Unbridled Read online

  I decided on my greyish blue wrap belt jump suit with silver ankle strap heeled sandals, the silver Gucci watch Dawn bought me for my thirtieth birthday and a pair of silver hooped earrings. I put on more make up than I would normally, especially around the eyes which were very smoky, and I put my hair up in a messy top knot. I thought, fleetingly, about leaving it loose, but knew it would only end up in a right mess stuck to my neck and forehead after I’d been dancing. Oh how I loved to dance. I was severely rhythmically challenged, but I never let that get in my way.

  Look out San Francisco Haley Jones is in town and she’s about to tear it up!

  Chapter 4

  Haley

  After demolishing a bottle of wine, Kelly decided I needed an alter ego should I hook up with anyone. So exit stage right Haley Jones, boring vet from Brighton and enter Mia Foster, international business woman from London. I won’t stand for any crap and I take what I want, when I want it, no questions asked.

  Oh yes, I loved Mia.

  We eventually arrived at the club a few minutes before ten and I was immediately accosted. “JJ, I didn’t think you were coming tonight!” A short brunette grabbed me around the waist and planted a smacker on my lips. “Have you had enough of married life already, ‘cause I have the number of a great divorce lawyer.”

  “You are a great divorce lawyer,” Kelly and another woman said together and laughed.

  “I’m not married,” I grinned. This hadn’t happened before.

  Much.

  “I was right,” the brunette high fived the slightly taller, and older, woman. “You owe me ten bucks. I said it wouldn’t last.”

  “You said it wasn’t legal,” the older woman argued.

  “Same difference,” the brunette waved it off with a chuckle.

  “Actually totally different,” I punctuated the squabble with an explanation “I’m not Jen, I’m Haley, her sister.”

  “Oh my God. Jen told us she was a twin but. Wow.”

  “The woman struggling to complete a sentence is my fiancée, Shannon, and I’m Susan,” the brunette introduced herself and her partner.

  “Hi, it’s great to meet you both,” I said and was hugged again, this time by both of them. I was the meat in a fiancée sandwich.

  Kelly handed me a shot glass. “To paraphrase Pink, let’s get this party started, ma bitches!” Four glasses clinked and emptied.

  It’s going to be a short night, I thought as Shannon handed out the next round.

  The club rocked.

  The DJ played a wide-ranging mix of dance, eighties and pop songs as the odd strobe flashed and coloured lights lit up the room. It was a big club, much bigger than anything we had in Brighton, in fact, it was comparable to venues in London. But the ambience was totally different, maybe shabby chic was the best way to describe it, and the staff weren’t rude or obnoxious like some of the arseholes that thought they were God’s gift to horny lesbians in England.

  Yes, three tequilas and half a bottle of wine equals a tipsy Haley and my inner bitch was having a whale of a time.

  “Wanna dance?” Kelly shouted.

  Silly question.

  We found a spot on the dance floor and I immediately lost myself to the beat, my body swaying to the pounding bass line. I lifted my arms and closed my eyes. This was exactly what I needed. “May I cut in?” the formality of the request initiated a game of musical statues and I stopped dancing immediately.

  And boy was I glad I did.

  The woman who asked the question was stunning. Not only was she drop dead gorgeous, but every last bit of her deliciousness called to me, like a magnet pulling iron filings. It was as if I’d lost all free will. She must have been nearing six foot tall and looked like she’d just stepped out of the Westworld experience. I searched for a group dressed in a similar fashion, thinking maybe she was part of a hen party. Nope, it was only her.

  Only her in a tight denim shirt, jeans and dark tan cowboy boots with a worn down heel.

  All that was missing was a Stetson on top of her long silky raven hair which was hanging in a long plait between her shoulder blades and half way down her back. Was she for real?

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” I moved back so she could get to Kelly. “I’ll catch you later, Kel.” I winked. Half heartedly.

  “I’m asking you, not your friend,” the cowgirl said with a smile. Actually she shouted because the music was so loud.

  “I beg your pardon?” I looked around. There was no one else with us. Then I realised she was speaking to me.

  Now I know everyone has fantasies, me included. Everyone has that one moment when they escape into their minds for a release from the norm. There is a reason for fanfic. It might be a character in a book, or someone on television. It might even be that stranger who sits opposite you on the train to work every day. Whatever. There is someone who tickles your emotional fantasies and makes the mundane more bearable.

  Mine was a cowgirl.

  “For Christ’s sake, it’s only a dance,” I muttered to myself. My fantasy was standing there in all her western goodness and what was the phrase about a gift horse? I may be a vet but I wasn’t going to look this one in the mouth, that’s for sure. “Yeah erm, thanks. I’d love to.”

  Kelly and her friends melted into the crowd and I lost myself in the stranger’s mahogany eyes. There was something happening here, something I couldn’t label, or rather, didn’t want to label. She was all kinds of hotness and every little nuance made me feel so, dear God… I was hyperventilating, or salivating, and we’d barely started dancing. This had never happened before, and I was suddenly on edge. It was like she was the missing corner piece, the click when the seatbelt fitted into place… who was she and what was she doing to me? I was tingling all over.

  “Dani,” as if reading my mind, the vision in denim leant in and shouted her name into my ear.

  Nervously, I shouted, “Jennifer,” in reply. Fuck. Why did I do that? I was supposed to be a Mia tonight. Mia knows how to have fun. Mia knows how to flirt. Mia doesn’t look stupid. Idiot, she’s going to think you’re… right so it was a panicked reaction and Jennifer was the first name that popped into my head, but there really was no need for the misdirection. It’s not as if I would ever see this woman again after I, or we both, got what we wanted. The only thing I should be thinking is how quickly I can get her naked.

  We danced for near enough a full set, our bodies inching ever closer with each track the DJ spun until we were fused together and when Rihanna’s Diamonds came on, it was, to put it bluntly, the closest I’d come to sex for over six months. When it finished, Dani grabbed my hand. “Are you thirsty? Can I buy you a drink… or?” She raised her eyebrows.

  “Or?” I bit my bottom lip nervously.

  “Or do you wanna get some air?”

  Yes! I now had solid proof that God didn’t hate gay people because He’d emphatically answered my prayers. I knew exactly what the seemingly innocent question meant and I was primed and ready to go. However, not wanting to appear desperate, I ran my finger along her strong jaw and asked teasingly, “You have somewhere else to be?” I had no idea where the flirtatiousness came from, because I was usually the epitome of demure in these situations. Plus less than two hours previously my self-esteem had not only been rock bottom, it had been positively subterranean.

  Perhaps Jennifer had been the right name to choose, ‘cos I was rocking my sister’s carefree nature right now.

  My question produced an instant response, dilating pupils, a slight flush rising from the chest, an increase in the heart rate.

  And that was simply my reaction.

  “Yes.” Dani pulled me into a darkened corner and her calloused finger set off an arousal chain reaction as she stroked from the top of my shoulder down to the tips of my fingers. I had no control over my body as it succumbed to her touch; my nipples tightened, my breath hitched, the colour in my cheeks heightened and the tingle in my core quickly became an ache that only this woman could cure. It w
as obvious that Dani wasn’t only a regular visitor to the rodeo, she owned a whole chain of them. Lowering her head she feathered my lips, gently at first, almost chastely, but that lasted all of about, oh, naught point two seconds before our tongues engaged in an excited game of tag.

  “I have a hotel room, not far from here,” she said nibbling on my ear, whilst grabbing my thigh which I was trying to wrap around her waist.

  “Yes,” the one word dripped with yearning, the kind of which I’d only ever read about. Dani took me by the hand and essentially dragged me out of the club and into a waiting taxi. If Badlands cowgirl was her alter ego, she had it down pat. I wanted to jump her as soon we pulled away, but I didn’t.

  Damn me and my English reserve.

  As the car made its way through the streets of San Francisco, the blurred city lights provided an intoxicating blurry backdrop. Dani lifted my hand to her mouth and kissed the back of it, before her tongue circled the tip of each of finger. Our eyes locked, a burning stare as she gently sucked my long tapering index finger into her mouth.

  Oh, fuck. I completely lost my senses and I couldn’t have cared less if the taxi driver pulled over and started filming us on his phone, I was about to straddle Dani’s lap and have my wicked way with her. Thankfully we pulled to a stop in front of her hotel a second later. I had a fleeting moment of doubt. Was this a good idea? Meeting a stranger and hurrying back to her hotel room was totally out of character. An image of Dawn ghosted across my mind and I gritted my teeth.

  Maybe I needed a change of character.

  “Hey, are you alright?” Dani gripped my hand. “You don’t have to come in, no harm, no foul.”

  “No, I want to. It’s only, well this is my first time.”

  “First time?” She looked at me, aghast. Honestly, I’d never seen such wide eyes before and I think she might have stopped breathing.

  “Not first time, first time, I mean one night first time.”

  “I see,” whooshed from her mouth as she started breathing again. “Look, I’ll tell the driver to take you wherever you want to go. I had a great time dancing with you, Jennifer, it doesn’t have to go any further.” I knew I had to tell her my real name but now wasn’t the time. I didn’t wasn’t to risk her thinking I was a psycho and tell me to go before I’d had the chance to come.

  Instead, I kissed her. It was our second kiss and was far more leisurely than the first. “Oh but I think it does,” I said when I reluctantly pulled away. She helped me out of the taxi, then held the hotel’s main doors open for me to pass through.

  The exterior was quite innocuous in that it didn’t look like a hotel - it could have passed for a block of flats, or maybe an office building. But inside? Inside it was breathtakingly beautiful.

  “Wow I did not expect this.” I said marvelling at the chandeliers and marble floor as we made our way through the lobby.

  “I know. This here hotel is the perfect example of why you should never judge a book by its cover.” She smiled looking down at me and not a lot of women could do that, I was five foot ten after all. “Come with me a minute.” She led me towards a set of glass doors.

  “I know I’m being repetitive, but wow,” I whispered in awe, “the ceiling is amazing.” I sounded like a country bumpkin as I admired the restaurant roof which was made entirely of glass.

  Dani collected her room key from reception and when she returned she smiled at me again. “Okay? There’s still time to change your mind.”

  I loved that she was giving me an out. “This lady’s not for turning.” I was so glad Dani didn’t get my Maggie Thatcher impersonation because that would have been a total passion killer right there. “This hotel really is something else,” I said.

  “It’s one of my favourite places to stay in the city. The original hotel was built in 1875,” Dani gave me a brief history lesson as we watched the numbers above the lift countdown to the letter G, “but the earthquake of 1906 put paid to that incarnation. Although the structure survived the tremors, a raging fire gutted the inside so they decided to start from scratch. The building was demolished and this is what they built in its place.” She really knew her stuff. Perhaps she could be my guide whilst I was here, that way I wouldn’t have to give a monkey’s what Jen did. Although as long as she gave me a tour of her hotel room and body, I’d be a happy bunny.

  There was something about this hotel, hell, this city, I’m not sure what, something unquantifiable.

  And it was the place where my fantasies were about to come true.

  Chapter 5

  Haley

  California may be in the grip of a drought, but my boy is my dry spell over. It was pitch black, well as black as any hotel room in the middle of a city can be. The glow from the streetlights caressed the walls painting shadows as evocative as a watercolour hanging in the Louvre. I turned over, stretching languidly like a cat lying in front of a roaring fire after lapping up a saucer of cream. Yep, that’s right, I felt that good.

  Dear God. My eyes widened as I stared at my partner in crime; Dani was still sleeping. I was tempted to wake her and maybe continue what we had finished scarcely an hour before, but wasn’t sure regarding the protocol and asking for seconds, or in this particular instance, fourths.

  I snorted deprecatingly.

  Maybe I should text Dawn and ask for her advice. The total irony of the situation was not lost on me. I knew absolutely nothing about Dani. Did she have a loyal partner waiting at home or was she simply a player, finding a different woman each night to while away the midnight hours? My chest tightened and I felt a small panic attack building. Now would be a good time to leave, I thought as I sat up cautiously trying not to disturb her. Besides once she got a good look at me-

  “For someone who oughtta be utterly relaxed and possibly even comatose, you look incredibly tense,” the smooth voice drawled in my ear and I jumped.

  “Do you have a wife, or partner, or significant other?” I blurted out. Yeah so that wasn’t the least bit tactless, Hales. Perhaps it would’ve had more sincerity if you’d asked it before she shagged you silly!

  “No one that matters,” Dani shrugged, “unless you count Brody.”

  “Brody? Oh shit, please don’t tell me I’m the other woman?” That would be some lousy karma right there! I’ll be coming back as a dung beetle.

  Dani chuckled. “Brody’s my dog.”

  And breathe.

  She stood, as naked as the day was long and I gulped, I honest to goodness gulped. Her high cheekbones were softened by the perpetual smile wore and her lips, although not plump, were kissable. Very kissable. I grinned to myself. They were so kissable they appeared bruised from all the lip locking we’d done. She was long and lean, owning muscles in places I thought were exclusively reserved for fat. They glistened in the pale lamplight. Her thighs… yep… they are definitely my favourite part… no… wait… it’s her stomach… not a six pack but a tight pack… actually, on second thoughts that arse is… My binge letching was halted by another one of her infectious laughs. Yeah, she knew I was staring and I think she liked it.

  “Wanna drink?” She waved a bottle of water towards me.

  “Yes, thank you very much.” I hated the stiffness and hesitation in my voice. So does she want me to leave? Or stay? Should I offer to go?

  “Do you wanna tell me what’s going on in your mind? You look like a deer caught in a rifle sight on the first day of the hunting season.” She sat back on the bed next to me.

  That makes no sense, the deer wouldn’t see the rifle it would be too far away. Maybe the deer is wearing a high viz jacket. Why would a deer be wearing a high viz jacket, you numpty! The hunter could be standing right in front of it... Shit. Stop overthinking, Haley she’s going to think you’re a nut job…

  I felt the bed shift as she turned to look at me. “So, you gonna tell me what’s up?”

  “I’m not sure of the proper etiquette,” I admitted, firmly shutting up my inner monologue with the stiffest sounding q
uestion ever.

  Dani threw her head back and let out a roar. “Well as I see it, it’s a simple enough choice,” she said after the giggles dwindled and she handed over the bottle of water. “Do you want to stay for a little while longer or do you want to leave?” She took a swift drink and fussed with something on her bedside locker. The choices appeared to surprise her even though she was the one offering them.

  I took less than a second to answer. “Stay.”

  “I was hoping you’d say that.” She reached over and pulled me into a hungry kiss.

  ***

  “So what happened here?” An hour later I trailed my finger over a long tapering scar on Dani’s back.

  “I injured myself barrel racing,” she murmured. “Mmm, you have a gentle touch, Jennifer.”

  I felt a twinge of discomfort when she used my sister’s name, but ignored it. “Barrel racing?” I kissed along the scar, raising goosebumps on her skin. She turned over and smiled at me.

  “Barrel racing. It’s a rodeo sport. I was trying out a new horse, Widow, when I fell.”

  “Gosh, it looks serious. Do you still compete?”

  “Nope, not for a long while. I still keep up my registration, but?” she shrugged. There was a world of words in that one action.

  “It sounds like you miss it.”

  “I do and I don’t. It’s hell and heaven. You and your horse against the clock, working as one, moving as one. Woman and beast in perfect harmony.”

  “You make it sound almost poetic,” I teased softly.

  “It is poetry in motion. Stormy, my regular ride, was so graceful, yet so powerful. I raised her from a foal, in fact she was the first horse I ever trained specifically for the rodeo and when we were in the ring together it was seamless. It’s hard to describe. The roar of the crowd, the buzzer as you cross the line… then nothing. Silence. Total silence except for the horse’s snorts and pants in rhythm with your hammering heart… silence except for the double bass pounding through your body as hooves hit the dirt.”