by Dakota Rebel
Table of Contents
Title Page
Sassy’s Studs Copyright © 2014 Dakota Rebel Edited by Michele Paulin and CJ Slate
Book Description
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
About the Author
Also Available from Resplendence Publishing
www.resplendencepublishing.com
Sassy’s Studs
A Vegas Bound Story
By Dakota Rebel
Resplendence Publishing
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www.resplendencepublishing.com
Gems of Romantic Fiction
Sassy’s Studs
Copyright © 2014 Dakota Rebel
Edited by Michele Paulin and CJ Slate
Cover Art by Kris Norris
Published by Resplendence Publishing, LLC
1093 A1A Beach Blvd, #146
St. Augustine, FL 32080
Electronic format ISBN: 978-1-60735-784-1
Warning: All rights reserved. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
Electronic Release: June 2014
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and occurrences are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, places or occurrences, is purely coincidental.
Sassafras Jones had been working as an architect in Los Angeles until the economy tanked and she was forced to move back home to Las Vegas to live with her mother. Taking a job as a cocktail waitress wasn’t exactly a lateral career move, but she was to the point that she would take what she could get.
Sassy never could have guessed that she would find herself back in the company of her old college friends, and crushes, Ryan Ducheine and Colbie Hammond. But after a chance meeting with them both she begins to wonder if maybe moving back home was the best decision she ever could have made. And when their feelings for her become clearer, she realizes that no matter what ‘bad boy’ image they both managed to project to the rest of the town, she may actually belong firmly in both their hearts of gold.
To my husband, for allowing me time away to remember how to be an author.
XoXoXo
Dakota
Chapter One
As the plane began its descent into McCarron Airport, my heart dropped. I’d sworn I was never coming back to this desert, but after the economy tanked and I lost my job at the architecture firm in Los Angeles, I really had nowhere left to go.
As the plane taxied toward the terminal, I let out a heavy sigh at the thought of living with my mother again, working as a waitress at some casino, flashing my gams in the hopes of an extra five-dollar tip. Sure, it had been good enough when I was working my way through UNLV, but I was an adult now. I had a degree, and I’d had a career. Life wasn’t supposed to bring me back to this tourist trap.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we are approaching our gate. Please remain seated until the flight crew gives clearance to vacate your seats. The current temperature in Las Vegas is one hundred and seven degrees with clear skies. We hope you enjoyed your flight, and we thank you for flying with us today.” The crackle of the intercom ended as the pilot turned off his microphone, and I settled back in my seat, glaring at the ceiling of the airplane cabin as if it had done me some personal wrong.
Truth be told, I wasn’t leaving anything good behind. Unemployment had not suited me at all. It was boring yet thoroughly exhausting. There had been no other jobs to fall back on. Even waitressing in a local bar was out as those jobs were resolutely held by struggling actors waiting for the big break anyone could have told them was never going to come. There were few friends and no lovers to miss me so there had been no teary airport goodbyes. The studio apartment I’d rented for six years had come fully-furnished and I’d accumulated so little in the way of possessions that my entire life had fit in two checked bags and a carryon tablet, cell phone and toiletries bag.
I could say I was pissed about having to leave behind my life in California, but when push came to shove, there wasn’t much of a life to leave. Everything had been about my job, and when that was gone…there hadn’t been anything else.
After a twenty-minute wait in the now-sweltering plane, since they’d turned the air off, we were finally released. The whoosh of the doors into the airport proper came with a blast of cold that turned the sweat beading on my skin into gel. All I wanted to do was get to my mom’s and take a shower. I needed to wash away the perspiration and the stench of desperation that seemed to follow me everywhere lately.
Heading toward baggage claim, I tried to tell myself that maybe coming home would be good for me. I didn’t have to look at it as a curse. It could be a chance to start over, to find a new path. Maybe, I could look up some old friends from college, find a job in a local firm and work on designing the next monster casino on the strip. Even as I thought it, I rolled my eyes at the forced optimism. That shit was not going to happen.
Knowing myself as I did, I would go to my mother’s, unpack my things and find a job bussing tables or serving drinks to drunk assholes in a casino somewhere. I would sleep until noon, work until three a.m. and try to just exist in this pit of a city.
I grabbed my bags from the conveyer and headed toward the exit, not looking forward to walking out into the full heat of the day. Everyone always says nonsense about “dry heat” not being so bad, but I’ve never seen any of those people sit with their head in a fucking oven for twelve hours a day.
Stepping out onto the sidewalk was like walking into a solid wall as the oppressive Vegas sun beat down on me. If I missed anything about LA, it would be the balmy eighty degree highs every day.
“Sassy!”
I bit back a groan at the sound of my mother’s voice. She was waving emphatically as she ran toward me. If I hadn’t recognized her voice, I wouldn’t have been able to pick her out of a crowd.
Her hair had been bleached into a beautiful honey blonde that really suited her well. Last time I’d seen her, she’d been sporting her natural mousy brown locks. The cut was more flattering as well. She was dressed in a long khaki skirt with a white button down blouse and was wearing actual makeup. I could count on one hand the number of times I’d seen her face done in all the time I’d lived with her. Something was different for sure, and I couldn’t help but wonder what had inspired such a change in her appearance.
I allowed her to pull me into a hug and shifted my bags so I could awkwardly pat her on the back.
“Mom,” I said as I backed away and looked her over. “You look fantastic.”
“Thanks,” she beamed, lightly patting my cheek. “You look…tired. Let’s get you home.” She took one of my suitcases and led me back to her car. When I’d left she had been driving a fairly old Buick, but as she approached a white Mercedes and popped the trunk, I realized there was quite a bit she had failed to mention in our monthly phone conversations.
I dumped my bags into the back of the car then climbed into the passenger seat, relieved at the feel of the cool air circulating from the vents. Mom got behind the wheel and quickly gunned the engine then pulled the car out of the pick-up lane and merged into traffic.
“So,” I said after we hit the highway and started heading for her home in Henderson. “Who is he?”
“Sassafras Jones,” she snapped. “I do not need a man to want to make changes to my life.”
“I know that,” I said with a nod
. “But who is he?”
She turned to shoot me a glare, but I knew I was right. There was definitely someone. Her mouth had quirked up at the corner which always meant she was hiding something. My mother was the worst liar ever. She never bothered playing cards because she knew her expression was a beacon to anyone at the table.
“I will have you know,” she said loftily, “I didn’t meet Mike until after I changed some things. You can’t make someone else happy if you aren’t happy with yourself. You have to learn to let go of the past, let go of the hurt, before you can put yourself out into the universe with something to offer. The world doesn’t need any more takers, Sassy. The world needs givers.”
Oh Christ. My mother had been infected by New Age. It had hit LA hard in the recent years, and I could recognize a crystal sniffer a mile away at this point. Though…I had to admit, she wore it well. As much as I dismissed the craze, something about it had clicked with my mother. It wasn’t that I didn’t believe what she said, and if that was what she got out of it then good for her. But my experiences in California usually led to conversations about aliens and Wicca and the healing power of smudge sticks.
“Whatever you say, Mom,” I agreed. “You look great and you seem happy, so I’m happy for you.”
“Good,” she said, her tone sounding relieved. “I was worried you might judge or be mad at me.”
“Mad at you?” I looked at her in shock. “Why on earth would I be mad at you?”
“Sassy, I don’t want you to ever think anyone could replace your father in my heart. I was afraid that when you found out I’m seeing someone you’d get angry that I was dishonoring Joakim.”
“Oh, Mom.” I blinked back tears as I reached over to take her hand. “Dad’s been gone for ten years. It’s taken you far too long to move on. Dad would have wanted you to find someone else. I could never, ever be angry at you for finding someone to fill a void in your life.”
I couldn’t believe she’d been worried about such a thing. I also couldn’t believe it had taken her over a decade to find someone new. I’d always known my father had been the love of my mom’s life. They’d been high school sweethearts, fought against the wishes of my grandparents to be married and had never looked back when my father’s American Indian relatives had shunned our family because of it. They’d had many wonderful years together before my dad was killed in the line of duty as a fireman, battling a wild fire that had raged out of control.
My mom and I had been heartbroken, obviously, but she had carried that ache with her for so long, I’d worried she might never look for happiness again. Now, it seemed she was finally reaching for it with both hands, and I could be nothing but pleased and excited for her. In fact, seeing her so content for the first time in so long made me sort of glad to be back to share it with her.
And hell, maybe if I couldn’t snap out of my own funk, I’d start buying my own smudge sticks and see if I could get some of that soul-healing power for myself.
Chapter Two
It didn’t take long to get settled into a routine. Mom had gotten me an insta-job at the Fiesta Casino, where I’d finally met Pit Boss Mike, her shiny new beau. I had to admit, he seemed like a really great guy. Very handsome, very polite and extremely helpful.
We all knew that being a cocktail waitress wasn’t exactly my dream job, but I made sure both Mike and my mother knew how incredibly grateful I was for the paycheck. Hopefully, since I was able to live at home and my mom refused to allow me to pay rent, it wouldn’t take me long to save up enough money to get my own place.
The hours were long at the casino, but the tips were good. Since it was more of a locals place than a touristy spot, the clientele was friendly rather than rowdy. Within a few weeks, I was getting to know the regulars and had even made friends with a bartender named Mindy. Twice a week, we went out for coffee after work.
It was…comfortable. Vegas actually felt more like home this time around than when I’d lived here for twenty-some years previously.
“Sassafras Jones?”
I turned at the sound of my name and almost dropped my tray of drinks to the floor. Sitting at a blackjack table were two men I’d thought I would never see again. Clumsily, I dragged my feet over to them, praying I didn’t look as dead shocked as I felt.
“Ryan? Colbie?” Their names across my lips sent a shudder through me that I was sure they had seen. These two men were the only things I’d ever missed about Vegas. We’d all met in college and become fast friends. I’d always been attracted to them, both of them, but had never been able to choose between them so I’d forced us all to stay in the friend zone rather than attempt to alienate each other by trying for anything more.
“Damn, Sassy,” Colbie said as he got to his feet. “You look…”
“Like a waitress?” I said with a laugh.
“Like home,” Ryan growled as he too moved closer to me.
“When did you get back to town?” Colbie asked, shooting a look I didn’t understand at the other man.
“Um, a few weeks ago. Do you both still live here?” I shifted the tray to my other hand and glanced around to make sure my boss wasn’t giving me a dirty look for fraternizing instead of hustling my booze.
“Yeah,” Ryan said, his tone normal again. He ran a hand through his blond locks and gave me a crooked smile. “It’s great to see you. What time does your shift end? Maybe, we could all grab a drink and catch up?”
“That…that would be great,” I stuttered. “I’m off in about two hours. Do you want me to meet you somewhere?”
“We’ll be right here,” Colbie said, his grin wide.
“Emptying my pit of chips, I would imagine.” Mike’s voice sounded behind me, and I jumped, again almost spilling all the drinks on my tray. “You boys had better not be counting tonight. I’ve warned you twice. Anyone else would have been out on their asses by now.”
“No, sir,” Ryan said politely. “We chose the three-deck table. Neither of us is here for trouble.”
“Sassy,” Mike said, his gaze still trained on the men who were sitting back down. “The women in slot pit three look thirsty.”
“Yes, sir,” I said with a nod. “I’m sorry.”
As I walked away, Mike followed me. I was terrified I was about to be fired. I knew better than to spend too long out of the slot rows, but I’d been so caught off guard by Ryan and Colbie I hadn’t realized how long I’d been standing there.
“Hey, Sassy.”
I took a deep breath and turned to face my boss, ready to be scolded. But there was a strange look on his face, certainly not anger. He appeared almost…concerned.
“I know it’s lonely for you here, you don’t have many friends and you live with Barb and me and it must get…uncomfortable for you. You’re an adult, but sometimes, I think your mom still treats you like a kid. I don’t want you to think I’m trying to parent you here, but I just…” He blew out a sigh. “Those two are bad news. Obviously, you know them, but things here are different than when you were in college. Be careful. Your mom and I both want the best for you, we want you to be happy, and we don’t want you to get hurt.”
“Thanks, Mike,” I said slowly. “I promise, we’re just going out for a drink. We’re friends in college, but you’re right, that was a long time ago. You’re also right that I’m an adult, and while I love everything you’ve done for me and for my mom, I’d appreciate it if you don’t try to tell me what to do.”
“I wasn’t—”
“I know you mean well. And you are so right. It is lonely as fuck out here. I just want to go let off some steam with a couple old friends. Thank you for your concern, but it’s a beer, not a marriage proposal.” I spun on my heel and headed back toward the bar for fresh drinks, since I’d been wandering around for so long the ice had melted in every glass.
I slammed my tray down on the bar, some of the watered-down booze sloshing over the sides of the glasses. I knew most of my anger was actually due to the frustration of my curren
t situation. I probably shouldn’t have taken it out on Mike, but I didn’t appreciate him trying to step into a role that didn’t really belong to him.
“What was that about?” Mindy asked as she rotated my drinks out for me.
“Mike wants to be my dad,” I said with a shrug. “Neither of us should have let that happen on the floor. I hope no one else saw.”
As much as I wasn’t thrilled with being a waitress, I certainly needed this job and couldn’t afford to lose it over something so stupid.
“I think you’re safe,” Mindy said with a soft smile. “But you’d better get back out there before Daddy goes from concerned to pissed.”
I nodded as I hauled the tray to my shoulder and walked back out onto the floor. I carefully avoided the card pits the rest of the night, both to avoid Mike and to skip the distraction of Ryan Ducheine and Colbie Hammond.
Ryan and Colbie. Talk about a blast from the past. Part of the reason I’d left Nevada in the first place was to get away from them. They’d been my very best friends, but I’d known the longer I stayed around them, the harder it would be not to end up in one or both of their beds. I never wanted to risk our friendships like that. They had been too important to me…too important to each other. It had never seemed worth it to jeopardize all of that. So after graduation, I’d packed up and headed for California.
Now, I was back, and it seemed they had never left. Could we pick up our friendships where they had left off? Surely, we were all different people now. We’d grown up and moved on. Hell, they could be married with kids for all I knew. I hadn’t thought to check either of them for rings on their fingers.
Finally, my shift was over. After clocking out, I headed back toward the blackjack pits, not able to hide the smile that sprang to my lips at the sight of the two men sitting next to each other. I stood back and watched them for a few minutes, drinking in the view.
