The Voyage Pt. 02

Just part of his dream.

He convinces himself he didn't actually hear a sneeze.

The sun is up, which means he should be too. It was a long, exhausting first day but they made significant progress. The favorable winds lasted into the night, at least as long as he was awake, and showed no signs of slowing down.

He dreamt of her last night - that troublesome minx. The next time they dock, he'll find someone to take his mind off her. An older woman with curves and plump round breasts. Someone who won't remind him of Ari. He needs to fill his hands with womanly flesh and toss a tough, experienced lady around. He'll find one that will moan instead of whimper when his palm reddens her rump.

But his thoughts always return to Arianna and the way her stubborn resistance melted. Her obedience and her modesty. Her wounded pride. Even at this great distance, she has an effect on him. The little tease needs to be pinned down and pleasured until she begs him to stop. She needs to see what she does to him and what her games get her.

But he can't think of that now. He dresses uncomfortably and exits his cabin completely distracted. Only half a day passes but it feels like ages when he returns.

He nearly drops his lunch when he sees a small figure curled up on his bed. His hand automatically touches the hilt of his knife. The stowaway snoozes soundly, face buried in blankets. The dark clothes and dark cap make it difficult to tell the age or the sex of the intruder.

"Explain yourself," he barks, immediately rousing her. She sits up and scoots to the edge of the bed away from him.

"Please don't be mad..." she grovels.

"Your father is going to hang me."

"But you practically invited me along," Arianna whines. Had that been his intention of showing her his ship, his cabin? Maybe so. "You showed me exactly where to hide." She smiles weakly.

"I'm sending you back."

"You can't. We're already so far!"

"I can - and will - do whatever I want. I should've let your father deal with disciplining you from the start."

"I'll tell him," she warns, sleepy eyes growing stormy. "I'll tell him what you did and then I'll tell him you kidnapped me."

"Don't be ridiculous, Arianna. This is no place for a lady. You're going back."

"No I'm not! I'll do anything you want. Please don't send me back. You can't! You know what could happen if you send me back on a ship with strange men. I'm safe with you and you're not turning this ship around."

And she was right, which infuriated him even more. He couldn't exactly drop her off at the next port and hope for the best. He didn't trust anyone enough to escort her home. Turning the ship around was unthinkable. She was smart to stay hidden for so long.

"Stay put. If you so much as touch this door, I will tie you to this bed for the rest of the trip." A small smug smile creeps onto her lips, sensing that she won.

"Wipe that grin off your face, young lady, I'm not finished with you yet." He expected fear but received a defiant pout instead.

"Be good and don't touch anything."

The sound of the door opening upon his return makes her jump, but she doesn't leave her perch atop his desk. It is the only place she can look out the window and she wasn't really touching anything. She only moved a few papers so she could sit crosslegged in the middle.

"What are you doing up there?" He sounds grumpy.

"I just wanted to see the water."

"Get down. I told you not to touch anything... and don't roll your eyes at me."

"You needn't be so cross. You want me here."

"You can't even imagine the things I want," he says darkly, his voice going soft.

"Like what?" Did she purposely disobey him and roll her eyes again or was it an accident? The way his eyes darken in response scares her a little and she tenses when he takes her face between his rough, strong hands. She can smell the sea on them.

"Like every time you roll your eyes at me, I want to fuck that pretty little face until they spill tears." She cannot hide the shock on her face or the blush on her cheeks. The room is suddenly stifling. "Or when you misbehave - like sneaking onto my ship, entering my room without permission, and touching my things - I want to lay you over my lap and spank you until you scream."

Her core clenches and she stumbles for words. "I... I'm sorry... I just wanted... I thought..." He hushes her.

"You just wanted what? An adventure?" She nods, not wanting to add that all she really wants is him.

"Well you're going to get what you want. You're staying and we're not turning around. Are you going to be a good girl and give me what I want?"

"Don't spank me again. I'm not a child."

"Now Ari dear, it wasn't that bad was it? And you learned your lesson."

"I want to go out on the deck. I'm tired of being stuck in here," she demands, refusing to answer his patronizing tone.

"Not if you can't even do what you're told in here."

"Fine," she tells him, stomping over to the side of the bed. She doesn't look at him as he slowly makes his way over to her and sits down. Immediately she drapes herself over his lap, not wanting to be told.

"No, not yet. Straighten up. You won't feel a thing through those trousers." She gawks at him. "Are you going to behave or not?"

The hot blush starts at her face and travels down her entire body as she fiddles with the laces. He watches intently. She pushes them down angrily and starts to take her position again.

"No... what did I say about those pretty panties the next time you misbehaved?"

"Nolan please," she whines, hoping he enjoys being addressed as such.

"Arianna. I meant what I said. I stay true to my word." She knows she's not going to win this. There's another feeling too. Her hands are shaking and her whole body is on fire. Her legs tremble as she slides her panties down, squeezing her thighs together for some scrap of modesty.

"Good girl," he encourages, keeping his eyes on her face. She doesn't make eye contact though and finally he pats his lap. She's almost relieved to lay across it and get this over with. "I want you to count them."

"This is ridiculous," she mumbles, earning her a sharp smack. She sighs but otherwise holds her tongue.

"This is my ship. I am the captain. And I will not tolerate your attitude."

"Two," she huffs after the next spank.

"The first was for back talking. It didn't count. Begin again from one." That was the last straw. She begins squirming and trying to slide off his lap, muttering her annoyance and how she rather go home.

"Arianna that's enough. You will stay still or I will figure out a way to send you home." She doesn't believe he really would, but she's unwilling to risk it. When she settles, he begins again.

"One" in a hard, determined voice.

"Two" falters a little after he spanks her harder. It's not the pain that arouses him though - it's the surrender, the control. With more effort she could've escaped his grasp onto the floor and he would've stopped pushing her. But her resistance was out of stubbornness, not fear.

"Three" is a gasp and he knows five is enough for now. She winces when he gently touches the red marks.

"Please don't tease me. Just get it over with," she whimpers. He feels instantly guilty.

"I'm finished. You were a very good girl." He feels her relax into him, so his hand travels up her back after rubbing her sore bottom a little more. He watches the tension leave her delicate spine

and her shoulders loosen towards the ground. She moans quietly when his hand massages her neck.

His opposite hand twitches, desperate to make her moan from a different sort of pleasure. But that could ruin this.

He can't help himself. He has to know what she feels like right now.

She's enjoying the hand on her neck. The poor thing has been sleeping on the ground under his bed. She doesn't react to his hand on her thigh, so he gradually caresses higher and higher, prepared for her to stop him. She jolts when his fingertips brush her nether lips.

"Sorry," he says quickly before removing his hands from her body and patting the bed. "Come lay up here. You'll be more comfortable."

She stands slowly and immediately grasps her own wrist, letting her arms hang modestly in front of her sex. The way she gnaws on her lower lip makes his breath hitch. Perhaps he should leave.

It's her move though.

She glances at the trousers and panties on the floor before deciding against them. A slight smirk graces her lips as she crawls onto his bed and puts her head on his pillow. Her upturned bottom is tantalizing but not as much as the way she looks at him over her shoulder.

"Keep rubbing my back?" she asks sweetly. He's too shocked to respond and she laughs nervously before taking her lip back into her mouth and turning away.

She continues blushing into the pillow, embarrassed, when his hands begin walking up her back. Every sigh, every subtle movement of enjoyment makes him ache for her. She snuggles into his blankets. Did she mean to part her legs a little more?

A quiet moan as the heels of his hands kneed her spine. A sigh as he massages the dimples of her lower back. Her legs separate a little more. She must be doing it on purpose.

A million thoughts race through his mind and he removes his hands to help him think straight.

When she arches her back slightly, it's an invitation he can't refuse. Her skin is so soft against his calloused palms. Her neck, her shoulders, her arms, her spine. Feeling every inch of flesh. He softly rubs her bum, but only briefly before moving down her legs, which relax and fall open farther, giving him a glimpse of the treasure between them.

When he reverses the journey, she tenses.

Nerves. But he'll take his time.

She still jumps a little when his fingertips brush the sensitive skin between her legs, but he doesn't pull away this time. He simply massages her upper thigh, occasionally rubbing the edges of her lips until she relaxes again.

If only he could see her face he'd know if she's smiling or blushing or cowering, but she keeps it buried in the pillow. Her legs close around his wrist when he slides a finger between her lips. It's a silent standoff. His finger rubs gently and she slowly relaxes.

She wants adventure and excitement. She's going to get it.

She whimpers when he slips his fingertip into the dampness, but doesn't make any movement to stop him. It's enough encouragement to continue massaging her from the inside out. She grows wetter and wetter from the gentlest of touches but he needs to see her face to be sure she's enjoying it.

"Roll over, Ari." She shakes her head wordlessly and pushes her face farther into the pillow. "I want to see your face... Now or I'll stop." She doesn't move.

The muffled "fine" after a few moments earns her tender rump a pat. Before he can get up off the bed though, she slowly lifts her head and rotates her body. She is breathtaking with rosey cheeks and a nervous smile. The modest way she closes her legs and rests her hand in front of her sex makes him weak.

She hadn't obeyed immediately though. She needs to experience the consequences. He smiles at the angelic figure in his bed and then leaves the room as her smile turns to a pout.

He returns later to her sleeping under the covers. Her pants are still on the floor.

"Dinnertime, Ari. Let's go." She awakes to his voice, rolling over and stretching under the blankets.

"I get to leave?" she asks, realizing what he just said.

"If you stop being so lazy," he teases. She throws back the blankets and hops out of his bed, still bare from the waist down. Modesty is overshadowed by excitement and it doesn't faze her to pull on her clothes in front of him. He stares in shock, cursing himself for the effect she has on him.

"Stay with me. Do you understand?"

"We're on a ship. Where am I going to go?"

"Arianna..." he warns.

"Alright, alright. With you. Understood."

People stop talking when the duo approaches. Some tip their caps politely, most regard her silently, and a few look as if they've just seen a ghost. He explains quietly that it's bad luck to have a woman on board.

"You don't believe in that stuff do you?" He only shrugs in response.

The meal doesn't look like anything that resembles real food. "You have to eat it," he tells her after a few minutes. "And it's not going to be any better cold. You wanted an adventure."

A man sits down across from her and chuckles at her forlorn expression, "You'll get used to it, princess. It's really not that bad. Use the bread to sop it up."

"My first mate, Remy," Nolan introduces. She looks up from her food for the first time to exchange pleasantries and is met with the most enchanting eyes. Their gray color is alarming at first but the uniqueness is beautiful. Remy's hair is dark brown but some strands are kissed by the sun. He wears his wavy locks in a bun high on his head, revealing jewelry in his ears. The hair on his chin and upper lip is groomed perfectly, which accentuates his sharp jaw. And his cheekbones...

"Nice to meet you, Arianna." His voice is beautiful too... But then he nearly spits out his food when she politely calls him sir. "You're sweet. I'm sorry. Maybe this guy likes that, but please call me Remy."

"I've been trying to break the habit," Nolan says, unamused.

"Just being polite," she mutters, resuming her inspection of the slop before her. She eventually pokes at it and eats a little.

Her mood improves as she meets more people, not one of which she calls sir. Some men avoid her - or perhaps simply avoid the captain - but most want to meet the stowaway, the privileged little princess who wants an adventure. Nolan even relaxes a bit and leaves her side while she sits on the deck and listens to the storyteller after dinner. She's always loved the Captain's stories, but this skinny old man with a beard to his waist tells them all better.

Mystical creatures. Foreign lands. Other cultures.

Her body begins to ache from sitting on the wooden deck so long. Her eyes grow heavy and the gentle rocking of the boat relaxes her. She wants to hear more though and attempts to convince Nolan she's not tired - nearly all she's done on this ship is sleep - when he suggests she go to bed.

"We'll continue tomorrow. Sweet dreams," the old man says as Nolan helps her to her feet. They return to his cabin in silence and he turns down the blankets on his bed.

"Where are you going?" she asks when he walks back towards the door.

"You'll be fine here. Goodnight."

"You're not going to sleep here?"

"No. Go to sleep."

"I want you to stay. Tell me a story." Her voice is so sweet and childlike.

"You've heard plenty of stories tonight," he responds quickly, trying to convince himself to leave.

"Then don't tell me a story. Just lay here." Her eyes burn into him with a wanton intensity. The mischievous little minx.

"Arianna, your father..."

"Isn't here," she snaps boldly, sounding twice her age.

"You don't even know what you're asking for."

"Then teach me, show me," she purrs.

"Go to sleep," he demands with his hand on the knob.

"Then I'll find someone else to show me. I'm sure it will be easy on this ship. Mayhaps Remy. He's..." But her voice trails off when he towers over her.

"You watch your mouth, young lady," he growls.

"Don't scold me. I'm not a child."

"What do you want? These rough old hands on you?" he asks, caressing her face. When she nods, his hand floats down onto her chest. Her heart pounds as he cups one small breast and his thumb rubs her nipple through her shirt. He gently applies pressure, laying her down.

His other hand deftly unties the laces on her pants and he pulls them off in one swift motion. She doesn't move.

"Want me to finish what I started earlier? Is that why you're being so difficult this evening?" She gasps when he touches her panties.

"I asked you a question, Arianna," he prods, rubbing her puffy lips through the fabric.

"Yes," she squeaks. He slips a finger beneath her panties and is shocked to find so much dampness. She moans when he gently rubs a spot that sends shocks through her body. The butterflies in her stomach nearly make her feel sick.

She grabs his wrist as the sensations start to feel too intense, but he doesn't stop. As his finger slides in and out, her body grips it greedily. The sounds she's making are getting louder so he hushes her, placing his other hand over her mouth. Her eyes are wild, looking at him over his fingers.

Her legs squeeze his arm.

"Relax, give in to that feeling," he coos, which triggers her very first orgasm. She whimpers as she explodes around his finger, her entire body trembling with pleasure. He's never witnessed such a reaction.

"Good god, you're perfect," he sighs as he caresses her. She's definitely tired now.

"What about you?" she asks with a naughty grin and glowing cheeks when he starts to stand up.

"You're not ready for me. Maybe in the morning," he laughs then kisses her forehead. She mumbles something but starts to doze while he strokes her hair.

Upon waking, he tries to slide out of her grasp, but he's tangled in her limbs. He doesn't want to wake her, but the sun is already up.

"Ari..." he whispers, rubbing her head. "I have to get up."

"Just a little longer," she whines, not even opening her eyes. When her hand slides down past his waist, he grabs her wrist.

"Go back to sleep. I have to work."

She sits up as he gets out of the bed. "Do I have to stay in here all day?"

He hadn't thought through what to do with her. Keeping her caged up created a monster, but he can't keep an eye on her all day long. The trouble she could get into... The men...

"Yes, I'm afraid so," he answers, sincerely sorry. "Don't look at me like that."

"I'll be good, I swear."

"You won't venture below deck. You'll not climb. Your feet will remain firmly planted on the main deck, preferably in my view. And you'll stay out of the way."

"Yes, Captain," she giggles, but apologizes quickly when he narrows his eyes at her.

When they step outside, the humid salty air soaks her skin. She takes a deep breath of it and stretches. The limber girl looks like she could fold over backwards if she wanted to.

He shakes away the image of her ankles by her ears as he pounds her.

A few crew members are watching her intently, others look from him to her suspiciously. Her noises last night...

Rumors were going to spread regardless. He can still deny most of them though. They can't continue sharing a bed. The decision is easy in the daylight. Saying no to her doe eyes this evening will be more difficult but he will... He must.

Arianna has only ever seen ships at her father's port - centers of commotion and chaos as they are loaded or unloaded. This ship is calm like the sea surrounding it. It rocks gently as the crew performs their chores. Many men are just standing around or staring at the horizon.

She walks to the edge, avoiding the crew manipulating ropes and pulleys, and looks down at the water. The height is dizzying.

"Careful there, little lady," a familiar voice warns. She turns to see Remy.

"Good morning," she greets, beaming.

"He let you off your leash this morning?" Her smile fades, not accustomed to being teased. "It's just a joke, princess. He's very... protective."

"He fears the consequences if anything should happen to me."

"Not on this ship, surely. Making port though..." She raises an eyebrow. "He can trust his crew - most of them anyway - the other crews, the locals, now those are the ones we'll need to worry about."

"Quit tryn't scare 'er," says a voice from behind her.

"If I was trying to scare her, I would've told her about what lives in the depths of the ocean or what inhabits the little islands where no one dares to build villages."