Bought by the Lone Cowboy

by E. Walsh

  They also had issues that other people didn't. They shared everything. They didn't have personal possessions. They had communal possessions. They wore the same clothes and ate the same food. Everything was communal, so they would have to divide up their lives and they weren't willing to do that.

  Annie could see the Italian restaurant coming up. “Well, I'm here. I'll keep my phone on vibrate so I can text you if you need anything or anything happens.”

  “Keep me updated.” they both hung up at the exact same time and sighed at the exact same time. This should've been a special occasion, and it was in many ways, but it was also very difficult.

  John looked amazing. When she pulled up, he stood in front to her car, smiling. He was wearing a nice navy blue button up shirt and jeans, but his blond hair was style perfectly and his diamond studs made him look like a rock star. He offered her a single rose.

  “You look beautiful, Annie.”

  “Thank you, John.”

  They made their way in and were ushered to a quiet booth. Annie ordered the shrimp Alfredo. John got the breaded chicken parmigiana and a bottle of white wine, which Annie turned down. She decided not to tell Amber about that part. The evening wasn't about the food. It was about getting to know John.

  “So what do you do for a living?”

  “I own a bike shop, GearTurners, on 5th.” He took a sip of wine and smiled at her.

  “Really? I've never been much of a bike enthusiast, but I love hiking. Me and my sister love going to the mountains.”

  “I think it's the thrill of moving fast and still being able to experience your surroundings.”

  “So you're a thrill seeker?”

  “Very much so. I'm all about the experience and the rush of adrenaline.” He reached under the table and sat back a bit. There was something carnal about his manner. He wasn't tailored or refined like he appeared to be, it was a facade. “But business is boring. Tell me about what types of thrills you enjoy.”

  “I'm sort of the aesthetic, home body type. I enjoy cooking and decorating, reading, things like that.” His eyes were a bit lower than they should've been while he took a gulp of wine and poured himself another glass. She could see that his face was getting red. He didn't even touch his food. He was more focused on staring at her, taking her entire body in and staring at places that should've been avoided. She felt self-conscious. She didn't want him looking past her clothes, she wanted to connect with him. She kept silent and focused on her food instead of him. It helped to look somewhere else.

  “So what do you do for a living?” He was clearly trying to keep her talking. He wasn't paying attention to what she was saying, he wanted to feign a connection so he could get what he was looking for.

  “I dress in a clown suit and go to birthday parties.”

  “Uh-huh. That's interesting. I've been wanting to watch this horror movie for a while now. It's called Wicked Something, I just got this new sound system. What do you say we go check it out?” She knew he wouldn't even flinch when she said that. She could've said she was an astronaut and he still would've said the exact same thing.

  “Oh, I don't know. I have to get up early tomorrow.” He was looking at his wine glass when she responded.

  “Great. So you want me to get the check then? I hope you don't mind getting your share of the check.”

  “That's OK. It's not like you're getting anything out of it, anyway.” He caught that part. His glass was empty.

  “I thought—

  “I said no. Now, if you'll excuse me.” She got up and walked out of the restaurant after leaving him with the bill.

  When she got into her car, she pulled out her phone and called Amber. She answered on the first ring. They both knew that she was waiting anxiously to see what had happened. “It happened again.”

  “Oh, no.” Amber sighed. “I'm so sorry. I didn't want it to happen like this.” She didn't. She wanted her to be happy, no matter how much it would've hurt both of them. They weren't competitive. More than anything else in the world, they just wanted each other to be happy. “I have something to show you.”

  “What is it?”

  “I want to keep it a surprise.”

  “I don't know if I'm in the mood for surprises right now. I just want to go to bed.”

  “You're gonna like this one.”

  “Oh, alright.”

  *

  Amber was furiously typing when Annie got home and threw herself onto the couch. She was holding a throw pillow like a blanket and holding her head down.

  “I guess I am a bit curious.” She didn't sound very enthusiastic but Amber could tell that she was trying to get her mind off things.

  She decided to ease her sister off the couch. “Take a look at this.” She clicked over to the browser. When Annie pulled herself out of her position, she found a picture of skyscraper that had a massive sign that said Sherman Brokerage. “They are offering two positions as receptionists at the firm in Lewisville, but the word is that they will be offering the right candidates broker positions.”

  “Are we certain that they haven't already found the candidates?” Annie didn't want to get her hopes up.

  “They posted the ad this afternoon.” It was Sunday, which meant that they would be going over resumes in the morning. They still had time to enter the pool of applicants and remain in the running.

  “How's your resume looking?” Annie was curious to see if there were any updates she could make to her own.

  “I've updated some of my skills, as well as your own, and I've gone over some of the attributes that are considered necessary for the position. I've also referenced the attributes necessary in the job posting, as well as the experience and fit them into our own resumes.”

  “You're a fucking genius.”

  “If I'm a genius then you are too.” Amber smiled over at Annie, but she could tell that her sister was going to have to take some time to deal with her funk. She sent the resumes in that evening anyway. She knew that Annie would want to take advantage of the opportunity no matter how she felt, so she wasn't about to let her do all the work.

  * * *

  Chapter 3

  “So who’s the big guy?” Annie bit into a whole grain bagel and paced around the room. She wasn't gonna let it bother her. Things could be worse. She should just focus on her career. Women need to work before they focus on love. It would come in time.

  “His name is Ricky Sherman. He's the 35-year-old founder of the firm. Nobody knows his actual net worth, but considering the firm's success it's well into the billions.”

  “Oh my god.”

  “It's crazy isn't it?” Annie was staring at a rugged brunette beast in a perfectly trimmed black pinstripe suit. His perfect jaw was accented with just the right amount of stubble.

  “Uh, yeah.” She walked over to her closet and stated looking at her outfits.

  “I hope you don't mind, Annie. I sent in the resumes.”

  “Oh no. That's perfectly fine.” She was looking through her closet. Would the tight pink dress be too much for the interview, or should she go with the black number that would still show off her body?

  She turned around to see Amber right behind her, giving her the look of death. Twins have their own silent language. Often times they are two sides of the same coin, or what happens when the same person takes a different path. No matter how much they were determined to be alike, there was always the one difference. Amber was more focused and conventional, and she was always putting Annie in check.

  Her look said career, ambition, and finances. Annie's look said, but I just want to be loved. Amber didn't care about how men looked at her. She knew that she was beautiful and that was all that mattered. She had an air of confidence that Annie couldn't match because she was sure of herself and her aspirations. She wanted love, but she was willing to take a little time to get her career.

  Annie was in a rush. She could feel the maternal instinct calling to her. She saw the way that men looked at her a
nd she wanted both. She wasn't willing to take the time that Annie wanted. They both knew that love would come, but Annie wanted it more. She was more willing to pursue advances than Amber, and she wasn't about to just give up because she wanted a job.

  Amber sensed her rebellious nature and was constantly trying to squash it one way or another. No matter how hard she tried, though, her sister always stepped out of the conventional line. They were different in that way, they couldn't deny that and it bothered both of them, but neither one was willing to meet in the middle. They had to accept it and move on. It wasn't a barrier between them so much as it was a bit of friction.

  They both walked into the kitchen. “I was thinking that I wanted to get in a workout before work this morning. What do you think Amber?” They both got out water bottles and sat on stools near the island.

  “I think that's a good idea. I want to burn some calories anyways.”

  “Do you have that light blue sports bar, the one with the white piping?” Annie walked over to the bedroom closet and Amber followed.

  “I think I put it in the dresser.” She pulled it out and handed it to Annie.

  They always preferred to go to the gym to work out because it felt like an event. They performed better because they were around all of the equipment and the things they needed to get the job done.

  Annie had her own routine that Amber followed closely. She was the athletic one, but Amber kept up with her closely. They took the treadmills side by side them worked their magic. The goal was to get their blood pumping and work their muscles into a frenzy, that way they could build muscle.

  Annie was at her best when she was running. She could feel the heat rising in her body, the blood pumping and the sweat running down her skin. There was a young man, in his early twenties watching her as he sat curling a massive weight up and down. His arms must've been as thick as her legs. She moved faster and her heart was beating out of her chest. He was smiling at her as his thick muscles flexed. She could feel her thighs getting wet. He reached down she saw that he was nursing a thick boner that was sticking up through his black shorts.

  She moved on to the elliptical, where she moved to the highest setting and worked her legs as hard as she could. He dropped the free weights and moved to the machine next to her. She could feel his eyes on her butt. She couldn't stand it. She felt her entire body shivering and she pushed as hard as she could. He had the softest black hair that was spiked all over his head. There was one single strand of hair that fell in front of his face and she shuddered.

  He looked over at her and their eyes met. He wanted her and she certainly didn't mind giving him a chance. His butt was shaking back and forth on the machine. It must've been as hard as a diamond. His entire body was covered sweat and she could see that his shirt was stained. His skin was glowing from the thin film that enveloped his body. He had that dark scent that spoke of wild nights and carnal desire. She turned off the machine to make her way to the showers and he was stalking her, like a lion, into the woman's locker room. She went to her locker and he was right behind her. She could feel his breath, like a dog panting.

  “No.” She turned around to see his face. He didn't say a word. His big lips were so soft when they crashed into hers and their heads intertwined in a lover's embrace. It's strange to see such strong passion between strangers, as though their bodies knew where to move. His hands were in the right place behind the crook of her back, then he softly took her arm headed to a shower stall. He turned the warm water on and the shock to her system felt like a million flames rushing through her.

  His tongue forced its way past her lips and took over her mouth, rubbing up and down, penetrating every crevice until finally he pulled his lips away and started moving down her neck. She gasped when his fingers found her thighs and moved closer to the spot where they belonged. They edged further and further up. She could feel her tension rising and she was throbbing in that place where no man had ever entered.

  “Annie? Where are you? We have to go.” Annie's skin practically fell off her body. She slammed into his lips, took off her clothes and grabbed a towel from the door.

  “I've gotta go.”

  “Can't I at least get a little head first?” His hands were down his pants and she wanted it so bad, but she had to work.

  “I'm sorry.”

  “Oh, alright.”

  She made her way out of the shower, to see Amber with a sour face staring at her like she'd just seen a cockroach. “What?”

  “Was somebody in there with you?”

  “I don't know what you're talking about.”

  “Uh huh.” Amber briskly changed and they made their way out of the gym and to the restaurant.

  *

  When you're a kid, there's nothing better than heading out to get a nice juicy burger at a restaurant. It's not the food that you really enjoy, it's the atmosphere. The smiling servers and the pretty decorations all make you feel like you are somewhere special and exciting. All of the magic fades away as soon as you put on a uniform. The reds and yellows in the lobby turn into hellish reminders that you need to smile. They burn themselves in the back of your brain. You have to maintain the perfect attitude under the watchful eye of a manager whose sole duty is to figure out a reason to fire you. The girls lived under constant scrutiny. They saw more servers run out the door crying than they'd seen customers come in the door.

  Annie sighed when she walked in the door. The lunch rush usually began around eleven, so they had to work on helping to prepare a lot of the food. As soon as they had entered their numbers into the register, Daniel was behind them smiling.

  He slapped them both on the back and said, “Alright girls, are we ready for a great day?” They nodded their heads unenthusiastically. “Great. Now, Annie, I want you on veggies till the customers start coming in. Amber, come with me.”

  Amber went back to the kitchen and pulled out the various tools she would need to start slicing the vegetables. It was all automated. All she had to do was load the vegetables in and get going. Amber, however, was having a tough time of things.

  “Now, it looks like some of our customers made a little bit of a mess.” They were standing in the women's restroom where there was mud strewn all over the floor mixed with paper towels. They'd stamped on ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise packets and even spread the sauces all over the walls. 'We can't have this bathroom looking like this when the customers come. I need you to go ahead and get this entire thing cleared out. You think you can do that?”

  What choice did she have?

  “Of course.”

  “Super!” he drew out the word like a human slide whistle trying to test out his range. He walked out the door to go check and make sure Amber was getting her job done properly. He had a simple policy. He would make the guidelines clear and if they couldn't perform the task properly then they were written up. If they got two write-ups then he would have a sit down chat with the employee and possibly a member of the police or security if they refused to leave afterwards. He tried not to lose his temper, but sometimes it just happened.

  He'd blown up on a few servers, but for the most part, he maintained order in the restaurant. His sales were steady and the customers were usually happy, but there were a few exceptions. He couldn't simply allow bad service and poor work ethic. It could destroy the entire operation, and one thing that everyone has to remember is that the customer is always right, even when they're wrong.

  You simply can't have an attitude with the people keeping the place going, and he knew that they could have bad attitudes and they'd piss all over the servers in every way possible. They didn't care about the girls, or how they treated them. They were there to get waited on and if they didn't feel like they were getting what they wanted out of the experience, then they'd cause trouble. The women simply had to kiss their feet and give them whatever they wanted or else they wouldn't last.

  Amber didn't know what she was going to do. They had rags that they used to clean the counte
rs and the tables, but they were strictly for those purposes. The only thing they were allowed to use on the floor was the mop, and that simply wouldn't do the job. She asked Daniel what she should do about it, and he looked at her like she was a child. He said he was disappointed and walked away. She ended up getting down on her hands and knees with a paper towel and picking up all of the clumps of mud that were covering the floor.

  She tried not to get any on her black khaki jeans but by the time she'd moved onto the second tile they were already covered. If Daniel saw, he would say something. If there was a problem with her uniform, they would send her home for the day and she would go without pay. She would probably get fired. Her pants were too tight. She tried reaching forward but they would stick into her skin and hinder movement. She kept having to move forward and drive her knees further into the mud.

  She decided to bend down and start to sweep the whole thing with her hand, but when she did, her phone start vibrating in her pocket. It knocked her off balance and she fell over into a pile of mud, ketchup and god knows what else.

  She could feel her entire life slipping between her fingers. She'd be fired for sure. Her phone wouldn't stop. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She didn't recognize the number, but she needed a distraction.

  “Hello,” she tried not to sob when she answered.

  “Hi. I'm looking for Amber Cordova.” The tone of the woman's voice was very professional, and a bit assertive. Amber was about to levitate. She had to get it together. Any discrepancy could make her lose her chances of getting the job right away. This woman would be interviewing her from the moment she dialed her number.

  “This is she.”

  “I'm calling from the Sherman Brokerage Firm. We received your resume and would like to call you in for an interview.” Amber had positioned herself so that she was sitting up with one arm, and when the woman said the last word, she slipped and fell over. She hit the mute button as quickly as she could, but the woman noticed. “Hello?” She quickly put the sound back on.