“You men are all alike when it comes to a woman’s mind! Don’t you know that a woman is a cat? Don’t you know why a woman, or a cat, spits most at those who ignore her?”
“Ignoring you would be a chore, considering.”
“Good. Let’s kiss and make up, then, shall we?”
Without waiting for an answer, Dances-Humming was all over him, bare bottom in his lap as she rubbed everything else against him while planting a wet, openmouthed kiss full on his lips. She had his back to the wall now and was fumbling at his buttons, complaining with her mouth on his, “You white men wear so many clothes! Don’t they get in the way at times like these?”
“They sure as hell do!” Longarm said, pushing her clear enough to start undressing himself, as he added, “Snuff that candle. You ain’t got curtains on the windows!”
She laughed and leaped from the bunk, a tawny vision of desire as she bent to put the light out. By the time she crawled up on the bunk beside him, Longarm had gotten rid of most of his duds. The first thing he’d removed was his gunbelt, and he’d shoved it between the bunk and the wall, the grips of the.44 handy.
She wrestled playfully with him as he finished undressing and they were both laughing when, at last, their nude bodies melted together.
Dances-Humming was hotter than a two-dollar pistol and moved it like a saloon door on payday, but there was something wrong. Longarm had been with enough women to know when they were taking pleasure as well as giving it. The little squaw made love like a professional, and since that way’s calculated to pleasure a man, Longarm enjoyed it.
After a time, as they rested with him still inside her, he ran his hand down between their moist warm torsos to tickle her wetness. She stopped him, asking, “What is the matter, didn’t you enjoy it?”
“You know I did, honey. I’m trying to make you come.”
“Why? This person didn’t ask it.”
“Well, hell, it’s common courtesy! Don’t you want to come, honey?”
“I already did, before. You can just do as you wish. This person does not mind. She is tired.”
Longarm frowned, wondering why she was lying. She’d acted like she was going crazy, a minute ago, but he’d been with too many others to be fooled. She, while she wasn’t getting paid like a whore, was doing it like a whore. He’d wondered where she’d gotten that new blanket.
He said, “Well, if you’re tired, you’re tired. I’ll just be on my way, soon as I can find where I threw my boots.”
She stiffened and said, “You can’t leave now! It’s too early!”
“Maybe nine o’clock, maybe ten. I thank you for the hospitality, but I can see I ain’t wanted.”
“Don’t go! I’ll let you play with me! I’ll do anything, anything you want!”
“Uh-uh. Your Indian powwow stuff is slipping, too. I’d better get it on down the road, honey.”
He swung his bare legs over the edge and sat up, bending over to reach for his socks. Dances-Humming reached for the holstered.44 against the wall, drew it, and placed the muzzle against the back of Longarm’s head as she pulled the trigger.
The gun clicked twice before he’d reached around and taken it from her, saying, “First thing they ever told me was not to leave a loaded gun where a whore could get at it, Dances-Humming. I took the liberty of unloading it before leaving it there to bait you.”
She tried to back away as far as possible, but she only got as far as the corner. She sat there, knees drawn up, and trembling as she gasped, “I don’t want to die!”
“Well, not many folks do. Did the man who put you up to this say how you were to get away with killing me, or are you just dumb?”
“I didn’t think! I had to-I have to keep you here, no matter what!”
“well, blowing my brains out my nose was a piss-poor idea, honey. You weren’t gonna sing that same old song about the wicked white man trying to rape an Indian lady defending her honor, were you?”
“I don’t know! There wasn’t time to think!”
“You’d better learn to think, girl! If I’d been as dumb as you, we’d both be in a pickle. I’d be dead and you’d be explaining things to Hungry Calf and the other chiefs. I’ll allow an Indian Agent will believe most anything, but you’d last less than five minutes when the elders got to asking what happened.”
She buried her face in her hands and began to bawl like a baby. Longarm reached out and put an arm around her, soothing, “Oh, hush, no harm’s been done.”
“Are you going to tell on me?”
“Don’t reckon I need to, now. You do see how another wicked white man led you astray, don’t you? I swear, Dances-Humming, you do get led astray more’n any Ho gal I’ve met. You sure you didn’t have an Apache grandmother? No, that don’t figure. Apache blood would have left you smarter. You see, honey, if folks can’t be smart, they have to be good. Dumb and wicked is a fearsome combination.”
“If you won’t beat me, I’ll tell you who paid me to keep you here all night.”
I don’t aim to beat you, and I know who paid you. As long as he never paid you to kill me, what the hell.”
“What are you going to do when you leave here? Are you sure you’ll be able to kill him? He said he would be very cross with me if I let you out tonight.”
“Well, I’ll tell you what we’d best do. since I’m supposed to spend the night here, I’d just as soon. You did say you didn’t want me to tell Hungry Calf and the others, didn’t you?”
