Over steaks in a quaint little restaurant down by the waterfront, they had indeed discussed her testimony and the questions he would put to her and what Blake was likely to ask her on cross-examination. She had remarked on their combative ways, and that had elicited a hearty bout of laughter from Christian. He had said they had done battle numerous times before, but once they stepped out of the courtroom, they put their professional relationship aside and were actually quite good friends who hung out and enjoyed the San Francisco social scene together. Feeling a bit flirtatious, she had said she could see how two attractive men like he and Blake probably did quite well with the young women of the Bay Area.
After the dinner, at Christian’s suggestion, the pair had caught a cable car to an art gallery that was open during the evening hours in the downtown area. Clearly, he wasn’t eager to have the date end any sooner than she was, so she had readily agreed. She had seen many numerous works of art that night that she knew Honor Elizabeth would appreciate were she to see them. To her annoyance though, she knew her sister wouldn’t have been seeing them in this gallery, as she had seen a sign on the door saying Orientals and coloreds not allowed. When she had seen that, she hadn’t even wanted to go in, but she didn’t wish to spoil the evening for Christian, so they had entered.
In the end, she hadn't been sorry to have entered. Inside she had come upon a portrait of a woman she had never heard of before, but she had been astonished how finely done the work of art was. The detail that had gone into the brush strokes had amazed her. The woman in the picture was wearing a contemporary nineteenth-century dress, so that had told her this was likely a recent work. Inquiring about it from the snooty, gaunt gallery director who sported a fresh carnation in his lapel, he had told her it was a recent acquisition featuring the woman who had recently passed but had been a loyal donor to the establishment. Her grieving husband had felt it belonged there and had donated it. The man had then escorted the couple around, and she saw two more works by the artist, this time landscapes, that were for sale. Cassandra had inquired more about the artist and after what she learned, a seed of an idea was planted in her head.
After that, they had called it an early night as the following day would be the final day of the trial, and they both needed to be rested and prepared for it. A handshake had ended the night, but Cassandra had made a silent vow that once the trial was over and before she headed home … well, she would see that things went well beyond a professional level. The look of interest that shone in his eyes told her that would be a much easier feat than the capture of Coltrane had proved to be.
In the end, it had only taken the jury three hours to deliberate, and Cassandra's lips had turned upward in a smile as she watched the expressions she had predicted blossom on the bank robbers' faces as the verdict and the sentence was handed down. Guilty on both counts of bank robbery and murder … the sentence was death. The crowd had erupted in enthusiastic applause quickly followed by the judge slamming his gavel down in anger over the display. Out of the corner of her eye, she had watched Christian shake hands with Blake and whisper something into his ear. Soon after she had departed for her hotel with plans for Christian to meet her there in the bar in the late afternoon.
To her surprise, when he had shown up later, he had not come alone. Christian had formally introduced her to Blake, who had kissed her hand and gave her a look that clued her to a hint of mischievousness in his eyes. The man explained that it was a tradition that the loser buys the winner a round of drinks after the trial was over, and when Christian said he was coming to Telegraph Hill, he'd offered Blake to come along and buy him his drinks there.
"I hope you don't mind Cassandra," Christian had said, and in fact, she didn't mind at all. The company of two fine looking gentlemen would be welcome, though she had no idea at that moment that they had much, much more planned for her beyond a round of drinks. The trio had spent a good hour drinking, and she had enjoyed a king's ransom worth of flirting from both of her gentlemen companions before Blake had opened a door a crack on what they were really interested in for the evening.
"Your testimony tells me that you are a most bold woman indeed Cassandra," he had said with a grin, and Christian had picked up the thread. "Blake is right. I'm of a mind to believe that there isn't anything that you wouldn't take on, given a chance. No adventure you would shy away from."
"You'd be correct," she had replied to him as she idly swished around the small glass of brandy that she held in her hand. "Adventure comes hand in hand with my work as a lawman. But you know that" The two men nodded, as she had relayed more than one of her adventures with her three formidable sisters over their drinks.
“There are … other kinds of adventures in this world as well,” Christian said with a pause as he reached out and took her hand with the glass and brought it down to the table, his index finger trailing over the top of her hand.
“Ones my friend and I don’t think you would turn your back on … if presented with the chance,” Blake had continued as his fingers began tracing over her other hand that rested on the table. For a moment she looked around the hotel bar to see if anyone was paying attention to the trio, but they were not. Many were discussing the trial and sharing the evening edition paper that contained the verdict, oblivious to the fact that three key players were right there in their midst.
Cassandra had shifted her eyes between the two men, and she saw it on their faces and knew what they were suggesting. She relaxed her mind and pictured just what it would be like if she invited them both back to her room. Cassandra had already decided the previous night that she was going to sleep with Owen Christian, that had been a given. The four sisters had a saying that a Wilde always got their man, one way or another. With a sultry grin, she had changed it up slightly in her mind … a Wilde always gets their men. She felt a tingling in the pit of her stomach that seemed to flow … downward. She was going to do this.
Cassandra freed both of her hands from the men's touch and stood up. She lowered her eyelids and then brought them up, signaling the men to rise, which they did. Standing between the duo, she lowered her voice so only they could hear. She said two words, one in the ear of one man and the second in the other. To Christian, she had said fuck and to Blake, it had been me.
***
Now the moment had come, and she was more than ready for it. This was one occasion in her life that it didn't mind being outnumbered; she reveled in it. Cassandra let go of Christian's hand and pushed Blake onto the bed. The shorter man was the first meal she desired to have. She joined him on the bed, yanking at his trousers and underpants and finally getting them out of the way. Once his cock was free and accessible to her, she licked the palm of her hand and took hold of it and began jerking it, loving the anticipating look on Blake's face.
He wanted his dick deep in her mouth, didn't he? And that was precisely what she was going to give him. Once she maneuvered his vein-striped cock into her mouth, a loud gasp escaped him. He buried his fingers in her hair and caressed her scalp, getting her to moan with lust as he filled her entire throat with his rod. "Fuck, woman!" he heard the man mumble in pleasure. The corner of her eyes creased to betray her mirth. She was just getting started; these men hadn’t seen anything yet.
Cassandra became aware of fingers caressing her thighs and the lips of her honeywell. They were Christian's. He was obviously lustful, having to watch her suck the life out of Blake's cock. He fingered her raucously, sometimes bending low to fill her insides with his tongue, sending undulating waves of pleasure through her quaking form. When his lips found her little sensitive button, Cassandra barely managed to avoid from biting hard on Blake’s cock in order to control the electrifying jolts that coursed through her spine. She was losing control – all of it – and it was only a matter of time before the room echoed with her long, loud, but satisfying moans.
“Here.” Blake finally said, getting her to stand on her knees to look at him. He adjusted his body on the bed and pointed to hi
s cock. “Ride it.” he said. She nodded, wanting nothing else than to have his fat cock deep into her dripping wet hole. She wondered how Christian would please himself while that was happening, but it was already too late to consider his pleasure. Blake held her waist and lifted her atop him. He placed her thighs right above his erect cock and by the time Cassandra dropped, he was deep inside her – deeper than she had expected.
“Oh God! Feels so good!” she heard him groan as she tried failingly to stifle a moan of her own.
"Let it out." he encouraged, and she danced to his tune. Placing her palms on his broad chest, she moved for the first time, dancing on his cock, panting in pleasure as her entire body shook with so much lust. Cassandra fell above him but with her pussy still tightening around his cock. With her eyes fluttering, she became aware of Christian inching up behind her, he held out his hand and said one word.
“Spit.”
What is he….? She had no idea what he was up to, but she was game to find out and did as he requested into the palm of his hand that he quickly withdrew. It suddenly dawned on her what he was up to a split second before he carried it out. Christian knelt behind her, held her waist and having used her saliva to lube himself up, and he penetrated her ass with his cock. As it went in, she had expected discomfort from having two big cocks inside of her at the same time, but what she felt turned out far more magical and too thrilling to be real. Her eyes went wide with awe while her inside walls shook with delight. Cassandra felt her thighs going ecstatic with want while she began to thrust, desiring both cocks deeper inside of her.
"Cassandra…." both men breathed, but she wasn't listening. She bounced her shapely behind all over their cocks, filling her holes with them. Once she felt her body reeling with exhaustion, she fell above Blake again, giving Christian ample opportunity to hold her waist and thrust deeper inside her. His thrusts were careful, but they were rather deep, and they were fast. As he pounded away at her, she throbbed as overbearing pleasure swept through her entire body, leaving her holding her breath. Her heart paced rapidly against her chest while she felt tingling sensations coursing through her thighs and knees. When she breathed, it was to let out a shriek of pleasure they probably could have heard all the way to that Alcatraz Island out in the bay.
Eventually, Christian pulled out of her and crawled away from them so that Blake could change positions. Cassandra was on all fours now with the defense lawyer Blake on his knees in front of her and the prosecutor Christian prepared, at last, to get his turn inside her moist tunnel. Sliding into her and thrusting so hard, she felt the tip of his cock deep down in her abdomen. In front of her, Blake rammed his dick into her mouth without warning.
“Yes.” She heard him groan. “Suck it. I’m damn close. Show me what you can do you Arizona beauty!”
Cassandra didn’t know what was more satisfying – the fact that she was close to her climax herself or the fact that he was. She found now that she couldn’t mutter a word and as the sweat poured down from her mane of hair all she could do was to wait for it – her own climax – and hope to God that it didn’t consume her to absolute exhaustion.
Blake was the first to groan out with pleasure as he welcomed his climax. He thrust a final time into her mouth, groaned out the word, "there" repeatedly and then splashed his warm juices deep into her throat. Cassandra felt her womanhood throbbing with ecstasy as she came the same time that Christian thrust his last and pulled out of her. His full load splashed all over her the curve of her ass, some of it escaping down her back thighs with a warm tingling. Slowly, her knees gave way and Cassandra fell beside Blake, allowing the attorney to pull her into a warm embrace. He nuzzled her neck while she closed her eyes, washed up with exhaustion.
Christian maneuvered to lay on the other side too and she drowsily turned to kiss his lips. Contentedly she thought of how she had a long journey back to Alamieda and Cedar Ledge but her final night in San Francisco was one she'd never forget for the rest of her life. Afterward, with both men wrapped around her, she drifted off to sleep, entirely gratified.
CHAPTER 10
ARIZONA TERRITORY
THREE DAYS LATER
It was a view to a kill.
The bird of prey had been stalking the scampering rabbit for the better part of ten minutes from on high. Finally, on the ground far below, the hawk's intended meal came to a halt. Why it had stopped and what it was doing was no concern to the airborne raptor. All that mattered now was the anticipation of its claws snatching the hapless prey and carrying it aloft to make an excellent meal.
As it swooped down from the heavens, suddenly, the rabbit became alert, its head began bobbing around. It was going to bolt; the bird was sure of it and increased its dive … but it was too late. Something sent the rabbit fleeing, and seconds later it disappeared down a hole as it if never existed.
A cry of livid protest burst from the hawk’s beak as it swung around and headed skyward to see what it was that had frightened off its kill. Still cawing angrily as it flew back into the heavens, it took a final look down at the creatures that had robbed it of victory.
Billowing dust rose high in the air tracing a line across the sunbaked terrain as the four riders galloped in their mad dash towards Crabwell Junction. The sinewy muscles of the quartet of assorted mounts rippled beneath their flesh, and the thunder of their hooves pounding against the hard earth filled the ears of those leaning forward in their saddles. They were pushing their mounts to their limits, and with good cause—it was a matter of life and death for an unknown number of men, women, and children. Counted among those in peril, who to three amongst them, was one extraordinary woman and she was one of their own.
***
CEDAR LEDGE RANCH
Alamieda, Arizona
EARLIER
The servants’ quarters behind the expansive kitchen in the Cedar Ledge ranch house may not have been roomy, but it had been constructed to be as well appointed as the rest of the house that was the province of the Wilde family. This concern for their workers was a detail that Catalina’s mother Mercedes had made sure was incorporated into the ranch house while she and Whip designed it on lazy summer afternoons as the newlyweds planned the home that would house perhaps the West’s most unique family.
Mercedes was emulating how the Corderros had provided their own servants employed at their hacienda that overlooked the lush vineyards that had put the family on the map as one of the premier vintners in all of Mexico. She had told Whip how so many of their people had been with them for many years just because they were so well taken care of. It was something she had intended to do at their ranch. After her death, Whip had always made sure this wish of hers was honored.
On this morning, Lijuan Wilde sat at the table in the center of the room, having chosen to take her breakfast in their small dining area, to avoid dining at the family's table. With careful precision, she attempted to manipulate the chopsticks in her hand to seize a piece of the crisp bacon old Mrs. Chow had prepared for her a few minutes ago. It was an exercise in frustration as it always was. She simply could not master them.
Lijuan's Chinese heritage was important to her, as it was one of the few links she had to a mother she had never known. She had been born off the coast of China, but her time there had been fleeting with no memory of it, having been an infant. Lijuan had grown up in America, first in Philadelphia and then Arizona after the family had pulled up stakes following the untimely death of the mother of Honor Elizabeth.
Not long after arriving in the West, Whip had hired another pair of new arrivals, the Chows, to work at the ranch as the cook and handyman, but their dual purpose was to school Lijuan in her Chinese heritage. She had learned so much about her homeland from them, and not just its customs and history, but also Mr. Chow had taught her how to defend herself using fighting skills used only in that far-off land. To this day she could employ them without even thinking, but something as simple as the chopsticks she simply could not get the hang of!
&
nbsp; In frustration, she hurled them across the room, and they smashed into the wall just to the left of where Mrs. Chow had just opened the door from the kitchen, a glass of orange juice in her hand that Lijuan had asked for. Mortified, Lijuan leaped to her feet and apologized. She never had any issue being the hot-tempered hellcat she was known as far and wide, but Mrs. Chow was the one person in the world that she only wished to please and wanted to be seen in a good light by. Indeed, she was the closest thing to a grandmother she would ever know.
“No worry!” Mrs. Chow plunked the orange juice down next to her and waved for her to sit back down. “You learn some day.”
“I’m glad you think so! I don’t know how you and Mr. Chow do it.”
"Never you mind that. Why you here, Miss Lijuan?" The older woman fixed her gaze on her. She knew full well why Lijuan had taken her meal in the servants' area. She had done it out of consideration for her youngest sister, Catalina, who she loved dearly. When coming down for breakfast not long ago and before entering the dining room, she had found that Catalina and Bright Feather were already eating at the family table. She had recalled that the night before, Catalina had said she was going to be taking a couple of days off, leaving their cattle operations in the hands of the foreman, and would be joining her best friend, Bright Feather, for a stay with the Hala tribe that Bright Feather hailed from.
Though she would be sorry to see Catalina gone for a couple of days, she was more than happy to be rid of Bright Feather. Lijuan didn't care for the Yavapai woman and hadn't ever since the day she reinserted herself into their lives following a seven-year sojourn across the Southwest. Unfortunately for Lijuan, there was a good reason for her presence, as she was also the half-sister to their youngest brother Blue River. However, her ties became even more profound than that when she had launched into a full-blown love affair with her brother David whom she could not bring herself to call by his nickname Dutch. Being around David had put her in Catalina's orbit, and the pair had become fast friends. All this had been happening while she was at college with Honor Elizabeth in far-off New York. Upon returning, she had found Bright Feather solidly entrenched into the lives of the Wildes.
River 0f Death: Cassandra Wilde Adult Western (Half Breed Haven Book 13) Page 7