Lorelie Brown is a frequent commenter here at It’s Not Chick Porn and a good friend to our blog. In fact, you might remember her from her awesome entries into those writing contests I used to throw (and I will again, I promise, once I find the time… and the dough). When I asked her if she could oblige us with a novella and she gave me this one, I squee’d. So fun. So sexy.

If you haven’t already, please read chapters one and two, three, and four.

Two years ago, Corrine McQuade was desperate to escape her father’s house. In a perfect world, she would have run to Adam Springton, handsome owner of the Gilded Angel saloon and the man she’d daydreamed about for years. Believing he saw her as only his sister’s best friend, Corrine struck out on her own, finding employment and creating the best life she could. Suddenly Adam is paying attention to her – the kind of attention that makes her skin tingle and heat and she’s tempted by a new chance at love.

But who ever heard of a happy ending for a whore?

Presenting the fifth chapter of Lorelie Brown’s Tarnished Angel…

Chapter Five

Adam couldn’t believe she’d had the temerity and the audacity to leave him there like a mongrel dog. Again he saw Corrine’s slim back paused in the doorway, her shoulders entirely too tense for a woman who had just come undone atop him. He shouted and pulled against his ties so strongly the entire bed rocked into the wall. The strips of lace only tightened further. A moment later, Gertie came in bearing shears. Adam waited, teeth grinding, as she carefully unsnipped one side. When his arm was free, he whipped out and grabbed the girl by the upper arm. “Where did she go?”

Her gaze darted around the room, avoiding his him. “I don’t rightly know.” She lied.

He dropped her arm. “Do the other one,” he said, shaking the bedstead.

Sidling around the bed, Gertie looked him up and down. Feeling slightly foolish, Adam put his free hand over his still hard cock. He wished he could make it calm down but his head was filled with thoughts of Corrine’s talented mouth and the way she’d moved on him. “Is you gonna grab me again?” asked Gertie. “’Cause there’s extra if ya want it hard.”

“Just cut me free.” It was Corrine who’d caused this state in him, her lush curves and her wet heat. No one else would do. Hell, that was why he’d ended up in this position to begin with. He’d considered a trip to Fayetteville to visit the larger whorehouse there, but knew that wouldn’t get his sister’s once-innocent friend off his mind.

“I wouldn’t mind,” Gertie said. The scissors snicked through the scrap of lace and silk Adam hadn’t been intelligent enough to fear. Adam growled, an angry, primal sound that he couldn’t believe came out of him but which sent her scurrying out as quickly as possible.

Furious, Adam yanked his clothes on, then stood in Corrine’s frilly, womanly room considering his options. Tearing the house apart board by board appealed but likely wouldn’t get him far. Madame Adrianne would send of the girls to the Sheriff’s office, and Sheriff McLeary would be there before Adam got even one room destroyed. Sheriff McLeary wouldn’t take kindly to trouble in his favorite haunt, either. Hands fisted at his sides, Adam realized there wasn’t much he could do.

A tiny slip of a woman who didn’t even come up to his chin had wrung him out and left him to dry. A glance at his tented pants showed how well she’d done it, too. Part of him wanted to consign it to the fact that she was a whore but he couldn’t. Prostitutes work for their clients’ pleasure and she hadn’t done that. She’d gotten what she wanted, what she needed from him. Then she’d left. Unbelievably, selfishly left.

And he still didn’t understand what had made her so furious. The fact that he’d paid for her time — that much he understood. She wasn’t adverse to touching him and moving on him and letting him have a taste of heaven.

Next time, he’d get a full meal.

Next time it would be Adam’s turn to lick and nibble and tease. Next time Adam would run the show, even if that meant it was Corrine’s turn to be tied up.

Adam groaned. Corrine naked and tied to his bed, every supple curve on display for him and him alone. He couldn’t wait to rip her apart and put her back together again, piece by lovely piece. And he’d be damned sure to take more than an hour doing it.

An entire night sounded nice.

The rest of their lives sounded even better. He’d let her hide for now. Soon, her time would be up and his would begin.

***

As she waited on the sidewalk a few feet down from The Gilded Angel, Corrine twisted the braided cord that decorated her cuff. Inverness was too small to avoid Adam forever. When he arrived in a few minutes for his morning work, she’d slide in and they’d have it out. He’d be furious and God only knew what he’d do to her but she couldn’t go on like this forever, dancing away from him. Adam had entered the mercantile yesterday and she’d slipped out the back door. She’d realized then she was being ridiculous. She needed to buck up and take her punishment, then they could go back to the way they’d always been.

An arm yanked at her shoulders and pulled her into the narrow alleyway between The Gilded Angel and the tea shop beside it. She tried to scream but a hand slapped over her mouth.

“Now now, ain’t no call for that. I just wanted to talk to ya and I didn’t want no one seeing.” He turned her around and pinned her to the clapboard wall. “Promise not to scream and I’ll take my hand off,” Angus said.

She nodded and gasped when he released her. It was a mistake. He smelled of onions and liquor. “You mean you didn’t want Adam seeing, right Angus?”

“That might as be. Madame said I couldn’t come visit you for a while.”

“It seemed safer, after Adam embarrassed you in front of the whole town.”

“I’d never hurt you.”

“You’re hurting me now.” His fingers dug into the flesh of her upper arm.

“I’m sorry.” He loosened his grip but didn’t let go. “It’s just I need to see you. I need to.”

Resolute, Corrine shook her head. If anything, this little scene had cemented her choice. He needed a break from her. It wasn’t unheard of, that a man would get fixated on a certain girl, and sometimes it turned out well. It wasn’t personal. They just happened to complete whatever twisted need the man had. But she couldn’t stomach being with McCabe for long. “Find another girl. I’m not going to see to you.”

“You have to!” McCabe kissed her, laying his thick, wet lips over hers. Sometimes trying to pull away got a man more wound up than kissing him back. Corrine remained passive and kept her jaw shut without fighting it. But then McCabe clutched at her hip. She gathered her skirts the best she could and slammed her knee into his groin. It was a miss, she dug into his thick upper thigh but it did the job anyway. He let go and bent in pain. Corrine dashed away, running for the yellow sunlight at the end of the alley. McCabe was right behind her, and just as she got a foot on the sidewalk, he got a handful of her skirt and pulled. With a squeak, she stumbled.

“What the hell is going on here? Have you lost your ever loving mind?” he asked McCabe. He pulled her out of McCabe’s grip and shoved her behind him.

She perched her trembling hands his thick back; she leaned around to look at McCabe. The color had leached from his face and sweat popped out on his brow. His jaw worked but no words came out.

“Come on. Swing. Make a move on someone your own size,” Adam taunted. When McCabe did nothing, Adam gave a disgusted grunt. “Get out of here.”

McCabe turned a sorrowful gaze on Corrine. “Please, Corrine,” he said. “I’m sorry. I just need to see you again.”

Once again, she shook her head. “No. I’m going to tell Madame you shouldn’t even be allowed in the house. And Sheriff Cooper’ll ride you out of town on a rail if you mess with us.”

“Not to mention I’ll slice your skin off inch by inch,” Adam growled.

McCabe looked frantically at them both, then turned and slunk away down the alley. Reluctantly she withdrew her hands from Adam’s back. Even through his coat she’d felt the heat of him rolling off. “Thank you for your help.”

Not a bit of that warmth showed in his gaze. His eyes were a light blue and about as cold as a mountain spring. He turned and looked at her, one eyebrow raised. “It was nothing more than I’d do for any woman.”

She managed to not flinch. “That was a bit vicious, don’t you think? Inch by inch?”

“Should I have let him do whatever he wanted?”

She swallowed and her throat was tight. “No.”

“Did he hurt you?”

“Just my arm, a little.”

“Come on.” Leaving no room for argument, Adam led her into the saloon. He slid off her deep red jacket and gently probed both arms. He seemed satisfied when she didn’t wince or complain.

Instead, she stared up at him dumbfounded. For rescuing her being nothing more than he’d do for anyone, he was inspecting her intently. His gaze rose to her face and he stopped, dropping her arms suddenly. With a step back, the cold expression was back. It was the same expression he wore during poker games. He held out her coat. “You should go.”

She stayed where she was and tilted her head a bit. Her chest thumped with the fear that she was about to miss something important. But he looked so uncaring.

“So go. Aren’t you afraid of me taking revenge?”

She certainly was. That was one of the top most reasons she had bearded the lion in his den, because it would happen sooner or later. But she suddenly realized the blank expression he had was the one he only used during high stakes games. When he played for tokens with friends, he didn’t care and showed every thought. Calmly, Corrine folded up her jacket and set it on a nearby table. Her heart stopped thumping but her stomach fluttered. “No, I’m not.”

“Because you don’t think I’ll do it?”

Power crackled the air behind her. Adam silently approached and Corrine’s entire body responded, heating and melting. It was like lightening crackled between them. She turned, since she had to read his face when she said this. On one level, she was afraid Adam didn’t truly want her, that he saw her as merely available and convenient. Hopefully his reaction would silence that tiny voice forever.

“Because I think I’ll like it.”

Stay tuned next week for Chapter Six…

___________________________________________

Lorelie Brown is a goddess walking among us. She works for the US Government and is married to a paratrooper who’s very stingy with his X chromosomes. As a result, they’re trying to turn three hellions into well behaved little boys. She can order a beer in five languages and is one of those annoying people who always win at Trivial Pursuit.

Occasionally she even remembers to move the laundry from the washer to the dryer.

This an original story given generously to us by Lorelie Brown. DO NOT post any part of this story on your site without attribution to Lorelie or a holla-back at her site. That’s not cool. Always give credit where credit is due, yo.

Note: Hey, other writer-types, do you want to contribute to The Serial? If so, email me and I’ll hook you up, yo.

Till, then… Love, peace, and snarkage, my babies. Peace!

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 10th, 2008 at 6:00 am and is filed under The Serial. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.