Chapter 37

Sara

His hand slid down my thigh and squeezed as he pushed his hips forward, allowing me to feel the girth of his cock. My hips waved over him, grinding against him, as his mouth moved over mine with force. I whimpered into his mouth softly, grabbing onto his hips as I pleasured my body against him. Even through the thick fabric of his dress pants, I could feel exactly how much he wanted to be inside of me, and it turned me on even further. I wanted him, and I wanted him badly. In fact, I was so enthralled and completely committed to the moment, I ignored my phone buzzing in my purse on the floor. In fact, I ignored it more than once and prayed it wouldn’t go off again. I needed to feel him inside of me, to have him drop my clothes to the floor right then and there and press me against the wall. My attraction to him was at its peak, and it was at a point where I could barely control myself. However, as the sound of my ringtone echoed out for a third time, I dropped my hands and groaned, leaning my head against the wall.

“Just ignore it,” he whispered.

“I can’t,” I said, putting my leg down and grabbing my purse. “No one ever calls me like that, so whoever it is, they must really need something. And I hope it’s important, like fire important because I’m sacrificing my sanity to answer this phone call.”

I pulled the phone from my purse and cleared my throat, turning it on and putting it to my ear.

“Hello?” I said with irritation.

“Sara?” Alison’s tearful voice rang out, and immediately, I came to attention.

“Alison, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“God,” she sobbed. “It’s terrible. I’ve been up since early this morning trying to figure out what went wrong.”

“Wait, what went wrong with what? You need to calm down and tell me what is going on,” I said.

“When I got up today, I went through to round together the horses because Jimmy had let them out into the pastures for me before he left for work,” she cried. “That’s when I realized several of them were missing.”

“Missing? How could that happen?” I shook my head with my heart sinking already.

“It was the east paddock,” she sobbed. “Something or someone damaged the hell out of the fences, and I think that’s how they escaped. I found it when I went out to check on the most skittish horses. You know I put them out there together so they wouldn’t be bothered by the sounds of the equipment running and cars driving in and out. The hole in the fence was big enough for two or three to go out at one time, and you know those horses, anything would spook them into a run.”

“Oh god,” I said, walking into the penthouse and sitting down on the couch.

“I know,” she whimpered. “I’ve been trying all day to get them back. A few volunteers from town came out to help me search, but its difficult because as soon as you have them in your sight, they bolt. I’m terrified they’re going to get hurt out there with all the small back roads and how muddy it’s been because of the rain we’ve gotten lately. With how old-school some of these farmers out here are, they won’t hesitate to put down an injured horse, even if it isn’t their own. They think it’s the only humane thing to do. Even after having me here for all of these years, they don’t think about calling me first. They just grab their rifles. These horses are here because of their health issues and old injuries, so they aren’t safe out there like that. I can’t lose these horses, Sara. The poor things must be so scared out there all on their own.”

“I know,” I sighed. “Take a deep breath, okay? Call the sheriff and call the mayor and let them know what happened. Then, call the local radio station. Timmy runs it, so have him make an announcement that the horses got out and that they’re not to be harmed or approached if they’re spotted. Most of the farmers have that station on all day listening for deals on feed and weather reports. They should hear it. The mayor spreading the word will help too.”

“Okay,” she sniffled. “You always know what to do.”

“No.” I chuckled. “I’m just calm because I’m not there. Do you need me to come home? Seriously, I will board the next flight to the area and be back there before the morning.”

“No, no, no,” she sniffled. “You are out there for a reason, and you deserve to enjoy your time out there. You can’t come running back for every emergency. I already called the vet from one town over to be on call if anything bad were to happen to the horses. I just really needed someone to cry to who would understand why I was so upset.”

“Where’s Jimmy? Is he helping?”

“Yeah, right,” she scoffed. “He’s probably down at the saloon getting hammered like he always does. I called him immediately, but he’s being a complete and utter asshole. He told me I was acting like a baby. He said it was obvious the horses didn’t want to be in captivity, and if they wanted to be free, I should just let them go. He thinks it’s nature’s way of taking care of the injured animals. He’s a complete and total waste of oxygen these days and is going to be no help whatsoever.”

“What an asshole,” I sighed. “I’d like to give Jimmy a piece of my mind. He forgets we have known each other our entire lives, and I’m not above kicking his skinny little ass like I did when we were in the fourth grade.”

“He does need another black eye like that.” She laughed through tears. “He is a punk ass. But you know he’s never been a fan of the horses. Over the last six or more months, he’s become less and less supportive of my efforts with the organization. He’s constantly telling me I’m wasting my time and money.”

“Alison, you really sound like you need help, and no one knows those horses medically like I do, so if something goes wrong, I should be there. I’m serious. I can come home right now,” I said.

“No,” she insisted. “I love you, but you need to stay in New York. Janson is asking all over for you, and no one is saying a word about where you’ve gone.”

“Because you’re the only one who knows,” I said. “I told my clients it was just vacation.”

“Good,” she said. “Stay there, have fun, and enjoy the attentions of that handsome billionaire you have on your hip.”

“Thanks.” I laughed. “He’s standing here staring at me, looking worried to death.”

She laughed. “Tell him your other billionaire lover showed up to find you.”

“Right.” I giggled. “I don’t think he would believe that. Anyway, please keep me posted, and I mean the whole time. If something happens at three in the morning, call me and tell me about it. I’ll have my phone on me. I’m here for you if you need me.”

We got off the phone, and I sighed, leaning back against the couch. Suddenly, I was no longer in the mood for anything but sleep. I explained to Ryan what was going on, and he assured me if I needed to get back at any time, he would set up the jet. Then, I went to bed, and though it probably disappointed him, I just wanted to be alone and fall asleep.

The next morning, I woke up to texts from Alison saying they had everything under control, not that I knew what that meant. I put the phone down and looked up at the dress hanging on my closet door, and immediately, nerves surged through me. Today was the big gala, and I definitely was not prepared mentally for it. I was used to downhome people, people who cracked jokes and asked about each other’s cows. I was not used to the rich and famous, and I was terrified I was going to do or say something that caused me to look like a complete fool in front of them. I would never live it down, and worse, Ryan would never live it down. He was the one who had to deal with these people on a regular basis. They already gave him a hard time for being new money, and if I embarrassed him, it would come down on him tenfold. These people had no idea what it was like to get their hands dirty. To them, someone like me only existed on television, outside the confines of the concrete jungle and all the luxury inside it.

Maybe I would get lucky, though, and they would mail in their donations. Maybe the number of rich and snooty would be limited. Ryan did say the event would be small. Maybe small meant a dozen or so people. For some reason, I had a sneaking suspicion I had a completely different idea of what a small gathering was compared to Ryan’s idea of one. For all I knew, small could mean a thousand people. Hell, that’s small compared to how many people lived in New York City. Small to me was twenty to thirty people, and big was the town’s size, around five hundred. I had never been in any event larger than the town’s size, and that was usually informal where people showed up in overalls and ate corndogs off a stick. I had a sneaking suspicion there would be no corn dogs at this event.

Still, I had to keep telling myself it was going to be small. Yes, fancy but small and intimate. It was a chance for me to dress up like I would never have a chance to do again and be on the arm of one of the most handsome men in the city. Surely, I would feel comfortable by his side. He always made me feel safe. I took a deep breath and got out of bed, holding onto the idea of a small, intimate gathering as I slipped into my slippers and went out in search of tea. As I turned the corner into the kitchen, I stopped and slowed down, finding Ryan there. He looked up at me and smiled handsomely, putting down the paper.

“You want some breakfast?” he asked.

“I don’t think I can eat,” I said. “I’m so nervous about tonight, and the horse thing weighing over my head is making everything worse. I keep imagining myself making a total fool out of the both of us at this event. These people aren’t used to a woman like me. I’m not rich and famous.”

“You, ma’am, need to take a deep breath,” he said, walking over and pulling me into his arms. “You are beautiful, charming, intelligent, and they don’t have a clue who you are. You will look the part, and that’s all that will matter to them. In the meantime, you can walk around with me and just enjoy the night. I’m sure there’ll be delicious food, dancing, and of course, alcohol.”

“I should probably stay away from the alcohol.” I laughed.

“I want you to go get dressed in something comfortable,” he said, kissing the top of my head. “I booked you a day at the spa to help you get ready for tonight.”

“Really?” I said, looking up at him.

“Really.” He gave me a fond smile. “Massage, hair, makeup, waxing, whatever you need, they will take care of it there for you.”

“Thank you.” I smiled. “You really thought of everything.”

“I would be a bad host if I didn’t.”

“Now, go on. Go get changed. The car is waiting for you out front.” He smiled, pushing me toward the door.

“What about you?”

“I’ll be here waiting for you when you get back.”

I shook my head and headed quickly off to my room, thinking about how amazingly thoughtful Ryan really was. Then, I spent the day in one of the most interesting places I had ever been before. They didn’t have spas in Bonanza, just the local salon, but the salon only did hair and nails. This place spoiled me rotten, pampering me, plucking me, and styling me for the big event that night. The women waited on me hand and foot, and I almost felt guilty for how attentive they were being. After all, I could put my own robe on, but they insisted. By the time I was done, I was feeling a lot better. When I got back to the penthouse, Ryan was in his office, so I went to my room and started to get ready for the night. I did everything myself, including my hair and makeup, and the only thing I couldn’t reach was the zipper on the back of the gown.

I stood looking at myself in the mirror, hardly recognizing the woman staring back at me. I didn’t look like a country girl at all, and instead, I looked like I fit right in with the rich and snooty. I turned with a smile and went out to find Ryan to zip me up.