Page 14 of Paid to the Pirate

I ran my hand down my face again and withdrew my dirk from its scabbard, now laying upon the table. Reaching over, I sawed her ropes and yanked Charlotte to her feet. She was like jelly, wobbling and ready to collapse. I had no choice but to capture her, to hold her upright.

Charlotte lifted her head as she looked up at me, pink lips parted in shock.

Covering the twitch of my own lips at the urge to kiss her, I sneered, transforming my mouth into a look of scorn instead.

Charlotte drew in a breath as she blinked rapidly. Scared? Confused? I couldn’t read it. It didn’t matter; it was an act. My eyes flashed down to the golden locket.But why did she still wear it?

I watched as she worked to find strength in her knees. Briefly, I contemplated letting her fall, but couldn’t make myself do it. I’d left my mark on her; she’d bear welts for days. Even if her little pleasure-taking at my expense had her sleeping soundly for a few hours, the pain in her backside would wake her soon enough, if not the discomfort of the brig itself.

I needed to deposit her there, quickly, and take care of my own needs.

Damned wench.I wouldn’t be sleeping soundly either. Not since I found her after all this time, and certainly not after watching her half-naked writhing on my bed.

Did she think it would save her? Well, it had. This time. ’Twas but a stay. I’d resume punishing her the next night. And the next. Until she told me what happened to Maurice, the Crimson Eye, and all the rest of it. I wanted to know everything that had transpired up until now; until I saw her sashaying blithely in that Godforsaken tavern in that ridiculous dress.

“You’ll sleep in the brig tonight,” I told her, gruffly. To my satisfaction, her eyes rounded. She managed a wobbly step away from me. I could almost see her mind race with fearful possibilities. My cabin might be a threatening prospect but being thrust unprotected amongst the men she’d betrayed was a different level of hell altogether.

A smidge of guilt made me qualify, “I don’t trust you on this ship and I don’t trust the crew with you. Not all of them. I can’t say one of them won’t try to kill you in the night. I can’t say you wouldn’t deserve it. In his eyes anyway. But at least no one willtouchyou in there.”

A bit of the spitfire returned as she declared, “You’ll protect me from the molestation of your crew but not from murder? Some captain you are.”

“You want to tell me what happened that night? I’ll bring you above deck right now and you can explain to all of us how it transpired.”

For a moment, she searched my face, and I thought she’d capitulate.

Stubborn as ever, she looked away in refusal.

Chapter 9

Colt

She should consider herself lucky I didn’t remove the hammock before depositing her inThe Dread Night’stiny prison. Although the floor might be more comfortable than that rough netting cutting into her sore flesh.

After her wanton performance, I expected Charlotte to comment on the bulge below my waist, but she failed to evennotice.She never broke from her act, going so far as to feign disorientation through the ship’s passages, as if she didn’t know up from down.

I’d instruct the crew to humor her -- I didn’t plan on wasting any energy arguing with her to drop the charade. I planned on re-directing it into her punishments. If she thought clinging to her newly formed identity as a lady would save her, I’d simply raise my retribution until she broke. She wasn’t vexing me; she was simply increasing my enjoyment.

Well.I adjusted my erection once more.She was causing some agitation.

“You can’t mean to leave me here,” she cried, as I opened the door to the metal cell.

As if you haven’t been imprisoned in a similar brig many nights before.

“Oh, but I do,” I said, stalking toward her and forcing her backwards.

“I think you might grow to prefer the brig,” I took another step forward and through sheer intimidation, she retreated a step, placing herself in the tiny prison, “because when I release you, Miss Charlotte, it will only be to drag you back into my cabin and stripe you with my belt again.”

I relished how the color drained from her face. Ithadto be real. How could she fake it? But then, she truly had always feared the belt, lady or no.

She backed further into the ship’s prison. I gave her my cruelest smile, the one I saved for enemies before running my blade through their gut.

“There’s so much flesh to mark, maybe we’ll try new areas tomorrow. Maybe we’ll try them all.”

Closing the door, I locked her safely inside. Her hands flew to her neck, rubbing anxiously as her eyes darted about the small cell.

“Maybe we’ll try the cat on you next time. See where each of her nine tails can do the most damage.”

At those words, she wobbled as if she’d faint.

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