Branded (11 page)

Except for Molly, Sakura preferred
to keep a slight distance from people she worked with. She didn’t
want to do that while at the Big W Ranch. There were no formalities
here, no cultural rules to remember and exist under, and she hoped
none appeared. As far as she was concerned, the days were for
business, after that was something else. Something much more
personal.

Dinner turned out to be a group
effort and they ate outside on a patio beneath the expansive
darkening sky.

Jon made a green salad, Ted handled
the steaks, and Matt was in charge of grilling the asparagus once
the steaks had been removed. While she’d read about the American
fascination with barbecuing, neither she nor Molly had ever tried
it before. After listening to them talk and seeing the seriously
extensive setup, they were interested to see how it was done and
how the end product tasted.

By the time the meal was finished
she knew why it was a national fascination. The meal was delicious
and filling. Once they’d finished eating, a chill started to settle
over them and they cleared the table. Moving inside, they settled
in the living room and started to talk shop.

“We’ll have another barbecue
tomorrow with the ranch hands that are here. Later you can then
meet the group currently out moving the last of the herd to the
eastern pasture. It will leave the northern field free for the
newborns after they’ve been double tagged.” Ted was hands on with
the ranch itself and had even sent her a map of the ranch, with the
various sections labeled.

“Sounds good. Tomorrow morning
Molly and I can take a look at the equipment, see what we’re
waiting for, and start making a game plan on setting it all up.
Have you settled on where you want to place it?” She leaned her
head back against the couch and snuggled in for comfort, relaxing
further into the discussion.

“We’ve enclosed the space in the
barn to cut it off from the activity while still being in the midst
of it all. We figured proximity was best and decided to go with a
dedicated generator which kicks on automatically. There’s one for
the house already and it shouldn’t be a big deal to get one for the
barn office.” Ted sat beside her and drank his beer.

“Yes, makes sense. I’m going to
suggest we add a dedicated station to your office here at the
house. As a sort of back-up source in case the other goes
down.”

“I like the idea of another
terminal outside of the barn. Don’t forget how harsh winters can
get here.” Matt added a dose of reality to the discussion before
settling down, and brought her feet to his lap. “Would it be a
mirror version of the other or would we need to set up a backup
program?”

“If we set it up right, then yes,
working on one station would be like working on the other with a
dedicated backup being done on the inside office unit.” Sakura had
built the plan for the Big W from the ground up. It meant she could
talk details without needing to dive too deeply into work mode. It
was a good thing because she wasn’t in the mood to do much
thinking.

“Everyone, I’m going to head back
to the house and get some sleep.” Molly stood up and looked at
Matt, Ted, and Jon in turn. “Thank you for such a wonderful dinner.
It was a great introduction to the barbequing phenomenon. I look
forward to returning the kindness and cooking a typical English
Sunday roast and all fixings for you gentlemen.”

“I’ll walk you back,” Jon quietly
offered and moved to stand next to her.

“That’s all right, I can find my
way back.”

“It’s not a problem.”

“Oh, okay.” She smiled up at the
big man standing at her side. With a light touch to her back, he
followed her to the front door. “Good night, everyone. See you in
the morning.”

“Night,” was everything the tall
dark haired escort muttered before they were gone.

Silence fell with the snick of the
door closing until Sakura couldn’t hold back what she was thinking
any longer.

“Is it me, or do those two have a
thing for each other? I’ve known Molly for over five years. She’s
never smiled at a man like she just did, nor would she have allowed
one to walk her home.”

“There’s definitely heat between
them. We’ve known Jon since we were kids. Even when he and I were
in the Marines, stationed everywhere from the jungles of Columbia
to the bazaars of the Middle East, he never went after a woman.
They always followed him, but he’s definitely following Molly.” Ted
spoke in a matter of fact way as he put his glass on the table
behind the couch.

“You were in the military? I didn’t
know, I—” She was shocked at how much she didn’t know about the men
she was growing to care about.

“It’s all right, Sakura. There’s
plenty of time to get to know each other better. We aren’t going to
rush into anything.”

“You’re right.” The idea she could
have lost him before she ever met him struck her hard. They’d
talked on the phone, lengthy calls, but she wanted to experience
getting to know him in person, not be given a list noting down
every detail of their lives. She didn’t want him or Matt to get to
know her that way, either. They’d talk and discover each other in a
natural way. “I take it she’s safe with him?”

“Safe, absolutely, but seduced is
something else.” Ted rubbed his chin over the top of her
head.

Sakura knew she’d been relaxed in
both the company and conversation, but hadn’t realized how
much.

At some point she’d moved to rest
against Ted rather than the couch. He hadn’t touched her, but her
hand was on his thigh, unconsciously stroking the softened jeans
and hard leg beneath. Looking at Matt, she wondered how he was
taking her being close to his brother. She found him sitting at the
other end of the couch, watching them with a gentle smile on his
face as he rubbed her feet.

She remembered what he’d told her,
what it meant if she came to the Big W Ranch. Matt and Ted would
both be her lovers. Two incredibly sexy men were there to please
her as she would them. The picture he’d painted seemed hot and a
bit naughty, and appealed to her greatly.

For months she’d prepared for the
visit, but hadn’t known what to expect. She hadn’t any idea how
things would progress. They’d simply been themselves and she’d
found them attractive. Without trying, they enticed her to want to
spend time with them in and out of bed.

It had been too long since she’d
spent the night with Matt, and there’d been no relief since for the
passion he’d set blazing inside her mind and body. Instead, the
need burned brighter, and left her constantly thinking of the
release she knew she’d find in their arms. It was a scary step to
make, and one she wanted to do.

Tilting her head to the side and
back, she looked at Ted, then at his lips. It was a hint, brazen,
but a clue that she wanted his kiss and he gave her one plus a bit
more. He gently placed his lips against hers and left them simply
touching. Their connection sparked and she gave him an invitation
to take what he wanted.

His tongue made a subtle sweep of
the seam between her lips. She inhaled sharply and slipped her
tongue out to meet his. They twisted and tangled around each other.
It was utterly delightful, and she swept swiftly into a new realm
full of wonder when his hands smoothed over her belly and up to cup
her breasts.

Inhaling sharply, she wanted them
to do something, but they simply held her fleshy mounds. She waited
for the thumbs to stroke across the tips or maybe for him to push
the two together, but nothing. After waiting with held breath, she
slowly relaxed into his touch and figured he was simply curious
about how they’d feel.

With a breath followed by another,
she realized Matt ran his hand over her foot, past her ankle to
encase her calf. He massaged the muscle and, without breaking their
kiss, her eyes rose to meet his. The man was smiling and she wanted
to say something, but hadn’t any idea what. Words trickled through,
but before she could put them together Ted pinched her
nipples.

Gasping, Sakura accepted she was
lost and broke the kiss. He rolled the hard tips between his
fingers and then released them. The palms of his hands covered her
breasts. It might have been soothing, but she was too excited by
the subtle circular motion they made. That almost not there touch
had her fighting to not thrust her chest up to meet his
hands.

An intense passion raced through
her body, one she hadn’t experienced since the last time she spent
time with a Wilson brother. Questions roved through her head
without any of them coming out.

Despite her fuzzy headedness, being
with the two men actually left her feeling calm. They weren’t
pushing her to do anything she wasn’t ready for, which made her
feel even more at ease in their company.

The comfortable silence they’d
fallen into was eventually broken by Matt. He asked the question
which had obviously been on his mind for some time.

“I’ve wondered, Sakura, why you
chose to come to my room that night in Japan. Was it because you
wanted me, or were you doing something to push against your
parents’ rules and tight hold on you?”

While she should’ve been surprised
at how perceptive he was, she realized now how obvious it must have
been to others that she was unhappy existing under her parents’
thumbs. Living the life they set out for her from birth hadn’t been
fulfilling, but she hadn’t known other people could see what she
couldn’t or wouldn’t.

She had been gone from home for
only a few weeks, and already she was free to be true to herself
and her needs.

“They’re both right. I absolutely
wanted you.” She smiled at him as she remembered their first
conversations over the phone. “Your voice and sense of humor
seduced me before I ever met you in person. Then, even though I
thought you wanted me, I jumped at the chance to be with you. For
the first time in my life, I worked toward achieving what I wanted,
not what somebody else chose or expected me to do.”

“When you were little, what did you
dream of doing?” Ted stroked her arm, comforting her with his touch
as he sought to appease his curiosity.

“Nothing, I think.” No matter how
hard she tried, Sakura couldn’t remember what the child she’d been
wanted or even dreamed about. Every step had been planned and she
was expected to follow through with success.

“What about being an artist,
writer, something far out there? That thing you never knew was
possible to achieve but still wanted to do or at least try?” Ted
asked the question, but she could tell they both were interested in
her answer.

“No, I could never draw as much as
a stick figure and my writings skills are best found in a report
based on defined facts. My imagination doesn’t go beyond what shoes
to wear with what suit. I’m too practical.”

“There’s nothing wrong with being
sensible. In fact, it’s an asset.”

“True, but disappointing. Thinking
outside the box is beyond my abilities.” She didn’t mind admitting
her flaws to these two men. They wouldn’t think any less of her for
not being able to do everything.

“I think you were creative when you
dressed as a geisha to get what you wanted,” Matt spoke gently but
emphatically. “Not many women are comfortable enough with who they
are and confident in themselves to take what they want
sexually.”

“I’ve always done everything my
parents wanted and ignored things which might make me personally
happy. Then, talking with Hiedo, the hotel’s concierge,” she
explained to Ted, “about Matt’s request for a geisha, it was as if
the brick wall blocking my way from living as I wanted was
destroyed and couldn’t be rebuilt. Even if it was for one night, I
simply couldn’t let the opportunity to fulfill both our fantasies
be wasted.”

“Fantasies?” Matt had an idea what
hers had been, but wanted to hear her say it and know what they
were.

“Yes, you wanted a geisha and I
wanted a cowboy. Well, one in particular.”

“What do you mean?” queried
Ted.

“Before Matt came to Japan and we
spent hours talking on the phone, I imagined him as a cowboy.” She
wasn’t sure if she would go as far as to tell them about it
becoming a cowboy in hat and boots only, but she remembered how
good he looked wearing a few basics.

Sakura looked over at him and
smiled. Being at their ranch, on the cusp of forming some sort of
relationship with them, she couldn’t imagine not taking the chance
and sharing everything.

“How do your parents feel about
your coming over here to handle the installation?” Matt went back
to massaging her feet and lower legs.

Closing her eyes, she relaxed in
their arms. It was as if, with them, she was home. On a sigh, she
told them everything.

“They know what I’m here to do for
the business and that I can do it because I already completed
almost a dozen installations back home. They accept and support how
I’m open to staying in the U.S. to possibly open a consultancy firm
for Americans and possibly Canadians to export beef successfully to
Japan. What they don’t know is that my feelings, maybe my heart,
are involved.”