Chapter 43 Twelve
Twelve
Emma was very nervous, and Shay wasn’t nearby to calm her down.
She was going to be one of four subs, which made her happy since it would take some of the attention off her.
But Kate was also one of the subs, and Emma kept glancing at her surreptitiously.
She really wanted to at least nod at her, but the opportunity wasn’t there.
Kate treated her like she was a ghost, which should have made things easier, but instead it made her angrier at Rory.
Rory knew Emma was new and that Kate had been her first contact from the club.
Even though Emma understood the reasons, she still thought Rory was being a heavy-handed jerk for keeping Kate from even acknowledging her with a wave.
“Here, Em,” Nikki said, thrusting some clothes at her.
Nikki sported a long red wig and a tight corset.
“Nikki, I’ve read a lot of historical novels. Do you think if I tried to act a bit using that sort of dialogue, it would be too silly?”
“No, they’ll love it. The more we get into it, the more fun it will be for the club to watch.” Nikki stepped into a full skirt and gave a little twirl. The fabric flounced. Nikki was as graceful as a dancer.
Emma dragged her skirt over her hips and when it was situated at her waist, she tied the strings. Then she put on the blouse and adjusted the ties so it was cinched tight to show off her waist and cover her breasts.
Kate wore a dark dress and had pinned her hair up under a white ruffled cap.
Was she someone’s maid? The fourth woman was older than the rest of them.
She was possibly thirty with skin the color of a mocha latte and a stunningly beautiful face.
She wore a white peasant top and skirt, both of which were very sheer.
Emma started toward her to introduce herself when Nikki said, “It’s time.”
“Oh God,” Emma whispered with butterflies in her stomach.
Nikki splashed some water on herself since they were supposed to be seaside. “You’ll be great. Just follow their lead.” Nikki’s eyes were bright with excitement; her skin glowed.
Shakespeare’s Row had been rearranged so that three scene rooms were combined to form a beach. The guys had tacked down carpet flooring the color of sand and the poles were decorated like palm trees. Very bright lights shone on the area so it felt like the glaring sun when they walked out.
The set-up was that a pirate ship had chased the girls’ boat into a cove and the subs’ ship had run aground. The women had managed to escape the sinking ship, and the pirates had spent their time looting it before looking for them.
The bright light made it hard to see how many members had lined up to watch the scene. That was a relief to Emma, and she wondered if Master Shay had arranged the lights that way on purpose.
The Doms descended in force.
Even though, of course, she knew they weren’t really bloodthirsty pirates, her body reacted as if they were. She screamed for the other girls to run and bolted. She’d almost reached the end of the palm trees when strong hands grabbed her waist and lifted her right off the ground.
She panicked, panting and flailing. Another set of hands grabbed her legs.
“No! Let go! Let me go!” she yelled, thrashing.
The smell of rum and male musk smothered her as they pinned her between their two hard bodies. It felt sexy and amazing.
She was forced to the ground. “No! Don’t tie me. Don’t you dare!” she screamed. The rushing sound in her ears was so loud she couldn’t hear anything else.
Ropes threaded into place, and one of the Doms swatted her ass, but since it was through several inches of fabric, it didn’t hurt. Her wrists and ankles were pulled behind her body so that she was trapped, curled back. She fought the bindings, but there was no give at all.
Emma screamed in frustration. A rolled bandana that smelled like rum gagged her. Had they doused everything with rum? The smell was a little dizzying, but sexy, and she could taste liquor on the fabric.
She squirmed, tried to roll without success, and finally stopped struggling.
Master Rory and Master J stood over her. Master Rory had a little blood at the corner of his mouth, and his lip looked swollen. Emma’s eyes widened. Had she done that? Oh God. Was she in trouble?
All the Doms looked like pirates with their five o’clock shadows and their brown drawstring breeches.
“She got some good licks in,” Master J said, amused and almost admiringly. “Do you want to punish her?”
Oh God. Please, no!
She looked imploringly at them.
Master Rory grinned but shook his head. “No, the captain’s in a black mood. Better leave her to him.”
“Help them secure the rest of the prisoners. I’ve got this one,” Master J said.
J hauled her up and Emma froze, afraid he might drop her. She was in such an awkward pose to be carried, but he had no trouble. Obviously, strength and long experience with carrying bound women had made him an expert.
Master J tossed her onto the berth in the captain’s cabin. The walls of the scene room had been moved to allow a better view.
Emma breathed hard and struggled when Master Shay entered.
She looked up and blinked. He wore no shirt, but a leather vest partially covered his chest. His skin was smudged with soot.
He smelled of rum, pipe tobacco, and sweat.
His wavy hair was wild. He looked thoroughly disreputable and completely delicious.
“So you found the bishop’s niece. Well done.” He leaned over and rubbed a small scuff mark on Emma’s cheek. “Put up a fight, did she?”
The abrasion stung a little. She had apparently given herself carpet burn during the struggle.
“She’s quite a spitfire,” Master J said. “I’ll stay and give you a hand with her.
“No, I’ll handle this one. You go and question the other survivors. I want to know what they saw.”
Master J nodded and exited.
Master Shay leaned against a small desk and glared at Emma. “You cost me a ship.” He pulled a very lethal looking blade from his belt.
Oh God. “No!” Emma said through the gag.
“Don’t try to deny it. I spoke to the captain of the Merciful Lady. He said you told him you’d rather sink the ship than let it fall into pirate hands.” Master Shay pulled her gag down.
“Where is the captain of our ship?” Emma asked.
“Where do you think he is? He’s where a captain belongs, on his ship.”
“You forced him to stay on board so he’d drown?”
“A dead man can’t drown. They don’t call us cutthroats for nothing.”
“You filthy son-of-a-whore!”
Shay’s eyes narrowed. “Whore? My mother took in people’s washing, but it’s interesting that you bring up whores. I suggest you tell me where the bishop’s gold is stored before I take it into my head to turn his niece into a first rate whore herself.”
“You wouldn’t dare! Right now, you can still ransom me. But if you defile me, the entire king’s navy will hunt you down.”
“The king’s navy hasn’t caught me yet,” he said, unconcerned.
“Untie me. Let’s discuss this like civilized people.”
“The Merciful Lady’s still a third above water. If she sinks before I find that gold, there will be hell to pay.”
“There’s no gold on the ship. I was going on a mission to spread God’s word. The women I travel with are all under His protection.”
“Some protection,” he said, running a thumb over her lip.
“Blasphemer! If you value your soul, you’ll let us go.”
“And if you value your backside, you’ll stop wasting time and tell me where my gold is.”
“I won’t tell you a thing unless you release me and my companions.”
“Then you’re in for a long night,” he said and grabbed the fabric of her shirt. He cut through it.
“Stop that right now!” she snapped.
His smile was so wickedly delighted, she almost laughed.
Then he replaced her gag and she didn’t find it quite as funny.
He tied it tight and then went to the dresser.
She couldn’t tell what else he’d gotten from the chest, but he did slip a small squeeze toy into her hand.
Though she couldn’t see it, she knew what it was.
A little horned devil that he’d shown her before they’d dressed for the scene.
If she were bound and gagged, she couldn’t use her safeword, and the sound of a falling bell might get lost in the fabric, so the toy was for safety.
If she got into trouble and needed to stop, she only had to squeeze and the squeak would act as her safeword.
She fingered the small toy, careful not to drop it or squeeze it.
Shay opened her blouse and let out a slow whistle. “A man could sail around the world twice and not see a pair of tits that fine.”
She thrashed her head and yelled at him through the gag. He bent his head and licked her nipple experimentally. Sucking in a startled breath, her eyes widened.
“Skin so soft and white it’s like it’s never seen the light of day.
” For a moment he looked dazed and a little wistful, then he snapped back.
“I’m sure the maiden missionaries of the Merciful Lady are all virgins, so you might not know how sensitive a woman’s nipples can get.
Or do you?” he asked with a lusty smirk.
He caressed her breast and then scooped and kneaded the flesh.
“Do you ever play with these breasts? Squeeze them and tease their little pink nips?”
She shook her head.
“Well then, before you ever teach natives about God, this heathen is going to teach you some things about His finest work.” With that, he hooked a clamp on each nipple. The bite of the pincer made her writhe and whimper.
His knife poked a large hole in her skirt and then his hands tore it open. He cut the strings and ripped the fabric away to reveal antique white bloomers.
“As white as driven snow,” he mocked. “But not for long.” Shay rubbed the back of his hand on the little pants, leaving black smudges.