Colder Than Ice (13 page)

Allison
was so absorbed in watching the first victim pledge allegiance that she was
surprised when two men manhandled her into the line of worshippers. She crawled
on all fours until two guards at the foot of Neptune stopped her. She took
Neptune’s lewd directions with good grace, giving as good as she got, and at
one point she caused Neptune himself to blush. After gracefully accepting her
liquid punishment, Allison went back to where Sarah desperately swatted at two
guards who were trying to force her into the receiving line. Before she could
come to Sarah’s rescue she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to Dianne.

“What’s
wrong?”

Dianne
wrung her hands. “It’s Rick. He’s been ill again and he’s calling for you.
I’m sorry to spoil your fun but he looks like he’s in a bad way.”

Allison
turned to Sarah. “Sorry to spoil your evening but I better go and see
what’s going on. You stay here.”

Sarah
gently grabbed Allison’s elbow and guided her to the closest hatchway.
“Now what sort of doctor would I be if I stayed here? Let’s go and see my
patient. It’s a shame he’s a non-paying one. I could have retired on his
referrals alone.” Sarah smiled as they went to the ship’s accommodations
area.

MICHELA
FELT LIKE a ball in a pinball machine as they bounced from wall to wall in the
narrow corridor. Her next comment was muffled by Maddi’s hand, which softly
covered her mouth.

“Ssssh.
At this rate you’ll wake up the rest of the ship.”

Michela
tried to put all her concentration and effort into walking down the middle of
the corridor while leaning heavily on Maddi.
Geez. I was sure I only had two
scotches. Maybe I should have eaten today.

After
managing to walk in a relatively straight line, she was relieved when Maddi
finally leaned her back against the wall. Michela closed her eyes in relief but
quickly opened them again as Maddi’s hand plunged into the back pocket of her
jeans.

“Just
looking for your access card,” Maddi whispered close to her ear.

Michela
shuddered at Maddi’s closeness. As she leant forward to increase the contact,
Maddi removed her hand from her pocket.

Disappointed,
she watched Maddi slip the card into its slot on the door. As the door was
pushed open, Maddi wrapped an arm around Michela’s waist and helped her into
the compact confines of the cabin and closed the door.

Michela’s
inebriated gaze scanned the small cabin, before finally coming to rest on
Maddi. She smiled broadly as Maddi slowly walked toward her and insinuated her
body between her legs. Maddi’s thumb gently stroked the small dimple in
Michela’s cheek.

“God,
you’ve the most amazingly calm eyes.” Maddi lightly ran her fingers
through Michela’s auburn hair. “Have you any idea how beautiful you
are?” She entwined her hands at the nape of Michela’s neck.

Michela
felt Maddi’s lips on her own, and giving into the sensation, she parted her
lips to Maddi’s soft insistent tongue.

As
the kiss deepened, Michela felt Maddi’s hand on her jeans and the top button
gave way under Maddi’s strong fingers. The feather light touches of Maddi’s
fingers against the soft skin of her stomach seemed to sober Michela, and she
broke off the kiss. “I don’t think I can do this.”

Maddi
encircled her arms around Michela’s waist and pulled her closer. “Why not?
You were doing fine a moment ago.”

Michela’s
physical side reacted to Maddi’s touch, while her more practical side struggled
to answer. “I know we were. It’s just we barely know each other.” Her
breathing hitched at Maddi’s soft fingers against her lips.

“I
know we barely know each other, but I also know you’re an exceptionally
intelligent and beautiful woman. I’m not asking for commitment. There’s a spark
between us that we both feel and I’d really like to do something about that.
But I’m not about to take this anywhere you don’t want it to go.” Maddi
withdrew her arms from Michela’s waist. “Would you like me to leave?”

The
sudden withdrawal of intimate warmth was like a dash of cold water.
For
God’s sake you’re single, in a room alone with an incredibly attractive woman,
who’s offering you sex and God only knows that’s something you’ve been missing
over the past seven months. At least she’s being honest with her intentions.
What are you doing?
Michela looked up as Maddi reached for the door handle.

Realizing
her silence had been misinterpreted, Michela gently grasped Maddi’s arm. Maddi
turned, her questioning eyes scanning Michela’s. “I’m sorry. I zoned out
there for a moment.” She reached out her hand, palm upturned in offering,
toward Maddi. “No, I don’t want you to leave.”

Maddi
smiled and drew Michela to her. She tugged Michela’s shirt clear of her pants,
and traced a path over her muscled stomach.

Michela
released a shuddering breath and consumed Maddi’s lips with her own. Maddi
lightly cupped the soft silk fabric that encased Michela’s breasts before she
slipped her hands around Michela and unclasped her bra. Michela groaned at the
sensation, as Maddi took her soft breasts in her hands.

She
pulled Maddi’s T-shirt from the confines of her cargo pants and ran her hands
under the shirt to her breasts, moaning with pleasure at the absence of a bra.
She softly rubbed her palms across the already hard nipples, causing Maddi to
uncontrollably buck against her thigh.

Maddi
wrapped her arms around Michela’s waist and lightly rested her forehead on
Michela’s. “I swear to God if I don’t lie down I’m going to fall
over.”

Michela
chuckled as she snagged Maddi’s T-shirt. “How about we get rid of some of
this first?” She slowly pulled the shirt over Maddi’s head.

Maddi
quietly laughed as she in turn peeled off Michela’s shirt and bra. “Now
why didn’t I think of that?”

MADDI
SILENTLY UNTANGLED herself from a softly snoring Michela before retrieving her
clothes from their various resting-places throughout the room. She tucked her
T-shirt into her cargo pants and turned to where Michela was sleeping, only to
realize she was being observed.

“Good
morning.” Michela’s voice was thick with sleep and a slight hangover.

Maddi
glanced around the room, as if looking for an escape. “Good morning to
you, too. I’m sorry, but I’ve got to go. There’s some work I have to get done
before we arrive at Wills.”

Michela
breathed a silent sigh of relief. Despite Maddi’s assurances, she’d been a
little worried about whether Maddi would be true to her word. “It’s okay.
I understand. No strings attached.”

Maddi
released a held breath. “Thank God for that.” She winced.
“Sorry. That didn’t quite come out the way I meant it to. As I said last
night, you’re an incredibly beautiful and intelligent woman and I could feel
something, almost primal, between us. I’m very grateful we can be adult about
this.”

Michela
laughed at Maddi’s struggle for diplomacy. “I think you better go before I
have to get Sarah to extract more than the one foot that’s already in your
mouth.”

Maddi
gave her a cheeky shrug and a quick kiss on the cheek, and then slipped out the
door.

Michela
took a quick shower and dressed. She closed the door behind her and headed to
Sarah’s room for her daily report on the state of the team and their
seasickness. While Ewan had managed to see half of the previous day through
before retiring to bed, Rick was still a concern.

She
quietly knocked on the cabin next to hers before entering. “Hi. How goes
things this morning?”

Sarah,
a smug look on her face, folded her arms and leant back against her chair.
“Don’t you think that’s a question I should be asking? My my, we can be a
little noisy, can’t we?”

Michela
blushed. “Sorry about that. I forgot the walls were so thin. Don’t worry.
There won’t be a next time, so I don’t think we’ll be bothering you
again.”

Sarah
shook her head. “Don’t get me wrong. I think it’s a great thing you and
Maddi finally scratched the itch you’ve both been carrying around for days. And
don’t look so surprised. It’s pretty obvious there’s something between the two
of you. All I’m saying is, well, I thought you were more discrete than
that.”

Michela
ran her fingers through her hair. “I said I was discrete but I never said
I was a nun. You’re right though. It won’t do any good if the others were to
find out. Thankfully Allison didn’t come and see me this morning as she usually
does.”

“She’s
a little preoccupied with Rick at the moment. She was here only a short while
ago getting some more medicine for him.”

Michela
frowned as a chill filled her stomach. “How long ago was that?”

“Oh,
about fifteen minutes. Why?”

Michela
creased her brow as she recalled the discussion at the coffeehouse that she and
Allison had shared about Sarah. “That’s about the time Maddi left my
quarters and she didn’t look as if she’d been paying a morning visit
either.”

“Let’s
hope for the sake of peace she didn’t see Maddi,” Sarah said.

MICHELA
JOINED THE crew and excited expeditionary on deck at the first sighting of
icebergs. She made her way through the crowd to Dianne and Allison, who were
snapping off photographs of the glistening blue-white crags of ice.
“They’re beautiful, aren’t they.”

Dianne
turned. “Hi, Michela. Aren’t they magnificent? I mean, I’ve read about
them but to see them up close is amazing. And to think the majority of these
biggies are actually under the water.”

Michela
laughed at Dianne’s enthusiasm before pointing at the blue hue of an ancient
berg off the ship’s bow. “That’s a small one. Years ago one calved off the
Ross Ice Shelf and it was the size of Tasmania. Quite unbelievable to think of
a block of ice that size, not to mention what lies beneath the water level, hey
Alli?”

Allison
turned to Michela, her cobalt blue eyes piercing Michela’s hazel ones.
“Yes, it’s surprising, isn’t it? When you think you’ve seen all there is
to see, there’s so much hidden below the surface. A bit like deceit don’t you
think? It’s so amazing what lurks beneath, where it can’t be seen. Excuse me.
I’ve got work to do. Dianne, Dr. DeGrasse.” Allison disappeared in the
crowd.

Michela
watched as Dianne, preoccupied with getting a better shot, moved closer to the
ship’s railing, nudging people out of the way as she went. Sensing someone
beside her, she turned to see the rueful smile on Sarah’s face.

“If
that’s anything to go by, the good Dr. Shaunessy didn’t miss a trick this
morning. I’d say you’ve been well and truly caught out.”

My
Darling Charlotte,

After
what seems like days of searching, we have finally found the coast of
Antarctica. I will only admit this to you my love, but there were moments when
I thought we would never sight land. Navigating through the pack ice was
treacherous. More than once we found ourselves backtracking on the path we had
taken in order to move forward. At times I could not help but wonder whether we
were stumbling along the coastline like a group of drunken sailors, rather than
the expeditionary we are. We were not without our false sightings of land
either. On one such occasion we found ourselves beside an ice cliff, which we
paralleled in the hope of finding an inlet. Imagine our surprise to find that
after half a day’s sailing we had merely reached the end of what was a mammoth
iceberg.

When
all seemed to naught, through the mist we stumbled upon a rocky inlet, large
enough to provide shelter and allow us to commence the difficult task of
unloading our stores and provisions for the long months ahead. I have decided
that we will push inland five miles or so, rather than remain close to the
shoreline. I feel this will provide us a better staging base, as well as
protect us from the fierce storms of the coastal fringe. There is so much to do
that I must prematurely finish this entry. Again, my thoughts are with you and
dear Robert,

ERF

Antarctica—2009

MICHELA
WATCHED AS the last of the stragglers entered the ship’s briefing room. She
gazed around the gathering. The expeditionary buzzed with curiosity, but she’d
been through this before and had some idea what this meeting was about.

“Good
morning, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to Wills Station,” the captain
said. “Well, as close as we’re going to get to it. We’re about six miles
from the station, but an unusually late thaw has meant that the depth of the
ice between here and there makes it too difficult for the ship to safely cover
the distance. So we’ll off-load stores and personnel going ashore from
here.”

Michael
Gribbin raised his hand. “You mean you’re going to put gear down onto the
ice? We’ve just crashed through the stuff. What stops it from cracking the moment
we set foot on it?”

The
captain chuckled. “That’s a question often asked by newcomers. We’re going
to off-load the stores onto ten feet of solid ice and this is as stable as
concrete. The weight is evenly distributed and no one point carries any great
deal of pressure. Last season I off-loaded a twenty ton arctic tractor onto the
ice and the surface held its ground. I don’t think you’ve got anything to worry
about.