As he got up to discard the condom, Amanda sighed contentedly. “That was amazing.” she said. “But if you want any more fucking from this filly, you’re going to have to feed me.”
Jake ordered room service and, while they were waiting on the food, they showered together, soaping each other clean while they shared wet kisses and caresses.
Room service rang just as they left the hot and humid bathroom. He wrapped the towel around his waist and quickly went to get their food.
They ate sitting at a small table overlooking Central Park, wearing fluffy cotton robes and making quick work of the thick pastrami sandwiches on fresh rye with slices of provolone and spears of kosher dills.
When they finished the meal, they moved back to the large bed, propping themselves up on pillows against the ornate headboard. Amanda snuggled against his side, her head on his chest.
“So how are Luke and Justin? And Julie and Rosita?” Amanda asked softly against his chest.
“Rosita’s fine. And so is Julie. She has a new foal to take care of. By the way, we named the foal you saw Mandy.”
She rose up quickly and looked at Jake. “Mandy? Really? After me?”
“Yes, after you. And she’s a wild little thing, too. I’ll show you a photo later.” Jake saw her eyes begin to fill with tears.
“Thank you, Jake.” She leaned forward to kiss him, then laid her head back down on his chest.
“Luke and Justin are both fine. Though I think Luke was a bit disappointed to be left out of your last evening on the ranch.”
“Does Luke know about you and me and Justin, out on the balcony?”
Jake chuckled. “Sugar, every hand on the ranch knows about that.”
Amanda blushed rosily. “I guess I need to learn to climax a bit more quietly.”
“No. Letting go—completely—is what sexual pleasure is all about.”
“I know,” she said. “I learned that from you. And from Justin and Luke. I certainly let go that night.”
“You did,” Jake said. “It was incredible to watch.”
“I was excited. It was so damned erotic having two men at once. And having you watch made it twice as exciting.”
“Would you want to do it again?” The words were out before Jake could stop them.
She rose up and sat cross-legged on the bed facing him. “Seriously, Jake? Like I told you in Texas, yes, I would. Under the right circumstances. With the right men.” She paused. “And with you there.”
“Watching?”
“Yes. Or participating. That night with Luke and Justin, I really wanted you.”
Jake felt a surge of pleasure at her admission.
“But to answer your question, Yes, I’d enjoy another threesome”
“Or foursome?”
She gave him a sly grin. “Or foursome, if it included you. But I don’t need to do it anytime soon. Right now, at this moment in time, the only man I need is you.”
Jake smiled at her. “And right now, in this place, the only woman I need is you.” He tried to keep the note of wistful sadness out of his voice but, from her expression, he hadn’t succeeded. Here, and now…would be over by tomorrow.
Amanda soon left for her apartment. “Get some rest, Jake.” She said as she left. “I think tomorrow is going to be a big day.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
The private auction for the “Gunslinger” illustration was held in the large conference room at PP&C the next morning at ten o’clock. Eighteen Western art collectors who had attended recent auctions had been contacted concerning the somewhat unusual sale. Of the eighteen, six collectors of Randell’s work accepted the invitation. Three bidders were at PP&C in person and three were attending via video conference. Sarah was there in one of her outrageous outfits, along with Jerome Dansforth from Dansforth Auctions and two Randell experts.
Of the bidders attending in person, one was a wealthy collector from the East Coast. Another was a California rancher who raised racing thoroughbreds. The third was woman in her fifties dressed in a business suit Amanda estimated cost at least two thousand dollars. The sophisticated woman was on one cell phone and had a spare phone on the conference table in front of her, ready to place bids for a collector who wanted to remain anonymous.
Some of the bidders knew each other personally and, while there was a general atmosphere of geniality, there was also an element of rivalry and tension among the collectors. To demonstrate their intent, each bidder had deposited five hundred thousand dollars in escrow should they place the winning bid and not be able to immediately cover the sale amount.
The most unusual part of Amanda’s plan was to invite the two experts on Randell’s work to offer an on-the-spot evaluation of the piece.
Amanda met Jake at the office and ushered him into the conference room, introducing him to Richard, Sarah, Dansforth and the six collectors. On meeting Jake, Sarah gave Amanda a knowing look that made her blush.
Richard brought the meeting to order and asked Amanda to explain how and where the illustration had been found. The canvas sat on an easel at the end of the conference table, and the bedroll it had been wrapped in was lying open on the table.
To add further to the validity of the work’s provenance, Amanda had created a presentation using photos she had taken of the cabin’s interior and exterior. She did not discuss the forged painting or the blankets and pots Winslow had destroyed. She did have photos of the first phase blanket and Onapi pot Chi Long had purchased, which added even more validity to the provenance of the painting.
After creating a compelling outline of the illustration’s provenance, Amanda asked the experts to speak.
The curator from the Western Art Museum in Montana spoke first, giving his background and his evaluation of the painting. His presentation covered both artistic and technical considerations and took almost an hour. His conclusion was that the painting on the easel was a genuine Charles Marion Randell.
The publisher responsible for Rawhide Outlaws spoke next, telling the small audience he had compared the work to the still existing rotogravure copper plates for the Fast As Lightning illustration and to a printed version from the June 1889 issue of the periodical. According to his references, “They match perfectly.”
Jake watched the events unfold with keen interest. He’d been to many cattle auctions, with fast talking auctioneers who seemed to have extra sets of eyes when it came to spotting bidders, but had never been to an auction quite like this one. Jerome Dansforth himself conducted the sale and, after twenty minutes of almost silent bidding, the collectors attending by video conference had dropped out. The East Coast collector soon followed, reducing the group of bidders to two: The horse rancher who had flown in from California, and the woman taking instructions by phone from the anonymous bidder.
When the bid reached thirteen million two hundred thousand, the woman bowed out. The California collector had just acquired his third Charles Randell painting. The final bid had come so quietly, Jake asked if he had heard correctly.
“Did I hear that right? The bid was thirteen million?”
Richard smiled. “You heard right. It was thirteen two. The collector will pay our fee, but you will have to pay Dansforth. And capital gains taxes of course. But you and your brother should both end up with four or five million each.”
“Holy shit.” Jake couldn’t keep from grinning. “For a drawing of a cowboy.”
“It’s a very good drawing of a cowboy.” Richard smiled at the Texan. “Why don’t we go and meet your buyer?”
Jake shook hands with the collector, a happy man who had just arranged the wire transfer of thirteen point two million, plus the broker’s commission, to PP&C’s bank. Then they went to Richard’s office to direct the wire transfer to Jake’s bank in Austin. Sarah and Amanda chatted with the experts Amanda had cleverly arranged to bring in.
Once Amanda joined Richard to discuss final logistics, Jake returned to the conference room and called Justin, bringing him up to date on
what had happened.
****
Amanda stood in front of Richard’s elaborate desk, waiting for him to speak. He was smiling broadly.
“Good job, Mandy. Bringing in the experts for authentication was brilliant.”
“Thanks, Richard. There were times down in Texas when I wasn’t sure anything good would come of our efforts.”
Richard turned serious. “I know, Mandy. Jake told me what happened with their cousin, Winslow, on the day you left. That must’ve been horribly frightening.”
“Believe me, it was. He was a madman. And now he’ll never walk again,” Amanda responded sadly.
Richard’s broad smile returned. He picked up a check and handed it to Amanda. “We don’t offer hazard pay, but this is your bonus on the sale of the Randell illustration, the Onapi pot, and the first phase blanket.”
Amanda took the check, smiling at Richard in return. “Thank you, Richard. I appreciate this very much.” She glanced down. The check was for twenty five thousand dollars..
“And this,” said Richard, handing her another check drawn from a different bank, “is from the Morgans. It’s a finder’s fee. They said you were the one who actually found the painting in the cabin.”
Amanda took the check, surprised. For a moment, she thought it was another twenty five thousand dollars. Then she counted the zeros again. “ Two hundred fifty thousand dollars! My God, Richard. I can’t take this.”
“They insist. You found the painting, knew what it was. Knew what the Indian artifacts were worth. And in Justin Morgan’s somewhat colorful opinion, you ‘saved their fucking bacon.’ Their note at the bank is due day after tomorrow. Now, they can pay it.”
“Richard, really…I can’t…”
“Mandy, after they pay the auction fee, the Morgan brothers will have netted at least twelve million before taxes. That check is for less than two and a half percent. It’s not an outrageous fee at all.”
Amanda’s eyes started to well up with tears, but she sniffed them back. “Then I guess I need to go say thank you, don’t I?”
“I think that would be very appropriate, Amanda. Very appropriate.”
Amanda walked slowly to the conference room. She pulled Jake aside, insisting she shouldn’t be paid so much for simply spotting the bedroll in the cabin rafters. “Jake, this is a quarter of a million dollars.”
“I know.” Jake said. “And because of you, Justin and I have about five million apiece. We can pay off Daddy’s note. You literally saved our ranch. So take it and enjoy it.”
“All right,” she finally acquiesced. “Just assure me of one thing.” She lowered her voice. “This isn’t because of…of our personal…”
Jake burst out laughing. “Because of our fantastic time in bed?” Jake asked. “No sugar, there’s not enough money in Texas to pay for that.”
She smiled at the last statement, pulling him into a big hug. If Richard and the rest of the group hadn’t been there, she would’ve done much more than that.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“What shall we do now?” Jake was trying to keep a grin from smothering his face, but becoming a multimillionaire made it difficult. Amanda certainly wasn’t trying to hide her glee.
“That should be up to you, cowboy. You’re a guest in our city.”
Jake thought for a moment. “I want to see your apartment.”
“Really? Why? You’re at one of the finest hotels in the city. With a big bed. My bed’s not half that nice.”
“That’s a hotel room. I want to see where you live. Where you sleep. Wake up. Where you watch TV.”
“I don’t watch much TV. But if you want to see where I live, let’s go. It’s a quick cab ride away. I just hope I put my dirty underwear in the hamper.”
“Oh, I’m particularly interested in seeing your dirty underwear. Or you being dirty in your underwear.”
A fifteen minute cab ride had them at Amanda’s apartment in a well-kept brownstone. She showed Jake around the small but elegantly decorated space, a tour that took about three minutes. They ended up in the bedroom.
“That looks familiar.” Jake pointed to the plaid shirt she had stolen from him at the ranch. It was hanging on the doorknob of her closet.
“That’s mine. And you can’t have it back.” She sat down on the edge of the bed. “So, now what?”
Jake sat in an upholstered side chair in the corner of the bedroom. He thought for a moment, then said, “Take off your clothes. Slowly. I want to see you naked again.”
Amanda tilted her chin and let her eyes slightly close. She gave Jake a sexy smile. He crossed his legs and relaxed. “Strip for me,” he said.
“There isn’t any music.”
“Just take everything off. You don’t need anything else to be sexy.”
“What shall I take off first?” She asked naughtily.
“Those stiletto heels. What do they call them? ‘Fuck me pumps?’ Then take off your skirt.” Jake had a plan and didn’t want to be deterred by her impish behavior.
“Not my top first? Most men want to see a woman’s breasts first, don’t they?”
“I’m not most men.”
“No. You’re not.” She slipped out of her sexy open-toe heels.
Once the shoes were off, she unwrapped the skirt and tossed it aside, leaving her only in her top and underwear. She was wearing sheer thigh-highs with exquisite lace tops. The effect was startlingly erotic and he had to adjust the front of his jeans to accommodate his growing erection. He tried be inconspicuous but caught the hint of a smile that crossed her lips. He cleared his throat. “Now your panties.”
She stripped off her nude lace thong, tossing it to Jake.
He held up the tiny garment. “You have really sexy underwear.”
Amanda giggled. “Underwear are granny panties. I wear lingerie.” She smiled and stood facing him, naked from the waist down except for her stockings. Jake could see that her smoothly shaved pussy lips were already wet with her desire. She put her hands on her hips and tilted her head, silently asking, “What’s next?”
“Now your top.” Jake watched her intently.
The silk top came off easily. He was pleasantly surprised to see that her bra was scalloped in front, leaving just the tip of her nipples and the top half of her areola exposed.
“That’s a very sexy bra.” He growled in appreciation.
“I like to feel my blouse rubbing against my nipples.” She lifted her hands, palming the cups of her bra and thumbing her nipples. She was giving him a look of pure seduction.
The look was working, too. He felt the level of his arousal increasing exponentially, racing toward meltdown. His cock was growing larger and he shifted in his seat and adjusted his fly, not bothering to hide what he was doing from the little minx.
“Am I making you uncomfortable?” She continued to tease her nipples with one hand but let her other hand drift down to cup the smooth flesh between her legs.
Jake grinned at her. “Are you the same shy little mouse I caught on my balcony a couple of weeks ago? Just look at you now, teasing me into a raging hard-on. What’s gotten into you?”
Amanda smiled, keeping her eyelids lowered. “Hmm. You got into me. My inhibitions have been shredded, thanks to you.”
Jake leaned back in the chair. “That’s something I’m very proud of. Now face me. Spread your legs apart.” She followed his instructions exactly.
“A little wider.” Damn she looked sexy in just her bra and stockings.
She spread her legs wider. “Are you trying to see if my pussy is wet?”
“I know your pussy is wet. Now take off your necklace.” He’d been fantasizing about those pearls all day.
She gave him a curious look but reached back and unclasped the string of pearls.
“Now hold it by one end behind your back, between your ass cheeks.” Again, she did as she was told.
“Reach between your legs and grab the loose end. I want you to pull the necklace up so it’s snug
between your pussy lips.”
A look of understanding crossed her face. She smiled and lifted the string of pearls until the strand was hidden between her pussy lips. She grinned at him. “Jake Morgan, you are wicked naughty.”
He smiled. “Now slide it back and forth. Slowly. Pull it higher in front so it touches your clit.”
“Like this?” She pulled the string of pearls forward, then back, then forward again.
Jake smiled when he saw her catch her breath, her expression changing from light humor to surprise, then arousal. “Yes. Now, a little faster. Be sure it rubs across your clit.”
She pulled the necklace faster and faster, bending her knees and tilting her pelvis forward. She was still looking at Jake, her gaze mirroring the unexpected pleasure he’d introduced her to.
Jake slowly unzipped his jeans to lift his raging erection out while he watched her pleasuring herself. He wrapped his hand around his cock and stroked upward, feeling the tight skin covering the rigid shaft. A luminous drop of pre-come appeared at the tip and he used his thumb to smear it over the velvet smooth corona. He could hear the quiet “thrrrup, thrrrup,” as the silky pearls slid between Amanda’s labia, could see them glistening wetly with her juices. She had closed her eyes and tilted her head to one side. Her mouth was half open, her breath coming in shallow pants. Damn, there is nothing sexier than a woman deep in her pleasure.
“Are you going to come, Amanda? Show me how much you like to orgasm. Make yourself come.” Jake urged, needing to see her climax.
The pearls were a blur now as she pulled them rapidly back and forth. Then her head went back, and she moaned loudly. “Ohhh! Ohhh, my God! Yes! Yes! Oh God, yes!”
Jake saw that she wouldn’t be able to keep standing through her orgasm. He leapt up from the chair, kneeling to catch her just as her knees buckled and she crumpled to the floor. He ended up on his back, holding her against his chest. He held her until the trembling stopped before lifting her onto the bed. He moved back to sit in the chair. In a few minutes, he heard her breathing steadily. He had never met a woman like her, knew he never would again. But the chances of her coming to Texas, or of him coming to New York, were zero and zero.
One Hard Ride Page 24
