If the Boot Fits

by Rebekah Weatherspoon

  Amanda pulled back, tipping the hat up so she could rest her forehead against his. “I’m gonna come,” she breathed. He opened his eyes to find hers squeezed shut, all her focus on where they were connected. “I’m coming. Oh, fuck. Sam.” The sound that came out of her threatened to drive him over the edge, but he held off, gripping her body as she pussy-clenched hard around his cock. After a moment, he took the hat off her and slipped it onto his own head as he rolled them so she was on her back. She let her legs fall open, giving him all the space he needed to fuck her harder, faster. Her hands went up to the headboard, anchoring her against his harsh thrusts.

  For some reason the thought of them dancing together popped into his head and Sam came, filling the condom as he slowed then finally ground to a stop on top of her. He caught his breath, then carefully climbed off the bed. He could barely see, but he knew if he didn’t get rid of the condom right away, he’d pass out and maybe never move again. He came back from the bathroom and found Amanda on her side with a throw blanket pulled over her. She watched as he came back to the bedroom, a satisfied smile spreading across her face.

  “You need to play a cowboy in your next movie. That hat is sexy as fuck.”

  * * *

  “Okay. Your turn,” Sam said as he reached over and took another bite of the churro and ice cream dessert they’d had sent to the room. After they’d both caught their breath Amanda confessed how hungry she was. She’d been banking on the spread at Claim Jumpers to keep her energy up, but they’d left before she’d gotten to sample the wings. They’d ordered a real dinner and some dessert, then relocated their mostly naked party over to the couch.

  “Hmmm. Do you vote?” Amanda asked.

  “Yes. I need to be better about local elections because those matter, but yes.”

  “Okay, same. Your turn?” Amanda took her own spoonful, doing a little dance as she enjoyed the sticky sweetness of the caramel sauce.

  “Biggest fear.”

  “Oh, that’s tough. It’s somewhere between hurting my mom’s feeling in some horrible way I can’t take back and being sex trafficked.”

  “Same,” Sam laughed.

  “Really?”

  “Yes, my mom or my grandmother. And I feel like there are few things worse than being sex trafficked. Doing life for something I didn’t do thanks to lazy crime-scene investigation is up there.”

  “I thought you were going to say some artsy shit like not living every day to the fullest.”

  “Nah, doing a bid unjustly in solitary sounds way worse. Not that solitary is ever just.”

  “Agreed. Okay. I’m coming in hot with this one. Are you ready?”

  “I’m ready. Hit me.”

  “If you could work on any project next, what would it be? This is a safe space. I will not tell your agent or your brothers or whatever. Just you and me. If you could do anything. Tell me.”

  Sam took a deep breath and tried his hardest to access the truth. There wasn’t a clear answer that jumped to the forefront ’cause the truth was he didn’t live on Planet Black Actors Get Whatever They Want. He had to learn to manage his dreams a long time ago to stop from crushing his own heart and his passion along with it.

  “Tell me. Speak it into existence. What’s the project?” Amanda said, urging him on.

  “Okay. I’ll give you my top three—I should make you sign an NDA.”

  Amanda laughed, playfully shoving at his knee. “Just tell me.”

  “Okay. I don’t know if you’re familiar with Bill Pickett but he was one of the first Black bulldoggers. He paved the way for Black men, and women, to compete in the rodeo. I’d love to do his biopic. I wouldn’t have to be in it, but I’d love to produce it.”

  “Okay. You should definitely be in it. If I had a ton of cash I’d write you a check right now. What else?”

  Sam swallowed and dug a little deeper. He hadn’t been this honest with anyone other than Zach in a while. “You read comics?”

  “I dabble.”

  “Well, I’ve heard rumors that they are finally going to move on a Black Death movie.”

  “Sam!” Of course she’d heard of Black Death. The comic about the Grim Reaper who inhabited the body of Malcolm Vance, a Black Marine who had nearly died in Vietnam, had been around for decades.

  “I’d love to play Malcolm. That shit would be fun as hell.”

  “Okay, I know we are talking about wildest dreams, but have you told your agent?”

  “No.”

  “Why?”

  “’Cause I’d be up against every Black actor in town and a few of the stupid white ones.”

  “No. Nope. No way. You have to at least float your name. Do not shoot yourself in the foot and keep yourself out of the running.” Black Death was one of those projects he’d wanted since his grandpa had shown him his tattered copy of issue number one. But Hollywood was struggling to let more than one Black superhero shine. “But we’ll come back to that. What’s number three?”

  “I want to be in a legit rom-com. Or a romantic period drama if I’m really going for it.”

  Amanda leaned forward, resting her chin on her hands, on the back of the couch. “You would be an amazing leading man. A perfect Prince Charming.”

  “I like to think so. Not in a cocky way.”

  “Why not? Hell, be cocky about it.”

  “What’s your big Hollywood dream?”

  “Oh, just tons and tons of weird, sweeping, romantic epics in space. I want everything in space. With kissing. Pirates in space, with kissing. A murder mystery in space, with kissing.”

  “So you’re not just joking about being a big sci-fi nerd, huh?”

  “Not even close.”

  “Do you watch Banker Down?”

  “Do I watch Banker Down? My first spec script was for Banker Down!”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. When I first moved out here. I was young and fresh and so, so naive. I was like, ‘I’ll get staffed in no time.’ Then reality set its phasers to ‘bitch, you thought.’”

  Sam burst out laughing. “Can I read it?”

  “Ugh. No. It hasn’t aged well. It’s like season four good when I thought it was season one good.”

  “I bet it’s dope. My buddy and I just started a rewatch before awards season kicked up. I wanna get back to it.”

  “Oh man,” she started, and then yawned. Sam glanced at the clock on the little desk in the corner. It was only eleven, but it had been a long day.

  “Should I tuck you in? It’s getting late.”

  “If by tuck me in you mean finger bang me until I fall asleep, then yes.”

  Sam snorted, then stood to gather everything on the room service platter, glad they’d taken the time they’d needed to talk and connect and refuel. Then he turned back to the bed to get to work.

  Chapter 18

  Amanda couldn’t believe the night they’d spent together and how much sex they’d had.

  Well . . . she could believe that part.

  The sexual chemistry they’d had since day one was clear from the International Space Station, but Amanda had spent so many nights thinking about what it would be like to be with Sam Pleasant again, what it would be like to kiss him and touch him outside of a one-night after-party situation. And now she knew and she didn’t want to let him go. She knew she had to tell him the truth.

  She did one more sweep of the room, grabbing her phone charger and stuffing it into her bag. She took out the last twenty she had and left it on the nightstand with a note for housekeeping. She could see why people paid a mint and a couple kidneys for the minimum two-night stay. The Pleasants had something special here with Big Rock Ranch.

  “Yup?” she called out in response to a light knock on the door.

  “It’s me.” She heard Sam’s perfect voice from out in the hallway.

  She hurried across the room and let him in. He’d been gone for a whole six minutes, but she was happy to see him again. “Hi.”

  “Hey.” He kis
sed her on the mouth, like he hadn’t just kissed her seven minutes ago before he went down to the front desk. He kissed her again once more before he gave her butt a light squeeze. Then he went to the sofa and sat on the arm. He was wearing the same clothes from last night, but he looked sexy as hell. Denim-covered legs, worn boots and all. She couldn’t help but picture the alternate universe where he was a rugged farmer and she was his big-breasted wife. Oh, they’d make so many babies to help run that farm. In space.

  He took off his hat and slowly rotated it in his hands. “So you’re all checked out. You don’t even need to bring the keycard back to the desk. Just leave when you’re ready.” Amanda walked over and stepped between his legs.

  “Thank you for a wonderful weekend. I really needed this.”

  “Oh, my pleasure, ma’am,” he said with a wink.

  “Um, before I go I have something to tell you and maybe it’ll shed a little light on why I was uh—a little skittish at first.”

  “Sure, what’s going on?”

  “I’m not a writer. I’m an assistant.”

  Confusion clouded Sam’s expression. Lying to him had been a big mistake. “I—I was embarrassed. It’s not an excuse. I should have told you from the beginning, but I just, I never thought we’d end up here. And I never thought I’d like you this much. And also, you’re Sam Pleasant.”

  “Okay,” he said slowly.

  “I would rather not say who I work for now, for a few reasons, including her privacy, but I do work for an actress. I understand if that fucks things between us, but I needed to tell you.”

  Instead of telling her to hit the bricks, never to return, he set down his hat on the couch, then wrapped his strong fingers around her waist and pulled her closer. He rested his chin on her cleavage. Amanda’s body reacted immediately. If he didn’t cuss her out maybe they could have one more quick round before she had to get back on the road. He didn’t say a word though. He just looked up at her, expression open now, like he was waiting for her to go on.

  “Helene got me into the party so I could blow off some steam—I don’t work for Helene, by the way.”

  “I know. She would have told me.”

  “You’re right. She would have. Helene doesn’t lie about stupid shit, like some people.” She laughed ruefully. “Anyway. I just wanted to wear something sparkly and have a good time and then when I saw you again, you being you, I didn’t want to tell you I was out grabbing someone’s lunch. I know full well how your half live and I know I will never be able to afford real estate there. But I do really like you.”

  “You know how my grandparents met?” he asked.

  Amanda shook her head.

  “My grandpa was an assistant. He was the assistant to the head animal wrangler on Glory in the Night. He was the guy the horses actually listened to and really loved. Before they were my grandparents they were the only two Black people on a lonely, racist set. He was the only person who would talk to her when the cameras weren’t rolling. She was the only person who acknowledged him, but that wasn’t the reason why they fell in love.”

  “If he was wearing a white cowboy hat you don’t need to explain any further.”

  Sam chuckled a little. “Miss Leona saw how patient he was with the horses and how patient he was with her and she just knew. She could make a life with a man that was patient and kind in the face of all the shit they were dealing with on that set. She was the star and he saw that she needed a friend. He’s gone now, but my brothers and I, Lilah and our other million hundred cousins and now four great-grandkids are pretty good proof that their job titles on that set didn’t matter one bit. You don’t need to be a staff writer. You just need to be yourself.”

  “Does this mean you want to marry me?”

  “No.” They both couldn’t stop themselves from laughing. “Girl, we just met. I need you to relax.”

  “Sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking. My bad.”

  “But it does mean that I know what this industry is like and I know that I’ve found myself in rooms where this bullshit world and this bullshit industry made me feel ashamed for just being myself. I get it.”

  An uncomfortable heat spread through Amanda’s chest as the mere thought of Dru and the rest of her reality outside of this ranch with its amazing spa and delicious desserts suddenly spiked her anxiety. She swallowed and actually struggled against a sudden sting of tears.

  “I need this job. I—you know how things are. I have savings, but I do not have financial support from my parents and I’m not in a good enough place to just quit. Plus, there’s other stuff at play. Stuff again I’d rather not explain for her privacy.” Sam didn’t need to know what Dru’s mom was like or how Dru basically had no one to be there for her. She could be the biggest of assholes, but she was a person too. Kaidence had hired Amanda and kept her on for so long because she could handle her daughter and treat her with the kindness everyone else in their circles seemed to lack. She wouldn’t feel right just leaving her to the wolves.

  “Is there any way I can help?” Sam asked.

  “I’m sure there is, but no. It wouldn’t feel right calling in favors from you. It’s more than just a pride thing. I—I need to keep things separate. I don’t trust people enough to get me a gig as a solid to you and then not fire me if we split it. I know how jaded that sounds.”

  “No, it sounds realistic ’cause that’s the kind of bullshit industry people do.”

  “I can smell a real existential crisis coming for my ass any day now, but all of it, it’s just really complicated. But I promise from here on out: no more secrets.”

  “Was this actress the reason why you were crying outside of Delightly that day?”

  Amanda hesitated for a moment before she nodded.

  “Be real. Is she fucking with you?”

  “No. No. She’s just a lot and the job is really demanding. You have an assistant.”

  “Yeah, but I don’t think I’ve made Walls cry in the middle of the street.”

  “You probably haven’t. I really don’t want to talk about her.”

  “Okay. Okay. Come here.” Sam stood and pulled her into a proper hug.

  She let out a strained breath and squeezed him tighter, burying her face against his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. I’m glad you told me. I don’t want you to be embarrassed.”

  Amanda stepped back, and another stuttered breath managed to escape. “So you want to keep seeing me?”

  “Hell yeah. Have you looked at this face in the mirror lately? Girl, you fine. I ain’t letting you go.”

  “I am pretty dope.”

  He stepped close and cupped her cheeks in his hands, pressing a soft kiss to her lips. Why did she have to go back?

  “When can I see you again?” he asked.

  “I’m not sure. I’ll text you?” She headed over to the bed and closed her bag before checking her purse once more. She had everything. It was time to head back to LA.

  “Can’t wait. I’ll be back in town on Tuesday. So just let me know. I have more meetings.”

  “I know I have no right to give you career advice right now, but you should talk to your people about Black Death. You’d be perfect for it. They should be begging you to meet with them for it. And those checks? Shiiiiiit.”

  Sam laughed as he scooped his hat off the couch. “You’re right. I’ll think about it.”

  “Okay.” They met back at the door and Amanda couldn’t help but feel like she was leaving a part of herself behind. Boy, she really liked Sam Pleasant. How was she going to survive all week without his sweet breath of fresh air? She leaned up and kissed him twice more.

  “I’ll text you.”

  “Not if I text you first.”

  “Oh, don’t threaten me with a good time.”

  “Go on. Git. I’ll wait a few minutes, then circle around to the side exit.”

  “Oh, this is so scandalous. It’s making me so hot, Tex. You don’t even know.” She kissed him jus
t one more time, then headed out the door. A squeal slipped out of her as he slapped her on the ass as the door closed between them. She thanked the young lady at the front desk as she sent one of the young valets to get her car. As she drove away from the ranch, she tried not to think about how in the world things between her and Sam were supposed to work. She wasn’t in a position to quit and even if she was that wouldn’t turn her into a Hollywood socialite overnight. They came from two different worlds. He was right, there was nothing to be embarrassed about, but facts was facts. Their lives simply weren’t the same.

  That didn’t change the way she felt about him one bit. It didn’t change that she was going to text him as soon as she got home. As she drove through Charming, she promised herself that she wasn’t going to run from this. If things ended between them naturally, so be it. But she wasn’t going to push him away. Not again. He was too good of a kisser, too easy on the eyes, and brought her too much laughter and joy. She was going to hold on to Sam Pleasant.

  At the last stoplight before she turned onto the highway, a text message popped up over her navigation map. She grabbed her phone and clicked over to her conversation with Tex.

  There was just a screen grab. It was a cropped screenshot of a conversation with his agent.

  Tuesday. I want to talk to you about

  Black Death.

  Fuck yeah, man. Let’s do it.

  Amanda wished she had the resources to put herself out there like that. In the meantime though, she was pretty proud of her brave cowboy.

  * * *

  Sam knew he would get shit from his family for strolling back in wearing the same clothes as the night before, but when he walked into Miss Leona’s kitchen he realized what he was wearing and what he’d gotten up to was the last thing on anyone’s mind. Jesse was straight up pacing back and forth in their grandmother’s kitchen. Zach and Evie were standing guard like they were waiting for him to start smashing shit any moment. Lilah was sitting on a stool, just chillin’ like Jesse wasn’t about to implode.