Carried Away Chapter 12 (NC-17)

For Disclaimer and other details please see Chapter 1.

CHAPTER 12

The moment that Kevin stepped into the room and closed the door behind him Shawn knew that he was pretty much safe. He really couldn’t imagine his friend coming in here if he was going to bawl him out. After all it would make so much more sense for the other men to hear what he no doubt wanted to say about this woman being his property and not to be touched by anyone else. That way every one of them would be on their honour and if they fell by the wayside then they knew what the punishment would be.

Instant death was something that tended to put most men off doing whatever they shouldn’t. But then again there was always some clever wag that thought that they could get away with anything. And as soon as he had that thought Shawn found himself laughing out loud. He would be one of them. He must be more charming than most because he had found that if he pasted one of his smiles on his face that he did get out of whatever trouble he had managed to find his way into. It was almost a gift of sorts.

“I’m glad that you’re finding this all so very funny Shawn.” Kevin stated as he tore his eyes away from the woman lying on the floor still trying to gather her thoughts never mind her physical body to look at his friend.

Shrugging Shawn levered himself back up to sit on his knees once more. It wasn’t the most comfortable way to sit considering that the water warped boards of the ships floor were currently digging into him in a most painful way but he could deal with it as long as he needed to. It didn’t occur to him that he had pretty much been sitting this way for a while now. Ever since he had first pulled Mary down onto the floor. But of course he had had many other things to occupy his mind then and he wouldn’t have noticed. “I wouldn’t say ‘funny’ perhaps but there’s definitely something in the air.” He said lightly.

“Believe me, I noticed.” Kevin replied and inclined his head towards Mary. “Otherwise I wouldn’t have believed this of you.”

“Believed what of me?” Shawn asked in a way that made it sound like he had not a care in the world. Slowly he began to work his way back up to a standing position. He resisted the urge that had just struck him to groan out loud at the pain that he felt shooting through his knees. By the gods it looked like his body had decided that it was time for him to start feeling the affects of his age. He wasn’t old by anyone’s standards but he certainly wasn’t a young man any longer unfortunately.

Turning just slightly he grinned again as he looked down at the floor. Who would have known that just standing here looking down at her would make him feel this way? It was definitely a jolt of power that he felt go through him right then. It had everything to do with the fact that she lay there naked on the floor while both he and Kevin were still fully dressed. He knew that would teach her to think that she was better than anyone let alone the people who held her captive.

But in a strange thought he was sure that if he asked Kevin about that that his friend would say that they weren’t. Holding her captive that is. If anything then he was sure that Kevin saw this woman as more of an equal than many of the men that worked for them ... that gave their all to see that everyone on the ship was held in the same regard. Theirs wasn’t a unique situation at that either. There were many ships that held the people who would generally be seen as the scum of the earth ... a vast array of criminals and he knew that the lives that they lived aboard those ships could rival anything that dry land held for them.

On dry land they were surrounded by a bunch of doubter and naysayers. Laws that were ancient and didn’t give each person the same rights as the last bound them. At least here they could make up their own rules and everyone was treated with the same kind of dignity as the last man. It had been something that Kevin had been most insistent on.

Maybe that’s why Shawn was currently feeling this odd sense of power. Because it wasn’t really something that he got to experience that often here. Oh he knew that to all intents and purposes he was higher on the totem pole than anyone apart from Kevin and he knew that involved a certain amount of respect from the others but beyond that everyone was treated the same till now. Still he knew that it was something that wouldn’t last.

This power would eventually fade away because he wasn’t an animal. He wasn’t willing to force her to live her life like this just so he could feel this way. It was okay for now because he could almost see that it was part of a lesson that she had to learn. He had had to show her that she couldn’t treat people like she was living back in whatever ivory tower she had been brought up in. If she did then only misery would come her way. At least as long as she was on this ship. The men would make sure of that.

“I would never have believed that you could have taken such liberties with something that so obviously belongs to me.” Kevin pointed out as he bent to pick her up from the floor.

Mary had listened to them talk over her for long enough. She couldn’t bare this. It was bad enough that she had been reduced to writhing on the floor for the amusement of the one called Shawn. Then when Nash had arrived she had known true embarrassment. She wondered why that was. Hell it wasn’t as if the man hadn't seen her like this already. He had. He had seen her in just about as much disarray as it was possible for her to get into. He had been there when she screamed out loud ... a scream of pleasure unlike anything that had ever passed through her lips before.

But the fact that he had walked in so casually when she had been with another man was something that she couldn’t abide. That was something that she didn’t even want to analyse. It wasn’t as if she had even wanted to be with the other man. If she dug a little deeper it wasn’t as if she had even wanted to be with Nash either. Had she? If she hadn't then why hadn't she fought him a little harder?

Of course she knew that the answer to that question was that she had been afraid that he was going to hurt her if she didn’t give in. But shouldn’t that be something that she wasn’t concerned with? Surely a young lady should fight to hold onto her dignity no matter what the cost. “Don’t you touch me Nash!” She said finally as she could see him about to slip his hands around her.

Hearing her voice speaking to him quite so vehemently and violently Kevin backed up a step but at the same time he was grinning. “Ah yes. That violent streak of yours is definitely what makes you most interesting Mary.” He said nodded sure that he could see Shawn nodding too out of the corner of his eye. He wasn’t sure what he thought about that. But then again anyone who was around for one of these outbursts would see for themselves just how delicious this woman was capable of being.

“Violent? Ha!” She stated angrily as she shoved his hands away once more. “You haven’t begun to see what I can do when I’m feeling violent Nash!”

Again he nodded. “I’m sure that’s right Mary.” He said and turned to look at Shawn. Well more like fix him with a glare. “Did you enjoy this?” He asked and waited for an answer. When he saw his friend frown at him and then open his mouth to give him an answer he shook his head quickly. “Not you. I’m talking to her.” He snapped.

“If you’re talking to me then you will kindly moderate both your tone and your line of questioning.” Mary said with all the haughtiness that she could muster. She knew deep down that she was being ridiculous considering she was sitting her naked but the words had just been out before she could stop them. Strange. She had always claimed to hate the upper class upbringing that she had been a party to but now when her back was against the wall she found that it was the only thing that she could imagine saving her. How easy it was to fall back into old habits. Well they weren’t even really habits. They were things that had been ingrained into her against her will. When all she had wanted was freedom she had been confronted with rules and regulations. And here she was finally finding some kind of freedom ... granted it wasn’t ideal but to some it was freedom and she was running to hide behind all manner of rules once more.

Looking at her as if he couldn’t quite believe the words that had just fallen out of her mouth Kevin fought to hide the grin that was threatening to break through. Oh she was unique. This one was definitely the kind of person that didn’t come along every day. Plus there was the fact that she made him want to laugh so outrageously at the most odd and inopportune times. “Why of course your highness.” He said and even went as far to manage a tiny bow from the waist. “I should have realised that someone of your royal bearing had a very sensitive ego.” He added before bending and scooping her up into his arms. He could feel her fighting him but there was no way that he was putting this off for any longer.

“Don’t make a show of me!” She yelled but at the same time she could feel the futility in her words. There really was nothing that she could do. It was useless to spar with him verbally no matter how much she really wanted to. It was beginning to hit her just why she had been brought aboard this ship. And it made her want to die. What other reason would there be for a woman to be brought on board. Now it was her fate to be passed around the men here as if she were nothing more than a possession. “And I do not belong to you!” She suddenly remembered him saying that and it dredged up the ire in her like nothing else she had been a party to. “I belong to no man!”

Feeling her kick like a wild thing in an attempt to make him let her go Kevin just laughed out loud. He was sure that by morning he wouldn’t be laughing considering that she was kicking with enough strength to leave bruises. But right now it was nothing short of hilarious and kind of endearing. “Oh yes, yes. I forgot about that.” He said trying to nod in what looked like complete agreement or even with some kind of wisdom. “But ... what about that man that’s waiting for you in Haiti. Your fiancée.” He said pointedly and fixed her with a look. One of his brows rose for extra emphasis.

“Fiancee?” Shawn asked in surprise. “She’s engaged. Some man has chosen this ... this overbearing wild animal to be his wife?” He shook his head as if he couldn’t believe what he had just heard. Hell it wasn’t a case of faking it he really didn’t believe it.

Her eyes flashing Mary turned her head towards the other man. Already some of the pleasure that he had caused to go spiralling through her was forgotten and all she could think about was the way that he had just categorised her. “Wild animal? Why you...” She attempted to say something else but before she could Kevin covered her mouth with his hand.

“Yes ... wild animal.” Shawn stated as he moved closer to her. “Why? Are you surprised that I came to that conclusion?” He asked as he gestured to the way that she was flailing around in his friend’s arms.

Hefting her a little higher even though she wasn’t heavy in the slightest Kevin looked away from her in surprise. He was sure that he wasn’t going to drop her no matter how much she fought him. All it did was cause him to tighten his hold on her. He would have thought that she learned the last time that fighting him just caused him to be even more focused on what he wanted. “I might be a little surprised.” He said to Shawn honestly. “For someone who claims that she’s a wild animal I didn’t see you complaining a little while ago when you were about to be inside her.” He pointed out.

“Ah yes.” Shawn said with another small smirk. “But like you said ... she is delicious. I simply couldn’t resist.” He added and knew that Kevin was going to say something else. He hurried on before the other man could. “So ... this fiancée. Did you find out anything else?”

Turning towards the door Kevin paused for a moment while Shawn got the message and slipped a hand around him to open the door. “Don’t touch her again Shawn. She’s mine and you know that I have a problem sharing anything.” He said and though his words were soft they were deceptively so. Anyone caring to look a little deeper would see how they were couched in something much harder.

“Since that is the case then perhaps you should consider this.” Shawn stated as he yanked the cover from the top of his bed and moved to spread it over the woman that continued to struggle in his friend’s arms. He fixed her with a look and knew the moment that she got the message. She blinked and looked away. “If you want to maintain some of that haughty dignity that you seem to be so proud of then I would suggest that you stop fighting Nash.” He instructed. “The moment that you begin to squirm around again then this ... your only covering will most probably slide right off.” He informed her with a wicked grin and a slide of his hand against her thigh. When she quivered that time he knew that it had nothing to do with fighting anyone but more about the remembered pleasure that they had shared.

Then stepping back he allowed them both to leave. Well he didn’t allow anything. They were leaving no matter what he thought about it. It was strange that Kevin had gotten so proprietary over this girl. Strange but kind of understandable. She definitely had a way about her. But he knew his friend well enough to know that it went no deeper than a sense of belonging. “She has a fiancée.” He muttered to himself. He still felt a little shock of surprise go through him regarding that.

Not that he should be surprised. She was definitely pretty ... maybe even beautiful but her behaviour definitely left a lot to be desired. Perhaps that was why her family decided to ship her off to some man who lived so far away. At least then she wouldn’t be an embarrassment to them and she would be his problem. The guy deserved a medal in his opinion. Then he pulled a face. The fiancée in question was probably about sixty years old and just looking for a little trophy to hold on his arm. Well he would have his work cut out for him with that one.

Now that gave them something else to think about. Not only did they have to get family information out of her but they also had to get some details about the fiancée now. If they were going to hold her up for ransom then they might as well get double the amount of money.

-o0o-

He was tired. That much was a given. At the end of every day it seemed that he was tired but still he wouldn’t sleep more than a few hours before he was wide awake again. Pouring himself a large snifter of brandy he moved to the window. Grinning slightly he could see everything laid out in front of him. This was all his now. He could do whatever he wanted with it all. He could do whatever he could think of to make this business a success. He would show his family that any faith in him that they showed was well placed.

And now he was going to have a perfect little wife to go with the package. Granted he probably wouldn’t spend much time with her but that was fine by him. If it was up to him he wouldn’t be getting married at all but his family had pretty much insisted besides she was bringing a certain amount of cache and other more monetary factors with her.

Rolling his eyes he knew that it would just be a matter of time after they were married when his mother would begin the endless, unsubtle probing regarding an heir to the family business. It wasn’t as if the family had any kind of fortune to be passed on at all. Well he guessed that he could make that kind of sacrifice if it would keep his family out of his financial doings and off of his back. Plus having a brat would probably be something that would keep the little wife occupied. And that was just fine with him.

From what he could remember of Mary then he didn’t have much to look forward to. The last time that he had seen her she hadn't been much older than eight years old and she had been the singular most ugly and disagreeable child that he could remember. He was several years older than her but even back then he had found it difficult to feign any kind of like or interest in her. She had a mouth on her even as a girl and he had found his palm itching to just take her to task over the things that she said.

All he had wanted to tell her father to do was beat those inclinations right out of her. But the man seemed so enamoured of his child that it was the last thing that he would ever have considered doing. Hell he even seemed to encourage her to think independently. She should have been shut away somewhere playing with dolls and learning about the expectations of being a woman. She should have been learning about becoming a proper wife and how to run a household instead of running around like some kind of little heathen.

Suddenly a streak of lightening cut through the stormy night sky and his eyes jerked upwards to look at it. Dangerous yet beautiful. It was actually a perfect way to describe this island and perhaps a good way to describe himself too. Shoving aside the thin drapes that dressed the window he tilted his head to look down the path that lead to the servant’s quarters. As he suspected all was in darkness. He found himself wondering just how long it would take him to head down there and bring back the nearest young girl.

As his naked body connected with the coolness of the window Paul let out a gasp. His skin was so inflamed it felt like it was just going to burn up. That made up his mind. He didn’t care about the rain outside or how long it took him to do this. He had needs and it was their job to see to his needs.