For Her Pleasure by Patricia Pellicane

 
    Chapter One
     
     
     
    Annie Hempstead O’Reilly pushed open the bar door and stepped into the huge, barnlike establishment. The place was filled with loud laughter and even louder music. It smelled of stale beer, perfume, aftershave and barbeque ribs.
    She looked over the crowd, her gaze lingering on the long line of cowboys leaning their backs against the bar, watching the dancers. A few had turned to watch her. Perfect. They were just what a girl needed.
    It had taken a month before she could bring herself to face the folks of this town. Now that she’d finally left her home, she’d done it with purpose. Tonight, her intent was to pick a man and use him purely for her own satisfaction. If she had herself more than one, all the better. The way she felt, she just might fuck every cowboy in this place.
    It had been four weeks since the police had escorted Charlie from her home. Weeks since he’d confessed he’d used her to gain his position in her father’s firm. She’d spent a month of hiding in the dark, mortified she’d been such a fool and embarrassed to show her face in public.
    Annie allowed satisfied smile. Trouble was: a rash moment of guilt had ruined Charlie. Hours after his confession, he was looking for a job. With her father’s influence, he wouldn’t find one in this town, perhaps not even in this state. He deserved what he got, and she was hardly the Christian she’d once believed herself to be because she’d love watching him get it.
    Now, tonight, it was time for her. Tonight, just this one time, she’d break free of her goody-two-shoes mold and do something thoroughly refreshing and utterly un-Annie-like.
    She’d never been with another man, but she was about to change that, starting tonight. This wasn’t payback. She didn’t care enough about Charlie to hurt him. He was out of her life forever, and there was no time like the present to start living again. Her wants were simple. She breathed a sigh, her smile dangerous. She was going to love every second of filling her needs.
    She walked toward the two cowboys she knew. She nodded at Matt, but asked, “How you doin’, Grady?” as she deliberately…slowly… seductively leaned full-length into the taller of the two. “How about a dance?”
    Obviously surprised, he widened his gaze a bit but didn’t say a word. A second later, with his arm at her waist, he swept her onto the dance floor. He held her, a little closer than he should have. She loved it. The man had never felt harder, never smelled cleaner. How could she have forgotten the thrill of being in his arms?
    “What are you doing here? Where’s Charlie?” he asked.
    “Charlie who?” she returned with a slow, wicked grin. She felt free for the first time in years, as if a weight of lies had finally been taken from her. “How long have you known?”
    He looked at her for a long moment before he shrugged. “What are we talking about exactly?”
    She didn’t answer the question but said instead, “From day one he lied to me. You know, the longer I think about it, the more amazed I am. It takes a special kind of person to marry two women and keep one completely secret. How do you figure he managed it?”
    “He managed it because she lived just over the border in Oklahoma and everyone in this town loves you. No one wanted to see you hurt.”
    “They’re not going to love me after tonight.”
    “Why? You’re not planning on killin’ him, are you?”
    She managed a slight shrug. “I don’t care if he lives or dies, but if I ever go to jail it won’t be for a creep like him.”
    “Good,” he said in obvious relief, as he tugged her just a little closer. “So what are you going to do?”
    “I’m about to break out of my ‘Oh, the girl is just so sweet, isn’t she?’ mode.”
    He grinned.
    “And you’re in luck since you’re the first guy I saw when I walked in here.”
    “In luck? How?” he asked, obviously wary.
    “How long have you wanted to go to bed