10. Chapter 10
Chapter 10
Piper
T he sweat pours down my back, making my shirt stick to my back, which wouldn’t be a problem if I were alone, but I’m not, and my ass is fully exposed to Billy as I turn around.
“Fuck...me.” He mutters, and as I turn around to face him again, he’s looking up at the ceiling, as if diverting his eyes.
“I’m...sorry, Billy.”
He does a face palm, shaking his head. “Look, if we’re going to live under the same roof, Piper, we have got to have some ground rules.” He says, but my eyes are immediately between his legs, as I see a swell. It makes me wet instantly, and I gasp.
He looks down and rolls his eyes, exhaling quickly. “Fuck, give me a minute.” He grunts, almost angrily, and he goes into his room. “You go put something on, too, now, so we can talk.” He calls from his room.
“Okay.” I answer, voice quivering. After quickly putting my other pajamas on, I go back out into the hallway, meeting him. I’m about to go into his bedroom, but he stops me.
“Not in there. Let’s go into the kitchen.” He says kindly but directly.
We sit down at the table, while he pulls a chair up a foot away from me and turns it so he’s sitting backwards in it. He’s got a T-shirt and his jeans on but no socks, and his hair is still damp. Curls form behind his ears while a bead of water stains the front of his shirt. He smells delightful but I can’t help but feel a little bit scared right now. I’m afraid that he’s going to tell me that I need to move out. That this isn’t working out for him. It’s not a terrible thing. I can handle living in my car again, however temporarily, but I hate to let him down.
Billy licks his lips. “Look, I don’t mean to come down hard on you here, darlin’, but I’ve never lived with a woman before, and I sure as hell don’t want this to turn into a big pile of shit, okay?”
I nod, listening intently.
“Alright.” He softens some. “First rule is that you can’t wear that shirt anymore. Now, I paid for you to wear something decent, and you need to be respectful of that. I’m...a man...and you’re a beautiful girl, and we both have to stay professional. But it’s real difficult when...well, let’s just say when you’re...dressed like that.”
I know I shouldn’t be thinking this, but he’s so adorable. He’s trying so hard to be firm while remaining respectful and polite, and I can’t help but stare at him. Despite the horrible scar behind his shirt, I can’t help but look at his beautiful face in the moonlight. His voice is so soft and sexy in the silence.
“Now, I’m sure that your daddy wouldn’t appreciate you dressing like that around me, would he?” He asks innocently, and then I think he remembers that my daddy is dead, and he rakes a hand through his hair, with a look of regret on his face. He places a hand on my knee. “Shit, darlin’, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say that. I’m so sorry.”
Is it wrong that I want to kiss him right now? He could not be any sweeter if he tried. “It’s okay, Billy. I know that you wouldn’t say that to hurt me.”
“No. That’s right. I wouldn’t. But I’m sorry all the same.”
“You’re tired.”
“You are right about that. But I just...the last thing I want is for this whole situation to backfire on me. And I think the first place to start is to set some boundaries here. Healthy ones. Does that sound fair?”
I nod. “Sure. I admit that aside from my folks, I’ve never lived with anyone else, either. And when I was living with Crystal at the dorm, I suppose that I came out of my shell because of her. She and Jade were raised a lot differently than I was, and with them, it was okay to dress how I wanted, instead of like a nun, and I guess it stuck.”
“There ain’t nothing wrong with dressing how you like, darlin’. It’s just that, I’m sure at some point, since you said yourself, that your folks made y’all dress like a nun, that you were taught to dress a little more...respectable...around men. I wouldn’t want you to disregard that. And...well...without telling too much, I am a warm-blooded man, and I don’t want to ruin a good thing here.”
The more he speaks so humble and sincere, I want to kiss him. And before I can stop it, I blurt. “Billy, I don’t know how to act around a man.”
He raises a brow. “I don’t know exactly what you mean. What, did you go to school at a convent or something?”
I can’t help but chuckle. “No. I just...” I can feel my cheeks heat. “I’ve never been around a man before you. I met them. I’ve talked to them. And even when Crystal slept with a few in college, I saw a thing or two, but I’ve never been around one before. So, I’m sorry if I’m not taking so well to this.”
He blinks. “You’ve never had a boyfriend before?”
I shake my head no.
He chuckles without a trace of mirth. “Jesus Christ. How in the hell is that even possible?”
I don’t know if I should be offended. “What do you mean?”
“Well, dang, Piper. You...God. You’re goddamn beautiful. There is no other way to put it, darlin’. How is it that nobody came wanting to...scratch around your post...if you will.”
I can’t help the smile. “You think I’m beautiful?”
“Honey, you are painfully beautiful, and that’s my point.” He shakes his head, eyes set on me. “You can’t go walking around in just a T-shirt around me. Like I said earlier. I don’t want to mess up a good thing. You have an excellent work ethic. You’re determined, and you’re independent. Plus, from what I can tell, you’re not the dramatic type. All these things are what I want in an employee. And if anything gets messed up there, right when I’m trying like hell to get this ranch off the ground, well, that would be a shame.”
I nod. “I understand. And I’m sorry.”
He purses his lips into a smile. “I’m sorry, too, darlin’. For keeping you up so late. What’s say we get on to bed then, hm?”
“Okay.” I nod. But I have so many questions. None of which I can ask him. I make up my mind to ask Crystal or Jade tomorrow. I’ll ask Crystal to come for lunch, since Jade has classes. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, Piper.” He says, walking to his room.
And the minutes tick by as my mind races.
Crystal walks into the ranch, carrying a bag that smells wonderful. Billy was up already, getting supplies and food, while I did some work, this time in the office. I’ve almost got it organized enough to move in there permanently, even though I really don’t want to. I like to see Billy when he comes in the front door. And I like to sit with him while he eats or chats on the phone. Just being in his presence makes me smile, despite the fact that I don’t quite understand everything about him.
“So, how’s it going?” She asks, pulling the food out of the bag, while I close the office door. There is just enough space on the desk for us to eat at it, and I need privacy for this conversation, so I peek outside first, to make sure that Billy is busy, and he isn’t coming back into the house anytime soon.
“It’s going great. Can I ask you a question without you flipping out?”
“Sure. What’s up?” She asks, popping a French fry into her mouth.
“So, I heard Billy in the shower in the middle of the night, and he said my name. I thought he was in pain, but he told me to go back to bed.”
She’s half confused, half intrigued. “Back up a bit here. What was he doing in the shower in the middle of the night? Did he get in late or something?”
“No, and he also told me to stop wearing my night shirt around him, too.”
Her facial expression is cocky. “Honey, any man who’s going to tell you what to wear...” She trails off, letting me fill in the blank.
“No, he’s right. It’s that T-shirt I always wear to bed. That one where you even told me to cover up when Jade’s boyfriend came to the dorm that time.”
Her eyes bulge. “That one? Oh, good lord, of course! Hell, you might as well be naked, Piper!”
“Alright, fine. I’ll stop wearing it around him. I’ve already agreed to that, anyway. But why do you think he was saying my name in the shower, if he wasn’t actually calling me?”
“Are you sure he was saying your name? Could that have been your imagination?”
“I don’t think so.” I say, unsure now. “He didn’t deny it.”
“If you spoke to him about it, why didn’t you ask what he was doing showering so late at night, calling your name?”
“I think he was embarrassed. He had a...you know...he was hard.”
Her face changes. It cracks into an amused, but still intrigued, smile. “He was jerking off.”
“Is it normal for him to be doing that and then get hard? Because he wasn’t hard when he first came out of the shower.”
“Were you wearing said shirt when he came out of the shower?”
I swallow. “Uh huh.”
“Then...he...well, honey, that man is very attracted to you.” She glances out the window. “And you could do way worse. Hell, I haven’t bagged a dude like that in ages. He’s fit, rugged, rich, and he’s got eyes for you, clearly.” She clears her throat. “The question is, are you attracted to him?” As I sit there for a minute, thinking of the correct way to say yes, she reads my mind. “I bet your panties were wet staring at him fresh out of the shower with a hard-on.”
“God, Crystal. He’s my boss. I’ve lived here for two days. What am I going to do?”
She draws in a deep breath, enjoying this way too much, as she pops a handful of French fries into her mouth, like it’s a bowl of popcorn and we’re at the movies. “You’ve got three choices here, Piper. Get yourself one of them fancy vibrators that I’ve got for when I’m going through a dry spell, or you fuck his brains out, get it out of your systems, or, option three, you take it slow, and see if it’s more than just his hard-on that you want.”
I give her a look. “Crystal. You know that I’ve never been with a man before.”
“And, that, my dear, is a crying shame. But the good news is that you could not have chosen a better male specimen for your first time. Hell, if he didn’t have eyes for you, I’d be all over him.”
“But I can’t do anything. He’s my boss, Crystal.”
“I realize that, Piper. So, if you really like him, then you need to decide what to do. You can see if he likes you, too, and suggest finding another job and another place to live, to not complicate things, or you can just suppress those feelings with a nice vibrator.”
Two things bother me here. “I don’t know if he likes me, but he did tell me that he thinks I’m beautiful. And, how does finding another job and place to live keep things uncomplicated?”
She lifts a finger at me. “Good point. Get a vibrator.”
I laugh out loud. “I will not.”
“Why not? I have one. Several, actually. And he doesn’t seem to mind jerking off with you in the house, so why do you think it won’t be acceptable for you to do the same?”
“Because I’ve never...done that before.”
“Piper, get off it. You’re twenty-two. I had my first orgasm when I was sixteen. Geez.”
“And your parents used to screw all over the place. We were raised in different houses.”
“I know that, but still. You really need to get laid, already. Seriously.”
“What is the big deal? I’ve lived without sex this long.”
“How wet are your panties right now, just talking about him, Piper?”
I cross my legs. I am wet. And I was gushing last night when I saw him harden. He is the sexiest man alive. And the thought of him pleasuring himself, calling my name, drives me nuts. “Fine. I’ll buy a vibrator.”
“Good. Think about all the material you have, Piper. You are living a life most women would be envious of.”
“How so? I can’t have the man that I want, and I’m going to die a virgin.”
“That’s all in how you play your cards, Piper.”
I scoff, unconvinced. “Yeah, and either way, I’m going to lose something. My house, my job, or my heart. He said himself that he doesn’t want to ruin a good thing here. He said himself that he wants me to dress more professionally. If he wanted to pursue anything with me, he would never have said that. He would have just put the moves on me.”
“Not necessarily.” Crystal corrects. “First of all, he doesn’t know if you’re attracted to him.”
“He told me I’m beautiful. What more proof do you need?”
“My granddad tells me I’m beautiful all the time. Half the guys I’ve slept with say the same thing. It’s an expression that’s tossed around more than goddamn ‘I love you’, Piper.”
My heart sinks. He seemed genuine. His expression was so tender. He has no reason to pay me lip service. No ulterior motive. He said so himself that he doesn’t want to screw this up, so if he didn’t care, and he was only saying that for his own selfish reasons, he would have also put the moves on me. But he didn’t. He did the exact opposite. I don’t argue with Crystal, though, since I have no experience, compared with her years of it. And this is all new to me. I have nothing to gain here by refuting her, so I just nod. “Fine. I get it. I’ll watch my ass and keep that in mind.”
“Good. Now, tell me, how did you manage to see that hunk in the shower?”
I give her an unimpressed, irritated look. “He had his back to me. I didn’t see anything. The shower doors were all fogged up. I just heard him call my name.”
“Did he say why he did that?”
“No. But that’s because I didn’t ask.”
She scoffs. “He probably did it while he was blowing his wad.”
I lift a hand, hearing enough. “Okay. Don’t you have a class to get to?”
“I do, actually.”
“I’ll walk you out.” I say, as she grabs the rest of her French fries, leaving mine untouched. “I’ll see you later.”
“Good luck.” She says with a smile, and she gives me a hug. “I’ll send you a link for a good vibrator.”
My eyes bulge as I look over my shoulder. Thankfully, Billy is inside the new house, and he can’t see me. “Would you shut up???” I ask through gritted teeth.
“You’re going to need one with that fine ass walking around. And you best be telling him he can’t walk around with just a towel on, either. No double standard, right?”
Truth be told, he’s as sexy as hell in just a towel, especially when he lifted it up slightly, so I could see his scar. As if I wasn’t wet enough. I try to divert my thoughts by heading back into the office and doing more work. After I finish the fries, I start doing some online schoolwork, and before I know it, it’s almost time to head to my other job. Billy comes in just in time for me to brief him on some of the resumes I’ve collected.
“Oh, excellent.” Billy says, relieved. “I’ve got Nash and Levi Paxton starting tomorrow, too. I’m going to have them start building the new barn.”
“Great! That’s so exciting!” I smile. I want so badly to kiss him. I haven’t seen him all day practically, and I kind of missed him. He’s all smiles, too.
“You heading out to work?” He asks me.
“Yes. I’ll be back late again, so don’t wait up.”
I watch his face change, like he’s disappointed. But I try to pretend that he’s just tired. “I’ll wait up.” He smiles, giving me a wink. I grin at him, staring at his lips, not really caring if he notices. And then I get into my car and drive to school, with the biggest grin on my face.
...but it’s soon spoiled.