His voice ragged, he growled, “My turn, Kitten.” I melted into the soft bedding, willing to allow him the most intimate liberties that he wished, no matter what they were. My reward was the exquisite sensation of his lips and tongue against my most sensitive part, that little bud of nerve endings that led straight to every erogenous zone as if all were connected by tightly-strung wire. One flick of his tongue there set my nipples on fire. Another flooded my pussy with the moisture that would help him glide into me. And I so wanted him to glide into me. I greedily took every bit of pleasure that his lips, tongue and hands could afford me, and still wanted more. I wanted his magnificent cock deep inside me. I whimpered, I moaned, I writhed in ecstasy, and finally I begged.
“Russ, take me now,” the words lifted from dimly remembered pot-boiler novels. “Please, please, put it inside. Now. I need you now.” Opening my eyes, I risked a peek at his face, staring up at me from his position between my legs. The raw lust on his face threatened to make me swoon. How had I become so lucky as to attract this magnificent specimen of manhood, from his lanky but muscular frame, to the slow, sexy smile, to the shaft of silken-like steel that he now displayed as he rose from his place. I admired it, reaching to hold him as he opened the nightstand drawer, catching a smoldering look from him before returning my eyes to stare at his perfect abs and gorgeous, erect cock.
A moment’s pause, the rip of paper, and then his condom-sheathed manhood filled me, so sweetly. I wanted him to stay there forever, to grow together somehow, like Siamese twins, joined cock to core, and never to be separated. The sweet, sweet heaviness completed me. And then, he began to pump, slowly at first. Had a man ever fit a woman so perfectly as this? Every nerve ending in my body was firing at the same time as he increased the speed of his thrusts, grunting a word I couldn’t make out with each forward push and gasping breath. As the speed and strength of his thrusts built toward explosive release, so his volume increased and finally, I could understand what he was saying.
“Mine, mine, mine.” Yes! If he wanted me, I was his. At least for now. It sent me over the edge, a powerful contraction ripping my body, causing me to clench around his shaft in a vise grip that made him cry out, and then he was riding an uncontrollable seizure of his own. His words became incoherent again, and all I heard was “Unh, unh, unh.” Then he was still, collapsed on top of me with a weight that I wanted to climb up into, hoping for an even closer connection.
When he pulled out of me and went to dispose of the condom, a faint memory stirred, but I couldn’t bring it fully into focus. What was it? With an effort, I pushed away the nagging thought. It probably wasn’t important. I held my arms out to Russ, enticing him back into my warm embrace to cuddle for a while. This sweetness was new to me, and becoming very important to my happiness.
§
An hour later, we arrived together in the kitchen, drawing a look from Janet that spoke volumes. First her eyes traveled up and down my body, widening slightly. She darted a glance at Russ, then turned back to the sink where she had been working. Her words were mild, though, as she asked what we would like for breakfast.
“Don’t make a big fuss,” Russ said, “I know we’re late.”
“It’s no trouble,” she said. “We have eggs, bacon and flapjacks. That okay?”
“Perfect,” Russ answered, glancing quickly at me for objections. As for me, I could have eaten a horse. Something about morning sex stimulated my appetite, I guess. I was ravenous.
Earlier, we had lain in the afterglow of our lovemaking for a few minutes, then Russ, with a prodigious yawn, declared we had to get up and shower. I braided my hair and wrapped it around my head, pinning it with clips I found in the dressing table drawers so that it wouldn’t get wet again. I was going to have to think about cutting it. From what I remembered of the world ‘out there’, long thick hair like this would likely be a pain in the ass.
We showered quickly and efficiently, after Russ’s frown stopped my playful grab at his groin in its tracks. Russ put on the clothes he had taken off the night before, while I searched the closet for something old, something the absent woman whose place I was usurping might not miss. Unfortunately for my intentions, all I found was newer, neatly creased jeans and soft flannel shirts. I grabbed a pair of panties without much thought, added a bra that was a cup size too small and donned the clothes, whispering a thank you to the absent woman as I pulled on a thin pair of socks and the soft leather slippers that Russ had brought me the night before.
As I stepped out of the closet, a sharply indrawn breath startled me, until I saw that it was Russ, sitting in the chair where he had cradled me last night. He was staring at me as if he hadn’t seen me in years, rather than moments. Nervously, I ran my hands down the legs of the jeans, and asked, “Is this okay?”
Russ let his breath out with a soft whoosh, and stood to take me in his arms. With a light kiss to my forehead, he pronounced me perfect and guided me to the kitchen.
If Janet realized that we had spent the night together, and I was sure she did, she kept her opinion to herself as she busied herself with breakfast for the two of us. I rather suspected that if she had known we spent it in her absent mistress’s bed, she would have thrown out the food rather than give it to us, two presumptuous sinners. But she said nothing, and even threw a motherly smile in Russ’s direction. I tucked that bit of information away for later examination and attacked my flapjacks as if I had been starving for weeks.
After breakfast, Russ went off on another of his mysterious errands, leaving me in Janet’s care. Once again she waved off my offer of help. This time, though, I was determined to do something to earn my keep or understand the reasons why not.
“Janet, where is the owner? Does he know I’m here, and is he okay with it?”
She glanced up at me with a question in her eyes, but quickly lowered them. “Oh, he’s around. Yes, he knows you’re here, and I’m certain he’s okay with it.”
“I wish you’d let me do something to help. I’d like to make myself useful, since I’m an uninvited guest.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t say that. Please don’t worry about it.” She wouldn’t say what, that I was an uninvited guest? How could I be anything but? Unless I was a captive, instead of a guest. I put that thought out of my mind. Russ was still an enigma to me, but I had no choice but to trust him now, perhaps with my life. I didn’t think he would ever turn me over to the RALDS, even if they came here looking for me. But, the questions were piling up, with no answers and no one willing to be questioned. If I didn’t start understanding something soon, I’d explode. I tried another one.
“Are these his wife’s clothes I’m wearing? Is that why you looked surprised this morning?”
“Did I look surprised? Maybe it’s because I didn’t know you were so pretty, as bedraggled as you were last night.”
“Oh. Thank you. But you didn’t say…”
“Yes, those are her clothes.”
“Oh, no, I was afraid of that. Will Russ be in trouble for letting me borrow them?” I wasn’t about to confess that we had also borrowed her bed.
“No, he won’t be in trouble. Don’t worry.” This was the most puzzling of all. Unless. Was Russ the son of the rancher? That would explain his cavalier attitude about wandering the house and giving me his…mother’s?…room. That couldn’t be right, could it?
Janet had finished cleaning up from breakfast and sat down to have a cup of tea, offering me one as well. I had enjoyed the cup from last night, so I accepted gratefully.
“Are you sure you wouldn’t rather have coffee?”
“No, thank you. I haven’t had coffee in years, but I remember I didn’t really like it.” I spoke absently, not realizing how odd that sentence was. The Church didn’t hold with ‘stimulating’ beverages, so the only hot beverage we ever had was hot chocolate. But not much of that, since the sweetness was considered indulgent. When my eyes met Janet’s, she was examining me with a look of fascinated horror.
“What?”
“You really grew up in that place? Bethel City?”
“Since I was not quite seventeen, yes. Janet, what do you know about Bethel City?”
“I know that’s the headquarters for those demon spawn.” Her voice was almost a snarl by the end of her sentence, and it was my turn for shock.
“Okay,” I said, wondering what might have happened between Janet and the RALDS to explain her vehemence and evident hate.
“You’re a sister wife, aren’t you?” she asked cautiously.
“Um, no. It’s a long story, and I’d rather not go into it again, if you don’t mind, Janet. I’m sorry.”
Instantly contrite, she put her hand on mine. “No, I’m sorry. You don’t have nothin’ to apologize for. It’s none of my business and I shouldn’t have asked.” I didn’t want her to feel bad about it, so I gave her a smile of forgiveness, but was relieved that she didn’t press me, anyway.
“Janet, I’m not used to sitting around with nothing to do. What should I be doing?”
She looked thoughtful for a moment, and then brightened. “Do you like to read? Or watch movies?”
“I like to read, yes. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a movie.”
“Of course it has,” she said hurriedly. “Why don’t you go into the libery and see if there’s a book you’d enjoy? I’ll come with you and light the fire.”
A morning, a whole morning, with nothing to do but sit in front of a warm fire and read a book? It sounded like heaven to me. At least it would keep my mind occupied, stop the circling of all my questions until Russ came back.
“When will Russ be back, do you know?” I asked Janet.
“I ‘spect he’ll be in for lunch with the others,” she said. “Speakin’ o’ which, I should get it started. I hear there’s another storm fixin’ to come down on us, so they’ll be hunkerin’ down for it.”
After a minute to interpret the meaning of ‘fixin’ and ‘hunkerin’ in that context, I sighed. Great. Another of those storms would trap me here, and force Russ and the mysterious owner to feed and shelter me. Not that I wanted to leave Russ, far from it. But, it seemed that until I had a plan of action, my life was on hold. I wasn’t a particularly patient person, so it was irritating, to say the least.
Setting my irritation aside, I selected the narrowest spine I could find, which turned out to be an old favorite, “To Kill a Mockingbird”. I was deep in the familiar story, living Scout’s life again instead of my own narrow, confined existence, when Janet returned with a cup of hot chocolate and two oatmeal raisin cookies. If I didn’t find something physical to do pretty soon, I was going to be as fat as a pig. But, I consumed every drop and every crumb anyway.
§
Lunch was corn chowder with thick chunks of ham, and sandwiches we built ourselves from platters of thinly-sliced ham, turkey and roast beef, all cold, along with plenty of condiments, lettuce, onions, pickles, and amazingly, tomatoes. The latter were the largest and tastiest I had ever seen, and I didn’t hesitate to say so. The response around the table full of men was disconcerting. Everyone stopped what they were doing and what they were saying to look at me. I wondered if there was some sort of taboo about discussing the food. Russ had yet to appear, so Janet took on the role of spokesperson.
“We grow them here, hon. In our greenhouse.”
With that, the men resumed talking amongst themselves, building their sandwiches and wolfing them down, and slurping their soup. I decided to keep my mouth shut, since opening it brought all activity to a halt. Then Russ came in. He had added a ten-gallon hat and a leather duster to his apparel, and both had a light dusting of snow on them.
“Looks like we’re in for it, boys,” he addressed the table. “Have we found that last 20 head yet, since the last one?”
One of the men spoke up, saying, “No, boss, I’m gonna look up in that cedar holler this afternoon.” Boss? My eyes flew to Russ, but he was glaring at the cowboy, who clapped his hand over his mouth and looked chagrined.
Shaking his head, Russ spoke in a kind voice that belied the look he had just given the poor man. “Okay, Hank, but take a couple others with you, and rope yourselves together if the storm catches you. Try to be sure you get back here before it gets too bad. Losin’ cattle is one thing, but losin’ a good man is another.”
With a grateful smile and nod of his head, Hank tipped up his bowl and slurped up the last of his soup, then jerked his head at two more of the cowhands and left the kitchen.
As this scene played out, I looked from Hank to Russ and back again. Hank had called him Boss, and Russ wasn’t happy about it. Why? The only reason I could think of was that Russ didn’t want me to know his position at the ranch. I didn’t understand why he wouldn’t, but it was time for some answers, whether or not it made him angry for me to ask. But, not here, with most of the men and Janet listening. No, I’d wait until after lunch. I kept silent, but felt Russ’s eyes on me from time to time. I knew it was he who stared at me, because that tingling in my core was unmistakable. He may be able to read my mind, I thought, but I can feel his passion.
As soon as Russ had finished his food and sat back with a sigh of contentment, I stood. It might have been rude, but I didn’t offer to help clean the kitchen again. Instead, I gazed steadily at Russ until he looked up at me. I jerked my head in the direction of the library, and walked out of the kitchen expecting him to follow. I seated myself in a chair that would allow me to sit without slouching, because I needed all the authority my five-foot three frame could muster.
Feet planted on the floor, sitting tall with my spine straight and my most severe face, I waited. Russ strode in only a moment later, glanced at me and sat down opposite, his legs splayed and hands clasped between them with his elbows on his knees.
“Kitten, I owe you an explanation.”
“Indeed you do. Talk.” It was terse, I knew, but I was fed up with all this mystery, and wanted him to know that I wouldn’t be put off again.
“I don’t know where to start, so I guess I’ll start with an apology. I should have told you the truth from the start, and I’m sorry I didn’t.” His frank blue gaze was distracting me, but I wasn’t ready yet to accept an apology, especially one that merely told me he had lied. That I already knew. It wasn’t enough.
“What truth? And why didn’t you?” I spoke calmly, though my pulse was racing. Now that it was about to be revealed, I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the truth, but I had to.
“I guess you’ve figured out that I own this ranch.”
Shock flooded me. No, I hadn’t figured that out, only that Russ might possibly be the son of the owner. I leapt to my feet, tears starting in my eyes. Janet had told me I was wearing the owner’s wife’s clothes. What had I done? I’d slept in the woman’s bed, bathed in her tub, worn her clothes and had sex with her husband. With no thought of where I might be going, I ran back through the kitchen, past a startled Janet, and out into the cold wind.
“Charity!” his voice behind me only made me run faster, the snow on the ground falling into my shoes and turning my feet to ice within yards. Then he had me. Why I thought I could outrun him I couldn’t have said, but I was furious when he caught me. I turned and began pummeling his chest with my fists.
“You lying, cheating son of a bitch!” I screamed. “You had sex with me in your own wife’s bed, how could you?”
Shouting above the wind and my tirade, Russ cried, “You don’t understand. Stop it, come back in the house.” Then he gathered me, still struggling, into his arms and carried me back, staggering against the wind and my struggles. As soon as we got back into the house, he set me down on my feet, but kept me wrapped up in his arms, heedless of the open-mouthed Janet looking on.
“Charity, it isn’t what it looks like. Come back in by the fire and get warm, and I’ll explain everything.” It appeared I had no choice, so I sullenly walked with him back into the warm room, where he tucked me under a brightly-colored crocheted afghan and sat
beside me. He reached under the coverlet to remove my shoes and began to chafe my feet to warm them.
“I swear, woman, you seem determined to freeze to death. Stay here, I’m going to get you something hot to drink.” No sooner had he said it than Janet appeared in the doorway with a tray bearing two mugs of hot chocolate, the aroma hinting of that unknown scent I’d detected on Russ’s breath at the cabin.
“Everything okay in here, Boss?” she asked. All her curious glances, her hesitation in answering my questions and her fascination with my background suddenly made sense, or I thought so. Obviously, she was a loyal employee, maybe even had some fondness for her boss, I thought, remembering the motherly look last night. She must be worried to death that he had dragged home another woman while his wife was gone. What must she think of me? I refused to meet her eyes as she bent over with the tray for me to take one of the mugs.
Russ took it instead, then took the other for himself, and said, “Thank you, Janet. We’re fine, but the hot chocolate is great, just what she needs. I’ll come to the kitchen if we need anything else.” Handing me one mug, he set the other down on the nearby end table.
Janet took the dismissal with good grace, resting her hand for just a second on Russ’s shoulder, where he patted it. “It’s fine, Janet, really.” At last, she left the room and Russ resumed chafing my feet. I didn’t want him to touch me, but my icy feet only felt warm in his grasp, so I determined to tolerate it, at least until I got an explanation. The hot chocolate tasted of something that I again couldn’t identify. Was it cloves?
“So, if it isn’t what it looks like, what is it? And let me warn you, I didn’t run from Bethel City only to become someone else’s mistress, or second or third wife. Spill it, mister, and it had better be the truth.”
Russ had startled when I said second or third wife, and by the time I finished the sentence was chuckling. Already in high dudgeon, I was infuriated, but he squeezed my feet and cleared his throat.
“Kitten. Okay, Charity,” he started, correctly interpreting the green threat in my eyes. “I’m divorced. I’m sorry I didn’t explain last night, but it’s just so damned humiliating.” I waited, not speaking, for the rest of the story. He sighed.
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