Chapter Two: Dealings & Shillings.

Julia sighed as she sat in the Inn's back room while the resident whores mulled around. Her shift was due to start any minute now.

"Bell get yer arse out here!" hollered Benson.

"Damn it." Julia sighed.

"Better get out there miss," Greta one of the said whores noted. "He's been steaming mad the whole night, you'll not be wantin' to make it worse."

"He's always mad." Julia replied as she tied an apron around her waist.

"Yer just lucky he doesn't whip yer arse good for that mouth Julia Bell!" Betty, another whore remarked with a laugh.

"With him its always the same. Nothing I do matters. Later ladies." Julia replied with one last glance in mirror above a small table before walking out to the bar area.

"Good luck!" Yelled Greta as Julia entered the bar.

"I'll need it." Julia thought as she looked at Benson's angry face.

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Captain Jack Sparrow took a sip of his rum and grimaced.

"Bloody fool is tryin' to rip me off, me!" Thought Jack with a sneer towards the fat form of Benson.

Jack took another sip of the rum and again frowned.

"No ye haven't improved have ye?" said Jack as he pushed the watered down rum away.

"Bell get yer arse out here!" Benson hollered at the back room.

Jack waited to see who ever the poor fellow Benson was yelling for. As Jack looked at Benson he thought, "Workin' for that creature has got to be hell."

"What in the kings name took ye so long girl! I have a mind to fire ye and arrange payment of me debt other ways!" Benson said angrily as Julia emerged from the back room.

Jack Sparrow sat further up. A girl. This Bell fellow was a girl. "Very interesting." Jack said as he watched the duo yell at each other.

"Well I'm here aren't I?" Julia replied with a thinly veiled voice full of spite.

"A pretty girl." Jack's mind chimed.

"Ye are one lucky bitch." Benson muttered.

"And why is that?" asked Julia her resolve breaking.

"I could sell ye right now to any man of me choosing but I don't. Ye should be thankin' me for me gratitude."

"Go ahead. Make my day." Sneered Julia.

This girl definitely intrigued Captain Jack Sparrow. Fire was what she reminded him of.

"Ye be askin' for it girl." Benson warned with a growl, a finger in Julia's face.

"Like I said, " Julia replied haughtily chin in the air, " make my day."

"Well ye just sold yerself to the highest bidder not that I'll even get that much for ye anyway!" Benson yelled red in the face.

"Sod off. Ye don't own me!" Julia said as she hit Benson on the chest.

"Really? I don't? News to me ears Julia. Far as I know, yer whore of a mother and drunk of a father owed me and since their dead ye owe me!"

"That's not true and you know it!" Julia responded her demeanor completely changing to one of a very angry girl.

"That's not true and you know it!" Said Benson mimicking Julia. "Who do ye think ye are girl? The bloody queen of England! Ye act like yer above me but yer not. I own ye Julia and now I'm selling ye!"

"But-"

"Shut up wench!" Said Benson cutting Julia off and slapping her across the cheek.

"One hundred shillings." Jack said in a low and serious voice his eyes slowly rising to meet Julia's and Benson's.

"Did I just say that?" Thought Jack but was brought back to reality by Julia's gasp and Benson laugh.

"Ye don't have one hundred shillings!" Benson said with a laugh.

"'Fraid I do mate." replied Jack as he dumped one hundred shillings onto the bar in front of him.

Julia swallowed awestruck. "Who pays one hundred shillings for a whore?" her mind wondered.

"Though I am not a whore." She muttered out loud.

Benson laughed nervously. "For a night?"

"No. I'd say that's, oh, worth at least me three days here in Tortuga. Wouldn't ye agree luv?" Jack said addressing Julia for the first time.

"Sod off. Benson-" Julia started as Jack smiled at her spunk.

"Shut up Julia! Gimme fifty more and she's yours for life." Benson said as Julia gasped again and Jack smiled.

"Done." he said throwing another pouch towards Benson. "Count it but it's all there. Now luv," he said putting a hand on Julia's shoulder, "lets retire shall we?" he smirked.

"Oh-" Julia started but remained speechless before running out of the East Inn.

"I do seem to have that affect on women." Jack said as he set out to find Julia and left Benson with glee in his eyes as he counted his newly acquired money.