Fighting for Desire

by Sarah Bale

  Shannon leaned forward in her seat and her long leg brushed his in the process. Damn, those heels she wore made her calf muscles flex even while sitting. His mind was suddenly filled with an image of those same heels thrown over his shoulders as he fucked her.

  She glanced up at him and for a second he swore she knew what he was thinking. He grinned down at her. So what if she knew where his thoughts were headed?

  She leaned over. “Thanks for bringing me here tonight. I’ve always wanted to see one of these shows.”

  She beamed at him and the breath left his lungs.

  “No problem. I thought it was something you would enjoy.”

  When he first found out he was going to Vegas, he planned on hitting up some of the clubs for VIP parties. When he’d decided on propositioning Shannon to spend one month with him, his plans had changed. Now he was glad he had picked things she would enjoy as well.

  A male dancer wearing a loincloth came to the edge of the stage and held out a rose for Shannon. She blushed and took the flower with a smile. He eyed the dancer until the man went to give someone else a rose. Didn’t he know Shannon was his?

  Whoa, where did that thought come from?

  The audience erupted in applause, saving him from having to analyze his thoughts too closely. The lights came on and people began making their way out of the auditorium.

  “Let’s wait for it to clear out before we go,” he said to Shannon, not wanting to get caught in the crush of people.

  “Still get claustrophobic in public?”

  He nodded. The claustrophobia started when he was ten years old. He had been in line with the rest of his class when two more classes joined them in the hall. He began sweating and backed up against the wall, refusing to move.

  People began crowding around him, wanting to see what was wrong. Finally one of the teachers realized what was happening and made the students move on. Everyone left except Shannon. She refused to leave his side and had a tissue waiting to wipe the tears that were falling down his cheeks.

  His old man had called him a pussy when he got home then threw him against the wall to show him what real pain was. Dev cringed at the memory.

  “It’s not as bad as it used to be,” he lied. “But I’d rather not risk getting caught in the crowd.”

  That was an understatement. His reputation as a badass would be trashed if people knew he couldn’t stand large groups. No, it was much better to wait until the crowd thinned out a bit.

  “I don’t mind waiting.” She smiled shyly up at him. “I’m glad you aren’t mad at me anymore.”

  Guilt and something else he couldn’t put his finger on caused him to shift uncomfortably in his seat.

  “I wasn’t mad at you earlier, Shannon. I was mad at myself for getting so caught up in the moment that I didn’t use a condom.”

  Her eyes lowered and she whispered, “I know. Believe me, I know.”

  “But that’s what you do to me—what you’ve always done to me. When I’m with you I don’t think rationally. You consume me,” he admitted with a little shake of his head.

  “Is that so bad?”

  He met her gaze evenly. “Yeah it is.”

  The air left Shannon’s lungs in a rush of pain at Dev’s admission. Hearing him say he didn’t want to be consumed by her hurt more than she ever thought possible. His admission also presented a problem. If he felt that way, then it was probably going to be harder to keep him away from his training sessions. Knowing him, he would go out of his way to avoid her.

  She moistened her lips with her tongue as she thought. She had less than a month with him and she needed to make every moment count. That meant she was going to have to get creative. She wondered if he kept his schedule on his phone or if Marco had it. Desperate times called for desperate measures and she needed that schedule.

  She realized Dev was talking and she hadn’t heard a word he said.

  “I’m sorry, what was that?”

  “I said I think it’s probably okay to leave now. Are you ready?”

  She nodded and stood. “Oh, will you carry my chair for me?”

  His eyebrows lifted. “Chair?”

  She pointed at the souvenir chair. “Yeah. Didn’t you notice everyone else carrying theirs out? I’d like to take mine.” She thought for a moment. “And yours too, if you don’t want it.”

  “No, I don’t want it.”

  His dry tone said it all and she held back a smile, half expecting an argument. Instead he folded the two chairs and picked them up.

  “After you, madam.”

  She grinned up at him and led the way. As they made their way through the casino she looked wistfully toward the poker tables. God, it had been so long since she had played—mostly because she was broke. Dev followed her gaze and grinned.

  “Do you still play?”

  She shook her head. “I haven’t in years.” She thought for a moment. “High school was probably the last time.”

  He gasped in mock horror. “Well let’s remedy the situation right now.”

  He waved an usher over and handed him the souvenir chairs, with instructions to take them back to their room. Then he turned to her with his oh-so-sexy half-smile.

  “Let’s get some chips.”

  “Dev, we don’t have to do this,” she protested. “I don’t even have any money with me.”

  “It’s a good thing you recently came into some cash now isn’t it?”

  Well she couldn’t argue with that. He took her by the hand and led her to the guest services table. A pretty blonde tittered at Dev and Shannon rolled her eyes.

  “How may I help you, sir?”

  Dev pulled out his wallet and handed her his ID.

  “I need to get twenty-five thousand in chips for my lovely friend and twenty-five thousand for me.”

  Oh my freaking God. Was he really taking out fifty thousand dollars to use on poker? Shannon knew her mouth was hanging open as the girl went to get the chips.

  She grabbed onto his arm. “Are you insane? Twenty dollars would have been okay with me! You took out enough money to buy a nice car or a boat!”

  He laughed. “Chill. There is a ten-thousand-dollar minimum in the high stakes area and that’s the only place I play anymore. Plus, I was pre-approved for this amount before I even knew you were coming.”

  “Too good for the normal area?” The words left her lips before she could stop them.

  “It’s all part of the lifestyle, Shannon. If I go to the ‘normal area’, as you call it, and someone recognizes me, then I can’t enjoy myself. Generally the high-stakes area is a little more refined and I don’t have to worry about getting mobbed by fans.”

  Wow, she hadn’t considered he might have problems with people approaching him. It must be hard for him to go out in public at all. Now that she thought about it, a few people had asked him for autographs before the Cirque show started until security came and stood by them.

  “What if I lose all your money?”

  He shrugged. “It’s called gambling, baby, not winning.”

  She rolled her eyes and took the stack of chips the girl handed to her. Dev took his as well and then led her through the casino. They stopped in front of a red velvet curtain where a frowning security guard sat on a high stool.

  “Membership card, please.”

  Dev handed him a card. “And I have one guest.”

  The man nodded. “If you need an escort back to the guest services, just let us know, Mr. James.”

  He stood and opened the curtain. Shannon peered into the room but only saw a narrow hallway. Dev tipped the man a poker chip and then walked through. She hurried after him.

  “Why would we need an escort back to the guest services desk?”

  “Because if you win a lot of money, it’s safer to be escorted than to walk through the casino alone. Some of the tables hit seven figures in payouts.”

  Holy shit. She was way out of her element! Dev pushed through another curtain and she took th
e time to check out her surroundings. The room basically looked the same as the main area of the casino. The only thing missing was the constant noise made by the slot machines.

  The room held a nice mixture of people, most of them as dressed up as she and Dev were. She even spotted a few men wearing sunglasses and bit back a smile. They were usually the ones who couldn’t bluff to save their lives.

  An attendant came up to them and said, “My name is Angela and I’ll be your server tonight. May I get you something to drink?”

  “Water for me and the lady will take a Diet Coke,” Dev answered.

  Shannon smiled up at Dev and he winked back at her.

  “We can play Texas hold ’em or we can play blackjack.”

  She hated blackjack and he knew it. She saw the gleam in his eyes and realized he was teasing her.

  “Let’s play Texas hold ’em,” she said with a grin.

  There was a table with five people sitting at it so they walked over.

  “Can we join in?” Dev asked the dealer.

  “Yes, sir. This table is now full and ready to start. Each hand is a minimum of one thousand dollars and a max of five. Ladies, please draw a card and gentlemen do the same,” the dealer said as he shuffled the cards with a flourish.

  Everyone drew a card from the deck and Shannon gazed at hers. Pooh—a three of hearts. She wouldn’t be getting the dealer button this round.

  “Place your cards face up.” The dealer looked at each card. “And it looks as if the lady in red has the highest card.”

  A woman two seats over squealed. Shannon chuckled as the dealer picked up the cards and shuffled them again. He dealt the first hand and everyone placed their bets. Shannon’s heart sped up with adrenaline. She had forgotten how exciting poker could be.

  * * * * *

  An hour later Shannon held her breath as she waited to see what each player was going to do. The game had gone back and forth, becoming more and more intense, until her neck ached with tension. Three folds and two calls later, it was her turn.

  She glanced at the cards in her hands and then raised the bet. Anticipation filled her body. She was going to win! Dev glanced at her but she didn’t bat an eye in his direction. He knew her too well. He called and everyone who hadn’t folded began to lay down their cards. The lady in red had a low flush but Shannon wasn’t worried. The lady had been bluffing badly the entire game.

  Dev smirked. “Full house, nines over jacks.”

  Shit, that was a pretty decent hand but not as good as what she held.

  The man next to Dev said, “Straight flush.”

  He laid down the king, queen, jack, ten and nine of spades. She glanced down at her hand again and struggled not to smirk.

  The dealer turned to her. “And what do you have, ma’am?”

  She laid down her cards and Dev laughed.

  The dealer said, “A royal flush wins the game. The lady in blue takes it all.”

  Everyone congratulated her except for the man she had beaten. He left the table in a huff.

  “Want to play again?” Dev asked with a grin.

  She nodded. Why the hell not? She glanced at the roulette table. If her luck held up, then she was definitely trying that game tonight. And if Lady Luck were truly on her side, she would find a way to stop Dev from going to his training session in the morning as well.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Shannon gasped as the woman at the guest services table said the final total of her winnings.

  “Excuse me?”

  The woman laughed. “Due to the large amount, we cannot give you cash. We can however print you off a check or direct deposit the money into an account of your choice.”

  “I’m sorry. Did you just say I won eighty-thousand dollars?”

  The woman nodded and Shannon turned to Dev in shock.

  “Did she say eighty thousand?”

  “You played some good games tonight, Shan.” He turned to the guest services representative. “A check will be fine. Thank you.”

  Holy freaking cow! She shook her head in awe.

  “I can’t believe I won that much! I should really give it to you. Without you I wouldn’t have been able to play at all.”

  “Don’t even think about it. It’s your money and you won it fair and square. Don’t worry about me either. I didn’t do so bad myself.”

  The woman came back with two checks and some paperwork for filing taxes on their winnings.

  “Thank you for playing. We do so hope you come back again.”

  Shannon grinned as Dev all but dragged her from the casino. She pulled her hand free from his and then wrapped herself around his waist. His steps faltered but he quickly recovered. They used to walk that way when they were younger.

  In the elevator she gazed up at him and said, “Thank you. Everything has been so wonderful tonight.”

  She meant her words too. When their month together ended and they went their separate ways, she knew she would look back on this night and remember it fondly. Not to mention the money she won at poker and how it was going to help her out in the long run.

  “I’m glad you had a good time. I enjoyed myself as well.” He chuckled. “I’m surprised you remembered how to play poker.”

  She blushed. “When I told you earlier that I hadn’t played in years…well, that was kind of a lie. I play a poker game on my phone and it keeps my skills fresh.”

  “Ah, so I was conned.”

  The elevator dinged as they reached their floor and the doors opened.

  “What else have I been conned on?” he asked.

  She stepped from the elevator and gave him her sexiest smile.

  “For one, you have been conned into believing I’m wearing undergarments under this dress.”

  She turned on her heel and walked away, sashaying her hips. The sharp intake of breath behind her gave her the satisfaction of knowing her words hit home. She reached the door and opened it.

  His arm snaked around her waist and he said against her ear, “Dirty girl. What if I had run my hand up your leg under the poker table?”

  She turned so she faced him. “Then you would have gotten more than you bargained for.”

  He ushered her backward into the suite and kicked the door closed with his foot.

  “Show me.”

  She blushed. “Aren’t you afraid Marco might get a free show again?”

  “Marco is out.” He pointed at her. “Now…show me.”

  Her heart rate sped up as his eyes darkened with desire. He had always been able to make her wet and ready with just one look. She held onto the hem of her dress and shook it back in forth, pulling it higher each time. His eyes followed her and she grinned.

  She lowered the dress and then began all over again, knowing he was enjoying the show. Part of her was enjoying the teasing too. The other half wondered if she was putting on a show because Johnny Ice told her to. She blanched at the thought.

  No, that wasn’t it at all. She wanted this. She just hated that Johnny had tainted anything that might happen with Dev. She knew she would always wonder deep down.

  “Shan?”

  She smiled and resumed her little dress show. This time she pulled the skirt higher until she could feel the cool air against her sensitive area. Just for good measure, she took a step so her legs were open enough for him to see as much as he wanted to.

  After a moment she lowered the dress and began again. Dev watched her with hungry eyes until her nipples peaked against the silky material.

  “Too bad we don’t have the vibrator with us,” she said.

  He pushed up the sleeves of his shirt. “What would you do if you had it?”

  “I’d give you a real nice show,” she said, her Texas accent coming out in a soft drawl.

  Slowly and seductively his gaze slid downward. “And what would you say if I told you I had brought it with me?”

  “I’d say prove it.”

  He was across the room before she had time to react, picking h
er up and tossing her over his shoulder.

  “Put me down.” She laughed.

  He turned on a lamp as he entered the room. Then he dumped her onto the bed and leaned over to dig through his luggage. She peered over his shoulder as he pulled out a small black toiletry case.

  “I’m guessing your toothbrush isn’t in that bag,” she said drily.

  He grinned and opened the satchel. She could see several different toys inside and sure enough, there was the pink rabbit vibrator. The little rabbit stared back at her, taunting her. Could she really do this? Masturbating was something she had always wanted to do for Dev…

  He picked the vibe up and handed the toy to her. There was only one button and when she pushed it the speed changed from slow to fast.

  “You going to go through with this?” Dev asked with a grin.

  Oh, he thought he knew her so well.

  She smiled sweetly back. “Yes I am. Make yourself comfortable.”

  He pulled the chair from the desk to the foot of the bed and then kicked off his shoes. He unbuttoned his black shirt but left it on, giving her a delicious, peek-a-boo view of his chest. Then he sat down, his legs stretched forward.

  Light from the Vegas strip reached their room, creating a soft glow. The lamp by the door didn’t give off that much light either and she was kind of glad the room was slightly dark.

  She propped the pillows up and scooted to the top of the bed. She knew better than to ask him if he wanted her shoes on or off. He always liked her wearing shoes while they fucked. She lifted her hips so she could pull up the dress. Then she turned on the vibrator.

  The soft buzz filled the room and she could feel Dev’s eyes on her. For a moment she faltered. Masturbating alone in her room was one thing. Masturbating while Dev watched was an entirely different thing—even if she did want him to watch.

  He must have sensed her unease because he said softly, “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to, Shan.”