Jade Star - Catherine Coulter [12]
Jules fell asleep close to dawn. She woke slowly, feeling smooth fingers gliding up and down her bare arm. Her eyes flew open. Jameson Wilkes was sitting beside her, a bemused expression on his face.
“Don’t touch me,” she whispered, easing as far away from him as she could.
“That’s something else,” he said calmly. “I will touch you, often. You must get used to it. You must learn not to flinch or act terrified. Of course, the man who buys you will want a certain amount of innocence and timidity, but he won’t want to have spent his money on a frightened, shrinking little virgin.”
He reached for her again. Jules, without conscious decision, flew at him, her nails raking down his face before he could stop her. She pounded at him, her attack more effective because it was so unexpected. He finally grabbed her wrists and bent her arms behind her until she was biting her lower lip in silent pain.
“If you do that again,” he said, anger tinging his usually calm voice, “I will bring in three of my most lecherous sailors and let them fondle you and kiss you.” He shook her, tightening his grip until she cried out, unable to help herself. “Do you understand?”
She nodded.
He released her. He rose and walked to the small shaving mirror above the commode. “You drew a bit of blood.”
“I would kill you if I could,” Jules hissed.
He said nothing, merely washed the scratch on his cheek. “I believe I have your punishment,” he said, his voice as calm as could be. “I had intended to give you another day or so . . .” He broke off and shrugged. He strode toward her, and Jules, with a strangled cry, pressed her back against the headboard of the bed.
She struggled frantically, but soon she was lying on her back, her wrists bound securely above her head to the headboard. He very slowly drew off the sheet.
“There,” he said. “How lovely you are, Juliana,” he continued, studying her body. Jules closed her eyes tightly, so shamed and humiliated that she wanted to choke from it.
She felt his dry, cool fingers touch her breasts, and screamed, trying desperately to writhe away from him.
Jameson straightened, smiling. “You will remain thus, my dear, until it pleases me to release you. When you are ready to be more cooperative, I will untie your wrists. Now, I have some work to do and I shall stay here in my cabin.”
He walked to his desk, sat down, and opened a ledger. She could feel his eyes on her. She wanted to die.
The days and nights blurred in Juliana’s mind. She wasn’t certain, but she believed it had been four days now since Jameson Wilkes had kidnapped her. It was afternoon, and something within her simply snapped. She would no longer be an obedient, biddable possession. She waited, not moving, until she heard Wilkes’s footsteps coming toward the cabin. She knew his sound as well as she knew her own. When he entered, she very calmly struck him as hard as she could with an ivory bookend.
She stood a moment, staring down at his inert body. “Now, you pig!” She stripped him of all his clothes except his trousers. She couldn’t bring herself to do that, though she’d planned to. She’d wanted him to feel as she did—humiliated, exposed, helpless. She donned his shirt, hating it because it smelled like him, then tied his hands behind him. In her fury, she kicked him hard in the ribs. Then she stood back, and the realization that what she’d done was for naught struck her hard, and she burst into frustrated tears. She heard the sound of footsteps coming toward the cabin. She raced to the door, but there was no lock. Slowly she backed up and waited.
Bob Gallen, first mate aboard the Sea Shroud, knocked on the door. There was no answer. He knocked again, calling to his captain.
Frowning, he opened the cabin door and stood stock-still for a moment, staring first at his unconscious captain and then at the motionless white-faced girl who was wearing his captain’s shirt.
“Oh no,” he said. He bent down to examine Jameson Wilkes. “He’ll be all right, I think,” he said, raising his eyes to Juliana. “Look, miss, I’m sorry about all this, but