The Captive and The Captain (Closed)

[tcost]

The Captain.

"Why am I so different? I can't claim to know the entire answer to that, my lady, but I have at least a partial answer. To start with, you are at my dubious mercy, and there are really only two things protecting you from me right now, and those boil down to how civilized I am, and the degree to which you can persuade me, mostly through conversation, not to just take what is mine by right, when both of us, by now, have admitted, one way or another, to the fact that both of us want it to happen. For your sake, I hope that you never find yourself in this position again. If possible, I will protect you from any other man who might be able to threaten you so, but to what extent can either one of us, under these circumstances, expect me to be able to protect you from myself?"

He shook his head. He'd been frowning, but now he smiled a bit. "This really is pretty absurd. But on the other hand, I haven't had such a civilized conversation in.. probably not in my whole life. Even apart from your wit and charm and beauty, you appeal to my better nature, too. Even with all of those virtues going for you, though, Josephine, I don't know how often, in what is for you normally polite society, you encounter men who are quite as willing as I clearly am -- now that I've been put to the test by you -- to not just take such a prize when they could, and otherwise would."

He drew in a breath more sharply now. "And, to be rigorously honest, part of what is at play here is my own vanity. I don't like to think of myself as a brute, a rapist. No matter what the law might declare, if I took you, or anybody else but especially you, against your will, I would be a rapist. So much better, on so many different levels, if I can talk you into sharing my bed willingly."

Again, he smiled, now. "And -- once more, we both know this -- that is exactly what I'm trying to do, here. I'm trying to seduce you. And part of that effort includes the admission of the fact. We both know that I don't want to sleep on the floor, and I don't think that I'm going to have to do that -- but I will, my lady, if you do not take me willingly to your bed. Which is my bed. Or, at least, until or unless you do before we make port."

He reached out with just the tip of his forefinger, and placed it on the back of her hand, and then he drew it perhaps as much as an inch and a quarter over her skin. "I so much want to do this right, and, even as a sea captain, normally in command of all I survey, I have little to no practice in such an art. To look at you, to listen to not only your words but all the other little sounds you make, the way that you move and you sit -- I am captivated, to choose the precise word, by every little thing about you, you know -- I would think that I am in fact going about this the right way."

He opened his hand, and rested the palm lightly on the back of her own hand. "That puts a burden on you that you may not wish to bear. I can take all of the responsibility from you, and take you by force, with both of us knowing that the result is what both of us want. As I have said, I would rather not do that, but -- if that is what you need me to do -- I would do that for you, as I would for no other woman I can imagine."

 

[queenclaire]

Josephine listened to Amos speak silently. She wanted to hear where he was going with his thoughts. She really was curious how he felt about all this and now she had an idea. Yes, she was by all rights his to take, but he was being kind by giving her a choice. She knew that she eventually have to give in to him since he was a man after all and it had to be a punch to his gut that she even turned him down in the first place.

She stiffened as he touched her hand. She narrowed her eyes slightly at him, being cautious to what he said to her. He did just state he was trying to seduce her. Part of that act was using pretty words and light touches. She made a thoughtful noise, “I am sure you would.” She glared at him, “I can see how doing that for me would be such a hard thing for you to bare, but very kind of you to be willing to.” The sarcasm in her voice was rich. “I am sure I am just as captivating as a drunken wench in a tavern.”

Josephine shook her head, “I don’t think you get it, Captain Fairbanks. This is easy for you. You get what you want, when you want it and society is fine with that because it is law of the sea. I, on the other hand, have to try and return to my life and try to find a gentleman that would not mind the fact I had been with another man. Whether I did it willingly or not is beside the point because would no longer be worthy of marriage by most men’s standards. Even if I did find someone willing, it would be with someone that I would probably have no connection with.”

“It’s just so easy for you to just pass off sharing a bed as your right,” she said standing up from the bed trying to get some distance again. His compliments were starting to work on her and she could not…would not let them work. She turned and looked at him, “And I get that by law I am yours to do whatever with, but I am more than spoil of war, sir. I get that you probably need to save face by bedding me because you don’t want your crew to think otherwise, but this is my life.”

Josephine paused as she drew in a deep breath and turned from him as she closed her eyes, trying to center her emotions that were all over the place at the moment. “And, just so you know,” she added, turning to face him again, “no man has ever wanted me. I have barely ever kissed a man before and even that was unbidden. So you can see why sleeping with a man I just met scares the hell out of me, to be very blunt.”

 

[tcost]

The Captain.

"My crew, if I told them that I had not bedded you, would suppose -- mostly -- that I was being gallant and fibbing to protect your virtue, Josephine. Whether I leave you a virgin or not, the idea of your virginity is dead by now, and no matter what we do, we cannot resurrect it. The same thing would have happened if I had known that you were here, and sent you on one of those lifeboats to take you back to shore -- people would assume that you had been raped. And, probably, you would have been."

He let her hand go; he was not trapping her. "But, you're what, seventeen years old? Eighteen? You may not have been aware of it -- though that would amaze me in itself -- but, Josephine, you are endlessly more fascinating than any wench, drunk or sober, in any tavern anywhere. Not only are you beautiful, you have deep feelings, even if you don't normally let most of them show, and you have a fine mind. Perhaps most men have been too frightened of your ducal father or even of your own formidable personality, but I don't believe for a moment that most of the men you have known for the past three or four years have so much as seen you without desiring you, whether they let on about those desires or not. Almost every one of them has wanted you, whether you know that or not."

A good deal of the lightness had disappeared from his tone. Josephine was in pain here, and the banter that they had managed for a little bit had been displaced by serious worries.

"As for being scared, Josephine, if you believe nothing else I say, believe at least this -- I have no wish to scare you at all, or to make you feel bad in any way. Just the opposite. I want to make you feel better, I wish to make you feel good in just about the best way in the world. I can allay your fears, at least those about sex. And I meant what I said -- unless you want me to rape you, I will not do that. I will not hurt you in any way. You may be safer at this moment with me now than you will ever be again for the rest of your life."

 

[queenclaire]

Josephine stood for a second, looking at the cup in her hand. She took a sip and looked back at Amos. He really had a way of talking. He, once again, had her considering his offer. “I am nineteen, almost twenty years of age,” she said as she sat back down on the bed. She knew she may be being a bit overdramatic, but at the same time, she was scare and it would ruin her life forever. It was bad enough she was not married yet when so many had wanted her to marry them. She was too picky as her mother had put it before she passed away.

She looked at him curiously, “Forgive me if my question of off base, I truly am curious though. Why would you wish for me to give in to you so badly? I am sure that I am not worth all this effort as I have never done anything like that before.” She looked away. She was also scared she would be horrible and he would find her repulsive after that. Why she cared, she was not sure, but she did. She also wondered if it was an ego thing, though she was not going to ask that. If she was not attracted to him, this would be so much easier.

She finished off the liquid in her glass and sighed softly to herself. Why did she have to find him so appealing that she was actually considering giving in to him. She had never been pursued by someone as handsome as him and though she knew it was because of the law he wanted her, she could pretend he might had wanted her if they had passed on the streets.

 

[tcost]

The Captain.

"In the first place, Josephine," Amos began, "any man in his right mind, who was not blind, would want you. You are a beautiful woman, and by this age you should have been happily married for years. You have been deprived of a sex life, which would be a crime for any woman, but all the more poignantly so in your instance -- despite your fine dress, your body alone awakens desire, but even more, your appeal lies in your character."

He drank down the last of his cognac and set the glass aside where it would not be in the way, and moved next to her, quite close. "In the second place, you have plainly noticed that you have physically excited me, and shown me, though your color, that I have done the same thing to you. It is pointless for either one of us to do otherwise."

He murmured this, his mouth mere inches from her ear. Then he leaned back, and brought both hands up to the back of her dress. "You only have so many changes of clothes on the ship. Let's keep this one intact." And so he began to undo the buttons at the back of her neck.

 

[queenclaire]

Josephine could barely breathe as Amos moved closer to her. She stayed perfectly still, unable to even think clearly. She may have had men close to her before, while dancing and other things, but none ever made her feel like Amos did. She felt excited and scared all at once. Her mind was reeling with all the possibilities, both good and bad. He was right though, he did excite her in a way she never thought possible.

Once he started to undo her buttons, the reality of the situation hit her and she was willing to deal with the consequences. She nodded at what he said as he continued to work on her buttons. She really did not have a lot of clothes on board and she started to wonder where her trunk was. She hoped she would be getting that soon. She felt very shy all the sudden. He was going to see her as no man ever had before. She looked down, also embarrassed. She had no clue what she was supposed to be doing. “I don’t know what to do,” she said softly.

 

[tcost]

The Captain.

"Do what you feel like doing, Josephine," Amos replied, in the same soft tone of voice that she had just used. "Don't worry. It will all be fine."

He leaned over just far enough to kiss her cheek for a moment, and then he resumed opening the back of her dress. "While you're used to wearing this kind of clothing, I imagine you will be more comfortable out of it," he said, shifting now so he was facing her front. "I know that the high collars on my coat bother me some times, and I don't wear a corset."

He began, carefully, to pull the front of her dress down over her shoulders, and then her upper arms.

 

[queenclaire]

Josephine had no clue what she felt like doing, honestly. She blinked a few times as she tried to think of something, but nothing came to mind. She had never really even thought about what to do in this sort of situation. She had heard stories from her already married friends, but she never met someone she would want to do that with.

She blushed slightly as he kissed her cheek. The feel of his lips on her cheek was wonderful. She hoped everything else was just as wonderful. She had to admit a corset could be a burden at times, but she had grown used to it. It was just part of what she had to wear on a daily basis, but it would be nice to relinquish it for a while. “You get used to it,” she replied, referring to the corset.

She drew in a sharp breath as Amos pulled her dress down. Even though she had the corset on and it covered herself, she felt completely exposed. She felt her cheeks heat up as she blushed in embarrassment. She pulled her arms out of her dress and then wrapped her arms around herself, as if she could hide herself from him.

 

[tcost]

"You see what I mean about the way that you color?" Amos grinned, and ran a fingertip a short distance across her collarbone. "Josephine, not only are you beautiful, you are responsive. You have nothing you need to feel bashful about."

He got to his feet, and helped Josephine to her own. "Step out of the dress, and I'll lay it out so it will not wrinkle, and then we can start on unlacing that corset," he said. "I know that this can't help but be scary for you, but I hope that it will be fun too. And exciting."

His eyes took in every bit of skin as it was exposed, but, despite this, they spent most of their time on her face.

 

[queenclaire]

Josephine shivered a bit as his finger ran across her collar bone. It was like she was being set on fire as he touched her. She did not want to admit it, but she wanted him to touch her again. Though, it was clear she did enjoy it, she could not hide the rosy color on her chest. “That is easy for you to say,” she stated about being bashful, “You have done this before. No man has ever seen me like this before. I cannot help, but be bashful.”

She stood up and looked at him as he told her to step out of her dress. She did step out and was quite thankful for the bloomers under her dress. She still felt exposed, but at least she was not naked, yet. She looked at him for a moment, he was still looking into her eyes even though she was undressing. It put her at ease a bit. He just did not want to see her body, he must actually like her face as well. She redirected her eyes to the ground unsure if she should do something or let him keep having the control. It was just fine with her to let him direct this for now. She was clueless and did not want to screw something up.

 

[tcost]

The Captain.

"Just because I'm being decorous about your clothes, by the way, doesn't mean that I don't feel the urge to literally rip them from your body, Josephine," Amos remarked. "This way is so much better on so many levels, though."

He stepped back at her statement, and let his gaze travel up and down her still mostly covered body. "While it is good that you have been protected, it is not good that you have been so lonely."

He quickly stepped forward again, and this time he gathered her up in his arms and held her close, not kissing her this time but embracing her, chin over shoulder, pulling the two of them as tightly together as possible. "I wish that I could keep you here forever," he murmured. "Warm and safe in my arms."

 

[queenclaire]

Josephine had to really wonder about his remark. If he was to rip the clothes off her body, then it would be done suddenly and would be dealt with all at once. But doing it slowly, layer by layer, she would get shy all over again each time. It was hard for her being she was modest for the most part.

She stiffened as he stepped close and held her. She was not sure what he was doing. Luckily his warm embrace also broke down some of her defenses as well. She truly did not know what was just a line or what he truly meant when he spoke. She knew he was trying to seduce her and men had the gift of a silver tongue when it came to that. She held on to him, needing him next to her at this moment.

His words stung a bit only because of what popped into her head after he said it. Unfortunately, she did not keep that thought to herself either. “You might have to, no one will want me after this,” she said with a half chuckle. She was only half kidding though, the other half knew it was true. “But,” she continued, trying to make it sound more like a joke, than anything else, “you might take back that statement after this as well. I am completely untouched and rather naïve about this all.” God, she hoped that would not be the case though, she did not want to disappoint him. She continued to cling to him scared to face him after her little joke.