The Sweet Life

by Dakota Star

  “They’re usually a lot less exciting.” His deep laugh was musical and masculine all at once. “You handled the weather and the fall well.”

  “I’m a team player.” She pushed a strand of brown hair away from her bright, henna-colored eyes.

  “I’m glad to hear your spill didn’t turn you off riding. It can do that to some people.”

  “I’m tougher than I look.” Her friend sat tall.

  “I’m sure you are.” He turned to Alexis and their eyes met. “Any of you girls up for a dance?”

  “I don’t know how to line dance,” she said.

  “That’s okay. We can do it the traditional way.” With a wink, he grabbed her hand, whisking her off to the small, overcrowded dance floor.

  Brad Paisley’s slow ballad “She’s Everything” came on. Mitch’s hand was warm on her back as he guided her close. With her other hand in his, they fell into the rhythm of the song. Alexis leaned into him, her head resting against his solid chest. His body radiated warmth and his words tickled her ear.

  “You are so beautiful. And I really am sorry. I was more mad at my dad than I was at you. Well, I was a little angry at you. Today really put everything in perspective.”

  She blushed in the murky darkness of the dance floor, warmth rising to her face. “You’re outrageous, and I’m not beautiful,” she said. “But I forgive you. I got a little too upset.”

  “Are you one of those people who can’t take a compliment?” He didn’t give her time to answer. “I just tell it like it is.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Absolutely.” His chin pressed against the top of her head and she could feel his smile.

  “Is there anything else you want to tell me since you are being so open and honest right now?”

  “You’re soft and warm, and I’d love to run my hands all over your body,” he said.

  “Too honest,” she said, but laughed.

  He pulled her closer and they were quiet until the end of the song. When people started line dancing again, they headed back to their table, only to find Jo Jo and Nicole gone.

  Mitch ordered beers from the bartender. She took a sip and time faded away after they drank another round.

  “What about you?” The warm, slightly foggy feeling of being buzzed gave her the courage to ask questions she wouldn’t normally ask so quickly. She might be a killer in the conference room, but she had many personal boundaries. “How’d you end up here rather than some desk job in New York City? Give me the real story.”

  “Typical privileged white boy in high school. Did well enough, but not a superstar in school or sports.” He shrugged away the memories. “The only thing I knew for sure was that I didn’t want to be a physician like my dad. The crazy hours, the stories I heard growing up, his divorce from my mom. Finance seemed safe, and I always liked numbers.”

  “Why’d you come back here? Boston is such a great city.”

  “I guess I’m just a country boy at heart. My father originally worked in Texas. I lived there until I was nine. My mother is still there.”

  “Are you close?”

  He shrugged. “She’s remarried. Has new children with her new husband. I’m a reminder of a distant past.” His upfront honesty made her uncomfortable.

  “I don’t hear a drawl.”

  “I worked hard to lose it when we came north. Had to fit in and all. Listen, I can only take so much talking. Staring at you has other thoughts completely occupying my mind.” He grabbed both of her hands to drag her off the seat. “Let’s go find a place to make out.”

  She should have stopped him, planted her feet and said no, but instead, she followed him through the lounge and around the indoor pool still full of children and sleepy parents. They headed outside into the darkness.

  “Where are we going?” Alexis couldn’t keep up with his quick pace. “I can’t see the path anymore it’s so dark.”

  He grabbed her elbow and pulled her into his warmth. “Not too far. Just a few minutes more.”

  She heard it before she saw it. The river sounded like the echo of the wind as it raced around rocks and branches. “We aren’t going skinny dipping, are we?”

  “Do you want to?”

  A laugh bubbled over. “No. At least not tonight.”

  “The images that are swimming in my head. You shouldn’t talk about getting naked with me.”

  “Let’s just sit.”

  “If we must.” Mitch led her to a large rock. Hands grasped her sides and she was propelled upward. He jumped up next to her. “I’m sorry I got so mad. It’s not always easy here on the ranch.” The heat from his body leaked into the night air.

  Alexis moved closer to catch it. “I guess we’re both a little hotheaded.”

  “Full of fire.” He played with a strand of her hair. “Sparring with you isn’t all bad.” His other hand pulled her closer, and then their lips met. A new conversation started, one without words. She sank into him, her hands hypnotized by the rock solid muscles under his shirt. His soft and tender kisses soon changed, his mouth demanding more from her. The quiet trickle of water faded behind the pounding of her heart.

  Time deserted her, and she was shocked when he broke the connection between them.

  “Listen.” His voice was deep and ragged. His hand stayed on the nape of her neck. “Why don’t you come back up next week and meet my father. We can have a sit down and discuss all the marketing plans.”

  Thoughts were slow to form. “Really?” This was what was on his mind! She had to shake away the feeling of his lips. “I don’t know.” The words came out as a stutter. “My company doesn’t work that way. I don’t want to go behind my boss, Jake Peterson.”

  “I swear it will be fine. Dad will arrange it all.”

  She shrugged, doubtful. “If you think it would help.”

  “It will, but not as much as you moving closer.” He pulled her into his chest. Mitch’s hand was under her shirt, his fingers tracing the underside of her bra. Then, the rough callous on his thumb played against the soft fabric, tracing the curve of her skin. When he moved it over her nipple, Alexis’s body responded on its own as she leaned into his hand. His warm palm massaged her breast. Her body shuddered, heart pounding. Alexis made a mental plea for Mitch not to stop, but couldn’t form the words.

  She trailed a hand from his chest to his stomach, her fingers tickling the button of his jeans, but when she began to unbutton them, Mitch’s hand caught hers.

  “Wait,” he said.

  “What? Did I do something wrong?”

  “No, you do everything right, but this isn’t how I want it to go. We’re outside sitting on a rock.”

  “So?”

  “It will not be comfortable. I’m all about getting back to nature, but believe me, you wouldn’t like this.”

  “Oh.” Alexis had never even been on a real camping trip. Other than the cabins at sleep away summer camp, she had a limited understanding of the natural world. “Let’s go somewhere else, then.”

  “After you meet Dad, and we get the whole dude ranch marketing thing squared away.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes.” He helped her down from the rock, and walked her to cabin three. Alexis loved his moral code, but the evening left her with an emptiness she had never felt before. One she wanted to fill with Mitch.

  ***

  The scratchy linens and the rooster crowing outside reminded Alexis it was time to head back to the city, and she wanted to leave without seeing her cowboy. After returning to her room last night and not being able to sleep, she realized how wrong it had been to agree to meet with his dad. But those lips. She’d do anything to kiss those lips again, and Alexis wasn’t a person who normally lost control. The entire situation made her mad. She just wanted to get back to the city and her routine.

  She showered, dressed, and purposely arrived late at breakfast. She grabbed a bagel before heading to their table, happy to see that her friends’ plates were empty.

 
; “Let’s go.” The red of her hair matched the color seeping into her cheeks.

  “What’s the rush?” Nicole asked.

  “Just ready to get back to the city.” She picked at the bagel but wasn’t hungry.

  “Didn’t go as expected with the cowboy?” Jo Jo asked, her coffee with extra cream eyes wide with interest.

  “Drop it.” Alexis pushed red curls out of her cloud-covered blue eyes, wishing for a hair straightener. “Please, can we leave?”

  “Tsk. Tsk.” Nicole watched her friend but said nothing more. After finishing breakfast, they picked up their luggage, paid the bill, and departed. They drove back through Main Street, and Alexis was happy to be banished to the backseat again. She contemplated what to do next.

  “Want to talk about it?” Jo Jo asked.

  “Do we have to have this conversation now?” She had to raise her voice to be heard up front. “We just started our trip back to the city.”

  “It’s up to you. Just trying to help.” Her friend peeked at her from the front passenger seat.

  “I guess we can.” To gather her thoughts, she stalled, dragging her hair into a messy red bun on the top of her head. “It’s just that you had such a great time. I don’t want to ruin it with my drama.”

  “Drama away. It will make the ride back more interesting.” Nicole peeked through the rearview mirror before focusing on the road ahead of her. “Nothing fun happened with our cowboys, so you have the only interesting story to tell.”

  “I think I messed up big time. Mitch is the owner’s son and I…we kind of got together last night.”

  “Duh,” Nicole said. “We all knew that was going to happen.”

  A blush rose to Alexis’s cheeks. “I don’t know what I was thinking. How am I going to explain this at work?” She turned her face to the window, watching a field filled with cows flash by as the car sped down Interstate 84.

  “You did the deed?” Jo Jo slammed herself around to face the backseat.

  “No, but I really wanted to.” Alexis had to admit the fact to herself just as much as to her friends.

  “Why would you say anything at work?” Jo Jo’s brow furrowed.

  “What if Mitch says something? What if it gets back to my boss? I should say something first.”

  “I’m sure he wouldn’t do that,” Jo Jo said. “And if he does, Nicole can sue him.”

  Alexis smiled for the first time that day. “Thanks. That’s not the worst of it though.”

  “Well?” Nicole persisted, glancing into the rearview mirror as she drove.

  “I said I’d meet his dad.” Alexis dropped her head into her open palms.

  “No.” Jo Jo was still facing backward, her open mouth comical.

  “Does that mean there’s a possibility that this thing could be more than a weekend fling?”

  “We had a great time. Let’s leave it at that.” She couldn’t realistically imagine the possibility of more. Her body might want him, but her soul was made for the city.

  “Seriously?” Jo Jo stared at Alexis. “You’re going to let that fine piece of man just leave? Not even try for one night? I saw what was going on between the two of you.”

  “Maybe his kisses weren’t as good as we all dreamed they would be?” Nicole waited for a response.

  Alexis stayed silent until the pressure in the car made it hard to inhale. “Fine, you want details. Here are the details. It was great. Amazing. Better than I thought possible.” She crossed her arms, hoping the gesture would end the conversation.

  “I hear a ‘but’ in there somewhere,” Nicole said, eyes still on the road.

  Her friends wouldn’t give up until she told all. “But it was just chemistry. We’re two very different people living very different lifestyles. There’s no way it would work. He’d never come to the city, and I’m most definitely not a country girl. I need to give up the account. I can’t be a cowgirl or sell it to others while feeling guilty about what I did. Plus, this way, I won’t have to see Mitch again. No more dude ranching for me.”

  “Never say never.” Jo Jo turned forward in her seat again.

  Chapter Six

  Alexis thought about Jo Jo’s words all week.

  She returned to work on Monday with a renewed focus to complete her sports drink campaign, and to meet with her boss to find someone to cover the dude ranch account. She’d already lost a weekend, and didn’t want to spend additional time thinking about Mitch.

  She wore her favorite dress, a true purple sheath, with neutral pumps and a David Yurman cuff bracelet that an ex had given her. She scheduled a meeting with her boss for noon, and promptly fell into her routine. Work soothed her. She was competent, more than competent. She excelled at matching clients, consumers, and products and creating marketing campaigns around them.

  Two hours later, back sore from answering emails and staring at the computer screen, Alexis cracked her neck and rubbed her shoulder before she stood. She had twenty-five minutes before the meeting and she needed some fuel.

  Alexis took the long hike to the empty breakroom. With so many dining options in the vicinity and the pleasant weather, the windowless, unappealing square room with a fridge, microwave, and Keurig would likely remain empty all day. She’d venture upstairs to eat with Nicole and Jo Jo. At least their breakroom had windows.

  The aroma of coffee beans and the splatter of dark liquid into her favorite Boston Terrier mug renewed Alexis’s spirits. She’d file the weekend away as a spring fling and not have to revisit it after her meeting.

  When the door swung open behind her, she smiled and turned, until she saw Nate.

  “Hi there, pretty woman.” His eyes moved down her body.

  Alexis wanted to turn away, but she didn’t. “Hey.” The words rang flat. Her coffee ready, she pulled the mug from the machine and headed for the door. The only problem, Nate blocked her exit.

  He leaned against the door in his navy blue suit jacket and red tie. He looked like a young Donald Trump impersonator with a tailored suit perfectly contouring his six-foot frame, excessive blond hair parted to the side, and orange spray tan. “I’m sorry about the other night. I realize I might have come on a little too strong.”

  She knew he didn’t mean it, but played along. “It was late. I’m sure you were just overtired and not thinking straight.”

  “Right. But listen.” He shifted his weight against the door so that there was no way Alexis could leave without coming into contact with him. “I realized that women like you are all about the game. Making it look legit, taking it slow for show.”

  What is this idiot talking about? A single eyebrow quirked in astonishment. At the same time, her lips pursed in confusion. “What are you saying?”

  “I’m saying if you need me to wine and dine you, I will. I think you’d be worth it.”

  “No!” She started toward the door. “Move, or this coffee will be all over your suit.”

  He laughed. He actually laughed in her face.

  But he didn’t budge. “Now you’re just getting me pissed. Stop being such a tease.”

  Alexis marched closer. “Move.” She held her coffee in front of her. It steamed.

  Nate grabbed her hand with one of his, securing her wrist. Coffee sloshed over the rim. Alexis’s teeth clenched. “You’re hurting me.”

  “And you’re threatening to throw hot coffee on me.” He took the mug from her hand with his free one and stretched to place it on the counter. “I love a little foreplay, but enough is enough.”

  Sparks erupted in front of Alexis’s eyes. She wasn’t sure if they were from anger or fear, but the adrenaline that coursed through her gave her enough strength to pull away.

  “You want to leave.” He returned to his guard position at the door. “I need a kiss.”

  It was Alexis’s turn to laugh in his face. Would slapping him get me in trouble?

  “I insist.” He leaned back, crossing his arms. “I have all the time in the world.”

  Alexis checked
the clock on the wall. Almost noon. “Fine.” She moved closer, thinking she could block his kiss with her hand, but as soon as she moved closer, he pulled her into him and mashed their lips together. She kept her lips shut tight even as he tried to stick his tongue in her mouth. She couldn’t help but feel his erection press against her stomach. Alexis pushed him away with both of her hands. Caught off guard, Nate floundered to the side long enough for Alexis to break free.

  Shaking, she walked out the door and back to her desk. She wanted to go to the bathroom, but feared being alone. Her office was public, very public. Nate wouldn’t try anything there. Alexis felt ashamed and violated. How’d she just let that happen? He had to know what he was doing, right? Jesus, it was 2018. Sexual harassment like this didn’t happen anymore.

  Back in her office, she canceled her meeting with her boss. There was no way she was giving up the dude ranch campaign when in all likelihood it would end up on Nate’s desk. She also made an appointment with Human Resources for the next day. She had to work three times as hard just to get credit for the bare minimum the men at the firm did on a normal day, and on top of that, she had to deal with Nate’s shit.

  ***

  After her meeting with Human Resources, where they promised “to look into the incident,” Alexis vented by putting all her energy into crafting the initial dude ranch presentation that she’d pitch to her boss next week. A small dose of panic coursed through her. The pressure to do right by her client and her boss meant working an abundance of late nights. Her week was spent crafting a campaign around four simple words that would change the fate of Sweet Life.

  She also couldn’t believe she was headed back to Sweet Life. When her boss came into her office on Wednesday and told her about the Friday meeting with Mitch’s father, she wasn’t sure if she should be terrified or ecstatic. At least Mitch remained true to his word.

  When Friday rolled around, Alexis found herself walking into the dude ranch dining hall before the dinner rush.