The Wildcat that Tamed the Tycoon (9 page)

The cheering and whistles from the
riggers penetrated their minds and Logan ended the kiss at his leisure,
ignoring their catcalls. The look in his eyes promised more and she smiled, her
voice husky and it warmed his heart.

“I miss you, Babe!  I need you badly!”

He laughed at her urgency and open
need and hugged her tight.

“Not as much as I, my Wildcat.  Not as
much as I!”

Yet it was not meant to be.  For
reasons no one could explain as yet, the fire then spread to the Petrobel-run
platform where it continued to rage for over a week before they managed to get
it under control. More than one hundred and eighty workers were evacuated with
no casualties, due in part to Logan ceasing all production activities as a
precautionary measure.

At least Madison got to be part of the
solution, albeit under furious disapproval from Logan.  She flew over the
raging fire at a safe height and two riggers dumped the Purple K Chemical
powder from above.  They hoped it would assist to reduce the ferocity of the
fire, combined with the high-powered spray from the below.

The first try was a disaster.  The
wind thrush from the blades was too strong and only a minimal amount of the
chemical reached their aim.  The riggers got very excited as even that showed a
small reduction in the strength of the flame.

“Okay, guys.  You need to strap
yourselves in properly.  I am going to fly in as low as I can, I’ll tell you
when to tip the kegs and this is where it gets tricky and you have to promise
me you will hold on tight!  At that point I am going to break sharp at a ninety
degree angle and back to pull the air thrush from the blades away from the
powder.”

“Jeez … ninety degrees!  Are you sure,
Miss?  Logan will kill us if something happens to you.”

“Don’t worry about me.  Just make sure
you are strapped in tight.”

They scurried about and she took a
look to check if she was happy with the way they strapped them in.

“Okay guys, here we go!  I will tell
you when to tip.”

The helicopter was powerful yet very
easy to control which was why Madison was confident she would be able to pull
off the slightly dangerous maneuver.  She chose not to think about what Logan
would say … or do once she got back on the ground.

Logan froze and his eyes glittered at
the helicopter that edged closer to the top of the flames.

“Hot damn, Logan!  What is she doing?”

Logan’s lips were pressed in a
straight line and his jaw was rigid.  The hose in his hand still aimed on the
fire, but his eyes were on the chopper.  A tight band squeezed around his chest
the closer the chopper edged to the fire and then hovered within meters from
the reaching flames.  He noticed the two riggers with smoke masks and strapped
in tightly on the side of the gaping door, which was removed to allow space for
them to dump the Powder.  They hesitated for a few seconds and then quickly
tipped the keg and the moment the last of the powder spilled out, the chopper
broke away at literally a ninety degree angle and his heart stopped.

“Holy shit!” 

They stared at the black smoke wall
behind which the chopper dropped away and Logan cursed, when there was no sign
of the chopper anywhere. He didn’t even register when the riggers cheered at
the obvious success achieved.  The flames were less vicious and the fire seemed
to have reduced to half its size.

He sighed in relief when the chopper
appeared behind the black smoke screen again and then a vicious curse thundered
in the air when she repeated the same maneuver.  He held his breath as she
positioned the chopper at the hovering height and then shouted her name when he
noticed a sudden spurt of fire shooting straight up, reaching for the chopper.

Madison screamed at the riggers to
hold on the moment she noticed the spurt of fire spiraling towards them.  She
pressed the throttle to increase the speed and pushed the cyclic down to drop
the nose and controlled the rudders carefully but quickly to move forward at
the ninety degree angle with the nose pointing to the ground, narrowly avoiding
the fire shoot.  The chopper shuddered and started to sputter as it went into
an effective translational drop.  She reduced the collective lever and applied
less pressure to the pedal and pushed the cyclic backwards to slowly level out
the nose and reduced the speed.

As soon as she had the chopper in a
level position, she let it hover to catch her breath and said a quick thank you
prayer.  She looked back at the riggers who sat straight on the back seats,
their faces frozen in shock.

“Are you guys, okay?”

They nodded.  “Jeez, Miss.  That was
some major hectic moves you just did!  When I saw that fire shoot I froze, I
didn’t even think.  How you manage to react so quickly I’ll never know!”

“I’m just glad we’re all okay.  Are
you ready to try again?”

“Yip … let’s give this sucker off a
fire the boot!”

Logan cursed non-stop when she moved
the chopper in position over the fire again.  This time the maneuver was
completed smoothly and the fire was reduced to such an extent that the fire
fighters managed to rapidly reduce the fire intensity by the time Madison
landed the chopper.

Shane
pulled her in a bear hug the moment she put her feet on the ground.

“Maddy, you are one crazy woman!  You
nearly caused us all a heart attack!  I’ve never seen anything like this in my
life!  Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” 

She wiped a tired and trembling hand
over her eyes.  The shock of their near death experience only hit home now. 
Her legs started trembling as well and she felt them give way.  Shane caught her
as she started crumbling against him, noticing her searching eyes.

“Aaah Madison, you should have
realized he would be livid.  He can’t be near you now, he is absolutely furious
with you.”

She tried to stand, but her legs would
not hold her and she started shivering.  Shane cursed and picked her up in his
arms.

“Give her to me!”

Shane turned and Logan took her in his
arms.  He didn’t even as much as glanced down at her, but jogged towards the
doctor’s rooms on the premises, Shane close on his heels.  He laid her on the
bed with more care than he felt, he was that furious with her. The attending
doctor hovered behind him and cleared his throat.

“Logan, my boy, if you want me to see
to her, you need to move out of the way.”

He grunted and moved to stand at the
bottom of the bed.  Doc Baron has been with Dalton Oil for over thirty years
and never thought he would ever see the formidable CEO of the company in such a
spin over a woman.

“I need to examine her properly, which
means I need to remove her suit, so please clear the room, boys.”

Logan’s eyes did not leave Madison’s
pale face where she was lying on the bed with her eyes closed, her whole body
trembling.

“Shane, get out.” 

Shane lifted his eyebrows and laughed
when Doc Baron looked at Logan with a frown, his intention to remain very clear
with the instruction to Shane.

“Forget it Doc.  I’m not leaving and
it is not as if I would see something I haven’t already.”

“Hot damn!  Good for you big bro!”

“Logan!” 

Madison moaned in embarrassment and
her eyes opened and clashed with his.  Even through his concern she recognized
the deep fury he barely kept under control.

Doc Baron just shook his head and
looked questioningly at Madison.

“Do you want him to stay, Miss?”

“Forget it Doc, I am not going
anywhere, no matter what she says!”  He glared at her, daring her to oppose him
in this.

“It is fine, Doc.  He can stay.” 
Hopefully that would reduce his anger somewhat, but she was not too hopeful.

“Sit up then, Miss.  Let’s get this
suit off.”

“No, I’ll do it!”

Doc Baron looked at the young man in
amazement, recognizing the possessiveness over the woman on the bed.  He lifted
his hands and stood back.  He shook his head at the tenderness with which Logan
pulled the pilot suit down to her hips and to glare back at him; annoyed at the
wisp of see thru lace that covered her breasts.

“Far enough, Doc?”

Richard Baron bit the insides of his
lip to stop from laughing.  The tone of the question dared him to request it be
pulled down lower and he responded in a dry voice.

“I suppose it will have to be.”

He took his stethoscope and quickly
listened to her lungs, asking her to breathe deeply. He checked her blood
pressure, eyes and ears and a quick abdomen check as well.  He walked around
the bed and fetched an oxygen mask and placed it over her nose and mouth.

“Miss, I need you to breathe in
deeply.  You took in a lot of black smoke up there and we need to get the
oxygen through your lungs to clear it.”

Next he dropped some eye drops in her
eyes and fetched a syringe he filled with a mild sedative.  He dabbed her arm
and she moaned softly.

“Do you have to Doc? I don’t like
needles!”

Logan walked around to the other side
of the bed and leaned over, drawing her face to his, took her hand and pushed
the mask off her face.

“It’s okay, Wildcat.  He does
injections quite well.”

His head lowered and he kissed her
slowly and with no concern to the smiling Doc Baron, deepened the kiss, easily
gaining entrance to take command of her mouth.

Doc Baron shook his head and threw the
syringe in the refuse container. Madison not even realizing he was done
already.  He filled two sachets with some pain tablets and mild sedatives in
case she might need it and waited patiently for the two lovers to end their
kiss.  When Logan eventually lifted his head, he cleared his throat and
instructed him to replace the oxygen mask.

“It is a mobile oxygen mask unit, so
you have to keep it on for another three hours at least.  It was only a mild
sedative I gave you, but it should make you sleep so your body can rest properly. 
Here are some pain tablets and a mild sedative, if you need it.  You might
experience a bit of pressure on your chest, which is the reason for the pain
tablets.”

“May I take her home, Doc?”

“Yes, but it is very important that
she rest properly for at least another day or two.”

Logan nodded, stuffed the sachets in
his pocket, quickly pulled her suit back on and picked Madison up in his arms. 
He carried her to the chopper and shouted for Shane. 

“Logan, please put me down.  I’ll be
fine.”

“No, you heard, Doc.  You need to
rest.”  He looked into her eyes and she sighed when she noticed the anger still
lurking in his.

“Do not for one moment think we are
not going to discuss your reckless and irresponsible behavior, Madison.  Doc
has offered you a respite for a day.  You will be taken to task and I will wait
until I am sure your body is strong enough to survive it!”

The fury flashed in his eyes and he
ground the threat out through clenched teeth and she shivered.

“Wha … what are you going to do to me?”

Shane arrived at that point preventing
any further exploration into his threat.  Her throat closed in fear.  Logan
pointed his head at the chopper, which she noticed in passing had the door
fitted back on as Shane climbed into the back.  He handed her carefully into
Shane’s arms and he sat back with her on his lap.  She struggled to sit up, but
Shane’s arms tightened around her and Logan glared at her.

“This is ridiculous.  I can lie on the
seat if you want me to.  I don’t have to be cuddled all the way home.”

 “What you should get is a God damn
hiding!  Now keep still, before you drive me to clobber my own brother for
getting a forced arousal from all your wriggling!”

Shane burst out laughing and begged
jokingly for her to stop, but her struggles already ceased the moment the words
left his mouth.  They glared at each other and Logan choked on the words, but
he said them anyway, knowing he was admitting something to her and his brother
he was not ready to even admit to himself.

“If you know how damn hard it was for
me to put you in his arms when I want to be the one to hold you all the way
home, you will not fight me on this, Madison.”

She nodded and relaxed against Shane
and smiled at his relieved sigh.  He waited until Logan closed the door and
walked around the chopper to pilot them home before he said:  “I would never
have thought to see the day!  You have brought out the first sign of softness
in him and it nearly choked him to say it.  Relax, Maddy.  I know you are his
and you are safe with me.”

“Do you know how he intends to punish
me?”

“No idea.  He has never reacted to any
woman he does to you.  You scared the hell out of him when that flame shot
towards you.  If you were on the ground then, he probably would have given you
a hiding so you would not have been able to sit for a month.  Now, giving him
time to think, and knowing how he does things, it will probably be something
that would really cause you to suffer.”

“Thanks so much for putting my mind at
ease!”  Shane chuckled at her sarcasm.  Logan got in and they were in the air
in no time.  Madison fell asleep within minutes.

“How is she?”

“Sleeping.  You should not be too hard
on her, big bro.  If not for what Donald, Ryan and she did, we would still be
hosing that fire.”

“I’m well aware of that, Shane.”

“You can’t deny that those maneuvers
were something you only see in movies.  My heart nearly split in two when she
dropped the choppers’ nose and missed that flame by a hair breath.”

“Yes, Shane.  I was against her doing
it in the first place!  She was not appointed to perform tricks such as that!  
She could just as easily have been killed!”

“Granted, but you have to admit that
she deserves some recognition for what she did.”

“So you summation is that I praise her
for a job well done and forget about her reckless behavior?”

“Now Logan, all I am saying is …”

“I know what you are saying, Shane and
I commend you for appointing yourself as her protector, but I will handle the
situation as I see fit.  She will be taken to task for her recklessness, that
is a promise!”

“Just don’t destroy what has already
developed between you.”

Logan was quiet for a long while,
battling with the emotions running wild in his chest.  He thought back over the
past twenty five years and knew there was no way he would ever open himself to
destruction such as his father suffered at the hands of a woman.  Destruction
he suffered alongside his father!

“Therein lays the problem with both
Madison and you.  You believe there is more than sex between us.  You know me
Shane and believe me, nothing has changed.  I am just not prepared to share her
with others, that is the only difference to all the other’s that shared my bed
before her.”

“You mean whose bed you shared. 
You’ve never brought anyone to your bed.”

“Nor have I her and I have no
intention to either.”

“There is a slight difference, brother
dear.  You never go back, maybe once, but never more than that.  Somehow I get
the impression that you’ve been back for more and have no intention of
stopping.”

“It is still no more than just sex!” 
Logan said adamantly.

Shane shook his head.  No matter how
much Logan denied his feelings, his actions spoke louder than words.  It was
more than just possessiveness; he already had feelings for her.  The only
problem was the hate he carried around in him since he was a boy was so deeply
entrenched in his soul, he was afraid that even Madison might not be able to
dislodge them.  Not before he destroyed her totally in the process!

Shane insisted that they take Madison
with to the ranch house.  They were better equipped to look after her there
than Logan on his own at her cottage.  For once Logan did not oppose him and
carried her directly up to his room.  Shane chuckled remembering his adamant
resolve that he would never take her to his bed.  Of course he would say it was
not the same thing, but the reality was that he could have put her to bed in
one of the six spare bedrooms, that were always made up and ready for use.

The same thoughts spun through Logan’s
head, but he brushed them away.  She was only there for a day or two and only
to recuperate.  He did not see any reason why he should inconvenience himself
and put her in another bed, when she could sleep in his where he could look
after her and get some well needed sleep.

He undressed her quickly and realized
she was covered in black residue and oil.  He would have to wake her to get her
clean.  He gently shook her, but knew it would not be of any use.  She did not
even blink her eyes when she was shuffled from Shane to him or when he carried
her upstairs.  She was sleeping the sleep of the dead.  She had to be exhausted
as well.  No matter how hard he opposed it, she scurried around the whole week,
assisting wherever she could.

There was no other way than to put her
in the bath and get her clean even if she did not wake up.  It took nearly
thirty minutes and a lot of swearing, but when he placed her gently back on the
bed, she was clean.  He frowned at her wet hair, not wanting her to get sick on
top of everything.  He fetched a towel and sat next to her towel drying her
hair when Shane knocked on the door.  He leaned down and pulled the sheet over
her up to her neck before he answered his call.

“Come.”

Shane peeped around the door and
sighed dramatically.

“Phew, at least I did not catch her
naked, in case I got clobbered for …”

“Okay Shane!  Get over it!  I never
denied that this woman brought out a very possessive side of me, but that does
not mean anything permanent or that any feelings are involved.”

Shane wondered if Logan eve realized
the romantic and loving picture he presented sitting next to her and drying her
hair.  He clearly also got her clean while she slept.  He smiled and walked
deeper into the room, only to take a stance in front of the window and stare
out to the dark night.