Life on Netori Island - Chapter 10

Al was able to calm down by riding the long way to the North mansion.  He still frowned every time he thought about what Jo said and where her priorities lay.  He gripped the handlebars tightly from time to time, recalling that shirtless handyman pecking up Jo’s wrist, and that playful smile she had.  He shook his head and cleared his mind when he stopped his bike at the mansion’s side entrance.

Al looked all over the building, taking in its tasteful extravagance.  It had the look of old money and he saw the irony that the cash that went into building this settlement for humanity’s survival came from the captains of industry who destroyed it.  Besides the game, and the likelihood his wife was getting railed on the regular, he liked some of the people here and he liked his job.

When Al knocked on the front door a maid came to answer it.  He widened his eyes because instead of a regular bikini, she was wearing a micro-bikini.  Only a few square inches covered her nipples and crotch.  She wore her brown hair up in a braid and she also wore a maid’s cap.

The maid smiled as he finished looking her up and down. “Mr. Mardresson, the North’s are expecting you, please follow me to the drawing room.”  The woman walked down the hallway and beckoned him to follow.  She walked like a model down a catwalk, and her bikini bottom was almost invisible from this angle.  

She stopped at a pair of mahogany doors and pushed.  The drawing room was filled with art and antique furniture.  The gigantic hearth in the far wall went unused at that time of year.  At a sofa in the center of the room sat two beautiful blonde women, Marcy and Sage.  Marcy was wearing a slinky black dress that accentuated her well maintained petite body.  Sage wore a white dress that accomplished the same goal, but was more traditional.  Sage looked and smiled before averting her gaze and blushing.  The mother, Marcy, gave a sly grin.

“Mrs. North, Mr. Marddreson is here to see you.”

Marcy stood up and Sage followed.  The middle aged woman nodded to the maid and said, “thank you Susan, please tell the chef our guest has arrived.”

“Very good mistress.”  The maid bowed and backed out of the room.

“Al, darling, it’s so nice to meet you in the flesh.”  She clasped him by the arms and kissed him on both cheeks. “Sage has told me all about you.  I’m excited to meet my daughter’s savior.”  She paused and then asked, “Where is your wife Jo?  Sage said she’d be coming.”

Al winced and said, “She had a headache and said she had to lie down.  Jo hopes that you’ll understand.”

Marcy tilted her head. “Yes, dear.  We all know how the island’s drama can tax the body as well as the mind.  Now say hello to Sage before I fix you a drink.”

Sage awkwardly pecked Al on the check before saying, “Thank you for coming.”  Her eyes locked with his long enough to make him feel anxiety rising in his heart.

“Mrs. North, Miss. North.  I just wanted to compliment you on your dresses.  You have excellent taste, you look gorgeous.”

“Stop it Al, you’ll make this old woman blush.”  She winked and continued, “And please call us Marcy and Sage.  I think you deserve that much.  By the way, what is Al short for?”

“Allen — but everyone calls me Al,” he said, smiling.

Marcy walked to the booze cart and looked over her shoulder. “What a relief.  I thought you might be an Alfred, such a stuffy name.  I apologize, but Sage and I will call you Allen.  Calling you Al seems to cheapen your character.”

Al laughed and said, “Be my guest, you’re the boss, but I will say only my mother called me Allen when she was mad at me.  Speaking of bosses, where is Mr. North?  Sage made me think you both wanted to speak with me.”

“Daddy couldn’t make it,” Sage said while cringing. “Sorry.”

Marcy rolled her eyes and said, “He’s off on some sexual quest.  He’s probably neck deep in some orgy, the vulgar pig.  The man’s sexual drive is insatiable.” She paused and looked at him. “Oh, have I upset you?”

Al suppressed the frown on his face and said, “No, it’s all right. Jo works in the gardens at your house, and she’s been getting points without me.”

Marcy sighed and said, “it took me a while to get used to this blasted island.  I think you can too with a little denial, and a little alcohol.  What’ll you have?”

“I’ll have a beer if you have one.”

“Manhattan it is,” Marcy said.  “We don’t carry any beer here dear.  We do have some wine in the cellar, but we usually serve that for dinner."

“Manhattan’s good too.”

Marcy made a Manhattan for Al and two gin and tonics for herself and Sage.

Marcy raised her glass. “Here’s to new and lasting friendships.”

Al smiled and responded, “to friendship.”  They all clinked glasses and he took a long sip from the highball glass. “Oh, Marcy, you make a mean manhattan.”

“Don’t I, Allen?”  She laughed and patted him on his back. She looked at Sage and put on a serious face and said, “Now, honey, I wanted to tell you the situation with Oliver and the way he tried to have his way with you.  I just found out before dinner that he’s been sent away.”

“What about his wife, June?”  Sage asked.

“What do you think?  She signed the divorce papers right in front of him and marched to the cafeteria for free use duty,”  Marcy replied. “Though I don’t blame her, he is a troll of a man.  Why you asked him to go on that nature hike, I’ll never know.”

Sage looked at the ground and sipped her gin and tonic.  Looking back up, she said, “I wanted to practice going on dates before I asked someone I was serious about.  I didn’t think he would be so insistent.  When he pushed me down, I panicked and screamed.”

Al put his hand on her bare shoulder and said, “you shouldn’t have to explain yourself Sage.  You wanted a light hearted afternoon and what you got was a nightmare.  I’m only glad that I was there to stop him.”

Sage looked at his hand on her shoulder and breathed out a little and said. “I’m glad too.” She blushed and took a small step closer to him.

Marcy smiled broadly and put her hand to her chest. “You too look so cute together!”

Al was about to protest when the maid entered the room and said, “Mrs. North, dinner is served.”

…

The french chef prepared a series of small vegan dishes that included artisanal pickles, exotic salads, and a delicious mushroom risotto.  The North’s servants were all women in microbikinis.  They made sure that Al’s glass was always topped up with cabernet.

Dessert was a simple bowl of fresh berries, dusted with sugar.  Al felt comfortably full.

Sage asked, “would you like some coffee?”

“Actually, yes, I would love some if you have it.”

As Al sipped from his small cup, Marcy asked, “Allen, I hope this doesn’t impose too much, but I would like to ask a favor from you.”

Al was slightly buzzed from drinking more than he had in a while and was now comfortable around the two blondes. “Sure thing Marcy, ask away.”

“I’d like for you to join the settlement’s  south side management meetings.  Lillian has told me all about how you put the farming robots back to work.  I’m hearing good things about you from multiple sources.”

Al smiled and shrugged. “I’m flattered Marcy, really I am. B…”

“Then it’s settled.  I’ll hand you the information about it when you make your way home.  We will be needing your input on the cybernetic maintenance on the island. We’ve tried to get some couples with real world experience, but they wash out.  We need people like you around.  Amy needs her drone eyes and her androids working all the time or she can’t do her job.”

“I get it, Marcy.  You want people playing the game and not worrying about where they get their next meal.  The patricians want to avoid as much interaction with the mainland as possible.  Therefore, maintenance is a priority.”

“That about sums it up.”

“By the way, Amy has got to be the cutest AI control system I’ve encountered.  Her emotional complexity is off the charts.”

Sage smiled and looked surprised. “You really think so?”

“Whoever programmed her must have been a genius.  AI can seem so impersonal sometimes.”

Marcy looked at Sage before saying, “The person who has the most intimate knowledge of Amy is Sage.  They work together all the time.  Sage will be working on the management team with you.  Sage dear, you’ll be sure to take care of Allen as he learns the ropes?”

“Yes, mother.  I’ll make sure Allen succeeds.  I promise to do my best.”

The clock on the dining room's mantlepiece struck ten o’clock.

“Has it really been this long?” Al said, looking surprised. “I was having so much fun I lost track of time.  I guess I should be going.”

“Yes Allan, it is getting late, but Sage did say she wanted to give you a reward for your valiant rescue.”

Al wanted to get going, the alcohol finally caught up with him and he wondered how he was going to ride a bike home.  A rational part of his mind convinced him to graciously accept whatever gifts the patrons of the island wanted to give him.  He nodded and said, “You're far too generous Sage, I don’t deserve anything. I’m already getting an opportunity to be on the island.  But, I’m thinking you won’t take no for an answer, will you Sage?”

The young blond bit her lip, shook her head, and said, “Nope.  Please come upstairs.”

Al couldn’t stop himself looking at Sage’s body as she dragged him up the stairs by the hand.  The alcohol was shutting down his inhibitions and he wanted to plant a hand on her perky butt. 

Sage led him to her bedroom.  It was a tastefully decorated room done in a nautical theme.  Al suspected she really liked the color blue.  The young woman sat Al down at the end of the bed looked down at him and smiled.