Bartered: A Western Romance

by Mary Wehr

  “That, my dear, only means I’ll be much tougher on you.”

  “Why?”

  “Because your mother trusted me to keep you safe and I intend to do so.”

  “But that was long ago,” Emma protested heatedly. “I’m sure she didn’t mean it to be a lifetime commitment.”

  “Yea, well, I’m making it one.”

  “Then perhaps I should leave.”

  “Don’t go starting that again. You got nowhere to go and sending you out on the street to fend for yourself is out of the question so don’t give me that ‘I can take care of myself’ stuff.”

  “Well, I can and I’m old enough to make my own decisions. Don’t you think I can make it on my own?”

  “My sweet little Emmaline, you don’t want to know what I think.”

  “But I do, Jake,” she replied and took a quick sweep of the room. “And there aren’t any rocks within reach to throw at you so go ahead. Tell me what you think.”

  His brows drew together with annoyance. “I think you’re the same reckless girl you’ve always been and it’s about time someone took a switch to that sassy bottom.” He paused a moment, then added, “From what I remember you have a penchant for sticking that pert nose where it doesn’t belong.”

  “A switching?” Emma flushed. The thought of him taking a stick to her behind as if she was a naughty child sent a shiver of delight down her spine. Lordy, she was acting just like Megan. “I can’t help it if I get curious once in a while. Being curious can be very informative.”

  “Or destructive depending on what you’re curious about. You always managed to talk or smile your way out of trouble, but that won’t work in this part of town. The men who frequent this place aren’t the type of men you’re used to. They don’t bow or open doors. You get too curious, you might just find yourself on your back with your skirts thrown over your head.”

  “That was a very crude thing to say,” Emma admonished.

  “But the truth and don’t you forget it.”

  Dory breezed into the room and went straight to the coffeepot. “You two having a serious pow-wow?” she asked pleasantly.

  “Jake’s giving me some rules he insists I follow,” Emma replied, grateful Dory was in a cheerful mood. Too bad it didn’t last.

  “What for? She ain’t staying that long, is she?”

  “How long she stays isn’t for you to say, Dory,” Jake informed her without further explanation.

  Turning red in the face, Dory slammed down her coffee cup and stamped from the room. Her sudden departure didn’t seem to bother Jake in the least.

  “Now, what was I about to say, oh yeah, the girls only have two rules. Absolutely no bickering between each other and don’t be late for work. Of course, number two may not apply to you literally, but you must follow it anyway. Be back here by five o’clock.

  “During the day you can go wherever you want within reason, but you’ll have to take someone with you. Maybe you could ask Amelia.”

  Emma pondered as to why he had specifically named Amelia as a companion. The fact that there may be some truth about them being romantically involved gnawed at her insides.

  “Emmaline, are you paying attention?”

  “Yes, but Amelia works all day at the restaurant. Can I at least sit at the Blue Bonnet until it’s time to come back here?”

  He shook his head. “Absolutely not, and that’s my final word.” He grabbed her by the shoulders and gave her a firm shake. “I mean what I say. It’s way too dangerous for a woman to be out alone. Dodge has its fair share of drunks wandering around and there’s a lot of gunplay especially at this end of town.”

  “Then why doesn’t the sheriff do something? It’s his job to keep everyone safe.”

  Jake scoffed. “He’s nothing but a drunk pinned to that nice shiny badge and is afraid of his own shadow. The only thing he’s good for is slapping eight-dollar fines for disturbing the peace. We need new law in this town.” His eyes narrowed sharply. “Until that happens you will do as I say or suffer the consequences. Oh, there’s one more rule I forgot to mention. From now when we’re alone you will refer to me as Papa Jake.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  One full week had passed by and Emma felt as if she was losing her mind. It was worse when the girls were downstairs selling their wares and she was left alone to amuse herself. Just once she’d like to put on one of those colorful dresses and go downstairs even if most of the men were smelly and drunk. She had to get out of this saloon for some fresh air, but Jake had been adamant. She could not go out alone.

  “You will do as I say,” she mimicked Jake’s earlier words as she tossed several pairs of stockings and three of the dresses Dory had given her over a rope extended from one end of the washroom to the other. She stomped back into the bedroom and looked around for something to do. Nothing stood out. The room practically sparkled after she’d spent two days scrubbing everything down. She knew which floorboards squeaked the loudest and now she was in the process of counting the cracks in the ceiling.

  Emma walked over to the oval-shaped mirror and propped her hands on her hips.

  She deepened her voice. “Do this, don’t do that. Mind me, Emmaline, and call me Papa Jake.” What an arrogant bossy man. If he thought she was going to heed his warnings then he was in for a big surprise. Although she had to admit his blatant authority made her tingle all over.

  Emma fluffed both pillows then fell back on the bed. She grinned mischievously. What would Papa Jake do if he saw her walking down the stairs all gussied up like one of the girls? He’d probably stomp up the steps like an angry buffalo, toss her over his shoulder, and carry her back to her room. Emma licked her lips. Maybe he’d order her to take off her bloomers so he could spank her on the bare.

  She grabbed one of the pillows and held it tightly to her chest. Her nipples began to prickle and the area between her legs started to throb. This was so wrong. Proper young women didn’t touch themselves or listen to dirty talk, but she certainly had.

  Earlier in the day, Claire, Spring, and Megan stopped by with some clothing that needed to be cleaned. Being shut up in this room with nothing to occupy her time, Emma had offered to do their laundry along with her own.

  Somehow they all ended up on the bed and began talking. It started off all innocent-like then turned downright filthy.

  Claire began to tell a story about a man who wanted to put his cock inside her mouth, but stopped when Emma’s jaw dropped. She’d never heard of such a thing.

  “It’s actually a turn-on, Emma, if the guy is handsome enough,” Claire went on. “But this here fellow had a beer belly and I couldn’t find the damn thing. Cocks come in all sizes, you see,” she said to Emma. “Some can be close to nine inches long, maybe more.”

  Emma covered her mouth and nearly gagged, which started a round of laughter.

  At first, Emma felt out of place with such talk mainly because she had no clue that there were lots of ways to have sex, but the girls convinced her to hang around. Soon it was time for them to get dressed and head downstairs. After they left, the stories played over and over in her head, especially Claire’s second one, which sounded much more satisfying than the first.

  Emma couldn’t get the wicked image out of her head. She imagined herself as a working girl and Jake had chosen her out of everyone else for a night of passion.

  She fell back onto the bed and closed her eyes. Jake would be hard and demanding. He’d order her to undress completely and get down on her knees in front of him. He’d remain clothed towering above her while she was naked and at his mercy.

  He’d unbuckle his belt and loosen his pants just enough to pull out his enormous cock. The grip on her jaw would be firm and he’d tell her to open wide. Once his cock was settled deep inside her mouth, he’d grab the back of her head with both hands and pump his hips until his hot cum shot down her throat.

  Emma punched the pillow. These were dirty filthy thoughts and she should be ashamed. She really
should, but what the hell, she wasn’t as long as the man was Jake.

  The muffled tinkling of the piano and laughter came easily through the thin walls. Darn it all, if only she could take a peek to see what was going on. Just one peek wouldn’t hurt. Jake spent most of his time holed up in his office anyway. The only time she saw him lately was when he’d make her repeat the rules, which, by the way, was almost every day. It was quite annoying but she managed to hold on to her temper.

  Emma sighed. A whole week had passed and she hadn’t heard a single word from her father. He hadn’t bothered to stop by to see how she was doing or if Jake had booted her out. He just didn’t care.

  With Ma gone and Pa’s betrayal, she had to accept the fact that she was the only one she could depend on, much like the girls working downstairs.

  Speaking of downstairs.

  Just one quick peek wouldn’t hurt.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Jake left the peace and quiet of his office to see how business was going. He stood in the shadows and surveyed the crowd. Some men were playing cards. Some were leaning against the bar drinking while others were chatting up the girls.

  His gaze wandered upward toward the stairs. He couldn’t understand it. Emmaline always had a problem following rules and yet a full week had passed without incident. Her curious nature had to be gnawing at her. He thought for sure he’d have caught her with her face pressed against the railings of the banister taking in all of the activity. So far she was being obedient and it bugged the hell out of him.

  He even went so far as to seek her out and tell her to repeat the rules secretly hoping he’d get her dander up, but all she did was smile and nod.

  So many times he wished she’d be a good girl when he had to accompany her to that damn swimming hole but now the game had changed drastically. He wanted to catch her in the act. He wanted an excuse to give her a good spanking.

  Jake rubbed the back of his neck. He must be going loco. That girl could try the patience of a saint and he was no saint, not by a longshot, but damn, her behind sure had looked good in those pants. His palm itched to spank those firm globes.

  Jake took an empty chair and swung it around so he had a clear view of the stairs. He was just about to sit when Chad Montgomery joined him.

  “How goes the saloon business, McCabe?”

  “It’s going. Lose your way, Montgomery? I thought the Wild Mustang was more your style.”

  “There ain’t a gal under twenty-five over there. Pussy’s too loose so I figured I stop here and check out your girls.” Chad grabbed a chair and sat next to Jake. He slapped him on the shoulder. “You’re a lucky man, Jake. Believe you me.”

  Chad kept right on talking even though Jake blatantly ignored him. A certain young lady had control of his thoughts. Sooner or later she was going to break one of his rules and he couldn’t wait to deliver a firm punishment. He could almost picture her upstairs pacing back and forth cursing him to hell and back.

  One corner of his mouth tilted upward. To be a fly on the wall.

  “You know why you’re a lucky man, McCabe?” Chad pressed on.

  Jake swore beneath his breath. “Nope, but I’m sure you’ll tell me anyway.”

  Chad snorted in disbelief. “Take a good look around. You got all the liquor you can drink and women at your beck and call. And you don’t have to pay for any of it. I’d call that lucky, believe you me.”

  Jake’s focus remained fixed on the stairs. One more ‘believe you me’ and he was going to punch Montgomery in the face. “Is drinking and fucking all you think about? Time to grow up, Montgomery.”

  “Booze and the women, hell, yea. Growing up, hell, no. Pa’s days of pushing me around are over. I’m the boss hog now. I can call it a day whenever I want. I’m the one who tells those lazy asses what to do and when to do it.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I kinda feel bad for Ma, though. He’s driving her loco being in the house all day, but she married him so he’s her problem.”

  Jake had had enough of Chad’s pretense of civil conversation. “Ditch the small talk. You know I don’t buffalo easily so tell me why you’re really here.”

  Chad panned the crowd. “I heard old man Foley traded his daughter for a bottle of whiskey, but I don’t see her anywhere.”

  “And you won’t,” Jake gritted between his teeth.

  Chad slapped his knee. “Keeping her all to yourself, huh? Hell, can’t say I blame you. I tried to steal a kiss one time when she was by herself in the barn. She turned into a fucking wildcat, scratchin’ and kickin’. Fuck, she even blackened my eye.” He wagged his head. “I like my women fiery, but only in the bedroom. That filly needs a strong hand. I was tempted to grab a whip and teach her a lesson, but I didn’t. Know why?”

  Jake stared stonily ahead, fists clenched, mouth compressed.

  “I’ll tell you why. Emma’s the kind of woman a man looks for when he’s ready to settle down. The man who marries her will have his hands full, believe you me.” He took a swig of beer. “Wanna hear a good one? I saw her in town a few days later and you know what?” He threw back his head and laughed. “She was wearing pants and a shirt and had her hair pulled back in a bun.”

  Chad drained the rest of his beer. He stood up and grabbed his crotch. “She ain’t fooling me with that new getup. I’d kiss her again if I got the chance.”

  Jake swore he could hear his back molars crack. Another coarse word about Emmaline and Mr. ‘Believe you me’ would’ve been picking up his teeth. The man had a mean streak a mile wide. Damn. He didn’t know if he should be proud of Emmaline or blister her behind for taking such a chance.

  Instead of screaming for help or running in the opposite direction, she’d slapped him in the face. A damn stupid thing to do. Chad could’ve easily overpowered her and... Shit, thinking about her terrified and being violated beneath the bastard made him want to rip the man apart.

  When he spotted Chad and Trudy heading for the stairs he resisted the urge to yank the two apart and kick his ass out the door.

  As for Emmaline, he’d be patient and wait until she broke one of his rules. It couldn’t be much longer. He knew his Emmaline. He swallowed hard. Since when had she become his Emmaline?

  About ten minutes later he spotted a certain brunette scurrying to the forbidden side of the staircase.

  One little mouse was about to get caught by a big ole tomcat.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Hunched behind the wooden banister, Emma drank in the scene below. The place was crowded with men; some good-looking, some not. Some were drinking at the bar while others played cards and smoked cigars.

  Megan looked absolutely beautiful in a purple low-cut dress and blonde hair pinned to the top of her head adorned with a black feather. The man she stood next to looked up and flashed her a smile.

  “You look lovely tonight, my dear.”

  As if on cue, Emma watched as Megan bent over, revealing a good amount of cleavage. At that point, the game was over and the other men left the table in disgust. With a loud whoop, the man who paid her the compliment pulled her onto his lap and shoved a few bills down the front of her dress.

  It looked like easy money, but Emma couldn’t picture herself being so bold in front of perfect strangers.

  Carefully, she inched her way to the other side of the staircase and breathed a sigh of relief. Her idea to change into her pants and shirt had been a good one. She was able to move more freely.

  So far so good, considering she’d almost gotten caught coming out of the room just as Claire hit the top step with a tall well-built man. They disappeared into one of the rooms located further down the narrow hallway.

  Chewing on her bottom lip, Emma kept throwing glances down that hallway. The temptation to peek in the keyhole was driving her to distraction. Spying on someone having sex was abhorrent. Distasteful. Morally wrong, yet she could look at it as very educational. She knew absolutely nothing about sex.

  Throwing aside her inhibitions, Emma raced dow
n the hall. All doors were open except for two. Dropping to her knees, she crawled to the closer one and looked in a keyhole. Her breath caught and her heart began to pound so hard she almost could hear it above the din downstairs.

  It was hard to see the man’s face, but she got a birds-eye view of his manhood. Lordy, his thing was enormous. He held it with one hand while his other was fisted in Claire’s hair. He prodded her mouth with the bulbous purple head, praising her when she opened her mouth and nearly swallowed him whole.

  He tapped her jaw and she released his cock with a mewl of disappointment. The man laughed then cupped her head and rammed his cock into her mouth. It looked as if he was hurting her, but judging by the way Claire grasped his hips she was loving every minute. On and on he pumped her face. It was captivating. Mesmerizing. And when his thrusts became faster, Claire grabbed his ass cheeks.

  One last thrust and he stiffened, releasing a guttural groan. His member slipped from her mouth. Emma almost giggled out loud. The big beast didn’t look so scary anymore. It hung limp.

  Claire shoved his pants down to his ankles and cupped the sacks that hung between his legs. He groaned loud and long. She tongued one then the other. As she worked him over with her mouth, his cock grew into that hungry beast once again.

  He kept on pumping then suddenly withdrew, shooting a rope of white cream all over her exposed breasts.

  While Emma watched, her hand moved faster and faster. That all too familiar sensation began to build between her legs. The one that always left her feeling somewhat cheated, but she couldn’t deny herself.

  * * *

  With only one thing on his mind, Jake weaved his way through the crowd and took the steps two at a time. When he reached the top of the staircase and saw her kneeling with one eye glued to the keyhole and one hand between her legs, he could’ve been knocked out cold with a feather.

  Jesus.

  All he could do was watch as her entire form began to tremble. Sweat beaded his forehead. His cock pushed painfully against the thick seam of his jeans and when she peaked, her sweet whimpers nearly sent him over the edge.