Bourbon & Branch Water (13 page)

“Jeff…” she whispered.

He half-expected that she’d follow
that quiet caress with “I love you,” but she didn’t. In some ways that was
disappointing, in others it was good. They weren’t ready for love. They needed
to know each other better, and he needed to stop fucking her whenever he saw
her. The compelling
need
to feel her joined with him
was nearly impossible to resist, however. So far it had been too much for him
to ignore. There was more than a pussy to Stormy Stillwater, and he wanted to
get to know the person behind her eyes. She might be someone he could be in
love with.

Chapter 7

Stormy was typing fast, and
although her eyes were directed at her computer monitor, her mind was drifting
to Jeff. She replayed all their sensual encounters, ending with her
capitulation on the fender of his Jag. Her face heated as she remembered it, how
she must have looked completely naked in the moonlight. Jeff had her at a
distinct disadvantage that way, but it had been so arousing to rub her bare
skin against his suit. She hardly knew him and yet every time they were
together she fell into his arms like she’d never see him again. It was foolish.
He was a playboy. He had to be. Jeff must assume that she already knew it was a
temporary liaison. It was too much to expect a gorgeous, eligible guy like Jeff
to want more than sex from a woman. He could have any woman he wanted. Stormy
was likely a passing fancy.

When Cary Holyfield spoke from
behind her, she jumped. She hadn’t realized that Mr. Holyfield’s son was visiting
the office. He came in once a week for lunch with his father. Inevitably, he
stopped by
Stormy’s
cubicle and came on to her
blatantly. He didn’t work there, and she didn’t want to make waves, so she didn’t
file for a sexual harassment suit, though she knew she could have made a case
for it. Cary had been pursuing Stormy since she’d returned to Nevada. They’d
gone to high school together and Stormy remembered his mean pranks quite well.

Although Stormy had grown up on the
reservation, the year before she entered high school the reservation high
school had closed due to lack of enrollment and all the teenagers had been
bussed to Fire Gorge’s high school. They hadn’t been accepted too readily, but
that didn’t mean the boys from Fire Gorge didn’t pursue the Native American
girls. The girls, all too keen on leaving the reservation, went along with it
with the hope that something more permanent would happen after graduation. They
were, of course, usually wrong.

Stormy never went for that,
however. She was in school to learn things, so she hid behind her glasses and
cropped black hair, hardly venturing beyond the library and her schoolbooks. Cary
had been disdainful, like all the other Fire Gorge kids, but once she’d gotten
back to Nevada and started working for his father, Cary had taken a marked
interest in Stormy. She didn’t understand it; she was still the same Stormy
inside, shy, bookish, dedicated to making her way in the world like her older
brothers had done. She had long hair and contact lenses now, but she was far
more focused on her profession than she was on men. Well, except for Jeff. He
was an aberration. He didn’t count.

Cary had other ideas about her and
they were none-too-savory in
Stormy’s
opinion.

“Hey, Pocahontas, how’s the
injun
business?” He said it like it was a joke shared
between close friends, but it always made Stormy bristle. He was, however, her
boss’s son, and she couldn’t be rude to him without consequence.

Stormy stopped typing and turned to
page through the law book on her desk, keeping her back to Cary. “Things are
fine, Cary. How are you?” He touched her hair and she pulled away, turning to
face him finally. “Don’t do that, please.”

He sighed dramatically. “I’m fine.
When are you going to go out with me, Stormy? You can’t always be busy like you
say. What do you do? Go to church?”

“Yes, I go to church, Cary. You
might try it yourself.”

“Ha! I don’t have time for all that
mumbo-jumbo.” He puffed out his thick chest. “I have a law practice to attend
to.”

Stormy wondered why he wasn’t
attending to it at that moment. She wished he would. “Right, well, I have to
get back to work, Cary. I don’t have a personal injury practice to keep my head
above water.”

He gave her a piercing stare, his
brown eyes narrowing. “Dad tells me that you’ve been promoted to attorney
status. Congratulations. I’d have put you into the practice from day one, if
you’d have
come to work for me. You wouldn’t have had to
clerk for four months here.”

Stormy was well aware of the price
tag associated with that job. She could have made more money a lot quicker, but
she’d give up her self-respect to do it. It wasn’t something Stormy could
consider seriously. “Yes, well, I like it here in Fire Gorge.”

Cary waved a well-manicured hand
disdainfully. “Vegas
is
so much more exciting than
this hick town. You’d love it there, Storm. Come out to dinner with me and I’ll
show you the town.”

As if she hadn’t been to Las Vegas
a zillion times! Living only an hour away from that mecca was too irresistible.
She often went shopping there with Tanya, or took in a popular show. But
trolling the casinos wasn’t her style and she knew that’s what Cary meant.
Besides, it was
Cary
.
Blech
. “Thank you, Cary, but no thank you. I’m too busy
here.”

“Always the good girl, eh, Pocahontas?”
He gripped her shoulder as she sat in her chair. “I’ll bet there’s a volcano
under that chilly exterior.” His hand traveled up her neck to her ear and she
pulled away, standing. The fact was she’d never realized how volcanic she could
be until she met Jeff. He was…well…a force to be reckoned with. But Stormy didn’t
want to think of Jeff while she was sparring with Cary. The two were complete
opposites and it was distasteful to have them in her brain at the same time.

“I have to get back to work. Have a
nice lunch with your father.”

Cary took a step back and smiled.
It was feral. “You keep trudging alone, Storm, and when you get tired of being treated
like a law clerk you know where to turn. I can make it well worth your while.”

She wanted to point out that she
wasn’t a law clerk anymore, but in truth, she did mostly law clerk stuff, even
though she’d been promoted. The
Porterman
case was
hers, but that was the only one so far. Stormy planned to be successful with
that case and then Mr. Holyfield would give her more responsibility.

“Thanks for the offer, Cary. Aren’t
you keeping your father waiting?”

He turned to leave, but paused to
look back over his shoulder. “I always win, Stormy. Don’t forget that.”

As she watched him walk away,
Stormy shuddered. He might win his legal battles, but he wouldn’t win her
heart.

* * *

Tanya called later that afternoon. “Can
you get off a little early, Stormy? I have an apartment to show you. It’s
really cute and not too expensive for you. But at this price it’ll go fast.”

Biting her lip, Stormy considered
the research she was supposed to be working on. But Tanya was a real estate
agent in Fire Gorge and if she said an apartment was worth looking at, she was
certainly right. “Okay. Is five-thirty going to be early enough?”

“Yeah, and then we’ll go to The
Lounge and do our usual drinks and dinner, okay?”

“Alright.”

“I’ll pick you up at your office.”

They rung off and Stormy worked
twice as hard doing her job until five-thirty rolled around and Tanya picked
her up. Tanya drove a new
Prius
, kept in pristine
condition, and she was proud of it. Clients were impressed at her environmental
consciousness and it was comfortable and economical, too. Stormy wished she
could afford a new car, but it was something she’d have to wait for. Her six-year-old
Ford would have to be good enough for another two years or so.

They drove to an apartment complex
on the south side of town. There wer
e
only
four apartment complexes in Fire Gorge, so Stormy recognized it immediately. It
was a modest building with good maintenance and older tenants.

“Welcome to the El Dorado,” Tanya
said, as she parked. “I know you’re going to love this place.”

“I had a friend who lived here in
high school.”

“Yeah, it’s not a new building, but
it’s in good shape.”

They took an elevator up to the
third floor and walked along a wrought iron-railed balcony to apartment 312.
Tanya opened the unlocked door—people weren’t concerned too much about serious
crime in Fire Gorge. In a town of only five hundred people, everyone knew if
someone was a shady character.

Stormy stepped in as Tanya held the
door. It was a lovely little apartment. The walls had been freshly painted
off-white, and there were a white and black granite bar top and counters in the
kitchen. The refrigerator and stove looked nearly new. There was no dishwasher,
but
Stormy wasn’t put off by that
. The one bedroom and
bathroom were rather small, but when Tanya told her the price, Stormy knew she
had to take it. It was at the top end of her budget, but was a prudent choice.

Tanya was nearly as excited as
Stormy as they signed the paperwork later. “You’re going to love it here,
Stormy. I’ll help you move in.”

All of
Stormy’s
furniture had resided in storage since she came back to Nevada. There wasn’t
much of it, and most was second-hand, but it was what she had and she made sure
she cared for it well.

The pair smiled all the way to The
Lounge, where they took seats at the bar. Tanya bought the first round and they
clinked glasses in celebration of
Stormy’s
new
apartment.

“So, how’d it work out what that
Jeff guy?”

Stormy nearly choked on an ice
cube. “Jeff?”

“Yeah, that cute lawyer guy, I
thought you were going have dessert after your meal.”

Normally, Stormy didn’t keep much
from Tanya, but she debated over whether to tell all about Jeff. It would be
particularly indiscrete to mention the spankings. Still, a little bit of girl
talk would probably be okay.

“I…uh…did.”

Tanya’s face lit up. “You go,
girlfriend! Tell me all about it.”

“It was fun.”

“Fun? That’s all? Are you going to
see him again?”

“Well, I have seen him a few times.
I like him.”

“Be careful, Stormy. You might get
caught. You have your job to think about. Besides, he’s a player.”

“I figured,” she responded with a
sigh. Tanya knew one if she saw one. “But it’s hard not to
kinda
…jump
in bed with him. You know what I mean?”

Tanya nodded. “Oh, yeah, I know.
You remember how I dated Barry
Whimple
, the captain
of the football team in high school?”

“Yes.”

“He was so hot. I went crazy over
him. I’m sure you also remember how he treated me like shit and told all his
friends what an easy lay I was. God did I hate him at the end.” She paused to
sip her drink. “I think if I’d had less strong emotions about him in the first
place, his rotten behavior would have meant a lot less to me.”

The message sunk in for Stormy and
suddenly the smell of stale beer in their usual haunt made her slightly
nauseated. “So what you’re saying is that I should keep my feelings low-key.”

“Yeah, Stormy, I’ve known guys with
assets. They don’t play nice.”

“Jeff seems decent. He is
considerate—well, except for not calling often. But that’s me being too
demanding. I have to be more casual about things, I think.” She turned back to
her cocktail and fussed with the little bamboo umbrella. “Can’t he be
different?”

Shrugging, Tanya kept her thoughts
to herself.

Stormy wondered if she was doing the right
thing, continuing the relationship with Jeff. Maybe it was foolish on her part
and she was opening herself up to a lot of heartache. But he was so exciting.
Sex wasn’t everything, however, and so far, that had been their primary
occupation together. Maybe a little distance would be prudent.

* * *

From:
702-555-1177

To:
775-555-3569

Hey, babe. How r u? I called
ur
office but no answer.

From:
775-555-3569

To:
702-555-1177

Fine. Busy.

From:
702-555-1177

To:
775-555-3569

Dinner later?

From:
775-555-3569

To:
702-555-1177

No. Having dinner with Tanya.

From:
702-555-1177

To:
775-555-3569

OK.
Lunch tomorrow?

From:
775-555-3569

To:
702-555-1177

2
busy.

Jeff was beginning to sense the brush off and
he wondered what he’d done to deserve it and what had changed. He couldn’t
recall feeling this kind of confusion
and hurt
since he’d been
a gawky, self-conscious teenager in high school. Not sure what to do, he
decided a little strategic retreat was a good idea.

From:
702-555-1177

To:
775-555-3569

I
get it. Call me if u change ur mind.

* * *

Stormy felt like a heel. She put her phone
away and picked at her dinner. Nothing slipped by Tanya, though.

“You look like someone kicked your puppy, Stormy.
What’s wrong? Was that text bad news?”