Wanton Desire

by Ruth D. Kerce

  She spread her legs a bit and his fingers hit the fleshy nub that ached to be touched. She screeched as waves of pleasure broke inside her. “Oh, Joe!” She wriggled against the door. “Ah yes…” She moaned and pressed against his hand until finally the ecstasy ebbed.

  Joe released her wrists. When her knees buckled, he caught her. He lightly kissed her lips. “You’re really beautiful when you come.”

  She’d never climaxed like that from her own hand.

  “Joe?” a voice called from downstairs.

  They both stiffened. “Myrah?” Emma questioned, but the voice didn’t sound right to her.

  “Shit.” Joe stepped back from her and gathered his clothes. “It’s Willie.”

  “Willie?” Emma righted her dress. “How’d she get out here in this rain?”

  “With Willie, there’s no telling.” He pulled on his pants and shirt, fastening everything in record time. After tugging on his boots, he looked her up and down. “You ready?”

  She crossed the room and grabbed her shawl, then turned and nodded, feeling more than embarrassed. Hopefully, Willie wouldn’t suspect what they’d been up to. Not that she owed anyone any explanations for her behavior. She followed Joe out the door and down the stairs.

  “Willie, what are you doing here?” he asked. “How’d you get out here in this weather?”

  “I found a clear back road out by Crater Creek. Well, mostly clear. There was a problem in Elk Valley that I thought you should know about.” She looked around him. “Miss Emma? I didn’t know you’d be out here. You’re flushed.”

  Emma touched her cheek. “I think I’m catching a bit of a cold.”

  “What happened in town, Willie?” Joe asked, drawing back her attention.

  “Slim Saunders showed up.” After a moment, when Joe said nothing, she cocked her head, looking at him curiously. “You’re not surprised. You knew he was here?”

  “Yeah, I knew. You know Slim?”

  “We’ve met, let’s say. Years back. He’s not one to forget, given his less than savory manner. The idiot rode into town with…some other cowboy…and they tried to rob the bank.”

  “Damn.” He reached for his gun, which wasn’t on his hip. He glanced upstairs. “I’ll head on back into town. I’ll need to get a posse together and track them down.”

  “Hold up a minute. I said tried. They didn’t succeed.”

  Joe relaxed. “What happened?”

  “He did get the money. Temporarily. With the weather, nobody else was around to stop him except the banker and one other teller, who he tied up and tossed in a back room. When Slim and his partner came out of the bank, Slim slung the saddlebags with the money onto his horse. When the two went to mount their horses, Slim slipped in the mud and spooked his horse, who took off. The saddlebags fell off the horse and opened up. Money flew everywhere. That’s when all sorts of people flocked outside. Slim hitched a ride with the second guy and they took off like two scared coyotes.”

  “Did he see you?”

  “I think he might have. Right before he slipped, he happened to look my way. If so, I’m sure he knows that I’d tell you. I don’t expect they’ll be back anytime soon.”

  Joe strode into the study and grabbed a rifle from the gun rack and a pistol from a drawer. “I want to check it out for myself. You stay here where it’s safe. That storm looks like it might kick up again.” He turned toward Emma. “I’ll be back soon.”

  * * * * *

  Slim and Montana approached the cave entrance cautiously. Slim bumped Montana as he moved ahead of him. Both men grumbled. They’d had to use only one horse to get here and neither of them was in the best of moods at the moment.

  Damn female, Slim thought to himself. He’d been so shocked when he’d seen Willie in town that he’d slipped while trying to get onto his horse. They’d had the money right in hand. Right there. Now it was gone. The only reason for her to be in Elk Valley was that she’d finally learned the truth. He’d found out too, after he and Joe had stopped riding together. He’d always wondered if she’d seek Joe out.

  Slim had sought her out years back. Back before she’d known. The encounter hadn’t been a good one and he’d ended up leaving before telling her. Now she’d ruined everything for him.

  “I think this is the one,” he said, fumbling with a torn piece of paper that had a crude map drawn on it.

  “It’s pretty dark in there,” Montana said. “I hope no mountain lion has made it a home. That’s all we need, some wildcat ripping the skin right off us.” He drew his pistol.

  “This is the one,” a female voice said from inside. “Come on in before the rain starts back up.”

  Montana blew out a sigh of relief and re-holstered his gun. The sound of a match being struck reached them as they ventured inside.

  “I was just about to start a fire,” a large-breasted woman said as she set some kindling aflame. She looked up from her crouched position. “You’re Montana?”

  “That’s right. Cora?”

  “Yeah. I was getting worried. I wasn’t sure if you two were really coming. How much money did you get?”

  The men stalked past her. Montana slid down to his butt against one of cave walls. “Yeah, Slim.” He snorted. “How much did we get?”

  “Stay off my back!” Slim eyed Cora sheepishly. “We had a little problem.” He pulled his hand out of his pocket. “Twenty dollars.”

  Cora stood and stared at him in shock. “Excuse me?”

  “I put the saddlebags on the horse and…”

  “And?”

  “The horse bolted and ran off,” Slim said, stuffing the map into his jacket. When Cora simply stared at him, Slim’s frustration grew. “It happens. Don’t give me no grief about it.”

  “I quit my job for twenty dollars?” She grabbed the bill and stuck it in the bodice of her dress. “Is the money still on the horse?”

  “No, it fell off and scattered everywhere in front of the bank. Folks started coming around and we had to leave it.”

  Cora’s face grew red and she patted her chest as she spoke. “Even I could have gotten more than twenty dollars. You two are incompetent asses.”

  “I’m not the one who fell in the mud and spooked the horse.” Montana wasn’t sure whether to be disappointed or glad by their failure. He hadn’t wanted to do the job anyhow. But now they didn’t have any money.

  “Like I said—stupid.”

  Montana scowled. For someone not even involved in the robbery, Cora had a lot of attitude—too much for his liking. “We didn’t ask for your opinion. If you think you were doing better as a whore then go back to the saloon and spread your legs for any cowpoke with a buck.”

  “Don’t you dare talk to me like that.” She snapped her head toward Slim. “You gonna let him talk to me like that?”

  “I don’t—”

  “Is she in charge now?” Montana asked, drawing Slim’s attention toward him.

  “Of course not.” Slim turned to Cora. “Shut your yap. Montana’s just blowing off steam. He don’t mean nothin’.”

  “Well, you best figure something out. I’m here because you said there’d be plenty of money to go around. I don’t fuck anyone for free.”

  “Not even Kid Joe?” Montana asked, swiping his hat off his head. He couldn’t help himself. Slim had told him all about her and Joe. He didn’t know Cora, but from the first time Slim had mentioned her, he’d had a bad feeling about the woman. And now, after meeting her, his assessment hadn’t changed. Not one bit.

  Cora lunged at him but Slim caught her around the waist. “Hold up.”

  “You two don’t know nothing about me! After that city woman came back to town, that ape treated me like just a piece of ass. I don’t even want to hear his name.”

  “Calm down. We’ll come up with another plan to make money.”

  “Well, we can’t do it here,” Montana said. “Not now. Too many people in town know our faces.”

  “Wait. Actually…” Cora began,
calming down as quickly as she’d gotten riled. A smile spread across her face. “Maybe we can. And you might not even have to go into town, if we time it right.”

  Slim released her. “What do you mean?”

  “You boys ever kidnap anyone? Ransom is good, easy money. I know the perfect target. And I’ll just bet you can catch her outside of Elk Valley. We can hold her here until we’re paid off.”

  “Her? Kidnapping?” Montana said, rising to his feet. Shit.

  “Who?” Slim asked.

  “Emma Bray.”

  “Who’s that?” both Montana and Slim asked at the same time.

  “She’s that city woman that’s back in town. The one Joe is all crazy about.”

  “She have rich relatives?” Slim asked. “Joe ain’t got no money.”

  “I don’t know. But from the gossip in town, she’s real close to the Sinclair folks. Like family. They’re the ones who own that big ranch outside of town. Takes lots of money to run a spread that size. They’re gone right now and Joe is overlooking things for them. I’ll bet he has access to some of their cash for emergencies and he’d pay big to get his precious lady friend back.”

  “And you’ll get even at the same time,” Montana said, surmising her true intent.

  “So? What does it matter as long as we get money in the end?”

  “I don’t like it.”

  “You ain’t been liking anything lately,” Slim complained. “How do we get her?”

  “She wasn’t in town after the rain started and neither was Joe. I’d bet they’re both at the ranch. I know a back road that shouldn’t be flooded as badly as the rest, especially now that the rain has let up.”

  Montana shook his head. “No way. What about the ranch hands and the help in the house? She won’t be alone. What if we get caught?”

  Cora’s gaze hardened. “Don’t get caught. Bide your time until an opportunity arises. She’s got to go to the outhouse at some point. I don’t expect anyone will be with her then. Use your brains, if you got any.”

  Montana sighed. Kidnapping was never easy, no matter what Cora said. And a woman? He’d heard talk from some bandits who he and Slim ran into once in a Mexican cantina. Even they rarely kidnapped women anymore, they’d said. Said it wasn’t worth the hassle.

  And taking Joe’s woman? They could be digging their own graves rather than lining their pockets, especially if this woman got hurt. And with Cora around, that was a definite possibility. She had a real mean streak in her and a score to settle.

  * * * * *

  Emma turned to Willie, who was sitting in the chair across from her in the parlor. Her thoughts were reeling after the day’s events. She looked out the window, hoping Joe would be all right. From the earlier conversation between Willie and Joe, apparently they both knew at least one of the bank robbers. That didn’t sound good.

  “Joe can take care of himself,” Willie said, as if reading her thoughts.

  “Yes. I know.” In general, he could. But what if he let his guard slip because this wasn’t a stranger he was after? “It’s just—”

  “You’re worried. I can tell. You care about him a lot, don’t you?”

  Emma decided it best not to answer that question. It would only lead to more questions that she didn’t want to think about right now. She looked over at Willie and asked a question of her own instead. “Just exactly who are you, Willie?” From her interaction with Joe, they seemed to know each other quite well.

  “What do you mean?”

  “What’s your connection to Joe?”

  “You don’t know?”

  “No.”

  Willie looked surprised and hesitated a moment before answering. “I thought you knew and that’s why you’ve been so nice to me. It figures, I guess, that he wouldn’t tell you. I’ve been trouble for him.”

  When she quit talking, Emma prodded again, her frustration rising, “Just tell me, Willie.”

  “I’m his sister.”

  “What?” Emma felt dumbstruck. That wasn’t possible.

  “Same pa, different ma. He never knew about me until I tracked him down in Elk Valley. After my ma died, I decided to find him. Our pa told me about him once. And with Joe’s reputation, he wasn’t that hard to find.”

  “I don’t know what to say. I’m shocked.”

  “So was he.”

  “I imagine.” Knowing who Willie was now, a hundred questions filled her mind. Most of which she wouldn’t dare ask. She settled on an easy-to-answer one instead. “Is Willie short for something, like Wilhemina?”

  “No, it’s just Willie. I think our pa wanted another son.”

  “Where are you staying at, Willie? The boarding house?” Not with Joe. She didn’t think so anyhow. Joe didn’t seem to have any permanent place. And Willie didn’t seem to have any money. Maybe Joe was footing her bills.

  She shrugged. “Wherever. And before you say anything…it’s my choice. Joe hates it. But I can take care of myself. I don’t need or want any handouts. Owing others just gets you in trouble in the long run.”

  Emma remembered all she’d heard in town and slowly put together the pieces in her head. No young woman should have to live in such a way. “So you just plan to sleep in barns and corrals for the rest of your life?”

  Willie’s face flushed. “Of course not. I-I just haven’t found my calling yet. Even so, I’m not ashamed of my life. I do as I please.”

  “Like drinking until you pass out?”

  Willie raised her chin. “What of it? Did Joe say that?”

  “No. Cora alluded to it and I kinda figured out the rest from other things that I heard in town, here and there. That’s not the life for you, Willie.”

  “So I drink sometimes. I know it ain’t ladylike, but it helps me forget…things.” She stood up. “I best get back to town.”

  “Joe wanted you to stay here. So stay, Willie. Please. I’m sorry if I upset you. I just, well, see more in you than what I think you see in yourself.”

  “What’s that mean?”

  A small smile tugged at her lips. “It means that I really do like you.” And her words were the truth. Something about Willie touched her heart. “I think we should get to know each other better. I promise not to pry into things that you don’t want to talk about.”

  Willie relaxed and nodded. “Well, I guess I could stay. For a bit.”

  Chapter Seven

  Montana sat toward the front of the cave, staring out into the dark, wet night and thinking of the petite blonde-haired girl from town. He’d never even gotten her name. He wondered if she was dry and warm tonight or out there somewhere in this terrible weather, cold and alone.

  He shook his head. Not my problem, he told himself, trying to direct his thoughts elsewhere. But he couldn’t seem to banish her from his mind. He wondered what her appeal was. Maybe the fact that she did what she wanted. Only what she wanted. And she didn’t back down from anyone.

  He’d rather be out there in the rain with her than in here. He’d rather be almost anywhere right now but in this cave with Slim and Cora.

  “Faster, Cora,” Slim urged, his voice coming from somewhere behind Montana. “Yeah, ride my hard, fucking cock.”

  Montana covered his ears but it didn’t help, so he finally just wrapped his arms around his knees and tried to stay warm. His thoughts switched to their recently laid-out plans and he worried what Slim and Cora might do to the unfortunate woman they intended to kidnap.

  He’d almost decided to just leave them to it and skip out, but if he stuck around, at least he could make sure that Emma Bray didn’t get hurt. Or not too badly anyhow. If he left her to face these two vipers all by herself, how could he live with himself if she ended up brutalized by them?

  Of course, he could also sneak away and tell Joe what they had planned. His mind raced with the thought of betraying Slim and what that might mean for him in the long run. A better life or something even worse than what he was living now? Before he could make a decision or ev
en think on it for long, a shout behind him drew his attention.

  “Get back here, Montana!” Slim called, excitement in his voice. “Let’s double up on this whore.”

  “Not interested,” he replied with disdain. He curled his fingers into a fist as irritation shot through him. He’d love to punch something right about now.

  The smell of sex in the air was almost overwhelming, even near the cave entrance. He tried to ignore the stench and to ignore Slim and Cora too but that didn’t seem possible. The cave wasn’t deep enough and they were too close to him.

  “Well, hell, if you don’t want to fuck her, at least slap her ass for me. She loves that.”

  Montana shifted to look behind him. Slim was flat on his back next to the fire. He’d discarded his shirt, but his pants were simply pushed down around his ankles, caught on his boots.

  Cora was on top of him, apparently agreeable to his words, for she wasn’t issuing any protests. The top of her dress was pulled down, exposing her amble breasts.

  Slim had a firm grip on her large nipples as she bounced wildly atop him. It all was quite a disgusting sight actually. He’d seen enough of Slim fucking to last him two lifetimes.

  “You some kind of scared pup or what?” Slim shouted at him, censure in his voice. “Come on!”

  One of these days, Montana swore he’d slit Slim’s throat and not regret a moment of watching the life drain out of him. Slowly he got to his feet and walked over to them. He didn’t even know why exactly. He just knew that he was sick of Slim and tired of being verbally abused by him.

  “Spank me, cowboy,” Cora said, looking up at him with a smile. “If you’ve got the balls.”

  Damn her. Damn them both. He hated being taunted. Always had. “I’ve got the balls,” he ground out, barely above a whisper. And he was in just the sort of foul mood to show them both.

  He knelt down and flipped Cora’s dress up in the back, exposing her naked butt. Letting his frustration out on her sounded good. He brought his hand down, smacking her plump ass, over and over. The sharpness echoed in the cave, but neither the sounds nor his actions gave him the satisfaction he’d expected. It just frustrated and angered him even more.