A Wild Thing in the Darness

***This is a bit of an unplanned extension of the "Dream of the Unlikely Princess" series. So if you find that it doesn't make sense to you, you ought to go read that one first. A word however, though Yevgeny and Oksana appear in this chapter, it's not specifically about them. They come in for big appearances in later ones.

~sigh~ Sorry for the uh, goofy dialog in this. Just telling you now ...

This happens during the middle 1980s, if it's important.

For pronunciation:

Suhn = Soon, but like you'd say the 'oo' in 'shook'.

Raett = Rayt

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"I have an idea," Yevgeny proclaimed the one morning over breakfast. "I would like to take you on a honeymoon, Oksana."

She almost dropped her coffee, but after he'd talked of it for a time, she found herself rather excited about it all. "But, what about the lawns and the garden?" They had gotten her a large new gardening tractor the day before and she'd had a lot of fun mowing the acres of lawn there.

"We will need someone to tend to it while we are gone," he shrugged, "Though I would hate to have to call the same companies that I used before for this. I only want to go for about two weeks this time," he said.

"This time?" Oksana smiled as she tilted her head.

Well, I love you so," he said, "I think that I would like to do this every year, perhaps."

They decided that for this year, they'd stick rather close to home and go to Tobermory to learn scuba diving. After breakfast, they sat together at his computer learning what they could.

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Bailey Smith was down and just above out. Almost twenty, she was by her own definition a 'pretty-enough' blonde, though those who knew her found her very likable and "darn cute". It was a description which was almost a guaranteed way to make her smolder. She was pleasant and attractive in her own way, but at five foot-nothing and flyweight, she found it difficult to get anyone to take her seriously.

She needed a job. Her folks had turfed her out, mistaking her shyness as a front for slacking and a lack of ambition. Bailey's parents had come to the rather idiotic decision that forcing her out of the nest would make her fly. So far, she'd taken the landing pretty much on her chin. It didn't help her lack of confidence. In fact, it was turning her lack of confidence into more low self-esteem than anything else. She had been living with her boyfriend, who was something of a full-time, professional slacker, working only casual jobs for just about the money which his lifestyle required. It was causing her to want to have less and less to do with him.

Bailey had a vague idea and no real plan, but she was walking up the street, asking people if they'd like her to mow their lawns. There was one house left on the street and it was a long way off and not all that far from the town line, but she went. She turned up Yevgeny's drive, headed for the front door. She'd almost gotten to the door when she noticed that the lawn was immaculate and had just been cut and trimmed.

Yevgeny sat up in his chair, thinking. He jumped up and walked to the front door. There was a young girl walking away down the drive. She was rather unremarkable from the back, in what she was wearing, but that wasn't what caused him to stare.

Bailey had heard the door open, but decided not to bother.

"Excuse me, please," the voice said in an Eastern European accent, "May I help you?"

Bailey stopped. Wonderful, now she'd have to explain how she'd thought to ask about his lawn and then changed her mind and 'no thank you' wouldn't even be required.

She half-turned with her hands jammed into her jeans, not really looking at him, "No, it's ok, sir. I was just going to ask you if you needed your lawn cut when I noticed how well it's cut, so I didn't want to waste your time."

"How do you know if it will be cut like this in a few days? It might need it then, and maybe I like to plan ahead."

Bailey wondered if the guy was trying to screw with her head.

"As it happens," he said, "My girlfriend cuts the lawn and tends the gardens, but we are getting married and going on a holiday, and we need to have things looked after, since the gardens are very important to us. We'd be gone for maybe 3 weeks and we were talking about having one of the larger firms in the area do the work for us. I have a different idea in my mind, but if you keep looking down and watching the ants, we will never have the chance to talk about it. If you need a job as much as your body attitude says, then turn around and we can talk if you have the time."

Bailey sighed and turned around. She saw a nice-looking man with a pleasant smile.

"I have an idea," he said, "and I need to know if it is the kind of work that you can provide, cutting our lawn and more. Can you look after gardens as well?"

"I can weed and I know how to plant and shape flower beds," Bailey said, looking up shyly, "It depends on how big or how many gardens."

His dazzling smile almost made her smile along, "Excellent! You see? We have gone from not thinking that I would want my lawn cut to being able to cut the lawn and being a little hopeful of extra business. I am Yevgeny. What is your name please?"

He held out his hand, and Bailey hesitated for just a second before turning completely around and walking back to him. She shook his hand, "I'm Bailey Smith."

He smiled, looking pleased, "I have the beginnings of a bigger plan in my mind than I had earlier today, Bailey. At first, I was sitting and looking at all of these brochures and quotations for my lawn care. I like none of them for different reasons. I was thinking about going about it in a different way, but that would require a specific person, not a big company. Forgive me, but I wish to ask you, do you like gardens and plants?"

She nodded, "Yes, it's something I've always loved to do."

"Ah," he said, "but loving it when you do it for yourself and being able to do it as a profession can be another matter. Come, you see my lawn here and the small gardens. Let's go into the back, or better yet, you take a walk back there and look around. What is there is simple and straightforward, I think, but you should see it for yourself. Take a few minutes to walk and think, and I will wait for you in the sun room in the back.

What would you like to drink on this hot day, if we are talking business? I am afraid that all that I have is water, coffee, and some soda, but the soda is cold, at least, and the sun room is air conditioned. Or, if you are a bit nervous, we can talk on the back deck. We just need a table so that I can show you what I require."

He didn't need to mention it, Bailey thought to herself. He seemed like a nice sort of guy and he was great-looking, but she wasn't sure about going inside. Still, she needed the work, and at least he was giving her more of his time than anybody else had. She just hoped that he wasn't a nutbar.

Walking around took her ten minutes. She was surprised at just how long the rear addition to the house turned out to be. It was far longer than the house itself, and that was no little thing, either. The whole time, she was at a loss as to how to turn this into some work. She had no idea how much to ask.

She found the table on the back deck and sat down, feeling the trickle of sweat going down her back to soak her bra strap. She looked up and saw a young woman about her own age walking toward her in a tube top and jeans with a lovely smile. Bailey was naturally a bit shy, but she felt a bit better for some reason.

"Hi, Bailey" the woman said with a more of the same accent," I'm Oksana and Yevgeny asked me to help you with a business deal between the two of you. He says that you're probably too nervous to come in out of the heat. I'm here to tell you that he doesn't bite, Ok, he doesn't bite anyone other than me, but I get him to play nicely."

"Yevgeny is my boyfriend. And you are the famous Bailey Smith, specializing in lawn and garden care. I've heard of you as well -- from Yevgeny. Come, I'll help you get the best deal out of him. He might seem a bit funny, but he is kind of old-fashioned and very polite, and he knows what he wants a lot of the time. It gives him a little trouble sometimes, because people here don't do business the same way that he does."

Bailey reached out to grasp the woman's hand and said that she'd be glad of a little help. "But what did you mean when you said that he ... Well how does he do business?"

Oksana laughed a little, "He appreciates honesty. He would rather hear that you are not sure than if you lie. Not being sure is nothing that can't be worked out, from his point of view, but lying to him gets you a closed door. Just be honest with him, and you'll do fine." They walked toward the house.

"But I don't know how much to ask for." Bailey confided, "I was just going to ask him if I could mow his lawn -- if he had a mower."

"That really doesn't matter with Yevgeny," Oksana replied, "Let him lead you where he wants to go. I can already see the little wheels turning in his head. Let him lay what he has in mind in front of you, and just tell him if you think that it's possible or not for you to do it. I'll help you."

They sat in the cool sun room. Oksana had gotten Bailey a can of cola, and Yevgeny began, holding a stack of brochures. "Here is my problem, Bailey."

He threw down the pile. "Any of these companies will do the work and take as much money as they can get for it. I would have a nice lawn, but I would not be happy. You need a job. It is plain to me. So, let us begin. Do you have a lawn mower?"

She shook her head, "I was hoping to use yours."

"I don't have one either, but Oksana does. She is starting a company soon, and I think that you might want to get to know her a little, since she will need workers then. Wait a moment." He thought a few things through and looked at her. He reached for a pad of paper. "Can you drive?"

"You mean a car? Yes, I have a license." Bailey replied.

"Good," Yevgeny said, "We are not thinking about you coming over here and only mowing the lawn. If you could, do you think that you could look after the lawns and the gardens that you have seen and also, one serious garden that is inside -- if you had what you needed? In other words, Bailey, if you had everything that you needed to do it, do you think that you would like that kind of hard work, working with Oksana, but doing that as a living?"

"Yes, uh, Yevgeny. I know that I can do it, but I don't have any of that."

"That is obvious, Bailey," he smiled, "I knew that from the first look at how your shoulders hung down as you walked away. You see, we need to have everything looked after while we are away, Bailey, but after that, Oksana will begin to think about her company and it will be more than one person can handle. Even during the winter, the indoor garden needs almost full-time care, and having you do some of that will free Oksana for her planning."

Bailey sat in a bit of shock.

Yevgeny saw right into her and knew what her answer ought to be. She didn't really know it, but he knew that she'd be perfect for this. He'd sensed it as she walked up the walkway.

Bailey looked at Oksana, "I don't know what to say. I don't think that I can really answer this."

Oksana sat forward with a smile, "Well, alright, Bailey. I think I know what Yevgeny has in mind, though we didn't talk about it before. I think that he just thought of this today. I think that you should say yes. He's very good at reading people, and I think he thinks you're right for what he has in mind. Don't worry about what and when; I can help you with that."

Bailey looked down, and thought about all of the jobs that she'd applied to. Nobody had taken her seriously for a single one. "Yes," she said. "I'd want to do that kind of work. Yevgeny. What do I do to begin?"

They worked out the details, and after a couple of days where Oksana showed Bailey what would be needed and when for the indoor garden, everything was left in Bailey's care as Yevgeny and Oksana left for their honeymoon. Bailey was a little surprised when Oksana had asked her to be one of the witnesses for their civil ceremony, since they didn't really know many people at all. But she'd already found herself thinking of the pair as almost friends and she was so very thankful for the work.

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In spite of the warmth of the place, Bailey liked to take her breaks in the indoor garden. The place was a wonderland to her. She'd wander in using her pass card, grab a cold drink out of the little fridge and just enjoy the place for a little while. It always made her feel just a little bit primal when she was in there.

After the second day, she thought about that and decided that since she was here all alone, there wouldn't be any harm done if she just went whole hog for a little while too. So she'd make certain that Yevgeny's car was still gone, and then just take her clothes off when she was in the garden.

It felt even better to her, wandering around like that. The hard part was going back to work. But she developed a plan. She'd bust her ass getting everything done taking just a couple of really quick breaks and then spend the rest of the afternoon in the garden. She knew that Yevgeny and Oksana wouldn't mind her setting the day up as she saw fit -- as long as everything got done and nothing was missed.

She didn't know it at the time, but she wasn't alone there.

There was a pair of eyes watching her, careful not to stare long enough for the young woman to feel it. A young ambassador had been sent from Yevgeny's world, and she waited for his return in the garden since it was similar to where they were from and it gave her a natural place to hide. She'd even guessed why he'd created it.

From the moment that Bailey showed up for work, those eyes were on the young woman in fascination. As Bailey rode the mower and tended to the flower beds, she watched through the windows, back far enough not to be seen. But her favorite times were when Bailey came inside and wandered the paths nude. She prowled in the thickets and watched, wondering about their differences and similarities. She'd never seen anything like this creature.

After a few more days of it, she began to long to touch Bailey, just to see what she might feel like. The object of her attention had no fur other than what was on her head and a bit between her legs and she had no claws either, not that the watcher was looking for a meal or a fight. She just felt drawn to her somehow and it came as a bit of a shock when she realized that her fascination and longing had turned into something like unrequited love. It was even more of a surprise once she'd admitted it to herself, since she'd never been drawn to females of any kind before.

But she'd been chosen for this task of being a rather glorified messenger and she was well aware of the reasons. She had no family left after they'd been killed off in a blood feud. She knew that she'd be just as dead, but she'd been on the other side of her world, learning the tasks of her new job at the time.

As well, she had no attachments and the thinking was that if something went wrong, it would be the least possible loss to anyone. She knew that she was attractive, but even so, she'd found no male who had held her interest -- and she didn't think that she'd been picky at all. She just saw no point to agreeing to entering into a relationship with a male based on nothing more than what she 'ought' to do.

The term 'ambassador' was a hollow one, since there was no diplomatic mission on this world for her. As far as she knew, only one person here really knew anything about her kind at all, though that person was so very important to her kind now. It was the reason why she'd been sent, after all.

There had been a few times when Bailey had wondered if she was really alone here, having heard the soft sounds of some vegetation moving very occasionally, but after some thought, she put it down to a frond growing up against another plant and finally having the strength to push past and straighten out. Her mother had a palm tree like that in her living room.

All the same, Bailey had spent the better part of an hour the afternoon before looking around, searching for cameras, just in case. She had a little fantasy that she wanted to play out and needed to be sure of her privacy first.

Bailey came in the next day and after deciding, she gave in to something that she'd wanted to do for a few days. She walked in during her lunch break and after grabbing a drink, she went directly to a secluded little spot that she'd picked out. After laying out a beach towel, taking off her cut-off shorts and pulling her T-shirt and bra off, she sat down to eat her sandwich quickly, and after a brief internal struggle, she lay back on the low rise of ground and began to pleasure herself. It was wonderful here, she thought.

The owner of the eyes almost ruined everything right there, once she realized what was going on before her. She drew back a little deeper into the undergrowth and stared. She could smell the crumbs of food and the drink in the metal container, and then her nose told her what the arousal of this female was like, as faint as it was.

She watched for a time, feeling as though she was intruding, but then slowly and carefully brought her own clawed hand back between her knees and eased her body onto her open palm so that she could rock against herself in tiny motions as she watched and listened to Bailey's soft sighs and the very occasional moan. She rocked a bit harder as she saw Bailey's efforts increase, and she guessed that she would reach her peak soon. It was all that she could do to keep her own breath carefully controlled and her mouth clamped shut, though it wasn't what she wanted to do at all when Bailey's pleasure made her cry out.

The next three days were filled with anticipation for the creature as she waited for Bailey and then followed her discreetly to the spot. When Bailey was done every time, she just lay there feeling a little spent and happy for a while before getting up to wash her hands, pull on her clothes and drive home. But the ambassador stayed where she had hidden herself after the first time, once she knew what this beautiful creature was doing.

She waited until Bailey was gone before creeping out of the bushes to lie in the same spot and complete her own pleasure as she enjoyed Bailey's sweet scent all around her. It was a thrill for her; though she was always just a little sad afterward as she wondered how it might be if there were some interactions between them. As it was, she had to be satisfied with this one-sided crush. It was very pleasant like this, but it wasn't where she longed for it to go.

Yevgeny came home one evening and was amazed to meet the young ambassador there in the garden. He listened quickly to her message and nodded when she told that she had instructions to give the full content only to both her king and Oksana, the female that he'd taken for himself. He understood, though he was very surprised that she could come here as he had, and even more surprised when she'd said that she would be able to go back and that he could as well once the whole message had been delivered.

But then the ambassador came to a different message -- a quiet request to her king which was made very shyly indeed -- and one that related to her personally. Yevgeny listened with interest and said that he would try.

The next day when Bailey arrived, she was a little relieved to see her employer's car, but she was also disappointed at the same time, thinking that her time in her personal wonderland might be coming to an end. As she went to prepare the lawn tractor, Yevgeny called to her and motioned for her to come to the door. By now, Bailey trusted him implicitly and found him both very likable and very attractive. It made Bailey happy to have met and gotten to know the couple. He handed her an envelope and Bailey was almost crestfallen, thinking that this might be it, but he smiled.