It felt so good and she was turning to mush! He slowly went up and down, putting more and more pressure on her dewy petals. She ground her hips into his hand, urging him to go faster.
“You’ve already made your point about me being your captive. You don’t have to torment me anymore.”
That made him stop and she was petrified that it was all she was going to get. She felt him shift on the bed next to her and after a minute she heard what sounded like shoes hitting the floor. He was getting undressed.
He was going to make her his again!
The next thing she knew he was reaching for her panties. He used both hands to slide them down her legs, stopping at her ankles. With her being tied up spread-eagle, there was no way he could remove them completely.
She was naked before him, fully bound, at his mercy. She was his plaything and was shocked that she didn’t mind. This was preposterous because she prided herself in being an independent woman, very much the equal of a man. But in this very moment, being on the verge of being used was arousing her further.
She was nothing but wetness and lust…
“You can say no any time, Jessica.”
“I know,” she replied breathlessly.
She heard the distinctive sound of a condom’s foil packet being ripped open and her heart skipped a beat. It was really happening, he really was about to make her feel all better!
He moved on the bed and she felt him kneeling between her legs. She was nevertheless jumpy because she couldn’t see anything, but to know that he would touch her again at any second made heat expand through her belly.
All of a sudden, his hand was back between her legs, caressing her down there for the first time without hindrance. She was embarrassed at being this moist and was certain he would flee but he didn’t, not by a long shot. He fondled her with mounting enthusiasm.
“Ooh, Ryker…”
She was opening up to him and that’s when he paused. He shifted again and soon he bumped into her.
“Last chance, Jessica.”
“If you leave now I’m the one who’s gonna tie you up.”
He kissed her passionately and at the same time sank into her. Her eyes rolled back as his body rested on top of hers. She was electrified and wanted all of him!
She felt his elbows resting on each side of her, holding up his weight. It was marvelously intimate. He delicately removed her blindfold, sweeping back her hair at the same time.
“I want you to see me, Jessica. I want you to see how you make me feel.”
She blinked as her eyes adjusted. The room was dripping with an orange glow which told her it was sunset. Ryker’s face above hers was twisted with need.
He moved back and forth between her legs, his girth giving her nothing but pleasure. She kissed his neck and he went deeper as if possessed.
He went faster and she found herself pulling on her restraints, bracing herself as pressure mounted within her. She wished she could wrap her arms around his neck but this was admittedly better. To be denied control, to be at a man’s mercy…
“Yes, Ryker. More!”
He looked into her eyes and she saw the true man behind them. He cradled her face and kissed her hard. She lost herself in his embrace and felt lust course through her body.
She whimpered in his mouth unable to contain herself any more.
“Let yourself go, Jessica…”
The depth of his voice was what sent her over the edge. She stared at him and he looked at her as if she was a work of art to be appreciated, to be worshiped. He ravaged her with unbridled ardor.
“Yes!”
She steadied herself and arched her back as her body spasmed underneath his. She lost control, lost herself! Nothing in the world was as important as this moment with him.
The intensity of the pleasure surprised her. She swam through a hazy mist and her body was at once weightless and detached. She had never been this overwhelmed!
“You are so beautiful,” he groaned.
She was still quivering against his body but she did notice the awkwardness of his voice. He was about to join her in her ecstatic bliss.
“Ryker, yes…”
She bucked against him, impaling herself further and he grinned in response. They shared fervor, they shared a goal. They shared each other!
He buried himself to the hilt and came. She felt him expand within her, she felt him twitch and gasp. She lifted her head and kissed his neck as he emptied himself.
“Ooohh!”
Awash in exaltation, she spurred him on and both their rapture was rekindled. He powered through her quakes and once more sent her to cloud nine.
“Kiss me,” she pleaded.
The time for games was over and he crushed his lips against hers. They rode their combined climax together, wishing the moment would never end.
He reached up and untied her hands, one after the other. Then, he kindly brought her arms down as he lied down next to her. The gesture was quite mundane but simultaneously extremely tender. She saw in it his true caring nature.
“Thank you.”
“I am sorry not to have done it sooner.”
“No, you’re not. And I’m kind of glad.”
This was as close as she was going to get to admitting she had loved being taken while in bondage. It’s not something she’d ever considered but it had been by far the most intense lovemaking of her life.
She absentmindedly toyed with her necklace, rolling the polished coal between her fingers. He caught her gesture.
“Is that onyx?” he asked.
“It’s coal. My father was a coal miner and he gave me this. It’s the most precious thing I own.”
“Then you must never take it off.”
“I don’t intend to,” she replied.
He took her hand in his and gazed into her eyes. “Will you forgive me?”
She wanted to scream yes! but decided it was best to make him languish. She kissed him before she lost her nerve.
Chapter 13
The sun was completely gone when Ryker took her down to the beach. The chef was preparing something special for dinner and Jessica was glad for the exercise and fresh air. She didn’t quite say so but just walking down the three flights of stairs along the cliff was strenuous enough.
She forgot her fatigue when her bare feet sank into the humid, spongy sand. This very moment was what she had imagined her vacation to be like, with the pleasant cool breeze and the ocean lapping at her toes. The tall Dutchman had loaned her a windbreaker and his hand was comfortably lodge in the small of her back.
“How does someone become a smuggler, Ryker?”
“Fashion school was full.”
She chuckled and elbowed him in the ribs. “No, seriously.”
“I suppose it goes back to loving the water. I grew up in Rotterdam and most of our vacations growing up were spent right here in Curaçao. I had ample opportunities to sail.”
“And sailing boats automatically makes you a smuggler?”
“First you become an expert at going fast and when that gets boring you explore the islands. I do not know if you have noticed but islands are something that is not in short supply around here. There are more than 7,000 individual islands in the Caribbean, constituting 28 countries.”
“Don’t tell me you know them all.”
“I know enough. I know the most important ones. Most of all, I became intimate with remote coves and bays, places not typically controlled by the authorities. In the beginning I thought nothing of it.”
“What changed?”
He paused and shrugged. She was about to drop the subject when he looked at her again.
“It started with a favor. A friend I knew from… a previous life… He asked me to do a small favor. I owed him a great debt so I accepted.”
“It was drugs?”
“Yes. I transported a shipment from Jamaica to Puerto Rico. I had told myself it was only once but the money was good. The money was very good. I continue
d in this industry for a number of years, expanding my list of products and purchasing more boats.”
“You’ve never been arrested?”
“I diversified my operations before I became too obvious. After that, I diminished my involvement in the riskier shipments. From there, I became a productive member of society. The local authorities mostly turn a blind eye to what I do. No one really objects to receiving affordable bottles of rum.”
Jessica nodded and they continued strolling. His story made sense and yet there was something nagging her.
“Ryker…”
“Yes?”
“Before I came to you… People said… I was told you’re a dangerous man, that everyone here is afraid of you.”
“Tell me, would you be afraid of Jerry Lewis if he was an international smuggler?”
“Jerry Lewis? Way relevant example. I don’t think I’ve ever seen any of his movies.”
“All right then what about Adam Sandler? Would you be afraid of him?”
“No,” she said, trying to suppress a laugh, picturing Billy Madison as a crime lord.
“What about Christopher Walken then? Or Hannibal Lecter?”
“I guess.”
“You see, it is about the image you project. If people see you in a certain light it will make them think certain things.”
“So you made yourself look like a badass, I understand that. But you haven’t answered my question.”
“You did not ask me any questions, Jessica.”
“Fair enough. Have you ever hurt people?”
“Yes,” he said without hesitation.
She looked up sharply at him. When he didn’t elaborate she asked, “Have you ever killed anyone?”
“There are questions better left unasked and answers better left unspoken.”
He couldn’t have been clearer if he had given her a list with cemetery plot numbers. A chill ran down her spine. Ryker really was a dangerous man.
“Do you regret asking these questions?”
“No,” she said with little conviction.
“Do you think it changes what you think of me?”
“You said you’ve mostly given up the bad stuff so that should be good enough, right?”
“You tell me, Jessica.”
They stopped walking and she looked into his eyes. Why was she still here? He had held her against her will, tied her up for an entire day, and he was surrounded by vicious thugs. He’d acknowledged being a smuggler – a drug smuggler – and he had all but confessed he had murdered people. If she had one ounce of common sense she’d be running away as fast as she could.
Yet, there was goodness in him, she knew it. The way he treated her, the way he gazed into her eyes, it betrayed a fundamental decency that couldn’t be hidden no matter how hard he tried. She was definitely developing feelings she had never expected. She didn’t want to feel that, especially for such a man, but it was irrational.
“And you say the CIA is bullying you?” she asked seemingly randomly.
He blinked at her question. The idea that the CIA wanted to associate itself with him was giving her hope that he wasn’t truly abominable. After all, wasn’t it the CIA’s role to protect America?
He gave her his elbow and she looped her arm through it before resuming their walk.
“What do you know about Venezuela?”
“Gee, I didn’t think there’d be a quiz.”
“Humor me,” he said with a grin.
“Country in South America, leading oil producer, they recently lost their batshit crazy president.”
“Exactly. There is currently a power vacuum in the country and your CIA has a keen interest in how things will evolve. Although it is probably not on the news, there are several factions vying for leadership. The United States would like to influence the outcome.”
“And they came to you.”
“No, not me. They are discussing matters with interested parties in Venezuela. Throughout history politics has been dictated by land, religion, ethnicity, and what?”
“I don’t know, money?”
“Yes, money. If you have enough you can make anything happen. There are groups currently outside Caracas who will do anything for money and the CIA wants me to bring them this.”
Ryker stopped and dug into his pocket. He then put his fist in front of Jessica’s face and slowly opened it, palm up. She squinted at the small object, a pebble no more than a quarter inch square. As she picked it up, moonlight glinted off the hundreds of sharp facets.
“It’s a diamond.”
“I kept one for myself, for my trouble.”
“And you have to bring diamonds to Venezuela, to these people? That’s a pretty crappy form of payment if you ask me. There’s a paper trail a mile long with diamonds.”
“Not with these.”
“That means…” Her voice trailed off. “Ryker, these are blood diamonds.”
“Yes, very good.”
“I’m a geologist after all.”
“I wish I had met you before; I had to pay a jeweler handsomely for his expertise.”
Blood, or conflict, diamonds are usually mined illegally in African countries as a way to finance warlords and insurgencies. They exist off the books and are at the center of genocides.
“And the CIA wants you to smuggle blood diamonds?”
“They assure me they have a specific plan. I was told not to ask questions. One does not when he is being blackmailed.”
He was about to say more but stopped. Jessica looked at the ocean. There were dim lights on the horizon, cargo ships traveling out into the night. But then she saw movement which was much closer.
“People do that often, night tourists?”
She pointed and Ryker followed her finger. It was some sort of speedboat and it was coming toward the shore at an angle. The noise grew louder over the crashing waves.
“Are they coming here?”
“My God…”
“What is it?” she asked with sudden panic.
“Hubrecht, Vurnon, kijk uit!”
Just as he turned to take Jessica’s hand, gunfire erupted.
Jessica couldn’t breathe. Ryker was holding onto her hand and shoulders while pulling her along. She had no choice but to run with him even though she had no idea where they were going.
“Quick, come with me!”
She felt bullets whizzing by them and saw their impact as the sand exploded in front of them. It was obvious what was happening out. The boat she had spotted was coming for them. Automatic gunfire thundered into sheer madness.
“Hubrecht, Vurnon!” Ryker shouted again at the top of his lungs.
More weapons were fired but this time the sound was different. Jessica ventured a look toward the sky. Up on the cliff, Hubrecht and Vurnon stood with handguns pointed down. They fired at the boat which was still speeding toward the beach.
“Faster, Jessica…”
Her feet dug into the soft sand which made it harder for her to sprint. Nevertheless, she gave it everything she had. Frankly, she didn’t have a choice. One false move and she was dead!
Chapter 14
They were running for the limestone cliff but the stairs were at least a couple hundred feet away. She had no idea how they would make it, let alone climb up without getting shot.
The henchmen weren’t hitting anything from up there with their sidearms. It was a miracle they’d been close enough to return fire so fast but their firepower was unimpressive. Looking over her shoulder, Jessica saw water bursting around the speedboat.
“Careful!”
She didn’t know what he meant until he threw her forward into the sand. There was some sort of natural gutter between the rock face and the beach. She hit the ground hard and it happened too quickly to be scared. At the same moment, Ryker dropped his weight onto her body.
“Keep your head down.”
More shots rang out and they seemed to be louder, closer. Bullets hit the stone above her head, showering both
of them with flying splinters. She squealed involuntarily and the Dutchman hugged her more closely.
All of a sudden, a different firearm joined the fight, judging by the loud staccato. Jessica lifted Ryker’s arm and peeked underneath at the spectacle. Three-round bursts zeroed in on the boat until she saw the fiberglass hull get sprayed with bullets.
“It’s Max,” he said with hope in his voice.
She couldn’t possibly see up, as much as she wanted to, but she imagined the overweight bodyguard standing on the edge of the precipice firing an assault rifle at the assailants.
The boat was 50 feet from the beach when the windshield got hit and shattered. Straightaway, the pilot yanked the wheel and the speedboat swerved away. Max continued shooting, as did the two other henchmen.
“They’re turning away.”
Sure enough, the boat went back from whence it came, shooting sporadically to cover its escape. Ryker kept her down until the roar of the outboard motor faded away.
“Are you okay? he asked while climbing to his knees.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Are you certain?”
As she straightened up, he quickly inspected her for cuts and bruises.
“Really, I’m all right.”
Hubrecht and Vurnon came running toward them, handguns clutched firmly. The short man spoke in Dutch to his boss who, Jessica assumed, responded that they were unhurt.
“Let’s go back to the house.”
* * *
Jessica was ill at ease sitting in the dining room. It was cavernous and well-appointed but what gave her chills was the large windows opening on the ocean. She had been told there was nothing to fear with the house resting on top of the cliff, too far and too awkward a position for a professional sniper to hit a target. And yet, even with the curtains drawn she was uncomfortable. The song Sick Cycle Carousel by Lifehouse playing faintly in the background did nothing to calm her down.
She didn’t remove the windbreaker and in fact crossed her arms tightly as if she’d just come in from a cold afternoon of ice-skating. She was freezing right down to the bone as she recalled the intense episode which had almost ended her life.
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