One Hard Ride Page 5

  “We’ve got that letter in a safety deposit box at the bank,” Justin interrupted.

  “Anyway,” Jake continued, “Odel Morgan came back to Texas around 1890 and started the ranch. At that time, it was called the Morgan spread with an M for the brand. He built a log cabin to live in, which is still on the property about two miles up the creek. We use it as a line shack during roundup.”

  “Teddy Roosevelt camped there one night on a bear hunting trip,” Justin said. “That was before he became president.”

  Jake continued, “Around 1910, Odel had twin sons, Bartlett and Bethel. By that time, he had built the first barns and buildings where we are now. Bartlett Morgan was our granddad and Bethel was our great uncle. When the twins were born, Odel changed the name of the ranch to the Double M and made a brand that looked like four mountain peaks. We suspect Odel thought it would be a ranch built on brotherly love, but it was far from it. Bartlett and Bethel fought about every damn thing you could think of, from what kind of cattle to raise to who was going to marry what girl.

  “In 1930, our dad, Boots, was born. A couple of years later, Bethel and his wife had a son they named Weston. Bartlett and Bethel continued feuding about everything on the ranch until they finally decided to split the place and everything on it. Uncle Bethel even got a hack saw and cut the Double M brand in half, turning it into two single Ms.

  “Great Granddaddy Odel’s only will was a handwritten note to Bartlett and Bethel, telling them to share and share alike, otherwise they would just have to tough it out.”

  “Which they did,” Justin said, “through five years of probate and legal wrangling.”

  “In the end, about 1940, our granddad, Bartlett, got the six thousand acres of working ranch and Great Uncle Bethel got four sections of property with oil wells.”

  “And the painting by Randell?” Amanda asked. “If it is a Randell,” she added.

  Jake and Justin both smiled. “Spelled out in court documents.” Jake said. “It was put in Granddaddy Bartlett’s half of the split and passed on down to our dad, then to us.”

  “Winslow,” Justin said, “the man who stepped on your suitcase, is Bethel’s son and our cousin. Even with the oil income, which is a lot, he and his dad think we got the better half of the split.”

  Jake scowled. “The man is a snake. A goddamn sidewinder, even if he is our cousin.”

  “He’s a son of a bitch,” Justin agreed, “who will do anything to get what he wants. He’s got more money than Midas, and he doesn’t think it’s enough.”

  “That’s enough about Winslow.” Jake turned to Amanda. “Just know that we have solid proof of ownership of the painting. It’s ours. Winslow probably never even thought of that painting until he heard we were going to sell it.”

  Amanda looked at the two brothers. “If you don’t mind my asking, why do you want to sell it if it’s been in the family so long?”

  Jake looked at Justin, hesitating. Finally, he said. “Frankly, we need the money. The ranch is self-sustaining, but three years ago our dad, who died last year, took out a loan to finance a couple of wildcat wells on our property. Uncle Weston was making money hand over fist, just two miles away, and Dad was sure we must have oil underneath our place, too. Anyway, we didn’t know anything about it until last month when we got a notice from the bank that a balloon payment of four hundred and eighty thousand dollars is coming due next month—less than four weeks. Except for the land and the lodge and our cattle and horses, that painting is the only thing on the ranch that has any value. At least we think it might have some value.

  “Do you think it might?” Jake looked at Amanda, an eyebrow raised.

  “Maybe,” Amanda said. “If it’s a genuine Randell. If it has never been cataloged, it could be worth a lot of money.”

  “Best case, if it’s real…” Justin asked. “How much?”

  Amanda looked at both men. “Haven’t you looked on the Internet?”

  The Morgans looked at each other, then at Amanda. “Not really,” Justin responded. “We just thought that it could be worth something since Randell was a famous painter. So what kind of price range are we talking?”

  “If it’s real and authenticated as such, and if we get some avid collectors watering at the mouth, it might go for ten or maybe even twelve. But that’s a lot of ifs.”

  Jake looked at Justin. He knew his expression registered the same look of disappointment as his brother’s. “Twelve thousand is a lot of money,” he said. “But that’s not even close to what we need.”

  She smiled. “You misunderstand. I didn’t mean ten or twelve thousand. I meant ten or twelve million.”

  Jake looked at her, wondering if she could possibly be serious. She just smiled.

  “Son of a bitch,” he said, looking at his younger brother.

  “Amen.” Justin added.

  Chapter Five

  Amanda poured herself a snifter of brandy from the bottle on the side table in her room. She ran a tub full of hot water and took a long bubble bath, soaking for almost an hour in the big tub with bubbly water up to the tips of her breasts. Using vanilla scented soap, she washed her body slowly, lingering over her breasts and inner thighs and finally her pussy, teasing herself with the soap and a slippery finger. As the aroma of the soap filled the room, she remembered reading somewhere that the scent of vanilla turned men on. Would that include Jake Morgan?

  As her finger teased her pussy lips, the tingling sensation expanded as she remembered the scene at the barn: The blonde cowgirl bending over for the cowboy’s big dick, yelling “Fuck me Luke! Fuck me hard!”

  God, would she ever overcome her inhibitions enough to tell a man to “fuck her hard?” She thought of Jake Morgan watching her. She had been so embarrassed. And frustrated at not having an orgasm. But, she smiled to herself, she had her trusty battery powered friend in her suitcase, and the night was still young.

  Maybe she would fantasize about Jake when she used her joy toy. Damn, the man was good looking. And sexy. She couldn’t wait to share some of the details of her Texas adventure with Sarah. If she dared to.

  Amanda shaved her legs and underarms then carefully trimmed her pubic hair into a small neat triangle above her clit. She shaved her labia smooth and rinsed off with the hand held shower nozzle as she drained the bubbly bathwater. She dried off with a giant fluffy towel, then slipped into a long-tailed cotton T-shirt, her nightgown of choice when she was traveling. It was not particularly sexy but very comfy.

  The big featherbed was amazingly comfortable, and Amanda was certain that after the wonderful meal and relaxing bubble bath she would be asleep in no time.

  Forty-five minutes later, she was still wide-awake, staring at the ceiling. Her mind was filled with events of the day and kept rerunning the scenes that had been so outrageously beyond her normal day-to-day existence. Underlying all her thoughts about the cattle and hailstorm and the horses and lovers in the barn was the distinct and exciting possibility that the painting downstairs just might actually be an unknown Randell. Her first look had been cursory, but the damn thing looked like the real deal.

  She slipped out of bed and opened the shades of the French doors leading to the balcony. The sudden appearance of what seemed like billions of stars took her breath away. Never in her life had she seen the sky so filled with stars, so many that their light filled the room, casting sharp shadows across the big feather bed. She opened the door and stepped out onto the balcony, moving to the railing for a better look at the sky.

  The storm clouds had moved on. Now the vault above her was an inky canvas filled with diamond points of light, scattered like seeds in every direction. She walked slowly to the corner where the balcony turned to run along the side of the lodge. From here, looking northward, she could actually see the Milky Way. She could just make out the Big Dipper and its constant companion, the North Star. She ambled along the side balcony toward the rear of the house, totally enchanted by the star-filled sky. The closest most of he
r fellow New Yorkers would get to such a sight might be a photo or postcard.

  As she reached the end of the balcony and turned to go back, she became aware of noises coming from the corner room. A light suddenly came on and Amanda found herself staring into a bedroom similar to the one she occupied. Except the curtains were open and two very naked people were in it—Luke and Julie, the couple she’d seen in the barn. Now, with the light on, she could see that Luke was tall and lanky, but very muscular. The man also sported a cock that rivaled a porn star. Julie was more cute than beautiful, and she had small breasts tipped with light pink nipples. The young woman was completely shaved, her pussy a smooth pink slit.

  Not again, Amanda thought, as the couple climbed onto the bed. Close your curtains, you idiots!

  She realized that the couple would never suspect anyone to be standing on the balcony outside their room. If anything, she should hustle her voyeuristic ass back to her own room. In the few seconds it took to register that thought, Julie had risen to her hands and knees on the bed and Luke was kneeling behind her, rolling a condom over his large cock.

  She had almost turned away when Luke started sliding his cock into Julie’s bare pussy. Amanda was momentarily mesmerized by the ecstatic expression on the young woman’s face.

  In spite of herself, her pussy grew wet beneath her T-shirt and she felt her nipples harden and pucker against the white cotton cloth. Determined to not let her baser instincts take control, she took a deep breath and started to turn away.

  Just then, Julie lifted one arm, beckoning. Another man suddenly appeared and slid onto the bed, positioning himself so that his cock was in Julie’s face, close to her begging mouth.

  “Oh Jesus,” Amanda whispered, stopping in mid-step. The man who had suddenly appeared had his back to the window, and she could tell only that he was tall and well built with broad shoulders and a tight, sexy butt.

  With Luke gripping Julie’s hips and sliding his cock slowly in and out of her pussy, Julie leaned forward and took the second man’s cock into her mouth. At first, she could only manage to get her lips around the bulbous head, but keeping the cock wet with saliva, she soon had several inches of the thick shaft down her throat.

  The sensible, modest part of Amanda’s consciousness, the part that wanted to turn away and scurry back to her room, was quickly overcome by a more sensual, erotic impulse. She stood transfixed by the sight of the couple fucking, doubly transfixed because two men were pleasuring Julie at once. And “being pleasured” was an understatement, she thought, as she watched the woman writhe in passion while both men fucked her mouth and pussy.

  Amanda’s own consciousness was now swimming in the wet channel between her legs. Her pebble-hard nipples were tingling with arousal, begging to be caressed.

  In the bedroom, Julie had stopped sucking her second lover’s cock and was leaning up to kiss him. The kiss was passionate, deep and sensual, ending when she broke away to turn her head back so she could kiss Luke. Somehow, seeing Julie kiss both men one after the other seemed more erotic than fucking them both. She felt a sudden surge of liquid heat coursing through her core. With all her attention concentrated on the sexual energy spreading through her body, it surprised her that she could be aware of anything else. But suddenly she was aware—aware that she was not alone on the balcony.

  ****

  “Does that turn you on Miss Sloane? Watching Julie make love to two men at once?”

  She jerked around to find Jake standing not more than two feet away. Barefoot and shirtless, he stood wearing only a pair of jeans. The starlight gave his body a luminous glow, defining his ripped pecs and abs.

  “Oh God,” she whispered, staring up at him in shock, unable to move.

  “Does it turn you on?” He repeated, obviously aware of her arousal.

  A loud moan from the bedroom caused Amanda to blink. He glanced past her shoulder and smiled. “It’s amazing how much pleasure two men can give a woman.” He reached out and put one hand on the back of her neck, pulling her close.

  She raised her hands, pressing her palms against the smooth muscles of his chest, trying to push away. Slowly, deliberately, he leaned down and kissed her, his hand behind her neck keeping her lips turned up toward his. With his free hand, he held the small of her back, pulling her closer. Then his hand slid up to caress her breasts, his fingers pinching and twisting her nipples, sending currents of electricity straight to her pussy. For a long moment, he continued the kiss, his tongue probing deep, searching. His kiss ignited a desperate need and she kissed him back, her limp arms finding life, lifting to encircle his shoulders and grasping urgently at his neck.

  He slid his hand down over her breasts and tummy, then up under the tail of her T-shirt to the moist V between her legs. At his touch, her knees buckled and her pelvis jerked forward, wanting more, wanting his fingers deeper inside her.

  But she couldn’t! She couldn’t let this happen.

  She unwrapped her arms from his neck and pushed on his shoulders, struggling, breaking the kiss, breaking the connection of his hand between her legs, whimpering as his fingers came free of her wet channel.

  “Jake…”

  Before she could complete the sentence, Jake reached down with one smooth motion and swept her up, cradling her in his arms. As he strode across the balcony, Amanda knew she should resist. But she was beyond resistance. Clinging to his neck, she cast one last look over his shoulder at the trio in the bedroom. She wasn’t surprised to see that the second man in the ménage a trois was Justin Morgan.

  ****

  In half a dozen strides, Jake was across the balcony, pushing a door open with his foot. As he stepped into the room, he turned and tossed Amanda on the king-sized bed. He stood looking down at her.

  She stared up at him, her brown eyes wide, her expression one of desire mixed with fear and uncertainty. When he tossed her on the bed, her T-shirt came up around her waist and she tried to pull it down to cover the bare flesh between her legs. She scooted back on the bed toward the headboard, grabbing a pillow to hold in front of herself like a shield.

  Jake smiled, amused at her attempt to hide behind a feather pillow. She looked into his eyes, then let her gaze drift down over his chest to the front of his jeans. When she saw the bulge of his fierce arousal, her eyes opened even wider and she held the pillow tighter to her breasts. He saw that she was visibly trembling.

  “I’ve wanted you since this afternoon at the barn, watching you stroke that sweet pussy. I think you want this, too, Amanda,” he said. “As much as I do. If you don’t, all you have to do is say ‘No.’” He could sense her arousal, could see the desire behind the fear in her eyes.

  He waited, knowing she could stop him with a single word. “‘Yes’ or ‘No’ Amanda. It’s your choice.” In her expression, he saw her wrestling with desire, possibilities, consequences.

  Finally, she lowered her eyes and whispered, “Yes.”

  He smiled and unsnapped his jeans. “Get rid of the pillow and take off your shirt.”

  Amanda complied. She was still trembling nervously but she tossed the pillow aside. For a moment, she just stared at him. Then she stripped the T-shirt up and off. She lay back on the bed, naked, and willing. The fear in her eyes had begun to fade and her expression was now one of intense desire. He smiled at her eagerness as he stripped his jeans off. As his denim and underwear hit the floor, his cock sprang into view. He opened the nightstand drawer and took out a condom, quickly rolling it on. Laying down beside her, he propped his head up one with one arm, studying her face in the shadowy light, his sense of urgency suddenly reined in. A moment went by, then another. He just looked at her, admiring what he saw.

  She looked at him a bit uneasily. “Don’t you want me?”

  “Oh yes. I want you. And I’m going to show you just how much. But when I close my eyes and slide my cock inside you, I want to remember just what a beautiful woman I’m fucking.”

  She smiled and leaned up on one elbow to fac
e him. With her free hand she reached out and touched his shoulder, then let her hand slide slowly down, feeling the firm definition of his muscular chest and abs. At his taut belly she paused, then moved her hand down to his groin.

  “Oh my.” She looked down in admiration. “I’m definitely going to have something to visualize while you…while you do it to me.”

  Jake could see her struggle with the words. “While I do what to you, Amanda? What do you want me to do to you?” He caressed the insides of her thighs with one hand, his fingertips lingering briefly over the wet slit of her pussy, then pulling away to caress her breasts.

  “You know. While we do it…have sex…”

  “No. You know what I want you to say.” He rolled over until he was on top of her, holding himself up with stiffened arms. His cock, big and hard, lay nestled just at the entrance to her pussy. She shifted against his heat, urging him to slide forward. He let the head slip into the mouth of her core, then pulled back. “Say it Amanda. What do you want?”

  “Oh God,” she whimpered, lifting her hips, her body begging for his cock. “Don’t tease me. Do it. I need it.”

  “Need what Amanda? Tell me.” He slid in a few inches, stretching her tight sheath with his thick cockhead. He pulled back then thrust in deeper, filling her with his thick length.

  “Please,” she whispered. “Fuck me.” She spread her legs wider, opening for him.

  “What do you want?” he demanded. “Tell me.”

  “Fuck me. Oh God, fuck me!”