Page 60 of Ace of Spades
Chelsea and I had managed to track the guys down at the barn while they were in the middle of moving the hay bales in order to make room for the new guest ranch stuff.
“We’ve got tons of serious content already, so we figured we could switch it up and try to do something fun. Besides, the bunkhouses aren’t furnished yet, so there are only so many clips we can get until they’re ready to be photographed. I’m telling you, a shot of you four moving bales shirtless would catch so much attention, I promise. I want to expand our target audience,” I tell him.
“And who exactly is the target audience for this?”
“Bachelorette parties, girl’s trips,” I say.
“Divorce parties, twenty-first birthday parties, sorority retreats,” Chelsea adds. “Come on, this would be the perfect place for any of those. We just gotta show the ladies the potential!”
“So you want to turn our retreat into party central? That’s not exactly what we had in mind,” Rafe says, rubbing the back of his nape as he looks over at the other guys.
“I’m here for it,” Chance shrugs. “You guys got any baby oil or anything? I wanna make these bad boys stand out for the video,” he says, flexing his toned abs.
Weston rolls his eyes, Beau shaking his head.
“Of course you would want a bunch of ladies running around the ranch,” Rafe says.
“Oh, and you wouldn’t? Come on, big picture here—think about the money!”
“Right, and I’m sure the money is exactly what you’re thinking about right now.”
“Hey, don’t come at me trying to be business-savvy.”
“Will you guys quit bickering and just take your shirts off already?” Chelsea cuts in.
“You don’t have to if you really don’t want to, I’m not going to force you guys to do anything. But trust me on this, I really do think this would be worthy of grabbing people’s attention and showing them that a ranch retreat doesn’t have to be only for business-y trips, it can be fun!” I add.
“How about after this we get one of you girls washing the horses in bikinis? That would really grab attention,” Chance asks, wiggling his eyebrows.
“No,” Beau and Weston state in unison, both turning to glare at their friend.
“Oh my gosh, can we please just get this moving? Come on, guys. Take one for the team!”
“Fine,” Weston says, standing up to remove his shirt. “Let’s get this over with.”
I can’t unglue my eyes from him as he pulls the t-shirt over his head, mentally tracing every single one of his beautifully toned muscles. He isn’t bulky by any means, but his athletically defined body is a testament to all of the physical labor he does around the ranch on a daily basis.
My thoughts stray to last night and the way those same veiny arms had been wrapped around me, those calloused hands so rough yet tender as they had explored every inch of my skin. I could practically feel them all over me, warmth blooming in my belly as I remembered the sensation of his lips on mine as he moved inside of me.
“Earth to Hailey, please,” Chelsea’s voice cuts through my thoughts, breaking me from my trance. My cheeks flush as I realize I’d zoned out while staring at Weston, who now regards me with an extremely amused grin. I turn to face the rest of the group, who now all stare at me like I had grown two heads, only to realize that Rafe had already pulled his shirt off and that they were just waiting for me.
Wonderful.
“Um,” I say, tucking my hair behind my ear as I try to regain some composure. Chelsea hides her smirk, the rest of the guys looking between me and Weston in confusion.
“Right, let’s just get one of you guys moving bales?”
Nobody moves for a moment before they finally walk back to the stack that they were bringing in, throwing their hats and gloves back on as they get to work.
I hand Chelsea my phone, letting her record me with the guys in the background.
“Here at the Hidden Creek Ranch guest ranch,” I start, giving my most welcoming smile to the camera. “We offer more than just your basic weekend getaway and corporate retreat packages. Want something fun and new to spice up your next girl’s trip? Imagine having a mimosa brunch at the lodge, with the fresh mountain air, or spending the day on horseback at the river. We’ve got amazing views all around, as you can see,” I say, winking as Chelsea pans to the guys.
“Ow!” Chance suddenly exclaims, dropping his bale and scratching at his back. “Something bit me!”
“Wow, It’s almost as if we weren’t meant to be moving bales shirtless,” Rafe deadpans.
“Hey, you agreed to it too!”
