Muse in Lingerie (Lingerie 1)

“He is when he’s separated from the mares,” Marco said with a laugh. “What brings you down here, sir?”

“I was told my guest was down here.”

“Sapphire?”

I didn’t even like hearing another man call her by name, but I swallowed my annoyance. “Yes.”

“She’s been grooming the horses and feeding them all morning. She’s really taken a liking to the horses. And the horses seemed just as interested in her as she is in them.” He gripped the brim of his hat and adjusted it as he walked beside me. His brown boots were covered with dust, and his skintight jeans made him look like the perfect rancher. He took me into the shade of the stables and away from the summer heat. “How about a ride?”

“Not today.” I looked around the stalls and saw Sapphire standing at the very end with an Appaloosa tied up to the stall. She was brushing his flank with a thick brush, cleaning the outer coat to keep the beast cooler in the warm sun. Dante must have given her clothes to wear, because she was in skintight denim jeans, boots, and a collared shirt.

She was a hot cowgirl.

I held up my hand and silently dismissed Marco.

He read the signal correctly and walked to the other side of the tables. Like Dante, he didn’t ask any questions about my guest. Whether she was a prisoner or not, it wasn’t his concern.

I approached Sapphire from behind. “You’re pretty good at that.”

She looked over her shoulder at the sound of my voice, slightly startled because she hadn’t expected me to be standing there. “Thanks…Marco has shown me a few things.”

I moved to the head of the horse and rubbed her along her snout. “Dante told me you’ve been out here all morning.”

She turned her gaze back to her work, running the brush along the horse. She took long strokes, digging up the loose hair and removing it from the horse’s flank. The horse was surprisingly docile for the fact that Sapphire wasn’t Marco, the person she was used to. Sapphire was a complete stranger, but she didn’t seem to mind. “Yeah. I asked if I could help out, and he’s teaching me a few things. It’s better than sitting around all day. Besides, I like the horses.” She kept her eyes on her work, probably to avoid contact after the tense night we had. She’d gotten on her knees and sucked my dick in apology, and I allowed it to happen because she was too damn sexy to turn down. She didn’t gag and swallowed all of my come like last time—then she let herself out.

I watched her hand go across the animal’s back. Because of her height, she struggled to reach the very top, where the horse’s spine curved inward. I grabbed the wooden step from the closet then set it on the ground in front of here. “Here.”

She stepped up and was instantly a foot taller. “Wow, so this is what it’s like to be you…”

I was still a few inches taller than her. “Almost.”

She reached forward, using the horse for balance as she stretched across to get the untouched patches. “Marco said I need to get to know the horses before I ride them. They’ll get used to me, and I’ll get used to them. Then there shouldn’t be as many problems.”

“It’s a good idea.”

She finished brushing the beast before she stepped back down the ladder. Her collared shirt was tucked in, showing off her sexy waistline. The skintight jeans showed the outline of her long and toned legs. Whether she was naked or fully clothed, she looked stunning. “Anything I can help you with?”

“You’re having lunch with me.”

“When?” She carried the brush to the sink and rinsed it of the horsehair that had been collected during grooming. Even when she had to lean over the sink, she kept her shoulders back and her posture perfect. Now the action was programmed into her spine.

“Thirty minutes.”

“You aren’t working today?”

“It’s Saturday.”

“Then where were you this morning?”

My eyes narrowed at the question. Since she was my slave, she wasn’t entitled to ask any questions. No matter how many times I laid down the law, she never seemed to get it. So I refused to answer the question, my silence clear enough.

She rolled her eyes and looked at the sink again.

“Did you just roll your eyes at me?”

“Yes. It was pretty clear.”

After the bullshit stunt she’d pulled last night, I couldn’t believe she had the audacity to test the limits. Maybe I shouldn’t have shown an ounce of compassion. Maybe I should have just fucked her without thinking twice about it. “I can get you on your back any second, Muse. Don’t push me.”

She turned off the water then turned her blue gaze on me. “I don’t think you have it in you—and that’s something you should be proud of.”