realised the appetite of her curiosity was not quite so ravenous.
He hurled her from his shoulder and threw her against the mast. Like mythical creatures of the night, the brilliant white sails of the clipper rustled all around them. For an instant she was lost in a strange world of her own rising panic. There was no light on the upper deck and aside from the natural luminescence of the sails, she was shrouded in darkness. Her terror increased when she felt the captain’s hands on her body.
She was lifted from her feet and pushed roughly against the hard wooden mast. Before she could raise a word of protest, Emily found herself tied to the huge round pole. Her hands were behind her back, well and truly secured by a long thin rope wound tightly around her wrists. She could move her feet, but that did not help in any way. Unused to the tilt and roll of the boat, she needed to keep them firmly on the deck to stop herself from toppling.
She was firmly bound and unable to escape. As her eyes got used to the darkness, she could make out the captain’s silhouette before her. Fear and apprehension clouded all other thoughts. Her breathing quickened and her body shivered uncontrollably. She stared angrily at the captain.
He was glancing over his shoulder and Emily saw Laura approach, offering him his cane. He thanked her and turned to face Emily. He studied her slowly for a moment, his gaze taking in her exposed breasts, and the skimpy, soiled bikini bottoms she wore. A wry smile twisted his lips.
‘Undress her,’ he snapped sharply.
Laura walked over to Emily’s side and quickly obeyed the captain’s instructions. She released the clasp at the back of the strapless bikini top. Her hands encircled Emily’s torso and brushed almost casually against the swell of her breasts. Then the garment was being moved away from her.
Emily watched as Laura tossed it overboard. The flimsy piece of fabric was visible for an instant, flying towards the rails at the starboard side. Then it was gone, snatched into the black velvety waters of the night.
Emily swallowed uneasily when she felt the woman’s hands on her hips. Warm fingers reached inside the tops of her bikini bottoms. The woman hooked her thumbs into the pants and slowly slid them down to Emily’s ankles. As they were drawn down, Emily was aware of Laura’s fingers stroking slowly against the cool flesh of her legs.
‘Don’t do this to me,’ Emily gasped, her cheeks burning bright red with a mixture of fury and embarrassment. ‘I’ll apologise. I’ll say I’m sorry and you can throw me overboard but don’t do this to me.’ Her words tapered off helplessly, tinged with a pathetic note of desperation.
She saw the captain exchange a glance with Laura. Then he turned and smiled at Emily. ‘Which tabloid do you work for?’ he asked crisply.
Emily blinked and shook her head, wondering if she had heard him correctly. ‘Tabloid? I don’t work for a tabloid.’
He raised his cane and slowly stroked the tip of it across her bare breast. It was almost a seductive movement but Emily still tried to flinch away from it. She stared down at the wicked length of the implement as it touched her exposed orb. Her heart was pounding quickly and she could feel her tired and aching arms trembling with fear. Distantly, she realised that her nipple was standing erect as the cane passed against it.
‘Stop with the play-acting and tell me why you’re here,’ Captain Wilde snapped. ‘I’m not renowned for my patience, and I don’t think you want to see my unpleasant side, do you?’
Emily shivered. A cool breeze touched her naked body but it did not chill her. She was staring at the source of her tremor as he raised the cane above his head. ‘Untie me,’ she hissed. ‘I don’t work for a tabloid. I’m here accidentally and I’ll happily go away if you just untie me.’ This time she heard her words come out as a ragged plea.
He lowered his cane and for an instant, Emily