He pulled a handkerchief from his waistcoat pocket and wiped his hands.
“Mr Hamilton?”
He glanced at her and motioned for her to cover herself. He looked dazed, confused and even ashamed.
“So now we know, eh?” He tucked his waning erection into his trousers and buttoned them up. “You do remember how good it was between us.”
“Yes, Nate,” she whispered and she reached out towards him, her heart beginning to open as the memories flooded in. Tears stung her eyes and blurred her vision. She wanted to feel safe again, that the future held some promise of happiness. She wanted, no needed, to fall into his arms and to be held against his chest, to be loved until the sun set and she knew that he would never let her go.
When he rose and moved towards her she opened her arms, expecting to feel his strong hug enveloping her, his face pressed against her hair, his renewed erection rock hard against her groin.
Instead, there was a draught as he walked past her and stood at the door.
“Our time is up.” His voice was low, soft, dangerous. “Get dressed. I’ll see you here at the same time tomorrow.”
The door banged against the frame as he pulled it behind him and Evelyn stood alone.
Walking down the wooden staircase and into the bar of the Gem, Nate combed a hand through his hair then pressed his hat onto his head. He needed a drink.
“What’ll it be, Mr Hamilton?” Dan Doherty stood behind the bar polishing a glass.
“Whisky.”
Nate took the glass and swigged, savouring the sting as it flooded through his mouth and down his throat. Though he didn’t drink much, he could understand why some men did. Sometimes life was so darned hard a man needed to drown it out and escape the pain.
“Another?”
Nate nodded.
“So how was she?” Dan pushed his hat back on his head and leaned over the bar, exposing yellow teeth in a crooked grin.
Nate glared at him. “What?”
“That Mrs Campbell. She look as good with ‘er clothes off?”
Nate balled his fists at his sides and ground his teeth together but his reply was controlled and assured. “Mind your business, Doherty. I’m paying for the use of that room and what goes on in there is none of your business. Al promised me discretion and you a beating if you fail to keep your flapper shut.”
Dan shrugged then turned to a rowdy group of men who’d just come in, muttering as he did so, “Ye get the mitten then did ye, Mr Big Bug.” Then he hawked and spat on the floor, missing the spittoon.
Nate rested his elbows on the bar, moving his empty glass between his hands. When Doherty moved to refill it he put his hand over the top and shook his head. It wouldn’t do to get drunk—he couldn’t afford to lose control right then. Who knew what he’d do with Evelyn around and his mind in turmoil. Sober, he could just about cope but inebriated he might well surrender to the ache in his heart.
He turned his head to the side as one of the newcomers stood a bit too close and his sour sweat stung Nate’s nostrils. Goddamn these miners stank.
“So you guys here for the show or the pussy?” Dan questioned the miners as he filled their glasses.
“I was hopin’ to enjoy the show then get meself a bit o’ that fine pussy out back,” a recently arrived Irish immigrant replied.
“Well you’re in the right place fellas,” Dan slammed the whisky bottle down on the bar. “Now where are them damned whores?”
Nate watched as Doherty walked away, hollering female names. As if by magic, half-naked young women began to appear around the bar, their clothes soiled and torn, their sullen faces heavily painted. They plastered on smiles as they approached the men and wrapped themselves around them, acting as if they’d found their future husbands and wanted to give them a wedding night preview. It turned his stomach to see the men pawing at breasts and thighs and treating the women like prize cuts of meat.
He plonked his money on the bar next to the glass then walked out into the hot and dusty Deadwood evening, shaking his head at the sorry state of affairs that was the Gem Saloon.
* * * *
Evelyn stood at her window in the Grand Central Hotel, looking out onto the street below. Dusk had fallen on the camp and the residents had lit their kerosene lamps which hung from their hooks like dead men in the breathless evening. By twilight, the camp seemed calm and even pretty with its gentle lighting and the dark shapes of the mountains as its backdrop. Maybe it was because she’d felt rootless for so long, or maybe it was because Nate was here, but Evelyn felt that she could settle in Deadwood, make it her home. Growing up she’d believed that her home would always be with Nate and she wished that she could believe that again, even if just for a moment. To have that security, that infallible awareness that she was with the man that destiny had chosen for her, would still the pain in her heart and mind.
She shrugged the thoughts away. No use crying over spilt milk. Nothing to gain from it. What was done was done and she had to pin her bloomers to her corset and get on with it, as her granny used to say.
The main street teemed with people as miners returned to their lodgings to wash before supper and prospectors trudged heavily along the dry, potholed track to fall into a restless slumber filled with images of the gold pocket they’d find the next day. A few painted whores sidled up to passers-by to try to entice them into their establishments for whisky, gambling and a hot lay. Evelyn shivered as the interested men kissed and touched the women as only a lover should. She moved behind the curtain when Nate appeared, his long strides bringing him quickly in front of the hotel. He stopped as a man waved at him then joined him in the street. She thought she recognised Nate’s companion as the sheriff but she couldn’t be sure.
“Mama?”
Evelyn turned to her son.
“Yes, Aaron.”
“Can I go downstairs?”
She shook her head. “You know we talked about this.” Even though he was ten years old and tall for his age, she still fretted constantly for his safety.
“But I’ll be careful. I just want to take a look around, see if…”
His cheeks coloured.
“You want to see if you can charm a cake off the cook, don’t you?”
He looked down.
“Well go on but don’t disappear. I’ll be down for dinner soon as I’ve changed.”
Shaking her head, she watched as he grabbed his hat and ran to the door then turned and gave her a cheeky smile.
She laughed and waved her hand. “Go on…before I change my mind!”
As the door closed behind him, she turned back to the window, pressing her finger tips against the cool pane of glass. Nate was still deep in conversation.
She was finding it hard to believe that she had come here to Deadwood and bumped into him after all this time. She had spent years thinking about him, dreaming about him and wanting him. But now that she’d been with him again, it wasn’t at all how she had imagined—he was like a stranger.
His face was still handsome, his eyes still dark brown, but they were hard now and his forehead was lined as if he’d spent too long frowning in the sun.
And he was angry with her. Still. She couldn’t blame him but she wished that she could go back in time and change things, stop herself walking into marriage with another man.
But that was impossible.
Her stomach rolled over as she thought of his final words to her that afternoon.
I’ll see you at the same time tomorrow.
She needed the money to support her and Aaron. She had no other means of keeping a roof over their heads. Her pride and conscience had seen to that.
That was why she’d have to go. So why did the thought of seeing him again make her tingle all over?
* * * *
As she hurried along the street, Evelyn kept her shawl wrapped tightly around her hair, her head down. She didn’t want to be recognised, questioned about where she was going at two in the afternoon. Not that she
knew many people in Deadwood by name yet. But she knew that they knew of her and she didn’t want to fire their curiosity even further.
In a town where men still outnumbered women, she knew that she was attracting attention with her womanly curves and golden hair. She knew that a lot of the miners and prospectors were worn down with work and broken dreams and the comfort of a woman’s body was a coveted prize. She had to be careful, not all of them lived by the same gentlemanly code of conduct. All she wanted to do was keep Aaron safe and help him grow into a big strong man but she knew that the odds were stacked against her. Every mother did.
Outside the Gem, she looked around quickly then hurried through the swing doors and into the bar. She wrinkled her nose at the smell of stale sweat and alcohol.
A quick scan from under the shawl showed her that it was still quiet so she darted through the bar and headed for the staircase, taking the steps two at a time.
Once at the top, Evelyn rushed across the wide landing, which looked down onto the open space of the bar, then paused outside the small room.
What would happen today? Would she have to stand before him again, scandalously naked whilst he pleasured himself? Would he force himself upon her and expect her to make love to him with their former passion? If he did, would she be able to feign indifference, to force herself to find no pleasure in their coupling? The thought both terrified and aroused her.
She knocked then entered immediately and let the shawl slip from her head, her stomach clenching at the thought of seeing him again.
But he wasn’t alone.
He sat on the chaise longue again with his feet planted squarely on the ground in front of him, but next to him, caressing his muscular thigh possessively, was a young woman.
“Oh.” Evelyn settled the shawl upon her shoulders and self-consciously patted her hair. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realise that you had company. Shall I go?” She turned and was about to step out into the corridor when she felt a hand upon her shoulder.
She turned, expecting to look up into Nate’s eyes but instead she looked into the laughing green eyes of a whore.
“Don’t go sweety! We was jus’ waitin’ for ya, see!” the girl wheedled, running a finger up and down Evelyn’s cheek.
She shrugged it away, causing the girl to cackle and perform an elaborate curtsey before her.
“What is this, Mr Hamilton? You made no mention of this!” Evelyn lifted her chin and scowled at him.
“If I may correct you, my dear Mrs Campbell”—he leant forward resting his arms upon his legs—“I made no specification of details. I merely told you that I was aware of your situation and offered you a way to earn some money. You seemed keen enough.” He shrugged. “You didn’t ask for particulars.”
Evelyn blinked hard as she glared at him. She could not argue with the truth. His offer had been most generous and she really hadn’t any alternative. She’d even reasoned that it would be better to be with Nate, with a man she had loved and been intimate with. Better that than sell herself to a rotten toothed miner who’d paw at her body and rob her of her self-respect. At least that was what she’d thought. But here was Nate, stealing that same self-respect away from her, intent upon humiliating her for his own pleasure.
Well she would not let him see how hurt she was. Clearly the man she had known and loved was gone, his love and compassion evaporated by the harsh sunlight like the morning dew on the arid landscape. She slammed the door. There was no going back.
“So what do you want me to do?” She threw her shawl away from her and unbuttoned her jacket then flung it after the shawl.
Nate stared at her, eyebrows raised.
The soiled dove gave a harsh laugh then returned to her position at Nate’s side and snuggled into him, entwining a shapely leg around his. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer, staring all the while at Evelyn’s face.
So he was playing games. Did he want to get revenge by hurting her?
She pushed down her skirt and kicked it away then she let down her hair.
Nate eyed her with the hunger of a starving man, from her cotton bloomers to the flimsy chemise above her corset. She shivered under the intensity of his gaze but she flicked her hair over her shoulders and pushed her chest out. She would show him all that she was—all that she had to give. She would not shy away from his lust.
There’d been a time, during their youth, when she’d been apprehensive about undressing in front of him but with his love and tenderness she’d soon been reassured and had even become quite brazen with him. But she’d been so sure of him then, so convinced that he loved her and would never hurt her. This was different.
She was dragged roughly back to the present as the harlot moaned and she watched in horror as Nate allowed the whore to slide his hand into the top of her chemise, whilst she pulled his other hand up to her face and began to suck on his fingers.
Stood in the middle of the room in her underwear and boots, watching the man she had loved being touched and kissed by another woman, Evelyn was consumed with hurt and jealousy. It made her heart pound, and anger burned hot in her belly.
“Mrs Campbell,” his voice was almost a whisper, “come over here.”
Not knowing what else she could do, though she longed to turn and run from the room, Evelyn obeyed.
Nate reached out to her and pulled her down onto his knee, wrapping his arm around her waist. The whore moved her leg away but kept Nate’s hand upon her breast.
Evelyn fought the urge to jump up and flee when the whore threw her head back and reached down to her crotch where she rubbed against the thin cloth of her bloomers, arching her hips up towards her own touch.
“Do you like this, Evelyn?” Nate’s voice was husky.
She didn’t trust herself to answer.
The whore increased her pace upon herself and began gyrating in ecstasy. Evelyn watched Nate as he eyed the girl. A sigh escaped his lips when the girl reached under her bloomers and continued rubbing at her pussy, faster and faster until she shuddered suddenly and violently, then opened her feline eyes to smile at her audience.
Evelyn stared at the girl in shock. How could she be so wanton?
The whore seemed to read Evelyn’s mind and she pushed her chemise down to expose small pert breasts then flung her head back as Nate squeezed at a rosy nipple. Her bloomers clung to her damp groin, evidence of her recent climax, and Evelyn’s eyes were glued to the outline of the soiled dove’s sex.
Though her mouth was dry and her palms clammy, Evelyn had to admit that she was aroused. But the conflicting emotions threatened to burst out of her in a flurry of tears and violence. She wanted to scratch at her rival for stealing away Nate’s attention yet she knew that it was not the girl’s fault. She, like Evelyn, was doing what she was paid to do.
She would not allow Nate to see her jealousy, her pain.
Leaning in towards him she pressed her lips against his jaw. His scent was so familiar and so good that tears sprang into her eyes and her desire for him twitched deep within her. She had loved this man with every fibre of her being, yet she had married another and she wondered now at how much her actions had hurt him. If he had only sent word to her, reassured her of his health, success and imminent return, she would have held on…but she’d had too much to lose. She’d been forced to make a choice under duress and the offer had been open only for a very limited time. What else could she have done?
A lone tear trickled down her cheek as she sought out his lips, but he turned his face away from her and her lips landed instead upon his dark hair.
“No, Mrs Campbell, I will not kiss you. The time for such tenderness is long gone.”
He pulled his arm away from the whore and Evelyn jumped in shock as he squeezed her full breast hard then ripped her chemise down and found the erect nub, tweaking it roughly as he had the whore’s. He rolled his thumb and forefinger over the hard nub and rubbed at the surrounding pale pink circle and the action caused an exquisite fli
cker deep inside her as if her breasts and cunny were linked. He tugged at her erect nipple and pinched it but the pain was delicious as it fired her longing for him, reigniting a side of her that she had hidden for a decade. It had been so long.
A groan escaped her and it seemed to spur him on, the rolling and rubbing grew harder and she fought the urge to beg him to move his hand between her legs to offer her the sweet release that he was so capable of doing. Her pussy throbbed, the silken folds moist with desire.
She knew that she should push his hand away, pull away from him and run from the room—she was a respectable woman, a mother and a widow—but she knew that she would not, for though his touch was rougher, his eyes harder, her yearning for him pulsed through her even more powerfully than before.
With his one arm wrapped around Evelyn’s waist and his other hand full of her breast, Nate felt that he would explode. Evelyn’s scent, the warmth of her skin and her beauty were sending him into sensory overload and he could feel his lust for her wiping out all reason. He wanted to lift her in his arms and lay her down on the couch then plunge deeply into her curvaceous body until he felt that he was at one with her again.
She was reacting to his touch, moaning and writhing even though he was being so rough and had intended on causing her discomfort not enjoyment. Her evident arousal was awakening part of him that he had long since buried, and he remembered how lovemaking could be—how it had been to hold, kiss and caress the woman he loved.
But that was the boy he had been. He was different now.
He shook himself and stopped toying with her though he really wanted to lean over and kiss every part of her—to fill himself with the taste and feel of her.
He had to stop this. It wasn’t right.
A sense of shame washed over him and he pulled Evelyn’s chemise up over her breast then pushed her away from his lap. She stood looking down at him, her face white and confused.
The whore cackled and leaned across him, grabbing at his cock through his trousers but he slapped her hand away. This was wrong because of her. He’d believed that this would be a perfect punishment for Evelyn—a humiliation beyond endurance that might also conjure some signs of jealousy within her, maybe some proof that she had feelings for him.
Desire in Deadwood Page 2
