Butch was already wealthy, and he only wanted to add more money into his pile. He figured a beautiful woman on his arm would draw even more of a crowd to something like that. Or maybe he would go something on a smaller level. He had heard of a theater that was opening in town. Butch wondered if Cora could be his leading lady, and they would wow the town.
He tried to focus back on the situation at hand. He was possibly waiting for his young bride. She was an orphan, he could sell that, he thought. Butch didn’t want to seem like he was using her though. Because this was a dream he would gladly share with her. He pictured a blonde model stepping off the coach as it pulled into town.
Though he was sure it was only a dream, he could have it for a bit longer. Butch had often drawn the attention of the women, so he knew he was a decent looking man. He had his share of partners as well, but to settle down, he figured it was about time. He could have his name up in lights and a wife both that was what he really dreamed of in the long run.
Chapter 3
Cora had seen the message that the worker from the orphanage had sent to Butch before allowing her to leave. It had been asking for money so that she would be let to leave. Cora prayed that the man would just send the money. She had heard the true plan of what would happen to her if Butch didn’t give the money.
“So we can sell Cora to the men. No we wouldn’t sell her that way, but just for a little bit of time. Yes like the girls at the saloon.” Cora had heard one side of a conversation
She didn’t like the sound of the plan. She didn’t know what it meant for sure or not, but she had a feeling it had to do with sex. Missy had told her once that she was very pretty and that men would gladly buy her to have sex with them.
He had sent the money fairly quickly. She felt bad that they were making him pay for her. Cora knew it was because they had thought about how much money they might make selling her for sex. This was at least they could enjoy extra money. As she had walked out that morning she looked sadly at the other orphans. The girls were getting older, and Cora knew what might be in plan for them in their near futures.
She only hoped that Butch was a nice man. You couldn’t learn a lot about a person in a letter. But it wouldn’t be much longer now and they would reach their destination. Cora could feel her stomach doing nervous flops. She felt as if she might actually get sick from the fear that was now pounding inside of her mind and body.
But she knew she had to be strong, and that Butch would be a better option than what she had left behind. She wondered if there was someone up there looking out for her, is that why she had been so lucky to leave? She could only hope that the other girls would not be made to take the other way of life. Cora shivered at the thought of allowing many men to touch her.
Though she didn’t know anything about sex, she knew it shouldn’t be something you do with many people. The priest who came and taught them Sunday school and gave them a church service had preached about the sanctity of marriage and how important it was. He had stated that a girl should only give herself to one man, and that was her husband.
Butch Bennett would be that man and he would have the rights to touch her body. “Those poor girls back there though.” She wept lightly for the girls who were close to her age back in the orphanage. If she had a way to save them she would. But they would have to learn to fight for themselves, much like she had to do through the years.
She would often wonder what it would have been like to grow up normal. With a mother and father who loved her? It would have been a different life for her. Sometimes she had fantasized about that sort of life. After a while though it had made her sadder then happy, so she had stopped it.
Now that she was free of the orphanage she hoped that her new life would be much better than her old one. “Butch Bennett I hope you are a man who is different.” She said aloud and then tried to think of what she wanted him to be like.
Cora really had no reference on how a man should act around a woman. The only male that she had really dealt with was the Priest and once in a while Missy’s husband. But he had always been so mean to all the girls.
“I hope that isn’t how all men act with women.” Cora sighed. She really had no clue who she would be meeting at any moment when the coach got into Tombstone. But she really hoped he wasn’t like the two men she had to compare in her life.
She felt the coach begin to slow down and looked out the side window. She lifted the curtain up and saw they were in a town; it wasn’t very big at all. But that didn’t really matter to her. She was hoping that Butch Bennett was a much nicer person than both the priest and Missy’s husband.
Cora could feel her heart thump harder in her chest. The door opened and she stared out into the bright day. She couldn’t see who was holding their hand out to help her out of the coach, but she took it anyway. She shielded her eyes as well as she could with the small scarf she had along.
She could make out a nice looking man. He had black hair and he was very tall. She looked up at his eyes and was mesmerized by the amazing blue color. They looked like little pools of ocean water, like she had seen in books. Cora almost fell because she didn’t pay attention to the steps of the coach. He easily caught her in midair and stepped back so they both didn’t fall to the ground.
Cora looked up at him and shyly laughed. “I’m really sorry about that.” She said.
“It’s quite okay, I’m just glad we both didn’t go down on the ground!” He laughed. She liked the deep rich sound of his voice, and the beat of his laugh.
She laughed along with him. Cora could almost picture it in her head, them both on the ground. Her body was still so close to him, she could feel the heat of his breath. She backed away slightly.
“Are you Cora August?” He asked breaking the now awkward silence that had been building for a little bit.
Cora shook herself out of her trance. That was the best way she could explain the feelings she had. Her face felt hot and flushed. “Yes, that’s me.” She smiled.
“Great, it is nice to meet you. I’m Butch Bennett.” He held out his hand to shake her hand.
She put her hand out and made the connection of hands. Cora felt the heat in her body once again. It made her feel dirty for a second, but not much time at all. Because it was at that point she remembered he was to be her husband. As far as she was concerned she was already his wife.
“It is nice to meet you as well. I have to tell you thank you for sending the money to them. If I would have stayed they were going to make me do something horrible.” She told him without thinking about what she was saying, or who might be around listening to her.
Butch looked at her concerned. “What do you mean?” Butch asked.
Cora looked around to see who was around this time before she spoke. She leaned towards him closer and whispered into his ear. “They were going to sell me to have sex with men.” She said.
He pulled back shocked at the comment.” What, are you serious?” He was angered at the thought of that being done to this beauty in front of him.
Chapter 4
As she stood in front of him and told him what the orphanage had planned to do with her, he was angered. His mind was still recovering from their earlier contact though. When she had begun to fall from the coach, he had barely been able to catch her and keep his balance.
He had been staring up at her and blessing the stars above for his luck. She had to be one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen in person. Her blonde hair was hung up on her head, some of it had slipped out of the folds though and hung loose. She was short and quite skinny, but those eyes of hers where what had shocked him most. The green emerald bright eyes were something that seemed to have hypnotized him.
“They were going to sell you and make you have sex? With just one man or many?” Butch said, trying to understand what she had just told him. He was shocked by the words he thought he had heard, but he wanted to make sure again.
“I don’t know how many men, but they said
they would sell me for just a little bit. Like the girls from the saloon, is how they put it.” Cora commented to him, making sure to keep her voice down.
Butch closed his eyes for a minute. He wasn’t sure what to say to her about it. He was just so happy that he had paid the money. She was everything he could have hoped to find and more. He could feel his body reacting to the thought of her body against his when he had caught her.
Butch had been with many women before, but this touch and feeling had been different. It had been out of this world. “I’m really glad I paid the money too then. I couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to hurt you. From now on I will make sure to protect you from anyone who would ever dare hurt you. I promise you that from the bottom of my heart.” Butch told her and meant it. For almost the first time in his life he wanted to put someone before himself. He realized that he didn’t need to do anything but keep her happy, and he would be happy for the rest of his life.
He watched as she turned red and looked down at the ground. “I hope to honor my commitments to you Mr. Bennett.” Cora said lightly.
“Please call me Butch or anything else that sounds nice. Just don’t ever call me late for dinner!” He laughed.
Cora laughed as well.
“Tell you what come with me.” He pulled her along with him then stopped. “Wait did you have a trunk or anything?” He asked and stopped, they had walked about half a mile from where the coach had stopped at by this time.
Cora looked down again. “No I’m sorry they only let me take this outfit, the other things they said I had to leave for the other girls.” She said.
Butch felt his anger flare up again at their treatment of Cora at the orphanage. But then he wondered what could he do anyway to help out? At least he had saved Cora that was good enough for him. Then he remembered where he was taking her too. “Come on, let’s go pick out our rings, and I’m buying you some new clothes.” He said to her.
She followed him. “Buy anything you like, I’ll pay the bill.” He said as he first led her into the dress store.
Cora looked around her eyes wide with wonder. He watched as she walked along and touched some of the clothes. “This is so soft.” Was a comment he heard from her more than once.
She picked out one dress and a few under garment items. “Don’t you want anything else?” He asked her.
“I can get more?” She asked shocked.
“Of course, you are my going to be my wife. You deserve to have the very best!” Butch told her.
Cora walked around the shop once more and picked up a couple more dresses up. “This should be enough. I really appreciate this, I’ve never had this many clothes at one time.” She said to him.
Butch felt sadness at the comment. “Let’s go pick out the wedding ring.” He said.
“What about the bags?” Cora asked him as they walked out of the shop.
“They’ll deliver the items to the house later.” He told her.
“Oh wow, that’s nice.” Cora said.
He smiled at her. “You are very refreshing.” He told her.
“Thank you. This is all so new to me.” She looked around the wonder showing in her eyes.
“I’m glad I get to share the experience with you.” He said.
Butch was overwhelmed by the feelings he felt towards her already. He just really wanted to wrap her up in his arms and hold her tight. It was at that moment that his body decided to remind him of how it had felt when they had collided when Butch had caught her.
He had to stop and take a deep breath to clear his mind. Come on Butch, hold it together, he thought. He tried to pump himself up. You just need the rings and then you can marry her. Hold out that long to kiss her at least.
He looked down at her though and almost kissed her right away.
“What? why are you looking at me like that?” She asked him
Butch kissed her on the cheek and said. “There’s just something about you, that’s all.” He finally said.
Cora looked at him innocently and said. “I know I’ve felt it too. I don’t know what it is though.” She said to him.
He almost couldn’t stand up he burst out laughing so hard at that point.
“What?” She said as she shrugged her shoulders.
He shook his head. “You just don’t know how nice it is to deal with someone so fresh, so new, and maybe a little naïve.”
Cora shook her head, she wasn’t sure if it was a compliment, but it felt that way. She didn’t know that she was acting in any special way. It was the only way she had ever been, direct and honest.
“Here’s the ring store, pick anything you want.” He said as he opened the door for her and let her go by him. The frame of the door wasn’t very big and she brushed him as she walked by. Butch fought the feeling of lust that moved over his body.
He walked with her as she looked at the few rings that were in the store.
“I like this one best.” She finally said as she showed him a very simple ring.
“That is really the ring you want? Or are you just picking it out because you think it is the cheapest ring?” He asked her.
Cora looked down. “I don’t want you to spend so much money. Remember you had to pay them that money.” She whispered into his ear.
“What ring do you really like? Just show it to me, if I think it’s too much I’ll tell you.” Butch said, though he knew no matter what she picked he would pay the price. He had the money, she might not know it yet, but she would soon find out.
She pointed to a ring that had a little large diamond and a ring of blue gems around it. “That is a pretty ring. I’m shocked you didn’t get the one with the green though, they almost match your eyes.” He said to her.
“No these blue are better; they look like your eyes!” Cora said and put her hand up and compared how close the blues were to each other. “Almost exactly, I love it.” She announced.
Butch felt his skin heat up at the way her eyes looked into his. “I find your eye color quite hypnotizing!” He admitted to her.
Cora smiled. “I’ve seen my eyes all my life, but your color, oh it is so deep blue. I could get lost in them.” She told him.
“Let’s go get married, if you keep complimenting me I won’t be held responsible for my actions.” He said.
Chapter 5
Though she wasn’t sure what his comment meant she nodded her head, she wanted to get married now too. The way her body was reacting to his comments and touches, she knew that something was going on between them.
Cora followed along behind him. Every once in a while she would hold her hand up and look at the ring he had let her get. It was so beautiful, and the blue of the gems did look just like his eyes. It made her feel like she had him close to her at all times. She wasn’t sure why the thought made her feel more safe and secure than she ever had in her life. But it did and she enjoyed it.
She had been telling the truth when she said she could get lost in his eyes.
“Is this dress okay to get married in? I mean it isn’t really nice looking, not compared to the one’s we bought.” She asked him.
Butch stopped and looked down at the dress. He knew he should have told her to keep one of the new dresses on. But the fact was he had been so lost in watching her excitement that he had forgotten. “I think you look lovely.” He said, and meant it. Butch thought she could wear the most worn out rags and still make it look great though.
“Okay, then let’s get married!” Cora said. Why not she thought to herself? He had been nicer to her than any man or woman had ever been to her in her life. The dresses and the under garments had been expensive, she had heard the number they had told him.
Then the ring too, she didn’t know how he was buying it all, but she loved the feeling of being spoiled. Cora had only two dresses all the time she was in the orphanage. When she outgrew the old one she would get another two. But now she had a total of five dresses, and he said she could buy more. She didn’t know how to behave.
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nbsp; Plus her mind kept making her remember how it had felt when he had caught her from falling earlier. The touch of their bodies had made her quite warm all over. She held felt something down below like she had never felt before. But she knew it was all part of getting older and sex.
She still remembered when Missy had said something to her about sex. The other worker had told Cora once too that Missy had talked to her about, “letting her husband have sex with you.” The girl had told her.
Then she had told her a few of the things that would happen. Thankfully, Missy had never brought her husband back since that day. Cora came here only knowing what the worker had told her about sex, and she was quite happy for it too.
She had asked the Priest once about sex being forced on her and if it was still a sin. He had told her that it would be her fault. “You will be sinning because you have tempted him to force that upon you.” The priest had told her.
Cora felt like she had no way to win when she had been at the orphanage. But now it all had changed so quickly with Butch.
“You ready?” Butch asked her breaking into her thoughts.
“Yes I am.” Cora answered.
The ceremony was short and didn’t take long at all. “Well there you are here’s the paper work that you can keep.” The lady at the front desk handed Butch something. “Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Bennett.” The lady smiled.
“Thank you.” Cora smiled.
“Thanks so much.” Butch said and turned to lead Cora out the door. His body was throbbing with the excitement of taking her home and making love to her.
The Duke's Dilemma: Regency Romance Menage Short Stories Page 43