Captain and Commander

"Your boasting betrays your weakness." Captain Marie Amos would not let herself be taken in by a flash of straight teeth or charming features. Deliberately she brought her weapon down on her opponent's head, only to be blocked by the upswing of the Russian's blade.

The waves crashed against the ship as the men of the

Medved

retreated, taking their boarding planks with them. Though most were able to escape, few were left behind, including her adversary. Taking advantage of the momentary distraction as the pale officer watched his men abandon him to his fate, she charged, using the momentum to drive her sword forward.

"Yield!" Her shout was punctuated by bringing the tip of her sword to his throat, a small trickle of blood escaping where the skin had been pierced. Similarly, his tapped her under the chin, forcing her head up. Their gazes battled, waiting to see who would strike first. Amos knew that if she fell her opponent remaining breaths would be numbered. Laurie would see to it that he was given a one-way ticket to the bottom of the ocean, courtesy of a matching pair of iron chains.

"If you surrender, we won't have to end this in blood," Vladimir stated, laughter chasing his words. His sword lowered an inch, allowing Marie to answer without worrying about driving the blade deeper. But his words gave her pause. What sort of man was this that would talk of negotiation at knife point? One that would give her even that small inch of breathing room when she could kill him with half a step forward? "I'm sure we're civilized enough to strike a deal. It is obvious from the way you fight that you're more civilized than most of the brutes I run into on my travels." He cocked his head thoughtfully. "French trained, unless I miss my mark."

The Russians left aboard exchanged glances. Their leader was one to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, unlike other officers in the fleet. It was rumored that the Barbary and Turkish raiders had ships that viewed him as one of their own; the ports of the Middle East and North Africa were always open to him. Vladimir had even taken Miroslav around Istanbul during a visit, but the simple men that made up his crew had no such understanding of the negotiations. So they could only shrug at each other and wait to be instructed.

Vladimir sensed that he would not be receiving an answer soon. Instead of pressing her further, he turned to his men. All-in-all, the boarders were five, the commander, his mate, Surgeon Denisovic (who was already tending to any wounded), the mercenary Sven, and Sacha (Alexander, who had snuck across to the fray and hid in a barrel to watch).

"Hold your weapons and your tongues," Vladimir shouted, lowering his arm to his side. "Let's hear their offer before taking action." Amos found her voice once more, emboldened by the fact that her enemy had left himself so exposed.

"I prefer to talk in my cabin, if that is amenable to you." Without waiting for a reply, she turned sharply on her heel and made her way across the deck to a large door, squared at the bottom but rounded at the top. There were two horizontal rows of metal studs arranged about two feet apart in the middle of the door.

She swung the door open, holding it ajar and indicating with a nod that Vladimir should enter first. Before he did so, she inclined her head towards Laurie. The man gave her a curt nod before looking to the Asmov brothers. Twins with easy smiles and daggers hidden away, mostly up sleeves or in boots but one could never be too careful around them.

Adrian guided the slow man by the mast while Gideon disarmed the man who had yielded so long as his commander was safe.

"Your crew will be watched while we discuss."

Vladmir stepped into the cabin and looked around. Maps and books lined the shelves; one map was unfurled on the central table, but he couldn't quite recognize the location. To his surprise, the navigating equipment was old and mis-calibrated; the ship wouldn't be running in circles, but a long voyage would greatly miss its target destination. He leaned against a nearby case and spoke to his host.

"You know, your collection here reminds me of my own. Are you looking for something? I might be capable of helping."

The captain gestured for her guest to take a seat while she poured them each two fingers of bourbon. Her cabin door effectively silencing all outside noise, making the room so quite that the two occupants could clearly hear each other breathing.

A lavender scent rolled off of Marie's skin as she placed the glass on the table, raising her own in a salute before taking a sip.

"Now why would I trust you? You haven't pledged yourself to me and not two minutes ago you had a sword to my throat."

Amos sat heavily in her chair across from Vladimir with only the small tale between them. Her elbows rested on her knees, face pensive

"Tell me why I shouldn't give you a burial at sea and be done with you?"

"Russia is large and has a great deal of gold. I have already proven myself to the Barbary pirates as an ally. And I already sent word on my ship back to the admiralty board that I would be working with you for the time being," he said, raising a finger on each sentence. "You let me keep a small log of our actions and I'll ensure you get paid. I'm a capable navigator and swordsman, and the few Russians out on the seas would be sure to help if an officer were in your ranks."

By this point, Vladimir had leaned forward, taken in by the faint perfume of the other captain's skin. He smiled at her as he would an Austrian Princess and continued, "Plus, I'd be a good companion in your adventures." His dark eyes glimmered with a hint of mischief. "And I'm sure you don't have anyone on your crew to keep you company at night."

Amos hadn't noticed before, but now she saw that Vladimir had unbuttoned his shirt and had been tending to the wounds he had received in the duel. He noticed her staring and grinned wolfishly, "Do you want me to help you take care of yours?"

Marie's eyebrows climbed their way towards her hairline. However, she wasn't interested in letting her adversary in on her discomfort.

"If he thinks his advances will intimidate me, he'll soon realize that I do not scare so easily."

Coolly, she shrugging off her jacket, letting it fall into the chair behind her. The gold buttons tinkling where they met the oak wood of the furniture.

Under the jacket, she had a billowy white blouse that snatched in at her wrists in small ruffles. The neckline was a simple "v" with a bit of white ribbon cross crossing just above her collarbone. Nimble fingers undid the chest binding, letting her full breasts drop. They were more than a man's handful each with light brown nipples.

"If you don't mind." She allowed graciously.

Vladimir crossed around the table and dabbed a silken cloth against Marie's bared chest. "The idea," he began, "is to keep the wound clean. Get the blood up and off the skin." It wasn't as though there was much damage. Her shirt and breast binding had taken the brunt of his blade. He brushed delicately over her hardening nipples and even let one firm hand linger as he dabbed with the other.

He locked eyes with the sun-kissed pirate and gently spoke, "You know why I can't pledge myself to you? I swore I would never work for anyone who I wanted to carnally embrace."

Vladimir pushed Marie's shirt down off her shoulders, brushed her hair back, and pecked her defined collarbone with his lips. He made his way up her neck, nibbling until he reached her earlobe and pulled back.

He slid his own shirt off, muscles rippling in the low lamplight. Then, with the confidence and strength of a career soldier, he stood the small-framed woman up, pressed her bare chest against his own, and gave in to his passion and kissed her.

"He's warm."

was Marie's first though as the dashing soldier pulled her against him, her nipples hardening against the smooth planes of his chest. Her hands went to his hair, trying to drag him impossibly closer.

"And hard."

Indeed, his erection was making its presence known against her thigh. She whimpered in the back of her throat before he finally let go, her eyes rolled and her eyelashes fluttered open. Her hand in his hair tightened its grip as she brought his face level with her own.

"And I will not bed a man who is not loyal to me." Mouth dropping kisses on one cheek then the other before continuing. "You need not pledge yourself to me, but you will not have me until you do."

A chaste kiss to his mouth. Hands running their way down Vladimir's chest.

"Which one of your men will you delegate the task to, I wonder?" She asked as one hand loosened his belt before tugging his trousers down, while the other cupped him through his small clothes.

"Now

that

is unfair, Miss-." Vladimir trailed off, suddenly embarrassed by his lapse of manners. "I don't think we've introduced ourselves; I'm Vladimir, and you are?" Nonetheless, as the question left his lips, he reached for the pirate mistress's belt and unclasped it.

"Marie Amos." Her grin worked its way into her tone, softening her words at the edges. "Should I be offended you haven't heard of me or proud that I've managed to be discreet?"

The simple lacing at the front of her leather breeches were undone by deft fingers and peeled back. Her toned hips were revealed from within like a blossom from a bud. Vladimir knelt in and gently kissed the exposed skin as he rolled the leather down her long legs.

He looked up at the woman and spoke, "Tell me, Marie," her name was honey on his lips "when was the last time you had a someone give you a tongue-lashing for your dangerous behaviour?" And with that, he began to kiss her through her underpants.

"Tell me, Vald," fingers wove into his hair, breaking the neatly arranged locks once, twice, three times before grabbing him by the delicate hair at the base of his neck. "When was the last time you took orders from a woman?"

"I would say right now," he said slyly, "but previously it was with a courtesan from Austria." He continued to peck and nibble at Marie's delicate parts before finally reaching up and ripped the garment clean off her body.

Wrenching the pants from her hips, Vladimir was confronted with the beautiful view of Marie's body. The siren's song coming from her lips drove him to immediately plunge his tongue within, searching for that idol of lust.

Within two heartbeats, he had found her sensitive bud. He circled her, scouting her bounds, passing over and grazing her head every few loops. The initial intelligence collected, he set to carefully trying to subdue her, sucking on the stiff part and slapping with his tongue. Judging by the sounds from her mistress, the clitoris was giving in, but he was not yet finished. He committed to a final assault-suckling, licking, even letting his teeth graze the sensitive organ; and to finalize his attack, he began the initial foray into the nearby cave with a brave finger, petting the spongy wall that made so many women collapse in puddles of ecstasy.

He pulled back and looked at her, the beautiful pirate woman. Completely disheveled: her shirt rolled down around her midsection, trousers around her ankles, the rag of her pants lost somewhere in the room, and saliva and juice dripping between her legs.

Vladmir stood and smiled, face messy with her fluids. "Is that enough of a pledge of loyalty?"

"If it's the best you can manage, it will suffice." Toned legs flexed as the pants were kicked off. If Vladimir was surprised that the captain's tan extended to more private areas, he did not show it in his face.

Marie now stood completely naked before him, hands on hips chest presented proudly. Indeed, this was a woman who had nothing to be shy about. The way her waist pinched in at the middle only served as a juxtaposition to a generous bottom and ample breasts.

But even she was not immune to such carnal ministrations. Her lips positively drooled and heat scorched her from the inside out.

Maybe it was this heat that drove her to shuck the remaining clothes from the tailor's body before getting on her knees in front of him. His manhood hung stiffly between them. Her mouth kissed his head and came away with a dribble of precum.

"I think you can do better," she said, looking up at him with green eyes before licking the underside of his length. "Try again."

The artistic nude of Marie Amos struck true to the Russian's soul. He knew he must have her-all of her-by any means possible. He envisioned futures where they settled on a silent isle in the Caribbean, enjoying each other's company on the beach; running off to the Ottomans or Barbars and ruling like sultan and sultana over a small port; sailing a yacht from port to port, living at sea as a lone pair.

As she dropped to her knees, he watched rapt in awe. Her tongue caressed his sensitive body in a way that indicated how talented she really was. The tall, pale sailor looked down at his tanned pirate mistress. Her clever eyes combined both the teasing and lusting into a single look of bliss, despite her words.

"I could say the same," Vladimir retorted. "Your oral skills are a little scant." He gently took her head in his hands, pet her cheek, and slipped a thumb between her lips. While incomparable to the real article, it would serve its purpose as he gently slid it in and out of her mouth. As he withdrew his digit, he leveled his manhood at Marie's mouth. He playfully continued,

"Maybe you can convince me of performing better."