Carnal Captive

by Vonna Harper

Her muscles had started to buzz, but she was a long way from jumping to her feet and escaping. Just the same, fear compelled her to try to kick.

  “You see that?” Clamping his hands over her shins, Reno leaned forward. “The bitch aimed at my crotch.”

  When Damek released her, she fell backward, her head striking the ground. “You’ll have plenty of time to show her the error of her ways. Now restrain her arms before she puts it together to get rid of the gag.”

  “Don’t tell me what to do,” Reno grumbled. “Just sit there and watch a pro at work.”

  Despite her terror, Shari fought to comprehend the nightmare. She didn’t believe in luck. There was nothing preordained about life. Shit simply happened. But shit hadn’t been part of her world for so long she’d come to believe it was behind her. How wrong she was.

  Terrifyingly wrong.

  “I get it,” Damek said. The disembodied words pulled her back to the here and now. “Not a bad idea.”

  Reno, holding up a wrist-thick tree branch at least four feet long appeared above her. “I agree, but before I put this to use, I want to make a certain modification in her attire.”

  “She’s going to get cold.”

  “And your point is?”

  “None.”

  “That’s what I thought.” Reno dropped the branch so it landed between her legs with one end touching her crotch. The idea of it inside her caused sweat to bloom everywhere. She was almost relieved when he got to his knees near her upper body. Then he pulled her T-shirt out of her shorts’ waistband and dread took another bite. Praying for strength accomplished nothing.

  Smiling like a wolf with crippled prey, Reno dragged her arms over her head and pulled on the T-shirt. He exposed her middle, rib cage, the sports bra, shoulders. Feeling her helplessness in her soul, she could do nothing as he hauled off the garment. Tucking it in his waistband, he leaned so close she felt his breath on her face.

  A smile that didn’t reach his eyes revealed slightly dingy teeth. “I know you’re in a hurry to get off the ground, bitch, but first I’m going to sample the merchandise.” Still smiling, he flattened his hands over her breasts and pressed down so her back ground into the earth.

  “Big knockers. No wonder she made the cut.”

  Damek pulled on the bra strap over her left shoulder. “I hate those damn things. A woman should be proud of what she’s got.”

  “What’s this?” Reno lightly punched Damek’s arm, then went back to mauling her breasts. “You aren’t sounding like a college professor any more. Is it possible this job’s turning you on?”

  Grunting, Damek yanked the strap down her arm as far as it would go. In her mind’s eye, she wrenched it out of his hand and kneed him between the legs. “I’d have to be dead not to have a sexual reaction to what we do. However, that’s no reason to act like an animal.”

  “Whatever. Okay bitch, let’s get you set up.”

  Chapter Three

  Shari couldn’t do anything to stop Reno from pulling her into a sitting position. When he did, the branch poked against her crotch. She shivered.

  “You want to help me with this.” Reno jerked his head at Damek. “It’ll take less time and double our pleasure.”

  “That it will.”

  Grabbing her right arm, Reno drew it behind her while Damek did the same with her left. Even as she slumped forward, she felt a momentary relief when Reno let go of her and picked up the branch. That turned to horror when he positioned the wooden length behind her back. Working in tandem, the men arrange her arms so the branch was against her inner elbows. Then they pulled her arms forward, and Damek held her in place while Reno wrapped endless loops of rope over her wrists, forcing them close together at her waist.

  Damek pulled her forward until she drooped with her breasts nearly touching her legs. Her shoulder-length hair slid over her cheeks, blinding her. Her shoulders were pulled back, her hands useless in front, the thankfully smooth branch holding her immobile.

  Muted sounds told her the men were walking away. Were they abandoning her? If so, as soon as she again had command of her muscles, she’d get to her feet and make her way to her car. The thought of how she’d look to whoever found her was nothing compared to what could happen if—

  “It isn’t her best pose,” Reno said. He sounded close. “Besides, you can’t see her expression.”

  “I’m after her body language, specifically the helplessness in every line of her.” Damek too was only a few feet away.

  A barely audible clicking sound followed by several more told her Damek was taking her picture.

  Furious at being Damek’s subject compelled her to try to straighten. Her muscles trembled as if she was trying to lift heavy weights, yet she strained until sweat ran between her breasts. Panting, she slumped forward, rested a little, then strained again.

  Inch by inch, she forced herself into an erect position. Thanks to her hair she saw her world through a tunnel. Reno’s arms were crossed over a barrel chest. He looked like a hunter who’d just bagged a trophy animal. In contrast, Damek’s expression was neutral as he took yet another picture with what appeared to be an expensive digital. Head tilted, he walked to her side, backed up a little, and ran off several more shots.

  She wanted to die. She wanted to kill the bastards who’d kidnapped her.

  Kidnap? Her checking account was in sorry shape and would be until she got paid for the hand-painted greeting cards she’d recently sold at a popular gift shop. As soon as she was, she’d be able to pay off several overdue bills and get new tires for her twelve year old car. Things were looking up in the financial department, the future brightening, long-held dreams of being able to make a living painting starting to come true.

  Until this morning.

  “Well look at that.” Reno clapped his hands. “The bitch is crying.”

  “Good. It’s the first step toward her becoming what we need.”

  Walking back to her, Reno crouched and began massaging her legs. She hated his touch. “You know anything about her owner?” he asked.

  Owner? What is he talking about?

  “Just that he used to be a football player. Instead of a lot of them, he saved his money. Also I understand he’s getting into some kind of business or marketing program.”

  “Yeah. A slave like her takes a hell of a lot of money. I wonder what’ll eventually become of her.”

  “Do you care?”

  Reno didn’t answer for which Shari was grateful. With everything she’d just heard, she didn’t know how she could take any more.

  Slave. Owned.

  Reno’s manipulation of her calves and thighs became more intense. He was restoring feeling to her legs, but it was more than that. No way didn’t she understand his determination to make her aware of how much power he wielded over her.

  She shouldn’t have worn shorts! If she’d put on sweats, he wouldn’t be touching her flesh.

  The flaw in that thinking evaporated as his fingers inched closer to her sex. Her damnable nylon running shorts were loose and hiked up. She tried to scoot away.

  “Whoa, filly, you’re not going anywhere.” Grabbing the rope between her wrists, he hauled her back. “Something you need to get through that head of yours, any time I want to manhandle you, I do it. The sooner you just let it happen, the easier it’ll be.”

  Damek leaned toward her, shoving the digital into a pocket as he did. “Let me clarify something, bitch. Making things easy for you isn’t what we’re about. Quite the opposite, the more discomfort we inflict on you, the more we’re doing our job.” Grabbing the underside of her bra, he hauled it up over her breasts. The fabric pressed down so her breasts were pushed out of shape, trapped.

  “Nice touch.” Reno’s fingernails inched under her panties. “The bigger the boobs, the more to play with.”

  Instead of mauling her breast as she dreaded he’d do, Damek picked up another rope. “Unfortunately, playing with those beauties will have to wait. Time to start leading t
he horse to its corral.” After folding the long rope in half, he looped it around her neck and tied a knot at her throat. Holding up the loose end, he tugged.

  “Hold on,” Reno snapped. “Something I want to do.”

  Dread again came between her and her ability to comprehend. Reno pushed her shorts and panties aside. Grabbing her sex lips, he squeezed them together. Shrieking into her gag, she tried to bend her knees so she could kick him. He easily stopped her by resting a forearm on her knees. The awful pressure on her labia continued.

  “No, please!” she sobbed. The words came out garbled and barely audible

  “She begs.” Reno laughed. “Damn but I love that sound.”

  “One more lesson and we’re out of here.” Damek drew down on the neck rope so her head was forced forward, cotton digging into the back of her neck. Far worse, Reno’s fingers were like vices on her sex lips. Overwhelmed, she squirmed.

  “Damn,” Damek said. “Look at that. Too bad we can’t stay her and play with her.”

  “Yeah, too bad.”

  To her relief, Reno let go, ending the torture. She nearly thanked him, then shuddered. Damn it, she’d never express gratitude because her captors had stopped hurting her.

  She’d die before she’d do that.

  Leaving Damek to deal with the subject, Reno led the way down to where they’d parked the vehicle. Having grown up in L.A., he knew back streets and alleys. The wilderness was another matter. If he’d had his way, he would have waited until the target was in her secluded rental before roping and tying her.

  However, as Carnal management had pointed out, Damek was lead trainer for this production. Damek said they’d take her while she was on one of her predictable early morning runs so they did.

  Listening to Damek curse the hobbled creature for not walking fast enough, Reno decided his new co-worker might not be the priss he’d originally taken him to be. True, the other Carnal operative was anal about a lot of things, but darting her with the nerve drug he’d created had been pure genius. Knocking a subject out or hitting her with a stun gun was expedient, but there was a lot to be said for keeping her awake and aware during those first delicious minutes as the world she’d always known ended.

  There. The SUV they’d left at the end of the trail was right below them. When he’d first seen the map of the area, he’d wondered why in the hell anyone would leave a perfectly good car in one spot and head up into the wilds only to come back down somewhere else. Having to walk back to one’s car still didn’t make sense.

  Stopping, he stared through the trees. Good. The SUV was still the only vehicle in the graveled area. As long as things stayed that way a few more minutes, they’d be out of here without anyone being the wiser. They’d first go to where the subject had left her vehicle and one of them would drive it to the next town using the key he’d pulled out of her shorts’ pocket and leave it in an area not known for its law-abiding citizens. A hammer would take care of her cell phone.

  That done, Damek and he would go to her place and rig things to look as if she’d packed and run. Her being self-employed simplified things. She didn’t have a family and few friends, no current boyfriend.

  Stupid cunt. If she had ties and roots she would have been safe.

  “What are you looking at?” Damek asked.

  “I thought climbing the hell up here was hard. Getting down with her isn’t going to be a piece of cake.”

  “You want to carry her?”

  And risk falling and breaking his neck, no thank you. “Your idea, you do it.”

  Damek chuckled while the bitch tried to keep her legs together so the ropes wouldn’t dig into her ankles. He couldn’t tell whether the skin there had been abraded, not that it mattered. “Guess she’ll have to get to the bottom the same way we do.”

  That wasn’t strictly true. For one, Damek and he had use of their arms and could take normal steps. More to the point as far as his enjoyment of her struggle was concerned, she was all but naked from the waist up. Much as he hated bras, having hers smash her breasts went a long way toward keeping his hard-on going.

  Yeah, job conditions weren’t bad.

  “Here we go, princess.” With that, Damek started down the steep trail. The bitch had no choice but to stumble after him. Reno fell in line behind them. Damn but the view back here was prime. With sweat gluing her shorts to her, he could take his sweet time studying her prominently displayed ass cheeks. Having fabric bunched and pressing against her rear hole had to be uncomfortable.

  She kept her head down so she could see where she was going. He had to hand it to her, he’d seen clumsier captives. The majority were in worse physical shape, at least at the start of their training. Pushing this one to the next level and beyond would take work, but he was up to it.

  Hell, listening to her strangled breathing and watching her straining body had him itching to get started.

  Damek jerked on the neck rope. Lifting her head, the broad dug in her heels.

  “What’s this?” Damek jerked again. “Resistance?”

  Not waiting to see how she’d react, Reno picked up a long, thin switch and struck her ass with it. Her muffled scream made him grin. He switched her again. This time she tried to turn toward him, but Damek put an end to that nonsense by grabbing her hair and forcing her head down. They were wasting time getting to the vehicle, but they’d be remiss if they didn’t take advantage of the instructive moment.

  “You will not resist anything we do.” He punctuated his comment with another swat. She fairly pranced. “Punishment is a necessary component of your education.” Stepping back, he aimed the switch at her left thigh. “Probably the most vital component.”

  The instant the blow struck, she grunted and tried to break free of the hold on her hair. Her movements reminded him of bronc riding. Bet she’d stop fighting if he took spurs to her. Grinning, he whipped her right thigh. leaving a red line on tanned flesh. Unfortunately, the switch broke.

  He threw what remained in his hand at her back. “That’s the end of that.”

  “For now.”

  “Just a sec.” Taking advantage of his new partner’s hair-hold, Reno raked his nails down her spine. “This is just a taste of what things are going to be like for you for now on.”

  Chapter Four

  Some five minutes later they were on level ground. Damek stayed in the shadows with their captive while Reno walked over to the SUV. He unlocked it and opened the door, only then looking around. Several vehicles were on the road leading to the secluded parking lot, all chugging along as they took drivers and passengers to their boring lives. None of those sad suckers had an inkling of what was taking place just out of sight.

  Hell, there wasn’t a one of them capable of grabbing another human being and turning them into a piece of meat. Too bad he couldn’t let the public know what he and other Carnal operatives were capable of.

  Walking around to the back of the SUV, he opened the rear. Undoubtedly Damek wanted him to back the rig to where the subject and he were waiting, but that robbed her of yet another experience, moving into the open. She’d pray someone would see her, desperately look for a way to escape.

  Wasn’t going to happen.

  Rope wrapped around his hand, a frowning Damek hauled his captive after him. Repeatedly shaking her head, she dug her heels into the ground.

  “You going to help me get her in there?” Damek grumbled.

  “My pleasure.”

  When Damek reached for one end of the log keeping her arms back, he grabbed the other. They hoisted her into the space that had been modified to accommodate a less than cooperative passenger. Not giving her time look around, Reno climbed in beside her while Damek shoved her legs in.

  Taking the neck rope from his partner, Reno secured it to a metal ring he’d welded to the side of the vehicle. She could hardly move her head. Hauling her around so she was on her back, arms, and ass wasn’t easy because she kept trying to kick him. When Damek hoisted himself onto the ta
ilgate, Reno handed him another piece of rope, then bent her knees so Damek could secure her ankle restraints to the ring on the right.

  Sitting back, he admired what they’d done. She could rock a bit from side to side, but the branch and neck rope kept her right where they wanted her. Eyes wide and shocked, she stared back.

  “I love that look.” He tapped her cheek.

  “What look?”

  “Disbelief. Terror. It’s almost as good as when pain and forced pleasure slam together.”

  “Maybe.” Damek pulled out his digital. Watching the other man scoot around looking for the best angle to take her picture, Reno decided the results would be worth the risk. Some moments needed to be recorded. Damek ran off shot after shot while the bitch squirmed and tried to turn her face away. Remembering one piece of business, he rolled her to the side and pulled her cell phone and key out of her back pocket.

  “You done?” he asked.

  “Almost.”

  Reno didn’t need to have things spelled out to know what Damek was talking about. He also had to hand it to his partner for holding up the blindfold for her to see before placing it over her eyes. She bucked like a wild thing, prompting him to grab her head and hold on while Damek secured the Velcro fastening.

  Damek took two more pictures of what little remained visible of their captive’s face. She kept chewing on the rope.

  “Don’t go away, slave.” Rearing back as best he could in the confined space, he slapped her breasts. “The fun’s just starting.”

  She screamed, kind of.

  “Naughty, naughty,” Damek scolded, pinching her nipples.

  She sobbed into the rope gag.

  She was in hell! In a nightmare!

  Try as she did to make sense of what was happening, Shari’s mind kept shutting down. The men had forced her into a strange vehicle and were driving her somewhere. Taking her from her world. Not being able to see was worse than ropes and gag. She could still hear, but that wasn’t enough—or maybe the truth was blindness trapped her too close inside herself. She couldn’t do anything except think only thinking might make her go insane.