“We have no straws,” Alita reminded him.
“Maybe we can find a way to sharpen the blades on a rock or something,” Gavin proposed. “What else do we have in there?”
Zach sorted through the cache. “A couple of those hotel-size shampoos and conditioners, toothpaste, a mini mouthwash.” He held a plastic container aloft to read the label. “Dental floss? Who packs dental floss to go on a trip?”
“I do,” Kelly stated defiantly.
He sent her an amused look. “I guess this means you have your original teeth? You won’t be pulling your dentures out each night at bedtime?”
“Cute, Goldstein.”
Next he produced a round metal aerosol canister. “What's this? Feminine hygie—”
Kelly lunged forward and yanked the spray can from his hand, retrieving her travel kit at the same time. “Doggone you! This is not Show and Tell!”
He laughed at her embarrassment. “Okay, keep your secrets, as long as you don’t hold out on us with the major goodies.”
“Like toilet tissue,” Blair said longingly. “You didn’t pack a roll of that, by any chance, did you?”
“Unfortunately, no,” Kelly replied dispiritedly. “I only wish I had. I don’t even have a lousy pack of Kleenex, unless there’s some in one of the other purses I collected.”
“If not, it’s back to grass and leaves and moss, like our great granddaddies used, I reckon,” Earl supposed. “And green asses, sure as shit.”
“That is disgusting!” Alita wrinkled her nose.
“It’s not the color that would bother me so much as the possibility of getting poison ivy,” Kelly conjectured.
“I’m not one hundred percent sure, but I don’t believe poison ivy is indigenous to this region,” Blair announced. Her fellow castaways glared at her.
“Let us know when you’re sure, Mrs. Britannica,” Gavin advised smartly, speaking for them all. “Until then, keep a lid on the trivia, will you? I’m starting to feel like I’m trapped on ‘Jeopardy.’ ”
Chapter 10
Kelly was half asleep, snuggled on her side with her head pillowed on her lumpy duffle, when Zach crept up to lie at her back. He edged close, snaked one arm around her waist and pulled her next to him. “Don’t scream,” he whispered. “It’s me.”
Kelly’s eyes popped open. “Look, Goldstein, when I need a bed-warmer, I’ll let you know. Meanwhile, find your own plot of sand.” She tried in vain to uncurl his arm from around her.
“Shhh!” he warned. “Lie still. I’m not going to do anything but snuggle a little. It’s essential to make a firm impression, so the other fellows don’t doubt my word.”
“Aren’t you carrying this macho Tarzan and Jane routine to extremes?” she hissed. “Dangling by your heels must have rattled a few marbles loose.”
“Come on, Kelly. I can’t believe you haven’t noticed the suggestive looks and comments Gavin and Earl have been giving you. If you don’t team up with me, one of them is going to make a move on you. Is that what you want?”
“You’re crazy!”
“And you’re either incredibly naive, or as dumb as dirt,” he informed her bluntly. “Call it male intuition, but those two are sending out signals like radar. Gavin’s already said he thinks you’re a fox. As for Roberts, two days ago he was on his way to a prison cell, where he wasn’t going to get any loving for a long time. At least not from a woman. If I were in his shoes, I’d be gearing up for a last fling, just in case.”
Kelly wriggled around to face him and give him a sour look. “Gee, thanks, Zach. You’re doing wonders for my feminine ego, not to mention my moral image. According to your assessment, I’m either an over-sexed tart, or the last port in the storm. Whichever, I’m not flattered, buster.”
He kissed the tip of her nose. “You’re beautiful, and you know it. So do I. So do they. If you don’t want my protection, I’ll back off, but I won’t like it, and I don’t think you will either.”
She ignored his compliment to point out the obvious to him. “I’m not the only woman here, Zach, and if we’re talking sexy, Alita has me beat hands down in that department.”
“You think so? I don’t, but it’ll suit me just fine if the other guys do.”
“You’re not concerned about her safety?” Kelly questioned.
“Let’s just say I think Alita can hold her own against whatever crops up.”
Kelly considered this. “Well, they do say a cat always lands on its feet. But what about Blair? She’s married, Zach, and pregnant. You don’t think she’s in danger, do you? I mean, surely neither Gavin nor Earl would go so far as to rape a pregnant woman, God forbid!”
“I hope not. I'd do my damndest to prevent it, but you’re my main concern right now, taking you out of the running.”
“Sort of like a stallion cutting a mare from the herd? Earmarking her for his own so the other stallions don’t claim her?” Kelly equated. “Do you realize how utterly primitive that notion is? How…”
“Primeval?” he supplied. “Actually, I do. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t be reacting this way, or resorting to such measures, but these aren’t ordinary circumstances, Kelly. Here, now, for as long as we’re all stranded on this island, we’re back to survival of the fittest. And I’m damn well going to survive, babe. And I’m going to see that you do, too. If you’ll let me.”
“Well, I guess you are the pick of the litter,” she conceded with a wry smile. “You’re fairly easy on the eye, and not totally without charm. I suppose I could handle a short term liaison with you, but it would help if you could stifle the Lord-of-the-Jungle routine. I’ve had my fill of supercilious asses.”
His mouth twisted in a grin, and his brow rose. “Ah, a master… mistress, rather, of back-handed compliments, but I’ll take what I can get and count myself fortunate.”
“We’ll see. I still think your logic is full of holes. Be honest. You just want into my britches.”
He nodded. “True, but I also want to protect you, Kelly.”
“Said the spider to the fly. Why me?”
He chuckled softly. “I don’t know. I was attracted to you when I first saw you. There’s just something about you… something vulnerable. Infinitely feminine. Soft, warm, sexy. And those green eyes combined with that tail of copper-gold hair—you remind me of a long, lean marmalade cat. I want to stroke you and hear you purr.”
Kelly swallowed. Hard. Her tongue crept out to wet lips gone dry. “I guess if anyone could do it, you could,” she allowed.
His sharp golden eyes noted the provocative gesture with avid interest, zeroing in on her moist mouth. “Not just anyone, Kelly. I want it to be me. Only me.”
She met his mouth halfway, her hands delving into his dark hair to hold his head to hers. It was not a tentative first kiss. No awkward fumbling to keep noses from bumping. From the initial touch of his lips on hers, it was as if they’d been born to kiss one another, her lips fashioned specifically to fit his. Fire leapt between them. Passion flared, bright and hot. His tongue speared into her mouth to dance with hers, sending shock waves reverberating through them both. She moaned, drawing him closer, deeper.
Forced at last to come up for air, both were reluctant to end it there, but short of creeping off into the bushes there was little else they could do at the moment. “If that wasn’t a purr, I’ve never heard one. We’ll finish this,” Zach promised, gazing deeply into her passion-glazed eyes. “Tomorrow.”
They awoke the next morning to overcast skies. The hovering gray clouds held the threat of more rain.
“Great! Just what we need!” Alita griped. “This weather is ruining my hair.”
Indeed, her naturally wavy black hair did seem to be in a perpetual frizz.
“That’s the least of our problems,” Zach informed her and the rest of them. “I doubt we’ll be spotted today through the thick cloud-cover. Any planes flying over will probably be routed above the clouds. Also, once the wood gets wet, our signal fire will be w
orthless.”
“If we don’t want to get completely soaked, I suppose we’ll have to huddle together under the trees,” Blair said. “Kelly, it might be a good idea to pass that toothpaste and deodorant around beforehand. And if you have any perfume, don’t let Alita anywhere near it, please. Coming off that mountain the other day, she had so much on that I had to stay upwind of her or gag.”
“Why, you homely little dwarf!” Alita spat out. “How dare you! I should rip your stringy, mousy hair from your head!”
Blair drew herself up to her full five feet. “Try it, and I’ll flatten you like a tortilla!”
“Now, girls, try to behave like ladies,” Kelly broke in, attempting to head off an all-out scuffle, one she was sure Alita would win.
“Oh, so the pot is calling for the black kettle,” Alita retorted. “Those planning to sin have no room to criticize others.”
Kelly could not prevent the blush that tinted her cheeks. She’d awakened that morning with Zach still holding her, the two of them curled together like a pair of spoons in a drawer. Naturally, everyone had noticed, though no one had said anything until now.
“I’m out of here, before this turns into a cat fight,” Frazer declared as he hobbled past on his crutch. “If anyone needs me, I’ll be over there, soaking my leg in saltwater.” He pointed toward the shoreline.
“Good idea, Frazer,” Blair agreed. “Saltwater’s supposed to be very curative for wounds, though it does sting quite a bit. And I wonder if the ocean water is as clean as it should be for your purpose, what with algae and pollution and such.”
“I’m sure I’ve got a small tube of antibacterial cream in my bag somewhere, Fraze,” Kelly offered. “Come get it before you rewrap that leg. And we ought to see if we can scare up a new bandage for you. That way, you can wash the other one out, and alternate.”
Frazer nodded. “Thanks, Kell. I appreciate it.”
“I’d still be willing to help you dress that leg,” she said.
“No.” Frazer and Zach spoke at the same time, and everyone seemed to freeze in place.
Kelly broke the ensuing silence first. “Zach Goldstein, I’ll warn you now that I’m just getting rid of one man who tried to rule my life. I will not put up with another.”
“That’s tough,” he countered callously, his eyes like hard gold nuggets. “You’re not going to nurse Frazer. I can’t let you chance it.”
“He’s right, Kelly. It’s too much of a risk,” Frazer agreed.
“Okay, if Frazer doesn’t want my help, I’ll abide by his wishes. End of discussion.” Kelly quickly changed the subject. “I’m going to go through those other two purses, and see what else I can find that might be of use to us.”
“Wait just a minute! The little fag’s got AIDS, doesn’t he?” Gavin exclaimed, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.
“No, he does not!” Kelly rebutted hastily, before Frazer could admit to something better left alone, especially amidst this bunch of bigots.
“Then why doesn’t Zach want you touching him?” Blair asked doubtfully, her hands cupped over her stomach in an unconsciously protective gesture.
“Because he’s gay, and I’d rather play it safe than be sorry,” Zach replied, still frowning at Kelly as if he wasn’t altogether sure she was telling the whole truth.
“Hey!” Earl’s face was a putrid shade of gray. “What about me? I touched the squirrelly bastard! I pulled that rubble off him and got him out from under that cart!”
“You’re safe, Roberts,” Frazer informed him dryly. “You didn’t get any of my blood on you.”
The big man towered over him, fists knotted, the image of a raging bear. “How do you know? Maybe I did. From off the metal or something. Or your pant’s leg!”
Frazer shook his head. “I watched. And I pulled my own leg out when you lifted the cart.”
“You sure?” Earl demanded irately. “ ’Cause if you ain’t…”
“Positive.”
Earl nearly wilted with relief. “Okay,” he grumbled. “But you keep your queer ass as far away from me as you can get, you hear?”
“And from me,” Alita echoed in disdain.
“Like you have anything to worry about,” Gavin jeered.
The singer’s nose went up. “I don’t want him touching me, or anything I touch. Not my food, or a cup, or the same blanket. No saliva, no sweat, nada.”
Kelly sighed in acute exasperation. “Oh, for God’s sake! I can’t believe you’re all carrying on this way. Even if Frazer was infected, it’s not that easy to contract AIDS or to pass it on. Moreover, they’re finding out now that some people, about one in a hundred, have some sort of mutated gene that makes them immune to AIDS altogether.”
“Yeah, I heard that, too,” Gavin admitted. “But I thought they said that was for whites. So, where does that leave me and Alita? Right at the top of the high risk section, I’ll bet!”
Alita took exception. “I am Latina. Mexicana. There’s a difference.”
He smirked. “Maybe so, but you don’t qualify as white, either. Put that in your sombrero and dance on it, Senorita Snob.”
“The rest of you can do as you please,” Kelly announced firmly, daring a defiant look at Zach. “But I will not lower myself to treating Frazer as if he were a leper. He’s the same person he was yesterday, and if he was good enough to associate with then, he’s good enough now. At least in my book.”
With Zach’s hand clamped securely around her arm, Kelly trotted to keep pace with him as he led her into the trees. With nary a word from either of them, they walked briskly for several minutes, until they were well out of hearing of the others. There, Zach swung her around to face him. “Okay, let’s have it, sweetheart. The whole truth, and nothing but the truth—and no stretching or waltzing around the truth. What’s the skinny on our gay steward?”
“He hasn’t got AIDS,” she stated adamantly. Kelly held up one hand, as if taking an oath. “Swear to God, Zach.”
“But he is gay, or I’ll eat my sandy socks.”
“Yes, he’s homosexual. Big deal. A lot of people are.”
“Gay and what?” Zach pressed. “I know there’s more to it than you’re telling me. He’s been tested and is waiting for the results, maybe?”
She shook her head, offering nothing further.
“He’s had… he’s HIV-positive?” Zach guessed. The look on her face told him he’d struck the truth. “Damn!”
“That’s not the same as AIDS, though, Zach,” she pointed out hurriedly.
“Don’t split hairs, Kelly. It’s still serious. Deadly serious, if you ask me.”
“I know, and I didn’t,” she replied succinctly. “Look, Zach, I don’t want to argue with you about this,” she relented. “But Frazer is a very nice man, and I happen to be of the belief that homosexual tendencies are an inherited factor. I’m not going to get into a deep discussion about whether it’s right or wrong, sinful or not. It’s just the way some people are. My motto on the subject is, ‘live and let live.’ ”
“Ordinarily, so is mine,” Zach told her. “But in this instance, with the two of us about to become so intimately acquainted, I sure as hell don’t want either of us exposed to something that could prove fatal. Now, tell me I’m wrong to be so cautious,” he dared her.
“No, you’re being very wise, which is the only way to treat sex in this day and age,” she allowed. “Which leads us right into another phase of the same topic. How do I know that sleeping with you, a total stranger, would be safe?”
“I suppose you’ll simply have to take my word for that, the same as I’ll have to with you. I will tell you this, however. I’ve been very particular about the few women I’ve slept with since Rachel died.”
Kelly eyed him curiously. “What do you consider a few?”
“Let’s just say I can count them on the fingers of one hand, and let it go at that, shall we? What about you, Kelly?”
“I just filed for divorce three weeks ago. The only man I�
��ve been to bed with in the last five years has been Brad.”
“That leaves your husband and any extramarital activities he might have enjoyed,” Zach said pointedly. “Was that what led to your divorce?”
Kelly shook her head. “No, contrary to all that is popular these days, that was not our problem. We have… correction… we had differences of another sort altogether.”
“Mind revealing a few, just to ease my curiosity?” he urged.
“Yes, I do mind, as a matter of fact, but I’ll tell you anyway. In a nutshell, Brad wanted the perfect wife, the perfect hostess, a stand-in-his-shadow-and-mirror-only-his-image spouse. He’s on the fast track, and doesn’t want anyone to slow him down. I tried. I agreed to put off having children, while he got himself established in a prestigious law firm. I gave dinner parties and invited all the right people, until I could recite their boring bureaucratic bull in my sleep. I joined a garden club, a country club, and learned to play bridge. And I hated every minute of it.
“Through it all, I got to listen to Brad harp and deride the way I walked and talked and dressed. Nothing I said or did was good enough. To top it all, I’d started my first salon in our second year of marriage, with money my grandparents left to me. Brad was miffed that I didn’t put the money into our savings account, earmarked for his future political career, naturally. Still, he didn’t whine too much, since he figured it was just something to keep me busy, something to play with for awhile, like with a hobby. He certainly never expected that I’d stick with it and make a profit.
“Then I started planning the second one, and he flipped out. After all, how could he aspire to a government position, when his wife sold sexy undies? It just wasn’t done in the better circles, you know. To hear him rant and rave, you’d have thought I was peddling pornography. To quote an old adage, it was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I quit trying to be the model wife and went back to being myself. When that didn’t meet with his approval, I filed for divorce, much to dear Brad’s surprise and dismay. If he’d listened to me just once, instead of always turning a deaf ear and hearing only his own exalted voice, he’d have seen it coming.”
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