Naked and Defiant (2 page)

"Release me this instant, you overgrown
baboon!" Jade hissed. Her gray eyes narrowed. "If you don't, I
swear ..."

"You swear what? You'll call the cops?" he
quietly regarded the empty, open sea. "Or you'll scream? I'm sure
the gulls won't mind. How old are you anyway? Sixteen?"

"I am twenty-two, you fucking moron!" Jade
jerked her wrist out of his hand and began to rub the imprints of
his fingers.

"Twenty-two? Would never have guessed,"
Griffon stated, as he picked up his hat, placed it over his face
and sat down again, propping his sneakered feet on the rail. He hid
a sardonic smile as Jade's stunned silence was broken by a string
of profanity. Clearing his throat, he said, "Let me know when you
are done throwing your temper tantrum. I want to take a nap."

"Are all Americans so stupid?!" she
snapped.

"Don't have the answer for that. People are
stupid all over the world, so I can't pinpoint just one place. My
turn. Are all Aussies so rude?"

"How dare you!"

"I apologize. You're correct. I should not
group everyone in your country together based on your behavior.
Everyone else I have met from your homeland have been decent human
beings. But then, there are always one or two people like you who
spoil it for everyone."

Several minutes had passed before Jade spoke
up again. "Where is your radio? I want to call for the Water Police
to come get me."

"This is out of both the Australian Water
Police and the Royal Australian Navy jurisdiction. Besides," he
lifted the edge of the hat to squint at her, "how would you
describe where you are? Without the coordinates, these islands look
just like all the others. And you are too far away from Cairns to
call for your daddy."

His logic sent her spewing another colorful
string of words. With an exasperated sigh, Griffon stood up,
grabbed Jade around the waist and tossed her head first into the
water. Sputtering, her head popped up, eyes glaring with
hatred.

"You son of a …!"

"I'll tell you what, munchkin …" Griffon
leaned over the side, his wrists casually crossed as he looked down
at her. "Instead of dunking you the next time you mouth off like
that, I will put you across my knee and paddle the daylights out of
you. Your choice."

"You bastard!"

"Uh-oh, not a wise response. You can come
back onboard if you think you can cool your jets and mind your
manners. Well?"

"I'd rather be eaten by a shark then be up
there with you," Jade spat.

"Go for it. The island is just over that
ridge, and there are plenty of sharks between here and there that
would love to have you as a midday snack. Start swimming."

"You can't just leave me here!"

"No? If you know my reputation, then you
also know my motto."

Indeed she did:
'Griffon Badger Don't
Give a Shit'
truly expressed the man's character in the
business world. She had heard her father comment on multiple
occasions that the only reason he continued to do business with the
insufferable jerk was because he was a brilliant entrepreneur and
had impeccable designs. Griffon Badger tolerated no nonsense, and
no excuses, from anyone. He was blunt with his opinions and never
looked back when he walked away from a bad deal. This knowledge,
coupled with his comment regarding reef sharks, was enough to
provoke Jade to scramble back onto the small boat. The wet shirt
clung to her golden flesh like a second skin, hugging every
luscious nook and cranny. Griffon feigned disinterest as he
surveyed the young women from under the floppy curtain of his
hat.

She was average height, about 5'5 or so, and
blessed with delicious curves that tickled the interest of his
manhood. Her round, ample breasts were carried high, with nipples
that stood out like small grapes against the threadbare shirt,
tapering to a narrow waistline which held only a tiny pad of baby
fat over the abdomen. Her hips swelled out generously and ended in
two perfectly round, protruding globes that jiggled slightly when
she moved quickly.
Yes
, Griffon thought,
that backside
was designed for two things. Making love and spanking
. He
glanced at the scowl of her face and changed his mind.
It was
for spanking and nothing else
.

"Are you done gawking?" Jade asked, hands on
her hips.

"Honey," Griffon yawned, "I gawk when I pull
a 30 pound snapper off the reef, not at a sour-faced child who
looks like a wet rat. There's food in the galley. Help yourself, if
you're hungry. Make sure you clean up your mess. I keep a tight
ship."

"I liked it better when your responses were
monosyllabic, you asshole," Jade mumbled as she turned on her heels
and ventured down to the galley.

"I'd love a sandwich, thanks!" Griffon
yelled sarcastically back down after her. "And don't touch my
beer!"

Thirty minutes later, Griffon entered the
cabin to inform his unwelcome passenger than he was getting ready
to head to the island. He rolled his eyes as he saw Jade sound
asleep in a little ball on the bunk. Despite being obnoxious, she
certainly was beautiful. But that disposition … no amount of beauty
could hide that type of ugliness. With a grunt, he tossed a sheet
over her scantily-clad body, pausing only long enough to notice the
round bottom-cheeks peeking out from beneath the oversized, damp
T-shirt. Annoyance pricked at him. Having to babysit a spoiled
rotten brat was not on his things-to-do list.

He hauled his large frame back to the top
deck and proceeded to draw the anchor up from the water. He rested
it on the drain well and neatly coiled the chain, all the while
wondering about the identity of the man who had abandoned Jade like
chum floating in the water. Did he leave because he saw Griffon's
boat, trusting that someone else would fish her out and be stuck
caring for her? Or more disturbing, did he leave with no intent of
her being rescued? Griffon grunted. Either way that obnoxious
little girl owed him some explanations.

Acutely aware of the reef peaks that were
sharp enough to tear a wooden hull to shreds, Griffon navigated
carefully to the remote palm-studded island located just west of
his position. He surveyed the reef head with keen eyes, using the
paddle to push away from high, jagged rocks and ease the small
cruiser into the clear, quiet cove protected by massive walls of
ancient volcanic rock. Ordinarily, the prospect of exploring a new,
uninhabited island would have thrilled him to death, but his
excitement was dampened by Jade's presence and the information that
he would have to delay his extended vacation a few days in order to
get her back to the mainland.

He hopped onto the sand bar, glad of his
sneakered feet as a stingray scurried out from under him. He
grabbed the rope tow line and banked the boat on the sand, tying it
to a crooked palm tree laden with large, green coconuts. He
unloaded the majority of his camping, fishing and diving equipment
from the storage compartments, pausing long enough to take some of
the nuts off the tree with a long-handled tree saw. He used his
machete to crack open the outer shell and then peeled the husk away
from the small nut inside. With a grin, he jabbed the tip of a
nearby stick into the 'monkeys mouth', the third hole between the
two 'eyes', and tilted the nut back to drink from it. After taking
a long draught of the sweet juice, Griffon ventured deeper into the
island to seek out higher ground to set up camp.

It took him an hour to find an area he was
satisfied with. He started to dig a hole in the ground for a
fire-pit when the sound of a boat engine reached his ears. Dread
filled him as he raced to the beach, skidding to a halt as he
watched the vessel tearing from the cove with Jade at the helm.

"NO! You stupid fool!" Griffon yelled, as
she raced straight over the reef front, leaving behind the majority
of the cruiser's bottom behind her. "Fuck!"

Griffon stripped to his shorts before diving
into the temperate waters. The boat was sinking quickly, and he
cursed angrily as the hope for saving the radio vanished. He
mentally considered other items he could use, fuming as he neared
the ship—and Jade.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to wreck the boat!
I just wanted to get off this island and find a way home. I didn't
have radio reception and ..."

"If you knew what was good for you, you'd be
very quiet and contrite right now. Swim to shore, and don't move a
muscle until I get back," Griffon hissed.

"What are you going to do?"

"Try to salvage what I can, before the tide
takes everything away. Your stupidity just left us stranded for at
least a month."

"A month?" Jade treaded water, grabbing
pieces of the hull that Griffon pushed towards her. "We can't
possibly ..."

Griffon dove under the water, ignoring her
comments. Salt water stung his eyes as he wrapped the anchor rope
to the reef as best as he could, to stabilize the wreck. After
coming up for air, he plunged under the surface again and grabbed
the first aid kit, a seat cushion, and a roll of trash bags he had
lodged under the pilot's seat. Using the seat as a float, Griffon
began swimming back to shore, growling as the tropical weather took
a sudden turn.

"Damn! You couldn't wait just one more hour
to make me miserable?" he called out to the darkening sky. "Of all
times to be predictable ..."

The horizon flashed with lightning and
Griffon gritted his teeth against the slap of cold wind sweeping
over the waves. He had wanted to be out of these waters before the
daily late-afternoon storm found its way to the island. He hoped
that it would be short-lived and mild when it hit; regardless, he
had little time to build a decent shelter and seriously doubted
that Jade would offer any assistance.
Well
, he fumed,
that particular princess can be on her own for a while. Let her
be cold and hungry for a couple of days. I will not cater to
her.

Jade was sitting on a palm leaf, arms around
her knees, as Griffon loaded himself to shore. The thunderous look
on the man's rugged face was enough to warn any prudent and
reasonable person to remain silent. Unfortunately, those two words
were never used in conjunction with Jade Brockton.

"When are we going to get out of here? There
is a storm coming and I have no intention of being here when it
strikes."

Griffon said nothing as he tried to cool his
temper. He began to gather fallen banyan and bamboo trunks from the
beach's tree line, dragging them up towards drier ground and away
from the high tide line. Jade watched silently, digging her toes in
the sand and holding her arms around her shoulders.

"A little help with setting up around here
might warm you up, Your Highness," Griffon shouted sarcastically in
her direction. "Gather dry firewood."

"It's not supposed to be cold. The tropics
are always warm," Jade complained, burying her toes under the
sand.

"I thought you lived in Cairns? They have a
regular monsoon season with weather like this."

"I do live in Cairns, but I don't ever have
to go out in this type of
weather
. Be serious!"

"Unbelievable. Okay, just get it in your
head that these seasonal storms are unpredictable and can get
downright nasty. Now haul your keister off the ground and begin to
gather firewood. You need to understand the necessity of finding
seasoned woods."

"I'm not doing anything."

"Fine. Then you can freeze."

Griffon ignored the penetrating look of
hatred that bore into his back as he gathered dry wood in his arms
and stuffed it under a narrow, rocky ledge to protect it from the
elements. After collecting another armful and ignoring Jade,
Griffon returned to the site and quickly pitched his small tent
under the branches of the large banyan tree. He crawled inside,
popped the cap off a beer bottle, and leaned back to wait for the
storm to hit.

Jade snarled, her temper simmering as she
watched the man go about his chores. He was completely ignoring
her
needs and
her
feelings, and ignorantly
disregarding the fact that she was not here by choice. Lightning
flashed in the distance, and she jumped. There was no way he could
be serious about leaving her out in the elements,
could he?
What kind of gentleman was he, anyway?! The selfish, arrogant piece
of crap should be kissing her ass right now
if he knew what was
good for him
, she mocked the words spoken to her earlier.

"Screw you, Griffon Badger! I can take care
of myself just fine!" she jeered, as the first cold, fat raindrop
fell on her head. Determined to show the man that she did not need
his assistance, she ran under the tree line and began to work her
way in the direction opposite from where he had gone. The surf grew
rough as she picked her way carefully down the beach, watching the
placement of her bare feet on the debris. She looked around for
shelter, holding her arms tightly around her body as she shivered;
nothing but trees and an occasional outcrop of rock was to be
seen.

Glancing behind her, Jade paused to consider
her situation. "It will be a cold day in hell before I ask for
your
help," she said out loud, fuming that Griffon had not
bothered to come after her.
What kind of man ignored a woman's
needs
?! She grabbed the wide, broad leaf from a small palm and
held it over her head as the rain pelted down around her. A cold
breeze whipped over her thinly-clad body, and she fought to keep
her chattering teeth from clamping on her tongue. Just ahead, a
cluster of trees caught her attention, and Jade climbed in the
center of them with her palm frond still in hand.

Her sanctuary provided protection from the
wind and a good portion of the rain, but did nothing for either her
need to be warm or comfortable enough to sleep. The tide rose,
covering the roots below her feet, and Jade realized that she would
have to move to another location before she was trapped in the
surge. Swearing, she stepped into the chilled water and walked away
from the beach and into the jungle. Insects buzzed around her head
as she stepped timidly over the rain-saturated ground.