Buried Treasure (Silver Creek Resort Book 1) Read online

  Buried Treasure

  Silver Springs Resort, Book One

  Melinda Barron

  Blushing Books

  What’s Inside

  Her arousal grew with each moment, and when she finally realized Belinda’s hands were gone, and that she and Shawn were alone in the room, she swallowed hard and said, “They’re done. We should go.”

  He didn’t stand. Instead he turned on his side and put her hand in both of his. Then he gently traced his finger over her palm.

  “Don’t,” she said, although she didn’t move her hand away from hers.

  “When was the last time you opened up to a man?” he asked.

  Now, she tried to pull her hand away from his. “That’s none of your business.”

  “I’m making it my business,” he said. “You’re wound up tight. You need to relax. You need good sex.”

  “I won’t disagree with that.” This time she did pull her hand away and she stood, forgetting that she was naked under the sheet, which dropped to the floor. Shawn was on his feet before she could grab it. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her, his tongue probing her mouth so deeply, and seductively, that she melted against him.

  He had one hand at the back of her neck, and with the other one he cupped her breast. He thumbed her hard nipple and Autumn moaned into his mouth. It felt so good that she never wanted the kiss to end, but it did when he moved his mouth down to her breast, taking her nipple deep into his mouth. He sucked and licked, and Autumn grasped him tightly.

  Until he bit her nipple, not hard enough to draw blood, but hard enough to make her gasp. She tried to push away. He bit her again, and again, and when he moved his mouth to her other nipple he dropped his hand to her pussy.

  His fingers delved into her wetness and he found her clit immediately. He rubbed it, then pinched it at the same time he bit her nipple.

  Autumn exploded, the world spinning around her as he continued his assault, pinching and biting until the orgasm faded. He let go of her and she dropped back onto the table, her back on it, her feet planted on the floor.

  She hummed with pleasure, and too late she realized he’d dropped to his knees, his face planted between her thighs.

  When he licked her pussy, and then nibbled on her clit before he sucked it into his mouth and bit it like he’d done to her nipples, Autumn thought she’d died and gone to heaven.

  ©2018 by Blushing Books® and Melinda Barron

  All rights reserved.

  No part of the book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  Published by Blushing Books®,

  a subsidiary of

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  is registered in the US Patent and Trademark Office.

  Melinda Barron

  Buried Treasure

  EBook ISBN: 978-1-61258-927-5

  Cover Art by ABCD Graphics & Design

  This book contains fantasy themes appropriate for mature readers only. Nothing in this book should be interpreted as Blushing Books' or the author's advocating any non-consensual sexual activity.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Melinda Barron

  EBook Offer

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  Blushing Books

  Chapter 1

  Autumn Pumpkin drummed her fingers on the café table and glanced out the window. On the sidewalk outside, various people, most of them elderly, hurried from casino to casino, laughing and joking.

  “They have money to lose,” she whispered to herself. “I don’t.”

  She glanced at her watch. The man she was supposed to meet was due any moment. She hoped he showed up on time, and was willing to pay for what she had in her purse.

  “Please, please, let this go right,” she said.

  “Did you say something?” the waitress asked. “Can I get you anything else?”

  “No, thanks,” Autumn said.

  “You’re not here to gamble, are you?” the waitress asked. “We’re so far off the beaten track that most people don’t come here for any reason except to hit the casinos.”

  Autumn took a sip from her tea and said, “Seems to me there are a lot of people out there. And it’s a Wednesday. I imagine it’s really busy on the weekend.”

  “The casino owners run buses from Vegas, bringing people here for the afternoon to lose their money and then take them back.” The waitress shrugged. “The Vegas people don’t like it that we’re basically stealing their customers, but the Hollis Creek people think there is plenty go around.”

  Autumn nodded. “What other reasons do people come to Hollis Creek?”

  “Reasons? Just to gamble.” The woman shrugged. “We used to be quite the little tourist town, with people coming to visit the abandoned mines and shop for trinkets. Then they bought out the old Victorian houses and turned them into casinos, and it drove out all the tourist shops. My folks had one on Lead Street. They sold rock candy and key chains, t-shirts, you name it, they had it. They ran tours out to the old abandon mines. Now, all people think about are the one-armed bandits.”

  “I’m sorry,” Autumn said. She wanted to ask about Shawn Hollis, the man she was supposed to meet, but she was afraid being so blunt would raise questions. So, she decided to try a different tack. “I’m sure there are lots of dude ranches in this area. I mean it’s very rugged, and people like to think they’re living in the Old West.”

  The waitress narrowed her eyes and said, “Are you one of them?”

  “Them?” Autumn asked.

  “Are you waiting for someone from the Silver Creek Resort?” The older woman spat the words out as if they were poison.

  There was no sense in lying to the woman. “I am,” Autumn said. She wanted to add that it wasn’t for the reasons the woman was picturing, but she decided to keep her mouth closed.

  “Then you can wait in silence.” The formerly amiable waitress turned her back, right before she slapped her towel against the counter, as if she were swatting a fly.

  Autumn looked away. Well, she hoped the woman’s reaction didn’t bode well for Autumn’s upcoming meeting. The man had been nice enough in emails, and over the phone. Of course, maybe the townspeople didn’t take too well to a BDSM facility being near their gambling houses.

  Frankly, Autumn had been surprised when her research had led her to the Silver Creek Resort, which catered to ladies and gentlemen who enjoyed domination and submission. You expect things like that in larger cities, but not in places like Hollis Creek.

  While she’d been trolling the web, she’d wondered how the local residents felt about the resort. Now, the waitress’ words answered that question. But Autumn wasn’t here to taste someone’s whip. She had other business to discuss with Shawn Hollis. She patted her purse and prayed he would hurry up. The air in the café had grown distinctly chilly.

  He was due at three, so she had just ten minutes to wait. Seconds after that t
hought crossed her mind the door opened, and a man strode in; he was tall, with muscular shoulders and a large chest. He wore jeans, a wide western belt and a black t-shirt that hugged his muscles. When he took off his hat she noticed his cropped black hair.

  He looked around, and then moved toward her. He sat down without waiting for an invitation.

  “I have to ask, is your name really Autumn Pumpkin, or is this just one big joke?”

  Autumn sighed heavily. She was used to this question. Most people received her automatic, “Do you really think I’d make up such a name?” answer. But she wanted to do business with this man, which meant she needed to be nice. She reached into her purse and pulled out her wallet.

  “My license,” she said.

  He took it from her and examined it. “Autumn Leigh Pumpkin,” he read. “Do you have a sister named Winter? Or Spring? Or Summer?”

  “I’m an only child,” Autumn said. She didn’t smile. This was a long-standing joke to people. She no longer found it funny. “I’m not here to discuss my family. You know what I want to talk about.”

  “Yeah, I do.” He looked around. Autumn followed his gaze, and noticed the waitress had not turned to greet him. “I don’t suppose I can get a glass of iced tea, Sally.”

  The waitress ignored him, and he stood. Autumn watched as he threw a ten-dollar bill on the table. “We’ll find a place better suited for our conversation.”

  Autumn followed him out of the café. “I should have known better than to suggest the café. I apologize for the scene.”

  “The waitress doesn’t care for your business.”

  From this distance she could see his eyes were a light green, mixed with a little bit of brown. “We don’t force people into the lifestyle at Silver Creek. They come there of their own accord. Sally’s sister is there, and Sally hates us all for it.”

  “Oh.” Autumn wasn’t sure what else to say.

  “She’s married to one of our employees, so it’s not like she’s been kidnapped,” Shawn said. “Now, we can go to one of the casinos. They all have little restaurants, but it’s hard to hear there, and I’d rather not have our conversation be overheard. Or we can go to the park down the street, where we face the same trouble, or we can take a ride in my truck. Your choice.”

  Autumn wasn’t sure getting into a car with a strange man was a good idea, and she could tell her expression betrayed her concerns by the smile that appeared on his face.

  “Let’s hope the park’s not busy.” He indicated they should walk toward the north.

  Some of the ladies they passed took a good, long look at the man who walked next to her. Autumn couldn’t blame them. He was definitely one that attracted attention. She could see how a female could give herself up to him.

  There was unused playground equipment at the park, along with a few picnic benches, which were also empty. Shawn guided her to the one farthest from the front of the park and sat. He indicated she should take the spot opposite him.

  “Hit me with it,” he said when she was seated.

  Autumn cleared her throat. “As my email said, I believe there is bank robbery money buried on your land and I’m willing to sell you the map.” She paused. “For fifty-thousand dollars.”

  He stared at her, his expression static. But then he smiled.

  “Bank robbery money? You’re sticking with that story?” He laughed. “I checked after you contacted me the first time. There isn’t even a legend about a bank being robbed around here. Nice try.”

  “Then why did you agree to see me?” Autumn fought back her anger.

  “Lots of ladies who want to come to Silver Creek are nervous about it. I thought that was the case here,” he said. He turned so that his back was against the picnic table. “If you wanted to come visit the ranch, all you had to do was ask. We welcome lovely submissive ladies like yourself.”

  “I’m not a sub, and I’m not lying,” she said. Now, she wished she’d given him more information in the email, or on the phone. “The bank was robbed in Denver and the nefarious partners had a falling out.”

  She reached into her purse and took out an envelope. “Here, read this.” She offered it to him, but at the last minute she pulled it back.

  “What’s wrong, afraid I’ll figure out it’s a forgery?” He leaned toward her. “I can spank you for that. A nice, hard spanking that will put pretty stripes on your bottom.”

  “Um, um…” Autumn wasn’t sure what else to say. She hadn’t expected that sort of reaction from him.

  “It’s not a forgery,” she finally managed to say. “I told you, I came across it when I purchased a storage unit after the renter had stopped paying his rent. There was only one box inside, and this letter was in there.”

  It still stuck in her craw when she thought about the storage unit. She’d paid seven hundred dollars for one box. Brent Mach, the fool she often fought against in auctions, had laughed at her when she’d opened the door. She hadn’t opened the box until she was home, and now she was happy that she hadn’t tossed it, as she’d originally thought when she’d realized she spent seven hundred dollars on a lousy box.

  Inside she’d found the letter, and a few fiction books that had been first editions. She’d sold those to a book dealer that was near her cousin’s store and made a whopping total of forty-two dollars, since they were not in that good of shape.

  But then, after she’d gotten over the fact she’d lost roughly six hundred and fifty dollars, she’d opened the letter. She’d read it once. And she’d read it again. And again. And then she’d done some research.

  And suddenly her box hadn’t seemed like such a bad purchase after all.

  “Are you going to let me read it, or are you going to read it to me?” Shawn asked.

  “Okay, here goes,” Autumn said. “My Dear Earnest, I want you to know that I hate you. If that hurts your feelings I don’t really care. Do you want to know why? I saw you kissing that woman today. It was mere hours after you and I made love in my home, you know the one, it’s where I live with my husband, the bank president.”

  “Shame on her,” Shawn said. “I don’t go for sneaking around behind your spouse’s back. Please, continue.”

  Autumn cleared her throat. “When I saw you kissing her it occurred to me that the only reason you paid attention to me, and started a relationship, was so you could learn about the inner workings of the bank, and use me to rob it.”

  She glanced at Shawn, who nodded. She had him hooked. The fifty thousand was almost hers. “Go on.”

  “It occurred to me, since we decided to hide the money in the safety deposit box of another bank until, as you said, the heat was off, there was one way I could hurt you. That, as you might have guessed by now, is by taking the money. Which I have done.”

  Autumn paused, because there were several blank spaces between the paragraphs. She glanced at Shawn. She took a deep breath before she continued.

  “I am going to make it so you will never find the funds. You might ask why I don’t just turn you over to the authorities, but that would be too easy on you. I want you to spend the rest of your life knowing there are thousands of dollars out there, dollars that you thought would make you rich. Instead, the funds will be buried in the ground, and you will never discover where.”

  “Seems like a creative way to get back at him,” Shawn said. “Although he could have come after her and killed her.” He paused and said, “Did he? Did you research this? What happens next?”

  Oh, yes, she had him.

  “One more thing, how do you know it’s on my land?”

  Autumn laughed. “Let me finish the letter and I can tell you the rest.”

  “All right, finish the letter,” he said.

  Autumn nodded. “I wish you well, my darling, as you try to find the place I have buried the money. To that effect, perhaps you should buy a shovel, and start digging. With much luck in your future endeavors. Kate.”

  She folded the paper and put it back in the envelope.<
br />
  “So, how did you put this all together, figure out that the money was supposedly buried on my land?” he asked.

  This was where the money came in. “I did research. I have lots of records that you can have, along with this letter and a map I have put together that shows where the money is buried.”

  “May I see them?”

  “The letter was for free.” Autumn worked to keep her voice steady. She didn’t want him to think she was nervous. “The other papers will cost you.”

  “Fifty thousand dollars,” he said.

  She almost sighed in relief. This was going to be much easier than she’d thought. “That’s right.”

  He laughed, and she realized she’d misread him.

  “The letter doesn’t list an amount,” he said. He stretched his legs out in front of him. “How do I know this so-called bank robbery money is worth the fifty thousand dollars you’re asking for? How much money was taken in the robbery? When did this happen? For the amount of money you’re asking for, you need to provide me with more than just an old letter.”

  She had expected a little resistance. She hated the idea she would have to negotiate. Maybe she would end up with forty-five, or even forty thousand.

  “I did a lot of research into this,” she said. “I paid for copies, and record searches. I have police reports about the robbery. I have newspaper clippings.”

  “When did it happen?” he asked.

  “July 9, 1964,” she said. “It was a Thursday. There was a partial solar eclipse that day. The police wrote in their reports that the eclipse happened in the morning, and lots of people were gathered on the streets to watch. That’s why, according to the report, they think the robbers chose that time, because they could blend into the crowds when they ran from the bank.”