Proffitable Affairs

Chapter 9

Two nights later…

Gibbs watched with a critical eye as his captain dived into his pocket and with a roll of his eyes paid the whining woman. The blonde wench took the money from his hand and fake-sniffled before she nodded and batted her eyelashes to Jack. He watched as his captain fleetingly patted the woman’s rear and walked away towards the ship with a grimace on his otherwise pleasant face.
Once Jack saw Gibbs he waved wildly his hands to him and pointed at the sails.
“To your stations!” Gibbs barked and the crew got into action as Jack boarded the ship and passed by his first mate.
“Set sail right away.” He hissed and Gibbs frowned.
“But why-…”
“Where’s me wife-…I mean the lass- I mean Mary.” Jack quickly stammered and Gibbs frowned even more.
“I think she’s asleep.”
“Good. Set sail then. And don’t tell her.” Jack said with a quick smile before he started walking again.
“But why? What’s the rush?” Gibbs asked as he followed Jack.
“Her bloody father of a rat is here and currently looking for us. I was at the Bride when I heard it. So snap to it!” Jack seethed and Gibbs nodded quickly.
“Shouldn’t you tell her then?” he asked and Jack’s nostrils flared.
“I can do whatever I want, Gibbs. Now, off you go.” He said shooing him away. Gibbs lingered for a moment longer before he sighed and walked away to order the crew.
Jack looked briefly at the running men before he slowly and silently opened the door to his cabin. He walked inside and carefully shut the door before he removed his boots and tiptoed to his desk. He couldn’t help but glance at the sleeping woman in the bed as he passed and he paused briefly to study her. She was sleeping on her back with one of her hands on her stomach and the other on the pillow next to her head. Her hair was braided back and he couldn’t help but look at her softly rising and falling chest. He swallowed hard and he was shocked to realize that he actually didn’t want to turn away his gaze. His eyes trailed down the length of her body and he chuckled at the sight of her protruding toes. He looked at her face in amusement again before he resumed walking to his desk. He plopped down in his chair and shrugged off his coat. His eyes traitorously return to Mary who had rolled over to her stomach, taking the covers underneath her in the process. Jack was left with a very generous image of her well rounded bottom and his eyes widened. The night dress had slipped up her thighs and he could see her legs as well.
He quickly turned his head away and cleared his throat as he tried to focus on the map in front of him. He unrolled it and his eyes blinked when he saw a part that hadn’t been there before. He squinted and leaned closer.
“What the hell?” he cursed in shock as he looked at the map with disbelieving eyes. More shores and sea had formed on the previously blank piece of parchment and he quickly let go of it as if it was cursed.
“Bloody hell…” he muttered as he quickly shot a glance towards the sleeping Mary, “What’s that suppose to mean?” he wondered as he reached for a bottle of rum and uncorked it mechanically. He took a swing and swallowed it slowly as he tried to give a logical answer to the magically formed map. He couldn’t and huffed in annoyance. This was getting stranger and stranger. First his stupid, absurd longing for the girl and now this. He groaned and stood up from the chair as he started pacing, no longer caring for waking Mary up or not. He just wanted an answer; an answer he knew he wouldn’t get.
“Jack? Is that you?” Mary’s groggy voice asked and Jack paused his pacing.
“Who else, lass?” he asked snappishly and she sat up to look at him with a frown.
“Is something wrong?” she asked concerned and he looked at her for a long time before he walked over to her and swiftly grabbed her pale arm. She yelped in pain as he tightened his grip and leaned down towards her.
“Tell me that you have no idea about the map.” He hissed and she blinked.
“Of course I don’t. I know what you know.” She said as she tried to free her arm from his bruising grip.
“Swear to it.” He snapped and she looked at him as if he was insane while his nails were digging into her soft skin.
“I swear it! Jack-… You’re hurting me!” she told him forcefully and he tossed her hand away from him. He looked at her intently for a few seconds before he started pacing again.
“Remember the blank piece of paper that was in the chest?” he asked more calmly and she nodded while she massaged her offended arm.
“Well, it’s not blank anymore.” He stated and she frowned.
“What?”
“A small part of the paper is filled. A map is slowly forming.” He said and she froze.
“How is that possible?” she asked shakily and he snarled at her.
“I was hoping you might care to answer that question yourself.” He stopped pacing and looked at her with his hands crossed over his chest.
“I have no idea, Jack! I don’t know what’s happening. Honestly.” She said sincerely as she dropped her hand to her lap and looked at him anxiously.
“If you’re lying…” he started angrily as he pointed a ringed finger at her, “If you’re lying, I’ll make sure you’ll meet your scheming witch mother sooner than you’re expecting.” He threatened venomously and she recoiled from his words while he turned and left the cabin, slamming the door behind him, shaking it from its hinges. Mary remained on the bed shaking like a leaf in the wind.

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Jack entered the galley later that night and winced inside when he saw Mary’s eyes widen in fear at the mere sight of his presence. She hadn’t asked anything about their sudden escape from Tortuga and he was sure that fear kept her from asking. To say that he didn’t feel bad about speaking those cruel words to her would be a wide faced lie. He had never threatened a woman like that and to say that she deserved it would be the understatement of the century. He had been mad but he realized that the girl couldn’t possibly be keeping anything from him. She was too foolishly sincere for that.
“Evening, gents.” He acknowledged as he walked further inside the cabin and looked at the eating men.
Mary was sitting next to Gibbs but she had barely touched the fish soup she had in her bowl. Jack cleared his throat loudly and poured some of the thick soup into a bowl and scanned the galley for a spare seat. He found one that was next to Mary’s seat and inwardly smirked to himself. No one dared to sit next to the Captain’s wife. He walked over and saw that she visibly flinched at the sight of him.
“So…Who made this?” Jack asked before he turned towards Mary, “You, love?”
“No.” she answered shortly as she picked up her spoon and put another spoonful in her mouth. Jack watched the action with dark eyes and he wished that he was that damned spoon that was between her lips at the moment. His eyes widened at that thought.
Where did that come from?
“Crooks, cooked it, sir. He caught the fishes this afternoon.” Gibbs chirped in and Jack nodded before he started eating the semi warm soup in silence.
“Why didn’t you cook, Mary?” Jack asked nonchalantly and she swallowed hard.
“You didn’t tell me to cook and the last time I did you didn’t even come back to even try what I made.” She answered quietly as she continued eating without looking at him. The men looked up at that and a few snickered at that.
Jack’s lips formed a thin line and he kept eating with forced ease.
She’s right you know. Just shut it or you’ll make it worse. His inner voice snapped and it was then that he noticed that her hand was shaking as it held the spoon. He stopped eating and looked at her hand guiltily. She noticed him looking at it and she quickly placed both the spoon and the bowl on the table with a loud clatter before she stood up and fled the galley in silence. She didn’t look at anyone as she quickly hurried away.
The men looked at her in confusion before they turned their gaze to their captain.
“Lack of sea legs, mates.” He said with an easy but false grin but they bought it and kept eating.
Jack no longer wanted to eat but he forced down the soup until his bowl was empty and then walked out of the galley with heavy footsteps.
Gibbs shook his head and sighed.
“Stormy night ahead…” he muttered and gladly no one heard him.

End of chapter 9

Xxx Lina :)