The Secret Billionaire At The Commune

Chapter 11

Alexis sunk deep into the warm, rose scent bath in the master bathroom. The ancient copper tub was delightful, even if she was preparing to give herself to the leader of a hippie commune. Sunny made a sugar scrub and gently exfoliated her face while Skylar expertly pedicured her toes. It was nice to be pampered, Alexis thought, trying to quell her anxiety about the pending situation. She really hoped going through with the ceremony would get Strawberry off her back and allow her to continue to thrive at Anavrin. Everything was working out well for her here and if she had to do their weird little hippie initiation to continue to prove her dedication, then she’ll do it. She wondered if Nana had done the same.

The master bedroom was overflowing with flowers from the gardens. The four poster bed had garlands encircling the posts and bouquets perfumed the room with an intoxicating aroma. All of the men and women of the community were already there, enjoying wine from the vineyard next door and everyone was clad in white linen tunics and wearing flower crowns. It was a jovial occasion; parties are usually better when they have a purpose.

***

Across the lake, Jason was swimming in the lake, getting the sweat and grime off himself when he saw Jerry ambling by. Jason could hear the party going at the yellow farmhouse and wondered why Jerry wasn’t joining them.

“Hey son,” Jerry said, sitting on some spare lumber near Jason. Jason decided to join him and dried and covered himself with his tee shirt. He sat down with the cookies Strawberry had brought him earlier.

“Why aren’t you at the party,” Jason asked, biting into a very familiar tasting cookie. He looked at the bag that read, “Mountain Mama Munchies” and furrowed his brow. He’d tasted these cookies before.

“Ahh, I have a slight hunch that the new girl might be my granddaughter so I’m going to pass on watching the ceremony tonight,” Jerry said, laughing. “Those cookies are good, huh? The new girl is quite a baker.” Jason almost dropped the bag of cookies he was scarfing.

“What’s the new girl's name,” he asked, not exactly sure if he wanted to know the answer or not.

“Alexis,” replied Jerry matter-of-factly, “She is Elenor’s granddaughter and Elenor and I used to have a thing back in the day so I’d rather not watch Charlie have his way with her.” Jason immediately knew why the cookies tasted so familiar; only Alexis made potato chip chocolate chip cookies like that. He stood up immediately, trying to process the fact that not only was Alexis just across the lake from him but that Jerry used to bang his Nana.

“No,” Jason said breathlessly, pulling his jeans back on, “Charlie cannot have Alexis.” Jerry nodded at him. Jason was already running in the direction of the yellow farmhouse.

“Go get your girl,” he said.

***

During the bath, the women were giving Alexis a pep talk. As soon as Strawberry left the room, Sunny turned to her.

“Don’t do this, Alexis,” she said quietly, “Charlie secretly-” Skylar immediately cut her off.

“Not another word, Sunny,” Skylar hissed. “Let her get this over with and figure it out for herself. I am not risking my reputation by saying anything.” Alexis wondered what that was about. Sunny looked like she desperately wanted to tell Alexis something but whatever the secret was, the consequences of sharing it seemed to affect everyone living there. She did want to get this over with. She’d already scoffed a bottle of wine while in the tub to help her relax and couldn’t picture a scenario where this silly initiation ceremony could ruin anything.

The girls helped dry her and braided her hair into a bohemian updo. Draped in a vintage floral kimono and crowned with a wreath of blooms, they led her into the master bedroom, which was adorned with more flowers and dimly lit by a candlelit glow. The rest of the community members, minus the children who were chasing chickens outside, lined the walls, quietly talking amongst themselves. Charlie was seated in a wicker throne-like chair, clad in only a linen loincloth, his long, blonde hair freshly washed and loose over his tan and toned pecs. Alexis couldn’t help but laugh nervously; the whole scene seemed kind of ridiculous.

“Is something funny about our traditions?” Strawberry snapped at her.

“No,” Alexis murmured.

“Good,” Strawberry said and gestured to the bed. It was made with only a clean, white bottom sheet and one large pillow at the top for her head. “Lay down,” she commanded as Alexis began to climb onto the bed. “Forgetting something?” Strawberry gestured to the floral kimono. Alexis stood back up and nervously slipped off the silk robe, letting it fall to the floor. Strawberry felt a tinge of jealousy at how good Alexis’ body was. All the yoga in the world wouldn’t get her that lithe; Alexis was naturally slender. She restarted her climb onto the bed as each of the younger girls gathered at a bedpost. “Arms and legs out,” Strawberry instructed as Alexis allowed the younger girls to tie her to the bed with flower garlands. Strawberry approached her from the side. “Are you ready to commit to Anavrin, with your full heart and trust?” Alexis nodded as Strawberry tied a silk scarf over her eyes. Alexis immediately began to wonder if she was making the right decision. Was losing her virginity to a relative stranger while tied down and blindfolded worth ensuring her place at Anavrin? She began to breathe heavily, her mind racing. She regretted every opportunity she had to make love to Jason; she’d always pictured her first time with him. She tried to picture him, his long hair, his dark eyes, his chiseled face. The way he looked at her when she was in the shower, like she was the most special woman in the world. She yearned for Jason and was contemplating her options if she plugged the plug on the whole ceremony. Where would she go? Could she start over somewhere else? Was Anavrin really worth all of this? Her heart began to race as she heard footsteps racing up the steps, matching its beat. Jason, she thought, where are you. She heard the door swing open and a familiar voice growled,

“Stop! She is mine!”