by Susan Thomas
Mark was wrestling with his love for Alice and his desire to make love to her which he felt was forbidden by his church and upbringing. He had been brought up in a strict but loving Bible believing house and area. Everyone he knew went to church and it was a strongly traditional one: children had to respect and obey their parents; parents had to love and discipline their children when it was needed; wives had to be in submission to their husbands; many of those husbands even disciplined their wives when they believed it necessary; and sex before marriage was always wrong. That might have been his upbringing but Mark was a healthy young man and he found Alice terribly attractive and she clearly found him the same. How could it be wrong for them to make love?
He came to a decision. He would wangle things so that they had a whole day off together and then invite her to spend the day with him. He would take her to the family fishing cabin. It was a simple wooden affair but whereas most of the cabins were in a long line, theirs was off on its own a bit. It was inconvenient for the washrooms but it was extra private. There was a bed and bunk beds in it plus anything needed for a basic overnight stay. For a lovely day by the lake it was ideal and then if Alice was willing they could consummate their love for each other. If she held back that was fine, he would respect her wishes.
Alice loved the idea of going to the lake and having the cabin as a base. She guessed that Mark was getting them some privacy and that they could actually make love. She had gathered from the other girls at college that such behavior was frowned on and she had never wanted to before but now she did. She didn't care much what the church view was, it was a question of whether it felt right to her and it did. She wanted so much to give herself to Mark.
They shopped for food and drink to take with them. Alice felt happy doing such a mundane job with Mark. She had shopped many times before but this seemed special. Mark was being naughty pretending to want all sorts of wildly expensive goods and putting them in their basket until she spotted them. She pretended to tell him off and put them all back. The motherly looking woman at the checkout tolerantly put up with their antics and smiled as she wished them a good day.
There were a good few people at the lake but it was large and no one was near Mark's family cabin. They set up and made everything comfortable with Alice now feeling slightly nervous. She wanted to make love, guessed that was why Mark had brought her here, but now felt shy and embarrassed about doing so. Mark too was feeling nervous. How did he approach it? Some men he knew were very experienced at his age but he was a virgin. He guessed Alice was too. How to begin bothered him. It was clearly his duty to initiate it all. Alice was a girl so she couldn't really do that. He chickened out and instead suggested he show her around the lake. Alice, a little relieved, agreed quickly.
As he began the tour he put his arm around her shoulder and she slipped an arm around his waist. He could feel their tension lessen as they walked and he showed her around the place where he had fallen in as a six year old, pointing out where his dad caught the giant trout, and where his youngest sister screamed the place down because there was a bear... which wasn't - it was imagination and an old tree stump. By the time they got back to the cabin they were very relaxed and Mark pushed the door firmly shut when they got in, cutting off the outside world. He began to kiss Alice and she responded eagerly, he slipped down her cheek and began nuzzling and kissing her neck. She put her arms around him pulling him into her and making little appreciative noises which excited him.
Alice found his strong back exciting. She loved running her hands down his back all the way down to his small tight bottom which she gripped and pulled hard into her, feeling his erection pushing into her in return. Her mouth went dry with desire but she didn't want to take the lead because of what he might think. She had worn a blouse rather than a T shirt and now Mark took the plunge. His hands trembled a little as he moved to the buttons of her blouse but she smiled and watched him undo them one by one. When the last one was free she stepped away from him and slid the blouse off, simply tossing it into the corner. She realized Mark was hesitant and, although frightened he would think her a slut, she kicked off her sandals and undid the fastenings on her shorts. She could see now the bulge in Mark's shorts as he watched her, and with trembling hands she slid them down. It wasn't from the embarrassment of him seeing her like that... college spankings had cured her of that; it was because she didn't want him to think badly of her and she was also nervous about making love for the first time.
Mark went to kiss her again but she pushed him gently back. "Now you," she said. He had his T-shirt off so quickly it made Alice giggle but then gasp. She was stunned at how muscular he was and how well defined those muscles were. But just the removal of his shirt wasn't enough. She was only in her underwear and now he had to be the same. She reached out and undid the fastenings on his shorts and he let them slide down before stepping out of them. Her moment of being in charge over, she meekly stood while Mark undid and removed her bra. He began to nuzzle and kiss her breasts and she mewed with pleasure at what he was doing. Finally she gasped, "Mark..." and he picked her up and put her gently down on the bed.
She didn't wait for him to do anything else. She reached for her panties and lifting herself up slid them down to her feet and kicked them off across the room. Mark slipped his undershorts down and then hesitated, but Alice had no hesitation. She opened her legs and looked at him. "Mark please..."
She helped guide his erection and he tentatively entered her a little before nervously withdrawing. She grasped his bottom and pulled him toward her. Suddenly he thrust into her fully. Alice gasped loudly and he froze.
"Did I hurt you?"
"No you're just so huge in me... so huge and so hard. It's amazing. Do it Mark, please. I want you so much."
Mark began moving in and out of her, groaning with the pleasure of doing so. Alice wrapped her legs around him marveling at how good it felt to have him inside her. Finally he could hold on no longer and with a great shout he began pumping his seed deep into her. Alice lay in the arms of this strong man enjoying the pleasure she had given him. She had not orgasmed but it had still been a good experience and one she wanted to repeat.
They made love twice more that day and Alice enjoyed her first orgasm the third time they made love. She wanted to spend every day like this, making love in the warmth of the cabin and lying in each other's arms afterwards with that wonderful feeling of closeness. Mark was conflicted; he delighted in making love to Alice and her passion for him was really flattering but his church upbringing told him it was wrong. He thought hard about it. They had made love and now they were Biblically speaking one flesh. His church taught that meant they were in effect married. He was OK with that. He was happy to have Alice as his wife and he would be a good husband... he would be strong and take the lead. Alice must want to marry him as she had let him make love to her, that much was clear.
Without actually making an announcement he began making it clear to everyone that he and Alice were to be married. He took her home to meet his parents who were delighted with her, but Alice was increasingly puzzled by his strange attitude. He seemed to her to be acting as if they were married. She still enjoyed their love making but began silently to resent his attitude. She didn't want to be married just yet... one day, but not now. Right now she was just enjoying this whole new physical side to life.
Then some six weeks into her new relationship a new worry began. Her period was overdue. It suddenly dawned on Alice that they had been making love without any contraception. Could she be pregnant? The answer was of course yes. She was also worried that Mark was becoming quite authoritarian, rather like Erin's father in law Mr. Whittle. He even smacked her across the bottom a couple of times when she was being silly. True he was still very loving but Alice was bewildered by the change.
Chapter 18
The young Christian woman must recognize that many of the men she will meeting in the course of her life are not good Christian men. She must not deceiv
e herself that her strong faith will be able to change them for only the power of the Holy Spirit may do that. She should use her faith to discern which men she must treat with caution. Rev Charnock Amos Jones, Sunday sermon 1913.
Alice loved her work at the summer camp. Apart from anything else it was a relief from the hard work and strict discipline of college. The children were sometimes challenging but she found she was up to that challenge and soon was a popular leader. Sometimes she found their background story heart-breaking, often the very poor parenting disturbed her greatly and she wondered if she had children whether she would be a good mother.
One little boy seemed to attach himself to her. Liam was just six years old, his birthday having been a just a few days before the camp started. He was small, quiet and frightened of everything. His father was a nasty bit of work from what Alice heard. He was a violent man with convictions for violence, robbery and drug dealing. He had impregnated Liam's mother and regarded her as his woman. He beat her, controlled her and treated her badly. He found Liam a poor son and was deeply unkind and abusive to him. Liam swiftly learnt that whatever he did wasn't good enough and he retreated into himself. His mother had finally managed to detach herself from the man and now struggled to make a living, all the while terrified her ex-man would find her again in spite of restraining orders.
Why Liam chose Alice wasn't clear but only Alice could do anything with him. He became her shadow and without her he often simply curled up in a corner and didn't speak. The church arranged counseling for him but in the meanwhile Liam was really quite clingy and it worried Alice. After a discussion with the senior organizers it was decided to let it continue. It had been hard enough getting him to come to camp and leave his mom, so his need to be close to Alice should be regarded as a positive step and one from which he would eventually move on. It was for that reason that Liam was alone with Alice as she cleared up after an activity. The other kids had gone off to a brief and lively Bible talk. Liam was saying nothing as usual but being very helpful when suddenly the door crashed open and there was a large angry looking man holding a gun. Liam immediately scuttled behind Alice who tried to be brave and assertive.
"What do you want?"
"I want my kid. My bitch of a wife has kept him from me so I'm taking what's mine."
"You will have to see the camp leader to get permission to take him."
"Fuck you, bitch!"
Suddenly he hit Alice across the face with the back of his hand. It was a surprisingly forceful blow and sent her flying to the floor. Although dazed Alice saw him grabbing Liam who immediately began fighting and screaming. Abruptly he dropped Liam and grabbed Alice by the hair, hauling her painfully up.
"You carry the brat," he shouted sticking his gun in her face.
Alice picked Liam up and, her face throbbing unpleasantly, left the room with his gun in her back. He made her get into a battered pick-up truck and he then drove off at high speed attracting attention but not yet the realization that he had actually abducted anyone. Alice was scared but Liam much worse and she fought down her own fear to comfort him. Her abductor was clearly not totally stupid. Once clear of the camp site he reduced speed and drove properly, attracting no attention and just slotting in to the traffic flow... another anonymous pick up in a sea of vehicles. Alice did notice he tended to take the back roads and soon they were out in the country and heading toward the mountain areas.
By watching the sun's position Alice realized that he had first gone out of town but was now circling and actually coming back on the other side. Soon he turned off down a country lane and forked off that, driving up into a hilly area through some woodland, and there was a small quiet cabin. He drove around the back putting the truck into a lean-to shelter. Alice and Liam were made to get out and were ordered into the cabin. To her surprise it was well appointed, clean and comfortable.
Alice, with her small charge clinging tightly to her, was ordered into a bedroom. It was quite dark inside and Alice realized it had a shutter over the window fixed on the outside. Her captor slammed the door on them and Alice heard it being locked. She tested the light switch and found it working. That alone told her this cabin was probably not far from the town just on the other side. Presumably he thought the police would seek him in the direction he had appeared to flee. She managed to get out of the terrified Liam that the man was his father.
When Liam needed the bathroom she banged hard on the door and he opened it glaring at her.
"Liam needs the bathroom."
He sneered as if a child needing the bathroom was a sign of some inherent weakness, but he allowed them out. He was clearly very alert and patrolled the cabin with gun in hand, checking the view out of the windows that had no shutters up. Alice hesitated before going back into the bedroom and he looked at her clearly, thinking hard.
"Get your ass in the kitchen and fix us summat to eat."
Alice took Liam with her and was surprised to find a very well stocked fridge and freezer. Her captor ate fast, swigging back some beer as he did so but Liam had to be coaxed into eating the smallest amount. That night she slept in the shuttered bedroom with Liam cuddled up beside her. He clung so tightly Alice wondered if he'd ever let go. She was surprised her captor hadn't raped her as yet. She had no illusions that he wouldn't try just from the way he stared at her. She wondered what to do when he began; fight or submit. Honor told her she should fight. Survival told her just let him do it. One advantage would be if she was pregnant it could be blamed on him.
When morning came he seemed more relaxed. Alice made breakfast for them all and then discovered a huge box full of stuff for children. She sat down on the floor with Liam and got him designing a large farm on a big sheet of paper and making all sorts of little animals and buildings to go on it. It seemed to calm Liam a lot and she kept a wary eye on her captor who stopped checking windows and just sat in a chair swigging beer with his gun on a table beside him. She figured he must think she wouldn't try and escape because of Liam who clearly couldn't run fast enough even if they could get away. She wanted to get some sort of insight into his thinking but didn't want to sound either aggressive or terrified. She worked out an approach in her head and then in a matter of fact voice began to speak.
"How long do you think we'll all have to lay low here until we move on?"
It was just the right approach. He smirked. "Just a few days. The cops won't bother about him. He's mine. You're just some foreign girl so they won't bother about you for long. Then we're off to the wilderness where a man can be free. I'll hunt. We'll keep a few animals around." He looked at her slyly. "You can have a few brothers and sisters for him."
He's mad! Utterly barking if he thinks any of that is real, thought Alice. Outwardly she smiled and looked at Liam. "Do you think you'd like a dog to have out there?"
Liam's look showed he sensed she was playing along with his father and didn't mean it. He nodded as if enthusiastically.
"That's great," said Alice. "You don't mind if we have a dog for Liam do you?"
He waved a generous hand. "Good idea. I'll get me a hunting dog too. It'll be great."
He sat back grinning and swigging a beer and Alice decided that she had better leave some record that they had been here. Now he had relaxed, he let her do pretty much as she wanted except leave the cabin. She took a crayon and began writing a clear message to say she and Liam had been held in the cabin and what his plans were next. She then told Liam to carry on making his farmhouse model while she went to the bathroom. She hid the message and some adhesive tape under her top and went to the bathroom closing the door behind her. Her plan was to open the bathroom window and tape the message to the outside wall just under the window.
She opened the bathroom window and looking out wished she could just climb out and run, but she couldn't leave Liam. To her astonishment she saw Mark glide between the trees carrying something, and then he turned and looked toward the cabin.
Chapter 19
The good C
hristian husband will protect and cherish his wife. Even before marriage the good Christian man should view his role when courting as one of protection and cherishing. Rev Bill Jones, Duties of the Christian Husband, 2010.
It took very little time in camp for the realization to hit that Alice and Liam had been abducted. Those who had unwittingly given directions described the man; the police realized who had done it and bulletins were sent out. Liam's mother was near hysterical and church volunteers took her in to comfort her. Mark was beside himself with worry and anger. Alice was to be his wife. He knew his father and Bill Jones would view her as already his wife as they had made love. It was his duty to protect her but already it was too late... what could he do now?
When he was at school there had been some kids that were not from the sort of home Mark came from but he had always been on good terms with them without actually being friends. The next morning he was supervising children being dropped off when a man came up. It took him a few seconds to recognize the scruffy parent as one of the students he had been at school with.
"Remember me, Mark?"
"Yes, yes of course. Jake isn't it. Is this your little guy?"
"Yeah, this is my Carl."
Mark recognized Carl as a troublesome little bruiser very much following in dad's footsteps but he smiled at him all the same.
"Ya lady is that Brit girl that's been abducted, right?"
"Right. We're all very worried about her and Liam."
