Oh and a big Thank 'ee to Kristen K-Bass for being my beta reader! We tried to think of some titles but couldn't come up with anything better than "Five Shillings". Among the discarded were: "Yo Hoe" and "Prostitue Pirate" but I felt that they concentrated too much on the prostitute part of the story, when in fact there is so much more. Well anyway, ENJOY!
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Julia tapped her foot as her mother applied another coat of lip ink. She wasn't looking foward to another night's work. Ever since she had turned sixteen, she had been working the streets. It wasn't as if she had another option, her mother doing the same. There was a difference between the two, though. Julia's mother, Madame 'Busom', owner of Busom's Buxom Ladies whorehouse, actually enjoyed her work. Julia, on the other hand, resented it. She hated giving herself up to every man who wanted her, hated the sick feeling she got each morning, hated being afraid that one day she might get pregnant, just like her mother did.
"Now make sure you make a decent amount tonight," her mother snapped as she laced up Julia's revealing corset. Julia gasped with pain and nodded. "Now shoo!" Her mother pushed her out into the chilly night air. She was sending Julia out to the streets tonight. Julia sighed as she began walking towards the docks. There were always some sailors who had been away at sea too long or some pirates who hadn't seen a woman in months that paid well. Although Julia had never slept with an actual pirate, her mother and some of the other girls at the whorehouse had told her about them. "They were rough and dirty, but extremely exciting." Kristina, a girl the same age as Julia (nineteen), had told her once with a grin. Julia shook her head in disgust. Kristina enjoyed her work too, thinking it all incredibly exciting and fun.
"Well now, what do we have here?" A deep voice rumbled from the shadows. Julia stopped suddenly and turned towards the voice, smiling coyly. A man who had to be a pirate stepped out, his graying hair was long and unruly, matching his long beard. He was at least two heads taller than Julia, and she was by no means short.
"What do you want to have here?" Julia asked flirtaciously, stepping bravely towards the man. Upon closer inspection she saw he really was quite scary looking. Part of her wanted to back away but the other part reminded her how angry her mother would be if she didn't make some money. She inched closer to him and began walking her fingers up his chest. He was looking down at her hungrily. Julia grinned cockily. "That'll be 5 shillings, sir." The pirate laughed loudly and Julia had to fight the urge to step back.
"Oh, I don't think it'll be 5 shillins
missy," and still laughing manically he swung a shrieking Julia over his
shoulder and ran down towards the docks.