** Updated Version of the story - Start reading on 3 September:

 

The sun was beating through the windows and the temperature was rising in the bedroom already.  Ayden rolled over and looked at the clock on the bedside table which read 8:47.  It was going to be unbearably hot again today, just like every other day this summer since she and Meg had arrived.  Why did she agree to this summer adventure with Meg?  It was her last summer of freedom before her job started in the fall.  It would be her one last chance to spend a little time with Meg.  Meg had been her best friend growing up in their little hometown and her college roommate.  They had decided to rent the little beach house for the summer before Meg moved off across the country to her new executive position with a Marketing firm whose name was so long Ayden could never remember it.  They had been at the beach house a total of five hours when Meg had met an over tanned surfer with a phony white smile.  Since then it seemed Meg was barely around the bungalow long enough to change her clothes before heading off for another day at the beach with her surfer, doing whatever it was that surfers did all day.  She glanced over at Meg’s bed and the covers were just as neat as the day they arrived.  Ayden wondered if Meg would ever even use the bed before summer was over.  Ayden stretched the kinks out of her back and ran her fingers through her long brown hair.  Meg had beautiful blond hair with just a hint of a curl and all the boys at college had regularly fallen over themselves to save her a seat at the football games, they all wanted to be near her and Ayden could not blame them after all Meg was her best friend.  Ayden lay there pondering why she was not more adventurous and outgoing like Meg but slowly rolled herself out of bed and moved towards the bathroom and a nice cool shower to wake herself up.

She smiled as she entered the bathroom.  It was almost too cliché even for the beach but at least it was cooler in here.  She and Meg had enjoyed a good laugh when they first saw it with its light blue paint and lighthouse tiles.  There was even a string of sand dollars hanging from the mirror like a long forgotten Christmas garland, probably left over from some other tourists' vacation in the summers before theirs.  They had promised each other they would look for sand dollars to add to it before they left in the fall.  Ayden reached up and gently ran her finger over the rough edges and realized she missed having Meg around. 

She turned on the water and it sputtered and spit but eventually settled into a steady stream of clear water.  She slid out of her bra and let her soft cotton panties drop to the floor and stepped into the water.  It danced across her skin and felt wonderfully cool as she closed her eyes and dropped her head back into the stream and let it pelt down on her face before it raced over her body and down the drain, washing the summer’s heat away.  She shampooed her hair twice before reaching for the bar of soap.  Meg always smelled of lavender and Ayden rolled the bar over in her hands making it lather and sniffed at the bar of soap smiling.  She thought as she let the bar slide across her stomach that, "Today she would be the one smelling like the delicate flower on the beach".  Slowly she led the bar in circles around her breasts letting the water wash away the lather and leaving her skin feeling soft and smooth.  Her guided the small bar down her thighs washing over her calves and coming back up to gently lather between her legs, before carefully shaving her legs and rinsing off.  Turning off the water she reached for a towel and found them both still wet and she knew that Meg had at least been there for a few minutes this morning.  She did her best to dry her body off on what little of the ends of the towels that were not damp before gathering everything up and depositing it all in the hamper, vowing to do the laundry in the evening when it cooled off a bit. 

Standing before the mirror she swiped away the steam that had collected there and ran a comb quickly through her hair before she pulled it up in a tight ponytail and reached for the baby oil.  She knew it is a bit old fashioned and she would pay for the abuse to her skin when she was a little older but she loved the way it felt against her skin.  She rubbed just a bit over her skin stealing glances at her naked body in the mirror as she did.  The boys might save seats for blond haired Meg, she thought, but Ayden had gotten a little attention in college too.  She had two boyfriends over the course of the four years and they had each enjoyed the small curves of her hips and the way her breasts filled out their dress shirts in the morning.  She did love to wake up early and fix them a nice breakfast on Saturday mornings and it just seemed easy to grab a clean shirt from their closet.  She absently massaged in the last of the oil making her nipples harden slightly as she remembered the musky smell of those soft dress shirts and a smile spread across her face. 

Once again she caught her reflection in the mirror and it brought her back to reality.  Ayden grabbed the little blue bikini, hanging on the rack and slipped it on.  She remembered how they had shopped for days before finding it.  Meg had been so excited and promised it would be perfect for the beach.  As Ayden passed through the bedroom, on her way to the kitchen, she snagged her old familiar college T-shirt, which often substituted for a nightshirt.  It was still lying on the end of the bed and she threw it on, over her bikini.  She walked into the kitchen humming the old Beach Boys’ song, “Fun, Fun, Fun” but got stuck on the chorus and could not remember the rest of the words.  Seeing the pile of dishes in the sink she guessed Meg had not come by alone and wondered how it was she had not woken up.  Ayden sighed, but a smile crept across her face as she shook her head and picked up the bowl from the table that was still half full of milk and had a few stray Cheerios still floating in the white liquid, like little life preservers.  With the dishes rinsed and tucked into the dishwasher she went to the refrigerator to see if there was anything left.  She located an apple and two peaches which would have to do for breakfast and lunch.  Once they were washed and wrapped to keep them cool inside of her bag she headed out the door to the beach.

The beach was only half a block away and as soon as the door was closed she could smell the cool salt water calling to her.  There were little tourist boutiques lining all of the streets along the beach.  They sold everything from snow cones to tourist T-shirts proclaiming, “My grandma and grandpa went to the beach and all I got was this silly tee.”  There were little cafes with small tables lined up in front and bars that seemed quiet during the day, but drew large crowds at night.  Ayden meant to explore a couple of the nicer bars in the evenings but going alone did not seem as much fun as going there with Meg.  At the very corner, right across the street from the beach access was even an old LP record shop that had bongo drums hanging from the awning out front.  She wondered if the shop had been there since the 1960s.  The beach was busy but not as crowded as it would get over the weekend and it was still just late morning so she found a nice location on the beach and set up her towel.  The sand was already getting warm and her toes were burning from the walk over and getting everything set up so she headed directly to the water’s edge to soak them in the cool surf.  The roar of the waves filled her ears and she watched each one roll in.  The surfers were sitting on their boards, lined up like toy soldiers standing sentry.  They were doing their best to find the perfect wave but this morning they were small and so the surfers mostly stayed out away from the beach.  It was so hot and with the small waves and the surfers all staying so far out she was sure it would be safe to venture in a little deeper.  She gingerly stepped a little deeper, ever slowly creeping further into the water until she had to hop a little for each wave as it rolled towards the beach.  She laughed at herself and enjoyed the feeling of being a little kid again playing in the surf.  She had gone a bit further than she should and further than she ever had before but the water made her feel so alive and cool.  She had been out longer than she intended and turned to check on her bag still back on the beach when an unusually large wave caught her from behind spinning her over.  Her head was pulled under water and she was being tossed and tumbled about like she had been thrown into a washing machine.  She could not find the surface.  She was not even sure if she was right side up or upside down.  The waves seemed to be crashing in on her as they tossed her over and over.  For a moment her head was above water and she gasped for air but as quickly as the air appeared it was gone again and she was swallowing water.  She fought frantically clawing for the surface, for another small gulp of air.  Her lungs burned but all she could see were bubbles and green everywhere.  Surely, she thought, someone had to see her go under.  Someone would pull her free, but slowly the water faded to black.

*  *  *  *  *

Even before she opened her eyes Ayden heard voices.  They were all around her.  She could feel the wet sand against her cheek and lips.  The gentle surf washed against her ankles.  Slowly opening her eyes and pushing up on one hand just to roll her aching body over took all the effort she could muster.  She moaned and closed her eyes against the brilliant sun threatening to blind her.

Ayden heard a woman ask, “Is she alive?”

The voice of a small boy very near her face said, “Look mommy she moved and her eyes are opening.”  She felt a finger that slowly slid down her arm, the fingernail gently skimming the surface of her skin and as she carefully opened her eyes she saw the small boy put the finger in his mouth, licking at the nail bed, before making a face and trying to spit out the foul flavor which must have been from the baby oil she had put on before coming to the beach.

The mother gasped and grabbed the small boy by the arm pulling him away from the crowd, indignantly scolding him, “Mason!  You can not just go around licking people that you do not know!”  Trailing off as she stormed up the beach with her son in tow Ayden could hear her complain, “Someone really should do something about these girls on the beach”

An elderly woman to her right said, “Wyatt, do something about this.”

Suddenly there were hands lifting her to a sitting position.  Then came the sting to her face.  The elderly man, Wyatt, had just slapped her gently, but not softly, on the cheek and was looking at her with concern asking, “Are you alright?”

Ayden looked up at him puzzled answering, “I think so,” as her hand rose to rub the sore cheek, sure that it had left a mark.

The elderly woman was smoothing Ayden’s ponytail back away from her face and inquiring, “Did you do this on purpose or have you just arrived?  Where do you live?”

By this time Ayden was on her feet and brushing away a bit of loose sand from her hands, “No, no, I just slipped and I am staying…” as she raised her hand to point in the direction of the beach house she noticed the shops looked different and the record store was not there.  On this corner stood an old style, corner market with fruit displayed in boxes lining the front of the store.  Confused she stammered, “I… I… um,” looking up and down the beach front for something familiar.  As she struggled to figure out how far she was from the beach house the crowd began to disperse, many of them shaking their heads, some looking back at her with pity in their eyes but most focused on their feet as they trundle through the deep sand back to their own activities.  “Wait!” she frantically called out to them but not even the elderly couple would look back to help.

Searching for any marker along the shore that looks familiar she sees a jogger coming towards her, but before she can utter a word he alters his path and jogs behind her.  As he races past behind her he slaps her firmly on the derrière, so hard he nearly knocks her over again.  She instantly grabs her behind and rubs the burning sensation, looking towards the man who is still jogging down the beach but is now running backwards smiling and shaking his finger at her.  She is not sure why but she blushes and returns his infectious smile.

To her left is a group of young men, about her age, laughing loudly and passing a football back and forth.  Still feeling a little dazed she approaches them and calls out quietly, “Excuse me, can you help me?”

The man with the ball plants it firmly on his left hip holding it casually in place with his wrist and he smiles as he strides over to her.  He is tall and tanned, with dark hair and eyes the color of dark chocolate.  It is obvious he has spent some time on the beach.  She had not noticed how attractive he was until he smiled at her.  The muscles of his arms are not the sort you see on men who spend too much time worrying about how they look, but they are the kind a man who is very athletic would have.  Her eyes are drawn to the strong muscles of his chest.  There is just a touch of dark hair in the center and a matching bit just below his belly as it slides down into his bathing suit between the prominent ‘V’ of his hipbones.  His three friends approach behind him.  They are equally athletically built, with varying hair and eye color, but each one as attractive as the man with the football.  Her breath catches in her throat as they approach.  She blushes and drops her eyes to their feet as she sees she has been caught admiring their physiques.  The man with the football reaches her first and in a deep voice says, “Sure, what kind of help do you need?” simultaneously his free hand comes up and softly cups the underside of her breast.

Ayden’s hand instinctively jerks up to push it away as she takes a step back losing her balance in the soft sand and landing in the waiting arms of the tallest of the quartette; the blond with the deep blue eyes.  She had not noticed him circle around behind her.  He stands her up and with her back still held tightly against his strong chest he whispers in her ear, “Naughty, naughty you little spitfire and what are you doing down here all alone?” as he deftly spins her quickly around and holds her torso against his waist pinning her there, bent at the middle, with his arm firmly holding her in place.  Quickly her feet are kicked apart and three swift ‘whacks” land hard on her bottom.  The first one makes her cry out in surprise, it lands hard and the hand is large, nearly covering both sides in one strike.  The second one comes before she can catch her breath and she tries to squirm away from it so it lands on one side sending a sharp sting followed by a warm heat that spreads slowly over the skin.  It is now that she raises her face to the crowd realizing that all eyes on the beach are turned towards her.  Many of the men have stopped building sand castles with their children and are standing with their arms crossed nodding their approval at the young men scolding her now.  The women are smiling and trying to distract the younger of the children away from the scene at the shore.  The third strike is the hardest of all and her knees buckle as tears form in the corners of her eyes.  Ayden is panting as she is righted, the blond still holding her in place with a big strong hand on each of her upper arms as he slowly whispers in her ear, “What do you say to the nice man?”

Ayden’s mouth gapes open, dumbfounded.  Her mind is racing trying to make sense of what is happening to her and where she is.  Her mouth pops open and closed so that she looks like one of the guppies in the pet shop that stood on Main Street, of her hometown when she was a young girl.

The tall dark haired man just laughs and waves the blond off, “Danny, it’s okay.  Don’t worry about it.  We are just here to have a little fun.  Hell, we didn’t even ask her permission first.”

The blond, Danny, relaxes his hold on her arms and turns her around to face him.  With his thumb he gently reaches up and swipes away a tear from her cheek and asks quietly “Are you okay now?  Feel better?”

Ayden could do nothing but bob her head forward slightly.

Danny cocks his head and brings his hand up to cup his ear saying, “What?  I did not hear that.”

Ayden is able to gulp out a squeaky, “Yes.”

Danny does not let go of his grip, in fact, it tightens slightly as he corrects her drawing out a, “Sir….”

Ayden’s mouth falls open in shock and her eye are as wide open as a child who has just had their lollipop ripped from their hand.  In barely more than a whisper she manages to choke out, “Yes, Sir?”

Danny’s face lights up in a bright beaming smile as he pats her on the bottom releasing her arms saying, “See that is a good little spitfire.”  The tall dark haired man and his two friends have already gone back to their patch on the sand and Danny follows behind them. 

As Ayden looks along the beach all faces are on her.  “Excuse me.  Could someone please…” but before she can finish her sentence they have all gone back to what they were doing before and are too preoccupied to offer her any assistance.

Unsure of where she is and completely baffled by the behavior of the people on the sand she turns to search for her towel and bag, but not before looking over her shoulder to be sure the four men are focused on their football game and that she is heading away from them.  As she is glancing at them the tall blond catches her glance and gives her a wink as a gleaming smile spreads across his face.  She quickly turns her gaze forward feeling the blush rising in her cheeks.  Ayden raises a hand and touches her cheeks feeling the heat and wipes away the wetness of the remaining tears wishing she did not blush so easily.  She then feels the heat on her bottom and thinks those cheeks must have a bright pink blush, as well, and rubs at the heat, tugging to reposition her bikini into place as she searches for her towel.  The beach stretches on as far as she can see.

Ahead of her she can see the light blue, sloped-roof of a life guard tower and begins working her way towards it.  As she draws closer to it she can see that it is very much like a life guard tower you would see on any beach.  It is a simple wooden structure with windows on three sides, a door in the front, with a ramp leading up to it, and a deck that runs along the side facing the shore, where the life guard can stand under the over-hang that provides a little shade during the heat of the day.  The entire building is supported by wooden pillars which keep it up off the ground so the life guard can see out over the crowds.  It all looks about as cliché as her bathroom back at the beach house, except at the base of the tower, where the four pillars support the small room, there is iron meshing on all four sides and a small opening where a metal gate hangs askew from one hinge.  Around the outside of the tower are small wooden posts that stand about as tall as her waist.  The posts surround the life guard tower and stand about 1 meter apart from each other and are about 1 meter from the base of the light blue tower so that they form a little square of twenty-one posts.  Each post is topped with a black iron ring and there is a man using a heavy grinder on some of the rings that appear to have begun to rust.  As she approaches he stops his work and grins up at her with his toothless smile.  She takes a step back, but as he chuckles and returns to his work she presses forward to the young man positioned on the front deck of the tower.  At the base of the ramp leading up to the deck she calls out to the life guard who looks down at her and smiles as he turns and goes back inside the small room.  Hesitantly, she climbs the ramp calling out, “Hello?” to the life guard as she does.  Reaching the top she peers through the doorway and he is sitting on a small stool at a table that is stacked with first aid equipment.  Ayden smiles and breathes a sigh of relief and quietly asks, “Excuse me but could you please help me.  I seem to be lost.” 

The life guard smiles and motions for her to enter the small room.  Once inside there is barely enough room for the two of them with the life guard sitting on the stool.  He looks up at her and says, “Won’t your please have a seat?”  Ayden quickly looks around but the life guard is sitting on the only seat in the room.  He has leaned forward, with one hand on his right knee and the left knee he has his elbow propped up with his palm facing up slowly extending out in her direction.  She is still looking from her right where the orange lifebuoy hangs on a nail and to the left where a small refrigerator sits in the corner when she feels his fingertips press softly against her knees.  Startled she looks down at his hand and tries to back up, but her back is against the door, and as she does her legs open slightly allowing his hand to gently slide between her knees.  Her mouth falls open in silent protest as she looks from the hand up into the man’s face.  His gentle blue eyes are looking up sideways at her waiting, when he clears his throat and impatiently asks, “Well?”

Quickly looking around the room again Ayden chuckles softly and says quietly, “I do not see a chair.”

“I have offered you my hand.  Now please bend your knees outward and kindly have a seat like a polite young lady would when a seat is offered to her,” he softly chided her.  Whether it was the heat of the day, nearly drowning, or the strange way that people were behaving she found herself slowly bending her knees and lowering herself down just as she had been asked to do.  Once she was awkwardly balanced on his outstretched hand, just the thin layer of her bikini between his warm flesh and the moisture that was barely hidden away in the folds of her own he leaned close to her face, still smiling and asked, “What is it you need help with again?”

Flustered and blushing Ayden stumbled over her words quickly trying to get her story out.  Trying to explain that she had nearly drown and she was lost and could not find her way back, but her words just fell out in a frantic jumble.  The life guard just smiled at her, obviously amused, looking her directly in the eye, holding her gaze as his outstretched hand began to slowly close over her mons bringing his other hand up to cover her mouth and let out a deep low, “Shhh.”  Immediately, she stopped talking and took in a deep breath of air and let it out slowly finally feeling her body relax as a tingling began to radiate up from her belly.  She knew that she should not, but his strong hand felt good against her body and she dared not move, but instinctively kissed his hand that was still holding her silent.  Gradually, the hand that was grasping her releases and the life guard tells her to stand and she silently obeys his command.  He stands up, as she does, and smiles down at her, “Now then, we are closed today as you can see from the repairs going on outside,” there is a quick slap on her rear as he continues, “so now off with you young lady.”  Bewildered she slowly inches back down the ramp looking over her shoulder as the life guard shoos her away with the back of his downturned, open fingertips that where only a few moments ago wrapped so snuggly around her.

Still struggling to make sense of all that has happened; Ayden looks around searching the sand for some familiar landmark, something that will point her in the right direction.  When her stomach rumbles, she instantly brings one hand up to stop the noise and uses the other hand to shade her eyes from the sun as she searches the sky and guesses it is getting late in the afternoon, but she is not prepared to trust any of her senses, at least not yet.  Ayden wishes she had eaten something before getting into the water this morning and wonders just how long she was in the water.  The heat of the day is radiating down from her scalp and she knows she cannot go much further; her mouth is feeling dry and she can still taste the salt water she must have swallowed.  As she scans the beach trying to determine which way to go, she looks back to where the elderly couple, the families, and the young men were gathered on the beach and decides not to go back that way.  Ayden looks longingly at the life guard tower she just left.  She wonders at the captivating life guard and the enthralling effect he had on her.  She knows she cannot return there for help, but does not know where to turn.  Off in the distance she sees a pier with what looks like a considerable amount of activity and begins the long trudge down the beach towards the pier.

*  *  *  *  *

The music and noise from the pier can be heard long before she reaches it.  Even from a distance Ayden can make out the smells and excitement of a carnival.  Once on the pier she is surrounded by a swirling mass of people.  She tries but can not get even one person to draw their attention away from the sights of the carnival attractions to help her. 

She pushes her way forward through the crowd and can hear the barker announcing that it is time for everyone to, “Step right up and see the beautiful assistant being tied to the wheel.”  As Ayden edges her way to the front of the mass watching the show she is shocked that the beautiful assistant is not just strapped to a large wheel, painted in red and yellow pie slices, but she is also naked.  The lovely girl is held tightly in place by leather straps at her wrists and ankles, a third pair that runs under her arms at her shoulders, and a final pair that skirts around the top of her thighs holding her very securely in place.  She is a strikingly beautiful girl with short dark hair and even darker mysterious eyes.  Her deep crimson lips are set off by skin that is a swarthy olive tone and has been oiled so that it shines in the bright afternoon sun.  A large man steps forward and bows to the crowd as they cheer and applaud.  He gestures to the lovely assistant and the crowd responds even louder. 

A boy steps up to the wheel and when the large man nods to him the boy takes a tight grip on the wheel and with all his might sets the wheel spinning and the lovely assistant with it.  She spins head over heels as the crowd quiets.  Ayden can not take her eyes off the spinning girl when suddenly there is a loud pop that makes her jump.  She has always hated the sound of balloons popping, but as she turns her attention back to the large man she sees that he has removed a long whip from his belt and has unfurled it onto the ground.  It is stretched out before him and as he shakes it out it almost appears to slither across the ground like a snake.  He snaps it again and the crowd “Oohs.”  Ayden expects the man to pull the knives from his belt but they stay protected in their sheaves.  He raises his arm and with a heavy flick of his wrist the end of the whip is sent sailing through the air towards the lovely assistant.  Ayden gasped loudly as the whip connects perfectly with the spinning girl leaving a heavy red mark that runs from her hip, diagonally up, perfectly laid between her soft breasts, and stops just short of her collar bone.  The crowd, “Awes,” and one lady not too far from Ayden buries her face in the shoulder of the man standing next to her. 

The boy brings one finger to his lips, signaling for everyone to be quiet and the carnival barker instructs the crowd that, “This is a very dangerous task and there must be silence so that Master Merlin the Magnificent can concentrate.” 

As a hush falls back over the crowd the large man, Merlin, waves the whip across the ground so that it slithers back and forth and before Ayden is prepared the whip is raised and snapped again against the assistant’s skin.  A perfect red ‘X’ is raised in welts across her front as the second line begins to show, both welts meeting together between her breasts.  The crowd erupts in thunderous applause and Merlin takes his bows.  After his bow Merlin coils the whip and replaces it on his belt, but as he does he removes the knives that hang there.  Merlin then begins to juggle then over his head and aims at the beautiful assistant.  The crowd begins to spin and Ayden feels suddenly faint.  Fearing what she might see, Ayden pushes her way through the crowd to fresh clean air.  Free of the crowd she hears the barker calling to the crowd to thank Merlin the Magnificent and his lovely girl for their performance, but Ayden moves away as quickly as she can.

Ayden smells it before she sees the hotdog stand directly in her path.  Her stomach begins to churn, as if on cue.  There is a large sign above the stand and in bright bold letters it reads, “Hot Dogs” on the left of the sign and, “Corn Dogs” on the right, and between the two is a picture of a coin that has the words, “5 Tokens,” emblazoned on a painted ribbon across its middle.  Ayden licks her lips instinctively, looking longingly through the windows of the stand.  The stand has windows that stretch across the front from one end to the other.  There are small opens where the workers can stick out their head to take orders.  The large windows give a clear view of the cooking area inside.  From where she stands she can watch one of the workers, who is wearing a silly uniform, while she adds new hotdogs to the ones already spinning over the flames.  The juice from the hotdogs drips making it appear as if the flames are dancing up to lick the juice away.  Another worker is slowly dipping hotdogs into the corn batter and as she brings them up the gooey mess drips down her arm and across the counter to where she slides them into the waiting deep fryer.  Unaware Ayden has slipped into the line and has reached the front.  The attendant at the window impatiently asks, “Are you going to stand there all day or are you going to order something?”

Ayden looks up in shock; surprised by the attendants loud outburst.  She looks around at the crowd staring at her and mumbles, “I am sorry I have lost my belongings and I don’t have any money on me.”

Impatiently the attendant explains, “If you have no tokens you will need to get out of the line until you have some.  There are people waiting who already have their tokens.” “Now move!” he says in a loud stern voice.

Ayden steps back out of the line fighting the tears of exhaustion and hunger when she feels a soft tap on her shoulder.  Spinning around she comes face to face with a well groomed businessman who asks her, “I could not help over hearing your conversation.  Are you hungry?  I can help.  You see we take care of our girls in this town.”  Ayden nods as she uses the back of her hand to dab at the moisture that has formed at the corner of her eyes. “Just follow me around back then.  The girls’ stands are back there,” he explains as her rounds the edge of the stand.  Ayden quickly follows the man grateful for his kind help.

Behind the stand are several picnic tables.  At one of the tables there are two men caught in an arm wrestling battle.  The crowd is cheering them on and at the feet of the larger man is a strikingly beautiful woman who is kneeling naked with her arms wrapped lovingly around his leg with her head propped on his knee watching the battle serenely.  The businessman does not stop to watch, but seems to pass the scene unnoticed.  Mixed through the crowd are other girls, most in bikinis but all kneeling on the ground.  Ayden is craning her neck to watch the scene when she walks right into the back of the businessman.  She turns to him blushing and offers him a shocked apology which he brushes off with a smile saying, “I am sure you will make it up to me,” as he pulls a slightly tarnished gold token from his pocket and offers it to her.  As she reaches out to take the token his hand closes around it and he wraps his free hand around her waist and pulls her to him, ”You are a hungry little one,” he says as he plans a kiss on her cheek.

He releases her and gestures to the large wooden crate they are standing in front of.  It is then that Ayden notices the box is open on the top and in the front.  The three remaining upright sides each have a hole cut in them that seems to have padded material protecting the rough cut edges.  On the floor of the crate is a fabric cushion and a small bowl.  Ayden looks from the crate to the businessman; only then registering there is an identical crate next to it.  There are men standing all around the crate watching and cheering like at the arm wrestling table but between their legs she can see into the opening at the front of the crate.  Inside is a lovely girl in a bikini.  She is kneeling on the cushion and her bowl has several gold tokens nestled in it.  In her hand she has grasped hungrily onto a large man’s penis that is inserted through the fabric hole in the crate.  She is bringing it to her mouth as her head tips back slightly letting her tongue lick at the tip, circling it, and letting the moisture of her tongue leave behind a moist trail on the shiny head.  As her lips gently close on the head in a sensuous kiss the crowd erupts in thunderous cheers.  In the girl’s other hand she is slowly stroking another pulsing shaft that is snuggly pressed through the hole on the other side of the crate.  The veins of the one being slowly massaged pulse as her hand glides over the surface.  At the opening of the crate a man drops another token in the bowl as he frantically peels back the upper portion of his pants, lowering them slightly, revealing a hard and waiting cock that jumps from its cloth prison.  He strokes it quickly himself while she hungrily feeds on the two in her hands.  First taking one into her mouth teasing it with her tongue, only letting it in the slightest bit but then quickly plunging down to the fabric ring on the crate.  Ayden can see the head of the man standing beside the box rear back and she can hear his loud moans as the girl slides her mouth away to focus her kisses on the man protruding from the hole opposite him on the box.  As the girls turns her head to face the second man the other man, standing at the front of the box, who has been wildly stroking himself erupts in a stream of warm liquid.  The thick moisture coats her face and drips off her chin, finally sliding down between her breasts.  She smiles up at him and licks away the moisture on her lips, opens her mouth wide and without taking her eyes off the man who is standing, panting, before her she plunges her mouth on the seething waiting mass in her hand and it too convulses in a spray of warm fluid and spills from the corner of her hungry mouth.  As she gasps for air a man is already shouldering in next to the man at the front of the crate.  She releases the now softening mass and gives if a soft kiss as it disappears back through the hole and with a free hand reaches out to unbuckle the belt of the new man moving in before her.  He too drops a token into the bowl, then leans in whispering something in the girl’s ear making her smile, and moves to the back of the crate to position himself in an available hole.

Ayden feels a pressure on her shoulder pressing her down and she turns her attention back to the businessman standing next to her who is calling out, “Guys we have another hungry girl right here.”  She hears a token clink against the bowl at her feet and watches as three men turn towards her briefly and then return their gaze to the girl in the crate.  Suddenly she feels a hand on her breast and the businessman pinches her nipple hard.  She realizes that while watching the girl in the crate her nipples have hardened into little firm apples and the pinch sends shivers down her spine.  He leans in close to her and slides his free hand under her shirt and caresses her belly and asks in a husky voice, “How hungry are you wild thing?”

“What?” she asks him breathlessly.

He gestures to the cushion, with his upturned palm as he slowly moves in behind the crate and tells her to, “Have a seat, girl.  I will feed that hunger I see in your eyes now.”

Ayden stumbles back a step away from the crate and the businessman.  She blurts out, “I’m sorry.  I guess I am not that hungry yet.”  When she turns to flee she hears him laughing jovially behind her and she feels the heat raising in her cheeks again as she pushes her way blindly through the crowd of men whose hands reach out to slow her.  She can feel them coarse against her skin and the muscles between her legs tighten.  She slows for a moment, pondering her empty stomach, but presses forward until she is free of the sea of men behind the stand.  Looking back over her shoulder watches as the businessman stands watching her with a smile on his face as he refastens his belt and gives her a little nod.  She nearly turns and goes back to the stand but before she can the man disappears into the crush of men around the girl in the other crate.

At the mouth of the pier Ayden finds a bench in the shade of a tree and drops herself down onto it, exhausted.  She closes her eyes and rests her head against the back of the bench to think.  A smile spreads slowly across her face as she wonders to herself what Meg is doing and what she would do if she were here.  It is just as she is letting her body relax and take in all that has happened that she hears a gravelly voice ask, “What are you smiling at girlie?”  Ayden’s eyes pop open in shock as she registers and elderly man standing before her with one hand on his hip.  He had an unruly beard that probably has not been trimmed in months but he has kind sparkling eyes.

There is something about him that unnerves her and she stands instantly and faces him.  She tries to explain, “Oh it is just that you would not believe the day that I have had and I am so hungry.”

Listening intently the elderly man bursts into laughter, “Well then why don’t you open your eyes and pick some fruit to eat, Girlie?” gesturing up into the tree over her head.  “Are you sure you are okay?” he asks with honest concern in his voice.

As Ayden looks up into the tree she sees that it is full of a soft flesh fruit that she does not fully recognize.  She reaches up and tries to grasp one but they are just beyond her reach.  She tries again, up on her tiptoes, but still she is unable to get to the fruit.  She sees the man watching her, a grin spreading over his wrinkled face and showing in his eyes.  “Could you help me please, Sir?” she asks.

The old man just lets out a deep belly laugh and says, “Oh no, Girlie.  This is the most fun I have had all week.  Tell you what.  You keep trying and when you get one you come over and see me and I will give you a little something to drink.”  Still laughing the man wanders off across the pier to a small rustic shop across from the tree and takes a seat kicking up he heals on an old saw horse he has there.

Ayden stretches and jumps but after several attempts she still has not managed to retrieve any fruit from the tree.  Gasping for air she plops her weary body down on the bench to think.  Catching her breath she looks at the ground thinking and then up at the fruit in the tree above her.  She sits there for a moment and then as a smile spreads across her face she brings the palm of her hand up and hits herself softly in the forehead.  Shaking her head and laughing silently she looks over at the old man who is leaning back in his chair watching her and is clearly amused by her antics.  Still smiling she stands up keeping her eyes fixed on the old man and takes a large step up and stands on the bench.  He grins at her and winks as she easily reaches up into the tree and grabs two of the largest and ripest of the fruit above her head and jumps off the bench with a triumphant thud.