Wild Dreams

by Dawn Pendleton

  I let myself hang from the high branch once they were gone and then jumped, landing in the middle of the path. I put my hands on my hips and gave Dallas a smug look. When he walked over to me, I expected congratulations.

  “You’re an idiot,” he muttered, his hand latching on my arm as he dragged me back to the Jeep. Once we were both inside, he continued his tirade. “Wild animals are not to be messed with, Nicole. They aren’t like domesticated cats. If that mother had viewed you as a threat, you would have been dead, you know that? Lucky for you, she saw how much of a moron you were. You were only a few feet taller than her. You think she couldn’t have reached her trunk up to you and flung you to the ground like a twig? News flash: she could have. You should thank your lucky stars she didn’t.” His voice was hard, mean. He was pissed.

  His words were true, though, as much as I didn’t want to admit it. I was foolish. I never even considered that the mother elephant could see me as a threat to her baby and try to get rid of me. I swallowed the lump in my throat.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t even think about that.” The words hurt as I said them. I hated apologizing to anyone, but especially Dallas, who was already an arrogant ass.

  “Imagine how I would have felt if something would have happened to you and I had to go tell your family you were dead,” he said.

  What? “Oh, shut up. Not everything is about you, Dallas. And for the record, I don’t exactly have any family for you to go run to, okay?” I blurted the words and cringed as soon as they were out.

  He didn’t respond, but I knew he was thinking. His dark eyes were brooding. I decided to let it go, for now, but we would talk about it again. I wasn’t about to let him think he had any kind of control over me.

  * * * * *

  Headquarters were interesting. The place reminded me of the Jurassic Park movie, all very sterile and everything hidden behind glass. It was cool enough, but there were only a few dorm rooms. Dallas showed me to my dorm and I tried not to make a face as he walked away. It was worse than college. The blanket on the bed was as soft as sandpaper and the bathroom was barely more than a toilet inside a shower stall. I’d seen bigger bathrooms in travel campers.

  There was a small dresser in the corner, but I wondered if I should even unpack. A soft knock sounded on my door before I could decide.

  I pulled it open to find Tyler standing there, a sly smile on his face. “Hey kid.”

  I groaned. “Am I an idiot?”

  He walked past me into the room and laughed as he sat on my bed. “Yikes. At least you won’t have to shave.” He ran his hand over the sandpaper blanket.

  “Ha-ha. You’re so funny,” I glared at him, shutting the door behind him. I’d been waiting for him to come visit me so we could actually talk.

  “You sure got under his skin,” he commented, leaning back on my bed.

  “Is that bad?”

  He smirked. “He thinks he’s going to be able to seduce you.”

  “Fuck that.”

  “That’s my girl,” he winked.

  Tyler and I were cousins. For the trip, we knew we couldn’t tell anyone, especially since we were all each other had in the world. He helped me pay for college after my parents died and was the big brother I never had. Dallas could never know. We decided a long time ago, as soon as Ty started working for him and I wanted to intern with him.

  The two of them were friends, and I knew Ty felt bad about lying, but he also knew how important it was for me to get the internship based on my skill and not a family favor. I wanted to be good enough, to prove, even if only to myself, that I was worthy. Ty supported all my endeavors, even the crazy ones.

  “Ready to quit yet?” he asked, raising his brow at me.

  I grinned at him. “Not even close.”

  He stood up and pulled me into a hug. “I’ve missed you, girl. It’s been far too long.”

  I hid my face in his shoulder to hide the tears that fell. It had been over year since we’d seen each other. He was the only family I had and I pushed him away after my parents passed. I wanted to be a loner for so long afterward, believing that leaning on someone else was weakness.

  He finally pulled away, holding me at an arm’s length. “You’ve grown up so much, Nic. I’m sorry I haven’t been able to be there for you.”

  Wait. He was sorry? “Ty, don’t –”

  “No, let me finish. I ran off after I graduated high school, getting away from all the problems of our youth, but I shouldn’t have left you behind. Especially when your mom and dad died. They were like parents to me, too. And I barely came back for the funeral, let alone to help you grieve properly. I feel so guilty, like I failed them by not taking care of you.”

  More tears gathered in my eyes. “Tyler, Mom and Dad were always so proud of you. They always said you were going to do great things in life, and they were right. I didn’t want anyone to take care of me back then, or even now. Loneliness is like an addictive drug: you get used to it and then it’s all you crave. I like being alone, I promise. And no one thinks you failed in life, with me or anything else. You are an amazing man.”

  He sucked in a breath and I watched as he wiped away a few tears from his own eyes. “When did you get so smart?”

  I laughed. “Growing up does that to you. But now, we’ve got to pull it together so that Dallas doesn’t suspect anything.”

  Five

  Dallas

  “We’ve got to pull it together so that Dallas doesn’t suspect anything,” she said, her voice low and intimate.

  Were she and Tyler an item? Just the thought made my stomach burn. I wanted her and Tyler was already staking a claim, outmaneuvering me yet again. It had been years since Ty and I fought over a woman, back when we were young and dumb, but if he thought I was going to give Nicole up without a fight, he was dead wrong.

  I continued past her door and right up the stairs to the main floor. I needed to get my assignment so I could get Nicole alone and all to myself. At least Tyler wouldn’t be accompanying us on our excursion.

  Leanne’s office was large, the walls blinding in their brightness. The room décor was chic and modern with lots of white and black. I knocked on the door, poking my head into the room. Leanne was on the phone but waved me in. She wasn’t a typical boss. Leanne didn’t have an assistant or secretary, in fact, she hated letting anyone have control of something, so she worked ninety hour weeks and did everything herself. She was a force to be reckoned with at the magazine, and everyone knew it.

  She was a hot piece, too, with red hair and chocolate brown eyes, but I knew better. Sure, I’d fuck her, if she wasn’t my boss, but she was happily married and her husband was a body builder or something. They were happy, it seemed, and I didn’t make a habit of getting involved with married women, though I’d come close a couple times.

  She hung up the phone and glanced at me. “Sit down, Montgomery.” She sounded pissed, but then again, she always sounded like an angry animal.

  “Good afternoon, Leanne. How’s your day going?” I asked as I sat.

  “Are you fucking kidding me? You think that sweet talk is going to work on me?”

  “I, umm…”

  “Shut it. I’m sick of your bullshit, Montgomery. I’m dealing with another fucking complaint about you.”

  “Oh.”

  She glared, her brown eyes nearly red. “Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

  I cleared my throat. “I’m never rude. I usually say all the right things,” I said with a laugh.

  “It’s not a joke, Dallas. I’m done dealing with your shit. No more sleeping with interns. Keep your fucking hands to yourself from now on or you’re done. I don’t care how good you are, I’ll find someone else.”

  “Fine,” I agreed, though I had no intention of following through. Nicole was too fine to ignore.

  Her eyes narrowed. “I’m not kidding. Your job here is in serious jeopardy and I’m not about to let your sexcapades go unnoticed anymore. It’s time for you to
grow the fuck up. Find your little fuck buddies on your own time.”

  I sighed. “Leanne, I won’t hit on her, okay? You have my word.” I wanted to placate her, but I knew there was no way I’d be able to stay away from Nicole. I just needed to get her to hit on me, first. Hopefully, that would appease Leanne.

  “Good. I’m glad you’re taking this seriously. You’ve had run of your own career for years and I would hate to see it all end because you couldn’t keep your dick in your pants.” Leanne was always honest, if sometimes a bit crude.

  “So what’s the job?” I asked, ready to get away from the building, from Tyler, and from Leanne.

  “There have been several sightings of a female leopard with three cubs through the jungle northeast of us. I expect you to get shots of all four of them so that we can feature them in the magazine next month.”

  “Leopards aren’t extraordinary or endangered.” I wondered why I was getting the assignment when leopards were a dime a dozen.

  “No, they aren’t. But they are in this area. Guinea and Liberia have seen a huge decrease in the number of leopards, since their numbers have dwindled due to poachers and zoos claiming they are injured when they just happen to stumble upon them. This information is new and so far, no zoos have been informed of the mama and cubs, which means we’ll be able to have first access to them and hopefully have a real article delivered on them.”

  “Alright, that sounds good. Who’s writing the article?” I asked. Normally, the author of the article insisted he or she come along on the trip until I was able to talk them out of it. I made the jungle sound far more dangerous than it was.

  “Funny you should ask,” Leanne said with a smirk. She folded her hands together on her desk. “Tyler is writing the article.”

  “Tyler?” I furrowed my brow. “But he’s just a driver.”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Tyler drawled in his semi-southern accent from the doorway. “Leanne, I was told to come to your office when I finished getting settled.”

  “Yes, Tyler, please come in,” she gestured to the seat next to me. I stared at him, thoroughly confused as he sat.

  “What the fuck is going on?” I asked.

  Leanne shook her head. “You don’t listen well, Dallas. Tyler will be writing the article about the family of leopards.”

  “But why?”

  Tyler sighed next to me. “How long have we been friends, Dallas?”

  “Years,” I replied easily.

  “And in all those years, have you ever asked me anything about myself? About what I studied in college or what I actually want to do with my life?”

  I wanted to say yes, wanted to respond that he was one of the few friends I had in the world and that I was genuinely interested in what he did and wanted, but as I thought of the past, I knew I couldn’t. I was so self-involved, so focused on me, that I never once asked him about himself. He was my best friend and there was a lot I didn’t know about him. I gulped.

  “Exactly. So I’ll tell you now. I majored in animal sciences and minored in journalism. My dream job is writing for a magazine like this one. When you offered to help me get the job for the magazine, I took it without a second thought, but not because I needed the work. I’m a trust fund kid, but I wanted nothing more than to work with animals and write for a prestigious company like this one.”

  His words blew me away. I never had any idea that Tyler wanted to be involved with the animals like I was. I definitely never knew he was rich. I had a thousand questions to ask him, but Leanne cut me off.

  “Well, if you two are done bonding, we can get back to the assignment. Tyler will accompany you and Miss Griffin on your trek to find the cat family. I want you all to stick around them for a few days, to observe them. Tyler will need to gather as much information as he can, and there’s no one I trust him with more than you, Dallas. The three of you will be a team and I expect you all to be on your best behavior.” She gave me a look that suggested her last statement was directed at me, but I turned to look at Tyler.

  Judging from his big grin, he had already known he would be going on assignment with me, which meant they all left me in the dark. It wasn’t a feeling I particularly liked. I was pissed. Tyler thanked Leanne and then walked out, leaving me alone with my boss.

  “What the fuck is this really about?” I asked her.

  She sighed. “You need to be watched, Dallas. You’ve turned into a womanizer, which is fine on your own time, but I can barely pull interns in anymore because your reputation has gotten around. You’re the laughing stock of the photography industry, which reflects poorly on us.”

  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Don’t I always get you the best images? Don’t I always deliver above and beyond what’s required?”

  “Of course you do. But let me ask you something – what are you going to do when one of these college graduates comes to you and says she’s pregnant?”

  I leaned back in my chair. Her words were a slap in the face. “Do you think I’m that reckless?”

  “I don’t know what to think, anymore. You’re behavior since your sister’s death has been even more erratic than before. You know I would have given you more time off to mourn her properly. Maybe you ought to take a vacation.” She stared at her hands on her desk.

  “Are you firing me?” I wondered aloud.

  Her eyes flew to mine. “Of course not. I just don’t know what to do with you anymore, Dallas. I think you need to come to terms with Rainey’s death, and I don’t think you know how to. You won’t talk about her, won’t go to therapy… I’m at my wits end. Your actions are hurting this company and I’ve been instructed to put a stop to it. Immediately. My supervisors are riding me about this one, and I can only tell them you won’t so many times before they stop believing me. And then it’s my job that’s in jeopardy.”

  “I won’t touch her, Leanne. You have my word.” I stood up and took two steps toward the door of her office. I meant what I said, though I wasn’t sure how on earth I was going to be able to follow through. Nicole was beautiful, more so than any intern I’d had the pleasure of getting to know in the past. I stopped and turned back to Leanne. “One of these days, you’re going to look back at this moment and laugh, wondering why you ever gave me an ultimatum. I’m going to make you regret this, Leanne.”

  She nodded. “I hope you prove us all wrong.”

  No one believed I could keep my hands off a pretty intern. I’d show them just how much I could keep my hands off her. I’d give her to Tyler. He seemed interested. I could make the two of them fall in love and maybe, just maybe, get him in trouble with her instead of me.

  Six

  Nicole

  Tyler left my room, mumbling something about how he needed to go see the boss. Leanne was a hard-ass, he explained. I hadn’t even met the woman yet and I was paranoid I would get on her bad side. I wanted to stay in her good graces. I sat on my bed, anxious to clear my mind.

  I crossed my legs, preparing myself for meditation. It was something I’d done my whole life, the one thing in life that could calm me when I started to freak out a bit.

  The death of my parents so many years ago was more than enough tragedy for one lifetime. I never wanted to experience another death again. The hardest part was waiting… After their accident, they were both in comas while the doctors determined the severity of their injuries. It was ruled that neither one would be able to survive without the help of machines. I was helpless as their living wills dictated their lives be terminated under such circumstances. There was no one to argue about the wills, no one of age to make any sort of impact on the decision.

  I didn’t have any brothers or sisters, no aunts or uncles who could step in as my guardian or give me advice. I was completely alone. Except for Tyler.

  Just a few years older than me, Tyler was my rock. He held my hand as I whispered my goodbyes to Mom and Dad through sobs of grief. He held me as my whole body shook and they breathed their last breaths. I
t was a nightmare, one I thought I would never overcome. I spent weeks in bed. Lucky for me, there was a life insurance plan; I never needed to work another day in my life. But what did it matter to a seventeen year old girl who lost her parents? I was a lost soul, wandering the earth alone.

  As they often do, things got better. I never fully recovered who I was before their deaths – the cheerleader with a positive attitude, the one who always wore a smile and had a good outlook on life. That girl was gone, left in the shell of her former self, but I found relief from the hurt in photography. Once in a while, drawing helped, but mostly, getting behind the lens and viewing the world through my viewfinder was comforting.

  I sat perfectly still on the bed, imagining my parents looking down on me from above with pride and love. I knew I was doing something they would approve of. I worked my ass off to get to that exact moment and place. Interning with Dallas was an honor, if I could escape with my dignity.

  A knock sounded on my door, drawing my attention away from my thoughts. I got up and pulled the door open. A leggy redhead stood there, her brown eyes boring into mine. “Nicole, it’s so nice to meet you. I’m Leanne.”

  I was shocked. She wasn’t nearly as intimidating as Tyler made her sound. Maybe she was different with him, but I stepped back into the room and gestured her inside. “It’s an honor to meet you. Please come in.”

  I shook her hand and then turned to go sit on my bed. I folded my legs under me as Leanne firmly closed the door. She turned to me with a smile.

  “We should probably discuss Dallas,” she started.

  “What about him?” I asked, curious if everyone knew about his sexual encounters with interns, or if it was overlooked.

  “He’s going to be trouble for you.” She sighed. “Especially for your career. I hand-picked you for this job because you have an amazing talent. The photos you submitted were as good as Dallas’. He’s threatened by you, even if he doesn’t recognize that emotion yet. But trust me, once he sees that you are actually genuine competition for him, he’ll stop ogling your ass and he won’t hesitate to do whatever it takes to send you packing.”