by Taylor Berke
She began to circle her index finger over the swollen little nub while her middle finger pumped in and out of her moist channel. Lizzie thrashed her head in frustration wishing that it was Ben’s thick fingers or better yet, his mammoth cock that was sliding into her, granting her the pleasure it was sure to provide. Her breathing began to become irregular as she started to pluck and massage the nipple of her left breast with her other hand.
“Ben, Ben, please.” It was part of the chant that seemed to fill the room as Lizzie teetered impatiently on the edge. She sped up the circling of her clit and felt herself slide into an electric wave of bliss as she moaned out her pleasure. A delicious sense of satiation swept throughout her body as she slowly drifted back down to reality.
Lizzie opened her eyes again and scanned the room sadly. If only he could see how much she adored him, had always adored him, then he would actually be part of the pleasure she had just experienced. With a sigh, she sat back up against her pillows. Lizzie had too much self-respect to be the flavor of the week for Mr. Benjamin Powell. She didn’t turn down the advances from Theodore Davis only to become just a fun memory for Ben. Even as lonely as she was, there was nothing in the world that would coax her to sell herself cheaply. No matter how delicious his hand gently spanking her butt to prevent her from risking her life again had felt. No matter how seductive that man could make a pair of worn wranglers look, no matter how delicious his musky male cologne was, no matter how entrancing his gorgeous green eyes were, there was no way Lizzie Carmichael was going to fall into just being a number. Nope, it was not going to happen to her, she hoped.
She had tossed and turned last night while chewing over in her head the offer that Ben had laid on the table. She wished with a quiet desperation that it had been her who had been laid out on the table and not just the offer, she thought with a giggle. After hours of silent deliberation, she had decided to allow him to invest in her business. It cramped her style to be sure, to have someone offer to rescue her while making up a cock-and-bull story about just having extra money lying around that needed to be invested. He really had reached pretty darned far with that one, she laughed. It just confirmed to her what a generous, kind soul he was—creative no, but caring yes. She would let him think that he was the clever one. Why confuse the man? Men as a general rule, in her experience, needed to be men once in a while. She had decided to accept his offer and allow him to feel like “the man” as well. After all, what could she say to such a kindness? He was saving her from ruin. He was saving her from having to deal with the nauseating advances of Theodore Davis. He was just saving her, period. She knew that he had a soft spot for her as he practically had his own designated table at the café. Yes, she would let him think anything he wanted to. He was easing her burdens from her shoulders without anyone knowing, without allowing her pride to be bruised. He was a real gentleman.
Darn it, how was she ever to get him to stop being a gentleman in every other way? Lizzie tapped her finger on her chin and sat up with a smile. She was going to gather some of the girls for a power lunch and wrap herself up in a more suggestive outfit than she was used to wearing for work. Desperate times called for desperate measures!
* * * *
“Shit, man, what the hell has gotten into you this morning?” Troy grumbled in Ben’s direction. He narrowly avoided being hit with a shovel full of horse dung that had gone flying in his direction.
“You are going to be ‘shitman’ if you don’t get the hell out of that stall, Troy! In fact it is going to be your new nickname.” Loud male laughter filled the horse barn as some of the other Powell men appreciated Ben’s wittiness that early in the morning.
Cole chimed in with his own humor, pretending to hold his hand as though answering a phone. “I can hear it now, smart boy. As you are filling cattle orders, you answer the phones, ‘Hello, Rugged Hill Ranch, shitman speaking, how may I help you?” More laughter rolled over the rafters as they all appreciated that the one Powell who was computer literate and handled most of the ranch business, who usually wasn’t on the receiving end of the teasing, was the object of the torture.
As usual, Troy handled it with grace and his renowned sense of humor. “Well, my cousin, it certainly has a lot more class than your nickname given to you by our esteemed eldest who is out in the pastures.”
“Fuck. What did the old man on a pregnancy mission call me?” Cole demanded with a growl. Jackson obviously was earning his reputation with his and Billie’s desire to get started on their family, like yesterday.
Troy checked to make sure that it was in fact Jackson who was riding up toward the barn because he couldn’t wait to watch the full-out brawl that was brewing. He didn’t require the largest of the cousins sticking his face in a pile of dung just because he was sensitive about his age.
“Well, during the last calving season, while he was mooning over Billie, he was in a really bad mood,” Troy reminded Cole.
Ben even looked up at that comment as he recalled the short temper that their elder brother had graced them all with at the time. Man, he had it bad then and they all just wanted to slap him and tell him to marry her already. Shit, Ben thought, he never wanted to be like that.
Ben watched as Cole shuddered.
“Don’t remind me! He was off his rocker. He should have just whacked off more or fucked a damned cow, he was so miserable to be around. What the hell name did he give me?”
“You aren’t gonna like it!” Troy taunted him with glee.
“Just tell me,” Cole asked again, appearing to get agitated. Cole did not like being made fun of, ever.
“Where is the fun in that, Cole? I could just torture you for days and tell everyone but you. Maybe I will call your mom first.” Troy held his fingers up to his ear, mimicking a fake phone. “Hello, Aunt Flo, yes it’s your favorite nephew here.” Ben had to snort out loud at that.
“Auntie, do you know what your beloved baby boy’s new name is? Well, let me tell you.”
Troy pretended to whisper into his “phone-hand,” further annoying Cole if his stance was any indication.
“Grow up, you idiots,” Ben yelled out as he went back to mucking, disgusted that grown men could act like such morons.
Ben watched as the ever hyperaware Brody took stock in his brother’s agitation. He knew exactly how to divert Cole’s attention from knocking the head off their eldest cousin’s shoulders when he saw Jackson or giving Troy the beat down that he deserved. He chimed in, “Wasn’t that about the time some cute waitress was starting to ring your bell, bro?”
Cole swung around seeing his brother in the doorway. “Hey, Brody, yeah. Something about that Mimi. Going to have to take some time and figure that one out. Every time I get near her, I get hard. I can’t just walk around town like that, you know. I might have to stop eating at Lizzie’s café if this keeps up.”
Ben looked up again at the mention of Lizzie’s name. “You are always up, you horny butthead. Who were you with this weekend? Was it the new Miss Wallander Rodeo Queen or something?”
“Yeah, she earned her spurs for a reason,” Cole said quickly then actually blushed. He was never comfortable with trash-talking women. He added, “She was a sweet girl though. I had a good time just being with her.”
Ben shook his head. Cole was a healthy man with an appetite, like most of the men in their family. They all were raised with respect but tended to enjoy the delights that a warm, soft female could offer on a regular basis.
Being ever the charming devil of the family, Troy taunted Cole.
“Sooooo, you got some. Now, don’t you want to know your new name?”
Both Brody and Ben groaned at the same time. Troy was so going to get a black eye on this one and they weren’t going to even try to prevent it.
“Just tell me already!” Cole yelled out impatiently.
“Pussy hound!” crowed an overly enthusiastic Troy.
Quiet descended over the barn momentarily, with only the occasional stomp of a ho
rse’s hoof to break the sound.
Cole looked perplexed, Ben thought, as though he thought Troy had lost his mind. “That’s it? Really? I thought it was something bad. That was the best he could do? He really is getting old.”
“You don’t care that Jackson is going to call you a name of someone who needs a warm, wet pussy all the time? Where is your pride, man?” Ben asked humorously.
“Um, have we met? Can I help it if I need the taste that only a soft-scented, aroused pussy can provide?” Cole responded with a shit-eating grin on his face. “Nope, if that’s the name that he thought up, with such loving concern, that I would be so worried about, then I will take it proudly!”
The men all groaned and turned away to go back to their chores. Ben was particularly glad he was alone in one of the large box stalls. He had immediately gone hard as a rock when he heard warm, wet, and Lizzie’s name, although that was not how they were presented in conversation. Like a teenage boy, he responded simply to the thoughts of Lizzie as blood rushed to his brain and cock.
Speaking of, she was going to give him an answer today, he thought with a thrill. If she accepted, he would have access to her, in a personal way that no one else would. Wicked images of how else he could intimately know her ran rampantly through his imagination. How he could taste her, touch her, tie her up… Shit, he was going to have to control himself. This was Lizzie, not one of the visiting buckle bunnies. He couldn’t just fuck her and run, like he always did. Damn, he would have to figure out how he was going to control his hands and his hormones later. Maybe he could just run into town for lunch?
Chapter Six
“We really need to do this more often!” Beth said with a giddy enthusiasm as she shoved another loaded nacho into her mouth. The unofficial Stony Creek women’s support group meeting was now in order. It had grown from just Lizzie and Billie trying to sort out the endless labyrinth of Jackson’s inability to commit, to now including the forever-suffering Beth Saunders, who had a non-verbalized thing for Hunter, and Dr. Madelyne Daniels, or affectionately known as Maddy, who claimed not to have a thing for anyone, ever. The café was hoping for a Monday lunch time but then again, Lizzie served some pretty damned delicious comfort food here. The town’s mayor and his wife, Elijah and Thea Carson, were chatting it up at a table next to one with three handsome men. The men weren’t from Stony Creek and were staring right at her, the interest in her apparent although not seemingly sexual. One was looking at her with a very scheming-appearing expression, as though she was the object of his irritation. Right next to their table was what the girls were going to look like in thirty years. Mabel Winston, mother to the town’s handsome deputy, Millie Braxton, wife to Gus and owner of the Feed and Seed, and Julia Morgan, Billie’s saucy and quite delightful secretary, were cackling with each other, probably over some dirty joke that Julia felt that she just had to share.
“Okay, let the Stony Creek Women’s Support League now come to order. That’s funny, we have already ordered! Right, Mimi?” Beth laughed out.
Lizzie laughed as both her talented cook, Vera, and her waitress, Mimi Fisher, responded with a resounding “yes!” from the kitchen.
“Have you been drinking already, Beth?” Billie asked with a grin. “That wasn’t funny at all.”
“Well, it was a little funny,” the ever soft-spoken Maddy offered with a smile. Maddy was a wonderful addition to their little town. Pretty, intelligent, and with a gentle way about her that almost bordered on timid, until you saw her in action with any animals. Well, unless the animals were interested horny men like the Taggarts or the Saunders or especially one Mr. Troy Powell. Then she became downright ornery.
“I thought it was funny, too,” Lizzie said supportively. “Pass me the plate of French fries will you, Maddy. I need brain food to think. Benjamin Powell is frying my brain and I need to fortify it. What am I going to do about that big gorgeous brute, girls? Well I need your advice as I am going fishing for a very big fish.”
“Well, it certainly looks like you started off in the right direction, Miss Thing. I am just loving that sexy top you have got on today! Let me guess. It is all part of your fishing expedition, no?” Beth mused before taking a bit of the delicious juicy slider that Mimi had just placed in front of her.
“She is not lying. You look amazing in it. Are you, um, trying to, perhaps, hook Ben with a bit more femininity? Do you think that a change of clothes is all you need?” Maddy smiled sweetly.
Lizzie leaned her head onto her hand while she thought for a moment. “You know, girls, for a long time, my life was about taking care of my father. It was about responsibilities and trying to be what other people told me I was. I decided last night that I am going to attempt to be who I think I am from now on.”
Looking uncustomarily out of sorts, Billie looked her in the eye and asked, “So, who are you?”
“I am a woman who has not found love yet. I am a woman who has done what other people told me to do. I dressed as they suggested I dress and participated in activities that I was told were appropriate. That is not going to be me anymore, girls. Lizzie Carmichael is going to dress like the sex goddess that she hopes she can be. She is going to do what makes her feel good about herself. She is going to take the time to find out what it is that really makes her happy and going to do her damnedest to get that lug of a Powell to see me as more than a flavor.”
“Well, I am sure you won’t mind if he gives you a lick! Be careful, young lady, big fish have big equipment!” a voice from the next table drifted over. It startled all the younger women who suddenly turned to see and hear all the older women burst into laughter and smile wickedly.
“Julia Morgan, you mind your business. I don’t want you giving poor Mabel any more heart palpitations when I don’t have a defibrillator in here!” Billie barked out.
The older women looked down and grumbled to each other about Billie turning into a grouch in the last week.
“Well, they have got at least one thing right,” Beth chimed in.
Maddy looked up and asked, “What’s that?”
“Well, Ben certainly has a craving to taste our little Lizzie here but also loves to give some licks, in the form of a spanking!” Beth replied deviously.
Lizzie blushed as Maddy looked at her wide-eyed in shock. “Really, Lizzie? Is that true?”
“Um, I guess that my answer would have to be a yes,” Lizzie said with a grin. Truth was, she hadn’t minded Ben taking her in hand, nope, not at all. She felt herself becoming aroused just at the memory of being forced over his lap as he not-so-gently smacked her globes. He had her squirming from mixing the slaps with massaging caresses as he administered his protection, as he had put it those months ago. Yum, she hoped that she could get him to be protective again and soon!
Maddy still looked shocked and just said, “Wow! Billie, is there something you need to share also?”
“Ugh really, no! It’s not like it’s in the Powell family code or something,” Billie mumbled.
Again a more mature female voice chimed in. “Don’t get all high and mighty over there, Miss Doctoressa. You have come into work for the last two months like you were riding in the saddle for twenty-four hours at a clip! Don’t throw stones at other people’s windows, missy!” Julia whispered for the younger table to all hear. Mabel and Millie were nodding their heads with the naughty knowledge of why Dr. Billie was walking funny.
“You are so fired. Millie, you are hired,” Billie told Julia with a smirk.
“Why not me?” Mabel asked as though insulted.
“Because you keep going into fibrillation and then I will have no one to assist me. Oh wait, Julia can’t even stand the sight of blood so I have no assistance now anyway. Okay, you are hired, too!” Billie stated.
“You are really grouchy today, Doctor. Eat something,” Julia said before she turned around.
Maddy confessed to Lizzie that she found the people in Stony Creek to be just charming if a bit more open than she was used to. S
he would just have to adjust to the change, she whispered.
“So you like a spanking. Ask him for another one,” Maddy said, making it obvious to Lizzie that she wanted the whole table to hear so she wouldn’t have to be the focus of the conversation.
Beth just stared at her, smiling as though she thought it was a good idea, too. “I support you wholeheartedly. I support the Lizzie refurbishment, I support you needing to feel happy, and I support the ‘get Ben to spank you and fall for you proposal.’”
“But, girls, I don’t want to have to ask. He is going to have to come to me. It’s all part of the new being myself project. I want to feel secure, in all ways. I don’t want to wonder if it is because I asked or because he really wanted to be with me.”
Billie turned her head and whispered conspiratorially, “I think you are about to get your chance, Lizzie, because look who has just entered the building.”
* * * *
Ben stood in the doorway of the café, his hand pausing in midlift to take off his black cowboy hat as he felt the eyes of almost a dozen women staring in his direction, with not a sound in the room. He raised his eyebrows in complete confusion as he heard Julia clink her water glass with the other ladies at her table as they all turned their chairs to watch the start of a show. What the hell was going on? Darned women, they were all nuts. He shifted his gaze over the room mostly filled with very few men, save for three big guys he didn’t know, for support. He caught his breath as Lizzie started to stand up.
She was always gorgeous with her rich chestnut long hair and blue eyes but something was different. She had a more, well, sensual look to her since yesterday. She wore a wrap V-neck blouse that accentuated the fullness of her breasts as they pressed up into his view and the small span of her waist. She almost looked coy and appeared slightly nervous as she momentarily returned his gaze before she almost stumbled, if not for Beth hooking her arm while shaking her head mischievously. Ben felt his body tighten in anticipation as she almost sauntered over his way, with her hips gently swaying. Who was this vixen and where was Lizzie? It was as if she wanted him to know that she wanted him. Did it mean that she accepted his offer, that he had seen all her delicious charms that had been accidentally but thankfully displayed for him, or was he hallucinating after spending the morning cleaning out horse dung and listening to his family’s inane conversations? He had to lower his hat over the evidence of his now raging arousal as his mouth watered. Ben suddenly had an urge to plunge his hands into her hair as he pulled her to his body. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he just waited for her to walk his way.