The first Glance.
It was the end of July. The beginning of our peak season. Guest numbers were up on last year and so was satisfaction. I was pleased to hear that when Lowery read me the details from his screen. I could let Simon know with a smile that he hired me for good reason. He wanted to meet with me regarding a new attraction today, all the way out on the east coast of Isla Nublar. When I eventually got there, I noticed construction workers were building up an old enclosure. Many of the enclosures from the previous park were resurrected if it was financially viable. They were obviously updated to be much safer, but since the foundations were there, it was easier than starting from scratch in most cases. Henry – our lead geneticist – was there too, talking to some scientists under a parasol. I wobbled across the gravel in my heels. I had been in a meeting early this morning and I didn't have a chance to change. I flicked my long red hair away from my face and pulled down my Gucci sunglasses as the rays blinded me. Today was not a day for a pale redhead to be in the sun. My pale grey pants-suit and patent nude stilettos were much better suited for the air conditioned control room or laboratory where I had spent most of the morning.
'Miss Dearing! Good Morning! I trust you are keeping well.' Simon Masrani called from behind the parasol, emerging and reaching a hand out to help me down the path.
'Very well thank you, Mr. Masrani.' I replied.
'And how is my park doing?'
'Guest numbers are up from last year. It's been very busy. And guest satisfaction levels are at a record high.'
'Good. As you know we've been working on some new ideas. Mr. Wu has been very busy. We've hired a man from the Navy, and an expert of African predators to be our main trainers.' Simon paused, noticing my raised eyebrow.
'These are more carnivores?' I asked. We already had a T-Rex, and several other carnivorous assets which I couldn't pronounce; including that massive thing in the lagoon which really brought the guests in last year. What more could we possibly need. Risk assessments were going to go through the roof!
'Yes Claire. The scarier, the better. Henry has had some experience with these in the past, and although in the main we plan to use them for research, we hope to eventually train them to a level where they can be part of a show. Barry, our predator expert, has suggested that they are imprinted upon at birth; and has volunteered himself and the navy man, Owen, for the job.'
'And what are these species exactly?' I asked nervously.
'Velociraptors.' Henry cut in, smiling slightly.
'Aren't they the ones that-'
'Yes, yes. Enough about the old park. We all know what happened and we need to keep our heads this time; but from birth, they'll be trainable. Owen has worked with Animals during his time in the Navy and as I mentioned, Barry is a predator expert. We'll also have plenty of other animal handlers on hand to ensure this is treated with the utmost caution it deserves. Asset Containment are already involved, to help maximise safety.' Henry was continuing; but all of a sudden; I had lost interest. It wasn't like me to lose interest in the assets, but a man caught my eye from underneath some scaffolding about twenty yards away from where we stood. He was tall, muscular and broad shouldered. Dark blonde curls covered his head and I could make out a five-o-clock shadow (even though it was only lunchtime, so this man was obviously not a regular shaver) His eyes caught mine and he smiled. I raised my sunglasses from my face, and twitched the side of my lips into a half smile in return, hoping my cheeks didn't flush and give away too much. His pale blue plaid shirt and black jeans disappeared with him behind the parasol that was now blocking the rather pleasant view and I came back to earth.
'So ACU will look into the stability of this new paddock and file monthly reports, as will our Raptor trainers, and hopefully in three to six years time, we'll have an attraction that the kids will be flooding in to see.' Simon finished.
'That's fantastic.' I smiled; wondering who the hell that guy was. As I left for my car, Simon followed.
'Claire. I'd like you to think about having an assistant. There will be a lot more meetings in your schedule before long; and I fear that the mundane will not take care of itself. I have a few candidates lined up. Just say the word.' He smiled and then turned around and headed back down towards Henry Wu and the other scientists.
The First Meeting
It wasn't until a good couple of years later that I actually met the man with the blond curls. He was arrogant and cocky, but also had a humour about him that I couldn't help find attractive. Not to mention how physically attractive he was in person. I was in the air conditioned office of Henry's, onlooking the labs through the wall of glass. I was sipping on my hot, sweet espresso and enjoying the comfort of a good sit down. I'd been on my feet all day and although my balance in the stilettos had improved dramatically, my feet still ached whenever I wore them. Something that came with the job of having to look presentable each day to lure in investors; I told myself. As well as dieting to be able to fit into these stupid size four suits. I stared down at my ensemble today which was no more practical than any other. My Navy blue shift dress and black stilettos really made me look pale and I wondered idly if the colours really worked for me. I'd had Zara – My new assistant – pick them out for me. She seemed to think they looked wonderful; and boy did she use that word a lot. That along with splendid. Splendid. A very British word for a very British woman who had an accent which I could easily listen to all day. One of the posh ones. She had moved over here a short time ago from somewhere called Eton, to be with her All-American baseball player boyfriend named Alec, whom I had heard so much about, seen so many pictures of, but had never met, and never really cared to meet - so long as he married her so she could stay here and run my errands for me. She was an amazing assistant. Simon did well in his candidates; I had a hard time choosing. Henry, Simon and I had been discussing another new attraction – a genetically modified hybrid that was to be bigger, scarier, and with more teeth. The Raptors were not learning quickly enough and so we needed a backup plan. The Indominus Rex. A completely classified meeting that I wasn't even allowed to discuss with Zara. We held the next meeting in Wu's office also, so I managed to have a small break between meetings with an espresso and a sit down on one of Henry's luxurious cream leather office chairs, whilst Simon had gone to fetch the Velociraptor trainers. He walked through the door and I stood to shake his hand immediately. Simon was followed into Henry's office by two men whom I thought looked particularly out of place in the pristine office, with their dirty clothes and scruffy, un-groomed appearance. But one of them was the dark blonde man I had seen a couple of years ago. The one who smiled at me. He smiled at me again and I just smiled right back. The other man was dark skinned, tall, and slender. He was bald and clean shaven; looking as though he was much more suited for this tropical climate than I was.
'Claire, Henry, I'd like you to meet Barry, And Owen; our Raptor Trainers.' Simon introduced us, gesturing to each of them as he said their names. Barry was the first to shake my hand; and then Owen. The feel of his rough, dry hand as it engulfed mine in a shake gave me the wildly inappropriate thought of what other parts of him might feel good engulfing me. I blinked twice. That had never happened before. It all went downhill as the meeting progressed. Owen was clearly disobedient and had not been filing his reports. Neither had he been reporting to his superior – a man named Victor Hoskins, whom I had never met. Neither had Barry, for that matter, but at least he was polite about it. No. Owen was not polite at all. And yet I couldn't help but keep glancing at him. Every time he caught my eyes, his would darken. He would either raise an eyebrow at me or flash a full megawatt smile in my direction whenever he thought Simon Masrani was not looking. What he didn't realise was that Simon practically had eyes in the back of his head. Which is why I kept my return smiles to a minimum. The meeting drew to a close; and quite frankly, I was relieved. It felt more like a disciplinary than a meeting; and Owen's flirtation made the room feel stuffy and uncomfortable. I was glad when we got out of the office; and I almost felt like a child at recess. Owen appeared to be following me; saying to Masrani that he would find his own way back to the Raptors, despite Barry accepting the offer. I rounded the corner into the staff only corridor that led to the control room. Owen appeared to follow me there, too.
'Can I help you with something?' I asked, turning around and meeting his eyes properly. I seemed to be unable to tear myself away from that gaze.
'I was just wondering; would you mind giving me a lift back?'
'I'm sorry Owen. I don't have time. I have another meeting in twenty minutes. It'll take forty to get me to the Raptors and back. Why didn't you go with Mr. Masrani?'
'I wanted to ask you something first.'
'Go ahead.'
'Are you free tonight?'
'Tonight, I have plans with the PR manager for Jurassic World.'
'Then tomorrow?'
'Tomorrow I am at dinner with my assistant.'
'Then next weekend?'
'I'm flying out to San Diego for a week to take care of some corporate dealings there.'
'Are you free any evenings this year?' Owen asked, sounding exasperated. Much as I didn't want it to seem like I was rejecting him, it was just a busy time for me; and I had to be honest, winding him up like this gave me a little kick.
'You don't give up, do you?'
'Not likely.' He replied, the smirk returning to his lips.
'Well, I may be free in two weeks time. Saturday night. Shall I pencil you in?'
'You know this isn't a business meeting, right?'
'Of course!' I huffed; fully aware that the connection between us had not been a one way system. The way he shifted when I returned the smiles in the office proved he was clearly not immune.
'Right. Well. I'll er, I'll see you in three Saturday's time.' He grinned. As he turned I called his name.
'Owen.' I liked how it sounded coming from my mouth.
'Yeah?' He whirled around, his dirty white T-shirt creasing against his bulging pectorals.
'There's a monorail from here out to the gyrosphere in fifteen minutes. The guys there should give you a lift back to the Raptors if you tell them it's a favour for me.' I smiled sweetly, flicking away a loose red tendril.
'Thanks.' He grinned, disappearing back into the Foyer with the general public.
The First Date
I was tired. Very tired. And mildly irritable. To say the least. The week in San Diego was a long, monotonous one; and I wished I was back in the sunny tropics of Isla Nublar with my espresso and Zara's help. She couldn't accompany, me on this trip; and I was cursing Simon for the timing. Friday night's return brought me a myriad of things to do on Saturday and I was so close to calling off my 'pencilled in' date with Owen Grady that evening. Fortunately, I managed to stay afloat and left the half-a-mountain of paperwork that was a mountain this morning, until tomorrow. I had mere minutes to get ready; but fortunately, had planned the whole date and printed out an itinerary for good measure. I liked to be organised. It took the stress out of things. Drinks at Jimmy's. Dinner at Nobu. A walk on the beach at sunset. I didn't get to relax very often so liked to make sure I packed as much relaxing as possible into the short amounts of rare free time I had. The other fortunate thing I had on my side was Zara; who had turned into my personal shopper as well as my assistant, and close friend. While I was busy racing around my pristine apartment, I noticed there was an outfit already laid out on my bed. A note on it simply read 'Have fun tonight ;) - Zara'. I slipped into the olive green, snake-print bandage body-con which was strapless and short. My word was it short. But my word did I look good in it. With the dress she'd also put my nude patent stiletto pumps on the bed, which worked very well with the dress. I grabbed a thin, pale grey shrug and headed out the door in the same make-up as earlier. When I was waiting in the lobby for Owen, I pulled my hair down from it's ponytail and let it fall naturally around my face.
'Claire. Whoa! You look... Wow. I, er, I booked us a table at sunrio for some drinks.' Owen strolled across the lobby in flip flops and board shorts. Sunrio? Tequila? Ugh. Board shorts and Tequila was all I needed. Not my kind of relaxing at all. But I went along with it, for no other reason than that I was physically attracted to this man, even with the board shorts. Especially when he planted a chaste kiss on my cheek and he smelled of some kind of sweet aftershave I hadn't smelled before. I followed him to the taxi; Glad that he had the good sense to book one at least. There was no way I was getting through this without at least one drink; so long as it wasn't tequila.
When we got to the taxi, Owen opened my door for me, something I hadn't expected him to do. In my mind I was doing what I usually did on dates. Tallying up the pros and cons. Pro – he'd told me I looked good. Con – He'd worn Board Shorts. Pro – He'd booked a taxi and held open my door. Con – He'd booked a table at Sunrio – What type of place was that to take a woman on a first date? When we got to Sunrio, I asked for a glass of water at the bar. Owen raised an eyebrow at me.
'I'm on a diet.' I said in response to his quizzical look. It wasn't far from the truth. Tequila had a ton of calories in it and I needed to keep within my allowance. I hadn't eaten all day either, to allow for that, so any alcohol now was a bad idea. The look of almost disgust was clear on his face as he ordered a tequila for himself, downing it in one go and leaving the salt and lime on the bar.
'So did you have any ideas where we could eat? I'm damn hungry today. The Raptors are getting stronger and more disobedient.' Owen Began.
'Have you been to Nobu?' I asked, hoping we could resurrect my ideal evening from there.
'No. That's the fancy place on the corner? Did you want to go?'
'I do quite like the food in there. And it's not that fancy is it?' I tried to be light-hearted about it, smiling as I spoke.
'Not for someone on your pay-check.' Own muttered under his breath. I heard though, and felt my nostrils flare. Con. Definite con.
'Mr. Grady, if you're going to make comments like that may I suggest that we do not continue.'
'I'm sorry. Really, I am. I- I just – OK. Let's go to Nobu.'
We walked the short distance to the corner of Main Street and entered the restaurant, which was packed. I had never seen it this busy. But it was the first week in August, right in the middle of peak season, so of course, it would have been busy.
'Do you have a table miss – Oh Claire! Good evening, We're really busy tonight. Are you happy to wait by the bar? I'll put you on the priority list.'
'Evening James. Yes we're happy to wait.' I replied, glad that my status got me places others couldn't. Owen followed me to the bar, and I ordered a lime soda with a shot of vodka in it. Owen ordered a beer.
'So, the woman drinks.' Owen said, perching on a bar stool and helping me up. Pro.
'Yes. Just not tequila. There's double the calories in that awful stuff.'
'OK.' Owen extended the word as if he was mocking me.
'So, How come Masrani's got a Navy man training his animals?' I asked. Curious to know exactly that.
'I worked with dolphins in the Navy. I have some animal experience. Plus they needed someone tough. I didn't realise they were going to be carnivores – sort of a blind contract.'
'And how's that working out for you now?'
'Well, I like them. It's a different environment. And there's a lot more people and paperwork. I'm not used to all that. Must be easy for you though? Eighteen thousand people a day?'
'They're numbers on a screen to me.' I admitted, opening up a little.
'I guessed as much.' Know it all. Con.
'Meaning?'
'You don't seem like the type to stray too far from the career path. Focussed on the numbers and not the feelings.'
'Is that why you had to make sure I knew it was a personal meeting tonight?'
'Exactly.'
'And you think you've got me all figured out.'
'Well, I'm a pretty good judge of character. If nothing else, I know you find me attractive.' Ugh. Cocky. Con.
'I said yes to your relentless pestering. That does not mean-'
'Your muscles tighten every time we touch. Your cheeks get red when we make eye contact. Your breathing deepens when I say your name.' He murmured. He was right; and as if on cue, my breathing deepened and my cheeks flushed. 'Don't worry. Your secrets safe with me.' He grinned. I bit my lip.
'Our table's ready.' I said in relief as I noticed James motioning us over. I hopped down from the bar stool and Owen followed, draping his arm around my back. I tried to relax but could feel my shoulders bunching at his touch. I felt his hand move across my bare shoulder, setting a fire blazing where he touched. Down my back. Down. His hand was now far too south of my hips and very prominently on my ass. I liked it. But it was far to presumptuous and far too early on, on the first date, for him to be doing that. Con. When we were shown to our table I watched Owen pull out my chair for me. He was, at least, still acting the gentleman. Pro.
We sat down and continued our idle chatter. It all seemed to be going well until we came to discussing, for some god-forsaken reason, Rexy.
'I'm telling you, her enclosure is far too small.' Owen continued his tirade about the correct treatment of captive animals.
'How could you possibly know? Were you there a hundred million years ago?'
'Sixty six million. And no, of course not. All I'm saying is that she had full reign of this place until us humans came along. She's then thrown into an enclosure not even a tenth of the size of this island and expected to live out her days there in solitary confinement?'
'What are you suggesting? She's not exactly people friendly.'
'At least consider, for one second that this is a living, breathing, creature. She's also a veteran. She's been on the island longer than any of the other dinosaurs here. Longer than any of the people. She's at least twenty-three years old. She's your most valuable "asset"-' He used air quotes when he said the word asset, as if mocking me, yet again. '- and the poor girls locked up in a tiny enclosure. Either move her, or make it bigger, that's all I'm suggesting.'
'Since when did you become an expert? Should we start calling you Dr. Grant now?'
'Ask him if you want. I'm sure he'd tell you the same as me. Actually, I'm sure he'd tell you that you never should have built this place in the first instance, but he's got good reason for that.' Owen was smirking. Actually smirking.
'I can't believe you're siding with him!' I hissed, infuriated. Dr. Grant had been one of the main opposers when we tried to re-open in 2004. It took another year, and a lot more money to finally shut him up so we could get on with it.
'I'm not siding with him! I'd never have come here if I was. Jeez. You need to relax.'
'I thought I'd get to do that tonight, instead of arguing with you about asset containment.'
'You thought coming to some stuffy, stuck up restaurant in the busiest week of the year was going to be relaxing? What else did you have in mind for tonight?' He huffed loudly. I pulled the itinerary from my purse and laid it flat on the table.
'That's not what I think it is, is it?' He eyed me and then dropped his gaze to the piece of paper in front of me.
'I like to be organized. It takes the stress out of things.'
'Really? I always thought it made things more stressful when they don't go to plan. Which is all the time.'
'Not in my world.'
'Clearly, your world is a lot different to mine.'
'Clearly.' I snapped. Angry at the realisation that this was probably true. I was organised. I liked control. I had money. He was laid back. He was happy to roll with the changes and he made it quite clear his salary was a lot lower than mine. That was not something I could help. And so when we parted at the restaurant, it was silently clear that a second date would not be happening. I went to the beach anyway. I found my favourite spot in the rocks to watch the sun go down; and I let the tears fall.
The First Kiss
Terror. That is the only way to describe what I felt. Unimaginable, unadulterated terror. I'd been running for most of the day. Running for my life. Running away from the monster I had helped design. Helped create. Helped care for. Now, I wanted to help destroy it, after it helped destroy my boss. Simon was dead. It still hadn't sunk in. I doubted it would sink in until the adrenaline wore off sometime after this was all over, if I made it out of here alive. Owen was beside me. We'd just got onto main street where pandemonium and chaos ensued. Owen had his rifle against his shoulder and was firing upwards in all directions, trying to take down the flying dinosaurs that were attacking the populace. ACU were shooting Non-Lethals, despite the protestations earlier that day; and flanked Owen as he fired. I clambered awkwardly up onto the bonnet of an abandoned vehicle, mere feet away, and screamed my nephews names as if my life depended on it. That was the whole point of us coming here, but I couldn't see them. Zara had said they were heading towards main street. Where the hell were they? I started to panic. It hit me then, that I cared a little more than I realised. Remembering the bone crushing guilt I felt when I saw the look of bitter disappointment on Gray's face, and the look of sheer disgust on Zach's, when I told them I couldn't spend the day with them. I cared for them as much as I now cared for Owen. I knew early on in the day that I cared a lot about the man; and despite our disastrous first date, we really did make a good team. He dropped everything to help me, despite my useless ability as a human being; unable to even remember how old my nephews were; so when I saw the Pteranodon knock him over, it was the first thing I thought of. Jumping down from the bonnet, I grabbed a rifle – I wasn't sure whose it was – and used the butt of it to knock the creature off of Owen. I put two shots in it so it wouldn't get back up. I held my hand out to help Owen up from the ground, and before I knew what was happening, his lips were on mine. I squeaked; out of surprise more than anything, and had to hold onto his shoulder for support, or he'd have knocked me over. The man was a cannonball. But damn I liked that kiss. No. I Loved it! It suddenly seemed like all of the arguing we'd been doing had lost all meaning; and in the middle of the panic, I found one small, beautiful happy place. As we withdrew – both rather reluctantly – I found two more little happy places; as I saw the confused stares of my nephews across the street.
The First Time
It was six thirty in the morning. The ferry ride to the mainland had been quiet, most people were sleeping. When we arrived at four this morning, the medics and news crews arrived. The news crews were hovering outside since a group of rangers who escaped the island unscathed were guarding the door. I had Zach leaning against me one side; flicking through images on his iPhone, which I carried with me and reunited him with once we reached the control room. His dark brown hair was covered in a layer of goodness knows what. I suspected a mixture of mud, sweat and possibly blood. My whole body was covered in grime too – not to mention dinosaur droppings. Owen's smart idea, I thought, rolling my eyes. Heaven knows it probably bought us enough time to still be here. Gray was tucked under my other arm and the three of us were sat on the benches where we'd managed to find a space. Gray looked as though he was asleep, but he could have been simply resting his eyes. His strawberry blonde curls were matted with the same grimy concoction as his brothers, and his bare shins were covered in bloody scratches. But they were alive. Thank God they were alive. Once the T-Rex hobbled off into the night, we had an hour before the first of the evacuation ferries arrived. We made it back to the control room and reunited with Lowery, who helped us raid a vending machine. I slipped into my office; when I was sure the boys were safe; to grab my purse which I'd thankfully left there during the events of the day. I gazed down at my nephews with a strange sense of responsibility. Old Claire would have palmed the boys off on somebody else, like Zara – Whose death had not sunk in yet. The grieving would come eventually, I was sure, but right now, I was mentally drained. Right now, I was new Claire. And new Claire would not abandon her nephews in an attempt to control a situation. Old Claire wouldn't have let loose the Tyrannosaur. New Claire not only set it loose, but outran the damn thing in four inch heels! I watched Owen as he made small talk with the evacuees; making sure they were OK. And then Somebody else caught my eye. Karen! My beautiful, immaculately dressed, tall, slim, strawberry blonde sister was walking between the long lines of benches, with her dark haired, forty-something husband in tow. I thought it was a mirage at first; but then I noticed at the main doors, that family members and friends alike had started pouring in to rescue their loved ones.
'Your parents!' I hissed, nudging Zach and Gray. Their reactions to reuniting with each other were so emotional that I had to hold back the tears myself. And then Karen saw me.
'Are you OK?' she sobbed, as I nodded and voluntarily enfolded myself into her arms. I sobbed a little too. When we withdrew, Owen was watching me. Karen caught the direction of my gaze and let me go. I heard Gray whisper rather conspicuously 'That's her boyfriend!' to my sister. I smiled nervously as I walked over to him, hoping he didn't make any witty remarks. Now was not the time. He simply returned my nervous smile and we walked side by side towards the door. I paused, wanting with every sinew in my body to know the answer to my next question.
'So what do we do now?' I asked, locking eyes with him.
'Probably stick together, for survival.' he smirked. The annoyingly sexy smirk that I both hated and loved in equal measure. And I realised, I didn't want to survive. I'd done enough surviving in the last 24 hours. I wanted to live. I wanted to feel alive. And so I grabbed Owen's hand and we found ourselves running into the bright, early morning, Costa-Rican sun. It didn't take long for him to figure out what I wanted, and so we were frantically looking for somewhere, anywhere, we could hide. The cameras didn't follow us. I was glad. We found one of those flat pack offices, not too far away, which was empty. It was too early in the morning for some of the port staff to be here. It was, however, unlocked. Inside, there happened to be a storage room, where we backed ourselves in between a mountain of archive boxes. Owen's mouth met mine in a more fiery kiss than before, and we instantly began tugging at each other's clothes. The leather vest slid from Owen's shoulders easily. I didn't mean to rip his blue shirt, but the buttons on it were flimsy and scattered everywhere as I tugged at the fabric. I was not surprised to find a six pack underneath. I ran my hands across it, ignoring the smell of gasoline and dinosaur shit. I knew I stank as well. I didn't really care. My hands reached his jeans and with one movement they were unbuttoned. My skirt was already torn, but I felt him tear it right up the seam until it fell off in a pool of dirty fabric on the floor. His hands slid my grubby lilac tank over my head and despite the hell I'd been through, I was still grateful I'd put on my lingerie today instead of my spanx. The pastel pink lace was still attractive, even on a battered body, and Owen groaned in appreciation. I slid his jeans over his hips, taking his boxers with them. His hands slipped around my waist and cupped my behind as he lifted me up, backing us against a wall. I wrapped my legs around him, heels and all, and he slid aside my panties to gain entry. Not even bothering to ask about contraception. I had the IUD anyway, but that didn't matter right now. What mattered was the way it felt when he pushed into me for the first time. The way he thrust his hips forward and made me cry out his name in an effigy. Now, I was alive. It didn't take long. Within around a minute we were both moaning and screaming and collapsing in a delirious post orgasmic haze. I'd have to figure out how to tie my skirt back around me, but for now, I was happy collapsed on the floor of the storage room, entwined in Owen's arms; letting my breathing return to normal. Old Claire would not have done that!
