Slocum and the Warm Reception Read online

  Slocum didn’t want to hear any more of what came out of the broker’s mouth. It had been a trying day and the saddlebags were becoming particularly heavy on his shoulder, so he let Reid go and snarled, “I’ll take that fifty dollars.”

  “Of course,” he said. “Of course! My apologies for the misunderstanding, but I assure you that’s all it was.”

  “Fine.”

  “Usually a man who hauls in the body of a wanted man is always looking to make good money. He also tends to have various items land in his possession that he wants to sell. All I meant before was—”

  “You want a good piece of advice?” Slocum offered.

  “Certainly.”

  “Stop talking.”

  The broker swallowed hard, dug into his till, and took out the money he’d promised.

  * * *

  The room Slocum rented was above a saloon on Second Street. He didn’t catch the name of the saloon, but was drawn there by the lack of noise that usually filled such a place. There was nobody playing a piano or banjo. No stage where dancing girls might try to sing or draw hoots and hollers from a drunken crowd. There was only a bar and a few tables surrounded by smoke from a cooking stove in the back room. Slocum thought he could detect the scent of burnt toast and potatoes, which meant there likely wouldn’t be much of a crowd for meals either. The nameless place suited his needs just fine.

  He felt better once got into his room and no longer had to carry those damn saddlebags everywhere. Once they were dropped into one corner and the pouch was tucked safely into his boot, he headed out again. Nobody greeted him on his way down. In fact, the man who’d given Slocum the key to the room barely even acknowledged he was there. The sole customer in the saloon was too drunk to lift his head and the girl who’d been sweeping the floor when he’d arrived had already wandered off to find another chore to do.

  Perfect.

  On his way back to the stable, Slocum heard a train rattle up to the depot. It rolled past those groups of men and their telescopes, stopped just long enough to restock its coal stores, and huffed away by the time he approached the stable’s front door. It was locked, so he walked around to try the side door. Although that one protested a bit, it came open after a few more tugs. Inside, Slocum found the gelding he’d ridden across the desert. “Hello there, boy,” he said in a warm tone. “Looks like you’re feeling better.” After looking over the cuts and scrapes to find they’d been nicely cleaned, he checked the trough for water. A feed bag had been left open next to it so the horse could nibble at the remaining oats inside. “Better than I am anyhow. Looks like you could use a good brushing. Even if I have the money to pay extra, there’s no reason I can’t do the job myself.” Slocum quickly found a brush nearby and picked it up. “Not like I have anything better to do anyway.”

  The process of brushing the horse was a simple and familiar one. His muscles moved on their own accord and he went about the task without having to truly think about what he was doing. In fact, the labor proved to be relaxing in its simplicity. It wasn’t long before he worked up a sweat, and when he stripped off his shirt, the stagnant air felt somewhat cool against his damp skin.

  The more he moved, the more he sweated. And the more sweat rolled down his body, the cooler he got. Since he was in a stable, he didn’t even have to worry about appearances or unpleasant odors. Horses weren’t mindful of such things, which made Slocum’s time in that stable even pleasanter.

  When he finished brushing the horse, Slocum looked for a pitchfork to move some hay around. He’d just found one when he heard the front door rattle before it was pulled open. Reflexively, his right hand found its way to the .44 at his side. When he saw who entered the stable, he relaxed his grip but kept his hand where it was.

  “Oh!” the blond woman said as she jumped back a bit. “I heard someone in here and thought it was Cam.”

  “He’s the one who owns this place?” Slocum asked.

  “He is. I must say, though, I’m much more pleased to find you here instead of him.”

  “And why’s that?”

  She took a few steps inside, paused, and then reached behind her to pull the door shut. Sweat glistened on her skin as well, but not as much as Slocum’s. Her long, straight blond hair was tousled by the wind and her skirts flapped around her thanks to a gust of wind from the door swinging into place. “Because I like the way you looked at me.” She stalked toward him like a cat, clasping her hands behind herself to arch her back and display her proud, ample breasts. “When you first arrived and put your horse up . . . you looked at me.”

  “Would have been rude to look away,” Slocum said as he approached her. “Considering how pretty you are, it would have been a downright shame.”

  “I could tell you were a gentleman when I first laid eyes on you.”

  Slocum stepped right up to her, placed his hands upon her hips, and pulled her in close. “Gentleman? You’d be the only one in this town with that opinion.”

  She leaned back in his grasp; not exactly pulling away but not exactly giving in either. “People around here have plenty of opinions. I don’t have much use for them.”

  “Considering what I’ve heard about you, I don’t blame you.”

  This was another way for Slocum to test the waters. This time, the waters were very warm indeed. The blond woman placed her hands upon his, guiding them up along the sides of her body until he could feel the smooth slope of her breasts. Easing his palms downward to take a slower tour of her waist and hips, she said, “I don’t give a damn what they say about me. If I worried so much about all of that, I wouldn’t have time to enjoy my life. When you’ve seen the sort of pain and misery I have, simple pleasures become very important. I can tell that you know what I mean.” She moved her hands along the scars and old wounds scattered along Slocum’s body like a roadmap of the very pain she’d just addressed.

  He allowed his hands to do some wandering as well. She was easily a foot shorter than him, but when she looked up at Slocum, it was with eyes that commanded attention. Whoever this woman was, no matter how much of what he’d heard was true or not, she wasn’t to be taken lightly. “What’s your name?” he asked.

  “With all you’ve heard, you were never told my name?”

  “No. I was just told to steer clear of you.”

  As her hands drifted lower, she traced a line along the top of his belt and then slipped one hand between his legs to cup a growing erection. Her fingers moved deftly back and forth, stroking him in a way that sent chills through his entire body. “You’re doing a bad job of steering clear, Mr. Slocum.”

  “I don’t listen to all the talk either. Even if some of it bears some truth.”

  “You believe what they told you about me?”

  “Some of it.”

  She shrugged and rubbed up and down along the length of his stiffening cock. Pressing her breasts against his chest, she said, “Did you hear I was accused of hurting someone?”

  “I did, but didn’t hear why you’d do such a thing. There are plenty of reasons to hurt someone.” Slocum moved his hands from the sides of her breasts to her hips and then around to cup her backside. Reaching down a little farther allowed him to feel some of the heat between her upper thighs. “There’s also plenty of reasons to give someone the benefit of the doubt.”

  “I thought you were going to say you could learn to trust someone,” she whispered.

  “Trust doesn’t come easy,” Slocum said in a matching whisper. “But we don’t need all of that to enjoy a few simple pleasures.”

  She smiled widely and started tugging at his belt buckle. “My name is Vivienne.”

  Slocum began unfastening the hooks on the back of her dress until the upper portion of the garment fell away. Her breasts were firm in his hands. Her bare flesh had the texture of smooth cream. “From what I’ve heard, you’re a bad girl, Vivienne.”
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  “Well now,” she said as she lowered herself to her knees in front of him. “I’ll see what I can do to live up to that.”

  As Vivienne’s lips wrapped around his penis, Slocum slid his fingers through her straight blond hair. Her head bobbed back and forth and her tongue pressed flat against the underside of his rigid member. When she quickened her pace, she started sucking and her hands reached up to slide against his bare stomach.

  Slocum closed his eyes and took deep breaths. The pleasure she was giving him was quickly growing, and if he didn’t make some concerted efforts, he could very well be led to a swift climax. But he had other plans for her, and before she led him too far down that particular road, he eased back.

  They looked at each other, knowing all too well what was to come without a word passing between them. Vivienne was helped to her feet and then allowed Slocum to remove the dress from her body. Beneath it, she wore a simple white slip, which she slowly peeled off while Slocum removed his clothing. She undressed so as not to rob him of the show, and she made certain to turn at the right moments so he could see the curve of her taut buttocks as she spread the slip upon the fresh hay in another stall. After lowering herself to the ground, she leaned back and propped herself up with both arms while arching her back to put her proud bosom on display.

  Slocum stood naked in front of her. His cock was hard as iron, and every fiber of his being wanted to take the woman in front of him. As he lowered himself to the floor, Vivienne opened her legs and placed one little hand upon the thatch of downy hair between them. Her fingers wandered over the lips of her pussy and she let out a low, trembling moan.

  At that moment, Slocum didn’t think about anything but her. He didn’t care if the front door of the stable was opened and half the town marched inside. He didn’t even care what this woman may have done in the past. He’d known plenty of killers and plenty of thieves. According to many lawmen out there, he was worse than either of those things.

  “Simple pleasures,” he said with a grin. “Can never have too many of those.”

  Spreading her legs even wider, she reached down to grab his cock with both hands and guide it toward her wet mound. “I cannot agree more,” she said. Slocum fit perfectly into her pussy, and with a little thrust, he was fully inside her. Once again, Vivienne leaned back and propped herself up with her elbows. She watched him intently as he started pumping in and out of her. The expression on her face was almost as enthralling as the rivulets of sweat tracing little glistening lines down the front of her naked body.

  Having started on his knees between her thighs, Slocum now lowered himself on top of her. Vivienne’s legs wrapped around him. Her skin was smooth and her muscles were taut as bowstrings as she drew him in and held him there. Her muscles weren’t the only things that were tight. Once again, Slocum was brought to the brink of a climax when he felt just how firmly she enveloped him when he drove inside her.

  When she grabbed hold of his arms with both hands, Vivienne was breathing in quick gulps. Slocum tried to move, but she urged him to stay put. He recognized the flush in her cheeks and waited until the last possible second before easing out and then pounding into her again.

  “Oh my God!” she shouted. Judging by the look on her face, the outburst was as much a surprise to her as it was to Slocum. She watched him with wide eyes as Slocum bucked between her legs until she climaxed. When her orgasm came, she lay back and spread her legs as wide as she could. Vivienne turned her head and gripped the slip beneath her back as if she were trying to pull up the stable’s floorboards. Eventually, the pleasure receded and she began wriggling out from under him.

  Slocum moved to the side and was almost immediately shoved back toward the slip that marked their spot on the floor. “Where do you think you’re going?” she asked with a wicked glint in her eye.

  “Nowhere. I just—”

  “Damn right, nowhere,” she said. “I’m not through with you yet.”

  Slocum wasn’t done with her either, but wasn’t about to put a stop to whatever she intended on doing. Instead, he allowed her to roll him onto his back so she could straddle his hips and look down at him. Grinning from ear to ear, she bent at the knees and squatted down until she was low enough to reach for his cock. “That’s it,” she purred as she fit the tip of his erection between her pussy lips. “Right where you belong.”

  Vivienne eased all the way down, taking every inch of him inside. Slocum placed his hands upon her legs and let out a breath as she started to ride him. At first, Vivienne moved slowly. Then, she put her hands upon her knees and started bouncing faster. The feel of her wet lips gliding up and down along the length of his shaft was similar to the way her mouth had felt when she’d sucked him. Eventually, she brought herself all the way down so she could situate herself into a slightly different position.

  “Considering this reception,” Slocum said, “I’m amazed you’re not regarded more fondly by the men I’ve spoken to.”

  “Men?” she grunted. “What men? All I’ve seen since I got to town were worried little hens flinching every time they heard news about that killer—Ellis Jaynes—and some boys dressed in their daddy’s clothes pretending to be hard men. You’re the first hard man I’ve met in this town.”

  Slocum wanted to make a wisecrack about her choice of words, but was diverted almost immediately by the sight of her on top of him. Vivienne sat astride his hips with her legs tucked in on either side of him. She placed her hands flat upon his chest and rocked slowly back and forth. Her breasts swayed to the rhythm of her body and her hair drifted lazily as she closed her eyes and savored the hardness sliding in and out of her.

  Before long, Slocum could no longer hold back. He placed his hands upon her hips, a spot he already knew so well, and massaged her smooth flanks. Reaching around, he cupped her tight little ass and started pumping up into her. Vivienne took a deep breath and held on to it as she accepted him inside. Although she ground against him and wriggled every now and then, she was clearly enjoying the fact that he’d taken complete control. Eventually, she straightened up and placed her hands upon her own breasts to rub them as Slocum drove every inch of his cock between her legs. From there, she leaned back and reached behind to grab his legs for support.

  From that angle, Slocum was treated to a generous view of her proud breasts and erect nipples, which were now pointed directly at the stable’s roof. Her stomach rose and fell as her breathing became faster. She even pumped her hips in a quick rhythm to match his thrusts.

  Soon, Slocum felt his own climax approaching. It swelled inside him like a gust of wind and he knew it would be powerful when it hit. He didn’t have to wait long for that moment, and when it happened, he snapped his head back and gripped her hard enough for his fingertips to dig into her flesh. While he hadn’t meant to be rough with her, Vivienne didn’t seem to mind. She sat upright again and then placed her hands once more on top of his.

  “I’ve had to wait a long time to feel that good,” she said.

  “Well, just give me a few moments to catch my breath,” Slocum replied. “I’ll make sure you won’t have to wait nearly as long for the next go-around.”

  She curled up beside him with a hand resting upon his chest, patiently waiting for Slocum to regain some wind as a contented grin drifted across her face.

  6

  After a long day spent in the stables and a longer night in his rented room, Slocum drifted off to sleep in a lumpy bed that was too small to share with anyone. Vivienne wasn’t upset when she left him that night. On the contrary, she politely came up with a short list of reasons why she couldn’t stay and Slocum wasn’t offended in the slightest.

  Bright and early the following morning, Slocum woke up and walked downstairs for some breakfast. The saloon wasn’t open for business quite yet, but the owner was already cleaning up the place. He was more than happy to whip up some griddle cakes and coffee for him. The me
al tasted like it had been made by a barkeep instead of a cook, but there were plenty of griddle cakes to be had with more than enough butter and syrup to give them some flavor. When his belly was full, Slocum tipped his hat to the barkeep, settled his bill, and carried his saddlebags to the stable.

  Vivienne was there, but so were the liveryman and the town’s head lawman. Marshal spoke to the other man in hushed tones, casting a few stern glances in Slocum’s direction before leading the other man outside and out of earshot.

  “What’s that about?” Slocum asked as he went to his horse’s stall and picked up his saddle.

  She had her sleeves rolled up and was using a pitchfork to pile hay into a corner. Even with her blond hair tied back and dirt smudging her face, she still stirred something inside him. Using the back of her hand to wipe some sweat from her forehead, she replied, “There’s been some trouble in town. I’m surprised you didn’t hear.”

  “Between the ruckus we caused and the sleep I fell into afterward, I didn’t hear much.”

  “You might want to keep your voice down about that.”

  “Why?” Slocum asked. “Still worried about your reputation?”

  If he’d been talking to anyone else in her situation, he might have watched his tongue before saying something like that. But Vivienne was a free spirit, and even though he didn’t have trouble believing she’d committed a sin or two, she seemed to have a good handle on things. When she heard him say that, however, a wince tugged at the corners of her mouth that made Slocum wish he’d been a little more cautious with his words.

  Slocum placed a hand on her shoulder and said, “Sorry if I struck a nerve. I really haven’t heard much of anything since I saw you.”

  She smiled. “I didn’t hear much about it until I left your room last night. And even then, I only heard because it involved some folks I know rather well.”