Bad Habit: Downey Brothers Series

by Mara Leigh

  “There’s more?”

  “Of course.”

  He guided me through a door past the dining area into a room with the biggest bed I’d ever seen. It had to be three times wider and twice as long as the one I slept in at the mission, not to mention the one I’d slept in my whole life before that. At the head of the bed were what looked like a dozen or more pillows and cushions all in beautiful fabrics, some so shiny I dared not touch them. I couldn’t imagine sleeping there.

  At the end of the bed was a fancy bench. “What’s this?” I touched the red fabric, its pattern of raised threads depicting swirly shapes.

  “A sofa? Chaise? Divan?” He shook his head. “I’m not sure what those things at the end of the bed are called, but we can look it up or call down to the front desk if you want to know.” He pulled out his phone.

  I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter.” The window in this room was floor to ceiling, too, and in front of it were two plush chairs, each looking wide enough to fit two of me.

  Nick had turned through another door opposite the large window, and I followed.

  He gestured to the side. “Vanity.”

  “Yes, vanity, pride, that’s a major sin.”

  “No, I mean this is a vanity. A place to put on your makeup.” He flipped a switch, and a mirror glowed with beautiful, soft lighting. “Not that you need makeup.”

  A place just for putting on makeup? I was glad I’d brought the mascara and lipstick Sister Henry had picked out for me for my date. In front of the mirror were a long golden desk and a fancy chair.

  “Closet.” He gestured behind him to a space about the size of my bedroom at the mission. Perfect rows of shiny wooden hangers hung from brass rods.

  “Kind of overkill for my one dress.” I laughed.

  He leaned over my shoulder. “Then we’ll have to get you more.”

  I turned to see if he was joking, but he’d already walked through another door. This place was like a maze. I should have dropped breadcrumbs.

  I gasped when he flipped on another light. We’d entered a bathroom fit for a queen. There was a bathtub the size of a small swimming pool and two sinks and counters. Yet another door to the left of the sinks revealed a room with two toilets. Although one of them didn’t look quite right.

  “That’s a bidet,” he said putting his arm around my waist. “Don’t ask me how to use it, though.”

  His hand slid off me, and he crossed the room past the tub and sinks. “Check out the shower!”

  Mac, too, seemed excited, and I followed to join him in what he’d called a shower. Surely not. It was also room-sized and had a long bench and at least six different showerheads stretching down or out from various locations on the marble walls and ceiling.

  “There’s supposed to be a gym and sauna.” He stepped out of the shower and slid back a door that revealed yet another room.

  “What are those?” I asked.

  “Treadmills, and that’s for weight lifting.” He gestured toward a machine with cables and pulleys as he opened yet another door. “Ah, the sauna. Nice.” He stepped back to show me a room entirely lined with wood, benches on three sides.

  A bell rang, and I nearly jumped out of my skin. “What’s that?”

  “Hungry?” he asked.

  “A little.”

  I followed him back through the maze of rooms to the door we’d first entered. A man in a hotel uniform was there with a cart. “Your room service order, sir. Shall I set it up?”

  “Be my guest.”

  I backed into the lounge area and Mac joined me as the man dragged in the cart, then proceeded to set dishes, food and wine on the table.

  “Is this the gluttony part?” I asked, not even a little bit disappointed that we hadn’t gone straight for lust. I was hungry and nervous. A little food might help.

  “Just a snack.”

  Mac signed something the man handed him and then pulled out a chair at the table, gesturing for me to sit.

  “Thank you, sir, miss.” The man nodded, then quickly exited the room, taking his cart with him.

  “This won’t even scratch the gluttony surface,” Mac said as he helped me into my chair. “Let’s call this sustenance. We’ll save gluttony for the buffet. Plus, you have an appointment in…” He looked at his watch. “Forty-five minutes.”

  “An appointment? Where?”

  He poured me a glass of sparkling wine, then poured one for himself and sat down to eat. “It’s a surprise.”

  Faith

  “Hi, Faith. I’m Jessica.” The tall African American woman extended her hand and I shook it, confused.

  I was still in a daze. Mac had led me through the most beautiful shopping mall I had ever seen—it had a canal running through it!—and then into a store called Barneys that was more glamorous than I knew stores could be.

  But we didn’t stop to even look at anything, because Mac said I had an appointment. But for what?

  “What are we looking for today?” Jessica asked me.

  “I…”

  “Everything,” Mac answered. “She needs everything. Cocktail dresses, casual wear, swimwear, lingerie, shoes, makeup, jewelry. We’re going to be here for three nights. Assume she came with nothing and set her up with everything a beautiful woman needs in Vegas.”

  “Mac.” I pulled him aside. “I don’t need anything. I brought my dress and high heels. I have all I need. It’s okay.”

  Holding me by my upper arms, he looked into my eyes. “Trust me,” he said. “I’m your sin consultant. In fact, I need you to make me a promise.”

  I nodded.

  “And Jessica, you’re a witness.”

  “Okay.” She smiled as if witnessing promises was something she did every day. Maybe it was.

  “Jessica knows my budget,” Mac told me. “You’re not allowed to look at price tags or even think about what any of this costs.”

  “But—”

  He put his finger up to stop me. “Please. I want to spoil you, let you see what it’s like to own new things. Beautiful things. And this is your lesson in decadence, greed.”

  I took a long breath and nodded. “Okay, I promise.”

  “But I haven’t told you what I want you to promise yet.”

  “Oh.” My chest was so full.

  “Promise that you’ll take whatever Jessica suggests. She’s a professional, so take her advice. Get everything she says you need.”

  I glanced over at Jessica, who smiled reassuringly, like this was normal.

  “Shall we get started?” she asked.

  “I don’t know…”

  “Don’t worry. I do,” she said with a smile. “First stop, lingerie.”

  “That’s my cue to take off,” Mac said.

  I looked at him with alarm.

  “I’ve got a few things to take care of,” he said. “I’ll meet up with you later. You have my number?” he asked Jessica.

  “We’ll let you know when we’re done,” she replied. “Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of you, Faith.”

  Faith

  I couldn’t believe how many things I’d bought. Or rather Mac had bought. I asked Jessica about the return policy and was relieved to hear her answer. Given that everything could be returned, as long as I didn’t remove the tags, I decided it was okay to indulge Mac, or rather let him indulge my attempt to commit the mortal sin of greed. I could sneak back to the store and return the items before we left the city.

  Except for the things I was wearing, because those tags were already removed. Jessica had insisted I wear one of the dresses, new shoes, and some of the lingerie when Mac and I left the store. She’d sent my old things, along with my other purchases, straight to our room.

  We sat in what felt like an open-air courtyard, but was really inside. Mac and I had stopped to have a glass of red wine and some delicious meat, olives, and bread. Then we stopped at yet another store to have a kind of ice cream called gelato that was about the best thing I’d ever tasted.

&
nbsp; The chocolate and raspberry lingered on my tongue and mingled with the buzz from the wine. I felt giddy, loving how the silk of the soft blue sundress felt against my skin as it flowed around my knees, and I ran my hand over the soft, pale-yellow cardigan I wore over the dress. It not only looked like butter, it was as soft as butter, too.

  “Happy?” Mac asked.

  “I couldn’t be happier.” Hearing music, I stopped and looked over the balcony. “Who’s singing?”

  “There.” Mac pointed down. “The gondolier. Should we go for a ride?”

  “It’s fun just watching.” A long boat with a couple inside and the singing man standing at the back passed under us on the indoor waterway.

  “Tomorrow, then,” he said. “Instead of going out on the town our first night, I thought maybe we’d stay in. Relax after our long drive. That sound okay?”

  “Perfect.”

  “Not disappointed?”

  I shook my head. “How could I be disappointed? Already, this trip has been so much more than I ever dreamed. Even if we went back to San Francisco this minute, I wouldn’t be disappointed.”

  As I leaned against the balcony railing, he ran his hand lightly down my back, tracing from my neck all the way to stop at the hollow just above my bottom. “There isn’t anything you were hoping to do that’s left undone?” His words, whispered over my ear, made me tremble.

  “Maybe one thing…” My heart rate accelerated.

  “Then let’s go up to the room.”

  My legs felt wobbly as he guided me to the elevator, and when we got back to the room, I crossed to the window. The sun was setting, making the lights of the city more prominent. Las Vegas was a Christmas tree of a city.

  Mac opened the door to the bedroom. “Ready?”

  I spun around. “Oh. Right now? Okay.” Nerves scrambled inside me.

  He grinned as he crossed the room. “I wasn’t talking to you, Faith.”

  “Then who?”

  “I’ve arranged another surprise. There are two women here to help you relax and indulge.” He poured two glasses of wine, sat on one of the sofas, and gestured for me to join him.

  “There are other women?” I whispered once I’d sat down. “In the bedroom?” Nerves tightened the back of my neck, my shoulders, my stomach. I felt sick. Was Mac planning an orgy? That seemed pretty advanced for my first sexual outing.

  I drank my wine quickly, searching for courage.

  “They’re massage therapists.” He stroked my cardigan-covered arm. “I thought we should get massages to help us relax after our long drive and your shopping spree.”

  “Oh! I’ve never had a massage.” I crossed my arms over my belly, hoping to push back the nerves.

  “You’re going to love it,” Mac said. “At least I hope so.” He leaned forward. “Listen. I think we should set some ground rules for our stay here. We probably already should have.”

  I nodded. Ground rules. I knew the first one I’d suggest: Mac had to stop spending so much money.

  “First rule,” he said. “I’m the sin consultant, but you’re in charge.”

  I shook my head. “Oh, I can’t.” Did he mean I had to take the lead? With the sex? “I don’t know what to do…”

  He smiled. “Don’t worry. You don’t have to make any decisions, not unless you want to, except for the most important one.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Well.” His finger traced down my arm, and I released my grip on my belly to let him take my hands. “I know you want to push your boundaries, try new things.”

  “I’ve already done that.”

  He rubbed his thumb over the back of my hand, and it sent a ripple of pleasure flowing through me. “This is important.”

  I nodded.

  “You can stop me. Stop all of this. Anytime. If it’s too much. If you’re not having fun. Just say so.”

  “Okay.” I should have stopped it back in the store.

  “You need to promise me.” He held up his hand. “Hold on a sec.”

  He ran into the bedroom, setting my nerves racing faster, but he returned quickly and set a black-covered book on the coffee table.

  “A Bible?” I flipped it open to confirm the title wasn’t just printed on the cover. “You brought a Bible?” I hadn’t even brought mine, and I was supposed to be the pious one.

  He shook his head. “Nah, they have Bibles in most hotel rooms.”

  “Oh.” That fact was as comforting as it was surprising. Although… would I feel even more self-conscious knowing God was so close at hand as I sinned? Maybe we should keep the book out of the bedroom.

  “Put your hand on the Bible,” he said. “Swear that you’ll tell me if you don’t like something I do, or ask you to do. Okay? Don’t be polite. If you don’t like something. If it doesn’t feel good. Just tell me.”

  I placed my hand on the Bible. “I promise.” A feeling of intense safety overtook my nerves, making me so appreciative. Mac was so thoughtful, so kind, so careful with my feelings.

  “It’s your turn.” I pointed to the book. “Put your hand on the Bible.”

  Looking at me quizzically, he followed my instruction.

  “Promise that you that won’t hold back,” I said.

  “Hold back?”

  “Yes. This might be one time in my life when I get this opportunity, so I want to experience it all. I want to try it all. Try everything. I want to feel everything.” My cheeks flamed at my bold words, especially knowing I had no idea what I was asking him for. “I want to fully experience sin. Especially…” I looked down.

  My mouth super dry, I took another sip of the wine.

  “Especially what?” His voice was soft and hoarse.

  “Especially lust. I know I’m inexperienced, and so the sex won’t be… pleasurable for you… but I hope…”

  “Faith.” He raised my hand to his lips, pressed a kiss to its back, and then turned it over and traced a circle with his tongue on my palm. “I want this as much as you do, but be careful what you ask for.”

  “Don’t hold back, Mac. Please. I know I’m a virgin, but…” I closed my eyes for a long pause, then looked directly into his. “I want a lifetime of sexual experiences packed into a small amount of time.”

  “Okay, baby.” He kissed my palm. “But let’s start out slow, okay?”

  I nodded. Fear and excitement swirled through me, and as kissed my palm again, I felt a hard contraction deep between my legs.

  I had no idea what Mac had in store, but couldn’t wait to find out.

  One of the women knocked on the door and opened it after Mac responded.

  “Ready when you are,” she said.

  Mac held out his hand to help me rise from the chair. “You go in first,” he said. “Let the ladies take care of you, and I’ll see you in a bit.”

  Seven

  Mac

  It took every ounce of strength I had to watch Faith walk through that bedroom door without me, especially when she looked back over her shoulder with a mix of fear and excitement in her eyes. She always looked beautiful, but in that baby-blue dress, Faith was a knockout. Even with that yellow sweater covering up her shoulders and arms, she’d turned heads in the mall and lobby.

  I’d explained some of Faith’s situation to the personal shopper, and even if Jessica’s lingerie selections had been equally conservative, I couldn’t wait to see Faith in a bra and underwear, not to mention naked.

  I drained a beer, trying to ignore my throbbing cock. All I’d done since I’d met Faith was hold myself back, and to hear her ask me not to? Fuck. I rubbed my erection, wondering if I should jerk off before my massage. It was bad enough that I didn’t want to offend the masseuse with my raging hard-on, and I wouldn’t be capable of lying on my stomach.

  I poured myself a Bulleit bourbon on the rocks and plopped down on the sofa to wait. I’d arranged for the massage therapists to draw a luxurious bath for Faith before her massage. I planned to follow behind, taking a quick shower be
fore occupying the second table.

  I flipped on the TV. Sports might take my mind off Faith and her body and all the things I wanted to do to her.

  Don’t hold back. I want to feel everything. Her words looped through my mind, over and over, completely drowning out the sportscasters.

  How would I be able to hold back, not pound into her like my dick was urging me to?

  One of the massage therapists opened the door, and I nearly jumped off the sofa. She motioned that the coast was clear, and so I slipped into the bedroom behind her. Faith was under a sheet on a massage table close to the window, and the massage therapist dug into her shoulders. Faith moaned.

  I nearly came in my pants.

  The second table was set up next to her, and I assumed they’d explained that I planned to join her. At least I hoped they had, since I didn’t want anything to scare her.

  I walked through to the bathroom and found her bath was still drawn, the scent of roses wafting from the steaming bubbles. Heading for the shower, I stripped off my clothes, then let the jets pound my tense body.

  Leaning one arm against the wall, I was no longer able to bear the pressure. Taking my dick in my fist, I hissed at my own touch. I loosened the grip, and my palm slid, barely grazing my skin, and yet my dick was so sensitive my hips bucked as I involuntarily fucked my hand.

  Faith was so sweet, so soft, so fragile. It wasn’t hard to guess what she’d feel like around me. She’d be narrow, tight. She had to be. Water washing over my body, I firmed my grip, imagining it was her body, all flushed with desire as I pressed inside her, slowly at first, as slowly as I could.

  My fingers tightened harder around my cock and I stroked, my hips and hand working in tandem, tugging and rubbing so hard I feared I might rip off my dick.

  My forehead hit the marbled wall and I stifled a shout, biting down on my lip as my come erupted, painting the wall. And still my hips jerked as my hand milked every last drop from my balls.

  I slumped down on the bench, my cock red from the friction. Shit. That had been one of the hardest orgasms I’d had in years. Almost violent.