Much Ado About Madams Read Online Free PDF Page A

stodgy old woman probably had thought he had a harem. Truth be known, a harem would be too damned much trouble, almost as much trouble as that woman he’d found in his bed. Reese sucked in his breath. She was a looker. Too bad such a pretty lady had to be so uppity.
    The ladies in the Comfort Palace had become his family, and he had vowed to take care of them as best he could despite their profession. Little did these women know that the bouncers, Midas and Titus, had been the fiercest fighting men in his unit during the Indian wars in Montana and Wyoming. The twins had hit him up for a considerable amount of money to come here, but Reese considered them worth every penny.
    He sat in the leather chair behind the desk and started working on the detestable task of reconciling the revenue and receipts. Some of the Palace’s portion of the ladies’ earnings he’d spent on their finery, but the rest he deposited in each of their bank accounts for the day when he could close the place down. Operating funds for the Palace came from his cattle brokering business.
    Reese stared at the figures—his side looked a little lean. But these ladies didn’t have a friend in the world except him. The minute he accepted his inheritance, despite the fact that he didn’t know it was a whorehouse, he’d become responsible for their safety and wellbeing. They had nowhere else to go.
    Fannie walked in, eyeing the trunks with the relish of a child at Christmas. She looked up at him and smiled. “Morning.”
    “ Fannie, about the sleeping arrangements...”
    “ I’ll have Sadie fix you up a nice bed in the storeroom.”
    “ Damn it, Fannie, I don’t want to sleep in the storeroom. Your ‘guest’ can sleep there.”
    Fannie jammed her hands on her hips and glowered at him. “We can’t have a lady of refinement sleeping in a storeroom.”
    “ I presume she’ll be gone in four days on the next stage.” Fannie didn’t say a word, and knowing that it would be easier to convince a chicken to give up its feathers than get her to change her mind, Reese let the subject drop for the moment. “Tell Sadie to have the ladies come in here after they eat.”
    Fannie glanced at the trunks and smiled. “They’ll probably want to visit you first.”
    Reese chuckled. “Tell me, how’d things go the last few days?”
    “ Decent money, ‘cepting some asshole damn neart done little Holly in. Had her by the throat. I thought he’d kill her ‘fore Titus got there. By the looks of him, I’d say it’ll be a few weeks till that worm can bother anybody else.”
    Reese’s blood boiled, but despite his anger, he kept his voice calm. “Why didn’t Titus get to Holly sooner?”
    “ My fault. We ran out of whiskey and I sent Midas to get another barrel. I’d sent Titus upstairs with extry butter for Petunia.”
    “ The twins aren’t errand boys. From now on, have an extra barrel behind the bar. I want Midas and Titus on watch every minute a customer’s in this place, one downstairs and one upstairs.”
    “ Ain’t room behind the bar.”
    “ Tell Gus to build on.”
    “ Will do.”
    “ While he’s at it, have him build on a guest room.”
    She got up to leave.
    “ And tell him I want my own damned door!”
    * * * * *
    Lucinda descended the narrow stairway, curious to discover the reason for the delightful squeals of laughter. There’d never been any of that in the whorehouses her mother had worked in. Raucous giggles over their customers’ inadequacies, yes, but never the festive spirit beckoning her down the stairs.
    She followed the chatter into an office, where she found her midnight intruder gloating like a king, and the ladies twirling around, holding new dresses up to their bosoms.
    Holly ran over to her, offering a light blue dress with lace trim for her perusal. “Look what the boss brought us!” Her voice was jagged, but it didn’t dampen her enthusiasm.
    Lucinda glared at the despicable creature who owned the place. But she