"All I want is to get out of here," Eugenia said, sobbing once again, tasting the saltiness of her tears as they rolled down into her mouth.
"I deem that impossible," Madam Valerie said, stepping aside, opening the door once again.
Eugenia's eyes widened as she saw a short Japanese man standing in the hallway, his eyes settling on her as he entered the room.
"I think she can stand a few ounces of morphine in her arm," Madam Valerie said, stepping aside so the small man could approach Eugenia.
Eugenia's eyes widened when she saw what he had in his hand, pushing it toward her. It was a hypodermic syringe. Filled with a liquid. Now she knew what had happened earlier. She had been drugged. Possibly in her coffee. But now? To be given an injection to drug her? She felt her knees grow weak as Madam Valerie stepped to her side and held her tightly, making it impossible for Eugenia to fight against the sharp needle as it entered, making prickling sensations begin to surge up her arm and then on upward to her brain. She felt the lethargy begin to sweep over her once again. But this time not entirely. She felt as though she could laugh instead of cry. Even the colors of the room were more brilliant to her. She could still feel Madam Valerie's hands holding her. She turned her head and stared into Madam Valerie's eyes, smiling, wanting even to hug her.
Madam Valerie sensed the completeness of the drug's effect and released Eugenia. "There. See?" she murmured, running her fingers through Eugenia's hair. "It's not so bad after all, is it, honey?"
Eugenia swayed against Madam Valerie, suddenly aware of the sweet smell of this lady next to her. It was even more of a refreshing aroma than she had smelled while taking a bath. She placed her hand on Madam Valerie's arm and squeezed it. "I'm sorry if I caused you any trouble," she said, slurring her speech. "You're really very nice. I'm really sorry."
Madam Valerie's eyes went to the little gentleman still standing beside her. "You can go now," she said. "You've delivered the best stuff again this time. I'll remember with the best of what I have. Whenever you desire. Just come to me. I'll place you in the hands of whatever woman you choose."
A smile creased this short man's face, making his eyes seem less slanted. He nodded, bowed deeply, then disappeared from sight.
Eugenia scooted her feet along the softness of the carpet, feeling as though she was floating on a cloud. Then she fell into a heap across the bed. She didn't see Madam Valerie close the door. She didn't even see when Madam Valerie began to disrobe beside her. All Eugenia was aware of was the complete peacefulness of her mind, not caring for anything but the sensuousness of these feelings. When she felt a body slide beside her own she turned and welcomed it.
"I knew the minute I saw you that I had to have you," Madam Valerie whispered. Her fingers traced a path along Eugenia's stomach, downward, to rest between her thighs. "Touch my tits with your hands," Madam Valerie instructed, guiding Eugenia's fingers.
Still lost in the drugged stupor, Eugenia found the drooping hand-ful of skin and clung to it, squeezing until Madam Valerie began to swoon noisily.
"Oh, yes," Madam Valerie mumbled, then found Eugenia's mouth with her lips and crushed her red painted mouth over Eugenia's, kissing, sucking, plunging her tongue into Eugenia's mouth. But all was brought to an abrupt halt when the bedroom door burst open wildly. Through Eugenia's haze, she could see another female standing inside the room with her hands on hips. She felt the weight of Madam Valerie leave the bed beside her and watched as she went to the waiting female.
"What the hell do you think you're doing bursting in here like this?" Madam Valerie snarled, slapping the intruder's face.
"You shouldn't be doing that with her," the girl cried, rubbing her face. "You said I was the only one you did that with."
"After tonight, you won't even be a part of my house," Madam Valerie stormed, starting to dress. "You get your things and get out of here. Do you hear?"
"You'll be sorry," the girl yelled loudly. "I'll get you for this. Just you wait and see."
"Get out. Now!" Madam Valerie said more firmly, buttoning the last button on her red velvet dress. She turned and looked toward Eugenia who was still lying prone, so drugged she didn't care if she was nude and had just been partially seduced by a woman.
"I'll get to you later," Madam Valerie hissed, then left the room, slamming the door behind her.
Eugenia moved over to lie on her stomach. She fell into a disturbed sleep. Tears were wetting her cheeks. She was not able to rid herself of her complete helplessness. She only hoped that someone could rescue her. She didn't want anymore of those terrible injections. And she didn't want anyone else touching her body. She had only wanted Drew. She cried, her thoughts turning to words. "Drew… Drew… where are you? Why can't you come and rescue me."
The night sounds outside the window were much different than the night sounds of her parents' homestead. Through her dizziness, she could hear horse's hoofs against the street, the laughter of drunken men, the screams and shouts of men in fights, and the laughter of the women who were in search of a man.
Even though the effects of the injection of morphine were slowly beginning to wear off, it didn't decrease Eugenia's feeling of building helplessness. She bit her lower lip and touching her sore, abused body, she wanted to die.
* * *
Chapter Four
Buttoning the mother-of-pearl buttons on her clean flowered dress, Eugenia listened more closely. She was glad to hear that the commotion outside her door had died down to a silence. Earlier in the morning it had awakened her with a start. The shuffling of many feet, the voices of men, and the whispers of girls. It had only added to her fear when she had suddenly realized where she was. She could still feel the sick feeling of rage and disgust flowing through her veins with her continuing thoughts of what Madam Valerie had led her into. Tears brimmed in her eyes, and she thought that she would never be the same again. She was tarnished. Now, a decent, God-fearing man wouldn't even look at her, let alone touch her. She felt as though it was written all over her that she had been used in such unthinkable ways.
Turning to the mirror on the wardrobe, Eugenia began to run her fingers over her face. The red of the sunburn had faded. Then she noticed the thin lines around her full, protruding lips. She was only sixteen but was already feeling, and looking, like she was twenty. What could she do? She hadn't experienced life yet, but yet she felt as though it had come to an end. Already. And she attributed it to this Madam Valerie. Oh, how she hated her. She had never wished anyone dead before, but she did now. Even though Eugenia had been heavily drugged the night before, she could still feel the woman's fingers and tongue on her body, making feelings similar to what Drew had done to her sweep over her body. She couldn't understand how and didn't want it to ever happen again. If it did, she would most surely kill herself. She couldn't live that type of life, one of constant degradation.
Going to the one window in the room, Eugenia tried to push it up, but only succeeded at weakening herself even more than she already was. It was quite evident that she was to be a prisoner, until Madam Valerie tired of her. She hurried to the door and tried the knob once again and was startled when she felt the door open suddenly, hitting against her, knocking her down onto the floor.
"Oh, I'm sorry," the girl who entered said. "I didn't know you were standing there. Here, let me help you up."
Eugenia hesitated, then put her hand toward the girl, now remembering where she had seen her. She was the girl who had intruded on Madam Valerie's fun the past evening. And except for the black eye on this girl's face, she so resembled Eugenia's sister Elizabeth. She was so tiny and frail, with long black curls hanging around her shoulders and the palest of blue eyes that appeared to be bottomless. The girl's dress of silk rustled as she bent down and placed a hand on Eugenia's arm, guiding her upward.
"I thought Madam Valerie made you leave," Eugenia said, vaguely remembering the details of the past evening; enough so to shudder inwardly.
The girl laughed lightly.
"Madam Valerie won't be telling anyone what to do anymore," she said, walking to a chair and sitting down.
Eugenia pushed some stray strands of hair back out of her eyes, standing immobile, afraid to move. She wondered about this girl who didn't seem to fit into this setting somehow. Her eyes seemed to dance as she talked, and she seemed so young, so educated.
"What do you mean?" Eugenia asked.
A look of triumph shadowed this girl's face. "She's dead," she said, smiling.
Eugenia gasped, remembering her thoughts of only moments ago—wishing … Madam Valerie … to be dead. "Dead?" she whispered.
"Yes. Dead. She died during the night… of an overdose of morphine."
"Oh, how terrible," Eugenia said, slouching down onto the edge of the bed.
"I don't know how you can say that," the girl said, frowning. "Not after what she was forcing you to do."
Eugenia's face reddened, realizing that this girl had seen, had known. She turned her face away.
She heard the rustling of silk, then felt a hand on her arm. "Don't feel ashamed," the girl said. "I was treated in the same manner when I first came here."
Eugenia's eyes widened as she jerked her head back around. "You were? And you're still here?"
The girl sat down beside her, pulling her dress of blue up around her ankles. "Yes. I'm still here. Madam Valerie worked it out quite well for herself."
"How?" Eugenia prodded.
"She got me hooked on morphine," the girl said softly, her eyes visibly misting. "After that, I did almost anything to be supplied each day."
Eugenia's heart seemed to stop as she remembered the injection that she had been given. She eyed the door, wanting to get up and run away, as far away as she could get from this never-ending nightmare. She had never dreamed that getting away from home would mean living like this. She was surprised when as she watched the girl rise and begin to walk toward the door she saw her turn back in her direction. Again, when this girl smiled, she resembled Eugenia's sister so! In fact, the more Eugenia studied her, she knew that this girl was Elizabeth all over again, with her pert nose and pale face, making Eugenia's heart ache and wish she could help this girl out of the hell of a life that she had found herself in.
"You're free to go, Eugenia," the girl said.
Eugenia swallowed hard, not believing what she was hearing. "I am?" she said.
"Yes. I'm the new madam of this house now. And I don't—and won't—stand for anymore abuse like you were an unwilling part of."
"You're goin' to be the madam?"
The girl laughed and sank down into a chair once again, working her hands nervously in her lap. "Yes. I've had this in my plans for some time now," she said. "But the time hadn't arrived for my big move. Not until last night."
"Last night?"
"The overdose of morphine? I administered it to Madam Valerie," the girl said, her eyes not wavering.
Eugenia scooted back on the bed, afraid once again.
"No one knows now, except for you and I," the girl said, her face shadowing with hidden torment. "You see, I had to do it. Madam Valerie had gotten out of hand. She mistreated most of the girls here. She had her way with all of them. Whenever she commanded. I only found this out yesterday when I discovered her here with you. I questioned all the other girls and they told me that they each had been forced to go to bed with her."
"But you…"
"I thought I was the only one. And the only reason I did it was to get to the position of madam myself."
"But what a life to lead, letting her touch and possess your body."
"Yes I know. But it also got me the finest silks from Paris. And the best of care; once I gave into her wishes."
"I could never have given in to her," Eugenia said, pouting, and wondering why such a nice girl, as this girl appeared to have been, could have gotten caught up in such a life of misery. "Why did you come here in the first place?" she added.
"I lived in Denver with my stepfather," the girl began. "My mother died when I was ten. Shortly after that, my stepfather taught me all the ways of love. After a while, tiring of the sexual abuse, I stole money from him and caught a train to Colorado Springs. I lived there for a while, then moved here, when I heard someone talking about the gold that was in such abundance."
"Had you planned to work like this? Or had you planned a simpler way of life?"
"I never dreamed of such houses as these parlors, but I guess I got caught up in it just like you just about did. I was almost starved when I was taken in by Madam Valerie."
"You're still so thin," Eugenia said.
"Yes. I know. It's the morphine habit. Keeps me dragged out most of the time," the girl said, tears misting her eyes once again. "But not so much that I can't run this business like it should be run."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean to make sure all my girls get the best of treatment. No kinky characters'll be able to touch any of them."
"What do you mean… by kinky?"
"You wouldn't believe what some of these miners have on their minds," the girl said. "Some even get so drunk they ask the girls to squat over them and piss on their sex organs while another girl fondles them. Things just as disgusting as that."
Feeling the stirring at the pit of her stomach, as though she was about to be ill, Eugenia scooted from the bed. She went to the vanity and poured herself a drink of water. "This is all so sick," she mumbled, turning once again to face this girl whose name she didn't even know yet.
"Yes. I plan to take care of my girls, make this the classiest parlor in all of Cripple Creek," the girl continued, her eyes lighting up. "I'll send all kooks down to the cribs. Let those girls take care of their twisted needs."
"Cribs?" Eugenia asked, setting the empty tin cup down, moving closer to this girl.
"I'm sure you saw them," the girl said. "Those shacks at the edge of town."
"Yes. I saw them," Eugenia said, remembering the girl's names painted on the doors and the two girls that she had seen with their faces so painted up, and how they had yelled at her so mockingly.
"Well, those are the houses the women moved to who strayed from the parlors of Cripple Creek, who wanted some independence. They take care of the biggest majority of the miners because they will agree to do most anything to get their money. They pretty much stay to themselves. I didn't want to end up there. That's why I went along with Madam Valerie and her twisted ways. I knew what I wanted. And now I have it."
"Will all the girls agree to your being the new madam?"
"Yes. They all like me and look up to me. And I've promised that I'll buy them each a new dress from Paris."
"Where did you get your money?"
"I've stolen it. Bit by bit. From Madam Valerie. She was so damned dumb, she didn't even know it. And now I'm going to use the money that she made here in her own parlor to make it an even better place for the men to frequent. I plan for it to be thought highly of by some of the most respectable people in town."
"How can you possibly do that?"
"A lot of the wives can't furnish the men with the needs they have. They almost welcome an establishment that they can send their men to. But they hesitate when they don't know if the establishment is clean. They worry about diseases."
"Diseases?"
"Honey, you're so naive," the girl said, rising, going to Eugenia. "Why don't you stay here and let me take care of you? I'm afraid you're going to run into a lot of trouble out there all by yourself."
Remembering what "taking care of" would mean she hurriedly grabbed her hair brush and began to pull it through her hair. "No, I've got to get away from this," she said sullenly.
"But I can supply you with the finest clothes and the best of food," the girl said, putting her hands behind her back, clasping them together. "And I'll see to it that you won't even have to participate in any of the activities. I like you. And I want to protect you."
Eugenia felt that maybe she could trust this girl. But she remembered what t
his girl was now used to; sex from other females, and drugs. No. She wasn't ready for such a life. She had other plans. She had to seek out Drew. He would save her. He would protect her. "I really appreciate what you're sayin'," Eugenia said, picking up one of the combs that her Papa had made for her, making her heart ache for home… Mama… Papa… Elizabeth. She turned and faced this girl. Yes… she so resembled Elizabeth.
"Why don't you come with me?" she blurted. "Quit this way of life. Get away from the drugs. You could find yourself a man and settle down. Live a normal life. I know you could. You're so pretty. Come on. Leave with me."
The girl lowered her head, making her dark curls cascade across her shoulders and around her face. "No, I can't. It's too late for me. I need to be supplied with morphine each day or I grow frantic. No, I must stay here," she said. Suddenly she threw her head up, tilting her chin up in the air. "No, I'm now to be known as Madam Dawn. Everyone will look up to me. You'll see."
Dawn. So that was her name. Eugenia was glad to finally be made aware of it. And such a pretty name, for such a pretty girl. Her heart raced, wanting so to help her, but knowing it was truly now an impossibility. "I really must run," she said, thrusting her brush and soiled travel dress inside her travel bag. "I've much to see and do today. I've got to find a place of employment. I've got to get established myself. But in much nicer surroundings."
"And where do you plan to go?"
"I thought maybe I could get some work in some kind of boardinghouse. Maybe changing bedding. Something like that. Until somethin' better comes along."
"Well, if you insist on doing such menial labor as that, they need a cook over at the Hillcrest Hotel," Dawn said. "Maybe you could get on there."
Eugenia's face reddened, hating to let anyone know that she didn't know the first thing about cooking. Her sister Elizabeth had been taught all those womanly chores. "I don't think so," she murmured.
Eugenia's Embrace Page 5