"Was it too tight?"
Looking down at me with her dark eyes, she shook her head. "Not...not there."
I nodded, understanding where she spoke of. "Go. Remember, if you try to run off like Sarah, I’ll spank you to where you won't be able to sit down for a week."
Her eyes widened in blatant surprise. Clearly, Jenkins hadn’t laid a hand on her in any way. She didn't seem to have a temperament for being contrary, but it was important she knew the consequences from the start. It was her turn to nod, then she went out the back door of the jail. I moved to lean against the doorframe to wait. When she returned, I motioned for her to enter before me. "Let's put the harness back on."
"This isn't necessary, Mr. Bridger." Her hands were up in front of her as if to stop me. "Really." She shook her head and her voice was defiant.
"It is necessary. Doesn't your maidenhead mean anything to you?" I asked sternly.
"Well, yes."
I nodded. "Good, because it does to me. It's my job to help you protect it, until you finally decide we will marry. Have you accepted my offer?"
She licked her lips and stared at me, her dark eyes mesmerizing. She didn't speak, just shook her head.
"In that case, use some of this." I held out a small glass jar of ointment I'd grabbed from Doc's office on the way from McKenzie's house. Doc provided it to husbands to use on their wife's pussy, ass or breasts. It was slick and eased the way for a cock or prevented chafing on sensitive nipples. It also contained a ground plant, the recipe originally shared by the Indians, known for its aphrodisiac qualities. Doc made pills mixing the plant and the ointment with a hard coating of beeswax that was worked deep in a woman's ass every day. The pills dissolved from the warmth of her body and ensured that her arousal was constantly elevated.
For Devney, the ointment would ease the chafing of the belt that covered her pussy, but might also bring about a slight rise in her arousal. It was not the same dosage as a pill, especially not a honeymoon pill that Jake and Cole were putting in their wives, but it was a start. From the way Devney's gaze flicked to mine, the way her cheeks turned pink and how her nipples hardened beneath her nightgown, I knew she was
attracted to me. But attraction alone wouldn't be enough. She'd been in control of her life for so long, that bastard Jenkins using her - or not using her at all - as he had. He'd neglected the basic needs of a woman and it was time for Devney to discover them. But her mind would want her to remain in control, so she'd fight the attraction. The ointment should counteract this just enough to sway her, and would work fairly quickly, especially on one as sheltered as Devney. I didn't want her wearing the belt; I wanted her married to me. I wanted her under my protection. Under me.
She took the jar from me, staring at it in confusion.
"It's ointment. Rub it on your pussy and your ass to keep the leather from chafing. Since you aren't ready to accept me as your husband, I want your virtue protected."
I watched as the pink crept back into her cheeks. "Oh, um...thank you. Could you turn your back please?"
"Of course." This would be the one and only time I would comply with this request. She would never deny me the sight of her body after this. I turned and walked to McKenzie's desk, looking down at my friend. I raised my eyebrow in silent question and he just grinned in return. "Be liberal with the ointment's application, Devney," I called out. "You don't want your pretty pussy to get sore."
It took a minute, but Devney did as I'd bid. "All right," she replied, her voice soft. I brought her a clean cloth and she wiped her hands.
I grabbed the belt from the ground where I'd left it by the cell. She lifted her nightgown and I worked the belt back up her legs until it was around her waist. I could see her pussy through the tangle of white fabric, only a quick glimpse, but her pink folds were slick with ointment and so was the hair that sheltered it all. I could tell she'd heeded my instructions as the leather slid over her flesh quite easily. Once I finished locking it securely, making sure to have the leather snug against her pussy, I stood. It was difficult to move away from her, especially after glimpsing such a tempting sight.
"Please, have a seat."
She took an empty chair in front of McKenzie's desk, sitting carefully and adjusting her hips, and I lowering myself into the other chair.
"Where's Sarah, Devney?" McKenzie asked without any preamble.
"I don't know. Truly, I don't." Her gaze was steady, but weary. She didn't fidget, didn't avert her eyes. She was telling the truth. Her lies would be visible on her face; every emotion flickered there and I could read her like a book.
"Then who was she meeting?"
"Again, I don't know. She hasn't left the ranch since she was twelve. She has no concept of the world, nor contact with anyone but me or Mr. Jenkins all this time. He didn't even let the ranch hands near her."
For a man not interested in women, he'd kept a very vigilant watch over his wife and daughter.
"You don't seem worried that she's run off," McKenzie replied, drumming his fingers on the wood surface of his desk.
Devney shrugged. "Sarah's always been headstrong. Independent. I am worried for her, Sheriff. Please don't think I'm disinterested, but she's been planning something like this for years. It's the way she tolerated her life, by formulating a way to escape it. I didn't think she'd attempt something now. In fact, I'd expected it long before. Do you think she wanted to stay on the ranch like she had?"
McKenzie didn't say anything. Silence often brought about more answers than asking questions. It seemed to work for Devney because she continued.
"Really, I don't know her whereabouts. Besides, if I'd known she was going to run away, would I have agreed to wear this contraption? Or let you put one upon her before she left?" She gazed at me but squirmed in her chair. That ointment must be making her pussy slippery in a way she'd never known before. And having that leather strap rub against her clit - it was only a matter of time before she squirmed for a completely different reason.
"With Sarah gone, my offer of marriage still stands," I said.