The Legend of Bo Keap

Bo relaxes -- relaxes in a way long forgotten, under Lou's hands. When she snuggles up to his still damp back and slides her arms under his and around his waste -- he has the fleeting thought ... 'this might be a mistake.

He has a plan, and it didn't include a woman -- he'd never questioned for a moment that despite what Lou does for a living, she is no whore. She is just what her name implies, Lady Lou. And that all spells entanglement. But oh how her soft hands soothe him. How pleasant the soft kiss on his shoulder. Despite his resolve to not get entangled, it seems that he already is.

As Bo turns in her arms, she looks up as he looks down -- their eyes do the talking and apparently agree that their lips should join together. For both of them, it's the first real kiss in such a long, long time. When the urgent need eases, Lou lays her head on his chest -- the deep steady breaths and the thump of his heart brings tears to her eyes and her unspoken question; 'Why did you have to come and complicate my life ... and why did you take so long to arrive?'

Bo's light touch on the back of her neck, his soft kiss on the top of her head -- his every move and his every word only break down her walls all the more. It might not look like it from the outside, but there are battles raging in the hearts and minds of both lovers. It was never meant to be more -- never meant to be deeper. But suddenly it is and they both know it.

As if foreordained, he gently unbuttons the row along the back of her dress. He steps back just enough to use both hands to ease it off her shoulders -- Lou helps it on it's journey to the floor along with the petticoat. She turns so he can unlace her corset and she pulls it free to set it aside. And now it is he who kneels like a knight of old, to unlace her boots and offer his hand as balance as she steps free of them. Looking up, Bo smiles back to the smile focused on him. "And now it's just these last silky undies and the hosiery," he says. The knee high stockings go quickly the way the rest of their clothes have gone. The only thing left to separate their bodies is the delicate drawers -- the ones with embroidered flowers at the bottom of both legs.

'How long has it been since a man treated me like a lady? Has it ever been like this?' She looks down into his eyes, puts her hand on the back of his head and gently pulls his face to the fiery mound between her legs. His light kiss on her still covered secret is the final play -- his hands gently and slowly slide the gauzy cotton over her hips and let them slither down her legs to the floor. She is there now, her last secret bare before his eyes -- she closes her eyes when he leans to kiss the triangle of tangled hair, she softly gasps when his tongue probes deeper.

It's Lou that breaks the spell. She urges him up, turns and takes Bo's hand in hers and walks him to her bed. Freeing his hand, she turns down the bed covers, puts one knee up on top and crawls onto her bed. She knows very well that, bent over and spread this way, he can see her every private secret -- and that knowledge thrills in her own arousal. Her heart is pounding now, her eyes find his one more time. He stands where she had left him by the side of her bed, his cock is still full, hard and standing proud off his body. She admires again the gentle curve upward in an arc toward his belly -- lightly bobbing with each heartbeat -- the pouch below hangs weighted down, the two globes large and powerful.

"Will you join me Bo?"

"Just waiting to be asked, Lou."

Her bed shifts with his weight, the coiled bedsprings groan, as he joins her. They lay quietly, snuggled close ... both seem to be in no rush. In fact they both seem to crave the warm embrace more than anything else. After a long moment the embrace grows to light kisses, and then to tentative exploring hands. The hands grow more bold and the kisses more inflamed. When Bo rolls up onto his knees, Lou's legs open ever so slightly in invitation. With his eyes on hers, he places a knee between them and she spreads herself for him -- looks up into his eyes, her lips parted in small pants of breath as he gently takes his place on top of her vulnerable body.

If it had ever felt like this, it had been so long ago that she had forgotten. Tonight, this night, Lady Lou feels like a virgin might feel on her wedding night. This will not just be a romp in the hay, she intuitively knows that she is risking more than that and -- for about the span of the brief lifetime of a spark floating up the chimney -- she wonders if Bo is giving as much as she is. It matters, but not enough to keep this from happening. The years had, after all, knocked some of the shine off of the promise of love. But obviously not all of her desires -- her hopes -- had burned into cold ashes and she chooses to let her love run free ... what Bo does with his love will be left to see.

When the head of his cock touches her moist opening, Lou raises her legs higher, bent at the knees as she spreads herself for her man. When he presses into her body, her eyes close and a soft moan of gratitude rumbles in her throat. And then he begins ....

He is gentle but firm as he takes her. He is strong but tender. His kisses to the side of her face make her hope for more -- more than just this night, more than just this one time. But she can't surrender it all, she can't surrender her need for more than a beautiful body -- more than one wonderful night. She can't let him break her heart -- but she can't stop him if that's his choice. So from hard learned lessons, she pushes those silly hopes down and away from being damaged yet once again.

With her emotions restrained, Lou lets her body enjoy the moment as she lays under the one man who might be able to fully conquer Lady Lou in body and soul ... and heart.

It's been a long time for Bo. He has realized for quite awhile that his tastes are a bit off the norm, but for him there always needs to be something more -- something deeper than any bar-room floozy might have to offer. More often than not, he simply took care of nature's call with his own hand. And as they couple, the pressure on his mind is that it has been a long time -- will he be able to satisfy such a lady as Lou? He tries to pace himself, when the sensations become too much, he slows the pace -- pushes his thoughts to some unpleasant place ... and then with control restored, he pleasures her with more. It might be that it's working, for Lou is moaning and jerking -- her legs around his hips -- her lips with his locked in a kiss. He pushes all the way in and they mutually grind their joined bodies together -- Lou softly cries out, tenses up and squeezes him tighter -- both inside and out -- she moans low and soft ... and he knows and gratefully his seed flows ... deep ... deep into her body ... as deep as he can go....

If an angel happened to look down from heaven after that moment, she might think; 'oh no, two more dead bodies'.

But there is no death, at least not of the mortal kind. What might have died though, are two fortified walls of resolve to not become entangled with love. The carnage of the battle is too fresh to speak of deeper things though. The bodies do lay as if dead, but on closer inspection it is made clear by the heaving chests and unintelligible moans that life itself is not at risk. No it isn't death -- but is it new life? Alas, even the angels can not see the future.

For the first time in such a long time, Bo sleeps all night in a bed with a woman snuggled close.

For the first time in such a long time, Lou sleeps all night in her bed with a man snuggled close.

It is the best, the most restful night, either has been blessed with in such a long time -- Ming's soft knock in the pre-dawn morning signals the end of that blessing. He calls through the door; "Mr. Bo's horse is already saddled and the sun will be up soon."

Each lover, both Bo and Lou, share the same unvoiced thought; 'How nice it would be to sit down and share coffee and breakfast to start the day.'

The words go unsaid because it's not possible -- not here, not yet -- and maybe it never will be possible....

With one last kiss, one more conversation of eyes ... then Bo Keap slips out the back door of the kitchen. Ming has his horse with a bag of supplies tied to the saddle.

"Thank you Ming. You are a good man. Watch over her, if you need me you know who to go see."

"I think you too a good man. Be careful Mr. Bo."

The sun is still hidden behind the looming mountain peaks to the east of town. It's that time of day between darkness and light, a muddy indistinct time with life just beginning to stir. It is in that murky half-light that Bo rides unseen out of Cripple Creek.

As he rides the familiar back-county trails, his thoughts are still on last night -- on Lou; ' What chance does someone like me have at a normal life? What chance do I have for love?'

*****

Scene 6: 1893 -- Cripple Creek Present Day -- Henry Get's Settled In

The first thing Henry is anxious to do is find the local newspaper office and introduce himself to the owner. With each passing mile on these last legs of his journey the clearer it's become that this is a wilder place than he had envisioned. He will need some help in both getting his reports sent back to Kansas City and in getting the lay of the situation here in Cripple Creek and nearby Victor. Henry's queries bring him to the smallest newspaper office he's ever seen -- The Cripple Creek Crusher.

A small bell tinkles when he opens the door and a middle aged man pops his head up from behind the small manual press he had been working on. "How do? How can I help you?"

"How do you do sir. My name is Henry Armstrong and I am a reporter with the Kansas City Daily Gazette. I have just recently arrived and wanted to get acquainted with the local newsmen here."

"Well I'll swanee! The Kansas City Daily Gazette here in Cripple Creek -- that's something I never imaged. I'm Bill Parker and I'm the owner, editor and only reporter of this establishment. What can I do for you Mr. Armstrong?"

"Henry, no need for formalities. I just wanted to drop in and make your acquaintance Bill. I'm on a special assignment to get to the bottom of the outlaw Bo Keap. Of course, any help or advice you might offer would be greatly appreciated."

"Hmm, that is quite a story. But the truth is, 'taint much known about him and his gang -- except they are damned good at lifting gold and cash then disappearing like the morning fog."

"Has the local sheriff not been able to learn anything?"

"Between you and me, I don't think he's got a snow ball's chance in Hell of finding them boys. You just got here, but just from looking you can see this is wild country. Bo and his gang hit and just vanish before the sheriff can get a horse saddled."

"Well, I've seen how rugged these mountains are and I suppose it would be hard to know where to start looking for someone."

"Henry, just between you and me; I don't think the current Sheriff is as concerned about crime as he should be -- if you get my drift."

"You think he's in cahoots with Bo Keap?"

"Nah, it's not that. One of the reasons I wanted to start this newspaper is because of what's rumored to be corruption in the Mayor's office and the whole kit and caboodle of 'em. There's quiet talk about how the Mayor is on the pay-role of the seven or eight big gold operations. The talk is; Since the district court and land offices are under his control ... well, it's been rumored that all records of some of the small but good producing claims just disappear. That opens the door for the big boys to rush in and take 'em. Now that's between you and me. Loose talk could get to the wrong ears."

"You can trust me to keep quiet. If what you suspect is true, that could be a bigger story than the outlaws."

"Yep. It's also the kind of story than can get a newspaper man killed out here. So you be careful who you talk to Henry. I ain't kidding, you best be careful what you say and who you say it to."

"I sure will Bill. I'm certainly glad I've met you. I hope we can work together to get to the bottom of some of these concerning issues."

"Nice to meet you too Henry. In something like this it might be that two heads are better than one. Anything I can help with, just let me know."

"Well, I do need to find some sort of room to stay in, any suggestions?"

"I'd recommend the dry goods store up the road on the other side. They have rooms above the store to rent. It's Archer's and he's a friend of mine -- just tell him I sent you."

"That's where I'll be then. You can get in touch with me there or through your friend Archer. I'm sure we'll be seeing each other Bill. Good day to you."

***

After getting settled into his room, Henry steps out to get the feel of the town. Most of it consists of one long street that's on a fairly steep grade. The main street does have of a good number of solid, decent buildings of a commercial nature. Exploring deeper, there are a few nicer houses in the northeast part of town, but for the most part it's a lot of makeshift dwellings and a good number of tents that spread out from the town itself. All in all, the place is much bigger than he'd imagined. It spreads out over the valley and gets shabbier as it goes.

It's just getting dark when, on a whim, Henry walks through the doors of the Lucky Strike Saloon. It's early and there are just a few men sitting down having a drink. They all stare at him and he's felt the curious eyes on him everywhere he had been on his explorations. Clearly, it seems that he's over dressed for Cripple Creek but is loath to lower his standards just to fit in. But, it might be necessary to get these men to open up and talk to him.

A striking woman with the air of someone in charge captures his attention. If this town is like most others, this is a good place to get some information and he walks to the bar to get acquainted. "Excuse me madame, I'm new to town and am wondering if I might ask you a question or two?"

Lou looks the dandy up and down and judges him as harmless. "What can I get you Mr..."

"Henry, Henry Armstrong. I'm a reporter from the Kansas City Daily Gazette and I'm here to report on the gold diggings and also to learn about the outlaw Bo Keap."

"I see, can I get you something to drink Mr. Armstrong?"

"Yes, a beer would be good."

Lou tells the bar keep that she'll take care of Mr. Armstrong and set's his mug of beer on the bar. "So, I think you're the first big city newsman to come out from back east to see what's going on here. And don't tell me that word of Bo Keap has made it all the way back to Kansas City."

"Well, it has. But mostly it's just a bunch of rumors at this point. The way you speak of him makes me think he's more than a rumor. I'd be obliged for any news you can tell me about him and his gang."

"Truth is, no one really knows if there's a real Bo Keap or if it's just a boogyman made up around the camp fires."

"That's what makes it a good story ... I don't think I got your name?"

"Lou. I own the place."

"Pleasure to meet you Lou. Like I was saying, the unknown is what makes this an interesting story. Anything you might have heard about the gang would be helpful, I'm sure."

"We try hard to keep outlaws out of the Lucky Strike Henry. If Bo Keap is real, he doesn't get out and about much. I've never met anyone who's actually met him. You might try talking to the stage operator, they claim to have been held-up by Bo Keap on several occasions."

"That would be a good place to start. I'll look them up tomorrow."

"If you'll excuse me Mr. Armstrong, I need to go take care of something. Can I refill your beer?"

"Thank you, and just call me Henry."

"Here you go Henry, on the house -- it's not every day we get a famous big city reporter in our small establishment. I'll be back shortly."

Henry sips his beer and a big satisfied smile paints his face. As he leans back against the bar and looks over the saloon his pride in himself soars. 'Yep,I'm going to show these bumpkins how to track down an outlaw -- probably only take a few weeks.'

As Henry admires himself, Lou goes to the kitchen at the back of the saloon. Finding her right hand man she asks, "Ming have you seen Charlotte?"

"She went to the grocer for me. Should be back soon."

As if on cue, Charlotte walks in through the back door with her arms cradling a box of vegetables. Both Lou and Ming stare at her until she asks with a blank but questioning expression, "What?"

Lou laughs, "Nothing. You just showed up right after I asked Ming where you were and it seemed kinda funny. But I do have something I need you to do."

Ming takes possession of his vegetables and Lou takes possession of Charlotte's hand. "Come with me to Ming's office so we can talk."

After closing the door, Lou turns to Charlotte, "I have a job for you if you're up for it."

"What kind of job, Lou?"

"There's a newspaper reporter in town from back east for the sole purpose of writing about Bo. I don't know a thing about him, but I'd like to keep an eye on him. Would you be willing to cozy up to him and try to find out more about him and what he knows? I'll pay you just like with any other john."

"Sure Lou. Do you really think he's that much of a threat?"

"I don't know -- that's what worries me. You're the only person I've told that Bo and I spent time together after he gave that gold to Angelina. I want to know what this newspaper man knows and what he doesn't. I think you'll have to make him fall for you and begin to trust you."

"How ugly is he?"

"Actually, he's pretty dapper. He's not my type -- more of a city dandy -- but he's not ugly. One big plus is; he's clean."

"Sure Lou, I'll do it. Clean is worth something."

"Thank you Charlotte. Come with me and I'll introduce you to Mr. Henry Armstrong."

Lou and Charlotte walk into the saloon to find Henry talking to a local miner at the bar. They watch as the two carry on like old friends. After several minutes, the miner sets his empty mug on the bar and takes his leave. "Come on, I'll introduce you two and leave you alone. Try to get close to him Charlotte."

"Mr Armstrong, I'm glad to see you're still here. Sorry to leave you alone for so long. Are you enjoying the wild west so far?"

"Yes I am, Lou. I try to read as much news as I can from out here. It's always been a dream to come see for myself and now this story about Bo Keap has made it all possible."

"Henry, I'd like you to meet Charlotte -- Charlotte, Henry Armstrong from Kansas City. I've got to go take care of business and I've asked Charlotte to keep you company for awhile. It's not every day we get an important person in town and I don't want you writing anything bad about our manners out here in the wilderness."

Henry laughs at the joke, "Don't you worry Lou. I have no intention of writing a negative word about anyone in Cripple Creek except for the outlaws who are robbing you."

"If you can do that Henry, I think you'll be a local hero. Just be sure to get the right outlaws. I think there's a few to be discovered. And you be careful too. There's some who won't like you nosing around. Now you two go sit down and get acquainted, I have to go tend to business."

Charlotte takes over as soon as Lou leaves. "Let's go sit at a table Henry. I can't wait to hear all about your work and life in the big city."

Henry is already intrigued by Lou, but he is dazzled by Charlotte's petite grace and beauty. Her blonde curls and skin the color of fresh snow reminds him of a painting he once saw of angels sitting on a cloud. Being somewhat short himself, it's nice to be with a woman shorter than he is.

"So, how long have you been in Cripple Creek Charlotte?"

"I came up with Lou almost two years ago. We've known each other for several years and she's been like a big sister for quite awhile. How long do you plan on being here?"