Yup, that's right ladies, two chapters today – just because I luvs ya!
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Chapter fifteen: 'I don't smell that bad, do I luv?'The excitement built up in Jenny the further south they went, and she wondered if there really was treasure to be found. Jenny had heard tales of pirates' treasure, but never dreamed she would be helping search for some. A small corner of her mind flitted back to Port Royal and James Norrington and she wondered how he was and whether he hadreplaced her already. She sighed, her excitement deflated and she picked up the mop once more and pushed it across the deck half-heartedly.
'Eh luv, y'all right?' Jack took the mop from her hands and put his arms around her, squeezing her tightly.
'Fine thank you,' Jenny struggled in Jack's arms, trying to pull away from him.
'Eh? What's up now luv?' Jack released his hold on Jenny, his face hardening with displeasure.
'Nothing Jack,' Jenny sighed and pushed a stray strand of hair from her eyes. 'The men get a bit iffy if I don't pull my weight.'
'A bit iffy? I'll give 'em a bit bleedin' iffy! I'm th'Cap'n of this ship, an' if I want's yer elsewhere, I'll have yer elsewhere.' Jack turned to face the main deck, folding his arms. 'An' if anyone has a problem wi'that, they can come an' tell me about it, savvy?' The crew averted their gaze and studiously got on with whatever job they happened to be doing, stealing glances at each other.
Jenny did not know whether to laugh or cry, so instead gave Jack a small hesitant smile. 'Thank you, I think.'
'D'they hassle ya in any other way?' Jack took Jenny by the arm and led her to the bowsprit, where they could get a little peace and quiet.
Jenny looked out at the waves crashing against the bow, uncertain whether to say anything or not. The men were not going to be pleased at Jack having a go at them earlier, would this make matters worse? 'N-no Jack, everything's fine, really.' She knew she sounded false, but hoped he hadn't noticed it.
'Don't lie ter me Jen. D'they touch ya?'
'No, no they don't touch me, I don't think they'd dare after… Wilson. They just make lewd comments and suggestions. You're not the only one educating me in ways of the flesh, Jack Sparrow. Your crew have taught me one or two things with their remarks.'
'Why th'bleedin' hell did not yer say something earlier? Why has not Gibbs said anything?' Jack looked angrily round at his crew, going about their chores.
'It's not all the crew, and they make sure Joshamee is not around when they really start.' She tried to avoid Jack's eyes which was impossible as he pushed his face into hers, forcing her to look at him.
'Ya should have said something earlier, ya silly wench. I'll make sure they don't bother yer in future. But ya have ter tell me or Gibbs if they start up again, savvy?' He tangled his fingers in her hair and pressed his lips against her forehead. 'Promise me luv.'
'I promise Jack.' She shivered at the feel of his lips and fingers and she inhaled his salty, spicy smell, closing her eyes as she did.
'I don't smell that bad, do I luv?' he grinned at her as she laughed then kissed him gently on the lips.
'No, you smell wonderful, earthy and exotic at the same time.'
Jack caught his breath at the feeling in Jenny's voice and held her close, burying his face in her neck to hide the gamut of emotions he knew was written on his face, eventually breaking away when he trusted that he could keep his voice even. 'You smell like th'sea and th'galley,' he laughed ducking her playful blow and fought down the urge to scoop her in his arms and carry her to his cabin.
'How much longer before we reach Montevideo?'
'I reckon we should reach it within th'day luv. We'll stock up on warmer clothes and supplies once we're there.' He hoisted himself up onto the rail, getting out of Jenny's way as she carried on swabbing the deck.
'Have you ever been this far down before? How cold will it get?' She stopped what she was doing once more and leaned against the mop stale, looking at Jack balancing precariously on the ship's side but more steady than when he was on his feet.
'Aye luv, once. Rounded th'Horn wi'me old Captain. I swear I've never been so scared in me life. Th'sea was higher than th'mast at times and bitterly cold. But don't worry we ain't goin' that far down so th'sea won't be quite so rough.' He fervently hoped she did not see through his white lie. 'I'm just glad it's summer down here, an' not winter.'
'But it's nice and warm here, surely it will not get that cold, will it?'
'It will luv, it'll get very cold very quickly,' Jack shrugged ruefully.
'How far from Montevideo is it?'
'About another ten days sailing, but I'm reckoning on nearer fourteen days, then maybe a couple of days through th'Straight an' we should be there.'
'You make it sound simple Jack, but I doubt it will be.' Jenny propped the mop against the rail and stood in front of him.
'Nah, it probably won't be luv but that's what makes it fun,' he grinned, then leapt down from his perch and kissed her on the lips. 'All part o'life's rich tapestry Jen.'
'I'll take your word for it,' she murmured doubtfully, then turned and resumed her duties, shooting a look at Jack who fondled her bottom as he went past.
'Just feelin' th'goods darlin,' he laughed as he made his way to the helm.
… … … …
Jenny looked at the rather dilapidated port of Montevideo, wondering if they would be able to get all they needed from there. She looked around as Jack came up behind her then back at the small port.
'It don't look much luv, there's been a lot of fighting over th'town by th'Spanish and Portuguese but we'll be safe, don't worry. Ya can stay on board if ya want.'
'No, I'd rather go ashore, if that's all right?'
'All right darlin', we ain't goin' ter be stayin' long anyway. Go an' get changed, ya know I like seein' ya in a dress.'
Jenny disappeared below, leaving Jack to look at the scene she had been viewing, stroking his beard braids thoughtfully. He was still there when she came back wearing a simple cream cotton short sleeved dress, with pearly buttons down the front and a straw hat to keep the fierce sun off her. She gave a twirl and bobbed down as she reached him, then looked down at the flotilla of small boats clustered around the side of The Pearl, filled with people vying to sell their wares. 'Are you sure we're going to need to go ashore?'
'Aye luv, we can't everything we need off these folk, and I ain't buyin' food off 'em. Jenny watched as the crew bartered goods from the ship with whatever the person on each boat had to offer, goods being exchanged at almost too fast a rate for her to keep track.
'How do we get off the ship?' Jenny looked in alarm at the growing number of boats coming towards them.
'Don't worry Jen, the men'll take care of 'em.' Even as Jack spoke, some of the crewmen were climbing down the side of the ship and waving their cutlass about to discourage the boat people. 'C'mon luv, no time like th'present. Have ya got a knife with ya?' He smiled at her affirmative nod then turned to his crew. 'Pete, John, George, wi'me,' Jack ordered, wanting three of his biggest crewmen around to keep them safe.
The group climbed down to the boats and rowed ashore quickly then waited for the other boats to arrive from their ship. Jack set up a watch on the boats then led the way into the town centre, one arm around Jenny's waist, his other hand wrapped around the hilt of his sword, always on the look-out for danger.
Montevideo turned out to be a bustling town and they quickly set about buying more supplies than they actually needed, just in case. Jenny looked on in astonishment as the cook, John Williams, purchased some chickens, stowing the crate containing them under his ample arm as he went. He chuckled at her puzzlement, 'Nothin' like fresh eggs sweetheart, an' believe me, where we're goin' we're going ter need all the good food we can get.'
'I-I see….' Jenny looked about at the supplies carried by other crewmen, and was astonished by the sheer volume of it. Fruit, potatoes, flour, cheese, salt, the list was seemingly endless. 'Jack, I thought you said it was around two weeks at the most to get there, this is a lot of supplies for two weeks.'
Jack sighed, realising he should have know better than to try and pull the wool over her eyes. 'Aye Jen, it is a lot, but we don't know what we're goin' ter encounter there. The weather could be bad, it could take a while ter find what we're lookin' for, could take a while to load it, I hope,' he grinned. 'This is th'last place we can pick supplies up from, so it's best ter be safe than sorry, eh?'
'Yes, I suppose it is. What are we doing about clothes?' Jenny spied a stall selling all sorts of animal furs and hides and led the way to it. Soon the stall was surrounded by members of The Black Pearl, eager to find warm clothing for their expedition. She picked out a small coat made from the hides of goats, trying to ignore the smell still emitting from it and pulled it on over her dress.
'Nah luv ya need one bigger than that.' Jack found out another, bigger coat and held it out to her, watching as she took the small one off and replaced it with the one he had given her. 'That's better luv, ya need to be able ter put plenty of layers on underneath yer coat, savvy?'
When Jack was satisfied everyone was equipped with a coat each and that those still on board the ship had been chosen some by their mates, he handed a pouch of coins to the stallholder, who bowed and beamed gratefully, looking at his now empty stall and calling out his thanks as the motley group made their way to the dock with their supplies.
'Right, now th'rest of th'clothing.' Jack turned away when he was satisfied everything had reached the ship safely. 'C'mon missy, back we go.'
They returned to the ship a couple of hours later, laden with warm clothing. Breeches, jerkins, thick, coarse shirts, boots, and even woollen hats like the native people wore. Both Jenny and Jack helped load the boats up and when he was satisfied all was in order and they had everything they needed, helped Jenny into a boat and rowed them back to the ship, the flotilla long since gone. She clambered over the rail onto the deck and stopped dead as she came face to face with a goat, who bleated at her.
'A goat?'
John Williams laughed loudly at her surprise, 'Aye sweetheart, a goat. Where d'ya think we'll get milk from, eh?'
Jenny frowned, then shook her head. 'I have to confess, I hadn't even thought about it. How many animals do you have on board?'
'Lemme see, two goats, couple o'dozen hens, three cats, an' Mr. Cotton's parrot,' he grinned, winking at Jenny's astonishment.
'There are obviously places I haven't yet visited on board.'
'I'll show ya where I keep 'em if ya like. Mebbe ya can help take care o'them, if t'Cap'n agrees.'
'Aye, tis a good idea John,' Jack smiled, wondering why he hadn't thought of it himself. 'I'll show ya round th'ship proper luv, once we set sail.'
… … … …
Jack led the way down another set of steep steps, making Jenny grateful she had changed into her work clothes before the tour. She could not imagine trying to climb down them in a dress and shoes.
'Careful how yer go luv, it's very low down here.' He held out a steadying hand, kissing her fingers as she took it. 'One of th'cats lives down here. She'd never go above th'orlop deck, an' now John reckons she's blind, cos she's not used ter light.'
'Oh, the poor thing,' Jenny murmured, feeling sorry for the animal.
'Nah, she knows her way down here better'n I do,' he laughed then stopped and pulled Jenny to him. 'Now young lady, there's nobody here but you, me an' th'cat,' he whispered huskily, brushing his lips across Jenny's cheek then her lips.
'Ah, that's why you wanted to give me the grand tour, is it Captain?' She broke away from his embrace and looked at him with mock severity in the lamplight.
'But of course luv. Ya should know by now I never do anything unless there's somethin' in it fer me.' He put the lantern he'd been carrying on a nearby hook on the bulkhead and wound both arms around Jenny, pulling her closer still. 'Any complaints darlin?'
'I'm sure given time, I might be able to come up with a couple,' she teased then squealed into his mouth as he kissed her roughly, his tongue licking at and twirling around her own. She felt him tug at the laces of her breeches then cool air lapped around her naked buttocks as he pulled them down, his fingers kneading the soft flesh as she kicked them off.
Jenny pulled away and undid Jack's breeches, moaning as he sucked on the hollow of her throat and ground his hips against her, the moan getting louder as Jack eased into her and started thrusting, picking her up and turning round so that she was between him and the bulkhead, her legs and arms wrapped tightly round him, her moans turning to cries as Jack bit into her neck as she climaxed. She felt a shudder surge through Jack as he spilled his seed into her, his body going limp in her embrace.
'Bloody 'ell luv,' he whispered hoarsely. 'I'll have ter take ya on a tour more often.' She giggled then whimpered as Jack withdrew and gently put her down, holding her for a while, murmuring and kissing until they had both recovered enough to pull up their breeches and carry on through the ship. 'Ya know Jen, I might just have ya on every deck,' he grinned lasciviously at her.
'Oh really Captain? And what about the rest of the crew or do you intend having an audience?' Jenny regarded Jack with a semi-stern look.
'We'll wait til they're on shore leave then work from th'bottom upwards.'
'How far upwards? Not the crows nest, surely?'
'Well I wasn't thinkin' of there, but now ya mention it, it'd be fun.'
'Jack Sparrow! You're an incorrigible rouge.'
He was still laughing as he led the way into the galley side cabin where the goats and hens were kept. 'D'ya want ter look after 'em?'
'I would like to, yes. I used to keep hens in England but I've never milked a goat before.'
'Ya milked a cow? Well it's th'same thing luv, only smaller an' more vicious,' Jack gave the goats a wide berth as they looked malevolently up at him, seemingly understanding his words. He watched as Jenny scooped some grain into her hand and held it out to the hens who were wandering freely on the hay strewn deck floor then he did the same, squatting beside Jenny as the hens pecked at the grain greedily. 'Mmm, how 'bout I have ya here luv, cook's not around….'
'Don't even think about it Jack. The poor hens would never lay anything after the shock.'
'Maybe not luv but I'd lay you.' He tried to scramble to his feet to avoid her playful blow but overbalanced and splayed across the floor, scowling at Jenny's laughter.
'Ere, what's goin' on?' John Williams peered around the doorway and was greeted by the sight of his captain lying on the floor covered with hay stalks and Jenny holding her sides helplessly, as tears streamed down her face. The cook snorted at the sight then a grin split his face. 'Sorry I asked…' He held out his hand to Jack and hauled him to his feet, then did the same to Jenny. 'Ya goin' to look after th'hens then Jen?'
'Yes, I'd love to, thank you. I'll even milk the goats if you like?'
'You will? Thank you sweetheart, I hate milking th'bloody things.'
'Come on missy, there's still places ter explore.' Jack placed an arm around her shoulder and led her away from the galley.
'Where? Surely we've covered the whole ship by now?' Jenny was starting to think the ship magically grew as they made their way through it.
'Nah luv, there's still the Captain's cabin to explore yet,' Jack chuckled as he nuzzled her ear. 'Then we should be just about finished.' He opened the door to his cabin, pulling Jenny inside then shut it firmly with no intention of opening it again until the following morning.
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