by Tanya Allan
“Phew, that was different!” I said.
He grinned. “You were putting yourself in my place, weren’t you?” he asked.
I nodded, and he smiled.
“Me too,” he said.
“You’re the first man I have ever responded to, like this,” I admitted.
“I’m flattered. I wish I could say the same, but there have been women. I was married once, a long time ago,” he said.
I placed my hand on his battered chest, so my fingers touched some of his old wounds.
“I don’t care,” I heard myself say.
“I’ve even got kids, somewhere,” he said.
I looked him in the eyes and said, “I still don’t care.”
“I was never gay,” he said, as if it were important. “Just fucked up.”
I smiled, which broke into a laugh.
“Good,” I said. “I’m the same.”
He caressed my cheek, and it felt good.
“So, what happens now?” I asked.
“We go with the flow. I honestly don’t know, but I have a feeling that it is meant to be. Somehow, somewhere, our questions will be answered,” he said, and I had to agree with him.
We lay together, holding each other all day. He made no attempt to take anything further, and I was a little disappointed. But I understood that he was as confused as I.
He went away at one point, returning back with some Tuna salad and some beers. I made no attempt to cover myself, for I was as relaxed with him as I could have been.
We ate lunch, talking about our childhoods. I was lucky, mine had been very happy, whereas he had had a rough time. Neither of us could pinpoint an event or an exact time when we became aware of our burning desires to be something other than what we were, but the feelings we had were the same. The pressures to conform, the pressures of parents, peer groups, and physical shape.
He caressed my breasts with a wistful look in his eyes. I had an urge to make love to him, and yet still I suppressed it, not knowing whether it would shatter our newly formed bond.
“I have never wanted to make love to a man before,” I admitted.
He nodded, “Go with the flow, Gillian; let’s just go on an adventure, to see where it takes us.”
He smiled at me in such a tender way, that all my suppressing in the world wasn’t going to work.
So, then and there, on a mat hidden by some packing cases, I stripped off my combat pants and boots, and allowed a man to enter me for the first time.
He lay on his back, as I knelt astride him, as he kissed my breasts. I felt myself responding. He slipped a condom on, and I felt him sliding inside me.
I gasped as I sat back so he slid up to the hilt, so I rocked gently backwards and forwards, just enjoying the sensation of him being inside me. He placed his large hands on my ass, so I started to rise and sink as he thrust inside me. He got faster and faster, and I felt myself coming, as a rush of my juices gushed forth, so he thrust deeper and faster inside me. He seemed to instinctively know what pleased me, and how to help me achieve greater pleasure. It was as if something inside him knew exactly what it meant to be a woman.
He kissed my breasts, rolling my nipples in his mouth, so I came again and again. I went faster and faster, and with a groan and a shudder; he thrust one final time, arching his back and driving himself deep inside me, as we climaxed together.
I allowed him to slide out of me, and I kissed him tenderly. He took the condom off, tossing it over the side of the boat. I put my bikini briefs back on, slipped my top back on, but I stayed like that.
He pulled on his shorts and grinned at me.
“First time, huh?” he asked.
I nodded, a little ashamed. It had all been so sudden, so quick. I hardly knew the man. We’d only met a few hours before. And yet, it was as if I knew him as well as I knew myself. The shame fell away from me, as his mere presence reassured me that I had done something right for a change.
“Okay?” he asked, sounding concerned. It was as if he was aware of my feelings and what I was going through.
I nodded again, smiling.
“That’s how it should be!” he said, holding his hand out to me. I took it, and he pulled me towards him. We kissed, and I knew that I loved him now. But it was deeper than I had ever imagined, it was as if we were soul mates, as he had said.
* * *
Ed.
It all happened like a dream, one minute we were chatting, when the next I was telling her all my darkest secrets. Never in a million years would I have imagined that I would have told her anything about me. But it was as if I just had to. I don’t know why, but I just did.
Then we were making love. I felt closer to her than I had ever felt to anyone in my life; any life! This wasn’t born out of the fulfilment of a fantasy, or of basic lust, but of a deep desire to become one with another soul.
I was not aware of me at all, and my sole purpose was to please her, and I think I did. At any rate, she didn’t complain. But it was the first time for her, so there was nothing for her to compare it to.
All the while, my memories of those other lives were close to the surface, so I could help her enjoy the experience a little more. I felt jealous, in a way, as those fond memories were destined to remain just that, memories. I almost yearned for the time to pass so I could take another job.
She looked so damn sexy in her black bikini. We just held each other for a while, and she got that look in her eye again.
But before we could do anything about it, I smelled food, realising that someone would be coming looking for us any minute.
“Hey, what would you like me to call you?” I asked.
She smiled, “What do you want to call me?” she said.
“Well, Gillian is rather formal, and Gill is a bit cold, so how about I call you Gee?” I said.
“That’s fine, I’d like that. Shall I call you First?” she teased.
“Call me what the hell you like, you know I’ll come running!” I said.
She smiled again and her face lit up.
“I think I shall call you Edward,” she said, and I laughed.
“I had a music teacher in third grade who would call me Edward. I hated her,” I said.
“Oh Ed, you know I love you?” she suddenly said.
I nodded.
“Yeah, I know. Weird isn’t it?” I said.
“What is?”
“We have only known each other for a few hours, and we love each other already!” I said.
She leaned over and kissed me.
“It’s as you said; we’re soulmates,” she said.
“You’re so beautiful,” I said.
“So are you,” she replied.
“We’d better get dressed and return to the fold, otherwise people may talk,” I said.
She laughed. “I wouldn’t worry, Russell is convinced we have already got something going,” she said, as she dressed again.
“Well, we have,” I said, and she chuckled.
We went back to the stern, and as we passed the bridge, Mickey winked at me, so he knew. I grinned, as he shook his head.
Russell was standing by the rail, still pale.
“Hello, Russell, not feeling too good?” Gillian asked.
“No, it seems I have yet to acquire my sea legs,” he said.
We went down to the galley and mess room, and found the ships Chinese cook making a stir-fry in a huge wok. It smelled really good, but we were the only people interested in food at this time.
A little later, Mickey joined us, as he had a crew of four he was able to leave the steering to someone else for a while. Roger, the doctor, and Simon, the anthropologist, managed to make an appearance. Craig and Russell were too unwell to join us.
Gillian had undergone a subtle transformation, and I smiled, as I alone knew the reason. She was bubbly and bright, full of fun and laughter. As the group did not know her, so they would have not been aware of the rather sad and lonely girl she had been. But I kne
w, and I liked watching her.
We had a great meal, lots of good food, and beers. We didn’t finish eating until 23:00, and eventually everyone went to bed.
There were sufficient cabins for us, even though the men had to share two at a time. I preferred to put my bedroll on the deck, and I was lying on my back, wearing just my shorts, staring at the stars, when I became aware of her standing next to me.
I held out my hand, and she snuggled down close to me, she was only wearing a long tee shirt.
“Hi, I was wondering how long it would be before you turned up!” I said.
“I missed you; funny, isn’t it?” she said.
I just smiled, as she wrapped her arm around me. We fell asleep like that.
We were still together in the morning, as the first light came up, I awoke. She was holding me tightly, so I kissed her, gently. She smiled in her sleep, and I extricated myself to respond to the call of nature.
When I returned she was awake.
I lay down beside her, and she said, “You are so lucky; I have to go to the smelly old head!”
I smiled, “And I want to be you, remember!”
She laughed, pulling me to her, so we made love again. I was grateful that I had brought a packet of condoms. Normally I use them to wrap around my weapons, so as to keep moisture out of the barrels, but I was actually using them for their designed purpose for a change!
I spent the day checking through the equipment, and just making sure the outboard on the rib was okay. I cleaned my M16, and I had five Glock 17s, just in case. I liked the Glock, as it had very few metal components, so in hot, damp climates, this was an advantage.
Gillian came and helped me. I couldn’t help but notice the glances we received from the other members of the team. I was also aware that she was almost making an effort to be more feminine now, so I smiled.
We reached the island the next day, around noon. And Mickey and I agreed that we just sail around it first, to reconnoitre the island from the sea to start.
There were signs of smoke coming from inland, so we knew that there were some people there, somewhere! There were no beaches or coves, and the whole coastline was jagged rocks and reefs. No wonder no one had ever landed there!
We anchored a little way off shore, so I kept watch with the infrared night glasses. I watched four black males as they came to the trees by the shore, where they watched the boat.
We had deliberately anchored on the opposite side to where we intended to land, but the watchers remained with us for most of the night.
Mickey weighed anchor at first light, so I had everyone up and ready. It took about an hour to get round to the other side of the island, as we steamed straight out, as if to leave, and then made a slow turn round to return on the right side to land.
I loaded everyone into the rib, with all the equipment. Then we were swung out on the arm and dropped onto the water. I fired up the 150HP Mercury engine, and we were off! It was high tide, so I had marked the gap in the reef where I hoped we would get in. There was quite a swell, so as we approached the reef, I could see the rocks break the surface.
But I had a forty foot gap, and made it easily! I powered into the small mouth of the stream. There was a small sand-bar. I pulled onto it, lifting the engine clear.
“Right, everyone out, and all equipment out!” I said. “And no talking, at all!”
They scrambled out, piling the boxes of equipment on a grassy bank. We pulled the rib clear of the water, hiding it in the long grass. I swept the sand so the marks of our arrival were removed, and then I led the small party inland for a spell.
I found the first path within a few minutes, so we stayed on it for about twenty minutes. I noticed a small hillock to my right, and carefully, we made our way towards it. I tried to ensure that no grass was broken, or stems cut, and that our passage was as inconspicuous as possible. But these were civilians and hopeless!
The hillock was ideal for my needs, as I found a flat area for our camp. It had height for view and vantage. It was open, so no sneak attack could be mounted. There was shade from the sun in the form of three tall trees, and there was fresh water nearby.
I had the team pitch the tents. There were three tents, so the idea was for pairs to share. Gillian grinned, as she found herself sharing with me.
I became aware that we were being watched within about fifteen minutes of our arrival.
I couldn’t see them, but I knew they were there.
I sat on the top of the hillock, with my M16 in my hands and a Glock in a holster on my belt. I also had a .357 magnum in a shoulder holster.
The team finished putting up the tents, and Russell came up the hill.
“When do we try to contact them?” he asked.
“We don’t!” I said.
“We must; that is why we are here!”
“They already know we’re here! They’re watching us right now!” I said.
He spun round, looking worried.
“I can’t see them!” he said.
“Neither can I, but I know they are there!” I said, not moving.
“So what do we do?”
“Bring the generator up here, with the lamps!” I said, so they brought them.
I set the lamps up, so as to give 360 degree light round the hill, and primed the generator.
“Build a fire and start cooking. No one leaves the camp!” I said.
“What do you intend?” Russell asked.
“They’re curious, as they aren’t used to people deliberately landing here, so they’re waiting to see what we’re going to do. They’ll watch us all night, and they’ll be staring into bright lights, so I’ll have a look at where they live!” I explained.
“You can’t leave us here alone!” Russell moaned.
“I won’t be far away, so if you hear any shots, just run for the boat and take off!” I said.
I could tell that Gillian wasn’t happy with that plan, but they all agreed.
We sat and had a meal. I had one person on lookout with a pump action shotgun, at all times. I gave each of them a Glock, instructing them how to use it. Then I blacked up in my Navy SEAL kit, and slipped out of the camp.
I smelled the first man before I saw him. There were six watching the camp. Each of them was naked; carrying a short stabbing spear and a couple had a crude bow and arrows. They were barefoot and smeared in mud, to take off the sheen of their skin at night.
I followed their tracks and found their village. It was placed in a small valley, with tall, thick trees masking their existence from inquisitive satellites. I counted about forty huts, so worked out a population of nearly two hundred.
I made my way back to our camp and slipped back in. Gillian was on guard, so I snuck up behind her.
I sat down, saying, “Hi babe!”
She jumped a mile, spinning round with the shotgun. Again she didn’t make a sound.
“You bastard, don’t you ever do that again!” she said, anger flashing from her blue eyes.
I laughed and kissed her. “You sure are beautiful when you’re angry!” I said, as she lowered the shotgun.
“You frightened me, Ed! Please don’t do that again!” she said. I felt a real heel, so I went to take her in my arms. She stopped me.
“Go and get cleaned up, I’m not cuddling you like that!” she said.
I cleaned myself up, changing into jungle greens again. Then I was back up the hill.
“Any movement?” I asked.
She shook her head.
“Go and get some sleep, I’ll stay here until dawn!” I said.
“I’m fine, I’d rather stay with you!” she said.
“Suit yourself, but don’t complain if you get tired tomorrow!” I said.
She smiled, “I’ll be fine!”
So we stayed together, watching and waiting.
The sun came up, but still nothing had happened. I killed the generator and had a think. Then I walked down to the edge of the jungle and pulled out my machete. I
knew they were watching me, so I drew a large circle on the ground, about twelve feet across. Then I went and got two camp chairs, placing one on the tent side of the circle and the other on the jungle side, both facing into the circle.
Then I went and opened the box of items we had brought intending to barter with. I took out a plain cooking pot and put some Hershey bars in it, taking them out of their wrappers first.
I went back to the circle, placing the pot on the ground just inside the circle by the outer chair.
I then went and sat in the other chair and waited.
Chapter Three
Gillian.
Ed had everyone stay in the tents, as he just sat by his circle for hours. Russell was getting impatient, but after five hours, a man appeared on the tree line, about thirty feet from the empty chair.
He was a black man, of Negro appearance. I would say of Hausa descent, with broad nostrils and a large mouth. He was naked, with a string around his waist, and a small quiver on the string. He had different coloured mud smeared on his body, which gave him a camouflaged appearance. He had a short spear in his right hand and a small bow in his left. I say small because the English longbow was around two metres long, this was half that.
He was about 5’6”, but lithe. His hair was short, so he looked to be in his mid twenties.
I saw Ed tense, and then raise both his hands, showing open palms to the man. Keeping his hands out to his side, he slowly stood and squatted next to his chair. He gestured for the man to join him, at the other side of the circle.
The man just stood like a statue, watching Ed. Craig, the photographer started to move, but Ed saw him.
“Gillian, if that bastard moves again, please shoot him!” he growled, and Craig went white. I pointed the shotgun at him, so he went even whiter!
Ed took a chocolate bar from his pocket, ate a mouthful, and then he crossed the circle and placed the rest of the bar on the small pile of offerings. He then returned to his original position and squatted by the chair, with his palms open.
After several minutes the man approached, laying down his weapons and showing Ed his palms. He grinned at Ed. Ed grinned back.