I leave my feet bare, as I would have at the House, and smear kohl thick around my eyes — my own form of war paint. My lips are stained as red as ripe berries, and I remove all adornment from my tresses, allowing them to flow wildly down my back. With a glance in my mottled mirror, I look every bit the part of the feral women the King’s religion fears so deeply. Laying the mirror back down on the table, I gulp down the last of my drink for courage, then storm out the door.
Time stops when I step back into the mess area. The scraping of cutlery against wooden plates ceases, and the only sound is the creak of the ship, and a few cups set down in astonishment. My gaze is locked on Lennox though, and I prowl toward him.
If he wants a she-wolf, I will be a predator tonight.
Air ruffles against my bare skin, raising goosebumps at the chill and reminding me of how much of me is exposed to the room. When I look into the Captain’s eyes, it pleases me to see both lust and anger warring in them. I smirk at him, almost baring my teeth, and continue my approach. My anger at his earlier dismissal is a fire in my blood, and the alcohol I consumed adds fuel to the flame.
My voice is a snarl when I say, “Good evening, Captain Lennox.”
I lean forward slightly over the table, a glimpse of my bare behind surely on display for the crew. Chair legs scoot across the wooden floor planks, and in my peripheral vision, I can see men’s eyes averted from the sight.
They know who I belong to.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Lennox growls at me. His hands are clenched in fists on the table, and a tremble runs through them as he grits his teeth.
“Isn’t this what I’m for… Captain? Your entertainment? You said it yourself, I am well-skilled. Would you like me to put on a show of my skills for your crew?” My mask is back, and armor of cloying sarcasm drips from cherry-red lips.
“You need to go back to your cabin and change. Now,” Lennox hisses.
“Perhaps I need you to take me to your cabin and get your money’s worth, Captain. After all, you did purchase me for quite a lot of coin. Surely it wasn’t just for me to act as a healer and occasional bed warmer,” I croon, batting my lashes in mock seduction.
His eyes are ablaze; I just can’t tell if desire or anger is winning. Truthfully, I don’t care. Lyra bites her lip where she sits next to him, a nervous expression on her face as she glances between me and her uncle.
“Enough,” his rough voice cuts through the silence of the mess area as he stands suddenly and walks around the table.
I turn to challenge him as he approaches, but before I can protest, he pulls me into his arms and flips me over his shoulder. Then, he strides out of the room, holding my dress over my bare bits as if the whole room hasn’t already seen all of me. As if it matters at all.
As soon as we have cleared the room, he releases his hand from the hem of my dress and slaps me on my partially bare behind. The sting sends a shock of desire through me, and I can feel heat surging low in my belly. He grips the same cheek firmly as he continues to forge ahead to his cabin.
“Is this what you want?” he growls at me. “To be manhandled and mistreated? To be punished?”
“Whatever brings you pleasure, Captain,” I reply cheekily, my chest bouncing against his back as he takes the stairs. “I am yours after all.”
The huff of a laugh rolls across his skin and mine before the hand that isn’t wrapped tightly across my knees slides up the back of my thigh. It is all I can do to keep from trying to spread my legs as he carries me, but we are soon in his cabin, and he plops me down unceremoniously on his bed. Retreating across the room, he stops by his desk, next to the pretty decanter of fine liquor I was thinking of earlier. His eyes never leave me, staring daggers with his arms crossed over his chest.
“What was that?” His voice is far more calm than I would expect.
“What you want, isn’t it? My skills?” I rise to my hands and knees on the bed, arching my back so my dress sides forward off my rump. Gathering my lip between my teeth, I meet his gaze. “Let me show them to you.”
He turns his back to me and pours a glass, drinking it in one gulp. Slipping lightly off the bed, I approach his back, slowly sliding my hand down his firm stomach to cup his erection through his pants.
“See, it is what you want,” I whisper to his back and press my breasts against him. I can’t disguise the anger and hurt I feel as they bubble up as ugly words on my tongue. I want him to be just as angry. “You bought a whore for a voyage. Use me, you fucking coward.”
That does it.
He spins toward me and grabs my wrists, hissing at me through gritted teeth. “Watch your mouth.”
His grip is firm but doesn’t hurt, and I rub against him like a cat in heat.
“Why don’t you put it to better use?” I breathe against his lips.
Lennox’s resolve cracks and his mouth crashes into mine, our teeth clashing as our tongues meet. I rub against him again, and, before I know what is happening, he gathers the front of my dress in his hands and rips it open down the front, a feral snarl escaping from his gritted teeth. The fabric falls to the floor, leaving me bare except for the chain I wear and his bangle at my wrist. The intensity of the action has me gasping in surprise, but he grabs my chin roughly before kissing me again to quiet any words I might speak.
Just as abruptly, he ends the kiss, spinning me in front of him to run his hands over my back. The wood of the desk bites into my skin as his fingers lace through my hair, roughly tugging on my loose strands as he pushes me down onto the surface. I arch my back, pressing against his arousal as he runs a hand up my thigh and moans at the wetness between my legs; one finger, then two, slide inside me, and I push back onto him, riding his hand, knowing he’s watching every move.
“Fuck, Andromeda.” His voice is rough. “You’re so fucking wet.”
“Fuck me, Captain,” I moan against the desk. “Take me now, please,” I plead, anything to get more of him inside me.