The Bunker Ch. 08 - The Cullings Pt. 02

I took the phone. "Hello?"

"Mr Ansen?"

" Doctor Ansen." I rarely get officious about a title, but damn it, I'm tired and this twit should have let Sarah handle things.

"Yessir, my apologies." He didn't sound the slightest bit sorry. Probably going to bitch tomorrow about the asshole that made a big deal about his form of address. Fuck it. "There's a young woman here claiming she knows you and needs to be let in your room. Black hair, pale skin, mid twenties"

"Yeah, that's her. Let me talk to her please." I heard a sigh, and the phone being handed over.

"Kevin, sir, I'm sorry about this, but I didn't know where else to go. The others threw me out, called me a traitor and several other things." I could imagine a few of those. "Hell, let me sleep in one of the cars overnight." She was obviously distraught, trying to balance human unreasonableness with raw reality.

"You are not sleeping in a car tonight, Andrea. I'll take care of it. Hand the phone back to the clerk."

"Desk clerk here."

"You have any rooms still available?"

"Yes, we have two that each have one queen bed, one with two queens and one with one king bed."

"Give her the one with two queens. There's another young lady that will be joining us. If she has similar troubles, might as well have a bed ready for her. Charge the room and any expenses incurred with the room to me. Once she's in the room, make sure she knows how to call my room from hers. I want to hear from her when she's safe."

"Yessir. Just to clarify, all the rooms and expenses for racers are still covered by the Authority."

"Even better. Thank you."

"Good night, sir." It was still the polite voice that clearly didn't give a fuck what kind of night I had.

It took twenty minutes of waiting before Andrea called. As soon as I repeated her room number out loud, Sarah, Gabby, and Jenn bolted from the room. I spoke with Andrea about a few mundane details, trying to reassure her, but mostly keeping her occupied until the support squad arrived. When they did, we hung up. As wound up as I had gotten, I was still drained. I was back out like a light not long after.

******

Next morning was a lazy affair. Yesterday had been rough for everyone. Jessica was up within five minutes of me, and well before the others. Still, it was later than either of us had stayed in bed the entire time we'd known each other. Had it been less than three months? Barely two? We all worked so well together, like we were well practiced, anticipating each other's needs or responses.

Jess cuddled with me on the couch, mostly silent, though we exchanged a few short sentences. She'd come out fully dressed, while I was still only wearing a pair of cotton running shorts.

The next to emerge was Connie, wearing a long tshirt that kept threatening or promising to reveal whether she'd worn panties, but it never followed through. After getting a quick glass of water from the sink, she took a seat in the chair across from us, knees pulled up, feet on the edge of the chair, both legs to the same side, the full curve of her ass exposed. Either she was wearing a g-string, or nothing down below.

A low gurgle from the kitchen area suggested Connie had put coffee on. The girls had brought a bag of ground coffee, not trusting the offerings of the hotel, even one this nice. After a few minutes of mutually enjoyed silence, Constance and Jessica began chatting about plans back at the house. Jess' head still rested in the hollow of my shoulder while looking at Connie.

When the smell of coffee permeated the room, both ladies arose to get themselves a cup. Kiki emerged about that time, wearing a mid-thigh nightgown not specifically made to arouse, but not pushing the idea away either. Damn she looked good. Her smile sparked the need to adjust myself, once she turned away to join the other two at the coffee machine. It wasn't even her 'come and get me smile'. Just something about her sweet smile does it for me. Makes me want to hold her close. And then ravage her. Mostly hold though.

A quick conversation led to Kiki and Connie rushing to their rooms as Jess strode to the room phone.

"Hi, Andrea? I was making sure you were awake and ready to have someone over." A pause. "A few of us wanted to come sit with you, talk a bit. We could order brunch together. Oh, just three of us, Kiki, Connie and me. Great, we'll be down as soon as they're dressed."

Jess looked at me apologetically. "Sorry to run off on you, but we all thought she shouldn't be alone right now. She's safe from them here, but she needs more than just safe. We may stay until time to leave for the mixer. Or we may rotate out, so she gets used to all of us."

"You don't seriously think you need to apologize to me for helping someone? I would hope you knew me better than that."

She gave me a quick kiss. "I do. It's still polite to apologize for running off like this, dear master." She gave me a saucy wink as the other two emerged from their bedrooms.

That reminded me. "Kiki, Jess, make sure you stick close to Connie so no one has a hissy fit." At least the modified rules allowed slaves to be out with another lady above slave caste. It made life a bit easier for all of us. Kinda weird that the youngest of the three was the one with the most freedom, and legally in charge of the other two. Exhibit Q, more evidence of a fucked up world. "Oh, and ladies?" They were just about to close the door behind them. I sighed. "Tell her the tribe has spoken." Connie flashed a big smile and a thumbs up.

I had nearly an hour of quiet time before the others roused themselves. Sarah went straight into one of the bathrooms. Good thing there were two in the suite. She was in there for quite a while. She came out after a shriek that had me standing before the door open. Her face radiated joy as she raced to me and jumped, wrapping her arms and legs around me. She rained kisses all over my face.

She pulled back after a minute and held something in my face, but too close to see. When I pulled my head back, and she withdrew her arm a bit, I recognized ... a plastic stick with a little window and a plus sign. Now my face matched hers. I pulled her in and kissed her long and slow.

******

Andrea rode with us to the mixer, but not in the same vehicle as me. She did pull me in for a very tight hug when she came down to the cars. Fortunately, no one was there to see, and we separated quickly. She and Ellie sat at our table though. I also informed Ellie she could stay in the additional room with Andrea tonight. She hadn't reported any trouble, but I wasn't willing to risk it.

Everyone arrived at the venue in time to order a drink and food before the DJ announced we were starting. I had already downed two beers. I'm a decent singer in private, but in front of people I need some pre-gaming or I'll wind up rushed and singing lyrics well ahead of the music. And was expected to sing first.

I'd put some thought into my song selection. My first instinct for a starter was "Unwell", but I decided on something smooth rather than funny. I did "Peaceful Easy Feelin'" to decent applause. Three people later, another guy sang "Uptown Funk" with a lot of hip action. That got some attention and cheers. Others came and went, some getting raunchy, some smooth and soulful, some just singing for fun.

About an hour in, the redhead Kiki and Sarah had talked to got up. She sang "Killing Me Softly". The lyrics were arguably, about a guy playing guitar. Her hip motions and staring dead at me made it clear she was talking about me playing the two key fleshy piano. Three if you count the tiny little 'sharp' at the top. Any shred of doubt was shot down when every one of my ladies sang along with the 'one time, one time' while looking at me and pointing one finger. They did it again for 'two times, two times'. Ellie looked confused, Andrea died laughing.

A few other tables joined in the moment, but anyone could tell this was coordinated between the singer and my lovely entourage. I mock glared at Sarah, but couldn't hold it long.

"She's funny to talk to Kevin, sharp without being mean. She used to teach high school chemistry. And yes, Kikki and I told her about our 'trips to the moon' on your fingers."

"Is that how you phrased it?"

"Yes." Sarah had a slight quizzical look.

Turns out Destiny, the redhead chem teacher, had sought out Jenn and Connie after talking with Kiki and Sarah. All four ladies thought she'd be a great choice.

"Besides," Leslie added, "Your red rainbow would be complete." When I just stared with one eyebrow cocked she continued. "Me for strawberry, Sarah for copper, and Destiny for auburn. The full hue of red hair!" Connie and Mel joined in her giggling. I decided to change my next song. That should be enough to signal her to come over and talk.

I slipped off to the DJ to request a change. It was thirty minutes before I went up again. I searched the room for Destiny's face as I sang 'To the Moon and Back'. I finally spotted her towards the rear, on the right. She was smiling, slightly nodding. When our eyes met, she clapped her hands in a 'well played' gesture. The higher notes gave me some trouble, but all in all, I pulled it off.

Destiny came over after I descended the stage. She showed none of the anxiety that Ellie had oozed, or Andrea had tried to hide. She wasn't cocky either, just solidly confident. I'm certain she already had a back up plan for another guy to approach, and a backup plan for staying out of the bunker. She just had that settled, 'I can handle anything' air about her.

"Hi, I'm Destiny." She shook my hand. She rolled her eyes. "Go ahead, say it."

"Does this mean I have a date with you?"

A heavy sigh followed a 'tsk'. "I've been talking with some of the women in your family. They gave a good impression, of themselves and you. I hope I have done the same."

"They all think well of you." She sat silently, watching. "For my part, you look good, and your skills could be a good mesh. I'm expecting to be tasked with teaching. Not sure if they mentioned this but I'm a physics and astronomy professor at a community college. Was, anyway. I've been in contact with a few others going to the bunker that were teachers or professors, collaborating to bring in books and materials to keep education going. We had all been told we would likely be teaching once things were organized in the bunker."

Destiny nodded along. "And I could help you in that regard."

"That was my first thought when they mentioned you were a high school chemistry teacher. How big a school? And what classes specifically?"

"A good sized suburb. We had 350 kids in our last graduating class. Last year I mean, before the rock. I taught gen chem, and organic. Depending on the year and enrollment requests, I might teach a biochem to a few students, or pickup a physical science class. The physics teacher and I shared responsibility for those, and whoever had space in their schedule would teach one or two sections. Sometimes we each took one."

She paused, looking slightly mournful. "Oliver barely made it through regulars chem one. He was a good kid, but impulsive, and prone to making bad decisions." Her eyes watered. "He was the one in the pickup beside you." She started to cry, silently. Gabby heard her and moved in to comfort her.

I rocked back for a minute.

"And no, I don't blame you," she said, struggling to maintain a level voice. "Like I said, he was impulsive, and made a lot of bad decisions. He also had a bit of a MILF and teacher fetish, so he asked me to be one of his women. He wasn't a bad kid, so I said yes." She bit her lip, pensively. A few tears joined the tracks down her cheeks. I gave her room to think for a bit. She thanked Gabby, who then moved off.

"There's something else you should know. I'm generally dominant. I know as a slave that would be inappropriate in the bedroom or anywhere else. I'll accept a submissive role, that's okay, I can adapt, but if you could ... take a firm hand with me, especially early on, that would help."

"Did you just ask me to put you in your place woman?" I smirked and winked to press home the jovial nature of the observation.

She laughed, her mouth closed tight, shaking her head. "Yeah, maybe."

"Tell me something about you, not your work."

"Well, I love sarcasm and irony. I prefer quite relaxation, reading a book, or sitting in a natural setting. You know, just looking at trees, clouds, mountains, and such."

"Do you paint?"

"No, never. No skill."

"I just had this image of you sitting under a tree, painting what you were looking at."

"Sounds nice but it would look more like Picasso or Jackson Pollock than Bob Ross."

"Same here," I laughed. "Although with a couple decades of teaching experience, I can finally draw some really good stick figures." Destiny enjoyed that jest. "What about movies or games?"

"With friends, sure. Not a big driver for me, but I'm up for it. Well, board games or card games. Not interested in video games at all."

"What's your favorite book?"

"Lord of the Rings. Nothing else is close."

"Any scifi favorites?"

"Frank Herbert's Dune. The movie is ... well, it's fun to watch sometimes , irritating otherwise. Strayed way too far from the book. Kind of a guilty pleasure thing."

"I get that."

"Oh, and Michael Flynn's Firestar series -- excellent. Not high literature, but really good."

"I may have to pick you just so we have more time to talk books and movies." We both laughed.

We chatted off and on as the songs kept going, sometimes talking about the singer, the song or the artist being copied. Then Sarah got up.

As she approached the stage, I noticed the song title displayed. I took a deep breath.

"Hate this song?" Destiny asked.

"No, actually, I'm a fan of it. Just a little on the nose."

Destiny laughed.

Sarah was smooth, if nervous. Maybe I'm biased, but I was digging her singing. It helped that she was bore-sighted on me the entire time. I got a little misty eyed, especially during when she sang "... it wasn't the way I'd hoped, or how I'd planned, but somehow, it's enough ... "

I got several smiles from around our table. Yeah, I really should have approached her before all of this. But at least I wasn't the only one that needed a global catastrophe to get me to ask out a woman that had been waiting for the request. The next table over, a beautiful blonde in her forties, looking like she just stepped off the runway, was singing along with Sarah, leaning into the guy with her. He was shaking his head in chagrin.

When Sarah returned, she sat in my lap for a while. Most politely turned their heads to give us some privacy.

With no official declarations yet, Andrea and Ellie were still expected to sing if they wanted to be considered. Ellie went up ten minutes after Sarah and sang "Roar". She had fun with it and so did we. Honestly, it was great to see her happy, given how scared she looked when I first saw her yesterday afternoon. Ten minutes later, Andrea is called up. She sang "Nobody Does It Better." Bel had informed her earlier "The Spy Who Loved Me" was one of my favorite Bond flicks.

It was half an hour later when Jessica was called up. Now I'm not a big Cher fan, but this was one of hers I enjoyed. Jess started out wavering a bit. Clearly, singing in front of people was not her preferred fun time activity. I noticed when she changed the last line of the first verse ' but you went away when I needed you most ...' What really got me was Jessica turning, singing the chorus directly at me.

... I found someone,

To take away the heartache

To take away the loneliness

I've been feelin' since you've been go-oone

Her vocal skill punched way up as she sang that part. Her volume too. I guess feeling it makes for better singing. I know I was feeling it. I managed not to bawl, but damn. Sarah and Kiki, on either side of me, put their arms around me and snuggled in.

She sang each chorus to me, receiving more than the usual applause as she dismounted the stage. I met her halfway and planted a kiss on her that Hollywood usually reserves for long lost lovers finding each other again. The cheers renewed, then faded as we walked back to our table. Jess sat in my lap for a few songs after that.

A cute brunette about fifteen years too young to have heard the song when it was on the charts sang 'I Wanna Dance with Somebody'. Connie dragged me out to a clear space near the table. For the first verse and chorus, I swayed about as she happily danced in front of me, arms waving as if she'd studied 80's dance moves. Connie handed me off to Kiki as the second verse started. She held me close and we shuffled our feet together, like it was a slow dance played at the wrong speed. As the third verse started, Leslie cut in. She giggled and laughed as she slipped into my arms, giving me a quick hug. She immediately turned herself around and ground her ass on my crotch. When the song was over, I used her as a human shield to get back to my chair without everyone seeing my pitched tent. From the grins, I don't think anyone was fooled. Her huge grin and continuance of grinding on me might have been a clue.

The next singer practically purred through a song with a repeating chorus about "... if I had a tail ..." The song was sultry, and the lady sold it well. Made me think of Eartha Kitt's voice. My partners noticed my interest and started a few back and forth conversation bouncing around the table.

"I do not need a fourth, ladies. No matter how well she sings that hot ass song."

Two of my imps checked. That sultry singer was partnered to the sixth place finisher as his second choice, after his wife, when he was picked in the lottery. At least that ended their suggestion.

Forty minutes later, my third turn popped up. The guitar intro started and I relaxed myself into the folksy rhythm. I had my eyes closed during the intro, and often during the first verse, since I was reasonably confident in the lyrics. I made sure to open my eyes and turn to Jessica as the first run of the chorus came up.

If I could cha-ange the world,

I would be the sun light in your universe,

You might think my love was really somethin' good,

baby, if I could

cha-a-ange

the world

As the song continued, I set my eyes on M and Kiki as well. I drifted to Andrea, Ellie and Destiny too, since they would be in the same state soon. I did come back to Jessica for the last run of the chorus. There were cheers as I left the stage. Fairly certain at least a few picked up on my meaning.

Jess met me halfway to the table and kissed me fiercely. When she finally came up for air, she said, "Your love is amazing." She took the time to punctuate her declaration that night when we got back to the hotel.

******

Destiny and Ellie joined Andrea in the extra room. Several ladies took time to visit that evening and in the morning. The moral support for Andrea was no longer needed, since she had two others with her, but this gave everyone time to get to know each other and begin the bonding process. I stayed out of their room however, and they stayed out of the family's suite.

We started a series of meetings with the potential matches. I declared to the group before leaving I had chosen three. Mike, the second place guy, informed us he was choosing two. The sixth, seventh, and eighth place finishers didn't look happy, but they weren't surprised.

No one picked up on any reluctance from the ladies pairing with Mike. As loathe as I was to dig into someone else's private life, I did directly question Mike about the use of pain in sex. He admitted it and discussed how he used safe words and such. After staring silently for nearly a minute that is. Both ladies appeared as if they knew walking in this morning that was his style. They point blank said they had already engaged in that sort of play previously and wanted to continue doing so.