Chapter Ten:

The Seduction

When Meg had managed to sneak back to the holding room she and Ms. Blanchett had been moved to, Ms. Blanchett was sitting quietly, mending a dress with the pitiful sewing tools the pirates had thrown at her. Meg quietly locked the door and put the hairpin she had used to unlock it in her skirt pocket.

"How is she?" Ms. Blanchett asked, her face wrinkling in worry.

Meg was not about to tell Ms. Blanchett what she had discovered about Christine. She did not want to give the old woman a heart attack.

"She's fine," Meg lied as she sat down. She squinted at the sunlight streaming through the small window.

"Oh, praise the Lord. Locked away in that animal's chamber I would have surely thought she was done for."

"No, he didn't touch her."

"Good," Ms. Blanchett sighed.

Meg was silent as she mulled over the truth. She could not believe what Christine had done. Her best friend since childhood, her sister in spirit, had completely betrayed everything. How could she have betrayed Raoul? What would he say? What would they do? They were engaged. They loved each other. Would all of that go away?

Meg thought she had known Christine, but the Christine she knew would never give her virtue to a pirate. Christine knew right from wrong. She was a moral and pure young woman. She had been raised well; taught to save her virginity for her husband. Anything else was unacceptable. So why had Christine done it?

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Christine felt her skin burn as she glanced over and saw Erik looking at her still. All afternoon he had been doing that, giving her little smiles and knowing glances. It was unnerving. She had thought after their fight and then tempestuous hour of constant love-making he would be tired of her and ignore her for the rest of the day, but it seemed like his lust was insatiable. He would graze his hand lightly across her waist when he knew she wasn't looking or give her a secret grin when she looked his way. It was ridiculous and…awkward. Whenever he got that look in his eyes Christine felt her arms grow gooseflesh and her heart give a little flip. She hated that she found him so attractive, so arousing. Memories constantly assailed her of the way he had made love to her. He was like a caged animal; untamed, ferocious and violent, but still gentle and giving. He thrived with sexual energy; primal and uninhibited. She knew she should have denied him and said no, but resisting him had been impossible. He was too handsome, too rugged and sensual and male. He exuded raw masculinity, the complete opposite of her. And she loved it. She had reveled in the amazing differences between their bodies, the way her femininity cried out to his masculinity; how his body gave her own so much release. Just thinking about the way he had brought her to such ecstasy, such pleasure, made her tremble with desire.

She shook her head to get rid of the treacherous thoughts. What was she doing? What had happened to her? A little over a week ago she had been madly in love with Raoul and now she was a deflowered kidnap victim stuck on a ship lusting after an arrogant, crude pirate. That wasn't what she had planned or what she had wanted. She wanted to be with Raoul, to be married and content and taking on the role of a wife. Instead she was sleeping with a pirate. A pirate!

She needed to get off this boat. If she stayed on any longer Erik would have her chained up as his slave, or worse. She needed to escape, to leave and forget any of this had happened before anything else…

"Unusually quiet, princess," a familiar deep voice whispered so smoothly in her ear. She shivered but didn't dare turn around.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked lowly when she didn't respond.

She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders.

"I was just thinking about how I really need to be done with this boat and return home."

He chuckled. "Eager to get away from me?"

"As a matter of fact: yes."

"Funny, considering your body feels a lot differently." He slipped his hand under her breast as she kept her gaze on the horizon.

She breathed in sharply from the touch but steeled herself as best she could.

"You think the last few hours have been good?" Erik whispered as he caressed the tops of her breasts. "I could show you so much more if you just let me."

Christine sighed as he nibbled her ear.

"I could drive you to the brink of insanity, make you feel so much pleasure you would be crying out for me to never stop. Can you imagine it? Can you imagine what it would be like to feel me driving into you again, taking you like an animal? On top of you and inside of you? Can you just feel my thrusts right now as you cry out and I bring you to fulfillment again and again and again…?"

Christine tried not to listen to his words, but they were so arousing she felt as if her body was melting. It was complete torture.

"Don't deny yourself, Christine."

God, her name sounded good coming from his lips.

"Don't deny yourself maybe the one chance you'll ever have at feeling true passion."

Christine's eyes fluttered open. Was he true? Was this the only chance she would have at feeling real passion?

She finally turned and looked him in the eyes bashfully. His eyes had an arrogant, smug knowingness to them.

"Do you think I could never feel passion with Raoul?"

Erik was a little back at the question, but didn't show it.

"No, I don't. I don't he could satisfy the fiery passion in you. You're not a demure little creature, Christine. You need a man who can match your spirit."

Christine suddenly felt something dawn on her and she stared at Erik in disbelief.

"Why do you want to be that man, Erik?"

Their eyes stayed on one another's for a moment as Erik contemplated her question. He had tried to answer that question himself this entire time but he still couldn't figure out why.

That didn't matter though, his mind told him at this moment. Who cares why you're doing this. The point is to get her to succumb to you. Tell her what you know she wants to hear.

Erik sighed and softened his expression as he gazed into her big, brown eyes.

"Because I want you."

And before she could say another word, he took her in his arms and gave her a dazzling kiss.