Redby is a guy with a dark past, but he knows what he wants- a beautiful ship to call his own. He served on a lot of ships long enough and now, with thirty-three, it's time to be a captain, he thinks. But the odds aren't in his favor, he got caught...
The next night turned out to be much better than the night before. I never thought it would. Of course Annie hadn't shown up in my cabin again so I told Jim, Ben and Liza to bring all the food and the wine back to the kitchen. We were all sitting on barrels, boxes or at the ground, eating, singing and the Rum was flowing like a river after a snowmelt. Annie sat with Liza and Nate, far away from me, but we were together somehow, that was all I wanted. She couldn't sing, by the way, started giggling when she missed a note from time to time. Sometimes our eyes met and I remembered how her skin tasted. And one time I winked at her, she smiled and hold me in her gaze for a while. When we were drunk enough Ugly Pete grabbed his guitar and some guys started to dance. So, Liza danced with Nate, Annie with Jim but he quit after a short time. She asked Ben. He protested that he wasn't a dancer, sweet Annie pouted. Dammit, this was cute! I shouted: „I'd dance with you but I am not allowed to touch you."
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Her gaze was heaven, too. For a second. Then, coldness again. I understood. Ben was only a boy, he wouldn't be a danger for her and so would old men like Jim. I was danger. I wondered if she really had been in love with Drew or if he forced her to marry him, like her father forced her. I winced. Her father! I was pretty sure that in the kitchen she was about to tell me that he raped her, too. He liked young girls, when she came back from the convent she must 've been a beautiful teen, I imagined. I got sick and was deeply in thoughts that I didn't realize the girl I dreamed about was standing right in front of me. Annie hit me on my shoulder, hard. As if I was her big buddy!
„C'mon, Redby. I know a dance without touching!" she babbled and I could tell she was drunk as hell!
Not the best thing to do after a night like yesterday! She reached out her hand and I took it without hesitation. Let her drag me upright and stumbled after her to our improvised dancing area. The Rum! But Rum never kept me from dancing like a loon. And the best of it was Annie's happy face, she couldn't stop laughing at me. She tried to keep me steady couple of times till I fell on my behind.
„Oh Captain, my Captain!" Jim laughed. „You're drunk like a sailor."
„What's about it? He is a sailor?" a guy with big front teeth asked bewildered and now everybody laughed.
My Annie had tears in her eyes. She reached out her hand to me, but when I grabbed it, she faltered and fell on me which made the crew burst out in laughter again. Now I tried to help her up, but suddenly we were lying in a knot of arms and legs and fabric. Her skirt in my face, she tried to free herself from my belt which she got hooked on somehow. I heard a ripping sound and suddenly Annie turned into a beast. She gnarled like the lions did and pushed me hard, then she crawled away from me. I saw her stockings lying at my lap. Uh. Quickly I managed to put them into my pocket before anyone could see it. I looked out for Annie and saw her entering the closet I found the potions in. I got up, shoved the dancing guys who were jumping around like maniacs besides and followed her. The closet was so small you could hardly move. There was a bunk in it and a chest were Annie stuck her head in.
