"Yes, well, it is power, now the way I see it, the three of us can turn this place into something far more than it has been in the past. Not that there was anything wrong with what you had here, just a bit more high-toned, you might say, and the rates would go up across the board, for all the ladies working here." Elias told them. "We will see what the market will bare as far as how high the cost would be."
"A nice place costs more than the saloon. Not that we'll forsake that endeavour. Not on your life. We'll milk that place for all it's worth with the local girls. You two and the new ladies will be strictly here. No more two bits a poke, not for you. Here it will be whatever the men will pay!"
Hettie was impressed with Tilly. Other working girls wouldn't have known where to go, conversationally, one a man had shown a disinterest in getting her drawers down. Tilly had the sense to chat about he money side of things. Yeah, a dollar a jump with Tilly, and worth every cent in Hettie's mind. She was gorgeous! Hettie only got that for 'special services'.
"Yes, well, it is power, now the way I see it, the three of us can turn this place into something far more than it has been in the past. Not that there was anything wrong with what you had here, just a bit more high-toned, you might say, and the rates would go up across the board, for all the ladies working here." Elias told them.
Hettie nodded, pulling a face indicative of awe at Mr Steelgrave's business acumen.
"We will see what the market will bare as far as how high the cost would be." Mr Steelgrave stated.
"I don't know about the market, but we'll bare anything we're asked to" quipped Hettie.
"A nice place costs more than the saloon. Not that we'll forsake that endeavour. Not on your life. We'll milk that place for all it's worth with the local girls. You two and the new ladies will be strictly here. No more two bits a poke, not for you. Here it will be whatever the men will pay!"
"Mister S. - you set up the cow shed and we'll be the milkmaids!" grinned Hettie, adjusting her décolletage.
@[Bailey]
"That I will, Hettie, that I will." He smiled at the inference. "Having the wherewithal to do this up right, far ahead of the railroad's arrival in Kalispell, we will have the jump on everyone. In fact, I would say that our closet competition would be the hotel dining room." He laughed at his own joke. But his plans would be far above what they currently had.
"The rooms, all of them, will be as elegant as the bar downstairs, and that will be as elegant as San Francisco or St. Louis! I am considering adding at least one meeting room, as I believe there will be a call for such a space before too long. Businessmen, you know, the availability of top-notch food, drink, and girls. A great combination of pleasure and business. That would be something neither the Stardust nor the Belle St. Regis could offer, I mean, they hold business meetings in the saloon proper, something about gold mines or some such." He laughed again, "They strike it rich, and they will be here, spending that gold!"
@Bailey, @Javia
"I was born the day after Valentine's, but I don't guess I'll ever find a valentine of my own."
Tilly also laughed at Elias's joke, not because she thought it was funny, but because he had laughed, and she knew if a man laughed you were supposed to laugh too. Regardless, she was enjoying herself, and could easily envision playing hostess to other men like Elias whenever this castle-building turned into real life.
"It sounds marvelous!" she said breathlessly. "I can just see this place all fancied up, and you and me, too, Hettie! We'll be like queens. And you're our king, Mr. Steelgrave." She dipped into a curtsey, but overextended herself and gave a little whoop as she righted herself before clutching at Elias's arm again. "Well, good thing this isn't a real throne room!" She grinned, took a deep breath to compose herself, and said more calmly, "Is there anything else you want to see?"
More of me, perhaps? She thought silently, but let her question stand as it was.
"Miss Burke, the two of you are my queens. And this will be a palace when construction is completed. Rates will rise slowly, we need to remember the clientele we have now, but looking forward to the future with the arrival of the railroad. Business will change in Kalispell; some will fail due to their shortsightedness or mismanagement, but this? This will prosper regardless. Men need the release we can provide."
"I will need to recover a bit longer before I can take up that offer, Tilly, but you may rest assured that there will be a lot more than I will want to see. It is a poor business owner who does not sample his products. Though one would hardly look upon you or Hettie as 'products' when it is evident that you are far from that." His hand brushed across her breast as he spoke. "All in good time ladies, all in good time, and I know I won't be disappointed, hopefully you won't be either."
"I was born the day after Valentine's, but I don't guess I'll ever find a valentine of my own."
Aha! Here finally was a glimmer of the real man in Elias Steelgrave that Tilly and Hettie had been looking for. Tilly smiled and snuggled closer to the cattle baron. "Mr. Steelgrave, you flatter us. We think of ourselves as products most of the time. I mean, I know I do." She shrugged and exchanged glances with Hettie. "Whenever you are ready, we'll be here...ready for you."
Tilly turned and beckoned Hettie closer. "Hettie, we don't want to keep Mr. Steelgrave from any other important business he came to town for. Do you reckon there's anything else he ought to know about this place?" Now that her conquest was won, with a promise of an eventual conjugal visit -- so to speak -- from Elias, she was content to turn the conversation back over to Hettie.
@ [Javia]
@ [Flip
Tilly smiled and snuggled closer to the cattle baron. "Mr. Steelgrave, you flatter us. We think of ourselves as products most of the time. I mean, I know I do." She shrugged and exchanged glances with Hettie.
"Me too" Hettie simpered disingenuously "Why I'm just a great big passel of dry goods, waiting to be weighed out and purchased."
"Whenever you are ready, we'll be here...ready for you." promised Tilly.
"Ready willing and able" echoed the larger lady.
Tilly turned and beckoned Hettie closer. "Hettie, we don't want to keep Mr. Steelgrave from any other important business he came to town for. Do you reckon there's anything else he ought to know about this place?"
"Oh, but Tilly, I've got those documents here that Mister Steelgrave needs; let's put our dresses back on and accompany Mr Steelgrave to the Land Registry Office with them, he might need us as witnesses or something to sign things." the other doxy pointed out.
Sure, and it might be nice for Mr Steelgrave to walk down the street with two raving beauties on his arm, especially if his estranged wife should happen to see him.
[PS Sorry, I missed a turn there!]
It will be a grand time of it, I'm sure! And, it will be something I cannot wait to indulge in, that's a fact! The two of you are far from just a product, far from that. The two of you are now businesswomen, and you each have a say in how things go around here. We're partners in this project, and the project is about making money, lots of money!" And that was the truth. Elias liked money, and the easier to make it, the better.
Ues the planned improvements would cost money, but in his estimation, they would pay for themselves in short order. He liked that idea even better. Then there were the offerings of his two new partners, who would handsomely fill the void left by his estranged wife, Elinor. For the moment, at least, life was good.
"The Land office, yes, by all means let's get this thing finished so we can start the improvements to this palace, I like that name, palace, 'The Palace'. Has a nice, money-making sound to it, don't you agree?"
"I was born the day after Valentine's, but I don't guess I'll ever find a valentine of my own."
"Oh, you're right, Hettie. I always forget about important things like paperwork," Tilly confessed to Elias. "I let Hettie worry about that sort of thing. We'd be happy to go to the Land Office with you. We'll just need a moment to get ourselves fixed up." She darted away and came back with her green dress just in time to hear Elias's proposed name for the brothel.
"The Palace," she said slowly, testing the way the name sounded as she did up the fastenings on her dress. It didn't phase her that Elias was standing right there, not a bit. "The Palace. Hm, yes, I think that will do nicely. Who wouldn't want to spend the night in a palace?" She smoothed her dress and extended her arm to Elias. "Mr. Steelgrave, would you do me the honor of escorting me back down the stairs?"
The United States Land Registry was a very important institution, especially in developing regions like the Montana Territory. And by extension, 30 year old Land Registry clerk Dawson Farley was a very important person, playing a crucial role in establishing land ownership, receiving affidavits, processing fees, and issuing patents (which was the fancy name for land ownership certificates that only he tended to use). He was much respected in the town for his calm patient application to his work and his apparent devotion to his wife of eighteen months, Mrs Dawson, now very clearly enceinte yet still coping with the many demands of being wife to a United States Land Registry clerk.
But Dawson's life was not all thrills and spills. By no means! Sometimes the press of work was exhausting, with as many a two people a week coming into the office to register land or effect a change of ownership. There was even one week in living memory when the were three visitors (although one of those was the same person twice, to be fair). Other weeks, there was nothing to do, and there were only so many times you could recheck your records were all filed correctly.
So, it might have been a nice surprise for dusty old Farley when the local big shot Elias Steelgrave walked in with a floosy on each arm. Or maybe a horrible shock. One thing was for certain, it was not run-of-the-mill. Steelgrave usually sent his pet lawyer to conduct such dry business, and on his own, sans tarts.
"Hello!" Hettie greeted the efficient and urbane looking man behind the desk as she hung onto Steelgrave's arm.
@[JulieS]