From
Chapter 7: AttackHe turned at the door and looked back to her. Did he see the emotion so plain on her face? Did he see the single track of her tear?
“Goodnight my lady,” he whispered.
“Goodnight,” she gulped but he’d already latched the door shut. Lois was still sat staring at the door a few minutes later when there was a knock at the door. She stood and opened it without checking who it was. Foolish, but thankfully it was her expected visitor: Jimmy.
“Come in Jimmy,” she smiled. He warily glanced around the cabin and then entered. They’d been doing this for weeks now, but Jimmy still seemed nervous. Lois led him to the seat and tried to reassure him.
“Kal has gone to the Pit. He won’t disturb us. Now, let’s get started.”
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Chapter 8: Surrender (n-fic version
here – complete chapter)
Clark entered the Pit and stood at the door. He looked around at the store room off the end of the hold and quickly noticed which pirates were present. It was no surprise to see the usual men.
Gambling for money was supposed to be forbidden by the Pirate Code. The disagreements and scuffles that could ensue after a challenge of cheating, or just the basic greed of men who wanted to win it all could seriously limit the crew capacity on board a pirate ship. The type of men already inclined to be a pirate, coupled with the natural greed that accompanied a gambling spirit would inevitably lead to loss of life. Until Zod had declared himself Pirate King Zor-El had assured Clark that the Pirate Code had been followed to the letter. Over the years it had gradually been unravelled.
Clark limited the gambling by only passing out the crew shares of a raid once a tour was complete. The monetary capacity of each pirate on board was actually very little, so no real competition or greed entered the situation.
As he stood in the doorway and let the sounds wash over him he realised that he hadn't been to the Pit since putting himself on night watch: it wasn’t possible. That had been a mistake. Clark made a point of being the final calming influence during the gambling session and his presence had obviously been missed. The laughter was louder, more raucous than usual, the rum was being tossed around so much that the floor was sticky: and, worst of all, it looked like Corbin had set himself up as the pack leader.
Visiting the Pit tonight had a two-fold motive. He needed to re-establish order, put himself back in charge, but he also needed a way to forget about the lady back in his cabin. Hopefully he’d keep distracted long enough that she would be asleep when he returned. Either that or he was hoping that the rum would give him the courage to speak plainly to her about their … relationship.
There was a sudden roar in laughter at something that Corbin said and Clark swaggered into the room then lowered himself onto a wooden stool. “Kal,” a voice spoke up in greeting. Remembering ‘who’ he was supposed to be was more difficult since the conflict this morning: since seeing Oliver. ‘Clark’ had resurfaced. Clark nodded over at the pirate who had greeted him, Jose. He was a good lad, one that Clark felt was more on his side than Corbin’s, but he did like to get into a fight and loved to feel part of the gang.
“Haven’t seen you for a while,” Corbin growled, practically spitting out his annoyance that the First Mate was back.
“Night watch,” was Clark’s only reply. Someone thrust a mug into his hand and he looked down into the dark liquid which sloshed out and over his hand. He always moderated his own intake, carefully leaving the impression that he was fully partaking, but his mind flashed back to the woman probably laying herself down to sleep on his bed right about now and he lifted the mug to his lips. He swallowed the whole shot in one; burning rum sliding down his throat.
Time seemed to pass slowly. The one and only drink of rum seemed to put him in an attitude of uncaring. What did it matter if there was a beautiful, passionate woman waiting for him? Because she wasn’t: waiting for him. As the late evening progressed into night time Clark realised that it would take a lot of work to reign in these gambling sessions again.
“So,” John Corbin whined. “Not on the night watch tonight Kal?” he asked.
“No. I’m returning to day duty.” Clark tossed down a card and a couple of pirates hissed. Possibly they knew that their hands had been beaten.
“Do you want to enlighten us as to the reason you put yourself on night duty?” John smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
“I felt that Miss Lois would need some privacy at night. And I could use the cabin in the day.” Clark kept his tone as even as possible.
“Privacy!” Corbin, sing-songed mockingly and looked around at the other men. Clark saw him widen his eyes suggestively. “I’m sure a lush lady such as Lois is in need of plenty of privacy.” The men laughed. Clark gritted his teeth.
“It seemed a logical solution, Corbin.” Clark spoke plainly again, looking him straight in the eye. The room went quiet while a few men perused their cards, discarding some.
“And would there be a particular reason that you feel she no longer needs this privacy?” John laughed suggestively.
“There would not. I just require the return to a day shift.” Clark watched Corbin out of the corner of his eye. He saw him take a drink from his tankard then slam it back down, growling at the same time.
“Lord, she can drive a man crazy. That dress is divine.” While Clark completely agreed he felt an arrow of concern in his belly. “If I ever find the designer of that dress I will personally fall at their feet. And I must say that the neck line would be the piece de resistance, allowing that creamy bosom to spill out.” He gesticulated with his hand to emphasise his meaning and grinned around at the gathered men. “You know, I’ll wager that her ‘privacy’ has well been taken advantage of.”
Clark narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean?” A nervous tingling in his stomach was growing.
“Oh, don’t tell me you’ve never visited her during the night. We all know that the Captain ‘gave’ her to you.”
“I would suggest you cease this line of thought, John,” Clark glared.
“Oooooooo, tugged on a cord, perhaps? Possibly you ‘want’ to invade her privacy, but instead you’ve stood by,” he began to chuckle, “and watched the cabin boy visit her every night.”
‘Cabin boy?’ Clark’s heart lurched. ‘Who’s been visiting her every night? Olsen? Jimmy is much too young for what Corbin is insinuating.’
“If a ripe body like that was waiting back in my cabin there’s no way I’d let a wet behind the ears youngster like Olsen take what was rightfully mine.” Corbin’s boastful attitude roused the pirates even more and they laughed, some of them even patting him on the back. Clark glared at Corbin feeling a fire beginning to consume him. Every muscle in his body twitched with the urge to move.
“You know, when she’s done with Olsen tonight I might just decide to show her what a real man can do.” Rage overtook him and Clark launched up from his stool. He brought back his fist and then let it fly at Corbin, meeting his jaw with a crack. The Deckmaster went skittering backwards off his stool and landed in a heap on the floor. Clark turned and stalked off, finally ready to confront Lois.
Back up on deck the air was cool. The dark, clear sky blinked myriad stars down on him but his anger didn’t cool with the temperature or the calming scene. As he crossed the deck he saw a slight figure at the far end step out of the officer’s passage. Drawing closer it wasn’t difficult to recognise the young, slim shape of Jimmy Olsen. The cabin boy slipped down the side and took the steps to the crew quarters avoiding passing close enough for Clark to challenge him. Instead he increased his stride, desperate to get back to his cabin.
He reached the door and stopped. ‘It can’t possibly be what Corbin was insinuating.’ With a large intake of breath he reached for the handle and pushed open the door only to be greeted by a sight which proved that it was
exactly what Corbin had been insinuating.
Lois was sliding into her nightgown.
All of Clark’s fears were realised and the anger he’d felt against Corbin spilled out of him.
“Olsen?” he shouted in question. She turned in shock and her gown finished sliding into place. She blinked at him and he saw the sudden terror on her face. “Olsen!” he repeated louder, then strode in and slammed the door behind him. “This is what you’ve been doing every night since I gave you the cabin.” She continued to stare at him, frozen. “How could you. I knew you were just after a man; a marriage that would be of advantageous nature. But … Olsen. He’s a young boy.” He strode up to her and grabbed her shoulders.
“Lois, I thought,” his temper was seeping out of every pore, his blood was boiling. “I thought you were different. All that talk about working on deck, pulling your own weight. But you had me fooled, didn’t you? Have you got him fooled too? What did you tell him? What lies have you fabricated? And what could you possibly be getting out of this?” Clark stopped, out of breath, his chest heaving.
He was staring straight into her eyes so he could tell the moment she regained control. Shocked eyes became cold and calculating. “So, Kal, are you insinuating that I haven’t been spending my nights alone?” Clark wanted to shake some sense into her. “If you are, then I should remind you that what I do with my time is none of your business. And you are the one who chose to leave me alone in here … every night … when you put yourself on night duty.” She turned and attempted to step out of his grasp but he turned her back.
“But it is my business, Lois. This is my cabin and the Captain gave you to me.” His possessive tone was obvious. Her eyes widened. “He made me responsible for you,” Clark quickly explained.
“Well, I free you from that responsibility. I am a grown woman and I can take care of myself, thank you!” she replied sarcastically. Clark’s energy suddenly drained out of him. She wasn’t denying it. The final glimmer of hope in his heart faded away and he let go of her arms. This time she stepped back and fully turned away.
“But, Jimmy?” he pleaded.
“None … of … your … business,” she spat back out, still facing away.
Clark took one step and found himself standing right at her shoulder. Something flickered in his peripheral vision and he turned to see papers strewn all over the small table. The lamp in the corner guttered and illuminated the childish writings and Clark’s heart dropped, his world turning upside down in a moment.
“You …” he gulped. “You’re teaching him to read?” He saw her shoulders tense and her head look up and straight ahead. He took hold of her and forcibly turned her around. Looking deep into her eyes he finally saw through to her deepest truth, her soul. “You’re teaching him to write,” he whispered out in awe. He saw the glistening in her eyes betraying the build-up of moisture possibly about to overflow. Something deep inside him welled up and he drew her close then plunged down to take her mouth.
His heightened emotions raged up and down his body and he released her arms then enfolded her completely in his. She sank into him immediately and desire shot though him at her instant surrender. He opened his lips and slanted them across hers, tasting her. He felt her arms come round his back and cling onto him then she opened her lips and the kiss deepened.
Clark moaned into her mouth, “Lois.” She returned with a sigh of her own. He began to nibble and tease at her lips, he slid his hands up her back and trailed them over her shoulders and up into her hair. “Lois,” he whispered again. Something had broken in his heart when he realised that she had been teaching Jimmy to read and write. The undeniable pull between them that he’d attributed to physical attraction suddenly took on an emotional level. His compassion, almost completely repressed over the last few months, reared up and spilled out. She obviously was a compassionate soul too.
“Kal.” He heard her breathe out as he parted their lips for just a moment.
Lois felt like she was floating. Her whole body was humming with pleasure: Kal was kissing her. Her arms reached up his back and pulled him down, deeper into her lips. When he’d surged in and accused her of taking advantage of a young boy she’d been horrified and her state of undress had probably not helped the situation. How was Kal to know that she’d begun undressing the moment Jimmy had left and that she was now remarkably quick at the change, always worried that someone would burst in.
She became embarrassingly aware of her state of undress when Kal’s hand began to slide down her back. Somehow she couldn’t bring herself to do anything about it, though: she just opened her mouth and allowed him to sweep his lips across hers. When his hand reached her lower back he pulled her closer and their hips touched. She instinctively rocked against him and he groaned.
Clark balled his hands into fists, bunching up the material of Lois’s nightgown. He had to stop his hands from roaming any further, but there was nothing that could draw him away from her lips.
The movement of the material skimming at her legs at an unexpected height finally shocked Lois out of the bliss of Kal’s kiss.
They parted, bodies still touching, lips only inches apart: Clark’s hands still gripping her nightgown. As they stared into each other’s eyes Clark saw Lois’s complete surrender. Her arms were already at his shoulders. She lifted them and held them straight up. Clark tensed his fingers to hold tight and then swept the nightgown up and over her head, stepping back.
Lois brought her arms back down slowly and dropped them at her side, exposing herself fully. Clark gazed in wonder for a moment then released the nightgown. It dropped at his feet. He stepped over it and took her in his arms again.
When they parted again Lois reached out and pulled gently on the laced up cord at Clark’s neck. He immediately took over and drew the shirt up in one swift movement revealing his tanned, muscular chest.
When his bare chest met hers Clark realised that the passion and fire he’d been feeling so far had been a pale imitation of the blaze now raging in his body, in his soul. He gently manoeuvred Lois backwards a few steps and then began to lower her down onto his bed. The simple blanket cover was already pulled back, obviously in preparation for Lois to climb in. Clark felt the moment that Lois’s back touched the bed and he loosened his hold then climbed in next to her. A little late for modesty, but still wanting to act the gentleman, Clark pulled up the blanket over her body, sealing them together in bed.
She turned her head to his and, for the first time since he’d stormed into the cabin, he smiled at her. She returned the smile without hesitation and his heart skipped a beat. The natural interpretation of such a look, in such a situation … no, it wasn’t possible. Clark pushed the thought aside not letting himself live in such hope, or ponder the consequences for her, if she were to get anymore tangled up in his life.
Lois saw the warring emotions flicker over Kal’s face. It just proved that her instinctive assessment of him was correct. He was not the Man of Steel that everyone made out. He was not a murdering dishonourable ex-naval officer. He was Kal, that was enough. She snaked out her arm from under the blanket and slid it up his neck and into his beautiful black wavy hair then she pulled down and his head descended, their lips tangled again as they soared over the edge.
Only a few moments later Clark carefully rolled to the side and turned her to follow. For some reason neither of them seemed able to speak, they just smiled. Clark gathered Lois into his arms and she snuggled onto his chest. Within minutes they were both asleep.
Clark had his back to the cabin door: something he never let happen, and for the first time since he came on board he slept without his finger poised on the trigger of his pistol. Instead he held tight to the woman sleeping in his arms.
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