Naked and Defiant (3 page)

"There aren't supposed to be bugs out when it
rains," she muttered, holding back fear-filled tears as streams of
cold runoff flowed across her feet. Soaked to the bone, she paused
long enough to swallow a mouthful of rainwater that had collected
in the basin of a large leaf. While it quenched the dryness in her
mouth, it only emphasized the hunger that had begun to rumble in
her belly.

She plowed uphill, stepping carefully and
trying to avoid the slippery mud that now lined the steep slope.
She slipped three times, falling back several feet and scraping her
knees and palms. Covered with mud, she finally crawled under the
ledge of a rock and stared as the storm violated the once-tranquil
setting. Jade curled herself into a ball, her body pressing against
the sharp rock and cold soil. She cursed Griffon and his
stubbornness, damning him to hell for the mistreatment she was
suffering. But her feelings of hatred did not manage to heat her
cold body or filled her empty tummy. She needed help, but swore to
never ask for it from him again.

After spending a miserable night stooped and
freezing under the ledge, Jade watched the breaking of a new day.
The storm had exhausted itself, and with several discontented
rumbles it plodded away from the island and headed in the direction
of open sea. The glimmers of the rising sun struck her face, and
its caressing warmth kissed her cheeks. Slowly, Jade dislodged
herself from her shelter and stretched her stiff limbs under the
clement rays. A mist rose from the jungle floor as the water
evaporated in the sun's heat, bringing with it a myriad of biting
sand fleas and droning mosquitoes. Slapping blindly at the attack,
Jade decided to head back down towards the beach, clean her scraped
limbs, and look out for a better shelter and some food.

She lifted her nose at the scent of a wood
fire. Rounding the corner, she saw Griffon lounging on the beach
with a stick of skewered fish held over a blazing fire. If he
noticed her, he paid no attention, turning the skewer lazily as he
sipped from a coconut shell. Jade's mouth began to salivate as the
scent of roasted fish filled her nostrils. Her body trembled with
need for warmth, and she began to gather sticks in her arms as she
headed in his direction.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked absently, not
looking up at her.

"Like a log. And you?"

"Got a little too warm for me. You look like
shit." He glanced up at her.

"Then don't look at me," Jade snarled,
stacking the sticks in her arms.

"What are you doing?" Griffon asked, raising
his brow.

"What does it look like? I am gathering
firewood."

"Is that what you call it? See that tree?
Break it down. I want you to fill two trash bags with dried wood.
Include logs. That is one chore to be completed every day if you
expect to share a shelter and a fire with me. Got it?" His brown
eyes bore into her green ones.

Jade threw the wood to the ground and placed
her hands on the swell of her hips. "I don't know who the hell you
think you are, but you will never speak to me like that again. Hey!
Give that back!"

Griffon grabbed the hem of the T-shirt she
was wearing and pulled it from her body in one easy move, leaving
her standing naked in front of him. She ran behind a tree, cursing
loudly.

"If you want clothing, girl, you will have to
earn it. I have a feeling you will be spending this entire month as
naked as the day you were born."

"You son of a ..."

"Enough!" Griffon ordered. "If you expect to
eat and sleep here, you will put your ass in gear and get that wood
before the next storm. Fires do not build themselves, and if you
like being warm, that is the only way it is going to happen."

"The storm is over!"

"Are you that naive? This is the tropics, and
it's rainy season. Expect a storm every day and be grateful when
one doesn't come. You will also learn how to gather your own
food."

"That is not reasonable, and ..."

"I want two trash bags filled to the brim
with usable firewood. Wet logs are to be placed in the sun to dry
and then can be put under the shelter. You have until I am done
building a shelter. If those two bags are not filled by that time,
I swear I will take one of these twigs and blister your bottom so
you won't be sitting tonight. Understand?"

"How dare you threaten me!"

"Oh, it is no threat, honey. It is a promise.
Go on and test me."

Jade stared back at the man, her mouth
flapping silently as she tried to voice her protests. Flustered,
she stomped away, using the trees to hide her naked body.

"It's not like I haven't already seen your
bare butt!" Griffon shouted after her. "Keep to the path I made to
the camp, and watch out for cobras!"

Jade's squeal exposed the extent of her
ignorance. The Tonga islands had no land snakes and the water
snakes were non-aggressive. Even the sharks were known to be fairly
shy in these parts, but her knowledge was purely based on
assumptions, and assumptions were a detriment to survival. She
needed Griffon and hated herself for it. Jade seethed with anger as
she gathered arms-full of wood that she found on the beachfront and
along the tree line. She was exhausted, both physically and
mentally. Yesterday had been a long day, between her fight with
Simon, the attempted abandonment, and the meeting of this
bull-headed, arrogant jerk. Add to the recipe for pure misery one
cold, sleepless night, an empty belly, and bug bites that covered
every inch of her flesh with more diving towards her open
abrasions. Her head still throbbed painfully where she had struck
it on the bait box in Simon's boat. She had lied to Griffon,
suspecting that any decent man would go ballistic if he heard Simon
deliberately pushed her. But then, this was Griffon Badger and the
word 'decent' was not listed in his job description.

Exhausted after filling one bag, Jade sat
down on a fallen tree trunk to rub her feet. She had numerous cuts
from the sharp coral and her trek up the hill, and her sunburned
shoulders ached from the unaccustomed activity. She yawned,
deciding to take a break and maybe grab a short nap after such a
restless night. Closing her eyes, she took a moment to enjoy the
tiny kiss of warmth.

It was quite dark by the time she awakened,
startled by the brisk bite of the wind and the sound of rustling
through the tall palms. She scrambled to her feet, groaning as her
legs seized painfully beneath her. Ominous clouds loomed overhead,
blocking the moonlight and decreasing her ability to find the
little path that to the location Griffon had chosen for building a
shelter. Jade's stomach growled with hunger, and her lips were dry
and parched. Her need for food, water and warmth superseded her
stubbornness and modesty, so she began to pick her way to higher
grounds.

Jade froze in wonder as she surveyed the
campsite. Next to a cheerfully blazing fire was a small raised
platform shielded on one side by a large Banyan tree. It was
covered with a roof of braided palm leaves and secured to the
support structure with long, slender vines. The small tent,
anchored securely over the roof of the structure, was used provided
more waterproofing. Several open trash bags were braced in
different locations, their 'baskets' resembling upside down
teepees. Long bamboo poles cut lengthwise and tied in angles from
the trees so they would spill collected rainwater into the mouth of
the plastic bags. Griffon did not acknowledge her presence as she
crept towards the fire and huddled close.

"This is cozy," Jade commented uneasily,
watching as the man whittled a spear point from a long, straight
branch. "Are those for collecting water? Very clever." When she
received no answer, she tried again: "I got lost, and ..."

"This island is less than two miles around,
with a single high point on this side. A site that is surrounded by
a dense grove that is only accessible by using that path I made.
The path I told you not to stray from. The other direction is a
sheer of volcanic rock. You will find," he put his spear across his
knees and glared at her, "that being truthful will benefit you much
more than lying. I loathe liars."

"Since when do you care anyway? Don't you use
the motto that Griffon Badger don't give a ..."

"Did I tell you to bring me two bags of
kindling and firewood?" His unwavering gaze pierced through her,
the annoyance on his face magnified in the light of the fire.

"Yeah, but ..."

"What did I tell you would happen if you
chose not to mind me?" Griffon sheathed the dive knife to his belt
pouch, placed the spear on the ground, and then slowly and
deliberately rose to his feet.

Jade shook her head, her eyes wide as she
backed into a tree. She watched in horror as Griffon ripped a long,
slender twig from the Banyan tree, stripped it of leaves, and
whipped it in the air. Frowning, he broke it in half and tossed it
down as he selected another stick. He took his time performing this
selection process, his collection growing as the gap between him
and Jade narrowed.

Her naked back cringed against the sharp bark
of the broad trunk and Jade could feel the heat of Griffon's breath
as he leaned over her. "Your survival depends on me, little girl.
Get that through your thick skull, and don't you ever forget it.
The things and the people you have taken for granted are no longer
at your beck and call. You will learn to pull your share around
here, or I swear to God, you will be sporting a mighty sore ass
every day that we are here. Pick one." Griffon straightened and
held out his collection of sticks.

"F … for what?"

"I promised you a good thrashing, and I
intend to deliver it." A drop of rain landed on his cheek. He
looked to the sky. "Too bad for you. A switching on a wet bottom
hurts far worse than a dry one."

"You can't do this!" Jade cried out, putting
her hands in front of her to fend him off.

"Pick one, Jade."

"No!"

"Either you choose one or I will use all of
them together. Ever been birched?"

Jade stared at his fire-illuminated features,
torn between the need to run like hell and the desire to crush her
lips against his. He was a handsome devil, especially with the
day's growth on his face. Tall, broad-shouldered and quite fit, the
man caused her pussy to twitch in excitement. She hated herself for
it, too! Gulping, the hair on her arms tingled as she pointed
randomly to one of the sticks. Her eyes were locked on the switch
as he used the dive knife to peel away the rough bark.

"Griffon ..."

"Next time you will cut and clean your own
switch, so you'd best pay attention to what I am doing," Griffon
said in a grave voice. Thunder rumbled in the distance. "Bend over
and touch your toes."

"No! I most certainly will not! Ow! Let go of
my earl! Griffon!" Jade protested, grabbing his wrist and trying to
ease his hold on her ear as he led her to the entrance to the
shelter. Unable to dislodge his hand, Jade found herself bent in
half over the side of the raised platform.

"No, Griffon, please! I promise to help and
to listen to you and ..." Her pleading was interrupted by the
swooshing of the switch in the air and the yelping of her own
voice. The stripe blazed across her lower cheeks; it felt like a
thousand bees stinging at once. Still holding his left wrist to
prevent more tugging on her earlobe, Jade tried to protect herself
with the back of her right hand. She screeched and jerked away as
the switch landed across her palm.

"Stop this, Griffon, please. I'll be good and
help and OWOWOW!" Jade howled as the switch began to paint her
backside with red stripes. The rain grew heavier, quickly soaking
her tender flesh. Griffon grimly applied three more lashes to her
squirming bottom, and the hapless girl began to wail in bitter
defeat. He was right ... a switching on a wet bottom was far worse
than anything she had even imagined.

"Do you think you can obey me next time I ask
you to do something?" His voice remained calm as he paused to rest
the switch atop the peaks of her fleshy globes.

"Y-yes," Jade sobbed, folding her arms under
her head to hide her tears.

"Yes, what, Jade?" Griffon asked, as he
released her earlobe. He wiped the rainwater from his eyes as he
sat on the platform next to her, pulled off his wet shirt and
spread it over a branch to dry.

"Yes ... Sir," she forced out, her
humiliation growing, as she began to consider her bent-over
position. Her bottom was soothed slightly as the cold rain fell
down over her stinging rump, but she found it impossible to
straighten herself just yet.

"That's better. Climb onto the platform and
scoot against the tree trunk. I'm going to stoke the heater. You
will appreciate it in a few hours."

Jade sniffled as Griffon used a long pole to
stir a second fire that he had set in a tapered, dug-out pit under
the tall platform. A column of heat rose to the shelter, and Jade
inched closer to the warmth. She leaned forward to warm her hands,
her lips still quivering.

"I'm sorry," she choked out.

"You should be. Are you hungry?"

"Yes, please."

"I like when you use manners. It makes you a
little more tolerable to be around." He pulled up a camping pot
that dangled over the open flame. "Try this and tell me what you
think."

"Thank you. When did you have the time to do
all this?" Jade whispered, as she accepted a coconut shell filled
with a milky soup. She hesitated before tasting it. "This is
incredible! What's in it?"

"Coconut milk, lemongrass, limpets, clams and
limu. That's a seaweed high in complex carbs. We need those to keep
us alert. I will teach you how to cook over open flame."

"You didn't bring a stove or any dishes?"

"I was able to unload the majority of my
heavier gear from the boat, but my supplies were still fairly
minimal. I prefer things simple. If you are looking for comfort,
you won't find any, except what I give you. The one luxury you
would have enjoyed—pillows and blankets, were still in the
boat."