Chapter 32

Choosing what to wear proved to be the most difficult task for Lauren on Saturday morning. She wanted to wear something that would encourage Felix as they had a stroll through the local hills, but nothing that would shout 'take me now'. She knew that attack from mosquitoes was also a possibility so long sleeves were best. Jeans and her father's shirt won, with a full bra that would emphasise her shape under the loose fitting shirt.

She showered and washed her hair before dressing and having breakfast of fruit and coffee. The doorbell announced his arrival at exactly ten o'clock, and she swept out of the house and into his car while waving to Elizabeth with a slice of melon. She grinned at him cheekily, aware of her behaviour.

"Where is it that we're going? I know you told me before"

"Up to the lookout. It's a twenty minute drive west of here, along the coast."

Lauren sneaked a glance at him. He wore shorts, trainers and a sports shirt that hadn't been selected for fashion. He drove well, negotiating obstacles (and other road users) with ease and anticipation. Peasants turned at the approach of the car, stood stationary in the road and watched as they passed by, covering their faces as the dust swirled in their wake, rough country life reflected in their drab, heavy clothes. Goats and chickens also seemed adept at taking refuge, ambling out of the way at their own insolent pace.

She had decided that their relationship would go at a normal pace. That is, a normal pace from what she knew of other people. Whenever she had found someone sexually attractive, her past history had revealed that she made love to them very soon after meeting them, and that was one trait of her character that she wanted to change. So far she had allowed him to kiss her on the cheek after lunch. Maybe this time they would go a little further.

The road became a track, then a series of joined up potholes until he told her that he didn't want to go any further. He maneuvered the car under the canopy of the forest and slipped the keys into his pocket. The path, which he seemed to recognise, led away from the road into the green expanse of trees and vines. Lauren noticed the distant shouts from animals and the background noise of nature at large. Rather than finding snakes dropping from overhead branches and spiders webs across her path, the environment was civilised, pleasing. A bird screeched out in front of them, beating furiously into the upper branches, while butterflies flitted through the bushes, landing on leaves, soaking the sun as they flashed their colors.

"This is the jungle?" she asked, watching him walk steadily in front of her, the path only wide enough for one.

"Hmm, the beginning. The undergrowth gets thicker later, but we can avoid most of it."

The walked for another ten minutes, the silence following them as distant sounds fell quiet and started again as they passed. Lauren was warm as the humidity prickled her skin. Once or twice she slapped at her neck with the palm of her hand, thinking that a bug had bitten her. Level ground and firm footing was replaced by a slight incline, making it necessary to lean forward. She felt her thighs complaining, and stumbled once or twice on the roots of trees. She blew out her cheeks nosily, glancing up from the ground at his back and thick muscles.

"OK?" he asked.

"Can we take a breather?"

"Sure, we're almost halfway!" he said, leaning against the decaying trunk of a tree.

"What? Another half an hour of this?" she asked, eyes aglow.

"Yep. And the next bit is pretty steep. You'll be fine."

Lauren sat down on the ground next to the tree. "What did you say was at the top?"

"That's a secret!"

She knew she wouldn't be able to go very much further. Her legs ached, and she had found it difficult to keep up with him already. They rested for about fifteen minutes, chatting about the jungle, the effect of logging, and what might lie in the future for San Falino. The economy was in poor shape and hardwood was a valuable commodity that might prove irresistible to a weak government.

"Come on then, let's go!" he said cheerily. He offered her his hand and pulled her up, then continued to lead the way, tugging her with him. Lauren smiled at his strength and the feeling of being on wheels, scooting over the ground with less effort than normal. Their hands were hot and sweaty. He gripped her tightly as the ground became steeper and they resorted to actually climbing over rocks and branches. The occasional animal scurried across their path, causing Lauren to slow and assure herself that whatever it had been was not life threatening.

Ten minutes later she was in a foul mood. Her right arm ached from being jerked every five seconds by Felix as he tugged her along like a child's toy. Her shoes were full of soil and her feet were hot beyond belief. She knew her hair was tangled because she had left half of it on branches along the way; her white shirt was wet from the heat of the jungle. But most importantly, she had been climbing the stupid rocks for hours and still hadn't seen anything except his bottom and the dust from his boots.

"Almost there!" he said, giving her an almighty tug.

"Ohh, shit, that hurt!

"Sorry."

'Almost there' turned into two minutes, then four, then ten. The trees were thinning slightly, and she could feel the temperature dropping as a breeze blew onto her face, cooling the dribbles of perspiration. Fifteen minutes later, she was ascending almost vertically up a ten foot cliff face, watching Felix and his footholds.

"I can't do this. This is stupid!"

"You can do it. You're there!"

"Shit!" she said, losing her footing. Tiny pebbles dropped to the floor.

"Take my hand!"

Felix pulled her painfully up onto the ledge and pushed her against the rockface. They moved along the ledge as the last of the trees disappeared, and then he led her onto a plateau.

"Oh my God!" she shrieked. Below her, seemingly thousands of feet below her, was a scene of immense beauty. The golden coastline stretched as far as she could see, dotted with small coves, sandy beaches and tiny islands. The clear water glistened and shimmered under the sun, revealing the natural reef around the shore. Small fishing boats were just visible, silently plying between the islands. It was as though someone had taken dozens of travel brochures and stuck them all together to make the most picture perfect scene imaginable.

She looked back at him and saw he was grinning proudly, embarrassed almost as he looked at the ground. They sat on top of a flat rock which seemed to have been hollowed out several inches by the wind and rain, forming a naturally reclining chair big enough for five or six people. Lauren knew she had tears in her eyes, and wiped them away with the back of her arm, streaking her face and shirt. They stared silently for an age, watching the boats and gulls - even the occasional container ship bound for the Panama canal.

"Felix, it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen!"

"I'm glad you made it. I thought at one point you were going to go back."

"It crossed my mind!" She leaned towards him. She had wanted to kiss him, but instead he simply put his arm around her and pulled her a little closer. They were both hot and sweaty but Lauren could feel the cool breeze working wonders on her face. She leaned back to let it blow through her hair, unconsciously pushing her breasts out towards the sea. She felt him looking at her shape and his arm tighten around her very slightly. Resting on his arm, she laid back while managing to watch the silent ocean below.

"I'm glad we came up here." he said, watching the tiny white waves roll onto the shore.

"I suppose you bring all the girls here?"

"No, I've only been here once, with my father. It was the last place we went together before he died"

"Oh, Felix, I'm sorry" she said quietly. She meant it, cross with herself and her flippant remarks.

"That's OK." He fell silent.

The sun shone but was countered by the breeze. Lauren thought about the journey back, and how they would almost tumble down the mountainside, then reverse tracks along the path before arriving back at her house. Perhaps they could stop in Boquette square and get a drink. It struck her that she hadn't been out - other than with the children, since her arrival. The simple idea of going out for a drink excited her, pleased her deeply as she watched the world from her mountain top. She looked up at him, peering out to sea. Noble, studious, distant. Her hand slipped over his chest and across his face, turning him towards her. Her eyes closed slowly as he neared, her lips parted, rewarded by the warmest of kisses. The kisses of friendship, not lust or passion. Building slowly, on firm foundations, as they settled together in the dip of the rock, eyes closed, breathing slowly, hands away from areas that might be considered premature.

He turned back to the sea while she wrapped her arm around his waist, slightly surprised with being presented by a view of his back. She wondered if he didn't like the way she kissed, or perhaps her breath still smelled of garlic from the previous day. Reassuringly, his hand found her bottom and pulled her against him.

"I love this spot. It's magic, like being in an airplane suspended above the world." said Lauren.

"Sometimes you're supposed to be able to see Venezuela from here, about a hundred miles away."

He turned back to her, a look of pleasure as his eyes took in her breasts and tight jeans. Leaning down, he kissed her lips once again, running his tongue just once along her upper lip. Lauren brought her hand around his neck, pulling him closer, blocking the sun from her eyes. Her legs shifted to find greater comfort as his hand caressed her face and moved across her neck and shoulders. As their embrace intensified he held her waist, nibbling her ears, then kissed down her neck and into the open collar of her shirt. Lauren giggled in an attempt to keep the proceedings light-hearted. She felt him undoing the buttons of her shirt and offered no resistance. Her own hands found the single button to his and tried in vain to undo it. Defeated, she pulled at his shirt, tugging it from his shorts.

Lauren knew that either now or later they would make love. Her self-imposed orders echoed in her mind. She would not make love to him today, even though the idea of being naked on the top of the mountain, making love on the ancient stone like some sacrificial rite excited her. Maybe they would explore each other's bodies, but that was it. She was going to have to compromise, having led him this far. His hand unclipped her bra in one practiced movement, allowing her breasts to wobble free. As he moved lower to kiss her nipples, she felt his hand seeking out her pussy between her legs. She stiffened, warning that he had reached the end of the line for now, but he failed to read the message. Her nipples stood erect, caressed by his lips and the breeze as he once again pushed between her legs, searching for her zip.