by Lora Thomas
Kristina was so engrossed in the feel of the cooling breeze that she had not heard the man approach. She gasped and turned quickly as she felt her hat leave her head. At first she thought the wind had caught it, until she spied the man behind her, the hat in his hand.
A malevolent sneer crossed the pudgy man’s jowls as he licked his overly large lips. “Well, well, looky here,” he commented as his dull gray eyes traveled the length of Kristina’s body.
“Can I please have my hat back?” Kristina asked sweetly, hoping this was not one of the new crewmembers Samuel did not trust.
“Sure,” the man replied, as his eyes traveled the length of her body again, “for a kiss.”
Kristina gave the pudgy little man a tight-lipped smirk as her eyes blasted a fulminating glare in his direction, knowing now that this man was one of the new crewmembers she had been warned about. “That’s alright. You keep it. You need to cover your ugliness more than I.”
“Why, you ungrateful little bitch!” the man growled. He started towards Kristina. Kris turned to dart away, but realized she had nowhere to go. She was cornered.
Before she knew what was happening, the nasty little man was on her. He pinned her to the railing and pawed at her. His cold hands were all over her. When she thought she had one blocked, it would reappear and go to another area on her body. She felt her shirt rip and her fear took over. Raising her left hand, she punched the foul man, breaking his nose. As the blood poured from his oversized nostrils, a triumphant look flashed across her face.
“You stupid slut! You will pay for your disrespect. No one strikes me. No one!” he declared coldly as he slapped her fiercely, sending her tumbling to the deck.
Kristina looked up in shock at the man. The taste of copper flooded her mouth as her upper lip bled from his fierce blow. She attempted to stand only to have the back of Ronald’s hand strike her again, knocking her back to the deck.
Samuel was walking back from speaking with Smitty when he saw what was transpiring. His eyes quickly scanned the deck and spied Max walking towards him. Samuel raced in Max’s direction. “He’s got her!” Samuel frantically yelled to Max as he pointed to Kristina’s location.
Max’s gaze followed Samuel’s pointing finger. Upon viewing Kristina’s situation, he saw red. Never in all his life had he had such an all-consuming rage invade his soul. He crossed the deck in seconds. Before anyone could stop him, he had grabbed the pudgy man from Kristina and was beating him senseless. He stopped after several hits. The man’s body lay unconscious on the deck, his face mangled. He turned towards Kristina. Kneeling down beside her, he gently caressed her cheek. Noticing her ripped clothing, he stripped out of his shirt and wrapped it around her fragile body.
He looked over to Samuel. “Take her to my quarters.”
Samuel nodded. The tone of Max’s voice scared him. He wrapped his arm around Kristina’s waist as he led her away. Max looked back down at the disgusting little man who was beginning to wake up. Alex approached at that time.
“What’s going on?” Alex questioned looking at the beaten form of the crewmember.
Max looked at his friend. Alex took a step back at the soul-sucking dark fury that filled Max’s eyes. “Hear me now!” Max yelled, his voice booming from stem to stern. “The woman is mine. If anyone so much as looks her way, I will kill them.”
“Max?” Alex questioned cautiously.
“He was trying to have his way with Kris.”
Alex looked back down to the beaten man and nodded his head. “Do what you will.” Alex could tell from the look in Max’s eyes that the man’s fate was already set. Normally the crew voted on punishment for those who broke the rules set forth since pirate ships operated as a democracy. No discussion or debate from the crew was needed to decide the judgment of this man. The crew would not defy the quartermaster’s decision on this matter. It would be unanimous. Max’s temper kept the crew’s tongues quiet.
“Slim! Bring me the cat!” Max ordered.
Uveah and James pulled the man to his feet and escorted him to the large center mast. They bound Ronald with his chest pressing against the mast and cut his shirt from his body. Max walked over and took the cat o’ nine tails from Slim. Approaching the man, Max shook the whip to untangle the multiple leather straps, each with a knotted end sporting metal shards. He drew his arm back and forcefully snapped the whip across Ronald’s exposed flesh. The snap of the whip on the man’s back echoed over the deck. His screams were deafening, but that only intensified Max’s rage. He hit him again. There were no words to describe Max’s fury as he beat the man until there was no flesh left on the man’s torso.
When Max had finished, he approached the unconscious figure. Max grabbed the bucket of water beside the mast and tossed it over the man’s head. Ronald shook his head as consciousness returned to him and he became aware of what had transpired.
Max leaned over and heard a snide remark coming from Ronald. “That woman must be a good piece for you not to want to share her.”
At that comment, Max cut the man free from the mast. Ronald’s body hit the deck with a clamorous thud. Max grabbed the man by his hair and dragged him to the starboard railing.
“I hope the sharks don’t choke on your repulsive flesh,” he said to the man as he threw him overboard.
Max said nothing to the crew as he walked away. They jumped out of his path, afraid they would be the next victim of the quartermaster’s uncontrollable rage. The fear they were experiencing from the aura of the quartermaster drowned out the pleas of the man in the water.
As he entered the shadows of the corridor, he heard Smitty say, “Let that be a warnin’ ta all ya young pups. The capt’n takes none to kindly ta those who break the rules!”
Max stopped by a water barrel in the corridor and washed the blood from his knuckles. He splashed the cool, salty water on his face. As he raised his head up, a towel was thrown and hit him on the right side of his face. He turned to face the perpetrator.
Alex just stood looking at him. “Well?” he asked in an obnoxiously dry tone.
“Well what?” Max snapped back.
“I would like to know what that was all about. I understood the cat, but feeding him to the fish?”
Max just glared at his friend. Truth be told, he didn’t know why he did it; the man would have died from the beating Max had given him anyway. All Max knew was the fury that consumed his soul when he saw Ronald with his hands on Kristina. Each blow from the cat intensified his fury. He wanted that man to suffer. Then the newcomer had made that odious comment about Kris, and it sent Max over the edge. The turmoil over his actions was apparent in his eyes.
“He couldn’t be trusted to not do it again,” was Max’s response.
“I’m not questioning your actions. I will always stand behind your decisions as you do mine. I would just like to be forewarned of any life-ending punishments. This is still my ship,” Alex reminded his friend.
Max glared at Alex, but nodded his head. Alex gave him a pat on the back and left. Max turned and headed towards his quarters. When he opened the door, he saw Kristina sitting in the chair. Samuel was sitting on the floor in front of her.
“You can leave now, Samuel,” Max calmly told the boy. Samuel nodded his head, stood up and left without saying a word, still sensing the rage that had consumed Max.
When the door closed, Max walked over to Kristina and knelt down in front of her. She sat there staring blankly at the floor. He placed both of his hands on each side of her face and lifted her head. Placing a gentle kiss on her forehead, he asked, “Are you alright?”
She nodded slowly, still in shock. Even when she had been on that horrid slave ship, no one had ever tried to force themselves on her. “I … I … ”
Max wrapped his muscular arms around her tiny frame, rested his chin on her head and stroked her hair. “It’s okay. That man will never hurt you again. I swear.”
As he embraced her, the meaning of his words sunk in. “You kil
led him,” she softly said.
“Yes.”
“But why?”
Max looked down at the Spanish beauty, her damp hair clinging to her face. “Because he needed to die,” he informed her, as he gently stroked her reddened cheek with his thumb.
She should have been satisfied with that answer, but she wasn’t. She pressed the issue further. “Why?”
Max didn’t answer her. He could think of no words to describe why, just as he could not describe the feelings that coursed through his body when he saw that man’s hands on Kristina. He looked down into her frightened eyes and did the only thing he knew to calm her, to answer her questions; he gently kissed her slightly parted lips.
She was shocked by his unspoken response but did not fight it. The feel of his lips pressed against hers erased the unpleasant feelings left by the pudgy man’s fingers. But this kiss was different from the others. She could feel the tenderness and concern in his kiss. She could feel his emotions and worry. She yielded her body to his tender care.
Max kept his kiss tender, holding his stirring passion in check. She was slowly seducing him without even knowing it. Her taste was hypnotic. The trance that held him was broken by a faint knock on the door. Kristina pulled back and placed her hand on his chest as she breathlessly looked at him.
Max turned and opened the door; his stature reeked of agitation at being interrupted. Samuel was standing in the doorway, a worried look on his face. He still was not brave enough to look Max in the eye, but his concern for Kris gave him courage to face the menacing man.
“What?” Max growled at the boy.
Samuel stood his ground bravely and looked up at Max. “I was worried about Kris.”
“She’s fine,” Max replied as he attempted to close the door in the boy’s face.
Samuel ducked quickly under Max’s arm and entered the room. He saw Kris still sitting in the chair, apparently unharmed.
“I’m fine, Samuel,” she assured the concerned boy.
“Boy, how quickly do you want your backside tanned?” Max questioned annoyed, as he turned towards Samuel. “You deliberately entered my quarters without permission.”
Samuel began to see the error in his actions. He turned to nervously face Max. Before he could reply Kristina interjected, “It’s alright, Max. He was concerned for my safety. And if it had not been for Samuel, you would have never seen or stopped that man.” She watched as one of Max’s dark brows shot upward. “He will be welcomed here and will not be tossed out. But he is right, Samuel. Please ask permission before you barge in here again.” She saw anger at the embarrassment build in Samuel’s eyes. He was at the age where he did not fit into a man’s or child’s world. “Now don’t give me that look. I might be in an inappropriate state of dress for your eyes.”
The realization of what she was trying to present became apparent to Samuel and a blush spread up his face. Being raised in a tavern, he knew things most boys his age didn’t and he had seen things most men shouldn’t, so what she was implying was evident, which upset him. He reluctantly nodded his head and turned to leave.
“Tell James to help you finish in the galley tonight. I believe Kristina has had enough stress for one day.”
“Oh, Max.” Kris stood and walked over to him, placing her hand on his chest. “Really, I’m fine. I’ve been pawed worse by the men in the fishing village.” Which was a lie, but she was trying to calm the dark giant before her. She placed her hand on Max’s arm. “Do you really want to go back to eating James’s food?” she asked as she looked at him innocently. “Besides, cutting the heads off chickens is great therapy.” Before he could answer, she quickly followed Samuel out the door, leaving Max staring after her with confusion on his handsome face.
Chapter Twelve
After that first bath in the storage room and the memorable night that followed, Max told Kristina that the storage room would be for her personal use and changing for the remainder of their voyage. When she asked if she would be sleeping there as well, she was answered with a gruff “No” from Max. Apparently, from what she could gather, he still didn’t completely trust the new crew and would feel better is she was close to him. He did gallantly sleep on the floor, which she found odd considering what had transpired between them that night. But she kept her thoughts to herself on the matter.
When Kristina returned to Max’s quarters from her nightly bath, she smiled as she sat on the bed. She started brushing her long black hair. As she brushed, she studied him. He was sitting by the small table reading. The light from the oil lamp dancing on his face caused dark shadows to appear, giving him an eerie look. She could see how this man could strike fear in others without saying a word. He had an authoritative presence to him, a presence that oozed with danger. But there was also a sense of overpowering confidence and she found that extremely attractive.
“Why do you not sleep in a hammock instead of on the floor?”
Max peered up over his book and gave her a questioning look. “What?”
“A hammock? Why is there not one in here? The captain has one in his quarters and the other crew sleep in them … well, that’s what Samuel has told me. I have never been to the forecastle, but then again, I don’t want to.”
Max closed his eyes and shook his head, before looking back at her. “Are you wanting to sleep in a hammock?”
“Well, no. But since you so graciously gave me your bed, I thought a hammock would be more comfortable for you than the pallet on the floor.”
Max rubbed his lips together as he watched the inquisitive beauty before him. “I don’t like them.”
“Why?”
“You ask more questions than a child.”
“Why?” she asked with an impish expression as she crinkled her nose at him.
“If you must know, I cannot tolerate the motion.”
She laughed. “Really?” she asked with skeptical surprise.
He took a frustrated breath. “Yes. They move entirely too much. I never could tolerate them, even when I was younger. The motion makes me nauseous and—what’s so damned funny?” he asked as she interrupted his explanation with her outburst of laughter.
“The ship moves all the time and you can’t handle a little swinging?”
He gave her a fierce look. “The sway of the ship I have grown accustomed too. Hammocks sway in a different manner and much worse during rough seas, which is why most sailors sleep in them instead of beds … beds they would roll out of. I am on deck at all times when the waters are rough or storms are brewing. I stay up, all night if need be, monitoring the crew and ship until the danger has passed.”
“I see. But the floor is so hard. Surely you could accustom yourself to it until we reach Nassau?”
“I am more tempted to climb into bed with you to sleep. But I know the second I get into that bed, your enticing body close to mine, that sleep would be the furthest thing from my mind,” he huskily replied.
She licked her lips nervously as heat flooded her cheeks. His statement caused a fluttering sensation deep within her. She blinked rapidly several times. “What are you reading?” she asked in order to change the topic, knowing what the outcome would be if she didn’t.
He laughed at her nervousness, knowing her innocence made her unaware of the fact of how much he wanted her. So he obliged her change of topic and controlled his stirring passion by saying, “It’s a book about Africa.”
“Isn’t that where they kidnap people and make them slaves?”
“Unfortunately, yes. But this book is about the wildlife.”
Kristina turned her head the opposite direction and brushed the other side. “Do they have something different than we do?”
Max gave a short chuckle. “Yes. This chapter is about elephants.”
“What’s an el-e-faint?”
“It’s pronounced elephant. They are great gray beasts with long noses … trunks I believe they’re called,” he said as he looked back down at the book. He took his finger and skimmed
the book. “Yes, trunks. They have massive heads and when frightened or angry they flare their wide ears outward to appear larger than their already enormous size. From what I have read, they are bigger than two men standing on each other and weigh several tons.”
“Tell me more,” Kristina pleaded as she moved to the edge of the bed.
“Would you like to read it?” he asked as he held out the book.
“No. You are already reading it. I do not want to interrupt where you were. Also, I can only read in Spanish. I’m assuming it’s written in English. But even if I could read English, the only time I could enjoy the book would be at the same time as you.”
The corner of his mouth curled upward as he listened to her babble. “So you can read?”
“Si. My mother taught me.”
“Would you like me to teach you to read in English?”
A warm look came over Kristina. “That would be lovely.”
Max stood up and walked over to the bed. He sat down beside Kristina, opened the book and began to read. He would move his finger on the page under each word as he read. He didn’t know the first thing about teaching someone how to read, but he remembered Alex’s mother doing this to him when she was teaching him how to read, and he had learned.
Kristina moved closer to Max and laid her head on his arm as he read. His deep voice resonated as he read, creating a calming effect. She watched as his fingers moved along the words and studied them. She slowly began to memorize the words. His willingness to teach her to read warmed her heart. Surely, he must have some type of feelings towards her if he agreed to teach her to read. She knew he did not possess much patience and that this would be a trying job.
For the next three nights, they would assume this same position. Max would read and Kristina would wrap herself around his strong arm, listening and watching as his fingers ran under the words. She would sometimes interrupt him when she recognized one of the words and blurt them out in her excitement. He would give her a crooked smile at her interruptions. Her enthusiasm at knowing the words brought him happiness.