by Gemma Weir
But all this ‘mine’ ridiculousness, when he’s never even asked me out on a date is absurd. Putting my cell back onto the nightstand, I plug it in to charge and resolve just to ignore him. Closing my eyes, I exhale, forcing my body to relax, to melt into the mattress and let sleep take me under. After a couple of minutes my eyes snap open and I reach for my cell, typing out a message, my fingers moving so fast, I’m sure most of the words barely make sense.
Me – I am mad at you! You can’t just decide I belong to you without even asking, that’s not how real life works. You haven’t said a word to me outside of ordering coffee in a year, and now all of a sudden you’re invading my work, my home, and trying to railroad my life. You don’t know me and I don’t know you, we’re practically strangers. If you’ve decided you like me, then try asking me out and seeing if I’m interested before declaring to the world that I’m yours. It’s been a long day, so I’m going to sleep. I forgive you for tonight, I just think it’d be best if you stayed away from the shop for a while.
The moment I press send I feel both better and worse. The sensible part of my brain knows that keeping my distance from Beau while this attraction he feels fades, is the best thing for us both. The illogical part of my brain is screaming, this is your crush, the guy you’ve wanted obsessively since you were thirteen years old. I suppose if he stays away and he still wants me, then maybe he could ask me out, if he stays away and suddenly realizes that I’m not what he actually wants, then it’s better than us getting involved and me getting hurt. Resolved, I turn my cell to do-not-disturb and fall to sleep.
My dreams are hampered with erotic images of Beau Barnett, and when I wake up the next morning my body is tight and needy from hours of sexual fantasies playing on a loop round and round in my head. For someone who hasn’t ever had sex, I certainly know how to imagine myself doing all sorts of naughty things with Beau, and last night we did everything.
Today is my day off, but I usually get up with my dad to make breakfast and then lend a hand on the ranch if I’m needed. My dad is always telling me I don’t need to, but it was what my mom always did. This morning though, I don’t think I can get up and be around my dad when I’m this much on edge. Beau has starred in many of my sex dreams, but I’ve never woken up feeling this unsatisfied before.
Sliding my hand between my legs I find my clit and circle it, as I imagine how it would feel to have his dick pressed against my core, how it felt to have his lips on mine, his raspy, sexy voice in my ear telling me I was his. I pretend my fingers are his as I stroke and tease myself, barely swallowing down his name as I come, my stomach tensing as pleasure consumes me. When my orgasm fades, I exhale, tension melting from me as I feel every muscle relax. A part of me knows that I shouldn’t be using him as spank bank material now that he’s real and not just a hot guy who I’ve never spoken to, but when I close my eyes and think of what turns me on, it’s always him my mind envisages.
Inhaling slowly, I close my eyes and smile, shaking my head at how ridiculous my life has gotten. My eyes go heavy and I let myself fall back to sleep.
When I wake up again, the sun is fully up and I jolt upright amazed that I’ve slept for so long. Grabbing my cell I see that it’s after ten and I have several texts and a couple of missed calls. Flopping back down to the bed I sigh, rubbing at my blurry eyes and click into the messages. The first is from Beau last night, just a few minutes after I replied to him.
Beau – Agree to disagree, see you soon. Sweet dreams and think of me baby girl xoxo
A surprising burst of excitement pulses through me at his words. My body is still tingling with arousal despite my nap, and I instantly remember how it felt to be in his arms. Physically I want Beau, I think I always will.
Forcing myself to get out of bed, I shower, washing away the evidence of how he affects my body, and dress for a day on the ranch in comfy skinny jeans, and a tank with a thick woolen fisherman’s jumper over the top. I pull my hair back into a braid to keep it out of my face, and make my way to the kitchen.
In my absence this morning, Dad has baked some scones, and the coffee pot is full, the rich aroma filling the kitchen with its comfortingly familiar scent. Grabbing a cup, I fill it and take one of the scones before making my way to the ranch office that adjoins the house. Dad built it on about ten years ago when Mama complained about his paperwork piling up in the den, now it’s where Dad is based during the day.
Sliding my feet into my well-worn work boots I head out of the back door, crossing the few steps to the office and walking in. Dad is on the phone, his head bent over a map, the phone cradled between his ear and shoulder. The sight makes me smile. Work is in my daddy’s blood and when he became physically unable to be as active out on the ranch, I worried that he’d feel redundant, but even though he hates getting older, I think he secretly loves bossing everyone else around from behind his comfortable desk.
“Morning sweetheart,” he says when he lifts his head and finds me standing in the doorway.
“Morning, sorry I overslept.”
Waving me off with a flick of his wrist, he places the phone down on his desk and gestures for me to come inside. I slide into the seat in front of his desk like I’ve done a thousand times before. “What do you need me to do today?” I ask him.
“You should go enjoy yourself,” he chides.
“I enjoy working on the ranch, so put me to work,” I say staunchly, arching my eyebrows in challenge.
Laughing, he shakes his head softly. “Barber could use some help riding the fences out on the west field.”
“Perfect, I’m going out tonight so I’ll throw you something together for dinner later.”
Shaking his head, he scowls. “I can look after myself, Bonnie, and Maggie invited us both for dinner tonight, so I’ll take her up on it and let her know you’re busy,” he says with a wink.
“Okay, I’ve got my cell, I’ll ride out and catch up with Barber.”
“Stay safe, sweetheart,” he says, already lifting his phone back up as I climb out the chair and head for the door.
Finishing my coffee, I drop my mug off in the kitchen before I head for the paddock to grab my horse, Vali. She’s a beautiful strawberry roan quarter horse, bred and born on the ranch and gifted to me on my sixteenth birthday. Still to this day, she’s the best present I’ve ever received. We have a lot of horses on the ranch and I’ve been riding since the moment I could walk, but Vali is the first horse I’ve ever had from a foal. I backed and broke her myself, she’s mine and I don’t allow anyone else to ride her.
The moment she sees me she whinnies her greeting, and immediately ambles across the paddock toward me. Not bothering with a halter, I open the gate and she strolls through, following me like a dog as I walk back toward her stall. Her soft velvety nose pushes against my arm and I turn and stroke her, cooing to her about how beautiful she is and how much I love her.
When we reach her stall she wanders inside, turning around and nudging me for the apple she knows I’ll have for her. Pulling one from the crate outside the door I feed it to her and she chomps away happily as I groom her, brushing her soft coat and combing her mane and tail. When she’s shiny and gleaming, I leave her in her stall and go to grab her tack from the tack room at the end of the barn.
She’s exactly where I left her when I return, just like I knew she would be, and I snicker as one of the newer ranch hands looks at me quizzically. Vali and I share a bond and she’s incredibly well trained. I don’t need to tie her up, because she knows she’s supposed to stay in her stall and she will. Sliding a blanket numnah onto her back, I slide her saddle on and tighten the girth, then I slip her bridle onto her head, pressing a soft kiss to the fur on her face before I lead her from the stall and out into the yard.
Patting her neck, I check her girth, then place one foot into a stirrup and propel myself onto her back in one smooth movement. Sliding my palm across her shoulder I give her a little scratch, then I gather my reins, slide my right heel b
ack, and she immediately moves forward into a loping walk.
Waving in greeting to the ranch hands that I pass, I make my way onto the trail that leads to the west field, pushing Vali to a trot, then to a canter as she flies across the pasture, eating up the ground, until I spot Barber on his huge chestnut gelding up ahead.
“Hey teenie”, he calls when I reach his side.
“Hi Barber, Dad sent me out here to help ride the fences,” I say, ignoring his use of the annoying nickname I received when I was eight years old and chasing round after my daddy trying to help.
“Great, you want to go up or down?” he asks.
“I’ll go up, it’s been a while since I’ve been out to the peak,” I tell him.
“Okay, meet back in the middle, mark any holes that you spot,” he tells me, handing me a roll of bright yellow tape.
“I know the drill,” I say, rolling my eyes.
“Force of habit, teenie,” he laughs, kicking his horse into action and racing off to the right.
“I hate that nickname, Barbara,” I call after him, pushing Vali into a canter and flying off to the left. When I reach the end of the fence, I pull Vali to a stop and slide from her back, taking a moment to enjoy the spectacular view. The peak provides a perfect view over the mountain vistas that surround our little town and I stare out, so grateful to live somewhere so beautiful.
My cell vibrates in my pocket and I pull it out, remembering that I didn’t bother to check the rest of my messages or missed calls after I saw the one from Beau. I have two messages from my closest friend, Cora, both telling me I work too hard and demanding I join her for a girls’ night out.
There’s a missed called from Owen that I ignore, and a new text from Beau.
Beau – Good morning beautiful, I hope you slept well and had dirty dreams about me. I did about you. My favourite was when you were riding my dick, your head thrown back as I made you come while you screamed my name. I can’t wait to see it in person. Have a great day baby, I’ll pick you up at eight xoxo
An instant blush fills my cheeks as I check around me to make sure no one can see what he put. Then I chide myself for being so ridiculous, I’m in the middle of a field miles away from the ranch. A heat spreads through my core, because the dream he just described was part of the dirty slide show that circled through my own dreams last night. I can so easily imagine straddling him, impaled on his long, thick cock while his huge hands lift me up and down his length.
My clit starts to pulse, swelling in eager anticipation, and I swallow thickly as I read and reread his words. His dirty text is done without preamble, he just straight up told me how he wants to fuck me, and I want to be angry, to be pissed by how high handed and caveman this is. But the truth is, that I want exactly what he’s describing, and I want it with him.
My fingers pause a hair’s breadth above the screen of my cell. I want to reply, but I have no idea what I’d say to him. My hot, achy pussy wants to tell him to get his butt over here so we can re-enact both of our dreams, but the rest of me knows it’s just not that simple.
If I lived in a city, where I could have him screw me six ways from Sunday and never see him again, I’d be halfway back to the ranch by now. But here in Rockhead Point, population – small enough that everyone knows everyone, I can’t have a simple one-night stand. Not that I really want that anyway.
I stand for a few moments contemplating what to reply, and then decide just not to. I have no idea what to say to him anymore and I don’t think informing him I have a date with another guy tonight would go down particularly well, so I just slide my cell into my pocket, jump back onto Vali and get to work.
By the time the sun has started to set, I’m the kind of exhausted that only comes from a day out on the ranch, riding and mending fences with the wind in my face and the fall sunshine at my back. I love this feeling, it’s completely different to the exhaustion I feel after a day at the coffee shop. That’s just tiredness, this is a happily, peaceful weary from knowing I’ve contributed.
Stripping Vali of her bridle and saddle, I brush her down and set her in her stall with some hay for the night. Barber waves as he heads towards the ranch hands’ living quarters and I walk over to the house.
“Hey Daddy,” I call, when I step through the backdoor and into the kitchen.
“Hey Bonbon,” he shouts back from the den.
Making my way to him, I peer around the doorjamb and find him with his feet up on the couch, a show playing on the tv.
“You have any problems with the fence?”
“No, a few holes, but Barber and I got them sorted,” I tell him.
“Good,” he nods, his attention going back to the tv.
“I’m gonna go have a soak for a while before I go out. Do you need anything?” I ask.
“Nope, I’m leaving in a few to go eat with Maggie, Caleb, and the boys.”
“This early?” I ask, glancing down at my watch, “it’s barely five.”
“Yep, Maggie has a conference call with someone in Japan at some godforsaken hour of the morning, so we’re eating early so she can sleep for a few hours before she has to get back up again.”
“Jesus, I love that woman but she works crazy hours.”
“She does,” he chuckles.
“Okay, have fun at dinner, tell Maggie and the boys I say hi.”
“Will do,” he says with a dismissive wave.
Climbing the stairs to my room, I head straight for the tub and turn on the taps to fill it. Adding some rose scented bath salts, I strip out of my clothes and slide into the tub as it fills, resting my head back as I sigh contentedly.
Grabbing my cell from where I left it on the side of the tub, I click into my current book and lose half an hour in a story where a female hunter has a harem of four guys; a vampire, a werewolf, a male hunter, and an angel. It’s epic and filthy, and the perfect distraction as I soak the aches from my muscles.
Beau’s text me a couple more times during the day and I click into them, unable to delete them even though I know I should.
Beau – I missed seeing you this morning xoxo
Beau – Wear a skirt tonight, I dreamed about eating your perfect pussy last night and I can’t wait to taste you in my mouth. I want to lick your clit until you’re squirming and begging me for my fingers or cock, then I’m going to bend you over and fuck you hard until you come on my dick.
Beau – Stay with me tonight.
I didn’t reply to any of them, even though I wanted to. Despite his sexy, tempting words, he still hasn’t listened to what I told him last night. He can’t just declare we’re together, or that we’re going to have sex, or that I’m suddenly going to sleep over at his house. I think him telling me he’s going to pick me up at eight was his way of asking me out, but asking requires a question, not a statement.
Climbing reluctantly from the bath, I dry myself, rub moisturizer into my skin, and slide on some underwear as I stand in my closet and try to decide what to wear. The restaurant we’re going to isn’t fancy, but it’s nicer than jeans and boots. Grabbing my electric blue skater skirt, I slide on black sheer pantyhose with tiny black dots on, then pull the skirt over the top. I pair it with a super soft, black cold shoulder sweater and my black suede over the knee heeled boots.
Drying my hair, I curl it into soft waves that fall just below my shoulders and add some makeup, with a smoky eye and nude lips. Sliding gold loops through my ears, I give myself one last check in the mirror and call it good.
I’m much more comfortable in jeans and a hoodie than I am in skirts and makeup, but it’s nice to make an effort every once in a while. Taking my cell out, I snap a selfie and send it to Cora. She immediately texts me back.
Cora - #HOTSTUFF
Smiling, I palm my cell and head downstairs. My dad left a while ago, so I grab my good purse, shove my cell, lip gloss, and pepper spray into it, before picking up my car keys and heading for the door. It’s almost six-thirty, so I climb into my car and start th
e drive back down into town. Butterflies burst to life in my stomach, but I don’t know if it’s nerves about meeting Dan, or that Beau might turn up at my house expecting me to be there. A thrill of excitement ricochets through me, perhaps if I’m not there waiting on him like a good little pet, he might get the message, or maybe he’ll be over his crush by now and he won’t come at all.
By the time I park my car outside Wake Up and Go Go, I’m nervous. I haven’t been on a date in years, the last one was in high school, and it consisted of a movie, then making out in his car. I really don’t think this one will be the same. Dan appears at my door the moment I kill my engine and opens it for me, smiling widely.
“Hi Bonnie,” he says, holding out a hand to me. Tonight, he’s dressed in slim fitted navy-blue chino’s, a burgundy wool sweater, and tan boat shoes with bare feet. The lack of socks confuses me. Why would you wear leather shoes with bare feet? He looks good, but it’s obvious from his outfit that he’s an out of towner. His hair is artfully disheveled in a sexy rumpled way that makes me want to brush it out of his eyes so I can see his handsome face.
“Hi Dan,” I say with a smile, taking his hand as I look up into his GQ model face. High chiseled cheek bones and a defined jaw, he’s a truly beautiful man and I can’t help but wish I was attracted to him. He’s gorgeous, and I should be drooling over him, but there’s something missing that I fear might be the lack of working hands. With my palm in his, he helps me from the car, his hands soft and smooth.
Soft and smooth. That shouldn’t be a turn off, but there’s just something about a man having hands that are rough and lined, hard-working hands that gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling deep in my soul.
Dan’s hands are neat and probably regularly manicured. His nails are perfectly shaped and round, he’s polished and clean cut, and I don’t know why that doesn’t seem to work for me, but it just doesn’t.