“I’m sure he’ll get me back safely,” the woman spoke up, surprising Wade. Rarely did he hear the whores at Darnial say anything, much less anything so polite. “Nelson has been nothing but a gentleman.”
Wade met her eyes and stopped smoking for just a moment. She knew his name? Strange that Nelson would freely give that information to a whore, then again, Nelson was young and reckless. The girl was beautiful, Wade would readily admit. He could see what the young sailor saw in her. Her long hair fell over her shoulders in waves. Though she looked dirty and unwashed, there was a sort of raw beauty beneath the dirt and sweat. With a good bath and a good dress, Wade imagined she was quite the beauty.
Before he could continue oogling, however, Nelson gripped her hand and pulled her away, leading her down the narrow path to the town of Darnial.
As he disappeared around the corner, Wade felt a quick sense of unease as he wondered how Nelson had managed to sneak past him and pick up female companionship, then leave the ship again so quickly.
Wade must be losing his touch, he realized with a soft laugh, if Nelson was already about to start in on his second woman of the day.
3
“What was the meaning of that?” Nelson hissed once they were out of ear shot. Julianne rolled her eyes. She wasn’t one to listen to her brother’s complaints. In her opinion, he was possessive and kept her under wraps far too much. Yes, she was a stowaway, but so what? Did that mean she didn’t get to have any fun?
“He’s handsome,” Julianne said, shrugging. “Besides, wouldn’t it have seemed stranger if I hadn’t said anything at all?”
“No!” Nelson told her. “The girls here don’t speak to men who haven’t paid them.”
“How do you know?”
Now it was Nelson’s turn to fall quiet.
“I just do,” he muttered.
“Oh, that’s how it is, then.” Somehow, Julianne suspected that her brother was neither as pure nor as innocent as he would have others believe. She didn’t mind. He was her brother and she loved him no matter what his pleasures might be. It wasn’t as if she herself didn’t have dark desires, ones she would not readily admit to.
“Listen,” he said, pulling her out of the pathway and into the darkness of an alley. “I’m going to go buy some food and, uh, get some other things. Here.” He pushed several coins into her hand. “Do whatever you want. Meet me here at nightfall so we can get back on board before the other men come back.”
Julianne nodded and watched Nelson scurry away. She wondered if he was going to find himself some pleasurable company before the duo returned to the ship. She hoped she wouldn’t run into him. She hadn’t been able to really stretch her legs and move around in weeks. This might be her only chance for a very long time to actually be around other people, and she didn’t feel like wasting it with her brother.
Not that she didn’t appreciate him, of course, but Julianne was a grown woman who had certain needs. And her current need was to be filled, both in belly and in body, and to figure out if living in a port was a life she should consider. Without Vince to force her into marriage, she could do anything, she realized. She didn’t have many skills, other than housekeeping, of course. Still, how difficult could it be to learn how to please a man? Perhaps that type of position would be its own reward.
Once Nelson was out of sight, Julianne scurried back onto the path, turning in the opposite direction. Though it might seem strange to some, she was tired of feeling like a walking pile of filth, so after she bought a quick meal at one of the inns, she found the nearest bathhouse and handed over her money. The keeper led her to the shared bathing area and handed her a clean towel. Julianne thanked the woman and, as soon as she was gone, stripped down and stepped into the warm water.
The bathhouse had several large rooms, each with a round pool in the center. The pool in this room was at least 10 feet in diameter: large enough for a group of bathers, though Julianne had the space to herself. At the front of the pool were stone steps leading into the water, but there was also an underwater bench around the exterior wall of the pool. This enabled bathers to move to the center of the pool for deeper water or to sit idly around the outside, relaxing against the stone walls.
She let out a soft moan as she sunk into the bath. Darnial was known for its hot springs and loose women, both of which made Julianne feel right at home. She wondered, as she soaked in the water, whether she should tell Nelson that she wanted to stay here or someplace like it.
Maybe not today, but sometime.
She was far away from Vince and her parents. She was far away from anyone who had ever known her. Most of all, she was finally in a place where she could be and do whatever she wanted.
What would she do?
Julianne knew that she liked sex and freedom and exploring. Now she had seen more of the world than she ever had living in Gunthry, but what next? She leaned her head against the side of the bathing area and closed her eyes. The open bathing area was more like a pool. She had never seen anything like it and wondered if she was actually supposed to be completely nude in the water, but something told her no one would complain.
What would it be like to be with someone from Darnial? Julianne began to daydream as she soaked. The dirt and sweat washed away and with it came a fresh awareness of her body. Her nipples peaked beneath the warm water and she felt her entire body become warm and heated. It wasn’t just from the springs, she knew.
There were rumors back in Gunthry that the women of Darnial were freer than women anywhere else in the world. Sometimes they were with a man whose name they didn’t even know. Sometimes they were with two. Sometimes, Julianne had heard, they were only with other women.
What would that be like?
She closed her eyes as she thought about it and her hands began to wander.
As Julianne touched herself, she felt her body respond to her own touch. She didn’t masturbate nearly enough on the ship. Though she was fairly certain she wouldn’t get caught, she was nervous about the idea of someone – especially her brother – walking in on her in the midst of orgasm, so she tried to keep herself under control.
Most of the time, she failed.
Now that she was alone, however, Julianne felt free to let her hands roam across her body in the warm, bubbly waters. She cupped her breasts and pinched her nipples. The tiny shot of pain went straight between her legs and she felt herself growing even wetter than she already was. Her hands went up to her and played with her locks, then back down to every part of her body, finally settling between her legs.