Chapter 7
Ashley was starting to wake up, but she felt drowsy. Her eyes opened to an unfamiliar place, but she knew she was still in a cob house from the material of the wall. It had not been covered and the straw and wire was still showing through. It meant that she was still in the commune, but she didn’t readily remember what had happened or why she was there.
Turning her head when she heard a noise, Ana was sitting at a small table with a mirror. She was putting makeup on and Ana was wearing very little, scantily clad in a matching bra and panty set. Ashley looked down to find that she was wearing much the same, but only in a different color. She knew she would have remembered that.
“What is going on Ana?”
She looked at her through the mirror and smiled. “I am glad you are finally up. It is almost time to get started.”
Ashley looked down again and then back at her. “Get started with what?”
Ana didn’t answer, but it was not hard to figure out what was going on. “Ana, what is going on?”
“It will all be okay. I know it is alarming at first, but it will be fine. Sebastian and Troy will be back in a minute and they will explain it all. What we do is for the good of the commune.”
It sounded just like it was coming from Sebastian’s mouth. Ashley looked for something to cover herself and found a robe. It was short and silky, but her clothes were nowhere to be found. Instead of waiting around to get another cryptic message from the leader, Ashley moved towards the door. Ana didn’t try to stop her, but told her that she should stay. There were no consequences named if she didn’t, but Ashley had the feeling that she needed to get out of there.
Making it out, she was disoriented, but once she figured out she was in the back, Ashley made her way towards the one place she felt she would be safe. She didn’t go back for her bag or clothes or anything, Ashley was just following her gut to get out of there.
With no shoes on, the terrain was not very forgiving, especially in the tall thicket of trees that went between the properties. She had looked over her shoulder the whole way, but once she climbed over the fence separating the two properties, Ashley breathed a sigh of relief. Looking around, she made her way through the pasture land towards Grahm.
Knocking on the door, she heard him coming. It was then that she realized what she was wearing and felt her face getting hot. He had invited her for a date, but he was not expecting to see her in such a state.
“Ashley?!?”
Grahm’s eyes took in her attire and he didn’t know what else to say. After getting over the shock that she was barely dressed, he recognized that she was not okay. There were pine needles in her hair that was disarrayed and a strange look in her eyes. “Are you okay? Come in.”
She thanked him and moved inside. Ashley was shivering, but she doubted it was from the cold. She had a feeling she had gotten herself out of a situation that could have gotten dicey quick.
“I’m fine, but you wouldn’t happen to have anything that I could put on?”
Grahm looked down at her again and nodded. He moved towards his own room and closet, thankful for the moment to compose himself. With the way she was dressed, it became more likely that she did know about what was going on and the rumors were true.
“Just a shirt would be fine.”
He turned around to her in the doorway. She blocked most of her body behind the wall and he could tell she was embarrassed. The two things didn’t match up in his mind. She was too innocent seeming to be a part of such a nefarious plot. He was suddenly sure that she hadn’t known. Maybe that was why she was here, she had just found out.
Grabbing one of his shirts, he handed it to her and pointed her towards the bathroom. After a minute he brought her some of his sleep shorts to put on when he got some wherewithal to him. Pouring himself a drink, he downed it before she came back out. Even with her now swimming in his clothing, he couldn’t unsee her as she had arrived. He wanted to ask her question, find out what happened, but she didn’t look like she wanted to talk.
Instead she sat down and used his glass to pour herself a drink. After drinking it down in much the same quick succession as him, her face squinted up. “Oh that is horrible.”
He couldn’t help but grin. Not many people could drink it like that. “Yes, are you even old enough to drink?”
She shrugged. “Today I am.”
“Do you want to tell me what happened?”
She shook her head that she didn’t. “I don’t want to go out either. Do you think we could just stay here and watch a movie or something?”
Ashley didn’t want to be alone and Grahm was the only person there that she knew. She didn’t want to deal with any of it. She just wanted to be somewhere safe and away from the people from the commune. Ashley knew that Grahm was a safe bet.
“Of course Ashley, whatever you need. There is no pizza though.”
***
The night ended in much the same way that there last sleepover had. Ashley didn’t want to talk and Grahm didn’t ask. Instead the talked about his ranch and horses. She seemed bent on making sure that she didn’t have to think about what had happened. It was easier to focus on something else. Grahm ached to know what happened, but beyond having a few more shots, Ashley was soon asleep against him. It was becoming a pattern that was hard to deal with. The second time around, Grahm found it harder and harder to ignore the soft, supple body that lay against him. She moved a little in her sleep and each movement drove him a little crazy.
Untangling himself, she didn’t wake up and he was given time to make her some breakfast. Grahm called his farm hand and had him pick up the slack so he could stay with her. He felt protective of her and when she finally waked up, he wanted some answers.