Copyright © 2018 by Rosemarie McCants (Editor)
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Some characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
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Title Page
Title: Lady of Way
Subtitle: A Collection of BWWM Romance Short Stories
Editor: Rosemarie McCants
Table of Contents
Copyright
Title Page
Love Ambusher
Cheers of Death
Getting Packed
Delayed Flight
Forbidden Quest
Pursue Her One
Rocky Mountain Romance
Love Ambusher
Description
The world has changed. What used to be hot is hotter, and what used to be hotter is the hottest. Mark Thinn and Vivian Dionte have made it known that they are in love, and everyone knows; among them Mr. Dionte her grandfather, Paul Thinn, Mark’s elder brother, and now Lisa Fellows, a woman whose zeal for nature conservancy exceeds her toleration for poachers; not even the slightest, as Mark finds out the hard way. He is not a poacher, he assures her while walking along a lonely path at night- but poaching of hearts takes place during that brief encounter.
He is in search for that rare life in the wild and that one clear shot which he believes will play a part in his efforts to set the world and the planet back on its course.
Mark loves monochrome photography, borne of disastrous childhood trauma. In his own words,
“Black and white photography strips life to its barest essentials in which reality is an elusive shadow or a direct challenge that we all must face and make decisions based on our take on what it really means to exist and to live.”
His life is perfect. He has a job he’s passionate about, a girl who’s worth his every minute if not second, and now a chance at the coveted Djoser-Wild prize for a photo of a very rare wild animal in its natural habitat.
Nothing ever goes wrong when everything is carefully and perfectly laid out, clear as day…
…until Lisa Fellows flashes into his steady camera lens, his great career, and his perfect love life; she upsets his focus, challenges his zoom choices... and Mark can no longer hit ‘default’ to reset everything. It’s time to try new settings.
Most importantly, Mark has a withdrawal to make. To do that, he must talk to his perfect love, Vivian Dionte.
Chapter 1
Mark crept quietly and stealthily. He stifled an urge to sneeze as his keen eyes followed the scaly creature’s movements. This would perhaps be the only chance he would get to be as close as possible, and he knew it. It will be dark soon; he thought as he fought another urge to sneeze. Damn this place, he cursed silently and making sure that his hand-held camera was primed and ready, pulled himself another half inch. He closed his eyes and waited. A few feet in front of him, the creature continued its search of food.
High above Mark in the tree canopy and also to his left were well-concealed cameras recording the creature’s every movement. Set there a week earlier, Mark had monitored them on his laptop in the comfort of his room at the camp half a mile in the north. It was only after realizing that he had the chance of a perfect close-up that he had decided to sit and wait, for hours, and now his patience was about to pay off. The Djoser-Wild Prize was half a year away, but Mark was taking no chances with the opportunity that had presented itself, now that he and Vivian had decided to give individual love a chance. But now was not the time to think about his relationship with Vivian as it was to think about the animal scurrying around in front of him in search of ants and termites, its choice diet. He opened his eyes. The urge to sneeze was gone, even if for a moment. Fighting cramps from every part of his body, Mark checked the camera in his hands and as silently as he could, crawled another half inch.
The camera he held in his hands would capture the ultimate image, a black and white close-up of pangolin in its relaxed motions. Relaxed because, Mark very well knew, the creature’s defense mechanism was to roll into a ball if threatened or if it sensed danger nearby. He was yet to learn if it was a male or female, because it would have been hard to tell in the waning light. The pangolin, he knew, was an insectivorous mammal with one peculiar characteristic; they were the only known mammals covered with large scales from head to tip of tail, made of keratin.
The pangolin, unaware that its movements were the focus of interest to three cameras and a human being, continued its foraging unassumingly. Mark paused in his crawling for a moment and watched in fascination as the animal clawed at a soil mound. He could have snapped a very good shot from where he was, but he held off taking it. He wanted to be as close as possible. The pangolin, he knew had a very poor sense of vision, but excellent in terms of smells and sounds. Mark had prepared himself accordingly, but to his own nose, the odor he emitted was terrible, more terrible than what pangolins emitted from their butts when marking territories. Drawing in a deep but carefully-controlled breath, Mark crawled another inch, steadied the camera in his hand, and aimed. Just at that moment, several things happened at once.
“Found you! What do you think you’re doing?” A female voice shouted as confusing movements flurried all around Mark. His mind was unable to comprehend what was happening. Mark felt dizzy as he scrambled up too quickly, after having been in a horizontal position for hours. He staggered and had to grab onto a tree trunk to find his balance.
“You’re even drunk! How many have you captured?” It was the same voice, and Mark’s confused mind detected it to be coming from his right. Head clutched in his hands to fight sudden nausea, he turned. Her eyes were the first thing he noticed, set on a dark face and blazing in the fast-approaching darkness. In her hand was a large stick, held in a defensive position. Mark, despite his initial confusion at how fast it had all exploded, was beginning to understand what was going on. He held up a hand to allay her fears, and to perhaps prevent her from whacking him with the stick she was now waving menacingly.
“Do not try anything,” she hissed, “And drop that weapon you have around your neck.”
“Lady… ah… listen, I’m not what you think I am…”
“I said, do not try anything smart or stupid, and drop whatever it is you have around your neck!”
“No, that’s not what you said,” Mark smiled as his dizziness passed, and he could stand unsupported, “And I’m not a poacher... I’m not hunting for animals.” Inwardly, he rebuked himself for having been careless with his safety. The rangers at the campsite where he was staying had informed him that a group of ‘nature fanatics’ as they had described them had checked in earlier that week. The cause of the whole furor was the discovery of pangolin scales items of clothing one year earlier that someone had tried to sneak into the country. Mark, knowing that the animal was on the endangered species’ list, had joined in the condemnations that followed; it had been one of the reasons he had decided to enter into the Djoser-Wild contest for a close-up photo of pangolin in its natural habitat.
“This is the last warning- I’m not going to say it again!”
Despite the emphasis put in those words, Mark knew she would not do anything rash unless she deemed him to be a threat. Had she meant it, she would have whacked him already.
“Okay,” he raised his hands, though he doubted whether she could see his every movement in the dark, “Unsl
inging my camera…”
“Drop it to the ground..!” the woman commanded. Mark hesitated, defiance in his body language,
“What- no! I’m not going to drop my camera to the ground!”
“I said, drop it to the ground- I will not repeat myself! I’ll call in the units!”
“What?” Mark peered at the darkness in front of him through squinted eyes to try and better see the nature protector, “What are you?”
“I’m a Pangotector- drop your weapon to the ground and turn around, with your hands where I can see them..! Units come in..!”
“Lady, it’s dark, and I’m not daft. Are the ‘units’ you are calling telepathic? You have no radio on you.” Despite himself, Mark burst out laughing as he slowly and carefully set his camera on the ground. He took a step forward, and the woman took two backward,
“Listen, I’m not a poacher, and I’m not dangerous- I’m not a threat, okay?” The woman said nothing, but she waved the stick threateningly.
“Look, I have a phone in my car a short distance from here- we can call at the campsite, and they’ll tell you that I was supposed to be here.” The woman still remained quiet, but the stick in her hand lowered a fraction. When Mark took another step towards her, she did not raise or wave it, but once again, she did take two steps backward.
“I have cameras rigged in this place…”
“You were stalking that pangolin when I approached,” her voice was no longer commanding, “You had a weapon pointed at it..!”
“We can spend the night here debating, or we can go to my car so that I can prove I’m who I say I am..!” Mark’s patience was beginning to wear thin.
“You haven’t said who you are,” Mark could no longer discern her form in the dark, “And I’m not naïve to accompany you to your car just to prove what you’re saying.”
“The other option is to waste each other’s time here if that is what you prefer.” He threw up his hands.
“Whose time? I can leave any moment I want,” she replied, “You can’t because I’m holding you hostage until…”
“…until the units who had your telepathic call arrive?” Mark laughed again, “I’m shaking.”
“Quit mocking me,” Mark sensed the imploration in her voice, “Please.”
“Then understand and believe me when I tell you that I’m not a poacher,” he said affably, “And it is getting dark.”
“Well…” She hesitated. Mark, peering through squinted eyes, had to listen keenly to her voice as the dark had finally triumphed over the place, “You will walk in front of me with arms at your sides where I can see them… try anything smart or stupid…”
“How many cop movies have you watched?” he interrupted her as he approached, totally disregarding her order as he rummaged through his trouser pockets. Finding what he was looking for, he took it out- it was a small flashlight. He switched it on, and through the barely adequate light it provided located the small track that had led him to that particular spot and started walking. Behind him he heard hurrying footsteps. He held his hands at his sides and increased his pace.
“What are you doing?” The woman panted behind him. He slowed but did not stop, “Walking in front of you with my hands at my sides, where you can see them.”
“That’s not what I meant- can we share your light?”
“How?” He slowed further, but the woman was still having a hard time catching up with him and also taking care not to trip and fall, “It’s not divisible.”
“What a callous man,” Mark smiled in the dark at her remark. “I had started to trust you, but now I’m beginning to hate you! Share your pathetic light please!” He stopped suddenly, and she bumped into him.
“Hell! What is wrong with you?” She slapped the air in front of her, one or two of the slaps finding their mark.
“I’m hurrying to get back to camp. I don’t know where you’re headed. You told me to walk in front. I obeyed, and now you assault me. What do you want?” He shone the light in her face, but she turned away quickly, but not before Mark had noticed the bristling look she was giving him, “Good thing your eyes cannot emit fire. How lucky I am.” He resumed walking, though not as fast as before.
“What a fool,” he heard her mutter behind him, “First you… you… then you… you… damn you, whoever you are!”
“Well,” He laughed, “I was… then I… and afterward I… in which you…” he laughed louder, his laughter echoing through the trees. They were still a long way off, he knew, and if what was hurrying behind him was what he had to endure for the remaining distance, it was better if he attempted some civility.
“What is your name?” He asked. There was no answer. “Do you have a name- oh, apologies I remember you told me.” Still no answer. Mark could feel her incinerating look on his back as she hurried on behind him. “I’m about to stop walking, so, just a warning in case you bump into me again.” He said as he slowed and finally stopped. He turned and shone the flashlight at her, aiming at her feet, legs, and lower torso. She had stopped too. She had sandals on, he noticed, though what type he didn’t know. But her toes peered beautifully out of the front, and her nails were unpainted. She wore tight jeans whose color it was hard to determine in the weak flashlight and a woolen sweater covering her heaving bosom. She had her arms across her chest. He watched her for a moment, “Wanna rest?” he asked kindly, “You are out of breath.”
“Damn you,” she cursed quietly but with enough forceful venom, “You’re enjoying this.”
“What?”
“You keep the light to yourself and then when it suits you, you check me out.”
“I’m uncomfortable with you walking behind me,” he said defensively, “But if you prefer you can walk in front. I don’t mind.”
“But then you’ll check my ass to your heart’s or lust’s content.”
“Listen, Pangonoter- is that your name? I may be a lot of things, but not that. Feel free to accuse me of anything else but that- trying to take advantage of your vulnerability, no. And no.”
“I’m sorry…” she must have sensed a hint of hurt in his defense, “But I’m still uncomfortable around you, and I’m yet to see your face.”
“Here…” he shone the flashlight full in his own face with his eyes closed, “If I look into the light, I’ll be blind for a while,” he explained as the woman observed him. “Satisfied?” he swung the light away from his face.
“Barely, you were too fast.”
“We can always go another round, to your full satisfaction,” he smiled and through the darkness noticed a flash of white from where he deduced her mouth to be, “As many times as you want.”
“You may wear me out,” she reciprocated, “If it’s from one angle.”
“Oh,” he shone the flashlight on his chin, “Tell me when you’ve had enough.” He played the light around his face with his eyes once again closed and imagined her taking in his looks unashamedly. The thought had a lusty feel to it. He then began lowering it- and felt cool hands make contact with his. He did not resist when feminine fingers gently pried his loose and the flashlight exchanged hands.
“Do not open your eyes,” she sounded close, “It’s an order,” He obeyed. He could also detect the smile in her words, and he felt the light playing around his face. Through his eyelids he could ‘see’ the light waving about. Then it was all dark. He started opening them…
“Wait until I tell you to open them,” she stopped him. He could tell that she was checking the whole of him out, from his photo jacket to his cargo pants and hiking boots. He thought she was taking too long, but then she tapped his arm. He opened his eyes carefully, in case she decided to shine the light into them… but she had the small flashlight pointed to the ground. She held it out to him. He took it and started to turn- but she stopped him, “It’s only fair,” she took a step back, “Take your time with me.” Just as she had permitted him, he took his time to take her all in.
Feeling like a naughty boy with raging
hormones, Mark aimed the light at her face. Beautiful was the first word that came to his mind. She had very smooth dark-complexioned skin. Just like him, she kept her eyes closed, but a smile peeked through her full lips. Mark wondered if they were as soft as they looked. He then shone the light on her body. Well-shaped, he thought, and no thigh gap. The light lingered there for a while. A familiar throb was beginning to alert Mark to the temptation standing there on a forest track with him, but his reasoning was also alert. It was dark. He opened his mouth to tell her to open her eyes, but hesitated. He had to see that face again. When he shone the light on it again, she had her eyes open. She smiled when he took a step backward, “You know I could feel where the light lingered the most,” she said accusingly as Mark stood aside to let her pass.
“Oh,” he followed her, adjusting his pace to match hers, “I made sure to give each part an equal chance. None was favored more than the others.”
“You sure?”
“Me sure,” he joked, “They all make one very beautiful package.”
“Your opinion. Not bad yourself. All the components are well-balanced, though some cannot be judged at the moment…”
“True. For how long are you staying at the base camp?”
“We- the group I am with- we’re leaving tomorrow. You?”
“Now that my chance at taking that photo was ahem… challenged…”
“You’ll stay longer?”
“I’ll make another attempt, so yeah. Oh, here’s the road. My car should be a few meters ahead. I’m curious- how did you get here?” Now that they were on the dirt road and walking side by side, he turned to her as he asked.
“Let’s not probe that please,” she glanced at him, “I need to re-think a few of my decisions concerning wildlife conservation methods.”
“Like ambushing innocent photo…”
“Please?” she slowed a little, “I messed up, I made a fool of myself, and now here I am walking side by side with a strange man who has just taken his time to…”
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