JF Book of Pirates

 

Fiction excerpts from the book:

 

"Pirates' Honor" by Tricia Owens

 

"The sun won't bite, sweetheart," he called out cheerfully.

"More's the pity," Black retorted. "I wouldn't mind seeing you chewed up and spat out."

Calyx made a moue of disgust. "That's hardly polite. Come out here, Lieutenant. Join me." He paused a beat. "Or does my fearsome reputation and powerful presence intimidate you?"

Black's expression turned cold. Without another word, the brunette stomped onto the deck.

Once fully in the sun, however, he appeared to lose steam. Perhaps it was the way Calyx was drooling at his bare thighs that was the matter.

Clearly self-conscious and trying not to appear as such, Black held his manacled wrists before him in an attempt to shield his groin. "I have you to thank for this, I suppose. These... trousers."

"You don't like them? Why, they're all the rage in Panama. They call them short-pants over there. Though I believe they're usually not quite as short as those pair. I decided to trim them up a little." Calyx grinned. "An enjoyable method of ventilation, don't you think?"

"My arse is about to fall out of them!"

"Don't worry, sweetheart, I'll catch it if it does."

"You're vile."

Calyx clicked his tongue with displeasure. "You obviously have no sense of style, Lieutenant. You've been at sea for too long. I think it'd be safer for all concerned if you weren't given access to any sort of clothing whatsoever lest you make a fashion faux pas. That's French, by the way."

That stopped the lieutenant cold. "You wouldn't."

Calyx smirked, stepping forward until his shadow fell across Black's face. "The fun part about being a pirate, sweetheart, is that you get to do all the things that everyone assumes you wouldn't dare." His eyes fell to Black's body. "Such as keeping you naked while on my ship."

 

"Tales of the Fiery Vengeance: Adventures in Bermuda" by L_Greytree

 

As the Fiery Vengeance came about, the wind intensified and buffeted the ship. Caled frowned and maintained the course as the music filled the air with its seductive melody. 'This is so beautiful,' Caled thought and found himself wanting to drown in each beguiling measure. He shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"Cap'n, man on th' port side!" Finn, the lookout, yelled from the crow's nest. Caled signaled that he'd heard since Finn wouldn't be able to hear his response. He focused his spyglass in that direction and gasped as he saw the beautiful sea creature. Raven hair swayed in the water, mesmerizing gray eyes looked at him, and a powerful tail undulated in the waves.

The music intensified as Caled angled the ship directly towards the young man. He struck the bell which stood near the wheel twice. Most of the men should hear the sharp staccato despite the wax. Caled smiled as a few indicated their readiness for action. Bee lowered the nets and readied to cast them. The music reached the level it had been the other day and Caled felt the amulet start to get a little warm. He locked eyes with the beautiful creature. "You're mine," he growled out as a bolt of lust raced down his spine.

 

"A Plunder of Innocence" by Melissa Titian

 

The note has the desired effect, in any case. Reluctantly, to salvage his pride, but quickly, to salvage his throat, blond, swarthy Caledon approaches the booth in the back of the bar, and the dreaded dark pirate therein. The face he sees matches the handwriting.

"You do not look to be a man who usually pines for company," is what he says.

His face is young, perhaps nineteen winters, but possesses all of that season's paleness. He is swathed not only by the shadows of the bar but by hair as black as obsidian from the New World. Twenty feet away, Caledon has felt those eyes grey as glass.

His velvet jacket falls open like an abused flower. His hair is bauble'd, and catches random pockets of light. Beautiful indeed; but pensive-looking, beyond any doubt.

"You looked lost," Hadrian says. "Marooned," clarifies, with a smile of little mirth. The pirate takes a sip of his drink and hides a wince, just, as it does its work.

Caledon, of course, has never been marooned, though he knows of the types who engage in the practice. He has recognized cynicism in those eyes, and it lets him affirm that he need not abide this young man's company any longer.

But he wants to. Against all logic, his desire to sup with this young man-he must be a captain, look at the clothing he wears-is a frustration within him. If someone tried to pull him away just now, he would not go. For there is something in that gaze...that is familiar. He knows, as he moves towards the table, that he has made his choice.

 

"A Pirate's Revenge" by L_Greytree

 

"No kidding," Parker agreed. "I want you to hack into EF's computer systems and see if you can get a crew roster for the Northern Torc. I don't want the standard roster available on the mercantile ship database either."

"Yes sir," Calyx replied. He quickly circumvented EF security systems. "Any thoughts where?" he asked. "Earth Federation has a huge fucking database."

"It would be too easy to look under the ship rosters," Parker growled. "Why don't you look in the defense department special assignment section?"

"Hmmm…I think it might be easier if you asked me to turn the exterior hull into solid ice cream or produce a five star meal using real food instead of the cardboard crap the synthesizer produces."

"Are you saying there's a system out there that you can't break into?"

"No!" Calyx retorted. "It's going to take twelve point eight seconds instead of four point seven though."

"Oh, okay," Parker drawled and then decided to load a methyl trichloride torpedo into the forward tube. His men were inoculated against the substance and immune to its effects. Most others weren't. MTC torpedoes were incredibly expensive and hard to procure so Parker hated using them frivolously. A fight with EF troops was not frivolous.

"Uh oh," Calyx muttered. "We've got a problem."

"Out with it," Parker ordered brusquely. He was starting to have a really bad feeling about the situation. 'This couldn't have been a trap!' he thought as he reviewed the schematic diagrams of the ship in order to select the best target for the MTC torpedo.

"That would be Captain Black in charge and a seriously crack crew on board. We're fucked."

Countless memories rushed through Parker's mind at the mention of Black. Memories, shattered dreams, and lost hopes. "No, we're not," Parker said through gritted teeth as he fired the MTC torpedo and then opened a channel to Caled. "Andromeka to Caled."

 

"Wanton Men" by Azalea

 

"Quite. Mayhap you don't realize it but I'm no "businessman" in the conventional sense. I'm a man who likes to get exactly what he wants." He came around Ethan to stand in front of him and cupped his chin with his gloved hand. "And the Conde Oscuro favored your company, slave or not."

A jolt of fear darted through Ethan. "The Dark Count…" his former master had referred to the infamous pirate in both his Spanish and English title. His former master had always spoken of the pirate with fear and Ethan was beginning to see why now. "So…you're a pirate."

"I'm quite a many things, Ethan." The hand left his chin. Max watched Ethan's face as he brought the hand to his own mouth and took hold of the tip of the glove's index finger with his teeth and began to slowly pull it off. Ethan watched this with a sort of transfixed fascination. Something so simple suddenly became so…erotic. It was rather embarrassing to think this way, but he couldn't help but feel that Max was coming onto him rather strongly. "I steal freely from other pirates and I conduct my many business affairs efficiently."

"And…personal?" Ethan blurted out without thinking. "Is your personal life conducted the same way?"

"That's none of your business," Max admonished harshly, but even with his rough tone his bare hand reached out and to lay flat directly over Ethan's heart. Gooseflesh broke out over Ethan's chest and his heart only beat harder. He was almost afraid it would burst from his chest. "But I feel I've done you a great service in freeing you from slavery. How might you show me your appreciation, Ethan?"

 

"Men are from Mars, Finn is from Uranus" by Tricia Owens

 

"But I can only mate with the Martian whose DNA is most compatible with my own," Finn said, his bottom lip quivering. "It must be a special Martian, not just anyone."

"If you haven't met him by now you probably won't," John told him bluntly. "The last ship came in two days ago. Another won't be in until next week. Everyone here has smelled your pheromones. If you haven't met the Martian of your dreams by now that means he's not here, kid."

Finn cocked his head, his left ear swiveling backwards as someone laughed at the back of the room. "Kid? I am a Uranian. What is a kid?"

"Nothing. A slip of the tongue. Look, you leave in the morning, got that? If you're still here I have no choice but to deport you. I don't want to, but I have to protect this spaceport."

"I understand." Finn's furry blue ears drooped like tired daisies. "Thank you for the warning, Mister Inspector."

John felt like he'd just kicked a rabbit. "The name's John Stonebrook. And... I'm sorry, for what it's worth. But this isn't the place for you, Finn."

Finn nodded, his big blue eyes sad. "I will try for this last night, John Stonebrook, and if I don't find my mate I will take my anus elsewhere."

John choked. "Yeah. You do that."