She took a deep breath. She’d save it for something that would actually harm her. She could do naked for science.
Ha. I’m doing it for him. And for that, she had a very definite biological explanation. Big and strong, check. Protective? Yes, that too, despite sending her downstairs in her altogether. “Will you stay with me? Keep me safe?”
He grinned so widely she felt manipulative for having asked the question. She’d struck a chord in him with that for sure, but she’d asked because she wanted to know.
“Yes, Natalie. I will stay with you and keep you safe. All you have to do is follow directions.”
So simple. She walked past him out the door. He closed it behind them and put his arm around her waist as they walked downstairs together.
Everyone was there already. Rhonda, dressed in a see-through yellow baby doll and a thong, was glaring at Amber, who was wearing just panties. Which, Natalie noted, made her the only completely naked woman there, although the others didn’t have on much. Both were sitting at the card table with plates and toast in front of them. Kyle was dressed only in karate pants, no shirt, and Tom had on jeans and a T-shirt, and they were standing.
“I have to say I agree with Rhonda this time,” Kyle said.
“You would,” snarled Amber, and then added, “Master,” with far more sincerity than Natalie would have expected.
“I think you’re both crazy,” said Tom.
“Natalie!” yelled Rhonda. “Come, help settle this. You’re a neutral party.”
“Uh-oh,” said Carter under his breath. “I wonder if I’m needed to protect you already.”
“Good idea,” said Amber. “Come here, Natalie.” She looked smugly at Rhonda. “You’ll see.”
Natalie wandered forward. “What is it?” she asked with a mixture of curiosity and trepidation. Both women had something brown on their toast that looked decidedly unappetizing.
“Marmite versus Vegemite,” pronounced Rhonda. She cut off a piece of her toast and put it on an empty plate. “Which is better?”
Amber cut off a piece of her toast and put it on the plate as well, then crossed her arms and looked smug. Natalie had seen that look last in high school—the I’ll-make-the-cheerleading-squad-and-you-won’t look. She shrugged. The girl she remembered seeing it on got knocked up by an offensive lineman.
“I don’t suppose there’s eggs in the kitchen?” She’d never had either, but they looked like sludge and she’d heard bad things. She wasn’t really interested in judging the battle of the hydrolyzed yeast spread.
“There certainly are,” said Carter. “How many?”
“Two, please?”
“You got it.”
“My hero!”
He grinned. “How would you like them?”
“Can you do over easy?”
“Sure. The eggs, or you?”
She wasn’t sure whether it was Rhonda or Amber she heard snickering. She had a sudden vision of being fucked on the table and him flipping her over to her stomach, her ass and pussy equally open to him. She wondered if that was what he had in mind. “As you wish,” she said, her cheeks hot.
“Come with me to the kitchen then.”
She followed him. The other Doms had been gentlemen, not staring or making her feel uncomfortable in her nakedness. Then again, maybe they didn’t find her worth looking at with Amber and Rhonda about. She preferred to believe they were being considerate.
“Nice outfit, Natalie,” said Amber to her back.
Well, not everyone could be considerate.
Chapter Five
She’d been on her best behavior all morning. She’d said Sir with every sentence, well, almost every one. It was difficult being naked in front of everyone, and she blushed every time attention was drawn, but she’d soldiered through and she had to admit she found it kind of hot when she wasn’t feeling too embarrassed. She’d helped in the kitchen, making everyone sandwiches. While they ate, Carter had put his hand on her thigh, his fingers curling around so that they were a couple inches from her pussy, and she was getting very wet.
With trepidation, she put her hand on his cock, giving it a squeeze through his jeans. Maybe it wasn’t the most submissive thing to do, but from the grin Carter gave her he didn’t seem to mind. So she kneaded his cock, feeling it grow in her hand.
“How may I serve?” Rhonda asked Tom.
“How about under the table?”
“Yes, Master.” Rhonda moved her chair back and crawled under without hesitation. Obeying was automatic for her. But she didn’t especially look as if she was enjoying it, nor did she seem to mind. It was just a thing. Ho-hum, I’m going to give a guy a blowjob at a table, with everyone watching.
“Isn’t she lovely?” said Tom. “So responsive.”
The sound of a zipper opening was audible. Kyle nodded. “Just your type. I like them a bit more of a struggle, myself.”
What did Carter like? Obedience or a challenge? Natalie tried to tell herself that pleasing him was just a means to an end, a way to get access to the orchid. Okay, and maybe have some hot sex along the way. The kinky stuff was fun. She’d always had fantasies but she’d enjoyed being tied up by Carter more than she thought she would. But enjoying kinky sex didn’t make her submissive.
She remembered going down on Carter next to the pool, and remembered how much she wanted his pleasure. Maybe she was a little bit submissive, or maybe she just had enough empathy to enjoy his release. Empathy served a vital biological function, helping the species protect the genes of the group.
“Penny for your thoughts,” said Carter suddenly.
“Me? Oh, I was thinking about schooling fishes. Or herds of grazing mammals. How the group is protected, even though the individual may die.” It was sort of true, even though human empathy wasn’t the same thing really. And it was much better than saying how much she had wanted Carter to come.
Carter chuckled. “If you’re thinking about that, I’m not doing my job.” He pulled her from her chair and onto his lap. Putting his arm around her waist to stabilize her, he grabbed her plate and moved it over. “Now then. Carry on. Eating and thinking about animal survival.”
She might have been able to pull it off, but the moment she brought her sandwich obediently to her mouth, he pushed her legs apart and cupped her mound. His middle finger brushed against her clit. At least the others couldn’t see what was happening.
Except for maybe Rhonda, under the table. She could hear the other woman’s breathing and maybe it was her imagination but she thought she could hear Tom’s cock sliding in and out of Rhonda’s mouth as well. Maybe Rhonda would be too busy to be looking between her spread legs at what Carter was doing with his fingers. She could hope.
In any case, his touch was making it very difficult to think. She could feel her nipples tighten in response. Her pussy was getting even wetter. She took a bite of her sandwich and barely tasted the ham and mustard. “Sir,” she whispered. She didn’t know any other words to add, didn’t know if she wanted him to continue or to stop. She wasn’t used to having a man’s touch feel so good, or to wanting it so badly. It made her feel powerless, and that made her scared. It made her feel that maybe power didn’t matter, and that she could give in and let go. She wanted to.
With each rub of his finger, the pressure built in her core. She put the sandwich down and grabbed on to his shoulders for balance, her hands digging into his skin as his touch made her toes curl. He didn’t object. Her breath started getting irregular and she felt pleasantly lightheaded. She didn’t care what Rhonda or anyone else saw anymore. She spread her legs open farther. More and she’d come in front of everyone.
He stopped.
“Let’s take a walk. There’s a path through the jungle and a cove on the other end of the island that’s rather peaceful.” He smiled. “No herd animals, I’m afraid. Maybe we can catch sight of a salamander or something.”
It should have been exactly what she wanted to hear, and she felt guilty that it
wasn’t. It was progress. Not as good as going at night, but it probably made sense to scout it out in better light first anyway. But all her attention had been focused on his hand and she felt like arguing, No. Fuck me, instead.
He knew exactly how close she was, she was sure. His bland, innocent expression couldn’t convince her otherwise.
Tom moaned, and that didn’t make it any better. He was coming, she was sure of it. She wasn’t sure when Amber and Kyle had left the table, she’d been so wrapped up in what Carter was doing to her.
She hopped off Carter’s lap and headed toward the stairs. She wanted to be away. Away from her libido taking control of her. Away from Tom and Rhonda’s swallowing sounds.
Carter moved quickly to catch up and put his arm around her waist, steering her toward the door to the swimming pool. He opened it with his other hand. As far as she could tell, it wasn’t locked. So maybe she’d escape that evening. That was it. She’d focus on science.
“I’ll make love to you when we get to the cove,” Carter whispered.
Her knees went weak. So much for that.
“Shouldn’t I get some clothes on if we’re walking through the jungle?”
“Oh, it’s a nice clear path. Made sure of it myself a few days ago. Nothing out there’s going to hurt you, even dressed as nature intended. We won’t be hacking our way through the bush, as Kyle would say.”
Damn.
“Stay still.”
She chewed on her lip but did as he asked. What was he going to do to her?
He opened a big plastic box like an ice chest near the swimming pool and took out a rolled-up beach towel and a bottle of suntan lotion. Carefully, he applied the cool lotion to her skin. As his hands brushed against her nipples, they hardened and she was sure he noticed, even though he didn’t linger. He didn’t skip anyplace, but he focused on getting her covered.
“Spread your legs more so I can get the insides of your thighs.”
She did, feeling he could probably see how wet she was. But he didn’t comment. He rubbed lotion into her, the sides of his hands brushing against her pussy when he got to the highest part of her legs.
“All good,” he told her. “The jungle’s sheltered but the cove not as much. Better safe than sorry, especially as you’re on the fair side.”
“You mean I’m pale.”
Carter frowned at her and she wished she hadn’t said anything. “You don’t take compliments well, do you? I happen to think your skin is quite lovely. Live with it.” He picked up the beach towel and tucked it underneath his arm.
She stepped forward. The air was warm but not hot, humid without being sticky. She breathed in the freshness of it, enjoyed the feeling of the warm concrete on her toes.
He let go of her waist and took her hand but he didn’t drag her along. Instead he walked with her side by side, leading the way without getting ahead. “I’ll carry you if you don’t feel comfortable walking in your bare feet.”
Being carried sounded pretty attractive. She didn’t doubt he could do it either, although she wasn’t exactly the light-as-a-feather type. Warm, safe, protected—but the chances to see the flora and fauna would probably be better if she was in control of her own steps. “I’ll walk.”
They had to go single file once they got to the path. Walking naked into the wild made her think of the earliest humans. Of course, they were probably quite a bit hairier, but nonetheless they must have lived in places like this, full of natural beauty and gentle climate, at first. The line between them and the animals wasn’t defined by clothes and gadgets but by cleverness.
But they also had to hunt and search for their food, and every day survival was always at stake. She was safe. She trusted Carter not to take her into the jungle unless he could guarantee her security. Her imagination shifted from the evolutionary model to the legendary.
This is like being Eve.
The jungle that surrounded her wasn’t a tropical rain forest, quite. That would have required rain all year round. Fleury Island got a lot of rain but it was seasonal, and this was the dry season. Tall eucalypts dominated the forest, not quite thick enough to stop the occasional beam of light from getting through. In crooks in the trees where water could gather, orchids thrived, their purples and pinks and reds glorious against the backdrop of green. The very fact that the flowers were out during the daytime meant that they weren’t the plant she was after, but it was impossible to ignore their beauty. On the ground, a variety of plants grew. It was too shady for grass to take hold, but there were little shrubs and creeping vines and bright green lichens everywhere. The air felt extra-refreshing, full of oxygen, and yet there was also a heavy, wet, sweet scent behind it.
The path was clear, although the lichen managed to find little footholds, like green veins streaking through the gray-brown of the dirt. Here and there a tree root surfaced too. It would be easy to trip at night, or even in the daytime. She’d have to watch her step. The dirt was moist enough to stick to her feet but it wasn’t mud, and she soon became accustomed to the feel of it underneath her.
She stopped to look at a tiny green lizard that was skipping through the brush on the side of the path. It was brightly colored, but against the lichen, that might have been protective coloring. Curious, she bent down for a closer look, slipping her hand out of Carter’s grasp. He stopped and crouched down with her and they watched together.
Try as she might to remind herself how natural it was for a member of Homo sapiens to be naked in a jungle, it was impossible for her not to be aware of how sexual she felt being unclothed in close proximity to him. Him being naked too might make it more natural, but it wouldn’t reduce the charge that built up between them.
The lizard slipped out of sight, behind a shrub that reminded her of a hosta but wasn’t quite the same. Its broad and plentiful leaves, however, provided plenty of shelter for the hiding reptile. She, on the other hand, couldn’t hide at all. Heat grew in her face as she was aware of Carter’s gaze shifting from the wildlife to her.
“Yes, I’m naked, what of it?” she said crossly.
“Just as I want you,” he said smoothly. “Such lovely breasts and welcoming thighs. And a nice round ass that I’ll make pink in a little bit. By the time I slip my fingers into your pussy it’s going to be nice and wet.”
Make pink. She was in for another spanking. She wasn’t a primitive or even Eve. She was a city girl wandering about naked with a very sexy man who was completely in charge. And she was wet now. There was no way she was going to get any useful research done with him around. She stood up and he put his hand on the small of her back, guiding her to continue on the path, moving her in front of him. His hand slipped to caress her bottom.
“Why am I going first now?”
“Because I like to look at you. And the path is clear enough from here.”
She walked forward slowly, aware of his gaze on her. She had a heightened awareness of her body, and no attempt to concentrate on her surroundings could change that. Her heart hammered. The jungle might be safe, but walking naked through it seemed absolutely crazy.
It had seemed quiet at first, but now she was aware of the rustling of the leaves and little tap-taps and click-clicks that might come from lizards or insects. She looked about for orchid plants that weren’t in bloom, but there were so many vines and other plants that grew in and about the eucalyptus trees that she couldn’t really pick out any likely contenders. She’d have to come back at night sometime.
The path came to an end not even a mile from where it began. The dirt changed to sand and the trees found no purchase in there, nor did the shrubs grow. It wasn’t much of a beach—a strip at most ten yards wide that stretched for fifty yards of shore perhaps. Mangrove trees grew in the shallow water here and there, thriving where other trees would die. They provided shade but left most of the beach brightly lit. She had to shade her eyes with her hand. The bright tropical sun was a sharp contrast from the dark woods they’d been traveling through.
He patted her butt and then sat down on the towel, facing the long side of it and the ocean. “Come lie across me,” he said, indicating the length of the towel with a sweep of his hand, “and I’ll give you a spanking.”
“Have I done something wrong?”
He shook his head and smiled. “Not at all. I want to spank you because you enjoyed it the last time.”
“I did—” She was about to say “not”, but stopped herself. Her body had given itself away. It was useless to deny it, although she certainly wasn’t going to admit it. Then she realized by stopping the sentence where she had, she had. She felt the heat grow in her face.
He raised his eyebrows and waited.
To follow his directions, to kneel on the towel and then stretch her body across his lap, would be a further admission. He wasn’t forcing her, after all. But she didn’t want to go without either. She wanted to feel his hand on her backside, whether it was spanking her or groping. There had to be something smart she could say that would make making herself available less submissive, less obvious in her desire. But she couldn’t think of anything.
Chest feeling heavy, she knelt down on the towel. She hesitated a moment before moving forward to get herself into spanking position, and when she did she was so clumsy about it she felt as if she’d practically thrown herself across his lap. She felt foolish and awkward, but that all went away when his hand settled on the lowest curve of her ass, his palm gently curved to follow its contours. That one touch put her at peace. And made her more turned-on than ever.
He lifted his hand, but it wasn’t gone for more than a split second before it landed on her bottom again with a smack. It stung, but only for a moment. She was sure he could hit her much harder if he meant to, and knowing he wasn’t angry with her, that he was doing it because she liked it, made it okay. She felt the tightness in her chest fade as he spanked her, each little whap taking more tension away.
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