Sail My Oceans

By D.F. Krieger

Captain Lucy Verr of the pirate ship, Tartarus, lands on a backwater planet to do a few deals, and ends up buying a couple of condemned men from the local jail house. They’re gorgeous, and she can easily make a profit from them, but they have a secret, and an offer, that Lucy just can’t resist.

Devon and Julius are best friends, and have been betrayed. When a beautiful pirate captain takes them aboard with intentions to sell them to the highest bidder, the men make her an offer—they’ll cater to her most intimate desires every night of the trip if she’ll take them home.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Evernight Publishing
• Release date: Jun 17, 2011
• ISBN: 9781926950570

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Published by Evernight Publishing at Smashwords

http://www.evernightpublishing.com

Copyright© 2011 D. F. Krieger

ISBN: 978-1-926950-57-0

Cover Artist: LF Designs

Editor: Marie Buttineau

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

DEDICATION

For my mother, who is sailing the stars.

For my critique partners, who told me exactly what I didn't want to hear.

For my husband, who pushed me over the edge when I was afraid I'd fall.

I am forever grateful to all of you.

SAIL MY OCEANS

D.F. Krieger

Copyright © 2011

Chapter One

Lucy Verr smiled with grim satisfaction as her starship, Tartarus, shuddered and wobbled while it pulled into the pitiful excuse for a planet-side port. Dust, stirred up from her ship’s descent, swirled across the landscape as bouts of wind buffeted the metal hull.

I need to get laid.

The thought came unbidden and seemingly from nowhere. Lucy let her eyes rove the landscape, until she realized the thought was an echo of her environment. Her sex life, she mused, was undergoing a drought of its own, much like this planet.

Somehow, the weather suited the city it cradled and ravaged. Dremes—the town for thieves, runaways, and pirates—a utopia for bad business, dirty deeds, and disappearing acts. It was an ideal place for someone like Lucy Verr. She happened to have low friends in high places on Dremes, and that often made her life very interesting.

Lucy strode out of the brig and down the corridor, her fingers sliding along the metal banister of the catwalk. The metal was cool under her fingertips, allowing her to center her thoughts. Now was not the time to lament her sex life. She had a business deal to close, and perhaps, more business to conduct before heading off this dingy, two-bit planet.

When she climbed down the stairs and into the cargo hold, she gave the signal for the doors to open. A solid metal door swung down from the bulk, landing with a thud that echoed loudly on the patch-work, wooden dock. The landscape was soon flooded by her crew as they carried cargo to the docks. She waited a moment, her eyes adjusting to the bright, unfiltered daylight. A few blinks and then she strode with confidence down the ramp and in to the midst of the activity.

The warden of Dremes took a hesitant step forward , his hands ringing the edges of a ragged top hat. His coat, dirty at the elbows and threadbare at the seams, clung to his round frame, reminding Lucy of an insect getting ready to burst through its husk. He reached a greasy hand forward in tentative greeting. She narrowed her eyes in displeasure until he pulled his hand back, rubbing it against his trousers.

You did the job, Captain? His voice shook as he eyed the cargo being unloaded.

She waved a black gloved hand in a vague dismissive gesture. Yes, of course I did. Warden, you need to have more faith in me. One settlement, properly ransacked, as per our accord. The cargo being unloaded is your twenty percent of the profit. The warden’s gaze jerked back to her, his nostrils flaring. We agreed on a forty, sixty split.

Now, now, Warden, you benefited greatly from my actions, she chided, her tone soft.. As long as I keep plundering settlers that try to strike out on their own on this planet, your little city continues to grow. Without other cities here to compete, you’re the safest spot on Hope. The only spot that merchants can really come to. Your profits are unchecked; after all, you do reap taxes from every one of these shops and businesses, correct? Lucy Verr paused, giving her words a moment to settle in.

His gaze flicked back and forth between the captain and the hulking figure of her henchman. A minute passed, two. With a reluctant look, the warden gave a slow nod.

I believe that the profits for myself and my crew should reflect your gain directly. Such a quaint little town, but it had great potential to become something when it found that mineral deposit. Something that could have competed with your Dremes once they’d had a chance to grow. Since you will now gain from their loss, I think it’s only fair you remember those who helped you grow rich. Lucy’s smile didn’t match the threat in her voice. Don’t you agree?

Her crew, alerted by their captain’s tone, leveled hard stares on the sweating warden. The dock seemed encased in a silence so intense the very air vibrated. The warden swallowed, his adam’s apple bobbing almost comically in his throat, before his shoulders slumped forward in resignation. I agree. Your offer is much more reasonable.

The crew relaxed and the air filled with sound again as they fell back into the routine of lugging cargo around. Lucy Verr let a soft smile flirt across her lips. There’s a good man. Now that we have matters settled, let’s move on. Have you any merchandise for me to look over in your shop?

This was a song and dance they both knew well. She and the warden had a long standing partnership that had played out well for them over the years. His demeanor changed, as he displayed yellowed teeth in a broad smile. Why yes, Captain, I do. If you’ll come with me, I can show you what I have right now.

They walked down the dock, through the rickety excuse for a control station, and out onto the crowded streets of the city. The roads here were made of dirt and traffic was either hovercraft, on foot, or the occasional horse cart. Styx and Chiron, Lucy’s notorious escorts, followed her and the warden like looming shadows.

When they wandered past the red light district, her pace slowed while she eyed the signs of the vying businesses with extreme interest. Lucy chewed her lip and battled an inner war with her desires. She considered asking the boys to meet up with her at the