“Do they play all night, Auntie?”
“Just about. But don’t worry …
tired as we are, ain’t nothin’ gonna keep us awake.”
Tallulah smiled and nodded. “I’m
feelin’ that.”
“I bet you are. That’s our room,
down the hall.”
“I hope it has a washbasin.”
“You don’t look that dusty,
honey.” Auntie winked at her.
“Neither do you, Auntie.” Tallulah
winked back.
They were both gritty as hell from the
road.
“Oh, this isn’t bad,” Tallulah
said, her aunt leading her into the room.
“Well,” Auntie took in their
surroundings. “I’ve surely seen worse. But I’ve seen better,
too.”
The girl flopped down onto the bed.
“It works for me.”
“Where is that man with the …”
“These your bags?”
A man stood in the doorway, luggage in
hands.
Actually, he was leaning
in the doorway, shoulder against the jamb.
“Appears the help here gets to drink
on the job?” Auntie said.
“Pardon?”
“You heard me.”
“That’s right ma’am … I reckon
I did. You see, drinkin’ here is ma’ job.” He giggled
drunkenly. “An I carry the bags too.”
“I see.”
“You do?” He looked her up and
down, and then eyed her niece watching from the bed. “I got
somethin’ else you’d like to see.” He put down the luggage.
“Bet you ladies would like to see ma’ cock.”
The girl on the bed froze.
Her aunt looked coy. “You really
want us to check out your cock?”
He grinned, shitfaced and smug. “Oh
yeah.”
His hands moved to his britches to
free his willy.
“No,” Auntie said. “You let me
get it for you.”
Tallulah’s face was astonishment.
“Oh?” he said. “So that’s how
it is.” His hands fell to his sides. “Well that’d be just fine
with me, little beaver. Come an get it.”
“I’m going to.”
She winked at her niece, then got
close enough to the man in the doorway to smell the whiskey on his
breath. “You ready, Mister?”
“I’m so ready, I can barely stand
it. I got more than enough for the both of you.”
She reached down and grabbed something
hard as wood.
Then she whipped it out.
Of his holster.
Slow to react, he was looking down the
barrel of his own gun by the time he did.
“Little lady, what’s all of this?”
Tallulah was bolt upright on the bed.
Auntie smirked. “You wanted us to
check out your cock.”
Her thumb pulled back the gun’s hammer.
“Seems to be working.”
He started to reach for the piece.
She jerked the gun at him. “THAT
will do, sir. Don’t move … you seem like a fella who would have
a hair trigger.”
“Well, I ain’t near as close as I
was, I’ll tell you that.”
“Good … ‘cause there ain’t
gonna be any shootin’ in here … unless you move a way I don’t
like … you get me?”
“I getcha.”
“Good. So get the hell outta here.”
He looked ready to run, but hesitated.
“Can I have my gun back, ma’am?”
“Do I look stupid to you? Does he
think I’m stupid, Tallulah?”
The girl shrugged. “I don’t know,
Auntie. Maybe.”
“Nooo I don’t,” he said. “Why
do ya―”
“You
must think I’m stupid,” Auntie said over him, “because you
asked me for your gun back. Now, if I give you this gun back, just
HOW am I gonna SHOOT YOU if you PISS ME OFF?”
She
looked about ready to shoot him.
“Good
point,” he said, twitching nervously. “Ya know, I’m feelin’
mighty sober all of a sudden … and I’m awful sorry if I offended
… but I’d sure like to go now.”
“That’d
be a damn good idea. Now, get! And count yourself lucky if I don’t
shoot you in the ass while you go. And not the way you’d probably
like, either.”
The
man nodded and disappeared into the hallway, his scrambling footsteps
drumming on that wood plank floor.
“Crazy
bitch with a gun,” they heard him say over the din of the raucous
saloon downstairs.
Auntie
smirked at her niece. “Crazy bitch with your
gun,” she said after him.
“We
already have guns,” Tallulah said.
“Yeah,
but his is nicer than mine. And besides, where we’re going … you
can’t have too many.” She handed the piece to he niece.
Tallulah
popped open the six-shooter’s cylinder.
“There’s
only one bullet. A man like that’s really pushing his luck packin’
just one bullet.”
“Likely
he already pushed his luck … that’s where the other five bullets
went.”
“Probably.”
“Don’t
worry, Tallulah. We got plenty of bullets.”
It
was hot in the room, too hot for the blankets, so she lay atop the
bedding in her nightdress. Even that, she hiked up around her waist
to cool her legs.
Her
ladybug was out, but the darkness cared not and neither did she.
Body gone limp, the bed felt fantastic, a welcome upgrade from the
coach on the road.
A
knock at the door startled her from almost asleep.
There
followed a series of knocks.
Auntie
had told her firmly, “No matter what you do, don’t open the door.
Not for anyone besides me.”
“You
in there?” a man’s voice said. “Come on and let me in.”
More
knocking grew more persistent.
She
sighed and got out of bed.
“Damn
drunk, probably got the wrong room.”
The
Colt under her pillow found its way into her hand and she crept with
it to the door.
“I’m
warnin’ you,” she said. “I’m not alone.” She clenched the
weapon.
“PLEASE,”
said the man’s voice. “Open the door.”
She
sighed again. “You got the wrong room—now
GIT.”
“I
ain’t goin’ nowhere … I’m―”
The
door eased open, lamplight from the hall spilling over the girl with
the gun and the room behind her.
“You’re
always pointing that thing at me,” the boy said.
Well,
he was a man, but a boyish one.
It
took her a moment to recognize him. “Tallywhacker?”
“That’s
not really my name, but at least you remember me.” He smiled. “I’m
not surprised.”
“I
hardly recognized you with your clothes on.”
“Come
on now … can I come in?”
“No,
my Auntie said ―”
“Your
Auntie’s not here now.” He looked furtively down the hallway and
back.
“But―”
“Okay,” he said, pushing his way in, “thanks for the invite.”
He
closed the door behind him and locked it.
The
room was back in black.
“Oh,”
she said, “you’re bad. Get out.”
“We
need some light in here … you got any candles?”
He
was moving in the dark.
“Those
aren’t candles,” she said.
“They’re
not?” He feigned confusion.
“Feel
like titties, don’t they?”
“Mmm
… now that you mention it.”
“I
still have my gun on you.”
“I
really was looking for candles.” He removed his hands from her
nightdress.
“Yeah,
sure you were.”
“Where
else should I look?”
She
narrowed her stance. “How about on the table?”
He
knocked something off the table. “Found the table.”
After
some fumbling a light was struck, and then a candle lit.
“There,”
he said. “Now we can see who we’re talking to.”
The
candlelight glimmered off the shiny Colt still pointed at him.
“What
is with you and that thing?” he asked. “Do you really want to
shoot me that bad? Put it away.”
“A
girl has to be careful with no-good cowboys.”
“No-good
cowboy?” He grinned. “Who are you callin’ a cowboy?”
She
smiled at his quip.
And
stashed the gun back under her pillow.
“Is
that safe?” he said.
“I
don’t exactly have a place to hide it in my nightdress.”
He
raised his eyebrow. “No … I reckon ya don’t.”
She
blushed, but the light was too dim to show it.
“I
mean, there’s no holster.”
He
looked her over. “I see.”
She
was stunning.
“How
did you know I was here?” she said.
“I
saw you and that other good lookin’ woman come in. I was in the
saloon, makin’ friends and money.”
“Oh,
I’m good lookin’, huh?”
“You
wouldn’t spect me to remember you if you wasn’t?”
“And
my Auntie?”
“She
doesn’t look old enough to be your auntie.”
“She’s
my mother’s youngest sister … only ten years between us.”
“Well
see there, it runs in the family.”
“What
does?”
“Don’t
make me say it.”
“Say
it.”
“Don’t.”
“I’ll
get my gun.”
“I’ll
say it,” he said, taking her up in his arms. “Can you hear me?”
He
kissed her.
Just
once, but it lasted …
She
breathed heavily at its conclusion. “It’s hard to answer you with
your tongue in my mouth.”
“Be
nice,” he replied, “or I’ll put it back in you.”
“I
won’t be nice.”
“Then
you’re in trouble,” he said, and applied another kiss, pushing
her gently toward the bed.
She
yielded to him.
He
loosened his gun belt and let it slide to the floor, stepping out of
it on the way.
Soon
they lay together, that kiss still unbroken.
By
the hardness she felt against her, she really was in trouble.
But
her own parting legs informed her, not as deep a trouble as she
wanted.
Then
kisses on her neck made her skin crawl … in a good way.
She
felt all too willing to entertain his hands moving over her
nightdress, all greedy and improper.
And
thrilling!
The
room was spinning in ecstasy, even though the real ecstasy was yet
to―
A
loud knock at the door interrupted them. And then another.
Like
someone was trying to knock the damn door down.
“Let
us in!” hollered a voice from the hallway.
“We
know he’s in there!”
“We
demand it, at once! Open this door or we’ll smash our way in!”
Tallywhacker
sprang up off the girl like she was a hot coal he’d fallen on.
“What’s
going on?” Tallulah said, disoriented and short of breath.
Just
a moment prior, something really good and bad was about to happen.
“Sorry,”
he said. “I gotta go.” He rushed to the window and opened it.
“Believe me …” Longing had replaced his swagger. “I’m
really sorry.”
They
were pounding on the door.
“LET
US IN THERE!”
“What
do you want?” Tallulah yelled at the door.
She
turned back in time to catch the last of her boy slipping out the
window. “Romance is fleeting,” she recalled being told one time.
“I guess to hell.”
A
loud bang and the door was forced open.
Several
men stormed into the room.
“Where
is he?”
“Where
is who?”
She
pulled the blankets to cover up.
“The
kid. He musta come in here … we looked everywhere else.”
“A
kid?” she said. “Somebody’s child is missing? How awful. But
I ain’t seen anybody’s kid.”
“YOU
know who we mean.”
“Mister,
I assure you … I have no idea.”
One
of the men pointed at the gun belt on the floor.
“The
kid that dropped his iron there. Likely before he dropped your
drawers.”
There
were heavy footsteps approaching from the hall.
And
then an angry voice.
“WHAT
is the MEANING of THIS? Stand aside, you step aside. WHERE is my
niece? If there is a hair out of place on her head …”
“Don’t
look at us,” one
of the men said with a smirk, “if there is.”
“AUNTIE!”
Tallulah jumped up from the bed and into her aunt’s arms. “They
broke the door down!”
“It’s
alright honey,” she stroked her back. “Your auntie will take care
of this.”
“I
wish somebody would,” one of the men said. “I’m lookin’ fer
that young scoundrel. An I know he was hidin’ in this here room.”
Auntie
turned to face the men, and Tallulah sat on the bed.
“Scoundrel?”
Auntie said. “What the hell is goin’ on here?”
“See,
the kid skipped out on our card game … owin’ us a lot of money.”
The
other men sputtered in agreement.
“Owin’
ME a LOT of money.”
“You
let a KID owe you a lot of money?” Auntie said. “That was you
FIRST mistake.”
“Shut
yer trap, woman … or it won’t be my LAST mistake.”
The
men cackled menacingly.
“I
hope she keeps talkin’,” one of them said. “I’d put a mistake
in her.”
There
was more raucous laughter.
“Me
too! Me too!”
In
an instant, Auntie swooped down and plucked one of Tallywhacker’s
guns from the holster on the floor near her feet.
And
it was poking the biggest talker in the chest before anyone had a
chance to object.
“What’s
this?” the stunned man asked.
She
cocked the hammer.
Tallulah
looked near us stunned as he did.
“I’m
fixin’ to blow a hole in your chest your heart won’t soon forget
… son of a bitch probably pour right on out.”
“Awww
… why would you want to go and do that?”
She
put it to him harder, like she wished there was a bayonet affixed to
the barrel.
“Why
wouldn’t I want to?”
“I
… I was just lookin’ for the kid.”
“We
don’t know nothin’ bout no kid. Right honey?”
“Ah
…” Tallulah said, “right, Auntie.”
“Ya
hear that? We can’t help ya. Now get out—or
I’ll shoot ya FULL of holes.”
He
sized her up and spat on the floor. “Alright.” He stepped back.
Auntie squinted into him.
“Thanks for the poke,” he said,
with a nod to the gun.
His compadres laughed. One of them
said, “That kinda poke aint’ my favorite.”
They started to leave.
Auntie held the gun on them still.
“Keep on talking,” she said. “You’ll end up in the kind of
box that ain’t your favorite.” She looked at Tallulah and
shook her head. “Thanks for the poke.” She sighed. “What an
asshole.”
“Auntie,” Tallulah said, “I
think we should find somewhere else to stay.”
