“Of course, Captain.There you are.”
“Thank you,” I murmured, touched that the captain would go to such lengths for me.I shouldn’t have been surprised.He took good care of my needs and my comfort.
Martinéz left and closed the door.Dinesh poured the steaming water into the wash basin and wetted the cloth.Then he wrung the water out and brought the washcloth over.
“Close your eyes, and simply enjoy.”
He arranged the steaming towel across my chin, then folded the ends over my eyes, so my entire face, but for my nostrils, became suffused with warmth.
“Good?”Dinesh asked.
“Aye,” I sighed.
“The heat will soften the hairs and open the pores of your skin to make the going easier and the result smoother.”
I drifted on a plane of relaxation whilst Dinesh repeated this process three times, since the towel only stayed warm for a short while.
I listened to the burr of the razor being stropped, back and forth, back and forth.Then to the swish of the shaving brush against the fine Castille soap.The heat from the warm towel helped me to drift in and out of awareness.My mind wandered as the captain prepared for the task at hand.
“All right,” the captain murmured as he removed the final towel from my face.“I’m going to use some fragranced oil on your skin, to make everything soft.”
“Mmm,” I hummed, enjoying the pampering, even though I was a tad nervous about letting him hold a sharp razor to my neck.
At least the sea was calm this morning.If the weather had been rough, I might have tried to put him off.
I was reminded of the first time he’d given my hair a trim after he’d treated me to a proper bath to remove the filth of several months.Captain Martin had a range of skills, to be sure, and he’d attended to my hair regularly since then as I liked to keep my locks on the shorter side, but feathered around my ears and neck.The captain rarely needed a trim as he kept his long and tied back with a ribbon during the day.
The scent of jasmine and orange filled my nostrils as the captain poured oil from a small vial into his palms and proceeded to smooth the mixture into the skin of my face.
“That smells good,” I said.“Fancy having all of these fine things on board.”
“I’m quite a collector.”
“Aye, I’m aware.”
Dinesh had already introduced me to a number of unique implements that he’d discovered on one of the ships they’d ransacked.
“Well.You never know what you might find on any of these merchant vessels.They are generally delivering items of quality for the upper classes.Which makes their appropriation for my personal…benefit…all the more enjoyable.”
“And advantages me as well,” I murmured, gazing up at him as he used his sensitive and skilled fingers in ways I wasn’t used to, but that had some of the same effects.“That feels quite good.You’re bringing me to a half-stand, you know.”
He chuckled.“Well, that’s not surprising, seeing how responsive you are to touching in general.”
He had a point.
“You had better settle down, however, as you don’t want to make any sudden movements for the next little while.”
“Of course, Captain.I shall endeavour to control my ardour.”
“Good lad.Now I must request that you stop talking so that I can do my job properly.”
I shut my mouth and closed my eyes, submitting to his care.The situation wasn’t all that dissimilar to our usual dynamic, when he would subdue me in ropes and have his wicked way with me.Perhaps that was contributing to my response.
He used the soft brush to rub the soapy froth into my short beard, ensuring that the hairs were covered well.Then he grasped the tip of my nose between his fingers, pulling upward to keep the skin taut, and applied the razor to my sparse moustache.He used a gentle touch to position my head as needed, and took his time shaving my cheeks and chin with short, careful strokes.He was taking great care, and I was able to relax and not be concerned that he might make a wrong move with the sharp blade.
After a long space of time, during which I had to fight to stay awake as the captain’s attentions were so soothing and the scent of the oil and soap so pleasant, he made a contented noise and used a towel to wipe my face clean.
“One more go-over and that should do it.”
