Amazon Slave (23 page)

Unable to accept any more delightful punishment from the strap-on, Emily pulled away and lay limp on the bed, her breathing ragged.

Laura lay next to her, embracing her naked body. The strap-on pushed rudely between them, but the shared intimacy was enough to make them unmindful of it. Laura kissed Emily’s face and neck softly. Her tongue traced droplets of sweat from her chest and she moved lower, licking the salty sweet fluid from Emily’s breasts.

Groaning with the aftermath of her orgasm, Emily carefully guided the woman’s head away. The strength of her climax had been intense and gratifying, but it had taken its toll on her. Each muscle in her body still tingled with delight and throbbed dully when she moved. The idea of enjoying any more pleasure right now, no matter how appetising the prospect seemed, was frightening. She noticed that Laura was grinning at her and she returned the smile.

‘Why don’t you come back to England and stay with the captain and I for a while?’ Laura suggested softly. ‘You’ve enjoyed yourself on the boat, haven’t you?’

Emily grinned broadly. ‘I don’t think you need me to answer that, do you?’ She replied. She placed a tentative finger against her own nipple and moved it away quickly, aware that even the mildest stimulation was still uncomfortable.

‘I’m not saying the holiday can go on for ever,’ Laura went on. ‘But what I am saying is that it can feel like that. You’ve discovered a new side of yourself. If you spend some time with us, perhaps you can discover even more.’

Emily frowned uncertainly. The memory of their love-making was rekindled by the painful flare of every movement she made. If Laura had been inviting her to enjoy that experience again, Emily would not have hesitated to answer. The unique joy that had come from being made love to by a like-minded spirit was so intense, Emily could not find words to describe the joy. However, she knew that the invitation was not being made for her own pleasure. She realised that Laura had a dominant streak that was tinged with cruelty. She also knew that the captain would be continually in attendance with all his menacing demands and tyrannical commands. Considering the pair of them, Emily doubted she would have much chance for pleasure unless she submitted herself to them wholly.

And she had already decided that she no longer wanted to play the part of a submissive.

Sexual power was an intoxicating aphrodisiac, and she found the prospect of controlling it far more exciting than submitting to it. Her time on board the
Amazon Maiden
had been a sexual revelation, and she was happy to embrace every aspect of her newly acquired knowledge. She relished the idea of being able to live a purely hedonistic existence and was thrilled by the prospect of being treated as a sexual plaything. If Laura had been making the suggestion that they live together alone, she would have said yes without a second thought. Under those circumstances, she would have been willing to submit herself, be servile to the woman’s dominant demands.

It was the thought of Captain Wilde that stopped her.

She was still trying to exact her revenge on the man, and she could not allow herself to think beyond tomorrow’s business meeting. Perhaps she could submit to the man again. Anything was possible she supposed; it was not as though the experience had been unpleasant. It had simply been humiliating. She smiled tactfully at Laura, knowing she was in no position to make a decision just yet.

‘Can I think about it?’

‘I wouldn’t expect any less,’ Laura replied, kissing her softly on the lips. ‘Think about it all you want, you’ll always be welcome.’

Emily’s smile saddened. She wondered how true that would be after she had submitted her competitive contract to the two negotiators.

*   *   *

An hour later, Laura was back on board the deck of the
Amazon Maiden
, talking animatedly with her husband. From her position in the pilothouse, Emily could not hear what they were discussing and at that point she did not care. The pair were distracted enough for her to sneak a final glance at the contract. She made her way quickly down the companionway and started through the saloon towards the captain’s cabin. The air was cool below deck and she relished the drop in temperature. She was dressed only in a loose silk blouse, showing off more of her long legs than modesty would normally have allowed under other circumstances. It was not the way she would have chosen to dress, but the hot weather made it close to a necessity.

Surreptitiously glancing over her shoulder, she paused outside the captain’s cabin. Her hand fell on the knob and she tested it carefully, not sure if it might be locked. That would spoil her plans, she thought dourly.

The door opened easily for her. Nervous, she held it ajar, building up the courage to enter the room.

‘That’s the captain’s cabin.’

The voice stopped her in her tracks. Her stomach performed a nervous somersault. Glancing at Vincent as he came nearer, she wondered how she had missed seeing such a big man in such a confined area. ‘Excuse me?’ she said, trying fervently to look innocent and barely managing it.

‘That’s the captain’s cabin,’ Vincent repeated. ‘Yours is two doors along.’

Emily shook her head and smiled, feigning stupidity. ‘All these doors look alike,’ she said simply.

Vincent nodded agreement. ‘For such a small vessel, it’s easy to get lost.’ He smiled easily at her. ‘I was pleased to see you’d come back.’

Emily returned his grin. She closed the door of the captain’s cabin, wishing she had been given the opportunity to sneak in there. Realising that Vincent wanted to speak to her, she tried to take her mind off her plans and concentrate on what he had to say. It was a difficult task; her thoughts were filled with the contract in the captain’s cabin. The importance of reading it one last time was paramount.

‘How are things going?’ Emily asked him, walking slowly towards her own cabin. She was barely conscious of the way she was dressed and the effect it might be having on the man. So much of her legs were on display that little was left to Vincent’s imagination.

He shrugged. ‘It’s been the best trip Dawn and I have ever enjoyed,’ he said flatly. ‘Laura and the captain are excellent hosts.’

Emily studied him carefully, wondering if he was being sarcastic. ‘Excellent hosts?’ she repeated dumbly. ‘I’m sorry. Is there another captain and another Laura on board this boat. I don’t think I understand.’

He grinned at her and followed her into her cabin. ‘I’m sure you understand perfectly,’ he said quietly. ‘You came back didn’t you?’

‘Yes,’ Emily began. ‘But I –’ She stopped herself before she could say anymore. Vincent was a sexual submissive, she reminded herself. His pleasures and motivations differed from her own, but because of the charade she was currently adopting Emily knew she had to account for that when talking to him. His thoughts were the same as Laura’s. He assumed that Emily had come back on board to endure more pain and humiliation. She did not dare to disillusion him for fear that he might betray her to the captain.

‘How do you and Dawn know them?’ Emily asked, intrigued as to how the four had become acquainted.

Vincent grinned. ‘We’ve worked for them for the past four years,’ he explained. ‘I suppose you could say that our relationships began as affairs, but the captain and Laura have such an open marriage I don’t think it’s the word they would have chosen.’

Emily returned his grin. ‘I’d noticed,’ she said dryly.

‘They both have fairly dominant natures,’ Vincent explained. ‘So I guess they were each looking for someone with a submissive personality. Laura found me. The captain found Dawn. It’s an unusual relationship, but I think we’re all quite happy with it.’

Emily was fascinated. ‘And don’t you miss your normal life?’

Vincent looked puzzled. ‘How do you mean?’

‘Work, the office, your home, your family…’ Her voice trailed off beneath his patronising smile.

‘Of course I don’t miss those things,’ he told her. ‘I still enjoy them. So does Dawn. We spend our days in the office. We visit family and friends whenever we feel the need to and when Laura and the captain invite us to their house we attend for whatever reasons they have in mind.’ He laughed heartily. ‘We’re just sexually submissive,’ he explained. ‘We’re not aliens from another world.’

Emily returned his grin. ‘I suppose I was being a bit stupid, wasn’t I?’

Vincent laughed at her openness, not bothering to contradict her.

‘Did you want to say something earlier, Vincent?’ Emily asked suddenly.

He shook his head. ‘I’ve already said it,’ he told her. ‘I wanted to say welcome back on board.’

Her grin was tinged with a hint of sadness. ‘I’m only staying until tomorrow. When we reach Havalaña I’m leaving.’

Vincent graced her with a knowing smile. ‘Do you really think it will be that easy?’

She laughed. ‘This isn’t more of Captain Wilde’s bullshit, is it?’ she asked. ‘Remember? Like the last time when he sent you down here to convince me I couldn’t get off at Port Maga?’

Vincent shook his head. He had the good grace to blush. ‘I’m not feeding you a line this time,’ he assured her. ‘I meant it as a serious question. Now that you’ve discovered this way of life, do you really think you’ll be able to give it up when you return to England? I know Laura’s given you an open invitation to the house.’

‘I don’t intend to give it up,’ she assured him. Her thoughts turned to Roderick and Judy and she suppressed the knowing smile that threatened to breach her lips. ‘I just think I’ll be playing it by my rules.’

His frown showed his lack of understanding, but Emily did not bother to explain. ‘Who’s at the helm?’ she asked quietly.

‘Dawn’s covering for me while I’m down here,’ Vincent explained. He leant forward and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. ‘Good luck with your future. It’s been a pleasure knowing you.’ He frowned as though a thought had suddenly occurred to him. ‘Why not reconsider Laura’s invitation? It would be good to see you at one of Laura’s parties.’

Emily was genuinely touched by his friendly intimacy and she felt a twang of regret at the deceit she was planning. The self-recrimination only lasted for a moment, but it was long enough to make a tear well in the corner of her eye. She glanced unhappily down at the cabin floor as Vincent left the room.

Her sadness did not last long. She waited until she heard his footsteps trail away then reminded herself that she was alone below deck. It was enough of an incentive to get her off her feet. Emily rushed to the door of her cabin and sneaked a glance outside.

Through the open door at the end of the corridor she could see Vincent climbing the companionway. ‘Fantastic,’ she whispered to herself. She was alone. She moved quickly to the captain’s cabin and pushed the door open.

It was empty.

Closing the door quietly behind her she made her way to his desk. The contract was still taking pride of place amid the cluttered pile of papers and she grabbed it gratefully. She would have preferred to study the document at her leisure. The meat of the agreement was sandwiched between thirty pages of legal waffle, littered with ‘herein’s, ‘pertaining to’s and ‘party of the first part’s. Flicking quickly through the papers, Emily made a series of brisk mental notes about details she had previously missed and tried to correlate them with the plans she had already put in action.

The contract was not as bad as she had initially thought, but she realised there was a lot of room for improvement. Her own proposal would easily appear more attractive than this one.

She was just reading the clause concerning account management when the sound of nearing footsteps disturbed her concentration. She glanced up from the desk, certain that the heavy footfalls approaching belonged to the captain. Hurriedly replacing the contract, she stepped away from the desk and glanced around the room. Her mind quickly selected and discounted reasons for her being there. She could think of no plausible explanation and panic did its best to squash her creative processes. She stood by the captain’s bunk, breathless with fear, expecting the cabin door to burst open at any moment.

When the footsteps walked past, she breathed a heartfelt sigh of relief.

She rushed quickly to the door and glanced tentatively outside.

‘Emily!’

She could see the captain standing outside her cabin door. He had his back to her and was calling her name, expecting her to answer. As she watched, he pushed his way into the room. The door swung closed behind him.

Emily moved quickly out of his room and stepped into the corridor.

He burst from her cabin, his face a cloud of thunder. ‘Where the hell have you been hiding?’ he demanded. ‘Why weren’t you in your room?’

She remained calm beneath his furious tirade. ‘I didn’t realise I was confined to my quarters,’ she said coolly.

‘Why weren’t you in your cabin?’

‘There’s no en suite in there,’ she said carefully. ‘And the porthole isn’t wide enough for me to stick my –’

‘All right!’ he broke in. ‘I get the picture.’ He glared angrily at her and ran his fingers through his hair. ‘You don’t make it easy to talk to you, do you?’

She shrugged. ‘You find it easy enough to shout at me. Why don’t you lower the volume and see if we can communicate on that level?’

‘I have a better idea,’ he said suddenly. He grabbed her wrist and twisted it sharply. ‘I came down here to be pleasant to you,’ he told her. ‘I was going to invite you to join Laura and me for dinner this evening. She and I have some business to discuss, but I thought we could all celebrate the end of an enjoyable cruise together.’

‘That sounds like a good idea,’ Emily said tersely. ‘But you’re hurting my wrist.’

His grin was as treacherous as black ice. ‘That’s just a start.’

Emily stared uncertainly into the captain’s menacing gaze. ‘What the hell do you think you’re doing to me?’

His grin broadened. Still holding her arm he pushed her roughly towards his cabin. ‘I’m going to give you a lesson in manners that you’ve been needing for a long time,’ he told her meaningfully.

‘I’ve already had one of your lessons,’ she reminded him. As she spoke she was backtracking along the corridor. ‘That first night, when you tied me to your mast and caned my tits. Don’t you think that was enough?’