Chapter One
Drunken Pirates and Stunned Wenches
"Is that all you got, Bones?" Jack Sparrow called, poking the drunk and stumbling pirate in the butt with his sword.
The man howled in pain and fell to his knees, his back to Sparrow. Jack walked slowly and dramatically around to face the man, swaying slightly but normally for his drunken self and lowered his sword.
"Next time you try to rob a drunken man," he said, "make sure of two things: one, that you're not more drunk than he is, and two, if he's Captain Jack Sparrow, you'd better run in the other direction, rather than draw yer sword. Now," he continued, holding out his hand, "I want me money back, savvy?"
When Bones didn't do anything, Jack reached into Bones' pocket and took out his stolen money pouch.
"Ta," Jack said, and turned to leave.
But turning your back on a drunk and angry man is never a good idea. Before he knew it, Jack's right arm was yanked the wrong way with a horrible ripping noise. He screamed bloody murder until Bones' thick fist slammed into his head, knocking him to the ground.
The world spinning around him, trying not to pass out, Jack felt Bones reach into his pocket and take his small bag of money.
"Damn," he said. And he passed out.
Stumbling slightly on the uneven ground in the alley, Tara was fuming.
"I can't believe he wasn't going to pay me!" She muttered angrily to herself as she walked down the dark, deserted street that led to her apartment. "What, did he think that I'd never done this before?"
She put on a deep male voice. "Oh, sweetheart, I thought this one could be a freebee, being that it's my birthday."
She laughed. "That man's always so drunk, I'll bet he thinks everyday he has sex should be his birthday. Or maybe he thinks I'm drawn to his charming personality and lovely smell of fresh rum and stale sweat."
Tara laughed again and adjusted her breasts in her corseted dress. "My nose won't be able to smell properly for at least a month."
Tara shook her curly, dark red hair out of her sapphire eyes. She was on the verge of taking out her money pouch to see how much she had earned during the night, when she tripped over something and fell hard on her face, instantly receiving a mouthful of dry dirt.
"Damn!" She muttered, spitting out sand and small rocks.
Tara stood up, brushed herself off, and turned around furiously to see what she had tripped over. What she saw melted her anger.
A man was lying face up on the ground, unconscious. His right arm was bruised and clearly sprained.
Tara bent down to examine the man closer. By the look of him, the mysterious man was definitely a pirate. She'd gotten to know quite a few pirates very well during her career. She looked at the large bump on his head, trying not to focus on the fact that he was extremely handsome. Handsome enough, in fact, that she'd be willing to pay him to-
The man groaned. It was too pitiful.
Tara wrapped her arm around the man's waist and pulled him up, leaning his head against her shoulder, and grinning as his dreadlocked beard tickled her chest. She started to struggle towards her apartment, dragging the man along with her.
Tara stopped to breathe when she was outside her apartment, and looked up at a window on the third floor.
Her window.
Her window on the third floor.
The third floor as in thirty-five steep steps away from where she stood, already panting.
"Damn," she muttered again. She stood, thinking of how to possibly get this man up two and a half flights of stairs, when a tall and muscular man walked out of the apartment building.
"Jerrod!" She gasped, dragging Jack and herself up to him. "I could use your help, here!"
Jerrod took a moment to asses the situation, before saying slyly, "wore him out, did you?"
Tara would have slapped him if she wasn't too busy collapsing from the man's weight. "Just shut up and help me get him inside, will you?" she said. "He's hurt."
Drunken Pirates and Stunned Wenches
"Is that all you got, Bones?" Jack Sparrow called, poking the drunk and stumbling pirate in the butt with his sword.
The man howled in pain and fell to his knees, his back to Sparrow. Jack walked slowly and dramatically around to face the man, swaying slightly but normally for his drunken self and lowered his sword.
"Next time you try to rob a drunken man," he said, "make sure of two things: one, that you're not more drunk than he is, and two, if he's Captain Jack Sparrow, you'd better run in the other direction, rather than draw yer sword. Now," he continued, holding out his hand, "I want me money back, savvy?"
When Bones didn't do anything, Jack reached into Bones' pocket and took out his stolen money pouch.
"Ta," Jack said, and turned to leave.
But turning your back on a drunk and angry man is never a good idea. Before he knew it, Jack's right arm was yanked the wrong way with a horrible ripping noise. He screamed bloody murder until Bones' thick fist slammed into his head, knocking him to the ground.
The world spinning around him, trying not to pass out, Jack felt Bones reach into his pocket and take his small bag of money.
"Damn," he said. And he passed out.
Stumbling slightly on the uneven ground in the alley, Tara was fuming.
"I can't believe he wasn't going to pay me!" She muttered angrily to herself as she walked down the dark, deserted street that led to her apartment. "What, did he think that I'd never done this before?"
She put on a deep male voice. "Oh, sweetheart, I thought this one could be a freebee, being that it's my birthday."
She laughed. "That man's always so drunk, I'll bet he thinks everyday he has sex should be his birthday. Or maybe he thinks I'm drawn to his charming personality and lovely smell of fresh rum and stale sweat."
Tara laughed again and adjusted her breasts in her corseted dress. "My nose won't be able to smell properly for at least a month."
Tara shook her curly, dark red hair out of her sapphire eyes. She was on the verge of taking out her money pouch to see how much she had earned during the night, when she tripped over something and fell hard on her face, instantly receiving a mouthful of dry dirt.
"Damn!" She muttered, spitting out sand and small rocks.
Tara stood up, brushed herself off, and turned around furiously to see what she had tripped over. What she saw melted her anger.
A man was lying face up on the ground, unconscious. His right arm was bruised and clearly sprained.
Tara bent down to examine the man closer. By the look of him, the mysterious man was definitely a pirate. She'd gotten to know quite a few pirates very well during her career. She looked at the large bump on his head, trying not to focus on the fact that he was extremely handsome. Handsome enough, in fact, that she'd be willing to pay him to-
The man groaned. It was too pitiful.
Tara wrapped her arm around the man's waist and pulled him up, leaning his head against her shoulder, and grinning as his dreadlocked beard tickled her chest. She started to struggle towards her apartment, dragging the man along with her.
Tara stopped to breathe when she was outside her apartment, and looked up at a window on the third floor.
Her window.
Her window on the third floor.
The third floor as in thirty-five steep steps away from where she stood, already panting.
"Damn," she muttered again. She stood, thinking of how to possibly get this man up two and a half flights of stairs, when a tall and muscular man walked out of the apartment building.
"Jerrod!" She gasped, dragging Jack and herself up to him. "I could use your help, here!"
Jerrod took a moment to asses the situation, before saying slyly, "wore him out, did you?"
Tara would have slapped him if she wasn't too busy collapsing from the man's weight. "Just shut up and help me get him inside, will you?" she said. "He's hurt."