“Yeah, that’s what I’ll do.”
“Do?”
“Yep. Hand me that towel, sugar.”
Brazos does. When Daughtry stands up, Brazos adverts his eyes.
“You’re shy for a prostitute.”
“I don’t know if I’d call myself that. Very few men seeking my flesh come through this railroad town. I mostly just help out with the hotel. Laundry. Being an attendant to the boarders. Working off rent, mostly.”
“Where’s your family?” Daughtry asks as he dries off.
“Dead. Influenza got mama and papa, and baby Jodie. I got an older brother somewhere in Boston, in jail. That’s why my family came out West, to get away from the shame of having a scoundrel for a son.”
“Unfortunate turn of events.”
Brazos nods.
“You want to go back East?”
“No. I like it out here in California. Suites me. I meet all kinds. Gold diggers, surveyors, businessmen, cowboys, Indians, Mexicans…” Brazos pauses. “Criminals.”
Daughtry chuckles. “Criminals huh?”
“Your wanted posters got washed off in the last big storm,” Brazos revealed.
Daughtry laughed. “You got me pinned.”
“Did you do what the posters said?”
Daughtry draped the towel over the bed and picked up a block of beeswax to rub into his skin. “What’d they say?”
“You murdered folk. Stole from a bank.”
Daughtry didn’t answer right away. “If I murdered someone, it’s cause they were trying to kill me first. You shoot, you put your life on the line. And I did rob that bank. Gave it to an orphanage.”
“No you didn’t.”
“Ok, I gave half to an orphanage.”
“Are you dressed? Cause I want to shoot you a look of disbelief.”
Daughtry laughed again. He reached for his pants. “I like you. Come with me.”
“Come with you where…?”
“The next robbery. Land baron west of here stole a bunch of land from the Indians. They want it back. So we’re going to go get back it, by holding his operation hostage. It’s very clever. I’m pretty proud of the plan I got.”
“Is that what you were ponderin’ in the bathtub?”
“Indeed it was.” Daughtry said.
Brazos thought. “I’ll think about it.”
“Fine by me. You know, my mood has lifted a bit, and I don’t see the point in putting my clothes on. Get here on the bed. I haven’t had good release for a while.”
“R-really?”
“Yep.” Daughtry took a coin out of his shoot and put it in Brazos’s hand. “That’s enough isn’t it?”
“…This is my week’s wage. You can last a week?”
Daughtry guffawed. “I like you. And I could probably last a week. But injustice has occurred, so I must press on.”
Brazos considered the coin. “Well, I must make sure you’re prepared for the journey.”
“You’re not gonna come with me?”
“Depends how you are in bed.”
Daughtry grinned. “Get over here, I’m going to ravish you.” He picked up Brazos and dumped him on the bed. When Brazos got the full view of Daughtry up close he nearly gasped. “My lord Jesus.”
“What?” Daughtry asked.
“You’re just..um… a nice looking criminal, Mr. Daughtry. And endowed. I don’t think I can take you, cowboy.”
“Well, we have a whole bar of beeswax. It’ll fit.”
Brazos couldn’t think of a thing to say, as Daughtry looked so cocky and sure of himself. Daughtry was also already undoing his pants. There was something thrilling about getting into bed with a criminal. Isn’t that what we people came out West for? Adventure? Thrills? No rules, just living. Brazos thought that maybe he should join Daughtry. Maybe being a criminal was just carrying on the family tradition…
Daughtry started to kiss his neck and rub his swelling cock against his hip, and Brazos decided any rational decision making could come later. It had been a such a long time since a man came through that sought his flesh after all.
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Captions are fictional. This takes place the “cowboy” era of the mid/late 20th century in the Western US.