Sail My Oceans Read online

  He opened the door after he gained a semblance of control and walked in. Leon sat on a cot in the corner, his face set in a scowl. Devon realized, he couldn’t remember many times he’d seen Leon without that scowl. The man, always unpleasant, made Devon often wonder why his dad kept him employed. Leon was good at keeping his ear to ground when it came to moves other companies were about to make. His ability to snake out information, in Devon’s opinion, did not make up for his demeanor.

  “Ah, so you’ve finally shown up, Mr. Barbaroy.” Leon’s smile seemed bitter.

  Devon shut the door behind him, keeping his movements slow and deliberate. “You know why I’m here. Who hired you to kill me?”

  Leon shook his head, clasping his hands in his lap. “Now why would I tell you anything? You’ve left me to die with these pirates. I don’t owe you any explanations.”

  “It’s right on par with what you did to me and Julius.” Devon leaned against the wall, crossing his arms against his chest. What he really wanted to do was walk over and wring the answers from the asshole’s neck. Devon knew that it wouldn’t garner him more information though, just more frustration.

  “Yes well,” Leon let out a little sniff, “Julius wasn’t supposed to go with us. I told you when you wanted to bring him that it would only cause trouble.”

  The door beside Devon opened and he watched as Lucy Verr strode in, her hair gleaming like flames in the light. She was dressed in an emerald green silk shirt and black tight jeans. A holster, complete with gun, encircled each thigh,and an old fashioned rapier hung from her hip. Her boots, with a small amount of heel, came to her knees.

  Julius entered behind her, clothed all in black. Devon glanced down at himself, realizing that for once he was clothed in brighter colors than his friend. His red shirt and tight blue jeans were from his personal trunk he’d retrieved off the merchant ship before they’d left it.

  “Good morning, Mr. Krautz,” Lucy’s voice was a soft croon. “Are we faring well?”

  He shot her a look filled with hate before turning his attention on Julius and Devon. “I pity the reputation of your fathers. You slander their name by associating openly with trash like this. Pirates!” He gave a small tsk, tsk as he shook his head. “Your fathers will be most disappointed.”

  “As if my father would be any less disappointed by your actions,” Julius snapped. “Why did you do it?”

  Leon gave him a tight lipped smile. “Barter with the bitch to free me like you did the crew, and maybe I’ll come clean.”

  Lucy’s hand shot out, casually slapping the advisor across the cheek. “You can degrade my profession all you like, but there is no reason to get personal with your insults.” Her voice, so kindly a moment ago, was now only cold.

  Rubbing his reddened cheek, Leon stared up at her with wide eyes, his previous smugness neatly erased. Devon idly wondered if a slap from him would have caused the same effect. Somehow, he doubted it.

  “Now, Mr. Krautz,” Lucy continued, “I have a little bartering of my own, if you’d care to listen.”

  Leon’s face turned red. “I don’t barter with star skimming scum—”

  His words were cut off as she slapped him again, this time across his other cheek. His eyes widened as she slid a gun from her right thigh holster, her fingers caressing the weapon as if they were old lovers. Turning it one way, then the other, Lucy let his eyes follow the gun until she trained it on him. He whimpered.

  “Mr. Krautz, you aren’t being very polite,” she admonished. “I warned you not to insult me, and I’ve treated you with utmost respect regardless of the light thrown on your actions. But I’m tired of seeing my efforts go nowhere.” She prodded his forehead with the barrel. “Now, my associates here have a few questions they want answered. Every time you avoid the question, I’m going to shoot you in a joint, starting with the wrist of your least dominant hand. Understand?”

  He gulped, and then nodded.

  “Good,” she smiled at him. “Gentlemen, I think Mr. Krautz here is ready to answer your questions.”

  “Thank you, Captain.” Devon gave her an appreciative nod before leveling a menacing stare at the advisor. “Why did you leave us for dead?”

  “I-I—” Leon licked his lips, his eyes locked on Lucy as she tilted the muzzle of her gun towards his wrist. “Your father is dying. He’s been diagnosed with a tumor in his brain. He’s going to die very soon.”

  Devon recoiled from him. “Bullshit,” he spat. “If Dad were sick, I’d know about it. He tells me everything. We’re close!”

  “He kept it from you to protect you,” Leon said.

  Julius tilted his head, weighing the old advisor’s words. “Even if that were true, what does it have to do with leaving us to die?”

  “Because Devon would inherit everything!” Leon’s gaze snapped up and he leveled a glare at Julius. “That pup would inherit everything that I’ve worked years to build. I wasn’t going to let some young bastard take my life’s work from me just because his dad willed it so.”

  Lucy laughed. “Ah, so that’s it. No one hired you. It was ambition that drove you to this. Kill the son, watch the father die, and get everything. It’s in a will somewhere right?”

  When Leon’s gaze went flat she prodded his wrist with her gun. He jerked, gulped, then nodded. “Yes, I was with Donald when he drew up the will after he found out about his illness. If, Devon is unable to inherit due to death, the company goes straight to me.”

  “Greedy bastard!” Devon doubled up his fist, ready to strike the man.

  Julius stopped him, shaking his head. “He’s not worth it. Let’s go, Devon. Let’s go home and you can spend what time you have left with your father. That’s what's important, not this old fucker who's getting what he deserves.”

  Devon stood there for a moment, frozen as he weighed the choices. Finally, he let his arm relax and followed Julius to the door.

  Lucy started to follow, but paused, staring at Leon over her shoulder. “You know, Mr. Krautz, I may be a pirate but at least I have a code of honor. You? You’re just a sorry old man with nothing.”

  When she exited the door, closing it on Leon’s ravings and curses upon her, she found Styx waiting for her.

  “Captain?” He looked worried, uncomfortable.

  She sighed. “What bad news do you have for me?”

  “The Star Force sent us a transmission. It seems news of the merchant ship had reached them before we intercepted it. They are boarding all ships in the area in search of the missing crew and cargo.”

  Julius grinned. “Contact them back and tell them welcome aboard.”

  Lucy blinked at him. “Are your brains comet-addled? I have the crew and goods aboard. This is the Star Force, the galactic police we’re talking about. I’d—”

  “Be just fine and congratulated on your shining example of citizenship by offering these stranded people a ride home and transport of their cargo goods.” Julius grinned at her.

  She stood there before flashing a wide smile at Styx. “Yes, do contact them and tell them to come aboard the Tartarus.”

  “Aye, Captain.” Styx hurried off to do as ordered.

  Devon started down the hallway as well.

  “Where are you going, Devon?” Julius called out.

  “To inform our crew so they don’t screw up,” Devon replied without breaking pace.

  Lucy nodded, her expression thoughtful. “I suppose I’d better go make a statement on the intercom so my boys behave too.”

  “Wait,” Julius touched her shoulder. “I wanted to thank you for helping us find out why Leon did this. You’re one hell of an interrogator.”

  Lucy grinned at him. “Want to know a secret?” At Julius’ nod, she tapped her gun. “The safety was on the whole time.”

  Even Devon couldn’t help smiling as he rounded the corner down the hallway.

  ****

  Every occupant of the Tartarus waited in the hull, watching as the Star Force Officers made their way cau
tiously across the merylon tube. The Officer’s guns were drawn. Lucy’s crew, however, were lined up with their hands resting lightly on their thighs and solemn looks on their faces. To the side, standing at attention, were the crew members of the merchant ship. Lucy stood at the head, near the hull door, stoic and dangerous. Devon and Julius flanked either side of her.

  “Captain Lucy Verr of the ship, Tartarus?” An officer called out the name with a slight sneer, and Lucy pegged him as the head of this contingent.

  “That would be me.” She met his gaze, watching him flinch at the color of her eyes. Yes, orange eyes weren’t very common among humans. Eyes like hers meant that somewhere in her background, someone had gotten very naughty with a humanoid species that inhabited the surrounding planets.

  She watched as the officer regained his composure. “We received a radio transmission that you had the crew of a stranded merchant ship and its contents aboard. Since pirates are notorious for selling crews to the slave trade and cargo to the black market, I must find assurance that you are transporting these people versus kidnapping them. If I find the answers unsatisfactory, I will be forced to take your entire ship, along with everyone and everything aboard it, into the custody of the Star Force. Do you understand, Captain?” He said her title with a sneer that had her itching for her gun.

  Julius stepped forward. “By ‘Captain’, who precisely are you addressing? Her? Us? The pilot from my ship? You need to specify.”

  “And who would you be?” The officer shot him a look. “Never mind, it doesn’t matter. Shut your mouth unless spoken to.”

  Devon stirred, stepping up to stand beside Lucy. “I would use a little more respect, Officer. It’s not wise to treat people with such disrespect if you don’t know their identity. It could cost you your job.”

  The officer rolled his eyes and looked over his shoulder at his colleagues. “Who are these dumb fucks?”

  “Sir?” A younger man stepped forward, nervous caution etched in worried lines on his face. “I believe these are the sons of Cartwright and Barbaroy. The heirs to the companies.”

  Color, bright and obvious, traveled up the officer’s collar and across his cheeks. He sputtered for a moment before giving an apologetic bow. “Sirs, I am severely out of place. I’m so used to this being the work of pirates and…” He let his words trail off for a moment. “I still need to ask a few questions though.”

  “Of course,” Julius said. “The crew from our ship is standing just over there. They’ll be happy to answer any questions you like.”

  An hour later, the Star Force pulled away. A visible ripple of relief went through Lucy’s crew. Meanwhile, Julius and Devon were helping their own get back to the cabins.

  “Captain?” Styx approached Lucy with a smile. “Let’s never do that again.”

  Lucy Verr nodded. “Agreed. I don’t think my heart could have held out much longer. I was born for the stars, and I was downright terrified they’d find that old bastard in holding who’d howl a different tale and get me thrown in a windowless brig.”

  “We’ll be pulling into port on Prodigus in the morning.” Styx rolled his shoulders. “Almost done and over with.”

  “Aye,” Lucy’s words were quiet, “almost over.”

  Chapter Seven

  Lucy tilted her head back, letting the hot water course over her body. She wished she could wash away the day’s events with as much ease as she could wash the tension from her shoulders. She wasn’t stressing out too much about it. One could not live the life of a pirate successfully if they tweaked out every time they were scrutinized by the police force. It looked bad and made it difficult to uphold the reputation she needed. Of course, it had been nice to stand there, tall and proud, while the crew of the merchant ship confirmed that she was, in fact, taking them home.

  She heard the door to her bathroom snick shut and tried to see out of the frosted glass of her large shower. Sometimes, if it was an emergency, Styx would come fetch her from the shower. Lucy Verr could see a large form moving, but couldn’t make out any details.

  “Styx?” Her voice held no alarm.

  “Not quite,” Julius’ voice replied.

  Lucy smiled, pleased with the unexpected visit. Julius would make a welcome addition to her shower. When the door opened, revealing his lean naked body, a pool of heat curled between her thighs. She was glad he made the first move. Deciding who she was going to ask to her bed tonight was so difficult, she’d almost given up altogether on making a thought out choice and flipped a coin.

  Julius stared at her for a moment, a smile playing across his lips. “You’re gorgeous. I don’t know how you keep the crew from banging your door down every night.”

  She backed up, making room for him. Her shower was huge, almost the size of a walk in closet, and left ample space. Hell, they could lie down in the shower comfortably if they so chose, she realized.

  “Most of them saw me grow up and think of me as a daughter or sister,” she replied. “They don’t see me in a sexual light. I’m fine with that. Relationships with the crew would only cause problems.”

  Lucy reached out, capturing Julius’ growing member, and gave it a slow stroke. At his gasp, she stepped forward, her breasts pressing against his bare skin. Empowered by his eager reactions, she stuck her tongue out, slowly licking water droplets off his chest. Her tongue traced down, twirled around a nipple. Julius’ hands dug into her hips, dragging her against him.

  “You’re all the things my father told me to avoid in a woman, and I’ll be damned if it isn’t sexy as all hell,” Julius growled.

  Lucy Verr laughed. “You’re all the things my daddy told me was the mark of a man easy to rob blind. I guess he never took into account what a silver tongue could do.”

  She shuddered in pleasure at her own words, remembering just what his ‘silver tongue’ had done to her the other night. The memory of sliding Devon’s cock in and out of her mouth followed directly after. Oh, what she wouldn’t give to have them both at once!

  A banging on the shower door caused her to jump away from Julius with a yelp. Who, by comet’s fire, would be in here now? Maybe it was Styx this time.

  “Go away,” Julius yelled, irritation lacing his voice. “We’re busy.”

  The shower door yanked open, and Lucy felt a thrill at the sight of Devon standing there, naked and proud. “Not without me, you’re not,” he growled.

  He strode into the shower with a casual expression, pulling the door closed behind him. Julius raised an eyebrow, but didn’t seem uncomfortable at the sight of his friend naked. Lucy let her eyes rove over him, pleased to finally see him unclothed from head to toe.

  His thighs and calves were every bit as muscular as his forearms. His tan was uniform throughout his body, suggesting he either was dark skinned naturally or tanned naked. She found both options very appealing. His chocolate brown eyes seemed to sparkle with merriment at her obvious perusal of his body.

  “How did I get this lucky?” Lucy smiled at them both.

  “I’ve been a horny mess since you played with me at dinner last night,” Julius complained.

  Devon laughed. “So that’s what was wrong with you.” His smoldering gaze landed on Lucy. “As for me, I didn’t want Julius having you all to himself. It’s our last night, and I wanted to feel your mouth around me again.”

  As they advanced on her, Julius smiled. “If you want her mouth, then I call dibs on her pussy.”

  “Deal.”

  “You’re both nefarious cads!” Lucy exclaimed as a flush traveled up her cheeks. Granted, she fantasized about being with them both at once, but wasn’t certain how to deal with it now that it was happening. She felt a whole lot of excited, and more than a little bit of nervous. “Have you two ever—” she gasped as Devon took her right breast in his mouth.

  “Been together?” Julius supplied with a helpful tone.

  She nodded, unable to speak as the pleasure of Devon’s tongue on her nipple consumed her. She would never ha
ve pegged them as bisexuals, but she had no issues with it if they were.

  “No.” Julius stroked her other nipple, sending fire curling through her veins. “We’ve shared a woman once before. But you don’t have to be gay to do this. We don’t have to touch each other. We get enough pleasure from touching you.”

  Devon’s appreciative growl at her breast vibrated her very core. She leaned against the far wall feeling pleasantly helpless as Julius dropped to his knees before her. His hazel eyes stared up at her for a moment, as if he was memorizing every curve of her body. His hand came up, delved into the cleft between her thighs, and stroked her clit. Lucy moaned, feeling almost overwhelmed with pleasure and the excitement of having them both.

  When Julius leaned forward, he used his hands to spread her legs further apart. With steady flicks, he worked his tongue across her swollen pussy. Devon reached a hand over, his fingers grasping her free nipple. He twisted it with a firm tug in time to the motions of his mouth. Lucy felt certain she was going to die with pleasure.

  “The water,” she managed to gasp. “It’s getting cold.”

  Julius pulled back, shooting her a wicked smile. “We could always shove you under it and douse you good to put those fires out.”

  “I wonder if her hair would change color,” Devon mused.

  “Don’t you dare!” Lucy bristled at them, ready for a fight.

  They laughed, but she was pleased to see Devon reach over and push the button to turn the shower off. She harbored no desire to be stuck under an icy cascade of water. When it was off, she pushed the door open, taking pleasure at the sight of steam on the windows. Hot showers, like silk, were one of her favorite secret indulgences. Lucy had a feeling, though, that it would take a while before any shower could compare to the steaminess of this one.

  She tossed towels from the rack at both the boys. For a few moments, she refrained from toweling off herself as she watched them. Tonight would be their last night. Tomorrow they would go back to live the lives of the rich and famous, and she of adventure and glory. Would she miss them? Yes, for a little while. Did she love them? No. Only the momentary companionship they’d brought into her life would be missed. If tonight was to be their last night, she was going to be certain she enjoyed every second of it.