Jewel of the Sea [Black Sails]

Chapter Five

(Alira)

Viktor was where he always went, when he needed to lose himself and let go of everything, knee deep in whores. My brother seemed to think, drinking and whoring would somehow make him forget. I arrived at the brothel and sighed as I heard several giggling girls from upstairs and my brother's drunken laughter. The sun had barely risen and he was already lost in the drink.

"Good Morning, Alira." A beautiful young woman with dazzling bronze skin, cat like golden eyes with swirls of green and black as night hair approached me with a smile. She had a somewhat French sounding accent when she spoke and I loved the way she pronounced my name.

"Good Morning, Max." I smiled back before frowning once I heard more loud giggling from upstairs, "Is he causing trouble?"

Max shook her head and laughed softly, "He never does. He's a gentle giant." Her gaze flicked to my face, "Is something troubling you?" She was perceptive as ever.

"I need to talk to him."

"It's not going to be a pleasant conversation, is it?"

"Afraid not." I sighed.

Max smiled softly, "Alright, just be careful, I don't want either of you getting hurt. After all you're the girls' favorite customer." She winked at me causing my face to flush scarlet.

A few men at a nearby table looked our way at this and I tried to shush Max.

"No one has ever given such pleasure-." Max began but cut off as I clapped a hand over her mouth, my entire body burning from embarrassment.

"I thought we agreed to never speak of it again." I hissed.

Her catlike eyes twinkled with amusement.

On our first night in Nassau my brother and the drunken idiots of our crew thought it would be funny to pay not one, but six of the ladies at the brothel to take me upstairs and do whatever they wanted to me. Everyone believed it to be something sexual and lewd, but in all actuality the ladies just spent nearly two hours dressing me up in ridiculous frilly outfits, fixing my hair and makeup, like a life-sized doll. Due to all their sounds of delight, everyone now believed I was some kind of goddess of desire. Dimitri and Viktor liked to try and repeat that night from time to time paying the ladies to take me upstairs. I'd now become their favorite form of entertainment, they got paid well, didn't have to do anything degrading and got to stuff me in dresses for however long they wanted, it was embarrassing.

"But you're so cute." Max winked.

"Ugh. I'm going upstairs." I turned as my face burned and stomped up the stairs. I paused outside the door my brother's drunken laughter was roaring from and knocked, "You better not be naked!"

The door swung open with ease and I couldn't help but roll my eyes as I spotted Viktor with four girls atop the bed, he was luckily still clothed. His cold grey eyes were bright and glassy from the amount of liquor in his system.

"Alira!" The girls squealed happily. "Have you come to play?"

"Absolutely not!" I snapped as my face flushed once more causing all the girls to giggle. "Can I please speak to my brother in private?"

"If you promise to play with us." A pretty blonde winked at me.

"Ugh, fine, half an hour, please leave us."