Free Boots and Chaps by Myla Jackson Page A

shards of glass and left the storeroom. She couldn’t get out of the bar fast enough, avoiding talking to anyone who dared to get in her way.
    Her cell phone rang in her hip pocket, and she pulled it out, answering before she thought better.
    “Audrey, it’s Luke Gray Wolf. Any chance of getting Kiki back here tonight?”
    Audrey’s feet ground to a halt. “No, that’s impossible. She’s not for hire.”
    “Well, damn. She made quite an impression the other night, not only on me and Mark but on Jackson as well. If we don’t do something soon, he’s liable to blow a gasket on us.”
    “Sorry, boys. She’s not interested.” Her voice faltered.
    “You sure? We’ll pay her double what we paid before. We really need her in a bad way.”
    Audrey’s heart skipped several beats, her determination wavering. What Luke and Mark had done to her two nights ago to get her lathered up for Jackson was very near to orgasmic.
    “If you think she’ll reconsider, would you give her our number?” Luke persisted.
    “I’ll think about it.” Audrey pressed the off button.
    As she left the building, Audrey swerved into the prop room and grabbed a spare set of stripper’s chaps. Rolling the leather into a tight wad, she stuffed it into the oversized purse she carried her files and laptop in. Why she did it, she couldn’t say. Maybe Kiki had a mind of her own.
    A shiver of excitement slipped over her skin, speeding her footsteps until she was running for her truck. When she shifted into drive, she didn’t head to Temptation and home, she turned in the opposite direction, making a beeline for the Gray Wolf Ranch and three hot cowboys. She hoped like hell that the natives were restless tonight, because she sure as hell was.

Chapter Six
    Jackson pulled into the parking lot of the Ugly Stick Saloon, dismayed at the number of cars, trucks and SUVs lined up on the gravel and spilling into the grass. What the hell was going on tonight? A line of women stood at the door waiting to get in. The marquis read Ladies’ Night Out .
    With a groan, Jackson drove around the back of the saloon and double-parked. Hopefully he’d get in and back out without any trouble.
    A large woman dressed in jeans and cowboy boots, her hair cut short, almost butch, fingers pinching the butt of a burned-out cigarette, stood at the rear entrance.
    “Unless you’re the talent, you ain’t gettin’ in.” She flicked the butt into the gravel at his feet and crossed ham-hock arms over her chest.
    “Hi, Greta Sue, I need to see Audrey.” Jackson stepped to the side, intent on going around the woman.
    She cut him off, moving her bulk with surprising speed. “I said, if you ain’t the talent, you ain’t gettin’ in.” She placed a fat hand on his chest and pushed him.
    Other than hitting the woman, Jackson had no recourse but to back down. “Can you at least go get Audrey and tell her Jackson is here and would like to talk to her?”
    The woman shook her head. “No can do.”
    “Why?”
    The woman’s face cracked into a grin. “She ain’t here.”
    Jackson sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Why didn’t you say so in the first place?”
    “You didn’t ask if the boss was here.”
    “But—” Jackson stared into the woman’s squinty eyes and shrugged. “Guess you got a point.” He turned to leave.
    “You coulda got in by saying you were the talent, you know.”
    Jackson glanced over his shoulder at Greta Sue, whose grin had spread across her face, making her less intimidating and more jovial.
    Her gaze raked him from head to toe. “Ya got the build for it. Wouldn’t mind seein’ ya in a G-string myself.”
    Jackson tipped his cowboy hat. “Mighty kind of you. But I think I’ll keep my pants on.” He winked and walked away.
    “Cryin’ shame,” she muttered behind him.
    Jackson climbed into his pickup and pulled away from the Ugly Stick. As he drove toward home, his left foot tapped the floorboard. Maybe he should visit