21. Christian
I’m nervous. I’ve never been this nervous since I tried to surprise Raven with the publishing deal, but this one feels more harrowing since a lot of people will be involved. I go back and forth between thinking it’s a good decision to bring her here and thinking that it’s the worst idea ever, but there’s no time to turn back as we’re already in the camp.
It’s a nice, private park with plenty of running space and areas to set camp in, but it also already has lodges for those who don’t want to sleep in tents. I can see most of my agents have arrived early, including Ingrid and Leon, who are dressed like they’re ready to hike a trail.
“Good morning, Leon. Good morning, Ingrid. You guys need to join the activities this year.”
Leon, despite his outfit, looks like he wants to go back to sleep, while Ingrid looks like she’s ready to do jumping jacks. I try not to laugh as she nods enthusiastically. Leon groans.
“Maybe the lighter activities. I don’t even want to be near that obstacle course.”
“Why not?”
“Me versus you and these trained men?” Leon scoffs. “My wife might kick me off the curb and marry one of them instead if she sees how much of a disgrace I am.”
Laughter rings before a man joins us, his eyes twinkling. “Why, Leon, I don’t mind that at all. Please join the obstacle course. So I can finally have a chance with your wife.”
Ingrid laughs and shakes her head. “Sorry, Jack. I’m not into playboys who just want another notch in their bedpost.”
“Ouch. Harsh. My heart.” Jack glances at Raven. “Are you free? Maybe you can nurse my broken heart.”
I tense, waiting for her to be uncomfortable, especially when two more guys join in. But she smiles and shrugs.
“I’m not a nurse. But I’m pretty good at breaking stuff. I can add to that heartbreak.”
“Rejected within five seconds,” the second guy howls, putting an arm around Jack. They rib him over his antics, then turn to the woman who marches toward us.
“You guys are idiots. But that’s okay. It’ll be so much fun to beat your asses later.”
They rib her, too, but she roasts them again without batting an eyelash. I bite back a laugh. “Raven, these are some of my agents. Jack Lionel, Michael Dane, Kyle Oscar, and Stacy Ridges.”
“It’s nice to meet you all.”
My nerves go away a bit when I find Raven chatting them up, her body language more at ease and curious than anything. We make our rounds until everyone’s there, then do a roll call before Leon announces the first activity.
“Race to get the green flags! The first five to get them will get the best lunch of the day, including a year’s worth of breakfast at their diner of choice!”
An excited cry stirs the air while Raven’s eyes widen. “And that’s just the first prize? What are the other prizes?”
I wink. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”
It’s no surprise that Stacy grabs the first green flag, as her agility has always been her power move and one of the reasons why I hired her straight from her military discharge. But Jack isn’t far behind, and the two pretty much go head-to-head against each activity.
“Are they your best agents or something?”
I grin. “I have a lot of great agents. But these two are probably the most competitive. But it’s a strange competition.”
“Why strange?”
“Because it doesn’t seem to matter to them if they’re not top one. They just don’t want the other to be a rank above.”
“Just a friendly ongoing competition, then?”
I study the two, who are arguing over the last activity as Jack tries to get on Stacy’s nerves and Stacy’s trying not to lose her cool. Something is simmering between these two, but the last I know is that Jack isn’t the type to sleep with co-workers, while Stacy doesn’t do relationships. Maybe it’s just the ongoing rivalry.
“Probably. Anyway, I’m up.”
Her brows raise. “You’re joining the obstacle course?”
“Yeah.” I smirk. “To make it more fun.”
Ingrid announces the prize for this activity: a trip for two to the Caribbean, with all expenses paid. I can feel the excitement swirling in the air and get pumped, too, as we line up in groups and give it a go. Each group gets a winner, and the winners compete in the finals.
“Hey, boss. Wanna split the first-place prize and go on a trip with me?” Ethan Thomas grins as he positions himself beside me.
“What, with all those honeymoon activity inclusions?” I chuckle. “Could be fun.”
“You just have to let me win, boss.”
I hunker down. “You just have to beat me.”
As soon as the horn sounds, I’m on the move, the adrenaline rushing out of my pores and instinct dictating my steps. I’ve done obstacles like this one for so long and can probably do it in my sleep, but so can my agents. Jack, Stacy, and I take the lead, but soon the two fall behind and I’m neck and neck with Ethan, whose face is already a bright red.
When we get to the rope swings, it’s game over for him as his bulkier frame and weight slows him down a bit, but it’s an advantage for Stacy who’s back in the lead and swinging faster than me. We race to the wall climb, then race through the last lane of tires until I can jump toward the finish line.
The cheers are deafening, but so are the groans from the finalists. Jack scowls at Stacy, who got second place, while Ethan shakes his head in amusement.
“Not fair. You win every damn year, boss.”
Stacy scoffs. “Then you shouldn’t have invited him. You know he loves to beat our asses.”
“Except he can’t beat your ass, can he?”
Stacy glares at Jack while Jack continues teasing her. I grin mischievously.
“I guess I won that trip to the Caribbean…unless anyone wants another shot at the prize?”
The yes is unanimous, and soon Leon announces that there’s an extra activity in store: paintball war. But before we can start, Ingrid clears her throat.
“But with a twist this time.” Her eyes sparkle. “It will be a pairing match. The first three teams will be picked randomly, and those three teams will match up the rest.”
It’s chaos from then on as the first three teams decide to play their little game: by pairing the worst combination of people together. Jack and Stacy groan in protest when they get paired together, then some others whose skill sets don’t match each other. When I notice that Michael’s the only one left without a partner, I walk toward him, but Ethan and Jack block my path.
“Oh, no you don’t, boss.”
I glance at Ethan. “He’s the only one left.”
Michael shrugs sheepishly, then limps slightly. I didn’t notice it before, but I figure it must be from the obstacle course. “Sorry, man, but I’m going to have to sit this one out. I’m having leg cramps.”
“Well, there’s no one. Even Ingrid and Leon are paired up…”
Then it clicks as Stacy turns to Raven.
“We vote Raven. She can be your partner. Unless she doesn’t want to join, then you’re out…”
I’m not even surprised with Raven’s answer and bright smile.
“I would love to join!”
* * *
“They want me to lose.”
Raven shoots me an amused look. “I should be insulted, but I kind of agree with you. You don’t have a chance with me.”
“Hey. I was kidding. Don’t sell yourself short. Do you know how to use that gun?”
“I don’t. But I also want to win. Teach me?”
I demonstrate for her, then show her how to hold her gun and aim properly. Everyone else around us gears up, but I can’t help being a bit touchy as my hands linger longer on her. Her eyes glaze when my arm lightly brushes her chest, then when my palm slides over her back.
“I said teach me, not distract me.”
“Baby, you’re the distracting one. I miss having my hands on you.”
She opens her mouth to retaliate, but Leon shouts for us to start walking away from each other. I take her hand and tug her toward the left, where the wood area is denser. We keep walking until we find a spot surrounded by bushes.
“How do we know when the game’s starting?”
A horn blasts from the distance and she smiles. So do I. Then we make a run for it, heading far away from the noises already echoing around us.
“My strategy is to lie low and let them fight it out first, then make my move when they’re winded. It’s underhanded, but I find that sometimes you don’t have to charge headfirst into battle.”
“Sounds like a veteran move. Where are we going?”
“I think I spotted a lake earlier. Let’s camp by that lake and set up a target mark.”
We organize it in no time, having a clear advantage with our view. Raven looks around for movement, her body tense but in an anticipatory way. Then her pupils dilate.
“Ten o’clock.”
I already spotted the pairing before her warning. She crouches lower while I lock in, then shoot twice. A gasp comes from the two agents with purple paint on their vests, who wave at us before marching back to the starting point.
Raven pumps a celebratory fist. “Do we have points now?”
“The last pair standing is the winner.”
“Oh.”
I take in her flushed cheeks. “Are you okay?”
She nods. “Yeah. That was just so…sexy. You shooting that cleanly, I mean. All calm and collected.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Hmm. It makes me want to tear off your clothes and unravel you until you’re wild for me.”
My eyes widen and I cough. If we were in private, I don’t think I’d be able to hold back with how hard I already am. I’d probably tear off her clothes first.
I want to jump her now, but I swallow the fantasy and force myself to keep looking ahead.
“Later. I promise you’ll get that wish.”
She snickers, then goes silent when another pair comes into the clearing and I shoot again. Our secret hideout doesn’t remain secret for long as the paint splatters on the ground and clues others in, so we sneak away to find new territory. Before long, hiding’s no longer an option as more pairs get eliminated and it’s down to a few pairs.
I’m more than impressed when Raven proves to be better than I imagined, quiet when needed and able to sneak around and shoot targets on their backs. She manages to shoot a third agent by herself and crows in triumph, but then her gun gets stuck and another agent quickly approaches her. I shoot him first, but more men emerge and aim at her.
She tries to run, but it’s too late. Instinct snaps and I jump in front of her, then roll us to the ground to avoid the first round of paintballs. But a second round volleys my back as I keep her covered while she…giggles.
I look down at her, noticing the paint on her shoulder and the joy in her eyes. It’s a breathtaking sight, but it’s the mischief in her voice that snags my attention.
“Christian, I think you’re right. They made me join so you could lose. Did you always win this activity, too?”
“He always did.” Ethan smirks. “The boss hates losing and likes one-upping everyone.”
“But we finally got him now.” Kyle laughs. “Good game, Raven. Jack, does this mean you’ll give Stacy a chance on your honeymoon now?”
“In her dreams.”
“Fuck you, Lionel.”
But Stacy and Jack are too happy with their win to keep ribbing at each other. They high-five while I stand up and pull Raven with me, then shake my head.
“Unfair. You guys ganged up on us.”
“Congratulations to the winners.” Michael approaches us, no longer limping. My eyes widen.
“Oh, you bastard.”
“All’s fair in love and war, man.”
Despite the obvious setup, I can’t help feeling pride for these people, especially since their sneaky little teamwork paid off. I happily declare Jack and Stacy as the winners, then announce that everyone’s getting prizes, too, prepared by the Lemmon team. It boosts the mood even higher as they start guessing what the prizes are.
And Raven?
She laughs along with everyone and makes some jokes, too, already accepted into the fold as if she’s been playing with them for a long time.
And I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a wonderful sight.