FOUR PLAY

  FOUR PLAY

  by Myla Jackson

  Copyright © 2011, Myla Jackson. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.

  Manufactured in the United States of America

  Editor: Layla Chase

  Cover artist: Myla Jackson

  This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  FOUR PLAY

  "Three." Charli Sutton handed her boss the dress she'd loaned her. "Count them." She flicked out three fingers, a shiver of excitement slithering across the skin they'd touched, fondled and caressed. "Original Sin, Fake-cop dude, and the new guy, Fiddler. And did I mention, it was a date? A real sit-down dinner and dessert date."

  "Oh. My. God!" Audrey Anderson wiped the sleep from her eyes and pulled Charli into her house. "You have got to be kidding me. Tell me everything." She glanced at the clock on the wall. "Is it really three o'clock in the morning?"

  "I only have a minute. I need to get home and catch some shut-eye, before my lunch date with Connor Mason."

  "Screw sleep, I wanna know what happened." Audrey tugged a bar stool up to the kitchen counter and forced Charli into it. "Speak."

  Sliding an elbow onto the counter, Charli sighed. "The night was magical with the three men wearing tuxedos looking so very dashing and debonair, and me in that black gown you loaned me, showing just about everything the good Lord gave me." She hugged Audrey. "By the way, thanks. I don't own anything nearly as sexy and gorgeous."

  "Three men?" Eyebrows raised, her friend shook her head. "Three?"

  Charli frowned. Maybe that sounded worse than it what it was. "It's okay. The sex was all consensual. Nobody forced me to do anything. In fact, they gave me the whip."

  "Sex with all three?" Audrey pressed a hand to her breast and whispered, "You had a whip?"

  "Really, Audrey, you're repeating everything I say." Charli chuckled. "Got to play the dominatrix this time, giving out the orders, popping them when they didn't obey." Images from the night floated through her mind, and her lips spread into a grin. "And it was a riding crop, actually, not a whip."

  "Like that makes a diff." Audrey's eyes narrowed and she peered behind Charli. "I just want to know who you are and what you did with my friend, Charli?" She crossed both arms over her breasts. "This is so not like you."

  "If that's the case, maybe it's just as well." Charli tossed her hand in the air. "The old Charli was bored out of her mind. This new one is having the time of her life."

  "Yeah, but how long can this last?" Audrey lifted Charli's hands. "What happens when the dirty tricks stop and you're back to normal?"

  Charli jerked her hands free and pushed her hair back off her face. "I don't know, but I'm enjoying it while it lasts. Frankly, when it ends, I might get some sleep. All these late-night trysts are exhausting."

  "You really need to stop this. All that sex can't be good for you."

  "What's not good about it? We use protection, my vagina is getting a good workout, and I'm totally satisfied when it's over."

  "Are you?" Audrey hugged her close, squeezing her tight. "I worry about you. This mystery thing can only go on so long before you realize it's not much of a relationship. Don't you want a happily-ever-after with a man who'll tell you his goddamn name?"

  Charli pushed away and paced across the room. "I don't know. I'm liking the adventure." Though she would never admit it to Audrey, she had been feeling more and more frustrated at not knowing the identity of this mystery man with whom she'd had three nights worth of fabulous sex. The men he'd brought with him, while sexy, hadn't been the draw. The one she'd dubbed Original Sin held her attention and occupied most of her waking and sleeping thoughts since the dirty tricks had begun.

  Coming to a stop in front of Audrey, Charli squared her shoulders and looked her friend straight in the eye. "I'm satisfied...for now. Isn't that all that matters?"

  "Uh-huh, see?" Audrey pointed a finger at Charli's chest. "You are having doubts, and now you're beginning to wonder whether or not he has something to hide, thus the reason for the masks and mystery."

  Mask. Her skin heated and Charli grinned. "He was so sexy in his Zorro mask. I practically came when he said hello."

  "God, you're pathetic."

  "No, I'm getting some." Her chin jutted forward. "Which is more than I can say for you."

  "Point taken. Still, you're having doubts about him. I can tell it in your face."

  Charli touched her face. "That's lack of sleep. I am not having doubts. He's very good at providing the necessary entertainment to hold my interest," Charli defended. "The man knows me."

  "Does he know you've been hurt before and that you swore you'd never give away your heart to another man?"

  Her chest pinched. "No." Charli tucked her hands in the back pockets of her jeans. "It never came up in a conversation."

  "Does he realize, a fact I've known for a long time..." With a narrowed gaze, Audrey planted both fists on her hips, "that you claim you don't want a relationship, but deep down, you really want the love of your life?"

  Why did Audrey have to bring all this up now? She didn't want to delve into past heartache, she wanted to live for the day. Charli clamped her hands over her ears. "All right already. You can stop now."

  Audrey pulled down Charli's hands and smiled sadly. "I was there when you fell to pieces."

  "And you were there to pick them up for me." Tears welled in Charli's eyes. "You've always had my back."

  "I would be no friend to you now, if I didn't play devil's advocate and point out what's all wrong with this situation."

  "I know." Charli struggled to resist the truth of her friend's words. "But isn't it enough that I'm happy?"

  "The question is...are you happy enough?"

  "Maybe this is as good as my love life gets." Charli stared down at her scuffed brown cowboy boots. "Maybe I wasn't meant to have a happily-ever-after and I should go for a little of that happy-for-now stuff."

  "Oh, honey." Audrey hugged Charli and then set her away. "I don't want to pop your bubble. I just don't want you to build a truck load of expectations only to have them dumped like so much garbage when your Original Sin stops coming around."

  Charli sniffed, brushing an errant tear from her cheek. She swallowed hard before speaking. "I'll be careful not to get too involved." She didn't admit it to Audrey, but Charli suspected it was already too late. "I have to go now. Connor is picking me up at my place in less than eight hours."

  "My point exactly." Audrey smiled. "Connor Mason is a man a girl can count on. You know his name and he's a real gentleman. The kind that picks up his date at her door, not expecting her to do all the work to get there."

  Charli swiped at another tear and shook her head. "Keep this up and I'll start calling you Mom." She reached out and squeezed Audrey's hand. "Thanks for being my friend. I'll be careful not to get hurt. I promise, you won't have to pick up the pieces this time."

  "Sweetie, I'm always there for you. It just hurts me to see you hurt."

  "I know." Charli smiled over the lump in her throat. "Wish me luck with Connor. If I find him nearly as int
eresting as Original Sin," she shrugged. "Who knows?"

  Audrey's eyes widened. "Remember you have to work with his sister Kendall."

  "You do take all the fun out of a date." Charli hiked her purse strap up on her shoulder. "I'm off to bed, then lunch with Connor. I'll see you at work tonight."

  "Remember, Connor is Kendall's brother and he's freshly back from the war in Afghanistan. Be gentle with the man."

  Charli muttered under her breath as she left Audrey's house and headed home for a quick shower and a few hours of sleep before her lunch date with Connor.

  # # #

  An incessant buzzing jerked Charli from a wonderful dream where she was Cinderella, being whisked away in a sleek black Corvette by Zorro, his blue eyes flashing, the black mask and cowboy hat hiding his identity.

  Charli reached out and smacked her alarm clock, but the ringing didn't stop. Another glance at the green digital letters made her sit up with a shriek.

  "Holy crap! Eleven forty-five?" She wrapped the sheet around her naked body and ran for the front door, flinging it open.

  Connor Mason stood there, his hand raised to knock, so handsome with the sun shining down on his brown hair, making his green eyes lighter.

  Charli's heart flipped several times then settled into a speedy thump. "Connor!"

  He smiled, his brows rising on his tanned forehead. "I thought we'd eat first, but have it your way." He reached for her and pulled her into his arms, his lips crashing down over hers.

  Taken completely by surprise, Charli gasped, her mouth opening to Connor's tongue.

  He swept in claiming her with long tender strokes, the kiss deepening until Charli's knees buckled, her hands releasing the sheet to wind around Connor's neck. Umm, he smelled of denim, leather and hay.

  The sides of the sheet slithered down her body, the warm Texas air caressing her backside, along with Connor's rough, firm hands.

  For a moment, Charli wondered if perhaps she still slept and this was all part of the erotic dream she'd been in the throes of when the doorbell had rung. Perhaps she'd projected her dirty little trysts onto her more sedate lunch date with Connor, and the resulting dream had taken a spin for the naughty and completely gratifying.

  When a horn honked, Charli's eyes blinked open to the bright glaring sun shining through the door where she stood, naked as the day she was born, in the arms of a stranger. Add to it the angry glances of Old Lady Thornton driving by in her 1967 Cadillac. The heat of a Texas scorcher rose up Charli's neck and into her cheeks. She stared up at Connor, her eyes widening.

  This was no dream, it was a freakin' nightmare.

  He bent to retrieve the corners of the sheet, wrapping them around her, his gaze on her body, not her face. "My apologies. I guess you didn't mean to lose this." He turned and waved a friendly hand at the old woman who had brought her car to a halt in front of Charli's cottage and was in the process of cranking down the window, her face mottled red.

  "Have you no decency?" the old lady said before the window was halfway down.

  Connor tucked the sheet in at Charli's breasts and hustled her through the door.

  "I take it you're not ready."

  "I'm sorry, I just woke up." Charli fussed with the sheet, her gaze refusing to meet Connor's. "I don't know what got into me."

  "My fault. I caught you by surprise." He kissed the tip of her nose, turned her and slapped her bottom. "Go get ready. I'll just wait here."

  Charli ran for her bedroom, nearly tripping over the yards of sheeting before she could get there. Once inside, she slammed the door and leaned against it, her heart pumping like an old-time locomotive all juiced up with steam. What the hell had just happened?

  "Do you always greet your dates in a sheet, or should I feel honored?" Connor chuckled from the other side of the door.

  "I'm not going to qualify that question with a response." Charli pushed away from the door and scrambled through her dresser for something simple, but not too sexy. After her wanton display of all her assets, she didn't want Connor to think she was that easy.

  She paused with her hand in her underwear drawer, hovering over a lace thong and a pair of granny panties. Then again, if his kiss was anything to go by...yum. Charli snatched the thong and slipped it up over her thighs, sliding the string between her butt cheeks. Her belly clenched. God, with all the sex she'd had lately, she should be tired of it by now. Instead, the more she had the more responsive she became to sensations that turned her on.

  And that kiss...

  She shrugged into a white lacy demi-bra that pushed her breasts up and out, revealing more than the cups covered. Over it, she dragged a thin pink tank top with a low neckline. Shimmying into a pair of worn, frayed cutoffs, she ran a brush through her hair, slapped it up into a loose ponytail and dragged her mascara wand over her lashes, brushed her teeth and called herself ready.

  Not a beauty queen and certainly not the sophisticated goddess in the black dress of the previous night, but their date was for lunch, not a fancy dinner. Still, as she walked by her nightstand, she stopped, pulled open the drawer and grabbed a condom from her wishful-thinking stash, shoving it into the back pocket of her jean shorts.

  A woman could never be too prepared.

  Connor stood by the fireplace mantel fingering a photograph of Charli and Audrey in Cancun, Mexico. "You and Audrey good friends, I take it?"

  "The best. We met in Austin and I followed her out here to help get the Ugly Stick going."

  He turned to face her, his gaze slipping over her like a heated glove. "Wow, you manage to look just as sexy with clothes as without."

  More heat rose in Charli's cheeks. "I really don't greet all my dates in the nude."

  "I'll consider it a compliment then." He held out a hand. "Ready?"

  Charli slipped her hand in his. "I guess. Where to?"

  He smiled and winked. "It's a surprise." Connor opened the door and waited for Charli to step out.

  When she did, she looked around for a car or truck. All she saw was her black Mustang sitting in the driveway. "Are we walking?"

  Connor chuckled. "No, ma'am." He hooked her arm and steered her toward her 'stang and around the bed to the other side. A shiny black Harley stood gleaming in the sun.

  Charli's heart leaped. "You know, I've actually never ridden on a motorcycle."

  His brows rose. "Never?"

  "Never. My mother told me she'd spank my bottom no matter how old I was if I ever got on one."

  "Hmm. Obviously, your mother never rode on a Harley." He unstrapped a helmet from the back seat and pushed it down over her head, securing the strap beneath. "I'll be very careful. Promise."

  "I'm not worried. My mother can't spank me anymore. She died three years ago from ovarian cancer." A pang of sorrow swept over her at the memory of her mother.

  Connor's fingers paused beneath her chin and he stared down into her eyes. "I'm sorry. It must have been a terrible loss."

  Her chest still tightened at the mention of her mother's death, but Charli forced a shrug. "It was a long time ago. But thanks." She smiled up at him. "How do I look?"

  "Good enough to eat." He kissed the tip of her nose and slid his helmet over his head, the dark screen giving his charming good looks a more mysterious and sexy air. He straddled the seat, started the engine and moved forward, making room for her.

  Charli slipped her leg over and settled in behind Connor, her naked thighs caressing his blue-jean-clad ass. Her pussy clenched. There she went again, her overly sensitized skin sending electrical bursts across her nervous system.

  "Ready?"

  Yeah, baby, she was. "Ready."

  Connor revved the engine once, then took off, nearly leaving Charli behind.

  With a gasp, she grabbed around Connor's waist and held on, pressing her breasts against his back, inhaling the scent of denim, hay and leather—a heady combination on any man, but especially on this one.

  The sun warming her back, the wind blowing across her face, C
harli closed her eyes and imagined herself flying. The solid muscles beneath her fingertips flexed and stretched as he negotiated the turns in Charli's neighborhood.

  When they finally reached the outskirts of town and turned onto the highway, Connor increased the speed, flying along the pavement. Trees, fences and grassland blew by in a blur.

  Charli stretched out her arms beside her, and tipped her chin to the breeze, never feeling more wild and free than at that moment.

  For several miles, they traveled the lone highway, passing very few vehicles until they came to bend in the road and the turn-off to a tall stone gate with Flying F Ranch written in wrought iron in the archway over the entrance. The cycle geared down.

  "Isn't this Grant Fowler's place?" she asked. Charli knew Grant from his visits to the Ugly Stick. He usually hung with Ed Judson, who worked for him as a ranch hand. Grant had built a fortune in the stock market, but had settled on his ranch in Texas, doing much of his own ranch work.

  "Yup. Ed introduced me to Grant last week."

  "And after an entire week of getting to know each other, he invited you out to his ranch?"

  "First day actually. I helped him with a mare foaling. You know the routine—up all night until the filly made her debut. Just like a woman to keep men waiting." He chuckled.

  "And she showed up in her birthday suit too, I take it?" Charli smiled, imagining the two men sitting in the hay, holding vigil over the mare. The image warmed her heart in ways she hadn't considered.

  Charli was for the most part a city girl, having lived most of her life in or around Austin. But a person couldn't live in Texas without some exposure to cowboys, horses and the country. She had a lot of respect for the men and women who raised livestock, putting in the hard work and long hours necessary to ensure a healthy herd.

  Connor rose several notches on her estimation meter. A good man who cared about animals, and wore a sexy pair of blue jeans. Ymmm.

  Her legs tightened around his bottom and she inched closer as they drove up the long road to the ranch house and barn.