"You can change it, cancel it. Don't worry about what it costs." His eyes are fixated on mine and I can see the seriousness behind them. "Stay with me, Lila."
"I... I don't know..." I want to, I know right away that I want to. But it seems so sudden, so spur of the moment. We haven't talked about this at all, we just both knew I was leaving tomorrow. That this was just a fling that wasn't going to last. A rebound from Harrison. Except it doesn't feel like a rebound. It feels like a lot more than a rebound.
"Think about it," he pleads. "Just consider it."
I nod and turn to look out the window as the car continues through Vegas back streets on its way back to the hotel. Chase's hand continues to lightly run through my hair. It would feel so relaxing if I wasn't so tense all of a sudden. Chase's life is so unlike anything I'm used to. He has millions of dollars. He lives in a hotel and owns a huge house that he never spends any time in. He goes to fancy clubs and has gorgeous, albeit annoying, ex-girlfriends. People walk up to him randomly whenever he's out in public and gush over him, asking for his autograph or tips on playing poker.
I'm used to hanging around in my apartment with Evelyn, wearing sweat pants and trying to figure out how I'm going to make next month's rent.
I live in a city that's cold six months of the year, and Chase lives in the desert.
We couldn't be more different.
And yet, spending time with him makes me feel so much better about myself than I ever felt with Harry. Chase compliments me, and defers his own needs and desires when they conflict with mine. He gave up his trip to LA, he brought me to his house even though it clearly made him uncomfortable, those were both things I couldn't imagine Harry doing. Harrison claimed our trip to Vegas would be good for our relationship, and convinced me to spend money I really couldn't afford getting here. Almost as soon as we landed he did nothing but gamble at the poker tables, completely ignoring me other than expecting me to be his cheerleader when he won a big pot. And then he put me up as collateral in a game, gambling me away as if I meant no more to him than a poker chip. I couldn't imagine Chase ever doing that.
The car rolled to a stop in front of the casino entrance of Chase's hotel, and the driver came around to open the door. The Vegas sun caused me to squint once my eyes were no longer protected by the tinted glass.
"Do you want my glasses?" Chase asks, pulling his ever present shades from his head and offering them to me.
I shake my head. Without his glasses he is more likely to be recognized and I just want to get up to his room as quickly as possible.
We're both quiet in the elevator. I'm still thinking about what I should do tomorrow, but I have no idea what's on Chase's mind. Is he mad at me for not saying yes immediately?
As soon as his hotel room door closes behind us my phone beeps with another message. I sigh, wondering how long it will take Harry to get the hint that we're done. I glance down at my purse quickly, but then back up to Chase.
"Go ahead," he smiles, shrugging. "I have to change anyway. When you're done, figure out what movie you want to watch."
"Okay," I agree. He doesn't seem upset, but it seems like plans of our naughty negotiations and spending the night naked have been forgotten. Or is that proof that he's upset? Would he really forget something like that? Does he think I'm mad at him for asking me to stay?
I'm confused, unsure about everything. When my phone beeps again, I pull it from my purse, annoyed. The text messages aren't from Harrison, though. They're from Evelyn.
3:04 PM Evelyn: Hey, did you know Chase has over 200,000 twitter followers?
3:05 PM Evelyn: I just started following him. Have you seen his latest tweet? Is that you he's talking about?
Confused, I switch over to my twitter app. I'm not a huge user, but I have an account and follow a few actors and comedians. I never tweet anything myself, though.
I search for Chase Anderson and find him immediately. It's true, he has 223,345 followers. There's a picture of him wearing his usual sunglasses with a big smile on his face that I suspect is forced for the camera. I grin as I imagine him sitting in a photo session as his publicist tries to convince him that a big smile would be good for his image. I click through to his tweets to see what he last wrote.
Chase Anderson @chaseanderson - 5h
Skipping the tourney in LA, found something incredibly better than poker to spend my time on - or maybe I should say "someone" incredible...
He wrote that tweet five hours ago, when I was still sleeping in his bed.
My phone beeps again.
3:09 PM Evelyn: So? Is that you? Tell me that's you! Don't forget that you promised to fill me in when you get home tomorrow!
Tomorrow. Why am I even contemplating going back tomorrow? What's waiting for me besides a friend desperate for gossip?
3:10 PM Lila: About that, you might have to wait a bit longer to hear the details. I'm changing my flight. Not sure when I'll be back but yes. It's me.
I know Evelyn will be disappointed that I'm not coming back, but she'll understand. I turn off the sound on my phone so that I won't be disturbed by any more messages.
3:11 PM Lila: I gotta run now, but we'll talk soon, I promise! Luv ya!
I drop my phone back into my purse and then reach up and slip my shirt off, followed by my bra, before stepping out of my pants as well. "Chase?" I call out. He answers me, still in the other room.
"I believe you and I had a plan for the rest of the day, and the movie was only part of it..."
Chapter Fourteen
After a bit of playful negotiation, Chase agrees that it's only fair for him to be naked as well, and an hour later the two of us are lying on his bed, amongst a heap of sweaty sheets.
"You hungry for dinner yet?" he asks, pushing himself up onto an elbow to look down at me.
"Why? Did you decide to give the waiter a show after all?" I lift up onto both of my elbows as well and stare down his chiseled body to his spent cock. I wonder how long it'll take for that to become useful again?
"Hmm, I was thinking that when they deliver it I could at least put on a robe."
"I don't know," I say, shaking my head. "I don't remember that being called out in our arrangement."
"Does that mean we have to go back to the bargaining table?"
"Well, I'm just not sure why I would agree to reopen negotiations after everything has been settled to my satisfaction." I smile at him, running a finger along the lines of his hard abs. How much time does he spend in the gym, anyway?
Chase reaches down, pressing a hand against my thigh and spreading my legs. "I don't know, I think I have an idea about how to get you to reopen them..." He slides down the bed, his strong hand still holding onto my upper thigh as his thumb brushes against my still moist folds.
"Wait a minute," I protest, "that's not fair, that's not what we were talking about reopening."
His lips kiss my thigh, right below where his hand is and then higher as he stops holding me open. His gamble pays off when I don't close my legs on his head. He kisses me again, this time a little bit higher. "Okay, you're right, maybe I should stop then." One more kiss just below my aching core and he lifts his head up to look at me.
"Well hold on," I say, almost finding it hard to catch a breath. "No one said you should just walk away from the negotiation table. I'd like to see where your current strategy is headed."
"Ah, I thought you might."
Now his head dips down again and there's no more teasing. His lips brush against me right before I feel his hot tongue invade my pussy. I arch my back against his bed and moan.
"Fuck you taste so good," comes his muffled voice. His hands grab one of my legs and slip it up and over his shoulder, giving him deeper access to my center. This time I scream as he pushes his tongue deeper inside of me. Chase's hands are holding me by the waist, pulling me hard against his face.
"My clit," I pant. "Don't forget my clit."
He makes a satisfied noise as he pulls his tongue from me
and drags it slowly up to spin circles around the center of my pleasure. My body shivers with excitement as the stimulation grows to an almost unbearable level. No one has ever made me come so hard or so fast as Chase Anderson.
"Fuck..." I practically yell the word, dragging it out into its own sentence as Chase's tongue draws a powerful orgasm out of my body.
"You win," I say after catching my breath. Chase is using one of my thighs as a pillow and running his fingers lightly up and down my other leg. "You can wear a robe when you answer the door. I'm hungry all of a sudden."
Chase laughs as he rolls out of bed. "I'll find the menu."
By the time I wake up the next morning it's after ten, which is still better than the almost noon of the day before. This time Chase is still next to me, still drained from a long night of fluid loss. We really only managed to watch half of a movie. Apparently spending the whole night naked turned out to be very distracting for both of us, and neither of us could concentrate on the television.
Parched, I push myself out of bed and walk into the other room to get a bottle of water from the mini fridge. After a long drink I sit down on the couch, pulling my phone out of my purse to see if Evelyn had anything else to say after I left the conversation last night.
Turns out she did, but most of those messages were buried under an avalanche of missed calls and other texts from Harrison who was frantically trying to reach me when he noticed I didn't show up for the flight. I wince at that. I should have probably warned him I wasn't going back. The flight was due to leave at ten so he was already in the air and who knows what he was thinking. Still, he's been an asshole and I'm kind of happy he's worried about me. Serves him right.
I skip his messages for now and scroll through Evelyn's. She wasn't happy that I wasn't coming home either, but she totally understood and sounded a bit jealous. She made sure to note numerous times that she expected a complete blow by blow when I got home, and the fact that he's tweeting about me and I'm skipping my flight for him means that she's not going to accept any excuse from me that there is nothing to tell. I just shake my head and smile, imagining the things I could tell her when I got home.
It surprises me that Harrison didn't call Evelyn to ask if she'd heard from me, so I jump back over his messages to see if he mentions doing that. If he did, I can stop feeling guilty about not telling him. Despite how he treated me and the fact that I'm sort of happy to hear that he seems to be genuinely worried about my safety, I do feel bad that I completely forgot to let him know that I wouldn't be there today.
I don't see anything in any of his texts to indicate that he thought of talking to Evelyn, so I switch over to the voicemails he left. He does sound worried, making me feel even more guilty, until I get to the last one where he mentions his intention to call my parents as soon as he lands to find out if they had heard from me. Of course he wouldn't call them before he got on the plane. Too cheap to pay the long distance charges on his cell phone. So maybe he wasn't quite as concerned as I thought.
Still, if he does call my parents they are liable to do something crazy like contact the US embassy or something, so I decide to call him back to at least let him know I'm still alive. Besides, with him already on the plane I at least won't have to actually talk to him directly. I certainly want to avoid the real reason I'm staying. That's still not a conversation with him that I'm ready to have.
It takes me a minute to mentally compose what I'm going to say. I need something that sounds clear and final, but without giving away too much. I don't really want to lie to him, he'll find out about Chase eventually, but I don't really want to tell him about us just yet either. I have the advantage in being able to leave it as a message and not have to worry about him peppering me with questions. I'm not a great liar.
I dial his cell, trying to keep the rough monologue in my head and hoping I won't sound like a fumbling idiot trying to dance around the most important part of the story.
It only rings once.
"Hello? Lila? Where the hell are you?" comes Harry's unrecorded voice.
Shit.
Chapter Fifteen
I'm silent, caught by surprise at having Harrison actually answer the phone when I was completely expecting his voicemail. The clock on the desk across from me says ten thirty seven. Why the hell isn't he already on his way back to Toronto?
"Lila? Are you there? I hope you're on your way to the airport. The flight was delayed but they’re expecting to board in a few minutes. Where the hell are you?"
"I'm not coming," I finally find my voice. The speech I'd prepared has fled my mind completely so I have to wing it.
"What do you mean you aren't coming? Where are you, Lila? Where have you been? I have your bag here with me."
"I'm... I'm just staying in Vegas for a little while. I need some time."
"Lila, what the hell. You haven't spoken to me at all, you have to let me explain about-"
"Stop," I say. Surprisingly, he does. "It's over Harrison. It really is. It's not about the other night, although that was certainly the last straw, but it's been coming for a long time. I think we both knew it. There's nothing left for us. It just wasn't working."
"Lila, I-"
"Stop," I repeat. "Please, just stop. Take my bag and drop it off with Evelyn. I'll let you know when I get back to Toronto. I just wanted to call and let you now that I was okay." So that you wouldn't freak my parents out.
"Lila, can we just talk about this? I can change my flight as well."
"No!" The last thing I want to do is have Harrison still in Vegas trying to meet up with me. I don't want to be responsible for him anymore, and I'm not ready to have the conversation about Chase. He'll say it's too soon. It probably is too soon, but I don't care. It feels right. Chase makes me feel right. "It's over Harry. Please stop texting me. I have to go." I hang up before he gets a chance to say another word. This time I turn my phone completely off. I need a break from my old life for a few days. From Harry, from Evelyn, from everyone. I'm here with Chase, and Chase is the only person I'm interested in spending time with.
With that thought, I head back into the other room and slip back into bed with him, snuggling up to his warm naked body with my own. This is exactly where I want to be.
It took me three days to even turn my phone back on again. I wasn't exactly avoiding Harry, Evelyn, or anyone else, I simply forgot about it. Chase and I have been busy almost nonstop since then, and whenever we do have a free moment we usually spend it in his hotel without clothes. Not because Harry took my bag back with him to Toronto, either. Chase took me on a little mini shopping spree and bought me enough new outfits to last a week. But the way we've been avoiding wearing any in the hotel room means they'll actually last much longer.
The only time I've spoken to anyone at all was when I called home from the room phone to let my parents know I was staying a few extra days in Vegas. I let them know that Harry and I had broken up, and used that as an excuse by saying I needed some time away from everyone.
But today I'm just standing around waiting for Chase to finish up doing a photo shoot for some poker magazine, so I have some time to kill. I can't avoid it forever.
Reaching into my purse I look for my phone, which is side by side with Chase's at the bottom of my purse. He asked me to hold it and his wallet, as the photographer didn't like the bulge it was creating in his pocket. I pull mine out and switch it back on. As I expected, there are a number of messages from both Evelyn and Harrison. I flip through Harry's quickly. Mostly they're just a mixture of him apologizing and telling me he wants to talk. From the timestamps on them, though, they've been getting less frequent as the days tick by. He hasn't sent any at all today. Maybe he's finally getting the hint that it's over.
Evelyn's are surprisingly not asking about my relationship with Chase. Well, not only asking about it. She says she has some news about her job and to call her when I have a chance. Evelyn works as a personal assistant at some company. It's always sounded like a glor
ified secretary to me, but at least she has a job. It pays surprisingly well, too, which has helped me in the past when I've had trouble coming up with my half of the rent on time, which is often. She probably got a bonus or promotion or something. Evelyn has always worked hard, so she deserves it. I feel bad for not talking to her at all these last few days. It's time to rejoin the rest of the world. I need to call her back.
I glance up to see if they're still taking pictures of Chase, but the photographer is on the other side of the big room fiddling with his camera. Chase is still leaning against the poker table they were using as a prop, but now there are a couple of young women talking to him, one of whom has her hand on his arm as they all laugh. I drop my phone back in my purse and approach them before things get too friendly.
Silver and Chrome: A Bad Boy MC Romance Page 28
