by Mari Carr
A noise distracted her from her thoughts, and she turned to her left to see a man she’d yet to meet.
“Oh, pardon me, miss,” the sailor said, after almost bumping into her. He was carrying a large bucket that looked heavy. “Didn’t see you there.”
She smiled pleasantly. “Pardon me.” When the man continued to look at her, she gestured toward the direction he’d been walking. “Please, don’t let me keep you from your work. I’m fine here.”
The sailor looked uneasy. “Er, do the captain know you’re here, miss?”
She gave the man a haughty look that had intimidated the most pressing of suitors. “My daily activities are no concern of the captain’s. I come and go as I please.”
“Is that right?”
Jack’s voice, coming from behind, startled her.
She turned to see her arrogant, handsome pirate standing over her, his arms akimbo. He was a threatening sight…to anyone but her. She’d seen his secret side, caught more than a glimpse of the thoughtful, caring lover beneath the gruff exterior.
She gave him a sweet, innocent smile, the one that worked wonders whenever she wanted something from her father. The same smile that had gotten her father’s permission to take the sea journey that now found her in the possession of Black Jack Carlysle.
“Good morning, Jack,” she said breezily. “Isn’t it a beautiful day?”
Jack nodded his dismissal to the sailor still hovering nearby. “You may continue with your duties.”
The man left quickly, muttering a quiet, “Yes, Cap’n.”
“Correct me if I’m wrong, Emma, but I seem to remember receiving a promise that you would remain below in my cabin.”
She feigned a surprised look, knowing perfectly well he’d try to use that promise against her. “Only during a storm, Jack. I only promised to remain below during a storm. As you can see, there are no clouds on the horizon today.”
Jack studied her face and she watched his initial annoyance fade a bit. “You may get away with your antics at home, but I think you’ll find I’m not as easily cajoled.”
She laughed. It seemed Jack had spotted some secret places buried deep inside her as well. “Let me stay here. I was going mad inside that cabin. I wanted to be out in the sunshine and around people.”
“I’m not hiding you out of cruelty. I’m simply trying to protect you. There are a lot of men aboard this ship who haven’t seen a woman in several months. You prancing around out here is a bit like waving a fine meal in front of a starving man.”
She hadn’t considered she might be in danger from Jack’s men. The ones she’d met had all been so kind to her. Of course, until now, she’d only ever been with Jack when in the presence of others. “No one’s made any lewd or unsavory advances toward me.”
“That’s because I’ve made it clear you belong to me.”
A slight flutter began in her stomach as she felt an indescribable pleasure over belonging to this man. “Then there shouldn’t be any problem.”
“They’re pirates, Emma. I may be in command today, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t more than a few men who wouldn’t like to take that position away from me.”
She shuddered to think of the constant danger that surrounded Jack. Before, she’d merely thought he was running from the Crown, but to think he faced daily threats from other men like him sent shivers down her spine.
“They would question your authority?”
His face softened. “I’ve faced challenges before and I’m still here to tell the tale. I have no plans of giving up my command—or you—anytime soon. You are my woman and that will remain so until I release you.”
She loved it when Jack called her his woman. She gave him a sexy smile. “I missed you in our bed.”
Jack growled. “You are a wanton, a temptress.”
She took his words as a compliment. Reaching out, she ran her hand along his muscular chest. While he wore a shirt, it was unbuttoned, baring his beautifully smooth, tanned skin. “Do I make you think of wicked things, Jack?”
He pulled her closer and she felt the outline of his thick erection against her stomach. “You have no idea.”
“Tell me,” she coaxed, stepping closer, wanting to feel every inch of his hard body against hers as the cool sea air surrounded them.
“Perhaps I should show you—and make sure these men know you belong to me once and for all at the same time.”
Her heart skipped a beat. “How?”
With his hands on her waist, he turned her until her stomach pressed against the railing of the ship. He stepped close behind her, trapping her with his large, muscular build. “I’m going to lift your skirt right here, bend you forward and take you from behind—in front of God and everybody.” His actions matched his words and Emma felt a slight breeze on her legs as the material of her skirt slowly rose.
“I’m going to fuck you hard and deep, Emma. Not stopping until you’ve screamed your release over and over. I’ll make sure there’s no doubt in anyone’s minds exactly who you belong to.”
She shuddered, his cock making its presence known against her bare buttocks. When had he released it?
How would it feel to be taken in public? All the eyes of Jack’s men focused only on her and the man bringing her so much pleasure. A tremor of need shook her.
“Do it,” she whispered.
Jack’s grip tightened on her hips, his fingers digging into her flesh. She hoped he’d leave bruises, another mark of his possession, his ownership.
“Emma, do you realize what you’re asking?”
She nodded, pushing back toward his cock, silently begging for his possession. “I know what I want.”
Jack remained still behind her and she sensed the internal battle raging within him. He wanted this. He wanted to take her here, out in the open. And, sweet Jesus, she wanted him to. Oh how she wanted it.
His cock brushed against the opening to her body and she shifted slightly, opening her legs to allow Jack to enter. He wrapped his fingers in her skirt, his powerful grip on the material directing her body. Using her clothing, he pulled her closer, his cock delving into her wet folds, not stopping until he was completely buried inside her cunt.
Leaning closer, he began to whisper in her ear. “They’re all watching you, Emma. Coveting you, desiring you.”
She shivered and felt her nipples bud tightly, the constraining cloth of her blouse almost painfully abrading them. She wanted to rip it open, bare her breasts to the open sea and the countless eyes watching her handsome pirate as he took her.
Jack began to thrust into her, slowly at first, then building up more speed. As he fucked her, he continued to paint a picture of their audience. “They’re hard and hurting, Emma. How many of them are rubbing their cocks as they study your beautiful flushed face, listen to your soft pants and moans? I wonder if they’re pulling their cocks out, stroking their hard flesh as they imagine burying themselves inside you. How many of them could you take, Emma? Ten men? Twenty? All of them?”
She cried out at his question, her mind racing to solve the equation. She was hotter than she’d ever been in her life, though the ocean breeze was cool. Sweat rolled down her brow as her grip on the ship’s railing tightened.
“How many?” Jack repeated.
He wanted a response?
He’d worked up such a fever in her body, she suspected she could fuck every man on the ship and never be sated, never be satisfied. Jack reached around her body and gripped her breast, squeezing it almost painfully. The pleasure of his motion sent a flash of realization to her woman’s core.
Only one man could relieve these needs, and suddenly her answer was clear.
“Only you, Jack,” she whispered as her orgasm rose and hovered at the brink of blissful collapse. “I only want you.”
Jack’s teeth grazed her neck, breaking all her powers of restraint. “Only me,” he confirmed as he bit into her flesh, his climax claiming him. He filled her with his seed and she gratef
ully accepted every drop, her pussy clenching to hold it all.
Jack didn’t move for several moments, gathering her more tightly in his arms until her body calmed once more. Then, keeping her face to the ocean, he set them both back to rights, lowering her skirt and refastening his breeches before he allowed her to turn.
She kept her eyes downcast, sensing the gazes of many men on her as Jack offered her his arm, escorting her back to the ladder that would take them to his cabin. She flushed slightly, realizing what she’d just done. She’d allowed Jack to take her in public, allowed these men to watch. She tried to find some shame in the act, but instead, all she felt was utter pleasure.
As she approached the ladder, she lifted her gaze. They were all watching her, true appreciation, hunger, even envy on their faces. She allowed herself to look each of them directly in the eye before smiling slightly and descending the ladder.
Emma rubbed her eyes wearily. She’d replayed her racy pirate daydream all day long and now she was exhausted and confused. She’d dragged herself out of Jack’s bed just before noon, making some lame excuse about needing to be at work early. In truth, she’d been unable to face him in light of her desires. He was too astute, too in tune with her thoughts. He’d see something was bothering her and he’d drag it out of her.
She wasn’t sure he wanted to know what she was thinking. She’d gone from the most boring lover on earth to some out-of-control nympho in less than a week.
Sex in public? Really? Who did that? Who craved it?
She shook off the thought. Dismissed it as leftover hormones brought to life by her evening on the fetish stage with Jack and last night. It was some residual effect brought on by too much incredible sex. It was bound to wear off soon. She hoped.
“Hey Em!” Travis shouted. “You got a minute?”
She glanced up from the stage to see Travis looking down at her from the landing. The asshole really needed to find another way to summon her. Or at least, come down from his perch in the bird’s nest every now and then.
“I’m sort of busy, Trav.” She gestured at the construction workers dismantling the pirate ship. It was getting late in the evening, but as they were closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, it was the only time they had to dismantle sets and build new ones. It was a tedious task because they needed to make sure none of the parts were damaged or destroyed. They would use the ship again. Pull out the pirate fantasy for another whirl. Emma watched four men lift the bed, carefully carrying it to a safe location away from the stage. The bed was one of the few staples in the plays and a part of nearly every set they created.
“It’ll only take a minute,” Travis insisted.
She crossed the stage and climbed the stairs. So far she’d managed to avoid Travis since her night spent entertaining the crowd at Scoundrels as a damsel in distress. She didn’t want to consider the fun he’d have at her expense over her playing that role. Plus she wasn’t sure how to tell him about the status change in her relationship with Jack. For most of their lives, it had been the three of them—friends ’til the end. She wondered how Travis would feel about her dating Jack.
“What’s up?” she asked as she entered Travis’ office. Though he kept an apartment on the outskirts of town—in the ghetto of L.A., as he called it—she suspected he spent most nights sleeping on the sofa in this room. Puberty hit Travis harder than any kid Emma had ever known. Her easy-going, fun-loving childhood friend underwent a drastic change in eighth grade. He became sullen, suddenly preferring to be alone. In the course of one year, he’d lost every friend he’d ever had—except for her and Jack. Jack was loyal to a fault to those he loved, and she was just hard to shake. A tenacious bitch, Travis called her, though she suspected in his mind it was a compliment.
When Travis gestured for her to sit on the sofa, she knew she was in trouble.
“Have you talked to Jack today?” she asked, sitting gingerly on the edge of the couch.
He shook his head. “No. Why? Should I have?”
“No.”
He gave her a too-pleased grin. “That was some show the two of you put on the other night.”
She rolled her eyes. “Jesus. If you brought me up here to make fun of me, I have better things to do.” She started to rise, but he waved his hand in surrender.
“I don’t want to make fun of you, Em.”
His tone was more serious, more caring than she could ever remember hearing from him. She sat back down, leaning on the cushions and sighing. She needed to talk to someone and Travis had always proved a worthy ear.
“It was just a one-night thing,” she said. “The fetish fantasy show.”
“Really?”
“Of course, really. It was just a fluke that Marshall and Jennifer both called in sick. I don’t look for anything like that to ever happen again.”
He nodded. “The patrons who were here Saturday night have been ringing my phone nonstop and sending tons of emails. They were hoping you and Jack would become part of the regular rotation of actors.”
She laughed, though the idea of what Travis was suggesting hit her like a bullet to the brain. Do it again? Could they? Would he?
“No,” she said, softly. “It was a one-time deal. I don’t think Jack would go for it again.”
Travis leaned forward, rested his elbows on his knees. “Would you go for it?”
She fell silent, uncertain how to answer.
Travis didn’t wait for a response. “You seemed to enjoy the dildo Jack used on you.”
Heat suffused her face and she scowled. “He told you?”
Travis shook his head and pointed at the two-way mirror. “You forget. I had a different perspective on that night than the rest of the clubgoers. I had the unique privilege of seeing it from the back of the stage.”
She glanced at the glass and closed her eyes. Of course. While Jack’s left hand had been hidden from the audience, Travis had a bird’s-eye view of it. “Shit,” she muttered. “What do you do? Stand at the glass and watch?”
Travis shrugged, not acknowledging her question. Instead he posed his own. “What’s going on with you and Jack?”
She took a deep breath and dove in. “We’ve sort of expanded on our relationship.”
Travis smirked. “Is that your way of telling me the two of you are sleeping together?”
She grimaced. “Yeah. It is.”
Travis leaned back in his chair, and Emma was uncomfortable under his steady gaze. “Hmm.”
She narrowed her eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means I have no idea what I mean.”
She laughed. “Yeah, well, join the confusion club.”
“So you slept together. I think that’s great. I assume this started the night of the show?”
“No. Last night.”
“Ah,” he said. “So you followed the standard Emma-like pattern, taking twenty-four hours to think about it.”
She picked a pillow up from the couch and lobbed it at his head. “For your information, asswipe, it was only eight hours.”
Travis caught the pillow midair. “Impressive. You shaved a considerable amount of time off. Well played.”
“Why am I friends with you?”
Travis shrugged and grinned. “I like to think it’s because you find my animal magnetism irresistible.”
Emma snorted. “Yeah. That must be it. God, Travis, I’m so fucked-up right now.”
Her friend sobered and she hastily continued, not wanting him to get the wrong impression. “Not about Jack. I mean, not totally about Jack. Sex with him is amazing and—”
“Christ.” Travis raised his hand. “Please don’t feel compelled to give me details. I ate a late dinner.”
“I was going to say being with him feels right. So right.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“Your fucking club is the problem. The other night when Jack and I were on the stage, I think maybe the show triggered some bizarre, latent fetish in me.”
; “You got off on having sex in front of the crowd.”
She blew out a long, hard breath. “Yeah. I did.”
Travis didn’t seem surprised by her admission. “You’ve always been one of those people who liked the limelight. Back at school, you were the center of attention. Even here in L.A., you’ve managed to find a way to shine. You may not get on the stage on a regular basis, but you’re the heart and soul of Scoundrels. Everyone who comes here knows you.”
“You make me sound like an attention seeker.”
Travis frowned. “That’s not my intention. All I’m saying is you have one of those personalities that people flock to. You’re fun to be with. I think over the years you’ve gotten used to people watching you, looking to see what you’re doing. You’ve sort of learned how to thrive in that environment.”
She’d never considered what made her tick, but now that Travis put her psyche in perspective, she thought he had a point. She didn’t usually seek the spotlight, it just sort of found her. And she didn’t mind.
“You want to do it again? The fetish show?”
She started to shake her head then stopped, unable to lie. “No. Yes. I don’t know. I don’t think Jack would go for it again.”
Travis released a brief, loud laugh. “I think he would.”
Emma didn’t agree. “No. I’m serious, Trav. I had to twist his arm to get him to agree in the first place. Regardless of how well he did onstage, he was only doing it as a favor to me.”
Travis nodded slowly, his face showing he wasn’t buying a word she was saying. “He didn’t look like a man who was doing a favor. He looked like someone born to be there. He ruled that scene and he got off on the audience every bit as much as you did. Don’t forget. I had a better perspective. You were too busy screaming with those orgasms to really notice Jack’s face.”
She gave him a dirty look, though the effort behind it was in fun. Travis’ teasing had ceased to bother her years ago. Most of the time she thought he was pretty funny. Her body tingled as she recalled the climax Jack had given her onstage then tried to recall his reactions, his response. She’d been so wrapped up in her own arousal, out of her head with amazement and excitement and ecstasy, she’d failed to notice how Jack felt about the evening. Then, of course, like a fool, she’d taken off right after the show.