by Black, Tasha
“I’d rather stay here and negotiate,” she decided.
The next thing she knew, Wayne’s arm was wrapped around her like a seat belt.
She had just enough time to scream as if she were on fire before they were sailing into the green light of the jungle.
Wayne’s chest rumbled with laughter.
They landed hard on the forest floor.
Olivia scrambled up, brushing herself off and looking up, up, up at the tower above.
Sounds behind her told her that Wayne was standing. He put an arm around her.
“How did you do that?” Olivia asked. “Why?”
“Tarzan of Greystoke carried his Jane through the trees,” he said brightly.
“Dear God,” Olivia breathed. “Just because you see something in a movie, doesn’t mean it will work in real life.”
“This time it did,” Wayne shrugged. “And you have a fear of heights. I was worried you would not come down, and I could not leave you there unprotected.”
Of course he remember her fear of heights.
“Shall we catch up to the others?” he asked politely.
Shit.
“Yes,” she said. “Yes we should absolutely catch up. We’re missing the live filming.”
After getting back on the horses and hurrying along the trail, they arrived on the beach just in time to see the other two couples waving for the cameras.
“Where’s the drone?” Olivia asked as she rode up to catch her favorite PA.
“The good one is missing,” the PA said sadly.
“Fantastic,” Olivia said. “We get trapped in a tower, and the drone is missing. What a day.”
“You got trapped in a tower?” the PA asked, aghast.
“It’s a long story which I can explain after we’re done filming,” Oliva sighed. “Were these guys late?”
“Barely,” the PA shrugged. “Al actually got on camera and bought us some time. Funny, I never really pictured him as talent, but he was kind of a natural. The live audience loved him.”
Olivia smiled down at her favorite cameraman, wondering if he might like a chance to go in front more often.
She had spent so many years hoping to get off-camera, it hadn’t occurred to her someone else might want to go on.
19
Wayne
Wayne watched the crew break down the set with satisfaction.
His mate moved among them, greeting them with a quick compliment or a friendly pat on the back. She was a natural leader. He wondered if she understood how much they all admired her.
He doubted it. Olivia was too practical-minded to wonder what anyone thought of her. She was always on to the next plan, the next goal.
It was a blessing to have a forward-thinking mate, especially when frightening things had happened earlier in the day. The six of them might be terrified of their own shadows right now were it not for Olivia’s fiercely positive energy.
She was convinced that there was a sensible explanation for what had happened in the tower.
Frankly, she seemed more haunted by his friendship with the monkey than she was with the idea that the cadejo was after them.
Wayne made another visual sweep of the beach.
But of course there was no wolf man in chains anywhere to be seen.
Creatures like that thrived in darkness, if the movies were to be believed.
Olivia was already on to the next adventure, talking with the man who had arranged the boat for them.
The two honeymooning couples were supposed to enjoy a boat ride into the sunset along with the whole cast and crew, except for Wayne and Olivia, who would stay behind to coordinate and film with the drones.
Olivia had envisioned some romantic moments between the couples as well as maybe some hilarious outtakes including the crew that could appear during the final credits of the wrap-up show that would air next week.
In true Olivia fashion, that part was set to be shot right now, after everything they had already accomplished today.
His heart ached at the idea that when it was done they would be going back to the states, back to their regular lives.
He hoped he would be part of Olivia’s. Whether or not she had accepted him as her mate, she seemed to have unconsciously accepted their bond and craved his company almost as much as he needed hers.
In time, he knew she would come around. Maybe being back in her regular life would help his cause, rather than hurting it.
“Wayne,” she called to him, gesturing for him.
He smiled and jogged over. The distance between them had been tugging at his heart too, but he did not wish to suffocate her with his presence.
“We’ve got the boat all set,” she told him excitedly.
“What’s next?” he asked.
“Al has a camera set up for us that should work nicely to catch the boat,” she told him. “It’s a real shame about the missing drone, but a couple of the crew members will wear body cameras and we’ll catch a lot.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Wayne said.
“I’ll get her ready to cast off,” the boat’s captain said, heading away.
Suddenly they were alone.
The members of the crew were all carrying their gear bags up to the equipment trolleys. The other couples were following the captain onto the boat.
Waves crashed on the beach, but Wayne could hardly hear them over the pounding of his heart in his ears.
Olivia looked up at him, her green eyes sparkling.
My mate…
He reached out his hand to caress her cheek, then bent and kissed her softly.
She looked back at him tenderly for just a moment, then her eyes went wide.
The crack of her palm against his own cheek shocked him more than the twinge of pain that followed.
“How dare you?” Olivia screamed.
“I-I…” he trailed off, unable to respond.
“Get on the boat,” she told him, stalking off.
“Olivia, I’m sorry,” he said.
“I don’t want to hear it,” she said over her shoulder as she marched away. “I don’t ever want to see you again.”
He watched after her, stunned.
Was he really so stupid that he had misinterpreted everything?
Maybe she only wanted him to pleasure her the other night - maybe it meant nothing to her.
But that didn’t seem right.
He jogged after her.
“Olivia, please—” he began.
“—Get on the boat,” she told him.
She wouldn’t even look at him.
Heartbroken, he headed for the water. If she wanted him to be on the boat, he would go. Maybe he could piece together what had happened between them.
The captain waved him onboard, grinning.
A tour guide was making the rounds, pointing out the different kinds of plant life on the banks of the river.
Wayne found a place alone on the deck and looked out over the water.
He longed to stand where he could see Olivia, but he knew she was furious and didn’t wish to provoke her.
The river was smooth and still, its surface sparkling under the sunlight.
The sky came down to meet the trees and the trees met water, blue on green on blue.
This was such a soft, compelling planet. Wayne had often wondered how any of its residents could be unhappy when their world embraced them with such beauty.
Now he finally understood.
The boat began to move through the water.
He spotted movement in the river. A group of alligators had been resting in the water, their bumpy skins camouflaging them among the river rocks below.
He admired the reptiles and their ability to blend into their setting. He was beginning to feel that he might never fit in on his new planet.
“Brother, are you okay?” Kent asked, joining him.
“Olivia is unhappy with me,” Wayne told him.
“I’m sorry, brother,” Kent said. “Do you k
now why? Can you fix it?”
“I don’t know why, but I don’t think it can be fixed. I think it is time for me to leave,” Wayne said, realizing what he needed to do as he spoke. “She doesn’t want a relationship. It isn’t fair for me to follow her, compel her with the mate bond, when her dreams don’t include me.”
“Are you sure you don’t need more time with her?” Kent asked. “You could always spend time together without pursuing your claim.”
Wayne shook his head, looking down at the water. “Trying to be near her without loving her would be like trying to swim with those alligators. I would not be able to avoid getting hurt.”
“Actually, those are crocodiles,” A passing tour guide pointed out cheerfully. “You can tell by their snouts. They are much more dangerous than alligators.”
20
Olivia
Olivia paced the shore, fuming.
She had been soaking in the close contact with Wayne.
But as he leaned in to kiss her, she’d caught the glint of sunlight on a camera lens over his shoulder.
Al had been shooting their whole encounter from the ridge above with a handheld camera.
Desperate to ensure that the footage was unusable, she’d slapped poor Wayne and screamed at him.
Hopefully it would work. There wasn’t enough shooting time left for the two of them to “make up” on camera. She just had to convincingly be offended until they wrapped later today.
Then she could find him and let him know what happened.
She could make it up to him.
Instantly, she was picturing his hands on her, the piercing ache of hunger his kisses would arouse…
She shook her head and ran a hand through her hair.
Where would all those kisses lead?
Was she ready to be his mate?
She watched the boat grow smaller as it made its way down the river, sunlight sparkling on the water.
What if she didn’t tell him what happened?
What if she let him ride off into the sunset and closed this crazy chapter of her life?
She had spent so many years trying to further her career. Was she going to do the trite thing and give up career success for a boyfriend?
Whether or not the show was over when it happened, she couldn’t get together openly with Wayne without it coming out. The success she had found on the production end of these three shows would pale in comparison to the pictures in LookOut Magazine and the celebrity blogs.
And she knew instinctively that hiding a relationship in the shadows would be impossible for the big, friendly alien.
Maybe it was better not to tell him about the camera, to just let the whole thing end here, if that’s where it was headed anyway.
Her phone buzzed and she slipped it out of her pocket. Of course she had a signal again, now that she was on a beach, not trapped in a tower.
Margot:
Wayne just told Kent that he’s heading straight to the airport from the boat so he can get out of your way. He’s not even staying for the wrap party.
Olivia felt something in her chest constrict.
Olivia:
Are you sure?
Margot:
Yeah, he’s a mess. I know it’s none of my business, but what happened? Are you okay?
The screen went blurry as Olivia’s eyes filled with tears.
21
Olivia
“Olivia?” Al’s voice was calm and comforting.
Olivia turned to see her favorite cameraman’s concerned face.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
Wow. Two friends in a row had asked her if she was okay.
Olivia was always okay. She was permanently unflustered, in charge, the one others went to when they were not okay.
But the kind words unleashed a dam and she found herself sobbing when she opened her mouth to try and answer.
“It will be okay,” Al said kindly, putting an arm around her. “You’re going to be fine.”
It actually felt good to let it out. Al had known her long enough that she knew he wouldn’t tell anyone she had been bawling like a baby.
“So are we crying because he kissed you? Or crying because I was filming it?” he asked after a moment. “You know I’ll delete that, right?”
“Y-you will?” Olivia asked.
“Of course,” he told her. “You’ve got a reputation to uphold. These shows are going to launch you as a producer.”
“That’s what I was hoping,” she admitted, wiping her nose.
“Is there any reason you think that won’t happen?” Al asked.
“Well, the thing with Wayne,” she said slowly. There was no point not sharing with Al. He was a friend - maybe a better friend than she had realized.
“You’re worried people won’t take you seriously if you’re with him?” Al asked. “That you’ll be forced into some alien dog and pony show?”
She nodded, feeling ashamed for Al to know she was so ambitious she would deny her own feelings to get to the top of her career.
“I don’t want to make reality TV forever,” she admitted. “Maybe that makes me greedy.”
“No sane person would want to make reality shows forever,” Al chuckled. “Besides, I think you have a lot to share with the world. It would be a shame if you didn’t get your chance.”
“Thanks, Al,” she said, wiping her eyes.
“I respect your choice as far as who you want to be with, of course,” he went on. “And I get it that being with that man would be a full-time job. Those guys have a lot to learn, and they seem to really latch on when it comes to their… mates.”
“Yes,” Olivia agreed, smiling.
“But he’s a good guy,” Al told her. “And it’s hard not to see that he makes you happy.”
“You knew,” she said. She’d figured he did the night he left her alone with Wayne, but she hadn’t been sure.
He nodded, looking down as if to give her space.
“There’s a double standard when it comes to dating the talent, isn’t there?” Al asked. “Seems to me that if you were a male producer there wouldn’t be any agonizing over this.”
“I never thought about it that way, but yes,” Olivia said. “I guess you’re right.”
“But you literally make television shows for a living,” Al went on. “It seems to me that you could spin this however you wanted. You could tell your story in a way that turned the whole thing on its head. If you wanted.”
Olivia had never thought about it in those terms.
She had spent a career telling other peoples’ stories.
Maybe it was time to tell her own.
“I told him I don’t want to see him again,” she said frantically. “He’s getting on a plane.”
“You cannot let that boy get on a plane,” Al said. “Don’t give him time to make his peace with this. Go take what you want.”
“Thanks, Al,” she cried, giving him a quick squeeze. “You give great advice. You have very lucky kids.”
She dashed down to the smaller boat that was still on the bank.
“Can I get you to say that on film for when they’re teenagers?” Al called after her.
“Sure, after I reclaim my alien,” she yelled back. “And make him my man.”
22
Lex
Lex stood on a ridge overlooking the river.
He squinted down at the boat, desperately trying to keep his hands steady on the drone camera’s remote instead of swatting at the cloud of insects that seemed to surround him every time he had his hands full in this tropical hell.
“Why isn’t the damned thing sinking?” he asked himself.
“What do you mean?” Tag Tuckerton drawled lazily.
He was sitting on a stupid monogrammed camping stool in the shade. Tag wasn’t swatting away insects. He’d been slathering himself in ladies’ hand lotion and prattling about how it was a natural bug repellant since the day they’d arrived.
But it would be
a cold day in hell before Lex Henshaw let Tag’s aunt back home sell him a bottle of skin-so-sweet or whatever he kept calling it.
“I mean you sabotaged this stupid boat,” Lex said. “Why isn’t it sinking?”
“Not that boat,” Tag sniffed.
“What do you mean not that boat?” Lex demanded, already seeing red. He wished he could throw the control down the cliffside and beat the crap out of Tuckerton.
“I mean I sabotaged the other boat,” Tag said. “You know? The blue one we were standing next to when you made your whole speech about ruining the final shot and the wrap party.”
“You mean the canoe?” Lex spluttered.
“Yeah, the little one,” Tag said.
“How would a leaky canoe stop the final scene or the wrap party?” Lex yelled. He could feel his cheeks going flaming, his blood boiling with fury.
“It’s none of my business,” Tag said. “You told me these plans were on a need-to-know basis.”
Fucking Tuckerton.
“It’s as if you’re trying to sabotage my plans,” Lex said, carefully articulating each word over his rage.
“That’s funny,” Tag chuckled. “You think I’m sabotaging your sabotage mission. What would you call that? Double sabotage?”
“I call it stupid as fuck,” Lex spat, forgetting about dignity. “I got exactly what I deserved for trusting the so-called talent for anything more than showing up and preening on film. You’re useless, Tuckerton.”
“No, I’m a world class event planner, Henshaw,” Tag said coolly. “You made the mistake of not trusting me to plan this. You’re sloppy and ineffective, and it shows. Next time I want vengeance I’ll do it myself.”
He went on, but Lex didn’t hear the rest.
His eyes were fixed on the tiny blue canoe, which was setting off through the water in the direction of the larger boat.
23
Olivia
Olivia hadn’t paddled a canoe since Girl Scout camp. Her arms and chest were already burning from the effort as she tried to catch up to the boat ahead.