Into The Den - Black Out and [B M T H]

[Black_Out]

That familiar feeling hit the broad shoulder lumberjack of a man with all the subtly of a backhanded slap as soon as he stepped out of the airconditioned comfort of his home. Even without the sunrise blooming away the darkness with the breathtaking glow of its arrival, the air had a palpable weight to it. It was going to be another hot and humid day along the Florida panhandle. But the rain would come to cool things off briefly before the heat would clamp back down again. Nature was such a tease.

For a moment he stood still and closed his eyes and took in the bounty of smells as they greeted him. His mouth widened in silence as it fought off the urge to yawn as he looked out over the dark silhouette of land that sprawled out before him. Interspersed little specks of light mirrored the breadth of stars that canvased the skies above. The untainted nature of the heavens here was one of his favorite things about being so far removed from the density of the world. His lips settled shut in victory over that yawn before his thick arms unwound to stretch out, mindful to not spill a drop of his beverage on the deck beneath his feet. Dorian Flynn lingered there, while the rich aroma of fresh coffee washed the smell of the wild away as he held the bright orange mug under his nose. A welcome sip and a few long strides later and he was standing at his usual spot at the east side of the deck.

A grimace passed over his lips as the floorboards of the deck groaned ever so softly as he settled his weight into place. It wasn't often that he could sneak up on Nova and catch a glimpse of him. The great albino tiger had sharp senses and seemed to enjoy tormenting him repeatedly with a morning game of hide and seek. If he heard Dorian, which the man figured he did, that tiger wouldn't be seen until the meat wagon came rolling up towards the cage. Nova was always the first to be fed and Dorian always made sure he was there to witness the primal play that was about to unfold.

Once that grisly act had come to pass the sun would soon follow and illuminate the expanse of his self made kingdom that stretched out all around him. Acres upon acres of land tucked away from everything in the deep seclusion of a subtropical forest that hadn't been touched much by the progress of man. It had taken years to clear away the trees, backfill the land, and create the habitat that was now home to so many of Earth's endangered species. Cages of all shapes and sizes dotted the landscape, serving as residence for a vast array of exotic animals from across the warmer parts of the globe.

Tigers dominated the population that was kept in captivity at what was known as The Den. 156 in all that covered every sort tiger known to still walk the surface of the Earth could be found here. Nova was the rarest of all to reside here, the lone gem of Dorian's eye as the only white tiger he had in his collection. Although truth be told, Nova was just an anomaly amongst the populace of Bengal Tigers which made up the bulk of the numbers that were kept at the sanctuary. The real rarity, that belonged to the South China Tiger, or Xiamen as they were also known. Dorian considered himself fortunate to have seven of a breed that hadn't been spotted in the wilds for quite sometime.

But tigers weren't the only animals that Dorian saw cared for in the habitat that was The Den. There were other majestic cats, like Jaguars of which he had a dozen and even a small handful of lions called this place home. An assortment of monkeys, mostly of the smaller variety he made sure to keep on hand as they typically were fan favorites of the tourists that helped to keep the operation costs afloat. There were the larger gorillas of course, of which he only had three in his zoo. Then there was the South American Tapir. Acquiring those took a good bit of patience and a large check, but it made The Den one of the few places were you could see a mated pair of those large nimble hoofed mammals outside of their ever shrinking habitat. Of course there was more, mostly things that were typical to the state of Florida like alligators and flamingoes of which the later was kept in great abundance as a way to supply a steady live diet to the predatory beasts that lived under lock and key.

There was more beyond the sheer variety of animals living across his land of course. Every king needed servants, and Dorian had collected an almost cult like following over the years. Men and women had gathered under his banner, looking for not only a simpler way of life but a rewarding one at that. Dorian did his utmost to seemingly fulfill those needs. While housing was always provided for as well as the necessities of life the grim reality that was the operating costs of The Den had Dorian cutting corners whenever and wherever he could for the general help that shuffled in and out of his domain. Like any king though, loyalty was always rewarded and all one had to do to find proof of that was to view the trio of luxury homes that had been erected over the years for the women Dorian had taken as his wives. Furthest out, at the very limits of his domain was the gateway into his realm. A none to extravagant double wide trailer stood before the high and encapsulating barbwire fence that swept across the borders of The Den.

In the warmth of the morning sun the trailer looked a far brighter orange then it truly was. An inviting white porch extended out about the front of the building, leading like a cattle chute towards the narrow side of the trailer where the admission window waited to greet the coming days guests. Beyond that was the parking lot, a sweeping field of paved gravel that was big enough for a trailer to circle about. Clumps of weeds and long blades of grass rose up in scattered masses about the modest lot. At this early hour it was mostly empty save for a handful of bright orange shuttles and an older model cargo van that were parked off to the side of the office. Soon they'd be off to pick up the reservations for the day from select resorts along the shores of the panhandle that weren't much more then a few hours away. That lone van though which by Dorian's calculations should of left by now was waiting with an idle engine just down the steps from the parks office. Paul just needed to get his ass in gear.

Dorian figured he probably gave his right hand man a little to much leeway. Still the ex-con had proved his loyalty time and time again. So Dorian was prone to let the little things slide without much in the way of complaint. He was probably still in the office, chatting with Bee over some coffee and his pick of the mornings donuts.

Which of course he was.

Glazed chocolate was his weakness and the lanky long limbed ex-con was in the process of washing down the last one from the box. Bee, whose real name happened to be Autumn, stood behind the counter, jotting down a list of errands for him to handle before he returned. His curious eyes followed the path of her pen and with a subtle shrug he lifted it into his grasp once her pen had made its last stroke.

Thin lips cut into the shape of an amused smile as he looked from the note to Bee. She was one of the few people at the sanctuary who had a longer tenure then his own and probably knew far more secrets about the place then even he did. Paul could remember meeting her when he first arrived here, the both of them far younger then the sun worn people they had become over the years here. At least he had maintained his weight, unlike Bee who had let herself go as she ran the finances of The Den from the confines of the office. That sweet, somewhat sassy, and occasionally rough southern charm that he pleasantly recalled from when they first met was still as ever present as always. But Paul knew and admired that façade well.

"This doesn't look toooo... bad, shouldn't take me long I figure." He remarked as he leaned over the counter to top off his travel mug with a fresh splash of coffee.

Bee stared at the thin nosed tattoo laden man across the way from her and gave him a rueful smile. "Should leave ya enough time to stop at that titty bar ya like." An amused look passed between the two before she added bluntly. "Just don't'cha be getting all sauced up now, ya gotta be at the station by ten. Dorian's expecting ya back by noon, no later." Her heavy arms folded in an authoritarian manner before she gave a nod towards the nearby clock.

"Ya, ya, I know, it's cub day." Paul nodded as he twisted the cap firmly back into place atop his mug. "Had to let the van cool off some, and flap with you." He gave her a playful wink as he tucked a faded baby blue ball cap into place.

Bee watched with a sly delight in her eyes as the door swung open and Paul walked out into the thick heat of the Florida sun. "Ya betta then you showing up like some kind of sweat hog and scaring the poor girls off with your stank!"

As Paul made his way down the steps of the white washed deck outside he made sure to toss a middle finger salute over his shoulder to Bee. "They might as well get used ta it." He called back before he hopped into the van, tossed it into gear and sent a spray of asphalt up into the air as he tore off down the road. Bee sighed, left to entertain herself now as the sound of Paul's departure fell away into the surrounding tangle of forest.

A cluster of morning rain clouds briefly passed above, stealing the glow of the sun away from the office trailer. The dull wash of orange upon its panels was in need of another coat. Which it would be getting soon enough.

 

[Valkyrja]

The thick bristles of the brush managed to work up what could only be considered a tumbleweed of fur as Emilia worked the broom over the tile floor. An orange tabby cat purred against Emilia's left leg, brushing its long fur against her skin before letting out a gentle meow. "I know, sweetie. Give me a minute and I'll get you some food," the woman cooed, snapping the fingers of her left hand towards the kitty before making another couple of sweeps. The cat continued meowing incessantly, waiting for food as Emilia knelt to sweep the fur into a dust pan before emptying it into the garbage. "Okay, kitty. Come on, let's get you some food." Her hand lowered and the orange cat rose itself onto its hind-legs in an effort to headbutt Emilia's fingers.

Emilia had been volunteering at the cat shelter for about three years now, busying herself on the weekends when she wasn't working her standard office job. Outside of the humane society, Emilia had a job in marketing and worked for a local franchise managing their marketing efforts. If anything, it at least paid the bills to allow Emilia to live comfortably while still enjoying a creative career. She shared a home with her boyfriend, Kevin, who she'd been with going on seven years now. It had felt like a lifetime since they had first gotten together; they met in grade school and became high school sweethearts. He was a year older than her which made her last year in high school difficult but as soon as she graduated and went off to college, she followed Kevin who had relocated to North Carolina. They purchased a small house together and the rest had been quite perfect. At least until a few months ago; Emilia got wind that Kevin had been cheating on her with one of her colleagues. It made for a rough couple of months but both Kevin and her colleague, Sarah, managed to convince her otherwise.

The woman busied herself for a few minutes as she reached up to the cabinets and pulled out seven plastic bowls stacked on top of each other. Three other cats came prancing over to her and Emilia smiled, getting the large bowls of food ready before placing them throughout the room in different areas in an effort to keep the cats somewhat distanced. In the room she was currently working in, about twenty cats inhabited together while waiting for their special someone to bring them to their forever home. The square room was fairly large and painted a calming beige. A handful of cat trees lined the walls and a bunch of toys had been spread out over the clean floor. There was a closet with a cutout at the base of the door meant for their litter boxes and other storage items. Emilia knelt down again, petting a couple of the cats before a knock caught her attention. She looked up at the wall across the room which had a large rectangular window across the length of it. On the other side of the glass, Ryan was knocking for her. Ryan was the co-founder of the humane society and ran it as seamlessly as possible.

Emilia stood up and walked through the hoard of cats before exiting the room and shutting the door carefully behind her, making sure none of the felines followed her out. "Hey Ryan, what's going on?"

Ryan brushed his chubby fingers through his short mousy brown hair as he looked over the petite woman. "You've got a visitor. Something about some opportunity in Florida?" He shrugged. "Come on, then."

Ryan led Emilia down the hallway and into the main foyer of the shelter. The plain beige walls continued out into the smaller room before Emilia came face to face with a young woman, she couldn't have been more than in her early twenties. A look of excitement crossed her face as she looked over Emilia whose clothes were now covered in strands of cat fur.

"Emilia Hawley, right?" The woman held out her hand as she spoke with a slight southern drawl. "Then name's Isabella. Isabella Flynn." Despite her bimbo-like exterior, she seemed fairly unassuming; her straight blonde hair reached just below her shoulders and her slender frame was covered with a pair of denim shorts and a button up plaid shirt that ended just above her belly button that did nothing to hide the enormous fake tits beneath the fabric. The women shook hands as Ryan made his exit, leaving them to their banter.

"Hey Isabella, nice to meet you. What can I help you with? I'd be happy to show you around!" Emilia offered her a smile, her red lips parting as the corners of her lips curved upward. Isabella shook her head.

"Nah, that's not why I'm here. This might sound strange and completely out from left field but I actually wanted to offer you an opportunity." Isabella held onto Emilia's hand from the handshake and took a few steps back, finding her calves bump up against a chair. She took a seat and motioned for Emilia to sit at the chair to her left. Emilia accepted, sinking into the uncomfortable chair before turning to face Isabella. "I know this is kind of strange but my husband owns an animal sanctuary down south, out in Florida. We've been looking for some new recruits to help take care of our big cats. You know, like tigers and leopards." Emilia's eyes grew wide, already enticed, as Isabella continued speaking. "You had put in an application a few months back, yes?"

Emilia nodded, completely speechless. When she had first heard about Kevin's cheating, she had applied to work for the sanctuary. She never thought she'd hear back, though. It had sounded too good to be true. The advertisement offered free room and board in addition to supplemental income in exchange for working with animals most people only dream about seeing.

"Well, I'm here to see if ya still interested?" Isabella grew silent, waiting for Emilia's answer as a look of bewilderment ran through her face.

Holy crap, this is an opportunity of a lifetime! But... can I really leave my life right now? Things are going so well with Kevin and I'm pretty sure I'm about to get promoted. Ah, shit. I can't believe I'm saying this... "I would absolutely love to say yes right now but, uh, can I have a few days to think about it?"

"Oh of course, pretty lady!" Isabella offered a kind smile before reaching into her purse and pulling out a small notepad with a thick marker. "How about this, why don't I give you my number. Think about it and get back to me. We can talk benefits, pay, transportation. All the good stuff!" Isabella wrote her phone number down on the paper before tearing it from the notepad and handing it over to Emilia. "Please consider, we'd absolutely love to have ya as part of our family!"

* * * * *​

Dark blue eyes gazed down at a torn piece of paper that was held daintily between Emilia's fingertips, a dark black marker print with 10 numbers separated between two dashes held her attention. It had taken four months for her to finally get to this point in her life; four months from the time Emilia met a kindly and non-assuming stranger at the humane society for everything completely tear at the seams. Emilia had broken up with Kevin after catching him with Sarah. Sarah proceeded to get Emilia fired from her job as revenge for Kevin. It had been no more than two days since everything happened and Emilia needed an escape from the hell that was North Carolina. After spending a full day crying into a gallon of ice cream, Emilia washed herself up and made the most important decision she'd ever had to make.

Emilia grabbed for her cell phone, her hand shaking as she input the phone number. It rang a few times before a sweet southern voice picked up on the other line.

"Hey Isabella, I don't know if you remember me but this is Emilia Hawley."

Their conversation carried on for a good half hour as Emilia accepted the opportunity and they discussed what the process would be to get her down to Florida and then what would be expected of her from that point on.

"I know it doesn't seem too glamorous but you'll get to spend your days with our tigers! We're real excited to have ya join."

Emilia was scribbling notes on a piece of paper as she nodded along to the conversation. In exchange for becoming a full time caretaker for their endangered animals, she'd be fed three times a day and given a place to sleep. In addition to living full time on their compound and having all of her basic necessities met, she'd also be paid $75 a week. It wasn't much but it was enough to make sure she could go back to the real world once her year long contract was up.

"The train leaves tomorrow at 9:17PM. It's a long ride, so make sure you bring somethin' to keep ya busy! I'll have Paul meet ya when you arrive. We're so excited to have you joining us!"

Emilia ended the call, looking at the screen in total shock over the life-changing decision she just made. "Oh my gods, I can't believe I just... no, this is a great thing!" Emilia busied herself over the next few hours pulling the room apart while filling a large suitcase with her necessities. Only one piece of luggage. How am I supposed to fit my whole life in here? Emilia glanced around the room at all of her belongings. All of them had some type of connection with Kevin. Maybe it was a good thing she was being forced to downsize. No, it's definitely a good thing. Emilia smiled and finished cleaning out the house of all of her belongings. By the time she had finished packing, the luggage was completely overstuffed and Emilia was elated over the prospect of what the following day would bring. She could barely sleep from all of the excitement and she was ready to head out to the train station before noon even rolled around. Having to wait until later in the evening proved painful.

Kevin had no idea that Emilia was leaving but had spent the last three days with Sarah, or so Emilia had assumed. She smiled at the idea of Kevin coming home to an empty house. There would be no reconciling, she was done. Even if she wanted to get back together with him, she had committed the next 365 days of her life to living alongside endangered animals. She wouldn't have time for him, it was the best way to get over a breakup, right?

An alarm sounded from Emilia's phone, notifying her that it was finally time to head out to the train station. Her heart thrummed as she pulled herself up from the couch and made her way into the bedroom to check and ensure she wasn't forgetting anything. This had to have been the fifteenth time today she had done exactly this. She then glanced at the full length mirror one more time to ensure she looked presentable. With the long trip ahead of her, Emilia made sure to dress comfortably. A simple pair of dark grey shorts curved along her ass and held tightly against her upper thighs, showing off her creamy skin. She was pale, surely the Florida sun would give her a healthy dose of vitamin D and help make her look like she belonged among the living. A thin black shirt curved around her waist and sat against her hips, the neck of the shirt hanging off of her right shoulder. Her deep auburn hair cascaded down her chest and curved against her ribs, the red hue contrasting against the dark fabric she wore. Emilia threw some red lipstick and black mascara into her purse; with the long trip she assumed it would make more sense to freshen up and apply the makeup once the train actually entered the sunshine state.

Stepping into a black pair of flip flops, Emilia practically danced with her luggage out of the door before she made the long trip to her new life.

The trip had been fairly painless but Emilia's excitement kept her up for the majority of the trip. By the time the sound of screeching tires sounded out through the cabin, Emilia was already standing up. They had just pulled into the station and Emilia was the first one out of the train as she sped through the station and towards the exit. The moment the two glass doors slid open, Emilia felt the weight of the Florida heat cascade down upon her. The humidity was heavier here than it was back home, it felt like she was swimming through the air as she pulled up to three other women who were waiting together. They all looked to be in their early twenties, similar to Emilia, and they were crowded around a cargo fan as they fawned over a lanky man who spoke to them in a deep southern drawl. That must be them.

Emilia walked over to them, her heavy luggage in tow. "Hey guys." The women pushed aside slightly as Emilia looked over at the man. "Are you Paul?"

Paul nodded towards her, "Yes ma'am. 'nd you must be Emilia?" He held his hand out towards her and Emilia took his dirty palm within hers, shaking it. "Alright, ladies. Let's git!" Paul turned towards the van and popped open the back door, letting the four women file into the van alongside their luggage. Once settled, the ladies began introducing themselves to each other as the cargo van bounced along the road. It was hot inside of the van despite the air conditioning cranking away. Emilia pulled her hair up, tossing it into a loose ponytail at the back of her head as the other women continued to banter. This seems so sketchy.

The blonde woman to Emilia's right, Jasmine, had traveled over from Miami, a fairly short trip on her end. She had just graduated college and was looking to do something meaningful with her life. She was tall and skinny, something that intimidated Emilia almost instantly. Cathy sat right behind Jasmine, her pudgy figure making her the fattest of the women. Her hair curled to her shoulders and she seemed uncomfortable of their situation as she carried on about how much she loved cats. Behind her sat Lily who didn't say much as she listened to Cathy and Jasmine talk. She had decided to take a year off before starting school to "make a difference" by working with endangered animals. Emilia glanced out of the window, watching the palm trees go by.

"I'm so excited!" She announced, clapping her hands and looking over at Paul. "How long have you been doing this for?"

 

[Black_Out]

Paul glanced back over his shoulder with a wide smile as the van sped down the baked pavement of a less traveled interstate. The palm trees passed in a blur as he looked over the four eager girls until he picked out Emilia. "Well miss thing, been with the boss man now for well over fifteen years." He exclaimed rather plainly as he swung his attention quickly back to the road. "Only otha person been there longa than me is Miss Bee, she runs the front desk." He nodded to himself as absently his fingers worked the radio dial until it tuned into latched onto a clear enough signal. Some DJ with a distinct southern drawl took over the conversation in the van as he led his listeners into a block of music from the Grateful Dead.

The van rolled right on along, Paul bobbing his head and occasionally singing along with chorus of Shakedown Street. "Nothin' shakin' on shakedown street, used to be the heart of town" He belted out in a voice that was scratchy and way off key, yet some of the girls couldn't help but grin in amusement. Surprisingly the music selection seemed to bring out Lily's inner flower child as the relatively quiet girl in the last seat joined Paul for a short duet when the final song came along. Her deep blue eyes closed as she leaned forward to let the corn colored locks of her hair hide her face as she carried the tune far better then Paul. "I set out running but I took my time. A friend of the Devil is a friend of mine. If I get home before daylight I just might get some sleep to-night...."

The other girls all gave a raucous round of applause as Lily blushed in embarrassment at the sudden attention. Cathy leaned back and gave Lily a gentle pat on her forearm as she beamed. "That was really good ya know, I only ever get to sing to my cats. Are you in a band?"

Lily who had been sinking back into her chair, hopeful that the focus would shift away from her gave a meek smile in return. "No, no, I just used to sing with my dad." A slight frown settled on her face for a brief moment as she debated bringing up the fact that both of her parents had passed away in a freak car accident shortly after she had graduated. The opportunity to take residence at a place like The Den was exactly what she needed. A place to try to settle back into some sort of balance while letting her basic needs be provided for was just to good to pass up. Truth be told, Lily was far from the only one on the van that found themselves their choice to be here influenced by some recent turn of misfortune. As she debated whether or not to open up about the stinging loss of her parents the van swerved onto an exit ramp, sending the girls sliding over against the sheet metal that made up the interior walls of the van.

"Sorry bout that girls!" Paul barked out as he pumped the brakes twice as he brought the speed down to better round the bend. "That pretty singing got me all sorts o' daydreaming." He chuckled, shooting a wink through the back mirror towards Lily which got a flicker of an uneasy smile from the petite blonde. "I got a nice clean drivin record, honest I do!" True to his word, the rest of the trip seemed to go without hiccup as the van rolled along a lonesome stretch of road that soon was surrounded by the thick tangle of Florida's dense wetlands. It was quite unlike anything the ladies crammed into the back of the warm van had ever seen before and by and large it seemed to draw their individual interest as one by one they watched the lush scenery whip past them.

"Gotta stop an filler up." Paul explained as the vision of a small nondescript gas station fell into view in the distance. Across the rundown street from that fuel station was a long and narrow building with a rusty aluminum roof that would of looked like a massive shed if it wasn't for the inviting neon signs of naked ladies that decorated that glowed invitingly in the windows. One large solitary roadside advertisement loomed above the establishment that sparkled with more neon girls and letters that read Dirty Deeds with their slogan catch phrase etched beneath and their done dirt cheap. Paul was half tempted to ask if the girls wanted to take a break and get into some ac, but he knew better as the van slid up to a pump and Paul hopped out. "Ya'all just hang tight." He said with a gap toothed smile before he disappeared into the desolate looking convenience store.

A short time later Paul returned from the dingy little store with a filled up generic plastic white bag in hand that he handed off to Jasmine. "Ham n' cheese sanwiches." He grinned towards the girls before he settled back into the drivers seat. "One fer each of ya an a coke too, n' some Dorito's to share. On da house an I suggest ya eat up, unless ya wanna save space fa the pizza party later tonight." Paul rambled on as the van lurched back onto the roadway while Jasmine fished out her snack and handed the bag back to the next in line. While the van chugged along in relative silence as the girls snacked away at their modest meal Paul pointed a finger towards a billboard that was on the passenger side of the winding road. "There she be girls, almost home." He grinned into the mirror as the van whisked by the advertisement for The Den.

It wasn't anything fancy, but it stood out like a beacon in the dense wet woods that surrounded the roadway. The paint was peeling in spots, yet the bold letters upon the billboard were easy to read. Twenty Miles To The Den, Follow The Signs. Visit One Of Florida's Greatest Sanctuaries For Endangered Animals. While there was a cornucopia of animals presented, lions dominated the aged marquee. Less then a half hour later, with the sandwiches, sodas, and Doritos all polished off another sign for The Den came into view. Similar to the first, yet smaller and sporting an arrow that pointed off to the right side of the meandering backwoods interstate. Slow On Down Or You'll Miss All The Excitement, and just like the sign asked, Paul slowed on down and turned down a gravel paved road that felt like a tunnel as the canopy of the humid forest fell in above the van.

Not even a hundred yards down the shadow swept road was a guard shack and a large iron gate. Two faux marble tigers sat proud and regal at each side of the heavy automated gate that began to swing open as the van slowed to a crawl. A pair of tanned guards wearing yellow shirts emblazoned with tiger head logo of The Den and cargo shorts waved the van past. Paul shot a wave back their way before the van crawled past the gate and towards the compound that waited beyond.

The darkness of that tunnel road quickly fell away as Paul led the van out into open fields and hills. The bright full light of the noon day Florida sun shined down across a valley that was largely fields and rolling hills. The festering depths of the swamp, while left behind, still could be seen forming a distant ring around the vast open land of the sanctuary. Every last one of the girls had their faces slapped up against their respective windows, peering out in awe at the place they were going to be calling home for the next year as the van passed through a moderately filled parking lot on its way towards a dull orange washed double wide trailer.

Isabella could be seen standing at the top of a short flight of white steps that led up to a long deck that wrapped about the front and sides of The Dens admissions office. She had a bright, warm, and eager smile on her youthful face as she waved excitedly towards the approaching van. Her ensemble though was far different then what Emilia recalled. That southern farm girl attire she had worn when she visited Emilia in North Carolina had been replaced with a tight form fitting outfit that highlighted those perfectly sculpted fake breasts. Bright orange yoga pants that were laced with black stripes ended just below her knees and a matching athletic top that showed off her toned belly finished off the woman's racy outfit.

"That lovely lady there som'a'ya might of met already, an for those tha' ain't that ther's Isabella." Paul stated as he brought the van to a halt just in front of the deck where Isabella was applauding their arrival. "She'll be showing you ladies to your rooms and helpin ya learn how to get around tha place. Kind'a think of her as your mentah." Paul nodded his head in agreeance with his assessment as he shut the engine off. He flung the drivers side door open then, hopped out and went around to the sliding door to let the girls out one by one as Isabella stood up at the top of the steps with a wide smile as she proclaimed. "We're so excited to have ya all here finally! I sure hope Paul was fine company." She almost sauntered down the steps, moving her fingers to adjust the straps of her top. "He can be a bit o' a bore." She shot a wink towards Emilia before looking over the small gathering of girls that were clambering out of the van.

"Nough' bout him though!" Her voice rang out with joy. "Welcome ta The Den!" Isabella's smile practically glowed as she looked back upon the girls. "Now let's get your stuff and get ya girls settled in! Come on now, grab ya luggage and follow me!"

 

[Valkyrja]

The door rolled open as the sunlight blazed a trail into the van. The humidity of the panhandle swaddled all four of the women before the door had finished opening. Jasmine was quick to pull herself from her seat, grabbing the large suitcase she had settled between her legs as she pulled it behind her and jumped down onto the gravel ground. Emilia followed her quickly, an intrigued and curious smile painted across her face as she stepped into the bright day and let her eyes graze across the landscape before her. "Wow," she muttered beneath her breath, the reality of her situation hitting her.

This was her life! She was officially going to be personally responsible for dozens if not hundreds of endangered animals. Emilia's excitement was too much as she pushed herself up onto the balls of her feet in lieu of jumping. She felt like a child, she wanted to clap and sing and dance out of elation. Cathy pulled herself from the van, stepping up next to Emilia and entwining her arm with hers.

"This is so cool!" The frizzy girl stated, her hair growing more wild by the second as the humidity enveloped her chocolate colored strands. "I can't believe we're here!"

Jasmine turned to face the two girls before looking at Lily who was the last of the four of them to remove herself from the van. The girl seemed to almost trip over herself as she stepped down from the van and then turned to pull at her luggage. "Y'all, we made it!!" Jasmine didn't hold back, jumping and doing a short little dance as her hips swayed and her arms reached towards the skies. Lily laughed as she steadied herself on the ground and joined the three women.

Emilia looked over at Isabella, her stunning figure enhanced by the tight clothing that clung to her curves. Had it not been for the kind, familiar voice of the gorgeous woman, Emilia wouldn't have recognized her so quickly. "I guess he was okay," Emilia chuckled, nodding over to Paul before grabbing at her pony tail, whipping the long rust colored locks over her shoulder as she giggled and stepped forward, wrapping her fingers tightly around the handle of her luggage. The four women walked towards Isabella and as they closed the gap, Isabella strolled over to Emilia and wrapped her arms around the petite woman's shoulder to offer her a brief yet friendly embrace. Emilia wrapped her free arm around Isabella's back, her perfume washing over her and almost unbearable in the summer heat. "Bring it in, gals! Y'all are officially family." The women pulled themselves into a group hug, laughing and smiling over their new home. "Alright, follow me!"

Isabella began leading the women through the compound, twirling to face the women every few moments as her hips sauntered from side to side. It was as if she had been dancing on air as she led the women through The Den. "So this here's our main office. Y'all ever need anything, this is where you'll find most anythin'." Her head nodded back at the trailer attached to the deck she had just come down from. "Bee's the girl for ya' if you've any questions. She's been here the longest of all of us, she knows this place like the back of 'er hand! Bit rough around the edges but y'all'll get used ta it." Her head nodded towards her left now, motioning over her shoulder at the expansive land surrounded by chain link enclosures. "I'll give y'all a more thorough tour once we're all settled in but we've got all 'er big cats way out there. Right over there is where the monkeys are kept. Reptiles stay out over that there way," she pointed further up along the path. They had only been walking a short while before they came to an intersection.

"If y'all follow this way straight back, that be where Flynn resides." Isabella's eyes seemed to glint beneath the sunlight as she mentioned his name. "He'll be by to introduce himself later. He's got me a house down this way, too. Me and a few of us ladies host parties er'y few days. Y'all see!" The four women looked at each other eagerly as they continued following Isabella. "Down 'ere is where y'all'll be." They padded their way down towards the corner of the lot, weeds poking through the gravel at their feet every few steps. The surroundings seemed to grow a bit more dilapidated as they continued but it wasn't concerning enough for them to stop. Eight single-wide trailers sat next to each other, a few muffled voices escaping the open windows from a handful of them as they made their way past the majority of them. "We've got numba' seven for you four ladies. Right 'ere," Isabella stepped up to one of the beaten down trailers and pulled at the door, the flimsy wood creaking as it swung from the hinges to allow them tentatively file into the dingy living room. With the five of them standing inside, it was overcrowded already.

The living room had a sectional pushed against the back of the wall, the couch taking up the majority of space in the small room and segregating the joint living space from the rest of the trailer. "Well here, lemme give ya the tour!" Isabella stepped around the four women who stood in the middle of the living room and motioned for their attention to draw towards the right. The dirty brown carpet of the living room fringed against the white and black checkered tile that made up the kitchen. "This here's y'alls kitchen. We got some bottled water 'nd basic things for y'all in the fridge." The girls didn't move towards Isabella but instead watched as Isabella walked the cramped room and pointed out the appliances they had to their disposal. A plastic card table sat in the middle of the kitchen with four folding chairs pushed into it, a layer of dust atop the furniture. "Now if y'all turn around and walk this way," she started, pushing through the group of women as she made her way across the living room and into a small hallway, "this is where y'all find your bathroom." There was no door attached to the hinges and as the women peered around Isabella, they were less than thrilled to find that the bathroom looked even more beaten down than the kitchen. The tile matched the kitchen and a dirty, washed out yellow color painted the porcelain of the tub toilet and sink. "I know it don't look like much but it's betta than nothin'," Isabella shrugged and spun around, smiling at the women as she pointed to her right, their left, to view the final piece of the trailer.

Similar to the bathroom, there was no door affixed to the hinges. "'Nd here's where all the fun'll 'appen!" She giggled, walking through the archway and into the small bedroom. Emilia's eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at their sleeping arrangements. There were two bunk beds, one on either side of the room. Between the two bunk beds was one dresser with six drawers.

That was it.

"Uh, I don't mean to sound ungrateful but-" Emilia started before Isabella cut her off.

"Oh sweetie, not a problem! We're more than happy to provide for y'all! Why don't y'all get settled in and we'll be back in 'bout an hour's time or so to assign duties and give y'all the real tour!"

With that, Isabella smiled and turned, leaving the four women in the bedroom as they stared at the room and at each other in utter incredulity. The sound of the trailer door slamming behind her made the women finally break their silence.

Lily was the first to speak. "Is... is this a joke?"

Cathy shrugged, stepping towards the dresser with her luggage before plopping it down and sliding the drawers open, looking to see if there was anything within them. "I guess we've all got to start somewhere, right? We should just make the best of it and be happy that - AH!" Cathy jumped back, tripping over her luggage and falling clumsily to the floor. The third drawer she had opened had spooked her. Lily quickly ran to her side, grabbing the pudgy girl's arm.

"What?! What?! Are you okay?!"

Cathy was breathing hard and let out a soft laugh. "Bugs..." She muttered, pulling herself back up. "There was a fucking roach in the dresser!"

Lily's upper lip curled back, "Eww."

Jasmine took a step back, her knuckle white as she held her luggage. "Maybe I'll just live out of my luggage for a bit. Uh," she glanced around the room, her eyes tentatively moving back and forth between the two bunks. "I've got bottom bunk," she called out, stepping across the room. Hesitantly, she grabbed at the tightly fitted and tucked white sheets on the small mattress and pulled them back. Breathing a sigh of relief, she pulled her luggage onto the mattress and sat down, happy that there were no unsuspecting creatures within the sheets.

Cathy was quick to claim the other bottom bunk, moving away from the roach infested dresser. Lily and Emilia gave each other a frustrated. "At least up here we won't have to worry about roaches," Emilia mentioned sarcastically, leaning against the wall. Lily climbed up above Cathy and lied down on her side, looking over the room at the other girls.

"This blows," Lily commented, resting her head against her fist as she propped herself up on her elbow. "But at least we get this awesome dream job, right?!"

Jasmine was quick to respond, trying to keep a positive air, "Yeah! And I'm sure if we work harder, we'll get one of those nice houses up on the hill. Did you guys see those?!"

Cathy nodded. "Yes! Just gotta work hard, right?" She smiled and curled her legs beneath her. "I wonder if we'll get to meet Dorian! I wonder if he's as cute in real life as he is on the internet."

Emilia snorted at Cathy's comment. "I'm sure we will."

The four women bonded over the ensuing hour, sharing stories of how and why they ended up where they were. After such a long day of travel, Emilia found herself already exhausted despite it only being the start of the day. Even still, she pushed herself to keep up with the other three women as they explored more of the trailer and got to know each other.

 

[Black_Out]

The young ladies had all settled in around the rickety red kitchen table, except for Jasmine who kept herself busy tidying up in the nearby kitchen. "Tell ya what, we get this place cleaned up, it'll look alright." She nodded to herself while she diligently wiped down the counters and left the other three to talk. Cathy seemed to hold a monopoly on the conversation. At first she seemed the shy type, but once Cathy got to talking she barely would pause. Most of what she talked about centered around her cats and how much she missed them. She shared their names, their favorite toys, bad habits, and good, and more. Finally she realized just how much she had been talking about them and her cheeks blushed in embarrassment.

"Sorry, didn't mean to ramble on bout my cats." Cathy offered meekly with a weak smile as she sulked in her chair and sighed.

Lily extended a hand and graciously gave Cathy's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "S'alright hon, they sound like nice cats." Slipping her hand back into her lap, Lily, along with the others found their attentions drawn towards the drawn blinds of the nearby window. The rumbling purr of an engine could be heard approaching and Lily reached over to pry the dusty slats of the blind open so to get a better look.

"Oh my god." Lily exclaimed a moment later as the sound of the engine pulled up right outside of their delapidated trailer.
"Is it, him, is it Dorian?" Cathy squeaked with unabashed enthusiasm as Lily sprang out of her chair and looked towards the others with an excitement that was threatening to burst. "Yes! Tiger cubs!" She stated gleefully as she swiftly made her way towards the flimsy aluminum door to the trailer and tossed it open.

This was the sort of day that Dorian lived for. Putting about on his ATV, feeling the warm glow of the Florida sun, while surveying the expanse of his kingdom. He couldn't help but have a warm smile and a little sparkle in his normally stern eyes as he went about his daily routine.

After a leisurely cruise through the park while the morning mist was still relatively refreshing he would make his way to the office where he checked in with Bee. After a half hour of going over the daily numbers and projections he was off again. He'd zig and zag through portions of the sanctuary just beyond the office making sure everything was clean and tidy for todays customers. On his way out Dorian was sure to make a quick pit stop at one of The Dens more popular attractions, the primate sanctuary.

From there it was off to the meat wagon which would be getting hosed down and cleaned after its morning run. After that it was time to head out to the more distant pastures and rolling hills where the tigers waited. Normally Dorian would spend time at each tiger enclosure, spending at least little time with every tiger under his care and often longer with those great cats that he had become intimitately familiar with.

But today he wouldn't follow that typical routine. No, today was cub day and he always set aside time to make a grand first impression with the new recruits. So after plucking up a pair of adorable tiger cubs from the pens he made his way with Isabella following along in his wake towards the trailer where the new blood waited.

Dirt and dust churned up in a cloud as he brought the ATV to a lurching halt just outside the rundown trailer. His tanned features curled into a warm greeting that mirrored the Florida sun as he looked towards Lily as she dangled half way out of the trailers front door. Isabella came to a halt alongside him as he called out towards the ramshackle abode and its inhabitants. "Let's go girls! Gotta lot to see! Move, move, move, move!" As he urged the women to come outside, Dorian leaned back and tossed the top of the small pen that was strapped down to the back of his ATV open, snatched the tiger cubs up, and settled them in his lap.

Lily didn't even bother to use the steps as she hopped down and was by the side of Dorian's idling ATV in a flash. "Here ya go darling, take good care of her." He smiled in earnest as he greeted Lily by holding up one of the cubs by the scruf of its neck towards her. "Go on, take er, and hop in with Isabella." The lanky hippy girl tenatively reached out in disbelief to take the young cub carefully into her hands, but once her fingers had settled in around its soft fur she instantly clutched it to her bosom. "Oh my god!" She squawked with unbridled fervor as she stroked the velvet like fur of the tiger cub with one hand. "What's her name?!"

"Don't got one, not yet, maybe you and the other girls can come up with some names for em, eh?" Dorian laughed as he reached one meaty hand over and gave Lily a firm and none to subtle slap on her ass. "Now go on, hop in with Isabella." The young woman jolted at the impact of his hand across her rear and immediately made her way over to the other vehicle where an amused Isabella waited. "Plenty of room, come on now." Her voice echoed Dorian's enthusiasm as Lily carefully slid into the worn down bucket seat at her side.

As the other girls filed out, Dorian kept one hand settled over the remaining tiger cub, keeping it pinned in place on the passenger seat. "You two, jump on the back with Isabella." He smiled towards Cathy and Jasmine as they spilled out into the oppresive heat. "And you sweety, lucky you, you get to ride with us." He said towards Emilia as he held up the last tiger cub towards her.

 

[Valkyrja]

Emilia couldn't help but laugh at the shared excitement of Lily and Cathy. It wasn't that she hadn't been excited - of course she was! It was simply that they were squealing like teenage girls and they were clearly fawning over Dorian. Emilia glanced over at Jasmine, sharing a look of humor at the moment. Their eyes peeled from each other when Lily practically howled.

Tiger cubs!

Emilia and Jasmine were quick to their feet with the other two girls as they scrambled towards the rickety door of the trailer, trying to catch it as it swung back violently after Lily erupted outside in a fit of elation. The dust was still settling around the two open ATVs and the cutest pair of cubs came into view. The three other girls quickly disappeared to Isabella's side, loosing themselves in the cuteness of the little cub. Emilia was quick to follow them but stopped in her tracks as Dorian called out to her, his arms outstretched with the cutest little tiger cub Emilia had ever laid eyes on. Her eyes rose to Dorian's and a smile tugged at her lips as she was quick to join him.

Her arms were outstretched and she accepted the tiger cub and brought it against her chest. The cub let out a scratchy mew, pawing against her shoulder as it looked up at her with the bluest sleepy eyes. "Oh my gosh, she's so cute." Emilia cradled the cub in one arm and ran her thumb over the side of its soft face, brushing her fur back as she gently scratched behind the cub's ear. Emilia looked up at Dorian, her gaze filled with wonder as an uncontainable smile refused to leave her face. "Lucky me!"

Dorian pushed himself back, planting himself in the driver's seat as Emilia slid in next to him, her grasp on the tiger cub tight as she cooed at it before looking over at Dorian. "I'm Emilia, by the way." Her white teeth glimmered beneath the oppressive sun, matching the sparkle that came from her joyful deep blue eyes. "I recognize you - you're Dorian, right?" Emilia hadn't been reeled in by Dorian - the promise of big cats were her driving factor to why she had applied to work here from the get go. She didn't view Dorian as a celebrity, unlike the other three girls, especially Lily. Her eyes scanned his huge frame, examining the man who planted a thick hand against the steering wheel of the open ATV. Emilia had to give it to Cathy's little crush; the girls were right, he wasn't bad looking.

"Thank you so much for the opportunity! I'm really excited to be here. Although I hate to say, I don't quite know what is expected of me yet. Am I jumping the gun if I ask now? Err, Isabella could always give us the run down, I'm sure." Emilia was rambling, the excitement bursting from her chest clearly evident as she ran her hands over the tiny little cub that was now in her lap. She was holding onto the warm, furry creature to make sure it would't rock off of her lap as she pet it. This didn't feel real, was she really sitting in an ATV beside someone who was clearly some sort of celebrity with a tiger cub in her lap? The cute little feline began sucking at her thumb and Emilia was quick to adjust her hand so that it would have more access to her elongated fingers. "You're so cute," she cooed, her attention turning from Dorian briefly before she turned her head right back to face him.

 

[Black_Out]

"Jesus, it's been years since anyone's called me cute." Dorian gave a sly wink and a hearty laugh as he revved the engine, the hazel hue of his eyes lingering upon the joyous face of Emilia as her attentions were fixed on the soft and furry tiger cub that was nipping gently at her fingers. "Anyway, nice to meet ya Emilia! But I'm just gonna call ya ya Em, that work, of course it does. Now you just hold on'ta that little bundle of fur and I'll show ya around the place." His hand fell down across her thigh and gave a quick squeeze before it rose up to the steering wheel. "Might even answer some of them questions you had." While the cat continued to nibble away at Emilia's fingertips, Dorian looked back over his shoulder and called out over the rumble from the engines.

"Everyone settled in?" A thumbs up and a smile from Isabella signaled they were ready to go as the rest of the recruits settled into place. "Good, let's go!" The wheels spun, though with less fanfare then Dorian typically applied more so out of consideration for tiger cub then the woman holding it. As a cloud of dust rolled up behind them Dorian reached up and pulled the frayed brim of his tattered hat down tight leaving the hodgepodge trailer encampment behind.

It was a whirlwind of tour, stretching across an overwhelming amount of land that just begged to be discovered at a far more leisurely pace then the handful of hours that were being spared for it. There were the occasional pitstops at a select few enclosures where some of The Dens employees were laboring away as they took care of routine daily maintenance. Isabella and Dorian typically took turns talking, making introductions and engaging in small talk with the staff before they would bring the newest members up towards a pen and give them a quick introduction to the various large cats that roamed about within the stout pens.

Never once did the small ball of fur in Emilia's possession leave her hands, though the other girls with Isabella were all taking turns, passing the cub around after every stop. On their way between stops, Dorian leaned over towards Emilia, settling the width of his hand on the back of her neck as his playful eyes gave her a wink. "You got quite the knack with that cub, ya know it doesn't have a name yet?" The rough texture of his fingers massaged over the back of her neck while his lips curled into a pleasant grin. "So, think of a name for her, huh, can you do that for me?"

Dorian led them all across the park, pointing out the swamps and wetlands, giving the girls all a quick introduction to a few young gators that were laying in the heat of the sun near the edges of the water. "Now these gators, sure they're part of the park, but they aren't something to mess around with." He made sure to hammer home the warning in none to subtle way as the women gathered around to inspect the little scaled critters. "Five years back one of our new recruits didn't listen, went for a swim, and well she ain't here anymore." He huffed as he looked out over the surface of the water where the sun was bouncing it's light up into his face. "Tragic, really, never were able to find her body."

"Now I realize ya all got tons of questions." Dorian stated with a level voice as he checked the watch on his wrist. "But I'm a busy fella, and time's short so what I'm gonna do is have you girls all over to my place tonight for a little pizza party." His hazel hued gaze lifted up to look over the four ladies as he smirked. "Ya all like pizza, right, I mean everyone like's pizza." He paused a moment before adding with a wry quip as he strolled back over towards his olive green ATV. "N' beer."

"So that's about all there is to show ya today. Sure there's more, we got a few sites where we got new construction going on, but them's a mess still." He lumbered back into the drivers seat with a groan, slapping the passenger seat with his hand before waving Emilia over. "So let's saddle up, we'll get ya girls back to your home and someone will be by later tonight to pick ya up and bring ya to my place." Isabella meanwhile went about collecting the young tiger cubs, preparing to place them back into the crate strapped to the back of Dorians ATV. "Oh, by the way, your outfits should be waiting for ya inside the front door of your place. Make sure to wear em tonight, I can't wait to see how you girls look in your official Den gear."

 

[Valkyrja]

The landscape washed over the four girls in a whirlwind of excitement. So many animals combined with the mixture of fairly interesting people who tended to them kept the day moving in a surprisingly fast pace. The dust raced from behind both of the ATVs as the wheels bounded along the bumpy terrain. Emilia never once let the sweet baby tiger cub leave her little hands; she was constantly caressing the soft fur while letting it nibble and play with her other hand. At the end of their tour, Emilia found herself struggling to hand over the cub but begrudgingly passed her over to Isabella as she collected the two little bundles of fur from both ATVs. The four girls watched as the ATVs took off, leaving a cloud of dust in their wake as they rode off. A silence rang out over the four women as the day's adventures processed. The silence was short lived as Lily cracked open a smile.

"Holy shit, guys!! Holy shit!"

Cathy jumped up and down, clapping. "I can't believe we freakin' work here!" She did a little dance, twirling her body in excitement.

Emilia jumped in on the excitement. "This is our lives now, guys. This is so cool!"

Cathy cut in, her arms folding as she gave Emilia a playful retort. "I'm a little jealous. Why did you get to ride with Dorian? Ugh, guys, isn't he cute?!"

Jasmine laughed, nudging Cathy's shoulder. "Shut up, Cath!" It was a playful tone as the girls all giggled. It was like they were excitable teenagers. "Let's get inside, I want to see our outfits!"

The four women made their way into the dilapidated trailer, the door creaking and swinging wildly on its hinges as they entered the dark residence. On the table were four uniforms, folded and waiting for them to be worn. Jasmine's thin fingers fiddled over the collar of each uniform, trying to see what sizes had been left for them. All of them were the exact same size... that would be a problem. Between the size and weight difference of the four women, there was no way this outfit would fit them all. Jasmine pulled one out, letting it unfold in her hands as she held it up for the girls to see. "I can definitely get behind this cute little number."

The beige fabric unfolded, revealing a tight fitting button up shirt and shorts that were no larger than a pair of granny panties. Emilia cocked an eyebrow. "That's barely going to cover my ass."

Lily snatched the outfit from Jasmine's hands, the thumb of her other hand already hooked into her shorts as she yanked them down. "Let's see!" She was quick to strip, her tan panties matching the color of the uniform as she pulled the shorts up. The shorts sat on her waist and the hem of them sat about three inches below the curve of her ass. She spun, allowing the three other girls to examine the shorts. "They totally cover everything, Em! Try them on!" She was still mid sentence as she pulled her t-shirt up over her shoulders, revealing a matching bra. The tan clothing seemed to melt into her tan skin, her appearance fairly basic. She was buttoning up the shirt, the hem of which sat just below the curve of her waist. It appeared to be missing the top two buttons, leaving her cleavage on display.

The other three girls stripped in the kitchen, trying on the uniform as well. Cathy was unfortunately just a little bit too large to fit into the clothing. It was embarrassing to say the least and she groaned as she threw the clothing back on the table before retreating to the bedroom to find something sexy to put on for the evening's festivities. A slinky little silver dress that sat just below her thick hips, almost as short as the shorts the other three girls were wearing.

Jasmine was skinny enough to practically drown in the button up shirt but the hem of it danced just below her belly button, her tall figure seeming somewhat bothersome at this point. The shorts had a similar issue, the legs of which ended just an inch below the curve of her ass.

Emilia was just slightly more curvy than Lily, the outfit hugging at her waist tightly. "Well, we should probably talk to Dorian about this tonight, hmm?" She tucked the hem of her shirt into the shorts before wandering off to the bedroom to fish out a black belt. Jasmine followed her, doing the same. "I wonder if he just bought this at a Halloween store. Is that bad to joke about?"

Cathy snorted at the comment, lying back in the bunk. "I'm pissed. Those outfits are so cute!"

It was no more than three hours later that the sound of a horn blared outside of their informal home and they all made their way out to meet their ride. Cathy stood out from the other three girls, her uniform in hand as the dress rode up her thighs.

 

[Black_Out]

It wasn't just any car that rolled through the beaten down arrangement of trailers and came to a stop right outside the front door of where the newest additions to The Den were staying. A midnight black beast greeted them, a Suburban so sleek and polished it was as if the wax coating on the vehicle kept the dirt and dust from adhering to the glossy coat of paint. Streaked across the passenger side of the massive vehicle was an airbrushed side view of a tigers head in mid roar, the words "The Den" flowing out from the neck, forming an abstract body. The stark contrast of the petite little vixen that emerged from the drivers side was all but impossible to miss.

She had to be no more then five feet tall and maybe in her mid twenties, but damn if the albino skinned woman didn't have curves in all of the right places. She wore a casual red shoulder-less gown that clung to her torso while swaying freely about around her legs due to a long parting cut that ran up the middle. Still it wasn't her alluring figure or vibrant attire that stood out the most on the wafer of a woman, that asset belonged solely to her dark frizzy hair. It gave her the look of some gyspy woman or new age hippy with the way it swept down her back until it ended just below the curves of her rump. Much like Isabella she greeted the four young ladies with a warming smile as she practically skipped her way over towards them. Her aquamarine eyes were dancing with joy as she looked the girls over, a tinge of amusement passing along her lips as she took note of their attire, and of course Cathy who held her outfit in her arms.

"Woooo-weee!" She hollered out as she moved up to each girl and gave each of them a big old southern hug of welcome. "Golly, it's so good to meet you all finally!" Her voice squeaked with excitement as she finally peeled herself away from the last of her embraces. "Now shit, I knew I forgot something! My name's Sandy! I'm wife number three, but I guarantee I'm the most fun!" She giggled with unbridled enthusiasm as she beckoned the girls towards the waiting Suburban.

Once the girls were whisked into the vehicle, Sandy hopped into the drivers seat, slammed the door, and they were off. The interior was absolutely loaded and there was more then enough room for the four women to spread out in the back of the sedan as the powerful engine hummed to life. As they left the encampment others stood outside their dingy trailers, watching as their new neighbors departed as the sun was just settling upon the horizon.

Barely a bounce was felt as Sandy steered the roaring machine towards their destination. Music rang crystal clear from the speakers, but at a modest level that let the girls gossip and chatter away. Their chauffer for the most part remained silent, sitting alone in the front while stealing glances into the rearview mirror towards the four young women. On more then one occasion Sandy found her eyes lingering on Emalia, as if sizing her up like the girl was some sort of competition or threat.

"Just wait till you get a load of Dorian's place, I hope you girls brought bathing suits." She smirked, knowing full well they didn't. "Ya know, if you want to use the hot tub." She shot a wink into the mirror as she laughed playfully. "Don't worry ya'selves. Dorian's got plenty of bathin' suits for you to wear, I'm sure."

As the last light of the sun was falling over the landscape of The Den, the realm of Dorian came into view. At three stories tall his castle dominated the lay of the immediate land. Full length windows that were glazed with a dark tint rose up in vertical sheets that circled about the trio of floors that made up the home. At least a half dozen vast pens surrounded the estate, flickers of movement catching the girls eyes as large cats within those cages moved through the growing shadows. Sandy brought the car to a stop right before a large wooden stair case that was stained and polished to a glowing finish.

"Alright, we're here." Sandy exclaimed as she stopped the sedan and swung open the drivers side door, stepping out into the humid night air.

Dorian watched from the height of the sweeping staircase, his arms draped around the shoulders of his two other wives as he smiled to the ladies as they emerged into view. "Welcome!" His voice bellowed down towards them as Isabella and Tiffany slipped free from under his arms and made their way down to meet the newest recruits.

"Hurry up, the pizza's gonna get cold!" Dorian laughed joyously as he turned and opened the stout wooden and immaculate door to his estate that displayed an intricate tiger motif that had been carved upon its face. Warm light spilled out from the door as Dorian's three wives escorted their guests for the evening upwards towards the open door as the host slipped inside.

Dorian took a quick peek about his manor, not bothering to count the amount of lives he had helped to ruin to secure such a lavish cabin styled home for himself. It was everything he had ever wanted, well, not really. Dorian always wanted more.

 

[Valkyrja]

The ride to the manor was an adventure in and of itself as the four girls hounded Sandy, asking question after question of what her life was like but then gossiping and talking among each other before Sandy could really even respond. Sandy practically sparkled, her pasty skin and tiny frame a huge contrast to her booming personality. The large sedan fit her to a T even if she was remaining fairly silent for most of the car ride. Oddly enough, Emilia seemed to distance herself a bit from the conversation as well, her eyes catching Sandy's emerald hues more often than was comfortable. Something unsettled the petite woman and she found her fingers fidgeting at the frays of hair at the bottom of her thick ponytail.

"Em, hello?" Jasmine waved her hand in front of Emilia and Emilia jerked, her head shaking.

"Huh?"

The girls laughed at Emilia. "There she is! You're like a million miles away! We were just saying how we were going to go into the hot tub. You'll join us, right?"

Emilia smiled and then nodded. "Yeah, of course!" Her eyes flickered back to the rearview mirror, catching Sandy staring at her once again. "You said Dorian has bathing suits for us, right?"

The car pulled up in front of the immaculate home, the stunning exterior overlooking the entire compound. Emilia's eyes focused on the tigers pacing the cages, a white tiger in particular catching her gaze. The women pulled themselves out from the midnight suburban, the glossy black coat glimmering in the moonlight that now coruscated above them. "Whoa..." the four women were practically in sync as they looked over the estate before they all focused on Dorian with his two other wives. Isabella was the stunning beam of sunshine she had been since the moment they met her but to the right of Dorian was a new woman they had yet to meet.

Tiffany smiled at the women, waving excitedly before letting her hand return back to Dorian's chest. She nuzzled into him, her nose running along his jawline as she fawned over the man. Her complexion matched the depth of her eyes, a stunningly smooth caramel color that contrasted with the white dress that wrapped around her body, the shape of the dress identical to Sandy's. Unlike Sandy, she remained barefoot and still had a good four inches of height over her. Her raven hair had been braided back, kept out of her face as the tendrils rested against her back and ended between her shoulder blades.

Lifting her head from Dorian's cheek, she looked back out at the women. "Woo-wee! Fresh meat!" She giggled and made her way down the stairs, wrapping her hand around Lily's wrist before pulling her excitedly up towards the threshold of the elegant home. The other three women followed closely behind. "Welcome to Casa Dorian! I'm sure Sands already filled you in on everything but don't believe a word she says. First off, I'm the fun one!"

Sandy chuckled and gave Tiffany a playful nudge. "Shut up, Tiff!"

Isabella wrapped her arms around Tiffany and Sandy's shoulders, pulling them tight to her. "Come on, ladies. We all know I'm the most fun! Wouldn't you agree, Dorian?" The three girls burst out into laughter as they followed Dorian into the dining room. A few boxes of pizza sat stacked in the middle of the long wooden table. There were eighth chairs, three on each side and then one each at opposite sides of the head of the table.

"Where should we all sit?" Cathy inquired, her hands reaching out and touching the chair at the head of the table. Isabella quickly intervened.

That's Dorian's seat, sweetie. Here, come sit over here." She pulled out a middle seat, offering it to the pudgy girl. "And you two sit right over there," she pointed across from her, motioning for Lilly and Jasmine to sit next to each other, "and you, sit right here across from me!" She pulled out the seat next to Cathy, urging Emilia to sit down before Isabella walked around the table and sat next to Lily. Tiffany settled in at the head of the table next to Jasmine and Sandy sat next to Cathy. Lily was quick to reach out for one of the boxes of pizza, her stomach growling as she lifted the lid.

Sandy leaned over and swatted Lily's hand. "No! Wait for Dorian!" She looked up, watching as Dorian was about to take his seat. She offered him a sparking smile, sitting up straight and rocking back in her chair slightly.

 

[Black_Out]

Dorian found it all quite amusing as the rugged looking proprietor of The Den settled down into the heavy wooden chair that waited for him at the head of the table. His attire was the typical outback style of brown cotton trousers and a loose breathable shirt of soft white. Grinning wide with mirth, Dorian settled his thick arms of his stout chest and leaned over the table. "Ah, it's just a pizza party, no need to follow formalities tonight, eh girls?" His smiling eyes worked over each of the new recruits, lingering on Emilia with a subtle wink sent her way. "I'm sure your all starving, and thirsty." Dorian chuckled as he reached one of his thick mitts down into a modest cooler at his side that was full of ice cold beer.

With a thud Dorian hefted the cooler up onto the table and plucked out a can of Coors Light for himself before pushing it on down the line. For the next half hour pizza and beer flowed as freely as the conversations that transpired as the newest members of The Den were warmly welcomed by Dorian and his trio of wives. Old stories that had been recounted countless times before were shared, leaving a few of Dorian's wives to roll their eyes as they listened to tales from his glory days for the umpteenth time. Fresh and new tales were passed around, even a few of the girls opened up and shared their own stories with the unfamiliar audience gathered around the table. By the time the pizza had dwindled down to just a few cold slices that remained in the box the participants at the dinner table were up and about, drifting through the lavish living room of Dorian's domain.

His wives separated, each picking out one of the girls as their own and acting as their escort as they took them by the arm to show them about Dorian's sprawling estate. Emilia was left unclaimed, leaving her to Dorian's care as the rugged owner slapped his arm about her slender little waist before he whisked her off to show her around his manor. His tour started in the kitchen, Dorians arm remaining snug around Emilia's waist as his hand settled on the upper swell of her hip. As they arrived in the kitchen he allowed his arm to slip away from her as he moved over to a wine rack. "Let's have some wine shall we?" It was a question that didn't need to be answered as Dorian selected a fine vintage of some old merlot and gathered up a cork screw.

The pop of the bottle echoed out from the kitchen as Dorian approached Emilia, reached one hand right by the side of her head, nearly pressing his form up against the young woman as he grabbed a pair of wine glasses from the shelf behind her. He leaned back, a pleasant yet amused smile on his lips as he began to pour them both a nice full glass of the deep merlot. "Here, it's from my wine cellar, I'm sure you'll like it." Dorian handed her the glass as he turned towards a pair of glass panel doors that were opened and led out onto the grand deck that swept around his estate.

"Let's step outside, you can see everything from here, even at night."

 

[Valkyrja]

The pizza may have been simple but it tasted absolutely heavenly after the long day the women had put in. It wasn't that they had worked as of yet, it was the exhausting mixture of the heat bundled with the excitement of entering in to their new lives together. Emilia snatched up a piece of pepperoni pizza, daintily biting at it between conversations as the women recounted stories of The Den. Her new colleagues shared some of their histories but Emilia chose to stay quiet, instead listening intently and soaking up every last bit of the wonderful moment. Truth be told, she was absolutely starving but far too elated to eat more than one greasy slice. Her attention was focused on the group of people surrounding her, her eyes continuously locking in with Dorian's gaze as he appeared to study her before she'd quickly look away, as if embarrassed of being caught glancing over at him.

As dinner finished, Emilia pushed up out of her chair and smiled. Isabella grabbed onto Cathy's arm, encouraging her to join her in the other room. Isabella glanced over at Emilia with a smile that matched her own before looking over at Lily and nodding her head. "Come with me!" Sandy glanced over at Dorian, sharing a look with him before ushering Jasmine out alongside her. Once dispersed, Dorian's arm wrapped around Emilia's waist and she couldn't help but grin up at the man who towered over her. It was uncomfortable, Emilia's first impulse was to shove his arm off of her body but her effusive demeanor kept her from being anything but polite.

After thanking Dorian for dinner, she let him lead her around his estate. Her eyes widened as they walked through the threshold of the kitchen, the expansive cooking area making her instantly envious of his riches. "Wow," she commented under her breathe, her eyes examining the room. She was still taking in the kitchen as Dorian approached her and practically pressed himself against her. She went to step back but felt the shelf press into her thighs. Her skin flushed slightly as she looked behind her and then up at Dorian as he watched her and then smiled, pouring their glasses of wine.

"Wine is good, thank you," she accepted the glass and swirled it briefly before bringing it up to her lips and taking the smallest sip. The merlot tingled against the tip of her tongue but the smoothness allowed it to easily slide down her throat as she let out a moan. "Mmm, this is really good." Emilia followed Dorian out to the deck and then gasped, the rolling hills that filled The Den seemed to glow beneath the bright light of the full moon. The majority of the animals seemed to have been lulled to sleep by the twinkling of the starlight above them but there were a handful of big cats that paced their gating. Emilia stepped up to the railing of the deck and rested her elbows on it, leaning her body forward slightly. She was entranced with the view.

"This is... mesmerizing." She glanced over her shoulder at Dorian who stood behind her. "To be able to wake up to this view every morning must be so remarkable." Her eyes continued to follow the darkened horizon, looking out over the property as she brought the wine glass to her lips again, taking another sip.

 

[Black_Out]

Dorian nodded absently as he loomed behind Emilia, it most certainly was a mesmerizing view, but he had a hunch that she was talking about a completely different view then the one he was personally enjoying. Damn, if she didn't have a fine ass, and that outfit was a perfect fit. It was like a glove and Dorian was admiring every curve and contour to Emilia's backside while she gazed out over the rolling plains and hills of The Den. "Well, everything here is at your fingertips now, Emilia. You just have to be willing to put the work in and you can make this your home for as long as you like." He took a sip of his wine, relishing the complexities and notes of its flavor while he continued to admire the view.

"You see that pen right beneath us?" Dorian spoke firmly, the muffled and distant sounds of his trio of wives could barely be heard while they were inside showing the other girls around his spacious palace. With one solid and purposeful step, Dorian closed the gap between them, practically breathing down the slender back of her neck as his wide and muscular arms swept around her sides. "Just be quiet, he's a sneaky son of a.." He murmured into her ear as he set his glass of wine down on top of the decks railing before he shifted his hands to wrap around the rail that Emilia had her belly pressed up against. "Now let's see where he is at..." He continued to speak in a hushed tone, the aroma of the wine wafting from his lips and wrapping around her neck, mixing with the damp and humid scent of the night as he leaned his head over her shoulder to look down into the shadowy overgrowth that filled the pen below them.

"There.." His whisper was full of excitement as he reached a hand up and took hold of Emilia's chin, subtly guiding her gaze in the right direction. "Do you see him? That's Nova, my pride and joy, one of the only white tigers in the States that you'll ever see." His hand slipped carefully away from her chin as he kept himself directly behind the fresh initiate of his realm. "He's a mean one too, one of the only tigers I have that's ever attacked me." As he spoke quietly into Emilia's ear, Dorian lifted his right hand up and extended his thumb while his other fingers curled into a fist. "See my thumb?" He inquired in a muted voice as he turned his hand around before her face so she could get a good look at that digit. "That's not my thumb, that's my right toe. Fucker bit it right off."

Dorian did his best to conceal his laughter and keep the amusement from swelling up over his features as he continued. "Doctor did a really bang bang job, you can barely tell, right?" Finally he let a soft laugh slip from his lips as he reached over for his glass of wine and relaxed himself from behind her, stepping back just a tad. "I'm just screwing around, he never bit my thumb off." His eyes sparkled as he smirked playfully towards Emilia. "But he did leave a nasty scar running down my shoulder and across my back, which I suppose you and everyone else will get a good look at up in the hot tub."

His eyes drew away from Emilia's, venturing towards the roof of his home and the stairs that wound their way up to a look out deck that waited up above. "Speaking of the hot tub, let's head up there. I'm sure the others will join us soon enough."

 

[Valkyrja]

Emilia's fingertips danced along the wine glass lazily as Dorian commented on how this was now all hers if she was willing to put the work into it. Of course she was willing, her entire life had fallen apart and this was the most promising opportunity to come across her lap in years; she wasn't about to sit back and let it fall from her grasp. Emilia couldn't quite put into words just yet how appreciative she was for everything Dorian and The Den had provided to her already. Sure, the trailer that was practically tearing from the metal seams wasn't ideal and the tight outfit was more humiliating than not but it was better than sitting at home and wallowing in self pity. Furthermore, Emilia actually wanted this. She'd have slept out in the dirt with the tigers if it meant she could work with them all day. For that matter, she knew it would be a lot of hard word and she was ready to throw herself into it.

As Emilia's trance continued, she felt the shift in air behind her before Dorian's body pressed against her backside, effectively cornering her against the railing. Her eyes closed for a moment and she breathed in, his musk surprisingly beguiling. Her eyelids fluttered back open and she moved her head out slightly, looking over the railing to try and spot the majestic creature. Dorian's face was so close to hers, she could smell the fine wine that coated both of their tongues. He'd be able to smell her skin, too. She'd been out in the sun for so long but underneath the humidity that had stuck to her skin he'd be able to smell a slight vanilla hint to her body. The perfume had for the most part worn off hours ago.

Her eyes scanned the brush as Dorian cupped her chin and suddenly she noticed the shift in the overgrowth. The most beautiful creature Emilia had ever seen stalked the ground, appearing ready to attack an unseen mouse as it silently preyed upon. Emilia gasped quietly, her entire body growing tense against Dorian as she watched the thick black and white striped tail sway back and forth, barely disrupting the greenery it had crouched beneath. Once Dorian shifted, Emilia's body relaxed and she brought her arms back towards the railing, placing her glass of wine down atop it before her now empty hands reached out for Dorian's hand as she examined it. His story held her attention and she cocked an eyebrow as her own thumb ran over his calloused one. There was no sign of scarring on his skin but she found herself curious as he withdrew from her slightly. Emilia grabbed her glass of wine and turned, now leaning her back against the railing as she locked her gaze with Dorian's.

Emilia chuckled, playfully pushing at his chest with her free hand. "I knew it! You liar," she laughed and shook her head at him, his enthralling story nothing more than a joke. He had her going for a moment there, though! She had been imagining him without a big toe, the image fairly uncomfortable in her head. Emilia's head cocked slightly as she let her eyes trail over Dorian's shoulder. "Yikes, that must have hurt. And yet Nova is still your favorite. Something about the feisty ones, aye?" She gave him a teasing grin, the corner of her lip upturned before she pulled her body from the railing and she trailed after him, sipping her wine.

"So much for the grand tour, hm?" Emilia was being playful as she commented, following him towards the spiral staircase and up towards the lookout deck that hosted not only a gorgeous view of the land but also a decent sized hot tub. "Not to be a killjoy but, uh, none of us brought bathing suits. You don't happen to have any extra, do you? Or maybe one of the girls do?" Emilia's thoughts went to her underwear, the lacy black bra that struggled to hold up her large chest left her cleavage on display beneath the tight fitting button up shirt and the matching black panties nestled themselves within the swell of Emilia's ass cheeks, the thong barely keeping anything available for the imagination. She wasn't nearly drunk enough to strip down into her undergarments in front of her new boss. At least, not with him watching her strip if that was the only option.

 

[Black_Out]

"Admit it, I had ya biting on that one for a minute." Dorian stuck his thumb out and tauntingly waved it about as he laughed while they ascended towards the overlooking balcony that was perched atop his estate. "And sure, I have a thing for the feisty ones." He glanced back over his shoulder as they arrived on the polished and stained expanse of the roof top deck. "At least with them they keep ya on your toes, ya know you have to be on your game, and that's a good feeling to have if ya ask me." His sandals clopped along the deck as he began to unbutton his loose fitting white cotton shirt, which was a simple task considering it was already a third of the way undone. "As for the tour, I already did one today, so my apologies for cutting it short." There was an obvious playful sparkle to his eyes that briefly could be seen before they were concealed by the rising of his shirt as he pulled it over his head.

With a carefree sling of his arm, Dorian tossed his shirt aside, letting it fall upon the floor of the deck as he leaned his ass back against the side of the idly waiting hot tub. Casually he scratched his fingers across the jungle of hair upon his chest he pulled his right foot up and started to peel the sandal off of his foot, Dorian led Emilia with his eyes to a few of the decks features. "Well if you really need a suit, there are some in that bin over there." He stated as he tossed his first sandal aside, letting it land near his discarded shirt. While his hand was free for a moment, Dorian pointed towards a wooden stall that would offer some privacy. "There's a shower stall there, you can use it to change." His smile widened playfully as he started to loosen up his other sandal. "But I'm a grown man, and around here we ain't to shy so if you want to just throw your shit off and hop right in, I ain't gonna gawk."

As if to prove his point, Dorian tossed his other sandal aside and began to unbutton his feather light cotton trousers. "It's a casual and care free way of life around here." The lumberjack of a man said matter of factually as he began to wiggle his way out of his pants. "And no, we ain't all hippies around here." His voice was deep with amusement as he slipped free of his trousers and used his bare foot to sweep them over to the rest of his dismissed wardrobe. All that remained on the hairy beast of a man was a pair of loose fitting baby blue boxers that stopped about a hands width short of his knees.

While he waited for Emilia to make her decision, Dorian diverted his attention to the control panel of the massive tub, revealing the long scar that drew a deep and angled line across his flesh from his shoulder to the ribs on his opposite side. With a few simple taps from his fingertip the water churned to life as the motor began to hum. A few deftly concealed outdoor speakers filled the air with the heavy bass sound of some alternative band from the nineties as Dorian swept his legs up and over the rim of the tub and slipped right into the steaming, bubbling embraces of the invigorating water. As Dorian drifted back into his favorite spot where dozens of jets waited to caress the soreness away from his body he called out to Emilia. "You want a drink, there's a cooler by the bin. Help yourself to whatever you like, just make sure to grab me a beer."

 

[Valkyrja]

"Yeah, yeah," Emilia playfully retorted before they finished their climb up to the balcony. Despite the darkness, the moonlit fields continued to catch Emilia off guard. The view was incredible and from up here it was even more breathtaking. Emilia slowly walked over to the railing, her stance similar to the one from below as she leaned out to view the grounds. It was awe-inspiring and she couldn't help but be swept away by her new life. "Fine, but you owe me a tour of this awesome place you call home," she called over her shoulder, glancing back at him as she caught that glimmer in his eye before he began stripping.

Emilia turned, her back leaning once again against the railing as she folded her arms across her chest while Dorian stripped down into his boxers. For a brief moment she let her eyes gaze over his large frame, examining him before her eyes drifted back into his. Emilia did this a second time when his back was turned to her, looking over the scar that carried over his shoulder and down his back. "You know," she began, her teasing continuing as he turned back to face her before moving into the hot tub,, "you're just about hairy enough to be considered one of the wild cats. It's a shock one of your three wives hasn't thrown you in a cage, yet." She chuckled to herself as she stepped away from the balcony and towards the bin that Dorian had motioned towards earlier.

Bending over, Emilia shuffled through the contents of the bin and pulled out a bikini that matched her skimpy beige work attire, The Den's logo centered on the right cup of the bikini. "I'll be right back - sorry I'm not quite a hippie like you guys are." She stuck her tongue out at Dorian and then proceeded to finish off her glass of wine before stepping into the wooden stall. Stripping from her clothes, she folded them into a neat little pile before pulling up the bikini bottoms and adjusting the halter to contain her breasts while leaving some sort of dignity. My bra would have covered up more than this... Emilia looked down, tugging at the fabric. At least my clothes will be dry after this.

Emilia emerged from the stall and walked over to the cooler, grabbing two beers before sauntered over to the hot tub. Tossing Dorian his beer, she then hitched one leg up and over the side as the other leg followed and she sunk into the bubbling water. She let out a sigh, cracking open her beer. "Mmmm, this feels so good." Her body nestled in against a few of the jets that worked her exhausted back. "I would have thought that getting into boiling hot water after being in the humidity all day would have been awful but damn, this is so great." Her head leaned back slightly as she looked up at the stars for a moment before taking a sip of the cold beer. "So, now that I've made it through day one, why don't you tell me a little bit about my expectations and what my role here is going to be, moving forward?"

 

[Black_Out]

Dorian chuckled pleasantly as he shifted about, getting cozy in the tub while his guest made a few wry remarks concerning his hairy chest and the carefree way of life that he promoted here at The Den. "Ya think they haven't tried?" He laughed boisterously. "I'm just glad they ain't teamed up on me yet..." Dorian paused a coy look passing over his face. "Eh, what the hell am I saying, I'd love to have em team up on me. Mhm." His wide grin said it all as he dipped his head down under the warm waters that bubbled and rolled about him as Emilia ducked into the shower stall.

Slowly he emerged, refreshed and invigorated as he watched Emilia's every move as she emerged from the stall, his hazel eyes momentarily turning predatory as they stared out from behind the veil of mist that concealed his hardened features. A subtle pass of his tongue drew across his lips as he admired the way her hips swayed as she approached and how that auburn haired swayed gently in the breeze. She was almost perfect, he thought, and if he had his way, she would be. Before Emilia drew close enough to notice the hint of desire in his eyes the can of beer splashed down in front of Dorian, snapping him out of his trance.

"Mmhmm, it sure doesn't get old and you'll appreciate it more when it's a balmy sixty or seventy degrees in the winter." He cracked a grin as he did the same with the can of beer. "Now, I looked over all of your resumes back when you girls all applied and I'll tell ya what, you stood out to me." Dorian took a deep swig of the cold beer before reaching his arm to the side and setting the can on the lip of the tub. "Ya got some education, your passionate about what ya do, I mean not to many people donate their time to animal shelters like you did back home." As he spoke, laying on the charm, he waved her over with one of his hands, silently directing her to take a place alongside him. "And after having a little bit of time to talk to ya in person, I'm even more impressed." He smiled, genuinely as he extended that same hand and offered to pull her over across the expanse of water to him.

"You got charisma, Emilia, and you seem genuinely enthusiastic." Dorian leaned back, regardless of whether or not she had taken his hand and repositioned herself as he shut his eyes and let his head fall back on the soft cushion with a sigh. "So your gonna be my personal assistant. I'm gonna show you the ropes around here, introduce you to all the critters we got and let you handle some of the more mundane business matters that bog me down." His right eye slipped open just a hint as he looked towards her to gauge her reaction before adding wistfully. "Might even set ya up in a guest room here, what'ya think?"

 

[Valkyrja]

Emilia grinned at him as he praised her. She had worked so hard on that application and every word she was dutifully typed out onto that piece of virtual paper had been completely honest. Deep down, Emilia was a genuine soul. She loved animals, she lived and breathed animals. Her free time had always been spent caring for needy animals and now that she had landed this sweet gig, she was finally being paid for her passion. His words meant more to her than he could have imagined. In fact, it made her feel giddy.

Her arms outstretched to accept his and she allowed him to pull her across the hot tub and beside him. She positioned herself so that she was only a few inches from him, the jets hitting her in all of the right spots as the water bubbled around her nearly naked frame. His words came out smoothly and Emilia's elation only grew as he offered her what could only be considered the job of a lifetime. Well... almost. It would have been better had she been in his position, but beggars can't be choosers and Emilia was most definitely not about to complain. Her eyes seemed to light up as Dorian went into further detail about what the position would entail.

"Yes!" She was quick to respond, her body jerking slightly as she accepted the offer before her excited tone dropped ever so slightly. "I mean, yes, that sounds absolutely... perfect." She flashed him the brightest smile. "Yes to all of it. And to live here?" She let out a little whistle, showing how impressed she was. "Yes. Yes, yes, yes." She didn't want to bring up the roach-infested trailer he had her sharing with three other women. Emilia didn't want to be the one to complain but it was definitely not something she was looking forward to returning to. "Can I start tomorrow? Hell, I'll even start tonight!"

The latter comment was more in hopes that he'd tell her to gather her stuff and not spend another second in that run down death trap she was supposed to call a home. Emilia gave him another little chuckle.

 

[Black_Out]

Amusement, pleasant amusement was etched upon Dorians face as Emilia's enthusiasm towards his offer poured out of the young redheaded ladies features. "Now, this isn't going to be some temporary thing, Emilia." Dorian chimed in after she had settled closely next to him. His cumbersome arms swept out to his side, carefully reclaiming his can of beer with one hand while the other draped across the edge of the hot tub where it nested behind her. The coarse fingers of that hand sifted lightly through the steamy wet locks of her auburn hair as he locked his eyes with hers. "It's not like the other girls offers, I want a year long commitment from you, at the very least."

His fingers drifted down from her hair, sliding over the narrow expanse along the back of her neck as he boldly began to coax whatever tension might exist there with a subtle massage. "I can be a very demanding boss to work for." Dorian paused to take a pull from his beer as he shifted his thigh beneath the water ever so lightly until it's hairy firmness brushed across the contrasting smooth and soft shape of her own leg. "Now, if your agreeable to that, I'll have Bee draw up a contract for you in the morning." His hand shifted away from the back of her neck, rubbing down over the contours of her shoulder that was furthest from him while his leg remained delicately close to her own. "And if ya are, well of course you can start right now, you kind of already did when fetched my beer." He gave her a playful wink and a wry grin.

Before he could test her limits much further, Dorians attentions were drawn towards the landing of the steps that led up to the lofty balcony as the sounds of the rest of the evenings guests could be heard approaching. "And of course you can spend the rest of your nights here then..." He leaned over to murmur into her ear as if he was sharing some great secret with her before he abruptly uncoiled his arm from behind her back and let the water draw their buoyant bodies appropriately apart. He was quiet as his eyes darted to the first of the group to arrive upon the deck. "Just squeeze my thigh if you say yes."

 

[Valkyrja]

Emilia nodded, her instantaneous agreement to his demands expelling her enthusiasm as she tried and failed to contain her vivacious smile. "A year? Done." Emilia had already planned to spend the next six months living here and hadn't made any form of plan to return back home afterwards... whatever home actually was at this point. She had gotten rid of her apartment and would have had to start from ground zero upon leaving The Den. Future Emilia was responsible for that, living-in-the-moment Emilia was all that mattered when she needed to escape her life. With that said, life has a funny way of working out. With no plans to return home, Emilia could have committed any amount of time she needed to towards The Den.

Her warm body reacted to Dorian's touch as his hand ran over her bare upper back. Emilia was too elated to push away from him, even as he pushed himself even closer to her. Maybe it was the alcohol or the thrumming of the warm jets against her body but a fog seemed to overcome her moral sense of self and for a brief moment of time she no longer considered Dorian's flirtatious personality to be inappropriate. She was smirking at him, totally enveloped in his gaze as his attention turned towards the landing of the spiral staircase where Cathy came into view, followed by Isabella. Emilia looked over at the two women and then back at Dorian who quickly slid about three inches from her as he pressed his lips against her ear.

Emilia smiled at Cathy as the woman bounded over to the hot tub, seating herself on the edge of the tub after kicking her shoes off. Isabella was right behind her, already peeling the dress up and off of her slender body. Emilia moved her hand discretely beneath the water and out of view of everybody, her fingertips grazing over Dorian's thick thigh before her palm pressed down against his skin. She squeezed his thigh, holding her tensed hand against his skin for a prolonged moment before drawing her hand back and letting her nails trace against his skin.

"Hey guys!" Cathy broke the silence as she dipped her feet into the hot water, wiggling her toes. Isabella smiled at Dorian and Emilia for a moment before reaching behind her back and unclasping her bra. The fabric fell to the floor, revealing her large chest to the world. Emilia quickly let her eyes dart over to Cathy as if embarrassed about seeing her topless. Isabella wasn't bothered by Emilia's glance as she hooked her thumbs into her panties and drew them down to her feet before stepping out of them before stepping over the side of the hot tub and lowering herself into the water before gliding across the space of the tub and snuggling up right next to Dorian.

Both Cathy and Emilia were now looking at Isabella, surprised by her lack of modesty as she curled herself into Dorian and cupped his cheek, pulling his head to hers as she let her tongue dip into his mouth before giggling. "I love this hot tub," she commented, her eyes flickering up to Dorian's before she turned to look at Cathy and Emilia. "You ladies ever let a water jet fuck you?"

Cathy practically fell over at the comment before Isabella broke out into a hearty laugh. She loved taunting the new recruits. Her attention then turned to Dorian, her smile coy as she spoke to him. "Sorry, I had to. How was your tour with this pretty number?"

 

[Black_Out]

Dorian's eyes lingered on the rolling surface of the water to his right as he held in his breath momentarily while Emilia squeezed her slender fingers over his thigh. His gaze was pulled away as her nails hesitantly traced across his skin before departing and the bulky man let out a content sigh as he looked out across the rising sheet of steam before him towards the new arrivals. The corner of his lips tugged upward on one side, forming an uneven show of amusement as he watched his eldest wife go through her routine as she stripped down without any hint of shame.

And damn if she still didn't have one fine figure that she worked at daily to maintain just for him. Of course Dorian helped by financing all the necessities, and not just for Isabella. All three of his wives had been supplied with an assortment of tools to help them maintain their allure. From the gym equipment that took up space in each of their homes, all the way down to the style of their wardrobe which had to meet with his approval. Hell, Dorian even had a plastic surgeon on retainer for certain special accommodations, none of which was more evident than the sizeable breasts that petite little Sandy flaunted.

He laughed as Isabella was swept up into his lap, letting her knees slide apart as she straddled him and gave him a kiss that hinted at things to come later tonight. "Mmm.." He murmured as the brief but deep kiss faded away. "You know me, kept it short and sweet." He added with a wink towards Isabella as he wryly added. "Had to make sure we were the first ones up here so I could claim my spot before you vultures descended."

His hands clasped around her rear, suggestively maneuvering the blonde bombshell of some thirty years of age around until she was seated across his lap. Dorian stole a glance towards Cathy and then Emilia whom his eyes lingered upon as he settled his palms across Isabella's smooth thighs. "Like I said, we're not all hippies, just some of us." He leaned forward to gnaw playfully across the side of Isabella's neck, which she gratefully offered to him with a tilt of her head.

More voices could be heard approaching, the vibrant laugh that belonged to Sandy rising above the pack as the rest of the evenings guests came up the swirling steps. Wife number two, Tiffany, was the first to slide into the tub after letting her dress slide down her lithe figure to puddle at her feet. The raven haired woman shot Isabella a grin as she drifted across the pool of writhing steam and water to nestle in at Dorian's side. "So, it's gonna be that kind of party, huh?" She shot a smirk up at Dorian while casting a quick glance about to the new recruits that lingered uncertainly outside the warm waters.

"When isn't it?" Chirped Sandy as she pulled her own nearly identical white dress up over her head before carefully folding it up and laying it over the railing. "I mean there's six of us, and only one of him." She laughed as she began to saunter towards the hot tub, tossing her hips rhythmically about like a professional belly dancer while her dainty fingers sensually roamed over her body, plucking away her exotic undergarments and discarding them to the side.

She deftly dipped down at the fringes of the hot tub, reaching into a small freezer and plucking out a bottle of Jägermeister. "Come on you two." Sandy winked over her shoulder towards Jasmine and Lily as she laid her bare rump on the edge of the tub before she spun about and slipped into the welcoming warmth of the water. "Let's get this party humming."

 

[Valkyrja]

Emilia let out a soft giggle, feeling a bit uncomfortable with the suddenly nude woman clamoring for her new superior's attention. "Short and sweet? Oh please, you showed me the backyard and then we made a beeline up here." Teasing the man, she took a sip of her beer before looking at Isabella, trying extremely hard to keep her gaze above the woman's neckline. "Mr. Flynn, you still owe me a legitimate tour of your estate. I'll be holding you to that." She winked at the man before her attention diverted over to the landing as Sandy's head came into view, her body ascending upwards until she was fully visible. Emilia lifted her head slightly, seeing her other two companions following the petite and spunky woman as they came across the deck and towards the hot tub.

Emilia welcomed the new group of people with a spark of relief in her eyes; watching Dorian gnaw at his wife was something she would have found adorable had it not been so... weird. Emilia wasn't against public displays of affection but she had only just met these people and was now working for and with them. The smirk on her face hid the inner commentary Emilia had going on in her head, though. She watched as Dorian's other two wives stripped bare, their bodies practically perfect. A flicker of jealousy rose within her but instead of letting it fester, Emilia simply pushed it to the back of her mind and slid over beside Cathy as Sandy slipped into the steaming water.

"I mean there's six of us, and only one of him."

Another nervous chuckle left Emilia's lips. "Hey now, I'm here to work. Not to partake in some crazy hot tub orgy." Her comment was snarky yet playful as Sandy slid in next to her, taking her previous spot beside Dorian. Lily groaned and rolled her eyes.

"Oh my god, Em, don't be such a party pooper!" Lily was already unfastening the buttons on her shirt and peeled out of it, letting it fall to a heap on the floor. Her thumbs hitched into the waistband of her shorts and she slid them down her slender legs, stepping out of them. Her beige undergarments followed suit, dropping to the floor as she brought her naked body to the edge of the hot tub and stepped into it, letting herself sink into the water with a pleasurable moan. The woman floated over to Sandy and grabbed the bottle of Jäger from the woman before upending the mouth of the bottle against her own lips, sucking in a shot and a half's worth.

Jasmine was quickly behind Lily, the only difference being the panties that she left on. "Come on, Cathy, join the fun!" Jasmine sat on the edge of the hot tub opposite the fully dressed woman who was clearly uncomfortable in her body.

Cathy shook her head. "No, no, nobody wants to see this!"

Emilia cocked her head in response. "You're crazy! You're gorgeous. Shut up and get in here."

"Oh stop!"

Jasmine slid over to her now. "Come on, Cath! Get out of that dress before I throw you into the water." She was teasing the woman and then looked down at Emilia. "Wait, you're wearing a bikini? Where did you get that?!" She hadn't noticed that Emilia wasn't completely naked. Emilia laughed again.

"It was the last one. Sorry!"

Jasmine dipped her hand into the water and splashed Emilia, eliciting a squeal from the petite woman who then splashed her back.

Cathy jumped up, trying to get out of the line of fire. "Okay, nobody look, okay?"

Of course Jasmine and Emilia both looked over, staring at Cathy. Emilia began singing a sensual tune and Jasmine started clapping. Cathy's face flushed but she stripped from her dress anyways. As the largest of the four women, her naked body was still visibly appealing. Her curves were almost sensual as her belly budged out right above the waist of her pink panties. She didn't strip down any further than that as she walked over to Jasmine and shoved the lanky woman into the hot tub.

Emilia laughed at the ensuing fight. As soon as Cathy got into the water, Jasmine was on top of her. They were splashing each other and giggling. Emilia took another sip of her beer as Lily tried to nestle her way between her and Sandy. The water sloshed at the sides of the tub and Emilia decided to switch spots again, this time pushing herself over and seating herself across from Dorian. In this position, she couldn't help but notice just how large and perky Sandy's tits were.

"Excuse me, eyes up here!" Sandy giggled, taking her bottle of Jäger back from Lily as she downed a shot and then offered to pass it to the next willing victim of the vile liquor. Jasmine grabbed it from her without hesitation while Emilia's face turned red from having been caught staring at the woman's chest.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!"

"No, love, it's absolutely fine." Another laugh and she turned her head to look at Lily who was enamored with them as well.

Maybe it was the liquor talking but Lily couldn't help herself. "Are they... real?"

"Gee, I wish! But they sure do feel real. Here," Sandy reached over to Lily's hand, grabbing her wrist as she guided her to her chest. Lily groped at Sandy's breasts for a moment and gave her an impressed look.

"Wow, they really do feel real!"

"Oh man, I'm going to need another beer, or six, for this..." Emilia commented before taking another hearty sip of her beer.

 

[Black_Out]

"Oh, you'll get your tour." Dorian responded to Emilia, returning the offered wink with a hard stare that seemed to cut right through the steam wafting between them as he pulled his lips away from Isabella's neck.

He fell silent then and just watched it all unfold for awhile as the weight of his arms settled around his two eldest wives, Tiffany and Isabella as they nestled up on opposing sides of his cumbersome frame. He laughed, the smirk on his face seeming to only grow more pronounced as the ladies began to slide into the tub, splashing each other while they bantered playfully back and forth. For a slight moment his smile fell away as Cathy lingered on the outskirts of the bath, hesitant to join the festivities.

A comment remained on the tip of his tongue, but he bit back his desire to criticize the young girl who hardly resembled the photograph that had been attached to her resume. It was all to obvious that she had put on some weight in the past few months, but Dorian was already planning to work her hard in an effort to remedy that.

Still he couldn't keep his lording gaze off of Emilia for long, constantly drifting his attentions over to the slender redhead, silently appraising her for a brief moment before his eyes were drawn elsewhere. He took a swig of his beer while Isabella and Tiffany ran their hands across his broad shoulders leaving the voluptuous Sandy to mingle with the recruits. Which was fine by Dorian, for as much as he lusted over Sandy, she was by far and away the most independent of his wives. A by product of her extremely confident demeanor, because Sandy knew who Dorian was going to end up with by the end of the night.

And mingle she did, slithering about the large tub that was fit for at least a dozen people as she greeted each of the girls with the chilled bottle of pungent liquor. Lilly, after having inspected Sandy's breasts with a firm grasp was the first to down more of the rich nectar before Jasmine and Cathy were visited by the sultry form of Sandy. Cathy was left hacking from the overpowering taste while Jasmine took a more modest swig before Sandy settled her hungry little eyes on Emilia.

"You don't need another beer, hun, you just need a good dose of liquid courage." She wryly stated as she drifted across the water and joined Emilia, offering the chilled refreshment towards her lips. As Sandy leaned in, uncomfortably close, her bare breasts threatened to press against the side of Emilia's arm as she murmured discreetly into her ear. "He can't take his eyes off of you..." She hissed, snapping her teeth shut. "..you lucky girl."

 

[Valkyrja]

Emilia seemed like the odd one out as she nursed her cold beer and laughed at the women who were acting somewhat wild. Even through the tendrils of steam that caressed her body, Emilia's gaze kept catching Dorian's. She'd look away nervously, a feeling of discomfort creeping into her petite body, until finally gaining the confidence to lock her gaze with his as Jasmine and Cathy seemed to settle down over a hearty shot of Jäger. There was a lingering moment that Emilia let herself remain wrapped up in Dorian's glance until her body jerked in surprise. Sandy was right up against her, pressing the bottle of alcohol to her lips while stating what it was the young woman was in need of.

A grin curled at the corner of Emilia's lips as she looked over at Sandy. She could feel the aggression on the tip of Sandy's tongue as she practically snarled her comment into Emilia's ear. Goosebumps rose on Emilia's upper arms and she turned her head, glancing directly at Sandy. Reaching out, she guided the bottle of Jäger in Sandy's hands as she leaned her head back and swallowed what was easily two shots worth in one mouthful. Sandy held it up, trying to get the girl to drink more but Emilia guided the bottle back down as her nose crinkled and she shook her head slightly, feeling the burn of the alcoholic cough syrup. "You know," Emilia started, the grin still on her lips, "I think you're right."

The retort was aimed at the latter comment but it was applicable to the former. Her voice lowered as she spoke quietly to Sandy. "You have nothing to worry about though, I'm not like that."

Sandy pushed herself even closer to Emilia, her naked torso now lying directly against Emilia's arms as her lips pressed against her earlobe. "Good girl." Sandy lifted the bottle up once more, leaning it against Emilia's lips and upending it slightly to allow the liquor to flow against the girl's lips. Emilia's lips parted quickly but not before a little bit of it dribbled down her chin. After another shot's worth of alcohol entered her mouth, Emilia had to push Sandy away. Sandy responded with an innocent giggle before Lily interjected.

"Hey, stop hogging the good stuff!" Lily pushed herself across the hot tub and wrapped her fingers around the neck of the bottle, grabbing it from Sandy as she took another pull of the harsh liquor. After another shot, she handed the bottle over to Dorian before grabbing Sandy's hands and pulling her into the middle of the hot tub. "Dance with me!"

The alternative music that flowed from the bass-heavy speakers offered the two naked women a beat to dance along to, their bodies swaying sensually in the water as it moved and rippled against them. Emilia grew more comfortable in her spot, leaning back as the Jäger began to hit her and make the world spin slightly. "Beer before liquor..."

Jasmine slid in next to Emilia, her hand on the petite woman's thigh, "Never sicker."

Cathy splashed Jasmine again. "Oh shush, she'll be fine. But I'll, uh, finish your beer if you need me to."

Emilia laughed again and leaned towards Cathy, offering her the nearly empty can of beer. "Be my guest."

"Don't mind if I do!" Jasmine suddenly cut in, wrapping her arm around Emilia's neck before suddenly dunking the red-headed woman into the water face first. Emilia struggled, pushing back against Jasmine before finally cresting the water and gasping for air.

"You bitch!" Emilia looked angry, her sinuses burning as the world continued to spin. Emilia splashed Jasmine and Cathy instantly jumped in, splashing Jasmine as well. Suddenly they were all three laughing and Emilia just shoved Jasmine back before taking her seat again, shaking her head. "Do that again and I'll kill you!" Her tone was jovial as she looked back over at Dorian.

 

[Black_Out]

A stray splash of water struck Dorian across his face, pulling his attention away from the affections of Isabella and Tiffany. He squinted, grimacing from the sting of the heavily treated waters that unexpectedly washed over his face. For a moment he looked like he was about to bellow like a lion as a flush of anger rose over his cheeks, but the behemoth of a man took a deep breath. With a puffed out exhale Dorian wiped his mitt across his face before looking out over the girls as they romped playfully before him.

"That's enough, we're adults here for fuck's sake, let's act like it." His voice was stern and the words had a finality to them that immediately caught Sandy's attention as she spun about in the waters to face her man.

"Sorry babe..." Her voice was muted as she drifted over across the tub and settled herself onto her knees at his feet, leaving only her head and neck to break the surface of the turbulent waters of the hot tub. Her long dark hair floated about behind her, undulating at the mercy of the jets that churned the waters about as she looked up towards him with a serene and dove like expression. "...we we're just playing around."

Lily, Jasmine, and even Cathy seemed to be taken aback, startled by the sudden shift in his demeanor as a distinctly uncomfortable silence fell over the gathering upon the balcony. Dorian was quick to address the matter as he gave an apologetic look towards the new recruits. "We all got busy days tomorrow, some of us busier then others." His eyes looked directly upon Cathy as the last part of his statement left his lips while he still blinked away the sting of chlorine from his eyes. Cathy seemed to almost shrink back from his look as she gave an uneasy smile that matched the uncertainty in her eyes.

"Now I got an announcement to make." Dorian rolled his broad wet shoulders, once more wiping his palm up over his face and slicking his soaking wet hair back as he looked to his wives who shifted slightly away from his side but still lingered nearby. "The three of you girls..." And his eyes moved between Lily, Jasmine, and Cathy as he spoke. "...are going to have one less roommate to squabble with." With one last bat of his eyelids, Dorian settled his gaze on Emilia. "As of tonight, Miss Emilia here is taking a position as my personal assistant."

Now his gaze worked between his three wives before drawing back towards Emilia as he continued. "She'll be staying in the guest room and I'll be grooming her personally." Dorian rose up out of the tub, the waters cascading down his gargantuan stature as he stood and slicked his hair back again. The trio of wives surrounding him all stole a brief glance towards Emilia, giving her smiles that seemed genuine enough. "Congrats!...You'll do great!... Lucky girl!" All except for Sandy, who remained bitterly quiet before she tore her gaze away from Emilia and looked up towards Dorian as he sloshed his way through the tub to make his exit.

"Isabella and Tiffany will see you girls back to your home. Stay up here as long as you like, but just make sure your ready to get to work tomorrow." Dorian gave the directive without so much as a look back over his shoulder as he swung one leg, and then the other up out of the tub before settling his feet on the deck. "Sandy, you'll be staying here tonight." Finally he spared a glance back towards the buxom beauty whose face seemed to almost glow at the invitation.

Dorian's eyes slipped away from her though as he gathered up a towel and began to dry himself off before looking down towards Emilia. He simply snapped his fingers after wrapping the towel about his waist as he headed towards the stairs. "Get a towel and dry off Emilia, your coming with me, we have a tour to finish."