All Fun and Games

The captain shrugged. "That's what she claimed to be. No clue who she is. I'm guessing you didn't see her follow us?"

Patrice shook his head. "No, cap'n."

"Alright. Tie her up to the mast. I need to ask her a few questions."

The first mate nodded, one of his eyebrows raised mischievously. "Does she need to be dressed for your... interrogation?"

"My, didn't think she would be your type, my friend," Barone smirked. "Get rid of her cloak. We can go from there."

"Aye, cap'n," Patrice nodded. He motioned to one of the other members of the boarding party, and the two lightly carried the groggy bounty hunter to one of the masts, standing her up and tying her wrists above her head, using their daggers to cut the mottled cloak away from her body. They secured her to the mast with some more rope, making sure she'd be going nowhere.

Barone turned his attention to Lucia while he waited for his crew to get the bounty hunter ready for interrogation. The troublesome trader's sister was beautiful. He looked hungrily over her body. In his head, he was imagining bringing her in front of the crowd at Verdona - he didn't have to take her clothes off to know that she would fetch quite the price.

But, the Duke would pay him a small fee, and after all, Barone's lifestyle didn't make him many allies or friends. It would be important to keep the ones he had. The pirate brushed the back of his hand on the side of Lucia's soft cheek. "No sense in keeping you dressed while you're here, my dear," he whispered in the unconscious woman's ear.

Barone looked over his shoulder to where his crew were securing the bounty hunter for her interrogation. "And it looks like I've got some time to pay attention to you now, Lucia," he added. His hands got busy, quickly undoing the strings on the bodice of Lucia's dress. It made the dress surprisingly easy to take off, as he started from her shoulders, pulling down both on the dress and the thin tunic underneath.

He eased her down from her sitting position where she was propped up against the bulwarks and then grabbed the hem of her dress, pulling the woman's clothes off entirely. It was a surprisingly easy outfit to strip off, Barone thought to himself.

He looked down at Lucia again, sprawled on her back, wearing only a thin pair of underwear and soft-soled boots. Neither was left on much longer. The boots went first, and then Barone ripped the underwear off.

Lucia was nude, helpless, and sure to be embarrassed when she woke up. Barone smiled - this was obviously one of the best parts of his job. He would be looking forward to her reaction once she regained consciousness. He had some time before that, as the powder he administered to her would keep her out for a good while longer.

Barone happily played with Lucia as she was out. He knelt next to her and sat her up against the bulwarks, her head lolled uselessly down, her chin touching her chest. Barone pulled her head back up by her hair and let go, letting her head drop back down. He raised her wrist, dangling her hand in front of her face and letting it fall back to the deck. Barone liked it when ladies were limp.

The pirate captain moved his hand down her body, cupping her breasts and squeezing, then pulling back and pinching her nipples. He was pleased to hear that she wasn't so deeply unconscious that she couldn't inadvertently sigh at the pleasure. Barone moved to her arms and shoulders - massaging the woman's soft muscles for a few seconds. His hands traced the curve of her body down to her hips and thighs. He spread her legs just enough to get a look at her pussy. Tight, trimmed, and he could only assume fuckable. But Barone chided himself - she was already spoken for by Vallese, and it had always been his policy to not have his way with the damsels he captured. It didn't stop him from fantasizing.

His fingers still drifted up her inner thigh to brush up on her snatch. He noticed her body almost immediately tense at the sensation. He glanced up at her face, but Lucia slumbered on.

He eased her back down to the deck and rolled her over. "Mmm," he murmured softly. Lucia had a butt, that was for sure. He had an inkling of that from when he first saw her, but seeing her sprawled out like this really showed her ass off. He smacked her hard, watching her body rock and her cheeks jiggle at the impact. The outline of his hand was a faint red on her pale skin already.

There were footsteps on the deck behind him. "'Scuse me Captain, but the bounty hunter's starting to wake up a bit more," Barone's first officer said.

Barone stood, reluctantly looking away from his latest naked doll. The assailant was secured tightly to the mast, her wrists above her head, rope around her midsection, and more rope around her ankles. Barone wasn't surprised to see that the young woman wasn't struggling to get free at all. She probably recognized it as a waste of energy.

One of the boarding party was still standing next to the young woman. He cocked his fist back and drove it into her defenseless belly.

"Ooomf," she groaned. The ropes prevented her from curling into a defensive position, and she was forced to try and get her breath back while standing.

"That's enough, Gregor," Barone strode in calmly and held his hand up in front of his man. He regarded the young woman, tilting her chin up to look at him.

"What's your name?"

She wasn't going to be giving any information easily, it seemed. Her eyes seethed and she tried to spit at Barone. The pirate captain rolled his eyes. He stepped back. "Hit her again," he said gently to Gregor. The burly fighter had no problem with that order, and delivered another strong blow to the young woman's midsection.

Her head sagged as she felt herself struggling to stay upright this time. But the ropes were doing their job, and she would not be going anywhere. She felt hands on her face again as she was forced to look up into the face of Barone. "You can make this easier for yourself, you know," his voice swam in her head.

"I'm called... Joan..."

"Well, Joan, it is my pleasure to make your acquaintance," Barone's voice teased. "Now, why don't you tell me who sent you?"

"I can't," she said as matter-of-factly as she could muster. Which was true. When she had accepted the job to bring in Barone, she did not ask questions about who wanted him arrested. She had met the person only once, in an alley behind an inn. It was dark, but the person handed over a bag with coins 'for her trouble', promising one twice as big when she brought in Barone. He'd told her to bring Barone to a small village down the coast.

Barone frowned at her refusal. "Can't... or won't?" He whispered and drew his dagger.

Joan gulped. "I can't. I don't know who it is."

The pirate nodded gravely. "I see." He held the dagger up to Joan's neck and started to cut down into the tight black top she wore.

Joan almost breathed a sigh of relief. But as she heard the ripping of the fabric of her clothes, it still wasn't a great outcome. Despite Joan's cool exterior, there was still a part inside that wanted to maintain her modesty. Joan didn't want to show her discomfort - but as her clothes were torn, she felt no different than any other victim of Barone's and other pirates.

Joan's padded top cut easily, and the young woman felt the sea breeze on her bare chest. She knew she was stealing heaving trying to regain her breath after the punches to her gut, and she felt the watching pirate's attention on her breasts. She blushed despite herself. As Joan looked up, she caught sight of Lucia's body: nude, unconscious, and crumpled in a heap in the bow of the ship. She blushed deeper as she noticed that none of the pirates were even paying attention to the nude woman: they were all focused on Joan. She guessed an interrogation and humiliation was more entertaining to the pirates.

Barone seemed to pick up on her discomfort. He sheathed his dagger and reached out with his finger, tracing up Joan's taut abs, to underneath her breasts, then brushing delicately over her darker nipples. He grabbed the tattered remnants of her shirt and yanked them away from her body. "You won't be needing that," he said plainly.

Joan looked up at the pirate again, trying to keep any trace of anger from her face. "I don't know who sent me after you, Barone," she snapped, still slightly breathless.

Barone nodded slowly. "I see," he said thoughtfully. His dagger was in his hands again, and he twirled it casually. "How did you find me?"

"Does it matter?" Joan said levelly.

The pirate pursed his lips. "No, I suppose it doesn't." His attention shifted to her pants. The dagger struck out and expertly slashed the front of her pants. Barone crouched down, drawing the blade down the seam of one leg, then the other.

The would-be vigilante blushed again as the sea breeze fluttered through the tatters of her pants. Joan closed her eyes, not wanting to have to see the ogling glances and stares from the assembled pirates. She no longer felt the pants around herself at all now, she could only assume that Barone had ripped them away entirely.

A smattering of cheers and jeers came from the watching pirates. Joan didn't want to give any further fuel for them, but tied up and naked save for a small pair of underwear didn't exactly do much for that goal. Regardless, Joan tried to look as unashamed as she could, and kept her expression as neutral as possible, trying to hide her anger at Barone.

The pirate grabbed her by the face again. With his other hand he reached down for the waistband of Joan's panties, his thumb just reaching inside the waistband and tugging them down almost imperceptibly. It was doubtful that any of his crew noticed, but Barone was sure that Joan could feel it. "Any reason I should let you keep these?" He whispered quietly to her. Barone had every intention of leaving Joan naked, just like nearly every woman to be brought aboard his ship. But he was hoping that she might at least plead with him.

Pleading wasn't in her nature. She took a deep breath and met Barone's eyes. The young woman said nothing, but her upturned eyes told a different story. Barone recognized both fear and defiance in Joan's striking brown eyes. He could appreciate that. Joan was a worthy adversary, in his mind. But that didn't afford her any preferential treatment. His dagger slashed out, cutting the waistband of the undergarment on the left, then the right. The pirate tugged the tattered fabric free, tossing it away.

A larger cheer rose out from the pirate crew - seeing the beautiful Joan strapped to the mast and naked would be burned into most of their memories, after all. Barone took a step back and looked appraisingly at Joan. Her dark hair was tied back in a tight braid, and her skin was a bit darker, the pirate captain would've guessed she had ancestors from the East. That wasn't common in this part of the world. But the thing that stood out most was that Joan looked like a warrior. The muscles in her back and arms were visibly toned, and her legs were sturdy - still rounding out nicely into a butt that the pirate would love to smack.

To her credit, Joan didn't protest or squirm against the restraints now that she was naked. Her hands didn't strain against their bonds to try to cover her pussy or breasts. Her cheeks seemed flushed, confirming of course that she still had shame.

Barone's hands wandered a bit more now, at this point hoping to get a reaction out of her. His hand drifted from her face to her neck, cupping her modest boobs in his hands, then pinching her nipples. Joan winced and almost made a sound, but it died in the back of her throat. His hands wandered further to her abs, then caressing the swell from her waist to her hips and then her thighs. Barone took the chance to smack the woman's ass with both hands, and the pirate was none-too-gentle with that either. This time, she couldn't quite stifle her reaction, and a small yelp came through her lips.

The pirate's grin turned devilish again. "Not so stoic still, hm?"

Joan's lips curled in a sneer.

"What about..." Barone let his right hand dance delicately up her inner thigh, brushing ever so slightly against her pussy lips. This time, Joan's chest heaved at the sensual intrusion as she tried to stay silent. She shied away, turning her hips away from the pirate. Barone chuckled smugly, but didn't keep trying. "Bring Lucia here," he motioned to some of the spectating pirates.

They did as they were ordered, and in a few seconds they held Lucia between them - dangling her by her arms and legs. "Where d'you want her, captain?"

Barone slapped the mast. "Put her on the other side of Joan here." Barone's hand brushed Joan's cheek tenderly - Joan sneered at him again. The pirate reached for something from his belt, although this time it wasn't a drug to knock her out. It was a thick strip of cloth - a remnant of Joan's pants to be specific - that Barone stuffed into Joan's mouth. A second strip of cloth was wrapped around her mouth to make sure she couldn't spit the gag out.

The makeshift gag didn't force Joan's jaw open too much, but she knew it wasn't going to be comfortable as the minutes passed. Her brown eyes stared at Barone with contempt. She wanted to have some retort to him, but anything she tried to say would be muffled by the gag - and she was sure that would give the pirates a good laugh.

Meanwhile, Lucia was still completely unconscious, so it was a bit of a chore to keep her standing up, but with multiple burly sailors, the short-haired beauty was held upright by ropes, her wrists, ankles, and midsection secured in the same way as Joan.

"Good, good, they look good on display like this, don't they, men?"

There was a loud chorus of agreement. Joan blushed, still a mixture of angry and embarrassed being trussed up and defenseless like this. She regretted not just letting her arrows fly at Barone when she first ambushed his little party. Her next thought was that she was jealous of Lucia - sleeping blissfully through this all was better than having to face the leers and jeers of the pirate crew.

Barone no longer stood in front of her, and now a good amount of the pirates' attention was directed at the paler Lucia tied behind Joan. She was still anything but comfortable. As the pirates shuffled for a better view of Lucia, a few of the men let a hand surreptitiously run over her body - a few reached for her ass, her abs, her breasts. One even tugged her long braid. She scowled at all of them but said nothing and made no noises of protest. Joan was still painfully aware of how powerless she was. She hated the feeling and wanted to be able to do something, but as frustrating as it was, there was nothing she could do right now.

She could hear Barone describe Lucia to his men - as if he were auctioning her off. Barone highlighted the 'impressive swell of her ass' and 'supple breasts'. And of course, Barone reminded his men that Lucia would be handed over to the Duke Vallese to be taught a 'lesson'. That was a popular phrase with the men. Joan bitterly thought to herself that would probably happen to her as well.

Where Joan had the beauty of a warrior, Lucia had every sign of a lifelong aristocrat - this was a woman who was rich and always had been rich. Her skin was soft, pale, and smooth - she didn't have the same muscle definition as Joan. Even though Barone had surprised her at her home, Lucia's makeup was still done tastefully.

The pirates were interrupted as Lucia showed signs of life. Her limbs twitched and her eyes fluttered, her toes wiggling as she tried to regain her balance as she was awkwardly held upright by ropes. Barone grabbed Lucia's hair and pulled her head upright. "Good morning, madam," he crooned.

Lucia's face scrunched up as she first opened her eyes. "Where..."

Barone held a finger to her lips to silence her. "Hush. You don't need to talk."

She became more and more aware of her surroundings as she woke up more. She could feel the rough rope digging into her skin. The slight sway of a ship at sea and the cool sea breeze on her skin... she quickly glanced down and saw that she was naked. Lucia gasped. "What did you do to me?" She shrieked.

The watching pirates laughed. As she heard their laughter, Lucia turned beet red in embarrassment. Lucia did not have the same self-control that Joan did. Barone waited for his men to settle down before responding. "Just teaching you a lesson."

Lucia's brow furrowed. "What lesson?"

"Don't get on the Duke's bad side, of course," Barone said, as if it were obvious.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" She protested. "Let me go!" Lucia strained at the ropes. "You'll pay for this!"

Barone smiled sweetly at her. "Oh, I very much doubt it." He stepped closer and ran his hands up her body, just as he had with Joan. "You can't even do much to stop me now," he teased.

Lucia's green eyes glared at him as she squirmed in the ropes. Barone's hand shot out and applied pressure to her throat. "Hold still - don't want the rope damaging that pretty skin of yours," he said softly.

The short-haired beauty did as he commanded. After all, it was dawning on her that she wouldn't be able to escape that way as the ropes held her fast.

"Good girl," Barone said patronizingly. Lucia fumed silently at his comment.

"Captain, we're approaching Modeno - maybe 30 minutes away," the bosun interrupted.

Barone nodded. The return journey had gone quicker - the wind was more favorable this way. He turned his attention back to the blonde woman. "Shame I won't get more time with you, but the Duke was... very eager to get his hands on you."

Lucia looked down, avoiding Barone's eyes.

Barone turned his attention away from her and readied the crew to dock. Joan and Lucia would be left tied to the mast for now as they came into port. There would be no need to cover them up either - Barone considered that part of their 'punishment'.

When the Notturno finally docked, Barone sent a messenger ashore to alert the Duke. It was another few minutes before Vallese emerged from his castle and rode down to the docks. Vallese dismounted and stood on the pier next to the Notturno. "Permission to come aboard?" He said airily to Barone.

"Of course, my lord," Barone bowed mockingly. "The Lady Lucia, as you requested," the captain gestured to the mast, where Lucia faced them. As Barone straightened, he was perplexed to see Lucia grinning widely.

"Lucia!"

"Antony!" She called, the joy in her voice unmistakable.

Barone and his pirates formed a tableau of confusion.

Vallese strode across the deck and wrapped his arms around Lucia the best he could, leaning down to kiss her passionately. Barone had the grace to look away. After a few more seconds, Barone coughed politely to get the Duke's attention.

The nobleman turned back and looked bashfully back at Barone. "Ah, I should probably explain."

Barone raised his eyebrows and nodded.

"This is my wife, Lucia," Vallese held his hand before Barone could ask a question. "Yes, yes, I know. This was her idea, actually."

Lucia blushed slightly and giggled.

Barone was even more confused now. "Excuse me?"

"You see, Barone, it's fun to... spice things up from time to time."

Barone felt himself redden as he realized what Vallese was saying. "Ah, I understand," he said awkwardly.

"Sorry for not telling you, my friend, but Lucia wanted it to feel 'real'. I trusted that you wouldn't do anything to truly harm her."

"I see. So there was never any trader giving you problems?"

"Oh, no. Just made that up. Do you mind, by the way?" Vallese gestured to Barone's dagger.

The pirate captain hurriedly handed the Duke his dagger, allowing his friend to slash through the ropes tying Lucia to the mast. Once she was free, Lucia threw her arms around Vallese and kissed him again.