Page 20 of Found at Sea
“Do you want her?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
“Aye,” he answered, not taking his eyes off her. But then he looked at me. “Have you ever fucked a woman, Fletch?”
My face heated at his brashness. “Um, no.”
“Do ya want to?”
Before I could respond, he grabbed my arm and pulled me from my chair. He tossed some coin on the table before leading me across the room toward the brunette. My heart was in my throat, and for some reason, I wanted to flee.
At our approach, the woman smiled and turned her body toward us. Resting against the wall, she stood with one leg spread. Her gown was cut to reveal the side of her leg, and the fabric barely covered what rested in between.
Alek began sweet-talking her, leaning forward and whispering in her ear. I got the impression she didn’t care what he had to say and only cared about how much coin he was prepared to give her. But I kept that to myself.
The woman ran her hand down Alek’s chest before leaving the tavern. Alek followed her, and I followed him—not wanting to be left alone. When I saw where we were headed, I stopped in my tracks. A brothel.
“You okay?” Alek asked once realizing I was no longer walking. He looked at the woman again, who had stopped at the entrance and was caressing the wood frame of the door.
“I can’t go in there,” I answered, shaking my head.
“There’s nothing to be afraid of,” Alek said with an amused tone. “Believe me, only pleasure is behind these walls, Fletch.”
Behind me, two men started fighting. Blood spurted from one of their noses before he tackled the other man. A third joined in, and what was already violent turned into a blood bath.
I averted my eyes and focused back on Alek.
“Okay,” I said feebly. I didn’t want to be out there by myself.
Once inside the brothel, I noticed how different it was compared to the one in Helmfirth. I was sure there were private rooms, but some people openly had sex in the main area, as if they couldn’t wait a moment longer to be buried in each other.
The place looked a little rundown and the smell wasn’t that appealing; like stale air, sour clothing, and sweat, mixed in with a flowery scent that I could only assume was meant to mask the other odors…to no avail.
“Don’t look so scared, handsome,” the woman said, brushing up against me. “I’ll take care of you.”
She and Alek exchanged a few words before she took hold of my shirt and led me down the hall. Moans and gasps reached my ears, and I started shaking. We stopped outside a room, and the woman turned to me, pressing her soft body against mine. She really was beautiful, with her plump lips, dark hair, and even darker eyes.
Moving her hand from my shirt and down my chest, she then cupped my cock. My body did not respond to her. I didn’t want it. I looked around for Alek, but didn’t see him.
“Where’s Alek?” I asked her.
“He told me to show you the best time of your life,” she answered, stroking her hand up and down my shaft. “He’s in the next room with Leo and Clara.”
“Leo?”
I didn’t know Alek enjoyed men.
The woman smiled and leaned closer. “We do not discriminate against the desires of the flesh. Your friend prefers the company of both men and women, and so he’ll have what he wants.” At her closeness, I smelled her perfume and another scent I couldn’t place. The more she touched me, the more anxious I became. Nothing she did tempted me. “What do you desire?”
“I can’t do this,” I said, jerking away from her. “No offense to you. I’m sure you’re a lovely woman.”
When I turned around, I was momentarily stunned.
Captain Flynn came striding out of another room, looking angrier than I’d ever seen him, and slammed the door shut. I stood in the hall, wondering if I should say something. A pang hit my chest, though, at the realization that I was right about his whereabouts.
And once again, I was confused as to why I even cared.
His mismatched eyes focused on me, and before I could utter a word, he marched forward and grabbed me by the collar of my shirt. I stared up at him in shock. It’d been a while since I’d been that close to him and felt the full force of his gaze. One pale blue eye and one brown…it should’ve been unsettling, but it did something else to me.
Something that the woman behind me had failed to do.
