by Helena Ray
“I remember. You think this is the one?”
“We’ll never know if we never try.”
Jeremiah finished his Scotch and looked out the window in the direction of the Lasso. It had been a while since he’d been out there. He could take off early today and run home to change. These wool suits were getting on his nerves, anyway. The idea of throwing on a T-shirt and jeans and letting his wavy brown hair do whatever it pleased sounded quite appealing.
“Okay, man. I’m in. I’ll make it out tonight, but you gotta get the fuck away from me so I can get some work done.”
* * * *
Alexis stretched out in the soft cotton sheets of the king-sized bed. She rolled her head against the down pillow and inhaled the sweet scent of chamomile. Her worries about Tristan sending her to a sketchy sex hotel proved totally unfounded. The address had directed her to a tall building in downtown Male Order filled with luxury apartments. When she informed the desk clerk that she was a friend of Tristan’s, he had directed her to a commodious apartment furnished to the nines. It had a flat screen TV, a large kitchen with new appliances and granite countertops, and a gigantic bed piled high with down pillows and duvets.
Now, she rolled around in that bed, reluctant to leave but excited about the new day. Tristan wanted to see her! Tonight! Even though she had no idea what she could do in Male Order, the prospect of seeing Tristan again made a long stay in this town seem very necessary. After discovering a basket of breakfast foods waiting for her in the kitchen and devouring a bowl of cereal, Alexis dressed and headed out. Downtown Male Order seemed walkable, so she decided to stroll the streets and see what she could find. The town was beautiful, with old buildings lining the streets and large trees providing periodic respites of shade and greenery.
Something about Male Order struck Alexis as a little off. She saw very few women as she walked the blocks of downtown, and the women she saw were usually surrounded by flocks of men. Alexis wanted to know what was in the water here. All the men were strikingly handsome, the picture of sophistication and delightful Southern grace. While staring at some particularly attractive twins walking into an office building, she ran smack into someone.
“Well, if it isn’t Male Order’s newest arrival!” Janet Willis offered her arm to help Alexis regain her balance. Her spirits lifted as the older woman gave her a tight hug. This was what Alexis had missed about small towns, the ability to see a friend no matter where she went. “You enjoy your first night here, sweetie?”
Alexis felt the heat of a blush staining her cheeks.
“Very much so.”
“Well, I’d imagine. You and Tristan sure looked eager to get outta there.”
She felt even more heat run to her cheeks and face.
“Oh, honey, you have to give me all the details.” Janet gestured toward the building a few doors down from where they stood. Alexis had been so busy appreciating the male beauty on display she had missed the elegant storefront. “I’m just about to go grab a coffee and do some shopping at Jacqueline’s. How about you come with?”
Alexis enthusiastically agreed, and the two women headed toward the store. Alexis’s jaw dropped as they entered a cavernous space, every surface covered in black marble. Elegant women dressed in black crisscrossed in front of her, offering makeup and perfume samples and carrying black garment bags.
“Male Order ain’t what you expected from a small town.”
“No.” Alexis shook her head in amazement. “Not at all.”
“Wait until you see the cafe.” Janet headed to the left and indicated for Alexis to follow. They rushed down a half-flight of marble stairs into a small alcove warmly lit with leather wing-backed chairs arranged in several groups of three or four. A casually but richly dressed man hurried up to them, and Janet ordered two lattes. As the waiter scurried off to some hidden espresso machine, Janet motioned toward a group of three chairs. Alexis took a seat, curling her legs beneath her and reveling in the comfort of the soft leather chair.
“I have to ask. What is it with this place?”
“You mean you don’t know?” Apparently, everyone in this town expected its reputation to have preceded it.
“I really don’t.”
Janet shook her head and laughed. “Well, it’s a little much to explain to you so quickly after arriving in town, but I will tell you a few things.”
Alexis inclined toward Janet, instantly eager to hear about the mystery of this town.
“The whole place was founded by five very wealthy families, the heirs of which are still kicking around these parts. Their rich buddies attracted more rich buddies, and soon the town was booming with millionaires and billionaires. They built this whole crazy town, and people like you and me can live pretty well off their riches.”
The waiter interrupted Janet’s tale and delivered their coffees. She thanked him with a soft smile and instructed him to put it on the Fairchild tab.
“I don’t want to live off anyone else’s wealth.” Alexis was suddenly slightly offended by this woman.
“Oh, honey, no, that’s not what I mean. What I mean is that Male Order is a great town that cares about its residents, wealthy or not. And I must admit, some of us get lucky and find a billionaire we can fall in love with.” Janet narrowed her focus on Alexis. “You and Tristan seemed to be getting along pretty well last night.”
Alexis furrowed her brow in confusion. “Well, Tristan’s hardly a billionaire. He works on an oil rig.”
“You mean you…”
“What?”
“Oh, nothing.” Janet quickly changed the subject.
“Anyway, it’s a pretty strange lifestyle living here, and if you stick around for more than a day or so, you’ll see exactly how strange.”
“Strange?”
“Don’t you worry your pretty little head ’bout that, Miss Alexis. You just keep on keepin’ on. Are you coming to the Lasso tonight? Friday nights are always a hoot. And you know, Tristan might be there.”
She couldn’t help but smile at the mention of his name. “Yeah, he told me.”
“Well, I’ll be damned. That must be a first.” Janet gulped the rest of her coffee and rose to her feet. “I gotta get myself a fancy dress for a charity gala, but you just stay here and feel free to order anything on my tab. I’ll see you tonight?”
“Definitely.”
Janet paused and cocked her head at Alexis. “I think Male Order suits you.”
With that, she took her leave and disappeared into the expanse of Jacqueline’s.
Alexis snuggled into the chair and inhaled the sweet aroma of her coffee, and then panic suddenly clenched in her chest.
What exactly did Janet mean by “that must be a first”? First what?
Chapter 3
This time, when Alexis entered the Twirling Lasso, she wasn’t quite so scared. She waved to Janet and Winston, who were chatting with Max at the bar. Even though it was only eight o’ clock, the dance hall was already packed, and Alexis didn’t think finding a table was possible. That didn’t matter, though, she decided. She’d rather dance than sit down any day of the week. When she positioned herself strategically between the bar and the dance floor, she allowed herself to dwell on her real purpose here.
Tristan was staying in the apartment attached to this very building, and her heart did a little back flip at his probable proximity. He had to come into the dance hall on a Friday night, right? Her confidence level dropped a little at the thought that she might have gotten a room in Male Order in vain. Tristan was not only better looking than any man she had ever met, he had a rugged charm. It was a combination deadly to the world’s female population.
Alexis looked down and contemplated her newly purchased boots. Stupid, she thought. What a stupid, girly move. She’d gone back to a guy’s house and what? She expected him to be her boyfriend? She didn’t even live here, and she’d already gotten carried away.
“Fancy meeting you here.”
Alexis’s head s
hot up, and she felt a silly grin spread across her face at the sight of the object of her affections. Tristan placed one hand on the wall behind Alexis and leaned toward her.
“I just had to come back for some more two-step. You have a quite a nice little place here in Male Order.”
Tristan chuckled at her comment. “You don’t know the half of it.” He placed his hand on her elbow and began to wrap her arm around his. “Give me another dance, little lady?”
Alexis wiggled toward Tristan, giving him an unspoken signal that she was ready for another dance and a lot more.
When he took her in his arms, he left no space between them, and Alexis felt the denim-clad bulge that meant he, too, remembered their little dalliance the night before. He moved her around the dance floor to a slow song, and his hand occasionally slipped a little lower than was necessary for a dance hold.
Alexis’s limbs still wouldn’t obey, making her feel like a stiff doll being carried through a sea of people. Tristan didn’t seem to mind, though, coaching her through the dance and even letting her lead a little.
After their dance, Tristan led Alexis to a table of his friends from the drilling site he worked on in East Texas. All the men paid Alexis compliments, but she noticed that Tristan sent glares to the men and the extent of their praise suddenly lessened.
The men swapped stories about life on the job, and Alexis felt an odd sort of arousal overtake her when she heard of Tristan’s sometimes harrowing deeds.
“What do you expect from our little snot-nosed foreman, though?” one of the men teased after Tristan bashfully waved away another story of his work on the rig.
The other men took no time in joining in.
“Yeah, he only does these things between tea parties and his ladies’ luncheons.”
“Or shopping. You know he needs his pants fitted.” The table erupted in laughter, but Alexis only looked up at Tristan in confusion. His face was set in an angry stare that quickly silenced the other men’s laughter.
“You keep this shit up and I’ll have your asses out on the Gulf for a year.” Tristan’s tone suggested he was not joking. He put an arm around Alexis and pulled her close to whisper in her ear. “You wanna get out of here? Because I don’t want anything more than you on my bed with your legs wide open, letting me taste that sweet cunt of yours again.”
Wet juices spilled into Alexis’s jeans at the illicit words he whispered in her ears. She tentatively moved a hand onto his thigh, and he took her hand in his, jerking her to her feet as he stood up.
“Okay, guys, I gotta take care of some business for Jeremiah. Don’t burn the place down, got it?” There was a soft laugh at his comment that died out quickly. Tristan pulled Alexis toward the exit, and she barely got in a nod toward Max before he had her out the door.
Tristan didn’t stop to kiss her passionately against the side of the bar this time, just hurried to the entrance to the apartment, dragging Alexis behind him. He fumbled with the keys, muttering curses under his breath as he searched for the right one. Once he found it, he forced the door open, putting an arm around Alexis’s waist and pulling her in after him. Dizzy from the suddenness of the action, she didn’t know what was going on as the ground slipped from under her feet. Tristan held her over one shoulder as he stormed across the apartment. His rough handling of her made her pussy convulse in excitement, more than ready for another round of what she had last night. Another door slammed open behind Alexis, and she glanced over her shoulder to see a sparsely decorated bedroom.
The mattress was hard as she landed on it, knocking her breath out of her lungs. There was no time to recover, though, because Tristan’s hands were already on the waistband of her pants, jerking them off with her panties in one smooth motion. He plunged two fingers into her cunt, and Alexis felt an orgasm already building inside of her. She pumped against his hand in earnest, hoping for that release sooner rather than later. Tristan busied one of his hands with removing Alexis’s shirt and bra while the other kept up the furious rhythm of his finger-fucking. His mouth clamped on her breast, and Alexis couldn’t stand it a second more. She screamed as the release broke over her, her pussy convulsing in excitement and spilling her juices onto Tristan’s hand.
Before she could fully come down from her orgasm, Tristan had stripped himself and straddled her stomach. His erect cock bobbed in front of her, the purple head looking just as delicious as it had the night before. He inched closer to her, grasped his cock in his hand, and moved it toward her mouth.
“You wanna suck me tonight?” His voice was husky as he uttered his request.
Alexis didn’t bother to respond verbally, instead lifting her head to dart her tongue out over the tip of his head. Tristan caught the back of her head and pressed her further down on his cock. She widened her mouth, but his impressive girth still stretched her mouth. The stretching was an erotic sort of pain, and she felt her arousal reigniting as the head of his cock hit the back of her throat. She sucked hard, and he groaned as he pushed against her mouth.
“Baby, you keep doing that and I’m gonna come down your throat.”
The notion sounded delicious to Alexis, and she sucked harder and increased her pace, moving her head up and down so her lips glided smoothly over his shaft. More low sounds of pleasure emanated from Tristan’s chest and encouraged Alexis to continue. She couldn’t believe how wet sucking Tristan’s cock was getting her. She would definitely need some attention pretty soon. Alexis daringly reached to cup his balls.
“Holy shit!” Tristan cried and thrust harder into Alexis’s mouth. After a few more thrusts, a hot stream of liquid poured down the back of Alexis’s throat. It tasted like hot salt water, and she swallowed it eagerly, milking every drop of his explosion.
Alexis released her hold on Tristan, and he collapsed on the bed next to her.
“You’ve done that before, right?”
“Never.”
“Hot damn.” Tristan reached over Alexis and played with a nipple. “You have some serious natural talent then.” He twisted her nipple, and a soft whimper escaped from Alexis’s lips. “You do like when I play with your nipples.”
Tristan rolled to hold himself on top of her and brushed a kiss over her lips before moving lower. He captured a nipple in his mouth and nibbled softly on it, and his teeth sent sharp bolts of pain to her pussy. The pain melted into pleasure, and Alexis was amazed how much more of that she wanted.
“Harder.”
“What’s that, baby?” Tristan spoke with lips still around a nipple.
“Harder. Bite harder.”
He eagerly obliged, and the pain made Alexis’s pussy cream. Her hips shot upward, humping against Tristan’s chest. He switched nipples and landed a sharp bite on the other. Alexis screamed at the sudden pain, but her shriek turned to a moan as he dragged his tongue over her nipple, soothing the pain into a pulsing bliss that went coursing through her blood.
Tristan continued his downward descent, much to Alexis’s pleasure. His hand feathered over her mound, and the light touch sent shivers all over her body. He pressed against her thrumming clit, causing Alexis to push back against his hand.
“Do you want me to taste you?”
“Yes.”
“I can’t hear you.”
“Yes!” Alexis shouted at the top of her lungs, so tormented was her body by his seduction. “Please, Tristan, please.”
He licked along the seam of her pussy then delved in, darting into her entrance. He grazed his teeth against her clit, and he pushed a finger into her. That was all it took for Alexis to find the freedom of release. He kept pumping into her as she rode out the last of her orgasm with a few more thrusts of her hips.
When her breathing finally returned to a semblance of normality, Tristan pulled himself up to lie next to her.
“You’re really incredible, you know.”
“So are you.” Her words were barely a whisper.
“You just appear out of thin air and change everything. S
omebody back in Kansas must be missing you something fierce.”
Her eyes darted downward as she tried to avoid reliving the trauma of being stalked. “No one. No one is missing me.” A tear formed at the corner of her eye as the memories came flooding back to her.
Tristan wrapped his arms around her and held her against his chest. “Cry, baby. Just cry it out. I’m here for you.”
She was so embarrassed at her sobbing, but she had not yet given herself the privilege of talking about it since she’d left Kansas City. Convulsions racked her chest as her tears dampened Tristan’s chest. He ran a hand through her hair, a gesture Alexis appreciated.
She still cried but finally found the air to speak. “I kind of lied, Tristan. I didn’t leave Kansas City just because I wanted to start a new life. I mean, that was part of it, but…”
“What is it?”
“Well, you see…” She took a deep breath. Time to confess. “I told you about being a principal in the Kansas City Ballet.” Tristan nodded, indicating his recollection. “It was huge for me. I’ve worked my whole life to dance like that on such a large stage. It’s all I’ve ever wanted. It was like a dream at first, everyone fussing over me, photo shoots for the production program, dancing day in and day out. I danced two ballets in that dreamlike state.
“Then there was the third ballet. It was Romeo and Juliet, my favorite. I was dancing Juliet. The production got incredible reviews and was the biggest hit they’d had in years. But after the first week, I started getting strange phone calls and text messages, asking where I was, what I was doing, what I was wearing. At first, I thought it was nothing, but they got more frequent and more insistent. Then, one night…” Her convulsions forced her to stop speaking for a moment.
“Shh, you don’t have to talk about anything you don’t want to.”
“But I want to.” She closed her eyes and strengthened her resolve. “One night, a man appeared at the stage door before the ballet asking for me. I went out, but I didn’t recognize him, and he seemed a little sketchy. Then during the second act, he broke in. He had a gun, and he pushed past all the security. He ran out on the stage while I was dancing and grabbed me.” The sobs returned for a moment, but Alexis went on.