Chapter 7
Rosetta looked down at the dagger in her hand with such a deep sense of confusion, it felt as though her heart was sinking.
What just happened?
How did she go from giving Alister his space and freedom, to having him take her up against the wall outside until she forgot everything around them like a mindless, screaming, begging whore... to this?
To sitting on his thigh with her closed legs between his open ones, a dagger in her hand, and a demand that she guard his lap for herself.
All his men were chatting and laughing amongst each other, like they didn’t know what just happened, except for Pierre, who was sipping on a bottle, staring at the wall.
Where’s Lacey? Rosetta couldn’t see her as she glanced around, her brows furrowing. Why was Rosetta here instead of her? Isn’t a whore what he wanted?
Rosetta knew her. The girl was sweet but dumb, simply because she’d grown up in these parts.
She was a nice girl who liked good-looking men who would pay her a pretty penny for her to rock their world.
She was good at being a prostitute, knew how to make men feel good – not just with her body, but also with her words.
She made men feel special.
If Alister was looking for an excellent street girl, Lacey was one of the best. So why pass her up for Rosetta, someone he could have anytime?
She peeked at him from the side to see his cheerless expression. His lips were pressed behind that stubble, his eyes narrowed as he glowered at his men. The energy radiating off him was thick and charged, like a bout of violence could sprout from him at any moment.
He looked murderous.
When a barmaid brought two bottles, he grabbed the necks of both with the hand not currently gripping her side in a tight, inescapable squeeze.
He shoved them both against her stomach.
“Drink,” he demanded, releasing one so she’d take it before it fell.
“I can pay for my own.” She held it with both hands despite the dagger, her face twisting further.
“Nay.” He lifted his own bottle and took a swig. She watched how his Adam’s apple drew up, then down, as he swallowed deeply. “I pay for the first night.”
She noticed all his men were given a bottle as well, regardless of whether they were finished with the first or not.
He didn’t look at her, and eventually, he joined in the conversations with his men. Rosetta just sat there quietly.
She’d never sat on his lap before in front of his men. Her gaze roamed, taking in the warmly lit tavern as she fiddled with the blade, tapping her bottle with its sharp point. She didn’t feel like drinking with her stomach knotted the way it was.
I thought he didn’t want anyone to know the depth of our partnership.
She realised it didn’t matter, not when he was flaunting his coin the way he was, so much so that another woman noticed how much he had.
Patrons would think she was another prostitute sitting with him, since a black-haired girl came to take his other thigh.
He didn’t seem to notice as he lifted his arm up behind her back to take a sip of his drink, then replied to a question from one of his men.
I don’t want to do this. She didn’t want to sit here with him and another woman. She also didn’t like the idea of battling for her position with a dagger like... like some jealous, crazy girl.
Rosetta went to stand. The hand around her side gripped tighter, forcing her back down.
“You are staying,” he demanded, looking at her out of the corner of his eye.
His glare was sharp and menacing. Then he turned forward to point down the table, giving his attention to someone else.
“You wouldn’t know how to catch a fish even if it jumped out of the water and slapped you in the face. Only Glen is good with a net.”
A small lump of emotion settled in her chest, extinguishing her usual flame of defiance.
Why is he doing this?
“Rosetta?” a feminine voice said quietly, and she looked up at the woman beside her.
Her brows drew together in concentration. Wait, I know her.
“Claire?”
Claire smiled brightly and leaned forward to take Rosetta’s hands, currently still holding the bottle and dagger.
“I haven’t seen you in ages.”
Since they were in the way, Alister shot his body through them so he could hear the table. They both had to lean behind him to speak.
“I heard you’d left, and I was upset I never got the chance to thank you properly for what you did.”
That lump of emotion faded so she could give Claire her full attention. She shook her head dismissively, giving an awkward laugh. “It’s fine. I left on short notice.”
“But that money was everything I had saved. The fact that you got it back for me meant I was able to buy my way out of that place so I could hire my own room.”
Claire had been living in a brothel that allowed women to pay for their boarding by whoring themselves out to any man.
She was poor, but had been saving to buy a small room in one of the housings, so she could work the streets for herself.
She wanted to pick her partner, rather than be desperate enough to take anyone.
A man had gone through her room after sleeping with her and stolen everything.
Rosetta and her crew, the last time she was in Tortaya, had hunted the man down after she’d discovered the girl crying on the steps. They not only got it all back but stole all his coin as well for her. Rosetta hadn’t even taken a cut of it as compensation.
“Like I said, it’s fine.” Rosetta wasn’t used to receiving gratitude and her cheeks heated in embarrassment. “I’m just glad things are working out for you.”
“Did you get that little boat you wanted?”
Who hadn’t Rosetta told about it? She’d never shared which ship she was after, only that she was after a specific one.
“Yeah, I did.” She smiled.
Claire returned her smile. Then she pointed to the back of Alister. “Is this one yours for the night?”
Rosetta eyed him over. Apparently so.
“Yes.”
She reached behind his back and patted Rosetta’s shoulder. “I remember you’re selfish when it comes to coin. I’ll leave him to you.”
Claire got up and left, giving her a wave before she went down the table and fell into Pierre’s lap.
“Well, aren’t you a pretty boy,” she said to get his attention, lying across both his legs.
The playboy, whose mood seemed to mirror Alister’s, jumped like he hadn’t expected a woman to fling herself into his lap. She hung onto his neck with a bright giggle, making his lips quirk in reaction.
He let her go. She blinked at Alister, who was still leaning forward like he didn’t know Claire was even gone.
With a sigh, she reached her arm forward to push at his chest, making him recline in his chair so it was more comfortable for her.
He lifted his arm to take a drink, but he halted when he must have realised how easy it was, then turned to her.
“Stab that one, did you?”
“I knew her,” she answered with a shake of her head.
His eye squinted into a look of mistrust as he took a sip of his drink. “You know a lot of people in this port.”
“I told you before we came here that I’ve been here a lot.”
Rosetta had made an impression with quite a few of the permanent residents.
She had made herself a vigilante, fighting for the women of this town, since no one else was going to do it. The soldiers and guards were always paid to look the other way and Rosetta refused to do the same.
“That’s not always a good thing,” he muttered.
Despite their conversation, the tension between them was thick enough that Rosetta thought she actually might choke on it. Why does he want me here if he’s displeased?
It was obvious he wasn’t in a good mood. He’d been grinning when Lacey had been here, so why be sour with Rosetta?
He turned back to his men and Rosetta drank quietly, listening in, unable to go anywhere else with her crew currently preoccupied. It was mostly the playful banter and light conversations frequently heard on the ship.
Rosetta hadn’t even finished her drink before another round was placed on the table in front of her. Since he’d given a large collection of coins to a barmaid to pay for it, another woman came to sit on his other thigh.
Rosetta let out a sigh.
The idea of doing this all night was already grating on her nerves. At least Claire left easily enough.
Rosetta appraised the other woman.
She was busty, thicker than most, but stunning. She had dark-brown hair styled in waves around her face, and large breasts pushed high, flaunting a deep cleavage line. She was beautiful and had prominent features that made her look feisty, with naturally seductive quirks.
She immediately started twirling his long hair around one of her index fingers.
He reached forward to grab his new bottle and Rosetta realised he barely noticed the woman. Actually, he was talking to Kent about how he didn’t have the brain capacity to navigate the ship like himself, Pierre, and Derek did.
Kent often liked to get under everyone’s skin by being an arrogant man with both his brawn and brain – not that he had much going on in that thick skull of his. He refused anyone betting him to wear Rosetta’s lipstick again, though, as if he was truly afraid of that outcome.
Can he not see her? The woman was on his blind side, and he was too distracted by drinking and conversation to even know he had someone there.
Knowing she wasn’t going to be able to escape Alister, considering their earlier actions and his current mood, she stared at the woman while nibbling on her bottom lip.
Maybe if I just ask her to leave, she might. She didn’t know this one like she did Claire.
“This one is taken,” Rosetta said to her quietly.
The woman looked away from Alister’s face to her and gave her a sultry smile.
“I know this one; he has a fat purse. He’ll share us.”
She narrowed her eyes at the woman.
“I don’t share.” She moved the bottle hiding her dagger and flashed the weapon. “Leave.”
The woman giggled. “Jealousy isn’t a colour they like. You’re not the first to fight for his coin and lose it all to me.”