Not Looking for Love: A Cowboy Romance

by Martini, Mae

  Kara looked to Bella then back to Richie. This was it, this was where they tell her they know she was a porn actress. This is where they tell her that Richie can’t be seen with a whore like her. Her eyes closed as her body deflated of all air.

  “It’s all good, Kara,” Richie whispered in her ear as he gently tugged on her hand.

  She opened her eyes and saw a smile on Richie’s face. Feeling reassured she nodded and looked back to Bella. “Okay.” Then she sat back down and at the same time Richie took his seat.

  “Richie, pour Kara another shot,” Uncle Ted said.

  “Oh, no, thank you. I’m good.” She covered her glass with her hand and swept back a flyaway strand of hair with her other as a breeze rolled through. She nervously looked around the table. The only sound she heard was the gentle surf just inches from their feet. Her chair faced the ocean and the lit torches and the candles on the table were the only source of light. The glow from them made his family’s faces look ominous, well, in her mind anyway.

  “Richie tells us you’re an interior designer.”

  She had helped design a friend’s house and her own. Richie even let her loose in his home. She looked to Uncle Ted. “I’ve been fortunate enough to decorate the homes of some friends, but I’m still in school at the moment.”

  “Yes. Business?”

  “Yes, and design.”

  Uncle Ted nodded as he picked up his digestif and took a sip. “Richie also tells us your style is very elegant and traditional.”

  She remembered Richie telling her that.

  Uncle Ted continued. “We have a hotel in need of a makeover and would be interested in hearing your thoughts.”

  “Oh.” A sense of pride started to fill her as she looked from him to Richie then back to him again.

  “We’d like a meeting with you after the holidays, at our headquarters in Dallas,” Richie’s father said.

  “Oh, I don’t live in Texas, sir. It would be hard for me to get there from Florida.”

  The low chuckles of all the men unnerved her. Even Richie chuckled. She looked to Richie, then back to his father and took a breath she hoped didn’t look obvious, figuring she messed up here.

  “The Warren will fly you in… on a date both our schedules will allow.” Uncle Ted dipped his head. “Are we in agreement?”

  “Oh, okay.” She nodded and a small smile appeared on her face for the first time since this little impromptu meeting.

  Uncle Ted nodded and smiled as he rose. All the men rose at that point. Richie pulled her up. Oh, meeting over, she thought to herself, feeling a bit embarrassed as she looked to Richie.

  “You need me to walk you over to my mom?” he whispered to her.

  She shook her head as she gripped the back of her chair to bring it out more, so she could pass.

  “Later,” he said, and she nodded once and made eye contact with his family before walking away. Inside she was doing flips, but she wasn’t sure if they were happy flips or nervous flips.

  Chapter 35

  “Salt, please,” Kara said from behind the bar, holding out a glass as she shook her booty to Luke Bryan’s ‘Rain is a Good Thing’ blaring from the speakers while the blender frothed up another round of Margaritas.

  “Yes, ma’am,” the bartender said as he took the glass. He ran a lime wedge around the rim then dipped it in a container of sea salt. He repeated the same with the rest of the glasses as he also bopped along to the song. Then still bopping, he moved over to service a couple who had come up to the bar.

  “Oh, Richie and I went there last year. And, oh my God, the snorkeling was amazing,” Kara said after Bella relayed her adventure in Bimini a few years back.

  Rachel’s head snapped to Kara, and Kara tried to suppress a laugh when she saw the frown on Rachel’s face. They had been civilized to each other but the tension was still there. When she walked up to the bar the girls asked to speak to her in private. Fiona and Rachel apologized, however, Fiona’s sounded sincere and Rachel’s sounded forced.

  “Have him take you to Bonaire. It is one of the best in the world for snorkeling,” Aunt Lucille said.

  “Oh, even the Big Island of Hawaii has some wonderful snorkeling,” Bella said as she took the fresh drink Kara held out to her.

  “Yeah, Kealakekua Bay is another good spot. You’ll swim with sea turtles and dolphins,” Fiona added “Thanks,” she said as Kara handed her a glass.

  Kara presented one to Rachel.

  “You might want to try the Caymans. They have some colorful fish there.” Rachel said.

  “Yeah, Richie took me scuba diving there a few years ago.” Kara knew she was rubbing it in, but for some reason she had to drive home a message to this girl, plus she was feeling buzzed.

  Kara raised her drink. “To snorkeling!”

  The women all raised their drinks and repeated her words before they all took a sip.

  Richie and the boys walked up to the bar, with Richie only having eyes for Kara. He leaned over the bar. “This place finally hired a sexy bartender, huh.” Glad to see she was looking relaxed and comfortable around his family.

  Kara leaned in to him and they kissed.

  “Hey, I resent that remark. I’m pretty damn sexy too, you know.”

  Richie broke the kiss and looked to Angelo, the bartender. “Sorry, unless you got a body like hers under those clothes my remark stands.” The both of them laughed.

  Richie and Kara turned their attention to his aunt and uncle who were saying their goodnight, and wished them a good evening.

  “Come on, woman. Let’s go up to our suite too. I’m tired,” Richie’s father said to his wife.

  “Hah! No you’re not. You know I’ve been drinking Margaritas again,” Bella said, amusement in her eyes.

  Everyone turned to Richie and laughed when he groaned.

  “You’re right, baby, Kara knows how to make a Margarita.” Bella looked to Kara and winked, then she and her husband said goodnight and walked hand in hand up to the hotel.

  With the older folk gone, Will suggested they walk over to the hotel adjacent to their property where the music from the outside club could be heard.

  Kara wasn’t sure what propelled Rachel, but she sidled up to Richie.

  “Yeah, and you owe me a dance, mister.” She got in his face as she batted her eyelashes, her lips a sexy curve. Maybe it was the Margaritas.

  Richie took a step back. “I don’t think so.” He turned to Kara. “Come on. You want to go up?” Richie laughed to himself knowing Kara was lit and thinking how much he sounded like his father.

  “Yes.”

  He watched as she thanked and said goodnight to Angelo, then she walked to the side of the bar and ducked under the ledge.

  “How’d you wind up behind the bar?” Richie asked Kara as they walked through the lobby of the hotel toward the south tower, his arm around her shoulders and hers around his waist.

  “I had to show Angelo how to make a good Margarita.” Kara shrugged.

  Richie laughed as he paused to say hello to a guest who along with his family stayed at the hotel for the past eight years during the holidays.

  Richie and Kara took turns showering. He had wanted to shower with her but she was being very adamant. If he knew her and he did, he knew she had something planned. Sometimes the anticipation was foreplay enough.

  He sat in bed with his back against the soft headboard and the clicker in his hand as he channel surfed, naked, save for the sheet pulled up to his hips. He’d been humming Randy Travis’ Forever and Ever, Amen’, the song that had gotten stuck in his head since hearing it earlier down by the beach bar. A little box wrapped in red and white paper with a bow on top sat next to him.

  He watched her walk out of the bathroom and over to him. “Why the robe?” He lifted the sheet and waggled his eyes.

  She giggled. “Jeez, Rich, you’re already hard.

  “It’s what you do to me, baby.”

  She just smiled at him and shook her head.
Then her eyes shifted to the wrapped present on the bed.

  He saw her eying it and he picked it up and presented it to her. “Merry Christmas.”

  “Richie! You already gave me my present.”

  “That was just foreplay.” He chuckled at his own humor.

  “Is this the fuck?” She came right back at him.

  “Hah! Go ahead. Open it.”

  “Wait.” She quickly walked to the large closet in the bathroom and came out with a couple of presents. “I was going to wait till the morning, but, well, Merry Christmas.” She handed Richie a large box with a small one on top.

  “Thank you.” He reached for the smaller box.

  “Open the larger one first,” she said as she knelt on the bed.

  He looked to her and switched presents. The name on the box was clear even before he ripped off all of the paper and he kept looking to her. Throwing off the lid he said, “What did you do?”

  She just smiled.

  He pulled out a pair of Lucchese cowboy boots. They were black with subtle gray classic stitching on the shafts. He’d been eying these boots. He didn’t remember showing them to her. Did she know him that well? “I can’t accept these. You have to take them back.”

  Her smile faded. “You don’t like them?”

  “I love them. Kara, I know how much these cost. I don’t want you spending that much on me. I can afford them.”

  “I can’t?”

  “I don’t mean to offend.”

  “I’m not offended, Richie. They were a pretty penny, but I did well with my little book cover designing this year. Please don’t ask me to take them back.”

  “Come here.”

  She moved closer and he threw a hand around her neck, pulling her face in close to his. “Thank you,” he said at her lips just before kissing her… long and slow.

  She was putty by the time he broke the kiss and he started to undo her robe. With all her might she pulled back. “Not yet.” She gave him a coquettish look. “You have another one to open.” She handed him the smaller one.

  That was also in a box with the name Lucchese on it. It was a handsome, black leather belt that went with the boots.

  “Thank you, darlin’. You really shouldn’t have.” He picked up the small red and white box. “Here. Open yours.”

  She took the box from him and carefully unwrapped it. The name Cartier made her eyes pop and when she opened the box she was staring at a Balloon Bleu. The deep blue hands pointed to diamonds instead of roman numerals. “Oh, Richie. It’s beautiful.” She looked from the watch to him. “Oh, I don’t, I don… I don’t know…”

  He smiled then kissed her as he gently took the box and set it aside. The kiss heated up again, and she also felt him reach for the belt on her robe and backed up.

  “Not yet?” Richie was disappointed.

  She rose up off of the bed and stood before him. Her eyes never left his when she untied the belt and dropped the robe.

  His eyes never left her body as he sucked in a large breath.

  She wore a lacy baby blue demi bra with matching crotchless panties, and the diamond waist chain that attached to the diamond in her belly he had given her for her birthday the year before. Her blonde hair and suntanned skin brought out the color. He looked into those two beautiful sparkling topaz gems of hers. “You’re stunning.” He rose up a little and grabbed her arm. As he brought her down on top of him he kissed her lips and before long his lips were all over her as he caressed her body. He worked his hand down and stuck his middle finger inside her via the crotchless panties, knowing she would be wet, as the rest of his fingers splayed across her pussy, feeling her fine hairs and the lace of the panties. “I love my Christmas present,” he whispered by her mouth as he pumped in and out, double time.

  She let out a moan.

  “I love the boots too.” He grinned.

  And she let out another moan as she smiled. “Oh, wait.” She wiggled out of his grasp and ran back to the bathroom closet.

  He was pretty much dumbfounded.

  She came back with the last of the three presents she had presented him two days ago.

  He grinned knowing it was another sex toy and ripped the paper off of it when she handed it to him. He looked up to her. “Oohh,” He ripped open the Triple Threat cock ring, the one with vibrating ears for her clit and a vibrating stimulator for his prostate.

  Chapter 36

  Two weeks later, the Warren family jet scooped Kara up at her home in Florida and brought her to headquarters in Dallas.

  Feeling nervous, Kara smoothed down the nonexistent wrinkle on her charcoal colored skirt and pulled down the hem of the matching jacket, refusing to look at the round mirror with a mirrored starburst frame on the wall just outside the double doors of the conference rooms. Her eyes instead focused on the large W in script on both doors.

  Her nerves were shot. Just before boarding the plane the day before, Richie called and backed out. He said he was asked to fly to California for a walk-through and a meeting at their San Diego hotel which was in the middle of a major renovation. It would be the only time all involved in the project would be able to get together for a while and because he hardly ever done anything hotel related anymore he felt obligated to go.

  She wound up being alone in the hotel room that night and all she was capable of doing was going over her spiel, opening and closing her leather portfolio case and looking at the setup and pictures. Upon arrival at the hotel a courier had stopped by and picked up a copy of the contents of that portfolio so she wanted to make sure she didn’t miss anything in it when it came time to present.

  No amount of preparing was enough. She was a basket case by the time she picked up the portfolio she had placed on the floor in-between her feet before she pulled opened one of the doors.

  Her eyes automatically went over to the head of the table and a ghost of a smile played on her lips, happy to have recognized Richie’s uncle, Ted. Don’t call him Ted. Don’t call him Ted. “Mr. Warren.” She smiled as she made her way over to him with her hand out as he rose up.

  “Kara. How lovely to see you again.” He did take her hand but he also kissed her on her cheek. Just that little gestured relaxed her a bit.

  “Everyone—” He turned to the board members which comprised of family.

  She looked to them noting a few new faces.

  “—this is Kara Storm. Some of you had the pleasure of meeting her a few weeks ago.” He looked to Kara then to an unfamiliar face and started the intros.”

  She nodded to each one and was overwhelmed. She’d never be able to remember their names. And did she dare go over to Richie’s father and say a personal hello? How would that look? She decided to do it at the end of her presentation, but she did dip her head and smile at him in acknowledgement.

  Fiona sat at the first seat by her father. All the other chairs were taken save for the chair opposite Fiona. Uncle Ted gestured for her to sit. Will, who occupied the seat next to hers, got up and pulled out her chair.

  “Thank you.” She looked to him than to the table as she pulled her chair in.

  “Can we get you anything? Coffee? Soda? Water?” Ted asked.

  “Water, please.”

  Kara took in the stunning room as Uncle Ted made small talk. The room was light and airy. Behind Ted’s seat was a wall of windows with the view of downtown Dallas. The beautiful glass structure known as Fountain Place stood front and center. Its multi-faceted structure gave it a different profile when looking at it from different directions. The table’s light wood gleamed as did the matching chairs and wall table.

  She sensed his secretary, Ms. Liddle, who she had met when she first arrived at headquarters, behind her. She looked to Ms. Liddle when she set down a bottle of water. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” Ms. Liddle backed away and sat by the wall table, ready in case Ted needed anything else.

  When Ms. Liddle handed Kara a remote, she took it with a question in her eyes and loo
ked to Ted.

  “Ms. Liddle created a Power Point from your portfolio. Just makes it easier for all to follow along.”

  “Oh.”

  He smiled. “Whenever you’re ready.”

  “Oh, yes, of course.” She sucked in a breath as she rose up and looked to Ms. Liddle who then pressed start.

  It was a bit nerve-racking at first, but soon Kara got into it. She believed in her designs and did her homework. She pointed and clicked, pausing to elaborate her vision, picking up signals from the board to move on. When someone asked about the texture of a bedspread, she pulled out a couple of swatches of the material and passed them around. Her pallets of creams, taupes, and whites, as well as the textures she picked screamed luxurious. The presentation ended with crystal lighting fixtures.

  When asked about costs, Kara was pleased that she had added it at the end of the papers in her portfolio and when she clicked again, the slide with the breakdown appeared. Here is where she worried. She had an idea of a budget because she and Richie discussed it, but she did go over a little bit.

  She looked to Ted when she had no more to say. He looked to his secretary then gestured for Kara to take her seat. Ms. Liddle took the clicker and shut down the equipment, while questions were being thrown at Kara. Will, for some reason, gave her a hard time with the price and the extravagance.

  “Nonsense. That is what the Warren is known for and our guests will expect nothing less,” Richie II said, addressing Will. He turned to Ted. “I think she captured the look, Ted. What say you?” He glanced at Kara and smiled before giving Ted his attention.

  Ted paused as he looked around the table. As he was about to speak, his daughter jumped in. “I understand what Will means. It just seems to be over the top. If we want to see more of a profit from that property we should think about cutting back a bit. What’s wrong with going a bit more modest?”

  Ted brought a hand up to his face and rubbed, his sigh – audible. “It’s not all about the profit, Fiona. Have you read the financials on that property?” Just watching her reaction, her father knew she didn’t read it. He raised his voice. “I expect everyone to be prepared before coming to these meetings.” He looked from Fiona to the rest of the board. “Miss Liddle doesn’t need to waste her time drawing up a packet for each of you. Anyone else not read it?” He looked to each person at the table.