Dr Casswell's Student (20 page)

For a few seconds Sarah struggled to catch her breath and get her bearings, the blood pulsing in her ears as the first flood of adrenaline kicked in. There was an odd artificial quality to the light under the huge glass dome. The humidity in the hothouse was so high it muffled the sounds around her, and distorted them, so she couldn’t fathom from which direction noises were coming. She was certain she could hear tumbling water, wild shrieks and cackling bird calls, or were they distant human voices? It was quite impossible to tell.

Leading away from the first brick terrace were winding gravelled paths to the left, right, and straight head of her, that led through a series of arches deeper into what looked for all the world like a tropical jungle. Each pathway was framed by great tumbles of glistening, dripping greenery, with fragrant creepers and convoluted vines heading skywards around them, curling up to the distant arc of the glazed roof.

Sarah glanced left and right, frantically trying to work out what to do. She couldn’t risk staying too long on the terrace or any of the main paths. The hunt would surely soon begin, and they would find her in seconds if she stayed where she was. The narrow tailored skirt of the red coat-dress would make running impossible, its colour alone would give her away if she wanted to hide.

Guessing her pursuers would make short work of the dress when they caught her anyway, she hastily pulled it off and, rolling it into a bundle, dropped it in amongst a great clump of ferns, before heading off down the path to her left. As soon as she was through the first arch she scrambled up onto the raised planting area, pushed aside the plate-sized leaves of one of the bushes, and headed across the soft mulched forest floor, forcing herself further into the thick undergrowth.

In the wet heat the leather basque and sheer black stockings clung to her like a second skin, and in a peculiar way seemed deeply appropriate; crouched amongst the bushes, her head snapping from side to side as she listened to the unfamiliar sounds closing around her, she felt like a creature turned wild, a sleek animal.

Her breasts were flushed and heaved as she tried to tame her breathing. As she crouched stealthily amongst the sculptural spines and stems of the tropical plants, she could smell herself. It was like the musk of an animal, the soft sweetness of her sweat mixed with the deeper fragrance of her sex.

For a second or two Sarah closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, fighting to steady her nerves. As she did she let those senses and instincts that normally lay suppressed come to the fore. She suddenly felt strangely alert and in tune with the sounds and the smells of the captive rainforest around her.

Sarah was aware she was not alone. She moved her head slowly, and there, scuttling between two great pillars that were covered in creepers, she snatched a darting glimpse of someone running for cover. A naked shoulder, a shock of golden brown hair, a fleeting impression of a lithe body, though from the little she saw she wasn’t certain whether her fleet-footed companion was male or female.

She didn’t wait to find out.

Crouching low, she worked her way even deeper into the enveloping undergrowth, with every sense straining to pick up the sounds of any approaching hunters.

But the hunters weren’t as concerned about stealth as she anticipated. Just as she tucked herself down under the shelter of a great thicket there was the frantic baying of a hunting horn, and then the wild cries of the human hounds as they set off in search of their quarry.

The hunt was on.

Within seconds there seemed to be people running backwards and forwards along every path and crashing through the undergrowth around her. She heard a triumphant whoop as one of the hunters flushed the first prey from cover, and then a delighted cheer as the victim was caught or surrendered.

Oscar had told her it was a game, but even so, waiting in the damp shadows to be discovered was a nerve-wracking experience. Sarah looked left and right, her senses ablaze as she felt the panic and excitement knotting her stomach. Should she stay where she was and hope the hounds would pass her by, or dodge from bush to bush to try to evade them?

Making her snap decision and keeping low, Sarah bolted as quietly as she could towards the next thicket, and as she did she glanced down onto the main walkway. What she saw there made her stop in her tracks.

Chang had already caught his prey.

She was an exquisite androgynous creature, with long tendrils of night-black hair that tumbled onto narrow shoulders. His catch was slim and sinuous and pale as moonlight, and truly did look at one with the dark shadows below the rainforest canopy.

Chang’s face was set in a grimace as he struggled to hold his catch down. The figure was wriggling and squirming in his arms like a fish on a line. Naked except for a scrap of emerald-coloured cloth tied around her waist, his catch turned again, and Sarah saw it was a female, with strange haunted eyes of milky green. Given Chang’s tastes and Sarah’s memories of the anal dildo, she was a little surprised.

On the gravelled path the girl crouched like a cornered cat, growled at Chang, and tried to scratch his face. He grinned, and moved with surprising agility to avoid her claws. Grabbing her wrist, he twisted her round and pressed her down onto the path, lifting her arm up her back, and swiftly ripping away the shred of green cloth.

She cursed and squirmed and kicked out at him, but Chang had no problem in dodging the vicious swipes. His captive was built like a teenage boy; lean and lightly muscled, with small breasts. Her sex was shaved and one of the outer labia was pierced and adorned with a gold ring.

Chang jerked her up onto hands and knees, his palm’s cupping those tiny tits, nipping and working at the hardened peaks. His prey struggled valiantly against him, although even as they fought, Sarah could sense the girl’s growing arousal as the erotic game unfolded.

‘Be still,’ Chang ordered breathlessly. ‘I’ve caught you, you know that… stop fighting.’

The girl swore and strained again in a final feeble attempt to break free, but Sarah sensed it was more of a gesture than true resistance.

The girl was wet between her legs, her sex glistening with excitement. Chang pushed her face down towards the pea gravel. ‘Submit, you little bitch,’ he grunted. ‘You know what I want, Lola, and you know you want it too.’

The girl shot him a glance over her shoulder, and then, to Sarah’s shock, she giggled, her green eyes alive with mischief.

‘Okay… I submit,’ she purred, and ran a finger through the wet lips of her quim. ‘So what would you like?’

Chang grunted again, his eyes sparkling and bright with need. To Sarah, peering through the lush leaves from her hiding place, it was clear the thrill of the chase – however short – had warmed Chang’s blood. He leant into the bushes and pulled out a long supple cane, and as he did he glanced up momentarily and caught sight of Sarah spying on them. He grinned and then turned his attention back to the panting Lola.

Coming face to face with her tormentor Sarah felt her composure slipping away. She froze, searching for what to do. Should she run, and risk being caught by the other hunters? Or should she remain in the undergrowth and hope Chang would satisfy himself with the feline Lola?

Her mind was a blur, and she remained rooted to the spot.

Lola settled herself on all fours, her face raised and her eyes closed, waiting quietly for Chang’s next move. The cane lifted, Sarah held her breath, and then watched, mesmerised, as it swished down and exploded across the girl’s milky flesh—

The shriek was instantly smothered into a muffled whimper as a hand clamped painfully over Sarah’s mouth and an arm locked around her ribs and squeezed the breath out of her lungs. Her nostrils flared as she inhaled desperately.

‘Like to watch, do you?’ a fearsome voice hissed in her ear. She tried to struggle, but it was hopeless; whoever was holding her was far too strong. She could feel the heat of his breath rasping against her cheek, the steady beat of his heart against her back, and the brazen press of his erection against her hip. The thrill of the chase had certainly heated his blood.

‘Turn her round, Bradbury,’ snapped another voice from close by. ‘Let the dog see the rabbit. Come on.’

Sarah’s heart raced; there were two of them. She wondered if Chang had seen them creeping up on her and it had been this, and not recognition, that had made him grin.

She willed herself to relax, and felt the tension in her captor’s arms do likewise. Suddenly sensing a fleeting opportunity, she twisted and lunged forward. The hold broke and, amazed she had succeeded in breaking free, she darted away into the dense cover of the bushes.

‘Why, you little bitch,’ he roared after her, though she sensed it was as much with delight as anger.

‘What happened?’ shouted the second man.

‘Nothing. Let’s get after her.’

Sarah dodged and ducked, turned this way and that, but she knew they were still close behind. She threw a feint to the left and then turned right, scrambling between the trees and climbers, afraid to look back, running low and fast. As she broke out into the open and crossed one of the paths she turned for the briefest of instants to see if they were gaining, and in that split second she lost her footing, staggered, and fell forward. With hands out-stretched she tried to break her fall, but she crashed into green foliage which parted under the assault and she plunged helplessly into a pool of cascading water. The cold shock made her gasp, and she bobbed to the surface spluttering and coughing, trying to clear her lungs.

She had stumbled clumsily into an enormous pond, backed by an ornamental waterfall. Her feet couldn’t touch the bottom, so she started swimming for the far side. A whoop and a splash behind her and she knew one of her pursuers had followed her in. She lengthened her stroke, but fatigue was taking its toll. The sounds of rhythmic splashing grew louder in her ears and she knew he was closing. As she tried to swim faster her stroke became more and more ragged and water shipped into her gaping mouth as she tried to fill her burning lungs. At last her toes touched the bottom and she managed to wade towards the side, her arms flailing in her exhaustion. She glanced back over her shoulder. The man was ploughing through her wake towards her. He was powerfully built, muscular, and covered in thick dark hair that formed a mat over his shoulders and stout arms. For some reason Sarah couldn’t move. She stood like a frightened rabbit and watched as the man emerged and stood in front of her, the water lapping around their middles. His torso dripped and gleamed, the hair now slick like a thick pelt.

Sarah did nothing to protect herself as he reached out, gripped the back of her neck, and pulled her close. He kissed her hungrily, staking his claim. She shivered and found herself responding, completely overwhelmed by his presence and strength.

‘Okay, okay, Bradbury,’ called someone from the edge of the pool. ‘Leave a little of that for me.’ It was the voice Sarah had heard in the bushes. The accent was American, whiny and thin. Her captor broke off the kiss and Sarah looked in the direction of the voice. There was a small man gazing appreciatively down at her. He was not good-looking, and in the latter years of his life. Wisps of grey hair struggled to cover his balding pate and a scrawny beard sprouted from a large chin. Sarah gasped, for he was flexing a cane between gnarled fists.

‘Come on, Bradbury,’ he urged, ‘get her out of there. She looks a tasty little morsel and I want some fun.’

The younger captor turned her and pushed her towards the side where his companion stood. Her arms were squeezed behind her back, thrusting her breasts towards the greedy eyes of the waiting man, and Sarah realised just how excited she now was to be at the mercy of these two. She couldn’t tear her gaze from the whippy length of wood

As they reached the side she could do nothing as her strong captor lifted her up onto one of the large flat rocks that edged the pool. Sarah looked down at her dripping body. Her stockings were ruined, torn to shreds by the chase through the undergrowth, and the leather basque was smeared with grime.

‘You belong to Casswell, right?’ he panted, still a little out of breath after the exhilaration of the chase.

There was little use her denying it. She nodded.

He grinned and nodded his approval. ‘That’s what we thought. The fellow certainly has good taste when it comes to women.’ He levered himself out of the water and onto the rock beside her. He was naked! Sarah turned her head and tried not to look, but the dark hair on his chest extended down over his belly, and drew her eyes lower still to a large penis that nestled sleepily in his groin. The sheer size of it made her tremble. She blushed and quickly averted her gaze.

She looked up at him, trying hard to disguise the eagerness and hunger in her eyes. Bradbury grinned and shook his head.

‘You have to earn it, baby,’ he teased, making her cringe at being so transparent. ‘And believe me, you will.’

He twisted her and pushed her forward, face down. He nudged her legs apart and stripped off the remains of her stockings. Deftly, he tied her hands with one, and then blindfolded her with the other. His standing companion watched patiently, thoughtfully flexing the cane, as she was prepared.

Bradbury backed away and left her alone for a few seconds. Time was suspended as she waited, and then she heard the swish – for an instant it seemed unrelated to anything – and the cane exploded across her buttocks and drilled into her brain like nothing she had ever known in her life. The man certainly knew how to wield the tortuous implement. The cruel and unjust pain was excruciating. Her back arched and her shoulders lifted as she wailed for mercy.