CLOCKWORKS AND CORSETS
TONIA BROWN
LYRICAL PRESS
KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP.
http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/
This one’s for Shirley.
Foreword
“Fly with me, forget the past.
We can build the future in steel and brass.
Those below we leave behind,
Conquering the clouds as gears unwind.”
Maiden Voyage- The Clockwork Dolls
www.myspace.com/theclockworkdolls
Acknowledgements
I could fill another book with the folks who made this story possible. Thanks to the girls at the hospital who didn’t groan every time I handed them a new chapter and even to those that did. To my friends that took the time to give me more than just kudos. To Shirley, my personal cheerleader, and Gloria for putting up with the day by day changes. To Deb, my miracle in editor guise and cause of occasional cursing. To the Clockwork Dolls and their inspiring music. To my husband who heard the plotline at least one hundred times, then braced to hear it again. Most of all, thank you reader, for without you a story is just lost words looking for a home.
Chapter 1
Ship of Fools
In which we meet our heroines, our crew, and appreciate the talents of our Click.
The rules change when you put the woman in charge.
This angry thought seized Rose Madigan while she stood before her cluttered desk, staring at the mess. Dock requests and cargo forms lay stacked about the surface in small mountains of mindless formalities, while the desk drawers threatened to burst with even more scraps of paper insults. There seemed to be so much paperwork for such a small venture. Too much bureaucracy for one, small ship. She was convinced that the big shipping companies were in bed with the port authorities, creating imaginary forms exclusively for her. At times there seemed enough red tape to keep Rose’s ship, The Merry Widow, earthbound for good. Every harbor she docked at called for a new inventory log, despite the fact that every port from sea to sky knew the ship’s hull was empty. Hell, had she cargo, Rose would be first in line for any form they could throw at her, just for the chance to boast.
It was never this hard when Bill was alive. There’d never been so many papers to fill out when she was the captain’s wife, but now she was the captain so the rules had changed. Damn him. Damn them all. Rose closed her eyes and drew a deep breath. The burning memories of her late husband flared, threatening to light her fuse. She didn’t want to face the crew angry, lest they think they were at fault. The girls were edgy enough as it was.
No need to grease that cog.
A cool draft spilled into the room. Seconds later, the sound of bare feet against the wooden floorboards echoed through the small chamber. Rose relaxed, pretending to ignore the whisper of shifting fabric while her lover stripped behind her. Playful fingers slid across her smooth flesh, tracing the lines of her taut muscles until they came to rest on her bare breasts. Her nipples rose to the touch of his toying caress.
She sighed. “I don’t have time for this, Click.”
Click kissed the nape of her neck, then raked his rough tongue across her shoulders until his breath was hot on her ear. “There’s always time, my captain.”
Rose savored his words. Bill had never treated her with such selflessness. Never made her feel so desirable. So wanted. In return, she wanted, no, needed Click, she just didn’t have time for him.
“No, there isn’t.” She tapped her fingers against her leg, counting seconds that ticked by. Time was never on her side, but she’d spare the moments anyway, the pooling dampness of her core wouldn’t allow her otherwise.
He ignored her, instead pushing his hips forward to pin her against the desk. She groaned as he continued to knead her breasts, worrying her stiff nipples. His rigid member pressed hard against the small of her back, poking, prodding, begging Rose for admission to her vessel. His readiness didn’t come as a surprise. The island native was perpetually aroused.
“The crew is expecting me.”
“And you’ll join them,” he purred as he flicked his thumbs across her nipples, “but not ’til I’m done with you.”
“You can’t just slip in here to take me when you want.”
“I’m only fulfilling my function, my captain.”
She lowered her eyes while he ran a hand across her belly. The bronze tone of his skin and intricate tattoos were a bold contrast against her ivory shade. His fingers disappeared between her legs. Rose gasped when he found her fortune, wet with desire. She tried to wriggle free, but Click held her in a firm embrace. He rocked behind her, sliding his cock along the cleft of her ass while he fingered her slick sex.
Her authority faded in a haze of lust. “Click, please.”
“Yes,” he said. “If you insist, I will please you.”
He pressed her forward until she lay on the desk, across the demanding forms and insulting bureaucracy. He nudged a knee between her legs, spreading her wide to welcome him. While she lay face down against the very source of her worry, she closed her eyes, yielding to his desire, her need. Click trailed a line of gentle, hot kisses down the length of her spine, across the soft curve of her rear, until he stooped between her legs. Rose trembled when she felt the heat of his breath against her ginger thatch.
“You are sodden, my lady.” He chuckled, as if it amused him to find her wet and ready for him. “Have you been thinking of me?”
Rose laughed. She rose from the desk in a quarter-turn to stare down at him with a smirk. “Yes, Click. I’ve spent all morning thinking about nothing but my cabin boy. I’m surprised you didn’t smell my need and get here sooner.”
“I spent the night with Miss Maggie.” He paused to blow against her sex, sending her into another spasm of shudders before he added, “She lets me sleep late. She must have been a wonderful wife.”
Rose smiled, always delighted to hear him speak of her crew with affection. The sentiment, however, cut into her arousal, shifting her back into control. “Really, I don’t have time for this right now.” Trying to wrench free of his grasp, she twisted.
Click lapped her puss in a soft, slow caress. With a whimper, Rose fell still. He prodded her again, stronger this time. She collapsed against the desk. Click took the cue to devour her. Stroke after glorious stroke, he tongued her with masterful precision. Moaning, she shuddered against his mouth, almost climaxing at the caress of each long, luxurious lick.
“Click,” she said between pants. “You have to get up here and give yourself to me now.”
He stood, his husky laughter filling the cabin. “I do like my women commanding. And you are the most commanding of all.”
She pushed the mound of papers to the floor, then spun around to perch on the desk. Rose spread her legs wide while she curled a finger at the island native. “Now or never. I don’t have time to argue.” Rose gasped when Click pushed forward,