"For what?" she asked.
"For this," he dropped his eyes and his fingers stiffly worked at a few buttons. "Want me to stop?"
She shook her head. “But maybe you should.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m scared,” she said. “I’m worried I won’t please you and I also know if I please one of you, I can’t do it without hurting the feelings of the other two.”
“Is that what you think?”
“Yes,” she said. “And I’d like to know what it’s like to be with all of you anyway.”
“At the same time?”
His dick went wild twitching up a storm underneath his buckskins. He licked his lips and that’s when it occurred to him. He’d never kissed her like a man kisses a woman. His mouth watered all the more.
“I’ll have to think on it,” she said. “After I study on it for a bit, I’ll let you know.”
“Okay,” he said. “Fair enough.”
“Clay?” She tried to get up. “You can let me go now. I need to fill the canteens.
He watched her mouth. “Yeah, you need to fetch some water, I reckon.”
“Let me go then,” she whispered.
He bit his lower lip and then moved up, shifted himself against her and slanted his lips over hers for a fulfilling kiss. Long enough to make an impression, but too short to make a lasting one, he kissed her like a woman expects to kiss for the first time. He held her close and tried his damndest not to get carried away. He reminded himself to kiss her like a man kisses a woman he’s not fucked before. A gentleman’s kiss, that’s what he gave her.
Only his mind quickly revisited an image he’d never forget. He wasn’t unfamiliar with her. Only hours earlier, he saw her pretty little pussy close up and so help him, he couldn’t wait to slip inside the tight cave that clung to his fingers and then dripped with her pleasure.
He broke the kiss, forced himself to his feet, and pulled her with him. “Get on down there and get some water and do your business if you gotta go.”
“You coming?” she called out behind her when she started for the others.
“Not yet but when I do, I’ll holler.” And maybe even whistle a sexy little tune.
Chapter Four
Cripple Creek, on first sighting, did not impress Emily in the least. The saloons were on either side of the dirt road leading through the town center and from what she could tell, women were hell bent on selling more than a little sugar.
She kept glancing from Clay to Luke. Levi had control of the team for most of the day and he was ready to find a hotel. Emily understood all of his reasons. He said he was tuckered out but she knew better. He wanted to find a bed for the best of intended purposes.
A painted sign hung lopsided, but barely, over a nailed-up board that used to read 'rent a girl'. It now advertised 'furnished rooms'. Clay shrugged when Levi stopped the wagon in front of the place.
Emily smoothed her hands over her dress. "I'm not staying here," she announced.
Clay's mouth looked like it shrugged. His top lip curled under his teeth before he dared to ask. "Do you mind to tell me what's wrong with this place?"
She glared at the two story building. "It looks like it's old and ready to fall down."
"It's not gonna collapse and the sign says 'furnished rooms'. I doubt you wanna sleep on the floor somewhere.”
"No, and I don't want to sleep in a bed where a whore used to sleep." She pointed to the sign. "Did you notice what it said there before?”
"Yep, sure enough, I read it," Levi said jumping down. "It's one of the reasons I think we should stay here."
"Wrong thing to say, bright one," Luke said.
"Honey, in case you didn't know, that's probably been some time ago. Those rent-a-girl signs are hardly appropriate in this town anymore."
"What's so special about this town now?" she asked.
An old man sat on the front porch with his legs crossed at his ankles and he thoughtfully observed them. "Gold," he said, "and plenty of it."
The fella kept his focus on her after she made such an open accusation about his establishment. He probably considered it an outright slander to the working class that once occupied his rooms.
"Clay, you and Luke promised me a home," she purred.
"Hell, honey, we're hardly in position to find one just two or three minutes after riding into town. Besides, I'd like to wash up, get a bite to eat, and a good, long—"
"Watch it, Clay," Luke warned. "I don't think she's in the mood right now."
She crossed her arms. "No, I'm not."
"Suit yourself." Clay shrugged. "Come on, Levi. Let Luke handle her. I don't do well with mad hens."
Before he walked away from her, she picked up a canteen and slung it at him. "Damn you, Clay. You said, you'd find me a home and you didn't say nothing at all about making me sleep where whores once slept."
“Well, since you put it that way, woman.” Clay ran his hand over his face and smiled mischievously. “I’ll just tell ya. I don’t think the women who stayed here got a lot of sleepin’ done. There was plenty of fuckin’ if I had to guess.”
The fellow in the chair, kicked his feet up, folded his arms across his chest and watched with adamant curiosity and amusement. "There's a hotel about another two or three buildings down here on the left. Trouble with that, missy," he rubbernecked it enough to see her, "that's where the whores stay now. You might not want your fellow around the kind we have here."
"Don't worry about my fellas," she said without thinking.
"Well, I'll be damned." He stuck a straw in the corner of his mouth. "You're one yourself."
"Here, now!" Clay shouted at him.
"Well, ain't she? If she's spreading her legs for all of you, that's a might judgmental of her to call our gals around here whores."
"She's not sleeping with any of us… yet," Clay complained as he walked into the rundown building. "You care to show her one of your rooms?"
"Sure, I'll be happy to do that right after our servants get back from picking the splinters out of the last ass we kissed around here."
Brooding now, Luke stepped forward. "What's your name?"
"Percy. I own this joint and have a right mind to do all right with it every now and then. The rooms are clean, the beds are made with fresh sheets, and the price is right. For what you want to do with her, I imagine it's gonna suit."
Luke pursed his lips and reminded Clay. "She don't wanna stay here."
"It's either here or under the open sky. Tell her that and see if she don't change her mind," Clay snapped.
Luke swatted his hat in his hand, ran his fingers through his hair and headed back outside. "Clay said here or the open sky, take your pick."
She quickly stood up to argue but then sank back to the blankets. "I'll take the open sky, thank you very much."
Levi yanked her up and pulled her over his shoulder all in one move. "I think not, Miss Masterson. I am pretty damn tired. The livery stable is over there across the street and they have clean rooms and a bed here, which I plan to use with you. We're staying." He kicked up some dirt and made his way to the plank porch. "And we're gonna need two rooms," he said to the man who introduced himself as Percy.
"Put me down now," she ordered as she kicked.
"Stop moving around this very second or I'll slide my hand under your dress and fuck you with my fingers right here and now."
Her body stopped twitching at once. "You'll pay for this" she promised through gritted teeth.
"I hope so, Emily. We all hope so."
“Two rooms?” Percy asked.
“Yes, side by side if you got it,” Clay added.
The older man pursed his lips and narrowed his gaze. “What will you give me for the owner’s special?” He tried to up-sell his upgraded accommodations, probably his own private quarters within the rooming house.
Luke considered the newly presented option before he responded. “This owner’s suite, is it here or somewhere close to town?”
“Oh no, boy, it’s my house. It’s right over there.”