* * * *
Barbara gave a little whimper as he suddenly pushed his way into her. He stilled his movements, just laying there inside of her. Why wasn't he moving? Irritated, she began to wriggle under him, trying to encourage him to match her thrusts.
He laughed softly before he began to move slowly. Maddeningly slow, in and out of her. The pain was slight in comparison to her pleasure.
"Am I ruined yet?"
"Lord, I hope so. I want you ruined for all other men. I want you for me and me alone, sugar.” He thrust into her, more demanding, claiming her in every sense of the word.
The orgasm was cataclysmic as they both came. Her body clenched tightly around his cock, sucking him dry. He pressed against her, holding himself there as he came.
As he spilled his seed into her, she whispered to him, holding tightly to his back. “I belong to you, Vince. No one else but you."
A tear slipped silently down her cheek. She nearly said she loved him. It didn't shock her that he didn't respond, it would have been more shocking if he had. He said he wanted her to belong to him, but he had no intention of belonging to anyone else. He wouldn't marry her, and she was kidding herself if she believed that.
So her one choice left was to leave him.
But where she should go was another story. The gold would not last and the brothel wouldn't accept virgins to work for them. Besides, she would rather give her virginity to Vincent than a total stranger.
Perhaps one of her lovers would come to love her over time and maybe even marry her.
She could still have her happily ever after. She could still marry and have kids. Everything she always dreamed of. So why did the thought of marrying someone else leave a bad taste at the back of her mouth?
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Chapter Thirteen
Barbara came to Annie's place with nothing more than the clothes on her back. She left everything, well, almost everything. She brought the gold nugget so she could buy what she needed to start her new life, but she would give up half to Vincent when he came looking for it. She knew he wouldn't let her keep it to herself and she didn't expect him to.
Annie's girls were lounging in the great room. With few customers, they were chatting amongst themselves and waiting for the gentlemen to come in. It was too early for the drinkers or the gamblers. They were all still sleeping in from their last night's activities.
Annie apparently recognized Barbara from their one meeting and interrupted rendezvous. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this ... Mrs...? Forgive me, I can't remember ever being introduced to you."
"That's because we were not introduced, Annie. I am Barbara Lane.” She wasn't sure how she had fallen to this, and would never have considered this before her affair with Vincent. Men could have relationships without getting emotionally involved; perhaps she had not practiced enough. Perhaps there was something wrong with her that she wanted to hand her heart to Vincent because she slept with him. If she did not love him, it would have been so much easier to stay with him, but he didn't want that kind of woman. He had said so himself. He couldn't settle down with one woman, because he wanted to be able to continue to play games.
Annie gripped Barbara's hand, welcoming her with a warm smile. “Well, Miss Lane, would you care for a drink?"
"Actually I don't—” She was about to say that she didn't usually drink. That she should probably not drink now. But, she could use the courage. Today she was doing all kinds of things she never did before. “All right. A shot of whiskey would be nice. I actually have business to discuss with you, Annie."
"Oh?” Annie went to the bar and poured a drink for both of them in shot glasses.
"Yes.” Barbara sat down in front of her on the tall oak barstool. She nervously fingered the shot glass before looking Annie in the eyes. “I came here to ask for a job."
Annie smiled but didn't laugh, as Barbara thought was a possibility. Instead Annie appraised her, running her gaze over Barbara's young feminine body, quietly admonishing the modest dress, before meeting Barbara's gaze.
"You don't look ready to work here.” Annie asked her softly, “You sure you want to do this?"
"I am."
"Do you have any experience in this line of work, Barbara?"
"No, but I can learn how to lay on my back just the same as any other girl."
Annie's lips kicked up at the corners. “There is a little more to it than just laying on your back, Barbara. Sometimes the men only want to talk, and sometimes they want full service, but every man is different."
"I know. That is why I am here, for you to teach me."
"That's the attitude I need in my girls. I am going to take a risk on you. Barbara, you have a job. Kitty will show you the ropes, and get you something decent to wear. She is one of my best girls here, and if you want to be any good, you will listen to her."
"Who is Kitty?"
"You met once already, I am sure you will remember her.” Annie smiled as if she knew a secret, and motioned for a girl across the room to come over to her. “Come here, Kitty. I have a job for you."
Barbara felt the tight pressure around her chest loosen. It was the other woman that Barbara had found Vince in bed with. For a moment she felt a twinge of jealousy, but then it disappeared into heartache. Neither of them had Vincent now. What did it really matter?
"Barbara will be working with us from now on. She needs something more suitable to wear and she needs to learn how to treat a gentleman. Can you do it?"
"Of course, Annie. It would be my pleasure,” Kitty purred, her eyes sparked merrily in anticipation of the night to come.
* * * *
Barbara looked at her reflection in the gilded mirror, and adjusted her breasts for what seemed the hundredth time. She tried to tuck most of her breasts back inside the tight material of her bodice. If she wasn't careful, her dress would be revealing the rosy colored flesh around her nipple to every man in the saloon.
"Don't hide yourself, sweetheart. You want to show off a little flesh around here. It will draw the men to you, like bees to honey."
"It's just hard to get used to it. Is it supposed to look this way?” Barbara's arms flew to her hips as she turned to face Kitty, modeling for her. Her breasts looked even fuller plumped up by the tight corset. Her fishnet stockings accentuated her legs, and she never felt so revealed in all her life.
"You look perfect. Now it's time to learn some of our tricks.” Kitty grinned at Barbara wickedly.
"Tricks?"
"Of course, that is what we do around here, we turn tricks, but there are things that make a girl better than others, and a higher quality lady will always make more money and get more repeat business."
Barbara arched her eyebrow dubiously. She asked, “What kind of tricks?"
"For one thing, after every man, we wash ourselves down there so the next man doesn't even know we were with a gent only five minutes ago."
"Really? That is something I never thought about."
"It's the same reason we like to have a high quality perfume to wear. It's not just to smell pretty, but so that no one can smell anyone else on us.” Kitty sprayed some perfume on herself from a crystal container and then spritzed a few times on Barbara's neckline.
"Oh. I have never thought of that."
"You don't have to when you are only sleeping with one man. You and Vincent ever...” Kitty trailed off provocatively.
"You mean did we ever...?"
Kitty nodded. “Did you let him?"
Barbara blushed. “He was my first lover."
"Well, hun, you got quite an introduction to sex then, cuz he is one of my better lovers. You ready to get to work?"
Barbara just looked at Kitty with a blank expression on her face. When Barbara didn't respond, Kitty didn't give her a chance to. Kitty grabbed onto Barbara's arm and pulled her back towards the main saloon hall. “Come on, it's late enough that a lunch crowd should be here and you do want to be able to pick a good man to t
urn your first trick with, don't you?"
Barbara nearly reconsidered what she was doing here, but there was another reason why she was here other than just to survive. She didn't need the money, not with the gold she made from her latest strike. She would be all right for a little while. There was one more thing: Vincent had said that night he came home from the whorehouse that he could never settle down with just one woman. He had to have a woman that could share. So if this was a way she could possibly win him, then she needed to learn how to share her man.
"How often are you asked to share a man with another woman?” Barbara asked.
Kitty looked at Barbara slyly through hooded eyes. “Not often, but if it makes your first time go smoother, I would be happy to join you."
"Join me?” Barbara asked nervously. She felt the blood drain from her face in her shock.