Billion Dollar Cowboy

by Carolyn Brown

  “Oh, we thought he might have bought you.” Tootsie giggled at her own joke.

  “Honey, there ain’t enough money in the world for any man to buy me,” Laura said.

  Bunny giggled. “I like a good sense of humor. If a man did try to buy you, how much would it take?”

  “A hundred grand.” Laura smiled.

  “You work cheap.” Melanie laughed. “That wouldn’t support my shoe habit for a year.”

  “I’m low maintenance.”

  “Yeah, right. Anyone built like you can’t sell that brand of bullshit, darlin’. If he offers to buy you, hold out for a cool million, and that’s just to date you,” Karen said.

  “Well, thank you. I understand you are the one who has planned the day tomorrow. What are we doing?” Laura changed the subject.

  Karen picked up her bottle of beer and took a long draw. “We’re meeting right here at ten o’clock and getting drunk.”

  Tootsie air slapped Karen’s arm. “As good as that sounds, it’s not you. Now what are we doing?”

  Karen smiled. “We’re having a day of beauty. We’ll start at ten with a brunch here in the hotel. Then I’ve got a limo ordered to take us to a spa where we will be pampered and spoiled all day. Massages, hot oil baths, hair, and nails. We’ll get back here at five, only slightly tipsy but enough to get through that boring-as-the-devil dinner.”

  “And the dance?” Laura asked.

  “That’s the best part,” Tootsie said.

  “But there’s only what? Ten of us?”

  “Oh, no, there will be a couple of hundred at the dinner. We’ll have to sit at the head table with the husbands since they are the committee heads, but as soon as dinner is over and the band strikes up, we get to mingle and dance,” Tootsie answered. “At least this year we won’t have to steer clear of the stampede toward Colton.”

  Bunny almost snorted in her White Russian. “Karen, you best order a truckload of hankies brought in and set beside all the single women’s plates. There is going to be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

  Laura raised her shoulders in a semi-shrug and asked, “Do you think I should order some Kevlar?”

  “Wouldn’t hurt, darlin’. Wouldn’t hurt one bit. I can already tell you that Mindy Colbert is going to be the number one bitch you’ll have to contend with. She’s had her sights on Colton for a whole year.”

  “How much would he have had to pay for her?” Laura asked.

  Melanie laid a hand on Laura’s arm. “Honey, he couldn’t have bought her underpants for a hundred grand.”

  Laura leaned forward and whispered, “How much to get into her underpants?”

  Tootsie howled. “I like this girl. She’s one of us.”

  Bunny nodded in agreement. “Darlin’, Mindy’s underpants go to crawlin’ down around her ankles when she sees more than six zeros after a number. Poor old Colton did good to stay up there in the boondocks or she would have pushed him backwards and mounted him before he knew what happened. But she hates cows and hay and tractors, so as long as he stayed out of the city, he was in pretty good shape.”

  ***

  Colton listened to figures, facts, and the budget for the next year. With the donations and the dinner the next night, funds would let them give at least twenty more scholarships than they had the previous year. That was wonderful, but his mind kept sneaking out the door to the bar where he’d left Laura.

  It seemed like they’d been together forever and that it was real, not a sham. He wondered if she was doing all right out there with the rich hens. He felt bad about throwing her in the mix without sticking around to see that she got settled, but it couldn’t be helped.

  Willis closed his laptop. “That’s the end of the business. Everyone want a shot of whiskey to celebrate?”

  The other six committee members all nodded. A waiter who’d been keeping their water glasses filled loaded a tray with glasses, an ice bucket, and a crystal decanter of whiskey. He set a glass in front of Willis and poured until the man held up a hand. Then he proceeded around the table doing the same thing at each chair.

  Willis held up his glass. “To another good year.”

  They touched glasses and sipped the whiskey.

  “What’s on the agenda for tomorrow?” Colton asked.

  “Meeting right here at ten with the essay committee for this year’s entries. We’ll break for an hour at noon to eat and then listen to more essays. Y’all ever get tired of hearing why kids think they deserve our scholarships?”

  Colton shook his head.

  “Well, by the time you’ve heard fifty years’ worth of them, you will. Hey, I heard that you brought a girlfriend along this year. Congratulations. I got a text message from Bunny a few minutes ago that said that they all liked her. She must be special. Bunny don’t give out high praise to just anyone.”

  Colton smiled. “Thank you.”

  “Where’d you find her? Or did you finally slow down and get caught?”

  “Out in the panhandle. She’s an assistant to my financial advisor at the ranch. You’ve heard me speak about Andy.”

  “According to Bunny, she is pretty as a picture. And she works and she likes livin’ on a ranch? Boy, you’d better hang on to that one!”

  Colton chuckled. “Bunny tell you all that in a text message?”

  “She gets a little wordy when she’s had a couple of drinks.”

  “I got one big word of advice. Prenup!” Richard said.

  Colton raised his glass as if in agreement. It was crazy how easy it was to convince people that he and Laura really were together without saying hardly anything at all.

  “Smart man. First wife damn near wiped me out. I made Tootsie sign a prenup,” Richard said.

  “Yeah, but she made you sign one too, didn’t she?” Willis asked.

  Richard nodded.

  Willis stood up. “Well, I’m going to go to my room and get out of these boots. It’s going to be a long day tomorrow. See y’all at ten right here.”

  ***

  Laura stretched out in the Jacuzzi and let the warm water and jets work on her tense muscles. She’d made it through the first item on the agenda. If she had a gold sticky star she’d paste it on her forehead.

  The ladies damn sure didn’t act like rich women, but then Laura had never dealt with a billionaire before so she didn’t have a ruler to go by. These old gals were funny, sweet, and Karen even drank beer. They were all a far cry from Viola Cranston, the fussy rich woman who came into the greenhouse in her high heels, floppy hats, and dripping diamonds from every finger.

  The water finally grew lukewarm, so she reluctantly crawled out and wrapped a luxurious towel around her body. Roxie had worked hard on her fingernails, but two of them were already chipped. Her blond hair hung in damp strands.

  “Thank you, Karen, for planning a day of beauty. I’m going to need it.” She talked to her reflection in the mirror.

  She padded barefoot from bathroom to bedroom and dug her nightshirt and underpants from her suitcase. When she was dressed she headed for the living room. Using the arm of the sofa for a pillow, she snuggled down with a fluffy throw over her body and turned on the television. Reruns of Friends popped up.

  She was laughing at Joey, who’d just found out that Monica and Chandler were sleeping together. Would Janet’s eyes bug out like that if she found out that Laura and Colton were sleeping together?

  Damn, where did that bizarre thought come from? This was as made up as playing paper dolls in the yard with her sister when they lived in Arkansas. In their make-believe world the paper dolls kissed each other and hopped across the grass to live happily ever after. They did not take off their paper clothes and sleep together.

  “You got home before I did. Bad night?” Colton said.

  She blushed and looked up to see him leaning over the sofa.
“No, it was a great night. We just got all our plans made and beers drank early and I came back to the room and had a long bath. I didn’t hear the elevator.”

  “You were laughing too hard to hear anything.” He kicked off his boots and moved around to the front of the sofa. “I like that episode too. Joey’s eyes tell the tale, don’t they? I’m glad you had a good time. I worried about leaving you.”

  She caught a whiff of his shaving lotion and her breath caught in her chest. She pulled the throw up tighter, but it didn’t ease the quivering mass of raw nerves. “I had fun. So you watched this too?”

  “Oh, yes. It was the first grown-up sitcom that Granny let me watch. I couldn’t wait for the nights it came on. I was just a teenager when it started and up into my twenties when it ended. I never missed an episode. I own all ten seasons, so if you ever want to have a whole weekend of watching it, just holler at me.”

  He removed his jacket, tossed it over a nearby chair, and scooted to the middle of the sofa. She started to jerk her feet up to give him room to sit, but he picked them up and laid them in his lap. “So you did fine with the ladies?”

  They weren’t in public and there wasn’t even a bellboy in the room. He didn’t have to play the dating role, so why in the devil was he so close to her?

  “They are great. Not what I was expecting, but great,” she mumbled.

  He unwrapped one of her feet and started massaging it. “What were you expecting?”

  How had he gotten to be thirty years old and still be single, with or without money, when he could rub a foot like that? Her skin tingled all the way to her scalp.

  “I expected them to be all hoity-toity,” she said.

  He grinned. “Amazin’, ain’t it? I figured I’d be treated like a redheaded stepchild when I first met them. But folks nowadays don’t care where you got the money. They just want to know what you’re going to do with it. People are people. Sometimes moneyed folks have toys that are a higher quality but they all take their britches off the same way at the end of the day.”

  He could have massaged her feet all night without mentioning taking off britches. The sensation of his thumbs working on her arch and a picture of him slowly removing his jeans fanned a roaring hot fire of desire.

  “That feels wonderful. Can I take your hands with me when I go back to Amarillo?”

  “Sorry, darlin’. I go where they go and my ranch is in Ambrose. Why don’t you just leave your feet with me?”

  “But how would I walk?”

  “You wouldn’t. You’d have to stay with them.”

  She propped up on her elbows. “So you are offering me a job as a permanent assistant on the ranch?”

  He raised one shoulder in a half shrug. “You are doing right well at the ranch. Andy isn’t nearly as stressed. Yesterday, he was even whistling like he used to do all the time.”

  “And how long do you plan on keeping up the dating ruse?” she asked.

  He shrugged. “It’s working out pretty good for me. I’m usually knee-deep in women by now at this thing, but after I walked in with you and you were seen with the ladies, no one has come on to me. Andy and Granny are geniuses, but don’t tell them I said that.”

  He tucked her feet back under the throw and stood up. “Hungry?”

  He could have sat right there until daybreak, but since he stood, so did she. “No, Karen ordered a couple trays of appetizers for us while we were drinking. You?”

  “We had snacks on the table.”

  She had the gut feeling that they were not talking about food, but she had no idea what to do next. No, she did not want food. Yes, she did want something else, but the desire terrified her. Definitely she had no idea how to tell him in words what she felt.

  “Sleepy?” he asked.

  She flipped the throw back and stood up. “I’m way too wound up to be sleepy.”

  He stretched and looked up. His green eyes felt as if they were shooting flashes of heat on her skin. When he blinked she cooled slightly for a nanosecond, but then his eyes opened and there was the fire again. The depth of his gaze drew her like a magnet.

  He reminded her of a sleek male panther when he stood up and stretched, undressing her every minute with no more than his eyes. Lord, if he could make her squirm with just a long, lingering look, what would happen if his hands were on her body?

  He took a step forward and she could feel the warmth of his breath on her forehead when he exhaled. Instinctively, the tip of her tongue moistened her lips. It all happened in slow motion. His mouth covered hers, first in a sweet kiss and then in a hungry, lingering one, and things kicked fast-forward so fast that her head swam.

  She thought she heard Janet screaming from inside the elevator, telling her to slow down and make sure she wasn’t doing something she’d regret. She mentally pushed the button and sent her sister down to the lobby. After that all she could hear was the humming inside her heart.

  He cupped her butt in both hands and she gave a little hop, wrapping her legs around his waist and both arms around his neck. She needed to feel his body against hers, so she pressed closer and closer. He backed up two steps and sat down on the sofa with her in his lap.

  “Tell me to stop now if you are going to,” he whispered.

  “I can’t,” she said honestly.

  “This is not part of the deal and it’s not make-believe,” he said.

  She leaned back and unsnapped his shirt all in one motion. “No, it is not.” She splayed her fingers out on his hard muscular chest. “I never knew that erotic zones had anything to do with my fingertips.”

  “Guess it all depends on what you are touching.” He grinned.

  His lips found hers before she could answer and his hands slipped up under the nightshirt to massage her back. God Almighty, every single inch of her skin had become erotic zones. His hands were ice and fire at the same time. Sizzling heat one second and then icy cold when his hand left that spot and moved on. She arched her back and purred like a kitten.

  “Feel good?” he whispered.

  “Mmmmm!”

  He pulled the shirt over her head and tossed it on the floor.

  Pressing her naked breasts against his chest, she bookcased his cheeks with her cool hands and brought his lips to hers again. She unbuttoned his shirt and pushed it back over his shoulders so she could touch his skin freely. His hands moved from back to breasts and she moaned out loud. His lips followed and she thought she’d melt in a puddle right there on the sofa.

  As if he could read her mind, he readjusted her position, scooped her up into his arms like a bride, and carried her to his bedroom. “Sofa is too narrow. We got a king-sized bed.”

  He laid her on the bed and true to the picture she’d had, he slowly kicked off his boots, unbuckled his belt, slid down the zipper of his jeans, and pushed them down to the floor. Her eyes bulged when she realized he wasn’t wearing underwear.

  “Never learned to like them,” he answered her unasked question.

  “Wow!”

  “Thank you.” He gathered her up in his arms and started another round of steamy, hot kisses. His thumb and forefinger hooked in her panties and she raised her hips enough that he could remove them. And then his hands were everywhere on her body, touching as his mouth tasted. She ran her hands down across his chest, through the thin line of soft dark hair that extended from taut nipples to belly button. The combination of his hands on her and her newfound sensual fingertips on him created a fire that grew hotter and hotter until she thought she’d explode before they ever got around to having sex.

  “My God, that feels good,” he whispered.

  She inched her fingers down.

  “And this?” She teased the already hard erection.

  “That is going to get you in big trouble.”

  “What kind?” she whispered.

  He kissed he
r hard and rolled on top of her.

  Her hands automatically went around his neck. She got ready for the first thrust, but he buried his face in her neck and nuzzled there until she groaned.

  “Tell me what you want, Laura.” It felt as if his breath was making love to her.

  Nothing mattered anymore. Not whether she stayed or went at the end of the month or whether she wore a cheap dress to a formal dinner. She just wanted Colton to put out the fire.

  She wrapped her legs around him. “I want you.”

  She arched against him and with a firm thrust he started a rocking rhythm that shot her straight upwards toward the full moon hanging over the Dallas skyline outside the bedroom window. She was frantic in her desire to find release, and yet she didn’t want it to end. His hands were magic and made her float somewhere between heaven and earth where gravity had no power.

  “Oh. My. God,” she mumbled.

  “I know,” he said.

  Then his mouth covered hers. They could have been in a barn full of hay or on the banks of the river. It had nothing to do with the fancy hotel room and everything to do with a red-hot fire between them. They moved in unison and groaned at the same time. She wailed his name at the same time he mumbled hers and then it was over.

  Her body had no bones and her breath came in quick, short gasps. Had she died in that last moment? Was her soul floating toward heaven and her body didn’t even realize that it had left?

  Colton rolled to one side and six inches of space separated them. She felt lost until he laced his fingers in hers and squeezed. That kept her alive and her soul settled back into her body. She inhaled deeply several times and opened her eyes. He was inches away from her face and staring right at her. He brushed a soft kiss on her lips.

  “Now I’m hungry,” he said.

  “For what?”

  “I’d say seconds but, darlin’, after that…” He let the sentence dangle.

  “I thought I’d died. I don’t think I could do that again tonight,” she said.

  “Intense,” he drawled.

  “Doesn’t begin to cover it.”