Playing the Game

by Graysen Morgen

  “Oh, she has jokes,” Randi replied sarcastically, smiling at her friends.

  *

  The ride out to Berkeley’s property took about thirty minutes. Randi was glad she’d left her car behind when they pulled off the main road in front of an old metal cattle gate that led to a dirt road. Berkeley got out and unlocked the gate, then she pulled the truck through and relocked it. The truck bounced and weaved as Berkeley drove slowly.

  “Your beamer would’ve never made it,” Jorja laughed.

  “No kidding,” Randi agreed.

  “It’s not all like this. The trails are just dirt and mud. We put the gravel in to make somewhat of a road that won’t get washed out in a rainstorm,” Berkeley said as the road came to an end in a small clearing that looked like a campsite. There was a 10 by 12 concrete slab with a large picnic table in the middle and a park-style metal grill attached to a pole stuck in the ground nearby. Four large wooden posts held a wooden roof over the slab to offer some shelter from rain or the sun. Another truck with a trailer was parked close by. Berkeley pulled up alongside it and shut her truck off.

  “We have coffee and donuts!” Garrett exclaimed as the women got out of the truck.

  “Come on, let me introduce you to my best friends,” Berkeley said, walking over to the picnic table where Dena was pouring boxed coffee into metal travel mugs.

  “Help yourself. Everything is hot and fresh. There are several types of donuts, so have at it,” she said.

  Berkeley reached into the box, retrieving a blueberry pastry. “Dena, this is Randi, Jorja, and Sasha. Ladies, these are my best friends, Dena, a paramedic for Richey Fire Department, and GT, an officer with Richey Police Department.”

  “GT?” Sasha questioned.

  “His name is Garrett Tamayo, but she either calls him GT or Tomato. He calls her Ward. I think I’ve heard them use their first names maybe three times, and I’ve known them a while,” Dena said with a smile.

  Randi, Sasha, and Jorja helped themselves to coffee and a donut while Berkeley and Garrett unloaded the quad and the ATV, parking them beside the other two ATVs. As soon as they’d finished, Dena walked over, handing Berkeley one of the filled mugs.

  “She hasn’t taken her eyes off you,” she whispered.

  “Which one?” Garrett laughed.

  Berkeley rolled her eyes. “Who’s ready to ride?” she asked, walking back over.

  “Ready when you are,” Sasha replied, grinning from ear to ear. “I’ll ride with you.”

  “I’ll take one of you with me, and Dena can take the other,” Garrett said, handing them the two extra helmets he’d brought to Sasha and Jorja. Berkeley had two helmets with her, so she handed her extra one to Randi.

  “Come on, Randi. You can ride with me,” Dena said, walking towards her red ATV.

  “Sweet!”

  “Sasha, you ready?” Berkeley asked, nodding towards her yellow machine.

  “Uh, yeah,” she replied sarcastically.

  Garrett and Jorja had already gotten into his blue ATV and were waiting for the others.

  “I won’t be able to hear anything, so if you need something, just tap my arm,” Berkeley said as she settled into the seat and pulled the shoulder straps of the seatbelt harness together to secure them.

  “Sounds good. This is awesome,” Sasha squealed.

  Berkeley laughed and started the engine. “GT, you copy?” she said into her helmet.

  “Loud and clear. Babe, you hear us?”

  “Got you both,” Dena answered.

  One thing they’d invested in was helmets with radio systems for the three of them in case anyone ever got lost or needed help.

  “Let’s take them over Wolf Pass and down to the gulch,” Berkeley said.

  “Got it,” Dena replied.

  “You lead. I’ll bring up the rear,” Garrett said.

  “Roger,” Berkeley said, stomping the gas pedal. The two-seater machine took off at breakneck speed, throwing a small rooster tail from the thick, knobby tires.

  The other two sped off behind her as they raced up a trail that would around, climbing up over a thousand feet to a flat cliff, before dropping down the other side into a v-shaped clearing.

  Sasha threw her hands up in the air like she was on a rollercoaster ride, then quickly grabbed the handle in front of her as they whipped around a turn. She had no idea how fast they were going, but the feeling rushing through her body was like nothing she’d ever felt before.

  *

  Randi wanted to be riding with Berkeley, but she was better off away from her. She had no doubt Sasha was eating up every minute of the wild ride next to Berkeley, but she was getting the same thrill. She even screamed a few times, more from excitement than being scared, but the ride was a little hair-raising. Dena handled the ATV like a boss, whipping around corners and jumping over hills as they sped around the rugged terrain full of pine trees, rolling valleys, and steep canyons.

  Once they entered a wide valley between two cliffs, the machines came to a stop. Everyone took off their helmets.

  “Holy shit!” Sasha said, still trying to catch her breath.

  Berkeley laughed. “Everyone make it okay?”

  “That was insane!” Jorja yelled.

  “Yeah, I’m pretty sure this voids our contracts with the team,” Randi chuckled.

  “This is Pine Gulch. Early in the morning, we sometimes see mountain lions up on the cliffs. I wanted to get out here early enough to see if we could see anything,” Berkeley said.

  “Wow. That’s crazy,” one of the girls muttered in amazement.

  “We’ll sit quiet and wait around here for a few minutes. If we don’t see anything, we’ll move on and slow things down a bit, show you some of our beautiful land.”

  *

  After an hour of riding around, the ATV drivers headed back to ‘camp’ as they called it. Everyone was ready for more coffee and donuts, and the machines needed to be refueled. While Garrett went to work topping off the tanks, Dena poured the coffee.

  “Would you like to see more of the property?” Berkeley asked, stepping up next to Randi. “I need to go check the water level in the creek.”

  “Sure,” she replied.

  “We have to take the quad. The ATVs are too wide. We’re working on cutting a new trail, but it’s taking longer than we planned.”

  Randi nodded and followed her over to the yellow quad.

  “Are you going to check the water?” Garrett asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “Check the new trail, too. With storm season coming, we need to make sure it won’t wash out.”

  “Alright. We’ll be back in a little while. If you go back out mark the time you left,” Berkeley said.

  “Don’t we need helmets?”

  “We won’t be going balls to the wall, but yes,” Berkeley replied, handing her the helmet she’d worn on the ATV.

  “I trust you,” Randi murmured, looking into her blue eyes.

  Berkeley winked and got onto the quad, starting the engine as Randi climbed up behind her, leaving six inches of space between them.

  “You have to hold on or you’ll fall off the back,” Berkeley called over the roar of the motor.

  Randi slid up closer and placed her hands up on Berkeley’s shoulders, feeling the hard, contoured muscles through her thin t-shirt. You can do this. It’s nothing sexual, she said to herself, but that didn’t stop the butterflies in her stomach.

  Berkeley laughed and shook her head before pressing the throttle button with her thumb. The quad raced off at half the speed they’d gone in the ATVs. Nonetheless, Randi’s body lurched back. She quickly wrapped her arms around Berkeley’s slim waist, holding on for dear life. Thoughts of Berkeley’s warm, chiseled body slid down her spine like melted butter. She knew she should pull away, put a little space between them, and truth be told, Berkeley wasn’t driving like a maniac, but she couldn’t move. Her chest was nearly glu
ed to Berkeley’s back and her hands were spread out over the ripples of her abs. She inhaled the fresh, clean scent of Berkeley’s cologne and shampoo. It contrasted nicely with the smell of pine wafting by as they cut through a section of dense forest.

  They rolled to a stop at the top of a cliff and the engine went quiet. Randi felt Berkeley take a deep breath before she let go of her and slid back enough to allow cool air to tingle the heated flesh where their bodies had been pressed together.

  Berkeley removed her helmet, holding it in her lap. “This is Eagle Point, and down there,” Berkeley pointed, “is Ancestors Canyon. Supposedly, the Indians who once owned this land, went there to hear the voices of their ancestors in the wind blowing through the canyon.”

  “Wow,” Randi muttered, looking over the edge of the cliff.

  Berkeley moved to the side a little so she could see Randi’s face. “We’re about 1,000 feet up right here. We have to take several switchbacks to get down to the canyon. The creek coming off the river is on the other side of it.”

  “This place is so beautiful.”

  “Thank you.”

  “We have thirty-five acres that back up to a wilderness area outside of the state park. There are miles of trails all through here that we’ve cut ourselves over the past four and a half years,” Berkeley said, giving her a bit of history on the property.

  “What made you buy something like this?” Randi asked.

  “GT’s brother is a big wig for the manufacturer of all of our machines. He was talking about buying a quad and asked if I’d be interested in getting one because of the great deal. We practically got them at cost. Anyway, we started looking for a place to ride and realized there wasn’t one unless you wanted to travel a couple of hours to this huge, overrun recreational park. When we found this property, the only trails were some old horse paths, so we couldn’t see much of it, but we had to have it. We went in 50/50 and purchased twenty-five acres. Then, a few of our close friends wanted in after we brought them here, so we bought ten more and split the cost between the four of them.”

  “That’s really cool. Do you all work in emergency services?”

  “Yes. We’re cops, firefighters, EMTs, or paramedics. Dena and I worked together as EMTs, and then I left to become a police officer. I met GT in the academy. I actually introduced them. Anyway, that’s how everyone knows each other. Emergency services is kind of like a brotherhood.”

  “That’s really cool. Our team is a lot like a sisterhood, I guess you would call it. So is the national team for that matter. We would all do anything for each other and always have each other’s back, win or lose,”

  Berkeley nodded.

  “Speaking of my team…” Randi paused. “Sasha has a thing for you, if you haven’t already noticed.”

  “I kind of picked up on that,” Berkeley laughed. “Let’s go check the creek,” she said, ending their conversation as she moved back into position and started the quad.

  Randi wrapped her arms around her torso, inhaling her tantalizing scent as they roared away, heading towards a narrow trail on the other side of the cliff. She couldn’t hear anything but the purr of the engine, but she imagined Berkeley describing everything they passed by. Her genuine love for nature was something Randi hadn’t expected, although she seemed to intrigue her more and more as she got to know her.

  The ride down into the valley where the creek was located only took about five minutes, but they had to go through several switchbacks that had extremely narrow paths. Randi saw the flowing stream of water nearby when Berkeley killed the engine.

  She slowly removed her helmet, hanging it on the handlebars before turning her head and holding her finger to her mouth, signaling for Randi to be quiet.

  Randi nodded and took her helmet off, placing it on the fender rack.

  “There’s a mountain lion perched up on the rocks just on the other side of the creek,” Berkeley whispered.

  Randi peered over her shoulder, their faces only inches apart as she tried to follow Berkeley’s line of sight. Not seeing anything, she scanned the large rock formation. Her body went rigid and she held her breath when the most beautiful creature she’d ever seen came into view. It looked like a giant, tan cat, lying on the rock with its neck stretched out. Its head slowly searching back and forth for any signs of prey. “Oh my God,” she whispered.

  “Isn’t it gorgeous?”

  “Its…I’ve never seen anything like it. Wow,” she mumbled breathlessly.

  They sat there for a few minutes, watching the majestic creature in its natural habitat as the large cat-like animal laid its head down, evidently bored that there was nothing for it to hunt at the moment.

  “We should head back. The creek looks nice and high. There’s no need to go any closer.”

  “Would it try to attack if we went down to the water?”

  “No. The noise would probably make it scurry off, but why disturb him or her when there’s really no need?” Berkeley said, turning to look at her. “We swim in the creek and camp out here. We’ve never been bothered by any of the animals.”

  Randi was already on edge after seeing the ferocious creature. Her heart felt like it was going to leap out of her chest. She wasn’t sure if it was fear or adrenaline or fascination, but it felt like a combination of all three until her eyes locked onto Berkeley’s. She knew in that split second it wasn’t the dangerous animal a mere twenty yards away heightening her senses. Her eyes moved down to Berkeley’s slightly parted lips, then back up again. Lost in the dark blue pools, Randi leaned forward, closing the gap between them. Fire burned in her belly as their lips touched.

  Berkeley held her breath, reveling in the sensation of Randi’s soft lips. Her mouth opened, allowing Randi’s warm, wet tongue to ease inside, sliding against her own like a long-lost lover. How could something so wrong feel so damn right? she thought, backing away and breaking their connection. She sucked in a breath of hot, muggy air that tasted like pine sap. “Aren’t you dating someone?” she said softly, meeting beautiful green eyes that were a shade darker than normal.

  “Yes,” Randi replied, hanging her head. “Isn’t this why we came out here away from everyone?”

  Berkeley reached up, grazing her knuckles along Randi’s cheek as her thumb moved over her lips. “You’re beautiful,” she whispered, smiling softly. “I tripped all over myself the day I met you, which isn’t something that happens to me,” she sighed, “but I abandoned the idea of pursuing you the day I found out you were with someone.” She dropped her hand to her own lap.

  “I admit I brought you with me to check the water so we could be alone, but I wasn’t going to make a move on you. I don’t do that to someone who is in a relationship...at least not anymore. I’ve been down that road, and neither side is pretty,” she sighed. “I like getting to know you. I thought you might like a change of scenery, so I invited you to come today. You could’ve brought your girlfriend with you.”

  “How do you know I have a girlfriend?”

  “Well, you told me you were dating someone. Anyone on social media could figure out right away that it’s your teammate…Olivia, if I remember correctly. Besides, you kissed me, so you’re obviously into girls.”

  “You follow me on social media?” Randi questioned with a grin.

  “No. I’m not even on social media. However, I was curious about you after I found out you were a soccer player. I stumbled onto your Instagram.”

  “I see.”

  “Anyway, I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression by bringing you out here. If things were different…” She trailed off, looking back at the giant cat still lounging on the rock. “Let’s just leave it at that.” Clearing her throat, she added, “We should probably get back.”

  Randi stared up at the mountain lion one last time, wishing she had her cell phone with her to snap a picture, but she’d left it in Berkeley’s truck, so she didn’t lose it or smash it.

  *

/>   “That’s crazy!” Sasha said when Randi told her about the mountain lion. “I want to go see one!”

  “You go on. I’ll stay right here,” Jorja added.

  Berkeley overheard the conversation while she was eating another donut. “Let me gas up the quad, and we can go for a ride,” she said.

  “Sweet!” Sasha fist-pumped the air and gave Randi a knowing grin.

  Randi laughed and walked over to Dena, wanting to know if she and Garrett could take her and Jorja for another ride. She needed something to clear her head, and speed-fueled adrenaline was sure to do that.

  “We’re going to take them to over to Timber Valley,” Garrett said.

  “Oh, they’ll either like the rolling hills or puke,” Berkeley laughed. “We won’t be gone long. Let’s head out when we get back,” she added, looking at the time on her watch.

  Randi sighed watching Berkeley and Sasha ride away as she put on her helmet and climbed into Garrett’s ATV.

  *

  Sasha loved every minute of holding onto Berkeley’s strong body as they rode along the same path she’d taken with Randi. However, this time Berkeley hadn’t stopped to chat about the land. Instead, she kept going, finding the narrow trail that led to the creek. Once they arrived, she pulled to a stop and looked out at the rocks. The mountain lion was gone.

  “It was right there on those rocks,” she yelled over the noise of the motor. “I don’t see it anywhere. We should probably get out of here,” she added.

  Feeling a little scared of the fact that no one knew where the creature was, Sasha quickly nodded in agreement. She’d wanted to see it, but wasn’t interested in getting eaten by it. Besides, her enjoyment was mostly in being able to put her hands on Berkeley.

  The quad roared back along the trail, but Berkeley had kept it at a safe speed as they rode around, taking a different route back to camp. It wasn’t that she wasn’t interested in Sasha or hadn’t found her attractive, she simply hadn’t taken the time to find out, and right now wasn’t the best time either. Her mind and body were still reeling from everything that had happened with Randi. Her senses were heightened, which only made it worse when Sasha held on tightly. The fact that she knew it wasn’t Randi’s hands, was the only thing that kept her from stopping the machine.