Mike laughed. “LeRoy, will you leave the boy alone? You’re as full of shit as a Christmas goose, you know that? Don’t go listening to him, Jules. He’s just tryin’ to make sure he gets the youngest and prettiest one for himself. By the way, you goin’ to eat the rest of your steak?”
Without answering, Jules forked the rest of his steak off his plate and onto Mike’s.
“That’s where you’re wrong,” LeRoy said to Mike. “I for sure don’t want the prettiest one. The prettiest ones think their good looks is all they need. The ugly ones, now, will do whatever you want ’cause they want to stay on your good side. Unless you get one that’s ugly, but don’t know that she’s ugly.” LeRoy laughed. “Them’s the worst kind, ’cause they figure they’re pretty enough for looks to get them by, and they don’t try none at all. An ugly woman that thinks she’s pretty and don’t try…well, you sure don’t want that kind of whore if you can help it.”
Mike laughed. “I keep tellin’ LeRoy he ought to write a book. I mean, as much as he knows about whorin’ ’n all.”
“That’s a fact all right,” LeRoy said. “I could write me a good book.”
“If you could write,” Mike said, and all around the table laughed.
“Boy, you’re lookin’ a little peekid,” LeRoy said to Jules. “You feelin’ all right?”
“Sure, I feel fine,” Jules said.
Though he wouldn’t tell the others, he had butterflies in his stomach just from thinking about being with a woman.
When they returned to the saloon after their meal, they found a table and sat there having a few drinks while they were waiting.
As they waited, Jules studied the women who were at the moment working the men for drinks. One seemed to have a softer smile and a gentler disposition than the others. Somehow she seemed less threatening to him.
“If we do this, that’s the one I want,” he said to the others, pointing to one of the women. It was the first comment he had made in several minutes.
“What do you mean ‘if’ we do this? Of course we are going to do this,” LeRoy said. LeRoy turned to look. “Which one is it you’re a’lookin’ at?”
When Jules pointed her out, LeRoy shook his head. “No,” he said. “That ain’t the one you want. Give me a few minutes, I’ll find the right one for you.”
“I don’t want you to find one for me,” Jules insisted. “That’s the one I want.”
“Boy, you didn’t listen to nothin’ I said, did you?” LeRoy said.
“That’s the one I want,” Jules insisted.
Finally, LeRoy shook his head. “All right, but don’t say I didn’t warn you none.”
Even as they were talking, one of the women came over to the table where the four men were sitting. Putting a hand on her hip and thrusting her hip out provocatively, she leaned over the table. “The bartender says you fellas want some company tonight.”
“Company, yeah,” LeRoy said.
The woman straightened up. “First, we must get the unpleasant business of money out of the way. Our company will cost you gentlemen a dollar each, or two dollars apiece for the whole night.”
“We can’t stay all night,” LeRoy said. “Fact is, we can’t stay very long a’tall so we was wonderin’, I mean, seein’ as we can’t none of us stay very long, we was wonderin’ if maybe you’d give us a cheaper price.”
“My, my, ain’t you boys cheap? Sorry, boys, but we can’t give it to you no cheaper’n a dollar. But if you are willin’ to pay for it, why, we can sure show you a good time.” The woman smiled. “My name’s Tillie.”
“Tillie, I’m layin’ me a claim on you right now,” LeRoy said. “And the young’un here”—LeRoy pointed to Jules —“wants that one over there.” He pointed to the girl Jules had chosen.
“Have you ever been with a woman before, honey?” Tillie asked Jules.
Jules felt his cheeks burning in embarrassment. “No, ma’am,” he answered, barely mumbling the words.
“Then you’ve made a wise choice,” Tillie said. “Doney is just real good with young boys who’re doing it for the first time. It’s almost as if she has a calling for it.”
Tillie signaled the other three whores, and they came over to the table to stand beside her. She made the introductions, ending with Doney.
“Doney, this little sweetheart is one of your specials, if you get my meaning,” Tillie said.
“She means he ain’t never done it before,” LeRoy added, and Jules felt his cheeks flush again.
“Is that right?” Doney asked.
“Yes, ma’am,” Jules replied in a quiet voice.
Doney reached out to take Jules’s hand in hers.
“Don’t you be worryin’ none about it, honey,” Doney said to Jules. “We’re goin’ to have us a fine time, you’ll see.”
“Well, shall we all go upstairs?” Tillie invited.
“I reckon so, unless you’re wantin’ to do it right down here on the table,” LeRoy said. “And I’m that ready I’m about to bust.”
“Well, we certainly don’t want to see him bust, do we?” Tillie said, laughing. “Come on, ladies, I do believe these gentlemen are badly in need of our services.”
As they all climbed the stairs, Jules was certain that everyone in the saloon was watching them. But as they reached the first landing, he happened to glance into the mirror hanging behind the bar, and it didn’t appear that
