Rough in the Saddle Read online

  “Ride me, Pearl, work for my cum.” Her pussy was covered with a trimmed thatch of black hair, the tight curls not able to hide the fact she was now rising up and down on him, working that pretty pussy all over his dick. Her wetness coated his shaft and her inner thighs, and he was riveted to the sight, loving that he could see his cock disappearing into her body then reemerging.

  Travis was close to coming as it was, and no amount of holding off this time would keep him from going over the edge. The abundance of her wetness made his movements fluid and smooth, and the tip of his cock hit the very end of her as she gasped.

  “Hell, baby.” He tightened his hold on her outer thighs, squeezed her lush flesh as his orgasm started to rise, and wasn’t going to stop himself from getting off again. “Damn, baby,” Travis lifted his hips, pounding his dick into her every time she pushed down. He started to come, reached up and grabbed her tits that were bouncing wildly in front of him, squeezed the big, juicy and fleshy mounds, and roared out his release. Fuck. Holy shit. She collapsed on top of him, and they both breathed out, neither speaking.

  “Wow. That was … wow.”

  Yeah, he couldn’t have said it better. She was by far the best fucking sex he’d ever had, and a part of him knew it wasn’t just this one time and because she was new in town. There was something about Pearl, something that was witty and smart mouthed, like she had a fire inside of her. It challenged him, tempted him, and as much as he’d like to repeat this at another time, he knew that he couldn’t. He had a lot on his plate with the ranch, and giving her what she needed and deserved wasn’t in his DNA. He could be a real fucking bastard, but at least he was honest about it.

  Chapter Six

  Pearl stretched, feeling her muscles pull, ache, and remind her of the night she had earlier. She opened her eyes, the sun streaming through the window, and temporarily blinding her. Covering her eyes with a forearm, she groaned and turned her head, away from the offending light. She moved her forearm away, her heart racing slightly at the thought of Travis had stayed all night. She’d slept with a man she didn’t even know, a man that probably slept with so many women in this town that he wouldn’t even remember her name. She opened her eyes, saw the empty bed beside her, and a part of her was relieved, but she also felt very disappointed.

  “What did you expect, breakfast in bed?” she said to herself. Pearl could have groaned at how stupid she felt right now. Wrapping the blanket around her body, she pushed herself up on the bed and hung her feet off the edge. The wood floor looked cold as hell, but she needed something to wake her ass up.

  Setting her feet flat on the floor, she bit her lip and stood, the coldness shocking her. Walking over to the window, she leaned against the wall and pushed the curtain aside. His truck was gone, the spot beside her car empty, vacant, lonely. God, that man had rocked her world last night, brought her to heights she’d never even experienced before. She’d never done something so explicit before, but even now, as the morning light reflected what she’d done, she wanted more from him.

  “Girl, that man has one woman a night, and doesn’t do repeats.” And now she was talking to herself. Shaking her head, she went into the bathroom, winced at her reflection, at the “I just got fucked” hair she had going on, and turned away from the horror in front of her. After turning the shower on and undressing, she looked down at her body. On her hips she was sporting some dark marks, finger sized bruises from the night before. Her body instantly heated as she thought about what he’d done, about how he’d controlled the situation, made her come and writhe for him.

  She smoothed her hands over the marks, closed her eyes, and breathed out. She was insane for even letting him come home with her. Hell, he could have been a freaking serial killer for all she knew, but the fact remained he’d been charismatic and alluring, hot and pleasured her like no other. Pearl hadn’t been able to help herself, hadn’t been able to control her libido either. Pushing the thoughts and images away, she got in the shower, needing to start her day and job hunt.

  An hour later and she was buttoning her shirt up, showered, had her face on, and stared at herself in the mirror. She looked semi-decent now. She decided to put her hair in a twist so it was out of her way, and headed downstairs. After getting a cup of coffee, nearly scalding her mouth in the process, she was seriously considering just heading back to bed and sleeping the rest of the day away. But the money in her savings would only last her so long, and she really did need work. She opened the front door, the sun blinding her for a moment, and the sound of … nothing surrounding her.

  Even though her grandmother’s home was in town, it was strangely quiet. Or maybe it was just that Pearl was so used to the sound of cars driving by, horns honking, and the electrically charged atmosphere that came with living in a city? She looked around, saw a few people across the street walking their dogs, a kid riding his bike, and felt like she was transported back to some weird scene from Pleasantville. The couple stopped what they were doing and looked her way, lifted their hands and waved, their smiles bright even in the distance. Pearl waved back, and this strange feeling of fitting right in although she really wasn’t a resident of Granite came rushing through her. These people accepted her, and they hardly knew her, if at all.

  In the city she’d just been another person, sometimes having looks thrown at her because she was of a darker complexion. Yes, even in this day and age she still got the stares from people as she walked down the street, or hell, when she was with one of her previous boyfriends. Pearl liked dating white men, and because she was of color to say she got these ignorant stares was an understatement. There were so many people that were closed-minded concerning skin color that all they could see was some kind of abomination. It was ludicrous, and even if Pearl lived her life the way she wanted to, that didn’t mean it didn’t piss her off.

  To be honest she’d expected even more funky looks when she came here. This was an older town, set in its ways, and the majority of the population was elderly white residents. Yes, there were some African-American residents, but she was being stereotypical right now in thinking they would have not taken to her presence right away. That was a shame on her. Now she felt like the biggest bitch in the world.

  They were nice to her, welcomed her, even at the bar. She could make this place her home, enjoy her serenity and comfort here, and forget about all the negative shit that had happened back in the city. She felt resolve, and told herself she’d give this place her one hundred and ten percent focus and try to make it work out. She didn’t have a choice, but that didn’t mean she had to be sour about it. She picked up the paper and looked down.

  The front page of the Granite Times was a story of a little dog that had gotten hit by a car in the middle of the night. Fortunately the dog was okay, and recuperating in the local vet hospital. She couldn’t help but smile at the thought that this was breaking news in this town, but it was also comforting. In the city the breaking news stories had been about murders, suicides, and senseless crimes.

  “Hi.” The soft, feminine voice came right in front of Pearl, and she lifted her head from the paper. The young woman in front of her held a wiener dog, one that was squirming to get out of her hold. Its tail went crazy, moving back and forth as its tongue hung out of its mouth in excitement.

  “Hi,” Pearl answered and saw a wad of saliva fly from the dog’s mouth and land on the cement.

  “Hot Dog, chill out.” the woman said to her dog, but that just made the pup squirm even more wildly. “I’m your neighbor, well, was Shirley’s neighbor for the last five years.” The woman walked up closer to Pearl. She held her hand out. “I’m Brooklyn Jacks.” She smiled, flashing straight white teeth. The girl’s hair was long, red in color, and brushed along her hips. Her light grey eyes were big, and the sprinkling of freckles along her nose and cheeks made her look younger than she probably was. Brooklyn was probably a few years younger than Pearl, but she had this aura that was friendly and warm. Pearl took Brooklyn’s off
ered hand.

  “I’m Pearl Connor, Shirley’s granddaughter.” Pearl took her hand back and held onto the paper tighter. There was a moment of silence that passed, and it was a little awkward.

  “I’m really sorry to hear about your grandma. She was a wonderful lady. She always brought over cookies on Saturday morning.” Brooklyn smiled, and there was the distinct look of tears in the other woman’s eyes.

  “Thank you. She was a really great woman and lived a full life.”

  Brooklyn smiled and nodded. “She was tough, too.”

  Pearl chuckled. “That she was.” Another moment of silence passed.

  “Anyway, I just wanted to introduce myself. I’m not sure how long you’re staying in Granite, but I’m right next door if you need anything.” The dog started barking again, its long, slender body going wild. “And don’t worry about Hot Dog. He is always like this, but it’s harmless. He has a chronic case of ADHD, especially with new people he sees.”

  Pearl smiled and walked closer to Brooklyn and Hot Dog. She petted the dog, got a gob of dog spit all over her hand, but started laughing. “He doesn’t stop, does he?”

  Brooklyn snorted and shook her head. “He’s like this all the time. It’s like having a three year old running around, yet Hot Dog is old as hell.” She smiled and set the dog down, but kept him on a short leash. The dog was trying to get closer to Pearl, choking in the process as he couldn’t move anymore from his spot, but wouldn’t stop. Pearl laughed harder.

  “You better get him on a walk before he passes out.” Pearl looked from the dog to Brooklyn, and then started chuckling.

  Brooklyn started to turn, but turned and looked at Pearl. “Maybe you’d like to go out for coffee or something, when you’re more settled? There isn’t a lot to do in Granite, but it’s quiet and safe.”

  Pearl smiled. “I’d like that, thank you. I have to find a job first or I won’t be able to stay here.” She tried to make light of the situation, but it was rather depressing.

  “You have any medical training?”

  Pearl shook her head. “No, I was in advertising before I got laid off.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” Brooklyn said. “I know there is an opening in Dr. Haristole’s office, but it’s for a medical assistant. I’ll keep my eyes and ears open for anything.”

  “Thanks again,” Pearl said, lifted her hand in a wave, and watched as Brooklyn took Hot Dog in the opposite direction for a walk. She headed inside and sat at the kitchen table. The chipped Formica counter was light green and smooth, with little pieces of gold flecks in it. It was straight out of the seventies, but brought a smile to Pearl’s face because it reminded her of her grandmother.

  She spread the paper across the table, grabbed a red Sharpie, and started searching the classifieds. There was a whole lot of nothing in this town. She did see the position for the medical assistant, a position for a waitress at the one and only diner in Granite, and … that was it. She was about to give up looking at the paper when a small ad at the bottom caught her attention.

  Wanted: Reliable and able-bodied person willing to cook two meals a day, and clean three houses on Sterling Farms three days a week. Pay negotiable, hours set. For more information call 555-345-5464, or come apply in person at 1276 Silverstone road.

  She really didn’t want to have to cook or clean for anyone, but it was a job, the only job she was qualified for aside from the waitress in this town. She circled both ads with the Sharpie, grabbed her cell and proceeded to call each place and see about coming in for an interview.

  Chapter Seven

  “Hand me the one inch wrench,” Travis said to Colton, held out his hand, and wrapped his fingers around the warmed metal. He was under the piece of shit truck that had been laid up on the property for the last six months. He started undoing the bolt that had been giving him shit for the last five minutes. Grunting out, sweat beading his brow, and dirt and grease making it hard to see and breathe, Travis finally got the son-of-a-bitch off. “Damn,” he said to himself and handed the wrench back to his brother.

  “You get it?” Colton asked.

  “Yeah, finally,” Travis said and got out from under the truck. He grabbed a rag, wiped the sweat from his face and the grease from his hands, and tossed it over his shoulder. He saw Jace walking toward them from the main house, a small collar in his hand. He got to them in a few minutes, handed each of them a cold beer, and set the collar down.

  “Got a call.”

  “From?” Travis asked and cracked open the beer, chugging it all before Jace spoke again.

  “That ad I put in the paper to clean up the pigsties and cook a few meals a week.”

  “You what?” Travis said and set his beer can down. “When in the hell did you put an ad in the paper?”

  “Last week, and this is the first hit we’ve gotten on it.”

  He looked at Colton. “Did you know about this?” Travis asked.

  “Yeah,” Colton said and rubbed the back of his neck. “I mean, no offense but your cooking is shit, Travis.” Colton grinned and looked at Jace, who started laughing.

  “Who in the hell would want to clean and cook for us?” Travis asked, being sincere because everyone in town knew exactly who they were, and most everyone had a job already. To have to clean up after three grown men wasn’t really what someone strove to do.

  “At least tell me it’s a woman.”

  Jace nodded after Colton spoke. “Yeah, and she’s coming to check out everything, and vice versa, in a few hours. Maybe you should get cleaned up.” Jace looked pointedly to Travis, then looked at Colton.

  “Cleaned up for what?” Travis asked and grabbed another beer from the cooler. “This is what we do, how we work and make a living. If she is coming to clean up after us she might as well see how we really are.”

  “I don’t know about you two but I’m cleaning up. Hell, she might do a little somethin’ extra, if you get what I’m saying.”

  Before either of them could respond to what Colton just said he was heading toward the house. They had hours of work to do still, and although they’d been working since five in the morning, it looked like Colton wanted to head out early. Travis couldn’t even be mad at his younger brother.

  They’d been working their asses off for the last week, trying to get everything situated so they had product to sell, so the animals were tended to, and were doing a lot of upkeep for a bunch of shit that had been neglected over the last year. He supposed he should have put his foot down and told Colton that they had a lot to do still, but he didn’t, and instead finished off his second beer and went for a third.

  “Let him be,” Jace said.

  “You don’t see me going over there and hauling his ass back to finish this, do you?” Travis said and lifted a brow.

  “He just needs to find a good woman, and running through the town pussy like he does is only making him lonelier, I think.”

  Travis stared at Jace, surprised to hear the other man saying something sentimental, emotional even.

  Jace looked over at him and flipped Travis off. “I’m not getting all mushy, just that I’m done hearing him bitch about having to sleep with these random townies instead of having a woman he can come home to.” They were silent for a moment, and then Jace sighed heavily. “I’ll be honest. I’m tired of the random hookups, too, brother.”

  Travis looked down at his scuffed and worn boots. His jeans were dirty and stained with grease, showing the hard work he did on the farm. “I think we all are, brother, but finding something in this town for the keeping is going to be harder than hell. Hell, unless you want to share a woman that is three times as old as you and saddled with an old man.”

  Jace snorted, finished off his beer and grabbed his second one. “I don’t know why I put an ad in the paper to be honest. I think I just wanted to have a woman in the house that wasn’t fucking one of us.” Jace sounded a little forlorn, and Travis couldn’t help but feel sympathy for his younger brother. They hadn’t be
en in any serious relationships, had always jumped from woman to woman, and he had to admit that the idea of having someone at the house cleaning and cooking for him did have an appealing ring to it.

  But if Colton started up with hitting on her, getting into her pants and fucking this up, they’d always have the reputation in town as being the Sterling man-whore brothers. Yeah, it was a pretty fucked up title, one that the younger generation in town used for them, but that the older residents probably thought it as well. But Travis couldn’t lie and say they didn’t have that title coming.

  They didn’t shield their reputations, didn’t try to act wholesome and pure. They worked hard, and fucked harder, and screw anyone that thought they shouldn’t be able to have a little fun. Travis was getting old for this shit, but on the heels of that thought he envisioned that chocolaty goddess he’d fucked last night. He’d gotten out of there the moment she’d fallen asleep, which had been about three in the morning. He had taken a shower when he got home, jerked off even though he’d screwed her brains out, and his if he were being truthful, and still felt the desire to go back there and fuck her once more.

  She was the best lay he’d ever had, as romantic as that sounded coming from him. Travis was a one-fuck, maybe two kind of guy. He made no apologies for that, never tried to make himself something he wasn’t, and the women he was with knew that. They didn’t expect anything more from him, and that was fine by him.

  But Pearl made him feel something different, something more, and as soon as he had been inside of her, feeling her warmth, smelling the scent of vanilla coming from her flesh, he knew that if he wasn’t careful whatever he felt for her could grow. He wouldn’t be good for a woman, wouldn’t be able to devote himself to her. He was a loner, had always been one, and although he’d never cheat on a woman he took as his own, he didn’t do commitment. He just was that type of man, and that was not a type women tended to want in their lives, especially with the sexual reputation he carried.