Chapter 2

Running From the Mob

The sun was warm and bright the following morning and Ethan woke with Simone nestled close. Her face was buried in his chest and her right arm was draped along his bareback. Sometime in the early morning their closeness ceased to be about lovemaking and became a matter of staying warm. But now the sun was shining brightly and Ethan thought it felt damn good on his bare skin.

Ethan gently kissed Simone and then pulled his arm from beneath her. Then Ethan did what he always did in the morning. He raised his arms over his head and stretched. Pleasantly surprised that his Early Riser still had a bit of starch in it, Ethan grinned.

"Holy Hell! Look at that thing!" gasped a young voice.

Momentarily confused by the strange voice and an odd repetitive clicking noise Ethan thought, Oh God, please let that be Simone. Ethan's eyes popped open and for a moment he froze.

Ethan and Simone were surrounded by a mob of preteen boy scouts with cameras and binoculars. Springing to his feet Ethan found that their clothes were not where they had left them. He didn't bother to ask. Judging by the raucous laughter of the young boys Ethan knew that they wouldn't be offering the items back.

Flicking his side of the blanket over Simone he covered her up before lifting her into his arms. Still drowsy Simone woke slowly, "What? Ethan? Who's laughing?"

Ethan stepped on a rock in his bare feet, "Damn it to hell!"

"Ethan?" Still sleepy Simone was confused.

"Bloody Scouts!" Ethan turned toward the boys and growled, "Piss-off!"

Simone started to pull the blanket from her face but Ethan pulled it back up, "Keep your face covered, we're surrounded by freaking first formers and they have cameras."

"I think it's a dead body!" screamed one boy.

"You sick pervert!" hollered another.

"Oh bloody hell!" muttered Ethan.

Simone reached out of the blanket and waved.

"Oh! I guess she's alive." Complained the first boy.

One boy laughed and pretended to be looking in his manual, "I don't see that species of bird in here."

Simone couldn't help but laugh at that remark. And after a moment's thought she pulled her arm back under the blanket and reached down to touch Ethan.

"Simone! Stop that!" Ethan shouted readjusting her in his arms.

"I wasn't groping you! I was just making sure the blanket dropped low enough to cover you." Simone protested.

"Oh Bloody Hell!" Ethan howled. Simone felt her body shift as Ethan hopped about on one foot for a moment, "Bloody freaking pinecone!"

Simone wiggled and laughed in his arms, "Ethan! Stop you're tickling me."

"This isn't funny Simone. Be still. They have our clothes."

Simone laughed again.

"And our bloody freaking keys!" Ethan proclaimed marching along.

"I think our keys are back by the picnic hamper," offered Simone.

"Oh Bloody Hell!" groaned Ethan.

"Maybe you should put me down so I can walk" Simone suggested, "I'll just walk in front of you."

"No!" Ethan replied emphatically.

Ethan stood for a moment and tried to get his bearings before turning left towards the hill with the scouts following close behind him.

"Are the keys in the hamper?" asked Ethan picking it up by the handle.

"Yes"

"Are you sure?"

"I said YES!" Simone spoke sternly but then she sighed, "…but you better check"

Ethan dropped the basket and knelt to the ground placing Simone strategically before him.

"Ethan this is silly I can walk!"

"Simone," Ethan began while rummaging through the hamper, "I'm using you as a shield from the boys. It's bad enough that my bare arse is exposed. You can't walk in front of me with your head covered."

"Ethan! What difference does it make if they see my face?"

"I'm sorry, but I didn't think you'd want a bunch of eleven year olds imagining your face at night as they look through their pictures of your bare backside."

"Uh… no. Thanks," Simone sighed, "But it is getting stuffy in here."

"Funny. It's a bit chilly out here" Ethan remarked as he dug around for the keys, "I got them!"

Ethan picked up Simone and started for the car.

"Do you see my purse?" Simone asked.

Ethan groaned and turned back to the picnic site and grabbed her purse. With Simone in his arms, the keys in his right hand and her purse in his left Ethan made his way to the car.

"Finally!" thought Ethan just when an angry Scout Leader came forward.

"What the…!" The older boy began, "Mister you don't have any clothes on! There are young boys around here."

"They're around all right. They've been following us all morning. Perhaps they will share the location of our clothing with you." Ethan placed Simone on her feet so he could unlock the door. He grabbed a towel from the back seat that he kept for the gym, wrapped it around his waist and turned around. The young scouts were strangely absent after hovering around him for the last mile and a half.

"I should call the police!" shouted the Scout Leader.

Ethan just groaned and climbed into the car. Exasperated Ethan sat dejected and took a moment to rest his head on the steering wheel and growl when he heard Simone trying to suppress her laughter.

"I know Ethan," said Simone and reached to push the hair from his eyes, "Poor Ethan." But she couldn't help herself and the harder Simone tried not to, the stronger the urge became and soon she was laughing so hard she had to clasp her sides.

Ethan's hands clutched the steering wheel so tightly that the whites of his knuckles were plainly visible. With the sound of Simone's laughter filling the car Ethan started the engine and resisted the urge to run over the still screaming Scout Leader as he turned the car toward home.

Coming Chapter 3 'Cambias Assets Exposed

Simone tries to comfort Ethan as he privately deals with the knowledge that he has made some of the Cambias assets public property.