DIRTY COWBOY Read online

  “I have Clover coming over to help you out until I can get things in order,” he tells her.

  Clover? He still talks to her? Gross.

  “Call me as soon as you land. I don’t want to worry,” she says breaking my heart a little more.

  “Let’s go, city girl,” he says walking past and nodding toward the door.

  I smile over my shoulder at Betty once more before following him outside. As soon as I see the truck, I shake my head and put on the brakes.

  “I’m not riding in that.”

  “Why not?” he asks before tossing my Louis Vuitton luggage into the back. “Never had a problem with it before.”

  “Are you insane? That is a two-thousand-dollar suitcase! You can’t just toss it in the back of that dirty truck!” Stomping my way to the back of the truck, I glance down at the dirt that now covers my shoes and sigh. Reaching over the side, I try to grab my luggage without getting my shirt filthy. I can’t believe he still lives like this. I know he moved to New York, but I never did find out what he did there. Not that I care but he looks like he could be into fitness. You’ve been looking at his muscles way too much on this visit.

  “It won’t fit in the cab with that big head of yours.” My mouth once again falls at his words. He just smirks at me and walks around to open the passenger side door.

  “I’m not getting in there. It’s filthy.”

  “It’s a ranch truck.”

  “And I’m not a rancher, Gentry.” I stand my ground, not moving from this spot until he gets a different car. He rests his arm along top of the door frame looking as sexy as a man on a magazine cover. His wranglers hug him in all the right places. I’m jerked from my perusal when he chuckles. Shit, he caught me checking him out.

  “I know I wear these jeans just right but could you at least try to control your roaming gaze?” When my eyes snap up to his baby blue ones, I see the amusement in them.

  “My roaming gaze? I am not gazing at you. There is nothing I want to gaze at,” I state in a matter of fact tone. Keep telling yourself that. Gentry chuckles but doesn’t leave his spot.

  “Get in the truck, Hope.” His demand angers me. I flip him off causing him to laugh again.

  “Could you at least put something on the seat?” If I must ride in that death trap, the least he could do was put a towel down.

  “There are many things I can put on that seat but I highly doubt you’d appreciate sitting in it.” He thrusts his hips forward just as he says that, making my cheeks flush. With an exasperated sigh, he reaches in and grabs a blanket that appears to be new, ripping the bag open and shaking it out. He covers the seat from top to bottom before looking back over at me.

  “Is this up to your satisfaction now, princess?”

  Rolling my eyes, I walk over and climb into the truck careful not touch anything as I do. The luggage is a lost cause that I’ll end up replacing later anyway. Gentry closes the door and walks around as I get an eyeful of the way those wranglers do hug his perfect ass. When he hops in and starts up the truck, I straighten up in my seat.

  “You’ve really changed.”

  “No I haven’t. I never liked dirty things before and I don’t like them now,” I simply state.

  “Too bad.”

  “Why is that?” I ask glancing over at him.

  “I had a load of dirty things I’d like to do to you.”

  Thinking over his words, I watch out the window as we drive. Thank God Gentry doesn’t say anything further; my cheeks are already heated.

  2

  Gentry

  “Are you sure this is what you want to do?” Dex asks me as he leans his elbows onto the table in front of us. I nod my head, bringing my drink to my lips and swallowing.

  “She can’t run the ranch by herself. I hired some help but that isn’t enough. She needs someone there full time.”

  “I get it, Gentry, I do, but this is your life. You’ve built these clubs from the ground up. You were just talking about moving some out to the west coast. Are you really just going to drop all that and move back to Arizona?” The seriousness in his tone is warranted. This is a huge risk that I’m taking right now.

  “I think it’s for the best. Dex, I didn’t go home when she told me he was sick. I should have been there. Family has always come first.”

  “I know for you family always comes first, Gentry, but this is your entire life we’re talking about. Why not let me buy them from you? Then if you decide later you want back in, they’re yours.”

  I shake my head, appreciating his offer.

  “It’s not like I haven’t thought it over, I have, but this is what I need to do,” I admit to him. It’s a hard decision to make but I know what’s right.

  “Alright. I’ll do whatever I can to help you, you know that.”

  I nod my head and finish my drink before standing and extending my hand to him. Just like the business man he is, he shakes my hand in return before pulling me in a for a man hug. Slapping a hand on my back, he pulls back to look me in the eye.

  “Anytime you want back in you know how to find me. Good luck out there,” he says.

  “Thanks, Dex.” He nods and I watch as he turns to leave, a flurry of women eyeing him as he goes. I chuckle and shake my head, grabbing my wallet out of my pocket and dropping some cash on the table.

  As I step out onto the busy New York street, I take a look around at where I’ve lived for the last eighteen years of my life. This was home for that time but something has always felt off about it. I’m not a city boy, never was and it didn’t matter how hard I tried, I never fit in here. Over the last few years I’ve felt trapped, caged in. Isn’t that a load of shit? In one of the busiest cities in the world and I feel caged in. I take a deep breath and start walking until I can grab a cab. If this is going to be one my last nights here, I want to breathe it in as much as I can. I know it doesn’t make sense to anyone but me, but that doesn’t matter. I’m my own man. My cell rings in my pocket. I pull out and answer quickly.

  “Hey?”

  “Gentry, I just got the letter. What’s going on?” Brett is one the managers I hired for the clubs in South Florida.

  “Just what it says, Brett. I’m shutting down the clubs. I need to be in Arizona now.” I don’t like that so many people are losing their jobs because of this but I did go around and help find them all new employment. There’s a few other clubs around that were dying to get their hands on my employees and I made damn sure that they will get the same pay they were getting from me.

  “I get it, man. Just… shit you have a good thing going here.”

  “I know and I’m sorry it’s going down like this. I appreciate everything you’ve done.” I hang up before I have to listen to him go on about how much of a good thing we had going. I know what I had going on and I know that this isn’t my life anymore. The closer I get to my apartment, the angrier I become. I don’t know who or what I’m angry at but I take it out on the wrong person. Walking into the lobby, I see Sable waiting on me, checking her watch.

  “We had a date, didn’t we?” I ask when I’m close enough she can hear me. She turns to look at me, her red painted lips in a pout while the matching red dress hugs her curves.

  “We did. We don’t any longer. The reservation was for an hour ago, Gentry.”

  “I’m sorry. I was wrapping things up with Dexter and lost track of time,” I tell her reaching for her hip. She lets me pull her body closer but even this feels wrong anymore.

  “I forgive you,” she purrs, pushing up on her toes to press a kiss to the corner of my mouth. I don’t kiss her back because after the news I’m about to break to her, she’s going to hate me.

  “We need to talk.”

  “About what? Why do you sound so serious?”

  I swallow past the lump in my throat and take her hand in mine leading her to the elevator. We stand in silence as I press the button and we wait. Once inside, she tries to push up against me, but I step back, needing space to think.


  “What’s going on?”

  “Not here,” I tell her. When the elevator doors open to my floor, I step out but she doesn’t. Glancing over my shoulder, I raise an eyebrow. Sable huffs and steps off the elevator and follows me down the hall. I grab my key and open the door, ushering her inside when she suddenly stops.

  “You’re moving?” She spins around so quickly that she nearly loses her footing. I reach out and grab her but she swats me away. “You already packed and you didn’t have the nerve to tell me?”

  “I’m telling you now. I’m moving back to Arizona.” Her eyes widen as her arms hang at her sides.

  “This is…but we are so good together, Gentry,” she protests.

  “We sleep together, Sable. That’s it. This relationship wasn’t going anywhere and we both know it,” I remind her gently. I enjoyed my time with her, but she was something to pass the time. She was just someone to keep me occupied. She stomps her overpriced pump on the floor, crossing her arms over her chest while twisting her face as she tries to force tears that won’t come. It’s quite an ugly sight, not what she’s going for, I’m sure.

  “So you were just going to leave and not say a word?” There’s the waterworks. Finally they trickle down her cheeks and I nearly laugh. I don’t mean to but I can’t stand when a woman forces tears that mean nothing.

  “Just like that,” I tell her.

  “You bastard! I should have never touched your country ass,” she hisses as she struts toward the door. Magically the water show ended as quickly as it started. Good riddance.

  “That makes two of us,” I grumble as I look around the apartment. I can’t even believe I lived here for as long as I have. It’ll be nice to get back to my roots and get my hands dirty.

  Hope

  I roll my eyes at Nick when he grabs my hand for the second time. If I’d have to guess, I’d say he isn’t used to being told no.

  “I can’t. I have a boyfriend, Nick. You are really sweet and all but I just can’t.” Nick pulls me toward him once more. I sigh when my palms hit his muscular chest. It feels nothing like Gentry’s looked. Get your mind off him, Hope Renee!

  “Your boyfriend’s a pig. We both know it.”

  I shove away from him and take a step back ready to rip him a new one when Myra walks over.

  “Is there a problem here?” She glances between the two of us when I speak.

  “Yes, there is. Just because I interviewed him for the magazine doesn’t mean he can stalk me and manhandle me. I have repeatedly told him I have a boyfriend and have zero interest in going on a date with him,” I snap a little louder than I needed to.

  “Nick!” Myra shrieks. He raises his hands and steps away from me with a smirk on his face.

  “I was just being friendly. When you’re ready to pull that stick out of your ass let me know.” Before I have the chance to respond, he turns and walks away. I stand here dumbstruck by his words.

  “What was that about?” Myra asks grabbing my arm and pulling me toward her office. She may be my best friend but she’s also the owner of Night Life Magazine. Her company is highly respected across the country and she always lets me freelance. That doesn’t mean I will let the likes of Nick Buckshell pull me down. He seems to always be around this office for some strange reason too which annoys me. He’s a rock star. Shouldn’t he be off doing…I don’t know, rock star stuff.

  “He keeps asking me out. It’s driving me insane, Myra. If Lance found out he would lose his mind.” She smiles sympathetically and nods. I know I can’t force the issue much with Nick being around, he is her ticket to bigger bands. He was one of her first interviews for the magazine and has helped her gain traction in this industry.

  “So, I have something for you,” she says changing the subject. I lean against the desk as she shuffles papers and folders around before finding the one she was after. Holding out the brown file, I take it suspiciously.

  “This isn’t another sex industry thing, is it? The last time you gave me that look I was bound and tied to that table for over an hour.” I give her a pointed look. It’s not even joke. She had a lead on some night club that ended up being a BDSM club. Before anyone realized I was the reporter there to interview the owner, I was swept up in the madness of the night. Luckily for me and everyone else involved, they didn’t try to take my clothes off me but they did ball gag me and strapped me down on some sort of table. It was the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to me. A light giggle leaves her lips as I try to hand the file back. She raises her hands and wipes her eyes.

  “As funny as that was, this is not the same.”

  “You are the reason I have trust issues,” I remind her before cracking a smile. “My jaw hurt for a week after having that ball shoved down my throat.”

  “Unknown millionaire runs multiple high scale clubs up and down the east coast. These clubs were bringing in more money and patrons than any other clubs in history,” she says while I eye the papers inside the folder.

  “This says they are all closed down now. Recently even,” I mumble as I read.

  “Yes. Every single one of them.”

  “Who is the owner?” I raise my head to look at her and she shrugs.

  “No one knows. Whoever he is, he kept a low profile. Perhaps he mingled with the patrons of his clubs. Who knows, but the point is these clubs took off. I mean, they blew all the others out of the water as far as hot night scenes go. There were talks of opening new clubs on the west coast.”

  “Then he just ups and disappears, closing every one of his clubs,” I mouth as I read the paperwork. “What’s this have to do with me?” Pulling my gaze back to hers, she smiles. It’s not any smile. It’s the “you will love me later for this” smile.

  “I want a full spread on this guy. I want anything and everything you can dig up on him.”

  My mouth falls open as I eye her. She’s joking. She has to be joking. There’s no way that she would have me do a full spread. Would she?

  “Me?” I gasp pointing to myself with one finger.

  “Yes, you. Now that means a lot of research. I know you are working on your next novel so I’m putting a one-year deadline on this project. I know you can do it, Hope.” Tears pool in my eyes when I move in and pull her into a hug. This is a huge opportunity for me. I have done smaller articles for the magazine, but if I can nail this one, Myra may take me on full time.

  “Thank you so much for this. I need to tell Lance!” I squeal nearly breaking her eardrums. She laughs and shoos me out the door where I race down the hall. I don’t have an official office here but Myra lets me use an empty one until it’s filled. Shoving the door open, I come to an abrupt halt. Right there bent over my desk is the little red-head from editing. Her lips are parted as she moans, but it isn’t until I drag my eyes to the man that is pounding into her do I lose it.

  “Are you kidding me?” I screech so loudly that it hurt my own ears.

  Lance looks over before pulling away from her and stuffing his junk back in his trousers. Vomit burns the back of my throat as the tears prickle my eyes. Lance doesn’t even work here but he also knows that I don’t have a permanent office here either. How is it my luck that he would be in this one? And to think I was so excited for our lunch date so I could tell him about my news. Well, that quickly fizzled.

  “I can explain this, Hope.” He walks toward me with his hands up.

  “Explain what exactly?” I’m confused. Is he really going to try and find a good reason that he has her bent over my desk? That he cheated on me? There is no good reason for any of that!

  “Hope, just listen to me,” Lance says calmly, his hand landing on my shoulder.

  “Are you serious? Don’t you touch me after you touched fire crotch!” The girl looks appalled, which she should.

  “Hope, let’s just talk about this okay? Like adults?”

  I stomp my foot like a baby because frankly, I don’t feel like acting like an adult.

  “I should have don
e it. I should have taken Nick up on his date offer!” I scream more to myself than to Lance.

  “What? Nick asked you out? When was this?” Lance has the balls to look offended after he was riding that fire cracker on my desk? How dare he!

  “You make me sick. I can’t even believe you would do this. And here of all places? Have you no manners? And you, fire-muff…I hope your vagina is infested with fleas for messing with that dog! Hope you had fun hiding your nuts in that squirrel’s nest!”

  Turning on my heel, I hurry from the office, tripping over my own feet on the way. Luckily Nick is there to save the day, standing right smack in the hallway not knowing he’s about to become the object of my revenge. Without overthinking things and knowing that Lance is right behind me, I drag Nick’s lips to mine and kiss him quickly. His lips taste like cigarette, which nearly gags me.

  Pulling away from him as quickly as I grabbed him, I rush toward the elevator. I push the button multiple times until it dings and opens. Lance is on my heels just as the doors close. He stands there, calling my name like a scene from Fifty Shades of Grey. Instead of calling out to him in return, I slowly raise my eyes to his and flip him off with a smirk playing at my lips.

  After the elevator doors close, I let my hand fall and the smirk slide from my face. But I vow to hold it together until I am out of the building. When I finally make my way outside, the tears I’ve kept at bay start to fall. I pull my phone out and dial the first person I can think of, thanking God when she answers.

  “Do you think I can come stay with you for a while?”

  “Of course, sweetheart. You are always welcome here.”

  It doesn’t take me long to grab a cab and head directly to the airport. I’m not thinking about long term. I’m thinking about here and now. I can’t go, don’t want to go, back to the apartment we shared and face him. Tears spill down my cheeks as the driver watches me in the rearview mirror. I don’t pay him any attention though. I’m too lost in my own thoughts of how Lance betrayed me. How could he do that after two years of being together?