by Anita Kidesu
Steve glanced over his shoulder at the plane. “Think she’s changing clothes?”
“Hell, Steve, I don’t know,” Jack answered. “When she comes down those stairs, no matter what she’s wearing, we will not gawk, make any comments, or cause her any discomfort. We will be gentlemen. Agreed?” He wasn’t sure why, but Emma brought out his protective nature.
“Yes,” Steve said.
“I suppose,” Toby added.
“Hey, what is that?” Toby asked, pointing to two white pieces of fabric protruding partially out of the sand.
Steve scrambled over and pulled them out, his smile pure delight. “Her bra and panties from yesterday.” He held up the plain matching undergarments. “They seem in pretty bad shape to me.”
Toby took the bra from Steve. “Yeah, there’s some blood. Probably won’t even come out in a good washing.”
Steve grinned and without saying anything more, tossed the bra and underpants into the fire pit.
Jack raised his eyebrows in silent communication with his new friends. He hoped she wouldn’t find any more in the woman’s suitcases.
“Hey, you guys,” Emma yelled, taking their attention from her underwear. “Look what I found.”
They turned toward her, Steve carefully pushing the white garments farther into the flames with a stick.
Emma came down the steps with several containers nestled in the crook of her arms. She hadn’t changed clothes. Steve winked at Toby, who smiled at Jack. Jack kept his face passive and raised an eyebrow to the other men.
“What did you find, Emma-girl?” Jack asked as Emma knelt in the sand.
“I was digging around and came across this powdered breakfast drink.” She dropped cans of fruit and tomatoes and packages of seasoning by their feet. “There’s a bunch of other stuff, too.” She glanced down at her clothes. “I found a sewing kit, too.” She stopped talking when the men were silent. “Well?”
“Well, what?” Jack asked.
“You said powdered eggs were awful, right?”
“Yup.”
“We can add the tomatoes and meat to the eggs. Wouldn’t it make them taste better?”
Steve grinned and rubbed his hands together. “My mouth is watering in anticipation.”
“Along with the coffee, there’s juice and canned fruit. I found powdered milk, too.” She shuddered at the mess the professor stirred. “Even though Steve has already mixed water with the eggs, maybe we can salvage it with the canned tomatoes.”
Jack grimaced at the concrete-looking mixture. He had to give Emma credit for coming up with a good idea for future meals. “Let’s get to work.”
Chapter Five
Jack leaned back on his elbows, his legs stretched out before him, a tin cup filled with coffee pressed in the sand. “I wouldn’t have believed adding tomatoes to the mess Steve cooked up could make such a difference. Those eggs were actually edible.” He patted his bare stomach. “I almost feel human again.”
“I agree,” Toby said, wiping his hands down his pants.
Emma stood. “What should we do now?”
“I suggest we clean up this mess and then scout around for a bit. Heat should crank up around noon. We can eat lunch and take a siesta until the air cools off. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m still pretty sore and tired from yesterday’s events. How’s that sound?” Even though he didn’t want to be a leader, his time in the military made it natural to take charge.
After everyone agreed, Steve got more wood, Toby took a pot to heat water, and Emma gathered the dishes. Jack stood and stretched, wincing against his stiff muscles.
Emma put her hands on her hips. “What are you going to do?”
“We need a place away from the fire and plane where we can go when nature calls. We can’t be polluting our living area or tempting any wild animals into coming to our campsite. We’ll have to make sure the food and cooking gear are stowed in the plane all the time.”
“Aren’t you going to help clean up?”
“I’ll make lunch. After I find a good latrine area, I’m going to find out if anything is left of my radio system.”
****
A short while later, Jack came back to find the other three dozing in the sand. “I think I found a good spot for the latrine. That asshole pretty much destroyed the radio yesterday.”
He pushed a toe against Toby’s foot. “Let’s scout around. Since we don’t have a clue what’s out there, we’ll pair up. Toby, you and Steve head up the beach that way,” he pointed to the south, “and Emma and I’ll go the other. Head into the jungle and search for signs of civilization. Look for a source of fresh water.”
He handed guns to Steve and Toby. “These are the ones we took off the dead guys yesterday. They’re loaded, so be careful. We’ll meet back here at noon.”
The two men trudged through the sand, down the beach, and disappeared behind a line of trees and vines.
Emma nodded at the guns. “What about mine?”
Jack held out a pistol. “Ever hold one of these before yesterday?”
Emma took the gun, checked the safety, pulled back the slide, dropped the magazine, slapped it back into place, and peered down the sight. All in a matter of seconds—better than some of the men he served with in the military.
Jack raised an eyebrow. “Never would have guessed.”
“I was nervous yesterday.” Emma smiled. “Every well-trained lady can plan a party for several hundred of her closest friends, properly seat foreign dignitaries and politicians, carry on a conversation with boring people and look intrigued, be a hostess at a moment’s notice and…be able to load, aim, shoot, and clean a weapon.”
Jack could only stare at her.
She shrugged. “One never knows what will happen at a dinner party.” With that she turned and headed down the beach.
“What the hell?” he murmured, his gaze following her swaying hips.
****
“You didn’t answer my question yesterday,” Emma said a while later as she walked behind Jack on a narrow trail they had found after following the beach for an hour.
Jack swatted away a tree branch hanging over the path. “What question?”
“The one about why we had to remove the hijackers’ clothing. Toby said they didn’t need them where they were going, but it’s more than that, isn’t it?”
“Stripping them seemed like a good idea at the time.”
“And now?”
“Still does.”
“Why?”
Jack emitted an exasperated sigh. “Emma. I’m not sure how long we’ll be here or what to expect. I don’t know what Toby and Steve have for gear, but I don’t pack a lot of clothes when I’m puddle-jumping between islands. If we’re stuck on this island for a while, we may need those clothes.”
Emma’s breakfast rolled in her stomach. She bit her bottom lip. “Don’t you think we’ll be rescued?”
Jack stopped in the middle of the trail and turned around. “Do you always do that?”
She slammed into him and nearly landed on the soft, spongy ground. “Do what?”
“Ask so damn many questions.”
Emma was quiet for a minute trying to decide what to tell him. From somewhere deep inside, she thought him trustworthy. She turned him around and gave him a push back up the ascending trail. The trees, which to this point had been thick enough to block views, were slowly thinning out. The scent of rotting vegetation diminished also.
“I come from a prominent family. Have you heard of my father, Frederick Galloway?”
“No. I don’t get back to the States very often.”
“Let us just say he’s important, and more importantly, he believes he’s important.” She picked a flower and sniffed at the red petals. “When you’re raised in a house where the master is master, the mother is a well-known socialite, and the oldest son is being groomed to follow in the father’s footsteps, well, the daughter is…”
“Left behind?”
�
�Precisely. My parents are from the old school, old money, old families. Everyone knows everyone. A person isn’t accepted for who they are but for their connections. As the younger child and unfortunately a girl, I was unimportant. My sole purpose in life is to marry the right man to improve the family’s social circle. Hard to believe in this day and age, but girls are sent off to school for proper grooming as potential wives and hostesses. Our virtues are guarded, and when I look back, I realize we are sold to the highest bidder. No one asks our opinions, nor are we allowed to question anyone else’s unless to make a person, or more correctly, a man, feel important.”
“Sounds boring as hell.”
“It is. And archaic. For crying out loud. They still act like it’s the fifties. Like I told Toby and Steve, this is the first time I’ve traveled alone.”
“And then only because there was another woman on my plane.”
“That’s what Jean Paul said. Usually I’m chaperoned.”
“Gee, I’m glad things turned out so well for you.”
“Well, crashing was not in my plans, but being away from all that stuffiness is liberating to say the least. I’ve never been allowed to question any decision made by a man on my behalf.”
“Even in school?”
“Even in school.” She pulled a few petals from the stem. “You’d better believe making our own decisions was frowned upon.”
“So now you must follow the dictates of your husband?”
Emma placed the flower behind her ear. She followed Jack around some driftwood. “Yes.”
“How long did you go out before marrying him?”
She stopped and slapped her hands on her hips. “Now who is asking all the questions?” At his silence and raised eyebrow, she went on. “The length of our acquaintance was not important. It was about how long our families were friends. Our fathers served in the military together. I met Jean Paul a week before our wedding. He was my first in everything.”
The trail they were following widened. Jack slowed down and Emma walked beside him.
“Let me get this straight. Before your husband, you’d never kissed a boy?”
“No.”
“Never held a boy’s hand?”
“No.”
“Besides your husband, Toby, Steve, and I are the first men you’ve ever been alone with?”
Emma’s face heated. “I know this all sounds ridiculous, a woman my age having no experience with men, but that’s the way it is. And actually, I was not alone with Jean Paul long, either—even after the ceremony.”
“Shit. What kind of life is that?”
“Not an exciting one, Jack,” Emma said, stepping into a clearing. She stopped and put a restraining hand on his forearm. “Oh, my.”
Jack caught his breath. “That doesn’t begin to cover this.”
On the other side of the small open area was a lake surrounded on two sides by mountains. On the third side a tall waterfall splashed into the crystal clear water. Vines hanging from the top to the bottom swayed back and forth in the water’s spray. Red, orange, yellow, and blue exotic flowers grew at the base of the mountains.
“Fresh water,” Jack said.
“How do you know?”
“I’ve traveled the islands enough to recognize those types of flowers don’t grow near salt water.”
“Do you think we can drink it?”
Jack clicked the safety off his gun and shrugged. He pointed to the end of the lake opposite the waterfall. “Let’s get closer.”
Emma glanced at his gun. “Why did you do that?”
“If this is fresh water, animals would find this a good place to drink. I don’t want to run into any surprises.”
Emma clicked the safety off on her gun and followed.
As they approached the lake, rustling came from the thick foliage. Jack put out a hand and pushed Emma behind him. Like an elephant charging through the trees, the racket grew. Jack pointed his gun at the noise, then to Emma’s surprise dropped it to his side.
“Dammit, Toby. You scared the fuckin’ hell out of me,” Jack yelled.
“Jack…” Emma warned.
“Dammit, Emma. I’m going to swear. Get used to it.” He pulled her from behind him. “It’s only our two companions charging at us like bulls.”
“Sorry, Jack,” Steve said. “The trees are so damn close together. The heat and humidity were closing in on us, and we felt like we were choking to death. We needed to get out of there.”
Jack slipped the safety back on his gun. “Did you stop to think it might not be a good idea to run in the jungle? What if something was actually chasing you? There’s no way you could outrun a wild animal.”
“Nothing is chasing us, Jack.” Toby stood still, staring at the view before him. “My God, will you look at that.”
Steve let out a whistle. “Fresh?”
“I believe so,” Jack answered.
“How do we get down?” Toby asked.
“Emma and I were going to find a way.” He pointed to an indentation in the grass. “I think I see an animal trail just to the right of where you two came out.”
“Lead on, oh fearless one,” Emma joked.
“He didn’t act so fearless to me, shaking his gun at us as we came out of the jungle.” Steve laughed.
“Yeah, well, if you expected a herd of elephants to come charging out at you, you’d shake, too.”
They found a trail winding its way from the clearing down to the side of the cliff to the water’s edge. Traveling single file, it took a few minutes to reach the lake’s shore. A refreshing breeze greeted them, drying the salty sweat on their skin. Beach sand, gradually sloping down to the water, sparkled and shone like gold.
Emma sighed, itching to jump in. “How beautiful.”
“How deep do you think it is?” Toby asked.
“Hard to tell,” Jack answered. “Seems fairly shallow right here.” He pulled off his shoes and waded into the water. “Only one way to find out.”
“Is it warm?” Emma asked, watching Jack walk to his knees, then his waist.
“Warm, refreshing, and the best damn thing I’ve felt in a long time.” He dropped down until his head was submerged, then came up and shook like a dog. “I’ll go out until it drops off.” He was nearly halfway across the lake with the water coming to his chin. “I think this is as far as I can walk. It’s so clear I can see the bottom.”
“Can we come in?” Emma called, her voice echoing against the mountain walls. She shaded her eyes. Vines interspersed with smaller waterfalls trailed down the mountain side. Brilliant colored birds squawked as they flew from vine to vine, tree to tree. Emma thought they were parrots.
“We can take turns going in while the others stand guard,” Jack yelled. “It should be fine.”
“You go ahead, Emma. Toby and I’ll take first watch,” Steve said.
Emma slipped off her sandals and stepped into the lake, its warmth like silk against her dirty, salty skin. How was it possible for water to be so soft? When she was up to her knees, she realized if she went in any deeper, her wet clothes would cling to her body. But her itchy skin won over modesty. Like Jack, she dropped down until the water covered her head. A deep sigh under the water nearly had her choking. She rose, spitting water.
“Feels good, doesn’t it?” Jack asked, swimming silently up to her.
“Don’t scare me like that.” She flipped her drenched hair over her head, letting the wet tresses cool her back. Nose stuck in the air and using a haughty tone like some blue-stocking, she waded to shore.
****
Jack stared and swore at her retreating back. Her wet hair left streaks of water down the back of her blouse and skirt, clinging to her skin. Yesterday he’d been too tired to notice her soggy clothes sticking to her body, but today…well, hell. His cock rose at the sight of her skirt clinging to her ass. He turned around and watched the birds, waiting for his libido to cool down before leaving the water.
Toby and Steve stood side by
side, following her with their eyes.
“Quit staring. Remember, we’re gentlemen,” Jack whispered. He nodded to the water. “Why don’t you two go in now? I feel a hundred percent better with the salt and sand rinsed off. Emma and I’ll keep an eye out.”
After the two men entered the water, he gave one last glance at her nipples pebbling against her wet blouse. Deciding he’d better ignore her or suffer another hard-on, he turned back and searched the surrounding area.
****
Emma sat, legs stretched in front of her and leaning back on her arms. The raucous yells of Toby and Jack playing in the water mixed with the noise of the waterfall and birds. She closed her eyes and let the late morning sun soak out her aches and pains.
Freckles were probably popping out in rapid succession on her face, arms, and legs. Her mother would have an absolute fit knowing her skin was exposed to the damaging rays. Emma didn’t care if she aged fast or if men didn’t like freckles. The sun was wonderful. Not too hot. The warm breezes whispered over her. Her nerve endings sighed with pleasure.
A drop of water plopped on her face. Rain?
“Hey, sleepyhead, wake up.” Toby and Steve stood beside her. Water ran down their torsos into their shorts, leaving trails of wet hair down their chests, stomach, and legs. Her breath caught. Her heart fluttered a staccato rhythm. Unfamiliar shivers ran down her body to her core. She averted her eyes as Jack came up behind the guys.
“I think I found another trail that will hopefully take us back to the plane.” Jack shaded his eyes. “It follows along a stream. Did anyone try the water?”
Steve threw Toby a dirty look. “I got a good mouthful when Toby tried to drown me. Guess we’ll find out in a little while if it’s bad or not.”
“I found a box of water purification tablets this morning,” Emma said, following Jack down the path. “We can use those for drinking water or until we’re sure this is safe to drink. If we’re careful, they should last a long time.”
Toby broke off a piece of grass. “Hopefully we’ll be rescued before we run out of good water or food.” He placed the grass between his teeth.
“Did you guys find any sign of life on your trail?” Jack asked, swatting away a pesky bee.