A loud noise outside woke her up suddenly and caused her to bolt upright in bed. She was disorientated, unsure exactly of where she was. Then she remembered. She was on a ship, traveling from England, her childhood home, to the south of France, where her new husband and new life awaited her. Everyone assured her it was a good match, but the ship felt like a prison, one that had been drifting for a week at sea, and had no escape. She had been reading in her room and must have drifted off.
The sudden noise returned, shaking her out of her trance like dream. She pulled herself up, opened her door and peered down the hallway. All seemed quiet, but she decided to go up on deck and determine the source of the startling loud noise. She pushed open the door to the deck, and all was chaos. She instinctively shut the door and peered through the small portal window. She could see the crew hands running everywhere, pulling on ropes and securing weapons. She could faintly make out another ship, the two bows almost touching. The loud noise suddenly made sense -- it was cannon fire. Her ship was under attack.
Despite the carnage that was taking place in front of her eyes, she couldn't turn away. Her own crew was battling an onslaught of men from the other ship who were boarding in waves. She heard the clash of swords, the fire of guns and the screams of battle. She watched everything unfold before her, unsure whether to run, hide or join the massacre.
All at once, her eyes met those of a crew member from the invading ship. She felt his eyes bear down on hers and she was compelled to turn and run. Before she managed a full turn, she felt powerful arms grab and wrap around her waist. Her long skirt was caught under her feet and the powerful force behind her lifted her up. She attempted to scream, but another set of hands appeared in front of her face, one covering her mouth and the other her eyes. More men must have gathered around her as she felt the sensation of weightlessness as she was carried outside. Her attempts to scream went unnoticed. The noise outside had quieted down, it seemed like most of the battle was over. She eventually stopped struggling, understanding that her crew must have given up as well. The group of men carried her to the awaiting ship. The chaos around her, the bodies on the deck and the fear within must have caused her to black out, as the sky began to swirl and everything went black.
She awoke to find herself in a large room lavishly decorated. A large poster bed sat against the far end, covered in red brocade and silk. For a moment she doubted that the attack was even real, that she had simply dreamt it, because she had never imagined a pirate ship to look like this. She motioned to rub her weary eyes, but realized her hands were tied behind her back and looped around a wooden chair. The faint noise of voices could be heard on the other side of the door which confirmed that the attack was real and she was a prisoner. She strained her neck to look out a porthole window but could only see the vast sea and a distant billow of smoke on the horizon. She feared that it was her ship, her crew, and her belongings flooding the sea and sky in thick smoke.
The click of the door startled her. A tall man, finely dressed with a velvet coat and tall boats, holding his hat in hand, appeared in the doorway. He was certainly more handsome than the pirates her uncle warned her about, his thick curly hair well kept. He shut the door and slowly approached the chair she was tied to. She was unsure whether to speak and plead her case, or be strong and stay silent.
The tall man broke her dilemma, "It appears that our fine beauty has awoken."
He smiled, speaking in perfect English with a gentle accent she couldn't place. She opted to stay silent, begging might provoke him, she thought.
"I am Captain Andre," he said more abruptly as he grabbed her chin, "And who might be our new shipmate?"
She recoiled at his rough touch, but responded softly, "Charlotte."
He smiled at this, and began the explanation that would remain in her mind for months to come.
"I trust you understand who we are, a group of pirates that pillages mainly merchant ships heading to and from the Americas. But once and a while we come upon a passenger ship with a strikingly beautiful woman. As a crew, we use her in all of the ways we want until our next port. We usually leave her there, but sometimes, if she is still of use, we sell her to the highest bidder. It has turned out to be a profitable business and it keeps my crew very happy to have a woman available. It seems that you, Miss Charlotte, are our next conquest. Lucky for you, I find you to be particularly attractive and am considering keeping you all for myself, if you are properly submissive and obedient. When, or if, I tire of you, you will become the play toy of the crew. I warn you Miss Charlotte, that they are a particularly ruthless bunch that you do not wish to be involved with. But, if you remain behaved, I think I shall keep you in my bed for a long while."
The Captain took Charlotte's head in his hands and began to stroke her golden curly hair gently. She could feel tears welling up inside of her eyes, but she willed them to stop. Captain Andre grabbed a fist full of her hair and tugged it hard so her head turned to look up at him.
"I expect you will be obedient, if you wish to avoid the perverted desires of my crew."
Charlotte shot him a sour look, but still refused to open her mouth to speak. She considered the irony of her present situation. She didn't want to marry a man she didn't even know, Charlotte craved much more than that. She wanted adventure, something unconventional. She realized now, she was getting her wish. Being kidnapped by pirates and a ruthlessly handsome captain was one of her desires, admittedly. She had heard about young women like herself getting kidnapped and becoming a part of pirate crews, sexually used over and over again. Most of these stories kept young girls up as nightmares, but the thoughts always intrigued Charlotte. However, all of this wasn't what she had imagined.
The Captain moved behind her, undoing the tight ropes that were marking her wrists. He threw it to the side, "I'm sure we will need that for later."
He pulled her up on her feet, their gazes meeting again. Charlotte kept her look of quiet determination while Captain Andre's original light heartedness had hardened at the prospect of this strong woman. He reached behind her with his strong hands began prying at the laces in the back of her dress. Becoming quickly annoyed, she could hear and feel his hands ripping the silk dress at the seam. He jerked the loose fabric off her body as she motioned to hold it up, but his strength pushed hers away. The silk fell in a large heap at her feet, billowing at her ankles. She was left in her tight bodice and lace petticoat, feeling bare and exposed in front of this abrupt man.
Charlotte still didn't speak but she couldn't stop a meek whimper from escaping her lips. Captain Andre laughed, a deep roar of sorts that cut through her ears. He clutched her waist and drew up her petticoat, reaching his large hand behind her and groping the generous flesh of her bare ass. Charlotte wanted to bury her face in his chest and cry, maybe that would encourage him to slow down and comfort her. She could feel his cold hand exploring her soft and tender flesh the moment before his hand came down in a hard slap. The shriek involuntary escaped from her mouth, and Charlotte was disappointed to see that Captain Andre was smirking again. He continued to kneed the soft flesh of her plump buttocks before bringing his hand down to another slap. The imprint of his large hand stung her softness, but she managed to stay quiet.