Antarctic Affair (8 page)

“Yes, I see your point. You’d much
rather be out there where the action is.”

He grinned, “You got it!”

She couldn’t help but smile back. He was
jaw-droppingly attractive when his whole face lit up like that. If she wasn’t
engaged she would be in real danger of developing a crush on this guy!

They finished their coffees and Taj
stood up.

“I’m glad we had this little chat,
George,” he said sincerely. “I’ve got to go and prepare for our first landing tomorrow
morning, so I’ll see you later.”

“Oh, what are we doing? A nice little
coastal walk to spot some penguins?”

He stared at her. “Penguins? No. We’re hiking
up the active volcano on Deception Island.”

“What?” she nearly fell off her chair.
“What do you mean active? Is there like burning lava and stuff?”

He said casually, “I hope not, because
we were planning on descending into the crater. One of the seismologists wants
to take a couple of readings and I was hoping to get some steamy geyser shots.”

“You’re all mad,” she whispered,
horrified.

Taj laughed, “Don’t worry George, you
can always stay behind.”

She stared at him in disbelief. Thanks
to their little agreement, that was no longer an option. Besides, she wanted to
watch him work. As Don had pointed out, it was the only way of getting to know
the guy.

Taj
left
her sitting their gaping at him. He passed Don, armed with clipboard and
overhead projector sheets, heading for the lecture room.

“It’s working perfectly,” he told him.
“She’s terrified already.”

Don gave him a ‘you should be ashamed of
yourself’ look and shook his head.

“Your idea,” sang Taj gleefully, as he
strolled off in the opposite direction. “Your genius idea.”

Georgina
was
terrified. She’d never even hiked before, let alone up a
volcano. And did ‘active’ mean dormant active, or spewing active? She wasn’t
sure. Either way, it didn’t sound great. She was so floored by what Taj had
said, that it took her a while to realise he’d called her George. That was a
bit presumptuous of him, wasn’t it? Nobody ever called her George. The tall,
hairy guy who supervised the archives department at work was called George. She
shuddered. If he did it again she’d have to set him straight. Her name was
Georgina,
not
George.

Feeling insecure and way out of her
depth, she decided to call London.

Charles answered after four or five
rings.

“Hello? Charles is that you?”

The satellite phone was filled with
static.

“Darling? I can’t hear you very well.
Oh, that’s better. How is Antarctica?”

Georgina sighed, “Fine. Everything’s
fine. It’s so nice to hear your voice.”

“You sound a bit low. Are you sure you’re
okay?”

“I’m fine. It’s just not what I expected
out here, that’s all.”

“You mean the ship, or the
photographer?”

“Both, actually. The ship is more like a
reinforced trawler and the photographer doesn’t really want me around at all,
but I think we’ve come to some sort of agreement now.”

“It is safe darling, isn’t it?” Charles
asked worriedly. “I wouldn’t want you to be in any danger.”

“Oh yes, quite safe,” she answered. “I’m
going on an excursion tomorrow.”

“A what?”

“Excursion,” she shouted down the phone.

“Oh right. Well, I hope you enjoy it.”

“I’m climbing a volcano, Charles,” she
informed him. “I don’t know how I’m supposed to enjoy that.”

“Did you say volcano? For heaven’s sake
Georgina, is that wise?”

Typical Charles to put it so
diplomatically.

“Probably not, but I don’t have much of
a choice,” she said.

“Of course you have a choice,” he told
her firmly. “If it’s dangerous don’t do it.”

“It’s not that simple,” she said
wondering how she was going to put this.

“Why not?”

“Taj, that is the photographer, is going
and he’s asked me to join him so I can observe his work.”

“Can’t you observe his work from a safe
distance?” asked Charles. “Like behind a desk. Do you have to climb the volcano
with him?” She could tell he wasn’t convinced. Perhaps she wouldn’t mention it
was active.

“Not in this case,” she told him. “He’s
hiking into the crater and if I want my story I have to go with him.”

There was a pause. “Well, I can’t say I
envy you. Do be careful won’t you?

“Of course I will. I’m not looking
forward to this.” She sighed, and then asked, “How is everything at home?”

“Everything’s fine. I’ve been working
long hours this week, so haven’t been out much since you left.”

He suddenly sounded so far away. “I miss
you,” she sniffed.

“I miss you too, darling. Keep your chin
up, there’s a good girl. You’ll be home before you know it. Call me again in a
couple of days, won’t you? I want to hear all about your volcano adventure.”

“I will.” She was about to say ‘I love
you’ when he hung up. So much for that, she thought dismally. Charles wasn’t
the sentimental type. She suddenly felt scared and very alone. If someone had
told her she’d be hiking into a bloody live volcanic crater a week ago she
wouldn’t have believed them. She headed off to the library to see just what she
was in for, and then she planned to put together her hiking outfit. She
wondered idly if the cashmere sweater she’d worn skiing in Switzerland last
year would be warm enough, or if she needed her ski-jacket too.

CHAPTER FIVE

Taj
was
leaning against the railing on the deck of the
Explorer
, enjoying the feeling of the sun’s rays on his face while
he waited for the small group of scientists who were joining him and Don on
that morning’s expedition. It was nearly ten o’clock which left them the whole day
to climb the snowy hills around the largest active volcano in the Antarctic.
The forecast was clear, which meant no snow storms or high winds to hamper
their progress or mess up visibility for the photographs he planned to take.
Depending on how quickly they got to the top, Don intended on doing some
exploring inside the crater too, which Taj was excited about as it enabled him
to get closer to the geysers and ground deformations from the last volcanic
activity in the area which occurred just over ten years ago.

Lance, the seismologist, was hopping around with
excitement. This would be the highlight of his trip.

“Oh my God, who is that?” he suddenly stammered, mid
hop.

Taj lazily turned his head and nearly fell backwards
over the railing.

“What the hell?”

Georgina had appeared on deck in all her fashionable
glory. At least he thought it was her. He could hardly see her face for the
enormous pair of sunglasses she sported, obviously the height of fashion in
London, but totally impractical for their purposes. He was no stranger to
fashion trends, having dated his fair share of models, but he didn’t buy into
it himself. Apart from the image-conscious brands who sponsored him, his tastes
ran more towards casual attire and surf wear.

His eyes travelled down her face, which was covered
in foundation and a glossy pink lipstick. Her beautifully thick auburn hair, apart
from being shot through with an interesting pallet of reds, pinks and oranges, was
held off her face by a wide white hair band which sparkled with tiny sequins.

She wore a pale blue cashmere sweater, which ended
above the waist, and black leggings which did nothing to disguise her sexy
little figure. In fact he was not the only man on deck staring at those coltish
legs and that perfect behind. He blinked, annoyed with himself for noticing. At
least she had taken his advice and worn hiking boots. A Prussian-blue
ski-jacket completed the look, but this she’d draped over her shoulders.

“Hi there, Alice in Wonderland,” he called across
the deck. Lance giggled.

“At least Alice is better than George,” she said
sharply standing next to him. Taj’s senses were stirred by a delectable fruity fragrance
which was enticingly sensual and feminine.

“I like George,” he said simply. “It suits you.”

“It does not,” she bit out adamantly, making him
smile.

“I see you’re all kitted out,” he remarked staring
at her ridiculous sunglasses.

She followed his gaze, “The reflection off the ice
can be very damaging,” she pointed out. “I hope you have appropriate eyewear?”

“Of course,” he retorted, patting his jacket pocket,
“which is more than I can say for yours.”

“Mine’s appropriate,” she huffed.

“If you’re Paris Hilton” he answered.

“What’s wrong with Paris Hilton?” she enquired
innocently.

Taj rolled his eyes. Oh boy, this was going to be
fun.

“Everybody here?” shouted Don from the launch area
at the stern.

The small group gathered together. Everyone had
flushed cheeks from the cold air and anticipation. Don gave them the mandatory
landing briefing which covered safety precautions, an evacuation strategy and
the importance of staying together as a group. Taj was watching Georgina’s face
and could sense her unease. They clambered into the high speed inflatable zodiac
landing boat which bobbed precariously as everyone shuffled around to find a
place to sit. Georgina clutched onto the rope around the boat for dear life. Don
positioned himself at the helm and turned the key. The boat growled to life. He
eased the throttle forward and they were away, galloping through the fairly
rough surf towards the black, volcanic beach called Baily Head. Taj, who was
sitting next to Georgina, heard her gasp as the wind, which buffeted the boat
and made their eyes stream, whipped her sunglasses right off her face.

“Stop the boat,” she yelled, trying to stand up. Taj
grabbed her by her cashmere jersey and pulled her down roughly.

“What are you trying to do, kill yourself?” he
shouted. “Leave them. You’ll never find them.”

“But they were Dolce and Gabbana!” she sobbed.

“I don’t care if they were given to you by the Queen
herself. They’re gone.”

She pouted prettily, “Stupid wind.”

“Actually it’s a bit like sailing,” he explained,
his voice heavy with sarcasm. “The bigger the sail, the more wind it catches.”

She glared at him. “Thanks for the lesson, Captain.
I’ll try to remember that next time.”

He shook his head and laughed. She was too much.

As they scrambled out onto the beach a reception
committee of penguins greeted the group and escorted them down the beach. Taj
lagged behind and took a couple of shots. He was amused to see George sticking
close to Don while she glanced anxiously at the harmless birds. She really was such
a city girl.

“Check out the elephant seal,” he told her as he
rejoined the group.

“Oh my God, it’s huge!” she gasped, as the single
seal lay silently on guard. They were just passing the sleeping giant when
suddenly it opened its blood shot eyes and peered at them menacingly. Georgina
froze and gripped Taj’s arm.

“Keep moving,” he whispered urgently and the group
moved forward until they were at a safe distance. The seal raised its massive
head and barked an order as if to say “Stay off my beach”.

“Phew, that was scary,” Georgina commented once they
were out of harms way.

Don nodded at her, “Yup, they have been known to
attack when they feel threatened. They may look ungainly, but they move really
fast.”

“Marvellous,” Taj heard Georgina muttering to
herself as she traipsed across the ice and rocks towards the nearby hills.

He laughed. “Be thankful you’re not a seal,” he told
her. “They have to fend off attacks on a daily basis.”