by Zoe York
“Ever had anything in it?”
“No.”
“Still trust me?”
She wanted to say no again in the worst way, but it wouldn’t be the truth. “Yes.”
“Good girl. I’d love to be the first to fuck your ass, but lube options here are limited and I couldn’t find anything I would trust for the job. But that’s okay, I can improvise.”
She watched as he removed the cap and squirted some of the contents on two fingers. He slathered them in lubricant then moved the tube down where she couldn’t see it. The sudden cold between her cheeks made her clench and Doug chuckled. “Relax, baby. Trust me, you’re going to love this.”
He rubbed the lube in small circles with his finger, occasionally pressing it gently at the centre. She would immediately clench and he’d return to his gentle circling.
“Baby, if you want me to fuck you until you come, you’re going to have to relax and let me in. Take a deep breath in through your nose, then arch your back so your ass tips up while you breathe out through your mouth.”
As she exhaled, Doug pressed the tip of his finger into her and held it there. She dropped her head, letting it hang while she tried not to clench.
“Good girl.” He withdrew his finger and began circling again. “Do it again. Breath in and arch while you breathe out.”
This time he slid his finger in a little deeper. He held it still and kissed the base of her spine. “How are you doing? Any pain?”
“I’m okay. No pain.”
“Excellent. On we go, then. Deep breath.”
By the time she was done with the exhale, her ass felt very full. She also felt even more needy than before.
“There, all in. Such a good girl for me. Don’t move a muscle.” Doug reached around with his free hand and teased her clit.
“Please. Don’t make me wait any more. I’ve been a good girl. You said so.”
He slid his finger out and kissed the base of her spine again, making her tremble. “Okay, my good girl. Thumb this time.”
Doug drizzled more lube and touched her asshole. She breathed deep and this time she didn’t wait for him. She steadily pushed back as she exhaled. It felt way bigger than his finger and for a moment she wasn’t sure she could take it. She took another deep breath and when she bottomed out, he gripped the curve of her ass with his fingers.
“You really are full of surprises, baby.”
He slid his cock deep into her pussy, then gripped her hip with his free hand and pulled her tight to him, pushing him in even deeper. She felt so full, and needy to the point of near insanity. She was completely out of patience.
“For fuck’s sake, Doug, do something.”
“Oh dear. And you were doing so well.”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Please don’t tease me anymore. Please.”
“You asked for it.”
Doug snaked his free hand around her and pinched her clit between his fingers. He drew his hips back and forced his thumb farther into her ass as he plunged.
He pumped both his cock and his thumb hard and deep. With each thrust, he gave her clit a hard pinch.
He’d kept her all hot and bothered since he’d slipped into her bed that morning and now her senses were so overloaded, she thought she might pass out.
She opened her eyes to find Doug leaning over her. “There you are, sunshine.”
“What happened?”
“I gave you more orgasm than you could handle.”
“Seriously?”
“It’s either that, or I fucked you to sleep. And we both know that didn’t happen.”
Biddy nodded. He was right about that. “Tell me the condom survived at least.”
Doug chuckled. “It’s all present and accounted for.”
A feeling of uneasiness settled over her and she needed him to leave.
— SEVEN —
The minute his phone rang, Doug knew it was all over. It had been pure folly to let himself get emotionally attached, but Biddy had burrowed under his skin like no other. Well, no other since he’d been a naive teenager who’d had his heart ripped out, stomped, and set on fire
Over the last couple of weeks, they’d settled into a comfortable routine. In between their trips around the island watching for signs of whale hunting, they’d taken hundreds of photographs, had long conversations about everything and nothing, and fucked at every opportunity.
The only thing that kept it from being perfect was not waking up with Biddy there beside him. If only he could have more time with her. One more fuck.
He hadn’t liked the way they’d left things the night before. One minute she was joking about broken condoms, the next, she was bidding him goodnight.
For a moment, he considered turning down whatever assignment he was being tapped for. Then his common sense kicked in. He wasn’t getting any younger, and every trip into the danger-zone brought him that much closer to being financially able to settle down to a life of peace and tranquillity.
He answered and set the phone to speaker. “Fraser.” He placed it on the dresser, grabbed his big back-pack, and opened it, ready to load.
“Hey Doug. The shit has hit the fan in Narangubi. We’ve booked you on the next flight out, so you’ve got about two hours to get to the airport. Your flight information and e-ticket should be arriving by email any minute.”
“Fuck, that’s not a lot of time to get my shit together.”
“It’s not like I can schedule these things. I can just imagine—Would you mind holding off on that coup until my cameraman is finished fucking his latest piece of ass.”
“That’s off-base, man.” Any other time, any other woman, it wouldn’t be. But Biddy had changed the way he thought and felt about a lot of things.
“Just get your ass to the airport, pronto. This is fresh, so I’ve only had time to get your flights booked through to Benin and I couldn’t do better than three layovers. I still have to arrange for an interpreter and transport from Benin to Narangubi. You’ll have the rest of your travel instructions in your email by the time you land in London. Any questions?”
“Nope.” What was there to know? Some rinky-dink little country nobody’s ever heard of has exploded with violence and now the race was on to be first to broadcast the most sensational footage around the world.
“Stay safe.”
“Yup.” He disconnected the call then checked his email. Riley had been generous when he said two hours to get to the airport. More like ninety minutes and he still had to pack and get Karen to give him a ride. He would have liked to have Biddy take him, but she was off on a grocery run with Meike and not expected back until supper.
Who was he kidding? A clean break was better for both of them. He knew she was getting as attached as he was. She worked hard to hide it and he pretended not to notice.
He transferred the contents of the dresser into his pack, double checked his camera gear, and did a quick sweep of the room to make sure he hadn’t left anything behind. He knew he hadn’t. He’d been bugging out of one place or another for most of his life, so he had it down to a routine.
One last tour of the room. His eyes lingered on his bed and the memory of the first time he fucked Biddy caught him off guard. Damn. She was everything he could ever want in a woman and never have.
He hefted his pack over one shoulder and snagged his camera case on his way out. He paused in front of Biddy’s bedroom door. Maybe he should leave her a note. He checked his watch. Even if it was the right thing to do, he didn’t have time. What would he say, anyway? So long, and thanks for all the fucks?
And here he was again, acting completely out of character over this woman. Any other fuck-buddy and he’d have packed his gear and left without a second thought. Instead, he was thinking about writing her a note. A fucking note. He was a stringer not Douglas Fucking Adams. He turned to leave, then changed his mind and slipped into her room.
Sadness ate at him the entire trip to the airport. If he ignored it long enoug
h, it would cease to exist. He wondered how much time there was in long enough.
When Karen parked the car, he jumped out and headed toward the terminal. She had that look. Oh, she’d held her tongue during the drive, but she had that look. The one that meant he wasn’t going to get away without her speaking her mind. He stopped at the building’s entrance and turned to face her. “Go ahead, let me have it.”
“Biddy is not like the others. Don’t treat her like she is.”
“I’m no good for her and she’s far too good for me. We both knew from the start this was only a bit of fun on the side. Fun’s over. I’ve gotta go. I can’t miss this flight. Thanks for always being fabulous. I’ll see you next year.” He leaned down and gave Karen a big hug.
She squeezed back and whispered, “Stay safe, and if you ever decide you want to reconnect with her, I’ll help.”
He released his friend without looking at her and dashed through the airport to the check-in counter. He couldn’t afford to get emotional. He had a job to do, and he needed to get his shit together. While he didn’t know the specifics of what lay ahead, he had enough experience to have a fairly good idea of what to expect, and one small lapse in judgement could be disastrous. It was time to move on to the next war and the next woman.
***
Biddy knew something was wrong the minute she opened the door. The house had taken on a decidedly sombre tone. It was suppertime. There should have been loud voices and laughter. Instead she was met with silence. She forced herself to walk through to the kitchen where she immediately noticed the empty chair where Doug should be.
Karen crossed the room and guided Biddy to the living room. Until that point, she was more confused than worried. “Sit down and I’ll explain,” Karen said.
“Explain what?”
“Doug got called away. Some war broke out somewhere and he had to go film it. He said to tell you he was sorry he didn’t have time to say a proper goodbye.”
“Karen, you don’t need to lay down a thick layer of bullshit to break my fall. He hightailed it out of here as fast as he could pack his gear. I’m a big girl. I walked into this with my eyes wide open and I knew there wouldn’t be a fairy tale ending. I gave up on happily ever after a long, long time ago. Is there anything else I need to know, or can we go back to the kitchen? I’m starved.”
“Busted.” Karen gave her a pat on the knee. “Well, you know where I am if you need me.”
“I do. And thanks. I appreciate you trying to break it to me gently. I can only assume you’ve had to mend a few broken hearts he’s left behind.”
“There may have been a time or two where a little comfort was required. Come on then, let’s go eat.”
Biddy could barely admit to herself that she’d become emotionally entangled with Doug, let alone to anyone else. She held it together through supper and retreated to her room at the first opportunity.
More than two weeks of fucking and sucking the same guy and she was ruined. It couldn’t be love. It was too soon for feelings that big, but it had to be something more than lust. It hurt more than a little that he left without saying any kind of goodbye. Her head knew a clean break was better. Her heart knew no such thing.
She flopped on her bed and felt something under her head as it hit the pillow. She reached up and pulled out Doug’s dog tags.
Tears trickled down her cheeks as she struggled to cope with the mess of feelings welling up inside her. How was she supposed to deal with mixed messages like his? Constantly telling her the only relationship they had was the one between his cock and her holes. Then he goes and leaves his fucking dog tags. His good luck charm. He’d told her how he always wore them because they kept him safe. And while he had no proof that was true, he was alive and in one piece, so he also had no proof that it wasn’t.
Fuck. What if he got hurt or killed? It would be all her fault. She needed to return them to him. Pronto. He was going to a war zone. How the fuck was she supposed to get them delivered to a fucking war zone. Bastard. She would not take the blame if something bad happened. She didn’t ask for them. She didn’t fucking want them.
She’d talk to Karen in the morning. She’d know what to do. In the meantime, Biddy decided she may as well wear them. She sat up on the bed and slipped the chain over her head and under her t-shirt. The tags hung between her boobs. That made her feel kind of hot and didn’t that just add to that mixed up mess of feelings?
She eyed her phone and thought about calling Honeycunt, but thought better of it. Instead of getting the sympathetic ear while she gushed on ad nauseam about her broken heart, she would more likely end up getting a full-on interrogation. Honeycunt always meant well, but sometimes she was too much.
Like she’d said to Karen, she was a big girl. She’d have to suck it up and get through this on her own.
— EIGHT —
Morning came way too early when you spent half the night trying not to cry and the rest of it failing miserably until you fell asleep. Biddy wanted to ignore the knocking on the door, but if she didn’t answer, Karen would waltz right in.
“I’m awake. I’ll be down soon.” Fuck, her voice was croaky. Not that it mattered. Her red, puffy eyes would give her away the minute she joined the rest of the crew for breakfast.
She was was in the middle of tying her shoes when there was a more frantic banging on her door. “Biddy, hurry up, they’re herding the whales. We’ve got to run. I’ll meet you in the car with food and coffee.”
“Two minutes.” She’d been here over two weeks, and this was the first hunt since her first day, when Doug had dumped her at REN House and gone to film on his own.
When she stood, her knees felt shaky and weak. Her heart was thudding hard and fast. Holy shit. This was it. What she’d come here to do. Film the slaughter so the world could see what went on here.
She slipped on her jacket and grabbed her camera bag, then bounded down the steps two at a time and flew out the front door. The moment she jumped into the idling truck, they were off.
Meike said, “I know you’ve been told how to handle this, but we need to go over it again. Whatever happens, do not engage. Don’t talk. Don’t touch. We’re there to observe and take photos. Absolutely nothing else. You will be taunted and verbally abused. You may get pushed. They may try to take your camera away. Do not react. Do what you can to avoid them and keep control of your camera. Nothing more.”
“I know.”
“Good. The hard part is remembering this when it’s all happening. I won’t lie to you. It can get downright scary. Just stay close to me and don’t take any chances.”
“You got it.”
They were speeding down the quiet road, occasionally catching glimpses of the flotilla of boats herding the whales toward the bay. She concentrated on slowing her breathing as she visualised herself floating in a warm pool of water. The same technique she used to calm her nerves before heading out on stage to play a concert. Her jangled nerves had her back to wondering why she hadn’t just made a big donation and spent her downtime the same way she always did. Because somehow the universe decided she need the best sex of her life. That’s why.
There were cars and people everywhere when they arrived at the bay. The whales hadn’t arrived yet and Biddy took the opportunity to take photos of the crowd and the water. She knew from stories and photos it would shift from beautiful blue to ugly red before the day was out.
They walked through the crowds, carefully avoiding body contact. The last thing they needed was someone accusing them of getting physical.
The people just kept coming and the buzz of excitement was indescribable. There was something about it that reminded her of those rare times during a concert when you could almost feel something crazy was about to happen. Most of those times they’d been lucky and the crazy hadn’t been bad, just intense. She had an awful feeling they weren’t going to be lucky.
Once the whales and the boats were visible, the crowd became more animated and by the time the
whales had almost reached the shore, the crowd was frenetic. There were men wading into the water and hooking the whales through their blowholes. She’d been told the hooks weren’t sharp, but she wasn’t sure that mattered in the end.
She and Meike worked their way down to the water to get better shots. After all the photos and film footage she’d seen of this, she thought she could handle it. Truth was, nothing could prepare her for the reality in front of her.
The first spurt of blood flew into the air and the cheer from the crowd was deafening. Biddy immediately doubled over and lost her breakfast on the beach. There was a burst of laughter from the locals who saw her puke. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder and startled. She looked up to see Meike.
“You okay? We can go.”
“No, I’m fine. Just the first shock. I doubt I have anything left to provide entertainment for the masses, now.” Biddy straightened up and lifted her camera, ready to start shooting.
“Okay. Just take it easy, and if it gets too much for you, we’ll leave.”
Biddy panned the shoreline filled with men wielding gaffs and knives. A familiar face caught her eye and she started shooting as she worked her way closer. It was the same guy that had scared the crap out of her the day she was waiting in the truck while Doug was in the pharmacy buying condoms.
Photos of the little bastard murdering a defenceless whale calf would have to be enough to satisfy her. She got as close as she dared, zooming on his face, zooming out again to show his size in relation to the poor baby he was butchering. She was momentarily distracted by the horror of the reddening sea, and when she returned her attention to the cowardly little baby killer, he was almost upon her.
She started to back away, but accidentally bumped into someone and was shoved forward. She never stopped taking photos, even continuing to click as she lifted her arm to protect herself from the gaff he was swinging down at her head.
When the pain caught up with her, she let go of the camera and puked what was left of her breakfast all over the bastard who had struck her. Thank fuck for the neck strap.
