Caring for Citrine (The Red Petticoat Saloon)

by Alta Hensley

  With the tip of his penis still teasing her entrance, he growled, “I just had you and should be satisfied, but I only want you more. You have a power over me.”

  Anson twirled Della to face him, his hands hugging the roundness of her behind. Inhaling deeply, acting as if intoxicated by her scent, he moaned.

  He slipped a finger under her chin and tipped her face up to him. His lips met hers. They were warm and soft, yet aggressive in their assault. There was a new hunger, a new want. When his arms slipped around her waist, his finger sliding into the crevice of her behind, there was no tension or tightening from her. Every inch closer his finger got to her puckered rosebud, her body softened against his. With a hungry press of his fingertip into her tightness, her full submission took over. She hungered for this, and he needed to make sure she never hungered again.

  “I want you here. I want to bury my cock deep in your ass and feel the tightness all around my cock.” Pressing his finger deeper within her behind, he growled, “I will ask you once and only once for permission. If you say yes, I will conquer this tiny ass of yours and make it mine forever.” He pulled his finger out of her channel just enough to elicit a gasp from Della. “I want to be buried deep within your ass. So deep that I can feel your ultimate submission.”

  “Yes, I want you to. This part of me has never been claimed. It’s yours to do with as you please.”

  “It will hurt, and you will scream out my name. So if you allow this, just know that it won’t be easy at first.”

  “I don’t care. I want you to.” Her eyes were still closed, her breath rapid as she clutched his arms.

  He got up and reached for his bag, digging around searching for something. She opened her eyes to see him pull out a jar and open it. He dipped his fingers into it and began to coat a greasy substance along the length of his hard cock. Up and down he stroked himself, never breaking his stare from hers. “I will try to make this as easy as I can on you. But God help me there is a part of me that wants to hear you scream out my name.”

  An animalistic urge took over her as he got back on the bed and flipped her fully on her belly and spread her legs wide. He grabbed more of the grease and coated her hole with it, dipping his slick finger inside to lubricate her inner walls.

  “I want you to reach back with your hands and spread your bottom nice and wide for me. I want to see your little pucker as I slide my dick inside of it.”

  She moaned as she followed his command, feeling juices of anticipation drip from her pussy while she gripped the flesh of her ass. The excitement of what was to come almost knocked the air out of her. The feel of the cool temperature of the room kissed her anus and she moaned again, loving the feel of being utterly exposed to him. Nothing was concealed from his view. He hadn’t even put his cock in her yet, and she was already about to come, and she wished she had a free hand to play with her clit.

  “You are such a good girl. So obedient. I will have to reward you soon.” His final word was followed by a moan as the tip of his cock pressed against the entrance and slowly eased its way in.

  As the flesh of her bottom hole spread wide, Della gasped and a small cry escaped her lips. The biting pain, the sizzle straight to her core, and her throbbing pussy revealed that deep in her darkest fantasies she desperately wanted this. She wanted more. More pain, more possession, more of Anson’s large cock stretching her delicate flesh.

  Anson continued on, slowly taking her ass one small inch at a time. Della remained in position but let out an almost howl-like sound when he finally planted himself all the way in. It hurt! It hurt badly, and yet the delicious sting had her body humming all over.

  “All right, baby. You can release your bottom. I’m in you,” he growled. “God you are so tight. So hot.”

  “You’re so big. So big,” she gasped.

  He slowly began to slide out and then push back in with shallow motions. He went slowly enough, and easy enough that Della’s body soon accepted the invasion. It wasn’t long before she was meeting his thrusts with the motion of her hips, silently giving him permission to unleash and give her a proper ass fucking. And taking his cue as a true alpha, he did just that.

  Fire erupted inside her, and she could no longer contain the scream that rested on the tip of her tongue. The inner walls of her anus pulsated around his plunging cock, and her scream blended with his growl of completion.

  She wasn’t sure if she passed out or if complete surrender cast a spell on her, but she closed her eyes and allowed sleep to take over, faintly remembering Anson easing his cock out of her.

  It was a cough that woke her from her slumber. It had been so long since she had been woken by the precursor of sickness, that it actually startled her.

  Anson snapped awake instantly and sat up with worry cast all over his face. “What’s wrong? Can you breathe all right?” His hand reflexively went to her forehead to feel for fever. She noticed that they shook slightly and she realized that he was more than worried, he was frightened.

  Della coughed again, and then again, wheezing for breath. “Yes,” she lied. “I’m fine.” Oh no! Not now! Not now. She couldn’t afford to get sick again. She wanted to get married. She wanted to be the strong bride who could be by his side during the rest of the cholera outbreak. Would Anson even want to marry her now if she got sick? Maybe he would realize that she would never truly be well. She would always be sick Citrine. Too sick to even be a whore. What had made her think she could be a doctor’s wife?

  Anson hopped out of bed and quickly pulled on his pants. “No, you aren’t. I can see and hear that an attack is coming on. Damnit!” He reached for his shirt and finished getting dressed. “The medicine and herbs I need are back at my office.” He pulled on his boots before Della could even get out her next cough.

  “Anson, please stop. I’m fine. It’s just a cough.” She had to convince him it would all go away, but she knew it wasn’t the case. This was just the beginning. Her coughs always got worse.

  “I was worried we pushed you too far and too fast. You just got over being near death. It’s a cough that we need to fix before it gets worse and lands you in bed for a week. Is that what you want?”

  “No,” she whispered before coughing again. No matter how hard she tried to hold it in, her body always betrayed her with an even worse cough as if punishing her for trying to conceal it. “Please don’t feel like you have to take care of me. I feel awful that you are having to get out of bed. You should be resting.”

  He walked over to her and kissed her forehead and then pulled the covers up over her and to her chin. “I will always care for you. You are mine to care for until the end of time. Always and forever. You stay in bed until I return. I’m going to run by my office and then head out to check on the miners and make sure that things are stable.” He gave her a warning look. “Do not get out of bed.” He paused and studied her for a moment. “Do I need to tie you to the bed?”

  She almost argued, but his look scared her. He was serious and she definitely didn’t want to be tied to the bed while he was away. “No, sir. I will be a good girl and stay right here. I promise.”

  He took a moment before deciding he was satisfied with her answer and turned toward the door. “I’ll be back soon. Rest.”

  It wasn’t hard for her to fall back asleep since she was still exhausted from the last three days in the mining camp, and then from the most amazing love making she could imagine. No wonder her cough came back. She was tired, and had to agree with Anson that she did indeed need rest.

  The sun was setting when she heard the heavy footsteps of Anson enter the house. She yawned and stretched the aches out of her body, surprised that other than taking care of her bodily needs, and drinking some water, she had slept the majority of the day. When Anson entered the room, she instantly felt a sense of warmth and comfort. Her man had returned home to her, and she realized that she would have a lifetime of that feeling.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked as he walked toward her
with his doctor’s bag.

  “Much better. I slept all day. I suppose I needed it.”

  “Your cough? Has it gotten worse?”

  She shook her head. “Actually, it is almost gone.”

  Anson placed his ear to her chest and ordered, “Take a deep breath.”

  She did as he asked, noticing how close his lips were to her hardening nipple. Her body already craved him, and he barely had touched her.

  “Roll over, I want to take your temperature.”

  She wanted to whine and object but decided not to. He was concerned and she didn’t blame him. It was his nature and the reality of her life was that he would always be over protective and concerned when it came to her health, and she actually liked it. He cared about her, and that was a good feeling.

  When she rolled on her tummy, he lowered the blanket to reveal her nude body. She could hear the lid of the jar being opened which she knew was being used to grease up the thermometer.

  Putting the thermometer to her rosebud, he asked, “Is it tender?”

  She nodded. “Yes, a little.” The thermometer entering her hole stung as it made contact with her sensitive flesh still sore from earlier. She hissed as it penetrated her fully.

  “I’m sorry, love. Just stay still and it will be over soon.” He leaned down and kissed each cheek of her bottom while they waited, slowly kissing his way up her spine until his lips were right by her ear. “I want to be safe. Almost done.”

  She nodded in response, not minding at all to have her temperature taken if she got all this love and affection while having it done. A few minutes, and several kisses to her neck later, Anson removed the device and declared that her temperature was perfect.

  “All right, why don’t you go ahead and get dressed and join me by the fire. I’m going to boil up some of these herbs so we can give this breathing treatment a try. I want to see if it loosens up your chest and helps.”

  Again, she did as he asked without argument, knowing his heart was in the right place and she trusted him completely. When she padded barefoot to where he stood beside the fire, the pungent smell caused her to crinkle her nose.

  “That smells awful. Are you really expecting me to breathe that in?”

  Anson chuckled. “I didn’t expect it to smell so bad, but yes, you are going to have to stand over this and take in as deep of breaths as you can. Come on,” he guided her over to the boiling concoction. “Breathe in and slowly let it out.”

  As the fumes entered her lungs, she wanted to cough at first, but fought the urge. One breath after another, she allowed the billows of smoke to ease the rumbling inside, and to her surprise, it actually did seem to be helping.

  She looked into Anson’s eyes, who watched her closely the entire time and smiled. “It feels like my chest is opening up. It’s easier to breathe deeply now.”

  He looked satisfied and his eyes shone brightly. Excitement laced his voice as he said, “I was hoping this would work. Jade was pretty confident, and I was skeptical of course, but I am so pleased. I think we may have found exactly what you need, my love.”

  Della pulled away from the fumes and laughed. “I feel amazing! I may stink like pig slop, but I feel great.”

  Anson’s loud laugh reverberated off the wall of the room. “I would rather have a stinky wife than a sick one any day.”

  Tears replaced Della’s laughter, and she reached out for his hands. “I think you found a way to fix me. You have taken the time and the energy to make it all go away.”

  “I told you I would.”

  She swiped at her tears. “You did, and I didn’t believe you. I didn’t think there was a way. But you have proven to me that you are a man of your word. You have shown me this in more ways than one.”

  “I am a man of my word. And I plan to love, protect and cherish you for the rest of our lives. You can count on me keeping that word as well.”

  “Thank you, Dr. Norwood.” She leaned in and kissed him softly. “Thank you for finding a way to make me well again. You have not only healed my body, but my soul.”

  Epilogue

  “Ma, Ma!” Stone came rushing into the kitchen faster than a bullet. Slightly out of breath, he didn’t even pause to take notice that he almost knocked Nettie right into her oatmeal she stood stirring. “There are baby chicks in the pen! I see baby chicks.” He looked at Nettie and jumped up and down. “Miss Nettie, you didn’t tell me there would be chicks in there!”

  Nettie chuckled and waved her spoon at the excited little boy. His big brown eyes were the size of saucers, and his jet black hair appeared as if he stood in the middle of a storm. “Boy, you best not have broken any of the eggs I sent you to collect.”

  He looked down into his empty basket and then back up at Nettie. “Sorry, I forgot to collect the eggs.” He looked over to Della and said, “I was just so excited to see the chicks, Ma. They are so tiny and fluffy. Can we get chicks too? Please? Can we at least ask Pa?”

  Della laughed and nodded. “We will ask your pa and see what he says.” She had a hard time saying no to the boy or offering any discipline at all. Anson often lectured her that she needed to take a firmer hand to her new son, but she just couldn’t. He was so cute and loveable and all she wanted to do was to squeeze him tight and rain down kisses on him. The little boy had her wrapped around his finger. “But Nettie needs you to go back and get those eggs or she can’t finish breakfast.”

  Stone turned on his heels and called out, “Coming right up!” He stormed out of the kitchen as fast as he came in.

  Nettie shook her head and went back to stirring the oatmeal. “That boy. I swear I don’t know how you keep up with his energy.”

  Della leaned back in the kitchen chair she sat in and rubbed her large belly. Her belly button stuck out, and she wondered if it would ever go back in as it once was. “Lately, I haven’t been keeping up with much of anything. I sure am ready for this baby to come out.”

  “Patience, child.” Nettie walked over and placed her hand on Della’s tummy and smiled. “I think the baby will come any day. But in the mean time, you better rest up. You are going to need all the energy you can get to keep up with that little Stone and an infant. You won’t know tired until you are a ma of two young’uns.”

  Della sighed. “Oh, I’m resting. It’s not like I have much of a choice. Anson practically has me on bed rest when he is around. The only reason I could sneak out now and come visit you is because he’s with Sheriff Justice inspecting the water supply of that new mine in the north. I all but have to beg to even go for a walk.”

  “Well he is just being an overprotective husband and pa. It’s his nature to protect what is his.”

  Della crossed her arms in a pretend pout. “Serves me right for marrying a doctor I suppose.”

  “Well count your blessings that you have Willow to help you. I’m sure she is overjoyed with the idea of a new baby in the house.” Nettie went from one pot to the next effortlessly.

  “Oh she is. You should see the blanket she just made. That woman has such talent. She’s teaching me how to weave, but my fingers don’t seem to want to cooperate with my mind. She does it so easily and has such delicate movements. I feel like I have molasses coating my fingers when I try.”

  Nettie laughed and must have gotten distracted because she touched one of the pans with her hand accidently and burned herself. She hissed and put her finger in her mouth.

  Della stood up as fast as her round body would allow to go to her side. “Are you all right?”

  Nettie waved her off. “You sit back down,” she said with her finger still in her mouth. “Just a tiny burn. Ain’t nothing I can’t handle.”

  Della sat back down in a huff. “I feel like I’m the size of a house. I couldn’t even stand to help you without using all my air.”

  Nettie looked at her concerned. “How is the pregnancy treating your lungs lately?”

  “Oh fine, fine,” she assured her. “I have had an attack here or there, but the herb c
oncoction that Jade and Anson came up with works wonders. A couple of deep breaths later, and all is well.”

  “Well look who is paying us a visit!” called a lovely voice from behind her. Della turned to see Jewel walking in the kitchen. “My, my you have popped since the last I saw you.”

  “Just when I think I can’t get any bigger, I do,” Della complained. “Is it possible for your skin to stretch right off of you?”

  Jewel wrapped her arms around Della’s frame and gave her a big hug. “We’ve missed you around here. It isn’t quite the same without you.”

  “I miss The Red Petticoat too. I feel like I don’t even know what is going on around here. Every time I come by there are new faces.”

  “More gems keep arriving, and we keep taking them. They sure can keep us busy with all their shenanigans, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  “I bet Mr. Gabe has his hands full,” Della said with a chuckle. She missed Gabriel, but she didn’t miss his firm hand. Although her good husband didn’t exactly go easy on her either. At times she wondered if she had it easier with Gabe as her disciplinarian.

  “I plan on being around here much more once my captor… I mean… husband relaxes a bit. I love that man, but he sure can be bossy. And he has a way to make sure I follow his orders.” Della giggled as she ended the sentence.

  Nettie walked over and placed her hand on Della’s shoulder and squeezed. “That man has been the best thing to ever happen to you. You deserve all of this. I’m so happy you allowed love to find you.”

  Della looked up in Nettie’s eyes and saw the woman was fighting back tears. “I know it. I count my blessings every day. I have a wonderful husband, a son, and a baby on the way. I sometimes find myself surprised that this is my new life. I wake up every day and count my blessings.” She patted Nettie’s hand and looked at her and then Jewel. “I owe this all to you. If you hadn’t taken a chance on me. If you hadn’t seen beyond my dirty, beaten down self. If you hadn’t fought for me… I don’t know where I would be today. It is because of you all and The Red Petticoat Saloon that I am here.” She rubbed her belly and sighed. “I was just a sick whore who had no choice but to fight for myself because I had no one to do it for me. I had nothing, and now I have everything. Thank you. Thank you so very much.”