“In the morning I’ll show you around Vegas. Be ready at 9:00. Dress casual.”
I nodded, wrapping the thick towel snuggly around my body as I followed him out into the hall.
Four
A FRIENDLY WARNING
Alex was right. Parker Blackwell treated his help very well, I observed as I entered the room that I would call home for the next few days. It was nearly the size of my entire suite at The Grandview, and as I walked to the window and looked out at the twinkling lights, the irony of my situation began to sink in. I was in Las Vegas. I left everything I’d ever known and loved behind, because coming here, doing this, was the only chance I had to save it all. It was crazy, but I had no regrets-not even about Jake. My heart was hurting, not because I needed him, but because I had to admit that he never really understood me. Hell, maybe you don’t understand yourself, Lo.
As I scanned the room, taking a quick inventory of the amenities, I was tempted to sprawl out on the large fluffy bed in the center and shut out my thoughts until morning. Things had gotten complicated quick. Speaking of I complicated, I still had to let Nina know that I arrived safely, and I should probably tell her the truth. She was going to freak, but I hoped she would settle for the short version for now. I was finally coming down from the adrenaline wave I’d been riding all day. Exhaustion was setting in.
Fumbling though my carry-on, I dug out my phone. Three missed calls, all from Nina. I smiled. She must have been holding back, because I expected more like ten. As I sank down into the comforting softness of the bed, I dialed, and immediately held the phone away from my ear when her voice came bursting through the speaker.
“Oh my God, Lo, why didn’t you answer your phone? I’ve been trying to call you for hours!”
She was right. I should’ve answered, but I was just prolonging the inevitable…the truth. “I’m sorry, Nina. I made it here just fine. I’m safe.” An audible sigh escaped me. “Shit! This is so complicated. I don’t even know where to start, and even if I did I’m too fucking exhausted to go into all the sordid details. So please, just listen to me, okay? The truth is I’m in Las Vegas,” I paused, “with Parker.” I held my breath and braced for the wrath of Nina, and I knew I deserved it.
“Lo, are you IN-FUCKING-SANE? Oh, this is worse than I thought!”
Her voice suddenly seemed far away, and I knew why. I’d witnessed it a million times, usually when Leslie called panicking because one of her cats didn’t come home. She was pacing with her hands absentmindedly at her sides. I could hear her footsteps clicking across the floor and her rambling in the background.
“Nina, you have to trust me on this. It’s the only option right now. Can you hear me?”
“Only option? Only option for what? I can’t imagine how being anywhere with Parker Blackwell is the ONLY option, Lo! What are you talking about?”
“He’s helping me, save The Grandview, Nina.”
“How, Lo? And why the hell did you have to go to Vegas WITH HIM to save The Grand?”
I tried to reassure her. “Listen, it’s complicated,” I soothed, “Please just trust me for now, and I promise I’ll tell you everything soon.”
“What am I supposed to say that? You’re so fucking stubborn you’re going to do whatever the hell you want anyway. You always do. So, what am I supposed to tell Jake?”
The sound of his name slammed into my heart unexpectedly. Jake… “What does Jake have to do with this? Jake left, remember? And so far it looks like he’s not coming back.”
“Well, that’s just it, Lo. He didn’t leave. I saw his truck at Evelyn’s this morning.”
“Evelyn’s? What?”
Evelyn would call from time-to-time and ask Jake to stop over and fix things around her house. I hated it, and he knew it, but he said that if he helped her it would “keep the peace” between us. I guess in a way he was right, but that was before she decided to pull the rug out from under me and sell her share of The Grand. Why would he help her now?
“I don’t know, Lo, it’s not like I knocked on the door and asked what he was doing there. Could you imagine? Jake, you son-of-a-bitch, you just ripped my best friend’s heart out, and by the way, what the hell are you doing at Evelyn’s?”
“Okay I get it, but I don’t want him to know anything. I mean it! If you run into him just give him the same story we told the staff. I’m out-of-town working.” I could hear myself talking, but my mind was spinning in the background trying to make sense of it all. Jake knew how much that woman hurt me, so, why? Why the hell would he do anything to help her, especially now?
“Fine, I won’t tell him anything, and you’d probably like to make me pinky swear, but you’re in Vegas so I guess you’re fucked, huh?”
Nina always seemed to know just what I needed, and a good dose of her famous sarcasm brought me back to the moment. I was laughing, giggling actually, and a flood of emotions ripped through me. Anxiety. I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time.
“Yeah, I’m fucked,” I said when I finally retorted. “I’m also exhausted. Can we talk more about this tomorrow?”
“Not so fast, Lo. You promised you’d let Leslie do a reading, remember? Well, it just so happens that I’m at her house now, and we’ve been waiting for you to call.”
I groaned. ”Nina, I know you’re worried, but the last thing I want to do right now…” The rustling sound as Nina passed the phone to Leslie told me I was about to get a reading like it or not.
“Lo, you’re in Vegas?” Leslie had two personalities, crazy and crazier. Crazy was her baseline. She was overdramatic, funny and full of energy, but I’d become accustomed to it over the years. When she was crazier, she might try to convince you that her neighbors were aliens. You never knew what you would get from day to day, but right now I could tell that she was just plain Leslie, and I breathed a sigh of relief for both Nina and me.
“I hope you’re having the time of your life, Love! Sometimes I swear you’re just like me!” I could imagine Nina secretly rolling her eyes in the background. It was hard to believe she could be so normal having been raised by a mother like Leslie. Sometimes she complained, but the girl had the patience of a saint, and her sensitivity to the fact that I no longer had a mother kept her from complaining too much. Besides, we both loved Leslie, even if she was bat shit crazy.
“Leslie, I’m having the time of my life.” I told her what she wanted to hear, even if I wasn’t sure it was the truth. “In fact, I’ve been having so much fun that I’m completely exhausted. Do you think we could do this reading tomorrow?”
She sounded serious. “Oh, honey, no, I’ve had a bad feeling all day. Something’s going on around you, and we need to get to the bottom of it. I’ll make it quick. I promise.”
What did she mean by that? I could barely whisper, “Ok.” A gut wrenching flashback hit me head on as I remembered the last time Leslie told me she had a bad feeling. Three weeks later my mom was diagnosed with Cancer. Now she had my complete attention. My head started to throb, and I rubbed my temples as I waited for her to continue.
I heard the familiar sound of cards shuffling, then swirling around, followed by the smack of individual cards hitting the table as if they were hammering out my destiny one by one. Then silence…
When she finally spoke the grave tone of her voice had me on edge. “Oh. Oh, this is exactly what I was afraid of.”
“What, Leslie? What is it?” A few minutes ago I was planning to get lost in this luxurious bed, but now I was hanging on her every word, ready to catch the next flight to Michigan. Everything changing in the blink of an eye was becoming the norm lately, but no matter how many times my world kept getting flipped upside-down, it never got easier. More cards slapped on the table, revealing my fate.
Leslie finally started speaking, mostly to herself. “Interesting…The Eight of Wands. That makes sense, because you just flew to Vegas, but it could mean something more, especially since The Tower is also present. Swift changes are in store for you, L
o.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s no surprise. I just hope they’re good changes this time.”
“Ah. Here’s what I’ve been waiting to see. We have the Emperor and the Knight of caps, but wait a minute. I don’t like the looks of this.”
“What?” Now I was pacing. “Please tell me. Don’t hold anything back. What is it?”
“All swords, my dear. Too many swords.” She clucked her tongue in disapproval.
“What the hell does that MEAN? I’m sorry, but I’m hundreds of miles from home, and this is freaking me out, Leslie. Please translate.”
“I know, honey, I’m working on it. I’ve never seen so many swords at one time. I’m trying to understand,” she pleaded and quickly resumed thinking out loud. “Ten of Pentacles. Yes, that represents The Grandview. Then there’s the Lovers, Six of Pentacles and Six of Cups, the Wheel of Fortune, and all these damn swords…”
“What do swords mean?” My voice cracked with anxiety.
“Swords mean betrayal and deception, endings and loss. Right now I see three men who are close to you, Lo. Two of them want to protect you, but you’re angry with them. One of them is trying to reveal the truth.”
“The truth? Could one of them be my father?” My mind was swirling with questions.
“Yes, I feel strongly that one of them is your father. He is generous and kind and would give you anything you needed…and so would one of the others. There are things you need to forgive, but you’re attachments to things in your childhood are like baggage that you carry with you into your relationships. Oh, and there’s a reunion. You might be feeling nostalgic, but don’t let it distract you. Now is not the time to be thinking with your heart. You have to stay focused and aware. I see someone trying to betray you. Someone you trust is deceiving you, and he’s not going to stop until he gets what he’s after.”
“Who? Why? Please, Leslie, can you tell me anything else?”
“Honey, this isn’t meant to upset you. Remember, these things aren’t set in stone. You have choices, and the Wheel of Fortune card tells me that luck is on your side. You’re at a turning point. When the truth is revealed it might hurt you, but it will change your course for the better. Just keep your eyes open, and don’t let your heart cloud your judgment. It’ll all make sense soon enough.”
After the ominous reading was over, Nina was even more determined to persuade me to come home immediately. It took a full ten minutes to convince her I’d be okay, at least for now, but even I wasn’t sure. Leslie’s comment about never seeing so many swords bothered me more than I cared to admit, and who would want to betray me? And why?
Maybe the cards described the arrangement between Parker and me. In a way it was a betrayal, or at least a form of extortion, but deep inside I didn’t believe that. Parker wanted something more. I could see it in his eyes every time he looked at me. He wanted something that I wasn’t sure could ever work, no matter how tempting it seemed. I was angry that he blackmailed me, but I knew he did it for the right reasons. Besides, if that meant having hot kinky sex with him for the next five days and returning home with the money to get The Grand in the clear then I was a willing victim.
So who then? Could Jake be the one plotting to betray me? He already had as far as I was concerned. The minute he made me choose between him and The Grand he betrayed me. So, maybe the worst had already passed. Either way, I had luck on my side, right? And it was comforting to believe that my dad was still watching over me in some way, too. My heart thumped in my chest at the thought, and I realized this was actually the first time I thought of him without feeling angry.
I looked at my reflection in the oversized mirror as I brushed my teeth. I was wearing one of the thin, silky camisole nightgowns purchased for me courtesy of “Mr. Blackwell”. I smiled. The shopping spree, the spa, I had to admit they were thoughtful gestures. Gestures that I didn’t even have a chance to thank him for, but that was hardly my fault. From the moment I walked into his lair he wanted to dominate me, and every cell in my body wanted to let him. It scared me. It excited me, but I was helplessly drawn to the cocky, confident, hard bodied Mr. Blackwell and all his manipulative pheromones. They did things to me like shut off the logical part of my brain and ignite the naughty, sexually impulsive part that I never even knew existed. Before tonight, I thought the time we shared on the beach was the hottest sex I’d ever had, but as dirty as it sounds, this arrangement has added a whole new dimension to things.
I got in bed, pulled the smooth silky sheets up around my body and let my sleepy thoughts drift to Parker Blackwell. I wondered how much more there was to know him. Aside from the knowing that he lived a life of luxury, played poker for a living and hired escorts for company, the last seven years of his life were a mystery. I still didn’t understand the escort thing. He was practically a celebrity. He had good looks, a fabulous body and money, lots and lots of money. Women threw themselves at him everywhere he went. My stomach twisted as I wondered how many he’d slept with and how I compared.
I’d been trying not to think about it since that night on the beach, but the fact that he had sex with professionals, women who could do things to him that I couldn’t imagine in my wildest fantasies, was more than a little intimidating. Parker was a man who knew what he wanted and demanded it without hesitation, took it even. I had a feeling he could extract it out of any woman of his choice. Even me. I felt a little ashamed as my thoughts drifted to the shower and how I touched myself in front of him. I’d never done that in front of a man before, and that’s exactly what I feared. He brought that side of me to life, and there was no telling how far she might go for him.
As I rolled over and shut my eyes I decided not to get too caught up in what the cards predicted. Besides, I would never let the charming playboy anywhere near my heart. The thought of having a long distance relationship with an ultra-rich celebrity sex god had disaster written all over it. I was here on a mission, and I had to be careful not to let myself believe it could become anything more.
Five
EPIC FAIL
Fuck! What the hell was that? There was one place in the world I wanted to be right now, but I couldn’t. She was mad as hell and making it impossible, and I had to get away from her long enough to gather my thoughts. Don’t get me wrong, I expected her to be mad. I expected her to be furious, but I never expected her to use the dirty little slut defense so expertly. It was a game changer. It blew my fucking mind.
Before that I planned to comfort her, explain myself, and try to win her over gently by showing her that I was interested in more than just her body. Instead I let her lead me by the balls right into the trap she had so cleverly set. Yeah, I took the bait hook, line and sinker. Whenever I was around her my big head and little head clashed in an epic battle of wills. The girl had an effect on me every time we shared the same air, but I’ve never felt more out of control than I did in that room.
She challenged me, and I called her bluff. Unfortunately for her, I wasn’t bluffing, and I took everything she had, all of her. The offer was too good to resist. The way she responded surprised me. I think she enjoyed it, but if I was wrong I could’ve blown my chance the minute the clock started ticking.
I considered drinking myself into a stupor as I plunked down on a barstool adjacent from the lobby, but quickly decided against it. When the bartender came over with my usual in hand, I threw some cash on the bar and made my way back upstairs. The next five days would go by fast, and I wasn’t about to give up. If I still had a chance in hell I had to keep a level head no matter what defense mechanism she tried to use. I had to make her believe that I wanted than just sex.
The safest plan would be to lock myself in my room for the night and try to forget she was in the bed down the hall. As cold as that seemed it was the best idea I had, at least until she cooled off a little. Before heading to my room I stopped at her door and listened for a sign she might be awake. Nothing. I didn’t want to leave her on bad terms, so I tapped o
n the door gently and waited. Still nothing.
“Lo, can you hear me? I just wanted to say goodnight.” I leaned against the door and tried to explain. “Things got pretty intense tonight. I couldn’t control myself and… Anyway, I thought I’d show you around tomorrow. ” As I stood there waiting, seconds felt like minutes. Minutes felt like hours until I finally gave up. “Good night, Lo.”
Six
TESTING LIMITS
I jolted upright in bed at the sound of his voice behind my door. Gripping the blankets tightly I listened as he uttered a veiled apology. He seemed disappointed, distracted maybe, but by the end of his rambling I was trying not to smile, especially when he admitted he couldn’t control himself. Maybe I was being too hard on him. Maybe. Then again maybe Parker was the one who was plotting to betray me. The more I tried to put it out of my mind, the more I kept going back to it. What was his real motive for wanting me here anyway?
When my eyes opened again the red numbers on the clock said 9:00 AM. I was late. I threw the covers back and scrambled out of bed into the adjoining bathroom. I showered quickly, applied my new make-up exactly how I was instructed by the sales clerk, and dressed casually as Mr. Blackwell, Parker, requested. I wasted too much time trying to choose a pair of shoes that would match my outfit yet be comfortable enough for walking. I wished I had my Sketchers or Keen sandals, but no luck. Besides neither would go with my Dolce & Gabbana sweetheart dress, which I was told was for ‘casual wear’.
One last look in the mirror and I was ready. I could smell the inviting aroma of coffee before I reached the dining room, and walked in slowly worried he would be disappointed that I overslept. He was waiting.
“Good morning.” He beamed as I walked into the room. “Did you sleep well?”
I looked down nervously at my shoes. “Yes, I’m afraid a little too well. I’m sorry. I think I was exhausted from the, um…time change.” I bit my lip trying not to smile.
Falling Free: What happens in Vegas... (The Fall Series) Page 3
