Chapter 9
Rachel pulled some keys out of her pocket and unlocked the stout front door. Stepping inside, she flipped a switch and bright lights came on inside the rustic house. Mia's face lit up and she clapped her hands in her delight, to her it was a palace. Rachel grinned at her and said.
"Welcome to your new home!" as she handed Mia the keys to the house. Mia took the keys and held them to her bosom as her amber eyes welled up with tears. George took her in his arms and held her closely. Mia squeezed him briefly and faced Rachel to say in a voice thick with emotion.
"You all have been so kind to me, I'm overwhelmed with amazement and don't know just what to say, except thank you so much!" She and Rachel embraced warmly for a moment.
Chief Thompson glanced at his watch, cleared his throat and said,
"Well folks, I hate to leave when the party has just started, but I've got a ways to go tonight before I call it a day."
George extended his hand and said gratefully, "Thanks for escorting us here, we sure couldn't have found this place on our own!"
Mia smiled at him as he tipped his hat to her and said, "I sure never expected to meet anyone like you Mia. It's been a pleasure!"
He started up his truck and soon, his taillights disappeared in the gloom.
Rachel looked at the couple and said,
"The house is fully stocked with food and drink and the truck has a full tank of gas. There is a satellite connection and the propane has just been filled. You'll have to turn on the pump for the well to get water and your electricity is via solar panels on the roof and big batteries in the service shed."
George was looking around and smiling, then he said incredulously,
"I still can't believe what has happened. I mean, I didn't expect to fall in love with Mia so deeply when I met her. I didn't expect to marry her nor to find ourselves on a ranch in Arizona wondering how we got here so fast!"
He was about to step inside the house, when Mia's powerful tail slipped gently around his waist and she pulled him to her for a kiss. Moments later, their lips parted reluctantly and Mia said firmly,
"I know it's the human tradition for the husband to carry the bride across the threshold. But, I weigh more than twice as much as you do and I am stronger, so we will do this in our own way!" Mia scooped him up in her shapely arms and they sinuated across the house threshold together, kissing all the while.
Rachel clapped her hands and yelled, "Bravo Mia! Or should I say Brava?! Anyway, congratulations you guys!"
Mia set George down and she grinned from ear to ear as he swayed slightly and said to her, "When you kiss someone, you don't kid around do you?"
She replied gaily, "You're my husband silly! Of course I'm going to kiss you as much as I like!" Rachel laughed and said lightly, "I guess it's true what they say about lamias. The man that marries one will never know loneliness again!"
Mia smiled at Rachel and said invitingly, "It's a long, dark, drive back, why don't you stay the night here and you can go back in the morning."
When Rachel hesitated briefly, George commented, "Don't tell me you're going to put a frown on Mia's pretty face?"
Rachel grinned and retorted, "Nah! I'll leave that up to you!" She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket, rubbed her finger on the screen briefly then pressed her fingertip against one of the icons on the screen. A few moments later she spoke, "Hey babe! I'm here at the ranch, I'm staying the night and will be back tomorrow at some time. Kiss the babies for me and I'll be seein' you!" Putting her phone away Rachel grinned and declared, "Let's look around this place!"
They spent a little time exploring the rustic dwelling. All of the ground level floors were either field stone or flagstone slabs closely fitted and joined with color matching grout. The rest of the rooms were raised two steps and had hardwood flooring with exception of the kitchen and bath rooms with tiled floors. Behind the house was a large redwood hot tub under the patio roof, Mia immediately sinuated up to it, lifted the cover and dipped the tip of her tail in it. She grinned and cried happily,
"I can bathe in here!"
Rachel laughed and said cheerfully,
"I suppose you could, but that's a hot tub for soaking in, not bathing!"
Rachel grinned at Mia's puzzled expression and said, "Hot tubs are for soaking in not bathing, you bathe first then you climb in and soak. A soak in a hot tub can be very relaxing and romantic! Don't worry, we'll set up a temporary outdoor shower for you and you can soak in the hot tub after washing up."
George grinned at his wife and declared,
"We'll start looking into an indoor bath tub big enough for your needs in the morning."
When they had finished looking over the house, Mia was all smiles as she averred,
"I am so amazed! I never thought I would be here in this magical land so far from home, and find myself living in such luxury."
Rachel looked at Mia thoughtfully and remarked,
"We will need to get you some more clothes, what you have is not nearly enough!"
George frowned and asked,
"Just how are we going to do that? I can't exactly take Mia into the nearest clothing store, she'll start a riot or something!"
Rachel grinned and replied,
"No we couldn't do that! She would create quite a scene, though I do admit that some avant garde designers would lose their minds over Mia!"
Mia asked softly, "What could happen if I'm seen?"
Rachel said flatly,
"People would ask where you had come from, and if word got out that you came from southern Algeria? The Sahara would be lousy with people looking for your family, for good or ill, they would be looking!" George took Mia's hand and while holding it, he declared.
"After we have brought your entire family here and they are safe. Then maybe, just maybe, we will reveal you to the world."
Rachel pulled out a dressmakers tape and announced,
"In the meantime we take measurements! That'll give me something to work with."
She spent several minutes wrapping the tape around Mia at all the critical areas, writing down the measurements and then staring at them before commenting,
"Well, one thing's for certain, if you were an ordinary human female you would still stand out! You'd be quite the heroic figure of a girl, standing about six feet tall with well muscled arms and shoulders like some sort of Amazonian warrior. Sorry Mia, you'll never be part of the crowd!"
It was some time after midnight when the excitement had worn off and the sands of sleep weighed heavily on their eyelids, so they turned in for the night. George and Mia snuggled together on the king size bed where sleep overtook them while Rachel burrowed into the bed in one of the spare bed rooms.
George slowly woke up with Mia's smooth coils wrapped loosely around him and her arms holding him closely. To the uninitiated, at first it would appear that George was being suffocated in the coils of an immense python. To George and Mia it was to become their normal sleeping habit. They lay quietly in their wedded bliss until Mia murmured,
"Something smells wonderful!"
George smiled, sniffed a couple of times and replied softly in her ear,
"I think Rachel's gotten into the kitchen. Shall we go see what she's done?"
Mia uncoiled to release George and he handed her a bathrobe while he pulled on some sweatpants.
Rachel grinned at them as they entered the kitchen and said cheerfully,
"Breakfast is ready and the coffee is fresh, so dig in!"
Mia smiled, sinuated over to Rachel and hugged her. Then she looked out the window and saw the Arizona desert awash in the morning sunlight, she gasped and went outside on the patio to gaze out over the landscape, her beautiful face a study in wonder.
George came out with the coffee and stood beside her for a moment before asking gently,
"Like it? It's not the Sahara, but it's still a desert."
Mia sat down on her coils, took the coffee he offered her and said,
"It's so beautiful! I want to do a little exploring after breakfast, okay?"
She closed her eyes and her long, forked tongue flickered in and out of her mouth a few times as she tasted her new home. Opening her eyes again, Mia said quietly,
"I want to tell my family about this wonderful place with its new tastes and smells and textures." She took George's hand and said in earnest,
"I need to have my family here and safe with me, no, us!"
He smiled at her, squeezed her hand and said quietly,
"After breakfast, we'll send a message to your folks. They've got that computer we gave them and it will receive photos, we'll take some pictures of ourselves and this place. We'll send them the photos and ask them to join us here."
He sipped at his coffee and said,
"C'mon inside babe, breakfast's getting cold!"
After breakfast and a brief discussion with Rachel about Mia's family concerns. They went for a hike to explore the vicinity of the ranch house and take lots of photos.
Mia delighted in the Arizona desert, it was so unlike the Sahara she had grown up in. Where her homeland had been the oasis surrounded by a sea of sand, gravel and rock.
Arizona had its rocky outcroppings, gravel beds and cacti and bushes, the wildlife and the terrain was all new to her and she smiled as she sinuated through the scrub and over the rocks and boulders with forked tongue flicking in and out occasionally as she tasted the air around her.
Approaching a cluster of giant saguaro cactus, she sinuated up a big one and reared up as high as she could next to the gigantic saguaro cactus that was easily over two hundred years old and peered curiously at an owl's nest perched among its massive, spiny limbs.
Shortly afterwards, she spied a desert tortoise, quickly caught it and examined it closely before setting it back down and watching it plod rapidly away. Mia cried in delight at seeing a rock face with Indian petroglyphs scattered across it and she found some Indian artifacts nearby. Her face smiling all the while at the new discoveries she was making.
During this time, George was taking scores of photographs of her in her delight at seeing all these new things. It was almost mid-day when a growing appetite encouraged them to stop and turn back, they returned to the house and found that Rachel had prepared a luncheon and set up a computer and was finalizing the satellite feed. She grinned when she saw them returning and said,
"I was starting to get a little concerned about you two getting lost out there, but then I remembered Mia's sense of taste and smell. I've nearly got the computer set up finished, if you have photos to send, we'll be ready very shortly."
Mia tucked into the lunch with enthusiasm, the food was all new to her and she ate everything on her plate. Rachel looked over at George and said teasingly,
"Aren't you feeding this girl? She eating like she's been starved!"
"Not hardly!" Retorted George, "She has a very good appetite and there's more of her to feed!"
Mia grinned and declared happily, "It was all so good! Once I started, I couldn't stop! Besides, I might be eating for two now!"
Rachel pretended to look shocked and said teasingly, "You two didn't waste any time did you? Congratulations!"
Placing the camera chip into the card reader, George copied every photo he took that day into a folder. Rachel sent a copy of the folder to Mia's family along with a brief message from her to her family.
It was a variation on. "Wish you were here. Photos included!"
Afterwards, Rachel said cheerfully,
"The folder went to both Roger and your family, that way if they didn't get it Roger will, and he will check with them to see if they're alright."
Next, he rooted around in the workshop behind the ranch house and tinkered together a showerhead and sprayer. This was put up next to the hot tub for Mia's use and hooked into the house plumbing.
After making a few adjustments, George came into the living room and after clearing his throat he announced, in his best imitation of an English butler. "Madame, Your bath is ready!"
Mia clapped her hands in her delight and she sinuated outside to see what he had done.
Rachel muttered, "This, I gotta see!" and she followed along behind.
The plumbing work was clearly a lash-up, but it worked and while George went back inside to round up some bath towels and wash cloths, Mia eagerly stripped off her clothing and happily coiled up under the spray of warm water and played with the hand held sprayer.
Rachel grinned at her and said, "Lamia or not, you are one happy kid right now!"
Mia impishly squirted her with the sprayer and giggled merrily, Rachel yelped in surprise and cried,
"Oh! So you wanna play with water, eh?"
She stepped up to the hot tub and flung a scoop of water at Mia, Mia laughed, sprayed Rachel right in the face and declared,
"I'm already wet silly!"
Rachel spluttered and cried,
"That does it! You're on, sister!"
Rachel tore off her drenched clothing, grabbed a bucket, filled it from the tub and waded into the waterfight with relish.
George, having gathered Mia's shower things, came outside to see how his bride was doing and got a real eyefull. Water was splashed everywhere, the hand sprayer was flailing about uselessly and soaking the area, and his shy, blushing bride? Utterly naked and coiled around an equally naked Rachel and the two were convulsed in laughter. George stood stock still, stunned at the sight of so much giggling and jiggling female flesh.
Rachel spotted George standing there with his jaw dropped and his eyes bugged out, she guffawed and yelled,
"C'mon in, th' water's fine!"
Mia laughed and cried gaily,
"How sweet! You've brought my shower things!"
Rachel giggled and said merrily,
"George, I wish you could see how red your face is right now. It's precious!"
George grinned bashfully and replied, "I just wasn't ready to see you naked too, Rachel. I've gotten kind of used to Mia's willingness to shed her clothes. You being nekkid I didn't expect! Not that I mind, I was just suprised."
Rachel grinned and slipped out of Mia's coils, she stepped up to the hot tub and climbed in before saying soberly,"I think Mia's ready for her bath now."
Then she dissolved into more giggles.
George felt Mia's tail slipping around his waist and he was drawn helplessly towards his bride.
Mia purred in his ear,
"Now, I want a good scrubbing dearest. My tail itches and I think I'll be shedding soon."
The tip of Mia's tail was nearly as sensitive as a finger and it kept tugging at his clothing and insinuating itself into his garments until George finally gave up and stripped down himself. Tossing the last of his clothing aside, he blushed scarlet as he declared,
"There! I'm naked... Are you two happy now?"
Rachel whistled loudly and called out,
"Mia, you are one lucky girl! My husband hasn't looked that good in ages!"
All poor George could do was blush scarlet, again.
Mia snuggled her tail around him and said playfully,
"If you're that embarrassed dear, you can wrap a towel around yourself, I won't mind pulling it off again!."
George, still blushing, grinned at her and said weakly,
"It doesn't matter now, Rachel's gotten her strip show and I saw hers, so we're even now!"
He glanced over at Rachel and she grinned before making a crossing motion across her chest and saying,
"I'll be good now, no more lewd remarks, I promise!"
Rachel climbed out of the tub and declared,
"I am going to find some wine and scare up a few more towels. I have a feeling you're gonna need 'em!"
Rachel strolled into the house as if walking about in the buff was a daily occurence for her.
George picked up the hand sprayer and shampoo and proceeded to wash Mia's long, thick, chestnut tresses as she sat on her pythonic coils with a blissful look on her face.
He then took up a wash cloth and soap and began scrubbing Mia's entire body. He started at her neck and shoulders and worked his way down her body while Mia softly 'Ooohed and aahed' and, 'Oh Yes! Right there!'d the whole time.
Rachel had rejoined them and was sipping at her golden vintage and soaking in the tub whilst George was vigorously scrubbing along Mia's powerful tail as she lay stretched out in a loop on the sun warmed flagstone deck.
When he was finished, he straightened up and declared,
"If there's any dirt left on you, I sure haven't found it!"
Mia grinned and stretched as she said gratefully,
"That was wonderful! I haven't felt this clean in ages!"
Rachel chuckled and remarked, "When I get home I'm gonna have a long talk with my hubby about him neglecting his husbandly duties. I'm kinda jealous of the scrubbing you just gave Mia!"
Mia sinuated up to the spacious hot tub and slipped into the warm waters alongside Rachel, her face showing utter bliss.
Rachel smiled and handed Mia a glass of wine, Mia sipped at it and asked, "This has an interesting taste, what is it?"
Rachel grinned and said,
"It's chardonnay, a white wine dear, never tried it before?"
Mia shook her pretty head and said,
"No, we couldn't make wine at the oasis, no grapes. My father told us about wine, but no, we never had any."
George looked a little doubtful as he climbed in beside her and commented,
"I hope you don't get too 'Happy' if you have a little wine."
Rachel grinned at him and remarked quizzically, "Afraid she'll get too frisky?"
George laughed and retorted,
"The frisky part I can handle, after all, she is my wife. It's the sore ribs and bruising afterwards."
Rachel whistled softly and asked,
"That passionate huh?"
George blushed, grinned at her and nodded knowingly before he responded. "Oh yes, and I wouldn't trade it for the world! A man who has been loved by a lamia will never love anyone else."
Mia finished her wine and set the glass down, she smiled at George with half-lidded eyes and she slipped her arms and tail around him while he reached for her as well.
Rachel saw them snuggle together and kiss tenderly, the kisses grew warmer and before long, their hands began to roam freely above and below the waterline.
Rachel finished her wine and quietly exited the hot tub to go back inside, leaving the young couple to their ardor.
