by Sophie Stern
When the Cursed Hangman had vanished years ago, every pirate alive had searched for its treasure. Every pirate had tried to find old Mad Drake's ship. Every pirate had aimed to claim that booty for himself.
But as time passed, the searchers stopped looking.
Only Wade Docherty never did.
The Saucy Devil didn't give up that easily.
He had continued seeking after the treasure, traveling far and wide to find it. Now he had a map that showed an alternate route, one he hadn't known about before, one that Mad Drake had attempted to take.
And it passed right by the Isle of Changers.
While he had never given the isle much thought, now Wade wanted to know as much as possible. He had never been this close to finding the treasure. And he was close. He could sense it. He could practically smell it.
"I need to know what you know about the isle," Wade told Pepper. At this, Pepper laughed out loud.
"Do ya now?" He asked, grabbing his glass of whiskey from the table next to him. He took a long swig. Wade waited, quietly, as the pirate closed his eyes. Wade knew that look well. Pepper was trying to decide how much he was going to tell Wade and Julianne. He was going to decide how much of the truth he was going to tell them.
He was going to decide whether the necklace they’d brought him was valuable enough to give them what they needed to know.
And Wade was about to find out if he would ever be able to get past the Isle of Changers and claim his prize.
**
"Please," Wade told him. Julianne shot him a surprised glance. He didn't seem like the begging type, but then, this was obviously important to him. She knew that he had been searching for the ship for a very long time, but something in his voice told her that it wasn't just about recognition for him.
Granted, whoever found the Cursed Hangman would certainly be granted extensive privileges in the pirating world. He would be the most feared, most renowned pirate of all time. Enough men had died searching for the ship that the one who found it would undoubtedly be quite revered.
Dead Man Pepper must have sensed the same need in Wade's tone that Julianne did because he just stared at Wade for a solid moment, sizing him up. Then he nodded and motioned for them to sit on the bench across from him.
"I was a younger pirate then," Pepper told them. "Young, naive, headstrong. You name it."
"Sounds like any new pirate," Wade commented.
"Aye," murmured Pepper. "But even being so young, I was afraid of the sea. I feared it. I loved it, but I feared it."
Wade seemed to understand, but until recently, Julianne wouldn’t have known what they were talking about. She had loved her parents. At least, she had thought she did. When they tried to marry her off, though, she learned that some things are worth fearing. Some things, some people, will harm you even while they claim to have your best interests at heart.
Her days at sea at aged Julianne. She found herself caring less about what was expected of her and more about what she wanted. Pirates knew how to live in the moment, and the feeling thrilled her. It was addictive. It was a rush. She knew it wouldn’t last forever, but while Julianne was a member of the pirate crew, she made the most of each second.
"We were trying to find Dragon Isle," Pepper commented. "Everyone said it was an amazing place, a magical place. We wanted to see it, so we set out with a small crew, just a few of us and our ship. Tomkin, the captain, said he knew how to find it, but he was wrong."
Pepper shuddered at the memory.
"We would have been okay, really, hadn't it been for a strange storm that crept upon us. We couldn't escape it, no matter how hard we tried. It seemed to follow us for days. When we crashed, we didn't know where we had landed at first. We didn't understand the things that were going on. We thought it was just an ordinary beach."
"But it wasn't ordinary," Wade pressed, trying to get the old man to continue talking.
Pepper shook his head.
"Things changed there."
"What do you mean?"
"Everything," Pepper said slowly. "The way we thought. The things we said. Tomkin started talking crazy, saying he was seeing ghosts. Another bloke ran for the water and just started swimming like crazy, going 'til he couldn't go no more, then drownin' while we all watched."
He paused for a moment. His eyes turned wistful, and Julianne knew he was thinking about the things he had lost, thinking about his experiences, thinking about his friends.
"How did you get off the island?" Julianne asked quietly, breaking the silence.
"I stayed two days," Pepper said. "Then a ship was passing and I swam out. They fished me up and brought me back."
"Why didn't that ship encounter trouble on the isle?" Wade questioned. "They didn't have any effects from the island, did they? They didn't see ghosts?"
"They never landed on the isle," Pepper told him. "Seems to me that getting too close to the isle or landing on it is what makes people go crazy." Pepper shrugged. "Just passing by, though, that seems to be the ticket. Don't stop on the beach."
Then he reached for his whiskey again.
“No matter what you see, boy, don’t stop on the beach.”
21
"You don't really believe all those things he said, do you?" Julianne asked as she marched back down the road with Wade.
"Eh? Oh, no, no." Wade shook his head as they walked. "At least, not the way old Pepper remembers them. I certainly don’t believe there are ghosts haunting the beach or anything. Come on."
"So what is this island, Wade?" Julianne asked nervously. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying not to be scared. She wanted to have an adventure as much as the next person, but sailing around a haunted island? That wasn't something she was too keen on. She knew Nelson, Wade, and the crew were brave, but were they that brave?
Were they fierce enough to defeat ghosts?
"Probably just a scary-looking place that has a reputation for being much more dangerous than it actually is. I was worried there would be bands of islanders shooting at our ship, but it sounds like it's just spooky."
Julianne didn't say anything.
"Worried?" He asked, stopping. His eyes took her in, every inch of her, and she immediately felt tense under his gaze. He was just looking at her, just soaking her up.
Julianne nodded slightly, embarrassed to admit that she felt afraid. She had grown up in a quiet world, a normal world, a world of ordinary things. Now she was learning about dragons and monsters and ghosts. Now she was learning about treasure. Now she was learning about lust.
It was all a lot to take in.
"Don't fret, love," Wade murmured, wrapping his arms around Julianne. He pulled her close and planted a soft kiss on her head, quietly reminding her how much he cared for her. She soaked up the feeling, knowing it wouldn’t be forever. It was temporary, but she was beginning to crave it more than she ought to.
She breathed into him, instantly feeling calmer. What was it about his touch that immediately relaxed her? She had never felt this way about a man before. Ever. Wade ran his hands up and down her back, and she breathed in his scent while he held her. They didn’t have time for her to be afraid or nervous. They needed to get back to the ship, to get back on the sea. They needed to continue their journey, but the pirate was taking time to hold her.
After a minute, Wade seemed satisfied that she had calmed down. He gripped her hand and they continued on down the road. They still had supplies to buy and drinks to have before they returned to the ship. Wade guided her to the town tavern before they headed to the shops.
“I need a glass o’ ale before we do any shopping.”
“Yes,” Julianne nodded in agreement. She could do with a glass of beer. Her parents had never allowed her the pleasure. She was a good girl, they told her, and good girls do not consume alcohol.
But even good girls have their secrets.
As soon as they entered the dark tavern, Julianne was struck by the loud music and the louder patrons.
Despite the fact that it was mid-afternoon, the small pub was packed to the brim with saloon girls and horny sailors.
"What is this place?" She asked quietly, looking around. Wade seemed surprised at her curiosity. She knew she looked eager, and she was. Oh, she’d been to Darnial and several other ports on the journey, but she hadn’t been inside a place like this before.
Here, people were living.
They were wild.
They were free.
The pub reminded her of the sea, of the freedom she felt sailing on the pirate ship.
It reminded her that life wasn’t always about propriety and proper behavior.
"Start with this," Wade said softly, handing her an overflowing mug of ale. Julianne sipped the drink slowly at first, then faster, chugging down the entire glass before Wade was even half done with his own.
"Well, blow me down," Wade muttered with a smirk. "You can drink."
Julianne nodded.
"I am Nelson's sister, after all," she told him. "Who do you think taught your sailor to hold his liquor?"
Wade motioned one of the tavern wenches to bring them more, which she did, and they continued drinking. As they enjoyed their ale, Julianne continued to look around at her surroundings. She and Wade sat in the corner. His hat was pulled low over his eyes, but she wasn't sure if it was so he wouldn't be recognized or if it was so the girls wouldn't bother him. There were certainly enough here. Julianne counted at least ten tavern girls. Maybe more.
She saw the way the other girls looked at Wade lustfully, with greed in their eyes. Julianne had no doubt that Wade was a well-wanted man in many ways. Many of the sailors laughed and drank with the tavern girls as they enjoyed the music. Many of the girls would sit on their laps or tables, flirting and touching the men. She saw coins pass hands as the men tipped their companions and the girls would place them down their corsets or in their stockings.
She wondered what it was like to be a tavern girl.
She wondered if it felt powerful, exciting.
She wondered if it felt incredible to have men wanting her, desiring her at every moment.
She wondered if she would ever be brave enough to try something like that.
**
Wade sat, observing the entire scene, quietly.
"Too wild for you?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. He knew Julianne had come from a quiet background. She wasn't really the type of girl to get worked up at a tavern, even one as fun as this. The beat of the music was loud and the entire room was happy. No fights were breaking out. Everyone was just having a good time, especially the boys. Every so often, a girl would grab a sailor and lead him off to one of the private rooms in back, but no one even batted an eye.
Everyone had needs, after all.
"Not too wild," Julianne said, sipping her ale. Wade wondered if she was beginning to feel tipsy. "It's just different than what I'm used to."
"And what are you used to?"
"You know," she said, finishing off the glass. "Things like this." She took a deep breath and winked at Wade, and he wondered what she was getting up to. She’d been quiet for a few minutes, silently thinking, and he wondered what she was considering.
Julianne stood, just then, and grabbed one of the wenches who was walking by. The girl turned in surprise when she felt Julianne's touch, but Julianne didn't seem to notice. Instead, she grabbed the wench's hair and pulled her in for a kiss. Their lips met and the wench seemed excited, not upset, at Julianne's touch.
Wade sucked in his breath.
He expected many things from Julianne, but this was not one of them.
Julianne glided her tongue over the girl's bottom lip, tasting her. Then she pulled away and began to nibble on her ear.
"What's your name, sweets?" Julianne asked.
"Dana," said the wench.
Her hands were on Julianne's body now, stroking her back, grabbing her hips, pulling her closer. Julianne moaned as she continued to nibble on Dana's ear, softly biting and licking her. Julianne whispered something into Dana's ear. Dana shot Wade a look before nodding, ever-so-slightly. Then they began kissing again. Wade wondered what Julianne had said. Something dirty. It had to be.
He leaned back, getting comfortable as he watched the two girls tasting each other. After a few minutes, a few of the other men noticed, too, and whistled their appreciation. Wade just looked on, feeling himself growing hard at the sight he was seeing.
Julianne's lips had never looked as beautiful as when they were gliding over Dana's. Her hands rested on either side of Dana's face, showcasing how much she was enjoying this. Dana was openly groping Julianne's breasts. Wade sighed, finishing his ale. He couldn't take much more of this. His cock was screaming for release. The only thing he wanted was to shove it into Julianne’s wet pussy until he came. He wanted to make her body ache the same way his was aching.
He got up and went behind her, pressing his cock against her ass while she continued kissing Dana.
"Love, if you're going to tease me all night, it's going to be a very long night, indeed."
"I'm not teasing," Julianne turned to him, suddenly, and kissed him, too. He could still taste Dana on her lips, could still suck the liquor off her tongue.
"This way," Dana broke into his thoughts. Her voice was quiet, but serious. She grabbed each of their hands and led them through a narrow door at the back of the tavern. Wade was silent as they made their way down a narrow hallway, trying not to bump into people who were kissing or touching back there. At the end of the hall was a door, which Dana pushed open.
They all went inside.
22
The room had only a large bed in the center. The covers were pulled up and it looked clean and unused. Julianne barely noticed as she began kissing Dana again, reaching for Wade's cock with the other. She stroked him up and down through his pants, enjoying the feeling of his throbbing need beneath her hands.
She loved that he was going along with this, no questions asked, no moral "what-if’s" to argue about.
No, he was just allowing her to feel, allowing her to be.
And he was right there with her.
Dana continued playing with Julianne's breasts until her nipples were hard and poking against her thin dress. She ached to feel Dana's mouth on them, to feel the soft swirls of the woman’s tongue against her hot skin. Julianne pushed her chest out, expressing her need silently. Wade let out a low chuckle.
"You want her to lick you, love?" He asked her.
Julianne nodded.
Wade began unbuttoning her dress, allowing it to fall open. Julianne's supple breasts popped out and Dana smiled.
"Beautiful," she murmured, taking one of Julianne's breasts in her mouth. Dana swirled her tongue, tracing the outline of Julianne's nipple before gently biting on her hard nub. Oh yes, Julianne liked that very much.
Julianne wiggled out of her dress, allowing the rest of the fabric to fall to the floor. She stepped slowly out of her dress. Dana kissed her the entire time, never stopping her movements against Julianne's body. Wade kissed her from the back, slowly kissing and licking his way down her spine.
Tingles shot through her body, sparking every nerve alive. Wade smiled against her skin, loving the way she wiggled against his face. He continued to lick her, kissing and tasting, until he was on his knees behind her.
When his mouth hit her most sensitive parts, she moaned out loud. Wade licked Julianne from behind until she was wet against his face. She made tiny noises of pleasure as she squeezed her thighs, loving the way he was making her feel, loving the sensations that were building up inside of her.
Before she could cum, Wade stood and pushed her back onto the bed.
"Your turn, lass," he said, turning to Dana.
He stripped her down and started kissing her passionately. Julianne watched from the bed, looking at the way Wade wrapped his arms around Dana and pulled her close to him. His mouth conquered hers in a demonstration of strength and grace.
Then Dana took
his shirt off and tossed it aside.
"Show me what you've got, pirate.”
**
Wade pushed Dana onto the bed with Julianne. The two girls instantly began kissing and touching. They seemed as though they couldn’t get enough of one another, and Wade thought he might die from pleasure long before he ever got inside of them.
"That's quite enough of that, ladies," Wade said. He joined them on the bed. A quick motion to his cock, and both women began stripping his clothes off. Their hands roamed his skin, touching, teasing, playing. There were so many different sensations that Wade wasn’t sure where he began and they started.
Once he was naked, Dana and Julianne made quick work of his body. They kissed him, pressing their lips to his neck, his face, his chest. They moved in unison down his abs, over his hips, and to the space between his legs that needed attention most of all.
He fisted their hair softly, careful not to pull too hard, as they took him in their mouths one at a time. Each lick felt incredible; each suck threatened to completely undo him. It had been a long time since Wade was surprised by someone, but Julianne had certainly outdone herself this time.
The way she had simply grabbed Dana and started kissing her made him like her even more than he already did.
And he liked her more than a pirate should care about a woman.
The girls moved back and forth between licking and kissing his dick and licking and kissing each other until he couldn't take it anymore. He was going to have to get things moving if he even hoped to be able to finish. And oh, Wade definitely wanted to finish.
The pirate may have been swept off his feet by an unlikely stowaway, but he wasn’t about to let her best him in the bedroom.
That wasn’t his style.
"Down," he growled, motioning to the bed.