As soon as Ashley got back, she was asked a bunch of questions from Ana about where she was the night before. She liked her, but Ana was very close to Sebastian, so she wasn’t sure she wanted to say anything. It was a weird situation all the way around and Ashley tried to avoid it.
They weren’t so happy about her being gone and as soon as she got in the shower room, Troy walked in. Ashley ignored him mainly, but he flirted. It was enough to have her leaving as soon as she got the shampoo rinsed off of her hair. Getting dressed, before she could take her things back to her bag under the cot, Sebastian stopped her.
“I would like to have a word with you when you have a minute.”
She told him that she was going to take her clothes back and be right there, but he insisted that she go with him right then and there. Ashley could tell he was perturbed about something and she followed him to his own house that he was very rarely in. Usually he was around sharing one of the other woman’s cots. No one was allowed in there, much like the two in the far back. The hair on the back of her neck went up upon entering the room. Something just wasn’t right.
The place was smaller than some of the communal homes. His place had walls and doors as well, whereas the regular ones had an open floor plan. There was some sort of couch that he was urging her onto and she looked back at the older man.
Sebastian wasn’t bad looking, but he was in his forties, late forties and he looked it. His hair was long and mostly gray, with a matching beard the same color. His eyes were always watching everything and the man had a way about him. Ashley just didn’t see it. She had seen all of him in the shower room on two separate occasions and he had something to strut around about, but she was not attracted to him in that way. Ashley was not there for that.
“What’s going on Sebastian?”
“I want to talk to you about the way things run here Ashley.”
She nodded, but was not looking forward to what he was going to say. Ashley had a feeling she wasn’t going to like it. Though she had done everything that he had asked work wise, she had not partaken in any of the sexual advances she had received.
“Do you like it here Ashley?”
The question threw here off and she nodded that she did. There was a hesitation that Sebastian saw, but didn’t comment on. “Do you not find anyone here attractive? This commune is all about sharing ourselves in all ways, for the good of everyone.”
It didn’t make sense to her and she saw it as some kind of line to get in her pants. The conversation was going nowhere good.
“I didn’t think that was part of this. I am here to learn about farming techniques in practice. I did not put an application in here to get laid. I can get laid anywhere, but I shouldn’t have to explain myself or my desires to you.”
Her voice had started to rise as she got more upset. It was insulting for him to think that and the more she thought about it, the more she worked herself up over it. How could he ask her such a thing? They had only spoken a few times and he did not know her enough to ask such intimate questions.
“You are taking this too personally and defensive. We are here to help each other. There is a lot of time and energy spent to keep this place going.”
“I have worked every day that I have been here.”
“Yes and we thank you for that Ashley, but now we need you to do more. There is more work to be done, but it is usually done at night in the commune.”
Ashley didn’t understand what he was talking about. She took a drink of the tea that as offered, trying to wet her dry throat. He smiled at her in a way that made her tremble inside. “What kind of work?”
“What makes this place run. You have realized that we do not grow all of the food on site I take it?”
She nodded her head as her sight got fuzzy. “Well the money comes from other endeavors. We could subsist, but we need to thrive and grow.”
Ashley’s eyes were closing, his ranting making no sense to her. The way she got so tired, so fast didn’t make sense either. Ashley didn’t see the smile on Sebastian’s face or Troy when he came in a few minutes later.
“Why didn’t you just kick her out? It would have been easier Sebastian.”
Sebastian looked at the sleeping woman and nodded. It would have been easier, but she was the type to look deeper and tell someone. He couldn’t have that. When Sebastian found out she was seeing the rancher next door, the one that he fought with all the time, he knew that he had to stop them from seeing each other. What he hadn’t planned for was for any of the girls to meet Grahm. He was another person that couldn’t leave well enough alone.
“Easier isn’t always better.”
Troy just shook his head. He didn’t have much say in it and didn’t want it. All he cared about was the steady stream of drugs and women that Sebastian provided. It had been part of the deal when he had started and Sebastian had kept his end of the bargain. Troy didn’t ask many questions after that.
“So what are we doing with her?”
Sebastian thought for a moment, his fingers touching several strands of her long hair. “Take her into Cabin 2 and send Ana over there to get her ready before she wakes up. Give her a dose. I am sure that she will cooperate when it comes down to it.”
Troy nodded and picked the woman up. She was limp and light in his arms. Troy had seen the way she had balked at him and didn’t think that Sebastian had judged her reaction very well. It was not going to end in submission with Ashley. She had too much fire. It was part of the reason he hadn’t wanted her to come. It was one of the only times that the two men had fought and Troy had a feeling he was going to be vindicated, but he worried that it was going to ruin the good thing that he had going there.