Chapter Two
My heaven suddenly turned to a hell as a whip cracked resoundingly, and flaming pain seared across my naked back.
Screaming mindlessly in shock and terror, I flung my quivering body off of my darling Elsie and the damp picnic basket—and found myself staring up into the maddened eyes of Elsie’s red-faced father! We tried to hide our nakedness as best we could, but we had only scraps of clothing and the blanket, which tangled and seemed far too short to hide our quaking bodies. We struggled unsuccessfully to cover ourselves, but it was all too clear that there was no appeasing the man. He was deathly silent in the face of our frantic motions.
His mouth worked uncontrollably, yet for a moment no words came. An engorged, ropy vein throbbed visibly at his sweating temple, and the
