there. And a view of the back
door.”
“And my bedroom window.”
“Yep, that’s right. Saw that Beau feller sneak in a couple of
times, and then, a few minutes later, saw your bedroom lights
pop on. Saw him the next morning, too, sneakin’ right back out
before Pearl or Jeeves came to work. If I only saw him a couple
of times, I figure he was doing it often enough.”
“But that doesn’t mean Granny knew about it,” I told him.
“If he worked for her, he might’ve had a key.”
“True,” he replied. “But it’s still awfully strange. Why would
you want to sneak into the house of your employer? Seems risky,
if you ask me. You could just as easily go to one of those motels
that dot the highway if you needed a cheap place to stay.”
Which meant that Granny knew about it, more than likely.
But how long had that been going on? And why? “But why didn’t
you ever mention it to Pearl or Jeeves, or even Granny, in case he
was sneaking in under their noses.”
southeRn FRied 67
He shook his head. “Not my place, Trip. Best to keep to the
business of the stables. And keep my job at the same time. Stick
your nose where it doesn’t belong and you’re bound to smell
something plumb awful.”
Made sense. If Granny was keeping it a secret, his knowing
about it would be a detriment to him. I smiled and hopped back
in bed. “Thanks for letting me know.”
Then he smiled. “Well, see, you’re the boss.”
Which sounded sexier than hell. “And what the boss says
goes, huh?” I practically purred.
“Yes, sir,” he purred right on back, my boxers instantly tenting.
I leaned in to kiss him, his lips warm and soft on mine. Then
I pulled away, remembering what he’d said. “Wait, you mentioned
that you knew a couple of things about Beau. His living here
from time to time was one; what was the other?”
His grin went lopsided, a flush of red suddenly riding up his
neck before splashing across both stubbled cheeks. “Well, uh,
he’s… he’s straight. Not that it matters, I suppose. Just something
I, uh, I know about him.”
I nodded and kissed him again. “You hit on him, huh?”
His nod matched mine. “Tried too, anyway.” His smile rose
north. “Unsuccessfully, I might add.”
“No harm, no foul,” I told him, tickling his chin. “He is nice
looking.”
“Well, he’s related to you, so, of course he is.”
Related to me. The very notion made my head swim.
Thankfully, I hadn’t had any deviant thoughts about him. Well,
overly-deviant thoughts, at any rate. Well, any more deviant than
usual, I mean. Okay, okay, no judgments here; not like I knew we
were related at the time. Not like now. Now all my thoughts are
wholesome. Except for the ones related to Zeb, especially once
his ass suddenly found its way up to my mouth. Suddenly. Well,
maybe with a little help from me, but, come on, I am only human.
And fast, too, because I knew what Pearl was up to and I knew
68 Rob Rosen
what I’d be up to as soon as she was finished. Meaning, we were
both spewing in record time. Kapow !
He made it out the door barely a few minutes before Pearl’s
return. “You okay, boy?” she asked, huffing from her walk up the
staircase.
I grinned. “Sure, Pearl, why do you ask?”
She looked at me with her head tilted to the side, her eyes in
a squint. “You look flushed, is all. You sure you don’t have no
fever? Maybe still in shock or something?”
In fact, I was relaxed down to my very toes, thanks to a certain
stable boy. “Probably just hot in here, I suppose. Not used to all
this, uh, southern heat.”
She smiled and handed me a tinfoil-wrapped bowl. “Then too
bad you’s about to go from out of the frying pan and into the
fire.” She chuckled. “Just thank the Good Lord for that secret
weapon you got there.”
I breathed in, the familiar aroma taking me back a decade or
so. “Now we gotta pray that the way to a man’s heart really is
through his
door.”
“And my bedroom window.”
“Yep, that’s right. Saw that Beau feller sneak in a couple of
times, and then, a few minutes later, saw your bedroom lights
pop on. Saw him the next morning, too, sneakin’ right back out
before Pearl or Jeeves came to work. If I only saw him a couple
of times, I figure he was doing it often enough.”
“But that doesn’t mean Granny knew about it,” I told him.
“If he worked for her, he might’ve had a key.”
“True,” he replied. “But it’s still awfully strange. Why would
you want to sneak into the house of your employer? Seems risky,
if you ask me. You could just as easily go to one of those motels
that dot the highway if you needed a cheap place to stay.”
Which meant that Granny knew about it, more than likely.
But how long had that been going on? And why? “But why didn’t
you ever mention it to Pearl or Jeeves, or even Granny, in case he
was sneaking in under their noses.”
southeRn FRied 67
He shook his head. “Not my place, Trip. Best to keep to the
business of the stables. And keep my job at the same time. Stick
your nose where it doesn’t belong and you’re bound to smell
something plumb awful.”
Made sense. If Granny was keeping it a secret, his knowing
about it would be a detriment to him. I smiled and hopped back
in bed. “Thanks for letting me know.”
Then he smiled. “Well, see, you’re the boss.”
Which sounded sexier than hell. “And what the boss says
goes, huh?” I practically purred.
“Yes, sir,” he purred right on back, my boxers instantly tenting.
I leaned in to kiss him, his lips warm and soft on mine. Then
I pulled away, remembering what he’d said. “Wait, you mentioned
that you knew a couple of things about Beau. His living here
from time to time was one; what was the other?”
His grin went lopsided, a flush of red suddenly riding up his
neck before splashing across both stubbled cheeks. “Well, uh,
he’s… he’s straight. Not that it matters, I suppose. Just something
I, uh, I know about him.”
I nodded and kissed him again. “You hit on him, huh?”
His nod matched mine. “Tried too, anyway.” His smile rose
north. “Unsuccessfully, I might add.”
“No harm, no foul,” I told him, tickling his chin. “He is nice
looking.”
“Well, he’s related to you, so, of course he is.”
Related to me. The very notion made my head swim.
Thankfully, I hadn’t had any deviant thoughts about him. Well,
overly-deviant thoughts, at any rate. Well, any more deviant than
usual, I mean. Okay, okay, no judgments here; not like I knew we
were related at the time. Not like now. Now all my thoughts are
wholesome. Except for the ones related to Zeb, especially once
his ass suddenly found its way up to my mouth. Suddenly. Well,
maybe with a little help from me, but, come on, I am only human.
And fast, too, because I knew what Pearl was up to and I knew
68 Rob Rosen
what I’d be up to as soon as she was finished. Meaning, we were
both spewing in record time. Kapow !
He made it out the door barely a few minutes before Pearl’s
return. “You okay, boy?” she asked, huffing from her walk up the
staircase.
I grinned. “Sure, Pearl, why do you ask?”
She looked at me with her head tilted to the side, her eyes in
a squint. “You look flushed, is all. You sure you don’t have no
fever? Maybe still in shock or something?”
In fact, I was relaxed down to my very toes, thanks to a certain
stable boy. “Probably just hot in here, I suppose. Not used to all
this, uh, southern heat.”
She smiled and handed me a tinfoil-wrapped bowl. “Then too
bad you’s about to go from out of the frying pan and into the
fire.” She chuckled. “Just thank the Good Lord for that secret
weapon you got there.”
I breathed in, the familiar aroma taking me back a decade or
so. “Now we gotta pray that the way to a man’s heart really is
through his
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