Ava was a spirited lady whose trim figure came from years of hard work on the ranch and whose fun loving disposition detracted from her age. Lily’s unwillingness to be a girlie girl was the bane of Ava's existence. The girl was like a daughter to her and she would have loved to have dressed her and fixed her hair and makeup and share secrets on boys and all the starry-eyed things most girls did.
At the age of twenty-seven, Lily was finally giving her a chance to transform her into the beautiful woman Ava knew her to be. She was told of Jared’s plan on finding a wife a few days ago and was so mad at her son for not being able to see right in front of his eyes and at Lily for participating. Ava heart’s desire had been to see the pair of them unite. Lily might not be aware of it yet but Ava was not about to let them make the biggest mistake of their lives. She was about to turn the innocent beauty into a hothouse flower and have her drive he stupid son mad. She had spoken to Bella two days ago and the two women had some plans in the works, there was a rousing response from the rest of the staff as well to participate in the downfall of the Jared and Lily.
The low-slung luxury car brought the women to an empty parking spot directly in front of Madame CeCe’s hair salon, although everyone knew that CeCe was actually Cindy Tanner. She was an outrageous forty something year old beautician that was born in the town of Perkins and who for that matter had never left the small fair town. Lily and Ava entered the bright and spacious shop and were greeted by an excited CeCe.
“Ava darling, it’s so good to see you.” Cece drawled in her thick fake French accent. “Who have you brought to see Madame CeCe?”
“This is Lily Lancaster, a very dear friend of mine. I need you to work some of your magic on her, but nothing to drastic you understand.” Ava warned CeCe, knowing her penchant for elaborate hairdos.
“Of course, of course, just a little tweaking. This child has beautiful hair; I would never try to interfere in near perfection. Well, not too much anyway.” She was busy turning Lily around in circles, stroking and touching the lustrous locks.
“Let’s get started shall we.” As she lead a nervous Lily away.
A few miles out of town on a sprawling ranch, paced an equally nervous man. Jared hadn’t seen Lily for almost a week; she had been dodging him successfully and had now gone missing, with his mother no less, which was always a sign of trouble. She had left him a schedule that would scare a pop star out on tour. He wanted to talk to her about a phone call he had gotten from a law firm in Dallas. They had called to inquire about the resume they received from her, and had left a number for her to call in order to set up an interview. What in the hell was going on? First the apartment and now this. Did she really think he would let her leave him and go to Dallas and live by herself? She needed him dammit, he had always taken care of her and protected her and he was damned if she was going anywhere until they explored what had happened with that kiss they had shared in her office.
That kiss had knocked him to his knees, almost literally. Where did she learn to kiss like that, he had never had a more intensely passionate kiss in his disreputable life and the thought of her sharing it with another man had him stomping down the hallway that lead to his office. Everything in the Maguire ranch belonged to him and somehow that had included Lily. Her blatant attempts to leave him and her home, made him want to instinctively tighten his hold on her.
The only problem with that was the slow realization that he possessed nothing that could hold her if she chose to go. She never cared about his money and was probably worth much more than he paid her, he couldn’t charm her the way he did with other women because she knew him far too well and knew almost everything there was to know about him. His only hope was the loyalty she had to him, and of course there was that kiss.
He closed the door behind him and sat at his desk in brooding silence, the thoughts of the next two weeks became a burden to carry and not the pleasurable endeavor he had imagined. Twenty women to meet, woo and kiss was not bad odd for a single man. He knew some of the women that were invited and was initially very encouraged by the prospect. He needed to get Lily out of his thoughts and was going to throw himself into the upcoming games. He forcibly stared at his desk and took care of the loose ends of business so that he would be available to the activities of the next two weeks.
He had plans, the same plans he had a few weeks ago and those were to find a woman, get married and have a house full of kids. There was a message waiting for him and he finally picked up his phone to retrieve it. It was from Lily whose soft voice told him she would be in tomorrow to overseer things, but to please not call because she needed some personal prep time. What the hell did that mean anyway? He hung up the phone and went back to work, determined to follow the plan.
Chapter 8
The sun shone brightly and the air smelled sweetly of cut grass and wildflowers. The staff at the Maguire Ranch had been up and active for several hours in anticipation of the arriving guests and there was still no sign of Lily. Jared had become short tempered and barked orders at any poor soul that happened to walk by; each prayed that Lily would appear to soothe the proverbial savage beast. At mid-morning Ava’s signature car pulled through the circular driveway, Jared came down the three short stairs to greet her and stopped in his tracks as a young woman stepped out of the passenger side, he hadn’t being expecting anyone so early and didn’t think his mother was bringing anyone.
The beautiful creature stared at him with gemstone green eyes and appeared to be waited on a response or some sign of recognition from him. When it finally happened a few long minutes later, Jared could do nothing but stare with his jaw hanging open. His mother walked over to him and used her index finger to push his jaw upward in an effort to close his mouth.
“Jared honey you have a little drool, just there.” She again reached up and patted the side of his mouth with a handkerchief. She had to stifle a laugh as she watched the exchange. He seemed to go from dumbfounded to angry in a split second.
“What have you done to yourself?” He ignored his mother completely and reached around the car to grab hold of Lily’s elbow, pulling her behind him as he went into the house. As they entered the foyer she tried to shake her arm free of the firm grip. He just tightened his fingers and kept walking until they reached his office where he close the door, blocking out all the curious stares and wagging tongues.
“Jared let go. You’re acting like a crazy man.” Lily tried to put up a brave front but was actually a little nervous. She had seen Jared mad before but never directed at her. He loomed largely in front of her and let go of her arm to stand directly in front of her, forcing her head to tilt at a sharp angle.
“Why are you so mad, all I did was get a haircut and some clothes? Your mother helped and she thinks it’s fabulous.” She looked at him with doubtful eyes.
“Is it horrible? She didn’t lie to me did she?” Lily mouth ran a mile a minute. She turned to go to a mirror but Jared stopped her again.
“No, it’s not horrible. If fact, you are probably the most beautiful woman I have ever seen and I am going to have a hard time getting any work done in the near future.” His voice was gruff and he had to clear his throat twice to finish the sentence. What the hell was going on?
Lily beamed up at him, completely unaware of the true effect she was having on Jared. He felt pole axed and was aware that his cock was rock hard, and he had only touched her elbow. He was long past the days where just the sight or touch of a woman could arouse him. He couldn’t believe that Lily was able to do this to him. He wanted to fuck her, just spread her over his desk and plunge into her wet pussy. Why now? If she was able to affect him this way he would have to have a talk with the ranch hands about the rules concerning her. Damn, this was a very unexpected turn of events and bad timing as well. She chose that moment to reach up and kiss him on the cheek, like she had done for years. If Jared had turned a few inches to the left his mouth would have covered hers and he would have been in heaven.
; “Thanks Jared that means a lot to me. I wouldn’t have wanted to embarrass you in front of those women. I have a few things to take care of but I’ll check on you soon to make sure you’re ready.” She turned around and left the room. Jared walked to the side bar and poured himself a large shot of bourbon and shuddered as it went down, he was never a big drinker but right at that moment he needed it more than he needed air. He needed his dick to lie down and stay down before he embarrassed himself.
Chapter 9
The evening was fast approaching and Lily was making a final walk through the premises to make sure all was ready. She had just made it back from her home where she had carefully gotten ready, copying the effects that the ladies at the salon had shown her. She was pleased with the results and hoped that Jared would be as well. All of the ladies had made it in earlier throughout the afternoon and been settling into their rooms. The dinner tonight was supposed to be the first time all the involved parties would get together, it promised to be very interesting. Lily went over the guest list and silently snickered over some of the names like Mitsi and Babs, were these names real and if they weren’t, why would they do that to themselves. The last thing left to check on was Jared.
She walked up the stairs and knocked softly on Jared’s bedroom door.
“Who is it?” he yelled through the oak door.
“It’s me, I mean Lily” she corrected herself. “Are you decent so I can come in?” She waited for him to answer and got a frustrated grunt instead.
“I need help with this damn tie; I think it’s trying to kill me.” He looked up as she approached him and his tongue felt glued to the roof of his mouth. She was simply stunning. Her hair had been cut to fall in natural waves down her back to her hips and shone so brightly it appeared silver. It only enhanced the figure hugging silver beaded dress she wore, strapless and almost non-existent in the back. It appeared to be held together by sheer will power and high rounded breasts. It’s length touching the floor with a slit far up her right thigh, exposing a perfectly shaped leg with every step.
She reached up to removed the offending strip of material and tried to repositioned it, which had her leaning on him from hip to breast with her arms around his neck.
She leaned in a little heavier than she normally would have, weakened at the knees by the very smell of him. Her eyes closed helplessly as the spicy tang of his aftershave and the warmth of his body invaded her senses and a soft groan slipped past her lips. Jared could contain his own desires but not responding to hers' was too much to handle. His arms came up to clench her in place where she lay against him and searched for her lips, they tasted faintly of bubble gum and then the potent taste of her sunk in.
They were being swallowed up fast by dizzying desires; all other sounds or thoughts were soon drowned out by thumping hearts and audible moans. He parted the softness of her full lips, rubbing the tip of his tongue along the inside of her lower lip and against the smoothness of her teeth. Her tongue chased his demanding further activity and his mouth sealed over her, their tongues stroked one over the other, building the fire higher.
His hands tangled in her hair, handfuls of the silky material clenched between his fingers, while hers stroked his neck and shoulders. The couple struggles to get closer as their lower bodies rubbed in an age-old rhythm. Jared pulled away suddenly as his fingers touched the bare skin of her lower back. She didn’t know when the short zipper had come undone and Jared gently but purposefully lowered the bodice of her dress.
His eyes burned feverishly behind his eyelids as he slid down her body, leaving a moist trail from her neck to her breasts. The pink-tipped fullness were engorged with arousal and he licked his way with a heated tongue from one to the other, finally settling down to suck strongly on her left breast. Finally the sound of laughter pierced his fogged brain and he lifted his head. He stared at her as she was draped over his arm and shook his head in disbelief. This was Lily for God’s sake, it was insane to react this way, as if his head would explode, but everything in him screamed to toss her on the bed and strip her bare. He could see her coming to her senses and the denial in her eyes.
“Lily,” he began hoarsely, “We have to talk about this, and it’s not accidental or funny anymore. I can’t seem to keep my hands off of you and you seem to be having the same trouble.”
She straightened up and stepped away from him as thought he was some dangerous animal that was bent on her destruction.
“I don’t know how, but we have to stop this now. The last thing I even remember is walking into this room, I don’t even know how long we’ve been in here, but you have twenty women downstairs that are looking at you as a prospective husband and I’m not one of them. We need to forget this happened and make sure it doesn’t happen again.” She sounded stronger as she finished her statement and finished adjusting her dress.
“Can you forget this Lily? We almost started a fire in here and that kind of heat doesn’t just disappear. I don’t think I will ever get the taste of you out of my head.”
“There is nothing else to do Jared. We need to go downstairs and greet your future wife. I’ll send Bella up to help you with your tie.” She left quickly and closed the door on a still aroused Jared.
Chapter 10
Ava paused midway up the stairwell as she saw Lily exit Jared room. She stared at the young woman and was both concerned and elated at the same time. Lily looked distraught and disheveled, her hair was roughly mused and her clothes needed straightening. It was obvious what had happened and she wondered when it had all started. She continued up the stairs and decided to see what he son thought of it.
“Jared it’s mom, open up.” She kept her voice light and cheerful. The door was pulled open a few seconds later. He looked no better than Lily had looked. She had never seen him quite so confused and frustrated.
“I came to see if you needed anything before you went downstairs but I saw Lily leave, so you must be ok.” He had used that time to pour himself a shot of bourbon and finished the expensive liquor in one swallow. She had hardly ever seen him drink and used it as an opportunity to question him.
“You look a little shaken son, is everything alright? Is tonight more than you expected?” she meant too much to deal with the party but she knew he was thinking of one woman in particular.
She moved to sit on the bed and watched as he finished getting ready. He look a brush to his hair and smoothed the ruffled locks into it’s perfectly order. He looked impeccable in everyway and she felt pride that her son had turned into wonderful man. She tried to keep an open mind and knew that although Jared was responsible and hardworking that he never had a problem in getting what he wanted whether it was with work or with women. He was too secure about what life had to offer and for the first time that she could remember he didn’t seem to know what to do with the problem at hand.
“I’ve met some of the ladies downstairs and they all seem very nice, beautiful too, there shouldn’t be a problem finding a woman you want to marry. Lily did a great job in choosing that group.” She laughed a little. “That girl sure knows the kind of women you favor, not an ugly one in the bunch.”
He turned to look at her, a serious expression in his eyes.
“Mom...” he paused as thought searching for the right words. “How do you feel about Lily?”
She kept eye contact with him when she answered.
“You know I love Lily, she’s a great girl; she’s smart and funny and quite beautiful. She’ll have no problem finding someone to love her when she goes to Dallas.”
“What are you talking about, Lily’s not going anywhere, and I wouldn’t let her.” His eyes gleamed angrily. “Did she say when this great move was going to happen?”
“I believe she will leave when she’s gotten you the wife you wanted. You don’t have to worry about her not knowing anyone. There are several young men downstairs, I believe they were cousins or brothers of a few of the girls, anyway several of them live in the Dallas area and had alrea
dy shown some interest in our little Lily. There is one fellow named Brian that’s talked to her several times this evening and has asked her out on a date for tomorrow evening.” She kept her voice in a very conversational manner but gleefully cheered on the inside at the growing anger in Jared, the vein in his forehead throbbed noticeably.
“Like hell he has. There are rules around here where Lily’s concerned. No one touches her.” He fairly growled the words.
“No one but you is what you meant; she’s not a baby chick Jared. Let the girl live a little and have some fun. She needs a little experience before she gets out into a bigger city, and Brian seems like a fine man. He’s also a stranger and doesn’t have to follow the rules that the ranch hands follow. He doesn’t know about the Lily rule.” She walked over to him and brushed a speck of lint from the jacket that sat squarely on his huge shoulders.
“Jared its curtain time and your audience awaits you but you might want to wipe off the lipstick before you go downstairs.” She winked at him as his hand went to his mouth and came away pink. Her laughter lingering in the air as she left.
Chapter 11
The music and conversation reached his ears as Jared stepped out of his room. His eyes scanned the crowd as he descended the stairs memorizing the layout and the flow of foot traffic, sharply aware of the staring eyes and quieting voices. This was his wish after all and it was being played out as he had directed, his eyes continued its search finally coming to a stop on Lily. Lily’s breathe caught in her throat as she stared at Jared, perfectly groomed and looking like he just stepped off the pages of a GC magazine. His tuxedo fit him beautifully, tailor made to cover his broad shoulders and long torso but no clothes could cover the raw sex appeal or confidence that flowed off him in waves, every woman was affected and Lily hated them all. Unreasonably jealousy clawed at her chest and she felt the urge to scream at them to leave her man alone, but he wasn’t her man and she stood still, waiting for him to speak.
Rules about Lily Page 3