Caught in the Net (6 page)

“I need to go swimming,” Sam suddenly interrupted,
racing upstairs.  Rich followed her with his eyes.

“Swimming?  At this time of night?  It’s chilly out
there.”

“She likes the cold water.  Are you all right, honey?”
Dr. Quimby asked, as Sam came back down, wrapped in a towel.

“I will be, Daddy.  Don't worry.  Sorry I interrupted;
Uncle Scott, I...”

“Yes, darling, I know.  Turn on the floodlights and do
NOT dive off the rail.  Be back in thirty minutes.  No later, young lady,” Scott
ordered, pulling her into his arms to kiss the top of her head.

“Yes, sir.  I'll be right back.  Rich?  Will you still
be here?”

“Yes, but...”  Rich frowned as she blew everyone a
kiss and ran out the back, bypassing the swimming pool.  Her destination became
obvious to him and he turned to her family.  “You are allowing her to go into
the ocean at this time of night?  Alone?  Without a wetsuit or gear?  It's none
of my business, but...”

“Another worrier for poor Samantha.  Relax, Richard. 
She needs to do that.  Let me explain,” Dr. Quimby said, sharing the story once
again.  Rich’s jaw hung open as the story unraveled.

“I’m back.  It’s cold tonight.  Let me dry off and I’ll
be back down,” Sam said upon her return, fifteen minutes later.  She was
shivering.

“This is unbelievable.  Most of us would be blue with
that temperature.”

“True.  And it isn't the water that makes her cold, it
is the air temperature.  My question now is - do you still want to date my
daughter?  This quirky family is part of the package, along with her little... uh...
issues.”

“It wasn’t much of a date tonight, more like friends
hanging out.  I would like to continue to get to know her, as well as the rest of
you.  So my answer is, yes sir, I would.  With your permission.”

“Granted.  My only concern is that if you guys date
and you have problems, you might find that working together could be
difficult.  Samantha can be a little obstinate at times, like her uncle.”

“And everyone thinks that I'm a delight.  You need to
ease up, Joe.  You and I have worked together for centuries and have our share
of disagreements.  She'll be fine.” Scott snorted, earning him a stern look
from his friend.

“It's true, Dad.  Plus, she doesn’t hold grudges and
I’m always there to mitigate.  Word of warning, Rich, when she and I fight,
it’s not very pretty,” Michael warned him with a grin.

“The earth starts to shake, floods happen and
everything goes dark,” Scott mumbled.  Rich made a face, confused. 

Dr. Quimby laughed, “Not exactly, but we do have some
fallout if Ton gets agitated.  Ah, here’s my little mermaid.  Feel better, my
love?”

“Yes, Daddy.  I haven’t been in since I got my pretty
ring.”  Sam said, sitting next to her father on the couch and snuggling under
his arm.  “I'm surprised I hadn't had the urge prior to tonight.  The dunk was
long past due.  I had to go down to at least 200 before I felt normal.”

“200 feet?  Free dive?”  Rich raised an eyebrow, “Are
you guys pulling my leg?”

“Not at all.  I'm assuming you explained things to
Rich.”

“We did,” Dr. Quimby responded softly, stroking her
arm as he drew her warmly against him.  “And he hung around.  Scott is already
deciding to keep him for himself.”

“Wow.  You must have impressed them!  Are you okay
with this?  I know it's odd, but...”

“It will take some getting used to, but I adore
challenges.  It's getting late and I do need to get going.  Sam, would you walk
me out?  Gentlemen, Michael, it was a pleasure.  I’ll see you in the morning,” Rich
said, standing and firmly shaking the hands of the older men.  He looked
surprised when Scott gave him a bear hug.

“This is a hugging family, so get over it, boy.  Plan
on staying for dinner.  It is my night to cook, and I make the world's best
BBQ.”

“Sounds great.  Thank you.  Sam?”  Rich grinned,
waving his goodbye as he reached for Sam's hand.  They walked out to his jeep
and leaned against the cool metal.  Rich rested his arm over the roof and
looked down at the tiny girl.  “I know it wasn’t much of a date tonight, but I
had a nice time.  I really like your family.  They are a bunch of characters,
especially your uncle.”

“Yeah they are.  They like you, too.  I need to be
honest when I tell you that their acceptance of you was an unexpected event.  I
figured they would put you on a spit and roast you like a pig before letting
you take me out.  And Uncle Scott is already staking his claim, so watch out. 
He will either pass me off to you or try to lock me out of sight.” 

“He's a hard one to figure out.  One minute he's the
no-nonsense general and the next, he's a rodeo clown.  I like him.”

“They say I have his personality.  Just be aware of
the temper.”

“His or yours?”

Sam didn't answer except with a smile.  “I had fun as
well.  I don’t get to socialize very often, and it’s usually with just my
brother.  I’m glad you two hit it off, it’s good for him to have other friends,
too.”

“Would you like to go out again?  Just us?  Your dad
said it was okay.  And your uncle didn't protest.”

“I would, yes,” she said softly, as she looked up at
him. 

Rich leaned over to kiss her gently on the lips.  “You’re
beautiful.  I’ll see you in the morning, okay?”

“ ‘Kay.  Drive carefully.  Good night, and thanks
again for the evening,” Sam said, the touch of his lips still tingling on
hers.  She watched him drive away and turned.  Rolling her eyes, she saw all
three members of her family departing from the upstairs window.  She gave them
time to scurry back into the living room before she reentered the house.  “So,
you guys liked him?”

“Very pleasant young man.  Good manners, intelligent…”
Scott answered, pretending to flip through the channels and act disinterested.

“Yes, but you liked him?”

“Yes, honey, we did.  Very much.  Do you?”

“Yes, but I want to take things slow.  He IS a good
kisser though,” she commented mischievously, hearing her father groan.  “Don’t
act surprised.  I saw you all spying on me.”

“Busted.  I told you two she would see you.  Sorry I
hogged up your time with him tonight, sis.  It’s rare I find someone my age who
likes the same stuff.  Including my family.”  He frowned at his parents.

“Don’t worry, Mike.  I would want my boyfriend to be
your friend first.  Kind of like Daddy and Uncle Scott.  Even if he and I don’t
get romantically involved, he’ll still be a great friend.”

“So young and so wise,” Scott groaned.  “And so past
your bedtime.  Say good night, little miss, and get that bottom to bed.”

“Good night.  I love you,” she said to each of her
family before obeying.

Rich arrived promptly at 0630, dressed in wetsuit with
surfboard in hand, and was greeted at the open door by Sam, who held her finger
to her lips.  He issued her a quick kiss as Michael came downstairs, dressed in
his wetsuit.

“Got coffee?” he whispered to his sister.  She nodded,
leaving to get him and Rich a cup.  She waited, hands on her hips, for the
praise.

“Mmm, this is the best I’ve ever had, Sam.  Thank
you.”

“That’s what everyone says about her coffee and Scott
won’t drink anyone’s but hers.  Watch it because she’ll get a swelled head,”
Michael teased, leading them outside on the deck.  He grabbed his surfboard and
the three headed down the stairs.  Steam rose from the evaporating dew as the
sun began to kiss the water.  The waves curled high over the breakers, spraying
them with a salty mist.

“Are you going in?” Rich asked the girl, as he and
Michael stretched out on the sand bank.  She was in sweats.

“I am, I just didn’t want to shock you before you were
ready.”  She giggled seductively, stripping and standing before him in her
wetsuit. 

Rich stared, speechless.  “My God, you’re perfect,” he
finally choked out. 

Michael snapped his fingers.  “Hey!  Eyes front.  She
wasn’t talking about herself.  She was talking about that.  Weren't you?” 
Michael eyed a grinning Sam, as he pointed towards the curls at the shelf
line.  A large black fin protruded, and followed the breaking waves to the
beachfront, before launching onto the sand with the customary wiggle and jaw
snaps.  Rich jumped back a good ten feet.

 “Holy cow…”

“No, killer whale.  This is Ton.  Ton?  This is
Rich.”  She imaged a mate.  Ton was not impressed, but then, he never was.  He
snorted.  She sighed and re-imaged her pod plus him.  He snorted again.

“What’s going on?” Rich asked Michael.

“She’s probably trying to introduce you as part of her
pod and he isn’t impressed.  I hate to say this, but it takes far more than you
to raise his interest.  So far, she is the only one who has earned his regard.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Remember when you asked about what we do?  This is
part of it.  Samantha has this weird neuropathic connection with the cetaceans
that was initiated by a neurotransmitter that I developed.  I’m not wearing
mine, but I still get some stronger images flashed to me.  I know it’s hard to
believe.  It confounds me at times, too.”

“No, you may not eat him!  Ton, what is wrong with
you?  My bull approved.  Will you meet him?” the girl was saying out loud. 

Rich looked skeptical.  “Eat me?  She's kidding,
right?”

“I'm afraid not.  That is Ton’s solution for
everything.  Don’t worry.  He’s all snort and little bite.  Most of the time,
anyway.  Just follow her instructions to the letter.”

“What the hell is she doing?  Stop her!”  Rich gasped
as Sam climbed inside the whale’s large mouth, laying her body across his
jaws.  Michael grabbed his arm to prevent him from running toward the pair.

“She knows what she is doing.  This is how she submits
to him and shows her trust.  He’ll soften up soon.  I don’t want to go in until
she gives the okay, though.”

“Samantha knows how to submit?” Rich asked, suppressing
a twitch from his mouth.  “That is an interesting choice of words to use to
describe such an independent woman.”

“Independent or not, she is the only female in a house
full of manly men.  She is allowed to exercise her feminine control only so
much.”

“You better not be talking about me, Michael Scott! 
Ton can tap into your thoughts and he is sharing some things that I do not
like!” Sam remarked, working herself deeper between the whale’s teeth.

“I don't know what you are talking about, shrimp.  Is
he okay?  You are freaking out Rich.”

“He is imaging tail flukes and bulls, so yes you do. 
He'll be okay.  Rich will get over it, won't you?”

“We need to have a little talk about this later,
Samantha,” Rich said with a frown.

“Oh Lord, you are already starting to sound like my
family.  Geesh.”

After a few minutes, Ton began to wiggle to return to
the water, and the girl dislodged herself from his mouth.  She and Michael
helped push him back in, and she turned to Rich with a smile.  “He said you can
surf with Michael, but you are not allowed to touch me yet.  He’s very
protective.  Sorry.”

“This whole talking to the whale thing.  Seriously. 
It's a joke, right?”

“Not at all.  In fact, when it comes to this, I could
not be even more serious,” Sam said, no humor in her eyes.  “To disregard his
boundaries, will mean you become his next meal, and there is nothing I could do
to stop him.  No contact with me at all, not on the beach or in the water.  He
literally indicated no physical contact, so keep a good three feet from me at
all times for now.  I’ll keep working on him.  If you see us coming later on,
try to stay calm, okay?  Michael, I’m going in.  There’s a pod out there and I
need to talk with them about the swirls.  Ton said he’d help.”

The boys watched as she dove into the waves and
disappeared under the surf.  Rich stared after her, stunned.

“I know; it’s a lot to swallow.  Come on, let’s ride,”
Michael said.  Shaking his head, Rich followed.  An hour later, the girl
emerged on Ton’s back and surrounded by a large pod of bottlenoses.  They
swarmed around the boys who were floating on their boards.  One dolphin dove on
top of Michael’s board, dumping him off.

“Hey, Splasher.  How you doing?” Michael asked,
rubbing the playful dolphin affectionately.  Ton swam next to Rich, snorting
water and eyeing him.  With a gentle flick of a pectoral fin, Rich was dumped
into the water and suddenly surrounded by large dolphin bodies.

“They are meeting you, Rich.  Rub them,” Sam said,
stroking Ton’s back and following his rolling body so that she straddle his
underside and attend to the sensitive area under his chin and chest.  Rich put
out his hand, feeling the silky smooth rubbery skin of the animals.  A smile
lit across his face.  The waves were forgotten as he touched the pod.  Finally,
it was Ton’s turn.

“Rich, swim over here.  Do not touch me,” Sam ordered,
slipping off Ton and into the water.  “He’s going to open his mouth.  Place
your hand on the base of his tongue and do not move.  He’s going to close his
jaws and you’ll feel his teeth.  You can rub his tongue, if you want to, with
your fingers.”

“He won’t take off my arm, will he?”

“Only if you touch me.  Go on.”

Rich was unnerved, but calmly obeyed, flattening his
hand deep inside the mouth of the whale.  He felt sharp conical teeth pressing
into his upper arm to the point of being uncomfortable.  He gently moved his
fingers, feeling the bumpy soft flesh of the animal's mouth.  Ton finally
released him and zoomed away, launching into a high breach.

Sam smiled with relief.  “You can touch me now.  Just
no biting my tail flukes.”

“What?”

Michael joined them, intervening, “Don’t yell at her
or be aggressive towards her in any way.  How are you doing?”

“Wow.  That was one experience I never believed I
would enjoy.  He is magnificent.  So he is okay with me?”

“For the time being.  He tends to get a little cranky
towards newcomers.  Ton views Sam as his calf and instinctively provides her
with the protection of a pod bull.”

“Is he that way with your folks?”

“He grumbles, but he will not interfere with the
primes of her pod.  That includes me.  Right, little sister?”

“Yeah, yeah, if you say so.”

“Yep, she sounds real submissive, Mike.  Where are
they going?”  Rich chuckled as the dolphin he was stroking suddenly jerked away
and dispersed with the rest of the pod.

“School of tuna coming through.  They’re feeding.  I’m
going to work with the lions.  Let me know when you guys go in; buzz me.”

“Sam, it’s your day off.  Relax,” Michael said firmly.

“I’ll grab some lobsters…” she tempted him in a
sing-songy voice.

“Well... okay, if you insist.”  Michael wrinkled his
nose, trying to hide his smile at her convincing bribe.  The boys were resting
on the shore, when Sam emerged from the surf with two large lobsters in hand. 
Riding the waves to the beach were three sea lions, each carrying a large
crustacean and dropping them as they waddled towards Michael.  Rich wisely
followed Sam's gesture to stay put, as his new friend laid flat on the sand, to
allow the pinnipeds to approach and greet him affectionately.  The presence of
the animals attracted onlookers, who were promptly charged by the bull sea
lion, and Rich's eyes widened, as the large animal bared vicious teeth.

“We really should put up signs or something warning
people to stay away from the peds if seen on the beach,” Michael said, finally
sitting up and scratching the bull behind his ear flaps.  “Damn, you guys
really stink, know that?”

“People won’t read them, let alone follow directions. 
These guys stink, but they are so cuddly.  Aren't you?” Sam asked, plopping
down next to her brother to hug the smaller cow around the neck.  “Rich, get on
your hands and knees and slowly crawl towards us.”

“Nothing I love more than a kinky girl,” Rich
commented, obeying.  “Just know that this will be the only reason I do this.”

“Don't count on it, buddy,” Michael laughed, watching
Sam's eyes glitter.  “She will find every chance to make us guys into a human
pack animal.  She likes to be carried and if you hang around for any amount of
time, she will be either hanging onto your back like a little monkey or
demanding she be schlepped around like a queen.”

“And all of you allow this?” Rick clucked with
disapproval, slowly petting the velvety soft fur of the sea lion’s body.  “It
sounds like someone is a little bit spoiled.”

“They like spoiling me, Mister Richard.  Plus, I'm
cute, so they can't resist.”  Sam stuck her tongue out at him good-naturedly. 
Rich eyed her carefully, his instincts honing into her needs.  Hmmm, she was
definitely the type of woman he was interested in... beautiful, smart, and oh,
so bratty!  The perfect submissive.

“You are cute.  I will give you that one.  And maybe a
little irresistible.  But don't think I'm going to become your pet mule.”  Rich
winked at her.

“We'll see.  I'll have you trained in no time,” Sam
giggled, watching him raise his eyebrow.  Rich sensed that she was testing him,
and a flush of desire rushed through his body.

“Don't put up with her crap, Rich.  Just let me know
if she gets to be too much.  Samantha, behave yourself.”

“Trust me, Mike.  I can handle much more than she
could ever dish out,” Rich laughed.  “We will see who gets trained.”

“Ooo, sounds like a challenge.”  Sam giggled again,
her heart pounding with excitement.  This man did something to her mind that
she had never experienced before.  “As for carrying me, you might not be strong
enough and...”

She shrieked as he tackled her against the sand and
straddled her body between bulging, rock hard thighs and held her wrists above
her head.  He looked down at her flushed face.  “Did you say something?  Go on,
try to get up.”

“Michael!  Tell him to let me go!” Sam laughed, unable
to break the lock he had on her.

“I'm busy,” came the response as Michael tied the
lobsters in her abandoned sweatpants and placed them in the breakwater to
soak.  “So, what is your impression of this morning's events?” he asked Rich,
who finally decided to release his captive.

“I’m fascinated.  You said you have gear that lets you
go down without a tank?”

“That’s what I do.  As well as the bands.  Is it
something you might be interested in working on?  It’s called neuroengineering. 
It’s a new science.”

“Hell, yeah.  What kind of protocol do you follow?”

“Essentially, we call the shots.  I always go through
Scott for his permission…”

“Always?” his sister asked, mischievously.

Michael smacked her thigh.  “Hush, brat.  I typically go
through Scott for the approval and Dad handles funding.  I can’t remember ever
being refused a project.”

“I do.  They always tell me ‘no’,” Sam pouted, lifting
her arms to be carried.

“That’s because you always put yourself in as the test
subject.  No, I have my surfboard.  You can walk.  She’s a handful, Rich. 
Don’t let the pretty, sweet exterior fool you.  The crew calls her ‘the Siren’
for a reason.  She’s also in charge of the area recon team.”

“Really?  How was the team’s response to that?"

“They had some issues until she proved herself to
them.  Now they are her self-appointed bodyguards.  That is something else you
can be involved in, but you would have to follow her orders.”

“I know my limits.  After what I witnessed today, I
would not question anything she said when it comes to the water,” Rich said,
not budging as Sam pushed herself against his side.

“You are like hitting a brick wall.  Ow!” Sam
whimpered, rubbing her shoulder.