Seize the Booty! (Erotica Arcanus) (3 page)

"Don't stop," Read begged
me, trying to get me to keep touching her, but I was left useless by the strength of my orgasm and my eyes closed of their own avail.

"Fawkes?
Fawkes," she said, tapping my face to try and keep me awake. "Stupid boys," she sighed.

Chapter
3. The Other Captain

Captain Barto Morris unscrolled the latest set of wanted posters and cursed bitterly. Not only was Calico Jack's likeness better (and more handsomely) rendered, the price on his head was now more than Morris' own. "Tell me something, Jerome," Morris called out toward the oriental privacy-screen in the corner of his room. "How in the hell does a foppish wastrel like Jack's head come to be worth even one doubloon more than my own?"

Jerome's voice was high-pitched and creaking behind the screen,
"I dunno, Captain. Bloody disgrace if you ask me. As if taking down a ship like the
Excursion
is anything to brag about."

"We were going after the
Excursion
too, you stupid git," Morris muttered. He stuffed the poster into his jacket and stared out the window, watching the waves lap against the side of his ship. The
Maidenhead
was an imposing ship with black sails and tall, towering masts. It made no sense that something as puny as the
Ace of Spades
bring anyone acclaim, let alone someone as boorish and arrogant as her captain. He caught sight of a dolphin leaping up over the water, but was too dejected to pay it any mind. "Nobody respects true craftsmen any longer, that's the problem," Morris sighed. "A pretty face. That's all they care about in this day."

"
You mean like this one, Captain?" Jerome cooed as he came out from behind the screen. He flashed a smile at the captain with lips as red as cherries, done up with thick layers of makeup. His eyes were smeared with blue powder and he twirled the locks of his long blonde wig as he sauntered across the cabin. 

Morris admired Jerome's short dress and said, "That's a good look for you, I reckon."

"It is?" Jerome whispered. He grabbed both of Morris' knees and forced them apart, only to sink down between them and look up at the captain with a pronounced pout. "I've a confession to make, sir. I've been a bad girl."

Morris adjusted his seat to direct his crotch more prominently toward Jerome's face.
"Is that so? Explain yourself."

Jerome squeezed the insides of the captain's thighs, massaging them with his thumbs, and said, "I accidentally spilled some of the rice from the food stores and ruined it."

"I see," Morris said. "There are punishments for that sort of thing."

"I know, and I'm so sorry, sir," Jerome purred.
"I'll take whatever punishment you demand, but I beg you to let me earn my way back to your trust."

Morris enjoyed the game, but
soon grew impatient. He undid the buttons to release his thick manhood and pointed it at Jerome's face like a judge's gavel. "Show me how sorry you are, and perhaps I will forgive you."

"Oh, thank you, captain," Jerome gasped.
Jerome's mouth's embrace of him was enough for Morris to close his eyes and imagine his wife, or better still, the native girls from their last port many months ago.

"Go slower," Morris instructed
, as Jerome's mouth closed around his cock and started to bob. "Slowly, I said."

Morris grabbed a handful of Jerome's blonde wig and pulled him
down, forcing him to suck the cock into the back of his throat. Jerome whimpered and tried his best, but Morris grunted and pushed him away in irritation, saying, "You useless little strumpet. You are sucking my prig all wrong. Now I must punish you even further."

He stood up, the eye of his throbbing member aimed menacingly at Jerome's whimper
ing face. He shuffled across the floor with his pants down around his ankles and arranged himself behind the other man's kneeling form. He bent down, keeping his hands on Jerome's sides to prevent him from trying to escape, and yanked the dress up and said, "Do not move."

Morris spit into his hand and Jerome
cried out, "No, captain. It's too much for me to bear"

Morris ignored him and
pushed himself forward until Jerome's resistance eased. He grunted, "There it is. That's a good girl," the whole while picturing Anne Bonny bent on the ground in front of him, groaning in protest as he violated her. His prisoner, to do whatever he pleased with. He'd make Calico Jack watch.

He sunk his cock deep into Jerome's puckering arsehole and gave just a few thrusts before he grunted and felt the hot cum bubbling deep in his loins. He pictured Calico Jack's face as he fucked that whore, Ms. Bonny, and it was enough to give him release. He groaned as he ejaculated inside of Jerome's bowels and the two of them fell forward, collapsing on the floor.

Morris pushed off of him in disgust. The illusion was shattered and now he was sickened by the deed as soon as it ended. He could not bear to look at Jerome's garish masquerade a moment longer.

"That was amazing," Jerome panted
as he lie flat. "Of course, I feel like someone shoved a bleedin' harpoon up me bum, but still. Worth every second."

Captain Morris scowled as he crossed the cabin to uncork the nearest bottle of liquor and said, "Get out."

Jerome scurried around the cabin floor for his things, keeping low to the ground as he pulled on his clothing to keep out of the captain's line of sight.
He tossed the dress and wig into a trunk behind the privacy-screen and left without speaking.

It was a shipman's agreement between them,
Morris thought.
A thing that took place and was never spoken of or acknowledged in public.

Meanwhile that bastard Calico Jack has a woman like Anne Bonny at sea with him.
A woman who can use a sword as well as she can suck a cock and tie a knot.
Untie a knot as well of a particular sort,
Morris imagined.
Why in the hell should he have a hot-blooded female at his disposal and I be left with nothing better than Jerome? Am I not the superior captain?

He turned and faced himself in the mirror.
Years of sun and sea had left his skin the texture of worn leather with creases around his eyes like the feet of a bird. His scraggly chin-hair accentuated the pointed thrust of his chin. "If you are the superior captain, why do you not take what is yours?" he whispered to himself.

Morris grabbed his hat and drew his hand down the spine of the eagle's feather sticking from its brim, smoothing it out and making it straight.
He donned his red jacket and emerged from his quarters to walk to the edge of the captain's perch and look down upon his crew.

They were working hard and talking amongst themselves, but all of them fell silent as Morris thrust his hands in the air and shouted,
"Avast, lads, for I have an announcement to make!" He reached into his pocket for the scroll and unrolled it, showing them the wanted poster of Calico Jack. They all groaned in contempt. "Now, everyone knows we be only the second-best crew on the sea, and that I be only the second-best captain. That is beyond dispute," Morris said.

The men looking back at him cocked their heads in confusion.
A few of them muttered small disagreements with the captain's words, but none raised their voices.

"It's true," Morris said.
"I know it, for it is written on this very scroll, proof for all the world to see. Our cut-throat ways and skill at piracy are now famous for being second-rate they say!"

"If anybody dares say such a thing I'll gut 'em in front of their own grandmothers
!" one of the crewmen shouted back.

"Would you now?" Morris said.
"So you mean to tell me you aren't satisfied with second place?"

The entire crew called out, "
Hell no!"

He leaned forward against the rail, "Do you mean to tell me this crew of dog-faced, sea-water
-drinkin' men of steel and fire are made of sterner stuff than that fancy-boy poof and his crew of women?"

"Aye, captain!" they shouted back.

Morris grinned slyly at them, "Aye, perhaps ye are. What say you then that we set an intercept course for the
Ace of Spades
, an' settle the matter once and for all?" The men fired back a roar of approval and Captain Barto Morris turned to take up the
Maidenhead's
wheel to steer it toward destiny.

Chapter 4.
Sea Transitions

The next morning I opened my eyes to
a booming clap of thunder. The ship was rocking back and forth violently and I realized everyone else was already above deck, working whilst I slept like some freeloading scallywag.

I
leapt up from my bunk and flew up the stairs, nearly running directly into the first mate as I exited onto the main deck. "Where the hell've you been?" Fat Matt snarled, lifting his hand to shield his face from the pelting rain and wind.

"No one woke me, sir!"
I shouted.

"You didn't notice getting thrashed by the storm, you damn fool?"

"I grew up in this, sir. It's like my own mother rocking me to sleep."

He let out a short laugh and said, "See who needs a hand, boy.
Look sharp lest you get tossed over the side."

"Aye, sir
," I called out at as I hustled down the side of the ship. It tilted sideways in a large swell and both men and crate all slid down toward the other side. Someone crashed into me and I threw out my arms, realizing that it was Ms. Bonny. As I caught her, I was taken over by the fragrance of fresh flowers and lavender oils in her damp hair.

She
smiled at me and said, "Thank you, lad. Had a long night, did ye?"

I
set her back on her feet, "I slept well, if that's what you mean, ma'am."

"Don't ma'am me, you damn fool," she snapped.
"I'm a mate aboard this ship, same as any other sailor."

"Not quite the same," I said
, glancing down at her magnificent bosom, the breasts so full that they stretched the fabric of her shirt wide at the buttons and revealed hints of what lied beneath.

Ms. Bonny smiled slyly at me
, a dangerous smile like a cat might give a mouse that it toyed with. "I'm slightly jealous, you know. I assumed that if you were going to go waving that wonderful flagstaff around at someone on this boat, it would be me." She came to my side and put her hand around my back and leaned close to my ear, "Of course, I'd expect you to stay awake a little longer."

As she walked off, I caught sight of
Read, attired once more as a man, her practiced scowl imprinted on her face as our eyes met. "Thanks, a lot," I called out to her.

She folded her hands against her face and closed her eyes, making snoring sounds that sounded like a pig grunting.
"Zzzz, zzzz, zzz, zzz."

The ship rocked again and I latched onto the mast to keep from sliding.
As I clung to it, its violent vibrations made my hands hurt. In horror, I looked up to see one of the sails had come completely loose and was wrapped around the flagpole, about to blow away. "First mate!" I cried out. "First mate!"

"What is it,
now?" Fat Matt shouted. He let out a small gasp as he saw the sail and said, "By Christ, if we lose that sail, we'll be sitting ducks. Find someone who can get up there immediately."

Without another word, I kicked off my shoes and leapt onto the
wet mast, scrambling up the pegs until I was high above the rest of the ship and the men below were like ants. "Get down from there, you damn fool!" Fat Matt shouted. "You'll fall and break your neck, lad!" 

The door to the captain's quarters
burst open and Calico Jack stepped out onto his perch and raised both hands over his eyes to shield the rain. "By all means, Mister Fat, feel free to climb up after him and stop him." He cupped his hand to his mouth and said, "Know you how to fix the sail, Master Fawkes?"

"I believe so, Captain," I shouted down.

"That does not sound very reassuring,
lad," he said.

"I'll do my best, sir."

"Master Fawkes?"

"Yes, captain?"

"Be careful up there, I pray you, and do not fall. However, if you do fall, please do not fall on my cabin's roof. I am quite fond of it."

"Aye, aye!" I said, and continued to climb.
Once I reached the top of the mast, I could not believe how high up in the air it was. Lighting spiked the air directly near my head and the dark clouds seemed near enough to swallow me whole. The mast wobbled back and forth in the wind, like a dog trying to shake fleas from its hide. It was all I could do to wrap my arms and legs around the mast and crossbeam and cling for dear life. The loose sail was wrapped around the second mast, and I stuck my hand out to grasp it, only to realize it was too far away.

Calico Jack watched me let go of the mast with one hand and lean across the vacuum of open air to reach for it and said, "
You're doing a smashing job, lad! Keep up the good work." He then looked down at Fat Mat and said, "Get your men ready. He'll fall for certain."

I was stretched out from the mast, holding on with just the tips of my fingers, clawing for the
rain-soaked sail. Finally, I snagged it with the tips of my fingers and snatched it back from the second mast, wrapping it and myself around the wooden pole at tightly as I could.

"See," Calico Jack
said with a relieved laugh, "I told you he could do it."

My hands were steady as I fit the riggings through the sail's holes and tied it as tightly as I could.
"There you are," I said. "Won't come loose again from those knots, I reckon." When I began my descent, I was greeted by cheers and applause from the ship's crew. Even Fat Matt clapped his hands and whistled. None of their voices was as sweet as Bonny's, however. The way she called my name sounded like the voices in the Coliseum rooting for a victorious gladiator.

The captain met me at the bottom of the mast and put his arm around me, making everyone fall silent with the wave of his hand.
"Mr. Fat, find us a port by nightfall."

"What kind of port, captain?"

"Any port," Calico Jack said. He looked down at me and smiled, "For tonight, we celebrate this boy's arrival at manhood."

The rain was a light trickle now, and all of the sailors clapped and called my name. The captain scrubbed the top of my head with his fingers, and I knew then, for the first time in my life, what
it meant to be a crewmember on a ship. It felt like having found my family.

The island was small and deserted, its pale, sandy beaches scattered with lemons and limes and large, strangely-colored nuts that Fat Mat seemed ecstatic to find. In the aftermath of the storm, the islands tall wild flowers glistened with white and pink petals and the grass and foliage was a lush and vibrant green.

The cook
sent small boats of men armed with spears out into the water, and they returned with fish so large it took two men to carry them. They dug pits in the ground and filled them with kindling, then slow-roasted the fish on spits above them.

I sat on the beach, staring past the fires at where the dark waters lapped the shore. My reverie was broken by the sight of Calico Jack rowing
toward me in a small boat. He dragged the craft up onto the sloped shore and removed two bottles from within, holding them while he scanned the beach. Much to my surprise, he nodded when he saw me and headed in my direction. "From my private reserve," he said, showing me the bottles as he sat on the beach beside me. "I acquired these from a blind monk whose entire monastery was made up of cripples dedicated to the crafting of fine rum. The blind ones are said to be able to taste each individual ingredient. The deaf ones are said to judge the potency of each barrel by their color alone."

"And what do the lame ones do?" I said.

"Drink the stuff, I suppose," he said. He opened both bottles and handed me one. "In honor of your becoming a man, today,
Mister
Fawkes."

I took the bottle and thanked him, but told him that I did not understand what he meant.

"A boy climbed up the mast today, but it was a man who climbed back down it.
You did not wait to be told what to do. You did not hesitate. You showed no fear. That is not just what makes a man a true sailor, lad. That is what makes a man a captain."

I looked at him, then.
It was as if he could see into my heart's deepest desire, and I could not bear it, so I lifted his bottle to my lips and took my first gulp. It was like drinking the strongest medicine I'd ever been forced to swallow as a child and I nearly vomited it back up the moment it splashed into my stomach. Calico Jack watched me cover my mouth with my hand and laughed so hard he might have pissed himself.

By nightfall, the food was prepared and each sailor ate his full of the roasted fish and hot, citrusy fruits cooked into them.
I wound up passing Calico Jack's bottle around to the rest of them, which only served to make their celebration of me all the merrier.

As the feast's end, the beach was littered with empty bottles and passed out sailors, glad to stretch out under the moon and stars away from the confines of the ship.
I laid back in the sand with my hands tucked behind my head and wondered if this type of life might not suit me forever. What use had I of cities and some awful trade, anyway? Slaving away in a blacksmith's shop in the stinking heat, breathing in nothing but soot all day and night. I was about to close my eyes when I saw someone walking along the surf, Ms. Bonny's long skirt held up in her hands so that her shapely legs were pale in the moonlight. I looked around. Everyone else seemed to be asleep. Even the captain.

She looked at me as I came down the beach toward her, the sea's soft wind blowing her hair back from her face as lovely as Aphrodite, emerging from the ocean.
She'd slid one of the wild flowers through her hair, over her ear, and I thought that it was the loveliest thing I'd ever seen in my entire life. "Hello, Mister Fawkes," she said. "It is Mister, now, I am given to understand. According to the captain, you are a man of the crew henceforth."

"The captain is very kind, indeed,
m 'lady."

She rolled her eyes, "He is an adulterer of the worst sort."

"I'm sorry," I said. "I had no idea he was married."

"Well, he is.
To her," she said, pointing out into the waves. "And when he is with me, she is who he thinks of. Perhaps when he is with her and I am not there, he will think of me as well."

"I am sure he will, Miss Bonny," I said.
"Good night, then."

She reached for my hand and held it firm, telling me, "Do not go running off just yet, Fawkes.
I will not bite you. Walk with me a bit."

"But the captain," I said.

"He has no claim over me," she said.
"I am a free member of this crew, the same as you are."

I followed her then, the two of us walking in the wet sand as the waves rolled over our feet.
The undertow tugged at us, Neptune beckoning us to come to him.
Not yet,
I thought.
Perhaps someday.
"How does a woman come to be a pirate, anyway?" I said.

Bonny shrugged and said, "It seemed more fun than staying at home.
Plus, it really, really angered my father. He wanted me to marry one of his business partner's sons or someone who could further our standing with the royal family. All I ever wanted was to be out here, though."

"How sad," I said.

She turned on me, "Are you mocking me? Trying to suggest that I should be some wife, cooped up with a dozen crumb-snatchers suckling my teats?"

"No!" I said quickly.
"I was just thinking of my own father, I suppose, and remarking how sad it was that you do not get along with your own."

"Oh," she said softly.
"He's still my sweet Papa, though. Whenever I've fallen into trouble with the law, he's always seen to it that I've escaped."

"Must be nice," I said.

"It has its advantages."

We were close enough that I could feel her breath on my face, then.
Although she was older than I, I was at least two inches taller than she, and from that vantage point, I realized that she'd undone the first two buttons on her shirt. I stared down at the crease formed by her breasts, where they were crushed together by her arms. Bonny put her finger over my lips and said, "I want you to tell me what you are thinking this very moment, and do not lie to me. I will know."

"I am thinking …
how lucky any crumb-snatcher would be to suckle those astonishingly wonderful teats."

She laughed and threw her hands around my neck, "Oh, Fawkes.
I adore you, I truly do." We swayed together in the surf, her body crushed against mine. She laid her head on my chest and said, "Have you ever been with a woman?"

"Of course," I said.
"Hundreds. Thousands of them."

She looked up at me, "So, that is a no, then?"

"Not a single one," I said.

Her mouth came up to mine to kiss it, pressing against my lips with hers and opening them with the tip of her tongue.
"You are a man, tonight, after all," she whispered. With that, she wrapped her arms around the back of my neck and pushed me down into the sand, and then opened up her shirt to reveal herself to me.