The sun was beating down mercilessly on James' shoulders. He gazed blankly out from behind his sunglasses – unable to appreciate the glorious landscape that spread before him for the agonising heat. His t-shirt was soaked through.
Rolling dunes disappeared off in every direction he looked except back. He turned now and ran his eyes over the small oasis he had called home for three days with his daughter Sarah. He smiled through cracked lips and wandered back towards the sounds of splashing water and bleating. He found Sarah down by the poolside making sure the small goat herd got their drinking water. Goodness knows how these creatures survived out here long enough to find this place.
Sarah looked up as her father approached and gave him a smile. It was a smile that said – I may be stuck in the middle of a desert with no hope of escape, but I'm damned if I'm gonna whine about it!
She got that fighting determination from her mother. James got down at the water's edge and gathered up some of the sweet cool liquid in his hands. He drank a little and then wet his head with it. It felt sublime.
Feeling cooled, he turned to glance again at Sarah. She was following his example and lifting handfuls of sparkling water to pour over her head. James felt an uncomfortable lurch in his stomach as his eyes unconsciously traced the trail of water rivulets down her neck to her tanned cleavage. He jerked his head away sharply and berated himself. That wasn't the way an Englishman ought to behave – certainly not around his own daughter at any rate!
"How long can we survive out here, papa?" asked Sarah with a sigh and James tried to smile reassuringly.
"Almost indefinitely." He said and pointed to the lush plant-life around the large pool. "There's plenty of food here – and water – we've even got the goats for meat and milk."
Sarah seemed to gain a little strength with his words.
"We'll be OK until we're rescued then?" she asked and James nodded. He decided not to mention the fact that this oasis hadn't been marked on any of the maps of the area he'd seen before they'd set off. As unlikely as it seemed – they had found themselves in one of the few oases not used by the local Bedouin on their trade-routes. Help could be a long time in the waiting.
Sarah got up and walked to the make-shift shelter they'd cobbled together from tent-sheets and tree-parts. It grew organically out of the side of the broken-down 4x4 as if an ordinary awning had mated with some hideous monster and this thing had been the result.
It wasn't pretty – but it served its purpose, or at least, had done for the past three days since their guides disappeared and the Jeep broke down. James was semi-convinced the little rat-faced guide had intended to lure them to their deaths then come back and claim their possessions with none the wiser.
When she came back out into the glaring heat Sarah was carrying a couple of strips of dry-cured goat meat. They'd slaughtered their first on the second day here. James took the meat without enthusiasm but thanked his daughter anyway. He found himself watching her again as he chewed on the tough jerky.
She was very much like her mother had been at her age (19). She didn't have an ounce of fat on her, lean and toned – yet her rack was incredible – she had to be a D-cup at least. Slim waist, firm rounded little backside... James shook himself. He glared at the goat meat in his hand. It seemed the longer he stayed around the damn animals the more like one he was becoming!
His treacherous eyes wandered as Sarah bent over to watch a fish in the pool. She was wearing a pair of skimpy shorts – they were so skin-tight James felt he could almost see through them. He felt a glimmer of shame as the blood once more thumped into his swelling cock. Shaking his head guiltily he swallowed the last of his meagre meal and headed up towards the spring that sourced the pool. He needed a little space to think.
Sarah felt her father's eyes on her as she pretended to gaze into the water. Her skin tingled. It was strange to feel herself react this way to attention from her own dad. He was just... well... dad.
He got up suddenly and she turned her head to watch him go. She felt her pulse quicken as her eyes picked out the large bulge tenting his shorts before he turned and headed out of her line of sight.
He had a hard-on! She thought incredulously. - More importantly – he had a hard on because of her! His own flesh and blood!
As much as she tried to pretend to herself it wasn't so... the thought of it turned her on like nothing else ever had. Think about it – a devilish voice seemed to whisper in her ear – you're both stuck out here all alone... who would know?
I would, she thought back at herself furiously. It wasn't enough to dispel the image in her head that now seemed frozen in her mind's eye. In the vivid vision her father was leaning over her, his tongue on her neck as he held her wrists locked together above her head with one of his big hands and fucked her. It was incredibly intense. Sarah whimpered a little and splashed some water from the pool onto her face. She rolled her eyes heavenwards imploringly.
"Please, god just send someone to rescue us quick!" she moaned almost silently, "Much more of this and something bad is going to happen!"
That evening they sat by the light of the little lamp powered from solar-charged batteries. They talked about home – they speculated over what Sarah's mom would be doing. Would she even know they were lost yet? How many days till they were supposed to show up in Khartoum? Sarah fell asleep that night counting the brilliant lights of the stars as chill winds swirled sand around the wheels of the Jeep. The battered vehicle was slowly becoming a dune in its own right.
James awoke early. At least, he assumed it was early – it felt early. He didn't wear a watch and his phone was dead now. It was strangely liberating not to be so constantly aware of time ticking away. Had it been four days or five they'd been here now? Maybe it was six... No... it was definitely four.
The full heat of the day was yet to strike so James took advantage of the coolness to get some chores done. He cleared the brush and debris from the camp-site that had been accumulating. He collected the leavings of the goat and laid it out to dry – he seemed to recall that such stuff was good kindling and if they weren't careful they'd run out of fuel for fires pretty soon.
When Sarah awoke she found her father laying red/brown rocks out on the yellowy sand.
"A message for the all the planes?" asked Sarah with a wry grin. Not a single vapour trail graced the sky.
"It's something to do" he replied with a shrug.
Sarah could think of something she'd rather he was doing. Someone, rather. She turned away sharply as she felt her cheeks flush. Where did that thought come from? Not good. Not good at all.
James saw the strange look of frustrated hunger flit over his daughter's face and felt his heart flip in his chest. Her cheeks reddened and she turned away, seeking an escape from her embarrassment in the shade of the date palms. James dropped the rock he was holding and followed her. He could never say in the years following, just why he decided to follow her at that moment. It was as if something inside him just impelled him forwards. As if his unconscious had just seen a glimpse of what was to come and couldn't wait for him to get in on the action.
Sarah didn't hear her father follow after her as she fled back into the relative seclusion of the oasis. She found herself down by the shimmering waterside. A goat was staring at her. That stare seemed hungry to Sarah and it only inflamed her growing arousal.