by R T Green
‘I cannot let Madeline deWinter’s actions go without retribution.’
And his piggy-eyed boss had given him the stare when he’d told him he’d hidden a tracker in the lining of Zana’s cape. He knew all too well there was more to that than his top agent was letting on.
Of course there was. Ever since the awful events of that night on Dawson’s Hill, he’d beaten himself up with guilt. There were no excuses... he’d messed up. Failed to give Carl Mitchell the one crucial fact that would have changed everything; failed to protect the MI6 assassin and the alien girl who between them saved the world from unspeakable horror.
In Coop’s eyes, bringing them home to face whatever the world wished to throw at them wasn’t the mission. Doing what he couldn’t do before, and keeping them safe, was all that mattered now.
And that had just become a whole lot harder.
He left the pool, made his way back to the room. Miles was studying his laptop, looked up as his partner walked in. ‘How are you feeling, mate?’
‘Like crap.’
‘Might have something to lighten the mood.’
‘Gonna have to be a friggin’ miracle, Miles.’
‘No miracle, Coop. Just a fact or two that might take that black look off your face.’
‘Funny guy.’
‘Been checking out the Muslim faith here on the island. The niqab is worn in Tobago, as we know, but it is extremely rare. Zana sure fell on her feet, finding one as quickly as she did.’
‘So?’
‘Think about it, mate. We might not be able to track Zana anymore, but it may not be that difficult to find her. She’ll stick out like a sore thumb, wandering around every day searching for Madeline.’
A slight smile curled across Coop’s lips. ‘You ain’t just a pale ugly face, are you Miles?’
He grinned, stuck a piece of photo paper in Coop’s hand. ‘There you go, a picture of Zana!’
Coop laughed. Miles had photoshopped an image of a Muslim girl wearing an abaya and niqab, and superimposed a shot of the sunglasses he’d given to Zana. It was a perfect likeness!
‘Show that to the locals, my friend,’ Miles said. ‘And anyone who has seen her will remember for sure!’
Chapter 83
The cold light of day brought more guilt. More confusion. And somehow I had to shake it off, before it destroyed me.
My room had its own door to the outside world. I threw it open, let the warm sunshine of a beautiful day stream in. I needed to feel it on my skin, sat on the little seat just outside my window, closed my eyes and tried to clear my head.
I couldn’t go on like this. Since I’d been here, I’d allowed my feelings to dominate me. First grief and heartbreak, and then guilt and remorse. Zana had shown me the power of emotion, and for that I would always love her. But it was a double-edged sword.
Those emotions she’d ripped out of the high-security vault in the depths of my heart and slapped on the table in front of me, were now the very things threatening to ruin the rest of my life.
Something had to change.
I couldn’t go back to being the old me; I already knew she was dead and gone. I had to be the new me, but with a fresh coat of paint. I like you Lisa, a lot… it isn’t love, not yet anyway. But when you are next to me, I feel a connection. I feel you.
Maybe you are my future; it’s way too soon to know for sure. But you may be the key to the door that leads to clarity… to channeling my emotions into the future, not the past.
Time to take a dive into the deep end, find out for sure. Maybe I will hit the bottom, end up with another jackhammer as my best friend. Maybe I will bob to the surface gasping for air, elated and invigorated.
It will be one or the other. But tonight Lisa, you will see a different me. Forget baby steps, I won’t be holding back.
The butterflies were there again, as Joe’s came into view. I didn’t know which ones, but it wouldn’t have to matter. Guilt in one corner, anticipation of my bid for emotional freedom in the other, they could box all twelve rounds for all I cared. Tonight I would ignore them.
I’d made an effort, chosen a light summer dress, a floral pattern on a deep green background, short and loose fitting. There was nothing underneath, I needed to feel free… be free. I’d tied most of my hair back, leaving just a few locks loose to frame my face.
Lisa wasn’t there. I greeted Joe, downed the first Carib in one gulp. It didn’t really hit the spot, so I bought another. He gave me the stare again as he put it on the bar in front of me. Ok Joe, I’m not here to get drunk. Sometimes a girl needs a little dutch courage, when she’s gotta do what she’s gotta do.
I took another gulp, smaller this time. The bar was packed, people everywhere. The beautiful day had turned into a beautiful evening, hot but not overbearing. And the dutch courage had worked… the boxing match was over, anticipation the winner.
‘Hey.’
She was there, on the stool beside me. Looking beautiful, her cornrows loose around her face, a simple yellow vest top clinging enticingly to her shape, the black-jewelled necklace dangling seductively between her breasts once again. A short blue-patterned wraparound skirt was doing everything possible to exaggerate her Caribbean shape.
I caught my breath, hoping she didn’t notice my sudden lack of composure. ‘You look gorgeous,’ I said, catching Joe’s eye to furnish her with a beer.
She looked me up and down. ‘You’re not so bad yourself.’ She smiled the to-die-for smile, made me want to rush to the washroom for a paper towel.
We chinked bottles, lingering over it a little too long, our eyes locked together. Ok, control yourself. ‘Busy tonight,’ I said, trying to change the subject for my own benefit.
‘Yeah… you seen that woman, right over there, sitting in the corner? She looks a bit out of place. She a nun or something?’
I glanced over. She sure wasn’t what I expected to see. ‘She’s a Muslim woman; so yeah, she is a bit out of place.’
‘And she’s wearing sunglasses!’
I looked back to Lisa. ‘One thing I discovered about this place is that you get all sorts here. Anyway, I’d rather concentrate on you if that’s ok?’
She smiled, lay a hand over mine. ‘Wouldn’t have it any other way, Madeline.’
The bar was loud. Not the music, Joe deciding it was time to play Christmas songs from around the world, but just the sheer number of people in the place. It was all a bit too public.
‘Shall we find some peace and quiet?’
She leant over, kissed me full on the lips. Wow, maybe I wasn’t the only one who’d decided to run before she could walk. ‘You beat me to that suggestion by one minute,’ she whispered in my ear.
We grabbed another couple of Caribs and strolled onto the sand. Still there seemed to be people everywhere. A group of locals were having a Christmas beach party, a small steel band banging out their coordinated rhythms next to a brightly-coloured gazebo, where people were handing out food to whoever seemed to want it.
Several arms beckoned us to join them. We declined, neither of us wanting any company other than each other’s.
I could have chosen a better night to lose my emotional virginity.
We left the beach, headed into the trees behind Joe’s bar, walking arm in arm along the track I always used to get there from the shack. Lisa looked up to me, smiled a knowing kind of smile. ‘You seem different tonight.’
‘I feel it too.’
‘Tell me.’
‘I’m not sure I can put it into words…’ To hell with that. I pulled her to me, put a trembling hand onto her face, and equally-trembling lips onto hers. She cried out, spearing her tongue into me, her frantic hands clutching at my back as the kiss bonded us together. For an age she was my whole world, our lips unable to part, our hands exploring each other’s bodies.
My heart wanted to explode, my uncertainties blowing away on the tiniest of warm breezes wafting delicately around us. But it was getting too much, too soon. I
eased our faces gently apart.
‘Does that answer your question?’
She looked at me, her brown eyes wide, her lips apart as she sucked in deep breaths. ‘Yes,’ she whispered. ‘I wish there was somewhere we could go. My aunt’s house is very small, and she would not approve…’
‘Yeah, and I live with my dad and his girlfriend. It’s just… a bit too soon…’
‘I understand.’ Suddenly she looked sad again. ‘But I would still like to see where you live… just from the outside.’
It wasn’t a bad idea, for a different reason. The ground around the shack was sandy, with lots of trees to give us cover. And no one ever went there except us. ‘We’re heading in that direction anyway. Come on, it’s not far…’
We began to walk again, following the track until it turned to the right, and then left it and crossed the sand between the palm trees to the shack.
‘So what did you do in the UK, for a living?’
‘I was an MI6 shadow assassin, spent six years eliminating people who deserved to die.’
She grinned. ‘Sure, and I was the president of the United States.’
Didn’t think she’d believe me. ‘Ok, I had a boring job working in government. You?’
‘I was… in the military. Air force.’
‘Wow. Didn’t see that one coming.’
‘I’m full of surprises.’ She sounded sad again.
I eased her to a stop, pointed through the last of the trees. ‘There… that’s my house. The back of it anyway. See that little door? That’s my bedroom.’
‘Can’t we sneak in?’ I could tell by her tone she already knew I’d say no.
‘My dad’s room is right opposite mine. Maybe next time I’ll walk in with you through the front door.’
‘Perhaps.’
‘But hey, it’s a lovely night and no one ever walks just here. So right now, this is our own personal space.’
I drew in a deep breath, trying not to let it show. The time had come to dispatch the last of the demons. And to make sure they were gone for good, I had to be in charge of what was about to happen. I had to take control.
I undid my hair, let it fall loose. Suddenly, Lisa looked a little nervous. Almost like she knew I felt exactly the same. But then she smiled, reached up and ran soft fingers through my hair. ‘I love your hair,’ she whispered. ‘I want to feel it against my skin.’
I pulled her into me, kissed her softly, just for a moment. ‘You’re wearing too many clothes for that.’ My hands slipped around the narrow strip of flesh just beneath her top, lifted it upwards and over her head. She didn’t resist.
I dropped to my knees, kissed her just below the navel as I undid the tie and unwrapped the skirt.
She was naked.
Someone else wanted to be free too.
I laid her on her back on the sand, she smiled as she drew a breath. ‘I love your scent, Madeline. It is all around me.’
Oh yes, I made sure of that. Almost emptied the bottle on myself.
I straddled her thighs, keeping her legs closed for the moment as I rested myself gently just above her knees. I gazed down on her beauty, for the first time able to drink her in, laid out prone beneath me. I caught my breath, felt the blood pounding in my ears.
Somehow, stretched out and serene, waiting for me to ignite her, she was stunning. Slim but nowhere near skinny, toned, vibrant. Her breathing was short and sharp, her perfect breasts rising and falling gently, tantalising me, teasing me to take her faster than I wanted.
No... this is my moment, and it has to be my pace.
I touched her gently, palmed hands caressing her waist, making her cry out, making me flex as she tensed up. My fingers drifted across the undulations of her abs. The pure silk of her skin seemed to flame beneath my fingertips, igniting every sense I possessed. Don’t rush me, my inner horny bitch.
She was there, all cheerleader red, white and blue, jumping up and down with two huge multi-coloured pompoms in her hands, urging me to make a home run.
Control yourself... I’ve only just walked out onto the pitch.
‘Put your hands above your head. I don’t want you to touch me until I say.’
Deliciously slowly she obeyed, stretching up in slow motion as my hands curved to the sides of her waist, gripping her more firmly as she arched her body a little. I felt the curve of her hips, let my hands drift to the outside of her thighs, and then in towards her triangle, but heading north again before my fingers touched the spot.
She moaned, her eyes closed. ‘Are you teasing me, Madeline?’
‘I don’t know. Am I?’
‘Yes, you are.’
She stretched a little higher as my hands stopped their northwards journey just before her breasts. Oh fuck, I so want to tease those nipples.
Was I teasing her or was she teasing me? Probably both. Did it matter? My inner cheerleader seemed to think so, chanting my name like her life depended on it.
Ignore her.
I forced my hands to drift outwards, close around her sides just below her armpits. How long could I keep this up? I was leaning over her, closer to her face. Time to bring the hair into play.
I lowered my head, just enough so the ends of my hair drifted across her nipples. She cried out, the delicate sensation making them pucker up instantly.
Hell, I so wanted my lips around those. Not yet. Slowly I moved my head from side to side, watching as my hair caressed her breasts, drifting across her perfectly to tantalise both at the same time. Her breathing was sharper, ragged. I felt movement above me, saw her arms begin to move towards my head.
‘No you don’t.’ I slid my hands up her arms, pressing them back into the sand until our hands clasped together. Our faces were so close, our fingers linked together, my hair caressing the bare sides of her head like a black curtain shutting out all light. Her lips were slightly apart, wanting, needing to be kissed. They had to be kissed.
Our tongues sliced against each other, our lips locked together as she squeezed the blood from my fingers and arched her body into mine. Her hands fought me, desperate to be free to slice into my hair, but I kept them away, wouldn’t let them go where they wanted.
The frantic kiss lasted an age. It was all building too fast. My pace, I said. Was that aimed at me or her? I pulled my lips from hers, she gasped, brown eyes blazing angrily into me as I sat up, turned down the gas.
‘Not yet, Lisa.’
She looked like she was about to say something, but then her body visibly un-tensed and she smiled beautifully, closed her eyes again and sank her fingers into the soft sand.
I slipped the dress over my head, my sudden nakedness bringing its own kind of sensual pleasure, without even being touched.
I stretched forward again, grasping her hands, brushing my breasts across her eyes, making her moan. She tried to raise her head so her lips could kiss my nipple but I pulled away, heard the frustrated hitch of her breath. God, just who am I really teasing here?
My inner cheerleader was suddenly motionless, staring at me with questioning arms outstretched and a ‘What?’ kind of expression on her face. The crowd was silent, stunned...
Ok, ok. I sank my breast into Lisa’s face, cried out as her lips wrapped around my nipple and her teeth bit deliciously into it. Still she fought my hands, still I kept them above her head. Such a turn-on, this new-found power. I could feel my own wetness, damn me.
Keep control... of yourself more than anything.
My butt was off her body now, as I knelt above her. I felt her legs open, her crotch arch off the ground, sending me a message that it was time for the main course. Oh yes, I was starving too.
I sank my body down her, slowly, my lips wrapping around hers just for a moment, and then kissing her long neck. My tongue drifted across her shoulder, and then back to her neck, dropping lower, reaching the rise of her upper breast, sinking into her valley, the smoothness of her black skin sending tingles of pure heaven into every taste bud.
; For a moment I paused, deliberately still, feeling the rise of her breasts as she sucked in quick, rapid breaths. A girl can only take so much...
I took us both by surprise, thrust wanting lips hard around her nipple. She screamed, I think maybe I did too. So hard, so full, almost jet black, like a miniature cork in my mouth, between my teeth, inside the curl of my tongue.
Now you can have your hands back, Lisa.
In a millisecond they were around my head, spearing through my hair, pressing me so hard into her I couldn’t breathe. As one, she opened her legs further and I closed my thighs and slipped inside the vee she made. I could feel her crotch, pulsing against my stomach, and her hands, trying to persuade my head lower.
Patience, girl. Ok, way past that. Me, not her. What happened to leading by example?
My lips and my tongue drifted southwards. Maybe a bit faster than I intended. Bouncing across the undulations of her heaving stomach, dipping into her navel, lower still, lips and tongue together, hands forcing her legs even further apart.
Oh... so wet, so ready. I sank into her, making her scream, feeling her hands pressing me harder, stopping me coming up for breath. She was tightening around my tongue, crying out with each gasp of her breath, ‘Yes... yes...’
Already? Oh yes.
Everything convulsed around me, movement so violent I thought her pubic bone was going to rip out my front teeth. On and on, gushing, drowning me in her ecstasy... don’t stop...
I had to stop. Her shaking hands wrenched up my head, pulling my hair to get me away from her because she just couldn’t take any more. I didn’t argue, desperate to suck in a breath.
But it wasn’t over. I wasn’t going to release her, not just yet.
I sat up on my legs, gazing down on her, drinking in her comedown. Her hands were by her sides, fingers slowly curling and straightening, her lips slightly apart, a breathless smile making me smile too, in a triumphant kind of way.
