Liv looked down at the trampled dirt, her heart heavy. So that was it. She'd screwed up and that was the end. She deserved it. "Why did you?"
"I'm stubborn, I guess."
That was puzzling. She looked up into his face. There was straight honesty there.
"I think we have somethin' special goin' on and I don't want to walk away from it."
Her heart did a little spin. "I'm glad you feel that way. I feel that way, too."
He smiled. "Good enough. Now that we have that settled, let's go have some supper. I want to take you back to the house."
His family would be there. Her stomach roiled. First things first, though. "I need to talk to you first, Trey. That photographer from the other night called my agent. He's trying to blackmail me. Well, blackmail us."
"Shit. I was afraid of that. What does he want?"
"$50,000 for the worldwide rights."
He whistled in response to the number. "Damn. I don't know how those rights things work, but would that keep you safe from further blackmail attempts?"
"Yes. He'd be breaking copyright law if he published the photo anywhere. I could sue him. The basic idea is that we buy the photo rights. If we pay him, he'll sign a contract giving up all his rights to the photo. "
"A contract, huh?" He appeared to think it over. "I should find him and knock out his teeth. I had hoped the picture was messed up or he had second thoughts."
"No such luck, Trey. And you can't go after him. He's within his rights to sell the photo or blow it up to building size and hang it from the Empire State Building if he wants. We were in a public place."
He sighed. "Have you seen it?"
"My agent has."
"We don't have much choice then." He put his thumbs in his front pockets. It reminded Liv of his father, Leo, that first time she'd seen him. "I'll write out a check when we get to the house."
Now it was Liv's turn to frown. She hadn't expected an army major to have $50,000 lying around. "You don't need to do that, Trey. I can afford it."
He was shaking his head before she finished the sentence. "Nope. No, ma'am. It was my fault, and I'll pay for the picture."
"Trey. It was both of us. And it's really only me who'll be a laughingstock."
"I thought we covered that."
"Yes, well…" It was hard to argue with him. In many respects he was right. But, there was still the question of his having to pay. "I don't mean to pry. I know it's none of my business. But how is it an army major has so much money to throw away?"
"Re-enlistment bonuses, hazard pay, lots of savin’, and, most of all, the Boot Camps." His smile told her that he wasn't irritated by her nosiness.
"Oh."
"I was gonna buy a little house just outside of the fort."
His plans were ruined. Although it wasn't entirely her fault, she felt awful for him. The money was no issue at all for her. She'd made bundles on the Paris runways and in magazine ads. But for him, it was a means to an end. "Really, Trey. I wish you'd let me pay."
"Nope. No more argument about it either." He brushed his callused fingers over her cheek.
She wouldn't argue with him, but she couldn't let his dream slip out of his fingers for the sake of one scummy photographer. She'd take care of the payment and make the deal with the photographer. Now that they'd agreed the creep should be paid, Trey didn't need to be involved further. Decision made, she smiled and snugged her cheek into his hand.
"Now come on and let's get goin’. I want to get out of this rain and settle in for a little home style food and drink."
Her smile slipped. What lie could she tell to get her out of eating in front of his family? Was a lie necessary? Couldn't she trust him not to be disgusted with her? Guilt at the very idea of lying further washed over her like a sick miasma. "I don't know, Trey."
"Look, angel, I know you have some kind of problem with food. I don't know what it is, but it worries me. Do you have an eatin' disorder?"
Panic raced through Liv's bloodstream. She thought she'd been subtle, but apparently not. Now he wanted an answer, and she didn't like having to explain something she didn't understand herself. "I'm fat." The word was like a suicidal sword to the gut.
He frowned, but didn't respond right away.
"I know you keep telling me that I'm perfect the way I am, but Trey, you didn't see me before. You don't know how beautiful I used to be." She heard the tears in her voice and tried to calm down.
Instead of saying anything he pulled her into his arms and shushed her.
"I don't care if I have to say it a thousand times, Liv. Or say it in a thousand different ways." He petted her hair and held her against his body. It was warm there and so comforting. "You are not fat. You are an angel."
She wanted to cry, to laugh, to crawl right into his pocket and be part of his every movement. The fact was, she loved him. It was terrifying and so one-sided. She was sure to get her heart broken, but she couldn't help it. And she wanted to believe him when he said that she was fine the way she was. She tried hard to believe it. If he could see her as beautiful, why couldn't she?
"Are you tryin’ to lose weight, darlin'? Is that why you're so uncomfortable around food?"
"I'm not anorexic, if that's what you're concerned about, Trey. I'm really not. I was pretty close to falling into that trap, working on the runways, but before I could get there, I realized that I was miserable and had to do something about it. I stopped watching every calorie. Stopped telling myself that the hunger pangs were really bloat from being too full." She turned up her face and looked into his eyes. "I will never forget the day I had buttered popcorn at a movie screening. Buttered! It marked the end of the line for being a size zero. I was done with being hungry."
"You're still unhappy though."
"I put on twenty pounds in a year. Suddenly, I had hips. It looked like someone else's body. Someone I would have disdained for being overweight before. Part of me wants to go back to zero, and the rest wants to be defiant and love myself the way I am. I'm much healthier now than I was then. But the habit of counting calories and going hungry doesn't go away."
"You can do it, honey."
"Maybe. I don't like eating in front of people because then they can see what a pig I can be."
He kissed her forehead. "You're not a pig, Liv."
"I hate it."
"Let's take it slowly. Come have dinner with me and my family. Try a little of everythin’. Not a lot, a little. Enjoy each bite. You are lovely as you are; I think you're beautiful and so will my folks. We won't think you're a pig…unless you lick your plate. Now, that would be over the top."
She giggled against his chest. "I'll try not to lick."
His lips traveled over her temple and down to her ear. "I'll give you somethin’ to lick, darlin'."
Her cheeks went hot and she laughed. He was so easy to love.
* * *
Trey's family traditionally ate supper in the big kitchen, and that night was no different. Jackie was home from nursing school for the summer, and brought her current beau to dinner. Ace was there, since he lived on the ranch, and so was Leo Journey.
Consuelo made a fine dinner, piling platters high with steak and chicken, and all the sides the Journeys enjoyed. Liv looked quite uncomfortable confronted with so much food, and stared at it in indecision, biting her lower lip. Trey took her plate and put a little bit of this and a little bit of that on it until he'd provided her with a small taste of everything offered. She looked relieved and gave him a sweet thank you as he handed the plate back to her.
Conversation was lively and warm, his family accepting her easily in their home. She was a little shy but soon opened up. It turned out that she had a lot of funny stories about her travels, and the discussion was often punctuated with laughter.
After dinner, Liv insisted on helping with clean up, and she and Jackie laughed together as they washed and dried the dishes.
For Trey, it was gratifying to see Liv fit in so well. She'd be
en part of a much faster crowd for so many years, he'd been a little concerned that she'd stay on the outside. But he realized he should have known better when he considered exactly how warm and welcoming his family could be.
As the two young women did the dishes, Trey took the opportunity to talk to Ace and his father about the blackmail attempt. Although Jackie's boyfriend was a little wide-eyed at the spanking detail, neither Ace nor Leo found it uncomfortable.
"So, this shit-head is gonna get $50,000 for bein’ in the right place at the right time," Ace pointed out. "Must be nice to have such good timin’."
"You're certain that no crime has been committed, son?" Leo's face was lined with concern, but his posture remained relaxed.
"I called Geoff Carson before dinner," Trey answered. "It took him about thirty seconds to make it clear that the guy had the rights to the picture. Nothin’ we can do but buy it from him."
Leo shook his head sadly. "It's a damn shame. But if the lawyer says it's the way it's gotta be, then there's no choice."
Ace ate the last bite of his blackberry pie. "How do you plan to pay him?"
"I'm not sure, yet. Cash, I expect. I doubt he'll want to take a check."
There was a pause as Consuelo came by to pour more coffee.
"I'll come with you to make the exchange, bro."
Trey shook his head. "No need. I can handle this myself."
Ace shook his head, his longish brown hair brushing the collar of his shirt. "Don't be dumb, Trey. I can help."
Leo spoke up before the two brothers could get to arguing. "Ace is right, Trey. You don't know what this guy is about. He could be up to no good."
Trey snorted. He didn't think he'd be in too much trouble handling one slimy photographer. "I hand him the money and he signs the contract. That's all there is to it."
"Not everybody has honor like you do," Ace pointed out.
That was hard to argue with because the photographer certainly hadn't proven his motivations were humanitarian. "Yeah, well…"
"I'm goin’."
Trey stared at Ace, noting his older brother's stubbornly set jaw. Having him along wouldn't be a danger. "Okay." Liv and Jackie laughed together and the tinkling sound was a pleasure to Trey's ears. He smiled then resumed his focus at the table. "We just need to wait for instructions. Liv's agent is handlin' that since she's the one that the guy called."
"Let me know," Ace told him. There was a pause. "She's a pretty woman."
Trey realized he was staring at Liv, but it was hard not to. She was a welcome distraction. "Yeah."
Leo's coffee cup clattered slightly as he put it down. "'Bout time you settled down, Trey."
That got Trey's attention back to the table. "You're tellin’ me to settle down? Why should I go first? Everyone but Jackie is older than I am. Shouldn't they settle down?"
The older man chuckled. "It's a matter of opportunity, son. You'd be a fool to pass up this one." He stood and pulled a cigarette pack out of his shirt pocket. "I wouldn't like to think any of Cassie's children were fools."
Trey thought it was unfair to bring his mother into it, but it was Leo's way. "Alright, old man, I hear ya."
Leo patted Trey on the shoulder as he made his way toward the door. His after dinner cigarette had to be smoked outside.
The topic at the table turned to other things, and the gathering ended a little while later. As Trey was driving Liv back to her cabin, he noted how relaxed she was, how effervescent contact with his family made her. She'd fit in with the family, he thought. She'd fit in with him.
He had a fleeting thought of how she'd be on Christmas morning with kids and family, the dog barking at a little boy's toy train. She'd be beautiful and laughing, surrounded by torn wrapping paper. It was a wonderful mental image until he asked himself where he was in the picture. Was he drinking his morning coffee and grinning at the comfortable mayhem, or was he in Afghanistan, freezing his butt off and risking life and limb? His mouth tightened.
It wouldn't be fair to ask her to put up with his job. Unfortunately, he was already a little in love with her. No, more than a little. There must be some way to reconcile both his job and a family. Other people did it. But he'd seen way too many people going back home in body bags.
Liv's voice broke into his dour imaginings. "This rain will mean we'll be here an extra day or two."
He'd like that. He wasn't ready to break off their affair yet, wasn't sure he could ever be ready. It would happen and he'd have to deal with it. "That's good news from my perspective," he told her as the truck jounced through a mud puddle.
"Me, too. I'm glad you came to the shoot today."
"You sound like the night is over, Liv. Do you want it to be over?"
He glanced over at her as he pulled the truck up to her cabin. She bit her lip for a moment, then turned and gave him a big smile. "Why don't you come in for a drink? I understand the management here stocks their minibars pretty well."
"You know, I've heard the same thing."
Grinning, he hurried through the rain to help her out of the truck. They ran through the downpour onto the porch and she opened the door.
"My chateau awaits."
He laughed and closed the door behind him, shaking his hat out and tossing it on the bed.
"Oh! Don't do that!"
Frowning, he turned to her. "What? Why not?"
"My grandmother always told me that when a man throws his hat on the bed the woman gets pregnant." She was grinning.
"And here I thought it was done some other way. Storks or cabbage patches always seemed plausible to me." Her giggle made his smile wider. "Come here."
She gave him an arch look. "You don't want a beer, or a shot of Jack? I think there's some scotch in there."
"You are the only intoxicant I need right about now."
Liv practically glowed with pleasure. "Sweet talker."
"Come here, li'l girl. Don't make me have to come 'n get you."
Liv kicked off her wet shoes and fussed with a throw blanket on the corner chair. She bent toward the seat and wriggled her behind at him, whispering, "Make me," over her shoulder.
Trey scooped her up and turned her to face him, forcefully taking her mouth with his own. She moaned, and squirmed against his body. His balls began to ache.
Liv reached between them and tried to undo the buttons of his shirt, while he unzipped her jeans and tried to peel the tight-fitting pants off her hips. She fought with his shirt, making frustrated little noises until he stilled her hands and whispered, "Switch," in her ear.
He pulled off his shirt and began on his pants as she yanked off her jeans and damp blouse. In about a minute, they were both naked and kissing again. As they tried to devour each other, Trey reveled in the tenderness of her mouth and the ripe beauty of her full breasts against his chest. He squeezed her ass in his big hands and gave her a swat. Her reaction was a little gasp and then she wriggled out of his arms.
Giving him a playful grin, she ran away from him and grabbed his hat off the bed, putting it on her head and laughing, barely out of his reach. Trey thought she was about the sexiest woman he'd ever seen, and his erection throbbed with need.
Grinning, he reached for her, but she squirmed away again. They played the game for a pair of minutes, but he finally grabbed her and tossed her—hat and all—on the bed, coming to lay on top of her.
"Gotcha!"
She writhed seductively beneath him. "Maybe. Now whatcha gonna do with me, soldier boy?"
Her nipple was hard beneath his fingers as he pinched. Her indrawn breath and the flush of her cheeks were like a red flag before a bull.
He took his time touching her in all her sensitive places, all the places that he was so attracted to and those which made her arch and groan her encouragement. Her nails raking down his back startled him.
"Ouch! Naughty girl," he told her. "Stay here." Of course, she didn't stay still while he got up. She rolled over and crawled into the center of the bed, watching him ove
r her shoulder as he got her oval-shaped wooden hairbrush off the room's little chest of drawers. He smacked it against his palm, giving her a mock frown as he approached the big bed.
She had his hat back on.
He grabbed her by the hips and pulled her toward the edge of the bed, giving her a firm smack with the back of the hairbrush. She cried out as the hard brush connected with her behind, and she instinctively pulled away, but before he could tighten his grip on her, she was arching back toward him.
"You're so mean," she said on a sigh.
He whacked her a few more times. "Yes, ma'am, I am."
She was immersed in sensation, her eyes closed tight, her body quivering under his hands. He was torn between a raging desire to impale her with his prick or give her butt a perfect crimson blush. Of course, he could do both.
Her pussy was shining with moisture. And as she got more wet, he applied stroke after stroke to her behind with the brush. Soon, she was sobbing with her face pressed into the comforter.
Liv's ass and the tops of her thighs were bright red when he knew she was ready. He dropped the hairbrush on the floor and scooted them both toward the middle of the bed, levering her hips into the right position. Her breasts hung heavy and full, their nipples rubbing against the counterpane as he pressed the small of her back into a deeper arch.
She smelled like woman, warm and ready, and as he nuzzled the back of her neck, he detected her perfume. But it was her hot behind pressing against his pelvis that called to him. He rubbed his dick up and down her wet pussy, enjoying her encouraging moans and little leftover sniffles. The hat was still on her head, but it was askew, giving her a disheveled look that screamed fuck me!
"You ready for a li'l trail ride, angel?"
"Do it," she groaned. "Now. Do it!"
"Now, miss, that is purely impolite," he told her, giving her a spank with his hand. Her response was a cry of frustration and pain followed by a wriggle against his cock. "But, just this once…" He pressed the head of his dick into her sopping quim. "Just this once, I'll take your suggestion." She yelped as he spanked her again and slid home at the same time.
Liv's Journey Page 9