Take Me Forever

by Sellers, Julie

  He gently placed her down on the floor and called for Elese. Mercy heard a pleasant voice answer from the kitchen. The woman who came to greet them was a plump, older woman with kind eyes and a sweet smile.

  “Elese, I want you to meet my wife. This is Mercedes or Mercy or short.”

  “Your what?” Elese asked shocked.

  “It is a pleasure to meet you,” Mercy said timidly.

  “Well, bless my bones. I can’t believe Cain finally did it. It’s about time too,” Elese said as she hugged Mercy. “No need to be shy around me, My Lady. You must be tired from your journey. I will draw you a nice hot bath so you can refresh and relax before dinner.”

  After Elese hurried off to ready the bath, Cain showed Mercy around the house. It had a large dining room with a fireplace in the center. The halls were beige and decorated with dried sea life. The kitchen was small and tidy. The servant quarters were connected to the kitchen. A spiraled staircase behind the servant quarters led up to a lookout tower.

  “Would you like to see the view from atop the tower?” Cain asked.

  “Yes, but I don’t think I can climb those stairs on my leg,” Mercy answered.

  “No problem,” Cain said as he began to carry her piggy back up the two hundred steps to the top.

  His muscles began to bulge beneath his trousers as he climbed each step. He was in no physical strain as he carried her. He was physically fit all over. Once they reached the top step, Cain set her down on her own two feet.

  “Well, what do you think?”

  “Magnificent,” Mercy answered without taking her eyes off of Cain.

  “I meant the view of the island,” Cain said as he turned her around so she could see the sea.

  “It’s breathtaking,” Mercy whispered.

  When Mercy gazed out across the island, she saw a splendid wonder. Goats grazed near a small stream. Colorful birds filled the tropical fruit trees. Bamboo made huts lined the village. Children played on the sandy white beaches. The ocean water was a beautiful turquoise with white capped waves.

  “I’m pleased that you like it,” Cain said as he draped an arm around her.

  “There’s still more to see. Let’s go down,” Cain said as they descended the staircase in the same manner as they came up.

  On the other wing of the house, Mercy passed two small rooms that were guest quarters along with a sitting room and a den. Cain showed her his bedroom last. It was a large room with the bed in the center facing glass windows with an ocean view. There was a glass door leading onto a small covered area just off of the side of the bedroom. She felt a breeze blowing from the open door as she stepped out onto the patio. She could smell the salty sea and see the waves crashing onto shore.

  Cain wrapped his arms around her and kissed her gently. She melted in his arms. His kiss was sweet and demanding as his tongue swept across her mouth. His hands began exploring her body as he pulled the blanket off of her and began to remove his tattered shirt from her body.

  Slowly, he caressed her breasts with his hands. His lips soon followed as he picked her up and carried her to the bed. He stood and removed his clothing while she stared in silence. Her body began to tremble as he climbed on top of her. He sensed her uneasiness and rolled to her side. He wrapped his strong arms around her and pulled her close to him.

  “What is it, My Love?” Cain whispered in her ear as he nuzzled it.

  “I’m just nervous. I’ve never done this before. I don’t know what to do,” she answered in a whisper as tears formed in her eyes.

  “Shh. Don’t cry. I will teach you. Do you trust me?”

  “Yes. You’re my husband.”

  Cain smiled as those words left her lips. Perhaps he should really marry her, and if her memory did come back it would be too late to do anything about it. It was the perfect plan. He didn’t need her ransom money. In fact, no amount of money could convince him to let Mercy go.

  “Mercy, I have an idea. It might help you regain your memory. Since you don’t remember marrying me, how about we do it again right here on the island? I know my people would want to attend. I can wait a few more days before we consummate our marriage,” Cain smiled as he put his devious plan into action. Genius!

  “Cain, that’s perfect. Can we do that? Get married again I mean?

  “Sure. Since your memories were swallowed up by the sea, I don’t see why we can’t do it again,” he lied.

  As they were talking about when and where to get married again, Elese interrupted them and told Mercy her bath was ready. When she saw Cain and Mercy lying on the bed naked, her face reddened and she apologized for the intrusion.

  “Next time, I’ll remember to lock the door,” Cain said as he put on his trousers.

  Mercy wrapped the blanket around her and headed to her bath. When Cain saw Mercy wrap herself in the blanket he remembered she didn’t have any clothes. While she was taking a bath, Cain decided to go into the village to find her something to wear.

  He found the seamstress shop and told the seamstress that he needed to purchase some clothing for Mercy.

  “Here are a few dresses that should fit Lady Corbin,” the seamstress said as she showed Cain some of the ready-made dresses she had in stock. “Of course I need her to come in for precise measurements to get the fit right, but these will suffice for now.”

  “I’ll take these now and she can come in to have them fitted properly along with a wedding gown. How long will it take you to make a wedding dress?” Cain inquired.

  “I thought you were already married,” the seamstress questioned.

  “We are, but since she has amnesia I thought it might help her to remember if we got married again,” Cain lied.

  “That’s a splendid idea. Send her tomorrow. I shall begin right away and can have it done in no time at all,” the seamstress told Cain as she handed him his packages and waved good-bye.

  Next, Cain stopped at the shoemaker and purchased some suitable sandals for walking on the island and told the shoemaker that Mercy would stop by tomorrow for new shoes. Cain hurried home hoping to be there before Mercy finished her bath. He went into the bathing room and saw that she was still soaking in the large white porcelain tub. Her hair was wet and her body was glistening with beads of water. He felt the muscle between his legs throb as he gazed at her beauty.

  Mercy sensed his presence and turned around to see him. He smiled and she could see the lust in his eyes. She quickly climbed out of the tub and wrapped a towel around her.

  “I brought you some clothes. I hope you like what I picked out,” Cain said as he left the packages beside the door and went to the kitchen before he couldn’t control himself.

  Mercy opened the packages and found several lovely dresses. The first one she picked up was green velvet with ruffles on the ends. It fit off the shoulders and exposed her cleavage. She thought it was too elegant to wear around the house. The next one she picked up was a blue flower print dress that was a simple sundress.

  As she picked up the third and final dress, she decided it would be the one she would wear. It was white with blue bows and lace edges. It fit her like it was made especially for her. The blue lace neckline made her ice-blue eyes shine. Once she was dressed, she combed her hair and tied it up with some ribbon that Elese had left for her.

  Lastly, she slipped on the sandals and went off in search of Cain. She found him in the dining room. Elese was arranging some of the roses from the garden on the table for a centerpiece. Cain was sitting at the head of the table with his back to her. She cleared her throat as she approached him.

  “Absolutely breathtaking,” Cain said as he turned his head to see her basking beauty.

  Her face blushed from his compliment. He laughed at her coy behavior as he pulled out a chair for her. He could not take his eyes off of her as Elese began serving the meal. They dined silently over shrimp, baked fish, island grown vegetables, and Elese’s special homemade bread. When they finished eating, Cain told her that he had arranged f
or her to go to the shoemaker and dressmaker shops.

  “I can’t have my wife running around in rags. Pick out anything you like. The seamstress needs your measurements for your wedding gown that she said she would start on right away.”

  “That was so thoughtful of you to find me some clothes since my trunk was lost at sea. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

  “Would you like to go for a stroll, My Love?” Cain asked as he offered Mercy his arm.

  Accepting his invitation, Mercy took his arm and they walked out to the botanical gardens in front of the house. “All of the flowers are so beautiful,” Mercy said as she stopped to smell the sweet scent of a budding yellow rose.

  “My mother had beautiful flower gardens when I was a small boy. She took pride in her garden. I used to spend hours playing in her garden while she tended to them.”

  “What happened to her?”

  “About fifteen years ago my father, my mother, and I were out on a board that was attacked by pirates. They took the ship and killed all of the men they found onboard. My mother protected me by pushing me overboard and told me to swim away since we were not very far from land. When I reached shore and found help it was too late. The woman had been raped and beaten to death.”

  “That’s awful. How did you end up in the same line of work as the ones who killed your parents?”

  “I never got over their deaths. I let all of my emotions build up inside me, and I became violent. One day I woke up and found myself destined to avenge their deaths. I took a few seamen and set out in search of the pirates who killed them,” Cain said in a low voice.

  “What happened then?” Mercy asked as they sat down on a bridge and watched the water flowing freely beneath them.

  “Then, I searched for months. My men were hungry and many of them were sick. We began raiding small fishing boats for food and water. Before we knew it, we were robbing others ships for gold and silver. I guess the greed took us over. When we found the pirate ship that had killed my parents, we viciously killed all of them except the captain. He got away before we realized it.”

  “That must have been devastating for you,” Mercy said as she squeezed his hand.

  “I vowed from that day forward I would find him and kill him with my own hands. I have never seen him again and I have been searching for years. Over time, I acquired wealth beyond my imagination. I could see no reason to give up my life as a profitable pirate and I will not stop until I get my revenge.”

  “That is a remarkable story. I don’t think you’re a terrible person at all. In fact, I think you’re the man I have been dreaming about,” Mercy stated as she kissed him on the cheek and stroked his hair with her hand. “I would want revenge too if I were you.”

  “Enough talk about me. How about we get married right here on this bridge?”

  “Perfect,” Mercy whispered.

  “I’ll arrange everything tomorrow after I see to some business while you get yourself a new wardrobe. It’s getting late, we should go home,” Cain said as he let her back to the house.

  Cain walked her to his bedroom and stopped in the doorway. “Until we are wedded again, I will not take ask you to perform your wifely duties in the bedroom as tempting as that may be. I bid you adieu for tonight My Love. May I be in your dreams as I know you will be in mine,” he whispered as he left Mercy alone in the bedroom and went off to find slumber in one of the guest bedrooms.

  Mercy was quite stunned at how a pirate could act like such a gentleman. No wonder she had agreed to marry him. He was very charming. She crawled into the large bed and drifted off to a peaceful sleep.

  Early the next morning, Mercy awoke to the smell of Elese’s cooking. She hurriedly got dressed and went to find the source of that wonderful smell. She sat at the table and waited for Cain to join her. Elese noticed that she was waiting and told her Cain had left earlier to take care of some business.

  “Cain told me to apologize for his absence but it could not be avoided. He told me to take you into the village for some shopping. If you don’t mind me saying so, you must be somebody special to make Cain settle down,” Elese told her as she sat down at the table beside her.

  “I think he’s pretty special, especially after telling me about how he chose to live as a pirate. Tell me, how did you meet him?” Mercy asked.

  “Well, about ten years ago I was aboard a ship sailing from Baffin Island when he raided the ship I was on. I was frightened by him. His crew took all of the supplies and they found me cowering behind some cargo. They took me to Cain and his eyes met mine. He froze for a moment in time. It seemed like he had seen a ghost or I reminded him of someone.”

  “His mother,” Mercy interrupted.

  “Yes. He never attempted to harm me in any way. He asked me where I was going, and when I told him that I had lost everything and getting a fresh start in life he offered me a position here. I owe Cain my life. If he hadn’t came along there is no telling what I would be doing to survive. He has been so good to me.”

  After Mercy finished her breakfast, the two women walked to the village. They chatted the entire way and Mercy learned more about her pirate. Elese told her that he had enough money stashed away, that he could stop his raiding and life the rest of his life without wanting for anything. He wouldn’t rest though until he found the man responsible for killing his parents.

  “Enough talk about pirates, tell me something about you. Is there anything you remember from your childhood, your parents, anything at all before you met Cain?”

  “I wish I could tell you something. Cain says I must have amnesia after I hit my head during the storm. I couldn’t remember my name or who anybody was when I came to. Cain told me everything he knew about me but I still cannot remember anything on my own.”

  “That’s amazing. I sure hope you get your memory back soon,” Elese stated.

  “The only thing I can remember is the dream I was telling you about. Cain is always in it. I hope that when we do get married again, it will trigger something in my mind.”

  “I hope so Mercy,” Elese said as they entered the store and greeted the seamstress.

  Mercy tried on the dress that the seamstress had started on last night since Cain was in such a rush to have a wedding gown made. She had stayed up to the wee hours of the morning making it. She only had to make a few alterations to make it fit Mercy perfectly. The gown was beautiful. It was simple yet elegant. It had a plunging neckline and straight lines. It came just below Mercy’s knees and was ivory satin. Mercy knew Cain would be pleased when he saw her in it.

  Mercy gave her final instructions to the seamstress and she and Elese headed to the shoemaker for shoes. Mercy picked out several shoes that she liked and luckily the store had plenty in her size. She was exhausted from a morning full of shopping so she and Elese headed home with many bags.

  “Oh Cain, the wedding dress is so beautiful. I can’t wait for you to see it,” Mercy exclaimed excitedly when she saw Cain.

  “I’m more interested in what will be in it,” he teased.

  “When can we have the wedding?” Mercy inquired.

  “As soon as your dress is ready and you are ready, My Love.”

  “The dress will be ready tomorrow afternoon and I am more than ready to start our lives together.”

  “Great, then how about the day after tomorrow? I will have everything arranged. Oh, and I advise you to get plenty of rest because you won’t be getting any rest on our wedding night,” Cain said as he walked her to the bedroom and kissed her gently on the lips.

  Two more days, he thought. Two more days and she would legally be his no matter what. There would be nothing she could do about it once they were legally wed and the marriage consummated. She would hate him forever if she ever learned the truth and he hoped it would never come to that but he would deal with it if it ever did.

  Chapter 9

  Two mornings later, Mercy awoke and could not believe it was her wedding day. In just a few more hours,
she was getting married to the only man she knew and trusted completely. There was nothing more in her life that she had rather do. Even regaining her memory was no longer important because it was who she was going to become that mattered now.

  When she finished her bath, Mercy waited on Elese to return with her dress and help her fix her hair. She had developed a certain bond with Elese over the last couple of days. She felt she could trust her with anything. She smiled in the mirror as Elese placed white roses in her hair added the perfect finish.

  “What are you smiling about?” Elese asked.

  “It’s just that this is the happiest day of my life,” Mercy said as tears formed in her eyes.

  “You’ll have many more with Cain. The two of you make a handsome couple. I’m finished here so if you don’t need anything else I will give you a little time to yourself to gather your thoughts,” Elese said as she left Mercy alone with her pre-wedding jitters while she waited on Sam to come fetch her.

  Cain had asked Sam O’riley to walk Mercy down the botanical isle and give her away. Sam was the oldest man on the island and Cain thought it only fitting that he should be the stand in father figure. Arm in arm, he escorted her down the path to the bridge where a crowd anxiously awaited.

  As Mercy glanced around the mere beauty of it all nearly overwhelmed her. Cain’s crewmen were lined along both sides of the path holding their swords overhead for the bride to pass underneath. Flowers glistened all around them and the tropical green foliage set a magical mood. As stunning as everything was, it still didn’t compare to the beauty that Cain saw when he saw Mercy in her wedding gown.

  When Cain’s eyes met hers, his knees trembled. He etched a memory of how Mercy looked in his mind. It was a moment he never wanted to forget. He wanted to remember how every strand of hair was placed. Elese had twisted it up in a French knot and strategically placed a few strands across her face along with white rose buds pinned in her hair. The flowers she held in her free hand were a simple bouquet of white calla lilies. The last things he remembered was the big smile on her face as Sam handed her over to him on the bridge.