by Smith, Bobbi
Lucia’s eyes twinkled in excitement. “Is it close?”
“Just atop the rocks. We should be able to get away long enough to wash.” She looked over at the drunken men. “I don’t think they’ll miss us. Do you want to come, Jennie?”
“You’re going to bathe?” Jennie found the possibility delightful.
“Yes and wash a few things while we have the water. We may not get another chance while we’re here in the mountains.”
“I’d like that. I do need to wash these clothes.” She looked ruefully down at her filthy skirt and Rick’s stained shirt.
“I’ve got an extra blouse and skirt.” Chica got up to rummage through her things. “They will be big on you, but you could wear them just until your things dry.”
“Thank you,” Jennie said gratefully, taking the change of clothing and soap she offered.
“Let’s go quickly before the men remember we are here.” Chica knew that once they started drinking they would be wanting her soon. As they left the cave, only one set of eyes followed their progress.
The sun was just setting, casting the world in a gold and black mist as the three women left the cave and climbed the short distance to the pool Chica had discovered. Close to the cavern, yet protected from the prying eyes of the lookout, the basin of rainwater was tranquil, its shining surface reflecting the fading light of the day. Chica and Lucia were like young animals at play. Quickly stripping down, they ran into the knee-deep waters and splashed each other thoroughly before beginning to wash.
Jennie watched them for a moment and then hurried to join them. Undressing, she took only enough time to wash her clothes and spread them out on nearby rocks before wading out into the water.
Chica looked up as Jennie came toward them and in that moment, she knew that her chances with Cazador were nonexistent. The girl was gorgeous. She felt no jealousy, only resigned acceptance. Why would he even look at her when he had a woman with the body of a goddess?
Lucia, too, watched Jennie as she stepped into the water. Tall and slender, her skin was like alabaster and her breasts were full and round. Lucia glanced down at her own slim body, quickly comparing herself to Jennie, and she knew that she came out the loser. She wasn’t tall, her breasts weren’t as full—Anger replaced envy. Jennie might be lovely to look at, but did she know how to keep a man satisfied? Lucia doubted it and her own sense of worth returned. If there was one thing she was proficient at, it was pleasing men.
Jennie found the thought of bathing so enticing that she took little notice of the other women’s expressions. Splashing herself thoroughly, she remained standing and began to soap her body, scrubbing at her skin until it tingled. Finally, when she felt clean once more, she sat in the middle of the pool and arched back to soap and wash the heavy mane of her hair.
Rick had watched Jennie leave the cave with Lucia and Chica and didn’t think too much of it, but when they did not immediately return, he grew worried. Slipping away undetected from the group of rowdy, now drunk desperadoes, he escaped outside and followed their tracks up a steep path to the top of the rocks.
Jennie had just begun to wash her hair when Rick located the pool. He paid scant attention to Lucia and Chica, choosing instead to stand quietly and enjoy the sight of Jennie, nude in the water. It was only when he discovered that the lookout had been lured there by the sound of their splashing that he grew angry.
“Gorgeous, aren’t they?” Pablo the guard remarked to Rick as he leered at all three women lustfully from his hiding place. “Can’t decide which one I like best, though. I think the new one, ’cause she’s real pretty and she’s not as fat as Chica or as skinny as Lucia.”
“Sorry,” he said easily, disguising his fury at finding the bandit ogling Jennie. “She’s mine.” Then with a coldness in his tone, he added, “Now, do you think I should tell Malo that you were not on guard when you were supposed to be?”
Pablo turned reluctantly away from the view of the naked women and grudgingly went back to his post.
At the sound of the men’s voices, Jennie slid as low as she possibly could in the water and nervously crossed her arms across her breasts. Lucia and Chica, recognizing one of the voices as Cazador’s, stood up and proudly displayed themselves, laughing at Jennie’s modesty.
“What are you afraid of?” Lucia chided. “In another few weeks when Cazador is finished with you, all the men in camp will not only have seen you, they’ll have had you.”
Before Jennie could retort, Rick appeared at the side of the pool. “Get out, Jennie,” he ordered curtly, torn between anger that the guard had seen her and relief that he hadn’t attempted to take her.
Hurrying as best she could on the slippery rock, she climbed from the water and snatched up the white, peasant-style blouse Chica had loaned her and the full, brightly colored skirt. Pulling them on under Rick’s dispassionate regard, she finally stood before him, clothed.
Rick’s expression grew thunderous as he stared at her. The wide-necked blouse was too big and slipped seductively off one shoulder to reveal the beginning swell of her breast; the skirt billowed around her slim waist and beneath its mid-calf length, her slim ankles and feet were bare; her hair was wet and shining, hanging down her back in a silken cascade. To Rick, she looked the wanton, sexually aware and ready for a man, and his body instinctively hardened at the thought.
He had wanted her to go unnoticed in camp, but he knew now that it would be impossible. She was too beautiful for the men to ignore her. Fighting down the desire to pull her into his arms, he was suddenly irritated that she’d managed to distract him again from his main objective. His tone was gruff when he spoke. “Get your things. We’re going back to camp.”
Jennie blinked in surprise at his curt command and then quickly gathered her clean clothing, worrying all the while about what she had done to incur his wrath. She was unaware of the sensual aspect of her dress. To her, it was an aggravation to have to keep pulling the top back up, and she wondered why Cazador was scowling at her so fiercely.
Making her way ahead of him along the rocky path on the way to the cave’s entrance, her heart contracted painfully when she heard Lucia call out in invitation.
“Cazador? Do you have to go with her?”
For the first time in her life, Jennie knew what it meant to be jealous. She was very much aware of just how much the other women really wanted him, and she was furious when he answered them easily. Had she been able she would have stomped on ahead of him, but being barefoot she had to be satisfied with gritting her teeth and picking up her pace.
“Malo will be looking for me.” He gestured in friendly helplessness while Jennie seethed in silence behind him.
“Maybe later,” Lucia responded, flirting with him brazenly, and she watched in disappointment as Cazador turned and once again began to follow Jennie up the path.
Chica looked at Lucia with open amusement.
“What’s so funny?” Lucia demanded hotly.
“I’ve never known you to chase a man before.” She smiled.
“I’ve never felt this way about a man before,” Lucia admitted to her friend. “Cazador—he is special.”
“He’s very special,” Chica answered, thinking of his strong physique and handsome features. “But he has eyes only for the gringo and while he has her he will have no need for us.”
Chica waded from the pool and began to dress, leaving Lucia standing alone in the chilling waters.
“We will just have to see how long she can hold his interest,” she remarked, feeling challenged rather than rejected by his refusal. And she walked slowly from the basin, contemplating the best ways to attract him.
Jennie turned angrily to face Cazador, once she was sure that they were out of sight. “Why did you do that? I’ve never been so humiliated in my life.”
“Humiliated? Because I came to get you?”
“Came to get me? Is that what you call it? You embarrassed me!”
“I don’t know why.” He shr
ugged. “They will only think that I want you.”
“But—”She sputtered furious at his indifference.
“But nothing.” Rick grew suddenly impatient with her childishness. “I want you in my sight at all times.”
“Me and Lucia and Chica, too!” Jennie responded heatedly. “You certainly had us in your sights tonight!”
She turned and started to walk’away from him, but Rick reached out and grabbed her by her arm, pulling her viciously back against him.
“I wasn’t the only one watching you, Jennie,” he growled, giving her a little shake for emphasis.
“What?” Jennie was suddenly horrified.
“I said, I wasn’t the only one watching you. Didn’t you hear me talking to someone else before you saw me?”
“Yes, I did hear voices, but—”
“The other voice belonged to the guard who was so busy watching you that he forgot to do his job. Would you like to hear what he had to say?” Rick said, wanting to impress her with the other man’s crudity. “He liked you best and—”
“No!” She gasped in disgust.
“You’re very lucky that I came for you when I did. He might have decided to take you by force.”
“But you told me to stay with the women,” Jennie said miserably, hating to admit that he was right; hating to think that another man had seen her unclothed. “And when Chica suggested that we bathe and wash our clothes, I thought it was a good idea.” The loose blouse slipped off her shoulder again and she wearily tugged it back up.
Rick felt his anger dissipate before her defeat. “You’ve got to remember where you are and who you’re with,” he lectured sternly.
“Who am I with?” She raised her dark searching eyes to his shuttered green ones. “What are you doing here? You said it wasn’t the gold. Then why?”
“I don’t owe you any explanations,” he replied cuttingly, releasing her. “Be satisfied that I’m willing to protect you. Now, let’s go inside and get to bed. It’s been a very long day.”
Effectively silenced by his dismissal of her questions, Jennie moved ahead of him and entered the cave.
The light from the fire’s flickering flames projected eerie, distorted shadows on the damp, curving walls, giving an almost palpable air of unreality to the scene in camp. The revelry among the men had died down, and only a few hardy souls remained awake, still drinking their tequila.
“Found your woman, eh Cazador?” Malo leered, drinking greedily from his bottle as he staggered toward them.
“I hadn’t lost her,” he replied coolly, knowing how dangerous some men became when they were drunk. With an easy move, Rick slid his arm about Jennie’s waist, pinning her to his side possessively, as his other hand, hovered imperceptively over his sidearm.
“She is pretty.” Malo stopped before Jennie and reached out to stroke the long dampness of her hair as his black eyes visually stripped her. “You took a bath?”
“Yes,” she answered, knowing that he would respect bravado more than cowardice. “With Lucia and Chica.”
“Ah, my little Lucia is bathing now? Chica, too?” His face lit up at the thought. “I think I will go and try to find them.”
Rick breathed easier as Malo headed weavingly from the cave in search of the other women, and Jennie shivered at the thought of what would have happened if Malo had been the one to discover them at the pool.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t think there’d be any danger if I stayed with the others” she whispered to Rick as they walked together to his bedroll.
But rather than soothing her, Rick only grunted indifferently and began to spread out their blanket. When he’d arranged it as comfortably as possible, he started to go through his saddlebags.
“Here,” he said, handing her a comb.
Appreciating his gesture, but knowing better than to remark on it, she sat down beside him on the blanket and began to work the tangles from her long tresses. Rick sat back, watching as she efficiently combed the snarls out of her hair. Mesmerized, he couldn’t stop himself from reaching out and caressing its wet silken length when she’d finished.
“It’s gorgeous,” he murmured.
“Thank you.” Jennie was pleased with his compliment. “Do you think I should braid it? Lucia mentioned that we were going to be riding out tomorrow and—”
“What else did she tell you?” he asked, suddenly suspicious of what she might have heard.
Jennie frowned at his sharpness. “Not much, really, just about Malo’s plan to make Juan Peralta lead them to the gold mine.”
“Oh.”
“They’ll let him go once they find the mine, won’t they?” She said, glancing over to where the old man lay, unmoving, on his blanket.
“Malo won’t want anyone left alive who could possibly take the treasure away from him. He will kill him at the first opportunity,” Rick told her bluntly, and he watched as her eyes widened in tortured acknowledgment. “Now, go ahead and braid your hair. You’ll be cooler tomorrow with it off your neck.”
He watched with interest as she parted the heavy mass and quickly began to plait it into a single length. Taking a rawhide strip from his saddlebags, he waited until she’d finished and then gestured for her to turn her back to him as he efficiently tied the braid.
“Thank you.” She smiled over her shoulder at him as the blouse once more slipped low.
Rick swallowed with some difficulty and stifled a groan at the innocently seductive look she gave him.
“I want you to sleep between me and the wall,” he said, shifting positions to let her climb to the other side.
As Jennie stepped over him, he caught a glimpse of her long, slender legs and had to resist the urge to pull her down to him. When she had settled in beside him, he drew his revolver and checked the chamber to make sure it was loaded before reholstering it.
“Good night,” she whispered as he stretched out on the hard ground beside her and drew the blanket over them.
“Good night, Jennie,” he responded distractedly as he glanced one last time in Juan’s direction. Then, tilting his hat over his face, he crossed his arms behind his head and sighed heavily.
Curling on her side, she lay a hair’s breadth away from him, longing to be in the security of his arms yet afraid of what he’d say if she reached out to touch him. Filled with thoughts of their afternoon of love in the abandoned mine, Jennie closed her eyes and was soon fast asleep.
“Are you ready to go back now?” Lucia asked Chica as they finished washing the last of their clothing.
“Yes. I just hope the men are all asleep when we get there.”
“Ah, but I heard them talking earlier. They were all hot for you tonight.”
“Too much tequila has put out many a fire,” Chica retorted, laughing. “What about you? Malo has been drinking all day.”
“You doubt my abilities, Chica? You, of all women, should remember how good I am—” His voice boomed from the top of the rise, and both women turned in surprise to find Malo watching them, his gaze on Chica contemptuously.
“I wasn’t doubting you.” She hurried to correct her mistake, but it was too late.
Malo strode toward her, his eyes glistening with a frightening mixture of anger and lust. “I think I will prove to you just how capable I am.” Savagely grabbing Chica by her hair, he jerked her to him and stared down at her wide-eyed terror scornfully. “You do well to fear me and when I am done with you, you will never forget again.”
His mouth descended to hers in a brutal kiss, his tongue raping her mouth. Chica instinctively fought against his violence and tried to twist free, but Malo held her fast, chuckling evilly.
“You want to fight me?” And he laughed as he took another drink from his bottle. “You will lose, Chica.”
Reaching within her blouse, he kneaded her heavy breasts with hurtful fingers, pinching and pulling at her sensitive nipples until they hardened in protest.
“I will not fight you, Malo,” she whispered, her voice t
hick with fear as he pushed her blouse off her shoulders to expose her bosom.
“I know.” He grinned at her, downing the last of his liquor and tossing the bottle carelessly aside to shatter against the rocks. “Undress, Chica.” He folded his arms across his chest as she hurried to please him. “You are getting old and fat and slow,” Malo said cruelly as he stared at her plump body. “But I will take you just the same.”
Lucia had stood motionlessly through their entire exchange, but when he moved toward Chica, violence obvious in his intent, she hurried to help her friend.
“Malo.” Lucia kept her voice a soft purr, hoping to distract him from his purpose.
“What?” he snarled, irritated at being interrupted.
With measured tread, she approached him, her hips swaying seductively. “Malo, I’m jealous. Do you find Chica more desirable then me?” Standing before him, she brazenly met his gaze, thinking he would choose her over Chica.
But his mood was too vicious for even such a sensuous ploy. He was not planning on making love to Chica; he was planning on teaching her a lesson. Making a grab for Chica, he roughly shoved Lucia out of his way, sending her sprawling into the dirt. Knowing that she was helpless to do any more, Lucia was forced to watch as he viciously slapped Chica and then hauled her up tightly against him.
Chica knew that it would be useless to fight Malo. Though he was not a big man, he was strong and it would be a simple matter for him to overpower her. Submitting to his degrading touch without protest, she remained passive in his embrace, hoping that her quiescence would soothe his anger.
But Malo found her submissiveness stimulating, and her lack of reaction to his savagery only encouraged him more. Forcing Chica to the ground, he freed himself from his pants and fell upon her, seeking her depths and grinding mercilessly into her unwilling flesh. His movements were frenzied as he sought his own release. The sense of having conquered her excited him to climax almost immediately.
When Malo rolled away from her, Chica felt grateful to still be alive. She had known him to kill for less provocation, and she hoped that the storm of his fury was over.