Taking the Heat (14 page)

(Like you with Henry and Chris?)

No … That's different.

(Why?)

It just is. Now, today.

The production assistant led me down to the poolside, where people were scattered around. I squirted some sunscreen on my shoulders against the harsh island sunshine, but couldn't reach far enough down my back.

‘
Bella!
Can I help you with that? I'm very good with my hands …' Dante's voice oozed in my ear and I shuddered.

Turning, I raised my eyebrow at him and said, ‘Keep your hands to yourself, creeper.'

‘I love your fire,
fica.'
He stalked towards me and I backed up quickly. ‘I would be the best you ever had.'

I wanted to reply with something sassy and smart, but the thought of being trapped in the fantasy cabin with that man caused terror to strike me silent. Revulsion rose in my throat and my breathing grew rapid.

‘
Bella …'
Dante saw my fear and laughed, evil in his eyes. He reached out for my hair and I shied away.

Before his hand could land on me, another appeared and slapped him away. ‘Fuck off, ya weirdo.'

‘Chris.' The word came out of me sounding like ‘Hallelujah'.

‘Try to touch her again, you'll answer to me. I'll smash your oily fucking face in, mate, and I'll enjoy every second I'm doing it.'

‘You're bluffing.' Dante didn't sound so sure.

‘Try me.' Chris grinned, his eyes hard.

Dante shrugged. ‘I don't need this …' He muttered something in Italian, then wandered off.

Even once he was gone, my hands shook. I clutched at the neck of my loose shirt, unable to catch my breath. ‘I can't do this, I can't, I thought I could, but I can't, oh god, oh god …'

‘Shhh … babe, look at me.' Chris shepherded me over to the empty bar area. ‘Look at me.'

‘Chris, I can't do this! How can I go into a dark room and have sex with someone who might be him? I'm gonna lose. I'm gonna lose!'

‘No, you're not.' His calm blue eyes were like still pools and I clung to their steadying influence. ‘You won't lose. And it won't be Dante.'

I sank onto a bar stool. ‘There's a one in ten chance it will be, Chris. I'm gonna lose the money, and Ella will be screwed and she'll never forgive me.'

‘Forgive you for what? You're here for her, that's an act of bravery.'

‘You don't understand, it's not about here, it's about that night. I can't, I can't …' I broke down into hiccoughy sobs.
I need a hug and no one can touch me!

Chris crouched down between my legs, looking up into my face. ‘Tara, Tara, breathe. Just like we did the other day, remember? In, two, three, four. Out, two, three, four. Again …'

He talked me down, and even though I couldn't think straight, I could follow his simple breathing instructions. Finally, my tears were gone and so was most of the panic.

Chris stood. ‘You're tougher than that creep, babe. Don't let him get to you like this. You're gonna win another challenge, find out he's not your cabin mate, and you'll be fine.'

‘Thank you,' I said, in a tiny voice.

‘You going to tell me what you meant about your sister?'

‘Maybe another day.'

‘I'll hold you to that,' he said. ‘I want to know everything about you.'

Wiping my eyes, I squeezed my nose, trying to stem its running. ‘I think I make more mucous than the average person.'

‘See? I'm learning things about you already!' Chris tipped his head towards the far end of the pool, where Miles and the others waited patiently. ‘Come on, babe. Let's go kick some arse.'

***

‘The rules today are simple!' Miles lifted his tanned hand and pointed to the sky. ‘If you can reach the key, you can have it!'

Strung to a wire high above the pool, twenty keys twinkled in the sun. They were all attached to the wire by loose ribbons and they danced above our heads, so near and yet so far.

‘You'll divide into teams of four. Using only your bodies, you may retrieve up to four keys. You'll have five minutes in the water, and the usual touch restrictions are lifted from now until the end of your time. So, hurry now, and find your team mates!'

People immediately began to cluster off into little groups. It felt a bit like school, when you were asked to make teams and everybody panicked because no one wanted to be the loser standing by the side, looking for a group.

As I searched for a team, the first person I saw was Dante, who made a V with his fingers and pushed his tongue between them grotesquely. My face pulled into a mask of nausea and he laughed.

‘Ignore him. You're with us.' Chris' warm arm pulled me close. Suddenly, beside his huge frame covered with muscles, I felt soothed. And turned on. Mostly soothed.

‘Who's us?' I asked, looking for the other members of my new team.

‘Why
, moi,
of course!' trilled a squeaky French voice.

‘Hi, Babette.' I wasn't trying very hard to sound enthusiastic. ‘Lars? You're with us too?'

‘
Ja!
' The burly blond waved happily at me. ‘Loris is off chasing the Russian lady. Is it okay?'

I gave him a quick hug. ‘Of course!'

Behind me, Babette moved in for the kill. ‘Bojour, Chris. I ‘ope this challenge will bring us closer, no?'

She trailed her fingers along his arm. Without thinking, I slapped her hand.

‘Ow! What was that for?'

‘Mosquito,' I told her.

Chris laughed. ‘You gotta watch out for those little suckers.' He drew me tight for a cuddle. ‘They bite.' He nipped me on the neck and my knees buckled, the feel of his teeth on my skin a delicious blend of pleasure and pain.

Miles boomed from the far end of the poolside. ‘Teams! We'll begin in five minutes. The order will be drawn randomly, but the later your team plays, the more chances you'll have to observe how others fare.'

With his arm still tight around my shoulders, Chris began to talk strategy. Lars, with his engineering background, had some great ideas too. Babette just giggled and made eyes at Chris, while I restrained myself from yanking her ponytail.

‘Okay, so Babette, you take Tara on your shoulders, if you're sure you can lift her?'

She pouted at Chris and said, ‘You'd be surprised how much I can support,
mon ami.
'

‘Great. Lars and I will lift you, and that should give Tara enough height to grab four keys easily.'

I spoke up. ‘I'll do my best.'

A runner informed us that we were the third group up, which was pretty good, and we turned to the pool to watch the first team step in the water.

It was Henry, Pauline, Chase and Rafaela, the Brazilian girl. Their tactic was slightly more haphazard than ours. Henry and Chase made a brace with their hands, and one at a time, the girls stepped on and the guys catapulted them into the air. They didn't even come close to the keys, so after several minutes of flying and splashing, they tried making a human pyramid. Soaking wet, their bodies slid hopelessly around, and they were barely able to form a piggyback before the gong sounded.

As team two dove in, I realised I didn't need to watch them. What I needed was Chris.

Pulling him backwards by the hand, I led him behind the stripy towel hut. Ignoring the inevitable camera crew that followed us, I pushed Chris against the wall of the hut. ‘Touch laws are lifted—touch me,' I invited, reaching for his head and pulling his lips down to mine.

He didn't argue. His mouth eagerly devoured mine, his tongue pushing gently against my lips. I parted and let him slip inside, moving my own tongue to greet him. I moaned, Chris' breath like a fire inside me.

His hands slid over the flat plane of my tummy, drawing circles on my skin. His fingers worked their way up until they reached the elastic of my hot pink bikini top. Delicately, he rubbed his thumbs along the underside of my breasts. It was such a strange, new place to be touched and my body responded, helpless under his fingers.

My hands roamed everywhere as fast as I could move them, cataloguing the lines of Chris' shoulders, his abs, his taut backside. I threaded my fingers down the trail of dark hair from his belly button, delighting in the way he moaned.

My skin was like a canvas dotted with hotspots, while my core ached, pulsing with need. I pressed my entire body to Chris, feeling his hard length pushing back. Beyond all reason, beyond anything, I wanted him, wanted to feel him move inside me, wanted to fall apart screaming in his arms. Looking into his dark eyes, I knew he felt it too.

In what is beginning to feel like a pattern, the gong clanged and we heard Miles shout, ‘Team three! Take your places!'

‘Don't get wet,' Chris murmured in my ear, kissing it softly.

‘Too late,' I moaned.

He laughed, and pulled me back around towards the poolside. ‘I meant in the pool. We need to keep you girls dry as long as we can so you're easier to lift.'

‘How can you even think at a time like this?' My body was a mess of sensation, my nipples so hard they were almost painful.

‘Because, babe, I need a key and you need a name. Babette, don't get in yet!'

About to jump in, she gave Chris a quizzical look.

‘Get Tara on your back first; we'll lift you from the side. Lars! Let's go!'

The boys jumped into the waist-deep water and I climbed up onto Babette's back. True to her word, she was stronger than she looked, bearing my weight easily.

‘Okay, Babette! Turn around and sit down a bit. We'll grab you.'

Babette lowered down and the guys picked her up. Moving together, they walked us all out to the centre of the pool. We were surprisingly steady and I looked up to the keys, hanging close to my face.

‘Tara!' Chris yelled. ‘Can you reach?'

‘Nearly …' I stretched my hand up. ‘I need another few inches.'

‘Can you get up on any higher on Babette?'

‘Um, I'm not sure—'

Babette broke in. ‘Yes, she can. Come on, put your foot here.' She anchored a hand at her hip. ‘I'll push you up, you can stand,
oui?
'

‘Okay …' Tentatively, I moved my feet to her waiting hands, and tried to straighten up. Wobbling, I clutched Babette for balance. ‘Shit! Guys, I don't like this!'

‘You can do it, babe. Try again.'

With Chris' comforting words echoing up, I gave it another go. Babette pressed her head back into my stomach, giving me a little extra point for balance. With one arm on her shoulder, I reached the other one up.

My fingers closed around the metal key and I squeaked in surprise. ‘I got one! I got it!'

Everyone around me exploded in cheers as I yanked the key free and dropped it to the water below. Quick as I could, I repeated the process, collecting another two keys.

‘Ten seconds!' cried Miles.

‘One more, babe!'

The rest of the keys hung further than I could reach. The closest one glinted tantalisingly at me over my right shoulder.

I could have left it. I had a key already—I didn't need a name. But when I looked down, I saw Dante's horrid face smirking up at me and I wanted the name. I wanted so desperately to hear that I wouldn't have to prostitute myself with such a revolting excuse for a human being.

So I went for it. Leaning back, I strained my arm to its very limit. My fingers brushed the key and it swung away. ‘No!'

I threw myself backward and my hand closed around the cool metal. For a second I gripped the key, triumphant. Then I fell.

Babette shrieked as I peeled away from her back, and everything slowed down as I dropped through the air. I could see the horrified faces of the other contestants and the surface of the pool rising up to meet me.

‘
Tara!
' Chris' voice was the last thing I heard before I hit the water, slamming down to the bottom. There was a clunk as my head struck the bottom of the pool and I had time to observe Chris' beautiful feet swishing towards me as the world turned black.

Chapter 15

Transcript of Tara M's video diary: Day 10

So, that was four days ago. I was unconscious for all the exciting bits—Chris carrying me
Baywatch
-style from the water, the emergency helicopter to the nearest hospital, the CT scans. The first thing I remember was waking up to doctors asking stupid questions and shining lights in my eyes. When they were satisfied I knew who and where I was, they sent me to the ward to recover. I fell asleep en route, the exhaustion sneaking up and smacking me down.

The next day I woke up in a narrow bed in an empty ward. Chris slumped in a plastic chair, asleep next to me. Across the aisle, one lonely camera guy filmed me quietly—which, considering the nature of this show, was actually pretty considerate of the producers.

I pushed up into a sitting position and white stars crowded my vision, forcing me down again. Tentatively, I raised a hand to the back of my head and felt the massive lump lurking underneath my hair. ‘Ow.'

‘Tara!' Chris bolted awake, flying from his chair to the bed, his bloodshot eyes searching me. ‘How do you feel? Do you need any pain meds?' With day-old stubble on his strong chin, he looked like hell.

‘I'm okay, I think. I don't want to run a marathon or anything, but I'm pretty good. Have you been here all night?'

‘Yeah, I only just fell asleep an hour ago. I didn't want you to wake up alone.' He ran a hand through his hair, which was mussed up in the most adorable way. ‘Do you remember what happened?'

A flurry of images hit me: the key, the fall, the sharp pain of my head connecting with the tiles. ‘I don't think I could forget it if I tried.'

Chris coughed and I could see emotion wreaking havoc inside him. ‘Babe, I'm so sorry. It's my fault. I shouldn't have pushed you to climb higher, to grab that fourth key. I'm sorry.'