by KJ Reed
She finished unsaddling the horse and passed the equipment to him. She smiled, but it wasn’t a full-out gesture. Was she upset? Full of regret? Ecstatic? Her expression gave him nothing to go off.
“Hang this up for me while I get him settled?”
“No problem.” The barn wasn’t his favorite place to be. Not having spent much time in the stable, horses were a little bit of a mystery to him. He couldn’t ride, didn’t know how to take care of them, and frankly, wasn’t all that interested. Mary Ellen, on the other hand, thought of the horses as her babies.
As she passed by with the horse, he could have sworn it gave him the evil eye.
Babies. Right. Half-ton babies that bit and kicked.
She led the horse into the farthest stall, so he hefted the saddle up and walked into the tack room. At least this he could do without problems.
He hung the bridle up, draped the saddle in place and folded the blanket. At the sound behind him, he turned. Mary Ellen stood, back against the closed door, smile on her face.
“Something amusing?” He dropped the blanket down.
“Just watching you, in your nice khakis and business shoes, getting all dusty in my barn. It’s cute.”
Cute. He hadn’t been cute since the fourth grade. With a scowl he looked around her. “Are you finished with work?”
She shook her head. “Taking a break. I need to relax.”
He waited a moment, but she closed the door. “Do you want to grab some lunch?”
“Nope.” She took his hand and pulled him to her. “I want to grab some you.”
His cock instantly hardened at the suggestion. “So let’s head on over to my place and we’ll—”
His words cut off when she grabbed the back of his neck and yanked him down for a kiss. Taken off guard, he jerked in surprise, giving her the leverage she needed to turn him around and press his back against the door.
“You sleep like a rock,” she said between kisses.
“What?” She moved down to his jaw, and her fingers walked their way over his chest. How was he supposed to follow any train of thought with her creeping toward his belt?
She chuckled. How could someone so tiny have such a husky, thick laugh? It shot lust straight through his body.
“I was hoping for an encore this morning, but that died a quick death when I saw how deeply you were asleep.”
“Ah.” Intelligent, Brice. She dipped one finger between his stomach and waistband and he sucked in a breath. “Yup, when I’m out, I’m out.”
She cupped his crotch. “I don’t think anyone’s out. Not yet anyway.”
Oh good Christ, he was reaching a breaking point. “If you keep that up—”
“What? You’ll have to teach me a lesson?” She raised her head, lips in a fake pout. “Shame on me.” Her eyes gleamed as she squeezed—hard—and his balls tightened with eagerness.
“Back to my cabin,” he managed to get out while her tongue and teeth played with his earlobe.
“What’s wrong with here? I’m all alone today, no helpers.”
Here? It was the stable, for the love of… Oh dear God. Her tongue rimmed his ear and she purred. Fingers scratched his scalp, her other hand massaged him below the belt. Too many sensations to process.
Brice was strictly a sex-is-for-bed kind of person. Someone invented comfortable mattresses for a reason. But reason abandoned him as he lifted Mary Ellen by the butt, deposited her on the nearest table and knocked off a few pieces of metal to fall on the concrete floor. His fingers fumbled with the snap of her jeans, and she pushed his hands aside to do it herself.
“You,” she gasped when he nipped her jaw. “Get those off.”
His body’s immediate willingness to respond and react to her command gave him pause. But the end result would be the same if she’d asked him or not. Reaching quickly for his wallet, he snagged the just-in-case foil square and let his khakis drop to his knees, along with his boxers. Looking back up, smooth, cream-colored thighs filled his vision as they opened wide for him. Her pussy was already wet, he could tell by sight, and he almost dropped the condom in his haste.
Mary Ellen laughed, as usual always able to find humor in any situation. “I like that you want me enough to lose your cool sometimes.”
The words were like a cool shower, halting his lust in its fiery tracks. He was about to lose control. Couldn’t let it happen. Wouldn’t. They’d both lose out if he did.
Mary Ellen held out her hands, wanting him to take her fast, hard. As if he couldn’t wait another minute. Like a stud and his mare. All passion, no common sense. Because it was real then. It was true and uncomplicated and she believed it.
Brice pulled her to the edge, so her ass was almost off the table. She hadn’t pulled off her boots or jeans, and they weighed like manacles around her ankles, keeping her legs closer together than she wanted.
“Take me fast, Brice.” She kept her voice low, not wanting to break the moment with harsh, loud sounds. Just their breath and the sounds of their movement filled the small room, like their own private universe. Invitation only.
But instead of following her direction, he slowed down. Face serious, eyes intense, he nuzzled under her jaw, by her pulse.
“Brice. Please,” she whispered, lifting her hips as much as she could for contact. But the angle worked against her, and she had little control. Again. Last time, it had been her hands she wasn’t allowed to use. This time, her legs were rendered useless. Coincidence?
His fingers grazed the outside of her pussy, and thoughts of last time flew from her mind. Tender, thoughtful strokes outlining between her legs, butterfly-light caresses.
“Say it again.”
His fingertips paused, close to her entrance. It took a moment to rack her slowly melting brain for what he wanted.
“Please. Brice.” She bit her lip to hold back a moan as two fingers entered her fast, then froze. She pulsed around him, wanting him to move. But he stayed still, working his way down her collarbone to the other side of her neck.
Finally, he crooked his fingers, hitting just the right spot to give her a small teaser of an orgasm. It was almost more frustrating than satisfying, and the smug smile he wore said he knew exactly why she growled. But he pulled his fingers out and positioned his cock, grazing over her clit before dipping in an inch.
Once more she tried to lift her hips. But with no way to anchor her heels, since her legs weren’t long enough to touch the floor, she hadn’t a chance.
“Brice.”
He sucked hard on the skin above her breast, and she knew it’d leave a red mark. Annoyance warred with pleasure at the thought of being marked. By him. For him. Then he sank in farther and she forgot the mark entirely.
“Faster, please.” Okay, so she was begging. It’d come to that. She would forgive him if he’d just…fucking…move!
Finally he drifted in all the way, filling her completely.
“You need to relax, remember?”
She squeezed his biceps. “I thought a nice, sweaty session would do that for me. Not exactly sweating here.”
“Instead, you can lay back and let me do the work. I don’t mind.”
But she did. Didn’t she? As he pulled out, pushed back in and rotated his hips, she stopped caring. Oh God, that felt good.
“Your shoes left marks on my back,” he whispered in her ear.
“Sorry,” she gasped out when he circled again, stroking every nerve in her pussy.
“I liked seeing them. Mark me anytime.” With that, he sped up, pushing them both to the brink, and then they jumped off together.
She convulsed, arched her back and moaned into his chest as the climax slammed into her. Above her, Brice grunted, cursed and froze in ecstasy before collapsing like a wet rag over her. Still not crushing her though, as he somehow managed to still fall to the side to keep his weight off.
Because he was still controlled. Even in the middle of an orgasm, he managed to keep his head in the game.
This was obviously a habit of his. And maybe he’d never been called on it before. But Mary Ellen wasn’t about to let him have unlimited authority in the bedroom.
The rasp of wood under her backside reminded her they were as far from a bedroom as possible.
Which was fine. So he couldn’t have unlimited authority wherever they ended up fucking. Brice needed his world shaken up. And she was just the woman to do it.
* * * * *
Brice sat in the main camp office, waiting for the business group coming in for the three-day weekend. It was the last retreat group before the camp went into full-preparation mode for summer kids to descend. Though the camp could survive on the fees from the children alone, hosting CEO team-building retreats through the off seasons helped not only with getting ahead on the budget, but also scholarships. The scholarships made it possible to offer kids who had a bad start in life the chance for at least a few weeks of normalcy. Freedom. Fresh air. Three guaranteed meals a day, a couple weeks of adults who cared about them, treated them decently, wanted the best for them.
This was how he met the Winstons. How he became one of them. He was one of their first scholarship kids, the first to receive that unconditional support. And somehow, the only one they chose to love forever.
Humble didn’t begin to cover it.
A knock at the office door had him looking up, pulling him from the past.
“Brice? The group arrived. They actually headed straight for the cafeteria, so I thought I’d come tell you. They said they had a long drive.”
“Thanks, Jessica.” The teen closed the door behind her, and he was alone again with his thoughts. Only this time, they were mostly annoyed. Not only was the group two hours late to check in, but they didn’t have the decency to send someone to the office like he asked. The lack of consideration was astounding.
And this coming from a guy who dealt with three hundred tweens every summer.
Gathering the necessary paperwork, he sighed and headed down to the mess hall. Might as well not even bother waiting for someone to finally trek up the whole hundred yards to the office.
Scholarship money. Scholarship money. Scholarship money.
His mantra during these retreats.
The noise and shouts could be heard almost the moment he stepped outside onto the dirt path. What the hell? Were they fighting? He picked up the pace, then started to jog as the ruckus got louder.
Bursting through the double doors, he assessed the situation in a moment. And the frozen-gut feeling of panic slid up his spine until his chest simmered with anger.
The executives, casually dressed in polo shirts with the company logo and jeans, stood around a table. All twelve of them. Hanging on every word uttered by the woman sitting on top. Legs crossed, showing off tanned, toned limbs in short-shorts and flip-flops, camp tank dipping lower than he’d ever seen it.
Mary Ellen. Who else?
One of the men leaned close, said something next to her ear and she threw her head back with laughter. Brice knew what they were all thinking. The insta-boner each guy got as he stood there, staring at her chest, her legs.
“Sorry I missed the party.”
Thirteen heads turned toward him, only one was frowning. Mary Ellen hopped down from the table and walked toward him, parting the sea of males. “Hey, Brice.” Her voice was different, a little lower, softer than usual. “The guys here were exhausted from their drive over. I thought they’d enjoy a little food before all that tedious paperwork.”
The crowd cheered again. Apparently even the simple mention of food had them excited. Brice started to say something, but then took a moment to pause. What was that smell…
Beer. The group smelled like they’d been rolling around the inside of a microbrewery. Damn. But even as he started to get angry, he noticed they were turning their attention to the sandwich platter that sat on the table, next to where Mary Ellen had perched.
“Boys, we’ll be right back. You eat every one of those sandwiches, you hear?”
Mouths full, they answered in some form of mumbled agreement.
Brice grabbed her arm and pulled until they were outside. He tried a few deep breaths, but his anger trumped common sense.
“What. The. Fuck were you doing in there?”
She shook until he let go. “Saving the weekend. Obviously.” Her face said it all. Are you blind?
“Saving the weekend by what, offering yourself up for viewing pleasure? Exactly how is that helping?”
Her mouth dropped open, then snapped shut. Then, to his surprise, an eerie calm took her over. “Well, boss, the guys showed up drunk and ready to rumble. Hammered. Completely wasted. Not to mention stupid. I was concerned they were going to go running off into the woods and get lost like a bunch of slobbering fools. So instead I decided to ply them with food and attention to help sober them up a little faster before anyone did something completely moronic and hurt themselves and tried to sue the camp before any liability paperwork could be signed.”
He tried to speak, but she held up a hand. “I’m not going to apologize for how I handled it. I was thinking on the fly, and I don’t regret giving them a little flirt to keep them all preoccupied while the sandwiches soaked up some alcohol. Hopefully, with no access to booze up here, they’ll be more calm for the rest of the weekend. You’re welcome.”
She turned on her heel and walked away, not looking back once.
Jackass. He was a jackass. But even a jackass had a job, and he knew she was right. Time to get some papers signed to get the weekend started. The sooner things got started, the sooner the guys would be able to head to their cabins and he could start fixing the mess he stepped in.
Chapter Six
Mary Ellen kicked an empty bucket in her tack room. The loud clatter did little to satisfy her anger and frustration. Times like these, a punching bag would be very handy. But she had her babies. And Jessica, the teen helping her in the barn that day, was around. No need to show off her temper and upset everyone. She decided to focus on something else, so she changed into the jeans and boots she always kept in the office and took Rachel out into the paddock for a workout.
Of course, workout was really just a word for having her on the lunge line while Jessica created distractions and noises meant to challenge Rachel into staying calm, not reacting. Ross, her male equine companion, wasn’t even close to ready yet. But Rachel had real promise as a nice horse for intermediate riders. Not that they had many during camp, but Mary Ellen gave lessons as well throughout the year, and some of her riders were getting pretty good in the saddle.
The best part, of course, was that the exercise took her entire concentration. No room for thoughts of controlling jerkoffs named Brice.
“Jess,” she said, wiping sweat from her brow. “Go ahead and cool her down, then take her in, rub her down, give her a treat.” She gave the mare’s nose an affectionate stroke and Rachel leaned in for just a little more. “She’s gonna be a great horse for someone like Andrew this summer.”
“Sure is. That kid’s got promise. These two will fall in love in a few weeks when Andrew shows up for camp.” Jessica took the lead rope and walked Rachel back toward the barn. Thank God she’d hired some part-time help. The barn wasn’t the most active place on camp, but it required daily maintenance, and it was tedious sometimes. And despite her love of the horses, working with them seven days a week for months on end was too much, even for her. Especially in the summer, with hundreds of kids running around.
Jess disappeared into the back of the barn. And Mary Ellen was again alone with her own inner monologue, most of which was starting to sound like a depressing version of Shakespeare. One where the heroine kills the hero. That had
her grinning, just a little. Nice thought, if a little impractical. She had to get out of the funk though.
She took Cosby out for another good, long ride, then left the barn in Jessica’s capable hands. For a moment, she debated walking back to the mess hall and seeing if the guys were still giving Brice a hard time. The group wasn’t a bad bunch, just got ahead of themselves on celebrating their weekend of bonding time. They’d been nice enough to her, respectful. Even if a few eyes had roamed a little. Could have been worse.
But how Brice was managing the bunch of hyper executives wasn’t her business, and she wasn’t quite ready yet to face him. She might cause him bodily harm…and she really didn’t want to take the time to hide the body.
The choice was taken out of her hands though, when she opened her cabin door and saw Brice lounging on her bed.
“I really hate that you have a key to this place,” she grumbled and closed the door behind her.
He shrugged. “Plight of being the manager.”
“Go manage something else. Far away from here.” She didn’t wait for a response, walking into the bathroom and closing the door behind her. If he wanted to talk, he’d have to wait. She was grimy and sweaty and not in the mood. She stripped off her tank, her jeans and her boots and left them in a pile on the small floor while she jumped in the shower. The first shocking blast of cold water as the pipes worked to heat it up gave her a clearer head. And as the temperature worked its way from cool to lukewarm, she ducked under the stream and tried to soak away the thoughts.
Nope. Didn’t work. What was he doing out there? Did he leave? Was he still sitting on her bed as if he owned the place? And why did she care so damn much?
The answer came faster than she expected. With her hair still soapy, she cocked her head to the side as she heard the familiar snick of the bathroom door closing. She sighed and dipped her head back, letting the suds rinse out.
“Privacy is something you need to learn about, Brice.”
“Maybe I just want to talk.”
Bull-honky. “Shouldn’t you be out there with the band of merry drunks? They aren’t exactly trustworthy individuals.”
