by Odell, Roxie
“Hey, you wanna go for a toss?” one of the dice players asked, his voice dripping with innuendo, when he noticed her glanicng at them.
“Oh, uh, no thanks,” she murmured. She would have liked to try the game, but the guy clearly wanted her to do more than play with his dice. She wasn’t having that. She had an amazing man already, and she had zero interest in anyone else.
Her best course of action would be to get out of there in a hurry. She rose from the lounge chair and quickly headed toward the pool.
“Hold up,” the man in the too-tight swimsuit said urgently. “You can’t go till you gimme a blow.”
“Excuse me?” she snapped, whipping her head around to stare at him in shock.
The other men laughed softly, shaking their heads.
“My dice,” he clarified, holding out the cup. “They could use a good blow… for luck.” He tried to sound far more innocent than she knew he was.
Corrine said nothing and just scolded him with a look.
“Sorry,” he apologized sheepishly. “That wasn’t nice. Bad joke.”
“Yeah,” she said.
He laughed and held out the dice. “But seriously, I’m losin’ my ass here,” he pleaded sweetly, even jutting his bottom lip out in a pout and giving her those puppy dog eyes guys always liked to use to get their way.
Corrine bent over and puffed air on the dice.
“Thanks,” he said, his eyes as black as a wolf’s, as if he was about to gobble her up.
“Hey!” another guy protested. “What about the rest of us?”
“Sorry,” she said. “That’s all the luck I’ve got for today, fellas.”
Pleased with herself, Corrine padded to the water in her itsy-bitsy bikini. She hesitated at the pool’s edge, suddenly nervous to jump in, despite how hot the sun was. She knew the water was warm, but it was always something of a shock to the system. She dragged her big toe across the surface, working up her nerve to take the dive.
She jumped in the deep end, feet first. The force of the water pushed up her top, leaving her momentarily naked down to her waist. Nevertheless, the water felt amazing against her bare skin, so much so that she thought it was a shame she had to wear anything at all as she glided through it.
She had to go up for air, but she knew she would expose the girls if she didn’t act quickly. Corrine grappled with the tangled triangles and string until her breasts were covered. She certainly wasn’t about to give anyone a free show.
Corrine tried to push herself up onto the edge of the pool but slipped and had to try a second time. In doing so, her bathing suit top, barely attached already, threatened to expose her again. The heat of embarrassment burned through her pool-cooled skin. She felt eyes bearing down on her, or at least she imagined they were. She relaxed and let herself drop back into the water so she could remedy her wardrobe malfunction once more.
Her third time to try to escape the pool turned out to be a charm because one of the dice rollers came to her aid. His help was appreciated, but she doubted his motives were pure. She had no business letting a strange man put his hands on her, no matter how innocently, especially not while she was so scantily-clad and lounging by the pool that just happened to be at the hotel where her boyfriend worked.
Corrine’s boyfriend was no boy at all. Derrick Quinn was a real man, a successful and gorgeous one, the general counsel and vice president of the company that owned the Tresor, and she was head-over-heels in love with him. If he saw her getting friendly with this meathead by the pool, he would be pissed.
It was understandable. If the situation were reversed, she knew she would be furious if she spotted him getting cozy with a woman. She needed to make sure she didn’t cross any lines, even accidentally.
She was out of the water, basically giving a free show to an uninvited audience. The dice players all watched her, not hiding their appreciative stares. Her nearly-microscopic bikini did not cloak the result of the cool water. Anyone could see that her nipples were fully erect.
Corrine was in amazing shape, and she took pride in that. Thus, she was usually completely comfortable in that tiny trio of triangles. Now, though, she felt suddenly vulnerable, and it wasn’t just because of the remarks uttered under the breath of the men she passed. She considered going inside. Even though she’d be assaulted by the monster air-conditioning and a different gawking public, it still felt like the lesser of two evils.
God, my purse! How stupid. She’d left her belongings unguarded by the drinking dice-players. She awkwardly approached the area where she had been sunbathing, hoping her things were still there and untouched.
“It’d be a shame to cover up that artwork,” muttered the guy who’d asked her to blow on his dice.
A cigarette now dangled from his lips as he waited for his turn to slam the dice again.
Corrine did not respond. She simply gathered up her possessions, acutely aware that she was leaning over, giving them a clear shot of her cleavage. She sifted through the rumpled towel and was disgusted to discover that her cellphone and purse were missing.
“Give it back,” she snapped, then laughed softly, hoping that softening her tone might entice the guy to show her a little mercy.
“Hey, I’m glad to give you anything you want,” said the smoker. “But you need to give me some idea what you’re talkin’ about. The devil’s in the details, as they say.” He winked.
Corrine knew she had to think very carefully about her response because he was clearly toying with her. She also had the distinct feeling that if she pushed him, he would get defensive, and she’d never see her purse or phone again.
“No worries,” she said, trying to shrug it off.
“I’ll tell ya what,” he said. “Let’s play. “You win, we’ll help you find whatever you’re looking for. If I win, I, uh, win.”
Corrine knew better than to engage with the man, but she needed her stuff back. She glanced around for any nearby staff members who might be able to help her out. The only one she saw was the bartended way on the other side of the pool, and he was swamped with customers.
When she turned her attention back to her lounge chair, her purse and cellphone were waiting for her. Something about that made her shiver with fear.
“Wow,” she said, trying to play it off and hide her frustration. “Look at that. It’s like magic.”
“They were under your chair,” said the smoking man.
She reached for her things, but he was quicker.
“Just one game?” he asked again. He wouldn’t let go of her purse.
Corrine was quickly tiring of the whole scene. She gave her bag a firm yank, but he still wouldn’t unhand it, and before she knew it, they were tussling like two kindergarteners fighting over a toy.
“Derrick Quinn is gonna kick your ass,” she angrily said before she even realized the threat was tumbling out of her lips.
The smoker just laughed, ignoring his buddies’ pleas to leave her alone. “Who’s Derrick Quinn, and why should I be so worried about the guy?” he asked with a smirk.
At that point, Corrine abandoned all diplomacy. “Call Derrick!” she shouted to the bartender.
Somewhere along the way, the playful struggle over the purse turned into real wrestling. The man’s arms were around her, and too much of his skin was against hers, and Corrine lost her ability to choose. She couldn’t just shout, “Enough!” and make it stop. She countered his every move with as much speed and force as she could manage, but it wasn’t doing much good.
Finally, a commanding voice put an end to it all.
Derrick? She opened her eyes and focused on his face. His expression was furious. He was accompanied by a team of burly security guys. They were allowed to wear polo shirts during the day, but there was no mistaking them. Their explosive biceps couldn’t be disguised no matter what they wore.
“What’s going on here?” Derrick asked, staring down the man holding Corrine’s purse.
“Nothing you or your brute squ
ad need to be concerned about, buddy,” answered the smoker.
“I asked her, not you,” Derrick said. “And it is my business. As for my so-called brute squad, they’re hotel security so that makes it their business, too, buddy.”
Corrine had never seen Derrick so enraged before. Although there was no doubting his virility, she’d never witnessed that alpha side of him out in public. In the bedroom, he was dominant in a sexy way that drove her wild, but in confronting the guest, he was positively warrior-like. She couldn’t help being turned on beneath the anxiety of the situation.
“Well?” Derrick asked, arching his eyebrow at her.
“This guy just got… inappropriate,” answered Corrine quickly. “He stole my purse and phone.”
“Smoking pictures, by the way,” the man remarked with a smirk.
He searched my phone? Corrine thought, to her horror, but before she could react, Derrick chimed in.
“That phone times out and locks, so quit the bullshit,” he said with darkness in his voice. “You didn’t see a thing.” He then bent down to the much shorter man and whispered near his ear. “Only I’ve seen that.”
“Whatever,” the stranger snapped. Then, without warning, the unruly guest took a swing.
As quick as lightning, Derrick blocked his punch and followed through with a counterattack, shoving the man back hard. The guest stumbled over a chair and landed on his ass. When he stood upright again, his face was bright red, and his eyes were wide with surprise.
Derrick laughed, mocking the man he’d so easily bested and basking in his humiliation. He then swooped closer to him, with a glint of the devil in his eye. “This is a hotel,” he lectured. “You’re a guest here, and there are rules. Do not physically assault or harass the other clientele, or you’ll be asked to leave. That is, if I don’t have you arrested. I don’t know what happened here, but I’d have every right to hold you for questioning about the matter. I’m gonna let you off with a warning for now. Besides, it looks like you might need to change your shorts.”
The biggest of the security men behind Derrick tried to maintain his hard expression but couldn’t help laughing at that as he looked down at the dice-roller’s pathetic speedo.
“Come near her or me again, and you’ll be permanently banned from the Tresor.”
“Fuck you!” barked the smoker.
Derrick grinned. “You took a swing at me, and I let you off the hook, and now you curse at me in front of the other guests? I guess you’re ready to go then. Out!”
“Naw,” replied the man, very sure of himself. “Matter of fact, I think I might take an extended vacation here. The place is kinda growin’ on me.” He gave Corrine another wink.
“C’mon, man,” begged one of his friends. “Let’s just go. This place is overrated anyway.”
“No!” the man fired back. “We’re paying customers, just havin’ fun, and this broad started flirting with me like a little tease. It’s her fault. If I’m getting booted, so is she!”
“She stays,” said Derrick, wrapping his arm around her.
“That ain’t right, pal, and I’m gonna report you for it,” the drunk said. “You can’t give a guest special treatment just ‘cause you’re fucking her! I oughtta knock your lights out.”
Corrine shuffled on her feet and blushed, a bit embarrassed by the remark, but Derrick only chuckled wickedly and said, “Feel free to give it your best shot… again.”
The man stared at Derrick for a moment, then looked over at the looming security personnel and decided to keep his mouth shut.
“Get him out of here,” Derrick ordered.
The security men, like pallbearers, took hold of the smoker and escorted him out, kicking, screaming, and cursing all the way.
Derrick turned his gaze on Corrine. He tipped his head, his eyes bearing down on her in a way that made her squirm.
She danced on the pavement in the hot Vegas sun. “I, um, I need to go inside,” she said. “It’s too hot out here.”
“Well, it’s about to get hotter,” he promised.
“Feel free to give it your best shot,” she said with a smile.
Chapter 23
It was about that time of day in Vegas when the heat was just too much. The onlookers who’d taken in the whole sordid scene between the gamblers, Corrine, and Derrick began rolling their belongings into their towels and heading back into the hotel, eager for cool drinks and the air condition that would cool them off and soothe their fresh tans.
Corrine’s stomach was tight with an anxiety she hadn’t experienced before, an uncertainty that she never would have expected when it came to Derrick. Since they first collided in that glass-enclosed elevator so long ago, there had been an underlying certainty in their relationship, something that got her through, even when questions came up. Now, she was worried.
It had to be obvious from the way Derrick found them that she was the victim, and she hoped he didn’t think otherwise. But that man made it sound like I was to blame, too. She sighed. He said I flirted with him, which was maybe a little true, but did Derrick believe him?
After another heavy sigh, she haphazardly wadded up her stuff. It wasn’t the most efficient or organized way to transport it, but she was eager to leave the scene as quickly as she could.
Derrick’s head pivoted to Corrine. “Are you okay?” he asked. “That man didn’t hurt you, did he?”
“No, I’m all right,” she said.
He nodded. “Good. If he had, he would have bigger things to worry about then just getting banned.” He paused. “Look, I’m sort of in the middle of something right now. I’ve gotta get back to it, but you need to be around when I get off. We have things to discuss.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re absolutely delicious when you’re bossy?” she purred.
“Not today, Corrine,” he murmured. “I’m not in the mood for games right now.”
“Well allow me to help you get in the mood,” she said.
“Corrine.”
Corrine couldn’t help being aroused, especially when he batted her around like she was a little mouse. When he closed the distance between them, she felt her knees buckle and her insides melt.
“Trying to smooth things over, huh?” he asked.
“Maybe,” she said with a smile.
“Well, as much as I’d like to stick around for that, I really do have to go.”
Derrick’s eyes were dark, and his lip was curled. He had the look of a predator, the look he always wore when he was about to pounce on her. The attention of those other men had been flattering at first, but no one could hold a candle to Derrick Quinn, and no man had ever affected her the way he did.
From the moment they met, the moment he made contact with her as she stumbled into his arms that fateful day, it had been nothing but fireworks. How could that possibly happen with such frequency? she often wondered. For the better half of a year, theirs had been a passionately combustive union, with limitless physical chemistry brewing between them. As soon as they exorcised their erotic urges, those drives returned with even more power than before.
She could see he was trying to resist her. The carnal lust between them surged at the worst possible time. It was obvious that he was in the middle of some serious work when her nonsense, damsel-in-distress call for help came from the bartender. Now he had to make up for lost time, and he didn’t even have a minute for a quickie, much to her dismay.
“Behave, Corrine,” he warned mildly, touching her hand.
“But you don’t like it when I behave,” she protested playfully.
He arched a brow and laughed gently. “I’m not so sure I like it when you misbehave,” he replied.
Corrine suddenly felt horrible that he’d found her with the arms of another man around her bare skin, regardless of the circumstances. She knew that couldn’t possibly have felt very good, and it was a slam to his ego.
For her part, she hadn’t really done anything wrong, but she knew she shouldn’
t have engaged with the flirty guy at all. It had been fun and a little risky, the very elements that made their relationship so addictive, but her adventurous side was not to be shared with other men. If she had walked in on Derrick tangled up with another woman, she would have been devastated, even if that woman was fully clothed.
Corrine had to dig deep through her sexual excitement to acknowledge she might have gone a little too far. “I get it, loud and clear,” she finally said. “I promise it won’t happen again.”
He released her suddenly, not rough but decisive. “Well, I can’t really stop you, can I?”
She knew he was only teasing, but he went straight for her vulnerable spot, the chink in her armor. She could not imagine life without his undying attention. She had been taking in steady doses of that bliss practically daily since they first met, and she was damn certain she didn’t want to give that up. “Oh, but you can stop me,” she said softly and sincerely. “You do stop me. It’s not even a contest.”
He leaned down and whispered in her ear, “Come with me, my good woman.”
“Have you suddenly become British?” she teased.
He cut his eyes to her in a glance that let her know he was toying with her. Then he escorted her to the elevators.
“I’m showering at your place?” she said.
“Definitely,” he said as he opened his door. “I’m leaving you here. Work calls for now, but remember, we’re talking later.”
Corrine, suddenly feeling hotter than she did even out in the sun, staggered over to his bed. “I look forward to it,” she replied as she temptingly untied the bikini top.
He left her with a parting shot before he disappeared around the corner. “Also, if you’re going to play games with other people, make sure they know the rules,” he counseled. “It’s only fair.”
There was something so incredibly erotic about his demeanor at that moment. Derrick Quinn filled her, mind, body, and soul. She knew Derrick was the best man she’d ever been with, and there was no one on the planet better for her. “Aye-aye, Captain,” she said with a smile.
