Slocum 420 (2 page)

She licked her lips again and smiled. This time, Eliza didn't care how brazen she looked.

The rest of her time dealing faro that night dragged by slower than it ever had. All the while, she watched Slocum playing poker. He didn't seem to be doing very well, but the rest of the men at the game looked to be enjoying his company. They all laughed and joked as if they were old friends. Of course, most of that could be attributed to the money Slocum was losing and the drinks he was buying. Every so often, he would look in her direction to give her a promising smile. By the time she was free to step away from her table, Eliza was aching to cash in on that promise.

The woman who came to replace her was Mary, one of the saloon girls. She wasn't a whore as such, but her job was to make the male customers feel happy enough to keep spending their money on drinks or gambling. Every so often, Mary would accompany a particularly happy customer upstairs for a while. It was her choice, and if she refused, she was more than willing to call over Michael or James, who earned their keep by bouncing unruly customers off the floor a couple of times before tossing them out the door.

“What's got you so cheery?” Mary asked as she walked around the table to take Eliza's place.

Eliza smiled and felt her cheeks warm. “I'll be entertaining someone tonight.”

“Could it be that tall drink of water playing poker? The one that's been looking over at you all night?”

“His name's John Slocum.”

Mary's eyebrows darted upward. “John Slocum? I've heard of him.”

“Nothing bad, I hope.”

Although Mary seemed intrigued as she looked over at him, she didn't answer right away.

“Is it anything bad?” Eliza whispered urgently.

“Not as such,” Mary said.

“Then what have you heard?”

“He's been working over at the mill.”

For the first time that night, Eliza didn't feel a flutter in her stomach when Slocum looked over at her. “I know that much already,” she said. “What else?”

“One of the other men who works at the mill . . . Henry Fitch. You know him?”

“Please, Mary. Don't drag this out.”

Mary nodded and pulled Eliza away from the table so they couldn't be heard by the two customers who were sidling up to place their bets. “Nothing I've heard about him is exactly bad.”

“Yes. But?”

“It's just that I heard one of the men from the mill talk about how that Slocum fella shouldn't be trifled with.”

“What's that mean?” Eliza asked. “Is he dangerous?”

“He's supposed to be mighty good with that gun of his.” Before Eliza could panic, Mary took hold of her by both shoulders and quickly added, “That doesn't mean you should be afraid of him. He's no outlaw. If he's making eyes at you, then you should definitely take advantage.”

“I'm not going to steal his money.”

Mary looked offended as she said, “How dare you imply that I would . . .”

Eliza scowled at her in a meaningful way.

“All right,” Mary admitted. “I may have taken advantage of one or two men in that manner, but that's not what I meant with Mr. Slocum. You know Nellie?”

“The . . .” Eliza stopped herself before calling the woman in question a whore. Even though that was the job Nellie held at the saloon across the street, she was a nice enough girl who deserved at least some measure of respect. “The girl with the pretty hair. I know who you mean.”

“Right,” Mary said hastily. “The whore. She's worked in plenty of other places in these parts, and she was quite excited when she heard John Slocum was in town. Apparently, he knows how to treat a woman.”

“I guessed as much,” Eliza said. “He seems very polite.”

“I don't think you understand.” Lowering her voice to a purring, hungry growl, she said, “He knows how to treat a woman.”

“Yes.” And then Eliza realized what was truly being said. “Oh!”

Now that she knew her meaning was getting across, Mary nodded. “Nellie has been with more men than she can count and she still talks about John Slocum. He curled her toes several times in one night and gave it to her like she ain't never gotten it before.”

“Mary!” Eliza scolded. “That's so lewd.”

“But it's true.” Glancing over at the poker table, Mary said, “I was going to try and seek him out myself. Since he's got his sights set on you, I say saddle him up and enjoy the ride. Just promise me one thing.”

“What's that?”

“When you're through with him, point him in my direction. Nellie never saw fit to charge him for her services, and I'd be willing to make the same exception. I also hear the pistol between his legs packs a bigger bang than the one on his hip.”

“That's enough,” Eliza said through a giggle. “I understand.”

“You play your cards right, and you sure will understand,” Mary said with a wink. “And you may not be walking straight afterwards.”

Before Eliza could scold her again, one of the men at the faro table said, “If one of you ladies would like to stop gossiping and start this game, we'd like to play some cards.”

“Hold your horses,” Mary said as she stepped up to the table. “You boys can give me your money soon enough. Who's going to make the first bet?”

Eliza left the other woman to do her job and moved away from the table before Rolf or any of the others in charge of saloon business noticed how long she and her replacement had been dawdling. She went to the bar and told Rolf she was leaving.

“What's wrong with you?” the bartender asked.

“Nothing. Why?”

“You just look . . . rattled. Was it because of all that yelling and carrying on Dan's wife did when she came through here? Don't fret about none of that. She won't follow through on any of the threats she's been making.”

“That doesn't bother me,” she quickly replied. “It's not the first time she came storming in to . . . wait. What threats?”

“Nothing,” Rolf said. “Forget I mentioned it. Run along. See you tomorrow.”

Dan's wife spouting off more than usual really wasn't enough to get worked up over, so Eliza let it go. While crossing the room, Eliza felt her breath come a little faster. Since Slocum's back was to her, she took a moment to make sure her dress was looking its best and her hair was situated just right. Running her tongue across her lips to keep them glistening, she approached Slocum's chair and placed a hand on his shoulder. She'd only meant to get his attention, but couldn't help noticing the firm muscles beneath his shirt.

Slocum's hand came up to rest on hers. Turning to look over his shoulder, he said, “I was starting to think you forgot about me.”

“Not hardly. Are you hungry?”

“Yes,” he said with a look in his eyes that spoke of more than an empty stomach.

“I know a place we can go for a nice steak.”

He stood and gathered up the few remaining chips he had. “As long as I've got enough left to pay for a meal, we're doing just fine.” He offered her his arm and asked, “Shall we?”

Eliza smiled warmly and wrapped her arm around his. Her smile grew warmer as she felt even more of his muscles. “We shall.”

 • • • 

Dinner was always good at Miss Tulley's Restaurant. The steaks were thick and prepared just right. Conversation between Eliza and Slocum was limited due to her nervousness and his inclination to talk about nothing more than work at the mill and the places he'd been. Although she would have loved to hear stories about bigger, wilder towns than Bennsonn, Slocum stuck mostly to tales of saloons he'd visited and how much whiskey he'd drunk while there. Using skills she'd refined while humoring players at her faro table, Eliza nodded every so often and smiled. Like those customers, Slocum was more than happy to keep right on talking about himself.

Eliza was surprised to realize she was losing interest in Slocum. She was thinking of polite ways to excuse herself after dinner when he reached across the table to place his hand upon hers. “I've just been flapping my gums all night long, haven't I?”

“No,” she said quickly. “Not at all.”

“I have. Sorry about that. Why don't I take you somewhere quieter?”

“It's pretty quiet here,” she said.

“But it's even better in my room at the Tall Pine Hotel.”

Her eyes widened, but she tried to keep him from seeing. The Tall Pine was the fanciest hotel within a hundred miles. Built originally for the rich men who'd established the mill, the hotel now catered to merchants and land barons who came to sample the finery offered by a hotel that needed only five rooms and one customer a month to keep their doors open. Even the dinners they served to locals cost a pretty penny, but were more than worth it for those who wanted to taste delicacies they would only be able to find in places like San Francisco or New York City.

“I probably shouldn't go to your room,” she whispered.

Slocum leaned forward and dropped his voice to a whisper as well. “With what I paid for the room, the management won't have a thing to say about who comes up to keep me company.”

“I wasn't thinking about the management.”

“What then?” he asked while rubbing her hand in a way that sent a chill along her back.

“It's just . . .” Suddenly, a thought sprang to Eliza's mind. “You work at the mill, right?”

“Just for now,” he said. “And just until I move along to some other town.”

“If you have enough money to pay for a room at the Tall Pine, why are you working at the mill?”

Slocum shrugged. “I had a good night at the card table. Not at your saloon, but the Axe Handle. Thought I'd treat myself. I'd like to treat you as well.”

For too much of her life, Eliza had played by the rules. Most of the time, she hadn't even thought to question whose rules they were or why she should follow them. It wasn't long ago that she'd decided to follow her heart and take the reins of her life firmly in hand. It had worked out well so far. She had more interesting friends, a more interesting job, and was making enough money to stash away for the time when she would be able to pick up and go somewhere other than Bennsonn. After that happened, she wouldn't be hampered by propriety or expectations. And so, it stood to reason that she shouldn't be hampered by those things now.

Then again, there was always the distinct possibility that she was merely talking herself into something because of the way a handsome man was looking at her and what she felt when she touched him. Whichever reason was behind it, she knew what she wanted.

“Are those rooms at the Tall Pine really as fancy as they say?” she asked.

“There's one real good way for you to find out.”

Eliza was certain there were plenty of reasons to refuse the offer Slocum was clearly making. At the moment, she couldn't think of a single one.

The first thing Eliza noticed when she walked into Slocum's room was that it was every bit as fancy as she'd been expecting. He lit one of the oil lamps on a nearby table, which gave the room a soft, warm glow. The chairs were intricately carved and padded. There was expensive-looking paper on the walls. Even the handle on the door was brass and polished to a shine. The second thing she noticed was Slocum's hands on her hips.

Eliza was startled at first, but had already given in to the moment by agreeing to come this far. Her head started to spin as she felt his mouth press against hers while she was pulled closer to him. His touch was rough and urgent as he walked her toward the bed. His hands wandered along her back to grasp her backside. Soon, she could feel his erection straining against his jeans and rubbing against her. Eliza hadn't been with many men, and she felt somewhat wicked as she reached down to stroke the growing bulge in his crotch.

“That's it,” he said. “Keep at it, darlin'.”

She opened her mouth and let her tongue slip into his. When she unbuckled his belt and realized it was the holster strapped around his waist, Eliza felt an excited chill run through her. The gun was heavy and she lowered it to the floor, thinking about all the things it was capable of. Before she knew it, she had his pants down over his hips and was freeing his cock from his undergarments.

Suddenly, Slocum pushed her onto the bed and unbuttoned his shirt. Eliza watched him anxiously while pulling up her skirts. She gasped with excitement when he reached down to strip away the last layers of fabric to reveal the thatch of hair between her thighs. She was wet and ready for him. Her heart pounded with anticipation as she spread her legs and unbuttoned the top of her dress.

His penis was rigid when he guided it between her legs. Eliza gripped the bed with both hands and let out a moan as Slocum pumped into her. He drove into her harder with every thrust. When he lowered himself on top of her, Eliza wrapped her legs around him and said, “I want it faster.”

“Yeah,” he grunted. “I'll give it to you how you like it.”

He pumped faster and Eliza savored every second. Lying on that unfamiliar bed with its expensive blanket and overstuffed pillows, she was living the dream she'd had for so long about breaking free and doing whatever she pleased as long as it felt good. She smiled and let herself go even further, moaning with him and pumping her hips in time to his rhythm.

“Now,” she moaned. “Slower.”

Slocum wasn't listening. He pounded into her again and again. She was more than wet enough to accommodate him, but Eliza needed the change of pace to bring her climax closer to fruition.

“Slower,” she urged.

Slocum pumped one last time, arched his back, and exploded inside her. After a few seconds of trembling, he rolled off her and wiped the sweat from his brow. “Bet you . . . never had it . . . like that.”

Still feeling a tingle beneath her skin, Eliza rolled onto her side and ran a hand across his chest. “That was so exciting,” she said.

“You're damn right it was.”

“I want you to touch me some more.”

“Huh?” he grunted.

She took Slocum's hand to guide it toward her breasts. Her nipples were erect and eager to feel his touch on her sensitive skin.

He couldn't pull his hand away fast enough. “Give me a minute to catch my breath, will ya?”

“I was just . . .” Seeing that she'd lost his attention, Eliza reached out to see if she could coax his penis back to its former hardness.

“What did I just tell you?” Slocum snapped as he jumped to his feet to pull his clothes back on.

As she watched him hiking his pants up while trying not to fall over, Eliza wondered if this was the same man she'd been so attracted to back at the Second Saloon. Now that she thought about it, she wondered why Mary and that other girl she'd mentioned had gone on so much about John Slocum in the first place.

“Are you angry?” she asked.

“No,” he grunted. “Just tuckered out. You know how that is.”

“Yes,” she said, even though she had more than enough energy to rumple the bed linens a whole lot more. Then, she thought of something that gave her some hope to salvage the rest of the night. “Maybe you just need to rest. Come lie down with me.”

“Nah. I'm gonna play some more poker. Maybe my same seat is still free.”

Eliza stripped out of her dress and knelt on the bed facing him. Her hands wandered along the front of her body, lifting her full, rounded breasts while savoring the feel of her nipples sliding against her palms. “Come back here with me. You can catch your breath, and when you're ready, I can show you why it's so much better in here than out at any poker table.”

“Can I win a fistful of money here with you?” Slocum asked.

Her hands froze in place and her smile dimmed.

“Didn't think so,” he said. Walking over to the bed, he said, “Tell you what. You can wait right here if you like. When I'm through with my game, I'll come back and give you another ride. How's that sound?”

“Good. I suppose.”

Someone knocked on the door.

Slocum put his hand on the side of her breast before moving it down to her hip. Giving her rump a playful swat, he said, “That's the spirit. This place has a kitchen that's the best in town.” He reached into his pocket, removed some folded money, and tossed it onto the mattress beside her. “Take this and get whatever you like.”

“I don't want your money! What kind of a woman do you take me for?”

Slocum shrugged as the person outside knocked again. “Then buy yourself something pretty. I should be back a little after midnight or so. If you wanna do it up right, be waiting in that bed wearing nothing but a smile. Sound good?”

Eliza stared at him, unable to put the proper words together for what she was feeling. When Slocum reached for the door handle, he grinned at her. “Don't fret now,” he said while cupping the bulge between his legs. “There'll be plenty more where this came from.”

“Don't talk to me like that!” she said.

Spitting out a laugh, Slocum started heading out. “You don't like it, honey? Here's the d—”

The door had barely opened a crack before it was shoved open the rest of the way with the force of a hurricane. Slocum was clipped by the edge of the door, which spun him partially around and knocked him to one side. Eliza screamed and reached for the blanket to pull it up and cover herself with the thick, downy layers.

“Hello, Lester,” said a tall man who stormed in from the hall to grab Slocum by the front of his shirt.

Despite his current predicament, Slocum glanced over to Eliza and grinned uncomfortably while saying, “Lester? I don't know who that—”

Once again, he was cut off. This time, it was by a fist that slammed directly into Slocum's nose to unleash a torrent of blood flowing freely from both nostrils. A sickening crunch drifted through the air, followed by a wailing cry as Slocum twisted within the intruder's grasp like a fish dangling from a hook.

The intruder gripped Slocum's shirt with both hands and lifted him to his tiptoes. Following Slocum's line of sight, the other man spotted Eliza and said, “Get your clothes on and leave.”

Eliza kept the blanket pressed against her chest as she scooted backward to climb down the side of the bed farthest from the door.

Shifting his focus back to Slocum, the other man shook him roughly and snarled, “What the hell were you thinking? Using
my
money to pay for the most expensive hotel room in town along with a whore to join you in it?”

“I'm not a whore!” Eliza said.

“Shut up!” Slocum barked.

The intruder slammed Slocum's back against a wall and then slapped his hand flat against the twisted, bloody wreck that was Slocum's nose. “Don't talk to a lady like that.”

“Thank you,” Eliza said.

“Even if she is a whore.”

“Hey!”

Whoever the other man was, he wasn't at all concerned with Eliza's protests. For the moment, Slocum seemed to have forgotten about her as well. “Explain yourself,” the intruder demanded. “And be quick about it.”

 • • • 

Smiling through the bloody mask that was spreading to cover most of his face, Slocum said, “You know damn well what it's about. Payback!”

“Payback for what?”

“For what you took from me. You stole what was rightfully mine, so I take from you.”

The intruder let Slocum go and stepped back. When his hands dropped to his sides, Eliza noticed the gun strapped around his waist. The weapon remained holstered for the time being, but the stranger's hand hung less than an inch above it like a specter of doom.

“If you had a problem with me,” the stranger said, “why didn't you come and face me like a man?”

Slocum used the back of one sleeve to wipe some of the blood from his face. Wincing as he bumped his crooked nose, he replied, “You stole from me like some snake in the grass, which is how I treated you. Ain't no reason to treat a snake like a man. Just look at you now! Busting in here to hit me when I wasn't looking!”

“After what you pulled, you should have been looking over your shoulder every second. But you're too stupid for that, which is why you got caught with your pants down.” Looking over at the bed, the stranger added, “Or, I should say,
almost
got caught with your pants down. Hope you enjoyed yourself with my money because the party ends right now.”

Slocum licked his lips and spat blood. “That's where you're wrong, John. The party's just getting started!” With that, he raised his fists and lashed out with a vicious right cross that had more than enough steam behind it to take a man's head off. Instead, the stranger leaned back to let the fist pass in front of him before leaning right back in again to snap a jab into the middle of Slocum's bloody face.

The next several punches from Slocum were thrown in an angry flurry. Each one was delivered with more power than the one before it, but each one was farther off its mark than its predecessor. In fact, the stranger was cracking a smile as he bobbed his head to avoid one swing after the next. When Slocum tried to knock that smile from his face, the stranger ducked beneath the punch and drove his knuckles deep into Slocum's gut.

Wheezing to try and draw his next breath, Slocum shoved the stranger back to create some distance between them. “You . . . still owe me!”

“You're damn right I do,” the stranger replied before surging forward to drive his shoulder into Slocum's chest. Slocum was taken off his balance while backpedaling into a small table bearing an oil lamp on its polished surface. The lamp fell to the floor, shattered, and created a small pool of fire as the wick ignited the spilled oil.

Even though it pained him to stand up straight and laugh, Slocum did just that. “Guess who's gonna pay for this, John? The fella registered to this room!”

The stranger wasn't shaken in the slightest by the flames that grew to cast flickering shadows on the walls. He placed one foot down behind Slocum's heels and gave him one jarring shove. As he fell back, Slocum tripped over the other man's foot. Having been shoved toward the little fire, Slocum's back slammed against the burning wooden planks.

“Ow! Damn it all to hell!” he hollered as he leapt almost straight up off the floor and onto his feet.

“Stop your crying,” the stranger said as he grabbed Slocum once more by the front of his shirt. He picked him up a few inches from the floor and then slammed him down again. The stranger repeated that process a few more times, using Slocum's back and flailing arms to stomp out the fire before it could spread. When the flames were extinguished, the stranger lifted Slocum a bit higher before letting him go.

Slocum hit the floor hard and knocked the back of his head. “You're a crazy son of a bitch!”

“And you stole from me,” the stranger said. “How big of an idiot does that make you?”

All this time, Eliza had been gathering her clothes and pulling them on. Now that she was dressed, she looked for a way to get out. There was a window behind her, but crawling out of that and dropping to street level was anything but appealing. If she was to get to the door, she needed to slip past both men as they fought. No matter how distracted the stranger might have been, she doubted he would be true to his word and just let her pass.

As if sensing the thoughts racing through her mind, the stranger turned toward her and said, “I told you to leave.”

“Or what?” Slocum asked. “You gonna smack her? You gonna beat on a woman?”

“I could hear some of what you were saying before I came in,” the other man said. “Not exactly the sort of talk I would call chivalrous.”

“Shiv-a-what?”

“You just made my point.”

Still too frightened to get any closer to the two men, Eliza found herself silently agreeing with the stranger. As she thought back to how Slocum had been acting before the violent interruption, she couldn't help taking some amount of pleasure from the rough way the stranger tossed Slocum to his feet and gave him a quick jab to the stomach.

“Where's the rest of my money?” the stranger asked.

“Ain't no more,” Slocum replied.

“I don't believe that. Where is it?”

“You wanna hear me say it again?”

“No,” the stranger said as he shoved him against the wall. “I want to hear you tell me where the rest of my money is. You couldn't have spent every dime of it.”

There was another knock, only this one was on the doorframe and was considerably more timid than the one that had announced the stranger's presence. A sweaty man with a long face peeked into the room and said, “I must insist that you take any trouble outside.”

“We're almost through here,” the stranger said. “Isn't that right, Lester?”