Fueled by the oxygen being pumped into the casino, his long legs ate up the luxurious carpet covering the casino floor as he approached the elevator, intent on a good night’s sleep. By himself. But all his good intentions were derailed when he heard someone call his name from across the elevator lobby.
“Carson! Carson Graham!” a woman called out as she walked toward him. “Wow, look at you, still as striking as ever. I’m not one bit surprised to find you walking around one of the nicest hotels in Sin City.”
Has she always been this loud?
He allowed himself a mental sigh, then arranged his features into a welcoming expression. “Lucinda Field. Wow, right back at you,” he said carefully as he was flooded with a mixture of emotions. “I haven’t seen you in over a decade, and here we are, running into each other in Vegas.”
A decade? Actually, it had been slightly longer than that since he’d last seen Lucinda. Since college, in fact. They’d had the same major, which meant they attended many of the same classes together. And as luck would have it, were frequently paired together as study partners or part of the same project group.
Carson knew she’d always liked him more than a friend, but he never went beyond friendship with her. Mostly because he was sure she would want more, and he wasn’t that type of guy, especially way back then. With his abandonment issues at their absolute worst, Carson hopped from bed to bed throughout college. Like now, he never made promises. Although, he might have been a tad worse back then.
He was always up front about his preference for a lack of strings in his relationships. He knew his good looks, charm, and penchant for the good life helped in this department. Without any family keeping him tied down and no real visions of a white picket fence in his future, he lived life fully during college. Nice dinners, expensive beer, and fast motorcycles were his calling card.
Lucinda always pushed him to let her take a taste of the wild life with him, but he never bit. She was a good girl from a nice family. Although they both graduated with double majors in history and political science, Lucinda was smart and went to law school, while he was recruited by the FBI.
Unlike him, Carson was certain Lucinda dreamed of two kids, a dog, and the same white picket fence that gave him nightmares. He never wanted to lead her on, so he didn’t. Perhaps he was a bit of a man-whore back then, but one with a heart.
Am I still a man-whore?
Running into Lucinda in Las Vegas all these years later, seeing her reminded Carson he hadn’t changed much. When he thought about it, he was still driving fast bikes and cars, indulging in good food, liquor, and women, with no intention of settling down. And he suddenly wondered whether that was a good thing.
Carson reluctantly agreed to Lucinda’s invitation to grab a drink together, and took her gently by the elbow to lead her back to the bar he’d just left. They had no sooner received their drinks than she was invading his personal space, much bolder than she had been in college.
“I’m in town for a conference, and since I have nothing holding me down at home, I thought I’d have just a touch of fun.” She winked and licked her lips.
She leaned into Carson, letting him know without a doubt that he was currently the brand of trouble she was looking for. He glanced up to see Victor smirking at them from behind the bar, confirming what he already knew, mainly that he was horny and lonely. Which was a very bad combination.
He answered, “Is that so?” Despite knowing it was the wrong choice, he winked back. It was halfhearted at best, but she didn’t seem to notice.
“Definitely,” Lucinda purred. “I deserve it. I work hard, do it all on my own with no one having my back, and I’m a woman with many interests. Why not let loose?”
Lucinda was giving all the buying signs, but he wasn’t in the market. She droned on, not stopping to notice that Carson wasn’t even listening.
It was his own damn fault he was so desperate for a female’s attention or touch. He was the one tied in knots over a stripper—a beautiful woman with supple curves, all the right moves, and bluer-than-blue eyes so deep they revealed she was actually much more than who she appeared to be onstage.
A woman who was completely inaccessible to him and untouchable to everyone. Yet he was so hung up on her, he was about to head up to his hotel room by his lonesome without any intention of trying to find another woman or even take care of himself.
Carson shook his head, annoyed at himself and confused by his current disinterest in pursuing anything female. He knew it bore some type of significance. A meaning, perhaps, that he shouldn’t ignore.
If he had taken a longer drive before heading back to the hotel, maybe he wouldn’t have run into Lucinda. Unfortunately, he didn’t let the speed of his car take him away longer, and with tension still rippling through his body, he couldn’t help but react a little when Lucinda ran her hand over his chest. She was no longer a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, innocent coed. She was a grown woman now, and if she still had an itch when it came to him, perhaps he should scratch it.
At least, that was what he was thinking when he looked down and saw her red nails smoothing down the front of his white dress shirt. He imagined he could take her upstairs and have his way with her any way he pleased. While she was chatting his head off in the bar, he was envisioning a long night of tasting her, pushing inside her heat, and no telling what else.
His dick was saying yes, and his head was nodding in agreement.
Carson had nearly convinced himself to take her straight up to his room when Sienna Flower popped back in his mind. Her legs wrapped around the pole. Those long limbs, firm and toned, yet feminine. He couldn’t think about anything other than running his tongue up and down the length of her smooth skin.
Her body was soft in all the right places, especially her eyes. There was an understanding and a softness about them, as though she deeply cared about the crowd watching her dance. Sienna made each and every person in the audience feel special and unique. It was such a contradiction to what she did for a living, but it made Sienna Flower who she was. A stripper with the most trusting eyes he’d ever seen, making him wonder what she would be like in person, one-on-one.
With his head filled with floating images of Sienna dancing and batting her long lashes over her seductive blue eyes, Carson could no longer even stomach the thought of taking Lucinda upstairs.
Not because she wasn’t good-looking. Lucinda had matured into a beautiful woman, but she was so hard and direct, practically begging him to fuck her, that he couldn’t get away from her fast enough.
When he finally reached his breaking point, he said, “Lucinda, it was so great seeing you, catching up and all, but I’m afraid I’m not very good company. I’m flat-out exhausted from all the travel I’ve been doing, and I have to catch some shut-eye.”
She pouted like a schoolgirl.
From the corner of his eye, Carson could see Victor containing his laugh by covering his mouth with his hand, then pretending to cough.
“Well, let’s at least exchange numbers,” she suggested coyly. “Maybe we’ll cross paths again?”
The woman just won’t take no for an answer. Unbelievable.
“You know what?” He shook his head, then stared straight into her eyes. “It’s not going to work. I’m married to my job these days.” He picked up his drink and downed it, signaled to Victor for the bill, and gave Lucinda an apologetic half smile.
Lucinda stood up, her shoulders straight and rigid, but the quaver in her voice betrayed her. “I see. Well, it was nice to catch up with you, Carson. Safe travels.” She then swept past him regally, holding her head high as she walked quickly away.
Watching her leave, he mumbled under his breath, “Hope you find your happiness.”
Exhausted from their exchange, Carson ended up going to his room all by himself as he’d originally planned, then proceeded to toss and turn in his hotel room’s king-sized bed.
He couldn’t get settled over the fact he had turned down a
woman who was ready, willing, and able, all because she seemed too direct, available, and loose. He hadn’t been one bit attracted to the woman throwing herself at him.
Which was somewhat ironic considering the fact that he was fixated on a stripper. Didn’t women who shed their clothes for a crowd say Please fuck me in not so many words?
Not Sienna. No, she was a different story altogether, and he was going to uncover it and take a big bite. Maybe even two or three bites, but that was it.
He wouldn’t bite off more than he could chew. Just enough to satiate his appetite.
On that note, it wasn’t until morning Carson felt himself begin to relax. Just before he thought he was about to drop off to sleep, he decided he would get in a long workout tomorrow—although technically it was already today—before he headed back to the Tunnel that night.
It was a good plan in theory. Unfortunately, Sienna insinuated herself in his thoughts once again, and sleep still eluded him.
Friday night, after Sienna’s first performance
BACK IN her dressing room after her performance, Sienna sat down at her vanity while sipping from a bottled water, thinking of him. She picked up a towel, and was running it over her damp body when she heard a commotion outside her dressing room. When she peeked outside her door, she found Big Mike arguing with their newest bouncer, Billy, a young guy who was working on his criminology degree at University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
“I’m sorry, man,” Billy was saying. “That guy only asked me to bring this message back to Sienna. I looked at it, and it wasn’t anything rude, so I agreed. I know, it was stupid.” The guy stood at the ready, obviously worried that Big Mike was going to pound him. And from the look on Mike’s face, he wasn’t far off in that estimation.
Mike’s huge fists were hooked on his hips, his eyes narrowed at Billy as he said sternly, “Dude, I get it, but nothing gets delivered to Sienna, just like no one gets back here either. This is private space, and Sienna is not in the habit of taking names and numbers.” He leaned into Billy’s face and dropped his voice lower in warning. “Do not let this happen again.”
Worried that the two of them were about to go to blows, Sienna stepped outside her dressing room door and interjected, “Uh, guys, I’m standing right here. What’s going on, Mike?”
Billy lowered his head in shame. “Sorry, Ms. Flower, but some guy gave me this slip of paper for you with his number on it. He only asked if you wanted to go for coffee and to give you his number. I thought it might be okay to bring it back, but I made a mistake. I won’t do it again.”
“Okay, Billy,” Sienna said carefully, not wanting for Billy to get into trouble on her account. “Yes, Mike is right. I don’t normally take messages or numbers, but no one got hurt or bothered, so no worries. Since you’re already back here, let me take that.” She brought her hand up to take the slip of paper, then crumbled it in a ball, but held it tight in her palm. “By the way, what did the man look like?”
Mike swung his surprised gaze on her as she accepted the piece of paper, which was about as unusual as her walking the floor on a Friday night. For the second time that evening, Sienna was breaking her own personal code, and he knew it.
Great. Not only were Asher’s hackles up, but now Mike’s were, too.
Billy didn’t answer, he just looked to Mike to see what he should do after the dressing-down he’d just received for bringing the note backstage.
Mike ignored him, and with curious eyes glaring down at her, answered for Billy. “I saw him. It was the man at the table you stopped by earlier.”
“Oh.” Sienna paused to collect her thoughts, not wanting to raise any more speculation. “Thanks, guys. I’ve seen him here before. I don’t think there’s anything to worry about, he’s just a harmless fan. He asked me to have a drink with him tonight and I turned him down. He was probably just looking for another chance.” She gave them both a smile that she hoped looked genuine, and went back into her dressing room.
As she settled onto her chaise longue, her one indulgence in her private dressing room, she realized she still had the slip of paper in her hand. Sienna knew Mike wasn’t going to let this go. He had been with the club since she came to work at the Tunnel. Big Mike might cover up the silver-spoon upbringing he was always trying to shed with a scary face and demeanor, but he was also a softie like Asher when it came to her. He would never let anything make her scared or sad, and had been telling her this since she first came to work for Asher, promising he would always protect her. The bouncer was younger than she was, but he had taken her under his wing with a tenderness that at first had surprised her.
“Sienna, sweetie, we’re gonna take care of you, Asher and me. Nothing is gonna scare you. Nothing,” Mike used to say as he drove her home to that gross motel when she first started to dance. It wasn’t as if he had designs on her. Big Mike was a one-woman man even back in the day, and his girlfriend lived with him. He just cared for Sienna and considered her family, unlike the wealthy parents he had turned his back on years before.
And just like family, she knew he wasn’t going to drop this.
Sienna unfolded the slip of paper.
Name is Carson. Coffee on Saturday or Sunday? Nothing too crazy. I promise.
That was all it said, along with his cell phone number.
Sienna put the note away. She couldn’t think about this now. She had to go back out and dance again soon, and she was pretty sure Asher would be showing up any minute to check on her. Mike had a big mouth, and Asher was already concerned. Shit.
Locking the door, Sienna started to change her outfit for her next act. Unable to stop her thoughts from whether Carson was still out there, she began to choose a one-piece lace negligee with him in mind, and then caught herself.
Wow. I’m losing it.
Maybe she needed a little vacation? Perhaps a few days of R&R at one of the spa resorts near Red Rock Desert?
She was obviously not herself with all this thinking about a man, dressing for said man, and that tiny part of her that was considering having coffee with that man.
A little vacation was the answer.
A moment later, Asher knocked on her door as she’d predicted. After a quick check to be sure she was “decent,” Sienna opened the door.
Asher brushed past her and turned to confront her, his protective mode in full swing. “Sienna, are you okay, honey?” Before she could answer, he raked his blond hair off his forehead and frowned. “I’m always telling you to make some time for yourself and date, but let’s not get carried away with some guy from the audience. I know I told you it was natural to feel curious, but did you throw his number away?”
Sienna tried not to sigh. Asher meant well; she knew that. But sometimes he went a little overboard with his big-brother act.
So she smiled and, ignoring his question, said, “I’m good. Really, I am. I had a moment or something, I can’t explain it, but there was a thing with him. Something I never had before. A pull.”
The look that flashed over Asher’s face looked suspiciously like pity. “Oh, doll, you’re so lonely. That’s it.”
Sienna ignored the brief annoyance she felt at the thought of Asher pitying her, and did her best to mollify him. “I know, Ash. I’m all good now. It’s passed, whatever it was. I think I need a few days off. A little vacation will do me good.”
His face brightened and he instantly perked up. “Sounds great, I can go with you. How about Tuesday? Wednesday? Mike can run the place.”
She laughed. “Perfect. Thanks, Ash, love you. Just a little break, a night off will do me wonders.”
“I know, doll. Now it’s time to dance and bring the house down, before we ride off into the sunset.”
With a kiss to her temple, Asher headed back to his office, and she was left alone with the note again. No, she hadn’t thrown it out, and she wasn’t sure why. After all, there was nothing she could do with it.
As much as she loved dancing and it was her ultimate relief, she n
eeded to break away from this place for a day or so. Thank God for Asher and the upcoming getaway. She would go away with Asher, take a breather, and return home restored and renewed to live life. By herself.
As for him, Carson, he was nobody to her. There was no “thing.” No pull. Only a big blip of loneliness filled with need and want, one that could never be filled.
Taking a deep breath and allowing her mind to go blank, Sienna hit stage right before heading out to entice the crowd with nothing less than what they expected. They wanted to feel seduction and sex in the air, so that was what she would make them feel. The more charged the performance, the more anxiety relief Sienna felt—and the more sexually entranced she became.
As she hit center stage, Sienna’s line of vision locked with Carson’s, and her moment of relief was lost.
She’d only learned his name less than an hour ago, but she felt like it had been on her tongue for years. Carson. He watched her intently, as always. He didn’t smile like earlier, but his eyes bore down on her with a look she had never experienced. Want? Intimate need?
How would her name sound coming off this tongue? Sienna…Lila. She wasn’t even sure of her own name. His stare was turning her inside out, something else Sienna had never experienced.
Finding it harder and harder to lose herself in her number, she tried to avoid Carson and his molten chocolate eyes for fear she might melt into a tiny pool herself. Her heart was pumping and it wasn’t from dancing, heat was gathering once again in her tiny panties, and she had to look far away into the back of the crowd to keep from leaping off the stage.
Sienna wanted to jump right into Carson’s lap, an animalistic urge that bubbled up in her entire body. It was a force of nature she never had to control before, but one she had to tamp down, because she needed to survive on her own.
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