by A. Anders
Gray didn’t stop, though. He had rage in his eyes. After a few bounces, he got the chainsaw and maneuvered to attack.
Brad laid on the ground shivering. He could see Gray coming, but he couldn’t move. Gray bounced up and was about to return for his final blow when I took a deep breath and let go.
As soon as I released my grip, I realized that my timing was off. I would hit the blade missing Gray completely. All I could do was bend my legs and hope.
When my boot hit, it was against something hard. It was the handle and not the blade. Gray lost his grip and dropped the saw.
When his body slid against mine, I grabbed whatever I could. My arm slipped around his neck. Rebounding, I twisted with a jerk. His body fell limp.
He was stunned, but I knew it wouldn’t last long. I had to do more if I wanted to win. As we bounced into the air, I released him.
I scanned the ground and found two options: the jagged club and the chainsaw. Could I do to him what he had done to Freddy? No.
Touching ground, I picked up the club and swung. Thwack! I caught him across the leg.
We both bounced into the air and fell. Thwack! Thwack!
I caught him twice in the chest. I had heard something break. Would I have to hit him again?
No. Gray didn’t move after that. My bouncing stopped abruptly, and Gray’s body hit the dirt. I hung with my club in hand looking for whoever was next. No one was left.
“Ladies and gentleman, the winner of Thunderdome!” I heard Rose say, reciting the line from the movie.
I threw my arms into the air, feeling the adrenaline coursing through me. I could only imagine the millions of viewers watching me, screaming, cheering for me. I was a champion. I had won. When I saw the pawns enter to attend to the fallen, I felt even better.
Mercifully, I had been nicked somewhere along the way, and Pete rewarded me with magic dust. It wasn’t much, but it did soothe the pain from the night before. The relief came like a warm wave washing over me. Again, I felt good.
Leaving the other guys behind, Pete led me out of the build. In front, I waited for Rose. I guessed that she had a costume change, and I was right. She was now wearing a bikini with a sarong wrapped around her waist. Man, was she gorgeous.
“My hero,” she said.
I bristled at that. I couldn’t tell you why. Nonetheless, I liked the way her smile beamed as she said it. She glided towards me, getting closer and closer until her lips were on mine.
Her kiss was intoxicating. I grabbed her behind the neck and kissed her hard. When our tongues touched, warmth trickled over me like honey. Gripping her soft, smooth waist with my free hand, I could have undressed her and taken her right there.
“Wait,” I heard her say. It took everything in me to stop.
I let her go and watched her as she lowered her head and brushed her lips with her fingertips. My chest heaved, wanting so much more. She gave it to me when, without a word, she wrapped her leg around me and grabbed me again.
Wrapping my arm around her, I grabbed her ass. Lifting her to my lips, I was ready for anything. My body throbbed with desire. Her body was undulating on mine.
It was only when I felt an electric pulse on my leg that I stopped. It was making me weak. Simply put, I couldn’t lift her anymore. As Rose’s bot was doing the same to her, I returned her to her feet. Our lusts were dampened but not gone.
“Where did that come from?” I asked her, not expecting such passion.
“I don’t know,” she replied unconvincingly.
Rose’s larger pawn lead us away as Pete trailed behind us. I had a strange feeling walking next to her. She reminded me of a teenaged girl: her movement, her smile. She had something youthful about her.
I felt a tickle as Rose’s fingers touched mine. She wanted me to hold her hand, so I did. Looking at her again, she was blushing. I found her openness incredibly sexy.
We walked in silence as the sexual tension again blossomed between us. With only the sound of the jungle in my ears and the feeling of her hand in mine, I considered what I knew about her. Other than a few tidbits, I didn’t really know much.
“So, a corporate recruiter, huh?” she asked, beating me to the punch. “What’s that like?”
“You ever babysit a fourteen-year-old for six weeks while their parents offered to do anything to please you?”
“Anything?” Rose asked with a smile.
“Anything. I have never been propositioned by so many married women in my life.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“And did you partake in the cuisine?” she asked, delightfully intrigued.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because it wouldn’t be right.”
“And you always do what’s right? You never break the rules?” Rose looked at me with a knowing smile. I could tell that she was thinking about my visit to her cabin. Technically, it was against the rules.
“Not always,” I offered with a smile.
With Rose’s hand still in mine, we stepped onto the white sands of a perfect beach. The pungent smell of saltwater wafted through the air. The pale blue water was calm enough to see through. And the splash as the waves gently rolled to shore, drowned out the sound of the jungle.
Rose let go of my hand, drawing my attention.
“Let’s see you break the rules,” she said, walking backward towards the water.
Rose removed the sheer cloth from around her waist and released it to the breeze. Turning her back to me, she walked towards the sea.
“What are you doing?” I asked as casually as I could.
“Going for a swim.”
For a moment, I froze. And it wasn’t just the sultry swaying of her hips that left me speechless. It was what I knew about the beach: As seductive as it looked, the water around the island was littered with man-eating sharks.
My heart raced the closer she got to the shoreline. I had to say something. “You know there are sharks around here, right?” I asked, forcing a smile.
“Are you scared of a few sharks?” she playfully taunted as she glanced back.
“I wrestled a bear,” I replied, feeling cocky.
“I saw you,” she said before turning to me flirtatiously.
The sexual energy between us was inescapable. She made me feel like a man, and I wanted to protect her. So when her feet entered the water, it took everything in me to not sprint across the beach and drag her out.
“Join me. The water’s warm.”
“I would, but I don’t have a suit,” I replied.
“Sure you do. You have your birthday suit, don’t you?” she suggested before taking a few steps and diving under.
My heart pounded as I frantically scanned around her for slithering, dark objects. Brad’s Viking funeral had taught me how close to shore the sharks got. Rose’s life was in danger, even if she didn’t know it.
She resurfaced, and her dark curly hair was slicked down against her neck. “So, are you gonna make me swim alone?”
So many questions flooded my mind as I stared at the beautiful woman in front of me. Were there sharks in the water or not? Should I join her or demand that she come out? Were we actually in a game show, or was something else going?
Watching the beautiful woman wade in the turquoise water, I realized that there was only one question that was important: what did I want? That was simple.
I wanted to strip down and dive into that water with her. I wanted to pull her soft curves against my naked body and feel the warm current wash between us, and I wanted to hold her in my arms and kiss her hard.
As I kicked off my shoes and pulled off my t-shirt, Rose hooted at me. Dropping my pants and underwear, she howled. Actually, she sounded more like a drowning cat. It made me laugh. Scanning the water a final time, I ran across the beach and dove in.
Rose was right. The water was warm. It had been forever since I had swum in the Pacific. It was like heaven.
I opened my ey
es underwater looking for Rose’s legs. I saw them ten feet away. Swimming over, I pinched her ankles. She responded with a twitch and then playfully pulled away.
Not letting her go, I grabbed her calf. Her body relaxed. Wanting more, I pulled my face to her thigh. She didn’t move. Feeling frisky, I nipped her.
Rose pushed my head away as her body wriggled. She was giggling. Holding her toned thighs in my large palms, I pushed my hands up the back of her legs. My nose traced the front of her leg as I did.
I felt a rush as my hands brushed her ass. Clutching her soft flesh, the tip of my nose touched the swollen narrows of her bikini. Her body twitched, revealing what she wanted me to do. I paused.
Reveling in the thought, I opened my mouth. I could have. I thought about it. But instead, I pressed my face against the thin cloth for a moment and then continued my ascent.
My palms caressed the small of her back. My nose tickled her stomach. The warm island breeze kissed my fingertips. I scooped her up and rose out of the water with the beautiful woman in my arms.
“You’re naked!” she teased with childlike excitement.
“Yeah? What are you gonna do about it?” I whispered.
It took no time for Rose to touch me. She gripped me, and it felt fantastic.
“I like to get my hands on things,” she said with a coy smile and a gentle tug.
“And what do you plan to do with that?”
I didn’t wait for an answer. I wrapped my large hand around the back of her small neck and pulled her head to mine. I touched my lips to hers. When she opened her mouth, I entered with my tongue.
Finding each other, our tongues danced. Together, they twirled like melting chocolate. It was like arriving home. I wanted to kiss her forever.
“Owww!” Rose yelped suddenly, pulling away.
She had been bitten! Damn it, I had been distracted. I was fooling around with Rose when I should have been protecting her. Looking over her shoulder, the water was swarming with sharks circling in on us.
“Ahhh!” she screamed seeing them.
I responded immediately. I scooped her up and pressed her body over my head. With her out of the water, I turned facing the shore and ran.
Immediately, my foot touched something curved and rough. It shot out from under me. I tried to ignore it, but something grabbed the back of my leg and yanked.
Falling back, I tossed Rose as far towards shore as I could. The next thing I knew, bubbles were rushing past me. I was slowly submerging. It was dragging me out to sea. Knowing I had to stop it, I threw my fists at it as hard as I could. I made contact; it let go.
Resurfacing, I looked around. It hadn’t taken me far, so I swam for it. I could see all them below me. Dozens of them. My heart pounded.
I was in knee-high water when I felt their final attack. It was a bump against my foot. I was expecting to feel teeth, but I didn’t. Had they missed, or had I gotten lucky? I didn’t know.
Finally on my feet, I stumbled forward not stopping until I was on shore. As I fell to my knees, my mind swirled. Gather myself, I felt something thick oozing down the back of my thigh. It took a second, but the pain followed. It felt like severed muscles washed in saltwater. My leg was throbbing.
Being dragged under by a shark was the most disturbing thing I had ever experienced. Not being able to breathe, the lack of gravity, all of it was terrifying. It was a level of helplessness that I had never felt before, and never wanted to go through again.
Rose ran to me and examined my wound.
“I’m alright,” I announced as I stood up and walked away.
I was rattled. I didn’t know where I was going, but I was definitely headed away from the water.
Ascending the beach, I ran into Pete. The pawn had been battling the uneven sand to get to me. When I stopped in front of it, it started its scan.
It was as Pete focused his blue light on my wound that it dawned on me where I had been headed. It was to get my pants. Because more disturbing than being dragged under was where the shark had grabbed me.
Ever wonder why one-eyed pirates were afraid of sharks? Looking down at the teeth marks on the inside of my thigh, I could tell you why.
Once Rose and I were clothed and treated, we walked to a concrete picnic table a hundred feet down the beach. With us both content to watch the waves, minutes went by before either of us spoke. Magic dust had a calming effect on a person, and the sedative effect it had on a person’s libido was absolute.
“So tell me something about yourself,” I requested, breaking the silence.
“What don’t you already know?” she asked, turning to me with a smile.
I looked at her, trying to hide my confusion. Again she was implying that everyone already knew stuff about her.
“I don’t know anything except what you told me. And that isn’t much,” I admitted.
Rose looked at me with doubt.
“I don’t own a TV,” I explained.
She continued to search my face. I couldn’t even guess what she was looking for.
“I’m sorry. I feel like I’m supposed to know you or something. I’m a little embarrassed to ask, but are you famous?”
Rose’s face relaxed before she casually looked away. “You’re an odd one, Ford. Do you know that? Every time we talk, you tell me something unbelievable. I don’t know what to think of you.”
I looked at her blankly, unsure of what to say.
“Why don’t you tell me something about yourself,” Rose requested.
“Like what?”
“Do you have any brothers or sisters?”
“I have one sister.”
“Are you close?”
“No. In fact, we have spoken in a long time.”
“How come?”
“At this point, it’s hard to tell,” I admitted. “Things seem so important when you’re a kid. But the older I get, the more I wonder if I’m the source of all of my problems.”
Rose looked at me surprised.
“Let me guess. I said something wrong?” She gave me her answer by not replying. “Yep, I said something wrong. As I said, I’m the source of all of my problems.”
“It’s not that you said anything wrong,” Rose finally responded. “It’s just that none of the other guys would admit to something like that.”
“Something like what? To not being perfect?” I asked feistily.
“No. Admitting you’re ‘a problem.’”
“Why not?”
“A lot of women could be turned off by that. Most women want a guy who will protect them and make them feel safe.”
My heart sank. “And saying that I might be my biggest problem doesn’t make you feel safe?”
“I wasn’t talking about me. I was talking about most women.”
“Then how does it make you feel?” I asked as my chest tightened.
Rose turned to the ocean, losing herself in thought. She opened her mouth to speak when Pete nudged my back.
“Give us a second, Pete,” I demanded, hoping Rose would continue.
Rose’s face softened as her pawn did the same to her. “We should probably go.”
“You’re not gonna answer my question?”
Rose remained silent as she got up. When I was standing next to her, she held up her arms to give me a hug. With my heart breaking, I wrapped my arms around her waist. With her lips close to my ears, she whispered.
“When you say things that I don’t expect, it makes me think that I can trust you.”
I tightened my grip and held her for a moment longer. When I released her, I noticed that she turned away without looking me in the eyes. I watched her take her sarong from her pawn and wrap it around her waist. Still not looking at me, she touched my hand and walked off.
Her hips rocked back and forth as she crossed the sand. It was seductive. She was beautiful even when she wasn’t meaning to be. When Pete nudged me in the other direction, our solo date officially ended.
As I returned to the pa
th into the woods, I thought about what she had said. She had said that she was beginning to trust me. That was good. In fact, I was feeling really positive about our time together. What can I say? I was feeling good about everything. I was absolutely euphoric, in fact, until the magic dust began to wear off.
I was still on my way back to camp when I became painfully sober. That’s when I began to see our time at the beach in a different light. I had no question in my mind who she was referring to when she had said that women wanted strong men. Rose had us fight over her like gladiators; she wanted a strong man.
After doing everything right, I had screwed up, and I had done it in my typical way, by opening my mouth. Now she couldn’t even look me in the eyes.
Was I so repugnant? Even as I asked myself, I heard a soft voice within me answer. Of course you are, it replied in a voice that was sounding more and more like my own.
I had spent much of the last five years quieting that voice. It was proving to be the hardest battle of my life. What was jumping into a ring and fighting a bear compared to battling a demon? A thousand-pound grizzly is nothing when you battle against something that never gives up.
As I had so many times before, I forced my mind to go in a different direction. I reminded myself that we were both on magic dust at the time. Magic dust could make you feel great, but it could also affect the way you see people when you’re on it. It had to do with its military origin. No one wanted troops thinking sexy thoughts in combat situations.
So hopefully, once the juice wore off, she would remember how I had saved her from being eaten by a shark. That would have to turn her on, right?
To be honest, I wasn’t sure it would. She had once told me that the rules of life and the rules of the game were very different. At this point, I wasn’t sure if I knew the rules to either.
I continued back to camp, thinking about what happened when I suddenly noticed something different. The lighthouse tower was visible from where I was, and it had changed. The light at the top of it was no longer white. It was now a pale pink. What was up with that?
Pete didn’t give me much time to examine it. Pete had a way of nudging me toward what he wanted, and right now he wanted me back at camp. I obliged, knowing that group dates were usually followed by cocktail parties and eliminations. Soaked in salt water, Thunderdome grime, and Gray’s blood, I had a few things that I wanted to do before the party.