Hat Trick (Cougar Challenge) Read online

  The first man made her gasp. With hair the color of champagne and large eyes like bluebonnets, this one had the lean-hipped frame of a man used to the saddle. Towering over Jed Bainbridge by six inches, this one was a long, powerful drink of Texas tea poured straight down into jeans that fit him like his second skin. Beneath his blue plaid shirt, he had to have hard pecs and a six-pack he’d worked for. He had to have that special vee leading down his groin to his penis and testicles. The bulge of his cock had Belle shifting in her chair, licking her lips and estimating if she could fit that wonderful length in her mouth.

  But her gaze shifted over to the second man. Maybe he stood an inch shorter than his buddy, but he was thicker, sturdier and sculpted like a bodybuilder. With black satin hair that curled over the collar of his starched white western shirt, a broad smile that God would bless him for, and green eyes the color of freshly watered grass, this one had a bronze tan, generous lips and big meaty hands. He had rolled his shirt up to his elbows, showing off heavily corded arms. His jeans, pressed and expensive, fell over thighs that resembled tree trunks. And I bet I could slide up there and his cock would plunge right inside my pussy, easy as could be.

  “Belle? Belle!”

  “Oh, yes!” Belle recaptured half her wits. “Jed, is it? Wonderful. Nice to meet you,” she told Carla’s fiancé.

  “Been wanting to meet you for a long time, Miz Sterling,” Jed greeted her as they shook hands and he slid an arm around Carla’s waist to drag her close.

  “Belle, please,” she corrected him. “Carla and I have been friends before God created dirt. And you know the old saying. Any friend of hers is a friend of mine.”

  “Belle, it is then. Agreed. So let me introduce you to my two best friends and my business partners. Gage Wagner.” Jed put his hand out to the taller one with burnished hair. “And Trey Sandoval.”

  Gage stared at Belle as if he had never seen a woman before. “My lord, Carla.” His voice rolled over Belle like fine sandpaper, his deep tones brushing her skin with a need to feel him speak against her heart. “You should have told us what a beauty Belle was.” He took Belle’s hand in his large warm one. “We would have come sooner.”

  As long as you come loud and often with me, I’m good. Belle grinned, knowing the skimpy lace panties she’d put on this morning were soaking wet. “You’re kind.”

  “No, Belle,” said Trey with a faint Mexican accent. “We’re honest. Beautiful women are a treasure.” He lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss of homage there. “Gage and I—and Jed, too, call a spade a spade, especially when we see a gorgeous woman.”

  Belle was ready to jump them both right there in her office.

  Then the truth hit her.

  She had to stop. And grin.

  And wonder. Just how old are you boys? And how long are you planning to be in town?

  Chapter Two

  The next morning, Belle didn’t even wait to get to the office to open her email. She took her first cup of coffee to her home computer in her kitchen and sat down.

  There, waiting for her, were three emails, each from a woman who had taken the Cougar Challenge and shaped a new love-life for herself.

  The first was from Rissa who had begun the Challenge by buying a new car and clothes, even getting a tiny tattoo. She had planned to look for a younger man by prowling the beaches near her home town when her car exploded—and up walked a man who changed her life.

  Belle! You are a prime candidate for the Cougar Challenge.

  Times have changed—thank goodness—and so have women. It all boils down to embracing your sexuality and going after what you desire. You’re strong, confident and have the experience to know what you want, both in and out of bed. Trust me, that’s a major turn-on for any man.

  There’s also the naughty aspect of doing something taboo and let’s face it, forbidden fruit is the sweetest temptation!

  My advice is to keep an open heart and mind while burning up the sheets with those hot young studs. You may not be looking for more than a good time but life has a way of providing the very thing you’ve failed to realize you need.

  Oh, and don’t forget details. I expect to hear all the steamy details about your cougarlicious exploits! Now get out there and have some fun. You deserve it!

  The next one was from Lori who had found her younger man right on her own land, drilling oil here in west Texas.

  Hey, darlin’! Haven’t I told you that you must expand your horizons? I mean, honey, you’ve gotta think outside the box. There is a whole world of juicy, hot stuff out there if you’ll only open your eyes. Hey, look at me. Who’d a thunk I would find the man of my dreams drilling for crude practically in my backyard. Look, don’t stress it. Take a breath, settle back, look around and don’t let age be a factor. Do yourself some cougar prowlin’, hunt that man down and take what you want. Enjoy! It’s long past time, don’t you think?

  The third was from Autumn who had won the jackpot when she’d won the lotto and purchased a Texas ranch with the winnings. She, too, found a man in her own backyard. The ranch manager, no less!

  Belle, baby! A young man is good to find. In your bed. And even—if you really like him—in your life! Do not limit yourself. You have a lot of lovin’ to do!

  Immediately, Belle wrote an email to all the Cougars and told them the unbelievable developments in her own life.

  Be careful what you wish for, right? No sooner did I say I wanted to find a man and accept the Challenge and I’ve got TWO men walking in my door. Turns out they are friends of my best friend’s fiancé and here to stand up for him at the wedding.

  But my problem now is not finding a younger man I could be attracted to, but choosing only ONE! Both men are absolutely to-die-for scrumptious and heaven knows if either one is even available, let alone open to a short romp with an older lady. Both of them are now upstairs sleeping. I did tell you that I run a Bed and Breakfast here in town, didn’t I? I use it when folks who are coming into town for the weddings I plan need a place to hang their hats.

  But ALL suggestions for what to do are so welcome!

  Then she signed off, “Crazy in Texas.”

  “Morning, Belle!”

  The sandpaper voice shocked her right up off her chair.

  “Gage!” She looked up into bluebonnet eyes with little sun-etched crinkles at the corners. Her heart flip-flopped and her pussy got that come-inside-and-stay-awhile feeling. “How are you? Did you sleep well?” Shit. How do I look? Did I even comb my hair this morning before seeking out the Cougars?

  “I did,” he said as he came around to take the little office chair next to her. In his pajama bottoms with his pale hair sticking up, he smelled like lazy warm sleep. But his chest? Naked, waxed, tanned, with ribs that made her ogle him, he looked good enough to lick. “Can I beg you for some of that coffee?” he asked, tipping his chin toward her mug.

  “Absolutely.” She rose. “Follow me!” she ordered as she padded barefoot toward her carafe. What the hell do I have on? Oh, boy. My nightgown, yes. Green. Silk. Transparent. Lace at bodice. Nipples showing? She glanced down. Affirmative. Nipples puckered and ready for action. Ugh. “I made enough for everyone.” Of course, you did, Belle. Get your head on straight. “Cream? Sugar?” She took down a mug from the cabinet.

  “Black.” He shot back and climbed onto one of her kitchen bar stools facing her.

  “Good.” She tried to turn sideways as she poured the damn coffee, but she felt like a demented gymnast and probably looked like a fool. Hell. She faced full forward.

  His bluebonnet eyes drifted down her thin green silk nightgown. And the man did not blink, he did not speak, he did collect two hundred dollars as he examined her nipples for a damn long minute. One hand out to receive his coffee cup, he continued to stare at her until she spun for her bedroom.

  “I’ll be right back,” she told him.

  “Belle?” His voice flowed over her like thick, hot honey, making her halt in her tracks. ��I like the view.”

  She turned her head. Her gaze met his. Were his cheeks flushed? Were hers? My, oh my. He was a beautiful hunk of manhood. “So do I.”

  “Stay. What you’ve got going on there is something I understand.” He shifted on his stool and her mouth dropped open when she realized that he was rearranging his cock and balls.

  She let out a hoot, then pointed toward her master suite. “I think I’m getting dressed before this conversation gets out of hand.”

  His large eyes narrowed as he studied her face and her flustered state. “You promise to come back. I don’t want to scare you off.”

  “I promise. And make no mistake, I have scared myself off, Gage.”

  He smiled then, a generous movement of a firm mouth. “Good. ’Cause I don’t bite.”

  Do you fuck?

  Belle ground her teeth together, waggled her fingers at him and beat her retreat.

  * * * * *

  At four that afternoon, Belle stood on the front steps of the rectory of the Methodist Church waiting for Carla, Jed, Gage and Trey to show up for the wedding rehearsal. That intimate event, Carla and Jed had decided, was set for tomorrow night at seven, with a dozen people in town invited to the church and the country club afterward. Belle had been hustling all day to get Rory to do the flowers, and Tom Dillon at the club to come up with a superb southwestern menu, plus a four-piece dance combo.

  By noon, Belle had recovered some of her brains after her morning encounter with Gage. With decent clothes on, she could face him, talk and laugh as if the fact of her revealing attraction had never happened.

  If Gage’s compelling blue gaze told her he hadn’t forgotten, she tried to act normally. Inside? She was doing the Snoopy Dance. Plus, her pussy creamed each time she looked at him. She knew he was a candidate for her Cougar Challenge. But she had to find out how old he was and see if he was Jed’s age. She also had to learn if he had a woman back in Dallas to whom he was sexually committed. She was no home wrecker. She would never ask a man to bed down with her for a night if she was going to create havoc in his regular love life. Yes, she was definitely going to ask all those questions before she made her move.

  Problem was, she also liked his friend. More than a lot.

  And did Trey like her?

  Well now. Trey Sandoval made her mind bend with wild erotic images. Him and her against the wall. On her stairway landing. His hands holding her wide open to eat her.

  And just how did he do that little trick while his buddy Gage stood nearby?

  Trey found her mouth the most intriguing part of her body. She knew because as she cooked breakfast, he had his gaze focused on her lips. When she laughed. Or spoke. Or opened them to stare at his rich, dark, sculpted beauty.

  She gulped now as Carla and Jed pulled up in the parking lot in Jed’s Maserati and Gage hopped out of his bright blue Jaguar and Trey, his fire red Bugatti.

  Belle smoothed her white slacks over her hips. Felt the silky movement of her thong rubbing her ass as she stepped toward them and smiled. Lord, how she wished she had one of these delicious men spreading her out on the hood of one of their luscious cars.

  Cut. That. Out. Belle.

  “Hey, glad you’re all on time. Reverend Hampton is a stickler for prompt appointments.”

  Carla chuckled. “I remember! He was like that in high school. Drove us nuts. Come on, fellas, let’s go, shall we?” She led the way down the sidewalk toward the main door. Jed followed.

  Gage took Belle’s left elbow.

  Trey took her right. “After this? We’re buying you a drink. Where’s the best place to go?”

  “Do you want more than alcohol?” she asked.

  Both men turned to her as if she had asked the major million dollar question.

  Gage smiled, his eyes laughing into hers. “Don’t you?”

  Trey squeezed her upper arm. “I know I need a good dinner. Great wine. And you look like you need a night out.”

  “You think I work too hard?”

  Trey nodded. “We’ve seen you jump like a bunny today. So Gage and I have decided you need some relaxation. No cooking. No clean up. Just fun.”

  “Maybe dancing,” Gage added. “Is there a place in town that isn’t a honky-tonk?”

  “Sorry. No. Not for fifty miles. But the Starlight Restaurant out on Route 90 has a good menu with great steaks and a wonderful piano player on Friday nights.”

  Trey grinned, his white teeth wicked in his deeply tanned face. “Then that’s where we’re headed.”

  “A deal.” Who will need to eat when I can dine on the looks of these two?

  “We’ll all go in your Excursion,” Gage decided.

  “Leave our cars here,” Trey added.

  “Carla and Jed—” Belle began.

  “Are going to visit her aunt down in Del Rio,” Trey informed her.

  “Then they’re going home to your house for some time alone,” Gage said.

  “Pre-wedding prep?” she asked with a grin.

  Gage held open the door for the three of them. “We all need it.”

  “Have you heard what they decided on the honeymoon?” Trey asked her as they strode down the corridor toward the minister’s office. “No? Jed’s got his pilot to bring in his Lear Jet to the Del Rio airport tomorrow night. They fly out for Puerto Vallarta at ten tomorrow night.”

  “So then you will both be going back to Dallas the next morning?” she asked them, with disappointment ripe in her words.

  “Actually, Trey and I thought we’d stick around for a few days,” Gage told her as the three of them stopped in front of John’s office door. “With you.”

  Her heart did a somersault. “Me?”

  “If you’d like that,” Trey told her in a hushed voice, his mouth very near her ear, his green gaze searching hers, “Gage and I sure would.”

  She licked her lower lip. Watched each man follow the movement of her tongue. Felt her knees go to mush. Her pussy get all swollen and juicy. “I’d love it. Love your company. For as long as you care to stay.”

  “Good,” Gage said with relief.

  “Terrific.” Trey swept open the door. “Gage and I have research to do.”

  “Is that so?” Belle asked. What kind did you have in mind?

  “Maybe you’d help us,” Gage offered.

  “I’d love to,” she agreed.

  So now she knew she had not only the opportunity to learn about these two scrumptious men, but also the time. She was finally ready for the Cougar Challenge.

  But which man will I choose?

  * * * * *

  She wasn’t half way through her margarita cocktail at the Starlight when she realized that choosing between them was a job she’d better get on with quickly. They were so damn handsome, so charming that every woman in the place was having a silent wet dream as they observed the three of them. Plus, she herself was ready to whip off her clothes and forego dinner in lieu of having them right there on the fine linen table cloth. In front of half the county.

  Both men had insisted on a round table. With one man on each side of her, she felt like a queen. Not only did Gage and Trey concentrate those gorgeous blue and green pairs of eyes on her alone, but she knew they communicated silently to each other with subtle movements as all of them talked.

  “How long have you been in business, Belle?” Gage asked her.

  “Sterling Events is eight years old. I started it up when my son went off to college.”

  “You have children?” Trey’s brows shot up. “You don’t look old enough for that.”

  “I am,” she said flatly as she whisked drops of moisture from her glass, wondering if this revelation about age and children would have them walking out the door. “Clay is nearly twenty-four and in med school in New York. He is my husband’s and my only child. A great guy, too, I must say.” She lifted her glass in a toast. “To great men.”

  “Carla tells us you were crazy about your husband,” Gage said.

  “I was. Walt was a sweet man, a hard-working rancher and when he died, I thought I had lost all my passion for living.” She tried to smile and failed. “But I am still here and loving my life.”

  “You never thought of leaving Winterhalter?” Trey asked.

  “Never had a reason to. It’s certainly small, and I know everyone, which is good and bad. But don’t get me wrong, I love to travel, too.”

  “Really?” Gage looked intrigued. “We do, too. Where do you go?”

  “Every six months or so since my husband died, I pick a city in Europe and go alone for two weeks. I do the ruins and the cathedrals. I shop ’til I drop. And wow, do I eat!”

  Both men grinned.

  “Can’t prove it by us,” Gage praised her.

  “You’re one terrific-looking woman,” Trey told her, his green gaze caressing her face and drifting ever so deliberately down her throat to the vee of her white cotton blouse. “So what are you? Forty-two? Three?”

  “Five. Forty-five.”

  “I’m thirty-three,” Gage told her in a hushed voice.

  “And I’m a year younger.”

  Her lips parted. Each man sat silently looking at her, waiting for her reaction. What could she say without sounding like a predatory female? You’re both stunning specimens of manhood? I want each of you? “Seems like age has nothing to do with how successful you both are.”

  “It hasn’t.” Gage nodded and took in a huge breath. “The three of us went to Texas Tech together and from our folks we were each fortunate enough to inherit some money. We pooled it after we graduated, bought a ranch outside Dallas ten years ago and turned it into a shopping mall.”

  “We built from there. Now, we are committed to finding a piece of land in an area where we can develop a five-star resort.” Trey finished his margarita. “We’ve done some research of this area. Jed and Gage and I think Carla’s ranch and some adjacent acreage might be the right place. But we need more help. Someone who knows the land. The ecology. The politics. The people. Gage and I hoped you would ride around with us for a few days. Show us the sights. Tell us about the town.”

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