"Time to go back," Hugh announced, holding her hand to lead her regretfully from the water.
"I won't go back with you. I want to stay here," she begged, fearful that her liberation from that apartment was about to end, that she would again have to endure the terrifying nightmare. "I… I know where I live. I'm going home to my parents."
"Sure you are, Linda. As soon as you wash the salt water off and get dressed you'll be free to go home. I promise." Hugh gave her his best winning smile. Jesus, I don't want a scene on the beach. The bitch might start callin' for the cops. They both breathed a sigh of relief when she stopped trying to go back into the surf and walked with them towards the promenade. Back in the apartment they showered her, shampooed her hair, dried it with the blower, dressed her and told her to use Jenny's cosmetics to hide some of the marks on her neck. They were proud of their work: they'd never groomed a girl before. They dressed in shirts and shorts, packed their carnival gear into a bag and escorted Linda along the street to her apartment.
"Er, you'd better explain to your parents about your swollen mouth, Linda. Tell 'em you fell of a horse up in Queensland," Hugh said as they stopped outside the entrance to her apartment building. "Well, eh, cheerio, Linda. It's been nice, er, meetin' you."
Linda entered the building without a word and without glancing back. She couldn't believe it was all over and that they were actually letting her go. She let herself into the apartment, a nervous apprehension stirring in her stomach. The place was empty. On her bed she found a note: "Darling Princess. In case you return while we're at church: welcome home! We're longing to see you. Lots of love, Mom and Dad."
Tears welled up in her eyes. How could I ever have blamed them for what they did at home that night? she thought guiltily. I willingly submitted to degrading acts which they would never believed existed. In a way she wished she could tell them about it but she never could – the generation gap was far too wide.
Quantas flew its jumbo jet out of Kingsford Smith Airport on the first leg of its flight to San Francisco, an early morning flight with Mr. and Mrs. Arnold Spender and daughter Linda among the first-class passengers. Linda gazed out at a cloudless sky, as the jet made its curving climb, looking back at the golden strips of sand running disconnected for miles along the Australian coast. She picked out Bondi Beach, the first strip of sand south of the harbor heads, and instead of feeling tired and happy now that she was flying far away from the scene of her degradation, she felt sad and humiliated. She had arrived in Sydney almost believing that she was a princess. She could now see herself in perspective, and though very much sadder she believed she was a little wiser than when she had rushed, carefree and innocent into the surf that day two weeks ago.
The sun cast its rays through the window of the huge plane, Linda feeling the heat of it through her thin cotton dress, gradually inducing a feeling of euphoria, listlessness that allowed her body to relax in the semi-reclined seat. Her hand resting in her lap, she unconsciously pressed gently down on the swollen mound. She did not think of Hugh, Billy, Tiger, Jim and Jenny; she thought of Tom, her decent, well-bred boyfriend waiting for her at Long Beach. She thought of his rather small, white cock. She felt sexier. She thought of how things would be different this time, when they were again together in his convertible. She covered her hand with her sweater so that she could press her middle finger down into the soft lips to stroke her clitoris. She wouldn't shy away from Tom. She would suck his cock and fill her mouth with the creamy cum that had once so terrified her. She would take him and all of his friends from his class, if they wanted her. She thought of Tom's thirteen year old sister: she was almost ripe! Princess Linda would give them all a royal fuck. Fuck! What a lovely word!
"You all right, Princess?" called her father from across the aisle.
"Yes, Daddy. I'm perfectly content," she replied. "But I sure can't wait to get home."