Fellowship of Fear

and kissed it.

“You’re a nice man, Gideon. I like you very much,” she said, with her head against his chest. Her voice had a throaty quality that hadn’t been there before.

“Urn,” said Gideon, his own voice a little unsteady, “I appreciate the warm and no-doubt sisterly intent of all this, but I have to confess that my own feelings are becoming rather, um, amatory.”

Janet shifted her knees to snuggle in even closer. Her fingertips played gently over his thighs. “I’m aware of that, my friend. I’m not wearing a suit of armor, you know. However, I think ‘erotic’ would be more accurate than ‘amatory.” In fact, I’m positive,“ she said as her hands continued to explore him. ”And if you think I’m being sisterly, you sure got a funny family.“

Gideon was breathless. He had forgotten the way it could be. “Janet, Janet, come and lie down with me,” he said.

She led him to the bed and began to unbutton her blouse. He stopped her, though, and with trembling, reverent fingers, undid the buttons one by one, slowly and with care.

“Hm?” he said drowsily. He was lying on his back, not sure if he was awake or asleep. Janet’s head was tucked into his shoulder, her body pressed against his side, her leg thrown over his.

“What?” she replied, her voice muffled by his chest.

“No, I asked you what you said.” On its own, his hand moved slowly down her side into the deep valley of her waist, up and over the big, delicious, roller-coaster curve of her hip.

“Mmm. How do you expect me to concentrate when you do that?” she said, her voice becoming interested. “Hey, are you in the mood for a little more… ?” The arm that had been lying across his chest shifted, and her hand began its way down his belly.

Laughing, he caught and held it. “No, wait, have a heart. Believe me, I’ve shot my wad.”

“Gideon, what a gross expression. I’m surprised at you.”

“It’s not gross at all. The phrase stems from how you fired a cannon in the nineteenth century. You take a wad of—”

“I know what it stems from. I mean that the use of that particular metaphor under these particular circumstances is somewhat coarse. Wouldn’t you say so?” Her hand broke free and moved on down him. “Besides, it feels to me like the old cannon’s getting ready to shoot another wad.”

“Now that’s gross,” he said, catching her hand again and moving it away. “Come on, hold off a minute and tell me what it was you said.”

She pulled her hand free and poked him in the side. “Oho, so that’s the way it is, is it? The old story. First it’s all tender supplications, but now that he’s had his way with her, it’s ‘hold off a minute,” is it? You nasty… man!“ She punctuated the last word with another jab in the side.

“Ouch!” Laughing, he leaned over and pinned both her wrists to the bed. “I’m pushing forty, you know. I can’t do this sort of thing all night. Now what was it you said?”

“All right. I don’t know what you think I said that was so important, but all I said was that I’m glad you’re stopping in Heidelberg. Is that such a surprise?”

“That wasn’t what you said. You said you were glad I didn’t go the usual route directly from Sigonella to Torrejon.”

“So what’s the difference? Gideon, you’re hurting my wrists.”

He let go at once, and she immediately grabbed for him again. They rolled over, wrestling and laughing, and ended up in a long, sweet kiss that quieted them both and almost made Gideon lose the thread he was trying to follow. Lying in Janet’s arms, pressed against her from face to toe, he made a last effort.

“The difference is, Janet, that Eric told me there wasn’t a direct route; that the only way to get from Sigonella to Torrejon was by coming through Frankfurt.”

“That’s crazy. Since you were flying military anyway, you could easily have gone just to Naples and then to Torrejon, or maybe even on a direct flight. Or you could have flown commercial from Catania to Rome, then to Madrid. There’s no reason to come back to Germany.”

“Are you sure?”

“Well, I think so. I work part-time in the Logistics Office, and I make up a lot of the itineraries.”

“You work with Eric?” There was a slight chill in his voice.

“Oh, for gosh sake, don’t go all green-eyed monster on me. A lady has to support herself, you know.”

She kissed him briskly. Then she turned on the lamp near the bed and propped herself up on one elbow. Gideon rolled over on his back, his hands behind his neck.

“This oddball routing,” Janet said, “do you think it has something to do with the funny stuff that’s been happening to you?”

“I sure wouldn’t be surprised. Obviously, my ferret-faced friend was aware that I was back.” He paused, chewing his lip. “Maybe I was even brought back so he could do whatever it is he had in mind. Or has in mind.”

“But what could Eric possibly have to do with that?”

“I don’t know, but I intend to find out.” He turned toward her again. She was still on one elbow, one round breast swaying gently, inches from his face.

“My God, Janet,” he said softly, “how beautiful you are.” He cupped the mysterious heaviness of one lovely globe in his hand and moved it toward his lips.

“Be serious, now, Gideon; don’t do that,” she said, but Gideon noted that she didn’t pull away. “This stuff scares me. Do you think you’re in danger? Is Eric involved? What could the point possibly be?”