Naked and Defiant Read online

  ***

  "Jade? I made an appointment for you. Before you argue with me, give me a chance to explain," her father said.

  Jade looked up from the survival manual that she was studying. "Daddy, I do not need a therapist. There is nothing wrong with me spending my time learning something, instead of spending the money that you won't let me touch."

  "You are unstable, darling. I had to cut you off because you kept talking about running back to those islands or doing something even more foolish."

  "Foolish? Like going back to school? Do you really think holding me captive here is going to change who I am inside? The only reason I am not fighting you is because I am trying to honor Griffon's request about protecting my reputation, so that I can testify against that douche-bag Simon."

  "It has been two months since you were stranded. You refuse to eat anything that isn't made over an open fire. You walk around barefoot and wear loose shirts and shorts, no makeup and your hair in a ponytail. You jog!" Mr. Brockton exclaimed. "The list is endless, Jade! You never talk to your friends; you spend every minute reading books about how to cook lizards and rats. This is not normal, Jade! You have changed drastically, and I am afraid for you."

  "You need to understand that I have changed," Jade said." This adventure revealed something about myself that I never knew existed. This is a good thing, Daddy. Please do not try to take it away from me."

  "Well, we will see what the doctor says."

  "I don't care what your doctor says," Jade huffed. "I care about what I need to do. When this whole thing with Simon is over, I am leaving. I need to find a life for myself."

  "Young woman, you either cooperate or you will never see another penny of my money again. I will not have you abuse the privileges you have been given."

  Jade laughed in his face, leaning back in her chair and flipping her hand behind her head. "Are you serious? Do you really think that losing your money is going to scare me? What are you so afraid of? Do you think I am going to embarrass you once I am allowed into public again?"

  "You are a sick little girl. I don't know what that man did to you out there, but I swear that I will not let this happen!" Brockton shouted. He snatched her book from her hands and raised it in the air. "No more of this! March your ass upstairs, put on a dress, and do something with your hair and face. I don't want to look at this … this savage any longer."

  "You would rather look at a doll? What the hell is wrong with you?"

  "Don't you ever speak to me like that again. Do you hear me?" her father growled.

  "Or what? You'll cut me off? You won't let me leave this house? What?"

  "You will never see Griffon Badger again. I will bury him with legal issues so deep that he won't ever recover," the man hissed. "To start with, I will sue him for forcing himself on you."

  "He did not do anything like that, and you know it. If it wasn't for him, I would be dead."

  "You have clearly fallen in love with that … that American! He has polluted your mind and your heart."

  "I am not in love with Griffon Badger. As for his influence, have you forgotten his rep? Griffon Badger don't give a shit … about anything. That reputation is earned because he doesn't care about anything or anyone except himself. I don't give a damn what happens to him," she lied, calling his bluff. "But I would be concerned about what happens to you and your reputation when the media finds out how you have treated me."

  "Do you really think you can go head-to-head with me, little girl?" the man hissed, "I am a powerhouse in the business industry for a reason. I don't back down, and I always get what I want. Did you forget that? Did you?!"

  Jade flinched, for a moment losing her nerve. His words reeked of truth. Her father was known to be ruthless in business and did not care whom he stepped on in the process.

  "You are my father. Are you actually telling me that you would turn your power against me so that you can keep me under your thumb? You call that love? Or is this a way to get even because Griffon Badger threw your contract into the trash after you tried to cheat him? Oh yeah, I know all about that, so don't look so surprised. Well, Father-dearest …" She stood, lifting her chin proudly, "I will comply until I find a way to leave you. And when I do," she began to walk away, "it will be forever."

  She ignored his shouts for her to return, closing the door to her bedroom behind her. She stripped her clothes, leaving them on the floor, and pulled a silk dress from her closet. The price tag was still attached and she shuddered, thinking of how Griffon would have responded if he had seen it.

  "Oh, Griff, you were right. You were right about my dad and you were right about me. You have ruined me for this life. I could pay for a semester of college with this," she sighed, slipping the filmy dress over her head. It was loose on her, and she smiled. At least she had not gained any of the weight back, a fact which appeared to irritate her father. She folded her long hair into a formal bun, applied makeup, and slipped on four-inch heels. She winced as she stepped in front of the mirror and looked at the stranger before her. She could hear Griffon's voice in the back of her head, tsking with disapproval.

  "It's only until I can find a way home, and back to you," Jade whispered, thinking of the island. "I have to play the game, if I am ever going to get out of here."

  Just don't lose yourself in the process.

  Her father narrowed his eyes as Jade gracefully settled into an overstuffed chair in the living area. "I'm glad to see you came to your senses. You will still see the psychologist. I don't trust you to deal with this problem on your own."

  "The only problem here is you, Father. I will dress like you want, but that is where I draw the line. I will not go back to sitting around like a slug, eating crap and letting my mind go numb."

  "You will do as I say. I will strip you of everything that gives you a sense of freedom if you do not," the man sneered: "no money, no phone, no Internet … you will learn what a gilded cage feels like, if you aren't careful.

  "I hate you," Jade sneered. "I hate you with every breath I take."

  Brockton looked startled. "You don't mean that, Jade."

  "Oh, yes I do. I will never forgive you for what you are doing to me. You make Simon look like a saint. It is no wonder that my mother could not wait to leave you."

  "Jade …"

  "I understand now. Did you do the same thing to her to keep her in your clutches? Isolate her from the real world so that you could keep her captive? All these years that you kept me from her, it was to stop me from learning the truth about you, wasn't it? You can't force me to stay here forever. In the meantime, I will dress up like a little doll which will help remind me how much you disgust me."

  "Pardon, Sir," Belkes interrupted, nervously, "Dr. Torrance is here to see Miss Jade."

  "Put him in the study. We will be in shortly."

  "No, Father," Jade stood proudly, "if I must speak to this quack, it will be out of your hearing. I intend to tell him everything that you have threatened, including preventing me from advancing my education. I am certain he would love to hear that. Unless, of course, you have him in your pocket, as well."

  "Sweetheart, I am doing this for you. You went through a terrible experience, alone with that man, in the middle of nowhere. You don't understand …"

  "I understand completely. Mother found a way to escape your clutches, and I will too. Once that happens, you will be the one who sees what it means to be alone."

  "He poisoned you."

  "He saved my life. Something that you have forgiven, for a reason I cannot fathom, except that you are using me as a chance to get even with him. That's it, isn't it? So he told me the truth about you after all!"

  "His truth, Jade. He reneged on a contract that cost me a lot of money."

  "He caught you cheating him and putting his people in danger. Belkes? Please bring me some of that tea I purchased, and a bowl of fresh fruit," Jade asked, gliding past her stunned parent. She hid her trembling and entered the study to meet the therapist.


  CHAPTER 9

  "Griffon? Are you okay?"

  "No, Tasha, I'm not," Griffon said quietly, as he stared out the window from the high-rise office building. I hate the city."

  His attorney rose and walked behind him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, her cheek on his as she stared out the same window. "I know you do. You miss that girl, don't you?"

  He kissed her cheek and patted her arms. "Yeah, I do. Every day away from her feels like forever. She was so angry with me when we were picked up. I was awful to her."

  "You were trying to spare her, sweety. Did she know about your personal interests?"

  "She did."

  "And?"

  "She is a natural. When is the trial?"

  "One more week, my friend. Did you get that phone call from your buddy?"

  "I did," Griffon unwrapped her arms from his neck and stood up to lean against the window frame. "He's done his homework. Simon Kinslow is going down, and the psychological report from Torrance will ensure that Jade receives her freedom."

  "I can't believe that her father tried to declare her incompetent. What kind of parent is that?"

  "A frightened and insecure one. I'm just glad that I had the connections to intervene. I want that kid to have a chance to have a life she deserves."

  "You want that kid to have a chance with you. Come on, Griff. I've known you for ten years. I was there when you married the demon spawn."

  "I told you not to call my ex that, young lady. Do I need to remind you to respect my orders?"

  Tasha sniggered, "Mr. Badger, as your corporate counsel, I retain the right to express my professional opinion in any circumstance I deem appropriate."

  "Well, I, as your employer, retain the right to apply discipline to my corporate attorney's backside as I deem necessary. Over the desk, missy. I have been neglectful in my duties. You are long overdue for a thorough thrashing."

  Tasha giggled as she eased her pencil-skirted body across the large mahogany desk and wiggled her bottom in eager anticipation. Griffon chuckled, smacking her slender flanks while walking to the back of the desk.

  "It's been a while since I have had to put you in your place, counselor. I think your sassiness warrants my ruler, don't you?"

  Tasha's eyes widened and she stood straight. "Uh, no. That thing is wicked. I was just playing …."

  "Return to your position. I will not repeat myself." He lowered his voice and slapped the wide, ironwood ruler loudly on the desktop. "Over—all the way. Hold the edges, and do not release them under any circumstance, or I will retrieve the cane."

  Tasha gulped, no longer smiling, as she watched Griffon transform into the hard-faced, unyielding badger that he had adopted as his logo. "Griffon, please don't take your anger and frustration out on my ass."

  "Silence!" his voice boomed. He positioned himself behind her and ran his hand along the curve of her bottom. "Since when do you tell me what to do with this bottom? Who owns this ass?"

  "You do, Sir."

  He cracked his hand across her cloth-covered mounds. "How long have I owned this ass?"

  "Since the day I signed my contract, Sir. Oh …," she exhaled as his hand again whacked her soft curves.

  "Ten years, then? Yet, you still find it necessary to try to top from the bottom. That will not do. No, not at all," Griffon chided, picking up the ruler. He placed it in front her. "Kiss the instrument of your correction, Tasha."

  Quivering, the woman obeyed, her knuckles whitening as she tightened her grip on the edge of the desktop. Griffon removed a full-length mirror from the private bathroom of the office suite and positioned it against the wall, so that he could see Tasha's face.

  "Eyes open. I want you to watch your punishment. I want you to anticipate the fall of the ruler before it strikes your flesh. I want you to see your tears as the pain becomes too much to bear. " He slid her skirt over her hips and left it wadded at her waistline. "You knew that I would want to do this today, didn't you?"

  Tasha nodded, shifting her thong-clad bottom, framed in smoked-gray thigh-highs held in place by a garter belt. "Yes, sir. I suspected you would want some relief. You have not been yourself during this mooning period, and your girls are worried about you."

  "I see," Griffon said thoughtfully. "For that considerable forethought, I will make certain to reward you by making you feel this paddling for a few days."

  "Thank you, Sir," Tasha sighed in defeat.

  "You may cry if you desire," Griffon said, aligning the ruler against her fleshy cheeks. He pulled his arm back and brought the wooden ruler down against the pale flesh, leaving a deep red imprint. Tasha rose on her toes and howled along with the sound of the impact. Griffon waited for her to return to her position before again lifting the instrument of suffering into the air.

  Tasha pounded her fists on the desk, breathing heavily as another stroke landed squarely across both cheeks. One stroke after another, the ruler flattened harshly against the deliciously-rounded globes. They jiggled beneath the wood, the edges of the ruler embedding into their softness and leaving behind burgundy stripes of raised welts. Tasha panted with effort as each lash engraved itself into her bottom.

  Griffon set the ruler down next to Tasha's head and returned to his position next to her inflamed rear. He stretched his hand and directed his heavy palm against the crease between her bottom and thigh. Tasha stared in the mirror at her tear-stained face, meeting his eye in the reflection. Griffon's face registered no emotion as blow after heavy blow fell upon the lower portion of her bottom. He stopped, his hand suspended mid-air, when he heard the break in her tears followed by pools of liquid pain shining beneath her face.

  His silence was deafening as he gently pulled her skirt back down over her thighs and smoothed the wrinkled material with his palm. Tasha painfully pushed herself to stand before him, her face streaked with mascara, hair disheveled. Griffon kissed her cheek.

  "Thank you. Return to work. Have Sara come see me. She forgot to process an invoice, and I need to have a discussion with her. Have her bring the strap from her desk drawer to present to me."

  "Yes, Sir," she sniffed, a tiny smile on her face as she rubbed her aching posterior. "It's good to have you back, Griff. We've missed you."

  "Tell me that after you try to sit down at your desk," he grinned. With a happy hug, Tasha departed.

  ***

  Griffon kicked his shoes off and collapsed on his couch. He closed his eyes, thinking of the bottoms he had paddled that day. He had missed that interaction with his girls over the last few months. His private office held only female employees, each one a confirmed spanko. The relationship that he shared with them had been satisfying, for each girl had something unique to bring to the table that met both her, and his, needs. From the true masochistic demands seen in his corporate counsel to the childlike scoldings required by the filing clerk, he had been there to provide a working environment that functioned with efficiency, respect, love, and loyalty. Every one of his girls had been there from the beginning, with no terminations and no transfers. They had been patient with him over this 'mooning period', as Tasha aptly named it, but it was time to get back on the ball. He could not allow his heartbreak to destroy what had taken him years to build.

  Cracking open a bottle of sparkling water, he removed a file folder from his briefcase. His brow furrowed as he read through the reports sent from the private investigator. The information about Simon did not concern him as much as the ones about Elijah Brockton. The man was ruthless in the business world and ran his company much like a dictatorship, with constant turnover in the employee base and ongoing lawsuits designed to paralyze competitors. It appeared as though he had turned his business tactics homewards, and Jade was the weapon he planned on using for retaliation.

  Tasha's instincts had been correct. She anticipated Brockton's strategies to use Jade's situation as a means of revenge after Griffon negated a contract with Brockton. Griffon grimly recalled how Brockton was
discovered cutting corners with safety regulations and putting Badger-Clark construction crews in danger. That decision had cost the old tycoon nearly a half-billion dollars and resulted in a lawsuit that was thrown out of court within hours of being filed. Brockton had vowed to get even, and until Jade stepped into the picture, he had no leverage.

  Behind Griffon's back, Tasha had contacted an old colleague of hers, Dr. Niall Torrance, and apprised him of the situation. In response to her concerns, he had contacted Brockton and offered his assistance in the event Jade demonstrated any post-traumatic stress related to her being marooned. He had emphasized that the effects of being vulnerable and unprotected with a stranger in such a dangerous and intimate, environment, could have lasting repercussions. As predicted, Brockton seized the opportunity to use Jade against his nemesis, believing he had an ally in the psychologist.

  "I need to give that woman a raise," Griffon mumbled, reading the reports. Dr. Torrance determined that Jade was, indeed, suffering from PTSD; however, he opined that her obsession with independence was the result of her father's strangulating control and threats of financial abandonment. He clarified that his opinion was based on Jade's statements that she was coerced to comply with stringent dress codes and food choices and forced to abandon self-study after her father terminated access to all finances, transportation and communication. The doctor concluded that the island experience and subsequent survival training merely awakened the woman's untapped needs. Her desire for further education and personal improvement, and the avenues she wished to explore to reach her goals, were indicative of someone who was fully and completely competent to determine the direction for her life.

  Griffon shook his head as he reviewed a financial statement from Jade's private account. Brockton had seen that she was stripped of every penny and no longer had authorization to use the credit cards associated with the account. Anger rose as he looked at copies of service bills which indicated that both her personal phone and Internet service were disconnected. Finally, a land-line telephone bill showed restriction to local, specific calls, with all others blocked.