She had taken off her jacket and unfastened two of her blouse’s buttons at her throat, and now showed a hint of cleavage. Dirk thought it ridiculous to be so aroused by the woman’s modest display, but he was coming to understand that everything about Ella affected him more strongly than with other women. He couldn’t say why it was so, but he felt its proof in his soul and in his slowly lengthening penis.
There was a sheen of perspiration on her forehead, and Dirk suspected she hurried when getting the water, evidently determined to do her fair share of the work. The more he knew of the woman’s character, the more he found there was to like.
He turned his back, pretending to be surveying the cabin, but what he was really doing was telling himself that being caught having a raging erection would be wildly embarrassing. A perfectly natural occurrence, given Ella’s ostentatious charms, but embarrassing just the same.
Blue, of course, refused to be the first to bathe. But Ella insisted, and while it was true that the men in the cabin with her were notoriously stubborn, so was she. Confronted by an intractable woman, Blue relented.
“I’ll just be outside,” Ella said quietly, heading toward the door once the last boiler was poured into the galvanized bath tub.
“No.” Dirk said the single word without actually thinking it. In a slightly softer tone, but with just the same authority, he said, “You can’t leave, Ella.”
“But...” Her protest dissolved in the air.
He watched as her gaze darted left and right. She caught her lower lip between teeth that gleamed white in the pale light of the three kerosene lanterns. He sensed her confusion, her fear...and her desire. He’d seen what happened when she released her inhibitions, and he knew that such extreme behavior frightened her. He also knew that though she was the confident and resourceful leader of the T-3 Ranch, there was a submissive woman within her that creamed, trembled, moaned, and climaxed when dominated in an erotic manner.
Dirk turned to Blue. The right side of his mouth pulled upward in a wolfish smile. “Go ahead. You should go first.” To Ben he said, “Come on, let’s get more wood in the stove and in the fireplace. We’ll fill up the boilers so that when it’s Ella’s turn to bathe, she gets fresh, clean, hot water.”
Chapter Nine
Ella tried to ignore the slight tremble in her knees. It was impossible, just as it was impossible to ignore the lean, dark-skinned, handsome half-breed in the bathtub. Dirk’s sudden command that she remain in the cabin while the men bathed had shocked her to the marrow. It was partly because the command came so unexpectedly and partly because she knew what it was like to be psychologically dominated by Dirk and Ben. Her pussy became instantly dewy and slick.
She added another piece of wood to the stove just to give herself something to do. She had to keep moving, or it would be impossible to not look at Blue. When her eyes darted toward him, she saw he was sitting in the galvanized bathtub in the center of the room. His copper-hued body was as lean and sensual as a mountain lion’s. There wasn’t an ounce of excess weight on him.
“Come over here and sit down,” Ben said, patting his thigh. He and Dirk had taken the two straight-backed, bentwood chairs from the small kitchen table by the stove and placed them near the bathtub. “Don’t worry. The water will be plenty hot for you when it comes time for you to bathe.”
The casually spoken words caressed Ella as surely and physically as if Ben stroked his fingertips along the inside of her naked thigh. With her back to the men, Ella closed her eyes for a moment. What was happening? Recent history already taught her that with Ben and Dirk she was capable of the most outlandish, intemperate behavior. And now they were sitting close to Blue while he washed himself, the three men enjoying a casual conversation while imbibing Kentucky sipping whiskey. They behaved as though there wasn’t a woman with them in the small, cozy cabin, though the woman in that cabin was all too aware of their presence.
Summoning courage, Ella turned slowly. Ben sat in his stocking feet, his jacket off and his shirt almost completely unbuttoned to reveal a lean-muscled chest with dark, curly hair. On the floor near his feet was a half-empty bottle of whiskey. He positioned his chair so close to the bathtub that if she sat on his lap, she would be within arm’s reach of Blue.
Another shiver went through Ella. What did Ben expect of her? Was she supposed to pretend Blue wasn’t attractive, wasn’t naked, and wasn’t right there in the room with her? She wanted desperately to taste Ben’s kisses, to feel his heart pounding furiously against her own as he plunged into her again and again, but from the way he was behaving, it seemed he wasn’t in the least bit interested in being intimate with her. Were their nights of passion a thing of the past now that they were in Blue’s cabin?
Ella turned back toward the stove, her mind in a whirl. Ben had first seen through her defenses and understood her need for dominance, her hunger for submission to great strength. Dirk was the one holding her wrists on that first glorious night of shared passion, but it was Ben who knew, even when Ella herself did not, that she craved a sense of feminine surrender to masculine forces too powerful to be resisted.
“Come here, Ella.”
This time Ben’s tone was authoritative. What had been a request was now a command. Ella’s clitoris responded by beginning to awaken, the delicate lips of her sex becoming slick with nectar and puffy with anticipation. A quavering smile touched her full-lipped mouth as she turned and crossed the room to Ben.
If he wasn’t so handsome, I wouldn’t be so weak.
But Ella knew it was more than just Ben’s looks that stripped her of her ability to resist seduction. It was his extraordinary presence, his masculine bearing that exuded limitless confidence and virility. It was what made her body respond to his voice as though he was intimately caressing her with the consummate skill of a connoisseur of sensuality.
His knees were spread wide apart to give her room. Though there was nothing inherently obscene about the posture, in Ella’s passion-distorted consciousness, it seemed utterly wicked. When he patted his thigh, she sat, studiously avoiding looking down into the bathtub.
“Why don’t you get a glass?” Ben asked, looking up into her eyes. His tone was cordial, casual. Ella wasn’t deceived by it for a second. “Have a little whiskey with us.”
“I really shouldn’t.”
Her heart was racing. Nervously, Ella swept an errant tendril of golden hair behind her ear. She felt her ears and cheeks getting warm with embarrassment. When Ben rested the hand holding his whiskey glass on her thigh, the breath caught momentarily in her throat. Every nerve in her body was taut.
“Perhaps you should not,” Ben said quietly, his tone ambiguous. “But it’s the things in life you shouldn’t do that are usually the most fun.”
“And you’ve had more than your fair share of fun, haven’t you?” The instant the words passed between her mouth, Ella blushed. She put a hand to her mouth and closed her eyes. “I can’t believe I just said that.” She shook her head. “Why is it I’m always saying the most outlandish things with you two?”
Ben’s left hand was against her back, and though she knew it was impossible, Ella could have sworn the heat of his palm was not just going into her blood, it was going straight to her clitoris.
“It’s a gift we have,” Ben repeated after a lengthy pause.
His hand at her back began to move slowly, a light, caressing rub of a work-roughened palm touching her through her blouse and camisole. Ella looked at Ben, trying to read his thoughts. She found it impossible. When she turned her attention to Dirk, she recognized the look in his eyes as predatory male. He wanted to devour her in the best of all possible ways, and the thought of it sent a shiver slithering along her spine. Memories of the cataclysmic climaxes she experienced during the days and nights of passion when he put his lips and tongue to work on her clitoris were never far from her thoughts. Ella was discovering that when it came to climaxes—in particular, her own climaxes—she could be wildly self-centered
.
Sensing more than actually seeing, Ella knew Blue was looking at her. She managed to turn her attention toward Dirk for a moment, then back to Ben, without ever looking at Blue. But the effort to keep her gaze averted from the enticingly naked Indian was obvious.
Ben looked into Ella’s eyes and said, “Why don’t you wash Blue’s back?”
Again, the breath caught in her throat. Ben’s hand, at the small of her back, pushed firmly. She eased off his thigh, straightening her legs beneath her.
“Hand her the soap, Blue,” Ben said, his tone casual, his eyes glittering with lustful mischief. “Let her finish with you, then Dirk can wash off his trail dust.”
Ella looked at Ben and Dirk, searching for answers to questions they refused to acknowledge. Were they really throwing her at Blue, as it seemed? Ella felt as though she was in a very provocative game, the rules of which were arcane and so mysterious she could never hope to fully understand them.
She moved slowly, not unlike a woman in a trance, until she stood behind Blue at the high-backed end of the bath tub. While looking into Ben’s dark eyes, she sank slowly to her knees.
“Here,” Blue said, holding the bar of soap near his shoulder. “And thanks for the help.”
When she reached for the proffered bar of soap, Ella saw her hand trembled a little. She rolled the soap between her palms, working up lather. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ben and Dirk watching her with unblinking interest. The conversation among the men had stopped. Ella realized everyone was waiting to see just exactly what she would do next.
It was at that moment that all fear left Ella. In a moment of crystalline clarity, she realized she held the power over her own decisions. The men would allow her to resist, if that was her desire. And if she wanted to submit to them, then Ben and Dirk would undoubtedly guide her into their own private world of sensuality—a world that lacked boundaries, a place where “too much” was “not nearly enough.”
But what role, she wondered, would Blue play? It was a question fraught with possibilities.
She started with his shoulders, her hands moving slowly over bronzed skin. Blue’s hair was black as a crow and came down nearly to the middle of his back. She smoothed the hair aside. When he leaned forward in the tub, Ella began washing his back.
She felt the restrained power of the man, the muscles solid and sinewy beneath the copper-hued skin. There wasn’t an excess ounce on him, and once again, Ella erotically imagined him as a sleek mountain lion.
As she worked her hands along Blue’s shoulder blades, Ella looked at Ben, gave him a softly sensual smile, and asked, “Would you mind going to the cupboard and getting me a cup? I’ll need it to rinse the soap from his hair after I wash it.”
She turned her attention back to Blue. When Ben returned with a tin cup, Ella took it from him with a hand that no longer trembled.
“Close your eyes. You don’t want soap to get in them,” Ella instructed. “I’ll wash your hair for you.”
She dipped the cup into the warm water several times to get Blue’s long, thick hair completely wet. She worked up a rich lather and soaped his hair. She had to pour a dozen cups of water over Blue’s head to get all the soap out.
“There. Now you’re clean,” Ella said, still on her knees behind Blue.
She wasn’t at all certain what would happen next or what would be expected of her. None of her experiences in the past twenty-two years could prepare her for men as wickedly and sensually inventive as Dirk and Ben. She felt her pulse in her clitoris, and the urge to touch herself intimately in front of these three men was suddenly a very strong compulsion.
“I’ve got towels over there,” Blue said, pointing in the direction of the kitchen.
As Dirk went to the kitchen, Ella looked at Ben, seeking some sign from him, some hint as to what he expected of her. In his eyes she saw amusement and desire. That she expected. She hoped for direction, and that he wouldn’t give her until it suited his wishes.
When Dirk returned, he handed Blue a towel. Ella remained on her knees as Blue stood, water cascading down his dusky body. Ella felt nectar flow to the lips of her pussy as she visually caressed Blue’s nakedness. Even relaxed, the muscles in his thighs and buttocks were prominently displayed.
“Dirk, you’re next,” Ben said as Blue stepped out of the bath tub, already drying himself off. To Ella, he added, “You’ve got a camisole on beneath your blouse, don’t you? Why not take off your blouse? That way you won’t get it wet.” He gave Ella a half-smile that toyed with her senses. “Might just as well get rid of those fancy riding breeches while you’re at it. As big as Dirk is, he’s likely to splash water over the edge of the tub.”
Ella undressed slowly, feeling the eyes of the men upon her as she removed her clothing. When she was down to only her cotton underpants and camisole, she lifted her gaze, and what she saw caused a sharp intake of breath.
Blue sat in the chair that had been vacated by Dirk. He was naked, rubbing his hair with the towel, his body in a casual sprawl. But if one judged him by the fully formed erection jutting up from his loins, his mood was certainly not casual.
Naked, Dirk stepped into the bath tub. He made no effort to hide his erection either from the other men in the room or from Ella. When she saw his arousal, Ella was again shocked at its girth. Scintillating memories of the pleasures she experienced when taking that cock to the depths of her pussy came rushing to the forefront of her consciousness.
Ella eventually finished washing Dirk’s hair and back, in no hurry to speed the process. When he got out of the tub, she took a fresh towel and dried his back, though she consciously avoided drying his front, where his swollen erection was on prominent display. Ben was next, and by the time she finished washing his hair, Ella was almost vibrating with sexual tension.
“Let’s take this tub outside and dump it,” Ben said, standing naked by the tub, his erection angling slightly upward. A blue vein pulsed visibly along the shaft. “Me and Blue on one side. Dirk, you take the other. We’ll fill it with fresh water for Ella.”
Ella thought it a very strange sight. There she was, in a small cabin with three completely naked men, all of them with impressive erections, none of them behaving as though anything was out of the ordinary. She watched the play of powerful muscles beneath the skin as the three men lifted the heavy tub and carried it outside.
Overwhelmingly aware that now it was her turn to bathe, Ella rose to her feet. Would it be better to remove her underwear and camisole while the men were outside, or should she wait for them to return? Unconsciously, she crossed her arms over her bosom. Since she was a girl, she had been uncomfortably conscious of her breasts, and how their size drew the attention of men both young and old. Lately, Tim had been teasing her for their size, speaking derogatorily of her voluptuous figure. What did these men think of her extravagant breasts, her curving hips?
The men brought the tub back to where it had been and poured in the hot water from the boilers on the stove and over the fireplace. Then, in unison, the three turned and faced Ella, each with a cock rigid as oak and eyes that glistened with carnivorous hunger.
What have I gotten myself into? Ella wondered as she grabbed the bottom hem of her camisole and began raising it.
* * * *
“Is somebody going to explain just what the hell is going on?” Blue asked when they stepped outside to empty the bath tub.
Ben chuckled. “I assumed you’d be a little on the curious side of life.”
“That’s one of the great understatements of all time.”
Ben looked at Dirk, and together they shrugged their shoulders in mute agreement, both men silently understanding the other in the way that lifelong friends sometimes can. “It’s not real easy explaining how Dirk, Ella, and I got together. It just sort of happened without any planning, and that’s the truth. Maybe it was just that she’s a young widow who is now engaged to a complete jackass. Maybe she’s been neglected. Or maybe the stars were in the
right alignment, if you believe in astrology. I’m thinking that maybe it’s a full moon thing, and it has made us all a little crazy. But whatever it is we’ve got going, it’s damned exciting.” Ben’s gaze went briefly down to Blue’s erection, shining wetly in the moonlight.
Seeing Blue naked gave him a better understanding of at least one reason why so many of the beau monde society’s ladies enjoyed sharing their charms with a man polite society refused to accept. “It’s been a long time since she’s felt like a passionate woman, a long time since she’s been shown love and affection. She might appreciate you showing her just how beautiful she is.” Ben chuckled softly. “You’re obviously up for the task. Come on, let’s get back before she locks the door on us.”
There was confusion and awe in Blue’s tone when he murmured, “Ella Murphy...I never would have guessed.”
When they returned, Ben saw Ella had gotten to her feet, but she hadn’t moved far in their absence. He looked at her and felt his erection stiffen. She seemed lost and vulnerable standing there in just her camisole and drawers.
The tub was soon filled with clean, steaming water. Ben turned to Ella and gave her a half-smile. She hesitated briefly, then grabbed the bottom of her camisole and dragged it slowly up over her head and off completely. Her breasts, round and firm, swayed momentarily when she tossed the camisole aside, and Ben felt a tightness in his throat, just as he did the first time he saw her bosom in all its extravagant glory.
Ella unknotted the drawstring to her underpants and let the cotton slither down her legs. She stepped out of them and then stepped into the bath tub. Though Ben tried to remain calm, he knew that on this night he would not be in possession of his usual orgasmic discipline. It had taken nearly an hour for the three men to bathe, and in that time, the sexual tension in the cabin was slowly and steadily increasing. The game was to pretend to be casual when, in fact, all four people in the room were anything but casual. Seeing Ella’s body now, pale and voluptuous, her lush curves the embodiment of feminine fertility, caused the pressure in his testicles to build. His next orgasm would surely be volcanic.
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