Page 20 of Mrs. Victoria Buys A Brothel

C hapter 20

Heat

They rode in silence.

At the farm, the dogs jumped at Victoria, barking excitedly. While she tried to calm them down, Natane quickly released the horses to their corral, and then entered the house without saying a word. She left the door open.

Victoria knew she would never be the same person if she crossed that threshold.

She went in and locked behind her.

Her eyes took a moment to adjust. The shutters were closed and Natane had lit a single lamp. Her face was hidden in darkness.

“Victoria,” she whispered. “I have to ask you something. But I don’t want you to think badly of me.”

“Think badly of you? How could I, when you’re the dearest person in my life?” she whispered back.

Natane breathed in. “When I told you about my husband, you were kind. Can I ask for your kindness, once more?”

“Natane, what are you saying?”

A long pause. Then, a confession. “I’m like him.”

Something roared inside of Victoria.

“We’re the same, him and I. He was the only one I ever told. Well, him, and now you.”

It grew, and grew, until there was nothing else but this hunger.

“I didn’t know,” said Victoria through the ringing in her ears. She leaned back against the door, shaking. “I’ve never heard about this; I never even knew it was something a woman could feel.” A pause. “Not until I was kissing you.”

A breath.

“You were drunk,” said Natane. “The evening was hard on you.”

Victoria shook her head, blinking away her tears. “No. It was real.”

A step forward. Bravery.

“I think you and I are the same.”

Another step forward.

“I kissed you and everything made sense.”

She took Natane’s hands, gently. A breath.

“Please, allow me to do it again.”

“Yes.”

Their kiss was hesitant, and yet so soft. Victoria placed her hands on Natane’s hips, she felt gentle fingers in her hair. She breathed out. The world clicked into place.

They kissed once, twice, thrice more. They stood there, holding each other, breathing the same air.

“I want you,” confessed Victoria against her lips. “Forgive me, but I want you.”

“Yes,” Natane kissed her again, hungry. “I’ve wanted you since the first day.” Another kiss, more insistent. “Every day.” And another. “Every hour.” She moaned into Victoria’s mouth. “I want so many things.”

“Oh,” Victoria whimpered, feeling faint. “What things?”

Natane hid her face against her shoulder. “I want to lick your neck,” she breathed. “And bite it. I want to put my hands under your chemise and feel your skin. On the road, when we shared a bed, I wanted to pull you on top of me and sleep like that. Fuck, Victoria, I want to fall to my knees and put my head under the skirts of that goddamned white dress.”

Victoria lived in a brothel; she had heard far worse language. But these words, in that voice, set her thoughts on fire.

“Yes,” she pleaded. “Yes, to all of this, and everything you can imagine.”

Natane did not wait for more. She licked Victoria’s neck, up to the jaw and then back again. Victoria mewled in need. Then Natane bit her, and her whole body was set ablaze.

“Fuck,” she whimpered.

Natane raised her head and stared at her, her eyes wide, her face flushed. “Come to bed with me.”

She took Victoria’s hand and gently led her to the room. It was darker in there, the light of the lamp barely reaching the corners.

Suddenly, Victoria felt awkward. She knew how a wife performed her marital duties, but she could barely imagine what two women could do together.

Natane sensed her hesitation and grew worried. “We don’t have to do anything if you’re not sure.”

“I’m not unsure. In fact, I’ve never been surer about anything in my life. I want this. I simply, well, I don’t see how?”

Natane let out a surprised laugh. “I don’t know a lot, either. I just had several years to think about it. I’m sure many things I can picture are impossible.” She scrunched her nose. “Limbs don’t bend that way.”

Victoria snorted. Suddenly, they were both giggling like idiots. At that moment she knew that, whatever was to happen in that bed, they were friends, first and foremost.

“Well!” she said, clapping her hands together. “Surely we can figure this out by ourselves. Let’s start by the basics: no shoes on the bed!”

Natane chuckled and kicked off her boots, while Victoria unlaced hers.

“Look at us, walking around like a pair of fools,” tutted Victoria. “We didn’t even take off our shoes at the door! I’m sorry about your floors, dearest.”

Natane took her face and kissed her. Victoria loved the feel of her smile.

“I don’t care about the floors, right now. Do you want to lie down?”

“Don’t you want to remove my clothes?”

“Ever since I saw you in that dress,” she growled. “But my day is entirely free. We can take our time.”

Victoria sat and scooted up the bed in an entirely undignified manner, which prompted another fit of giggles. Natane lied down next to her, heads down on the pillow. They smiled at each other.

“Hello,” whispered Victoria.

“Hello.”

Victoria discovered that kissing while lying down was even better than kissing standing up. Natane’s hand slid slowly from the back of her neck, downwards. “Can I?”

Victoria nodded enthusiastically.

Natane’s hand landed on her breast, and she groaned, hiding her face in Victoria’s neck. “There were times,” she said, grabbing a handful, “where you talked to me and all I could think about was this.”

Victoria whimpered. Natane grabbed the other one, squeezed, and pressed her face between them with a sigh. “Your white dress,” she said in a muffled voice, “has a very low neckline. I wanted to die and be buried there.”

Victoria held her tight, pressing their bodies together. Natane moaned in pleasure and let herself be crushed. Their legs entangled, as far as the long skirts permitted.

Natane raised her head, slightly, looking shyly up. “Can I ask for more?”

Victoria nodded sharply. She could not wait to discover what else they could feel, together.

Natane’s hands left her breasts, and slowly travelled south. They caressed the curve of her belly, the dip of her waist, and slowly landed on their goal, right between her legs. She pressed, and Victoria gasped.

“Fuck,” moaned Natane. “Is this alright? Not too indecent?”

“Hush, leave your hand there.”

They held each other, Natane’s hand moving softly. Such a small thing, and yet Victoria was mewling in want.

Natane pressed her hand deeper, pushed the fabric of the skirt between Victoria’s legs.

“Fuck,” Victoria mumbled, her hips moving on their own accord.

“I want to put my hands under your skirt,” Natane breathed against Victoria’s blouse.

“Please put your hands under my skirt. I’m going to die if you don’t do it right this instant.”

“You’re so dramatic,” she chuckled. “I need you to move so I can lift it.”

They came apart to frantically push their clothes out of the way. It was a bit awkward; Natane’s pointy elbow accidentally dug into Victoria’s side and, trying to move away from it, Victoria knocked their heads together.

“Ouch,” winced Natane, rubbing her forehead.

Victoria fell back in a huff, touching her own head with delicate fingers. “I spent hours thinking about this, it all seemed pretty ominous. But it’s rather silly, isn’t it?” She gestured at her bunched-up skirts and the long bloomers that reached her knees.

“It is,” said Natane, pushing her gently on her back and straddling her hips. “May I unbutton your blouse?”

Oh, she was a vision, standing above Victoria like this. “You may,” she breathed. It felt natural to place her hands on Natane’s hips, and this, also, was an epiphany. “But only if I unbutton yours. I’ve been thinking about your skin since the first time we shared a room.”

“You peeked?” asked Natane, her eyes laughing.

Victoria reached up and unfastened the first button, revealing Natane’s throat. “Don’t laugh, it was torture.” She undid another one, then the next. “You’re killing me, you’re not even wearing anything underneath.”

“And you’re covered in layers,” said Natane, opening Victoria’s pale blouse to find her linen chemise. “Hm, this is a bit see-through.” She pinched a nipple between her fingers, and Victoria threw her head back in a wanton moan.

Natane was staring at her, hungrily. “I need more of this,” she whispered. She traced the areola with her nail, making Victoria shiver, and then pressed, delicately.

“You… let me finish undressing you,” panted Victoria.

She undid the last buttons with trembling hands and let the dark shirt fall off Natane’s shoulders. Natane made no effort to undo her cuffs or remove it, she simply sat there, half-undressed, chest on display. Her face was a bit shy, but she let Victoria look.

Natane had strong shoulders and well-defined arms. Her bronze skin was patterned with age marks. Victoria let her hands softly explore the dip of her waist, the small pouch of her lower belly, her breasts, sagging with age. This was the body of an older woman, and Victoria had never seen anything more beautiful or enticing.

“I can see what you like about this,” she breathed, cupping both breasts. “Oh, dear Lord.”

“Let’s keep Him out of this bed,” said Natane, placing her hands over Victoria’s. “You’re still wearing too many clothes.”

“I’m not getting up to remove my chemise. I’m perfectly happy here.”

Natane untucked the chemise and pushed it up, uncovering the generous bust.

“I must look pretty silly,” said Victoria, glancing down at her rumpled clothes.

“You’re perfect. Let me taste you.”

Victoria, not even aware mouths could be involved like that, made an unholy sound when Natane’s tongue brushed her nipple. When Natane grabbed her other breast, she could only lie back and grip Natane’s shoulders, overcome with the new sensations.

And then the teeth.

Victoria yelped. Natane jumped back, her long hair in disarray. “I’m sorry!”

Victoria stared at the ceiling, discovering new things about herself. “Do it again. But softly.”

Natane did, and the slight pain went directly between her legs. She panted and moaned, her hips humping up. Natane did it again, alternating her teeth with her tongue, her other hand pinching the nipple.

“Oh fuck—” gasped Victoria, pulling her upwards. “Here, come here.” They kissed. Victoria grabbed Natane’s hair and devoured her, tongue plunging inside her mouth in a most decadent way, hips trying to get some friction.

“Don’t you want my hands under your skirt?” panted Natane.

“Later. I need. Hold me close. Here.”

She opened her legs, grabbed Natane’s thigh and pushed it against her. There. Perfection.

She rutted against Natane’s leg like a wild animal, mouth open on Natane’s neck, breathing her scent, tasting her sweat.

It happened like a storm, appearing on the horizon, rumbling closer and closer. And then. Lightning hit inside her eyelids; thunder roared in her ears. All she could do was scream. She kept humping up, searching for more friction, needing more, and she shook, and moaned, until there was nothing left.

She fell back to the pillow, panting.

In a daze, she looked up as Natane slid a hand under her own skirts, and, shameless, pleasured herself while staring at Victoria.

Victoria let herself be looked at, open, undressed, breathless.

When Natane came, it was a revelation. Her whole body arched backwards, her head shouting at the heavens, her scream piercing the silence. She bucked forward, holding herself with one hand, while the other kept going, the movements frantic under the fabric. Natane groaned between her teeth and kept coming, kept pressing, prolonging her pleasure. Victoria could only stare up in awe.

Eventually, Natane slowed down, and stopped. She opened her eyes and just stared, out of breath.

“Hello,” she whispered again.

“Come here,” said Victoria, pulling Natane over her, letting herself be crushed by her weight, and kissed her until she could not breathe anymore.

Natane slid off and fell back on the bed, half-lying on top of her, head hidden in the crook of her neck. The minutes went by in comfortable silence.

Eventually, Victoria’s worries resurfaced. She must have tensed, because Natane held her closer.

“Tell me what you’re thinking.”

“I’m thinking about many things, most of them unpleasant.”

“Try not to do that in my bed.”

“I will try, darling.”

After a while, Natane hid her face closer. “Do I get to keep you?” she asked in a small voice.

Victoria stared at the ceiling. “How? How could we even?”

“Any way we can. I just need to know what you want.”

Victoria blinked. After a moment of silence, Natane lifted her head, anxious.

“I’m sorry,” blurted Victoria. “I should know the answer right away, shouldn’t I? I’m simply… I’m simply not used to wanting things.”

Mollified, Natane lied back down. “We can start with something easy. Do you want to do this again, later today?”

“Yes. Most definitely.”

“Alright. Do you want to do this again, at a later date?”

She froze. The world outside the farm was terrifying.

Natane caressed her hair. “Too much. Let’s go back to something smaller. Do you want to remain my friend?”

“Yes!” she said with indignation. “What kind of question is that?”

“A reasonable one,” she shrugged, trying to look nonchalant. “But I’m glad we’re still friends. We can figure out the rest later.”

Victoria blinked. “That’s it?”

“That’s it. I’m just happy to be with you. I was very scared I’d lose you over this.”

“Well, you won’t.” She held Natane closer. “I’m staying.”

Natane smiled against her skin. Victoria would never tire of that.

She stared at the ceiling, at the patterns of the wood. “I’ve been wanting other things. It was all jumbled in my head for a while, but it became clearer, lately.”

“Since, huh…”

“Since I killed my husband. You can say it.”

“Let’s not make a habit of saying it, just in case.”

Victoria let her hands get tangled into the black locks. She had wanted to feel that hair between her fingers from almost the first day.

“I want to stay,” she told the ceiling, “and make this my home. It all felt temporary, like I’d borrowed freedom, and it was a matter of time before he reappeared to drag me back to my cage.”

“And then he came.”

“He did. But he could not take me back. And he will never raise a hand on me again.”

Natane squeezed her.

Victoria went on. “What I want. I want to stop being scared. I want to see you more often. I want us to go riding. I want to come back here and kiss you all day. I want to hire a teacher.”

“…That’s a drastic change of subject.”

“I told you, it’s all jumbled in there. I’ve been wanting a piece of Deborah’s peach cobbler ever since she mentioned it. I want to finish teaching James the song he’s been practising, and I want Simone to actually set a foot in the brothel so she can see him play. I want to go back to Salt Lake and bring back a cartload of books for Mei.”

She took a deep breath. “I want my girls to still like me.”

Natane sighed against her shoulder. She could not promise anything to reassure her. “Are you going back to town?”

“Not right now. I just want a day with you.”

Natane kissed her. “I’ll give you a night, too. We can go ride, later, and we can cook together. I’ll make you breakfast tomorrow morning.”

“It sounds delightful. But, don’t you have chores to do? I can help.”

“Already done. I rushed them, this morning. I just wanted to see you.”

Victoria kissed her again, her chest bursting with emotion.

“Just stay here with me, today,” said Natane between kisses. “The rest of the world can wait for a day.”

“Yes,” breathed Victoria, and let herself get lost on the feel of skin against skin.