Diamond in the Rough (Precious Gems) (10 page)

             
Cheyenne left the kitchen and went upstairs to begin getting ready for her father’s funeral.  After carefully applying her makeup she styled her hair and was ready to choose an outfit.  Black was the customary color for a day such as this.  Looking through her closet, she found a dress and sling backs, both black, and put them on.  After two hours, she walked downstairs, ready for what lay ahead of her. 

“Are you ready to leave?” Brian asked Cheyenne.  She nodded as she grabbed her purse and keys.  “I thought you would be riding with me?” he asked, puzzled. 

“I am.  I just need my keys to lock the door.” She said as she busied herself trying to find the right key. Brian opened the door and helped her into the truck.  As they pulled out of the drive, Cheyenne noticed that the conversation was strained between them. 

“Is something wrong?” she asked. 

“No, why would you ask that,” he replied as he pulled out onto the main road. 

“No reason, I guess.  Thi
ngs just seemed strained.” She said as she dismissed her gut feeling.  Brian reached across the console and held her hand tightly. 

“You look amazing, by the way.” He complemented.  Cheyenne glowed as though she were going to a wedding instead of her father’s funeral.  She sat quietly
until they arrived at their destination.

As they pulled up to the funeral home, men were standing outside in dark suits guiding traffic. 
Even in October, Texas was still a very hot and humid place.  Cheyenne felt sorry for them standing outdoors sweating.  Brian stopped in their designated spot and opened the door for Cheyenne.  They walked into the funeral home to whispers and murmurs that Cheyenne was sure were about her.  Every so often, she would hear her name and felt the need to act as though she had heard anything.  She wasn’t shocked.  Preparing herself for this had been easy, but she had known that actually suffering through it would be tougher.  Brian sensed her discomfort and squeezed her hand in support.

Ed
Crowley made his way to her through the crowd, “My dear Cheyenne, it’s so good to see you again.”  As he said this, he kissed her outstretched hand. 

This man is surely the definition of a
true southern gentleman,
she thought to herself.

           
“How have you been getting along,” Ed inquired.  She didn’t dare tell him that this had all been hard on her, or that living in her father’s house without him in it toyed with her emotions.  No, she couldn’t put that on his shoulders, he was too kind for that. 

          
“I have been doing pretty good Mr. Crowley.” Cheyenne lied. 

           
He gently guided her to the front of the auditorium.  As she neared the casket, she began to pull back slightly.                         

         
“Cheyenne, this will hurt but you will be glad that you did it.  Now, come on,” he coaxed.                               Hesitantly, she stepped toward the casket.  As she got closer, she realized that the lid was closed.  Fury overcame her as she realized that she would never be able to see him in person.  Knowing that this would have been her last opportunity, she pushed the pain away and touched the top of the casket.

             
“Why is the casket closed?  I wanted to see my father.” Cheyenne explained with tears in her eyes. 

            
You are not going to cry again Cheyenne…Pull yourself together,
she told herself.

             
“My dear, I did not even think about that.  I am sorry.  If you like, I can have the funeral director give you a private viewing before he is transported to the cemetery.”  Ed said gently. 

             
“I would like that Ed.  I would like that a lot.”

 
              “The spray is from Tyler, Texas.  They grow the most beautiful roses in the world and were Charles’s favorite,” Ed explained to her.  He applied a gentle pressure to the small of her back, guiding her toward Brian and a waiting crowd of people. 

“There is one person missing
Cheyenne told herself.  Maria was nowhere to be found. 
Surely she would not have missed this,
Cheyenne told herself.
 

The service was beautiful and most of the people Cheyenne met had been exceptionally nice.  Brian was by her side the entire evening and that gave her great comfort.
  Many people went forward and said wonderful things about Charles Wingate. 

He really was a great man,
Cheyenne told herself. As everyone file out, she lagged behind.  Brian remained by her side even as she approached the waiting casket.  The director was standing beside the pine casket waiting for Cheyenne.  As she neared the box, the director reached out for her hand.  She gladly accepted and was standing by his side when he raised the lid.  The man who had only been a dream, a figment of her imagination for most of her life, lay in front of her.  He looked as though he would sit up and ask for a glass of water at any moment.  His features were relaxed and his skin had a tan glow.  Cheyenne bravely reached into the casket and touched her father’s hand.  She broke down in tears, her body wracked with sobs as she held onto the man who had been so illusive her entire life. 

Brian was back at her side, holding her up as she cried.  She turned to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging to him for dear life.
So many emotions were swirling around in her mind.  The realization that this would be the only contact she would ever have with her father was heartbreaking.   Finally, it was over and Brian helped her to the truck.  She was grateful to avoid the throngs of people and their prying questions.  On the ride home, she caught Brian looking at her.

“Can I he
lp you sir?” Cheyenne feigned playfulness.  The funeral had struck a nerve but she now felt an odd sense of well being.  In a weird way, she felt as though she had no need to be upset or mourn.  But, at the same time a part of her felt a strong longing for the man that had lain in the casket.  A voice in her head kept repeating to her that she had not even known the man. 

“I am just looking.  I could not have been prouder of you today if I had wanted to be.  You handled yourself with such grace and dignity.
  I’m not sure that I could have been as strong as you were today,” he said as he reached for her hand.

His assurance comforted her, but she still felt out of place among her father’s friends and employees.  The feeling was one of not belonging or being good enough.  Cheyenne knew that she had a lot of emotions to work through but she also knew that she would have never made it through the day without Brian and Ed.   

The truck rolled to a stop in front of the gara
ge.  This time, Cheyenne didn’t wait for Brian to open her door.  She hopped out herself and moved toward the front door.  She put her key in the door, but there was no resistance.  The door was already unlocked. 

“Brian, I locked this door when I left,” she declared.  Pulling his service revolver, he pushed her back with his outstretched arm and entered the house.  The door creaked on its hinges
as it opened fully.  Cheyenne waited on the porch for what seemed like forever but in reality, it had been no more than five minutes.  He returned to retrieve her and said,” Whoever was here is gone now.  Are you sure that you locked it?”

“Yes, I am positive.” She assured him as they walked through the door. 
The unlocked door unnerved Cheyenne.  It only served to add to her growing suspicion that Brian’s presence was very necessary.  After he had checked the house from top to bottom, she felt as though she could let her guard down a bit.

Once inside, she stripped out of her
funeral attire and dressed in skirt and a t shirt.  When she walked down the stairs, Brian let out a loud whistle.  He marched up to her and his presence demanded her attention.  He kissed the tip of her nose and asked,” Would you like a glass of wine?” 

“That sounds great.  Are you going to have one?” she aske
d as he walked to the kitchen and she followed closely behind him.  Her answer came when her poured two glasses. 

“I want to talk to you about earlier,” he said as he pulled a chair out for her at the table.  Cheyenne blushed, remembering their earlier encounter. 

“Getting involved with me could be a mistake.  My job is dangerous and even if nothing ever happens to me, the worry can eat you alive,” he quietly said. 

“I also demand a lot sexually in a relationship.  Sex is
important in any relationship but to me, it can be a deal breaker.  If you are going to be with me, whether temporary or otherwise, you are going to have to be okay with my sexual appetite.” 

What in
the world is he talking about,
Cheyenne thought to herself as she sipped her wine? Brian smiled a crooked curious smile and Cheyenne felt a tingle of excitement run through her entire body. “Brian, I ….” She was cut off in mid sentence as he closed the gap between them in two quick strides, lifted her effortlessly and swung her over his shoulder. 

“Brian, what are you doing?” Cheyenne said shrilly.  He cut her off with a stinging slap on her upturned ass.  Cheyenne Wingate had always possessed a vitality and fiery temper that needed to be harnessed and if she was looking for someone to keep her in line, it appeared that Brian was applying for the job.   As Brian strode forward and took the stairs effortlessly, two at a time, Cheyenne considered asking another question, but something stopped her. 

She was breathless with excitement.  She felt warmth spreading between her legs that made her want to clamp them tightly together to intensify the sensation.  She was stunned but went along with his macho behavior.  In no time at all he had reached the landing and turning, he booted the door to her room open and marched inside.  He had been careful not to catch his trophy on the frame of the door, but thoughtful tenderness was soon countered as he rudely dumped her onto the leather couch and ordered her not to move. 

Mischievously
, Cheyenne struggled into a seated position and started to rise but something in his eyes made her reconsider.  He stood only inches in front of her.  She tried to maintain eye contact but it was impossible to avoid the fact that she sat and he stood, his crotch was invitingly close.  Tight jeans stretched across an enormous bulge that strained painfully against its fabric entrapments and she found herself yearning to touch it…to set it free.

As if he could read her mind, Brian smiled and ordered her to lie back on the couch and spread her legs.  Unable to believe what she was hearing, Cheyenne was slow to react, but as his
eager hands guided her knees apart, she found that her body obeyed his every direction with seemingly no need to consult her mind first.  This was so far into uncharted territory that it barely registered as reality and Cheyenne was largely operating on auto pilot.  Her body clearly liked what was being asked of it and she was in no mood to intervene.  Without waiting for her verbal submission, Brian continued to dictate and direct, forcing her back further into a reclining position and ducking his head lower and lower.  She felt his hot breath move sensuously up her thighs, until his slick tongue pressed heavily against the flimsy material of her panties. 

“Ohhhh
!” she moaned almost involuntarily as she arched her back, pushing her pussy onto Brian’s persistent tongue as he pulled her panties aside and ran his tongue slowly from her slick cunt to the hard nub of skin that was the center of her pleasure.  The flesh tingled with excitement at Brian’s touch. 

He paused, making her groan with frustration, before removing his tongue completely and her annoyance became palpable…but he was far from finished.  His tongue was replace by his meaty fingers and she closed her eyes as she felt herself being spread open and exposed, the coolness of the air
conditioned room blew delightfully over the slick wetness. 

Brian ran his finger from her wet hole up to her clit and spread her hairless lips open. 
“Oh!” Cheyenne gasped again.  Keeping them spread with two fingers, he attached a clip he pulled from his pocket to her swollen nub.  Refusing her normal inquisitive nature, she did not ask its purpose. Cheyenne barely had time to register the devise before her panties were snapped back into place as he guided her to a seated position.  Eagerly, he placed a blindfold over her vivid green eyes.    Cheyenne heard his zipper being pulled and then his heavy denim jeans hitting the floor.  She knew there was nothing between her full eager lips and his hard dick as a salty, hot, sticky goo was rubbed onto her lips.  Hoping it was from the head of his cock she used her tongue to lap it up.  Brian pushed his thumb into her mouth and she felt pressure on her jaw.  The harder he pushed down, the wider her mouth opened until the head of his ten inch dick was pushed past her lips into her velvety mouth.  She engulfed the entire length and was held at the base by his hand.  With a handful of hair, he held her in place as he ground into her lips.  His pubes tickled her nose as she breathed her hot breath onto his skin.  Pumping hard, in and out, he fell into a rhythm.  She was sure that he was bruising her lips with his violent thrusting, making her gag and choke on his monstrous erection.  Repeatedly he pounded the back of her throat until she began to gag on his hard pole and he took his cock out of her mouth.  Suddenly, her pussy began to vibrate.  The purpose of the clip was no longer a mystery.