by Sable Hunter
Wrong.
It was Rita. “Good morning, Miss Hunt.”
“Selma will be late today and I have friends coming for treatments and a massage. Can you handle things until she arrives?”
No good morning. No hello. Rita didn’t even look at her when she spoke. “Yes, no problem,” Molly answered.
“I’ll be in the sauna,” Rita muttered.
Molly cleared her throat. “I’d like to turn in my two weeks’ notice.”
Rita froze, slowly turning to look at her. “What?”
“I’m quitting,” Molly answered, well aware of the barbs in Rita’s eyes.
“Finally decide to set up on the street-corner?”
Molly pressed her lips together, striving for calm. She hadn’t planned on sharing her good news, but Rita was making it impossible to refrain. Holding up her left hand, she announced evenly. “No, I got married.”
Rita’s eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. “To who?” Her voice was a near squeal.
Molly couldn’t help it. The slightest smirk betrayed her pleasure in the announcement. “Tennessee McCoy.”
It didn’t take much imagination to see the fumes rising from Rita’s head. She was furious. “You married Tennessee?”
“I did.” Molly smiled. “He doesn’t want me to work.”
Rita didn’t respond, she whirled around, walked in the back and slammed the door.
“Well, that was awkward,” Molly whispered, as her first appointment arrived.
* * *
Once Rita was alone, she picked up the stapler off her desk and hurled it against the wall. Next, she threw a mug. Then, a ruler. Only when the whole desk was cleared and stuff strew across the floor did she flop down in the chair and grab the phone.
“O’Neil.”
“We’re escalating our plan. I’ll let you know what to do.”
She didn’t even wait for him to respond. She closed the phone, then slammed it against the wall.
* * *
Up the road, Tennessee stared at the center line, pushing the truck as fast as the speed limit would allow. He didn’t want to get a ticket, but he was ready to get to Alpine. He had the bid ready. He’d gone against Heath’s advice. After mulling it over, Ten had upped his revenue royalty to five percent and dropped the cash per acre. It would mean more money for the Gages in the long-run and less he’d have to take out of the trust. With Heath acting the way he was doing, the less he could depend on the family funds the better.
As he drove, he called Ben Hunt to tell him he was returning and would be submitting his bid in person to the Gages on his way into town. He’d already arranged to drop it off. They were just waiting on his call when he neared the Rocking G. Ben was glad to hear it. To his surprise, the older man asked him about his wedding. “I heard congratulations are in order.”
Tennessee laughed. “Well, yes. How…?” Rita.
“My daughter said Molly gave her notice at the spa. We’ll hate to lose her, but I understand.”
Tennessee let out a long breath of relief. At least that went smoothly. He was afraid of the Hunt’s reaction to the wedding. Apparently, all was well. “Yes, we’ll be going back and forth to central Texas and I don’t really want to leave her behind.” He laughed.
“I should hope not.” The sound of pottery clicking could be heard. “I know Sam and Virgil are ready to get this deal going. I wish you good luck and I will anxiously await the outcome.”
“Thank you, sir.” Tennessee ended the call. After that the miles went by quickly, he was completely focused on dropping off the bid, then getting to his wife.
Ten smiled. His wife.
When he pulled into a rest-stop to use the facilities, he sent Molly a text, a sexy one. When she didn’t respond, he presumed she was busy with a client.
Over at the spa, Molly was walking on eggshells. Rita and her friends had come in and taken over everything. She’d done her best to take care of them until Selma arrived, then together they’d stood on their heads to make everybody happy. Now, Rita was shut in her office with someone who’d come in through the back. Molly hadn’t seen who it was, not that it mattered.
Once she had a moment to spare, she opened the drawer to grab her phone to see if Tennessee had sent her a text or tried to call. Without glancing in, she felt around. And around. Her phone wasn’t there.
How odd.
She looked everywhere on the desk. It was gone. “I don’t even remember moving it,” Molly was confused. Here it was, almost time to go home and she’d lost her phone. Maybe she left it in the massage room. Hurrying in there, she looked around without finding it. “Weird.”
“Mrs. McCoy? I’m looking for Mrs. Tennessee McCoy.”
Recognizing his voice, Molly squealed, forgetting the phone. She ran back to the reception area and straight into his arms. “You’re here! I missed you!”
He hugged her so tight she couldn’t breathe. “I couldn’t wait to get back to you.”
“How’s Jaxson?” she asked, still holding on to him.
He stroked her hair. “He made it through the surgery just fine. His recovery time will be lengthy, but the family will be there for him.”
She kissed him on the face, the throat and planted one right over his heart. “I’m glad you went. Do you have your bid ready?”
“Already turned in it. I think I was first. Did you turn in your notice?”
“Yes.” She gave him a big smile. “What was your bid?”
He gave her a sideways glance. “It’s a secret.”
Molly moved flush against him. “I’m your wife, we don’t have secrets from one another.”
“Ah, okay,” he grinned. “Well, in that case. I offered five percent of gross revenues and grazing rights. How does that sound?”
Placing both hands on his shoulders, she stood on tiptoe to kiss him. He smelled so good, like fresh mown hay and sunshine. “I don’t have a clue. I trust you.” A noise from the room behind them made Molly back up. She didn’t want any customers complaining to Rita Hunt, even if she was a short-timer.
When no one joined them, Molly shrugged and Tennessee pulled her close for a kiss. “Can you leave now?”
“Yea, let me get my things and straighten up my station, it won’t take but a minute.”
“I’ll wait for you outside,” he motioned to the door.
“Okay.” She ran to the massage room, cleaned up the area quickly and grabbed her purse. When she returned to the front desk, Molly opened the drawer one more time, hoping her phone would magically appear. And it had! It was tucked in the very back. “There you are!” Dang it. How had she missed it? Oh well, she was just glad to have it back.
“I’m ready,” she called once she’d stepped out the door into the sunshine.
“Good.” Ten came from around the corner where he’d been watching a train go by on the railroad track across the street. Taking her by the hand, he playfully pulled Molly toward his truck. “It’s time to restart our honeymoon.”
“Sounds good to me,” she agreed, kissing him on the shoulder.
“Do you want to go into the Remington and eat before we go to your trailer?”
Molly shook her head. “I put a chicken in the crockpot this morning.”
Ten raised his eyebrows. “Home cooking?”
“I’m a good cook,” she retorted.
“I don’t doubt it.” When they were in the courtyard out of sight of everyone, he pushed her against a stucco wall and kissed her till they were both gasping for breath. “Now, that’s better,” he panted, his forehead resting against hers. “I was suffering from withdrawal syndrome.”
“I needed that,” she admitted breathlessly.
“Well, that little kiss only whetted my appetite.” He took her by the hand. “We’ve got both trucks. I’ll follow you.”
With a beaming smile, she hopped into Rojo and he closed the door. “See you there.”
She backed out of her parking spot and followed him down the r
oad toward her trailer. Molly was so happy, she couldn’t stop smiling. Even the streets of her small home town seemed more welcoming and friendly. She passed Sul Ross University, and it occurred to her that she’d have to see about getting her hours transferred to…somewhere. Molly didn’t know if she could get into The University of Texas or not, they had pretty stringent requirements. But there were other colleges in the area she could apply to.
As she turned on the street toward the trailer park, Molly realized her heart was pounding. Her life was changing completely and even though she loved Ten to distraction, she wasn’t sure she was ready for it all. When she pulled into her driveway, Ten was already there, waiting. She bounced out and ran to him, opening the door. “I’ve got to get you a key.”
“What would you think if I got us a different place to stay while we’re in town? Something a little bigger.”
An uneasy feeling made her shiver. Get rid of her trailer? It had belonged to her aunt. “Sell it?”
At the barely hidden despair in her voice, Ten turned to look at her. “You don’t have to, I just thought we could find something with a little more room.”
Something a little nicer, he meant. But she understood. He was a McCoy and McCoy’s were used to nice things. “Of course,” she smiled. What did it really matter? As long as she had him, nothing else was important.
Stepping into the trailer, the aroma of onions, peppers and roasting chicken wafted to meet him. His stomach growled in greeting. “Man, something smells good.”
“I bet you’re hungry.” She took his bag and laid it on the couch. “Get comfortable and let me make a salad.”
Ten was about to follow along behind her and offer to set the table when he saw a large vase full of red roses. “From an admirer?” he asked with a little more than mere curiosity in his tone.
Molly looked at him like he was crazy. “From you.”
Ten laughed. “I wish I had been so thoughtful, but no, not from me.”
“Hmmm, I wondered why the delivery girl asked for Molly Reyes and not Molly McCoy.”
“So, who could they be from?” Tennessee went to look at the bouquet more closely. He moved leaves aside, but found no card.
“I don’t know. Carlos and Paul, maybe.”
Fingering a velvety petal, Ten let it go. A beautiful woman like Molly deserved flowers, no matter the source. He should have given her some himself. He’d have to rectify that oversight.
“How did your supervisor take the news of your resignation?” Ten asked, his back still to Molly.
At this particular moment, Molly had other things on her mind. She didn’t want to talk about Rita and her snarky comments. “Okay.” She made short order of dishing up the food. Molly had an appetite for something else entirely. “Come and get it!”
He followed his nose and soon they were sitting down to a delicious meal. “This is great, sweetheart. You’re a marvelous cook,” Ten complimented her after taking a few bites.
“Thank you. So tell me, how did your brothers and sisters take the news of our marriage?” Molly smiled, pushing the salad and bread closer to him. She couldn’t help but be excited at the prospect of meeting them. She’d always wanted a sister and now she was going to have two. When Tennessee didn’t answer right away, Molly knew something was wrong. “What happened? Did they give you a hard time?”
“Yea, Heath did.” Seeing the look of disappointment on her face, he hastened to explain. “Heath had a bad experience. Once upon a time he was engaged to be married…and as much as that sounds like the beginning of a fairy tale, it wasn’t.” Tennessee paused as Molly asked with concern in her voice.
“She broke off the engagement?”
“Worse,” Ten explained, “she left him standing at the altar. He’s never gotten over it, hasn’t dated but one or two women since and vows he’ll never fall in love or propose to a woman again.”
“Poor Heath.” Molly sighed in sympathy.
“Well, don’t say ‘poor Heath’ until you hear that he’s after me to get you to sign a pre-nup. To protect the family, he says.” Tennessee dropped the bomb, feeling like a heel. “I haven’t agreed to it. I understand where he’s coming from, but Heath doesn’t know you like I do.”
Molly didn’t say anything at first, she just looked down at her plate. When she did raise her head, she said simply. “Sure, I’ll sign it. Whatever makes you and your family feel comfortable. After all, I’m sure that’s fairly standard procedure when one marries a rich man.”
Ten heard the slightest emphasis on the last two words. Remembering what she’d said when they first met, he sought to reassure her. “Molly, don’t paint me with the same brush. I love you and I plan on loving you for the rest of my life.”
The look in his eyes warmed her heart. Her handsome husband sure knew the right things to say. “Okay, we’ll worry about that when the time comes. Like I said, I don’t mind signing the paper, if your lawyer recommends it.” After they finished eating, he helped her clean the kitchen, stealing kisses every few minutes. By the time the small space was spic and span, both of them were hot and bothered.
Today had been one of the warmest days of the year so far, so she’d worn a purple cotton dress with a peasant neckline. The bodice had a thousand little tucks in it, so she’d gone braless knowing her nipples wouldn’t show through. All she wore under it was a tiny pair of lilac panties. Her devious plan had been to wear clothes she could easily strip off when the time came.
The time was now.
“Ten, could you come help me get my dress off?”
“Huh?” The word ‘off’ had him spinning in his tracks. “Certainly. How may I be of service?”
Molly giggled. “Being serviced sounds good, considering we’re still on our honeymoon.”
“Damn straight.” He moved forward, scooping her up in his arms.
She looped her arms around his neck, snuggling closer. “It feels so good to be close to you again.”
“I know a way or two we could be closer.” His body was acting in predictable ways. Ten slid his hands down past her waist, encouraging her to arch so their hips lined up in a delicious way.
“You got something in particular on your mind?” She looked up seductively through her eyelashes.
“Surprise me.” He gave her a wicked wink. When her reaction was to start unbuttoning his shirt and purr like a contented cat, he knew he had it made.
Spreading his shirt off his shoulders, she gave him a witchy smile that sent his blood pressure up into the danger zone. “I’m full of surprises, McCoy, and don’t you forget it.”
Ten stroked her hair as she pressed her lips to the middle of his chest. When her tongue brushed his flesh, he groaned. “As if I could.”
Going to her knees, she kissed a path to his navel. When she flicked the tip into the well of his belly button, Ten jerked, involuntarily sucking in his stomach. “What are you doing?”
He didn’t see her smile, but he felt it against his skin. “Playing.”
“I wanna play too,” he said, even as his hand in her hair held her in place.
“Soon,” she murmured as her lips drifted further south.
“If you’re aiming for where I think, maybe I should sit down,” he growled, his knees already feeling a bit weak.
Shaking her head, she worked at the fastenings of his jeans. “I’m in too much of a hurry, you’re just going to have to stand and take it.”
‘Like a man’ went unsaid, but Ten had to admit that he’d never felt more of a man than he did with her. When she’d achieved her goal, Molly slid his jeans down his legs, her hot breath fanning warm on his cock as it strained against his briefs. Ten was hypnotized watching her as she eyed his dick, tracing the outline of it with one finger. And when she bent over and took it in her mouth like one would nibbling an ear of corn, he had to widen his stance to stay upright. “You enjoy torturing men, Molly?”
“Just you.”
Needing more, he took matters into his
own hands, pushing his underwear down far enough that his manhood sprang free, eager to reacquaint itself with his beautiful wife. She didn’t make him wait, running two fingers down the length of his shaft, stroking him with a featherlight caress. “Do you like him?” Ten asked, his need for her approval coming as a surprise to him.
Leaning forward, she placed a soft kiss right on the tip. “I think he’s beautiful.”
Ten shook as his balls drew tight and heat rose up his shaft. A drop of pre-cum pearled on the end of his dick. “Do that again…slower,” he requested. The smile that came to her face told him he was about to get lucky.
Tightening her hand around him, she gave his cock a squeeze, guiding him to her lips. With a sweep of her tongue, she bathed the swollen crest, drawing the tiny dollop of cream into her mouth. “I love how you taste.”
When he saw her licking her own lips, another drop made an appearance. Ten couldn’t resist. “Be still.” She glanced up at him, but obeyed. Taking his cock in hand, he used the tip to paint her lush lips, outlining their perfect shape with his essence. Once he was done, she closed her eyes and ate the gloss from her lips, making a sexy hungry little sound. “Want more?” he asked.
“Oh, yeah,” she breathed.
His wife was an exotic beauty. Long dark hair curling about her face and falling halfway down her back. Big blue eyes fringed by long black lashes. And her body… “Take off your dress.”
Molly pushed the garment off her shoulders and down her arms, baring herself to the waist. Ten groaned at the sight. Nudging her lips with his cock, he coaxed her to open wide enough for him to slide into the wet heat of her mouth. Closing his eyes, he hissed. “Fuck, feels so good.”
Gripping his thighs with her hands, she swirled her tongue around the head, applying just enough suction to make his toes curl in his boots. Ten tried to be still, to let her run the show, but the soft laps of her tongue over his hungry flesh set him on fire. He had no choice but to move.
Molly was taken by surprise when Ten pushed deeper into her mouth. She didn’t object, she tilted her head and opened wider to accommodate him. He moaned, withdrew, then pushed back – over and over again. Holding onto him tighter, she submitted to his needs as he slid in and out, hitting the back of her throat. Keeping her eyes on his face, she could see the ecstasy, the desperation. She was pleasing him and the knowledge made her pussy ache and her breasts throb.