Taking Chances, by E. L. Van Hine and L.H. Nicoll

[belbbmfan]

before i leave for work: today's chapters 51 - 55 http://louisev.livejournal.com/88524.html


from chapter 51 Doing Nothing


“A pleasure ranch? You got that kind a money, Ellery? You want ta go retire to a pleasure ranch with me?” Ennis looked incredulous.

“I was just doin some thinkin about it.”

Ennis laughed. “I think I might really go crazy if I had nothing ta do but trot around on horseback all day fer no reason atall. An what – you just sit around an watch westerns on tape?”

“Maybe some mystery movies, like Columbo an such…” Ellery said, watching Ennis closely.

“Ya know something, boy? That sounds like the kinda life would drive us both stir crazy inside of a month. I can’t see you ever leavin yer job, Ellery. You live for that job.”

Ellery nodded slowly. “It is important ta me, Ennis. But… if it came ta that…” he stopped talking, picking up a crust and tearing it between his fingers.

“If it came ta what? I wouldn’t ever want ya ta leave yer job, Ellery. It’s part a what you are… yer good at it.”

“Thanks, Ennis.”

A curious look passed Ennis’s face. “You ain’t thinkin a leavin yer job because a what happened a me are ya?”

“The thought bubbled up.”

“You didn’t shoot at me, Ellery. None a that happened cause a you. Don’t you be thinking that way…”

“I do feel guilty, Ennis. I feel worried about ya, specially when I see you so tired like this. So I was thinkin about what we might change, if we wanted.”

“Quittin yer job an goin away an doin some pleasure ranch don’t sound like a good change, Ellery. Not fer me. I got ta work… work fer real, not fer fake. An you want ta make life better fer our kind, an you should be let ta do it.”

“I do. You don’t want me ta change nothin?”

“Well, maybe go ridin with me a little more, an take that other campin trip. Maybe if yer back is good enough – we could go up ta Brokeback an I can show ya the monument, camp out.”

“So we’ll go ridin tomorrow, have dinner with Wes an Edna…”

Ennis gave a mischievous wink. “An make sure ta leave early so we got plenty a time fer us ta be alone.”

“Now I can get through a lot a horseback ridin with that ta look forward to, Ennis.”

“Ya sure ya don’t mind?” Ennis asked.

“No, makin you happy is what makes me happy, an I do like ridin,” Ellery said. “Now let me give Wes a call an tell em how wrong I was,” and rose to go to the telephone.

“No, you c’mere first.” Ennis reached out an arm and took a swipe as Ellery got within reach, yanking him by the belt loop of his cutoffs and reeling him in, pulling him into his lap.

“Ennis…” Ellery warned, his response cut off by Ennis’s sudden, demanding kiss. Ellery melted into Ennis’s arms, his mouth pried open by Ennis’s thrusting tongue, hands wandering to squeeze Ellery’s ass, holding him in a captive embrace. Ennis broke the kiss, molten eyes burning with lust.

“I hope that clears up what my favorite kind a ridin is,” Ennis said softly, lips brushing Ellery’s mouth”

“Sure does,” Ellery panted, submitting once more to the demand of Ennis’s kiss.


I love these conversations between Ellery and Ennis. 

[mariez]

Good Morning!

Thanks, Fabienne - I love those conversations, too - "favorite kind of riding" - that reminds me of what Ellery said very recently - he felt that he should "whinny!"  LOL!!

And speaking of more favorite things, it's not often that Ellery can get Ennis to have a conversation such as this outside the bedroom (Chapter52):

“This ain’t gonna hold me very long,” Ennis said. “Didn’t eat enough breakfast.”

“Didn’t eat no goddamn breakfast, Ennis,” Ellery said. “Unless that’s yer new word fer blow job.”

“Oh yeah.” He smiled and looked slightly away.

Ellery snaked his arm around Ennis’s shoulder. “What is with you about that? I got ta say, I was about convinced that you didn’t really like suckin cock, an then here you are two days in a row, like it was some new invention you saw in a book.”

Ennis blushed, pushing a slice of apple in his mouth instead of replying, and Ellery looked at him curiously. When he swallowed, he gave Ellery a sheepish look. “I dunno. I guess it just… got interestin.”

“Got interestin, huh?. Not that I’m complainin…it just… took me by surprise is all.”

“You like it,” Ennis said, a frown crossing his features. “How come you like it?”

“Yeah but I always liked it. You changed somehow.”

“I did?”

“Yeah. Think about it.”

“That ain’t the only thing,” Ennis replied unhelpfully.

“That’s true, but takes a while ta get used ta bein penetrated. It’s a skill.”

“Blow job’s a skill too ain’t it?”

Ellery gave him a wide smile. “Came pretty naturally ta you seems like.”

“That a compliment?”

Ellery leaned in and nuzzled his neck. “Sure is. Now we can go back. I think that roast a beef is callin ta you.”



Marie

[mariez]

In Chapter 53 we learn Edna's pet name for Wes:


“Now Brownie we were goin ta say grace since it’s Sunday,” she said in a scolding voice.

Ellery glanced up quickly, looking from Edna to Wes, whose ruddy cheeks flushed a darker red. “Brownie?”

“Edna…” Wes growled, setting down his knife and fork. “Fine then, a moment a silence everybody,”

Ennis and Ellery bowed their heads, and when Ennis glanced over at Ellery, he had a twist of a smile on his face, which made him smile, too.


Aww.. don't be embarrassed, Wes!  LOL!!!

Marie

[mariez]

In Chapter 54, a (partial) revelation:

“Just how much money a you got?” Ennis asked, voice hushed.

“A lot.”

“How much?”

“Ya know Ennis, money ain’t all that important –“ Ellery started, turning onto his own side in order to face the question straight on.

“How much, Ellery?”

“I dunno, couple a million by now.”

Ennis went silent, his face pale, and his hand dropped from Ellery’s hip. Ellery smiled up at him sheepishly.

“What’s wrong, Ennis? This mean my backrub is over?”

“Uh.... no, sorry.” Ennis gulped and reached a still-oily hand and grasped the top of Ellery’s hipbone, working his hard thumb over the bunched muscle there. “I guess... I just... don’t understand,” he mumbled.


 ..............

Ennis looked away, then forced his gaze back. “We poor folks have got a lot a notions about what rich folks are like.”

“Ya mean stuck up snobs who pay everybody around em ta suck up to em an spend all their time shoppin an impressin people?”

“Well yeah. More like they’re mean sons a bitches that don’t have time fer the likes a normal people.”

“I suppose a lot of em are, I don’t hang around with rich folks so I wouldn’t know,” Ellery said gently.

“So that’s why you were talkin about a pleasure ranch. I thought maybe you had enough ta sell the bar an yer house an move out in the country or somethin.”

“Yeah, ya caught me on that one. I could buy a nice place with a few hundred acres an still have too damn much money.”

“Damn, Ellery.” Ennis lay back on the bed, putting a hand behind his head, eyes wide. “Don’t you ever want ta... ya know – spend it?”

Ellery shook his head. “No. I like bein a detective, so I do that. An I like bein with you an lyin around watchin westerns an fuckin like animals an so I do that.”

Ennis gave him a little smile. “I’m sorry... you got a right ta be rich if ya want.”

“Thanks, Ennis. Now are you gonna get over it so we can go back ta just bein normal folks again?”

“I guess so, might take a little while,” Ennis said softly. “Ellery..?”

“What?”

“Thanks fer not bein one a them mean sumbitch rich folks.”


Leslie made a great observation in the comments on LJ about Ellery being "Mr. Vague"  here - that Ellery knows exactly how much money he has!  Yep, I had the same thought when I first read this - we can see that he's trying ease Ennis into the truth of his enormous wealth very slowly and carefully!  And Ennis thanking Ellery for not being a "mean sumbitch" - awwww - how sweet is that?

Marie 

[MaineWriter]

Thanks for helping out on the quotes, ladies! I am behind on my re-reading. Hopefully I'll have a chance to catch up when I am travelling this week.

I feel like the license plate I saw this morning:

2MCH2DO

L

[belbbmfan]

Thanks for helping out on the quotes, ladies! I am behind on my re-reading. Hopefully I'll have a chance to catch up when I am travelling this week.

I feel like the license plate I saw this morning:

2MCH2DO

L

Never enough time, never enough! Safe travels Leslie, we'll hold the fort for you 

[mariez]

Thanks for helping out on the quotes, ladies! I am behind on my re-reading. Hopefully I'll have a chance to catch up when I am travelling this week.

I feel like the license plate I saw this morning:

2MCH2DO

L

Fabienne, this is too funny.  I had just typed almost the exact same thing and was about to hit post when I saw your reply!  Ahh . . well, I guess great minds really do think alike! LOL!!


Safe travels, Leslie.  LOL at the license plate - know the feeling.  You mentioned in the comments how much you loved these words, so ...  just for you from Chapter 55:

“You spoil me, Ennis, I swear.”

“Thank you,” Ennis leaned over, brushing his thumb across Ellery’s damp cheek, pushing loose strands of hair back from Ellery’s forehead and tucking them behind his ear. “It’s cause I love you.” Then Ennis leaned down and brushed his lips softly across Ellery’s lips, kissing him as gently as he had penetrated him earlier... giving him a subtle message.

That really is beautiful.

Marie

[MaineWriter]

Yes, that really is....

In the great minds department, I was just about to post the same quote! LOL

Okay, back to work...

L

[MaineWriter]

Good morning everyone,

Today, chapters 56-60:

http://louisev.livejournal.com/89607.html

In the car on the brief ride down, Wes said “So how is Ennis doin after this weekend?”

“Okay, considerin my back started actin up after we went ridin an I let it slip I could drop a few thousand dollars on a paso fino to go out on the trail with em so he didn’t have ta give up ridin with me.”

“Uh oh. What posssessed you on this of all weekends ta hit em over the head with that?”

“Wes, he seemed so upset about my back. You should a seen em on Nellie, racin down that trail at full tilt. He was in clover – an I owe you an apology. You do know yer horse men.”

“That’s cause I seen em with horses, Ellery. He gives Nellie an Pal an Socks the same look he gives you, if I might be so bold as to suggest it. He loves his animals, an ridin em is about the best kind a pleasure – of that kind – a man can enjoy.” He cleared his throat. “You know what I mean.”

“Well not bein the horse man you are I guess that makes sense, but yeah, I felt like I had ta reassure em, an fact is, trottin on a horse is about the worse thing I can do, an the only horses I know that don’t trot in that way are paso finos. Rode one a long time ago when my daddy was alive – goddamn nice horses.”

“An goddamn expensive. So...” Wes pulled the Oldsmobile up to the court building. “Before we go in ta see Mel an the judge, what did ya tell em?”

“He wanted ta know so I told em I had a couple a million. That was enough ta make his eyes drop out an yeah that was probably not the best timin considerin all a what we went through this week. But shit, Wes, I got real worried about em an was thinkin about a lot a things.”

“Thinkin about runnin away from all a this an buyin a ranch away from everythin in the world, yeah, you talked about this before, back after the Creek murders.”

“Don’t remind me, Wes,” Ellery looked out the window of the car. “Let’s just go.”

“This talk ain’t over, boy.”

“Didn’t think so. I just got ta let it settle. Ennis is okay.”

[MaineWriter]

More from Chapter 56:

“But... why did you hire those boys to go after Ennis?”

Sevigny raised his head once more, eyes now moist with tears. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. “I figured if Ennis got roughed up an left in a ditch then you would be hot after the Brotherhood boys an wouldn’t be thinkin too clearly about the Wilkes thing.”

“An how did you know about me an Ennis?”

Sevigny glanced briefly at Ellery and then at the guard before fixing his eyes on a small window that led to an empty hallway. “My brother told me about this deputy sheriff down in the office where he worked, queer as a two dollar bill an bold as brass, he said, talked about it right in the interview when he went fer the internship. Said he even ran a queer bar in town, an his boyfriend was a bouncer down there. That’s how I found out about you.”

“An you thought you had an angle.”

Sevigny smiled sadly. “Yeah, I thought I had an angle.”

Ellery looked over at Wes, who nodded. “We’re gonna have the guard here get in touch with yer lawyer so we can get a statement about all this an get it all sorted. If it is true you didn’t actually ask those boys ta kill Wilkes then there may be somethin we can do on that with the D.A. It is good that yer comin clean on this, Brad. Better fer all concerned.”

Sevigny did not stand, but he looked up once more. “You know why I confessed?”

Ellery shook his head. He honestly did not know. “No, son.”

“Cause ya got nice legs,” Sevigny said with a wan smile.

Ellery shook his head in disbelief, and Wes opened the door, nodding to the guard. “This interview is over,” he said, voice a little too gruff.