Trip to Murder 2

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The stage trip, though long and bumpy and uncomfortable, was, fortunately, uneventful. When the two travelers finally arrived in St. Louis, both of them were in good spirits. The only things preventing them from spending all of their time together would be Matt's doctor appointment and Kitty's business appointments. But both of them were determined to make the most of the rest of their time.

When they arrived at the hotel, where Kitty had her reservations, Kitty marched up to the desk with Matt at her side. The clerk smiled at the beautiful woman and unconsciously took a step back from the imposing man. "May I help you?" he asked a touch nervously.

"Yes," the red head replied happily. "My name is Kitty Russell, I have a reservation, I believe, and I was wondering if you have an extra room for my friend here."

The man frowned slightly as he shook his head. The man in front of him didn't look like someone he would want to disappoint but he had no choice. "I do have your reservation, Miss. Russell." He told her. "But I'm afraid I don't have any extra rooms, or at least not tonight. We have three conventions in town and all of the better hotels are booked solid."

Kitty glanced up at Matt, obviously unhappy with the news.

"You said, at least not tonight." Matt questioned. "Does that mean you might have one soon?"

"Well, yes," the clerk gave him a relieved smile. "We will have one room tomorrow, the one right next to yours, as a matter of fact, Miss Russell."

"Alright then, put me down for that room. My name's Matt Dillon. I'll just see if I can find a place for tonight. You know of any less than 'better' hotels that might have a room?"

The clerk shrugged as he thought about the request. "Well maybe down by the docks. There are some places down there, but I'm not sure how safe they would be."

Matt glanced down at Kitty, giving her a wink. "I'm not too worried about my safety. Kitty, I'll go see about getting me a room for tonight and come back here and pick you up for supper. That okay?"

Kitty beamed up at him and nodded. "Sounds good, Cowboy. But don't take too long. For once I'm hungry enough; I might even match your appetite."

Grabbing his bag with a grin, he left as Kitty got her key and followed a young man up to her room with her bags. "Are there any other stairs leading to the second floor?" She asked trying to make it sound like a casual question.

"Yes, Ma'am." The young man answered. "They're just down at the end of the hallway."

Kitty could hear the unasked question in his tone. "Oh, well, good." She answered. "I was in a hotel once that caught fire and there was only one staircase. I just wanted to make sure there was another way in… er… out in case something like that happened again. You know, just to be safe." She ad-libbed. That was the only thing she could think of to say.

The boy nodded. "Well, you don't have to worry about that here, Ma'am." He said somewhat proudly. "We're very safe here."

"I sure hope you're not too safe," she thought to herself.

Later, as Matt and Kitty sat having their meal, Kitty told him about the back staircase and how to access it.

"I don't know, Kitty." Matt told her, hiding a smile. "I don't want to get you kicked out of there for trying to sneak me in. Maybe I oughta just go ahead and stay in the room I rented for the night and then check into your hotel tomorrow."

Kitty's glare told him what she thought of that plan. "Matt Dillon, if you do that, I won't speak to you for the rest of the trip."

Matt laughed lightly. "I was hoping you would say that."

It was then the red head saw the teasing light in her man's eyes and shook her head. "I don't know what I'm going to do with you."

"How about I show you that tonight?" He answered with a raised brow.

Later that evening, after it was well and dark, a tall solidly built man, made his way silently up the back staircase and down the hall to Room 203. Knocking softly, he was rewarded a moment later by the opening of the door and a small hand pulling him urgently into the room.

"Did you have any problems?" Kitty asked.

Matt shook his head as he pulled her into him for a kiss. "Not a one. But I'll tell ya what, you might have one if you didn't get a bathtub with this room."

Kitty pulled away and a look of confused irritation crossed her face. "And just what is that supposed to mean?" she asked.

"It means, I need a bath." Matt clarified, absently scratching his chest. "I may have only spent a few hours in that flea bitten room I rented, but it feels like I took all of the fleas out with me. I'm itching like crazy."

Kitty suddenly understood and chuckled. "Well, guess what, Mr. Dillon. You are in luck. This room has an attached water closet and a large claw foot tub already filled with hot water for a bath. Why don't you go on and climb in. I'll be in, in a minute, to scrub your back."

Matt scowled. "Is that all you plan on doing?"

"Go!" Kitty demanded with an amused grin, "I'll be right there."

"Yes, Ma'am," Matt answered, a little disappointed that she wasn't coming in with him right then.

Once in the water room, Matt hastily stripped out of his clothes and gratefully settled back into the large tub, closing his eyes for a moment in relief.

A few minutes later, he heard the door latch and opened his eyes to see Kitty glide in, wearing only a thin robe and a smile.

"Mind if I join you, Cowboy?" she grinned mischievously. "I think that big old tub can handle both of us, don't you?"

Matt swallowed hard, as she dropped the robe and stepped closer. "I think it handle more than that," he wiggled a brow suggestively at her.

As she stepped into tub and settled back against him Kitty giggled. "Cowboy, I do believe you're happy to see me."

Dipping his head, he captured her lips in a kiss. "I do believe you are right."

TBC