Vegas Knights

by Maddix, Marina

  "I know," she said, silencing him. "That's why I'm in here. I figured out who she was just a few minutes ago and had a bit of an anxiety attack." Shame filled her at the tears welling in her eyes, so she ducked her head to his shoulder. "I feel like a fool," she whispered into his chest.

  He crushed her to him. "Don't! Don't ever say that. You are not a fool for trusting someone. Liz is the fool. Her life is empty and shallow and meaningless."

  "I don't understand why she did it. What was the point?"

  Rick cleared his throat. "The penthouse. She wanted the penthouse."

  "She what?"

  "I guess when I rolled back into town, she found out I'd brought you along. She set up the photographer at the restaurant and fed the item to the paper. I think she hoped it would embarrass you enough to leave.

  "When that didn't work, she decided she'd better get to know her opponent, so she arranged to meet you in that bar. When you told her you'd flirted with the bartender..."

  Kelly's hand flew to her mouth to cover her gasp, her eyes full of guilt and apology. Rick smiled. "Don't worry about it, beautiful. I don't intend to ever put you in the position that you want to flirt with anyone ever again — except me, of course."

  He kissed the tip of her nose and continued. "So when she found that out, she paid him — Brandon — to volunteer as a model at the studio and try to seduce you.

  "That didn't work either, which must have really pissed her off because both ploys would have worked on her. Above all else, Liz values image. After that, it's attention, usually from men."

  The light went on for Kelly. "Oh! And that's when she gave me the plane ticket for New York and the bullshit story about the show."

  "You got it."

  But a piece of the puzzle was missing. "I don't get it. How did she know who I was or where to find me? And she had that ticket before I ever told her I'd brushed off Brandon."

  Rick's expression grew grim. "Syndee."

  Everything fell into place with that one word, though Kelly could scarcely believe it. Syndee had never pretended to be her friend, but she did give her some good advice, and even encouraged her to choose Rick. At her questioning look, Rick explained.

  "Greta got it out of her when I went to the gallery. Seems she was a little jealous of the attention Greta gave you. Plus she was broke. She fed Liz info on you for cash."

  "But how did she even know who Liz was or that she'd buy what Syndee was selling?"

  Rick smirked. "They used to be, um, colleagues."

  "Colleagues? Syndee's an artist. I really can't see Liz painting in overalls... Oh!"

  Rick nodded at Kelly's sudden understanding. "She was a stripper with Syndee, right?"

  "Yup."

  Kelly burst out laughing, not because Liz had been a stripper, but because Liz did everything in her power to make people believe she was better than that. At least Syndee owned it. Kelly respected her for that, and for trying to warn her.

  "God, this is all so crazy. I still don't think I understand why Beth...Liz went to all the trouble. Just for the penthouse?"

  "I don't think it was just that. I think she was using all those delay tactics to buy time to get you out of town because she could see I really care about you. I think the thing she wants most is for everyone to be as unhappy as she is.”

  "So after I left, she just caved?"

  Rick's laugh was bitter. "Not hardly, but I offered her the one thing I knew she couldn't resist: the penthouse. That did it."

  "You gave her the penthouse? Wow, that must have hurt."

  He squeezed her. "Not really. It was a small price to pay to finally be rid of her. Besides you hated it, so why would I want to keep it?"

  "I didn't hate it. I just didn't really feel comfortable there."

  "Exactly. We can stay at the cabin till we figure out where we want our homebase. Or if you want to make a go of it as an artist in New York, we'll find a place here."

  Kelly blinked and looked up into his face. "Our homebase? As in, live together?"

  Rick tucked Kelly's hair behind her ear, lifting her chin on the downward sweep of his finger. His eyes devoured her. "If you'll have me. Kelly Saunders, you're the most beautiful, amazing, talented person I've ever met. I love you, and I don't intend on ever losing you again."

  His lips descended on hers, drawing her into the vortex of his love. Time ceased to exist, pain vanished, doubt evaporated; there was only love. It enveloped them, wrapped around them like a swirling fog, consuming them.

  Kelly was conscious of nothing and everything. Tongues darted and mingled and probed, but she couldn't have identified their owners. Hands caressed and clutched and pinched, but each touch was transmitted to both bodies. Scorching heat spread between them, but it was their heat.

  Even when Rick ran his hands down her plump ass and lifted her onto the edge of the sink, she was just an extension of him. Only when a strong, calloused hand ripped her drenched panties aside did Kelly return to herself. She wanted to feel every inch of him as he filled her.

  With her lips locked onto his and her legs wrapped around his firm ass, Kelly felt the slick bulb of his cock against her quivering entrance, pressing in. She arched her aching breasts against his solid chest, sighing his name. "Oh, Rick..."

  At his name, he lost control and thrust deeply into her, claiming her as his. Groans escaped them both as he pounded into her and she clenched her inner walls around him.

  As their tongues danced and their bodies merged, their eyes drank each other in. Never wavering, barely blinking, they held their gaze as their cries grew louder and they crested the peak of their love together, tumbling over the precipice and falling into the warm embrace of oblivion.

  Awash in the glow of rapture, they held one another, panting. Kelly's heart was nearly bursting with joy at fully realizing the depths of Rick's feelings for her.

  Her grin was hidden in the crook of his neck but her body shook with a silent laugh. Once started, it was impossible to stop, just like their lovemaking had been. In a flash, she was giggling uncontrollably, not bothering to hide her giddiness.

  "What's so funny?" Rick asked, pulling back slightly without letting her escape his hold.

  Kelly could only shake her head, she was laughing too hard. Tears — this time tears of joy — streamed down her face as she tried to get control of herself. A few deep breaths calmed her enough to speak.

  Grinning like a fool, she said, "There goes another pair of panties!"

  Rick's head flew back in laughter. "God, you're amazing," he finally managed.

  Kelly drowned in his eyes, in the love she saw there. "I can't believe you're here."

  Rick's gaze flicked down to her lips and back to her eyes. "There's nowhere else I'd rather be." He dipped his head to give her a slow, gentle kiss that made her inner walls clench around his semi-turgid shaft.

  "Mmm..." he moaned as he pulled free from her. "Much as I'd like a repeat performance, I think we've monopolized this room long enough."

  Kelly rested her sweat-slickened forehead against his shoulder and nodded. He helped ease her to her feet, then knelt down to help her step out of her ruined panties.

  "I'd better buy stock in Victoria's Secret if you keep seducing me like this," he smirked.

  "I prefer shopping at Hips and Curves, if it's all the same to you."

  He gazed up at her, eyes twinkling. "As you wish."

  Hand in hand, they emerged from the bathroom with all eyes in the cafe trained on them. Slow clapping started in one corner of the cafe and quickly spread. Wolf whistles and hoots added to the applause, causing Kelly to blush furiously and Rick to wrap his arm around her with obvious pride.

  Brutus walked up wearing gaudy yellow rubber gloves and holding a can of Lysol. "Suppose I'll need to go disinfect now, eh?" he shouted over the ruckus.

  Kelly hugged her friend. "Thank you so much for rescuing me, Brute."

  "Darling, there isn't another person on the planet I'd rather rescue."r />
  They kissed their goodbyes.

  "Fous pas tout en l'air," Brutus said to Rick, eying him warily.

  Rick shook his head soberly. "Je n'en ai pas l'intention." He grabbed her friend's hand and pumped hard.

  Applause followed them out the door. "What did you just say to each other?" Kelly asked above the thundering racket.

  "He warned me not to fuck this up. I told him I didn't intend to."

  Warmth for her friend's concern for her made Kelly whirl back around. "Brutus!"

  He raised a hand.

  "I'll send for you!"

  He smiled sadly, gave her a nod and moved into the bathroom.

  The door closed on the cafe and Kelly turned to Rick. She could barely believe what she was seeing. He was leaning against an ice blue Peterson-Knight road bike, similar to the one they'd ridden cross-country on but as shiny as if it had just rolled off the showroom floor.

  "Wow," was all she could manage.

  "You like? Thought the color suited you, but we can get you another one if you don't like this one."

  A crease formed on her brow. "Me? This is mine?"

  She wanted to kiss the smile right off Rick's face. "It will be, as soon as you learn to drive it, and as soon as we collect my bike back in Vegas."

  "Wait. You didn't drive here?"

  He laughed. "Darlin', I know I'm fast, but there hasn't been a bike built that could get a man from Las Vegas to New York City in 12 hours."

  "Then how...?"

  "I flew."

  The gravity of his words hit her like a sledgehammer. Rick hadn't flown since his father’s tragic death. He'd made it very clear he'd never get on a plane again.

  She spoke barely above a whisper as she moved into the circle of his arms. "But I thought you didn't fly."

  “Soon as I found out what was going on, I hopped the next flight. I was crazed. Liz had set you up and you only took a couple hundred bucks. I know this city, and it can be mighty unkind to those who aren't prepared for it. When you called Greta, she called me. I was about two blocks awaye."

  "I can't believe you did that."

  She tucked herself into the safety of his embrace, wondering at her idiocy for ever leaving him. She'd thought being an artist in New York meant something special, but it was no different than being an artist in Miami or Denver or Seattle or Las Vegas. She could paint anywhere, but she didn't want to do it at all if this man wasn't by her side.

  "Ready to roll, beautiful?"

  "More than you'll ever know."

  "Where we headed?"

  She thought for a moment, but there was only one option. "Into the night."

  Epilogue

  Rick plopped a thick envelope onto the bed as he crawled back under the covers with Kelly. They were snuggled up in the tiny alcove room at the Knight family cabin, watching the birds skitter across the lake. The past three months had sped by as they toured the country on Kelly's bike, which she'd gotten pretty good at driving. They decided to take a vacation from their vacation, and had been at the cabin all of three days.

  "What's this?" Kelly asked, picking up the envelope, which was addressed to her.

  "Dunno. Came in the mail." He pulled her into him so her back was resting on his chest and buried his face in her hair.

  "Hey, watch it or I might get a paper cut!"

  He growled with desire. "C'mon, live dangerously."

  She giggled as his hands grazed her breasts, her nipples popping to attention. She playfully slapped one away as she opened the envelope. Several news clippings and flyers fell out onto her lap.

  "What's all this?" She looked at the return address on the envelope. Pinyon Art Collective, Las Vegas NV. "Abuela! It's a care package from Greta!"

  She flicked through them quickly, looking for a note but found none. Slightly disappointed that Greta hadn't sent a personal greeting, Kelly unfolded the largest piece of paper. It was a colorful flyer announcing an upcoming show at the Carson Gallery featuring one Brutus Salazar.

  Kelly squealed. "Omigod! Brute's got a show!"

  As she flipped through the pile, she found more flyers for shows featuring Brutus, one as far away as Los Angeles. "Holy shit, he's a hit!"

  She stacked them all in a neat pile, counting five shows in the near future for her friend. Warmth spread through her at the wonderful and generous people she was surrounded by.

  Not long after she and Rick had left Manhattan, Brutus received an anonymous one-way first-class ticket to Las Vegas and directions to Greta's gallery. Greta had been all too eager to meet him, saying that any friend of Kelly's was welcome in her studio. Considering the mess Kelly had gotten herself into just days before, she was worried Brute might not take the bait. But he must have figured it out, because here he was, making a big splash out west.

  There were two more flyers in the pile, one for an exercise class at a prestigious gym and the other for a solo show at the Pinyon, featuring Syndee Reece. "Aw, Syndee finally got her own show." Rick hugged her tight in response. "Really, I'm so happy for her. She wasn't all bad."

  Kelly looked at the exercise flyer more closely. It pictured a very svelte woman hanging upside down from a pole and was titled ‘Pole Dancing Basics with Syndee’.

  Rick whistled at the price listed. "Guess she won't have to sell other people's secrets anymore!"

  As Kelly read the details of the flyer, Rick picked up the last item in the pile. His loud bray of laughter made Kelly jump. "What?"

  He could hardly catch his breath so he just handed her the clipping. At first she thought it was from a newspaper but the paper was much rougher than any newspaper. It was almost pulp, and the ink smeared at the slightest touch. Photos and ads were scattered on both sides, confusing Kelly until she noticed the name of the publication it was torn from: ‘Hot Girls for Hot Vegas Nights!’

  She remembered the poor ladies handing out pulpy sex magazines on every corner of the strip, trying to eke out a meager living by slinging want ads for prostitutes. She couldn't understand why Greta would have sent such a thing to her.

  Rick was still shaking with laughter behind her so she must have missed something. She flipped it over again and saw a familiar face looking back at her. "Need a date with a gorgeous, high-class redhead? Call Lisbeth. Discretion guaranteed!"

  Kelly was speechless. When she finally found her voice, all she could manage was, "No way."

  Rick snatched the paper from her fingers to have another look, and started laughing all over again. "Can't...breathe..."

  "I don't get it. Didn't you give her a big settlement? I thought she was loaded."

  Gulping air as he spoke, Rick explained. "I told you, Liz values status more than anything. Money is good but she never had a good handle on managing it. After we got married, the company lawyers scrambled to get her to sign a very generous pre-nup, one that would have set her up for life with monthly payments. But they looked small to Liz because she was only looking at the monthly amount, not what would accrue over a lifetime."

  He fought off another round of giggles to continue. "She signed it, but when it came time to sign the divorce papers, she started pulling all sorts of stunts, claiming it wasn't enough, that she wouldn't be able to afford a home, that kind of shit. The morning I found your note, I knew I had to wrap things up pronto, so I offered her a trade. She'd forget the pre-nup settlement in exchange for the penthouse. That would be it. No alimony, no trust, nothing. Just the penthouse.

  "God, you should have seen her eyes light up at that." He shook his head in disgust.

  "I'm guessing she blew through whatever cash she had — God knows she didn't work — and when it came time to pay her taxes on the apartment, she lost it...or is in the process of losing it. I dunno, maybe she's selling it, but her greed is what brought her here." He tapped on her photo.

  Suddenly it didn't seem so funny. They held each other and silently stared out at the vista before them, wondering at the strange turn of events that brought them there.


  Kelly broke the silence. "Rick?"

  "Hmm?"

  "What would you say to going back to see one of Brute's shows? I don't think we could make the ones in Vegas, but we might catch the one in L.A. I'd really like to support him."

  Rick kissed the top of her head and gave her another squeeze. "Sounds just about perfect. We can go visit Margaret Ann while we're there."

  Rick had never mentioned anyone by that name before. "Who's Margaret Ann?"

  "Not so much who as what. She's the family sailboat."

  Kelly was confused. "But I thought your sailboat was in a storage shed here."

  He chuckled. "We have another one. It's quite a bit bigger than the Herreshoff."

  "How much bigger?"

  He paused. "Sixty-five feet."

  Kelly whirled in his arms to face him. "Sixty-five feet?! That's not a sailboat, that's a yacht!"

  Laughing, Rick pulled her into a kiss. "Hardly, at least not compared to some of her neighbors."

  It was still hard for Kelly to grasp just how wealthy Rick was, yet he was so down-to-earth and unpretentious. On the road, they still often checked into dodgy motels that his biker buddies ran. He said it was good for business to stay in touch with his customer base, but Kelly sensed it was more. He was one of them, a regular guy, he just happened to have a fat bank account.

  "Hey, maybe we can take a ride out to the Channel Islands while we're there."

  "Ooh, that sounds romantic!"

  "Well, I certainly hope so. But I need to warn you that sailing isn't all white clothes and boat drinks. It's hard work and can be dangerous at times. There's an old saying that sailing is hours of absolute boredom punctuated with moments of sheer terror." He coiled a lock of her hair around his finger and watched it slide off. "Besides, we might just sail right off the edge of the world. Does that scare you?”

  Kelly wasn't sure how serious he was about the danger, but the softness in his gaze told her that he would do everything in his power to keep her safe. His love for her ran deeper than the ocean, and she felt the same.

  “Not if I’m with you.”