Caught in the Net by Breanna Hayse Page B

She was in sweats.
    “I am, I just didn’t want to shock you before you were
ready.”  She giggled seductively, stripping and standing before him in her
wetsuit. 
    Rich stared, speechless.  “My God, you’re perfect,” he
finally choked out. 
    Michael snapped his fingers.  “Hey!  Eyes front.  She
wasn’t talking about herself.  She was talking about that.  Weren't you?” 
Michael eyed a grinning Sam, as he pointed towards the curls at the shelf
line.  A large black fin protruded, and followed the breaking waves to the
beachfront, before launching onto the sand with the customary wiggle and jaw
snaps.  Rich jumped back a good ten feet.
     “Holy cow…”
    “No, killer whale.  This is Ton.  Ton?  This is
Rich.”  She imaged a mate.  Ton was not impressed, but then, he never was.  He
snorted.  She sighed and re-imaged her pod plus him.  He snorted again.
    “What’s going on?” Rich asked Michael.
    “She’s probably trying to introduce you as part of her
pod and he isn’t impressed.  I hate to say this, but it takes far more than you
to raise his interest.  So far, she is the only one who has earned his regard.”
    “What are you talking about?”
    “Remember when you asked about what we do?  This is
part of it.  Samantha has this weird neuropathic connection with the cetaceans
that was initiated by a neurotransmitter that I developed.  I’m not wearing
mine, but I still get some stronger images flashed to me.  I know it’s hard to
believe.  It confounds me at times, too.”
    “No, you may not eat him!  Ton, what is wrong with
you?  My bull approved.  Will you meet him?” the girl was saying out loud. 
    Rich looked skeptical.  “Eat me?  She's kidding,
right?”
    “I'm afraid not.  That is Ton’s solution for
everything.  Don’t worry.  He’s all snort and little bite.  Most of the time,
anyway.  Just follow her instructions to the letter.”
    “What the hell is she doing?  Stop her!”  Rich gasped
as Sam climbed inside the whale’s large mouth, laying her body across his
jaws.  Michael grabbed his arm to prevent him from running toward the pair.
    “She knows what she is doing.  This is how she submits
to him and shows her trust.  He’ll soften up soon.  I don’t want to go in until
she gives the okay, though.”
    “Samantha knows how to submit?” Rich asked, suppressing
a twitch from his mouth.  “That is an interesting choice of words to use to
describe such an independent woman.”
    “Independent or not, she is the only female in a house
full of manly men.  She is allowed to exercise her feminine control only so
much.”
    “You better not be talking about me, Michael Scott! 
Ton can tap into your thoughts and he is sharing some things that I do not
like!” Sam remarked, working herself deeper between the whale’s teeth.
    “I don't know what you are talking about, shrimp.  Is
he okay?  You are freaking out Rich.”
    “He is imaging tail flukes and bulls, so yes you do. 
He'll be okay.  Rich will get over it, won't you?”
    “We need to have a little talk about this later,
Samantha,” Rich said with a frown.
    “Oh Lord, you are already starting to sound like my
family.  Geesh.”
    After a few minutes, Ton began to wiggle to return to
the water, and the girl dislodged herself from his mouth.  She and Michael
helped push him back in, and she turned to Rich with a smile.  “He said you can
surf with Michael, but you are not allowed to touch me yet.  He’s very
protective.  Sorry.”
    “This whole talking to the whale thing.  Seriously. 
It's a joke, right?”
    “Not at all.  In fact, when it comes to this, I could
not be even more serious,” Sam said, no humor in her eyes.  “To disregard his
boundaries, will mean you become his next meal, and there is nothing I could do
to stop him.  No contact with me at all, not on the beach or in the water.  He
literally indicated no physical contact, so keep a good three feet