A Sportin' Man

by Helen Adams

Pairing: Ezra / Mary, Ezra /Inez, Ezra /Casey, Ezra /Gloria

Author's Note: Believe it or not, this is my 100^th Magnificent Seven fanfic! I thought I'd let Ezra celebrate the landmark in style, and give the often neglected ladies of Four Corners a little attention. J

This story is dedicated with deep thanks to: Karen F, who got me started watching Mag7 back in 2002. NT, JenB and MegT whose wonderful Ezra stories made me want to write some too. Macberly, whose humor, plot-bunnies and endless enthusiasm keep this little hobby of mine a true pleasure. Judy S, for delightful and often thought provoking comments and many much-appreciated speed betas. And Susan F, who has to be the kindest, most thorough, most dedicated feedbacker in the history of fanfiction!

A pair of dusty grinning cowboys sauntered down the main street, arm in arm with a pair of brightly dressed and befeathered women, the latter giggling flirtatiously as they escorted their companions to Four Corners newest business addition.

"A sportin' house, right on the far end of our own town," Nettie Wells commented, her dry tone laced with disgust. She shook her head. "I never thought I'd see the day."

"It's revolting," Mary Travis said, bristling when one of the cowboys tipped his hat and winked at her. "After all the hard work we've done to make this a safe and decent community. I can't believe the majority of the town counsel actually agreed to this!"

From a chair set out in front of the saloon where the two women had paused in their progression toward the newspaper office, Ezra Standish shuffled his cards and laughed softly to himself. Both women turned and glared at him. Behind him, having just unlocked the doors to open the saloon for another day's business, Inez Recillos also favored the gambler with a hard stare.

"Oh, come now, ladies," Ezra said, looking from face to disapproving face. "It was bound to happen. The community is growing by leaps and bounds. We have a tailor shop, a boot maker, a milliner, two new restaurants, a schoolhouse, a saddlery, and a brand new apothecary store, none of which were in evidence at this time last year. The addition of the new railroad spur has started to bring the very growth and prosperity y'all were clamoring for. You couldn't have reasonably expected to gain that sort of population boom, which I must point out is at least seventy percent male, without also expecting all those unmarried men to demand the promise of occasional female companionship."

If possible, Mary's spine straightened even more, but Nettie sighed and nodded her head. "I hate to say it, but he's right."

"Nettie!" Mary protested, looking to her old friend in shock.

"Si," Inez agreed, shrugging her shoulders when Mary's green gaze shifted to her. "The only surprise is that it has not happened sooner. We cannot expect men to drink and gamble only. They are men!"

Ezra grinned. "We are a sad and depraved lot." He raised a mocking eyebrow. "Such a shame that women have no such desires of their own to express. If they did, they might better understand the in-born masculine need for physical relations."

Coming all the way outside, Inez smacked the unrepentantly chuckling gambler hard on his shoulder.

"Perhaps that is the true problem," she admitted ruefully. "Women do understand those desires, but social convention dictates that we should not express them outside of marriage. Not unless we are like those painted women down the street. If a woman does not wish to be married and give up all her property rights to a husband, she has little choice but to remain alone."

"That also holds for women who've lost a husband and don't have any wish to replace him with somebody else," Nettie agreed, drawing a reluctant nod from Mary. "We got the same physical urges as any other of God's creatures, maybe worse since we know for sure what we're missin', but who ever heard of a male sportin' house? T'aint right, I say. If you're gonna cater to one side of the population, you oughtta have something for the other half. Or else give up the idea altogether."

Mary finally joined in the laughter. "Now, that would be progress."

Curious, Ezra tipped his head. "Are you honestly tellin' me that if this town had a similar option for the ladies as we have for the men, you would be willing to take advantage of it?" Embarrassment caused the cheeks of all three ladies to redden, but they could not help smiling at the notion. Astonished, Ezra stood up and settled himself back against the hitch-rail where he could see all three of their faces clearly. "What about Mr. Wilmington? He essentially offers that very service for free."

Inez snorted. "That is not the same thing at all. Senor Buck feels that he is irresistible. He is a good man and well-meaning, but he is like a bumble-bee in a field of flowers. As soon as he has visited one flower and gathered its sweetness for himself, he loses interest and flits off to find a new flower."

"An excellent analogy," Ezra commented. "A paid companion would need to be someone who would be willing to make himself available on demand, not hare off to a new boudoir the moment he loses interest in the old."

Nettie's faded blue eyes narrowed as she watched his face grow pensive. "You ain't thinkin' of trying to sell off your friends while you take in the profit, are you?"

Ignoring the question, Ezra continued his speculation. "The unwed female population hereabouts is not particularly large and ladies would certainly require a more circumspect arrangement than the public cathouses that men consider acceptable. One or two men with the right qualifications would be quite enough."

Mary's mouth had fallen open. "Ezra!" she exclaimed, regaining his attention. "We were just talking. Surely you aren't proposing that we actually try such a thing!"

He blinked. "Why not? As you say, fair is fair."

"What sort of a man do you think this type of business would require?" asked Inez, bringing a chuckle from Nettie and a gasp from Mary.

"Well, first of all he would have to be very discreet, healthy and dedicated to maintaining personal cleanliness, in all respects." The ladies blushed again, but understood to what he was referring. "He should be reasonably young and fit, given the personal energy requirements involved, but not so young that he wouldn't have staying power."

Nettie's eyes twinkled. "That would be important."

Mary sat down in Ezra's abandoned chair, too astonished to comment as she listened to Inez and Nettie egg on this absurd idea.

"He should be handsome; perhaps not every woman's ideal, but certainly good-lookin' enough that the majority would be pleased to have him in intimate proximity to them. At the same time, his personal tastes should not be over-specific given the variety of ladies whose needs he might be called upon to satisfy." Ezra gestured among the three of them to illustrate his point. "He should be well endowed and well-versed in pleasuring techniques, otherwise why should the ladies even bother? It would have to be a man who is altogether likeable but neither the object d'amore nor the target of matrimonial intent of any of his potential clientele."

"Fella sounds like he'd have to be just about perfect," Nettie commented, thoroughly enjoying the subject by now. She was not a woman who was easily scandalized and Ezra was just so easy to push when the thought of money was put inside his head. "How much you figure a man offering services like that would be worth?"

He tugged at his lower lip, considering the matter. "The courtesans down the boulevard charge fifty cents, but of course a portion of their earnings goes to the maintenance of the house and the proprietor's fee so they only see ten or fifteen cents. It's really a terribly unfair racket."

"You seem to know an awful lot about it," Mary observed coolly.

Ezra shot her an equally cool glace in return. "It pays to know exactly what sort of conditions apply to any such establishment, the better to nip potential trouble in the bud. If you're asking me whether I personally patronize such establishments for my own needs, the answer is no. An occasional companion is welcome and necessary but I find the sanitary conditions in bawdy houses to be somewhat lacking."

"And this new idea of yours?"

He smiled. "Ah, but that is quite different. The gentle ladies of our local citizenry are not servicing multiple partners each day. And as I said, so long as this hypothetical fellow takes care to properly conduct his ablutions between hirings, there should be no danger. So, to answer Mrs. Wells' question, this service would be something of a special order item and therefore probably worth about a dollar a visit."

"Pretty steep, but I can see the fairness in it. After all, it ain't like he'd be free to brag to his friends if he wanted to keep the business going," Nettie observed, smirking at him. "Where you figure on finding such an ideal specimen of manhood?"

A smile curled itself across his face, creeping slowly from one dimpled cheek to the other. "Why, it seems to me that the only gentleman in our fair town to currently meet all of the requirements is I."

Inez and Mary both instantly shifted in place at those words. The two young women looked uncomfortable, but not repulsed in the slightest. On the contrary, Inez looked as if she was already mentally counting the contents of her cash-box.

"So you think that you meet all of those standards, do you?" Inez asked suddenly, pulling herself up sharply and crossing her arms over her bosom. "Handsome, skilled, desirable . . . well-endowed?"

Recognizing the mockery in her voice, Ezra flashed an easy, self-satisfied grin, hooking his thumbs in the leather of his gun-belt and slumping back, an act which drew his loose trousers tight against his body and brought the attention of all three women to the long bulge trailing down his upper right thigh. "I do believe I have the necessary qualifications, yes."

A hearty laugh belted from Nettie Wells as she watched them gulp at the inference. "You know what, fancy-man, I believe you do! But what do you figure on doing if some wizened old crone flips you a dollar?"

Recognizing the unkind words he had once used in relation to her, Ezra ducked his head. "In remorse for that comment, I would do my level best to convince said elderly enchantress that she is a young girl of 20 once again."

Nettie's laughter grew even more delighted and this time the younger women joined in. "Flatterer," she chuckled. "I reckon I'm a few years past that kind of foolishness, but I appreciate the thought."

Capturing her wrinkled hand, Ezra planted a kiss on her knuckles and gave her a saucy wink.

"And just how would you insure that you wouldn't get any of your clients into trouble?" Mary asked, her tone clearly implying that she expected him to admit this was nothing but a crude joke if he were challenged with an unpleasant potential reality.

An utterly bland expression swept over Ezra's face. "I had been assuming that our hypothetical swain would understand how to obtain and use prophylactic devices," he told her, bringing a hot flush to her cheeks. "However, if I were to conduct these negotiations on my own, that wouldn't be an issue. I suffered through a severe case of the mumps when I was seventeen-years-old. As a result, while the physician who treated me assured me that everything would continue to function normally; my chances of carrying on the Standish family name have been entirely voided."

"Ezra . . . I'm sorry," she said, a note of genuine sympathy in her voice that brought a look of complete surprise to his face. "I've seen how fond you are of children, and they of you. That must have been devastating to hear."

Clearing his throat in discomfort, Ezra shrugged lightly. "Yes, well, it hardly matters. That was years ago and I've made my peace with it. It has severely dampened my prospects as a husband, however, so I am free to enjoy whatever pleasures I wish to share. And in this case, the prospect of mixing business with pleasure holds a definite appeal. What do you say, ladies? Care to introduce a little gender equality into Four Corners?"

The teasing light was back in his eyes but Nettie looked at him with a considering air. "You know, if you really are serious, maybe I'll hire you to come on out to my ranch one afternoon and spend a little one on one time with my niece."

Mary jumped to her feet, appalled as she exclaimed, "Nettie, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that girl ain't got the sense of a nanny-goat sometimes. I caught her fooling around in the barn last winter with JD so I reckon it's too late to worry about savin' her virtue for a husband, especially since young Dunne has since switched his affections over to that pretty new school-teacher. I'm afraid to think what kind of a scrape Casey'll get into if she doesn't get at least some expectations of what being loved by a man ought to feel like. And if there's no danger of his getting her in a family way, Mr. Standish could be just what she needs."

Realizing that the old woman was entirely in earnest, Ezra's expression became sober. "I'm very sorry to hear, ma'am, that things went that far with Mr. Dunne. I knew they had ended their association but I had not realized that he had gone so far as to love and then leave your lovely young niece."

Challenge bright in her eyes, Nettie reached into her pocket and pulled out a silver dollar. "So what do you say, Mr. Gambler-man? Care to put this money where your mouth is?"

Chapter Two

Late that night, having finished a satisfactory round of gambling against a trio of half-inebriated saddle tramps, Ezra returned to his room. Lighting a lamp, he hummed softly as he divested himself of his weaponry, boots and upper garments and poured some water into the bowl on his dresser, dunking the washcloth that always hung beside the shaving mirror and adding a bit of soap. He shivered a little at the feel of cold water brushing his skin as he smoothed the day's residue of smoke and sweat away from his face and body.

Setting the cloth aside, Ezra bent over to remove his socks, wiggling his toes and enjoying the touch of smooth pine boards beneath his bare soles. As his fingers moved up to his waist, intending to remove his trousers and complete the light sponge-bath, a soft knock sounded.

"Who on earth . . .?" he murmured, grabbing his Derringer and cocking it as he went to answer the door. He doubted some disgruntled loser would have followed him up to his room, but it never hurt to be careful. Standing back, he opened the door and blinked in surprise as he took in the identity of his visitor. "Mrs. Travis, what brings you to my door at this time of night? Is there trouble; did Mr. Larabee or one of the others send you?"

She stopped his intention to get redressed by coming all the way inside the room and shutting the door behind her, pressing her back to the closed surface as if to prevent any chance of his leaving.

Ezra paused with one hand on his discarded shirt. "Mrs. Travis?"

"Did you mean it?" she said quietly, her face bright with embarrassment. "What you said this afternoon?"

"This . . . afternoon?" he faltered, unable to think what she could be talking about.

If possible, Mary looked even more uncomfortable. She reached inside a pocket hidden in the deep folds of the black travel-cloak she wore and drew forth a one-dollar note. There was a daring expression in her eyes as she held it out to him. "Were you serious?"

Ezra was completely astounded. He really did believe that paid male companionship could be very beneficial to the local ladies, and he had meant it when suggesting that he would be an ideal candidate for such a venture, but he had not actually expected anyone to take him up on it. Even Nettie Wells' startling declaration concerning her niece seemed unlikely to come to fruition, given Casey's presumed outrage if such an idea were ever to be presented to her. This, a visit to his room within twelve hours of proposing his companionship, had never occurred to Ezra as something that might actually happen. And even less had he anticipated that the town's very proper and ladylike newspaper editor would be the one to enact such a deal.

"Are you quite sure you know what you're asking me?" he asked carefully, taking her hand but not freeing the money from her grasp.

"Yes," she said, her voice low and quiet. "My son is staying with the Potter children tonight. I was lying in my room listening to the sounds of an empty house, feeling the coldness of my empty bed and missing the touch of my late husband. Suddenly, I thought about what you said on the boardwalk today and realized that it wasn't strange, or unreasonable. Nettie was right. I don't want to get remarried, at least not right away. I'm not ready to give my heart to anyone other than Steven, but sometimes I do truly miss the pleasures of a marriage bed."

Ezra nodded and took the money from her trembling fingers, setting it on the top of his dressing table. Her scarlet cheeks told him how much that admission had cost her and he was not about to make her feel that she had done something wrong. "That is completely understandable and I would be most pleased to reintroduce you to that pleasure. Do you have any special preferences?"

Clearly a little unsure of herself, Mary reached out and touched his chest, stroking her fingertips gently over the broad swell of his pectoral muscles and following the line of his breastbone down to the hard ridges of his stomach. "You're very handsome," she said, smiling a bit as she glanced up into his eyes. "I hadn't realized how much you were hiding behind all those layers. Could I . . . would you think me terrible if I asked to see the rest?"

Ezra could not help grinning at the question. It was both flirtatious and uncertain. "You are paying me for the privilege, my dear." Gesturing to his waistband he asked, "Would you care to do the honors?"

"Oh, oh no, I . . ." she faltered, withdrawing her hand.

Seeing her take a step back, looking as if she might lose her courage and bolt at any moment, Ezra quickly unfastened his trousers and said, "I apologize, Mary. I shouldn't tease. I know this must be very difficult for you. It's a rather new experience for me as well." He stepped out of his pants and quickly tossed them and his light summer drawers onto a chair. Settling both hands onto his lean hips he nodded to the woman and invited her, "Please feel free to inspect me in however much detail you require."

Mary seemed to barely hear him. Her gaze had become locked upon his newly exposed groin. The excitement of this proposition had caused Ezra's cock to swell a bit in anticipation and Mary was clearly anything but displeased with what she saw. "You really weren't joking about your qualifications, were you?" she commented, surprising him with an unexpected grin.

Suddenly it was Ezra's turn to blush. "If you'd care to resume your physical examination, I'm sure you won't be disappointed in the eventual outcome."

He held deliberately still as she stroked both hands over his chest again, across the well-defined muscles in his shoulders and arms and down his flanks. Stepping closer, she wrapped her arms around his body and stroked his back and buttocks, massaging the firm flesh as she inhaled his scent and nuzzled his neck with her nose and lips.

Ezra sighed softly, enjoying the light caresses. It had been awhile since had last availed himself of a woman's gentle touch and it felt heavenly. "May I touch you in return?"

"Please," she breathed, kissing his neck and stepping back to untie her voluminous cloak.

Ezra sucked in a breath when the garment fell and revealed that she wore nothing but a light cotton night-dress underneath. The flimsy lace cap-sleeves were already drooping down to reveal Mary's creamy shoulders, and as she reached back to set her cloak on the rocking chair, the material pulled tight against her clearly aroused nipples. Ezra reached for the small pearl buttons at the gown's neckline, releasing them one by one and causing the garment to slip down her body and fully expose a pair of small, beautiful breasts, the nipples peaking up rosy and pert from their centers. Licking his lips, he bent forward and pulled one straining nub inside his mouth, tracing the shape of it with his tongue and drawing a needy sound from Mary.

She clutched the back of his head, pushing against his mouth as Ezra moved to taste her other nipple. This prevented him from sliding her nightgown all the way off, but Ezra was in no hurry. He simply gathered the material up her legs, trapping it around Mary's middle as he brushed his long fingers across her hips and gently stroked her buttocks to the same rhythm that his tongue was employing against her breasts.

A shuddering sigh blew between Mary's lips as she eased her legs apart, instinct telling her body where it wanted to be touched most. Ezra smiled, releasing Mary's left nipple with a soft kiss. "Tell me your desires, Mary. Tell me what you need."

Shyness flared again in her lovely eyes as she looked down his body. Slender fingers closed around his rapidly swelling shaft. "Steven was well-built, too. He was always worried that he might hurt me if I wasn't well-prepared. Can you . . . that is, do you know how to . . ."

She was too embarrassed to say the words, but she leaned forward and kissed his mouth, her tongue pushing forward to dance intimately against his own. When it ended, Ezra smiled, knowing exactly what she wanted him to do. "Of course. It would be my utmost pleasure."

Quickly disposing of Mary's gown, he took her by the hand and guided her to his bed, mentally thanking his lucky stars that he had ordered the sheets changed just this morning as he flipped back the covers and laid his companion down upon the soft feather mattress.

Spreading her legs wide, Ezra caressed the silky inner thighs, running the tip of his tongue teasingly over her skin as he nibbled and kissed his way along the smooth flesh. Mary gasped in anticipation, stroking her fingers through the thick softness of his hair and voicing a happy cry when Ezra finally brought his lips to her exposed center. Separating her folds with his thumbs, he outlined the tender inner lips with his tongue, taking long stroking laps in between them. He ended each stroke with a probing tease of the tiny, throbbing button of flesh just above, an action that had Mary moaning and running both hands over her breasts.

Ezra took his time, enjoying the eager, wanton noises Mary was making as he lovingly tormented her, tickling and teasing relentlessly until she arched up with an ecstatic cry of fulfillment.

Normally, Ezra would have taken it for granted that a woman he had pleased in such a fashion would be willing to return the favor, but this was not exactly a normal situation. She had paid for his touch, and there was a peculiar sort of decorum required. Rising to cover her panting body with his own, Ezra rubbed his swollen cock gently against her newly sensitized folds. "May I come inside you, Mary?" he asked, dropping soft kisses along the side of her face and neck. "Would you enjoy that as much as I would?"

"Ezra," she breathed, clutching his back and spreading her legs wider as she rubbed herself against his hardness, making him groan low in his throat. "Please . . . take me slowly. I want to really feel you, so I can still remember it tomorrow."

He gasped at the passionate order, feeling himself throb with longing at the mere suggestion. "As you command, my dear."

Lifting his hips, Ezra poised himself at Mary's ready entrance and pushed in as slowly as he could bear to. She was very tight, even with the recent completion having made her slick, reminding Ezra that it had been a long time since this woman had been loved by a man, and so he took extra care to press lightly and not hurt her as she slowly enveloped his length.

"Ooooh," she sighed, her body clenching and rippling around the intruder as she adjusted to Ezra's presence. "That feels wonderful."

He smiled, feeling a bit smug as he listened to this blissful approval from a woman he had always felt viewed him as being somewhat beneath her. Her view was not likely to change now that he had voluntarily turned himself into a male whore, but no matter what happened after this he would always have the satisfaction of knowing that Mary Travis had been the very first woman in Four Corners to succumb to such a lure.

Pulling out as slowly as he had gone in, Ezra rode back and forth in a gentle rocking motion that had Mary gasping and squirming with ever-increasing pleasure. He had always possessed considerable stamina in bed and his cock was very much enjoying this prolonged stimulation. Finally, Mary cried out for a second time and as he felt the deep clenching of her channel, Ezra began to move more quickly. The added friction was all he needed to bring himself to a quick explosive release just as Mary began to relax.

Waiting a few seconds until he was sure he had softened, Ezra pulled out and rolled onto his side, propping his head upon his hand and watching the flush of excitement slowly fade from Mary's pale body.

Her breathing settled back to normal and she lay still for a few minutes, staring up at Ezra with a strange expression on her face.

"Are you all right?" he asked, resting a warm hand upon her stomach.

"Yes," she replied, laying her own hand atop his. "I was just thinking. You're the first man I've lain with since my husband passed away. I never would have believed I could do something like this with a man I don't love."

Ezra smiled. "And are you sorry you did?"

She shook her head, her long golden locks shifting where they lay spread upon Ezra's down pillow. "Not at all. In fact, if I can count upon your discretion I believe I'm likely to become a regular client of this new business venture of yours."

"You may," he promised, smirking and allowing his gold tooth to gleam in the dim lamplight. "Shall we meet in the Clarion office some time tomorrow to discuss the arrangements? Times, dates and particularly the location of our future assignations?"

Mary frowned a bit. "Location?"

"Indeed. I'm afraid it would not be wise to entertain in my own domicile if you wish our rendezvous to remain discreet. Someone might see you entering or leaving this room, and that would not be good for your reputation."

Understanding lit her eyes and a faint blush colored her cheeks. "I should have thought of that before coming here tonight. For your sake, as well as mine. This is your home, after all."

"Such as it is," he agreed, casting rueful eyes upon the small plain room.

Surprising him a little, Mary leaned over and kissed him tenderly upon the lips. "I should be going. I'll be expecting you at the Clarion around noon tomorrow."

He smiled and shifted to the more comfortable middle of the bed as Mary slid out and quickly donned her nightgown and travelling cloak once more, slipping her feet into a pair of slippers that Ezra had not noticed when she first came in. "Shall I get dressed and see you home?" he asked, half-rising from the bed.

"No, it would be better if you didn't," she objected, pulling the hood of the black cloak up over her fair hair. "I'm sure no one saw me leave my house. They won't see me going back to it if I'm careful."

"As you wish," he said, settling back down and pulling the blankets up over his rapidly chilling body. "Good night, Mrs. Travis."

She smiled at the address, recognizing the end of the informality involved in their very personal business transaction. "Good night, Mr. Standish. And thank you."

He nodded pleasantly. "The pleasure was mine."

Mary courteously blew out the lamp, locking the door on her way out as she slipped into the darkened hallway, leaving Ezra alone. He yawned and stretched a bit in his bed, feeling the pleasant aches associated with this evening's unexpected bout of exercise, then settled into his favorite sleeping position, curled halfway onto his stomach with the covers pulled up tightly into a warm, snug embrace around his body.

The final thought as he drifted off to sleep left Ezra with a smile upon his face. Mary Travis . . . who ever would have thought it?

Chapter Three

The bell over the office door to the Clarion jangled energetically as the door burst open and Buck Wilmington arrived in his usual whirlwind fashion, squeezing through the door next to Inez Recillos and earning himself a glare. "Howdy, Mary, Ezra," he greeted cheerfully

At the desk, Mary Travis jumped to her feet and blurted in an overly-cheerful tone, "Buck, Inez, how nice to see you! What can I do for you?" Next to her in the visitor's chair, Ezra Standish looked as cool and collected as always as he nodded to the new arrivals.

"I'm just escorting a beautiful senorita to her appointment," Buck said with a grin. "Wouldn't want anything to get in her way."

"Senor, the only thing in my way is you. Please move out of my path," Inez ordered, ignoring the wink Buck gave her.

Mary frowned. "Appointment?"

Inez blinked in confusion. "Were you and I not supposed to be meeting for lunch, Mary? Today is Wednesday."

The flustered newspaper woman exclaimed, "Oh, Inez, I'm sorry. I completely forgot!"

Flashing his most charming gold-laced smile at the two women, Ezra stood and put on his hat. "Please, don't let me interfere with your plans, ladies. We were just about at the end of our negotiation anyway. So, we are agreed, Mrs. Travis, that I will meet you here on Tuesday and Friday afternoons, barring any postponements related to my official duties, to go over your ledgers and aid in archiving the wealth of past-dated publications currently overrunning your storage area."

Mary drew a deep breath and smiled, her usual aplomb settling over her. "That's correct. Thank you for your time, Mr. Standish."

"A pleasure, as always." Tipping his hat, Ezra sketched a small bow to Inez, then clapped Buck on the back and pushed him toward the door. "So, Mr. Wilmington, what do you say to a quick lunch at the restaurant followed by a friendly game of poker?"

"Friendly, huh? That mean you're gonna leave me some money this time?"

"Perhaps I'll be generous. So long as you pick up the bill for lunch."

Their laughter echoed through the small office as they departed with another cheery jangle of the door bell.

Inez looked curiously at Mary. "What was that all about? I have seen your storage area. You have it organized well enough to put a library to shame."

"Oh, well, it's become a bit neglected lately with all the, um-" Mary began, then abruptly changed her mind and admitted, "Our meeting had nothing at all to do with my newspaper. That was just an excuse but I'd appreciate it if you didn't share that fact with anyone else."

"Por supeusto," she agreed. "So . . . ?"

"Remember yesterday, what you, Nettie and I were discussing with Ezra?"

Inez giggled. "Si, Senor Ezra's offer to . . ." She paused mid-sentence, an expression of shock filling her features as she looked back in the direction the gambler had departed, then back at Mary. "You don't mean that you're actually considering it!"

Cheeks flushing and a look of defiance flashing in her green eyes, Mary said, "I've already done more than consider it. Last night, I decided that you and Nettie were right, so I went to his room and asked if he had meant what he said."

Inez looked as if she wasn't sure if she should be admiring or condemning this stunning bit of news. Finally, curiosity won out over both. "And he did? What was it like? I assume you must have enjoyed it if you're planning to go on seeing him."

It was Mary's turn to giggle as she moved to lock the front door and put out the sign telling customers that she would return soon. "Inez, it was amazing. I feel so ashamed of myself for saying this, but I don't think I've ever enjoyed a bedding more." Her blush deepened as she admitted in a whisper. "I can hardly wait to do it again."

Impressed, Inez took the chair Ezra had vacated and asked, "So, all that boasting was true? You would recommend his . . . services . . . to others?"

"I would. If anything, he was being modest."

Inez whistled and playfully fanned herself with one hand. Dark eyes sparkling, she said, "You know, I do have a few dollars saved up. I wonder if Ezra would be willing to take on another customer."

Laughing merrily, Mary said, "Why don't you ask him? He was very accommodating to my wishes. I'm sure he'd do the same for yours."

"It feels so wicked, even talking about it!"

"I know!" Mary said, shaking her head at her own behavior. "Before this, I would have slapped anyone who dared to infer that I would pay a man for sex. I would have felt utterly insulted by the notion. And yet, somehow, after listening to Ezra yesterday, the suggestion wouldn't leave my mind. It sounded so absurdly reasonable and I found that I just couldn't resist going to him. Why is that? I certainly don't love him."

Inez shrugged. "Perhaps that is it. You could be certain that for Ezra, it really is business. Neither of you would have any emotional entanglements to worry over. He is your friend, but nothing more, and Ezra is the sort of a man who will honor a contract and keep the details confidential so long as you honor your side."

"I paid him a dollar upfront," Mary agreed, smiling a little. "For a moment, he looked so shocked I didn't think he'd go through with it. I thought he might even be insulted, but then he changed his mind and set out to make the experience as good as possible for both of us."

A chuckle escaped the bar-manager. "That does sound like Ezra. He would never have agreed to do it if he wasn't certain to enjoy himself, money or no money. For all the complaining he does about risking his life for mere pennies, anyone with eyes can see how much fun he has playing the role of a law enforcement officer."

Mary smiled fondly. "I suppose this really is just a new sort of game for him. He's a lot like Buck in that respect."

Inez laughed again. "Si, and while I suspect having mujeres lining up to fill his bed would be flattering to any man, Ezra is quite particular. I doubt he would accept just anyone, regardless of how much she might be willing to pay him for the privilege. The money would simply allow us to be in charge of when and how we are pleased by him."

"And it insures discretion without any strings attached," Mary agreed. She shook her head with a self-mocking huff. "Somehow, the whole idea of supporting prostitution became less repellant to me once I had tried it for myself. I feel like such a hypocrite."

Unable to deny that, Inez just patted Mary's arm. "It is easy to condemn something we do not truly understand." Then she grinned mischievously. "However, since you speak so highly of it, I believe I will find out if Ezra would be willing to increase my understanding tonight."

Chapter Four

Ezra had been in a bright and cheerful mood all day; a fact that was remarked upon by more than one of his fellow lawmen. Ezra brushed it off as owing to a combination of the beautiful sunny weather, the refreshing lack of miscreants in their jail and the stagecoach-load of new opponents who had arrived to grace his poker table. Unable to deny the good fortune of those things, the other men had merely nodded and allowed his cheerful spirits to buoy their own.

When he had run into Mary Travis a second time out on the boardwalk, Ezra had simply smiled and tipped his hat to her, wishing her a good afternoon and spending a moment in the same type of general small talk which normally characterized their tenuous friendship. Mary, who had been initially tense at seeing him, had quickly relaxed into normal behavior and Ezra was glad of it. He had enjoyed their surprise coupling and looked forward to being with her again, but otherwise it was essential that their relationship remain exactly the same as it had always been. Not just for the benefit of public opinion, but privately as well. Women, in his experience, tended to be far more emotional about sex than men were and he had already decided that if Mary ever began to develop tender feelings for him it would be time to end their contract. For now, he was entirely content to just have fun and enjoy the benefits of this new arrangement.

And now he might have something new to look forward to. Inez Recillos had just passed him a note along with a glass of his favorite scotch whiskey as he took a short break between poker games. The note, written in Spanish, translated to: 'M.T. provided excellent reference. New job available, if interested.'

Ezra was intrigued. The fact that she had slipped him a note would cause no questions, he was often called upon to break up trouble among the patrons in such a fashion, and even if someone saw and translated the paper they would not understand what it actually meant. Catching Inez's eye across the bar he raised an eyebrow in query, wanting to be sure whether she was negotiating for herself or someone else. The Mexican woman smiled and fished a coin from the cashbox, quickly dancing it across her knuckles in the way that Ezra himself had showed her, then dropping the money down her bodice.

He smiled. There was no mistaking that message. The smug feeling stole over him again. So Mary had praised his prowess to her best friend, had she? And now Inez wanted to sample the wares for herself. Well, he certainly had no objection.

Although, if this kept on, he was going to need to pay Nathan a visit to obtain some of those herbs the healer recommended for keeping a person's energy up!

~*~*~*~*~

It was just after one o'clock in the morning when the last patron shambled out of the saloon. Ezra had stayed at his poker table playing solitaire after the last game broke up, casually mentioning a promise to help Inez lock up since he was not on duty tonight. As this was far from unusual, nobody had thought anything of it.

For a few minutes, he and Inez did nothing out of the mundane. They wiped off tables, straightened chairs, washed empty glasses and polished the bar, just as they might have done on any other night. Then Ezra went to lock the heavy double doors that fitted behind the batwings while Inez did the same to the storage room out back. No one other than themselves currently inhabited the bedrooms upstairs, and Ezra assumed that they would be meeting in one or the other as soon as Inez gave him a sign that she was ready.

Instead, much to his puzzlement, Inez appeared from the back room carrying a thick blanket, which she spread atop the bar, then she moved to the windows and pulled each and every shade down low and turned out all the lamps except for the two gas-lights on either end of the bar, which were turned down dim.

"Inez?"

She smiled at him, reaching down into her blouse and fishing out the gold dollar coin she had deposited there earlier. Flipping it to him, she said, "Mary tells me that you are very accommodating to the wishes of a lady."

Intrigued, Ezra tucked the coin into his vest. "I certainly try to be. What did you have in mind?"

She stroked a hand over the blanket and smiled.

"You want to . . . on the bar?" he blurted, too surprised to hide it.

"Si," she said calmly. "Just imagine how it could be. The two of us removing our clothes in this big empty room where there are normally so many eyes, climbing up in front of the mirror and watching ourselves as I mount your body on top of the bar and ride you to our mutual satisfaction."

Ezra gulped, his cock suddenly hard as diamond and painfully straining to be free of the confining material of his trousers. "I can imagine it easily," he told her. "Tell me, did you think of all that just today?"

Petting both hands teasingly over the swell of her bosom, she purred, "I've thought about it many times, but I never expected to have a chance to try it. Why do you look so shocked, Ezra? Did you truly believe that women never indulge themselves in such fantasies?"

He smiled ruefully. "I suppose I should have, but I've never heard a woman admit to it so freely before. I must say that I do like the way you think."

Hips swaying, she sauntered up to him and combed her fingers through his hair, drawing him down for a deeply passionate kiss. Ezra hummed contentedly into her mouth, delighted with this unexpected turn of events. Even when he had been playfully offering his services he had assumed that if such a relationship ever came to pass it would be up to him to lead the event. The idea that Inez had been entertaining sexy fantasies about him and now wanted to bring one such fantasy to life was tantalizing beyond words.

"Go upstairs and take your clothes off," she whispered as they broke apart. "All of them. I want to watch you walk downstairs to me, just as you were made."

"Yes, ma'am," he drawled lazily, kissing her again before moving toward the staircase. He fought the urge to run up, taking his time and knowing without having to check that Inez was watching the play of his backside as he moved up each step.

When he reached the top, Ezra entered his room and quickly stripped himself bare, taking a few moments to wash up and add a few dabs of cologne – a brand whose scent Inez had commented more than once that she enjoyed. Brushing a hand through his hair and giving his appearance a quick once-over, Ezra drew a deep breath and strode confidently from the room, leaving his door unlocked since he had nowhere to carry the key.

He felt more than a bit ridiculous, standing at the top of the stairs buck-naked, but anticipation of what was to come filled him with excitement and gave him courage. He descended the steps as slowly as he had gone up them, his manhood cheerfully pointing the way.

For a moment, Ezra did not see Inez and he felt a flash of panic, wondering if this was some kind of joke and he was about to be subjected to the humiliation of having their friends pop out of the shadows to jeer at his exposure. But then, he saw her. Inez was sitting atop his usual poker table, deep in one shadowy corner, her body now as nude as his own. Her legs were demurely crossed, one knee atop the other, but she was playing with her breasts and teasing her thumbs over the dark, eagerly-raised nipples.

Feeling a pulse of need thrum through him at that amazing sight, Ezra came closer, gliding his hands down her sides and bending to taste her full moist lips. Unlike Mary Travis, Inez's breasts were full and heavy, swelling above her ribcage like dusky twin moons. Ezra balanced them in his palms, enjoying the way they filled his hands as he raised each one to his mouth and tasted it. Inez moaned soft Spanish words of encouragement, her hands brushing over his stomach to boldly clasp his erection, stroking him with evident enjoyment.

"You are so big," she breathed. "So strong."

Ezra swallowed, knowing that if he gave in to the desire surging through his body as she petted him so possessively, this would be over far too quickly. "Shall I prepare you?" he asked, dropping one hand to stroke her hip, trying to coax her to part her legs for him.

A teasing light brightened her eyes. "I would rather prepare you. Get up on the bar," she ordered, reminding him of her plan.

Gently brushing her lips again, Ezra grinned. "You're the boss."

The back of the bar had a raised platform with a railing near the base, making it easy to get up on the surface from there. Ezra set one heel on the railing and hopped up backward, sitting on the blanket and swinging his legs up to stretch out on the long polished surface. Leaning back on his elbows, he waited, curious to learn what Inez planned to do with him.

Taking her usual place behind the bar, Inez stroked Ezra's hair away from his forehead and kissed him gently, taking her time and playing her tongue lightly over his. Ezra settled back, entangling his fingers in her long dark hair and enjoying the attention as her free hand began skimming across his body. Soon, she abandoned his mouth to press hot kisses all over his throat, chest and abdomen, one small hand pressing his shoulder and telling him that she did not wish his active participation just yet. Pleased to let her do as she liked, he relaxed, turning his head to watch her worship of his body in the huge saloon mirror.

Inez paused for a moment when she reached his heavily throbbing penis. She looked at Ezra and he nodded, letting hope shine in his eyes. Lifting the organ away from his body, she kissed the tip, then peppered a string of tiny licking kisses all the way down the shaft, smiling at the deep sigh of pleasure this act drew from him. When she reached his legs, Inez stepped up on the railing and joined Ezra on top of the bar. She leaned forward and squeezed his shaft between her breasts, massaging it into even greater rigidity.

"Darlin', I may not last as long as you need me to if you keep doin' that," he admitted, struggling to hold still when every instinct told him to thrust.

She smiled, enjoying being so in control of his body. Spreading her legs wider, she straddled Ezra and knee-walked up the bar, rubbing her moist sex up and down his cock, teasing it with every move she made and drawing a needy sound from her partner. "I want to take you inside," she told him, "but I had not expected you to be quite so large."

"Turn around, so that you're sitting on my stomach," he advised, balancing her with his hands as she awkwardly repositioned herself. "Take your weight on your feet and hands and let me guide you."

Trusting him to know what he was talking about, Inez nodded, lifting her pelvis a bit.

"Watch us in the mirror," Ezra whispered, obeying his own suggestion as he reached down between their legs and positioned the head of his penis at Inez's entrance, both of them dripping with anticipation of each other. The tip slid inside easily and Ezra thrust up, laying both hands on his partner's hips to guide her down.

Inez gasped and arched her spine, her eyes never leaving the mirror as she watched her body slowly impale itself on Ezra's heavy cock. "Oh, Ezra," she breathed, panting through the combined difficulty and pleasure of the joining. "Even my dreams were not like this."

"How does it feel?" he asked, shifting his hips to ease the pressure on his back from holding such an unusual position on the hard surface of the bar.

"Wonderful," she said, her eyes never leaving his reflection. Getting her knees under her again, Inez sat up, sinking even deeper around him for a moment before she regained her balance and began to move. Ezra kept his hands on her hips, holding her steady as Inez began to bounce up and down, hands on her thighs as she energetically moved, voicing her enjoyment in incoherent sounds of pleasure.

Ezra watched her in the mirror, his hips jerking blissfully as he drank in the sight of Inez's beautiful round breasts jiggling and jouncing as she rode him like a pony.

"Roll your hips, darlin'," he requested. "Squeeze me harder."

For a moment, Inez faltered, but then she picked up the new rhythm and cried out in joy when the slight shift allowed his stiff cock to strike the tender node at her entrance and probe the more sensitive portion of her inner wall.

"Oh, Ezra," she gasped. "I feel as if I'm going to explode!"

"Give in to it," he grated, hands tightening on her hips as he felt himself tensing all over. "I'm there, Inez. I'm right there with you."

A choked noise wrenched from her throat as she suddenly rose up, head falling back as her body began to buck and ripple around Ezra's. The added stimulation was exactly what he needed and Ezra cried out wordlessly as he released a gush of heat into her body.

Panting hard, Inez shakily lifted herself off after a few moments and dropped to her feet behind the bar. Crossing her arms atop his sweaty chest, she rested her perspiration damp face upon them. "Madre de Dios," she sighed.

Ezra smiled and stroked her hair, too exhausted to move. "I know just what you mean. So, what do you think darlin'? Was it worth the price?"

Looking a bit startled, Inez lifted her head and gazed into his eyes. Seeing the merriment dancing there, she smiled. "Si, well worth it. And you?"

"My only complaint is that I didn't think of this idea sooner. As profitable ventures go, this beats getting shot-at all to hell."

For a moment they stared at one another, and then both of them burst into giggles. Lying naked and sweaty in the middle of a public saloon, they laughed until they could laugh no more.

"Would you like a drink?" Inez asked, fishing a couple of glasses out from under the bar.

"Love one," Ezra said, rolling off the bar and pulling away the blanket he had rested upon. As he knocked back a refreshing shot of bourbon, Ezra glanced around the dimly lit room. "I've bellied up to different bars in different towns hundreds of times in my life, but I must admit that I feel somewhat ridiculous doing it in nothing but my skin."

Inez chuckled. "Si, I suppose we had best call it a night."

"Need any help cleaning up?"

She pulled a bar rag from the bucket kept for that purpose and efficiently swiped down the surface. "No, I have it."

As he started to turn away, Inez hopped up on the railing and grasped his head, planting a long thorough kiss on his lips. "I enjoyed this very much."

"As did I," he said honestly. "Goodnight, Inez. I'll see you in the mornin'."

"Sleep well, mi amigo," she told him.

Trudging wearily toward the stairs, he paused, straightening his back and deliberately putting a little sway in his hips as he marched up the steps to his room. Behind him, he heard Inez give an appreciative chuckle and Ezra grinned.

Chapter Five

"Anybody planning on riding out by the Tackett ranch this afternoon?" Nathan Jackson asked, coming into the saloon with his hands full of packages. "Miss Liza had a parcel come in on the stage. Got another one here for Mrs. Wells."

Four Corners' seven peacekeepers had started making a regular circuit of outlying farms and ranches following the attempted land-grab by Guy Royal and his men just over a year ago, feeling that an ounce of prevention was worth a pound of cure. As a result, trouble had become less frequent and each of the men had reaped the benefit of friendships with the surrounding community. It was not uncommon for one of them to also play the role of mail courier on his route.

"Me and Josiah are headin' out to spend a few days at the Reservation," Vin said reluctantly. "Otherwise, I'd be glad to take 'em out."

"I ain't gone out to the Wells place much since me and Casey split up," JD admitted, looking uncomfortable.

Ezra glanced up from his cards as Nathan sifted through the mail he carried and passed two envelopes and a small package his way. "Thank you, Mr. Jackson." Setting them aside, he threw his wager into the pot and took a couple of new cards. "I've been meaning to ask you, Mr. Dunne. Why did you break up with Miss Casey? Six months ago we all expected to be receiving wedding invitations by now."

"Aw, I don't know," he grumbled, taking a card. "Reckon we just weren't right for each other when it came right down to it. I want to go places and do things with my life and she just wants to stay right here and raise young'uns. I damn near had to marry her a couple of months ago, but it turned out to be just a scare. I was relieved and I guess I showed it a little too freely. Casey got mad and we had a big ol' fight, and the next thing I knew the two of us were adios."

Nathan had taken a seat and joined the game, and he frowned at JD's words. "A scare . . . are you tellin' us that Casey thought she was carryin' your child?"

"We both thought it for a week or so," he agreed, shaking his head in clear dismay over the thought. "Then her monthly started up and I figured everything was okay."

Vin kicked the younger man under the table, drawing a surprised yelp and a confused look from him. "Keep yer voice down, kid," he hissed, glancing around the half-full saloon and noting a few interested eyes. "Don't need everybody knowing you had your way with that gal and then didn't have the stones to do right by her."

"Do right!" he scoffed. "I just told you, Vin. She ain't having no baby. Everything is fine."

"JD," Ezra said coolly. "In respectable society, a young man waits until the wedding day to enact physical relations with his innocent young paramour. I presume the promise of a wedding ring was the inducement you dangled to convince Miss Wells to anticipate her marriage bed?"

JD looked at him like he was speaking gibberish. "I told her I loved her. And I did, or at least I thought I did . . . and besides, it was her idea! It happened after I healed up from getting shot by Maddie Stokes. Casey said something about not wanting anybody else but me to have her oats, whatever the hell that meant. She jumped me in her aunt's barn, and hell, I wasn't gonna turn that down!" He grinned cheerfully, not understanding at all why the three older men all looked back with expressions ranging from exasperation to disappointment to unexpected guilt, the latter from Vin. "What?"

"That day with Maddie, Casey was real upset that you'd gone off with another gal and I told her you'd just been sowin' your wild oats like all young men do," Vin told him. "She said that gals had oats to sow, too. Tried to throw herself at both me and Ezra, but we didn't let it go nowhere. Reckon we both knew she was just reactin' to the hurt of losin' you."

"But she didn't lose me," he protested. "What happened with Maddie in the livery stable was just a mistake."

Nathan looked at him sadly. "Hell of a mistake. And then you try and make it up to her by having your way with her at the first opportunity? That ain't no way to treat a sweet little gal like Casey."

Irritated now, JD snarled, "And I suppose the three of you ain't ever bedded a woman? You're not married, but I bet ain't one of you a virgin, or that every gal you ever been with was a working girl."

"Cain't deny that," Vin agreed. "I ain't a saint by any stretch, but I ain't ever bedded a gal who didn't know exactly what she was doing."

"Ain't been many women in my life," Nathan admitted with a shrug. "I wasn't free to marry anyone without the Master's say-so when I was young, and after that there just weren't a lot of Negro gals to spend time with. First one I ever been serious about is Rain and I reckon if she ever agrees to move on into town, y'all will be invited to a weddin'."

The other men smiled in surprise and raised their glasses. "Congratulations, my friend. I hadn't realized your relationship had progressed that far," Ezra said. "I wish you the best of luck in convincing your beautiful bride-to-be."

"Thanks," he said, grinning widely.

JD looked even more annoyed as he turned to Ezra and demanded, "Well, what about you? You're no innocent, I bet."

"That is a bet you would win," he agreed placidly, "but I am discerning of my bed-partners. Like Mr. Tanner, I am not in the habit of deflowering innocents. The offer has been extended, more than once, but while I do practice the art of deception from time to time, that does not extend to mutually pleasurable activities. A young lady is usually hoping to secure the promise of home and family, neither of which I am able to provide, and I have always been entirely upfront with them in that regard."

"And if you just want to have some fun?" he persisted.

Ezra paused for a sip of whiskey, then said, "If a man is merely lookin' to have a good time, there are always bordellos. However if, like myself, a man doesn't favor that sort of setting, then a young woman lookin' to gain some experience outside of marriage must first be made aware of the various techniques for gaining pleasure without worry of unsavory diseases or unwanted babes. Thankfully, there are many more such women than proper society would have us believe. From the sound of things, may I assume you took no such precautions with your lady-love?"

JD looked around at each of their faces, clearly confused. "I thought it was up to the gals to take precautions. Them women down the street do. So did the ones from Wickestown. And Buck never said nothin' to me about the man having to do it."

A deep groan sounded from Nathan as the healer hid his face in one hand. "Reckon he assumed you had sense enough to know better. JD, you better come over to the clinic with me. Looks like I got me some educatin' to do."

Now possessing a much clearer understanding of what Nettie Wells had said about her niece last week, Ezra checked his watch and said, "It is my turn to patrol the outer reaches today, and as I hadn't chosen a definite direction I don't see why a southwesterly course wouldn't be as good as any other."

Remembering his original reason for joining them, Nathan asked, "So, you'll take out them packages?"

"I believe that was my inference," he agreed, accepting the parcels. "I'll see that these are delivered safely into the hands of their rightful recipients."

Glancing at the sun-filled street outside, Vin said, "Least you'll have a nice day for it, and last time I was by, Nettie was just about ready to harvest all them cherry trees o' hers so you might just get yourself a nice slice of pie for yer trouble."

Ezra grinned at the clear note of envy in his friend's voice. "Well, well, it appears this is my lucky day."

As he spoke, he laid down his cards, revealing a straight flush that easily beat anything else at the table. Groaning good-naturedly, the others threw in their cards and watched him gather up the small pot and tuck his winnings into his shiny silver vest.

Chapter Six

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Wells," Ezra greeted, tipping his hat to Nettie as he rode up to the porch where she sat peeling potatoes in the warm noon-day sunshine. "I come bearing gifts, courtesy of the United States postal service."

Nettie shielded her eyes from the bright sun and nodded to him. "Reckon it must be that new baking pan I ordered last time the tin-peddler came through town."

Sniffing the air, Ezra asked, "Speaking of baked goods, is that the delectable odor of cherry pie I detect?"

The old woman raised an amused eyebrow. "Either you got a nose like a bloodhound or you been talkin' to Vin. I just put it in the oven five minutes ago." Ezra grinned brightly at her and she laughed. "Well, come on down and rest your horse a spell. I reckon you might as well stay for dinner and sample that pie when it's done."

"A most gracious offer and I thank you for it," he accepted, hurriedly dismounting and unfastening her package from where it was tied to the saddle. "Here you go."

"Since you're gonna stay awhile, unsaddle your horse and put him out in the corral with Buttercup and her baby. Casey set 'em out there to enjoy the sunshine. By the feel of the air, we'll probably have rain tomorrow."

Ezra unbuckled his cinch and hefted the heavy saddle over one shoulder, leading his docile mount to a large, grassy, fenced area. A pretty little bay mare stood at the far end watching his approach. Behind her, peeking through her long legs, a small spring colt eyed them curiously.

"I expect you to conduct yourself as a gentleman, Chaucer," he said, patting his tall chestnut on the shoulder as he opened the gate.

Chaucer snorted and tossed his head, heading over at once to sniff noses with mother and baby before trotting to the middle of the corral and dropping down to roll in the grass.

"I suppose that's about as good a show of manners as one can expect, from a horse," Ezra mused, setting his saddle atop the corral fence and removing a cloth to brush the leather free of accumulated dust and sweat. Freeing his saddlebags, he gestured to Chaucer and said, "Remind me to give you a good brushing before we pull ourselves together for the ride home."

Ignoring him, the chestnut blissfully continued his activity while the mare observed him with an air of tolerant amusement.

Chuckling, Ezra tipped his hat to the mare. "Ma'am."

Nettie had been watching them with a smile. "That horse is a show-off," she commented as Ezra joined her in the porch's other rocking chair and removed a knife from his pack, helping himself to a potato. She looked at him but made no comment other than a small grunt as the gambler began deftly peeling the spud. "Reckon it makes him popular with the ladies."

"Chaucer is a gelding," he pointed out.

"Well, from what you told me, so are you in a way. Don't stop you from sharing your favors around," she fired back, smirking at his shocked expression. "I drove into town to see Mary about an item in the Clarion yesterday. We had a good long visit and I was interested to hear that she and Inez are both actively supporting equal rights these days."

Ezra could hardly believe his ears. "She told you?"

"I asked. Something told me you weren't just whistling Dixie when you were teasing us all the other day, and I saw the looks on their faces." She chuckled at his uncomfortable expression. "Oh, don't worry, I didn't request any details. That's between you and them. I just wanted to know if you'd kept your word and if they felt satisfied with the services provided."

There were times when Ezra felt that nothing in the world could surprise him anymore. This was not one of those times. "Mary has enlisted my aid twice and Inez once since last Tuesday. Both ladies seemed quite pleased with the outcome, but Mrs. Travis's penchant for advertising is beginning to concern me. Do you know that Mrs. Potter and Mrs. Radcliffe, the new dressmaker, have both indicated an interest in setting up appointments with me due to personal recommendations from Mary Travis?"

Her eyes widened. "Gloria? Really?"

"Indeed. I was a bit startled by that myself, though I suppose I really shouldn't have been. It has been nearly three years since Mrs. Potter was widowed and she is still a reasonably young woman. I guess I just hadn't anticipated so much interest from the well-bred ladies of our community. Widows appear to be a booming business, in and of themselves!"

Nettie's blue eyes danced. "Well, Mary's opinion does carry considerable weight in that town. And up to now, I guess you've been pretty discreet."

Ezra colored at the slight rebuke in her tone. "You're right; I shouldn't have mentioned any names. I suppose I was assuming that you'd be willin' to keep the secret since you seem so well-informed. My real worry is that not everyone I arrange assignations with may be so circumspect if my customer base continues to grow."

She nodded. "You got a point. Tell Mary that the next time you see her. Reckon she'll know how to make sure nobody gets involved who shouldn't. I don't know that Radcliffe woman, but Gloria Potter would never spread such rumors. Especially not if she's planning to participate."

A long sigh blew from Ezra's lips as he exchanged his freshly peeled potato for another and began to work on it. "That's a good idea, and I believe I will do that as soon as I get back to town. I truly hadn't thought this through as well as I might have. I was half-jokin' when I said I'd make an ideal courtier but I've gained four clients in a week, five if you were serious in your proposal to have your niece join the roster, and one lady has already paid for twice-weekly attention." He shook his head. "With the official duties I'm sworn to uphold, and my livelihood as a gambler to maintain, I'm exhausted just thinkin' about it! How do you suppose Mr. Wilmington manages to remain so enthusiastic?"

The old woman had pressed a knuckle to her lips, trying to keep mirth quivering through her body from escaping, but it burst out long and hearty at his plaintive question.

"It's not funny," he protested, even as an answering snicker bubbled over his lips.

"Of all the worries a feller could choose to fret himself over," she gasped finally. "I never figured being too popular with the ladies would be one of 'em. Reckon you ought to take one day a week off from all of it and rest up. Mercy sakes, even the Good Lord rested on the seventh day!"

He smiled. "You make an excellent point; and after all, it isn't as if most of these ladies will be able to afford regular appointments at a dollar apiece."

"True enough. My thoughts on Casey certainly weren't about regular servicin'. I just want you to show her how things ought to be, maybe give her a few pointers from a male perspective so she don't go throwin' her body away or givin' her heart to the first drifter with a purty smile that rides by." Her expression became grim and somewhat sad as she said this.

"JD told me what happened," he confided, laying a comforting hand over Nettie's, which had clenched into a fist in her lap. "I believe both young people suffered from a bout of extreme naiveté and paid a very high price for it. They had true feelings for each other at one time, but the unfortunate circumstances behind their first coupling made them blind to what they had. It truly is a shame."

She sighed. "That is the word for it. I thought I'd taught Casey better than that, and I put my trust in young Dunne. Neither one of 'em got the sense God gave a blind church-mouse."

Squeezing her hand, Ezra released Nettie and went back to his chore. He always liked to have something to keep his hands busy, particularly when discussing uncomfortable subjects. "I assume that Miss Casey's moment of error wasn't the most pleasant of exercises either, given your desire for me to extend proper instruction."

Nettie looked at him measuringly. "The first time usually ain't."

"Very true, for young men as well as young women. During my initial experience, I barely even managed to achieve physical connection before it was all over. I was extremely embarrassed, and yet I could hardly wait to try again."

She nodded. "That's what worries me. Casey may be naïve but she ain't stupid. She sees married friends who are havin' babies and living happy married lives, and she sees all those gals who chase after Buck Wilmington like bitches in heat, and she knows it should have been better. Her heart's still hurtin' from the break-up and she told me she don't ever want to get married. I think that'll change eventually, but in the mean-time she figures it's too late to worry about her virtue."

"And you fear that she will expose herself to dangerous men who will not have her best interests at heart," he finished. "Men who would happily use her body and abuse her trust by spreading word of their conquest all over the territory. Her reputation would be ruined, not to mention the increased danger to her person."

"That's right."

He bit his lip thoughtfully. "I believe you may be correct, and under the circumstances I would be pleased to offer my services. But Miss Casey would be humiliated, and rightfully so, if I were to walk up and announce that her aunt had paid me a dollar to lie with her, as if she were a mare in need of servicing. How are you going to broach this sensitive topic?"

"You already did."

Ezra's head whipped around, realizing that Casey was standing in the doorway. Cheeks flushing, he stammered, "Casey, I didn't hear . . . That is, I didn't mean to imply. . . What I'm trying to say is, please don't be offended by our conversation. No disrespect was intended."

Slowly opening the door, she came out onto the porch. Her own face was red as flame and Ezra's gut clenched at the sight of her. Casey was a few months past eighteen but standing here in her worn overalls with no shoes, long brown hair dangling in two uneven tails at the sides of her head, elfin face awash with embarrassment, she looked about twelve years old and so vulnerable that it broke his heart.

"I ain't offended," she said, looking down at the porch boards under her bare scuffing toes. "I been listening since you got here. I ain't gonna tell anyone what I heard, 'bout Mary and all them others," she added quickly, seeing the alarmed look that sprang into his green eyes.

Ezra wanted to sink straight through the porch. It had never even occurred to him that Casey might be inside the open-windowed house, able to hear him prattling on about his recent activities. He would have to be far more careful what he said, and where he said it, in the future. "That would be best," he agreed. "Part of what those women are paying for is my discretion. I would hate to have it believed that I don't honor my promises."

"Ain't your fault. You didn't even know I was here," she said, shrugging one shoulder. Curiosity finally allowed her lift her eyes from the floor. "You really do that? Bed women for money, just like one of them painted ladies do for the men in town?"

Ezra had not viewed a little privately funded prostitution as being anything worse than the gambling and conning he had done all of his life, but hearing it stated so baldly by such an innocent-looking young woman suddenly made him feel a bit depraved.

"On a limited basis," he admitted, "and I just started the practice recently, but . . . yes."

She turned to Nettie, "And you want to hire him to . . . y'know . . . with me?"

"I suppose it ain't very proper but think it'd be good for you," Nettie said firmly.

"And JD . . . I mean, nobody in town would ever have to know?"

Shocked to realize that she was actually considering it, Ezra rose from his rocker and wiped his hands before holding the right one out to her. "I give you my word, as a gentleman, as a businessman and as your friend, no one will ever hear of this."

Blushing, she accepted the handshake. Her smile was shy as she looked up through her lashes at him. "I reckon I trust you. But what about . . .? I don't want to have no babies."

Ezra cleared his throat. Since this was to be an instructional coupling, he saw no reason to share the fact of his personal limitations with her. "I anticipated that and have come prepared."

"With what?" she asked bluntly.

Unsure which of them was more embarrassed by this conversation, Ezra turned away from her bright inquiring eyes and picked up his saddlebags. He dug through the left one for a moment and came up with the package he had received in town. Opening it, he produced a sealed box.

"These are prophylactics," he told her, opening it so she could see. "Contraceptives; tools by which a man may prevent his seed from spilling into his partner upon completion of a sexual coupling."

Casey frowned as she peeked inside the box at the delicate rubber tubes. "What do you do with it?"

Ezra cursed his naturally fair complexion as he felt his cheeks heat up once more. He glanced at Nettie but it was obvious that she would be of no help. She was grinning at him, interested to hear his explanation. "It's a, um, glove of sorts that is fitted over a man's erect penis. The rubber is malleable enough to accommodate many different sizes of wearer and capture any fluid resulting from the gentleman's joining with a lady."

"It's a pecker-sleeve?" she squeaked, bursting into giggles.

"To put it crudely," he sighed. "The material is quite thin, as you can see, thus allowing most of the typical sensitivity in such a joining to be enjoyed."

Suddenly, she frowned. "How come JD didn't have none of these things?"

Ezra shook his head. "Apparently, he was laboring under the delusion that only women were responsible for supplying contraceptives due to some misinformation he received from a working girl. There are a number of herbs and physical devices that can be used by the female, but Mr. Jackson or some other medical practitioner would be a better source of information than I. For the masculine part, these devices, condoms they're called, do the job quite handily and they're readily obtainable from a wide variety of pharmaceutical manufacturers."

She nodded thoughtfully and Ezra exchanged a quick smile with Nettie. If nothing else, perhaps his frankness would save this young woman from an unwanted pregnancy.

Casey looked at him again. "You get your money yet?"

"Got it right here," Nettie interrupted, pulling a coin from her pocket. Ezra wondered if it was the same one from before. "What do you say, girl?"

Shy again, she ducked her head and nodded.

Nettie tossed Ezra the coin. "All right, then. Just keep in mind that this ain't meant to be some kind of reward for what you done, young Miss. I want you to pay attention and learn so that what happened the last time don't happen again."

Blushing, she said, "Yes'm." Returning her attention to Ezra, she asked, "Where you want to do it?"

"You mean, now?" he asked, still trying to mentally reconcile these two women with the conversation they were sharing. It felt a bit like he was having a very strange dream.

Nettie said, "Take him back to your room, Casey. That pie won't be ready for another hour and lunch ain't even started cooking yet. You got time, and the promise of food will give you both something to work toward."

Ezra smirked, realizing that Nettie was trying to cover up her own embarrassment with jokes and that both of the ladies really just wanted to get this over with. "As you wish. I would appreciate the opportunity to freshen up first, however. I'm afraid I hadn't anticipated the need to entertain quite so soon after that long ride."

"There's an outhouse behind the barn, and a water-pump with soap next to it in the kitchen," Nettie told him. "Help yourself to either one."

"Thank you. Miss Casey, I will meet you in your room in ten minutes."

She turned on her heel and fled back into the house without acknowledging his words. Ezra could not blame her, the poor little girl must be nervous enough to have kittens. He didn't feel too far behind her at the moment.

"Mr. Standish," Nettie said, bringing his attention back. "Thanks for agreeing to do this."

"Thank you for trusting me to," he returned.

Chapter Seven

Ten minutes later, as clean and prepared as was possible under the circumstances, Ezra knocked on the closed door of one of the two tiny bedrooms separated by the Wells kitchen. The other door was wide open so he knew this must be Casey's.

"Come in," her tremulous voice called.

Entering the room, Ezra smiled with a trace of pity. The girl had undressed and climbed into bed to wait for him, lying flat on the mattress with her newly released hair falling down over the pale skin of her shoulders and both hands clutching the blankets tight against her chest. Her brown eyes were huge and it looked as if she expected him to just climb on top of her and start rutting.

Not wanting to worry her any more than necessary, Ezra removed his coat, tie, vest and assorted holsters, not hurrying but not making any attempt at seductive slowness either. He sat down upon the bed to remove his boots and socks, making the girl jump with nervousness.

"Don't be afraid, my dear," he said gently, sliding his suspenders away from his shoulders and efficiently unbuttoning his shirt, removing the cufflinks but making no further move to get undressed. "This is for your benefit, remember. Before we begin, I believe an assessment of your present knowledge is in order. What sort of experience did you have with JD?"

She shrugged. "Dunno. We just kinda did it."

"In the barn."

"Yeah. JD kissed me for awhile, then we both worked each other's shirts and britches open. I was worried Aunt Nettie might catch us, so we went up into the loft."

Pained but not at all surprised, he asked, "So you were both in something of a hurry."

"He was pretty excited," she said, blushing brightly. "I didn't hardly get his britches open before he was pokin' his thing into me. It hurt something fierce and it didn't want to go in at first, but after a minute it wasn't that bad."

Ezra sighed. So, most definitely a virgin penetration. "I imagine you'd started to bleed, which increased the slickness of your passage and allowed him greater freedom of movement," he told her. "It won't be like that this time, I promise you. There will be no pain."

The girl relaxed minutely and Ezra nodded to himself. She had feared this contact, assuming that pain would be a normal part of sex. "What happened next?"

"Well, JD was kissin' me, like I said. And he kept squeezing my chest like he was tryin' to milk me or something. Then after a minute, he got this real funny look on his face and groaned real loud and then I felt something hot inside. His stuff, I guess. Then he rolled off me and told me I'd been great. We tried to hurry up and get dressed but Aunt Nettie caught us. She busted into the barn with her Spencer and threatened to shoot JD's thing off if she ever caught him foolin' around with me again. She about yelled my ears off, then she went quiet for the whole rest of the day, and that was just awful." Two tears tracked down her cheeks at the memory. "Then a month or so later, just when spring was first takin' over everywhere, I noticed I hadn't got my cycle. I thought maybe I was gonna have a baby, so I rode into town and told JD first chance I got."

She looked sad at the memory, and Ezra patted her knee through the covers. "I understand. I've heard the rest of this sad tale already."

Casey sighed. "Yeah, I got my courses a couple days later. Me and JD broke up because I realized he didn't really want to get married, and then I just figured I'd be alone forever 'cause I don't know if I can ever trust a man that way again."

"And yet here we are," he said, offering her a gentle smile. "Do you trust me, Casey?"

Biting her lip, she nodded. "You always been real nice to me, Ezra, and I reckon you wouldn't have agreed to do this if you didn't think it'd help me, though I ain't sure how it can."

"Your aunt wants you to understand what being loved gently and tenderly by an experienced partner can feel like, how good it can be, so that when you do meet a man you wish to share your life with, you will know what you should expect from him. And believe me, no matter how good I make you feel, a truly loving partner to whom you have given your heart will only make it better."

"But what if you're right?" she said. "What if it does feel good, but then I don't meet somebody I can really love for years and years?"

He smiled. "You're a beautiful young woman, Casey. I have no doubt that there will be many young admirers in your future. The important thing is that you will remember today, and understand that the right man is worth the wait. Don't throw yourself at the first interested party to come along unless you're quite certain he has your best long-term interest at heart."

"Unless I love him and he loves me, you mean?"

"Correct. You are worth the wait. Remember that. And what I teach you today about your body will help to insure that all sexual pleasure in that future marriage isn't solely the province of the groom."

Drawing a deep breath, she let it out in a gush. "Okay. Reckon you can get to it then."

Opening his shirt a little wider, Ezra pulled it free of his trousers and scooted closer. "Don't be in such a hurry," he scolded. "I want you to begin by touching me, Casey. Intimacy with a man is much more than just spreading your legs for him. Touch my chest, my shoulders, any part that feels good and natural to you. You need to pay attention to both of our bodies. They will tell us exactly what to do if we only listen."

Hesitantly, Casey lifted one hand and brushed her fingertips over his collar-bone, lightly tracing the well defined shape before allowing her fingers to travel higher and push the shirt off his shoulders, examining the hard muscles with a sense of fascination that made him smile. After a moment, she trailed down his chest until her palm came to rest over his heart. She smiled at the steady thump beneath her hand. "You ain't all hairy like JD," she commented, then looked embarrassed. "Sorry, I just figured all men were the same under their clothes."

"Not remotely," he chuckled. "No more than all women are the same." Noting that her left hand still remained clenched around the blankets at her chest, Ezra gently freed her grasp and lifted the small hand to his lips, lightly kissing her palm and each individual fingertip.

"Your heart is racing," he said, pressing a kiss to the pulse-point in her wrist and continuing up her arm to the crook of her elbow. "And your skin is very, very soft. Feel the way it responds to my touch?"

"I got goose bumps," she said a trifle breathlessly.

He smiled. "So have I, because of what you're doing to me."

Surprised, she glanced at her right hand and seemed to notice for the first time that she was stroking little circles over his nipples, making the nubs rise up and harden. The skin around them was indeed shivering with tiny bumps. "That feels good, huh?"

"Yes, it does. You would experience a similar sensation if I were to touch your breasts." Seeing her doubtful expression, he explained, "You said that JD was squeezing you like a milk-cow and I can only imagine how unpleasant that felt. He should have been gentle, due to the heightened sensitivity of that area in most women."

Taking the hint, Casey pushed the blanket down to her waist, exposing herself for the first time. Somehow, given her petite frame and the boyish clothing she favored, Ezra had expected to find her all but flat-chested. It was therefore a very pleasant surprise to be presented with a pair of high, firm, exquisitely formed breasts, each rising up into a delicate rose-colored peak.

Each bud was already tightening in instinctive anticipation of his touch and Ezra spared himself a moment to wonder how his young compatriot could have been so blind as to deny himself this pleasure. "Beautiful," he told Casey, holding her gaze as his fingers gently traced each soft mound, brushing slowly along the sides and base, allowing her to gain full awareness of every centimeter before tracing his fingertips over the tender nipples. Casey gasped in surprise. "Feels good, doesn't it? Would you like it to feel even better?"

She gulped and nodded. "How?"

Lowering his head, again keeping her eyes locked on his, Ezra lightly kissed each nipple then extended the tip of his tongue to taste them, slowly circling and then probing, allowing Casey to register the warmth of his touch before blowing cool air over the straining peaks and bringing another sharp gasp, this one enough to make her eyelids flutter.

"Do you feel what I'm doing in your breasts alone?" he asked, repeating the process with his mouth as he gently kneaded each breast with his fingers, smiling at the catch in Casey's breath. "Or do you feel it lower too?"

"Yeah," she breathed, brows squeezing together as she concentrated. "When you blew on 'em, it felt kind of like . . . I dunno. Like something flickered inside of me. You know, down there?"

He nodded. "I do know and that is exactly as it should be. I'm going to move the blanket lower, are you ready?"

"Okay," she said, already more open to the experience than she had been a few minutes ago. "What are you going to do?"

"First, I intend only to kiss and caress your body. The female body is a beautiful construction, a living work of art, and should be properly appreciated." As he spoke, Ezra pulled the blanket down to her thighs, not removing it entirely lest she panic at the lack of emotional security brought by knowing she could cover up again at any time. "If you wish it, you may continue to touch your breasts as I did. Be gentle and just enjoy it."

She nodded, quickly losing the ability to concentrate as her sides, hips and belly were lovingly stroked. Her hands lightly petted her breasts as Ezra worked, her breath quickening a bit. Ezra watched her reactions carefully, not wanting to bring her to the pinnacle too fast. He was enjoying this for his own sake, too, feeling proud of the trust being extended. Casey's young body was tight and supple, far more curvaceous than he had expected. It really was a shame that she constantly went about in such unflattering clothes. Most young men probably never even guessed at the lovely woman she could be if only someone would put her in the right dress and accoutrements. He seemed to recall Buck telling him that he had tried once, but that something unfortunate had occurred. Perhaps he would throw in some proper dressing tips as a bonus after today's lesson was complete.

Gently massaging her hips, Ezra allowed his hands to slip down further and lightly grip her firmly rounded buttocks. As he had half-expected, this drew a gasp of surprise from Casey. "Our bodies have zones of sensitivity all over them," he told her. "You would be surprised how many. We are all hedonistic creatures, capable of giving and receiving intense pleasure if only we allow ourselves that chance."

Casey licked her lips. "Is that why I keep feeling those shocks in my . . . where we join up?"

"Your vagina," he said calmly, ignoring her blush. "It doesn't hurt anything to say the name, Casey. It is a proper and correct word. If it makes you uncomfortable, there are a number of euphemisms. One of the politest is simply womanhood."

She pondered this for a moment. "So I'm feeling shocks to my . . . womanhood . . . because you're touching those sensitive places?"

"That is correct. Direct stimulation would cause that feeling in even greater degrees."

"Direct?"

"As I'm touching the rest of your body," he explained. "As I touched your breasts; with my hands and my lips and even my tongue."

She looked horrified. "Your tongue? Down there?"

Ezra could not help laughing at her expression. "I assure you, it's quite pleasant."

"I don't know. I guess you can touch it, if you want to. But just with your hand, okay?"

He nodded. "As I said, this is meant to be enjoyable for you. I will do nothing that causes you distress."

Promise made, he gently slipped a single fingertip between her thighs, sliding it so lightly across her channel that he was barely even touching her but Casey jolted like she'd received an electric shock. Her legs opened wider and she stared down with amazed eyes as her smiling instructor rubbed his thumb in tiny circles over her sensitive hood while his finger continued to tease and ever-so-gently probe her increasingly moist channel.

"What is that?"

"This?" he asked, pressing a little harder with his thumb and drawing forth a strangled gasp.

She nodded vigorously.

"That is called the clitoris. It's a small button of flesh at the top of your vaginal channel that is particularly sensitive to touch. Here, feel it for yourself." As she hesitantly extended her hand, he brought her middle fingertip to rest upon the small node. "Rub it gently. Self-satisfaction is not really considered proper behavior, but as long as nobody knows you're practicing it, you'll find that it can help a great deal when there are no partners to be had. In fact, many women can be brought to full sexual completion just by stimulating that tiny protrusion. I suppose it really is the most analogous part to a male penis that exists on the female body."

"Wow," she breathed, drawing another soft laugh from her partner. "Hey, Ezra?"

"Yes?"

She nibbled her lip for a moment. "If this little thing is kinda like what men have, does that mean you like it when girls touch you there? Or do you not feel anything until you stick it in?"

Once again, Ezra was saddened by the knowledge of what this young woman's first experience must have been like. He had assumed that JD, being a protégé of Buck Wilmington, would know better but perhaps he had not been willing to absorb the lessons Buck always seemed so eager to impart.

"Oh, yes, my dear. For us men, there is nothing that quite compares to the wonder of having personal attention paid to that portion of our anatomy."

Surprising him, Casey suddenly sat up in bed and pulled away from his touch. "I want to see it," she declared. "Please? You said I should learn about both our bodies, right? I want to see what you do when I touch you."

Delighted to comply, Ezra stood and removed the remainder of his clothing. "Switch places with me," he suggested. Casey scrambled off the bed, not seeming to care anymore that he was seeing her naked, and sat beside him as Ezra stretched out on her bed. Lifting his head to rest upon his bent left arm, Ezra took Casey's hand and rested it upon his chest. "Start as you did before. Touch me and take note of my body's reaction."

Casey was proving to be an eager student. She watched him like a hawk as her hands moved in random patterns over his body. Curiously, she bent forward and kissed his stomach, smiling when it clenched in reaction. Tracing one finger over the delineated ridges of his abdomen, she grinned and placed a kiss on each individual ridge.

"That tickles," he laughed as her long hair brushed against his sides.

Tucking the locks behind her ears, Casey petted her fingers over the outline of his hip-bones and traced the sharply defined muscles in his thighs. Like any horseman, his legs were strong and sinewy and Casey seemed to find this fascinating. Ezra waited patiently for her to work up the nerve to do as she had requested, and finally one small hand encircled his penis, lifting it away from his body to examine it more closely.

"I take it Mr. Dunne never gave you a proper view of what you were about to receive."

She shrugged. "Nah, like I said, we were in kind of a hurry that day." Her face crinkled as she rubbed her closed hand up and down the long shaft. "Don't take this the wrong way, Ezra, but it's kinda ugly, ain't it? All red and veiny with them fat little pouches at the bottom?"

Far from offended, he laughed. "I'm afraid it isn't one of the more attractive body parts God ever chose to put on his creatures. In that respect, we are built more for functionality than aesthetic merit. In other words, it gets the job done."

Casey grinned. "Guess a gal ain't lookin' at it when it's where it's supposed to be anyway."

"Very true."

A pretty blush touched her cheeks again as she continued to stroke him, noting how hard and ready he appeared. "I guess you'd like to put it inside me now."

He smiled. "I would, but only if you are ready."

She nodded. "Reckon I am."

"All right, then. If you would please retrieve one of the condoms from the box I set on the table?"

Casey fetched one of the little rubber tubes, looking as if she wanted to laugh again as she handed it over to Ezra and waited. Smiling at her reaction, he stretched the tube carefully over his length.

Clearly curious, Casey touched the gloved cock. "It feels kind of nice. Smooth. Can you feel much through it?"

"Everything," he said, clearing the sudden roughness from his throat with a small cough. "All right, so, I should inform you that there are many options for joining."

"Really?"

"Indeed," he said, clinging to his air of professionalism in an attempt to calm down as the interested stroking of Casey's hand threatened to ruin his control. "You can lie on your back while I press inside from above you, that being the most standard technique."

"That's what me and JD did."

"So I had assumed," he said dryly. "Or I can stay as I am while you straddle me and press down."

She frowned. "That don't sound very comfortable."

"It does require a bit of practice," he agreed. "A very simple but satisfying option would be for you to position yourself on hands and knees while I enter you from behind."

"You mean the way critters do it?"

Ezra grinned. This was a farm girl, he reminded himself. He should have expected the connection to be made. "Precisely. There are additional options, but for the sake of our mutual ease and comfort and your lack of experience, why don't you just pick one of those three?"

"I ain't sure I want to see it going in," she confessed. "Maybe the critter way would be the best."

"A sensible choice. Position yourself on all fours, if you please."

Giggling all the while, Casey waited for her partner to get out of the way and then got on her hands and knees on the mattress, her backside pointed toward Ezra. "I feel really silly doing this."

"Silly is good," he told her with a chuckle, placing his hands upon her hips and getting to his knees behind her. "Far better than scared or reluctant. Are you ready?"

She hesitated. "Ezra? You promise it ain't gonna hurt this time?"

Tenderness filled him. "Yes," he said gently. "I do."

"You can do it, then."

Bending over her, Ezra kissed Casey's shoulder, releasing her hips to place one hand on her smooth stomach and the other on a tender breast. She moaned ever so softly as he began to knead the soft mound and Ezra reached down between their legs to grasp himself and make sure he was aligned perfectly. Sliding just enough of the crown inside her body to keep it there, Ezra went back to kissing and caressing with gentle purpose.

Casey panted and mewed with ever-increasing pleasure as her breasts and belly were expertly touched, widening her legs and pushing back to take more of Ezra inside. She was slick now with desire and he moved forward easily, gliding his hips back and forth with gentle care. He made certain not to probe too deeply, mindful of his promise to keep this joining free of pain, but Casey seemed past the point of worry now. She grunted with each thrust, sweat breaking out all across her body as she shoved her buttocks back with a silent, urgent request for more. Ezra thrust a little harder, moving faster now as he brushed his fingertips through the rough dark curls at Casey's entrance and began again to massage her pulsing clitoris.

A breathless cry of pure need wrenched from Casey at that added touch, her head flung back against his shoulder as Ezra held her close and thrust with quick, determined strokes. She gasped sharply and jerked in his arms as he brought her to her first true climax, tears spilling down her cheeks as she rode the intense feeling out.

Pleased by her reaction, Ezra let go the iron control of self-denial and allowed her tight, grasping inner muscles to milk his own completion from him, trusting the condom to keep Casey from being overly aware of his spending.

Ezra sat back on his haunches, taking Casey with him and simply holding her as her heaving breath slowed and his hard sex gradually softened and shrank until it could slip painlessly free of her body. He lightly kissed her neck. "And that, my dear, is what coupling between man and woman is supposed to feel like."

Wrapping her arms over his, Casey sighed heavily. "I never imagined it could be like that." Sounding wistful, she added, "I wish it could've been like that with JD."

"So do I," he said sincerely, "but I'm afraid Mr. Dunne still has some growing up to do. I believe his feelings of love for you were real, Casey, but he hasn't had enough experience to realize that what feels good for the man doesn't necessarily translate to feeling good for the woman. We have to work a bit harder to please our partners, but it is decidedly worth the effort."

She smiled and looked over her shoulder at him. "Is it?"

Kissing her cheek in a friendly way, he smiled back. "Most definitely. That is the true lesson JD should have learned from Mr. Wilmington, and perhaps one day he will. In the meantime, you need to remember that you are worthy of real love and utmost consideration from your partner. Don't settle for anything less."

"I won't," she promised, and Ezra believed her. Casey seemed in no hurry to leave his embrace, so he simply stayed as he was, enjoying this rare moment of relaxation. "Ezra, have you ever loved somebody like that? So much that you only wanted to be with them and nobody else, ever?"

"Once," he admitted. "I was in love and certain that nothing could ever part us, but something happened and she was lost to me. I've never felt that way about another woman since, though I am extremely fond of the breed as a whole."

She smiled at his gentle tease. "I hope you find somebody just as good someday, Ezra. You're worthy of that too."

Touched by her sincere words, Ezra's arms tightened. "I hope you're right, my dear. I hope you're right." Drawing a deep breath, he said, "Well! What do you say we get dressed and set your dear aunt's mind at rest about you, then settle ourselves to enjoy the repast she has been preparing for us?"

"Yeah, she's probably pretty worried."

Pleased to see that Casey did not seem uncomfortable in his presence now that their task was complete, Ezra helped her off the bed and turned his back to offer privacy as he began to hurry back into his clothes.

Suddenly, Casey's stomach let out an audible growl. She giggled. "Guess sex must make folks hungry. I feel like I could eat a bear!"

He laughed as his own stomach rumbled in agreement. "Not if I get to him first!"

Chapter Eight

Morning sun peeked into Ezra's bedroom, bringing with it the promise of a beautiful summer day. From the bed, Ezra smiled and stretched, enjoying the luxurious softness of his large feather mattress and the knowledge that he could spend all day here if he so desired. He had taken Nettie Wells' advice and set aside one day when he would not take any private clients nor involve himself in public law-keeping duties, barring a hold-up or some other such nuisance.

The others had not questioned his request for a day off, assuming he had found some new pigeons to pluck at his poker table, but at the moment, Ezra could not have cared less about poker. He was happy just to rest and think.

He grinned to himself, still not quite able to believe that he had really made ten dollars in two weeks just servicing the good ladies of Four Corners. Who ever would have suspected that so many proper and well-brought-up women would be so eager to spend money on a commitment-free liaison? He snorted. Not that he expected to gain any extra respect for his efforts. Small-town hypocrisy rarely had limits when it came to people like him.

Although, he considered, rolling to his side and snuggling more comfortably into his bed, he had noticed a decided warming trend from Mary Travis. The young widow had employed his services three times already and seemed quite happy with the prospect of continuing to do so. She was growing a bit bolder, too. The first two times she had preferred to just lie here and let herself be prepared and ridden, but the third time she had dared to ask if she could be on top and Ezra had been glad to show her how to please them both from that position.

Inez had proven to be a true revelation. The Mexican barmaid, who happily still considered him just a very good friend in spite of the new benefits being offered to their arrangement, had paid for a second round last night and was happily playing out all sorts of naughty fantasies with him, the likes of which he had never dreamed she could create. He was still afraid to ask where she had obtained the polished wooden sex toy she had brought to her bed, where they had spent nearly two hours pleasing one another after the saloon closed down. Especially after she had taught him a thing or two about erogenous zones! Ezra shifted a bit, still slightly sore from being stimulated in such an unusual manner.

He had not seen Casey Wells since their afternoon together but he hoped he had managed to teach the girl enough that she would remain patient until she found the kind of love she wanted and deserved to have.

The other liaisons had been mostly fairly bland affairs, the ladies more interested in their own feeling of daring than anything else, but they had been pleasant enough. Good money for light work, which everyone knew was the very best kind.

Ezra chuckled into his pillow as he thought about the real surprise among those assorted ladies. Gloria Potter, middle-aged business woman, doting mother and pillar of the community, had been a pleasant surprise indeed. He mentally tipped his hat to the late George Potter, knowing that the good man must have had quite a full and fascinating married life.

Ezra had adored the gentle dignity with which Mrs. Potter conducted herself. She had invited him in, given him tea and some very delicious cookies, chatted about inconsequentials for a time, then solemnly handed him a dollar bill. Before Ezra had been able to ask her preference, she had grabbed his face and kissed him literally breathless, leaving him to recover in stunned silence while she removed her dress and drawers, leaving her corset and long linen petticoat in place as she politely requested him to drop his pants. A few strokes and another two or three of those deep, devastating kisses had been all it took to bring his cock to full and eager arousal and the good widow had calmly straddled him right there on a straight-backed parlor chair and brought them both to a wonderfully satisfying completion within minutes. When they were finished, she had smiled her lovely, enigmatic smile and offered him a handkerchief and another cup of tea.

They had dressed, finished their afternoon snack just as if nothing untoward had interrupted it, wished each other a good day and parted. It was the most civilized sexual encounter he had ever experienced. Ezra rather hoped he would be asked to tea again one day.

Flipping to his other side as the sun began to intrude more forcefully upon his closed eyelids, Ezra mused that he was finding a surprising amount of satisfaction in this unusual side-line, though he had not yet spent any of his earnings. For some reason, he was reluctant to do it. All ten dollars were residing untouched in the little box that housed his jewelry. It just didn't feel right somehow to spend them on whiskey or ammunition or a gambling stake. A part of him felt as if he should give the money back, though the mercenary side of his nature gibbered in horror at the very notion, since he had been reaping so much personal benefit from each transaction. Realistically, Ezra knew that he could not. The entire reason those ladies had lain with him was the business-like nature of the deal. Impersonal, confidential, guilt-free, just like any other deal in which services were traded at a fair price.

Was this something he anticipated doing for the long-term? No. The appeal of the forbidden would wear off soon enough. Some of the women would marry and others would find the prick of their moral conscience more compelling than they could stand. In either case, the time spent with Ezra would become a closely held secret, one barely even admitted to themselves. And for his part, Ezra knew that this all just a very pleasant temporary diversion.

He had found himself thinking off and on all week about Casey's questions about love, and her sweet assurance that he was worthy of knowing such a feeling again. He wanted that. He had not been able to admit it to himself for a long time but he had been taking baby steps toward the notion for the past two years. That desire had increased greatly after he had made the brief acquaintance of that sweet Chinese maiden, Li Pong, and felt his heart swelling with a level of tenderness he had no longer thought himself capable of feeling. Casey Wells had brought that feeling back yet again. Both of those girls, so innocent and trusting, so guilelessly certain of his good heart and kindly intentions, had forced him to realize that he was far from the callously independent soul he had so often pretended to be. Deep down, he wanted someone to love and to care for, a woman who could love him in spite of all his faults, follies and limitations.

Rolling onto his back again, Ezra opened his eyes and smiled up at the ceiling. He wondered what the men he had been working with, and the women he had been working for, would think if they knew that Ezra Standish harbored such romantic dreams.

"Perhaps a lonely widow who already has a darlin' wee babe or two," he mused aloud, liking the sound of the words. "A rich widow with a beautiful face and form, a generous heart, flexible moral standards . . . and a healthy attitude toward all bedroom activities."

Ezra laughed, lacing his hands behind his head and grinning at the boards above. He doubted that any such woman really existed, but he would have to keep his eyes open. Perhaps this new line of work could prove to have some worthwhile long-term benefits, after all.

The End

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Author's Note: In case anyone wonders, male contraceptives became widely available following the outbreak of social diseases brought back with returning Civil War soldiers and the patenting of vulcanized rubber by Charles Goodyear (the tire guy) in 1865. These became the norm until the invention of latex in 1920.