When he saw me, the smile that broke across his face lit up the dark sky. He had to sit on the ground in order for me to reach him for a proper hug, and I cried when I felt his big arms around me. I hugged him with everything I had, and he let me cling to him for much longer than he had to.
When I stepped back and wiped my face clean, he steadied me with two big hands on my shoulders.
“You alright?” His warm brown eyes were happy but tinted with concern. I nodded and laughed around a hiccup.
“Yeah. It’s just been a really, really shitty couple of days. I’m really glad to see you, Cal.”
He smirked and gave my shoulder a pat. “I’m glad to see you too, Scarlet. We missed you.” He moved his eyes behind me and extended his hand. “I don’t think we’ve met.”
“I’m Danny.” He took Cal’s hand and shook it. “You must be the Cal Scarlet has been telling me about.”
“That’s right.”
I stepped back and took Danny’s hand in mine, pulling him over to kiss his cheek. Danny grinned at the contact. Cal got back to all four feet and stood proud.
“Are you just passing through?” he asked
“No.” Danny smiled at me before looking up at Cal. “We’re staying.”
I leaned into Danny as he put his arm around me.
Cal gave a nod, his smile genuine and pleased. “Then welcome home.”
Pillow Talk
Turned out, Stallion Ridge was in desperate need of a burlesque star.
It happened by pure accident, the burlesque part anyway. I went back to the saloon with full intentions of just being a bartender and entertainer on the side. I mused on the idea of going back to slinging dick for some extra coin, but I wanted to stretch my legs as a singer a bit more.
Sure, it wasn’t the big stage, and I wasn’t going to have my name on a poster anytime soon, but it was a chance to duet with my Satyr love in fine company. During the day, I ran drinks and cleaned up, and Danny worked part-time at Thompson’s General store. The old couple that had been running the store since time began were happy to have a strapping young man to do the more manual labor.
They didn’t pay much, but they fed us well. That was all we really needed anyway.
We started simple, a couple of fun songs on the piano with us singing together. Then we began to change our songs and had regulars stopping by each night to see us. When we ran out of well-known music, we started writing our own. The late nights we spent tangled in the sheets writing lyrics were some of the best moments in my life.
One evening, with a full house and a whole set of new songs, I put on my World Domination dress on a lark. I was extremely overdressed for a tiny saloon in a small town, but damned if they didn’t just eat it up. While I was slithering around the piano in a provocative way to fit the lyrics of our song, of course, I decided to really put on a show.
Once I shifted into Cal, the saloon erupted into cheers. The man was always a hit. Well, my poor corset had enough of my shenanigans and decided to end its career as a fully functioning article of clothing. Three buttons fired off in different directions, and my Cal-size chest was exposed to the crowd.
Not one to be deterred from a good show, I figured...fuck it.
Let’s roll with it.
I gave the saloon a true mayoral striptease, shifting back to myself right before I made it too scandalous to be polite. While Cal was a very understanding man, I’m sure he’d prefer to keep his bits for Jesse’s enjoyment only.
It was a hit.
Between our music, Danny’s honey-smooth voice, and my willingness to strip down at any chance I could get, we became Stallion Ridge’s first real celebrities. Our nightly shows became the talk of the town, and we started earning enough tips to get the saloon expanded.
For a stage.
Our very own stage.
It wasn’t the gaudy crown jewel of New Haven packed with rich folk. It was so much better. It was a small saloon stage, connected to my favorite bar, in a town I adored more than anything, filled with people who I had to travel across the country to really fall in love with.
There you have it, my darling reader. That’s my story. I hope I’ve left you a hot mess craving more because we’re not done yet. I’m not going anywhere, and there’s much more to the story of Stallion Ridge.
Take a moment, have a cigarette, and catch your breath. I’ll see you soon.
With love,
Scarlet