by Ivy Jordan
“Can I help you?” she asked, her tone as arrogant as her demeanor.
Jill Jasper, I recognized her from her previous visit, wore a pair of lime green slacks, tight at the ankles, strappy black sandals to show off her perfectly pedicured toes, and a slinky black blouse. Her nose wrinkled as she glared at me, waiting for, no, demanding an answer to her question.
“I’m meeting James here,” I stated firmly as I tried to stand tall and proud, even though my attire choice left me feeling frumpy and embarrassed in her presence.
“Good. How long until he returns?” Jill questioned.
I fumbled with my briefcase, pulling out my phone. James text back, it was close to ten minutes earlier, but it said he’d be at the ranch in thirty minutes.
“He may be a while,” I smiled politely as I shoved my phone back into my worn leather bag.
“Are you his lawyer?” Jill asked, giving me a quick glance up and down as if to disapprove or find amusement in the fact.
I nodded, extended my hand, and introduced myself, “Evelyn Pierce.”
Jill Jasper didn’t attempt to reach for my hand in good politeness, nor did she act as if she cared to address me in any way.
“You know what you’re doing here is wrong,” Jill snarled.
“I’m sorry for your loss, but there is a will in place, and it clearly states your fathers last wishes,” I said politely.
Jill rolled her eyes, tossed back her fire red hair, and glared in my direction. If possible, I believe she could’ve caused me to burst into flames right where I stood.
“James Laurie is nothing but a con artist,” Jill scoffed.
I refrained from any comment, and instead looked down the lane in hopes I’d see James’s truck, but there was nothing.
“I don’t even think the will is real, and if it is, he manipulated my poor sick father into creating it,” she continued.
“The will is a legal document, proved to be factual, and there are witnesses to the effect to prove it even further. You’ll have your day in court soon enough, so what is it you’re doing here now?” I responded hastily.
Jill took a step up onto the porch, her nails curled around the post of the wood as her eyes narrowed on mine.
“I have my own documents, ones I’m certain you won’t like,” she hissed.
Dust filled the end of the lane as James’s truck turned in. I was relieved that she was already heading in his direction, but left confused by what documents she referred to.
The red truck pulled into its usual spot, the driver’s door opened quickly, and James slid out of the seat as Jill Jasper made it to him. His white t-shirt was dirty and torn, and his hair mussed up from sweat, wind, and probably his thick fingers rolling through it. It was rare to see James’s without his hat. Something about it made my belly stir.
“How did the auction go?” Jill snapped.
James walked towards the back of the truck, his strong arms reaching in the back and pulling out a large bag of feed. I watched as his muscles jumped and stretched as he tossed the bag near the barn.
“Any money you lose before its sale, you’ll owe the estate after,” Jill gnarled.
“Any money lost is the fault of your rumors, and the ranch is not for sale,” James retorted, reaching in to grab another bag of feed.
Jill continued ranting about James running the ranch into the ground, how he manipulated her father, and how she’d prove he was a fraud and ruin his reputation in this town and fifteen more over.
“You need to back down while you still have your dignity,” she hissed as she walked away.
James continued unloading the feed bags as she rattled, and I became lost in the magnificence of his body, Jill becoming simple white noise. My fingers tingled as they remembered the feel of James’s rippled abs. My breasts stung as they remembered the pinch of his teeth. My pussy swelled as it remembered the stretch from his cock.
“Sorry about that,” James startled me.
“You okay?” he asked, his eyes filled with amusement.
I’d let myself start daydreaming and forgot the world hadn’t stopped for everyone like it had for me, like it had for James and me Saturday night.
“I’m fine. Sorry, I was lost in thought I guess,” I stammered, quickly pulling my briefcase between us as he started to close our gap.
He reached his arms around me, pulling me into him for a friendly hug. I panicked, realizing the scent of his sweaty body, the grime mixed with sweat on his skin, and the hardness of his overworked muscles were more arousal than I could fight.
James looked disappointed as I squirmed from his arms. I wrinkled my nose, pretending that the dirt and sweat were offensive.
He chuckled as he gripped the bottom of his t-shirt. I watched his biceps flex as he lifted the cotton from his body, displaying the rippled abs that made my bottom lip quiver. He tossed the shirt on the porch railing and headed into the house. I was frozen in my spot, unable to think straight as my blood rushed to my breasts and between my legs.
The screen door slammed against the wood frame, pulling me back to earth. I shook off my arousal, walked inside, and found James over the sink washing the sweat and dirt from his skin. I watched helplessly as he splashed water onto his face. I watched it dribble in small beads down his chest, rolling, rolling, until reaching the waist of his jeans. This man is going to destroy me, and I am going to beg him to do it.
“You have papers for me?” he asked, wiping his face with a small hand towel.
“Yes, I-uh, I just need your signature,” I stumbled over my words as I started digging in my unorganized briefcase.
His eyes were piercing through my already quivering skin. My hand shook as I handed him the set of papers that required his signature. His lips curled into a crooked smile as a soft sigh escaped them. He took the papers, moved to the table, and sat down at one of the empty chairs.
I watched him diligently, taking in every movement. His chest lifted and dropped as he took a deep breath, his muscles flexed along his forearm as he gripped the papers between his fingers. The tongue that had given me so much pleasure rolled slowly across his upper lip as his eyebrows pushed downward. Everything about James Laurie was fascinating to me. I needed to get out of there.
“So, this is the estate insurance you told me about?” he asked, catching me gawking at him as looked up.
I was acting like a foolish school girl, not a professional attorney who attended Columbia University. I certainly wasn’t acting like a Pierce, well-known and revered members of the high society in New York City.
“Yes, and-uh, and the one underneath is the notarized witness form already signed by the attorney who originally created the will for Mr. Jasper,” I stammered.
James smiled in my direction, instantly causing my panties to cling to my flesh with arousal.
“The estate insurance will keep Jill off your back about the cost of running the farm. You’ll be able to do what you need for upkeep, but you will be required to keep all receipts,” I added, trying desperately to regain my composure.
Wouldn’t daddy be proud now, his little girl taking on a client pro-bono, and taking the client’s bone as well?
“I also need to mention, it is extremely important that you make sure nothing you spend from the estate's account could be considered frivolous,” I noted.
James chuckled as he signed his name near the x.
“Frivolous, like feed for the cattle, nails, and wood for the fence?” he scoffed.
I knew it was invasive, the way the process worked, but there was nothing I could do to change it. Jasper’s kids were relentless, and they would poke at everything they could, use anything they could to prove James dishonest.
“I know it’s ridiculous, but you have to be careful. I don’t trust these kids, and they do have money at their disposal,” I warned.
“Nothing more dangerous than a spoiled brat with money,” James snarled.
“Except three spoiled brats,” I teased.
“What are you wearing?” James gasped, looking me up and down.
I fidgeted with the hem of my skirt, pulling it down past my knees. I shrugged and started to blush as he shook his head.
“Of all the things in your closet, that’s what you chose?” he teased.
“Well, it’s not like you were all dressed up in that ripped up t-shirt covered in manure,” I snorted, causing James to laugh deep and hard.
“Touché,” he grinned.
I wasn’t about to admit I’d worn the hideous suit so he would find me less attractive, so he wouldn’t want to touch me and render me helpless once again.
“I hoped you would go for a ride with me, but I doubt you’d fit in my jeans,” he smirked.
James Laurie’s jeans, the place where his masterpiece is kept behind denim, only unleashed under the moonlit sky, only for me.
I was blushing as my thoughts rolled to the place of passion, the place of weakness, the place where James lived in my mind.
“I don’t think I would,” I blushed, quickly scooping the papers from the table.
“I need to get these on record,” I rushed towards the door.
“Next time bring a change of clothes so we can ride,” James called out to me as I made it to my car.
Chapter Eleven
James
I was forty minutes into my fifty-minute drive to Amarillo when my phone rang. The usual elated feeling I got when I would see Evelyn’s name light up on my screen was missing this time.
“Hey, how’s the sexiest lawyer in Texas?” I answered cheerfully.
A sigh rolled from her lips to my ears, a sweet noise that resembled the one she made when I’d let my tongue travel down her belly, and again once it touched the sweet flesh between her legs.
“Always the charmer,” she laughed.
“I save all my charms for you,” I teased.
Again, a sweet sigh…
“Sure. I just wanted to let you know I would be unavailable the rest of the week,” she informed me with her most professional tone.
Unavailable?
My thoughts scattered, wondering what she might be up to. I knew I wasn’t her only client, but I liked to think I was more than that, especially after our night together.
“So, I guess I will wait anxiously for your call,” I chuckled anxiously.
“I’ll keep you posted on anything that comes through, but I doubt I’ll need to make a trip to you before next week,” she added.
“I didn’t realize it was a need thing. But, if you do decide you want to come see me, I’ll be available,” I pouted playfully.
Her laughter rolled through the phone. It was obvious she was a bit anxious herself from the crack in her voice when she said goodbye.
I was glad she hadn’t asked where I was, where I was going, or worse, wanted to stop by with something important. Her knowing I was headed to see Axel was not what I wanted, or needed.
My GPS guided me to a small brick ranch at the center of a cul-de-sac with perfectly trimmed bushes in front, a mailbox shaped like a firefighters hat, and an attached two-car garage. It wasn’t anything like I expected.
Axel stepped out the front door, waving in my direction as I turned off my truck and climbed out.
“What is this place?” I teased with a wide grin.
“A man has to grow up sometime,” Axel laughed as he guided me into his home, not apartment or bachelor pad, but home.
“I liked your apartment in the city,” I noted as I stood in the foyer of a tastefully decorated home.
“Take off those boots,” Axel warned, and quickly disappeared into another room.
I slid off my boots; sacrilegious to remove my boots for anything other than sex, sleep or a hot shower if you ask me. But, I respected him, leaving them by the door.
I followed Axel’s path, finding him in the kitchen. He held two beers, pushing one towards me.
“At least you still have beer,” I grumbled.
“Get over yourself,” he laughed.
“No, seriously, where are you hiding the wife?” I teased, picking up one of his placemats from the table and dangling it in front of him.
“I don’t have time to meet a woman,” Axel grumbled.
“You meet them all the time at work,” I laughed.
“Yeah, ones that are stuck in the bathtub, or screaming at me to save their nineteen cats from the fire,” he smirked.
I knew he worked long hours, twenty-four-hour shifts at a time at the fire station, but he was off long enough to decorate his house with bright, cheerful colors.
“Sit down, I want to show you what I’ve done,” Axel motioned towards the kitchen table.
I took a seat, curious to what he’d come up with to get rid of John and the pictures he’d taken.
Axel was always a sly fox, and he was smarter than most people I’d met, so it wasn’t surprising when he pulled up John Jasper’s bank account, already logged in.
“Holy shit, what’s he want the ranch for if he’s got plenty of money?” I gasped at the number displayed at the top of the account.
“Greed, so that’s what we’ll use against him,” Axel sneered.
I wasn’t certain I followed exactly what Axel had in mind until he picked up the phone. He connected it to his computer and dialed a number through a program.
“This way he can’t trace it back to us,” he explained.
John answered with the same snobbish tone as his sister used. Axel immediately went into stealth mode on the poor idiot.
“I have your bank account up and my finger on the transfer button,” Axel warned.
“What are you talking about? Who is this?” John demanded.
“Those pictures you sent me, of my cousin, not smart buddy, actually one of your stupidest moves yet. I thought about calling the cops, bring them into it and let them sort you out for stalking, peeping, taking unauthorized photos while trespassing on private property, and a few other charges I’m certain I could talk them into dropping on you, but this sounded like more fun,” Axel chuckled.
“What are you doing to my account? I cannot get logged in,” John stammered nervously on the other end of the phone.
“Oh, I’m sorry, try it now,” Axel suggested, clicking a button on the account.
“How do you have control? You’re bluffing,” John’s arrogance shone through his fear.
“Am I?” Axel laughed, clicking the transfer button and turning John’s account balance to fifty dollars.
“I wouldn’t want you to get charged for not having enough to meet the minimum balance,” Axel snickered.
“I know who you are; you’re the one that sent that nosey attorney into town. I’ll call the cops, have you arrested right now,” John scoffed.
“Yes, I did. So, tell me this: if you’re so smart, why didn’t you realize that the woman you illegally photographed came from a very powerful family filled with attorneys in New York?” Axel asked.
“Not to mention, I am a retired Navy SEAL with plenty of brothers on the police force, in politics, and, well, that are just itching for some action,” Axel added.
“I, uh-I knew all about her, but she said you’d be willing to get her out of town to keep the pictures away from the family,” John stuttered.
“She? So your sister is the mastermind?” Axel laughed.
“Where’s my money,” John screamed frantically into the phone.
“Calm down, big boy; you’ll get your money, as soon as you destroy all the photos,” Axel threatened.
John sounded frantic as he agreed to Axel’s demands. I leaned back in my chair sipping my beer while Axel gave him instructions on how to work Skype. From there, he made him show him that the photos were being deleted from his phone. When Axel had him type in a series of strokes onto his computer, suddenly, he had control. John roared through the video chat program as Axel searched his hard drive for the photos. When he found them and deleted them, he opened John’s e-mail account and disco
vered he’d sent them to his sister as well.
“Who did she send them to?” Axel demanded.
“She hasn’t even opened the e-mail yet,” John pleaded.
Axel confirmed the e-mail hadn’t been read, so he unsent it with a string of characters he entered in John’s settings. It was impressive to watch, and even more entertaining with the video of John’s reaction as a bonus.
After clearing out the photos, Axel made John write out a statement that he’d taken nude photographs of unsuspecting subjects while trespassing on their private property. The statement handled all the legal necessities, as well as ones that were simply for revenge purposes. I held it together and didn’t laugh aloud as Axel made John add that he was a pervert and needed help for his obsession with peeping.
Once the letter was signed, Axel had video of John writing it and signing it, he made him fax it to him using a computer-generated number before he would release his funds back into his account.
“If those pictures ever surface, or are even mentioned, this letter will be published, you will be prosecuted, and I’ll drain every account you have within seconds,” Axel warned.
“Holy shit,” I hooted after the video chat ended.
“I don’t think you’ll have to worry about him anymore,” Axel smirked, downing the rest of his beer.
“You’re a genius,” I praised.
Axel grabbed a couple more beers from the fridge and handed me one. He really was a genius, and one that saved my hide.
“How are things going with Evelyn?” Axel asked.
I sipped my beer, watching Axel’s eyes lock onto mine. He was a skillful reader of people, of their expressions, their mannerisms, their anxieties. He knew he was making me uneasy, and he enjoyed it.
“I haven’t seen much of her,” I admitted.
“You mother fucker,” Axel leaned up in his chair and towards me.
“Wait a fucking minute, tough guy,” I chuckled anxiously, not looking forward to another one of his swings.
“She’s been avoiding me I think, and I’ve been trying to keep a low-profile until I knew what was happening with that John idiot,” I explained quickly, calming Axel back down.
