The Emperor's Bride

by Caylen McQueen

  “Rose is...?”

  “My wife.”

  “Uh-huh.” Carol suddenly felt choked by the bow tie around her neck, so she removed it and stuffed it in the pocket of her white and purple pinstripe coat.

  “Have you seen her?”

  Carol shook her head so rapidly, it almost made her look guilty. “Uh, nope. Not me. Sorry.”

  “I have!” A man at a nearby table suddenly spoke up. “She walked off with a young man about a minute ago.”

  The husband's eyes narrowed, and the fingers around his pipe slowly clenched. “And what did this young man look like?” he asked.

  “Oh, I dunno.” The speaker shrugged. “He was about twenty. Average height, average build, curly brown hair.”

  “Dammit Rose...” The vengeful husband cursed under his breath as he stormed away from Carol's table. “I leave you alone for one minute, and you... some kind of whore... maybe she went to our room... he won't get away...”

  Carol could only hear a portion of his ramblings, but she could tell he wasn't happy. And because she was partly responsible for Flynn's conquest, she needed to warn him. Carol abandoned her table, tiptoed across the saloon, and followed the husband into the hallway. As soon as he paused in front of one of the doors, Carol screamed, “Flynn look out!”

  A moment later, the husband flung open the door. Flynn was already in bed. His hair was tousled, his shirt was unbuttoned, and Rose was on top of him, removing her brassiere. Just as the door opened, the woman's breasts flopped into Flynn's wide-eyed face. She was very well-endowed.

  “Flynn!” Once again, Carol tried to warn him from the hallway. “Flynn, now might be a good time to run!”

  As soon as he locked eyes with the infuriated husband, Flynn knew Carol was right. With a whimper, he pushed Rose off of him, sprang from bed, and ran to the window. It was stuck, so by the time he opened it, the husband snatched Flynn's shirt and pulled him backward. Flynn didn't like the idea of fighting an angry husband who had every reason to be upset, but he certainly wasn't going to let himself get attacked. He dodged the husband's flying fist and countered with a punch of his own. His left fist struck the man's nose, and as he staggered backward, Flynn buried a knee in his stomach.

  When the husband tried to attack again, Flynn dodged again, then he shoved the man's head into one of the bedposts. As he toppled to the ground, Flynn leapt over his body and rushed to the door, abandoning the shrieking Rose.

  “Oh god, Flynn, I'm so sorry!” Carol apologized as they fled the scene. To be sure there was an adequate distance between them and the adulterous Rose, they didn't stop running until they were through the saloon and back on the street. “I'm so so sorry! I'm the one who got you into that mess in the first place! Are you mad at me?”

  Flynn, who buttoned his shirt as he ran, couldn't stop checking over his shoulder. He kept expecting a bullet in the back of his head. “I don't blame you, Carol... but now I'm going to need to find a cold river to jump into.”

  “I'm so sorry!” Carol apologized again. “That was... awkward.”

  Flynn sighed deeply. “And that was an understatement.”

  “Next time, Flynn...” She grabbed his arm and squeezed. She suddenly sounded shockingly serious, especially for Carol. “Next time, don't ever listen to a word I say!”

  Twenty Three

  When Josiah heard the knock on his door, ceaseless grumbles spilled from his lips as he shuffled across the room. He wasn't in the mood for a visitor.

  Until he saw Jun.

  “Oh. Hey, sweetheart.” His cold demeanor was replaced by something significantly warmer. She was carrying a heavy tea tray, and it looked like she was struggling to keep it balanced, so he took it from her hands. “Is this tea for me?”

  “It is!” Jun exclaimed, sounding a bit too excited. As soon as she saw Josiah's face, her heart beat so hard and fast, it was practically stampeding. “It's oolong tea, one of my favorites from back home. I had a nice, long chat with the innkeeper, and when she said she had oolong tea, I begged her to let me have some.”

  “Oolong.” Josiah's voice lilted when he repeated the word. As he carried the tray to the room's tiny table, he said, “That's kind of a fun word to say. Oolong.”

  “I hope you like it,” said a blushing Jun. “It's already been steeped and prepared, you just have to pour it.”

  “I can't remember the last time I had tea.”

  Jun's smile dropped from her lips. “Does that mean... you don't like it?”

  “No, I like it. Although... I've got to say, I've never tried oolong tea before.” While pouring himself a cup, Josiah whispered again, “ooooolong.”

  “You really like that word, don't you?”

  “I think I do. Actually, it might even be my new favorite word.” As he brought the teacup to his lips, Josiah pointed at the chair across from him. “You'll join me, won't you?”

  “Umm... sure.” Jun timidly tiptoed to the table. She was nervous around men, and even more nervous around Josiah Cole. Even his smile couldn't put her at ease. In fact, his smile made the situation far worse. It made her weak.

  Josiah leaned across the table to pour a cup for Jun. “It tastes nice,” he quietly told her. “I like it.”

  “Good.” Jun could feel her shoulders shrinking as Josiah studied her. She wondered what he was thinking. Was she bothering him? Did he want her to go away? Did he think she was pretty? Did he like her? As the anxiety inducing questions danced in her mind, Jun found it impossible to relax and enjoy her tea. “So, uh... Mr. Cole. I have a question.”

  “Fire away,” Josiah said as he took another sip of his tea. Twin spirals of steam swirled from the hot cup, making his eyelashes flutter.

  “I was wondering if you might take me to Santo Feo,” Jun requested. “I know I was supposed to go with Nicky, but after what happened last time, I don't know if I'd feel safe with him. I know he means well, and he didn't mean to get captured, but I also know I'd feel a lot safer if you went with us.”

  “That means I'll have to be in Nicky's company a little while longer, doesn't it?” With a shake of his head, Josiah returned his teacup to the table. “I just can't seem to get away from him.”

  “I-I know it's a lot to ask...” Jun took a moment to chew on her lip, then continued, “b-but... I'd really like it if you were there.”

  “Then I'll come,” Josiah said, completely oblivious to the tidal wave of relief that washed over Jun. “Actually, I'd always planned to take you the rest of the way. I thought you knew that.”

  “Oh, I, uh... no. Not really.”

  “Hmm.” Josiah crossed his arms. “Then I guess I'm not that good with words.”

  “At least you're better than your brother.”

  “Anyone's better with words than Flynn.” The mere mention of his brother's name had Josiah rolling his eyes. “When he was a kid, I kept thinking he'd grow out of that shyness. But now he's a grown ass man, and I've lost all hope.”

  “He seems nice, though.” Jun's thumbs twiddled in her lap, under the table and out of view. She didn't want Josiah to see how anxious his company made her. “Surprisingly, his inability to talk to women hasn't really affected his success with them. I saw him leave with a woman about an hour ago.”

  “Did he?” Josiah laughed at the thought. “That scamp.”

  “Yeah. And a few minutes later, I saw Flynn and Carol racing from the saloon. I don't think it ended well.”

  “Wait...” As Josiah leaned forward, his eyes narrowed. “Are you trying to tell me Flynn and Carol... did they... was she the woman he...?”

  “Goodness, no! Flynn wasn't flirting with Carol. He went off with another woman. I think Carol was the one who rescued him.”

  “Oh.” An odd sense of relief rushed over Josiah's body. It wasn't as if he had any romantic interest in Carol, he just didn't want to imagine her with his brother. The thought was strangely excruciating.

  For a moment, Jun thought about discussing her homeland, her family, a
nd how much she missed them. But Josiah already looked bored, so she decided not to trouble him. It would have been easier to talk to Nicky, since he had such an easy-going way about him. And it would have been easier to talk to Flynn, whose silence made him seem like an excellent listener. Unfortunately, it was impossible to talk to Josiah. He stirred up such a feeling of unease in her, it was a wonder she could speak to him at all.

  A minute later, Josiah finished his tea. He was gulping instead of sipping, which made her think he was eager to get rid of her. Either that, or he had no idea how to properly savor the beverage. “That was real good, Miss Jun,” he said. “I'd like to have some ooooolong again sometime. It was a nice treat.”

  The way he drew out the word oolong was more than Jun's heart could stand. It was so adorable, it made her chest hurt. “I'm... I'm just really glad you liked it.”

  “I did. And I liked your company even more. I'm happy you stopped by.” Josiah rose to his feet, swaggered across the room, relocated his hat, and lackadaisically donned it. His every movement was languid, as if he hadn't a care in the world. “Now... I guess I'm going to go down to the saloon and see what kind of trouble I can get into.”

  “Trouble?” Jun looked concerned.

  “I don't mean it literally. I'll probably just sit, smoke and drink whiskey. You're welcome to join me, if you'd like.”

  “As much as that sounds, uh... interesting... I should probably just go to bed. I didn't really sleep well when we were out on the road. I'm looking forward to having a bed.”

  “Well, I hope you can get some good sleep, sweetheart.”

  Jun started to rise from her chair, but every time he called her sweetheart, she felt weak in the knees, so it wasn't the best time to be on her feet. She had to grip the side of the table to steady herself. “Uhh... yeah. Me too. Goodnight, Josiah.”

  “Goodnight.”

  And with that, he was gone. As soon as he reached the saloon, his cigarette was lit and in his mouth. He asked one of the saloon girls for a bottle of whiskey, sat down, and indulged himself in an awkward conversation between Nicky and Gwen. Josiah arrived just in time to eavesdrop.

  “You know, I'm surprised we've never met before, since we're both from Gravestone, and we have a few of the same friends.” As he flirted with Gwen, Nicky leaned against a chair. He wanted to look smooth, but when the chair suddenly scooted across the wooden floor, he nearly fell over. His clumsiness was a curse. “At the very least, you've heard about me before... right?”

  “Nope. Not really.” Gwen couldn't have sounded less interested in chatting with him. If she knew Josiah was nearby, she would have already been gone.

  “Well, it doesn't matter, because it's never too late to get acquainted. After a day in my company, you'll never forget the name Nicky Gunn.”

  “Uh huh.” Gwen sounded doubtful.

  “Would you like me to buy you a drink, Miss Montgomery?”

  “Not really.”

  “You know, this saloon seems like a dangerous place for a pretty girl like you. Do you want me to stay and keep an eye on you?”

  “No. I'll be alright.”

  Josiah slid a hand over his lips and chortled. For some reason, listening to Nicky's failed flirtation was highly amusing.

  “Well, uh... uhhh...” As Nicky probed his mind for their next topic of conversation, Gwen was rolling her eyes. She had less than zero desire to speak to him, and her boredom practically dripped from her eyes—and yet, somehow, he seemed to be completely ignorant of her disinterest.

  “I really like your shirt,” Nicky suddenly blurted. In particular, he liked how it was half-buttoned, and he liked that her bosom was bursting out of it.

  “Thanks.” After deflecting several of Nicky's attempts to strike up a conversation, Gwen finally realized Josiah was sitting nearby. “And now I've really got to go. It was nice to meet you, Nicky... I guess.”

  A few seconds later, Gwen was dropping into Josiah's lap. When Nicky realized she preferred his friend, he sauntered away with slumped shoulders.

  “Josiah!” As Gwen squealed his name, she nicked his hat and transferred it to her own head. “I was wondering when I'd have another chance to talk to you. God, you look handsome!”

  “Hey there, Miss Montgomery.” Though he greeted her politely, Josiah shifted uncomfortably. When she was on his lap, he felt like he was committing a crime—something far worse than the arson and theft that were listed on his wanted poster. No matter how large Gwen's breasts got, Josiah's mind was plagued by an image of the pigtailed little girl who used to chase him down Gravestone's main street, begging for sweets. For as long as he could remember, she had been desperate for his attention.

  “Do you think I look pretty?”

  “You sure do.” Josiah gave his shirt's collar a nervous tug. “And, uh... do you remember when I used to give you sweets when you were about ten years old?”

  “Uh huh.” Gwen grinned at him. “But I'm not ten anymore.”

  “Nope. Nah. You sure aren't.” When he felt Gwen's lips on his neck, a few beads of sweat broke out on Josiah's forehead. It would have been easy to give in to temptation—if not for the fact that it felt so wrong. He could practically feel her father's fingers coiling around his neck, strangling him. “Say, uh... Gwen? Shouldn't you be getting to bed?”

  “Only if I can go to bed with you,” Gwen answered with a giggle. “And that was a proposition, by the way.”

  “Gwen... we can't.”

  “Why not?” As she combed a hand through Josiah's blonde hair, her lower lip popped into a pout. As coyly as possible, she said, “I've never slept with anyone before, and... and I really want my first time to be with you, Josiah Cole.”

  Josiah's eyebrow was incredulously raised. In her short black skirt, high boots and low-cut blouse, Gwen looked more like a saloon girl than a good girl. “Is that... so?”

  “Alright, no,” Gwen confessed with a sigh. “You wouldn't be my first guy... or even my second guy, if I'm being honest... but I thought you'd be enticed if you thought I was a virgin.”

  “Nah. Not really. That'd just make it feel more wrong,” Josiah confessed. “And it already feels wrong.”

  “Josiaaaah!” Gwen whined his name. “Why don't you want me? I want you.”

  For the next few seconds, Josiah silently smoked his cigarette. He neither confirmed nor denied his desire for her.

  “Look... I'll be waiting for you in my room.” Gwen kissed his forehead as she rose from his lap. “If you want me, meet me there. But if you don't come in about an hour or so, I'll know it's a lost cause, and I'll leave you alone forever.” Gwen waited for a reply, but when he didn't say a word, she added with a sigh, “Goodnight, Josiah.”

  Josiah returned to enjoying his whiskey in peace. He assumed that peace would be disrupted when he made eye contact with Carol Cassady, who was playing a game of solitaire on the far side of the room. He expected her to swing by his table and force her company on him, but she didn't. In fact, she did the opposite. She raised a pair of unused jokers in front of her face and tried to block Josiah from her line of sight.

  Josiah was offended. If Carol wanted to ignore his existence, he decided to ignore hers.

  A minute ticked by. Then another. Josiah poured a few shots down his throat and waited for Carol to change her mind. But she didn't. Unlike every woman he had ever encountered, Carol was content to ignore him.

  Frustrated, Josiah rose from his table and went to hers. Even when he was standing right beside her, she tried to pretend he wasn't there. Finally, he cleared his throat and said, “Hey, Carol.”

  “Well, well... if it isn't Josiah Cole.” Carol's nose puckered at the sight of him. “As a woman, how am I supposed to greet you? Am I supposed to swoon? Faint? Am I supposed to throw myself on the table and yell, take me, I'm yours!”

  “Maybe. But I only expect that from roughly ninety percent of the women I encounter,” Josiah said as he dropped into the chair across from her. “If you're one
of the lucky ten percent that's immune to me, a handshake or a hello will suffice.”

  “Oh my god. Was that sarcasm from you? I'm impressed!” Carol collected her cards with a grin. “I was starting to think you didn't have a sense of humor, Josie.”

  “Oh, I've got a sense of humor!” Josiah defended himself.

  “Really? Because you seem pretty gosh darn serious to me!” As Carol shuffled her cards, a few of them slipped out of her hands and drifted to the floor, so Josiah bent over to collect them.

  “Were you playing solitaire?” he asked.

  “Yeah. I was going to play with Gogobot, but he kept lighting the cards on fire,” Carol matter-of-factly stated, as if a robot torching a deck of cards was the most commonplace thing in the world. “I think he got confused when I said I wanted to play war.”

  “That Gogobot...” Josiah sighed. “He's going to blow up the world one day. I swear he is.”

  “No he isn't! He's a friendly companion and an ingenious invention, if I do say so myself!” Carol stuck out her tongue at the man sitting across from her. “And now... since you're here, and you don't seem to be going anywhere, do you want to play cards with me or what?”

  “Sure.”

  “We're not playing for money, though, because I'm half-drunk already.” In the middle of dealing the cards, Carol reached for Josiah's whiskey and poured herself a shot. “And since I'd rather be whole-drunk than half-drunk, I'm stealing your booze.”

  “That's fine with me.”

  As Carol checked her cards, she rambled, “Wow, that Gwen girl was really throwing herself at you! She's pretty relentless, isn't she? I swear to god, her shirt was so tight, I expected one of the buttons to fly at your face and put out an eye. I'm almost thirty years old, but I've never seen a woman more determined to get into a man's pants. It almost makes me feel sorry for Jun. She can't compete with that kind of aggressive approach. She really likes you too, you know.”

  After all that, Josiah simply said, “Maybe.”