Naked and Defiant (19 page)

"Do you really think this is necessary? My
ass is already burning from the hand-spanking. I don't think I can
take any more."

"I am pretty certain that I can determine
what you are capable of taking. I also know that if you feel you
have not received everything that is due you, you'll just remain a
more miserable bitch to be around."

"I am not miserable!"

Griffin chuckled, noticing that she had made
no comment about being a bitch. He gestured to the rails which were
used to confine the sheep during clipping. "I want you to lean over
that top rail and grab the one below it with your hands. You are to
stay in that position for your entire strapping. If you move," he
warned, "I might accidentally strike you on the thigh. I guarantee
that is one sensation you will not want to experience.

He positioned himself behind her with the
long leather strip wrappedaround his hand. He held it over his
right shoulder, aimed, and crispy lashed across Tasha's bottom with
a searing crack.

"Holy mother of …!" Tasha yelped.
"Jeeezzzuussss …!"

"Now is not the time to get religion. Hold
on, darling. You are going to feel this."

"Yeeouuucchh!!" Tasha arched her back as the
biting strap scorched across the entire span of her bottom.
"Griffon, I'm begging you. Please, no more!"

"You know I will stop when I feel it is time
and not before. Hold still." He held the leather aloft above his
right shoulder. Once again, he whipped it down across her bottom,
just a fraction lower than the previous lash. Tasha released
another protesting scream as she bounced on the tips of her
toes.

"Griffon! Please, I am begging you!
Stoooop!"

"We're not finished yet, Tasha. You know what
I'm looking for."

"But do you have to do it so hard?" she
wept.

"I do it is hard as I have to," Griffin said,
sternly. "We both know that you are the one who's being resistant.
Let go of your control, and then I can end this."

"But it hurr—hurts! Tasha hiccupped. "I can't
even think right now."

She yowled as the harness slashed diagonally
across her bottom, catching the top of her right thigh. Griffon
raised his eyebrow as the sound of her protests changed with that
movement. He swung the leather to kiss the backs of both her pale
legs, leaving clean, red marks in its wake. Tasha lifted her head
and released an excruciating howl into the air, all the while
bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. Griffon touched the
stripes left on her thighs, inspecting for damage in the delicate
tissue. Seeing none, he took a step backwards and carefully aimed
at the milky white point just below her bottom.

"Oh my God oh my God oh my God …"

"You can call on Him as much as you want to
right now," Griffin held back a smile, "but I suspect he's a little
annoyed with your behavior, as well."

The thin strap cracked once again across
Tasha's stretched flesh, searing into the most rounded part of her
bottom. She arched her back and a deep, freeing cry shattered
through the air, announcing her breaking. She slumped against the
railing, sobbing pathetically in defeat.

"Do you feel that you have been sufficiently
punished, Tasha?"

"Yes, Sir! I'm so sorry."

"Five more strokes and we can wrap it up. I
want you to hold perfectly still because these last lashes are
going to be on the backs of your thighs. I want this to be
something you will remember for a while."

Tasha wailed, begging him to show some
compassion. He asked if she would prefer ten strokes in lieu of
five, since she had not yet embraced the idea of obedience. Tasha
wept, returning to her slumped position over the rail and gripped
the bar below for dear life. The lashes were delivered rhythmically
and precisely, each rendering a vivid red stripe across its snowy
canvas.

Griffon looped the strap over the metal rails
and then wrapped his arms around Tasha's waist. He lifted her
against him and carried her to the bench where she sobbed like a
child in the safety of his arms. He kissed the top of her head and
rocked her soothingly.

"It's over, baby. Shhh," he cooed. "Don't
make me do that again. It was not fun for either of us."

"I'm sorry, Griff. Forgive me," Tasha
whimpered, tucking her head under his chin.

"All is forgiven. You know I don't hold
grudges, especially when it comes to you."

"We need to go and find her," Tasha sniffed.
"If we don't, I'm afraid that we're all going to lose you."

"Lose me? I'm not going anywhere," Griffin
insisted.

"You most certainly are. You're going back to
Cairns, Australia and find your precious jewel."

Griffin chuckled, resting his head on top of
her hair. "Are you trying to shift the attention off of yourself
now?"

"No, I just see what needs to be done," Tasha
mumbled.

"And just how do you expect me to do
that?"

"Since when do you care? You go in, get her,
and leave. It is as simple as that."

"Her father will probably shoot me if I show
up on the premises. I don't think this is a good idea."

"There are other ways of catching your prey,
but there is only one way that a badger knows how to hunt.
Aggressively."

Griffin eyed her suspiciously. "Are you
trying to get me arrested?"

"Of course not. I'm trying to make you happy.
You and I are the only people in the world who know that Griffin
Badger really does give a shit."

"Well, let's keep that to ourselves. I don't
want to ruin my reputation and have people think I actually
care."

Tasha tittered lightly and nodded, "My lips
are sealed."

"Let's get back to the house. I have an
idea."

Jade laid back on
a rock, catching her breath. "Are you alive?"

"Barely," her father panted. "This heat is
suffocating me. I am so out of shape."

"You're doing good, Dad. One more day and we
get promoted to the jungle," Jade chuckled, handing him her
canteen. "Sip slowly. Take the time to taste the water."

"It's actually sweet. You know," he sat up
next to her, "I have never really tasted water before."

"Yes, you have. You always have it at
dinner."

"But I have never tasted it. You are an
amazing young woman," the man said, seriously. "I watched you skin
that lizard and stick it on the fire like you have done this all
your life. I could never do that."

"Necessity makes you do all sorts of things.
You should have seen me on the island. I rocked." Jade grinned
proudly. "Maybe one day, I can take you to one."

Brockton contemplated her words. "I am so
sorry I judged you. I was so selfish with what I did."

"Are you just saying that because you want a
bite of my lizard?" Jade teased, wagging the carcass in his
face.

He flinched. "I don't want your lizard. I
couldn't even try to taste it."

"Believe me, when you are hungry enough, you
will eat whatever is in front of you," Jade said, tearing a strip
of meat with her teeth.

"I'm glad you made me come here. How long
have we been roughing it? A month?" The man fanned his face.

"Three days, Daddy. I'm glad you came, too. I
just wanted to give you a chance to experience the outdoor life
without a bunch of people around. This is the first time we have
ever done anything significant together. It would be fun to take
that jungle survival course next month."

"I really am not up for a formal class,
especially given recent public opinion. I might end up being the
one roasting on a stick. Do you think that Griffon …" he paused
mid-sentence. Jade lifted her eyebrow, encouraging him to continue
with his question. Mr. Brockton flipped a pebble in his hand.
"Would he be interested in giving some private instruction?"

"Are you telling me that you want him to
teach you about survival? You?" Jade's mouth hung open. "Eat this
lizard. You must be delirious from lack of food."

"I'm not …"

"Taste it, and stop being a baby," Jade
commanded, handing him a sliver of meat. "It's good. Trust me."

Mr. Brockton winced and accepted the meat. He
reluctantly put it into his mouth and began to chew.

"Well?"

"Tastes like chicken," he said, slightly
abashed.

"Told you so. Want some more?"

***

Dressed in a light cotton sundress that
fluttered in the offshore breeze, Jade stood quietly on the balcony
located on the back of her house. She felt alive and invigorated as
she gazed across the brilliant blue ocean shimmering over the Great
Barrier Reef. The sun poured its golden rays around her and she
inhaled the salty air. It had been four days since she and her
father returned from their camping trip, and she was finally
feeling encouraged as she watched him change day by day. He was
returning back to the father she loved as a little girl, and her
heart was filled with gratitude that, at least, she still had that
relationship in her life.

"Beautiful view, isn't it?" she asked,
hearing movement behind her.

"It certainly is."

Jade spun around, her eyes wide, as Griffon
stood before her. He was clothed from head to foot in white linen
and held a handful of orchids.

"Wh- what are you doing here? I thought that
you didn't want to talk to me again," Jade forced out, clutching
the railing behind her.

"I never said that. I …"

"I invited him," her father announced,
walking up to her. "I owed him an apology. When I saw you in action
on the hike … well, that woman was a product of his teaching. And I
really was proud of her."

"Oh, Daddy!" Jade exclaimed, flinging her
arms around her father's neck. She looked at Griffon and hesitated
before diving into his arms. He swung her around joyfully and
crushed his lips against hers.

Jade melted under that embrace. All the pain
and fear was washed away in that moment. "I missed you."

"You will never miss me again. From now on, I
am a permanent fixture in your life."

"What do you mean?"

Griffon kneeled before her and produced a
box. Jade's hands flew to her mouth. "Jade, would you do me the
honor of becoming my wife?" He opened the box to reveal a black
pearl ring surrounded by diamonds.

"I… I…"

"Child, the man came all the way here to get
in my face and demand my blessing. Just say yes, okay?" Mr.
Brockton guffawed.

Jade looked at him with a single tear
trailing down her cheek and then shifted her gaze to Griffon.
"Yes," she choked out. Her hand trembled as he slipped the ring
upon her finger and then kissed the back of her hand. Griffon rose
and drew her against him in a tight embrace.

"I love you," he whispered into her hair. "I
don't want to live another day without you."

"I love you, too. Won't you get tired of me,
though?"

"The more I am with you, the more I want you.
Plus," he touched her ear with his lips, "we both know what will
happen if you get on my nerves, don't we?"

"As I recall," she whispered back, "you still
owe me something. Unless you have forgotten …."

"Never. This is one glorious bottom that I
plan on spending many an hour spanking," he said, into her neck.
"In fact, I have managed to come by a very nice room located on an
offshore resort. If you are interested, we can take a catamaran
over there right now and catch up. It might be a little too
civilized for you, but it's all I got for now."

"But …"

"But nothing. I want to be with you.
Well?"

Jade giggled. "I would love that." She
wrapped her arms around the man's neck and rested her chin on his
broad shoulder, mouthing the words 'thank you' to her beaming
father.

***

Jade clung to the rails of the catamaran. It
swept over the water as though it were ice. Griffon stood behind
her, shielding her body with his as they watched the mainland
disappear out of sight.

"No marooning today?" he asked, as she sighed
loudly.

"I will never touch the cockpit of a boat
again. I promise. How did Daddy convince you to come? His attorney
said that you did not want to see me again."

"Did you believe him?"

"No. I mean, at first I did. But then I went
to the rainforest and spoke to the spirits through candle
nuts."

"I am afraid to ask what the hell you are
talking about."

"Just say I had a very, very, very old
aborigine show me the difference between comfort and wisdom. He
also showed me how to read your carvings. How did you learn
that?"

"I told you I immersed myself in the culture
to learn everything I could for survival. These people," he swept
his hand in the direction of the mainland, "don't separate the
things of life. Even their art and music are means of
survival."

"I see what you mean. Matat taught me a
Song-Line long ago, to use if I ever needed to find him. The tribes
use those for navigating. The words took me straight to the
village."

"You took a big risk to follow them. I am
very, very proud of you. Is he the one who made your first
bow?"

"Yes. He also showed me your love blessing.
He is a little bonkers, but you would like him."

"I'm sure I would. Did the spirits convince
your father to have a change of heart?"

"No, they convinced me to have one." Jade
hesitated. "What made you come back?"

"I went to see my father in New Zealand after
the trial and hung out with him for quite a while. I was miserable
and had my own little spirit whispering in my ear by the name of
Tasha. She's not just a brilliant attorney, but also a good
friend," Griffon said, snuggling Jade's back against his stomach.
"She found a way to get my attention and force me to listen to
reason. I guess I can be a little stubborn at times. She dragged my
ass back here to find you. I was in Cairns for two days trying to
locate you when your father called demanding that I come and take
you off his hands before you make him eat another lizard. Tasha
also hooked me up with this little resort cabin before hopping back
on a plane to San Francisco. She informed me to come back to work
when I am good and ready, and not a second before."