Arousing a Dragon

by Sarah Sarasota

  Interesting, she thought, smiling to herself as she paddled back into the tender garage.

  She caught him out a couple more times after that: once when she was practicing yoga on the deck, and another time while sunbathing and reading a dog-eared copy of Beowulf that she had found in the salon. She had been lying on her stomach, when she had taken off her sunglasses to give them a polish and noticed Hawthorne leaning over the balcony railing above her with his phone in his hand reflected in the lens. Clearly he had just finished with a phone call, but he was not concentrating on his phone screen now. Aurora had had used one finger to pull her bikini bottoms down from where they were riding up her butt a bit and had seen Hawthorne’s lips part slightly in the reflection of her glasses. Without warning she had flipped suddenly onto her back, feigned surprise at seeing him above her, and waved. It had been all she could do not to burst out laughing when the embarrassed man had given a little jump, an awkward wave and then hurried off.

  As fantastic as it was living a life of luxury, Aurora nonetheless found herself missing other people – namely, her best friend, Harper. She missed their long, rambling chit chats. Plus, she wanted to dish about the amazing month that she had just enjoyed.

  And she couldn’t believe what four weeks of wages from Hawthorne Industries had done for her bank balance. Even if she didn’t understand what was going on during the night, the compensation she was receiving more than made up for it.

  That evening, as she and Hawthorne were diving into chocolate lava cake, she finally mustered up the courage to ask for a favor.

  “So, it took a little bit of convincing, but the gallery has very kindly dropped the charges against you,” Hawthorne said to her. “They seemed to think it prudent when I had my lawyer mention that you are now in my employ and that, if they were keen on getting any more obscure European art shipped through their doors, it might be well worth doing me this small kindness.”

  Aurora smiled gratefully at him, but found that she was too preoccupied to say anything.

  “Are you alright?” Hawthorne asked.

  “Yeah, that’s fantastic news, boss, thank you. It’s just that – well, Finn,” his name felt funny on her tongue, “I was just wondering if I could get a shore pass for the day sometime soon?”

  Hawthorne’s face went slightly stony. He put down his dessert spoon and looked at her.

  “I really need you here, Aurora.”

  The use of her first name was not lost on Aurora. She got the feeling that the two of them were talking as friends now, rather than co-workers.

  “I understand that I need to be here to fulfill my obligation to you, but I’m just asking for a day off at some point next week. Maybe Saturday? If I leave first thing in the morning, I can catch up with friends and then be back by dinner. Please, Finn, it’ll have been almost four weeks since I’ve been in town by then. Please, it’d mean a lot.”

  Finn sighed. Then he said reluctantly, “Alright, Miss Laurent, you have your shore leave. Just make sure you’re back by dinner. I’ll have the chopper waiting at Hawthorne Industries to bring you back.”

  Aurora beamed. Then, with a bit more of her usual sass, she pointed her spoon at Finn’s dessert and said, “Are you going to finish that?”

  Finn chuckled and pushed it over to her.

  The rest of the week seemed to drag by after Hawthorne had given Aurora his permission to head back into New York City for the day.

  On Friday, Aurora texted Harper that she’d be back in the city the following day and that they’d have to catch up. Harper was naturally eager to hear what Aurora had been up to over the past few weeks and told her to pop in any time.

  In an odd twist of fate, Brodie Wood also texted Aurora on that morning. He had been texting her constantly since she had left the city, but Aurora had made the decision to leave the asshole hanging. However, whether it was her sunny mood at the thought of seeing Harper or the slow healing of time, Aurora found herself texting Brodie back on this occasion. She kept it short and blunt but, despite what he’d done to her, Aurora found herself remembering why she had liked him originally; the sexual puns, the stupid jokes, his boyish sense of humor. To her own surprise she agreed to meet him for a drink on Saturday afternoon. She intentionally made sure that he was the last person she met before having to get back to the boat, as she didn’t want to run the risk of him seducing her. Brodie might be hot, but he wasn’t hot enough to make her risk losing her position with Finn Hawthorne.

  ***

  Aurora found herself practically bouncing with excitement outside Harper’s door. She couldn’t wait to fill her in on everything and hear her theories about what was going on at night in the belly of the superyacht.

  However, it wasn’t Harper who opened the door.

  It was her ex-fiancé, Ryker Swanson.

  For a full three seconds Aurora just stared dumbly at the sandy-haired, rugged face that she had grown up with, fallen in love with, and then left at the altar.

  “Ryker,” she managed after a moment or two. “What are you doing here?”

  “At Harper’s?”

  “In New York.”

  In his pragmatic way, Ryker said, “Aurora, ever since you called me from jail I haven’t been able to get you out of my goddamn head. I called Harper on Tuesday night because I realized I just had to see you, and she let slip that you were coming to see her today. Don’t be pissed at her, she didn’t mean to tell me. So, I left Nebraska on Wednesday. It took me two days to get here and I pulled in last night and Harper let me crash here. I told her to not tell you. I didn’t want you to not come, you know?”

  “You drove all the way here?” Aurora asked disbelievingly. “Why didn’t you just fly?”

  “I needed to do some thinking, you know. So I did some serious soul searching and came away with only one conclusion; I still love you, Aurora. Despite what happened back home, I still love you. Always have. Always will. So, I drove here to tell you that.”

  Aurora was dumbfounded. She had no idea what to say. Instead of saying anything she gave Ryker a long, hard hug. Over his shoulder she saw Harper appear in the hallway and raise her arms in helpless gesture. Aurora shook her head to say that it was all alright. A tear of happiness trickled down her cheek.

  “It’s really good to see you, Ryker,” she said, her words charged with emotion.

  The two of them broke apart. Aurora couldn’t stop looking at the familiar face of her ex; his crinkled blue eyes framed by blond hair the same color as the wheat his family had farmed for generations. His hands were callused from years of hard toil and there was dirt under his fingernails. Just looking at him made her smile. She laughed at how happy she felt.

  “Um,” said Harper, breaking the moment, “I hate to be the third wheel, but do you guys want to grab some lunch? I don’t know about you, Ryker, but I want to hear about this new job of yours, Aurora.”

  Ryker smiled his lopsided smile. “Hell,” he said, “I could use a beer.”

  ***

  After a long and lazy lunch – Aurora’s treat – the three headed back to Harper’s place. They had spent the past few hours discussing at length what Aurora’s billionaire boss could be doing down in the bowels of his fancy ship, the theories getting wilder and wilder with each beer.

  “Alright, kids,” Harper said as Aurora and Ryker flopped down on the couch, “I’ve got to love you and leave you and go to work. We’ve got a little charity thing at the gallery tonight.”

  “Send them my love,” Aurora said, an innocent grin on her lips.

  “Oh, yeah, they’ll love that,” Harper said. “I won’t be back till later, but feel free to use my room. It’s pretty small, but it’s yours. Aurora you’ll be gone when I get back, but I’ll see you soon, hon, okay?”

  Aurora blew Harper a kiss.

  “Ryker, you can crash on our couch tonight, but I guess your corn-filled ass is heading back home tomorrow, right?”

  Ryker looked sidelong at Aurora. “Well, I
guess we’ll have to see about that.”

  After Harper left, Aurora and Ryker cracked another beer. They talked of old times, places they’d been together, what mutual friends were up to now, and all the other stuff involved in catching up. They migrated from the living room to Harper’s bedroom and started streaming their favorite CSI series.

  The room was small and warm, and the pair soon fell into a cosy stupor, cuddled up as in the past when they were watching a movie together. To know that Ryker didn’t hate her, to be with one of her oldest friends after a few weeks spent in relative isolation, acted as a balm to Aurora’s soul. She napped peacefully, completely forgetting about the outside world.

  ***

  Aurora was awakened by Harper coming into the room.

  “Oh,” said Harper, surprised, “you’re both still in here. It’s all good; I’ll just crash on the couch.”

  “What time is it?” Aurora asked through a yawn.

  “One in the morning.”

  “What? Shit!”

  Aurora jumped to her feet and pelted out of the room, grabbing her phone. She had her shoes on and an Uber ordered up by the time Ryker made it to the hallway.

  “You’re going?” he asked blearily.

  “Yeah, I’m SO late,” Aurora said. She already had the front door open. “I just have to get back to work.” Without thinking, she stepped forward and kissed Ryker full on the mouth.

  It was a spontaneous gesture, and Ryker responded, the two of them melting into an embrace that Aurora wouldn’t have minded lasting forever.

  “What the fuck!”

  Brodie Wood stood in the open doorway, his glassy, drunken eyes popping out of his handsome, clean-cut face.

  Aurora had totally forgotten that she had made plans to meet him, and he had come looking for her.

  “Who the fuck is this asshole?” he sneered, looking at Ryker in his faded jeans and plaid shirt. “Looks like a hillbilly that blew in with a tumbleweed. Is this your new lover-boy, huh?”

  Before anyone could respond, the intoxicated hockey player took a swing at Ryker, connecting solidly with his right eye.

  Harper yelled something indecipherable, but it was lost in the sudden tumult as Ryker tackled Brodie into the corridor and the two men smashed into the opposite wall, leaving a fair-sized dent in the drywall.

  Harper leaped in to try and break them up. The ruckus had woken Harper’s roommates – and their baby, who was now wailing like a banshee.

  Aurora’s phone beeped; her Uber had arrived.

  “Goddamn it! I’ve got to go! Harp, I’m sorry! Just lock the pair of them out!”

  Leaving the two brawling men, Aurora ran down the stairs and out into the street where her Uber was waiting.

  “Get to the Upper East Side, please! As quick as you can!”

  “I know where you’re going lady, but it might take us a while.”

  “What? Why?”

  “You haven’t noticed the smell? The smoke?”

  Now that the man mentioned it, Aurora did

  “What is that?” she asked.

  “It’s Central Park,” her driver said, pulling out into the traffic. “Half the damn park is on fire.”

  Chapter 7

  Hawthorne’s helicopter circled the Scalded and started its descent. At nine a.m. the sun was already clear of the eastern horizon, the sea glittering under its crisp light. As the helicopter banked, Aurora was both confused and terrified by the sight that greeted her.

  Part of the anchor chain was melted, the thick metal links warped and twisted. There were long black streaks across the beautiful wooden decking, similar to those made by skidding tires. She realized that they were, in fact, scorch marks. Before the chopper landed, Aurora saw that workmen, suspended by harnesses, were already attempting to repair three long gashes across the bow.

  The helicopter touched lightly down and Aurora scurried down the stairs that led to the lower deck. Once there, she peered over the balcony railing, looking down upon the devastation below. The beautiful outdoor furniture was in complete chaos, scattered all across the deck.

  “What the hell happened here?” she murmured to herself.

  The hissing of automatic doors sliding open made her turn. Finn Hawthorne strode forward, his normally placid brown eyes burning with intense frustration.

  “What hap–” Aurora began.

  “What happened? What happened?” Hawthorne said, breathing heavily.

  Aurora looked at him, alarmed by the intensity in his voice.

  “What happened,” Hawthorne continued, “was that you didn’t show last night! What happened was that you weren’t late – you didn’t show up at all!”

  Aurora had expected a rebuke from her employer. She knew he would be disappointed and probably annoyed that she’d let him down. But she had not expected this boiling fury. She took a step back.

  Her eyes cast down in contrition, Aurora said quietly, “I’m so sorry that I let you down. But I still don’t understand what happened here?”

  Hawthorne snorted. “Neglect of duty is what caused this. If you had been present as promised, none of this would have happened. I pay you a lot of money to be here, Miss Laurent! This is your job.”

  “I am so sorry. I intended to be back on time, but there was a fistfight and I left late, and then the traffic in Manhattan was at a standstill because of a huge fire in Central Park and –”

  “Wait. You were in a fistfight?”

  Aurora waved her hands. “No, no. I was at my best friend’s place, and my former fiance showed up unexpectedly. Then the drunken loser I was dating prior to taking this position came looking for me, saw my ex, and made some false assumptions. The idiot started throwing punches, and I don’t even know what happened because I was trying to get back here, so I vamoosed before it was over.” She paused for breath and then shrugged helplessly. “You know how it is.”

  Finn Hawthorne looked at her and, just for a moment, his eyes betrayed a flicker of amusement. “I can honestly say that I really do not know what that is like.”

  Not knowing how to respond, Aurora continued her story.

  “Anyway, that happened – Brodie is such a jackass, I swear – and the traffic was moving like molasses because of that huge fire. I didn’t make it to the tower until 2 a.m., so I called Travers. He told me that the pilots were off duty until eight o’clock and that there was nothing that could be done.”

  Aurora took a deep breath, looking beseechingly at Hawthorne.

  In a hard, cold voice he said, “Travers called me as soon as the sun came up, to make sure that everything was alright and to let me know that you’d be coming in just before nine. He wasn’t pleased that you had failed in your professional obligations. He had high hopes for you. As did I.”

  Aurora wrung her hands. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Hawthorne. It won’t happen again, I swear it.”

  Hawthorne gazed intently at her, the flecks of gold in his eyes flickering as if they were lit from within.

  “Yes,” he said evenly, “I know it won’t happen again.”

  Aurora let out an audible sigh of relief.

  “Pack your things, Miss Laurent,” Hawthorne said. “You’re done here.”

  The bottom dropped out of Aurora’s world. “You’re firing me?”

  “You’ll be given a generous severance package,” Hawthorne replied, coldly. “I’ll make sure of that.”

  “But – but, you’re letting me go? For one mistake? Just like that? I’ve been at your beck and call for weeks. I haven’t put a foot wrong.”

  Hawthorne ignored her, pointedly pulling out a pair of sunglasses and polishing them on the hem of his shirt. Frustrated, Aurora reached out and grabbed his arm.

  “Hey,” she said, “are you listening to me?”

  Hawthorne caught her hand and held it. When he spoke his voice was fervent.

  “You don’t get it, do you? This isn’t a game. This isn’t just some job. It’s a responsibility; a trust between us. When that
trust is broken there are consequences.” He nodded over her shoulder to the destruction that had been wrought on deck. “Immediate consequences. And repercussions you can’t even imagine.”

  Aurora pulled her hand away in exasperation.

  “What consequences? What happened here? Why do you go in that vault every single night? What happens down there? And why can’t you tell me?”

  Very quietly he said, “I can’t tell you, Aurora. I’m sorry, but I just can’t.”

  Forgetting that he was her boss she shouted, “You never let me in! You sit alone in your skyscraper or on your fancy boat – “

  “It’s a yacht,” Hawthorne interjected.

  “It’s pathetic, is what it is! You’ve cut yourself off from the human race, Finn. You spend all your time building your empire and expecting people to do whatever you tell them to do. Maybe, if you came down from that ivory tower and mingled with the peasants once in a while, you’d have a better idea of how to deal with your fellow human!”

  Her passionate outburst caught him by surprise. As a man with more money than many emerging nations, he was not used to being leveled for his shortcomings.

  “No one talks to me like this!” he sputtered.

  “Of course they don’t, because you don’t talk with anyone, you just talk to them!” Softening a bit, she whispered, “You only get to be a real person twice a day; with me.” Having summoned her courage, she was determined to finish. “And, by the way, I missed you!” she said, placing her palm on Hawthorne’s firm chest. “The moment the brawl started, I realized there was only one place I wanted to be, and that was with you. And it’s not because you pay me a lot of money to be here.” She couldn’t meet his intense gaze as she continued.