Survival

Chapter 10 Man vs. Nature

Edward walked over to Fendson's tent with curiosity tapping in his heart like a couple of sexy, Irish, river dancers. The broad-shouldered soldier delivering the message had been quite frank about the whole thing. The deep-voiced 'she needs to see you' gimmick should have been downplayed in Edward's eyes.

When his feet finally brought him to the area, he contemplated the protocol of entering another person's tent. Those were words he never thought he'd think without innuendo attached.  What if she was completely naked, laying there on a sleeping bag? He had to fight the urge to just tear away the zipper. She was certainly attractive, but he had no doubts that she slept with a gun under her pillow. That had to be the cause of her kinked neck.

"Sarge?" he asked, figuring that even if the material was a bit thicker, it certainly wouldn't be soundproof.

"Come in," she said quietly, her tone reminding him of a girl he had a crush on in the seventh grade.

Edward unzipped the front portion of the tent, going into an empty entryway. He zipped through the next section, feeling very much like he was in one of those old Slide-Lock plastic bag commercials.

"Have you decided to promote me?" he asked jokingly, stepping inside.

Fendson sat on her sleeping bag with a scowl. The section of her tent meant to share with a couple others was filled with green bags and a few weapons. "Shoes, Mr. Drest. We're not in a barn."

Kicking off his shoes in the vestibule, Edward couldn't help but chuckle at how she could be just as charming in private as she was in training. He settled down in the tent far enough from Fendson's handgun.

"We're leaving tomorrow morning."

He couldn't hold in his smile. He also noted that this was information that really didn't need to be shared in private. "I must have passed my physical tests with flying colors. Which department has recruited me, the ex-marines? The FBI fill-ins?"

She sighed and stared at the corner of the tent. "I wish I could be so naive again."

"You sure know how to make a man feel special."

Turning to face him, she spoke plainly, "I could make a man feel a rainbow of emotions."

Edward's eyebrows raised in intrigue. "Such as?"

"I shouldn't tell you," she said, averting her eyes.

"You shouldn't, but you're going to. You're a woman; it's in your DNA. If my two real-life relationships have been good for anything, they helped teach me when to tune out."

Fendson stayed quiet and flicked through a few papers she had lying on top of her sleeping bag. It was a bit of a relief if he was completely honest. It didn't sound like pleasure would be one of the emotions she would describe.

The silence between them dragged on. He wondered why she had called him here in the first place. Was the leaving tomorrow statement not an invitation? It would be good to know sooner than later. "So was there something in particular you needed to tell me? Or was that leaving tomorrow comment the reason you called me here, Sarge?"

Fendson cringed. "If you're going to insist on calling me anything, at least make it Olivia."

"Olivia?" Edward asked, impressed that her name had finally left those plump lips of hers. She confirmed by shooting him a look of disinterest.

"What do people call you, besides Mr. Drest?"

"Well, no one outside the telemarketing world calls me Mr. Drest. People call me Ed or Edward. They're both fine."