My breathing ramped up at the thought of what Adam might mean. “Well, I…okay, well, I see I’ve got a lot to learn. Can I see where I’ll be staying? I have a duffel bag in my car.”
*
Past the two red barns, down a gravel path snaking its way through the long grass at the edge of the heavy forest, stood a large grey building with the word BUNKHOUSE burnt into a slab of brown wood attached beside the door.
I followed Adam inside.
“This is the bunkhouse where the service members and the stable hands are housed.”
I nodded, hoisting my duffel bag and looking around at the tidy space. The bunkhouse smelled clean and looked cozy. Bunkbeds lined the opposite walls of the small room. Straight ahead of me a ladder led up to a loft area where a few mattresses could be seen. Personal items were scattered on some bunks, and others were tightly made up and looked like no one had claimed them for a time.
“There’s room for up to twelve people to sleep comfortably in here although usually there are only six ponyboys and four stable hands.” He pointed past the last of the bunkbeds to the left. “See the door?”
“Yeah.”
“Those are the showers. There are toilets and urinals in there as well. It’s kept well-stocked with shampoo and all the necessities. We have cleaners in here every day to keep the showers clean, and they sweep and tidy the main room every few days.”
I hadn’t expected anything fancier than this. But I also hadn’t prepared to be in close contact with so many kinky and athletic young men. I wondered at the wisdom of housing us all under one roof.
Something suddenly occurred to me. “Are there any female ponyboys here? I mean, ponygirls?”
Adam shook his head. “Not here. At our sister ranch. The woman behind our ranch and our sister ranch decided it was safer and made more sense to set up two different clubs, one with male ponyboys and one with female ponygirls. Mixing the two together didn’t seem wise and left us open to some legal vulnerabilities we didn’t want to deal with. In a stable of only male ponyboys or only female ponygirls, we don’t have to worry about unexpected biological events occurring, if you get my meaning.”
“Ah. Yes, I see.” Housing young men and women together might be tricky in all sorts of ways, and I admired the BCR for finding a solution. Why own one kinky ranch when you could own two?
“We normally only hire male stable hands for this reason. However, right now we do have a wonderful female stable hand with us. She stays at the house.”
I felt tempted to ask if I could stay at the house too. But Adam had already been very accommodating, and I didn’t need any more favors. I could handle the bunkhouse. I’d have to adapt.
“We have both male and female trainers. The trainers are not encouraged to fraternize with the ponyboys although they do perform some sexual functions as part of the job. These functions do not involve intercourse, which is strictly off limits. For the trainers.”
“Oh.” Adam had implied that as a stable hand I was free to pursue a sexual or romantic relationship with another stable hand or a ponyboy. My head began to swim again, and I needed to sit down.
“Anyway, you’ve taken in a lot of information, Jensen. I’m sure you’re exhausted from the drive and from all you’ve learned today. Take some time to settle in. Supper is at the main house at six. I’ll see you then.” Adam turned to leave and then swiveled. “Oh, one other thing. I need your phone.”
I blinked. “Huh?”
Adam smiled. “BCR policy. No one carries personal devices. Everyone’s phones are kept locked up at the main house, and may be accessed whenever needed, but only within the main house.”
I fished in my back pocket and handed my phone over. I’d been dying to call Mitchell, but that conversation could wait. I’d already said I would stay and give the job a try, which was what I expected Mitchell had wanted all along. I knew my friend wouldn’t have recommended the place if he hadn’t thought I would do well here. But I looked forward to chewing the guy out at some point for keeping all this a secret.
Adam took the phone and nodded. “The staff communicates with walkie-talkies,” he said, tapping the black device hooked on his belt. “I’ll have one for you when you take over from Brian. You won’t need one before then because you’ll be working under close supervision.”
“Okay.”
“There are too many security and privacy issues to worry about photos and videos getting out. Plus, the ponyboys like to fully immerse themselves in the goings-on at the ranch and prefer not to have the distractions of their home lives.”
I nodded. “Fair enough.”
“See you at supper.”
I dropped my duffel bag to the floor, gathered my resources, and then held out my hand. “Thank you for this opportunity, Adam. I won’t let you down.”
Adam smiled and shook my hand. “I’m not worried. I think you’ll fit in quite nicely.”
Finally, I was alone in the quiet of the bunkhouse. There were two things I absolutely needed to do in the next hour. One, I needed to jerk off. And two, I needed to lie down. Then, if I could snag a half-hour nap, I’d be ready to face the rest of the day.
I set my bag on the nearest unoccupied bunk and headed for the door Adam had said led to the showers and toilets.
