Boots and Chaps (8 page)

“No.” Charli didn’t budge, her lips set in a firm line.

“Leave it, or I’ll fire you.”

Charli shook her head. “You can’t fire me. I’m the only one you trust to leave the bar to when you want to take a day off.”

“I can get Kendall to take over.”

“She’s too busy with her man to pay close-enough attention to the way things run here.”

“She’d do fine.” Audrey pushed away from Charli and grabbed a bottle of wine, heading for the stepladder.

Charli stepped in her way. “You’re avoiding the issue. What happened? Did you and Jackson hook up?”

“Damn it, Charli, it’s none of your business. But if you must know, Jackson and Audrey Anderson did not hook up.”

A frown creased Charli’s brow. “Wow, you’re freakin’ me out. That’s the second time tonight you’ve talked about yourself in the third person. You are usually with it and completely together. I’ve never seen you so…so…unhinged.”

“I’m not unhinged.” She shook the bottle of wine at Charli. “I’m Audrey, the same boss you’ve had for two years. Nothing’s changed, I tell you. Nothing!” The bottle slipped from her grasp and crashed to the floor, splattering dark red wine over Charli’s jean-clad legs and Audrey’s white boots.

Charli stared down at the mess, her gaze focusing not on the wine but on the boots.

Audrey groaned inwardly, bracing herself.

“You’re wearing white boots.” Charli’s head came up and she stared at Audrey. “What happened to your red boots?”

With a shrug, Audrey squatted, fishing through the sticky wine for the broken shards of glass. “I didn’t feel like wearing them. Now will you help me clean up this mess or get out of my way so that I can do it by myself?”

Charli dropped to her haunches in front of Audrey and grabbed her wrist, plucking the glass from her hands one piece at a time. “Honey, you know you can tell me anything.”

Tears welled in Audrey’s eyes and she blinked rapidly, wishing them away. “There’s nothing to tell,” she said, her voice choking on the words. And she wasn’t lying. As far as Audrey was concerned, there was nothing to tell. Now Kiki, on the other hand, had a huge story to tell. But Kiki wasn’t coming out to play ever again.

A sob rose in Audrey’s throat, and she looked down before Charli could see the tears in her eyes.

Charli sighed, then spoke quietly. “Maybe you should take the night off or something. The place runs itself on Ladies’ Night Out. Why don’t you go take a drive down to the lake or go home and soak in a bubble bath.”

Audrey opened her mouth to protest and closed it before uttering a word. Charli was right. She was no good to anyone the way she was tonight. A soak in the tub would do her body good. Maybe then she could shake Jackson Gray Wolf out of her thoughts.

Yeah, right.

She handed over the loose shards of glass and left the storeroom. She couldn’t get out of the bar fast enough, avoiding talking to anyone who dared to get in her way.

Her cell phone rang in her hip pocket, and she pulled it out, answering before she thought better.

“Audrey, it’s Luke Gray Wolf. Any chance of getting Kiki back here tonight?”

Audrey’s feet ground to a halt. “No, that’s impossible. She’s not for hire.”

“Well, damn. She made quite an impression the other night, not only on me and Mark but on Jackson as well. If we don’t do something soon, he’s liable to blow a gasket on us.”

“Sorry, boys. She’s not interested.” Her voice faltered.

“You sure? We’ll pay her double what we paid before. We really need her in a bad way.”

Audrey’s heart skipped several beats, her determination wavering. What Luke and Mark had done to her two nights ago to get her lathered up for Jackson was very near to orgasmic.

“If you think she’ll reconsider, would you give her our number?” Luke persisted.

“I’ll think about it.” Audrey pressed the off button.

As she left the building, Audrey swerved into the prop room and grabbed a spare set of stripper’s chaps. Rolling the leather into a tight wad, she stuffed it into the oversized purse she carried her files and laptop in. Why she did it, she couldn’t say. Maybe Kiki had a mind of her own.

A shiver of excitement slipped over her skin, speeding her footsteps until she was running for her truck. When she shifted into drive, she didn’t head to Temptation and home, she turned in the opposite direction, making a beeline for the Gray Wolf Ranch and three hot cowboys. She hoped like hell that the natives were restless tonight, because she sure as hell was.

Chapter Six

Jackson pulled into the parking lot of the Ugly Stick Saloon, dismayed at the number of cars, trucks and SUVs lined up on the gravel and spilling into the grass. What the hell was going on tonight? A line of women stood at the door waiting to get in. The marquis read
Ladies’ Night Out
.

With a groan, Jackson drove around the back of the saloon and double-parked. Hopefully he’d get in and back out without any trouble.

A large woman dressed in jeans and cowboy boots, her hair cut short, almost butch, fingers pinching the butt of a burned-out cigarette, stood at the rear entrance.

“Unless you’re the talent, you ain’t gettin’ in.” She flicked the butt into the gravel at his feet and crossed ham-hock arms over her chest.

“Hi, Greta Sue, I need to see Audrey.” Jackson stepped to the side, intent on going around the woman.

She cut him off, moving her bulk with surprising speed. “I said, if you ain’t the talent, you ain’t gettin’ in.” She placed a fat hand on his chest and pushed him.

Other than hitting the woman, Jackson had no recourse but to back down. “Can you at least go get Audrey and tell her Jackson is here and would like to talk to her?”

The woman shook her head. “No can do.”

“Why?”

The woman’s face cracked into a grin. “She ain’t here.”

Jackson sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Why didn’t you say so in the first place?”

“You didn’t ask if the boss was here.”

“But—” Jackson stared into the woman’s squinty eyes and shrugged. “Guess you got a point.” He turned to leave.

“You coulda got in by saying you were the talent, you know.”

Jackson glanced over his shoulder at Greta Sue, whose grin had spread across her face, making her less intimidating and more jovial.

Her gaze raked him from head to toe. “Ya got the build for it. Wouldn’t mind seein’ ya in a G-string myself.”

Jackson tipped his cowboy hat. “Mighty kind of you. But I think I’ll keep my pants on.” He winked and walked away.

“Cryin’ shame,” she muttered behind him.

Jackson climbed into his pickup and pulled away from the Ugly Stick. As he drove toward home, his left foot tapped the floorboard. Maybe he should visit Audrey at her home.

Nah. She might not even be there. Why drive all the way over to Temptation just to find an empty house? That brand of reasoning led to another thought. What if Audrey was out on a date, or worse, out dancing for another man?

His hands tightening on the steering wheel, Jackson gritted his teeth. The woman had pushed him away, stating their storeroom fuck was a mistake. If that was true, then why the hell did she show up as Kiki at his house and spend the night mattress-wrangling with him?

She wasn’t making sense. Well not to a man anyway. Possibly she was doin’ some of that female thinkin’. Either way, he had a boot to prove Audrey and Kiki were one and the same. What he didn’t know was why Audrey felt she had to disguise herself as Kiki to feel comfortable making love to him again. Or maybe it was the rough-riding, kinky sex she didn’t like to admit to lovin’.

Jackson had a plan on how to bring Audrey around to revealing herself, but he needed to find Audrey to set the plan in motion. He pounded the steering wheel with his palm, frustrated at having to wait.

As he pulled into the yard at the ranch, he stared at the darkened living room windows. Had the boys gone to bed early for once? It wasn’t poker night, the Ugly Stick was off limits to guys and they hadn’t said anything about going out that evening.

A bright light blinked in the darkness of the living room.

Jackson’s heart skipped a beat.

The light blinked again, then settled into a steady rhythm, strobing the darkness with brilliant flashes.

His stomach flipping over, Jackson jumped down from his truck and ran for the house.

No way. It couldn’t be.

As he burst through the front door, a familiar figure swayed in the intermittent lighting, her body smooth, sensual and practically naked, wearing nothing but a thong, a white lace bra and those damned chaps. Instead of the red boots, she wore a pair of white cowboy boots. The long blonde hair scraped the top of her ass, a white cowboy hat balanced on her head at a jaunty angle.

Hallelujah!
Jackson’s heart sang. She’d come back.

Heat surged beneath his collar. She’d come back to dance for his brothers, not him.

Mark sat in the wooden stool Jackson had occupied the night before, a grin splitting his face, his hands reaching for the woman cavorting in front of him.

Luke glanced toward Jackson. “Told you she’d come back. All I had to do was call the Ugly Stick and here she is.” Luke stood with his shirt off, his jeans riding low on his hips, his feet bare on the wooden floor.

Jackson moved closer, not entirely sure he liked the idea of Kiki dancing for all three of them. After their night in bed, he kinda felt he owned the right to claim her as his.

The anger built until another thought followed on that. Maybe that was Audrey’s point to pushing him away and disguising herself as another person. She didn’t want to commit to one man. Didn’t want anyone staking a claim on her.

That set him back a step or two. What had caused Audrey to be so gun-shy on commitment? Had some fool cheated on her? Maybe Jackson made her feel less than a woman or worse, he hadn’t measured up to her sexual appetites.

Jackson edged closer. There had to be a reason.

Kiki spun away from Mark and circled Luke, her hands trailing over his chest, fingers dancing along the man’s muscles.

Jackson could almost feel the strength in those hands, the same hands that had wrapped around his cock, guiding him into her mouth. His jeans tightened, his dick pressing against the hard metal rivets.

Luke grabbed Kiki beneath the legs and swung her up in his arms. “You’re just about the purdiest thing I’ve seen.” He kissed her soundly and spun her in a circle.

“Hey, don’t be greedy. She was dancing for me,” Mark complained.

Luke set her on her booted feet, and Kiki danced toward Mark, planting her heels on either side of his thighs, grinding her pelvis toward his face.

Mark clamped his hands on her hips and held them steady as he ran his tongue from her bellybutton to the low cut of her thong.

She hooked her thumb in the elastic of the thong and dragged it lower, exposing the furry mound of hair beneath.

Mark plunged his face into it, his fingers clasping the globes of her buttocks.

She laughed and pushed his face away. “That tickles.” Then she turned and sat in his lap, bending to touch her boots.

It gave Mark and Jackson a prime view of her pearly white ass.

Jackson groaned, wanting to join her dance but not yet willing to share with his brothers. Which gave the twins free rein with the beauty. Well, to hell with that.

He stomped into the middle of the room and jerked Kiki by the hand up into his arms, slamming her against his chest.

Her eyes widened and her mouth rounded into a surprised O. Then her eyelids drooped over her blue eyes, the mask still firmly in place.

Jackson reached up to lift the mask.

“Don’t, or I leave,” she warned, her body shifting against him, her breasts rubbing into his shirt. “You don’t want me to leave, do you?”

He shook his head. “No.”

“The last time I was here it was your birthday. Tonight it isn’t.” She ran her fingers up the front of his shirt, over his chin and to his lips.

He captured one and sucked it into his mouth.

“I owe it to your brothers to entertain them tonight. After all, I’m here on their dime.” She pulled her finger out of his mouth and pressed her lips to his. “If I don’t do a good job, you can spank me.” She shrugged and flipped her hair over her shoulders. “If I do a good job, you can spank me. Or not.” With a quick spin, she danced out of his arms, her bare bottom, a tempting target, shaking in his face.

How he wanted to bend her over his knee and spank her for teasing him. Then he wanted to drive his cock into her and spank her more.

Jackson stood at the edge of the makeshift dance floor, his arms crossed, his fists clenched.

Kiki spun and swayed around Luke, pressing her bare ass against his. Then she rounded to the front, wrapped her arms around Luke and leaned her breasts into his naked chest. She straddled his thigh, dragging her pussy along the hardened length. “Want to play with my boobs?” she whispered, the sound carrying just enough that Jackson could hear.

Luke nodded. “Hell, yeah!” He reached behind her and flipped the hooks loose, then slipped the straps over her shoulders and down her arms. He tossed the bra to the side. It landed on top of a lamp and dangled saucily.

Luke’s hands rose to cup her breasts, lifting and squeezing them gently.

“Oh, come on, I know you can squeeze harder than that. You’re a man, aren’t you?” She clamped her hands over his, squeezing firmly.

Jackson didn’t think he could get any harder. He jerked the top rivet of his jeans open, releasing some of the pressure. Not nearly enough, but he didn’t say a word. He wanted his shot at spanking her when she’d finished teasing his brothers and him in the process.

“Oh, hell, he’s not nearly enough man for you. Let me.” Mark moved up behind Kiki, shoved Luke’s and Kiki’s hands off her breasts and pinched the tips between his thumbs and forefingers.

“Mmm, that’s nice.” Kiki wiggled her bottom into the jutting ridge of Mark’s fly, while her hands dropped to Luke’s waistband. Her fingers flicked the top button loose. “Wanna come out to play?”

Jackson groaned and turned away. He couldn’t take more of this. He just couldn’t.