Losing Paradise - Milton Ch 2
LJ Idol Wk 2
Milton couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching him. He’d felt it ever since he arrived at the station. He’d taken the train to New Orleans and wheedled his way into first class despite his father only paying for coach. He chose a section of mostly women traveling with female companions - husbands, brothers, and fathers had no place in his plans to swindle and sweet talk his way into a comfortable life. He’d settled on a woman traveling with two lovely daughters, and entertained them with fabricated stories of his life, stories where he was always the hero, and always made the right choice.
Once inside their carriage, the feeling of being watched left him, and he was able to employ all his most gracious manners to entertain the women. His goal was at least to get them to pay for dinner, but he suspected he could get much more from this family.
Within a few hours, all three of them were half in love with him. The youngest girl had foolishly followed him to the smoking car and let him run one hand over her barely budded breasts while his other guided her delicate fingers inside the fly of his pants. The elder daughter had already been out in society and laughingly told him she’d been warned about clever men like him, but that didn’t stop her from watching him through heavy lidded eyes. The widowed mother had invited him to dine with them, achieving his goal of avoiding displaying his poverty by purchasing a cheap sandwich.
He’d had the sense of being watched in the dining care, but attributed it to the avid eyes of mother and daughter. The mother had seated him beside her in the dining car, then settled her hand high on his thigh under the elegant tablecloth. Her fingers kept busy running along his inseam while she kept up sparkling conversation and reminded her daughters to use their finest manners.
He had to leave them to their sleeping compartment overnight, but not before the oldest daughter had slid a note into his hand offering to meet at midnight, after her mother and sister had fallen asleep. He grinned as he headed to his sleeping car, which he’d managed to convince the conductor to leave unshared, for just this opportunity. He wondered who would show up first, the experienced widow or the nubile elder daughter. He may have overplayed his hand with the 13 year old - she hadn’t been able to meet his eyes since he’d pressed her against the wall and spent himself in her small hand. No terrible loss, as long as she was too ashamed to tell her mama; she didn’t hold the purse strings, after all.
He’d forgotten the sense that he’d been watched, feeling quite pleased as he entered his compartment, but his smile faded when he saw he wasn’t alone. A man stood in the centre of the car, leaning on a silver handled cane and examining Milton’s open bag. A sense of disquiet filled him, and he turned on the blustery charm he’d seen the wealthy men of his father’s congregation use to discourage unwanted attention.
“See here, man. This is a private carriage! I’ll thank you to leave.”
“Ah, Milton.” The man’s voice was deep, his face unsmiling. “We have some business to discuss.”
The door noiselessly slid closed behind him. Milton felt fear and uncertainty for the first time in his life.
“Please sit, Milton. There’s no need for discomfort while we discuss our agreement.”
Milton sat. Gathering his bravado, he finally spoke. “You have the advantage. You clearly know my name, and claim we’ve made an agreement, but you strike no note in my memory. Who might you be?”
“Oh, Milton. Beings like me don’t simply give out our names, not even to those who bargain with us. You have a son, by the way. He would have been rather weak and weedy, much like you, but upon my acceptance of our bargain, I made some alterations to what really matters. He’ll be a strong, handsome and bright lad, though I can’t do much about the ill future you gifted him. At least, not yet.”