by Jovana
“Soap bubbles?”
“I was in my bath,” she sobbed.
“You broke in on the woman’s bath?”
“It was a mistake,” Val assured him.
“You say!” Lila shouted over the others. “It wasn’t a mistake! He knew what he was doing. He came back later and tried to—”
The cowboy looked back at Val. “You didn’t!”
“She’s twisting it all up.”
“When I wouldn’t, he threatened me. He said he would lock me up until I submitted to him and gave him all my jewels.”
“That’s enough for me.”
“Look, Dakota, this is really none of your business. Don’t make me arrest you for—”
“Val!” The dealer stood up, pulled out his badge, and showed it to the men around the table. “My name is Jud Forrester. I’m a Pinkerton Detective.” He looked at the cowboy that accused him of cheating. “I don’t cheat at cards. I’m here from the Black Dispatch.” He nodded toward Val and Clint. “These boys are Pinkerton Detectives, and she’s in their custody until they deliver her to the proper authorities on land. That’s the way we operate. When The Desire is out on the waters, it’s required to have some kind of authority on board for such instances as this. They’ll be getting off with their prisoner as soon as The Desire pulls into port.”
Being surrounded by lawmen, the cowboy’s look suddenly turned desperate. His eyes darted around like a caged animal looking for a way of escape. He moved quickly as he reached out and pulled Lila in front of him, using her as a shield. “I was right. You three are workin’ together.” He reached down and grabbed the money on the poker table, and punched it down into his trousers. With her in front of him, he began backing up toward the curtain. “The lady is comin’ with me, and I’d advise you not to try and follow us if you want her to stay healthy.”
Chapter 9
The tension in the cabin was getting heavy. With the situation getting dangerous, chairs began scraping against the plank floor as the rest of the men pushed them back and rose from the table.
Finally, the Pinkerton man came forward, his hand hovering over his gun. “Give it up, Dakota, there’s three Pinkerton men in here, you’ll never get away with it.”
“I don’t give a rip who they are, she’s comin’ with me.”
“Look, Dakota, you’re treadin’ on dangerous property here. Let him get his badge and show it to you.”
“Soap bubbles,” Lila shouted, getting desperate. “I was taking a bath—”
“You want the truth, cowboy?” Val said. “All right, here it is. This woman is the famous jewel thief, La Flame. We’ve had our eyes on her ever since we got on the riverboat at the New Orleans dock. We’re just keeping her with us until we come into port and can turn her over to the proper authorities. If you insist on interfering with the law, I’ll get my badge all right, and arrest you. I’d advise you to get out of my way, and let me take my prisoner and lock her up.”
“He’s lying!” she whispered in the cowboy’s ear. “I don’t even know who La Flame is!”
He looked at Val. “She says different. How do I know which one of you is tellin’ the truth?”
Val began digging in his vest pocket and produced a wanted poster with her likeness on it. He also dug out his wallet and showed him his identification card issued to him by the Pinkerton Detective Agency.
Pinkerton!
Lila saw the name and went a little crazy. The hated name swirled in her head, giving her the courage she needed to make a bold move. Suddenly she reached over and grabbed the cowboy’s gun and trembled as she waved it toward Val and Clint.
“Bounty hunters!” she spat, at last knowing the truth. “You filthy, slimy bastards are lawmen,” she hissed. “Every time you open your mouths, I find out some other dirty, rotten fact about you.” With the cowboy’s gun held fast in her hand, she began backing away from everyone as if she were getting ready to run. “Don’t ever touch me again. Do you hear?” She handled the weapon like a greenhorn as she struggled to cock it, but once she did, it suddenly became sure and steady. “Goodbye, you lying bastards. I’m not going to any jail.” She backed up slowly, still waving the gun dangerously. Don’t anybody try anything,” she said, and then turned quickly and ran out through the black curtain.
She bumped into several people, pushing them out of her way as she ran through the crowd in the casino. When she finally made it out, she ran along the deck of the ship until she found herself leaning over the rail and looking into the rolling water.
She had an insane desire to jump.
Pinkerton! It was a name that she hated, and to find out that these two rugged, sexy cowboys were part of them was devastating. My God, she’d given herself to them! Their charm, their pure animal attraction had blinded her, sent her senses reeling!
Why did she come aboard this floating prison? She should have known she’d have nowhere to hide if she was caught. She couldn’t hold it back, and began crying. She’d sworn she wouldn’t but when her heart began to break, she couldn’t help it.
What the hell was she crying for? She hated those snakes! She looked up at the moon, at the round perfection of its fullness and could see both Clint and Val’s faces in it. Their smiles were tender and warm, and their bodies perfect. Her body fit with theirs like they were made for each other, but how could that be? They wanted to lock her up. Worse, they were Pinkerton men. How could she be in love with a Pinkerton? Love? Who said anything about love?
Just then, she heard something and looked around. It was them! She turned her head one way and then the other, searching for a place to hide. Just then, she spied a door. She didn’t know where it led, but that didn’t matter right now. The only thing that mattered was finding a hiding place. She ran toward it and pulled it open. There she saw all kinds of brooms, mops, and cleaning solutions. The moment she went in, she was almost smothered with the stifling odor of ammonia.
She could hear them calling her. There was no air. She was choking on the odors coming from the cleaning solutions. She had to cough, so she put her hand up to her mouth and nose to try and muffle it. Why did they keep calling her? Why didn’t they leave? Finally, she felt herself getting dizzy from the fumes she had been forced to breathe in. She had no choice. She had to have air! Hoping they were gone, she burst out the door and took a deep breath.
Suddenly, dizziness overtook her, and she collapsed on the deck.
* * * *
Even floating in some netherworld with her eyes closed, she could feel someone looking at her. She opened her eyes slowly, expecting to meet a steely blue gaze, but instead she saw an older man who looked and smelled like a doctor. She turned her head and looked around the cabin, fear of what she might see lurking inside her. She was ready to buck and run if she saw the two blond men who had turned from lovers to enemies.
“Where are they?” she whispered.
“If you mean Clint and Val Morgan, they’re waiting just outside.”
“What happened?”
“You passed out while walking on deck.”
“Is that what they told you? Nothing more?”
“Yes. What else is there?”
“Nothing,” she muttered, and turned to get up.
The doctor moved toward the door and peeked through it. “She’s awake.”
She heard movement outside, and then the doctor opened the door, letting Clint and Val step inside.
Val reached inside his wallet, pulled out a bill, and gave it to the doctor. “Thanks, Doc.”
“If you need me, the captain always knows where to find me. She’ll be fine if she gets some rest, and stays out of close quarters such as the casino. Good night now,” he said, and tipped his hat.
When the doctor left, the cabin became heavy with silence. Finally, she spoke. “Why didn’t you tell him who I was?”
“We haven’t told anyone, and we won’t.”
“What about the men in the casino?”
“You mean your l
ittle prank? That put you in jeopardy, not us. If you’d just stayed quiet, no one would’ve known. But since you saw fit to tell the world, we have no way of keeping those men quiet. The only thing I could do is threaten them with arrest if word got around. I think they understood. We’ll know soon.”
She rose from her bed and began pacing. “Did I tell you what bastards I think you are?”
“All right, so we tricked you,” Val said. “We didn’t plan on…well, what happened. In case you want to know, Ms. Palmer, you’re irresistible.”
“Don’t give me that, you spineless cowards.”
“Look,” Clint chimed in. “when a man has had too much to drink, and a woman stands before him totally naked, what do you expect?”
“Go ahead. Make all the excuses you want, but you weren’t drunk. It was all just a plan to arrest me.”
“Sure, in the beginning, but when we got to know you, we couldn’t. Whether you choose to believe it or not, we—” He looked at Val for help.
“Lila, we began having feelings for you.”
“Feelings? Oh, please!”
“I know it sounds ridiculous, but it’s true. I think it’s called lo—”
“Val!” Clint quickly interrupted.
She turned around suddenly and looked at him, at both of them. “What was that you were you going to say? It sounded like love.”
“Clint and I have talked, and we’ve made some decisions.”
“It was love, wasn’t it? That’s what you were going to say, isn’t it?”
“Some other time. I think you need to hear our plans.”
“No, the love thing. Go back to the love thing.”
Val looked at her with a steady gaze. “Who said anything about love?”
“Didn’t you?”
Val looked up at Clint. “Clint, did you hear the word love mentioned?”
“No. Didn’t hear a thing.”
The two men stared hard at her. “Are you hallucinating again, Ms. Palmer? Should I get the doctor back here?”
“No,” she whispered and turned away, tears coursing down her cheeks. “I guess I must be overtired. Please, would you just leave me alone now?”
“After you’ve heard our plans,” Val said.
She sat and listened obediently while Val explained their decision. To keep her from being locked in the ship’s jail, they put her under house arrest, which meant they would have to keep her cabin locked from the other side. She was allowed to go out three times a day to walk the deck, but either he or Clint would always be with her. She wasn’t allowed in the casino or in the halls. She would take her meals in her cabin.
She knew they were being as lenient as possible with her, but she felt like a caged animal. She couldn’t help but wonder what would happen to her once the boat docked. “What about when we get to port?”
“That’s entirely up to you.”
“What do you—?”
Val stopped her words with a kiss. When their lips parted, he looked into her eyes. “Just checking your temperature.” His eyes shifted down to her bruised lips. “Hot, very hot lips. I think you need to lie down for a while.”
“Don’t you dare touch me.” As his hot tongue licked dainty little circles around her nipples in a teasing fashion, she moaned. “Val, oh, Val,” she whispered as she felt herself being pulled down into the hot bed of desire once again…
Chapter 10
“I don’t know what it is,” he whispered. “I can’t seem to get enough of you.”
She looked over at Clint and saw a longing in his eyes as he rose from the chair and joined them on the bed. “Clint, we have to—”
“Later,” he whispered as his hungry mouth covered hers.
As she lay there between them, feeling their hands on her breasts and pussy, she began to writhe beneath their touch. She reached out and ran her fingers along their chests, but when her touch encountered their trousers, she moaned out her dissatisfaction. With jerking movements, she pulled back their shirts that hugged their chests. She couldn’t resist licking and sucking them, drinking in their musky taste. And then she tugged at their trousers, pulling them down along their beautiful, strong legs, all muscled and hard. Suddenly she wanted to feel their legs, so she began fondling them gently, her tongue licking the back of their knees, and traveling upward toward their cocks. She saw them become larger, her mouth tingling with their imagined taste. Finally, she closed her mouth over one, and then the other, sucking, licking and moaning out her delight. She wanted to inhale them, to eat them so completely, her mouth became like a hungry animal. When she felt her cunt weeping out its joy, she moved upward slowly.
“Oh, God!” she cried as she brought her weeping pussy down on Val’s cock. Her hips began the carnal dance she’d learned to do so well, her body moving up and down while her breath caught in her throat. She wanted to scream out in ecstasy as she felt her pussy close about him completely. As they ground themselves into each other, her tingling hands rubbed Val’s chest, and then she leaned forward, allowing her nipples to rub against his. Desire flowed through her like warm honey.
Suddenly behind her, she heard Clint whisper in her ear. “I want your mouth on my cock again. I’ve got to have it.”
Just then, his hands came around her and took her breasts, pressing her nipples against his palms. With care, his fingers began to roll her nipples slowly as his cock pressed against her back, rubbing, and rubbing some more, up and down, his moist breath heating her neck. Suddenly, she felt his mouth sucking on her neck, his teeth nipping at her ears, his breath coming in hot pants as his cock continued to rub against her.
“Oh, God, Lila, I can’t wait. I’ve got to feel your mouth on my cock! Hurry!”
As Val stroked her thighs and squeezed her little ass, she felt a wild, untamed orgasm creeping up on her. And then suddenly it grabbed her, and she bounced up and down until all at once it seemed both she and Val shattered together into a million pieces.
Falling to the side of Val, she felt boneless and warm, so warm until she saw Clint’s cock still stiff and hard. She turned over and lowered herself to his hips, her hands stroking his strong body as her mouth opened and took him inside. She could hear his moans and feel his hands on her head.
Something began to stir inside her, and she began to suck, and lick voraciously. Moving over, she climbed between his legs where she could get to his balls and lovingly played until his hips began to gyrate wildly. She ate him hungrily, licking, sucking, drawing and drinking until he finally splashed in her mouth, causing his lusty essence to dribble down her chin.
The three of them lay quiet for a time, enjoying the feeling of complete satisfaction when Lila saw her chance. She looked at each one, and saw they were asleep. Moving very carefully, she stealthily crawled from beneath their sleepy embrace. She hurried and dressed, but since she would be running and hiding, she dressed in a pair of men’s trousers and a loose shirt. Moving quickly, she grabbed her velvet drawstring bag with her jewels in it, and crept out the door.
Free!
Dear God, she was free!
She ran down the hall, being as quiet as possible when she saw a group of chattering people coming her way. She quickly jumped into a shadowy alcove and hid until they passed. When she got up on deck, she looked around. It was early and people seemed to be everywhere. She needed to find a hiding place until dark, but the only thing she could find was a rowboat down at the other end of the deck. Since it was turned over, she knew if she could crawl beneath it, it would be a good place to hide. While moving slowly and quietly, she stealthily made her way toward it, watching until those strolling along the deck went inside. She waited.
* * * *
She threw her head back in a peal of laughter and then brought up her hand and held it over her mouth to stifle her giggles. Clint reveled in the tinkling echo of her gentle laughter as it rippled through the air. Such a beautiful sound. So young, so free…
Suddenly, he felt himself being shaken, and his
eyes flew open.
“She’s gone!” Val shouted.
“What?” Clint said as he lunged forward and looked around.
“I said she’s gone. She apparently sneaked out while we were sleeping.”
“How did she get out?” Clint muttered, jumping up from the bed. He grabbed his trousers and looked frantically through the pockets. “She took the key,” he said. “That’s how she got out.” He slapped himself on the forehead again and again, shouting, “Stupid! Stupid!”
“If you’re looking for an argument, you won’t get one here.”
Clint felt deflated and sat down on the bed. “I can’t lose her, Val. I just can’t.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“What you said…or didn’t say earlier about love?”
“Yeah, what about it?” Val sat there looking at Clint, then his eyes widened with understanding. “Oh, no, Clint. You don’t mean…”
“Don’t tell me you don’t feel the same thing. We’re both a couple of sad sacks who loved her and lost her in one boat ride.”
“The bad part is she thinks all we want with her is to either fuck her or turn her in. She has no idea how we feel. Why didn’t you let me finish what I was saying earlier? Why wouldn’t you let me say the word love?”
“I thought—”
“You thought! You thought! The trouble is, Clint, you don’t think. Who just got their keys stolen?”
“And who the hell fell in love with a cute little jewel thief? The truth is, we’re both stupid, Val.”
“Yeah, it’s a tie, I guess.” He jumped up. “Well, we can’t just sit here. We’ve got to find her. The one good thing about this is that we’re on a boat. She can’t run very far.”
“Come on,” Clint said, jumping up and putting on his clothes. “We need to start looking for her. Don’t expect too much while it’s still daylight, but when it gets dark, she’ll try and sneak off the ship.”
