Backstage Demands

by Kristina King

  “I’ll swing by the restaurant and see how her shift is going,” Joel said. “I’ll catch you later.”

  He didn’t see her car in the parking lot with the other staff cars but he went in anyways. “Hey Lucy,” he said to the girl at the counter. “Is Emily busy?”

  “Don’t know,” Lucy said with a smile. “She’s off today, lucky girl. We’ve got a business lunch in the back room, thirteen people, they’re running Becky off her feet.”

  “Oh, has Emily texted you or anything? I haven’t been able to get in touch with her.”

  “Nope, sorry. Is everything okay? She’s been a little spacey lately.”

  “Probably just left over from that close call. If you see her or hear from her tell her I’m worried sick.”

  “I’ll do that. Good luck finding her.”

  He considered going from store to store but he had no idea where to start and there were a lot of places she could be. I could end up chasing her in circles, or chasing my own tail. Instead he reached out to anyone she might be spending the day with, and then he waited.

  A few minutes later he got a text from Julia. “Didn’t she tell you? She went for a drive. Said she needed to sort some things out.”

  “No, she didn’t tell me. Where did she go?” he messaged back.

  “The campsite. I think she wants to prove she’s not afraid of the river. She’ll be home tonight.”

  “Thanks Julia.” He tossed the cell phone on the seat beside him and slammed his hands on the steering wheel. It was already after three, there was no sense in chasing her now, he’d probably pass her on the highway without realizing it and then he’d look the fool.

  “Fuck,” he muttered.

  He grabbed the phone and texted Emily again. You could have told me. There was still no reply from her to any of her texts so he tossed the phone down again and pulled out of the shopping mall parking lot where he’d been sitting for the last hour. He grabbed Buddy and texted a few other guys they often hung out with and they hit the pub for early drinks and an early dinner of steak and pub-seasoned wedge potatoes that were served in a huge basket set in the middle of the table.

  He drove home even though the road was blurry and collapsed into bed, his phone still in his pocket.

  He woke up feeling groggy, unsure of why his pocket was vibrating. He rolled over and reached into his pocket, his fingers connecting with his phone just as it stopped moving. He pulled it out. 1 missed call from Emily’s home number. He looked at the clock, six am, and groaned but called the number back anyways.

  “Hello?” said a tight female voice.

  “This is Joel,” he said.

  “Joel, oh thank-god. It’s Emily’s mom. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to reach you either.”

  “Either? What do you mean?” He sat up and his head spun so he squeezed his eyes shut.

  “She didn’t come home last night. I thought maybe she stayed over with you but then you didn’t answer.”

  “Sorry about that you woke me.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry.”

  “No, it’s okay, this sounds serious. When was the last time you heard from her?”

  “Yesterday morning, when we were getting ready for work. Did she call you at all yesterday?”

  “No, I haven’t talked to since the night before. Did you know she drove back to the campsite?”

  “You mean where she fell in the river before? Oh god, what if something happened to her?”

  “Don’t panic, okay? I’ll take a drive down and see if maybe she camped out there. And I’ll keep trying her cell too. Give me your work number and I’ll call you as soon as I know something, okay?”

  “Sure, okay. Thanks Joel. She’s so lucky to have you.”

  Now if I could just convince her how damn lucky she is. I need at least one more video of her before she bails on me. “It’s not a problem, really. Go to work, I’ll take care of this.”

  He hung up and flopped back on the bed. He texted Emily and then let his arm drop to the bed too. The next time he opened his eyes it was ten o’clock and he felt a hell of a lot better.

  There had been no reply from Emily while he slept so he showered and dressed and climbed in the car. He drove out of the city and down towards the preserve that ran along the river. Once he reached the edge of the preserve he realized he didn’t know the roads so he texted Buddy for directions. The directions were vague at best and he got turned around twice before finding something that looked familiar. He drove into the clearing where they had been camping and there was her car, empty and locked.

  He pulled out his phone and wandered the clearing until he got two bars. He called her but it went straight to voice mail. He hung up and shouted her name. No answer. He hiked up to where they had watched the sunset and called again. Nothing. There was no sign of a recent campfire, no sign of a tent, no sign of her.

  Oh god, what if she committed suicide. She’s been distant ever since she came back. She’s a strong swimmer, what if being swept away wasn’t an accident? What if she came back to try again?

  He leapt in his car and backed out of the clearing with a squeal of tires. He was thirty over the speed limit, at least, the whole way back, and roared into Emily’s driveway.

  “She’s gone,” he said as her parents came out to see what was going on. “I found her car, at the campsite, but she’s gone.”

  “Oh god,” her mother said, her knees giving out. Her husband caught her. “We’ll call the police. They’ll help. They’ll organize a search party. We can find her.”

  Joel nodded. “We can find her.”

  CHAPTER 2

  The search seemed to last forever and still there was no sign of her. They were camping at a sandy place along a shallow stretch of river downstream from the base camp, when Joel remembered Emily walking back into camp with wet socks and boots. She crossed the river to get back to us, he thought. So she’s probably on the other side of the river now. We’re looking in the wrong place.

  It was too late to start a fresh search so he waited until his search companions had disappeared into their tents and then he took his flashlight and carefully crossed the river. It only took hours before he stumbled across the cabin. There was a light on in the window so Joel crept along the dark yard and peered inside.

  A wild man stood there in the middle of the cabin, completely naked and unashamed. He was lean and long and muscular. His cock stood at attention. On the bed Emily leaned back giving the wild man a full view of her mocha body. As Joel peered over the window ledge at his girlfriend, naked on someone else’s bed, his cock began to stiffen.

  This was like watching the videos, but better. He pulled out his cellphone and called up the video app and then he watched, waiting for the perfect opportunity.

  The wild man crossed the cabin slowly and crawled into the bed, trapping Emily between him and the bed. He bent low over her and kissed her hard.

  “I want you, Emily.” His voice was muffled by the glass and Joel almost didn’t catch what was said.

  Her voice was just as soft. “I’m all yours.”

  They twisted and stretched out on the bed and his hands moved over her, touching her without hesitation. He touched and caressed and groped and she tipped her head back, her eyes closed, which was good, because she might have seen the face at the window otherwise.

  The wild man spread her legs, his hand pressing up her thick thighs. Yes, Joel thought. Yes, touch her. This is perfect. He held the phone up and hit record. The image would be dark and blurry but he’d know what he was watching every time he watched it, which would likely be every time he needed to get himself off for a long time to come.

  The wild man muttered, “You’re so wet.”

  Emily said, “I want you.”

  “I’m all yours.” The wild man moved his hand from between her legs and pushed his substantial cock inside her. Joel was so hard his cock was throbbing. The angle wasn’t very good but next to the door was another window. If I could get over
there the video would be so much hotter.

  A branch snapped under his foot and he dropped to the ground, his heart pounding. He could hear movement inside the cabin and the dull square of light that shone from the window moved. He scrambled towards deeper shadows.

  The wild man came out with the lantern and looked around then walked away from the cabin. Moments later he came back, the light from the lantern bouncing with each step. Joel held his breath and waited until the light disappeared inside the cabin. He scrambled forward to the front of the cabin and pressed his back against the wall under the window.

  By the time he worked up the courage to look in the window the wild man was naked and in bed with Emily again. Emily was kneeling over him brushing her fingers through his thick chest hair and down to his stomach where she paused. The wild man had gone soft.

  He said something but from this window Joel couldn’t make out the words. Instead he got his phone ready and started recording as Emily reached for the wild man’s cock.

  She wrapped her hand around him. It didn’t take much massaging and tugging for him to grow hard in her hand. He stretched out on the bed while she played with him. His whole body relaxed, except his cock.

  She straddled him and lowered her body onto his and he groaned again. Joel’s cock hardened again, aching now. He adjusted himself as best he could with one hand, the other holding the phone steady and hopefully out of sight. She rode him with long slow movements and his hands wandered over her body appreciating the hardness of her abs and the darkness of her perky breasted nipples.

  The lantern cast deep shadows over them and the image on the screen was blurred, especially when he tried to zoom in, but the image in his mind was clear and crisp and rich with detail. The glow of skin where the light hit, the way they stared into each other’s eyes. Adrenaline from the scare was still pumping through him, adding to the erotic pleasure of watching his girlfriend ride another man’s cock. He’d imagined this, watching while she rode another man, and it was everything he’d hoped for.

  She rode him harder and faster and their eyes remained locked on each other’s faces. Suddenly she started to scream out wordless sounds of pleasure as she neared her climax.

  Joel reached down the front of his shorts and touched himself.

  Her voice pierced the night. “Ryker! Ryker! Oh god yes!” and then the words were gone again and all she did was scream as the wild man thrust his hips up hard to meet hers.

  She collapsed against his chest and Joel ducked down away from the window. He gripped his cock hard in his hand and let his shorts drop around his ankles. With the image of Emily still fresh in his mind it only took seconds to send a stream of cum across the ground. He pulled his pants up, grabbed his phone, and took off towards the search camp. He’d be back.

  CHAPTER 3

  EMILY

  We were getting ready to head back to my car the next morning, which was why Ryker was rushing me through breakfast.

  “How early were you up?” I said, taking a bite of the breakfast he’d had time to cook for me before I was even out of bed.

  “Early.”

  “Didn’t I tire you out last night?”

  He chuckled. “Yes.”

  “Oh good, I thought I was going to have to try harder. How are we going to work this?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “We’re going to drive home, to my home, in my car, and tell everyone what’s going on, and then pick up some extra clothes and things, and then what? It’s several hours by car from the city to where I parked my car. Are we walking back?”

  “No. We’re driving to one of the ranches so I can borrow a truck. I’ll follow you to your home, we’ll load everything into the truck and then drive back. Then we only have a day, maybe two with the added luggage, to walk back to the cabin.”

  “Oh. Well, I’m glad you’re thinking this through.”

  “Drink some more coffee, you need to jump start that brain.”

  “Gee thanks. What about King?”

  “I’ll give him some extra feed. He can reach the long grass through the fence. He’ll just stay here and wait for us. There will be spoiled eggs when we get back but that’s the only thing we’ll really have to worry about.”

  “This place is fairly self-sufficient, even without you.”

  “I like it that way.”

  “So do I.”

  “Are you done that breakfast yet?” Ryker said, loading smoked meat into two backpacks.

  I pushed the plate away and said, “I’m stuffed.”

  “Your appetite will grow the longer you’re out here.” He offered me a hand and pulled me to my feet. “Grab a pack then and we’ll be off.”

  “Don’t move! Don’t you take another fucking step!”

  We both spun around at the sound of this new and very angry voice. Standing at the corner of the cabin, half hidden by the wood pile, was Joel and in his hands was a gun.

  “Joel! What are you doing here?” My hands went up defensively and out of the corner of my eye I could just see Ryker doing the same.

  “Step away from him, Emily. He can’t hurt you now.”

  “Hurt me? Joel what are you talking about?”

  “He kidnapped you from the campsite, he kept you tied up here …”

  “I’m not tied up, Joel. He didn’t kidnap me. Put the gun down, please, before someone gets hurt.”

  “I’m not putting this gun down! Get away from her, now. Step back. I’m serious, you get the fuck away from her.”

  “Hey, just calm down,” Ryker said, taking a step back. “I’m not going to hurt her. We were just getting ready to hike back to Emily’s car.”

  “She’s not going anywhere with you. Come here Emily, now. We’re getting out of here.”

  “I think that’s her choice to make, not yours,” Ryker said.

  “Here!” someone shouted. “Over here!”

  “Joel? Are you here?” a voice called from the treeline.

  “I’m here,” Joel shouted back, not taking his eyes off of Ryker.

  A group of people came out of the bushes behind him, I could just see them behind the wood pile. “Joel, what were you thinking, wandering off like that? We stick together, as a group, like the state troopers said. We don’t want to be looking for two lost people.”

  “We’re done looking,” Joel said.

  “What’s with the gun, Joel?”

  “Get her away from him, now.”

  They looked over the wood pile and saw us. Julia rushed forward. “Emily?”

  “Hey Julia. Look, would you tell him to put the gun down before he shoots someone?”

  “I’m not putting the gun down until Emily is safely away from her attacker.”

  “Attacker? Emily, are you okay?”

  “I’m fine, Julia. This is Ryker, he’s the one who saved me when I fell in the river. I came back here to find him, I wanted to thank him, and I needed some space and some time to think about a few things. He didn’t kidnap me or attack me or hurt me in any way.”

  “She’s lying,” Joel said. “He raped her.”

  My mind snapped back to the night before, to the snap that had alerted Ryker and interrupted our sex. There had been nothing outside, no coyotes after the chickens, no bears, no wolves, and we’d curled up, riding the last of the adrenaline high to a place of intense passion.

  My eyes narrowed. “When did you find me Joel?”

  “What do you mean, when? Right now, this morning. Now get away from him or I’ll shoot him.”

  “You care too much about your own hide to shoot a man in cold blood,” I said. “Especially in front of witnesses you might not be able to buy off. Why do you think he raped me? When did you find me? What did you see?”

  He lowered the gun, finally, and shouted, “I’ve been looking for you for days, do you understand? I’ve been terrified that you jumped in that river and committed suicide. And instead I find you naked in the arms of another man! He raped you, it had to be rape
.”

  “Joel were you spying on us last night?

  His face shifted from agony to anger. “Did I see you cheating on me with the creep who kidnapped you? Yes, I did, but don’t make it sound like I was …”

  “Like you were watching her and getting off?” Julia said. There was a crowd gathering behind her now as other search parties were drawn to us by the shouting.

  “What the fuck are you talking about?” Joel said. “I’m not a freak! I saw her and I walked away. It was dark, I couldn’t rescue her alone in the dark.”

  “I’m talking about the videos, Joel. You’re sick, you know that?” She spat on the ground at his feet. “Did you really think we wouldn’t find out about it? There was no ‘old bet’, Emily. Joel was asking Buddy to record the two of you having sex together. They recorded me and Buddy too, more than once. They have a sick little site where they post the videos so all their rich perverted friends can watch. I downloaded the videos as proof in case they deleted them.”

  “But it was the middle of the night, in the dark, in the middle of nowhere how …”

  Julia handed me her phone. The screenshot was dark with strange glowy-green lines. Night vision, they recorded the fucking thing with a night vision camera. I pressed play and could hear the rustle of leaves and then Joel’s familiar voice.

  “Emily, relax, okay? No one is going to see us. You’re beautiful.” The camera panned, blurring the image, and came to rest on two figures.

  My laughter. “You can barely see me.” Now the image zoomed until I could clearly see myself and Joel on a blanket, naked. On the screen a familiar scene unfolded. Everyone could hear Joel but only I could see the screen. I should have stopped it, should have turned it off, but I had to see just how much the video showed. I was too intent on the screen to even be embarrassed by the number of people standing around listening to our sex tape. Our already very public sex tape.

  “I don’t have to see you; I know you’re beautiful. … I want you to kiss me,” he said, “Kiss me here and finish getting me hard … Yes, like that … That’s it, eat it, good girl.”