Biding His Thyme: 4 (17 page)

“Very well,” Brother Felix said. “We’ll
speak with you in the morning. Brother Tyrone will escort you to the men’s
quarters.”

Well hell. That put paid to his
explorations tonight. He needed to get into Brother Rick’s office to get a look
at their financial records, and now he should look for proof to implicate
Brother Rick in a murder as well.

“Of course,” Jake said. “I would welcome
the company.”

“Don’t come down here again,” Brother Felix
said. “If you wish to pray you can use the spiritual room.”

“Oh? Where is that?” He turned to Brother
Tyrone. “Is it near the men’s quarters?”

“It’s near the office,” Brother Felix said.
“If you’re up to walking that far, I can show you tonight.”

“My leg is tired,” Jake said. “But I do
need to pray. I find my faith very comforting.”

Brother Felix turned for the door, and Jake
hobbled after him, exaggerating his limp. He lurched to one side, fell to the
floor, snatched up his phone and thrust it into his pocket in one smooth move.
“Oh dear. Perhaps I should retire for the evening. Yes, I fear I have overdone
things today.”

He needed to get into the office, and
preferably tonight. Something was up, and he intended to get to the bottom of
the conspiracy.

For the first time in her life, Sorrel
slept in a bed in a bedroom by herself. A soft snore interrupted her thoughts.
Okay, she had a small, spotted dog for company. The creature seemed to have
taken a liking to her and had followed her around all evening. Another first in
a multitude of others.

Luke and Janaya had been kind to her,
instantly offering her a room for as long as she needed it. The loss of her few
possessions—well, they could be replaced eventually. All she wanted was her
mother’s recipe book from the workshop and her mother’s other books, and she
now knew where to find them.

“Stupid,” she muttered.

The dog stirred, its eyes flickering open.
It let out a soft whine.

“It’s all right,” Sorrel said, smoothing
her hand over the dog’s silky head.

She set down the novel Janaya had given her
to read and switched off the bedside lamp, plunging the room into darkness. She
closed her eyes, physically tired, although her mind darted in a hundred directions
at once.

The compound. Brother Rick. Jake.

Ah, yes. The big one.

Jake.

Worry gnawed her, contributing to her
wakeful state. Was Jake all right? She didn’t trust Brother Rick. He’d been
sneaky as a child and hadn’t changed during the intervening years. She’d told
Luke her suspicions about Rick murdering Brother Samuel, and Luke had told her
since the coroner had already ruled an accidental death it was unlikely they’d
manage to charge Brother Rick with the crime.

But evidently Brother Rick was up to his
ears in bad things. Luke hadn’t given her full details, but Sorrel knew enough
from Jake to make educated guesses.

Restless, she turned over, wriggling to get
comfortable. She missed Jake’s body warmth, his arm around her waist as they
cuddled together. How was that possible? She hadn’t known him for long.

She must’ve fallen asleep because the next
thing she knew there was a light tap, and Janaya popped her head around the
bedroom door.

“Are you awake?”

The dog made a grumpy growl, and Janaya
laughed.

“I don’t sleep this late.”

“Breakfast is almost ready. I rang Alice,
and she asked if I could drop you at the factory later this morning. I thought
we’d meet my aunt for coffee and do some quick clothes shopping before I leave
you at Fancy Free. What do you say?”

“I don’t have any money.”

“I can give you some,” Janaya said. “Enough
to buy clothes. You can’t walk around in my old sweat pants all the time.”

“A loan,” Sorrel said in a firm voice. “I
would appreciate a loan.”

Two hours later, she walked out of Kellie
Anne’s Ladies Wear, dressed in a pair of skinny black jeans and a body-hugging
red shirt that showcased her assets. Beneath the outer layer, she wore lacy
black underwear. On her feet, she wore a pair of black leather boots with a bit
of a heel.

“I feel sexy,” she blurted, tilting her
head a fraction so her loose blonde hair fell forward to cover her chagrined
expression.

“You look sexy too,” Janaya assured her.

Janaya’s aunt, Hinekiri laughed and clapped
her hands together in a delighted manner. “I doubt any of those robe people
will recognize you.” She was an older version of Janaya, blonde with violet
eyes and a vivacious manner.

“We’re about to find out,” Janaya said, her
tone grim. “Jake said he didn’t think they’d let him come into town on his own.”

Sorrel froze when she saw the blue truck
driving toward them.

Janaya gave her a sharp nudge in the middle
of the back. “Keep walking. They’re not expecting to see you dressed in street
clothes. They won’t give you a second thought, except to notice how sexy you
look.”

Jake noticed her. She felt his gaze, like a
sensual stroke over her entire body as Brother Rick drove past. Heat suffused
her, but she didn’t feel shame.

“Ah,” Janaya said in an undertone. “I
should’ve known Jake would be the exception. He’s a soldier, and they’re
trained to observe.”

“We need to stop at the bakery,” Hinekiri
said. “There’s a board meeting today. Alice told me to make sure I arrived with
a cake.”

Janaya snorted, an inelegant sound coming
from the pretty blonde. She said to Sorrel, “The board at Fancy Free consists
of retirees. They spend their days their making a nuisance of themselves and
eating cake.”

“Do you think Alice will give me a tour?”

“Aren’t you against condoms?” Janaya asked.
“I’ve seen you picketing the factory.”

“I can’t speak out against condoms if I’ve
used them.” Sorrel clapped her hand over her mouth in an effort to hide her
embarrassment.

Hinekiri chuckled, a fan of lines radiating
out from the corners of her violet eyes. “You should try some of their other products.
They’re lots of fun.”

“I’m sure Alice will show you around,”
Janaya said.

Sorrel nodded and followed the other two
women in a bit of a daze. It was the first time people sought her opinion and
listened to what she said in return. In the clothes shop, they’d offered honest
advice when she had no clue about what she should choose.

A glance over her shoulder told her the
truck had pulled up outside the bank. Jake climbed from the vehicle, sending a
quick look in her direction before entering the bank behind Brother Rick. She
could have sworn he smiled.

After visiting the bakery and purchasing a
gigantic carrot cake, Janaya and Hinekiri ushered her back to their vehicle,
and they drove down the street to Fancy Free.

This morning a group of men and women
picketed the entrance, waving their signs about the perils of condoms. Sorrel
stared back with interest. Not one of the brothers or sisters recognized her.

“I feel invisible,” she said while they
waited for the gates to swing open to admit their vehicle.

“You might have been invisible before,”
Janaya said, “but people will notice you now. Normal people that is.”

“Especially men,” Hinekiri piped up from
the passenger seat.

“I don’t want men to notice me,” Sorrel
said.

“What do you want?”

Sorrel didn’t hesitate. “I want to be my
own person. I want to make my own decisions. I don’t care if some of my
decisions are bad ones, as long as I make them myself.”

“You want independence,” Hinekiri said,
nodding. “I understand. You don’t have to close yourself off to get
independence though. Some men like their women to stand at their sides as
partners.”

“But not all,” Sorrel said. “I’ve had my
share of bossy men telling me what to do. I’m not going to put up with that
again.”

“Nor should you have to.” Janaya pulled up in
a parking space reserved for visitors. “This is us. Let’s go.”

“We’re here,” Hinekiri said, leading the
way into a room full of people. They sat around a large oval table, chattering
together like a flock of parakeets. The scent of freshly brewed coffee wafted
on the air.

“Oh, good. You’re here. Sorrel? Is that
you?” Alice advanced with a smile of astonishment coloring her expression. “It
is. You look fantastic. Everyone, this is Sorrel Thyme. She invented the cream
we’re discussing today.”

“I brought a cake as requested,” Hinekiri
trilled. She set it in front of her husband, Richard, who Sorrel had met
earlier at breakfast. “You can guard it. Janaya and I are off to Auckland to do
some shopping.”

Richard’s brows rose. “Should I worry about
my wallet?”

“Of course.” Janaya grinned and waggled her
fingers. “We’ll see you later this evening, Sorrel. Either Alice or Luke will
give you a lift back to the house after you’ve finished here.”

Sorrel hovered just inside the doorway,
unsure of what she should do.

“Come and sit by me,” an elderly Maori lady
said. She was busy knitting what looked like a sock. It was an eye-popping lime
green and purple. “My name is Harriet. Would you like a cup of coffee?”

Sorrel nodded. “Yes, please.”

Alice performed quick introductions.
“Harriet.” She pointed at the knitting lady. “This is Sam Glengarry, Katarina
Wilson, Ben Kumar and Joseph Craig. You’ve met Richard already and James will
be here soon. He got held up by a phone call from one of our distributors.”

Sam had a full head of grizzled hair.
Katarina possessed startling pale blue eyes, Ben hailed from India, and Joseph
reminded her of a pixie with his bald head and pointy ears.

Harriet finished a row and turned her
knitting around. “Go and help yourself to coffee and come back. I can’t wait to
hear about your invention. It‘ll be so exciting to have another product to
test.”

“Did you want some more coffee?” Sorrel
asked.

“Bless you, dear. That would be lovely.”

It was so nice not being ordered around.
Sorrel fetched the coffee and sat beside Harriet.

James arrived and slipped into an empty
seat.

“Are we ready?” Alice asked.

“We will be as soon as Richard hands out
slices of cake,” one of the elderly men said.

Alice rolled her eyes. “By all means. Let’s
distribute the cake so we can concentrate.”

Five minutes later, silence fell, and Alice
started the meeting. “I’ve already introduced you to Sorrel. She approached us
recently with a concept for a new product. We’ve conducted initial tests and
compared it to other products on the market. Sorrel’s cream is new and
creative.” She beamed at Sorrel, excitement dancing in her eyes. “And it works
like a charm.”

“What does this cream do?” one of the
elderly gents asked.

Alice grinned. “It seems to stimulate nerve
endings, and it brings on very intense orgasms, especially when combined with
good foreplay.”

“Do we have to hear about your sex
secrets?” one of the elderly gentlemen demanded. He sounded crabby, his brows
almost meeting between his eyes, but Sorrel could see suppressed humor lurking
in him.

“Ben, you do know about foreplay,” Harriet
said. “Don’t pretend you’re clueless. I discussed it with your wife when we
were comparing our impressions of the new vibrator design. She said—”

“Don’t start,” James warned. “We have a lot
to get through during this meeting.”

“Do you have samples?” the other elderly
woman asked, her pale blue eyes alive with interest. “I can’t wait to try it
out. Where is the cream applied? On and around the clitoris or somewhere else?”

“Sorrel? Would you like to answer this
one?” Alice asked.

Sorrel willed the rush of blood to keep
from her face. It didn’t work. “You can apply the cream anywhere on the body.
Nipples, private parts. It’s good if you use the cream in a massage.” When no
one made fun of her, she added, “The cream is very versatile. My mother and I
created the cream to help sore and aching joints and went from there.”

Alice nodded encouragement, and Sorrel’s
confidence took a leap. She might not have a home, but she’d found a temporary
place to stay and possessed skills to support herself given time. No matter
what Brother Rick thought, she wasn’t useless.

“How does it work?” the knitting lady
asked, with a flourish of her knitting needles.

“Basically, we used a combination of herbs
to stimulate blood flow,” Sorrel said.

The man with a full head of grizzled hair
frowned. “Is the cream safe? We don’t want people dropping off from
overexcitement.”

“Our tests show there’s nothing harmful in
the product,” Alice said. “Of course we will do further tests should we decide
to go ahead with production.”

“All the ingredients in the cream are
natural,” Sorrel said.

“Would it be possible for you to make
another batch for us?” Alice asked.

“I could, but I need my herbal supplies.”
She paused, catching her bottom lip between her teeth as reality struck her in
the middle of her chest. The tightness made it hard to draw breath for a
second. “Everything I need to make a new batch is at the compound, but they’ve
forbidden me to return. It’ll take me a while to collect more herbs and dry
them.”

“Richard,” James said in a crisp voice.
“What rights does she have to obtain her supplies? Can they legally stop her
from retrieving them?”

“Who collected the herbs?”

“I did everything on my own. Brother Rick
liked to make things difficult for me,” Sorrel said. “I made all the products
by myself, at least until Jake arrived at the compound.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Richard said.

“How long have you been with the cult,
dear?” Katarina’s eyes were full of curiosity.

“All my life. I was born there.”

“Does anyone else know how to make your
products?” Richard asked.

“Yeah, how will they stock their store?”
Alice asked.

“I don’t know,” Sorrel said. “It’s not my
problem.”

“You could always set up your own shop in
opposition,” Ben said.

“I don’t have any money,” Sorrel said.
“I’ll need to find a job before I decide what to do with my future.”

“Oh,” Alice said. “I assumed you’d work for
Fancy Free. Don’t you want to?”

“I—” Sudden tears welled at her eyes, the
wash of emotion tightening her chest again. “I’d love to work here, but what
would I do? I’m not qualified to…all I know is herbs.”

“We’ll need your help with the cream,”
Harriet said, knitting needles catching the sun in a silver sparkle.

“It’s time to think about our Valentine’s
Day promotion and also our Christmas promotion for next year,” Alice said. “I
wondered if we could do small gift boxes featuring some of your soaps, bath
bombs and other products along with some of our products.”

“Good idea,” Katarina said, nodding her
head.

“Maybe you could do a play on words with
bombs and orgasms,” Joseph said. “Seems to me that might be a good marketing
angle.”

“I think that’s a great idea,” Ben said,
dusting cake crumbs off his hands. “We’ve become known for our clever holiday
advertising. This would work.”