Gold (20 page)

“I don’t want to hurt you.” She held his head
in her hands. “I never want to hurt you. I never
want to hurt anyone.”

With one hand he stroked the back of her head and
with the other he held her breast, kissing her lips.
Selena moaned, lying back on the grass, King fol
lowing with his lips to hers
. She responded, kissing
him, her body writhing against him.

“
Oh!”

She cried out, holding him from her with her
hand as a trembling grew in her, a mounting
warmth, a strange awakening quivering, which
shattered her and passed on, leaving her limp in
his arms.

“
King.” She said his name for the first time.

His hands were on her calves, stroking her legs
beneath her dress, caressing the softness of her
thighs. Hard hands, a man’s hands. She shifted
away from him yet his hands followed, insistent,
and again she felt the warmth rising within her.
She clung to him, eyes closed, trembling against the maleness of his body.

She felt his hands desert her, heard him fumble
with his clothes. She waited for him, wanting him, wanting to be held and caressed by those hands.

“
Selena?” he asked.

“
Yes, King. Yes, yes, yes.”

The shock of him against her, in her, made her open her eyes. He kissed her eyelids, crooning to
her, his words without meaning. And then he was
saying her name over and over, “Selena, Selena,
Selena,” and the warmth mounted in her, became
a storm, shaking her. She grasped his hair, pulling it, screaming at him to stop while her body urged
him on as she rose and fell beneath him. He
seemed to burst within her and she cried out and
fell back.

He left her. Drew away to lay on his back be
side her.

Selena opened her eyes, glancing across at him.
His eyes were closed and he was smiling. On his right
hand a fire opal gleamed redly.

“
King,” she said. She felt empty. Incomplete.
“King, why did you stop?”

He opened his eyes. Selena turned onto her side,
clutching his shirt front in her hand, shaking him.
“King,” she said, “answer me.”

“
Selena,” he said. “I can’t again.”

She raised her hand, pounded at his chest,
clawed at his face. He grasped her fist in his hand
pressed her arm back until she was pinned to the
ground. She squirmed, trying to free herself.

“
King!” she cried.

He tore at her bodice, ripping the cloth asunder,
exposing her breasts. She drew his head to her, to
her breasts, felt his tongue on her nipple. Again
the flame grew in her and she moaned, her fingers
clutching his hair as her body shook uncontrollably beneath him.

When Pamela arrived at the Empire at ten
o’clock that night she was surprised to find the
gambling saloon dark. Upstairs she saw the glow of lights through the red calico curtains of three
rooms—Rhynne’s and two others.

She yawned. She hadn
’t been able to stop
yawning all day. Even though she had slept for
ten hours the night before, her sleep had been restless and troubled and she’d awakened unrefreshed. She knew the reason. She had been without laudanum for two days.

Yet she would never give herself to Rhynne.

T
hen why was she here? she asked herself. Why
was she skulking in the darkness across from the
Empire? Was she afraid of Rhynne? No, it wasn’t
fear--the thought of Rhynne filled her- with dis
taste, a repugnance even more distressful than the agonies brought on by the lack of laudanum. Yes,
laudanum. She no longer referred to the opiate as
medicine. It was laudanum.

I
’ll confront Rhynne, she decided. I’ll demand he help me. He’s
not a cruel man. Devious, not
cruel. I’ll offer him money, give him a greater percentage of the profits from the Empire. She sensed
that Rhynne didn’t desire her as other men had in
the past. Rather, she thought, he was taken with
the idea of possessing her as he might desire a
painting or a piece of sculpture.

She looked carefully up and down the road. Did
she actually expect Diego to come riding into
Hangtown bent on vengeance? Ever since she
heard that Esperanza was dead she had wondered
what Diego would do when he found out.

Seeing no one about, Pamela crossed the street
and climbed the steps to the Empire, walking rap
idly. If she didn’t go quickly she knew she
wouldn’t go at all. No one was in the hotel lobby
so she climbed the stairs. Rhynne’s door, the first
on the right, stood slightly open and, tapping
once, she stepped inside.

Rhynne, who had been writing at his desk,
stood and nodded to her. She sat primly on the
edge of the only other chair.

“
You’re dressed in mourning,” Rhynne said.
“I haven’t seen you wearing black since we left
San Francisco.”

Pamela said nothing, her eyes avoiding his yet
still noting his red vest, the gold watch chain looped from vest to pocket, the fawn-colored trousers, the leather high-topped shoes.

Rynne tapped his fingers on the desk like a schoolboy. making her realize he was ill at ease, Which reminded her of Danny O
’Lee and she blushed. Luckily, Rynne didn’t appear to notice.

“
I closed the Empire as soon as I heard about the young Mexican girl,” he told her.

Rynne, she thought, will I ever untangle your contradictions? She nodded, saying nothing.

“Is Selena all right?” he asked.

“
She’s staying the night with Clara Colton. It must have been terrible for Selena, knowing Esperanza as she did. She’d gone to Sutton’s camp, where those men were, and she saw the girl just after she’d killed herself. Then she wandered off into the brush. When she finally came home her clothes were all dirty and torn.

“
When you’re older, as we are, Pamela, you become hardened to tragedy. More’s the pity.”

“
By the time I talked to her Selena seemed to have accepted Esperanza’s death.”

“
Esperanza. Doesn’t it mean hope in English? Yes, I’m sure it does.”

“
Selena was in such a strange mood, sobbing and laughing, pacing about the cabin. She didn’t want to talk to me about Esperanza.”

“
English Bob, by the way, is better. Unless infections sets in, he’ll live. He’s
not talking either. The waste. The terrible waste.”

“
W.W.,” she said, “I’ve come for my laudanum.”

He nodded. Kneeling, he pulled a black traveling bag
from underneath his bed. The cot was
gone, Pamela saw; this was a brass bed. Rhynne
unsnapped the bag and removed a small medicine
bottle, slipping it into his pocket as he stood up.

“
I’ll pay you for the laudanum,” Pamela told
him. “I’ll pay you well.” She drew a deep breath.
“In gold and nothing else.”

“
So young Danny O’Lee is to have your favors
and I’m not?”

“
Danny O’Lee!” She felt suddenly lightheaded
but when Rhynne stepped toward her she held up
her hand. “You know?” she whispered.

“
I know. No one else does.”

“
How dare you bring up Danny’s name. You’re
certainly no gentleman, Mr. Rhynne.”

“
I think you told me that once before. In San
Francisco. At the time I said I didn’t pretend to
be. I still don’t.”

“
You also said you’d wait to see if I was a lady
or not.”

“
Yes, and I’ve decided. You are.” He took the
medicine bottle from his pocket and handed it to
her. “I’ll do the best I can to get laudanum for
you.”

“
I’ll pay you.” She took a small glass from her
bag, poured in a bit of laudanum and drank it.

“
That won’t be necessary.” He picked up his chair and turned it to face hers. Sitting down, he
took her hands in his. “Pamela,” he said, “with
you, tonight, I’m as shy as a boy.”

Though she looked down at his hands holding
hers she did not pull away.

“
When I found out about your need for lauda
num,” he said, “then later when I became aware
of you and young O’Lee, I thought I’d force
you to bed with me. I was a fool. That’s not what
I really wanted.”

“
And what is it you really want?”

“
Someone to talk to.”

“
To talk to?” She smiled as he watched her
warily. Then, putting her head back, she laughed until tears came to her eyes. She took her hands
from his, found a handkerchief in her bag and dabbed at her face.

“
I was afraid you might find me amusing,”
Rhynne said.

“
Oh, W.W., I’m not laughing at you. I’m not,
I’m not. I’m just so relieved.”

“
I’m not sure I like that sentiment any better.”

She took his hands, holding one in each of hers,
and squeezed them. “If you had forced me,” she
said, “I would have hated you. Eventually I might
even have killed you. I detest the idea of being
forced. It’s not you--I don’t detest you. It’s having
to do what I don’t want to do. The violation. Do
you understand?”

“
I suppose I do.”

“
Do you know, W.W., I’m almost disappointed.
Does that make sense?”

“
Do you mean you want to ... ?”

“
No, no, I don’t. Perhaps someday, if the time
is right. Not now. Not tonight.”

“
I can wait, Pamela. In fact I’d rather wait. I’m a very patient man.”

“
And you only want to talk?”

“
Is that so strange? Whom do I have to talk
to? Reverend Colton? Abe? Ned? The miners in
the bar? The gamblers? What do I really have in common with most of them? Besides, they’re men and I’m not attracted to men. I much prefer women.”

“
W.W., I’ll gladly talk to you whenever you wish. But why the intrigue?”

He shrugged.
“I suppose I don’t know ant other way.”

“
About this new bed? I heard you were ordering one.”

“
New bed? No, this isn’t about the new bed. I don’t expect it to arrive for some weeks yet. Ah, but it’s a grand and glorious scheme, Pamela. I’m buying the most magnificent bed in California and installing it in our largest room. There’ll be a lottery and the winner will be rewarded with a night in the bed. I expected to sell one hundred tickets for the bed.”

“
Who would pay a hundred dollars for a night at the Empire? No matter how grand the bed may be?”

Rhynne stood and walked to the window.
“Well,” he said, not looking at her, “I suppose I might as well tell you now as later. I’ve let word get around that the bed will be occupied.”

“
Occupied?”

“
By the most beautiful woman in the western world.”

Pamela
puzzled, said, “I’ve heard Selena called that.” She jumped to her feet. “W.W.! You don’t mean you’re offering Selena as a prize. You wouldn’t do that!”

He turned and put his hand on her arm. “Of
course I’m not. Her name’s never been mentioned
and never will be.”

“
And what happens when you hold your draw
ing and someone claims his prize? What will you
do then?”

“
That’s the glory of the scheme.” He reached under his bed and dragged out a rough pine box with a slot in the top.

“
I thought that box was behind the bar down
stairs,” Pamela said, growing even more puzzled.