“Are you cold? Would you like a jacket?” he asked. Mills giggled and I gave her a stern look.
“No, thank you. I just got chilled.” I was surprised I managed to choke those few words out. I was normally a strong and confident woman, but here, right now, I felt tongue-tied and awkward. What is he doing to me? I blame everything that happened between us on the beer. The guy on the other side of me, Matthew, brought me out of my swoon-filled haze by asking me a few questions about Singh. “So, are you a marine biologist like Gabe?”
“No, I’m not a marine biologist. I just train and ride the dolphins. I work with the head trainer, Bobbie Jo. She’s taught me a lot about handling Singh and until I started working with her, I had no idea that dolphins were so smart—and strong.”
“Really? What tips would you give someone who wanted to ride like you do?” Matthew pushed his gold-rimmed glasses back on his nose. I didn’t detect any mockery in his tone. I thought he was genuinely interested, so I gave him the best answer I could.
“You’d better have strong thighs.”
Someone spurted out a drink and Matthew laughed at my answer. “What do you mean?”
Before I could clarify what I meant, Gabe jumped in. “These animals have very robust bodies and they’re nothing but pure muscle, really. Unlike other animals you ride, there are no harnesses, no reins—all the direction the animal gets comes from your legs, the thighs.”
“Aren’t they trained to swim a circuit?” Matthew asked.
I put my hand on Gabe’s to let him know I wanted to answer this one. “Yes, they are, but Singh is so smart that sometimes he has his own ideas about where he should swim. I just coax him along.” I moved my hand back and reached for the napkin in my lap. I didn’t want to send the wrong signal here.
“Sounds like you two know what you’re talking about. I look forward to the gala. You’ll be performing?”
“Yes, and I’m really nervous about it.”
“Well, I’ll be there and I’m sure you’ll be great. Here’s to Pepper!” Cecelia lifted her wine glass, I raised mine and the rest of the guests followed suit.
“Thanks! I hope to see you all there.”
Suddenly, I felt Gabe’s hand reach for mine under the table. He squeezed it and smiled at me. I squeezed back then let his hand go. I already had a plan of how I might be able to see him later. I didn’t know if it would be possible, but I really hoped so. I needed to hold him again.
Chapter Six — Gabe
I stood by the window in my office and watched Tracee and Pepper work the dolphins together. It was obvious to me who had the better skills. Pepper was a more graceful rider, but they’d both put in a lot of hours of hard work and it showed. I couldn’t help but admire Pepper’s body, her hard nipples showing through her bathing suit top, and that ass…that round, sweet ass. She was my fantasy girl. Uninhibited, sexy, and she seemed to like it when I took charge. Like she wanted me to pound her pussy like that. I sighed, but decided to get back to work to take my mind off her since my cock was starting to get hard.
I stuck my hands in my pockets to try to stop the growing bulge in my pants and watched the two riders just a few seconds more. Both girls were natural competitors, and I was glad to see the two of them working together so well. I was lost in my thoughts when I felt two cold hands slide over my eyes.
“Guess who?”
“Let’s see…Mom? No…Bobbie Jo…?”
“No! You punk! Don’t tell me you don’t know!” I turned and saw Sophie’s familiar face, busting me in my dirty thoughts. She playfully punched my arm.
“You never forgot that, did you?” Sophie and I had a lot of inside jokes because we were two children of parents who liked being away from home—a lot. I couldn’t remember how many times we’d all gotten together for our parents’ planning sessions. They used to go on safaris, trips, tours, you name it, but now, it was mostly philanthropic. When Sophie’s father died about five years ago, her mother stopped traveling and did all her work locally. Still, we had a past together. Sophie was tall—taller than me by an inch—but she was so feminine and curvy, it was easy to forget. She had long, dark, silky hair like her mother’s and large, hazel brown eyes and the most perfect skin. She’d come close to marriage twice before, but both times she’d changed her mind at the last minute. Maybe they just weren’t her Mr. Right.
Our parents made no secret of the fact that they would have loved for us to get together as a couple, but I guess we weren’t meant to be. There was one summer where there had been some tension between us and I thought it might have led somewhere, but then she started dating Bruce and I stepped back. After that, I never got the idea that she cared about me as anything other than a brother. That was kind of nice since I had no siblings or cousins. The past couple of years, she’d spent a lot of time in the UK where she’d started a marketing company and she had a soft, mixed accent now that only made her more attractive.
“What are you looking at down there?” She stood beside me, crossed her arms and grinned. “Oh, I see. The dolphin girls. Two new interns? Which one do you fancy? Let me guess?” And after a minute she said, “The blonde one. Am I right?”
I smiled back at her and said, “Stop that, Soph.”
She gave me a knowing look, then it was down to business. “Let’s get started, shall we? We’ve got a lot of work to do. I’ve come up with some ideas, but before I show them to you, can you give me a tour so I can get a better picture in my mind? It’s been so long since I’ve stopped by here.”
We began with the main aquarium hall, which was part of the facility that had aquariums along three walls and a few free-standing displays in the center. I thought it would be perfect to have the majority of the activities here, and Sophie agreed. Eventually, we made it out to the pool decks and I asked Bobbie Jo to run a rehearsal of the show so Sophie could see it.
“Sure! Hey, Sophie! Long time no see!” Bobbie Jo went up to Sophie and gave her a hug, then she said, “We can run them again, but just to let you know that Singh is acting up a little today. I don’t think he’s crazy about having Abu in his tank, but it should be okay.”
“All right, let’s see it.”
“Hey, everyone! Let’s start from the top, okay?” Bobbie Jo yelled in her typical gruff fashion. David jogged behind the presentation stand while Martin gathered Singh and Abu’s pool toys.
Pepper and Tracee stood at the side of the pool and clapped the animals as they arrived, right on cue. I felt Pepper watching me and I tried not to stare back at her in her purple bathing suit. She looked beautiful, of course, even with wet hair and no makeup. I had to admit—even if it was only to myself—Pepper was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. She was like a Greek goddess, with golden skin and a perfect, athletic body. The memories of our escapades filled my mind and made me want her even more. She’d been very discreet and kept our secret, but I didn’t know if I could so well.
Pepper and Tracee eased into the water and took their positions. The girls slid onto the backs of the dolphins and rode around the perimeter of the pool in opposite directions. Right before they crossed paths, the girls would dismount and the dolphins would leap into the air and come down with a splash. It wasn’t anything dangerous, as long as the timing was right. The swim around the pool went smoothly enough, but as they approached one another, Singh appeared to speed up and rose faster than he should have before Pepper had a chance to dismount properly. I got worried when she seemed to lose her balance and come down at a strange angle. I was even more shocked when I saw her head hit the side of the pool and she sunk under the water. Bobbie Jo screamed, then David ran past me and jumped into the water to pull Pepper to the surface. I ran to the side to help him get her out of the pool and we carefully laid her on the tiles. She appeared to be unconscious and had an obvious bump on the side of her head.
“Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Is she okay?” Tracee was freaking out as Bobbie handed her a towel and she wrapped it around her body.
>
“She’s not breathing. We need to give her CPR now.” David adjusted Pepper’s head and immediately gave her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
“Come on, Pepper, breathe! Bobbie Jo, Call 911, quick!” She already had her phone to her ear and gave me a nod that she was on it. I watched David give Pepper CPR for a few more seconds and I was just about to shove him out of the way and do it myself when suddenly, Pepper gasped and sputtered, water spewing out of her mouth. We turned her onto her side and put a towel under her head, then everyone breathed a sigh of relief. I held her hand, and David grinned down at her and she gave us a weak smile.
She coughed up some more water and I rubbed her back. “What happened? Why am I on the floor?” she whispered in a gravelly voice.
I grabbed one of the towels from behind the presentation stand and covered her up.
Bobbie Jo flipped her phone shut and looked nervous. “The ambulance is on the way. Thank goodness she’s okay. Tracee…let’s get the animals put away. Can you help me?”
“Sure, BJ.”
I pulled her hair out of her face while David rubbed Pepper’s hands. She kept her eyes closed against the bright sun. “Ow, my head hurts.”
“Just lie still until the ambulance comes,” David said firmly.
“I’m still. Can you call my daddy, please?”
“I can do that,” I said. “Be back in a minute.” I ran up to my office to find his number from the list of donors and called Mr. Anderson to tell him about the accident.
“What? Pepper’s hurt? Have them take her to Cedar, please. I know people there and I’ll get over as soon as I can.”
“Okay, I’ll tell the ambulance driver. I’m sure she’s going to be okay, though. Looks like just a bump.” By the time I got back, the ambulance was on the scene and they loaded Pepper onto a gurney. I passed on the instructions from Mr. Anderson to the driver, then David climbed into the back with Pepper and the doors closed behind them. As I watched them drive away, I felt Sophie lean on my shoulder.
“Tough break, huh. I hope that won’t be in the show.”
“Something must have happened to upset Singh. He’s never acted aggressively like that before. He loves Pepper. I’d better get to the hospital and make sure she’s okay.”
“I think she has her white knight with her, but you probably should, since you’re the boss. I’ll ride with you. Just let me pop upstairs and get my purse. I think I left it in your office.”
“I’ll bring the car around to the front and meet you there.” Sophie took longer than I would have liked, but I knew Pepper would be okay. At least, I hoped so.
“I don’t suppose you have to worry about her suing you, right?”
“No, I doubt that. Pepper’s not poor. I mean, she doesn’t need the money. She’s kind of a celebrity around here. You’ve never heard of Pepper Anderson?”
Her brown eyes widened. “That was Pepper Anderson? God, I didn’t even put the two of them together. I mean, that was…wow! She was not who I thought she was. How did you ever talk her into riding a dolphin?”
“I didn’t have to talk her into anything. She wanted to do it. I just hope to God she’s okay.”
“Yeah, she probably is.” She took a lipstick out of her purse and swiped it across her lips. Sophie was beautiful, but I was more worried about Pepper. “So, did she just show up one day and say, ‘Hey, I want to ride a dolphin’?”
“Hardly. When she first started, I don’t think she was happy about being here at all. She’d gotten into some trouble with the paparazzi. They followed her everywhere, snapping away, and in some of those photos she happened to be topless. Her dad asked me to help her out—try to keep her out of trouble. I offered her an internship and here we are.”
“That’s quite a story. Is she high-maintenance? Kind of a diva? I’ve heard that she is.”
“I wouldn’t say that. I think she’s naïve about a lot of things, but she’s worked as hard, if not harder, than the rest of the crew. I don’t know, maybe she feels like she’s got something to prove or she’s finally found something that she loves doing.”
“So her and the blond kid, the one that looks like a lifeguard, are they dating? Is that why you aren’t stepping up? It’s so obvious you like her. At least to me, it is.”
I kept my eyes on the road but managed to give her a sideways look. I wasn’t about to toss her the bone that she was so obviously fishing for. After all, although we’d kissed a couple of times and had great sex on the boat, I still hadn’t asked her out, so we weren’t officially an item. “I have no idea who she’s dating,” I replied, though I hoped she’d be dating me very soon.
“I see. Here come the lies. You don’t want to tell me. That’s okay, Gabe, but don’t forget, I’ve known you a long time. I know you.”
We turned off the highway on to the road to the hospital and I was taken aback by her direct conversation.
“What lies?” I asked. I had no idea what Sophie was referring to since I hadn’t actually lied about Pepper and me—I wasn’t dating her…yet. I quickly thought back to our past and wondered if I’d ever lied to her before. How could she know I was holding back on her?
“You haven’t changed a bit, Gabe. You like her and for whatever reason, you aren’t going after her. You know, you have a habit of doing that.”
“What?” I laughed incredulously. “What are you talking about?”
“Well…” She ran her manicured finger over the seat belt slowly. “You liked me and you never did anything about it. I’d hate for you to repeat that mistake. Sometimes you just have to go for it, Gabriel Gregory.”
If she only knew…Pepper and I had already gone for it. I couldn’t let myself admit it, but I was becoming addicted to Pepper—maybe even falling in love with her.
And God knows…I wasn’t about to admit that.
Chapter Seven — Pepper
“Gabe? Where’s Gabe?” I asked anyone who happened to be listening. My head pounded like I’d been on a three-day drunk and I lay there, unsure of where I was as I fought to stay awake. I felt so dreamy—like I was floating out of my body—then I slowly opened one eye and thought I saw the silhouette of a human. I tried to open the other one but it wouldn’t move. It felt so heavy, as though something was holding it closed, and I struggled to move. My lungs burned inside me. I closed my eyes again and all I heard was a strange beeping noise—then it stopped…
“Gabe?” I whispered. “Is Gabe here?” but no one answered me. Is anybody here? Oh God, am I hallucinating? Am I drunk?
Someone held my hand. “Pepper. Pepper, wake up.”
I opened my eyes and as they got used to the bright light, I saw my dad standing there, patting my hand. “Hey, are you okay?”
I was about to say, “Yes,” but suddenly, I felt sick to my stomach. I moaned a little and thought I was going to throw up. After a few minutes when my eyes had finally focused on my surroundings, I opened my mouth and whispered, “Daddy?”
“Yes, baby. I’m here.”
I wanted to ask him if Gabe was with him, but the words wouldn’t come out.
“Pep, baby. Don’t try to talk, okay? You’ve hit your head and you’re on pain killers. Lift your finger if you can hear me, sweetheart.”
I lifted my finger and saw Daddy smile. He still looked a little blurry and I felt like I was under water. My head was so numb, but after a few minutes I started to come out of the fog and I realized where I was—in the hospital with an IV in my arm.
“Am I okay? Is Gabe here?”
Daddy patted my hand again to soothe me. “Yes, baby. You’re going to be okay. David’s in the waiting room. He rode with you in the ambulance.”
I squinted up at my dad. “Gabe rode with me?” I could barely get the words out, but I was getting better and clearer as the minutes passed.
“No, honey. David did. Shall I get him?”
“Yeah, I guess so. I’m so tired.”
“It’s the medicine. You should probably sleep it
off.”
“Is Gabe here?” I put my hand up to my head and felt the bandages. I didn’t know what to do first, cry or throw up. I’d never been in an accident like this before and I’d never been taken to hospital in an ambulance. I wondered how seriously I’d been hurt and I felt so helpless. “Oh, Daddy. I’m sorry. I’ve asked you that already.”
“Yes, you have, honey. Hold on a second. I’ll be right back.” Dad walked out into the hallway and brought David back with him.
“Thank God, you’re awake. I was so worried about you.” I noticed David’s t-shirt was so obviously too small for him, but I didn’t care. I was just glad to see him.
“Yeah, I’m okay. Thanks for helping me out,” I said and he smiled back at me.
Daddy asked, “Can you tell us what happened, David? Pepper can’t remember much at the moment.”
David told us the whole story, using his favorite surfing metaphors, like, “She totally curled up and then wham, she wiped out.”
“So, it was the animal’s fault?”
“I guess so.” David shrugged. “He’s never done that before, though. Maybe we practiced a little too long today. We had the other dolphin in the tank as well, and Tracee was there, too. Singh—that’s the dolphin we’re talking about—he doesn’t like either one of them.”
“Well, that’s it, then. No more dolphin rides for you, Pepper. I think you’ve done enough there. No more Sea Lab. You’re finished there.”
I was shocked that my dad had said that, and I sat up—a little too quickly as it turned out, because the nausea swept over me again. “No, Daddy! I can’t quit. You wanted me to do this in the first place and I’m doing it. They need me. You heard David, it was an accident.” I was ready to cry at the thought of leaving Singh behind. I knew it would come to an end someday, but I wasn’t ready for that yet.
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