by Kendra Riley
“Is that what you do to all interns or women you sleep with?”
He sputtered and laughed aloud. “All the women I sleep with? You take me for that kind of guy?”
“I barely know you,” she said defensively.
“And here I thought you had a ripper of a time.” He saw her face look blank. “It’s slang for fantastic, by the way.”
She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She shook her head. “Whatever.”
“Well, did you have a good time, or not?”
“What is this? An after sex survey?” She zipped her backpack up, walking for the bathroom to check if she missed anything. She came back empty handed.
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“So what if I did? Are you going to gloat about it?”
“You’re welcome,” he quickly said. “And no, I won’t gloat about it. I’m not some desperate high schooler—”
“You’re not because you’re used to this.”
“What? Sleeping around?” he shook his head as he folded his sleeping shirt into his bag. He hadn’t moved, watching her just be agitated the whole time. He half-enjoyed it, knowing he had gotten to her, but he didn’t want them to fight, of course. They had only just had a great romp last night, three times. She didn’t seem starved of it, but she seemed thirsty, as was he.
“What makes you think I do that?” he asked her, folding his arms.
“Don’t fold your arms at me,” she said. “And of course I’d think that. I mean, look at you-“
“What about my looks?”
“Oh, you’re just wanting praise. You’re an ass.”
“On the contrary, you happen to have a big one,” he said with a laugh.
“Ha, ha,” Sara said, shaking
“Because you didn’t like it,” he said flatly.
She was about to say something, but she stopped herself.
“Because it’s not professional,” he continued.
“You could say that,” she said in a small voice. “It’s not professional.”
“What am I? Your boss? If you say you didn’t like it, I’ll leave you alone.”
“I’m not saying anything. You’re acting like a kid.”
“And you think you’re not?”
“I just don’t know who to handle stuff like this, okay?” she exploded. “I haven’t… it’s a long story. It’s just not in my system… at least I thought it wasn’t, until you came along.”
“Don’t feel awkward about it,” he said. “We were two consenting adults, we wanted it.”
“I know what consenting means,” she told him drily. “Look, I don’t want this to come between us.”
“Because we’re such good friends?” he said sarcastically.
“Because we work together.”
Actually, we really don’t work together… “Which part about me liking everything about last night don’t you get? It’s easy to tell me if you didn’t like it at all.”
“It’s not easy,” she said, looking away. “I’m not used to this, and you’re so abrasive about it.”
“Abrasive isn’t the term I’d use.”
“You’re so annoying about it then,” she said. “And yes, I liked it.”
He tried not to smile. “See? That wasn’t so hard.”
She sighed. “I don’t know why that happened.”
“We liked each other, that’s all. Well, if you still like me now…” his voice trailed off.
“What’s not to like about you?” she said sardonically.
“A lot, mind you,” he said. “I’m not sorry that happened last night. In fact, I was okay with it, until you made me feel like it wasn’t okay with you.”
“I said I’m not used to this.”
“What? Sleeping with someone?” he frowned. “Dating? I haven’t gotten to that part yet.”
“Relationships like this, I’m not good at it.”
“And you think I’m an expert?” he told her. “I’m just having this conversation with you because I want us to be cool with each other. I want us to be—”
“Friends?” she interrupted him.
“Yes, friends and whatever else comes with it.”
“So you can sleep around without feeling guilty, and you think I’d feel the same?”
“No. I’d like to see how this uh… progresses.”
“Progresses?” she repeated, “like it’s a study of sorts.”
“I know you’re not used to this, and I want to make it easy for me and you.”
“I felt like an easy one last night,” she muttered, and he almost laughed aloud. She saw it and frowned.
“Didn’t know you could crack a joke.”
“I can crack sarcasm.”
“Look,” he said, “I like you as a person. Well, I like what I’m seeing now.”
“Like I said, I’m boring.”
“You’re not boring. You just need a situation wherein you can change to be less awkward about things,” he said.
“And you’re the guy?”
“I’m just the guy that likes you,” he told her. “Let’s talk about this some other time. Meanwhile, you’re my roommate again, and if you don’t want that, just tell me. Now, let’s go.”
He felt a sense of pride, knowing he had handled it far more maturely than he would have assumed. Little did he know that their Kakadu excursion was going to be a whole different level of mature.
Chapter10
“It’s so hot,” Sara found herself murmuring, quickly pulling her shades over to cover her eyes.
“That’s what she said,” Michael chuckled. She shook her head, amused and mildly annoyed at the same time.
She saw the sign before the small cottages that said ‘Hawk Dreaming Wilderness Lodge’. It was ingenuously designed to look like cottages, and she couldn’t help but smile in relief.
“This is normally closed during this season,” Danny told her, “but we asked for government and the tribe’s permission to be here for research purposes.”
“And research we’ll do,” Zac said, walking past them.
She sighed and followed Zac into the tent.
“We’re working together with the aboriginal tribe here,” Zac told her as she entered the room. It was definitely small, but decent and comfortable.
“And you know them?”
“The zoo’s been working with them for over 20 years now,” Zac responded.
Sara nodded, not knowing what else to say. That awkward feeling had begun to abate, but she wasn’t quite sure how she was going to handle another night with her roommate. “What’s tomorrow?”
“A boat ride. We’re getting two boats to check on the terrain. I was told the crocodiles have become aggressive as of late.”
She blinked. “Really?” She wasn’t too comfortable with crocodiles.
“Relax, crocodiles don’t attack humans on purpose. There have been rogue ones, but that’s why we’re working with park rangers tomorrow to make things safer for everyone, and to conserve the park, of course. Just don’t go about swimming in pristine waterholes, no matter how inviting it is, unless we’re all in the clear. Even so, I wouldn’t recommend it.”
“Ah, I feel so confident walking by the shore now. How far away are we from the nearest billabong or river?”
“A good thirty minute hike away from here, so don’t worry, crocs won’t come and drag you by the feet.”
“Uh-huh.”
“You don’t feel like being my roommate?” he asked her. “There’s still time to change your mind.”
She shook her head. “You’re a fairly cool roommate,” she told him.
“I’m not sure how I feel about that, but seeing the day’s hot, I’ll take it.”
She laughed aloud.
“I like it when you laugh. Suits you better,” he told her.
“You’ve said that already before…” her voice trailed off.
“Really? I don’t remember that, but if I have, I guess it only proves it’
s all true then.”
She smiled at him. “Let’s try being professional today.”
“And raunchy in the night?” he grinned.
She smiled coyly. “Whatever floats your boat?”
“Shall we? We have to meet up with the rangers,” he said to her, after taking a deep breath. There was some struggle in his eyes, one she felt as well.
She suddenly remembered how he felt inside her, and all that gyrating and thrusting… She took a long and deep breath as well; this was no place for thoughts like that.
The conversation with the rangers was a long one, and she hadn’t expected the scope was going to be as large as that.
“What do you say, Miss Wright?” one ranger asked her an hour on into the meeting.
“It’s challenging, topography wise. I’ll see what measures we can come up with…” she said, suddenly feeling like a newbie. She was just a tourist/intern, but the ranger was asking her opinion already, apparently believing in what she could do, or suggest at least.
“Great, Mr. Thorpe here will be reporting back to the Department of Environment and Energy once we’re through,” Danny said. “Tomorrow, we’ll move camp. Three with me, Three with you two,” he added, referring to Sara and Zac. “Zac, can we talk about the budget after this? I received an email from Kakadu admin earlier about certain projects.”
She watched as they talked, while she made friends with two aboriginal rangers who had easy-going smiles. She learned in under ten minutes the dangers of their profession and the passion that stemmed from it. Maybe I still lack dedication to this one, after all, she thought.
Did Zac feel the same? He was the jack-of-all-trades and the master of none. She didn’t know what he wanted to specialize in, didn’t know what he actually did at the zoo. But there was one thing she knew—and that was the fact that he was a good lover.
Lover? She almost choked at the thought of it. Lovers were only reserved for people who had strong feelings for each other. Did she? Or was she just some horny intern? Wait, he was horny as well. He made the first move, right? She saw him smile at her from across the room, and she couldn’t help but smile back.
*
The park rangers told stories around the campfire, aboriginal ones, stories passed down from one generation to the next. Sara listened with rapt attention, amazed at the way one ranger told a dreamtime story.
She was never too old for stories, she realized.
“In the beginning,” Solomon began in his soft, accented voice, “Ginga the crocodile, was also a man. It was cold night, and Ginga thought of making a fire before sleeping. The billabong was quiet, like tonight, and he was alone. Warmed by the fire, Ginga was too tired to notice he had rolled into the flames. With his back catching fire, he ran for the water. Fire and water formed the blister-like bumps on his back, and he decided to turn himself into a creature, into the crocodile we know of today.”
“I have a question,” Dalton began, “Do you have names for all of your crocs here?”
There was appreciative laughter from everyone.
“Well, mate,” another ranger named Joel said, “it depends on their popularity. We’ve got Max, massive beast of a croc, nearing five meters in length, we’ve also got one of our rare albino ones, and the biggest one is named Angel, nearly five meters as well, with a missing leg.”
“Any of them in need of solitary confinement?” Michael asked.
“Right, I forgot the lot of you don’t study salties. Well, seeing it’s mating season, they will be aggressive, just stay out of their way, don’t be stupid enough to wade in foot deep water, even. There’s a reason we ban nonmotorized boats, but it doesn’t mean you should be reckless and let your guard down. They jump, and boy can they jump,” Joel told him. Then he broke into a grin, “but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have fun.”
There was nervous laughter, and she knew she was laughing nervously too.
“Alright, we’ve got an early start tomorrow,” Danny told them, “everyone off to the tents.”
Sara stood up from the wooden bench, and she looked at the skies for a moment, marveling at how she could see so many stars, and she could see the Pegasus constellation. She took in a deep breath, and she smiled. Now, that was once in a lifetime—or it had been until she was here.
“You okay?” Zac asked her, pausing behind her.
“Stars,” she told him.
“Venus is at its brightest in a few weeks. We should go to some really dark place…” he paused, “to look at more stars.”
She almost laughed aloud. “Yeah, isn’t that the point?”
“Didn’t know you liked astrology.”
“Would have become part of NASA if biology didn’t make me happy,” Sara told him, walking back to their tent cottage.
“Or an astrologer,” Zac laughed.
“I don’t believe in horoscopes. It’s a hit or miss. Everything’s so generalized.”
“Shh, you wouldn’t want the Bininji to hear that. They’re deeply immersed in everything that involves nature, even the stars.”
“It’s a beautiful culture, and I’m happy to have witnessed it,” she said as an afterthought.
“Yeah, you looked like a kid,” he commented.
“You were pretty well-behaved tonight.” Sara said, looking at him. “No tactless comments or anything.”
“I highly respect this place,” he said in a serious tone. “But, hey since they’re no longer here, I can be my noisy and annoying self again.”
“Please, not tonight. We should be sleeping early. I can’t tolerate that now.”
“Who said I was going to bother you?”
“Who else are you bothering?” she told him, rolling her eyes.
“Ouch,” he pretended to look hurt, and then he held both hands to his heart. “You are way harsh, you know that?”
She rolled her eyes again, then she fluffed up her pillow and pulled down the sheets of her bed to smooth the surface. “Could you turn around? I need to change into pajamas.”
“For real? I saw you naked yesterday,” he said. Then he sighed, “Fine. This isn’t making things easier. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say Danny’s doing this on purpose.”
“How so?”
“I haven’t dated in a while.”
“Why?”
“I just don’t want to,” he replied, turning around. “You happy?”
“Yes,” she said, quickly changing. “Thanks. You can look around again.”
“Nothing much to see, except you,” he said, flopping onto his bed.
“You’re an ass.”
“So I’ve been told. Again.”
“Is that why you don’t get any dates?” she told him wryly.
“You and your generalizations,” he said. “I did get laid earlier.”
“You were lucky,” Sara said, sitting on her bed. There was no air-conditioning, and the screened windows and a rattan ceiling fan provided them with much needed air. “It’s kind of hot…”
“You can take off your clothes, I won’t look,” he joked, then he stopped, seeing the look on her face. “Sara, you really need to lighten up you know.”
“You’re confusing. Like there’s two sides to you. But you’re like a maniac when no one else is around.”
“Are you afraid of me?”
“I can kick your balls, and I’ll feed them to the crocs,” Sara said.
“Ah, death by croc,” he sighed, “I’ll keep my boys, thank you.”
She looked at him for a moment. “You barely tell me anything about yourself.”
“There’s not much to talk about,” he said.
“Well, your name?”
“You mean Zachary?”
“I meant family name.”
“It’s not relevant to the research and surveying we’re about to do.”
“That’s not fair. You know my name.”
“Because you won a scholarship,” he grinned at her. “Shall I turn off the lights or do you sleep
with the lights off?”
“Lights off, please,” she said, suddenly realizing that she had become conscious of her body’s needs. She wanted him again. There was no professionalism there, and it embarrassed her a little—just a little. She didn’t know how to initiate. Maybe this wasn’t the right time. When was the right time?
Sara realized she disliked awakening her sexual urges. This was all Zac’s fault. She had been happily oblivious to that human need and want, until he came along… she took a breath and rolled over to her side, as Zac turned off the light.
The camp had grown quiet, and the seconds ticked into minutes. Sara could hear crickets chirping outside. There was the rustle of wind, and then the world fell silent again. Was he asleep?
“Sara?” his voice suddenly whispered out. “You awake?”
Should I respond? She wondered. She bit her lip for a few seconds. “Yeah.”
“Can’t sleep?”
“Nope.” What excuse could she give? The heat wasn’t unbearable. Maybe it was the fact the he was so close to her again, separated by mere inches and a bed. “Let’s try to get some sleep, though....” her voice trailed off. Yes, that’s right, be a responsible intern, she told herself.
“Yeah, I guess…” his voice trailed off as well. “You excited for tomorrow?”
“I thought we were getting sleep,” she said, sounding irritated.
“Just a conversation, that’s all.”
“Look, do you want to sleep with me or not?” she suddenly blurted out. Sara bit her lower lip again and closed her eyes, frustrated. Damn it, I just had to say that, huh?
“Well, I thought we’d never come to this conversation. And that’s a yes.”
Without another word, Zac slid into her bed, cupping her chin with his hand. He kissed her, a soft and almost chaste kiss. She tasted his minty fresh breath, fresh from brushing his teeth.
“Didn’t think you’d want this again,” he murmured to her.
“What makes you say that?” she asked him, feeling his hand work its way into her blouse.
“You were too sarcastic,” he said, laughing softly.
“Can we get to business?” she said, almost impatiently, trying not to laugh.
“Right.”
Her nipples strained against the fabric of her blouse, and her breathing grew shallow, as he squeezed one breast hard. She felt his muscles, and she held onto them, feeling his biceps harden as he played with her. Her hips started to move as his hands caressed her thighs. His tongue moved down from her open and hot mouth, snaking its way to her abdomen. He licked her navel, and she giggled a little. He continued licking, slowly and surely, nearly reaching her sweet spot.
