Jon Reskind - Caesar_s revenge book II

His friend nodded. "I figured that… but just don't be surprised if you wind up with your head in your hands!"

"Oh… oh shit, what the hell…" Steve gurgled, sucking deeply at his cigarette.

Caesar was confronted with no problem in quietly slipping into the town, even though the shadows had only begun to grow long. The sinking sun's light still glowed brightly on the horizon as the massive german shepherd sought himself a vantage point of hiding and froze into immobility, watching the furor and waiting.

Human males chaotically stumbled about the central place where speeding things sat unmoving and many waiting horses awkwardly stomped and shied. Occasionally, they whinnied, their eyes uneasy to the human clamor about them. Patiently, the powerful dog evaluated. He read the meaning of the long things that were man-formed of iron and wood, knowing the ugly flame they belched and the painful death they brought. Humans roared their communicative sounds to one another with loud, ugly throats as they staggered toward the frightened horses. Caesar saw the brute-man then, and seconds later, he, of the golden one!

Carefully, the massive wild dog appraised. He quickly read the animosity between the two male humans, the brute-man's throat-roars unnatural, as if he had eaten of the wild grass that distorted the instincts! He was waving his limbs and roaring, while the golden-one's human mate stood quiet and tall. Then, the brute-man turned away, the others with him, to climb onto the restless horses while his golden female's companion stood unmoving…!

Intuitively, Caesar was aware that he had been right! What he and the grey-one had done to she, of the sheep, had brought this about. But he had no concern for the welfare of his pack this night; he had concealed them well and left them with ample food. They would lie well-hidden from the cruel marauding of the brute-men and his wild-pack…!

A cracking sound that sharply rent the ending day caused Caesar's reflexes to instantly tense! Even as they did, he saw the fire spurt from one long thing and another male human clutch at his upper-leg, reeling and almost falling from the recoiling horse! Humans rushed toward him, including the golden-one's he, catching him before he fell, while others led by the brute-men, tore the long thing away from the unsteady male, pulling him, too, from a horse!

This, the keen-instincted german shepherd knew was not meant to be! Confusion dominated once more! He sensed his sleek muscles relaxing. He would wait and watch; there was ample time before he went to the sleeping place of his golden mate!

"What does it mean, Mark?" Jean anxiously questioned. "Will they call the posse off?"

"I'm hoping to hell they'll get some sense after that," Mark sighed, gazing down at his blonde-haired wife's concerned face, then uncontrollably letting his eyes rake downward over her curvaceous young body so provocatively outlined by the thin, satin sheet. Christ, he'd like to crawl in there with her for at least ten minutes…!

"We shouldn't waste any time, Mark," Steve Foster clipped his thoughts short. "You said you wanted to check with Doc Emory on how bad Abe was hurt…"

"Yeah… yeah, we better get going," the big deputy agreed, tearing his eyes from his voluptuously outlined young wife.

"What about your dinners?" Carol put in. "You characters think that I've been cooking for the fun of it…?"

"Sorry, baby," Steve said, grabbing his wife and planting a fast kiss on her mouth. "This is the biggest story I've ever covered!"

"Well, bully for you! I hope you starve to death…!"

Jean said: "Mark, when will you be home?"

He bent and kissed her, then, in a soft voice: "Damnit, I don't know, baby. I was hoping that this accidental shooting would halt these liquor-crazed men… but instead, it's just fired them more! They're claiming if it wasn't for the wild pack, Abe Reynolds would never've been shot! They're like a bunch of animals out there… and I've got to do everything I can to keep them from going into those hills…!"

"Mark, please?" his luscious, blonde wife pleaded. "I need you tonight, really need you!" she almost whimpered, wrapping her arms around his neck. "If I ever needed you… it's tonight, darling…!"

"Honey, honey… Christ!" the young deputy gasped, untangling himself from her grip. "If I could, I would stay with you, baby… but I can't! You've got to understand… at least, try! These drunken maniacs… someone could get killed out there tonight! I've got to do my best to stop them! Please, baby… try to understand…?"

And then, he was upright, ignoring her and looking at his watch.

"What time is it?" Steve anxiously questioned.

"Almost nine. Doc should have the bullet out of him by now," Mark replied. "We better get back there…"

"I'm still going with them if they ride, Mark!" the red-bearded writer said. "You understand…?"

"Forget it. Let's keep them from killing each other if we can…!"

The two wives remained silently by, one staring from her bed, the other near her as they gaped at the empty doorway, listening to their respective husbands leave the house without further word to them.

"Are you hungry, baby?" Carol, with a touch of rising anticipation to her voice, asked.

"I-I was, but… but…"

Carol smiled. "I understand, honey. Me too, though I don't know why. By this time, I should think we'd both be familiar with this sort of evening."

"D-Do you really ever get used to their being gone at all hours?" Jean wondered aloud, terribly upset that her young husband hadn't realized the importance of her physical need for him tonight above everything. God… had she made a mistake in marrying him, even loving him as she did? "N-Never knowing where they are… when, or if, they're coming home…?"

"Hmmmpff… after a couple years of marriage to an idiot-writer like I've got, you get damned well used to it," the willowy brunette replied, though with a little smile of deep affection radiating in her incandescent eyes. She reached down then with one soft hand and gently grazed her fingertips along Jean's smooth cheek. "Anyway… I'm just as pleased to have you all to myself tonight, baby."

A sensuous tremor of arousal fluttered through the tormented young wife's thinly covered curves at the warm contact and the undeniable meaning behind her dearest friend's words. She smiled upward with quickly incited desire at the sparkling-eyed girl, tenderly… needingly, taking her slender hand and brushing her soft cheek with it. "I… I love that thought, Carol darling! I really love it!" she throatily whispered.

The supple, raven-haired Carol, felt a shiver of delight ripple upward along her spine. God… should she? Should she…! At what cost…? Yet, she heard herself say, "Beautiful, baby… I'm disgusted with the thought of eating, too! Let the damned roast-beef harden into a nice, fat lump for them!"

"T-There's better things to eat than roast-beef…" Jean pointedly rasped, almost blushingly shying her eyes from the other's heated gaze.

The darling! The beautiful, luscious creature, Carol ardently thought! God almighty… was it really going to happen… after all these years? She swallowed tightly, and said: "I-I thought maybe I'd undress and get in beside you… that we could trade a few more intimate secrets, baby… amongst other things… that is if you're sure you'd like to…"

"Oh… oh, God yes! I'd like… want that, Carol darling! I do… I do!" Jean enthusiastically whimpered, once more brushing her silken-skinned cheek against her beautiful friend's soft, warm hand, while the persistent sensations gnawing hotly down at her loins and belly quickly fanned the bed of banked coals into sensuously licking flames!