Pearl's Possession (The Red Petticoat Saloon) Page 9

  I felt disappointed, as if I'd given him the chance to treat me as a confidant and he'd refused. "I'm fine. Just settling in. It takes some getting used to."

  "Yes, I suppose it does." He paused, and I was struck by the strangeness of this conversation. I'd never seen Cash at a loss for words.

  Whatever the sheriff had said, it must have rattled him. The thought of my dominant husband uneasy about something unnerved me.

  "We want you to be happy here," he finished.

  "I am." But as he rose and walked away, it struck me that sooner rather than later my happiness would end, for now we were both keeping secrets.

  * * *

  That night, I woke in the darkness and heard the men talking in the great room. I crept to my bedroom door, but one of them hushed the others, and then they spoke too low for me to catch anything.

  The next morning, their faces were strained as Cash's had been. Breakfast was a quiet affair, and, as they left for chores, Orion and Jonas got in a fight. I heard shouting and left the breakfast dishes, wiping my hands on my apron as I hurried out. Cash wasn't far behind me.

  "Stop it, ye bloody idiots." Brock waded in after the two men started throwing punches, and tried to break them up. Samson stepped forward and threw his great arms around Jonas, picking the smaller man right up. The angry man cursed and got his arm free, throwing his elbow back into the giant's face with a horrifying crunch.

  I gasped as Samson dropped the man, clutching his face. Jonas went for Orion again, and Brock shoved him back. Then Samson was back, grabbing a fistful of Jonas' shirt and tossing him aside. The anger on the big man's face shocked me, and I must have cried out. Cash put his arm around me and tugged me close, angling his body so I faced away from the brawl.

  "Hey," Cash shouted towards the men. His voice carried over the garden. "You're frightening Pearl."

  Immediately, Samson relaxed his fists and stepped back. Orion let Brock stop him. Jonas bit back a curse and ran off, emerging from the barn on his horse. He didn't look back as he galloped down the mountain.

  "Let him blow off steam," Brock said.

  Samson nodded, then grimaced. I tugged free of Cash and ran to the big man, stripping off my apron so he could hold it against his face to stem his nose bleed.

  "Oh, Pearl," Orion said, offering his own handkerchief to me, and I realized I was crying. I turned away, and Brock pulled me roughly to his chest for a moment before Cash took my shoulders and turned me to him.

  "It's nothing. Just a little dispute. We're all right, Pearl. Get Samson inside and help clean him up."

  "What's going on?" I asked.

  Brock waved me away.

  "Tis nothing, lass. A business matter, from before we met you. Not your concern."

  This gruff rebuttal from my usual chatty Scot made me shrink back. As the day wore on and none of the men would talk about the matter, at least not in my earshot, I began to see the problem with having five husbands. I was not a confidant to them. They had each other for that. I was just a pretty piece of calico, lovely to look at and soft and willing in their bed. But I was not an equal. I was not truly their wife.

  That hurt. I had spent so much time worrying about whether I could please them in this role they'd chosen for me, now that my fears were confirmed, it felt like being ripped in half. But I hid it well, fixing up Samson and saying soothing things. Being their pretty, polished Pearl. A mere gem that they all possessed.

  Later Jonas came back and apologized. I didn't know what to say, other than to accept. The men were tense, and I could do nothing. They would not share with me and I could not with them. It seemed our summer of happiness might slip away then and there.

  But I had an idea to distract them. If they wouldn't open up to me willingly, I'd use all my charm. I may not be a good wife, but I was the perfect whore. I could give them exactly what they wanted, and trick them into talking to me. It was the wisdom of the courtesans of old: men spilled their secrets between the sheets.

  The next day, I pretended like nothing was wrong, and announced at breakfast that I was going to do laundry. With Samson's help, I filled a giant caldron with hot water and stirred with soap. Orion helped me hang everything to dry.

  The men came home to lines and lines of their shirts and trousers. I stood on the porch, barring their way. Cash had decided it was a good idea to get a bunch of hogs. Usually they roamed in the woods all over the mountain, but a bear had gotten a few of them, so Brock penned them beside the barn. On some late summer days, the wind would come from the south and carry the stench with it. It was disgusting, and my men reeked of it. I couldn't take it anymore.

  "You're to leave your boots here from now on." I announced, pointing to a place outside the door.

  A few grumbled and I put my hands on my hips. "I spent all day scrubbing this house and it's finally clean, I don't need your boots tracking mud in."

  Brock started in and I wrinkled my nose. "Back outside. Socks off too. In fact," I eyed their dirt encrusted clothes. "Strip and throw your things in the cauldron."

  "But lass, we'll have nothing to wear."

  "You won't need it, either, because tonight we're having bath time."

  They all started protesting, but Cash, with a twinkle in his eye, started stripping off his shirt. "Do you need more water for the baths? The sluice might not be sufficient."

  "Yes…"

  Their acknowledged leader took over, directing the rest to get buckets of water, and then strip and put their clothes in the laundry.

  "Then come inside for your baths," I added. "One at a time."

  "Do we have to?" Jonas grumbled.

  "No." I undid my apron, and pulled my dress over my head, handing it to Cash to throw in the laundry. "But whoever lets me bathe them, gets to lie with me tonight." With an impish smile, I sauntered half-dressed into my room to wait for my first bather.

  Not surprisingly, they lined right up. I had laid out bread, preserves and cured ham for a cold dinner, and heard them tromp in and fall on the food as they waited their turn.

  Brock came in first and shut the door after him, a broad grin on his face. "You're taking to married life like a duck to water, lass."

  His hair and torso were already damp, and he explained that Cash had ordered them to rinse off outside first. His flesh still reeked of pig.

  "Into the tub." I waved my hand, holding my nose. He sat in the bath and I poured a bucket of warm water over his head and went to work. He grunted as I scrubbed him with a cloth.

  "A man could get used to this." I stepped closer to clean him and he grabbed me around the waist.

  "Brock!" I slapped him with the cloth. "You'll get my corset wet."

  "Take it off." His hazel eyes were heated.

  Rolling my eyes, I handing him the cloth so he could keep cleaning up, and loosened my stays. "Keep scrubbing," I ordered. "All over. Don't forget behind your ears."

  He lathered with soap as I stripped, then approached like a nymph, bearing a fresh water bucket. I rinsed him and he reared up out of the water, fisting his hard member. "You gonna help me wash this, lass?"

  I tried to back away but he caught and pulled me, squealing, against his wet form.

  "Not now, you brute. Later, once everyone is done. The water will get cold."

  "You're a harsh mistress and no mistake," he complained, but dried off with a scrap of blanket and left, his man hood still jutting proudly out from lean hips.

  "Who's next?" I heard him shout to the rest of the men.

  My hair and body were damp from where the Scot had grabbed me, and there was water all over the floor.

  It was going to be a long night.

  The rest of the men were no less eager to skip the bath. Samson, Orion, and Jonas took every opportunity to touch me.

  "You really are a pearl," Samson said shyly, running his hands over my wet skin, pale and shining from soapy water. I enjoyed scrubbing his giant muscles, watching the water run down the grooves between them, fingering
the taut lines and planes of his arms and legs.

  He too, was ready for me by the time he was clean.

  "Soon," I promised, and kissed him. I hid my reluctance as I watched him leave; my body was ready to be filled and sated.

  Orion came in naked, his member bobbing hard between his legs. After setting down two more pails of water, he got into the bath with no prompting. "What made you do this?"

  "You take care of me; I want to take care of you." That was the truth. I would give them the royal treatment, and then listen to their woes.

  "Like a mother?"

  My wet nipples were pointed as I ran my eyes over his lean, muscled body. "Not quite." He pulled on them as I cleaned him. We ended up kissing for a few long minutes, me running my fingers through his silky blond hair.

  Someone pounded on the door, and we sprang apart.

  "Ready for me?" Jonas burst in, grinning as Orion left with a growl.

  The curly headed man fondled me the whole time, ignoring my swats with the washcloths.

  "So is this going to be a weekly thing?"

  "More than weekly," I vowed, and almost laughed at his grimace. The wiry young body was tanned and strong, with amazingly defined muscles in his torso and arms. "Is it such a chore?"

  "Not like this," he admitted, cupping my ass. I smacked him across the head with the cloth.

  "You bathed before you came to meet me at the Red Petticoat."

  "We wanted to impress you. And Madame Jewel has high standards for her clientele."

  I shook my head in mock disapproval. "And now you've won me you're not going to make an effort?"

  His smile ran away. "Pearl, I didn't mean it. We want to do right by you, I promise."

  "I know you do." I cleaned his neck and behind his ears, tracing his jawline tenderly. "I was only teasing, love. I want you dirty or clean." Tipping the water over him, I spent some time cleaning his hair, stroking and smoothing the curls. My words and touch seemed to reassure him. He was the most skittish of all my men, and I made a mental note to spend some time alone with him, to see if I could soothe him.

  Cash came in last. "You have a lot of amorous men to deal with after this. They're all waiting naked outside the door."

  "I'm ready." I smiled. Barefoot and shirtless, Cash strode to the tub. Even though he was the most bookish, his body was just as trim and muscled as the others, if not as tan. Before he could strip off the last of his clothes, I stepped close and unbuttoned his trousers. Gracefully I knelt at his feet, sliding his pants down his legs while he smiled down at me. He loved these little touches of submission.

  He helped me up before stepping into the bath.

  I took a deep breath. It was time to enact the second part of my plan. "Were you always their leader, even at the orphanage?"

  I felt Cash stiffen under my touch and pretended to draw the cloth away. "Did I rub you too hard?"

  "No." He took my wrist and brought it back to his neck. He sat silent while I worked. "We were just boys together. And it was hard, very hard. Once we even ran away. We were thrashed for that."

  "I'm sorry." I didn't want to make him remember such an awful time, but I needed to feel close to him. I needed to understand.

  He seemed to sense this, for he took a deep breath. "The thing you must know, Pearl, is that we made it through because we stuck together. And we knew that we couldn't make it without each other. Apart we were nothing, and easily broken. Together, we could survive anything."

  "Is that why you got the ranch together?"

  "We couldn't separate to go our own way. Not after all we'd been through."

  "But one woman…"

  He caught my hand. "We might have found a woman for each of us, or more than one to share, if we'd looked long enough. But we gave the request to Madame Jewel for a night of pleasure together, and she found you." His dark eyes held mine. "You had a heart big enough to hold all of us. Over and over, you gave us your pleasure, and welcomed ours. I'd never seen anything like it."

  I smiled. "I had hoped to please you."

  "You do. Very much."

  He stood, motioning for me to rinse him, and I knew my window for asking questions was closing.

  "What brought you west?"

  Reaching for the bucket I held, he doused himself, then accepted the blanket to dry off.

  "Now, that's a long story for another night. I'm sorry, Pearl. You'll find out, soon enough. Not tonight." His stern words were tempered by the hungry look on his face. I had pushed the limits of his patience.

  But I had to make him understand.

  "I'd like more time with you all, one on one. I want to know you." I wanted to say, I don't want to just be your whore.

  "I understand," Cash said. "Perhaps, a few nights a week, you can lie with just one of us. It'll be hard—the rest of us will miss you." His erect cock echoed his statement.

  "There's always the morning, and other times in the day," I teased.

  "We want you," he said, pulling me against him. "We always want you." His mouth took mine; I felt a thrill at making my usually reserved husband lose control. His fingers trailed up my inner thigh, touching my lower lips. I sighed and parted my legs.

  Distracted, I didn't realize the bedroom door had opened until someone lifted me from behind.

  "Your turn, lass," I heard Brock. He picked me up and I cried out at the loss between my legs. I had been close. Frustrated, I tried to kick, and Jonas and Orion caught my legs, grinning. Brock held me firm, hands secured behind my back as the other two spread my legs.

  "What are you doing? Let me go." I saw Samson approach with a bucket and started struggling madly. "I've already had my bath!"

  "We know," Jonas smirked. "We're getting you dirty, then clean, over and over again."

  Brock lifted up my bottom, presenting my pussy to Samson. The big man came closer and tipped the bucket.

  "Oh, no." I thrashed in their hold, and Jonas and Orion tightened their grip. The stream of water washed right over my pussy, rushing over my little pearl. I cried out; the sensation was overwhelming, yet not forceful enough to make me cum.

  After the last little bit trickled out, Samson put down the bucket. "Did she cum?"

  "Not yet. Again," Brock said.

  I yelped and pleaded, but it was no use. They poured warm water over my center and again I writhed as the pleasure flickered just out of reach. Samson held the bucket higher and higher, so the water fell with more force, and I panted as my pussy clenched. It was like being raped by a waterfall.

  "Please," I begged when the final drops fell. "I need to cum."

  "How do you think we felt, lass? Being touched all over by your beautiful self, and then sent out of the room, hard and wanting?"

  That was a part of my plan I hadn't thought through.

  "I was just trying to serve you. Please!"

  "Next time, you end each of our baths on your knees," Orion said. Jonas now held both my legs and the blond came to pluck at my nipples, a wicked look on his face.

  "You'll serve us, aye. Over and over again, or you won't get to cum," Brock growled in my ear, then licked and sucked at the lobe. I panted and moaned as they stimulated every part of my body but the one part I wished they'd touch.

  "Cash," I called to the only one not taking part in my torment. "Please."

  "No, Pearl. You wanted us clean, you got it. Now we use you for our pleasure."

  They lay me down on the bed, face up but so my head hung over the foot of the bed. Two cocks presented themselves on either side and I stroked them off.

  "That's right, lass. The sooner we cum, the sooner you can."

  Upside down, I watched Orion move closer, his member dangling in my face. I let my mouth fall open and took him in. We delighted in this position since we'd found I could take all of him this way.

  Pumping in and out of my mouth, Orion took the opportunity to tug my nipples, sometimes pinching them until I moaned. The pain drove me to greater heights of arousal, and I moved my han
ds faster, frantic to make my men climax. My tongue moved around Orion's shaft, encouraging him as he sped up his thrusts.

  He came first, and I took turns with the other two, turning my head this way and that, licking the crowns of Jonas' and then Brock's shafts. Gripping my hair, one slammed all the way into my mouth until my vision was filled with dark curls. I drank Jonas' cum, and then serviced Brock the same way.

  With a final pinch for my poor nipples, they moved away, and Cash took their place.

  It seems I was going to pay for my earlier teasing.

  I felt a warm mouth at my entrance and looked down. Samson had made himself comfortable on the bed, and blew hot air onto my pussy before covering it with his whole mouth, as if he would devour me whole. I cried out as his tongue flicked my pearl, then withdrew.

  "Suck," Cash ordered, his member brushing my face, and I obeyed. Samson was quick with my reward, lapping at my juicy cunt until I moaned around Cash's cock.

  A command from Cash, and Samson stopped as the man at my mouth withdrew. I stared up at Cash, puzzled, until he repeated it.

  "Up, Pearl. On all fours."

  I scrambled to get into position. Once I was there, Cash presented his cock to my lips. I rubbed my face over it, desperate and begging, before opening my mouth to engulf him.

  "Brace yourself," Cash murmured, stilling for a second while Samson speared me with his awesome rod. The groan I gave must have sent tremors up and down Cash's cock, for he lost it. Throwing back his head, Cash cursed as he came deep in my throat.

  Samson slammed into me again and I fell forward onto the bed. Hands helped me up, turned me around and helped me sink down on the giant prick.

  "Hello, pretty Pearlie." My big man grinned. Melting into his chest, I kissed him, feeling my body cramp as it stretched around him. He always felt bigger when I rode him.

  "Tired?" He looked concerned, so I pushed up and shook my head.

  "I want you."

  The pleasure flashing across his face was the most beautiful sight in the world. I felt a hand on my waist, forcing me back down. Jonas' curly chest hair brushed my back as he leaned over me, sliding his cock into my ass.