Warning(s) Female/Female relations and some slight sexual frustration
So I want to apologize ahead of time for this update because it is VERY LONG! I ended up getting so caught in the moment and didn't realize how much I had written until I was proofreading it. Please read though, it is very enjoyable :)
::A flock of blackbirds flies by up ahead.
The smell of horse manure and usual pine awaken all of Mary-Beth's senses.
Molly takes hold of Mary-Beth's right arm and pulls her into a tight embrace. The young woman was not expecting to come into close contact with Molly, at least not the way they had in the past. The Irish woman's curled hair gives off a soft, feminine scent that welcomes Mary-Beth to give the older woman much-needed attention.
It's the early morning and the fog looks lovely across the sky. The air is cool and Molly melts into Mary-Beth's tender kisses along her neck.
They are further away from camp than they had been before. Smart of them. Molly doesn't know about Mary-Beth and Micah's agreement and she never will. Nobody will ever know, they can't.
"You're such a sweet, young thing," Molly whispers to Mary-Beth as she carefully pulls her from her neck and looks into her blue eyes, so big and bright.
Molly brushes back a few strands of brown hair from Mary-Beth's freckled face and gives her a smile. This is how Molly O'Shea wants to live. No one controlling her. No MAN telling her what she can and can't do. She wants to be able to hold Mary-Beth whenever she wants to, kiss her when she wants to, and take care of her the way she wants to without judgment, without Dutch Van Der Linde telling her she is nothing without him.
She can't live that way. For many reasons.
Mary-Beth's arms grow tighter around Molly's beautifully clothed waist and she closes her eyes when her lips fall against Molly's. So soft and gentle. Nothing like Micah's rough and bitter-tasting kisses.
They have the early mornings to be together.
With their lips still interlocked, Molly opens her eyes slowly and bats her long lashes, cupping Mary-Beth's face with both hands, cocking her head to deepen the kiss. They both end up on the forest ground, comforted by large patches of moss and the coverage from the lightly rustling treetops. Molly is on top of Mary-Beth who is obviously unaware and inexperienced with what Molly is attempting to do.
Breaking apart their conjoined mouths, Molly lets out a warm sigh and raises herself upon the palms of her hands. She can feel the softness of the moss and grass crushed beneath her fingers and she looks into Mary-Beth's deep blue eyes.
Mary-Beth's pink cheeks turn a deep rogue and she quickly looks away as if she is embarrassed.
"I won't do anything you don't want me to do, love," Molly explains and lowers herself back down to kiss Mary-Beth's flushed cheek. Mary-Beth slowly turns her head back to center and smiles up at Molly.
.
Ring-neck creek
.
Arthur is normally an early riser. He loves to wake up with the sun and the sound of Mother Nature awakening the rest of the world.
He pulls out his pocket watch to check the time.
7:34 am
His right palm stings but it's healing. He is glad for deciding to put on his gloves. He doesn't want Bonnie to ask about his hand. He's not in the mood to talk about how clumsy and idiotic he can be sometimes. Most of the time. He sits uncomfortably in his saddle, nearby the creek, waiting for Bonnie's appearance. He has his jacket on this morning, it's chilly. He stretches, yawns, and reaches for a cigarette within his satchel. Turning his head to look at his left hip where his satchel normally lays, he can see up ahead, someone on horseback.
He quits rummaging for a cigarette and closes the satchel, grabbing hold of the reins. He can see who it is and he smiles faintly to himself. He pulls on the reins and his black horse turns in the direction. Bonnie is eventually close enough that he can see her soft expression.
Her painted horse comes to a sudden stop under her control and her eyes meet Arthur's. The half-smile on his lips that Bonnie is quick to notice causes her to cough.
She pulls on the reins again and allows Arthur to follow. They wander on horseback closer to the creek and find a nice hitching spot before dismounting.
Both Arthur and Bonnie hitch their horses by a scarred tree. The early morning woodpeckers echo through the cluster of trees around them. Toads and crickets play near the edge of the creek; splashing and chirping. Arthur grabs his fishing pole and turns away from his horse to see Bonnie reaching for hers.
He doesn't stare and when they grab the rest of their fishing supplies, bait, and hooks, Arthur follows Bonnie towards the very edge of the water. It's a chilly morning and Bonnie is wearing a jacket but nothing as warm as Arthur's.
Arthur sees her shake a couple of times, but readies his bait anyway. He stands close at her side and he can truly see just how small of a woman she is. God, Bonnie must see Arthur as some kind of giant and it leaves him feeling a bit uneasy. He shuffles to the right, offering up some extra space between the both of them and he tosses his line.
Bonnie tosses her line not long after Arthur and she shivers again. Kneeling over, setting his pole down, Arthur begins to remove his jacket. It is big but it will keep Bonnie warm.
"Here," Arthur chimes up and offers up his jacket. Bonnie turns her head and eyes the man up and down before setting her pole down.
Bonnie removes her thin jacket and lays it close by at her feet. She takes the heavy piece of clothing from Arthur and allows herself to sink into it. It's very warm for sure but has a bit of weight to it. It's real animal hide; no doubt about it.
Arthur smiles at the sight of someone so small wrapped up in his jacket. Bonnie meets his gaze and can't keep away the flushed feeling that sneaks upon her cheeks.
"Thank you," she comments quietly and kneels over again to pick up her pole. Arthur nervously fixes the hat on his head and grabs his pole.
"You any good at fishing?" the outlaw asks, hoping they can keep the silence away for a bit, at least until both of them are more comfortable being alone together. Bonnie grips her fishing pole tight and can feel her palms begin to get hot and clammy.
She nods her head and smiles. "I would like to think I am!" she responds with a little chuckle and Arthur nods his head, peering out at the surface of the muddy water.
She pulls back on the pole and kneels down, digging a small hole in the ground with just her bare fingers. Arthur sees movement from his peripherals and turns his head to see what Bonnie is doing. The sun is beginning to shine through the fog. The singing birds become louder and some of the bugs start to pester.
"What are you doing?" Arthur asks, holding onto his pole with a slightly tighter grip. Bonnie doesn't respond with words. She finishes up digging the perfect hole, slides the butt of her fishing pole into it, and wanders on over to her horse to retrieve something.
"I brought some flapjacks!"
The young woman says out loud and Arthur watches her reach into her saddlebag. One of Arthur's sleeves slowly starts to roll back down and he doesn't bother with it while keeping his eyes on Bonnie.
She is quite the pretty thing; a cream-colored buttoned-down blouse, with a frilly collar, tucked into a dark blue knee-high skirt, a brown leather belt around her thin waist which has a golden buckle shining in the awakening sunlight.
His eyes are slow and careful as they draw down her frame. He sees the small, muddy, but very girlish boots upon her feet. She is definitely an enjoyable sight to Arthur's eyes.
His heart thumps and his skin becomes suddenly speckled in an unwanted sheen of sweat. His neckerchief is blazing hot.
Bonnie holds onto the cloth-covered plate of flapjacks and turns around to face her male acquaintance. The fog has died and warm sunshine takes its place. No need to keep on wearing Arthur's heavy jacket. Arthur blinks his eyes, uses his uninjured hand to rub his nose, and catches a splash at the corner of his eye. He brings his attention to the creek, pulls on his line, and begins to reel it in. He's sure it's not going to be anything big because it's a creek but he's happy to have something on the line anyway.
Bonnie folds Arthur's jacket over his saddle and places her hand back underneath the barely warm plate of food. The young woman sets the plate down, with the checkered cloth still shielding the food from creeping insects beside the scarred tree, and unwinds the blanket from the back of her saddle, carefully unfolding it, letting it lie flat on the warming earth.
She is careful of the horses close by but they don't seem very interested in what she is doing anyway. The rough, moss-colored blanket is finally laid out perfectly and Bonnie grabs the plate of food and pulls the cloth from the top of them.
She can hear the soft splashing of the water, trying not to chuckle as Arthur seems to be struggling.
"You hungry?" Bonnie calls out to Arthur who finally figures out what all his struggling's about.
He reels in his line and finds the hook completely hidden in a ball of mud. The mud falls back into the water in large clumps and Bonnie hides her smile behind a hand.
Arthur groans and drops his fishing pole, pinching the bridge of his nose. He turns around after mentally giving himself a swift kick in the ass and sees such a lovely scene awaiting him.
The beautiful walnut tree, the two horses grazing, bluebirds flying close by and the beautiful young girl sitting on her knees with a plate full of food is just want he needs. He had asked for something similar to this in the past and never got it until today. He hardly knows this young woman but Arthur wants to even more. He doesn't want to let this one go.
Keeping his composure, Arthur smiles and wanders on over to the well put together scene ahead of him. He does feel a bit goofy; he is a big man, occupying such a barely large enough blanket with a small woman.
He doesn't think too hard about it. Arthur grabs the top of his hat and removes it slowly, letting it lie at his side as he does his best to sit cross-legged. Usually, he just sits with one leg up and the other on the ground but he is trying to be a gentleman.
No reason he needs to put the front of his dirty jeans on display in front of a woman he barely knows. A woman who makes him extremely uneasy but giddy like a young man.
The plate is large and the flapjacks are golden brown. The way Arthur likes his favorite breakfast food. Bonnie flattens her skirt over her knees and brings her eyes up to see Arthur's.
"This is very kind of you, Ms. Macfarlane," Arthur comments and reaches out to grab a fluffy flapjack from the stack.
Bonnie had brought some maple syrup but it seems that she has forgotten to grab it from her saddlebag. Her peach lips curve into a sweet smile and Arthur doesn't question the missing syrup, already chowing down the soft cake. Bonnie doesn't bother to get up and retrieve it, watching Arthur eating the flapjacks so quickly.
Silence binds Arthur and Bonnie together and it's kind of awful. Arthur swallows the chewed up flapjack and scratches the nape of his neck. His hair is getting long. Bonnie eats only a couple of the flapjacks and her bites are the tiniest Arthur has ever seen.
He cracks a small grin and leans forward into his lap, trying to ignore the itching in his palm. The horses share a few snorts and stomps and the birds sing loud, welcoming the rest of Mother Nature to chime in. The sudden scent of lavender finds its way to Arthur's nose and he inhales it all. He is sure it's blowing from the creamy skin of Bonnie's open blouse and her bare arms.
He is too close to exposing himself. He blinks his eyes and waves his large hand inconspicuously about in an attempt to waft the delicate smell away but no use. It gets rid of the swarm of gnats though.
The only way he will no longer smell it is if he covers his nose or walks away. He is a gentleman though. Well behaved and mannered but the way Bonnie peers over at him and her smell just irks him in a very good, unexpected way. Arthur can recall Mary's smell; very floral and spicy. Nothing like Bonnie's scent, which is soft, creamy, and calm.
She is unlike any woman he had met before. Bonnie is even a year younger than Eliza when she and Arthur were together.
"Just call me Bonnie and you're welcome!" the young rancher says softly, flicking her wrist and picking up another flapjack with her bare fingers.
Arthur doesn't mean to stare at her while she eats but he does and Bonnie makes it known by coughing and turning her head away with inflamed cheeks. She swallows the food and stands up to fetch something new from her saddlebag. Arthur watches her turn her back to him and reaches into that never-ending saddlebag of hers.
The sun is getting warmer and so is Arthur. While Bonnie's back is turned, Arthur loosens up the dark neckerchief around his neck and instantly feels better.
"Why are you doing this?" Arthur asks out loud, seeing Bonnie turn back to face him. She has a canteen in her hand and hands it over to him.
The young woman just shrugs her shoulders and sits back down on her knees. Arthur doesn't deserve this kind of attention, especially from someone as wonderful as Bonnie. He doesn't know what he's doing or what he's thinking at the exact moment but he does something completely crazy. He leans forward on one knee and places a tender kiss on the young woman's right temple.
The silence between them is stifling and the heat is much worse than just moments ago.
Bonnie doesn't move after the unexpected kiss. Her eyes fall down upon the shared blanket and she stands up again. She doesn't say anything or even looks in Arthur's direction.
Arthur slowly rises back to his feet and his height seems to intimidate her. He looks down at her and can see how stiff she has become.
He doesn't want to scare her even more so he bends over to pick up his hat and sets it on his head. He doesn't take the canteen from Bonnie. His mouth is desert dry but he'd be a big fool to accidentally bump her hand with his trying to grab the canteen.
He feels awful, even more so with the silence pulling them together again. Arthur Morgan is a brute and Bonnie Macfarlane is just a young woman, who is half his age and half his size. He wants to leave more than anything but he needs to know how Bonnie is feeling. He doesn't want to guess by the expression on her face or the way she is standing. He wants to hear the words come from her mouth.
"I'm sorry, I don't know why I did that,"
Arthur apologizes softly, toning down his gravelly voice a few notches, scratching his head. This can't be the last time he ever sees of her. Bonnie blinks her eyes, her lashes long and full. She can smell the earth around her, even the hot, man musk seeping from Arthur's pores. His clothes cling to him like glue in the hot sun. Bonnie can even feel her own clothes stick.
"I need to be home for my father, Mr. Morgan," Bonnie explains to Arthur, who is doing his best to hide his true feelings. He doesn't say anything in return as he steps off the blanket and folds it back up.
Bonnie grabs the empty plate and the checkered cloth, settling them back inside her large saddlebag. Arthur hands over the rolled-up blanket and Bonnie takes it. She seems tense and anxious. She doesn't even look up at Arthur. Maybe it's good of her to be afraid of him; he's nothing but a law-breaking criminal. He can't even seem to keep a good hold on his own damn emotions.
Arthur gently rests his hands upon his holster belt and watches Bonnie hop up into the saddle.
"Same time tomorrow?" Bonnie asks with the reins in one hand and the other brushing her bangs from her line of vision. Her crystal blue eyes find Arthur's and he is quick to nod his head.
He stands tall beside her horse and damn, does his height and body size unnerve her but she can see good in his eyes. He doesn't give her 'normal man' vibrations at all. He is nothing like Algernon. Nothing like her long-gone husband, nothing like any man she has met. Arthur offers his female acquaintance a faint smile and watches her leave.
.
Algernon's garden house
.
5:35 pm
With his phonograph playing behind the counter, Algernon finishes up his cup of warm chamomile tea and closes the fashion catalog. He has yet to finish looking through the entire thing. As he stands up from the small table, he is surprised by the familiar face that walks through the front entrance.
"Ms. Kibodeaux, how great it is to see you!" Algernon warmly greets the woman with a kind smile and clasps his hands together. She is one of Algernon's many clients but what she is here for isn't a new hat or hot tea.
The bright, sunshine-filled sky is lovely this afternoon. The sun rays gleaming down into Algernon's garden brightens and warms up the whole shop. He wanders on over toward Belle and grabs her soft hands. Her skin is warm and so is his. Their eyes meet and Belle bats her eyes.
"What can I do for you, my dear?" Algernon asks sweetly and his soft voice is more than Belle can stand.
It is hard enough seeing him dressed so fine and smelling so good all the time. She isn't as beautiful and young as Bonnie but she is far from being ugly. Belle is a heavier set woman than most around Saint-Denis but that shouldn't stop her from trying to get what she has wanted for so long from Algernon.
The two share a moment of silence before Belle leads Algernon over to his table. He sits down without question and crosses one leg over the other. Their hands part and he keeps up his charming smile. Belle smiles brightly back at him and picks up her skirt as she slowly hits the floor with her knees. Algernon is now questioning her and begins to wonder why she is even here in the first place. He knows Belle Kibodeaux is a prostitute and he has no business playing around with her.
Her hands drop the skirt and they find their way onto Algernon's knees. He uncrosses his leg and leans forward, gently touching her hands.
"Ms. Kibodeaux, I can see what is going on here and I am not interested, I am sorry my dear," Algernon informs the woman on her knees before him, looking into her green eyes.
The big breasted woman gives Algernon a little dance with her fingertips on his knees, allowing herself to go further up to his thigh. She knows how to get under any man's skin. If Algernon gives her enough time, then she is sure to achieve what she came here to do.
Algernon jerks a bit upon contact with her hands and he stands up in a hurry. He hasn't been touched by a woman like that in over a year.
Belle glides her passion-filled eyes up the length of Algernon's body and sees the look of anxiety and something else in his eyes. She is offered his hand to help her stand back to her feet and she accepts it. With one of her hands, Belle strokes Algernon's cheek. It's more sunken than she remembers but he still looks the same.
Her eyes skim across his features and he does the exact same. There is one question she must ask before even attempting again.
"Are you gay, Algernon?" she asks, giving him the ultimate look of disappointment. The man is very quick to respond and removes her hand from his cheek.
"Oh no my dear, I just am not interested in, well, what you are attempting to offer me," Algernon states, and Belle believes him.
She wants to, she needs to if she will ever be able to seduce him. She is not a bad woman, not bad at all but why is Algernon so standoffish with her?
Belle has all the assets a man loves. She's got the curves, the ass, and the large breasts, even the plump, red lips with a dark beauty mark close by. Who wouldn't fall hard for someone like her? Her dark brunette hair is even up in the perfect bun with doll-like curls over her eyes. Her attire may not have the most coverage, but she does have the style like Algernon.
She even has on a cream shawl across her shoulders to hide some of her exposed skin. Algernon loosens up his scarf just a bit and wanders off to one of his hats he has on display.
He gazes at it with love.
"I will give you this, free of charge!" Algernon says to the lovely woman beside him with a smile that is nervous as hell. He knows how to properly handle himself though.
Belle does think the hat is exquisite but she doesn't want that. After offering Belle the loveliest hat he has in stock right now, Algernon, much to his own surprise, takes the woman's hands into his and pulls them close. Belle's eyes widen and she's on her tiptoes.
"You are very beautiful Ms. Kibodeaux, but I cannot offer you anything else," his voice is softer when he explains to her and suddenly she is hit hard in the stomach with the realization of it all.
He is in love with Drew Macfarlane's daughter, Bonnie. He just has to be. She is a good friend of the Macfarlane's but what about Bonnie is so enticing besides her youth, her smile, and simply the way she is?
Belle can't even think of anything bad about Bonnie. She is young and gorgeous and of course, Algernon is going to be more interested in her than in Belle.
"Bonnie is the one you want?" Belle breaks the brief silence and she can feel Algernon's grip get tighter before breaking her hands loose.
"Of course, but she is far too young for me to, um, well, she is just too young, and I have to accept that!" Algernon admits to Belle whose heart aches for him; aches because he won't be able to have Bonnie and because Belle will never catch the attention of Algernon.
Algernon knows Belle Kibodeaux and he knows very well that she has been romantically interested in him since her younger days. Her filthy occupation has been off-putting to Algernon since day one. He's known her for quite a while. Belle hikes up her breasts just a bit more than what the corset is already doing and she looks at Algernon, who is now focused on one of his hats.
"I am a clean woman, Algernon," Belle shatters the silence with her soft, pleading voice and her French accent is stronger than ever.
The busy man continues to work on his hat but he does hear her. He sticks pins in where they need to be to hold pieces in place and he scans his eyes over his nymphs and miscellaneous books on the shelves before him. She can say anything she'd like to get him to take his clothes off. He doesn't buy it for one second.
He listens closely to the faint hum of his phonograph behind the counter on the work table. Algernon turns around to see Belle's shining eyes and a smile on her shimmering lips. She is occupying the table, with her legs crossed.
"I can give her to you," Belle suspiciously suggests with a sultry tone to her voice. Algernon doesn't like the sound of that, even if the truth is that. He does want Bonnie but not in that kind of way.
"She is just a close friend, Ms. Kibodeaux," Algernon states with a firm tone and he sits in the other unoccupied chair at the table.
He drinks the last bit of his cold chamomile tea and when he sets his cup down on the saucer, he doesn't let it go. Belle can see his distress and she vaguely smiles to herself. She is slowly getting Algernon right where she wants him.