Maverick tipped his beer bottle against Jagger’s.“Agreed.The little shit.”
“Do you have cameras in each stall?”Jagger asked.“I didn’t see any.”
I shook my head.“No, but I should.”
“Yeah.So I’d honestly have another dozen or more cameras around here.It’s such a huge chunk of property with a lot of blind spots and hiding places.We can uncover them all and then make sure we put cameras there.Nobody, not even little pricks named Clyde, will be able to get onto the land without being seen.”
“Should I hire a professional security company?”I asked.
Jagger shook his head.Maverick nodded.
“Too expensive,” Jagger said.
“Dude, totally.You’ve got the cash,” Maverick countered.
“Right,” Jagger sighed.“I forgot you two wereprofessionalathletes who got paid millions to play your sport.I was just a college football player who didn’t make a dime, then got injured and had to get a psych degree.”He waved his hand.“Spend your millions then, Mr.Moneybags.”
Maverick grinned at me.“He’s just sour because he thinks he’s not going to be able to come over and see the baby horse again if you hire a company to install the security system.He wanted to come help and do it so he could snuggle Midnight again.”
“Fuck off.”Jagger rolled his eyes.
“Well …” I tipped back my beer and took a sip.“I will need help with the fence.To keep out the little prick.”
Both men grinned back at me.“We’re hired,” Maverick said.“My fee is baby horse snuggles, and the promise of not being continuously violated by that donkey.”
“I can only promise one of those things,” I replied, actually grateful that they showed up, and enjoying their company.
Maverick held out his hand.“Deal.”
Friday morning, Danica came by, and we spent a few hours in the bedroom.But then she had to leave to get some “actual” work done.Because according to her, she had a business to run, and couldn’t just abandon her bookkeeping for orgasms.I argued that she could.That I’d pay for a bookkeeper for the vineyard so she was free to spend all day with me having orgasms, but she wasn’t overly keen on that idea.
She did say she’d come back later that afternoon and bring Sam with her.
This was how our week went.
Danica came over every morning.We had amazing sex for a few hours, then she left.Then I spent the day with Jagger and Maverick replacing the fence, installing the gate, and working with the security company I hired, and paid extra to for them to move me up their schedule.
Then, Danica and Sam would come back over, and we’d hang out with the horses, and they would stay for dinner.
By Friday, it felt like this was normal life, and I really loved it.
However, on Friday afternoon, when Danica arrived with Sam, I could tell that something was different the moment the little girl stepped out of her mother’s SUV.She didn’t look at me.Didn’t say a word.She just stomped toward the barn door, flung it open, and headed inside.
I met Danica in the driveway, my hands instantly finding her hips.“What is wrong?”
Danica made a face that said, “I’ll give you one guess.”
“Clyde,” I breathed.
So far this week, Sam had had nothing to report about Clyde or his behavior.But of course, expecting that demon-child to go a full five days without being a delinquent was clearly too much to ask.
“He sat behind her on the bus again today on the way home and instead of gum this time, he opened up a bag of dogshit he apparently found on top of a trashcan and smeared it on her head.”
My jaw dropped.
“Then he proceeded to call her a ‘shithead.’ And that her smell has actually improved.Then he commented on how no wonder she’s such a freak, because so is her mother.And his mother and grandfather are going to make sure your property is shut down.They’ve already called animal control and child protective services.Because I have to be a terrible parent to let my child go anywhere near such dangerous animals.The kid basically hit every single button of Sam’s that he absolutely could have.”
“This is not a child.This is Satan reincarnated,” I said.“That boy has no soul.”
