Chapter 38 Topock Frolics
As I rode up to the trading post, I attracted more than a few glances from the Engineers who were coming in for a bath and supper. The Company of Engineers had been here since last December and had brought no men with them. I imagine that the ten guys that Jack had told me were here on the way to Burney, must have gotten a lot of action from the Engineers. I put Barb in the corral and my saddle in the tack tent.
Most of the girls were stripped down to halters and shorts, or in some cases less, as if they weren't expecting me to be wandering around in their tent village, which numbered about twenty-five tents, plus the big mess hall tent. The tents were laid out in clusters of four and had a central water supply in each group. Duck boards built of bamboo spanned the junction of the four tents. Some of the girls were bathing and one of them looked right at me, ripped down her shorts and poured water on her bush while rubbing it, giving me the eye and blowing me kisses.
Finally a frowning, rather severe looking older woman, who wore the chevrons of a Staff Sergeant gave me the evil eye, marched purposefully over and asked, "Can I help you find, something?"
I grinned at her, "Yeah, I'm Josh Perkins, just came in on the train from Burney and I was looking for Charlotte Jenkins?"
"I just bet you are." she looked me up and down.
I probably looked a fright, the damp wrinkled clothes and dusty hat, saddlebags and bedroll over my shoulder made me look a vagabond to her. The enormous hard on I was sporting was kind of a tip off to my intentions, I guess.
"Perkins, ya' say, any kin to John?" She looked at me skeptically.
I smiled and figured my Dad had greased the skids. "Yeah, he's my dad. You know him?"
She made a face that would have petrified a lesser man, "I know him, if you see the son of a bitch, tell him I want my toe nail clippers back, Anne Murchison." She stuck out her hand. "Who did ya' say you were looking for?"
I shook her hand and smiled politely, "Uh, Charlotte Jenkins, red head, short hair, about this tall," I held up my hand at about my chin.
Anne thought a second and then put out her hands about six inches in front of her own small boobs and grinned. This indicated that she knew Charlotte.
I nodded.
Anne pointed up the way, "Last tent on the right, she's bunking with the Major. Something about the Mothers or some such," she gave me an evil look and said, "You just keep you pecker in your pants, son. Ain't nobody getting laid in Topock."
"Yes ma'am, I'll just be going then. Anne Murchison, I'll tell him," I made my exit while stealing a glance at the brunette who had been rubbing her cunt at me, I winked at her and left.
The tent wasn't hard to find and it was a long way to the right. At the end of the company street was what had to be showers, a bamboo bridge, with a wooden trough above and woven mats of river reeds to shield the bathers, to the right of that was a small grove of trees with a trestle table and a couple of rude chairs under them, to the right of the grove and kind of isolated was another tent, the sides of which, like most of the tents, were spread out to allow air circulation. I could hear Charlotte singing in the Mother's tongue and that made me smile. It was so good to hear her voice, it sort of reinforced my sporting nature, you might say. I called out, "Charlotte, is that you?"
She stepped out of the tent and waved me in. At the door of the tent she took my hand, leading me in. I took off my hat and squinted in the darkness for a moment, staring at Charlotte's face. Her hair was shorter than normal, but there was a delightful spray of hair on her brow. Her ears stood out a little and I smiled as I leaned in and nuzzled her ear, "I'm so glad to see you."
She whispered in my ear, "Josh, there is some one I'd like you to meet?"
I stepped back, looked up, a woman stood and stepped forward, who had had her shirt unbuttoned. She was a big solid woman, late thirties, early forties and dark. Her raven black hair was slicked back in a ponytail and her bold features and walnut complexion gave her an exotic air. Her mobile lips spread into a smile over even white teeth, "Major Denise Funston, Charlotte has spoken of you Josh, a lot!" she laughed.
Charlotte blushed and pulled my saddle bags off my shoulder, "Oh, put your things down and tell me how you are, Josh?"
I shed my hat, chaps and bags and took her hand in mine as we sat on the bed. I couldn't talk, only look at her.
"I guess you're surprised to see Charlotte, Josh?" Major Funston said as she pulled up a chair and sat nearby.
I grinned at her, "Dumbfounded, Never in my remotest dreams did I..." I shook my head, glanced at Charlotte and Funston, "It is just fantastic." I beamed at Charlotte and took her hand to my lips. It didn't smell like flowers but as I looked in her eyes, I felt calm and peaceful. I hadn't felt that in months, I realized.
Charlotte blushed again and grinned at me. "You seem to have lost weight Josh."
I grinned and said, "Well we've been on the trail eleven days, and they kept me pretty busy in Burney. You look fantastic, I like your hair, and I'll bet it is a lot cooler that way."
"It feels strange, even after a month, and now I have wear a bandana to cover my neck, but it is a lot easier to wash," Charlotte grinned and kissed me, "Are you going to go back to Davis with the Ambassador?"
"No, I'm going to guide you back to Burney; I'm Chief Scout, well only scout, except for Gloria Bitterwater."
Charlotte took a deep breath, "Whooo!, I was afraid we might pass each other by." She held my hand and looked me in the eyes and solemnly said, "Josh, I can't copulate with you. The rules," She sighed, "But we can be together," she smiled shyly and I put my hand on her cheek and lightly touched her.
"We can be together again, that's all that matters to me, Charlotte."
"Oh, go ahead and kiss him, Charlotte," Major Funston said with a chuckle.
Charlotte smiled at me and took her time, she caressed my cheek and felt the stubble of four days on my cheeks, she ran her thumb over my lips as she stared into my eyes and came closer, slowly she turned her head, put both arms around my neck and kissed me softly.
Her body molded itself to me, my arms wrapped around her, I held her firmly to me as she gave me liquid kisses of happiness.
This continued for some time until Major Funston cleared her throat and asked, "Josh, how long are you going to be in Topock?"
Charlotte snuggled to my chest and held me, "I don't know, maybe a day or two?"
"Perhaps you might want to make use of our laundry service." Funston said indicating my damp wrinkled uniform.
Charlotte looked up at me, "You bathed?"
I grinned at her, "Just a dip in the river, to scrape the barnacles off, and I washed my clothes so I'd smell a good bit better. They still aren't dry but they smell a lot better."
Charlotte began to unbutton my shirt, "You shouldn't be wearing damp clothes, Josh, not even in this weather."
I smiled at her and glanced at Major Funston who had had her shirt unbuttoned when I had walked in. She had on a halter under her shirt and sitting her shirt had opened to expose full hips and a well defined waist. She smiled at me benignly as Charlotte stripped off my shirt and jerked the tail out of my pants.
"Well I have to wear clothes, Charlotte," I said, and shrugged out of the shoulders as her lips grazed my chest.
"We were just waiting for you, we thought we'd shower with you." Funston said, shed her shirt and stood. "I'll get you a skirt to wear to the showers, It'll be easier to deal with."
"Oh yes, Josh," Charlotte said grinning and folding my shirt, "I'll get my skirt too."
Charlotte stood, pulled off her undershirt and as she untied her halter ties, I slipped out of my boots. I stood as she dropped her halter and grinned at me. She was a vision, her soft white breasts with rosettes of dark pink and her complexion, now freckled over the nose and shoulders. I just stared at her for a second. She grinned and rocked back and forth, "The girls have so missed you," she said and gave me a pouty face.
I smiled at her and opened my belt. I was pleased at her expression as I pulled my pants down over my erection. It stood up proud and stiff like a Lone Pine should.
"Goddess I loved that woman!"
She grinned at me and opened her belt and slipped out of her pants. She stood and smiled at me. Her sparse red bush was pressed against her mound and contrasted with her white skin. As if to indicate something hot and dangerous, at least if not handled properly.
Major Funston, who I imagine had taken this all in, handed me a skirt, helped me wrap it around my waist, and tied it over my hip in a bow knot. "There all set, now we can get cooler."
Charlotte wrapped and tied her skirt but made no move to cover her breasts.
"Have I told you how much I love that woman?"
I dug out my kit bag and Funston gave me a pair of leather flip flops, that were a little short but kept most of the dirt off my feet.
Major Funston took my left hand and Charlotte my right and we walked over to the showers. The Major flipped over a sign on the front of the reed wall that shielded the showers proper from sun and view down the company street.
"We'll have more privacy," she indicated the "Officers Bathing" sign.
