"Oh? What’s the plan?"
Plates clattered in the drainboard as she angrily shoved them into their slots. "I don't need your help, Ace. Stay out of it."
He should stay out of it, he knew. But she was so young. No one should have to deal with issues like this before they were even old enough to buy a drink in a bar. It made him irritated and frustrated that she wouldn't take his help. She was too feisty by half.
Ace didn't say another word until the dishes were clean and put away. Finished, he took her by the shoulders and turned her toward him. "I don't want another temper tantrum from you, li'l girl. You need to learn to take help when you need it."
"I didn't have a temper tantrum!"
He eyed her skeptically.
Anita shouted from the living room. "Dancing With the Stars is about to start, Gabby! You're gonna to miss it!"
"I have to go."
"We'll take this up again, Gabriella."
"I have to go. I promised I'd watch this with my mother. It's her favorite show. She wanted me to be a ballerina when I was a little girl, but we couldn't afford the lessons. She likes to watch the dancing on TV and daydream about what if."
Gabby was graceful, and would have made a lovely—if curvy--ballerina. She was a woman with surprising potential and hidden talents. He gave her a quick kiss and took her hand to lead her out to the little loveseat where he spent the next hour watching TV with her and her mother.
Anita was dozing in her chair when Ace rose and turned off the TV. "Time to deal with that temper problem, and then I'm headin' back to the hotel for the night."
She rose, a small frown of confusion on her face. "I don't know what you mean about the 'temper problem.'"
"Is there a basement in this buildin'?"
Gabby nodded. "Sure. It's where the laundry gets done."
"Take me there."
"You're kidding, right?"
"Do you have a woodshed out back?"
"Of course not!"
"I guess it'll have to be a laundry room."
She took a step back and whispered. "You can't spank me in the laundry room!"
"Sure can." He grabbed her elbow and propelled her to the door. "Get your keys."
She did, frowning at him mightily. "Look, I'm sorry. I've been stressed out all day."
"I know a dandy stress reliever."
"Ace!"
He gestured toward the door and the stairs beyond. "Get movin'."
The laundry room was a dingy white, the paint peeling up near the ceiling. It smelled of dryer sheets and spilled bleach. Someone upstairs was playing music and the bass thump carried through the walls. Two rickety aluminum chairs with bright blue plastic seats sat in one corner, next to a large trash can.
It was an inauspicious place in which to make a point, but Ace had to use the resources at hand. He sat in one of the chairs, and found it too wobbly to hold both him and a squirming woman. He pointed toward a pair of dryers.
"Put your hands on the dryers and bend over."
"I can't believe you're doing this, Ace. Haven't we gotten past this? Didn't last night mean anything to you?"
"Last night was the highlight of my rodeo, li'l girl, but that doesn't mean you get away with bratty behavior."
She stamped a small foot. "I'm not a brat!"
Ace couldn't help but chuckle. "Hands on the dryer."
Gabby groaned, but complied. Her sweatpants and bikini panties were easy for him to pull down. "What if someone comes in?"
"I reckon they get a real eyeful."
She squawked when his hand hit her rump, and continued to squawk as it fell upon her a dozen more times. "Don't go talkin' back to me, Gabby," he told her. "Don't cuss and don’t act like you're a man." She groaned and sniffled as tears began to drip on the dryer. "You're not stronger than me, and you’re sure not more stubborn than me, and for the sake of your bottom, you'd best remember that."
Several more slaps and she was sobbing.
He paused. "You gonna behave?"
She nodded. "Yes, sir."
His last swat was more playful than forceful. "Good enough. Now pull up your pants."
When she'd retied her drawstring, he took her chin in his hand and gave her a sweet kiss. Not a demanding one, but something tender to soothe her ruffled tail feathers.
"I'm sorry, Ace." There was a quaver in her voice, though she seemed more in control of herself. Ace pulled her into his arms and held her there as she breathed against his shoulder. Crying seemed to have calmed her down some.
He pulled back and gazed at her face. Her tears had dried, and if her nose was a little red, it wasn't unbecoming. "Better?"
"Yeah."
"Let's go back upstairs so I can collect my hat and get goin'."
They climbed the stairs in silence.
Gabby's mother awakened as they came in. Her narrowed gaze went between them several times, and, surprisingly, she smiled. The expression was so like Gabby's that Ace's breath stopped for a moment. Anita focused her eyes on him. "You grow on a person, Mr. Texan. Hell if you don't."
Ace put on his hat and grinned. "Thank you, ma'am." He made his way to the door. "Make those reservations, Gabby. We are goin' out tomorrow night. I'll have someone call you about helpin' your mama out while we're away."
"Ace! You can't—"
"I am. Unless you’re hankerin’ to go back to the laundry room..."
She gasped and shot a glance at her mother, who had relaxed back in the chair with a little smile. "Fine. I'll make the reservations." She put her nose in the air. "Goodnight!"
"Sleep well, sweetheart. Night, ma'am."
"G'night, Mr. Texan," came the sleepy reply.
Chapter 4
Ace was shaving when his younger sister, Queenie, called. It was early in Texas, and Queenie, being a musician, was not much of a morning person. Something had to be wrong.
The first words out of her mouth were, "Ace! Get your skinny ass home!"
"Howdy to you, too, Miss Q. What's wrong?"
"Oh, nothing much," she said, sarcasm dripping from her lips. "Daddy is driving me nuts. The next Boot Camp is a fuckin' mess. And our new neighbor is a pompous ass."
"That's all?"
She snorted. "What more do you want? I'm also on my period, if you really have to know."
That was definitely too much information. "Thanks for that, sis. Let’s go through the issues one at a time, okay?"
"Yeah. Well, the new neighbor, Will Mazie, wants an easement over a corner of the ranch so he can get to the river and run a pipeline. He's building a bass pond and planned to get water from there. Daddy is draggin' his feet on it. He doesn't want to say no and possibly start a feud, and he also doesn't want to give his okay."
"Alright. I presume that Mazie is willing to pay for the lease of the property?"
"Yeah, and he offered to let Daddy fish for bass there anytime he likes."
"That's not much of an incentive. We fish on the river."
"No. I don't know what Daddy's problem is. Maybe you can figure it out."
Ace sighed. Their father was a taciturn fellow when he wanted to be. If he didn't like Mazie's request, it might all be motivated by a simple dislike of the man for some mysterious reason. "I'll talk to him after I get home. What else?"
She went on to tell him that two of the speakers for the next corporate bonding Boot Camp had cancelled and now she was scrambling to fill the gaps. Ace gave her the information about the speaker's bureau he sometimes used.
"Thanks."
"You're welcome, Q. Anything else?"
"Yeah. Back to Mazie. He's a jerk."
Queenie often made judgments like that. "Oh? What did he do?"
"He's bein' very persistent about the easement. I told him to back off and wait 'till you got back, but the asshole won't let up." She paused.
"What is it?"
"Well, I sort of got in his face—I was havin' a rotten day. He actually threatened me."
Alarm bells went off in Ace's mind. He'd
give that guy a big black eye if he hurt Queenie. "How'd he threaten you?"
"He said I should mind my manners or he'd take me over his knee! Can you believe it?"
"Q..."
"What a toad!"
"Q, Dad used to spank Mama sometimes."
"Yeah, well. That was Mama. I'm not her."
"Hmm. No, you're not, but I’d hardly say the man was makin' a mortal threat. It's not like you've never been spanked before."
"Not since Mama died twenty years ago! I shoulda known you'd take the man's side."
Ace frowned, though his sister couldn't see it. From the tone of her voice, she probably did deserve a spanking. Queenie had a mouth on her. "You can be mighty exasperatin' at times, Q."
"You should talk. When are you comin' home?"
"I'm scheduled to leave tomorrow afternoon."
"How's the bagel business?"
"I don't think it's gonna go the eight seconds."
She chucked. "You can't resist the bull ridin' parlance. Once a rider, always a rider."
Right about now, he'd rather be riding a 2,000 pound bull.
"Are there weevils in the bagel flour or somethin'?
He chuckled. "No, nothin' like that. It's a clean place and their product seems okay. But their management is shifty. I'm gonna meet with their CFO this mornin' and talk about their financin' and then meet with the CEO this afternoon to tie the flappin' parts down. I'll know by then."
"Better you'n me, big brother."
"Yeah, well...I need to get saddled up and outta here, sis. Try to hang on for another couple'a days."
"I'll be here for a few more weeks, even after you get back. The goddamned band is on a summer hiatus."
"Meanin' that your guitar player is bein' an ass again."
"Pretty much. I'll see you when you get home. Love you, cowboy."
"Love you, too, Q."
* * *
Gabby pressed the disconnect button on her phone, then sat there looking at the device for a few minutes. She'd done it. She'd given her agent permission to find her nude modeling gigs. The woman had been thrilled, saying that she knew the exact job for her and it could start quite soon. Gabby's stomach churned and she had an impulse to put on her thickest clothes and a giant coat, covering herself to the eyeballs. But, of course, that wouldn't make her feel less exposed.
Her mother's recliner groaned from the other room as Gabby sat in her bedroom. It was for her mother. The whole thing was for a good cause. She couldn't let her mother suffer if she could do something about it. Modeling had been her ticket thus far, and it would continue to be for another few years. After that...well, she'd deal with after when she had to. With a little luck, she'd get some decent jobs as a model and make enough money to support them while she went to college or got a vocational certificate. Gabby reminded herself to keep the big picture in mind.
Still, she wondered how it was going to feel, being naked in front of a camera. Would the lights be hot on her breasts, or would the room be cold? Was she supposed to walk around the set nude as a hairless cat, or would they let her put her clothes on between sessions? The answers would come out once she started down that path.
Ace would totally disapprove of the idea.
Gabby straightened her shoulders. Ace had no say in the matter. He'd be going back to Texas the next day, at least a day before her first nude shoot. He didn't have to know about the plan. No one but her agent had to know. Her mother would think Gabby was doing her usual modeling jobs, and she'd never see any of the nude shots, so there was no chance of discovery.
It was going to be okay.
And, in the meantime, she had one more night with Ace, and she planned to make the most of it. They were going to her favorite Italian restaurant, Conti Brothers, where they knew her and would treat them well. Maybe Ace would take her back to his hotel and keep her busy for a few hours. The experience would be over too soon, but she was determined to ignore the end and focus on the present.
The young medical aide showed up a few hours later, and Gabby let her in with a smile, introducing her to her mother.
Her mother was polite, and seemed to accept having a stranger help her for a few hours.
"I wrote a medicine schedule for you, Colette." She showed her the paper. "If she complains of pain and it's not time for her medicine, you can massage her with this camphor stuff."
"Got it."
Gabby liked the intelligent look in the woman's eyes. Even though she was beholden to Ace for finding the service and having them call, it looked like it was going to work out. Relief about her mother's care had lightened her responsibilities for one evening at least. What she'd do when she had to go back to work, she didn't know. It was going to take several weeks of long photo shoots before she'd put together enough money to start paying for an aide all by herself.
One thing at a time.
Ace arrived exactly on schedule, and Gabby said her goodbyes and hurried out to meet him. His warm hug was a luxury. His kiss, a promise of more to come. He drove them to the restaurant, and took her hand as they left the car with the valet.
As they sat waiting for their main entrees to be served, they chatted about their days. Gabby carefully sidestepped any mention of nudity as she talked about possible new opportunities coming up.
"Soon, huh?"
She nodded. "Possibly. My agent said there's a hot prospect. We'll see."
"I know you need the money, sweetheart." He held her hand and rubbed her fingers. "I know it's a burr under your saddle blanket, but your mama mentioned bill collectors the other day. Are you in financial straits?"
Gabby withdrew her hand and put it in her lap, frowning down at the tablecloth. "She shouldn't have said anything. It's nothing I can't handle."
Ace leaned back in his chair, and Gabby could sense his eyes boring a hole in her forehead. "It's not urgent? You're not going to have anything repossessed or like that?"
"No. Gosh no. We have a little credit card debt." The chair she sat in was uncomfortable. She wanted to squirm under his scrutiny. "I don't want to talk about it."
"How much debt?"
"Ace," she hissed, trying to keep her voice down. "I said I don't want to talk about it. I can handle this."
"Alright. You come to me if you get in a tight spot, Gabby."
"Sure. Sure." Maybe she could change the subject. She started asking him about the bagel business and he left the bill collector issue alone. He didn't seem like the kind of person who would let it lie forever, though.
Gabby suggested a walk after dinner, and Ace was amenable to the idea, though he questioned her about Central Park when she recommended that as their destination.
"Isn't it a dangerous place after dark?"
"Not so much anymore," she told him. "Crime in the city is much less than it was."
"You're sure?"
She nodded. "And there are lighted paths. It should be fine."
Ace considered that for a moment, but agreed.
A few minutes later, they were walking in the park. The summer night was warm, but Ace appeared comfortable in his well-tailored suit. Gabby was glad she'd opted for a summer-weight dress, but her feet were going to kill her the next day. She pushed that consideration away and reminded herself to concentrate on the present. Tomorrow be damned.
A solitary loon called out as they walked by the Central Park Zoo, but they soon left it behind. The paths were well lit, but no one was about, despite the mild night.
As they neared East Drive, not far from the pond, they heard a scuffle in the bushes. Maybe it was a dog trapping a rabbit. Ace went on high-alert, making sure she was on his left side, leaving his stronger right side open.
"I'm sure it's nothing."
He listened intently. "I don't like it. It sounds like people."
She giggled. "Maybe a couple ducked into the bushes to—"
There was a groan and more thrashing about. A man's voice said, "Please, no!" The plea was followed by a grunt and a moan.
A sick wave of fear washed over her.
"Ace..."
"I know, li'l girl." He led her under the light stand nearby. "I'm gonna check into it."
More scuffling noises and groans, and a reedy cry. "Ace, I'm scared. Let's go."
"I can't leave if someone's gettin' hurt. Stay here under this light."
"I have pepper spray, do you want it?"
"No. You keep your hand on it though." He reached into his boot and withdrew a black-bladed knife.
"Don't go, Ace. Don't."
"I have to. Somebody could be gettin' killed in there."
Dread wrapped a gray hand around her heart as she watched Ace slowly move into the bushes. She sent a silent prayer skyward.
"Hey! That’s enough of that! Back off!"
It was Ace's voice, raised in warning. Someone cursed and there was more scuffling. It sounded like fists thudding into flesh for a moment, with attendant grunts.
Maybe Ace was in trouble. Maybe the knife wasn't enough. Maybe he needed her pepper spray. She might be able to help him. Gabby climbed into the shrubbery, following the sounds and silently cursing her flimsy sandals.
Not far in, she came to a small clear patch, where tall trees kept out most of the moonlight. There was a person on the ground, and Ace was bending over him. Footsteps ran away through bushes across the clearing, and a man with a watchcap was scrambling to his feet. He soon ran away, limping slightly.
That left Ace, Gabby and the fallen man alone.
"Ace?"
His voice was harsh when he answered her. "What the Sam Hill are you doin' here, Gabby? I told you to stay under the light!"
She came a little closer. "I thought maybe you needed help."
He growled. "You have got to learn to mind me, woman."
"I'm sorry." She was near where Ace was kneeling. "What happened?"
Ace prodded the fallen man, and elicited a groan. "Some young thugs—three of them—were muggin' this homeless guy. He's hurt, but I think he's comin' 'round."
"We should go. They might come back."
He gave her a scathing look. "And leave him here? What kind of man do you think I am?"
She realized she was being selfish and cowardly, but she was shivering with fear. It would have been out of character for Ace to desert a wounded man, no matter the danger. She wouldn't have respected him had he done that. Gabby straightened her shoulders and took a deep breath. "You're right. How can I help?"
Ace-High Flush Page 5