In my line of work, you don't fall in love. You don't think about love. You don't even believe love exists. I had this down pact. I didn't follow up with any clients. I refused to meet with them again if I thought lines could be blurred and to be honest, I never really felt anything towards anyone. Until I met Luke.
Luke is from Texas. His brother, Mark made arrangements for me to join them for an investor event two Octobers ago. Something about family run businesses make men very, very successful. A decent amount of my clients are business partners with their brothers, cousins, fathers etc. Luke and his brother Mark own a cattle ranch (typical, right?) in South Texas and were hosting an event to hopefully attract new investors so they could expand.
I had no idea what to expect. I'm a city girl. I had never even seen an old Western movie.. So I was pretty much going into the weekend blind. When I arrived, the most beautiful man was waiting for me at the airport. Well over 6 feet, deep dark brown eyes, full lips with dirty blonde hair poking out of his Stetson. His jeans fit him perfectly, hugging his muscular thighs, and a plain white t-shirt that left just enough to the imagination. His stubble was more than a few days old, and I knew right off the bat that this wasn't Mark.
Luke introduced himself to me as Mark's younger brother, and my stomach did flip flops. If Luke looked like this, I couldn't wait to see what the more mature brother looked like. He took my bags and led me to the lot where his truck was parked. It was a rough 40 minute drive to the ranch, so we occupied the time with small talk. I was almost one hundred percent sure that the attraction between us was mutual, but this man hid well under the brim of his hat.
When we arrived at the ranch, Mark was waiting in his office. These two men looked nothing alike, and I couldn't hide my disappointment. Mark was shorter than me, and I wasn't even wearing heels yet. His receding hairline was a salt and peppery mash of black and brown and his eyes were flat and lifeless. To be honest, he looked as if he'd been awake for a week straight. I couldn't believe they were related, let alone brothers.
We talked briefly about the event, and what I would do in the meantime. I was to be available to him Saturday evening, but the rest of my time there was free to do what I wanted. Mark asked Luke to show me to my room and until then I hadn't realized that I would be staying right there on the ranch.
I followed Luke down the hall and up two sets of stairs to the guest suite. It had a private entrance as well as the back entrance through the main house, and Luke gave me the key to both doors. He guaranteed that no one would bother coming around, but better to keep the doors locked, just in case someone got lost during the night. Apparently that happens when you live in such a big home.
Before he left, Luke turned to me once more and asked if I needed anything else to be comfortable. I shook my head "no" and a slight smile crept across his face.
"If you need anything at all, give me a call." Luke slipped me a sheet of paper with phone numbers to his cell phone, the main house and a few local restaurants that would deliver food if I got hungry. I smiled and thanked him, and as if on cue my stomach growled. I saw that smile creep on his face again but instead he tipped his hat and turned to walk away.
Right away I pulled out my phone and sent James a text. "Client's bother is a total hottie. How will I survive the weekend?"
He replied a few minutes later with "bang him for free...". James has always been so sexually free and always says exactly what pops in his head. I can't lie and say it didn't cross my mind though.. I laughed to myself before deciding that was a horrible idea. I could not let anything or anyone distract me from doing my job. I shook all thoughts from my head and ordered some food before jumping in the shower, hoping to wash away every impure thought and feeling before bed.
I jumped in the extremely comfortable bed and started to drift into a deep slumber... I had no idea what the next day had in store for me.
**Disclaimer: All stories are true. Names and any identifying details have been changed.**
