by Kim Baldwin
“What else did she tell Elise?”
“I don’t know. You’d have to ask Elise.”
Megan frowned. That idea wasn’t very appealing. “Never mind. It’s not important.” She pulled on her head net and gloves and scooted to the tent entrance. “Ready to face the bloodthirsty scavengers?”
“Lead on!”
In no time, they were all back to their breakfasts, which Megan was surprised to find didn’t seem to have suffered too badly from their lengthy absence. Or maybe it was only that everything seemed to taste better in the out-of-doors. Like the fresh air had blown away the urban pollution that clogged her lungs and nasal passages and taste buds.
“Okay, so who’s the buzz saw who kept me awake half the night?” Pat inquired as she took a bite off a slice of bacon.
Linda snickered.
“Oh, man! No lie!” Yancey added. “Some set of lungs!”
“I didn’t hear anything,” Justine said.
Megan groaned so loud that all eyes turned first to her, and then at her tent mate.
“What’s everyone looking at me for?” Justine asked, the picture of innocence.
“I thought it was your tent,” Pat said to Megan. She frowned sympathetically. “Poor kid.”
“I don’t suppose anybody would be willing to consider trading tent mates tonight?” Megan asked, trying not to sound too desperate. When there were no takers, she added, “Twenty bucks a night ‘till we get home? Thirty?”
There was laughter and smiles all around, but no one raised a hand.
“I can’t be that bad,” Justine protested.
“You’re worse,” Pat said.
“You beat out my husband, and I thought he had a corner on the market,” Yancey said. “Fortunately, he only snores when he sleeps on his back, so I make him sleep with one of those antisnore-ball thingies pinned to the back of his pajamas. Works like a charm.”
“Wouldn’t help even if I had one. She snores on her stomach, her back, her sides, you name it,” Megan told them.
“Megan! Some friend you are!” Justine reached over and punched her lightly on the arm.
Megan laughed. “Justine, you know I love you, but you’re a record-class snore bucket, and I’ll take drastic measures if I have to, to get in another tent tonight.” She turned toward the rest of her friends. “Do I hear any takers at forty dollars a night?”
Sally hoped that Chaz would forgive her for what she was about to do. “I’ll swap with you,” she volunteered. “My husband snores. I’m used to it. You can stay with Chaz.”
It was hard to say which of them looked more shocked at her suggestion, which told Sally all she needed to know. Megan looked aghast, her eyes as big as saucers, and Chaz looked taken aback too, for a moment—though she regained her composure much faster.
“Or I can stay with Chaz, and Megan can stay with Yancey,” Elise offered, before either of them had a chance to say anything.
Megan turned to stare at Elise. Like hell you will. “No! I’ll swap with Sally.”
It was out before she could think about what she was saying. She just knew she didn’t want Elise staying with Chaz, that’s all. She looked toward Chaz for confirmation and only then really realized what she’d done.
Chaz was eyeing her with a bewildered expression, as if her acceptance of the arrangement was the last thing she’d expected. Which of course it was, since Megan had been treating her like shit. Suddenly the mental photograph she’d taken of Chaz in the nude roared up out of nowhere and implanted itself on her eyelids. Oh, shit. What the hell have I done? She looked away, her brain scrambling to find a way out of this mess she’d somehow gotten herself into. She turns my brain to mush. I can’t be held responsible for my actions.
“Whatever you like,” Chaz said. “I’m fine with it.”
“It’s settled then,” Sally said. “We’ll swap beginning tonight.”
“Sure I won’t keep you awake, too?” Justine asked sheepishly.
“Nah, I can sleep through anything. This’ll be fun,” Sally said. “I’ll get a chance to hear some great inside stories about TV news.”
And I’ll get the chance to see how well I can hide the fact that she’s really getting under my skin, Megan thought, glancing at Chaz.
The guide was watching her with an unreadable expression. “All right, then,” Chaz said. “If we’re all done eating, why don’t we pack up and get ready for another day on the river.”
*
Despite the breathtaking scenery and abundant wildlife they spotted, a good portion of the hours passed in a blur for Megan. Oh, she got out her binoculars when Chaz pointed out the snowy owl, his white feathers starkly contrasted against the gray-green spruce tree he was perched on. And she thrilled with the rest of them at the first caribou they spotted, a small group of eight adults far in the distance. But she got totally lost in thoughts of Chaz for great long periods of the day.
She was comfortable and confident now in the kayak, and able to daydream as they mostly drifted in the wide, slow current. Over and over again, she replayed the small loop of images she’d captured of the handsome guide. Her sculpted back, as she dug her paddle into the water. That brief look of attraction and desire that had crossed her face as she stared at Megan’s breasts during the rolling lesson. I didn’t imagine that. I know I didn’t.
And of course it was impossible to keep that mental picture of the naked, relaxed Chaz at bay. Megan was tortured relentlessly by those round breasts and dark nipples, the glimpse of hair at the apex of those long legs.
There were other mental snapshots, and as she reviewed them in her mind, she saw new differences between Chaz and Rita. Chaz was a lot more nonchalant about her body, for one thing. She seemed to have not an ounce of pretension about her perfect physique and smoldering good looks. No makeup at all, and always dressed in clothes so faded and comfortable-looking that Megan suspected Chaz couldn’t bear to part with them.
I haven’t seen her look in a mirror once. She combs her hair by running her hands through it. Megan had to admit she found that habit kind of sexy. It was almost as if she was totally unaware of how great she looks. Though she must get hit on all the time.
Rita, on the other hand, had been obsessed about her body. She went to the gym religiously and weighed herself twice a day, morning and night. She was always on weird diets, Megan recalled. And she wouldn’t be caught dead without her makeup and hair just so. For her, appearance was everything. Megan had gotten a little that way herself, since she’d become a vice president. She didn’t particularly like getting all gussied up. But she knew how to play by the rules.
She had to admit, though, she really liked the au natural look on Chaz. Perhaps a little too much. Now that she’d begun to see Chaz as someone completely different from Rita, the thought crossed her mind for the first time. The possibility of maybe flirting with Chaz herself. Why not? What’s holding me back? She’d never been shy about going after a woman who interested her. Nothing’s stopping me. She’s not Rita. She’s just one deliciously hot woman, and I’m on vacation, after all.
A niggling of her conscience tried to warn Megan she should not be so cavalier about this one, but she ignored it. She really hoped she hadn’t only imagined the way she’d caught Chaz looking at her. I’ll find out soon enough if we’re sharing a tent, won’t I?
The thought of sleeping beside Chaz made her heart skip a beat, and a thrill of anticipation skittered up her spine. Oh, God, I really hope I’m not wrong about what I saw in your eyes.
Chapter Seven
Chaz scarcely noticed the scenery during the first couple of hours after breakfast. She was totally thrown by the prospect of sleeping next to Megan that night, and equally baffled by the sudden thaw in her client’s frosty attitude toward her. It almost seemed like Megan jumped at the chance to stay with her, rather than one of her friends. What was up with that?
Chaz was even more perplexed by the way her mind and body were reacting to the turn of
events. Whenever she pictured them lying side by side in the tent she felt a sharp twinge of arousal.
Okay, so you’re really, really attracted to her, she admitted, paddling along on autopilot, her eyes seeing only the way Megan had smiled at her that morning from the other side of the tent screen. She’d felt something warm her from within when Megan smiled at her that way.
But nothing is going to happen, she reminded herself. Even if she is warming up to you. She’s a client, you have nothing in common, and she lives on the other side of the country. Besides, you’re not even really sure she’s gay. It’s your hormones talking. She kept telling herself that, but it was doing nothing to stop her overactive imagination from wondering what the pale skin of Megan’s neck would taste like, what the press of Megan’s body would feel like against her own. What the network vice president might be like in bed. Do you always have to be the one in control?
She felt both tremendous anticipation and profound dread when she thought about the nights ahead of them. Sharing a tent with Megan might test the limits of her resolve. Though she hoped that no one had noticed how distracted she was all morning, she wasn’t too surprised when Sally sought her out soon after they stopped for lunch.
Chaz had taken her sandwich and gone to sit on a rock next to the river, her back to the clients.
“You’re not mad at me, are you?” Sally asked as she settled beside her.
“Now why in the world would I be mad at you?” Chaz answered calmly. It took some effort, because in all honesty she was a tad peeved at what was blatantly a misguided effort to play matchmaker. It’s all your fault I’m apparently going to have a frustrated libido the next week and a half, she wanted to say. But she knew Sally’s intentions were honorable.
“Well, I can see that I really threw you for a loop when I volunteered to swap tents with Megan. I just thought you needed a nudge. I know you like her. And I think she likes you, too, despite how she’s been acting. I’ve seen her looking at you a lot, kind of like you’ve been looking at her.”
“You didn’t throw me for a loop, and I haven’t been looking at her any more than anyone else,” Chaz protested, annoyed with how well Sally could read her. She didn’t want to admit how much Megan was getting to her; it would only encourage Sally’s determination to hook them up.
“I guess there must have been some other reason you failed to point out a half-dozen things during this last stretch of river, then.” Sally grinned.
“What? What did I miss?”
“Let’s see. A golden eagle, another nice grouping of Dall sheep, and the first musk ox of the trip, among other things.”
“Oh, shit, really? Where was the musk ox?” Chaz felt awful for slacking on her responsibilities. They might not see another one, she knew, and that was an animal that always made a real impression on the clients.
“There was a pair of them a good ways back, and they were a long distance away—I could only really see them with binoculars. But I knew that if you’d blown by them, Miss Eagle Eyes, there was something major going on with you.”
“There’s nothing going on with me,” she replied, a little too defensively.
“Whatever you say,” Sally said, with an inflection that said she clearly didn’t believe a word of Chaz’s denials.
“Okay, so your tent-swapping plan distracted me a little,” she admitted. “But I already told you, I’m not getting involved in any one-night stands with a client.”
“Well, I think you’re limiting yourself,” Sally said. “Maybe it wouldn’t have to be a one-night stand. You never know.” She put her hand on Chaz’s shoulder, and her voice grew serious. “Maybe you’re throwing away a prime opportunity for happiness. I’d hate to see that happen. Think about it, would you? Please?”
Like I can think about much of anything else. “Give it up, Sally. It’s not possible. We have a job to do here, a responsibility to these women, and I’m not going to forget that.” She packed up the remnants of her lunch and stood, ending the discussion for the moment anyway.
She managed to keep her mind on her duties when they got back on the river to head to their next campsite, at least for the most part. She didn’t want the clients to miss any more prime wildlife sightings because of her daydreaming.
But it wasn’t easy. She’d caught Megan watching her as she got back into her kayak, and Sally’s words rang in her mind. I think she likes you, too…I’ve seen her looking at you a lot, kind of like you’ve been looking at her.
Something told her that the greatest tests of her self-control were still to come.
*
Most of that day the Odakonya meandered lazily through a wide, flat plain of tundra, the mountains far distant and the view unfettered by trees or brush for miles in every direction. But late in the afternoon, the river turned and entered a long valley thick with trees: a forest of cottonwoods and aspen and spruce, protected from the killing winter winds by the mountains rising steeply on either side. The lush growth around them after several hours of unbroken, treeless terrain made Megan feel a bit like she’d come upon an oasis in the desert.
There were birds everywhere, and ground squirrels chattered noisily at them from the riverbank, adding to the cacophony of twitterings and chirps and snippets of birdsong. Up ahead, she could see that Chaz had pulled off and was out of her kayak. They must have reached their second campsite.
Justine brought her kayak alongside Megan’s. “What a great spot.”
“Beautiful,” Megan agreed.
“Are you sure you’re okay with the sleeping arrangements? You actually want to stay with Chaz?”
“It’ll be all right.” I hope it will be, anyway. “No offense, Justine, but I haven’t slept well since we left Chicago.”
“Sorry. I guess I should have warned you.”
“You knew you snored?” Megan asked.
“Well, duh. I am a grown woman. And too long unattached, I grant you, but only because I’ve been working a lot. I do have overnight guests, you know. Although most of them are apparently too diplomatic to tell me honestly how loud I am.”
“What team are you trying out for these days, by the way?” Megan asked as they drifted near the place where they would spend the night.
“I think I’ve had it with men. Women are way more interesting.”
And some women are much more interesting than others. “You got that right, kiddo. Got any prospects in mind?”
“Well, I might have made a play for tall, taut, and lovely over there.” Justine nodded in Chaz’s direction. “But I hate to stand in line. You realize that Elise is out for her too, right?”
Their kayaks crunched against the gravel bank, and they both popped their spray skirts to get out.
“I never said I was interested in her,” Megan protested feebly, as she got to her feet and stripped off her PFD.
“You don’t have to,” Justine said, following suit. “It’s pretty obvious, Meg. I just want to make sure you knew that you’ve got some competition, and you know as well as I do that Elise has a way with women.”
“Well, I don’t know that quite as well as you do. I’ve seen her in action, but I’ve never succumbed to her charms personally.”
“That’s not fair. It was just the once, and it only happened because I was stressed out and she was helping me to relax,” Justine said.
“Yeah, right.” Megan rolled her eyes. “She went to massage school to add to her arsenal of seduction tools. The sexy punk haircut, the flirtatious grin, the big pouty lips. She’s butch with the femmes, and femme with the butches, and she gets them all.”
“So why has she never gotten you?” Justine asked.
“Never tried.” Truth be told, Megan had always been a bit irritated by the fact that Elise had made a play for virtually every lesbian in their close circle of friends except for her. Not that she had any particular attraction to Elise; it was only that she felt slighted, like there was something wrong with her.
“Well, for all he
r flirting, she doesn’t seem to be making a lot of headway with Chaz,” Justine said, as they gathered up their gear and headed toward the others, who were already unloading their bags of gear from the raft. “Are we sure she’s gay?”
“I’d say that’s a no-brainer,” Megan replied. “But I intend to find out for sure tonight.”
“Tonight?” Justine stopped short and put a hand on Megan’s arm to keep her from getting any closer to the others, where they could be overheard. “You have some kind of plan in mind, hmm?”
“Not a plan, per se. But let’s just say I do intend to find out who and what her type is.”
“Well, good luck. She is one scrumptious-looking woman, that’s for sure.”
Not telling me anything I don’t know, Megan thought as they joined the others.
Sally helped her put up the tent that she and Chaz would share that night, because Chaz was preoccupied with trying to catch some fish to add to their dinner.
Megan decided it was the perfect opportunity for her to do a little research. “So how long have you two been guiding together?” she asked as they laid out the tent, poles, and stakes.
“Five summers,” Sally said. “I started doing this when my kids went away to college.”
“So what do you do the rest of the year?”
Sally laughed. “Not much. I’ve been a full-time mom so long, I’ve kind of been at loose ends with the kids out of the house. I do some volunteer work, and I’m thinking about going back to college for my Master’s degree.”
“What about Chaz?”
“Chaz is a biology professor at the University of Fairbanks.”
“Ah. A professor, eh? That explains her extensive knowledge of all the flora and fauna we’re seeing.”
“Yeah, she’s much better at it than I am. I’ve learned most everything I know from her,” Sally said.
“So…what else can you tell me about her?” Megan asked with forced nonchalance, as she fitted the tent pole into one of the narrow sleeves in the tent.