How had she ended up here? Up on stage in some cheesy honky-tonk, stretched across the denim-clad lap of a shaggy-bearded banjo player with hands the size of Cornish hens? With her skirt flipped up, her panties tangled around her thighs, one high heel dangling from her big toe, the other already lost? This was definitely not the scene Audra had in mind when she'd accepted Marnie's birthday invitation.
An intimate candlelight dinner with Rick at her favorite trattoria, champagne and dancing at Studio Nineteen, and then, later, a long, slow, delicious exploration of Rick's well-exercised body: that had been the original plan for her thirtieth birthday. She wasn't old. She was in her prime, and she intended to prove that to her sweet, sexy but commitment-phobic boyfriend. She'd spent a small fortune at the Purple Pussycat Adult Emporium, on everything from mango-flavored lube to a velvet hand cuffs. If she had anything to say about the matter, it would be a night to remember for both of them, and maybe, just maybe, Rick would realize how lucky he was to have a smart, sensual woman like Audra.
The Fates had other ideas, though. Barely twenty four hours before the big day, Rick had called, not just to break the date, but to end the relationship.
“I'm really sorry, Audra, but I can't handle you. I can't give you what you need. You want too much.”
“You mean, in bed?” Audra had swallowed the lump in her throat, determined not too cry. “I thought having an assertive woman who really loves sex was every guy's dream.”
“In bed, out of bed – I can't keep up with you. You're barely thirty and you're already a VP. Your IQ is ten points higher than mine. You beat me regularly at tennis. And in bed - I'm used to you coming three or four times for my one shot, but even then you're not satisfied.”
“I'm sorry if it seemed like I was pressuring you... I promise I'll do better, Rick. You decide when we have sex and how much...”
“It's really not about the sex. It's everything. I'm ordinary – you're extraordinary. To be honest, I find you intimidating. You need to find yourself a guy who's worthy of you.”
“But Rick – I want you, not somebody else. And it's not true that you're ordinary. Only two months ago, you won the Best Employee award. You look like a movie star, and you're a fantastic lover...” Audra recognized the shrillness of desperation in her voice. Self-disgust threatened to overwhelm her, but she continued to plead. “Please, give me another chance.”
“No, babe. I know it hurts now, but later you'll see this is the best thing for both of us. Maybe we can have lunch some time, after you're over me.”
“Over you?” Audra's laughter was edged with hysteria. “How long do you think that will take, then?”
“I don't know – really, I don't know. Look, I've got a meeting in five minutes. I've got to go. I apologize, Audra, but I have to do this. I'm smothering.”
Smothering? Audra had fumed for a few minutes, then picked up the phone again to dial her sister. At that point, she finally let the tears out.
“Fuck the bastard.” Marnie had never been one to mince words. “He isn't worthy of you. Never was.”
“Maybe, but I love him. Or at least, I'm in lust with him.”
“Big difference, girl. Very big difference. And think about it. Was he really even that great in bed?”
Audra hadn't answered. Gossip was one thing, sharing a guy's sexual hang-ups quite another. Rick had a lovely, fat cock and knew how to use it, but it was true that he'd never been all that enthusiastic about some of her suggested experiments.
“Look, why don't you come out here for the weekend?” Marnie owned a cattle ranch some fifty miles from Albuquerque. Her life was a total contrast to Audra's urban existence. “We'll have our own little birthday celebration. I can rustle up a few willing cowboys, if you'd like some meat...!”
“Marnie! I just broke up with my boyfriend of two years, barely ten minutes ago!”
“Better late than never. Anyway, I'm not taking no for an answer. Delta's got a 9 AM flight out of JFK. Get your luscious ass onto that plane. I'll pick you up at the airport when you arrive.”
“But Marnie...”
“Listen to your big sister. What else are you going to do, spend the weekend moping around your apartment, watching old movies and eating Haagen Dazs? It's your birthday, the big Three-Oh! Don't waste it! I'll see you tomorrow, kid.”
Audra had never been able to best her sister in an argument. She'd logged on to reserve her flight, packed one summer dress plus some jeans and tee shirts, and then gone out to treat herself to a massage and manicure. On the way home she picked up take-out Chinese and a pint of cherry vanilla – she was entitled to some solace, after all. The latter part of the evening she spent trying out the two vibrators she'd purchased for her abortive birthday extravaganza, fantasizing about the real thing.
As soon as she saw Marnie's smile, Audra knew she'd made the right decision. Her sister was a taller, slightly heavier version of herself. Shapeless denim overalls couldn't hide Marnie's spectacular curves. She gave Audra a bear hug, then grabbed the suitcase and led the way to a monster pickup truck, chattering the whole time.
“There's a band at the Drunken Cactus tonight – supposed to be pretty good. Thought we'd head down there for a few beers and see what sort of birthday adventures we can find.”
“The Drunken Cactus?” Audra chuckled. “You've got to be kidding!”
“Not at all. Center of fun-loving society in Estancia. Well, actually, it's outside the town limits – some folks think it's not a healthy influence – but anyway, it's a great place to party.” Marnie turned her attention back to the road just in time to avoid a jackrabbit. “You'll see.”
Audra rolled the window down and filled her lungs with the dry, sun-baked air. The scent of some sort of spice tickled her memory. The sky had the color and clarity of a sapphire. Burnt-orange plains flowed away on either side of the highway. To the north, low black hills rippled along the horizon. It was a gorgeous, alien world, a million miles away from the pressures and cares of Manhattan. Her spirits soared.
****
“Whew!” Marnie let out a whistle as piercing as any guy's when Audra walked into the kitchen. “You're certainly going to liven things up for the locals tonight! Turn around, hon!”
Audra twirled on the heels of her strappy sandals. The flirty hem of her royal blue sun dress flared around her thighs. “It's okay, then? Not too fancy for a Saturday night at the town watering hole?”
“Who cares? You look sensational. And not a day over twenty five, either, Birthday Girl.” Marnie glanced down at her trim jeans. “Maybe I'll change, too. Really shake 'em up. Not too many people in Estancia have seen Marnie Walton in a skirt! Be right back!”
Audra paced the kitchen, unable to sit still. A warm, tight knot pulsed under her solar plexus - anticipation fringed with nervousness. She had no idea what to expect from the evening. New Mexico felt like another planet. Still, you only turned thirty once, and damn it, she was determined to celebrate.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
Audra gasped as she took in the transformation in her sister's appearance. Marnie wore a tight black leather mini-skirt and matching vest over a green blouse with a deep vee neckline. Her russet hair, a shade darker than Audra's auburn locks, was braided and piled on her head.. Shiny black Western boots with pointed toes completed the ensemble.
“Jeez, Marnie! You look like some sort of cowgirl dominatrix!” Audra found herself blushing as she recalled all the kinky paraphernalia she'd purchased for herself and Rick. Could her sister have similar tastes?
Marnie chuckled. “Hmm, not my intention, but I like the image. Maybe I should grab the bullwhip from the barn.”
“Marnie...”
“Only kidding. Let's hit the road. The band usually starts at nine.”
The Drunken Cactus turned out to be a rambling, one-story adobe building fifteen minutes from the ranch. Pickups even bigger than Marnie's crowded the parking lot. As soon as Audra opened the truck door, she caught strains of the music, raucous bluegrass that set her pulse racing. Must be loud, she thought. Still she wasn't prepared for the screaming fiddle and galloping banjo that rolled out when her sister pushed the swinging door open. The sound hit her like a physical blow, along with a potent odor of cigarette smoke, beer and barbeque sauce.
“Mariposa!” A burly, black-haired guy with a complexion like beef jerky practically lifted Marnie off the ground with his hug.. “Long time, chiquita!”
“Hey, Hector! Careful or you'll crush me!” Marnie had to shout to be heard above the rollicking tune pouring from deeper in the club. “Ranch has been keeping me pretty busy lately. How are you?”
“Perfect now that my Mariposa sees fit to grace us with her company. But who's this beauty with you?”
“My kid sister from New York. Audra - Hector Santiago, the owner of this joint. Today's Audra's birthday so we thought we'd come out and party.”
“Ah! Welcome, welcome!” Hector dragged them through the churning crowd toward the bar that stretched along one whole wall. “Let me be the first to toast your health, Audracita. Tequila. Three.” The bartender, a tan-skinned young man with a straight black ponytail, jumped to obey.
“No – please, Hector – I'd rather have a red wine....or a beer,” Audra added when Hector stared at her without comprehension.
“No – no – tequila shots for the birthday toast!” Hector raised the tiny glass above his forehead. “To Audracita – may the new year bring you your heart's desire.” He tossed the clear liquor down his throat then sank his teeth into a wedge of lime. “Drink, drink! It's bad luck not to drink to your own health!”
Audra looked around, confused by the scent of warm bodies and the wild, driving music. Marnie had already drained her glass and was grinning like a fiend as she sucked on her lime. “C'mon, hon!” She urged the shot into Audra's hand. “Don't spoil the fun!”
The first sip seared Audra's mouth like liquid fire. “Quick now, girl!” The bar owner nudged her hand. She couldn't help but swallow the contents of the glass. The smoky, slightly medicinal flavor wasn't unpleasant, but she still choked as the drink burned through her. “Lime now,” Hector ordered, and she obeyed, tartness cooling the fire in her mouth.
“Again!” Three new glasses appeared on the bar as if by magic. The second shot slipped down much more easily than the first, leaving a residual sweetness on her tongue. A laugh swelled and burst from her chest.
“Thanks, Hector!” The bartender set up three more shots. “Oh, no, please....” she pleaded, dizzy and silly already, “I can't...” Somehow, though, she'd downed the drink and bitten into the citrus chaser before she could finish her sentence.
They made their way closer to the stage. Now Audra could see the band. Jake and the Boxcar Boys consisted of one skinny, weathered Navaho on bass, two fresh-faced fiddlers who looked like twins, a drummer with long braids and a beaked nose, and the banjo-playing lead singer, whom she presumed was Jake.
The guy was well over six feet tall and solid as a mountain. Muscles strained the fabric of his dungarees as he tapped his foot. Muscles rippled under his black tee shirt as he strummed his instrument and rocked to the beat. Under other circumstances, she might have smiled indulgently at his rough country style, but his natural authority - the sense of unrefined power he exuded – banished any notion of ridicule.
Jake had honey-colored hair gathered into a ponytail, a high forehead, and a full beard that emphasized rather than hid his full lips. He had huge but somehow graceful hands, with blunt, nimble fingers that flew over the strings of his instrument. But it was his eyes that held her transfixed like a deer caught car headlights. They held such blatant lust that she felt faint. It might be the effects of the alcohol, but she felt totally transparent, as though he was peering straight into her, ferreting out every filthy fantasy she'd ever entertained.
Those eyes wouldn't let her go. The crowd pressed her forward, until she was almost close enough to touch him. He gave her a knowing grin, then let his glance slide to her cleavage.
Audra's stomach did somersaults. The room spun around her. She forced herself to look away from that provocative gaze, but she felt the heat of his eyes nevertheless. Heat wrapped itself around her tightening nipples, warming them till she felt they'd glow through the thin cotton of her dress. Liquid heat slithered between her breasts, across her belly, to lodge in the crevice between her thighs. She felt herself swaying, melting, in that incendiary stare.
“Dance with me!” Hector yelled in her ear, then swung her into his arms without waiting for an answer. She'd never really liked country music, but now, as her partner whirled her around the popcorn-strewn dance floor, the beat seemed a part of her.
The song ended. Hector handed her off to a tall, sunburned cowboy with yellowed teeth and a grizzly's strength. “It's her birthday,” the proprietor explained, his hand brushing Audra's cotton-covered bottom as he pushed her in the cowboy's direction. She assumed the touch was accidental, but it still fed the furnace smoldering in her pussy. “Show her a good time!” Hazarding a quick look at the banjo player, she saw he hadn't missed the brief caress.
The cowboy's booted feet were even more nimble than Hector's. When he twirled her to the music, her skirt rose almost to her waist, exposing her midnight blue bikini panties. His calloused palm settled between her shoulder blades as he guided her. Her skin burned under his fingers. As the band brought the number to a close, his lips grazed her cheek. “Happy Birthday, darlin',” he growled. “Here you go!” He thrust her into the arms of another man in a plaid shirt. “Have fun!” Audra thought she heard the musician looming over her on the stage chuckle.
One song followed another, with one partner after another, until Audra was gasping for breath. Their hands were all over her, it seemed, but somehow Audra didn't care. It was her birthday after all.
She felt Jake watching. Well, let him.
Arousal hummed through her. Dancing had always made her feel sexy and alive. She drained half her beer, the bottle hard and cold in her sweaty hand. The icy liquid revived her.
Voices buzzed, filling a lull between songs. Hector was up on stage, whispering something in Jake's ear. With a thrill that was only part horror, Audra realized she was the topic of conversation. Blood rushed to her nipples and earlobes, deepening the hunger in her sex. Hastily, she returned her attention to her Budweiser. But it was too late.
“Hey everyone! Quiet down now! Quiet down. Welcome to the Drunken Cactus. We got a very special guest here with us tonight – all the way from New York City.”
“Whooee!” Cheers and whistles interrupted the musician's gravelly voice.
“Hush now! Quiet, you all! It's Audra's birthday – we won't ask which one, that wouldn't be polite – and she's decided to celebrate with us.”
“Yay!” “Happy Birthday!”
“So let's give her a big country welcome, people! Audra – come on up so we can wish you a proper happy birthday!”
Jake grinned at her, his fists closing and opening as if he'd haul her up bodily if she refused his invitation. His size, his strength, the overwhelming presence of him, both scared and attracted her.
“Oh – no, that's okay – really...” Audra felt like she was thirteen instead of thirty. What had happened to the sophisticated, self-confident Vice President of Product Development?
“Get your butt up here, gal.”
“No, please....”
“Don't make me have to climb down off this stage, young lady...”
His implied threat pierced her confusion and turned it to something darker. Would he really force her to join him?
“C'mon, Audra!” someone yelled. “Be a good sport.”
“Audra! We want Audra!” came calls from the far end of the bar.
“Grab her, Jake! Wrastle the filly if ya need to.”
Jake crouched at the edge of the wooden platform, his massive thighs stretching his jeans almost to the point of tearing. His eyes, Audra noticed, were the clear blue of the New Mexico sky. He stretched out a hand. “Don't be so shy, little one.” His voice was low and gentle, as if he was soothing a skittish animal.”I know what you really want.”
Refusals echoed through Audra's mind. But her body wasn't listening. As if in a dream, she grasped the proffered hand. It totally swallowed hers. The musician tugged; the next thing she knew, she was standing beside him on the stage, unsteady on her heels, while hoots and catcalls swirled around her.
He hadn't released his grip on her. “There now. That's not so bad, is it? Now everyone, let's wish our guest a happy birthday.”
The glare of a spotlight made it difficult for Audra to make out the faces in the crowd. Where the heck was Marnie?
“And now, it's time for your birthday spanking.”
“What the hell...? What do you think you're doing...?” Audra sputtered as Jake seated himself on his stool, seized her around her waist, and flipped her onto her stomach, across his lap.
New waves of heat shuddered through her. He cupped her bottom through her skirt and she thought she'd burst into flame. His huge hand completely covered her right cheek.
“It's a tradition here at the Drunken Cactus, gal. Don't you city folks do that sort of thing?”
Audra's mind flew back to the sweet little flogger she'd purchased for her abortive celebration with Rick. She'd hoped she could persuade him to give her a taste of those soft leather thongs... but that was different. Wasn't it?
Apparently not, if one was to judge by the state of her pussy. She was swollen and soaked to the point that she worried she'd wet his trousers.
“Ready?”
He squeezed her plump buttock. She couldn't stop herself from grinding against him.
“I think the lady's ready.” The banjo player chuckled as he addressed the crowd. With exaggerated care, he raised her skirt to expose her silk underwear. She knew the soaked patch between her thighs would be obvious to him. She prayed her shame wouldn't be visible to the audience.
“Now, sweetness, I know you can't be more than twenty five.” Jake turned his attention to her other cheek, kneading the flesh, melting her last resistance. “So I'll give you twenty five spanks – on each side.”
“No....ow!” she wailed as his enormous palm smacked into her. The fabric of her panties muted the sting to some extent, but the blow still hurt.
“One,” Jake intoned.
“Ouch!” Audra screamed and kicked as he landed a second, harder slap on the opposite side. Her shoe clattered to the stage.
“Two.”
“Ow...oh...!”
“Three. Would you rather count, birthday girl?”
“Argh! Ow! No! No...”
“Four.”
Each time his hand made contact with her butt, the pain grew. Perhaps he was using increasing force. Yet somehow that didn't interfere with the simultaneous pleasure. She jerked away from the blows, using the movements to rub her pubis against the iron hardness of his thigh muscles. Her clit felt enormous and tight, as though it might explode from the friction. Her lacy bra stimulated her nipples, which knotted into rigid peaks of need.
Meanwhile, her ass was on fire. Each stroke stung when it landed, but before long that transmuted to a throbbing ache. New slaps layered bright lines of pain on top of the older, deeper sensations. She imagined that if he were to bare her buttocks, they would pulse like red hot coals.
As if he'd heard her thoughts, Jake paused his spanking and began to peel the damp fabric of her panties away from her punished flesh.
“No...” she whimpered. “Please...” Instead of struggling, though, she allowed her body to go limp. As the muscles in her abdomen went slack, she sensed the hard bulk rising from his crotch and felt a flash of triumph. He wasn't as much in control as he seemed.
In seconds her naked rear was exposed to his eyes and his hands, her bikini bunched near the crease where her buttocks met her thighs.
“My, my, you're the color of one of them East Coast lobsters,” he crowed. “Can you see her butt, ladies and gents?” He scraped a fingernail across the fullest, most battered part of her ass. Sensation shot through her, fierce and sharp as lightning. Audra honestly couldn't tell if it was pleasure or pain.
Whistles and rowdy applause rang in her ears, reminding her afresh of the soused audience gathered in front of the stage. She was fully exposed, and not just to Jake. Every single yokel in the Drunken Cactus was admiring her bare, scarlet bottom. Embarrassment added an edge to her already unbearable lust.
On the other hand, only Jake understood the full effects of this birthday ritual. He'd known the instant he saw her, before she'd known herself. His jeans must be soaked through by now. The tidal scent of her arousal all but drowned out the pervasive odors of tobacco and alcohol.
“Nineteen.”
Was he still counting? His erection poked into her belly, but his slaps were as powerful as thunder and as regular as the tides. Audra writhed in his lap, desperately seeking some stimulation for her clit, but he just smacked her harder. She focused on the way his skin kindled hers, teasing the sweetness of that contact apart from the rising agony.
“Thirty.”
She tried to spread her legs, though her drenched panties made that difficult, to lure his fingers with the sight and smell of her swollen pussy. One touch on her clit was all she needed. Surely he must have some pity in that redneck soul of his...
“Forty nine. Fifty.” He pulled her panties back up, snapping the elastic against her lacerated skin and making her gasp. “There you go! That wasn't so bad, was it?”
He flipped her back into a standing position as deftly as he'd splayed her across his thighs. She stood there blinking in the spotlight, wearing a single shoe, her ass and her clit both burning. She didn't dare meet his eyes.
Jake retrieved her shoe. She remained there, unresisting, while he slipped her foot back into the sandal and tightened the strap. “Happy Birthday, Audra! You took that like a trouper.” His lips brushed hers for a moment, but were gone so swiftly she thought she might have imagined the gesture. “Everyone, let's give our birthday girl a big hand...”
Audra stumbled off the stage and pushed her way through the cheering crowd. The pressure in her swollen pussy and the ache in her punished ass were her only realities. She had to get away, find some privacy, give herself some relief.
The ladies' room was outside, behind the building. Audra followed the signs. She practically burst into tears when she found the one-person facility was occupied.
She couldn't wait. Slipping into the shadows, she crumpled her skirt to her waist and yanked her panties down to her knees. The fabric scraped over her pummeled ass. Damn him! She wouldn't be able to sit down for days. The perverse thought just made her hornier.
Spreading her thighs wide, she plunged two fingers into her slick hole while settling her thumb against her clit. Pleasure arced up her spine. She squeezed her eyes shut. “Yes...” she hissed. “Oh, yeah...” She was on the brink already – right where that bastard had left her. Her clit spiked up, engorged and hungry. She worried it back and forth, rubbing furiously. No time for teasing. She needed to come, right now.
Her climax gathered, winding tighter, drawing closer but still out of reach. The wail of a bass guitar leaked into the night as someone opened the door of bar. He was in there, playing his music as if nothing had happened, while she pinched her clit and ground her fist into her cunt like a maniac. Damn him, she'd make him pay, she'd make him...
“Let me do that.” A massive man-shaped silhouette blocked out the stars. Giant hands gripped her shoulders while full lips settled on hers with a decisiveness that both enraged and excited her. She tried to resist but it was like fighting a hurricane. His tongue teased her mouth open despite her determination to keep it closed. He nibbled her lip then nuzzled her throat, his whiskers far softer than they looked.
He smelled of cheap bourbon and clean sweat, with hints of sagebrush and thyme. While her conscious mind continued to seethe with anger, her body surrendered completely. His big fingers replaced her desperate ones, delving into her juicy pussy and driving her up the slope to orgasm. He seemed to know what she needed - just as he'd known how she'd react to his blows on her ass.
When he dragged a blunt finger over her clit, she exploded at last, pinwheels of pleasure spiraling out in all directions. He held her tight while she jerked and shuddered, sealing her mouth with his own to suppress her cries. Then, as her paroxysms died away, he unzipped and drove his cock into her fluttering depths, triggering a second crisis.
Audra came to her senses to find herself skewered on Jake's enormous dick, her ankles locked around his waist. He clutched her hips and hammered into her, forcing her back against the adobe wall of the outbuilding with each thrust. The rough surface scraped across her damaged ass, awakening complex echoes of Jake's spanking. Somehow the pain only made the delight more acute. She arched up, angling her pelvis to get the deeper penetration she craved. He didn't disappoint her. He might be a stranger, but his instinct seemed infallible.
“Ugh – ah – oh, Audra, baby...!” Jake groaned each time he buried himself in her heat. “Oh, God, that's so good, so good...” After two orgasms, Audra was still turned on, but she was past the sharp edge of her need. Her partner, on the other hand, appeared close to losing control. She clenched her muscles around his bulk, urging him on, and was rewarded by a fresh surge of sensation.
“Audra – I'm gonna come – come with me, darlin'.” Jake doubled the speed and ferocity of his strokes, nailing her to the wall with his cock. “Now, right now, I want to feel you...”
She would have sworn she was a long way from another climax. Still, when Jake gave her the order, something shifted inside her. She pictured herself draped across his naked lap, while he rained blows on her tender butt and his rigid dick smeared pre-cum on her belly. The image swept her into another whirlwind of pleasure, richer and fuller, twisting up from her depths. Dimly, as her own spasms subsided, she felt Jake's cock pulse, swell, and flood her with his spunk.
It was weirdly quiet afterward. No wind, no music, nothing but the occasional rumble of an eighteen wheeler trundling down the highway. Audra and Jake lay tumbled in the dirt, leaning against the shadow-painted adobe wall.
It was too dark to see Jake's smile, but Audra could hear it in his voice.
“Well, then. What should we do now, birthday girl?”
Audra's own lips curled into an expression of satisfaction as she untangled her legs from his and knelt to face him.
“Why don't you spank me again, stranger?”
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