Betting On Love

by Hodges, Cheris

  “Then I say Mr. James should order the best bottle of champagne on the menu,” Serena said.

  “That’s fine,” he replied, feeling as if he and Serena would never be friends. “I can do that.” Waving for the waiter, James ordered a bottle of 1990 Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin and oysters on the half shell. The women looked at each other and smiled.

  “You have great taste, James,” Kandace said. “Where are you from?”

  “Originally from Atlanta, but I live in Charlotte now,” he replied.

  “Atlanta? It’s a small world,” Alicia said. “We’re from Atlanta.”

  “He already knows that, I’m sure,” Serena said. “So, what do you do in Charlotte?”

  Frowning, he said, “I work for a living.”

  Jade threw her hands up. “All right, enough of the third degree. James is all right.”

  Serena folded her arms across her chest and sighed. “Whatever.”

  “Goings,” Alicia said. “Are you related to Maurice Goings?”

  Rolling his eyes, he nodded. “That’s my brother.”

  “Why does his name sound familiar?” Kandace asked.

  Serena snickered. “Remember the guy whose fiancée left him at the altar for another woman? That’s him. Oh, and he plays in the NFL.”

  “For the Panthers, right?” Alicia said. “I think I planned a few parties for him a couple of years ago.”

  Jade stroked her throat and then turned to James. “Once you get to know them, they are very nice.”

  “I’ll take your word for it,” he said in a tight whisper.

  “We’re not trying to give you a hard time on purpose,” Alicia said. “It’s just that we look out for each other, and we don’t want anyone else taking advantage of our girl.”

  James knew they were talking about her ex, and he definitely didn’t want to have this conversation again. “I totally understand,” he said. “The last thing I want to do is to take advantage of your girl.” His eyes never left Jade’s face.

  When is that champagne coming? Jade thought. The looks that James kept giving her did nothing but make her burn like a slow, smoldering fire. The fact that he had apologized to her had made her realize that she hadn’t been wrong about him. He wasn’t a total pig, and he was still sexy as all get out. The way he looked at her made her heart beat like a Congo drum.

  “So, what are you doing in Las Vegas, James?” Alicia asked, causing Jade to stop thinking about tasting James’s lips.

  “Vacation with the guys,” James said, looking away from Jade for the first time in what seemed like hours. “I guess it was luck that I ran into Jade when I did.”

  “Why’s that?” Kandace asked, smiling, as if she knew something naughty had happened.

  James turned to Jade and reached for her hand. “She’s a hell of a poker player.”

  The women laughed. “Yes, she is,” Alicia said.

  The waiter walked over to the table and placed a bucket of ice with a bottle of champagne in it and the oysters in the middle of the table. Jade wanted to pour the contents of the bucket in her lap; maybe then she’d cool off.

  After the group finished the champagne and the food, Jade allowed James to walk her over to the hotel where she and her friends were staying. “That was really nice of you to buy us that champagne, but it wasn’t necessary,” Jade said.

  “I know, but I figured if they drank and ate, they’d stay off my back,” he said, with a laugh. “But I was wrong. Serena’s tough.”

  “She’s a pussycat once you get to know her,” Jade replied.

  James extended his arm to her as they came to the intersection. “I wouldn’t want you to get hit by a car,” he said. “Your friends would hunt me down and kill me. You don’t often find women as close as you all seem.”

  “Women have to stick together,” she said, though the only thing she wanted to see together was the two of them. “Listen, about before and what I was saying about my ex ...”

  “We were having such a great evening, and now you’re trying to mess it up,” James said.

  “What I’m trying to say is, I’m not some psycho ex-girlfriend with an ax to grind. I made a business deal with a man that I thought I was going to marry, and he took my money and cut me out of the business. That’s not fair, and to allow him to get away with that would be wrong.”

  “I guess I can see why you’re miffed. But still, why get revenge? Just get a lawyer.”

  She shrugged her shoulders. “That would be too easy, and there isn’t anything in writing. It’s going to be my word against his.”

  “I know a great attorney that can help you. My sister-in-law specializes in contract law.”

  Jade shook her head. “I’m not ready to go there yet. And I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

  Once they reached the door of the hotel, James was ready to tell her good night, but Jade didn’t want him to walk away.

  “You know,” she said, “I never gave you your share of the poker money.”

  James smiled. “Keep it. Seeing the looks on those guys’ faces was enough payment for me.”

  “So this is it, huh?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Chances are we’re probably never going to see each other again.”

  He nodded. “That’s a shame.”

  Looping her arms around his waist, she looked up at him. “So, what are we going to do about it?”

  “What do you want to do about it?” A hint of a smile spread across his full lips.

  So many thoughts ran through her mind. She’d come to Las Vegas to do something she wouldn’t normally do, to do something that would take her mind off Stephen and his antics. Boldly, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed James wantonly and brazenly, not caring who saw her.

  He stepped back, savoring the taste of her kiss and smiling, as if he’d won a million dollars on a slot machine. “That was a helluva good-bye.”

  “I’d rather say good-bye after breakfast,” she said. “Come upstairs with me.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. I want to make something happen.” She winked at him and headed through the door.

  James wanted to rip Jade’s dress off the moment they stepped on the elevator, wrap her long legs around his waist, and bury himself inside her. He wanted to suckle her breasts until her nipples were swollen and full, but he showed restraint. It wasn’t as if he was the type of man to have a string of one-night stands, but from the moment he saw her, sex was all that he’d thought about. Stepping closer to her, he stroked her cheek, then pulled her against his body. A soft moan escaped her throat as she felt his arousal.

  He stroked her bare arms and sought out her lips again. “Where’s your room?” he asked.

  “Fifteenth floor.”

  Slipping his hand underneath her dress, he said, “Do you think we’re going to make it?”

  “Not if you kiss me again. This is wild,” she moaned as his lips grazed her neck and he slid his finger inside the crotch of her silk thong. “As cliché as it sounds, I’ve never done anything like this before.”

  James lifted her leg and wrapped it around his waist as the elevator ascended to the tenth floor. “Neither have I,” he said. He brought his lips down on top of hers, assaulting her mouth with a hot and demanding kiss. James felt her melt against him and nearly lose her balance. He backed her against the mirrored wall, casting a sidelong glance at their reflection. “You’re beautiful, sexy, and you’re making me so hot right now,” he breathed against her ear.

  The elevator’s ding alerted the couple that they had reached their destination. Unfurling themselves from one another, they sprinted from the elevator, dashing down the hall to Jade’s room. She fished her room key card out of the bottom of her purse while James stood behind her, stroking her back.

  The moment they walked into the room, their clothes came off: she clawed at James’s shirt as he unzipped her dress. Neither of them thought about anything but
getting the other’s clothes off. Her dress fluttered to the floor, his shirt was tossed across the room, and they stumbled backward onto the queen-size bed. They broke their kiss for a moment, as if they needed to take deep breaths.

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she breathed.

  James continued his sensual assault of her body, taking her supple breasts into his mouth one at a time. She pulled at his hips, pressing him against the pulsating heat of her feminine core. Pulling back from her, he grinned. “Where’s your purse?”

  “Huh?”

  “I need a condom.”

  Catching on to his joke, she laughed and reached down to retrieve her purse. Jade passed the condom to James and watched as he slid it over his thick erection. What am I doing? I don’t even know this man, but damn he’s sexy as hell and I want this. There’s no way I’m turning back now... .

  He drew her into his arms. “This is crazy, isn’t it?”

  Jade couldn’t think of anything to say. Part of her wanted to tell him that she didn’t do things like this, despite what she had in her purse. But the wanton sex goddess inside her said that the time for talk was over. She needed a release, and that was just what James was going to be tonight. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him against her silently, telling him that she wanted him.

  At her urging, James parted her thighs and found his way to her heat. It felt so good being inside her, feeling how hot and wet she was. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been with a woman who actually made him feel something other than obligation. Thrusting into her, he reveled in her body, the swell of her breasts against his chest, the curve of her bottom against his hands. What he didn’t expect was for Jade to take control of his body the way she did, pressing him back against the bed and straddling his frame. She took the entire length of him inside her, moaning as she arched her back. James grabbed her breasts, teasing her hard nipples with his thumbs as they ground so hard that the bed rocked. He released a guttural groan as she clenched her body around him, seemingly milking his sexual energy. He didn’t want to climax, not now, because he wanted to please her as she’d pleased him, but he couldn’t help himself.

  “Jade, Jade, Jade,” he muttered, lifting her off him and laying her on her back. Using his tongue, he traversed her body as if she were the New World. When he reached the tops of her creamy thighs, he slipped his hand between them, using his finger to tease her throbbing bud.

  It was her turn to call out his name as his lips and tongue replaced his finger. Jade’s legs began to quake as she was about to come to her own climax. The pleasure that she was feeling was like nothing she’d ever experienced before. No man had ever taken the time to give her body the treatment it deserved, putting her pleasure above his own. She clutched his shoulders as his tongue danced in her G-spot until she couldn’t take any more.

  “Oh, James!” she exclaimed as she felt release.

  Rolling over on his side, he pushed her hair back from her forehead. “You all right?” he asked.

  “Um,” she moaned.

  “So what happens now?”

  Jade shrugged. “I told you I’ve never done this before.”

  “Let’s discuss it over breakfast, then,” he suggested, with a smile. “Maybe I can have you for a midnight snack.”

  Jade threw her leg over his waist. “I think I like the sound of that.”

  CHAPTER 5

  Waking up in James’s arms didn’t feel like the end of a one-night stand. Jade watched him as he slept, and smiled. Never had she been so satisfied and loved so expertly. Maybe it was Vegas, maybe it was the fact that she’d never see him again, that allowed her to be wild and wanton, but what was his excuse? He seemed to get more pleasure out of pleasing than anything else. She didn’t know how to deal with the morning after, though, because she’d never had a one-night stand before. If this were a movie, she thought, she would have some jazzy line to say and would be able to go on with her Vegas vacation without a second thought about James Goings. But she knew that wasn’t going to happen. This man was burned on her brain, etched in her soul, and flowing through her blood.

  This is just lust, pure and simple, she thought, fighting the urge to stroke the side of his smooth face. Men like James weren’t single, and she was sure that the only reason he’d slept with her was that he was as caught up in the “what happens in Vegas” adage as she was.

  Just as she was about to drift off to sleep, there was a loud knock at the door, followed by, “Jade, open up!” The voice belonged to Serena. “Are you in there with that dude?”

  Jade jumped out of bed, dashed to the bathroom, and grabbed a robe from the back of the door. She opened the door to the room a sliver and peered at her friend. “What do you want?”

  “Why aren’t you opening the door?”

  “Because I don’t want to.”

  “Ooh, you did it with that man. All right, score one for Jade.”

  “Can you go away?” Jade whispered, looking back to see if James had awakened.

  “We have plans this morning, remember? Those investors that I told you about are waiting downstairs, at the breakfast buffet.”

  Jade slapped her hand against her forehead. “I totally forgot about that.”

  “I know where your mind was. But you need to get dressed and to get down there in five minutes,” Serena said. “If you’re going to stick it to Stephen Carter, you’re going to need money. I didn’t wine and dine these fools to let you blow it because you found a, um—how shall I say?—release.”

  “I’ll be ready,” Jade said. “But you have to go.”

  “Tell James hello.” Serena sauntered away. Closing the door, Jade turned around to see James rising from the bed.

  “Good morning,” he said.

  “Morning. I hate to rush you out of here, but I have a meeting in about three minutes.”

  “Wow. So that’s how these things turn out?” he asked as he rubbed his eyes.

  Shaking her head, Jade forced herself to smile. “What did you think was going to happen?”

  “Possibly a replay from last night, but I get it,” he said, keeping his tone light as he slipped on his pants. “Maybe I’ll see you around.”

  “I hope so,” she said, then dashed into the bathroom to shower.

  As James walked out of Jade’s room, he wondered how some people could do this type of thing on a regular basis. Honestly, he felt a little cheap. She had unceremoniously tossed him out of her room without much of a good-bye. He’d always figured that was the man’s job. Needless to say, Jade had piqued his interest, but the feeling wasn’t mutual. James knew when to walk away. As he headed back to his hotel, he replayed their night together in his mind. It was the best sex he’d ever had, and she was the most passionate woman he’d ever been with. Her taste was still on his lips. Once he got up to his suite, Maurice was there, waiting for him.

  “You came to Vegas and lost your mind, huh?” Maurice said. “Who was the woman that you spent the night with?”

  “Who said I spent the night with a woman?” James said as he plopped on the bed.

  “I would hope that you didn’t stay out all night with some man. Was it that chick you brought up there to the game room? Homer is still hot about losing all that money.” Maurice laughed and reached for his cell phone. “What time is it back East?”

  “Can you stop calling your wife for two seconds? Why didn’t you just bring her with you?” James closed his eyes, and visions of Jade danced in his mind. Opening his eyes and sitting up, he found his brother staring down at him. “What?” he said.

  “I’m trying to figure out why you have that goofy smile on your face,” Maurice said.

  “What are you talking about?” James touched his cheek, and he was smiling.

  “All right, keep it to yourself, but if the sex was that good, then you might want to get her number so you two can hook up again.”

  “That’s not going to happen. But why
are you in my room?”

  Maurice cocked his head to the side. “Because we were supposed to have breakfast with those brothers from the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce.”

  “Oh, yeah,” James said, sitting up and swinging his legs over the side of the bed. “What time is the meeting?”

  “Ten minutes ago,” Maurice said. “I’m always late, but you’re supposed to be the responsible one.”

  Rising to his feet, James smirked at his brother. “So, go make the meeting and apologize for my tardiness. God knows I’ve done it for you more times than I can count. I’ll be down in fifteen minutes.”

  Maurice laughed as he headed toward the door. Then he turned around and looked at his brother. “You know you’re never going to live this down.”

  James nodded, noting the special glee Mo was taking in this temporary role reversal. “Whatever.”

  True to his word, James was dressed in a casual suit and sitting at the table with Maurice, Richard Harris, and Raymond Harris fifteen minutes later. Just as he was about to be briefed on what was going on, Jade walked by. She looked great naked, but in her heather and gray bandeau dress, which clung to her curves like a second skin, she looked more alluring. The chatter at the table stopped, and all eyes followed Jade as she and her friend walked by. Rising to his feet, James called out to her. When she whirled around and smiled at him, his heart tightened in his chest and he had to think to breathe.

  “James, I didn’t expect to see you here this morning,” she said as she marched over to him and hugged him tightly.

  “Stalker,” Serena whispered loudly.

  “Good morning to you, too,” James replied as he and Jade separated.

  Serena smiled smarmily and glanced at the other men sitting at the table. “Are we interrupting business?” she asked.

  Richard stood and extended his hand to her. “Not at all. Would you ladies like to join us for coffee?”