by Emma Nichols
Craig sat, moaning.
Ashley lingered in front of him; her hands thrust deeply into her coveralls pockets. They waited, no words passing between them. Entertained only by the conversations taking place around them in a language they didn’t understand, the ripping of paper, and the clinking of lightweight metal instruments. Not like the heavy, gross, yet more comforting sounds that spilt out around the workshop. Ashley sighed and fidgeted her feet.
Craig closed his eyes.
Another woman entered the cubical, studying the clipboard in her hand. She pulled the curtain closed behind her. Ashley met her dark assessing gaze and her mousy-brown short hair, momentarily struck by a subtle sense of something familiar.
‘You must be Craig,’ she said, glancing at the bandaged hand, with a kind smile.
Ashley couldn’t place the accent, but she certainly wasn’t Syrian.
‘I’m Giselle Benoit, one of the doctors here today,’ she confirmed. Craig nodded, and she turned her attention to Ashley. ‘I’m sorry we don’t allow friends in here while the patient is being treated.’ Her chocolate brown eyes held Ashley’s with curiosity, but it was the delicate lines that revealed themselves when the doctor smiled that touched something in Ashley.
Ashley’s neck started to flush. Doctor Giselle Benoit was a lesbian; of that, she was convinced. A coy smile appeared on her face. ‘Okay,’ she said, her eyes diverting to Craig. ‘I’ll see you out there when you’re done, bud,’ she said.
‘I can come and get you when he’s patched up,’ Giselle offered.
‘Thanks doc,’ Craig said, breaking the intensity between the two women.
Ashley nodded, winked at Craig, and strode out to the waiting room. Looks like you’re in safe hands bud.
6.
Katherine paced around the kitchen, taking small sips from the tumbler of water she had just poured. They should have been back just after lunchtime at the latest, and it was fast approaching six-thirty. The idea that something might have happened to them caused her knees to weaken and her breathing to shallow. An image of Ashley lying hurt somewhere in the desert played out in her mind. She chastised herself for agonising over the ridiculous and massaged her forehead with her index finger and thumb. Of course, they would be fine; Ash would be okay. Both engineers were competent and knew this territory better than she did. Why then was her stomach churning? Why hadn’t she been able to settle her mind to the work she had planned to finish? Why hadn’t they answered the phone when she called to check on them? Even swimming hadn’t relaxed her. She walked through to the living room window and searched the road that separated the short distance between the expat houses and the hotel. Pacing again, she sipped the water, keeping vigil.
When the 4x4 eventually pulled up outside Craig’s house, Kate ran frantically towards the opening car doors. Flustering and floundering, she tried to approach the last few steps with some semblance composure, but her feet were moving too quickly, and she tripped, throwing herself into Ash’s path. Her heart raced and she struggled for breath. Scrambling to retrieve her full height of five-feet-six inches, she stared at the two frowning faces gazing back at her.
‘Jesus Kate, are you okay?’ Ash asked, scanning the flushing redhead for injuries. Reaching out, she placed an arm on her shoulder.
‘What’s happened?’
Kate was shaking, fighting the tears welling in her eyes, and challenged by a mouth refusing to comply with her mind’s instructions. ‘You’re late,’ she blurted.
Ash recoiled from the contact. She hadn’t realised they were on a stopwatch, and it hadn’t been her choice to spend the best part of her day in the emergency department of the local hospital. An image of the kind doctor brought a smile to her face, and her shoulders relaxed. At least there had been one benefit.
‘Sorry, that came out badly. I was worried about you both. And judging by that.’ Her eyes locked onto Craig’s bandaged hand, housed in a sling around his neck. ‘I’d say, my concern was justified,’ she complained, shaking her head back and forth as she spoke. ‘What on earth have you done?’ she asked.
Craig cowered. Staring at his hand in the sling, he wiggled each finger, one after the other. ‘See, works just fine,’ he said, looking up, a beaming smile plastered across his face.
‘You’re supposed to be on the rig in a few days. How’s that going to happen?’ Katherine’s eyes flared light green, and she tussled with her hair. She started to pace and huff.
Craig locked eyes with Ashley, and neither could stop the jiggling in their chest from escaping. They started to laugh then stopped instantly. Katherine was glaring at them both.
‘I’ll be fine,’ Craig interjected before the redhead exploded. ‘Doc said I gotta keep it raised for the rest of the day. I got strong painkillers, nothin’ broken, and no nerve damage. So,’ he said, moving towards Katherine, encasing her under his good arm and pulling her into his chest. ‘Everythin’ ‘ll be fine, Katherine.’
‘I need a beer,’ Ash said, observing Kate as she regained her composure under Craig’s natural masculine strength and effortless dominance. Craig was squeezing Kate tightly and rubbing his hand comfortingly up and down her arm. Ashley smiled at the Texan’s protective stance.
‘Good idea,’ he said.
‘No,’ both women retorted simultaneously.
‘You’re on pain-killers,’ Katherine admonished, pulling out of his grip and glaring at him.
‘Fuck that,’ Craig grinned. He was already high as a kite on the hospital drugs, and his hand was feeling great. ‘Yer place or mine?’ he asked, addressing Ashley.
‘Mine,’ she said, striding down the street and leaving the other two standing.
Craig’s good arm still hung around Katherine’s shoulder, and he pulled her close again and squeezed. ‘I’ll be fine,’ he said softly.
‘You’d better be,’ Katherine responded, suddenly dragged along by his long gait as he marched them down the road.
*
Ashley left the front door open and took the stairs two at a time. She stepped into her bathroom, dropped her clothes, and slipped into her bikini. She needed a swim more than she needed a beer. She threw the towel over her shoulder as she descended the stairs and stepped into the kitchen.
Kate’s eyes widened. She held out an open bottle of beer but couldn’t speak. Wow! She slugged at her beer, acutely aware of the growing grin spanning Craig’s face. His eyes were fixed firmly on her; more particularly, her reaction to Ash’s near naked body. The heat that had caused Kate’s skin to wet increased tenfold and she still couldn’t find her voice.
‘Swim?’ Ash asked, taking the beer.
Kate took another slug. The descending liquid collided with her need to breathe, and she coughed violently. Craig moved to help, but she raised her hand and composed herself. ‘I’ve… l…already,’ she stuttered.
Craig raised his wounded arm. ‘Nu-uh,’ he said, swigging from the bottle in his good hand. ‘I’ll come ‘n’ watch though,’ he said, with a cheeky grin.
Ash stepped into the back garden. Kate followed her, her eyes refusing to budge from the tight butt cheeks that moved seductively with every pace. Craig chuckled to himself, sauntering behind the two women. Ash placed her bottle on the low table, dumped her towel on the lounger next to it, and ran the four paces before taking off and diving into the pool. Kate, and Craig, took a seat at the round plastic table, under the shade of the expansive canopy.
Kate watched Ash swim the full length of the pool underwater. When she emerged, her hair was darker and hanging a little further down the back of her neck. Kate swallowed hard, and her skin flamed.
‘Ya like her,’ Craig said. ‘A lot.’
Kate gulped. ‘Is it that obvious?’ she asked, her voice yielding to the truth.
Craig held her gaze, and she studied him. His dark-brown eyes seemed lighter than she had remembered them, softer even, revealing tenderness, and concern.
‘It’s ‘s clear as the nose on ya face; ya go
t it bad Kate.’ He responded. He swigged from his beer and turned his attention to the movement in the water. ‘I can see the attraction,’ he admitted with a tilt of his head.
‘You like her too?’ Kate asked, sitting straighter in the hard plastic seat.
He locked onto her questioning eyes and smiled warmly. ‘Not like that no. But she’s the best friend I ever had,’ he said, suddenly standing. ‘There’s somethin’ ‘bout her, a kinda innocence… and that fiery determination. And she’s loyal,’ he added, heading back to the kitchen.
Kate watched Ash’s strong arms cut through the water effortlessly, her lithe body gliding across its surface. Light vibrations warmed her stomach, and she couldn’t deny that the lower parts of her body were starting to scream at her. It had been a long time since she had felt this way.
Craig returned; two beers poised between the fingers of his good hand. He pointed one at Kate, and she took it. He plonked the other on the table and sat.
‘Ya got married,’ he said, matter-of-factly.
Kate looked into Craig's eyes. ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘I got divorced too,’ she added quickly, turning her attention back to the pool.
‘Ah huh!’ he said, softly, noticing Kate’s mouth twitch involuntarily. The move was barely noticeable to the naked eye, but something was endearing about the display of vulnerability. He tilted his head to the side and assessed her from a different angle.
‘He was the son of my employer,’ she continued, her eyes never leaving the body in the water.
Craig slouched into the back of the plastic seat, wriggled trying to get comfortable and grimaced, before sitting back up.
‘Rumour had it that I married him to get ahead,’ she said. There was more than bitterness in her tone.
Craig’s eyebrows rose.
‘I married him because I thought it was the right thing to do. It was expected of me.’ She rubbed her fingers across her tired eyes and emptied the first beer with a long gulp. ‘Turns out I was wrong,’ she said, with detachment.
‘Did ya love him?’ Craig asked tentatively, disorientated by the tightness cutting across his chest. There was something else too, but he couldn’t put a word to it.
‘I thought I did at the time, but…’ She turned to face him, suddenly acutely aware, her eyes dark and distant.
‘Didn’t mean t’ pry,’ he said, sensing the discomfort between them.
Her focus switched, her eyes lightened, and a smile started to appear. ‘I loved you once too,’ she said, in a softer tone. He smiled, but something said he didn’t quite believe her.
‘Ya’s still in love with Ash though,’ he said, taking a swig from his beer.
Kate lowered her gaze. ‘Aaahhh,’ she screamed, leaping up from the seat, swiping at the water that had caught her square in the face.
Ash was laughing, and Craig started chuckling.
Kate brushed frantically at her clothes. ‘You…’ she yelled, but the tears that were trickling down her cheeks had little to do with the laughter enticed out of her in the moment.
Ashley sprayed the water gun again targeting, firstly Kate, and then Craig.
‘Watch the arm,’ he pleaded, his eyes scanning the area for something with which to retaliate. A wicked grin appeared on his face as he jumped up and leapt for the high-power water pistol at the side of the pool. ‘Shoot!’ he cursed as he tried to fill it with one hand.
Ash continued to spray his back. ‘Call yourself a cowboy?’ she heckled.
He spun around, pointed the automatic weapon, and pulled the trigger. The jet smacked Ash squarely between the eyes before she could duck under the water. She came up spluttering and giggling and got shot again.
A sudden splash caught both their attention. Kate had dived into the pool fully clothed and was heading towards Ash. Ash tried to run, held back by the water’s resistance. Kate grabbed Ash’s legs, upending her and pulling her under the water.
Craig stood, gun poised, waiting for the two women to emerge, holding back the rumbling in his chest. He released the trigger at the top of the redhead beginning to surface, firing the last of his water, and threw the empty weapon into the pool.
Two heads bobbed up sporting wide grins. Ash pulled her pistol out of the water and fired, firstly catching Craig on the back of the legs, then targeting Kate, who submerged before the water reached her.
‘Right, enough,’ he shouted, staggering towards the kitchen.
Ashley stood up, suddenly serious. ‘You okay bud?’
‘Yup,’ he said, turning to face her. ‘Just the beer chasin’ the pills ‘round my head,’ he said. ‘And my hand’s throbbin’ like fuck,’ he added, but he was grinning like a Cheshire cat.
Ash watched until his back had disappeared. When she turned around, Kate’s eyes were locked onto her, undressing her skimpily dressed body.
Ash’s lips parted, and a surge of energy zipped down her spine, settling low in her belly. She crossed her arms and held onto her shoulders, covering her exposed body. It didn’t help. Kate’s red hair was hanging loosely down her face; the intensity in her gaze; their history, all calling to her. The desire was running through her, like their first time together, and causing her sex to throb. God, she hadn’t felt this strongly in a long time. The sensations intensified with every step Kate took towards her. Ash wanted to move away, but couldn’t. Her eyes must have closed because the heat of Kate’s breath burning her right cheek caused them to flash open. Any objection she might have presented died before it aired itself, with the touch of Kate’s lips pressing firmly against hers.
Kate’s heart was pounding in her chest as she wrestled with why this was such a bad idea. Driven by something more profound; something over which she had no control, she had made the contact she had been craving since she had set eyes on Ash that first morning in the restaurant. Her cheek was never going to be enough. She needed the warmth, the familiarity, and the intensity of the kiss. Oh god yes, the fire through her veins was lighting up more than the passionate past they had shared together. Such tender lips: soft and wet. So fucking inviting. Her tongue delved, searched, danced, toyed.
Ash’s arms held their position firmly across the front of her body in a vain attempt to claim some semblance of control. Only the water surrounding her was keeping her upright. Kate’s hands were cupping her face, tenderly pulling her deeper into the kiss, and she was succumbing to the surges of passion firing in every cell in her body. The groan she elicited was the only invitation Kate needed.
Kate groaned in response. She had missed this. Missed Ash; missed them.
Ash pulled out of the kiss suddenly, her eyes darker than the night sky. She stared, into Kate’s dark-green irises, but she wasn’t smiling. She backed off, increasing the space between them, clinging to her shoulders, lowering her eyes to the water.
‘You okay?’ Kate asked, in a tone slightly deeper than her normal resonance. A dark feeling had settled instantly in her gut, and her eyes were burning. ‘Sorry,’ I shouldn’t have kissed you,’ she offered, hoping it wasn’t what Ash wanted to hear.
‘No, it’s me. I’m sorry. It’s just…’
‘I know it was a long time ago. And we can’t recreate the past but…’
‘No. That’s not it. I’m just not sure I’m ready for this,’ she indicated between them. ‘At least, not yet,’ she added, unsure as to why she was leaving the door half open, knowing her body craved release from the sensations Kate had stimulated… but not from Kate.
Kate held out her hand. ‘Sorry,’ she said. ‘Can we be friends?’ she asked. She could work with that; give Ash the space she needed. She couldn’t cope with losing her, not again! Craig was right; there was something extraordinary about Ashley Roberts. She’d known it at the time they were together too, but she was so much younger then, and frankly, the strength of her feelings had freaked her out. Fuck! Those feelings scared her now too, but for an entirely different reason.
Ash took the offered hand and held it firmly. ‘Friends,’
she agreed, aware that something had shifted between them. Kate’s vulnerability was perplexing. She would never have backed down so quickly in the past. The Kate she had known back then, always so vibrant, confident, and so alluring, where was that Kate; the one with whom she had fallen head over heels in love? Yes, the way those green eyes looked at her now still sent her body wild with desire. Hell, she was an easy target for that right now! But beyond those sexual urges, what did they share? She couldn’t find the answer. She freed herself from Kate’s grasp. ‘I’m going to get dressed and then eat. I’d rather do that on my own please.’
Katherine took a step back in the water and glanced towards the pool steps. She had been foolish and taken it too far. ‘Sure,’ she said, flicking her hands through her hair. She made her way out of the pool, leaving Ash where she stood.
Ash slowly lowered her arms and dangled her fingers in the warm water, gathering her thoughts. She wasn’t quite sure what had happened between them, but the last few days suddenly hit her. It’s thirty-five degrees for Christ’s sake, why am I shivering?
7.
Iman placed the finishing touches to the round tin and rested it delicately on the kitchen surface. She peeked through the porthole into the restaurant. Zack was the only worker in the place and even he was in a lot earlier than usual. Breakfast didn’t start for another hour. She smiled at the tin, rubbed her fingers across its textured surface, and basked in the warmth that settled lightly in her chest.
‘That’s beautiful, what’s it for?’ Niomi asked, reaching across and touching the textured material.
‘It’s for Ash,’ she said, in a dreamy tone, suddenly forgetting herself.
Niomi withdrew her hand, huffed, and looked out the porthole window. She started giggling. ‘Zack’s such a handsome man, don’t you think?’ She turned to Iman, her eyes reflecting the vibrancy resonating in her cheeks. The contrast with her response to the tin for Ash couldn’t have been more obvious.