“Ah, you look nice, Princess. Much better with the war paint washed off.” His eyes roamed across my body. “The clothes fit?”
“A little snug, but yeah, they’ll do. Whose were they?”
A curtain of sadness slid across his face. “None of your fucking business,” he snapped. His large chest filled with air, and he slowly exhaled. He was trying to control his temper. “Listen, sweetheart, I’m here to chat with you because Nate the Kindhearted begged me to, and well, he can be quite…persuasive.”
“If you let me go, I won’t tell anyone, I swear. Just drop me back in the States. I mean, they’ll be looking for me.”
He shook his head. “No one’s looking for ya, baby.” His dark stare bore into me.
“The bartender at my father’s club saw Nate leave with me, he’ll—”
An arrogant smirk slid across his lips. “No, sweetheart, they think you willingly left with a handsome ex-boyfriend for an extended frolic on the French Riviera. And as far as the bartender, well—I took care of him.”
I gasped. Hank had been a friend of mine for years, my confidant at the club where I practically lived every evening. “You didn’t!” I whispered as the tears sprung to my eyes.
“Penny—I assure you that Henry Joseph Harrington, bartender of five years, who lives at 2344 Desert Crest in Boulder City, Nevada isn’t going to save you. No one cares, no one is looking for you.”
I began to sob—I knew he was right. I had few friends and I’d burned through my family fairly fast after the calming presence of my mother was gone. My father tried—he loved me in his own way—but his business and new wife were his priorities, and I was left to my own devices.
I hated the mean King Rex Renton at that moment. Despite my glare, his deep voice began to speak again. “So, Princess, I have a business matter I have to attend to. I’ll be gone for a bit, and I’ve commanded Nate to not see you until I return. Maria will take good care of you—if you behave. Give her trouble, and I’ve given her permission to dump you into the croc pit. Are we clear?”
“Yeah,” I answered through my sniffles.
“Excuse me?” He stood and walked in front of me, his dark presence hovering over me, his massive fists balled in a threat.
“Yes, sir,” I sniffled.
“Better.”
“What did you inject me with yesterday?” I asked softly.
“Just something to ensure you behave, that’s all.” His large index finger pointed an inch from my face, “I don’t have the time or the energy for complications, Penny. Not even for Nate.” He left the room, the harsh metallic click of the lock on the other side reminding me of how helpless I was.
By lunchtime, my stomach was growling. A dark haired woman finally opened the door with a nod. She set down a tray covered in linen cloth, and in slow, trained English asked, “Do you need anything, Miss?”
I nodded. “I need to leave.”
“I cannot,” she said as she left.
I spent the next two days alone in the artificially cooled room. I was fed, but Maria spoke very little English. After dinner the second evening, I lay in a heap on the plush carpeted floor, sobbing and feeling sorry for myself. I was jolted from my self-indulgent cry by the opening of my bedroom door. I expected to see the dark-haired maid, but instead my heart began to pound when I recognized the tall, lean frame of Nate as he slid the door closed behind him, locking it from the inside with a key that he placed in the pocket of his slim jeans.
“Penny,” he cooed as he knelt down beside me. “Don’t cry, I’m so sorry.”
He held me tight, rocking me in his arms. “You left me,” I wailed.
“Rex said I couldn’t see you until he returned. I tried, but I missed you so damn much.” He leaned in and kissed me, his warm lips caressing mine.
“I tried,” he purred, wrapping my limbs around his. “I meant to stay away until Rex got home, but I’m drawn to you. I-I’ve never felt like this about a woman before.”
My lips found his again, silencing his explanations, his apology. At that moment, my yearning wasn’t for escape; it was for him. My tongue caressed his, the need flowing from me as he unbuttoned my shirt. “You’re so beautiful,” he moaned as his lips dipped down to kiss the very top of the lace of my bra. My full breasts heaved over the top of the cups—whoever owned this exquisite bra was smaller breasted than me. His eager fingers pulled the lace aside, the ivory flesh flowing over the strained fabric.
His full lips wrapped around my sensitive pink nipple, his desperate suction so intense I struggled to bear it. “Nate,” I begged, clawing at the fly of his jeans. He released the aroused nipple and stood, reaching out a hand to pull me up and toward the bed. We fell together against the pillows, struggling to free one another of the oppressive clothing that separated us.
As his gloriously swollen cock burst free of his jeans, I wrapped my lips around it, drawing hard as he writhed against the sheets. “Pen, wait, not so fast…” I stroked his firm, swollen balls with my index finger, slowing my rhythm on his long shaft as he pulled at me. He managed to flip me over, despite my pout at being parted from his hardness.
“I need to taste you first…”
My tongue was salty from the liquid that slowly seeped from him as he dipped his warm tongue into me—savoring and worshipping me in the most intimate way he could. A long finger slid into my tightness as he lapped at me, so gently I yearned for more. My hips rose as my fingers combed through his thick hair—pressing him into me. His tongue picked up speed as I pushed against his mouth—silently begging him for more contact. “You are so sweet,” he purred against my throbbing sex. When he flicked at my clit with the very tip of his tongue, his fingertip pressing against the sponginess of my swollen G-spot, I struggled to stay quiet as my orgasm rocked me. Nate rode it out, not letting go despite my efforts to shake him loose. He greedily held on to sip every last drop of sweetness from me before rising to take me in his arms.
His tongue found mine once again, sharing my own slick essence from his mouth to mine. My fingers slid down to hold onto his hard shaft, stroking it slowly until he could take no more.
“I’m going to die if I can’t be inside you soon,” he begged as my thighs fell open to allow him to plunge deep inside me.
I screamed as his thickness parted me, despite his hand covering my mouth in a vain attempt to quiet me.
My nails clawed into his back as he thrust—hard and unyielding against my tightness—over and over until we both shuddered in climatic ecstasy.
I fell asleep with Nate, perfect and beautiful, wrapped around me. Irrationally, I didn’t want to leave him. But the big guy, Rex, scared me shitless. He had complete control over Nate—brainwashed, clearly. And what if what he injected me with was some sort of drug that would make me the same way? No, I had to stop pretending as if I were in some sweeping adventure novel and get the fuck off that island before shit got real.
The more I thought about it, the more freaked out I became. This isn’t a game, I thought, my heart pounding. These men could kill me… I slid from the bed and found his jeans. Inside, there was the key he’d used to lock the door.
I managed to open the lock from the inside with his key—and after dressing in the snug borrowed clothes, I slinked from the bedroom that had become my jail cell and out into a modern living room.
Chapter Three
“Penny, what the fuck?” Strong arms were lifting me, carrying me—but my heavy eyelids wouldn’t open, my parched lips were sealed shut. I’d been ridiculously unprepared for my attempt at escape, and ended up wandering the harsh jungle for hours and hours until I somehow tripped and fell. I don’t remember where I landed, just being very thirsty and confused.
I’m not sure how far he carried me. In my dream-like state, I wasn’t sure if I was alive or dead. My head pounded, my heart fluttered. Nate’s angelic face floated by my thoughts, his steel blue eyes comforting as he called to me. Rex’s deep voice vibrated from somewhere near, whet
her real or imagined, I’m still not sure. “Hang in there, baby girl, I’ve got you,” he reassured me that afternoon.
It all went dark for a long time, and then a blinding light flooded my vision. My head was in a thick cloud, pounding and pained. The light burned, and yet his fingers were forcing my eyes open. “Penelope, say something.”
I struggled to open my eyes. Rex was hovering over me, the unmistakable look of concern in his eyes betraying his normal coldness. “I–I got lost, I was thirsty, fell into the river…so chilly…” I shivered, despite the brutal humid heat of the jungle around us. A scratchy wool blanket was wrapped around me. It was dark—I managed to tilt my head—we were in a tent. A tiny tent; my escape plan had been an epic failure. What would he do to me now?
“You’re dehydrated, suffering from exposure. Falling into the river probably saved your life, sweetheart.” Rex’s normally harsh voice was soft, deep and swaddling as he spoke, his fingers brushing across my forehead. “Good thing I gave you a typhoid shot.”
“Shot?” I was beginning to awaken.
“The other day, in your room. The injection was a typhoid fever vaccine.”
A cold cloth wiped over me, followed by cool water at my lips. “Drink a little more, sweetheart.” I fell back into a sound, dream-filled sleep.
“I’ll be okay?” I was awake again, after what seemed like hours of comatose sleep, and sitting up on a sleeping bag in the tiny tent. Rex sat across from me on the ground, his fingers raking through his hair. He nodded, his dark blue eyes rising to mine, a faint smile betraying his feigned anger.
“Tell me you didn’t harm Nate.” His words were icy cold, severe—he couldn’t mask his concern for his—for Nate.
“I took the key from his jeans after we…”
“Why the fuck would you leave the compound? We’re trying to keep you safe. You managed to escape from the good guys, Einstein, and almost got yourself killed in the process.”
“I-I…I was kidnapped! You had me locked in a room against my will, then forcibly gave me a shot of something—oh yeah, and before that you stuck me in a canvas sack. And, of course, you murdered a friend of mine.”
“What? Murdered?”
“The bartender you disposed of? I’ve known him for years.” I couldn’t believe I was arguing with a cold-blooded killer.
“I paid the guy off to not mention your leaving Vegas to have a tryst with some guy—I convinced him it would ruin the dude’s trust fund and piss off his family. I didn’t hurt your bartender.”
“So you’re not a killer?” I sniffed, struggling to understand it all with my dehydrated, fuzzy brain.
He relaxed, his hand wiping across my cheek. “Well, I wouldn’t go that far. I didn’t harm the bartender, anyway.” He shook his head, and said with a grin, “You’re such a pain in my ass.” He gave me another sip of water, and said, “Ah, Penny, you have no idea the amount of trouble you’ve caused me today.” He smiled at me despite his scolding words. “One more sip of water, then we’ll try a little bit of Gatorade.” He held the bottle to my lips tenderly.
“How many days have I been in this tent?” I wiped my lips as I looked around.
“All afternoon.”
I was confused; surely I’d been floating in and out of consciousness for days. “That’s all?” He chuckled again and nodded.
My head was pounding, my throat felt like I’d swallowed cotton. “I need a doctor,” I begged.
He sat down on the sleeping bag next to me and pulled me into his arms. “I am a doctor, sweetheart.”
When I awoke again, it was darker yet. The silver glow of moonlight illuminated the tent as I glanced around. Rex was next to me, my head on his chest. I sat up and debated whether I should run, but quickly abandoned the idea of escape. If Rex wanted to harm me, he wouldn’t have spent all day nursing me back to health. He scared me, but I was beginning to understand him. He was far more bark than bite.
His eyelids popped open when he sensed my movement. I’d reached over to drink from a plastic bottle—the flat, sweet liquid tasting like heaven. “Little sips,” he warned as he sat up. I nodded, setting the bottle back down. “I feel so much better. Can I go back?” He shook his head and looked at me with pity. “Penny, it’s not safe for you to go back to Vegas. Right now, I can’t even get you out of Colombia.”
Colombia—we were in Colombia. That’s not an island!
“Okay…” I believed him. “But can I go back to the house? It’s not that far, right?”
“You wandered for miles, and I have a group of five men out there expecting to be led into the deep jungle to learn survival skills. They pay me a lot of money to teach them this shit. Looks like I have a new student.” He poked me in the ribs. “I’ve already had to make up a story about who you are and why you are here—plus we’ve lost almost a whole day’s trek while you recovered. I’ll do my best to go easy on you, sweetheart, but welcome to hell.”
After several more sips of Gatorade, Rex convinced me to sleep a few more hours until sunrise. As we lay back down together on the small sleeping bag, he offered, “If it gets too hard out there for you I’ll call Nate to come get you when I get a signal. Try your best, though, Penny. I don’t want Nate out here if I can avoid it—this group isn’t the best crowd for him to be around—he’s still vulnerable. The rest of the staff can’t be trusted with you out here alone.” Vulnerable? To what?
“Vulnerable,” I repeated with a yawn. Suddenly, it all clicked. The physical intimacy between these two very alpha males, the level of trust Nate had in Rex, the protectiveness shown by Rex of Nate. Nate must have some illness! “Oh, you’re his doctor,” I said out loud.
Rex rolled over to face me in the pre-dawn blackness. “I swear, Princess, most of the time I have no idea what the actual fuck you’re talking about. Whose doctor?”
“Nate’s—I thought you might be lovers, but now I get it.”
“Lovers—that’s quite a ridiculous word. No, sweetheart, I’m not his doctor. Our relationship is far from a professional one, and none of your goddamn business. If you must know, I was once a field combat medic, but my practice quickly morphed into something much more…classified. Now go the fuck to sleep, or I will feed you to the snakes.” The now-familiar threat of being tossed to reptiles, which had terrified me for days, I now realized was simply his twisted sense of humor. I refused to admit to him that my phobia of slithering creatures, especially snakes, was certifiable.
I wanted to ask more about Rex’s past, and his relationship with Nate, but either he was fast asleep, or pretending to be in order to ignore me. Still processing the last few hours with this enigmatic man, I nudged up next to him, inhaling the manly scent I was beginning to like—like a lot.
“Morning, sunshine!” He was shaking me and yanking at the sleeping bag. “Get your lazy ass up, we’re moving out.” One of my eyes opened. Rex was hovering over me, agitated and threatening. “Now!” he hissed. His semi-sweet bedside manner from the night before had dissipated with the rising of the burning sun. “Yes, sir,” I grumbled, sliding from the comfort of the covers.
He reached into a pocket and pulled out a tiny bar of something. “Breakfast,” he said as he opened the crinkly wrapper. I reached out for it—I wasn’t into granola bars, but I was starving. “We’re sharing it, sweetheart. This is all the food we have until we catch lunch.” He broke off a third of the bar and tossed it toward me. “You don’t share so fairly,” I mumbled as I chewed at the bland, dry cereal bar. “You’re a third my size, you get a third—fair is fair. We could wrestle for it if you’d rather?” He winked at me as he devoured his share in two bites.
“Follow my lead out there—if word gets out that Penelope Sedgewick is here, we’re all in trouble.” I nodded, rolling up the sleeping bag. “Where can I pee?” I asked sheepishly. My head still throbbed, but at least I finally had enough to drink that I needed to release it.
“I’ll take you, but can you wait two secs while I pack up?”
>
In minutes, the tent and all of his belongings were packed into a heavy backpack. I was tossed a flimsy day-sack before he led me toward the group of campers. The anxious men hovered around us in a circle—staring. None of them spoke until Rex gestured to one of the younger ones. “Joe, can you start the guys walking—head due north. We’ll catch up.” He turned to me and pointed toward some tall vegetation near camp, “That way, sis.”
“Sis?” I asked when the others were out of earshot. “I told them you were my step-sister, Joanie. After I found you yesterday, I quickly made up a story that my mom was staying with me and kicked you out into the jungle. I couldn’t think of any other reason I’d have an unprepared woman out here.” After walking several feet into the dense foliage, he pointed to a flattened area. “Sorry, no running water for you, Princess.”
I was used to luxury, and had never camped out before, but I’d been known to party hard and squatting to pee outside wasn’t new to me. Rex stood in front of me with his hands on his hips waiting. “I can’t go with you watching!” I complained. He sighed in exasperation before turning his back to me. “You’re high maintenance, lady. I’ve seen your lovely waxed snatch twice already, who the fuck cares if I see you piss?” I managed to lower the too-tight borrowed jeans enough down my thighs to squat and pee, Rex fidgeting the whole time impatiently.
“I need to wipe, do you have…?”
He sighed again before exhaling, “Grab a leaf, and do try to avoid one with something that bites on it.”
I reached for a nearby frond of some lush palm—it did work fairly well as impromptu toilet paper.
“I’m not high maintenance. It’s not easy to just let loose with someone watching.” I zipped the jeans and stood. Rex turned to face me, and in one quick motion pulled open the button-fly of his canvas cargo pants. “It’s a bodily function, sweetheart, it’s nothing special,” he barked. My eyes were glued to his crotch as he flopped out the most massive penis I’d ever seen in my life—in person, anyway. Even flaccid and wrapped in his gargantuan paw, it was still larger than life. With no regard for my gaping stare, he produced a loud, heavy stream of urine onto the verdant jungle floor. “See?” I couldn’t answer—I was speechless at not only the size of his dick, but at the metal running across it—I wasn’t exactly innocent, but I’d never seen a pierced penis in person. He gave his gigantic member a quick shake and shoved it back into the canvas pants. I didn’t see any sign of undergarments—just King Rex and his enormous pierced cock—commando. “You’re lucky we have plenty of drinkable water—if we didn’t, that would have been your morning coffee, Princess,” he added, pointing to the pool of urine near his feet.
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