thought of her making his mouth salivate and getting him aroused. When he was dressed and groomed, he hurried out of his boardinghouse and walked the several blocks to her small house behind Denver’s business district.
As he neared, he could see that her house was dark. Pauline had obviously gone to bed. He considered going up and knocking on the door, but he didn’t think that was quite the right approach with Pauline. Someone meeting her in her shop would think what a nice little lady she was, very proper, very prim. But he knew better.
He walked quietly around the side of the house to the bedroom where he knew she slept. There was no screen on the window, and he was able to get his pocket knife in under the sill and raise the window slightly. After that, he worked his fingers in and lifted the window open quietly and easily. It wasn’t a particularly big window and it wasn’t too high up, so he was able to boost himself onto its sill and then quietly let himself down to the floor. His eyes had adjusted to the dark and he could see the bed. He could see a solitary small figure sleeping with her back to him. Making no noise, he slipped off his boots and unbuckled his gunbelt, being careful not to let the derringer he carried in the big concave buckle slip out and fall to the floor. He put the gunbelt down and then shucked off his shirt and his jeans, not bothering with his socks. He didn’t wear any underwear, so he was ready as soon as he had his pants off.
Moving easily and gracefully, and seeming almost not to disturb the bed, he slipped in under the top sheet and eased across the mattress until he could feel her. He had expected that she would be wearing a gown, but he was surprised as he very carefully put out one finger to find a bare back. For a second, it scared him. It frightened him to think he might have come into the wrong bedroom and had the wrong woman.
But then, a distinct and clear voice said, “Where have you been, Marshal Long?”
It startled him so bad, he jumped a foot. “Pauline, damn it! You nearly scared me to death!”
She turned to him. She said, “Who do you think you’re trying to fool, Marshal? You’re not as smart as you think you are. I saw you coming up the street. I knew you’d show up tonight. You’ve probably got some foolish excuse for being late, but I knew you’d show up.”
He was about to make some lame excuse, but she fastened her mouth to his and flung her arms around his neck and pulled him to her, leaching onto him as if she could get inside his skin.
For a time, they kissed and caressed, but then she took one of his big thighs in between hers and began to slide up and down on it. It was a stimulation that was peculiar to her. He’d never had any other woman to do it. As she slid up and down, her breath quickened and she began to pull at his hair and kiss him even more savagely.
He knew she was getting very nearly ready when she began to bite his shoulders. He flipped her over on her back and spread her legs, using his hands just under her knees, forcing her vagina to point almost straight toward the ceiling. From this position, he plunged himself into her. The penetration brought a near scream into his ear, and she wrapped her legs tightly around him and her arms around his neck and began pulsating in rhythm with his rocking motion. They met each time with a wet smacking sound, the sound of passion turned loose. The sound of two bodies trying to drain all the pleasure from each other. It lasted longer than it should have, until they simultaneously exploded. The climax was such that they were both tossed about on the bed like small boats in the middle of a tempest.
And then, finally, it came to an end. Longarm disengaged himself and lay beside her. He stared at the ceiling for a moment, then said, “Whoa, Nellie. Pauline, you’re nearly more than my two hands can hold. I may have to bring some help next time.”
She snuggled up next to him. “When are you going to tell me why you were late? I had a very nice dinner fixed.”
“Well, let’s get up and eat it. The truth of the matter is that I took a nap this afternoon because I’ve been plumb worn out from two weeks on the trail, and I just flat overslept. Nothing more, nothing less.”
She gave him a light slap. “I would imagine that you’ve been trying to make up for lost time. I know how many girlfriends you’ve got in Denver. I’d bet I’m about third on the list for the day.”
He turned back toward her and kissed her softly on the corner of the mouth. “I can promise you this, Pauline. If I did have two other girlfriends I was going to visit today, you’d certainly be the last on the list because I wouldn’t be any good to either one of them after being with you.”
Pauline said, “Are you really hungry? Have you not eaten?”
“I told you I lay down about four o’clock and just kept on sleeping. I haven’t had a bite of supper.”
She slipped out of bed and lit a kerosene lantern by her bedside. As she picked up her silk lounging robe, he had just enough time to admire her trim shapely body with her small firm breasts and her long black shiny hair, which went so well with the jet black pubic hair that grew above where her legs joined. She was a very pretty woman. She was also a very jealous woman, as he had reason to know.
She didn’t want a man full-time. She didn’t want a steady beau, nor did she want a husband. But when you were courting her, you had better damned well just be courting her. You’d better never, ever show up with the scent of another woman on your body. Longarm had on one occasion, and it had taken him six months to get back in her good graces. Now, he was very careful. She might jokingly say something about him having come from two other women, but she knew that he wouldn’t dare do such a thing. It was for that reason that she had accepted his excuse without any fuss.
She said, “Are you going to get dressed? Why don’t you just put on your pants? Maybe after supper we can have a little dessert.”
Longarm said, “That sounds like a mighty good idea to me. Besides, it’s a warm night. I don’t care to get too dressed up. What do we have for supper?”
Pauline said, “I baked a chicken. It might be dry by now, but I’ve got plenty of gravy. And besides, what do you care anyway? You could probably eat saddle leather if you had to. I’ve got some boiled potatoes and some green beans, and I’ve got a chocolate cake for dessert.”
Longarm was sitting on the side of the bed, pulling on his pants. “You know that ain’t what I want for dessert.”
She turned at the door and gave him a smile. “That’s just the first dessert.”
Pauline had the food laid out and a place fixed for him by the time he got to the table. She had also set out a bottle of the Maryland whiskey that he preferred. She said, “You left this over here the last time you came calling.”
He sat down at the table. “I’m surprised you didn’t waste it on some of your other boyfriends.”
