Kill Zone was released by Eternal Press in Nov, 2011. I've include an excerpt below for you reading pleasure. Please note the free offer at the conclusion of the excerpt.
Still teasing, she leaned forward, exposing most of her ample breasts, and raised one leg with her arms, a stretching exercise for Greg’s eyes alone. “If you must know, and I suppose you must, I’m here because of the rocks you sent.”
Greg jerked back in obvious disbelief. “The Altar Pool stones? You’ve got to be kidding.”
Marcy leaned against the back of the tank as officially as she could, and her tone became crisp and business-like. “Before I can tell you anything, you must acknowledge that what you’re about to hear is Company Secret information and falls totally within the realm of the Company Proprietary Agreement you signed when you hired on. Because you’re the head of this exploration team, I have permission to brief you, but no one on your team can know what you’re about to hear, not even Garcia. Do you understand?”
Marcy could move from playmate to director with amazing speed, a fact not unnoticed before they separated. Although she had something important to tell him, he could barely focus on anything but the fullness of her breasts glimmering light-orange in the tannin-hued water. Nevertheless, Marcy was at work now, so he forced himself to shake off the imagery of her naked body just beneath the surface. “Fine, I understand, what about the stones?”
Marcy gave him the short version about how she obtained the Virgin from Doctor Inman, and how V1 and V2 had been synthesized. She also explained her interest in the Altar Pool stones, and how disappointed her team had been when they determined the stones contained no useful DNA fragments.
Greg nodded, but remained fixated on her breasts. “I see. I knew you didn’t come here just to see me, but I’d hoped there was a little of that in there, somewhere.”
Despite being fully reclined and naked in the tub, Marcy hadn’t shifted gears. Her business mindset replied without a second thought. “No, I came here to retrieve the small stone you found on the jungle floor, the only one that didn’t come from the Altar Pool. HQ thought there was too much risk to discuss it further in message traffic. I came here to get the stone and brief you in case you find others like it. If you find more, they don’t want to lose them. Please tell me you still have the one you mentioned in your message.”
Greg sighed. “Yeah, I think so. I’m sure I took it out of my pants pocket before pitching them in the laundry, but we might have to search a bit to find it.”
Marcy stood in the tank and playfully asked for her towel. The sight of her totally naked body took his breath away. “Nothing here you haven’t seen before, Greggy. Let’s get some food, and then find that stone.” She had returned from work, and Greg felt a rush of anticipation like a teenaged boy opening up a Playboy for the first time.
She put on the damp, clean clothes stashed behind the changing screen, and splashed on fresh mosquito repellant. “My God! This stuff reeks!” She continued to lather it on to ward off the cloud of mosquitoes gathering around her.
“I’m really disappointed,” Greg said, “I got our most popular essence, ‘d'études de jungle.’ It could take a little time, but you’ll come to love the way the light motor oil scent blends subtly with the full-bodied but subdued sulfur aroma.”
An indignant expression crossed Marcy’s face. “I’m the clean one here, Greg. I thought the odor was coming from you. Did you fart?” That was the Marcy he remembered, the one he loved and missed every waking moment—like they had never been apart—the Marcy who had ripped his heart out.
The hum of hundreds of small beating wings increased, and Marcy collected her belongings with renewed urgency. “Better get me out of here. They’re gathering for dinner, and I’m the main course. There’s nothing more appealing to a mosquito than fresh flesh.”
Greg looked longingly at her stunning body, thinking, I couldn’t agree more.
They met up with Calvin at the mess tent. He was downing another beer as Marcy approached. “Damn good food ya got here, lady. I’ll be stayin’ the night, so I can take you out in the morning.” He popped the top on another can and slugged down a gulp. “Damn good beer, too!”
She gave Calvin a light pat on the shoulder. “Thanks for getting me here, but take it easy on those things, at least enough to get me out tomorrow. I’ll be ready by 10 a.m. That should get us back in time for the afternoon courier flight.” Calvin nodded, and Greg and Marcy ambled to the serving line. Food choices were simple in the jungle. They got what had been cooked, and then sat in the far corner of the tent, as far away from all the others as possible.
Greg squeezed as close to Marcy as he could. “We have some pretty good chefs here, but little selection. They use a combination of air dropped supplies and what they find fresh in the jungle. The flavors are unique, but almost everyone likes it. It’s hard to keep drillers if you don’t feed them well and, of course, provide a reasonable ration of beer.”
They talked for an hour, laughing over the exploits of old friends and talking about work. Occasionally they looked into each other’s eyes without saying a word, wondering, Is it all still there?
After the meal, they headed for Greg’s tent to locate the stone, discussing old times as they shuffled along. Greg opened his tent flap as a man might if he were offering his coat for a lady to cross into a carriage over a muddy gutter. “Welcome to my humble abode.”
Greg’s stark accommodations were anything but the Waldorf-Astoria. The interior smelled of oilcloth, and the décor included only a crude foldout desk with a laptop on it, a rack of communications equipment, a cot, her wet suitcase, a duffel bag, mosquito strips hanging from every corner, a couple of boxes with books and reports and little else except for a few cluttered clothes.
She shook her head comically. “Ah, Greg, you really know how to impress a lady.”
Before she could say another word, his lips were on hers. He kissed her with all the passion he had built up over seven long months. Neither had kissed another since their last, and she melted against him, pressing her hips into his and her breasts into his chest.
In that moment, they knew they were still lovers. Nothing had changed. He gently laid her on his cot and knelt next to her, lightly stroking her damp bangs. “I’ve missed you. I’m so glad you’re here.”
A small tear formed in the corner of her eye as he moved his hands softly over her breasts and, as he began removing her clothes, her whole body shuddered. “I’m so sorry, Greg. The fight was stupid. I love you. I’ve missed you, too.”
They made love for hours, at first on the cot and later, after sealing the tent, finding the rock and checking for snakes, on the tent floor. Despite getting little sleep, Marcy felt fresh when the sun penetrated the tent’s mosquito net-covered vents the next morning. Greg sensed her stirring. Before she fully woke, he rolled over to make love to her one last time.
They relished it, bathed in it, and on that tent floor, in the middle of the jungle with the noise of the exploration team all around them, they experienced climaxes given in total love and taken together. It was like the first time, joining their souls forever. In that chaotic place, for a fleeting moment in time, they found a deeper peace than they had known at any time in their lives.
----------------------------
FREE OFFER: Wonder what happens beyond the final chapter of Kill Zone? Just send me an email (jhatch6@hot.rr.com) with "The Final Experiment" as the title. I'll rerun the award-winning short story for free.
Thanks for reading,
James L. Hatch
http://cookinwithmisshavana.blogspot.com/
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment