Page 3 of Chasing Ghosts
Itake a good look at the people standing around waiting to board the boat with me. These people could make or break me. If everything goes well, these are the people who are going to be working with me every single day. When I think about it like that, my eyes go straight to the little brunette who is once again hanging out with Roxie.
Roxie, I know. We did the prison special together, which in fact led to this very large opportunity for me. Her friend…the jury’s still out. There’s something inside of me that makes me want to pick her up and carry her somewhere…away from all this. Why is she even here anyway? She’s too young, too small, and too…I'm not sure what, but I just want her somewhere else, damn it!
I hate myself for it too. I shouldn’t feel this way. I don’t feel this way about Roxie or the other girl on the team. Just the tiny woman with the big brown eyes that see too much and look a little sad. I also shouldn’t think of her the way I do before I catch myself every time. It’s instantaneous.
From the moment I first saw her last night, standing next to Roxie in that crowded room, I felt that kick down deep in a place I thought had shriveled and died. Nothing. Not a thing foryears, and suddenly my dick is getting hard, and all I can think about is dragging her to the nearest bed. Trying to hide my hard-on while speaking to everyone in the room was a special kind of nightmare.
I’ve always been more studious than anything else. Give me a good mystery or a good adventure, and you’re speaking my love language. I thought last night might be a fluke, that I got excited about being so close to such a big mystery that is all mine, but it’s happening again.
This is the last thing I need right now. I need to focus, put all my concentration into making this a success, so we can get the green light to actually do the series. I had friends pull some strings for me to have this chance, and even more strings to go to the island. Renting the entire island was definitely a big string to pull. Thank God people liked the summer special. And there is no way I can let some beautiful-eyed brunette waylay me when I am so close to having everything I have worked so hard for.
“You ready, buddy?” my trusted cameraman, Tray Perez, comes up to me and asks the million-dollar question.
Am I?
I nod, and we start boarding. I can’t help but notice Tray’s eyes continually going to where mine are too. I don’t want to have to remind him I have a no bullshit policy about people sleeping around on this team…especially when I might not be able to follow my own fucking rule for the first time ever.
I’ve hand-picked each person to be here, except for a couple that the producers wanted to add on, and even then, I was heavily involved. Cori was one of the people the producerspicked, and I okayed it because her work was impeccable. I thought she was fifty and would bring a grandmotherly charm to the group. Someone to gather everyone and offer comfort. Now…I have the fucking opposite on my hands. A tiny sexpot with the ability to tear the whole thing apart by making me lose my god damned mind.
I make a plan and go to hunt down the producer who wanted to come along with us for the pilot episode. It doesn’t take me long to find him. He’s wrapped around Ripley, letting her woo him the same way she’s tried to woo me and Tray, and almost every man around her.
“Can I talk to you for a moment?”
The guy reluctantly pulls himself free, and we step away. “Wha’s on your mind, Max?”
I grind my teeth and remind myself I need this man on my side. “It’s Mac, actually, and I wanted to talk to you about one of the researchers. I think we may need to…send her back to the mainland.”
“Which one? Look, I know you have that stupid rule about nobody fucking on your little expeditions but me and Riley…”
“No,” I interrupt before he can say something that pisses me off more than he already does, “It’s Cori Moore.”
The guy looks completely blank.
“The historian. The little burnette…,” I stop myself before I can finish telling him she’s sex on a stick. No reason to point out how fucked I am.
“Look, Paul wanted another historian on the team to just make sure things matched up between the two of you. It’s no reflection on your degree.”
“I’m not pissed because my ego is bruised.” This stupid fucker thought I was offended because they wanted a second historian. How…childish? “She’s too…young to be here. She’s…”
I look over the railing at where she and Roxie are huddled together on a lower deck and watch her gesture with her hands and laugh at something the other girl has said.
“She comes highly recommended, and I think she’d look great on camera.”
My hackles stand up. If he knows what’s good for him, he'd better keep his attention firmly on Ripley and off Cori. “She’s not meant to be in front of the camera. She’s an offscreen source and nothing more. She didn’t sign on to be in front of…”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. But, dude, she’s got something captivating about her, don’t you think?”
“Just make sure Riley’s the only person you're ‘dating’ on my team. Anyone else and we’re going to have issues.”
I turn before the guy can say something that makes me put my fist through his face and walk away. I don’t make it far before the captain of the ship is pulling me to the side. “You understand the boat won’t be coming back to the island for three days, right man?”
“I’m aware.” I give him a stern look. He’s coming back in three days to bring supplies and then in another three to pick usup. “I have six days on that island, and I plan to use every one of those days.”
“We’ll see.” He gives me a look that clearly says he doesn’t believe we’ll last the entire time. “We’ll see.”
He turns to leave.
“Yes, we will.”
