help.’
‘All that we would ask,’ Laura said quietly, ‘is that if you chose to get off at Port Maga, you stay in your cabin until we arrive there. We wouldn’t want to offend you with the things we do, and we can’t afford for you to inadvertently interfere with our training programme.’
‘Not that you’d be likely to be offended,’ Captain Wilde said with a broad grin. ‘You seemed to get something out of your punishment at the mast,’ he observed wryly.
Emily blushed. She stared into his dark eyes and glared at his hateful smile. Turning to Laura, she asked, ‘What if I wanted to stay aboard ‘till Havalaña?’
‘I don’t think you’ll want to,’ the captain replied. ‘I was going to suggest that in return for our taking you that far, you could show your gratitude in the same way that Vincent and Dawn show theirs. If we take you to Havalaña, we’d want you to be our slave for the week.’
Emily glared at him, unable to put her disgust into words. She turned to Laura, trying to find confirmation of the captain’s dastardly suggestion.
‘Take the night to think it over,’ Laura said generously.
Captain Wilde smiled at her silent fury. ‘We wouldn’t want to rush you into a big decision like this. You can tell us what you’ve decided over breakfast.’ He grinned lasciviously at her. ‘I hope you decide to take us up on the offer,’ he said. ‘You seemed very responsive on the main deck.’
Sickened by the suggestion, Emily turned her pleading gaze to Laura.
‘You’d better get yourself off to bed,’ Laura said gently. ‘The captain and I have our work to do now.’ The heavy emphasis of her words left Emily with no doubt about her meaning. She did not know what work Laura and the captain would be doing but she felt certain it would be sexual. She nodded curtly to the pair of them and made her way to the cabin they had given her.
‘Pleasant dreams, Emily,’ Captain Wilde called after her. ‘I’ll see you at breakfast.’
With the hateful sound of his words ringing in her ears, Emily left the saloon.
* * *
The sanctuary of sleep had entwined her in its dark blanket-like folds. She lay in the single bunk beneath a thin cotton sheet and her dreams transported her away from the nightmare of the waking world.
Asleep, she was back in the hotel room with Roddy. The day had not been as bad as she had imagined, and they were drifting off together. His arms were around her, and she could feel the reassuring warmth of his body pressing against her naked skin.
In her dream, she could tell that Roddy was in a playful mood and eager to do more than just sleep. His hand caressed her breast fondly and she was surprised to feel him tweak her nipple playfully. The gesture inspired a thrilling response and she shivered happily beneath his touch. Aroused by his foreplay, she turned over in the bunk, eager to accept his advances. She embraced his slender body and held him tightly for a moment. Her mouth searched hungrily for his and, when they met, their kiss was electric.
She slid her tongue hungrily inside him and was pleased when he responded by fondling and caressing her breasts. His touch was firm and confident – a sure sign that she was dreaming, Emily thought.
In reality, Roddy was a cautious lover and his cuddles and caresses were seldom very stimulating. On those rare occasions when he did take the initiative and touch her, he always treated her like a fragile glass ornament. His hands whispered against her skin, but there was rarely enough pressure from his touch to properly excite her.
Tonight, her dream lover was not behaving like Roddy.
The kiss was broken and she felt tiny appreciative kisses being delivered to her neck, shoulders and breasts. Her nipples were kissed, sucked and teased until they stood hard, like soldiers on parade.
‘Oh! Roddy,’ she whispered. ‘Please go on.’ She placed her hands on his head as he continued to work his kisses down over
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