Standard disclaimer: Not mine… etc… making no money…etc…

 Nick's eyes traveled lazily over the woman before him as she glided across the room. She was beyond the first bloom of youth, but still an attractive woman nonetheless. Her blonde hair was artfully piled atop her head, creating the illusion of height while skillfully applied make-up made her exact age indefinable. Her waist was neatly nipped inward by a snug corset, sheer white stockings cased her shapely legs, and a thin white robe completed her attire. "You have no idea how good that feels, darlin'…" Nick sighed as he sank into the heated tub of water.

The woman laughed lightly at his remark. "If you think that feels good, then wait until later…" She grinned at him and leaned over the tub, allowing him an excellent view of her generous breasts.

Nick smiled at her in anticipation as she handed him a glass of bourbon. He nodded his thanks in her direction. "Care to scrub my back while I enjoy my drink?" He wiggled his brows at her, "Of course, I tend to splash a lot, so you might get your clothes wet." He smiled seductively at her before adding, "You might just want to take them off."

"You are a naughty young man, Mr. Wolfwood." She lightly admonished him. "After all, I am several years your senior… old enough to be your mother actually." She smiled slyly at him. "Surely a young man such as yourself would prefer one of my younger girls to share your, ah… bath with?"

"Ma'am, I try to be an honest man when it comes to dealing with the fairer sex." Nick paused and studied her for a moment before continuing, "Younger women are fine for a quick tumble, but for real enjoyment a mature woman is much more to my liking because they tend to know how to take their time and make it last longer."

"My goodness, Mr. Wolfwood, so blunt and to the point. Better not let any of my girls hear that or you might not make it out of my establishment in one piece." The madam grinned at him. She tilted her blonde head to side to study him thoughtfully. "However, I am afraid we must discuss the business side of this aspect we continue further."

Nick nodded sagely. "I expect this is the part where you tell me your fee and ask me to make assurances about my willingness and ability to pay for your services?"

"My, what a clever young man. You do perceive that this is a business transaction when all is said and done. You want a service and I provide that service." She smiled at him before continuing, "However, as the proprietress of this house, you must realize that I am usually very selective about my personal clients. In fact, I've accepted no new clients for a number of years without references from previous customers."

"I immediately came to the conclusion that you were a woman of refined tastes and that you had a discerning eye for only the most entertaining clients." Nick grinned hugely. He was enjoying this light-hearted banter with the madam of the house. It had been a while since he had been in a town large enough to support the type of house he liked to frequent, but here in Inepril City he had stumbled onto the Paradise Palace and had immediately found it to his liking.

"Mr. Wolfwood, my personal fee is $$300.00 per hour." She smiled at him briefly as her hands went to the fastenings of her tight white corset. "I can assure your personal satisfaction for that price."

Nick nodded as he watched her hands tug the laces free from their moorings. A sliver of pale flesh became visible between her large breasts. The madam smiled at him as he waited for her to remove the garment completely. Executing a slow turn, she pulled the white material from her body, revealing the straight line of her spine as it disappeared between the firm high cheeks of her buttocks. Nick licked his lips in anticipation.

Turning slightly, she extended a leg his direction. "Would you care to help me remove these stockings? It can be so difficult at times."

Nick eased to the side of the generous tub. Carefully he reached out and unfastened a thigh-high stocking from the lacy garter that held it in place. He rolled the silky material down the shapely leg and carefully placed it on the small table that was within arm's reach. He smiled up at the madam as she offered him her other leg. He reached for the second stocking, allowing his fingers to briefly trace the outline of her femininity through the material of her small white panties.

"You do that so well, Mr. Wolfwood," she purred at him. "It makes me wonder if you have a natural talent or if you've had excellent teachers in the past." She smiled at him knowingly before reaching for the soap. "Your back, please." She requested.

Nick gladly complied. He relished the feel of the madam's hands as the lathered soap over his back. The stress and grime of travel melted away as her skilled fingers eased the ache in his muscles. She moved to scrub his hair and he willingly closed his eyes, enjoying the scrubbing he was receiving. He extended his legs in turn and she scrubbed them, running her fingers through the dark hair that covered them.

She smiled as she reached for his chest next. She lathered the soap well between her hands and smoothed her hands over the contoured muscles of his abdomen and chest before stroking his length teasingly. "I'll leave you here to finish your bourbon before you join me in the next room."

Nick smiled appreciatively at her retreating figure before leaning back against the edge of the bath. Her fee was outrageous, but he had his share of the last three bounties he and Nickie had collected. Besides, he had earned this brief moment for himself and he didn't care if he spent a couple of thousand double dollars here. Swallowing the last of his bourbon, he stood and quickly dried himself off before wrapping one of the fluffy white towels around his waist and heading for the next room.

The madam reclined on a chaise beside the bed. She had removed the last of her white underwear and had donned a paper-thin red robe that left little to the imagination. Nick crossed the room and stood before her. Her gaze traveled over the hard contours of his lean frame before she smiled up into his eyes, "Mr. Wolfwood, I begin to understand more fully why I accepted you without any references."

"Tell you what, ma'am," he began with a smile. "How about you call me 'Nick' instead of Mr. Wolfwood?"

She briefly smiled, "Alright, Nick… provided you cease calling me 'ma'am' and call me Cherise."

"Deal," he grinned and went to the bed, dropping the towel to the floor and settling his long frame on the comfortable mattress. "Care to join me…Cherise?"

She smiled at his eagerness. This young man was a rare treat to be savored. Her usual clientele these days consisted of dull businessmen and bankers who merely visited her because their wives either could not or would not cater to their sexual preferences. She really would have spent a few hours with him for nothing, but she did have her reputation to protect, after all she was the most famous madam within five hundred isles.

Nick smiled at her as she eased beside him on the large bed. Her red robe flowed over both of them as she leaned across his bare body to taste his lips. His chest was hard and defined with layers of muscle. Her hands stroked the planes of his chest as her tongue delved into his waiting mouth.

Nick wasted little time pushing the thin robe from her shoulders and casting it to the side. As his tongue swirled in playful combat with hers, Nick pulled Cherise astride his lap, settling her firmly on his thighs.

She smiled against his lips as her hands flowed down to caress his length, teasing heated response from his male organ. She stroked his length with her fingertips, for a few moments before closing her hands around the pulsing shaft. He thrust lightly against her hand as she soothed him with firm yet gentle strokes. A flash of guilt shot through him as he thought briefly about his sister. He had left her alone this evening to come here, but she had assured him that she was going to write a letter home to Vash and Meryl.

However, thoughts about his family abruptly vanished as he felt the woman slide down his body, her tongue tracing a path to the tip of his shaft. Cherise boldly lick the tip with broad swipes of her tongue, reveling in the masculine scent of his body. Taking the head of his cock in her mouth, she suckled on it for a few moments, before slowly taking him completely in her mouth.

Nick groaned softly as the warm cavern slowly swallowed up his cock. He reached up and tugged her hair free to let the blonde mass cascade around her shoulders. He stifled another gasp as her mouth retreated, her teeth gently scraping his entire length. Her mouth slid down his length again, her tongue flicking over every part of his member it could reach. Nick sighed and buried his hands in her hair as she immersed herself in the task of bringing him to orgasm with her mouth.

Cherise smiled to herself as she tasted the first salty drops of his jism. Ordinarily, she would be through with a client after giving him oral pleasure, but for some reason, she wanted to while away a few hours with this customer.

Nick bit back another groan before pulling her back across her body. She paused a moment in her efforts to stare at him. "You just keep on doing what you’re doing… I just don’t want you to miss out on any of the fun." He smiled as his tongue darted forward to lap her center. The whore smiled at him. It was rare indeed that a man was concerned with her pleasure.

The two of them continued to lick and suck at each other. Nick lay back enjoying the taste of the woman above him as he delved his fingers in and out of her channel while his tongue gently tormented her pulsing clit. He was determined to keep a tight rein on his lust until he had thoroughly pleasured the madam. It was becoming difficult though. He would be the first to admit that the whore was skilled at giving oral pleasure.

Catching the sensitive bud between his teeth, Nick tongued her until she could no longer contain her cries of delight. Cherise gave up the efforts of trying to continue her ministrations and lay weakly against his body as Nick drove her to climax. She cried out softly as the waves rolled through her body.

Nick rolled her from his body with a powerful sweep of his arm. Smiling into her eyes, he spread her thighs widely and plunged between them. She gasped at the intrusion. Her young customer was well built and obviously knew how to use the equipment that he'd been born with. Cherise arched her back from the bed and met each of Nick's powerful thrusts with her own.

Soft cries fell from the madam's lips as Nick drove her body closer to the edge with his lust. He was willing to bet every dime he had that her usual customers did not take the time to give her as much pleasure as they received. He thrust against her hard, wringing another soft cry from her lips as her body climaxed.

Cherise opened her eyes and stared up into the brilliant blue eyes above her. "I think that I should be the one paying you, Nick."

He threw back his head and laughed at that. "I believe I'll take that as a compliment since you're the professional." He ran an appreciative hand down her frame. "I was brought up on the policy that you never do anything half way."

Cherise smiled up at him again as she tightened her muscles around his shaft. "If you have approached life with this much, ah, enthusiasm then I can predict that you'll be successful in whatever you set out to do."

Nick nodded and thrust against her body again. "All this talk is wearing me out." He rolled over to the side of the bed and lay back. He caressed himself suggestively. "I can think of at least one better use for those pretty lips."

Cherise smiled and licked her lips in anticipation of tasting him again. It was rare in her profession that one came across a man as concerned with a whore's pleasure as he was his own. She moved to his side and lowered her lips to his pulsing shaft. She did not intend to waste a moment of her time with Nick.

**********

A few hours later, Nick gave the laces of his boots one last tug before shrugging into his heavy black coat. Cherise watched him quietly while he dressed. "You know, Nick," she began cautiously. "I occasionally have a few discrete women who patronize my business. I provide suitable male companionship for them for a very high price." Nick smiled at her in anticipation of her next words. "I could always use a man of your talents in my business."

Nick crossed the room and placed a parting kiss on the whore's lips. "Sorry ma'am… I've got business that needs to be completed." He smiled down at her as she lay on her bed. "How much do I owe you?"

Cherise sat up quickly. "Perhaps we could consider this one on the house and you can settle up the next time you pass this way?"

"That's a deal, Cherise." Nick straightened to his full height and turned to go. Pausing briefly at the door, he smiled over his shoulder at her one last time, "See you next time…"

Silence descended heavily on the room as his footfalls faded away down the hall. Cherise quickly rose from the bed, slipped her white wrapper around her frame, and hurried to the window. She sighed as she watched young Nick move down the darkened street and felt a brief moment of remorse as he disappeared in the pale lamp light. It had been many years since she had felt any regret while watching a man leave.

She turned from the window, remembering the last time quite clearly. She had been very young and still quite new to her profession. She smiled as the image of that man had flitted across her memory. He had been so attractive with his shock of blonde hair and twinkling aqua eyes. The funny thing was she had done nothing more than cover his unconscious frame with gentle kisses and tender strokes. He had left on the sand steamer after he had saved the town twice in the space of a few short days.

She sighed again and wondered briefly what had ever become of the legendary gunman, Vash the Stampede.

*************

Another figure watched as Nick disappeared into the still darkness. If he were here then she could not be far away.

Lazarus turned as soft hands caressed his back in silent invitation. He smiled at the whore before carrying her to the near-by bed. He pictured the lovely Nicole M. Wolfwood in his mind's eye as he buried himself in the eager body beneath his.

It wouldn't be long before he possessed the woman he wanted. He would first kill the man his mother had raised him to hate and then the rest of this dry forsaken world could go to hell as far as he was concerned.

As long as Nicole was his, then nothing else would matter….

***********

To Be Continued…

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Love & Peace,

Blackhat (^_~)