“What?” a surly voice grumbled when the gate opened.
“Bringing the horse and mule back,” Doc replied. “Can I drop them tonight and come deal with the paperwork tomorrow?”
“That’d be best. I just take animals in for the night.”
“I need to get a token or something, right?” Doc asked, walking them into the yard.
“Yup. I’ll get it after I check them.”
“Any chance I can drop the gear here for tonight, too?”
“You going to sell any of it off to the general store?”
“No, just need to store it for a few days to a week.”
“We can store them for a price. You can pay tomorrow when you come back to do the paperwork.”
“Works for me,” Doc nodded. “I have a day of rations left in the saddlebags. If you want them, feel free.”
“I’ll deal with them.”
“Great. Thanks.” Doc took the small pouch that had his pieces of gold and the rifle sling off the saddle, then nodded. “I’ll just wait for the token.”
“Be a few,” the man said, taking the reins and walking away.
Doc watched the man go, his horse tail swishing as he walked away with the animals. Guess he gets along with them pretty well, at least. The horses would probably not be as calm around a wolf, bear, or big cat.
Yawning, Doc was rubbing at his eyes when the heavy footsteps of the stablehand got his attention. “Huh?”
“Here is the token. You might want to head to the Springs, looking the way you do.”
“I’ll find a place to rest,” Doc chuckled. “Night.” He took out a nickel and handed it to the man. “Thank you for all your work.”
“Glad to,” the man said, making the coin vanish.
A large shadow separated from the corner of the general store as Doc approached it. He started to pull his rifle out before recognizing who it was. “Gods damn it, Sheriff.”
“Going to shoot someone? Not surprising for you, really.”
“Not people, just assholes who spook me at night,” Doc snapped. “Would you do that to anyone from the town?”
“Nope. But I would to some stranger who comes into town at night. I was just making sure the livery wasn’t being robbed.”
Fed up with the idiocy, Doc shook his head and walked past Grange.
“I’ll be watching you, Holyday.”
“Damned voyeur,” Doc muttered as he kept walking.
Doc smiled when he walked into the Lily. All three of the new poker tables were filled. His smile grew wider when he noticed a number of other patrons all glancing over at them occasionally. The piano started playing a happy and upbeat song, and his eyes were pulled to where Fiala was standing on the stage. Her eyes met his and lit up happily. With a bright smile in place, she began to dance.
Doc made his way toward the stairs, where a handful of men were standing and waiting. When he was about to reach the base, Lotus appeared from the back hall. Seeing him, her professional smile became real.
“Welcome back to the Lily, Doc. Did you need someone to help you settle in?”
Doc glanced from Lotus to Fiala on the stage, then back to her. “I have a feeling I’m going to be cared for shortly.”
Lotus looked past him to the stage and nodded, “So it seems. With the way she is watching you, she marked you first. I won’t get in her way.”
Doc pulled a dollar from his pocket. “Massage in an hour, my room?”
Lotus hesitated and looked past him, then she shook her head. “No. That would’n—”
Doc held out a second dollar, “For two people?”
Lotus blinked at him before she tentatively took the money. “I’ll let Westin know. If she objects, though, I’ll have to return the money.”
“Agreed,” Doc smiled.
The music came to an end, and the applause and whistles were loud. Doc turned around to see Fiala walking slowly toward the stairs, her eyes on Lotus with the coins in her hand. The hurt in Fiala’s eyes made Doc want to reassure her.
“Three dollars for tonight,” one of the men waiting said before the others could speak.
Fiala’s eyes never left Doc as the other men all called out their prices. Some were lower but shorter timed, and one called out a higher price. Once they had all stopped, Doc spoke softly, but loud enough for her to hear him, “Fiala, five dollars for the rest of the night.”
“I’ve seen you already make arrangements,” she replied hesitantly.
“I was arranging a surprise for you,” Doc replied.
“Hey, asshole, if you already got a whore, then what the fuck are you doing?” one of the men snapped at him.
“Making my evening as good as it can be,” Doc said offhandedly, not looking away from Fiala.
“You only got one wick to dip. Ain’t no reason for you to take up two of them.”
“Gentlemen,” Lia said, appearing at the edge of the group just behind Doc. “The women choose here, as you should well know by now. If this gentleman wishes to spend his coin on engaging two or more and they all agree to his offers, then that is the way it is.”
“Uppity fucking whores,” the rough-looking man sneered as he pushed his way out of the throng and stomped off toward the door.
“Madam, with Cassia sidelined, letting someone take two of the others makes it a very thin pool for the rest of us,” another man said in a respectful tone.
“That leaves seven others,” Lia said calmly. “That is more than enough. Now, Fiala, you need to make a decision.”
Fiala’s eyes hadn’t left Doc’s face. “I’ll go with you, Doc.”
“I think we should start with a bath for me,” Doc smiled. “Let me drop off my gear and get my money. I’ll meet you here in a couple of minutes.”
“I will get what we need ready,” Fiala smiled back hesitantly.
“Damned outsider,” one of the men grumbled as the group broke up.
“Doc,” Lia said, stopping him before he could get far, “the tournament is the day after tomorrow, starting at noon.”
“Good, was afraid I was going to miss it. If you are free for a talk tomorrow morning, Madam, I would appreciate it.”
A number of heads all turned at his phrasing. Lia’s fan snapped open, covering her mouth as she lightly fanned herself. Seeing the situation, Doc sighed, clearly not having considered what it would sound like.
“Fucking ass… First, he wants two of them, and now he wants Lia, too?” a snide whisper reached his ears.
Lia’s fan sped up slightly at those words, and Doc knew she’d heard them, as well.
“Just conversation, Madam,” Doc clarified. “I know you know the town better than I do, and I am in need of guidance.”
“I see,” Lia said. “I will see if I have time, but no promises.”
“Thank you,” Doc replied, bowing his head to her.
~*~*~
When Doc went to drop off his guns and other equipment, he made sure he had a change of clothing and the money to pay for Fiala’s time. As he stepped out of his room, a soft exclamation made him stop. Posy was standing there looking at him, holding an empty bottle and mug in her hands.
“Evening, Posy. I’m going to have clothes for you in an hour. Just one set, but they’re pretty road-stained,” he said, looking down at his clothing.
“Welcome back, sir,” Posy smiled at him. “Gavin said you wouldn’t come back, but I told him he was wrong. He said the woodfolk would eat you up.”
Doc kept his face impassive, her words reminding him of Rosa. “That could have happened, but I stayed safe,” he said. “I’ll be in town for a week at least. Breakfast and bathing every day.”
“Yes, sir,” Posy said, bobbing a quick curtsy.
Doc dug out a dollar, “This is your tip for the entire week. Take good care of me, okay?”
Eyes wide, Posy glanced from his face to the coin and back. Licking her lips, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Water in the morning to be left outside t
he door, breakfast shortly after that, and clothing to be washed every night, left in the bathing rooms. Right?”
“That’s everything.”
“I can do that,” Posy nodded.
“Don’t stress it too hard, but thank you.”
Taking the dollar, she gave him another small curtsy then bounced away, down the stairs. Doc chuckled as she went. Just like a damned bunny. How can anyone hate people like her? ...Racism and speciesism don’t have to be logical, he reminded himself.
Fiala was waiting for him when he reached the bottom of the stairs. “Here’s the money,” he said, handing her the cash. “I’ll start getting ready in one of the bathing rooms.”
“I’ll be right there,” Fiala said. She went to take the money, but let her hand linger in his for a moment. “I’ll hurry.”
Doc was naked and had the tub filling when Fiala entered the room. Looking over his shoulder at her, he smiled. “Did Lotus explain?”
Fiala nodded, looking away from him. “You paid for us both to get massages.”
“Yes. I was happy to see you.”
Fiala’s cheeks heated, “You really are going to ruin me.”
“Thought I already had,” Doc chuckled lightly, sitting on the edge of the tub. “Lotus didn’t want to agree to my plan. Did she tell you that?”
Fiala looked up, “No. She did apologize for interfering in me having you. It makes me feel bad... I don’t have any right to act like I have exclusive rights to you. I even introduced her to you, and now I’m acting like a child who doesn’t want to share her toys.”
“That’s all I am to you? A toy?” Doc laughed.
“No… that isn’t…” Fiala sighed. “You make it hard for me to think straight.”
“And I haven’t even started to scramble your brains,” Doc smiled. “You were fine when I slept with her before I left. Did something change?”
“I haven’t been able to look at the other patrons and seriously consider their offers,” Fiala whispered, looking away from him. “I’ve had less business this week than at any other time since I started working here. I’ve managed to get some business, but only massages and conversations… not anything more than that.”
Doc frowned, “Fuck. Fiala, I didn’t mean to do that to you.”
“It isn’t you,” Fiala said.
“You’re lying. It is at least partially me, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” Fiala admitted. “I… I…” She swallowed hard, then said in a rush, “I want to be respectable… for you.”
A sad smile touched his lips. “I won’t be staying here, Fiala. Once I accomplish what I need to, I’ll be heading on to another town.”
“Couldn’t I go with you?” Fiala’s voice was barely audible.
Doc didn’t reply right away, considering what she was asking. Maybe if she knew the truth, she’d reconsider, he told himself. “I’m not sure you really want to do that. I have things in my past that would cause most people to distance themselves from me. There are things I’m going to have to do that might make you mad, too.”
“I don’t care about your past,” Fiala said with conviction. “What do you think would make me angry with you?”
Doc sighed, turning around to turn the taps off. “How do you feel about me sleeping with other women?”
Fiala exhaled, her worry dissipating. “I wouldn’t be completely opposed to it if they are the right women.”
“A dryad?”
Fiala’s brain came to a screeching halt. “What?”
Doc turned to face her and tapped his thighs, showing her the new scars from his time with Rosa. “Dryad sex isn’t a joke. I’ve already met one and I need her to accomplish my goals.”
“But… they kill whoever they sleep with,” Fiala said slowly, trying to understand how he could have done what he said he had.
“They drain blood and semen from men. Not sure if they sleep with women.”
“How did you survive?” Fiala asked as she stared at him with doubt and a touch of fear.
“Your tail has been healed since we first slept together. There was also a virus in your lungs that vanished. Did you not notice?”
Fiala grabbed her tail and pulled it around to stare at it. “But... I broke it as a child. How?”
Doc exhaled, “I can do a little bit of healing. Give me your foot?”
Unsure of what he was saying, she placed her left foot in his hand. Fiala inhaled sharply when his hands glowed gently and warmth infused her foot. “Oh… I remember that warmth.”
The toe straightened and Doc felt himself grow more weary. “There, all healed.”
Fiala stared at her foot in his hands. “You’re a mage?”
“Faith healer,” Doc said tiredly, setting her foot down. “I follow Lady Luck. The healing is what let me survive the dryad. I’ll have to lay with her again, intermittently, and in return, she’s helping me with my project.”
Fiala stared at him. Her fear had mostly faded, but the trepidation was gone, replaced with wonder. “You can heal the injured and infirm... and you’d be okay with me beside you?”
“I’ve always been okay with you, Fiala. I want to watch the Lily bloom into what it can truly be. Doing that, though, will bring powerful enemies. If you are close to me, you might be hurt.”
Fiala hesitated, “The Lily? You want to turn this into your house of worship?”
“Yeah. Lia is willing to consider it if I can get the building back to her.”
“Do you want her, too?” Fiala asked softly, her tone not indicating if she was unhappy with him.
“Lia?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll be honest. She’s beautiful, and that’s how the dryad caught me.”
Fiala blushed, “She is beautiful. She makes all of us self-conscious without trying or meaning to. I wouldn’t blame you for wanting her, though she has never been with a patron.”
“It’s not likely to happen, but dreams are good,” Doc smiled at her. “Right now, I’m happy.”
Fiala’s lips curled into a smile. “Let’s get your bath over so we can get massaged and then spend the rest of the night together.”
“Don’t have to tell me twice.”
Chapter Twenty-seven
A contented purr and the feeling of warm flesh against his woke Doc from his sleep. Stifling a yawn, he glanced to the side to see Fiala’s head nestled on his shoulder. He smiled softly as he watched her sleep.
I don’t know if this is the right thing to do, Fiala... We’ve barely known each other. Hell, we don’t really know each other at all. Going to have to talk to Lia about more than I had thought.
Fiala’s eyelids twitched a second before she blinked. “Hmm?”
“Morning,” Doc murmured, kissing the top of an ear. “You still sure about this?”
Fiala’s arm tightened across his waist. “It feels right to me. Unless you—”
“Shh,” Doc said, cutting her off and kissing her ear again. “We’ll need to talk with Lia. I want to see if there’s another job you can have besides the one you’ve been doing. I’m still getting my feet under me, though, so I don’t think it’ll be long before it’ll be a moot point.”
“Yes, we do,” Fiala said, focusing on the first part of what he said.
There was a soft knock on the door. “That’ll be Posy dropping off the water. You okay with getting it?” Doc asked her.
“That’s fine,” Fiala smiled as she got out of bed. She gave him an amazing view before taking the blanket off the bed, leaving Doc nude instead.
Doc chuckled when she lingered for a moment to stare, “Go on.” When she turned away, he got out of bed and started to put together an outfit.
“Do you want to wash first?” Fiala asked when she shut the door.
“No. Ladies first,” Doc replied.
“With you, that phrase does seem to be true in all things,” Fiala giggled. “Except for last night. Lotus was really bad.”
“Oh no, Lotus was fantastic. You jo
ining her is what pushed it over the edge so fast, though.”
“Never did that before,” Fiala smiled as she recalled their evening together. “You have led me to a lot of firsts... I felt bad when she had to go, especially after that.”
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