Brother Felix turned for the door, and Jake hobbled after him, exaggerating his limp. He lurched to one side, fell to the floor, snatched up his phone and thrust it into his pocket in one smooth move. “Oh dear. Perhaps I should retire for the evening. Yes, I fear I have overdone things today.”
He needed to get into the office, and preferably tonight. Something was up, and he intended to get to the bottom of the conspiracy.
Chapter Eleven
For the first time in her life, Sorrel slept in a bed in a bedroom by herself. A soft snore interrupted her thoughts. Okay, she had a small, spotted dog for company. The creature seemed to have taken a liking to her and had followed her around all evening. Another first in a multitude of others.
Luke and Janaya had been kind to her, instantly offering her a room for as long as she needed it. The loss of her few possessions—well, they could be replaced eventually. All she wanted was her mother’s recipe book from the workshop and her mother’s other books, and she now knew where to find them.
“Stupid,” she muttered.
The dog stirred, its eyes flickering open. It let out a soft whine.
“It’s all right,” Sorrel said, smoothing her hand over the dog’s silky head.
She set down the novel Janaya had given her to read and switched off the bedside lamp, plunging the room into darkness. She closed her eyes, physically tired, although her mind darted in a hundred directions at once.
The compound. Brother Rick. Jake.
Ah, yes. The big one.
Jake.
Worry gnawed her, contributing to her wakeful state. Was Jake all right? She didn’t trust Brother Rick. He’d been sneaky as a child and hadn’t changed during the intervening years. She’d told Luke her suspicions about Rick murdering Brother Samuel, and Luke had told her since the coroner had already ruled an accidental death it was unlikely they’d manage to charge Brother Rick with the crime.
But evidently Brother Rick was up to his ears in bad things. Luke hadn’t given her full details, but Sorrel knew enough from Jake to make educated guesses.
Restless, she turned over, wriggling to get comfortable. She missed Jake’s body warmth, his arm around her waist as they cuddled together. How was that possible? She hadn’t known him for long.
She must’ve fallen asleep because the next thing she knew there was a light tap, and Janaya popped her head around the bedroom door.
“Are you awake?”
The dog made a grumpy growl, and Janaya laughed.
“I don’t sleep this late.”
“Breakfast is almost ready. I rang Alice, and she asked if I could drop you at the factory later this morning. I thought we’d meet my aunt for coffee and do some quick clothes shopping before I leave you at Fancy Free. What do you say?”
“I don’t have any money.”
“I can give you some,” Janaya said. “Enough to buy clothes. You can’t walk around in my old sweat pants all the time.”
“A loan,” Sorrel said in a firm voice. “I would appreciate a loan.”
Two hours later, she walked out of Kellie Anne’s Ladies Wear, dressed in a pair of skinny black jeans and a body-hugging red shirt that showcased her assets. Beneath the outer layer, she wore lacy black underwear. On her feet, she wore a pair of black leather boots with a bit of a heel.
“I feel sexy,” she blurted, tilting her head a fraction so her loose blonde hair fell forward to cover her chagrined expression.
“You look sexy too,” Janaya assured her.
Janaya’s aunt, Hinekiri laughed and clapped her hands together in a delighted manner. “I doubt any of those robe people will recognize you.” She was an older version of Janaya, blonde with violet eyes and a vivacious manner.
“We’re about to find out,” Janaya said, her tone grim. “Jake said he didn’t think they’d let him come into town on his own.”
Sorrel froze when she saw the blue truck driving toward them.
Janaya gave her a sharp nudge in the middle of the back. “Keep walking. They’re not expecting to see you dressed in street clothes. They won’t give you a second thought, except to notice how sexy you look.”
Jake noticed her. She felt his gaze, like a sensual stroke over her entire body as Brother Rick drove past. Heat suffused her, but she didn’t feel shame.
“Ah,” Janaya said in an undertone. “I should’ve known Jake would be the exception. He’s a soldier, and they’re trained to observe.”
“We need to stop at the bakery,” Hinekiri said. “There’s a board meeting today. Alice told me to make sure I arrived with a cake.”
Janaya snorted, an inelegant sound coming from the pretty blonde. She said to Sorrel, “The board at Fancy Free consists of retirees. They spend their days their making a nuisance of themselves and eating cake.”
“Do you think Alice will give me a tour?”
“Aren’t you against condoms?” Janaya asked. “I’ve seen you picketing the factory.”
“I can’t speak out against condoms if I’ve used them.” Sorrel clapped her hand over her mouth in an effort to hide her embarrassment.
Hinekiri chuckled, a fan of lines radiating out from the corners of her violet eyes. “You should try some of their other products. They’re lots of fun.”
“I’m sure Alice will show you around,” Janaya said.
Sorrel nodded and followed the other two women in a bit of a daze. It was the first time people sought her opinion and listened to what she said in return. In the clothes shop, they’d offered honest advice when she had no clue about what she should choose.
A glance over her shoulder told her the truck had pulled up outside the bank. Jake climbed from the vehicle, sending a quick look in her direction before entering the bank behind Brother Rick. She could have sworn he smiled.
After visiting the bakery and purchasing a gigantic carrot cake, Janaya and Hinekiri ushered her back to their vehicle, and they drove down the street to Fancy Free.
This morning a group of men and women picketed the entrance, waving their signs about the perils of condoms. Sorrel stared back with interest. Not one of the brothers or sisters recognized her.
“I feel invisible,” she said while they waited for the gates to swing open to admit their vehicle.
“You might have been invisible before,” Janaya said, “but people will notice you now. Normal people that is.”
“Especially men,” Hinekiri piped up from the passenger seat.
“I don’t want men to notice me,” Sorrel said.
“What do you want?”
Sorrel didn’t hesitate. “I want to be my own person. I want to make my own decisions. I don’t care if some of my decisions are bad ones, as long as I make them myself.”
“You want independence,” Hinekiri said, nodding. “I understand. You don’t have to close yourself off to get independence though. Some men like their women to stand at their sides as partners.”
“But not all,” Sorrel said. “I’ve had my share of bossy men telling me what to do. I’m not going to put up with that again.”
“Nor should you have to.” Janaya pulled up in a parking space reserved for visitors. “This is us. Let’s go.”
“We’re here,” Hinekiri said, leading the way into a room full of people. They sat around a large oval table, chattering together like a flock of parakeets. The scent of freshly brewed coffee wafted on the air.
“Oh, good. You’re here. Sorrel? Is that you?” Alice advanced with a smile of astonishment coloring her expression. “It is. You look fantastic. Everyone, this is Sorrel Thyme. She invented the cream we’re discussing today.”
“I brought a cake as requested,” Hinekiri trilled. She set it in front of her husband, Richard, who Sorrel had met earlier at breakfast. “You can guard it. Janaya and I are off to Auckland to do some shopping.”
Richard’s brows rose. “Should I worry about my wallet?”
“Of course.” Janaya grinned and waggled her fingers. “We’ll see you later
this evening, Sorrel. Either Alice or Luke will give you a lift back to the house after you’ve finished here.”
Sorrel hovered just inside the doorway, unsure of what she should do.
“Come and sit by me,” an elderly Maori lady said. She was busy knitting what looked like a sock. It was an eye-popping lime green and purple. “My name is Harriet. Would you like a cup of coffee?”
Sorrel nodded. “Yes, please.”
Alice performed quick introductions. “Harriet.” She pointed at the knitting lady. “This is Sam Glengarry, Katarina Wilson, Ben Kumar and Joseph Craig. You’ve met Richard already and James will be here soon. He got held up by a phone call from one of our distributors.”
Sam had a full head of grizzled hair. Katarina possessed startling pale blue eyes, Ben hailed from India, and Joseph reminded her of a pixie with his bald head and pointy ears.
Harriet finished a row and turned her knitting around. “Go and help yourself to coffee and come back. I can’t wait to hear about your invention. It‘ll be so exciting to have another product to test.”
“Did you want some more coffee?” Sorrel asked.
“Bless you, dear. That would be lovely.”
It was so nice not being ordered around. Sorrel fetched the coffee and sat beside Harriet.
James arrived and slipped into an empty seat.
“Are we ready?” Alice asked.
“We will be as soon as Richard hands out slices of cake,” one of the elderly men said.
Alice rolled her eyes. “By all means. Let’s distribute the cake so we can concentrate.”
Five minutes later, silence fell, and Alice started the meeting. “I’ve already introduced you to Sorrel. She approached us recently with a concept for a new product. We’ve conducted initial tests and compared it to other products on the market. Sorrel’s cream is new and creative.” She beamed at Sorrel, excitement dancing in her eyes. “And it works like a charm.”
“What does this cream do?” one of the elderly gents asked.
Alice grinned. “It seems to stimulate nerve endings, and it brings on very intense orgasms, especially when combined with good foreplay.”
“Do we have to hear about your sex secrets?” one of the elderly gentlemen demanded. He sounded crabby, his brows almost meeting between his eyes, but Sorrel could see suppressed humor lurking in him.
“Ben, you do know about foreplay,” Harriet said. “Don’t pretend you’re clueless. I discussed it with your wife when we were comparing our impressions of the new vibrator design. She said—”
“Don’t start,” James warned. “We have a lot to get through during this meeting.”
“Do you have samples?” the other elderly woman asked, her pale blue eyes alive with interest. “I can’t wait to try it out. Where is the cream applied? On and around the clitoris or somewhere else?”
“Sorrel? Would you like to answer this one?” Alice asked.
Sorrel willed the rush of blood to keep from her face. It didn’t work. “You can apply the cream anywhere on the body. Nipples, private parts. It’s good if you use the cream in a massage.” When no one made fun of her, she added, “The cream is very versatile. My mother and I created the cream to help sore and aching joints and went from there.”
Alice nodded encouragement, and Sorrel’s confidence took a leap. She might not have a home, but she’d found a temporary place to stay and possessed skills to support herself given time. No matter what Brother Rick thought, she wasn’t useless.
“How does it work?” the knitting lady asked, with a flourish of her knitting needles.
“Basically, we used a combination of herbs to stimulate blood flow,” Sorrel said.
The man with a full head of grizzled hair frowned. “Is the cream safe? We don’t want people dropping off from overexcitement.”
“Our tests show there’s nothing harmful in the product,” Alice said. “Of course we will do further tests should we decide to go ahead with production.”
“All the ingredients in the cream are natural,” Sorrel said.
“Would it be possible for you to make another batch for us?” Alice asked.
“I could, but I need my herbal supplies.” She paused, catching her bottom lip between her teeth as reality struck her in the middle of her chest. The tightness made it hard to draw breath for a second. “Everything I need to make a new batch is at the compound, but they’ve forbidden me to return. It’ll take me a while to collect more herbs and dry them.”
“Richard,” James said in a crisp voice. “What rights does she have to obtain her supplies? Can they legally stop her from retrieving them?”
“Who collected the herbs?”
“I did everything on my own. Brother Rick liked to make things difficult for me,” Sorrel said. “I made all the products by myself, at least until Jake arrived at the compound.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Richard said.
“How long have you been with the cult, dear?” Katarina’s eyes were full of curiosity.
“All my life. I was born there.”
“Does anyone else know how to make your products?” Richard asked.
“Yeah, how will they stock their store?” Alice asked.
“I don’t know,” Sorrel said. “It’s not my problem.”
“You could always set up your own shop in opposition,” Ben said.
“I don’t have any money,” Sorrel said. “I’ll need to find a job before I decide what to do with my future.”
“Oh,” Alice said. “I assumed you’d work for Fancy Free. Don’t you want to?”
“I—” Sudden tears welled at her eyes, the wash of emotion tightening her chest again. “I’d love to work here, but what would I do? I’m not qualified to…all I know is herbs.”
“We’ll need your help with the cream,” Harriet said, knitting needles catching the sun in a silver sparkle.
“It’s time to think about our Valentine’s Day promotion and also our Christmas promotion for next year,” Alice said. “I wondered if we could do small gift boxes featuring some of your soaps, bath bombs and other products along with some of our products.”
“Good idea,” Katarina said, nodding her head.
“Maybe you could do a play on words with bombs and orgasms,” Joseph said. “Seems to me that might be a good marketing angle.”
“I think that’s a great idea,” Ben said, dusting cake crumbs off his hands. “We’ve become known for our clever holiday advertising. This would work.”
“Can you make the bath bombs into rude shapes?” Sam asked.
“What sort of rude shapes?” Alice asked with interest.
“A penis shape might work packed with our condoms,” James said what they were all thinking.
Everyone turned to stare at Sorrel. “I can make almost any shape as long as I have a mold. I mean the design can’t be too fiddly, but I remember my mother telling me about the carrot-shaped bombs she made one time for Easter.”
Richard barked out a sudden laugh. “You could do egg shaped bombs and package them with condoms. I like the irony of it all since condoms are designed to prevent eggs and sperm meeting.”
Sorrel couldn’t believe the discussions and the banter flying around the boardroom table. These were men and women who were confident and comfortable in their own skins.
“So are you willing to join this madhouse?” Alice asked.
“Yes, please,” Sorrel said.
“Pooh,” Joseph said. “Ask them what they’re paying you first. And about your hours.”
“We can discuss that at our meeting,” James said. “Don’t feel you have to make a decision now. We’ll give you the contract to take away and think about for a few days.”
Sorrel nodded, but she’d already decided she wanted to work here with people who weren’t afraid to offer their opinion or listen to others.
Alice interrupted the chatter to hand out tiny pots of her cream and instructions of what she wanted them to try.
&nb
sp; The rest of the day passed rapidly. Alice and James spoke with her about her cream and gave her an agreement to sign, since she’d already decided to take a job with them. The amount of her remuneration brought tears to her eyes, and all she could do was nod dumbly. It was either that or cry.
“Ready for a tour around the den of iniquity?” Alice asked.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
“I hear the children discovered Jake’s box of condoms.” Alice chuckled, a rich, infectious sound that had Sorrel’s lips twitching. “I would have loved to have seen that.”
“I missed it,” Alice said. “But I was the one who got the blame.”
“The event will go down in the history of Children of Nature,” Alice said. “You’ll be famous.”
“You should probably make that infamous,” Sorrel said drily.
“Don’t worry. By the time I finish with you today you’ll be beyond redemption. You can’t work for us as an inventor without knowing about our existing products. Have you tried a vibrator before?”
Sorrel shook her head. “I’d never seen a condom before the other night.”
“I’ll give you clear instructions with everything,” Alice said. “If you have any questions all you need to do is ask.”
* * * * *
“What do you mean he can’t get his money out today?” Brother Rick demanded with an edge to his voice.
The teller explained again in a calm voice that the particular investment relating to Jake’s account required ten days’ notice before the money could be accessed.
“But we need the money today.”
Curiosity roused in Jake. Brother Rick seemed on the verge of panic, and Jake had no idea why. “That’s okay,” he told the teller. “Please do whatever is necessary to give notice, and I’ll come back in ten days.”
“Don’t you have another account?”
“I do, but there’s only a hundred and five dollars in it.”
“Withdraw a hundred,” Brother Rick said.
Jake shrugged. “Sure.”
The male teller handed him a withdrawal slip, and Jake filled it out, signing it with a flourish. The teller handed over the money—five twenty-dollar notes—and Brother Rick snatched it up before Jake could pass the cash to him.
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