management side of business, but she had good instincts for the publicity stuff. I glanced at her, still thinking.

We were still apart, so I spoke in normal tones that would allow Andrea to overhear. "I'm not convinced I'll need a publicity team. But, there was mention there would be an intranet within our bunker, and satellite connections to the other bunkers to maintain community. Each family will have ... a webpage or their own website, I forget. I had initially thought Leslie could run that, with input from Jen and her 'document the family' project."

"Well, Jenn has another project eating into her time," Sarah said slyly, with a twinkle in her eye.

"She's pregnant babe, not an invalid. And she'll go bonkers if she doesn't have something to do."

"So let Jenn run the documenting process, but have Andrea do the grunt work, especially the bending down or getting into weird places for the just right angle."

"I'd love to help out with that if you'd let me," Andrea interjected. "I have a pretty good eye for lighting and camera angles. Mostly stills, but I could learn the video side quickly. I'm good at adjusting photos with editing software too."

My mind was playing tricks on me because I could have sworn I heard just the slightest hint of neediness or desperation. No fucking way this woman was desperate for me. But ... how many times had I thought that over the past two months? And was wrong each time. I've always thought I had a healthy, balanced self-image -- since I started re-building my self-respect after the divorce -- but maybe I've been underselling myself. I shook my head. That's a dangerous road to travel. I'm a pretty good guy. The fastest way to ruin that would be believing I'm now some 'great man' type.

I must have been thinking too long again because Andrea began making her case further. "I know as your slave you can do anything you want, but can I make a suggestion?" I nodded, tentatively. "Have you ever heard of free use?" A few porn segments popped through my head as I blinked once, slowly, then nodded with my eyes on the ceiling. "I could be that for you. I wouldn't mind at all. Not that what I mind or don't legally matters, but ... I'm just throwing the idea out there." She kept her lips tight.

Sarah and I shared a look. Hers was unmistakable. Hell, I hadn't even gotten in line to get a plate and apparently, I'd already made two of my three intended choices.

"Andrea, I'm not accustomed to treating women any of the ways you've mentioned in this entire discussion. I've done some dominance play, but that was play, in the context of love and affection and demonstrated interest in mutual pleasure." I sighed. "I'm not saying no to you, but I'm not sure I'm the guy you want to be with." Her shoulders sagged at that. "Still, you are welcome to stay and talk with the others. I'm going to go get a plate. Don't forget to get yourself something." I stood and walked away, but not before offering a light pat on her shoulder.

I got a few surprised, even scandalized looks that I was standing in line. The only other guy in line was just leaving as I got there. The others had apparently sent one of their ladies to bring them a plate. I also got some appraising looks. None made an approach, but some appeared to be thinking along those lines.

When I finally got up to the tables, my eyes confirmed what my nose suspected. Fried chicken. I hadn't had any in way too long, with all the emphasis on healthy eating. I snagged two thighs and then piled on some sides. They even had coleslaw.

As I returned, Sarah and Kiki got up to get plates. The line was barely there, so they got through quickly. Connie and Jenn came around the table to meet me, with Ellie in tow. Ellie looked uncertain, Jenn and Connie had solid imp smiles in full effect. A few feet from me, Connie maneuvers Ellie in front of them and Jenn's hands come from behind her back to rest next to Ellie's ears. Each hand held a sticky bun.

Together, Connie and Jenn sang out "Help her Kevin-wan, you're her only hope!" Both burst out laughing, along with the other members of my family around the table. Ellie looked embarrassed, trying to hold back a giggle while utterly mortified.

I closed my eyes and shook my head, then turned to the ceiling. "What am I going to do with you two?"

"Love us to pieces because we love you too." Connie asserted, stepping forward with a hug which I reciprocated.

I gave her a light kiss before pulling her to my side, facing her out towards the other two. I looked at Ellie. "You sure you want to join this insanity?"

"More than ever."

"Good, 'cuz I think the tribe has spoken." Her eyes lit up at that. She and Jenn turned to each other and hugged. "We still need to play it by the rules though. You can sit at the table with the rest of the family, but you'll need to sleep elsewhere tonight and probably tomorrow night too. Until it's official, we shouldn't so much as hold hands." I paused. "You should still be able to stay in the hotel room you were in last night. Let me know if there is any problem with that." Ellie beamed and started to hug me before catching herself. Connie whispered in her ear and Ellie moved to sit with Melissa and Leslie. The three kept their conversation relatively quiet, but it was clearly a lively one.

Connie and Jenn walked up to a couple of women that were hovering nearby. That conversation was even further away, but given the frequent looks in my direction, I know the two were fielding questions about me and our family.

I took a seat and got Melanie's attention. "M, where's Jessica?"

"She went to check on the kids. All six of them."

"Okay, good. I was wondering myself." I took a bite a chewed for a moment. "What about Kiki and Sarah?"

"They are circulating. Sarah said she wanted to seek out good candidates." She kept her face neutral, but I swear I heard a small bit of glee as I sighed. I looked around and spotted the pair, plates in hand, halfway across the room, talking with a lovely auburn haired woman that looked to be in her early to mid forties. And wore her age well. Hell, she looked more like the ideal I'd mentioned in my profile than any woman I'd met since. But I'm still not choosing by looks.

I went back to eating, but occasionally looked at the trio. They talked for a solid twenty minutes at least.

Gabby and Andrea were having their own conversation. From the look on Gabby's face, she seemed mostly trying to reassure Andrea. Then I noticed neither one had a plate in front of them. And neither did M.

"Melanie, have you eaten yet?"

"No, I haven't." Without words, her face conveyed she'd been waiting for permission. Damn it.

"Seems to me, a woman with a PhD, who's run her own graduate program, has sufficient mental faculty to figure out it's time to go get a meal." She managed to look chagrined and plead with her eyes simultaneously.

"Go." I turned my head. "And Gabby, same for you and Andrea." Gabby nodded. Andrea followed.

******

The mixer finally began dissolving about 7:30pm. Ellie rode to her hotel with some of her former family members who were also coming back tomorrow, hopeful to make a match. Andrea said she'd be fine getting back to her hotel, so we piled into our cars and headed back to the suite.

Physically and emotionally drained, I crashed early. Crashed. Helluva a word to use today.

Unfortunately, I didn't sleep long. Sarah rousted me, holding the phone.

"Andrea's downstairs. Not sure what happened."

"Give her a room?" There weren't many scenarios that would bring her here, and nearly all meant she needed a place to stay.

"I tried to handle it, but the desk clerk said you were the only one authorized. I would have let her in here, but you said that was against the rules earlier, right?"