by Layla Pierce
“Some of it, yes. I read, Bella.” He opens the door, and we step out in the heat of the city. I put up a hand to block the bright sun that is already beating down on me. I welcome the warmth for a moment, but I know that too much time and the heat would become unbearable.
Antony urges me forward. “Come on, we need to go to the market and see how the traffic is there.”
“What does that help with?”
“It lets us know how the internal economy of the city is going, how well trade is working to help support the growth and population of the city.” We walk on the paved road, after a few blocks away from the manor other people start to fill in around us.
I am not oblivious to the looks and stares that are tossed our ways. I assume that they are used to seeing their city official walk the city, and it’s probably me they are staring at. I try to push off the feeling that I’m under judgment for some unspoken reason and take in the area.
Most of the houses and buildings are built from a combination of bricks and wood that look like they were recovered from previous modern buildings. Most of the homes had shops under them, anything from bakeries and butchers to barbers and tailors.
Rumors said before the EMP had happened, there were massive superstores that sold all of these items in one stop and that they were made by machines. Now though, everything is handmade and tailored to the person who buys it. Food is fresh and not frozen.
Antony pulls me closer to him as a group of teenagers rush by us, almost knocking into me. “You’ve got to pay attention to the crowd, or you’re going to get trampled.”
I turn to say something to him, but his eyes are on something else. I look to see where his gaze is concentrated. Men have gathered around a platform, including the group of teenagers. On the platform stands a woman in torn clothing.
Anger fills me as a man standing next to her starts shouting out items he’ll trade for her. I march forward, but Antony grabs my arm. “I’ll handle it. Wait right here.”
I wait as he pushes himself through the crowd. I chew on my bottom lip as the group starts to disperse because they realize who he is. Antony grabs the man by the collar and pulls him close, whispering something in the man’s ear. The man goes pale and jumps off the platform running away. I approach the platform as Antony is murmuring to the woman, wiping away her tears as she sobs her thanks to him.
Another woman approaches the platform and takes the victim away. Antony comes to my side. “She’ll be safe. This is the kind of things we have to watch out for.”
“What about the man?”
“He’s lost a portion of his rationed meats.” He said easily, and I know the look on my face clearly says that it isn’t enough. “We don’t have room or staff for a jail here.” He sighs. “And until the government decides that women aren’t things, we don’t have a lot of wiggle room.”
I entertain the thought of a bunch of women taking down the government and a smile curls over my face. Antony laughs. “What did you just think about?”
“Leading a woman ran riot against the government.”
He kisses my cheek. “Not impossible.”
He didn’t discourage the idea, and that wins him points in my book. He takes my hand and leads me further into city. I know the moment we enter the primary market because it’s the site from my room. The bustle of feet against the concrete makes me smile.
Where the streets were homes and stores, the market is filled with vendors with handmade items from pots and jewelry to dresses and shoes. Some stalls have art and others are selling daily goods and sweets.
“There’s a good crowd today.” Antony smiles. “Lots of trading going on.”
“What do you trade when you need something?”
“We normally send one of the servants down with meats or eggs to trade.” He shrugs. “We don’t need for much though, the Manor has a sustainable garden and small farm in the courtyard area.”
“I haven’t seen that yet.”
“No, because you were mostly naked yesterday.”
I don’t miss the teasing in his voice, and I blush. He brushes a thumb against my cheek. “That’s a beautiful color on you.”
I blush even more and turn away from him, he chuckles, and we walk around the marketplace for a little bit before we turn back to return to the manor.
The moment we walk back into the manor Antony wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me close. He bends down and kisses me, his tongue teasing my lips, coaxing them to open for him. I part my lips and put a hand on his chest to steady myself as I lean up on my toes, cursing my short height.
His hands slide down my arms, and then they skim under my shirt, over the flat plane of my stomach, tracing the edge of the bra I was now wearing. I gasp as his hand cups my breast, squeezing ever so slight.
He pulls away and smiles down at me as he whisks my shirt off over my head and tosses it to the side. He spins us around and pushes me up against the wall, his lips capturing mine again as both his hands now cup my chest. My breath catches as I fight to keep up with his feverish kissing. His hips push into me, and I feel his straining cock press into my crotch.
I rock my hips into his, and he lets out a moan.
Someone clears their throat, and he basically jumps away from me. I try to catch my breath and resist covering myself. Xavier is standing there with a smirk on his face. “I thought we all agreed to let her get adjusted first?”
“She’s seen some of the horrors of the city, I thought that was adjustment enough.” Antony’s tone is playful, but there is an edge of irritation in his voice.
Xavier steps up and raises a brow. “Bella?”
“Did you see me resisting?” I ask, not able to keep the sarcasm out of my voice. “You’ve all kissed me now, I think we’re past all that.”
“So we are.” He’s right next to Antony now. “No reason Antony should have all the fun.” He gently tilts my head to the side and starts kissing down my neck. His hot breath on my skin starts to make my knees weak, and they damn near give out as he starts nipping at my skin. Just little love bites.
I grow wet, splaying my hands against the wall trying to keep myself standing upright. Antony switches sides to tantalize me with another deep kiss, our lips work together, as his hand slips inside my bra, teasing my nipple into a taut peak and drawing a moan from me.
As if not to be outdone by Antony, Xavier’s hand dances over my hip, dipping into my jeans. His fingers find my slick fold, giving a quick stroke, and I give a shudder of pleasure, leaning my head back and close my eyes.
Both of the men chuckle, and Xavier continues to stroke my clit, bring my breath faster. Antony reaches behind me and unhooks my bra, setting my breasts free.
Xavier removes his hand long enough to slide my jeans off me, and they both guide me to the floor. Antony kneels at my head and bends over to capture a nipple between his teeth, tugging just enough to set me on the edge of pain and pleasure.
Xavier slips a finger into my wetness, testing and teasing my sex. I rock my hips against his hands while trying to arch my back to Antony’s touches, but I can’t seem to get enough of either of them.
The pressure in me builds as the men continue their assault on the most sensitive parts of my body. The pleasure pushes through me until my orgasm hits and wracks my body. I cry out as I buck against their hands and their mouths. Antony kisses me, swallowing my cries of pleasure. When my body stills, they are both looking down at me with smirks as if they just accomplished something challenging.
Antony grabs my clothes and hands them to me. He kisses my lips. “I have to go give my report.” He disappears up the stairs, and I slowly sit up, still basking in my orgasm.
Xavier chuckles and wraps his arms around me, pulling me close to him. “Antony isn’t one for post-sex snuggles.” He kisses my neck, and I shiver.
“This wasn’t sex.” I remind him.
“I know, but it’ll be the same when you do have sex with him. He’s all business, typically.
” Xavier nuzzled me. “Me on the other hand, I love to hold a woman after such an intimate time.”
I let out a sigh of contentment and lean back on him. “If only we had managed to make it to the bedroom first.”
Xavier sweeps me up in his arms and marches towards the stairs as I hung tight to my clothes. I laugh a little bit as he drops me on the bed and then lays next to me.
“There, is that better?” He trails his hand over my bare arm.
I close my eyes and enjoy the warmth of his body pressed against me. “Yes, everything’s better when the bed is comfortable. Not to mention, I wouldn’t want anyone walking in on me naked.”
He kissed my shoulder, and I could feel the silent laughter in his chest. “I’m sure it’ll become a common sight as we all start to learn what boundaries you have.”
I blush. “Yeah, that was a bit more of a rash choice than normal.”
He pulls the blanket over me. “And why did you make it?”
“Because I saw the way Antony was with the woman in the city. He was able to put a stop on her being sold, he may want to find a way to grow the human population, but he doesn’t want women to suffer for it. It made me feel safe.”
“You sound as if safe isn’t something you feel often.” He pulls me tight against him.
I close my eyes and sigh, thinking of all the times I’ve hidden from the purge raids, from traveling soldiers, what I’ve seen those soldiers do. I shiver at the memories that assault me. “I haven’t been safe since I became a scavenger.”
“And when was that?”
“At least ten years ago.” I shake my head. “I don’t want to talk about it right now.”
He nods against me. “One day, you’re going to open up to me, and it won’t just be your legs. It’ll be your heart. You won’t just be trying to survive.”
Except he is wrong. My heart is walled up, and when it comes to surviving, no one has time to make friends or lovers. All I need is for one of these four men to get me pregnant.
Xavier moves away after a few minutes. “I should go join them for the briefing.”
I roll over and look at him. “I want to come. If I’m going to be part of your guys’ life, I want to know what it is you do.”
Hesitation plays across his features, drawing his brows in and a slight tightening in his jaw says it all. “I’ll have to talk to others about it first.”
“Okay, I’ll get dressed and find something to do for a while.” I know the answer is probably going to be no. I slide off the bed and get dressed, very well aware of Xavier’s eyes still on me. “While you’re asking them that, I’d like to return to my camp to get a few things.” I turn around to meet his gaze. He doesn’t even pretend to hide the fact that I just caught him staring at me.
“What on earth would you need at your camp?”
I smile. “Believe it or not, I have some keepsakes I’d like to well…keep.”
“Okay, I’ll talk to them about that too.” He shakes his head. “I thought scavengers didn’t keep anything.”
I put my hands on my hips and raise a brow. “What do you know about scavengers? You live here, in a city, in a manor.”
“We’ve had scavengers come in before. They normally just have the clothes on their backs.”
We walk out of the room together, and Lisa gives me a knowing smile before she goes to tend to something down the hall. Xavier and I walk side by side in silence until he steps into the meeting room, shutting the door firmly behind him.
I continue down the stairs and look for the garden that Antony had spoken of. There isn’t anything here that I needed to worry about, no camp to secure, no food to prep, no water to fetch. I needed to clear my mind and see if I could think of something useful to do.
After I wander around for a little bit, I find a door that leads outside. There behind that door is the garden. I walk in and look up, there are large windows that are keeping the heat and the moisture in the yard, acting like a greenhouse.
I can smell flowers as well as see rows of vegetables. Chickens cluck all around, and I smile. It would be too hot to stay in it for long, I had hoped that it was an outdoor garden where I could sit, but I can easily go out the front of the manor to sit in the sun if I want. The men knew I wasn’t going to run and there is something inside me saying that they needed me just as much as I needed them.
I walk back into the manor and toward the front of the house. Pushing the heavy doors open I smile at the beams of the sun that are crossing the stairs. I sit down and close my eyes to soak up the son.
“Excuse me, wench,” A harsh male voice forces me to open my eyes and break my pleasant bask in the sun.
I raise a brow. “What did you just call me?” The man is tall with muscles that can be seen through an outline of the black shirt he’s wearing. A badge is pinned to his chest telling me he’s a soldier of some sort, but he carries no weapons or chains like the soldier’s I’ve seen.
“Wench, go tell the city officials that Sergeant Galbraith is here to speak to them.”
I roll my eyes at the name and lean back on my hands. “No. I’m not a soldier or a servant you can order around.”
He grabs my hair and pulls me up from the ground. I wrap my hands around his wrists and try to get him to let go. He snarls in my face. “You are a lowly bitch and will do as I say, or I will purge you from this city.”
He tosses me against the door, and I turn to go in. I run my hands through my hair so that it doesn’t look tasseled from the small exchange. I go up the stairs and knock on the door of the office.
Matthew sticks his head out. “What do you need?”
“There’s a Sergeant Galbraith outside who wishes to talk to you.” I try not to stumble through the words. The look on everyone’s faces is enough to make me worry. “Who is he?”
“He’s in charge of the purge for this city,” Matthew says, almost too quick. He wraps his hand around my wrist and pulls me into the office. “Did he talk to you personally?”
I nod. “Yeah, called me a wench.”
“He’s not known for his kindness for women. He sees you strictly as cattle to be used to populate the cities.” Matthew looks over at Lucas. “Take her back to her room and stay with her. I’ll deal with the sergeant.”
I look around as all the men nod. Lucas takes my hand, and he leads me back to my room in silence while the others go down the stairs to meet the man.
Once we are in the room, I turn to Lucas. “What is going on?”
“If he’s here it means that the purge is happening sooner than we were expecting. Two weeks away instead of a month. He only comes to brief us on how many women they are planning on taking.”
My stomach knots. Because Matthew found me, I was going to narrowly escape the purge. “Why are things moving faster?”
“Because the population is dropping drastically. They are trying to figure out how to create less of a drain on the cities and the resources, yet keep up our population.” He leans against the wall and crosses his arms, “Our city is one of the most successful ones, so our women are purged less, but last time Sergeant Galbraith said that they would be purging ten percent more and start our women on experimental drugs to increase pregnancies since our mortality rate is the lowest.”
I cringe because that means that I would be forced to partake in the drugs as well. “Are you guys going to force the women?”
“No, that’s not how we run here. That’s why we’re one of the more successful cities because we understand that women thrive when they are happy, healthy, and satisfied.” He shoots me a grin, and I can’t help but smile back.
“That’s good to know, but what if they find out?”
“We don’t know, we’ve been avoiding it, but I have a feeling the sergeant won’t let us avoid it for much longer.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Almost an hour goes by, and Lucas and I grow anxious about what they could be talking about downstairs. I start to pace wanting to be outside in th
e sun or at the very least out of the damned room.
“Are you claustrophobic?” Lucas asks suddenly.
I stop and stare at him for a moment. “Not exactly, I’m just used to being out in the open, not kept in a room.”
“The only reason that we’re waiting in here is that the general has taken a woman from here before when it wasn’t the purge. We don’t want that to happen to you. So, if he doesn’t see you again you are less likely to be taken away today.”
I sigh. “You’re trying to keep me safe, and I understand that. Which is why I’m not running to the door right now.”
“Good, because I’d hate for him to take you away just when we’re all getting to know each other.” He winks at me, and I feel myself blush. Did he know what Xavier, Antony, and I did in the foyer? Probably, because I wasn’t really quiet about it.
I turn to look out the window. People are still moving around, and trading and I feel like this is an all-day thing, the bustling of the city. Lucas comes up behind me. “Tomorrow I’ll take you to your camp to get what you need, but from now on, you’ll want for nothing here.”
There’s not much I want or need. I survive off little, and the less I have to move around from place to place is better. “How did you become a city official?”
“We actually did it in an unorthodox way.” He shrugged. “Matthew decided that there were enough people in this area to make a city, so he started gathering people to work together. He found me, Xavier and Antony among the people he was gathering. We took the lead and formed our own city. It was a few years before the government recognized us as a city and gave us the funding and supplies we needed to actually be functional.”
But at what cost? Would they have to fold to the sergeant’s demands?
“It’s amazing you were able to take control of a few hundred people and form a city.”
“It’s what we wanted, all three of us lost our families either through the purge or through violence after the EMP took everything out. That’s the one thing that ties us together, we’re all a little bit different, but it works.” He looks up as the door opens and Antony walks in with a grim look on his face.