Skull and Dagger

He gave her a conspiratorial little smile and moved over to the bed. She watched, curious, as he felt around under the mattress and finally produced a small dagger.

“Had an admiral who was a wee bit paranoid a while back,” he commented, studying the sharp edge of the blade. He pulled it out further, revealing that it was attached to a strong chain and bolted firmly to the wall, preventing it from being useful to anyone who was not on the bed. “Should ensure that nothin’ gets to you in your sleep.” He cocked an eyebrow in her direction.

She bit her lip, more than tempted. After all, despite all her experience at being tied up, it was rather uncomfortable. “What about Elizabeth?” she demanded. “And Father Sites?”

“The preacher’s in no danger,” he assured her, replacing the knife in its hidden sheath beneath the mattress. “I’ve got him roomed up in another of the empty cabins. As for your companion…”

Annabelle nodded resignedly. “A willing captive, I take it?”

“Probably sharing’ the bed of my first mate even as we speak,” Frank agreed before frowning. “He’s not usually so quick to dive in. Thats’s quite a…persuasive friend you’ve got yourself there.”

“That’s Lizzie,” Annabelle couldn’t help but smile. “She sees what she wants, and she takes it.”

“And what about you?” he asked, moving over to where she sat and crouching down in front of her feet, the sheath of his blade scrapping the ground as he did so.

“We have a deal,” she repeated forcefully. “That does not mean that I will consort with you or your crew in any way.”

“Fair enough,” he agreed with a small smile, removing a small knife from his boot. “For the ropes,” he quickly reassured her.

She nodded that she wouldn’t struggle.

“You’re not going to, er…kick, are you?” he asked somewhat warily, noticing that certain precious regions of his body would be open and exposed to her once her feet were released.

“We have a deal,” she said simply.

He decided to live dangerously and quickly cut through the ropes at her feet. Annabelle took the opportunity to study him. The look of thoughtful concentration as he worked, as well as his entire manner, indicated to her that he was no common thug. There was definite intelligence and wit behind those shinning hazel eyes, underneath long, fluttering lashes and…

She stopped short when she realized that she’d once again been appraising his beauty. Her cheeks flushed just as he broke through the ropes and turned to look up at her.

His eyes widened slightly, and he quickly reached out to her breast…