Morning came too quickly for Ruby, after having a few rounds of unbelievable sex with Elise. Pleasantly surprised that her dagger was the only thing left on her body, other than her lovely dy draped over her, Ruby stretched and kissed the top of Elise’s dusty-blonde hair. Gncing out of the window, Ruby estimated it was close to midday just as her head started aching. Using her free hand, Ruby rubbed her temples until the pain subsided.

  “Mmmm, good morning…” Elise swirled her tongue over Ruby’s bare pink nipple. “...What a lovely evening, my dear.” Elise curled herself into Ruby’s side a little harder and stopped moving. “You don’t have to leave do you?”

  Shaking her head and whispering lightly, Ruby kept her eye shut. “No, I am here for at least a week. The Ghost Spade is… well, hiding for now.”

  Twirling a bit of Ruby’s long bck hair in her fingers, Elise snorted and shrugged. “I should have known, a pirate. Your captain is well known in town, Ruby.” Elise kissed Ruby’s temple, “Rum will do that, the headache will go away if you either drink more rum, or drink water.”

  “I don’t care if I never touch that dark devil drink ever again.” Ruby announced sheepishly. “I am torn between my desire to keep your naked body pressed to mine, or to get rid of this headache.”

  Rolling away from the pretty pirate, Elise stood up and walked into her kitchen. “You don’t strike me as a pirate, Ruby.” A few minutes ter Elise returned with a decanter of water and a loaf of raisin bread. “Water first, then eat. It will settle your stomach.” Elise pulled the little stopper from the gss container and held it to Ruby’s lips. “I have been drunk many times, young dy.” Elise stopped when Ruby took control, and reluctantly reached for the jeweled bde. “Do you mind if I cut the bread with it?”

  Swallowing the water in her mouth, Ruby concentrated on the dagger and felt a warm pulse coming from it. “The bde seems to like you, so sure.” Ruby twisted her leg to give Elise better access, “Put it right back, I don’t like being without it.”

  Paying homage to the gemmed dagger, Elise kissed the big ruby at the base of its handle. “I wouldn’t dream of keeping this from you dear.” Cutting a few slices of the bread without any problem, Elise licked the edges of the dagger and pced it back in its sheath. “What makes you a pirate, Ruby?” Elise asked and id down once more and entwined her legs with Ruby’s.

  “That is a long story. Suffice it to say it pretty much dropped into my p. Depending on how you look at it, I was in the wrong pce at the wrong time, or the right pce at the right time.” Ruby sighed and drank more of the water. She’d just moved the bottle from her lips when she felt a piece of the sweet bread against her lips. “Thank you, Elise. You don’t have to feed me.”

  “I want to.” She winked. “You could have left after the first port, something kept you with Captain Jaques.”

  Glitter spshed in her mind as she thought about the treasure that she’d gotten over the st few months. “I am with a fine group, oddly enough. You wouldn’t think it possible, but the crew protects me like a sister.” She chewed a portion of the bread and continued, “Plus, it is really nice having silver and gold crowns.” She sipped more water. “Far better than it was while I was running from France and guards that wanted my neck in a noose.” Realizing that she’d said too much about her past, Ruby put the gss bottle back to her lips and downed more water.

  “You’re the one then.” Elise winked and pced her hand on the dagger. “You know this dagger is well known, right? Good thing that you keep it hidden, others might want to possess it.” She added, “A fine treasure indeed.” Sliding her hand up the length of Ruby’s body, Elise stopped when she was able to cup Ruby’s scarred cheek. “I think I have the treasure in my bed. God be merciful, I might be falling for a pirate.”

  Ruby set the bottle down and capped it with the gss stopper, “You are too kin…” Ruby caught a glint that hit her hazel eye from across the room. “..kind.” She pointed to the semi-round gold bowl over Elise’s mantle. “..What’s that?”

  Kissing Ruby’s cheek softly, Elise ughed. “That is why I asked what makes you a pirate, and the call of gold is certainly one reason.” She snuggled closer to Ruby, “I hope I am another reason.”

  “Of course Elise.” Ruby partly lied, “Although, I did kinda trade something shiny to possess you.”

  Lightly ughing, Elise ran her nails over Ruby’s tummy in little circles. “That’s right, I do belong to you, it would seem.” Elise id ft, exposing her ample breasts to Ruby. “I do believe that is a map of some sort, made of gold. I won the stupid thing years ago and the merchant couldn’t pay out any other way. I took it to a few people and no one could figure out the lines and scribbles on it.” Moaning softly as Ruby started to squeeze her breasts, Elise stammered as she spoke. “So..so…mmm, so…I…um…your hands, Ruby…” Elise grabbed one of Ruby’s hands and kissed the fingers one by one. “Sin…since..um…no one could…figure out the..the…junk on it, I just stuck it up there.” Elise crawled close to Ruby and pced a line of little peck-kisses all over her cheeks and lips. “I don’t even know if the thing is real. It looks like gold, but no matter how long it sits there, the thing is warm to the touch.” Elise purred, “Just like you.”

  “Ftterer.” Ruby purred to Elise, trying in vain to put the gold bowl out of her mind. “Hummm, What kind of convincing do I need to take a look at the bowl-thing?”

  Having lived in a seaport town most of her life, Elise knew many things about people. One particur issue was that saying something is a map, instantly made treasure seekers think of nothing else. Smiling briefly, Elise groaned and sat up. “I’ve lost you to something precious in my home.” She stood up and walked to the mantle, then turned with her hands on her hips. “Here I thought I was the precious one.”

  Slipping off the bed with the gracefulness of a cat, Ruby slinked her way back into Elise’s arms, “You are precious, Elise.” Ruby smiled and kissed her partner on the cheek. “Two things, dear. First, I don’t fall in love easily.” She leaned back and got a good look into Elise’s eyes, “I was hurt deeply by someone I loved dearly in another life. I’ve sworn to myself to be a little more careful.”

  Tales of the runaway widow were well known, and Elise took a couple steps back holding her arms around her chest, protectively. “You…rum…you…rumor..the story, you..ki…killed her, didn’t you?”

  “Yes.” Ruby replied ftly and held up her index finger. “What you don’t know and isn’t told by the others is that she betrayed me. She found me in the little house we’d made to spend time in. She was going to turn me in to face my consequences.” Ruby patted her dagger. “She knew me so well, she would have helped the guards track me.” Ruby closed the gap between her and Elise and brushed her lips lightly across Elise’s neck and to her ear. “You know more about me than anyone right now, that is a level of trust and growing…growing love, wouldn’t you agree?”

  Unfolding her arms, Elise pulled Ruby tightly into a hug and then nuzzled into the pirate’s shoulder. “Like you, I have lost lovers. Yet I am drawn to you Ruby.” She kissed her partner’s bare shoulder. “I want to wait for you, I want to be here to celebrate your time at sea.” She sniffled, “Just let me in a little?” Elise softly begged.

  Visualizing Elise waving goodbye to her at the harbor made Ruby warm up to her companion. “I have all week, let’s see what happens beyond a single day.” Ruby paused and raised one eyebrow. “Since I know very little about you, I will ask this. How jealous are you?”

  Wiping the tears from her eyes, Elise let out a short ugh. “I’ve never been the jealous type.” She ran her hands through Ruby’s long bck hair, then handed the gold bowl to Ruby. “There, look all you want while I do something that will remind you of me.” She kissed Ruby’s cheek and led them back to her bed and began to make tiny tight braids. “I learned this from my mother, in your lovely case…I am doing it to change your look and remind you of…your Elise..your..” She whispered, “....prize.” Elise kissed Ruby’s hand and then tied off the first braid by tearing a section from the streamers tossed on the floor.

  Shaking her head so that her long hair fell across her back, Ruby settled back into Elise’s gentle touch while studying the gold in her hand. “You are a gem, do whatever you’d like to my hair, darling. I’d never forget someone so loveable...and let me tote them over my shoulder.” Ruby traced the visible lines on the bowl and realized that they weren’t straight, but curved and suddenly stopped. She felt the edge of the gold and smiled to herself. “This isn’t a bowl, it is part of something. She held up the chunk for Elise to see. “The edges are not smooth, they are jagged and have little holes on the side, as though it is part of something else that locks fits to it.” Ruby handed it to Elise and smiled at the shocked look that appeared. “There’s more if you want to hear it.”