Naked and Defiant (10 page)

"I think some bad-girl corner time would
serve you well," Griffon gulped.

Jade giggled, twisting to look at him. "You
know exactly what would serve me well, and it is poking me in the
tummy. OW! You also know that you are turning me on. OOWWW!"

"Brat.

The sun had barely
broken free of the horizon the following day when Jade stood, naked
and defiant, in front of the frustrated, hard-faced man. She ran
her hand over her newly-tenderized bottom as he proceeded to
lecture her about her inappropriate behavior, unladylike attempts
at seduction, and her failure to comply with his requests.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Seriously,
Griff, man up. I know you want it, too."

"Believe it or not, saying 'no' to you
is
manning up. I am being the responsible party in this
little soiree, and you seem to think it is a game. Besides your
emotional state, there are other things to consider. Pregnancy
..."

"I have the implant thingy ..."

"How about disease? You don't know where that
jerk has been."

"He was monogamous."

"How exactly do you know that? Is he someone
you can trust to tell you the truth? No?"

"Fine!" Jade countered with frustration.
"I've never had anal sex. How about that?"

Griffin stared at her in a rare moment of
speechlessness. Finally, he cleared his throat, "As much as I would
love to take up that offer, I still have to decline for the same
reasons. This is not a safe emotional environment for you, plus you
need to take a little course about how STDs and blood borne
illnesses are spread."

"How about if I just blow you?"

"Jade! What part of 'no' don't you
understand? My God, girl!" Griffon banged his head against the side
of a tree to demonstrate his frustration. "Why can't I get through
to you? Throwing yourself at a man is not a very attractive trait.
At least not for me. I like to be the pursuer, if I am interested
in a relationship."

Jade simply grinned. "It really is very
enjoyable to get a rise out of you, Griff. It's not that difficult,
either."

"Stop yanking my chain, Jade," Griffon warned
her.

"Chain? Is that what you call the thing I
want to yank? How about if you watch me play with myself?" Jade
asked boldly, her hands planted firmly on her hips.

"Why the hell are you doing this? Have you
been drinking Kava tea?" Griffon choked out after a moment of
stunned silence.

"What's that?"

"It's a root that has intoxicating
properties. Answer me. Why are you behaving like this? I don't like
it."

"Because I can! I have to admit, I do like
seeing you get bent out of shape. It is a nice change from that
control freak that thinks everything will go his way all the time.
You act like you have never had a woman offer herself to you.
Believe me, Griff," Jade said defensively, "my offer is purely for
selfish purposes. I am horny and you are available."

Griffon shook his head with disapproval. "I
love knowing that I am nothing but a piece of meat to you. I am not
your toy—not now and not ever. I am not interested in that kind of
relationship, Jade. I've been down that road before and refuse to
repeat my mistakes. Now, if this is how you conduct yourself with
men …"

"No, Griffon Badger. It
was
only how I
conducted myself with you." Jade lost her bravado as her
insecurities took charge. "I get it. I'm a big mistake. I'm sorry I
am so disgusting that you aren't interested in touching me. Excuse
me."

"Jade, come back. Listen to me," Griffon
said, roughly. "I have certain standards that …"

"… I fall below. I'm not good enough for
Griffon Badger to give a shit about. I get it."

"You
don't
get it. I am not rejecting
you. I am deferring this encounter. For both our sakes. I would
like nothing more than to make love to you until you screamed, but
I have a code of ethics that I adhere to. I believe in commitment
and respect within a relationship. That takes time to grow and I am
not going to alter my beliefs because you have decided to get
hormonal on me."

"I am not hormonal, you jerk! I'm horny and
lonely and scared. Why can't you just admit that you are afraid of
feeling something for me, Griffon?! " Jade shouted, pushing him
away. "Instead of hiding behind your damned fake morals and stupid
romantic ideas, just tell me the truth and get it out in the open.
You think I am disgusting!"

"Lower your voice." He forced her to look at
him. "I think you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.
Yes, I am afraid of my feelings. I am still raw from my divorce,
and I am not prepared to allow myself to be vulnerable to anyone
just yet. I cannot give you what you need right now."

"I thought your trusted me and that we were
at least friends." Jade turned her face away in shame.

"Sweetheart … if we were under a different
situation, I would pursue a relationship with you. Don't look so
surprised. I'm telling you the truth. You should know me better by
now. I am not the sort of guy who minces words, but we both need to
consider what is going to happen once we are off this island. This
position you are putting yourself into is dangerous. For both of
us. Not just emotionally and physically, but legally."

"What do you mean by that?" Jade asked, tears
on her cheeks.

Griffon hugged her and then held her chin up
between his thumb and index finger. "You have to go after Simon for
what he did to you—all of it. Not just the abandonment, but the
abuse and attempt to steal your money. He has to be stopped, so he
doesn't do this to anyone else. If I hadn't been here, you would
have died. That would meet the requirements for a charge of
attempted murder. I am sure he knew that. I am a witness for you
and intend to see this creep brought to justice. If there is any
hint of indiscretion or ulterior motives from either of us, both my
word and yours will be nullified. We are already fighting your
rather indiscreet reputation as it is."

"How long is the media going to use that
against me?" Jade barked.

"As long as they possibly can. Your past
behavior is not your friend right now. You will have to work very
hard to prove that you are no longer that same person before the
press will get bored and lay off."

"Does that mean I won't ever see you again?"
Jade sniffed.

Griffon kissed her forehead. "Not until the
trial is over and the interest has died down. It is not what I want
to do. It is what I have to do. You need to put on your big-girl
panties and wait it out."

"That will take months."

"I am certain the attorneys will agree with
my reasoning. No phone calls, no skyping, no emails … nothing that
shows we are in contact. We must make certain that everything is by
the book and that the defense can't find anything to use against
you. I need to be as responsible as I can to give credence to your
testimony. Am I making any sense to you at all?" he asked, with an
unusual amount of patience.

"Whatever." Jade lowered her face. "I still
feel like I am being rejected."

"What is it that you really want from me?"
Griffon asked, quietly.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I'm going to go
take a walk."

"Wait a minute," he sighed. "I will be right
back."

Jade tilted her head as he brought their
bedding outside from the shelter and laid it across and long, flat
rock that they had been using as a table. He also placed a large
clamshell filled with warm water on the end.

"Get up there and lie face down. I think I
have a solution to some of your, uh, frustration."

"You do? What?"

"Since you seem to be insistent on allowing
your raging hormones to dictate your thought processes, I have a
means to take care of it."

"You aren't going to spank me again, are
you?" Jade backed away from him, her hand clutching her bottom
protectively.

"I am pretty sure I will, but I think you
might enjoy it. Mind me."

Jade climbed onto the rock and hesitantly
rested her face in her folded arms, with Griffon positioned next to
her. She felt her body tense under the trailing finger that ran
unhurriedly along the length of her spine. He dipped a piece from a
torn shirt into the warm water and placed it against her skin,
washing her slowly from the back of her neck to the tips of her
toes. Jade groaned with pleasure, the cloth scrubbing away sand and
salt while also awakening her flesh to physical touch. After
pouring a puddle of warm coconut milk in the center of her back,
Griffon flattened his palms over the span of her shoulders and
dragged them up to the neck, then quickly skimmed back down, until
he reached her feet. He repeated this several times, spreading the
sweet milk over the entire length of her body, working the
hydrating fluid deep into her weather-battered skin. His strong
fingers kneaded deeply into the muscle of her neck, back, and
thighs, finally focusing on the tense tissues of her buttocks.

Griffon climbed onto the rock and straddled
her ass."Relax, kiddo. Enjoy this. It is a specialty of mine."

"Massage?"

"Not just massage, baby girl. Erotic massage.
Plus some surprises. Now be silent."

Jade lost the will to speak as she felt her
body surrender under the growing warmth of the sun and the strength
of his hands. He paused only to add more coconut milk and
occasionally graze the backs of her arms with his fingertips.
Griffon moved downward, away from her neck and shoulders, in order
to rest his hands upon her bottom. She gasped as his hand plummeted
across her cheeks in a sharp, downward arch, and then lingered
there to rub away the sting. Jade held her breath as a second, then
third, heavy smack fell upon her smooth flesh. The spanks were
again met by tantalizing caresses from his long fingers. Her bottom
continued to sting as his hands journeyed down the insides of her
legs. She gasped as he seized her ankles and spread her legs
apart.

"I feel like a wishbone," Jade stated.
"OW!"

"I said to stay silent," Griffon ordered,
after clapping his hand against the inside of her left thigh.

He knelt between her splayed legs, again
taking the time to wash her with a clamshell filled with fresh
water from the fire. It was much hotter than the previous batch,
and Jade struggled against the pleasure and pain associated with
the heat and how it opened her pores upon her bottom and in the
depths of her pussy. The coconut milk was applied again, kneaded
firmly in the direction of her arousal. His hands alternatively
massaged and stroked the delicate silkiness of her inner
thighs.

The swishing sound caught her off guard, and
she yipped as she felt a slight sting sweep over her widely spread
legs. More coconut milk was poured upon her flesh and a young palm
stalk, similar to a green birch bundle, was thrashed lightly across
her exposed thighs. Jade moaned, her position inhibiting her from
lifting her bottom, which demanded to taste more of the makeshift
implement.

"You like this, don't you? Let's see how
much," Griffon said, his voice heavy with desire.

Jade hummed as he began to strike her
vigorously with the thick stalk of loose fronds. The tips bit into
her skin, covering her shoulders, back, bottom, and thighs with
tiny red marks. He moved the bundle up and down her body several
times before focusing on the crevice between her legs. The swish
resounded in the air as he brought the fronds to kiss her juncture.
Over and over again, he whipped the leafy tongues against her body,
including the delicate orchid of her womanhood that nestled in
wait.

"Oh, my God … I am going to …"

"No, you are not," Griffon said, abruptly
stopping. "You will not come until I give you permission."

"You can't do that to me," Jade whined,
panting with need. "This is incredible. Don't stop!"

"It is only the beginning. Turn onto your
back. Keep your eyes shut. If we were home, I would have you
restrained and blindfolded. Maybe even gagged."

Griffin repeated the ritual washing and
massage with coconut milk, careful to avoid teasing the sensitive
peaks of her nipples and the hungry area between her legs. Jade's
desire for more grew exponentially as he maintained constant
contact, with at least one hand upon her at all times. She squeezed
her eyes shut as he inched his hands along the edges of her
breasts, trailing beneath the firm mounds and around the outside of
the areolas. Not once did he touch the crinkling pink pearls that
begged for his attention. That lack of attention left her aching
for more.

His hands moved across her abdomen, his palms
spanning the flesh, while his thumbs played in wide, circular
motion against the slightly swell near her navel and along the
lower rib cage. Jade inhaled, holding her breath as Griffin
continued to bring her body to life, awakening her flesh as though
it were one gigantic erotic zone. But there was that one place …
one spot … that she desired his touch the most.

He knew her thoughts.

His hand roamed to the top of her left thigh
and then migrated to the inner portion. He forced her legs wider
apart. "Spread your legs and bend them at the knees. I want full
access to your inner thighs," he commanded, briskly.

Jade felt the heat rush through her body as
she assumed the humiliating position. Keeping her eyes clamped shut
did not, however, erase the image in her mind of how exposed she
was to this man's view. Or his fingers.

"You are quite wet," Griffon observed, his
hand once again on her inner thigh, lazily descending to touch the
back of her knees. "Your pleasure is dependent on me, Jade. Just as
your pain is in my control. Remain silent."

Jade's eyes flew open as he smacked his hand
on the inside of her tender thigh, his fingers just missing her
hungry sex. The second clap left an unbearable sting, as well as a
bright red mark, to the middle thigh.