Chapter 19
Posted: July 19, 2007 - 08:49:50 pm

While I was singing Irish Eyes to Molly Dean, Feleena and about half the girls from Rosa's came in. I gave Molly a kiss on the cheek when I finished the song and joined in as the Hombres swung into 'El Paso'. For once Feleena acknowledged my singing by tilting her head in my direction and smiling at me. The ladies happy hour passed quickly as the women from the different saloons and dancehalls rotated in and out. Feleena stayed for fifteen minutes and had a glass of wine. I stopped by her table when I wasn't singing and said hello to her.

"I am glad to see you are not sitting around pining away for me, Mister Abogado," she said.

Funny, she didn't sound that glad at all.

After I finished singing 'El Paso', I asked Liz to dance with me. She smiled and looked at Pen inquisitively. When he nodded, she stood up and stepped into my arms. I mentioned before that Liz and I were a well matched couple and we both knew how to dance, so we put on a show. As the Hombres played a nice waltz, I swirled Liz around the room. She gracefully followed me, anticipating my movements from when we'd danced before.

It was the first time I'd danced at the Toro, but it wouldn't be the last, as the Toro girls cornered me and made me dance with Conchita. Conchita wasn't the polished dancer that Liz was, but she had a grace about her that I appreciated.

I checked both bars and the card tables then I asked Molly for a dance. She was hesitant at first, but finally agreed. Molly had danced before, as learning to dance was part of the tutoring she received in being a good wife. Molly had been all smiles the entire evening.

"You look as if you are having a good time, Molly Dean, which makes me very happy."

"I am having a wonderful time Tyler, thank you so much for inviting me. I had no idea you were such an accomplished singer and dancer."

I laughed and kissed her on the cheek.

"I'm not either of those things, but it was sweet of you to say so."

I walked Molly back to our table as soon as the song ended. As I passed Feleena's table, she and her friends were standing up to leave. She caught my eye and arched her eyebrows.

"You dance and sing surprisingly well for a Gringo," Feleena said.

Before I could reply, Molly jumped in.

"He does many things amazingly well," Molly said in her sultry bedroom voice.

Feleena's mouth tightened into a straight line as she headed out the door. I kissed Molly on the cheek again.

"Thanks for saying that, my little cutie."

She smiled and patted my arm.

"I've never had a problem with telling the truth, Ty," she replied.

I asked Pen if he was okay with me walking Molly home at eleven. He said sure and told me that he and Liz would close up so I didn't need to come back.

As we strolled home, I put my arm around Molly and this time she cuddled right up against me.

"I'm glad Mister Smythe gave you the rest of the night off, Ty, because your singing and dancing has me feeling very amorous."

I laughed and let my hand slip down until it was resting on her nicely rounded hip. As we walked, I told her in great detail what I was going to do to that amazing ass of hers when we reached my room. My words had her hips swishing as she started walking faster.

As soon as we reached my room, I kissed her then spun her around and leaned her over the back of my armchair. She moaned as I flipped her dress and crinolines up over her back and pulled her bloomers down her legs. I think she started coming before I was half way into her.

Molly Dean had a gorgeous ass. Even though I hadn't lit my coal oil lamp when we arrived in my room, I could still see it clearly from the glow of the moonlight washing through my windows. Molly's butt was smooth, pale and flawless. She had muscular cheeks that jutted out provocatively and fit into my hands perfectly. Molly's ass was also very sensitive; she loved for me to play with it while we coupled. As I drove into her, I swatted her firmly. She cooed and dropped her head down to raise her ass up higher.

The next day things were nearly back to normal as Pen, with help from Liz, reassumed more of his duties at the Toro. Liz was openly living with Pen now and had quit her job at the Gold Nugget. They were even talking about marriage. I was really happy for the both of them, because I thought they were perfect together.

At two in the afternoon, I put the money from Señor Trujillo in an envelope and took it over to the courthouse. I handed it to the clerk of the court along with a note that said Trujillo had a change of heart about filing charges. Two hours later, a deputy came to the Toro and said the sheriff wanted to see me.

I gabbed with the deputy as we walked down to the jail. He was a gregarious man of middle age, who acted mostly as the town's jailer. I guessed that he didn't get to talk all that much, being cooped up with the taciturn Sheriff Faulkner. Faulkner had a staff of eight deputies spread out between working the courthouse, tending the jail, patrolling the town and policing the county. He had a big job and a small crew with which to accomplish it. I didn't envy him a bit.

When I arrived at the jail, Faulkner was sitting at his desk with Carlos Trujillo sitting in a side chair. He looked up when I strolled in, his look inscrutable.

"The charges have been dropped against your client, counselor, and he's free to go. I wanted you down here before I released him so you could hear what I'm about to tell him."

I nodded my head respectfully and gave him my undivided attention.

"You were lucky this time Trujillo, because the men you attacked changed their minds about pressing the charges against you. Next time you bring a knife into my town, I will arrest you and throw you under the jail. I don't care how many lawyers you hire. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir," we both said in unison.

Faulkner sent Carlos with the jailer to get his horse and tack from the stable, but asked me to stay for a minute. When we were alone, he gave me a much kinder look.

"I keep hearing good things about you McGuinn, this time from that federal man, Gordon. He came in here and apologized for not consulting with me before he arrested Toliver. He also told me that you played a big part in finding the counterfeiters and were considering a job in law enforcement."

I told him what I wanted to do with the U.S. Marshall up in Santa Fe, and he nodded his understanding.

"Listen McGuinn, I can offer you the same deal as a part time deputy too. I have a pool of seven or eight part-timers that I call up for posses or special events. I don't know how long I can keep you on, because Judge Howard had a county law passed that the sheriff will be elected, instead of appointed, starting next year. I'll stand for election, but I'm not Howard's first choice for the job, and he controls a lot of votes."

I told Faulkner to let me think about it for a couple of days, but I was pretty much sold on the idea already. He guffawed when I told him if the elections were held after the first of November, I'd be old enough to vote for him.

"Hell son, the way I hear it you could get yourself elected if women could vote. My deputies tell me that there is a stampede of fallen doves headed to the Toro every night to hear you sing."

Until Faulkner said that, I hadn't even remembered that women couldn't vote in the 1870s. How freaking stupid was that for a lawyer to be?

Before I left his office, the Sheriff had a request for me. He asked that I escort my client home. Faulkner didn't want to chance Carlos and the cowboys he'd carved up running into each other.

I could hardly say no to his request, so I headed down to the stables to catch up with Carlos.

Carlos was saddling his horse when I walked up. I asked him to wait for me so I could ride home with him. I saddled up Melosa and soon we were on our way. I dropped by the Toro and Molly's to let everyone know where I would be, then we set out towards the Trujillo spread. While we rode, I talked to Carlos about the looming conflict over the rights to the salt flats. Carlos said that Mexicans had had unrestricted access to the salt for almost three hundred years. He said that it had been only in the last ten years that one group had tried to control the vital salt.

Carlos told me the Mexican communities on both sides of the river were becoming resigned to the notion that they'd be bloodshed before it was all over. Everyone thought that as soon as the last troops were pulled out of Fort Bliss and sent north towards Indian Territory, Howard would have free reign. The last detachment of soldiers was due to depart on the first of July, only a week away. I was finding more and more that Judge Howard was a serious megalomaniac. He thought that he was the emperor of El Paso County and West Texas.

I ate a quick meal with some very thankful Trujillos, then hot-footed it back to town. I was on duty at the saloon by seven. By eight I was deeply involved in a very rewarding poker game. The game I'd bought into broke up at ten when the cowboys at the table saw all the women streaming into the saloon. I was happy for that bit of luck, because I needed to move over to the dance floor anyway. That I was going there with thirty-seven dollars of their money didn't hurt my feelings a bit.

Because Pen wasn't at full speed yet, I still had plenty of duties to keep me busy, so it was about twenty after ten by the time I finished restocking both bars and dropping some of the money from our bar tills into the safe in Pen's office. When I walked across the saloon into the dancehall portion, the place was packed again. Our dancers were all out on the floor waltzing around with a mannerly bunch of cowpokes and the bar was lined two deep with fellows waiting their turn. Liz was by now running the dancehall, so I decided to play a couple of numbers with the band.

I swear the females who came into the Toro to relax on their break from the other saloon were as bad as the cowboys who chased after them where they worked. As soon as I picked up my guitar, the catcalls and comments started. The saloon women came in all sizes and shapes, from painted and perfumed prostitutes to the demurely dressed dancers. The nicest looking women worked at the Toro, Gold Nugget, Rosa's, or the Longhorn Saloon.

The Longhorn was the biggest saloon in town. I had been there once and then only for a few minutes. The Longhorn ran a lot of sucker games like Faro, Three Card Monty and Craps. In the west of the 1870's, those three games were usually crooked and run by card-sharks and con men. The owner of the Longhorn was a good friend of Charles Howard. His name was William Braxton, but everyone called him Riverboat Bill. Braxton was so crooked that when he died they were going to have to screw him into the ground.

The Longhorn had over thirty women working there, about half of them strictly dancers. A few of them had been in the night before, but this night about half of them showed up. One of the women was a pretty little blonde with lively blue eyes and a quick and ready smile. I almost passed out when I saw her, because she looked and laughed exactly like Crazy Cora Leigh, my fourth ex-wife. I asked Liz about her first chance I had.

"That's Margaret Wilson, but everyone calls her Belle. She's a nice woman, very genteel and refined. I hear Riverboat Bill Braxton asked for her hand, but she turned him down cold. Her past is a mystery, but rumor has it that she killed her husband back in Alabama for cheating on her. One of the women at the Longhorn told me she shot his manhood off with a shotgun and let him bleed to death."

Whoa! It was Cora Leigh, preincarnated. I thanked Liz and slung on my guitar. We warmed up with a Johnny Cash number, then I walked us over to the two tables full of Longhorn women. I planted myself in front of the blonde and started singing.

"Hello Belle, nice to see you,

It's been a long time..."

Conway Twitty's song, 'Hello Darlin', lent itself to inserting a woman's name for the word Darling, to good effect. Miss Wilson was positively glowing by the time I finished the song. When she looked at me, she had that same gleam in her eyes that made Cora Leigh irresistible to me. Hey, but I am a lot smarter than that now, right? Nope, not a chance.

After the Conway number for Belle, we swung around the room and serenaded the women. The women liked it that we stopped at each table and sang a song just for them. I spent about twenty minutes hanging out with the Hombres, then made a quick round of the saloon to make sure everything was going smoothly. Pen was manning the card tables by then. He was feeling strong enough that he could be up and about for a couple of hours at a stretch, but still needed to be off his feet most of the time.

While I was walking back to the dancehall, I heard the Hombres start playing the intro to El Paso, so I quickened my step. When I walked into the big ballroom, I saw Feleena and her group had found a table and that Belle was sitting with Liz in animated conversation. I picked up my guitar and sang Feleena's theme song. Since the first wave of women had gone back to work, there were a number of requests called out for various songs. None of them involved me, so I put down my guitar and started towards Feleena's bunch to say howdy.

I was half way across the dance floor when Margret Wilson stepped in front of me and blocked my path.

"Elizabeth said you were a delightful dance partner, Mister McGuinn; I hope I'm not being too forward if I ask you to waltz with me. It would be a welcome relief from the plodding ruffians with whom I am normally partnered."

Belle had a wonderful, finishing school southern drawl, and her voice was pitched low and intimate. I couldn't have said no if I had my mouth stuffed full of them. I turned towards her and gave her my imitation of a courtly bow.

"I'd be honored, Miss Wilson."

Belle turned out to be as good a dancer as Liz Collins. Belle was only about five feet four inches tall, but she was as graceful as a swan. She picked up the nuances of my style immediately. She made me look much better than I was; we were Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers on the floor. When the song was over, I walked her back to the table she'd been sharing with Liz. I was surprised she'd stayed after the other women from the Longhorn had departed. I sincerely thanked her for the dance and told her I hoped to see her again.

"Oh, I think you can count on that Mister McGuinn," she said.

I returned Belle's smile, turned around and walked over to say hello to Feleena. She did not look all that happy to see me. As soon as I said hello, she had some advice for me.

"Be careful of that one, Señor Abogado, it is said she is a dangerous woman."

I shrugged and replied, "I've been told the same about you, maybe that's the attraction. Besides, when we are together I'll only have eyes for you."

To my surprise, instead of shooting me down, Feleena smiled thinly and nodded emphatically.

"If that day comes, Tyler, then that is the only way it can be between us. I am all the woman that you or any man would ever need."

That, my friends, is progress.

The next night, Wednesday, was the slowest of the week for us at the Toro. I think that's probably why Pen met with his cronies on that night every week. After they were about thirty minutes into their card game, Pen called me over and had me sit in with them. The topic was my suggestion about a gentleman's club. Everyone wanted to know exactly what I envisioned. I was not shy about telling them.

My idea was a private gentlemen's club that required a monthly or annual membership fee. The idea of the fee was that it be just enough money so that the casual cowboy off the trail wouldn't spend it for the few nights he had in town. The club would have a nice restaurant for mixed dining and one or two small private dining rooms. In addition, we would hire the best looking, classiest and most discreet women as dancers and 'hostesses'. Rooms would be available for members either by the month, week or night. We'd have rules for members that protected their privacy and our interests.

There would be a dress code, and weapons in the club would be strictly forbidden. We could have a gaming room, library and quiet lounge also. Membership would be limited to say two hundred members to keep the appearance of exclusivity. I guess I was envisioning a cross between the gentlemen's clubs of Great Britain and a Playboy Bunny Club of the mid nineteen-seventies.

The other men hashed out ideas and offered their own suggestions. By ten o'clock that night, I was secretary/treasurer, corporate attorney and managing partner of the El Paso Gentlemen's Club. Wilfredo Acevedo, the wealthy property owner even had a building for us. I almost crapped myself when he said the building was the El Paso Grande Hotel.

Each of the other partners, Pen, Clem the barber, Doctor Willis, Mister Pritchett from the mercantile and Big Liz would Pony up a grand each for seed money. Since I didn't have nearly that much money, I committed to paying two hundred dollars and free legal services for the company for the next three years.

Señor Acevedo agreed to let us have the building rent free for six months for his initial investment, but he said all capital improvements to the building became his property, regardless.

We shook on it and I took copious notes, I promised them all a copy of what was agreed at the next Wednesday's meeting.
Joe J & Wet Dream-Girl
Chapter 20