Page 9 of Handcuffed to the Bear

It was better than thinking about the situation she was in.Let’s be honest here, Casey. The situation you gotyourselfinto.

Basic biology soon provided her with a different, much less pleasant distraction from her gloomy thoughts. A growing distraction. A distraction which, in fact, was getting bad enough that she knew she’d have to say something sooner or later. She suffered in silence for another few minutes before she finally broke. “Uh, Jack? I’m sorry, this is really embarrassing, but—I have to use the bathroom.”

Jack gave a slightly sheepish laugh. “Yeah, ditto. A lot of drugs process out through the bladder.”

“We’d better do it, then.”

“Guess so.”

It was small consolation that the more assertive and knowledgeable member of their involuntary partnership seemed to be as uncertain about this as she was. They stared at each other for a moment in the semi-darkness; she could see the glitter of his eyes.

“Bushes,” she suggested. “For, you know. Privacy.”

The forest understory was fairly open here—better for walking around naked in, but not so great now that concealment was what they needed.

“Itisdark,” Jack pointed out. “We could probably just?—”

“No.” She patted the shaggy bark of the tree next to her. “This is a nice big tree. You on one side, me on the other. The cuffs can wrap around.”

Jack shuffled around the tree. Immediately Casey felt like her arm was trying to bend backwards, twisting it out of its socket. “Wait, wait! I think I have to—ow—facethe tree—” She tried to twist around, which turned out to be impossible without getting face-to-face with Jack and then circling around the tree the other way. She started to crouch down, and the handcuff yanked her wrist again, pulling her face-first into the tree.

“Ow!”

“What are you doing over there?” Jack demanded.

“Trying to do what I gotta do! What areyoudoing?”

“Same, except trying to manage left-handed.”

She was glad her face was pressed against the tree; the bark cooled her burning cheeks a little. “Right,” she said. “Guys, uh, have to use their hands.”

“And girls don’t do it standing up. Forgot about that.” His embarrassment was actually audible; it seemed to be transmitted down the handcuffs to her, like electric impulses on a telegraph. If she blushed any harder, she thought her hair might burst into flames.

“Look, Agent Ross, I need some slack here.”

“Gimme a minute.”

Casey tried to ignore the soft pattering sounds from the other side of the tree. Foliage brushed her bare legs and ass. “There better not be poison ivy here,” she said.

“There isn’t any on the coast,” Jack said. “At least, if that’s still where we are.”

The cuff tugged downward, giving her enough slack to move. She crouched down and focused very hard onnotthinking about Jack’s proximity. By way of small favors, her bladder’s urgency was now so intense that she didn’t have too much trouble.It’s just natural bodily functions, after all,she told herself, which didn’t help as much as she wished it would.

“Standing up now,” she said.

Jack, unseen behind the tree, stood up with her, and managed not to yank her wrist too hard. She stepped away from the tree in sync with him. They were both trying not to look at each other.

“Well,” Casey said, “that was easily in the top five most embarrassing things that’s ever happened to me. And that includes the time I got smashed on jello shots and threw up in my best friend’s cleavage while she was trying to help me to the bathroom.”

“I’d say that one sounds worse.” Jack took the lead again. Casey tried to keep up. “Good incentive to get the cuffs off before there’s anexttime.”

“I wish you hadn’t brought that up.”

He laughed softly, then stopped. Casey bumped into him. A little electric frisson passed through her when she brushed against him, and she took a quick step back.

Paying little attention to her, Jack was looking up. She followed his gaze, curious, but saw nothing except the tops of the trees. The sky was starting to brighten as the short northern night approached dawn.

“How are you at tree climbing?” Jack asked.

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