“What was the meaning of that?” Nelson hissed once they were out of ear shot. Julianne rolled her eyes. She wasn’t one to listen to her brother’s complaints. In her opinion, he was possessive and kept her under wraps far too much. Yes, she was a stowaway, but so what? Did that mean she didn’t get to have any fun?
“He’s handsome,” Julianne said, shrugging. “Besides, wouldn’t it have seemed stranger if I hadn’t said anything at all?”
“No!” Nelson told her. “The girls here don’t speak to men who haven’t paid them.”
“How do you know?”
Now it was Nelson’s turn to fall quiet.
“I just do,” he muttered.
“Oh, that’s how it is, then.” Somehow, Julianne suspected that her brother was neither as pure nor as innocent as he would have others believe. She didn’t mind. He was her brother and she loved him no matter what his pleasures might be. It wasn’t as if she herself didn’t have dark desires, ones she would not readily admit to.
“Listen,” he said, pulling her out of the pathway and into the darkness of an alley. “I’m going to go buy some food and, uh, get some other things. Here.” He pushed several coins into her hand. “Do whatever you want. Meet me here at nightfall so we can get back on board before the other men come back.”
Julianne nodded and watched Nelson scurry away. She wondered if he was going to find himself some pleasurable company before the duo returned to the ship. She hoped she wouldn’t run into him. She hadn’t been able to really stretch her legs and move around in weeks. This might be her only chance for a very long time to actually be around other people, and she didn’t feel like wasting it with her brother.
Not that she didn’t appreciate him, of course, but Julianne was a grown woman who had certain needs. And her current need was to be filled, both in belly and in body, and to figure out if living in a port was a life she should consider. Without Vince to force her into marriage, she could do anything, she realized. She didn’t have many skills, other than housekeeping, of course. Still, how difficult could it be to learn how to please a man? Perhaps that type of position would be its own reward.
Once Nelson was out of sight, Julianne scurried back onto the path, turning in the opposite direction. Though it might seem strange to some, she was tired of feeling like a walking pile of filth, so after she bought a quick meal at one of the inns, she found the nearest bathhouse and handed over her money. The keeper led her to the shared bathing area and handed her a clean towel. Julianne thanked the woman and, as soon as she was gone, stripped down and stepped into the warm water.
The bathhouse had several large rooms, each with a round pool in the center. The pool in this room was at least 10 feet in diameter: large enough for a group of bathers, though Julianne had the space to herself. At the front of the pool were stone steps leading into the water, but there was also an underwater bench around the exterior wall of the pool. This enabled bathers to move to the center of the pool for deeper water or to sit idly around the outside, relaxing against the stone walls.
She let out a soft moan as she sunk into the bath. Darnial was known for its hot springs and loose women, both of which made Julianne feel right at home. She wondered, as she soaked in the water, whether she should tell Nelson that she wanted to stay here or someplace like it.
Maybe not today, but sometime.
She was far away from Vince and her parents. She was far away from anyone who had ever known her. Most of all, she was finally in a place where she could be and do whatever she wanted.
What would she do?
Julianne knew that she liked sex and freedom and exploring. Now she had seen more of the world than she ever had living in Gunthry, but what next? She leaned her head against the side of the bathing area and closed her eyes. The open bathing area was more like a pool. She had never seen anything like it and wondered if she was actually supposed to be completely nude in the water, but something told her no one would complain.
What would it be like to be with someone from Darnial? Julianne began to daydream as she soaked. The dirt and sweat washed away and with it came a fresh awareness of her body. Her nipples peaked beneath the warm water and she felt her entire body become warm and heated. It wasn’t just from the springs, she knew.
There were rumors back in Gunthry that the women of Darnial were freer than women anywhere else in the world. Sometimes they were with a man whose name they didn’t even know. Sometimes they were with two. Sometimes, Julianne had heard, they were only with other women.
What would that be like?
She closed her eyes as she thought about it and her hands began to wander.
As Julianne touched herself, she felt her body respond to her own touch. She didn’t masturbate nearly enough on the ship. Though she was fairly certain she wouldn’t get caught, she was nervous about the idea of someone – especially her brother – walking in on her in the midst of orgasm, so she tried to keep herself under control.
Most of the time, she failed.
Now that she was alone, however, Julianne felt free to let her hands roam across her body in the warm, bubbly waters. She cupped her breasts and pinched her nipples. The tiny shot of pain went straight between her legs and she felt herself growing even wetter than she already was. Her hands went up to her and played with her locks, then back down to every part of her body, finally settling between her legs.
“Enjoying yourself?” A familiar voice sounded from behind Julianne. She turned around with a start and her mouth dropped when she saw the captain of The Dark Lovely standing next to the large bathing area. He was completely nude and had a smirk on his face. She knew that he had been watching her, though she wasn’t sure for how long. Despite the water, Julianne felt her body growing hot and wet in response to seeing him.
“Quite a bit, yes,” she managed to squeak out. It had been a long time since she’d seen a naked man, and she’d never seen one who looked quite as manly without his clothes on as the captain did. His cock was large and surrounded by thick curls. A splash of dark hair filled his muscular chest. His shoulders were broad and quietly begging to wrap around her body.
The man walked to the other side of the bathing pool and stepped in, visibly relaxing when the warm water began to cover him. He sat on one of the small underwater seats a few feet from Julianne. The water was warm and bubbly, and though it came up to his chest, she could still see his cock beneath the water.
She knew that he could see her, too.
“You’re the Saucy Devil,” she said.
“I am,” the man seemed neither surprised nor upset that she recognized him by name.
“Did you follow me?” She asked quietly, curious. Though Darnial was a bustling city, it wasn’t very big. She wasn’t sure how many other bathing houses there were or what the odds were that Wade should find himself in the same one as Julianne.
“Perhaps,” his eyes twinkled as he looked at her. “Would you mind if I did?”
Julianne shrugged and looked away, biting her lower lip. The two of them were alone for now, but another patron could join them at any time. What were the rules for bathing? Could she scoot closer to him without seeming too forward? Then she wondered, for just a second, why she was worried about what other people would think.
No one knew her here.
Even Wade didn’t know her.
She scooted closer.
He looked pleased.
**
Wade leaned back against the side of the bathing pool, relaxing into the water. His eyes never left the woman in the water. She was the most beautiful creature he’d seen in a long time: possibly ever. Though he knew she was a whore – he had seen Nelson with her just hours earlier – he couldn’t help but think she was the strangest whore he’d ever seen.
Something about her seemed shy, almost innocent.
Something about her seemed timid.
When she scooted a little closer to him, his cock instantly grew harder. He wasn’t sure if she was on the job and working him or if she actually found him attractive, but he had only a short bit of time before he had to return to his ship and his crew.
Wade wanted to make the most of it.
“How much?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.
A look of confusion crossed her face for just a second, then the woman got her bearings.
“No,” she said. “I’m not working right now.”
“Apologies,” Wade mumbled, looking away, embarrassed. He had misread the situation.
Then he felt a soft grip on his leg, and he looked back. She was right next to him now.
“No,” she said again softly. “I don’t want you to pay me. You understand? I’m not working.”
He understood, and he waited no longer to kiss her. His mouth ravished hers in a passionate kiss, their tongues pushing and prodding at each other. The woman slid onto his lap and he wrapped his arms around her slender waist. She seemed shy at first, as if she were holding back, as if she were trying to convince herself that this was okay.
But then Wade grabbed her ass and whispered, “You’re fucking gorgeous, my love.”
The woman let out a moan and pushed forward so that she was balancing at the edge of his cock. As she looked into his eyes, she lowered herself completely onto him and squeezed him tightly, and Wade lost himself in the moment.