Mark & Claudia Ch. 3

With a start, Claudia realized that Edward was staring at her. In his bathing suit, Edward was really extremely sexy. She must have been staring at him without realizing it. Blushing, he turned away.

Mark and Sibila were talking about the farm.

"We grow coffee here. We have two hundred hectares. We sell it in the USA. Do you know Starbuck's?"

“Yes, I do.” Mark answered.

"The coffee grows on trees?" Claudia asked.

Eduward answered. "Bushes, really. The ripe berry is red. The campesinos harvest it by hand, and then it is dried."

"We'd love to see the coffee plants," Mark broke in.

"Unfortunately, the climb up the hill is just too dangerous. I couldn't allow you to risk it. But you’ll find that there is still plenty to see around here."

Edward paused.

"Well, why don't we go inside? Dinner will be ready in another half an hour."

Dinner was served by the same silent woman. They had an avocado salad, followed by enormous steaks. There was plenty of red wine. Sibila did not join them for dinner. Edward explained that she was overseeing the preparation of the horses. She and Edward were getting up before dawn to ride to the farthest part of the farm, to oversee the start of the coffee harvest. They would be back after lunch, and he would then take them out riding, if they liked. In the morning, they were free to wander around the farm.

Claudia and Mark were in their room by eight. Claudia hadn’t noticed during dinner, but Mark had clearly drunk a lot of wine. Claudia was tipsy, but Mark was drunk. He kissed her passionately. He reached between her legs and felt her pussy.

“Tell me what you are.”

He was speaking loudly. Claudia was afraid that people would overhear.

“Quietly, Mark. Quietly.”

“Tell me what you are. Tell me.”

Claudia was tipsy enough that she played along.

“I’m a slut, Mark.”

“That’s right. You’re a slut. Now show me what you do, slut.”

Claudia knew what Mark wanted her to do. He wanted her to play with herself while she said that she was a slut. Sometimes, she did it. But tonight she was finding it very hard. Did he have to be so crass about it? Without feeling, she climbed onto the bed. She spread her legs and stroked herself through the crotch of her panties.

“I’m a slut, Mark.”

“Not like that. Be a slut.”

Roughly, Mark grabbed her panties and pulled them off.

“Now do it, slut.”

Mark had undone his pants, and was masturbating.

Something snapped in Claudia.

“Mark, you are sick. I will not demean myself to satisfy your perverted fantasies. I am not a slut, and I will not act like one.”

Mark looked stunned. Then he looked very hurt.

“But Claudia…”

“I do not want to talk about it. I am going to go to sleep. Good night.”

Claudia took off her blouse and got under the covers at the far edge of the bed. She closed her eyes.

After a moment’s silence, she heard Mark undress and climb into bed. Thankfully, he did not try to touch her. He must have been very drunk, because in a moment she heard his breathing slow as he fell asleep.

Claudia lay staring at the ceiling in the near-total darkness for a long time. She thought again and again of what a boor Mark was. Why couldn’t he be like Edward, refined and cultured?

**********************

Claudia woke as usual at six the next morning. It was another bright sunny day. Looking out, she could see that it had rained during the night, as the grass was still very wet. She remembered the events of the night before.

Quietly, so as not to wake Mark, Claudia did her exercises on the floor beside the bed. Claudia always found this the most peaceful part of the day. She had gone through her routine so many times that she no longer had to think about what she was doing. While she exercised, she thought about what she had to do during the day, or worked through things that were bothering her. This morning, she thought about her fight with Mark last night. She knew they were going to have to make up. She had probably gone too far in what she had said. But it was true -- he was sick. Maybe she shouldn’t have said it, but it was true.

Claudia decided she would go for a run. By herself. But as she was putting on her running shoes, she heard Mark stir.

“Where are you going, Claudia?”

“Running.”

“You can’t go running by yourself.”

“I’ll do what I like.”

“I’m going with you.”

“Suit yourself.”

Claudia stood by the door.

“Hurry.”

Mark was ready very quickly.

Claudia led out onto the front driveway. Claudia was already warmed up from her exercises, but Mark kept up.

Claudia ran towards the footbridge over the river. They ran silently, Claudia slightly ahead. The air was cool, and the wet grass glistened in the sun. It was a beautiful morning.

Within five minutes, they were crossing the footbridge. The river had dropped a little, but it was still swollen.

Claudia did not turn to the right. Instead, she charged straight up the path which Edward had climbed on horseback the day before. Mark stopped.

"Claudia! What are you doing? They told us that it was dangerous to go this way!"

Claudia did not turn around.

"Suit yourself."

With that, Claudia ran determinedly up the hill. Seeing that she was not going to turn back, Mark followed her. The trail was very steep. It snaked back and forth in a forested ravine between the two cliff-faces. The sun was still on the far side of the hill and it was quite dark in the forest. Claudia and Mark focused on the ground in front of their feet, avoiding roots and stones as best they could.

They ran hard. Their lungs ached with the strain, but they kept pushing up the trail. Claudia thought she still had a long way to go when she was suddenly dazzled by the sun in her face as she reached the summit. She stopped. Mark came up beside her. They stood at the summit together while their breathing slowed, looking out over the landscape below.

Directly in front of them, the land dropped gently down a forested slope. Perhaps a quarter of a mile away, the slope gave way to a flat plain. The plain was completely carpeted in coffee bushes. The dark green of the plantation continued uninterrupted to another set of cliffs, faint in the distance. The sun had only risen a little above the distant cliffs, and the bushes shone in the morning light. They could see a river, bright silver in the sunlight, looping across the plain.

Claudia started down the path ahead of them.

"Claudia!"

Claudia ignored Mark's shout and kept going. Mark started after her. The path had broadened into a dirt road. Although the slope was relatively gentle, Mark could feel each footfall in his knees, as they absorbed the force of the descent.

Claudia could feel every part of her body working together as she ran down the hill. She could feel the sun on her face each time it broke through the leafy canopy overhead. She felt wonderful. She ran faster.

The had reached the plain. They could see the first of the bushes ahead of them. To their right was a low concrete building. Claudia was getting winded again. She stopped. Mark stopped beside her. They both stood, bent over, hands above their knees, catching their breath.

It did not take them long to get their wind back. Curious, Claudia walked over to the building. Mark followed. The door was open.

The building was long and the ceiling was low. At the level of the doorway, a grid of straight iron catwalks spread out through the building. Between the catwalks, great vats dropped down to the floor below. As Claudia and Mark walked along one of the catwalks into the building, they could see that inside the vats was a slurry of what looked like leaves. Judging from the overpowering smell, the liquid in the vats was kerosene.

Claudia and Mark heard two loud clicks in quick succession behind them. They turned.

Edward and Sibila were standing just inside the doorway. Each was holding a very serious-looking sub-machine gun. They looked ready to use them.

"You were not very smart to take that path." Edward's voice was cold.

Mark held out his hands and began to step forward, as if to speak.

"Don't move! Put your hands in the air, slowly. We will not hesitate to shoot."

Claudia and Mark put their hands in the air.

"Sibila."

Edward motioned with his head for Sibila to step forward. The barrel of his machine gun did not waver. Sibila walked towards the young couple, on the next catwalk over. She walked slowly, her machine gun always pointed toward them.

Mark and Claudia did not dare turn around as Sibila passed them. They heard her walk up behind them.

"Claudia. Step forward three paces." Edward's voice was commanding. Trembling, Claudia did as she was told.

Mark watched Claudia step forward. He heard Sibila behind him. He felt the machine gun barrel against the small of his back. He closed his eyes, unable to imagine what it would feel like when the bullets ripped through his stomach. But Mark did not feel the bullets. Instead, he felt a cool, moist cloth against his mouth and nose. There was a sharp smell, and he felt consciousness fading.

Sibila lowered his limp body carefully to the catwalk. She stepped over him and came up behind Claudia. Claudia felt the barrel against her back, and braced herself for the bullets she knew were coming. She saw Sibila's hand reach around covered with a white cloth, and smelled the sharp smell. She felt the cool wetness for only a moment before she lost consciousness.