Edge of Tomorrow (31 page)

Hatch could see what was bothering her. He
was happy about one thing: she did want to have sex with him! But
she wanted it after some romancing, after a candle-lit dinner,
dancing, and after she was sure he would not dump her after bedding
her. It reminded him of Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady singing ‘Why
can’t a woman be more like a man?’ even though the context was a
little different.

“Syd, I agree with you, but maybe a little
gentle, tender petting would calm us both down, and we’ll stay on
the plan,” he offered.

“Or it could turn us into flaming sex
infernos!”

She got up and went to the bed and lay down
on her back, her twin mounds pointing at the ceiling like Prussian
helmets.

“Whatever you decide to do is fine with me. I
can’t make any more decisions tonight! Here I am! Do whatever you
want,” she whispered, her eyes closed.

Hatch could not believe the position she had
put him in. He was not sure what kind of response she really
wanted. He found himself in a lose-lose situation.

If she had told me to leave, that she didn’t
want sex tonight, that I could live with. But she said she wanted
sex—but that she didn’t want it because of the mission! So,
whatever I do, it will be wrong! If I don’t touch her, and just
leave, she could get pissed because I didn’t! If I do, she could
get pissed because I did! Shit!

“Syd, we’re in a lose-lose situation here,”
he said. “Can you give me any clarification on what you want me to
do?”

She did not answer him. He sat down on the
bed next to her, taking in her beauty, and the sweep of her body
under the thin, semi-transparent gown. He took her hand in his: it
was limp. She was asleep!

Well, that’s one way out of this! I can’t
take advantage of a passed-out woman.

He leaned and kissed her gently on the lips,
then left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

• • •

Syd woke up at 7:31 A.M. with a pounding
headache, brought on equally by the bump on her head and the
chug-a-lugging of vodka the night before. She got up and stumbled
to her duffel, rummaging around until she found her travel case.
She found a bottle of Tylenol, took two out of it, and went to the
bathroom and washed them down with water. She was starting to get
flashes of what happened the night before.

Oh, shit! What did I do? I acted like an
ass, that’s what I did! What must Hatch think of me now? Stripping
down to my underwear in front of him! Flopping on the bed and
saying, “Have your way with me!” My God! I wonder what happened
after that. I don’t remember anything after that! Oh, Hatch, what
did I do? I have to apologize for my terrible behavior! I put him
in an impossible situation!

She brushed her teeth, trying to erase the
foul taste in her mouth, and threw on some clothes and made her way
to the infirmary to see Sara. Sara was eating breakfast off a
hospital table which had been swung over the bed and placed at the
level of her breasts.

“How goes it, Doc? Did I thank you enough
yesterday for saving my life?” she bubbled.

“You seem better today! No thanks required.
That was my job. I’m just glad I did it right.”

“Want some breakfast? They gave me way too
much. Sit there on the bed,” said Sara.

Syd sat down on the edge of the bed and took
a triangle of buttered toast and nibbled on it.

“Hatch was by. He said we’re going home this
morning after the doctor changes my bandage. You’ll have to be my
nurse on the flight home. Think you can put up with me? I’m a
terrible patient,” laughed Sara. “I can’t wait to get home! What’s
wrong, Syd? You don’t look like yourself.”

“One, I’m hung-over. Hatch and I took a
bottle of Stoli to my room last night and I guzzled it like a
Russian.”

“Good girl! You got him to your room,
eh?”

“Oh, yes! And I really fucked up!” groaned
Syd.

“I hope that means you were on top!” laughed
Sara.

“No! Sara, you’re
hopeless
! But that’s true. I don’t know if I was
on top, on the bottom, or none of the above!”

She proceeded to tell Sara the entire sordid
story—without revealing their previous plan—of how she had teased
Hatch worse than a Turkish belly dancer, and then put him in a
no-win situation.

“Now … I don’t remember what happened after
that!” she finished.

“Did you check and see if your plumbing had
been used?” asked Sara.

“Kind of. Can’t tell. The whole situation is
terrible! If we really did it, how can I tell him I don’t even
remember? What am I going to do, Sara?”

“Don’t bring it up unless he does, then fake
it,” Sara answered, still amused about the situation.

“He probably thinks I’m some slut after his
money,” said Syd.

“Well, he’s seen plenty of those. He has
enough money to make a lesbian go straight. But I’m sure he doesn’t
think of you like that. I’m just as sure that he wouldn’t have
taken advantage of you if you were out of it. What I don’t
understand is, if you wanted sex, and he wanted sex, why your legs
didn’t fly open like a nutcracker and show him the way to the
promised land!” giggled Sara. “My legs are spring-loaded for
situations like that!”

“It’s complicated, Sara. My life is not as
simple as you like to pretend yours is. And—maybe I did,” said Syd
with a wan smile.

“I doubt it. You would have remembered
something that good. Just put it behind you and do better next
time. Knowing Hatch, there will be a next time. I think you’ve
gotten under his skin. I’ve seen how he sneaks looks at you.”

“I don’t know how to face him!”

“Oh, come on, Syd! It’s not the end of the
fuckin’ world! Just get it right next time!” growled Sara.

“Yes,
Mother
! I’ll go find him and face him, see what
happens. Thanks, Sara, you helped a lot. See you later.”

• • •

Syd went in search of Hatch. Marli said she
had seen him earlier and that he had said he was going to his room
to make some calls. Syd went to his room and knocked on the
door.

“Come in, it’s open,” she heard Hatch say
through the door.

She hesitated, then opened it, entered
cautiously, and closed the door behind her. Hatch was on the sofa
with his Blue Phone to his ear. He motioned for her to come sit
next to him, patting the sofa, as he continued speaking into the
phone. She sat on his left, their legs touching. He put his left
hand on her knee while he talked to the pilot of the GS-V about
their travel time later that morning. For an instant, Syd wished
she had worn a skirt instead of jeans, so there would be no
material between his hand and her skin.

Get a grip, Syd! I’m going to have to decide
what I really want, or I’ll go crazy over crap like this!

CNN was on the TV, but the sound was turned
down. A picture of the rubble they had created was on the screen. A
box in the upper left corner had a talking head, but she couldn’t
hear what he was saying. Hatch hung up and turned toward her, his
hand still on her knee, and smiled.

“How’s your head?” he asked.

“Like you would expect,” she groaned, putting
her hand on his.

“I meant the bump,” he laughed.

“No, you didn’t! Hatch, I want to apologize
…”

“To quote a friend of mine, ‘Don’t even go
there!’”

“But my behavior was …”

“…
pretty sexy! You’re quite a
temptress—and adorable,” he finished for her.

She went silent and rubbed the back of his
hand, trying to formulate her next words.

Before she could, he said, “You’re wondering
what happened after you fell asleep, aren’t you?”

“Yes. How bad was I?” she replied, looking
into his eyes.

“You mean how bad was
I
” he laughed. “I admit you were
tempting lying there on that bed in that nearly invisible gown. I,
of course, would not have touched you—I hope you know that much
about me—but I was tempted to lift your gown and take an
unobstructed peek, but I didn’t. I like my partners to participate
in the action, so I kissed you goodnight and left. Feel
better?”

“Much! Thank you! I knew that was the answer.
Hatch, believe me, I usually don’t get that drunk …”

“You had good reason. It was a tough day. You
don’t have to worry about me taking advantage of you. If we ever
get to the point where we have sex, I would want your full
participation,” he leered.

“Hatch, I still want to …”

He took his hand off her knee and put it
around her shoulders and pulled her to him, kissing her.

“I guess this is the only way to shut you up.
Now, participate!”

His hand went to her breast as he continued
his kiss.

She participated.

• • •

Several minutes later, Hatch said, “Now, we
have to fetch Sara and head for home. I’ve arranged for Shirley to
go with us to look after Sara. I hope you don’t mind, but she was
rotating in two months anyway, and with Shadow-3 busted, she might
as well go back early and see some of Florida.”

“That’s fine with me. What are you going to
do about Shadow-3?” asked Syd.

“Toy Master is sending the C-130 here to pick
it up. He’s going to redo it completely with all the latest
electronics and weapons. The team here will leave with it.
Meanwhile, we’ll have to rely on Shadow-4 in Rome to cover this
part of the world.”

“Well, thank you for making me feel better,
and for forgiving me. I wasn’t looking forward to facing you! Now,
the ride home will be better than I thought it would be,” Syd said,
kissing the tip of his nose.

“Syd, all we have to do is be honest
with each other at all times, and the rest will take care of
itself,” he said, reaching for the TV remote and turning up the
sound. “This will make you feel even better, I hope. I’ve been
watching the different news channels, and things are working out
better than I had hoped. Iran is reporting the incident as a
ground
attack by an unknown force.
As expected, all major governments have denied any involvement.
Iran—whose borders are always fairly secure—has sealed off
everything in hopes of finding the attack group, and prohibiting
them from escaping. The interesting thing is that Iran is taking a
‘No Comment’ stance. This is politically astute on their part. If
no attack group is found, some governments might think that Iran
actually wiped out the terrorists themselves, because the harboring
of the terrorists was an embarrassment to them at the negotiating
table. They wouldn’t be able to admit it, of course: that would be
a great loss of face with other terrorist groups and the nations
who harbor them.”

“The main thing is … the Wrath of Allah is no
more. I can get back to a normal life. I’m certainly pleased that
no one suspects who really did it! It was touch and go there for a
while!” exhaled Syd.

“Well, let’s go get Sara and Shirley and
split,” he said.

“I’m ready!”

Klaus Haus, Marco, Florida

Tuesday, August 7, 2001

12:06 P.M.

After returning from Istanbul, Syd moved her
things back to her condo. Sara was not happy with her, but Syd felt
she had to get her life back to normal. She promised Sara that she
would visit her everyday while she recuperated from her wound.
Hatch had to go to Langley for a few days to meet with his CEOs,
and although Syd missed him, she rationalized that it would help
her get back to her previous routine. She had her hair cut short
because of the heat. Sara liked the new style and said she looked a
lot like Audrey Hepburn.

Shirley McNally was still staying at Klaus
Haus looking after Sara’s every need. Hatch had asked her to stay
until Shadow-5 was ready to fly to Arizona for extensive
operational and weapons testing. She had been able to fit in a
little sight-seeing—at Sara’s insistence—including Disney World.
She was happy to be out of Turkey for awhile.

Although Sara was getting her strength back,
she was relegated to a wheelchair for outings outside her room.
She, Syd, and Shirley were pool-side having a lunch that had been
served by Eddie, Sara in her wheelchair, Syd and Shirley in deck
chairs. Sara’s left arm was still in a sling, but she had no
trouble eating her shrimp salad with her right hand.

“Glad you came to lunch, Z.,” said Sara.
“Shirley and Mrs. C. are driving me crazy with their damned
hovering. At least you got me a gin and tonic! They’ve been feeding
me orange juice, for God’s sake!”

“Go easy on the booze, Sara,” said Shirley
with a laugh. “You’re not in shape yet.”

“Shape for what? You guys won’t let me do a
fucking thing!” yelled Sara.

“Calm down, Sara!” ordered Syd. “I didn’t
come over here to listen to you rant and rave! I know it’s hard for
an active woman like you to take it easy, but a couple more days
and you can probably start swimming again. That will build your
strength up.”

“That’s what I told her,” agreed Shirley. “At
least, you’re getting some sun today. That should please you.”

The three women were dressed in shorts and
halter tops so they could keep up their Florida tans. They ate in
silence for a few moments.

“When do you expect Hatch back?” asked
Syd.

“Missing him already?” laughed Sara.

“Just wondering,” replied Syd.

“In case you didn’t notice, Shirley, Dr. Z.
is interested in our boss,” teased Sara. “Ordinarily, I would say I
don’t have a clue when he might be back here; but with you here,
he’ll probably be back sooner than usual.”

“I won’t be here much longer. I need to get
back to work. I called the University of Miami and I can get a job
teaching undergraduate Arabic starting next month. That would mean
moving to Miami in a week or two. It’s not Harvard, but it’ll pay
the bills,” said Syd without much enthusiasm.