Chapter One #3
purpose. The money was in another account, but it was a business account, not
anything personal. I’m far more worried about Gladen Farms. There’s some weird
accounting going on there.”
The good thing about a collective was everything they could
do together. They were far more powerful than they would be on their own. The
Barnes-Fleetwood Collective had grown to the point that they had a whole legal
department that served the ranches. Legal. Accounting. A head office that ensured
everything worked right.
The bad part? If one ranch didn’t follow the rules, it made
them all look bad.
“Are you going to deal with it while we’re in Willow Fork?”
Keane asked, and his eyes trailed away.
Was he looking for a woman? It had been a while since either
of them had a girlfriend. Since they started working for Barnes-Fleetwood, they
had taken to an entirely different lifestyle. While Garrett worked for
Barnes-Fleetwood directly, they lived in Deer Run. Keane took over the
day-to-day running of the ranch so Aidan O’Malley could focus on his family and
the business. Aidan’s partner, Lucas, was the one who hired him as an intern
and helped him out when he passed the bar, bringing Keane along for the ride.
Keane only had to work on the ranch for six months before Aidan started
delegating a lot of the management to him. He’d recently been promoted to
foreman.
It was weird to be at a high-society wedding. He didn’t fit
in here. Despite his law degree, he was still that eight-year-old kid whose
life fell apart when his mom died and no one wanted to take him in.
“Yeah, we’ve got some time there. One of the things I want
to talk about is doing a complete review of every ranch in the collective.” His
job could be done over the course of a week, but Keane was taking over as
foreman while the guy who usually ran the Barnes-Fleetwood Ranch was on his
honeymoon. So they would be in Willow Fork for a few weeks.
“Do you ever think about it?” Keane’s eyes stopped on a
table toward the front of the room where family and close friends were.
Garrett was almost entirely sure he was looking at the
redhead. The gorgeous, curvy, probably had a smart mouth on her redhead. A
brat. He fucking loved a brat.
“Think about what?” He was pretty sure his friend was asking
him about the woman in particular.
Keane turned his way, his eyes going serious. “About trying
to have a relationship like Lexi and Aidan and Lucas?”
The O’Malleys. Lexi was Jack Barnes and Sam Fleetwood’s
stepdaughter. She had two husbands, Aidan O’Malley and Lucas O’Malley, who
changed his name when they married. They were happy. They were a solid unit
raising kids and building a business and loving each other. The fact that he
caught Lucas and Aidan kissing as much as he did the two of them with Lexi didn’t
bother him a bit. In fact, it made him wonder.
“Yeah, I think about it. I’ve thought about it since the day
we met them. I’ve enjoyed the hell out of the short-term relationships we’ve
had as a threesome. It makes sense when you consider all the factors. I have to
weigh it against societal norms, but there seems to be a whole society that
accepts those types of relationships. I think it might be time for us to start
looking for a more settled one.”
Keane snorted. “Yes, Counselor.”
Garrett sighed. “I’m not trying to make it clinical. You
know that’s how I make decisions.”
Keane sat back. “I know, and I go with my gut. And that’s
why you’re the lawyer and I’m the ex-con.”
“Hey, don’t talk about that. It’s behind us. You have a good
job, and you don’t have to worry about it again.” It was a part of their lives
Garrett didn’t like to think about. “What we do need to worry about is tonight.
We’re about to be stuck in a tiny town.”
“And the big boss’s daughter ,” Keane pointed out. “Aren’t
you going to work with her?”
“Yes, I’m going to work with her, and we are going to keep
our hands off her because she is the big boss’s daughter and we like these
jobs.” He finished up his rye. He could have another since it wasn’t like they
were driving. They had a room in the hotel, and they would take a taxi out to
the private airport in the morning. “We have to be on our absolute best
behavior for the weeks we’re out in Willow Fork. So I say we have some fun
tonight. What do you think of her?”
“Her?”
“The redhead we’ve both been staring at all night long.”
Keane’s lips curled up. “We’ve always had the same taste in
women.”
“Which is why all of this makes sense. Let’s grab a drink
and see if we can get close to her.” Garrett stood.
Keane did not. “Garrett, she has a boyfriend. She’s been
holding his hand all night.”
Garrett had gotten good at reading body language. If he
wanted to, he likely could have specialized in jury management. He wanted to
say it came from his legal studies and being in courtrooms. It was far more
complicated than that. It was a skill that helped him survive his childhood. “I
will bet you two hundred that they’re just friends.”
“How would you know that?”
“If I tell you, I won’t get two hundred dollars.”
Keane’s eyes rolled but he stood up. “I’m not betting two
hundred dollars.”
Garrett wouldn’t have taken it anyway. “All right. Watch
them carefully. They are very affectionate, but he hasn’t kissed her once. Not
even come close. I think their affection is actually comfort. Also, if he is
her boyfriend, she should probably be told he’s gay. He’s watched every man who
walks in the room, and not merely to see who was here. His eyes linger on the
tall, muscular ones. He has a type, and it is not that curvy redhead.”
“He’s attractive,” Keane said and then flushed.
He could see it in an aesthetic way. “I suppose, but he’s
still not into her. Not physically. Let’s get another drink and talk about how
to approach her.”
Keane followed him. “What if she’s not into guys?”
“Then I’m going to go cry somewhere because that is the most
gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen. Nicole has excellent taste in friends.” They’d
met Nicole for the first time earlier this evening. He’d met Joshua
Barnes-Fleetwood once in Dallas, but they’d been all about business, and Lucas
had done most of the talking. He wondered where the daughter was but hadn’t
been introduced to her. He could go and ask Lucas, but the man was dancing with
his wife and having a lovely time. He didn’t need to worry about business.
“She really is something,” Keane said as they walked by her
table. She and her friend had been joined by two other ladies who would have
definitely caught his interest had they not been sitting next to that glorious
woman. “Hey, she looks like she’s got money. She probably wouldn’t want to hang
out with a ranch hand.”
“I wasn’t going to ask her to take us to social events,
Keane. I was going to offer her a crazy night in bed with two men who know what
they’re doing.” He walked up to the bar. “Rye on the rocks, and he’ll have a
beer.”
Keane didn’t touch the hard stuff. Just a beer, and never
more than two or three if the evening was going long. He stayed in control.
Always. Garrett understood why, but he also thought it was good to let go every
now and then.
“You’re right.” Keane gave him a sheepish grin. “We leave
Fort Worth in the morning and she likely goes home, too. It’s not like we’ll
see her again, so she doesn’t need my whole sad story.”
“It’s not sad.” Sometimes his friend couldn’t see the
positive side of things. “It’s a survival story, and you’re still here so
there’s a happy ending.”
“Hasn’t ended yet.” He straightened up. “Oh, her friend is
coming our way, and he looks like a man on a mission. Do you think he’s about
to hit on you?”
“No idea.” The evening was looking up. He was unashamed to
admit he liked a little drama. As long as no one got hurt. People were weird
and he was here for it. He took the drinks from the bartender and slid a tip
into the jar before turning and handing Keane his beer. His timing was perfect,
but then it always was.
Maybe her friend was getting drinks. Maybe he should ask
about her.
He didn’t have to.
“Hey, I’m Bobby Farley. I’m good friends with…” He huffed.
“Sorry, she asked me not to tell you her name. I think she wants to do this
whole secretive undercover thing. I don’t understand it entirely, but she’s
definitely not looking for anything more than a night, and now I realize I
should have eased into the conversation.”
Oh, he liked the sound of this. Lucas told him that most of
the people he would meet at the wedding would be in the lifestyle. “No need.
Are you here to negotiate a scene?”
Bobby’s eyes widened and then he shrugged slightly. “Well, I
should have known. I am not her top. I’m a friend. A good friend who will hunt
you down and kill you if you hurt her. She needs a wild night, and she knows
most of the people here. It’s been a rough couple of weeks for her, and she
could use a scene. Are you members of a club?”
“Yes,” Garrett replied with confidence. “We belong to
Subversion. We’ve completed all the courses and have Master rights. We’re
allowed to attend the Dallas club when we’re there.”
The Austin club had become a second home for them. They
spent weekends there when they had the time, indulging in D/s and simply being
in a place where it felt like they belonged.
Bobby stared for a moment as though his brain was making
connections. Or he was nervous about leaving his gorgeous friend with them.
“I was sponsored by Lucas O’Malley if you want to talk to
him,” Garrett offered.
“Well, that makes it weirder.” Bobby shook his head. “Nope.
I’m going with it. All right. Yes, let’s talk this out, but again, no names.”
“We are talking about the redhead, right?” Keane asked.
“Sorry. I only want to make sure. You could be talking about anyone, and I’ll
be honest after seeing her, I don’t want someone else.”
“That’s what I want to hear.” Bobby looked to the bartender.
“I’ll take a gin and tonic.”
When Bobby had his drink, they took a seat.
It was time to negotiate. His evening was looking up.