Alien Romance: Star Light Pilot (Sci-Fi Alien Invasion Abduction Fantasy Warrior Hero Space Opera Romance) (Science Fiction Mystery Dragon Shifter Paranormal Urban Short Stories) (16 page)
Simone sat across from her with a condescending smile on her face. “I knew it would all turn out for the best,” Simone said. “I just knew it. It was never a good fit, you know. It never could have been a good fit. You two were just too different. And now your work will take you back, you said?” This was correct. As soon as the whole thing had blown over, Charlotte’s firm had been more than willing to take her back. She had been working now for four days. And she hated it: hated every second of it. It was nothing compared to the youthful freedom she’d felt with Elliot, nothing compared to the wild nights and the pleasure-filled press of their bodies.
We only slept together once,
she reflected bitterly.
Simone went on, oblivious: “I just knew everything would be fine. See, the thing is, for women our age we can’t really get into all that. We need stability. You need to get yourself a husband, babe. That’s what you need. You’re not too old to have kids, you know. You’re not even close to being too old. All you need to do is find the right man…”
“I found the right man,” Charlotte said, unable to keep the anger out of her voice. “And I don’t want kids. I’ve told you that. How many times have I told you that?”
Simone shrugged. “You might change your mind,” she said.
“I won’t,” Charlotte said. “Not every woman has to have kids.”
“No,” Simone said. “But most want them.”
Charlotte sighed and stood up. “I’ve got to go,” she said. “Lunch is over.”
“Okay,” Simone said.
She leaned in and gave her a faux-hug and a faux-kiss on the cheek. Charlotte returned the fakeness and walked back to her office. All through those long-short weeks, Charlotte’s thoughts were on Elliot. By the end of the third week, he had stopped trying to contact her. Her thoughts assailed her. Had he forgotten her already? Had he moved onto someone else? Was he obsessing as much as she was?
She didn’t want reach out. She told herself this over and over and over. She didn’t want to reach out. She didn’t need to reach out. She was perfectly happy as she was. She had been alone for a long time now. She didn’t need anyone. And that was true. She didn’t need anyone else. But she needed Doctor Elliot Sanderson.
She was sitting on her couch when this conviction came to her. She sat bolt upright, almost as though the inherent truth of it had grappled her. She needed him. She needed him more than she needed anything else. She didn’t care about all the window dressing of life anymore. She didn’t want to simply survive from day to day; she wanted to live from day to day. She wanted to look forward to things with anticipation, look back on things with warmth, and have the pure contentment to live entirely in the present. Never had she achieved that so fully than with Elliot.
She half-hated herself for what she knew she must do. She wished he would come back to her. But he was not that sort of man. He had reached out, she had rejected, and he would not reach out again. He was not the clinging, weeping sort of man. She wouldn’t have liked him so much if he was. No, she would have to go to him.
She could’ve called, she knew that, and yet she didn’t. Instead, she called someone else.
The phone rang twice, and then Charlotte spoke.
“Hello,” she said, and then coughed. “I need to make an appointment.”
***
Charlotte sat in the doctor’s office with a small smile on her face. She knew what she was about to do would ruin her career and perhaps her friendship with Simone, and yet she didn’t care. She supposed that made her selfish, and yet she didn’t care about that, either. All she cared about in this moment was that she was going to see Elliot again. She would once again be in his company.
When her name was called, she almost skipped to the room. She wasted no time in knocking and just paced into the room. Elliot sat at the other end of the desk, a stern look on his face, his fingers interlocked before him. Some of the spring went out of Charlotte’s step as she walked to the desk and seated herself opposite him.
She opened her mouth, but he broke in: “Are you ill?”
She shifted. “No,” she said.
“Then why are you here?”
For some reason, she had thought he was going to be elated to see her. She had dreamed that he would jump up and pull her into his arms. But why would he? She had shrugged him off without explanation. Undoubtedly, he had thought she was never going to contact him again. And now here she was, sitting in his office. But he must’ve known she would be here today. The receptionist had even told her Doctor Sanderson had ordered the front desk to redirect her to his office, as Charlotte had anticipated he would.
She looked up, into his eyes, and saw a playful glint there. He was playing with her. He was enjoying this. Charlotte had not realized how much she missed that gaze until he turned it on her. She leaned forward, showing the top of her breasts, and felt a gratifying pang when his eyes were drawn there. Then she uncrossed and re-crossed her legs, drawing his attention to her legs in her short skirt. His eyes flitted over her once more and she realized she wanted him again. But
she
wanted to take
him
.
She would take him now, she decided.
She didn’t answer his question. Instead, she rose from her chair and walked around the desk to where he sat. He looked up at her with almost fearful eyes. She reached down and touched his face. He hadn’t shaved in a few days, and a light sprinkling of black hair dotted his chin and cheeks. She smoothed her hand along the hairs, bristling her palm, and then bent over him. “I’m going to ride you now, doctor,” she said.
He said nothing as she slinked to her knees and touched his cock over his pants. He let out a grunt as she rubbed her hand up and down on the outside of his pants. She rubbed her hand fast over his pants, and felt his cock immediately stiffen under her hand. He stared down at her with his hard, unflinching eyes as she touched him. Then she unbuttoned his pants and pulled them down to his knees. His cock sprang free, pointing straight up, hard.
She grabbed the base and then took the tip in her mouth. She had to open her mouth wide because it was so big, but she didn’t mind. She sucked the tip and worked the base with her hand, twisting her hand and moving it up and down. He groaned and let his head fall back. She rubbed harder and forced her head down, taking as much of him in her mouth as she could.
Then she cupped his balls and pushed her head down hard on his cock, deep-throating almost all of him. “Fuck,” he whispered. She choked and pulled her head away, and then did it again and again, sucking all of him. He put his hand on her head, stroking her hair almost affectionately. She reached down and put her hand down her underwear, touching her clit. She rubbed it softly as she sucked him, and felt her body respond as quickly as Elliot had.
She was ready to fuck him, she realized. She wanted to fuck him so bad.
She stood up and pulled her underwear down, and then leaned over him, propping her hands on the back of the chair, and lowered herself onto his waiting cock. He reached his hand down and guided himself inside of her. She put her full weight on him. The chair creaked. She didn’t care. Let them hear. Let them gossip.
His cock went deep inside of her, hitting her sweet spot straightaway. She went slowly at first, moving up and down on his cock, feeling the heat and the largeness of him within her. And then she went faster and faster, hungry for him inside of her, hungry to feel the pressure of his cock pounding into her. He grabbed her waist and lifted her up and down like she weighed nothing, pushing her down as she bounced on him.
Memories of arguing with him faded; memories of ever being angry with him faded. She could not be angry with this man who brought her such pleasure. She gripped the chair hard and pushed herself down as hard as she could. The chair creaked loudly and wobbled, as though it would collapse any second.
Fuck, yes, fuck, he’s so big, oh my god, yes, fuck…
She looked down at him and saw that he was looking up at her, his eyes locked to her breasts, which bounced up and down each time she did. He reached up and pulled her dress down, and then yanked her bra down, spilling her breasts free. He leaned up and grabbed them, and then took them in his mouth.
Charlotte felt an answering call in her body: a quick and almost violent jolt of pleasure. She arched her back and came all over his cock. It was a quick orgasm, surging through her and then leaving. She bounced harder as she came, feeling the thickness of him stretch her vagina, feeling his hands and lips and tongue on her breasts. “Come for me, doctor,” she whispered. “Come for me, now.”
It felt good to speak the words: to tell him to come for her. It felt good to be in charge, even if it was only for now. She knew that after this was done, he would once again take control. And that was okay. She longed for that. But right now… She turned his head with her hand and bent over him, finding his lips. They kissed long and hard, the heat from their lips intensifying the heat from their lovemaking.
She twisted her body up and down, riding his hard cock. She bounced harder, faster, putting everything she had into it, surrendering everything to this man. He moaned loudly through the kiss, and then his hands were grasping at her back, at her hair, at her waist. “Fuck,” he moaned, breaking off the kiss. “Keep doing that. Fuck, Charlotte. Keep doing that. Yes, fuck. Keep doing that.”
She bounced higher and harder, bringing her whole weight down on him with each thrust. He moaned louder and then clamped his eyes shut. There was a pause in which he went completely silent. And then he was moaning loudly, his hands opening and closing on her skin, grasping at her. “Yes, fuck, yes, yes,” he moaned.
She felt his cock wilting inside of her as he emptied himself. His face reddened and then he fell back on the chair, a tired, satisfied grin on his face. She climbed from him and returned to her chair, his come spilling out of her down her leg. She didn’t mind. All she cared for right now was the smile on his face.
After a few moments, he pulled his pants up, adjusted his clothes, smoothed his hair, and then met her gaze. “I suppose we are friends again, now?” he said.
She nodded. “That seems about right,” she said.
He smiled. “Good,” he said.
She couldn’t think of anything else to say, so she stayed silent. And then Elliot opened the drawer close to his right hand and pulled out a small box. Charlotte regarded it with a detached, impersonal curiosity. Surely it wasn’t for her? It looked suspiciously like a ring.
He smiled at her again, and then opened the box. A delicate, stylish diamond shone from a sparkling setting. The band itself was slender and silver. He met her eyes, and now his gaze was hard.
“Marry me,” he said.
***
Charlotte stared at him for a few moments, unsure of what she had just heard.
Marry me
. But that couldn’t be right, could it? They had been apart for almost a month. They had fallen out. And now he wanted to marry her? No, she decided, she must have misheard him. But the ring in his hand wasn’t a hallucination. She blinked and it was still there.
“What?” she mumbled.
“You heard me,” he said. “Marry me. Be my wife.”
“But… it hasn’t even been two months.”
“And?” he said. “Why should I wait to do something I know I want to do? I want to marry you. I want you to be my wife. There is no reason I should delay that just because we have not known each other that long. What would be the purpose? No, I want you, and only you. No other women interest me. It is you, Charlotte, and only you. I have never felt as I have about you: affectionate and domineering and protective and weak all at once. You make me feel like myself. You’re the only person with whom I can truly be myself. I love you. That is the truth of it. And you love me, too.”
“Yes,” she said, without thinking. It was true. She didn’t even need to think about it to know that.
“Then what is stopping us? The opinion of the world? Who cares what the world says about our love? They will never know the depths of it. They will never be able to grasp the love we share. Let them talk. Let them gossip. It means nothing to me. All I care for is your love. I have been a rich man for a long time, but without you I feel poor. I have been a success for a long time, but without you I feel like a failure. Marry me, join with me, and become the whole we are meant to be.”
Charlotte had never heard him talk with such passion. He leaned forward on the table as though he would jump over it and take her again right here. His face was slightly red. And his words had a husky, passionate note to them.
“Yes,” she whispered. And then, louder: “Yes, yes, yes!”
They jumped up at the same time and met by the side of the table. He took her in his arms and then slipped the ring on her finger. “I love you,” he whispered into her ear.
“I love you, too.”
***
Charlotte was nervous as she and Elliot prepared to leave the clinic together. The engagement ring felt cold against her skin. She smiled at the coldness. It brought comfort and elation. Elliot took her arm in his, and together they walked into the night, into the flashing cameras.
The lights glinted off her ring.
THE END
Bonus Story 3/5
The girl hung limp from the climbing harness. Her shattered helmet hung in pieces from its strap and blood from her head dripped down her pale face. Max moved the helicopter closer to the rock face, gauging the situation before they acted. Rescue specialist Trey Williams was already harnessed up, ready to be lowered to the more critical of the two climbers stranded on the sheer wall. The second climber was about 100 feet up, safe but unable to move from her spot. Her dangling friend was caught up in her rigging, so that her safety equipment was effectively holding them both. Moving the top climber was impossible while her friend hung from their tangled ropes. The young women had overestimated their climbing experience, and one climber was clinging to life because of their foolishness.
Max nodded to Trey and he began the descent towards the injured climber. Sydney Clark, the trauma flight nurse, manned the winch while Trey continued to drop closer to the helpless woman. She thought to herself how lucky they were that the air was so still today. The rescue was going to be complicated enough without the added danger of gusting winds. There wasn’t anywhere to set the gurney while they strapped the patient in, so Trey was going to have to perform a harnessed rescue. Once the woman was secured to his harness, he would have to cut the rope that secured her to her friend, and then try to stabilize her lifeless body as best as he could while the winch raised them both to the chopper. The last thing this rescue needed was more hurdles.
Trey reached the woman and felt for a pulse. He held hand his over his head with his thumb up and Sydney breathed a sigh of relief. The ranger had noticed the climbers on his rounds, long after they were already in danger. The blood on the rock wall suggested that they had been hanging there for awhile before anyone had noticed them. Time was of the essence and so much had passed already.
Trey put a cervical collar on her neck and then began securing the woman’s harness to his. Her breathing was shallow, but her pulse was quite strong. He’d lay money this one was a fighter, but she was going to need to fight harder than ever to survive these injuries. Trey triple-checked the attachments and signaled Sydney to start bringing them up. The winch moved slowly as it brought them in, closer and achingly closer.
Sydney guided the rope as the wench pulled them steadily in the air. A harness rescue in this situation wasn’t ideal, but they really had no other choice. She did a brief visual check on the other climber, relieved that the woman still clung to the wall. She looked exhausted, even from Sydney’s vantage point. Once they got her friend secured, she would be a much easier rescue. Nothing was routine, but the hardest part was almost over.
Trey and the climber finally reached the chopper and Sydney snapped the safety onto Trey’s harness to pull him in, then they secured the climber to the stretcher. She moaned softly as they strapped her in.
“That’s a good sign,” Trey sounded relieved. They were all thinking the same thing when they’d first laid eyes on the situation, but none of them had been willing to put into words their fears that the woman was hanging there, dead. She wasn’t out of the woods yet though. The amount of force it took to crack a helmet like that was substantial. She likely had a severe brain injury that could still take her life.
Max guided the chopper away from the rock face and maneuvered into position to rescue the second climber. He didn’t want to blow her off the face of the wall with the wind created by the chopper. Max got into place and nodded to Trey. Once again, he was lowered to the climber.
He hung beside her for longer than he should, and Sydney realized the woman was arguing with him. She was terrified already, and Trey was asking her to let go of the wall and grab onto him. He’d already clipped a carabineer from his harness to hers, so she was safe to let go and grab onto him. After being stranded so long, the poor woman was too afraid to let go. She shook her head frantically as Trey spoke as calmly as he could, shouting to be heard over the chopper.
Sydney couldn’t believe what was happening. She needed to tend to the victim, but Trey needed her to man the winch until he brought in the second climber. This woman was wasting precious moments when she should already be safely
in
the chopper. Sydney was exasperated.
She was still shaking her head frantically as Trey reached into his pocket with one hand. He was up against her, his left hand wrapped around her waist to stabilize them both. All she had to do was let go and she’d be safe. Trey continued talking as he slowly pulled out his rescue knife. He raised the knife up to the final rope securing her to the wall. She was so intent on his words that she didn’t see what he was doing until he cut the rope. She felt the tension release and threw her arms around him.
Sydney let out the breath she’d been holding. There was an ambulance waiting for the second climber at the top of the fire road. The helicopter wasn’t equipped to seat so many people and it was just as safe to fly the short distance with them pulled about halfway to the chopper. The climber was about to get more adrenaline than she’d signed up for.
Sydney took a moment to attend to her patient. She moaned occasionally, but mostly lay motionless on the stretcher. Max was a seasoned rescue pilot and didn’t need her to guide him until they started lowering the two to the ground. Sydney quickly ran an IV and injected some morphine into the line. The climber relaxed slightly as the medicine started to do its work. Sydney checked her vitals once again and then moved to the winch to assist with the drop off.
The ambulance was parked in the clearing, the stretcher ready for the climber dangling below the chopper, clinging to Trey. Pinedale didn’t have a hospital, so from there, the ambulance would transport her 77 miles away to Jackson. Max set the two of them down gently and Trey unhooked from the rescue line. Sydney released the break on the winch and the rope was rolled back into the chopper. Trey would ride in the ambulance with the second climber while Sydney and Max flew the critical patient to Jackson. They would be there in minutes, which could mean the difference between life and death for this young lady.
Sydney continued attending to her patient. She was in bad, bad shape. The extra few minutes it took to get to the trauma hospital would likely be the most harrowing of this young woman’s life.
Max flew with the speed and smoothness of a seasoned pilot. Sydney often complimented him on his landings, which were almost imperceptible. She’d flown with several pilots in the years she’d been working with Care Flight Rescue out of their Jackson office, and he was the best. He landed on the helipad with the grace of a dainty butterfly. The trauma team was already in place on the roof, ready to unload the climber and take on her care. This would be the last time Sydney saw the woman, and she would likely never know what happened to her. It was just as well; so many of their patients were clinging to life when CFR was called in. Their prognoses were never good. CFR was their only hope and knowing their fate would make the burden unbearable for Sydney. She’d rather live under the delusion that every life she touched lived another day. She was a tender heart; one death would break her.
Max tended to the chopper as Sydney restocked the supplies and disposed of the waste. Every rescue ended the same, with the two of them spending over an hour restocking, servicing, and checking the equipment and the chopper. Rescues were never scheduled so they were always ready to go at a moment’s notice. Neither of them had scheduled days off, they came when called and stayed nearby during the peak rescue season during the summer. The Wyoming wilderness was a popular destination for summer-time adventurers. The tiny town of Pinedale filled with tourists every summer as thousands of people like the two climbers came here to find adventure, and some got much more than they bargained for. Having a chopper and rescue crew located so close to the Wind River Range had cut the emergency response times substantially. In a town of only 1900 residents, the CFR substation brought in much-needed jobs.
Sydney finished her task and went to help Max finish on his end. She was a hard worker and a firm believer that working together made everyone’s job easier and faster. Max smiled at her and handed her the window scrubber. She laughed; he always had her wash the windows. He smiled at her mischievously and winked. They worked in comfortable silence until everything was finished, then headed into the station to change. Sydney’s scrubs were covered in blood and dirt from working in the tight space with the climber. She headed for the locker room and a much needed shower.
The hot water sluiced over her tan skin and down her slender body. She shook her long hair down and began soaping it up with the fragrant shampoo she kept at the station. The good thing about working with mostly men; her shower supplies were where she left them and she had the entire ladies’ shower area to herself. She hummed softly to herself as the fragrant steam and rough spray washed away the tension of the day. Her work was hard, but the rewards were so many. Despite the rewards, there were times at night that she couldn’t shake the images of the people they helped. The climber dangling next to a rock wall covered in blood was going to be a tough one to erase from her memory.
Sydney brushed the tangles out of her hair and quickly dressed. She was always so hungry after a rescue. At 5’2” and barely 100 pounds, Sydney was tinier than most flight nurses. Rescue efforts were exhausting for her, both emotionally and physically. She dressed in her street clothes – wrangler jeans and tennis shoes – and headed out the door.
Max sat in the common room of the station, reading a magazine but slyly watching the hallway for Sydney to exit. The girl was quick and left for home before he could catch her. He’d been trying to strike up a conversation outside of the chopper for weeks. This time, she wasn’t going to slip away before he invited her out after work. He was drawn to her as he hadn’t been to a woman in so long. She was feisty, but she was also brave and a hard-worker, which he loved about her. Not to mention the fact that she looked like a fairy; her hair was long and nearly white-blond, her skin was tan and her pert little nose rested below the greenest eyes he’d ever seen. She might be half his age, but Max was certain he’d seen the twinkle of interest in her eyes as they worked together after each rescue. Unless he was way off the mark, Sydney was as interested in him as he was in her.
Sydney finally walked into the hallway and saw him sitting there. She smiled and started to say goodbye when he interrupted her, “Let’s grab a bite to eat. I know you’re famished.”
Sydney stopped. Had she heard him right? She looked behind her to see if he was talking to someone else. Max threw back his head and laughed. All that beauty and the girl had no clue he was interested in her. This was going to be more fun than he’d originally thought.
“Sydney, would you join me for lunch?”
She was unprepared for his offer. She struggled to find a way to say no without coming off wrong. They worked together. If she offended him now by saying no the wrong way, she could get stuck with one of the
other
pilots back in Jackson. Or worse: Ambulance duty. Sydney blew her bangs out of her eyes and sighed.
“Sure.”
Max smiled. It wasn’t exactly a resounding yes, but it would do for now. She led the way to the parking lot and he followed her in his car to the favorite hangout of first responders, Big Pine Café. He wasn’t surprised; he’d seen her there several times and knew she favored the place. He hurried to park, then met her in front of the restaurant to open the door for her. Sydney walked through the door and straight to her favorite table by the window. Max would have preferred a little privacy, but he wasn’t a fool. This wasn’t a date for Sydney. He wanted to eat, she wanted to eat, so logically, they should eat together. Max smiled to himself. What a charming little imp she was. He was going to enjoy chasing this one.
They ordered their food and fell into easy conversation. Sydney was bright and friendly, a great conversationalist. Max watched her lips are she spoked, the words caressing his skin like the finest silk. She had a beautiful voice and her face lit up when she talked about things she was passionate about. It wasn’t long before she was talking about her horse, Concerto.
“I’ve had him since I was 12. He’s moved all over the country with me. I even took him to college. When I’m not working at CFR, I’m riding him on the trails and in the hills. He’s the best horse ever.”
Max listened intently to everything she had to say. Sydney wasn’t very open at work, and he was determined to learn everything he could about her. Trey had mentioned that he’d tried to talk to her on more than one occasion, but she was oblivious. She did her job and she went home. She was a consummate professional who was always prepared to do her job, but never lingered. Sydney continued to talk and Max hung on to her every word.
Their food came and they dug in with gusto. They spoke here and there, but mostly enjoyed the quiet company and good food. Max realized that he was starving and couldn’t remember if he’d eaten breakfast this morning as he rushed out the door.
Sydney was having a great time with Max. How had she not noticed how interesting he was? Of course she didn’t know anything about him, she didn’t know anything about
anyone
she worked with. She loved her job and the people she worked with, but she never knew what to talk about. She smiled at Max over her coffee. He was so easy-going and approachable. His salt and pepper gray hair was dark and wavy, neatly trimmed above his collar. Sydney learned that he was 52 and had never been married. She found that odd, but kept that to herself. He said he’d never found the right woman. But he was so handsome, how could he have been alone for so long? Max was strong, self-assured, but immensely kind. Handsome and daring, he was everything most women dreamed of. At 25, Sydney had never met another man like him.
