Taking Charge (Meet the McIntyres Book 1)

by Rebecca Barber

  “So Mr. McIntyre…how can I help you?”

  So many replies crossed my mind. From the unexpected filthy to the terrifying truth. It was a loaded question, and one, if she knew me, she’d never ask again.

  “It’s Beau,” I squeaked.

  Fuck me! I felt like a horny adolescent. Despite taking care of myself yet again this morning in the shower, I was charged and ready for action. Ms. Sullivan may not have been my first choice to take care of the problem in my pants, but she wasn’t last on that list, either. When I realised I’d just checked out her hand in search of the elusive and erection-killing gold band, I was surprised to see it bare. She was hot. With her long white blonde hair and pouty mouth ideal for wrapping around someone’s cock, I couldn’t believe someone hadn’t locked that shit down already.

  “Okay, Beau…” As my name fell from her lips, I clenched my ass, trying to hold back the groan forming in the back of my throat. I had to put an end to this shit ASAP.

  “It’s my Dad’s place. I believe he called and authorised me to make enquiries on his behalf,” I announced formally. I had to get this meeting back on track and my mind out of the gutter. And if there was one sure-fire way to ice the semi in my pants, it was talking about my parents.

  “Ah. Just a second.” With a few clicks of the keys on her computer, she turned back to me. “Yes, he’s authorised full disclosure.”

  “Great.”

  “All right then. What do you want to know?”

  “Options.”

  “Options?”

  “What are his options? Mum’s started divorce proceedings, and I need to know how I can save our home.”

  “Okay. Let’s start at the beginning. Do you have anything to indicate she wants it?”

  Grabbing the crumpled letter from my pocket, I handed it over and rocked back in my chair. She read silently while I tried to keep myself from worrying myself into an early grave. I read the qualifications and inspirational quotes that lined the walls. When she finished, she looked at me, confused.

  “Something about this doesn’t make sense.”

  “Okay?” I had no idea what she was getting at. I was just some country bumpkin, I had no idea about legal mumbo jumbo. That’s why she got paid the big bucks. To translate that crap into idiot proof speak.

  “How long are you in town for?”

  “Sorry?” That wasn’t what I was expecting at all.

  “I’m not sure. Why?”

  “Well, there’s a few things that aren’t lining up. Any chance you can hang around for a couple of hours and come back? Give me a chance to make a few calls, do some digging, and see what I can find out.”

  This threw me off balance. It wasn’t at all what I was expecting from today’s meeting. I was expecting her to say, yep, all makes sense, go to the bank and see if you can buy her out. Her curiosity unsettled me. I couldn’t tell if it was a good thing or a bad. Whichever it was, it made me extremely nervous.

  “Yeah, I can do that.”

  “Thanks. Why don’t you give me a couple of hours? Come back around one?”

  “Okay.”

  “Are you all right?”

  “Yeah. Why?”

  “You look a little pale, that’s all.”

  Running a hand over my face, I wish I’d shaved. “I’ll be fine.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yep. I’ll be back at one,” I confirmed, wanting to get the hell out of this office.

  “Okay then. I’ll see you soon.”

  “See you soon.”

  I stood and pulled open her door. “Oh, and Beau.”

  “Yeah?”

  “There’s nothing to worry about.”

  Yeah, right. Easy for you to say. Your whole family’s future wasn’t depending on you. There was everything to worry about. Not trusting myself to speak, I offered a pathetic nod and disappeared out the door. A moment later I was leaning against the front door of my ute, sucking in desperate lungfuls of air and willing my heart beat to steady. Fuck, I needed a drink, but one look at my watch told me it was too early.

  Trying to get my shit together, I climbed in and headed for the centre of town. Since I was stuck here, I might as well make the most of it. I’d been home a couple of weeks now, and as much as I promised myself I wouldn’t be spending my days knee deep in shit, that’s exactly what I was doing. The clothes I’d brought back with me weren’t going to cut it out here…at least not for work. From where I was standing, there was not much chance of me getting back to the city any time soon, so I might as well suck it up and settle in for the long haul.

  Before I knew it I was pushing a trolley through the aisles, tossing in crap I thought I’d need. The truth was, I didn’t have a clue what to buy. I hadn’t planned a shopping spree. Tossing in underwear, thick socks, cheap undershirts, and some warmer items, I made my way to the shoe section. If I could find a decent pair of work boots here, I wouldn’t have to go anywhere else. I hated shopping at the best of times, so this was pure fucking torture. The sooner I got done, the sooner I could go and find some lunch. Maybe even a beer to wash it down. After trying on four different pairs, I grabbed a pair of steel capped boots and headed for the checkout. I needed to escape.

  After recovering from the mini heart attack the credit card hit caused, I was back out on the streets and on my way to the pub. I’d heard good things about the old Post Office Hotel on the corner. A counter lunch was calling my name. I didn’t even care what was on the menu, I was eating it. Good thing I wasn’t particularly fussy.

  Sitting at the stained and scarred bar, I placed my order and twiddled my thumbs. I thought about putting a call in to Callam. I hadn’t spoken to him since I’d left him in Bali in bed with two women. I was sure his shenanigans would distract me from the heaviness weighing on my shoulders. I left my phone in my pocket. While talking to him may be a great distraction for a few minutes, I wasn’t completely ready to hear all about the adventures I was missing out on.

  When the largest plate I’d ever seen was set down in front of me, I was unsure how I’d ever get through the mountain of food. One thing country pubs were renowned for was not skimping on the serving sizes. Usually it was guys ordering in here, in fact glancing around, there was only one woman in here and she was behind the bar. Guys who worked hard all day and played hard all night. I wasn’t missing out. The crumbed lamb cutlets were smothered with thick, rich gravy and served with thick cut chips and a mountain of vegetables. I groaned with the first bite. It tasted like home. Like Mum used to make.

  “Shit!”

  “Excuse me? Did you need something?”

  Damn it! I hadn’t mean for that to slip out, let alone anyone to hear.

  “Sorry, burnt my tongue.”

  “Oh, okay.”

  Thankfully, she bought my lie, and moved to the other end of the bar, leaving me to my own devices. Just thinking about Mum made my stomach grumble. I knew at some point I’d have to talk to her. I just had no idea what to say to the bitch. I mean, I’m sure she had her reasons for walking out, and her relationship with Dad wasn’t something I wanted to get involved in, but to leave and not even tell her children where she’d gone…well, that just pissed me off.

  While my mind whirled with possible excuses she could invent, my stomach rebelled against the food. I barely made it through half before I pushed the plate away. What was worse was the beer I’d been looking forward to was now warm and tasted like piss, so that too was pushed aside. Sliding off the stool, I checked my phone. I shouldn’t have been surprised to see the message from Connor.

  Connor: How’d you go?

  I got it. He was sweating on this. If we lost the farm, Connor lost everything he knew. Everything he’d worked so hard to build and protect. I couldn’t let that happen to him. I didn’t have a choice. Even if Dad didn’t deserve it, Connor did.

  Beau: Heading back there now.

  I didn’t expect a response. When I’d checked in with him before the sun was even in the sky
this morning, he was preparing for a long ass day. He had fences to check and sheep to move. Usually I’d be in the saddle right beside him, but today he was out there on his own. I know this was how it’d been for a long time, but now I knew about it, I didn’t like it. Anything could happen to him. And if it did…well, I’d never forgive myself.

  Stepping back inside the air conditioned solicitor’s office, the busty receptionist was nowhere to be seen. It was just before one and she was probably at lunch. Sinking into the chair, I waited until someone came out and found me. As much as I wanted to get this over and done with, the other part of me had one foot already out the door, ready to run. The churning in my guts told me it was nothing good.

  “Oh hey. You’re back.”

  She sounded surprised. And frazzled. Her once slick ponytail wasn’t so slick anymore and she looked like she’d been running her hands through it. With her wide eyes and slumped shoulders, she wasn’t instilling much confidence.

  “Yeah.” My voice trembled in time with my knees, which struggled to hold me up.

  “Come on back.” Once we were in her office, she swept aside a pile of papers and the cardboard box containing a few left over chips. I must have interrupted her lunch. “You’re going to want to take a seat for this.”

  My heavy lunch rose in my throat and I was forced to swallow it back down. This was not good. Not good at all. “O-okay,” I stammered. I should have been embarrassed by my behaviour, but I just couldn’t be.

  “I wasn’t here when your grandfather did his will or when he passed…” I had no fucking idea where this was going or what it had to do with the farm now, but I wasn’t liking it. “I did manage to get in touch with the partner who was, though. He was the one who wrote it in conjunction with your grandfather. The one who read it to your dad when he passed.”

  “Yeah. Okay. There was nothing in it. Dad got everything, since Grandma was already gone and he was an only child. From what I know, no one contested it, so there was no drama.”

  “You’re right. No one contested it.”

  “Why do I feel like there’s a but coming here?”

  “Because there is.”

  “And?”

  “Your father didn’t contest the will. But it’s not what you think it is.”

  I might be unsociable most of the time, and I was the girl who’d rather spend my nights with my head in a book than hanging out at some dingy bar, but this was just too much for me. Despite the massive quantities of alcohol pumping through my veins, it still wasn’t enough to drop my inhibitions low enough to be okay with this. Downing another vodka infused jelly shot didn’t do anything to help.

  Grabbing a fist full of hair, I yanked it back from my face, wishing I’d had the sense to bring a hair tie. Instead, I was forced to leave my untameable hair out. It was filled with penis-shaped confetti Josie had been excitedly tossing about for the last two hours.

  We were in the private room in the back of the pub making more noise than I could handle. Between the incessant giggles, screeches, and the never ending supply of naughty named drinks we’d been chugging like they were fruit juice, I wasn’t sure if the headache forming behind my eyes was the beginnings of a migraine or a hangover. Possibly both. Checking my phone, it took a minute for my blurry eyes to focus and I realised it was barely ten. We’d only been at this for two hours. Was that long enough to be acceptable? Could I sneak home and crawl into my bed without anyone noticing.

  Glancing over at Mia, I knew she was in worse shape than me. Poor Derek. He’d have to deal with that tomorrow. She donned a pink sash declaring her the bride-to-be and a tiara with a dick covered veil. As she sipped some weird pink-coloured concoction Josie had called a Kinky Blow Job Martini through her penis-shaped straw, she giggled wildly. I might not have known Mia very long, but seeing her like this was something completely new. She was so relaxed and young. Fuck me, did she look young. I felt so old. Old and frumpy.

  Sitting beside her, whispering into her ear…well, she thought she was whispering…in truth there wasn’t a person in the room who couldn’t hear every word Zoe was saying. Zoe was a ghost in this town. I’d met her once and I’d heard the stories, but I’d never spent any time with her. She was stone cold sober. Probably the only one in the room who was. She refused every drink offered, seeming to prefer to stick to her bottled water. She did, however, sip it from a penis straw. I was a bit pissed, actually. When I’d tried to decline my third Screaming Orgasm shot, Mia pouted and guilted me into tossing it back. Zoe didn’t even get offered one.

  “Having fun?” Josie slurred as she attempted to sit beside me, but she ended up in my lap instead.

  “Yep. You look like you’re having a good time.”

  “I am.”

  “Good!”

  “Want to know a secret?”

  I laughed. If Josie was about to spill secrets, with the volume she was talking, the whole town would know. “Sure,” I encouraged.

  “The fun is about to start.”

  Before I had a chance to ask what she meant, the lights went off, cloaking the whole room in darkness. The shrieking rose to ear-splitting level. I would have been worried, but Josie was bouncing beside me, and when the music picked up, I knew what was about to happen. The desire to run and hide in the bathroom was stronger than ever. If I was going to get through this, I was going to need another drink. At least one.

  When the lights flickered on, a fireman stood in the middle of the room. He was facing away from me, and I’ll admit, it wasn’t the worst view in the world. He was built. Even hidden under the baggy fluorescent yellow jacket and matching pants, you could tell he had wide shoulders. Reaching for one of the shots, a Cock Sucking Cowboy, I tossed it down. At least with these ridiculously named drinks they didn’t taste like petrol. When he spun around, I was surprised to see he had a bandanna covering his nose and mouth, but there was something about his eyes that made you believe this was definitely going to end happily.

  Was I brave enough to hit on a stripper and take him home? Was I drunk enough? God knows I’d been through enough batteries in the past couple of months that I could do with the real thing. Even if it was only for one night.

  I watched as he gyrated his hips and dropped the jacket. I hadn’t been wrong. His wide tanned shoulders glistened, or maybe it was my glassy eyes that made him look like he did. As he trailed his hand down his washboard abs, I was suddenly ravenous. Wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, I found myself unable to look away as his fingers edged beneath the top of his pants. Quickly, I stuffed my hands under my ass to keep them from reaching out and yanking the suspenders from his shoulders, and praying as his pants pooled at his feet.

  “Woohoo!” Josie squealed in my ear.

  I was definitely going to be deaf tomorrow.

  When he winked at me, I thought I’d self-combust. He turned his back to me and bent forward at the waist, touching his toes. With his ass waving about in the air, I was itching to reach out and slap it. I don’t know where I found the restraint, but some of the others didn’t. Tegan, one of the girls I’d met, was rubbing herself up against his impressive bicep. I was jealous as hell.

  He threaded his arm through the red suspenders and sauntered to where Mia sat squirming in her seat. Zoe shuffled away to give him room to work.

  “You’re Mia,” he declared in a deep voice that made me tingle in all the right places in all the wrong ways.

  Without missing a beat, he bent forward and grabbed the chair Mia was sitting on between her legs and tugged it forward. Catching her completely off guard, Mia’s fingers found a grip on his pants. With a deep panty melting chuckle, he held her hands still when she tried to pull back.

  “He’s fucking hot!” Nerilee screeched as she bounced up and down on the spot, her massive boobs almost spilling out the top of her too-tight tank top.

  Grabbing another drink—I didn’t even know what it was—I gulped it down. It was fruity and sickeningly sweet, but it was something we
t in my dry mouth. Mia’s eyes widened as he moved her hand up and down his abs before trailing it over the bulge in his pants.

  “Go Mia!” Karenya cheered as she wobbled on the chair where she was standing. I’d never met her before, but I’d quickly come to notice she had no shame and no filter. If she had a thought, then it came out. There was no holding back. I’d picked up on that when she’d told Mia she was a lucky bitch who got to fuck that sexy piece of police ass every night.

  Then, just as I was getting used to the screaming and the sexually charged atmosphere, he dropped his pants. All I could see from my seat was the top of his black G-string and an ass I wanted to take a bite out of. When he looked over his shoulder and winked at me, I melted. Well, my panties did. That was when all hell broke loose. Mia’s hands clasped onto his butt cheeks, covering up all that tanned goodness, while he stepped closer to her, rubbing his impressive bulge against her.

  Finding my feet, I wobbled a bit. Josie reached out and steadied me. It took a moment, but eventually I was stable enough to take a few steps. I needed to get out of this room. I could smell the sex and desperation in the air, and it wasn’t just my own. Overwhelmed, I staggered out of the room and down the corridor. A moment later I found myself standing in a testosterone-filled bar. While the private dining area may have been a den of female debauchery out here, it was boring…guys drinking beer, talking shit, and staring at the football on the big screen above the bar.

  Trying to navigate my way around the tables on these ridiculously high heels was a challenge, but somehow I made it. Plonking my ass onto a bar stool, I almost fell too far, causing me to land in some random guy’s lap.

  Except it wasn’t just some guy.

  It was Beau.

  Of course it was him. He was the one I’d been dreaming about for weeks, and here I was, pissed and horny, so of course he was there.

  “Whoa! You all right there, Payton?” He helped me back onto my stool, holding onto my arm.

  Shrugging him off, I smiled. “Thanks, Beau.”