Thanks to the server going down, I had to rewrite half of this chapter. The internet sucks sometimes. At least the hot opening scene remained intact. Here's where the M rating comes into play. Enjoy.
It was early Saturday evening, and Doc was sprawled on his bed, gripping the headboard, trying not to cough. The reason he was having so much difficulty was Kate, who was busy working her mouth along his rock-hard shaft.
He stifled a moan, then a cough, and murmured breathlessly, "Yes, my darlin'... 'tis a far, far better thing you do than I have yet experienced..."
Kate, used to his over-educated ramblings, did not bother to ask what on earth he was on about. Besides, she knew damn well that he didn't want her to stop what she was doing to put her mouth to other employment. She dragged her tongue slowly from base to tip, smiling with her eyes when he whimpered in response.
He stared down at her, chest heaving. He was in some small danger of hyperventilation. "Oh, lord, you do that so well..." He had long since given up on maintaining his stoic exterior around Kate. She had torn down all of his barriers so quickly after that first chaste night she'd spent with him.
In spite of "nothing happening" that first night, the rumor mill had cranked to life. At first, Doc had denied the sordid accusations with bitterness and dread. But in time, he cared less and less what other people thought of his relationship with Kate. When she offered to take care of him the next time he took a turn for the worse, he didn't fight her nearly so hard. Nor did he lock the door when she stepped outside to give him privacy. Nor did he reprimand her for reaching out to caress his face after he drank some tea. It was little things, kind gestures and an earnest desire to see him well, that won him over little by little.
Finally, one day, Doc knew that he had reached a turning point. He had to either admit defeat and step into the dark waters of sin with this woman, confirming all of the rumors, or he had to marry her. But he had already determined that marriage was, for himself at least, out of the question. He would not doom Kate to become a widow at thirty. Or thirty-five. Or however long he had left. He could not ask her to care for him in his final moments - he had done that for his mother and knew just how tortuous a task it would be. He didn't want her to have to see him like that, especially not if she truly loved him.
So, observing the customary practice around him, he fell back on the idea of common law: If he and Kate behaved as husband and wife and represented themselves as such, it would be accepted. They could live semi-respectably and still have the ease of breaking the thing off whenever they saw fit. And so, he had made his offer to Kate with assurances that she would still be her own woman.
But damned if he wasn't her man, mind body and soul. Particularly body at the moment.
She was crawling up over him with the look of a catamount bearing down on a bighorn sheep.
Oh, god, yes, let me die like this. Doc put his hands on the soft skin of Kate's sides and was just sliding them down to fondle her breasts, which were hanging so tantalizingly in front of his face, when all hell broke loose in the street.
Someone was yelling. Screaming, almost. They sounded angry.
Kate rolled off of Doc, swirled a shawl around her upper body and scampered to the window.
Disappointed, Doc gave in to the coughing fit he had been holding back. When he caught his breath again, he definitely heard the word "bastard" from outside. "Who is it?" he rasped, tugging a sheet over his lower half. It was doubtful that they could pick up where they left off, and he still considered himself to be a gentleman.
"It's Frankie Bell. And..."
"Wyatt Earp, you low-down son of a bitch!"
"Wyatt," Doc said, sitting up. "What the hell is going on?" He grabbed his dressing gown and tugged it into place as he crossed the room to join Kate at the window.
In the street below, it was still light enough to make out Frankie Bell's petite but sinuous frame gesticulating most animatedly in front of the stalwart figure of none other than Wyatt Earp. Wyatt scarcely seemed to move at all, just standing there under a hail of verbal abuse.
"You set a new measure of LOW in this town! Of all the lying, cheating scoundrels, you are the worst! You and your friends are a blight on Dodge City, your father's an ass and your mother's a two-bit whore!"
That was when, without preamble, Wyatt slapped her. Hard. Hard enough that Doc could hear it from their upstairs room in the boarding house.
"Damn," Doc said softly.
Kate gasped and started as if she wanted to run down and see if Frankie was injured.
"You don't insult a man's mother," Doc murmured.
At that point, Marshal Basset showed up. Citizens crowded around, bearing witness to what had happened.
"I hope he's all right."
"You hope he's all right?"
Doc looked up at Kate's incredulous face. "She was mighty venomous toward him, darlin'."
"At least she didn't hit him! And from how mad she sounded, he probably deserved it."
"Now, don't go jumping to conclusions..."
Kate turned away and began getting dressed. They were definitely not picking up where they had left off.
Wyatt had been relieved for dinner, and he made his way toward the Long Branch. It was early, but since he and Mattie were in the rosy, early stages of young love, he suspected that she would be hanging around waiting for him. What he didn't expect was for Frankie Bell to be loitering on the boardwalk outside the saloon.
As he crossed the street toward her, she pushed off the wall and scurried right up to him.
"Well, well, if it isn't the Romeo," she said.
A little confused, Wyatt said, "Evening, Frankie. Something on your mind?"
"On your way to see your girl?"
"As a matter of fact, I am." Wyatt smiled.
"Well, how dare you? You snake in the grass!"
Wyatt's smile vanished. "What... what are you...?"
"You have the gall to pretend not to know what I'm talking about!" her voice was rising to a yell. "I hope your five brothers aren't this pigheaded! If you even have five brothers, you lying bastard!"
"Frankie..." Wyatt kept his voice steady, even as hers rose further, attracting the attention of passersby. Women and children seemed to be ducking for cover.
"You stayed with me all night Tuesday! Remember how good I made you feel? Remember how you said no one could hold a candle to me?"
He did not, in fact, remember his exact words, but he had been known to utter some flattery while in the glow of an orgasmic stupor. "Well, uh..."
"And you remember I said if a fella married me, he'd get to enjoy that every night?"
No respectable women remained in sight. Frankie's voice was carrying further now, and Wyatt was sure that the men on the sidewalk could hear. Maybe some further away than that.
"And you recall what you said?"
He was starting to remember the conversation, but not fast enough.
"You said he'd be a lucky man! Wyatt Earp, you're a low-down son of a bitch! You held me when I told you that you made me feel safe..."
This was bad. Very bad. Someone was running toward the jail. Soon, Charlie Bassett might be involved. "Frankie, just calm down."
"Calm down! You tell me to calm down!" She screeched louder than ever. "You set a new measure of LOW in this town! Of all the lying, cheating scoundrels, you are the worst! You and your friends are a blight on Dodge City, your father's an ass and your mother's a two-bit whore!"
Wyatt had been proud of himself for maintaining a calm demeanor throughout this onslaught, but suddenly his blood boiled. He smacked his palm across her face. It made a loud thwack that was so satisfying... for a moment. He should have held back, but she shouldn't have brought his family into this.
The crowd of onlookers moved forward as one, more people pouring out of the saloon. Mattie stood in the doorway, staring out over the low point in the swinging doors.
Damn it. Wyatt looked heavenward for signs of a miracle, but no help seemed imminent. On the way back down, his eyes fell on an upper window in the boarding house. It seemed that Doc and Kate were also witnessing his humiliation. Perfect.
"What's all the commotion?" It was Charlie Bassett, with Bat Masterson close behind him.
Everyone tried to tell him at once, and Charlie put up a hand for quiet. "One at a time, please. Wyatt?"
"I was on my way to dinner," Wyatt said. "Miss Bell... accosted me."
"You provoked me, you lusting gollumpus!"
"Miss Bell, please," Charlie said. "You'll have your say." He looked around. "I think we had better head over to the jail and sort this out. Anyone who didn't witness what happened firsthand, please go about your business."
The crowd shifted reluctantly at first, but then thinned down pretty quickly. As he turned to go with Charlie and the others, Wyatt spied Doc and Kate, who had come down to the street. Doc looked concerned. Kate looked like a wolf deciding which antelope to run down. Wyatt was grateful to Kate for helping him with Mattie, but he didn't like her look just now. He caught Doc's eye, looked pointedly at Mattie, and then back at Doc.
Doc, God bless him, flicked his eyes toward Mattie and then nodded to Wyatt. All was not lost.
"Miss Bell, you can't go shouting about your exploits in the street," Charlie admonished. "That's a clear case of disturbing the peace and doing it in quite a distressing manner. You're allowed to do your business, but not out in the public eye. Especially not North of the deadline. This is quite serious."
"He hit me!" Frankie exclaimed for at least the third time. "Aren't you going to say anything to him?"
"Yes, I am. But I think you need a night in a cell to cool off. And I'm fining you twenty dollars."
"Twenty dollars! That's ten times what he paid me!"
Bat Masterson's eyes widened, though not in shock. He seemed to be enjoying this. Wyatt glared at him.
"That's not my concern," Charlie said. "You don't seem to understand the severity of your misconduct, so I'm recommending the maximum fine. Put her in a cell, Bat. I'll get everything signed off in the morning."
"Yes, sir," Bat replied. He took Frankie by the elbow and led her to a cell.
"As for you," Charlie told Wyatt, "I understand losing your temper under the circumstances, but seeing as she didn't do anything to you physically, I can't rightly call it self-defense. I've got to fine you for assault. The minimum is one dollar. Do you have it on you?"
Wyatt felt a little relieved. Maybe he could still have dinner with Mattie... assuming she was still speaking to him. "Yes, I have it." He handed over a dollar coin.
"All right. Now, sign this form and get going... and try to stay out of trouble."
"Yes, sir."
This incident really happened. We don't know exactly why Frankie Bell chewed Wyatt out in public, but we do know that she spent a night in jail for it and paid a $20 fine while Wyatt got off with a $1 fine for slapping her. Ah, the old West. xD
Now, please pipe up and leave a comment. I hate begging for comments, but FF readers used to leave them on every single chapter, and now it's like pulling teeth. Of course, I'm not sure anyone is even seeing this because the site has been so buggy lately, but if you're seeing this, please don't hesitate to leave feedback. Thank you!