Page 11 of A Flash of Golden Fire

He stepped closer to me. So close that his hip nudged the tip of my stand, and I gasped. I tried to step back, but he took my wrist and kept me in place, his gaze drilling into mine.

“You interest me…” he murmured, “as a man who might appreciate certain intimacies that I enjoy sharing on occasion…with other men…who share those affinities…if you understand me now.”

All of a sudden I found it hard to breathe. “Aye, Captain.”

“And do you share those affinities, Mr White? Have you shared them…in the past…with other men?”

“As a matter of fact, Captain,” I said, trying to steady my voice, “I do. And I have.”

“I see,” he said, with a detachment that belied the way he was looking at me now—with excitement and satisfaction and, well, need. I was quite familiar with that look, as a matter of fact. “Then stand for inspection, Mr White.”

“I…am standing?” I didn’t quite know what he wanted.

“Well, I’m asking you to stay still, as best you can. For I am going to inspect youcompletely.”

“Oh, I see.”

“In fact, come over by the window, if you please. The light’s much better there.”

He stepped back and guided me to the bank of windows, the pressure of his hold on my wrist gentle, but firm. The day was bright and the sun high. Beams of light flooded the floorboards and made them warm beneath my feet.

He released me but told me to stay where I was. I was completely under his spell and waited patiently as he brought over a full washbowl from his bedside table, and a cloth.

“This water is clean, in fact, as I haven’t had time for a wash yet this morning,” he said as if I cared a damn. Whatever water was in that bowl was cleaner than anything I’d touched over the last few weeks.

“Yes, Captain.”

“Well, you’re filthy, Mr White. And since I need to inspect you anyway, I might as well give you a quick once-over with a wet cloth while I’m at it.”

“Yes, Captain.”

“At some point, you’ll need a proper bath with soap and hot water. But this will do for now.”

“I didn’t realize the crew were allowed baths,” I admitted as the captain wetted the cloth, wrung it out, and held the damp rag in front of me.

“Well, they aren’t. A wash in a tin tub is a luxury afforded to some. And any man who desires to share my affections had better be clean; that’s all I’ll say. Now close your eyes, Simon.”

He gave the instructions with such gentleness I obeyed without question. He drew the cloth over my face, down my neck, and behind my ears, humming a low melody in his throat.

“Can’t do anything about that mop of hair right now, I’m afraid. But at least I can clean the rest of you.”

“Aye,” I whispered, feeling looked after in a way I hadn’t in a very long time. I did recall Carago treating some injuries of mine with such care when I was young and I used to roughhouse with the local children, many of whom had treated me badly. That is, until I’d found my voice and my courage and put up a good fight. Then they’d stayed away from me.

His touch was so gentle that it took me quite by surprise. His manner had been abrupt and at times cruel during the time I’d been aboard, albeit I’d only observed him on rare occasions and always from a distance. But I’d heard the screams of a man who had been punished for hoarding weapons and trying to plan a coup, and the crew had told me of his experience afterwards. They’d all voted for the fellow to be disciplined and tossed over the side because he’d brought distrust and danger on board. The captain, to my knowledge, hadn’t done the act himself. Still, he had commanded that it be done and watched that the punishment was carried through.

For such a man to be so careful with me now, cleaning the grime from my body with a wet cloth while he took the opportunity to examine me in such an intimate way—was a revelation, really. I’d half expected him to bend me over the edge of his fancy bed, once he’d discovered we shared a certain predilection, then fuck me with little preamble. Apparently, he had a bit more class than that.

Perhaps he had plans to do more but wanted me clean and lulled into complacency first. Well, his plan had succeeded, but he needn’t have bothered. I wasn’t a maiden who needed to be seduced, and I decided he should know that about me.

“You know, you don’t need to go to all this trouble,” I muttered, watching him clean the dirt from the skin of my arm.

“Oh, I assure you, I do,” he stated, gaze intent on his work.

“Well, I know I’m in quite the state. But what I mean is, you could have had someone dump a bucket of seawater over me instead, then summoned me here for a proper fucking.” I shrugged. “I wouldn’t have minded.”

He huffed a laugh. “Really, Mr White? I’m not such a beast as all that.”

“Aren’t you?” I asked, and the tone of my voice must have given me away.