Page 38 of Buck Wild Orc Cowboy
“You know how these guys can be. Did you expect me to hold out longer than that?”
The other three shook their heads.
“Only one bed again,” I said. “I understand what one bed means, but I think there's more to this than me having one bed in my bedroom.”
“It's a romance trope,” Rosey said. “From novels. Where the couple is forced to share a bed.”
“I don't have any interest in forcing this,” I said quite firmly.
“It's romantic.” Gracie's smile deepened. “In Rosey's situation, when they checked into the hotel, the hotel only had rooms with one bed available, so they chose to share it.”
I cocked my head, frowning. “Rather than Ostor sleeping on the floor?” That would be the gentleorc thing to do.
“If it makes you feel any better,” she said, “he offered. I told him it would be okay to share. Floors are hard.”
As are hay lofts. Stiff straw poked my skin all night long.
“But forced proximity can lead to closeness,” Jessi said. “Greel and I shared a bed from the start. I wasn't letting him sleep in the barn or on the sofa.”
“They're small. The sofas, that is,” I said. I couldn't imagine sharing a bed with Holly. Couldn't imagine waking up lying next to her. Would I even be able to sleep, or would my cock…
I shouldn’t think about my cock and what it might want to do. The odds of her liking me as more than a boss were slim. Getting near my cock? Even slimmer.
“I don't think it would be right to manipulate myself into her bed,” I said.
“That's why we love you, Sel.” Gracie rose and gave me a quick hug before returning to her chair and lifting her phone, taking notes. What was she writing down?
“So, ladies, how can we maneuver this into an only-one-bed situation?” Rosey asked with her eyes sparkling.
“For now, not at all,” Beth said. “Not if we expect Holly to one day join our tea and muffin club. It sounds like she needs gentle wooing, not anything with a hint of pressure.”
“I agree,” I said, relieved.
Jessi nodded. “Good point. There are other tropes we can work with.”
I needed to look up the word, tropes, online.
“How else can we maneuver them into close contact, then?” Rosey frowned. “Nothing with pressure. Just for fun. I'm not exactly sure what to suggest.”
“What about streaming images?” I asked. “I ran into Hail on my way here, and he suggested I watch some to get ideas.”
Rosey's frown deepened before her face smoothed and she smiled. “We've seen a lot of movies, but I think you could be on to something there. The one I’m thinking of is an old one, but something like that might work.”
Gracie looked up from her phone. “Which one are you talking about?”
“Oklahoma. Remember how they bid on picnic baskets and whoever won got to enjoy the meal with the person who made and donated the basket?”
Beth clapped her hands. “Awesome. I love that idea. Ladies? How do we coordinate this?”
“The thing to do is have Holly put together a basket and donate it. Sel will bid,” Jessi said.
“I will. I wouldn’t let anyone else bid.”
Jessi grinned. “We could rope in some tourists and make this an activity. They'll be all over it. And best of all, we can donate all the proceeds to a good charity.”
“I don't think she'll want to have her time auctioned off,” I said. “She's afraid and with good reason.”
“Hmm.” Her frown reappeared. “Then you'll have to make one, and she can bid on yours.”
