Bound For Love

Chapter 5

"Do you know what the name of this ranch means in English?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Sorry, no. Just the bare necessities I needed working at The Sam. But if I get the job, I'll do my best to pick it up quickly."

"I'm sure you will." Slide, slide, slide.

Jenna suppressed a sensual shiver.

"The rope."

She blinked, wondering what he meant. Did he want her to do something with the rope? She'd be more than happy to, except she never mixed business with pleasure and she really needed to be part of this business.

"The name of the ranch." He gave her another of those slow, lazy smiles that made the walls of her p***y contract with need. Holy s**t! Business, she thought again. Business, business, business. She really needed this job.

"Oh."

"It means the rope." He narrowed his eyes, watching her reaction. "We use a lot of rope here at La Riata, as I'm sure you can imagine."

He couldn't possibly be wondering if she - No! She was mistaken. She had to be. But damn, those eyes were just getting to her. And that length of rope. She imagined it wound around her body with the knots pressing in the most crucial places, like right on her clit and her n*****s. And maybe through the crevice of her ass.

Good lord! If she kept this up, she'd have an orgasm just sitting here, and that wouldn't help the job interview much. She did spare one fleeting thought to wonder if Dylan Acosta was a Dom and if he was into shibari. Then she shut down her mind. She had more pressing issues than if her prospective boss was into b**m or could show her where a convenient playroom was. Again, a trap she wasn't going to fall into.

"Miss Clary?" Dylan's warm drawl cut through her fog. "Jenna?"

"What? Oh, sorry. I was just realizing how much I've missed by not immersing myself in the culture here. It's a lot different from Dallas."

"No kidding." He stared for another long moment, before finally leaning forward, elbows on the desk. "Toni speaks very highly of you, and I have a lot of respect for her. So let's give this a shot. I'm hoping it works out well for both of us."

She wanted to pump her fist in the air or leap up and click her heels. Instead she made a superhuman effort to control herself and just gave him a smile.

"Thank you. I'll make sure you don't regret this."

He took a blank slip of paper, wrote something on it, and slid it across the desk to her. "This is the salary. There's an apartment on the second floor here that belongs to this position if the person wants to use it. Or would you rather drive back and forth every day from San Antonio?"

No, she would not. For the moment, at least, she wanted to cut all ties with the city. She looked at the slip of paper and nearly swallowed her tongue. It was far more than she'd expected from a place like this.

"Make no mistake," Dylan told her. "You'll earn every cent of it. You'll handle reservations and all the other details for this operation. The foreman will coordinate with you on the activities so he can schedule both the men and the horses. There aren't always regular hours like in a hotel, and some days are hours longer than others. We often have evening events that require you to be there. Some days are short, others are long. Your days off depend on the schedule of guests."

"You aren't scaring me away." She grinned. "Anything else?"

"Toni will give you all the paperwork to fill out and the contract to sign. Can you start tomorrow?"

Jenna nearly fell out of her chair. "Excuse me?"

"Noon would be okay. Give you a chance to settle in and for Toni to show you the ropes."

"Tomorrow?" She was still flabbergasted.

"Toni has managed to extend her vacation for three more days," he told her. "You'll need to be ready to take over when she leaves." He pushed himself out of the chair. "Toni will give you the keys and show you the apartment. We have a campfire dinner tonight." He looked her up and down. "I don't guess that outfit will be good for sitting on logs."

"Tonight?" She was still stunned.

Dylan looked at his watch. "That should give you enough time to drive into town, pack some of your stuff, and get back here."

Today?

Her head was spinning. Today?

"B-But my apartment, my stuff, my - "

"Hmmm." He frowned. "Well, bring enough for a week or so. While you're here we'll talk about the rest of the arrangements. Meanwhile, I have work to get to. Toni can take care of everything with you and answer any of your questions."

He fetched his Stetson and plopped it on his head then opened the office door for her. "I'll leave you and Toni to get to it. See you at dinner."

She followed him out to the main area, still mesmerized by the way his jeans cupped his very fine ass and stunned at everything that had happened in what seemed like seconds. She was staring after him, in a mild state of shock, when she heard Toni chuckle behind her. She turned to see her friend leaning on the check-in counter.

"You could have prepared me a little bit," she said in an accusing tone of voice.

"For what?" Her face was expressionless but there was laughter in her eyes.

"For one thing, you could have told me not to wear these stupid high heels and this pencil skirt."

Toni just shook her head. "I figured when I used the word ranch you'd figure it out for yourself." She swallowed a smile.

"Because I know so much about the Hill Country, right?"

"Hey." Toni shrugged. "Your choosing to ignore everything outside San Antonio isn't my fault."

"You also didn't tell me he wanted me to start yesterday." She held out her hands in a helpless gesture. "Don't you think I should give notice? I mean, I still have a reputation for always being professional."

"You want my opinion?" Toni asked. "I say just quit. What can he do? There's only so much mud he can throw on you. If he does, you have every right to fight back."

"I know. And I don't want to fight." She sighed. "I just want out of there."

"Then do it," Toni urged.

"What am I supposed to do with my apartment?"

"Well, now, you may be in luck with part of that. My lease is up, and I've been month to month while I look around. I could sublet from you until you decide if you want to stay here or leave."

Jenna widened her eyes. "You'd do that? God, that would solve my biggest problem." Then she bit her lip. "But then there's all my stuff! I have so much stuff!"

"Let me show you the manager's apartment while it's still quiet here. You can actually bring your stuff with you. Dylan has furnished the place but it's pretty sparse."

"And if the job doesn't work out?"

Toni shrugged. "Let's think positive, okay? Come on. First the apartment. Then I have paperwork for you to fill out, too. Then we need to get you something to wear for tonight." She looked her friend up and down, mischief back in her eyes. "I don't think you're exactly dressed for a campfire dinner."

"No kidding. Okay, let's get going here."