Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Bella Cummings Wild West Madam by Cherie Mitchell Bella Cummings, Wild West Madam by Cherie Mitchell. A hot and racy Wild West Mail Order Bride tale with a spicy twist. In the days of the Californian gold rush, many astute business-minded women made their fortunes by offering their bodies for sale or by establishing houses of pleasure to provide services for the men who flooded the region. And many of these women did very well for themselves, with records revealing that one young lady made today’s equivalent of $1 million in just three months. This is the story of Bella Cummings, a young woman determined to make the best of her life in a man’s world, and a story based on real lives as they were lived in the late 1800’s. New York, 1878. Bella Cummings is leaving New York City for a new life out West, far away from the life of woman-for-rent which she has had thrust upon her through no fault of her own. Bella’s new start includes marriage to a Californian gold miner, a man she has never met but who has placed an advertisement for a bride in the local newspaper and whom she hopes will hold the key to a bright new future. Her new husband Harry Williams is everything she has ever wanted in a man and all Bella needs to do now is keep the secret of her sordid past from him. However, Bella should have known that she was never destined for an easy life. And when she finds herself alone in the largely male populated gold mining town of Yreka, Northern California in the heat of the heady gold rush days, what is a girl to do to survive except fall back on the very assets she was born with? Bella Cummings is a woman of much grit and determination but underneath it all, she just wants to be loved. Will she ever meet a man who wants her for her heart and not just for her very desirable body, a man who will truly be hers forever? Description Reviews (0) Description. Find more from this author on: About the author: Cherie Mitchell has ghostwritten over 150 successful Wild West Mail Order Bride romance e-books and has recently released several books under her own name. Bella Cummings, Wild West Madam is a novel in the Wild West Mail Order Bride genre but with the added spice of sex scenes based on Bella's choice of profession. Cherie is currently working on a second book, Fallen Angel, which follows the life of one of Bella's more notable "girls". What inspired you to write your book? After writing multiple books based in the days of the California gold rush I developed a deep understanding of just how difficult life was for women in what was very much a man's world. My research uncovered a lot of information about women who were successful, especially the infamous Wild West Madams who opened brothels and bordellos to support the very real needs of men in a place and time when women were scarce. My book is the result of what I have learned about these long ago ladies and the lives that they led. Here is a short sample from the book: "Where are you off to on this fine day? A pretty young woman traveling solo might get a little lonely. Or are you looking for some company? My friend and I would be happy to provide all the company a woman such as yourself can handle." One of the ruffians had stepped over to where Bella waited and was now standing close, far too close. Close enough for her to see the pockmarks on his skin and the black holes where his front teeth should be. Bella took an involuntary step backwards. In one quick movement, she stooped to pick up her travel bag and turn away, marching determinedly down the station platform to where a well-dressed middle-aged man and his wife waited for the train. She gave the couple a pleasant smile and placed her bag at her feet just a short distance away from them. She darted a glance back down the platform to where the two unsavory men now stood together, both of them eyeing her with a combination of undisguised lust and annoyance. The married couple exchanged a look before the man cleared his throat and peered at Bella over the top of his rimless round spectacles. "Where are you headed, Miss?" "California, Sir. I'm traveling West to find a new life for meself." Bella held her head high. She had nothing to be ashamed of for, after all, she had her betrothed waiting for her in San Francisco and would soon be a respectable married woman. He looked over to where the pair of vagabonds were now whispering to each other, their heads held close together in an obvious attitude of suspicion and underhandedness. "And, um, your friends. " "They aint no friends of mine, Sir. I never seen them before in me life." Which wasn't entirely true, but Bella was prepared to let a little white lie slip through here and there. Jack O'Riley and Shaun Mason weren't friends of hers by any stretch of the imagination but she had certainly seen them before. On more than one occasion, and quite often both at the same time. The woman peeped around her husband, seemingly anxious not to get too close to Bella. "Aren't you Bella Cummings?" she asked in a hushed tone, her voice bordering on outrage but carrying just enough uncertainty for Bella to grasp it with both hands and use it to her advantage. "No, Ma'am. Me name is Bella, you’ve got that right, but Cummings aint me last name. Me last name is Arnold." Bella glanced at the duty board beside the ticket master's office and selected the first name she saw there. "But that will be changing soon enough. Me betrothed is called 'Arry Williams and once we are wed I'll be Mrs. Williams. He's a goldminer, ‘e is. Making it rich on the Californian goldfields." Bella said the last with more than a hint of pride. The woman narrowed her eyes and pushed her mouth into a tight little pursed shape. Her husband looked at Bella with renewed interest. "He's a goldminer, you say? Has he had any luck? I must say I was very keen to give it a go myself but…," he glanced at his wife and then quickly away again. "It wasn't to be." "He said he's found 'imself a lucky strike. Up north. A place called Yreka. He's coming to San Francisco to meet my train and marry me then we're going to make a new life together." Bella played with the silky ribbon of her bonnet, entwining it round and round her fingers as she looked dreamily across the tracks. "He's determined to make an honest woman of me before 'e shares me bed." The woman gasped in shock and laid a gloved hand on her husband's arm. The man gave Bella long look and Bella caught something in his eyes, something she had no problem in recognizing. She'd seen that look a hundred times before and she fully expected to see it many times again. She lowered her lashes before her own large blue eyes sent back an answer of their own accord, an answer which could only lead to trouble. "I do apologize," she murmured prettily. "Sometimes me mouth runs away on me." The woman dabbed at her own mouth with a fine lace handkerchief while her husband kept darting Bella puzzled looks, as if he was trying to remember her from somewhere. Bella stared ahead, to where the empty train tracks disappeared around the bend, and prayed that the train would soon arrive. All she wanted was to mind her own business, get herself settled into a seat on the train, and continue looking forward to the new life which surely must be waiting for her across the country. The train chugged into the station a few minutes later and Bella gratefully picked up her bag and stepped towards it. Soon she would say goodbye to New York City forever and her farewell would certainly carry no regrets. Bella looked down the platform to where the woman was now hurrying her husband towards a different carriage, a carriage much further up the train than the one which Bella waited by. She decided she didn't care. She was used to people looking down their noses at her and that was their problem, not hers. She saw that Jack and Shaun were making their way towards the last carriage and she was pleased about that, too. The last thing she needed was a couple of her old clients harassing her and making things difficult. "Miss Cummings." The voice in her ear nearly made her jump right out of her skin. Bella whirled around to see the grinning face of Tom Evans right behind her. "Tom! You nearly made me 'ave an 'eart attack." Bella pushed her hand into her chest, inadvertently pushing her full breasts higher above the neckline of her gown, and she caught Tom's admiring glance as his eyes fixated on her bosom. "What are you doing 'ere, Tom?" she said flatly. "I couldn't let the most accommodating young lady in all of New York City leave without a goodbye," he said. He caught her gaze and held it. "I'm going to miss you, Bella." Bella tossed her head. "You 'ad your chance, Tom Evans. But you weren't prepared to put a ring around the fingers you profess to be so fond of. I'm 'eading West to be married now and that life will all be behind me." "I am very fond of your fingers," Tom agreed. His gaze dropped to her mouth. "And your lips. And your…." The train whistle suddenly sounded and Bella tightened her grip on the handle of her travel bag. "Goodbye, Tom," she said with finality as she stepped over the narrow gap between the platform and the train and completed her first step into her new life. Bella settled herself into a window seat and stared out the window at the soot-stained ticket office and platform. She would not be sorry to say goodbye to the only town she'd ever known and the sooner it was out of sight the better. New York City had given her more sorrow than she could have ever imagined, despite her recent successes, and she’d vowed she would never return to its grimy, busy streets. Tom suddenly tapped on the window beside her, startling her once again. He pressed his face close to the dusty pane of glass and blew a kiss and Bella pointedly looked away. As she'd said to him a moment ago, Tom had had his chance and he'd chosen not to take it. He'd happily paid his money for services rendered but he'd not been willing to take things a step further and make her his wife. And Bella knew she deserved that title. She'd always known she deserved that title, but life was tough and a woman had to use whatever means she had to make a living for herself. And luckily for Bella, the Lord had blessed her with a very fine set of means. The train whistle blew again and the train slowly pulled away from the platform. Bella allowed herself to let out a sigh of relief she hadn't even been aware she'd been holding in. "Goodbye, New York," she whispered under her breath, "And goodbye to the old Bella Cummings." As the train settled into a gentle bump and sway Bella looked around the carriage at her other traveling companions. The trip across the country would take nearly a week and she wondered how many of her fellow travelers would also be making the entire journey to the West. There were plenty of stop-off places along the route but California was the destination on everyone's lips these days, the very sound of the word appearing bright and golden as it fell from the lips of all who uttered it. From what she could see from her unobtrusive viewpoint, most of the other occupants of the carriage appeared to be couples or small groups of men. She was certainly the only single female traveler, on this carriage at least, and the thought made her a little uneasy. Not because she wasn't capable of looking after herself, of course, but more because she did not want to draw too much attention to her lone state and supposed vulnerability. Life wasn’t easy for a single woman and she knew that better than anyone. She searched in her bag for her battered copy of a children's educational reader a client had left behind and she opened it to the last page she'd read, sliding her finger under the dog eared corner she'd folded into place to mark her spot. Bella planned to make the most of her weeks' worth of traveling and work on her elocution. She knew that she didn't always speak like a lady but she was determined to improve herself in any way that she could in preparation for her new life. Aside from her physical assets, Bella knew that her most useful attributes were her drive and determination. And as her dear Pappy used to tell her, a person who set their mind to something would surely eventually succeed even if reaching the goal sometimes took a little longer than expected. Here, here, here. She mouthed the words to herself. Here not 'ere. He, not 'e. My, not me. Though sometimes you do need to say me, it just depends on the context. She crinkled her brow. The English language was so confusing at times! "Tickets please, Miss." Bella looked up into the young face of Clarence Mortimer and they both recoiled in shock. Clarence Mortimer had lost his virginity in a few seconds of urgent fumbling between Bella's pale and creamy thighs this past summer and seeing him here in front of her now, smartly dressed in a conductor's uniform, was more than a little unexpected. Bella gave him a polite smile, signaling with her eyes that she was not about to embarrass him or acknowledge him on any other level, and she passed across her ticket for him to inspect and clip. "Thank you, Ma'am. You have a safe and pleasant journey, now." Clarence handed her ticket back with obvious relief plastered across his smooth young face and carried on his way down the aisle. Bella turned her attention back to her book but her mind was no longer on it. This was part of the reason she'd applied to an advertisement in the newspaper for gold miners seeking brides – she was beginning to bump into too many people here in New York City who she knew on far too intimate a level. Bella knew that her reputation here would prevent any man from taking her for his wife and she knew that her reputation was continuing to spread as easily as her legs did. Bella was good at what she did, she knew that for a fact, but she also knew that she was capable of a lot more than lying on her back or on her stomach while men sweated above her. 'Arry Williams (Harry, she corrected herself) had written an advertisement which had caught her eye as soon as she saw it. She knew the advertisement word for word and she ran it through her mind again now, still thrilling at the all possibilities that one simple paragraph had carried. "Gold miner, 35 years of age with own hair and own teeth, seeking fulsome bride. Must be aged between 21 and 25, slim of build, strong, and adventurous enough to travel to California for marriage. In return I can offer a stable and secure future, companionship, and loyalty." The words which had jumped out at Bella were "stable and secure" and "loyalty", all of them sadly lacking in the life she had made for herself in New York City. She didn't mind if Harry Williams had his own hair and teeth, she didn't even care much about his age, for she had learnt long ago that a man's outward appearance had little to do with his kindness or his consideration for others. But she did hold stability, security, and loyalty very dear. "Shaun is waiting in the bathroom for ye. Don't make a fuss. Just get up quietly and follow me or I'll tell the entire carriage your dirty little secret." Bella stared at Jack, appalled, her mind scrambling to understand how he’d managed to silently slide into the seat beside her. She looked around the carriage frantically but no-one was paying them the slightest bit of attention. "Go away," she hissed. Author Interview: Cherie Mitchell. About the author: Cherie Mitchell has ghostwritten over 150 successful Wild West Mail Order Bride romance e-books and has recently released several books under her own name. Her latest book, Bella Cummings, Wild West Madam is a novel in the Wild West Mail Order Bride genre but with the added spice of sex scenes based on Bella's choice of profession. Cherie is currently working on a second book, Fallen Angel, which follows the life of one of Bella's more notable "girls". Cherie is a fulltime New Zealand writer who has lived and worked in Australia and China. She loves new experiences and always has two books in her head at any given time which are begging to be written. She has three grown up children, two gorgeous grandchildren (she is a very young grandmother) and is still looking for Mr. Right though she has met some perfectly fine Mr. Right Nows. What inspires you to write romantic fiction? People. Relationships. Love. The evolution of a person as they learn what works for them and how they fit into a relationship with their significant other or others. I write across genres (clean to sexy) and my characters slot into whatever the plot dictates. Tell us about how you write. I'm a mad writer. Scarily prolific. According to the word app Grammarly I am more productive than up to 99% of other Grammarly users. My record was 132,000 words in one week (!) Do you listen to or talk to to your characters? I listen. I could never write a scene that was completely out of character for one of my "people". They have pasts and thoughts and morals and hopes and I take all of these into account as I write. What advice would you give other romance writers? Keep writing. Keep watching and listening as life goes on around you, and delve deep when you are trying to bring emotion into your work. How did you decide how to publish your books? I like indie publishing as it's quick and to the point. But like any good romance or erotica writer, I also enjoy it slow to build the anticipation, which is why I chose to have my book Desire published traditionally. This book was released in November 2017 to the US and Spanish markets by The Little French. What do you think about the future of book publishing? I think it's very positive. I know scarcely anyone who doesn't read, and a book read on a mobile device while using public transport (an increasingly popular activity) is a divine way to pass the time. Which romance sub-genere(s) fit your stories best? General. My books are available in the following formats: eBook. Nine “Soiled Doves” Who Changed the Face of the Old West. They have been called by various euphemisms in film, novels, television shows, and songs. Saloon girls, soiled doves, ladies of the evening, and many other names have been used to describe practitioners of what is known as the oldest profession: prostitution. In the west they were found in bordellos, brothels, houses of ill repute, opium dens, hotels, tents, and saloons. Many fictional characters have been created around their profession; Belle Watling in Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind , Kitty Russell on the long running radio and television program Gunsmoke are two examples. Both of these characters were presented as being good-hearted, strong women of character and moral standards despite their chosen professions. Throughout the American West, and in the eastern cities which were contemporaneous with the heyday of the American West from 1865 -1900, prostitution was big business. Some women made fortunes and retired wealthy, although kept at arm’s length by ladies of society. Some became famous as a result of the company they kept, either famous criminals or lawmen in a society where the difference between the two was sometimes hard to distinguish. Some became the basis of fictional characters in later works, and some became famous from other activities in addition to their occasional forays into prostitution made necessary by prevailing economic conditions. San Antonio was so proud of its “sporting district” that it published an annual guide for tourists and “…those seeking a good time while in San Antonio, Texas. Wikimedia. Here are some of the more famous and infamous professional women of the American west, and some of their customers and companions. Butch Cassidy (seated right) and the Wild Bunch were dedicated customers of Fannie Porter’s brothel in San Antonio. So were the lawmen on their trail. New York Daily News. Fannie Porter. Fannie Porter was born in England and by 1888 she was living in San Antonio, Texas where she began working as a prostitute that year at the age of fifteen. After five years she had saved enough money to open her own brothel at the corner of Durango and San Saba streets, an area which became famous as the San Antonio Sporting District. The sport presented in the Sporting District was mostly gambling, drinking, and prostitution, with numerous brothels and other houses which offered all three. Fannie’s establishment developed a reputation for fair prices, attractive women, and honest dealing at the card tables. One of her girls, Della Moore, became a particular favorite of Kid Curry, who often rode with the gang known as the Wild Bunch, led by Butch Cassidy and Harry Longabaugh, better known as the Sundance Kid. Besides catering to many known outlaws, some of whom used her establishment to pass along money stolen during their various crimes, Fannie Porter was also well known for catering to lawmen. There was no national law enforcement apparatus at the time, the closest thing to it being the privately owned and operated Pinkerton National Detective Agency, whose operatives were frequent guests of Porter’s house. Fannie was well known among the outlaws for her discretion in keeping their presence in the house quiet even when Pinkertons or other law enforcement were on the premises. By extension, the customers on the right side of the law did not press her or her girls for information. The San Antonio Sporting District continued to operate through World War I (even publishing a Blue Book of attractions for tourists), but went into a gradual decline which culminated in its being shut down as America began to mobilize for World War II. By then Fannie had retired. A local legend has it that she was killed in a car accident between 1937 and 1940, although whether such occurred is far from certain. Belladonna (The Wild Wild West) Belladonna (Marianna Hill) is a gun moll in the 1967 episode "Night of the Bogus Bandits" for the TV series "The Wild Wild West". Belladona is one of Dr. Miguelito Loveless's consorts in crime, the other being Pearline Hastings (Grace Gaynor). This is Dr. Loveless's eighth of ten appearances in The Wild Wild West series. Dr. Loveless (Michael Dunn) is going to try to take over the western part of the United States. This time he is training an army of his own to perform the take over. He acts like a stage director with his goons practicing their roles in a model of a bank. Belladonna is posed as a old lady making a deposit with a bank teller. It goes wrong, and the man playing James West is shot and the bullet ended up real. The man responsible for not changing his bullets to blanks is shot by another on orders of Loveless. The next day they successfully rob a bank and then burn the money in the desert. They do this, because it is all chicken scratch, and the fact that they know the banknotes all have serial numbers on them that can be traced back. James T. West (Robert Conrad) and Artemus Gordon (Ross Martin) blunder into his plot entirely by accident because of some robbery money which one of the Loveless army members mistakenly spends. The mystery for West & Artie is that in spite of a huge series of robberies by these bogus bandits, this one bill is the only one which has shown up to be spent anyplace. West gets in a bar fight and at the conclusion is reaquainted to Dr. Loveless and his assistant Belladonna, who was pointing at gun at him. His real desire was to steal the federal gold reserves, develop an army, and then secure an armory, which his team was planning to carry out. West is brought to an outside arena where Loveless and Belladonna view from a crows nest to view a planned competiton to the death. One by one, West is able to defeat the hired guns. This was all orchestrated by Loveless, and when West comes out victorious, he is about to be put to death once and for all. However, Artemus poses as an old gunsmith and causes a distraction with a fire. He and West are able to escape over the wall and ride off on horseback. Later West and Artemus are once again captured. Loveless tells them of his plan to take over a slice of the West and become Miguelito I, with Belladonna as his consort. Artemus slammed into the electronics, which severly damaged Loveless' mode of communication. While that happened, West was able to wrestle the gun away from Belladonna. Now West had a gun pointed at Loveless and Belladonna. However, Loveless grabbed another pistol that was hiding in the back of Belladonna's lovely pink dress. He then used Belladonna as a hostage, daring West to shoot. In the end, Loveless is able to escape by going down the laundry shoot and making a getaway in a baby carriage being pushed by Pearline. Belladonna was looked after by Artemus, and it is assumed that she was taken to the authorities. Bella Cummings Wild West Madam by Cherie Mitchell. Published: 07:22 BST, 24 January 2013 | Updated: 13:17 BST, 24 January 2013. Photographer Marc McAndrews spent five years documenting life inside the legal brothels of rural Nevada. His project, 'Nevada Rose,' shares an intimate look at the only places in America where it's not against the law to pay for sex. McAndrews pays special attention to the women who work inside the brothels, capturing unguarded moments with the women working the 'world's oldest profession.' McAndrews said he often showed up in the early afternoons - either before the brothels opened or when they weren't very busy. The Pennsylvania-native talked his way inside nearly every brothel in the state, using his camera as his passport. What he saw was shockingly mundane. The sex trade raises moral and political hackles and evokes an emotional response in most Americans. But, McAndrews often captured women preparing for just another day of work. McAndrews' work focuses on Americana - slices of American life from motel workers to truck stops and landscape scenes. His book, Nevada Rose , was published in 2011 by Umbrage Editions. Waiting: Simone at Donna's Ranch in Battle Mountain, Nevada, is seen here primping herself before the day's customers arrive. Photographer Marc McAndrews often worked in the morning and afternoon, before the brothels opened or when there were few customers. Cashing in: Nicole waits for Tom to withdrawal cash from the ATM at the Love Ranch in Carson City. McAndrews works to demystify the sex trade and show the mundane slices of life inside the brothels. Waiting game: Women usually gathered in the parlor of the brothel to wait for men to arrive and pay for their services. These women work at the Love Ranch in Carson City. These women were dressed for 'work' in their skimpiest attire - but had nothing to do but sit around and chat until customers came. Rural: All of Nevada's legal brothels are outside town limits and nearly all of them are in out-of-the way corners of the lonely expanse of rural Nevada. Sins of the flesh: Sinsful's Menu of Pleasure lays out exactly what a man can pay for at the Chicken Ranch in Pahrump, Nevada, and how much it will cost him. Tea time: The girls of the Bunny Ranch pose for a photo during a 'tea party' Businessman: Geoff Arnold, the owner of Donna's Ranches, is also president of the Nevada Brothel Association. He is seen here with his person plane outside Boise, Idaho. Family Affair: Ben, the former owner of the Wild West Saloon brothel in Winnemucca is seen here with his father Art. Big sky: Angel's Ladies brothel occupies a small, squat building outside Beatty, Nevada. Most of the brothels are not large, glitzy complexes, but rather small businesses in out-of-the-way parts of the state. Nervous: 'Hillybilly' Greg chains smokes cigarettes while he waits to be served at Donna's Ranch in Battle Mountain. Sultry: Despite McAndrews' focus on the mundane parts of brothel life, there is often no getting around the sexuality inherent in the work that goes on inside the private rooms. Priscilla for the camera poses in her teddy at Wild West Saloon. Just for show: The owners of Sheri's Ranch in Pahrump were perhaps hoping to add a touch of class by placing a piano in the parlor of their brothel. Confident: Not all the women who work in the sex trade in Nevada have the ultra-sexualized bodies of porn stars. Carli is seen at Mona's Ranch in Elko. Open late: Most of the brothels in Nevada have outlandish names that conceal unexciting settings. The Stardust Ranch in Ely could just as easily be a convenience store or a diner, by the looks of it. Beacon: Wild Horse Adult Resort and Spa in Sparks can be seen glistening at night from Interstate 80 - which likely helps attract lonely truckers and other patrons. Play the part: Madame Suzette dresses the part of a glamorous wild-west brothel manager at the Bunny Ranch in Carson City. Showing off: Dennis Hof, the owner of the Bunny Ranch and and three other brothels, plays up the sex and glamor in his clubs. He is seen here surrounded by a few of his 'working girls' at the Bunny Ranch. Revealing: Starr shows off her body outside Bella's Hacienda in Wells. Humble: This is the unassuming parlor of the Love Ranch in Carson City. It is here that prospective customers pick out the women they will pay to have sex with later in the evening. Kinky: Brooke Taylor shows off a couple of the contraptions available to her more creative customers at the Bunny Ranch. Sinky: Bunny Love poses in her underwear in her room at the Bunny Ranch outside Carson City. Time off: Nikki Breeze suns herself outside the Bunny Ranch. Sexualized: Cami Parker is seen here at the Bunny Ranch. Photos of this well-known brothel tend to be more overtly sexual and less intimate. Company: Brett poses with Dion, his lady for the night, whose services he bought at the Stardust Ranch. Safire is pictured at the Old Bridge Ranch in Mustang, Nevada. Cindy poses with the CB radio she uses to lure in truckers at Sharon's Bar and Brothel in Carlin.