Ben and Meg In The Wild West
Chapter 2
Ben closed the door and leaned his back at it for a long time. He throw his jacket and hat in a nearby chair, and sank down into one next to it. He closed his eyes.
When their hands had meet a few hours ago, his world has stared to rock. She flooded trough his mind. He had excused him self to the young women and hurried away. But he couldn’t resist turning around. Their eyes meet one more time and she smiled. " Oh god, what a smile" he thought. It was one of those, which could melt any man.
Ben kicked his boots of, while he was sitting down. " She’s probably married." He said out loud. They’re where a lot of young men in Springfield that was in her age. Or maybe she was young officer wife? General Custer had his base camp here, so it was not impossible. Or maybe she was just travailing through?
He looked at he clock on the wall. He had a lot to do before the dinner at Bette and AJ´s. He rose from his seat and walked over to a table on the other side of the room. He pored up a glass of scotch and swept it in one gulp. He walked over to a window, and looked down on the big main street in Springfield. He gave him self-a mental push to start this days work and turned around. He froze!
The big double door to his bedroom was closed. " I could swear that I left it opened!" he thought and sat down the glass on his working desk. He was just about to go in the direction of the door, when he heard soft noises from the room. Just like someone was walking around in there. Slowly Ben moved to his desk and opened the top draw. He pulled out a Western & Smith gun. Quickly he checked if it was loaded. All most soundless, Ben moved towards the bedroom. He unsecured the weapon, and put his hand on the door handle. In his head he counted to three, before he pushed the door open and pointed the gun at the intruder. Next to the bed stood a woman. She was holding a dress in front of her body. When she saw Ben, the women smiled and drop it. She was completely naked. She played with her hair, that spread over her bare shoulders. Her cheeks where fluttered, but she kept on smiling.
" Good morning, Mr Evans" she said and let her hands travel over her own forms.
Ben caressed his forehead in annoying gesture. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Ben was tempted to throw her skinny as out of there. But being the perfect gentleman he was, he simply walked up to her and picked up the dress from the floor and handed it over to her.
" Put your clothes back on, Maria!" he said and left the room.
***
Bette laught until she cried. There had been a huge misunderstanding. The picture that Joan had sent was on her grandchild. Her son, Brads, firstborn.
Bette dried her tears, and smiled at the young woman in front of her. Bette grabbed her hands. " I’m so sorry, Muffin."
Meg smiled. " No harm done, aunt Bette." She gave Bette a big hug. After some time, Bette held her from her. " Let me look at you"
She was in her early twenty’s, and very beautiful. Dark brown hair, and blue eyes. And a figure that could have been a goddess.
" You most drive the men in Boston wild. That is why you are here, your father is tired of using his shotgun."
Meg gave her a week smile. " Something like that."
" Oh, A.J will be so pleased. Last time we where in Boston, you were ten years old. You where running wild i the park with a tail of nannies after you! "
Meg´s smiled. " How is uncle A.J?" Bette smiled with her. She remembered their trip to Boston over twelve years ago. Joan and her good-looking piece of cornbread: her husband Hank had invited them. It did not take long for A.J and little Meg to find each other. The little girl melted his heart, and when Bette and A.J had to go home, Meg hide her self in one of their big trunks. A.J found her, and tried to explain to a tear-filled Meg that she couldn’t come. Bette hade even noticed that A.J was very quiet the hole way home. The little girl had really gotten to him. "And here she is" Bette thought.
Mary came into the library, with tea and pastries on a tray. She placed it on a small table. " Thank you, Mary" Bette said. Mary curtsied and left the room.
Meg left her seat in the sofa. She walked over to one of the Victorian widows. Two hours had passed sense she hade seen him. And she couldn’t get him out of her mind. In some way, he felt right. She turned around and found Bette looking at her.
"Aunt Bette, the man at the station. Who is he?" Bette rise a brown at her.
Meg blushed and stammered " I’m…I’m just curious!"
Bette smiled, still with one brown raised. " You mean the man you had a close and contact with?"
Meg tore her gaze from Bette. " Yes."
Bette smiled and took a sip from her cup. " A very rich English man." It was vague information, but something told her that Muffin would fish for more.
Meg left her spot by the window and walked back to the sofa. Bette gave her a cup of steaming hot tea. Graciously, Meg sat down on one of the chairs next to the table. In silens, Bette patiently waited.
" So…what does he do?" Bette tried not to widen her smile. She just went on stirring her spoon in the cup.
"He is the owner of the Sunset Hotel & Bar" was Bette´s short answer.
Meg crushed her napkin in her hand. She was fighting her need to just shower her questions over aunt Bette. Her dear mother would see black if she knew what her daughter was up to. But right now, Meg did not care about sense or appropriate appearing! She took a deep breath and placed her cup on the table.
" Is he married?" Meg could feel her cheek taking a slight shade of red.
Bette looked at Meg with both her browns raised. She decided that if was enough! She placed her cup next to Meg´s. Bette took her hand and smiled.
" Why don´t you just ask what you want to know. Instead of walking around on glass?"
Meg blushed even more and chewed on her lower lip.
" What do like to know about Springfield’s prince of darkness?" Bette said and tipped Meg´s chin so that she could look into her face.
Bette looked long into Meg´s blue eyes.
" You just have to ask, we are not that formal here as in Boston. The ladies here wont have a heart attack or piss our pants for a question like that"
Meg couldn’t help but to laugh. Bette had just describe her mothers all friends.
Bette leaned back in the sofa. " What do you say, Muffin? Do you have some delicious question for me?"
Meg smiled a beautiful big smile and her eyes twinkled…
***
Ben stopped by the window and pretended to look out. Inside he was battering down the rising desire. When he had opened that door, Maria had not been person standing there. Ben feelings had played tricks on his mind. He hade seen "her"! Just dressed in that smile. She had invaded his mind. How could a person do that after such a short meeting?
" You’ve got to get her out of your mind, Ben" he told him self.
A voice interrupted him. " Ben?" He turned around and saw Maria standing in the doorway. She was dressed in a long slip. She had a hurt expression on her face, but just like every other time- Ben did´t care!
" What did I do wrong, Ben?" she said and her lower lip shiver a bit.
"I hate playing the same old song, Maria" Ben said and crossed his arms over his chest.
"What do you mean?" She moved closer to him and bent down a bit so that she exposed her cleavage to him.
" Listen to me!" he was losing his temper. He swallow hard, in an effort to keep her from steeping on his last nerve. " Your job, Maria is to serve and entertain the guests in the bar. NOT me!"
Maria saw that her tactic, to play innocent and venerable, did´t work. She sat on top of Ben´s desk, and crossed her legs so that her waist slip parted and her thighs came into view.
" I know my work, Ben" she said and unbuttoned the first two buttons in her slip.
Ben looked at her with a stone expression on his face.
" But I also know what you want!" she continued to open her buttons until the slip was open to her navel.
" What I want- is to get all my work done, and have it done hopefully by tonight!" Ben was losing his temper, and he was losing it fast!
" Oh, Ben! The work can wait, why dont you and I have some fun?" she slided down from the desk and walked up to him. She traced his arms with her fingers. To her dismay, Ben batted away her seeking fingers. He held her wrist in a firm hold and looked strait into her eyes.
" The door is over there. You can either go throw it by yourself or I’m going to help you out!"
Maria just stared at her boss, with a terrified look. Ben lost it! He grabbed her by the arm and dragged her over the floor to the door. He opened it and pushed out a supriced Maria. She turned around to object but got the door in her face…
***
Later in the evening.
Meg was standing in front of a full-length mirror in the room that was going to be hers for the next coming weeks. She was wearing a dark blue dinner gown in silk. It fitted her just like a hand in a glove. The upper part of the dress was a corset, she was happy that she was one of the women in the world, which not had to cut of blood circulation for a thin waist. She was slim by nature. The sleeves where long and tight. The fabric was slimed over the breasts and it had a generous décolletage. The dress was thigh over her hips, when widened in a long skirt. It was a simple dress, but still very beautiful. Round her neck was a gold chain with a locket that rested between her breasts. She pinched her cheeks, to get a red glow. It was really no need she was already glowing!
The blue color of the dress made her eyes seem just as blue as the Pacific Ocean.
She checked her hair one last time, before she headed for the door.
***
Bette reached up and helped her husband with his shirt. He was just staring at her. " Can you, my dear, repeat that?"
Bette smiled into his eyes. " I just want you to avoid telling Ben that our guest is twenty two and not five! "
" In heavens name- why?" A.J placed his hands on his hips. Bette button the last button in his shirt and sat down by the dresser. She smiled at him through the mirror.
" I have my reasons, dear" she powdered her cleavage in the low cut evening dress, before hanging a chain around the neck. A.J walked up to her and helped her lock it.
" That reason don´t happened to be a hint of matchmaking!! Is it?" A.J said and placed his hands back on the hips.
Bette turned to face him. " Moi- matchmaking??"
" Yes, YOU! Do you see anyone else in this room that could fit that expression?" He made a gesture in the empty air.
" She is young, dear. I’m just looking after Muffin, that’s all!"
A.J made a helpless gesture with his hands. "My dear wife, that’s what I’m afraid of!"
Bette rose from her seat and padded her husband’s cheek affectionate. " You just have to welcome Ben and had him a drink. Then send Muffin in as company!" she gave him a quick kiss. " The rest we leave to P.O.D and Muffin"
" Well, I dont think Joanna Cummings will be so pleased if she would to find out that you are hitching away her daughter!" A.J said and kissed his wife back.
" You just leave Jonie to me and get that gorgeous tush down stairs and welcome our dinner guest." Her hands went around his waist and gave his bottom a gentle squeeze. He moaned and kissed her neck.
In her ear he whispered: " And if I’m resisting?"
Bette blow her hot breath in his ear and added: " Then I have only one word for you- guest room!"
A.J muttered something Bette couldn’t make out and disappeared throw the door. Bette smiled at him, and then she turned to the mirror.
***
A.J kept muttering the whole way down the stairs. Mary was waiting at the foot.
" Sir, Mr Evans is waiting in the library" she said.
A.J smiled " Thank you, Mary!" She curtsied and made her way into the diner.
He turned around. "Mary?"
She stopped. " Yes, sir?"
" Will you let Miss Cummings know that I like her to join us?"
Mary smiled " Certainly sir" She disappeared up the stairs.
A.J took a deep breath and pushed the door opened to the library. Judas most have felt this way when he betrayed Jesus. He was about to send Ben into one of Bette´s new traps.
Ben was standing by the window, when A.J entered the room. A.J walked across the room, without closing the door, and shook his friend’s hand.
***
Mary found Meg in A.J study, admiring his collection of Shakespeare.
" Mr Deschanel, would like you to join him and his guest in the library!"
Meg told her that she would join them shortly. Mary curtsied and left the study.
Meg did not know who the guest was. All aunt Bette had told her was that he was a business partner and a dear friend to the family. She was not feeling up to being sociable tonight, but she owe it to uncle A.J and aunt Bette. She borrowed Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet. She always loved to read that story.
Slowly, she began to make her way down the stairs with the book pressed to her chest…
***
A.J poured up two glasses of Ben old Scottish malt whiskey, and handed one of them to his friend. Only to find him in deep thoughts.
" Ben is everything all right?" Ben exempted the glass.
" I don´t know, A.J" Ben answered and walked over to the window. He was silent for a long time, before turning around to face A.J.
" Have you ever regretted a moment? Asked your self: what if?"
A.J smiled. " Every man on this earth has done that, Ben!"
Ben turned his gaze throw the window again. " I had mine today…"
" You are talking in riddles" A.J said and took a zip from the drink.
" I meet someone today. I have no idé who she is, where she’s from, if she is married but still: I can’t get her of my mind!!" Ben said, just like he was talking to no one special.
***
Meg walked down the stairs and saw A.J talking to a man. The man had his back to her. He was tall and had very brooding shoulders and a nice tush. She couldn’t help but to giggle. If his back was this good-looking, what about his face? She reach the bottom of the stairs. With slowly steeps, Meg walked into the library. Uncle A.J and his guest appeared to have a serious conversation, and she did not what to disturb. But, on the other hand, uncle A.J had wished that she would join them. Meg cleared her throat, to draw attention. A.J turned around and a big smile lighted up his face.
" There you are child!" He walked up to her and kissed her left cheek.
" I’m sorry, uncle A.J. I found your library." She held up the book to show him.
" Something told me that you would eventually find your way to that room!"
She smiled. " I hope you don´t mind?"
A.J´s smile widened. " Of curse not, child! That is what books are for."
He turned around to address Ben. " Ben, this is Miss Cummings. Her parents are good friends to Bette and me."
Ben turned around and their eyes meet. Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet landed loudly on the floor….