by Kari Miller
She started to protest and then froze when he showed her the knife in his hand.
“No Cherie, I told you I mean no harm.” He whispered into her ear.
He stepped back from her and then cupped her wrists in his hands. She felt the cold steel against her skin and sucked in her breath.
With speed and skill, he sliced through the rope. Her hands would have fallen to her sides if he hadn’t continued to hold them.
“Don’t make me regret this” He murmured and then dropped her hands.
She remained where she was, frozen and scared.
She heard him sigh and then the door closing and locking behind him.
Peeping over her shoulder to assure that he was really gone, she let out her breath that she wasn’t aware she was holding in. Immediately she rubbed her thumbs against her bruised wrists and rolled her shoulders, trying to work out the pain and kinks.
Praying that the captain wouldn’t return, she slipped out of her torn nightdress and quickly sunk into the hot water.
She gave an involuntary sigh as the water numbed her muscles. It was probably hotter than she preferred and her skin immediately turned pink as the heat lightly scalded her delicate skin, but she didn’t care. On the table next to her was a towel, soap and within reach were the grapes and the wine.
Reaching over, she grabbed at the soap and scrubbed her skin raw and then washed her hair. Only when she felt that she had sufficiently washed all traces of Pennington and the Captain off of her, did she replace the soap and pull her meal closer to her.
After she finished off the bread and the grapes, she washed them down with the wine and then sunk back into the water.
The heat was getting to her and her stress was finally warring into fatigue. She felt her limbs weakening and her lids growing heavy. With slurred thoughts and groggy movements, she managed to get herself out of the tub without falling. Leaning against the wall, she grabbed the towel and dried herself off the best she could.
Before she turned to her ripped gown, her toe brushed up against something on the floor. Reaching down, she picked up a nightshirt that must have been wrapped in the towel. It definitely belonged to a man and when she put it on, it hung down to her knees and the arms went about a hands length past her fingers. The front of the shirt had the same open V as the captains had with a crisscross of strings to tie it shut if desired. She did desire for them to be closed but decided to do so when she was sitting down and the room wasn’t closing in on her.
She slumped down in an exhausted heap and groaned as her head hit the pillow. Managing to lift her legs onto the bed, her last thought before she let sleep take her was that the tingly feeling in her skin would have felt very nice if she wasn’t so sleepy.
Katherine awoke to the sound of moaning. Her head was groggy and her skin felt as though it was on fire. She heard the seductive moan again and through the fog in her mind she could have sworn it came from her lips. Her cabin was stifling hot and she lifted her hand to wipe off the drop of perspiration that was trailing down her neck. Even her limbs felt heavy and she knew she must be between wakefulness and sleep. She felt a tickle on her inner thigh and then the most pleasant feeling between her legs.
She must have been dreaming of Salvador before the heat woke her, even now she could still feel him as though he was really there. She would have taken off her nightshirt if it wasn’t already off. She must have done that while she slept, which was a good thing since even the sheets below her made the skin on her back burn and tingle. Again she heard the faint moan escape from her lips as the delicious swirl of a tongue played around her bud.
“Salvador” She whispered out as she tried to slip back into her dream. Even though she knew it was a dream, she would have preferred to spend her time in captivity lost in a blissful dream rather than awake and frightened.
His fingers trailed up the sides of her bare skin leaving a path of fire, causing her to arch her back when the fingers gently caressed her breasts.
Odd that she would dream of Salvador gently making love to her when all she had really known was exploding passion and demanding love making. She briefly wondered if this was her sub-conscience telling her she would prefer slow and sated to fast and furious.
He kissed the inside of her thigh which sent a wave of tingly bliss throughout her thighs and into her already heated core.
Her skin was extremely sensitive and even a drop of perspiration sent waves of pleasure across her skin.
He kissed her bud causing her to flinch and moan and then thought she would lose her mind when he slowly kissed his way up to her lips.
The dream felt so real yet oddly different. Salvador had taken her slow sometimes in the beginning of their love making, but he felt different this time. He wasn’t as heavy and his hands felt alien to her. Whatever he was doing to her felt sinfully delightful, but even that didn’t feel right. She felt an anxious stirring within her and her skin was not of her own. She was sure that if she were to touch herself she would have the same effect.
His lips touched hers and then she knew this was not Salvador.
Her eyes flew open and she gave out a stifled cry of dismay when she looked into the eyes of the Captain.
Although her mind was groggy and her eyelids still heavy, she knew that this was no dream and that the captain was in her bed, on top of her and as naked as she was.
“No” she managed to get out weakly.
Her adrenaline should have kicked in and she should have been able to attempt to fight him off. But instead, his muffled chuckle seemed to come from far away, even though she could feel his lips on her ear. Trying to give another protest, she instead moaned as his fingers reached between her legs and his fingers brushed her overly sensitive bud.
Inside her mind she screamed at him to get off of her and no matter how hard she tried she couldn’t find her strength. She lifted her arms and found his shoulders, but was unable to put force behind them. Instead they slipped off of him like a caress.
He sucked a nipple into his mouth and she thought she would die right there. He was giving her pleasure beyond her belief and she was horrified!
Everywhere their skin touched felt sensational and she hated this man!
“Stop!” she moaned out as one of his fingers slipped inside of her.
“You don’t mean that, Cherie” he purred to her.
He pumped his fingers in and out to prove his point and her body exploded into an intense wave of orgasm.
Slipping down between her legs again, he licked and sucked at her pussy causing the orgasm to stretch out.
She lost her mind when he slipped his fingers back inside of her and lapped at her bud.
When she returned to her senses, she cried out as she untangled her fingers from his hair and tried to push away from him.
“What’s wrong with me” she murmured out as her weak attempt at escape failed her.
“Ne jamais boire du vin qui est donné par l'ennemi, mon amour.” He cooed to her as he laid his body over hers and tucked and held her knees into his sides.
“You drugged my wine!” she moaned out as his chest hair tickled her nipple.
He paused just as the head of his shaft probed at the entrance to her core.
Her mind was crying out for mercy and her body was crying out for him!
“Well played, Cherie. I did not suspect you spoke in my tongue” He murmured and then licked his tongue along her jaw bone.
“Don’t” She pleaded with him verbally as her body betrayed her and relished in his touch.
“I do you a favour” he seductively purred to her “You see Cherie, I know what grows inside you and unlike Pennington, I will let it live.”
She gasped, not from pleasure but from shock.
“That’s right. I know a woman’s body very well and you cannot fool me. You are free from Pennington mon amour, but now you belong to me.”
“No, please!” She cried out her plea for freedom, which sounded more like a plea fo
r him.
The head of his shaft nudged into her and it took all her will power to not thrust her hips forward.
“I know you want me to bury my cock in you, why do you fight me?” he questioned her with mock in his tone as he grinned down into her face with a triumphant look about him.
“Salvador” She whimpered out as she closed her eyes and waited for him to plunge into her.
He stayed himself where he was, just barely inside of her and his lips just above hers. A tear escape her eye as her mind battled her body.
He pulled out and his muscles tightened in preparation for the plunge, then the door opened.
“Merde!” He growled out, freezing above her.
“Captain, we have spotted another ship and she is headed straight for us.” a panicked sailor announced from the doorway.
Sebastian let out a string of curses in French and then barked at the man to close the door.
He leaned down once again and gave her a long and bruising kiss. When she felt his weight lift from her, she rejoiced in her mind but her skin suddenly felt distant and cold. Managing to curl into herself, her body shook from desire, relief, frustration and other things she could not name at the time.
“We are not finished, Cheri. Soon I will be inside of you and it will be my name you are crying out. Soon Cheri you will forget your husband’s name and look forward to only me.” He declared with a self-assurance that frightened the hell out of her.
“I will always love my husband and you will always disgust me” She rebuked him with her own self-assurance.
“We shall see” he threatened her and then left, locking the door behind him.
Katherine managed to roll herself off the cot and then pull herself up and into the bath.
She grabbed the soap and began to scrub her skin. Her horror knew no bounds when three orgasms later she finally stopped smelling him on her. She pulled herself out of the tub, wrapped the towel around her body and then huddled in the corner hugging her knees to her chest - refusing to even touch the cot again. And then she cried for her body’s betrayal to the only man she could and would ever love.
Chapter 31 - A Storm of Rage
“Make it happen!” Salvador bellowed out to the captain as he stormed to the cabins below.
He had been on deck at the time, staring out into the dark waters when he spotted the flash of light in the distance.
He knew that he was seeing another boat and instinct told him to take a closer look. He had ordered the captain to steer towards the boat and get him close enough to identify it. Soon enough he was recognizing the other ship as Captain Sebastian’s.
He was already suspicious as to why Sebastian wasn’t in Brazil at this time of year and now seeing him headed in the direction of America, confirmed his suspicion that he was up to something.
Every instinct in his body told him that he needed to be on that boat. He had promptly changed their course and ignored the protests of the captain and the crew members as they headed towards one of the most feared ships in the seas.
“What the hell are you doing?” Peter barked at him as he headed towards his cabin.
“Not now Peter.” He shot back as he slammed open his door and headed towards his trunk.
“What the hell?” He heard Charles mumble out from his cot as Peter followed him into his room.
“Salvador’s lost his mind!” Peter said with disbelief. “He’s got us heading straight for Sebastian’s ship!” He continued waving his arms in the air in distress.
Salvador pulled out his pistol and checked to make sure it was loaded.
“Salvador?” Charles questioned him from the safety of his cot.
“Instincts Charles.” He replied without looking up.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Peter asked in frustration.
Salvador ignored him and brought out his dagger set. He proceeded to strap his daggers to his thighs in their sheaths and then strapped his sword around his waist.
Peter looked at him as though he had gone mad.
“Tell the brothers to arm themselves, we’ll be boarding Sebastian’s ship.” Salvador said in a cool tone.
“Charles?” Peter asked the silent question.
“Salvador has had a very strong feeling that something is not right at home with one of the women. The closer we get to port the stronger the feeling is. We both know not to question his instincts. If Salvador says we need to board that ship, then we board the ship. Let’s get ready." Charles relayed to Peter in a shaky voice as the reality of the situation settled upon him.
~
Katherine knew when the boat had stopped. There was a huge thud and then a frenzy that exploded above her. Hugging her knees closer into herself, she tried to block off the sounds. She didn’t want to hope that the other ship could possibly be her life line; she didn’t want to hope that this horror could soon be ending and she most certainly didn’t want to hope that she would one day see her beloved again.
She hated herself for her body’s betrayal. Salvador had warned her time and time again that she belonged to him and she was scared to death of what he might do if he ever found out about what had transpired in this cabin. He would ask if they touched her and she could say truthfully that they had. She could even tell them that she felt violated and disgusted by their touch and she begged them to stop - but she could never ever tell him that her body had responded to Sebastian in ways that were forbidden.
She could still feel her skin tingling and whenever she would shift her legs to take out the cramp, she would moan at the sudden pleasure between her legs. Even as she bathed she couldn’t escape her desire. She hated herself for this and knew that if she wasn’t rescued she would find a way to end her life. The frenzy was growing louder and sounded much closer to her now. She could hear steel against steel and men shouting out in alarm and distress. Burying her head into her knees, she pressed her palms to her ears.
There was a crash at the door, making her cry out in alarm and then a steady thud. Her entire body was shaking in fear as the thought occurred to her that the other ship could have been pirates as well. No ship in their right mind would fight against a British Naval Ship which meant that if someone was brave enough to board Captain Sebastian’s ship, then they must be even fiercer than he.
The door splintered and then crashed against something in the room as the person on the other side of the door successfully broke it down. She tried to stay still and silent in her corner and hoped that by curling into a tight ball she might somehow make herself invisible.
The tub made for a good cover and if that person didn’t enter the room, they may believe it to be empty and move on.
Footsteps sounded from the door and then she heard the door being kicked aside.
She heard a shocked gasp come from the man in the room and she instantly knew that she had been spotted.
She kept her head buried into her legs so all he would see was the top of her head, her bare arms and part of her legs that the towel couldn’t cover.
She was trembling in abject fear now and prayed that this new captor was more merciful than Sebastian or Pennington.
Whatever drug she had been given it was starting to wear off. Her mind was clearer at least, it was just her traitorous body that still hummed. She screamed when a hand clamped around her upper arm and then it froze. She couldn’t help herself, she continued to scream as all the fear and terror and anxiety came to her at once.
“Get off of me!” She cried out as she tried to hug her legs closer to her body. “Don’t touch me!” She cried out again between sobs.
She realized she was crying like she had never cried before. The man’s knees brushed against hers and she knew he was kneeling in front of her.
“Miss, I’m not going to hurt you.” She heard his gentle and reassuring voice.
Then she remembered Sebastian’s empty promise and began to shake her head to deny his words.
“No, No, No, No, No…" she chanted
out as the fear of another man’s lips on her skin came at her in full force. How much could she endure?
“Please Miss; I need to get you off this boat - now." He continued with more authority.
Through her denial and chants something broke through. His voice represented truth and adoration, his hands represented safety and assurance and his presence represented peace.
“Miss?” he prompted her as he placed his hand back on her arm.
That voice was familiar and if she could only pull herself out of her own terror, maybe she could gain the courage to lift her head to look at him. But no, she recognized that she had finally lost her mind. His hand burned her skin and she felt the heat spread.
She felt like a bitch in heat!
“Stop touching me!" She cried out in distress as she broke into another round of sobs that she couldn’t control.
“What the…Peter we don’t have time to play. Either bring the wench with you or stop screwing around, we have to go!” An irate voice boomed from the door.
“Patience brother…” The man called Peter spat back.
She continued to shake her head in denial as she sobbed into her knees.
“Damn it girl, I’m not going to hurt you!” he growled at her as she flinched away from his touch again.
“Jesus Peter…” The other man growled and then she was being lifted.
She opened her mouth to scream and then froze.
Not two inches from her face was Alex’s.
She couldn’t speak, only stare.
She felt the other man’s arms wrap around her ribs and pull her to him; still she said nothing as she stared into the stunned face of Alex.
“Go get Salvador, now!” Peter bellowed out from behind her.
That seemed to rattle her.
“Peter” She whispered out, afraid to hope.
“Shhh, you’re safe now.” He cooed in a gentle tone to assure her.
His arms loosened and she turned around slowly, crying out when she saw the truth.
She flung herself into his arms and cried, but this time they were tears of relief.
