Ashelin tried to shift her position but she was tied too tightly. Stark naked, bent over Vaas' front porch railing, ass in the air. He'd secured her there in the wee hours of the morning, and the sun had risen and beaten her with rays.

She was pretty sure her cheeks were sunburnt at this point.

Vaas' men went about their daily business, every once in awhile whistling at her body so crudely on display. They knew better than to touch her, but making her feel like a piece of meat was definitely on the agenda.

And her pussy couldn't be wetter.

She wanted to squirm. Any time there was a slight breeze her clit ached for friction.

Ashelin was dying of arousal.

"How's it going, hermana?" Vaas drawled, and she peered through the rail bars to see him smiling down at her. Upside down from her point of view, he looked very amused with himself.

"Peachy." She tried to sound flippant but failed horribly, the word coming out breathy and desperate.

"Your poor little ass is so red." He pulled a jar of coconut oil from his pocket and stepped forward, and she felt a cooling sensation as he gently massaged her hot skin.

She moaned at the contact, her pussy clenching at how good his hand felt.

"Oh, my little Snowbird is so horny, out here on display in the hot sun," he teased.

It was early afternoon now and thankfully she was no longer in direct sunlight. Another breeze made her gasp as he smoothed the oil down her legs.

"Please..." she whimpered.

He finished coating her and rubbed his hand in light circular motions on her ass cheek. "Please what?"

"Please fuck me," Ashelin groaned and he brought his hand down hard. She shrieked with the force of it, stinging her sunburnt skin extra hard, and nearly came at the pain and degradation that rippled through her.

"Is that what you deserve?" Vaas hissed. "After letting that pink fairy defile you? My Queen?" SMACK. "Answer me!"

"No!" she cried, tears at the corner of her eyes from pain and frustration. "I accept my punishment," she choked out.

SMACK. She bit off her squeal and he chuckled.

"Oh, you accept it, do you?" His voice was like silk, a predator drawing in his prey. "Tell me what happened."

"Wh-what?" she asked.

SMACK. "Tell me how it happened, fucking whore!"

Fear rippled through Ashelin's chest and she reveled in it, feeling deliciously alive. This dangerous man was hers, her King, her love.

"We were fighting," she breathed, and flinched, anticipating a blow that didn't come. She licked her lips. "I insulted his dead girlfriend."

Vaas fingers dug into her skin hard, and she writhed against them. "Did he force you?" Deep down he knew it was a stupid question to ask this woman, of all women. But this was his woman. And regardless of her sexual tastes, he was a man, and had the animalistic need to protect her.

Ashelin knew better than to lie. "No." She flinched again and Vaas laughed, knowing that the anticipation of the spank was the real punishment.

"And?" he prompted, running his fingers up and down her inner thighs.

She let out a sob as her center ached to be filled by him. "We hit each other." she stammered. "We fucked. It was quick."

"Did it satisfy you?" His tone was laced with warning, and Ashelin shivered as his fingers stopped their teasing assault.

Again, she knew better than to lie. "Yes," she whispered.

SMACK. SMACK.

"What am I supposed to do with that information, hermana?!" Vaas roared, and Ashelin banged her forehead off of the railing bars.

"Why do you ask questions you don't want the answers to?!" she wailed and he barked a maniacal laugh, shoving two oiled fingers deep into her tight asshole.

She came instantly, screaming her release as she clenched around him, feeling euphoric but empty at the same time.

It wasn't enough.

She needed his cock. She'd die without it.

"You say you accept your punishment," he said, voice low and menacing with a hint of amusement. He withdrew his fingers from her and she fell limp, resting her forehead against the bars. "I'll let you choose."

He patted her sore asscheek lightly and she didn't even have the energy to whine.

"If you want me to fuck you, right now, I will," he said, and she tensed. Really? "But if that's what you choose, you stay tied here for another day, and I won't touch you until it's done."

Ashelin's heart sank. She wasn't sure she, or her very burnt ass, could handle another day of this. Her body was stiff and sore and but god she wanted him so badly.

"And the other choice?" she croaked, and he ran a hand tenderly up her back.

"I free you now." Vaas paused. "But I won't fuck you until you show me you really need it."

"As if I don't clearly need it right now?" she asked, exasperated. He walked up onto the porch and knelt, stroking her hair.

"I mean a proper seduction, little Snowbird," he purred in her ear. "Make me want it so badly that I can't punish you anymore."

Ashelin smiled and leaned into his hand. "Challenge accepted."

Ashelin groaned with relief as Vaas untied her sore wrists and ankles. She collapsed to her knees in the dirt, reveling in the feeling of bending her legs. She looked up at his smirking face as he leaned on the porch railing, looking carefree and relaxed. She knew he was likely sporting a raging hard on from his ministrations on her, but was ignoring it in the spirit of their game.

She let out a happy moan as she stretched her arms behind her head, arching her back and pushing her breasts out.

"Too sore to stand, hermana?" Vaas teased, and she giggled.

"It was a good punishment," she admitted, and used the bars to shakily get to her feet. She leaned her head back so that she was inches away from his and batted her eyelashes. "But I think this challenge will be more of a punishment for you than me."

Ashelin kissed him lightly before pushing away from the bars, striding slowly towards the communal shower. Her legs ached, but she was determined to sway her ass just for him. She pulled the curtain from around the patch of dirt that was still damp from the last time it had been used.

She twisted the knob and reveled in the feel of the cool water raining down on her heated skin. She ran her hands through her hair, wiggling her hips a little in pleasure.

Vaas' eyes darkened as he watched her, now that her gaze wasn't on him. He'd assumed she was going to take the first offer, and he'd get to watch her squirm on the porch for another day. But he should have known better. His little Snowbird was tough, and confident. She probably thought that she'd be able to win this challenge easily.

His gaze glided down to the tattoo on her lower back, and his painfully hard cock twitched at the memory of branding her. He stifled a groan as she rubbed water over her ample breasts. This was going to be hell.

Ashelin picked through the ever growing closet in their hut. Every time a supply run came back, Vaas had pretty things brought in for her. Mostly lingerie and bikinis, but some little dresses too. She knew he liked to see as much of her skin as possible, though he spent so much time ripping things off of her that it seemed ridiculous to have so many clothes.

An idea niggled in the back of her mind and she smiled slyly, digging for as many colour co-ordinated dresses she could find.

Ashelin strode through the village with a bundle of red fabric in her arms, still stark naked from her shower. A few of the pirates she passed tried to avert their eyes in fear of her possessive mate, but she knew she had some attention.

She figured this was in her favour anyway, as maybe Vaas feeling some jealousy would help her win this game.

She busted into Earnhardt's hut and dumped her stash on an open bed.

"Do you have a needle and thread?" she asked, and the frazzled doctor gaped at her.

"Do you ever wear any clothes?!" He shielded his eyes with a groan. He'd need extra drugs today. The last thing he needed was Vaas' whore parading her tits around his quiet existence.

"Isn't it obvious I'm trying to make some?" Ashelin motioned to the pile of dresses. "If you don't want to deal with my naked ass then you can help me."

Earnhardt groaned again at her sass. He reached into a nearby drawer and pulled out a sewing kit and a syringe. He briefly considered stabbing her in the forehead with it, but injected himself instead and pulled up a chair.

Vaas strode back to the village from the beach, almost with a skip in his step. His three favourite heads in the sand were still alive and aware, and he enjoyed visiting them from time to time. It never failed to brighten his day.

He stopped dead, however, at the sight of Ashelin helping another pirate carry a crate of mangoes. She was dressed in what looked like a patchwork quilt, from head to toe.

Her gorgeous body was buried under flowing fabric, and she'd even covered her hair. He wouldn't have recognized her if she hadn't been smirking at him.

He clicked his tongue. "Clever, hermana."

It had been days, and Ashelin was frustrated. She could tell from little glances between them that Vaas was longing for her, but it wasn't enough. She'd thought that he would miss her body, and eventually tear her makeshift nun's habit free from her.

But it was taking too long, and she was starting to feel constricted. She had even been sleeping in the outfit, only taking it off to wash it and herself in Earnhardt's hut, much to his dismay.

Upon waking on the fifth day to an empty bed, she ripped herself free of the garment, leaving it in a pile on the floor. She opened Vaas' closet and selected one of his signature red tanks.

After slipping into a set of supportive lingerie, tight khakis, and a pair of combat boots, she donned the tank top. She tied the bottom into a knot at her waist, showing off her tattoo in the back.

After roping her long hair into a thick red braid, she exited the hut in search of a bow.

Vaas watched Ashelin stand at the armory, and had to adjust his half erect cock. She was finally out of that horrible tent she'd been wearing, but this was worse. He raked his eyes over the curve of her ass, the tattoo on her exposed back, his red tank top tied in just the right way to accentuate the swell of her breasts.

He approached her, and it took everything he had not to bend her over right there, punishment be damned. He took comfort in the fact that it was actually a punishment, as she was clearly trying to provoke him. But it was just as difficult for him to keep his hands off of her.

"Tired of hiding, Snowbird?" he drawled, so close behind her that his breath tickled her ear. Ashelin shivered at the sensation. She'd known he was coming up behind her, and had thought that it would be in her favour to play dumb and let him get close.

She regretted that, as heat rose in her belly at his mere proximity.

She turned to face him, smile sugary sweet. "Oh, I thought maybe your men needed something nice to look at for a change."

Vaas growled. "You're playing a dangerous game, hermana." His eyes were hooded, and she felt like she was melting.

"You made the rules," she whispered, "now you have to deal with them."

He chuckled, sticking his tongue between his teeth as he took a deep breath. "Where are you going in my clothes?"

"Hunting." She plucked a large black recurve bow from the wall and ran a finger along the string. "I'm craving meat."

"I bet you are, hermana," Vaas replied, voice husky and dark.

Ashelin tried to hide how turned on she was, and fought the urge to press her thighs together. Instead she batted her eyes at him, and slung a quiver of arrows over her shoulder.

"Enjoy your day, love." She purposely brushed her breast against his bicep as she passed him. "All by yourself, with nobody to play with."

He smirked when she glanced down at the sizeable bulge in his pants. He could see the need in her gaze, and he stretched smugly, giving her a nice view of his rippling shoulders and arms. She stifled a whimper and turned to swagger away, showing off her own assets.

"Oh, and hermana?" Vaas called in a singsong voice, and Ashelin glanced over her shoulder. "If you use any of my men against me, I'll kill you both."

Ashelin wandered back to the village in the late afternoon, a hefty doe slung over her shoulders. She went around the back of the mess hall, where there was a butcher's station beneath an awning.

"Got a present for you, Kellan." She greeted the pirate who was their resident chef.

He whistled long and low. "Nice one." His New Jersey accent always sounded out of place to her amidst the sea of Spanish. When she dumped the carcass on the stainless steel table, he flicked the arrow sticking out of the doe's temple, impressed.

"Can I help?" Ashelin unslung her bow and quiver, propping them up against a nearby stump. Kellan raised an eyebrow in question. "Need to keep my hands busy."

He laughed. "I suppose you teasing the boss these last few days isn't keeping you as busy as you'd like?"

"The bastard is teasing me right back." She scowled.

"Well, maybe chopping up a body will dampen that libido of yours." Kellan winked, and she couldn't help but smile.

As he led her in skinning and disassembling the animal, Ashelin couldn't help but think about what Vaas had said before she left. She was eighty-five percent sure that he wouldn't actually kill her. But she was one hundred percent sure that he would kill whoever she tried to make him jealous with.

She had toyed with the idea of picking a lap at the fire to sit on, with some flirting and mild petting. But that was pretty much a death sentence for the owner of the lap. And at this point, now that Brock and Archon were gone, the pirates left that had survived the attack on Hoyt were loyal. They followed Vaas with vigor and pride, and part of that loyalty included respecting the King's woman.

Ashelin didn't want to be responsible for any of these men dying because she was trying to get laid. And the fallout between her and Vaas could get out of hand. Though she couldn't think of a single thing he could do to her that didn't turn her on.

She sighed. She had to think of another way.

"Well, milady, I think we're done," Kellan announced, shoving the last of the bones into a large tub. He'd chopped them small enough to do a few big pots of stock, so none of the animal was wasted. They'd strung up the hide to dry, and wrapped the different cuts of meat for stewing, roasting and smoking.

"I don't think I've ever been so covered in blood." Ashelin looked down at herself, and he laughed at her.

"I don't need an apron, she said," he mimicked in a high pitch, "It won't be that bad, she said." She flicked her hand at him, spraying red across his face, and they shared another laugh before she started for home.

Vaas lounged on the front porch, feet up, cigarette in hand.

"I love a woman in red," he said with a smirk.

"Being covered in blood is empowering." Ashelin stretched her arms above her head, moaning a little when her back cracked. "Being the provider, hunting for food and cleaning my kill." An idea lit up the center of her brain and she put a hand on her hip, stifling the triumphant expression that threatened to show on her face. "I have to take care of everything around here." She sighed as if the weight of the world were on her shoulders, and strode off to the community shower.

Watching her undress and get wet was excruciating this time around. Vaas went nearly mad with desire for her, his blood pounding so hard he thought his veins would rupture.

But he refused to give in. He wouldn't touch her until she begged for his cock.

He approached the shower, and ran a finger down Ashelin's spine. She shivered despite the warmth and turned around, letting the water cascade over her hard nipples.

Vaas smirked, but she didn't miss the heat in his eyes. She reached up and massaged her neck with her now clean hands. He stifled a moan as she arched her back.

"Need some help, hermana?" His voice was low and challenging, and her lips parted in a whimper.

"No," she breathed. "I can take care of myself just fine." She brushed past him, stalking towards their hut with catlike grace.

He watched the sway of her perfect ass and considered staying put. But he was Vaas fucking Montenegro, and he backed down from no one.

Ashelin didn't have to look behind her—she knew he'd follow her. She could almost feel his presence, that powerful maleness that was all consuming.

Water dripped from her along the floor as she crossed to the comfortable leather chair in the corner. She sat purposefully, slinging one creamy leg over one side, spreading herself wide. She tweaked her nipples with her fingers and let out a moan, eyelids fluttering shut.

Vaas leaned against the doorframe, trying not to physically pant over his woman putting herself on such display for him. Her clit was swollen and pink, perfect pussy moist and he wanted to lap up the nectar like his life depended on it.

Ashelin snaked a hand down her belly, and ever so gently stroked herself, back arching at the delicious friction.

His cock hardened painfully and he wanted to put his fist through the wall in frustration. But he wouldn't let his little slut win this game.

She curled her toes as she sped up her fingers, shifting so that her head fell back over the arm of the seat, crimson hair touching the floor.

Vaas stalked around her, watching the rise and fall of her chest as she mewled in pleasure. He grabbed the back of the chair and shoved it into the center of the room so hard she almost tumbled out of it.

Her eyes met his as he leaned casually over the back, smirking down at her.

"You sure you can take care of yourself, hermana?" he asked, voice low and menacing.

Ashelin moaned in response, eyelids sliding closed again as her fingers quickened their pace on her clit.

"I don't think you can." He circled her like a lion ready to strike, leaning in so she could hear every gravelly syllable. "You could come all over your hand a thousand times but never be satisfied by anything but my fuckin' cock."

She writhed, body aflame at his words. He was so right, she knew it, and her core felt so empty despite her building orgasm.

Vaas leaned over her, hands gripping the chair and his breath tickling her throat. Intensity rolled off of him, and she felt drunk off of it even though he wasn't physically touching her.

"You need it," he purred, "tell me how bad you want me to fill that whore's cunt."

Ashelin bit her lip to keep from crying out a declaration in response. Her body stiffened as she started to fall over the edge of orgasm, and then Vaas finally touched her.

Realization hit her as her orgasm did not, and he smirked cruelly as he pinned her wrists together in one massive hand.

"Fuck," she whined, eyes frantically flying open as her legs squeezed shut. He thrust a thigh between her knees so that she couldn't writhe herself to pleasure, and she shoved against his rock hard body in frustration.

"Did you really think I'd let you come, hermana?" He sneered, not moving an inch over her small frame. "You hide that luscious body under a hideous sack, then strut around in my fucking shirt. Now you drip water all over my fucking house and rub yourself like a bitch in heat." He lowered his lips to her ear, nipping at her lobe lightly. "And you think I'd let you come?"

Ashelin's head spun. Her pussy throbbed with need, painfully aware of the loss it had just suffered.

"Give it up." Vaas' lips were so close to the hypersensitive skin of her neck. "Beg for my cock." She squeezed her eyes shut and a half sob, half moan escaped her lips. He growled at her defiance and shifted her to an upright position, still holding her wrists in a vicelike grip as he lowered himself to his knees on the floor.

He breathed against her clit and she spread her legs painfully wide, trying to push herself against his mouth. He laughed at her folly, and ran his tongue over her thigh. Tears sprung to the corners of her eyes, but still she refused to beg him. She wanted to win this, she wanted him to lose control and give in and fuck her.

But she knew she was his. She knew she'd lose. He was too much. He had control over her body and mind that was all consuming, and she knew no matter how desperate she made him, she'd always be at his mercy.

That thought almost made her come right there, and she writhed again, whimpering.

Vaas moved Ashelin's wrists into one hand and backhanded her with the other, her head snapping to the side with the force of it. She squeaked in surprise and euphoria, relishing in the harsh contact.

"My little slut likes it so rough," he growled. He smirked and let go of her hands, snaking his arms gently around her back. "Does gentleness leave you unsatisfied?" He drew her against his hard body, and she gasped as her painfully hard nipples brushed his chiseled chest. He stroked her back with feather light touch, trailing kisses down her collarbone.

She wrapped her legs around his waist, gasping at the feel of his steel dick through his pants. She needed him, she needed him so badly.

"You want me to take you slow?" Vaas asked, running a hand gently down her still damp red locks. "Kiss you soft, like a fucking gentleman?" He claimed her lips in a sweet, chaste kiss. Ashelin groaned with need and bit down on his lower lip.

He laughed at her. "You don't want a romantic hero, hermana?" he teased, and reached down to run his thumb ever so lightly up her clit. She shrieked at the contact, thrusting her hips forward, and he continued to laugh, pulling his hand away.

"Fuck!" she cried, and punched him square in the jaw.

He turned his face back to her, eyes maniacal, and even in her wild haze she felt a pang of triumph. He gripped her throat and shoved her against the chair, twisting a nipple cruelly in his other hand.

"You want me to put you in a cage?" His voice had an edge to it, that psychotic edge that she loved so much. This unpredictable creature of the jungle, that would kill at the drop of a hat. "Tie your hands so you can't touch yourself, and visit you every hour to tease you, make you almost come, then leave you? Do you fucking. Want. That." He tightened his hold on her throat and she gasped for air.

She knew he would do it. And she knew that she couldn't handle it. Maybe for a while, but could she endure that just to prove a point? When she knew that she'd give in anyway? As stars filled her vision, she knew this was it. She was wetter than she'd ever been in her life and Vaas held that life in his calloused hand.

"P-please," she choked out, and he loosened his grip slightly to let her speak.

"Please what, hermana?!" he screamed in her face, twisting her nipple again.

"Please, fuck me," she gasped, "please, I need you... please..."

Vaas freed himself from his pants and slammed into her, and Ashelin's world exploded. She threw her arms around his shoulders and dug her nails into his back as he grasped her hips and mercilessly pounded her.

They clung to each other with animalistic fury and she came apart around him, biting into his neck and screaming into his skin. She felt so alive, so complete, so utterly and inexorably his.

The feel of his length stretching her, filling her, throttling her.

The sensation of her cunt clenching around him, the smell of sex and need like a rainstorm.

He came with a roar, burying himself deep as he pulsated inside her slick heat.

They collapsed onto the floor, a tangle of limbs slippery with sweat. Their breaths hard and laboured, still clutching each other like their very lives depended on it.

Ashelin reached up and gently stroked his mohawk, placing a lazy kiss on his neck. Vaas ran a large hand over the tattoo he'd branded on her what seemed like a lifetime ago.

Something swelled in his chest and he grasped her chin, crushing his lips against hers in a bruising kiss.

I love you, Snowbird.