by Sacchi Green
I set aside the shovel at the sound of a horn honking in the distance. Heaving a deep sigh at the interruption, I tugged off my work gloves, lay them over the top of the stall I’d been mucking out, and headed toward the open doors. Sunshine beat down on my head as I stepped outside. I lifted a hand to shield my eyes from the bright glare.
A white pickup sat in front of the house, a shadowy figure at the wheel. The cab door groaned as it swung outward. The driver slid to the ground. Slim calves encased in wash-softened blue jeans ended above a polished set of cowboy boots.
Maybe someone had come about the ad I’d placed for help. Maybe someone strong, not afraid of a little hard work, and in need of a paycheck. I’d posted the “Help Wanted” notice in the local paper over a week ago and had begun to regret the fact I’d stated the wage. It wasn’t much. Most of the men who’d applied were too old or too inexperienced. I was getting desperate for a little relief.
And if the next cowboy happened to be reasonably attractive…
Well, I hoped they might overlook my sun-baked skin and the crow’s feet that had grown a little deeper with the passing of another summer. Maybe they’d like a little added “bonus” with their paycheck along with room and board. I’d been through a long drought of bed partners and wasn’t going to be too fussy.
The figure that appeared with the slam of the door made my shoulders dip in disappointment. I needed a man. A strong set of shoulders and a sturdy back. The slender woman walking toward me didn’t appear to have the muscle to work the horses and help with the outside chores. And she was too damn pretty for my peace of mind.
I drew a deep breath, preparing to be polite but trying to come up with an excuse for turning the woman away that wouldn’t sound like I’d made up my mind as soon as I’d noted the high set of her breasts and the curve of her narrow hips.
“You Miss Lacey Kudrow?” the woman asked, her voice sounding a little breathless. Her dark gaze flicked over me briefly before returning to lock with mine.
A jolt of unwanted attraction flared deep inside me, but I nodded. “What can I do for you?”
A casual shrug warred with the tension in her shoulders. “I’ve come about the job.”
“You do know I’m looking for a wrangler,” I said, my doubt flavoring my response. “Someone who knows his way around a horse. The job calls for a trainer, maintenance of the pens, mucking out stalls, currying—”
“You think I don’t know how to do all that?” She lifted her cowboy hat and shook out her hair, which fell thick and straight to her shoulders.
The sun caught glints of copper in the dark brown strands, and my breath hitched. Christ, it didn’t matter if the girl could do the job or not. I couldn’t let her stay. Horny as I was, I guessed I might be a lot less fussy than I’d ever dreamed.
The woman’s face screwed up into a stubborn frown. “You’re boarding horses…”
“And training them—for personal use mostly, but I also have a couple of reining horses.”
“Plan to enter any competitions?”
I didn’t like the dark glint entering her eyes or the way her lips began to curve. “Maybe…”
“Thought I recognized your name,” she said, softer now. “You placed in the Breeder’s Classic last year.”
“Yeah, with Painted Lady.” Because I was beginning to feel guilty about how rude I’d been, I relented a bit. “You into the sport as well?”
Her head shook. “It’s not what I do, but I like to catch any horse events in the area. I barrel-race. But I lost my horse.” Her nose wrinkled. “Lost my boyfriend, too, but I don’t miss him near as much. Needed to leave the rodeo circuit for a while, and here I am.”
I sighed. “Look, I’m sure you know a lot about horses, but what I really need is someone to help me with the day-to-day. You look…nice, but…”
“You think I’ll cry over a broken nail? That I can’t rasp a hoof or lift a bale of hay?”
“I’m just saying,” I said slowly, wishing I hadn’t decided to be polite. “I don’t think you’ll be happy here.”
“How about a trial? Give me a couple of days,” the woman said, her lush lips settling into a straight line. “See how it works, then make up your mind whether you want me.”
A wash of heat flooded my cheeks. Whether you want me…
“My name’s Ariana Estevez,” she said and held out her hand.
I wished my nails were trimmed and my palms not so rough, but the hand that slid across mine had its own share of calluses.
She wrapped her fingers around my hand and pumped. “Two days,” she said.
Because I was exasperated with my lack of backbone, I turned around without answering and ambled into the barn, more worried about betraying my interest than being thought rude.
“I guess I’ll unpack later,” Ariana said, striding past me and laying claim to the shovel. She slipped off her pressed chambray shirt and hung it on a post. Then, dressed only in a thin tank that hugged nicely rounded breasts, she dug into a pile of ripe manure.
That first day, I had no complaints about her work. Ariana dug into a long list of chores, keeping up a steady rate of conversation that passed the hours as we groomed horses, readying them for the weekend when the owners would show up to take them out on the trails. As long as we stayed busy I managed to tamp down my unfortunate attraction. But work ended just before dark, and now I didn’t know how to avoid her without retreating to my bedroom.
Footsteps scuffed across the planked porch, and Ariana lowered herself beside me on the bench overlooking the paddock. From the corner of my eye, I noted the damp hair and the bare expanse of skin that shone like warm honey beneath a pair of cutoff shorts. She’d bathed and smelled faintly of flowers.
I intended only a quick glance at my companion, but my gaze landed on another thin tank top, this one buttoned down the front with the upper two opened. The shadowy wedge of skin between her breasts was bare. Nipples, unfettered by any bra, sprang against the pink cotton.
“Thought since it was just us girls…” she drawled.
With heat flooding my cheeks, I turned away, unable to meet Ariana’s lopsided smile.
“Guess it can get a little lonely out here,” she said softly.
“It can,” I said, feeling a little breathless. “But I like the quiet.”
“Seeing anyone?”
My head swung back.
Ariana’s brow was arched. “Just wondering. Pretty woman like you living all alone out here…seems a waste.”
“Like having a man underfoot to feed and please would make my life easier?” I’d tried that and failed miserably. The breakup had nearly broken me and devastated my bank account.
“Sorry, didn’t realize I’d struck a nerve.”
“Well, you did. How about we just drop it?”
“So, there’s no one steady in your life…?” I shot her a hot glare, which had her lips pursing in a silent whistle. “Look, I know you’re not comfortable around me. Want me to guess why? Or how about you just tell me instead of making me play ‘twenty questions’?”
“Like you said,” I murmured uncomfortably, blood starting to pound against my temples, “it gets a little lonely out here. For the most part, people only come to ride on the weekends.”
She snorted. “Ever have a girl?”
Shock had me stiffening and wondering if I’d jumped to a wrong conclusion about where this was heading because my mind was already in a very nasty gutter. “Do you mean, working here?” I asked, knowing I sounded like I’d strangled on something. “No.”
Her gaze narrowed. “I meant…ever have a girl…in your bed.”
My breath caught. Was she taunting me? “No.”
“Not once? Funny, I thought…” Ariana shook her head. “I didn’t mean to offend.”
We sat in silence for a few strained minutes. But I, who never felt easy in my own skin, never knew the right words to explore a possibility so ripe with dangerous undertones, cleared my throat.
“What did you think?”
“That you liked what you saw.”
My lips parted. And unexpectedly, moisture filled my eyes. “You must get all kinds of people coming on to you.”
“All kinds, both sexes.” Her lips curved. “But I don’t mind you looking…” Her head fell back, and she shook out her wet hair. The action made her breasts shiver in a delightful way.
I bit my bottom lip and stared as Ariana’s nipples spiked hard, elongating as I watched.
Her arm reached out slowly and draped across the back of the bench. Her fingers played with a lock of my hair. “You do it with all your hired hands?”
There was no use playing like I didn’t understand her meaning. “Of course not.”
“But it’s nice, isn’t it? The convenience of it?”
“It’s only convenient if the cowboy understands rules.”
Her finger slid along the outer curve of my ear. “Do you have special rules for a cowgirl?”
I closed my eyes briefly, and then aimed a glare her way, hoping she didn’t see how unnerved I was becoming. “I’ve never had a female hand.”
Ariana’s hand slipped over my shoulder and reached down to palm my breast through my shirt. “Is it so different? A man’s hand?”
“As night and day.”
“Really? It’s just a hand with fingers…” Her thumb and forefinger plucked at my nipple.
“Completely different,” I said, clamping my lips against a tiny sigh. “I’ve never felt so…”
“Hot?”
“Uneasy,” I blurted.
“That’s not good. Want me to stop?” she said, giving my breast another tentative caress.
I opened my mouth to tell her yes, but instead found myself whispering, “I want you to take off your shirt.”
Ariana’s head jerked back and a startled laugh ripped the air. Her arm slipped from around my shoulder, and she turned sideways in the seat. “Anytime you want to stop, just let me know,” she said softly. “I won’t push. Tomorrow, it’ll be like nothing ever happened. If that’s what you want.”
Because I felt a little winded by her enthusiasm, I shook my head. “Since I don’t know what the hell I want, I guess I’ll just play it by ear.”
Ariana smiled, and then gripped the hem of her tank and pulled it over her head. Without meeting my gaze, she cupped her breasts, lifting them and massaging the slight curves. “I’d really like it if you did this for me. My breasts hurt after a long day smashed inside a sports bra.”
Modesty seemed a little ridiculous at this point. I’d asked to see them, after all—it was only a small step to actually touch them. And the sight did make my palms itch. I reached for her breasts and cupped them gently. The nipples scraped deliciously. Her breasts were light and firm, her skin unbelievably soft. Especially the dark ovals of her areolas, which felt like velvet beneath the pads of my fingers.
Her gaze met mine, and she offered me a smile. Then she looked toward the road leading up to the house. “We’re far enough off the road here that we could both get naked. Want to do that?”
“It’s still light.”
Her glance cut to mine. “Worried I won’t like what I see?”
Absurdly, I knew I wouldn’t be as modest if a man sat opposite me. “I’m older. Not as firm. And I’m carrying too much weight.”
“Think I haven’t already checked your ass out? I’m pretty sure I’m going to like everything you show me. Besides, doesn’t this feel unbelievably naughty?”
I felt a smile tug at the corners of my lips. “Contrary to what you must think about me, I don’t hop into bed with a man this quick.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Ariana stood and pushed her shorts down her slender hips, standing unashamedly naked in the dwindling light.
I shut my eyes, praying for courage, and rose from my seat. I untucked my shirt from my jeans and slowly unbuttoned it. The bra came next, and I shivered as my nipples grew stiff, dimpling as soon as I let them out to play. My jeans and boots took a little longer, because my hands were shaking, but by the time I was as nude as Ariana, I was smiling, albeit tightly, too.
Ariana’s hands grasped both my breasts, lifting them, forcing the heavy mounds upward. She bent and stroked her tongue over one peak, then the other. “Nice, Lacey. Very nice.”
Then she circled behind me, her hands gliding over my buttocks, around again, until she was gliding over my belly, which had begun to quiver. “You know I’m going to want to taste everything.”
Moisture, quick and hot, slid between my folds. “Shall we go inside?” I rasped.
“Afraid the coyotes might see?” she teased.
“I want something soft under my knees.” I reached out tentatively, and twined my fingers with Ariana’s, then tugged her through the door, leading her through the living room and down the darkened hallway to my bedroom. Inside, I didn’t flinch when Ariana turned on the overhead light. She headed straight for the bed.
I hovered in the doorway, caught in a moment of indecision. God, could I really do this?
Ariana climbed onto the mattress and sighed as she stretched diagonally across the coverlet. “Mmm…it’s so soft.” Her legs fell open. Her sex, swollen and deep, dark pink, glistened. Her eyelids dipped blissfully as her hand stroked her darkly furred mound.
My mouth grew dry at the lush invitation. “Don’t go to sleep on me,” I quipped, trying to cover my awkwardness.
Her lips pursed in a mischievous grin. “As if! I’m waiting for that sweet pussy to slide right over my lips.”
A cowboy had said the same thing to me, long ago. From him it had sounded crude, and I’d hesitated. From Ariana, with a naughty light glittering in her eyes, it was wicked without seeming tawdry.
“How about you let me show you how to love a woman?” she said softly.
I hadn’t realized I was worried about not knowing exactly how to arouse this woman, and I relaxed, letting Ariana pull me down beside her until we faced each other on the bed.
“I travel a lot when I’m on the circuit,” Ariana said, tucking a lock of my hair behind my ear. “And sometimes I have different partners, women and men, that I pick up. I don’t care too much about whether I please them. I only worry about whether they’ll please me.” Her finger rimmed my lips slowly. “Lacey, I want to show you everything they taught me.”
Ari had opened up a whole new world of sensual delights in that first night. And I had been ravenous to discover more ever since. Not that I was ready to declare that girl-sex was my new preference.
I liked dick. Liked a powerful man stroking deep. Strong, muscled arms encircling me. But lovers, the stick-around kind, hadn’t been in the cards for me.
I sighed as Ari’s hands unlooped my belt, loosened my jeans and slid beneath the waistband to cup my generous ass.
We stood face-to-face in the stall, our gazes clashing. “Think I don’t know what you like about guy-sex?” Ari stepped back and stripped, making quick work of her clothing until her jeans slid down her hips. She wore no panties, just a black harness that wrapped around her waist, more straps disappearing between her legs. She reached down to the blanket where she’d tossed the dildo and inserted it into the fitting at the front of the harness. The dildo, a long, sculpted gel with exaggerated veins and a pair of firm balls, bobbed between her legs.
“Jesus,” I moaned, my pussy already anticipating the stretch and beginning to throb.
“Wait here,” Ari said, her voice tightening.
“As if I have a choice?” I muttered.
Moments later, Ari reappeared, carrying a wooden sawhorse which she set in the hay and then draped with the blanket. She unlooped the end of the rope that she’d tied off on a post and began to wrap it in a coil, bringing me closer.
I kept up the pretense of reluctance, dragging my feet, but the cock was already working on me. My cunt was flushed with heat and growing moist. My breasts were so hard and tight I drew back my shoulders, inviting Ari’s gaze, beg
ging silently for her to lean down and bite the straining tips.
But Ari ignored the jut of my chest, gripped my shoulders, and shoved me face-first over the sawhorse.
“This will work better if you take off my clothes, too,” I said hopefully.
A soft snort behind me told me Ari wasn’t taking suggestions, but my pants were pushed past my buttocks, and the dildo nudged between them.
“Jesus,” I whispered again, letting out a deep breath when the moistened tip glided down and slid along my slick folds. I tried to make more space for it, but my clothing kept my thighs bound tightly together. Hands clutched my hips, and the dildo glided slowly forward and back, and then withdrew.
One foot was lifted and my boot was removed.
“Guess I was right. It’s easier without clothes,” I mumbled.
The other came off and my jeans were jerked down my thighs. At last I was naked. I braced apart my legs, opening my sex, begging again for attention.
A rustling sounded behind me, and then moist kisses landed on my bottom. A tongue glided down the crevice between my asscheeks, circling slowly over my asshole, just long enough to make me worried, but then she stroked downward. Teeth gripped my outer labia, nibbling gently, and then lips sucked. Her wicked tongue stroked into my entrance, while a humming groan vibrated against me. Fingers circled over and over on my clit while lips tugged and tongue stroked. I rose on my toes to tilt my ass higher.
Blood rushed to my head and sex. My clit swelled painfully. Then hands smoothed the backs of my thighs as Ari rose behind me and reached over to grip my shoulders, raising my torso while the smooth gel cock prodded my opening.
“God, please…make it deep.”
A slap jerked me, heat rising in short parallel ribs on my buttocks. The cock found my opening, dipped inside, and held still. “Think I don’t know how to fuck?” Ari whispered. “I’ve had miles of dick inside me. I’ve fucked miles of cunt.”
The words, so coarse, spoken in her tight choked voice, elicited a thrill that released a wash of liquid, engulfing the head of the cock poised at my entrance. “I wish you could feel what you do to me…”
