Prologue
1863
Mary Jane POV
Age 15
I watched from the wardrobe, my secret hiding place. I had been hiding there for years. The girls knew, but the men never did. The girls told me that it would be beneficial for me to know. But they swore me to secrecy, saying that Mama would be upset if she knew. I kept the secret and stayed out of sight. From my hiding place over the years, I learned that not all men were the same. I figured out that there are basically three types of men in the world. The mean-spirited, those who like to be controlled, and those who do the controlling.
The first group, I learned, never lasted long around here. The men who were excited to hurt a woman for their own sick perversion, they were easy to spot, most of the time. If they became too rowdy at the tables, Mama would have the sheriff take them away before they ever set foot upstairs. But every now and then, one would sneak past Mama’s watchful eye and the unlucky girl who found herself behind closed doors with him would pay the price. If her cries for help were not heard above the noise from the saloon, she would be found hours later, bruised and unconscious, the man long gone.
It was strange to learn that some men like to just let go of all responsibility, to allow another to exert control over their bodies. Only Mama and Susie ever handled them. Susie once told me it was because those men take a special touch, and the other girls just didn’t have it in them to be in control over a man. I learned a lot from Susie, enough to know that while it was an intriguing thought, I don’t think I want my future husband to be like that.
On the far opposite end of the spectrum were the men who could make your toes curl with just a look. The men who held power and they knew it, but they also knew how to dominate without hurting those under their control. Such was the man I was watching now. He had just finished tying Lily to the bed and had paused to make sure the ropes weren’t too tight. I watched as she smiled at him and nodded, while she watched him through hooded eyelids. Bondage play, she had once explained to me.
“Remember, Darlin’,” the man drawled, his voice deep and sure of himself, “if it’s too much, you gotta tell me, ya hear?”
“Yeah, I know, sir.”
“Good girl,” came his reply, as he began to strip away his layers of clothes. When he was done, I had a nice view of his firm round backside.
I inhaled at the sight of him, he was tanned, muscled, and I swear he didn’t have an ounce of unnecessary fat on him anywhere. I clapped my hand over my mouth when I realized that he had heard me.
“What was that?” he drawled and turned slightly toward my hiding place.
“Nothing. You probably heard something from the hall. Now, come to bed and prove that you aren’t just talk,” Lily replied hastily, as the man stared at the wardrobe.
I held my breath, knowing that I had almost been caught. I didn’t release my breath until the man was focused once again on Lily and was making good on his promise of just how good he was going to make her feel.
As I watched the scene play out before me, a strange feeling began to build in the pit of my stomach. I had been watching and learning for years, but had never experienced anything like this. As the man continued to bring pleasure to Lily, I could feel a wetness forming in my bloomers, but I had no idea why. I would have to ask Lily about it.
When both Lily and the man had found release, he lay panting on the bed beside her. “Why don’t you tell your friend to come out of the wardrobe, Darlin’?”
She turned to look at him, her eyes wide with shock that he knew I was hiding. “What are you talking about?” she asked, still trying to catch her breath.
He rose up on one elbow and smirked, then slid his gaze to the wardrobe, “I know the little lady is watching. But for what purpose, I do not know.”
I was frozen in fear and refused to move. Maybe he would give up? Maybe she could convince him that he was wrong? I waited with baited breath as she talked with him. But luck was not on my side.
“Little lady, come out now!” His tone was commanding and let me know I had no choice. In fact, his tone made my stomach do a little flip.
“I will come open the door and you won’t like it. Shall I tell your Mama?”
No! He wouldn’t! He couldn’t! Mama was always talking about how she wanted me far away from this life. I don’t even want to think about what would happen if she found out.
I took a deep breath and opened the door of the wardrobe, then stepped out. As I closed the wardrobe door, my eyes slowly lifted to meet his.
“Well, aren’t you a pretty little thing. You look just like your Mama. What’s your name?” His voice was now a lazy draw, not quite Texan, but he was definitely from the south.
I stuttered out, “Mary Jane, MJ, to my friends.”
Lily placed her hand on his arm, “Please don’t tell Kate. The girls and I have been trying to help MJ’s education. It isn’t wise for a woman to not know her way around a man’s body. But Kate doesn’t necessarily agree.”
I could see the pleading in her eyes and I knew the moment he understood. He nodded, then grabbed the sheet and pulled it across his lap, covering his most delicate feature.
“Kate is both right and wrong. You do know that if the wrong man finds her hidden in the wardrobe, he could violate her and take what she isn’t ready to give up,” his eyes sliding to me.
At his words, my eyes grew wide with fear. I had never thought of that, but I knew the truth of his words. But it was his next statement that made me shiver in excitement.
“I’m in town for the next week. How about we continue her education while I’m here?”
Lily gasped, “What? No! You can’t! Kate would kill us both!”
“Calm down, honey. I won’t touch her, but she needs to understand on a deeper level. And who better to teach her than me. After all, I knew she was in there,” he replied, a cocky grin on his face.
I looked at Lily, my eyes begging her to say yes. I wanted this desperately. I didn’t want to be like the wives that I always hear about. The ones who lay still like dead fish, while their husband’s rut with them.
Lily’s eyes flicked to mine and she pointed her finger at me, “Fine. But not one word to Kate.”
The man clapped his hands together, a smirk on his face and a gleam in his eyes, “This is gonna be fun!”
***A/N: I am so excited for you to read MJ and Clay's story. Lizzie and her siblings will be featured as well. My expected postings will be on Mondays. I might post more often, but it is not guaranteed. I am also working on editing book 2, more to come on that later.
