by Skye Warren
I turn off my music, quickly take my earbuds out and tuck them into my pocket.
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” I say, trying to keep my nerves out of my voice.
As much as I hate to admit it, I’m scared. This is the real deal. We’ll be going down an unmarked trail on the most dangerous skiing mountain in North America. If I want to pass this exam, I can’t afford to make a single mistake.
“Good.” His voice is a perfect match for his body. Deep and sexy with a hint of an accent I can’t quite place. His broad chest makes my mouth water, and I can count his well-defined abs under his thermal gear. He’s got eight of them. Who has an eight-pack in real-life?
“The helicopter’s going to be ready in a few minutes.” He says.
The worst part is that he knows how hot he is, and he revels in it. I lock eyes with him defiantly as he looks back at me. I wonder what he sees as he looks at me, sizing me up. I know for sure he doesn’t think I’m the hottest girl he’s ever seen.
“You don’t think I’m good enough, do you?” I blurt out before I can stop myself.
Shit. I should have known better than that. Dana told me not to get into it with him. She told me just to do my best and hope he doesn’t find a reason to fail me. She said he’d be looking for any excuse, and I might have just given him one before the test got started.
“What I think doesn’t matter.” He says as he stretches his powerful arms out and arches his back.
He reminds me of a mountain lion, getting ready to pounce on his prey. That’s what I feel like whenever I’m around him. I’m the rabbit to his lion. I don’t stand a chance. If I'm honest with myself, I want him to jump on me and take me any way he wants to. It’s just that I don’t stand a chance against all the other girls throwing himself at him every day.
“All that matters is how you perform.” He says.
I nod, pressing my lips flat together. I’ve prepared as well as I can for this. I worked so hard to join the mountain rescue team. I’ve aced the written exams. I got the best marks in the mountaineering exam.
This is the finale. A timed run down the roughest trails without preparation. The same ones that have sent many adventurers plunging to their death. And he gets to throw in a wild card. A surprise to see how I’ll react when I don’t know what’s coming.
Dana wanted to help me cheat, by telling me what she had to do on her exam. But I want to do this the right way, or not at all. I don’t want to join this elite team knowing that I cheated to be one of them.
The sound of the helicopter blades whirring to life pulls me out of my thoughts. I do one final check of my gear. Rescue kit, emergency rations, flares, rescue beacon, climbing gear, flashlight, and a small oxygen tank. Everything looks good.
I stand up as Brett comes steps in front of me to check my gear. I close my eyes as he checks the straps on my harness. The buckles around my thighs, my waist, under and above my chest, and my shoulders. My mind conjures up an imagine of him standing before me naked, tightening the ropes he’s bound me with, preparing to fuck me into submission.
Checking your partner’s gear is standard procedure. We check each other’s gear to make sure there’s nothing wrong that the other missed. It’s probably saved more lives than anything else we can do to prepare. I’m probably the only one that likes to turn it into a dirty fantasy.
I can’t help it. I’ve been training on this mountain for six months, with nothing but my dildo between my legs. It’s hard not to imagine what else he can do with me when I feel the strength in his hands as he curls his fingers through my straps, pulling them to test their integrity. My pussy heats up, as he kneels in front of me, his face level with my crotch as he tightens a buckle around my thighs.
“What are you smiling about?” He asks.
I open my eyes wide in horror and see him looking up at me with a smirk on his face. I didn’t realize I was smiling, and now he’s caught me embarrassing myself again.
“Just imagining myself at the finish line.” I stammer, hoping he buys my pathetic lie.
He chuckles as he continues checking my gear.
Oh, God. Why do I let myself get hot and bothered whenever he’s near me? Why couldn’t my instructor be less attractive so I can keep my thoughts where I need to.
“Looking good.” He says, and I wish he were talking about me and not my gear.
He stands up in front of me, spreads his legs apart as I start checking his harness. I can’t help but feel his body as I check each strap and buckle. His thighs are hard as steel and the size of a pair of pine trunks. His chest is so broad he has a special-ordered harness since they don’t come in his size.
Oh, God. I can feel my face flushing as I check the straps over his pecs and around his shoulders. Why do I have to be so pathetic?
I step back and reluctantly look up at Brett. “Everything looks good,” I say.
My voice cracks as I speak and sends more blood rushing to my face just in case he didn’t notice that I’m already blushing. This is just great.
He smirks back at me knowingly. “Let’s get this show in the air.”
I nod,f happy to get going. I grab my pack, and my bag of skiing equipment and follow Brett to the helicopter. I duck low behind him, wait for him to get on board, toss my gear inside, and refuse his helping hand as I climb in next to him.
He sits down across from me and straps himself in as I do the same and put headphones over my ears. It muffles the deafening sound of the helicopter blades and replaces it with white noise and the sound of blood pounding in my ears. I don’t know what has my blood rushing more; getting ready to fly or doing it across from Brett.
As much as I hate to admit it to Dana, I’ve had a huge crush on him since the first day I got here. How could I not? His face is perfect. With a nose that could have been chiseled by Michelangelo, a strong jaw, high cheekbones and playful eyes the color of spring moss.
Frankly, it’s probably more than a crush. I’ve gotten myself off imagining him dominating me; using me in ways I’d never let another man try. Something about him makes me want to get freaky. I’d even let him fuck my ass if he wanted to.
The problem is, he’s my instructor. And I don’t want anyone thinking I passed my exam because I slept with him.
I turn and watch the magnificent scenery fly by out the open door. Mostly to avoid staring at Brett. I’m deluding myself if I think that’s why we never got together. Despite what Dana keeps trying to tell me, I don’t stand a chance with him. He’s a ten, and I’m a six at best. I’m not model skinny because I need muscles to do my job. I was never any good with makeup. I cut my hair short and plain, so it doesn’t get in the way, and it’s easy to maintain. I’m your typical Plain Jane, and Brett looks like a model for Ralph Lauren’s winter collection.
I don’t stand a chance with Brett and I never did. And I’m letting myself get distracted thinking about what I want him to do with me, instead of thinking about what I need to do to pass my test.
Time to pull it together, Scarlett.
I turn back to Brett and find him still looking at me, an easy grin on his face.
“Something funny?” I blurt out.
God damn it. That’s the second time I’ve said something stupid to him without thinking.
Pull it together, Scarlett!
“You’ve got a lot of emotion on your face.” His voice comes through the headphones loud and clear. It’s easier listening to him this way because it doesn’t do a good job of carrying that sexy growl in his voice. So, I can keep my mind on what matters.
“I’ve spent a lot of time training for this.” I stare back at him defiantly. If he thinks I’m going to let my emotions get in the way when it matters, I’ll have to prove him wrong.
He widens his grin. “I didn’t say it was a problem.”
God damn it.
He’s testing me, and I keep failing. I need to stop letting him work me up like this. Time to get a hold of myself. For real this time.
> “You’ll be fine.” He reaches over and pats me on my arm. “I’ve got faith in you.”
I can’t tell if he’s being sincere or patronizing me, but it doesn’t matter. I’ll do what I’ve trained to do and get by on my merit. If he wants to fail me because I’m showing emotion on my face, that’s up to him.
I grab onto a strap hanging from the ceiling as the helicopter banks sharply. My heart sinks into my stomach as we go into a sharp descent.
“You ready?” He replaces the grin on his face with a stern expression.
It’s show time.
I give him a thumbs up as I clip the descent rope onto my harness. He checks my connection, and I check his as the helicopter hovers over our landing point. It’s a clearing with a small waystation. There’s no room for the helicopter to land so we must descend by rope. We send our equipment down first. Brett goes next. I watch him as the rope lets him down quickly onto the thickly packed snow.
My heart is pounding against my chest as I drop from the helicopter and begin my descent. I take it quick, not wanting to let Bfrett show me up. I hit the ground hard but stick my landing. We unclip our harnesses, and he waves off the helicopter. I shade my eyes from the glare of the sun and watch as the helicopter flies off, leaving us alone on the mountaintop.
Brett gives me no time to appreciate the majestic scenery as he picks up his gear and heads into the log cabin. I grab my bags and run up behind him.
The cabin is small and bare, with sparse furniture. There are framed photos of all the rescue teams that have worked here through the decades. I take a moment to appreciate them, eyeing the spot on the wall reserved for this year’s team.
I hear Brett’s boots on the wooden floor as he steps up behind me. “You want your picture up there, don’t you?” He asks.
“I do,” I reply.
“It’s a great honor.” He isn’t grinning for once, and his voice isn’t playful. “And a great responsibility.”
He walks over to another set of photos of mountain rescue members on the memorial wall. I follow behind him as he stops at the second to last frame on the wall. The man’s a little older than Brett, with similar features to his own. He’s got the same jawline and nose. “These are all the men and women that have died in the line of duty. They each sacrificed their lives to save others.”
“Is that your father?” I ask.
He nods, a brief flash of sadness passing over his eyes. f
“I know my exams have a reputation.” He says. “I know the stories. Some think I do this to be cruel, or to amuse myself. Others think that I don’t like women on my team. But none of that is true. I just want the best of the best and the bravest of the brave. I want to know that I can trust you to have your partner’s back when the time comes. And it’ll come for all of us. This mountain is dangerous. It will strike when you least expect it and demand everything you have to remain alive. And I need to know that you have what it takes to survive.”
I straighten my spine and pull back my shoulders. “I know I have what it takes and I will prove it to you.”
“Good.” He smiles. “I expect nothing less. Get your boots on. We’re heading down in five.”
I sit down on a chair and unlace my boots and put on my ski boots. Across from me is hand-drawn map of this mountain, drawn by the frontiersmen who first exploited this mountain in more intrepid times.
There are markings of hunting cabins and waystations. Places put out of use a long time ago, and not on any modern map. I love old maps like this. I’ve memorized a copy of just this one I found at the rec center at the base of the mountain. It’s got all the decommissioned old trails and waystations that aren’t on any of the new maps.
I look at Brett as he pulls on his ski boots. I could see him living in those times, living off the mountain. He would have fit in among those men. I can tell he holds great reverence for his position. He may play the part of the arrogant bad boy, but it’s obvious that he has a great respect for the responsibility of his station.
I will prove myself his equal today. I will show him that I would not be out of place with the men that first explored these mountains and built the legacy we stand on today.
I follow him out of the cabin and put on my skis as the wind picks up and whistles past my ears. It’s cold out today, twenty below freezing. There are going to be a lot of ice patches to watch out for.
Brett steps up next to me and takes out his map.
“This is the trail we’ll be going down.” He draws his finger down a dotted line curving down the edge of the mountain.
My heart picks up speed, and I can feel my mouth drying up. It’s the most dangerous trail, where the wind cuts through the woods, covering the packed snow with ice. The trail is near the edge of a cliffside on the mountain, presenting dangerous turns a single mistake can send you flying to a sudden, gruesome end.
“You know this path, right?” He asks.
“Of course,” I respond.
“That’s the confidence I was looking for.” He grins back at me. “Try not to fall behind.”
With that, he kicks off down the trail. I clamp my mouth shut to keep myself from yelling at him, snap my goggles over my eyes and follow him down. I’ll be damned if I’m going to let him show me up. If there’s one thing I have absolute confidence in, it’s my ability to ski. I’ve been skiing since I can remember and I know I can beat him.
The wind whips past my face as we ski down the trail. I bend my knees and bring my body low, using my center of gravity to keep my balance when a ski gives away over a patch of ice, keeping myself steady. The scenery goes by in a blur. I have mere seconds to spot any obstacles before I’m on top of them, so there’s no time to take in the sights.
All I can do is keep an eye on Brett, the red blur in front of me, and anything that’ll separate me from my life.
I lose track of time as the world flies by us until Brett pulls to a stop where the trail splits off. I pull to a stop next to him, three seconds behind him.
He pulls the goggles off his face and pulls his ski mask down off his jaw. “You did well.” He says, barely breathing hard.
I pull my goggles off and pull down my mask. “I would have caught you if you hadn’t cheated,” I say, my breath coming hard. “Why did you stop? Afraid I’d catch you if you kept going?”
“I’m changing our plans.” He grins back at me and points to the eastern path. “You know that trail?”
My eyes go wide as I look down the foreboding trail. “It’s been closed for twenty years,” I say haltingly.
Brett nods. “That’s not what I asked. Do you know the trail?”
I hesitate before nodding. “Only from the old maps. Like the one in the cabin.”
“You’ve memorized it?” He asks.
“Of course,” I reply. “You never know when it’d come in handy. We’re supposed to know this mountain like the back of our hand.”
“That’s what I wanted to hear.” He says as he kicks off down the trail without warning.
But this time I’m ready for him and follow right behind him. I won’t let him beat me. I’m right on his tail, and I’m gaining on him with every passing minute. I try to hit the exact balance of aggression and caution to catch him.
Before today, I didn’t know what to make of Brett, other than the fact that I would have let him fuck me filthy if he had only asked. He seemed like one of those guys who knew he was the best and wanted everyone to know it. But something about him says he wants me to challenge him. He doesn’t want me to give in to him easy. He wants me to give him everything I’ve got and try to beat him, and I’m more than game to try.
Time flies as all that starts to matters is the ever-shortening distance between him and me. I’m no more than a second behind him when a loud thunderclap booms from the peak of the mountain.
Brett comes to a sudden stop spraying snow in an arc around him. I react instantly, coming to a stop next to him.
I follow his eyes as he looks
back up the mountain as the thunderclap turns into a loud rumble. My eyes go wide in disbelief. That sound can only mean one thing.
“Avalanche,” Brett says the word I was afraid to sound out.
Almost as if in response, we watch as a small avalanche crashes into a shelf of snow, separating it from the mountainside. The world seems to slow down as the shelf crashes down the side of the mountain, with us directly in its path.
“There’s a cabin nearby where we can take shelter,” I say in a surprisingly steady voice.
Brett nods without hesitation and gestures down the mountain. “Lead the way.”
I smile grimly and kick off down the mountain. The sound of a thousand tons of snow crashing down the mountain replaces that of our skis on snow and the wind whistling past our ears. I clearly remember a cabin, marked on the hand-drawn map at the waystation on top of the mountain. It’s built on a cliffside, where it’ll be protected from the crush of snow. The avalanche should flow over it instead of through it, letting us take shelter there and await rescue.
As we draw closer to our destination, I hope to God that the cabin is still there and intact. The cliffside should have sheltered it from the worst of the elements. Hopefully, it was built strong enough to last.
I gasp as I realize we are heading directly for a short cliff, and have but a moment to react before I decide to take the jump. The sound of the avalanche is growing louder by the second, and we don’t have time to take a long way around.
One moment, I have snow below my feet, then next I’m flying. I bend my knees, and hit the ground hard, slipping on a sheet of ice, but hold myself steady and pick up my speed. We shouldn’t be far now. I see the treeline where the trail curves back under the cliff where the cabin should be.
I take the turn sharp, the tail of my right ski nearly clipping a tree, and say a silent prayer as I see the old cabin. The sound of the avalanche is deafening as I kick off my skis and burst into the cabin, Brett following right behind me.