Saved by Sweet Alien Box Set (20 page)

“Want me to pick you up?”  He gives me that absolutely
gentlemanly smile.  But I saw a tiny smirk appeared at the corners of his
mouth. They disappeared in a nanosecond but I caught them already.

What does that mean?  Doing something ‘bedroomy’ in the
car? 
Big alarm.

“I will meet my assistant at the airport.” I give
instructions right away.

“Yes, Ms. Parker.”  He salutes.

I see that bitch, Sarah, staring at us, face all red… 
Jealousy. 
Poor ex-chick, you have all my sympathy.

“So, what’s this Crete secret?”  Gordon looks at me, taking
a sip of his cappuccino. 

“Be quiet, young man, be quiet.”  I look around.  There are
a few people around, waiting for their flights.  I know I sound funny because
Gordon might be one or two years older than me.

“Why, Ms. Parker?”  He stares at me but at the
wrong
place again.

“Hello, my eyes are up here.” I have to warn him. 

“You didn’t answer my question.”  He winks.

“A top secret means absolutely confidential.”  I try to
sound like a boss.  Silly, anyway.  “Else, it may hurt our business.”

“You mean the sales of the magazine?”  Gordon seems so
amused.  “Do you think this Crete thing is real at all?”

“So you don’t believe it yourself, huh?” I smile.  “Then why
did you choose to come?”

“I came for
you
.  Ms. Parker. 
You.
”  He grins
big time.

“Mr. Gordon Harris, I have to warn you.”  My body is all
hot.  I don’t even bother hiding my embarrassment because my lusty eyes, hot
cheeks, trembling voice, and every move of my body are all giving me away.  “This
can be seriously considered sexual harassment.” 

“Hey, Ms. Bella Parke, this is
not
fair.”  “Now
you’re
the boss and
I’m
the assistant.  Are you telling me I’m being sexually
harassing?”  He smirks.  “Ouch, my heart, it hurts.”  He covers his heart with
one hand.

“That’s bullshit, Gordon.”  I smile.  “Didn’t you say you came
for
me
?  Isn’t that sexual harassment?”

“That’s care and protection, okay?  I came for your
protection.”  He winks.

“Forget it.”  I stare right into his eyes.  “I don’t need
protection.  And an assistant is
not
a bodyguard.”  I take a deep breath. 
Man, now I get it straight.  “Look, as an assistant, you will have to know what
you’re supposed to do.  Do you know what we are looking for?”

“Beats me, Bella.”  Gordon scratches his head.  “Aren’t we
looking for some… fossil?”  His eyes brighten.  “Right, some… Mino… shit.”

“Minotaur fossil.” I give him critical information.

“Right.  Minotaur.  I bet it’s kind of dinosaur, like the T-Rex.” 
He thinks for a short moment and then adds, “‘T Rex’ stands for Tyrannosaurus Rex,
just in case you don’t know.”  He looks at me with great pity.  “If you saw the
Jurassic Park movie, you’d have a great opportunity to know.”

I almost choke on my coffee.  “Mr. MBA, you’re so smart.”

“Thank you.”  Gordon sounds so happy.  “I’m so glad I can be
helpful.”  He smiles at me and adds quickly, “As your assistant, of course.”

“Right.”  I try not to sound so sarcastic.  “What makes you
think the Minotaur is a dinosaur, Mr. Harris?”

“I just know.”  He sounds so confident.  “Natural talent, I
guess?”

“A-r-e  y-o-u  s-u-r-e?”

He rolls his eyes for so long, I worry they may keep rolling
forever.  “Okay, I’m not so sure.”  he murmurs.

“How much do you know about Greek legends?”  I smile.  “If
anything at all?”  I add.

He looks at me, thinking… Finally, he shakes his head,
“Let’s say… not… too… much…  How about that?”  Then, he adds quickly, “But I’m
an MBA.  How much do you expect
me
to know
your
stuff?” 
His face turns all red.  So does his neck, too. 
Funny.

“Being an MBA doesn’t mean you’re a total idiot, okay?”  I
fight back right away. “What do you mean by ‘your stuff’?  The Greek legends
are for
everyone
, got it?  They are
common knowledge
.  Do you
understand what ‘common knowledge’ is?  You don’t need a literature major for
common knowledge.”

He smiles so nicely. “Yes, Mom.”

“You don’t learn common knowledge in college.”  I stare at
him.  “By the way, what makes you believe you’re qualified to be
my
assistant if you know
nothing
about the Minotaur?”  I let out a long
breath to relax.  Man, talking to an MBA is so tiring.

“Because,” He looks at me.  “I believe you’re going to be a
good teacher for me.”

I believe this is the worst assistant you could have in this
whole world.  I sigh.  “Okay, let me tell you a bit about this so you no longer
act like a total idiot.” 

I take a sip of my coffee and then ask, “You know Zeus,
right?”

“Of course I know.”  Gordon protests.

“He has a son, Minos, who was the King of Crete for a long
while, okay?”

“You mean the Crete we are going to?”  Gordon’s eyes widen.

“Hey, Mr. MBA, please use your brain, okay?  We are going to
Crete, in the Mediterranean, and it’s the largest islands of Greece.  You think
there is a better fit for the Crete in the legend?”

“Oh.”  That’s all he says.  I seriously wonder how he
managed to get his MBA. 

“So, legend has it, one day, Minos prayed to his uncle, Poseidon,”
I stop and then ask, “You know who Poseidon is, right?”  Then I say right away,
“Forget it.” 

“Anyway,” I continue. “Minos prayed for a snow-white bull.”

“Wow, a
snow-white
bull?”  Gordon’s eyes widen. 
“Does it exist at all?”

“
Shut. Up.
”  I put up a huge smile and whisper.  “Would
you please?”  I add.

Gordon rolls his eyes.

“Anyway, Minos promises to kill the bull to show honor to
Poseidon.”

“Kill?” Gordon sounds like a total idiot now.

“Sacrifice, okay?”  I don’t even bother to get angry again. 
“But Minos decided to keep the bull because it was so beautiful.  You know
what?”

“What?”  Gordon is listening so attentively.

“He sacrificed his own instead, thinking Poseidon wouldn’t
care.”

“So that white bull becomes the Minotaur?”

“Did I say
Shut. Up
?”  I smirk.  “That’s a beautiful
bull, not a monster, okay?”

“Okay, okay… So?”

“So, now here is the fun part.  Poseidon was so angry, he
asked Aphrodite, the Goddess of love and beauty, to make Minos’ wife fall in
love with the bull.”

“Are you serious?” Gordon’s eyes brighten, leaning much
closer to me.  I know he is thinking dirty now. 
So gross.

I think for a long while but decide to tell him the critical
piece of information. “And they mate.”

“Holy shit.  This is absolutely unbelievable.  Man, a wife,
I mean, a Queen, is being fucked by a huge white bull.  And they are in
love
? 
This is fucking dangerous.”  He is so loud, people around turn and look.

“
Shut. Up
.”  I get so angry.  “This is a Greek
legend, okay?  You think everyone is dirty as you?”

“Hey, hey, hey, this is unfair.  I’m learning, okay?” 
Gordon protests with a huge, dirty smile.  I bet his cock is throbbing now.

“Whatever.”  I continue. “Soon, the Minotaur was born.  He
had the head of a bull and the body of a man.”

“Wow, cool.”  Gordon looks at his own body.

“Shush.” 
Someone.
  “Anyway, the Minotaur lived in a labyrinth. 
Okay?  It was like a maze but was so complex, there was no way the Minotaur
could escape.”

“Oh.” Gordon seems to understand what I’m talking about.

“So now, you know Minotaur is
not real
.  How could
its fossil be found?”

“Right.”  Gordon thinks.  “Right.  You’re right.  There
won’t be any fossil… Wait a sec… Aren’t we supposed to see the fossil?”

Now you’re talking. 
We’re on an
impossible
mission.

“Attention please, attention please, Flight 842A to Crete,
Greece is now boarding…”

“Gordon, let’s go.”  I urge.

“Oh, shit.  I forgot to get a new cappuccino.”  Gordon jumps
up.

“Forget your cappuccino.”  I push.  “Hurry up.  We’re going
to miss the flight.”

“But I need my cappuccino.”  Gordon insists.

“You can get it on the plane.”

“That’s
coffee
, okay?”  He sounds like the world is
falling apart.  “Give me a sec, Bella.”  Gordon runs.

…

…

I drop on my seat, gasping.  “Goddamn it, Gordon, you’re
giving me a heart attack.”

“I’m sorry, okay?”  Gordon takes a big sip of his
cappuccino.  “It’s so… good.”  He turns to me. “Want a sip?”

“Forget it.”  I look outside.  Our plane is moving now.  “See,
we barely made it.  You didn’t believe the plane would wait for you, did you?”

“For God’s sake, Bella, I do believe you need a man in your
bed.”  he murmurs.  “You talk like a grandmother.”  he adds.

“Excuse me, Mr. Gordon Harris, would you please repeat what
you just said?”  I stare at him.

“Are you serious, Bella?”  He looks at me.

“Sure.  Please repeat.”

He thinks for a long while.  “Okay, I apologize.”  He fakes
a huge grin.  “Sorry, Bella.  Okay?  I’m terribly sorry.”

“Sorry for
what
?”  I push.

“For…”  He thinks hard.  “For knowing you’re sexually
starving.” 

“
Fuck. You.
”  I mouth him my response.

“Good night.”  He pulls the blanket to cover his whole body,
closing his eyes.

I’ve taken the cruise tours in the Mediterranean a few times. 
But still, the heat is a surprise to me.  The moment I walk out of the plane, I
feel like my body is melting down under the sunshine. 

I look at the sky.  There is absolutely
no
clouds at
all.

Oh, well, it’s not kind of the dry heat like back in Arizona
or Texas.  But any part exposed to the sunshine is becoming
burning
hot
.
  

Maybe I should apply my sunblock first?

“Gordon, can you please stop for a sec?  I need some
sunblock.”  I call.  “You need some, too.” I add quickly.    

“Bella, how about we get a cab first?  It’s so fucking
hot.”  He looks at the blue sky.  “No clouds.  Absolutely
no
clouds. 
This is fucking unbelievable.”  He lowers his head and looks far into the sea.
“Welcome to Crete, the home of the Minotaur.”  he mumbles.

We sit at the pool, planning our trip tomorrow.

I pull out everything from the big envelope and put them on
the table on by one.  A tour guide.  Then another, and then another…

Gordon picks up one and reads, “The largest and most densely
populated region on the island of Crete is He-rak…-lion.”  He looks at me and
then continues, “Nestling pic…, shit!  Picture…-squely among two imposing
mountain ranges, Idi to the west and Dikti…”  He sticks out his tongue.  “Man. 
Poor tourists.  Who can understand this shit?”

I put up my sweetest smile and speak in my softest voice,
“Gordon, would you please
Shut. Up?
”

He smiles.  “Bella, we’re wasting our time.”

“Now you’re talking.  How much did those pumpkin head ‘researchers’
pay for this ‘exclusive opportunity of reporting’?  Did Mr. Harris or one of
his ‘senior executives’ authorize this trip?  Please don’t tell me you have
nothing to do with is ‘strategic decision’.”

“Don’t blame me, okay?  You know I have absolutely
no
interest in the management shit.”  he protests.

“Okay, okay.”  I wave my hands.  “Let’s find out where that
stupid cave is first.”

We both search through the thick stack of paper.  “There,”
Gordon raises his hand, showing me a hand-drawn map.

I see
Lefka Ori
on the map.   “Yup, that’s the map.” 
I smile.

Gordon puts the map on the table and studies it carefully. 
“For God’s sake, why didn’t they give us an English map?”

“These are all addresses, you dumb head.”

“Oh.”

I give him a stern look. 
You smart MBA. You only know ‘oh’,
huh?

“Hey, there
is
English.”  Gordon sounds like Columbus
seeing the American Continent for the first time.  “Look, here… and here.”

I look and see
walk
beside a red arrow and
cave
beside a red circle.  “Hmmm, it seems we have to walk for a while to get
there.”

“I bet we have to walk from here to here.”  Columbus opens
his mouth again, pointing at the
walk
and then the
cave
.

Smart, Mr. MBA Columbus.
  I give him a smirk.  “How
far do you think we have to walk?”

“Beats me.”  Gordon looks hard on the map.  “Don’t know.” 
He raises his head.  “See, this is a brief sketch by hand.  So we have no way
to tell how far it is.”

“But…”  He thinks for a while and then adds, “If it says
walk
,
it means we can walk there, right?”

“Right.” I have to agree, this MBA is not totally dumb.

“Hey, here’s an introduction to the mountain.”  Gordon shows
me a map with some descriptions.  “See, lots of English.”  He smiles like a
little kid seeing candy.

“Lefka Ori, meaning ‘White Mountains’, is a mountain range
located in Western Crete.  The range has its name from the white color of their
peaks...”  He looks at me. “All crap.”

Then he scans quickly through the description.  “Holy shit,”
His eyeballs grow ten times bigger.  “The highest summit is Pachnes at 8,048
feet.  I can retire the moment I reach the peak.”

I shake my head and smile. 
Some MBA…
 

The rental car is running smoothly to the west along the
coast on highway E75.  The scenery is beautiful.  “Aren’t we on a paid
vacation?”  Gordon turns and grins. 

“You bet.” I smile.

A soft voice from the GPS is announcing something but we
can’t understand at all.  “Mind if I turn it off?” I ask.

“By all means.”  Gordon smiles. 

I check the GPS display, trying to match the names on the
map.  Luckily, the map is bilingual.  Therefore, I can easily pronounce all the
town names.

After about an hour, we exist at Leof, Kazantzaki.  Gosh,
after this trip, I’m going to be an expert on tongue twisters.

We drive south west for another hour and then go south.  After
what seems forever, I announce, “Fournes, the last gas station.”   This is what
we learned from the hotel.

We gas up.  “Let’s get some food.”  Gordon grins.  He grabs
almost everything in the gas station.

“Are you serious?  These are all
junk
.”  I shake my
head.  “We have sandwiches and other goodies in the car, remember?”

He mouths me a
sorry
and pays for everything.  I
can’t believe his grin can grow so big.

Now the road is getting funny.  We make sharp turns in all
directions, including back to north.  “Are you sure we are going in the right
direction?”  Gordon asks, focusing on the road.

“Come on, Mr. MBA, there is only one road.”

Finally, we reach a huge parking lot.  “Holy shit, this
mountain is
huge
.”  Gordon raises his head and looks.

I look around.  Man, maybe Gordon is right.  I may have to
retire before I reach the top of the mountain.

I look at the two roads into the mountain.  A sign pointing
to the right road says: “To Museum of Faraggi Samarias”. 

Gordon is looking, too.  “Where does the right road lead
to?  The Minotaur fossil?”

I check the secret sketch and smile. “Yup.”

We drive on the mountain road slowly.  The road is in the
valley.  There is no pavement but the ground is solid.  I look carefully,
trying to figure out where we are.

“Are we there yet?”  Gordon asks.