Naked and Defiant (4 page)

"I'm sorry," Jade said again, her eyes
downcast. She remained quiet as she finished her meal, watching
Griffon from the corner of her eye. He was back to whittling a
spear, his damp body silhouetted in the light of the fire that
flickered across the palm ceiling and cast a warm glow on the
shelter's walls. She wiped her lips with the back of her hand, her
eyes roaming over the outline of his broad shoulders and muscular
arms.

"How did you learn to do all this?" she
asked, uncomfortable with the silence.

"Boy scouts," Griffon muttered.

"No way. Tell me."

Griffon looked up at her. "Why don't you try
to be quiet? And get off your knees. I want that bottom feeling its
punishment."

"But it hurts to sit. Especially on this
rough floor."

"Do not whine around me. You will appreciate
the rough floor, as it keeps you off the wet ground. Sit. A spanked
bottom is not supposed to feel comfortable."

"I'm cold," she whispered. "And I scratched
up myself. The bugs …"

"I made you fire and a shelter from the rain.
Rinse those scrapes off with warm water from the heating pot, and
trying to keep closer to the fire. The smoke drives the bugs away.
Now, what more could you want?"

"The shirt ..."

"No. As long as you are defiant, you will be
naked. You have a lot to prove before you are given the privilege
of clothing. That includes not always trying to get in the last
word. Now sleep. As soon as it stops raining, we have a lot of work
to do."

Jade huddled with her arms wrapped around her
bent knees, unable to find a comfortable sitting position. Her
bottom burned against the piles of spiky palm leaves and strips of
bark placed to serve as a mattress. She began to sob again.

"What the hell are you crying about now?"
Griffon asked, his voice tinged with annoyance.

"I'm scared and I'm cold and I don't want to
be here."

"And whose fault is that? If you think for
one minute that I wanted to be stranded with a spoiled-rotten,
disrespectful, lazy child, you need to think again."

"Why are you so mean?"

Griffon looked at her incredulously. "Are you
seriously asking that question? Go to sleep."

"But I'm freezing," Jade whispered, her teeth
chattering.

"Damn it, it's not that cold." Griffon rolled
his eyes. "Move over."

"What are you doing?" Jade asked, fearfully,
as he crawled in her direction, his lightly furred chest glistening
in the firelight.

"I am going against my better judgment. Sit
between my legs and put your back against my chest."

Jade hesitated before obeying. Despite the
fact that he was physically very appealing, she was appalled by his
nasty attitude. How dare he act as though she were the bad guy!

"I don't bite," Griffon remarked, as she
stiffened to the feel of skin on skin.

"No, you spank. That is far worse," Jade said
bitterly, pressing her back into him.

Griffon did not respond as wrapped his arms
around her, easily engulfing her in his embrace. She could have
been a potato sack by the way he held her, but he was quite warm
and pleasant to lean against. She protested as he wrapped his long
legs over her thighs and pulled them up towards him.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?"
Jade demanded, as his heels forced her knees apart, exposing her
pussy to the amber firelight.

"I am trying to keep you from whining. Trust
me, darling. You have absolutely nothing I am interested in," he
rebutted, pressing back against the tree trunk. "Now sleep."

Jade looked up as the sound of thunder and
roaring winds penetrated the shelter's roof. "What if the storm
blows the roof off?" she shivered.

Griffon pulled her closer. "Then we get wet
and build another one. Sleep."

Jade stared at the shadows dancing on the
shelter's walls, uncomfortably aware of the broad, muscular chest
and large arms that held her body snugly. Every time she trembled,
his arms tightened around her. She glanced up at his face as he
began to snore lightly, amazed as sleep softened his rugged
features. He was definitely handsome, Jade admitted. Too bad we met
under these conditions. Plus, he spanked! That was a deal-breaker,
even if there had been a chance to date him.

The crackling of the fire set below the
shelter platform, rumbling thunder, wind, the pattering of rain,
and Griffon's soft snores provided the perfect lullaby. Jade let
loose with a sigh before her head drooped against his left
shoulder, as sleep overcame her.

***

Jade's eyes flew open the next morning,
momentarily confused and disoriented. During the night, she had
curled into a tight ball between Griffon's legs and used his thigh
as a pillow.

"About time you got up," Griffon said,
gruffly.

"I ...uh … why didn't you wake me? I mean,"
she blushed as she sat up, "this must have been very uncomfortable
for you."

"I was actually taking the time to enjoy the
quiet. How's your rump?" he asked casually, as Jade grabbed at her
backside.

"I don't wanna talk about it. Has it stopped
raining?"

"For now. We have enough rainwater to last us
quite a while. We will take a walk around the island later on and
see if we can find plastic bottles or containers that might have
washed ashore. They are great to store water in, as well as make
different floating devices and fishing bobbers."

"I am not picking up trash. Use your stupid
beer bottles."

"You will do as you are told. Trash could
very well save our lives out here. Are you hungry?"

"Yeah. What's for breakfast?" Jade asked
eagerly.

Griffon grinned, holding up his dive knife.
"I don't know. Whatever you bring back. Don't lose the knife, hear
me?"

Jade gaped at him. "I don't know anything
about gathering food. We will starve if you make me do this."

"Then we'll starve. While you are out, I'll
start laying in more wood to dry. I made a platform to keep the
firewood off the ground, and I want it filled by the end of the
day. That means," he looked into her frowning face, "that once you
are done getting food, you will help me gather a woodpile. I will
then show you how to make a rain-resistant tarp out of palm leaves.
The raised floor under our shelter is for storage and will be the
most important thing to keep ourselves alive while we are out here.
I will also make a smoking shed and show you how to smoke fish and
some vegetation."

Jade's head reeled with the prospect of
performing so much work. "We have hours before sunset. Can't we
just relax and …"

"This is not a tropical vacation, little
girl. This is survival. Must I carry a switch around to motivate
you?"

Jade yipped, her hand instinctively reaching
to the area on the back of her upper thigh that stung the worst.
Griffon looked incredibly pleased with her reaction and pointed to
the shelter's exit. Silently, Jade scrambled outside and moaned as
her bare feet touched soggy, wet ground. While the dense grove was
excellent for protecting them from the weather, it also provided
very little sun to dry things out.

Mumbling to herself, she ventured down the
dirt path, pausing only to relieve herself behind a tree. She
walked onto the sparkling sand and raised her face to the sky to
enjoy the warmth. It was only a matter of time before the heat
became all-consuming, and she would be wishing for another
temperature flux. And to think, she used to love the sweltering
climate of the tropics! Of course, lounging back in an
air-conditioned bungalow with someone to bring her food and wine
and cater to her every need had never prepared her for the reality
of this environment.

It was low tide and Jade carefully maneuvered
her way around the tidal pools, looking for a fish that might have
been trapped. With no success, she placed her hands on her hips and
looked out over the water, absently digging her toes into the sand.
She hit something hard. Could it be? A clam!!! A loud cheer escaped
her as she sought more. A piece of torn fish net was snagged on
some rocks and Jade carefully dislodged it. She also found an
intact Styrofoam cooler. Pleased with her cleverness, she started
back to camp.

Griffon looked up as she approached. "What
did you get?"

"Five big old clams, a cooler, and this
fishing net. I thought we might be able to use it."

"Very good. There is hope for you after all,"
the man praised lightly, accepting the knife from her hand. He
pressed the blade to the clam's edge and wiggled it past the
muscle, causing the mollusk to open wide. He handed it to her. "Bon
appétit."

"Raw? Eeeeuw …"

"Try it," he demanded, opening another shell
and quickly downing the contents. "There's some grit in it, but it
won't hurt you. Next time, we will let them sit in clean water for
a bit to siphon out the sand, and maybe squirt some wild lime
in."

Jade felt her stomach turn as she looked down
at the gray, oozing meat. "I can't …"

"I can't believe you have never had clams on
the half-shell. How about oysters? No? Your loss, kid. The fire is
ready. Go cook it yourself."

"How?"

"Figure it out."

Jade bit her lip, trying to remember the
clambakes that her family used to have when she was little. Before
the divorce … before Daddy became a business tycoon … before
everything in her life went south because money was the only
priority. Pushing aside a twinge of sadness, she placed the shell
on the embers and watched as the meat solidified before her
eyes.

"I wouldn't do that," Griffon said, as she
reached for the food. "You will burn yourself. Here." He handed her
a short stick that he had sharpened into a point.

"Thanks. Oh, now, this is good. Do you want
me to toss the others on the embers? Won't they open when they
cook?"

"They sure will. Go for it. Add this too." He
produced a tiny pineapple.

"To the fire?"

"Yeah. Put it on a spit and let it roast.
This island has almost everything we need, food-wise, but water
might be a problem. We have to watch our use carefully. I can
always make a desalinator with the scuba tank, but that takes a ton
of wood and time. It will be our last resort."

As Griffon explained how to make sea water
potable, Jade bit into the roasted pineapple and moaned as the
sweet, warm juices dribbled down her chin. She could not remember
the last time a meal had tasted so good! She handed a wedge of the
fruit to Griffon. "Thanks, Griff. I mean, not just for this meal.
You saved my life."

"Yes, I did."

"I appreciate it."

"We'll see. I seriously doubt your ability to
appreciate anything, especially if there is not a price tag
attached to it. Are you finished? We have a lot of work to do
today."

Jade narrowed her eyes. What made him to be
such a hard-hearted, uncaring individual? Here she was, trying to
be cooperative and nice, and he dismissed her words with a swipe of
his hand. She remained silent as he instructed her to save the
clamshells for later use as drinking cups, cooking, small shovels
and scraping tools. He ordered her to follow him as they headed
towards the small cliff area where they could find large snails and
possibly nests with eggs. Jade wrinkled her nose as she plucked a
snail off a leaf. Somehow, escargot did not look as appetizing
while it was still moving!

By mid-morning, Jade's limbs ached painfully,
and her back was sore from bending, lifting, hiking and trying to
keep up with Griffon's long strides. They had just reached the
beach and were searching for more debris.

"I need to take a break," she panted,
collapsing on the warm sand, tossing several plastic bottles next
to her.

"Drink some water. We have things to do,
including cleaning out those bottles."

Jade took in a deep draught from the coconut
he had filled with rainwater, fashioned to hang over their
shoulders like a canteen. "I'm not used to this kind of exercise.
Please let me rest a bit. My feet hurt so bad …"

"Let me see them," Griffon ordered, snapping
his fingers. Reluctantly, Jade placed her foot in his large hand,
worrying her lower lip as he pressed and prodded. "You have some
ugly cuts and bruises, and the bugs seem to have made a meal of
you."

"That's because I am so sweet," Jade
responded, scratching her shoulder.

"Yeah ... Not. Have you ever walked around
barefoot? The bottom of your foot is as soft as your backside."

Jade blushed profusely at the reference,
staring down at the sand. "No, never. I have hundreds of pairs of
shoes, so I wouldn't be barefoot."

"Hundreds?"

"Last count was about 250. I like shoes."

"You like to waste good money. Try working
for a buck, and you will see there are better things to spend your
money on." His tone was highly disapproving.

"Like what? How do
you
justify buying
a fucking island in the middle of the damn ocean? How many houses
do
you
own? How many boats and cars? I know you have more
money than God. What do
you
do with it?" she snapped at
him.

Griffon squatted in front of her, looking at
her squarely in the eye. "Next time you swear, I am putting that
already-tender bottom across my knee for a taste of my hand.
Understand?" Jade glared without answering, fighting back the same
frustrated tears that had taken over her senses the night before.
"Just for an FYI, every penny I have is because I worked my ass off
for it. Nothing was ever given to me, got it? To answer your
questions, I own a two-bedroom condo in San Francisco, a
refurbished '57 Chevy and the one 19' cabin cruiser which is now
decorating the reef, thanks to you," Griffon said sourly. "Oh yes,
I also own four pairs of shoes, if you count flip-flops."

"Yeah, and how many millions did you spend on
this piece of dirt?" Jade demanded, suddenly feeling very
defensive, as she acknowledged his preference for a simple
lifestyle.