“You’re a lucky bastard, sir,” he countered, raising his mug in deference.
“I am lucky,” Edward agreed. “I should get back to her soon. You know the order of events for this evening, I presume?”
“Aye, sir. Withers is on lookout until sunrise.”
Edward glanced in the direction of Withers, who seemed to be engrossed in an animated conversation with Barnett.
“See that he doesn’t sink too many more ales,” he replied. “I know the threat of attack is unlikely at this point, but I’d prefer to keep the odds in our favor.”
“Noted, sir.”
Edward rose from his seat, the action attracting the attention of all the men around the long table. “I leave you for the night, gentlemen.”
There was a low rumble of laughter.
“The Captain has something better to do with his evening?” asked Bowman in a mocking tone.
Edward closed the distance between him and Bowman in a couple of strides, the younger man recoiling at his sudden proximity.
“Yes, I do. Something considerably better.”
Bowman’s lips twitched. “Aye, sir.”
Glancing around, he addressed his crew. “Mr. Carlisle has command in my absence.”
“Aye, Cap’n.” A chorus of gruff voices responded to his order.
“Goodnight, gentlemen.”
Edward grabbed a clean plate of food for Alice before he strode out onto the deck. Shards of moonlight bounced from the edges of the wheel. Turner was at the helm, presiding over the course he had set while the others ate. Soon enough though, Carlisle would be back in charge, and Edward knew they could rest easy under his watch. He climbed the stairs back to his quarters, his pulse quickening as he fetched the key and turned it in the lock. Pushing the door open, he half expected to find Alice up and raging, demanding to know where he had been, but to his surprise, he found her still curled up on his bed, her body illuminated by the light of the moon. She stirred as he closed the door and locked them both into the sanctuary of its confines.
“Sir?” Sleepy eyes fluttered open to greet him.
“Good evening,” he replied with a smile, placing the plate of bread and cheese down, using his desk candle to light the other candelabras dotted around the room. Turning, he moved toward Alice.
“That was quite a sleep. Are you feeling better?”
She blinked at him. “I am a little hungry, sir,” she admitted.
“This way then.” Edward nodded, beckoning her in his direction with his forefinger.
Alice swallowed at the command, but she was moving, her feet hitting the floor before she rose to stand and wandered toward him.
“I brought you something to eat,” he told her. “Since you were exhausted, I took the opportunity to eat with my men.”
Alice glanced in the direction of the plate Edward gestured to, her gaze falling over its contents. “Thank you.”
“Sit at my desk and eat.”
Her chest rose and fell rapidly at the instruction, but Edward watched while she shuffled around his desk as directed. Following behind her, he placed the plate in front of the place she sat.
“I have some fruit for afterward,” he advised, towering over her diminutive frame. “Captain’s special privileges again.”
Alice’s lips curled in response as she reached for a piece of cheese. “Do you have lots of privileges, sir?”
Her eyes sparkled with the question, and Edward was pleased to see the light in them again. For too long, she had been trying to fight his will. If she would only learn to yield more, Edward would ensure she wanted for nothing on the voyage.
“A fair few,” he replied, leaning over his desk. “Yet there are dangers involved with being in charge.”
Alice’s gaze rose to meet his. “Dangers?” she repeated, popping the cheese between her lips. “What kind of dangers?”
“All sorts.” Edward straightened, edging in her direction. His voice had taken on the same gravelly tone he had managed to employ on Alice earlier. “You never know when you might be boarded, if one of your crew tries to mutiny, or if a stranger will be hauled up in a concealed portion of your own quarters.”
Alice gulped the cheese down, her face blanching. “It sounds as though you can never rest.”
“For sure, I need the right team of men around me. Men I trust with my ship—with my life.”
She nodded, her expression melancholy suddenly. “I am sorry for the way I behaved,” she mumbled.
Edward gazed down at her. What was this—an apology?
“I should have approached you at Christie’s on the day of the auction,” Alice admitted. “I should not have planned this crazy scheme.”
He lifted his gaze at her apology. “Indeed, you should not, yet I cannot think to criticize you for your decisions at this juncture, Alice. You have been soundly spanked for your transgression, and if you had not chosen this willful pursuit, we might never have had the chance to get to know one another better as we have.” Edward ran his hand down the length of her hair, thrilled as she leaned into his touch.
“I hope you do not think me immoral.” Alice’s words were barely a whisper.
He tilted his head. “Immoral? Alice, you are probably the least immoral woman I have ever encountered.”
She looked relieved at his answer. “And yet I gave in,” she murmured. “I consented to our union.”
“Well, naturally, you did,” Edward laughed gently.
Alice put down the slice of bread she had been contemplating and turned to regard Edward. “What do you mean, naturally?” Her shoulders squared as though readying for battle, defiance flashing in her wild eyes again.
He inhaled, suppressing the urge to laugh outright at her response.
“I only meant our connection was irrefutable, Alice. You are only a woman and a red-blooded one at that. How could you be expected to resist me?”
Alice’s mouth fell open. “That is quite an arrogant approach for someone who has made a living stealing from other people, sir.” She rose from the chair, her bound hands hovering in front of her body.
Edward cocked an eyebrow at her sudden temper.
“Do I not have every right to be arrogant, Alice?” Edward ensured she acknowledged his glower before he went on. “Take a look around. Everything on board the Dexterity is mine.”
“But you stole the contents!” Alice was incredulous, and his lips twitched at her performance. She was going the right way to receive her second spanking before he took her back to bed.
“Some of the goods were earned through piracy,” he explained, though Edward had no idea why he was finding it necessary to justify this to Alice. “Yet the Dexterity herself is mine by legitimate means.”
Her jaw tensed as he named the ship. “You bought her from monies accrued from your ill-gotten ways, Mr. Law.”
Edward grinned at her. The more exasperated she became, the more he wanted her.
“She is still mine,” he reminded her, shifting his finger and thumb to her chin, holding her head steady. “As are you, Alice.”
She huffed at that, trying to turn her head away, though his hand held her firmly in place.
“Do not look away from me,” he warned her. “I have claimed you once already and will do so again soon enough. You’re every inch as much mine as the Dexterity.”
“How dare you!” Alice almost spat the words at him. “I am not property. I belong to no man, but I certainly am not yours.” She raised her bound hands and beat them against his chest.
Edward blinked down at her, momentarily stunned by her performance, but within a second, his rational mind had taken control again. Reaching for the ropes between her wrists, Edward yanked her forward over the side of his desk. Alice went down with a thud, landing on her elbows, trying to rise again almost immediately.
“No.” His tone was emphatic as he held her bindings down against the teak desk. “That is not how you speak to your captain, Alice—a fact you should well know.�
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She glanced in his direction, her eyes half wild with indignation and half consumed with trepidation.
“Get off me,” she yelled. “I do not want this. You do not have my consent!”
Shifting his position, Edward leaned against the desk. “I do not need your permission to correct you,” he reminded her. “While you are on my ship, you are my responsibility.”
Edward lifted her skirts from her behind, tucking them into the back of her gown while he once again cursed the sheer number of layers she was compelled to wear. Alice stamped her feet in protest, trying desperately to shake off his hand and rise from her prone position, but of course, her attempts were futile. Edward was significantly bigger and stronger than she was—a fact he was more than prepared to use to his advantage.
“You have just earned yourself another spanking, Miss,” he declared, lifting his right palm above her naked behind before he sent it crashing back against her flesh. The sound of the impact echoed around the room, as did Alice’s accompanying scream.
“Ouch!” she shrieked. “Stop this!”
Edward edged closer. “Not until you have learned your lesson,” he told her. “I will continue to punish you until it is learned.”
He spanked her again, even harder this time, relishing the palm print that appeared on her pale cheek almost at once. Edward had spanked Alice earlier, but by all accounts, he had been too lenient on her. There was no visible evidence of her prior punishments, and it seemed her attitude still needed adjustment.
“Edward,” she squealed. “You are hurting me!”
There were tears welling in her eyes as she glanced in his direction, but he imagined those were mainly related to her injured pride than her backside.
“No, I’m not, Alice,” he assured her. “But before this spanking is through, I promise you this. I am going to make you sorry.”
Chapter 20
Alice
Edward was like a mad man. One moment he had been caring, offering her food after her well-needed nap, and now, he had her pinned over his desk while he walloped her exposed and vulnerable behind. Alice was in no doubt—these strikes hurt. Edward was not playing this time. He was clearly trying to send her a message, and as he landed a flurry of blows in fast succession, Alice was forced to squeeze her eyes shut to tolerate the pain.
“Okay, okay, sir.” She was panting again now, a realization that should have been humiliating in its own right had she not already found her skirts lifted and her arse tanned with his palm. “I’m sorry. I won’t query your authority on board the Dexterity again.” Alice glanced in his direction. Edward’s expression was stern, his lips pressed into a hard line.
“That remains to be seen,” he replied in a dark tone that made the muscles between her thighs clench. “First, you shall be thoroughly punished, Alice, then, when I am entirely satisfied with your contrition, you can tell me what you are being spanked for and apologize.”
She gasped at his verdict, bringing her heel down hard against his polished wooden floor. “I shall do no such thing,” she determined moodily. “You, sir, have had your apology, and I offer you no more.”
“We shall see about that, Alice.” Edward swatted her again, catching her sitting spots over and over while she winced over his desk. “I would wager a sovereign you’ll be begging for the chance to apologize again soon enough.”
His palm connected with her sore behind again, the sound of her spanking bouncing around the room like thunder. Unable to shift away from his punishing palm, Alice was forced to endure each strike. She pulled the air between gritted teeth, lifting her chin for air every few strikes, only to hang her head again when the sting became intense again.
“Ow, ow, ow!” she mewled, dancing one foot to the other as the strikes continued to rain down.
Alice only had to glance over her shoulder to see Edward meant business. She had never seen him so staunch before, and even though his arrogance still greatly offended her, Alice wished she had kept those opinions to herself. That way, she might be finishing her meal with Edward’s gentle caresses at her brow, rather than bearing the full weight of each spank he saw fit to deliver.
“You will take your punishment, Alice,” he growled. “I want this beautiful behind the same color as your embarrassed face by the time I’m finished.”
She panted, trying to imagine the analogy he painted. Surely, her behind was already the color he described. It felt tender and at least twice its normal size.
“Sir, please…” Alice loathed the whimper that came from her as he swatted her, over and over again, yet she found she could not hold them in.
Edward had her now—he really had her.
This spanking was infuriating and painful, not even vaguely arousing. Alice doubted she would be able to sit down for days after this ordeal.
“What is it?” Edward landed another hard swat, but this time his palm stilled, covering what felt like most of her trembling behind.
“Please,” she begged. “I cannot take any more.” Shame ricocheted around her head at the way she was prepared to plead. So much for her audacious plan. So much for her grit, will, and determination…
“You will take as much as is necessary,” he growled in response, squeezing the orbs of her arse roughly. “A true spanking does not truly begin until you cannot take any more. That is where I went wrong earlier. I was far too lenient with you.”
Alice shook her head, but already his palm was gone, and she braced for the next impact. Edward did not make her wait, landing a string of firm blows to alternating cheeks while she panted in return.
“Please!”
There were tears now, not the sort Alice could blink away, but large, fat tears that had already made tracks down her face, showing the world just how ill-prepared Alice was to take her spanking. She squeezed her eyes closed in frustration. No one had ever made her feel this way—so many highs and so many lows, all in the space of one day. How could she tolerate weeks or months as his captive at sea? It did not matter what he said, the reality was obvious—she was bound, exposed, and spanked. Alice was his prisoner, no more able to leave Edward’s command than the fish in the ocean were to grow legs and come onboard.
“Ten more, then.” Edward sounded almost disappointed at his own decision, but his words gave Alice hope.
She may just be able to bear ten more strikes. Maybe she could get through this?
“And you, Alice, shall number and thank your captain for each one. Am I making myself clear?”
Her head fell forward in desperation. Just when she thought she could cope, he went and changed the rules again, and now she must endure more ritualized ignominy at Edward’s say-so.
“Am. I?” Edward punctuated each word with a hard slap to her sore backside, and Alice gasped.
“Yes, sir,” she murmured, struggling to stand still. “Yes, it is clear.”
“Good.”
Alice lifted her head and gazed out toward the window. A stream of moonlight flooded the room, giving her a semblance of hope, just before the first of the final ten blows was delivered. She sucked in the pain, curling her toes as the impact resonated, the strike seeming to travel inward toward her sex.
“One, Captain. Thank you.” The words tumbled from her lips without any conscious thought, and even though she cringed at the sound of them, the concession was easier to make than Alice had assumed.
Edward had made his point. There was no longer any doubt about it. He was in charge onboard this ship—whether Alice liked it or not—and he would dish out punishment any time he felt she deserved it. He swatted her again, her brain somehow numbing the pain and concentrating instead on the sensation as the strike vibrated to her core. The small nub at the front of her sex throbbed with fresh urgency.
It appeared Alice was relishing the spanking after all.
She numbered the swat, thanking him as his palm massaged her hot cheeks. Alice was aware of her face flaming as the humiliation washed over, but more than that,
she had the sense if Edward was to reach between her legs, he would find out just how aroused the act was making her. Edward delivered the next seven strikes with the same ruthless efficiency he had already demonstrated on her behind. By the time Alice named the ninth strike, the low thrum of desire at her core had spread outward, tugging at her nipples, accelerating her breathing, sending her head into a spin.
“Last one, Alice.” Edward’s voice was still hard, but the authority in it now just acted as an additional impetus, and she pushed her pussy out to meet his hand.
Edward spanked it lightly, chuckling at her wanton display.
“I said there’s one more.”
“Yes, sir.” She pulled in a breath, trying to compose herself as she waited for the final strike.
This time, Edward struck her sex directly, the ferocity of the impact making Alice gasp, yet while she sensed the pain, her brain only registered the experience as pleasure.
“Ten, sir.” She sounded desperate. “Thank you.”
Edward released his grip on her bound hands, pulling Alice to her feet, into a hard embrace. She blinked against his chest, using her bound wrists to graze a sensual line over his breeches. Alice was not entirely sure what had come over her, but it seemed just two doses of Edward’s penances had turned her into a wicked woman who wanted nothing more than the sins of the flesh.
“What are you doing now?” he inquired in an amused tone. “I thought you would be mournful after your spanking but apparently, not.”
Alice lifted her chin, meeting his smiling eyes. “I do not know what has come over me,” she admitted. “It’s like some sort of madness.”
Edward’s lips curled wider. “Not madness,” he corrected. “Just good old-fashioned lust, Alice.”
She closed her eyes at that thought. Lust had always been presented to Alice as a sin—something to avoid at all costs—and should you be weak enough to fall foul of its tempting guise, something to beg God for forgiveness about. It seemed she was going to need to spend a lot of time in confession the next time she attended mass.
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