She sipped her wine as a mother elephant and her baby appeared on the screen. They looked so cute together. She’d never had time for relationships, being on the run for so long.
Still a virgin. Twenty-two years old. Crazy.
The picket fence and loving children were always out of reach. A normal life would never be hers.
She sat her empty glass on her nightstand and leaned back on her pillows.
“Their trunks are very versatile and are used for communication, as seen by this mother with her calf. Like a human’s hand, the elephant’s trunk can handle objects…”
She yawned. The magic of the documentary was working.
“…when the female comes into heat, the males will find her…”
* * * *
Danielle looked at the African sun, which was low on the horizon and the most beautiful orange she’d ever seen. She walked by a crystal blue stream. The sky was clear and dotted by white puffy clouds. The air was warm. She wore no clothes and no shoes, which allowed her skin to feel the heat of the setting sun and her toes to be tickled by the softness of the grass.
The birds sang beautifully. This was a perfect day.
She came across a blanket that was stretched out with a picnic of all her favorite foods and wine. Kneeling down, she wondered where the owners of this outdoor feast might be. Would they miss a few bites of fruit and a sip of wine? Feeling hungry and a little naughty, she decided to go for it. There wasn’t a soul around for miles.
Off in the distance, elephants were drinking from the stream. The baby calves were so cute.
She grabbed one of the strawberries and took a bite. It was the juiciest, sweetest fruit she’d ever tasted in her life. She ate another one. And another one. Then she ate some of the cheese, which was just as delicious as the strawberries had been. The wine was open, sitting in an ice bucket. She poured the golden liquid into a glass. She brought the rim of the goblet to her lips and tasted the sweet wine.
Laughing, she looked up into the sky. Then she heard footsteps coming her direction. Guilt for what she’d done swamped her. She wanted to run, to hide. But suddenly, she couldn’t move. It would be better to explain to the picnickers she’d stolen from how hungry she’d been and that she would gladly pay them back for what she’d taken. Reasonable people would understand, and she prayed they would be of that mind, too.
Looking up, she saw two men headed her way. They both wore aprons that were stained by tea. Something in her mind tried to bring up a memory. Had she poured tea on these two men? What were their names? Lance and Chuck. She remembered them.
As they got closer, she saw that they wore only the aprons and nothing else. Very strange. Then she looked down at her own body, and recalled that she was naked, too. Her face got so very hot. She tried to tug on the corner of the blanket to cover herself, but it wouldn’t budge. There was no place to hide. There was no place to run.
“What do we have here, Chuck?” Lance asked, grinning.
His eyes wandered over her body, taking her in. “A common thief is what I see.”
“Please forgive me.” She was trembling. “I was hungry. I only ate a few strawberries and had a couple of sips of wine.”
“What shall we do with you?” Lance’s husky tone made her tingle. “This is Africa. Stealing is not tolerated.”
“She must be punished.” Chuck’s gaze burned into her hotter than the sun. “You and I both know that. She knows it, too.”
“I promise to pay you back. Please. I’m so sorry.”
Lance bent down and grabbed her by the hair. “You’re a pretty thing, aren’t you? Too bad you stole from us. I think we must spank her, Chuck. Do you agree?”
“I do. Let’s tie her to that tree.”
She looked the direction Chuck was pointing. How had she not noticed that tree before?
The sexy men removed their aprons. She gazed at their muscled frames. They were the most beautiful men she’d ever seen. Lance swept her up in his arms and carried her to the tree. They tugged on their aprons until they were long ropes which they used to tie her to the tree.
They freely touched her body with their hands.
Lance cupped her ass. “Time for your punishment, thief.”
Chuck fondled her breasts. “Time to pay for your crimes.”
They slapped her ass again and again, and although it stung, she felt sensations in her body she’d never experienced before. Heat rolled through her with every smack. Tears welled in her eyes and she chewed on her lower lip.