Chapter 21

 

A week later, to Brodie and the team’s profound relief, the offices were finally finished and they could move in. The computer system was networked, the security systems were up and running, and at last they could all get on with their work in spacious, comfortable surroundings rather than scrunched up in unsuitable accommodation units that were spartan at best.

 

The enclosures were up and running, and the day before Brodie, Tara and Katy moved into their new home the latest arrivals on the island were introduced into their spacious enclosure – a group of four King Cheetahs. ‘Rare as hen’s teeth’, was Pieter’s comment as they crept hesitantly out of their holding unit where they had been quarantined into the waving, sun-kissed grassy enclosure.

 

Katy, who had been watching from the jeep mesmerised, let out a gasp of delight as they padded into the sunshine.

 

“Wow!” For once she was lost for words, and Irwin Trubshaw, who sat beside her, had to agree.

 

The animals had been bred at the famous DeWildt Cheetah Rescue Centre, and Brodie knew that in obtaining these rarest of cats he had fulfilled Charles Cunningham’s lifetime ambition. Here on the island of San Miguel, they would be cared for and hopefully breed, ensuring the survival of this magnificent animal.

 

Tara had to admit she had never in her life seen anything so beautiful.

 

Instead of the usual spots, these animals had rich swathes of black running in splashes along the amber-gold fur. Another line of black ran down the back to the end of the tail, and the effect was startling to say the least. They were magnificent … and truly regal.

 

Brodie stood beside Tara and looked on with a sense of great satisfaction. Everything was coming together nicely despite their initial disaster with Asad the rhino, and over the next couple of months as the weather cooled and transportation became easier more animals would arrive to make their home here on San Miguel Island … an incredibly rare trio of Java rhino, never before bred in captivity … Asian lions … the beautiful but difficult to transport Rothschild’s Giraffe … a collection of creatures fit to grace any medieval bestiary and infinitely more precious. And this was just a beginning for Cunningham. For a man raised in the hard, unforgiving streets of New Jersey and who had never seen a cow until he was in his twenties, this was a strange dream … but it was one he had every intention of making into a reality, and he had the money and political clout to do it.

 

The luxury villas were finished, and the finishing touches were being added to the research centre at last. There was still a lot of landscaping and tidying up to do but Brodie knew that wouldn’t take too long and he looked forward to being able to relax a little after the months of difficulties and strain both he and his team had been under. More staff was arriving every day to help in various support roles on the island. Cunningham hired locally, paying excellent wages in return for hard work and dedication, and many of the people of San Miguel jumped at the chance. From cleaners to gardeners, cooks to animal attendants, they were to work a weekly turn-about rota changing out on a Thursday night, allowing the staff to settle in ready for the usual hectic schedule of the weekend activities Cunningham planned.

 

This changeover was Brodie’s own personal bugbear – it meant that for a space of three hours, the island was bare of almost all of its support staff apart from his security team and essential workers such as rangers and research staff who worked a more intense schedule, only going home on leave every few months. They would, in time, make their homes on San Miguel Island on a permanent basis – at least, that was what Cunningham hoped. But until then, Brodie knew he would be unhappy until something better could be worked out and he didn’t feel as though the island with its precious inhabitants and the rich holidaymakers who would visit the island to ‘get away from it all’ were not as well protected as he would like.

 

The move into the house on the hill went smoothly and without too much discomfort. Tara knew they were still pitifully short of furniture, but at least they had the basics, and she had contacted the storage company in Chicago to arrange the transport of her belongings to San Miguel island. Katy worked like a trooper. She carried bags of clothes, chairs, anything she was physically capable of carrying and more. She helped store clothing in closets and stack pots and pans in the roomy, cool kitchen. She and Brodie put up her bunk-beds and set up her computer desk and chair, and Tara was charmed to hear Brodie laugh his rare, infectious laugh as Katy chattered and babbled, talking nineteen to the dozen about anything and everything. She brought laughter and joy to the big man, and in return he gave the child security, love coupled with firm care, and Katy seemed to instinctively know his moods.

 

But late that afternoon when Tara returned with yet another load of belongings stacked in the jeep, she wandered into the huge lounge to find Brodie sprawled on the comfortable old sofa, bad leg stretched out and soda in hand and swallowing pain meds, with Katy ranting at him with tiny fists on hips. They were having a blistering argument.

 

“You, young lady, are nothin’ but a goddamn nag, you know that?” Brodie’s voice was rife with exasperation.

 

Katy scowled.

 

“Well, you’re just dumb!”

 

“Dumb??? Just who the hell are you callin’ dumb - ” Brodie growled in disgust, eyes sparking blue daggers.

 

Katy’s jaw set stubbornly as she replied, cutting Brodie off in mid-sentence.

 

“You! That was a real dumb, stupid thing and you shouldn’t’ve done it - ” Katy noticed her dumbfounded aunt standing in the doorway with an armful of sheets. “Aunt Tara! You tell him he’s dumb, ‘cause he is, and he shouldn’t’ve done it and he hurt himself and it serves him right ‘cause he did somethin’ real stupid - ”

 

Tara snapped back into reality.

 

“Katy Matthews, just stop right this minute!” Tara glared at the pair of them. Katy looked severely disgruntled, her little face creased into a frown of self-righteous indignation. Brodie was sulking as only he could, his face dour with annoyance and pain. “Okay … are you two going to tell me what on earth is going on here? And no arguments!” she added, Brodie and Katy both attempting to talk at the same time. “Katy, you first – after you apologise to Frank for calling him ‘dumb’!”

 

Katy looked shamefaced for a second, her eyes dropping to study the lines of the tiles on the floor, but when her dark eyes finally raised to meet Tara’s the young woman could plainly see the anger and concern in them.

 

“Sorry …” she muttered, obviously not sorry at all. “But Aunt Tara, Frank coulda hurt himself real bad and - ” She let the words burst from her, unable to hold it in.

 

“Hah! Like hell!” Brodie interrupted, wincing as he shifted his leg. “All I did was slip! I - ”

 

“You fell!! I saw you!!” Katy was now close to tears of anger and frustration. “You tried to move the sofa an’ you slipped and fell and hurt yourself, and you cussed a whole lot!”

 

“Hey!!” Tara held up a restraining hand, trying to bring some order to the proceedings. “Frank’s obviously okay, so stop arguing, both of you! Jeez,” she muttered, “not one kid but two …” She turned her attention back to Brodie. “Frank, are you okay? Really?”

 

Brodie sat uncomfortably on the sofa, his leg on fire. He looked at the concern on Tara’s face and the fear for him in Katy’s brown eyes and let out a groaning sigh.

 

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just jarred my leg is all. Katy gal, you don’t have to get yourself bent all outta shape because I fell! It happens, okay?” His irritation began to dissipate as quickly as it had formed and a softness replaced the spark of anger in his eyes. He could see now that Katy was frightened and he realised with a jolt that she was shaking. “Hey, short-stop … it was only a little fall, y’know.”

 

Katy blinked hard, fighting back tears, When she had seen Brodie’s leg give way under him as he tried to shift the heavy old sofa and saw him collapse in a heap against the wall, his face twisted in pain, her heart had almost stopped in fear. Nothing could happen to Brodie … she wouldn’t let it. She couldn’t bear the thought of losing him … not now … not when he promised to look out for her and keep her safe …

 

“W … wasn’t a little fall …” she stammered, still upset.

 

Tara looked at Brodie, seeing his eyebrows rise in confusion. But Tara suddenly knew what all this was about.

 

“Katy honey …” She saw Katy turn tear-filled limpid eyes to gaze at her. “Katy, Frank’s not going to leave you, I promise. Neither am I, so just calm down, will you? Now, why don’t you go get changed into your swim suit and chill out in the pool while I do something for us all to eat.”

 

Brodie saw the child nod reluctantly and wander off into her still-unfinished bedroom and close the door.

 

“What the hell ..?”

 

Tara shook her head sadly.

 

“She’s just frightened Frank. Just worried that something is going to come along and ruin things for her again. She’s been through a lot and it’s going to take some time for her to realise her life’s changed for good. She’s happy but she’s always waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

 

Brodie shook his head as Tara headed towards the open-plan kitchen and Brodie could see her hauling out dishes.

 

“She’s treating me as though I’m made of goddamn glass, Tara! How do I stop her worryin’ herself into a frazzle every time my leg hurts or … or you cut your finger, or even if we have a disagreement about something? Hell, life’s full of surprises and stuff hitting the fan, and we just deal with it.”

 

Rummaging about in the refrigerator Tara dumped tomatoes and peppers on the work surface and grimaced.

 

“She just needs time, Frank. You’ll just have to get used to the fact she’s a little clingy for now. It’ll pass as she gets used to the idea of staying here for good and that we’re not going to abandon her like everyone else has in her life. Look how long it took you to realise I wasn’t leaving.” Her eyebrows arched as she studied Brodie intently.

 

He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as he thought about Tara’s comment.

 

“Yeah ... well, it’s hard bein’ told off by a seven year old, y’know? She acts like she’s fifty sometimes, instead of thinkin’ about toys and TV shows and ... and whatever the hell little girls think about. It ain’t right. She’s got to loosen up a little ... not worry so much.” He ran fingers through short curls and sighed. “Doesn’t she know ...” his voice faded. He was suddenly aware of what he was about to say, and Tara straightened as she heard the hesitation in the soft baritone, but Brodie swallowed. He had to say it ... the words wouldn’t stay unsaid no matter how hard he tried. “Doesn’t she know how much I love her?”

 

Tara had to blink back tears.

 

“Yeah ...” She smiled. “I think she knows ...”

 

The door to Katy’s bedroom opened and the little girl wandered out in the flowery swimsuit Tara had bought for her at the market, and she looked at Brodie furtively, as though checking him out. Her face was still tight with worry as she carried a huge towel in her arms and headed towards the French windows. But she was stopped in her tracks by Brodie’s soft voice.

  

“Hey, short-stop ...”

 

Katy chewed her lip for a second before she turned. She knew she wasn’t supposed to speak to grown-ups the way she had done to Frank, but he had sure been dumb and he deserved it.

 

“Yuh-huh?”

 

Brodie shifted forward on the sofa and gestured to her to come closer. Katy reluctantly came to stand in front of the big man and he studied her for a moment, then reached out and took her hand.

 

“Katy, I won’t break, you know. If I hurt my leg it’s my own damn fault, and I know it’s dumb and I’m sorry I worried you. But you gotta chill out, girl. Life throws all sorts of garbage at you and that’s just the way it is, but you have to understand that no matter what happens ... Tara an’ me, we love you, okay? So stop throwin’ a hissy fit – we ain’t goin’ anywhere, all right? Now, how about I go get changed an’ I teach you how to swim?”

 

Katy gave Brodie a small smile.

 

“I can already swim. My mom showed me. But ...” she hastened to add, “I’m not too good yet. I can only doggy-paddle.”

 

Brodie gave her his best lop-sided grin, relieved.

 

“That’s my girl. Tara ... that okay with you?” He saw Tara smile her acknowledgement. “Come on short-stop – give me a hand to get up off this damn sofa an’ let’s hit the pool!”

 

And levering himself to his feet with Katy’s help, he headed off to get changed into his cut-offs.

 

*****************

 

While Brodie, Tara and Katy were busy sorting out the vagaries of family life, on the other side of the island Pieter van Guelder and Doctor Zelle Smith were busy arguing about gorillas. Mountain Gorillas, to be precise, and Zelle was not a happy woman.

 

“Dammit, Pieter, the enclosure’s too exposed here!” She gestured at the grassland sweeping out before her. Turning, she gesticulated at the thick forest behind them stretching upwards into the low hills of San Miguel island.  “We need to expand the fence perimeter further into the trees. They’re not damn baboons, you know, they ‘re forest animals!”

 

Pieter grunted in annoyance.

 

“I know that! For Christ’s sake Zelle, this isn’t even tropical forest – it’s sub-tropical! We’ll have to feed ‘em anyway, and as long as they have a section of trees to settle into at night and do whatever gorillas like to do with each other, than that should be sufficient. It’s just it’s bloody hard work trying to get a twelve-foot high perimeter fence built in dense undergrowth without disturbing it too much. Let’s be practical here ...”

 

They were standing beside their jeep on the tree line, surrounded by the soft calls of birds high in the trees, a faint breeze setting the grass rippling in the sunlight, undulating gently as though the very earth was alive.

 

“They’re arriving in six weeks, Pieter, and I want this place finished by then, and I want more shelter and that’s final! Do what it takes, but I want plenty of space for them to nest and relax – if we want to hear the patter of tiny primate feet then I suggest you damn well built the fence a good fifty metres further back - ”

 

She stopped as Pieter raised a hand, telling her to be quiet.

 

They stood silently for a few moments, listening, but Zelle became impatient.

 

“What? What is it?”

 

“SHH! Listen.” Pieter said impatiently, his voice dropping to a rumbling whisper.

 

“I can’t hear a thing. What the hell’s the matter with you - ”

 

Zelle Smith was interrupted by the most ungodly noise she had ever heard in her life. A high-pitched roar, it was almost human in timbre, barking somewhere deep in the shadowed safety of the trees and for the very first time in her life Zelle discovered she was deathly afraid. The sound stirred something inside her, something she would never have believed was there ... something that told her with every inch of her being to get the hell out of there and don’t ever look back.

 

“Jesus! What the - ”

 

But Pieter van Guelder was moving fast, diving into the back of the jeep and bringing out a pump-action shotgun. Zelle could hear him swearing under his breath.

 

“Fuck, fuck, fuck ...”

 

She could even see him fumble the cartridges in his haste as he spilled a box onto the back seat, pushing more into the breech and working the mechanism. Finished he looked up to see Zelle still standing transfixed beside the jeep.

 

“For God’s sake woman, get in before the fucking thing eats you alive!!!!”

 

Zelle awoke as though from a dream and scrambled hastily into the driver’s seat as Pieter vaulted into the back of the jeep, shotgun poised and at the ready. Zelle turned the key in the ignition and swore ripely as the engine chuntered and turned over, but stubbornly refused to start.

 

“Shit!”

 

She turned the key again, and Pieter could see the sheen of perspiration on her face. She was patently terrified, and Pieter thought grimly, she has ever right to be. Even though Zelle had no idea what had made that unholy sound, she knew instinctively that it was something she didn’t want to be introduced to any time soon.

 

Zelle gasped in relief as the engine finally caught and she rev’d the motor and shifted it into gear. Jerking the clutch in her hurry to get the hell away from that sound she sent the jeep lurching forwards down the lonely track that would eventually head into the central compound of the research centre four miles away.

 

Pieter cursed as his shin connected with the edge of the jeep chassis but he glared at Zelle as she hesitated for a moment at his hiss of pain.

 

“Bloody hell, woman, put the fucking pedal to the metal will you??? We have to get the hell out of here -  watch out!”

 

His bawl of warning startled an already terrified Zelle out of her wits. From the corner of her eye she glimpsed something huge move like greased lightening through the long, waving grass and move towards them at a frightening speed.

 

“GO!!” Pieter yelled, the shotgun coming around to bear on this big whatever-it-was barrelling towards them with the speed of a horse.

 

Zelle slammed the jeep into third gear, pushed down on the accelerator with all of her strength and hung on as the jeep leapt forwards like a greyhound out of the slips, tires tearing chunks out of the short grass of the track.

 

She felt van Guelder’s body lurch and saw the shotgun at the edge of her vision, the deadly blue-black barrel coming to bear on their unidentified assailant. Pieter pulled the trigger and the shotgun boomed, making Zelle yell in fear as she tried desperately to control the speeding vehicle. But it became immediately obvious that Pieter had missed as the brown creature loped sideways and headed towards the track in front of them, trying to cut them off, the spent shot disintegrating a small sapling and blasting the a depression in the swathe of grass where the beast had been only moments before.

 

Pieter’s hand clutched at Zelle’s shoulder, making her wince as strong fingers tightened on the muscle.

 

“Go around!!! Turn ... turn, you silly bitch!!! “

 

Zelle’s hackles rose even as the fear turned her legs to water, and she spun the steering wheel as much as she dared, hoping against hope that the vehicle would not turn too sharply and go into a roll – if it did that, they had no chance. They would be crushed to death in seconds. Amazingly, the jeep stood up under the strain and veered wildly sideways, heading into the long grass as the animal burst from the undergrowth and finally came to a halt in plain sight.

 

Even as she frantically tried to control the jeep’s wild, careering dash over uneven ground, hampered by long, tough grass, Zelle caught a glimpse of the animal standing on the track.

 

It was a baboon, that was obvious. But it was huge. Bigger than any baboon she had ever seen before, maybe a full five feet high if it stood on its hind legs. Massive through the shoulders, it stopped and gazed at the jeep and its panic-stricken occupants passively.

 

Zelle finally steered the jeep out of the grass and back onto the track, the baboon turning around to watch the vehicle as Pieter van Guelder hung on for dear life in the back. Realising they had made it past the beast Zelle slammed on the brakes and brought the vehicle to a juddering halt and turned around to find Pieter looking at her in amazement.

 

“Why the bloody hell have you stopped??”

 

Without waiting for a reply, he turned back to the baboon and took aim with the still smoking shotgun.

 

“No!!” Zelle reached forward and knocked the barrel skywards, the boom of the weapon making her ears ring.

 

“What the hell - ” Now Pieter van Guelder was incensed. The bloody woman was insane!! Didn’t she know the animal would be chomping them for supper any moment now??

 

“Look!!” Zelle pointed at the baboon, her hand on Pieter’s arm. “Look at him!”

 

Pieter lowered the shotgun slowly, his dark eyes still sparking with fury, but he did as Zelle suggested and took a moment to study the baboon. He suddenly realised he had never taken time to look at the animals properly before – he had been too busy trying to stay alive during their murderous onslaughts to take much notice of how they behaved. As he looked at the baboon more closely, he had to admit the ape was different from the others.

 

Sitting in the middle of the track now, it was scratching its belly sedately, then it yawned, lips pulling back from lethally powerful jaws  ... and Pieter realised it had no canines. In fact it appeared to have very few teeth at all, and he also noticed the multitude of grey hairs peppering the brown coat. Its muzzle was almost completely grey. The animal was old. It barked a soft yarring cry to itself and looked down and studied its foot, lifting a big back paw up so it could be checked for parasites. Pieter saw the tarnished metal implant in the large-domed skull.

 

“It’s one of the original test animals,” Zelle whispered. “From what I can figure out they were more like pets. It was the later genetically-manipulated generations that were more aggressive – the older ones were quite gentle and used to human company, even though they were genetically altered to be larger.” She grinned at Pieter, her fear subsiding now her scientific interest was aroused. “I think he’s hungry, that’s why he came at us.”

 

Pieter snorted, still far from happy that they had stopped to study the creature.

 

“Yeah, it’s hungry all right – for us! C’mon, Zelle, I think we should get our arses out of here. How the hell we missed that big bastard I’ll never know, but I’ll tell you now, he won’t be here much longer. Let’s get back – we’ll organise a hunting party and get rid of the big bugger tomorrow. Now we know where he is ...”

 

“Why not trap him?” Zelle’s face was alive with wonder. “I mean, look at him – he’s thin, Pieter, he obviously can’t feed himself properly. He probably just headed towards us because he thought he might be fed. Imagine it! Imagine what we could learn from him …”

 

“Don’t be bloody cracked, woman!” Pieter couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He watched as the huge baboon got tired of sitting on the track and rose onto all fours and ambled off into the undergrowth. “See! We’ve lost him! I should have blown the bugger into the middle of next week!” He gestured at the steering wheel. “Come on, let’s get back – Brodie’s going to be so pissed you wouldn’t believe …”

 

Zelle Smith looked back for a moment to the place where the huge baboon had disappeared into the long grass, and grinned. She was going to trap the animal, of that she was certain. He was the last of his kind … an enigma. And she was going to capture him if it was the last thing she ever did.

 

*****************

 

It was nearly dark when Zelle and Pieter drew up outside the new administration centre and decanted from the vehicle.

 

Silence had reigned in the jeep on the journey back, slow as it was due to jeep’s badly-bent rear axle after its lurching detour through the undergrowth. Zelle had turned various plans over in her mind as she drove, even though she knew Pieter van Guelder had every intention of killing the old baboon as soon as possible. Even as she walked into Pieter’s office she could see the muscles jumping along his jaw with tension.

 

He grabbed two mugs from his wall cupboard and poured her a cup of black coffee from the coffee machine he had installed on top of a filing cabinet. Pouring one for himself he turned to look at Zelle as she sipped the hot liquid. She eyed him over the top of her mug as the big South African paced up and down his office, giving his telephone the occasional glance. Zelle knew he desperately wanted to phone Brodie and tell him about the baboon, but for some reason he was holding back from doing so and she couldn’t figure out why.

 

She decided to let him simmer. Something she had said back on the lonely track had obviously got to him, and she knew given time to think it over he would tell her what was bothering him. She knew her plan for capturing the beast was radical in the extreme – these creatures had killed humans. They had plotted and schemed, and in the end had almost been the death of many others – including Frank Brodie and Pieter van Guelder. Most of the security team had been in the thick of that last battle, as had Tara Matthews and Dervla Monaghan. Only she, Zelle Smith, had not seen them in action. And she cared not one whit. She needed to study the beast with such desperation that she knew she would fight to her last breath to do so. Besides, the old animal was starving to death in the midst of plenty due to the poor condition of his teeth, and Zelle couldn’t leave an animal to starve … she just couldn’t.

 

But she was interrupted by Pieter as he suddenly stopped and stared at her.

 

“You’re serious about this, aren’t you? About capturing that big sonofabitch.”

 

Zelle leaned back against the filing cabinet and nodded, putting her cup on the cabinet.

 

“Yes. Serious as hell.”

 

“Why?”

 

Zelle took a deep breath.

 

“I’m a scientist, Pieter- it’s in my blood … it’s in the way I’m made, I can’t help it. Besides, the poor old bastard’s starving. Something has to be done and done quickly. Or are you so caught up in your own personal vendetta that you can’t see beyond killing him. He’s the only one left - ”

 

“There could be others!! You don’t know that!” Pieter growled, his brown eyes sparking in anger.

 

“No, he’s the last. I know it. Baboons are social animals, you know that! If there were others we would have seen them. Help me out here, Pieter. Or are you going show us all how brave you are and kill a poor old beast with no teeth that probably couldn’t hurt you if he tried?”

 

Pieter van Guelder finally decided he had had enough. He turned on Zelle with the speed of a charging tiger, slamming his coffee cup on his desk.

 

“Coward, is it?? Yes, you’d know all about what these things can do, Doctor Smith! You haven’t seen them shred a man to pieces in seconds … you don’t know what they did to Brodie! Have you seen his leg? He nearly fucking lost it, woman, and that was from a beast smaller than the one you want to keep as a house pet!” He towered over her, his face only inches from hers, eyes afire with rage.

 

Zelle had had enough. Pieter van Guelder had been nothing but a thorn in her side for months – his arrogance, his irritating, assertive grin and the sparkle of derision in his gaze had driven her over the edge.

 

“Yes, you pompous, bigotted ass-hole!!! I’ve seen what they can do! I studied the reports before I came anywhere near this place, and I probably know far more about them than anyone here – including Frank Brodie!! And if you can’t see why we should make every attempt to capture the creature then you, Pieter van bloody Guelder, are a brainless moron!!”

 

Pieter looked down at her, her brown eyes sparking with rage, her beautiful chocolate skin glowing with righteous anger, and had to take a deep breath. She was glorious. And he cursed himself immediately for even thinking it, but he couldn’t stop himself. She was a pain in the ass, a self-serving, pompous cow with a temper like one of Macbeth’s witches. He loathed her. Or at least he thought he did, he decided, as his face came even closer to hers.

 

She glared at him, eyes shooting daggers, and Pieter thought that if looks could kill he would have been dog-meat long ago. Zelle tilted her chin defiantly … and licked her lips. They were both breathing heavily … and it wasn’t just with anger. Zelle’s nostrils flared slightly, and Pieter didn’t think he had ever seen anything quite so arousing.

 

“Kiss me.” Zelle’s voice was husky.

 

“Huh?” Now Pieter was confused. What the hell did she say that for?

 

“I said … kiss me.”

 

And before he could stop himself, Pieter van Guelder did. His lips crushed hers and his arms gathered her to his chest, Zelle moaning slightly as she felt his hands cup her buttocks.

 

What the hell are we doing? She thought, but even that tiny objection slipped away as Pieter’s mouth plundered hers and she responded in kind, her hands sliding under his jacket and beginning to pull his shirt from his jeans. She felt the bulge of his arousal against her belly even as he held her and headed towards the sofa-bed he kept in his office for when he worked late and couldn’t be bothered to go home.

 

This is crazy … I don’t even like her … Pieter let the thoughts trickle through his mind even as Zelle trailed cool fingers down his side and let them drift downwards over the hardness of his manhood as it strained against the constrictive material of his jeans. He moaned softly into the softness of Zelle’s hair, revelling in the scent of sunlight and fresh air that clung to the short dark tresses. Those invasive fingers unbuckled his belt, unfastened the button and eased down the zip and before he could stop her – and he decided then and there that he would be insane to even try – her hand slid inside his jeans and shorts to grasp him gently, those teasing fingers working carefully over the engorged head of his maleness. He cried out at her touch, and when his legs hit the edge of the sofa bed they both tumbled carefully onto its softness in a tangle of limbs.

 

With urgent whispers and cries they wriggled out of constrictive clothing and eased sideways onto the sofa, Pieter dropping urgent, nipping kisses on Zelle’s elegant neck. Why was he doing this, he thought vaguely. But he knew the answer even though he tried to deny the truth of it. He was terribly attracted to Zelle Smith, and had been since the moment he met her, and as he spread her thighs and slowly eased inside her he knew then and there that this was more special than anything else he had ever felt before for a woman.

 

Zelle held him close, feeling the size and bulk of his body on and within hers, and sighed at the pleasure he was giving her. She watched the agonised bliss on his arrogant face and felt the thrill as she understood what she did to him. But as he moved strongly within her depths she wondered at the incongruity of it … she didn’t like him … did she? But she knew in her heart that he was very special. She didn’t claim to understand it, and shuddered as he thrust harder, his head dropping to the hollow of her neck, his breath coming in short gasps as he began to lose control.

 

She returned his passion in equal measure, clutching and moaning, her body holding his spellbound, and she marvelled at the contrast of his pale, smooth skin against the sultry glory of her darkness. She wrapped long, powerful legs around his thrusting hips and held his mouth to her pert breasts, and when her orgasm took her she screamed out his name. Pieter was seconds behind her, his body straining and bucking as he came, his seed streaming into her in hot pulses. His back arched and his head was thrown back as he ground against her loins, the last spasmodic movements signalling his final spurts as he finished, Zelle’s name moaned in silent whispers on his lips.

 

Afterwards they lay, completely exhausted, bodies sprawled in sated pleasure on the big sofa bed. Pieter was still buried deep within Zelle’s beautiful body, and he rested his head in the hollow of her neck. Zelle traced the scar on his shoulder and smiled.

 

“Pieter …”

 

“Mm-hmm?”

 

“We’ll trap him, won’t we?”

 

Pieter van Guelder managed to garner enough strength to lift his head.

 

“You’re crazy, you know that don’t you?”

 

Zelle just grinned and let her hand slide down to his buttocks.

 

“Pieter …”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“If you call me a bitch again I’ll cut your balls off.”

 

Pieter van Guelder gave a wicked grin and kissed her.

 

“No you won’t, you madwoman – you need ‘em.”

 

Zelle’s eyebrows hitched.

 

“You think so? Show me.”

 

Pieter began to lazily kiss her throat and collarbones, and Zelle felt him harden again inside her.

 

“Mmm …” she said throatily. “I see what you mean …”

 

And Pieter van Guelder, slowly and leisurely, began to make love to Zelle Smith with great delight.