"Sure thing," Longarm called, heading down the now empty federal building hallway.
Chapter 3.
Longarm went back to his room and packed for his trip, then hurried over to see a voluptuous young woman by the name of Dolly St. Claire that he wanted to take to dinner and then to bed.
"You"re early!" Dolly cried, opening the door and throwing her arms around Longarm"s neck while still dressed in only her bra and underpants. "My gawd, you"re really early!"
Dolly was very strong and she could almost crack a man"s neck when she became too exuberant. Longarm had to pry her off and then he stepped back, saying, "I thought we might go somewhere special this evening."
"Sure." Dolly"s pretty blue eyes clouded and her full lips formed a childish pout. "On account of your goin on vacation and not wanting to take me along."
"I"d like to take you," Longarm said, not wanting to go over this same contentious ground. "But, as it turns out, I"m not going to New Orleans after all."
"You"re not?!"
"No," Longarm said, shutting and locking the door as his eyes dropped to Dolly"s wondrous and bullying b.r.e.a.s.t.s. "I"m not. Instead, I have to go to Prescott and then Wickenburg."
"Never heard of them places."
"They"re both in central Arizona."
"Arizona!" Dolly made a face as if she"d bitten into a lemon. "That doesn"t sound like much fun."
"My vacation has been put on hold," Longarm explained. "I"m going to Arizona to help a friend and to capture an outlaw named Hank Ba.s.s. I"m told that he"s a pretty bad character."
"What about New Orleans?"
"It will have to wait."
"I wouldn"t want to go to Arizona this time of year." Dolly shook her head back and forth. "No sir! Why, it"d be hotter than h.e.l.l already."
"That"s right." Longarm kissed her lips, then whispered, "Maybe I"ll take you to New Orleans next year."
"You mean it?!"
"No promises, but I"ll give it a lot of thought. Have you ever been to the famous French Quarter?"
"No, what is it?"
"It"s beautiful," Longarm replied, steering Dolly toward her bedroom. "Lots of old buildings, flowers, wonderful food, music, and people dancing in the street. It"s party time all year around in New Orleans"s French Quarter, and it"s just the kind of place you would love. As pretty as you are, Dolly, you"d be the belle of the ball."
Dolly cooed happily and didn"t even seem to notice when Longarm gently pushed her down on the bed. She closed her eyes and said, "It"d be fun to see something other than Denver. I never been so far from here, you know. Just been to Pike"s Peak and a couple of those crummy mining towns up in the Rockies. I envy you for getting paid to go everywhere."
Longarm removed her bra then buried his face in her b.r.e.a.s.t.s and began to lick her nipples until they stood at attention.
"Like that?" he asked.
"I"d like to travel," Dolly said dreamily. "Go with you to nice places. Not like that Wickenburg, which sounds pretty awful. But to St. Louis and all those fun places."
"This is about to become a *fun" place right here in your bedroom, Dolly."
She sighed and pressed his face between her creamy mounds of flesh. Longarm felt her body shiver with the first stirrings of pa.s.sion, but she was fighting hard to keep to the subject of travel.
"I guess I"d go with you to Wickenburg even," she breathed, hands starting to rub his backside. "I mean, if they had a nice hotel where we could make love all the time and a couple of decent places to eat. Do you think that they do, Custis?"
"Huh?"
"In Wickenburg. Do you think they have a nice hotel and eating places? If they do, I"d go there, I guess."
Longarm glanced up at her young, serene face. "No, darling, it"s a rough town and you"d hate it."
"Yeah," she said, "I guess I would. But I"ll miss you so much."
"Me too," Longarm replied as his hand slipped down and began to ease off her underpants. A few moments later, he jumped to his feet and tore off his own clothes.
"What about that special dinner?" Dolly asked, spreading her legs and giving him a coy smile.
"Just like New Orleans, it"ll wait for us."
"Then you will take me?"
Longarm gulped and nodded, then he slipped his hands under Dolly"s bottom and lifted her, at the same time plunging his big rod into her warm and wet honey pot.
"Ohhh," Dolly groaned as she wrapped her long, shapely legs around his waist and began to slowly drive him insane, "this is a little like having dessert before the main dinner course, isn"t it?"
Longarm supposed it was. He raised up on his arms and stared down at Dolly, noting how her lips parted and her luscious b.r.e.a.s.t.s began to jiggle, keeping time with his vigorous thrusts.
"Can we go soon?" she whispered.
"Yeah," he grunted before lowering his face back into the mounds of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, "we"re going real soon."
"Good," Dolly softly moaned, hips moving faster and fingernails starting to dig into his back as her own pa.s.sion increased. "Oh, good!"
Longarm liked this beautiful young woman. Dolly was no genius and she wasn"t very sophisticated, but she was clean, honest, and uncomplicated. She didn"t ask for much and worked hard at a popular dress shop where she was at her best. It was Dolly"s dream to save up enough money to buy her own dress shop, and Longarm had no doubt that someday she"d do it and be extremely successful. On top of that, Dolly was funny and pa.s.sionate. And a lot of fun to be with, especially in bed.
"Oh, Custis! I"ll go anywhere with you! Take me to Wickenburg!"
"Can"t," Longarm grunted between clenched teeth as the fever in him turned to a fire and he felt himself coming to a thundering climax. "Can"t do it!"
Dolly"s head began to roll back and forth on the pillow, and their bodies started to lunge at each other as if locked in mortal combat. Longarm raised his head, lips finding her lips as the fire in his t.e.s.t.i.c.l.es spewed like lava through his rod and he began to fill Dolly with great spurts of his hot seed. She cried out with pleasure and stiffened, fingernails raking his back and b.u.t.tocks as she pulled him down deep into her core, thrashing and thrusting.
They went limp, gasping and clutching, quivering and savoring the last moments of their l.u.s.ty union.
Later, as they were getting ready to go out and have dinner, Dolly grabbed Longarm"s sleeve at the door and said, "You will come back and take me to New Orleans, won"t you? I mean, you weren"t just saying that so you could do it to me again, were you? I would have anyway, you know."
"I know."
Dolly looked so sweet and vulnerable that Longarm gathered her in his arms and said, "I give you my word that I"ll take you with me to New Orleans."
She let out a little squeal of delight and about broke his neck again. "You really do mean it this time, don"t you?!"
"I do," Longarm said, really meaning it. "We"ll just have a h.e.l.l of a lot of fun. And, besides, you deserve to see something other than Denver and the nearby mining towns. It"d be good to open your eyes to other enjoyable places and experiences."
"I can hardly wait!"
Longarm disengaged himself. "Then we"ll do it."
Before he could open the door, Dolly grabbed his hand. "This outlaw that you"re going after, is he really dangerous?"
"Billy Vail thinks so."
"Please be careful!"
"I always am," Longarm a.s.sured her. "So don"t worry. Just take care of your own self while I"m gone and dream of the French Quarter."
"I would have thought that was some coin or something," Dolly admitted with a laugh. "Not a place. I mean, a quarter is money, right?"
"Right."
Dolly slipped her arm through his arm, and when they marched down the hall and out onto the street, she turned heads just like always. Longarm felt happy and proud. He wasn"t ever going to marry and there was that old friend in Prescott that he was eager to see again, but when he was in Denver, Dolly was his girl and that suited him right down to the ground.
Longarm caught the Denver and Rio Grande the next day, a bit worse for wear due to a strenuous night of lovemaking. No matter, he could sleep on the train and be rested enough when he finally connected with the Santa Fe Railroad that would take him through Albuquerque and then all the way to Ash Fork, Arizona. From Ash Fork, he would probably buy a ticket and ride a stagecoach down to Prescott. Once in Prescott, he"d see what could be immediately done about Hank Ba.s.s, then he"d rent a good saddle horse and head for Wickenburg. After that, his plans were completely dependent upon what he found and what the circ.u.mstances required.
"Bye-bye!" Dolly called from the railroad platform as Longarm collapsed in his seat beside the window. "Love you!"
Longarm was so p.o.o.ped that the best he could do was manage a weary smile as the train jerked into a fitful start then rolled south toward Colorado Springs, then Pueblo.
Longarm slept right through Colorado Springs and Pueblo. He didn"t wake up until after darkness had fallen on southern Colorado and by then he felt rested and ravenous.
"Porter!" he called to an impeccably uniformed railroad employee.
"Yes, sir?"
"I was wondering if it was too late to get something to eat in the dining car."
"No, sir. Most people have already eaten, but there"s a few in there, and you"ll have no trouble getting served."
Longarm was relieved at this good news. Knuckling sleep from his eyes and smoothing his clothes, he made his way to the dining car. As promised, it was still half full of pa.s.sengers, a number of them loudly enjoying a second or even third bottle of wine.
"Evening, sir!" a waiter said in greeting. "Can I take your order?"
"What"s the chef"s special tonight?"
"Fried chicken, *tatoes and gravy, corn on the cob, and French bread, with apple pie for dessert."
"I"ll take it."
Longarm was famished and ate nearly an entire loaf of the delicious French bread even before the dinner arrived. Having slept through breakfast and made love with Dolly almost until noon without food, he had some catching up to do.
"You certainly seem to be enjoying your supper," a cultured feminine voice said as he started in on his dessert.
With his fork loaded with pie, Longarm twisted around to see a stylish woman in her mid-thirties eyeing him with more than a pa.s.sing interest. She was dressed to the nines, with what appeared to be real diamond earrings and a pearl necklace. Her hair was an auburn swirl and her complexion was as clear as African ivory. She was not as young or as beautiful as Dolly St. Claire, but this woman had her own unique appeal.
Longarm lowered his fork. "I guess my table manners aren"t the best this evening. Please excuse me for eating like a track layer."
"Oh," she said with a faint smile, "I"ve always enjoyed watching a hungry man enjoy his food. My father and brothers were farmers, and they ate like starving wolves. Mother was always cooking, and it seemed as if I was always serving food or cleaning in the kitchen."
"You don"t look like a farm girl," Longarm remarked, "and I don"t mean that to insult your family."
"Then what do you mean?"
He forked the pie into his mouth. "Huh?"
"What does a *farm girl" look like?"
Longarm knew that she was challenging him and he wasn"t about to back down. "Well," he began, "for starters, no farm girl I ever saw wore clothes and jewelry like you"re wearing. And they didn"t have their hair done up so fine nor have painted fingernails and rouge on their cheeks."
The woman had green eyes and they started to flash, but Longarm headed her off by saying, "And I"ve never seen one with such a beautiful complexion. I don"t mean to be disrespectful, but your skin hasn"t seen much suna"it"s beautiful."
His words swept away whatever protest or irritation she might have had and she relaxed. "My name is Miss Victoria Hathaway."
"And mine is Custis Long. I"m a United States deputy marshal on my way to Arizona."
"A federal lawman, how interesting! Now, that does surprise me."
"Why?"
"You look like a successful cattle rancher. Or perhaps an important mining superintendent."
"Nothing nearly that lofty, miss. But, if you doubt my word, I"d be happy to show you my badge."
"That"s not necessary, Marshal Long. What takes you to Arizona?"
"I have a friend in trouble down near Wickenburg. I mean to help him out, if it isn"t too late."
"Too late for what?"
"To save his life."
Victoria"s eyes widened a little. "Is he in serious trouble?"
"Probably. He claims to know where to find a Spanish treasure in coin. Jimmy c.o.x never could keep a secret, and this time it just might have gotten him killed."