“Oh! Would you shut up!” she grouched to herself. “They already know what you look like nekkid!”
“You say something, darlin’?” Chris asked through the bedroom door.
“No, honey, just talking to myself. I’ll be right out.”
“Can’t wait,” he called as he continued down the hallway.
She wondered at why she was feeling so self-conscious and decided that Julián had bought the Western minidress, and the drop-dead-gorgeous boots that she’d coveted for weeks, and she was wearing them on their date that night.
Julián and Chris had convinced her that she could afford to take a night off now and then. When she wasn’t working on the ranch, she stayed busy with Tutti. It kept her mind off of being alone on Wilbur’s ranch during the day, wondering if that asshole, Hatch Dunlap, was nearby or watching her from the property next door.
She hadn’t seen him in town and he hadn’t paid another visit since the first one and she wanted to keep it that way. When the men weren’t nearby, she carried her revolver on her at all times. Not because she was paranoid but because she’d seen human nature run its course on several occasions and it paid to be prudent.
She’d visited the hospital a few days before to see Rosemary and admire little Thomas Daniel Garner. She’d also wanted to thank Rosemary. Julián had told her that Rosemary had set him up with everything Gwen needed for their date on Valentine’s night, plus given him a suggestion about visiting Discretion for undergarments. Between the three of them, Julián, Rosemary, and Summer Webster had Gwen decked out.
Giving one last look at the black, white, and turquoise paisley print dress and the knee-high boots that shimmered in the lamplight, Gwen smiled. Sometimes she was just too hard on herself. She looked better than just presentable. After straightening the waistband on her thong, she winked at herself and opened the door.
If I can face an arena full of screaming rodeo fans, on horseback with a timer going and competitors breathing down my neck, I can go out in public in a dress, for crying out loud!
Julián’s jaw dropped and a big smile spread across his face as she made her appearance at the bottom of the staircase.
Chris was the first to speak. “Rowr! Bow-chicka-wow-wow, darlin’!”
“You like it?” she asked as she gave them a slow turn at Chris’s urging.
Chris replied, “Like? Oh yeah. We need to get you to The Pony before I forget we have a date and just take you back upstairs. Wait—” Chris added as he squinted at her. She wondered if he needed glasses and made a mental note to ask him later.
“What?”
“Julián said there are fancy undies with this outfit. Can I see?”
Gwen wanted to burst out laughing because he looked ready to let his tongue hang out. Oh, how I love you! Then she had another thought.
“Just a tiny peek. Good things come to those who wait, cowboy.” She hooked the hem of her dress with her index finger and slowly lifted it, gathering the hem in her hand so that she didn’t reveal more than a tiny peek at the sparkly black-and-white print waistband of her thong.
“Damn,” he growled.
“Disappointed?” she asked, turning as she lowered the hem so that he’d catch just a hint of her left butt cheek.
“No, you’re damned sexy. That’s a thong, isn’t it?”
“That’s for me to know and you to find out later, cowboy.”
Chris turned to Julián as though expecting him to share the information, and Julián shrugged. “As the lady says. I can tell you it’ll be worth the wait. That’s not the only sexy thing on underneath there.”
“We need to get out of here before I throw her over my shoulder and carry her back to bed.”
“Let’s get going so we can pick Gwen’s truck up first,” Julián said as they escorted her to the doorway. She’d taken her truck into divine earlier in the day to have new tires put on it. She’d need them for her months on the road, and her horse training fees from Tutti would easily cover the cost.
The sky looked darker than normal with the impending storm forecasted for that evening, and the scent of rain was in the air. At Torvel’s Tire Center, Chris commented on the state of her cracked upholstery and threatened to have it redone for her before he offered to drive the old truck so she didn’t take a chance on snagging her pretty new dress.
“You should ride with Julián.”
“You two spoil me. I can drive my truck. I’ll follow you,” she offered, like she didn’t know the way to The Pony, as she gently took her keys from his big hand. “You’re a sweetheart, baby, but you know I like to do things for myself.”
“Which doesn’t sit well with me, but all right.”
“I’ll be right behind you.”
“I’d rather be behind you,” he murmured suggestively as he opened the truck door for her.
As she climbed into the truck, her sigh of longing ended in a squeak when his fingertips traced the length of her inner thigh until he reached the suddenly damp silky fabric between her legs. “You bad, bad boy! It’s still light enough outside that someone could come out and see us.”
Chris chortled, “Well, then you’d better hold still so that your dress doesn’t ride up.” With his fingertips he pushed the fabric right against her clit, drawing a strangled moan from her as the sensitive bundle of nerve endings sent a pulse of electricity through her whole body. A wild combination of fear and lust filled her as Chris hooked the crotch of her thong and dipped his finger into the hot wetness between her legs. Her heart rate went through the roof and she braced her boots against the floorboard as he stroked her higher and higher. Her body felt like it radiated heat.
Julián closed in beside Chris, blocking her into the truck. “Seems only fair that the teaser gets teased,” he said with a chuckle.
Not to be outdone, Gwen breathlessly replied, “I’m having fun either way so it’s all good.” She moaned when Chris removed his hand, a sweet orgasm nearly within reach. “I wish you didn’t have to stop.”
Heat crept into her cheeks when Chris surreptitiously licked his fingertips and growled. “Good things come to those who wait.”
Laughter bubbled from her even as her body quivered with a heady mix of frustration and anticipation. I’ve never been this happy. Ever.
At The Dancing Pony, they joined Grace, Jayne, Grace’s sister, Charity, and their men at the two tables they’d pulled together. The girls complimented Gwen’s dress and flipped out over her new boots.
Charity said, “You’re showing those off on the dance floor with us later.”
Gwen glanced from Julián to Chris and said, “I’m more than ready to kick up my heels a little bit.” They both grinned as she arched her eyebrow, letting them know she’d intended a double meaning. Grace waved at Dr. Emma Rivers, Maya Warner, and Summer Webster, and their spouses when they walked into the club and the men all rose so the ladies could have their seats.
Jayne leaned forward and said, “I can’t wait to try out some of my new moves.” Seth whispered in her ear, making her turn several adorable shades of red before the two of them adjourned to the dance floor.
Charity chuckled and said, “Those two are so cute they’re nauseating. I hated missing class last night. Did Camilla introduce any new routines?”
The girls all started talking at once until Gwen finally interrupted. “What are you talking about?”
“I can’t believe we didn’t mention it at Madeleine’s last Saturday,” Grace replied. “Camilla decided to move forward with the striptease workout classes at The Twisted Bull in Morehead on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.”
“I thought you said she was expecting.”
Rachel said, “She is,” as she and Eli joined their group and she sat down next to Gwen. “She’s teaching some of the floor exercises, tiny baby bump and all, while her friend, Charlotta, is teaching the pole dancing classes. Believe me, they’re both great teachers.”
Eli cleared his throat and said, “That’s true. T
hey both taught Rachel and that was enough to make a believer out of me.”
Gwen said, “Tell me more. Are all of you taking the lessons?”
All the girls nodded enthusiastically and Charity said, “I know you’re not here for that long, Gwen, but you can come too if you want. You don’t have to commit for any length of time.”
Emma said, “They really help with my balance issues, because she has us stretching and doing a lot of yoga-like moves too. It even changed the way I walk,” she added in a hushed tone.
“Wow.”
“Yeah, and anyone can learn the basic moves and notice a change in their confidence level in the way they move and dance. I can’t wait to get on the dance floor tonight,” Emma declared before taking a sip of her margarita.
Gwen giggled and said, “Maybe I can make it to a few of them. That sounds like something I’d enjoy. Do you really strip during the class?” She fought amusement when both Chris and Julián’s conversation behind her suddenly halted. So they were listening, huh? I wonder if they’d like that.
Rachel shook her head. “You can bring lingerie to wear outside your workout clothes if you want to practice getting them off smoothly.”
Emma snickered and said, “I’d recommend the practice. It’s amazing how tightly you can get a G-string wrapped around a pair of hooker heels.” Several more men in the group went quiet and began paying attention to the conversation. Some of them had evil intent in their grins as they watched their women.
Ethan Grant separated himself from the group and joined Dave in the DJ booth for a few minutes. While he was gone, Lucy Carter, Beck O’Malley, and Patrick Owen joined the group, making it necessary to pull another table over so they could all sit together. Luckily for them, Valentine’s Day had fallen on a weekday so the club wasn’t overly crowded.
Lucy looked tired and slightly peeved but relaxed a little as she joined in the discussion. She became animated as they spoke more about the striptease lessons. “I can’t wait to give her class a try. Whatever she can teach me has to be better than what I’m doing right now.”
Patrick Owen was standing behind Lucy at the time, and when he heard what she said, he arched his eyebrow and invited her onto the dance floor. As attractive as Lucy was, Gwen wondered at her lack of self-confidence.
Excusing herself from their table, Gwen walked to the restroom, cognizant of the breeze that constantly shifted under the short dress, caressing her bare ass cheeks. Worry raced through her when she saw Hatch Dunlap and his two buddies sitting at the table next to the hallway leading to the restrooms. There was no getting around him without being noticed. She didn’t return to her table. She had just as much right to be there as they did and she wasn’t hiding.
“Well, well, well,” Hatch said as he put his boot out to block her path and looked her up and down suggestively. “We got one more chair at our table if you wanna join us.”
Gwen glanced at the empty spot and noticed the hurricane glass with the hot-pink fruity-looking drink reaching its rim and the two empty glasses next to it. Chancing a guess at the occupant of the seat, she said, “I’ll bet Judith would disagree.”
Hatch waved a hand dismissively. “Ah, we’re just hanging out.” Gwen thought how alike they both were and that they deserved each other, all four of them. “There’s room for you in the group if you want. I reckon we have a little unfinished business from the other day saved up for you.”
We?
Her skin crawled at his insinuation. Three men and two women. No matter how desperate she ever became, that would never happen. And regarding any unfinished business he might be implying, she was about as finished as a woman could get with a misogynistic asshole. She glanced at his two friends and felt justifiable fear at the way they drilled her with their eyes.
“Not interested. I already have my hands full,” she quipped and side-skirted his dusty boot. She ignored Judith as she exited the restroom and was thankful when the woman failed to recognize her as she chattered to no one in particular, sounding more than a little inebriated. A few minutes later Gwen sailed past their table, relieved that it was empty. Either they’d left or they were all on the dance floor. She gladly put them out of her mind as she returned to her seat.
Grace kissed Ethan as he returned to the table and listened intently as he whispered to her. She bit her lip and giggled as she looked toward the DJ booth where Dave waved at her when he had her attention. He held a mike in his hand.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this classic song goes out to Grace, from the hearts she’s held captive for the last four years. Happy Valentine’s Day, Grace!”
Grace gasped when Dave started the familiar song and slipped from her chair. She was practically vibrating with happiness in her sexy hot pink wraparound dress as she threw her arms around each of her men in turn while the other girls clapped and cheered as they slipped from their chairs to go dance. Even Gwen was urged to join them by Julián and Chris as the vocals began for “Kiss You All Over” by Exile.
Her body throbbed with excitement as she moved to the sensual beat of the song. She couldn’t keep from smiling as she danced in the midst of her group of friends. Some of them were throwing down some seriously sexy moves and she considered looking into those striptease lessons while she was in the area. She might be able to swing a few Tuesday and Thursday afternoons here and there.
For all the drama and catty women that she was used to dealing with on the road, it was nice to be friends with women who weren’t constantly back-biting and plotting against each other. They each had their own men, none of them were jealous of the others, and they watched out for each other. Friends like that couldn’t be taken for granted. It wasn’t just her men that she would miss, come March.
She looked beyond her friends and saw the men gravitating toward their women protectively. Recalling the brawl on The Pony’s dance floor the year before, when Seth Carter had rescued her and Teresa, she appreciated that they watched out for the girls like that. Just one more thing she wasn’t used to. A thrill raced through Gwen when she noticed Julián and Chris watching her, lust burning in their eyes as they moved closer.
She was just appreciating the boost to her ego when she felt a rough hand slide along her thigh. Turning toward the person who would dare lay a hand on her uninvited, she felt anger and disgust when she looked into Hatch’s gloating face. His eyes gleamed with challenge as he danced with an unknown woman who evidently hadn’t noticed his straying hands.
The song ended and Gwen immediately put as much distance as she could between her and Hatch. Not wanting to spoil the evening, she didn’t say anything about his untoward advance when they walked her to the bar and ordered another drink. They were making their way back to the table when Grace waved secretively at Gwen and motioned her over.
Judith was sitting at their table, in Gwen’s chair, having an animated conversation with Emma and Maya.
Speaking softly so that she couldn’t be overheard, Grace said, “Judith just sat down a few seconds ago and started talking to Emma out of the blue. With my hair up, I guess she didn’t recognize me. Either that, or she’s really drunk. Listen, I think she’s talking about you.”
Gwen noticed the mixed looks of consternation and amusement on the men’s faces as they listened while Judith spoke in a very loud voice.
Judith nodded like a bobblehead doll as Emma asked her a quiet question. “Oh, yeah. You wanna be really careful around Gwen. I saw you at her table the other night and—” She belched loudly. “Oh, ’scuse me. She likes to steal men. The more the better. She stole my boyfriend more than once. And between you and me, she likes them two at a time.”
“Oh?” Emma rounded her eyes, looking shocked.
“Mmm-hmm, you heard right. She’s one of those messed-up kinky ménage people. I heard there’s a bunch of them in Divine. Freaks.”
Judith was so drunk she obviously didn’t know she was surrounded by those supposed freaks.
Chapter Nineteen
Gwen watched Emma with admiration as she listened to Judith rant on.
Judith took another swallow of her drink. “Yeah! And believe me. I know what I’m talking about when I say ‘messed up’ because that shit’s crazy. I s’pose it’s okay for the men because they get theirs, no matter what. But those threesomes, foursomes, whatever…I’ve been there and done that…and it ain’t all that,” she over-enunciated and then giggled as if she’d said something clever.
Emma nodded sympathetically and said, “Oh, I can’t imagine! You’ve had that happen to you?”
Gwen thought the good doctor deserved an Oscar, she was so convincing. Emma was married to two of the hottest IT consultants and private investigation subcontractors in the area. Emma knew hot ménages from a hole in the ground.
“Yeah! It was terrible. They came and left me hanging. Didn’t even use lube.”
Gwen was embarrassed for every man at that table having to listen to this woman talk about a subject she knew next to nothing about. Technically, Gwen didn’t either, but she planned to rectify that soon enough.
“You didn’t ask them to use lube?”
“Didn’t have any. We were in the backseat of a truck.” Judith took another swallow of her drink. She glared back at the two cowboys who had been sitting with Hatch earlier, confirming Gwen’s suspicion.
Jayne Carter, Grace’s cousin, snuck up to her and asked, “Who is she and why is she here?”
Gwen smiled and whispered, “To stir up shit. It’s what she does,” and then she briefly explained her past association with this particular rodeo-following buckle-bunny troublemaker.
Grace said, “Shh, listen.”
“So, what you experienced was basically a quickie threesome? With no preparation or foreplay?”
“Foursome, actually,” Judith stated and then laughed. “Foreplay? Are you kidding? They couldn’t wait to get down to business. That’s the way it is with men when they get that look in their eyes and you know the clock is ticking,” she added in a stage whisper, obviously believing that none of the men at the table could hear her over the loud music. There were few occupants at the next table who couldn’t hear her.
Tangled in Divine [Divine Creek Ranch 14] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 28
