The Surrogate Ch. 03

Chapter Three - Redhaven

To say that Mila was excited when she was handed the keys to the silver BMW Z4 would be an understatement. She followed Peter who was driving his new Mercedes A-Class, who was in turn following Brian and Dianne Hislop who were driving a late model SUV.

When they flew into Redhaven yesterday Mila had been amazed by the wide expanse of the plains below and then the imposing majesty of the snow-capped Rocky Mountains. The town of Redhaven was tucked into the base of the Rockies, elevated above the vast plains on a plateau. Looking through the windscreen of her new car Mila felt that she could reach out and touch the mountains and the big blue sky.

The town was laid out in a grid pattern with the Sons of Jehovah Supreme Temple on a small grassy hillock at the centre. Municipal buildings and the downtown area, what there was of it, circled the hillock and quickly gave way to wide, paved streets with lush manicured lawns, planted shade trees, and McMansions set back from the kerb.

Everything looked clean, bright, and new; from the shiny late model cars in the driveways, to the well-dressed and well-behaved kids playing in the yards. There was no trash, no graffiti, the air was cool and fresh and the sun was shining. Mila couldn't help but smile. She was worried that leaving the city would be too much of a culture shock but she thought that where else should a brand new person reside than in a brand new town.

Three women dressed in spandex sports attire were jogging on the footpath, their hair in ponytails flying behind them, their pearly-white teeth smiling through bright-red lipsticked lips; one of them was pushing a sports stroller. They waved at the little procession of vehicles as they drove past at a leisurely pace. Some kids riding their bikes on the sidewalk pulled over and gave way to the running women.

The three car cavalcade arrived at a gated community at the edge of the town. A cheery security guard came out and waved them through. Mila would later find the sensor that activated the automatic gate in her glove compartment.

The houses in the community were bigger and statelier than the suburbia they had driven through. They were all two-story ranch-style houses with long driveways, triple garages and small swimming pools surrounded by landscaped gardens. In the middle of the housing cluster was a community centre consisting of a communal swimming pool, tennis courts, a putting green, a kid's playground and a recreation centre. Across the street was the imposing residence of the Reverend Ronald Hayes.

Brian and Dianne pulled into the driveway of one of the houses furthest from the community centre on the edge of the neighbourhood. Mila pulled in behind Peter.

"There are currently three houses vacant in the community but we chose this residence for you so you have some privacy and not having any kids you won't need to be near the park," Dianne looked pointedly at Mila but maintained her fixed smile.

"You are not members of our church but we hope that you like it here in Redhaven and particularly here in Apostle Gardens. Please feel at home," Brian added.

"Come on let's go see your new home."

Brian took Mila by the hand and Dianne took Peter's and led them across the pathway to the double front doors where a young woman wearing a black dress with white trim, with a full skirt above the knee, white half-apron, tan hosiery and black low-heels awaited them.

"Who is that?" Mila asked.

"That's Sarah Jennings your housemaid, although I think the modern term is domestic," Brain answered.

"We don't need a maid!" Mila snapped and immediately regretted the outburst.

The last thing Mila needed was a domestic worker prying into her business; she had had a huge secret to keep and having a stranger in the house almost permanently put that secret at risk.

Peter glared at Mila and interposed.

"I think what my wife means to say is that as there is only the two of us and she so enjoys looking after my needs that a housemaid might be a little extravagant."

"Nonsense! We housewives need a break now and then from our domestic duties, I don't know what I'd do without our au pair. She helps me keep the house just as Brian likes it and minds the kids while I go about my socialising," Dianna declared.

"It's nice to have someone to take the kids down the park if Brian comes home for a nooner," Dianna put her hand to Mila's ear and whispered but loud enough for the men to hear.

Brain and Dianna grinned conspiratorially at each other.

"Come on; let's go inside," Brian said enthusiastically.

"Hello Mr and Mrs Randal, I'm Sarah Jennings and it's lovely to meet you. I'll let you look around and introduce myself later," Sarah gave them both a beaming smile.

Mila just nodded and went inside.

The house was spacious and well lit by natural light streaming in though the large bay windows. On the first floor there was a hallway and two reception rooms, one of which she could see had been set up as an office for Peter. There was a spacious lounge room that gave way to a formal dining room and out back was a huge kitchen with an informal kitchen-diner. Upstairs were three bedrooms. The master bedroom took up half the floor space and had an ensuite bathroom and two his-and-hers walk-in wardrobes. The bed was huge.

There was a large flat-screen TV mounted on the wall facing the bed, a dressing area for Mila that included a large vanity table and a separate dressing area for Peter. The remainder of the upper floor consisted of the two remaining bedrooms, another bathroom, a study, and closet space.

"You like?" Dianne took Mila's hand in hers, squeezed it and smiled.

"It's wonderful," Mila returned the squeeze and smile.

"As you saw, we got that workroom set up for you downstairs Pete but us men know the real workroom is right there," Brian nodded at the bed and grinned.

Dianne giggled.

Again Mila was surprised at their innuendo; weren't religious people supposed to be pious and reserved?

"As you know the house comes furnished as is, we cover all utilities and maintenance and we also pay for your housemaid's working hours from eight in the morning until five in the afternoon. Any overtime is on you," Brian explained.

"We'll leave you to explore the house and introduce yourself to Sarah. She comes from a good home but hasn't married yet, she's a spinster."

"Spinster? She can't be more than twenty-two," Mila was surprised at the use of the word.

Brain gave Dianne a conspiratorial glance and nodded.

"You are not familiar with our faith so I'll forgive your faux pas. Women in the congregation of the Sons of Jehovah are usually betrothed at eighteen and married by their twentieth birthday," Dianne explained.

"Those who, for whatever reason don't marry but wish to remain in the church may stay on and work in the community in suitable conventional employment."

Mila wondered what suitable conventional employment was but knew better than to ask.

"We'll leave you now but we will see you tonight. We're hosting a welcome dinner for you," Brian leaned in and kissed Mila on the cheek and shook Peter's hand.

Dianne kissed Peter on the side of the mouth and Mila on the cheek. Mila and Peter followed them downstairs and saw them out.

Sarah was in the kitchen brewing coffee and Mila and Peter went to join her.

She smiled when they came in and indicated two stools at the breakfast bar where she had set up coffee cups and condiments.

"Welcome to Redhaven," she beaned at them both.

Sarah was about Mila's size but with a tiny waist cinched by the strings of her apron. She had full beasts that looked like they needed little support, her legs were long and her face was pretty. She wore full makeup and her hair had been recently styled.

"Hello Sarah, I must say it comes as a surprise having you here," Peter replied.

"But you'd seen the house when you up here last Mister Randal?" Sarah looked confused.

"They showed me where I would be living and took me inside one of the houses, as you know they are all identical except for the Reverend's. They did not tell me that we would be getting a domestic employee," Peter explained.

"You can call me your maid; I don't mind. I guess I am a little surprised they kept that from you," Sarah smiled.

She came around from behind the breakfast bar and approached Mila.

"Mrs Randal, can I just say that you are one of the most beautiful women I have seen. I love your sense of dress and that modern hairstyle, you are very sophisticated."

Mila blushed. She was uneasy being this close to another woman for any length of time.

"Thank you Sarah. I can't possibly think of how we are going to keep you gainfully employed but it is lovely to meet you."

"Of I'll keep busy. There's plenty here to keep clean and I wash, iron, cook and shop if you need it. I'm just happy to be working for you both. Now let me pour you coffee."

*****

"Fuck!" Mila and Peter were upstairs in their bedroom out of earshot.

"You didn't know about the fucking maid!" Mila was furious.

"You heard me. It's their little surprise I suppose," Peter was genuinely perplexed.

"It's their little way of spying on us," Mila hissed.

"You're paranoid. Every household in Apostle Gardens has a domestic, you heard them."

"You know what they say Peter; just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you."

"It's going to fuck up our domestic arrangements too."

Peter looked at Mila quizzically.

"I was going to sleep in the second bedroom remember. That little maidservant is going to know everything that happens here. Do you think she's not going to get suspicious as to why a loving couple rebuilding their marriage sleep in separate beds?"

"Maybe we just get us a bundling board," Peter said in a poor attempt at humour.

"Yeah, well I guess that bed is big enough for two," Mila sighed.

"I'm obviously going to have to be careful to make sure that she doesn't see me naked."

Peter nodded then they heard a vehicle pull into their driveway. Their personal effects had arrived.

Needless to say Sarah wanted to take charge of unpacking and Mila, not wanting to be confrontational from the start, allowed her to do so.

"Just one thing Sarah. This is going to sound a little prudish put I prefer to unpack my own underwear."

"And I think I'd feel better if I washed my own lingerie too," Mila added.

"Sure thing Mrs Randal; I understand. There is something intimate about someone else touching your undergarments and it's best left only to those we know intimately," Sarah smiled knowingly.

"You can wash mine though Sarah; I have no objection," Peter grinned.

"Oh men! Men seem to want women touching their undergarments all the time," Sarah giggled like a schoolgirl and skipped off down the path to help unload the van.

Mila gave Peter a cautious look but he just shrugged and went back inside. Mila collected the suitcase that contained her lingerie and lugged it upstairs. She chatted with Sarah as she laid out her underwear in the drawers of the walk-in robe while Sarah took her garments one by one from the porta-robes and oohed and aahed over every dress, skirt, and blouse she unpacked and placed on a hanger. Mila heard her squeal and then saw that Sarah had found her Louboutin heels; she smiled and shook her head.

They both unpacked Peter's clothes and put them away; Peter had retired to the downstairs office and was beavering away.

Retiring back to the kitchen-diner Sarah again offered coffee and Mila took a cup and asked Sarah to join her.

"Can I ask you a personal question?" Mila asked.

"Well I don't know Mrs Randal; I guess that depends what it is?" Sarah sipped her coffee innocently.

"Dianne Hislop told me that daughters of the Sons of Jehovah are usually married by the time they turn twenty."

"Yes that's right," Sarah answered.

"But why? I couldn't find anything about that in the church literature that Peter gave me read."

"Not all of the Reverend's teachings are written down Mrs Randal," Sarah looked down in her coffee cup not meeting Mila's eyes.

"Please call me Mila. Mrs Randal is Peter's mother," Mila joked.

"Of course Mister Randal's mother would be Mrs Randal, because she is married to his father," Sarah didn't get the joke and was confused.

"Anyway call me Mila, please."

"Sometimes you have to extrapolate the Reverend's teachings to find their true meanings. You will have read that he says that all things provided naturally by God are to be enjoyed by men and those that are unnatural are evil."

Mila nodded, even though she hadn't.

"So for instance, alcohol is a gift from god, grapes make wine, hops and barley make beer, corn is used to make whiskey right? Whereas drugs are manufactured by scientists and are not natural; ergo men may enjoy alcohol, in moderation of course, but drugs are evil and if you partake you will be excommunicated," Sarah explained.

Mila decided not to ask if marijuana was considered 'natural'.

"Sure; go on," Mila encouraged her.

"A woman's body is also a gift from god to man and he should enjoy the fruits of her body whenever he feels the need. The caveat is that the man and woman should be married and the woman should be pure when she marries. Women develop the same urges as men; just a little later in their development, so women in our faith are betrothed to a suitable man as soon possible to prevent them from straying from their faith."

"As the legal age of marriage here in Wyoming is eighteen, most are married as soon as they become of age or earlier. State law allows that girls can be married as young as sixteen if the girl has a notarized consent form signed by their parents to obtain a marriage licence."

"So as young as sixteen?" Mila asked.

Sarah nodded.

"The church insists that women be married by the age of twenty. The church sees unmarried women as a threat to society; they encourage men to become lustful outside of marriage."

"You really believe all that?" Mila was incredulous.

Sarah looked at Mila like she was some sort of alien being.

"Oh I'm so sorry. I shouldn't question your faith," Mila put out a hand and stroked the back of Sarah's hand.

Sarah took Mila's hand in hers and looked into Mila's deep blue eyes.

"Does that answer your question?"

Mila nodded.

Sarah withdrew her hand and started to clear away the coffee cups. She was putting them in the sink when she spoke, not turning around to look at Mila.

"I didn't really though did I? I mean I did answer your question but not directly," Sarah sighed.

"Remember I said the woman must be pure when she marries. I'd like not to talk about this anymore. Can I ask you some questions about California?" Sarah turned the conversation around.

*****

The dinner party that night was a cosy affair. Brian and Dianne Hislop were gracious hosts. Jim and Helen Benson and two other Apostle couples were there. The Hislop's maid Angie was a dark haired woman in her mid-twenties who wore the same black dress with white trim as Sarah had worn that day. Mila wondered if it was a uniform of sorts but thought it would be rude to ask. She would ask Sarah tomorrow.

It was obvious that the three couples knew each other intimately, although they were as inclusive as they could be with Peter and Mila, some of the conversation was lost on Mila. Peter had a better understanding of the functioning of the church, working as he did with the church's business and legal affairs.

After the meal the party split into two groups, the men and the women. Mila had to work hard to participate in the conversation; although she felt like a woman she didn't really think like one yet. She was realising now that women saw things different to men; especially these women.

Mila became bored very quickly; all the women seemed to talk about were their husbands, their children and family and church matters. There was no discussion of anything outside of the church or their community.

Mila tried to break the ice and asked them what was their favourite play was and who was their favourite musical group or performer? Her questions were brushed tactfully aside. What she did notice was the church rule about enjoying alcohol in moderation seemed to be open to interpretation. Two of the four women were putting away cocktails in good order and the other two were no slouches either when it came to drinking wine.

As the women became a little inebriated, their inhibitions loosened and talk turned to sex. Mila was uncomfortable with the conversation, so she just listened.

"Jimmy bought me a bustier and some fully fashioned stockings to go with it last time he went away on business. He insists I wear it just about every night," Helen Benson said.

"Darn thing is uncomfortable to sleep in but then again, when he gets me to wear it I don't get much sleep," she guffawed and the other ladies laughed along with her.

"Robert is pestering me again about doing it the other way again, you know, putting it in the other hole. The last time we did it that way it was ok because Gerald went in first and he's not too big, I kinda liked it, but Robert is just so damn big! Still that doesn't seem to worry most of you ladies," Sharon Gifford, an attractive buxom woman in her thirties offered.

Dianne Hislop gave Sharon Gifford a withering stare and nodded at Mila.

"Oh come on girls... you know when I'm joking!" Sharon laughed raucously and the others joined in.

Smoking was not expressly forbidden by the Sons of Jehovah but women were forbidden to smoke in public. Mila broke away from the group and wandered outside to sneak a cigarette.

She strolled around the Hislop's gardens. The pool-light shimmered in the cool evening breeze and was reflected up onto the shade trees. Mila leaned against a big cottonwood and lit up.

Mila was wearing a black cocktail dress, her favourite black heels and sheer black pantyhose. She had taken off her heels, dangling them from the straps, and the grass felt cool and dewy under her stocking feet. Suddenly a rectangle of light was strewn across the garden; someone had opened the back door. A woman came outside followed by a man. Mila wondered why they had come outside; the men were smoking cigars in Brian's study so there was no reason for the man to come outside for a smoke, maybe the woman was going to sneak a cigarette.

"Can't you wait until later Jim?"

Mila recognised the voice; it was the Hislop's au pair Angie. Her black maid's uniform effectively camouflaged her but as they got closer Mila recognised Jim Benson who had had taken off his jacket.

Mila figured that she too was camouflaged being dressed all in black. She flattened herself against a tree. Mila was in a dilemma; she didn't want to stay but she was scared that if she moved she would be seen and accused of spying on them.

"Get your ass over here Angie," Jim Benson hissed, pulling Angie into his arms.

"Not here. Not now," Angie seemed to beg.

"I'm just taking what I'm entitled to," Jim kissed Angie and she let him, her arms hung listlessly by her side.

"Ok, we haven't got all night," Angie said reluctantly.

Jim spun Angie around and kicked her heels apart. She leaned against a tree and bent over, offering Jim her behind. Jim was unzipped and from what Mila could see was sporting a very useful erection.

"That's a good girl," Jim lifted Angie's ruffled skirt out of the way and rubbed his hard prick on her panty-clad buttocks.

Angie wriggled her backside appreciatively.

"Hurry up," Angie whispered.

She pulled down her panties and pantyhose, bunching them around her thighs.

Jim stepped between her legs and entered her, holding onto her hips as he began to fuck her. Angie grunted every time he thrust himself inside her. At first Mila thought he was hurting her but she soon realised that Angie was moaning. Angie had a hand between her legs and was pleasuring herself while Jim Benson vigorously fucked her.