"I want to go horseback riding."
"Then go." Nikki turned to look at Sinclair. "There should be a few places on the beach that have horse tours."
The two women lay stretched out under an oversized beach umbrella while Xavier sat on the beach, building a fortress out of sand for his toy soldiers. It was the weekend again, and Sinclair was finally able to lure Nikki away from Victor to go to the beach with her. This time, they took a taxi at Sinclair's expense so they wouldn't have to wrestle with the umbrella on the motorcycle.
"I don't want to do the tourist thing, though," Sinclair said.
"Maybe Hunter can help you out. She knows a lot of rich people on the island. She might be able to find you a private tour or something."
"Hunter!" They looked up at Xavier's shout. The boy abandoned his fort to greet the woman and pull her over to see the results of his labor. She took something out of her backpack and gave it to him. Xavier looked puzzled, then after a few words with him, he nodded and put his gift, another toy soldier, with the others who were lined up to go into the fort.
"You know I think the reason he likes her so much is because she always brings him gifts."
Nikki smiled. "There's nothing wrong with that."
Sinclair rolled her eyes.
"Hey, ladies." Hunter left the fort to join them.
"Speak of the devil and she shall appear."
"Should I take offense?" Hunter sat in the sand beside them and gave Sinclair's butt a playful pat.
"It's not like we're telling you something you don't already know," Sinclair grinned. "Nikki was just saying you might know about a private horseback riding tour. I haven't been on a horse since my grandma took me to Montana when I was eighteen."
"I can't guarantee you any experience you have here is going to be like Montana when you were a teenager."
"Hmm, I could think of at least one." She exchanged a heavy lidded gaze with Hunter, swept her eyes over the other woman's taut body in its cutoff shorts and thin T-shirt. The exhilaration of her first ride had been coupled with a healthy dose of fear and breathlessness. Not unlike the time Hunter had taken her at the castle, her body hard and sweaty as it pounded against Sinclair's from behind.
Hunter coughed. "My apologies, you would certainly know better than I."
"So what about the horseback riding?"
"I have some friends who own horses." She lay back in the sand and watched Xavier chase little seabirds away from his fort. "I'll call them this evening."
"So what brings you out of your dungeon on such a gorgeous day," Sinclair asked. Over the past few days, Hunter had been working feverishly on a project that left her little daylight time to spend with her lover.
"You, of course." Hunter flashed her a smile. "I brought you something."
Beside them, Nikki suddenly stood up and went to join her son in the sand.
"Really?" Sinclair sat up. "What is it?"
Hunter opened her backpack and pulled out something heavy wrapped in cheesecloth. "Here."
It was a camera. One very much like the one that Sinclair had broken in the mountains, only it was older, an antique where hers had merely been old.
"Oh my God!" Sinclair took the camera, marveling at its metal and leather housing that gleamed in the sun.
"This one is metal, so in case you decide to beat someone's face in with it, it'll survive the attack, and the guy at the shop said that it works just fine with the 35 millimeter film you were using before. It's from 1972 or something. All I knew was that yours was old so I looked online then ran down a guy in Kingston that happened to have this." Hunter took a quick breath as if to stop herself from talking. "Is this close enough to what you had?"
"Are you kidding?" Sinclair let out a squeak and grabbed Hunter in a fierce hug. "This is wonderful. Thank you. I can't believe you did this for me."
"Why wouldn't l?" Hunter's palms were hot against Sinclair's back and neck. "You mean a lot to me. This is nothing."
"It's hardly nothing, you crazy woman." Sinclair kissed her mouth. "This is very unexpected. Thank you."
"Good. I'm glad you like it. The film from the broken camera is in the plastic bag too. I think you can save some of the photos." Hunter reluctantly pulled back from their hug. "I have to go. Work."
Sinclair groaned in disappointment. "Really?"
"Yes. But I'll be done with this project by Tuesday." She brushed her fingers over Sinclair's cheek. "Come to my house on Wednesday morning by seven. I can arrange for us to go riding then. OK?"
"OK." Sinclair grinned, clutching her new old camera as she watched Hunter wave at Nikki and Xavier then walk away toward her jeep. After she drove away, Nikki came back to sit next to her stepdaughter.
"Nice," she said, pointing at the camera.
"Yes, it is. So is Hunter."
"She gave Xavie a new toy." Nikki dimpled. "A girl soldier. "
They both laughed.
"At first, he didn't even know what to do with her. He had no idea they made girl soldiers."
"But I'm sure Hunter set him straight." Sinclair looked down at the camera. "God, it's going to be so hard to leave."
"That's two weeks away. Don't think about it now, just enjoy the time you do have."
A bittersweet smile tugged at Sinclair's mouth. "You're right." She touched the younger woman's arm. Nikki made a low noise and hugged her tight.
It just happened that Hunter did know some rich people with horses, friends she'd known in England years ago. The Rai-Spencers were an attractive, charming couple. Madeline was an English barrister who had enough of London's rain and noise and decided to move back to the country where her parents were born. Her wife, Radha, was a dancer who had been forced into early retirement by a knee injury and who now wrote bestselling novels for British lesbians. The women looked vaguely familiar to Sinclair, but she couldn't quite place where she'd seen them before.
"Good to see you again, Hunter." Madeline hugged her friend. "Twice in one week. Rare but most welcome."
Radha took her turn in Hunter's arms. "Yes, we know it's not quite a social call, but we love seeing you anyway." She turned to Sinclair. "And this is the woman you told us about?"
"Yes. This is Bliss Sinclair. Sinclair, these are my very good friends."
When Madeline turned to Sinclair, she remembered where she'd seen them before. At the party three weeks ago. They were the same beautiful couple she hadn't been able to take her eyes off of.
"It's good to finally meet someone who she's dating." Madeline pulled Sinclair into a tight embrace. Her skin held the tang of indoors, air conditioner, and expensive soap. "You have no idea the pains she goes through to keep her love life secret from us."
"Don't exaggerate, Maddy."
"Ha! She doesn't at all exaggerate." Radha kissed Sinclair warmly on the cheek. "A pleasure."
Madeline looped her arm though Sinclair's. "Come and have a drink of something cold before you run out to play with the horses."
The women plied them with fruits and drinks before showing Sinclair around the large two-story Spanish-style house. It was a gorgeous space, cool with ceiling fans spinning lazily in every room and walls the color of Jamaican fruits.
"Hunter is familiar with everything in the stables," Radha said with an impish smile. She flipped her long braid over her shoulder as she spoke. "The horses know her. Just have a good time and come in to see us when you get back."
In the stables, Sinclair watched Hunter with the animals. She did know what she was doing, greeting each horse by name and fishing a carrot from the bulging pockets of her cargo shorts for them. She was gentle and teasing and the horses responded well to her. The smell of horse, manure, and leather marinating in the heat made Sinclair eager to leave the confines of the neatly kept four-horse stable, but as Hunter soothed the animals with her soft voice and sure hands, Sinclair, too, became soothed and was content to simply watch.
"Radha and Madeline are very nice women," Sinclair said.
"They are. I knew Madeline when I lived in London. She'd been unhappy there for as long as I could remember. Only when she and Radha met did she want to do anything about her unhappiness." Hunter looked up at her with an odd smile. "They're good for each other."
"Were you and Madeline lovers?"
"No. But we thought about it. After Radha came on the scene there was no chance, of course. Love at first sight and all that."
Sinclair's eyes followed the sleek lines of Hunter's body. "That's beautiful."
"Yes. It is."
Hunter disappeared into a stall to saddle a quiet brown horse. The plaque on the door named her Dahlia. She led the horse out and handed the reins to Sinclair.
"Just hold her gently. She won't bite or anything. I'm going to saddle up Glimmer and walk them both out."
When she was finished, she quietly took the reins back from Sinclair and led the horses into the paddock just beyond the barn door.
"Do you remember much from your teenage riding lesson?" Hunter asked, her mouth a curving tease.
"Only to sit my ass down, hold on to the reins, and follow the horse in front of me."
Hunter chuckled. "That won't help you in this case, I'm afraid."
She showed her how to mount on the left side using the mounting block, how to turn the horse, and how to prevent Dahlia from galloping away if she saw something tempting ahead. The height from atop the shifting horse was disconcerting and took some getting used to. Sinclair held the reins tightly then remembering Hunter's advice, relaxed her grip.
"That's good. Now stay loose in the saddle. Allow her movements to guide you." Hunter gracefully mounted her horse without the aid of the mounting block. "Watch me." She and Glimmer walked around the paddock. The movement of Hunter's hips atop the pale horse was hypnotic. It wasn't long before Sinclair forgot why she was supposed to be watching her lover in the first place. She simply stared, admiring the lean and graceful body that swayed in the saddle.
"You watching?"
"Absolutely." Sinclair smiled lazily at her.
Hunter walked Glimmer back to Dahlia's side. "Really?"
"I swear." Sinclair had only enough courage atop Dahlia to reach out for her lover and slip her fingers through the ends of Hunter's thick hair. "But I can watch you even closer if you'd like."
Hunter chuckled and leaned in to complete the motion Sinclair began, meeting her lips and accepting their moist warmth. The horses snorted at each other then shifted, pulling them apart.
"I guess this means that they're eager to get started," Hunter murmured with a smile.
"Me, too." But Sinclair was talking about something else entirely.
They took the scenic route from the Rai-Spencers' densely green backyard with its acres of grass and fruit trees and color dappled flowers blazing under the sun. Once they stepped through the iron gate and crested the rise of the hill, miles of gold-washed mountain land spread out like a tapestry before them.
"I don't remember much of this growing up, but my mother used to talk about seeing the island by horseback all the time." Hunter and Glimmer moved at Sinclair's side. "She hated the island, but once she was away it was all she ever talked about. How could I have loved England when she served up visions of this," she waved her hand at the vista below them, "to me everyday?"
They rode steadily down the mountain, ducking their heads to pass beneath low hanging tamarind trees thick with vines. Hunter pointed out hidden oases of wildflowers growing in the green forest-the scarlet ginger and bright orange bougainvillea and white jasmine and red hibiscus. Their colors were dazzling.
At midday they stopped to eat the sandwiches and water Hunter brought along in her backpack, leaving the horses to graze a short distance away on the abundant grass.
"Thank you for doing this for me," Sinclair said, leaning back against a thick shade tree. "It's been a perfect day."
Hunter bit into her sandwich. "My pleasure."
Sinclair expected some smart-ass comment from her, but was surprised by Hunter's look of quiet satisfaction and nothing else.
Even with stops to get food and water for the horses and to take photos of nearly everything between the Rai-Spencer house and their destination, they made it down to the beach well before dinnertime. The sun hung teasingly near the horizon, still full and white in the sky, while under it the Caribbean Sea sparkled a luminous turquoise. Glimmer and Dahlia quickly trotted down the well-worn path from the mountain to the water's edge, eager for a change in terrain. The horses splashed in the water, kicking up white sand and seawater on the women's bare legs and arms. They tossed their necks over the water, whinnying.
"They probably want to play in some water they can drink," Sinclair said, laughing as another splash caught her.
"Me, too." Hunter slid Sinclair a laughing look. "Food now, I think."
She and Glimmer led the way to a nearby seaside restaurant. The women tied the horses to a hitching post near a gigantic trough of water and walked in to have a proper dinner.
"Fun times, good company, and food." Sinclair lightly bumped Hunter's hip with her own as they walked into the restaurant. "You are, hands down, the best guide out there."
"Of course I am. Wait until you see what I have to show you when we get back."
"If it involves more of your wet skin then I'm all for it," Sinclair said.
They sat out on the deck so they could keep an eye on the horses while they ate. As Sinclair looked around the restaurant indulging in a bit of people watching, a familiar face caught her eye.
"Lydia is here."
"Really?" Hunter didn't look up from her menu. "What are you in the mood for?"
"Something tasty. When was the last time you talked with her?"
"The day she almost caught us naked at your father's house." Hunter looked up and saw something over Sinclair's shoulder that made her grimace. "Damn, I hate dyke drama." She put her menu down and stretched her lips in a bad imitation of a smile as her ex-girlfriend drew close. "Hullo, Lydia."
"Hey, kids."
Lydia was not sober. She sat down at the table with her customary grace, but Sinclair could smell the alcohol on her.
"How are you, Lydia?" she asked.
"I'm not really dealing well with my sister's betrayal. Other than that, I'm fine."
Hunter made a rude noise. "Get over yourself, baby. This is not about you."
Sinclair stared at Hunter in surprise. Her lover looked annoyed and not in the mood to hide it.
"How can you say that when she took you away from me." Her voice rose. "I wanted you back."
Sinclair looked down at the table. This was either going to get really ugly, or it already was.
"I'm not a toy to be-" Hunter stopped and stood up. "Tell you what, Lydia. Come with me for a second. Let's talk somewhere private." She didn't look at Sinclair.
The younger woman threw her sister a narrow-eyed look as she stood up and followed Hunter. People turned to stare at them and, after the two women disappeared from view, watched Sinclair to see what would happen next. Sinclair bowed her head over her menu, annoyed and embarrassed.
"Hello, lovely."
Sinclair looked up to see Hunter's cousin standing near the table. "Ebony, right?"
"At your service, beautiful lady. I'm pleased that you re member my name." She sat down in Hunter's chair. "So why is a pretty girl like you sitting here looking so sad? My egghead cousin put you off already?" She leaned back and propped her feet up on an empty chair. The silver ring in her right nipple winked at Sinclair through the tight shirt.
Despite her annoyance, Sinclair chuckled. "No, she hasn't done a thing to `put me off.' I'm just having a bit of a family raucous at the moment."
"You mean with Lydia?"
"How do you know about that?"
"She and I came here together." At Sinclair's raised eyebrow, she grinned. "She's trying out some new things these days." Ebony picked up the menu. "So I guess they're off somewhere talking, then?"
Sinclair nodded.
"Lord knows how long that's going to take and I'm already hungry." The waitress chose that moment to walk over to their table. "Perfect."
After they ordered, the two women sat back to watch each other. Ebony's mouth tilted in a crooked smile. To Sinclair, it seemed pained.
"I hope you don't feel bad about being a substitute for Hunter," she felt compelled to say.
Ebony chuckled. "Not at all. I know that girl doesn't want me. She doesn't want my cousin either. We're both subs. That's life. At least I'm getting to enjoy the perks of that arrangement."
"You're both substitutes? What do you mean?"
"For Della. The girl never really got over her. Especially since Del left her for Hunter." Ebony shrugged. "I don't get that. A woman dumps me, I move on. Not try to fuck the girl she left me for just to prove something."
Things suddenly became a little clearer. "But why is she still stalking Hunter if it's Della she wants?"
"Don't ask me to explain the minds of crazies, my lovely." She looked up when the waitress came back with their food, the large tray almost overflowing with the lobster dinner, its various side dishes, and Sinclair's rather modest crab cakes and seasoned rice. "Ah! I've been looking forward to this all day. 55
The two of them were well on their way through their meal when Hunter reappeared, minus Lydia. She sat down and greeted her cousin with a nod. "Sorry about that."
"No problem, Hunt. We made the best of it despite being abandoned by our dates." Ebony scraped the last bit of lobster from the collection of shells on her plate and forked it into her mouth. "Where is Lydia anyway?"
"I left her in the parking lot. She might come back in here, but she might not."
"Then I guess I better go find her." Ebony finished her glass of wine and wiped her lips with the napkin before standing up. "Good to see you again, Sinclair." She looked at her cousin. "If you want to keep this one you should start acting better." She bared her teeth at Hunter. "Later."
Sinclair nibbled on her rice. Hunter slowly turned to face her, her mouth twisted into a less than humorous expression. "I really am sorry about that. But her childishness was really getting on my nerves."
"And that's all, huh?"
"What more could there be?" Hunter brushed her thumb across Sinclair's bottom lip. "You had some... sauce on you." She licked the speck of white off her thumb. "Is it too late for me to get something to eat?"
"Maybe. How late do you want to keep the horses out?"
"Good point. I'll just grab something to go." She raised her hand for the waitress.
They rode back into the mountains with the sun chasing them all the way. Hunter's teasing slowly melted away whatever misgivings Sinclair had about the long talk she'd had with Lydia. She even offered to share her chicken sandwich, laughing when the slight woman ate most of it, saying that it was Hunter's fault that she had been too keyed up at the restaurant to eat.
"I didn't know that Della and Lydia used to be together," Sinclair said as they trotted up the mountain.
"Me either until fairly recently." Hunter slid her an ironic look. "Small world, isn't it?"
Sinclair nodded. "Ebony was just telling me about that whole mess. Are you OK with it?"
"Yes. I have to be. When Lydia and I talked at the party a few weeks ago, I found out that this thing... was never really about me. Lydia still loves Della. And with all that going on she could never make love with me, much less love me. You know?" Hunter stared straight ahead as her body moved like a graceful metronome in the saddle. "That's why it made me so angry today that she was attacking you for stealing me, someone who she never really wanted." She shook her head. "Women."
Sinclair's eyes caressed the other woman's profile. "You're the one that I want," she whispered. "No other."
Ahead of them, the mountains were beginning to catch fire. The gold of full sun gave way to the stunning brilliance of sunset, steeped in shades of amber and orange and red. Beside her, Hunter, too, was draped in fire, her darkness haloed and magnified and magnificent as she rode quietly at Sinclair's side with her mouth curved in a faint smile.
"What are you smiling about?"
"Why do you ask? Can't I just be happy?" The smile remained, taking the sting out of the words.
"I suppose." Sinclair rolled her eyes, but felt a smile tug at her own lips.
"Want to go a little faster?"
"What?"
"It's easy. And the horses are restless. We'd be doing them a favor." She grinned. "Trust me." And she took off galloping up the gentle slope. Because Dahlia knew who was boss, the brown mare followed, forcing Sinclair to hold on for dear life.
Hunter bent forward on Glimmer's back and the horse's mane, tail, and the dark woman's hair streamed out like a black and silver banner. Laughter poured out behind her. The hooves pounded across the mountainside, flying through the grass and dirt toward the woods leading them back to the stables. Glimmer began to slow down, so did Dahlia until the horses were at a canter, their chests heaving with their recent effort. Hunter's chest, too, was heaving, and the look of her made Sinclair's body flush hot.
"Sexy, sexy, Miss Willoughby." Sinclair playfully licked her lips.
"Baby, you say the most flattering things..."
They shared a heated look then rode quickly the rest of the way home.
The next day Sinclair was so sore from riding that she could barely make it out of bed. Hunter knew, and showed up at her father's door not long after everyone had gone with a jar of something sweet-smelling to rub her down with.
"Just cut off everything below the waist so I can feel better," Sinclair groaned when she opened the door to let Hunter in.
Her lover, of course, looked disgustingly fit and pain-free in beige chinos and a white button-down shirt. "That's more pain in the long run for us all," she said. "Come on. Get back in bed."
"That's the best thing I've heard anyone say to me all day.
"It's barely nine o'clock."
"And I've already experienced three hours of constant pain. Come fix me."
She lay back on the bed and took off her robe so that Hunter could work on her.
"You know that's not really necessary, right?" she said, gesturing to Sinclair's nakedness. "Not that I'm complaining. "
"Then shut up and touch me."
Hunter rubbed Sinclair's legs and thighs until she was jelly, until the pain receded to the back of her mind and she was falling back asleep. Dimly she heard her lover say something about being teased without the promise of satisfaction. Sinclair yawned from the pillow of her arms and rolled over to her back.
"If you want it so bad then take it," she murmured then moaned softly when Hunter took her up on the invitation, stroking her throat and breasts with her tongue. That woke her right up.
