“Santa Natalia is at least three weeks sailing from here, possibly four if the weather is not on our side. How do you suppose I might provide for your safety during that time? Already my men eye you with a hunger they are not at pains to conceal.”
“They…they will obey you. I have seen that much and heard them talking. They will not harm me if you tell them they may not.”
“Your faith in my powers of coercion is touching, mademoiselle, but I fear it is not so simple. You have inveigled your way on board the Claw by deception, and the crew will expect a punishment. Once that little matter has been addressed, we will see about the rest.”
“What sort of punishment?”
“If you were the lad you pretended to be, it would be a whipping. You would be strapped to the mast, and Velvet would administer a dozen or so decent lashes. That usually convinces the younger members of my crew of the merits of obedience and hard work. Obviously, for the older, harder, more seasoned men, more lashes are required, though a hundred or more would tend to endanger life, and I would need to be seriously vexed to consider that.
“A whipping? No, please, I could not—”
The girl had paled again, her golden skin taking on the hue of old parchment. Her eyes widened in her fear, the irises darkening from a vivid blue to almost black.
Raven took pity on her. “I agree. You could not. We shall have to come up with something more suited to you. I think a good, bare-bottom spanking will meet our needs well enough.”
“You mean to spank me?” Her face was a mask of pure astonishment.
“I do. Here, now, in front of my crew so they can witness the discipline meted out. Once that is settled, you will be confined below decks and out of sight. That way, you might yet arrive at Santa Laura unharmed.”
Chapter 3
Paulette could barely believe what she was hearing. This vile pirate captain meant to humiliate her before the entire crew. And what was more, he meant to hurt her.
A spanking! A bare-bottom spanking…
Paulette had not had an especially easy existence, certainly not since the death of her father, but never before had she felt so threatened, so terrified and vulnerable. She was accustomed to hard work and occasional harsh words, but no one had ever laid a hand on her before this day. So far, she had already been punched and knocked off her feet, almost killed falling from the mast, and there was seemingly more to come.
She started to scramble backwards across the pile of ropes, away from this tall and terrifying man.
“Really, mademoiselle? Are you quite sure you want to do that and risk making me even more displeased with you?”
“Let me be. Please, I… I will remain below decks and cause no trouble.”
“Yes, you will. As soon as your spanking is over.” His hand snaked out, and before she realised what he was about, he had grabbed her bare ankle and was tugging her back towards him. “Stand up and follow me.”
Paulette was tempted to disobey and run in the opposite direction but had sufficient wits still about her to see the futility of that. She was on board a ship. There was nowhere to run to. Her feet felt like lead as she forced herself to trudge after the captain when he strode over to the short flight of steps leading from the main deck to the raised platform where the huge ship’s wheel was situated. The other man, Velvet, now gripped the handles extending out of the wheel and held their course steady. He regarded their progress towards him with undisguised interest.
The captain stopped at the foot of the steps, turned, and seated himself on the third tread. He grinned up at Paulette, his expression decidedly wicked.
“Some females enjoy a good, hard spanking. You may or may not be one of those. We shall soon know. Unless you would care to enlighten me now.”
“I do not understand what you mean.”
“Does the prospect of a spanking excite as well as scare you, mademoiselle? It is a simple enough question. Are you becoming wet, just at the thought of what is to happen? Is your anticipation heightened by the knowledge that others will be watching, admiring the lovely blush of your bottom as I redden it with my hand?”
Blush of her bottom? Paulette could not speak for that, but searing heat rose from her chest to engulf her face. She had never been more embarrassed. How could he speak to her in such a…suggestive manner? His words were outrageous, and…and intimate. And utterly seductive. Despite her shock, the first stirrings of desire curled within her, and it was not in Paulette’s nature to suppress such urges.
But neither was it in her nature to submit readily to a spanking. Or was it? The pirate captain patted his knee in invitation.
Her mind reeling, Paulette stepped forward. Her hands remained bound, so the captain assisted her in draping her body across his lap.
“I expect you will find it necessary to squirm somewhat, and you may make all the noise you like. I will not let you fall, and I will not stop until I consider the matter finished. Is this all quite clear, Paulette?”
“Yes, sir,” she managed, every muscle in her body stiff with apprehension.
“You will find this easier of you relax, but I appreciate that may not be possible, at least not at first. Shall we get on with this?”
“Yes,” Paulette replied. “Please.”
He let out a knowing chuckle and slid one hand beneath her to tug at the cord which held up her tattered pants. It came free readily enough. “I am going to pull your trousers down now,” he announced.
It was not a question, there was no sense in which he was seeking permission, but Paulette nodded anyway. She whimpered when the warm Caribbean breeze fluttered across her naked buttocks.
“Lovely arse, Paulette. You will need to lift it up a little more, if you please. I want you to get the full benefit of my attentions in correcting your conduct.”
Her mind still in a confused fog, Paulette settled her feet on the deck and arched her back in order to raise her bottom higher.
“Perfect.” The captain now laid his warm hand on her upturned buttocks and palmed them, his actions slow and leisurely. “You have gathered quite an audience, mademoiselle, but I am sure you will not mind if we wait a few more moments to allow those men who were working below to join us and witness your punishment.”
Paulette bit back a sob. Would this humiliation never be over?
“Ah, I do believe we are all assembled. You will face your audience, Paulette.”
No, no, no!
“Paulette, you will do as I say. Do not make your situation any worse by being stubborn.”
Reluctantly, Paulette turned her head and willed herself to open her eyes. She was met by the sight of the entire crew standing not twelve feet from where she lay draped across their captain’s lap, her bared bottom on display for all to leer at.
And leer they did. Many craned their necks to catch a better view of her naked buttocks, and perhaps more besides. Paulette squeezed her thighs together, determined not to let them see any more of her than was strictly necessary.
“You will repeat after me, loudly, so all may hear…” The captain paused, then continued. “I am sorry that I came uninvited onto the Raven’s Claw, and sorry that I tried to deceive you all by pretending to be a boy.”
“I… I…” Paulette could not force the words out past the lump in the throat.
“Calm down. Breathe in, then out. Yes, that is good. Now you will try again.” The captain repeated the words she was to say. “I am sorry that I came uninvited onto the Raven’s Claw…”
“I am sorry that I came un…un…uninvited onto the Raven’s Claw,” Paulette sobbed.
“And I am sorry that I tried to deceive you all by pretending to be a boy,” the captain prompted, still palming the globes of her arse.
“I am sorry that I tried to deceive you by pretending to be a boy.” If she just said it quickly, it was not so bad.
“Thank you. That was well done. Now repeat this… I need to be spanked in order that I may learn the importance of truth and h
onesty, and I thank your captain for his time and trouble in teaching me this lesson.”
“I cannot. I cannot say that…”
“I think you can, and you will. We shall all wait here until you do, though if you choose to delay matters unduly, I may find it needful to take a switch to your thighs by way of encouragement.”
“Please, sir, just do what you mean to do and—”
“Say the words, and we can get on with it.” The captain’s tone was implacable.
Paulette hauled in a ragged breath. “I… I need to be spanked so that I can learn to be honest and truthful. I am grateful to your captain for taking the time to teach me.”
“Good enough,” he said, “We are almost finished with the speeches now. It only remains for you to thank the men for their time and attention in stopping their work to watch you being duly punished.”
There was no point in further protest. Her humiliation was complete when Paulette faced the assembled men and forced the words past her dry lips. “Thank you for stopping work to watch me being spanked.”
“Excellent. Now you may ask me to begin your spanking.”
“Please begin, sir. And please…be quick.”
“We have already established that your spanking will continue for as long as I deem necessary. But I wonder, how hard should I spank you? What is your view on that, mademoiselle?”
Paulette groaned. She knew the correct response to that by now. “As hard as you think is needed, sir.”
“Quite so. And in my opinion, that will need to be very hard indeed, in order to be entirely sure that you will never forget this experience.”
“There is no danger of that, sir.”
He chuckled. “I shall make sure of it, even so.”
He ceased his gentle palming of her backside and Paulette shuddered. She clenched, hard, but the first slap still took her breath away.
“Aaagh!” She screamed out loud and wriggled on his lap, kicking her feet and fighting to get away.
“Settle down, Paulette.” His left arm was wrapped around her waist, and he used one booted foot to anchor both her legs in place. Despite her struggles, she was going nowhere.
Defeated, Paulette lay still and attempted to gather her wits. They were shattered again when the second spank landed across her right buttock with a resounding crack.
Again, she screamed, but her struggles were less. She had learned the futility of that.
The spanking continued, slap after slap, crack after crack. The captain rained hard spanks down on her tender, unprotected buttocks while Paulette squirmed and writhed across his thighs. Her screams turned to howls, then to sobs as the punishment went on. Her bottom was surely on fire and swollen to at least twice its usual size. He did not neglect her thighs, either, dropping blow after blow on the delicate spot where thigh and bottom joined. She was quite convinced she would not sit for a week.
Maybe she would never sit down again.
The agony grew. Fire streaked across her skin, each searing spank melding into the next until she was convinced he was not even pausing between the strokes. Paulette went limp, surrendered at last to the inevitable, and to the fact that she had no choice. He was in charge, and she could do nothing but endure.
“You may get up now, mademoiselle.”
Paulette gulped, still sobbing. The pain was so intense she had not even realised that he had stopped. Was it over? Could it be…?
Again, he rested his palm on her buttock and rubbed gently. It hurt. Everything hurt. She had become reduced to one single, tight knot of pain, shivering in the sweltering Caribbean heat.
The captain pushed his spare hand under her chest and slowly eased her upwards, into a standing position. She staggered, might even have fallen but for his hands on her elbows, holding her steady. Still Paulette wept, tears of pain, humiliation, fear, and something else. Anger? Disappointment? Frustration? Her feelings were in turmoil, her emotions shredded into a chaotic tangle. She had no idea what she wanted, or needed, but there was something missing.
He pulled her disreputable pants back up and refastened them at her waist. Paulette winced. The coarse fabric irritated her punished skin; she longed to be bare again.
“Look at me, Paulette.” The captain’s tone was low now, seductive and warm.
Paulette gazed at him through the blur of her tears. He opened his arms and beckoned her with his fingers. She needed no further encouragement and threw herself against his chest. His arms folded about her, and Paulette knew at once what had been missing.
This. This closeness, this sense of being safe, at home, cared for. She burrowed closer, pressed her breasts into the hard planes of his torso. He loosened the neckerchief which bound her wrists, and suddenly free, she flung her arms about his neck and clung on. The captain somehow manoeuvred her onto his lap, the right way up this time, and continued to cradle her there. Paulette was dimly aware of the shuffle of bare feet, the low muttering and occasional raucous laughter as the men made their way back to their tasks, the fun over for the day.
When all was silent about them, she peered up at him. Her tears were less now, though her cheeks remained wet.
“You are all right,” he told her. “You survived.”
“I know,” she whispered.
“You have a look of a woman needing to be fucked, if I may say so. A spanking can have that effect.”
Paulette shook her head, though in confusion rather than denial. In truth, a decent fuck at the hands of a man who knew his way about a woman’s body was a prospect not to be sneezed at. “I…could you? I mean…”
His mouth curled in a smile, and for the first time, Paulette registered how very handsome the pirate captain was. Jet-black hair, the shade even deeper than her own, fell to his shoulders. His lip was edged by a fine moustache, equally dark, as were his arched eyebrows. His eyes were a slate grey, the colour of the skies in a tropical storm. His skin was sun-kissed, bronzed by the Caribbean heat to a shade just a little lighter than her own complexion.
She had tried to convince herself that Giles Chirac was attractive, but he paled, quite literally, beside this specimen of wild and rugged male beauty. Paulette could only stare, and as she did so she found she could no longer deny the strength of her attraction to the man who had scared her, humiliated her, spanked her.
“Shall we go below?” he asked her gently.
“B-below? Do you mean to lock me in the hold?”
He shook his head, his strong white teeth revealed by his grin. “No. You shall share my cabin, mademoiselle. I believe we may enjoy each other’s company.”
“You…you must promise not to hurt me.”
His grin widened. “Ah, but I cannot do that, little one. And I do not believe that is what you truly want. You respond so prettily to pain. I believe we shall require a good deal more of it in order to satisfy you.”
“I am frightened.”
Her honest admission caught Paulette by surprise, but apparently not the captain. “I know. But I swear you will come to no harm, in my cabin, or in my bed. I mean to make you squeal a bit more still before we are done, and I promise you pleasure, too. But you will meet with no lasting harm.” He paused. “Do you trust me on that matter, Paulette?”
“Yes, I do.” She had no idea why she should trust him, but she did. Absolutely. And neither could she deny the moisture gathering between her thighs, the dampness even now trickling down her legs.
Oh God, I am a slut. Miss Elisabeth said I was a slut, and she was right.
“I have no idea who Miss Elisabeth is, but I am relieved to learn she has turned out to be such an astute judge of character.” The captain rose to his feet, lifting Paulette in his arms.
“I did not mean to speak that out loud.”
He laughed again. “I am glad that you did. It is good that we understand one another.”
He crossed the deck in a few long strides and ducked his head to descend the single set of stairs leading to the two cabins below. The first door
they passed stood ajar. Curious, Paulette tried to peer in.
“That cabin serves as a storeroom and an infirmary for the care of the sick or injured,” the captain offered. “When not called into service for either of those purposes, Velvet sleeps there.” He set her on her feet in front of the only other door. “The captain’s private cabin,” he explained. He gestured to her to open the door and enter.
Paulette drew in a breath, tilted her chin up, and reached for the doorknob.
Chapter 4
Christ’s bones, what a find.
Raven watched the slim girl wander about his private domain, laying her delicate fingers on the books in a case at one end of the cabin. She removed one, a play by Shakespeare, opened it, glanced at the pages, then put the volume back. Raven supposed she could not read, but still she appeared to appreciate the intrinsic beauty of the object. She moved on to study the navigational instruments he kept on his desk. A compass, a sextant, a telescope…she lifted each in turn, looked at it, then set it down carefully.
“These are to help you find your way across the oceans,” she ventured.
“Yes.” He tilted his head to one side. “Come here, Paulette.”
She came to him, readily, without hesitation, though apprehension lingered in her vivid blue gaze. Her hair tumbled in unruly waves around her shoulders. He took a lock between his thumb and fingers and rubbed it.
So soft.
“This is beautiful. Such a pity to have concealed it beneath that awful hat. Were you not warm?”
“Scorching, sir.”
He quirked his lip. “And now?”
“I… I feel somewhat hot, sir.”
“Then please feel free to remove your clothing.” He lifted one sardonic eyebrow. “I cannot say your current outfit suits you, exactly.”
He crossed to the small, square window which offered a panoramic view of the direction of travel, but that was not the scene he wished to peruse. He leaned against the sill, his back to the glass, arms folded, and waited to see what his guest would do next.
Pirates, Passion and Plunder Page 15
