“Can’t help it, girlfriend. You’re my BFF. And Roger Brown needs to have his dick shot off.”
Charlotta’s laugh exploded out of her. In that moment, she realized that she was over her broken engagement, and over Roger and his chauvinistic double standards, for good.
“I’m not kidding. He had a nerve dumping you just because you used to dance in a gentlemen’s club. Sanctimonious, hypocritical prig.”
“You are my BFF, and I love you and I appreciate you,” Charlotta said. “And for the record, shooting off his pickle would be a waste of a bullet.”
“No, it would definitely be worth it. Oh! Oh…okay.” Camilla laughed. “I get it. The target’s so small the bullet would be overkill?”
“That, and if he keeps thinking he can hire back-alley hookers every time he goes to an out-of-town conference, it’s going to rot and fall off eventually, anyway.” She sat back in her office chair and picked up her juice box. Her lunch hour was nearly over. Camilla’s call had lifted her spirits, as always. “You’re right. You are lucky to have found two good men who love you and don’t give a damn about how you put yourself through college.”
“I believe there’s a good man,”—she paused and giggled—“or two out there for you, too, Shar.”
Only her nearest and dearest ever called her Shar. The nickname suited her to a T. Roger bristled when she’d offered for him to use the moniker. He told her that at least the name Charlotta sounded refined, dignified, and Southern. But Shar? Shar was the maid’s name. That should have been a clue right there.
“Maybe there is,” Charlotta said. “But I’m not looking for him—or them—right now. I’m focused on getting this new program up and running, as well as settling in here at the center. I want to build my client base, and enjoy living the life I paid for with all those lap dances.”
“Fair enough. Will you seriously think about coming to Divine for the Fourth? I’d really love to get together with you again. It’s been too long.”
“I’ll see what I can do about arranging my schedule. I want to see you—well, all of you—too.”
“Later, Shar.”
“Yeah, later, Camilla.”
Charlotta slid her cell phone back into her purse, where it would remain until she was done seeing clients for the day. She then tucked the bag into her desk drawer, and tossed out the empty sandwich bag and juice box from her lunch. She’d gotten in the habit of brown-bagging it years before, when every dollar counted. The G & P Wellness Center in Waco, Texas paid well, but Charlotta couldn’t see the sense in spending money on eating out every day when she was quite capable of bringing something from home.
A quick check of the time confirmed that it was nearly one. She’d left her office door open, which meant she could hear the sound of the other members of the psychology team returning from lunch.
The sound of laughter rang out, and then two female voices chatting. Helen and Jan. One the group’s admin, the other a fellow psychologist. Charlotta smiled in response to the laughter.
Then she swiveled her chair so she could access her computer, and double-checked her schedule. Charlotta was scheduled for two clients, an hour each, at one and two-fifteen. Her last appointment for the day was related to the outreach program she’d told Camilla about. She was hopeful that she had indeed found two new volunteers for that program. They were a couple of young men, brothers who’d enrolled in an equine therapy program in Montana and had recently relocated to Texas. They had a couple more months of being mentored before they could be fully certified as instructors. Full certification meant they’d be able to work one to one with the clients enrolled in the program.
Charlotta knew horses, having grown up on a ranch. She herself had recently enrolled in the program—yes, she was a doctor of psychology, but wanted to be certified as well to work with the animals that worked wonders with emotionally disturbed children as well as handicapped children and adults.
She’d been hopeful when she’d first read the applications and resumes that these new candidates had submitted. But once she’d contacted their references back in Montana that hope had turned to excitement bordering on covetousness. She really wanted them for Healing Rides.
There was only one possible obstacle to her accepting them as volunteers. She needed to know that this relocation south had been permanent. She didn’t feel good about having volunteers who would form bonds with clients who were fragile, only to leave them in a few months’ time.
Some of the children she worked with had serious abandonment issues.
These applicants need only pass that one test. The fact that they came with their own horses was a huge bonus to the program. Charlotta grinned as she set aside their files, giving herself one more moment to focus on something positive before she met with Billy West.
With Jesse and Barry Benedict on board and fully certified, the horse therapy program would be able to make a difference to so many more needy kids.
* * * *
“That’s a relief. I thought we were going to be late.”
Jesse Benedict looked over at his brother Barry and grinned. He’d just pulled his pickup into a parking space not far from the main door to the G & P Wellness Center. They’d made damn good time, considering they’d left late and then had to use their GPS to find the place.
“Not me,” Jesse said. “I never doubted we’d make it. I was only worried I was going to get a speeding ticket in the process. This must be my lucky day.”
“Well if we hadn’t had that last minute fence repair to make, we wouldn’t have had to rush.”
“What can you do? Crap happens in ranching. We both know that well enough.” He got out of his truck, locked it, and pocketed the keys.
Jesse had no real expectations about this meeting, aside from hammering out the details of their volunteer time with Healing Rides. They’d told their brothers, Cord and Jackson, that they might need to reschedule their days off, depending on the outcome of this interview.
All they’d told them was that they were planning to sign up with a charity group that was tied to one they’d worked with back home. Neither brother had asked for any more details than that, which suited him and Barry just fine.
They weren’t looking to brag on the volunteer work they were doing. They only wanted to be able to serve.
He’d loved working with the horse therapy program back in Montana. Seeing the expressions on the faces of some of the clients they’d worked with often made his day. As those kids learned to care for and bond with their equine friends, Jesse knew he was sharing a part of himself. And as they’d learned to ride, as they’d gained confidence and self-assurance, he’d been filled with a sense of satisfaction like he’d never known before.
Seeing the progress that some of the clients—especially the kids—had made as they learned to cope with disabilities or deal with their emotional problems—well, he could honestly say it had truly been the first time he’d ever done anything that had actually touched another person in such a positive manner. Jesse understood in a way he couldn’t put into words, this was something he’d been meant to do.
He knew that Barry felt exactly the same.
“I’m kind of nervous. Does that sound weird?”
Jesse shook his head. He hadn’t been going to say anything, but in light of his brother’s confession, he could only be honest. “Hell, no it’s not weird. I feel it, too. Don’t understand it, really. But just as we drove into the city, I felt my nerves kick in.”
“Glad I’m not the only one, then. Maybe it’s because it’s been more than a few weeks since we’ve volunteered? Going to the stables outside of Billings every Saturday and Sunday had become a habit—the best habit we ever formed.”
“Yeah, and for the most part it was the highlight of our week.”
“Exactly, so maybe that’s why we feel this way. It’s not nervousness, it’s that we need to get back to it.” Barry sounded happy to have explained his emotions to himself. For all his ap
parent insouciance, Barry really liked it when everything lined up logically. “All right, then, lead on, big brother.”
Jesse snorted at the title. Barry had been the follower to his leader since they were very little. It didn’t bother Jesse one bit. He was a few minutes older than his fraternal twin, after all. But he’d also grown a bit taller and heftier than Barry when they’d hit their late teens.
Jesse shoulder bumped his brother as he edged ahead of him, and reached for the door. Inside, the two-story building boasted a light and airy reception area, with an elevator to the left of the front desk. Comfortable chairs, with intermittent small tables and plants provided what looked like a relaxing place to wait. A young man sat behind the reception desk.
“May I help you, gentlemen?”
Jesse nodded. “We’re the Benedicts. We have a three-thirty appointment with Dr. Carmichael.”
The young man checked his computer and then looked up. “I’ll notify her that you’re here. Please have a seat in our waiting area.”
Only a few other people took up space in the room, one working her cell phone and a couple others thumbing through magazines. Jesse and Barry headed over to the first set of seats by the doors and settled down.
“I find myself wondering what Dr. Carmichael is like,” Barry said. “Remember our first meeting with Louise Wainwright?”
Jesse snickered at the memory. The older woman psychologist had appeared as demure and delicate as a sweet little old granny. But she’d disabused them of that impression the first time they’d worked with her. Just before their very first session at the stables, the good doctor had given a dressing down to the manager of the place, because one of the stable hands had referred to some of her clients as “little retards.”
“She certainly reinforced that old adage about not judging a book by its cover.” Barry grinned.
“She sure as hell did that.” Dr. Wainwright had also earned their utmost respect. When they’d met with her to resign, and told her why, she’d completely understood. She’d made them promise to get into a similar program in Texas at the first opportunity.
That was a promise they both had been happy to give and eager to keep.
Jesse’s mind wandered to the new business venture that he and Barry were embarking on with their older brothers and their newly met cousins, Chase and Brian Benedict.
He’d liked everyone he’d met since they’d come to Lusty. He shouldn’t be surprised that was so. Yes, he’d grown up hearing his mother voicing negative opinions about the Texas branch of the Benedict family. He mentally shrugged. Unfortunately, his mother didn’t hold many opinions that weren’t negative about anyone or anything.
Has she always been that way, and I’m just noticing? Or is this a recent change in her personality?
Jesse didn’t want to think ill of his mother. She was his mother, and he loved her. But he knew in his heart when he’d had his eyes opened in Divine last Christmas, he’d begun to understand that Norah Benedict had her own challenges, and they were all attitude.
He, Barry, and Grandma Kate had talked a lot since they’d come south. He looked forward to supper at the Big House on Sundays and getting to know Kate’s sons, Caleb and Jonathan, Carson and Michael, and her daughters-in-law, Bernice and Abigail.
He totally understood why Cord and Jackson had opted to stay here in Texas, even above and beyond the secret inheritance and the unique lifestyle.
“I was just thinking how different things are in Lusty from what we’d always been taught,” Barry said, “and how surprised I was about the land.”
Jesse was used to the way his brother often had the same exact thoughts as he did. “The cousins back home would choke if they knew about that bonus.” Of course, one of the stipulations on receiving their inheritance—the opportunity to purchase a good sized parcel of ranchland for one hundred dollars—was that they couldn’t tell anyone about it.
“Yeah. I sure as hell am not going to tell them. Have you noticed that while there’re a passel of cousins here, too, they’re easier to get along with than any of our other cousins, back in Montana?”
“I also noticed they all seem a whole hell of a lot happier than our Montana cousins, too.”
Barry looked around, likely to ensure they could speak privately. “You figure the ménage marriages have something to do with that happiness?”
Jesse shrugged. “It can’t be a coincidence.” He and Barry had shared a woman once. The experience had been more memorable than either of them had ever thought it would be at the time.
“Jesse? You ever think about it? About finding a single woman we can both settle down with, together? I mean, Veronica married two men. Some of her friends over there in Divine have two and even three husbands. Cord and Jackson married Ari, and you can’t deny how happy they all are.”
Jesse sighed. “Yeah, I’ve thought about it. I guess it would depend on finding just the right woman, don’t you think? And not only finding her, but falling in love with her—and her falling in love with us. I don’t know what the odds are on that.” Probably somewhere in the neighborhood of a billion to one.
“Neither do I. But I do know two things. First, you’re the only man I could ever see myself sharing a woman with—sharing a wife with.”
“Likewise.” Jesse looked over and met Barry’s gaze. “What’s the other thing?”
“I really want to be that happy.”
“Yeah, me, too, little brother. Me, too.” Maybe after they got this new venture started, they could go looking for Ms. Right. But between ranching and volunteering, for the immediate future at least, they really had no time to court a woman.
The sound of high heels on the marble floor echoed in the reception area. Jesse realized belatedly the feminine footsteps were coming their way.
“Gentlemen, I apologize for keeping you waiting.”
Jesse knew the voice from the two telephone conversations he’d had with the doctor. He looked up—and had the surreal sensation that in that instant, with that simple tilt of his head, his entire life had just changed. One quick glance over at Barry, and he knew his twin was experiencing his own personal epiphany.
Jesse got to his feet, his gaze taking in her piled high blonde hair, soft grey eyes, and the way her beige silk blouse and trim brown skirt displayed her made-for-sin body.
He met her gaze, pleased when he read in hers that he and his brother weren’t the only ones to get gob smacked with a flood of pheromones.
She’d extended her hand and Jesse wasted no time in clasping it in his. The zing of electricity shot straight to his groin, and it took supreme will to keep his wood from tenting his jeans.
“I’m Jesse. And you have no need to apologize, ma’am. We’re here at your service.” He saw the double entendre hit its mark and liked the humor he read in her eyes.
And then he appreciated her ability to give as well as she got, when she said, “Well in that case, please follow me to someplace a little more private.”
Chapter 2
Hot. Holy. Hell.
Charlotta had never before felt such potent attraction to a man—and she’d just experienced it toward two of them at the same time. Her hand and arm still sizzled from the one-two electric shocks of shaking hands with the brothers Benedict. As she led them toward her office near the end of the corridor on the first floor, she tried to put out of her mind the twin embarrassing facts that her nipples were puckering and her panties were damp.
This is so not the professional image I like to convey.
Once she reached her open office door, she stood back inviting the men to enter first. She’d originally planned for them to have their meeting in the more comfortable seating area comprised of a love seat and two chairs around a small table located against one wall. She reconsidered now.
Charlotta freely admitted to herself that the only thing that made her stick to her original plan was her own stubborn pride. It wasn’t Jesse and Barry Benedict’s fault that she seemed to be hav
ing an extremely physical reaction to them.
You are such a liar. That’s not the only reason. You want to sit as close to them as possible.
Charlotta hated that her inner voice was such a nag—and that it was almost always right. As the gentlemen made themselves comfortable on the love seat, she mentally sighed. She did want to sit as close to them as decently possible. She had never had this kind of a reaction before. It had been several months since she’d felt any kind of sensual stirrings, period. What was wrong with being open, at least a little, to the possibilities? These men were going to be volunteers in a program she helped oversee, not clients. In short, there was no moral reason she couldn’t…what?
Jump their bones and fuck their brains out.
She told her inner voice to shut the hell up. Who asked you anyway?
“Can I get you anything to drink? I have sweet tea and water, or I can brew us a pot of coffee, if you like.”
“Water’s good, thanks,” Jesse said.
“For me, too, please. We’re acclimating to the near constant consumption of sweet tea.” Barry met her gaze. His smile seemed easy and natural.
Charlotta retrieved three bottles of water from her small office fridge. She set theirs on the table before them and then sat across from them in the chair closest to Jesse. “I understand you’ve only been in Texas for a couple of months. What prompted your relocation? Was it employment related?”
“No, ma’am,” Jesse said. “It was personal. Our brothers settled in the area about a year ago, and we offered to come and help them get their ranch up and running.”
“We also have a sister who lives a couple of hours away from us, in a town called Divine,” Barry said.
Love Under Two Outcasts [The Lusty, Texas Collection] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 2