Page 8 of Savage Daddies
“I’m going to count to three, little Josie, and if your pants aren’t down by then, you’re going to be in big trouble with your daddies.” He pauses and stands taller. “One... two...”
With shaking hands, I unfasten my pants and pull them down, taking my panties with them.
“...three.” He steps closer and strokes a hand through my hair. “Good girl. Daddy likes it when you obey. Now go pee and then I’ll get you all cleaned up.”
“I hate you,” I murmur, before trying to do my business as quickly and quietly as possible. Does he have to stand so close and watch me? “I hate both of you and I want to go home.” My voice cracks over the last few words and tears burn in my eyes. I’m tired and hungry and frightened. Not to mention utterly and deeply humiliated.
“All done?”
I nod, unable to speak.
Nash pulls a small box from his pocket and opens it up, revealing a stack of thin white paper. He pulls one out, shakes it, and it fluffs up into a thick, soft-looking material. He closes the box and returns it to his pocket, his eyes on me. My stomach flips when I realize what he intends to do. I reach out for the tissue but he shakes his head, crouches down next to me, and places the tissue directly on my privates.
“Please, I can do it myself.”
“I know you can, little girl, but you have four daddies to help you now. You’re not alone anymore and you don’t have to do everything yourself anymore.” Of course, I sense a deeper meaning to what he’s saying, and I nearly flinch at the realization of the truth behind his statement.
Alone. I have always felt alone, but I never knew why and I never told anyone, not even Sheena, of my constant loneliness. I give my head a quick shake to dispel the unwanted thoughts and Nash finishes wiping me. He tosses the tissue into the bushes, mumbling something about how the material is biodegradable and he’s not actually littering.
I try to stand and pull my pants up, but Nash does that for me too. Suddenly, I’m too exhausted to fight him anymore. I walk beside him as he guides me back to the camp, where Axel is preparing dinner on the fire. Whatever it is, it smells delightful and my mouth waters.
“Did our little girl give you any trouble?”
“She was remarkably well-behaved,” Nash replies, patting my bottom. “I daresay the spanking she received earlier has done wonders for her attitude.”
“We’ll put the ropes back on after dinner.” Axel’s dark gaze catches mine and though I want to look away, I can’t seem to find the strength. I’m drawn to him in an inexplicable way, just as I am to Nash. “We can’t risk her running off.”
“Agreed,” Nash says.
In a daze, I sit on a log near the fire and eat the strange but delicious noodle dish. It’s cheesy and there’s some kind of meat I can’t identify, but I’m too hungry from the ordeal I’ve been through to question what’s in my dinner. After we’re all finished eating, the savages guide me into the tent and secure my ankles and wrists once again. They instruct me to lie down on a thick blanket that folds atop what they call a sleeping bag. I obey and close my eyes, so tired I feel as if I’m sinking deep into the earth while I drift off, becoming one with the very wildlands I wish to escape.
I awake in the middle of the night and discover Nash sleeping on my right and Axel on my left. Night in the wildlands is loud. I hear what I suppose are insects and night creatures singing. I try to recall what the insects that sing at night are named and come up empty. If I’d known I would one day become a captive of savages, I would have read as many old books as I could get my hands on, even the banned ones. My lack of knowledge overwhelms me and for a few seconds I can’t breathe in my rising panic, but then I notice the beauty of the night sky and start to relax.
The tent door is partially open, allowing me to glimpse the brightness of the moon and stars. I’m stunned at the magnificence of the night. It doesn’t look like our night skies in Emerald and I wonder why. Perhaps the night skies in my techno-city are also projections. The stars are brighter, the moon larger, and the sky darker than I would have ever imagined.
I sit up as quietly as possible, careful not to wake my savage captors, and stare at the sky for what feels like hours. But despite my growing fatigue, I can’t bring myself to lie back down, not when this strange new world is so breathtakingly beautiful. I don’t want to miss a second of it.
