by Shawn Davis
“Now you have to catch me,” she said as she laughed, turned, and swam away.
Peter laughed good-naturedly, although he was feeling somewhat frustrated.
She’s going to make me chase her.
Rayne swam after her. He had to rely on the swimming lessons he took at the YMCA when he was a kid. As a result, his form was somewhat awkward from lack of use. Brenton was outdistancing him as she swam toward the edge of the pool. He chased her, putting his face down in the water to pick up speed and turning to the side every few seconds for air. Halting for a moment to get his bearings, he wasn’t surprised when he didn’t see her.
Obviously, she’s doing her patented underwater swim.
Treading water, Peter saw Nicole’s blonde head break the surface about twenty feet ahead of him. She turned around, saw him, laughed, and began swimming hard toward the tropical foliage at the edge of the pool. Rayne laughed with bemusement, placing his face back in the water for more power strokes. As he neared the edge of the pool, he stopped, treaded water, and looked for her. She had disappeared from view again, but he could still hear her splashing around. The splashing sounded as if it was coming from behind a cluster of green foliage.
Rayne swam over to the tropical plants growing at the edge of the pool and stopped to listen. The splashing was coming from the left, so he followed along the side of the pool until he found a narrow river at the pool’s edge slicing directly through the tropical plants. The river was about five feet wide and continued for about fifty feet before curving to the right. Rayne saw Brenton swimming around the corner as she disappeared from sight.
Swimming straight down the narrow channel, Peter reached the curve where Nicole had disappeared. Her splashes were now drowned out by something else.
The sound of falling water.
Swimming around the curve, he saw a small waterfall cascading over tall rocks directly ahead. A small circular pool surrounded the base.
Of course, she’s nowhere in sight. Unless she somehow swam by me underwater, there’s nowhere for her to go. She’s trapped.
Rayne swam toward the waterfall and soon felt his feet scraping the pool bottom. Planting his feet on the cement floor, he walked toward the cascading water. The pool became shallower as he approached the falls. Soon, he was up to his waist. Looking around, he realized the pool was completely hidden by tall rocks and lush tropical plants. Glancing back, he could no longer see the main pool because of the sharp curve in the river.
Peter moved forward into the cascading water. He shivered as it sprayed his face and body. Gazing into the waterfall, he saw a dim silhouette on the other side. Closing his eyes, he plunged through the water barrier and found himself facing Nicole in a small, dark cave.
“You found me!” she exclaimed, placing her hands on his shoulders and drawing him close until her body pressed against his. He placed his hands around her waist and flashed her – what he hoped – was his most charming grin.
“I like your hiding spot.”
“I thought you would. It’s a little more private than the main pool.”
“I didn’t know they had places like this.”
“This isn’t the only one. There are several waterfalls connected to the main pool where the water is deepest. Only expert swimmers can find them.”
“Then, we’re lucky we’re good swimmers.”
“Yes, we are.”
She drew her face close and kissed him softly on the lips.
“I don’t usually do this with someone I just met,” Nicole said, licking her top lip with her tongue. “But I feel a special connection with you, Malcom. I haven’t felt like this in long time. Do you feel it too?”
“Absolutely,” Peter said, flashing her another smile.
“Good. Then you don’t think it’s strange we’re moving this fast?”
“Not at all.”
“That’s all I need to know.”
Chapter 31
High Romance
Nicole drew closer to Peter and kissed him again. The sound of the waterfall lulled him into tranquility as their bodies merged. He abandoned all restraint and let himself go with the moment.
Peter found it difficult to gain the willpower to ever leave the waterfall pool. Even after their passion was spent, they stood face-to-face gently caressing each other waist-deep in the shallow pool of the hidden cave.
“Malcom, I never want to leave this place,” Nicole said softly to him.
“I don’t either,” Peter said.
“I feel like this is our special hiding place from the world.”
“So do I.”
“The meeting we had this morning feels like it happened to someone else. I can’t believe we’re going to leave here and I actually have to think about Frump’s proposal,” Nicole said.
“Save that for later. For now, enjoy the moment,” Peter said.
Rayne lost track of time as they lingered in the dark cave behind the waterfall. The cascading water drowned out the noises from the outside world. For the first time in his life, he felt safe and at peace. He felt Nicole shiver against him and knew it was finally time for the dream to end.
“Malcom, we have to go.”
“I know.”
They waded through the waterfall into bright daylight, their eyes squinting against the glare of the sun shining down through the Plexiglas dome. Rayne felt like he was waking from a beautiful dream. They waded into the pool until the water reached their shoulders and began swimming. Nicole was a stronger swimmer than he was, so he let her take the lead.
Peter found his towel exactly where he had thrown it on the beach. He picked it up and wrapped it around Nicole’s shivering shoulders.
“I’m starving. Let’s go back to my room and order some room service,” Nicole said.
“Good idea,” Peter agreed.
They walked across the beach and followed the path to the small courtyard where the changing rooms were located. After taking showers and changing into formal clothes, they met back in the courtyard. They cut across the outdoor lounge and returned to the path circling the lake. Strolling through the fake tropical forest, they halted as they reached the fork in the path.
“Malcom, do you want to see the wild animals?” Nicole asked, raising her eyebrows.
“Maybe next time,” Peter replied, imagining a three-hundred-pound tiger charging at him.
“No problem. I’ve already seen it anyway.”
They followed the right-hand path until they reached the elevator. Nicole smiled sultrily at Peter and pushed the button to open the door.
Rayne wondered how he had become so lucky. He didn’t want to think about what might happen if his luck suddenly ran out. They traveled down to the 80th floor and left the elevator. Rayne was chagrined when he realized the décor of this hallway was a carbon copy of the hallway outside Getty’s apartment on the 98th floor.
They could have at least designed the floors of the skyscraper with a little variety.
They walked to Nicole’s apartment and she let herself in by swiping her wrist across the door scanner. Rayne was even more surprised when he found the décor of Brenton’s apartment was an exact replica of his. He looked around and found that every piece of furniture had been put in the exact same place as the furniture in his apartment. It was the first flaw he found with the Frump administration’s hospitality.
Brenton led him down to the sunken area of the living room where they sat on the plush couch in front of the large-screen television. She turned on the news channel and they listened to an optimistic economic forecast by a nationally renowned expert.
Rayne discovered that Brenton agreed with the so-called “experts” that a nationwide economic recovery was inevitable. The expert agreed that with the recent growth in GDP, it was only a matter of time before the 20% unemployment rate decreased. Rayne had heard it all before.
After watching the news for an excruciating hour, Nicole led him to her bedroom where they resumed round two. Peter ha
d no trouble, considering the attractiveness of his partner. Their previous conversation about economics was a significant turn-off, but it was no problem turning it around when he saw her gorgeous naked body. They made love for hours before ordering room service. They ate their gourmet dinners on trays delivered to the bed. When finished, they called room service again to take the trays away. When the waiters left the apartment, Nicole snuggled up to Peter and laid her head on his shoulder.
“This has been a wonderful day, Malcom.”
“Yes, it has,” Rayne replied.
“I never thought I’d meet someone like you in one of Frump’s boring meetings.”
“Neither did I.”
Rayne found that his responses were becoming less creative as the day wore on. The more he talked with Nicole Brenton, the more he realized their inherent incompatibility. She was simply on a different level than he was. He had spent the last eight years driving a forklift in a warehouse, while she had spent the last eight years living the good life. They had nothing in common. However, this phenomenon wouldn’t stop him from faking it for the benefit of the mission.
“I was impressed by the Crest Club. I’m glad you brought me there,” Rayne commented, stretching out on the bed.
“Oh, yes, it’s very nice. Not as nice as the real thing, of course. I’d much rather be at my estate in Puerto Rico or St. Thomas. But it’s not bad for a replica,” Nicole replied.
“The real Caribbean is always better than a mere replica.”
“Do you have any houses in the Caribbean, Malcom?” Nicole asked.
“Sure, absolutely. I have places in….” Peter racked his brain to think of appropriate Caribbean islands. “….in Aruba and St. Martin. They’re both very beautiful.”
“Malcom, I’m surprised at you,” Nicole said, lifting her left eyebrow as her forehead creased into the most severe frown he had seen yet.
“Why’s that?” Peter replied, worried that he had committed a social blunder.
“I’m surprised you don’t have a house on an American-owned island. Your houses are on foreign soil,” Brenton said.
“What’s so bad about visiting foreign soil?” Rayne asked, annoyed.
“What’s wrong with it?” Brenton asked, scowling. “I’m surprised you would ask. Aruba is run by the Dutch government and St. Martin is owned by the French and Dutch governments. Those countries opposed the Columbian War. They left us hanging when we needed them the most. Don’t you think it’s rather unpatriotic to own property in those places?”
Rayne racked his brain to figure out which war she was referring to. There were so many in the last twenty years, he had lost track of them. There was the Iranian War, the Syrian War, and the Third Iraqi War. He couldn’t remember any wars in the last five years. She must have been referring to the hostile take-over of Columbia that started around ten years back and ended about five years ago.
“Nicole, that was so long ago. Surely, we can’t hold a grudge that long,” Peter said.
“Malcom, I’m surprised at you.” Nicole said, sternly. “You really are a black sheep. The U.N. and the international community stabbed us in the back after we took over Columbia and made it our fifty-second state. They didn’t understand that we had to do it. It was the only way to stop drugs from coming into our country.”
Rayne couldn’t help smirking at her comment. He knew there were still more drugs in Inner City than citizens. All the government had done by taking over Columbia was become the primary controller of the plantations and drug manufacturing operations in Columbia. The profits were used to finance world-wide, off-the-books Black Operations. Of course, the media propagandized the war by saying it was fought to “end the drug trade.” Anyone traveling through Inner City for even a brief time would know the propaganda was a lie.
Brenton didn’t seem to notice. She continued her impassioned speech. “The U.N. and the European Union have treated our country like a pariah ever since we did what we had to do to stop our country’s drug problem. Most of them, with the exception of England, have broken off diplomatic relations with us. I can’t believe you would associate with those back-stabbers.”
“Nicole, I don’t actually associate with anyone from those countries,” Rayne offered, trying to think of an appropriate explanation for his lack of patriotism. “My family just happens to own property on islands affiliated with those countries. My family bought the land long before the Columbian War. It’s been in our possession for generations. It has a value to our family that transcends mere politics.”
Brenton looked away from him to ruminate. “Well, I guess if it was your grandfather or great-grandfather that bought the property, there wasn’t much you could do about it.”
“It was tough to object when I wasn’t born yet,” Peter said, smiling.
Nicole laughed and the tension evaporated. She returned her head to his shoulder and wrapped her arm around his waist.
“I don’t want to argue, Malcom. This day has been so perfect so far.”
“I agree. We can’t let decisions made by my grandparents affect us,” Peter said, rolling his eyes.
Whew! That was close.
“I understand, Malcom. If you were brought up that way, you wouldn’t know any better,” Nicole replied.
“Believe me, I’ll sell the property the first chance I get.”
“Well, that makes me feel better, Malcom. Thank you for explaining.”
Rayne hoped that Brenton wouldn’t notice the sweat glistening on his brow. He had almost blown it. He would have to be more careful. Luckily, Nicole began drifting to sleep in his arms, allowing him time to think about his mistake and how to avoid making another. Eventually, he drifted to sleep beside her.
Rayne awoke an indeterminate amount of time later in a half-asleep state, thinking he was in his old apartment in Inner City. He glanced to the left and saw an unknown blonde-haired woman sleeping in the bed beside him.
Did I meet her at a nightclub in the Club District?
Rayne looked around. The events preceding his sleep came back to him.
Oh, yeah. The mission. I can’t lie around wasting time. Maybe I should tell her I need to spend some time working on personal business. Then I can search for information about the underground bunker on Getty’s computer. I have to find out how to get down there. There are a lot of people counting on me.
Rayne got up and dressed. He saw Brenton roll over and open her eyes as he wrapped Getty’s expensive leather belt around his waist.
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“I have some business to take care of.”
“Right now?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
Brenton wrapped a sheet around her nude body and sat on the edge of the bed.
“Are you going to look over that contract Frump gave us?” Nicole asked.
“No, this is something else,” Peter said.
“Are you coming back?”
Rayne hesitated for a moment.
Will it affect my mission if I spend more time with her? It couldn’t hurt.
“Sure,” Rayne said. “We can get together tomorrow if you want. How long are you staying on the island?”
“At least a week. I’m going to send Frump’s contract to my lawyers and spend the rest of the week on a mini-vacation.”
“I like that idea. Maybe I’ll do the same.”
“That’s good because I wanted to spend more time with you too,” she said, smiling, seductively.
“And we will, Nicole. I just have to work on some business tonight and we can get together tomorrow morning. How’s that sound?” Peter asked.
“That sounds great. What are we going to do? Do you want to go back to the club?” Nicole asked
“I was hoping to see the city. I thought maybe you could take me on a tour.”
“Certainly. What places do you want to see?”
“Whatever you think is best. I trust your judgment.”
“Is there a certain pl
ace you want to see more than others?” Brenton asked.
Rayne hesitated as he thought about it.
Should I say it? Should I tell the truth for a change? How would I explain it?
Rayne had a sudden moment of inspiration.
“The only place I really want to see is inaccessible to us,” Peter said.
“That’s not true, Malcom. Frump can get us clearance to go anywhere on the island,” Brenton said.
“I don’t think he can give us clearance to go to the place I’m thinking of, Nicole,” Rayne said.
“Malcom, don’t keep me in suspense. What place are you talking about? You’re starting to intrigue me.”
“Well, ever since I was a kid, I’ve always wondered what that command bunker was like under the city. I hear it’s incredibly elaborate and hooked up to an underground nuclear power plant. I’ve always wondered what it looked like.”
“You mean the Underworld?” Nicole asked.
“What’s the Underworld?” Peter asked.
“That’s the term people in New Washington use for the command bunker under the city. I’ve heard it’s like a city under a city. I wouldn’t mind checking it out myself,” Brenton said.
“But like I said before, I don’t see how we’re going to get clearance to go down there,” Rayne said. “I hear only military personnel and top government officials are allowed.”
Nicole smiled at him as if she had a lascivious secret.
“What are you grinning at?” he asked.
“I know something you don’t know,” Nicole said, smiling mischievously.
“Now you have me intrigued. What are you talking about?” Rayne asked, sitting down next to Brenton on the bed.
Peter only had time to put on his pants, so he was still bare-chested. He put his arm around her shoulders. She responded by putting her soft hand on his lower back.
“I have a secret, but you’re going to have to torture me to get it,” she said, giggling.
“Oh, you mean, like this?” Peter said, tickling her rib cage.
He moved up her body, tickling under her arms until she was laughing uncontrollably. Nicole’s laughter was contagious and Peter started laughing as well. She screamed with delight like a six-year old. Rayne let up on his assault.