And they loved each other. They never fought. About anything. They might fight about this.
“Come here,” Josh said gently, reaching out and pulling her hand.
“No. I don’t want to!” She sounded like the ten-year-old students in her classroom.
“Yes. You do.”
Her breasts ached and she kept the sheet tight. “No. Once was bad enough. This would be unforgivable.” She chewed her bottom lip. “David must never know. This would hurt him so badly, and he deserves better than that. Better than me.”
“He deserves a woman who loves him,” Josh said. “And the truth.”
That stung. “You don’t even know him. And I do love him, but what happens in Vegas, stay’s here. Right?”
“That’s up to you.” He dropped his hand to the bed between them. “I’d want to know if my girl slept with someone weeks before our wedding.”
“Oh, nice! How to make me feel really, really crappy.” Tears filled her eyes, and slid down her cheeks. She knew he was right. “Why did you invite me to your room?” That part of the evening remained fuzzy.
“You were feeling funny. Having a dizzy spell, and you said you wanted to go back to your room. Your friend said she’d come, but you told her and your sister to stay and have fun. I offered to walk you to the elevators since I needed to take a conference call. We had to wait a few minutes for one to come.” He shrugged and she had a vague memory of them standing before the elevator.
“You looked at me, and I couldn’t take my eyes off of you. Hadn’t been able to for the past hour. I knew it was wrong, but I couldn’t stop myself from taking your arm and pulling you into the elevator with me. We kissed. You didn’t fight it. And here we are.”
“That is so messed up.” She swiped at her tears, swallowing a sob. “I have to go. Can’t imagine what my sister and Jen must think. They probably have the police out looking for me.”
“They don’t. I texted Cory to let him know that you were with me. Figured your pals would find out from him when I didn’t return to the bar, and you didn’t either.”
“Good God. What if my sister called my fiancé, and told him I was out all night? What must they be thinking about me right now?” Nikki buried her face in the sheet unable to look at Josh. “That I’m a first class slut! This is the worst thing I’ve ever done in my life. I’ve only had three boyfriends, and David is the third. I’ve never been unfaithful.” She lifted her face, heartbroken at her own actions. “Why would I do something this crazy?”
Josh slipped his arm across her shoulders. “I’m sorry you feel so shitty. But I know that we were electric together. You and I couldn’t stop the attraction. It happened right off. At the bar. I was talking to your sister one minute, and then you appeared. Wham! Felt like I got hit by a brick. Actually, I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder. And then I looked at you, and it was like seeing you through filtered light. There was a glow or an aura surrounding you, and I felt a magnetic pull that was surreal. Never felt such instant attraction before. Chemistry, babe. It’s not your fault.”
“Yeah? Tell that to my sister and Jen, and my fiancé while you’re at it!” She tossed the sheet aside and attempted to get up, but he grabbed her wrist and gave it a gentle tug so she plopped back down on the mattress.
“Wait. I’ve been thinking about this all night too. Before you leave, I want to test something. Kiss me, Nikki, and then tell me that you’re in love with the man you’re about to marry. Prove it to yourself, at least.”
His eyes challenged her but no way could she kiss him again. Josh’s touch on her wrist had her body fired up.
“I’m not going to prove anything! I’m going to leave, and try to explain this fiasco to Melanie and my best friend.”
“Chicken.”
“I’m not.” She was, but so what? “I’m just disgusted with myself, and so ashamed, I don’t know what I’m going to do. Please don’t try to see me again.”
“I won’t if you don’t want me to. But I think you do. Give me a kiss and then tell me I’m wrong.” His thumb made circular motions against the inside of her wrist. Her breasts ached and she knew he could see her arousal. She could see his, too.
“One kiss, and then we can forget this ever happened?”
“If that’s what you want.” His husky voice sent tremors down her spine.
“Okay. But no tricks.” She edged closer to him, her blood heating. What in the hell was the matter with her? Nikki sounded like a sex kitten as she said, “Promise?”
“I promise.”
Their lips were inches apart and she closed the gap. His mouth came down on hers, and sparks sizzled between them. She jumped and pushed away, her hands on his chest so that they weren’t quite separate. Nikki felt his heart beat beneath the palm of her hand. “What was that?”
“That’s what I’m talking about,” Josh said, nibbling her upper lip and caressing her arm. “We’re in some serious shit.”
CUPID
“You moron! You are a complete idiot!” Cupid was so hopping mad he jumped up and down. “You just hit the bride with your arrow! You’ve probably ruined that young girl’s life! Who taught you how to shoot? Don’t you know anything about being a Cupid?”
“Of course I do. I know that along with this great honor, comes a lot of responsibility.” Vinnie yawned and scratched under his arms. “I told you I was tired, but you insisted on coming out tonight. Couldn’t wait a day before you started messing with other people’s lives.”
“Messing? I don’t mess! I help people fall in love, but they have to be willing. Cupids can facilitate an attraction between unsuspecting couples, but they ultimately have free will. We can guide them, but they make their own choices. Good thing too, you clumsy oaf! If I hadn’t dragged your sorry ass out of that martini glass you’d still be inhaling the fumes.” Cupid gave his cousin a serious look. “I came here to help you, but you need to sober up and take your role seriously. It is a great gift, the most rewarding job in the world, but you can’t have your arrow flying all over the place, zapping the wrong people.”
“The arrow was heading straight for the sister. Wasn’t my fault the bride decided to step in between them at the exact wrong moment.”
“Vinnie, Vinnie, listen to yourself. You never take responsibility for your actions. We can’t have a love sick bride walking around Vegas, now can we?”
Vinnie chuckled. “Of course not. Right after I zapped the bride, I fired another shot off. Got that young buck at the bar. The one who’d been chatting up the sister.”
CHAPTER TWO
Nikki let herself into the suite, glad to see that no one else was up. It was only a little after six a.m., and they’d all had a lot to drink, staying up much too late. With any luck she could sneak off to bed, and pretend she’d been there most of the night. No point in having her sister and best friend share the burden of keeping this secret from David, the man she fully intended to marry and make a home with.
There was no reason to mention it at all. They’d dragged her ass to Vegas. These things happened here. Everyone knew that. That’s why people came. So it wasn’t her fault, exactly. And even it was, she was deeply sorry and ashamed. She would never stray again. She’d make it up to David every day of his life.
Even saying those words to herself didn’t help. The memory of that last kiss with Josh had scorched her inside and out. Her lips still stung. But it wasn’t a physical discomfort—unfortunately—it was a pleasure almost too great to bear.
Why had this happened to her? Guilt consumed her, but mingled with the guilt was something else. Something much worse. It was a fear that she might want to do it again. And she might not have the strength of will to prevent it. She had never thought of herself as a weak woman, but one smoldering look from Josh and she wanted to put her panties around his ears, sit on his lap, and do him every which way but Sunday.
Dear heaven! Where did that thought come from? She wasn’t like that. She was not overly inventive in bed. Ma
n on top, or underneath, that was about it for her.
Josh made her feel like an animal. One she didn’t know, and didn’t particularly like. Liar. Okay, she just had to creep down the hall, and her bedroom was the one on the left.
She tippy-toed in bare feet and glanced around. Melanie’s door was open a few inches, but Jennifer’s was firmly closed. She had to pass her sister’s room which was probably why Melanie hadn’t shut it completely. Hoping to catch Nikki sneaking past in the middle of the night.
She had her shoes in her hand and was next to her own room when she heard Melanie behind her.
“Where have you been all night? We’ve been worried sick about you. I called the hospitals and the police, but no one had any record of you.” Nikki saw the concern in her sister’s big blue eyes and felt even worse. “Did that guy, Josh, did he do something to you?”
Nikki glanced down at the floor, so ashamed she couldn’t speak. How could she tell her sister the truth? She’d always been a good person, morally responsible, not some wild thing who’d sleep with a stranger. “I can’t tell you,” she murmured. “Please don’t ask. I’m fine. That’s all you need to know.”
“Did he rape you?” At the look on Nikki’s face, her sister grabbed her shoulders. “Did he? He can’t get away with this. We’ll report it to the police.”
Nikki shook her head no. “No. We can’t.”
“David will understand. You were raped. He’ll come if we call him. You need his support. He loves you and would want to be here.”
“No! You don’t understand.” Her voice was unsteady as she whispered, “I wasn’t raped.”
Melanie’s eyes widened. Her lips trembled. She put a hand to her throat. “You cheated on David?”
Nikki’s stomach curled. She managed to nod instead of throw up.
“With a guy you only knew for a few hours? How could you? David’s like the best guy in the world!”
“I know he is.” Nikki cringed at the look on her sister’s face. “And you’re right. I probably don’t deserve him, but he can’t find out. Please don’t say anything. This is just between you and me.”
Melanie drew herself upright, her face pale and her make-up smudged. “I am so upset with you right now, I can’t promise anything. I was so worried.” She folded her arms at her waist. She was wearing an oversized Mickey Mouse shirt. “He should know what you did, and have a choice to forgive you or not.”
Melanie was never spiteful, so her words cut Nikki in two. She reached out a hand to touch her sister’s arm as tears welled in her eyes. “Please try to understand. I didn’t want this to happen. I don’t know why it did. I have no excuse. It was like I was drugged or something, but I know I wasn’t drugged. I knew it was wrong, but I couldn’t stop it from happening.” She shivered and rubbed her arms. “I can’t explain it. But I’m sick about it. And Josh isn’t to blame. He doesn’t understand this wild attraction either. It just is.”
“Will you see him again?” Melanie leaned against the wall in the hallway, looking as shell-shocked as Nikki felt.
“I hope not. I don’t intend to, but the truth is if he stood here right now in front of me, I would feel a crazy magnetic pull. A need to touch him.” She chewed her bottom lip. “I don’t trust myself.”
“You’re pathetic. I think I should tell David to come and get you, so you can’t do anymore harm than you already have.”
“That might be a good idea. Why don’t we?” Nikki felt a moment’s hope. “We could say that we changed our minds about staying here. That we lost too much money gambling. Or we were mugged. Something plausible. Not this. He doesn’t ever need to know. It would only hurt him. And since I’m never, ever going to do it again, what’s the point?”
“What’s up?” Jennifer came out of her room, rubbing her eyes. “What time is it? Feels like four in the morning.”
“It’s early,” Nikki said quickly. “Go back to bed. Melanie and I were just restless. Couldn’t sleep.”
“Isn’t that the dress you had on last night?” She looked suspiciously at the two sisters. “How come you’re still in it? Melanie was convinced something bad happened to you and started calling around—surprised she didn’t call the morgue. Anyway, we searched the beach club for you, but there was such a huge crowd it was impossible to find anyone. I figured you were having a good time, or got lucky in the casino.”
“She got lucky all right,” Melanie said sharply. “She slept with Josh.”
“Oh…my…gosh!” Jen’s hands flew to her mouth. “You didn’t? Miss goody-two-shoes who never says shit, even when her mouth is full of it? I don’t believe it.”
“I don’t believe it either,” Nikki said, rubbing her temples. “Now can we all go back to bed and pretend this conversation never happened?”
“Not fucking likely.” Jennifer gave a lazy smile. “This is too good to miss.” She shook her head, her shoulder-length bob, flying about her cheeks. “So what happened? Are you going to tell David? I never thought he was the right guy for you, but hey, what do I know? And Josh was definitely hot, but still…” she frowned. “What a dilemma.”
“Exactly!” Melanie snapped. “I was talking to Josh, and then along comes the bride, and whammadammadingding. They’re hot to trot. It’s so unfair. How come she has two men and I don’t have any?”
Jennifer looked at her. “That’s what you’re worried about right now? The fact that your sister caught the eye of a hot guy you were talking to? How about she might have just ruined her perfect suburban life?”
Nikki covered her ears. “Enough. I can’t take this right now. I’m going to bed. You two can sit around and talk. Decide my fate. I have a splitting headache, my stomach is doing cartwheels, and I feel like the lowest scum ball on the planet. Like a maggot, or leech. Trust me, whatever you’re thinking about me, I’m thinking worse.”
With that, Nikki straightened her shoulders, marched into her room and locked the door.
She knew the girls were talking about her, horrified and repulsed at what she had done, but she couldn’t deal with that at the moment. She had to figure some things out. What should she tell David? The truth, or nothing at all? There was nothing that she’d like more than to pack her bags and hightail it back to Arizona, but if they did that, they’d have questions to answer. And questions required answers—none of which she could give him without breaking his heart.
Her head throbbed, and her mouth was dry. She relished the pain, and even pinched herself in the arm, over and over, to make herself feel worse. Then she cried for what seemed like hours, until she fell into an exhausted sleep. She woke to the sun shining in her window, and loud music thumping from the living room. Obviously, her sister and Jen were still hanging around. Why couldn’t they have gone down to the pool and left her alone? Did they want to berate her some more?
She used the restroom down the hall, then slid into a pair of Nike shorts and a fitted gray t-shirt and went into the living area to face the girls, since they had given her no choice.
They were both still in their sleeping attire, dancing to a Taylor Swift video, but they stopped when they saw her. Smiles faded from their pretty faces. Melanie glared at her. Jennifer couldn’t even look in her direction.
“I’m sorry. I know I’ve ruined everything, and I don’t know how to make it better. Please don’t hate me. I hate myself already and I don’t want to lose both of you.”
She sniffed and sucked back tears. “I guess I have to tell David, and he will hate me, and our parents will hate me, and all his friends and family too.”
Melanie nodded. “Don’t try to make me feel sorry for you. You deserve it. This was the most despicable thing you could have done. I feel like calling Mom and Dad and letting them know. They’ve spent a fortune on your wedding day.”
Nikki put her hands on her flaming cheeks. “I know, and I’ll pay them back, if it’s the last thing I do. You think I wanted this catastrophe? Hell no. I was happy. I wanted to get married. Now I can’t.
I ruined everything.”
“Why did you?” Jennifer asked. “It’s just so unlike you to act like that. Did you have too much to drink, hon?”
“I have no excuse. I don’t know how it happened, but it did. I wish I’d never come here. I wished I’d never stepped into this hotel, or seen Josh’s face. I understand why people want things to stay in Vegas. Bad things happen here.”
Jennifer was the first to break. She ran over and hugged her. “I’m so sorry. It stinks. You really did a shitty, shitty thing, but I don’t hate you. You’re my best friend in the whole world, and I love you no matter what.”
“I don’t hate you, either,” Melanie said slowly. “But I like David a whole lot more. He’d never do this to you.” Tears rolled down her cheeks. “Why did you have to do something this selfish? So mean?”
Her words struck Nikki like a knife. She felt like a fish, gutted, laid open, for all prying eyes to see.
“I wish I could answer that. But I can’t. Anything I might say will just sound stupid, anyway.” She walked into the kitchen area and grabbed a bottle of water. She guzzled it down, wiped her nose and her eyes, wishing she could stop the tears from flowing. She was like a tap that couldn’t be shut off.
After washing her face, and repairing the damage as much as possible, she stuck her blonde hair in a ponytail and tucked it into her Nike cap. She put on a pair of sunglasses even though she intended to stay inside the building. The last thing she wanted was to explore Vegas. She’d seen enough. “I’m going to go down to the gym and work some of this off. See you girls later.”
“Do you want some company?” Jennifer asked.
“No. I need to be alone. Thanks though.”
Nikki found an Elliptical machine not in use, and set it for 30 minutes. She pushed herself hard, until she was drenched in sweat. Slowing the machine down, she took a slug from her water bottle, mopped her chest and brow, then glanced around.
DOUBLE TROUBLE: TROUBLE IN VEGAS series Page 2
