Fugitive Millionaire (Fugitive Millionaire Book One) (10 page)

“No problem. I like a gal with a healthy appetite.”

Claire eats until her plate is clean. She hands the tray back to Clancy, who sits it on the floor next to his seat. Claire doesn’t give him a chance to start a conversation about something random off the top of his head. She has a specific topic in mind that she wants to discuss.

“Clancy, can I ask you a personal question?”

“Sure, what is it?”

“Does it bother you that Amanda is all hot and bothered over my boyfriend?”

“Bother me? No. Why should it?”

“Just wondering. I mean you said you wanted to be with her yourself, but you’re not her type, right? Here comes this handsome big city guy with his east coast swagger, money and looks to die for. He considers himself to be on top of the male food chain, yet, he’s never worked a hard day in his life.”

“Well…that doesn’t have anything to do with me.”

“Oh yes it does. I think it secretly bothers you that Amada is falling all over Fabian and acting like he’s a god or something. I’ve only been with Fabian a short time, and I’ve seen women staring at him like they want to rip his clothes off on the spot. I can only imagine how you felt when you saw Amanda looking at him that way.”

Clancy squirms uncomfortably in his seat. He nervously drums his fingers on his knees. “You’re barking up the wrong tree, Claire. You really think I’m jealous of your boyfriend?”

“No, I don’t think you’re jealous of Fabian. I think you’re jealous of Amanda’s attraction to Fabian. I bet you wished she would look at you the way she looks at him.”

Claire has struck a nerve. Clancy’s fidgety body language gives him away before he says another word. “Okay, well, maybe I am just a teensy bit jealous of how she reacts to him. I mean I’m just as much of a man, or more, than that guy. No offense.”

“None taken. You’re right, Clancy. You ride horses, wrangle steers, fix stuff with your hands, and manage to be absolutely charming to boot. You have everything Fabian’s got, except you’re older and not rich.”

“Hey, money ain’t everything. I’ve been trying to get her to see that. Amanda traded in everything she enjoys for a life out here in the middle of nowhere, just so she can be married to a man with money.”

“Yeah, and look what it’s got her. She’s turned into a pathetic creature that preys on strangers to fill up her empty soul. How sad.”

“You know what, Claire? I never thought about it like that before. It is sad, isn’t it?”

Claire nods. “Here she has two perfectly good men at home, which should be enough to satisfy any woman. Yet, she thinks Fabian is god’s gift to mankind.”

A light bulb goes off in Clancy’s head. His real feelings come tumbling out. “You’re right, Claire. I gotta admit it. I can’t stand the thought of her screwing around with Fabian. The moment I laid eyes on him I knew things were gonna be different once she got him chained up. Before you got here she was talking about him nonstop. I didn’t know what the big deal was until I saw him.”

Claire swings her legs over the side of the bed, reaches over and touches Clancy lightly on the knee. “Seems like you and me both have a good reason to split these two apart. The longer Fabian is in there with her, the more obsessed she becomes with having him around. I think she may be planning to replace Ryan with Fabian.”

This startles Clancy. “What do you mean?”

“What if Amanda intends to get all of us out of the picture?” Claire says conspiratorially. “Fabian is worth millions more than Ryan. I think she’s seducing him in order to get him to fall for her. With Fabian’s connections and money, they could easily fly away from here and simply vanish.”

“But, Fabian is Ryan’s good friend. Would he do that to him?”

Claire smirks. “One thing I’ve learned from being around Fabian is that rich people stab each other in the back without a second thought. I know he loves Ryan, but like you said, Amanda has a way of casting a spell over men. She makes men do crazy stuff.”

Clancy frowns. He starts tapping his right foot on the floor. “You really think she might run away with Fabian?”

“I spent most of last night worrying about that happening. You should’ve heard the noises they were making. I’m scared to death of losing him.”

Clancy runs his hand through his gray-tinged hair. His earlier light mood is gone. “Man, you’ve got me thinking now. Even though I’m not with her, I can’t lose her to someone else, Claire. Amanda’s a part of my life now, and, I need her to stay here where I can be close to her. This might sound silly, but I feel like I’m her platonic husband.”

Looking into Clancy’s eyes, Claire can see that he is really concerned, and even a little desperate.

“Clancy, I have this crazy idea about how we can get Amanda away from Fabian. Wanna here it?”

“Sure. At this point, I’m an open book to any idea you got that will keep Amanda right where she is. The guys I pick out don’t come close to tempting her like Fabian does. He needs to go, and go now.”

Claire smiles. Amanda’s not the only woman that can convince a guy to do her bidding. Claire has Clancy just where she needs him to be—eager to help her plot out an escape right under Amanda’s nose. Claire’s eyes light up as she relays the first step in her scheme.

“Tonight, you’re going to take me to that bar in town, and we’re going to pick out a guy to bring here.”

“For Amanda? She won’t go for it as long as she’s got Fabian.”

“Not for her. For me.”

Claire steps into Boomers, an upscale western themed bar and billiards hang out. It’s a mid-week night, so the place isn’t crowded like it would be on weekends. Claire thought she would find the bar corny, but actually it’s very modern. The place has polished wood floors, a nice bar with a good selection beer and liquor, ample table seating, a small dance floor and a well-lit billiards section with its own drink specials. There’s no mechanical bull in sight, which kind of disappoints her. She’s never ridden one and thought this would be her one chance to go for a spin. Oh well. She’s not here for that, anyway.

Claire takes a seat near the pool tables. From this vantage point she can easily scan the room for hot prospects. A friendly waitress wearing a Boomers t-shirt brings her a menu. “Hello. Welcome to Boomers. Can I get you a drink?”

“Sure. I’ll have a cowgirl roundup.”

“Would you like to order one of our special appetizers?”

Claire hands the menu back to the cute waitress. She’s too nervous to eat. “No, thanks. I’ll pass.”

“Be right back with your drink, ma’am.”

“Thank you.”

Claire taps her fingers on the table to the beat of an upbeat country tune playing over the sound system. She’s actually enjoying it here so far. People are hanging out having a good time talking and drinking, just as they do in New York. Her stereotypes about the country bar scene were greatly exaggerated. Maybe the music and culture are different, but she feels just as comfortable here as she would in a similar bar back home.

The waitress brings her drink. “Here you go, ma’am. Enjoy.”

“Thanks.”

Claire takes a sip of the drink, which came in a glass with a Boomers logo. It’s pretty tasty. She might even go for another one of these, if there’s time. It all depends on how things go in the next hour or so. She’s come to Boomers on a mission to find just the right guy, and it may happen within one drink, or two.

Clancy walks into the bar and makes eye contact with Claire. He winks at her quickly before heading over to the pool tables. The plan is to act like they don’t know each other. Everything has to look natural. Claire glances over at Clancy and sees that he’s already struck up a friendly conversation with a local man that is not a guy she would pick. He’s a burly guy with long hair and a beer belly. She assumes he’s a friend of Clancy’s. They both grab pool sticks and prepare to rack up the balls for a game.

Claire turns back around and resumes enjoying her drink while casually eyeing the patrons. Some time passes by and she’s about to order another drink when her eyes fall upon a sandy-haired young hunk in blue jeans, cowboy boots and light green shirt. He must of come in amidst that last group of guys. He has this fresh-faced look that Claire finds adorable. She immediately knows that he’s the one.

Claire watches him scan the room just as many guys do when they are seeking out hot chicks to talk to. She must catch his eye and lure him over before another young woman beats her to it. Claire stares at him intently until he notices her. He smiles at her and nods. Claire gives him a little wave. Within seconds, fresh face is walking towards her table with a big mug of beer in tow. Clearly, he’s not bashful.

It’s show time. Claire has gone over everything that she’s supposed to do in her head many times on the way over here. Now that things are in motion, she feels her stomach churning into knots. Can she really pull this off? She has to, for her and Fabian’s sake.

“Hi there. What’s a pretty lady like you doing sitting here all by herself?”

Claire beams flirtatiously at the handsome stranger. “Waiting for you, I guess.”

He flashes his perfectly straight pearly whites. “Good thing I got here just in time then.” He offers Claire a handshake. “Hi, I’m Jeremy.”

“Nice to meet you, Jeremy. I’m Claire.”

“Mind if I sit down and join you?”

“Be my guest. I’m more than happy to have some good looking company.”

Jeremy seems tickled pink by Claire’s bold manner. “I can tell right away that you’re from the east coast.”

“How’d you guess?”

“Girls from here are not usually that forward…plus, the accent.”

“This is my first time in Colorado.”

“Where from exactly?”

“New York.”

“Cool. How you like it so far?”

“I love it. It’s really beautiful, and the people are very nice.”

“Yeah, I bet it’s real laid back compared to New York.”

“It’s a nice change of pace. So, Jeremy, what do you do around here to pass the time, when you’re not impressing the ladies at Boomers?”

“I do painting work for a local contractor. It pays pretty decent when there’s work.”

Claire notices Jeremy’s eyes are checking out her chest. She can sense that he’s simmering with youthful horniness. That’s just the kind of guy she needs. He’s looking to get laid and she needs to keep him interested.

Claire downs the last bit of her drink. “Boy, this is so good. I think I’ll have another one.”

“Can I buy it for you, Claire?”

“Oh, that’s so nice of you, Jeremy. Sure.”

Jeremy smiles like he’s pleased as punch at getting this far with a classy woman. He takes her glass. “Okay, I’ll go to the bar and have them make you another…”

“cowgirl roundup.”

“I’ll be right back. Oh, and Claire?”

“Yes?”

“Don’t get any ideas of ditching me for another guy while I’m gone.”

“No way. You’re too cute to ditch.”

Jeremy flashes Claire another smile before heading over to the bar.”

Claire lets out the air from her lungs. She’s never outright flirted so boldly before at a bar, nightclub or anywhere with a guy that’s a total stranger. It’s all she can do to keep up a cool, confident demeanor. Her insides are shaking like jelly, but that’s okay. So far, she’s coming across the way she wants. Jeremy seems intrigued by her. He really is very cute, and she almost wishes she didn’t have to use him like this.

“Toughen up, Claire.”

She pushes her nice girl persona aside and focuses on the task at hand.

Claire looks over at Clancy. He gives her a slight nod and a thumbs up, which is his signal to her that he approves of her choice. Claire figures that Clancy has been clandestinely watching her actions. If anything goes wrong, he’s ready to step in and take over. This gives her a boost of confidence. Claire inhales and exhales a few deep breaths to calm herself.

“I can do this,” she says underneath her breath.

Claire pulls out a tin container that normally holds mints and opens the lid. She takes out one half of a small roofie pill Clancy supplied her with and palms it in her hand. Looking around to see if anyone is watching, Claire waits until she feels the coast is clear before dropping the pill into Jeremy’s beer. She watches it quickly dissolve in the amber liquid.

Just one day ago, Claire would have never believed in a million years that she would be sitting in a bar doing something like this—slipping an innocent stranger a drug that will make him completely incapacitated. She’d heard about this drug and how it is often used to take advantage of unsuspecting women. She feels strongly that people that do horrible things like that should be sent to jail. Now, here she is in the reverse role of victimizer. She hates feeling like such a bad person. Clancy’s not really a bad person either, but he’s the one that gave her this scandalous idea, which she is choosing to carry out herself. Deep down she knows she’s not a bad person at heart, just a woman in love mixed up in a bad set of circumstances.

Please, God. I hope Jeremy can forgive me for doing this to him.

Jeremy makes his way back to their table. Boomers has gotten more crowded and noisy within the last half hour. More men have come in and started milling around. Some of these men have been eyeing her with great interest. Claire could easily blow Jeremy off and pick another guy, but there’s no way to know if a second choice would be any better than him.

No, she’s going to stick with her gut and go with cutie pie Jeremy. She hopes he remains friendly to her once he realizes what she’s getting him into. She knows she’s taking a big risk in assuming he’ll cooperate, but who knows what will really happen?

“Here ya go, Claire. Enjoy this one on me.”

“Thank you, Jeremy. I better stop at this one or not be able to walk straight.”

Claire watches as Jeremy drinks down a good portion of his beer. “So, why are you this far away from home? Are you on vacation?”

“Sort of. I came here to visit some good friends. I guess you could call it a mini vacation.”

“Your friends here tonight?”

“No. They are not the type to go out on weeknights. I came here by myself.”

“That’s cool. So, um…I live a couple of miles from here. I share a place with my roommate, but he’s spending the night at his girlfriend’s place. That means I’m gonna be all by myself.”

“Aw, poor baby.”

Jeremy chuckles making his dimples more noticeable. “What I’m getting at is you seem pretty open-minded. Wanna come home with me after hanging out here a while longer?”

Jeremy’s baby blue eyes twinkle with desire. He’s practically drooling for her to say yes.

“I don’t know, Jeremy. I never go to a guy’s place alone unless I know them very well. However, I appreciate the offer.”

Jeremy drinks more of his beer. His glass is more than halfway empty. “I guess that makes sense. You don’t know me from Adam. But, I tell you one thing, Claire.”

“What’s that?”

“You’re a damn attractive woman.”

“Why thank you, Jeremy.”

“You come across as more sophisticated than the girl’s I normally date. I like that.”

“And, I like that you come across as a warm and friendly kind of guy.

“I’m pretty trustworthy too. I’ll treat you with nothing but respect. You’ve got my word.”

“Hmm. You seem like a man of your word. Still, I’m on the fence about coming over to your place.”

“Well, hopefully, I can…” Jeremy tries to clear his head by shaking it.

“You okay?”

“Uh, yeah. I just feel a little woozy that’s all. Doesn’t make sense. I’ve only had this one beer.”

“I’ll go to the bar and get you some water.”

“No, that’s okay. I’m sure it’s nothing. Now, where was I? Oh yeah. I wanna persuade you that you’re perfectly safe with me. I’m gentle…as…a lamb.”

Jeremy struggles to hold his head up. He can barely keep his eyes open. Claire begins to panic as she realizes the drug is taking effect quicker than she assumed it would. She’s worried that his passing out is going to draw attention from his friends in the bar. They may come and cart him away before she can alert Clancy.

Jeremy starts sliding out of his chair, but is prevented from falling to the floor by Clancy who has rushed to Claire’s side.

“There now fella. We’re gonna get you some fresh air so you can sober up some,” Clancy says as he helps Jeremy to his feet.

“I feel sleepy,” Jeremy slurs.

“Yeah, I know. We’re gonna help you sleep it off if that’s what you want. Help me get him to the truck, Claire.”

Claire grabs a hold of Jeremy’s right side and they both walk him out the front entrance of the bar and into the parking lot. Clancy and Claire half walk—half drag—Jeremy over to Clancy’s truck, which is parked in an isolated spot. Claire props Jeremy up against the truck using her body weight while Clancy unlocks the door. They maneuver Jeremy into the back seat and climb into the front. Mission accomplished.

Claire observes that Jeremy is completely passed out. “Whew. I’m glad that part’s over with. I was so nervous that we’d get caught.”

Clancy pats Claire on the knee. “You did just fine. You lured him in and took him down. Claire, I think you got the makings of a good hunter.”

“I don’t know about that, Clancy. I just hope this works, or it’s all going to be for nothing.”

“It’ll work. You got more balls than I gave you credit for, little lady.”

Clancy turns the radio on low so he can hear his music without waking his sleeping passenger. He steers the truck away from Boomers, towards the main highway heading back to the ranch.
   

*****

“So, what’ll it be tonight? Naughty cheerleaders or slutty biker chicks?”

Amanda, who is sitting on her bed wearing a flowered bra and panties set, holds up two DVDs so Fabian can pick his preference.

“Neither, but whatever I say doesn’t matter. You’ll choose the one you like regardless of my opinion,” Fabian says from a cross-legged sitting position on the floor. He is completely naked, except for his white briefs that thankfully holds his package quite well. Still, Amanda keeps looking at that ample bulge between his legs like she’s ready to attack and devour this goodie in one fell swoop.

So far, he’s been keeping her at bay with sheer stubbornness. Ever since he witnessed that fight between Amanda and Claire, he has taken the stance that he’s not going to give in to Amanda’s mind games. He already feels plenty of guilt at falling for Amanda’s lie that Claire was going to be hurt by Clancy unless he did everything she asked of him. That’s why he had been lying on that bed, letting her lick that chocolate stuff off his exposed manhood. He had done it reluctantly, but still, he had done it. Now he can’t get the image of Claire’s angry and hurt face out of his mind. He’s desperate to get out of these damn chains, find her and tell her that she’s the only one he truly loves, not Ryan’s temporarily insane wife.

He knows that Claire was knocked out and taken away somewhere. He suspects she’s nearby because he occasionally hears mumbled voices from another room. Maybe it’s Claire, or maybe it’s Clancy just messing around with someone. Amanda constantly has either the radio or TV playing at low volume, which drastically restricts his ability to hear any other house noises.

“Okay, since you are making me choose, yet again, it’s going to be the cheerleaders.” Amanda shoves the rejected DVD into a drawer. She puts the one she wants into the DVD player and watches as it cycles into the ready to play position. “I used to be one, you know.”