Under the Stars

seemed. Until now. He had been watching over Georgiana Darcy a few times already. Darcy had told
him to make sure she was behaving in New York, that she really did what she told Darcy she did. He
knew how to do a good stakeout, to not be noticed, how to make contact when needed - and how to
make some elements to back off.

He had not expected this however. It was clear ms Darcy had something to drink, something with
alcohol obviously. But he hadn't seen anyone give anything to her. It was all on her. However nobody
had stopped her either. On silent feet he had gone closer, or as silent as he was able to anyway. The
rumble above was closer now. Perhaps it helped to mask his approach. Not that weather ever had been
an issue. He had heard a few gasps, the sound of kisses and the car squeaking just a little as the couple
moved. But then the cowboy had actually backed off. Perhaps it was due to the rain. Could hardly be for
something else, could it? Either way, Christopher decided it was time to flag the man down. To let the
poor chap know what could be waiting if he pursue this further. He waited until the unknown cowboy
had put Ms Darcy in the cab of the truck and for some reason went the long way around towards the
driver's seat. A smirk as he realized what the problem might have been, seeing the man readjust himself.

Mr Darcy had been scared many times by his stealth and he wasn't sure if the cowboy got startled or
not. It didn't matter. Perhaps it was just the fact that he didn't look up in time and walked straight into
his broad chest. Christopher Durant didn't introduce himself. This was not the moment to make new
friends. “You made a good call to stop this when you did, cowboy... Mr Darcy would not have approved
if he knew. However, as the situation is, I do not feel that have to report back to him...and you do not
have to worry about anything...to come from tonight's...actions. And-” his deep voice still had a bit of an
island accent. He held up his large hand as the other started to speak. “Pardon me, I'm not finished,
sir...” He stepped in close to the cowboy. Even if the other would try and take a swing at him - not that
the man looked like a fighter by nature, he wouldn't have a problem to stand against it.

“Sir, I'm a people person, I'm good to see what a person is about. Once my life depended on it. and...I
see you are a man with a good head on your shoulders, probably have good morals, or I hope that was
what I saw just now.” Christopher placed his hand on the others shoulder, not caring the slightest about
the falling rain that was drenching both of them by now, squeezing it slightly, his thumb pressing the
others collarbone and a special nerve that probably made it feel worse than it was. He knew what his
grip was like so he couldn't help but smile at the slight reaction. He didn't want to hurt him, but he had
to make the point clear.

He had seen many men with a rainbow of different set of morals at his former line of work. Usually dark
and twisted. He actually liked this one. Seemed honorable. “I shall be honest with you buddy, because of
what I saw. So here is the thing, Mr Darcy makes sure ms Darcy stay...how should I say...proper, no
matter the cost of keeping it that way. After Ms Darcy celebrate her 20th birthday...she is considered to
be ‘grown enough’ by her family, it's some fucking thing they have apparently...anyway, she gets to be
her own... she can do what she wants then. Although given Mr Darcy’s nature, he will probably keep his
eyes on her anyway. Fucking sod is damn possessive when he put that side out. Before then however, a
word of advise...a word you can do what you wish with, however - you don't want to mess with mr

Darcy, you will not stand a chance, I promise... If he wants to he can be a real jackass...just to prove
some rich man's point...his lawyers are not the people you want to get a letter from.”

The man glanced at the person inside the truck. “As for myself...while I'm just an employee...I care about
the girl dearly, like she would be my own...I would hate for her to get into trouble or get hurt. I
think...and would probably act accordingly - if she did...And not even mr Darcy's lawyers would be able
to dig up proof of what happened...if you know what I mean? All clear? Good.” There was a loud crack
above, a flash of lighting, that lit up the sky. In the next moment there was just darkness. And the large
man seemed to have vanished.


Georgie looked at Justin as he entered the car, looking like she just woke up. “Ye’er wet..” she tried to
dry the side of his face off with her hand but ending up almost knocking the hat off instead. Didn't even
reflect on the fact she was a bit damp from the rain too. A loopy smile at the sensation under her hand
with how his stubble felt like. She wiggled a little closer to him on the seat trying to wrap her arms
around him, pressing against him hard, placing her cheek on his. “I can warm you up if...if you're
cold...Romeo....”

She had seen a movie once, where the girl hugged the boy that had been out in the cold wet weather, it
had been so cold he was close to hypothermia. The girl had shared her own bodyheat with him, and thus
saving his life. It felt like he was soaking wet, not just a little. She couldn't let him die! Georgie turned
her head to look out, but she couldn't see further than the hood of the car. The rained danced on it, the
raindrops seemed to be splashing right up as soon as they hit the surface.


Justin had yelped and jumped a bit unmanly like, but if he was about to have his neck broken, what did
it matter!? Okay, well it didn't seem like he was going to murder him...Mr. Darcy? Georgie's...dad?
Great. So she had an overbearing brother and an overprotective father. How did she even breathe? He
was surprised she just wasn't locked in a dungeon at this point. The initial opening statement didn't get
but a flat look from Justin. They literally had a guy following her around. He just...couldn't fathom, didn't
understand, didn't want to understand. Why was being a human being and making choices such a
travesty to her family?

But the pressure on his collarbone made him listen a little closer, crumpling under his hand. He had high
pain tolerance but that didn't mean he went and looked for it! They all sounded like they thought he
was proposing to her! He didn't even bang her! What was the big deal!?

Well...at least the situation in his pants was cleared. No worries there any time soon. He...wasn't quite
sure how to process everything. Boy...she was right yet again, she was more than meets the eye. When
he first met her, she was just a clumsy, shy girl. Then a rich sheltered girl. Now it sounded like she was
either part of the mafia or some kind of royalty. Boy. What had he gotten himself mixed into now?

He grinned at her trying to keep him warm, flicking his hat off to the backseat. He chuckled and put an
arm over her shoulders, "Aw, ain't you sweet. Takin' care of lil' ol' me." Judging by how much colder her
arm was, Justin was the real heater out of the two of them. He had a lot more mass to power than her
tiny self. But the notion was sweet. "Whatever shall I do return yer kindness?" He teased playfully. He
took a moment, resting his head over the top of hers, staring out at the rain. He could watch it fall
forever. It was hypnotizing. Soothing, even. Beautiful white noise when the world got too crazy to
understand.

He snorted, thinking back on a funny fact that just popped back in his mind. Or rather, finally made full
circle. "You're really only nineteen?" He giggled, busting her for her age. Now it aaaaaalll made sense.
She didn't take the drinks at the bar because she was underaged. His mind started to make all sorts of
jokes, making him chuckle some more, "I've nearly got a decade on you, whipper snapper. But I
understand, my youthful skin is decievin'. Botox does wonders, ya know."
Ah, that was better. Why hang dread heavier, more serious topics when he could crack jokes, laugh, and
avoid it altogether. That was just Justin's way. He reached forward and cranked the key to the truck. The
engine stalled and then spent a couple revolutions to get a wind up and then roared to life. "Sounds like
I better get you home before yer curfew, young lady." He had ammo to tease her now and smiled while
he did.


She nuzzled her face into his chest like a friendly cat. Her hands grasping at the fabric of his shirt. A deep
inhale and a content little sound, partly muffled. “...always be my friend...” were the words that didn't
come out too muffled. She felt him lean his chin on the top of her head. She didn't mind. Georgie still
had her eyes closed as she leaned against his wet - but warm - chest. Her fingers grasped and then
released the fabric, just much like how a content cat would have pawed it in a similar way. His warmth,
the way his chest rose and fell as he was breathing, the sound of the rain.

His voice wiggled it's way into her woozy mind. “Mmm...I-am...” Georgie opened one eye as his chest
jumped slightly as he giggled. “...not a snapper...” She lifted her head, swaying just a little as she looked
at him. “Botox...?” The car seemed to be spinning just slightly. She didn't move away from him as he
started the car “...You shouldnt do botox, Justin, I think Jane does it and...she can't smile properly...you
are cute as you are, I promise...” She placed a little sloppy kiss on his cheek. Then she sighed. “I feel so
weird...maybe because I haven't eaten anything all day...or, I took a slice of bread and an apple at
breakfast but...then...the thing with William...I got...it all came up again...” Georgie rubbed her stomach.
Normally drinking helped with her feeling full. Now it didn't feel like that...at all. It felt a little better to
close her eyes. “It didn't help to drink of that...juice...”

At the mention of home she just opened one eye. “...but I want to be with you, Justin... It's...different
with you...being with you is...” she swallowed as the car started to move “it's like...the same feeling
when I'm jumping with Asthor...” another big swallow. It didn't matter things was smooth under the cars
tires, it was still something with the motion. “...I'm free when I'm with...you...” She had felt nauseous

before but this didn't feel quite the same. Her hero. She was safe with him. Georgie nuzzled closer to
him.

If she went back to that dream, perhaps it would feel better, the sour clump in her throat would stop
going up and down like a yo-yo. The dream that had felt so real. In it he had caressed her and his touch
had made it tingle all over her body. She stroked his shirt with her hand at the same time she moved her
head in such a way that she rubbed her cheek against it too. So...soft. She swallowed again. Hard.


Girls. Always on some diet fad. Another thing Justin couldn't fathom. Always thinking they had to be
some skinny, frail thing. He never did find the opportune moment to explain that he had been with
some curvy women, some burly women even, that didn't give a damn what some pop magazine thought
a woman should look like. And damn, was it attractive. But, no matter what he said or how he worded it,
they always took it personally and usually in the wrong way. Just as asking a lady's age was taboo, so
was telling her he didn't think they needed a diet. And so...there was nothing he could say on that…

He could at least clarify with a grin, "Yer jus' drunk as a skunk, lil' sis. Ya ain't had much practice with
booze, have ya? Lil' lightweight," he said, patting her shoulder. He hadn't even gotten halfway to the
manor yet, he could feel her body starting to fight the poison. He looked out of the window for
anywhere that wasn’t pouring down rain, Not really a lot of options. He glanced in the back of his truck.
Surely, there was something he could use back there… Ah, an old dusty saddle blanket that was frayed
on one end; only reason he stopped using it for shows but it was still good for training and riding on the
range. He was just reaching back for it, when he could tell there wasn’t going to be another warning.

He hit the brakes hard, grabbing the blanket and throwing open the door at the same time. He grabbed
her around the waist and pulled her out of the truck, “Here we go, don’t you fight what yer body’s tryin’
to help ya with.” He didn’t have time to shake the dust from the blanket, rather just pulled it over her
head to shield her from the downpour. He helped her off to the side of the road, into the grassier area
near a tree. He made sure her hair was at least pulled back and kept an arm around her waist and patted
her back. Not like he was a squeamish guy. How many times he had to hold a man’s britches up after
three or four too many. Or a poor young lady that tried to look at little too cool and it backfired on her.
He hummed a little happy tune; it kept his mind off it and he found it didn’t make his ‘patient’ so
emotional about a perfectly normal bodily function.


There were countless times when she had thrown up, but all of them had been forced by her own hand.
This wasn't like those times. This time it was her body that had the control and not her. What came up
tasted like that fruity drink she had been drinking but with the added sourness of stomach acid following
closely behind.

She hadn't even realised how close she had been to throwing up in the truck, but somehow Justin knew.
Over and over her body convulsed to get rid of what was inside her. It had almost cascaded out of her

like in that horror movie with the possessed girl, or at least that is how it had felt like. She had tried to
get control back but her body would have nothing of it, when she tried it only seemed to get even
worse. Finally she hung like a limp noodle in the man's arms, totally spent. She didn't feel that good.

It wasn't until after the worst of it had passed she became aware of him holding her around her waist,
the soothing pats on her back. A small sniffle followed by a rather meak “...thank you...” She leaned
against him more now, like a heat seeking missile. She couldn't quite remember how she got in the truck
again, only that she huddled close to him and it didn't rain on them.

When the car stopped again she did open her eyes. The mansion! From somewhere she mustered the
little strength she had left, remembering the words she had heard being repeated over and over ever
since she could remember. A Darcy could not show themselves weak before the house... A silly thing
since a house was just an object, but it had been one of those things that she had lived with. It was
something to do with the family history, she knew that much. Every step was feeling like she was
walking on some weird surface, of if it was just her. She nodded towards Winston that had opened the
door for them, doing her best to act normal - or as normal as possible. He greeted Justin like he had
done before, but this time he didn't offer to take the hat. The stairs was a bit of a struggle and she was
thankful that Justin held her, otherwise she might just as well taken a tumble, even if she was grabbing
the railing as firmly as she could.

Her feet knew the way to her room by ‘autopilot’. As soon as she came through the doors to her room
she began to tug at her shirt to remove it. Not at all thinking about whether that was appropriate or not
- especially with a man in the room. But it proved to be too stubborn - or if she got partly stuck - so she
quickly gave up. Next, she put her aim towards her bed and stumbled towards it. It had always been a
safe haven.


He snorted at her tries to get undressed. After all, he was the more sober of the two of them despite
consuming probably twice of what she had. But he was still in a good, giggly mood. It was all fun and
games until someone got a hangover. And it looked like it wasn't going to be him his time. She wasn't all
that wet unlike him who was still soaked through so he didn't bother trying to help her undress. She
could learn from having to wake up in her old clothes.

In Justin's younger years of being a spry teenager, back when he thought he could keep up with Sydney
when he drank, he remembered the mornings of waking up in his own piss from blacking out. Only took
him a few times (and the hospital trip) to make the change to make wiser decisions when it came to the
spirits. He was sure Georgie was about to learn the same.
But he would, at least, help take off her shoes. He watched her plop down on her bed like a sack of
potatoes and followed over. He sat at the end so he didn't get everything wet and grabbed one leg after
the other, giving a pull to slide her shoes off. "You look like you could use another round," he kidded. He
patted her thigh, setting her shoes off to the side. "I'll tell ya the best cure yer gonna wanna remember
for in the morning. Greasy food, water, and a cold shower." He peeled back the blankets that he could

get pulled from underneath her zombie-like body, chuckling at how thoroughly wasted she was. He had
to pick her limbs up like she was made of jelly. At least one of them thought it was kind of funny.

He pulled the blankets over her and tucked her in over exaggerated, really stuffing the blankets
underneath her again, securing her like a mummy. He leaned over her with a smile, patting her head,
"There ya go, lil' one. You want me to sing you a lullaby too, lil’ babe?"


She looked up at him, having just a little problem focusing on him. Things felt really weird. “You are so
nice to me, Justin...so nice...everybody else ...are just...sc-” A goofy smile came to her lips that then
turned a bit more somber. “My mother never tucked me in...at least not what I can remember...always
nannies...” She sighed. “You should try....try to...sing more...Justin...” Her eyelids felt heavy “-ou have a
nice...voice...I would...I would listen...to you...sing...always...”

His voice lulled her to sleep, if it had been long or not she wasn't sure, but she woke with a gasp as she
felt something making it's way up. She fell out of bed onto the floor with a heavy thump after getting
caught in the blanket, having to catch whatever wanted out in her mouth. She didn't feel her tender
knee as she tried to get to her feet but her legs hardly wanted to work as it was so she actually had to
crawl to the bathroom and the toilet. Once there a new convolution grabbed her. Cold sweat trickled
down her backside as she let it all out. The smell of what came out almost made her want to vomit some
more. The last time her body shook nothing but what felt like drool came out. Like nothing was left in
the bag but you still squeezed it just to make sure.

Oh, she felt horrible. Freezing. Sweating. Everything at the same time. The taste in her mouth was
disgusting. What had been in that drink... Something Justin had said...she had heard it...something that
had ended with skunk... Surely they hadn't been drinking a skunk? The thing in the cup had tasted nice
and sweet, while the thing at the bottom of the toilet did smell...worse. Another dry heave wrecked her
body and she made a soft groan. Then she flopped back on the floor like a clubbed fish. The floor was
cool. A shudder. Perhaps it was too cold. Never, ever, ever...again. And now her head started to hurt...
Oh no..and she had a prize award ceremony she had to attend tomorrow!


"You jus' left her there?" Sydney asked. And then he laughed and smacked Justin's shoulder.
Justin had to stand upright again after the heavy blow, "Well, no shit I did. I don't think she'll be wakin'
up anytime soon. She's 'bout as bad as yer lil' harpy when it comes to booze," he laughed.
"Lil' Princess?" he asked, thinking if he remembered him... oh yea, he did. Hadn't seen him in a while.
"Ain't nobody that shit." He hiccuped and downed yet another cup. It wasn't super strong liquor so he
could keep going all night long if he wanted to. And the night was just about over with. The party-goers
were starting to thin out. Just a few stragglers left mingling.
"She didn't try to peel my face off, so you have a point. Nah, I got her tucked in her room and left her to
sleep that one off. Had some big dude give me the dad speech-"

Sydney wrapped an arm over Justin's shoulders leaning on him, "Don't y'all put yer dick in mah lil' lady!
Or I'll blow yer goddamn fuckin' nutsack right out from between yer legs!" He chuckled and hugged his
face to Justin's. Yea, he had heard that one before too. "Jus'...jus' ffffu-" he hiccuped and belched from
the bottom of his soul, so hard he spit out maybe pure alcohol.
Justin closed the eye closest to Sydney's face, giving his cheek a pat. Attractive. "Syd, I tried so hard not
to get barfed on, man. How many of these have you had already, bruh?"

"Not 'nough. Can't stay drunk. Keep gettin' sober again. Sucks." He looked over to the table with all the
drinks from before. It was barren and closed up now. He huffed and looked at the bottom of the cup he
had. All empty. He sighed and pitched it to the side. "Ey, you goin' back to yer room or you gonna go
play hooker?"
Justin stuck a finger up Sydney's nose to get him to stop leaning so hard on him, "Nah, got my chastity
belt renewed for the evenin'. Blue balled myself so hard, goddamn."
Sydney rubbed his nose, backing off and standing on his own two feet, "Fuck. That ain't right. I aint-"
Hiccup. "I ain't-" Hiccup again. He slapped a hand on his chest, clearing his throat, "I ain't got that
problem." He grinned.

Justin snorted, "Not yet ya don't!" He made a backhanded attempt to slap at Sydney's crotch. Sydney's
reflexes were too inhibited to defend himself. He doubled over, making a swipe at Justin but missed
since Justin was mostly sobered up by now anyway. Justin felt pretty confident he could handle the
massive giant all on his own now!
"Justin!"

Aw, hell. He looked over and saw Jarin approaching. He looked at Sydney doubled over and back at the
kid. Well, yea, that was a scene painted in the wrong light. "Ey, Jar-"
"He's drunk! You gotta be nice to him!" Jarin scolded him. He took Sydney's side, leaning down, "You
okay, Sydney?"
Sydney chuckled and nearly ripped Jarin's shirt to pieces, using it to pull himself up, "Yea, Jus, be nice to
me, asshole." He stuck his tongue out at him and tried to kick at him.
"Sydney, that doesn't mean-"
Justin giggled and hit his leg to the leg, returning his own kicks.
"Justin! Don't-" It didn't seem like either one of them were listening to Jarin! What could he do!? They
were going to hurt each other. "Justin, don't you have your girlfriend to look after!?"
Justin hesitated and stepped back out of Sydney's range. He looked confused for a moment... "Oh! Aw,
hell, she ain't my girlfriend, Jar-bear."

"What...but...oh....oh," Jarin looked almost apologetic. "She broke up with you? I-I'm sorry...I didn't
mean to intrude..." He blushed and maybe for the first time in a long time, felt sympathy for Justin. A
rare occasion. His blush deepened because if he wasn't together with Georgie then that meant he was
back on the market. Not that he was interested in Justin! Not in the way that... and his blush deepened
even further.

Justin saw the kid's face light up and worried about what he was thinking about. God, they had too
many awkward moments between them. "Ah, no, we weren't ever together," he clarified.
"W-Why?" Jarin looked back and forth between the floor and Justin. He leaned a little closer to Sydney
just in case his answer had anything to do with those nasty dreams.
"Cuz' he's in looooooooove," Sydney mocked, leaning his head over on top of Jarin's with a cheeky
smile.
Jarin looked very confused, "If you're in love then why-"
Justin smiled and shook his head, hooking his thumbs in his pockets, "Nah, Syd, that ain't it neither."
"Ain't no other reason why ya ain't fucked her," he said flatly. That drained Jarin's face pale and made
him stiff as a statue.
Justin sighed, shaking his head, "Ya damn well know my fuckin' reasons, Syd. Ain't nothin' but hurt
feelin's and short comin's outta a guy like me with a girl like her. I ain't got what it takes, that's fer sure."
He kicked a clod of sand with his boot, staring at it as it broke apart.

Jarin's mouth hung open a little. He hadn't been a part of their "bro-talk" before so he had never heard
Justin speak seriously on anything before. He was always making such awful jokes and teasing. He
frowned, turning his head to the side, tilting Sydney's head to the side with it. He felt kind of...bad. He
opened his mouth to voice his concerns-
"Now, I am the perfect man fer yer moms, J-bae," Justin gave him a wink.
Jarin's mouth slammed shut and he scowled at him again. Sydney got a loud laugh and slapped Jarin's
ass hard, making him jump out of his skin. UGH! He had almost felt bad for him too! The boys continued
to giggle and laugh until Jarin made the comment of heading back to his room. Sydney volunteered Jarin
to take him back, leaving Justin on his own even though he offered a ride in his truck. Apparently,
Sydney wanted to go measure Mack's ears one more time. Justin let it go, letting the man have his fun.
He had Jarin to look after him; he was a good kid. Dumb and spineless but harmless (unless drunk).
Justin made his way back to his room, ducking out of the rain as best he could. Once inside his cozy
room, he peeled the wet clothes off his body, finally feeling the comfort of a dry pair of underwear.
Ahhhh....

He flopped down on his bed and laid back, crossing his arms back behind his head with a small smile on
his lips. Not a bad day at all. He felt a chill on the back of his neck and rubbed it. He thought back to the
haunted room. Dammit, not a thought he wanted in his mind now that he was alone in a dark room.
Georgie was supposed to have cleared any of that up...
He shifted onto his side. He wondered how she was doing. Probably knocked out cold. She had been
when he left her. Out like a light. He waited around in her room close to ten minutes, looking at the
circus stuff again. But it just didn't feel right. He couldn't will himself to stay there. Not when his room
was so close. Not when she was totally wasted. It wasn't right. Sure, he stayed with her that rodeo night.
But there wasn't a lot of choice in the truck situation and the condition he had gotten into... things were
different now. He knew a lot more about her. Justin was pretty proud of his character judgements. That
he didn't judge a person by their background, rather how they carried themselves. But her dick of a
brother, her dad(?), her security guard, her butler...all of these people with their hand on her collar. He
sighed and shook his head. No, not a damn chance in the world they'd ever be good chemistry. Not in

the long run, anyway. And it stung a little how honest he could be with himself. He had a pretty good
filter when it came to others. But his own critique on himself was pretty damn savage. But...he'd much
rather break himself of a selfish thought now, than drag a woman down a road she didn't deserve.

He turned over, looking at the screen of his phone. One missed call from a buddy of his back in
Montana. A text from a girl he had met in Louisiana. Another from a random number. A couple junk
emails. He switched the screen off and let it sit for a couple minutes... He snatched up the phone again
and opened the text from the girl. 'hey when you gonna be in the area again handsome?' He hit the bar
to reply and paused...
He sighed and turned the screen off again, putting it back on the table and rolling over.
....
He rolled back over and grabbed the phone again. 'probably not anytime soon' he had typed and held
his thumb over the send button.... He grumbled and deleted the words he had typed. He tossed the
phone back on the table. No, that wouldn't do either. "Just get over it, Justin," he scolded himself. Last
time! He grabbed the phone, hurriedly typed 'youll be the first to know!' and before he could change his
mind, hit send. There. He switched his screen off and just kept it on the bed next to him. A sigh of relief.
And this is why he was no good for a girl like Georgie. Not in the way she probably wanted him...

A friend though... yes. Yes, he thought he could do that. He had never tried being "friends" with girls
before. Well, not without ulterior motives anyway. And they knew that ahead of time. But, what if just
one time, he tried being an actual friend. Guide her, give her advice, keep an eye on her, help her out,
give her boy advice for god's sake. Funny how he was her first real friend and she was going to be his
first girl...friend. He smiled at that. She'd see the note he left by her bed that he had left for her. He sure
hoped he could read his awful handwriting and horrible spelling:

'To the Bandit Queen,
i wont tell anyone you snore - promise! ;D
if you need a greesy cheeseburger
you can call on me
hope your feeling better
hope your toylet aint your new bff
thats my job
-el caballo travieso
PS: breakfast?'

And then it listed his phone number. He checked the screen one more time. A text back already from
that girl in Louisiana. But he decided he didn't need to open it just yet.



Her head hurt. A groan. She opened one eye slowly. It was bright. Too bright. She shut the eye again.
Instead she let her hand feel the world around her. The surface was hard. Cold. After feeling around a

little more she understood she was in her bathroom. Something smelly was in the toilet itself. It took
her a good while to sit up without feeling like she wanted to throw up as well as having both her eyes
open. She closed the lid of the toilet and dragged herself up. One of her knees was a little bit tender.
Why? She took a deep breath and...burped. Ugh. It tasted awful - even if it was just a burp. It didn't
smell any better. Her belly felt like she had done a really intense sit-ups session. How had she gotten
back to her room from the arena? Glancing down another question popped up, why was she still
dressed? Why hadn't she changed to her pj’s? It wasn't like her to fall asleep with her clothes on.

After flushing the toilet, rinsing her mouth, drinking a good amount of water as well as brushing her
teeth to get rid of that awful aftertaste she wobbled her way back to her bed. It was much later than she
normally slept she noted on the clock that stood on the bedside table. But there was something else
there too. A note. She had to sit down to read it. A soft smile came to her lips despite how she felt as her
fingers traced the letters on the paper. It was from Justin! Was that how she had come back here,
thanks to him? Why didn't she really remember it? This was the first time ever she had gotten a letter
from a guy...or well a note. She looked over on the other side of the bed. It was untouched.

Had he just left her here then? Probably...he had his own room. She had a vague memory of his voice.
Or if that was just a memory from the first time when she was in his car after the rodeo. Georgie rubbed
her face. Perhaps a shower would make it feel better. It was still the matter of that headache however.
And the fact that everything seemed to be so...bright. As she walked in to her closet she dumped her
clothes one by one in the hamper. For a short moment she looked at herself in the big mirror. She poked
at her belly and her hips. There was a little bit of curve to them but there wasn't much more.

The shower felt good. As did the relief after the headache lifted slightly after the pill she had taken
started to take effect. It was so weird that she remembered one dream she had so vividly, not that her
daydreams were not...vivid at times. But this felt more real. How he had touched her, not
really...inappropriate, but how the touch still had made her shiver. He had kissed her too. She took the
loofah with some of her showergel and scrubbed all over, creating a nice smelling foam. Why would he
even consider doing that? She sighed. After she had rinsed it off she washed her hair, did a simple hair
mask, rinsed that out before doing some other grooming. Even if the evening before was a bit of a blur
she still remembered the ceremony. William would not be here though so she wouldn't have to wear
heels. After wrapping a towel around her wet hair and putting on her soft robe she walked out to her
bedroom again, picked up the note left by Justin and went and sat in the stool that was closest to where
she had put his framed photo. She saved his number in her phone before typing in a message. It was
tricky. She hadn't really sent a text to a friend before.

‘Dear El caballo travieso
Rude! I do not snore! Besides, you have no proof!
Also, I didn't know you were Ronald McDonald undercover ;)
I would love to have breakfast with you...
...you want to eat at the cafeteria...or go into town?
Yours truly,

the Bandit Queen’

It wasn't really breakfast she wanted. The thought of something greasy didn't felt appealing. No, it was
rather just the fact that she would get to see him. Who knew when she was going to see him again after
this weekend? She still felt iffy but how many times had she forced herself through something despite
feeling sick? She drank a little more water as she checked her messages on the computer by her desk.
The work with the trailer was going fine, it would be delivered in time and she relaxed a little bit. It
wasn't much but it was the least she could do for him. Then she smiled as she thought of how he might
perhaps look like when he saw it...there was of course the risk that he would get mad too...but it was
just...a gift, from one friend to another...

She looked quite pale she noted, a bit dark under her eyes. The look remained somewhat even after a
little bit of make up. She was not going to put on a layer just because. Instead she put on some big
shades. It also helped with the blinding light. They were huge. It was the same pair she had on after the
accident with the car. They had covered up her bruises she had on her face and her red eyes. She hadn't
really seen anybody taking pictures, but William had said it was better to be safe than sorry.

A final look in the mirror. The military green pants looked like they were worn but without actually being
ripped and showing skin. William hated that type of pants. As a decorative thing she put on a brown
belt. The white t-shirt was figure sewn with a modest cut to the neckline. To this she had a very
decorated denim jacket and some comfortable flats that matched the rest of the outfit. She checked the
phone but there was no message back. Perhaps he was in the barn? Just before she left the room she
grabbed one of the plum purple caps that had the text ‘Pemberley Park’ on it.

It had to do...it was proper and casual...when she got back later for the ceremony she would just have to
change the pants and jacket to something darker...more formal. Perhaps lose the cap as well. Besides it
being bright out it felt good to get out in the air. Even if some of the headache had gone away. As she
came outside she noted one of the carts was parked outside. While she had planned to walk, she might
just as well take the cart down to the park again. As she got herself seated a blonde woman in a very
fancy dress came out on the steps. She felt familiar but Georgie had no clue why. Perhaps it was
someone William knew? Perhaps she could give her a lift? So she pulled up in front of the stairs.

“Hi! You want a lift? To the park perhaps? That's where I'm heading...”



Tequila hardly looked at Georgie before plopping down in the cart. Anything beat walking. She wasn't in
bad shape, despite how her night went. In fact, she had a satisfied glow about her. She was pretty sure
she was still buzzed from the hard liquor too. How could she not be happy? She might even miss the
place. Or one man specifically, really.

"Thanks, sugar," she said over to Georgie. There was a slight rasp in her voice from the alcoholic burn
down her throat. She gave her driver a look over and smile, "Well, ain't you a cute thing. Would you be a
doll and drop me off at the guest rooms? I'd sure like to change into somethin' a lil' more fittin' for a
barn." She snapped the thin strap of the dress with a girlish giggle.

Her eyes naturally shifted to her phone in her pocket that lit up. Tequila grinned mischievously,
"Oooohhhh, got a hot date already? Is he cute? Sounds like he’s got some mornin’ wood for ya,” she
giggled. Boys and their uncontrollable urges. So cute. She was referring to the message that flashed on
her screen briefly that read, 'meet me outside the guest rooms? You like something meety? Or you
more of a sweet tooth?'

Justin shoved his phone back in his pocket, cleaning off his razor. He was due for a fresh trim. He
scratched at the course stubble, smiling as it felt rough again. He didn't go for the mountain man look
like Sydney. He liked to come off as a little more well groomed. It made him look like he gave a shit
about hygiene. And that was about as far as he was willing to take it. He plopped his hat back back on
his head and headed out the door with a smile on his face. He was feeling pretty damn good.

He stopped short by Sydney’s room, glancing up and down the aisle. Just a few souls stirring about. He
grinned and thought to pay Sydney a little visit. Maybe invite him to breakfast if he was in a good mood.
Which probably meant he wasn’t. Which probably meant he wouldn’t even tell Sydney about the
breakfast plans. But he figured he had time before Georgie could get across the park if she was just now
waking up after her binge.

He let himself in since the door was unlocked, “He-” he cut himself off, hearing the shower going. A
devilish grin on his face spread like wildfire. This was a prime time to get back at Sydney.
Ohohohohoooo, the things he could do. He only had to choose. He quietly closed the door behind him
and crept forward.



Georgie blushed at the womans comment and quickly turned her phone with the display the other way.
Justin was handsome, there was no denying that. Her heart fluttered a little as she remembered how he
had looked like with his shirt off, and maybe her blush got a little deeper down her neck as she did.
Morningwood? Was that some variation of early bird? As she tried to form a reply Georgie was sure her
ears was heating up as well.

“Uh, no...um...he is...Justin is a very sweet guy, but we...we are just friends...and he wondered if I would
like to have breakfast with him...” Georgie glanced at the dress. It had some sand still on it, perhaps a
little bit of mud too, and so did the woman's shoes but other than that...it was a nice dress.
Quite...revealing. She tried to glance at it by the corner of her eye. How much money had the woman
spent on that dress...and...a glint in by the woman's ears and neck made her note the earrings and

necklace. Both fitted very nicely. They were not small and modest but they didn't look like it was too
much either at the same time.

As she drove down the ally way she couldn't help but wonder what Justin would think of such a dress.
The woman's chest gave a very clear cleavage and...she could only assume men liked that. They all did in
movies anyway. Catcalling and name calling was common in some movies. Was it like that in real life?
Both Justin and Sydney had called her ‘lil’ Sis’ but that didn't sound that bad. She glanced at the woman
again and how she had stretched herself out, almost like a cat in the seat, seemingly basking in the
sunlight that came through the clouds. Who was she? A horse owner perhaps. Must be a wealthy one if
William let her stay in the house.

Georgie carefully circled around one of the larger puddles on the road. It must have been quite the
downpour the night before. She hadn't heard a thing. There was an addition to her blush. She had no
memory whatsoever on the evening. Or...it had something about Romeo and Juliet...and Justin had sung
for her. There was a small smile on her lips. She really loved his voice, the sound, the pitch, all of it...and
he had good things to say too. He had given her some pointers that she dearly wished she had the
courage to do...but...just a year longer and she would be able to... He hadn't understood why...and she
wasn't sure how to explain it either... Just as little she knew how his life was like...he didn't know how
hers was like either. Even if it seemed so carefree...

She wasn't sure if she would be able to do what her brother did...what had made the family rich. Like
vultures, they ripped the little guy apart...something he might have spent a lifetime building, only to
crumble like a sand castle. As the youngest she was far away from getting Pemberley, that was the
crown jewel. The family had some smaller estates as well, like cottages if compared. But she wasn't sure
she wanted that either. Just a year ago she had been content with being home. The car accident had
changed everything. She had tried her wings at that side thing on the HCL tour and even if she had been
scared to death...she had loved it. The feeling as she cleared the last jump. It had felt like a CSI*5
competition even if it was far from it. Asthor had been happy too, perhaps due to the fact that she was
happy.

Clearing her throat, she pushed her daydreams away and turned just ever so slightly. “So, the Parks
guest rooms...are...you also meeting someone there or...”



Tequila's interest piqued. She looked over, eyeing Georgie up with an eyebrow raised. She grinned,
"Oooohhhhh, so you're Justin's lil' friend? Well, howdy, lil' thing. 'Bout time I got to meet you. He's been
keepin' you a secret from me all this time."

She curled up in the seat, turning over to face her, twirling her hair around her finger, leaning against
the back of the seat, "Where are my manners? I'm Tequila. I think you've met my lug of a brother,
Sydney and my charmin' lil' boy, Justin. Tells me your his bestie, huh? Now why wouldn't he want me

meetin' a cute lil' thang like you?" She smirked, nibbling on the finger with her hair wrapped around it
like a spool. Her smoky eyes narrowed just slightly. She didn't like being left out. Why did everyone else
get to meet 'his friend' but her?

Justin crept forward in the room under the sounds of the shower going. He pulled out his phone, turning
the camera on. He stifled a chuckle, planning to snap a picture of the hairiest ass he ever did see and
spread it around to their friends. It was a bit of a running joke what the guys would heckle each other
with. Caught Justin's frontside while he slept once. Caught Will with his bare butt in the air. Wade in a
speedo. Bryan in a bra. The list was endless and it only counted if it was by surprise.

With the camera ready, he grabbed the curtain. He gave himself a couple seconds to mentally prepare
himself since he'd have only one shot before he'd have to dodge a bullet in the shape of a fist. One more
deep breath and...he yanked open the curtain, "Spread 'em, Sunshine!" He snapped the picture and as
fast as the shutter went, so did his heart.
Uh oh.
The photo message buffered.
Oh no.
And sent.
Oh shit.
That wasn't a hairy ass. Quite hairless, in fact! A pale, plump, rosy butt that filled his and now his guy
friends' screens. And looking absolutely horrified, thinking he should ram himself through the wall to get
away from his assailant, was Jarin wide-eyed and seconds from recognizing his intruder.



For a moment she froze before looking at the woman beside her. This woman knew Justin? He hadn't
told... Why had he kept her a secret? Or perhaps not completely...he must have said something but not
everything. Could it be that Justin ashamed of her? She nibbled her lip. A small wrinkle of worry
appeared between her eyes. What could she have done to make him ashamed of her? To keep her a
secret, she couldn't think of anything that would be enough for it to be hidden from others. She got
reminded about the pond, but it could hardly be that now could it?

Tequila. Wait, did she say Sydney was her brother? And Justin...’my charming little boy’. Georgie
swallowed. Was the woman Justin’s girlfriend? ...Wife even? Surely either of the two men would have
said anything?! A very quick glance at the womans hands...no ring...but it didn't have to mean anything.
But the phrase still made her unsure. She hurried to direct her focus forward on the road, acting like it
was the busy freeway rather than Pemberleys own private - and at the moment very empty - roads.
Carefully she circled around a huge puddle on the road. On either side of the road birds was hunting for
the earthworms that had come up due to the rain. The woman looked at her with narrowed smokey
eyes. Was she simply at the house to tell her to back off? But Winston would have told her if there was
someone at the door. She had also seen enough movies with women that made sure the competition
was taken out of commission. Although she could hardly be seen as something as that...not with that

the woman, Tequila, looked the way she did. A subtle glance at herself. What had felt like a good outfit
at first now just felt...wrong.

“I'm Georgie...” she replied a little timidly, still looking intently at the road ahead. What was she
supposed to say now? Should she invite the woman to the breakfast with Justin...it would be weird and
call to ask about it, especially with her sitting right there. What if...Justin said no, how awkward wouldn't
that be? Luckily, she soon turned into the Park path and as she came through the gates she saw Santos.
Probably preparing things for today's visitors. He waved at her but the smile was towards the one next
to her. “Buongiorno dolcezza (good morning sweetie), ms Da-uh...ms Georgie...”


Tequila glanced between Santos and Georgie. So he knew her too!? She puffed a cheek, looking like a
sullen child that didn't get her toy from her Happy Meal yet. Why did everyone else seem to know her?
She put her hands on the front of the cart and leaned out from under the roof, paying little mind to her
tiny dress and precarious positioning. "Saaantoooos!" She whined. "Why didn't you introduce me to
Justin's friend sooner!?" She gave him the same pouty look from last night when he had murdered her
whisky child. “Ain’t nobody bein’ very nice to me,” she pouted. She missed Darcy already. At least he
knew how to treat a lady.

Justin flung himself backwards, narrowly dunking a shampoo bottle being hurled at him. It hit the wall
across the bathroom with such force it exploded like a grenade, splattering soap like shrapnel. Justin
smeared the soap from his eyes, sprinting for the exit.
"WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU!?" Jarin shrieked. "I'm not spreading anything for you! Go away! I'll call the
cops!"
"WHY ARE YOU IN SYDNEY'S ROOM!?" Justin croaked back at him. Christ! If things weren't bad enough
between them! "Shit!" Justin's boot caught a splatter of the soap and he slipped back, landing on his
butt.
Jarin grabbed the curtains, wrapping them around himself as tight as he could! The commotion made
him slip too! He landed in the tub with a heavy thud, now both of them grounded. "Wh-why were
you...did you want...are you…" Jarin's cheeks couldn't get any redder. He curled up, latching the curtains
around himself, trembling from the traumatizing shock. He lowered his voice, "Did you...want to
see...Sydney...n-n-...nak-"

"It ain't like that!" Justin waved his hands, scooting away from the tub demon. "It was jus' supposed to
be a joke between us guys! I swear! I didn't know it was you! I swear by my mama's soul. I'm just as
surprised as you!"
Jarin stared at him with a hard frown. Justin lied all the time. He was searching for any sign of a lie now.
How was any of what he did a joke!?
"Why were you in here, Jar-bear?" Justin deflected the blame, turning over with a little groan to get
back up on his feet. "You and Syd playin' slumber party without me?"

Jarin shook his head violently, "N-no! I...he...well...he went in my room and locked me out. I think he
passed out...but his room was unlocked so...I tried knocking on the door but I haven't heard from him all
morning. Can you text him for me? I can't, my phone's broken."

Justin leaned towards Jarin to help him back on his feet but the flare in Jarin's eyes made him back
away. He stepped into the bedroom portion of the room and pulled out his phone, "Sure thing. I'll give
him a ring, see if our lil' sunshine is up and about." He could understand Jarin's concerns. Though,
usually, Sydney wasn't the blackout drunk kind of guy unless he consumed lethal amounts of alcohol.
The liquor in the punch wasn't enough to do that. Sydney even said himself he wasn't even that buzzed.
So he shouldn't be ignoring a knock on the door. It wasn't like him to sleep in. He was probably just
being an asshole to Jarin like he always liked to be…

Justin noticed almost all of the guys had responded to the picture he should have never sent. He paused
to gather that most of them were asking where Justin had found a lady with such a generous ass. Oh
god...it felt dirty they had been tricked. It felt awkward that he thought they weren't wrong either.
Everything about it was awkward. He did notice that Sydney was the only one that hadn't responded in
some way. He'd...maybe just ignore the other guys for now. Instead, he dialed Sydney's number.



“Uh...” An intelligent reply, what was he supposed to say now not to make things worse after yesterday?
Santos still fancied the blonde. He looked at Georgie and then back at Tequila who was now leaning out
further, making his eyes being drawn to the magnets on her chest. He had the reply on his tongue but
somehow his mouth failed to deliver a reply to either woman. He didn't even ask about why ms Darcy
was wearing shades despite it being a mostly cloudy day. Georgie took a deep breath, glancing at the
woman beside her “Actually Santos didn't know until yesterday either...and I didn't know he was friends
with Justin...” However given how friendly both men were she wasn't surprised that they quickly had
become friends - whenever they had met.

Santos snapped out of it...somewhat, at least he managed to tear his eyes from that firm stare, to a
more ‘bobbing’ motion, his eyes went up and down, from the boobs to the blondes face and then they
dropped down, went up - and down again. He didn't even look at the other female in the cart. It didn't
matter that he had seen the dress already the night before, even in this lighting it brought out all the
good parts on her body. Her features made it hard to resist not looking. It sat slick against her figure,
and showed the assets well. “I can...take you on a breakfast date, Ms Brannon? Would that make you
feel better?” he hurried himself to say, happy with his idea until he remembered he was in front of a
Darcy. Santos was a nice guy but more often than not he did things and or spoke before thinking. “...at
the Park cafeteria...obviously...in case I'm needed...” he corrected himself to say as his brain caught up
with his mouth.

Georgie had offered the cart to Santos and Sydney’s sister. It had suddenly felt very clear that she was a
bit of a third wheel. Sydney's sister seemed to have perked up at Satos clear interest. A part of her

wished she had been brave enough to perhaps ask Tequila about Justin, how he was like on his own
home turf but...the moment Santos offered breakfast, her moment was gone. Instead she politely said
her goodbyes and went to look where Justin was at. In his text he had said the ‘outside the guest rooms’
but she knew what number his room had...so she went there. However, after knocking...there was no
reply. Where could he have gone? Slowly she started to walk along the corridor, hoping that maybe he
had bumped into a friend and by walking along a little randomly she might overhear people talking, and
one of the voices would be his.


Tequila's unjust treatment flew out of the window as soon as he offered her a little attention for her
troubles. How could she refuse such a sweety? Her pouty lips turned into a cute smile, fluttering her
lashes at him and hiding behind her shoulder, twirling her hair around her finger. She giggled, accepting
the invitation and Georgie was all but a forgotten entity.
She wrapped her arms around his bicep, leaning her head on his shoulder. "On one condition," she
added, running a fingernail up his arm. "Escort me to my room so I can get cleaned up, okay, sweet
baby? You don't want breakfast with a dirty girl, do you?" She giggled as they drove off, leaving Georgie
to finish her walk.

Justin pulled the phone from his ear, hearing it ring but then he heard a loud ring coming from the
hallway too. And it was getting closer? Jarin peeked out of the bathroom, curtain still wrapped around
him. He heard the same. But Jarin recognized another sound that Justin hadn't been finely trained to
recognize like Jarin. A distinctive clomp-chink-clomp-chink of heavy boot and spur. And heavier
footsteps than usual. He was mad. Jarin immediately cowered into the bathroom, taking shelter beside
the toilet. He pulled the curtain over his head and hunkered down, closing his eyes.

Sydney stomped right past Georgie, not even noticing her, nearly taking her out like a bug hitting a
windshield of a freight train. His mind was focused on one thing and everything else was irrelevant
around him. The whole building could be on fire and he'd storm through the flames.
He crushed the doorknob to his room and rammed through the door with enough force, he ripped the
hinges right off the doorframe. Justin spooked as fast as he could, flailing to jump out of the window if
he could make it. It wasn't a time to ask questions! It was time to run! He just managed to get his fingers
on the window sill when he was yanked back by his pants, underwear included. He groaned, cupping his
balls that just got split apart by the fabric. His face was shoved down in the bed, his arms pulled behind
him like he was being arrested. "I ain't gay," he snarled in Justin's ear, punching his buttcheek hard.

Justin yelped but also couldn't help but start laughing too. "It was just a butt, Syd!" Which earned him
another punch on his buttcheek. This man was so sensitive about his manhood, it was unbelievable!
They had sent asses and dick pics all the time and it usually made the big oaf giggle like a child. But, oh,
send him Jarin's ass and suddenly it was offensive?
"A fuckin' dude's ass," he growled. Sydney knew exactly whose butt that had been.
He snorted and couldn't stop giggling, "Jarin, Jarin, I know you're in there! C'mon, man, help me out
here!"

Jarin had shrank down into the size of a pea, now shell-shocked in horror. He sent...that picture...to
Sydney!? All of his blood froze over solid in his veins, turning him to stone. Justin was on his own as Jarin
mentally checked out of the solar system.



She had heard the stomping behind her and while she had taken a step to the side to let the ‘dinosaur’
stomp past her, the person still manage to brush her shoulder enough to in her current state still
stumble into the wall. It hurt a little but not much. But as she looked up she thought she saw something
that felt familiar with that muscular back and the way he walked. Sydney? While being gruff he hadn't
actually been rude... The man turned and crashed through the door on his right. Georgie’s eyes grew.
What in the heavens?! Then her brows knitted down. Why was he destroying Pemberleys property?
Sure they could afford a new door without much thought...but that wasn't the point. This place was
newly built! It shouldn’t need repairs this soon!

While she wasn't ‘officially dressed’ with her Pemberley nametag and all she went after the man.
“Sydney!” she called, doing her best to sound stern even if her heart began to race. “Sydney!” She
rounded the door as she continued “Sydney....why are you break-...” She grabbed the doorframe as her
eyes took in the scene and her still hungover brain tried to make sense of it. The big bear of a man that
was Sydney Brannon had Justin pressed down in the bed, his arms locked, and just as she had rounded
the doorframe she was sure she had heard a yelp, similar to the one she heard now as she watched
Sydney punch Justin again. On his butt? The restrained man was laughing but... the way Sydney held him
had to hurt! Neither man seemed to have noticed her. Yet. Georgie looked at the broken door. She
wasn't sure if it could be saved. ‘Doors and how to fix them’ was not a book by Newt Scamander.
Perhaps it was a good thing that her brother had left. William Darcy would not have taken it lightly she
was sure of that, and wouldn't be beyond making a point over something small - if it was his property.
With Sydney being Justin's friend she could make something up, but she would still like to know the
‘why’ when she would possibly risk her neck for his sake.

Her eyes turned to the pair in the bed again. She wasn't sure why Sydney was angry at Justin. Butt? Had
she heard that right? Like a person walking closer to a known aggressive dog she walked slowly up to the
bed, like she was afraid she would spook the angry canine. “Hey...Sydney, Sydney...please, let him go... “
She hesitated, but then she remembered that Sydney did not like to be touched. Would that make him
let go of Justin? A glance at her hand like she was considering if she had a use for it or not. Still a bit
hesitant, she placed her hand on his shoulder. “Sydney, please...release Justin...whatever happened it
can't be so bad you need to hit him or...” There was no way she could know what Justin may have done
but she was pretty sure it would not justify being treated like he was a criminal. However she did
remove her hand quickly, like she had been electrocuted by an electric fence - or if it was due to the way
Sydney looked up at her. She may even have taken a step back. If looks could kill she would probably
been trice dead by now.

She had poked the sleeping bear again, she realised, he looked more angry than the first time she had
given him a pat after he had roped Justin - or even at the breakfast table. It felt like her face grew paler,
her eyes growing wider under the shades. Oh no. She slowly retracted her hand. Now she could only
hope ‘it’ - the Sydneymonster - wouldn't go after her. It wouldn't be any point in running either. She
doubted it would take more than two steps for him to catch up to her anyway. As always certain things
tend to appear at the wrong time making things even more awkward. The angry stare, and the sudden
but perhaps brief switch of energy towards her - it was still enough to make her stomach to do a
nervous spin like she had been in a roller coaster. The sour taste in her mouth came back. It didn't
matter if she had puked like a dog in the early morning hours, it seemed that somehow her stomach
thought it had something left to spew out of her - perhaps the water she drank. She hastily covered her
mouth just in case. The bathroom door was open and she tried to ignore the men, Sydney's angry face
especially, as she made her way there. It had to come out. Now. She closed the door behind her but
didn't lock it. She doubted they would go in here.

So focused on what she had to do, she didn't ‘see’ the creature trying to hide by the toilet. Not until they
moved as she was to open the toilet lid. What in the....! A naked man wrapped up in a shower curtain! A
small squeal of surprise mixed with shock. She took a step back away from the toilet, felt something
slippery under her shoe, did some weird breakdance moves as she tried to find her balance again, then
she stepped on another slippery bit with her other shoe making her entire performance something like a
crossover between breakdance vs Bambi on ice. Her arms flailed as she tried to find something to grasp
onto for support, but with nothing but air to grasp she helplessly fell with a crash. The world blackened
out for few seconds and when she came to again, now with a world full of ‘stars’, the left side of her
cheek and eyebrow felt tender, as did her the left side of her hip and shoulder. The little mini vomit
retreated back into her, perhaps saving itself for later, leaving just a bad taste in her mouth. If possible
her headache instead returned with a vengeance. As she tried to feel the side of her face she felt
something warm trickling down.


Too much all at once! No one in the room could keep up with the circus of chain reactions. Justin had
heard Georgie come in first that brought a grin to his face. Sydney couldn't be such an ass with a girl
present in the room. He glanced up and saw the wrinkled up nose of disappointment that proved it. He
had just about chuckled when Georgie darted off again, abandoning him to his doom. Which, granted,
he didn't blame her not that Sydney would lay on a hand on her. Not if he wanted to keep his hand
attached to him.

Sydney glanced down at Justin, growling. What? Just because some little girl comes crying to his side,
he's just supposed to stop? Fuck that. This was personal. He felt mocked by Justin by that picture. Like
maybe Justin had an inkling of an idea of what went on between him and Jarin. And that flared up the
defenses in Sydney. Did he think it was funny!? And he sent to all the guys! A second conflicting feeling
was that of possession. How dare they get so much as a glance at his plaything. That was his chew toy
and he did not share.

Justin's smile vanished, his eyes narrowing, looking at Sydney. At first he thought the guy was just being
sensitive about his manhood as he always was. But usually a couple rowdy punches, a good slur of swear
words, maybe spit in his eye and it was done with. This was going on just a bit longer than usual. The
tension was shattered by the chorus of squeals that came from the bathroom, followed by the clatter
and commotion. Jarin jumped hard when the girl...Georgie, he recognized her from the night before,
barged into the bathroom. No, no, no, no!! He was naked! She couldn't be in there! HE WAS NAKED!
And then she spotted him! Adrenaline poured into his flight senses, swelling into his legs. This wasn't
happening! First Justin barging in, taking perverted pictures and sending them to Sydney and now a girl
about to use the toilet!? Like a rocket ship fueled and ready for blast off, he tore out of there at mach
speeds, shrieking as he went or that might have been him breaking the sound barrier. He crashed
through the bathroom door, head over heels, splaying himself wide open like a spatchcocked chicken
before scrambling to his feet again and sprinting out of the room in a blur of rosy pink and white shower
curtain. His cries could be heard all the way down the hallway, another thud as he hit a wall before the
stairs. A moment of silence...

The boys turned their attention to the window as they heard the muffled cries of him running outside
now...there was no telling how far he'd run until he gathered his senses again...if there were any to be
gathered...How did...anyone react to that...? It had dissipated the tension between Sydney and Justin,
both sat on the bed in shock looking like planks of wood. Sydney stepped off Justin and plopped his butt
on the bed, mindlessly staring towards the window. What the hell had Jarin been doing in the bathroom
still naked? How long had he been in there? What the hell...?

Justin equally took a moment to process the panicked creature's blind bolt out of there. He had seen
more of Jarin's naked body than he ever wanted to. If anything, it had proved that the nude Jarin in his
dreams had been much more generously endowed than the unsurprisingly unimpressive, almost pitiful,
'little Jar-Bear'. And that thought floating in his head didn't make the current situation any less bizarre
because...did that mentally mean Justin had subconsciously...he really preferred not to think any more
on the subject.

He glanced at the bathroom door, seeing a skid mark that might have once been a part of Jarin's face.
Yeesh. ...the other squeal! Georgie! He rolled from the bed, leaving Sydney to contemplate the wonders
of the universe. He slowly crept over to the bathroom, fully expecting to see her splattered onto the
bathroom wall. It was dangerous to cross the path of a panicked banshee, no telling what damage he
could inflict. He peeked one eye in first, saw she wasn't murdered and then looked with the other.
Honestly, he was impressed she had evaded the worst of it. He noted the skid mark in the soap on the
floor just behind her and smiled a little, “I see you didn’t fare too well against the suds trap either.” He
chuckled a little, stepping into the bathroom. “He took me down with it too. I’m tellin’ ya, that kid needs
a warnin’ sign ‘round his neck. He’s lethal. You get him and Syd in the same ring and you’ve got the
dangerous duo, oop-” he noted the knot on her eyebrow starting to get puffy and upset-looking.

He pulled one of the smaller towels from the rack and handed it down to her. He dropped the toilet seat
and plopped down on it, resting his elbows on his knees, leaning down closer to her level. He chuckled,

“Pretty impressive if you escaped the lil’ fury with just a bonk on the head. I’ve still got scars the last
time I tried takin’ that bull by the horns. It’s always the quiet ones, ain’t that right Ms. More Than Meets
the Eye?” He smiled and winked at her. “Guess I shouldn’t ask how yer mornin’s been goin’, huh?


A small groan as she tried to sit up more at the same time as she accepted the towel. There was a small
grimace as she pressed the towel against her face. It felt like something had come undone inside her
head. The most tender part was her left eyebrow though. As she for a moment removed the towel she
noted the red before putting it back. Oh, wasn't this just great, juuuust great. This would look nice at the
ceremony. What would William say? She felt the mini vomits aftertaste, was that supposed to be a
bonus? With one eye mostly covered by the towel she could only give Justin a single eye look. “...it's
been just...peachy...” she said, adding a lopsided smirk.

She wasn't sure what had happened after she fell. But something had brushed by her, or rather partly
over her and... she looked down at her right hand...it had more suds on it than it should have had. He
must have stepped on it as he frog-jumped over her, but it didn't hurt any. She looked at the open door
behind her, she thought she could see the tip of a boot. Then her gaze went back to Justin, or rather the
toilet he was sitting on. “Why was there a...uh naked...man in here?” She felt her cheeks getting hot as
she said the word ‘naked’. Aside from the drawn naked men in her old school biology books, and those
on some of her covers, this had been the first glimpse ever. It hadn't been what she expected, of course
she had gotten a shower curtain partly in her face - something she was actually thankful for.

She looked at Justin again where he sat on the toilet “Why did Sydney break the door? Why are you in
this room? Who...ow..who was that guy? Do...do you know him? Why didn't he lock the door if he was
in here? I wouldn't...if I had known...he was in here...” She removed the towel again, a little more red on
it but thankfully not much. Her brow was quite sore. As Justin began his reply she carefully began trying
to stand up, feeling like a newly born calf, since the floor was still slippery. Of course when she was just
about standing up again, she took a step on new suds of soap and slipped again. This time she fell
forward, her eyes wide - towards Justin - instead of backwards.


Justin snorted, bumping her back up straight again as he stood up. Escorting her out before she killed
herself, he explained, "Look," he said with sympathy in his tone, "you don't ask a lot of questions when it
has anything to do with that kid. Ain't that right, Syd? They're from the same stable and all…"

Sydney was still looking in the direction of the window, a blank look on his face. He glanced up at Justin
when he leaned over and poked his cheek. Not that he looked like he even knew where he was. He had
already been in the stable but after seeing what was, essentially, his property being exploited by
someone other than himself, he sort of let the anger take over. And here he was. Back in his room. With
added company.

Truth be told, he had already been in and out of the room earlier. He had locked Jarin out of his room
last night, thinking it would be a funny prank. And at some point he had just fallen asleep instead. And
despite his heavy drinking, he had been up before the sun, as usual to get his day started. He had gone
back to his own room where he unlocked the door to get a change of clothes. No bother to wake Jarin,
who could sleep through nuclear bombs in his backyard. Now that he thought about it...perhaps he had
come dangerously close to looking too defensive through his actions. If they thought he was being
territorial of Jarin, they would assume it was because he wanted him for something. And who wanted
Jarin Jackson for more than an entertaining laugh? He looked away from Justin, making an affirmative
grunt as he stood from the bed.

"Leavin' so soon? Thought you'd at least take a feller to breakfast after fistin' his ass. C'mon-" Justin gave
him a nervous grin, receiving a heated glare from Sydney. Oh, how he wanted to keep picking at him.
But there was a lady present who didn't understand their rough house play. So, he had no choice but to
give it a rest. This time. As Sydney stomped out of the room, Justin glanced down at Georgie, "Guess it's
jus' you and me, partner. I-uh...sorry ‘bout the door,” he gestured to its carcass on the floor. “Put it on
Syd’s tab, he can afford a new one,” he chuckled.



She blinked. Kid? It hadn't looked like a kid to her. Too tall for a kid. The person who had frog jumped
over her had to be taller than her. She still had no clue on who the shrieking being had been. But if Justin
told her not to ask questions...then it was probably for a reason. She looked at the big not so green hulk
sitting at the edge of the bed. Same stable...as Sydney? As...who? It was hard to tell who ‘they’ could
be...or it was for her, given things currently. At this point she wasn't really sure what was starting to hurt
more...her brow or her head...or if they were joining forces and hurt just as much both of them. She was
about to stop Justin from touching Sydney when she realised that he must know what he was
doing...since he knew Sydney. For some reason the imagery she then got in her head made her giggle.
Justin was acting just as Steve Irwin who when he had a thing going on - in some opinion - way too close
to a dangerous animal to either pick it up or to get a cool image shot of it. Now...Sydney wasn't a wild
animal but Georgie was sure he was just as unpredictable as one. Perhaps he was even just as
dangerous. Like playing dare with a rhinoceros.

Sydney got up from the bed, gave Justin what Georgie saw as a warning. It was enough to make her take
a step back and lower her own gaze even if the ‘stink eye’ hadn't been directed towards her. Perhaps
that step, was one so Justin was in front of her. However the big man just left the room, and she was
sure she could feel the almost electrical tension vanish. She followed Justin’s gesture and looked at the
broken door, a small sigh. And with that she fished her phone out of her pocket, scrolled through the
phone list, and then as she found the number she pressed on the screen.

“Mr Whitehead? Yes, good morning - it's ms Darcy, yes...” She took a step outside the room, looking at
the room number sign. “I'm at the guesthouse, we will need a new door and...from the looks of it...new
hinges, to room number 50... What happened? Eh....big guy...fell on it...mm yeah, he is really big...you

might want to bring a door handle too...what? A trifecta in faulty things? Yeah probably...so...you can fix
this?...there is no need to change the actual locking mechanism though, I think, just put it on the new
door... No...there is no need to tell William, um Mr Darcy...I...” she exhaled in a big sigh, knowing how
annoyed William could be if he was already in a grumpy mood “...I deal with it when he gets
back...no...it was an accident...no, there is nobody to send a bill too...like I said, I take care of it...”

She looked up at Justin. “No, no...you don't need to tell my brother about this, I promise...the less he
knows about this the better...ok, see you soon...thank you.” As she put her phone back, she looked up at
the man beside her “I guess we just have to wait about five minutes or so until our ‘fixer’ shows up...I
don't want to leave the room unguarded - given there are personal things in there. I doubt there are
thieves here but...still...” However almost as she had spoken the words there was a sound of the main
front door opening as well as a man's voice. Well, that was quick. They had to have been nearby.
Georgie smiled as she saw Lee Whitehead coming up the stairs, followed by two younger men that
carried the new door. The man looked to be in his mid fifties, grey sprinkled hair and a face that showed
he was more of an outdoor type of man more than an office one. “Ms Darcy...” he greeted and then
turned to look at Justin. Perhaps his eyes got a little more stern as he sized the cowboy up. Then he
smiled.

“You don't look like you could bust this door to splinters, son...” he held out his hand in greeting and as
the other held out his he took it, shaking it firmly. Georgie hurried herself to cut in. “Oh no...it was not
Jus...Mr McBride who did this, Mr Whitehead...it was...someone else...that fell...it was a complete
accident...I just didn't want to leave before you came.” The older man looked between the two and the
door. “So where did Mr Doorsmash go?” She glanced at Justin, like she had to check with him. “He had
to check on his horse...” Even with the shades on she was sure Lee Whitehead saw right through her.
She was a bad liar...or liar..she didn't have a good poker face. What she felt was show straight away. She
didn't know where Sydney went, but it was clear that she knew very well who had wrecked the door.
The old man looked at the broken door that the two other men now had lifted off the last hinge and
placed leaning on the wall opposite the doorway. While not narrow, it wasn't wide enough to give
enough momentum to crash through the door. Mr Whitehead didn't say it...but Georgie saw that was
what he was thinking. It was a good and sturdy door too, not one of those cheap flimsy one. William
would never buy something that wasn't of a good quality.

He could tell she was trying to ‘protect’ someone. He also knew that his employer while having a good
eye for quality, he wasn't really a people person. Not like the oldest of the Darcy brothers. Charles Darcy
was liked by everybody. He gave a smirk. If Ms Darcy wanted to take that with Mr William Darcy, that
was her choice. Instead he turned his attention towards something else as he waited for his little crew
to fix the door. “So what's with the fancy shades this morning, ms Darcy... It's not sunny enough to
warrant those...” Georgie looked down at her feet, feeling her cheeks get warm. “Migraine...” she
mumbled. He gave a soft chuckle. “Well then, Ms Darcy...be sure to drink a lot of water to help that
‘migraine’ get better, ok? And be sure to eat something too...for real this time...at least try...” Mr
Whitehead looked at the young man next to ms Darcy. Gave him a wink as to say he knew exactly what
it was about. “Are you her cavalier for this morning, sir?” He petted Georgie gently on the shoulder,

smiling at Justin “See, she is our lil princess you know...” At that she blushed - again. Mr Whitehead had
always called her ‘princess’ - at least when she was little... He was one of those, that together with
Winston for example, had been here all her life...they could get away with things like that, although she
was pretty sure Mr Whitehead wouldn't call her ‘princess’ in front of her parents or brothers. She
hurried herself to try and explain but the older man cut her off “Oh, relax Ms Darcy...I'm sure Mr
McBride know I'm just teasin’ ya... yer not more royal than me...but I swear, one of these days...there
will be a Prince Charming coming for ya, lil girl...”

By now she was sure her ears had become all red too. Why was he talking to her like she was a child?
Lee was a nice man but...she wasn't a little girl anymore... She still remembered her sitting in his office
looking through all of his old show jumping magazines, looking at old results, and the horses...articles
about the top riders of that time. “Ok...thank you, Mr Whitehead...we...should be going now...” She took
a few steps before glancing over her shoulder to see if Justin followed. Lee waved at them both. “Ok, ms
Darcy...and you don't forget to eat and drink something...for that migraine...do feel free to remind her
for me, will you mr McBride?”


Justin had appreciated his humor from the start. He commented how one day he'd grow big and strong
and be able to knock down doors all by himself one day. Although his polite grin stayed on his outward
features, he was rolling his eyes on the inside. Yet another man telling him how to treat Georgie. It was
like he couldn't run into a single person who worked or lived here that didn't nag him about her. How
many "fathers" did one girl need? He was starting to take it a bit personally how many of them looked at
him and thought he was the kind of guy that didn't know how to treat a lady like a damn lady. If he had
to hear one more "you better do this or else…" he was going to give a personal speech on what personal
freedom, choice, and what it meant to experience life lessons instead of stuffing someone in a bunker
and shaming everyone else around them.

But it wasn't the time or place to be getting on his soap box. The guy didn't mean any harm by it. At
least, Justin gave him the benefit of the doubt and stepped out of the room, accompanying Georgie. He
could let it go and have a delightful wake to breakfast instead. He gave her a friendly smile, "Is everyone
here your dad?" Oh...guess that one slipped out after all.

He chuckled shaking his head, "Sorry, didn't mean no harm by that. Just seems...like a pain in the ass
havin' all these dudes houndin' 'round ya? Last night, even. Some big dude, maybe yer dad or
somethin'? Tellin' me I'll get lynched if make ya cry or somethin'." He chuckled and shook his head. "I
ain't 'bout that, Ms. Georgie. Ain't no cryin' on my watch unless it's 'cuz I ripped the butt outta mah
pants or maybe I cracked a good joke."
He bumped against her side lightly, softening up his tone so he didn't sound so naggy, "Yer a grown ass
woman, Georgie. Ya don't need a pile 'a guys tellin' you or anybody 'round you what to do or what to
say…" He hoped she understood where he was coming from. He wasn't out to offend her family and
those that cared for her. But it was painfully obvious how shut-in they kept her. She was 19. Not 9. It
was every bit of her own choice by this point in life to keep living under a rock.

He held up his hands in defense, backing off the subject, "I know, I know...age thing and fancy family
things and all that," he chuckled light-heartedly. "Just one friend's opinion to another. You ain't gotta do
nothin' that comes outta my mouth." He gave her a friendly smile, a genuine one that wasn't so put out
by people constantly telling treating her like a frail snowflake.



She looked down at her feet, feeling her cheeks hot again, and cursing herself for the fact. Something
that wasn't really her ‘fault’. A soft “...no..” came as a reply. She had never asked to be watched over by
the ‘older’ men that worked here, and why some of them did it, she wasn't sure. Lee was the only one
who did it for a reason, at least one she could understand. But others...no... Not even her father was as
strict or overbearing, something you might have expected him to be. In fact, he had never really seemed
to care about what she did or what she wanted to do with her life. And he had nothing to do with Mr
Durant. Her father had simply told her to behave and be a ‘good girl’, to stay out of trouble. If there was
anyone who set up the rules for her it was more William, and perhaps to some extent Charles. But those
that Charles told her were more in the lines with what her father said. Sometimes it felt like William
didn't trust her to make the right call, even if she was quite sure he knew she was capable. It was just
when she heard the sound of Justin's chuckle she looked up at him.

Some of the red on her cheeks vanished as she listened, perhaps she turned a little pale instead. A ‘big
dude’, lynched? The only big dude here was Christopher Durant, Williams...whatever he was...he was
said to work as the stable slash breeding manager up at the stud...but more often than not he was doing
other things too. Like security. Why would William have Christopher following her around? There had
been times she had that creeping feeling that someone was watching her... Had that been Christopher?
She couldn't help but feel somewhat betrayed. For how long had he kept watch over her? Why had he
felt it necessary to speak to Justin? What had happened for him to even make himself known. Justin had
said it had been yesterday, but when?

“...I didn't...know about Christopher...the ‘big dude’...that he...was watching me...he is Williams
handyman, of sorts...even if he is supposed to be the head manager when it comes to the stud... He
does other things too, like security...” she began, “On the other hand, Mr Whitehead, Lee...
I used to follow him around a lot when I was little...asking him horse questions, reading his horse
magazines...I was never told this back then...when it happened...but...I overheard Winston once, taking
to his wife, that Mr Whitehead family, his wife and daughter, was killed in a car accident, a drunk
driver...His daughter would be in my age, if she was alive. He have never mentioned them himself
though...but I can see why he might...do that...” She wasn't sure why she tried to defend the man. Or at
least explain his actions “I mean, care for me the way he does...”

Unprepared for his nudge, she took a sidestep, catching her balance the moment after. “I know I am -
and that I don't...need that... But...it's hard trying to do your thing...when people are hovering around
you...it's like some are afraid of me getting upset if I fail...if I don't win...and some are just afraid I will
tell on them if they say no to my request. Or that people will start to act differently if or when they know

who I am. That was why I didn't introduce myself at the rodeo... Not properly anyway and... I used the
Pemberley trailer, that's why I left so quickly... I was worried, perhaps even afraid...you wouldn't...want
to be my friend for...the person that is me...more than for the connections...it have happened before.
Ever since I did...feel bad of assuming that, and I'm sorry for doing that to you Justin...but...it have often
been like that...” She folded some of her hair behind her ear, realising that she was babbling - again -
even if they had gone over this before. “I'm really trying to step away from them...to be my own...but it
is hard...”

His warm smile affected her like it always did, but she did her best not to let the twirls the butterflies in
her stomach be too big. She took a deep breath.“I really appreciate you Justin...I might not have known
you for that long but, thank you for letting me be me...and...still wanting to be my friend...despite my
family...and...” her hand gestured to the place around her “...all of this...mess that's me...” She carefully
put her hand on his shoulder. “But I want you to know that you...can always turn to me if there is
anything I can help you with. If there is anything I can do for you when you have a need...see me as a
friend with...with um” She was almost about to say ‘with money’ but that sounded weird...perhaps even
bad “...with...benefits... You don't need to feel ashamed about it either, I won't tell anyone. It's would be
a secret that is safe with me. I figure it would be better to get it from me...than a bank...or a loan shark
or whatever it's called... then you wouldn't need to pay for it either. There is no must of course but...I
just want you to know you have this option too...”

Georgie meant it as a nice offer, something to consider just in case he would ever be in need of quick
emergency money, and she hadn't meant to step on his toes or his pride by making the offer. She just
wanted to offer another way if he had a tricky problem to solve. The way he looked at her, with that
twinkle in his eye, made her wonder if she had done or said something wrong, but he didn't seem angry.
“You don't have to take the offer if you don't want to, Justin...but...I want my friend to know...if
needed... no matter what it is - I'm here for you...”


Justin had to eat his own medicine and try not to be overly-nagging about some of the values that
conflicted with his own. He was no better than the rest of them if he went around telling her what to do
about her life. It didn’t come easy for him because he merely wanted her to prosper on her own and feel
confident about herself. It just all sounded so manipulative and that was the last thing on this planet
that he’d want to play a hand in. But, if she said she was aware of the situation, then hell, it was her
choice after all. Even if he didn’t totally understand it.

Family business aside, he raised a brow at her “offer”. Was...she...offering him money?? Because that
wasn’t how friends with benefits worked by his definition. But she was serious? Wanting to be a walking
cash register for him? He shook his head, “Maybe if I end up in prison one of these days then I’ll come
cryin’ to ya. Then again, if I’m goin’ to prison, I prolly did somethin’ where I ain’t comin’ back out.” Oh,
that made him sound tough. A little flex to feel like a big man. Justin wouldn’t do anything
totally...horrendous. Not on purpose...not Justin.

“Tell ya what, do me a different favor.” He patted a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t be goin’ ‘round givin’
the same offers to jus’ any ol’ dude sayin’ he’s yer friend, aight? Don’t want you sellin’ out to some
cutey with baby blues,” He grinned and fluttered his lashes.

Just as they were finished in the hallway, Justin was bumped with a door swinging open and then
bumped into by none other than a beautiful blond, dragging a curly-haired man behind her with a
brilliant grin. She looked up and smiled, “Why, Justin, hey sugar!”
Justin looked between her and- Santos? His eyebrows raised again, looking impressed. Between the
guys, they shared that look. The one that asked ‘did you!? With her!? Damn!’ It was evident by the color
still in their cheeks and that glow that Tequila seemed to emit from her bronzed skin. She was changed
out of the dress she had on last night, now back in her denim shorts and another shirt tied together
under her breasts.

She hooked an arm around Santos’s arm, pulling him a little closer to her, “Have you met my new friend,
here, Jus? This is Santos! See? I introduce my friends like mighty fine lady should. You know I got
dragged ‘round by all y’all ‘bout yer girl there, Georgie. Took me all until this mornin’ to even know her
name? Now, what’s up with that, huh, mister?” She put a hand on her hip, pursing her lips.

Justin felt the tingle on the back of his neck. Tread carefully. And not for the reason that she was upset
for. He smiled, “DIdn’t I say you’d meet her later? Ya did, didn’t ya?”
Tequila cracked a smile. She batted his arm, “Dammit, Jus, can’t I be right jus’ once?”
He chuckled, “Well, you did say you were a mighty fine lady. That ain’t entirely wrong.”
She smiled, lifting her chin in the air. Not that she caught on that he didn’t say which parts weren’t right.
She was just inflated to be called a mighty fine woman and be right. “Hey, where y’all headed anyway?”

Justin stepped a little closer to Georgie, hooking his thumb in his belt, “Get some food, get this day
started.”
“Heeey, that’s where we were goin’! Ain’t that right, Santos?” She gleamed up at him. “Why don’t we all
go together? Treat us ladies.” Justin’s friendly demeanor didn’t change one bit. He didn’t want to give
off the smell of fear. Not in front of the man eater. Did she sense it already? Steady, Justin. Don’t get
sucked into her games and mile-long cleavage. Don’t look at the little heart tattoo on her chest. It hasn’t
changed and it won’t ever change. No need to check now. Eyes forward, chin up, breathe.



For some reason, and she didn't know why exactly, she felt a little ashamed as he spoke. What had a
prison sentence to do with anything? And...offering other people her money? Did he think she was that
dumb that she couldn't tell a...golddigger from someone genuine needing help? Especially when the
offer was to help a friend. And...it wasn't like she was offering money for...just anything small...it was
just so he wouldn't have to deal with loan payments and fees and other things...or getting his knees
bashed in if he couldn't pay. Bashed in knees was what those that couldn't pay got in the movies
anyway. In a way she felt sad that he perhaps saw her that way, because that wasn't what she had

intended. She had simply wanted to offer a way for him to get financial ‘support’ a little bit easier if he
would need it. Instead it seemed to have come out all wrong and she wasn't sure how to...explain it
better. Was she really that bad of making herself understood? If she tried perhaps she would just make
it worse. She would hate if he looked at her like she was stupid.

While she wasn't of ‘proper’ age according to the family, she wasn't that new to doing small
investments. She had done bad ones and good ones. Learned from her fails and took the things she
learned forward to her next one. If he felt like this for her offer to help him with cash if needed, perhaps
he wouldn't like her surprise at all? The thought made her worry and she felt a new wave of pain coming
over her, like a hard pinching cap over her head. She was happy over the dark shades she had on. Then
he couldn't see her eyes as clearly. She tried to smile back at him, replying that ‘she wouldn't do that’
but her bad self esteem only mustered the smile to be half.

As they walked through the hallway she was silent not really knowing what to say, what if she said
something bad again? Then a door swung open, and it bumped into Justin. It didn't seem to be hard
though. The female voice made her look up. It was the same woman she had given a ride from the
house...and Santos was still with her. The woman's outfit was...showing a lot more skin than the
previous one Georgie had seen her in. As she glanced at the men, she saw that they looked at the other
woman, one of the men was gawking more than the other. Was that the way you had to dress to be
seen? She couldn't help but wonder. There was so many flaws all over herself Georgie wasn't sure if she
could even...have such short shorts on. Usually her own shorts and skirts went just over the knee. Her
shirts covered her shoulders and a little ways out on her arms, any neckline was always ‘decent’ and
didn't show anything. Certainly not as low as the blonde. If this outfit the other woman was wearing was
supposed to be daring, her own was probably considered utterly boring and timid. Georgie couldn't help
to look down at herself. There had been a moment when she had thought the outfit was nice...but now.
She didn't even have real ripped pants. She didn't hear the others talking, so busy with finding more
possible flaws that others probably already had seen.


Santos was happy, VERY happy! While Ms Brannon’s action had spooked him quite some bit yesterday
evening, when there was just the two of them in the room he had no problem whatsoever to show her
what he could do. He had his italian heritage reputation to live up to afterall and he hadn't performed
that shabby if he had to be honest with himself. She had also been quite impressed with his italian
words it seemed, even if they really just random everyday words that wouldn't make any sense if
spoken in english. She didn't seem to notice. He wondered if Justin had ever scored with her. If he had,
he didn't really care. He glanced at ms Darcy who seemed to look a little pale around the gills, but he
didn't say anything to her. He knew what a hangover felt like and how a person suffering from one
looked like. Santos had stood by his offer buying ms Brannon breakfast...and he knew he could just flash
his employee card to get it all for free. Of course - all contestants got the breakfast meal in their
admission for free but it didn't seem like ms Brannon was aware, so he had been able to feel what Mr
Darcy probably felt all the time.

The man took note of Justin’s glance, or rather on where it tried not to land, but Santos had no such
boundaries. He looked. Gladly. Oh, the heart tattoo. Yeah, that was a nice one. He put his arm around
Ms Brannons waist in a confident way, tickling her soft skin just about those short shorts with his
fingertips, in the same way that had made her giggle in that same sweet way before.


Georgie continued to follow the trio to the cafeteria in silence, lost in her own pondering - and worry.
Santos cracked a joke to make Justin laugh, and ms Brannon seemed like she laughed too, even if it
seemed - if Georgie had to judge from the expression in the other woman's face - that she didn't quite
get ‘What did one sea say to the other? Nothing - it just waved’ joke. She tried to smile again, like she
thought the joke was fun, even if she was feeling that distinct sour taste doing a yo-yo impression in her
throat. As soon as they entered the cafeteria she uttered a meak excuse and took a bi-line to the
bathroom. It wasn't much that came up, basically just some fluids but she remained in one of the stalls
for just a little bit. Partly to be sure it wouldn't be more...and partly...to try and center herself. Perhaps
also trying to grasp and understand what she had done wrong.

It had to be the fact that she stepped on some manly pride when it came to her offer about the money.
Sort of like Sydney and the touching. It had to be something like that. Maybe. He had said something like
that first time they met...and she had mentioned that she could pay for her own meal. It had never been
her intention to hurt Justin’s feelings. Georgie dried a small, lone tear off her cheek. She had just wanted
to be nice...and now he probably thought she was a naive and dumb little clueless girl that thought
money was just..something to spread around to anyone who asked for it... What could she do to... show
that she wasn't? And how to show that she didn't like the fact that she was so supervised. He had no
idea what it had taken for her to get to where she was with the Crosbys, to convince William to let her
do it... to let her go. Apparently he hadn't let go, not if he had Christopher Durant check up on her.
Maybe she just got it all wrong?...

She was aware he had his own hardships that she couldn't fathom, but many times...in both books and
movies...it was often the side shown...and how a life with less money was overcome as a struggle on the
road towards that happy ending, if not with money but with a romantic twist. But she could not recall a
single book or movie that showed the other side of the coin. Usually the one with the ‘lucky’ side, the
one who had money, was the ‘evil’ one that had to be taught a lesson. To be made fun of and ridiculed.
She got angry at herself for feeling the way she did as she dried off another little tear on her other
cheek. She knew there was no point crying or being sad...but sometimes...it helped with that stuffed
feeling inside. At least for a little while. She touched her brow. It was hot and quite tender. A look in the
mirror. It would be tricky to cover that up completely. If she stood sideways, maybe...a big hat... but
there was not much sun that warranted a big hat...


Justin was a little relieved Georgie ducked out for a bit. He wasn't ashamed to have her around by any
means. He was more concerned on what would tumble out of the blonde's mouth. She had a knack for
spitting out whatever information she thought she could share without thinking about the

consequences. Ah well, he better start preparing himself for the worst. There was no coming out of this
one unscatched in some way, shape, or form. He started preparing his jokes and witty sayings now to
save himself later.
"Where you off to, QuiQui?" Justin asked, looking up from glancing over the menu. "You ditchin' the
sausage fest?" He gestured to Santos and himself.

Tequila giggled and played with her hair, "Mmmm, you know I wouldn't miss a meal, baby. I'm jus'
gonna touch up my makeup, is all. Why? You gonna try and follow me in the ladies room, Jus?" she
teased him. Justin smiled, "Aw, only if you'll do my makeup too," he fluttered her lashes at her.
She batted his shoulder, "You're too funny, Justin! Y'all order me somethin' nice and tasty. Y'all know
what I like." She threw a wink and flirty smile at Santos, biting her lip a little. "Thanks, sweet thangs."
She turned on her heel and headed for the bathroom, swinging her hips as she went.
Justin didn't have to feel as horrible for staring now. She really did fill out nicely as a woman. He sighed
pathetically. His eyes shifted over to Santos, "Bro, spill it. I know you tapped that. You haven't wiped
that shit-eating grin off your face even once." Justin cracked a grin and offered a fist out for a fistbump.
It was just the guys now. No need to doll up what they said until the ladies returned. Sharing the details
was like an honorable exchange. One man's conquest to another.

Tequila bumped the bathroom door open with her hip, checking over her phone, smiling at the screen
over some message or something. She giggled, finishing a text and looked up, seeing Georgie. She
stuffed the phone in her back pocket where it hardly fit and stepped up the mirror beside hers. She
smiled politely, "Howdy." She flipped her fluffy locks over her shoulder and ran a finger over the hickey
marks still left from Darcy. She smiled like she was in a dream, remembering her wild night before. She
caught the slightest glance from Georgie and grinned in her direction. "Wild night last night, right? Not a
bad party Santos put on. I made sure to give him my thanks this mornin'." She touched up a bit of
slightly smudged eye shadow.

She leaned closer to Georgie, bumping her with her hip, "What 'bout you, lil' thing? You give Jus' a lil'
thanks of yer own?" She gave her a dirty little grin. "He's kinda desperate, but it's kinda cute, right? Oh
my god, did you see his tattoo?" She arched her finger over her abs, mimicking the arch of Justin's
notorious and unforgettable tattoo. She giggled, "He was so proud of that thing when he got it. He
wouldn't stop braggin' about it for weeks to all of us. I don't think he wore a shirt for a week straight!"
She laughed into the back of her hand, remembering him as such a goof growing up. One of the many
stories she could remember from their younger years.



Santos happily returned the fistbump. Jeffery Hai Long, his closest male co-worker, was not quite the
party person, nor was he anyone who could enjoy a joke in the same way that his new buddy Justin
could. No, Jeffery - who hated when Santos called him 'Jeff' - was more about the boring stuff, like
having his stuff in order, and probably never improvised just for fun - or the thrill of being just on the
verge of the edge of what was allowed - or possible. Probably never had a beer in his life either Santos

guessed. The man even did that slow-mo karate thing in the early mornings too instead of sleeping in if
possible. Not even that had any action. "I did...tap that" he replied to Justin, his grin growing even larger
"...man, that woman is a real minx...and she really know how to..." Two females passed by their table,
giving the two men a smile. Santos waggled his brow at the one with red hair. "Oh ciao dolcezza, dove
sei stata tutta la mia vita?" (oh hey sweetie, where have you been all my life?) On purpose he let his
voice get a little more husky and with a more obvious italian accent. He even added a kissy sound and a
wink. Just for the reaction of course. The girl blushed and giggled as predicted then turned to her friend
with dark brown hair who had given a small wave at the cowboy. She had a t-shirt that read ‘giddy-up
cowboy’ on it.

He kept his ‘smolder face’ on until the girls was well out of sight. Then he sighed “...man...so many
‘bellas’...it's hard to pick just one, ain’t it?...that's the best thing with these events...there is always
someone who is looking for a lil’ fun in the straw after the horse business is done... am I right?” He
raised his hand for a high five. Then he realised who Justin had hung out with. That was none of his
business and he prefered to stay as far away from that subject as he could. “So, how is the traveling life
of the lonesome cowboy...” Santos glanced over his shoulder in the direction the two women had gone
“...you must get your good share of...mamacitas on the road, eh?”


The blonde seem to inspect some bruises she had on her neck. How did one get a bruise there? On a
shin, arm or even your hip was possible places to get a bruise because those were places where you
could bump into something hard - but one's neck? She smiled shyly back in response to Tequilas
greeting, adding a soft spoken "hi" to her 'howdy'. She probably had a little confused look in her face
next, like the blonde had asked her to tell her all the decimals of pi. "...Wild...night?" It had been
something weird with the juice, yes...but hardly anything wild...And they hadn’t really been there at the
arena long - at least not her. As she tried to remember the later part things got...a bit blurry. Usually she
was good at remembering things...but that part felt like the part with the accident that she had chosen
to forget. There was just little snippets, like they were stills from a movie...and out of context they didn’t
make any sense at all.

Tequila seemed to correct some of her make up. For a moment and in silence she just watched the
blonde preen herself. The subtle makeup Georgie had put on was so subtle you could hardly tell she
even had anything on her face. Carefully she pulled her sunglasses off to try and do a closer inspection
without them on. Still pale. A bit dark under her eyes - that wasn't that red anymore. Always something.
The same could not be said about her bruised brow, now it seemed to stand out even more, like it had
been an upset pimple, a lighthouse of red and puffiness. At least it didn’t bleed. She still carefully tried
to dab around it with a wet paper towel to remove as much dried blood as she could.

"...a lil' thanks? To Justin...?" Another somewhat confused repeat of words as she glanced at the other in
the mirror. She tried to remember the previous evening. Somehow she had gotten to her bed from the
arena...she remembered the threat of rain...Justin's voice close to her ear...his truck and then... Romeo
and Juliet? The flutter in her belly. Some heat came to her cheeks. Justin must have driven her to the

house with the car, and then somehow gotten her back to her room. "Noo, I haven't...not yet...but I
have something planned...as a thank you..." she began slowly. If she was Sydney sister, younger sister by
the looks of it... Then she must have known the young Justin too... Therefore, Tequila must know what
things Justin liked - and didn’t like. "Yeah...I saw it when he...took his shirt off at the pond..." Should she
really tell the other about the special moment that she and Justin had shared. What harm could it do?
Was this her first ‘girltalk’? "He got me all wet...but it was really nice..." She gave the other a little look
"But...I don't think he is desperate, not one bit..." Tequila could perhaps help her...come up with
something...and in a way that would make Justin happy over the gift...and not think she was a stupid
rich girl... She took a deep breath.

“I would like this...thing...to be really special...because he...means a lot to me...” there was a bit of a
blush to her cheeks, it couldn't be helped “...I just don't know how...to say it the right way...because
when I try it just comes out all wrong, so I figured that I could give him something, a static but useful
object as well as one to work with...but my problem is the actual ’handing over’ part... I was pondering if
I should do it as a treasure map... or something...do you have any ideas?”


“...and man...speaking of types of women, these lady grooms...ooooweee, let's talk about these hot
mamas for a minute...those male professional riders sure have a good time if they wanna have some...
There is always some angst goin’ on with either horse or rider, and these ladies - man, they sure wanna
‘care’ for both horse and rider - if you know what I mean...” Santos winked at Justin “Sometimes the
riders don't even need to have a real angst or problem...some fake it and still get some sugar...” the man
chuckled to himself, “I tell ya, I've seen it myself around here when it happens... One guy even had two
after him at the same time once, both trying to ‘save’ him, there was almost a catfight going on - in the
mud no less! I bet he had a good time, once those kittens pulled their claws in. Sometimes though, some
ladies get a bit too possessive and think you are making a commitment to them or something just
because you share a fun night together... Even if you have been upfront about the whole thing ‘I'm not
looking for somethin’ serious’, so I guess there is a lot of drama with the mamas too... Luckily I
personally stay out of drama...” Santos leaned back, his hands behind his head, weighing his chair on the
two back legs, giving another passing female his winning smile before turning his focus back onto Justin.
“It just wash right off me...like water on the back of a duck.”


She dabbed on a fresh layer of lip gloss, just a soft tinge of pink, nice and shiny looking. She grinned and
glanced over at Georgie's comment about getting fucked in a pond. She had her own fond memories of
a hot tub or a pool, a creek even. She was sure Georgie knew all about how tedious the clean up was
afterwards. The gross backwater dribbling down her legs, but hey, it was worth it for the hot moment.
Not everything about sex was picture perfect, only the scenes they didn't cut from the porno. She
looked back in the mirror, adjusting her breasts, liking what she saw. She looked pretty damn solid after
passing out from a hard night of drinking, fucking, waking up and fucking some more.

Her eyes snapped back over to Georgie, a cat-like grin on her lips, curiosity in her eyes. Means a lot to
her, huh? And just what could this little something be? She was a Darcy. Loaded. Like her...brother or
dad or something, she never did get an answer and she honestly didn't care... she had other motives.
She stepped to face Georgie, taking both hands to brush Georgie's hair behind her ears, "My goodness,
it sounds like your doin' somethin' awfully sweet for my lil' Justin. He's such a sweetie." She fixed the
collar of Georgie's jacket, picking off some loose fibers and patting it tidy again. She rubbed the slight
wrinkles from her shoulders and patted Georgie's shoulders, "I wouldn't mind helpin' out a lil' if I can.
I've known him for so long, since we were jus' little kids." She pulled a small chuck of Georgie's hair back
forward over her shoulder, twirling it around her finger to make a lovely little curl. She patted it in place
and looked back at Georgie again with a friendly smile, "Why don't you tell me what you had in mind on
gettin' him and maybe us girls can make it somethin' real special just for him!"
Justin, back at the table, waiting for the food to come in, chuckled at Santos's comments. "I tell ya, man,
the ladies sure have it hard. Us guys? Drama? Shooooot." He shook his head. "Ladies are vicious, man. I
ain't never met a guy as nasty as women get with each other. Speakin' of..." he leaned in, "You get a
video of them girls wrestlin' 'round? There's gotta be cameras all over this place, right, man? Don't leave
me hangin'."

A tap on Santos's shoulder, "Uh- hi! Santos?" It was Jarin. In the flesh. And clothes. Or well...some kind
of clothes. He had on a Pemberley jockey's racing silk? And a pair of breeches that were much too small
for a man with his...physique. It looked like he was hired on as the jockey and then had a sudden growth
spurt. In his hands, a folded up shower curtain and...no shoes. Seemed whatever...wherever he had
gotten into didn't supply shoes. He had some explaining to do but he figured this was better than being
naked. ANYTHING was better. "I was hoping you-"

Justin popped back up, hearing Jarin's voice. A reaction, so to speak, wondering if he should hightail it
out of there but curiosity nailed him to the seat, wondering if he was still a nude burrito running amuck.
Apparently...not? A quick glance at the change of outfit and his brow jumped up.
Jarin's mouth snapped shut, seeing Justin. Not again. He instinctively took a step back, shifting the
shower curtain behind his back, to add another layer of protection from his butt. He glanced down,
grabbing the front of the silks and giving them a pull down as well. Even with clothes on, he felt so
exposed with Justin looking at him. He had seen him naked. He could never be seen clothed again and it
burned the surface of his cheeks to think about. "I-I was- hoping y-you could..." He glanced up and saw
Justin was looking away, bringing him a little bit of relief.

Justin was trying to fade out of the situation. He was doing so well to keep his mouth shut and his
comments in his head. He had so much he could say but he fought it. He owed Jarin that much. Come
on, Justin, behave. Just this once! "I think I need help getting my door open," Jarin said quietly, giving
Santos a pleading look. Justin's shoulders shook a little. Don't do it. "Can't be the front door..." it
squeaked out a little. He tried holding the chuckles in. Come on, be nice, don't say it. "Must be the back
door," he doubled over, banging his head into the table, holding his abs as a cackle here and there
slipped out. He was going to hell.

Jarin couldn't understand what he was laughing for! Nothing about what he said was that funny. Unless
he thought it was funny that he was locked out of his room! His cheeks stayed red, "I-I'm not going to go
barging through doors!" Justin shook his head, covering his mouth, but a snort still came out, "No, I
doubt you've barged any doors, lil' fella." Okay, that was just cruel. Averaged-sized guys like him and
Jarin should band together and not criticize each other. But even Justin was on the long side of average.
His sympathies went out to whomever ended up on the receiving end of that stick. They may never
know they got poked to begin with.



When the other turned towards her she was partly expecting...well, something else. At first she wasn't
sure if what was about to happen would be a good thing or not. The look in the other woman's eyes or
rather the grin on her lips made her almost feel like a mouse who hadn’t seen the cat in the room until it
was just about too late. She froze just ever so slightly as the other woman touched her hair. A small
shiver cursed through her body as a hair tickled her cheek - or if it had been the woman's finger. It
wasn’t unpleasant by any means - she just wasn’t used to the fact to be touched like that. At least not in
this way that felt so...personal... Intimate in a way.
Ms Brannon had just like that, crossed that invisible personal boundary line that most she was
acquainted with knew not to cross. Even if they had known her and the family for years. Friends was
another thing she guessed...although it wasn’t overly much with the touching there either as far as she
knew... After all, Justin was her only friend and... She blushed a little more. She had no female friend,
maybe they were supposed to be just...like this. Making sure the other looked ok...fixing the little
details.

Georgie nibbled her lowerlip. Animals groomed eachother, monkeys for example, when they tried to
make new friends. Among horses, only good friends could sometimes eat from the same hay feeder,
water bucket or food bowl without sour faces. Or they stood head to tail with their good friend on a hot
sunny day when the flies were a big bother, swishing their tails in the others face to chase them away.
There was quite a number of examples she could think of. She glanced down at her shoulder as Tequila
Brannon twirled a chunk of her hair into a curl. It didn’t take much convincing for her hair to form
around the other woman's finger, being slightly wavy as it was already. Was she supposed to...groom
back? She licked her lips and looked up into the woman's catlike eyes with her own hazel ones.

Santos chuckled and pulled out his cellphone from his pocket, still balancing on the chairs back legs
"Please, man...I had a front row seat of all it's glory! I even got some good closeups even!” He flipped
through his phones album til he found it, let his chair fall forward so he could slide his phone to the
other guy and then went back to balancing on the chairs back legs “Wait til you see- whoah!" The tap on
his shoulder almost got him to lose his balance, but being the decent equestrian that he was, he
regained it back rather quickly. Looking up, Santos saw the cute face of...of what was his name
again...oh yeah right, Mr Jackson. He remembered looking at him unloading. For a guy he had been
blessed with a nice backside. While he loved the ladies, Santos had no problem switching teams if the

right object came along. Love was wonderful no matter what side you decided to play for, you had to
experience it all because life was short and Santos didn’t mind playing for both teams.

Sometimes he was even both teams at the same time, since it sure made things...quite interesting.
Sadly, there had just been one or two of those, but Santos would not turn it down if the moment
presented itself. If he was honest, he had glanced at the cowboys welltoned arms as well as his
seemingly strong hands, and had even wondered how they would feel like around his waist. Or how it
would feel like to caress the muscular body hidden under that shirt and denim. However, after a few
unspoken and never mentioned errors in his life, Santos had learned to wait for certain positive signs
before making a move on men. Otherwise he could find himself losing parts of himself he was rather
fond of to keep around. This little specimen that now stood beside him he was sure was one of his
fellow 'team players'. Quite the opposite from that bull that had been in the same party as Mr Jackson
for example. Yes, Santos remembered that well. That man had been like a Titanic load of testosterone
and flesh. The response he got from a friendly pat (or if it had been a stroke) on the man's back - a very
menacing glare - after asking if he could help, told Santos in a very clear way that Mr Jackson's travelling
buddy was not a team player.

But he wasn’t one to dwell too long about near death experiences or rejections. Life was too short and
to be honest he usually forgot about the sad stuff perhaps too quick for his own good, making him
sometimes repeat the same mistake twice...or even trice. Last nights improv party that was busted by
the boss man was just one of those things. Somehow he always seemed to come out of it on both feet -
so far. The breeches on Mr Jackson looked to be almost bursting it seams but it did show off the asset in
quite an interesting way. Where had he gotten the jockey outfit... as far as he knew some spares was
kept up at the main stud. Santos wasn't one to deny his fascination of human backsides. Perhaps also
the reason why he liked a women with big breasts, the rack reminded him about the ass. As he leaned
back in his chair he did take a little sneak peak. Sadly most of it was covered by...wait, was that a shower
curtain?

“Your...door?” Santos said slowly and didn't really reflect further on the fact that Mr Jackson had clothes
on that didn't make sense - or fit properly. They were tight that was for certain, the breeches at least,
and showed off the goods. That was the interesting part. Almost similar to his own style of clothing. It
made Santos grin. The t-shirt showed off his slim and muscular figure, while he was not overly buff, he
looked the part given how tight the t-shirt sat. The jeans made a similar thing, showing a trim waist and
if asked to lift up the shirt he sported a nice ‘V’ that vanished into his pants. And in the middle of that ‘V’
a dark haired happy trail went from his belly button downwards - and one that ms Brannon had eagerly
followed earlier. True to his italian heritage he had some chest hair. Similar to the cowboy, his skin
wasn't ‘pale white’ - more of a soft olive tan color, and his hair had mischievous locks, of the kind that
trying making a hair doo out of it somewhat impossible. Instead it grew semi feral. Women loved it...and
sometimes tried to tame it - and him. He was a child at heart and eventually they grew bored as they
realised he didn't take much in life as serious as one perhaps should.

Georgie hesitated. She held off the response grooming, unsure if that was the thing she was supposed to
do. She glanced up at Tequila after watching her feet for a moment. Instead of ‘grooming’ the woman
back she gave Tequila a warm inviting smile. It had felt like such a good idea when she had thought of it.
To surprise Justin. A super good idea even, but now she began to second guess herself more and more.
What if he would react like he had done with her offer to help financially - if he would need it at some
point. She nibbled her lip again. Resisted to nibble on her nails. Just like everything else on a Darcy, her
nails had to be ‘perfect’. There were times people might look at her and think she had it all, but she was
also at the same time trapped in an invisible golden cage. The others smile helped to chase some of her
worry away.

“Well, I want him to be safe on the road, and not have to worry if he will get a room somewhere, or if he
have to stop in the middle of nowhere, I don't want him to have to sleep in the car. To do what he does
he needs proper sleep, in a decent bed...so I...wanted to get him a trailer with living quarters in the front
and room for 2-3 horses.” The later was said in rapid speed, like it she would have ripped a bandaid off.
She tried to read the others expression “And...and then through the foundation...I actually bought
myself a stockhorse. I got a good offer for a pair of youngsters...so I bought a second one too...but I feel
that horse might be a good one for Justin to work with...so he will get that too, together with the
trailer... From what I understood...it has nice bloodlines...the horse I mean...” She didn't want ms
Brannon to think she judged people from where in society they came. She was not like William.


He smirked just a tiny bit at Justin’s joke, but he turned it into one of his charming grins instead as he
also gave the blushing boy a flirty wink adding a bit of his ‘italian heat’ behind it. “Aw, don't mind ‘lo
burlone’ (the prankster/the joker) over there...sure I'll help you out, but I really need to eat something
first...yeah, I've been workin’ hard this mornin’...Please, sit down, join us...” He gave Justin a wink as to
what that ‘work’ really had been, as he patted the chair on his left that was closest to him at the little
round table. This way he could get a hot vixen on one side, and this cute little lamb on the other. If he
played his cards right...who knew where it would lead. Justin sat opposite to him and ms Da- Georgie
would sit next to him. He noted the glance Mr Jackson gave Justin “Oh don't worry tesoro (darling), I will
protect you from the cowboy...” It was said with a chuckle and another wink in Justin's direction to show
there might not be too much on the ‘protection’ bit there...


"Ah...of course, sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt your breakfast," Jarin said humbly. Without seeing food
on the table, he had wrongly guessed he was finished eating. Oh, he'd rather sit underneath the table
than anywhere in sight of Justin. But that wasn't proper table manners. And neither was declining an
invitation. It wasn't like he could go anywhere without the help of Santos to get back into his room and
get into some normal clothing. And a pair of shoes! Although, he hated the idea of sharing a table with
Justin, he'd rather be sat as far away from him as possible if he had no other choice. So, he carefully sat
in the seat next to Santos, scooting a little closer to him, giving Justin a warning look before turning rosy
in the cheeks and turning his face away from him.

Justin's smile was tight, his eyes cringed a little. Oh God, how bad was this breakfast going to be? First,
Tequila, now Jarin. Might as well ring up his own mother and invite her to the table and then it'd be a
real free-for-all against him. He closed out of the mud wrestling video and slid the phone back to Santos.
That reminded him he really needed to delete the picture of Jarin's ass from his phone. He just hadn't
had the opportunity yet. Certainly, not now… "Hey, J-bae. You uh….eat already?"

Another hateful look, Jarin lifting his chin slightly. Even his hair was still slightly damp from sprinting
away from his shower. How the hell could he have eaten while desperately trying to run away from a
hoard of people in his room while totally naked and then having no clothes to put back on!? He was
lucky he could even find the garb he had on now!! He scooted closer to Santos again, keeping the
shower curtain pressed tightly over his lap. At least someone was trying to help him and not take
perverted pictures of him in the nude and showing them to his friend! He was mortified but at least it
had only been Sydney. And as embarrassing as it was to even think about, at least it wasn’t just some
random strangers. (as far as Jarin knew…) He looked up to Santos with a polite smile, happy smile,
“Thank you for taking the time to help me when we get a chance!”

Not saying anything in response only made it look more awkward, dude… Justin felt he should really give
up trying to make anything normal between them. Jarin just wasn't a normal guy. No matter how nice
he tried to be to him...okay, making dirty jokes at him probably wasn't nice… okay, he was partly to
blame… “Aw hell, c’mon, I ain’t that bad…” he said quietly.
Another scoot sideways and Jarin’s thigh bumped into Santos. He said he’d protect him if Justin got up
to any more of his gross games and horrible jokes. He glared across the table, hunkering in Santos’s
direction just in case. “Yes you are,” Jarin mumbled.

Tequila’s eyebrows did raise slightly, in a controlled sense. Mostly because some dumb girl went and
bought Justin something so nice; a trailer and by the sounds of it, a nice horse. What a waste on a guy
like him. Not because he didn’t deserve nice things. He just didn’t know how to take care of anything
nice when all he knew was crappy old trucks and rusty trailers for a bargain price. How long until this
poor girl’s gifts were falling apart on the side of the road or being sold at an auction so he could afford
another part for his truck?

She lifted a finger to her lips, resting her other arm under her breasts, looking up to the ceiling to think
on it. “Hmm….” A grin grew to a smile, “Well, I do know what lil’ Jus likes best. If ya really want him to
love it…” She didn’t even check the stalls for other people or guard the door. Instead she just blurted it
out, “If he’s been hangin’ ‘round you longer than a few hours, you must fuck him just how he likes it,
sugar. And if that’s the case, he’s lookin’ for one more shot, I reckon.”
She hooked her thumbs into the top of her shorts, stretching her back, chuckling a little, “He’s always
tryin’ to get his dick in my shorts too. You and I both know he ain’t got much in the length department,
but he is kinda cute lookin’. I could maybe let it slide this time. Aw, he’d feel like such a big man. Think
‘bout it. I lure him in, tell him ‘bout all the shows he’ll be winnin’ and money he’ll be rollin’ on his hot
new horse. Tell him he’s got a hot rod to haul him in. And when I open the trailer door, there’s his lil’

sugar, hot and ready for him.” She bit her lip, staring her down, imagining the scene in her head, a bit
more steamy than how she narrated it.
“He’s got two chicks, ready to show him the time of his life. What guy wouldn’t think the world of that?
He’d never let that trailer go ‘til the end of the world. Why do you think he still has that beat up ol’ truck
of his,” she giggled.



Santos smile grew as the little lamb moved his chair even closer to his own. His eyes hopped between
the two other guys at the table as he tried to figure out what the deal was between them. Surely they
couldn't be ex-lovers now could they? He hadn't really gotten that vibe from Justin. The next comment
from the cowboy made the lamb hop even closer to him like there really had been a wolf hiding in
cowboy clothing. None was happier than Santos though and now with years of practice he lay his arm,
very subtly and almost nonchalant, over the back of the lamb's chair. His thumb rested up against the
lamb’s shoulder that was the furthest away from him and like Jarin needed comforting, Santos then
gently began to stroke it, as a calming friendly motion. At the first sign of freezing up, he stopped, only
to slowly begin a little while later. Almost like it was something he did without thinking. Eventually the
freezing up seemed to stop. A chuckle, soft and almost not audible, as Santos looked up at Justin
through thick dark lashes, eyes glittering mischievously and a brow partly raised almost suggestively.
"You ain't ‘that bad’, cowboy? No Texan rough rider? Aw, man... Now you almost make me
disappointed..." A soft chuckle as a few thoughts passed through his mind. Some more naughty than
others. Santos glanced down at the little lamb that was almost tucked against his side, he gave the thing
a warm, heated smolder look combined with one of his winning smiles. "Surely it had to be something
really bad to earn you the ‘death stare’ from this one?"


Georgie may have shifted her posture a little forward to hear what Tequila had to say, especially when
she said that she knew what Justin liked best. Perhaps it was a secret? However the more words that
came from the blondes mouth, the more it made the blush spread both upwards and down her neck
and chest, as well as turning it deeper in color. What was she...oh gosh, she used the F-word! Her lips
may or may not have slowly have formed an 'O' shape in a mix of shock and surprise along with her
hazel eyes widening at the same time. What in the world had made Tequila think that...that...she...with
Justin... Had she broken into her daydreams? Even if said dreams wasn’t just about Justin per say...it was
just rather many of the usual faceless men in them had taken many of his features as of late. Could she
see that? How embarrassing! However most just faded to black in the end...even in her daydreams.

'Always' was one of those words that was stronger than many gave it credit for. It was a type of
measurement for a period of time that had no end. Had Justin 'always' wanted to get in Tequilas pants?
He and Tequila had known each other since they were kids. Had he wanted that even back then? Her
eyes dipped down to what apparently was called shorts...even though it was hardly enough fabric to
cover things with. Georgie tried to think, but no...Justin had never wanted to have her pants during the
short time she had known him, perhaps Tequila’s had a slightly bigger size? No...no, no that wasn’t what

the other woman had meant...it was...the other thing, surely. When a boy...man wanted... She took a
big deep breath. Tried not to blush.

Could this mean that he...didn’t find her interesting enough...since he had never tried to...get into hers?
Georgie couldn’t help but feel a little...down... Sure, compared to Tequila she was more modest in both
cup size and bottom size, more lean than curvy...even if there wasn’t just ‘flatlands’. Perhaps that was
why guys never really paid any attention to her...they wanted someone with... what had the book said
‘more curves than a mountain road’? Oh stop it...like you would even dare to say a peep to a man that
said ‘hi’, anyway. Oh no, you just walk into them like some...some...nitwit bulldozer. Besides, friends
didn't get into each others’ pants. But Justin had kissed her though. Three times...even the third she just
remembered in a bit of a haze but...it must had really done a number on her since she couldn't really
remember it. Was that different? What did that mean? Kisses vs. getting into the others pants?

And what had his length to do with anything? She was pretty sure Justin was taller than both of them
anyway. One of her daydreams had simply been a slow dance just like in the movies, and to rest her
cheek against a manly chest, feeling the warmth, the soft beat of his heart under her ear. The strong
arms resting around her. That must be the perfect image of feeling safe. But if the man was too long,
she would be listening to the gurgles of his stomach instead. That wasn't as romantic and sweet...

It looked like the other woman was expected some sort of reaction from her. She shook her head as she
tried to get her voice to function. “I've...we...Justin and I have never f...fu...uhm, had relations... He
is...my friend...and I just want to make sure my friend is safe...” She swallowed hard before she
continued, why was it so hard to say some words. It hadn't been difficult for Tequila to say them. “...I
think that he deserves to get someone to back him up... Someone that believes in him no matter what,
in good and in bad. That is what real friends do ain’t it?...they give support when their friends need
it...no matter what.” The fact that it was just something that she had read, since she didn't had any real
friends to try it out on before, she left unsaid. “I admit that he is... quite handsome...though...” she
added, sighing softly. She was not going to confess that Justin’s kisses had created so much ‘chaos’ it in
her. How her emotions had run amok by him just...folding some of her hair behind her ear...or how it
tingled her fingertips to comb through his. How the tingles spread, and made her almost long for more.
Tequila Brannon would surely just laugh at her.


The response was cute, Santos had to admit that. He turned off the ‘smoulder’ for a bit as he turned to
face Justin, acting normal. “So, Jus...how did you like the wrestle vid? Was pretty steamy right? Yeah...I
wonder how steamy it became later... I tell you, some of these grooms are pretty wild in the sack...” He
shifted his hand and now let it slightly stroke Jarin from his shoulder and down just slightly to the middle
of his back, just where there was an opening in the chair located just about the small of the ‘wannabe
jockeys’ back, before going up again to the shoulder. Just a ‘innocent’ little stroke. He noted some
straws stuck to the back of the others head. Gently he plucked them off, like he had been an albatross
grooming it's mate. “...or wild in the hay...I'm game either way...how about you Jus?” He then leaned in

just slightly, close to Jarin’s ear, as he waited for Justin’s reply “...and...how about you...Mr Jackson?” On
purpose he let his fingers tickle just slightly by the jockey silks neck hem.

“Vorrei ascoltare il battito del tuo cuore” ( I would like to hear your heartbeat) he whispered into the
lambs little ear. It was quite a cheesy thing to say, but sometimes it worked wonders, especially if the
other didn't have a clue on what he said...sometimes he could just burp random everyday words and the
girl (mostly) was all over him. The secret was in the delivery, like if you said it the right way, like talking
dirty in a sexy, hoarse tone even if what you said wasn't dirty at all. This was something Santos was good
at. That drama class in high school sure had served him well. Got him chicks then - and now. He
snickered. He couldn't help it. The response was amusing and he had to control himself not to chuckle.
He caught Justin's eye and turned his full focus on the cowboy. “So...Jus, I'm eagerly waiting for some of
your really good stories now...You have anything to share? You must have! Something juicy from a hot
mamacita! I showed you that clip... I feel that you owe me one!” He was itching to ask about Ms Dar-
Georgie...but he wasn't sure why...perhaps because it was interesting to find out how on earth Justin
had hooked up with her - and still lived.


The stare that came upon her made her squirm almost like a worm on the hook. The weird thing was
that it made her feel funny too at the same time. Tequila mentioned Justin's truck... Georgie tried to
remember, Justin HAD said he had it for the memories, hadn't he or rather...that he didn't fix some of
the dents because of them. A small frown of worry came to her forehead. The back of Justin’s truck had
been filled with all kinds of stuff...and what sort of woman would lay on top of all of that when... She
swallowed and felt her cheeks become heated again. Her rational mind still tried to deduct and figure
out the ‘why’ behind Justin’s actions, but nothing made sense. The only thing she could make out of it
was that she wasn't good enough for him. While she was happy about that he saw beyond the fact of
her family name. Then there was like he didn't look at what she was, a female, a woman...it felt a little
like...he didn't see her at all, but she wasn't sure what part was worse. Or if it even was a bad and good
in that fact. Perhaps she read too much into it as always.

She didn't want to be ‘rejected’ again, at least not being face to face when it happened... The only thing
she wanted was for him to be ok. Then it was perhaps better just to hand it over...like an assignment in
school...and you didn't have to see the teacher as they graded it. She had never feared that herself in
school...but she could imagine how it felt like if she compared it with this. Now she couldn't help that a
finger came to her mouth and she nibbled at her nail, just a little. “Noo..” she said slowly "...what I will
do, I think....I think that I will ask the main stable manager here if he can help me hook the trailer to
Justin’s truck early tomorrow...and then I will put a photo in the trailer where the horse is so he can pick
it up - if he wants it that is. If...if he doesn't want any of them...he can just...unhook the trailer and get
his old one...back...”

Georgie tried to smile “It is probably easier that way anyway, then he won't have to feel bad either, it's
always awkward to stand there with a thing you don't really want...but thanks for the...uhm...suggestion
though...” Question was still there though, what would she do if he didn't want the trailer...repaint it

probably...then give it to someone who needed it through the foundation... If used for just two horses it
had some room for an extra hay bale. Georgie took her finger from her mouth. “Please don't tell him
anything before you leave...” The others catlike eyes almost felt mesmerizing as she looked into them.
She shifted slightly. “...uh...so..so he will get a surprise...”


When Jarin had first felt Santos touch his shoulder, he didn't think much of it. A glance at his hand
curiously and then back to pinning his ears at Justin since he was the topic of discussion. Justin took that
as his cue not to share his acts of the morning. Not that he had planned to. First off, who wanted to look
at a dude's ass, no matter how shapely it was? And he didn't want to get stabbed another time by the
little fury so he was playing his cards as best he could.
"He was being really gross," and Jarin wasn't going to elaborate further. When he looked at Santos
again, he was closer than he remembered before. He leaned back slightly, afraid maybe he had leaned in
too much.

Justin gave a little smile and a shrug, "There ya have it. I'm just gross." He was with Jarin on the whole
ordeal. Just leave it there. Although...he was seeing some signs from across the table that he normally
picked up on when dudes were trying to pick up a lady… naaaahhhh….that'd be weird.
He grinned, thinking about the video. It looked like it had been pretty damn entertaining. Too bad he
missed it in person! He had to agree with the guy, it hardly mattered the location! He chuckled, looking
across the table, lifting a brow at what he was seeing.

Jarin giggled a little, covering his neck and leaning away. He still smiled at Santos because tickling wasn't
weird, it was still in the realm of friendly, Jarin thought. "Steamy? I don't...I burn easy so I don't know if
I'd do anything like that…" he didn't have a clue what they were talking about. It sounded hot and dirty
and none of that really scared Jarin off either. "Is it...a sport?" He asked curiously.
His response he got out of Santos had to be a completely different language! It was pretty! But he had
no idea what he said! He gave Santos a dumbfounded expression like a tourist in a foreign land.

Justin's mouth hung open for a second, looking between the two, mostly on Santos. Everything in his
database was saying that guy was totally hitting on Jarin. All of his actions, how he said certain things,
the smooth moves, testing the waters… The only error that kept cropping up was that Jarin was a dude,
as his morning fish flop out of the bathroom had proved to any nonbelievers. Sure, Sydney teased Jarin
relentlessly, calling him Princess and calling him a woman any chance he got but even Sydney knew that
he was a dude. So surely...Santos wasn't mistaken either. He squinted his eyes for a moment. No, he
remembered him saying 'Mr. Jackson'. And then it all clicked and his eyebrows jumped back up again.
Oh. Oh! His eyes passed between the two again. Well then! He cleared his throat, shifting awkwardly
now that he kind of saw the whole situation now. Santos was open for a lot more than Justin had
assumed to begin with! And by the looks of it, Jarin still had yet to catch on that he was being wooed.
Another inquisitive look at Jarin...was he...like Santos? He obviously had never asked or had any reason
to ever ask Jarin his preference. But now seeing a feller making moves on him...honestly, he wouldn't be
surprised in the slightest if the little Jae-bae was a receiver. He stiffened a little in his chair, thinking back

to the incredibly awkward dream he had around Christmas time. Gee, Jarin sure hadn't been on the
receiving end that time. It was just a dream!

And now Justin was the one staring into the void for a moment. Only the sound of his name made him
look back up. He grinned, shoving the awkward thoughts out of his mind. "Hate to break it it to ya,
buddy, I've been on my best behavior while I've been here. My lady friend has a lot of friends here
lookin' to break my neck if I so much as make a dirty joke 'round her. Poor gal. Jus' tryin' to have a good
time, is all!"

Jarin didn't really want to help Justin, but he did care for others, "Are you talking about Georgia?"
Justin snorted a little. "Georgie," he corrected him. Oh my God, were they going to have a normal
conversation? Oh, he saw Jarin's cheeks start to light up again. Well, so much for that moment.
"Ah...maybe if you didn't make gross jokes...her friends wouldn't want to hurt you so much…" Jarin felt
he could relate to these "friends" of Georgie's.
"Shoot, but that's my most charmin' aspect, Jar-bear! Remember, I’m a gross guy,” he chuckled, trying
to keep it light-hearted at the table.
Jarin made a lop-sided frown. So much for trying to help him not be such a terrible friend.

It was Tequila’s turn to look a bit confused. She wasn’t sure what a relationship had to do with having
sex with a dude. That’s just how people like herself and Justin rolled. They weren’t looking for spouses.
They weren’t looking for “buddies”. They were just looking for a good time, a bit of attention for a spell,
sweet release, to feel good. Equally, she didn’t look impressed by Georgie’s ‘Plan B’. It sounded way too
boring for something that was supposed to be so nice. Like if someone like Darcy, had just dragged her
from the barn to his bed without all of the showboating before. It would have still been nice but there
was a reason she wouldn’t forget that man and it wasn’t because he cut any corners. No way this girl
was his wife. At least that much was clear. Maybe his little sister or something.
She gave a little shrug, “Suit yourself, sweet pea. I told ya what he’d like the best. Jus’ the kind of guy he
is. Sweet, but I wouldn’t go tryin’ to be anythin’ more than a friend. He ain’t the settlin’ down type of
guy.” She gave Georgie a look over, mulling her thoughts about, not looking particularly happy. “The
only girls Jus doesn’t fuck are the ones he’s broken his sweet lil’ heart over. Ain’t you lucky? He must like
you.”

Tequila took another glance in the mirror. She shifted her boobs so they pressed up against each other,
making a deep line. She teased her hair a little more and she felt good about her looks again. And she
didn’t hang around in the bathroom any longer. She had other boys to go spend her energy on. And
apparently the numbers were growing as she saw who had joined the table!
Her smile grew wide, hugging Jarin from behind, “J-baby! Where have you been all mornin’?” She leaned
down and gave him a kiss on his cheek, making him shriek and nearly jump out of his seat. She giggled
and held him steady, like a spooky little foal. She looked over to Santos, fluttering her lashes, “Oh,
there’s my other sweet baby.” She leaned over and gave him a kiss on his cheek too.
She glanced down at Jarin’s lap, past his shaking hands and saw the shower curtain? “Oh, is this seat for
me?” She stepped between Santos and Jarin, aiming for Jarin’s lap.

Jarin’s brain was still fried and trying to reboot, “I-uh-er-n-no-there’s-I can-eh!!”
Tequila plopped down in Jarin’s lap, sort of facing Santos a little more. She ruffled Jarin’s hair, giving him
a smile, “Thanks, baby boy.” Jarin was good as fried; a burnt husk of what used to be an innocent boy.
She leaned her chin into her hands and looked over to Santos, “So what did you order for me? I hope its
something tasty,” she purred, nibbling on her little finger, giggling playfully.

Justin scooted closer to the table, relieved she was finally back. He was wary about what she could have
possibly said in a closed room with Georgie. He didn’t particularly have much to hide about himself but
Tequila knew him on a pretty personal level too. It could make breakfast and the rest of his stay here a
bit awkward if she went and told her every little detail too. And seeing as Georgie wasn’t right by her
side made him think she just might have done that… But he had to roll with it. “Eeeyyy, where’s my
sugar?”

Tequila glanced across the table, twirling a lock of hair on a finger, “You have your friend, don’t you? I’m
sure she’d love to get all sweet on you, ain’t that right, lil’ Jus?”
That didn’t sit well with Justin. There was her usual rejection and then there was her pouty rejection.
And the fact that she had said ‘lil Jus’. No, that couldn’t be good. What did she say?



Georgie watched the door close behind Tequila. For a moment when the door was open she heard the
murmur of voices from the outside, but as the door closed it became quiet again, or almost anyway. The
sound of her heartbeat could still be heard in her ears. She had to stay in the bathroom for a little while
longer just to be able to gather her thoughts. Justin...Broken heart? Over her? No, that surely couldn’t
be... No. Turning she looked at herself in the mirror. Here and there her skin was still a bit flushed. She
thought of Tequilas suggestion. Then she shook her head. No. If ‘that’ was the one thing he liked
best...and if the other thing Tequila said was true, which it wasn't...then he wouldn't touch her and then
it would just be her watching them...do...the thing. That would be awkward. More awkward than
anything. She felt a slight heat in her cheeks. That was a big reason for that the blondes idea wouldn’t
really work. And why mention the thing of Justin settling down? She didn't want to get married... Her
father had joked about it...that it was time she did what any proper Darcy did... Charles had married
shortly after he turned 22 years old, he had then known Jane for about six months. It had made her
father very proud. But William hadn't married - yet. Before it hadn't mattered...but now...it had become
different. A male heir was needed to carry the Darcy name forward into the future. Her task in the bridal
dress was to tie Darcy family to as big and wealthy ally as possible. The guys her father had pointed out
was all sons of other businessmen. Some richer than others and the Darcy family but all as dull as their
fathers, looking almost dead in the eye even at a young age. Strangely she had seen Williams eyes
darken at this, and he had clenched both his jaw and fists, many times leaving the room after their
father had went on and on about how it would be nice to marry off a daughter. It had made her feel like
they wanted to get rid of her.

Thankfully it had been awhile since her father had made comments like that. One reason being that he
had moved away from Pemberley. She rubbed her chest, just above her heart as it felt someone had
pinched it for some reason. She was afraid that she would eventually be used as a pawn. Just as she was
about to leave, the cellphone in her pocket buzzed, it was the trailer company. The trailer was ready for
delivery despite the short notice and they could get it to Pemberley about late afternoon. She thanked
them and then, after finishing the call, she had to turn on her heels going into one of the stalls, and
there she threw up. Not much was left to be expelled but...up it came anyway. Why it had to come up
she didn't know, it wasn't like her body would give her an answer anyway. Now her stomach and throat
stung a little bit. On slightly shaky legs she got up, washed her mouth and tried to fix herself again. The
blush was at least gone. Always something. Now she was just a little bit pale. She took a deep breath
and exited the bathroom. The sunglasses had been pushed up and now worked almost like a hairband,
keeping her hair out of her face.

Before Santos could reply to anything Justin - or Jarin - had said his morning vixen returned to the table.
His grin grew wider, his posture changing and Jarin was forgotten - for now. He looked like an oversized
boy that had been promised cake for dessert."Yessum, I've been a good boy. I have ordered a complete
deluxe breakfast just for you Dolcezza, it has all the goodies, like bacon, eggs, pancakes, gravy and
biscuits...and" He let his hand that had tickled Jarin's neck slide from her knee upwards. He didn’t even
stop when his fingertips touched the edge of her shorts. Santos let them just barely slide in under the
fabric. “I even got you some of these sweet strawberries, but none are as sweet as you though...altho I
rather have some other sweet things to suckle on...something sweeter than these strawberries...” His
fingers slipped down to the inside of her thigh. The fact that she sat in Jarin’s lap he paid little mind to.
“...there is always the option for getting some special dessert later...if you wanna...” It was clear it
wasn't real dessert he meant by the look in his eyes.

Georgie came back just in time to see the last food plate of the big breakfast order being put out on the
table. The Pemberley ‘cafeteria’ had enough staff to have them come out to the table with what was
ordered. Her eyes grew slightly. How much had they planned to eat? Sure there were four of them but...
She gave Justin a smile as she sat down next to him, even if the words of Tequila still hung over her, like
a heavy cloak. A glance towards the blonde. Why had she even mentioned that other thing? Not more
than a friend...she was beyond happy to have a friend, her very first... And she could still not see or
understand how someone like Justin or anyone like him would even look at her...especially with women
like Tequila around.

Glancing at Santos she saw that he seemed all too happy to see the blonde return to the table. There
was a good example of her statement right there, one that was as clear as day. No, Tequila had to be
mistaken. The odds were higher on the fact that she didn't have the right looks, and she knew when
people wanted to get close to her due to who she was by name. There had been a few boys during her
later teens that she had met that had seemed nice but...even if they had smiled, and she had tried to
talk to them...that had always been it... like a one hit wonder... When she had waved at them the next
time, they had hightailed it in the other direction. Eventually she had stopped trying, and then the
accident have made her even more reserved.

No, she wouldn't do it like Tequila suggested...but...maybe her second idea wasn't any good either. Now
she had an approximate time when the trailer would arrive. Maybe she would do it like a treasure
map...and maybe hiding small clues that would lead him to another...perhaps four or five of
them...perhaps it would be enough with three, with the third being the trailer itself. Perhaps she could
have the trailer covered...and she could write something like ‘pull for the third clue’ and it would reveal
it... Yeah...perhaps that would be something... Inside she could put the stall number where the horse
were...she would make sure it's paper was in order...and that Justin stood as the owner...Perhaps it was
good to have that in it's own envelope inside that one...A small nod to herself...yeah...

She looked up from her hands that had been fiddling with a section of the simple waxed tablecloth.
Justin was looking at her, and if she didn't knew any better it almost looked like he waited for her to say
something, but what that could be she couldn't even guess. She tried to smile, but she wasn't sure if she
was able to make it ‘real’ enough. Should she ask what it was? Perhaps he was annoyed that she had
taken so long to get back, although she hadn't asked them to wait on her “Are you hungry...?” she
glanced at the table that had by now several large plates with food, and one of the cafeteria staff that
was now putting out plates for them. They had just put down another one...something that almost
looked like mini breakfast pizzas. Perhaps they overdid it just because they had spotted her come in...or
they always did it like this. Usually she didn't go here but she had never heard a complaint “...Santos
sure asked for a lot of food...” she said quietly to Justin, not really knowing what else to say. One section
of her mind couldn't help but think of how it had looked like that time at the bar...and she had watched
Sydney eat...and then at breakfast the morning after. Would he have been able to finish everything on
the table? Georgie wouldn't be afraid to put a bet on it...it was incredible what that man could eat...and
it didn't even seem to break a sweat.

It was not until this moment, when it seemed that Tequila leaned forward to respond to something
Santos had said she saw that the blonde hadn't been sitting in her own chair. No, for behind her
someone with dark hair popped out. It took her a moment, then she felt her cheeks and neck getting
warmer and she hurried herself to look down at the part of the table in front of her. What had
happened in the bathroom had happened in the blink of an eye. Most of it had been in a blur, but she
was still certain what she had seen coming towards her before he had run her over.

Santos stretched for the bowl of strawberries, picked a big one up and put half in his mouth before
turning towards the blonde woman. The green stem had already been removed and it was the bigger
part of it that he offered to her. He grinned with it in his mouth as he made a ‘come hither’ motion with
his finger. It wasn't really the proper ‘Lady & The Tramp’ move but...almost...


Justin grinned, seeing Georgie come back. She didn't immediately slap him stupid so whatever chatter
went on in the girl's room couldn't have been too marring. He wasn't dumb enough to think they hadn't
spoken. Not Tequila. She did love to root her nose into matters, especially if it was about someone she
knew personally. And this is why he was hesitant about the two bumping into each other. But there was

no undoing what had been said between the two of them now. All he could do was play stupid and lay
low for now.

"Hell yea, I'm starved!" He responded, leaning into slide some food his way. He glanced across the table,
seeing the two 'love birds' cooing at each other with the poor kid squashed in the middle of it. How did
Jarin always seem to get himself into these kind of predicaments? It was like a natural talent of his!
"There's enough here to feed an army, Santos," Justin chuckled. He went for the pancakes and sausage;
sweet and salty!

"I like a man that can provide," Tequila cooled, stroking her fingers under Santos's chin, giggling at his
smooth talking and touching. She leaned in, staring into his eyes, parting her legs for him.
Jarin was trapped. Initially, his first instinct was to run and run fast but that would mean dumping
Tequila on the floor. He couldn't do that! So his next reaction was to freeze completely into a statue,
pretend he wasn't even there. But as Tequila moved around on his lap, he winced and flinched as she
smooshed his hands that were still gripping the shower curtain. And then the panic and dread set in as
he realized that from the basic anatomy of what he knew of a girl; girls sat on their butts. There was a
girl's butt on his hands. And attached to the butt was a girl's bits that only belonged to her. He had to
admit, he looked away at those portions during health class and didn't exactly know where they were
but he knew somewhere in the heat on his hands was a place where his hands did not belong!! A
strained whimper pushed itself from his throat.

He needed out of there! He leaned back just the slightest, testing her weight to see if he could wriggle
away undetected. Before he could even give a pull, his eyes landed on a pair staring back at him. Ohno.
Dread. It was her. The girl. Justin's friend. Georgie! He snapped his eyes away from her and moved so
quickly, he left a streak of red heated steam in the air. He bashed his face into Tequila's backside,
nuzzling his way into her thick hair like a rabbit scurrying back into its brambles. He was trapped!!
Trapped!!

Tequila tipped forward, catching herself with a hand on Santos's shoulder before she headbutted him.
She looked back over her shoulder, a bit confused but excited to get such a forceful reaction from Jarin!
Was he finally broken! Did she finally have him!? ...all she saw was a trembling pair of shoulders buried
into her hair. "Awwwww, sweet baby. Mama hasn't forgotten you. Don't you worry your little head, I'll
take care of you," she said sweetly. She looked back to Santos and tapped his nose with a finger, "My lil'
baby needs some nourishin'." She leaned over the table and shoveled twice the amount of food that a
reasonable human being would need to eat.
Jarin's cover was blown! His eyes darted for an exit. This was his only chance! It was time to sprint! Run
and never look back! His eyes got even wider when he felt his chair being pulled sideways with some
power behind it. Did she- he looked back and there her smiling face was. She was now sat in Santos's
lap, leaned over with her hands on her knees, looking quite happy and loving. She nudged the plate of
food his way, looking hopeful he'd accept her gift like she had made it herself. "Here you go, sweet baby.
Eat up. Don't be shy. We've got a man that knows how to provide," she reached back, stroking Santos's
curly hair.

Trapped. Jarin was trapped yet again. He stared down at the plate, tears in his eyes, trembling like a
phone set on vibrate. He couldn't run from her when she was being so nice! Why was she so nice!? All
he could do was weakly pick up the fork by the plate, wheezed the tiniest of 'thank you's and concede to
eating. Tequila beamed proudly, looking back at Santos. Jarin was her puppy and by feeding him,
therefore, Santos had cared for her precious. That made him look pretty damn good even if his role had
been pretty irrelevant if she knew just how easy it was for him to get such a full service at the table.

Justin lived in a constant state of pity towards Jarin. He was wrapped around Tequila's finger so hard, no
wonder he didn't have a spine to hold himself up with. He snatched up some of the strawberries onto a
smaller plate with some pancakes on the side. He scooted it towards Georgie with a smile. He
remembered that she was one of those health and diet girls so he didn't bother with the heavy meaty
stuff even though he personally found them to be the tastiest. He chuckled, speaking just low enough to
speak between the two of them, "She's gonna eat that poor guy alive." He shook his head pitifully. "I
don't think he knows he's on the menu, either," he chuckled.



She rubbed her stomach absently, feeling the familiar pinch and sting. There was no point in denying
that she was hungry, especially since it made a hungry gurgle like like it would like to prove a point. It
was always a battle, knowing you had to eat...but she couldn't help the feeling she got sometimes, when
she put food in her mouth. When it felt like it grew, like it would choke her even if she had cut it into
tiny pieces. Sometimes it worked, she could eat, and other times out of the blue she couldn't get a single
thing down and whatever she had already eaten had to come out. She looked down at the pancake with
the strawberries. To some it probably looked like she was on some weird diet, one that was yet unheard
of. However it wasn't like that at all but she had never mustered the courage to ask for help. It had
started some years ago with her wanting to have control over her life since it was in many cases the
choices was made for her. But she could control what she ate...nobody but her...but then it all
changed...and that too became something she lost control over... Instead she became her own prisoner.

Fruit was normally not a problem, but the pancake might become one... She swallowed as she poured
herself a glass of water. Just don't make a big deal out of. Stay cool. Sometimes she could trick her body
if she had a tiny bite together with some sips of water following it. When Justin chuckled she wasn't sure
if she should look at the people on the other side of the table, if it was for something special, if Justin
meant Santos or Mr Jackson. Who of them would Tequila ‘eat’? She was sure it had to be Mr Jackson
Justin spoke about but she didn't dare to look that way again. Should she excuse herself to Mr Jackson?
No, that would make it more weird, wouldn't it? But not to say anything...wasn't that weird too? She
wasn't sure what to reply with, so she simply nodded before looking at her plate again.

Santos took a short breather as he grinned back at the cowboy. He had a better response with Tequila
than he had with Mr Jackson. He wasn’t one to waste his time when something more eager was so close
by. After all he was a bit lazy by nature. "Yeah...well, a man gotta eat right? That without worrying about

them small girly portions that wouldn’t even make a fly happy." A goofy grin came to his lips as the
blonde came to sit in his lap now even if she turned some of her attention towards Mr Jackson. Her ass
rubbed nicely against his jeans, that thankfully was 'sturdy' enough not to let stuff show too obviously. It
gave plenty of distraction and he served himself the chance to do a little but of subtle touching. Santos
didn’t even register the two beaming ‘red lights’ at the table nor how panicked Jarin was. No, when
Tequila patted him on the head he leaned into her touch like an eager hound. "Hell yeah, I can provide
you with a load of things, babe" Santos said, still grinning. It was quite far from the truth but he had
always been good to keep up appearances.

While the trainers had a small room each in a house located on the property, Santos only slept there if
he thought that he would be able to score a lady - or guy, or both. Otherwise he had his bed on the
pullout couch at his Grandmother's small little shack of a house. To his Grandmother he was still her
innocent little boy who was just waiting for the right girl to capture his heart. Then he would woo this
woman just like Santos Grandfather, 'Che Dio lo benedica' (God bless him), had wooed her back when
she was a young girl. Then he would marry this good girl who could cook for him just like she did, and
then they would have adorable little 'bambinos' (babies, male) for her to coo over. Nonna (grandma)
Capacho was very happy little Santos had his grandfather's lastname, since not anyone knew who his
real father was, not even his own mother.

Georgie then glanced towards Justin's plate. While it didn't have a tower like Sydney's had last time, it
still held a lot on it, more than she would ever be able to finish in a week. Carefully she rolled a
strawberry off the pancake, cut it in half and stabbed one of the halves with her fork before she put it in
her mouth. Even if it was cut in half, it was still quite big - and juicy. “Um...will you be busy later Justin?
...I... “ she sighed deeply “...need to attend a ceremony after lunch...but after that...maybe....if...if you
want...if you aren't...busy...” She hated how meek her voice sounded. How insecure she was. Perhaps it
was just her nerves on how he would react. Maybe one day she would be confident...secure in herself...
She sort of had a game plan but then Tequilas words fluttered over her. Her hazel eyes shifted to the
blonde. Tequila knew Justin...but... the gift was the horse and the trailer...to keep Justin safe, to give him
a horse that had all the promise, and a horse she knew he would take care of. She just wanted to give
him everything he deserved.

“I can come by your room...when I'm done, ok?...”


Justin wiped some of the pancake syrup from his lip, shoveling food down. "Hm?" He pulled his
attention from the other group across the table who were kind of entertaining to watch. Tequila looked
so happy right in the middle of it all, flirting up a storm. Being an interested male, he could practically
smell the pheromones in the air even if he wasn't aware of it. He couldn't see where Santos's hand went
under the table but he was fairly certain it was the same place Justin would have put it too. His eyes
finally followed the direction his face was pointing and looked at Georgie. He swallowed and smiled,
"Well, sure thing! Ya got me for the weekend, remember?" He held up a thumb. He didn't see the pair of

green eyes flick between him and Georgie and back on him again. She smiled and returned her attention
back to the boys at her fingertips.

Justin escorted Georgie where she had to head off and start preparing for the ceremony and such while
Jarin was stuck with the two "love-birds". He just wanted in his room to put normal clothes on, instead
he heard all sorts of euphemisms that went way over his head, had to witness all sorts of PDA and
fawning over each other or was dragged back in by Tequila. It was a stressful morning for Jarin.

As far as Justin's morning, he went and caught up with Sydney in the warm up ring, working his horses
as always. He decided to go ahead and hop in with one of his horses, more so to pester the man than
anything else. He never did know when to quit. Why? When it was so much fun. Sydney could try and
give him the cold shoulder and silent treatment for as long as he wanted but Justin's mannerisms and
quips were too much for the big guy to ignore forever. And then it was game on with ropes and chasing
each other around the warm up on horseback. And as usual, Justin eventually ended up catching the
brunt of it, getting clotheslined off his horse in a round of jousting with fists. What didn't kill him might
have made him...dumber?

Afternoon rolled by. He hooked up with a group of western riders to share stories over lunch and pick up
some connections there. He swore he saw familiar long blond hair waltzing by with one of the cowboys
but no Santos in sight. Either he had some chores to go do in the meantime and got pulled off her tit or
she got bored. Hard to say with her... he sighed to himself inwardly. He glanced at his phone and
decided he should head back to his room as he said he would meet up with Georgie. So he said his
goodbyes to the crew and headed back. He lay on his bed, closing his eyes while he could. His rest was
short-lived. In about 20 minutes, there was a knock at his door. He grinned and got to his feet, rolling
out of bed and ruffling his hair so it didn't look like he had just crawled out of bed. "Howdy,
Miss...uh...?" There wasn't anybody there...

He looked back and forth down the hall, even stepped out in it, even checked a couple doors down in
case she was pulling a prank on her. She had a bad habit of just running off on him and ditching him.
Maybe it was another one of those moments? But he really didn't see or hear her around anywhere...
He pulled out his phone and thought of texting her to ask if she had already come by. Could have been
anyone that came by and knocked and realized they either had the wrong room number or changed
their mind. Maybe she had come by earlier than he anticipated.
A couple steps back into his room and while he was looking down at his phone screen, he saw an
envelope on the floor just at the bottom of his door. Odd. Less odd when he picked it up and saw it was
addressed to the Caballero Travioso. His eyebrows raised with a grin. Was this a formal, 'sorry i ran away
from you again' letter? He chuckled to himself and opened it up to read.


Her thoughts had drifted back to the breakfast, to how she should do the surprise, to Tequilas words
and then back to Justin at breakfast. That had been hard when she was supposed to concentrate on the
ceremony. Then adding that ‘just at the horizon’ headache. Perhaps he had a crush on Tequila. Maybe

that was the reason why he had looked at her the way he had at breakfast. Hadn't Tequila said that
too...that he wanted to get in the blonde’s pants? No, even if it was so...there was nothing she could do
about that. If it would make Justin happy...it made her happy. Friends was happy over friends’
happiness. She didn't have to ‘double check’ neither book or movie to know that. She should just leave
all that like...some sort of X-file. Justin was a kind, handsome man...someone who deserves someone
better than her. At best she was an insecure, stumbling, blubbering, blushing hot mess. She was lucky
that he still wanted to be her friend. After the ceremony was over she had sat down at her desk to
prepare the ‘secret notes’.

Perhaps she was cruel leaving riddles for kids, and perhaps that was more cruel...to assume he wouldn't
‘get’ more adult ones...but...then again it was just two of these messages and it wasn't her intention to
make it too hard either. That should be ok...hopefully. She had asked one of the maids to deliver the
message to Justin, and that she would push in the message under the door and then knock before
walking off. Just to make it a little mysterious. In the letter she had written:

Dear Caballero Travioso,
Let’s see how good of a bandit you are - if you find what I've hidden - it's yours.

First clue: Which letter of the alphabet has the most water?
Hint: You will find inspiration over at the dressage arena

/The Bandit Queen

Down at the dressage Selma was walking around. Waiting for someone unknown. Georgie had asked her
to put a bucket of water by the letter C, as well as attach an envelope on the backside of the C marking,
making it a little bit hidden inbetween the marking and the bucket. She had also mentioned that there a
guy would come and look around and that she wasn't allowed to help him search whatever he was
looking for. That is, the envelope. When he did show up she did her best to be helpful but without
actually saying the answer. The riddle was a bit funny as well as the fact that there was a...cowboy...
walking about on the dressage arena looking around. Selma couldn't help but smile wide as he read it to
her, after he came up to her as she sat on an upturned bucket waiting. It was only when he left that she
could start with her real chores.

On the top of the letter that had been attached to the C marking, Georgie had drawn a smiley face.
Below it was the second clue.

Good job Travioso! You found - obviously - the second clue. Just a little ways to go now til your very own -
--. Here is clue number two...
Many wheels, but move I do not. Call me what I am, call me a lot. What am I?

/The Bandit Queen