The Cowboy Way

Once again for all those following the series thank you for your emails, keep them coming. For all you new readers send me something. And for everyone, vote, and let me get a general idea on your feelings for how everything is going. Enjoy this chapter-The Cowboy

Through the kitchen window Mandy could see Ryley and her younger brother, Scott working on Scott’s car in the driveway. She smiled as she watched Ryley leaning into the engine compartment, pointing something out to Scott, who nodded in agreement. Mandy couldn’t believe how things had changed in the last few weeks.

After Ryley had saved her life they had returned to her home in Orlando. He had cared for her while she slowly recovered from her horrendous ordeal. When Mandy felt she was okay again, she and Ryley had made love. It was her first time and the experience had been mind blowing. The fact that Mandy had somehow known since she was thirteen that Ryley would be her first had made the entire situation seem like a fairy tale to her.

That had been two weeks ago when they first made love. They had done it many times since, Mandy’s sexual appetite had grown every day since then. She and Ryley had spent every moment of those days together. They made quite a nice couple and the paparazzi were having a field day. Pictures of the two of them were on the front page of every tabloid in the country.

Her agent had called her several days ago to tell her that her record sales were through the roof. Mandy had promptly hung up on him. He was a nice guy, but Mandy didn’t want to hear about her record sales. She knew the rough outline of what had happened with Ryley and Britney, and knew that record sales had been the cause of their break-up.

Ryley had only gone so far as to tell Mandy that Britney had betrayed him, selling him out for a new record deal. She had known not to broach the subject any further. Another subject they had yet to really explore was Ryley killing the guy who had kidnapped her.

In fact in recent days Ryley had seemed to shy away from any subject that Mandy brought up. She could sense him growing restless, not necessarily with her, but with their present location. Mandy needed advice and turned to her mother who was busy in the kitchen making dinner.

“ Hey, Mom?” Mandy said.

“ Yeah, sweetie?” Stacy replied as she checked the roast in the oven.

“ Can I talk to you?”

Stacy turned to her daughter. “ Of course, Amanda. What is it?”

“ Well . . . it’s about Ryley.”

Stacy smiled and sat down at the kitchen table, sliding a chair out for her daughter as well. Mandy sat down.

“ Go ahead.”

Mandy took a deep breath. “ Well, I have to be honest. I’m in love with him, Mom.”

Stacy smiled. “ Oh, honey, that’s great. Have you told him?”

Mandy nodded. “ Yeah.”

“ What did he say?”

“ Nothing, Mom. He didn’t say anything.”

Stacy sat back, taking a deep breath. “ Amanda, Ryley . . . Ryley has a lot of ghosts in the closet.”

Mandy frowned. “ What do you mean?”

“ Well, with everything that happened with that boy who was killed, his brother getting killed and everything at home, he has a lot of things that still haven’t been sorted out. It’s no excuse, but he has a lot of issues.”

Looking down at the table, Mandy sighed. “ Not to mention everything that happened with Britney.”

Stacy sighed. “ You know, everyone makes mistakes.”

Mandy scoffed. “ Britney Spears. What could he possibly have seen in her?”

“ You know if it weren’t for Britney you wouldn’t have Ryley right now.”

“ I guess so.”

Stacy thought a moment. “ When do you leave?”

“ Three o’clock tomorrow,” Mandy replied. “ I’m meeting everyone in New York.”

“ What about Ryley?”

Mandy shrugged. “ He said he would come with me.”

“ Did you ask him to go with you or did he ask if he could go?”

Mandy mumbled something.

“ Amanda Leigh,” Stacy said, using her authoritative voice. “ I asked you a question.”

“ I said I asked him.”

“ Amanda, if he can’t say it then you have to let him go for now.”

Mandy sighed. “ But I love him, Mom.”

Stacy reached across the table taking her daughter’s hands in hers. “ I know, Mandy. By the way Ryley looks at you I think he loves you too.”

“ You think so?” Mandy asked, biting her bottom lip.

Stacy nodded. “ Tell him that while you’re on tour you want him to go and do his own thing. Tell him to take care of what he has to and when you get back you want to see him again.”

“ I can’t, Mom,” Mandy said, getting upset.

“ I know it’s not easy, honey, but you have to. It wouldn’t be fair to either of you for him to stay. At least for right now.”

Mandy felt a tear fall from her eye as she realized that it was exactly what she had to do.

“ But what if he doesn’t come back?”

Stacy gave her daughter a sympathetic smile. “ Then you’ll know. But honey he is not going to leave you until he knows you’re okay. If he doesn’t come back then at least you’re free.”

Mandy nodded then suppressed a sob. “ I’m gonna miss him.”

The back door opened and Ryley walked inside, wiping his hands on a towel. Mandy immediately wiped her eyes and smiled at him, not very convincingly. Stacy got up and made herself busy with the food.

“ Is everything all right?” he asked.

Mandy nodded. “ Yeah.”

LATER THAT NIGHT

Mandy was doing her best to stifle her moans as she rode Ryley’s cock, thrusting against him with quick, hard motions. His hands cupped her breasts, pinching her nipples as he tried not to move so the bed wouldn’t make too much noise. He could feel the burning in his cock as his orgasm approached.

The high-pitched whine from Mandy’s throat and the convulsions of her hot sheath around his cock signaled her own. The feel of her pussy milking his cock sent him over the edge. Clenching his teeth, Ryley exploded. His cum shot deep inside of her body, filling her with his seed.

As the feel of her pussy being filled overwhelmed her, Mandy fell forwards. Ryley wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her against him. He kissed her on the side of her neck, on her ear and then on her forehead before laying his head back. The feel of her body against his filled him with content. He could feel her chest heaving as she tried to regain control of her breathing.

Finally, when she could breathe normally, Mandy slid off him. She let her leg lay across his and rest her head on his shoulder. Her hand rest on his chest, her fingers drawing figures on his skin.

“ What’s wrong, Amanda?” Ryley asked.

Mandy sighed. “ Don’t call me Amanda,” she said.

Ryley sat up. “ Why not?”

“ I don’t want you to call me that anymore.”

“ Why?” Ryley asked again.

Mandy got up, sitting on the edge of the bed, facing away from Ryley. “ Not until you can say you love me.”

Ryley opened his mouth to speak, but no words came.

“ When I leave tomorrow to go on tour,” Mandy said. “ I don’t want you to come with me.”

Ryley climbed out of bed and began getting dressed.

“ I love you, Ryley,” Mandy said. “ And I want to be with you. But you have to take care of whatever it is you have to take care of.”

He pulled his boots on and stood up, looking down at Mandy. Walking around the bed, he stood in front of her and held out his hand. She took it and allowed him to pull her to her feet.

Mandy looked up at him for a moment then reached up and pulled him down to her lips. They kissed passionately, their tongues entwined. Ryley placed his hand on the side of her face, caressing her skin. He pulled away though, keeping his eyes closed as he took a step back.

“ I love you, Ryley,” Mandy said, tears falling from her face.

He opened his eyes and smiled. “ I know you do. I want to love you, I do, with all my heart. But you’re right. I have things to take care of. Until I do I don’t deserve you.”

Mandy choked back a sob. “ When I get back from my tour-”

“ When you get back I’ll still be here.”

Mandy shook her head. “ Don’t come back,” she said, her hazel eyes locked on his blue ones. “ Not unless you mean it.”

Ryley lowered his eyes for a moment then looked back at her. Turning around, he picked his Stetson up off Mandy’s dresser. Looking back at Mandy, he smiled then walked out of the room. He sensed Mandy following him as he walked down the hall to the front door.

Stepping out onto the front porch, he shouldered his bag and placed his Stetson on his head. He strode down the steps and onto the driveway. Looking over his shoulder, he stopped in his tracks.

Mandy stood at the front door, the sheet from her bed wrapped around her body, held closed with her one hand. She raised the other and waved at him, her eyes dark behind the glass of the door. Ryley raised his hand and tipped his hat, then walked down the driveway and down the street. The rising sun tinted the eastern sky a light orange as Mandy watched him go.

TWO WEEKS LATER

The high-pitched sound of the Ferrari F550’s engine filled the interior of the car as Ryley screamed around a corner on the deserted streets of LA. His eyes scanned beyond the reach of the car’s headlights, looking for anything that could cause a problem. Beyond his concentration of driving and getting as close as he could to the camera crews set along his route, nothing entered his mind.

There was plenty that should have been on his mind, though. Since leaving Mandy’s house that morning Ryley had thought of little else besides her. He missed her with all his heart, but he couldn’t be sure if he actually loved her. The entire situation was confusing the hell out of him because he had loved Britney and the memory of what happened with her was fresh in his mind.

Besides everything that was going on with his personal life his business was picking up like crazy. Steve, Ryley’s agent, had been getting dozens of phone calls a day requesting Ryley’s services. What was strange was that many of the requests were not for his driving skills.

Several modeling agencies and various clothing designers were calling, asking Ryley to model for them. Mandy’s new video had not come out yet so these requests were based on his spreading reputation in Hollywood and the pictures of him in the tabloids with Mandy. It was all making Ryley uncomfortable to say the least.

Other requests were pouring in to do music videos for several different artists. Apparently the idea of putting high performance cars into videos was catching on like never before. Several video shoots had been set up already, making life rather hectic for both Ryley and TJ.

Pontiac had called as well asking Ryley to join their testing team for their performance car division as the head driver. This was one request that Ryley was seriously considering. From what Steve had said, Pontiac was impressed with the footage that had been provided by Mandy’s representatives.

Quite simply things had been so insane that Ryley hadn’t had a chance to deal with the issues he knew he must. And as if things couldn’t be any more hectic there was another factor to deal with. This one seemed intent on harassing Ryley to his grave.

Christina Aguilera, Ryley had learned, was a force to be reckoned with when she wanted something. Steve had informed Ryley that Christina had insisted that Ryley be the one to drive for her video, saying she would pay whatever it took to make it happen. This had bothered Ryley tremendously.

All he had known about Christina was her reputation around Hollywood. She was adamant about getting what she wanted and had made that very obvious to Ryley. The day he had arrived she had sauntered over to him wearing short shorts, a skimpy halter top, a pair of high heeled, cork platform sandal things and every inch of her tan skin showing that was possible.

TJ had been laughing his ass off inside the cab of the eighteen-wheeler as she propped her foot up on the passenger side fuel tank after Ryley had climbed out of the truck. She had smiled her best and flirted with him for a good ten minutes before Ryley said they had a lot of work to do and he would talk to her later. Not one to be brushed off, Christina had watched as he and TJ had unloaded the glistening yellow Ferrari from the trailer.

She had hung around while they went over the car from top to bottom checking to make sure everything was all right. Then they had pulled the car into the garage of the house that was the base for the video. Christina had then hung around Ryley and TJ all day into the night, eating dinner with them, discussing the video and just talking.

TJ had said to just go ahead and do her. But Ryley didn’t trust the blonde vixen. Everyone in Hollywood knew the incredible affects that Ryley had had on first Britney’s record sales and now Mandy’s. Ryley also knew that Christina’s record sales were lagging behind both of the other starlets significantly.

In Ryley’s opinion Christina was probably trying to start something very public with him in order to boost her sales. He could be mistaken, it had happened before, but the way Christina had engineered the whole situation was a little suspicious. The girl definitely knew how to play to the public. Ryley’s biggest concern was whether or not he could resist her.

Christina was a far cry from both Mandy and Britney. She was a complete wild child. Britney was a little risqué and Mandy was the incredibly gorgeous girl from next door, though in private he knew her to be very intimate, but Christina was a sexual goddess. She knew she was gorgeous, she knew she had a body to die for, but what made her really dangerous was that Christina knew exactly how to use it.

But for the moment, none of this was on Ryley’s mind as he slid the Ferrari into a smoky powerslide around another corner, barely missing the camera crew stationed there. Taking a deep breath, Ryley downshifted and stepped on the brakes, turning into a parking lot. He shut the engine off and stepped out of the car to a chorus of cheers and applause from the group of spectators twenty feet away who had been allowed to watch the filming.

Ryley smiled and waved, tired from being in the car for the past two hours racing endlessly through the streets. As he waved he felt an arm slip around his waist and a female body press against his. Looking down, Ryley saw Christina standing there, smiling at the crowd and waving as well.

“ That was incredible, Ryley,” she said as she turned to look up at him.

“ Thanks,” he replied, his voice low, suspicious.

She frowned. “ What’s wrong?”

Ryley sighed, not wanting to make this girl angry. “ Nothing, I’m just tired.”

“ Maybe you should go back to the house and get some sleep.”

He nodded. “ I will.”

“ Christina,” screamed one of the fans.

“ Go thank your fans,” Ryley said, nodding to the throng of screaming teenagers.

Christina smiled. “ Okay,” she said.

Ryley watched her walk across the parking lot, sweeping her long blonde hair back over her shoulder. He couldn’t resist letting his eyes fall over her incredible ass and shapely legs. Shaking his head, Ryley turned and walked over to the director and crew who were all huddled around a series of small televisions, reviewing the footage.

“ How does it look?” he asked.

“ Its great,” Donovan, the producer said. “ At least for tonight. The LAPD is only closing the streets for three hours and we’re just about out of time.”

Ryley nodded. “ All right, I’m gonna get the car out of here and back to the house.

“ All right, we’ll see you back there,” Donovan replied. He was much straighter than Michael, the director for Mandy’s video, was.

Ryley walked back towards the Ferrari, its yellow finish glistening under the streetlights. He opened the door and was about to climb in.

“ Ryley,” Christina called.

He looked over at her, where she stood opposite the group of fans, waving him over. Too tired to argue, he walked over to her and the group of smiling teenagers.

“ What?” he asked.

Christina smiled. “ They want your autograph.”

Ryley blinked. “ Huh?”

“ Yeah, Mr. Hale,” said a cute little brunette in the front of the group of forty or so kids. “ You’re so cool.”

“ Yeah, Mr. Hale,” Christina mimicked.

He couldn’t help but smile as he reached out and took the pad of paper and marker from the girl. Smiling, he tried to recall the last time he signed an autograph as he scrawled across the paper. Handing it back he took a picture of a Ferrari from another girl and signed that as well.

The kids just kept handing him things to sign as TJ walked over and stood behind him, smiling in amusement. Christina was also signing autographs, but mostly she was watching Ryley. He could feel her eyes on him, but tried to ignore her.

“ So you were a race car driver, Mr. Hale?” asked a cute blonde who couldn’t have been more than eighteen.

“ Yeah,” he replied. “And call me Ryley.”

“ They called him the sandman,” TJ chipped in.

Christina looked over at him. “ Why the sandman?”

TJ grinned and clapped Ryley on the back. “ Because the way this guy drove it was like everyone else was sleeping. Well that and Earnhardt had already taken the Intimidator.”

Christina smiled and turned back to the crowd.

“ So, Ryley,” said another. “ Are you and Mandy still together?”

Everyone turned and looked at him, including Christina. Ryley had frozen at that question, halfway through signing his name.

“ Well, Mandy’s on tour right now. We’re kind of taking a break for awhile,” he said.

“ So you’re available?” asked the girl, smiling and receiving open-mouthed stares from her friends.

Ryley shook his head. “ You don’t want to go out with me,” he said.

“ Why not?” she asked.

Ryley smiled as he looked down at the girl, then leaned closer to her. “ Because I’m the guy your parents warned you about.

She smiled seductively. “ Maybe, but you still didn’t answer the question.”

Ryley leaned back and looked away.

Christina laughed. “ All right,” she said. “ That’s it for tonight. Thanks for coming everybody. We’ll be back tomorrow night.”

“ Thanks, guys,” Ryley said and turned to walk back to the car.

Christina fell into step beside him. “ Can I ride back with you?”

He looked down at her. “ Sure,” he said.

They climbed into the car and Ryley started the motor. He backed the car out onto the street and began to head back towards the house. Flashing lights heralded the police barricade blocking the road. The cops moved the barricade aside and waved to Ryley and Christina as they pulled out onto the nearly deserted roads. A flurry of flash bulbs exploding marked the presence of countless paparazzi.

“ Thanks for bailing me out of that question back there,” Ryley said, glancing over at Christina.

She had settled into the seat, her blonde hair catching the lights of passing cars in a picturesque glow. A smile crossed her face as she looked over at him and then rest her elbow on the door and her head on her hand. Ryley turned back to face the road as her sexuality began to shine.

“ No problem,” she replied. “ So are you?”

“ Am I what?”

“ Available?”

Ryley smiled as he guided the five hundred thousand dollar Ferrari through the streets of Los Angeles.

“ I don’t know, Christina.”

“ Well either you are or you aren’t, sandman.”

He laughed.

“ Do you love her?”

“ Holy shit,” he said. “ You sure are direct.”

Christina reached across the center console and squeezed his leg. “ I don’t have time to fuck around.”

“ What’s your deal? I mean what the hell do you want?”

She smiled. “ I want you. I mean what’s the big deal? I’m a girl, I like sex and honestly I want to fuck you.”

Ryley turned the Ferrari off the road into an alley. He pulled the parking brake on and looked over at her. She leaned closer, her mouth open slightly.

“ Why?” he asked. “ You could have any guy you want, why me?”

She smiled devilishly. “ You’re hot, Ryley,” she said leaning across to within an inch of his face.