Big Tex

by Alexis Lauren

  "Well, I guess we'll stay at Mom's then." Willow teased. Brody reached out and grabbed her and pulled her onto his lap.

  "You're staying at our house, in my bed. Don't even think otherwise!" Brody said as he tickled Willow.

  "Oh the torture of having to sleep with my boyfriend!" Willow teased. Brody tickled her harder until she squirmed off his lap and fell on the floor. "Ow! Now I have a boyfriend that beats me!" She yelled as Brody picked her up off the floor. "I think you just made me break my ass!"

  "I'm sorry. Let me kiss it and make it better!" Brody apologized.

  "Ew! Not in here! Get a room!" Sierra yelled at them.

  Brody picked Willow up and carried her into her bedroom. A little after they shut the door, the phone rang. Sierra knocked on the door and yelled, "Willow, it’s your mom. She wants to talk to us all on the speakerphone. Sorry to interrupt!"

  Willow and Brody came out of the bedroom, slightly flushed. They all went over to the computer desk and put the speakerphone on. "Hi Mom, we're all here, what's up?" Willow asked.

  "Hi Honey, hi guys. I just got some news that I thought you all should hear. I got a call from Jeff Thomas of the Architectural Society, and it seems as though there is an awards banquet in New York on Wednesday, and we are all requested to be there. I will be flying in tomorrow, and Brody and Micah, you two are going to stay until next week, if you want to. There is no need for you to fly back here for 2 days of work. The event is formal, so go out and get tuxes and dresses. Willow, will you meet me at the airport tomorrow at 3:30?"

  "Yes mom, I think it’s safe to say we'll all be there. Any reason why we all need to be there?" Willow asked.

  "They didn't tell me, but you might want to have a speech prepared, just in case." Lauren said. "Well, I have to run now. Go shopping and get something nice for yourselves. I'll see you all tomorrow! Love you!"

  "Love you too Mom! See you tomorrow!" Willow said.

  Everyone else said goodbye to Lauren and they hung up the phone. No one really knew what to say at that point. Willow spoke up first. "So, do you guys think you can put up with us for another whole week?"

  "Hmm, it will take some persuasion, but I think we can be talked into it." Brody said.

  "Yeah, twist our arms and all." Micah laughed.

  "So, are we going shopping?" Sierra asked.

  "Well, as much as I'd like to finish what he had started, I think we're going to need all the shopping time we can manage." Willow replied, then looked at Brody and gave him an apologetic smile.

  "I agree, though I'd much rather continue where we left off." Brody teased.

  "Oh gross! You guys never come up for air, do you?" Sierra asked.

  "Hmm, does this ring any bells… 'Oh Micah! Oh yeah, keep going, just like that! Uh! Uh! Oh Micah!' So don't talk to me about coming up for air when that's coming from your room every night." Brody teased, mocking Sierra's cries of passion. Sierra turned bright red and smacked Brody's arm playfully.

  "Fine, let's just go!" Sierra said and left to get her purse to avoid any more embarrassment.

  "Can you really hear her like that?" Micah asked quietly.

  "Um, yeah. Try music next time. It always works for us…either that or put a pillow over her head, right Willow?" Brody said laughing.

  "The music works for me!" Willow said, shooting Brody a look telling him to watch what he says or else he won't need any music because there will be no sounds to drown out. Brody backed off and grinned at her innocently.

  Shopping for the awards banquet went well. The girls both found dresses in the second store that they went to, and the guys found tuxes in the first. The girls wouldn't let the guys see their dressed because they wanted to surprise them, so in turn the guys wouldn't let the girls see the tuxes.

  The next day, the two couples ventured to the airport to pick Lauren up. Sierra and Willow hadn't see Lauren since they had moved her down to Texas, so they were both anxious for her arrival. They waited for her at the gate, and as soon as they saw her, they both made a mad dash towards her and practically tackled her with hugs.

  "Oh Mom! I have missed you like crazy! It's so sad that my boyfriend gets to see you more than I do. How are you? How was your trip? You feeling ok?" Willow fired off the questions in rapid succession.

  "Willow, slow down honey. I'll be here for a few days. I'll have plenty of time to answer them all." Lauren laughed.

  "Hi Lauren. It’s so good to have you back here for a little while." Sierra said and hugged her.

  "It's good to see you to honey. Now, where are my two favorite Texas architects?" Lauren asked.

  "Hi Mrs. Fox. We're over here, trying to avoid being trampled by Willow and Sierra as they ran to attack you." Brody said.

  Lauren walked over to Brody. "I am so disappointed in you dear. None of this Mrs. Fox shit. You know I tell everyone to call me Lauren, and just because you have captured my daughter's heart, that is no exception for you to call me anything other than Lauren." She said and gave him a hug, as he stood there stunned. When she pulled him closer, she whispered in his ear so that no one else could hear, "But in the future, you can call me Mom."

  Lauren broke the hug and Brody blushed. Lauren moved over to Micah and gave him a hug. "Hi Lauren. Good to see you again. Break any hearts on the plane ride here?"

  Lauren laughed. "Oh, Micah. You know me too well already!"

  "Mom, are you staying at our apartment or did you get a hotel room?" Willow asked as they went to baggage claim.

  "Oh, honey, I got a hotel room. There is no way I was going to interfere with the current sleeping arrangements that look like they are working so well. It’s about time I see some smiles on my girls' faces!" Lauren said and Willow and Sierra blushed.

  Brody got Lauren's bags and they all started walking to the exit. "Oh, by the way, our limo should be right outside." Lauren said.

  "You got a limo? Wow, making the big bucks now, huh?" Sierra said.

  "No, actually it belongs to a friend of mine, who offered it to me to use while I was going to be in New York, so why not!" Lauren smiled. "Ah, there it is now." She said as she walked to a long black stretch limo. The chauffer was standing next to it, holding a sign with her name on it. He helped them get her luggage into the trunk, then held the door for all of them as they got into the back.

  The limo dropped them at the hotel and waited for Lauren to check in and bring her bags to her room. When she came back down, they all went out to dinner.

  Brody was nervous about being with Willow in front of Lauren. Not only was she his boss, but she was also his girlfriend's mother. Lauren seemed to notice this and said, "Brody, you need to relax a little. Don't think of me as Willow's mom or as your boss. Think of me as a friend of the family. Don't be afraid to kiss her or say something to her just because I'm here. I can see how much you want to kiss her, so just get it over with!" Lauren laughed. It seemed to break the tension because Brody did kiss Willow at that point and every other time he had the urge to. He seemed to become a lot more comfortable in front of Lauren, and because of this, everyone else relaxed too.

  After dinner, the limo dropped the four off at the apartment, then brought Lauren back to her hotel. Everyone was in good spirits, especially Willow who was so excited to spend time with her mother. When they got back into the apartment, she guided Brody to her bedroom. "Come here Country Boy, let me show you how happy I am right now." She said in his ear as she shut and locked her bedroom door.

  That night they needed both music and a pillow to keep their screams of ecstasy from being heard.

  When Wednesday finally rolled around, everyone was nervous and excited at the same time. The girls all got ready at Lauren's hotel room to keep how they looked a surprise from Brody and Micah. The limo was sent to pick the guys up first, then they went to the hotel to get the girls.

  Lauren met the guys in the lobby, and they both complimented her on how beautiful she looked, while they waited for the girls to come down. They saw Sierra firs
t, wearing a long black strapless cocktail dress, that was tight at the bodice, and softly flowed at the skirt. As she walked, the material swished around her legs. Brody hugged her first and told her she was gorgeous. As soon as he let go of her, Micah gathered her in his arms and gave her a tight hug. He backed away and twirled her around. "Wow, you look spectacular!" He said.

  "You look pretty hot yourself, cowboy." Sierra told him. He wrapped her in his arms as they waited for Willow to make her entrance.

  A few minutes later, Willow rounded the corner. Brody's eyes widened as his jaw dropped. Her dress was a pale pink color, almost white, with a strap going over only one shoulder. It was long and straight, with a slit up the side to her thigh. There were beads and sequins all over the dress, making her sparkle with every move she made. Brody felt as though his heart had stopped when he saw her. He didn't realize that she had already hugged Micah, and was standing there waiting for him to say something. Micah had to nudge him to snap him out of it.

  "Sorry I'm late." Willow said.

  Brody took her hand and said, "I'd wait for an eternity for you. You look…you look…WOW! I'm speechless. You are so gorgeous." He said to her.

  "Thank you. You clean up nice too Country Boy." She said and gave him a kiss.

  Brody leaned in towards her ear and whispered, "I don't know how I am going to manage to keep my hands off you all night."

  "I was thinking the same thing." Willow whispered back.

  The five of them went out to the waiting limo and headed to the awards banquet. When they got there, they were all escorted to a table up front, near the stage.

  "Well, I wonder why we're all up front? Don't they usually save these tables for the important people?" Brody asked. Everyone shrugged, no one had an answer for him because they were all thinking the same thing.

  Dinner was served, and no one was able to eat much. The food was good, but everyone's nerves were running high. They were grateful when the MC got up and started the ceremony. The first award presented was for 'Interior Designer of the Year', and it went to none other than Sierra. She sat in shock when they called her name and didn't get up until Micah nudged her. She made a quick speech thanking Willow and Lauren for always being there for her, Micah and Brody for always pushing her harder.

  The next few awards were pretty boring, so they tuned them out. The 'Residential Architect of the Year' was announced with Brody being the winner. He thanked the group, as well as his parents. He sent a special thank you to Lauren for all of the help she had given him over the past few months, and to Willow for believing in him.

  The next award was for 'Commercial Architect of the Year', and went to Willow. She thanked her bosses, co-workers, Sierra for being the best partner, her mom for instilling the love of architecture, Brody for being her best critic, and Micah for keeping her humble.

  Micah shared an award with two other architects for 'Up-and-Coming Architects'. After all of the awards were handed out, a special presentation was made to Lauren for all of her work in the architectural world. Willow was so proud of her mom that she led the standing ovation that she received. The night was a resounding success, and they were all proud of each other for all of their hard work.

  "Wow, I feel like we bribed the committee to have them give us all awards." Sierra said.

  "Not so." Jeff Thomas, the head of the Architectural Society said. "It's quite a coincidence that all of you know each other. Though I like to believe that great minds think alike, so you should all be together." He shook everyone's hands and congratulated them all. "I look forward to seeing what the future holds for all of you!" Everyone thanked him for his kind words and headed towards the exit. It was late and the banquet was ending, so they all decided to go home.

  In the limo, a bottle of champagne was already chilling. Lauren poured a glass for everyone and said, "I just want to say that I couldn't be more proud of each one of you. Micah, you have so much potential, and by the time I'm done with you, you're going to hate me, but I'm going to push and push until everyone sees the heights you can reach. Brody, you have so much talent. It amazes me when I look at your work every day, and sometimes I feel that you should be my boss, not the other way around and I couldn't have picked a better match for my daughter. Willow, honey, I can't even explain the way it makes me feel to see everything that you have accomplished. Any mother would be ecstatic to have you as their daughter. I can only hope that one day you have children of your own and they make you as proud of them as I am of you." A few tears escaped both Lauren and Willow's eyes. "You should all be so proud of everything that you have accomplished, but don't allow yourselves to slack off now. Keep striving to be the top, and never settle for second best."

  "I am so proud of you too Mom, I hope that you know it goes both ways. And to think, my boyfriend is the best residential architect, my best friend is the best interior designer, and her boyfriend is the up-and-coming….someone I should look out for." Willow said. "I couldn't imagine any better people to surround myself with. You are all so special to me."

  Brody hugged Willow and told her he'd talk to her when they were alone. Tears were now streaming down Willow's face as she was so caught up in the emotions of the night. It didn't help for her to remember that her mom was leaving the next day to go back to Texas, and after such a wonderful week, Brody and Micah were leaving again in a few days.

  The limo went to the apartment to drop the group off before bringing Lauren back to her hotel. Lauren got out with them and told Willow that she had to catch an early flight in the morning, so she would say goodbye to all of them now rather than have them at the airport with her in the morning. She hugged everyone and told Micah and Brody to have fun while they can, because when they got back, there would be plenty of work for them. She told Sierra to take care of herself and watch over Willow and she told Willow how much she loved her and how much she meant to her. Lauren got back in the limo and rode away as the four went inside.

  Sierra and Micah said good night to Willow and Brody and went to their room, while Willow and Brody sat on the couch to finish the champagne they had taken from the limo.

  "Willow, I can't even begin to tell you how much you amaze me. You are so beautiful and so intelligent. I have never met anyone like you. I never thought that I would meet someone who meant so much to me. I wish I could put into words how it made me feel when you got that award tonight. I wanted to jump on the table and tell the world that you were my girl, and that you deserved far more than that award for your work. I just…I just…Willow, I love you." Brody said, looking into Willow's tear-filled eyes.

  "Wow. You know, I felt the same way when you got your award. You definitely deserved it, and I am so happy that you are finally being recognized for your talent." Willow smiled. "You make me feel things that I have never felt before. You make me want things I never thought I'd want. You make me feel complete, like a part of me is lost when you're not here with me. I am so happy that you told me how you feel, because I love you too Brody. I love you more than I ever thought possible!"

  "You do?" Brody asked and Willow nodded, not able to speak. Tears were falling from her eyes as Brody stood from the couch and pulled her up with him. He took her hand and led her towards the bedroom. After he shut the door, Brody said, "You know, as much as I love that dress, and the sight of you in it, you really need to take it off before I rip it off you." He looked at her seductively as the turned her stereo on. Brody walked closer to Willow as the dress fell from her body. As he took her in his arms, he kissed her neck and whispered, "You know, I can't wait for you to come to Texas. I designed my house so that you can scream as loud as you want, and no one will hear you…no need for music or pillows." He turned her around and started kissing down her back. Willow moaned and felt the heat spread down her belly as he kissed her shoulder blades and ran his hands up and down her arms.

  Willow spun around and kissed Brody, allowing her tongue to play with his. They hurriedly undressed Brody and made their way to t
he bed. Brody lavished her body with kisses and Willow let her hands play with Brody's body. They spent the next two hours making slow, sweet, and passionate love.

  As they lay down to sleep, Brody wrapped Willow in his arms and whispered in her ear, "I love you so much darling'." She said the same and they both fell into a much-needed deep sleep.

  Chapter 10 Texas Trip for Two

  The rest of Micah and Brody's visit flew by. The girls wouldn't be able to see them for another three weeks when they would make the trip to Texas. A lot of time was spent on the phone and on the computer talking back and forth to each other. Willow and Brody both bought Webcams so that they could see each other when they were talking on the computer. It wasn't the same as being together, but it was the next best thing.

  Over dinner one night, Sierra asked Willow if she ever put on a 'show' for Brody on the webcam. "You mean, like a strip tease?" Willow asked.

  "Well, sort of. I was asking more about like if you touch yourself for him on camera." Sierra said blushing.

  "What? Are you crazy? Please tell me you haven't masturbated while sitting in my computer chair, then used the mouse after!" Willow said.

  "Well…not really. I washed my hands after, before I touched the mouse." Sierra said.

  "What! That's unreal Sierra! I never thought you'd do something like that." Willow said, half annoyed, half laughing. "Did Micah ask you to or something? It just doesn't seem like something you'd normally do."

  "He didn't really ask me to, we were just kind of talking about it and I kind of got carried away in the moment and it just happened. I only did it that once, and we just wanted to see what it was like." Sierra mumbled.

  "Oh my god! He was jacking off for you too? If Micah blew his load on Brody's computer, he'll kill him!" Willow was astonished.

  "No, he used a tissue…I think. Oh man, how embarrassing! I thought you guys did it too. That's what we were talking about, and that's why we tried it. Ugh, forget I even mentioned it." Sierra said, mortified.