Authors: Lynelle Clark
unwavering before the Pirate.
An overwhelming, disgusting stench came to her
when he breathed directly into her face.
'Your brother will come when I am good and ready.
First, I am going to play with you,' he said, grabbing her
breasts.
'A handful!' he said, looking at his men. It hurt and
she flinched. Anger filled her and she stood up straight,
looking him directly in the eye.
'You would like to kill me, wouldn't you,
sweetheart?' he said with a smirk of defiance.
Again, a roar broke loose, men slapping their knees
as they laughed.
'I am going to enjoy you. Let me have a look at
you.' With one swift movement, he ripped her bodice from
her, exposing her to all the hungry eyes. Lips smacked.
Disgust coiled within her belly, threatening to spill over her
lips but she swallowed, refusing to back down.
He brushed away her hair, cupping her breasts
again. Roberto fumed, clenching his fists and stepping
forward. Pierre held him back.
'Slow down, friend, your time will come,' he spoke
softly into his ear, holding him back at his shoulder.
The Falcon came closer, looking at her with pale
green eyes and investigating her skin as if she was under a
searchlight. She felt humiliated, exposed to every hungry
glare. The rough hands kneaded her and he leaned forward
to suckle a breast, biting the nub so that it stretched. She
flinched in pain, sniffing. He chuckled, the sound trembling
through her and she clenched her fists as he continued.
Suddenly he stopped and sniffed again, and then
hollered:
'I smell a man on her! You bloody bitch, you've had
sex!' Enraged, he slapped her and she fell to the ground.
Her cheek burned as she struggled up and stood in
defiance, looking at the pirate. He came closer again,
looking at her abdomen, and again he raged,
'She is with child!' He slapped her again so that she
fell on her backside.
'I will take the bitch!' a pirate called out.
'I don't mind. The bitch will not live long enough to
be a mummy,' another chuckled out with mockery. Again,
the air filled with laughter. This time it mingled with lust as
they looked at her, knowing one of them would have her.
Roberto shook as he heard the news and for a split
second a smile appeared before it was gone, keeping his
face still as his Rosa lay on the ground.
An instant later she stood up straight again. Her hair
fell forward and covered one breast. Her chin lifted and his
heart swelled with pride.
There are the thorns.
He had
missed them. Her body was rigid as she stared the Falcon
down. Her arms and bound hands drew protectively over
her abdomen, the place his child grew.
It will take more than that to break her,
he thought.
'Take her away!' The Falcon screamed, his eyes
flashing. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Roberto
moving toward them, saying,
'What do you want me to do with the bitch?'
'You can have her!' the Falcon screamed. 'I wanted
a virgin. Why is it so hard to find a virgin in the world,
especially one that is supposed to be a lady?' he screamed.
'Thank you, Falcon,' Roberto replied, bowing
respectfully, grabbing her arm. She struggled against him
and he slapped her, and her eyes spat fire as he held her. He
did not even look at her.
'You pirate scum!' she hissed, but Roberto did not
flinch as pirates roared, calling her names.
Quickly he made way with Rosa-Lee behind him.
He moved her closer to him to cover her nakedness and
walked out of the circle. Pierre and Enrico were not very
far behind, hands on their swords as they watched every
move, every thick bush. They followed a small path leading
them up the hill and at a rocky dead end, turned right into a
wooden structure.
The rough wood structure was built in a huge
square, standing on a wooden deck mere inches from the
ground. Five steps led up to the veranda without any
railings around it. The roof was shingled with dark wood.
Two windows framed each side of the wooden door and on
both sides, closing with shutters, no glass in the panes. As
they stepped onto the wooden deck, it creaked underneath
their weight. Pierre and Enrico stepped aside as he opened
the door for her.
Roberto was quiet all the way to his hut. Her
imagined angry words resounding in his head after he had
slapped her. He had to do it. It was expected of him as the
son of the Falcon, but he was furious with himself for what
she had just been through. How would he face her?
When they were inside and the door closed, Roberto
stood with his back to her, closing his eyes. He was afraid
of what he could see in her eyes, the rejection of what just
happened. Instead, he heard her softly speak.
'We were about six months into our journey,
walking through the thick dense jungle of Africa, which
was a struggle in the scorching humid heat. My father had
to cut a path through it, the only one with enough strength
to do so. He was also hungry and very tired.' He could
barely hear her and imagined how she looked at him, but he
could not turn, only listen.
'My mother's feet were completely giving out, as
skin fell from them, leaving them a raw, bloody mess. She
tried to hide it, never cried. But when my father saw it, he
was furious with her and could not believe the damage
caused to them. He bandaged them with strips of his shirt
under much protest from her. The sneering remarks some
had made held them apart and she did not want him to be in
more trouble. Father continued with the nursing of her feet
and she was grateful in the end. The captain was furious,
cursing him, but he ministered to her wounds and carried us
both without complaint.' He heard a smile in her voice and
he blinked as moisture settled in his eyelids.
'A savage tribe helped my father to get food. We
thought the chief was a good man. But he indicated to my
father that he wanted payment for the food and then looked
at the women: my mother, my half-sister, and two slave
women. Father removed all their clothing to show the chief
that they were too skinny after the lack of food during that
time. Father had to point out my mother and my half-
sister's bony shoulders and hips to the man, only covered
with skin. Cisco compared them to the chief's own wives,
over weight and huge.
'The chief did not like skinny women and dismissed
them, to great relief of the remaining group, me included.
He wanted big, chubby women and showed off his own
women standing behind him. The two slave girls still had
enough on their bones to win his approval and they agreed
without any struggle to stay behind. To them, it did not
matter where they were. As long as they had food, they
were satisfied. By then they were used to being abused and
given away to whoever owned them. The two women did
not even put up a fight.'
She was quiet for a few minutes, as tears ran down
her face, her cheeks swollen and sensitive, but bravely she
continued, and he swallowed at the tears that ran down his
face.
'First you married me and then you branded me so
that he could smell you on me. The past week making love
to me, you branded me so hard that at times it hurt, but you
saved me, didn't you?' He turned around, tears rolling down
his cheeks, and she walked into his open embrace, looking
at him with trust and love.
He did not deserve her.
'I said I would trust you, no matter what.' And she
comforted him, his head on her shoulder.
'I am so sorry that you had to go through that, but
that was the only way that I could protect you. You were so
brave, my Rosa.' His touch on her cheek stung after the
slaps. With both his hands, he cupped her face and kissed
her, his breath warm against her skin. Then, jerking his
head up, he asked curiously,
'Are you with child?'
'Yes I am. The doctor confirmed it two days ago,
and I wanted to surprise you.'
He lifted her in the air, twirling her around, laughter
in his voice.
'I am going to be a father!'
'Yes you are, my love,' she laughed, her cheeks still
hurting. He put her down and with a warm hand enclosed
her stomach in wonderment, removing the restraints and
the rest of her clothing, kneeling in front of her.
'Your mama is the most gorgeous and the bravest
woman you will ever know, little one,' he whispered into
her tummy, his lips brushing against her skin as his hands
held her hips.
She knelt down in front of him with love pure and
unstrained, eyes dark with desire.
'Make love to me,' she whispered.
'How can I refuse that request?' He brought her
closer, their lips locked in tenderness.
'I love you, my Rosa.' He crushed her body against
his, demanding her mouth. With hunger he devoured her.
She removed his clothing, struggling to get to the bed.
When they finally did manage to get there, he
became tender in his love. Whispering tender words in her
ear, on her stomach, the vibrancy of every word causing her
to arch into him. She demanded his attention, but he
continued with the slow torture until she pleaded for him to
end the sweet torture. He just ignored her and continued at
his own pace, deliberate in every lingering touch.
19
It took him awhile to sleep again, with his pregnant
wife in his arms, just holding her as if his life depended on
it. Kissing her softly, he smiled when she sighed in his
arms, deep in sleep, cuddling into him, her body draped
over him.
The strength and bravery she showed the previous
day; then the understanding she showed for his actions,
made him feel like a real man. She trusted him. His chest
swelled under her head, her hair fanning over his body,
covering them like a blanket.
He knew he could have a future with her and his
child growing inside of her. It was the greatest gift he had
ever received, unconditional love for a rough pirate feared
by many.
She was worth it. To fight for their future was worth
everything.
Thinking of the story she had told, he had admit that
he respected Cisco Almaida as a man and as a father.
Clearly Rosa-Lee had great admiration for him, as all her
stories always involved him. He would have to thank the
man once he took her back, for he had prepared her for him
without knowing him. He smiled as she stretched her body
against him. Her hand moved over him in a caress and his
body reacted to the soft, gentle touch. He rolled her on her
back and made love to her in the sweetest way. The soft
womanly smile he received let him grin with pleasure,
knowing that she enjoyed as much as he enjoyed giving it.
During the night they both woke simultaneously.