by kps
Lil's first reaction had been surprise at his offer, but she'd recovered quickly enough to laugh and call him a fool. He could have had all her girls combined for such a cost. "Keep your whores," he'd snapped in reply. He'd had his fill of the cheap, painted bitches who worked for Lil. All he wanted was the girl he'd captured, with her very proper English accent and fresh, untouched beauty.
Now he stared down at her, mesmerized by the enticing swell of white breasts straining gently against the black lace that confined them, and he knew he would have paid twice as much for the pleasure he anticipated. Desire tightened into a knot that twisted deep in his belly, and the physical evidence of his arousal surged to swollen hardness so swiftly he took a deep, gulping breath to calm himself.
Beau was stunned by his feelings. Here he was, an inveterate womanizer, a hardened man who had made his living as a thief, a loner who allowed his bitterness over the South's defeat to ride as his constant companion. And now his hands shook with the nervousness of a boy about to lose his virginity. His fingers fumbled at his shirt and belt, and he swore a sharp oath as he struggled to pull off his boots.
Finally he was free of encumbering clothing and, with an impatient kick, shoved the pile against the wall. Even more than her physical beauty, it was the fact that the Bryant woman was a lady that had lured him to give up so much. He was tired of the painted hussies who feigned loud displays of ecstasy in exchange for a few dollars of his money. They could be had by anyone who paid the price.
Beau knew she would put up a fight, but the victory would be well worth the few scratches it might cost him. She had sharp teeth and knew how to use them-his hand still bore the impressions of her bite.
He eased onto the bed carefully, wanting to study her figure at his leisure, before his lips against her skin wakened her. It surprised him that she slept so soundly, with her arms stretched so uncomfortably above her head, yet he attributed it to the exhaustion of her ordeal and the long, tiring flight from the stage.
With a great deal of care, he slowly edged the cover downward until it lay at the foot of the bed. Undoubtedly the black nightgown had come from Lil's stock of gowns for her girls. It was meant to reveal the figure, fastening as it did just beneath her breasts, and to Beau's delight, the fit was too snug for the young woman who now wore it.
The black lace clung to every rounded curve, outlining the captive bounty of smooth, white flesh that swelled together to form a darkened valley between. Beneath the ribboned tie, the gown was split to the hem, only partially draping the flatness of her belly and allowing him a tempting view of the dark curls nestled between her thighs as well as the firm, tapering length of her legs.
Leaning closer, Beau pulled at the ends of the bow, rewarded as the tautly stretched material parted and revealed more of her breasts with each successive breath. They were even more firm and full than he'd imagined when his arm had banded her close during their ride. A fresh, flowery scent rose from her skin, skin that even in the lamp's glow seemed as finely textured as the silk draping her body.
His fingers played lightly down that valley, brushing each breast and stopping only when she moved restlessly for a moment. She turned her head the opposite way, still unaware he lay next to her, lost in admiration for her uncovered charms. Beau was determined to draw out his pleasure, yet he could no longer restrain the overpowering urges the sight of her had roused. No longer as cautious, he tugged at the black lace and her breasts were bared completely.
He held his breath for a moment as he gazed at the pale pink nipples that seemed to beckon his attention. His head lowered to encircle first one, then the other until the teasing sweep of his tongue had brought them to taut, rose points. A moment later he slid his hand down to the warm, downy softness beneath her belly.
For minutes Beau continued to toy with her, enjoying the sweet taste of her flesh until she began to move restlessly under the spell of his ministrations. A sigh escaped her parted lips and Beau's mouth quickly sought them, reluctantly leaving the hardened points of her nipples to draw on the honeyed taste of her mouth.
Her eyes fluttered open as the length of his bare body came in contact with hers, the crisp, wiry curls covering his chest teasing her already infiamed nipples.
Beau dragged himself away from her mouth, one hand still caressing her belly and thighs while the other, now that she was awake, swept beneath her shoulders to cradle and support her head.
There was no outcry of horror or recoil of shock at finding herself so intimately involved, and for moments Beau felt cheated, believing her refined demeanor had been a ruse, that she was as free and easy as the whores he no longer cared to bed.
Jenny's eyes were heavy-lidded with pleasure, her face flushed with sensuality, and Beau suddenly realized that she didn't recognize him as her abductor. Her response was to some remembered lover and Beau found himself wondering if she could be a widow, even as young as she was. Her lovely eyes were bright and lively no longer, and though he might have suspected that she'd been given some wine to calm her, Beau knew immediately that her mental confusion had nothing to do with alcohol. He drew away from her so that he could think more clearly, swearing an oath as he realized she'd been drugged. It was typical of that hard-hearted bitch, Lil, to pull something like this! There had been times in the past when he'd returned to find one of her regular girls missing and it was rumored that Lil had got them hooked on taking laudanum. and then sold their services to a pimp in Denver.
Jennifer moved restlessly beside hint, her arms held tightly by the ropes, and Beau cursed once more. There had been no need for restraints. The girl was as helpless and vulnerable as a homeless waif! With anger flooding through him, Beau reached up and untied the ropes, his passion forgotten for the moment as he glowered over the marks the rough hemp had left on her tender skin. Even though she was free now, Jennifer Bryant seemed to be unaware of the change. Her eyes were only half open as he massaged and soothed her wrists, bringing the blood flowing back to fingers numb from constricted circulation.
Outlaw, stage robber, gunman ... Beau Stanner was all of these, but his upbringing on an Alabama plantation had been that of a gentleman, and much of it was too ingrained to forget, no matter what profit he garnered from his chosen lifestyle. The code that would allow him to use every tactic to entice a woman to passionate enjoyment, even if at first she was reluctant, did not include-taking a woman who was unable to make her own choice, whose mind was fogged by a drug that had made her passive. The other members of his gang were less inclined to suffer moral self-judgment. There had been times, he knew, that each of them had taken a woman by force and enjoyed her more for the struggle, but Beau Stanner more pride in his looks and abilities as a lover to use such means for his satisfaction.
While his mind roiled with frustration, his erection defeated by his own standards of what was right and wrong, Beau had ignored Jenny. He turned to cast a longing look backwards before he dressed, only to find that she lay curled toward him, sullen confusion revealed in the soft pouting of her lips.
She still confused him with her phantom lover, and it seemed that Jenny's aroused senses battled with a natural modesty, as she stared at him with an erotic languor that communicated her need to continue their lovemaking.
Beau groaned, as much for himself as for her, then lay back to pull her into his arms. If he'd only known, he thought over and over again, until a passion more fierce than before returned to block out all thought. With her hands now free, Jenny clung to him, her fingers clasped tightly together behind his neck, her lips begging for his kisses and more. In the room next door, a faded blonde whose hair had once been golden, whose overly plump figure had once been lushly 'curved, peered through a peephole, vicariously enjoying the scene that was unfolding. Lil Conti motioned to her husband to watch for a few minutes, then opened the black gown she wore, letting it drop to the floor. Time had dragged on her flesh and her ample breasts sagged heavily now without the support of the corset she usually wore. Sti
ll, the passions that had ruled and directed her life burned as they had in her youth, their fires banked now but ever smoldering. Impatiently she signalled Pauly and he reluctantly took his eye away from the wall, regretting the fact that Lil, and not he, would witness the final consummation of the lovemaking in the next room. That girl there was one to inspire a man to loving! He kept a mental image of her loveliness as Lil took his place at the peephole and he positioned himself behind her, well aware that she expected him to caress her body while she lewdly indulged in voyeurism. Blood always ran true, Lit thought to herself. as she noted how sensually Jennifer Bryant twisted beneath Stanner's hard, muscled body. The inhibitions of her upbringing were forgotten as the drug worked on her mind and allowed the abandoned response of her senses to prevail. Lil, herself, had never needed anything but the close proximity of a randy male to excite her, though at times the recall of certain memorable encounters would be enough to send her searching through the saloon for Pauly. After all these years, it was the one man
who had scorned her and turned, instead, to Mariah who now occupied her thoughts. She had never forgiven Jared for that rejection nor ceased to blame the girl who was her illegitimate daughter as well as her hated rival. There had been no thought for her when those two had left the ranch, headed through the mountains to California. Though she had used the large inheritance from her mother to indulge herself in clothes and foreign travel, marrying Pauly in Rome the following year, Lit had never let loose of the bitter memories. If anything, her hatred of Mariah had grown with each passing year. Then, as a crowning injustice, she had heard that Jared had inherited wealth and an English title so that the black-haired witch she'd never claimed as a daughter was now a countess. When Lil heard the news, she choked with fury.
Fate had dealt the final hand to Lil, though. Only by a lucky chance had she seen Jennifer Bryant during her stopover at the Gordon Hotel, recognizing her immediately by the uncanny resemblance she bore to Mariah. Lil had managed to arrange the girl's kidnapping before she boarded the stage to Helena the next day, and, fortunately, everything had turned out as she'd planned.
She had plans for that girl that would make her long-awaited revenge against Mariah all the more sweet.
In the morning, when the drug had worn off, Lil planned a little visit to Jennifer. She would be frantic without the drug, her nerves aching for its tranquillizing effects, especially when Lil described how willingly she had taken the outlaw for her lover, how he had paid for the use of her body. Lil smiled contentedly as she imagined the girl's despairing reaction, and she would have her in that state even before she revealed what she planned for Jennifer's future. It would be hard to wait until the morning, but then, she had waited over twenty years. What were a few hours more?
The last door in the hall, to the right of Lil's office, led to a storeroom where Lil kept her liquor supplies for the bar. She was an efficient businesswoman, and the room was always filled with an inventory of various types of liquor and wine, the wooden crates of bourbon, rye, whisky, and brandy piled several crates high in neat categorized rows.
The room lay in total darkness now that night had come, serving an additional purpose as a hiding place for the two people who had been tied and shoved in a nook by the window. Dev Cantrell and Jennifer Bryant's dark, diminuitive maid shared the small space formed by two parallel rows of crates, though their closeness was illusory. Dev only knew a few, meaningless phrases in Spanish, and the girl had been gagged to keep her silent.
Isa's eyes were puffed and swollen from weeping. She had been here when the American banditos had dragged her companion in and firmly tied his hands behind his back. Many hours had passed before he groaned and showed signs of life, and though he had spoken to her, she understood nothing. When the strong light of morning beamed through the single window, he could see what had happened to her.
She had been dragged into a room by one of the men who captured them and forced to endure his vile, odoriferous body while he raped her. No doubt, she thought with despair, her poor mistress had been dealt the same fate by the man who had captured her.
During the day Isa's swollen cheek had ached, and she was sure it had discolored where her brutal attacker had slapped her. Her good traveling dress was torn, ripped down the front by that animal, and every muscle in her body ached miserably. No one had come after they deposited her companion, and now that it was dark, Isa was sure that they had both been forgotten.
Every now and then, Dev would strain at the ropes that bound his wrists, more to keep himself awake and alert to the return of his captors than to squirm out of the tight bonds. A fine job he'd done of saving Jared's daughter! He'd blundered into a trap, and he knew damned well who'd set it for him. Only the deputy he'd talked to before going to Joe's knew that he was in town and why. The bastard must've high-tailed it over to The Black Lily as soon as Dev had left the sheriff's office.
It was no small wonder, that with a man planted in the sheriff's office, the Stanner gang had been allowed free rein in the area, eluding capture at every trap the sheriff set. If Dev managed to get out of this alive, he'd tend to the deputy personally. Now, though, revenge seemed an empty hope. The lump on his head was crusted with dried blood and ached mercilessly. His gun was missing, and he had no way to reach the knife that was still hidden in his boot.
All he could do was sit and think, and nothing he mulled over in his head made any sense.
What reason did Lil Conti have to order Jennifer's kidnapping? It occurred to him that she might have intended to ask a ransom for the girl's safe return; but that would take weeks to arrange, and Lil wasn't a stupid woman.
If she'd known Jennifer's parents were wealthy, she would also know they were too damn far away to contact. Dev was aware that Jared kept an open account at the bank in Langdon, but the manager had no authority to payout any money.
If he could only work his hands free! The thought of what might be happening to the girl he'd been asked to protect was sheer torture. He rested his head against the wall in frustration. More than likely, they were keeping her in one of the rooms off the hall. Again he cursed the fact that he could not communicate with the maid. If only he could get her to understand that they'd both be free if she could pull the knife from his boot and cut his tied hands!
During the day she had appeared to be in shock, and he was sure, now that darkness surrounded them, she would be terrified of any approach he made. A groan escaped his dry throat. There was nothing he could do but wait and hope that the Bryant girl was holding her own. If she took after either of her parents, Dev was sure she had a chance.
Four
When Beau Stanner opened his eyes, he sensed it was morning. He had no watch with him, there were no clocks in the room and no window to show the morning light, but with the seasoned instincts of a man who had lived the last eight years of his life on the run, he was sure.
Jennifer lay beside him, tossing in a restless sleep, no doubt caused by the hours that had passed since her last dose of laudanum. With the dark, thick lashes that dusted her fair cheeks and the tangle of ebony curls that waved over her shoulders and back, she appeared like an innocent child and far from the passionate woman of the previous night's encounter.
They had made love a second time, and she'd caned him Rodrigo, verifying his suspicions that she believed herself to be held by a former love, apparently some fool who'd deserted her. Just before she'd fallen asleep, she had nestled close to him with a contented sigh, whispering that she was so happy he'd come back to her.
It had not been as easy for Beau to fall asleep. If Lil had plans that included addicting this girl to a form of opium, he was at fauIt for delivering her into that madwoman's hands. He couldn't shake the feeling of guilt and realized that he would never again have a moment's rest if he failed to help her.
Even now her eyes were shadowed, smudged beneath her lashes with smoky purple. Before long she would need a strong dose to attain tranquility, and God only knew to wh
at lengths she would have to go, just to keep pace with the growing habit.
Yet, what could he do? She was as dangerous to him as Lil was to her. If he managed to free her, he might as well walk up to the territorial prison and surrender. He'd given her little enough reason to hide his part in her kidnapping. Why wouldn't she testify against him at a trial?
He'd overheard one of the boys say a lone man had come after the girl and traced his gang here but that Jim Akers had warned Lil in time, and the would-be rescuer was securely trussed and thrown in the storeroom. Now, as Jenny rested, he tried to come up with a plan that would do them both some good. He could tell the other members of the gang to split for a while, to head for the safety of the mountains 'til things cooled down a bit and then take off for other parts himself, maybe down to
Denver It was about time he got some pleasure out of the money he'd accumulated. He'd take off after he'd freed the man in the store-room. From then on, Jennifer's safety was his responsibility. To Lil, Beau owed nothing. She'd been well paid to provide food and a hiding place, and as far as he was concerned the devil could take her!
Jenny desperately wanted to remain asleep, a portion of her mind aware that her problems were kept at bay while she rested, but her head ached too much. What strange dreams she'd had of Rodrigo ... so real still that she could sense him beside her even now. A moment later the bedsprings creaked and Jenny stiffened, afraid to open her eyes. But when finally she did, she found the outlaw leader seated beside her, gazing down at her as though it were the most natural event in the world for him to be there. His chest was bare, and only the bedcover across his lap concealed the rest of his obvious nudity. Jenny moaned softly, her eyes closing for seconds in the vain hope that if she did so he would disappear. Perhaps he was another delusion caused by the drug, just like the very real sensations of making love to ... "Oh, my God," she whispered, suddenly wide awake and aware that the lovemaking had been real. The lover she had imagined to be Rodrigo was none other than the same despicable man who was responsible for her continued state of misery! How galling that he had dragged her here and added insult by assaulting her defenseless, drugged body! Turning to face him, Jenny pulled the covers up beneath her arms and glared. It was a futile gesture, drawing a thin and fragile barrier between the scoundrel and what he had already viewed at his leisure, but she could hardly contain her steadily rising fury as his hooded gaze swept over her bare flesh. "I suppose you're amused by all of this," she ventured in a cold tone. "Do you always order your victims drugged? I hardly think a few scratches from an unwilling woman could daunt such a brave and fearless rogue!"
