Pushing Up Daisies Read online

  Sarah’s heart was weighed down with guilt. All those men had died trying to save her. Where were Freidrick and Coop? If they’d died, it was her fault. How could she live with this and go on? Her head drooped as she walked; the guilt a weight pushing her down.

  They hiked for thirty minutes over rough ground. It was tough in her sandals. They were stout, but designed for beach and walking on concrete. They crossed two dry riverbeds. Daisy held her arm and helped her down the steep sides. House marched ahead, setting a hard pace. He constantly scanned the sky, sometimes turning to gaze into the distance behind them.

  “The Somalis won’t come across the border, will they?” Daisy asked.

  “I don’t think Al Shebab recognizes borders,” he growled.

  They found the cave. It was little more than a hole in a red, rock face about seven feet high. The hole opened under a small ledge about two feet off the ground. They had to duck to enter. Sarah took one look behind and couldn’t see the smoking ruins of the wrecked helicopter. She gratefully dived into the shade offered by the cave.

  Inside, Daisy pulled a plastic mat out of one of the packs and spread it out in a corner. “Sit on this,” she said to Sarah.

  Sarah allowed Daisy to help her drop to the floor of the cave. Her gaze met Daisy’s and something passed between them. Her thoughts drifted to Eloise Lefavre’s hand on Hillary Wilkins’ thigh. Warmth spread through her and she looked away from Daisy’s intensity. Daisy was gay.

  House set up a watch post at the entrance and Daisy sat next to Sarah. She opened an MRE, stuck the food pouch into the bag and a horrible smell rose from the sizzling contents. Sarah wrinkled her nose and Daisy laughed.

  “Don’t worry, it’s not the food that stinks. It’s the chemicals heating it.”

  She handed Sarah the heated pouch. “Sorry, all we got are the ham steaks. We’re out of chili mac, but you get Skittles.”

  Sarah picked at the food. It was hot but tasted weird. She ended up with the bag of Skittles. While she munched on candy, Daisy ate Sarah’s food and her own. House walked into the cave, sat down and heated himself one.

  The three of them sat in the cave as the sun slowly set. The temperature in the cave dropped and Sarah began shivering. They had no blankets. House stood up. “Keep her warm. I’m gonna check the area.”

  He tossed Daisy the M-4. “Don’t fall asleep.”

  Daisy snagged it in mid-air. “I won’t.”

  House ducked as he slipped under the low entrance and was gone. Daisy moved close to Sarah and put one arm around her shoulders. She used that arm to pull Sarah close to her. “You need some of my warmth. It’s gonna get colder.”

  “Why did he leave?”

  “He’s upset. He just won’t say. He was close to Gopher. And House has this personal promise to all the members of his team. He never leaves anyone behind.”

  “He couldn’t help it. They were dead.”

  “It doesn’t matter. House will go back. You can count on it.” Daisy stared out the opening. “If we ever get out of here.”

  Sarah leaned against Daisy’s solid body. The woman had zero body fat. The plates of Daisy’s armor were hard under her head. Every time she moved, she bumped them. “Your armor is hard.”

  Daisy lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. “Want me to take it off?”

  Sarah felt something race through her. She’d never had sex with another person, never wanted to. Daisy lowered her hand and gently stroked Sarah’s side very close to her breast. “You’re a virgin, aren’t you?”

  “Is it so obvious?”

  Daisy smiled and shrugged. “I’m a woman. I can tell.”

  “You like women, don’t you?”

  Daisy moved her hand so it touched the side of Sarah’s breast. “I love women. I’ve never been with a man voluntarily.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “I was a kid in a very bad part of L.A. My mom had to work all the time.” Daisy stopped and took a deep breath. “No girl gets out of the barrio with her virginity intact.”

  Sarah touched Daisy’s face. “I’m so sorry. Is Daisy your real name or something like House?”

  Daisy nodded. “Daisy is a call sign as in Daisy Duke or pushing up daisies. My real name is Alexandra Lopez.”

  “What was Gopher’s real name?”

  Daisy’s face stiffened. “Why do you want to know?”

  “I want to remember him by his real name. He seemed like a nice guy.”

  “His name is Jason Poole.” She thought for a moment and then smiled. “And as far as guys go, I guess he was a good one.”

  “What about House?”

  “House is special.” Daisy leaned close, her face inches from Sarah’s. She smelled of sweat and some kind of soap and deodorant. Her hair was pulled into a braid down her back. She’d taken the baseball cap off. Her eyes were amber, almost yellow. Sarah shivered with strange emotions.

  When Daisy kissed her, she responded in a way she’d never done with a man. Daisy’s lips were soft and full. Sarah opened her mouth and allowed Daisy to lick the inside of her lips and touch their tongues together. It was the lightest touch, just a flutter of contact. Sarah couldn’t help herself. She moaned in Daisy’s mouth.

  Daisy moved her hand from the side of Sarah’s breast to cup it. She thumbed the nipple through the bra and Sarah squirmed.

  “We shouldn’t,” Daisy mumbled, but her hand was already touching Sarah’s thigh, sliding under the loose dress, and moving higher. She kissed Sarah’s cheek, her throat, and her collar bone as she stroked the silky flesh.

  Sarah’s head fell back as she thrust her aching nipple against the teasing fingers. What was wrong with her? Her legs opened and Daisy slipped her hand under the edge of Sarah’s panties. This was wrong and she didn’t care. Her breathing was rapid, her pulse raced and her heart hammered in her chest. The warmth between her legs had turned into a raging inferno of need. She wanted Daisy to touch her there, to put out the fire with her fingers.

  Daisy knew what they were doing would piss off House. She was supposed to be guarding the girl not ravishing her. But Sarah wanted it. She was willing, more than willing. Her legs were open and her moans were an invitation to explore further.

  Sarah pushed at the armored vest. “Take it off,” she breathed.

  Daisy complied. Under it, she wore a skin-tight, black T-shirt. Sarah pushed it up. The rack Daisy was so famous for was stuffed into a sports bra. Sarah slid her hand under the elastic and found Daisy’s nipple. She pinched it softly and Daisy threw caution to the wind. To hell with House.

  She slipped the T-shirt off and pulled Sarah’s dress over her head. Her white skin glowed in the moonlight with bikini tan lines. She wore plain white panties and a plain white bra. Daisy reached behind her and unsnapped it, pulling it off in one smooth move. Her white breasts had plump, pink nipples. Just looking at them made Daisy’s breath catch in her throat. She wanted her dildo so she could fuck Sarah’s brains out. She wanted to hear Sarah’s screams of pleasure as she lay under her.

  Daisy lifted both breasts in her hands and caressed them. “You have beautiful breasts.”

  Sarah’s chest heaved with passion. “Take off your bra.”

  Daisy grinned and pulled the sports bra over her head. Her heavy breasts thrust forward with erect, dark-red nipples. Sarah reached for them, touching them tentatively at first, then with more authority. Daisy put her head back and enjoyed the sensation of having her breasts touched while she stroked Sarah’s nipples, pinching and tweaking the points.

  “I don’t know what to do,” Sarah said in a throaty whisper.

  Daisy leaned forward and kissed her, the passionate kiss deeper than any she could remember. “Lean back,” she said when she ended the kiss.

  She helped Sarah lie back on the mat. For a moment, Daisy paused to enjoy looking at Sarah lying there waiting for her caresses, then she pulled those sensible underpants off. Sarah was virtually hairless. Her mound was swollen and the lip
s were open and bright pink.

  “I want to look at it,” she whispered.

  Sarah nodded. “You are looking at it.”

  Daisy grabbed the flashlight. “No, I really want to look at it.”

  Sarah gasped. “Okay,” she finally breathed.

  Panting with need, squirting with excitement, Daisy switched on the light and shined the beam on Sarah’s pussy. In the light, it glowed bright pinkish red. Daisy opened the lips with two fingers and shined the light inside. Sarah moaned. “I don’t know what’s happening to me.”

  Her clit was pulsing. Daisy knew what was happening. Sarah was seconds away from climaxing. She slipped a finger into the wet opening and Sarah lifted her hips. “Please,” she begged.

  Daisy’s breathing was deep and erratic. She was close to coming and her pants were still on. She glanced at Sarah’s face. Her eyes were closed and her nostrils expanded. Her lips were parted. She moistened them with the flick of a tongue. Daisy picked Sarah’s hips up by grabbing both cheeks of her ass. Sarah’s legs fell open and Daisy buried her face in the moist, fragrant flesh.

  Sarah’s moans of pleasure became louder and louder until she gasped and grabbed Daisy’s hair. She fell back on the mat panting and moaning. “Oh my god, what just happened?”

  Daisy wasn’t in the mood to listen. She dropped her khakis and black-lace, thong undies to her knees. With the light shining on Sarah’s open pussy, she masturbated. She couldn’t take the excitement even one more minute. Sarah lifted her head and watched. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at Daisy’s fingers buried in her shaved mound. “I could do that,” she whispered. “I want to.”

  “Can’t wait,” Daisy gasped as her orgasm rocked her. “You got me so freaking hot.”

  While the spasms subsided, she knelt between Sarah’s legs. The realization of how wrong this entire action was with Sarah rushed over her. House would be more than pissed. “We shouldn’t have,” she said tossing Sarah her panties. “We could have been attacked. I don’t know what came over me. Get dressed.”

  She pulled her underwear and her khakis up and searched for her bra.

  “Your breasts are a lot prettier than mine,” Sarah said as she put her bra on. “I could look at them for hours.”

  “That all depends on what turns you on,” Daisy said. She pulled her T-shirt on and shrugged the armor back into place. “I like yours better.”

  Daisy picked up Sarah’s dress to help her put it on, when she felt a hard object in the pocket. “What’s in your pocket? It feels hard.”

  Sarah’s eyes flew open. “Oh my gosh, I forgot.” She took the dress and put her hand into the pocket. She hesitated. “I found this in the tomb right before the pirates attacked. I never even looked at it closely.”

  She pulled a small golden object out of the pocket and held it clutched in her hand. “My friends died for this.” Tears filled her eyes.

  Daisy grabbed her in a tight embrace. “Don’t cry, little one. They might still be alive. They were safe in the basement and they have value alive, not dead. The pirates will try to negotiate with the U.N. for money.”

  Sarah opened her hand. Resting in her palm was a golden cobra with ruby eyes. “The ancient Ethiopians worshipped serpents,” Sarah said. “I was hoping for something Christian, some proof Mary Magdalene came this way when she fled the Holy Land.”

  Chapter 7

  Daisy took the golden snake from her and looked at it closely. “Look, Sarah, there’s something etched into the bottom of this snake.”

  Sarah took the snake from her. She felt suddenly shy in Daisy’s presence. Never in her life had she imagined she would engage in her first sexual encounter with another woman. It had been wonderful. Her body still hummed with pleasure, but she felt so shy and embarrassed. She kept her head down as she turned the snake over and examined the flat bottom. She was stunned to see an ancient symbols carved into the gold.

  It was illegal in Christ’s time to declare yourself a follower so the symbols of the time were unique. Two fish, referring to Christ as the fisherman, and a trident, often thought to be a reference to the cross, were carved into the flat part of the snake’s bottom. “This is an ancient Christian symbol,” she said to Daisy. “This might be proof of the Magdalene traveling this way.”

  Daisy shook her head. “I wouldn’t know. I just saw the carving and wondered if you had.”

  “I never looked at it at all.”

  She allowed Daisy to pull the dress over her head as though she were a child. Daisy’s concern and care of her was comforting. When they were dressed, they sat beside each other, Daisy once more clutching her rifle, and Sarah turning the snake over and over in her hand. It was a very valuable artifact even if it didn’t prove ancient Christians passed through Somalia.

  A noise from the front of the cave alerted them. “House is back,” Daisy said as he slipped under the low ledge and into the cave.

  “Daisy, can I have a word with you?”

  Daisy’s head dropped as she got up and followed House into the night. Sarah watched her go, her heart and her head a riot of confused emotions. So much had happened in the last day, she felt like a year had passed not just twelve hours. She curled up on the mat with her hand wrapped around the serpent and fell into an exhausted sleep.

  * * * *

  House had listened to Daisy and Sarah pleasuring each other while watching from just outside the cave. He couldn’t believe Daisy allowed that to happen, especially in light of their critical situation. He waited until he was sure all activity had ended, listening to their conversation, before he went in and got her.

  When she was standing outside the cave with her head bowed, he tore into her. “I can’t believe you put the package in jeopardy like that. What were you thinking?”

  “She’s not just the package, House. She’s a woman and she was hurting. I tried to comfort her and it got out of control.”

  House snorted. “I’ll say. Did she get to see the rack?”

  It was Daisy’s turn to snort. “None of your frigging business.” Then she smiled. “You been dying to see my tits ever since we met. Haven’t you?”

  House grinned. “Hell yeah, any red-blooded man would want a look.”

  “The only way that will happen is if we share a chick, you on one side and me on the other. And then you can look, but don’t think you can touch.”

  House glanced into the cave, ducking to see if Sarah was okay. He saw her sleeping on the mat and had the fleeting image of Sarah in the middle of a Daisy and House sandwich. The image gave him an immediate erection. He coughed and rearranged his equipment belt to hide it.

  “I ran thirty miles to the south and found the road to Mogadishu…at least I hope it’s the road to Mogadishu. We have a long trek. I’m gonna rest for an hour and then we need to get going.”

  “A bird will come for us tonight,” Daisy said. “You’ll see.”

  House ducked into the cave and flopped down next to Sarah with his back to the wall and a good view of the entrance. Daisy was on guard out front so he felt comfortable enough to shed some of his gear and close his eyes. He’d only been asleep for a few minutes when he felt someone touch him. Instantly awake, he reached for his rifle. But it was only Sarah. She’d inched over and put her head in his lap.

  House was strangely touched. He rested a hand on her gold hair and went back to sleep. They were still like that when Daisy woke them both.

  “It’s been an hour,” she said. She only had to touch House on the shoulder. Waking him suddenly could be dangerous. Sarah was deeply asleep. House had to shake her to get her to respond. She stretched and rolled onto her back with her head still in House’s lap. He couldn’t believe it. His cock got hard again.

  Embarrassed, he gently shoved her head off his lap and stood up. The woman had a weird effect on him. He was usually impervious to feminine charms unless he was in the hunting mode. Lately, he’d been feeling like it was time for him to find a mate. Wolves mated for life and so did we
rewolves. He’d never had the time, but now a yearning for love and permanence filled him. He found himself dreaming of a woman, one woman, to complete him.

  House shook off the strange feeling and gathered the packs while Daisy policed the area and rolled up the mat. When they were ready to go, he took Sarah aside. “This is going to be a hard march. We have to move fast, no stops, no resting. When the sun comes up, we’ll need to find shelter or we’ll fry. We have a limited amount of water; reaching the road is critical.”

  Sarah’s blue eyes were huge in her face. House couldn’t stop staring into them. Her face was heart-shaped, her nose perfect and her mouth a luscious, plump rosebud. No wonder Daisy jumped her. The sudden memory of the sounds coming from the cave when Daisy had been making love to Sarah froze him with desire. He coughed and looked away…hard again. What a stupid place to become aroused. He was losing it.

  Out in the night, the stars over their heads sparkled. There was no moon which was good for hiding from the enemy but bad for a pickup. Sarah couldn’t see as well as him and Daisy. She slipped and stumbled going down the path to flat ground. House caught her by the arm and her flesh burned his hand. He almost dropped her.

  He made sure he stayed in the front of their small column as they moved across the open plain. Daisy was in the rear, both on heightened alert. This was the most dangerous thing they could do, just walk across the desert. Anyone could find them.

  They’d gone about three miles. Sarah lagged behind and Daisy had to help her over some rough ground. They weren’t making very good time. House glanced at his watch. It had taken an hour to travel about three miles. They would never make the road at this speed. House was contemplating shifting and running for help when they heard the bird approaching. He knew the sound. It was a Company helicopter.

  Daisy pulled Sarah to a rock pile and put her behind it. House and Daisy hadn’t survived this long by trusting. House waved to the bird and it began its descent. Relief filled him. The Company had used their chips to track them. They were saved and he could return to the pirate’s headquarters to retrieve his fallen comrades.