I'm a photographer and quite a good one. While I'm willing to take on all sorts of work my preferred focus is on wildlife photography. Not exactly a field in which you'll earn big bucks, but I get by.
One of the things about wildlife photography is that you can't wait for the wildlife to come to you. They couldn't give a damn about having their picture taken. If you want to take it you have to go where they are, and do it discretely, or they won't be there any longer.
That's what I was currently doing. Strolling through the far reaches of a national park and sneaking up on various animals and birds. Even using a telephoto lens you still have to work at it. Right now, however, taking pictures wasn't on my mind. Taking food was.
I'd spotted a nice camping area earlier and now I returned to it. The weather was hot so I didn't see any need to pitch a tent. I'd just use my sleeping bag. Not being entirely reckless I intended to hang a few bells up around my camping site before I retired for the night. While most animals would avoid people you got the occasional curious beast who was best persuaded to be elsewhere. Arranging for a bell to ring was generally enough to send them scampering in a different direction. (Except where monkeys are concerned. They steal the bells.)
I was enjoying some dinner when three hikers came into view. Spotting me they had a quick chat amongst themselves and then approached me, asking if I minded if they shared the camp site.
"No skin off my nose," I assured them. "I don't own the site so you're welcome."
I might not have been quite so welcome to the average hiker but these three seemed to nice people. Maybe I'm just prejudiced where young ladies are concerned. The girls looked to be about twenty. There was one girl with blondish hair while the other two were definitely brunettes. All of them were what you would call fair of face, with quite attractive figures. The last didn't really surprise me. You don't often get fat hikers and when you did meet them they tended to be around the camping areas at the edges of the park. I've yet to meet the fat camper who wants to hike ten miles to his camping site.
The girls unrolled their sleeping bags on the far side of the fire, obviously not going to bother with a tent. There was a lot of chattering going on. I don't know what they were talking about but it was certainly something that had them giggling and nudging each other.
They used my fire to cook themselves some dinner and introduced themselves while they ate. They were Celia, Becky, and Darcy. They were currently at university, going on this camping trip between semesters.
I couldn't help but feel that they had something on their minds. Knowing girls it was some devious plan and I was now involved in it for some reason. I didn't think they were going to try to mug me, they just weren't the type, but I fitted in with their plans somehow.
After eating they continued to sit and talk to me, every so often looking at each other and either nudging or giggling. Suspicious much?
Eventually Darcy, who seemed to be their de facto leader, broached the subject that they had on their mind.
"Um, Michael, we have this little problem," she said. "We were wondering if you could help us out?"
"Umm?" I said noncommittally.
"You see, Becky behaved really badly earlier."
"It was an accident," Becky put in hastily.
"Yeah, you got caught," was Celia's dry observation, at which Becky blushed.
"Anyway," said Darcy, raising her voice over the others. "We came to an agreement that Becky needs to be punished. She won't respect anything we might do so we talked it over and we decided that you should punish her for us."
"Really? How fascinating," I said, desperate not to roll around laughing. "Becky, you've been a very naughty girl and you can now consider yourself severely reprimanded."
"Not like that," scoffed Celia. "We've already chosen a fitting punishment."
"And that is?" I asked, feeling wary.
"We'll have you spank her," said Darcy smiling happily.
"You have got to be fucking kidding me," I said softly.
"No. Honestly. We voted on it and that's what we decided. So will you do it for us?"
"Oh, you voted on it," I said sarcastically. "Did Becky get to cast a vote, perchance?"
"Of course," said Darcy, sounding indignant, and I could see Becky nodding. "We're not bullies. The vote was three nil in favour of a spanking and you doing it."
I flicked a glance at Becky and she was still nodding, with a really smug smile on her face.
"I don't suppose it occurred to you that if I was spanking a young lady I'd want to spank her bare bottom?"
"Naturally," said Celia. "How else? It will be a pleasure to watch Becky getting spanked that way."
"Uh-huh. Ah, I don't suppose that you thought about the fact that I might get all excited, what with my having my hands on her bare bottom, and I might take unconscionable liberties?"
Becky still looked smug when I said that but Celia just looked a trifle confused.
"Celia, you dope, he's hinting that he might rape Becky after he spanks her," snapped Darcy.
"Oh. Well that's OK. We get to watch that as well."
"Really?" I said in a dry voice. "And what does Becky have to say about that possibility?"
"That's a chance I have to take, I guess," she said with perfect equanimity, her little smile not changing one iota.
Fucking hell. They could not be serious. I'm effectively offering to rape the girl and she's shrugging and saying go for it. Were they all certifiable? Was I, because I was considering it?
