The Last Boy Scout Ch. 01

I fantasized that if I was able to get Dominique alone, instead of surrounded by half the camp while sitting by the huge central fire, I'd have more luck. I'd have to do something about that. Luck favors the prepared.

Despite my best (or worst) intentions, I was in my sleeping bag, alone, before eleven, and planning my personal missions for the next day.

I'm certain of one thing. I slept better and more comfortably than most of the group. No sticks or stones digging into me, the doubled-up pad isolating me from the rough earth, my sleeping bag soft against my naked skin.

I could still hear a faint amount of rustling and muted conversation going on in the tents below me.

"Who else is sleeping naked?" I called out into the night.

I was bombarded with a chorus of, "Me!", "Ewww!", "TMI", and the requisite "Alex Hamilton - Enough of that!" from my favorite chaperon.

I relaxed into my bag. Day one shot. I had high hopes for day two.

* * *

I was one of the first up, getting the fire going, and putting two kettles to boil over the coals. Years of camping had me getting up with the sun when outdoors. I ambled down to the riverside, cleaning up as much as I could, running a comb through my hair, brushing my teeth, and making myself moderately presentable. When I had returned to the fire, a few weary souls were struggling out of their tents, stretching, and then heading up or downstream to take care of their immediate needs.

Miss Shannon Ryan, Humanities teacher extraordinaire, looking quite fetching in a light t-shirt and shorts, squirmed out of her tiny tent, scanning the campsite with a tired scowl. Her wild mane of dark red hair was particularly unruly, making me fantasize about being the one who'd mussed it up. I smiled when I saw her sniff the air, heading my way.

"Is that coffee?"

I held out a mug for her, which she accepted gratefully, inhaling its aroma deeply before taking a taste. "God bless you," she whispered, pursing her pretty lips and blowing on it before her second sip. She eased herself down to the log beside me, huddled over her steaming mug in the cool morning air. I glanced over and saw she wasn't wearing a bra, her nipples responding to the morning chill. Her sleeveless tee was too large, and from my angle, I had a dick hardening view of side boobage, maybe even a nipple.

I had a light windbreaker with me and placed it around her shoulders. She looked at me quizzically.

I nodded down to her chest. "The girls are standing at attention," I said softly. "I'm not complaining, but that's a little too much stimulation for some of the boys."

I wasn't sure how she'd respond, particularly in this environment but she took it in stride, slipping her arms into the jacket, and closing one snap right between her boobs. "Thanks, too early to be fending off the walking hormones. I'm not up to it at this ungodly hour." She took a sip. "I hope you got your fill."

I chuckled. "You know I'll never get my fill, but as an appetizer, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Little Alex thanks you as well."

Shit. I hadn't meant for that last bit to spill out.

She didn't even look my way. "Too far."

Enough said. It was our code. In a situation like ours, sometimes things got out of hand, one or the other had to draw the line. In the open campground, I guess Shannon figured my last comment was over the top.

I could challenge her, of course. But she was right. We had an unusual relationship, and not what you're thinking. It was too easily misinterpreted so we kept it cool in public.

I glanced back at her, and let her know I understood. "Sorry."

She looked up from her mug, smiling. "No you're not."

She had me there. "No I'm not. Not for the comment. But the time and place is all wrong."

Her eyes scanned the immediate area, observing the campers starting to slowly wander over. "You gonna be good this trip? Or am I going to have to tell your Mom?"

"Jeez, Shannon. The Mom card? Already?"

She gave me that evil look of hers, smirking, knowing she had won without even making a effort. I had nobody to blame but myself, and my neurotic need to help anyone in distress. Like a brand new teacher.

That's a different story. For a different time.

A few people were wandering toward the campfire, which was blazing nicely, while I continued to feed it. Needed a lot of hot coals for breakfast. "Coffee and hot chocolate's ready for anybody who wants some. Bring your own cup."

A couple of them were content to stand near the fire, stretching their hands forward toward the flames, warming up. Several others, however, scampered back to their tents, returning with a wide variety of cups in hand.

John showed up, close friend, fellow scout and second year member of the Outdoor Club. He sat down nearby holding a mug out, which I filled with coffee. "Man, it got cold last night. I'm glad I wasn't sleeping naked."

Miss Shannon almost spit up her coffee. "Inappropriate much?" she asked, peering at him.

"Hey, I didn't start it," he argued, looking at me pointedly.

"Don't remind me," she growled. She stared at me for a few seconds, and then went back to her coffee. "Dispensation for the coffee and jacket. Now clean it up, Mister Hamilton."

The last name thing was my warning. But I had to hand it to her, she always gave me the warning, an opportunity to reel myself in before she had to. In public Miss Shannon was cool. She could tease with the best of 'em, but was able to draw the line at how far things could go. I was always careful not to get carried away. A few different witty and salacious comments struggled within my head to be heard, but I successfully kept them at bay. Things you might get away with in private, among friends and family, did not play as well in public.

She looked over at me, raising one immaculately maintained eyebrow over those dark, sleepy, bedroom eyes, waiting for a smart-ass response.

Not today. Under the radar. Looking for some wiggle room in case things went my way later. I was being good. "Yes ma'am. Last thing I would want to do is cause any trouble for my all-time, number one, favorite teacher. Can I give you a refill?"

She smiled for me, secure in holding the upper hand, and held out her mug. I took her hands in one of mine, steadying them, while I poured the coffee. I took my time letting go of her hands, my thumb caressing the back of one, intimately. She didn't look at me, but I saw the beginning of a blush.

* * *

Miss Shannon's blush was about the best I did all day. Saturday was a training day. All of our activities predetermined, keeping us busy until almost sunset. The day had turned hot, high 80's at least, and the views were spectacular, but there was very little time for personal activities. The teachers paired us off when we did any projects, and it looked like Miss Shannon and Dr. Reed were determined to match me up with those who I had the least interest in being with. I would not put it past them to do it on purpose.

We were all tired by the time we settled in for our dinner, a huge pot of spaghetti, meat sauce, and toasted French bread. A large beverage cooler with punch and another with water, kept us hydrated. We took turns doing the cooking and cleanup, but I had volunteered to take care of the fire each morning, escaping most of the cooking and the dreaded cleanup. The meal was filling and there was enough to satisfy even the hungriest among us.

After we had our end of day wrap-up and were reminded of the camp rules and the following day's activities, things wound down and people wandered off on their own. I did a little housekeeping, hanging up my t-shirt from the day before to air out, and cleaning up my personal dishes. I had started on making my covered shelter more inviting by creating a fire space just in front of it, with a tall stack of wood behind it, creating both a heat reflector and a visual wall from the rest of the camp. Instant privacy. Now all I was looking for was a reason to need it.

I dug the fire pit out almost a foot deep, piling the excavated earth behind it and to the sides to help reflect the heat back into the covered area. The slope of the front of the pit made it easy to access the fire while enjoying it. I piled up the initial starter tinder and wood, only lacking a match to set it off. A large log, 'liberated' from a not-too-distant campsite, was lying lengthwise and would create an intimate seating area when the time was right. I'd had to recruit John's aid to get it in place, starting his grumbling.

Moving back down to the central area, I got John to help me build up a large stock of fallen wood for the communal fire, which in turn got several others participating, until the pile was almost the size of Julie. I also surreptitiously hauled out a canteen of Bacardi 151, and headed back to the main area.

People came and went, the conversation ebbing and flowing. By 10:00 it was getting a little cooler, nice after the heat of the day, and the wind had picked up a notch. I was happy enough to be parked between the sisters, Lisa and Julie, flirting openly with both, pleasantly surprised at Lisa's openness and willingness to play along. Julie had sought me out during dinner, and Lisa had joined us, seemingly content playing chaperon. We were all drinking the punch, which I'd openly spiked, with their approval. I was keeping the existence of the rum quiet. I did not have enough for everybody and if we were caught, there might be hell to pay. Best if that risk rested on my shoulders.

The crowd around the big common fire circle had broken up into half-a-dozen small groups, and I was more than content with my quiet corner of it. The fire was warm, the smoke was blowing away from us, and the log we were perched on comfortably worn down from countless rears before ours. As it got cooler, and the wind picked up, the groups seemed to collapse in upon themselves, huddling closer together, little black holes of teenage angst and desires. With the amount of desire I was feeling, I imagined our singularity was greater than most.

Miss Shannon passed by and, obviously sucked in by our gravitational field, leaned over me a second and placed my jacket in my lap. I'd completely forgotten about it. "Thanks," she said. "I think I'm fine now."

I turned toward her, giving a quick glance down at her breasts. "That's too bad. You know where I live if you need it again."

She gave me that look that warned me I was treading on thin ice while sipping from her ever-present coffee mug. The woman was a caffeine junkie. I rolled the dice of chance, standing up, my back to the fire, hiding my actions. "Umm, can I give you a little something for your coffee?" I held out the thermos, so she could catch a whiff.

She took a sniff then looked up at me with a look of caution. "Alex..."

I moved closer and spoke very softly. "Just a drop. To take the edge off. It has to last the whole weekend." I tipped the bottle over toward her mug, and she held it steady. Good enough for me. I poured her an ounce or so.

She moved even closer, almost touching me, lowering her voice. "Who knows?"

"Just the four of us, at the moment."

"Keep it that way. If anyone gets drunk, I'll have your ass."

"Don't tease me, you wicked thing," I whispered back, grinning mischievously. "For an offer like that I'd get everyone shit-faced."

"Alex!" she hissed.

I had been teasing Miss Shannon for almost a year now, ever since shortly after she came to our school. I'd ended up helping her out of a situation, and in the doing she'd become friends with my family, and my mother in particular. She knew of my strong feelings for her, and there had been a possibility of reciprocation, once upon a time. But cooler heads had prevailed, and things eased back to the current level of public teasing and private flirtation. She was a teacher and I was a student, at least for the rest of this year. As much as I lusted for her, I liked her too much to jeopardize her name and career. I had to be content with fond memories of one warm evening when she almost became my third.

"I'm just kidding, Shannon. I would never do anything to get you in trouble. You must know that by now, right? I'll keep it cool."

She shook her head, sighing. She sipped her coffee, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. She opened her eyes looking up into mine. "Take it easy on that stuff, OK?"

"Of course. Let me know if you'd like some more."

"You're not trying to get me drunk, are you?" she whispered, her eyes sparkling. The edge of her mouth turned up just a hint.

"Here? With all these people around? Not a chance."

She rolled her eyes at me. "I'm not sure that makes me feel any safer."

"I promise. Scout's Honor." I grinned, holding up the scout salute, then crossing my first two fingers, a skill I'd worked on diligently.

"Damn, you can be a pain in my ass."

The responses I had for that were almost overwhelming. I thought I was going to bite my tongue off reining them in. "I know. Believe me, your patience is very much appreciated. Keeping you locked in at the top of my favorite teacher list. Number one with a bullet."

She rolled her eyes at me, and then stepped over to the sisters, addressing them. "The devil. He is the devil. Sweet talker like that is nothing but trouble. Watch out for him."

Lisa almost killed me when she answered. "Oh, we know. We watch out for each other," she said with a nod toward her sister. "You better watch out too."

Our teacher's eyes opened wide, and I almost laughed aloud when she turned away, lost for words.

"Wounded. I'm mortally wounded, Lisa," I told her with a disappointing shake of my head as I sat back down, squeezing in between them.

"Poor baby. Don't worry, you'll do fine. There are enough girls around here that aren't aware of your game, Casanova."

"Casanova? First Teri calls me Don Juan, and now Casanova? What's with you girls?"

She looked at me like I had two heads.

Teri had been sitting nearby, sort of between groups, eavesdropping on both. She was now watching our wordplay from the next log over. She twisted her torso around, scooting a bit closer, poking her nose in. "What's with you, Casanova? Camp full of cuties and you're setting one sister against the other? You'd have Lisa cheating on Darryl, but dollars to donuts you'd be doing the same with sweet cheeks given half a chance." She was grinning hugely, getting her kicks out of poking me with her verbal sharp stick.

Honestly, I was a little shocked. "Cheat? Me? Why would you say that? I have never cheated on a girlfriend. I mean, flirt, and joke around, sure. We're all having fun. But I'm not a cheater." I was quite vehement in my own defense, attracting more attention than I had intended.

I guess I was a little too vociferous, and I saw Teri shrink back a bit. "I was just teasing," she said.

My anger was slow to cool, but I didn't want to make a huge scene. "Alright. Let's talk about cheating. I don't have a girlfriend at the moment, right?" I lowered my voice and leaned forward. Teri had to scoot closer and lean in to hear me. I grinned. She was doomed. Captured by our gravity well.

She nodded, and the sisters on each side of me leaned in as well, adding an additional modicum of privacy to our discussion.

"What's cheating? Where do we draw the line? Who's to say if someone's cheating? If I were to kiss Lisa, right here right now, would that be cheating? She has a boyfriend. Would kissing Julie afterward be cheating? Kissing two different girls?"

It was funny to hear three different responses. Lisa was quick to answer, "Of course!"

Julie was hot on her heels saying "No way."

Teri? She took the weak ass middle road, "It depends."

I looked at each of the sisters. I reached out for Lisa, pulled her close and gave her a brief peck on the lips. Without waiting for her reaction, I turned to Julie, and gave her a kiss as well, less of a peck, since she seemed eager to respond.

"Now. Did she cheat? Did I cheat on either one of them?" I turned to Lisa, "Did I cheat on you, kissing your sister?"

She seemed a little shocked, and shook her head no.

"How about you?" I asked, turning to Julie.

"No."

I waved Teri closer, "Come here."

She shook her head, looking nervous.

"Come. Here." I said more firmly, pointing directly in front of me.

She looked at me, then the sisters, before scooting forward and kneeling right in front of Julie, inches from me. I reached out and held her jaw in my hand, leaned in and kissed her hard. I pulled her chin down, encouraging her to open her mouth, and slid my tongue between her lips. I'd known her eight years and it was the first time I'd really kissed her. She whimpered softly before opening her mouth and meeting my tongue with hers. We kissed for several seconds, before I pulled away.

"Who did we cheat on just now?"

She looked at me with confusion, and a hint of anger. "Nobody, but that's not a fair question."

"Why not?"

"It's all in the intention. If I was your girlfriend, then kissing them would be cheating."

I sat back and looked at the girls on each side of me. Interestingly, Teri kept her place, kneeling at my feet. "Is she right?"

Lisa was quick to answer. "Maybe."

"Maybe? God, you guys are wishy-washy. How is it 'maybe' cheating? It's only a kiss, damn it!"

"If you mean it," Lisa insisted, "if the kiss is meant as wanting more, I'd think it's cheating. The kiss you gave me, it's not cheating. If you kissed me like you kissed her," she nodded toward Teri, "that could be cheating."

I sat back, taking a sip of my punch, while the wind blew the dying fire back to life. The temperature was still dropping to the point where it was getting chilly, and the fire was failing to keep up. Perfect excuse to move our little party.

"Excuse me a minute, ladies. I'll be right back, and we can continue this debate." I passed my half-finished mug of spiked punch to Teri, who took my spot as soon as I got up. I grabbed a nicely flaming log from the fire and jogged the couple of dozen steps to my shelter, putting it under my tinder pile, starting a nearly instant blaze.

I climbed into my tent and retrieved my large wool blanket. Essential camping and survival gear. I fed my nascent fire, and headed back down to my waiting trio of lovelies.

"Ladies, let's move this party up the hill. It's getting a little chilly out here, and my wind shelter will keep us nice and warm." Julie and Lisa seemed eager to follow my direction. Teri appeared to have some reservations, but followed along since it was either that or get left behind. I got them seated, Teri in the middle bracketed by the sisters, and wrapped the blanket across all of their shoulders, with a good bit left to wrap around the outside of each of the sisters.

I turned back to the fire, stacking a few more logs and getting the flames soaring. The difference in heat was obvious. I went back to the girls and took all their mugs for another refill at the beverage box, adding an ounce of liquid uninhibitor to each one. I filled a fourth cup for myself.

Teri started to get up when I got back to them, but I told her to stay put. Not like she would listen. She slid off the log, sitting on the grass, and once I'd sat back down in my original place, she leaned back into me, between my open legs, her arms resting on my thighs, facing the fire. I reached down and rubbed her shoulders. "Comfy?"

"Not bad," she replied casually.

Both Lisa and Julie moved in closer pulling the blanket tight to keep them warm. It was a cozy little private nest that I was at the center of.

"Back to cheating," I announced. "Gotta confess, I don't get it. We're all on such clearly different wavelengths. For me cheating is pretty simple. You're dating someone. You're sleeping with them. You've told each other you're committed. Then you do the deed with a stranger. That's cheating."