by Zoe Adams
“I have not even seen the damage, but the sooner the better.” Henry picked a piece of lint from his shirt with disdain.
“Good,” Royce said, then he jabbed his big index finger at Henry and continued, “I don’t want her to feel a thing.”
Susanna slipped from consciousness and time was a blank clock.
The next thing she knew, Royce was kissing her awake, but her eyes didn’t want to open. The smell of him woke her up first. He was all man, a little sweat, dirt, spruce, and spice. Susanna’s senses were still a little poisoned, and his kisses offered safe oblivion. She was relaxed and sluggish as he sucked her breath away. Licking his lips in response, she yawned.
Royce leaned back and smiled. “You can yawn in my mouth anytime you want. In fact, I almost want you to do it again.” He smoothed her hair away from her cheek with his knuckle. “Let’s go somewhere. I’ll take you on vacation.”
Susanna was so tired; she could not think straight. Holding her eyes open was too difficult, so they dropped shut. “You can’t go,” she said.
Royce didn’t argue with his recovering patient and quietly asked, “Do you want me to take you home?”
Susanna’s reality was blurry at best, and her physical reactions were virtually non-existent.
“Please,” she whimpered, and Royce immediately took control.
***
Susanna woke up in her own bed, in her own house. She was still in shock, and tried to remember all of the events leading up to this moment. Yesterday was a dream, and it seemed like more than a day had passed. She was wearing a floor-length peach negligee that was silk and luxurious; she knew it was new. Wearing something she didn’t recognize or remember didn’t help her place any of the pieces to the puzzle any faster.
All of those sweet kisses from Royce kept coming to mind. He was so kind it made her heart stop. Then a jaded voice came to the stage in her mind, as she remembered the doctor saying how some things never change. He had said it with jealousy, as if he were just waiting for his turn with her.
She hated that she had blacked out and woken up with so much confusion in her mind. It was a normal response for her to want to be in control. Knowing what was going on at all times was how she had become so successful, and this feeling of haze in her head was unwelcome.
Something was eluding her, but it definitely was not Royce. He was beside her on the bed, snoring softly. She wanted to keep him sleeping for a little while longer. She wasn’t ready to be befuddled by testosterone.
The week had started with calamity then turned into seduction. In just a few days there had been another accident. Another natural, man versus wild accident couldn’t be the best of luck. She wondered what would or should follow it.
Susanna was distracted by deep thoughts and stretched her back. A moan accidently escaped her lips, with nothing to stop it from sliding erotically across Royce’s ears. She had his full attention, whether she was ready or not.
He snaked his arm around her waist. “Good morning, beautiful.”
“My back is sweaty.” Susanna scooted away and hissed when her foot screamed.
Royce jerked back and out of bed and started to plump up pillows for her bandaged foot.
“A lioness awakes,” he narrated jokingly at her.
“What am I wearing?” she whined.
“That’s one thing I really like about you, Susanna. You’re so smart, but you really need to get used to it. If I am going to be in your life, then you are going to have to get used to receiving gifts. The bathrobe was delivered yesterday. I ordered it for you.”
Susanna remained quiet and considered his impertinence.
He winked like the rogue he was. “I’m addicted to shopping online. I couldn’t wait to put it on you.”
Susanna smiled. “How did I land such a ladies man? I forget you’re like that most of the time.” She shook her head and tried to continue with what she really wanted to say. “Thank you for helping me yesterday. I don’t know what I would have done without you. I feel different today.”
Royce narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean you feel different? About me or the rattlesnake?”
“I don’t know. I feel weird. I don’t know if it’s you or the snakebite that makes me feel skittish. I’m not used to relying on a man. Everything is just moving so fast, and all the sudden I’m at a standstill.”
“Maybe I’m supposed to move you.” Royce leaned into her.
She shrugged. “It’s weird to feel helpless. And what am I? Just another pearl on a very long string of conquests. You didn’t even introduce me to your friend. Was he the doctor? I have never had a doctor operate on me without my consent.”
Susanna’s voice had remained relatively soft.
Royce rolled his eyes and held his stance. “That’s supposed to be a good sign of experience that I know how to get things done. Do you want to walk with a limp? I told you that your foot was black, but it had swollen up so much that…” He stopped himself. “Well, your right foot was not nearly as cute as your left.”
Royce had been keeping his distance from her. He was pacing ruts into the floor and stopped. He flung open the heavy forest drapes and cracked the window. The fresh air was heavy with the dirt smells of fall, and Royce breathed deeply. The wind caught the lace set of curtains, and they moved on the breeze.
Standing abruptly, he twirled his fingers around. “Who painted this room?”
His question caught her off guard. “I did it. One time, I was snowed in for a week.”
“Why didn’t you sign it?” He asked pointedly.
Susanna shrugged. “It’s just my bedroom wall, not some gift for someone to cherish. The people who know me, know about it, and that’s enough for me.”
“What other talents do you have?”
“I’m good at everything. If I can visualize something, then it’s only a matter of time before it’s achieved.” Susanna was becoming bored and started to move from the bed.
“Just good? Come on, Susanna, you’re awesome, and you know it. You should be out in civilization sharing your talents.” Royce was baiting her.
“I like my privacy,” she said quickly. “I also like being able to do, or not do, whatever I like. I like to choose who sees me naked, and when they see me naked. I especially like to stand up and walk down hallways to the bathroom.”
Royce could only agree. “You’re a woman who knows and appreciates control. That’s something about you that I really admire.” He dropped to the bed and started caressing the top of her toes. “I don’t blame you at all. I am so glad you’re awake. There’s something I have wanted to do for a while.”
He lowered his prickly morning face to her foot and kissed each toe before looking up. “I could go on for hours, Susanna, and will probably do that later.” His lips blew steam on her straightening toes when he asked, “Do you remember last night?”
“No,” she gasped a little quickly.
“I asked if you wanted to go away together.” He licked her ankle in a very slow circle.
Susanna couldn’t look away, but could distinctly feel every goose bump scream in upheaval.
He looked up. “I know you’re very independent, but right now, you need someone to take care of you. I would be happy to do that.”
She stared at him silently.
“Maybe you should have just driven off and left me in the road to suffer with Bambi,” Royce said.
“Where would we go?” she asked thoughtfully.
“On a cruise. You’ll love it. You can do whatever you want, and come back to the ranch whenever you like, on one condition.” Royce stoked Susanna’s inner fire when he said, “You have to stay off your feet for the next four weeks.”
“Is that what you and your nice Dr. What’s His Name decided?” Susanna’s frustration was back. “If I’m sick or disabled I’ll probably just slow down your busy life.” She lifted her wrapped foot gingerly as she shifted away from his knowledgeable gaze.
“Don’t you dare
even think about walking anywhere,” he said.
He picked her up and deposited her gently in the bathroom. “Just yell when you’re ready to go.” He gestured around. “I’ll take you wherever you want. You had better call for me. If I come back here and see you tried to walk anywhere, I swear to God, I won’t let you have any privacy.”
He spun on his heel and left her there.
When she was ready, she called for Royce. He returned her to the bedroom where she saw two cups of coffee on the bedside table.
Halfway through her morning coffee, Susanna was starting to feel more like herself. Royce’s hawk eyes were watching her over his dainty cup.
“You should never try to have a serious conversation with me before coffee,” Susanna reprimanded him.
“I’m sorry. You’re right,” Royce said knowingly. “There is only one thing to do before coffee.”
Susanna knew exactly where he was headed, and wanted to keep him at bay. “I just don’t know if I can leave this place. This land is sacred, you know.” She shrugged. “There are holy mountains, and hot springs where tribes of Native Americans meet to pray and celebrate life. When I see all of the stars over my head, I feel like a small tumbleweed that’s clinging to a fence. Then later, when I look down at the ground to plant my tiny seeds, I realize I’m huge and important. It’s a feeling I get from living in nature. For some reason, there are things I just have to do. Just like the planets have to be aligned, so do the things in my life. I am tied to an invisible leash, and there are things I have to do before taking one more step.”
Royce sputtered into his coffee.
She smiled broadly. “You’re using my greatest grandfather’s teacup that he brought from Denmark with him.”
“You really admire him,” Royce said as a statement rather than a question.
“Of course,” she agreed. “All of this, the house, the truck, my stuff, I have grown attached to it because I have so many good memories invested in them. But they’re just tools that will eventually be replaced. Everything is replaceable but land and people. ”
Royce drew shallow breath. “Not everything should be replaced.” He stroked the heavy quilt that was resting across her leg.
“In this world, we don’t control anything. All we are given is choice, and socially acceptable reactions.” Susanna barely stopped for a breath. “You’re waiting for me to fall on my knees and thank you, and I am thankful.” She started to falter as she remembered strong, soothing fingers reassuring her all the way to the hospital. “I’m not going to lie. You’re a hot catch, but I just don’t think it’s going to work out.”
“Trust me, if all I have to do is react to you, then we,” Royce emphasized the two letter word, “are going to be just fine.”
“You make me feel like a teetering bowling pin. Should I just give up and fall over, or wait until I’m smacked upside the head?” Susanna turned exasperated eyes at Royce as his laughter echoed on the quiet morning air. “Oh, wait, I’m already knocked down, and can’t move for a month.”
Royce guffawed, and the sound of the approaching helicopter broke their camaraderie.
He said, “Ready then?”
“Where are we going?” Susanna was completely caught off guard.
“Somewhere you can relax and get better,” he said as he pulled her blankets aside.
Susanna didn’t move as she contemplated leaving. The winter months were approaching, and that was good. The ranch would not need her serious expertise as much. Uncle Joe knew how to handle everything. He had been at the ranch for longer than she had, and he knew everything about livestock.
The thought of a vacation was rather enticing. Disabled or not, she could use a little rest and relaxation.
She made a phone call to her mother and uncle and told them both about the snakebite and need for rest. They both reassured her there was no need to worry. Plans were made for Susanna’s brother Jason to house-sit while she was away.
Susanna hung up the phone feeling a little bit freer. Of course, she would worry about the ranch. But what was the worst that could happen from being gone for a couple weeks?
Susanna smiled up at Royce. He had been listening intently to the one-sided conversation, and the look on his face was that of a winner.
“Are you ready to go now?” Royce asked.
“What about my suitcase?”
“You just said all of your stuff is replaceable,” he teased.
Susanna put her arms around his neck as he gathered her to his chest. As he carried her off the front porch, she knew her life would never be the same.
The little house that rose majestically from the prairie was quickly swallowed up. Susanna watched until everything she loved disappeared from sight.
Chapter 8
Good Knight
The helicopter’s steady whirling blades chopped into a private sector of the cute regional airport. Royce stepped under the circulating blades and did his best to protect Susanna from the prevailing wind. Her eyes went from being winced shut¸ to huge saucers at the private airplane that awaited them. The jet was a riveted accomplishment of money and comfort, and a large gangway rose up quickly to meet nimble steps.
With the arrival of Royce carrying Susanna, airborne preparations were underway. She was set on the long part of the couch. Royce sat close to her on the L corner section, while Sarai brought pillows, an icepack, and a blanket for Susanna.
She thanked her and tried to get more comfortable. Once her foot was properly elevated and iced, she looked around the cabin more slowly.
The walls and ceiling were the same continual dark blue. The curves in the roof were the only reminder of being on an airplane. There were a couple rectangular windows that looked out from strategic desks and chairs.
The couches and chairs were complimentary black on black. Accents of hooks, lights, and a door were shiny and muted hammered gold. The plush interior of the cabin was a combination of traditional couches, and high technological advantages. The bird’s interior was catalogued in her mind to be lightweight and efficient while screaming untouchable wealth at the same time.
Royce’s employees were reserved and worked in a comfortable cohesion. There was no excitement at one more takeoff, or one extra passenger. It was business as usual for a group of people who were like family.
They had a well-kept uniformity that signified a connection, very nice clothes, and lots of jewelry. It made them a smoothly refined unit.
Royce interrupted her trailing thoughts with the introductions that circled the pressurizing cabin. “You already met George. Right now he is whispering to Jennifer about how happy he is to see her, before Jennifer flies us out of here.”
George smiled and shrugged, while Jennifer exited on cue. George raised his head and said hello, before following Jennifer to the front.
Royce watched his friend depart, then continued the introductions of the other fellow passengers. “I’m sure you remember my personal assistants Lawrence and Sarai.”
The well-seasoned man in young, hip clothes heard his name. An expensive feathered haircut bobbed in greeting before resuming a preoccupied perch in a captain’s chair behind a computer.
Sarai looked over her shoulder and smiled.
Other people were introduced, but Susanna would have found it hard to remember everyone’s names under the best of health.
Conversations ended as the runway was left behind. Once they were settled into a routine flight pattern, Susanna turned to Royce and spoke for the first time.
“Is the toilet gold too?” she asked.
Royce smiled and took her to the back. His bathroom was adjacent to a large private suite. It was expansive, especially for an airplane. Susanna was dismayed when she realized Royce was ready to set her on the toilet, and she batted him away. He said he wouldn’t be going far, before he shut the bathroom door softly.
Her eyes rolled across the smooth, polished bathroom. It carried a Moroccan theme with thick pillows on the floor a
nd in the corners. Stark and dark, it reeked of masculinity, just like its owner. Susanna smiled.
Royce was more than an important scientist. If he weren’t in a farm or ranching magazine, she would not have heard of him.
She noticed the floor gave way to a round stone tub. She eyed the soaps, picked a fruity bubble bath and ran it into the bath. Royce broke into her privacy at the sound of running water.
“I want to take a bath,” Susanna whimpered, already wrapped in a towel.
“You picked my favorite oil,” he said happily.
He picked her up, towel and all, and placed her into the bath. He propped a pillow under her swollen foot, and then leaned back against the wall contently. He observed her pensively, and then he excused himself for a moment.
Susanna had never been an exhibitionist, and was glad to be alone. She let the sopping towel drop, and she sunk lower into the water. Her buoyant breasts pointed proudly and kept the bubbles from her chin. Susanna’s eyes drooped well before Royce returned.
He had brought back a handful of fresh roses. He started de-petaling them, and big, red, velvety petals dropped into the water. Susanna absorbed the flower-scented water and the dark, hungry gaze with varying serenity.
His dissecting gaze made her very happy she was lying down. She closed her eyes and let the weight roll off her. Her whole body felt great, except for the heavily bandaged foot that was left to rest on the edge of the bathtub.
After the water dropped temperature, she turned her attention toward cleansing and shaving. She carefully selected a clean razor and started shaving her armpits. Then she peered through the water, and removed hair with practiced ease. Susanna shifted forward to start the razor down her ankle. A wince escaped when weight pressed on her bad foot.
Royce was ready to assist, and had been stripping off slowly. He was instantly in the tub, shaving her ankle and calf. He took his time on her knee, then finished her thigh. Goose bumps rose at his soft touch. Maybe it was the hot water, or maybe it was the way Royce gave undivided attention that caused her to become lightheaded and feel her face flush.