Cow Daze
Chapter I

As with most catastrophes, it started with human error. A lab tech at Kent Agricultural Research wrote down the number “8”, but, perhaps due to fatigue from the previous night’s drinking, did not press down the pen as hard as he should have, resulting in a faint “3”. The number regarded a protein level in a sample. Three or lower meant the sample was safe. A five was troubling. And an eight was unheard of. The tech didn’t know this. Perhaps if he did, he would have taken more care toward accuracy. He simply read the results, wrote down the data, and subsequently entered it into a spreadsheet.

The sample in question regarded a batch of feed supplements. With no red flags, the supplements went into production and soon left the Kent Agro-Research facility, purchased by feed factories. The supplements went into the mix of hundreds of thousands of bags of food destined for feed lots. For the most part, the “8-batch” dead ended in those lots, as the altered protein became irrelevant in slaughtered stock. But, a few thousand bags of feed went to dairy operations. In those places, it went into the diet of unsuspecting cattle who spent most of their lives anxiously waiting to be milked.

At this point, the carelessness of one was supplanted by the neglect of many. It did not elude the notice of quality control that some cows at these dairy facilities started producing more. Rather than look into it, they counted it as a stroke of luck. The milk was tested for normal pathogens and irregularities, but as a new protein in the milk wasn’t a known irregularity, it was easily dismissed.

The milk went from one place to the other, tested again and again. Some saw and ignored, others missed it outright, but eventually the milk made its way to shelves. People bought it. They drank it with cookies, ate it with cereal, and cooked with it. Most of their bodies ignored the strange proteins sneaking in with their daily breakfast. A few, though, didn’t. In the chaos of microscopic biochemistry, the proteins found a partner in crime, a defunct virus rendered harmless in humanity thousands of years ago. With new tools, the virus found new targets, and a process which should have taken thousands of years and infinite luck, took mere days.

The Carter Family Camping Excursion, as it came to be called over the years, began with the recently married Miles and Penny bringing along Penny’s sister, Becca, for a yearly get away to the mountains. Miles knew the owner of a ski resort, Holcomb Chalets, which did little to no business during the off season. As a result, Miles could get a good deal on a cabin for himself and his bride, and another for his sister-in-law during the summer months. Without fail, they took up residence for two weeks in the Holcomb Chalets for twenty straight years.

In that span, Miles and Penny had two children, Luke and Alicia, separated by two years. In between them, Becca had a daughter, Purity. Purity’s father wasn’t in the story for more than six months, and no one was troubled by his absence. More years passed and new friends made the journey to the Chalets as part of the Carter Family Camping Excursion. High school friends of Luke’s, a couple of Alicia’s boyfriends, and Purity’s revolving collection of strange pets all made the journey into the mountains. The friends drifted apart when Luke went to college. Alicia’s boyfriends never lasted a full summer, and Purity moved on from iguanas to tarantulas.

Miles, Penny, and Becca never minded the company, even as it grew from two cabins to three and sometimes four. Once they reached their teenage years, the kids wanted their own cabin. Miles, while an open minded parent, didn’t support having couples sleep in the same cabin, so he added an extra as more and more guests joined the Excursion. The last thing he and Penny wanted was to lose the time together as a family, so they made the trip as accommodating as possible for any and all who wanted to come. And so, the summer before Alicia left for college, the six of the Carter Clan were joined by Luke’s semi-serious girlfriend, Kat, Luke’s college roommate, Anthony, Anthony’s girlfriend Joy, and Purity’s chicken, Bertie.

Miles led the caravan in the family SUV loaded with food and booze for a two week stay. He kept the window down despite Becca’s protests so he could enjoy the mountain air in June, warm enough to be pleasant without being oppressive. At thirty-eight, Miles sported a short salt and pepper beard with a shock of silver hair kept neatly trimmed. Though he went running most mornings, he usually added ten pounds over the winter months. Despite the provisions in the back of the car, he had every intent of keeping a strict diet for the summer.

Penny, though, hadn’t aged a day from the moment he met her. She’d filled out slightly from the pixie girl he met when they both sneaked into a bar, but she was a beautiful as ever. “What’d you think of Joy?” she asked while biting the head off a gummy bear.

“She’s nice,” Miles said, idly. “Didn’t get much out of her. Luke said her and Anthony aren’t too serious.”

Penny grinned at him, “You know that’s not what I meant.”

From the seat behind Penny, Becca spoke up, “You know its creepy how you tease him, right?”

“Don’t let him fool you, Becca,” Penny said. “He thinks about it with every one of the kids’ friends. Can’t help himself. Lizard brain makes him.”

“And you’re so different?” Miles asked as he gave her thigh a gentle squeeze. “I’ll make sure to note where your gaze wanders when Anthony is out at the lake.”

“You can always strip down and have a swimsuit competition,” she said. “Wow all the girls with that dad bod of yours. Becca won’t complain.”

“Nope,” she answered. “I’ve never had a qualm about oogling your husband. He likes it. Soon as you drop dead, I’m moving my stuff in. He won’t even notice, except I might put out more.”

Penny threw one of the gummies over her shoulder and hit her sister in the face. “I put out plenty,” she mumbled. “Answer the question,” she insisted, nudging her husband in the arm.

Miles had thoughts about the two girlfriends on the trip, certainly. They’d known Kat since Christmas. She seemed smart, which Miles liked, and it kept his son on edge, which Miles considered good. Penny did that for him, and he didn’t think he’d be nearly as successful without it. Miles never brought it up, but his son had found a girl that looked remarkably like his aunt had at that age. Somewhat plain about the face, but wholesome and properly endowed where it mattered. Joy, though, was the sort of thing that got men Miles’s age in trouble. Anthony had come on the Excursion every year since Luke went to school, and he fit in well with the family, melding with their sensibilities easily. Joy, though, had come dressed for a beach trip for some reason. She’d wore a bikini top and a pair of cut off shorts which might as well have been a thong for what they managed to cover of her ass. Miles, and Luke for that matter, went to considerable pains to avoid looking at the gratuitous amount of cocoa colored skin available to them.

Anthony found it either amusing or scintillating as he kept goading his roommate to look and even caught Miles’s eye with a waggle of his eyebrows. Miles understood that, at least a little. Despite being in good shape, Anthony was even nerdier than Luke, and clearly had little experience with women. Miles thought it would make someone’s head spin to go from crushing on the other band geeks to having Joy sit in your lap.

“She’s attractive, certainly,” he answered.

“Attractive, huh?” Penny said. “I bet you five dollars one of her tits pops out of that top when we get to the access road.”

A few car lengths back, Alicia sat between Joy and Kat, feeling incredibly aware of the massive boobs to her right. The six of them had squashed into Anthony’s car for the ride. Her dad offered for someone to ride in the other car, but all the younger travelers thought it would be more fun to drive together. It hadn’t exactly worked out that way.

Luke fell asleep not too long after they set out. Apparently, he’d been up late for a week finishing up his summer interim course. Anthony couldn’t hear much from the front seats, either. Purity would normally fill any lull with something bizarre, but she sat in the far back with her chicken, earbuds stuffed in her ears. Kat made conversation for a while, but eventually drifted off. Alicia sensed some tension between the two girlfriends, and while she figured her curiosity would eventually get the better of her, at the moment she simply wanted the Excursion to happen without any drama.

“Hey, how much farther is this place?” Anthony asked, jabbing Luke in the leg.

Alicia scooted up between the seats as her brother roused. “Uh, not too far. Yeah, see where they’re turning. That’s the road that takes us up to the cabins. Only like forty minutes from here.”

“Cool, how you doing, babe?” Anthony asked, looking past Alicia.

“Fine,” Joy answered with a smile.

Alicia thought the girl was gorgeous. Suspiciously so. Alicia had a small crush on Anthony when they met, at least until she found out how much of a dork he was. Maybe that was something Joy learned to look past. She nudged her brother, “Think mom and dad will let us all share a cabin this year?”

“Fat chance,” Luke grumbled. “They might give us the chicken.”

“Aw, I like the chicken,” Kat said to herself while gazing out the window.

Alicia glanced back to see if her cousin had noticed. Purity hadn’t, but Bertie seemed to be following their conversation closer than a chicken should. Alicia turned back to the front. “I dunno. They said they’d let us drink since we’re all sort of old enough.”

“They said we could have beer during the day and at meals. I don’t think Aunt Becca is going to hang out with us pounding shots.”

Alicia didn’t know if that was true. Their parents got tipsy regularly and once or twice a year came home drunker than Alicia had ever been. Aunt Becca, meanwhile, seemed a little drunk all the time. She wouldn’t put it past any of the adults to throw down with the younger drinkers.

I’m an adult, too, she thought. For the first time, she wasn’t the high school girl any more. In a few months, she’d be headed off to college to be on her own for the first time. Doesn’t help me much now. Wish I’d brought someone to fool around with, at least.

The earbuds came out of Purity’s ears, “Are we there yet? I think Bertie might need to lay. She gets nervous in cars.”

Anthony’s eyes flicked to the rear view mirror, “No egg laying in my car.”

“We’re forty minutes out, Bertie,” Luke said. He fished his phone from his pocket. “Ugh, which means forty minutes from wifi. Whole mountain is a dead zone. You’d think they’d have service for like lost skiers or whatever.”

“They do,” Kat said. “Emergency numbers work no matter what.”

“I doubt emergency services would be interested in entertaining me for the next thirty minutes.”

“We could play a road trip game,” Alicia squeaked.

“No,” both of the guys said together.

Alicia settled back, folded her hands in her lap, and shut her eyes. After a couple of deep breaths, she spoke her mind about the chill between the two girls beside her. “So what’s the deal with you two, huh?”

They both cut their eyes, but Kat grabbed Alicia’s hand and shushed her. All three looked at the guys, but neither turned around. They were busy muttering between themselves about directions. “It’s nothing,” Kat said, eyes fixed on Joy.

“That’s clearly not true,” Purity said in a whisper, her chin leaned over the seat. “I’m glad Alicia said something, I’m no expert on how girls communicate, but you two are very, very obviously bitchy with one another.”

“It’s not that,” Joy said. “And it’s not a big deal. We just —”

“We kissed,” Kate said in a quick voice. “Not like a meaningful thing, but we were drunk and thought it would be funny.”

Purity stuck out her bottom lip in an exaggerated frown. “How’s that funny exactly?”

“The guys were supposed to see,” Joy explained. “Like, from a little bit away. We were all drinking, and we wanted to sort of freak them out. But when we did it, they looked away. And so it was just…us kissing.”

Alicia nodded, trying to follow how a joke would make them so uneasy. “It was a joke, right?”

Joy’s face darkened slightly, and she turned to the window. Kat stared straight ahead. “Right. We shouldn’t have said anything, but we did. Let’s keep it between us, though, huh?”

“Definitely,” Purity said. “I’m sure with no one else to talk to, a lot of drinking, and complete isolation in cabins for two weeks, it won’t come up.”

“Hush, Purity,” Alicia said. “We won’t mention it. Like I said, a joke.” Kat squeezed her hand. Can’t think of anything more awkward than my brother’s girlfriend dumping him for his roommate’s girlfriend. She looked at Joy, noticing again how pretty the other girl was. I mean, I’d be bi for her. Maybe that’s it. Kat’s not into girls, but just Joy. Who wouldn’t be into Joy? She’s stupid pretty. Alicia resolved to chat more discretely with Kat later, but even the short conversation seemed to diffuse the strangeness between them.

Purity commented on Joy’s bracelet, which led to a conversation about jewelry in general. Within a few minutes, they somehow had six conversations between the five of them all going at once. Bertie punctuated their comments with soft clucks. Once Luke and Anthony joined the din, Kat tugged at Alicia’s sleeve. “It’s not what you’re thinking,” she whispered.

“I’m not thinking anything,” Alicia answered.

Kat looked from one of the Lennox children to the other. “I love Luke,” she said. “I really, really do. That’s why I’m freaked out. I don’t know what came over me, but for a second, it was like it didn’t matter. God, I can’t think of a way to explain. It keeps happening though, in waves.”

“If you have to know, I think Joy is —”

“It’s not only Joy, Alicia,” she hissed. Kat’s face had turned red, and she seemed on the verge of tears. “It’s everyone.”

Alicia took a second to process what she meant. “Oh. Even me?”

“A little,” she confessed. “I thought it might be my birth control. Hormones, you understand.”

She didn’t. Her mother had offered to get her on birth control, but she’d not had a reason to say yes at the time. Alicia told her mother that she’d rely on condoms if necessary. Despite Penny’s apparently optimistic view on her daughter’s chances at getting laid, Alicia had only let one boy get to second base. Kat kept looking at her, and she figured she better answer, “Yeah, totally. Maybe it’ll pass. You’re just in your head or something. Not a big deal.”

Kat sneezed, breaking up their private conversation as the others shouted out “Bless you.” Alicia gave her a nod of support, and then considered what Kat meant by “everyone.” Anthony? Purity? My dad?! Shit, my mom?!

Something smelled weird. Bertie seemed to think so, too. Purity hopped out of the rear hatch of Anthony’s car and took in a deep breath, relieved to finally be away from the strange scent. She didn’t mention it to the others because she thought that would seem rude. Alicia was never upset when Purity was rude, but the new girls probably wouldn’t understand. Purity learned to speak her mind, that’s all. Still, a few bad experiences had drilled some tact into her head after a while.

The cabins looked the same as she remembered them. The owners kept them updated nicely over the years, even tearing one down entirely to rebuild it better. Uncle Miles stood off to the side chatting with the old man who dropped off keys and instructions every year. He’d wave to the family, but never stopped to talk to anyone. Busy, Purity supposed.

She put Bertie down. The chicken immediately found something interesting a few feet away, hopping off. Purity didn’t worry. Her pets had an unusual proclivity for surviving. Ottoman, the snake she’d had between the ages of ten and twelve, lived in one of her mother’s boots for six months. They never figured out how it ate or where it pooped, but they didn’t find mice bones or tiny snake droppings anywhere, so it didn’t matter much.

The others, like Bertie, seemed glad to be out of the car. Kat kept looking at everyone with big eyes. Purity thought it strange, but she didn’t know Kat very well. Her cousins were in deep conversation with Aunt Penny, and Purity’s mom was digging through the bags of groceries while holding a champagne bottle in her hand. Anthony had his nose in his phone, and Joy stood off to the side, looking out of place and at a loss for what to do.

“You are pretty,” Purity said. The light bounced off Joy’s skin making her near luminescent. Purity also liked her style. All the others looked nice, if basic. Purity stuck with t-shirts from podcasts she listened to. Joy, on the other hand, looked nearly naked, and Purity admired that.

“Thanks,” Joy answered. “What’ll we do now? Should I get my bag?”

“Oh, we have to drink champagne. It’s awful stuff, cheap. The first time mom and Miles and Penny came up here, they couldn’t afford anything better than something from a gas station on the way up. They toasted the holiday and kept the tradition. At least, that’s what mom says. I don’t remember it when I was little, so I think they started it about the time I was ten, which I remember because I had Ottoman at the time. They said champagne would kill him, so he couldn’t have any.”

“You had a stool?” Joy asked, a little wrinkle above one eye.

“Gosh, even when you’re confused you’re pretty. How do you get on with that? I have boys bother me sometimes, and I own a chicken. I couldn’t imagine getting through the day looking like you.”

Joy looked a little distressed, “I don’t mind. People are nice.” She paused, looking at Purity as her smile faded. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

“Yep,” she answered. “People look at me and see chicken girl. That’s nice, I like it. Because if I want to not be chicken girl, we can have Bertie for dinner. Then I can be someone else. You can’t though, and I bet that sucks sometimes.”

“Yeah, a little,” Joy shifted, clearly uncomfortable. “It’s why I like Anthony. He can get those stars in his eyes, but a few minutes later, he looks at me like he actually sees me.”

“How come you dress like that, then?” Purity asked. Bertie pecked her leg, demanding to be picked up.

“Anthony said to dress for volleyball,” she answered. “Thought he was serious. Not even sure why he said it.”

“Probably wanted to show you off. Anthony’s very insecure.”

As she said it, Anthony walked over and put his arm around Joy. “What’re you two talking about?”

“How insecure you are,” Purity answered. “Why’d you trick Joy into wearing a bikini?”

Anthony looked like he wanted to crawl into a hole somewhere, but he was saved from the moment by Miles knocking his keys against the bottle of champagne. A pop followed, and Becca cheered. Anthony deftly guided his girlfriend away from Purity, but Purity didn’t notice. She’d caught a whiff of the smell again. As casually as possible, she drifted toward it, until she leaned near Kat’s shoulder and sniffed.

“What are you doing, Purity?” Luke asked.

She shrugged at him. “Thought she was wearing perfume.” Purity reached out to touch Luke’s face, but he wriggled away from her. She liked Luke. They’d had some differences as kids, but he was as much a brother to her as to Alicia. And Purity never got tired of pestering him.

She stepped to the side as her mother came around with small paper cups. “Oh, dear, sorry sweetie, I thought I brought one for everybody.”

“It’s fine. We’ll share.” She scooted closer to Kat and grinned at the other girl. Becca shrugged and moved on.

“Alright, everyone,” Miles said as he drew their attention. “That drive gets longer every year. Penny and I want to welcome our guests, Anthony, Joy, and Kat. We don’t bother with many traditions, but we do have this one. We like to start each of our stays here with a simple toast. To our good health and —”

A bellowing sneeze interrupted him. Kat’s face turned red. “Sorry!”

Miles continued, “Ah, um, to our good health, and to Kat’s especially, and a happy summer.”

The small group all sipped the champagne. Peggy spit hers back in the cup, but the others all got it down. Kat sipped a little and offered the rest to Purity. She downed it in a gulp.

Miles clapped his hands. “Alright. We’ll cut you kids loose soon. Us old hats are going up to Cabin Seven. Becca, you can have the attached suite. Luke, could you and Anthony haul this stuff in with your mother? Girls, you all get Cabin Five. That’s the blue one over there by the lake, newcomers. And Purity, watch and make sure Bertie doesn’t…whatever. And don’t let her wander around, there’s hawks. Hey, Anthony, here’s your key. Cabin One, right there.

“Everyone, get settled in. In about two hours, I’ll fire up the grill. We’ll eat up at the main cabin with us tonight, and then we’ll leave you to it. Tomorrow, you’re on your own for two weeks. We come up here to relax, not look after you lot.”

They all shuffled around grabbing bags and things. Alicia trotted off with her mother, leaving Purity as the only one who knew where she was going. “Alright, Sneezy and Pretty, this way.”

The food tasted amazing, as usual. Kat wasn’t usually so hungry, though. The Lennoxs always brought and cooked more than enough. Even with the massive amount of food they’d trucked up to the cabin, Miles would usually drive down into town halfway through their stay and come back with fresh meat. They’d opted for simple burgers for their first night. While Kat and the others spent the hours after their arrival getting settled in and changed, Miles and Penny went to work in the massive outdoor kitchen on the back side of their cabin. Juicy quarter pound burgers piled up on a platter surrounded by the occasional hot dog or bratwurst. Split potatoes roasted over the cooking meat. Even Becca contributed with her strangely wonderful potato salad.

The smell of it all hit Kat when she came out of the back door. Since getting out of the car, she’d felt languid and sleepy. All of that disappeared abruptly when the smell of food invaded her head. Luke and Anthony went over to Becca who perched near the large cooler, clearly meaning to keep an eye on how much the younger generation imbibed. Joy lingered awkwardly for a moment before tailing after Anthony. Penny roped the other girls into helping clean or put things in order, leaving Kat to wander toward the delicious scent of cooking meat. She stood for a while looking at the pile of beef and pork. Her stomach grumbled, and her head swirled as though drunk. Something is wrong with me, she thought. The idea jutted into her thoughts like a pin sticking into a half numb limb.

Luke came up beside her, beer in one hand, and a red cup in the other. She smiled at him, but balked at the sour smell. He smells like beer already. Were they pregaming in their cabin? He put the red cup in her hand, said something about vodka, and wandered off. It wasn’t unusual for him to leave her to her own devices at parties. No, I’m the one being strange. What the fuck am I doing, standing here like a zombie?

“Hungry?” Miles asked, seeming to notice her for the first time. Small beads of sweat sat on his reddened brow. “Buns are on the table over there. Don’t be shy.”

Kat’s stomach fluttered as she registered what he was talking about. She smiled at him, grabbed a nearby paper plate, and went to gathering up her food. On her first trip through the stacks of meat and cheese and potatoes, she piled on what she would normally eat on a particularly hungry day. Once she had a seat, the food vanished in less than two minutes. She barely chewed before she swallowed. The boozy punch Luke gave her tasted more bitter than she expected, but it added to the manic fervor of her hunger. She waited impatiently as the rest of the crew filed through. The second Miles served himself and stepped back over to the grill to keep cooking, she made a second trip to the buffet. She buried two more burgers in potato wedges and chips, returning to her spot to eat in peace. Luke joined her.

“Gosh, hungry huh?” he said as he replaced her drink. “That one’s a little stronger, only had the last bit of a can of pineapple juice and didn’t want to leave another sitting out. Mom and Dad are at least pretending to not notice we smuggled up some hard booze.”

Kat nodded, ketchup and mayo smeared on her face as she took huge bites of the third burger. She sniffed and caught the stinging smell of strong liquor. He’s drunk and losing track of me already, she thought sullenly. Kat watched her boyfriend and realized he wasn’t paying attention to her at all. He was watching Anthony and Becca preparing a table for a drinking game of some kind. Kat double checked to make sure he wasn’t looking at Joy. The other girl had put on a t-shirt, at least. Who am I to judge if he looks? God, I should tell him. She opened her mouth, intending to blurt out some strange confession, but instead said, “You can go play the game. I’m fine over here.”

“Sure?”

“Yep, I’ll join you in a few minutes.”

He hopped up excitedly, leaned over the table, and kissed her cheek. As he did, a small ripple went through her. The hunger evaporated, and the feeling from the other night — from that moment with Joy — returned. Before she could act on it, Luke walked away. Kat pushed her plate away, only somewhat saddened by its emptiness. She felt wrong. Her clothes chafed at her, as if they were too small. Even her shoes felt too tight. Maybe I’m bloated. I did just eat three — shit, four hamburgers. She drained the cup Luke brought her in a few long gulps. As the last of it went over her tongue, her head swirled. She let the cup clatter on the table, earning a look from Luke, and stood to go to the restroom.

The air conditioning eased her discomfort a little. She closed and locked the door to the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. I’m not drunk. Can’t be. I’m not drugged. It’s this feeling again. I don’t feel like me. And my tits fucking hurt. She pulled up her shirt and looked at her breasts. They seemed normal, if perhaps a little bigger. She gently squeezed her right boob, expecting a twinge of tender pain. Instead, the tenderness vanished, replaced instantly by a burst of pleasure. A soft moan escaped her lips, and she stopped with a jolt of panic. Outside, she could hear the music and excited talking. She could hear someone moving around inside the cabin, but far enough away to be out of earshot.

Curious, she unbuttoned her jeans. Her hand slid easily under the band of her underwear and against her smooth lips. God, I’m soaked. From what? Woofing down half a cow? It’s the same as the other night. When Joy’s tongue pushed against mine, I wanted her mouth between my legs instead. Embarrassed by her own thoughts, she pulled her hand out of her pants, buttoned up, and fixed her shirt. She let the water run as cold as possible over her hands before splashing some on her face. It did little other than bring attention to how hot her skin had become. After doing her best to compose herself, she opened up the door, and walked directly into a wall of the most wonderful scent she’d ever encountered.

It was an earthy musk of sweat and sunshine. Kat’s head filled with it, and the wetness between her legs doubled. The smell had no hint of sourness or sweetness, but of something strong and pungent. It was a scent that knew itself, had confidence in its own existence, and projected that existence into the world without hesitation. Kat wanted it in a way she didn’t understand, but her body responded to without question. The ache in her breasts became a desperate need to be touched. Chills ran down her back, and her legs shook with anticipation. She moved toward it, letting it saturate her thoughts. The scent of a man, of a man with purpose.

As the haze cleared, a discordant moment of panic shot through her. She looked at the forest green shirt stretched across a masculine chest and realized who she had pressed herself against. Her hand rested on his belt buckle, and his arms stretched out to the side in a desperate attempt to keep his hands away. For a second or two, the panic subsided, and she didn’t care. She didn’t want to leave the scent. She didn’t want her nipples to not be pressed against the slightly damp shirt. Oh god, no. Not Luke’s dad.

Miles wasn’t looking at her. His face was turned away toward the patio doors, keeping a desperate watch. “Uh, Kat, hun, you alright?”

She pulled away, her face flushing bright red. “Oh, Mr. Lennox, I’m —”

He cleared his throat and backed away. As he turned to the side, Kat saw the slight bulge in his shorts. “Probably time for you to start calling me Miles,” he said with a half laugh. “Sorry, uh. Guess you got a little turned around in there. How much have you had to drink?”

A way out. He’s offering me a way out of it. Why’d I do it? Why do I still want to do it? I want him to take me in the bedroom, throw me on his bed, and fuck me raw. “Um, I’m not sure,” she answered. “Luke’s been making me drinks.”

“Kid wasn’t ever good at measuring things,” Miles said. “Tell you what. You should head on back outside, maybe get a bottle of water. And we’ll just pretend this didn’t happen.” He didn’t wait for a response, disappearing into the cabin hallway.

Despite all the thousands of reasons thundering around in her head, Kat still had to concentrate to resist the urge to follow him. Tearing her thoughts away from the masculine scent, she went back outside. The rejection — what else to call it, I was there, he could have had me — did nothing to quell the feelings in her body. She wondered if the others would notice her flustered state as she crossed the patio and grabbed Luke by the arm. She noted Joy looking at her, but no one else seemed to pay attention to Kat pulling her boyfriend away for a while.

Luke gave some muted protests as she dragged him around the corner of the cabin. The sun had dipped below the horizon, and the night’s chill quickly took hold. Half crazy, Kat marched them into the small copse of trees on the mountain side of the cabin. Under the thick pines, it was nearly dark, and they were well out of sight of the others. They could barely hear the music and heard no voices. Luke finally jerked his arm free, “What the hell, Kat? Is this about not paying attention to you?”

“Fuck me,” she said, pulling up her shirt. The bra came away with a quick snap. Her breasts heaved down, jerking noticeably against her body. They’re swollen or something. God, he should touch them. She unbuttoned her pants while looking at Luke’s eyes go as big as dinner plates.

“Kat we’re…my whole family is right over there.”

“They can’t hear or see us. They don’t know or care what we’re doing. Look at my tits, bend me over, and fuck me raw.” As she teased him, the sour smell about him began to change. It mellowed quickly as she watched the lump in his pants stiffen. Luke looked around nervously, still uncommitted. Frustrated and desperate, Kat yanked down her pants, enjoying the feeling of the cool night air against the slick heat of her pussy. She turned around and bent over, putting her hands against a tree. And she waited.

She heard shuffling behind her. After agonizing seconds, Luke’s hand grabbed her ass. The smell grew stronger as he fumbled with his own shorts. They’d been sleeping together for a while, but not like this. She’d never had sex outside before, let alone pushed up against a tree with her tits hanging down. Yet somehow it felt right. The more Luke groped her ass, the more natural she felt and the stronger his own scent became. He’s starting to smell like his father. She winced at the thought, but it vanished as Luke’s dick pressed against her.

He slid the head of his cock along her pussy lips, gathering up her lubrication before nudging forward against her. She moved one of her hands to her breast, squeezing her tit as he pushed inside of her. Luke groaned. His fingertips pushed into the meat of her ass. His cock twitched inside of her before he slid back out and pushed in again. Kat bit her lower lip. She hoped having him take her from behind in the woods would drive out the conflicting thoughts — those of Joy and now Miles — but they only grew stronger. How could she not want others? How could she keep herself only for Luke when another virile man was so close at hand and so easily aroused by her presence. How could she deny the oozing sexuality of Joy or the other women for that matter?

Luke built speed. His body hunched against her, allowing her the chance to grind her ass back against him, even though it risked letting his cock slip away. The smell grew stronger. One of his hands moved from her hips to the back of her neck. He gripped her hard and slammed into her roughly, pushing her forward against the tree. “Ungh, you fucking like that? You like getting fucked like you’re in heat?” he whispered.

“Mmm, yes,” she said. “Fuck me. Cum in me. Breed me, Luke.” The words came out of her involuntarily, but they had the desired effect. Luke’s hand moved up to squeeze her breast as he pushed fully inside of her. His balls pressed against the slick lips as his cock jerked and came inside of her. Thick ropes of cum shot deep into her womb and Kat’s world erupted with pleasure. Sparkles of light filled her vision and a cloudy haze of pure ecstasy filled her thoughts. Vaguely, she felt her boyfriend resume a slow rhythm of fucking her. He still seemed hard despite his cum leaking out of her drenched pussy. Thick dollops of it dropped to the ground beneath them. It seemed wasteful.

Kat pulled away and dropped to her knees in front of him. His cock still stood out rock hard, glistening slightly from their mingled juices. She looked up at him as she rubbed it across her naked tits. Dropping down lower, she gently wrapped her lips around his cock and let him push into her mouth. There, she thought, that’s the scent of a real man. A man who fucked his woman. Her tongue undulated along his cock, hoping for him to cum in her mouth and further claim her. Fuck, I wonder how big his dad’s cock is.

Penny found her husband in the cabin bedroom. He sat on the bed looking at the television. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Hmm?” he responded, stirred from thoughts. “Oh, not sure. Turned it on to…well, I’m not sure why. Noise I guess. They’re recalling some dairy products. Not sure why it’s national news. Mad cow, maybe. They aren’t saying.”

A chyron scrawling across the bottom of the screen read, “Statement from Hugh Pearce, CEO Kent Agricultural Research.” Penny picked up the remote and turned off the television. She put her hand on his shoulder and felt tense muscles. “I meant is there something wrong with you?”

Miles looked up at her, a strange fierceness in his eyes. It passed. “Nothing, sweetie. Hectic day, that’s all. Had a little bit of a weird run in with Kat earlier. I think she’s had too much to drink.”

“Oh? She grabbed Luke and ran off. You didn’t scare her did you?”

“No. Not like that. It was…odd. Does it sound crazy to say that I felt…hypnotized?”

Penny sat down beside her husband. “Well, of course, because that’s crazy. Kat’s not a magician. Tell me what happened.”

Miles put his hands together and pulled his fingers tight. “I’m not sure I can. We bumped into each other. Literally. I was heading back here, and she came out of the bathroom. We just ran into one another. But, for a second, I couldn’t think straight. Like my head got all turned around.”

She ran her hands lightly across her husband’s back. He was worrying her, but she didn’t want to add to his own stress. “You haven’t been going easy on the beers, either. Maybe you got lightheaded for a second?”

“Yeah, maybe,” he said, sounding not a whit like he believed it.

“Get out of your own head,” she insisted. “Come back out to the party. Maybe take it easy on the booze. It’s our first night in the cabin and Becca will be sauced enough to sleep through anything. I thought we might see if we can wake her up.” She grinned at him and squeezed his crotch, surprised to find him already hard. He grunted in response, and she leaned in to breathe in his scent. “You smell nice.”