“Where do you want to go?” she heard herself ask. Her voice sounded far away, yet so close, as if it was only an echo in her head. As if none of this was real.
Marcy turned to her and smiled that dazzling smile that made her crazy inside. “How about that little beach behind the pier?” Her piercing blue eyes had a cockiness to them; an air of confidence Zoe could only wish for.
She swallowed hard and nodded, knowing exactly what was about to happen. That beach was dark and quiet, and there was little chance they’d encounter anyone there at this time of night. Clammy from her bar shift, she wished she’d had a shower but there had been no time for that. Because when Marcy had asked her to come for a walk, she’d immediately jumped at the opportunity. Marcy, the most attractive girl she’d ever encountered.
Suddenly Marcy stopped and turned to look at her. “Come here,” she whispered, cupping Zoe’s face. Zoe had no time to prepare herself for the kiss that followed, and the trail of fire that shot through her entire body. As soon as Marcy’s lips were on hers, she felt an orgasm building, and she wondered how that was possible from a kiss alone. Then, Marcy’s tongue met hers, and she combusted on the spot; literally shattering into a million pieces. As if watching from outside her body, she could see fragments of herself shooting through the sky, burning incandescently, then fading into the black of the night.
“Fuck,” Zoe mumbled, sitting up in bed. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she noted the delicious throbbing between her thighs still hadn’t subsided. Was she having sex dreams about Marcy now? Although the dream hadn’t reflected the exact happenings of that night, she was amazed by how accurate the emotional memories were; the salty scent of the sea breeze, the heat of the summer, the sensation of Marcy’s lips against hers when she kissed her for the first time... “Fuck,” she said again, louder this time. Afraid of falling asleep again in case the dream would continue, she swung her legs over the edge of her single bed and saw that it was only seven am. She never got up this early, but she needed a shower to wash away the fading flashbacks of her dream.
* * *
“You’re up early. Aren’t you off today?” Ling asked when Zoe came down after a shower. She was sitting in her usual spot at the kitchen table, watching an Asian news channel online. Looking up, she pointed to the seat opposite, then put her hand on the coffee pot to check if it was still warm. “How was work yesterday?”
“I actually had to leave work to help a friend with a wounded Iberian lynx,” Zoe said, pouring herself a coffee from the pot.
“A what?”
“A lynx. You know; the big cats with beards and funny tufts on their ears.” Zoe leaned in and crossed her arms on the table. “It was wounded, so Marcy asked me to bring over some shepherd’s purse and a chicken because it looked malnourished. We waited until the rangers came but it ran off just before they got to it.”
“Oh… that must have been quite an adventure. Aren’t those endangered?”
“Yes, they are. It was an amazing experience to see one so closeup. I’m worried about it, but there’s not much we can do,” Zoe said, taking a careful sip of the hot coffee. Even after a cold shower, she was still flustered from her dream.
“And who is Marcy?”
“She was the contractor for El Escondite.” Zoe took two slices of bread out of the freezer and popped them in the toaster. “Anyway, we tried our best and may or may not have succeeded. I just hope the poor thing is going to be okay.”
“You’re a sweetheart,” her mother said, getting up. She put her arms around Zoe and kissed her cheek. “Always have been.”
“Who’s a sweetheart?” Zoe’s father appeared, clean shaven and smelling of the most atrocious aftershave. “Certainly neither of you,” he joked, kissing Ling on her cheek.
“Good morning, Dad.” Zoe smiled at him. “Are you working today?”
“Yes. I’m doing six days this week.” He helped himself to coffee. “Want to come with me? Keep me company?”
Zoe smiled. “Not today; Mum and I are making herbal potions, but I will come along next time I’m off. I’d love to visit Calpe again.” She plated the toast, smothered them in finely chopped juicy tomatoes, added some salt and handed a plate to her father. “I’ll make some more toast. That won’t be enough to keep you going until lunch.”
31
The lynx was back and this time, Marcy was prepared. Rushing in to get the raw chicken she had brought in anticipation of his return, she felt elated that he had come back, despite having been scared away twice. Approaching him slowly, she put the chicken down and moved away a little, then sat down to watch him eat.
“Good boy,” she whispered in a soothing voice. He didn’t seem scared, just a little nervous when she moved to cross her legs. He seemed to be walking better; unlike last time, and he was happily wolfing the chicken down, tearing off huge chunks. Marcy had many pets growing up, but she’d never learned to deal with wild animals, so she had no idea how to interact with him. One thing she was sure of, though; she knew he was not going to hurt her. It took him a while to finish eating, but he didn’t attempt to escape with the ‘catch’.
Licking his lips, having finished his meal, the lynx looked into her eyes, then visibly relaxed in front of the half-eaten carcass. He was scanning his surroundings now; perhaps expecting the rangers to show up any moment.
“Have you had enough?” Marcy asked quietly, and she smiled when he raised his face to the sun. They sat there together in companionable silence for what felt like an eternity, but she kept still and observed him. Finally, he got up and started walking towards her, one careful step at a time. “Come here. That’s a good boy,” she said in a soothing tone, holding out her hand with her palm facing down. She was glad to see he was putting his full weight on the paw. She held her breath as the lynx stopped only a few feet away from her, then inched a little closer before laying down. A shiver ran down Marcy’s spine. Here she was, hanging out with a wild animal that trusted her enough to relax right in front of her. The only thing missing in this absurd situation was Zoe.
Carefully, Marcy pulled her phone out of her back pocket and called her on video. When Zoe picked up, she placed her index finger over her lips, urging Zoe to keep her voice down.
“I have something to show you,” she whispered, turning the camera around so Zoe could see the lynx.
“That’s incredible,” Zoe said, her eyes wide when Marcy reversed the camera again to face her.
“Amazing, right? He’s doing a lot better.”
“I’m so glad to hear that; I’ve been worried.” Zoe smiled widely. “Do you need more chicken? I can bring some over. I might even be able to get hold of a rabbit; that’s what they normally eat, right?”
Marcy shook her head and smiled back at her, touched by the offer. “Thank you, that’s very sweet, but I have some raw meat in the fridge and anyway, the rangers have told me I should probably stop feeding him now.” It was nice to talk to Zoe on video—less intense—like it gave her a free pass to stare at her beautiful face without feeling weird about it.
