Page 10 of Milk
I got up to chase after her, but the door didn’t open. I gave the knob a couple of strong pulls and shakes and found it unyielding from my side.Am I locked in?I thought, with an edge of panic.
Either someone was cranking the heat higher or my anxiety was literally sweating out of me. My eyes went to the cold glass of milk, freshly brought. Begrudgingly, I took it, drinking it all in large gulps in a single motion. I was still a little parched, but it helped. As I placed it down, I could swear I caught a glimpse of movement in the large mirror. I approached it and pushed my head against the mirror to try and look deeper.
A door clicked open and Susan marched in again. By the time I turned, she had already replaced the empty glass with a full one. Even as I called her and rushed towards the door, I couldn’t reach it before it closed.Something fishy is going on,I thought. Looking at the fresh, cool glass ... I had to admit, I was still a little thirsty.
I ended up drinking my third full glass, knocked on Susan’s door, and called out for anyone to speak to me. I got no response. Then I felt a familiar pressure in my lower belly. I had to pee. Badly. All that milk was a bad idea…
I turned towards the door that I assumed headed into the offices.I’ll find a bathroom, one way or another, I decided while squeezing my thighs together.
Just as I was about to turn the knob, the door opened from the other side. A blond, handsome man with strong ‘daddy’ vibes in his dignified, middle age posture appeared, wearing an impeccable white suit with a white tie adorned with a pattern that mimicked cow spots. I was ready for the expected look of contemptuous disgust I got from most men as he walked into the room and scanned me. Instead, he smiled, seemingly pleased, and took my hand.
“Carter Hill, CEO of Sunshine Sanctuary Dairy & Derivatives," he introduced himself, kissing my knuckles like a gentleman out of a Victorian novel. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Auble.”
I blushed. I was so moved by his simple kindness and politeness and the lack of disgust in his eyes that I almost missed that he was the actual CEO. If I could record him admitting to any malpractice, that would be the biggest win in the history of investigative activism. I was scared and excited.
And I really had to pee.
Ifeasted on her beauty. By then, I had seen countless pictures of her, seen surveillance footage, and I’d watched her stew in uncomfortable doubt, boredom and uncertainty. That hadn’t prepared me for what it was like to be in her presence. I always prided myself in having self-control, keeping my emotions in check and maintaining a cool head; even so, I found myself struggling to hide my admiration and arousal for the woman in front of me while I interacted with her. Tiffany Thompson was the most gorgeous creature I had ever seen.
“Agent Auble, it’s a pleasure to be with you. I apologize that my duties kept me busy and that I made you wait.”
“That’s quite alright, but, before we continue the tour … This is embarrassing, but…”
The way she hesitated and the way she hunched her thick, curvy body forward to try and resist the urge to clutch her crotch and squeeze her thighs told me everything. I didn’t go to herrescue. I wanted her to ask the question herself. Instead, I tilted my head and waited for her to say it, allowing her to fumble with her words.
“I really need to use the bathroom,” she finally got it out.
“Oh, of course, that will not be an issue,” I said politely. “At the end of the tour, which isn’t very long, I’ll show you the restrooms.”
Before she could object, I placed a hand on the small of her back and guided her away from the green room and into the administrative offices of the company. Most of the work done there wasn’t real work, though even the employees doing it didn’t know that. It was part of an elaborate facade to throw away spies, authorities and curious people. The men and women typing away were being well paid for the task of wasting their days in pretend work and creating distraction and scenery dressing that gave a much-needed veneer of legitimacy to Sunshine Sanctuary’s true business. I made a point of feeding all that carefully constructed theater to ‘Agent Auble’ as we walked by. Just as a concerned CEO would for a Federal Inspector, I used my best and most sympathetic tone to make sure she knew I was comfortable with her being here, not at all suspicious. I hoped that my ease would put her at ease.
“This is our administrative area. We handle purchases of essential supplies, connect with our logistics partners, and have overall control over purchases, sales and, in the rare case of spoilage, that too… It’s important to us not to waste any milk if we can avoid it,” I said.
Then, I gave a long speech about the quality of milk and the importance of animal welfare. It served a trifold purpose; the first part was to not give her time to interject and request a bathroom again, as I wanted her to be focused on her primal need, so her attention to any other detail would be reduced; the second part was to play my part of a concerned CEO trying toimpress without letting the mask slip too soon; the third part was more personal. If I kept talking, I could distract myself at least partially from my intense attraction to her body. I kept stealing glances at her thighs and her cleavage as I felt a primal urge to rip her clothes off and see what was underneath. I barely cared if anyone else saw, as long as I got to touch her. But a beauty like her deserved something better. She deserved to have the proper place to undress. To remove the binding shackles of civilization and humanity and embrace a simpler, more joyful and honest life. The thought of giving it to her made my erection pulse violently against my leg. I had never seen a woman as perfect as Tiffany. She was mesmerized by this persona of mine and my speech, I, too, was mesmerized by her appearance.
Perhaps, I thought with an almost smile,we were truly made for each other. A perfect fit.
Carter Hill was nothing if not a charismatic charmer. His warm smile and approachable posture, despite the fact he was dressed like a company mascot, had me questioning whether or not I was right about Sunshine Sanctuary. At a rational level, I knew that him being polite didn’t prove that his conduct would be above board. Instinctively, it was very hard to imagine someone who came across as so caring and concerned being capable of mounting a shady operation and abusing animals for profit. I tried to remind myself not to judge a book by the cover, but the truth was that most covers didn’t look as good as Mr. Hill.
Mr. Hill was tall, in his early forties, with a dignified, mature and handsome face. He had a square jaw, broad shoulders and perfect posture. His teeth were ivory white and straight as piano keys, and he didn’t waste a chance to flash them as he placed hishand on the small of my back and urged me through the door, out of that damn waiting room.
“Here are our administrative offices. We process requests, contact suppliers, organize deliveries, and make projections so our production can always be close to demand. We don’t want to overproduce our special-quality milk. It would diminish its quality,” he explained as we walked through an area full of cubicles towards a distant door at the end of the hallway.
“That’s very impressive, Mr. Hill. I’m sorry to do this, but I really need to use the washroom.”
“Oh, of course. The tour isn’t long. You’ll have a chance at the end of it,” he said.
Before I could insist, he was talking about the packing plant and how important it was to keep it clean of any contaminants so that they could package their milk without additives. “Cleaner than some surgery rooms,” he assured me.
Again, I found it difficult not to trust his word. He spoke with such conviction and warmth. Perhaps another big factor was that he didn’t give me a single weird look, nor did he do a double take of my spots. He showed no disgust or disdain for me and, most importantly, no pity either. Some men, who weren’t cruel, would still see me as a monster and feel sorry for me. That was only marginally better than being mistreated. Sure, they weren’t insulting me, but they weren’t giving me the courtesy of allowing me to move through the world as a ‘woman.’ The ones that did were rare and far apart. Carter Hill seemed to be one of the latter. Maybe I was biased.
He guided me through a corridor designed for visitors to observe the milk packing plant through a window. Perhaps comparing it to a surgical room had been an exaggeration, but I didn’t remember ever seeing a room that clean, especially one that large. All employees had fully zipped up jumpsuits with gloves and rubber boots, which included a hood and mask, asthey oversaw the treadmill bringing cartons of milk under a large spigot. They watched as milk pumped through at high pressure into each carton before the treadmill advanced, the next moving in, on a continuous rhythm.
“We are currently producing only two thousand units a day. That’s scaled up from our original one thousand goal due to demand. We are very careful in expanding operations, as our number one concern is the quality of life of our milk producers.”
I squeezed my legs, desperate to use the restroom as we moved through the corridor. I sighed, nodding. He was taking me to the animals, I guessed, and I really wanted to see them. That was the whole point of this, but I also really needed to go.
“Mr. Hill, I’m afraid I must insist on a restroom. It’s quite an urgent matter.”
