A Shepherd Afield Pt. 02

Ben scowled and his facial scar flared. La'Shia pulled her hand back from Ben's arm as he suddenly made her nervous.

"That's over. She's free of him." He held her eyes then glanced at the others at the table as they watched him.

La'Shia nodded to Ben. He turned away and went back to his table.

"That didn't look too promising." Thomas said seeing Ben's angry look.

"No, it's fine. Message delivered. Rain is free." He looked at the timidly smiling woman. "Night is going to be a problem so please don't travel anywhere alone." Her smile dimmed but she nodded to him. Trish picked up Ben's anger.

"I'll be watching for him," she growled.

"Another damsel in distress rescued by the hero?" Thomas teased but was surprised to receive an angry glance from Ben. Rochelle caught the look and took Thomas' hand making him look her way. She quietly explained Ben's aversion to the term as the big man's attention moved elsewhere.

Ben gave himself a little shake and noticed neither woman had any food in front of them. "You haven't eaten yet?"

Trish winced and Rain bit her lip. Ben held up his hands. "Sit. I'll get you each a plate. What would you like?" The ladies smiled and gave him their order. A few minutes later he returned with their plates. They grinned as he served them like a waiter and dug in.

"So now that your morning is open what would you like to do with it?" Rochelle asked.

"Relaxing by the pool sounds nice," Ben suggested. Rochelle and Thomas nodded in agreement. Ben looked at Susan. "You are welcome to join us of course."

"Thank you!" she smiled.

Once the two ladies had eaten their breakfast they made their way back up to the room to change into their bathing suits. They told Susan to knock when she was ready.

Ben used the bathroom to switch into his board shorts and sandals but when he came out he saw Trish had changed into her red bikini that barely covered anything. She was pouting as she looked at Rain who was wearing a plain green bikini.

"Ben, Rain needs a new swim suit! This one does her no justice!" Trish complained.

"I think she looks lovely but there's a boutique in the lobby. No doubt you'll find some there. Charge it to my room." Ben said as he dumped their pool towels into a bag with the lotion bottles and looked for his sunglasses. He was surprised when Trish kissed his cheek and Rain tugged him down so she could kiss the other side.

"We'll meet you by the pool!" Trish said as she rushed out of the room with Rain in tow as quickly as their aching allowed. Susan was in the hall in her white bikini so Ben stepped out and they walked down to the pool at a more sedate pace.

They found and reserved six chairs next to the pool. Ben laid out their towels on the chairs and pulled a bottle of sunblock from the bag. He looked up and saw they'd get plenty of sun, for now at least.

"May I help you put lotion on your back?" Susan asked with a small smile.

Ben hesitated looking into her eyes then nodded. She gestured for him to sit so he sat at the end of a lounge chair and she straddled the chair a little further up behind him. She squirted some lotion in her hands and reached up to begin with the back of his neck.

As she rubbed the protection into his skin he worked the lotion over his face, the front of his neck then down his chest.

"Oh poo! You didn't wait for us!" Trish pouted as she saw them rubbing lotion onto his skin.

Ben looked over and froze as he saw the shiny fabric of Trish's red bikini gleaming in the sun, her large tits pressing firmly against the small fabric patches. Then he saw the tiny, sexy leopard pattern bikini Rain was wearing. The fabric just covered the essentials and multiple black strings held it in place. She looked... very sexy.

"So you approve of our choice?" Trish said with a smug expression. Rain's smile was dazzling. Trish had picked up new sunglasses, and sexy sandals for their new friend as well. She'd also bought gold dangly earrings for them both. Rain slowly spun in place showing Ben just how little skin on her back was covered. The bikini bottom was apparently a g-string as the black string disappeared between her firm ass cheeks. He swallowed and her smile just got bigger.

She leaned forward and gave him another kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, Ben," Rain said breathily.

"You're welcome," he said. He dragged his attention back to applying sunblock on himself.

Thomas arrived with Rochelle on his arm and the group smiled at them. They settled in on the chairs next to Ben and began applying their own lotion.

When Susan and Ben were finished applying lotion to him Trish wiggled a bottle of sunscreen between her fingers as she grinned at Ben. He got up from the chair and thanked Susan for her help as she began to apply her own lotion. She nodded and he walked over to Trish. She stretched out on her stomach and reached back to undo the strings on her top.

"Work that lotion in all the way down." Trish cooed.

She managed to keep a coy smile on her lips until his hands began to knead and rub the skin on her neck and shoulders. Then she surrendered to the sensations and moaned as he massaged the slippery stuff into her skin.

"Take notes and get busy," Rochelle said to Thomas as she laid out on her lounge chair. He grinned and rubbed his hands together. Soon both Trish and Rochelle were moaning in bliss as the men applied lotion to their bodies.

When Ben was finished he turned to see Rain looking hopefully at him. He nodded and she squeaked with joy as she dropped onto her belly on the chair and undid the strings on her top. He worked the lotion into her skin as she bit her lips to stifle her moans as best she could.

"I didn't realize I was getting a massage too!" she managed to say between the happy noises she made.

When he reached her bottom he realized with so little fabric he was going to have to massage her incredible ass as well. He was already partially erect from the noises the ladies had been making and their silky smooth skin. There was nothing he could do about it. He poured some lotion on his palm and began.

Rain sucked in a breath as his large hands began to rub and knead her ass. When his fingers slid down into near proximity of her intimate places she struggled to contain her gasps and coos. She bit her lip and looked over at Trish who had a mischievous grin in her face. She knew! She knew Ben would do this to her! Trish really was an imp! She was so fucking close! As Ben's hands left her ass and moved down her legs she was trembling with need. She looked back at him and caught his eye.

Ben felt Rain squirming under his hands and he could tell she was really worked up. Truthfully he'd spent more time on her ass than was strictly necessary but it was so damn sexy. He saw her desperate look when he moved his hands down to her legs. She must have been closer than he thought. He glanced around but the pool area was becoming busy with other guests taking the chairs nearby and staff moving amongst the chairs to take orders. While Trish and Susan were watching with rapt attention they were also getting glances from the other guests. He realized there was nothing he could do for Rain at the moment.

With an apologetic look he moved his hands down her legs and she moaned quietly in disappointment.

Rain looked over at Trish who was doing her best to stifle her laughter. It had been her idea to get the g-string. She knew how worked up Ben would make her. Grinning wickedly at the smugly happy redhead Rain began to plot her revenge.

Ben got up and made his way back to his lounge. He was showing against his swimsuit and Susan admired the view.

"Would you like me to return the favor and get your back?" Ben asked to distract her and she beamed a smile at him with a nod.

She laid on her stomach and Ben plucked the ties undone on her top, folding it open. She squeaked in surprise as she hadn't expected him to do that. She looked over her shoulder and saw Ben's embarrassment.

"I- I'm sorry. I assumed you'd want to avoid tan lines too," he said.

"It's ok... leave it open," she said, feeling a happy tingle spreading through her pussy. She felt so naughty! When his strong hands touched her skin bolts of electricity shot through her body deliciously but she managed to stifle her moans. Most of them.

Ben made his way from her neck and shoulders and worked downwards. She wasn't wearing a g-string so he didn't spend so much time on her ass but by the time he was finishing up on her feet she was purring. She smiled at him so he laid down on his own lounge chair and relaxed. He saw he was still tenting his trunks but he was fed up with trying to hide the damn overactive thing. He closed his eyes and just listened to the sounds around him. Soon he was lulled by the heat of the sun, the sound of the water lapping at the side of the pool and the quiet murmur of conversation around the pool. He dozed off.

"BEN!"

He jolted awake to see concerned brown eyes looking down at him. It was Rain and Trish was standing behind her.

"What? What's wrong?" he gasped. He realized he was sweating profusely and he was gasping for breath.

"You must have fallen asleep. You were having a nightmare. We heard you calling out in your sleep." Rain said. "Can you recall what you were dreaming about?"

Ben's head snapped to the side as images of fire and the sound of screams flashed through his mind. Then it was gone. He sat up and ran his fingers through his hair.

"What... what did I say?" he asked hesitantly.

Rain's brows furrowed as she tried to recall. "I think you said 'no' but angrily. Then you said it again but you were choking on the word like you were terrified."

"It sounded like that to me as well," Trish offered.

Ben shook his head then stood, avoiding their eyes. "Time for a swim." They were situated near the deep end of the pool so he walked forward and just stepped off the edge, letting himself sink to the bottom. It was refreshing after the heat of the sun. He kicked off and swam towards the shallow end.

Trish and Rain watched Ben jump in the pool and shared a worried look. Rochelle walked over.

"Was that Ben crying out in his sleep?" she asked.

"Yes. He had a nightmare but he wouldn't tell us what it was." Trish replied.

"I don't think he remembered," Rain said.

Trish looked out at the pool and saw Ben surface some distance away. "He remembered. He just doesn't want to face whatever it was."

Chapter 11

Ben made his way back to the room after his massage in the spa feeling truly relaxed. He could get used to this spa treatment if he let himself. Trish and Rochelle were still there having manicures, pedicures, facials, and getting their hair done. They'd tried to add Rain but the spa had been booked solid. They promised her they'd include her in their next visit. Instead she went back to their room to read.

Ben let himself into the room and spotted her sitting on a lounge chair out on the balcony. He joined her and took the chair next to hers. She'd pulled a t-shirt on over her bikini and was reading Lolita though she put it down to smile at him.

"How was your massage?" she asked.

"It was very relaxing!" he smiled. "Rochelle is joining Thomas for dinner tonight with his brother and his friends so it's just you, Trish and I for dinner."

"Susan isn't joining us?" she asked cheekily.

"Not tonight... but she's always welcome," he added, pitching his voice to be overheard in case she was peeking through the wall divider once more.

Rain chuckled as she caught on.

Ben looked at the woman sporting a variety of tattoos and smiled. "Do you have a story for each tattoo?"

Rain looked at her arms with a thoughtful expression. "Yes, I guess I do but not all of them are for sharing." She looked at the big man in the hotel robe. "Much like how you don't talk about your scars."

He nodded then shrugged. "What Trish told you last night pretty much covers the story of most of them. I don't really have much to say about them. Experience marks." He frowned then shook his head to clear it. "This feels like I'm doing it backwards considering our activities this morning but who is Rain Palomo? You... have someone at home?" he asked cautiously.

She smiled at his concern. "No, I have no one at home. No boyfriends. No family for that matter. I'm an orphan."

"Foster parents?" Ben asked.

She nodded and looked at her hands. "I was really young when my mom died. I was moved between homes at the start. Had some bad experiences and it really messed me up. Then I was taken in by a really tough old lady and her sweet old man. They set me straight and treated me well. Like a real person. They got me some therapy and helped me catch up on my schooling. I learned I was smart and with their support I really started fast tracking. They saw me graduate high school and I won a bursary so I enrolled in University to be a psychologist. They were killed during a home invasion while I was out celebrating with a friend."

"I'm sorry," Ben said and she just nodded, still looking at her hands. She sighed and looked at him with a forced smile. "How about you? I know you're with Trish and I'm getting vibes from Rochelle that you might have had something with her."

"I have people at home." Ben didn't feel up to explaining that complicated situation. To deflect he found himself making a confession. "I'm an orphan as well. My parents were killed by a drunk driver when I was five. No other family so I was dumped into the foster care system too. It was... bad for me." Ben looked out over the grounds. The rain had begun in earnest and they watched it for a while.

"Are these the scars you don't like talking about?" Rain asked gently.

Ben's eyes found hers and he saw the depth of her compassion there. He saw her pain. She knew. She'd been there. He nodded as his jaw clenched.

Rain nodded in return. "It won't stay inside. It leaks out. For me, I was so angry! That rage made me violent. I- I hurt people. Bad. I was so young." she said quietly, watching the rain fall.

They were quiet for a while just... being.

"It's leaking out for me too."

Rain looked over at Ben. His cheeks were wet but he seemed unaware of it.

"I- I can't stop it."

"Then don't."

Ben looked at her. "It hurts too much."

"It's only truly bad the first time."

His eyes widened as something replayed behind his eyes.

"NO!" he yelled as he jumped to his feet and rushed back into the room. Rain jumped from her chair and ran after him. She caught her foot on the robe he dropped and fell hard. She heard the room's door close behind him as she tried to suck air back into her lungs.

She pushed herself to her feet and ran out into the hall. She thought she saw him disappearing down the stairs to the lobby. She ran to catch up still wheezing. He couldn't have gotten far. She took the stairs two at a time and ran out into the center of the lobby but no sign of Ben. Maybe he went to see Trish in the spa?

Rain ran across the lobby and down the hall into the spa. She looked around for Ben or Trish but only saw some of the ladies from Dream's entourage.

Then she spotted someone out the window running down the path towards the beach. It could have been Ben!

She rushed back to the lobby and followed the same path to the beach. The rain was still coming down pretty hard and visibility wasn't good but she could run faster than Ben. She'd catch him.

"Trish?"

The redhead heard her name called as she rested back in her chair at the back of the spa. Her mudpack was slowly hardening on her face. If she opened her mouth it would crack and all this work would be for naught.

"Mmm!"

"It's La'Shia. Rain just ran into the spa looking panicked and ran back out. My girls spotted her running towards the beach.

"Shit!" Trish sat up and pulled the cucumber slices off of her eyes. She saw La'Shia looking nervously at her.

"I don't know where Night is but it didn't look like she was being chased. She seemed to be chasing someone else."

"Ben. FUCK!"

"What's wrong?" Rochelle woke with a start. "Something happened to Ben?" She pulled the slices from her eyes and looked around.

"It's ok, I got it." Trish said and dropped her robe on the chair as she stood. She still had her bikini on but her shoes were upstairs. She ran barefoot through the spa and out through the lobby towards the beach. The rain began to soften the mud on her face and it ran down into her eyes and stung. She stopped when she reached the edge of the property and used the shower to quickly scrub her forehead clean. She shook her hands clean and wiped the water from her eyes. As she opened them she caught a flash of motion then a fist struck her in the temple. She crumpled to the ground stunned. She felt herself being roughly tugged off the path into the bushes.

"HEY! HEY!" Rochelle screamed as she ran down the path towards them. The man leapt into the bushes and ran further into the jungle, crashing through the brush to get away.

By the time Rochelle got to Trish she was sitting up tenderly holding her head and her assailant was nowhere to be seen.

"Fucker sucker punched me," she moaned.

Suddenly they heard screaming coming from the jungle. The women looked at each other as the screams went on and on becoming more shrill. Then silence.

"Ben. I hafta find Ben," Trish slurred but she couldn't stand on her own.

Rochelle helped her up and pulled her towards the lobby. "You are in no shape to help anyone! I want someone to look at that cut on your temple! NOW!" Trish let herself be guided back to the lobby. Thomas rushed out into the rain and helped Rochelle walk Trish back under the roof. La'Shia, Dream, Killah and one of the ladies were watching and staying dry.

"What happened?" La'Shia asked with a frightened look on her face. Dream's expression was closed off and his body was stiff.

"Someone... someone hit me. My eyes were closed. Fuckin' hurts!" Trish said. She was still slurring slightly.

"I only got a glance of the man as he ran into the jungle when I screamed. It was dark by the shower but he was pretty big and he was pulling Trish off the path," Rochelle explained.

Killah pulled out a white cloth and gently dabbed the cut. "Fuck. Dream. Look," he said, his deep voice rumbling in his anger.

"Could have been anyone," Dream said, his voice tight.

"Look at the SHAPE OF THIS MUTHAFUCKIN' CUT! IT'S-"

"ENOUGH!" Dream screamed at his friend. He turned and rushed off. La'Shia watched him go, her expression swinging between angry and confused.

Rochelle turned to Thomas. "Do you have your phone?" He nodded. "Please take a picture of the cut and send it to me and Trish. I'll give you the addresses."

Thomas took shots from a few different angles. Rochelle helped him send the pictures to them.

"It's stopped bleeding but you are going to have a very large bruise. You might have a concussion." Killah said. The group looked at him. "What? My dad was a boxer. I know things."

"The cut's from Night's ring, isn't it," La'Shia said to the big man.

He frowned but nodded. "It looks like it."

"Whoever it was started screaming in the jungle shortly after he ran off. I think it was a man's screams." Rochelle said and Trish just nodded. "If he shows up injured then you'll know."

"Ben and Rain. I need to look for them." Trish said. Rochelle felt better as her slurring was gone but there was no way Trish was going back out there.

"No, you are going to your room to rest. I will take you there myself. Rain can take care of Ben for now."

The woman in question was jogging down the beach towards a downed tree. She saw someone sitting on the log staring out at the ocean.

She slowed and walked cautiously forwards until she recognized Ben. He was breathing hard from his run.