Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 108211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
“Do you believe any of those ideas?” Andi asked curiously.
“I don’t know.” Flow-da shrugged. “Who’s to say which theory is right? Women weren’t allowed to be scientists before The Incident, so it’s not like anyone’s been able to study it much.”
“Goodie Bo-long has,” Andi remarked. “She told me that she’s got degrees in Microbiology and Higher Mathematics.”
“Wow!” Flow-da’s eyes went wide in admiration. “She’s amazing. I bet she knows more about The Incident than anyone else.”
“She might,” Andi said, frowning. It occurred to her that Goodie Bo-long might have more answers than she was sharing. Maybe she even had a lab somewhere in that huge mansion of hers that might hold the information Andi needed to restore Cade’s mind.
“Well…” Flow-da sighed and looked at the chronometer on her wrist. “The NO meeting should be about over by now, so I ought to be getting back to the boarding house. I plan to be sitting in the living area, reading a book and looking perfectly innocent when Goodie Tight-azz walks in the door. And of course, if she asks where I was and what I was doing, Goodie Oo-lah can vouch for me,” she added. “I’ve been in the Emporium this whole time, browsing innocently and not letting my Manimal mount me or lick me.” She giggled.
“I wish you could come stay with me,” Andi said again, with a sigh. Goodie Bo-long was extremely generous, but also extremely eccentric. It was nice not to be judged or glared at all the time, but it was also kind of weird to be with someone who felt comfortable allowing multiple men to lick them, mount them, and fuck them while you were watching.
“You’d better not ask,” Flow-da said, shaking her head. “Goodie Bo-long has taken a liking to you but from what I’ve heard, that’s rare. You don’t want to strain her goodwill by asking if she’ll take another complete stranger into her home.”
“Well….maybe you’re right,” Andi agreed reluctantly. Her hostess was generous to a fault but definitely rather peculiar. She might make Goodie Bo-long angry if she asked if Flow-da could come and stay too.
“Let’s just say we’ll meet at the Emporium every day at this time,” Flow-da suggested. “Do you think you can get away?”
“I think so.” Andi shrugged. “So far Goodie Bo-long hasn’t told me I can’t go anywhere or put any restrictions on my time.”
“Good.” Flow-da gave her another hug. “Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“See you tomorrow,” Andi echoed, hugging her back. She watched as Flow-da called for Hartford and the two of them made their way out of the Emporium. She was glad her friend was all right, but she wished they were still staying in the same place. But Flow-da had given her food for thought. Maybe she could find some clues about The Incident and The Scent in the huge mansion she was currently staying in…
“Andi? Are you ready to go?” Goodie Bo-long’s voice interrupted her musing. “Do come along, my dear. The NO meeting should be breaking up right about now and I do love to rub their noses in the fact that I let my Manimals service me—the frigid bitches.”
“Oh, er, all right.” Andi shrugged uncertainly.
She didn’t particularly want to go provoke the New Order members. It was her sense that they controlled most of the town, so making them angry seemed like a bad idea. But Goodie Bo-long seemed to feel that her wealth and status made her immune from any reprisals from the strange cult.
As they left the Emporium, Goodie Oo-lah was at the front, straightening the shelves. Andi had greeted her on the way in and she nodded good-bye as she prepared to follow Goodie Bo-long out into the street. But Oo-lah surprised her by suddenly taking her by the arm.
“You be careful out there!” she muttered in Andi’s ear. “I know Goodie Bo-long is treating you good, but it’s not wise to stir up those NOs. Might as well poke a fire-stinger hive with a stick!”
“Thank you for the warning,” Andi told her, nodding politely. But inside, she felt more uneasy than ever.
Goodie Oo-lah’s words were exactly what she’d been thinking herself, but she didn’t see any way to get out of going with Goodie Bo-long.
43
ANDI
“Come along, my dear—there they are!” Goodie Bo-long pointed at the crowd of women pouring out of the New Order Meeting Hall. “You know that used to be the Fraternal Order of Male Unity Hall?” she added, speaking to Andi while she eyed the NO members. “It was a place of female oppression, where the men dreamed up new ways of keeping us down and stripping us of our rights.” She sighed. “I guess at least you can say that the New Order is keeping tradition alive.”
“Er, I guess so.” The closer they got, the less Andi wanted to go on any further. She could see Goodie Tight-azz at the front of the hall, speaking to Mother Strict-ezz and she really didn’t want to deal with either one of them.