The Pirate's Heart

by Bethany M. Sefchick

  Once more, Katherine did not snap at him, though it was evident that she wished to do so. Instead, she took the hand he offered and Jack assisted her to her feet. Nor did she lash out when he took the bit of silk that had been used to bind her left wrist to the table and instead bound it to his own right wrist, essentially shackling her to him.

  “Gentlemen.” Jack’s voice carried even over the grumbling and grunting of his crew as they ate. “We are off for the evening. Do not worry if you hear screams.” He gave Katherine his most seductive and lascivious smile. “For the lady and I intend to thoroughly enjoy ourselves. Only come calling if it is an emergency.” He paused, his eyes narrowing beneath his head scarf. “Unless, of course, you wish to continue this journey without your favorite appendage.”

  Then, without another word, Jack grabbed Katherine by the hand and yanked her out of the galley and into the corridor that opened to the deck above.

  She was quiet as they moved through the bowels of the ship. Almost alarmingly so. She was plotting something. Jack could almost see the wheels of her mind spinning. Or she was preparing to berate him once they were alone. He could not discount that possibility either. She likely hadn’t been pleased when he had informed the crew that he planned to fuck her this evening.

  As Jack had anticipated, once they were on deck, Katherine yanked hard against the length of silk that bound them. He could have easily pulled her to his side but instead, allowed her to believe that she could control him in some small measure.

  “Why did you do that?” she hissed through clenched teeth when he finally turned to face her, taking his time in doing so.

  “Do what, Duchess?” he asked, even though he knew very well what had riled her anger.

  “You know,” she shot back, taking a step closer. Almost too close for her own good. “Implying that we were leaving so that you could…could…well, you know.”

  Jack graced her with another wicked smile. “That we were going back to my cabin to fuck?”

  Katherine made a huffing sort of noise. “Yes! That!”

  “Come, Duchess. Don’t go all missish on me. You can say the word, you know.” He tightened his grip on the length of silk, drawing her closer.

  “What word?” She tried to back away from him, but the silk binding held her fast.

  “Fuck.” Jack was nearly nose to nose with Katherine now. “Say it, Duchess.”

  “No.”

  “Yes.”

  “No.”

  Standing here arguing with her, Jack had become so hard that he hurt. His cock ached to be inside of her and so far, he’d been nothing but a gentleman with her. Yet watching her standing before him, her breasts now heaving and her eyes becoming unfocused with her own desire, he felt far less gentlemanly than he had only moments ago.

  “You will say the word, Duchess.” Jack pulled Katherine so tightly against him that she let out a quick breath. “Not only because I desire it but because that is what we will do before this voyage is over. We will fuck.”

  “I will not submit to you.” Katherine’s words were haughty. Or as haughty as she could make them considering her slightly submissive position.

  “Your body says otherwise,” he teased lightly. “You will be in my bed, Duchess, your legs spread for me willingly and my cock in your cunt. And you will enjoy it. Every moment of it. Because I know you and I know that you want this.”

  Katherine slapped him. Hard.

  Jack should have seen that strike coming. He had pushed her farther than he had intended. Katherine needed to trust him, not fear him. He just wanted her so damn much that sometimes, he couldn’t stop himself. After all, she was the reason for this final voyage. It wasn’t the ransom he would demand when they made landfall. Nor was it the booty that was stored far below them.

  It was her. And it would always be her.

  Still, he could not allow her insolence to go unpunished. He could hear the crew beginning to come up from dinner and knew there was a good chance that at least one of them had witnessed her slapping him. For the safety of them both, he knew what he needed to do.

  With a sharp jerk, Jack yanked Katherine by the wrist and began to drag her towards a crate that had been fastened to the deck years before. Old and weathered, it was meant to be used as a small table, but for a sizeable man like Jack, it could also easily serve as a chair.

  “Do not dare ever do that again!” he barked at her, though he was more aroused than angry with her. “I am your master now and you will not forget that!”

  Jack could see the panicked expression on Katherine’s face as he forcibly pulled her across the deck. He hated this; he truly did. However, he had little choice.

  “Unhand me!” Her voice was so high pitched that her words came out as a squeak. “I demand you release me! Now!”

  “And I demand obedience!” Jack shot back, his blood pumping hard in his veins at the thought of what he was about to do. “And I will have it! From my men and from you!”

  Jack sat down on the overturned crate with a thump, dragging Katherine with him since they were still bound together. She fell onto his lap in a flurry of silk and petticoats, the priceless necklace at her throat glittering in the moonlight. God, she was lovely. And he wanted to fuck her more now than ever.

  Once he was seated, he made quick work of binding her wrists together so that the length of silk wound through an iron ring on the deck. At one time, the ring had been used to secure a rope of some sort, but that was in the time before The Darkness had fallen into Jack’s possession. He had simply never bothered to remove it. Now it proved a rather handy means of securing Katherine to the deck so he could keep her precisely where he wanted her.

  “Stop it! Whatever you are doing, stop it!” She was pleading now. He hated that she was pleading but her temper and sharp tongue had left him no other choice.

  “I am teaching you manners, Duchess,” Jack announced, loudly enough for this crew, who had begun to gather on the deck, to hear. “As you are a lady and I do need to keep you in good condition, I won’t use my belt.” He paused for effect. “This time.”

  Katherine tried to kick at him but to no avail. At least she was fighting back and giving his crew a good show. She didn’t know it, but her resistance to him had been a part of his plan all along. But not too much resistance, of course. Such a thing was a fine line, but she was managing to walk it well without even realizing what she was doing.

  “Release me at once! Please!” Jack saw a single tear streak down Katherine’s cheek but he remained firm. This had to be done.

  “No,” he replied as he repositioned her so that she could feel the hard press of his cock against her hip. “You have disobeyed me and you must be punished. I’ll not have insubordination on my ship. Now be quiet, lest you find yourself gagged as well!” Jack flipped Katherine’s skirts over her head with practiced ease but, as he expected, she struggled all the harder. Though she was blessedly silent.

  “Ramsey. If you will. She’s a bit of a hellcat and I’d like your strength.” Jack motioned for the cook to secure Katherine’s ankles. He had known the cook would appear the moment he heard the commotion aboveboard. He was also the only man Jack trusted to come this close to his prized captive.

  Once the older man had secured Katherine’s ankles to another one of the metal rings that dotted the decks, he moved back to join the other men who had crowded around him. Jack could feel the intense interest of the men that peered at Katherine’s still covered backside. If she were another wench, he would not have hesitated to strip off her drawers and bare her arse for all to see. Which meant that if he did not do the same to Katherine, his men would question him. He could not risk that.

  Forgive me, Katherine. I am doing what I must to save your life. And mine.

  Jack sent that single prayer skyward as he reached up and drew down the coarse muslin that hid her bare arse from view.

  “No! Please! Stop! I am begging you!” Katherine’s voice was muffled beneath her skirts, but
Jack ignored her.

  Instead, he gestured for his crew to draw closer. “See here, men! This is what happens when I am defied! Because she is a lady,” he paused to rub his hand over one of her bare cheeks, his thumb running along the crevice between her globes, “I shall go easy on her. This time. Next time, it will be worse. And I will invite you all to watch. Remember that I can be kind at times, but when I am crossed? There will be retribution.”

  Beneath her skirts, Katherine moaned, though to Jack, it sounded more like arousal than fear. His crew, however, couldn’t hear her moan. All they could see was her luscious, naked arse high in the air over his lap.

  In truth, that was all Jack could see as well.

  Katherine’s arse was well toned, the globes of her cheeks firm and smooth. He ran a hand over her again, his thumb tracing the same line as before, and once more, she whimpered. However, she also shuddered as well and he could swear he detected a hint of musk that had not been not present before. Was this arousing her as much as it was him?

  When he pinched her arse and pressed lightly with his thumb just above her cheeks, she shuddered and moaned again, her body relaxing at his touch. Almost as if she was welcoming more. God above, she would be lucky if he didn’t simply toss her on the deck and fuck her in front of his crew if she continued like that.

  He widened the space between his legs so that she rested more firmly across his lap. Her breasts brushed against his thigh and he felt his cock start to throb so badly that he wasn’t certain he wouldn’t spill in his trousers.

  He should just fuck her and be done with it. But he couldn’t. Not yet. For so many reasons.

  Doing his best to control his own raging need, Jack cleared his throat. “Now then. Let’s begin.”

  With his left hand, he pushed Katherine down further so that her legs spread slightly, ensuring that the spanking he was about to deliver would hurt – but hopefully not too much. From the corner of his eye, he saw Goddard free his already erect cock and begin to stroke himself. That man would bear more watching, but for the moment, there was little Jack could do.

  Once he was satisfied that Katherine was in the position he wished, Jack raised his hand and delivered the first strike to her bare, waiting arse. She yelped. She also became wetter still, her essence coating the tips of his fingers. And it felt absolutely divine. Not to mention incredibly arousing. He was in very big trouble. He just didn’t know how much yet.

  The first strike of Jack’s hand on her arse made Katherine moan. Loudly.

  This should not be happening! Not to her!

  Except that the very moment after she had struck Jack, Katherine had known there would be retribution.

  What she had not anticipated was the delicious thrill that had run through her when Jack bodily dragged her across the deck and splayed her across his lap so that she was on display for his crew. Nor had she anticipated becoming aroused when he stripped away her undergarments allowing everyone to stare openly at her bare arse.

  She tried to tell herself that this was an aberration and that she was acting this way out of fear, but her body refused to allow her mind to lie to itself.

  The truth was, the idea of these men seeing her like this, at Jack’s mercy, aroused her. She would have never thought herself capable of such depravity, but then, she was not the woman she had once been. The innocence in her had died with Daniel. Who was the woman who now lived inside of her body? In truth, Katherine had no idea, but apparently this new version of herself was something of a wanton.

  Katherine could feel the hard press of Jack’s cock against her stomach and she swore she could feel it throb as he caressed her arse, pressing on a spot that she had no idea could cause a woman to feel pleasure. But it did. Or perhaps it was just Jack.

  All Katherine knew was that as the warm night air skimmed over her naked flesh, she felt her breasts begin to ache and her cunny become wet. So wet that she was certain Jack knew of her arousal as well.

  At the first strike of his hand on her arse, she moaned, though she doubted that anyone could hear her as the crew cried out “one” so loudly that they drown out any other sound. She also felt her body tighten as his fingers lingered, caressing the underside of her arse cheeks slightly before pulling away.

  The second strike made her jump as it was so hard and stinging, but the bindings held her in place. Katherine refused to cry. She would not allow herself the indignity.

  The third and fourth strikes where harder than the first two and she cried out as her arse began to sting from the spanking. And yet, beneath it all, she was becoming more and more aroused.

  With each cheer that went up from the crew, each crude comment about a cock in her arse or how red her bottom cheeks were becoming, Katherine felt herself becoming wetter each time, especially as she imagined the men watching her receive her punishment.

  Her arse throbbed, but yet she craved more of the pain. She wanted this and she wanted Jack to be the one – the only one – to administer her punishment. The thought crossed her mind that she might defy him again if only so she could feel him spanking her harder.

  It made no sense! Good and proper ladies did not enjoy strange men seeing their bare flesh, not to mention being punished like this.

  And yet, Katherine did.

  Jack took longer with the fifth and six swats to her behind as if trying to tease her. Her arse stung. Badly. And yet, she wanted to feel his hard, hot hand spank her again. In fact, she craved it. She shifted on his lap, silently begging him for more. She both wanted this to be over and not.

  When he leaned down, as if adjusting her bonds, she felt his hot breath on her neck. “I know you are enjoying this, Duchess. I know you’re aroused. How very curious. And how very good to know.”

  She bucked against him and she heard a roaring cheer go up from the crew. She didn’t understand it at first until she felt Jack’s damp finger stroking her dripping cleft. He worked her own desire between her arse cheeks until she felt wet all over down there. Then, when he was seemingly satisfied, he delivered the final four blows in quick succession.

  Each blow made Katherine cry out, not from pain – though there was some of that – but more from need. Somehow, Jack’s act of coating her arse with the evidence of her own arousal had done something peculiar to her body, making it crave the forbidden, and making her mind race with fantasies of Jack taking her and pleasuring her however he wished.

  By the time he was finished, Katherine was awash with a need that she could not explain and did not want. Her arse was on fire. Her breasts ached. Her body throbbed. And she had never needed a man in her life the way she needed Midnight Jack as she did just then. Damn him to Hell and back anyway!

  Chapter Eight

  Jack didn’t return to the cabin for the rest of the night.

  Katherine thought he would.

  If for no other reason than to finish what they had started on the deck.

  She would have allowed it. She desired him that much.

  Except that he probably didn’t know that.

  Instead, he had stayed away. And a part of her hated him for that.

  It had been a long and torturous night for Katherine, alone in Jack’s cabin. After the spanking he had administered on the deck, he had simply undone her bindings, risen and hefted her more securely into his arms, her bare arse still visible as he strode across the deck, his crew’s eyes still following their every move.

  Katherine had heard the men groaning as she passed and she could only imagine what they were doing, though she’d rather not imagine even that. The only man she had a desire to see naked just then was Jack. She had also assumed she would.

  He was hard. She was aroused. Despite her better judgment, she knew what was coming next and welcomed it.

  Except that it hadn’t.

  When they arrived at his cabin, Jack had kicked open his door with her still in his arms, like something out of a lurid novel. Once inside, he had all but marched across the room before dumping her i
n an unceremonious heap on the bed. A rather aroused unceremonious heap, she might add. When Katherine finally managed to right herself, her skirts nearly up to her waist, she had found Jack staring down at her, his eyes so dark through his ever-present mask that they were almost black.

  At his sides, his fingers clenched and she could see his arms shake. When she’d pushed her hair out of her eyes, his gaze had followed her movements.

  She could see his cock, hard and erect through his breeches, leaving very little doubt as to how well-endowed he was.

  Katherine had assumed he would simply take her then. He hadn’t.

  Instead, he had admonished her to be good and then spun on his heel and left, slamming the door behind him and leaving her with a smarting arse and an aching body. He hadn’t even bothered to tie a single wrist to the bed!

  For a time, she had assumed he would return. After all, he’d made it clear that he wanted her and he wanted her willing. Tonight, she was willing. Far more than she had ever assumed she would be. Except it seemed that he didn’t want her after all because he never returned.

  After an hour had passed, the ship had begun to quiet, and it was then that Katherine understood that whatever had just happened between her and Jack, he hadn’t intended for things to go so far so quickly. He was avoiding her on purpose. On the deck, in front of his men, Midnight Jack had lost his infamous control. He never lost control. Never.

  Except he had with her, and he would likely not come near her until he regained that control. Though who knew how long that might take?

  So Katherine had undressed herself, finding the scandalous gown shockingly easy to get out of – though she also suspected that was likely the point of the garment – and prepared for bed. The private privy was already prepared for the night, as if the crewman in charge had anticipated that Jack would be retiring early and taking Katherine with him.