Boots and Bareback: Ugly Stick Saloon, Book 3 (7 page)

“Sometimes.” Audrey shrugged. “It depends on the crowd.”

“And the crowd out there now?”

“From what Jonathon O’Brian told me, they only invited four close friends of the groom. Those plus the groom and his three brothers makes eight. Nine, if you count Jonathon. But he doesn’t plan on staying. He’s afraid he’ll cramp the boys’ style.” Audrey grinned. “That particular O’Brien is a gentleman.”

Isabella sighed. “All of them are.”

Audrey’s brows rose. “Accept any of their invitations yet?”

“How can I choose? They’re all equally handsome and charming.”

“Don’t forget sexy.”

“Did I hear my name?” Jackson Gray Wolf ducked his head into the storeroom and smiled. “The horse is in place.”

“Perfect timing.” Audrey wrapped an arm around his neck and kissed the big Kiowa cowboy, her red-booted foot sliding up his calf, her body melting against his, her pussy riding his thick thigh.

Jackson’s hand slipped into the waistband of Audrey’s cutoffs, cupping her bottom.

Isabella squirmed, her nipples tightening at the blatant sexuality the couple exuded. A minute passed and Isabella’s core throbbed. Finally, she cleared her throat. “I should go get ready.” Problem was…they were blocking the exit.

Audrey pulled back, her lips swollen, her face flushed. “What? Oh, yeah. Right.” She rubbed the back of her hand over her mouth and poked a finger into Jackson’s chest. “Mark my spot. I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere.”

Then with a deep breath, she grabbed Isabella’s hand and dragged her through the doorway to the costume room behind the stage. “Get dressed and saddle up. You’re in for a wild ride tonight, if you’re lucky.”

“I don’t know if I can do it.” Isabella’s body trembled.

“You don’t have to.” Audrey let out a long sigh. “I don’t have to paint the outside of the Ugly Stick and you don’t have to earn a wad of cash.”

“No.” Isabella closed her eyes and pictured Sundance, black as night, standing with his head held high, his raven mane streaming in the wind. She opened her eyes and squared her shoulders. “At five hundred dollars a dance, I can’t afford to miss this opportunity.”

Audrey pulled her into her arms. “You can do this. It’s only eight men. They’ll behave, Jackson made them promise.”

“Don’t worry. I can handle it.” Isabella pulled her tank top over her head and tossed it onto a box.

“Let me.” Audrey rounded behind her and unhooked her bra.

Her boss’s fingers skimming across the skin of her back made Isabella tingle all over. After Audrey and Jackson had practically made love in front of her, Isabella was still a little titillated. Good. She’d use her arousal to prime the pump for her upcoming dance.

“You don’t have to stay.” Isabella slid her bra straps down her arms and laid the garment over the tank top, pressing her hands to her naked breasts. “The O’Briens will make sure no one gets out of hand.”

“But I don’t want to leave you alone.” Audrey laid a hand on her arm, turning Isabella to face her. “Are you going to be all right?”

Isabella hugged her boss, disregarding her own nakedness. “Really, I’m okay. I won’t fall apart. It’s a job. Nothing more.” Even if part of her wished it could be.

Audrey’s pretty brows furrowed and she set Isabella at arm’s length. “If you’re sure.”

“I am. Now go home.” She turned Audrey away and gave her a gentle shove. “I’ll feel weird stripping in front of you.”

“Uh, honey, you just did.” The pretty owner of the saloon laughed. “As if I haven’t seen it all. I’m a former stripper, remember? Seen it all before. Even did a woman or two.” She tossed a glance over her shoulder, waggling her brows. “If I didn’t have Jackson in my life, I might consider making a play for you. You have lovely breasts, by the way.” She winked.

Isabella’s pussy tightened as an image of a naked Audrey with another naked, faceless woman sprang to mind. Wow…wow. Heat flushed her cheeks. “Go on, before you corrupt me further.”

“Ah, sweet, innocent Isabella, you have so much to learn about yourself.” Audrey waved. “Libby will be serving at the bar and Greta Sue will be manning the front door. The food is set out, all the boys need is the entertainment. That’s you. Break a leg.” She turned and tossed a parting comment over her shoulder, “I’m only a phone call away, if you need anything.” Then Audrey left.

Isabella stood with her hands over her peaked nipples. A waft of air blew down over her from the air-conditioner ductwork overhead, cooling her heated skin.

You can do this
.

Audrey had said she only had to strip down to as much as she felt comfortable.

Isabella stepped out of her cutoffs and panties and slipped into the miniscule thong and bikini top. The cool air now seemed icy, raising goose bumps on her arms.

She added the red-sequined vest and the black chaps and still felt pretty darned naked. If she stripped just the vest and the chaps, that would leave two full dances and the remainder of the first dance with nothing else to do but ride the horse or wiggle around the dance floor. They had a pole she could have incorporated in her routine, but she’d tried several times, unable to make it look natural and sexy. Short of a fireman’s slide, she’d just mess it up.

“Are you ready for some action?” Libby’s voice called out through the stage curtain.

The men on the other side of the curtain whooped and hollered, whistled and catcalled.

Her music started, her cue to emerge from behind the curtain and take on the task of dancing—for five hundred dollars a pop.

At the last second, panicking like she’d said she wouldn’t, Isabella had an idea.

Sean had packed his wallet with twenties, determined to get as much out of this bachelorette party as he could. Meaning he wanted to see as much of the beautiful Isabella as she’d let him pay to glimpse. A knot lodged in his chest at the idea of paying her to expose herself to him. At the same time, his cock twitched at the wickedness of giving a female money to show him some skin. He’d never had to pay before, and the idea set his body humming. Who knew he had an inner porn-lover begging to get out?

Hell, he’d tried asking Isabella out, only to be turned down so many times, he’d begun to doubt his own sex appeal. The previous evening he’d asked six other women to dance with him to prove to himself he still had it. Each woman had jumped at the chance.

Why not Isabella?

At the end of the night, he’d left alone. No other woman appealed to him as much as she did. He worried that her stubborn refusal to go out with him actually turned him on and made him want her more. Problem was, he had competition from his brothers. Maybe she was having a hard time choosing.

Sean cracked his knuckles, his back stiffening. Well, he’d just have to show her he was the one for her. Gabe had gotten a step up on him when he’d sneaked back into the Ugly Stick the first night Isabella had ridden the mechanical horse, but Sean was no quitter, having already cornered her in town once. He went after what he wanted with determination and laser focus. He may be younger than Tanner and Gabe, and even Isabella by a year. He made up for his youth in physical strength, maturity and size—he stood at least an inch taller than Tanner and two inches taller than Gabe, a fact that irritated the fire out of both brothers. Not only was he taller, he believed his cock was bigger than his brothers’, another fact he took pride in.

They’d argue to their deaths, but Sean knew. He’d seen his brothers naked on more than one occasion. When Connor Mason had been wooing his sweetie, Charli Sutton, he’d enlisted the three O’Brien brothers to help satisfy Charli’s fantasies.

At first, Sean felt weird making love to Connor’s woman in front of Connor and his brothers. When Charli had been more than willing, all of the men had focused on pleasuring the woman, not feeling strange about their nakedness or how close they were to one another.

Frankly, ever since Sean and his brothers had been involved in Connor’s sexual exploits, he’d been less satisfied one-on-one. One woman with multiple men was damned hot. He and his brothers had agreed on that subject from early on.

Sean stared at the curtain, waiting for Isabella to emerge, thinking about her and the dilemma of choosing between the brothers.

He’d learned that Isabella loved working with horses and being in the outdoors. She was the ideal woman for him and the ranch, if he could convince her to choose him.

The music swelled and still Isabella had not appeared.

Sean leaned forward. Was she injured? Was she hiding behind the curtain, paralyzed with stage fright?

Gabe stood and took a step toward the stage.

Tanner’s hand shot out. “Wait.” He nodded toward the curtain.

Isabella stepped through, her eyes round, her body…

“What the hell?” Gabe dropped back into his chair, his brow furrowed.

Sean chuckled, then broke out into a full, belly laugh.

Isabella had on several layers of costumes, giving her the appearance of a homeless Vegas act. She glared at Sean, then focused her gaze straight ahead, moving in stilted motions across the stage to the beat of the bump-and-grind music playing on the juke box.

At the edge of the stage, she slipped a leather Dominatrix jacket studded with metal rivets over her shoulders, bent her knees and blew a kiss to Jesse. She let the jacket fall to the tips of her fingers, then flung it to the side of the stage. With a flick, she tossed her long, silky hair over her shoulder and turned her back to the men.

Sean’s laughter trickled into a soft chuckle.

“Hey, ’Bella, show us some skin!” one of Jesse’s buddies shouted.

Tanner rose from his chair, his fists clenched.

Sean clamped a hand on his brother’s arm. “Down, boy. You have to let her dance.”

Tanner growled low in his chest and sank into his chair, his brows forming a deep V over his nose.

“I know how you feel. I don’t want other men ogling her either.” Sean patted his brother’s back and pulled a twenty from his wallet. “Maybe we can get the ball rolling with a little encouragement.” He stepped away from Tanner. “Don’t punch me, bro.”

“Does this help?” Sean held out his hand, the twenty dangling from his fingertips.

Isabella’s eyes widened. Her body stilled for a moment, then she swished her hips from side to side, finally presenting one to Sean. “Tuck it in where it won’t fall out.” She rocked her pelvis.

His cock pressing hard against his fly, Sean placed his hand against her belly and slid the bill against her skin, down into the triangle front of the sequined red thong. When his knuckles brushed against soft, curly hairs, his knees weakened.

Isabella danced away, laughing, her voice adding to the music, swirling all around. She removed a gold lamé scarf and let it drift to the floor.

Sean stood for a moment, captivated by the beauty.

“Hey, move. You’re blocking the view!” a voice called out.

Tearing himself away from the stage, Sean returned to his seat and eased down, his jeans so tight, they hurt.

“That gave me a hard-on just watching,” Gabe muttered.

Her back to the stage, Isabella slipped a long-sleeved, sheer white blouse halfway down her back and glanced over her shoulder with an exaggerated wink.

“Take it off!” the men shouted, Sean calling out just as loud.

The shirt dropped to her fingers and she spun, flinging it at the leering spectators. Wearing baggy pants that hung low enough around her hips they gave a glimpse of her thong, topped with a sparkling red vest, buttoned in the middle of her cleavage, she danced from one corner of the stage to the other, shimmying. The vest did little to hide her midriff, giving the men a view of smooth skin, tight abs and a sexy belly button.

She dipped her shoulders, leaning toward Jesse, her eyelids sinking low over her beautiful blue-gray eyes.

The shadow between full, rounded breasts made Sean want to touch, to squeeze, to hold her naked against his skin.

“I’m next.” Tanner ripped a bill from the stash in his wallet and leaped from his seat, advancing on the stage as another man did the same.

With a withering glance, Tanner sent the other man scurrying back to his chair.

Isabella spun away and danced back to the edge of the stage. She leaned over, presenting her cleavage. “You know what to do?”

“You bet.” Tanner slid the bill into the V.

Sean moaned and shifted in his chair, adjusting his jeans. Having the biggest cock of the brothers proved to be a disadvantage at times like this.

Tanner’s fingers lingered in her costume.

Gabe stood, his arms crossing over his chest. “Tanner.” He spoke the one word with all the authority of the eldest O’Brien brother.

Tanner jerked his hand back and turned toward the table he shared with his brothers, his cheeks a ruddy red, a frown settling across his forehead.

Isabella straightened, sliding her fingers inside her bikini bra to secure the bill. She winked at Gabe and danced away. She waved toward the baggy pants, her gaze sweeping across the faces of the enraptured men. “More?”

“God, yesss!” Jesse yelled, his eyes glazed, his words slurring to the tune of the amount of alcohol he’d absorbed.