"James, what is…" I had only opened the door an inch, but James forced it back and stepped inside, stooping slightly to fit into the cramped cabin.
"That really is a lovely dress, you know Catherine." He spoke slowly. I smiled uneasily.
"Thank you, Lieutenant, you are too kind" I was eager for him to leave, my head was pounding.
"But don't take my word for it, some of the crew have been waiting for the chance to compliment you. Nibs, Gray, Nobby – What to you make of this lady's fine dress?" James called out into the innards of the ship, and three scruffy sailors entered. Seeing the cutlasses at their waists I surfaced from the potency of the wine into a rising panic.
"I'd say it were ver' bea-ut-eful." One of them ventured, grinning idiotically.
"Fer a whore" Added a second. I swallowed, a lump forming in my thoat.
"Quite right Nibs." James commented "I wonder if you know the common etiquette with whores?"
"Eh?" the third, who had not yet spoken, elbowed Nibs in the ribs and mumbled something into his grizzled beard that I could not understand. "Oh, right. We 'as 'em sir, good and 'ard, fer preference."
"Quite Nibs," James wrinkled his nose, then advanced on me. "However, he's utterly right Cathy, and I rather think your going to oblige." With a quick, rough shove, I was sprawling on the bunk, the wind knocked out of me. Before I could recover, James had pinned me down and with a flick of a gully knife at my dress and undergarments he found what he wanted. He spoke no more, his mouth was a hard, thin line and I could not bare to look into his eyes.
My heart danced in my chest and spots blurred my vision, alternately pale and dark. The wooziness of the wine now hung heavy in my stomach and I forced the bile down as James shoved against me. One hand held my arms useless above me, the other clamped hard over my mouth, hard enough to bruise.
Again and again he thrust and what I had always been told was something wonderful became a painful nightmare.
Then with a grunt and a sharp slap round me face it was over and bleeding and sobbing I attempted to cover myself up, too dazed to wonder why . But it was not over, there was Gary, Nibs, Nobby and James again and by the time they left me dawn was crawling over the sea and I felt dumb and lost.
Urgh! I'm sorry, what a horrible way to leave my heroine and end my story! For those of you that cares about such things - I DID write the final chapter, and it does have a happy ending, in a bitter-sweet sort of way.
HOWEVER (please, oh please forgive the shameless self promotion, it's only because I feel my story is in desperate need of guidance) I am in the process of writing a new version of this story - Maiden Voyage, New and Improved. Same characters, but with a vastly simplified (and hopefully better) storyline - soooooo - if you liked this story, please, please go check out my new one and tell me what you think! xXx