Chapter One

"Land, Ho!"
A lusty cry permeated the air aboard the Booty Plunderer. Mabel turned her head to find the source of the ejaculation as she perched atop the ship's erect mast. Her flowing auburn hair cascaded over her dewy shoulders, blowing slightly in the breeze. She brushed a lock away from her face, noticing as she did the remarkable softness of her own cheek, and how it contrasted with her rough, calloused hand.Below her, on the deck, several young men sauntered about. One of these men was Thunder O'Malley, a handsome Irishman. His brawny arms, the colour of warm honey, glistened slightly with sweat in the noontime sun. He was famous for being a playboy with a hunger for gambling and a thirst for sweet, delicious, dark rum.
Mabel and Thunder had never gotten along. As the only woman aboard the Plunderer, she had become accustomed to the occasional hungry glance from other crew members, but she had learned to hold her own. But Thunder was able to penetrate her with his eyes like no man ever could. She despised his unabashed stares and brutish ways.
Ever since she was a young girl, Mabel had known she wanted to be a pirate. With the thought of sailing on high seas, her breast would swell with excitement, and her heart would race. She loved the tingling sensation of salt water on her face. She wasn’t anything like the other girls she knew growing up. When they wanted to host tea parties, she was eagerly salivating over maps of the world and tales of pirates like Black Beard. Ever since she could imagine anything, she had known the sea would be her greatest source of pleasure.
A second strident outburst caught Mabel’s attention and shook her out of her fantasizing. She quickly snapped to attention, and climbed down the stiff pole of the mast like a slender acrobat. All the while, the warm wind caressed her intimately, and she couldn’t help but smile.
Around her, the crew members were deep in conversation. “Why won’t the Captain tell us what land mass we’re heading towards?” asked Horner, a young but headstrong sailor.
“Horner, how many times do I have to remind you, the Captain has told us we are headed to private location unknown to anyone outside the pirate world!” O’Malley replied angrily.
“But we have a code on this ship! We may be criminals, but we’re loyal. I don’t think any of us would reveal the location,” interjected another young pirate.
“Even the most honourable of pirates do not always adhere to the code. People cannot be trusted. You know that, Pierce!” O’Malley countered.
At that moment, the captain appeared, his sturdy body nearly bursting from his tight-fitted garments. Captain William Wood was one of the most revered captains alive, and he had been commander of the Booty Plunderer for nearly twenty years now. The sea hadn’t left him haggard and weather-beaten like other sailors, however. It gave him vigour and colour, and the physical strain of the job allowed his muscles to grow to thick, meaty proportions.
“You may have noticed,” he proclaimed in his smooth and deep voice, “that we are rapidly approaching a land mass. This is in fact the very island we have been sailing toward for nearly two months now. I feel it may be time for me to let you in on my secret.”
“What secret is that, Sir?” demanded Horner, looking very confused.
“You’re handsome, but not terribly clever are you, Horner? My secret is the destination we are headed for. Is everyone present on deck?”
“Aye, Sir!” O’Malley reported with a brisk nod.
“Well, this next stop on land will be an important moment for you all. It’s sure to mark a time in your life when you really become men. Or women, I suppose.” He paused briefly to give Mabel a paternal wink. “We are now coming across Port Pleasuremouth. This port is renowned for several things: gambling, drinking, and women.”
As Captain Wood spoke these words, Mabel couldn’t help but sneak a glance at O’Malley, who was standing smugly near the front of the crowd. He seemed more than pleased to hear that his favourite past-times were the features of the island. She felt a strange twinge at the thought of him ravaging prostitute after prostitute, but wrote it off as a condemnation of his womanizing ways. It certainly wasn’t jealousy. How could she even stand to have his dirty arms wrapped around her waist, or his filthy tongue in her mouth!
Murmurs and excited whispers began to fill the air, but the Captain quickly brought the crew to silence. “Port Pleasuremouth should be an enjoyable rest for you all, but I warn you not to get carried away. As soon as we are sufficiently stocked and rested, and I have had time to locate some old companions of mine, we’ll be back at sea and ready to plunder any ship we come across. Now, let’s all get back to work so we can reach land before nightfall. Pierce, mop the deck! And Hans, I need you in the galley preparing a meal.”
The crowd slowly dispersed as Captain Wood called out individual orders. Mabel began to walk towards her post, but was interrupted by O’Malley, who stood defiantly in her way.
“What do you want, Thunder?” Mabel demanded, her patience wearing thing.
O’Malley grinned and licked his lips, bending down to whisper in her ear, “Are you excited for the stay at Pleasuremouth? I hear your mouth can be a little pleasurable, too...”
Mabel immediately pushed O’Malley away and returned to work. She had no time for O’Malley’s, or any man’s, nonsense.