Antoinette watched her go. “She seems quiet and introverted. But she knows the value of what she does, and feels good about it. I like her, Tracker.”
”I do, too. She doesn’t make demands on you, and she wants you to participate when she makes your statue.”
Antoinette nodded, then turned to examine more of the sculptures.
#
Walter joined Antoinette with Tracker and Red for lunch, plying Antoinette with anecdotes and trying to pull her attention away from her companions. Red countered with his wit, causing her to laugh at his jokes while Tracker just sat and endured Walter’s presence. She listened to Walter’s stories, enjoying the attention of both men, but through it all she sat next to Tracker, holding his arm and leaning against his shoulder. Walter tried more than once to encourage Tracker to leave through innuendo and in one case coming right out with, “Aren’t you supposed to report to the training room about now?” but Tracker merely responded with a shake of his head, Antoinette’s hand on his arm holding him in place.
As they left the dining room, her arm around Tracker’s slim waist, Red shook his head ruefully. “Congratulations, you lucky fox! Prettiest girl at the Base, and you snatch her up! Talk about beginner’s luck!” He shook Tracker’s hand warmly, then took hers.
”If you get tired of him, be sure to let me know!” he said to her. She laughed and squeezed his hand.
”Come on, Walter, m’man. The fox won this one fair and square,” Red exclaimed, clapping Walter on the shoulder. Walter merely shook off Red’s hand and stalked away.
Red watched him go, then looked at Tracker and shrugged. “Poor loser, I guess.”
Tracker stared after Red, his ears half laid-back. But, he desired her for himself, he thought in confusion. Why did he just give her to me and walk away? And why is she acting as if she prefers me over a human like Red? And Walter. I knew he didn’t like me, but his anger this time was an absolute stench! I can’t believe Red and Antoinette didn’t scent it. He would have challenged me right then, but Red backed me against him. This doesn’t make sense.
She gave him a parting hug at the door to Mentalism. He left, taking the elevators to the top and going outside, across the lawn and into the forest that covered the mountainside to sit and think.
#
He met her at the Training Room for their afternoon workout. This time, several large obstacles, including a small house, were added to the scenario. Scott and Tracker again worked Tigresse around and through the obstacles. Again, Tracker took an unaccustomed leadership role, less a game this time, using easily seen gestures and simple words. She even started responding to a ‘yip’ sound he made when trying to get her attention as he realized some circumstance could make voice commands difficult. When the two hour session finally ended, he took her ruff. “Antoinette. Come back.” Tigresse responded by caressing his jaw briefly with her rough tongue, then sitting down, closing her eyes.
”Tracker?” Antoinette said, as they left the Training Room, “How hungry are you?”
He shrugged. “Not very.”
”Then I would like to shower and swim first, before dinner.”
“As you wish. Probably better for you anyway.”
Rather than follow her to her room, Tracker settled himself on a lounge chair to wait. Several minutes later, she returned, singing softly to herself, her step light and happy. She smiled and hugged him as he stood up. He glanced around, uneasy at her public show of affection but unwilling to resist.
She slipped off her clothes, handing them to him before stepping up to the edge of the pool and diving in. She started swimming laps, following the lines just visible on top of the stream bed painted on the bottom. She glided through the water with scarcely a ripple.
A few minutes later, Marsha walked across the Plaza holding the hand of a four-year-old girl, her daughter. She wore a brightly patterned swimsuit that complemented her mahogany skin perfectly while her daughter wore a fluorescent two-piece suit that almost looked like she’d finger-painted it on.
”Hi, Tracker,” she called as her daughter jumped into the shallow toddler’s pool. “Hi, Antoinette,” she added as she spotted the other stroking for the near end of the pool. She watched as Antoinette swam to the edge of the pool and glided to a stop by the ladder.
”You’re pretty good, Antoinette. Think you’re up to a race?” Marsha asked.
”Sounds good,” Antoinette replied as she surged up out of the water beside the ladder and twisted lithely to sit on the edge of the pool. “Do you want first to swim a lap to warm up?”
”Good idea. Tracker, would you mind watching Cindy for me, please?”
”All right,” he acknowledged, shifting to a chair closer to the little girl splashing in the water so he could watch both her and the contestants.
Marsha dove in and swam one lap out and back, using the ladder to climb out and sit beside Antoinette. “I’ll count to three and we’ll start. Four laps across and back, a quarter mile. Want to bet on it?”
”Non. I do not like to bet. Besides, I have nothing to bet with.”
”What do you mean, nothing to bet with?”
Antoinette shrugged. “I have only my clothes and the guitar that Tracker gave to me.”
Marsha frowned. “Wait a minute. You’re training here full-time, right?”
Antoinette nodded.
”Then you’re getting four hundred dollars a week, plus room, board and maintenance, just like the rest of us. I’ll check tomorrow for you, if you like.”
”Thank you, Marsha. I like it here, and I like the work. It would be nice to be paid for it, too.”
