Ridin' Solo (Sisters From Hell Book 1)
Page 23
“Yeah!” Vee clapped her hands. “She may have a one-hit wonder on her hands with those adorable cat-stumes, but you’re a goddamn…well, you’re a kick-ass…” She twisted to look at Esme. “What the hell do you do again?”
Esme huffed. “I coach women how to be entrepreneurial successes in their own right so they never had to rely on a man for money. I’ve literally two million followers on YouTube alone!”
“My flamingoes have a thousand followers on Insta,” Amelia tossed out there.
Izzy and I tittered, finding it funny that many people actually wanted to see the weird flamingoes she and Titus raised on their B and B property.
Esme’s shoulders dropped. “I’m serious, you guys. I love helping women make a life that can include a man if they want, but doesn’t have to. I do important work.”
“Yeah, but you’re not getting laid,” Amelia piped in, bringing the conversation full circle.
“Exactly! That’s why I need to find a twelve-incher to do the job right. I’m totally due!” Esme nearly shouted.
Wyatt appeared at my side, his eyebrow raised at Esme’s remark. He handed me the spiked kombucha I liked so much. “You know I have a cop friend who might be what you’re looking for, Esme. I mean, I haven’t measured his dick, but he’s a nice guy. I can set you two up.”
Esme bared her teeth, not looking excited about a blind date setup. “No offense, Wyatt, but you’re like my brother and I’d really like to stay away from cops. It would just be too weird.”
Wyatt shrugged and put his arm around my waist.
“I think you need to ride a cowboy!” Vee suggested, making some lewd hip gyrations meant to mimic riding a horse. “I once dated this guy who grew up on a farm and he had a seriously girthy—”
“Okay, time for us to go dance,” Wyatt interrupted, wincing as he pulled me away from the group.
He better get used to it. Marrying me meant gaining four sisters. Conversations about dicks and flat irons and menstrual periods were par for the course.
He took our drinks and placed them on an empty chair, pulling me onto the dance floor and into his arms. He smelled like cologne and ocean, a potent smell I’d never tire of. As we swayed to the country song, I could tell all that talk of dick size hadn’t dialed down his desire. If anything, maybe he felt motivated to show me just how many inches he was sporting.
“Ready to get out of here?” I whispered up at him.
He grinned, and the desire pooled low in my belly. “You’re riding with me,” he whispered back.
“Always.”
Esme
* * *
My cell phone dinged repeatedly on the end table, but I ignored it, however foreign that felt. I snorted out loud, thinking that if I could have done it, I would have already surgically attached that thing to my body. I was constantly on it, responding to clients, booking new clients, and texting out marching orders to my three assistants.
But not tonight.
I had exactly two hours to pack my things, grab something to eat, and make it to the airport in time for my flight to Lake Tahoe for that stupid bachelorette party. Oh sure, I knew what everyone was thinking. Why go to a bachelorette party for someone you didn’t even like? One had to understand the lifelong history I had with Ashley Brenner, starting with the precious Rainbow Brite pencil eraser she’d stolen out of my desk in second grade. Or how about the prom date she stole from me senior year of high school?
To not go to Tahoe would be to admit that she’d somehow won in this unspoken game we played of who was prettier, richer, more successful, and just plain better. She had an ostentatious ring on her finger and wedding plans to rival Princess Diana while I was boyfriend-less. I had to go to Tahoe to show her it didn’t matter to me, when in reality, the fact that I remained single while my sisters were getting married off was a source of great sadness.
I hated that being single bothered me. It shouldn’t. In fact, I couldn’t let it get out that it did, or it would ruin my business. I’d built a coaching empire on the message that women didn’t need a man. That wasn’t my original intention, but you know how things spiral out of control when things go viral. One video seen by millions talking about how my business grew without a man at the helm and suddenly I was a man-hater millions of young women looked up to.
No matter how I felt inside, I had to continue this charade of being the happiest woman on earth without a man in sight. The only way I could enjoy a man without forfeiting my empire was to engage in a one-night stand, a situation that also didn’t happen very often here in the small town of Auburn Hill. I’d gone through the eligible pool of available men already.
But Lake Tahoe, the relaxed alternative to Vegas, was the perfect spot to remedy my dry spell.
A smile grew on my face, picturing a buffet of shirtless men, all there for the picking. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe. Just choose one and go.
I threw a skimpy lace bra that covered almost nothing into my suitcase, followed by a couple G-string panties I never wore—have you tried to work all day with floss up your crack?—but looked aces on my ass. Next up was a little black dress that leaned heavily on the little. The front dipped low between my barely there boobs and the skirt length flirted with a hoo ha peep show.
Zipping up the suitcase, I surveyed my bedroom and the view overlooking the ocean. I loved my home, but for forty-eight hours I was going to ditch the business suits and dive headfirst into the ocean of sin called Lake Tahoe.
Come hell or high water, I would find me a twelve-incher to scratch the itch.
* * *
Grab the preorder for One Night Bride, book #2 in the Sisters From Hell series!
It was only supposed to be one hot and pleasurable night letting my hair down on vacation. I didn’t plan on him standing on my doorstep three days later calling me his wife.
Acknowledgments
Thank you so much for reading Ridin’ Solo!
Special thanks to Rachel Connolly for the incredible Cover Design, and Ben Shook for producing such an amazing cover photo! Thank you to Judy Zweifel for triple checking this manuscript and making it shine as usual.
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Shout out to 13-year old Kora Olson for her incredible sketch work that you saw at the top of each chapter. Never too young to be an artist sharing your work with the world. <3
To my Rays of Sunshine: you give me life. <3
Also by Marika Ray
Steamy RomComs:
Ridin’ Solo - Sisters From Hell #1
One Night Bride - Sisters From Hell #2
Smarty Pants - Sisters From Hell #3
Ex Best Thing - Sisters From Hell #4
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Love Bank - Jobs From Hell #1
Uber Bossy - Jobs From Hell #2
Unfriend Me - Jobs From Hell #3
Side Hustle - Jobs From Hell #4
Man Glitter - Jobs From Hell Novella - Grab it FREE here!
***
The Missing Ingredient - Reality of Love #1
Mom-Com - Reality of Love #2
Desperately Seeking Househusbands - Reality of Love #3
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Happy New You - Standalone
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Backroom Boy - Standalone
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Sweet Romances:
The Marriage Sham - Standalone
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The Widower’s Girlfriend-Faking It #1
Home Run Fiancé - Faking It #2
Guarding the Princess - Faking It #3
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Lines We Cross - Nickel Bay Brothers #1
Perfectly Imperfect Us - Nickel Bay Brothers #2
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Steamy Beach Romance:
1) Sweet Dreams - Beach Squad #1
2) Love on the Defense - Beach Squad #2
3) Barefoot Chaos - Beach Squad #3
* Novella - Handcuffed Hussy
4) Beach Babe Billionaire- Beach Squad #4
5) Brighter Than the Boss - Beach Squad #5
* Novella - Christmas Eve Do-Over
About the Author
Marika Ray is a USA Today bestselling author, writing small town RomCom to make your heart explode and bring a smile to your face. All her books come with a money-back guarantee that you’ll laugh at least once with every book.
Marika spends her time behind a computer crafting stories, walking the beaches of southern California, and making healthy food for her kids and husband whether they like it or not. Prior to writing novels, Marika held various jobs in the finance industry, with private start-up companies, and then in health & fitness. Cats may have nine lives, but Marika believes everyone should have nine careers to keep things spicy.
If you'd like to know more about Marika or the other novels she’s currently writing, please find her on Facebook, or her private Reader Group. Or you can find her in-person, on the beach in Southern California, frolicking like a Baywatch babe.
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If you want to take your stalking to the next level, here are other legal places you can find Marika:
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Join her Newsletter -
http://bit.ly/MarikaRayNews
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Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/author/marikaray
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Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16856659.Marika_Ray
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Bookbub - https://www.bookbub.com/authors/marika-ray
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