One Whore's Town Ch. 06

"I'll settle for making a decent living," Betty said.

"Doubt you'll have to settle, but whatever. Speaking of business, the cunt is still spreading her legs for every prick that walks in her door. She's stacked up some serious coin by now."

"What do you think she's going to do with it?"

"Hard to say. I've been keeping my eyes open for any shady types, but Shad and I can't be around there all the time. Maybe she's just thinking she needs some gold to buy off any man who doesn't drool over her. With the coin she's stacking, she could bribe some serious people. May think that's safer after you cold-cocked her and held a knife to her throat."

Betty shivered. "Don't remind me."

"Don't forget it," Raven countered. "The world's a shitty fucking place, and sometimes you've got to be just as shitty. You don't have to like it, but you have to be ready, and you proved that you've got both parts right."

"If you say so," Betty said, hoping to change the subject.

Raven's gaze suddenly snapped to one of the windows, and then her brow furrowed. "The fuck?" she muttered as she popped up off the couch.

"What is it?" Betty asked.

"Shad," she answered as she opened the door. She waved for the young man to approach, and then asked, "The hell are you doing here?"

"Bad news," he answered. "She turned men away for a few hours late this afternoon, and then that factor fellow showed up at her door."

Raven groaned. "I suppose he left grinning like an idiot."

"Two hours later," Shad confirmed.

"That's just great," Raven growled. "Head back to my kip. I'll be along in a bit."

The young thief in training nodded, cocked his ear toward the giggling emerging from deeper in the house for a moment, and then turned to leave.

"How bad is it?"

"No way of knowing. He may be shrewd enough to just dip his wick and go about his business. Or, she may have charmed him. Or, she may have bribed him. He's wearing a wedding ring, so she may be thinking about blackmailing him."

"It never ends," Betty sighed.

"Nope. I'll get it untangled in a day or two. For now, I smell like a goblin's shithouse, and I've been itching to try that new bath of yours."

"All yours," Betty said, and then sat back to wonder what complications the latest revelation was going to cause.

****

Betty heard Jan's door finally open an hour or so after first light. She pursed her lips and took a deep breath, setting her face into a smile that wouldn't be taken as mocking or teasing for the young man who was about to emerge.

Ginny and Lilly had already given her all the details before their first humps of the morning. Wynn had managed to survive the initial lick and suck from all three girls without spraying their faces. He'd then gone on to thoroughly explore their bodies and endure their stroking hands while still holding his cum. Ginny had even climaxed while he eagerly lapped her pussy.

His stamina failed him shortly after slipping into Lilly's pussy, though he lasted longer than most virgins. Betty was a little surprised to find her juices flowing as Lilly described Jan going down on her to lap up Wynn's creamy offering. The excitement of the unexpected licking had sent Lilly over the edge as well.

Like virtually all young men, he was hard again in no time. All three girls had taken turns riding him — bringing him nearly to the edge before leaving him to cool. Jan was the last, and sucked him clean of the other two girls' pussy juice before mounting his hard young cock.

Lana and Ginny were both certain that Jan had her turn at a peak before he spewed his seed inside her.

Betty needed no eyewitness account beyond her own hearing to know that Jan had sucked the young man off when they awakened. The sight of his grin and weak-kneed walk as he emerged into the front room further confirmed it.

Much to Betty's satisfaction, Wynn didn't seem troubled by the sound of Lilly and Gina playing it up for the men humping them.

"Go get something to eat, honey," Betty told the smiling young man. "Best relax while you can before Raven comes to fetch you."

The final test of her plan happened not long afterward, when Jan took a man to her room. Wynn didn't seem troubled, and his eyes followed Lana when she walked out back to the outhouse after a hump.

Wynn cleaned his plate, picked up his bow and quiver, and then said, "I'm going to go talk to Abel."

"I'll stall Raven a little if she comes by to put you back to work," Betty said, and then winked.

A steady progression of men arrived looking to get their pricks wet. The girls were busy, but never overwhelmed, which suited Betty right down to the ground. She busied herself sewing up a new pair of panties with some soft cotton fabric and lace recently acquired through a special request to the General's quartermaster.

When the door opened, she quickly covered her work with a dress that needed mending, as it was a surprise for Ghent, and she didn't want him to see the new panties until she was — however briefly — wearing them.

Shad and Raven were both wearing wicked smiles when they walked in the door.

"I hope that means good news?" Betty said.

"Oh, you're going to like this," Raven said. "Decided I'd give Wynn a few hours reprieve, so I took his brother here into town to see what we could overhear."

"And we got an earful," Shad said, and then laughed.

Raven hiked her thumb toward Shad. "This one's almost decent at sneaking around town now. We get a spare moment, I might just share one of my free ones with Lilly."

Betty giggled as Shad's face betrayed surprised excitement.

"Anyway, Miss Golden Pussy was raging again. Turns out the factor was playing her. While she was lying there full of his cum, sticking her tits in his face, and looking for an angle, he was apparently mining her for information. My guess is that she thought she had him good and latched onto her teat when he left."

"But she was wrong?" Betty asked.

"So wrong. First light this morning, a bunch of the Governor's men rode in. Hauled off half the officials and guardsmen in town, and replaced them with men they'd brought along. Almost every Draxnian, and a few local toadies. We got there just in time for the real show. Last thing he did before riding out himself was tell her..." Raven deepened her voice into an imitation of a man's and said, "He eagerly awaited her next tax assessment, as she seemed to be doing quite well for herself."

"That's when she started screaming and breaking things," Shad said. "She hasn't paid a thin copper in taxes since she's been here."

"Town sounds like a beehive from all the people whispering," Raven said. "Everybody knows she just got the rug pulled out from under her and she landed flat on her pretty little ass."

"Do you think he got everyone who was sucking her tits?" Betty asked.

Raven nodded. "Enough that she's got her work cut out for her. She'll probably rebuild her little empire in time. Corruption is the national pastime in Draxnia, and she's got a whole new crop of Draxnian pricks to tickle."

Shad stiffened a little, and Betty glanced toward the hall, where she saw Lilly emerging.

The pretty Draxnian woman laughed and said, "Too true."

Raven let out a purring moan as Lilly sat down to await her next hump. "Need to see what I can do about corrupting you some more."

Lilly giggled and blushed.

A wicked, spiteful notion grabbed hold of her and Betty couldn't let it go. "Ghent, honey," she called toward the door.

It opened almost immediately. "I can almost hear her shrieking from here," Ghent said, demonstrating that he'd heard the conversation.

"We're running low on a few things. I think we should run into town for supplies," Betty suggested.

"Oh, you evil bitch," Raven said with laughter in her voice.

Betty offered the thief a cherubic smile and a shrug.

****

A change in the clomping of Studly's hooves as they approached town caused Betty to lean over the rail of the wagon. The horse was lifting its feet higher and tossing its mane as it pulled the wagon along.

Ghent chuckled. "Heh... It's almost like he knows. He's prancing."

Betty shook her head and sat back. She fixed her gaze on her rival's magnificent house and asked, "I wonder if she's stopped screaming and breaking things?"

"Guess we'll know soon enough."

Ghent turned the wagon to make the approach to town while Betty scanned the windows of the house, looking for movement. She didn't hear screaming, so she assumed the redheaded prostitute had gotten that out of her system. As they were passing by the house, Betty saw the curtains of one window whip aside.

Her smug smile drooped when she saw the other woman glaring at her with unbridled hatred. Josephine's hair looked dull and disheveled. Her eyelids drooped. There were dark circles under her eyes. Her cheeks were pale and a little hollowed.

The transformation was both startling and disconcerting.

"Damn, she's been rode hard and put away wet," Ghent remarked.

Betty shivered and looked away as her rival darted out of the window. A moment later, she heard commanding shrieks — though the words were indiscernible.

"Let's just get what we need and get out of here," Betty said. All her desire to gloat had evaporated upon seeing the state of the redhead.

"Yes'm," Ghent said, and gave a flick of the reins.

She half expected the other prostitute to come running at her in a blind rage the whole time they were in the general store, and while they loaded up the wagon. The townsfolk gave them a wide berth, and the shopkeeper looked nervous, as if they anticipated a confrontation as well.

Betty had decided that purchasing any food was still a risky proposition. She had even prepared to leave empty handed, should the shopkeeper charge outrageous prices for what they did plan to purchase. The man only asked for what was a reasonable going rate, so Betty stocked up on cloth, lamp oil, and other supplies that she didn't have to worry about being poisoned.

She wasn't sure whether it was a sign of her rival's lost control over the locals, or simply the proprietor's desire to see them gone as quickly as possible.

Once the supplies were loaded, Ghent turned to her and asked, "Just go home?"

Betty nodded. Her man was reading her like a book. She had originally planned to make several other stops in order to flaunt her freedom to move about town, but no longer felt like it. She didn't even look at Josephine's fine home as they rolled out of town.

She initially started when Raven materialized from the tall grass, but caught her breath and released the hilt of her dagger when she realized who it was.

The thief vaulted into the wagon as it passed and said, "She looks even worse than the last time I saw her. Gonna have to cut her ask if she doesn't get some sleep and wash her hair."

"That may be the least of her problems," Betty said. She knew Josephine depended upon the protection of the goddess of lust. While she wasn't fully versed in the dictates of the faith, she was reasonably certain that the redhead letting herself go wasn't conductive to maintaining the favor of the capricious goddess.

"Her bully boy had to practically tie her down to keep her from coming after you," Raven said with a chuckle as she sat down and leaned against the wall of the wagon. "I'd imagine he's got some scratches and maybe a shiner for his trouble."

"She's gone mad, hasn't she?" Betty asked.

"Well, she's mad as a hornet — that's for sure. Don't think she's completely lost it, though. Too much of a conniving bitch for that. You're not feeling sorry for her, are you?"

"We did cut in on her game," Betty said.

"And I know you well enough to know that you tried to cut her a fair deal. Don't forget, she tried to rob you, ruin you, and stick a knife in your gut. She deserves every bit of it."

Betty found that hard to argue with, but still felt ill at ease. "How long do you think it will take her to get a stranglehold on the town again?"

"Hard to say. A lot longer if she doesn't clean herself up, that's for sure. I'd have to feel out the men the governor sent to see which ones she could charm by milking their pricks."

"But you think she'll manage it?"

"Maybe. You can only see red for so long before it burns you out, and once she gets her head together... Surprised a vicious, conniving bitch like her didn't just jiggle her tits at some old nobleman. Let him ride her once a month when he can get his limp prick up, and wait for him to die. She'd fit right in with some palace hen's circle. Guess she wants to carve out her kingdom on her own terms."

"So we'll end up right back where we were. Constantly looking over our shoulders," Betty said with a sigh.

"I don't like leaving bodies lying around, but I'll make an exception in her case. She gives whores a bad name."

Betty shook her head.

"You're too damn soft-hearted," Raven said — though her tone betrayed that she didn't mean it. "So, back to the Kip, then?"

"It's just not worth it," Betty said.

Raven shrugged. "Well, I'll scout things out at a few towns down the road after I've ghosted you home. Plenty of towns like Stingy Pussy. I'll find you a place to set up."

"I don't know that I'll be trying this again any time soon," Betty argued.

"Bah. Horseshit," Raven scoffed. "A week of Alice mothering you, and you'll be ready to hit the road again. When you do, I'll make sure you're not wading into a shitstorm."

Betty wasn't so sure, but she had to admit to herself that surrendering rankled. For the moment, she had to decide how to break the news to everyone.

****

"Are you sure you won't come?" Betty asked one more time as the last sliver of the sun vanished beyond the horizon.

Janus smiled and shook his head. "Like I said before, I've lived here all my life. Once you all head home, she'll be too busy to bother with me."

"I hate that we've caused you trouble."

"Josephine hated me before you got here. At least now I've done something to sort of deserve it," he said, and laughed. "Just having good company all this time makes it worth it."

"No need for that to end," Betty suggested just as she had before.

"Got to tell you, I did think about it. I just... I don't know. This is home. Rotten memories and all."

Betty sighed. "Well, if you ever change your mind, you just get word to Alice's Kip or Heaven's Table in Windsholme."

"Promise."

"Well, it will be a couple of days." Betty had managed to convince a small merchant caravan on its way east to pick them up on the way back, increasing the number of guards they would have on their return trip. It worked out well, as it would give Betty time to arrange for two more wagons to accommodate everyone they'd picked up along the way.

"You know you're welcome for as long as you need. It's my pleasure."

At something of a loss, Betty nodded, and turned to make her way down the path of carefully laid broken bricks back to the house. Under normal circumstances, she'd have offered up free ones and felt perfectly fine. For most men, it was more than satisfactory payment for anything. For Janus, it would just be a painful reminder of how he was different.

The best she could come up with was to buy a few loads of bricks from him once she was safely back in Windsholme. That was something she knew he would accept, and which would help since Josephine was stifling his business.

She shook her head when she could almost hear Alice delighting in how much they could profit reselling the bricks to the appearance-conscious people of Windsholme.

For their part, the girls were excited to return. Jan and Lana had built friendships they would be happy to renew, and the new girls were moving on to a better, more stable life. Jan was in the bath, telling the two redheaded sisters in the kitchen stories about home. Though they'd closed up shop early for the night, Betty could hear grunts and moans arising from two rooms.

Raven had followed through on her suggestion to share Lilly with her young lover and burglar in training. Shad certainly sounded as if he was enjoying himself. Wynn was spending his second night of manhood sampling Lana's charms.

Betty sat down on the couch next to Ghent and sighed.

"No luck, huh?"

"I had to try. I'm worried about him."

The big man smiled and said, "You could always threaten to make him cook his own food and drink his own coffee until we leave. A couple days of that, and he might just cave."

Betty chuckled. "We have rather spoiled him with good food, haven't we? I did tell him that if he changes his mind after we're gone, the offer is always on the table."

"Here's hoping he takes you up on it," Ghent said.

Keri's words reached them from the kitchen when she said, "I mean... It sounds wonderful, but will they even need me with so many other women who can cook and mend?"

Betty saw Ghent shake his head and smile. She caressed his cheek, stood, and walked toward the kitchen. "There are more people stopping at Heaven's Table every day. We just expanded the kitchen and the dining area, and we'll probably have to do it again before long. Trust me, Hannah will be tickled to have someone she doesn't have to train from scratch."

"Hannah runs the Heaven," Jan explained.

"You could be sweating in the kitchen instead of in your bed too," Betty said. An idea occurred to her. "As a matter of fact, Yasmine has been thinking about opening a place because we're doing so well. The only thing she's missing is a good cook to run the place."

"Do you think I could?" Jan asked.

"Absolutely," Betty answered. "It will take a while for Yasmine to get things going, and Hannah could teach you the rest of the business in the meantime. Alice will be fine with it, because I'm coming home with two new girls for the Kip."

"That does sound nice," Keri remarked.

Jan had a contemplative look on her face when she said, "Really nice."

An idea occurred to her, so Betty caught Keri's eye and said, "You know, as good of a cook as you are, you're even better at making dresses. Do you think you could teach someone?"

"I suppose. Why?" the redhead asked.

"Because I think women would fall head over heels for the things you make in Windsholme. You're working with common fabric and making wonderful things. What do you think you could do with cotton, silk, and lace?"

Keri's eyes lit up at the prospect.

Betty continued, "If you can teach a few girls to help you make beautiful clothes, you could make a killing."

"Everybody at the Kip has been wondering what we're going to do if Franny closes up shop or passes on," Jan said. "The girls she has working for her can sew, but they don't have her eye."

Betty nodded. "We're her best customers. Bet we could convince her to take someone under her wing."

"And it's not as if she'd be training competition. She's been talking about retiring for a while now from what I hear," Jan said.

"And wishing she had someone to take over for her for even longer," Betty said. Silently, she thought that as soon as Alice saw Keri's talent, she'd be quick to buy up the shop and add it to her empire. She also wondered how such a pretty, domestically talented young woman hadn't already snatched up a husband.

"I sold some clothes to make money, but not much," Keri said.

"Believe me, Franny and Alice can change that. It's all about getting the material cheaper. Don't worry, there's a place for you when we get home." Betty nodded to the three women, and returned to her place on the couch.

The contemplative, optimistic looks on Jan and Keri's faces brought a smile to her own as she sat down.

"Dunno how she isn't already married off," Ghent whispered as Betty leaned against him.

Betty chuckled. "I was wondering the same thing."