1 Chapter 1

1

Burbank, California

Early fall

“You need a vacation, boss man.”

Jared Langford turned a surly glare on his assistant. “And how do I manage that with all hell breaking loose around here?”

The fact they were a long-term team gave Marty Carlstrand license to presume, to be more personal and open with Jared than he allowed most people to be. Still there was a distinct line, which Marty knew better than to cross. At the moment, he’d stopped just short of it. Jared’s personal life remained decidedly off limits.

“Just do it.” Marty offered an insouciant grin. “You’re the boss. Delegate and disappear. If you don’t take a break soon, you’re either going to have a nervous breakdown or piss off a key backer who’ll jerk the purse strings up tight and cut our cash flow in a serious way. So…what’s it gonna be? Here, look at this.”

Marty slapped a magazine down on Jared’s cluttered desk, scattering papers and notes, covering his three mobile phones, and almost tipping the docking station for his mini-laptop off the edge.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing? You break it, you buy it, dipshit!”

Marty continued to grin. “On the pittance you pay me? I don’t think so. Anyway take a look.” He circled a colorful half-page ad with a fingertip. “Read and drool. Don’t those three cowboys look delish?”

Jared perused the ad. “Rainbow Ranch. We cater to over-stressed executives in serious need of a break. Relax, recharge and re-create in some of the Southwest’s most invigorating scenery. Enjoy the companionship of our top-notch cowboys and wranglers while you savor your choice of adventures. We have the right package for everyone. Text, email or call.”

A series of numbers and addresses followed. The largest photo showed three smiling tanned young men in western attire, all well-built and revealing enticing glimpses of prime beefcake physiques with open shirts and skintight jeans. Despite himself, Jared felt a stir of interest.

Sometimes he got tired of forever being the man in charge, assuming responsibility for everything that happened at Montague Productions. Even worse was the way people fawned over him, hung on every word, and expected him to make each and every decision. What would it be like to allow someone else to take charge for a change? Even in the bedroom; especially in the bedroom, or the hot tub, or wherever inclination might lead.

Could the subtle wording possibly mean what he thought it did? Did Rainbow Ranch really cater to quietly gay men in high places who wanted to get away from it all and put both their person and their pleasure in someone else’s hands?

He’d grown so tired of the pretty boys who constantly dogged him, seeking favors. They all carefully maintained a youthful look and spent more on their appearance than many women did. They all seemed so compliant, almost obsequious to the point it disgusted him. He wasn’t that rich, that powerful or that influential. Just good looking and maybe a bit notorious…

Under his direction, Montague Productions had become a very successful firm in the developing multi-media industry. They’d ridden the new wave of edu-tainment with deft mixtures of downloadable video and audio products for people to watch and listen to on almost any platform or device they chose. Business had been going well until challengers began to spring out of the bushes, and the tight economy narrowed both the market and the investment pipeline enough to become worrisome. He’d been pitching to some new investors with limited success. And on top of that, his personal life sucked!

Even the club where he’d expected a chance to submit and forget, at least for an evening, had proved a disappointment. The so-called “doms” and “masters” on the staff were patently play-acting. Their juvenile games gave him no pleasure. He really didn’t want furry handcuffs and silken bonds, black pleather and masks on make-believe vampires, executioners and demons.

What a fucking bunch of shit!

After Marty left the office, Jared, as if moved by some force outside of himself, dialed the first number in the ad. He waited while it rang three times. The person who answered could have done a voiceover for John Wayne or some other classic cowboy hero. The deep, drawling tones sent shivers down his spine. Before he hung up, he’d booked a long week at Rainbow Ranch beginning Saturday—just three days away.

I’m certifiable, nutso, utterly insane. The company’s gonna fall apart. Montague will be off the map before I get back, but, damn it, Marty’s right. I really need to get away for a while…I’m about two breaths from totally losing it. I fill that client picture to a T. Let’s hope they live up to their hype.