by Sophie Stern
"This is Julianne," the captain spoke again, silencing the crowd. "And she will be continuing with us on this here journey. When Rupert cornered me, I was preparing to leave a meeting with Julianne. She had just brought me new information about our search for Mad Drake's gold."
A few of the sailors nodded appreciatively, seemingly pleased with the information. Others shook their heads, obviously disgruntled with the idea of a woman on the ship. While Nelson knew that some ships managed to function well with a female on board, many pirates still hated the idea. There was a notion that women were bad luck, and that was a rumor Nelson thought would never die.
"When Rupert pulled out his pistol, I gave Julianne the signal to kill him, which she did." Nelson knew that this was not entirely true. In fact, he knew that it wasn't true at all. What Wade needed right now, though, was not the truth. What he needed was for his men to continue to fear him and find him unbeatable in battle. He needed his men to respect him. He needed to send a message that if anyone was in cahoots with Rupert, they could face the same fate.
Nelson didn’t know why the captain was sparing his sister’s life, but he knew that it was only obvious to him. He was the only one who knew about The Dark Lovely’s stowaway, after all. He was the only one who could be certain that until yesterday, no one but he knew Julianne existed on the ship.
“I will not tolerate a mutiny,” the Captain said, and all eyes were glued to him. “Any of ye start thinkin’ you’re better than what ye are, and there’ll be hell to pay and a plank to walk, and in that order.”
Captain Wade Docherty went on to explain all of the ways he would torture and kill his crew if he caught any of them in cahoots to overthrow his rule of The Dark Lovely. Nelson started to tune out the words. He’d heard them all before and at this point, he knew this was all just for show. There wasn’t going to be a mutiny, but the Saucy Devil still had to ensure no one started feeling brave in the weeks to come.
They were closer than ever to the coveted treasure, and if what Wade said about new information was true, there could be a breakthrough. They might be able to find it soon. After all of this time, Nelson knew that this was what Wade wanted more than anything else in the world. His sister’s name caught his attention and Nelson turned back to Wade.
“Miss Rye is here as my consultant. She is not to be bothered by the likes of you scallywags.”
No one spoke as the sailors continued to eye Julianne. Nelson knew that his sister was a beautiful woman, but he hated the idea that these men were looking at her in such a manner. He knew they were hoping for a quick lay after a long day at sea. He knew they were thinking of ways to seduce her. Nelson spoke up.
"Captain," he said. Wade turned to him with an expressionless face, and Nelson continued. "Do you intend for her to stay on the mess deck with us?" A few of the sailors started hooting and hollering, but one look from Wade shut them right up.
"Julianne will stay with me, Rye." Nelson nodded, not sure whether to be pleased that she would be safe from the sailors or nervous that she would be alone with Wade.
"That'll be all," the captain told his men, and the group quietly dispersed to prepare for their early morning departure. As the crowd scattered, Nelson remained behind, and Wade motioned for him. "Meet me in my cabin," he said with a low growl.
Nelson obeyed.
**
When Wade arrived at his room a few minutes later, Julianne was sitting quietly on the bed and Nelson was pacing nervously in the center of the room. He wondered if the boy was afraid he'd be killed for keeping a stowaway on board or if he was relieved that Wade had decided to spare his sister's life.
The captain entered the room with broad, quick strides and marched right over to Nelson. He raised his hand and slapped him in the face, the way he would silence an unruly servant or an insolent woman. Nelson did not react, not even to cry out or to rub his cheek. He knew he was getting off easy.
"Never again," he told Nelson, "will ye lie to me on my ship. The next time, I won't be so forgiving."
Nelson nodded.
"Tell no one Julianne is your sister," Wade continued. "For her own safety, no one can know. She will stay with me as we continue to seek Mad Drake's gold until she chooses, of her own accord, that she no longer wishes to experience a life of piracy." Though Wade had no intention of keeping Julianne as a prisoner, a small part of him hoped she would stay with him, at least for awhile. There was something about her so enticing, so pure, that he worried he would quickly become addicted to her.
"Aye-aye," Nelson said. Wade jerked his head toward the door, letting Nelson know that he was excused, but the boy paused at the door and turned back.
"Captain?"
Wade turned and raised an eyebrow.
"Thank you for saving my sister."
12
Julianne and Wade were alone once more in his cabin. The sun was shining brightly, shooting beams of light into the room. It was much brighter than her tiny room in the hold had been and Julianne liked it very much.
"Thank you for the clothes," Julianne said, nodding at her pants and shirt. She looked like a boy, she knew, but she was comfortable and clean and content, and those were all things she had not felt in a long time.
Wade walked over to her and grabbed her waist, pulling her close.
"Don't think it means anything," he told her with a low growl. "This is a business arrangement. I can't have my men thinking I've gone soft." She nodded. Wade had explained it all to her before. She could stay on the ship as long as she pleased, but it would be her duty to keep him satisfied in every way. If she wanted to refuse a request, she was free to do so, but it would mean her immediate departure from The Dark Lovely.
Though she knew that she should be grateful to be alive and happy that Wade hadn't killed her, Julianne mostly felt aroused by his strength. It had been a long time since she'd been with a man, yes, but she'd never been with anyone like Wade. He kissed her hard and nipped at her neck, making her moan softly.
She gripped Wade's hair and pulled him closer to her body. Her entire being ached with need as he kissed her over and over. His hands wandered to her breasts and he squeezed them softly before sliding his hands beneath her shirt. She wasn't wearing a corset: her breasts were loose beneath her top. His fingers played with her nipples, softly pinching each bud until they were hard beneath his touch.
Julianne reached for his cock, feeling his hard bulge. She wanted him inside of her. She wanted to feel every bit of him claiming her body over and over until neither one of them could stand it anymore. She touched him until he was ready to take her, until he stripped off her shirt and pants and tossed them aside.
"Please," she said to him. She wasn't sure what she was asking, exactly. She just knew she wanted more of him. She needed more of him.
Wade kissed her harder, picked her up, and carried her to his bed. He placed her on the blankets and took off his own clothes. She bit her lip when she saw his cock spring free from his pants. Wade noticed and smiled.
"You ready for me, love?" He asked.
Julianne nodded.
Wade made his way over to Julianne and pushed her back onto the bed, climbed over her, and kissed her once more before thrusting inside of her. She moaned deeply at the sensation, loving the way he filled her so completely. She ran her hands down his back before touching his face, kissing him again as he pulsed deep inside.
He whispered her name as he climaxed, then rolled next to her. Pulling her close to his side, he continued kissing and stroking her body until she, too, experienced sweet release.
"I want you to be happy, pet," he whispered to her, and Julianne nodded. She knew. She could tell. She snuggled closer to him, resting her head on his chest, and smiled with satisfaction.
Today was a new day, full of adventure and excitement.
Today, she was going to sail with pirates on the high seas.
Today, her journey would begin.
13
Three weeks later
“A raid is no place for a lady,” Wade told Julianne firmly. Their ship was alongside another and most of the crew was busy looting and pillaging the other ship. While this was the first time she’d seen pirates in action, Julianne was visibly frustrated when Wade demanded that she stay in his cabin instead of seeing the action up close.
“But I’m not a lady,” Julianne had fussed, feeling like he treated her too daintily.
Wade just frowned.
“Want to try again?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. He had not forgotten where she came from. He needed to make sure that she understood exactly what a risk it was to have her on board his ship, especially during a time like this.
Julianne lowered her eyes and looked at her hands. She bit her bottom lip, frustrated and ashamed. Wade knew she was having a hard time submitting to her captain, despite all that he had done for her. She was having a hard time making this work for both of them. Though she had been a stowaway, Julianne hadn’t had to report to anyone during that time. She had been able to make her own choices and set her own rules. Now, she had to do as Wade asked.
And she was having a difficult time getting it right.
She tried his patience constantly, and while he was satisfied with the way she touched him, with the way she melted beneath his body when they made love, on deck she was every bit as feisty as she’d been that first day at Darnial.
“Yes, Captain,” she whispered. “I will stay here until your return.” She kept her eyes down, obviously hoping it would show that she was remorseful, but Wade knew her far too well for that. She had been under his protection for a few weeks now. He knew better than to simply take her at her word.
“Oh, love,” he whispered, watching her. She looked so beautiful with her hair falling into her face as she stared at her lap. She was trying so hard to be submissive to him, to obey, to listen to what he required of her, but he couldn’t risk her safety. Not today.
While Wade often overlooked Julianne’s free spirit, he knew that he couldn’t this time. If he left his cabin and she followed him, she could put the entire crew at risk. He knew that his men had secured most everything from the other ship, but if there was a straggling crewmate who managed to grab Julianne, Wade knew that he would do everything he could to save the girl.
Everything.
Even if it meant losing everything, he would give it all up for her.
That thought alone was enough to scare him. The thought of how he felt around Julianne terrified him. She was everything he had ever wanted in a girl with none of the drama. She wasn’t constantly complaining about her mother or her shoes or fussing that she wanted better dresses.
No, Julianne was much more than that.
She loved to laugh with the men and tell stories of her childhood. She loved to read the many books Wade kept in his cabin. She loved helping Buck in the kitchen when he needed a hand. Most of all, perhaps best of all, Julianne was fiercely loyal to her twin brother, Nelson. She loved him dearly and Wade loved to see that.
No, he couldn’t lose her.
“I need you to understand how serious I am,” Wade said to Julianne. “You cannot, under any circumstances, leave the cabin today.”
He wished, for a brief moment, that he could just lock her up, but he wouldn’t. Having a lock on the outside of anyone’s chambers was a bad idea, but most of all his. If someone wanted to burn his ship, what better way than to lock away the captain? No, he would just have to show Julianne how serious he was when he said she needed to stay.
“Come here,” he said, motioning to her.
Julianne stood and walked over to Wade. She stood right in front of him, still staring at her hands, his boots, anything but his face. She didn’t want to look him in the eyes. Wade wasn’t sure if it was because she was scared of what she might see or scared of what she wouldn’t.
“Look at me,” he commanded. Julianne looked up, her eyes curious and bright. Wade resisted the urge to kiss her, but it was hard. Instead, he stroked her cheek softly, rubbing it, enjoying the feeling of her soft skin beneath his calloused hands.
“Bend over the desk,” he said.
Julianne looked surprised.
“What?” She asked, looking from the desk to Wade and back again.
He growled.
“You know I hate repeating myself, Julianne.”
She frowned slightly, but then listened to what he asked. She leaned over the desk, pressing her upper body completely against the surface. She placed her hands on either side of her head. He could practically hear her thinking out loud. Was he going to fuck her before he left? Was that going to teach her a lesson? Wade and Julianne had gotten to know one another quite well in their time together, but this was something new entirely.
He pushed up her skirts and petticoats until they were resting over her hips. Somehow, he and the crew had managed to procure her some decent, feminine clothing. She didn’t have to wear pants anymore, and although Wade loved the way Julianne looked in his trousers, his cock twitched at the sight of her in a skirt: so feminine, so lovely.
He let out a soft sigh of appreciation as he looked at her. If she was embarrassed, she didn’t show it. He’d been with her enough times to know that she was comfortable with her body and with her sexuality: something most women were not.
Julianne bit her lip. She let out a soft moan at Wade’s touch. His hands freely roamed her, rubbing from her ass to her thighs to her womanhood, then back again. It only took a few moments before she was wet with need. Soon her thighs were slick with her juices, and that’s when Wade stopped touching her.
She turned her head and opened her mouth to protest, but before she could get out a sound, he placed a hand on her upper back, holding her down.
“Close your eyes, love,” he told her softly.
Julianne shivered, as she should. Her eyes went wide instead of closed, and Wade could see a million emotions rushing through them: fear, anxiety, nervousness, terror.
And she should feel nervous.
Wade was a pirate.
He was not a lover or a husband. He had been once, long ago, but that had not been his fate. He had lost his wife, his family, and he had no intention of taking another. He enjoyed Julianne’s company far more than he ought to, but he was not her toy.
He was not a prize to be kept.
He was the captain, and his word was gold.
It would serve her right to remember that.
“I want you to remember,” Wade told her. “I care about your safety, Julianne, and that I will never harm you without good cause.”
“But-” She tried to speak again, but his hand left her body and hit her with a loud slap. Surprised and caught off guard, Julianne’s mouth fell open. No words came out.
Then he spanked her other cheek.
Wade enjoyed spanking women, especially for pleasure, especially as a precursor to fucking, but today he did it for more than that. Today he did it to show Julianne what she meant to him. He couldn’t have her running around, thinking that her actions didn’t matter. She couldn’t simply roam the ship today. She needed to stay put and she needed to understand exactly how serious he was about it.
He swatted her again and again, keeping a steady pace until she was wriggling beneath his touch. Julianne made several muffled noises, several moans, until she began to cry softly.
Good.
She was learning.
He didn’t hit her hard enough to hurt her. No, Wade was not interested in beating his woman. Instead, he slapped her lightly, but smartly, so that she felt the sting, followed by pleasure.
Her ass began to turn a nice soft pink color, and after each slap, he slipped his hand between her legs. She moaned and lifted her hips, trying to meet his touch, trying to get him to rub her clit, to give her the release that she needed, but it wasn’t quite time for that.
Not just yet.
“I know, love,” he whispered. “I know what you need.”
**
Juli
anne moaned, crushed beneath the weight of her emotions. She had never been spanked before: not by a man, not by her father. She had run away from Gunthry as a way to escape Vince Fiddick: her evil betrothed. Somehow, she knew that if he had been slapping her, she would not have enjoyed this quite so much.
The fact that Julianne found peace and pleasure in Wade spanking her made her feel dirty. She wasn’t sure that this was how a young woman who had gone through training to be a wife and a lady should act, but it didn’t matter. Right now, she had surrendered herself to Wade. She had given herself to him. She trusted him wholly, completely, and he had not let her down.
He spanked her again, and then he stopped.
“Stand up,” he commanded, and Julianne did as she was told. She slid off the desk and stood in front of him, still holding her skirts up.
“I need you to stay here,” he said for the millionth time. “Do you understand?”
“Yes, Captain,” she murmured, maintaining eye contact.
At this, he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close, crushing his lips against hers. At the same time, his opposite hand reached forward and gently stroked her soft folds before finding their way to that special spot. When he pressed his thumb softly across her clit, Julianne melted into his arms with a harsh moan.
His lips never left hers.
When her orgasm was complete, he lifted her and carried her exhausted body to the bed and laid her down.
“Stay here,” he whispered, kissing her on the forehead.
Then he was gone.
14
Nelson considered himself to be brave, but when he returned from looting covered in blood and lacking glory, he didn’t feel brave at all.
