Chapter 14
I packed up my gear and then headed out to watch the rest of the riders.
I’d ridden early in the night, so I got the chance to watch the competition.
There were some damn good riders this year, and while I wasn’t worried, it was only because I wasn’t here for the money.
I was here to prove I was good enough to be here. That was it.
Davi was up in the chutes, and I stepped closer.
It was hard to notice, but the Brazilian’s rode differently.
They learned on tamer bulls, so their process in the chute was a little longer, but man once they were out, they looked like they were flying.
Like they belonged on that beast. Even back when I was a kid, the Brazilian riders were my favorite.
Brazilians for style, Australians for crazy.
The bull Davi was riding was unsettled in the chute, slamming around against the rails, making Davi climb in and out a couple of times, and having to reset his ropes each time.
When Davi settled into the chute for the third time, he began his process all over again.
Miguel came up beside me. “At this rate they’ll have to offer him a reride,” he said, and I nodded as I looked over at the grizzled rider.
I say he was grizzled, but he couldn’t have been more than thirty-five.
But this job, it was hell on your body, hell on your mind.
You retired young, which is why we all went so hard.
You only had so many rides in you before you expired and your earning ability went down the gurgler.
Miguel was reaching that time now, he’d be the first to admit it, but as hard as it was on your body, it was harder to quit.
I turned back to Davi to see them put him on the clock. He now had thirty seconds to nod to the gateman or he would record a no-ride. “What the fuck? How is that right? There’s no way he’s had ample time to prepare. That bull is like one bullshit move away from laying down in the chutes!”
Miguel swore under his breath. “ Vai tomar no cu! ”
I looked at the chute judge and the way his eyes were narrowed. If I wasn’t looking for it, I would have missed the hard glint in his eye. Fuck me.
I climbed up into the chutes, directly in his line of sight.
Yeah, I knew his type. A good ol’ boy. Bet he was one of Junior’s daddy’s cronies.
Davi hurried through the rest of his process, nodding at the gateman with moments to spare.
I didn’t watch Davi’s ride. Instead, I stared down the chute judge.
I sneered at him in disgust, and when he spit in the dirt beside his feet, I knew exactly what he thought.
Oh shit. That racist, misogynistic piece of shit was going down now. “Listen here, you piece of- oof!” An arm around my middle stopped me from stomping right over to that fucking judge and letting him know exactly what I thought.
Miguel held me back but I pointed at him. “I’m watching you,” I mouthed, and the smug fuck turned away to move down to the next chute.
“Calm down, Menina. God will judge their actions.”
I wanted to angry-cry. “They are punishing him because of me. I just know it. I pissed Junior off, and now Davi is copping the consequences.”
Miguel let me go and shook his head sadly. “ N?o. We might not talk about it, but it is always there, the subtle, err, bias?”
“It’s bullshit,” I growled.
“Maybe, but if you ask Davi, there is no way he would change stepping up for you. It is not who he is, and it is better to ride with the bias and sleep well at night.”
I sighed heavily. When I entered this competition, I expected that they’d judge me differently.
I should have predicted Junior and the boys’ club.
Miguel slapped my back. “Do not stress. It fired up Davi’s blood and he rode that bull for eight seconds to prove them all wrong, look.
” Davi was on the rails, and he had the crowd fired up.
We all looked at the board, and when he came up with a 85. 7, I swore.
“Fucking shit ass ball licking dickholes.”
Miguel blinked and crossed himself, and I laughed a little even though I felt like punching something. Probably Junior’s fat face.
I watched the replay of Davi’s ride, and I just felt meaner and meaner. I was going to burn this sport to the ground and remake it before I was done. There was no way his ride was less than an 87, which would have put him in first place. The bull bucked well, and Davi’s style was immaculate.
“Tell Davi I said sorry he got caught up in my bullshit. I’ll try to make it right, I promise.” I stomped toward the back of the arena before Miguel could say anything more. I needed to vent or punch something.
When I stumbled across Branch and Beau walking down the arena toward the signing tent, I whistled.
Beau turned toward me first, and his feet slowed when he took in the fury on my face.
I saw the moment when he skimmed through his memory for shit he could have done to make me this angry. Ah Beau. So beautifully open.
Branch frowned, a small crease on his face as he took in the fact I was so tense I was all but vibrating. I pointed to an empty canteen that probably fed the smaller meets. It didn’t work for an event this big.
I pulled my driver’s license from my back pocket and used it to jimmy the lock and stepped into the dark room before the guys had even made it to me.
Last thing I needed was anyone seeing us all going into a dark building together.
After Branch’s little stunt this morning, everyone knew I meant something to Branch Watson.
And everyone knew that without Branch, there's no Beau. So they’d probably think I was in here having an orgy.
Let’s face it, on a different day, that might have been an option.
Right now, I was too mad. “You need to go apologize to Junior right now. Hell, I don’t care if you pretend to never speak to me again if you have to. But I refuse to sink your career as well as mine.”
Branch looked at my wild look and frowned harder. “What’s going on?”
As I recounted the thing with the judge, and what went down with Junior, Davi and Miguel, as Branch’s face grew stormier and stormier.
“You should have told me.”
I shrugged. “I don’t need you to fight my battles, Branch. I never have.”
He rolled his eyes at me and I suddenly saw the benefit of physical violence.
Beau moved between us, and he looked down at me, his eyes brimming with concern.
“None of that is your fault, you know that right? They are grown men who make their own decisions. Davi and Miguel. Branch. Their actions are not a reflection on you.”
Maybe not, but if it hadn’t been for me, Davi would have gone home with twenty-five grand tonight, instead of five grand and a vendetta against him.
I looked at the ugly cream tiles that had gone black with age.
Beau cupped my cheek, tipping my head back so I couldn’t drop my eyes again.
“Say it with me. It’s not my my fault Junior is an asshole, or that both Davi and Branch have white knight syndrome, or that the system is stacked against women and people of color in this sport. ”
Damn. Beau. He slid beneath my defenses every time, like he knew how I ticked. Had been inside my chest and my head so often that he knew me inside out. “Kiss me, Beau,” I said softly, and he grinned as he obliged, uncaring that Branch was right behind him.
He kissed me like he wanted to consume me, and I loved it. His kiss was like a panacea for everything bad in the world and I lost myself in the feel of his lips, the feel of his body pressed against mine.
When he dragged his lips away, both of us panting for air, I was whirled in his arms and suddenly I was looking up into the intense eyes of Branch.
“I know you don’t need me, Tessa May. But I’m going to be here, watching your back anyway.
” His hand slid down my hip, his thumbs tracing lines over my lower stomach. “And your front too, if you’ll let me.”
Then his head swooped down and captured my lips.
Beau stepped up behind me, trapping me in between their bodies.
His lips trailed down my throat as Branch commanded a response from me.
There was no choice. I was helpless to resist the waves of pleasure that consumed me.
Branch pulled me closer so that my core was pressed against the hard muscles of his thigh and I rolled my hips because, honestly, I was helpless to control my body.
Beau’s hands stroked up and down my sides as the hard line of his dick pressed against my lower back.
Finally, as if they’d been having a conversation by ESP, they dragged themselves away.
Branch kept one hand on my shoulder so I didn’t fall on my face.
“When I make love to you for the first time, it won’t be a quick thing in an outbuilding, Tessa May.
It’ll be in a bed and I will show you just how much I’ve been dreaming of having your body underneath mine. ”
The subtle barb was there at Beau, but Beau just scoffed. “Asshole.” Then he nuzzled my neck again, and I sighed softly. “I don’t regret a moment. But I’m definitely anxious to get you naked in a bed with all the hours in the day to wring pleasure from you.”
I shivered as heat pooled lower in my gut. I sucked in a few deep breaths and straightened my clothes. “Lead on, Macbeth,” I said, and Branch laughed.
“I forgot you were a bit of a closet nerd.”
But he strode out of the building like he was daring anyone to say anything about him being in there. Beau rolled his eyes and ushered me out. I smoothed my hair down and hoped I didn’t look like I’d just had a three way in a dirty building. “You look beautiful, Tessa May. Don’t worry.”
A blush lit my cheeks and I swear my face felt like it was on fire. Branch led the way to the signing pavilion, and the organizer quickly ushered me to my spot just before the doors opened.
As the crowd flowed in, I tried not to think about the fact that I’d almost had two threesomes in twenty-four hours. I didn’t know if I should be embarrassed or frustrated that none of them amounted to any sexy times. So instead, I went with content. I wasn’t playing them.
Hell, this poly thing was easy.
When I got back from the arena, Frankie and Dylan had just gotten home from the bar. They’d watched the round at a sports bar, but Dylan couldn’t drink because you know, head injury and pain meds.
He looked a bit sad when I walked in, but his face lit up when he saw me. “Good ride,” he murmured as he kissed me.
I screwed up my nose. “I didn’t make the eight, but Zero was in good form.”
Dylan nodded. “Hell yeah he was. That jump straight out of the gate was high. I’m surprised you stuck with it as long as you did.
” He kissed my cheek as he clutched me close to his body.
“I gotta go. I have a meeting that started fifteen minutes ago but I didn’t want to leave without seeing you.
My manager wants to catch up tonight before I see a specialist tomorrow for the follow up scan, then my sponsor wants me to do a couple of things while I’m off for the month.
I’ll catch up with you guys at Colorado Springs? ”
That was ten whole days away, and I wanted to pout.
I had kind of hoped that he’d travel with me and Frankie to Wichita, but it had been a pipe dream.
Sponsors swooped on mid-season downtime.
So I resisted the urge to drag him back in the room and fuck him until he wouldn’t even think of leaving, and walked him to the door.
His bags were all packed and he was freshly showered.
He smelled so damn good, I just wanted to eat him up.
I felt like I needed an award for self control. When he backed me into the doorjamb and kissed the hell out of me, I knew I needed an award. “I can’t wait to see you again already.” One more soft kiss against my lips. “What the hell have you done to me, Tessa? I’m obsessed.”
I laughed and pushed against his chest. “Bewitching men is a pastime of mine, obviously. Go, you’ll be late for your meeting. More late. I will see you in Colorado Springs.”
He waved as he stepped out onto the street, hailing a cab.
I watched him climb in and drive away, before I softly shut the door. Frankie was laying on the bed, resting up on his elbows. He smiled at me and crooked a finger. I took a running jump and dove into the arms of at least one man who loved me.