Anna Doubles Down by Missy Martine

Anna gazed at her reflection in the mirror and sighed. At five feet nine inches tall and a hundred and forty pounds, she looked like an overripe piece of fruit in the peach colored scrubs the hospital required her to wear. Frowning, she hunched her shoulders forward in an attempt to make her breasts appear smaller. The garish material hugged her breasts seductively, emphasizing their size. “Wonder which one of those asshole doctors chose these uniforms?” she mumbled. She looked at the clock on the table beside her bed. “Shit! I’m not gonna have time for breakfast if I don’t get my ass in gear.”

She walked over and began to open the window blinds. A glance toward her neighbor’s apartment had her freezing, her breath catching in her throat. The window in her bedroom faced another building in the complex and she had a clear view into the apartment directly across from her, one floor down. She’d met the two men living there only once, out by the pool. The curtains in their apartment were open, giving her a front-row seat to the action. Her hand reached up to lightly clasp her throat before sliding down, her fingers splaying out in a fan against her breastbone. Panting, she licked her lips as she watched the two lovers.

The dark haired Adonis leaned forward and nuzzled the cheek of his lithe, blond lover. As she watched, their gentle kisses grew into deeper ones, their lips parting. The dominant male peeled away the shirt of his lover then hooked his fingers in his belt loop and pulled their hips together. Anna’s fingers moved to the hardened tips of her breasts and began stroking them through the fabric of her shirt as he undid the button on his pants and slowly slid the zipper down. “Oh, God!” she groaned. “I’ll never get to work at this rate.” She thought back to their meeting and tried to remember their names. “Evan and Maddie? No, that’s not right. Maddox! Maddox and Evan,” she whispered.

Maddox licked a long line from Evan’s throat to his nipple, circling the brown disc before kissing a trail down his smooth stomach. Anna held her breath when he dropped to his knees, his fingers sliding along Evans’s fully erect cock and gliding over the tip. She could feel the moisture trickling between her thighs as he flicked his tongue along Evan’s length like he was an ice cream cone before swallowing him down to the root. His hands snaked around his hips, fingers slipping into the crevice between the cheeks.

Anna’s hand was sliding toward the elastic of her pants when her doorbell rudely captured her attention. “Shit,” she cried out and guiltily stepped away from the window. She took a few deep breaths to calm her racing heartbeat as she went to look through the peephole. Her closest friend in the world stood outside the door shuffling back and forth on her feet.

“Hey, girl! What’re you doing here so early in the morning?” Anna opened the door and stepped aside so her friend could come in. Katarina Elizabeth Evans was a teacher of sixth grade and definitely not a morning person. She and Anna had been practically inseparable since meeting in the first grade.

“If you’d make ’em give you some kind of permanent, normal schedule I wouldn’t have to resort to tracking you down at the break of day,” Kat groused. “Do you have any coffee?”

“No, I just get coffee out on the days I work six to two. I repeat, what’re you doing here so early?”

Kat narrowed her eyes. “Why’re you so flushed? Are you sick?”

Anna snorted. “Yeah, sick of my solitary life.” She could feel her cheeks flushing. “I’ve, um, been watching my neighbors.”

“Really,” Kat squealed. She rushed over and peeked out the window. “I don’t see anything.”

Anna joined her and glanced down at the apartment. “Guess they moved on to the bedroom.” She grinned at her friend. “They’d reached the point they needed a flat surface.”

“Damn, you’re so lucky to have that for a view.”

“Yeah, right. The only way I’d be lucky is if they’d let me join them. I can’t think of anything hotter than being part of a ménage.”

Kat laughed. “Maybe you had one in a previous life.”

“What are you babbling about, woman? I need to get to work.”

Kat pulled a book out of her briefcase. “You remember I told you about the research I’m doing on Xander?” Kat was writing a book about an obscure, little known artist-author named Martin Xander. “Well, I found out he was born in Hamilton, Nevada.”

“Hamilton? Why’s that name familiar?”

Kat shrugged. “Not sure why it’s familiar to you. It’s known for the silver mines and mills there.”

Anna frowned. “Doesn’t ring any bells.”

Kat shook her head. “Anyway, this is a book about Hamilton. It’s a history of the town and the mines there. It’s got pictures of just about everything including some of the people that lived there back when the mine was in operation.” She opened the book and turned it toward Anna. “I came across this picture last night.”

Anna stepped closer and studied the black-and-white photograph. Two of the handsomest men she’d ever seen stood on each side of a seated woman. They were dressed in clothing of the mid-to-late nineteenth century. “Who are they?” she asked.

“Are you blind? Don’t you see anything unusual?” Kat pointed to the woman in the picture. “You see any resemblance?”

Anna peered closer and gasped. “Holy, shit. She looks like me.”

“Exactly like you, missy.”

“Who is she?” Anna took the book from Kat and moved over to the light.

“It doesn’t give any names. Just says it’s a prominent family of the town and that they owned a lot of property.”

“A family? As in three?” Anna smirked. “If this is me in a former life then I wanna be reincarnated again and again.” She studied the picture closer. “I guess it could be a relative of some sort. I don’t really know much about my father’s side of the family.” Her father had died before she was born and as far as she knew, he didn’t have any family.

“Listen, I know you’re in a hurry to get to work so I’m not gonna keep you long. During my summer break I’m going on vacation to Nevada to check out the ghost town of Hamilton. There’s supposed to be a few of the buildings still intact to some degree and even the mill is still partially standing.” She gave Anna a pleading look. “I think it’ll really add authenticity to my book. Do you think you can get your vacation at the same time and come with me?”

“Kat,” she groaned. “I don’t wanna spend my vacation tramping around some old west town.”

“Please, Anna, for me? I don’t wanna go alone. It’ll be fun. The two of us, on the road again.” She gave her a cajoling smile.

Anna sighed. She’d never been able to turn Kat’s pleading looks down. “Okay,” she groaned. I’ll put in for the time off today. When do you wanna go?”

“First two weeks of June. You get two weeks of vacation, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I’ve enough hours built up for that easy.” Anna shrugged. “It’ll depend on whether anybody else has already asked for those weeks off.”

“Well, get your butt in there and sign up for it first thing this morning.” Kat walked toward the door and then stopped and turned around. “I have to be honest, though. There’s not a lot there. A huge fire took out a lot of the mill back in 1871 and it destroyed a lot of the property. I guess the mine played out because they never bothered to rebuild everything that was destroyed.”

“You got all that from that book?”

“No! Oh, my God, I forgot to tell you.” Kat rummaged around in her briefcase and finally pulled out a small journal. “This is a diary handed down in the Penbroke family. Their ancestor worked for Belmont Mill and recorded a lot of the area’s history over the years.” She handed the book to Anna. “He’s got insights into a lot of the town’s people as well as the daily operations of the mill. Why don’t you take some time and read through both of them before we go. It’ll make the trip more interesting for you.”

Anna carefully leafed through the journal’s yellowing pages. “Okay, if I get a chance. I’m on early shift the next two weeks and I barely function in the afternoons now. I can’t imagine having time for reading.”

Kat opened the door. “Do the best you can. You’ll enjoy the trip more if you know a little about the history.” She waved her hand over her head as she walked out into the hall. “Call me and let me know you have the time off.”

Anna picked up the book Kat left on the table and opened it to look at the picture of the two men and a woman again. “Damn, she really looks like me.” She ran her finger along the woman’s face. “Could you be some long lost relative?” She glanced at the clock. “Shit, I’m late.” Dropping the books on the table, she grabbed her purse and headed for the door.

* * * *

Anna coughed and quickly rolled up the window on Kat’s Jeep. “You know, we could’ve been lying on some sandy beach soaking up the sun right now.”

Kat laughed, and then gripped the steering wheel tighter as she maneuvered the four-wheel drive vehicle around another large pothole in the middle of the narrow, dirt road. “You mean this isn’t your idea of a heavenly vacation?”

“Right!” Anna snorted. “I’m thrilled to be bouncing around on dirt roads without even a gas station in sight.”

“What’re you bitching about? We’ve got plenty of gas.”

Anna bit her lip and shifted uncomfortably on the seat. “If you must know I gotta go.”

Sighing heavily, Kat pulled over to the side of the road and stopped. “Couldn’t possibly be the Pepsi you had for breakfast?” Her eyes narrowed. “No, must’ve been the three you’ve guzzled since we left the hotel.” She turned off the engine and snickered. “It’s just an idea, but maybe if you dumped some food in on top of all that pop it might soak up some of the liquid.”

“Ha, ha, very funny.” Anna frowned as she looked around. “Why’d we stop?”

“You said you need to go.”

Anna glanced around warily. “Yeah, but I figured I’d just wait until we got there. How much farther is it?”

“Anna, we’re visiting an old ghost town. It’s just a collection of partial buildings. I sincerely doubt one of them is gonna be labeled Ladies.” She swept her arm around. “Just pick a spot. We haven’t passed another car since we turned off the main highway. The road’s dry enough that I’ll be able to see a dust cloud if anybody comes along.” She smiled. “I promise this is the best place to go.” She opened her car door. “Hell, I might as well go, too.”

Anna watched her friend stroll to the back of the Jeep and then calmly push her shorts down her thighs. “Just what I need, two weeks in a car with Pioneer Woman,” she muttered. Resigned, she got out and went to the front of the Jeep to take care of her problem. Three minutes later she was buckling herself back into her seatbelt, diligently ignoring her traveling companion’s snickers. “What’re you waiting for? Let’s hit the road, girl. Daylight’s a wastin’.”

Ten minutes later they pulled into a small clearing and parked in front of a sign proclaiming the place to be Hamilton, NV. “Not much here, is there?” Anna asked. To the right of the Jeep were several mounds of wood and rock that appeared to be all that was left of several buildings. On the left side things looked to be in better shape. At least two of the buildings were still standing although they looked like they could fall down at any minute.

“No, didn’t you read the book? Most of the place burned down in the big fire. The mine was beginning to show signs of playing out, so they never bothered to rebuild.” Kat grabbed her notebook and camera off the backseat and climbed out of the Jeep. “Come on, Anna. I wanna get some pictures of the mill.”

“Wait,” Anna cried. She quickly joined Kat on the road. “Where’s the mill? Wouldn’t it have burned first?”

“Yeah, it did, but they rebuilt most of it. They had to keep it open until the owners shut down the mine.” Kat pointed down the road. “It’s down there.”

Anna looked more closely and spotted the sign. “Belmont Mill, how far is it?” The idea of walking very far into the woods didn’t really appeal to her.

Kat consulted her notes. “It should be about a quarter of a mile down this path.” She looked up and grinned. “At least what’s left of it?” She nodded toward the nearest building still standing. “According to my notes that’s the saloon and the building next to it was a House of Ill Repute!”

“A what?”

Kat laughed. “A Cathouse. You know, a whorehouse.” She began walking toward the mill sign. “This place had a jail, a laundry, a bathhouse, and general merchandise store. The saloon was the center of everything that went on here. Back in 1870 there were only a handful of women within a hundred mile radius. Most of the miners were either single or they’d left their families in nicer places and just sent their money home.”

“Sounds pretty depressing.” Anna stopped and gazed up at what had been the saloon. For some reason she didn’t understand she felt drawn to it.

“Come on,” Kat begged. “Let’s go check out the mill.”

Anna hesitated. “You go ahead. I wanna go in here.” She hesitated at Kat’s disappointed expression. “Hey, don’t pout. I’m just more interested in the saloon.” She pulled her camera out of her fanny pack. “Tell you what. You go check out what’s left of the mill and I’ll go over this building and take lots of pictures for your book.”

Kat grinned. “Perfect! We’ll get twice the area covered in half the time. With Xander being born near here it stands to reason he or his family spent time in the saloon.” She glanced up at the building. “Get lots of shots from every angle you can.” She started down the road. “I’m counting on you,” she called back over her shoulder.

Anna watched her go with a bemused smile. For such an intelligent woman, Kat could be so juvenile. She turned and surveyed the area around the desolate buildings, the peace and solitude settling around her shoulders like an old, familiar cloak. She lifted her face and let the gentle breeze stir the hair around her face. Her gaze took in the sun-dappled trees swaying gently, the fallen leaves and underbrush carpeting the ground underneath. The sound of the wind whistling around the trunks, disturbing the leaves, complimented the chattering of the squirrels and humming of the insects. Her nose wrinkled as she took in the subtle, fetid smell of rotting wood.

Unable to withstand the pull any longer, Anna carefully climbed the pair of rotting steps up to the wooden porch. The door swung open easily as she stepped cautiously into the darkened room. “Yuk!” She groaned, swiping at the cobwebs guarding the entrance to the room. Slowly, she pushed the door further with the flat of her hand while a feeling of lightheadedness had the hair rising on the back of her neck.

“Hello? Anybody here?” She hugged her arms across her chest, swallowing hard to try and slow her breathing and heartbeat. “Don’t be such a wuss, Anna,” she whispered. “There’s nothing to be afraid of.” She took a couple of steps forward, the dank smell of mildew and wet wood assaulting her senses. “Damn, what a mess!” As her eyes adjusted in the subdued light she focused on what appeared to be the former bar. There wasn’t much of it left, merely an oblong, box-shaped structure on the far wall. Curiosity brought her closer, her fingers running lightly through the dust covering the surface. Broken glass on the floor made her think a mirror once graced the wall.

A loud crash had her whirling around, her camera clutched tightly to her chest. “Shit!” A shutter banged back and forth against the dingy window. “God, I’m glad Kat’s not with me. I’d never hear the end of it,” she mumbled. She cringed when a dark shadow moved swiftly across the floor while visions of spiders, cockroaches, and rats danced through her head. She had no trouble imagining the gaps in the floorboards held the secrets of the past. Kneeling, she ran a finger lightly over one of the chasms. “There could be gold dust down there from gamblers who’d had too much to drink.” She stood and brushed her fingers against her shorts. “Or maybe some famous gunslinger met his maker here and his blood drained out between the boards.” She laughed, and then muffled it quickly with her hand. “You’re losing it, girl.” She glanced around. “I wish there’d been more of the furniture left. This just looks like an old house that needs to be condemned.”

Focusing intently on the shadows in the corner she spied a door. Moving carefully across the wooden floor she reached for the dusty doorknob and turned gently. An ominous creaking sound filled the room as the door swung inward. Stairs led down into a yawning blackness. Belatedly, she remembered the penlight on her keychain. Rummaging through her bag she finally pulled it out triumphantly. Taking a deep breath she shone the tiny light down the stairs.

The banister leading down dripped with spider webs, the dust so thick it coated Anna’s tongue as she struggled to take in shallow breaths. The light wasn’t bright enough to pierce the blackness completely, but it did illuminate several shapes at the bottom of the stairs. “That looks like trunks,” she exclaimed. Excitement overriding caution, Anna clutched at the banister and started down the gloomy staircase. Each step she carefully felt with her foot, pressing to look for any signs of rot. Halfway down, she stopped to get her bearings. She shone the light straight down and gasped. “What the hell is that?”

A red, glowing circle had appeared on the wall at the bottom of the stairs. As she watched, it seemed to glow brighter and grow in circumference. “Oh my, God.” Terrified, Anna turned to move swiftly back up the stairs. She could feel her feet tangling as she turned on the narrow strip of wood. Something seemed to be pulling her down toward the glowing red light. “Kat,” she screamed grabbing for the banister with both hands as a wave of dizziness overwhelmed her. She dropped her camera, dimly hearing it hit the step as she lost her battle with gravity and began to fall backward. In a vain attempt to control her fall she twisted her body sharply and put up her hands to protect her face as she hurtled toward the effulgent red light. A bloodcurdling scream escaped her lips as she fell into the circle and blackness enveloped her.

* * * *

Beauregard Martinson stopped in the doorway to watch his partner rinse the tin mugs they’d used with supper. Ezekiel Moses Bennington had been his constant companion for the past eleven years. Well over six feet tall, his blond hair and blue eyes set him apart from most men in the area. They’d met playing poker in a bar in Kansas City and just sort of drifted along together ever since. Beau’d been anxious to get away from his family’s farm, and Zeke just wanted to find someplace he could fit in. They’d moved further west, playing poker and taking odd jobs to eat. Their luck had changed the night Beau won the Silver Rush Saloon in a poker game. Hell, they hadn’t even known where they were that night. It was just another saloon in another mining town. But now, they called Hamilton their home.

“You ’bout done?” Beau asked, a tingling settling low in his balls, his eyes glued to the threadbare denims covering Zeke’s rounded ass.

Zeke looked over his shoulder and grinned, bringing out the small, round dimple in his right cheek. “What ya got in mind, cowboy?”

Beau moved in close and cupped the prominent bulge in Zeke’s jeans and squeezed. “I’m thinking we should make use of the doors and windows being locked up tight.” He leaned in close and ran his tongue over the seam between Zeke’s lips. “Open for me,” he whispered.

Zeke nipped at his earlobe and then pulled him in for a kiss, sliding his tongue against Beau’s, licking and stroking. Younger by three years, Beau moaned into his mouth. He grabbed two handfuls of ass and walked Beau backwards toward the table. “Need you, now.” His fingers reached to unbutton the tight denims exposing the faded long johns underneath. “Get ’em off,” he growled. He yanked his own pants down around his knees as he watched Beau finish undressing completely, throwing his pants across a chair. Zeke moved forward quickly, spinning Beau around to face the table. He let his hands trail up Beau’s muscled arms. “Touch yourself,” he whispered.

Zeke waited until Beau reached down and began rubbing his cock before pressing against his back, licking down his neck and rubbing his hands up and down his chest. He smiled when Beau relaxed back against him.

“Want you inside me,” Beau whispered.

Zeke looked down. His rock-hard cock was dripping, leaking onto his muscled belly. He let one hand snake down and gently caress his cum-filled balls. “Bend over the table. Get that ass in the air for me.”

Beau bent over, his head pillowed on his folded arms on the table. He started when Zeke kicked his legs farther apart. “Don’t tease me, Ezekiel.”

Zeke chuckled and reached for the butter dish on the table. He scooped up a liberal amount and let his buttered up fingers slide between Beau’s ass cheeks. He found the puckered hole with his finger, circling several times before pushing in slowly.

“Don’t wait, Zeke. Do it now,” Beau begged.

Zeke grunted and pushed in deeper, rubbing inside the forbidden opening. Inner muscles clamped around his finger like a vise. Beau groaned and pressed back against his hand nearly causing Zeke to lose control. He greased up his hand and generously coated his throbbing cock. Holding the rounded cheeks apart, he touched the tip of his staff to Beau’s puckered opening and pushed slowly, his head dropping back and his eyes closing. “I’m gonna fuck you so damn hard,” he promised.

“Then fuck me, already. I’ve been waiting for this all day.”

Zeke seated himself balls deep inside Beau, rocking his hips very slowly. He pulled nearly all the way out and then slammed back in again trying to hit his sweet spot. From the groans, and trembling legs, he guessed he’d hit his target.

“Fuck! That feels good.” Beau wiggled his ass closer.

Zeke smirked and reached around with one hand to grab Beau’s erection where it bobbed up and down with his thrusts, his fingers digging into his lover’s thigh.

“So fucking hot,” Beau cried out when Zeke’s hand began moving up and down on his cock. He tightened his ass muscles around Zeke, holding him tighter as they fucked.

Zeke pumped faster with his hand. One, two, three more strokes were all it took. Beau bucked wildly, coming all over Zeke’s fingers. His cock shot thick ropes of white cream as Zeke continued to stroke, milking him for every drop he could. He let his fingers trail over the cum splattered on Beau’s stomach and felt his own legs begin to tremble. Every muscle tensed up and then he came, jerking and shooting into the tight body beneath him. With a hoarse cry he shuddered and ground in deep, savoring the moment.

“Son of a bitch, that was good.” Beau raised his head from the table. “Do you hear anything?”

“Yeah, you screaming when you come.” Zeke chuckled, pulled out and slapped him on the ass. “I’m gonna have to start putting a gag on you.” A crash from below had him turning his head toward the cellar door. For a minute there was silence.

“Kat, I’m in the basement. I need help.”

“Shit! Was that a woman’s voice?” Beau asked. He grabbed his pants off the chair and began pulling them on.

“Yeah, it was.” Zeke pulled his pants on furiously. The only women for miles around were the whores from Bart’s house next door. They knew they weren’t allowed in the bar. They were thieves and liars and he didn’t want them hassling his customers. “How the hell did she get past us to hide in the cellar?” he asked.

“Maybe she’s trying to run away from Bart.” Beau put his hand on Zeke’s arm. “Remember, even whores can turn their life around.”

Zeke stared at Beau for a moment and then gave a small nod. Zeke’s mother had been a prostitute. She’d given him up after he was born, leaving him to be raised in an orphanage. But nobody had wanted a whore’s baby. He’d finally run away when he turned fourteen and quickly learned to fend for himself. “Okay, let’s go see who our uninvited guest is.”

* * * *

Anna shifted restlessly, trying to find a comfortable position. She’d never been so cold. Without opening her eyes she rolled to her back and then stiffened, memories of her morning cascading through her mind. Groaning, she slowly opened her eyes and felt cold sweat break out on her palms. Her breathing accelerated and she felt her body begin to tremble. The darkness was so thick it was a struggle to swallow.

“Oh, God, I’m alive,” she whispered. Carefully, she moved her arms and legs. “Doesn’t feel like anything’s broken.” Gingerly, she pushed herself into a sitting position, letting her fingers trail across the floor. “Ew, I’m sitting in dirt,” she groaned. Swallowing hard, she struggled to her feet. Slowly she reached out with her hands, and then her feet, as she tried to find her way back to the stairs. “The door must’ve slammed shut when I fell.” Moving forward inch at a time she stopped when her hands touched some type of crate. It felt wooden, and stood higher than her waist. Her hands ran lightly over the surface, drawing back swiftly when something jabbed sharply into her palm. “Shit,” she cried, holding the injured hand to her chest. “How the hell am I gonna get out of here?”

Bitter saliva left a tang in her mouth as she ran her hand along the crate, using it to gain her balance. A musty, moldy smell filled the air as the sounds of scurrying filled the darkness behind her. Fear was stealing her breath when she heard the sounds of footsteps above. “Kat must be looking for me,” she whispered and then laughed. “Why the hell am I trying to be quiet? Kat,” she screamed. “I’m in the basement. I need help!”

Anna waited in silence for a moment and then heard footsteps coming closer. “Down here,” she screamed. Suddenly, a sound had her head turning toward the right. Above her, to the left, an opening appeared where a strange, amber glow illuminated a man. “Holy shit!”

Blinking her eyes to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating, Anna stared at the vision above her. A half-dressed man was staring down at her. An old wick lantern in his hand highlighted a hard, sinewy body with broad shoulders, and a worried frown on his long-jawed face. His bare chest gleamed in the lamplight, his belly flat with an intriguing bulge in the front of his pants. He took a couple of steps down and another tall, lanky man appeared in the shadows behind him.

“Who the hell are you and how’d you get in here?”

The man holding the lantern spoke harshly, his hand gripped into a fist at his side. Realizing she was alone, with two half-dressed men, Anna felt her lips tremble, her mouth going dry as she took a couple of steps backward. She felt frozen, her heart racing, the sound of her heartbeat roaring in her ears.

“Darlin’, it’s all right. You don’t have to be afraid of us.” The shadowy man’s voice came from the darkness as blackness closed in around Anna.

* * * *

Zeke blinked and then swallowed hard at the sight before him. He’d never seen anything like her. She didn’t appear to be very tall and she was barely dressed. It looked like she wore some new fangled female undergarments he’d never seen before. Short drawers that barely came down to her knees and some kind of skimpy chemise that left her belly button showing were all that covered her. Where the hell were her clothes?

The light wasn’t good enough to see much, but if he lived to be a hundred he’d never forget the wild, doe-eyed look in her eyes as stared up at him in stark terror as she backed away. He took another step down, wanting more than anything to calm her, and froze in horror as her pupils rolled back in her head and she swayed to the side in a dead faint.