Chapter Two
A REVEALING ORIENTATION
or
How much Lube Does a Pony Play Ranch Need?
I PULLED INTO the parking lot of the main house at the Braided Crop Ranch at one forty-five on Wednesday, July twelfth, after buzzing through at the gate.
By this time, I was practically salivating to get my eyes on an in-the-flesh ponyboy. It had taken almost three months for this opportunity to manifest, and I couldn’t wait to start taking pictures.
As I slid my car into a parking spot—there were only a handful of vehicles in the dirt-covered lot—the front door opened and a well-dressed, dark-haired, man came out to wave to me.
Adam.
I turned off the engine and stepped out of the car, glad to be able to stretch my legs and almost vibrating with anticipation.
The noise of cicadas filled my ears as the July sun burned down on me, and I wondered if I should have brought some kind of hat.
Adam had said they took the ponyboys outside as often as they could when the weather was fair.
I looked up to see the man walking toward me and barely had time to acknowledge to myself how attractive he was, in an old-world, fifties-movie-star way, before he offered his hand for me to shake.
“Oliver. Welcome to the Braided Crop Ranch! We’re so glad to have you join us,” Adam Marsland stated in an affable tenor. I felt eminently welcomed by his beaming smile.
I shook his hand and matched his grin. “Great to finally meet you, Adam.” I gazed up at the large modern farmhouse with generous windows and cheerful paint. “So this is the Braided Crop Ranch.”
Adam laughed. “This is the parking lot and the main house—the most boring and utilitarian parts of the BCR. But we’ll start there. You can get settled in your room and I’ll take you for an orientation around the grounds.”
“I’m looking forward to that,” I said, rubbing my forehead where sweat had gathered already and squinting in the sunshine.
“Did you bring a hat? You may be outside quite a bit.”
“Uh, that’s one thing I forgot. I’m sure there’s more. But I brought all my camera equipment, which is the important thing,” I said as we walked up the steps.
Adam opened the door for me. “I can grab you a ball cap from the gift shop.”
“Sure.”
Gift shop? This place seemed to have everything. Naked men playing pony, beautiful scenery, nice lodgings, and a gift shop. Colour me impressed.
The entry opened up to a bright hallway that reminded me of the bottom floor of an office building—polished and utilitarian.
“Stay here. I’ll be right back,” Adam said, putting a friendly hand on my shoulder briefly and then moving down the hall to the left of me.
I noticed a young man, whose disembodied voice had no doubt buzzed me in, at a desk to the right, speaking in low tones on a desk phone.
He waved to me with a smile that I returned, then kept talking into the phone and typing on his computer.
I noticed that the ambient temperature in here, where my accommodations were to be, was much more comfortable than outside, which meant they had central air in this building. Thank goodness.
Adam returned and handed me a navy-blue ball cap with BCR embroidered across the front in swirly red script. “This should do for now.”
“Thanks,” I said, taking it from him. My first souvenir.
“Come and meet Connor,” Adam said, leading me down the hall.
Connor replaced the phone receiver and stood, giving me another smile and offering his hand. “Hi, Oliver.”
“Connor,” I said, shaking his hand. He looked to be in his mid-twenties and wore a pair of chinos and a short-sleeved, white button-down.
“How was the drive?” he asked.
I shrugged. “Long and boring, but okay.”
“You didn’t get lost?”
“No. Your instructions were excellent.” I glanced at Adam. “You’ve got the perfect, secluded set-up, here.”
“You haven’t even seen the best parts of our ranch, Oliver,” Adam interjected. “Why don’t you get settled in your room? Connor can help you bring your equipment in.” He reached over Connor’s desk and grabbed something, passing me a room key. “Number eight, on the second floor.”
“Thanks.” I adjusted the strap on the ball cap so it fit snugly.
“I’ll be in my office.” He gestured to an open door behind Connor’s area. “Come and get me when you’re ready for your walkabout. I’m excited to show you how the ranch works and why it’s so special. You won’t need your camera. I want you to get a feel for things before you start.”
“Sure.”
Connor came around and we walked outside to my car. I opened the trunk and hauled out my suitcase. “If you don’t mind carrying this, I can bring the camera equipment.”
“Sure,” Connor said.
I brought out the large canvas tote bag containing my cameras, lenses, and tripod and shut the trunk, making sure the car was locked, even though I was confident they didn’t get many people wandering through here without an invitation. There wasn’t much in my car to steal.
“How long have you worked at the BCR, Connor?” I asked.
He followed me up the front steps.
“It’s been a couple of years now.”
“Adam seems like a great guy.”
“He’s amazing. The ranch is amazing. You’ll like it here. The trainers are awesome and the ponyboys are so much fun.”
I grinned. “I can’t wait to see them in action.”
“Yeah, I don’t think you’re prepared for what you’re going to see, honestly. I don’t think anyone would be.” He laughed, and his cheeks flushed.
We carried the bags up to my room, and Connor helped put them inside.
“This looks very comfortable. Thanks, Connor.”
“No problem. You’ll probably run into Kamal and Lorraine and some of the other trainers when they’re not working, since they have rooms on this floor.
But everyone should be very welcoming. We know you’re here to take photos, and we're all excited about that.” He smiled. “Some of us may have googled you.”
I laughed. “I would expect no less.”
“You take incredibly sexy pictures of fruit. I can’t wait to see what you do with the ponyboys.”
“Thanks,” I said, shrugging. “It’s a living.”
I hefted my duffel bag onto the bed and unzipped it, taking out my gear and checking to make sure everything was as it should be.
There was a spot in the corner by the dresser, where I could stash the tripod, and I put the expensive camera gear out on one end of the dresser so it was easily accessible.
I plugged in the cord for my laptop and set it to charge beside where my phone was already set up on the side table.
Adam had said that I could keep it, but it had to stay in my room at all times.
Nobody was permitted out of the main house with a cell phone.
Apparently, the ponyboys had their devices confiscated upon entry and kept in a locked cabinet, only useable for brief periods upon request.
This ranch must be something special, for people to relinquish their technology in such a way.
I had to piss and was impressed by the cleanliness and finishes in the full bathroom. There was a walk-in shower, toilet, vanity and modern sink, as well as a medicine cabinet. Utilitarian but also pretty. Better than the one I had at home that desperately needed updating.
I glanced at myself in the mirror. The ball cap made me look younger than thirty, so I figured I’d keep using it, although I’d have to swing it around while taking photos, or even remove it.
It was soft enough I could stuff it in my back pocket if needed and the brim flipped up too.
I looked even younger when I turned it around, so, yeah, that was a bonus.
I might be halfway through my thirty-first year but I was damn well gonna channel some youthful energy during this assignment.
Not that I wanted to hook up. I needed to keep things professional. But that didn’t mean I didn’t want to present a tempting option for these kinky ponyboys. It would be an ego boost to be the sexy, talented photographer they all wanted but couldn’t have.
LOL. As if.
I shook my head at my reflection. Was there any end to my narcissistic delusions?
Downstairs, I nodded to Connor and knocked on Adam’s open door.
“You ready?” he asked.
“I think so,” I grinned. “Probably not. But I’d better get a glimpse into life at the Braided Crop Ranch so I can formulate an action plan.”
We headed the other way down the hall, past what looked like a cafeteria, to a door at the back, which Adam pushed open onto a wide, wrap-around porch.
“Wow,” I said as we stepped out. Green grass stretched ahead of us, bordered by thick forest and interspersed with several wood structures.
“This is it,” Adam said.
“It’s beautiful. What a perfect spot for a—I mean, holy shit.”
We walked across the porch and down the three steps.
“I’ll take you to the grooming barn, first. You can see the space where our stable hands prepare the ponyboys.”
My mouth went dry. “Okay.”
As we crossed the first stretch of grass to a large, square building, my eyes were drawn to distant figures in one of the paddocks. I couldn’t distinguish anything but movement and the number of people, which seemed to be three.
“Looks like one of the trainers has ponyboys outside already,” Adam said. He pointed to a door on one end of the wooden structure marked PONIES. “This is where the ponyboys go to get undressed and ready for the session.” He pulled open the door and gestured for me to enter.
I stepped into something reminiscent of a gym changing area.
One wall was lined with lockers and long benches, and hooks for bags or wet coats.
Three pairs of shoes were left undone on one of the benches—a set of dusty red chucks, a pair of brown Blundstones and some orange flip-flops, presumably belonging to the ponyboys in action this morning.