Bromm

The Succubus' Treasure

The Succubus' Treasure

Bromm XV

Bromm XV

The dark jungle embraced Buccaneer's Bay. The ramshackle pirate port was built on stilts in a blue lagoon, surrounded on three sides by the lush jungles of the Black Isle. Not itself an attractive port of call, Buccaneer's Bay found itself a way station between other ports, and a useful hideout for captains in hiding. The town was a rambling collection of palm frond roofs and rough-hewn timber structures arranged on plank walkways that stood above the clear blue waters below. A single bridge connected the tall granite outcropping at the center of the town to the shore, with a drawbridge in the middle that was raised at night.

As the sun declined in the west, the bridge was slowly cranked upright. Torches set at regular intervals burned in the evening light, lighting the way for sailors from the twenty small ships moored in the lagoon as their way to and from various establishments. Buccaneer's Bay was little more than a collection of brothels and taverns, for no smiths, coopers, sailmakers, or other craftsmen of note resided here. The port survived off the import of goods by captains maintaining it as a stopover, and by hunting and fishing the beasts of the Black Isle.

It made for rather meager pickings, Bromm reflected as he tore off the last meat from a pork rib. The proprietor of the Smuggler's Den had bought a wild pig from a hunter earlier in the day, and as he and his men drank and gambled in the Den, they could smell the hog slow roasting all afternoon. It had made them ravenously hungry by the time the pig was ready, and they had devoured the unfortunate animal with great haste. Now he pushed away the bare plate and belched.

"Are you in or out?" asked the woman across the table from him. She wrapped her cards on the table impatiently. Bromm sat back and theatrically looked at his hand again. He had a six and an eight, but underneath his hat was hidden another eight. He liked those odds.

"I'm in for forty marks," he said, sliding a fistful of silver coins across the table to join the pile in the middle. The other captains around the table turned their suspicious eyes on him.

"That's one long lucky streak you've got going there," the woman on the other side of the table remarked acidly.

"I am beloved of Fortune," Bromm answered with a mocking smile.

"You're one to talk, Nerissa," said a big orc in a red coat.

"You've won more money than he has right now," added the little man who had introduced himself as Dog. He slid his forty marks across the table to join the others in the pot. "I'll see if your luck holds, Bromm."

"And so will I," added the orc. He added his money to the pile and then it was Nerissa's turn. "What do you say, woman? Are you in or out?"

While she considered, Bromm palmed his six and stealthily exchanged it for the spare eight hidden under his hat. All eyes were on Nerissa, and no one noticed his sleight of hand.

Nerissa screwed up her face in frustration, then at last slid her money across the table.

"Let's see what you've got, Bromm."

He laid his cards on the table, and all the others groaned in defeat.

"You can have it," Dog conceded, sinking back in his chair. The big orc stood up.

"I've lost enough money to you today," said the big orc. He swept together his remaining coins and left the table in a sulk.

Nerissa gathered up the cards with a scowl and began to shuffle.

From the back rooms of the Smuggler's Den came two of Bromm's men, Nosey and Imre, and Nerissa's first mate Lonck the Splendid. The last of them was lacing up his breeches.

"It's better when you can't see their faces," said Lonck. "Then you can imagine you're fucking whomever you like."

"I was just inside the Queen of Torvuls," Nosey laughed.

"If I were to conquer Torvuls, I'd have her in the stocks in Sea Dog's Square, free for any man to use."

"Her and her daughters too."

Bromm knew what they were talking about, for he had been in the back of the Smuggler's Den earlier in the day. There the proprietor maintained a most unusual brothel. It consisted of a room with holes cut in its walls. Through each of these holes lay a woman, with her legs and sex exposed to the men in the room, and the rest of her concealed behind the wall. Lying on their beds, these women were rented out to a nearly unending stream of lustful sailors who fucked them and left without ever seeing their faces.

Bromm had seen such a brothel only once before, in the great city of Torvuls, where nearly any pleasure could be found for the right price. In Torvuls, it had been a novelty, but here he thought it because the impoverished little port could not afford pretty girls for its beds. As Nosey and Lonck remarked, behind the wall the girl could look like anything.

"How are the cards treating you, captain?" asked Lonck. Nerissa only scowled. "That badly? Will we have enough to pay the crew?"

"We will once I play a few more hands." Nerissa flicked a fresh hand of cards to Bromm and Dog in turn. "I'll start the betting at fifty."

The other crewmen settled down on benches to watch, each of them taking a clear interest in their respective captains' fortunes. Bromm wondered if Nerissa was truly betting her payroll. Losing it was a mistake few captains survived. Perhaps some of her better sailors could be convinced to join his crew?

He peeked at his cards and wished he had dealt himself more spare cards when he had had the deck. Still, he matched her bet and so did Dog. The short captain either had a good hand or a good bluff, and raised them again. They each matched him and when the cards were turned over, Bromm's winning streak continued.

"You must have fucked Apliss good," Dog groused as Bromm took his money again. "She showers you with good fortune tonight. But now it's my turn to deal."

Bromm kept his eyes on the deck as Dog dealt three new hands, wise to the fact that someone else might be trying the same tricks. If Dog was cheating, however, he was sly about it and the hands at least looked fair. Bromm, on the other hand, found a use for his six hidden under his hat and exchanged it for the prince he had been dealt.

Dog went all in early in the hand, clearly thinking his pair of princes would win him the hand. Unfortunately for him, Nerissa cleaned him out with a triplet of fives, and that was it for him. With a heavy sigh, he gathered up his things and left, and there were only two.

Bromm shuffled up the deck as he looked across the table at Nerissa. She was short and dark-haired, with olive skin further tanned by long hours on the open deck of a ship. There were few women captains among the pirates, and fewer still kept their ships for long, yet Nerissa had established herself a respectable reputation aboard theSea Shanty, with several notable prizes to her name. What she was doing in a backwater port like this Bromm had yet to establish, but he could not help but be interested.

She seemed too clever a captain to bet her payroll at cards, all things considered.

He dealt their hands and checked his cards. It was a middling hand, at best, so he bet aggressively.

"That's some confidence you've got there," Nerissa remarked. Bromm smiled.

"Think you can take me?"

"With these cards?" Nerissa scoffed. "Absolutely." She matched his wager and raised him.

"Oh, I didn't mean at cards," Bromm said with a wink. Nerissa scowled.

She was still pretty even then, Bromm thought to himself. Nerissa was no great beauty, but there was a certain attractiveness to her even when she was looking severely at him. Her hawk-like face was not impressed with his flirting, but he could tell behind her confident exterior that it was not impressed with her cards either. They were both bluffing, and that suited him just fine. He raised again.

"Come on, Captain," Lonck urged, "take him for all he's got."

"Listen to your man, Captain," teased Bromm. "Unless you think I have you beaten?"

"Not a chance," Nerissa shot back. She matched his wager and went over the top. "I hope that isn't too rich for you, Bromm."

Bromm suppressed a frown. Had he marked her wrong? She was playing awfully confident for someone sitting on a low hand. Perhaps she was not bluffing after all.

I am in for too much to back out now,he thought to himself as he matched her raise. Nerissa smiled a thin smile.

"Show 'em."

Bromm's hand was poor, but Nerissa's was worse, and he took the pot with a relieved smile. Nerissa's scowl deepened.

"Good work, Bromm!" Imre cheered. He slapped Nosey on the back and they shook hands in victory. "Another round to celebrate?"

"Aye," Bromm agreed, waving some of Nerissa's lost coins at the innkeeper behind the bar. "And none of that cheap swill, either!"

"I have a bottle of Skyrra wine fresh in," offered the innkeeper. "They said that it's what the queen prefers to drink."

"They would say that," Imre snorted, but Bromm ignored him.

"I'll have that one, and another hand, Nerissa." He slid the deck back across the table to her and the other captain began to shuffle. Bromm leaned back in his chair and winked at her, which only seemed to sour her mood.

She dealt all the same, and Bromm feigned a slight look of disappointment at his cards. However, he had been dealt a strong hand--once he had exchanged one of the cards for his hidden prince. Nerissa seemed to have taken his bait, and bet strong once again. Her face when Bromm took the pot was priceless.

"Damn your luck!" Nerissa growled. She threw her cards into the middle of the table and slumped back in her chair. Bromm claimed her cards for what he expected to be the final hand. Even if he did not take all her money, he suspected another losing hand would drive her from the table, so he shuffled quickly.

"Come on, Captain," Lonck urged again. "Now is the time to show your skills. Nerissa is quite the card sharp, Bromm," he insisted. "She has cleaned out many a table from Sostrum to Jalara."

"Then perhaps I am better than I thought," Bromm replied with a smile. His shuffling slowed as a thought formed in his mind. He began to shuffle the cards to put the ones he needed on top.

"What's the greatest prize you've won in a card game?" he asked, hoping to distract her from his cheating. Nerissa raised an eyebrow.

"TheSea Shanty," she replied instantly and Bromm was taken aback.

"The whole ship?"

"Aye," Nerissa nodded. "Lonck and I were crewmen under the dwarf named Brakker. One night in Torvuls, we were gambling with other crews in The Mariner, and Brakker got in too deep with an elf. He bet the ship to recover his fortunes, and I won the hand. It's been mine ever since."

"What about you, Bromm?" asked Lonck, and Bromm smiled.

"A girl," he said with fondness for the memory. "Blonde, pretty, slim. She was a sight to see. Took her off a visling captain who bought her in Slaveport."

Nerissa's lip curled in contempt.

"I should have guessed."

"I'm fond of winning women in card games," Bromm went on. "In case you want to wager something other than coin. I couldn't help but notice you're running short of coin right now."

"If you want a whore, there are some in the back," Nerissa sneered. "Don't come looking to me to spread my legs for you, boy. I'll win my coin back before we're through."

"The Captain's got no time for you," added Lonck defensively. Imre and Nosey said something between them and the latter chuckled. Lonck fixed them with a hostile glare. "Take him for all he's got, Captain!" Lonck cheered again. Bromm flicked a pair of cards to each of them.

With everyone distracted, he had been able to deal out the cards he wanted for each of them. Nerissa was holding a strong hand, but Bromm had made sure to deal himself a stronger one. She suspected nothing and made a heavy opening bet. Bromm matched her and raised her, drawing her in until she had everything in the pot. Meanwhile, Bromm was still sitting on a comfortable reserve of money that he had won from the other three earlier in the day.

"I'll match you and raise another hundred," Bromm said after Nerissa had put her last coins into the pot. She shrugged.

"I can't bet anymore. Show me your cards."

"There's always more to bet. I'll bet against your ship."

"My ship is worth a lot more than you have here," she retorted. "Show me your cards."

"Perhaps bet it against my ship? You will find she's no sinking tub. I've never seen a swifter sailor than mySea Eagle."

"MySea Shantycould outsail it any day. Songs travel faster than eagles, you should know."

"Then what about yourself?" Bromm said with a leer as he leaned forward on the table. Nerissa's shirt was slightly open, and the quick hints of her browned skin beneath drew his eye. Nerissa scowled deeper. She thumbed her cards idly.

"He's bluffing," Lonck asserted confidently.

"Come on, Captain," Bromm taunted, "take me for all I've got."

"One time," Nerissa offered, and Bromm felt his heart leapt. "I will not be your slave, but if you win, you can fuck me one time."

"Deal!" Bromm exclaimed. Lonck shifted uncomfortably.

"If I win," Nerissa went on, "I get all your money. And..." she considered a moment, "Your clothes."

"My clothes?" Bromm repeated in confusion. Nerissa smiled, seemingly for the first time that night.

"I want to see you walk back to your ship. Naked."

Bromm licked his lips. His hand was better than hers. He had made sure of it. Yet now, in the face of her confidence, he began to wonder if she had not cheated as well? Lonck said she was a renowned card sharp. Among pirates, no such reputation was made without copious cheating. Was she still sitting on the cards he had dealt her? Or was he walking into a trap?

"Deal," he said.

"Show me your cards," said Nerissa, and Bromm did.

Her face fell. Lonck went pale. Imre and Nosey cheered. The rest of the tavern turned to look, unaware of the bet, nodded, and went back to drinking. Bromm stood up.

"My money," he beamed with a smile as he raked the coins into a voluminous purse. He handed the purse to Imre. "Imre, my good man, make sure this reaches my cabin's coffer."

Imre accepted the task with a theatrical bow, and Bromm turned to Nerissa. The captain wrinkled her nose bitterly.

"My dear Nerissa?" Bromm asked with an extended hand. "Would you be so kind?"

She grimaced, swallowed, and stood up.

"Very well," she said in a strained voice. "I will follow you to your cabin."

"My cabin? Why?" Bromm asked, and Nerissa's eyes narrowed.

"You cannot mean to take me in the back like a common whore!"

"No, of course not," Bromm replied. He had never intended such a thing. With every bit of her above the hips hidden behind the wall, Nerissa could be anyone, and he had already had such a whore today. No, he wanted her to be seen. "I want you right here, on this table."

"What? With all these ruffians watching?" Nerissa asked incredulously. Bromm nodded.

"I want them to see."

"No," she retorted. "We can go to one of our ships. Or else find an inn with private rooms. I will not fuck in front of a crowd."

"You said you'd let me fuck you. I want to fuck you here," Bromm pressed, stepping closer.

"My captain is no whore!" growled Lonck, half-rising from his chair. Bromm waved him away.

"Are you afraid to be seen?" Bromm taunted, and Nerissa met his gaze with steely defiance.

"Do you know what a woman captain has to put up with?" she replied quietly. "If my crew see me as nothing but a common whore, there will be a mutiny before sunrise."

"Then show them you are not a common anything. I can tell that already." Bromm reached out to touch her, and she slapped his hand away.

"Bet or no bet," she growled, "I will not be reduced to your toy."

"I thought your word was worth something," Bromm pressed. "Perhaps your crew would like to know you are not a woman of your word? It seems a poor trait for a captain."

"You are a serpent in a man's clothes, Bromm." Nerissa glared hard at him, and Bromm only shrugged.

"I thought you a more worthy foe than this. If you were as good as your reputation, you would not fear your crew turning on you for such a display."

"You think to tell me what to fear from my crew? You don't know my crew."

"I know that worse captains have done more with less. Have you not heard of Varania, who kept her crew in thrall to her, ready to die at her command for the barest possibility of sharing her bed? Or the legendary Mialynn? She had a man in every port, but her crew still fought duels for her favors. What do you care if they see you naked and taking cock? You're Nerissa of theSea Shanty! I heard you slew a kraken!"

Nerissa did not reply, but Bromm could see his words had found their mark. Nerissa's fingers plucked at her shirt's laces and her expression assumed a far-away look. He pressed her to the finish.

"So, what will it be?"

"Captain, please don't," Lonck pleaded, but Nerissa ignored him.

"Very well," she said through a clenched jaw, and Bromm felt his face split into a broad smile of triumph.

"Let's get started," he said. "Take off your clothes."

Nerissa defiantly unlaced her shirt and pulled it over her head. Her breasts were small, with pointed brown nipples pierced with golden bars. Bromm stared, having never seen such nipple decorations except on high-priced courtesans. His cock was already hard under his breeches and he felt himself lick his lips again. Imre and Nosey cheered, drawing more looks from the other patrons of the tavern. The innkeeper stood behind the bar, staring openly as Nerissa began to undo her belt.

Lonck slumped in his chair, one hand over his face. Bromm reveled in the man's humiliation as much as he did in Nerissa's disrobing. Her belt undone, she let her breeches fall to the floor, exposing her long, slender legs and a hairy mound between them. Bromm felt himself smiling at the sight. Nerissa kicked off her boots to stand completely nude before him.

A small crowd had gathered around them, murmuring between each other in appreciation. Crowded out of view by his patrons, the innkeeper had taken to standing on the bar and looking over their heads. Bromm stepped closer to Nerissa, one hand lifted to her shoulder.

"You are quite lovely," he murmured. Nerissa kept her chin up, staring stubbornly into his eyes. She was older than him, himself still only a few years removed from being a mere boy, though still unworn by sea and time. Nerissa was youthful in body and face, with lively little breasts on her chest.

He paid closest attention to those, running his hands along her body. He felt her stiffen as he touched her, but she did not retreat from him. Bromm circled her, his hands roaming her body from shoulders to thighs.

"I want you to suck my cock," he whispered in her ear. Nerissa turned to face him, still defiant but with a half-hidden smile, and slowly went to her knees. The crowd whooped, some men crowding closer, but Imre and Nosey kept them back. Lonck shriveled up in his chair, apparently unable to leave but also unable to watch. Bromm was happy either way.

Nerissa undid his belt and let his cock fall free, already stiff for her. Kneeling, she wrapped both hands around his shaft and began to slowly stroke him. Her brown eyes fixed on his cock, her mouth hanging slightly open in admiration.

"Suck it," Bromm hissed in impatience. She turned her eyes to look up at him and slowly brought her lips to the head of his cock. She kissed him, staring deeply into his eyes as her lips fondled his member. She opened her mouth and extended her tongue. The long pinkness reached out and licked his head, sending a shudder through his body. Bromm threw back his head and stared at the leaf-thatch ceiling as Nerissa drew the cock into her mouth. Her tongue caressed the underside of his cock to the base, reaching down his shaft to touch his balls. His hard cock throbbed in the warmth of her throat.