City

Chapter 4

Rick was lying naked next to an equally naked Kate. With his arm bent and hand tucked under his head, he doodled on Kate's chest. He wasn't paying attention to her nipple, but it was on his mind. "Does this make you my girlfriend?"

It sounded to Kate like this was a one-time thing which she liked the sound of. "Maybe." She was being noncommittal. "But maybe if you made love to me again, I'll think about it."

"Count on it." And with that, Rick rolled over and slipped a hand between her legs.

~oo0oo~

Sated, Kate was resting next to Rick. He was definitely something all right. She wasn't yet ready to say he was her boyfriend, but he was something. This time Kate was doodling on his chest. "I should be going home."

"The trains aren't running yet," he pointed out, "so it'll be a long walk."

"Oh." He had her there. "What should we do while we wait?" Kate asked him, thinking she had an idea. She reached down to take him in her hand. He was soft, but she knew how to fix that.

~oo0oo~

A now satisfied Kate felt a bit sore; she needed to adjust to his size. She was putting on her clothes with the intention of leaving. After Kate fastened her bra, Rick stopped her. He kissed her, and she returned his kiss eagerly. He caressed her cheek. "Until tonight?"

"I'll be here," Kate told him. It meant more sex, but she was okay with that.

Kate smiled all the way home. Once there, she took a shower, put on her everyday clothes, and went into work. "Someone is glowing," Zoey commented with a sly grin. Kate just smiled at her and went about her job. She felt great, happier than she had in a long time.

Rick was smiling just as much while he went to work. He hooked up the cows to milk them, fed the pigs, and checked on the chickens and the horses. Then he checked on the piglets and saw that everyone was okay. Later he unhooked the cows from the milking machine and sent them on their way. Rick did all that before lunch. He checked the time and went home to fix lunch. Once there, Rick checked to see what was on hand in the pantry. He had a plan to make Kate dinner from scratch.

Rick returned to the Stockyards and checked in on the livestock and chickens one last time. Then he went home and began putting dinner together.

Kate was home after a long day at Hydroponics. After getting ready, she caught the last train to reach Rick, and this time brought a change of clothes with her. She hurried upstairs to his place and pressed the button. Rick answered the door. "Hello, lovely lady." He kissed her and got kissed in return. "I'm making dinner for us. You can put your things in the bedroom."

Rick retreated to the kitchen while Kate went to the bedroom and put down her bag. She walked into the kitchen and stared at him. "You really know how to cook?" Kate was surprised, to say the least.

He looked over at her. "I'm no chef, but I know enough. I'm making a casserole. Is that okay?"

"Works for me. My mom taught me how to cook before she died. Maybe next time I can show you," Kate offered.

"Bring it on." Rick would be happy to turn over the kitchen to her. He put the casserole into the oven and turned to face her. "We have about 45 minutes."

"Good." Kate kissed him and kept kissing him. She was willing to do some heavy petting while they waited.

Both he and Kate were nude from the waist up, and he was playing with her nipple when the alarm went off. "Damn it," Rick cursed. Of course, it had to go off just as he was getting warmed up.

Kate knew her panties were soaked. He had warmed her up, and now she needed to eat. It wasn't what she wanted to eat, but it would do. Still topless, she sat at the table and smiled at Rick since he couldn't take his eyes off her breasts. She liked that he was looking at her because it told her she was wanted.

"Did anything interesting happen today?" Kate wondered.

"Nope, it was all totally routine." Rick fired the question right back at her. "You?"

"The same. I want you so very badly." Kate was on fire and wasn't afraid to admit it.

"Then hurry up and finish eating," Rick urged, which got Kate to eat faster.

She kicked her shoes under the table and stripped her pants off on the way to his bedroom, where they made love. Rick fucked her pussy twice and her ass once. He also ate her pussy, and Kate gave him a blow job. Exhausted, she fell asleep in Rick's arms.

~oo0oo~

In the morning, Kate woke up to find Rick eating her pussy until she had an orgasm.

Since she had nowhere else to be that day, she spent it in the Stockyards helping Rick. She fed the pigs without being told. She watched him check out every cow, followed by checking on the chickens. She was glad the chickens were fully automated.

They stopped for lunch which Rick made in his kitchen. "It's your turn to cook dinner tonight," Rick announced.

"Oh, it is, is it. Then be prepared to be amazed." Kate was ready and willing to cook. She was going to make one of her mother's favorites. "I may need to go to my Hydroponics to pick up a few things first."

"I'll wait," Rick promised.

"I'll be back as soon as I can." Kate kissed him goodbye and left.

Rick couldn't just sit there and wait for her to return, so he went downstairs to the Stockyard and checked everything over.

~oo0oo~

Rick was back upstairs when Kate showed up. "I got what I needed and brought a small Blacktail Mountain watermelon, too. Please don't tell anyone since I'm supposed to send these to the cafeteria."

"I won't tell anyone if you won't." Rick took the roughly six pound watermelon from her, carried it into the kitchen, and began slicing immediately. He sneaked a bite of it, and Kate caught him.

"Hey, you! Stop that. Now get out of my kitchen, mister." Kate chased him out to keep him from snooping on what she was doing.

"Okay, okay." Rick raised his hands in surrender and retreated from the kitchen – for now. He would be back later, later being about five minutes. And Kate shooed him away again.

~oo0oo~

Kate checked the time. "It'll be ready to eat in about fifteen minutes, so go on and wash up. I know where you've been with those hands."

"Yes, ma'am." Rick retreated to the bathroom to wash up. He chose to change his shirt while he was there as well.

He stuck his nose in the kitchen again, and this time, he didn't get shooed away. "Interesting." He didn't know what she was doing.

"You'll like it, trust me." Kate finished what she was doing. "Since it's almost done, you can set the table."

He finished and watched as she put everything on the table for them to eat. They sat down and Rick filled his plate. "Well?" He'd been eating for a while now.

He wiped his mouth with his napkin. "It's good, really good. You know what you're doing. You're cooking from now on." That got Kate to smile. Honestly, she was looking forward to it. She was going to make everything her mom taught her to make.

They ate watermelon for dessert. "Very tasty." Rick approved of her choice of melons.

They sat together on the sofa and decided to watch a movie. With the lights off, they didn't use much power. And with the lights off, they both sneaked in kisses, and wandering hands warmed them both up.

They made love to each other that night.

The next morning, he woke to Kate giving him a blow job, and he climaxed in record time. Kate smacked her lips. "Tasty." She moved up his body and kissed him, feeding him some of his own cum. She smiled at him and then kissed him some more.

~oo0oo~

Kate was getting dressed while he watched her. After she had her work clothes on and her hair braided, Rick kissed her. "Ready to start your day?" It was her day to help him, so she was staying.

"Ready. I'll feed the pigs while you feed everyone else." Kate kissed him and went downstairs to start her day.

"What's that?" Kate asked as a truck pulled in next to a silo.

Rick turned to see what she was talking about. "That? That's the milk truck. Our milk is cooled and stored in a refrigerated silo at 39 degrees, and every couple of days, the milk truck shows up and takes it to the pasteurizing location."

"Oh." Kate got it now that he explained it to her. "Well, I'm done." She smiled at him.

"In that case, you can help me feed the horses." Rick headed for the barn. He pulled out a bale of hay, cut it loose, and Kate shook it out for the horses to eat.

Kate watched as the horses all came to her. She managed to pet a couple and stood back to watch them eat. "You're just about out of hay," Kate mentioned.

"I know. Thankfully it's almost harvest time, so I'll have some new hay soon. The challenge is getting the hay into the barn without using power. This half-power is going to break my back." Rick arched his back and rubbed it.

"I won't be here for that," Kate told him straight-faced. But she was teasing. She knew she would be here to help him.

"No? There's nothing I can do to change your mind?" Rick asked.

She shook her head. "Nope, can't think of a thing."

"We'll see." Rick was pretty sure he could think of something.

~oo0oo~

It was time for lunch, and Kate sat there and watched Rick make it for them. "So, what's next?" Kate inquired while eating.

"Health checks for the animals. Every animal is precious, so it's up to me to make sure they're all in excellent health. We can't afford to lose even one of them. Chickens are excluded from this health check. Though I do need to check on them."

Kate leaned back in her chair. "Every animal? That'll take forever."

"Yep, all of them," Rick confirmed.

Kate caved. "Fine." She would help him check each animal.

~oo0oo~

Kate was sitting in the cafeteria. "I'm too pooped to eat." She bent over her meal and groaned. "I swear everything hurts."

"You need to eat to keep up your strength," Rick told her and started eating.

She sighed. "I need strength to eat to regain my strength."

"Then I guess you don't want to make love tonight." Rick glanced over at her and kept eating.

Kate narrowed her eyes and glared at him. "That's dirty pool!" He knew she wanted to make love tonight. That was the one thing that kept her going throughout the day. "Fine, I'll eat. But you're doing all the work tonight." Kate picked up her fork and started eating.

~oo0oo~

Exhausted, Kate made it to his place and stood there while he kissed her and worked on taking off her shirt. All she had to do was kiss him back.

Soon enough, her bra came off, and she moaned into the kiss the second his hands were on her breasts.

~oo0oo~

Kate was resting naked on top of an equally naked Rick. He had fucked her pussy, twice. He had eaten her pussy, and she loved all of it. She didn't know how women passed him by, but she had him now and planned to keep him.

She was doodling on his chest while looking at him. "Are you going to help me at the Hydroponics tomorrow?"

"I'll be there, eventually. You wore me out." Rick let his eyes slide closed. Kate decided to find out. She reached down to take him in her hand and began stroking him. His eyes flew open, and she had him hard in minutes. "Tired, huh?"

"Saddle up," Rick said as he got on top of her and entered her.

~oo0oo~

Kate took a shower in the morning. His bathroom wasn't big enough for them to shower together, unfortunately. While under Rick's gaze, she put on the clothes she'd brought. "Do you like watching me get dressed?"

"A little, yes," Rick admitted.

Kate finished dressing and put her arms around his neck. "I'll see you later." She kissed him.

"I'll be there." Rick kissed her and watched her leave. Kate put a little extra sway in her hips, sure he was watching her ass.

~oo0oo~

Zoey confronted Kate when she got back. "You seem to be smiling more lately. If I didn't know better, I'd swear you're doing more than kissing him."

"Maybe…." Kate kept smiling. Then she watched as Rick entered, and her smile got bigger. She kissed him and put him to work. Under her direct supervision, naturally.

They broke for lunch, but unlike at his place, they had to go to the cafeteria. "I didn't know how wet you got while doing your job," Rick said after he swallowed a bite.

"Yeah, it's a hazard, but it's worth it," Kate replied. "We'd all starve without it."

"It sounds like we're both needed," Rick said, and Kate nodded. She could agree with that.

After lunch, they got back to work. There may be only five buildings, but each was several stories tall. There was stack on top of stack of food, each with its own system.

~oo0oo~

"Are you coming to my place later?" Rick asked her.

Kate thought about that. She hadn't slept in her place for days since she always stayed at Rick's and made love to him. She liked making love to him. "I need to pack a bag first." Kate was going to spend her time at his place, and she knew it. It was easier than asking him to come to her place.

"Great, I'll see you later." Rick kissed her and walked away.

Kate went home and packed a bag. She needed shoes, underwear, clothes, makeup, a toothbrush, and a hairbrush. What she didn't need were condoms or birth control pills. Kate knew her tubes were tied. That was why she didn't have to worry about Rick coming inside her. Getting her tubes tied was a prerequisite for coming on the ship. It was reversible, though it would require yet another operation. You had to put in a request to be pregnant. You would undergo tests and questions before they would let you. The ship was only so big, and they already had babies and children onboard.

With so many dead, one would think that the number of people putting in for pregnancy would increase. That may be the case, but sections of the ship were still off-limits. There were holes in the side, but those wouldn't be fixed anytime soon. Oh, there was a plan, but it would take time.

Kate looked around and tried to think of anything else she would need. Satisfied, she closed her bag and headed for the train to reach Rick's place.

~oo0oo~

Kate walked up the stairs and went right in without knocking. She was so used to being here that she didn't think anything of it.

She held up her bag. "Hi, I brought everything I thought I would need for about a week."

"You know where to put it. I'll work on dinner." Rick leaned over and kissed her.

Kate went into the bedroom and started to unpack. She was delighted to see that he was ready for her. She had a drawer for her stuff, and he cleared part of the closet for her. Her panties, bras, and socks had to all go in the same drawer, but she could make it work. Her t-shirts, other shirts, and pants went on a shelf in the closet while other things got hung up. She was glad she brought hangers for everything since Rick didn't have many spares.

Then she moved to the bathroom and put her things on the counter: her lotions, makeup, deodorant, hairbrush, comb, hair ties, toothbrush, and toothpaste. It took up most of the space, but she had more than Rick.

Kate stood there and looked in the mirror at herself. She had practically moved in with Rick. Was this such a good thing? Did she want to? "Is this a good idea?" Kate asked the woman in the mirror. "You like him, but do you love him? Do you want to love him?"

She decided she was going to find out. She left the bathroom, stepped into the bedroom, and looked at the bed she would share with Rick. They had already worked out what side was hers. Kate smiled at the thought of sharing a bed with him. Then her smile faltered. What if he left dirty clothes everywhere? What if he snored? What if things went wrong? She shook her head to clear those thoughts away. He didn't snore, and he didn't show signs of leaving his dirty clothes around. What she didn't know was how and where he shaved. He was clean-shaven, and she liked him like that. She really liked his full head of hair.

Kate went into the kitchen. She slipped her arms around him from behind and breathed in his smell. That was one thing Kate liked. She got to smell him 24 hours a day, except for those days when he was stinky.

"What are you making?" Kate inquired.

"It's a surprise."

Kate let go of him. "I hate surprises, so you better tell me."

Rick turned to look at her. "Since when?"

"Since forever. I. Hate. Surprises," Kate repeated.

"In that case…" Rick let her stew for a minute. "It's not really much of a surprise. I'm making bacon-wrapped meatloaf. Just be ready to eat leftovers for a couple of days."

"Bacon-wrapped meatloaf?" Kate looked for herself and saw a bowl filled with ground meat, diced onions, and other stuff and a pan with bacon sticking out on all sides. "Sounds yummy! I approve."

"Good, it'll be ready in about an hour." Rick returned to what he was doing while Kate put her arms back around him from behind and pressed her face against his back.