Special Cowboy Menage Collection

by Morgan Ashbury

  Shit, they had never cared that he was embarrassed by the house he lived in, the clothes he wore, and the trucks he drove. They never cared about him at all.

  They didn’t think it was any big deal that he’d had to stand back and watch those Keller boys—freakish twins that they were—have all the best of everything just for being born Kellers.

  He’d done his best over the years to pretend to be their friend, and had swallowed his pride—and his bile—every time being close to them got him some crumbs off their table. It was his connection to them that had provided his summer work and his summer fun as a teen. He knew he’d worked harder than either James or Jonathan. He smiled now, thinking the things he’d learned those summers on the Farenough Ranch were sure going to come handy now.

  He’d graduated high school, but there’d been no trust fund set up for his college education. His father had taught him construction, and he’d saved his pennies so he could take some courses in investigation and law enforcement. That had been a smooth move on his part, and allowed him to move out of working with his hands and with his old man.

  The law didn’t pay as well as construction, but it had other fringe benefits. Rotten Rosie, the local madam, kept him supplied in weekend playmates in exchange for his looking the other way as they went about her business. A few of his former classmates kept him supplied in booze and any electronic gadget he needed, like the digital camera he’d used to take the pictures his new business partner was looking at now.

  Funny, he’d taken those courses so he’d learn how to uncover the facts of the past. But getting this job had introduced him to an entire new realm of possibilities. If a man was smart—and no one could deny that Derek Hamilton was a smart man—he recognized business opportunities when they came his way.

  The man sitting across from him was one such contact, a man who had a network of friends and businesses overseas. Some of those friends would pay hefty dollars for the opportunity to own an American wild horse. He’d done his research too, and was keeping his eyes out for some of the rarer breeds. Spotting one of them would net him in the tens of thousands of dollars.

  In the mean time, Bormann had mentioned that one of his contacts would pay top dollar for a particular kind of horse.

  It would take him no time at all to rope such an animal. Half a day, tops.

  “I’ll scan these and send them to my client. But I am reasonably certain this is indeed what he wants. I should be able to get back to you shortly. Perhaps by e-mail.”

  The man Derek knew only as Bormann slipped the photos into his own pocket. Derek tore off a scrap from a napkin and wrote his e-mail address on it. Bormann pocketed that, as well.

  “I have another client who is interested in establishing a…new trade route. I was wondering if you knew of an area, fairly remote, where planes could be brought in low to drop off supplies?”

  He’d figured a couple thousand dollars for a half day’s work capturing wild horses was just the beginning. And here now was the proof of that. Did he know of an area? He sure as hell did. The same area where the horses could be had, the same area that should have been his.

  He paused, giving a look around to ensure no one could overhear.

  “As a matter of fact, I have the perfect area in mind.”

  “I thought you might.”

  This was going to be bonus. Not only would he finally be hauling in the kind of money he deserved to make, but he’d be shoving it to those damned Kellers in the bargain.

  He’d be smart, he decided impulsively. He’d establish his presence in the area. That way if he was seen, then his being there would be accepted as normal.

  And he would arrange clues, evidence, for when this gig was up. Crime did pay, just not necessarily for the long haul. When he got wind that his time on this project was drawing to a close, he’d plant that evidence and those clues, and have investigators heading in one direction, and one direction only: the Farenough Ranch, and James and Jonathan Keller.

  Chapter Three

  “Well hello, Mr. Keller. Stella on the front desk told me you and your brother had arrived. If you’d let me know you were coming in, I’d have set up a private luncheon for us.” James Keller turned at the sound of those purred words. The woman was a looker, no doubt about it. Tall, lushly curved, with flame red hair and siren-green eyes, Phyllis Demeter undoubtedly turned heads wherever she went, but it was her eye for detail and her head for business management that had won her the position of managing the second major holding in the Keller empire, the Aces and Jacks Casino and Hotel.

  “Hi, Phyllis. Sorry I didn’t let you know we were coming. It was a last minute kind of thing. You’re looking well.”

  “Thank you. And you don’t need to give me advance notice. I’m always available for you. It’s been so long since we’ve spent any time together. Just let me clear my schedule, and I’m all yours for however long you need me.” Her voice was smooth, the gentle caress of her hand on his arm the action of a friendly acquaintance, but James heard alarm bells going off in his head.

  The casino had benefited from Phyllis’s deft hand on the reins for the last two years. But now as he really looked at her, James began to wonder if the lovely Ms. Demeter wasn’t hoping to be more than just an employee.

  James knew he’d never given the woman any reason to think that he’d be interested in a personal relationship. He and Jonathan felt very strongly about not crossing certain lines. Messing with female employees was one of those lines.

  He kept one eye on the front door—Ms. Tabitha Lambert would be walking through it at any moment—but he knew he had to diffuse this newly perceived development immediately. Sometimes ignorance really was bliss. He’d simply respond as if he hadn’t just gotten a whiff of the woman’s charged up hormones.

  “There’s no need to clear your schedule. You’ve done a good job of keeping us apprised of the day to day operations and implementing our operating procedures. No need to waste your lunch hour on us, either.” He kept his tone polite, and scrupulously eliminated any hint of chumminess or familiarity.

  He’d have to talk to Jonathan about this latest unwanted situation, but later. His eyes were drawn back to the front doors as a certain blonde came into view. Ms. Lambert had just walked in, looking adorably confused and delectably good enough to eat.

  “You’ll excuse me, Phyllis?” He mated the rhetorical question with a nod of his head—a purposefully dismissive nod—and turned, making a bee-line for Tabitha.

  “This is a strange place to have a meeting, James,” Tabitha greeted as he approached.

  Damned if her ability to distinguish him from his brother didn’t please him enormously. He hadn’t missed that Phyllis had called him Mr. Keller, instead of by name. He and Jonathan insisted on being on a first name basis with most of their employees. Her formality had been a cover for ignorance—she hadn’t been certain which one he was when she approached, since he’d not put on his name tag. He dropped his casino manager from his thoughts and focused on a much more pleasant subject.

  “Tabitha, it’s so good to see you again.” Unable to resist, he took her hands, brought them to his lips, and felt the pulse in her wrist speed up when he kissed them.

  “We only just met yesterday. You make it sound as if we’ve been apart for ages.” She’d tugged her hands back, and James shot her what he knew was his best cheeky grin.

  “Well, darlin’, it feels like ages since I last looked at your luscious self.”

  “Are we waiting for Jonathan, then?” her voice had just a bit of frost to it.

  James smiled. Her eyes were flashing daggers, but her cheeks had turned pink and her breathing had hitched. Damn, he really liked this woman.

  “Jonathan is upstairs in our office checking in with the ranch manager. He’ll join us in the board room shortly.”

  “Your office?”

  “Yes. It’s on the third floor. But we thought you’d prefer to meet in the board room. It has a neutral feel to
it, and is on the main level. Fairly close to the gaming floor, but we’ll close the door so we shouldn’t be distracted by the sounds of gamblers.”

  “You…own this place?”

  “We do. Now, that’s a nice smile.”

  “It’s the name of your casino. Reminded me of a card game my daddy and I used to play.”

  “Really? Well our daddy renamed it for my brother and I, when we were about ten. It’s our nick names combined. Mine’s Ace and my brother’s was—is Jack.”

  “Ah, I see. Do they still call you that? Ace?”

  James motioned for her to precede him as he guided her toward the edge of the gaming floor. The closer they came to it, the more they could hear the noise. Mid morning, about an hour from lunch, and the casino was full. Tourists made up most of the clientele. The professionals and the serious gamblers who either lived in the area or traveled a circuit would come in later in the evening, usually after ten.

  “No,” he answered her, turning to look at her full on. “Not since I gave up playing poker on a regular basis.” Then he leaned closer. “Aces and Jacks, man with the axe, natural sevens take all.”

  “Yes!” Tabitha’s face filled with delight, her eyes no longer holding that edge of chill. “I thought that was just a game Dad made up!”

  “No, ma’am. Played it a time or two myself. Been thinking of playing again, though, just lately. Are you any good at it?”

  “At…poker?”

  Oh, they were on the same channel, no doubt about it. Those lovely light blue orbs wore a bit of a glaze, now, and her nipples had just betrayed her by poking straight up and pushing against her top.

  “At whatever game is on the table.” Hell, he was getting aroused just looking in her eyes. When they got her naked, it was going to be one damn fine good time. But fast. He had a feeling their first time was going to be very, very fast.

  He waited for her response, and when it came, he gave her high marks for sheer daring.

  “Why James,” she purred as she leaned into him just a bit, “I can play any game you care to name. Play it, and win it.”

  “Darlin’.” The sound of his brother’s voice didn’t break the mood. James hadn’t noticed Jonathan’s approach, but he stood behind Tabitha now, his body almost brushing hers. James smiled, because he could see the presence of another wasn’t dampening Tabitha’s fire, either. When Jonathan bent forward just a bit, when he ran a hand down her back, James wondered that there wasn’t steam rising from all three of them.

  “Those are the very words we were hoping to hear. Would you care to make a little wager?”

  * * * *

  Tabitha wasn’t used to being on the receiving end of smart mouths and smart moves, but she had been getting a steady supply of both since meeting these two hunks, and that was going to have to change. She needed maneuvering time, so she’d excused herself just before their meeting got underway. Yes, she’d used the bathroom, but she’d also called her boss and arranged for a few days off.

  Since the time was owed to her and had been offered just the week before, the man was happy to comply. Now if things went the way she thought they might, she would have the option of participating, or keeping to herself for a few days until the dust settled.

  In the mean time she was horny as hell again. The board room, tastefully decorated and very professional looking, fairly sizzled with heat despite the cool reading on the thermostat.

  More aroused now than during yesterday afternoon’s assignation with Sol, she had to beat back the images that had been flooding her mind ever since Jonathan had come up behind her and run that big hot hand of his down her back.

  Naked, writhing, one lover rising up over her while the other cradled her, lifting her leg, spreading her to receive him…

  “Can we get you anything, Tabitha?”

  The question from James’s smug, masculine mouth pulled her out of her fantasy into the not-at-all erotic setting of the meeting.

  “Get me anything?” She hated the squeak in her voice, and wondered if she could brazen it out through the rest of this meeting.

  “You know…coffee….juice….water? Just tell us what you want, darlin’, and we’ll do our best to give it to you.”

  Oh, they were clever. They knew exactly what they were saying, and exactly what they were doing. And they knew the effect they were having on her, too.

  If life was a poker game, now would be about the time to call their bluff. They were teases, the two of them. Tabitha looked down at the documents before her.

  First she would take care of business, then she’d turn the tables. She’d bet once she did, one or both of these sinfully sexy men would turn tail and run.

  “No, I’m good. Actually this meeting is the last thing on my agenda today. I have a few days coming to me, and I thought I’d take them. So let’s finish this up—and let me say, on behalf of the United States government—thank you for your generous offer.”

  “Just giving back.”

  Tabitha found it interesting that Jonathan could toss out an outrageous sexual innuendo without batting an eyelash, but blushed when offered sincere thanks for what truly was a generous offer.

  The use of Farenough land for a wild horse sanctuary, complete with donated feed and irrigated watering spots should the pastures suffer undue drought, all underwritten by the Kellers, would be an enormous help in the Bureau’s wild horse and burro program.

  All the existing holding facilities were in Kansas and Oklahoma. This one, in the west where so many of the horses and burros roamed, though not a holding facility, would provide an additional sanctuary that could be monitored and maintained—and all without taxpayer money.

  All that was left to do was to turn the paper work over to the attorneys. Jonathan offered to have one of the casino staff courier them over to Tabitha’s office. Looking from one to the other of the Keller men, Tabitha wondered if they both maybe had an idea that the little game they’d been playing since they’d met the day before was about to come to a turning point.

  “Why, thank you. That means’s my work day will be done all that much sooner. Then I can really begin to relax and…play.”

  A knock announced the arrival of a young woman, impeccably dressed in business casual. James scooped the file folders off the table and handed them to her. If the woman thought it odd she was being asked to take the files to the BLM office in Carson City, she didn’t show it.

  In moments Tabitha was alone once more with the brothers Keller, although the door to the meeting room remained open.

  “Playing is highly underrated. So tell me, darlin’…what kind of game did you have in mind?” James’s voice, smooth hot fudge over pure vanilla ice cream heated her blood and melted her joints.

  “Have any idea where a girl can get a little private action? I was thinking maybe a few hands of Texas Hold ‘em.” It wasn’t hard to make her voice breathless. She’d felt breathless since meeting the pair.

  “Oh, we can arrange a private game, no problem,” Jonathan said in a voice no less smoky than his brother’s.

  “We were thinking maybe one game. One hand. With a very personal wager.” James smiled as he offered that.

  “But what if I want to play more than just one hand?” Was that her, putting that cock-teasing pout into her voice, licking her lips just to incite these two sexy studs? Was she out of her ever-loving mind?

  “Now, darlin’, you have to know there’s more than one way to play...and more than one game in town.” Jonathan pitched his voice low, and Tabitha felt it rumble in her belly.

  “What did you have in mind?” They were good, damn good. Tabitha felt the moisture gathering between her thighs and the humming low in her womb as if her inner atoms were busy cleaning house because they knew that company was coming. Thank goodness she was still sitting down. The men wouldn’t know her knees had gone weak.

  On the other hand, they were both standing, and it only took one glance to realize they were both already semi-hard, a
nd that their relative positions put their cocks on nearly the same level as her mouth, making that water, too.

  Tabitha felt totally aroused and completely reckless. Not a good combination at all.

  “If one of us wins, you come home with us today. You become…ours. We’ll pleasure you until you melt; both of us together, and one of us at a time. And we bet you, Tabitha Lambert, that together we’ll be able to meet every one of your needs and fulfill every one of your fantasies. You’ll become…addicted to us. And darlin’, this game would be for keeps.” Such emotion filled James’s voice that Tabitha realized what was happening between them wasn’t entirely a game. These men were serious—or at least believed themselves to be. She swallowed hard and looked from one to the other.

  Even though she was well rid of her ex-husband, the failure of her marriage and the dissolution of the relationship had stung. Not playing now, she gave them her honest-to-the bone reaction. “What good would that do me? You’d be putting me into a position where I would have to choose between you. That’s a recipe for heartbreak if ever I heard one.”

  “Oh, no, darlin’. You’ve missed the point entirely. We do want you to choose. But we want you to choose us both, not choose between us,” Jonathan explained.

  Oh my God. They were absolutely serious. They were offering her something she’d only admitted a hunger for in her own personal fantasies. Holy hell, this room had become awfully hot, awfully fast.

  “Um…and what do I get if I win?”

  “Anything you want,” Jonathan replied for the both of them.

  “And you expect me to accept this…this wanton wager?”

  The men looked at each other, then looked at her. “We can smell your heat, and you’re no coy miss. You’re a woman with one hell of a good brain who knows her mind, and makes her own decisions. And you’re a gambler.” James smiled as he said all that, obviously enjoying the shock she knew she wore. She’d been married to Ed Lambert for over a year, and these two men already knew her better than he ever had.