Pam-Ann
her. The buzz of her
wealed back and buttocks reminded her that they too were clearly
visible and Pam cringed once more at the knowledge everyone could
see the evidence of her abuse and humiliation. She had an awful
certainty that none of them would care.
    They approached a man in a
uniform similar to Drake’s but wearing gold-tasselled epaulettes on
his shoulders and three gold stars in his lapels. As they reached
him a slim, blonde-haired young woman glided along the bar and
slipped her arm through his.
    “Oh, is this the stowaway? How
fascinating.” She e xtended the long, black
cigarette holder in her free hand and deliberately flicked hot ash
from her cigarette onto Pam’s left breast. The American girl hissed
and rubbed at the discomfort. The blonde pushed her hand away.
“Keep still, darling, while I look at you.”
    Her gaze travelled slowly over
Pam’s nakedness. Uncomfortable under the blatant scrutiny, she
could still feel surprise at how the young woman was dressed. Her
long, ivory-coloured gown of knitted silk clung to her like a
second skin, revealing every curve and hollow of her slender
figure. What most astonished Pam, however, was that it only covered
the blonde’s left breast, leaving the right one completely bare
except for a jewelled, gold clip covering her nipple. Equally
astonishing was the fact that she was not the only female in the
room dressed that way, and that none of them seemed at all
self-conscious about it. Pam looked up from the small, firm swell
of the young woman’s breast and found herself staring into two
large, green eyes.
    “My, she’s a beauty.” The pink
tip of the blonde’s tongue ran slowly over her glossy red lips and
her smile bared two pointed eyeteeth. To Pam, they
looked sharper than usual, almost feline, like the smile itself.
Leaning closer, the young woman took a long sniff. “I think
she’s excited too. Did it thrill you, darling, hiding from everyone
until you saw your chance to sneak on board? I’ll bet it was
exciting finding a little corner to cram yourself into and huddling
there all hot and shivery between the legs, knowing you were bound
to get caught.” She laughed and her eyes shone. “And all the time
thinking about what was going to happen when you were.”
    Pam lowered her gaze with her
cheeks flaming. She too had caught the scent of feminine musk that
clung in the air around her. Her sex and inner thighs were damp
from the startling effects of Drake’s brief exploration. She heard
him clear his throat.
    “Excuse me, Miss Peake, I have
duties to perform. With your permission, Commodore.”
    “But I’d like to talk to her.”
The blonde turned to the Commodore, smiling sweetly but
insincerely. “Latimer, darling, you don’t mind if I bend the rules
a tiny bit, do you?”
    The man’s look of annoyance gave
way to a faint smile. He nodded to Drake.
“I think we can make an exception for Miss Peake, Lieutenant,
providing it doesn’t become a habit.”
    “Thank you, darling. Be a
treasure, Mister Drake, and bring her along to my stateroom, would
you?”
    Drake cleared his throat again.
“I don’t think that’s what Commodore Traske meant when he gave you
permission to speak to the slave.”
    Pam shuddered at the word and
gave him a resentful glance. His mouth was a thin, disapproving
line.
    “Permission?” The blonde smiled,
cat-like once more. “I didn’t ask for that, Lieutenant, only the merest favour. And since I own half the Company don’t you think that technically half of the
girl belongs to me already?”
    “Maybe so, Ma’am,” he said
stiffly, “but we have rules and regulations we must follow.”
    “Never mind, Drake,” the
Commodore said, though he looked displeased. “Carry on. We’re
always glad to accommodate Miss Peake.”
    The blonde laughed, eyes
flashing mischievously. “Oh, I shall hold you to that one day,
darling. And thank you. Come along, Mister Drake. I won’t keep her
long.” Her gaze travelled the

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