There are a few small changes, most notably the end of this chapter, that are different from the first posted version.
Chapter 4
"Diego, please," Victoria pleaded, rubbing her cheek against his chest. His heart still beat strongly. Her hands awkwardly, thanks to how they were tied, rested against his cheek
He groaned and she quickly pressed her lips to his in an effort to silence him.
That action brought him fully awake and for a moment the two stared into one another's eyes.
"Oh, Dios, Diego. Your head," Victoria whispered, gently touching his temple.
He winced and she pulled her fingers away, muttering a quiet apology.
"I'm sorry," Diego blinked, trying to shake the dizziness from his mind. "I must have fallen asleep."
"That head wound is worse than it appears."
"I'll be fine. We need to get out of here and –"
"No, you need to rest right now."
"Victoria –"
"Stop." She lifted her arms and slipped them around his head. Her tied wrists rested against his neck as she lowered her mouth to his and kissed him lightly.
She could see his eyes widen in surprise and could feel his hesitation in returning her kiss. She had to tell him now. In case they didn't live to see tomorrow.
"I do love the man beneath the mask, Diego," she whispered, her mouth brushing his. "I'm sorry it took so long, so much unneeded pain, for me to admit it."
The barrier that Diego had erected over his emotions crumbled instantly. Although he could not wrap his arms around her and crush her body against his chest, his mouth captured hers in such a fierce, desperate kiss, that an embrace of the arms was not necessary to convey his feelings.
They kissed for a good while, desperately wanting to convince the other that the love between them was real, tangible. They murmured words of love both had secretly wanted to do for a very long time.
They were wrenched apart by the bandit's leader, before they could continue their discussion about escaping. Victoria was pulled to her feet while Diego sat up instantly at her rough treatment. "Hey, now, no giving him something you are unwilling to give us!"
The other bandits laughed as their leader placed a sloppy kiss on her cheek.
Diego thought quickly, hoping to deter the man from taking further advantage of the woman he loved. "She's my wife, you fool! Get your hands off her!"
The bandit hesitated for a moment and then lifted Victoria's tied hands. "Oh yeah? Then where is her wedding ring!"
Victoria struggled against her bonds and retorted before Diego could suitably reply. "Do you think I am foolish enough to wear such a precious piece of jewelry while riding alone?"
The bandit accepted this after a moment's reflection and pulled her toward the horses. "Let's go, muchachos. I don't want to take a chance someone might be looking for them. Back to the cave." He lifted Victoria onto his horse and swung himself up behind her.
"What about the caballero?" one of the other bandits said, pointing his musket at Diego's chest.
"Do you think I would try to escape while you have my wife?" Diego asked as he was pulled to his feet.
"Probably not," the leader said, "but just in case . . . Paco . . . knock him out."
"No!" Victoria cried as the butt of a musket once again collided with the back of Diego's head, dropping him to the ground, unconscious.
The bandits muttered and groaned as they tried to sling Diego's large body over the back of one of their horses. After ten minutes of struggling, they finally succeeded.
They carefully navigated their way out of the gully in which they had set up camp and further toward the mountains a little to the north west of the pueblo. Here, they would be able to hide from anyone who came looking for the missing man and woman.
The brush was so dense here that if the bandits didn't know where they were going, it would have been easy to miss the cave that had been carved into the hillside. As it was, cacti, tree limbs, and dry thorns brushed against the horses and the man unlucky enough to have given up his mount for Diego.
The bandit walking beside Diego's unconscious body swore loudly and startled the horses, before being silenced by a solid kick to the arm from his leader.
Once they reached the cave, large enough for a grown man to stand upright, they tethered the horses to a sapling and removed the saddlebags. The leader pulled Victoria out of the saddle while the other bandits dealt with Diego.
Victoria could hear, rather than see, Diego's body strike the ground. He was still unconscious and she was terribly worried that another blow to the head would kill him.
"Please let me see to Diego," Victoria pleaded with the bandit. "You've knocked him out again. He could have some permanent damage."
The leader eyed her suspiciously and kept her by his side until they'd started the fire.
Diego was deposited a few feet away and Victoria winced at the way he lay on the hard-packed dirt. His arms were still tied behind his back and now he had dried blood on both of his temples.
"Please?" Victoria pleaded with the bandit who held her close.
"Fine." He pushed her toward Diego and glanced around the cave. "It's not as if you can go anywhere without us seeing!"
But Victoria wasn't listening to him. She dropped to her knees beside Diego and pulled his head into her lap. She leaned over and whispered to him, but he did not stir. Even a kiss did not rouse him and she looked toward the bandits, gathered around the recently started fire. "Could I have some water?"
"No."
Victoria snarled. "If he dies, his father won't pay you one peso! I need some water to wipe the blood off his head."
"Come here and get it then, señora!" One bandit called.
Victoria pressed a gentle kiss to Diego's temple and than slipped his head slowly off her lap. When she reached the bandits, one wrapped his arms around her waist and attempted to kiss her.
The others laughed and one even reached for her legs beneath her skirt.
"Take your hands off my wife," came the unwavering voice from behind them. "My father will not pay your ransom if you harm her."
Victoria's head snapped toward Diego, elated that he was awake. She could see the pain in his eyes and she longed to go to him, but the bandit's hold on her was too tight.
The bandit finally released her and shoved a canteen of water into her hand. "That's all you're getting so don't drink it too quickly!"
Victoria snatched it out of his hand and hurried back to Diego. She tore the bottom of her skirt for a rag and poured a bit of water of it. When she began to scrub the blood off Diego's temple, he winced.
"Does it hurt badly?" Victoria asked, concerned, continuing, as gently as possible, to clean away the dried blood.
"Bad enough." Diego closed his eyes, trying to concentrate on her gentle touch, instead of the pain throbbing through his head.
"I'm sorry," her voice cracked and he tried to lift his head to assure her this situation was not her fault.
His response was drowned out by the bandit leader calling out to them. "I want proof of this – marriage." The other bandits glanced uncertainly at their leader. Was he suggesting – But the bandit continued, "If this woman is really your wife, we can demand a higher ransom."
"My father will pay whatever you ask," Diego assured the bandit, hoping that his father would do just that and give him the opportunity to ride after them as Zorro later.
"I want proof, Señor – now!"
Diego didn't hesitate for a moment before whispering urgently, "Kiss me. Quickly."
Victoria cast a defiant look over her shoulder and bent over Diego, kissing him as convincingly as she could.
Diego's mouth hungrily devoured hers, conveying, as visibly as he could, how much he loved this woman. He only wished he could wrap his aching arms around her lovely body to protect her from those disgusting bandits. He ignored the bandits catcalls and continued to kiss Victoria, hoping they would not require further demonstration of their love.
But it was not to be. The leader demanded further proof and to illustrate his intent, he wrenched Victoria away and pulled her to her feet. He rubbed his hands suggestively over her body amidst Victoria's struggle against her bonds.
"You're mad," Diego hissed.
"If you do not do as I wish, señor, I will take your wife myself! She is worth far less to us if she is some peasant woman, "his eyes scanned her clothing in the firelight, "which I am not convinced she isn't! You will prove to us that she is your wife, or, she just isn't," he licked his lips, "worth keeping untouched."
Diego closed his eyes and sighed. This was not happening.
But the bandit was speaking again. Ordering his men to tie Diego with his arms above his head. Diego briefly considered using this moment to make an escape attempt, until a knife slid beneath Victoria's chin.
The ache in his arms, as they were untied and wrenched painfully above his head, combined with the dizziness caused by the swift movement, convinced Diego that an escape attempt at this time would result in Victoria's death, if not something much worse. He wouldn't let them violate her. Not if there was something he could do to prevent it.
His arms were tied to a large post, possibly a hitching post for horses, Diego couldn't tell in the darkness. He only knew that when he tugged at his bonds, the stake didn't budge.
The bandit sliced through the robe binding Victoria's arms and tossed her onto her husband.
"I'm tempted to take her in front of your eyes anyway."
"You wouldn't dare!" Victoria hissed over her shoulder.
"Don't taunt him," Diego whispered urgently. "Just kiss me. Please. Maybe he will relent in this demand."
Victoria obeyed immediately and this time slid her hands around his head and brought his lips to hers. After a few breathless moments, where the world consisted only of them and their love, the demanding voice of the bandit's leader broke through their brief moment of bliss.
"Get on with it. I'm not going to wait all night!"
Victoria froze over Diego but he lifted his head and called, "Untie me then!"
The bandits laughed.
"I don't think so, señor. If she is your wife, she knows what to do to please you."
Diego closed his eyes and groaned. He tried one more time. "You can't expect me to be able to do this with an audience."
"Why, yes, I do. Now get on with it. I certainly wouldn't have trouble taking pleasure from her soft flesh!"
When he opened his eyes, Victoria could see regret and anger fill the flickering pools. She knew that if Diego attempted any more excuses, the bandit just might decide to violate her himself. Whirling, she demanded, "Give me a blanket. If we must do this in front of you, I want to be covered!"
The bandits laughed but the leader tossed her a blanket that would barely cover them.
"Victoria –"
She silenced him with a finger to his lips and leaned close. "We have to do this. Tell me what to do."
Diego shook his head and whispered, "I will find another way."
"I don't want to be raped by these men, Diego."
"This is not the way –"
"Then what are we going to do?"
"I'll show you," he whispered, "But you must trust me."
Victoria nodded nervously. She wasn't entirely innocent in the ways of lovemaking. She knew he was going to need to reach a certain – state, if they were to be convincing enough for the bandits.
He instructed her to straddle him and she did so, shame and embarrassment coloring her cheeks. She was tense and Diego knew, for this plan to work, she would need to at least appear less tense.
"Look at me," Diego whispered, almost desperately. "Don't look away. Think just about us. Let the outside world fall away." He tugged at the rope securing his hands above his head and grumbled when the bonds didn't give.
He needed to be aroused for this plan to work, and he instructed Victoria to unfasten his shirt. Perhaps her sweet touch would cause his body to respond in the way he needed it to.
Victoria's trembling fingers found the fastenings of his shirt and began to slip the buttons from their holes. When she parted the fabric and brushed her hands along the length of his surprisingly firm chest, against his heated skin, he willed his body respond. He knew that if it didn't, there was no way he could protect her from being violated.
The firelight flickered across his chest, casting most of his skin in a warm, red glow. She bent over him and pressed her lips to his chest, kissing the warm skin a bit too desperately. When her fingers brushed across one nipple, he inhaled sharply. She glanced uncertainly up at him and at his slow nod, continued. He instructed her to touch him there, using her lips and her tongue.
He wanted to touch her, hold her so badly. He risked breaking the moment they had created by lifting his head toward where the bandits sat at rapt attention and demanding, "Untie me!"
The leader contemplated this for a moment and then instructed one of his men to untie one of Diego's hands from the post. The others trained pistols on him while one bandit did as he was instructed.
Diego immediately wrapped his fingers around Victoria's cheek, bringing her lips to his in as reverent a gesture as the situation afforded. Then he slowly slipped his free hand beneath her skirts, trying as best he could to convince the bandits that they would complete this act.
"Sigh, Victoria," Diego whispered. "Pretend you are enjoying this or they will never believe."
She trembled above him.
Diego continued to touch her, hoping his own arousal would grow. It didn't matter if she was prepared. He had no intention of taking her in such a manner.
Victoria inhaled sharply and wonder filled her eyes. But Diego continued to kiss her, holding her lips captive as he did what was necessary to convince the bandits that they had done this before.
Her reaction to his touch was inflaming his desire and briefly he wondered at his ability to be so aroused given the circumstances.
He tore his lips from hers and whispered, "Unfasten –"
She nodded mutely, trembling as she heard the bandits laugh and call out from behind them. Lifting her hips, she struggled with the fastenings to his trousers and after a moment of tense uncertainty, the fastenings pulled free.
"You must move against me," he instructed silently. "Sigh, moan, you must act as if you are enjoying this. "
"I don't know what to do!" Victoria whimpered against him and he slid his hand around her backside. "Rub against me. Move your hips."
Victoria swallowed nervously but did as he instructed. The movement created a most peculiar feeling. One that she wanted to learn more about – later, when he could teach her in the privacy of their own bedroom.
She shifted over him, modestly covering him with her skirts. She also grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around them as best she could.
"Lean over me," he whispered and she did so without question.
Diego groaned against her lips and moved beneath her. He ignored the cheers that began when the bandits noticed him begin to move. With luck, they believed the act. If the bandits even suspected that they had not done this before, that she was an innocent, they would not hesitate to use her for their own pleasure.
Victoria gasped against his lips as he squeezed his eyes shut and pushed against her.
Diego could feel her tears fall onto his cheeks and he controlled a sob of regret, of shame at being forced to do this with the woman he loved so deeply. Dimly, he could hear the bandits calling out to them, but he released her lips and whispered lovingly for her to concentrate on only him, on their love.
The world fell away and as they kissed, she began to rock her hips against his of her own volition. Finally, her body relaxed enough to continue with this deception. Curiously, she felt an ache begin to grow within her. His touch was intimate, yet demanding. She suddenly knew what he was trying to do, and whimpered above him, hoping to convince the bandits that she was enjoying her husband's touch as much as he appeared to be enjoying hers.
Diego was a consummate actor. He had acted the part of a timid, indolent man for years. But the whimpers above him, the touch of their bodies, caused a sharp shudder to race straight down his spine. Each motion of her hips, each delectable sigh from her lips, drew him closer to release.
He groaned and captured her mouth in a desperate kiss to keep him from crying out too loudly. .
He pulled her down atop him, and held her tightly, willing his body to stop its violent trembling.
He dragged his mouth from hers. "Victoria –"
"Will that convince them?" she asked, wiping angrily at her own tears. She was ashamed at being forced to perform before these disgusting brigands and she was concerned that Diego would look at her differently now.
"I –"
"Very good, señor y señora. Very nice show!" The leader cooed.
"I guess so," Diego whispered, his hand caressing her neck, her shoulder, before wrapping his arm tightly around her.
Victoria settled against him and embraced him tightly. "I love you," she whispered for his ears only. Her body still ached with some unknown longing and her cheeks were warm with embarrassment.
"I love you, Victoria. So very much." He murmured, trying to convey, with simple words, the intensity of his love for her.
Diego wrapped his one free arm around her, trying to use it as a barrier between them and the cruel outside world. Shame still colored his cheeks but so did a renewed determination to get the woman he loved away from this situation. He fell asleep with plans formulating in his mind over just how to accomplish that.
TBC
Trollie - Well, was this chapter more evil than the last? I think so.
jkl88 - Well, all is forgiven now but - still more to come... :)
ClassicCowboy - Not a cliffhanger but still a good place to end this chapter, no:)
Smithcrafter - Oh, this story is done...I'm just being mean and posting a chapter at a time...:) Zorro Rides Again is done too...but, again, I'm only posting that a chapter at a time too. Mean? Moi? No-ooo. And where is more of YOUR torturous story? Hmmmm?