She struggled as she pleaded with the man. “Help! I’m being kidnapped.”
Jesse leaned down and whispered in her ear, “You’re going to get us and yourself killed, you little idiot!”
“Oh!” she exclaimed and looked over at the men who were watching her. “He’s threatening me! He told me he’d kill me if I don’t do as he says.”
Dakota looked at her, and then at Jesse. “Are you threatening the lady?”
“Look, Dakota, we’re bounty hunters, and she’s in custody until we get to a port where we can get off.”
“Yeah? I don’t see a badge. How do I know you have the authority to hold her?”
“Beau, do you have your badge with you?”
“I’m afraid not,” he said as he stepped up. “But it won’t take a minute to go back to my cabin and get them.”
“I thought bounty hunters had to have their badges on them at all times. Why don’t you?”
“Just an oversight, that’s all.”
“I could report you, you know. That is, if you really are bounty hunters.”
“Look, Dakota, all this is in the line of duty, and if you’re smart, you’ll just forget what the lady said.”
“Yeah? If she’s wanted, then why don’t you have her locked up in the ship’s hoosegow?”
“Because she’s a woman,” he said with expressive eyes.
Dakota looked over at her and raked his gaze up and down her body. “She is that, all right.”
“Don’t let him fool you,” Camille said, afraid the cowboy would believe him instead of her. “He’s no more a bounty hunter than I am. He’s kidnapping me, I tell you. Holding me against my will.”
“Look,” Jesse said, “I’m sorry we disturbed your game. We’ll just take her out of here.”
“Please!” Camille cried out. “He’s going to kill me!”
“Wait!” Dakota cried out. “How the hell do I know she ain’t tellin’ the truth?”
“He wants to rob me!” she said. “He found out I have a lot of jewels, and he wants to rob me.” All at once an idea came to her, and she turned and pointed at him. “He’s the thief!” she shouted. “He’s the one they’re looking for.” She pretended to cry. “It’s true! They burst into my cabin, and I had soap bubbles all over—”
“Soap bubbles?”
“I was in my bath,” she cried out.
“You broke in on the woman’s bath?”
“It was a mistake,” Jesse assured him.
“You say!” Camille shouted over the others. “It wasn’t a mistake! He knew what he was doing. He came back later and tried to—”
The cowboy looked back at Jesse. “You didn’t!”
“She’s twisting it all up.”
“When I wouldn’t, he threatened me. He said he would lock me up until I submitted to him and gave him all my jewels.”
“That’s enough for me.”
“Look, Dakota, this is really none of your business. Don’t make me arrest you for—”
“Jesse!” The dealer stood up, pulled out his badge, and showed it to the men around the table. “My name is Jud Forrester. I’m a Pinkerton Detective.” He looked at the cowboy that accused him of cheating. “I don’t cheat at cards. I’m here from the Black Dispatch.” He nodded toward Jesse and Beau. “These boys are Pinkerton Detectives, and she’s in their custody until they deliver her to the proper authorities on land. That’s the way we operate. When the Twilight is out on the waters, it’s required to have some kind of authority on board for such instances as this. They’ll be getting off with their prisoner as soon as the Twilight pulls into port.”
Being surrounded by lawmen, the cowboy’s look turned desperate. His eyes darted around like a caged animal looking for a way of escape. He moved quickly as he reached out and pulled Camille in front of him, using her as a shield. “I was right. You three are workin’ together.” He reached down and grabbed the money on the poker table, and punched it down into his jeans. With her in front of him, he began backing up toward the curtain. “The lady is comin’ with me, and I’d advise you not to try and follow us if you want her to stay healthy.”
Chapter 9
THE tension in the cabin was getting heavy. With the situation getting dangerous, chairs began scraping against the plank floor as the rest of the men pushed them back and rose from the table.
Finally, the Pinkerton man came forward, his hand hovering over his gun. “Give it up, Dakota, there’s three Pinkerton men in here, you’ll never get away with it.”
“I don’t give a rip who they are, she’s comin’ with me.”
“Look, Dakota, you’re treadin’ on dangerous property here. Let him get his badge and show it to you.”
“Soap bubbles,” Camille shouted, getting desperate. “I was taking a bath—”
“You want the truth, cowboy?” Jesse said. “All right, here it is. This woman is the famous jewel thief, Lady Chablis. We’ve had our eyes on her ever since we got on the riverboat at the N’Awlins dock. We’re just keeping her with us until we come into port and can turn her over to the proper authorities. Now, Dakota, if you insist on interfering with the law, I’ll get my badge all right, and arrest you. I’d advise you to get out of my way, and let me take my prisoner and lock her up.”
“He’s lying!” she whispered in the cowboy’s ear. “I don’t even know who Lady Chablis is!”
He looked at Jesse. “She says different. How do I know which one of you is tellin’ the truth?”
Jesse began digging in his vest pocket and produced a wanted poster with her likeness on it. He also dug out his wallet and showed him his identification card issued to him by the Pinkerton Detective Agency.
Pinkerton!
Camille saw the name and went a little crazy. The hated name swirled in her head, giving her the courage she needed to make a bold move. All at once she reached over and grabbed the cowboy’s gun and trembled as she waved it toward Jesse and Beau.
“Bounty hunters!” she spat, at last knowing the truth. “You filthy, slimy bastards are lawmen,” she hissed. “Every time you open your mouths, I find out some other dirty, rotten fact about you.” With the cowboy’s gun held fast in her hand, she began backing away from everyone, getting ready to run.
“Don’t ever touch me again. Do you hear?” She handled the weapon like a greenhorn as she struggled to cock it, but once she did, it became sure and steady. “Goodbye, you lying bastards. I’m not going to any jail.” She backed up, still waving the gun dangerously. “Don’t anybody try anything,” she said, and then turned quickly and ran out through the black curtain.
She bumped into several people, pushing them out of her way as she ran through the crowd in the casino. When she finally made it out, she ran along the deck of the ship until she found herself leaning over the rail and looking into the rolling water.
She had an insane desire to jump.
Pinkerton! It was a name that she hated, and to find out that these two rugged, sexy cowboys were part of them was devastating. My God, she’d given herself to them! Their charm, their pure animal attraction had blinded her, sent her senses reeling!
Why did she come aboard this floating prison? She should have known she’d have nowhere to hide if she was caught. She couldn’t hold it back, and began crying. She’d sworn she wouldn’t, but when her heart began to break, she couldn’t help it.
What the hell was she crying for? She hated those two snakes! She looked up at the moon, at the round perfection of its fullness and could see both Beau and Jesse’s faces in it. Their smiles were tender and warm, and their bodies perfect. Her body fit with theirs like they were made for each other, but how could that be? They wanted to lock her up. Worse, they were Pinkerton men. How could she be in love with a Pinkerton? Love? Who said anything about love?
Just then, she heard something and looked around. It was them! She turned her head one way and then the other, searching for a place to hide
when she spied a door. She didn’t know where it led, but that didn’t matter right now. The only thing that mattered was finding a hiding place. She ran toward it and pulled it open. There she saw all kinds of brooms, mops, and cleaning solutions. The moment she went in, she could hardly breathe from the stifling odor of ammonia.
She could hear them calling her. There was no air. She was choking on the odors coming from the cleaning solutions. She had to cough, so she put her hand up to her mouth and nose to try and muffle it. Why did they keep calling her? Why didn’t they leave? Finally, she felt herself getting dizzy from the fumes she had been forced to breathe in. She had no choice. She had to have air! Hoping they were gone, she burst out the door and took a deep breath.
Dizziness overtook her, and she collapsed on the deck.
* * * *
Even floating in some netherworld with her eyes closed, she could feel someone looking at her. She opened her eyes, expecting to meet a steely-blue gaze, but instead she saw an older man who looked and smelled like a doctor. She turned her head and looked around the cabin, fear of what she might see lurking inside her. She was ready to buck and run if she saw the two blond men who had turned from lovers to enemies.
“Where are they?” she whispered.
“If you mean Beau and Jesse Bannock, they’re waiting just outside.”
“What happened?”
“You passed out while walking on deck.”
“Is that what they told you? Nothing more?”
“Yes. What else is there?”
“Nothing,” she muttered, and turned to get up.
The doctor moved toward the door and peeked through it. “She’s awake.”
She heard movement outside, and then the doctor opened the door, letting Beau and Jesse step inside.
Jesse reached inside his wallet, pulled out a bill, and gave it to the doctor. “Thanks, Doc.”
“If you need me, the captain always knows where I am. She’ll be fine if she gets some rest, and stays out of close quarters such as the casino. Good night now,” he said, and tipped his hat.
When the doctor left, the cabin became heavy with silence. Finally, she spoke. “Why didn’t you tell him who I was?”
“We haven’t told anyone, and we won’t.”
“What about the men in the casino?”
“You mean your little prank? That put you in jeopardy, not us. If you’d just stayed quiet, no one would’ve known. But since you saw fit to tell the world, we have no way of keeping those men quiet. The only thing I could do is threaten them with arrest if word got around. I think they understood. We’ll know soon.”
She rose from her bed and began pacing. “Did I tell you what bastards I think you are?”
“All right, so we tricked you,” Jesse said. “We didn’t plan on…well, what happened. In case you want to know, Ms. Du Peret, you’re irresistible.”
“Don’t give me that, you spineless cowards.”
“Look,” Beau chimed in, “when a man has had too much to drink, and a woman stands before him totally naked, what do you expect?”
“Go ahead. Make all the excuses you want, but you weren’t drunk. It was all just a plan to arrest me.”
“Sure, in the beginning, but when we got to know you, we couldn’t. Whether you choose to believe it or not, we—” He looked at Jesse for help.
“Camille, we began having feelings for you.”
“Feelings? Oh, please!”
“I know it sounds ridiculous, but it’s true. I think it’s called lo—”
“Jesse!” Beau quickly interrupted.
She turned around and looked at him, at both of them. “What was that you were you going to say? It sounded like love.”
“Beau and I have talked, and we’ve made some decisions.”
“It was love, wasn’t it? That’s what you were going to say, isn’t it? Tell me, what were you going to say about it.”
“Some other time. I think you need to hear our plans.”
“No, the love thing. Go back to the love thing.”
Jesse looked at her with a steady gaze. “Who said anything about love?”
“Didn’t you?”
Jesse looked up at Beau. “Beau, did you hear the word love mentioned?”
“No. Didn’t hear a thing.”
The two men stared hard at her. “Are you hallucinating again, Ms. Du Peret? Should I get the doctor back here?”
“No,” she whispered and turned away, tears coursing down her cheeks. “I guess I must be overtired. Please, would you just leave me alone now?”
“Only after you’ve heard our plans,” Jesse said.
She sat and listened obediently while Jesse explained their decision. To keep her from being locked in the ship’s jail, they had put her under house arrest, which meant they would have to keep her cabin locked from the other side. She was allowed to go out three times a day to walk the deck, but either he or Beau would always be with her. She wasn’t allowed in the casino or in the halls. She would take her meals in her cabin.
She knew they were being as lenient as possible with her, but she felt like a caged animal. She couldn’t help but wonder what would happen to her once the boat docked. “What about when we get to port?”
“That’s entirely up to you.”
“What do you—?”
Jesse stopped her words with a kiss. When their lips parted, he looked into her eyes. “Just checking your temperature.” His gaze shifted down to her bruised lips. “Hot, very hot lips. I think you need to lie down for a while.”
“Don’t you dare touch me,” she moaned as he pulled at her neckline, and his hot tongue licked dainty little circles around her exposed nipples in a teasing fashion.
“Jesse, oh, Jesse,” she whispered as she felt herself being pulled down into the hot bed of desire once again…
Chapter 10
“I don’t know what it is,” he whispered. “I can’t seem to get enough of you.”
She looked over at Beau and saw a longing in his eyes as he rose from the chair and joined them on the bed. “Beau, we have to—”
“Later,” he whispered as his mouth covered hers.
As she lay there between them, feeling their hands on her breasts and pussy, she began to writhe beneath their touch. She reached out and ran her fingers along their chests, but when her touch encountered a belt and jeans, she moaned out her dissatisfaction. With jerking movements, she pulled back their shirts that hugged their chests. She couldn’t resist licking and sucking them, drinking in their musky taste. And then she tugged at their jeans, pulling them down along their beautiful, strong legs, all muscled and hard. She wanted to feel their legs, so she began fondling them gently while traveling upward toward their cocks. She saw them become larger, her mouth tingling with their imagined taste. Finally, she closed her mouth over one, and then the other, sucking, licking and moaning out her delight. She wanted to inhale them, to eat them so completely, her mouth became like a hungry animal. When she felt her cunt weeping out its joy, she moved upward, taking her time as she took pleasure in them.
“Oh, God!” she cried as she brought her weeping pussy down on Jesse’s cock. Her hips began the carnal dance she’d learned to do so well, her body moving up and down while her breath caught in her throat. She wanted to scream out in ecstasy as she felt her pussy close about him completely. As they ground themselves into each other, her tingling hands rubbed Jesse’s chest, and then she leaned forward, allowing her nipples to rub against his.
Desire flowed through her like warm honey.
And then behind her, she heard Beau whisper in her ear. “I want your mouth on my cock again. I’ve got to have it.”
Just then, his hands came around her and stroked her breasts, pressing her nipples against his palms. With care, his fingers began to roll her nipples as his cock pressed against her back, rubbing, rubbing some more, up and down, his moist breath heating her neck. All at once, sh
e felt his mouth sucking on her neck, his teeth nipping at her ears, his breath coming in hot pants as his cock continued to rub against her.
“Oh, God, Camille, I can’t wait. I’ve got to feel your mouth on my cock! Hurry!”
As Jesse stroked her thighs and squeezed her ass, she felt a wild, untamed orgasm creeping up on her. And then it grabbed her, and she bounced up and down until all at once it seemed both she and Jesse shattered together into a million pieces.
Falling to the side of Jesse, she felt boneless and warm, so warm until she saw Beau’s cock still stiff and hard. She turned over and lowered herself to his hips, stroking his strong body as she opened her mouth and began drawing on his cock until she heard his moans and felt his hands on her head.
Something began to stir inside her, and she began to suck and lick voraciously. Moving over, she climbed between his legs where she could get to his balls, and lovingly played until his hips began to gyrate wildly. She ate him hungrily, licking, sucking, drawing and drinking until he finally splashed in her mouth, causing his lusty essence to dribble down her chin.
The three of them lay quiet for a time, Camille enjoying the feeling of complete satisfaction, when all at once she saw her chance. She looked at each one, and noticed they were asleep. Moving very carefully, she stealthily crawled from beneath their sleepy embrace. She hurried and dressed, but since she would be running and hiding, she dressed in a pair of men’s jeans and a fringed shirt. Moving quickly, she grabbed her velvet drawstring bag with her jewels in it, and crept out the door.
Free!
Dear God, she was free!
She ran down the hall, being as quiet as possible, when she saw a group of chattering people coming her way. She quickly jumped into a shadowy alcove and hid until they passed. When she got up on deck, she looked around. It was early and people seemed to be everywhere. She needed to find a hiding place until dark, but the only thing she could find was a rowboat down at the other end of the deck. Since it was turned over, she knew if she could crawl beneath it, it would be a good place to hide. While moving quietly, she stealthily made her way down there, watching until those strolling along the deck went inside. She waited.
Rogues and Riverboats Page 6