Crossroads: the Chance City Series Book Three
Copyright© 2023 by Robin Deeter
Chapter 15
Romantic Sex Story: Chapter 15 - Carter “Wheels” Ellis doubts that he’ll ever find a wife since he’s a paraplegic. But Nora Guthrie has strong feelings for him, and they begin a powerful romance. Sparks fly between Mayor Carly Branson and male prostitute Ray Stratton despite their mutual hate. Or is it love? Four people come to important crossroads. Will they find happiness, or take a wrong turn and end up heartbroken?
Caution: This Romantic Sex Story contains strong sexual content, including Ma/Fa Consensual Heterosexual Fiction Historical Mystery Western
The newlyweds spent three heavenly days alone together, their bond deepening as each day passed. Neither had ever been so happy. Ollie had come over the day after their wedding, missing his human parents. They didn’t mind and spent a lot of time playing with him.
On the fourth day, they went over to the main house, surprising everyone. They’d missed their family and they were ready to get on with their new life together. Their days settled into a pleasant routine, one in which they rejoiced and lived to the fullest. Their joy was evident to everyone, and many hearts were filled with gladness for them.
While Wheels worked, Nora helped Rena with the kids since school was now out for the summer. She also still helped her mother and with the Ladies’ Auxiliary. Cleaning their little carriage house didn’t take very long and Nora had time on her hands, which she put to good use. Sometimes they ate at home and other times with one of their families.
Their nights were filled with passion and fun, even when things didn’t go quite as planned in the bedroom. After Nora had grown angry with him one such night when he was critical of himself, Wheels took her at her word when she assured him that she wasn’t upset.
Her attitude was much the same as the day when she’d taken away his cookies and he had no wish to repeat the experience. He learned to not put pressure on himself to perform, to just enjoy his beautiful wife no matter what happened. In exchange, Nora accepted the bliss he gave her without guilt, knowing that it gave him a different sort of pleasure to satisfy her.
One evening when Wheels arrived home with a strange look on his face, Nora asked him what was wrong.
Frowning he said, “Nothing’s wrong exactly. In fact, it was right, but it was the wrong time for it.”
“What do you mean?” Nora asked as she set the table.
Grinning, Wheels said, “It’s your fault.”
Her eyebrows rose. “My fault?”
“Yeah. I was thinking about last night and, well, it’s a good thing that I was sitting at my work bench.”
Nora covered her mouth, trying to stifle the laughter that bubbled forth.
Wheels laughed. “It took a while for things to calm down, too.”
They wanted to start a family as soon as possible, but they knew that conception would be tricky.
Nora quelled her mirth. “Well, I have a solution. If I’m home, you just take a break whenever things happen.”
His smile widened. “Are you serious?”
Nora sat on his lap and played with the hair at the nape of his neck. “Very.”
Heat entered his gaze. “In that case...”
He captured her lips in a kiss that spoke volumes about what his appetite craved at that moment. Supper was late that night.
“Carly, Carly! Look at my new dress!”
Carly smiled as twelve-year-old Pilar Ruiz ran into her office, sporting a very pretty, light blue dress with puffy sleeves and lace at the collar. Since hiring Hector, Carly had become close with his younger siblings, Diego, Susanna, and Pilar. She’d overridden Hector’s objections to the children visiting her, assuring him that she’d have it no other way.
“What a vision you are!” Carly rose from her desk. “Turn around and let me get the full effect.”
Her dark eyes shining, Pilar turned a fast circle, her skirt flaring out as she giggled. Carly laughed and clapped her hands. “Beautiful and graceful, not to mention smart.”
Pilar’s cheeks grew pink from her praise, but her smile never dimmed. “Thank you.”
Hector entered her office, humor and affection in his eyes as he looked at Pilar. “She had no rest in her behind until I let her come with me this morning.”
Carly hugged Pilar. “Well, what’s the sense in getting a new dress if you can’t show it off?”
Pilar returned her embrace and said, “Susanna is minding Senora Lopez’s children today and Diego is working, so I would have been home alone anyway.”
Carly sent Hector a disapproving look over Pilar’s head and he fought a sigh of frustration. There were times when there was no one to stay with Pilar or no one to leave her with. Hector hated leaving Pilar alone, but sometimes he had no other choice.
Drawing back from the girl, Carly said, “Well, I’m glad you came. I have something you can help me with.”
“You do?” Pilar’s face shone with happiness.
“I do.” Carly shot Hector a stern look that warned him not to argue with her. “How would you like to come to check on the new park with me?”
“Yes, please!”
Carly smiled. “Good. I could use your opinion on it. Hector, will you tell Phillip that we’ll be leaving shortly?”
With a curt nod, Hector left the room to do as instructed. While he appreciated Carly’s kindness, he worried about crossing the line between employer and employee. He made more money than he ever had, and he was able to be home almost every night with his family. They’d moved to a better neighborhood since he could now afford a nicer place to live, and he was able to buy medicine that seemed to be helping Pilar.
Although Hector hid it well, worry gnawed at him that something would endanger his employment with the mayor, and he took every precaution to make sure that didn’t happen. Protecting Carly was his first priority, but he went above and beyond in his duties, essentially turning the Branson estate and the town hall into fortresses.
He expected daily updates from his subordinates in both locations and nothing escaped his attention about the Branson estate, including the fact that Ray made nightly visits to Carly. The epitome of discretion, Hector never let on that he knew about her affair with the former hustler. What Carly did in her private life was none of his business.
Shortly after taking over as supervisor of the Branson’s security team, Hector had made it clear that he wouldn’t tolerate the other guards gossiping about the family. He’d warned them that there would be dire consequences if they disobeyed him. Shrugging off his concerns, he carried out Carly’s wishes and did a quick check around the building.
“I can’t believe that you’re going to change the park plans based on the opinion of a mere girl, and a Mexican one at that.”
Carly took a sip of wine and calmly regarded her father. “I don’t care what you believe or don’t. Pilar’s ideas are good ones. After all, children are primarily for whom the park is being built.”
Loren pounded the dining room table. “I’ll block you!”
“You can try, but I don’t think you’ll succeed,” Carly responded, taking a bite of Cornish hen.
Her father made a disgusted noise and threw his napkin on the table. “You’ve lost your mind, Caroline! First this insane engagement to the likes of Ray Stratton, taking to Mexican children, and now this! It’s just too much. I’m putting my foot down.”
“Careful where you put it, Dad. It’ll get trampled on.”
Her mother, Jillian, sighed. “Can we please just eat in peace?”
Loren sent both women a scathing look before leaving the table in disgust. Carly enjoyed any victory over her father, even the small ones. Jillian began telling Carly the latest gossip, but Carly largely tuned her out, preferring instead to think about her fiancé. The modest yet beautiful ring that Ray had given her sparkled beneath the chandelier that hung over the table, making Carly smile at the memory of Ray’s proposal a few nights after the night they’d gone to Benny’s together.
“Where on Earth are we going, Ray?” Carly panted as she followed Ray up the incline. Hiking wasn’t something she did, so the walk up the winding path left her out of breath.
“Not far now,” he responded.
The amusement in his voice aggravated Carly. “I’m not a mountain goat! Why are we out here in the wilderness?”
Ray laughed. “This isn’t the wilderness, sweetheart. It’s just the woods. There are houses and ranches out here.”
As someone who spent most of her time in town, the woods certainly seemed like uncharted wilds to Carly. “Where? I don’t—oh! Ow! I can’t see, Ray.”
She let out a startled cry when Ray swept her up in his arms and began carrying her along the path. “Cry baby.”
“I’m not a cry baby. It’s fully dark and I can’t see the stones and sticks along the path.”
“You need to get out of that office more, Carly. You need to clear your head with some fresh air and see that there’s more to life than work,” Ray said.
It irritated Carly how easily he carried her uphill. He didn’t appear at all winded, which did nothing for her ego. “Well, I don’t have time to traipse around in the woods. The work isn’t going to get done on its own.”
He arched an eyebrow at her. “Make time. Even once a week. Put it on your schedule. Just one hour a week would do you a lot of good.”
“You’re certainly in an overbearing mood tonight.”
Smiling, he said, “No, I just worry about you.”
“Worry about me? Why?”
“You work too much. You need to have more fun.”
She brushed a lock of inky hair away from his forehead. “You need a haircut.”
“Damn it, Carly. I’m trying to tell you that I’m concerned about you, and you’re worried about my hair. Screw my hair! You’re too tense, too wound up, and I’m worried that one of these days you’ll snap from all the pressure you’re under,” he said. “We’re here.”
As he spoke, they topped a rise. A long valley stretched out below the summit where they now stood. A large, meandering stream shimmered in the star and moonlight. Up so high, the heavenly bodies seemed closer to the earth, and easily reachable. A coyote howled somewhere nearby, and the lonely sound was echoed by a far-off answer.